New Year, New Site, New Business

January 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment


With the coming of the new year, Doulos Marketing Group is changing. We are re-launching the company as a full fledged business development company whose purpose is to help entrepreneurs design success!

In order to make a clean break from Doulos Marketing, we are launching a new website that you can visit starting today, January 3, 2011. With all the posts that are on this site, we will be leaving the site up for some time to preserve the posts that are more easily found here than transferred to the new site.

On the new site you will find that The Doulos Group stands ready to help entrepreneurs with the desire to design success for themselves and their businesses. We believe that, you, your dream, and your efforts can, with the proper leadership and guidance, can make your business dreams come true. Let us show you how to design success!

Stop by and visit us today and don’t forget to tell us what you think!

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Splashing Around in the Deep End!

December 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Are you just splashing around in the deep end?

 

English: A Private Swimming Pool

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One of the most interesting things that I have learned this year is that the majority of the entrepreneurs that I know who have started businesses in the past year or so did so without a real plan in place. They began with a dream (or were living in a nightmare), they jumped into the deep end of the pool and splashed around trying to both get noticed and to not drown at the same time!

 

While this makes for a lot of excitement, it rarely ends with a strong and successful business enterprise. For those considering a new start-up in 2012, a few thoughts about splashing around in the deep end!

 

  1. Get your “dry land” work done first. When a person begins to learn to swim, an instructor will give them some instruction and safety advice before they enter the water for the first time. In learning ahead of time about things to know/do once you get in the water, you are more prepared in the event of trouble than if you simply “jump in” head first.
  2. Start out in the shallow end of the pool. The benefit here is that in the event of a problem or that you panic for any reason all you have to do is put your feet on the bottom of the pool and stand up. There is always a greater chance of survival in the shallow end that splashing around in the deep water!
  3. Challenge yourself to move into the deep end of the pool when your confidence and skills warrant the risk! Be careful (but not too careful) because success in the deeper water requires that you take the next step. With every step into the deeper water their comes increased risk, but with growth in confidence and skills you will soon be swimming like a fish!

Learning the dangers of splashing around in the deep end will provide you with the ability to be survive the difficulties and be successful for the long term. While others are just splashing around making noise and hoping to survive, you will be enjoying all the opportunities that confidence and skill brings.

 

So, as you consider your business start-up you must decide three things: where you are now; where you need to be to gain both confidence and skills; and how long will it take to gain it so that your business will be both safe and successful in 2012!

 

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Business Between the Holidays

November 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Christmas lights on Aleksanterinkatu.

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As I sit here this morning, the day after Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about the next five weeks or so that will bring an end to 2011. I have to admit that I, like so many other entrepreneurs, have been considering: How it is best to do business between the holidays?

When I first started selling real estate back in 2004, one of the most interesting things I learned was that for some agents the end of their year came around the 15th of November. Most of the agents who “shut down” were the “average” agents who never had much going anyway. However, among those were agents who were, at least in my eyes, successful and well known agents whose production numbers were always among the best in the office.

But, there was always a few who seemed to do as much business between the holidays as they did throughout the rest of the year. These were the real professionals whose business usually topped that of everyone else in the office. They were the one’s who were in the office nearly every day and worked with more buyers and sellers than anyone else.

I worked in the real estate world for five years and found that no matter the office or the brokerage, there were always those professional agents who always had business between the holidays. What I found in them I want to share with you in hopes that their success principles will provide you with the knowledge to do business between the holidays:

  1. These business professionals worked all year to finish each year as strong as they had started it. The challenge for them was to make their fourth quarter bigger than their first.
  2. These business professionals learned that part of business success was setting the stage for future sales and when things were slow they were working “behind the scenes” for the next sale.
  3. While it is true that office hours were limited during the holiday season, that did not stop these top producers from making use of the office when no one else was around. They worked when no one else did, did what no one else would and were rewarded like no one else was!

