Even Accidental Plagiarism Can Cost You

Not only can plagiarism cost your company; it can cost you, your company. That’s right; you can lose your company over plagiarism, even without malicious intent on your part.


Click for the full article at Contracting Business by Charlie Greer and Matt Michel. 

Forward this one to your mail list.  Every business owner needs to be aware of the risk from using plagiarized material.

Economic Fundamentals: Crony Capitalism

It's a myth that business is opposed to government interference in the economy. It's not. Business leaders love government interference. They love regulations. They love tariffs. They love them as long as they benefit their companies and/or penalize their competitors.

There are business leaders who will always seek to win politically what they are unable to win in the free market. You can often spot them on television, providing cover for the politician who is introducing some new law that reduces liberty, weakens the free market, and provides a drag on the economy at large, but that helps the business leader's company.

The term for this behavior is "crony capitalism." It's hard to fault business leaders who try to game the system. They're simply choosing the easy path to maximize shareholder value. It's cheaper to buy politicians than to buy share in a free market.

It's up to principled politicians to resist the seductive embrace of the crony capitalist. Unfortunately, politicians too often serve their self-interest rather than the public interest. They distort the free market by tilting the playing field in the direction of a favored few.

As government increases in size and scope, its ability to influence business increases. Market competition takes a back seat to political connections.

Recently, John Stossel focused on crony capitalism. Watch the following videos...

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6

It's Brand Day!

One of the fastest growing trends in the heating and air conditioning industry is contractor branding.  Branding is more than simply slapping a logo on a box.  It's a company's...

• Reputation
  
  
• Personality
  
  
• Uniqueness
  
  
• Position
  
  
• Promise
  
  
• Image

  Companies with branding programs seize control of their future.  They build equity into their name, not another's name, not a name that's rented to them, loaned to them, or that can be offered to another company somewhere down the road, after the contractor's built up the name. While imitators are arising, there is only one original, turnkey branding program in the HVAC industry.  That's the Retail Contractor Coalition.  The Retail Contractor Coalition offers the most deliverables, the most guidance, and the best expertise in the industry on branding.  It's the only program designed by an internationally recognized branding expert in collaboration with a team of leading contractors.  The President of the Retail Contractor Coalition is Ben Stark, who is the Contractor of the Year for North Texas ACCA.  The Vice President is Steve Miles, named National Contractor of the Year by Contracting Business Magazine.

On February 1 and 2, you can attend Brand Day FREE of charge in Houston, Texas.  Get to Houston and the hotel, meals, and local transportation is FREE.  Learn more about contractor branding.  Learn how you can not only join the Retail Contractor Coalition and start branding your company for FREE, you can actually make a profit from it (though we urge you to reinvest this profit in your brand building activities).

For more information, call Liz Patrick toll free at 877.262.3341.  Hurry!  Reserve your place today.

Marketing Budgeting and Planning

During a contractor panel, Ben Stark was asked how much he budgeted for advertising and marketing. The contractors were interested because Ben built a large, prosperous company in a relatively short time. He employs over 30 people and has over 3500 service agreements.

Ben said his target was 6%, but laughed at the number. In 2008, he spent 8%. Last year he spent 9%.

He went on to explain that he bumped his advertising because of the economy. Good companies do that. They spend more on marketing during times when it's harder to find customers, not less. To retrench is to spiral down.

Ben noted that he's spent a much higher percentage than today. When he was starting out, marketing consumed 14% of his sales.

Steve McKee, president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland Advertising, which helps stalled companies kick sales to a higher level, is the author of "When Growth Stalls." Writing in BusinessWeek, McKee noted:

If you're in a services business, you might want to bump your starting point higher than 5%. For example, like most professional services firms, my company is more margin-oriented than volume-oriented, so fueling its growth requires that we spend a higher percentage of our revenues. Last year, our number was just over 8%, and I've seen companies spend upwards of 15% when warranted—especially young companies that need to invest to build their brand.

