Did I mention that I’m a recovering plan-a-holic? As such, I can’t get away (and don’t think I ever should) from constantly re-evaluating my goals for business and life. About once every month, at least, I take a good hard look at our core business and business goals here at HALO to see if they’re still on target. After all, we are a small business, and if we’re not doing something right, we can change it. We can see a need for change – and ADAPT.

So, that’s me today. I’m looking at the core of our business – and our short and long-term goals as we stare straight in the face of rapidly approaching and VERY full-scheduled fall season. Here are some of the questions I’m asking – maybe you could/should ask them of your business, too.

1. Am I actually targeting my message AT my target audience?

2. Do I know what my target audience needs most that I can provide?

3. Am I providing an experience and result for my target audience that overwhelmingly, clearly and simply fills their greatest need?

4. How can I communicate better, more clearly, more simply?

5. Am I pushing out information (bad), or am I building meaningful relationships (good)?

6. Am I stepping up to the plate when my customers need me? Am I responding quickly enough? Am I accessible enough? (This is a major priority for us.)

7. What elements of how I spend my time each day really add value to MY clients – and how much of it is wasted (on my own interests, curiosities, vanity or admirations of others or just useless information consumption or time wasting)?

8. Am I forging relationships with customers that I want?

9. Am I willing to turn down relationshps that aren’t a good fit?

10. (My most primary and often asked question of myself.) What do I want my business and life to look like in six months? Am I doing the RIGHT things to make that happen?

Here at Team HALO, our purpose for existing is to encourage and equip communities of all sorts to achieve their goals. We target one primary market: people who build communities. Who are they? They are managers and board members of downtown districts, Main Street organizations, and small business/merchant alliances. They are the passionate owners of small businesses and restaurants. They are commercial developers that revitalize old areas – or create entirely new “places.” They are pastors of churches. They lead the charge for causes using the structure of a non-profit organization. We want to meet, know and work with people who are on a mission, who hold within them a passion, who have an energy for what they do – and most importantly, who want to find others who will care so they may connect with them, engage them, share with them, convert them, retain them, and grow them. We are the Team that makes that happen, and as of October of this year, we will have been doing that for TEN years.

How we get to that same endgame looks a lot different than it did ten years ago. And it will for you, too. That’s why this whole goal-setting and goal-monitoring exercise is so important.

The problem with me is that sometimes I look over my shoulder or across the room at my colleagues – sometimes with a bit of jealousy and sometimes with a bit of pride. I want to be something that they are, or I want to speak at a conference where they speak, or I wonder why they “just don’t get that yet” or why anyone would do what they said when they are so off base. I find myself slipping into the very terrible trap of looking either up or down at others – and not looking FORWARD for the good of my customers. We all do that as business owners. Again, that’s why this exercise is so cathartic.

In a client meeting this week, I found myself repeating a phrase that I have been using for a LONG time. “Don’t copy your competitors – Go where your competition ISN’T.”

So, today, while I won’t bore you with the answers to all of my questions above, I can tell you that we’ll be forging ahead into territory where our competition ISN’T. We’re in this to be accessible – not snobby and elitist. We’re going to insist on solid, sharp strategy – not just the use of certain marketing tools. We’re going to lead the charge to help our clients adapt and embrace new technologies in way that is simple, understandable and produces a measurable return on investment. We’re going to constantly expand our service offerings and go deep into our target market. We are the coaches that will bring BIG WINS for your downtown, your small business, your non-profit.

What about you? How often do you evaluate your goals? Does it help you stay on track with your life and business?

Related Pages:

Marianna Hayes: Marketing Speaker Page

Market Analysis for Downtowns

Team HALO Coaching Services

Well, obviously the National Main Streets Conference 2009 is over. I am writing from the comfort of the deck swing at my family's farm in rural Mississippi. The last time I wrote, we were enjoying the free Wi-Fi of our Club Quarters accommodations. The conference hotel (where we spent long waking hours during the bulk of the conference) was the Palmer House Hilton – a historic hotel, beautifully renovated. Frankly, it was absolutely stunning.

