A David Creation

First Off, Why Apple Again, David?

Each month, a growing number of consumers turn to two mobile devices, Android or Apple, for their personal and/or business needs. Although I like Android devices, I have given Apple iPhone two thumbs up for being the most business friendly. Two reasons:

1. Apple was first to create the popular downloading of “Apps.” (i.e. App Store). Why is this important? Because developing an App is expensive, and an App on an iPhone does not work on an Android. Therefore, developers typically create an Apple App before they create an Android version. The Android Apps I’ve tried for business are typically more buggy, because Android has a lower standard for allowing Apps; the Android Market is open source, meaning anyone can create an App and post it. Apple has very strict standards and can take an App off their store at anytime. One good example is Facebook’s App for the iPhone and Android. The iPhone App is incredible and has 10x more features than the Android version. A business owner or employee can manage a business page directly from the iPhone App, but not from the Android (yet).
2. It is just a very handy device and fun to use. The Android, to me, as very many cool features, but Apple has less moving parts on the screen. I get less distracted when using the iPhone and find myself playing around too much with the Android features. I stick to business on the iPhone!

Now for the Update on iCloud for Business

In mid October, Apple released what seems to be their biggest software update ever: IOS 5. It truly is remarkable. I wrote a quick summary of my favorite features last week. Because it is such a big jump from version 4 to 5, there are still a few bugs. I’d go ahead and upgrade your iPhones if you have not already, but just know you will encounter a few small bugs. Most of these bugs seem to clear up quickly, either on their own or when you restart. I’m sure their first update 5.1 will fix all these critters.

Now, Apple is claiming their biggest update in IOS 5 is the new iCloud (formerly MobileMe). What I read about iCloud sounded spectacular: updating Apps on multiple devices, taking a photo on your iPhone and it showing up instantly on your work/home computer, file storage, email, calendar syncing and sharing etc. I also realized that Apple sells primarily to consumers and not small business or Corporate America. I had many people ask me what I thought of the new iCloud and if it was a good tool for business. My answer is simple: iCloud is NOT a good business tool. It is meant for individual, personal use. Do I like iCloud? Overall, yes! It is easy to use. But I am very disappointed about a few things:

1. Only one email per account: A family or even a business cannot have multiple email addresses within iCloud. Each person has to create their own iCloud account. The problem with this is…
2. Photo Sharing is for Personal Usage: Because each person needs his or her own iCloud account, the new Photo Stream feature does not allow sharing with other iCloud users. It works with 1 account only. So as a business owner taking photos of a job site or business activity while using Photo Stream, the photos will be uploaded and streamed instantly to his computer, not to his marketing person, admin or another co-worker. That pretty much defeats the purpose.
3. Can’t Delete Photos Easily: Apple offers 5GB of Free Storage. This will add up fast when you turn on Photo Stream. Once you take a photo, it uploads to iCloud. You cannot delete individual photos within iCloud. So if you take 5 quick shots of a job or person, all the bad ones are uploaded with the good ones. Now there are some techie work arounds, but with the first release of iCloud, Photos are there to stay in the clouds. You can delete photos on your phone and computer only. You can also wipe ALL photos off iCloud and start from scratch, but why would anyone want to do that? The idea of iCloud is to help consumers be more mobile and save everything off site to avoid hard drive crashes and provide easy access to info on the go.



4. Calendar and Document Sharing Do Not Exist: The bottom line is iCloud is for a single user, you or me. If you want your co workers or family to share information, you can create 1 iCloud account, but it is not safe and is just not a good idea. iCloud will not replace Egnyte, Dropbox or Google Apps.

What should a business do with IOS 5 and iCloud?

I know some of you are thinking, “Run that by me again, Dave. Why is the iPhone better than the Android?” It is true that Android technology is a Google product, and I like Google. Yet there are too many devices and features to figure out with Android and only 1 with Apple: the iPhone. That’s it. Also, just because iCloud is not business friendly, doesn’t mean you need to ditch the phone. What I did was this:

1) I basically kept everything the same: Synced my Google Apps for Business account (compare with MS Exchange) with my iPhone.

