In the traditional business, is one strong advantage that most have - a store front.  Most who work on the Internet may call this blasphemy!  That means extra expenses, overhead costs and a lot of extra maintenance that you don't have to get into with a small computer and remote offices.

But, the one advantage that store fronts have, is that they can build customer trust.  You can look at the business owner eye to eye and make specific exchanges while building a relationship.  This builds, of course, customer loyalty and helps to establish strong foundations for different types of partnerships.

The trick to all of the new age entrepreneurs who are trying to get online, isn't just about getting SEO and marketing up.  That's all nice and comes in handy for getting people into the virtual door.  But what we have to learn is how to stay in the door.

One of the biggest dilemmas I'm seeing with the Internet is how to build customer trust.  How does the person on the other side know that you are going to deliver, and how does the entrepreneur know that they will be getting their money?

As any virtual business, or any one that has a sector with an online business, we have to learn how to 'work it" so that the trust is there.  Figure out ways within your business to establish a partnership. I can tell you, there are a lot of ways to do it.  Statements of work, for instance, are simple ways to guarantee work and payment.  Or, working within marketplace portals is something I favor for the extra security and trust from customers.  

If you have your own portal, make sure it has no cracks.  Another way to work it - use social media and networks with your customers to help establish relationships.  Find what works best so the person knows you are a person on the other side and not a scam and they can work with you for better valued services or products. 

Some simple tools, some good results. 

If you want to know more about business tools and support for online business, come chat with me about the possibilities.

This is a great story from "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver.  I definitely think the moral can be applied to businesses as well as heaven and hell.

"If you go to visit hell, you will see a room like a kitchen.  There is a pot of delicious stew on the table, with the most delicate aroma you can imagine.  All around, people sit [ at the table].  Only they are dying of starvation.  they are jibbering and jabbering, but they cannot get a bite of this wonderful stew God has made for them.  They are starving because they only have spoons with very long handles.  As long as [the mop].  With these ridiculous, terrible spoons, the people in hell can reach into the pot but they cannot put the food in their mouths.  Oh, how hungry they are!  Oh, how they swear and curse each other!

Now, you can go and visit heaven.  And guess what?  You see a room like the first one, the same table, the same pot of stew, the same spoons as long as a sponge mop.  But these people are all happy and fat....  Perfectly, magnificently, well - fed, and very happy.  Why do you think?  

[It is because one takes the spoon so that the other can eat.]" 

Now, go support each other in business so that everyone can succeed.

Want some extra business help?  Contact Orion Information Services at www.orion-services.biz. 

Business support is a funny concept.  Depending on who you are, you probably have a specific definition that you add into the book that is totally different than mine.  That's because 'business support' isn't just a basic definition; it's a complete philosophy.  And a complex one at that.  

There are a few principles that relate directly to what it means to support a business.  If I want to support a business... I should pay them for a product or service.  Or, I should offer them some sort of counseling or advice - right?  That will support them to grow; right?

Yah.  No.  Not really.  You can do that if you want to, but it actually takes a little more than that.  I've found that, sometimes business support means something completely different than just the basics of I'll pay you for a service or product.

Support Type 1: I have a friend that I offer business support.  Basically, if he does or says something wrong with the business, I stop supporting him.  I don't allow him to get away with it and he ends up loosing some business from me.  Then I come back and explain why.  Actually, sometimes I just let him suffer. 

Support Type 2: If you are a customer (which we all are), than business support may be making sure that you buy the right thing, show a certain level of respect to the person on the other side or recognize what is being said or done for what you need.  It also means making sure that you communicate with the businesses... not doing that correctly is showing a huge lack of business support.  For example, if someone says they need something and I get it done - I expect the support of them saying okay.  Not coming back and changing the rules or things that are needed.

Support Type 3: On my huge soap box - support means respect.  It means letting others know that you will be honest with them and will show them how to do their best with their product or service - and will let them know when they are not - but not in an unfriendly way.  It means setting the right prices, the right examples and the highest quality of products and services for yourself.  