But the Palmer House and my family's rural Mississippi location have something in common. Neither have high-speed Internet. This made the conference not so tech-friendly. I assumed that we'd have access to wireless internet – or at least cell phone service so I could do a little blogging, Twittering and the like from my blackberry throughout the conference. I was wrong. Se la vie, I will learn from the experience and press on with my notes which will provide you with reading material on this blog for days and weeks to come.

Small business tip #1: Don't make promises to blog readers that you can't keep. I made assumptions about Internet accessibility – and I was wrong. I didn't do my homework as thoroughly as I should have before making promises. It's a simple thing – and probably easily forgiven. However, it is a good note for business overall – don't assume anything. Do your homework. Under promise – and over deliver.

The bottom line of business and non-profit managing in today's world can be summed up in one demanding word: CONNECTED.

In order to do your job best, you must be able to leave the office. Your job, after all, isn't to RUN the business or non-profit, it's to make it better overall, more profitable, productive, successful. Times such as conference attendance, vacation days, continuing education seminars or workshops, and market/buying trips are just a few of the reasons why extended absences from your business or office might be required. Yet, gone are the days of turning on the "out of office" auto responder on e-mail account and changing our voice mail and disappearing for a week. We are required to stay connected – or risk losing business in an already soft economy.

Here is my checklist for successfully managing those "out of office" excursions:

• Plan ahead (this was covered partially in my previous post). Plan ahead for success while away – and for your business to succeed without you. This means that you should have a team meeting in advance of your departure explaining where you are going and why. Your team should be empowered to make emergency decisions on your behalf (such as returns, fixes, etc.) to a certain budget. They should be empowered to take messages and explain when you will return messages. Callers, customers, etc. should be educated about your absence in a way that serves as a marketing message and builds intrigue and curiosity with customers (in a good way), rather than just leaving them hanging. Basically, you want to empower your team and setup systems that will minimize contact with you while you are away.
• Have a Blackberry/iPhone/etc. and know how to use it. In today's world, the quickest way to take care of issues is to return a text message or send a short e-mail reply. For those communications that break through the gatekeepers back home, direct as much as possible (use your voice mail as a directive) to your e-mail and text message in boxes. Often, a ten minute phone call can be answered just as easily with a 5 second text message. The time you free up working in this capacity between sessions at a conference or by checking it twice a day while on vacation, is worth the extra $50 a month for an unlimited data and text plan.
• Prior to making hotel reservations, check their policies, fees and availability on high-speed, WIRELESS, Internet. Some hotels are still requiring you to plug into the wall for high-speed Internet (reference a recent trip to Boston where the Sheraton on the Back Bay – a very nice area – still had wired high speed on most floors of the hotel). Many nicer hotels charge $12-$18 per day for Internet access. Not only that, in many hotels, the wireless access and bandwidth is limited even when you pay. Don't just take the hotel's word for it (they will not admit their bandwidth is limited or that their reception is spotty). Do a Google search and check travel web sites to get the real scoop so you know what to expect upon arrival.
• Check ahead of time for local free wi-fi locations. Pack your laptop along with printed directions, phone numbers and hours of operation for 2-3 easy to access wi-fi venues. This is often far easier to manage than hotel Internet connections.
• Own and know how to access a back-up e-mail account through a free web-based service. We use GMail. This will allow you to access your e-mail from a hotel business center or other Internet connected computer even if your own technology fails you.
• Pack your laptop, phone charger, and a USB flash drive to ensure that no matter what tech challenges may come while you are traveling – you can access and transfer files and make connections as needed.
• Check your travel schedule and plan ahead of time for one hour per day to return phone calls, answer more weighty e-mails, etc.

