Posted by Eric Jackson | 0 Comments
Snail Mailbox
I admit, I still get a thrill when I get a real piece of mail via the USPS. It’s even better, when that envelope contains a check! As you business owners know, that thrill needs to occur often in order to keep your business up, running and prosperous.
Unfortunately, many of our customers have experienced something odd over the past few years. They send us payment to the same address they always use. A few days later, the envelope comes back deemed “undeliverable.” We’re at a loss to understand exactly what’s happening (we’re being gracious here).
Our solution to the problem is to secure a post office box. One less step, if you will. If you mail checks or other important documents to Keystone, please begin using this mailing address instead. Please note that the zip code must be used in its entirety (and that the first part does end in “77” instead of “75”). We also accept huge lottery checks here:
Keystone Business Solutions, LLC
PO Box 2288
Hendersonville, TN 37077-2288
If you’d prefer to get those frequent-flier miles or American Express points, you can always pay by credit card. Simply follow the instructions contained in the email you receive with your invoice.
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Posted by Angela | 4 Comments
New Year’s Resolutions for Your Small Busine...
Now that Christmas has come and gone, the New Year is just around the corner. Starting a new diet, budgeting money better, and kicking bad habits are some usual New Year’s resolutions – but we’ve compiled a list of computer-related resolutions that you should consider for your business.
1. Start a Blog
A blog is a very important companion to a Website. A Website should be concrete and informative while the blog should update the reader and provide some personality. WordPress says, “Many business owners have wised up to the use of [blogs] to deliver their business message – in a personal voice – through the power of blogs.” Maintaining a blog allows you to get closer to customers and even build relationships because you are simulating a conversation. And it’s not even hard to do. Blogging requires no previous experience and has no rules. But be careful; grammatical errors or any other errors can detract from your intended message.
Blogging also helps a Website’s chances of being seen on major search engines like Google or Yahoo. This is called search engine optimization and is very important for your Website. What’s the point of having a Website if no one can find it? Moving up the search results’ list is a great way to get more hits on your Website and adding a blog will help do just that.
2. Take Data Backups Seriously
Backing up your data “can mean the difference between a slight computer setback and living through your own electronic apocalypse” (TopTenReviews Contributor). There is no reason not to do it. You can’t afford to risk all that information! Computers are not perfect; they can crash, they can get viruses, and they can even be stolen. The unexpected happens sometimes so back up your data!
Microsoft provides a list of what you should back up, how to back it up, and where to store the backed up information.
3. Filtering: Spam, Malware, & the Web
Keystone’s Senior Technology Consultant, Adam Arnold, believes this is the most important resolution anyone can make for their business. He says,
“The perception of web filtering has previously been to keep employees from wasting time on the Internet. Now, web filtering is the new Anti-virus. Most malware infections come from Internet traffic and account for a large percentage of support costs. A solid web filtering solution can not only make the workforce more productive but decrease your risk levels and support costs at the same time.”
To save money in the long run and to keep work going smoothly, it is important to invest in real malware protection. And by real malware protection, I don’t mean AVG. Shop around and choose the best malware protection out there. It could mean the difference between a successful workplace and a crumbling one.
Spam filtering is also a major concern when talking about your work environment. A real spam filter, like Postini e-mail filtering service, will allow you to select what senders you wish to receive emails from and which you do not, while also catching threatening emails.
4. Create a Facebook Business Page
If you’re really serious about expanding your business online and need another outlet to find possible customers, creating a Facebook Page is a great solution. A Facebook page can reach a different demographic than what your Website or blog may be attracting. Also, a Facebook page will provide search engine optimization (like what I said about adding a blog in #1). It can also allow you to update customers frequently with short messages with the “status update.” You can use this to direct your Facebook fans to a new article on your blog or a new page on your Website. The page can provide all these advantages and creating one is free, which is definitely a plus.
5. Use Your Own Domain Name for Business Email
Instead of using Yahoo or Hotmail for your business email activity, creating your own domain will really legitimize your business’s account. You have to admit, “help@keystone.net” seems much more reliable than “bearsfan4evr@hotmail.com” (neither of those are real, by the way). Image is a huge deal in the business world. You wouldn’t go to meet a potential customer wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. So don’t send them an email from the same account you’ve been using since high school.
Another reason to have your own domain: your own domain can lessen the chances of your emails getting caught in spam filters.
