Embracing Financial Uncertainty

Four steps to success

By Tom Irmen

I spoke to one of our advertisers recently who described a significant turning point in his business which occurred in 2008 that has allowed him to thrive despite this tumultuous economy, while his competitors have struggled, many failing altogether. This turning point, and the turning points for many small businesses in this current environment, underscores the deep commitment on the part of this handful of entrepreneurs who are unwilling to trust their fates to luck. Recognizing that if they don’t successfully differentiate their respective companies, they are destined to become mere commodities whose only competitive weapon is price.

The steps required to differentiate one’s business are simple. In fact, probably so simple that they’re often overlooked or ignored altogether.

Redefine your definition of success.
Is success a signed purchase order or the recognition that real success occurs only when the clients’ objectives are met? For many small businesses, the culture of success results when the order is received. But for the genuinely successful company, success occurs when the clients’ needs are met first.

While this concept may seem counter-intuitive at first, it will produce results that will propel you ahead of your competition. Your client isn’t your adversary, so why place your success ahead of theirs?

Know yourself, know your client.
Did you know that most of us exhibit one of four dominant personality traits that can impact your potential for success? If you have a driver personality, you can easily steamroll over an amiable. There are many great books which discuss personality characteristics. What your dominant traits are, how to identify the traits of others, and how to communicate effectively with those whose personality traits differ from our own.

Most people don’t believe that understanding another person’s unique personality is important in business. But if you can’t communicate effectively with those whose personalities differ from yours, your probability for success will be diminished.

What’s going on in the economy anyway?
Economic mumble-jumble is not always easy to understand, and to be perfectly honest, can be downright boring. But a firm grasp of the basics can help you to understand how your clients view their world. If you’re continuing to do business like you did before the recession, then prepare to go out of business.

A basic understanding of economics will prepare you to refine your marketing strategy and help you to more effectively meet your existing and potential customers’ ever evolving needs. If you don’t understand the basics, how can you hope to communicate with your clients where they’re at now or in the future?

Who needs more customers?
All of us. Perhaps, then, it’s time to begin hiring new Account Executives? Not so fast! Every person your company comes into contact with is a potential sales person or ambassador for your company and its products and services. Satisfied customers generate promising sales leads, and at no cost to your business. Unsatisfied customers are the equivalent of hiring sales people for your competition.

Think about what a new customer would need to know to make an informed decision regarding your company’s products and services, and then make sure to communicate those key points to every person your team comes into contact with. And to be certain that your products, services and team live up to the standards you claim to be committed to.

Four simple steps. Understood by most of us, overlooked by some, and ignored by others. These four simple steps can propel you forward, ahead of your competition. And if ignored, will deny you the success that continues to elude you.

The Five Percenters

By Tom Irmen

Two decades or more ago, the key to a successful sales career was the ability of the salesperson to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship between the client, the client’s company, the salesperson and the company he or she represented. This relationship often required years of effort, but resulted in a level of belief and trust in each party and their respective companies that represented an enormous competitive advantage for the successful salesperson and an incredible uphill battle for their competition.

A great deal has changed since then. Gone by the wayside are the two martini lunches, fishing trips, dinners with clients and their spouses, pagers, long lines at pay phones, cell phones the size of a shoebox and company cars.


Please understand that I’m not pining for the “good old days.”

Personally, I enjoy the many technological advances that allow me to operate so much more efficiently than in the past. These same advances also help us to respect our clients’ time. And as a small business owner of 26 years and a former accountant, I further appreciate the fact that increased competition has required each of us to do more, with less, which has unfortunately come at a high price. The personal relationship with the client.

This reduction in face time with clients has fostered today’s commodity marketplace environment. Most clients I meet with are confused by the deluge of emails blasts, cell phone calls and, in my industry, media consultants that drop in unannounced, each claiming their product or service is superior to that of their competition.

Overwhelmed, clients often jump at the savings that they believe will result from a lower price, unaware that this low price typically comes at a cost that, more often than not, offsets any perceived savings. Not knowing who they can trust, perspective clients often turn a deaf ear to every salesperson, account executive, etc. that they encounter.


With our continued dependence on technology and growing acceptance of commodity marketplaces, an invisible, technological, “firewall” exists that jeopardizes the very client relationships that once was the hallmark of success for both buyer and seller.