It sounds like Ben knows what he's doing (no surprise for those familiar with Ben or his company). Of course the budget will vary based on the nature of the company. McKee explains:

Volume-driven companies tend to spend a tiny percentage of sales on marketing, in part because their large revenues enable small contributions to add up fast, and in part because of the margin pressures they face in having to compete with other high volume companies. By contrast, margin-driven companies tend to spend a larger percentage of sales on marketing: They have room in their margins to afford it, and they're often working from a smaller revenue base.

The bigger question might be, "How do you spend it?"

The Service Roundtable recommends breaking your marketing budget down into three general areas...

1. Customer acquisition

2. Customer retention

3. Increasing your average ticket

The first two, getting and keeping customers, are obvious. Increasing your average ticket? Actually, this can be one of the most important marketing efforts you will make. Increasing your average ticket means dropping more to the bottom line on every call.

You can increase your average ticket by marketing add-on products and services on service calls. The marketing investment might be limited to producing a series of flyers for distribution to the customer in the field. Or, you could produce a full-fledged DVD explaining the wonderful things you can do for the customer and ask the customer to play it during the diagnostic or repair.

You can increase your average ticket by using financing to lower the monthly payments for homeowners so they are able to spend more. Every addition gross profit dollar drops straight to the bottom line. The marketing investment might be to buy down the interest rate or to offer 12 months same as cash.

How much you allocate towards each of the three areas of focus depends on the nature and position of your company. If your company is established, with lots of loyal customers, you will probably spend more on retention than acquisition. If your company is in a growth mode, you will stress new customer acquistion. And everyone should try to increase the average sale.

What's your marketing budget for 2010? What percent will you spend on customer acquisition? On retention? On increasing your average ticket? How much per month?

You can build your own spreadsheet, allocating your budget by month, focus, and ultimately program. The result is a marketing calendar designed specifically for your company.

Shameless plug... The Service Roundtable recently created a Marketing Planning Wizard for HVAC and Plumbing that streamlines and simplifies the process, guiding people step-by-step. It comes with the standard $50 monthly membership. If you're a plumbing or air conditioning company, check it out. Or call Liz Patrick, toll free at 877.262.3341 and ask or a free tour.

When is your Black Friday?
With it is the being of a New Year, it signals new opportunity to have learned from last year’s pain or be forced to repeat it. During December, I spoke to several contractors who were not profitable for the year; one said he said he was waiting for his Black Friday.
The concept of Black Friday in the retail business has not been around for a long time. According to Wiki it was originally coined in Philadelphia in 1966 and had to more with traffic in the central area of the city the days after Thanksgiving till Christmas. About 15 years later was morphed into representing the day on an annual basis that a retail organization went from an operating loss to a profit. The truth is that most retailers make a profit every quarter.
Are you making a profit every quarter, month, week or every day? All businesses even seasonal ones should have a goal to be profitable all the time. The thinking that at a given date in a year, you have covered your expenses and the subsequence revenues are all profits is a head in sand approach that could lead to disaster and failure. If you are looking in terms of a year for your horizon, you will miss the chances to preserve the hard fought wins while accepting what falls into and/or off your lap.
With the advent of (1)accounting software like QuickBooks, Peachtree and MYOB to name a few, the ability to manage your business is a mouse click away. Industry specific add-ins makes these tools even more effective. Twenty years ago it took a programmer to generate a report with limited flexibility, now you can make your own report in matter of minutes.
To keep the reports accurate you need the information to be current. It is no longer acceptable to batch items and wait on a schedule. Here is where (2) “Lean Accounting Processes” and (3) “Single/One Piece Flow” pay large dividends. You get an invoice, to put it in the system, you get new order you put it in the system, you finish and ship product/service you invoice immediately. At the end of day a person’s desk is clear and is waiting for the new work of the next day. In essence whether you large or small you can have a reasonable snap shot of the day’s performance, and at the end of the week you should be reviewing the KPIs(Key Performance Indicators) AND THEIR TRENDS. KPI’s will differ for each company, but reflect the elements that most important in the life of that entity. Some standards, Cash, Days of AR, AP, WIP, GM, Projected Net Profit and a 13 week cash flow projection.
Back to the original question when is your Black Friday? My answer to you is; Every Friday should be your Black Friday. Because if it is not Black then you have something to be working on to correct that next week, not next year or even next month. This information should be shared with the managers along with the expectations for performance and goals. In a perfect situation the managers will react to correct the issue before the owner or superior has to motivate them. This is a goal for your organization to obtain.