2) I switched from MobileMe to iCloud for personal use. I use my iCloud account for Photo Streaming so I don’t have to download and upload photos to my computer. I then can take those photos on my computer and share the ones I want with others.

3) I continue to use Dropbox and Google Docs for my file storage. In short, the new upgrade is business friendly if you customize it to your liking. I am just not endorsing the iCloud for business, and I think Apple would agree with me that it is meant for personal use. I hope Apple releases an iCloud for Business! At this point they are rolling in the dough selling their new product to individuals. They don’t need to be all things to all people (just yet). It is good marketing. They know their audience!

Your Turn

What do you think of the new iPhone 4S, IOS 5, SIRI, and iCloud? Are you happy with the changes Apple made?

I was one of the millions of users, I’m sure, who upgraded the iPhone to the latest operating system with IOS 5 and iCloud. It took awhile to get it working correctly, and I’m still figuring out all the new tricks and features. Am I happy with the upgrade? A definite Yes! Yet for those of you who are not really techie, I’d probably hold off on upgrading unless you don’t mind a few bugs and the process taking awhile. Some of your programs will crash. This is not Apple’s fault most likely. The App companies are frantically trying to catch up with Apple and get their programs compatible with IOS 5. I’ve had a number of programs crash, yet even as I write this, I’ve gotten App updates. A quick workaround is to delete the buggy Apps and reinstall them.

My Favorite Things About iOS 5 For Business Usage
What I like most about the upgrade? The notifications and dropdown menu are similar to the Android devices, which I’ve always liked. It is about time that Apple introduced this. This can save you time in the long run, not having to open up different applications to view emails, to do list, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You can set up your phone to only receive the notifications that are most important to you. From a social media marketing standpoint, this definitely is a nice feature. I can now take a quick peek on some of my networks without logging into each App.

The camera feature is also the latest and greatest upgrade that is noteworthy. Now you can click the “up” volume button to snap a photo and a camera icon is on the Lock Screen menu.

Apple claims there are close to 200 updates for the iPad and iPhone on this new release. If you have an iPad, the upgrade looks almost the same. My favorite upgrade on the iPad was the split keyboard. It works great! In this blog post I won’t explain all the new features as I just mentioned several of my favorite ones! As for my thoughts on iCloud, this too is an incredible new feature, but I don’t see a lot of real value for a business owner. iCloud is still more focused on personal use. For example, you can now take a photo on your iPhone, and it will show up on your other Apple or PC devices that run iCloud. Your music, movies and photos are stored “in the clouds” freeing up space for your devices. So no more plugging in your devices: it is all wireless and automatic. A time saver I’m sure.

The iPhone 4S
I will be testing out the new iPhone 4S soon and give you my feedback on SIRI, the new voice recognition feature. I have never really seen a good voice recognition program to date, so I’m hoping Apple will have released something impressive. The good news is they partnered with the premiere voice recognition company, Nuance. Stay tuned.

Your Turn
Will you be upgrading your phones this year? If you are using a Blackberry or Android, do you plan to switch to the iPhone or are you happy with your current device? Also, those who have an iPhone, will you upgrade to the 4S or wait til Apple releases a new design, iPhone 5?

Ever since Netflix made its debut a few years ago, I’ve enjoyed their marketing. It is always fun to see a startup thrive. I was so impressed when the 2008 market crash hit and Netflix didn’t even flinch, but continued to grow. I also thought they did a great job connecting with their customers—early on. Those two words are key.

I think Netflix became so successful overnight, they were too busy counting their profits and their customer engagement began to slowly slip away. Google TV, Amazon and Apple began to creep up on them. Their stock prices had climbed quickly for over three years, and suddenly the bottom fell out. I’m glad I sold my Netflix stock earlier this year, because I just saw that they went from about $300 down to $123 in just two months!

So what happened to Netflix, and what can a contractor do to avoid the same mistake?