That's right.  You have to support your own business first if you expect others to support you.  You have to show your business - a living, breathing creature, that you will care for it and love it.  That's with your own integrity and honesty.  Once you stand on your own feet with the business support for yourself, others will follow lead and will show the same support, from a consultant to a customer.  

So, what really happens, is by you believing in your own business, and learning to support yourself in the correct way, you receive the same reflection from customers and friends who are supporting your business as well.  

Support is really your business mirror.

So, next time you are thinking your business is not being supported - think of how you are not supporting it, and then see how this is being reflected in what you are doing and the things that you are saying in your business.  Give yourself business support from yourself.

Want some extra support?  Contact Orion Information Services at www.orion-services.biz. 

As beings that belong to the human species, there is one thing that we understand.  We have the capacity to do anything.  Well, almost anything.  And those of us who are running our own businesses believe even more... we can do everything.  Because that's what we have to do.  

There's something that I've been learning lately.  Even if we can do everything efficiently, that doesn't mean we are supposed to be doing it for others.  It doesn't mean we are supposed to be doing it as a business, and it doesn't mean that we are supposed to develop the skill.  

I know so many people (including myself) who have an entrepreneur spirit and who have had to learn this lesson the hard way.  It's easy to step in and say that you can provide the services, the products and the extra support that is needed.  But sometimes, you aren't supposed to.  

So the question is, how can you tell?  

Simple.  If you don't feel like doing it - don't.  It means that your heart isn't into it and that you aren't really supposed to be doing it for other people.  Know when to step aside and let someone take the grunt work that you don't want to do and to do the things that they get excited about.  

On the other hand, if you can't stop doing something, love what you are doing and want to breathe it, than you are on the right track.  That's what you should be doing and that's what you are honestly effective in.  

The thing is - business is about being honest with yourself about what you want to do and what you don't want to do.  It's one of the hardest things to distinguish but it's also what will give your business a strong pulse to resonate and succeed.  That's what you really want - not to do everything - but to do what you are good at.  

Questions?  Thoughts?  Contact Orion Information Services at www.orion-services.biz. 

So, it seems that as I get older, less and less of what I say is listened to.  Let me name a few examples.... 

1.  I order a Pepsi.  I get a Sprite.  

2.  I order a pizza.  I get buffalo wings.  

3.  I order a sandwich.  It's never delivered because they forgot to write down my phone number.  

4.  I tell someone the best way to pay is online.  They do... then give me a check.  

5.  I go to cash in $200.  I only get $160 back with denial that is what actually happened. 

The list actually continues... and yes... these are all situations that have happened.  I don't know if any of you are facing the same thing, but there seems to be a problem with businesses listening to customers.  And, unfortunately for them, that means that I disappear.  

Of course, there is another side to this.  I do work for someone, and then they "forget" to tell me that it was not what they actually wanted.  Or, after it is finished, they tell me to change the keyword density.  

So, I don't know about your analysis of this whole thing, but what it seems to be to me is communication.  

If you can't communicate in your business, you can't survive.  Forget it.  Customer service means communicating to get the right services or products.  That means listening to what is really being said.  Not just hearing.  And, customer interaction means customers knowing what they want before they pay you and take off to the Bahamas.  If you don't have a two way street, you can forget getting anything done.  

Not only does communication mean opening the doors to seeing what is really wanted, but also means making sure that you go the extra mile.  Checking in, doing updates and making sure that everyone is happy through the process is a fantastic way to make sure that the job is done right.  

I know that customer service used to be the way of how business was done.  I believe that with the big corporations, there was a loss in what individuals defined as customer service.  If you want to survive as a business, the key is to communicate - whether it is through writing or in person.  Then, you can expect some wonders.  

Need some communication help?  Contact Orion Information Services at www.orion-services.biz.

This blog is just a sympathy note to those who are in a start-up business and finding out that the promises to make $10,000 overnight just isn't cutting it.  