Is there a solution? There always is. But you’ve got to become a “five percenter.” That’s the title I’ve assigned to salespeople who have successfully differentiated themselves, their company and their products and services with their clients. They still embrace technology. They respect their clients and their own time, recognizing that we must all do more with less. And, most importantly, they believe that success in selling occurs not when the sale is consummated, but rather when the client wins first.

Five percenters do not hide behind technology’s firewall permitting their products and services to become mere commodities with price their only weapon. Five percenters not only make more money, but they enjoy a personal level of fulfillment and satisfaction, and the uncommon respect and trust of a large and loyal customer base that’s nearly impenetrable, that eludes the ninety-five percenters.

It’s your call.

Advertising R.O.I.
By Tom Irmen

Although it’s a belief I’ve long held, I’ve shared it with very few small business owners.

Well, here it is.

I genuinely believe that most advertising dollars spent by small businesses are wasted. I’m not suggesting that different advertising platforms where money is spent are ineffective, but rather that they are often used in a manner that fails to optimize their full potential.

Small business owners need to view advertising expenditures as investments and not expenses. Doing so would encourage them to develop a more comprehensive marketing strategy as opposed to the often hit-or-miss method of advertising that the majority of small business owners employ today. Consider this. Would you continue to place money into an investment paying 1% if, everything being equal, an alternative investment paid 10%? That seems simple enough. So why do most small business owners ignore key fundamentals when deciding where to invest their hard earned advertising dollars?

So how should you begin?

First, refine your message. What are four or five characteristics of you and your business that define you and differentiate your business from your competitors? Prioritize them, and then introduce them to your existing and potential customers one at a time, consecutively, over a predetermined period of time. Resist telling your life’s story all at once. That’s what autobiographies are for.

Second, avoid selecting an advertising platform merely because your competitor uses it. How do you know it works for your competitor anyway?

Third, define your demographics. Who are your customers and where do they reside? What is the most efficient and cost-effective method of targeting them? Newspapers can reach large numbers of homes, but their news format dramatically shortens their shelf-life, requiring that you advertise more frequently. Radio can be inexpensive, but may not provide the desired return on your investment dollar if your target listener is not listening at the times your ad runs.

Fourth, don’t assume that your advertising Account Executive (A/E) is a marketing expert. The truth is, most A/E’s have little or no marketing expertise. If your A/E does not show an interest in your small business by asking in-depth questions, and helping you to craft a well thought-out marketing strategy, move on.

Fifth, get it in writing! Many A/E’s and the companies they represent grossly exaggerate, say in the print marketplace, their “real” distribution. The stated quantity printed is not an accurate measure of distribution and should not be relied upon. It does not guarantee that this is the actual quantity printed and further ignores the number of publications remaining in distribution racks at the end of each month which are disposed of.


Require that all print A/E’s verify their print quantity and mailing claims in writing every month. In fact, you should incorporate that requirement into your advertising agreement. Specify that their printer verify the print quantity on the printer’s letterhead and request authenticated postage receipts monthly.

Your small business can achieve very good results and more than a satisfactory return of its advertising investment when you:

• Define your objective
• Differentiate your small business
• Define your target demographics
• Craft a well thought-out marketing strategy
• Select the most efficient and cost-effective advertising platforms available
• Be consistent and persistent

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. But, a well-trained and experienced advertising A/E can help you to achieve your objectives, and can be trusted to inform you when their advertising platform is not your best choice. Make a commitment today to get your marketing and advertising objectives on track for 2011 and discover the return on your advertising dollars that will set your small business apart from the competition in the future.

Random Acts of Flowers: Investing in Human Compassion and Kindness

There is no shortage of ways to make a difference in East Tennessee. People in our community exhibit the volunteer spirit daily, but what could be more fun than delivering a smile?

Random Acts of Flowers (RAF) fulfills its mission hundreds of times each month. Volunteers collect donated flowers from weddings, memorial services, florists, special events, grocery stores and churches to repurpose them into beautiful bouquets for delivery at area hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care centers.

“It makes me feel better. I’ll have better day, a much better day. It makes people feel like they’re not forgotten,” said Edith W., recipient at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

The smell of spring marks Random Acts of Flowers’ second birthday! In just two years, RAF delivered 6,207 bouquets and plants. This success is owed to the more than 100 volunteers and 500 in-kind and financial donors who understand the value of a random act.