Rolling Out The New Netflix Plan

This past July I received a notice from Netflix about their new plan and pricing starting in September. I didn’t see this coming at all. I was a monthly subscriber yet found myself watching the Instant Watch more often (old TV shows). The notice I received said they were splitting the DVD rentals and Instant Watch into two completely separate programs with a bundle option. The bottom line was Netflix was doubling their prices with little notice to the consumer. Sure, I liked the convenience of Netflix, yet their Instant Watch features really were not good unless you only wanted to watch old TV episodes. This new plan hit me and many other customers by surprise. Everything was good with Netflix, so I thought. I felt they liked me, and I liked them. Then, “We are doubling your prices or cutting your features in half. How do you like that, you special customer? Oh and by the way, thank you for your business! We love our customers.”

My feeling is that Netflix did not really listen to what their customers liked about them and did not deliver. Their competition, Apple, Amazon & co, on the other hand, are listening. They use social media to continue growing despite a poor economy. These are the companies who are creating better selections and easier ways to access movies online. The funny thing is, Apple and Amazon are not necessarily cheaper either. No, their rental prices are sometimes $2.99-4.99. So why did Netflix stocks plummet almost $200 in 2 months when for over 3 years…their stock looks like the trail up to Mt. Everest?

I believe it is because they made some quick decisions on what they felt was best for their customers, instead of asking their customers what they really wanted. They had a loyal audience for the last 3-5 years, but now they are losing market share, and fast. People are not always concerned about price. They don’t like to be taken by surprise.

Netflix and the Contractor

So what can a contractor learn from the mistake Netflix made this year? Most people are typically pretty loyal by nature. Your clients hired you for a reason and will stay with you if you stay in contact with them. This should not always be an automated thing either. I love technology probably more than most of you reading this blog, but some things just can’t be accomplished electronically.

Few of you have thousands upon thousands of clients. You can do it! If you engage with your customers and keep in touch with them on a more personal level, your business will be successful. You’ll keep a customer for life. It is the little things that matter most. Take time this fall season to consider how you can engage with your customers more. Ask for their advice on how you can grow your business, or improve your services. Your customers do not bite. Many welcome you to stop by and talk to them. Write a hand written note, swing by their home to say hi, and drop off a simple gift, “just because.”

Do you agree about Netflix or did I miss something? How do you engage with your customers now? What works best?

Too Many Social Networking Sites!

Did you know there are over 200 active social networking sites on the web? What do I mean by active? Popular and still in business! This number does not even come close to all the small, no-name social networking sites that exist, probably numbering in the thousands. The big name sites are familiar to most of us: Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Yelp, Linkedin, delicious, XING, Windows, Live, Tumblr, and MySpace.

“Whoa! Slow down, professor! I’m trying to keep up!” Isn’t that what you are thinking at this point? If you are like me, you’re overwhelmed. It seems like every week I get invites to join a new social networking site. Sometimes I’ll join for a little while just to see what is going on and what it is about. Yet many of the sites I join won’t last. So what should you as a small business owner do when faced with so many choices of social media sites?

Two years ago, I was a fan of having one’s brand on the top 10 social networking sites. I thought like many online marketing guys did, “I want my clients to be #1 everywhere!” Yet I realized that good social media etiquette means to be real with people and connect as a human being. I now believe that by having your company brand on too many sites makes it almost impossible to

1. Be faithful to keep up all of them
2. Keep it real. Each social networking site has a different audience. Not all your company updates and blog posts should be posted on all these different sites. At some point, you’ll get discouraged that no one is engaging with you in return and you’ll burn out with too many posts and updates.

Keep Things Simple

My suggestion is to step back and look at what you are doing. Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish by marketing my business online or using social media tools? The primary purpose should be listening to and engaging with your ideal customers.

Find out what your customers want to talk about, learn about, read about, watch, and then give it to them. Find out who they are and where they spend their time. If most of your customers seem to spend time on Facebook (800 million users now… chances are they do) then focus your attention on Facebook and pull back on Linkedin, Twitter and the other hundred sites you’ve started to date. If you are a commercial contractor who typically deals with business people, Linkedin is definitely for you. If you are doing market research and trying to see what the word is on the street, or do some networking, check out Twitter.

