One way you can add to your marketing mix for your small business is to start doing talks to crowds. Practice makes perfect. And it often brings in new clients.

QUESTION.
I run my own small interior design firm and I have not been getting the number of new clients I usually do. I think my marketing methods are becoming less productive. I have been doing some reading about marketing a practice such as mine, and it appears that public speaking would probably help me get new clients. Do you have any recommendations on how I should get involved in public speaking? How about how I can learn to do it effectively?

ANSWER.
Public speaking is a skill that can be learned. It is somewhat easy to do once you become comfortable telling stories in front of crowds. Also, you must master the ability to avoid using vocal pauses while you tell your stories. A vocal pause is a “you know,” “uh,” “so,” or other useless space filler while you think of something to say.

The best way to develop your public speaking skills is to practice doing it. You can volunteer to do all kinds of talks. Your public library will probably give you ample opportunities to tell stories if you can come up with interesting topics to talk about. Since you are an interior designer you will probably want to talk about things relating to interior design. For example, a talk about getting fixtures at Lowe’s might keep people’s attention. Or the differences in drapes and window coverings and the wide range they can cost. Or how about carpets and other floor covering options? You can join professional organizations and speak to those groups, too.

The easiest way to get good at public speaking is to join a few Toastmasters clubs (www.toastmasters.org) and become very active in those clubs. You will probably be able to do a talk a meeting if you like (and can). I say “can” because some people have trouble putting their talks together. Yes, you have to research, outline, and write your talks before you deliver them. The better researched and outlined the better they will be received.

I hope my comments are helpful to you. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Public speaking can be a good tool to add to your marketing mix. Don’t underestimate the power of the spoken word!

QUESTION.
What are some examples of marketing techniques I can use if I am sufficient at doing public speaking? I have a small interior design firm, and would like to incorporate public speaking into my marketing mix.

ANSWER.
Join a professional organization for interior designers and give speeches at their meetings. You’ll build credibility among your peers that way. You will also have something to list on your Web site’s “IN THE NEWS” section. Contact your public library and offer to 30 minute to 1 hour seminars on topics that relate to interior design. Maybe talk about how to use Lowes as your supplier for doing your work. Maybe talk about things to consider when picking out carpets. Maybe talk about things to consider when picking out window coverings. Contact organizations that cater to potential referrals of work. For example, interior designers might get work from contractors who build the homes that need interior design work. Do talks at their association meetings.

You should also consider putting on workshops for fees. Start small and as time goes on your workshops will become popular and sought after. Maybe your religious group has a need for a talk about interior design or related subject you can talk about? Give the talk! The more you talk, then the more you will get known. And the more you get known, then the more likely you are to attract paying clients.

Don’t forget to always solicit testimonials from people who hear you talk or people you do business for. Post those testimonials on your Web site. What goes around comes around.

I hope my comments are helpful to you. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Putting together a seminar talk is as simple as telling a string of stories you already know.

QUESTION.
I’ve got to put together a one-hour talk for a seminar my library agreed to let me do. It should be a great opportunity for me to get exposure for my small consulting practice. I know the subject pretty well that I’ve agreed to talk about, but I’m kind of having writer’s block putting together the talk. What advice can you provide me so I can knock out this talk with minimal effort.

ANSWER.
The presentation of a seminar is public speaking at its finest. And the easiest way of getting up in front of a crowd and speaking for any length of time is to tell a string of stories that relate to the topic you are going to talk about.

I recommend you visit Amazon.com and search out a few books on the subject you are going to talk about. Skim through the table of contents of those books you find that have 4 or 5 star ratings. Jot down the point headings from the TOCs that you’d like to use in your talk. Figure that you need maybe 4 or 5 good point headings. Sequence them in a logical fashion. Then think up stories you are familiar with that relate to the point headings. Create a poster with the the title of your seminar and the 5 point headings listed underneath. Make sure it is neat and easy to see from 20 feet away.

Now type out your stories quickly. All of them. Let the 10 or 12 pages you type sit for a night or two. Then re-read your 12 pages and edit and re-write it to make it better. Voila, you have your seminar. It’s that simple.

I hope my comments are helpful to you. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.com
www.jlippin.com

Small consulting firms typically use public speaking to help find and get clients. So how do you get good at public speaking?

QUESTION.
I want to start a small marketing consulting business of my own. I’ve read in numerous magazines and books that public speaking is an important aspect of the marketing plan I have to create for the business. I don’t have much experience speaking in front of groups. And I’m not a particularly outgoing person.

ANSWER.
Surprisingly I don’t get your question asked very often from the people I counsel at SCORE. It is a very important question. And I’m impressed with the fact that you understand the importance of public speaking to a small consulting firm’s ability to generate revenues.

