Joe Abraham

What happened to client service?

// August 23rd, 2010 // View Comments // Next Gen. Entrepreneurship, Small business

Maybe last week was just a weird week – I certainly hope that’s all it was. I had two (count em’ 2) really horrible experiences with small business owners (or their employees). Interestingly enough, they both happened within the automotive industry.

The first was with a mechanic shop where our vehicle was in for some repairs. I’ll make a long story as short as possible because chances are, you’ve heard (or experienced) this before. The mechanic (who happened to be the son of the owner) was friendly, informative and courteous during the sales process. He took the time to explain all his findings and confirm that his diagnosis of the problem was spot on.

We authorized the work. He completed the work. Unfortunately, while he was test driving the car after completing the work, there was a complication in the engine and the car simply shut off. I remember getting his desperate call apologizing for the mishap and promising that he would make everything right – on his dime. (So far so good right?).

Well, he must have received a tongue lashing from his dad (the owner) or something but a few days into trying to repair the issue, he contacted me with the classic “can you come down to the shop so we can talk?” angle. The father-son combo went on to inform me that even though the engine blew up during the test drive (and after the son had worked on it), that the actual culprit was a pre-existing condition that had “nothing to do with him“. As a result, even though they could do the work, they would want to be paid for the parts and labor. The son actually got irate and told me I was “asking for too much” when I simply asked them to follow through on their commitment to make things right.

How would you have responded in that situation? What happened to the cornerstones of small business – words like integrity and client service?

Next real-life story. This one was our fault for not checking the firm out before going there. Had we done some checking first, we would have found that it was a real bottom-feeder group.

My business partner called on a Saturday morning and suggested we go for a ride to an exotic car dealership in Rolling Meadows, IL to scope out his next toy. Given that it is very hard for me to say no to playing with high-performance cars, I obliged. The story of our experience is documented on yelp. (You can read about it by clicking here).

However, here’s my bottom line. It’s not like the automotive industry is booming right now. Why then, would owners of companies in this industry not be hyper-sensitive to ensuring their clients are treated with over-the-top service and integrity? In both cases, even though the offending party was not the business owner themselves, the responsibility falls squarely on the entrepreneur/owner for having allowed that to happen within their brand.

I would go so far as to say that in both my experiences, the problem was at the entrepreneur/owner level. Both owners allowed sub-standard people to work for them.

However, I know from personal experience that a majority of entrepreneurs do not think like the owners of these two companies. Yet, the risk still remains that employees (including family members) could tarnish a brand based on personal choices the employees made on a daily basis.

If you own a company where someone other than yourself is dealing with clients/customers, take the time this month to audit your customer experience. Here are some practical things to do:

1) Go “undercover” and talk directly to the last 25 prospects who didn’t do business with your company. Ask them why. If the culprit points to an employee issue, deal with is swiftly and decisively. (Unemployment is still at 9+% – there are some amazingly qualified people looking for good work).
2) Talk to 10 past clients who did not repurchase. Evaluate if your team is the cause of that.
3) This is the BIG one. Check online (twitter, fb, yelp etc) to see what people are saying about your business. Reach out directly to those who left unhappy and talk to them. Was is a human resource issue? If so, fix it pronto.

There was a time when businesses could treat prospects and customers like garbage and not pay the consequences. Another round of advertising always led to fresh blood and new customers. A few ruffled feathers were part of the business journey. In the days to come, social media will crush businesses that continue to play that old-school game.

I just want to encourage you to do an audit and make sure you don’t fall into the category with the two automotive businesses I interacted with this week. Your company’s future depends on it.

Entrepreneurial DNA – What’s the big deal?

// April 6th, 2010 // View Comments // Next Gen. Entrepreneurship, The Next Generation...

I don’t know about you, but I am not an endurance athlete. I figured that out after many painful attempts to keep up with super-human friends gifted to run, swim or bike for what appears to be an eternity.

There is something in their genetic predisposition (or sheer will power) that allows them do to things with their bodies that I cannot do with mine. I have friends like Ridlon Kiphart who make my most adventurous day look like a 6 year old’s tea party.

On the flip side, God has blessed me with a pretty amazing set of talents in entrepreneurship and business development. I’m a hard guy to keep up with in that arena. (Quite like my ironman friends and Ridlon in their respective areas of giftedness).

I’ve always said that entrepreneurship is like life. We each have areas of giftedness. Nobody (and I mean NOBODY) is gifted to do it ALL in entrepreneurship. We all have strengths and weaknesses.

“Say something I don’t know Joe”, you say. “Of course we all have strengths and weaknesses in business.”