When The Dust Settles, My Personal Pick

So what is one change I’ve made in 2011? My job is in marketing. So I will still be testing out social networking sites and occasionally you’ll see me on multiple channels. Yet I’ve narrowed my focus to primarily using blogging and Facebook to engage with friends, as well as current and potential customers. I get most feedback from blogging and Facebook. Also, Facebook has done a fantastic job creating THE social network.

Google is trying to outperform FB by creating Google +. It will not stick. When the dust settles, Facebook is here to stay. Why? Because the baby boomers and even many in the silent generation are learning how to use Facebook–not Google+, Twitter or the others.  So I continue to spend a few hours a week writing blogs and posting useful information here and on Facebook, distancing myself from many of the other social sites.

What about you? What do you think about all these social media sites that keep popping up? Have you tried out Google+?  What changes have you made this year in your business with regard to social networking?

I subscribe to a monthly publication called TableTalk by Ligoneer Ministries. If you are one who enjoys reading the Bible and wants to dig deeper, I’d highly recommend TableTalk. Even if you have no interest in the Bible, the following ideas might be very helpful to you. During my morning reading recently, I was intrigued by the topic of discussion. It was called, “Leading By Example” and based on a Bible passage from Ephesians 6:9,

“Masters, do the same to them [employees], and stop your threating, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him.”

TableTalk ends each devotional with what is called Coram Deo (living before the face of God). Let me quote the devotions complete Coram Deo, since it cannot be summarized,

“President Eisenhower once observed that, “leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Good leaders do not lead by maintaining uncertain, ever-changing standards or by demeaning good workers. Instead, they serve those whom they supervise by encouraging them and setting a vision that all can seize and run with gladly.”

My Dad’s Example

Today’s study was encouraging to me as it reminded me how my dad led by example when I worked with him at Chism Brothers Painting. He is not a difficult business owner. He shows respect and kindness to his employees. He makes sure that each employee’s voice is heard and that he is approachable at any time. One important thing my dad did while I worked with him is he’d have regular breakfast meetings one on one with his crew leaders. I knew his painters appreciated this time with him. Every now and then a painter would think there was a better position or job out there in the world and they’d go exploring. Many times, those men came back asking for their jobs back.

I remember one man in particular who decided to work for my dad’s competitor. It lasted 2 very long weeks before he begged for his job back. My dad gave it back, and this man still works for Chism Brothers many years later. Once back, he realized just how well the leadership led by example. He felt that he was part of a team. My dad actually got paint on his hands now and then. The men respected him because he was a superstar painter. He also shared his vision and ideas regularly with his employees. He’d ask for their feedback and insight when making certain business decisions. He also rewarded them generously for their hard work. I’ve spoken to some business owners that only give bonus money to employees if they brought a job in under budget. Although my dad watches the numbers carefully, he did not nickel-and-dime his staff. I think that was the reason his company was profitable at the year’s end even with a few unprofitable jobs. His painters knew he was a fair and honest man so they worked hard for Dad.

Marketing and Leadership

One thing I’ve discovered the past few years is a disconnect between most contractors and their employees. Most employees just want to swing a hammer or put paint on the walls. They’d rather not put door hangers around the neighborhood, ask for a referral or look for extra work. In most cases I think it is because many of them just think of themselves as technicians: “I’m just a painter!” or “Ah I’m just a guy who installs cabinets.”

So how do you change this attitude in your employees? My suggestion is to follow my dad’s policy: lead by example, share your vision, connect with your employees just as much as you do with your customers. Spend the time it takes to focus on involving your employees in more aspects of your business and they will begin to play a bigger part in your company. Your field employees do not typically intimidate homeowners. They are the ones who can really connect and get more business. If you reward them for their efforts and you make them feel important, I believe you’ll see your company grow. Not all employees are motivated by money, so find out what motivates them: try to shape their work experience in a way that they want to do the things you ask of them.

