Category: Business
Take Ownership of Problems
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Have you ever failed? I have. I’m currently behind on a project and I’m really not sure how I’m going to catch up, since next week I’ll be taking a trip to Mexico and won’t be taking my laptop. That means no catching up on coding. But really, how much ‘catch up’ actually happens when
Don’t Assume: Why Email Communication Goes Wrong
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Assumptions are bad, so don’t make them. When you assume, you just make an ass out of both you and me. Today I’m talking about the risk of using email as your default for communication. It’s a terrible form of communication that denies you all the little facial and body language cues that are an
Set Clients up for Failure
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Yup, I’ve failed. I mean totally let down a client by delivering 80% of a solution, then feeling a bit bored and not focusing on the last 20% like I should have. I’ve pushed bugs that brought down client servers, just before I went for a run or left for the day. I’ve told clients
The client is always right
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You’ve heard this service maxim I’m sure: The customer is always right…even when they’re not. I’m also sure you’ve laughed at it and said clearly, they can’t always be right. I mean, some of the requests/emails read as though they were written by an insane four-year-old in the middle of a tantrum. Yeah, I’ve had
Attitude is a Choice
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When exchanging greetings and someone asks, “How are you?” my typical response is something like, “Fantastic, how are you?” This same exchange occurred one particular morning at my workout, and after I had given my typical response, my workout classmate came back with, “Do you ever have a bad day?” Of course Yup, of course
We don’t understand our customers
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Are you a patient person? Can you take your time and do a job right? In conversation, can you sit and listen without just waiting for your turn to speak? I hope you can, because those traits are hallmarks of a great business owner — someone who can take time in the sales process to
Clients Aren’t Aliens
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The way you hear some business owners speak you’d think they hated their clients. It’s all complaints about how clients don’t value the work the business does. They return products and ask for changes late in the game. You’d think that the clients are purposely trying to make the life of the business owner miserable.
Clients don’t actually want your hourly rate
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Hey I’ve got this site to build and I’m trying to figure out what it’s going to cost. What’s your hourly rate? – Every Client Ever Yup, we’ve all received that email, or one like it. You may have received one just this week, and if you’re like ‘the old me’ then you sighed loudly
My list of books I think you should all read
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It’s no secret I read a lot. If you didn’t know that then you’ve clearly missed my monthly book lists. Now, I’m lucky in that my wife and I both love to read, so I’m able to put in 1 – 2 hours a day of reading after the kids go to bed, and that’s
You Want Those Customer Complaints
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Yeah that’s right, you want to have some of your customers complain. Otherwise, how on Earth are you going to figure out what you’re doing wrong? If all you hear is how awesome you are then you’re never going to get better. You should never feel you’re at your best — always consider that there’s