1 http://accounting-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_accounting
3 One Piece Flow refers to the concept of moving one workpiece at a time between operations within a workcell. At the opposite extreme, we might process an entire batch or lot at each operation before moving it to the next operation. 
This idea has many benefits. It keeps WIP at the lowest possible level. It encourages work balance, better quality and a host of internal improvements.  http://www.strategosinc.com/onepieceflow.htm

Matthew R Prazenka



Abacus Business Leaders, LLC
Driving Shareholder Value through Hands-on Leadership
500 Lake Cook Rd. Suite 350. Deerfield, IL 60015
877.412.2228 x1030
mprazenka@abacusbl.com www.abacusbl.com

3 Questions With Steve Saunders

This edition of the 3 Questions For Small Business Podcast features Steve Saunders from Tempo Air and TexEnergy Solutions. Steve gives background on the spin off of Tempo Air from TD Industries, using an ESOP. Next, Steve addresses how Tempo has responded to the contraction of the new construction market by addressing home energy. Finally, Steve offers his projections for the future direction of the air conditioning industry.

Click Here to Listen

Seated at the Window

"Is it open?" my daughter asked when we found it. 

It was a particular restaurant my wife had read a good review about.  A glance through the windows revealed a number of set tables, but no one inside.  This was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of take-out and counter places one block over.  My family hesitated to walk in.

"Well," I said, "The sign says it's open from 11:00 to 11:00.  Let's go in."

We gathered at the entrance and waited for a man in the far corner to notice us and offer seating.  He was hunched over a newspaper muttering to himself.

"Excuse me," my wife half-shouted.  "Are you open?"

Startled, he sprang to his feet.  "Yes, yes, we're open," he said in heavily accented English.  "How many in party?"

"Party of four," I answered.

"Here, sit by window," the waiter said, direcing us to the one table where everyone could look out the window.

We were the only people in the restaurant, which doesn't usually bode well.  "The locals are supposed to frequent this restaurant," my wife said.  "I guess there's all still shopping."

"It's four in the afternoon," my oldest daughter pointed out.  "It's too late for lunch and too early for dinner.  That's why no one's here."

Whatever the reason for the scarcity of clientele, the food was excellent.  As I watched people pass by on the sidewalk, I asked my family, "Why do you think he seated us by the window?"

"Is this another one of your dumb jokes?" asked my youngest.  Everyone looked at me accusingly.

"No seriously," I said, "Why are we seated at the window?  It's not that the waiter was being nice."

Clearly no one was going to reply, so I answered my own question.  "It's to make the restaurant look like there's people here.  Seeing people in the window draws others."

They got it.  They remembered the hesitancy they felt when we walked up to an empty restaurant.  For most people, the only thing worse than a restaurant with long lines is a restaurant with empty tables.  We all tend to be herd-like or tribe-like.  Most people don't want to be the first to try something.  It's why we prefer to patronize popular businesses or seek companies that have been highly recommended.  Absent the good review and we may not have walked through the doors of the empty restaurant.  The waiter knew this.  He knew that people drew more people, which is why we were seated at the window.

So what about your business?  How can you seat people at the window?  How can you seat people at the window if your business doesn't really have a window?