The easiest way to get good at public speaking is to join two local Toastmasters clubs and become very active. Toastmasters is a wonderful and inexpensive way to become a public speaker. It’s also a way to develop leadership skills you may not be able to get at work. To learn more about Toastmasters visit its Web site at www.toastmasters.org. On its home page there is a link that lets you find the clubs that are local to you. All you need to know is your zip code.

I joined two clubs in 2005 while I was living in South Carolina. One club met every friday at noon for an hour. The other club met twice a month on tuesday mornings before work. Since I was active I did about 20+ prepared talks in just under six months. That accomplishment got me the Advanced Toastmasters Bronze designation. Don’t expect to do what I did, but if you do 10 talks in a year along with being active in your clubs you will get the Competent Toastmaster designation. Actually, it’s called the Competent Communicator designation now.

I highly recommend you become an officer in your two clubs, too. I became a president of one and a vice president in the other. I had a pretty nice set up in the two clubs. The problem most clubs have is getting and keeping new members. And as a club officer it is your job to figure out how to get and keep new members. If you get comforable doing what needs to be done to make your club successful, then those skills are easily transferable to your small business. Instead of finding new members, you will finding new clients.

I hope my comments are helpful to you. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

When you have invested more than chump change in your small business, then it’s time to think about purchasing a few insurance policies. Somthing can always go wrong.

QUESTION.
I own a small corporation that has about $10,000 of cash in the bank and $10,000 of office equipment and computer software. And goodwill is probably valued at $100,000. How much liability insurance should I probably have to protect me from losing my company should it be sued?

ANSWER.
I’m not a risk management specialist. But it sounds like your company is worth $120,000. It would probably be a good idea for your company to have a liability insurance policy for an amount worth up to the company’s value, i.e., $120,000. If you can get more insurance at a reasonable price, then you might consider getting more insurance. But at a minimum your company should consider having $120,000 of liability coverage.

But what if the negligence suit is for $1 million and a judgment is entered against your company. The judgment holder will only be able  to go after your company and sell it for somewhere around $120,000 (if it is lucky). But you would be out the $120,000 and no longer have a company. There is a way to protect yourself. You personally can get an insurance policy against the loss of your company. If a judgment creditor gets your company, then your insurance company would have to pay you the value of your company so you can go start another one.

The moral of the story is: Have two insurance policies. Your company will need one. And you personally will need one. The company policy insures against liability caused by negligence. The personal policy insures against loss of property.

I think I have answered your question. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Just about every small business needs a computer and a copy of Microsoft Office.

QUESTION.
I’m nearing retirement age and my daughter is around 30. She wants me to help her start a business with her. She says the company she wants to start will need a computer and we’d have to buy Microsoft Office for it. What do we need Microsoft Office for?

ANSWER.
Microsoft Office has a suite of computer programs (applications) that most businesses use to write memos, letters, datatables, presentations, etc.

The five original applications included in the office package were:

1. WORD. A wordprocessing program. Helps one write letters, memos, etc.
2. EXCEL. A spreadsheet program. Helps one make calculations, work with numbers, and create data tables.
3. POWERPOINT. A presentations program. Helps one create digital slide shows that can be used during talks.
4. ACCESS. A relational database program. Enables one to create a database of information.
5. OUTLOOK. An email program and also and organizer.

Two other programs that seem to be bundled with Office these days:

6. PUBLISHER. A page layout program. Enables one to create newsletters, booklets, and books.
7. FRONTPAGE. A WYSIWYG Web page editor. Enables one to code HTML pages with ease.

About the only thing missing from the Office suite that one might need is a good graphics program. A simple one is included, but don’t waste time learning it if you need a graphics program. Get yourself Adobe Photoshop for that purpose.

I usually recommend to my SCORE clients to get a copy of Adobe Acrobat Writer. That program makes it possible to make and modify PDF files with ease.

I hope my comments are helpful to you. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Staff accountant wants to quit his job, in order to start his own public accounting firm. What should he do before he quits?

QUESTION.
I’m currently employed as a staff accountant for a very large public accounting firm. I want to quit and start my own CPA firm. What are some things I need to do before I quit my job? I’m itching to become self-employed and be my own boss.

ANSWER.
You sound like how I was 20+ years ago. I hated public accounting, and I saw no future in it where I was. I was working for the world’s largest public accounting firm, and the partnership track went from 9 years to 16 years while I was there. I got out, but I didn’t get out the way I’m going to recommend to you.

Before you quit your job you need to determine what kind of practice you want to have, and where you can reasonably expect to build it. Once you get a good idea of these two things, then it is time for you to prepare a business plan. And when I say a business plan, I mean a 25 to 35 page typed plan that includes industry analysis, market analysis, financial projections, identification of a viable business model, and a sound marketing plan. There are many books out there to help you write your plan. Study three of them, and then dig into creating your plan.

As a CPA you probably are not too swift when it comes to self-promotion. You need to become expert on self promotion before you quit your job. You need to learn how to build a Web site. You need to write 20 to 30 articles that you can post on your Web site and post on other Web sites on the Net. You may want to write a book? You definitely should put together a few 1-2 hour seminars or workshops you can and will give.