Ok, so you know you can’t do it all. But are you trying to anyway?

Most entrepreneurs are. (Trying that is…)

They go from fresh idea to silver bullet to guaranteed strategy. The wheels keep spinning but there’s little-to-no traction. Does that sound uncomfortably familiar?

If so, then read on…

Welcome to the world of BOSI, the next generation in entrepreneurship.

BOSI is the acronym for Builder, Opportunist, Specialist and Innovator, the 4 entrepreneurial DNAs. In a moment, I’m going to give you the opportunity to find out which of these 4 DNAs are in you. Once you’ve discovered your entrepreneurial profile, you’ll be able to study how to build strategy around who you are (rather than trying to implement strategy that worked for someone else).

You’ve intuitively known that you are not like every other entrepreneur. I’m inviting you to find out why. Beyond that, I’d like to invite you to learn exactly how to leverage your strengths and compensate for weaknesses in your DNA so you can build a more profitable business…and life.

Start the journey by visiting the BOSI CEO website.

Startup Dilemma: Getting my business idea ripped off

// January 4th, 2010 // View Comments // business startup

I recently answered a question on LinkedIn for an entrepreneur concerned about getting their business model ripped off by a bigger player with deeper pockets.

Question: As a startup, specially when the presence is quite small, how does one deal with preventing the business model from being copied by another company, which probably has a better platform or other advantages?

My Answer:

Who cares if they copy you? (Although chances are they won’t).



If you have done the right homework, you already know they exist and you would have built your strategic plan around them. 



Larger entities are like battleships. They are hard to turn on a dime. Especially if you are talking about an entire business model, a larger player is not going to turn their entire business upside down.



Your advantage as a startup is that you are quick, agile and ready to take advantage of a market niche that the big guys have not captured. 

It is a common mis-conception among first-time entrepreneurs that their business idea is so unique and un-thought of that as soon as it hits the market, it will get ripped off by a bigger player. 



The fact is, if the business idea is that unique and un-thought of, the bigger players will simply buy it. They won’t waste their time (or brand) stealing the concept. More importantly, chances are the business idea has already been thought about, studied and abandoned by the big guys.



Your bigger risk is from guys working in their garage waiting for the next twitter or facebook to get launched so they can build a carbon copy with a different logo. In other words, the risk is not from the big guys, it is from the “nobodys” looking to get rich. There is NOTHING you can do about that. 



NDAs and Patents are great, but unless you have a few hundred grand in your legal fund to fight the thieves, the NDA’s are worth the paper they are printed on. Patents are valuable when it’s time to sell your company, but I know entrepreneurs who have gone broke getting and protecting their patents. 



So build away with the confidence that if you have the right company, the right strategic plan and the right team, you’ll be just fine. If you can secure a patent (ideally several concentric ones) along the way, do that as well.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: I’m not discounting the importance of NDA’s and patents by any means. I just don’t want entrepreneurs in startup mode thinking that a signed NDA can do more than it really can. Always use an NDA when discussing your confidential information with outsiders. Those with integrity will honor it without having to engage legal counsel.

A dishonest person/company is going to do dishonest things no matter what. I’d rather you spend your time doing due diligence on someone before sharing confidential information.

Talking “Jobs” with Rusty Humphries

// December 11th, 2009 // View Comments // Small government

Just a few days ago, I was on The Rusty Humphries show. Many of you wanted to listen to the recording so here it is in two format.

The main topic of our discussion is the recent speech made by the President on the new plan to create jobs in America. Small business was the #1 focus of his initiative and rightfully so. Small business is where all the jobs come from. Unfortunately, the approach his advisors have drafted to helping small business won’t work. I discuss why with Rusty.

You can either listen online or download the mp3 recording.

Format 1 – streaming online

Format 2 – downloadable mp3 (PC Users, right click the link and “save target as”)

Your feedback, comments and suggestions help me prepare for the next time I am on with the media so please chime in!

The White House Jobs Summit – What should have really happened

// December 4th, 2009 // View Comments // Small government

Granted, people like myself and small business advocate Jim Blasingame didn’t get our invitations to attend the Jobs Summit in DC this week. You can find my recent appearance on Jim’s radio show here.

But Jim and I shouldn’t be too offended. After all, neither did the US Chamber of Commerce, National Restaurant Association or half a dozen other organizations that work directly with the job creators in small business.

But let’s say that we were sitting in a room together coming up with a job creation strategy for our President. Here’s what I would put on the table. (I’m not getting specific about what tax breaks/incentives to offer because there are people a lot smarter than me who can figure out those details).