Here are three ways to "seat people at the window" of your business:

1. Include lots of customer testimonials on your website.  It's amazing to me how many times I walk into a contractor's business and see glowing testimonials framed on the wall.  These are often inspirational to read and suggest this is the type of company anyone would want to do business with.  So why aren't they on the website where other potential customers might read them?  Why aren't they seated in the window?
   
   
2. Use yard signs.  Don't limit the use of yard signs to major jobs.  Use them on every service call.  A growing number of companies are following the lead of Hal Smith from Halco in Rochester, NY and are "paying people" to rent their yards for a month after every service call.  At the conclusion of the call, the Halco plumber or technician asks the homeowner if he would like to take another $10 off the final invoice by renting his yard for a month.  The plumber then explains to the curious homeowner that he can save another $10 by allow Halco to leave a yard sign in his yard for a month.  If the homeowner agrees, the plumber earns a $5 spiff.  Most do.  For $18 a customer ($10 discount + $5 spiff + $3 disposable yard sign), Halco is seating people at the window.
   
   
3. Create a Facebook fan page for your company.  When your customers become fans of your Facebook page, they are seating themselves at the window of your company.  Encourage Facebook fans by making special offers and providing unique news to your company's Facebook fans.

Seat people at the window.

Writing to be Read - Teaching to be Remembered

Some of the most memorable lessons I had as a kid came from stories.  Who doesn't remember the lesson that "slow and steady winning the race" from the Tortoise and the Hare?  I bet you have similar lessons you remember from Aesop, Uncle Remus, and the Bible.

Of course, that's just kid stuff.  Right?


Maybe not.  When I was working as a manufacturing engineer, I was given a copy of "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox.  The book presented the Theory of Constraints, not exactly the most exciting of concepts.  Yet, I read the book from cover to cover in one sitting.  It wasn't the concept that kept me riveted, but the story.  "The Goal" was written as a novel.

It turns out that millions of people liked the format.  A book about a manufacturing concept sold millions of copies.

I've noticed a lot of well selling books use the form of a narrative, including "The Richest Man in Babylon," "The Wealthy Barber," "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," "The Greatest Salesman in the World," most Ken Blanchard books, and the books ("Freedom From Fear" and "A Simple Choice") by my friend, Mark Matteson.  People like to read stories.  This is why fiction outsells non-fiction.

Erika Holzer wrote the following about Ayn Rand in a blog about the resurgence of the great book, "Atlas Shrugged."

“One evening back in the mid-60s, when my husband and I were Ayn Rand’s lawyers [and] the three of us took a break from business . . . Rand drew a fascinating distinction about the impact that . . . fiction, as opposed to nonfiction, has on readers. ‘Reading non-fiction,’ she told us, ‘is mainly an intellectual exercise whereas fiction involves the reader in a personal experience. It’s the difference between reading a technical manual on flying a jet airplane as opposed to experiencing the actual sensation of hurtling through space in one. The manual may be educational, even stimulating, but the plane ride is happening to you.’” (Emphasis Rand’s.)

If you want to write to be read, write stories.  If you want your lessons to your team to be remembered, use stories and parables to make them more memorable.  The way Jesus taught a couple of thousand years ago still works. 

A Contractor's Christmas

An HVAC contractor who found himself picking up a homeless man on a Christmas Eve, on the way to a no-heat call.  It's a sappy, feel-good, tear jerker type of story... just perfect for Christmas.

Download the Story as an Adobe Portable Document File

Are you selling vanilla?

Suppose you decide to open an ice cream parlor. More than likely you will face a number of competing ice cream parlors. You will battle a host of competitors all screaming for the consumer’s attention. The rallying cry of your new industry might well be, “I scream. You scream. We all scream ‘ice cream.’”

It’s a tough business you’ve entered. You know you’ve got to promote yourself. So, you ask yourself, “What do most customers want?”