You will want to identify professional associations and groups to join so you can network and gain credibility in the community in which you plan to practice. I recommend you find a Toastmasters club and do public talks there and help run the club to gain leadership skill. I also recommend you contact your local SCORE chapter and meet with SCORE volunteers in a face-to-face setting to help you create a stellar business plan.

I’ve given you a few things to think about. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Web site design and construction requires a little knowledge about search engine optimization (SEO).

QUESTION.
I am in the process of learning about how to build a good Web site for my small business. I think I have the design issues under control. And I see what content I am going to pull from business plan and marketing plan and drop into my site. But I am not sure how I am going to get my site ranked somewhat high in the search engine rankings. Can you provide me some pointers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER.
The question you have posed is no so easy to answer. Search engine ranking is a relative term because you may rank high on some keywords, but on the ones that count you don’t rank so well. Generally speaking you want to be ranked pretty high when it comes to your business’ name, address and phone number. And any other keywords that you rank high with are great to have. For example, if you are a small law office that emphasizes bankruptcy work, then people should be able to find your office’s site when they type your name. Chances are they will be able to find you office’s site if they have part of your name and use the keyword bankruptcy. But I doubt they will find your firm if all they do is type bankruptcy.

You should not be worried about failing to rank high for the term bankruptcy. I say this because it takes too much effort to get a handle on that or other very popular keywords. You should be focusing your marketing efforts offline to push for people to access your site by knowing the URL for your site. That’s where most of your traffic will come from.

Now when enough people find your site worth bookmarking, then some of them will add a link to their Web site which will link to your site. It’s those kinds of links that bump you up in the search engine rankings significantly. But those links take a bit of time to get. And the sites that have relevance to bankruptcy that link to you will boost you the most. For more on this subject consider taking a look at the following books. See SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.

I don’t want you to believe that you can read the books and you will be well on your way to high rankings. The rules change all the time. So the rules that existed when the books were written may not be applicable today. But after reading a book or two you will understand the theory behind getting ranked well and you can tinker until you get somewhere on the engine rankings that you are happy with.

I hope my comments are helpful. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Business cards sometimes take a little thought. What title do you put under your name on one?

QUESTION.
I am starting a business. What do I call myself on my new business cards? I really have no idea. I need something professional. But I would like it to be fun and catchy as well. Please help.

ANSWER.
I’m not a big fan of fun and/or catchy titles on business cards. Stick to your job title if you want to include a title at all. Business cards are most important for names and contact information. If you are a shop manager, then put that under your name. If you are the President or Vice President, then put that. If you are the CEO, then put that. Note that CEO’s only lead corporations. A sole proprietor or LLC owner is not a CEO!

I hope my comments are helpful. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeoton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com

Wanta-be entrepreneur makes a smart move to learn about Web page and Web site design. It’s quite a valuable skill for the small business owner to have.

QUESTION.
I am thinking about starting a small business. I have heard that every small business should have its own Web site. I don’t now much about Web sites, how to design them, or how to build them. But I would like to learn the basics and maybe build my own for my small business. Can you provide me with some pointers? Thanks.

ANSWER.
I’m not a guru on building Web sites. However, I can do an adequate job putting one together. I signed up for a number of free Web hosting services back in 1998 and played with 10 of them. Some I used the page building tools they provided online. Some I just used as hosting services for pages I built on my PC using Frontpage 98.

If you want to play the way I did, then I recommend you visit www.50megs.com and sign up for the free hosting service they offer. They have a free Web page building tool you can use to build a simple site. You get 50 megabytes of free Web space to house your site. The free service requires that you allow ads to be posted on your pages. Don’t worry about the ads while you build your first site.

The easiest way to design your site’s layout is to copy the layout of sites that already exist on the Web that you like. Consider taking a look at the following link for some books on the subject. See WEB PAGE AND WEB SITE DESIGN.

Don’t build a site that is merely pretty. You want to site to serve a purpose in your small business’ marketing efforts. And you will only be able to make this happen if you prepare a business plan and marketing plan BEFORE your build your Web site. If you prepare a great business plan (that includes a great marketing plan), then much of the content in your Web site will be cut and pasted from your plans. Without those plans your site will probably not serve you well.

Although I use Frontpage 98 to build most of my Web pages, I suggest you consider getting a copy of Dreamweaver. Don’t buy a cheap Web page building program because you will ultimately want a program like Dreamweaver that has most if not all the building features available. Consider getting an inexpensive copy by searching eBay. You will need to get good with graphics software. Even though Adobe Photoshop is pricey, it still is the way to go if you are serious about building Web sites. It will take a little time to learn, but you will have a valuable skill if you in fact learn it. Visit eBay to get a slightly out of date version of Photoshop at a reasonable price.

I hope my comments are helpful. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
www.jlippin.com