Tag: “Just Nancy”

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What Are You Worth? “Just Nancy”

Nancy McCord
“Just Nancy” – My Point of View for Today.

Have you ever wondered what you were worth when it comes to the value you offer clients? If you are new in the business, you may not have a clear idea of your worth, but if you are a seasoned professional you probably have an idea of what you bring to the table in regards to customers.

Here’s how I’ve found out my own worth:

I’ve chatted with clients when they have not purchased a service. In several cases, I found that my prices were too low and actually scared a customer into feeling that others were more valuable as they charged more.

In one particular case, I actually got the client back when the higher priced resource shot themselves in the foot by not providing attentive customer service. I learned from that situation that sometimes having a low price is not a good thing.

I’ve provided white label services and have seen the markup that is put on my own price and resold without additional value. In this case I found out that I was priced lower than the market and clients were willing to pay more for quality hands on, attentive service.

I watch how busy I am. If I am having trouble staying on schedule as I have too many customers, I know that I may need to review my pricing and consider adjustments or packaging of services together. If on the other hand, you are not busy and just getting established, you may need to drop your price to pick up business.

I think the key is to gauge what is happening in your industry and in your own business.  If you have not done a market survey and even blind shopped your own marketplace, now’s the time.  It is important to make sure you are not priced too low, but especially not priced too high.

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Time Management Tips

Time is Money! When It Comes to Being Productive in Your Job.
Time is Money! When It Comes to Being Productive in Your Job.

I am experiencing one of my strongest business growth trends this year and as a result I have become a master of time management in order to be productive.

Here are my top tips to get more out of your day:

1. Turn off email notifications. These are those messages that float across the bottom of your screen if you are using Outlook telling you that you have email. While you are working resist the urge to check your email. Stay on task and check when your task is done.

2. Control your phone calls. I use Google Voice and I update my voice mail message regularly. I do not answer my phone when I am really in production. I simply let my calls go to voice mail. It is better to finish up a task faster than to be constantly interrupted.

3. Control your email. When I am really tied up, I will post an auto responder on my email alerting clients when I will touch base back with them. Then mid morning and mid afternoon I will send a quick email response letting a client know I got their message and that I will respond either by the end of the day or the next morning. Then I make sure I do just that.

4. Use a call scheduling app for clients that need to chat with you. Instead of my trying to corral a client and exchange multiple emails to find a time to chat about a project, I put the client in control and use Calendly for my phone call scheduling. I have set the parameters of when I will take calls and the client chooses a time that is good for them. The call appears automatically in my schedule. The client can even self-manage and cancel or reschedule a call. I just make sure that I have time available and code in my Google Calendar when I am free and not available.

5. Control your task list, each night I plan my next day. I move things on my calendar and decide what I will do when. I group similar tasks together like perform all my AdWords work in the morning and all my webmaster work in the afternoon. I even schedule time for lunch, my workout, and planning time. I have found that if I schedule these things I assure that I do have some downtime and flexibility in my schedule if I have to drop in a project or take a call.

6. Move all your email, calendar, and file exchange to the cloud. By moving to the cloud, I have been able to increase my productivity as my smartphone has become my mobile desktop. I can move files to my staff, check on staff projects, and keep abreast of projects even while I am walking on the treadmill.

By being productive and very schedule oriented, I am generating more time for existing clients and more time for taking on new clients.

 

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Thanksgiving for My Many Blessings

Thanksgiving Day is more than food, it is about thankfulness.
Thanksgiving Day is more than food, it is about thankfulness.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and I am already waxing poetic on what that means. Right now my husband and I have a full house with three kids home from college, my oldest son and his girlfriend here, my Mom visiting from Ohio, and my sister and her son on the way. That is blessing number one for me – family.

I could not have a better partner in my life than my husband Michael. We are so well matched and yet wonderfully different. Besides that, he can still make me laugh. He is supportive, encouraging, and a fabulous financial and life planner. He is also a travel and trip planner extraordinaire. That is blessing number two for me – my husband.

When I reflect on my life I am thankful for my good health. Although I, like many, have had some health issues, I am not battling major life threatening one. I do have a vision disability and I have gone to the best doctors, but there seems no hope for an improvement much to my disappointment. That being said, you can accept health issues or fight them. This one I have just accepted and do the best with the vision I have. A self driving car may be in my future. That is blessing number three for me – health.

I am graced with wonderful customers for my business. I feel that I am at the peak of my profession and really love what I do and am good at it. The people that I work with are wonderful, more than customers to me, and are enjoyable to interact with.  As a result, this year is one of the best and most profitable years in my business’ history. That is blessing number four – great customers.

What are you thankful for today and tomorrow? Make sure to take the time to think about that question and then express to those around you that they are one of your blessings on Thanksgiving day.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

 

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Asurion – The Best Protection for Your Smartphone

My phone is on the fritz, HELP!
My phone is on the fritz, HELP!

If you do business via smartphone like me, to have your phone go on the fritz is enough to have you pull your hair out. I use a Samsung Galaxy S5 and am not really wanting to upgrade to have a not waterproof phone or one that may burn me when I hold it.  With my phone on the fritz and having just returned from vacation, I needed help fast.

For two years I have had extra insurance coverage for my phone and that of my staff. We use Asurion through Verizon. In less than 30 minutes on the phone with Verizon and then less than 10 minutes with Asurion, I had a new refurbished phone on the way.

I was concerned about getting a refurbished phone, but I have to say the phone I got had a brand new battery, looked sparkling clean and totally new. Glitchy behavior gone, my smartphone is now back to work and my old phone returned in the mail – all with totally no hassle.

I am so pleased with the process that I wrote this post just because I felt it important to share with my readers the service, speed, and hassle-free solution that Asurion has provided.

Thanks Asurion! My refurbished phone is great and I’d never know it was not brand spanking new.

Oh, P.S. I got a free one year no question warranty on the replacement phone giving me total peace of mind.