If you decided to change your complete livelihood for the sake of running a business, you may now be in for more than you've bargained for.  Unlike most think, starting a business isn't easy money, nor is it going to happen over night.  Not to start singing the blues about the reality of a business, but anyone who as a sincere and legitimate business will tell you the same.  

If you are struggling at the beginning of your business - hang in there!  Once you get past the growing pains and the learning curve, things will get better.  A good friend of mine always says that it's better to learn it now than later.  There are thousands of individuals who have gotten to the point of making millions, but didn't go through the learning curve and had to start over again.  Take it at the front end if you can, so that you are only loosing $1,000 and know what to do when it comes next time around.  

Even if you have been in business school, have 20 years of experience in your field and know that you are a professional, you will be going through the same thing.  Running a business (a legitimate one), takes an entirely new level of setting up a system, putting together the ins and outs and knowing what to look for with customers and with the system you are developing.  It's going to take time!

So, if you are going through some hard knocks, be happy about it, keep going - and know that it's just part of the process to become successful down the road. 

At one time or another, we've all been in a relationship.  Well, obviously.  If you have any family, friends or acquaintances at all, you've been in a relationship.  Some good, some bad, some just there.  

My question is...when it comes to business relationships, what are we really trying to build?  What's the spark, the romance that draws us to the customer, and draws the customer back to us in order to partner together?  I know you have heard something of this from hundreds of business people, but why should I ignore it?  

I don't look at business relationships as a cut and dry thing, where the transaction is made, the work is done and that is it.  Sometimes, it needs to be that way, but the human element has to be considered.  If you have a service or product, every person who is interested or buys that service or product is your partner.  Because they have supported your business. 

Here's my perfect example.  Every so often, I'll get a call from a listing or directory that I'm on with the Internet.  Typically, it's a cut and dry thing... you know... 'are you interested?  'no.'  'thank you for your time.'  But this very funny thing happened this last week that changed that.  I got a call from a directory who, of course, was trying to sell me a paid listing area.  

But, it never actually came up with the person I was talking with.  Instead, we talked about my business, his business, what was happening in our lives, etc.  By the end of the conversation, I felt like I had made a friend.  His famous last words were, I don't really want to sell you anything because I don't care.  I'm just working here right now to make a living.  What's even funnier, he accidentally called me from the phone he was using after work.  We had yet another pleasant conversation about life and went along our merry ways.  At that time, I was definitely not interested in the service, and with his call, he wasn't interested in selling it to me, because he wasn't getting paid at the time.

But what happened was that he decided to give me a ring the next day.  I actually was not grumpy when I heard from him.  Even though I hadn't committed, he went ahead and did research on my business, gave me statistics and projections.  He still told me that I didn't have to buy.  So, of course, the bad marketing deal became a good deal, not only because it is, but also because I wanted to help this guy out with making his quota.  Yes, a cold sales call turned into almost a highlight of my week and a new acquaintance from across the globe.  That simple.  

I'm definitely not talking about cold calling or pushy advertising, or even aggressiveness in approaching your business.  Those are all things that I hate.  What I'm talking about is taking into consideration the scenarios that the person on the other side is in.  Define what they need, who they are and don't worry about a sale.  I'm not saying that superficially either.  Think about some of the difficult situations you've been in, and find a way to relate that human element of struggle and growth with everyone you are talking to. 

The point is this.  A relationship is built off of honesty.  If you are sincere and honest about your business services, and believe in them, than this is the way to approach all of your customers, even if they aren't customers.  It's really not about the results.  It's about the process of building who you are and what you do. 

A sale is just a number.  A relationship is something that can make an impact. 

Okay, I have a great story for you all.  

The other day, I was practicing with someone with my sales pitch for my music services.  I've been working to get it down to a 't'.  In the roll play, my good friend tried to throw me off.  So, he acted like someone who was mad at my decisions first.  I played it cool.  Then, he went into options for buying.  I told him to go to a pond shop.  He responded with...would if the items are hot?  I told him... don't worry about it.  It won't matter to you.  