1. A moratorium on new spending bills (including health care reform) until the economy fully recovers and our deficit shrunk by at least 30%. The only exception to any new spending would be the war on terror.

2. Offer tax breaks for companies that will hire over the next 18 months. Offer additional incentives if those hiring levels are maintained long-term. Give small businesses that already offer health insurance to their employees a break because that is less burden on any government program that may be introduced for discussion in the future.

3. Give small business access to working capital. But don’t do it with stimulus and bailout money. Simply give private enterprise and private investors an incentive to invest in small businesses. This could come in the form of a tax credit or state-sponsored insurance policies for those who invest capital into small business. Forcing banks to lend could prove to be an irresponsible step. The economy has taken it’s toll on individual and company creditworthiness so bankers will have to step outside their traditional lending guidelines. That is a recipe for disaster similar to the mortgage loan crisis.

4. States must activate real-life educational resources for small business owners (CEO development) and their employees to make US-based small companies more competitive in the global marketplace. Over 82% of small business owners have a bachelor’s degree or less. However, don’t deliver the education through secular progressive universities and colleges. Deliver the programming through chambers of commerce.

5. Allow US-based companies to be competitive in the free market by encouraging free market trade. Sign the treaties that will encourage more US based production and exports. Just a 1% increase in US exports will create 250,000 new REAL jobs per month. Encourage the innovation and production of clean energy here in the US through entrepreneurism. That alone has the potential to generate millions of new US jobs.

6. Protect small business from the #2 and #3 growth killers in America. Mass tort and big labor. We’re not against lawyers, we’re against mass tort. We aren’t against union workers, we’re against the big labor bosses who use their power and influence to cripple free enterprise.

7. (And this is just a recommendation) Be authentic. Don’t run campaigns on a mainstream democrat platform and then operate on a secular progressive platform. If the current leadership of congress and the White House are secular progressives, admit that you are and we’ll respect you more for it. However, saying that you are for the everyday American, and small business and acting to the contrary is exactly why used car salesman got a bad name (and the boot) for the “bait-and-switch technique”.

I got a request from a great serviceman in our Navy named Robb who suggested I make these points available to you so here goes…

If you agree with these 7 points and want to have an impact, download them in letter form here and send them to your representative (congress and senate).

To find your elected officials, visit USA.gov

Your comments and input below as always appreciated and replied to.

Now THIS is free enterprise at it’s best

// December 3rd, 2009 // View Comments // Small business, Small government

What do entrepreneurs and small business owners do when banks forget what they are in business to do?

We get creative and survive.

This should be a lesson to policy makers in DC. Bailouts and government funded programs were not necessary for this entrepreneur. He just needed the freedom to be creative and make free enterprise work for his benefit (and the benefit of his employees and customers)!!

Three cheers to this entrepreneur.

Does unemployment encourage entrepreneurship?

// December 1st, 2009 // View Comments // Small government

Here’s the audio track from a recent radio show I did with host Wayne Powers on WBT (Charlotte) on the topic of growing unemployment and what that means for entrepreneurship.

We also end up talking about small business in general and what government should/should not do (purely opinion) to make this a better business and growth environment.

You can also download your a copy of this audio and listen on your favorite MP3 player by subscribing to the podcast here.

Your comments and feedback below are always encouraged…

The Business Plan…Resurrected!

// July 9th, 2009 // View Comments // Small business

It is interesting to see what economic change triggers.

Sure, it triggers us to count our pennies, buy in bulk, conserve energy etc. etc.

But you know what else I notice it has a lot of entrepreneurs doing?

It has them dusting off (and in some cases resurrecting) their business plans. That’s a good thing (more on that in a minute).

See, good economic times can make us lazy. Good times allow us to take some things for granted. Gone are the days when we could “name our selling price”. Now every prospect and their cousin is using the “Oh, the economy is so bad, I can’t afford your retail price” excuse.

So it’s time to get back to the basics. It’s time to focus on the fundamentals.

Grab that original business plan you wrote and dust it off. Read about why your product/service was going to be unique. Read about what marketing processes you used when you first started off. If you are still in business today, chances are, those strategies worked. And since you probably were not rolling in cash back then, the ideas were pretty fiscally savvy. It pays to go back to the basics during times of economic change.

Go back to your original Brand Positioning Statement and Communication Matrix.

– Who did you originally define as your target audience?
– What were their needs and aspirations? How were you going to meet those needs?
– What was the “message” you were shouting from the mountain top in the early days?

You may be surprised to find that many of the best ideas to grow your business are not waiting for you in the next seminar, workshop or bestselling book.

