belle

Retention vs. Acquisition

“Sorry, this promo is only for new customers.” I’ve been told that more than a few times by big service providers. Guess what? I’m just going to switch to your competitor and come back later. Or maybe I won’t come back. I do try to bargain, but if I’m not talking to the right person,Continue reading “Retention vs. Acquisition”

Opportunity Cost

I hated Economics when I was in high school, but somehow I learned one thing that has influenced my daily life ever since. Opportunity Cost: What am I NOT doing if I do this? In the book “Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done”, Charlie Gilkey expanded on this concept: ✅ Everything you do *displaces*Continue reading “Opportunity Cost”

Best time to take time off

When is the best time to take time off as a business owner? Never. There’s never a good time, but you must do it. Not taking time off sends a bad message to your team — “I can’t trust you to get the job done in my absence”. What if things don’t progress whenever you’reContinue reading “Best time to take time off”

The art of sending an invoice

Sending an invoice is like proposing to someone. If you are not 100% certain that they would say yes, you shouldn’t do it. Or you may end up in a pretty awkward situation.

Compete on the enchantment

Ron Baker writes about the Japanese concept of “Atarimae hinshitsu” – taken-for-granted quality. Things should work as they are supposed to. I’m also learning about “Miryoku teki hinshitsu” – enchanting quality. Things that have an aesthetic quality that is different from its functional quality. When someone says they want a “quality” product or service, I assumeContinue reading “Compete on the enchantment”

Ask this one question to prioritize sales effort

“If you had to pick two, which are most important for this engagement?” Quality Scope Time Price I used to ask every early-stage prospect that exact question. ❌ I turned down anyone who said “I can’t pick two, everything is important” (without irony). Those were the perfect “clients from hell” in the making. ❌ I’dContinue reading “Ask this one question to prioritize sales effort”

Stop doing 50/50 payment schedule

50/50 payment schedules used to stress me out so I stopped doing them. In the creative field, “complete” is always subjective because there are seemingly endless ways to explore further. The pressure to accommodate extra requests towards the end in order to get paid made me realize there had to be a better way. IContinue reading “Stop doing 50/50 payment schedule”

The best perk you could give to your employees

I don’t believe that the “customer is always right”. In my previous life as an agency owner, I did something unconventional. I gave each team member a “vote” to decide if a client should be fired. If everyone voted unanimously, that client would be let go. No ifs or buts. Bob Sutton, author of “GoodContinue reading “The best perk you could give to your employees”

How do you talk about what you do?

Ask yourself – what are you getting paid for? We usually focus on describing what we do vs. the value our customers receive. Example 1:What we do: 24×7 website supportValue to customer: protecting your investment Example 2:What we do: graphic designValue to customer: differentiating your brand from competitors Example 3:What we do: career coachingValue toContinue reading “How do you talk about what you do?”

Pricing on Purpose

“Costs do not determine price, rather, price determines costs and value determines price.” I have been reading “Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value” by Ron Baker, and it really resonates with me. Having worked in the creative service industry my entire professional life, I also strongly believe in value pricing. I love how Baker focusesContinue reading “Pricing on Purpose”