After leaving real estate (the only job I ever really missed after leaving) I kinda bounced around a little, looking for what was right for me now. Having found my place again, I am working, like those top producers to make the holidays a great time for family as well as for business!

Have a great holiday season, but don’t forget that your business and your clients need you too!

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New Things Coming in 2012

November 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Doulos Marketing is making big changes for 2012. There and many new things coming in 2012. I am working very hard on these changes and because of that I have not been posting lately. Beginning this week, I will get back to posting regularly.

My greatest hope is that the changes will benefit the greatest number of readers and that you will build better, stronger, and more successful businesses in 2012.

I really believe that success in this current economy will come to those who do three things:

  1. Take on a sense of personal responsibility and use your skill set in ways to benefit you, your family, and your business.
  2. Decide to develop new skills that will make you stand out from the crowd in whatever area you choose to work.
  3. Look for opportunities to help others find their stride in life so that they will develop to the best of their abilities.

Stay tuned … I will be releasing much more information about our new direction throughout the remainder of 2011. As always I appreciate your comments, questions, and suggestions.

More later …. Stay tuned!!

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Since my last post at Doulos Marketing

September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Business along Vliet Street, the northern boun...

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I mentioned in my last post that time seemed to always be moving faster than I was and that staying consistent with my writing was therefore taking a back seat. So, I decided to take a short break from the blog and just look for personal answers to the what and why of Doulos Marketing.

Since my last post, I have answered both questions.

  1. Doulos Marketing Group is a business designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses create the business of their dreams. The emphasis will be on the “creative” side of the equation, but the operational side will be considered as well, with the help of some very good friends of mine.
  2. Doulos Marketing Group exists because there are very few companies that exist who really care for the well being of the “boot-strap” businesses. People who have great ideas but because of under-capitalization and/or a lack of business and/or marketing skills don’t know how to move their ideas (dreams) to fruition.

With the what and why in place, now it is time to produce. Over the next few months, you will see a package of content come out that, if learned and followed, will help any “creative” take their great idea from concept to producing business. There will also be a seminar series and a training site developed for ongoing and specialized training.

I hope you like the changes to Doulos Marketing and I hope that they are helpful to you and to those new and excited businesses that have yet to be organized. Check back often and as always make sure to make your voice know!

Talk more later ….

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When Customers Complain Online

July 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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In this technological age customer care and what to do when customers complain is a much more tricky concept than it has been at other times in history. Before the rise of the social networks, customer care was done by companies and customers “having it out” in person or over the phone. The offended customer could also tell his/her immediate friends, but that was about it.

With the advent of the social web, a complaint by a customer can go viral in just seconds and a company caught unaware can have their reputation (and their bottom line) damaged in the blink of an eye. So what is a small business/solo-entrepreneur supposed to do when customers complain online? There are three principle things that you need to do:

  1. Get to the complaint as quickly as possible. This means that you are going to have to monitor your name and the name of your company online. There are several options with which to do this. Find the best one for you and monitor things closely.
  2. Respond in a personal way to the complaint. Don’t just “fire back” at the complainer. They are upset about something and you need to both understand their complaint and what they would like you to do to fix the problem. Seek to make sure everyone online who is following you knows you have seen the complaint and are working with the customer to straighten things out. Then send a PM to the customer and work with them personally to resolve the issue.
  3. Once the issue is resolved ask the customer to post that the issue has been resolved. The same people who heard the complaint should also know that it was heard and resolved. You need to also post that a resolution has been achieved to your online community so that they will have confidence that you will consider any problem that they may encounter with you, your products/services.

Not every complaint can be resolved amiably, but if the complaint is made online, then you need to allow your online community know that you are doing everything you can to resolve every issue that arises. This kind of quit response will limit any damage to the reputation of you and your company when customers complain online.