You check with the International Ice Cream Association and discover that the number one flavor is vanilla. In fact, vanilla is preferred by more than a three to one margin over the number two flavor. Okay, that’s it. You’re going to promote vanilla. You’re going to paint, “Vanilla ice cream here!” on the window of your storefront. You’re going to devote your yellow pages ad to the theme, “We’ve got vanilla!” Everywhere you can, you’re going to trumpet your vanilla ice cream.

You’re going to go out of business.

Read The Rest at ContractingBusiness.com

Tom Templeton on the Service Roundtable

The Service Roundtable is the best thing coming down the pike. What a "bang for your buck."

Gene Burch on the Service Roundtable

"People who belong to the Service Roundtable are miles ahead of the rest of the herd, there is no better value for your dollar in our industry."

Take Gene's advice.  Check out the Service Roundtable or contact Liz Patrick or Janet Thomasson and request a free tour.

3 Questions With Dave Rothacker

The "3 Questions For Small Business Podcast" continues with Dave Rothacker from The Technician Shop and Rothacker Reviews.
Dave addresses the evolution of the Internet, the use of social media to help a small business grow, and his recommended books for business owners and managers.
 
Click Here to Listen

Announcing the "3 Questions For Small Business Podcast"

We're starting a new podcast series, entitled "3 Questions For Small Business." Each edition will feature a business leader who will answer three questions about himself or herself, his or her company, or business in general.

This first edition features Michael Bohinc from Keeping Score CPA. Michael offers year end tax planning strategies for small businesses and individuals. He also offers his insight on ways companies can improve their financial performance.

Click here to listen

Great Quotes

I was struck by a couple of comments in Facebook over the past few days and feel compelled to share them:

The Service Roundtable is it. This is the place the best practices groups get their ideas.

- Rodney Koop

For a contractor to be in business and not use Service Roundtable's resources would be like a fisherman not using a boat, motor, gas, rod, reel, line, hooks, bait or a net. Better to ask a friend to give you a fish.

- Tom Piscitelli

Thanks guys!  You made me blush.

Mauzy New Customer Gift Card & Referral Card

Matt Mauzy from Mauzy Heating & Air Conditioning in San Diego shared the gift card program he uses with new customers and gave me permission to write about it.

The card works as a bounce back coupon and a referral card. The packaging causes it to stand out. The card is heavy plastic, like a retailer gift card. The bounce back coupon is on one side and the referral card on the other. The card is inserted into a small gift folder. Check it out...

This is the front of the gift presentation folder.

This is the back of the gift folder.

This is the open folder.

The front of the card with a $50 bounce back coupon.  Note that the card is "transferrable."  It can be given to a friend.

The back of the card is the referral program.  Note how the customer is directed to enter the information online, generating a referral lead.

If you do not want to go to the trouble and expense of creating a gift card, but like the concept, create a business card version.

Put Your Company on the Map

Note: I wrote this for Southern PHC Magazine and would normally link to it, but the article is not online, so I'm reprinting here.

As consumer yellow page usage wanes, local Internet search is becoming more important. Search for “air conditioning” and based on your IP address, search engines like Google will serve up local companies, including a map with locations. You want your company on this map.

Putting your company on Google Maps, which is Google’s local search, is simple. Visit http://local.google.com/ and click on “Put your business on Google Maps.” You will need to create a Google account, but that only takes seconds.

Your company may already be listed. If it is, Google will prompt you to claim it.

Fill out all information on your company. Make sure you incorporate product, service, and brand search terms.

Google verifies all local business listings. You can choose phone or postal mail. Pick the phone method. It’s faster.


The Ten Pack

The coveted placement for you is the “ten pack” of local businesses displayed next to the map during a search (the ten pack doesn’t always contain ten companies). Within the ten pack, you want to be ranked as high as possible. Here are five ways to improve your ranking…

1. Internet Directories – Get listed on every Internet yellow pages and business directory you can find. This includes the chamber of commerce, city directories, the Better Business Bureau, trade association directories, manufacturer dealer locators, NATE’s Consumer to Contractor Connection, InfoUSA’s database, Yahoo, Bing, DMOZ and other search directories, etc.
   
