I have to agree about the phone in this way: my outgoing VM announcements were trying too hard. I recently called another investigator who has been in the business for many more years than I, and his message was "this is (the phone number) leave your number and I'll get back to you." My impression was, this guy is so much in demand that if you know enough to call him you already know what the deal is. Maybe this doesn't work in all businesses or with neophyte customers, but I tried the same message and dang if I didn't get people leaving me messages to call them back.

There's more than one way to do this "right."

Chloe was just adorable. Nice photo work Sheila-Howard. :-)

If you hope to keep up with Ann, Howard, you will need a very fast lens.

See you there!

...and I would add, "if you can't do these things, hire someone who has demonstrated that they can!" Nice article and right to the point, I didn't hear a single clam. :-)

I'm bringing my long lens this morning, which might be able to keep up with Ann and Jean as they go over the horizon...

In addition to the above, I like the Bottom Line summary too. (I still have my email set for a one-minute delay for last-second afterthoughts) :-)

Thanks, Nancy, the bio page was a neglected area- "I's Land" so to speak, and your article gave me some good ideas to wake it up and make it useful. Nicely done!

It was a well organized and nicely presented event! Shandra knows her stuff and the Mandolin was a nice location for us.

I'm really glad I attended.

Thanks very much!

Thank you for this article; please keep 'em coming. Another great idea to cross-promote your 'site is to mention it at the end of your answering machine message if you use one during non-business hours.

Perfect, I have QuickBooks Pro just sitting here, not yet installed.

I'll be there for this groundbreaking event and look forward to discovering what my fellow Tacoma-ites are up to. Thanks for the opportunity Maura. -Dave DListonPI.com

Can't agree with Jasmine enough. I was in an office supply store in Lakewood Towne Center this morning. This store had the in-house sound system up so loud, I had to fight to concentrate on finding the items I needed.

The 20-something staff appeared to be completely oblivious to this situation as songs from the likes of Motley Crue, Flyleaf, and Seether blasted through the store.

The message I got from this experience was, "We're doing this for our own amusement; so if you don't like it, leave." At least you couldn't hear the employees complaining about their jobs!

I eventually put the items back on the shelves and departed for their competitor's store. This points out a significant small business advantage; the people who really care about your customers are not 5,000 miles away in Delray Beach Florida.

In addition to being able to walk into our own businesses as though we were a new customer, we can quickly take action to correct something lacking in our service without diluting the urgency through three layers of managers.

Even if you're doing a small one-on-one it's a useful concept to have an agenda that consists of what you want to learn about the other person and what you hope to communicate yourself. At the end of the notes you may take, you can write a summary of what was accomplished and what is still to be done, it's possible to do it in the last 5-10 minutes before you part... Thanks for your thoughtful article!

I'm starting to become a fan of your articles, thank you for this one. Your writing style is very accessible and realistic, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the reminder, Caroline.

It's possible to forget about this technique after completing a project and expect to just start in at step 3 on the next one. That's where you can bog down...

Thanks for the great reminders, you gave me an idea I'll use in my next printing.

I think it's a nice touch for your card design to reflect one's website theme, too.