How do you motivate employees in your business? What are your thoughts about this topic? I’d love to hear your story and feedback.

For Further Reading on Leading by Serving, see John 13:12-15

Tina from the blog, Best Online Colleges asked if I’d be willing to share their latest blog for my readers. I of course always read the blog articles before sharing them and this one was a good read. The blog educates the Baby Boomer audience on the Dos and Don’ts of using Facebook. You’d think all of the points were common sense, but I can see someone new to Facebook not knowing what the Poke button did or that tagging people in photos is cool but may not be wanted by your more private friends. It is worth the time reading this article or pass it on to someone you know who is just getting started using their techie gadgets and Facebook. Thanks, Tina for sharing this article with me.

15 Facebook Etiquette Tips Every Baby Boomer Should Know

I recently came across another cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that I found noteworthy: Nutshell CRM. My first though: “Oh great, another wannabe CRM competing in red oceans (a competitive market).” Yet the more I explored the features of Nutshell, the more I could not believe how intuitive and simple each feature was to use. I can see blue oceans ahead for this program!

The design of the user interface (UI) was very impressive. Of all the CRM programs I’ve tested in recent years, Nutshell seems to have the best UI. I found myself wondering if the designers worked for Apple, since every design feature was top-notch. Most CRMs I’ve tested start with some advanced features but not a great UI. Then as they release updates, the designs gradually improve. Nutshell, on the other hand, started with a good UI, so I expect each update to be like updating my iPhone, just more features with a quality design. This observation makes Nutshell noteworthy to me, because they right from the start they have a quality product with good features.

The icing on the cake for me was the native iPhone mobile App that does an instant sync with the desktop version.

Pros

• Google Apps plugin to add new contacts or forward emails into Nutshell’s Contacts (works great)
• User Interface is simple and beautiful
• The native iPhone App is simple yet powerful (two-way sync)
• Android App soon to be released
• CRM is very customizable
• Can be used as a simple or advanced CRM program (lots of features if you want them, or a simple Contact Manager)
• Reporting and Analytics: easy to run reports and view (again…user interface is very good)
• Sales Pipeline is very organized: You can customize all sorts of activities such as when to send an email, a thank you note, follow up, who and when, what day, and much more
• The “deals” (or Opportunities) make it easy to add standardized pricing. So a contractor could have set service prices i.e. Kitchen Remodeling $45,000 (then adjust the price)
• Easy to setup and start using
• Events Sync up nicely with your Google or Outlook Calendar (I only tested Google Calendar and it was instant)
• Importing from other CRMs seems to be easy. I tried it from my CRM, Highrise and it took me a couple minutes. (btw, I still use Highrise and like it…it fits my business style perfectly)
• Captures leads from your website and creates a contact

Cons

• The iPhone App, although is awesome, still has room for improvement. It does not sync with your native iPhone calendar…and I am not sure how well setting events on the app work with Google.
• The Task Manager works well when dealing with a Lead (next steps), but not great dealing with existing clients or projects. I’ve spoken to Nutshell, and they are working on releasing a Task Management section soon. So this “con” may change. Task Management is one of the number one reasons I continue to use Highrise.
• To set a task, you basically have to create an “event.” So the process is not easy. This may sound minor, but for me, I use to-do lists and reminders all day long.
• The program is more geared for sales management than for customer management. This too is a major downside to the cloud-based CRM. The whole purpose of a CRM is to manage the ongoing relationships you have with your customers. It is not a one time deal: sell them, do the job and move on. A good CRM should then take you through the next steps: customer follow up, customer satisfaction, setup monthly email blast, thank you notes, etc. Although there are ways within Nutshell to do some of these tasks, it is not as simple as one would expect. If they improve in this one area, I believe Nutshell will be a major threat to Zoho, Salesforce, Pipeline Deals and others.

Your Thoughts?

This was just a quick, “nutshell” review of Nutshell CRM. Has anyone out there tried Nutshell?  Do you currently use it?