The best ideas to grow your business may just be in that dusty business plan. So dig around for it this weekend, dust it off and see what happens next.

I’m sure you’ll have some a-ha moments. And I’m willing to BET you’ll find yourself smiling from ear-to-ear as you thumb through the pages of what someday will be a sought-after treasure!

Your fan,

Joe…

Reinventing the Original Social Network

// May 24th, 2009 // View Comments // Next Gen. Chamber of Commerce

This post is in response to some questions and comments I got from the post I made on April 28th. If you haven’t read that post already, do that first by clicking here.

Ok, so we agree that Chambers of Commerce need to reinvent themselves to survive this changing marketplace.

But if you’re a Chamber leader, how do you go about re-inventing and re-energizing your Chamber…specifically?

Here’s an idea…

They say the proof is in the pudding right? So where’s your pudding?

We all know the #1 reason an entrepreneur joins a Chamber is so their business can grow.

Are your members businesses growing? If so, let’s highlight them. If not, let’s help them grow! (I know, I know. I’m not a rocket scientist).

Let’s show current and prospective members that business growth is part-and-parcel of chamber membership.

In other words, let’s show them some proof.

Here’s a step-by-step plan on how to go about putting the proof in the pudding:

1. Take 20 committed entrepreneurs who are serious about their business growth. Invite them to participate in a 90-day business accelerator program. (Bonus Tip: Depending on how you structure the program, you can probably generate an extra infusion of non-dues revenue from the participants).

2. During the 90 days, track everything! From starting revenues to ending revenues and everything in between. Have each participant submit weekly detailed information on the impact the program is having on their growth. (Bonus Tip: set up a social media network around the 20 participants and let the rest of chamber membership “listen in” as the results pour in).

3. At the completion of the 90 days, have a marketing campaign ready to launch that highlights the stories and successes of these 20 entrepreneurs. Include PR, local radio, blog articles, grass roots efforts and promotions. Follow it up with an exciting membership drive.

4. As prospects hear about the transformation of these 20 companies, offer them a no-fee, no-obligation opportunity to sit down with one of the 20 campaign participants for a meet and greet. These 20 company owners will end up doing all the “selling” for you.

5. Have some creative “packages” available for prospects that allow them to test drive your chamber membership with little to no risk to them.

That’s it! Just deploying this one strategy could set your chamber on the fast-track to growth and set you head-and-shoulders over the competition.

More importantly, it will legitimize the organization and the value you promise your customer, the entrepreneur.

These 5 steps are “out-of-the-box”.

It takes a focused and determined team to execute.

However, if it results in a 200-500% increase in new membership while having a significant impact on retention of existing members, wouldn’t it be worth the time and effort?

Of course it would.

There are only 3 reasons you would not roll out a strategy like this.

1. You think it’s a silly idea that would never work.
2. You don’t feel that things are going just fine the way there are in your chamber.
3. You don’t have the bandwidth and expertise to pull off the actual program (not to mention ensure that these 20 businesses actually grow).

If you’re in category 1 or 2, you can stop reading now. Go back to whatever else it was you were doing.

If you are in category 3, then don’t let that be a hinderance or excuse any more. Post your concerns and questions below. My team and I will roll up our sleeves and help you deploy this from soup-to-nuts. (And don’t worry, it doesn’t have to cost you a dime to have our help).

Got questions or comments? Ask or comment away!

What Happened To The Original Social Network?

// April 28th, 2009 // View Comments // Next Gen. Chamber of Commerce

Survey respondent #1: “Oh yeah, I’m a chamber member. But I don’t think I’m going to renew my membership this year.”

Survey respondent #2: “I am a member of my chamber, and the networking has been good. But I can’t say it has grown my business in any tangible way.”

A survey of small business owners shows that 72% of them say that they are not getting any measurable commercial benefit from being involved in their chamber of commerce.

It used to be that you couldn’t survive in business without being part of a chamber. It used to be an entrepreneur’s safe haven and lifeline.

It used to be that I could join a chamber, and it would impact my business. I would have access to proven education that I could implement in my business. I could meet other business owners and be encouraged through the ups and downs of business. I would have such a positive experience both personally and financially, that I would have no choice but to tell every business owner I know about the chamber.

After all, I was a satisfied customer of the chamber. More than that, based on the positive impact it was having on my business, I was a fanatical customer of the chamber.

Question: Are there any fanatical customers left in your chamber of commerce?

I’ve attended a few trade shows in the past few years. From the wellness industry to the Gospel Coalition and everything in between. It is interesting to see the glaring difference between the well-planned successful events and the not-so-successful ones. The unfortunate exhibitors at the latter, end up doing more business with other exhibitors than they do with the attendees.