Have other travel tips to share? Feel free to comment…

The most important factor is to make sure that when you are away from the office or your small business that you turn it into an opportunity – and not a threat. Think strategically and take action ahead of time to ensure that you are able to be productive and able to do what you are away to do – all while maintaining customer loyalty and a consistent customer experience back at the office. (In other words, maximize your return on investment where you are going – and at your office at the same time.)

Andy and I arrived in Chicago this morning to mix and mingle among the conference goers at the National Main Streets Conference happening now through Wednesday of next week. Notice, I didn't say that we came here to attend the conference. Because we really didn't.

Hopefully, that statement doesn't highly offend those of you reading this, but this is a key point to attending a conference, trade show, market, etc. where lots of folks you know or need to know are also attending. As we (Team HALO) live blog this event throughout the next few days, you'll hear us talk a bit about the content of the conference – mostly from interviews conducted from attendee viewpoints, some of our own application (it is our blog after all), and possibly some speaker interviews. However, most importantly – and of most value to you – our small business constituency – will be our play-by-play application of our success and failures as we seek to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves this week. It is our goal to do all we can to meet, greet, find follow-up opportunities, etc. so that we can most efficiently and effectively help you, the small businesses across America that call Main Street your home. Our live blogging will mostly consist of the steps we've taken to achieve our goals – and the steps you can also take to achieve yours in similar circumstances.

So, let's dive right in… what are our goals for this conference, after all? As with any business venture, great or small, we will never know if we've arrived or how best to get to our goals if we have no road map. Goals are specific and measurable and targeted – when accomplished, they add up to success. Let me put our strategic planning in perspective for you:

Context: For the first time in three years of attending this conference (I know, we're young tikes still at this Main Street stuff), we are not presenting. We originally had a scheduling conflict and were not planning to attend this year at all. Then, at the last minute, plans changed and opportunity availed itself. We had approximately two weeks to plan our trip and set our goals.

We could not set goals without admitting that for one year concluding about six months ago, our business suffered periods of inconsistency in service stemming from personal matters that are now resolved. Having taken steps to protect our business from these sorts of issues again, then restructuring our business entirely to meet the demands of a new economy and the budgets of small business owners, re-defining our mission with laser sharp precision and marking the past six months as evidence of the measurable results we provide (not to mention the other eight great years prior to the fumble), Andy and I confidently went about the business of setting goals and a budget for attending this conference. With no presentation to prepare and no scheduling limitations (I must admit this left me feeling quite liberated), we set a primary objective and five goals for our conference attendance.

Target objective (basically the same as our 2009 mission statement): Open doors that allow us to encourage and equip hundreds of Main Street businesses towards success and profitability in 2009-2010.

Here are a couple of our goals for achieving that outcome through conference attendance (we can't give away all our secrets, can we? Maybe later.):
1. Meet and secure follow-up opportunities for further discussion (relationships are all we are looking for – not business deals) with three targeted people of influence (we identified them and set a plan for meeting them).
2. Leverage our attendance at the conference to raise awareness for our work with Main Street businesses across social media networks and at the conference in general.

Small business tip: Both budget and goals should be well researched and
well defined prior to making any firm commitments like registration
fees, hotel reservations, etc. Wise business owners (and non-profit execs) test the waters as
much as possible PRIOR to spending any money. A target objective with 3-5 measurable goals sets the framework for success.

Stay Tuned: Next post will give you a sneak peak into our pre-conference planning.

P.S. For real live blogging of the actual conference sessions, etc. check out the official conference blog which is very well done so far at Main Street Live 09. You can get an insider's perspective as the staff of Michigan Main Street live blogs the conference on their blog (What can we say? They are our star student!). And you can follow the conference on Twitter at #MainStreet09.

I hope that you all were able to celebrate, relax and enjoy family and food this Thanksgiving holiday. Giving thanks is something we should all pause to do more often than once a year…yes, even in times like these we are a blessed group of folks here in America.