“It is gratifying to see how a simple gesture of kindness is so appreciated by someone going through a difficult time in life,” said RAF delivery volunteer, Mary Jane Keating.

“Honestly, receiving bouquets from Random Acts of Flowers cheers up our patients’ day. We see it often, that for whatever reason, some patients just have fewer guests that visit them in the hospital and it can bring down their spirit. When we see a patient ‘randomly’ receive a special delivery of flowers, it truly cheers them up. The positive reinforcement flowers provide a patient during their hospital stay really does make a big difference,” said Parkwest Medical Center nurse Pam S.

Random Acts of Flowers uses all its resources efficiently to help make a difference in a person’s day. The importance of making a gift to the RAF annual fund cannot be undervalued. The generous support of RAF donors enables the organization to not only achieve their mission, but also grow and expand services to additional hospitals, facilities and patients.

“I delivered a 92-year-old woman a bouquet of roses. She started to cry and said that it was the first time any man had ever given her roses. This reinforced that RAF’s mission of spreading kindness is simple but really does make a difference. It is my hope that we can continue to grow the charity and share more amazing delivery stories like mine,” said Larsen Jay, Random Acts of Flowers board chair and founder.

A donation to Random Acts of Flowers is something to feel good about. The organization is a 100-percent recycling program. Every floral delivery comes from donated, repurposed flowers. In addition, hundreds of vases are recycled each month – 7,288 to date that might otherwise go unused or sit lonely gathering dust in someone’s garage.

To make a donation to the 2011 annual fund and learn more about Random Acts of Flowers, visit www.RandomActsofFlowers.org or call (865) 633-9082.

Pets are an important part of our families and it is only fitting that they receive the pampering they deserve. We all love having clean hair and skin and feeling sassy. Our pets are no different! They depend on their owners to love and pamper them. Pets have a natural tendency to groom their fur, or remove debris from their toes, but they cannot bathe themselves, trim their toenails, or clean their ears.

Humans respond to touch positively; the same is true for your pets. Grooming sessions should be relaxing and fun, not a mass production. At Ms. C’s Bed & Biscuits, the groomer takes their time with your pet in a calm and relaxing environment. Older pets may require touch to soothe aches and pains, and to clean soiled hair from their private areas. Grooming is an answer. Haircuts, shampooing and drying are designed to keep the pet’s skin and fur healthy and beautiful, reducing discomfort to the pet and preventing often painful matting. Bathing pets also gives the groomer an opportunity to examine the pet for any unusual growth or possible problems which may need to be brought to the attention of your veterinarian.

Because we receive unconditional love from our pets, isn’t a day at the spa in line for them? Call Ms. C’s Bed & Biscuits to reserve your four-legged kid’s day at the spa. Pamper your pet for Valentine’s – they deserve it! Pets are our kids and we will treat your pets as one of our own with love and attention.

Call (865) 986-6325 or visit our website at www.MsCsBedandBiscuits.com.

A great vacation begins with the careful selection of your hotel.  And to ensure you enjoy your vacation, be certain Fido enjoys his.
How do you select a great vacation kennel?  Here’s a helpful checklist:

• Tour the kennel.  If tours are not permitted, cross them off your list.
• How does the kennel smell?  If the lobby smells, cross them off your list.
• Are water and food bowls clean?
• Does the kennel have a state-of-the-art ventilation and sanitation system?
• Clean outdoor play yard?
• 24/7 surveillance and on-site supervision?
• Caring, loving and detail-orientated staff?

Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits offers all these basics, plus many additional amenities including:

• Free bath after five-night stay
• Indoor & outdoor play areas
• Sunday pick-up
• Special handling of elderly dogs
• Nightly “tuck in” with homemade biscuits, doggy ice cream on Wednesdays, all-meat hot dogs on Fridays, special treats such as almond biscotti’s on holidays
• Room in suites to accommodate dog’s own beds, or Kuranda beds and plush cushions are available
• Surround sound music

Call Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits at 865-986-6325 for your tour and arrange your dog’s special vacation so you can enjoy yours.  Daycare is also available.

Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits
2145 Beals Chapel Rd.
Lenoir City, TN 37772
865.986.6325