6. Embrace Email Marketing
Email Marketing is an alternative way to advertise and update customers about your business with the click of a button, sending one email to every customer you have. Email marketing can get your name out to potential customers while saving on paper and printing costs. Keystone provides an email marketing service called Keymail which allows you to send a customized email to every customer without it being caught by a spam filter. Instead of sending the message to your entire address book at once, Keymail sends the email to each customer, one at a time. This makes the email look and feel more personal while also saving you time.
7. Make Technology Decisions Based on Long Term Goals Instead of Short Term Savings
When you go to your computer tech guy and ask about some cheap product that promises spam filtering for your network and he says, “Yes, We have seen that before. Yes, it may save you money today. No, it is not a good idea,” you need to listen! Not just limited to spam filtering, cheap products are exactly what they cost… cheap! Keep in mind the value of the product and the fact that your computers and computer network are the backbone running your business.
8. Ditch that Crap Hardware and Get a Real Computer
We’ve touched on this subject before but we cannot stress how important it is to have functioning equipment in the office. Slow, old computers can have a major effect on the productivity of your employees. That means wasted time and money.
Our Senior Technology Consultant chimed in on this topic as well. He says, “Follow 4 rules to buying a new computer: (1) Make sure it has a warranty, (2) make sure it has the professional or business version of the operating system, (3) make sure it has Microsoft office of some kind, and (4) make sure it is a brand name computer (Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo). Don’t really care which one; just make sure it is manufactured and not custom built.”
9. Build a Real Website
Roping in more business usually comes from the connections you make and the people you know. But meeting people has its limitations, the Internet does not. That’s why a website is so important in any kind of business.
Websites from a free hosting service like Weebly are fine for casual bloggers or a personal website, but when we’re talking about your business, you need something a little- no a lot more professional. Yes, this means you will have to pay for the domain name and hosting, but it will also keep you from looking like an Internet fool. This is what potential customers are going to identify your business with. It needs to be sleek and professional with absolutely no flashing or scrolling text. The focus is your business and your message. Nothing else.
Hope these resolutions make 2010 a successful year for your business!
Read MorePosted by Eric Jackson | 0 Comments
Pop, Jazz and Sizzle
I just might hurt some feelings with this one. And that’s ok.
When you go to the dentist, do tell Dr. Drillbit how to fill your cavity? Do you tell your mechanic how to fix your car? Do you think the Pope hovered over Michelangelo telling him to “jazz it up?”
So why do people hire a graphic designer, then proceed to tell them how to do their job? If we had a nickel for every time we’ve heard: “Yeah, it’s good, but it just needs to ‘pop’ more. Can you just ‘jazz it up’ a little?” Nothing makes us want to shove pencils in our ears more than the words pop, jazz, sizzle…
If you want to design your own website, why did you hire us? No. Seriously. Why? Buying a website doesn’t make someone a designer any more than standing in a garage makes them a car. Let me be clear before moving on with the rest of my bile-flavored tirade:
The vast majority of Keystone customers listen to what our designers have to say.
The reason they listen is because our designers have a reason for doing what they do and are ready to explain why “making the logo bigger” will not help our customer sell one more of whatever it is they sell. The designer has arranged the site content in a manner commensurate with the attention the content deserves.
If you’re thinking about hiring Keystone to build your new website, let me be clear:
We encourage our customers to tell us what information is most important to their success.
Additionally, we will listen to what you’ve got to say about design preferences. But be forewarned…there are better ways to do things than most of our non-designer customers have considered. It’s our job to be experts at designing websites that sell, not just look pretty.
So, if your number one New Year’s resolution is to rebuild your website, consider these few tips so you won’t become the “Client from Hell.”
- 1. Choose your designer based on their past work. Look carefully at what your prospective designer has done for their other customers. Unlike the stock market, past performance for designers typically will be indicative of future results.
- 2. Concern yourself with content, not design. Prospects and customers visit your site for information, not pretty pictures. They want to know where you’re located, what you do, how you do it, and what you’ve got to offer. They’re simply not there to be entertained, unless of course you happen to be an entertainer…and even then, your medium isn’t the web.
- 3. Know your market. We won’t be designing for you; we’ll be designing for your market. If your market is kids…is it really kids? In most cases, it’s the parent you seek. Understand this.
- 4. Have good reasons for your preferences. Making the logo bigger is never going to make your site go from good to great. If someone ever tells you “I’d do business with you…but dang it, your logo just isn’t big enough,” then by all means, I’ll eat these words…literally.