 

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A Business Your Customers Can Count On

July 25, 2011 by 4 Comments
RDNS Customer Service Representative

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I have read several articles the past few weeks on the subject of customer service. In these articles, the idea of the customer always being right came up more than once. The conversation between sales people was quite entertaining as the concepts of customer service were bantered around. One person said, “Of course the customer is always right,” while another declared “No the customer is not always right …”

I think that instead of worrying about who is right and who is wrong, we, as business owners, need to consider the question, “How can I treat my customers in such a way that I create a business that they can count on?” You see, if I treat my customers in this way, they will not expect me to never make a mistake. And when I do they will have the same consideration for me as they will see from me when the mistake is theirs. This kind of mutual respect is what makes companies worthy of referrals and customers worthy of special treatment.

It seems that in this day of easily hurt feelings and people being offended over little to nothing, that the companies that stand out from the masses are those whose worries are not right vs. wrong, but respect and dignity being shown by all parties. If we business owners cannot show that kind of respect to someone who is or might be our customer, then perhaps we should have the courage to not take them on in the first place. We should also be willing to let a current client/customer go if they refuse to show us the level of respect that we are working hard to show them.

In the end, we cannot please everyone all the time, but if we work to deal honestly and respectfully with our customers/clients we will build a business that they can count on!

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When Your Business Becomes Personal

July 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Celtic harp

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Sometimes I think that I harp on this too much, but as I read blogs and talk with people I find that so many are tired of doing the same old stuff just to bring home a paycheck. Statistics back this up when you read that more than half of working people would like a job or career other than the one they current have.

I think it is time for people to reconsider life and what makes it valuable. I think that it is time for you to consider what you could do when your business becomes personal. When what you do so matches the reality of your being that you can’t wait to get to it. When what you do keeps you up at night and wakes you up early in the morning.

We would have more artisans and craftsmen. Builders would no longer be builders but would be a structural artist (do you remember Frank Loyd Wright?). Teachers would no longer teach classes but would train students to achieve greatness. People would be thinkers and contemplative. Life would be exciting and that excitement would be contagious.

When your business becomes personal you will do what it takes to succeed because success would have greater impact that a fat wallet or a new car. Lives would be different and better because you and your business made it so. Loyalty and referral business would be the name of life’s tune. You would serve your customers as no one else could because of your passion.

These and many more amazing things would happen if you stopped doing what people expect you to do and allowed your business to become personal.

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Making the most of offline marketing …

July 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Offline-light

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One of the most difficult things for online marketers to learn is how to go offline and use traditional marketing in conjunction with their inbound marketing success. In making the most of offline marketing, the online marketer needs to learn three things:

  1. Offline marketing provides another avenue for you to get your message to your clients/customers. When you develop these offline marketing skills your clients/customers will be excited about the information that you provide them from this platform as well as your online contact.
  2. Offline marketing is about personal contact with your clients/customers. As an online marketer, we are used to emails and downloads. We are used to doing business without any “real” contact. Personal contact can come in the form of a phone call, a personally constructed card or note, or an invitation for coffee, lunch, or and event. This kind of contact creates a level of loyalty that cannot be created with an email or by watching a video.
  3. Offline marketing shows that you care about more than just “the sale.” When you use your offline follow-up skills to engage your clients/customers on a personal level, they will recognize that you really care about them. With this knowledge of your concern for them, they will become more willing to listen to you, take your advice, and/or purchase your product or service.

Even though so much of what is being taught in the area of marketing these days speaks to the things we do online, you cannot afford as an online, inbound marketer to forget the power of blending your online and offline marketing strategies.

What do you think? What kinds of offline skills have you developed? How have you blended your on and offline marketing strategies?

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Sorry to be gone!

July 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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I am sorry to have been gone for more than a day. WordPress updated its platform on Tuesday and my theme didn’t like the changes. I am back now and you can look for a new post tomorrow!

Again, I am sorry for the problem and thankful for the solution.

See you tomorrow!

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