Small Business Quick Tips

Here's a great article written by one of my clients:

Do you own a small business? Here are some quick tips that can help your business:

Have a business plan and a good accountant. Both of these are crucial to the success of any small business. Have a one year and five year plan - know what your goals are, and break them down into monthly and weekly action plans. A good accountant to bounce your ideas off of and advise you if and when it's appropriate to take on debt is also critical.

Figure out what your business model is. This is so simple and should be done before you even start your business, but if you haven't done this, it's not too late. Who is your target customer? Do you know of another business that is the same as yours that is successful? How are they selling? These are all questions you need to be asking in order to devise a system and successful business model.

Join the local chamber. Your local chamber of commerce is a great place to meet fellow business owners and do some quality networking. Bring business cards with you, and keep in mind that you won't get quick results from networking, but instead are sowing seeds for the future. Any referrals you get are guaranteed to be quality, because they're based on trust and from people you've taken the time to build relationships with.

Join an exclusive networking group. Taking the concept of networking to the next level, networking groups such as BNI offer a great opportunity to do some more active and focused networking. These groups allow only one person per profession, and can be a great source of business for you if you dedicate the time and effort required.

Image is everything. Remember that you are a professional, and should always regard yourself and your business as such. Rather than print business cards and brochures on your own printer, get them professionally done. This doesn't have to be expensive, and will make your business look better. Use a voice-mail service rather than an answering machine on your phone. Answer with your company name. Be courteous and maintain a professional demeanor at all times. Dress for success. Your image is everything!
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Anthony Diedrick owns DS1Communcations, South Florida's and Washington DC's premier Norstar provider. Anthony has over 20 years of telecommunications industry experience and oversees a team of highly trained technical personnel. You can find out more at http://www.ds1communications.com

OHMA Press Release

OHMA just issued this press release, which I am happy to post here:

“Business Calls Placed ‘On Hold’ Are a Point of Opportunity!”
States newly elected OHMA Chairman

Pete Turpel, the newly elected Chairman of OHMA, the On Hold Messaging Association, believes the phone is not going away and businesses are missing opportunity after opportunity by not talking to the consumer during their ‘hold time.’

In an interview with Fox Business News, listed on the OHMA website (http://www.ohma.org), Turpel states, “They say that 70% of callers are going to go on hold… it’s a fact of life. Those calls that do go on hold will be on hold for about 30 to 40 seconds. So why not take that opportunity and talk about you! You want to be talking to that customer about you; at the time they are thinking about you… it’s a point of opportunity!”

Turpel was recently elected as Chairman of OHMA at their ninth annual international conference held in Atlanta, March 19 – 21, 2009, at the Renaissance Concourse Hotel. In addition to Turpel, other newly elected board members included: Allen Gaughf, Vice-Chairman and Marketing Chair; Mike Edwards, Ex-Officio; Mitch Keller, Technology Chair; Jerry Brown, Marce Awards Chair; Nick Findlay, International Committee Chair; Justin Ginsberg, Membership Chair; Vince Koegle, Conference Chair; and Andy Hedberg, Member Services / Vendor Relations Chair.

The new Board of Directors vowed to promote OHMA’s ‘Trademark of Assurance” as the benchmark companies should seek when choosing an on hold service provider. According to Chairman Turpel, “If your company is looking for an on hold service provider, you should only consider OHMA members; it’s your guarantee of comparing the most professional companies in the business.” Turpel added “Finding an OHMA member is easy, as they have the ‘Click to Verify’ OHMA logo on their company’s website. The OHMA certification indicates the member company has been in the on hold messaging industry a minimum of five years, more than 51% of their revenue is derived exclusively from on hold services, they have no complaints filed against their company, and they follow the ethics and business practices OHMA has in place.”

In addition to electing a new board, the 2009 MARCEs Award winners were announced. MARCE, which stands for Marketing and Creative Excellence, is presented to the most creative ‘on hold production’ entries. This year’s winners, as well as previous years are available to be heard on the OHMA website.

Watt Media, Inc. is a member of OHMA and has been providing businesses throughout the U.S. with on-hold messaging services for 11 years. We are proud to be part of an organization such as OHMA that upholds ethics in business, professionalism, and raises the standards of the on-hold industry.

The On Hold Messaging Association (OHMA) is an international organization composed of audio marketing agencies committed to expanding awareness of the On Hold Messaging industry, promoting ethical and professional business practices, assisting independent On Hold Messaging agencies in the development of their business, and enhancing the relationship between member agencies and their clients through education, self-regulation, and service and support excellence. For more information on OHMA, email info@ohma.org or visit the website at http://www.ohma.org.