“I spent $1,500 on a booth and made more money selling my products to the other exhibitors than I did to the attendees.” says the disappointed exhibitor.

“I paid my $175 membership fee and ended up with a couple of new clients from my chamber membership. Now I keep renewing just out of obligation so I don’t lose those two clients.” Says the burnt-out chamber member.

Hmmm…

So essentially what the “customers” in both cases are saying is that their expectations are not being met.

As with any national organization, there are exceptions of course. Around 5% of Chambers do have fanatical members who are getting tremendous value from their memberships.

Most chambers however, are simply feeding and entertaining their members each month. At best, the members are involved in an incestuous “you pitch me your offer and I’ll pitch you mine” cycle. The members are picking up the scraps of business they throw each other. Meanwhile, these chambers are watching the hole at the bottom of their membership bucket get bigger and bigger.

The original social network that was supposed to stimulate commerce and empower entrepreneurs has been reduced to a monthly tea party.

On the other side of the fence, the chamber’s original social networking business model has been taken by young punks with high society MBA’s and duplicated into fabulously successful online networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. They are the next generation of social networking and they are here to stay. Permanently!

My fear is that if Chambers don’t wake up and make some dramatic changes to how they operate, they will be reduced to a heap of ashes. That’s not just my opinion, the facts as they relate to chamber memberships can speak for themselves.

So what now? The world is changing. There is a whole new definition of social networking. How can the first social network re-invent itself and thrive in this environment rather than be reduced to a museum artifact?

It all begins with this question…

Do you even care? In other words, do you sense the urgency to change? Or do you feel that you are much better off staying the course?

If you do care about the future of your chamber and the success of it’s members, then here are some tips on how to get started toward what I call the “Next Generation of Chambers of Commerce.”

1. Revisit the original vision: Why did the Chamber start? What was it’s goal? What was your vision for the chamber when you came on board? Go back to the movie that was playing in your mind the night you decided to step into a leadership role at the chamber. What did you chamber look like in the movie? How many members did it have? What was the energy level in the room? How many success stories were being shared?

2. Evaluate the current reality: Take a snapshot of your last chamber board meeting and your last chamber event? What was discussed in each meeting? What was the energy and excitement level in the room? Were there any success stories being shared? Is the focus on growth or preventing attrition?

3. Plot the chart: On a piece of paper, plot your vision as a series of points. Then plot your reality. Are your vision and reality coinciding yet? Is there a point in the future, based on your current activities, where your vision and reality will definitely coincide? Are the two plotted lines going to intersect, or are they running parallel to each other? Worse yet, are they heading in different directions?

4. Make a leadership decision: The choice to stay the same is often cheered on by mediocre minds. If you have a weak board, they will not want any change. They will buck even the thought of doing things differently. If so, my recommendation to you is to fire them. If your board gets just as excited about change and improvement, then you’ve got the right team. Sit down as a group and chart a course for a better future. Don’t do it in a vacuum. Ask for help. Chart a course that allows your vision and your reality to coincide as quickly as possible. Start that re-engineering process today. Even if it requires some pruning and pain.

Here are some questions to ask during the re-engineering process:

Question 1: How can I impact the revenue and profits of my members?
HINT: Think past the same old incestuous mixer events. Think BIGGER. Results begin with better education. How can you provide a more robust educational platform to your members?

Question 2: How can we eliminate confusion of the educational message? If we hire a different speaker each month, how do we keep speaker #1’s message from conflicting from speaker #4? Think BIGGER. What if we had a 12 month curriculum that was pre-built and guaranteed not to conflict within itself?

Question 3: How can I improve the personal lives of my members?
HINT: Get past hiring the local motivational speaker who wants to sell his books to your people. Think BIGGER. Personal growth comes from accountability not just hearing. How can you build and facilitate mastermind groups to ensure true change in the members?

Question 4: If we do start to impact the revenues and profits of our members while also impacting their personal lives, we will have a bunch of fanatical customers in our chamber. How can we take these successful men and women and now impact the local community for the better?
HINT: Get past the annual charity “feeder and auction”. Think BIGGER. Empowered entrepreneurs are the same group that has brought this great country out of the last 6 recessions. They can do much more for the community than an annual bake sale.

The chewing gum called “The Chamber of Commerce” is losing it’s flavor.

I don’t believe it is because the good folks running these chambers don’t care.

I do believe it is because the good folks running these chambers don’t know HOW to turn the off-course battleship around.

There is help available…

But only if you are willing to do thing differently than before…