   
2. Keyword in Business Name – Including the right search term in your company name can make the difference between being ranked #4 and #1. Make sure you include “heating and air conditioning” in your listing.
   
   
3. Customer Reviews – If you increase the number of customer reviews, you will increase your ranking. Ask your customers to review your company on Google. Use a review guide like the one shown to encourage customers to complete the review. You can download this review by clicking on “Free Stuff” at www.ServiceRoundtable.com.
   
   
4. Social Media – Create a Facebook fan page that links back to your website. Create Linked In and Plaxo profiles with links to your website.
   
   
5. Full Address – Make sure your website contains your full address, preferably on the front page.

Here are three things to avoid…

1. Toll Free Phone Number – You should avoid using the exclusive use of a toll free phone number on your website. Local businesses should have local numbers according to search engine ranking logic.
   
   
2. P.O. Box – Do not rely solely on a post office box. Add your physical address as a shipping address.
   
   
3. Multiple Addresses – Limit yourself to one address on your website. Multiple addresses tends to confuse the search engines.

Focus On Google First

Why Google? According to comScore, Google not only commands 64% of all domestic Internet searches, but its share is rising. The volume of searching is increasing and Google is taking 90% of the increase. Last year, 85 billion searches were performed in the United States using Google.

Do not ignore the other search engines. Many people still use them. But more use Google than all others combined.

Putting yourself on the (Google) map only takes a few minutes. Spend a few more to boost your ranking and you will find your incoming call volume increasing without spending another dime.

Protection From the Wrong Cheeseburger

Think you have customer service issues? Try running a fast food franchise where the customer calls 911 seeking protection from the wrong cheeseburger.

When I talk about the need to fire a customer every now and then, this is the customer you should fire.

Two Cab Rides

David and I called a cab to take us from a business meeting to the hotel. At the very instant the cab pulled up, the meeting got interesting. We kept the cabbie waiting for a few minutes while we wrapped up and apologized when we loaded our luggage into the cab. The cab driver didn't seem to mind, though he did say that the dispatcher was getting itchy.

The cab ride was short. It was only a couple of miles. We were recapping the meeting for most of the trip. When we finished, the cab driver engaged us in the usual type of cab conversation. Where are you from? Why are you here?

At the hotel, the cabbie discovered that his meter hadn't reset from his last fare. It's going to be about $10, he said, but he has to get a supervisor to give him the fare amount. He worked the radio while we waited in the back seat. The supervisor wasn't readily available. The cabbie was clearly embarrassed about the wait and offered several apologies, which we brushed off.

"We made you wait," I told him. "It's okay for you to make us wait." A few minutes later, David offered the same comment.

The supervisor finally returned. The fare was $10.30. David paid $20.

The next morning we needed a cab to go from the hotel to the office. There wasn't a hotel bellman working the cab stand and we wanted a cab with a credit card terminal, so we walked down the line of cabs to find one.

The first cab with a terminal was eight cabs back. We shortened the cabbie's wait by pulling him out of line. His only comment was to grumble that we weren't going a long way.

He said it again before we got out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, you said that already," barked David in a clear signal that his tip was at risk if he continued to gripe. He did.

He griped that individual cabbies couldn't buy a medallion and that the cab drivers didn't stick together like they did in other cities.

"So move," said David.

"This is my home," snarled the cabbie.

So far, we'd travelled about a block. The cabbie commented again that we weren't going very far. He noted that there was a hotel much closer to the address we were going to and we could walk across the street from that hotel. Not quite. And with our luggage, we would've called a cab from that hotel too.

The cabbie informed us that a medallion cost $300,000 in New York and stated his belief that two people driving a cab over two shifts could each make $50,000 per year and pay it off in three years. I could be wrong, but I think he overlooked living expenses and pay for the second driver. I didn't ask about it.

