I will definitely bookmark this and try to use your tips. Thanks.

Curious when I went to your site it why you don’t link to your (retail) business?

With the traffic I would assume it is another stream that leads to you and your product?[/quote]

Funny you should mention that, Maverick
Wrote a post on that only yesterday: the kiss2 blog is more about business mentality etc – gets a very other different type of readers than our retail business also – where out FAQ blog is purely dedicated to our prospects/customers and sends them to our ‘static’ websites (and later on, also into our showroom – not all, couldn’t handle 180 unique visitors per day there).

I’m sure everyone has stories about this. Perhaps something you can take up on your blog periodically. Nice topic – somewhat controversial. As your traffic increases, might be a good conversational topic.

And I hear you about writing. That’s a benefit I think is often overlooked by people starting a blog – all the opportunity to fine-tune how you describe what you do.

Maverick,

I hear you. More often than not, we’re simply unaware of the impact we have on people we work with. It’s an odd thing.

Remind me by email on the phone issue and I’ll try to post soon. But I think Karin H. did a great job answering your question.

Karin H.,

Thanks.

Thanks for the input and feel free to “budd in” anytime.

Great idea and I love that you personalize each standard letter.

Curious when I went to your site it why you don’t link to your (retail) business?

With the traffic I would assume it is another stream that leads to you and your product?

Not sure if such a solution would help you (very different trade we’re in: retail) but it does work for us, people do get back in touch with us earlier than before we had this series.

Unfortunately, I’ve focused on the process instead of the results. And the results have been amazing. I really help all my clients make more money and do it in a way that keeps their integrity. But does it say this on my website – no.

Now the bigger question. Who do I help. Well I’ve reviewed my clients and all of them work within organizations. They may be independent like a realtor, mortgage broker, direct marketer, but they all work for bigger companies.

I’ll be going to the drawing board and I know it’s time to retool. Thanks Dawud for your informative blog.

Oh and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions when you leave someone an email or phone and leave a message and they don’t call back, but they’ve said they want to be in communication then what do you do? Can you do a blog on that one.

My electrician, who is as conscientious as anyone I have ever met, told me about a surgeon he worked for. It was nasty work. The surgeon questioned the hours worked and the fee.

Ted, the electrician, basically said to him, “Are you serious? You make what you do, and you are going to begrudge me a decent hourly wage?”

And that gets into being paid fairly, which feeds feeling good about yourself, which comes across to clients……

……….
On another note, Dawud, you asked about concrete ways to use blogging to clarify the message.

I am finding that writing and having exchange with others is helping to expand my knowledge of some needs out there and clarify and expand on what I can offer.

This experience has been pretty amazing in a short time.

How is your cold?

Stuart Baker
http://www.consciouscooperation.com

Excellent…

I would think that to be true. It seems, in general, the trades have this stigma of people being taken advantage of. A doctor friend of mine recently had to have some minor plumbing repaired in his home. The plumber charged him $70/hr, which seem legit to me. But my doctor friend complained – not to the plumber, mind you. So I asked my friend…as a doctor, what do you make per hour? Answer…3-4x that. And then I made the point that doctors are highly trained, but most can’t fix their own toilets. That’s why they hire plumbers. And when your toilet is leaking, you pay what the market bares.

I tell this story to show the misunderstanding of the skill and competence it takes to be a tradesman. Yet, because they do ‘dirty work,’ they’re often looked down upon. Yet, imagine if for one week, all car mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and garbage men didn’t work. How would we go about our days among the heaps of garbage, broken cars and broken toilets.

I guess I needed to rant…

yes we have (fortunately )
We even ‘brag’ about it, no lets put that differently: we even make it our aim (as Dawud knows) supplying you with that wooden flooring best suited for YOUR circumstance, YOUR interior design, YOUR budget.

I have found that in the construction business customers sometimes have had to pick their lower jaws off the floor when they heard this approach of “I want to take good care of you. What is most important to you?” Almost funny to see this sometimes.

Yet what a doorway into forming a warm, trusting relationship together.

Karin H., have you seen this too?

Most people today when considering a business ask two questions – first, ‘what’s in it for me?’ and then, ‘what’s it cost?’

They really can’t get answers to the first question without you clearly communicating what problem of theirs you can solve.