Afterwards, he started laughing and reminded me that I should never tell a parent to go to a pond shop for a musical instrument.  I hadn't even caught it, but then I realized... with that one sentence, I made all of my credentials fly out the door. (Even though I was half joking, of course).  Not only would those specific words have the customer never showing up again, but would also put me in somewhat of a bad standing.  

So, this is what I'm getting to.  Whatever you write, whatever you say and whatever you do, make sure it is classy.  I'm using myself as an example, but I don't know how many times I've run into people that want something written or said that should never be represented in their business.  Luckily, I was roll playing first... but some people I know...aren't.  

Just so all of you out there play it professional...here are some things you can do to help.  

1.  Roll play.  There is nothing better than catching yourself before things happen.  Find a supportive friend who doesn't mind humoring you for a few minutes while you go through what you want to say.  

2.  Visualize.  This is a psycho-cybernetics concept.  For those of you who have never heard of this principle...check it out.  It will help your business tons.  Anyway, with this concept, you visualize what you want your business to be and the roll you want to carry - everyday - until it one day is what you imagined.

3.  Always go back to the business entity.  In the last blog I talked about your business as an entity, with energy that it carried and that you portrayed.  Make sure that whatever you say, write or relate to with the customers has that same entity, whether it is dealing with a bad customer or doing some work.  

4.  Plan it out.  Yes, it may seem weird... talk to yourself in the mirror, plan or write out your scripts... find your words that will make sure that it draws on the customer and what they need.  And be PICKY.  Your words need to be perfect...every single one of them.

5.  Act like you are the customer.  Always replace the shoes with new ones...the ones on the other side.  This is not only to see what would draw your customer towards you, but also what type of customer you want walking in your doors....trust me... thinking about getting the right customers will get you the right customers.  

There you have it.  It's one detail in business world that is vital to your survival.  You don't want to let your words...whether written or said... be anything less than the entire weight of your business.  

Need more business support or some word help?  Contact me (that's Brooke) at Orion Information Services.  That's info@orion-services.biz.  Or, you can visit the website at www.orion-services.biz.  

Here's to reaching the stars!

The beauty of the policy.  This is one of those things that has been so important for me to learn.  I think I finally have it now, so I wanted to share it with you.  

I believe that there are two types of businesses.  The type that functions and the type that thrives.  I'm slowly learning that within those businesses, it is the policies that are driving the business.  Policies aren't just rules, guidelines or things to hit the customer with in order to be a hard ass.  

There's actually a deeper principle and meaning behind policies that completely shape your business and what you are able to do or not do within it. 

For an abstract analogy...when you are building your business, your policies are like the veins that run through the body of your business.  It is what pumps everything into action and keeps it all connected together both within your system and through your customers.

Now, back to reality.  Generally speaking, policies allow for you to have the good people come in and keep out the bad ones.  Let me use this as an example.  I have a policy that all of my customers have to provide a down payment.  It's reasonable and I build trust first before payments are made.  I do this because it is a symbol that I can trust them to invest in my services.  

I made a huge mistake a couple of weeks ago.  I was asked to write website content for a customer.  I had personally known them for over a year.  While I still went through my general contract, I slipped on getting the down payment.  The project went from bad to worse.  I had to stop the project and wait for the payment to come through.  What happened was that the mind set of the customer was lost and it became difficult to communicate the project, mostly because he didn't feel like he had time to care.  This all happened because that simple policy is not used just for money, but also for respect and awareness.  If I slip with it, or if a customer slips in acknowledging it, it's all down hill.  The respect and awareness for the project is magically missing.

The policies that we are given for our businesses aren't just there to be there.  It demands respect, partnership and openness to communicate from all sides.  When one slips on them, like I did, all of that is lost and it's a huge business problem until it is fixed again - if it can be.    

That's not saying that you can't set up different policies for customers that you know will work differently within your system.  But, have something there to support you when you are making transactions is SO important and can not be underestimated.  

So, my lesson that I've learned and am sharing with you... your best policy is to have policies and to stick to them like your life depends on it...because your business...does.