- 5. Trust your designer. After all you are paying for their expertise, right?
Posted by Eric Jackson | 0 Comments
Don’t Overlook Physical Security
I’m very busy; I’m guessing you are too. Every day brings a new distraction or task. It doesn’t get any easier. So how would you react if someone stole all your computers? Does that add to your workload? If you’re not prepared, it might make life easier…without your business data, you might just go out of business leaving you with nothing to do.
Is this a reality? Yes. In fact, it happened to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST). On Friday, October 2, 2009, 57 hard drives were stolen from a remote Chattanooga facility leased by BCBST. Granted, BCBST isn’t going out of business, but few businesses could not withstand a theft like they experienced.
We frequently learn about businesses that don’t value physical security. They’ve never considered that their data could be destroyed by a natural disaster or even stolen. How safe is your data?
Read MorePosted by Angela | 0 Comments
Hendersonville Ranked in Top Ten Family-Friendly C...
Starting with a broad list of 1700 cities and towns across the country with populations between 15,000 and 150,000, Family Circle Magazine selected the top ten family-friendly cities on June 30, 2009. Focusing on quality of public schools, low crime rate, affordable homes, access to health care, and other criteria, Family Circle rated Hendersonville, TN, in the top ten!
This year, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of Hendersonville as a city. It is appropriate to recognize the city’s great efforts to become one of the top cities in the country. Public schools are a great asset of Sumner County in Tennessee. Hendersonville maintains a 94% graduation rate, which is well above the statewide rate of 92%.
The Family Circle article will be published in the magazine’s August 2009 issue. The original Press Release also named Rockwall, TX; Evans, GA; Sherwood, OR; Indian Trail, NC; Edina, MN; Noblesville, IN; Perrysburg, OH; Kenmore, WA; and Sun Prairie, WI as the other nine family-friendly cities and towns.
Read MorePosted by Eric Jackson | 1 Comment
Four Rules for Picking a Customer
Who are your customers and do you really want all of your customers? It’s a question most small business owners probably never ask themselves. All too often, startups will take any customer who can fog a mirror. Bad plan.
I don’t remember exactly when I came to the realization: I don’t need to do business with everyone who wants to do business with me. Think about it; it’s as ridiculous as marrying everyone you date. I did discriminate on the basis of budget in the beginning, but that really doesn’t go far enough in determining who makes a great customer.
Now, after nearly six years of running Keystone Business Solutions, I finally have a 4-step formula for determining with whom I’m going to do business. I call it the “Four Rules for Picking a Customer.”
Rule #1 – Adequate Budget
Working for free is not difficult. It’s also a terrible business plan. Many businesses would be more than happy to have you solve their problems without paying. Suckering you into a situation where you’ll get paid but take a loss is also a popular trick.
If your customer is constantly beating you up over price, they’re not a customer; they’re a drag on your resources and a hindrance to your ability to attract other customers that don’t drag you down. Dump them.
Rule #2 – “Drinking the Kool-Aid”
Few things are more irritating than a customer who asks for your expertise, then tells you you’re wrong. Or worse yet, they proceed to tell you how they would do it…and then talk you into implementing solutions you know won’t work as well. Don’t forget that you will take the blame when their plan fails.
If your customer isn’t buying your advice…”drinking the Kool-Aid” so to speak, they’re not worth the hassle. If I believe my doctor is giving me bad advice or ignoring my needs, I change doctors, I don’t argue with her until she tells me what I want to hear. A customer who doesn’t trust your advice shouldn’t be your customer. Let them give someone else a headache.
Rule #3 – Motivated to Act
A customer that comes to you seeking advice yet never acts can be enticing. You think they want you to heal their pain. They don’t argue with your solution; they know your advice is good, but they just can’t bring themselves to authorize the work.
Now hear this: they’re never going to do anything. They really just want to talk about solutions they’re never going to implement because it makes them feel better. End this dead-end relationship and move on to the next opportunity.
Rule #4 – Not “Crazy”
“Crazy” may be too strong a description, but it communicates my point. Working with soul-sucking lunatics is not good for business and it’s definitely not good for morale. They’ll expect you to move heaven and earth to cover their mistakes or poor planning, then react horribly when you can’t. They miss appointments. They misunderstand your communications nearly every time. They don’t keep agreements, verbal or written. In other words, they make you work twice as hard as a customer that isn’t loco. Don’t let them make you crazy too.
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