We recently finished a web project for Bodywise Therapeutic Massage located in Ann Arbor Michigan

When you look at the site, it is simple, clean, and functional, but there isn’t anything extraordinary about the site.  Despite it’s simple appearance, it is one of the most important sites we built at Roundpeg last year.  Why?  Because the entire process: selling/building/training/was done remotely.  We never met the client face to face.

For an organization as personal as Roundpeg, this was a challenge, but what we learned in the process will be a huge benefit in 2011 and beyond.

• Our Facebook fan page was a big part of our sales success. After checking out our website, owner Terry Caldwell went to our fan page.  There she got a chance to see the fun side of Roundpeg, and share in our adventures with the Big Ugly at Bubs burger.  The casual conversations on Facebook, made it easier to have more in depth business conversations on the phone.
• We scheduled more frequent update meetings, via telephone so we were sure we were on track, and staying connected.
• We had to work much harder on our listening skills because we couldn’t rely on visual clues to tell us how were were doing
• When people come to our office, they are often greeted by one of the animals, ( Bonnie the dog, or Clyde the cat) offered Coke, coffee or water and comfortable chair.  To replicate that feeling over the phone, we made sure everyone in the office knew her name and project status, so when she called in, no matter who she spoke to, she never had to “introduce herself”

The results, Terry has a website she is very happy with, and we know that even though we are an Indianapolis Web Design company, we can handle projects anywhere in the US!

Recently, I sat down with Nick Carter, the owner and developer of AddressTwo, a simple CRM tool for small business owners. More than just an address book, AddressTwo is a powerful tool to help you manage your contact list, transforming a spread sheeting into a marketing engine.

In this interview we talked about the challenges small business owners face, when it comes to “letting go”.

If your business is going to grow, you will ultimately need to hire people and delegate some of the tasks, including contacting and maintaining relationships with some of your clients. In this interview, Nick explains how good information such as well documented contact and status history makes this process much easier.

Click here to listen to the rest of the interview.

Recently, I sat down with Nick Carter, the owner and developer of AddressTwo, a simple CRM tool for small business owners.  More than just an address book, AddressTwo is a powerful tool to help you manage your contact list, transforming a spread sheeting into a marketing engine.

This process begins with segmenting your data.  And as Nick explains, segmentation is not just for big business.  Anyone can improve the quality of their communication by breaking their contacts into smaller groups who share something in common.

To hear the conversation simply click this link

If you would like to learn more, please visit www.AddressTwo.com or plan on attending a FREE preview demonstration  on Thursday, December 10th, from 9:00 – 10:30 AM, It is FREE to attend, but RSVP’s are required

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At Roundpeg, we are so excited about this product, we are now a Partner Provider. This means we will be helping our clients incorporate this tool into their marketing strategy.

Mistakes happen! What defines your business is what you do as a result. Do you quote policy, apologize, or act?  Jackie Huba has some interesting suggestions for Best Buy when they ran out of a popular promotion item.  She says:

Turning bad buzz into good takes fast, creative thinking, a sense of humor, and a willingness    to happily eat virtual crow. Best Buy could put everyone who ordered the TV into a drawing then give away 10 of them. Or 100. Then they could even deliver the sets, with TV cameras rolling, and have their Geek Squad members install them for free.

How much would Jackie’s suggestions really cost Best Buy? The cost of surprising and delighting customers is nothing in comparison to what the negative publicity will cost.  The difference, the positive, proactive expense is controllable, the negative cost isn’t.

When things don’t go as planned, how do you react?

As a small business owner, there are always so many things on my to do list.    Running the business, delivering projects to clients, working with my staff, meeting with prospects, sending proposals, networking, etc.   Sometimes I wish I could clone myself, or work while I sleep.

This week, Barb Jones, of  Stellar Infusionsoft Coaching explains how CRM tools allow a small business to do just that!

Barb explains that contact management software lets you keep track of prospects and clients, but a CRM system allows you to automate the process.  Now you can stay in touch with clients while you are sleeping or working on other projects.  It also allows you to send relevant content to a small group with common interests.

At Roundpeg, we are experimenting with CRM tools and have found the results to be very positive. Our How to Write a Business Plan in Ten Weeks program is fueled by a CRM tool.   We have several people a week enrolling in the program and each person enjoys the benefits of the entire program regardless of when they start.

We are going to look at other applications as well. What about you? Do you use a CRM tool today?