Which leads me to Black Friday…

The National Retail Federation says that things aren't so gloomy after all… Black Friday, of course, is traditionally more friendly to the big box retailers – and much more savvy independents might also catch a piece of the action (didn't catch it this year – ask me how to do better next year).

Black Friday, of course, gets its name from the hope that this shopping day will put retailers in the "black" for the year… For me, the big box advertising this year was more blah and uncreative than ever before with most boxes stooping to little more than a flat out, unremarkable gimmick to get shoppers in the door. Personally, I didn't step foot into a store on Black Friday due to my total disgust with the mentality that as a shopper, I was a mere commodity to the business on that day. I must say, deals are fantastic, but at the expense of my value as a human being…I doubt it. I'm certain that many of you do enjoy the thrill of the deal, and I don't deny you that experience. However, let me challenge you that the independent retailers of the world are much more interesting and will provide an experience (as a general rule) far beyond anything you could ask or expect in the corporate bureaucracy of big box land.

Which leads me to Cyber Monday…

I didn't get many offers from my big box e-commerce leaders this year that were different from what I receive every week. I noticed a significant increase in offers from Land's End and a discount and free shipping combo from The Gap and Target if I shopped online before midnight. Toys-R-Us did send an offer – but apparently the subject line was so unremarkable that I deleted it before I even read the offer.

Then I got a forwarded e-mail from Andy. What a breath of fresh air. Shop Local on Cyber Monday. A customer experience, a way to shop on-line, a great offer, and a personal message from a business owner. Andy even replied to the owner thanking him for the offer – AND got a personal response in the same day.

Of course, it didn't hurt that the offer came from Jeff Good, fine proprietor of my favorite restaurant in the metro-area, Bravo! But I get ahead of myself… here's what his e-mail said:

But, if we love the quirkiness, focus
and authenticity of "home grown" independent shops and restaurants,
we need to consider carving out a part of our budget for them… our neighbors
who work and give in the community in which we live.

So, as the holiday season launches into full
swing, Dan and I would like to offer an easy way to make a local purchase while
still getting the rush of an online click when buying today, on Cyber
Monday.

Buy a $60 gift card and get a $6 gift
card free… enough for breakfast at Broad Street or lunch at Sal &
Mookie's!

Like all "Cyber Monday" deals..
this offer is good for TODAY only and expires at midnight.

We all enjoy the endorphin release of a good
on-line purchase… get that "rush" AND help a local business at the
same time!

Thank you for your consideration, and your support,

Jeff Good – Dan Blumenthal

BRAVO! Italian Restaurant, Broad Street Baking Company, Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint

There are so many things done right. Jeff didn't use a fancy HTML format. This didn't win points with me, but didn't necessarily take them away either. He definitely wrote this himself. Points for authentic. He appealed to the local emotion – the neighbors and community building aspects…something that those of us who want to enjoy our lives should be contributing towards. And frankly, the purpose of my life's work. Community building via successful independently owned small businesses. Jeff made an offer that was good – and he framed the offer to make it more appealing (spend $60, get $6 more – enough for a breakfast or lunch at one of his restaurants). He encouraged the thrill of the Cyber Monday shopping and even through in assurance to shoppers that his site was secure and reputable. He tells us what to expect, and he respectfully closed his letter.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that these three restaurants all have experiences that are worth the trip – over and over again. It's why I meet all of my clients for coffee at Broad Street and know I will impress at Bravo! (and my honey knows he can impress me by taking me there, too). It's why I don't miss a chance to chill at Sal & Mookie's – or let the kids enjoy the fun times there by our sides. It's just a great establishment – and it's a couple of owners with passion for both their product and their people. I've never even met Jeff – but I hope to one day soon. Because I think he's running a class act of an operation – and I think that any of you small business owners out there could stand to take a page from his playbook. Get in the game to win, folks. And don't sit back on big days like Cyber Monday while the big boxes continue to bore us with their business as usual offers.

Which leads me to…what? Mobile Tuesday?