He asked where we were from. David told him Dallas. He said, "Figures. You can always tell the ones from Dallas."

"What does that mean?"

"People from Dallas and Houston. They're different. You can tell."

He mumbled the rest.

Just before we arrived at our destination, the cab driver must have realized he was shooting himself in the foot. He started talking about the beauty of the sunrise and took a picture of it.

When we arrived, the total on the meter was a little less than $10. David paid the exact amount.

You couldn't ask for a different experience. The first cab driver underperformed the technical aspects of the job. He messed up the meter, which required us to wait while a supervisor gave him the fare. The final fare, based on the supervisor's estimate, was higher than the metered fare the next morning. The first cabbie overcharged us. By contrast, he second cab driver was technically perfect and accurately priced.

Yet, the first cabbie clearly outperformed the second. When tips were included, he was voluntarily given double the fare. If given a choice between walking and enduring another ride with the second cabbie, I would seriously consider walking, luggage and all, which is how some homeowners feel about home service companies.

With cabs and contracting, the distinguishing feature of the service is not the technical differences or even price. It's the interpersonal differences.

Technical proficiency is not enough. Offering a better price is not enough. Good human relationship skills are also required. Simply being a nice guy can overcome a technical miscue and allow you to charge more.

What Makes a Blog Interesting?

The other day I saw a plumbing service truck decorated with garland wrapped around the antenna and a lighted Christmas wreath attached to the front of the grille. It flashed by in an instant and I wasn't able to snap a picture of it, but I thought it was a great idea to decorate a service truck for Christmas.

It would be distinctive. It would draw the eye. It would make people smile. Making people smile when they see your brand is always a good thing. Alas, there was no picture. So I searched online for an example.

What do you look for? A Christmas truck? A holiday truck? I started by looking for "jingle truck." Boy was I in for a surprise. Apparently "jingle truck" is the term used to describe the decorated trucks used by Afghanis. The jingle part comes from the chains attached to the bumpers. Of course, I didn't know this a few days ago. I just saw a lot of jingle truck pictures and click on the following one to learn more...

Copyright (c) 2007 John Severns

When I clicked the picture, I stumbled onto In the Shadow of the Mountain - One Year in Afghanistan, the blog of a Public Affairs Officer with the U.S. Air Force, serving in Afghanistan. The blog covers a full year in-country over 2007. The writer has good communications skills and likes photography. While every post isn't open to the public, most are. It's a well-told, first-hand account of service in Afghanistan, written for family and friends, but read by a wider audience.

I started reading it and was fascinated. I read post after post from my starting point. When I got to the end, I started at the beginning and read the posts I missed by starting in the middle.

Why was this blog so interesting? Part of it, of course, is that we're at war in Afghanistan and I really don't know a whole lot about the country.

There's more to it than that. The blog is interesting because it's authentic. A human wrote it, not a corporate or agency automaton. It's conversational. It tells a story. It informs. After reading the blog, I feel like I know Air Force Captain John Severns.

You can create a similar blog for your business. While you might think plumbing, air conditioning, electrical, pool service, pest control, carpet cleaning, etc. is uninteresting, I'll bet you can find lots of interesting experiences to write about. Start with some of the things your service people encounter on a day to day basis.

For example, the plumber pulls a really bad anode rod. He takes a picture of it next to a new one and explains the importance of the anode. The air conditioning technician pulls a really bad filter from a unit, takes a picture of it and explains about replacing filters. The electrician grabs lunch at a new restaurant, takes a picture, and offers a quick review (though it should be positive or omitted - you don't want enemies). A pool contractor drives by a group of protesters and snaps a shot, writing about what he saw. Service company employees encounter blog worthy items every day.

Speak with your human voice. Have a conversation with your customers. Spread the word. Tweet about your blogs. Post links on Facebook. Engage people. Build your business.