A quick word of caution: don’t quickly switch CRM programs. Although companies online are making switching easier, take the time to evaluate what you want your CRM to do. I would also suggest talking to your staff about it too. Show them the program(s) you are looking at. Ask them to take some time evaluating them and give you feedback. I tend to always want a program to do something better and can easily get discontent. I’ve forced myself to stay with Highrise from 37 signals. It keeps getting better and works for my company.

Twice in the last week I’ve had young men knocking at my front door, trying to sign me up for a free estimate for roofing, siding and/or windows. Overall, I was impressed with both guys that came to the door. They were professional, and not too pushy. Having just moved into a home that was already in good shape, and since my brother-in-law is a professional roofer, I declined the offer, at this time.

Before the young man left, I wanted to encourage him a little. I wished him all the best in his efforts, and I asked how the work was going: “Not too great…got 2 leads so far today.”  And this was at 5:30 in the evening!  If I were the marketing manager of this company, there are a couple of tweaks I would make to try to improve the image and closing prospects of these canvassers.

1. Dress Code The young man who came to my door was probably a college student. He was dressed in shorts and a polo shirt–not too shabby. However, he did not have any company apparel. As a homeowner, I’d like to know this is a legitimate company. He told me the name of his company but when we were done talking, I forgot the name. Tip: Don’t go cheap if you have people walking the neighborhoods! Make sure they present your company well.
2. Leave Behind Material: I was not interested in their service right then and there. Plus I was in the middle of wrapping up work…so it was not a good time. However, I was impressed with the canvasser.  He was good, yet he did not leave me his card or a brochure. Tip If someone is busy or in a hurry, at least leave them with your information. With your business card or brochure in their home, you never know when a homeowner will run across it again and call you or look you up online (hopefully they will be impressed with your online image too).
3. Better Organization: The two guys that came to my door were from the same company within days of each other. Tip When doing canvassing, make sure you have a good road map for your sales team. I didn’t like explaining twice we didn’t need their service, especially at dinner time.
4. Use Your Own People More: Hiring canvassers can be a good idea if you hire the right people who are personal and “closers.” Those folks are hard to find. Sometimes just using your own people is the best way to canvass a neighborhood. Tip Better yet, use the employees who are truly doing the work in the neighborhood. These guys are not born salesman, meaning they don’t have sales training. While homeowners are often “put-off” by a typical salesperson, a painter in his whites or a carpenter with his red wing boots and saw-dusted hat is very approachable. He can take a break from his project and canvass 5-10 (or more) homes and actually point out where he is working. He can ask the homeowner if he or she would like an estimate while his company is working nearby. This approach is the way to go, because homeowners can look outside their front door and see that work is truly being done at their neighbor’s home.

Do you have any tips on canvassing neighborhoods? What has worked for you?

I could not agree more with small business owner, Marcus Sheridan, on his latest blog post, “Social Media, Trade Secrets, and Why You Should’t Give a Rip about the Competition.” Marcus owns a pool company in Northern Virginia. He sells pools!  That’s it! He also blogs more than any service company owner I know and shares his wisdom. It is true, his blogs are public and open for all his competitors to view. All of his best kept secrets are now on the public domain for all to see. Is he losing jobs to his competitors and shooting himself in the foot? Just the opposite. Take the time to read his blog and think about how you can be the expert in your contracting business.

Let me know your thoughts after reading the blog by posting them below or shooting me an email.

I asked my good friend, Tom Reber, if he’d be willing to share a bit about his business brand, Jalapeno Paint Werx. He and his business partner, Bruce Watson, have done an incredible job marketing the little green pepper guy all over the town of Naperville.

I appreciate Tom being willing to share some of his ideas and secrets and not being concerned about his competition. He has nothing to hide! Tom and Bruce are honest businessmen who run a successful and quality painting business. If you or someone you know lives around the Chicagoland area, you’ve got to give Jalapeno Paint Werx a call. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed with the customer service and the paint job. Now without further adieu, here is Tom Reber.