No Soup for You!

   One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Seinfeld.  One of my favorite episodes is “The Soup Nazi”.  Remember him?  The Soup Nazi had a tiny take out spot that only had three or four soups to choose from. He was best known for his strict regimen that he constantly demanded of his patrons.  Have exact change, move through line swiftly, and NO questions.

COME BACK ONE YEAR! NEX

  The Soup Nazi….

• Had a niche
• Knew what made him different
• Had an outstanding product
• Didn’t get caught up in all of the other things he could do: Sandwich Nazi, Coffee Nazi, Bread Pudding Nazi

   Conversely, I am often inundated by all types of consultants, i.e. business coaches, accountants, insurance agents, bankers, candlestick makers, attorneys, payroll companies, benefits specialists, financial advisors, etc., that "Would like to meet with me to see if we have the opportunity to partner together and leverage our resources." 

• When I ask them who their target is, it is anyone who owns a business. 
• When I ask them what makes them different it is their price, quality, experience, and blah, blah, blah. 
• When I ask them about their core product or service, they are so excited to let me know they have 28 specialty products and services.
• When I ask them who wouldn’t be a good customer they say, “uh, well, hmm, mumble, mumble, good fit, mumble, mumble.”

  They look, walk, talk, sound, and even dress like everyone else in their profession.  And that means there is no particular reason for me to work with them or direct any of my clients their way.

  So who do you want to be? 

A general handyman or a Restaurant Maintenance Guy

A regular clothing store or a Men’s Consignment store

A run-of-the-mill insurance agent or a Construction Policy Guru

  I know which one the Soup Nazi would be.

May Seminars

How to Write a Business Plan workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 9-12 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN the Betty Gibson Hall, Gibson Conf Room 104. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. $30 (payable at the workshop.)

Starting a Small Business workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in the Betty Gibson Hall, Gibson Conf Room 104. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. Free.

QuickBooks Introduction for Small Businesses workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 9-12 p.m. Friday, May 16, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in room 175 in the Ramer Administrative Building. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. $25 (payable at the workshop.)


Export Boot Camp for Small Businesses workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 9-11 a.m. Thursday, May 29, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in the Betty Gibson Hall, Room 107C. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. Free. 

Did You Hear What She Said?!

 So as I have mentioned before, we have three little ones at home.  Ava is 5, Lilly is 2, and Lane is 1.  The two girls are very close, play well together, but have two totally different personalities.  Ava is our drama queen and Lilly is the comedian. 

   Just the other day, I asked Ava to stay in her seat while we ate dinner.  “Uhhhh, I ammm!” says Ava, while she is standing next to the chair.  She then rolls her eyes (yes, already) and mumbles something about being bossy and then takes her seat.  Lilly then proceeds to hop up and trot over to her little brother’s high chair for some entertainment.  I ask Lilly to sit in her seat.  “I am daddy.” says Lilly, grinning from ear-to-ear.  She then immediately heads back to her chair, plops down, and says, “see daddy, I in my chair.”  We were unhappy with Ava.  We had to hide our laughter with Lilly.  And I’m sure they will both be scarred.

  They did the same exact thing, however, they communicated it differently.  

 Communication breaks down like this:

55% is body language.

38% is tone of voice.

7% is spoken word.  Only 7% is the actual words.

  Here are three simple tips for you regarding communication in your small business: 

1.  When networking, make eye contact and do not look around the room when the other person is speaking.  And put your phone down, when you are having a conversation with someone.  Even though you may be listening, you seem disinterested. 

2.  Smile when you interact with a customer.  Okay, not every single second.  You don’t come off like Buddy the Elf.  But you get the point.  You can also do this, while you are on the phone.  It works.

3.  Be nice.  Sincerely nice, not weirdo, fake nice.  You can tell an employee “Please follow up with the customer after you repair their roof.  Thank you very much.” and still sound like a jerk.  Just because you covered your bases with “please” and “thank you” doesn’t make you a good communicator.  It’s all about how you say it.

Shark Tank's Daymond John on Lessons From His Worst Mistakes