Yep, that's right. There's a new game in the holiday shopping world… and this could be very interesting. If you're a small guy who hasn't even taken a piece of the Black Friday or Cyber Monday pie – get it in gear or lose out. Mobile Tuesday sounds like a marvelous opportunity for those independents in 2009 that are in gear to win.

Read all about this emerging idea… and start thinking ahead about how you'll win in 2009 with a 1,2,3 punch in the days following Thanksgiving.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/black_friday_cyber_monday_here_comes_mobile_tuesday

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Our "Thrive! Don't Just Survive" small business marketing seminar explains how to best persuade customers as you craft your marketing message. We turn to Aristotle's Elements of Persuasion and spin them into 21st century retail speak.

One of the elements of persuasion is logos – or logic. And one of the ways you can "persuade" a customer that a product is a "logical choice" is by making it a "greener" choice. Here's a case study spinning that very element today on The Decorating Diva blog.

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The last week in February, Andy, Trisha and I had the privilege of working with the Tunica Chamber of Commerce and Tunica Main Street on some strategic planning for the downtown district in the town of Tunica. We spent three days working on site where we got to know the wonderful people of Tunica – the leaders, the business owners, the customers. We got to experience the wonderful food of Cafe Marie, the Blue and White Restaurant and The Hollywood Cafe (where we attended a tourism familiarization tour event for tour bus operators and where Andy joined blues musicians on stage for a couple of songs – thank you Webster and Bill!). We got to tour homes at the new Tunica National development, and got to learn not just about the building and business inventory of their downtown – but the true heart and soul of the community.

The Town of Tunica has a tremendous asset in their downtown district. They have what many would only dream of having – they have millions a year visiting a major tourist destination located only a few miles away. We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to work in this tremendous community – made stronger by its citizens and the hearty dose of enthusiasm and energy that they all possess.

We made many friends – and we look forward to helping this downtown blossom by recruiting new businesses, working more closely with its partners to be a part of a total package both visually and
literally, and seeing the customers flock to enjoy this true Mayberry in the Mississippi Delta.

Photos: (top) Trisha, Bill Cantor with the Tunica Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Marianna enjoy the music and fried dill pickles at the Hollywood Cafe in Tunica. (middle) View of Tunica’s Main Street. (bottom) Team HALO voted 1251 Place’s Southern Pecan coffee the very best around. Be sure to stop in for a sip and take home some for yourself. We found this delightful interiors and gift market to be top notch.

Have you ever
wondered why certain commercial districts have the ability to pull traffic off the main highway
and lure shoppers and visitors to a downtown area – but for your community, it seems so impossible? Do you think you’re
doing it all right – billboards, advertising, welcome signs and more?

There is simply
more to it than these elements.

I must admit, I was slow to adopt the "brand"
buzzword. Mostly because I felt it was overused and sounded expensive. I
thought it wasn’t worth the money spent because it was a lot of fluff that some
fancy marketers were selling to make a quick dime.

One of two things has
happened – either I’ve become a fancy marketer (doubtful since I live in small town

Mississippi

still), or
there is something to this "branding" idea when you strip away all
the hype.

For me, I think there’s something to this branding thing.

A couple of weeks
ago, Andy and I had the opportunity to share the podium with Tripp Muldrow from
Arnett Muldrow & Associates. It
was a great time, and this presenter also got to learn a lot. Andy and I have
been touting the "look that sells" a lot lately – meaning a great
experience that leaves visitors wanting more and telling everyone they know.
However, it also means making a promise to potential visitors before they get
there. To reinforce that experience with past customers so they remember to
come back. It’s a consistent experience from the beginning of their contact, and
it’s a relationship for a while to come. And that can’t be accomplished
entirely on site in your downtown district, place of business, etc. It has to be
accomplished through good marketing – well branded, consistently messaged marketing. A good brand will
define you – it is an image that comes to mean something – not an image that
says it all in and of itself. A brand will become a living, breathing promise
to those who want to come and those who have been.

Does your logo look
dated and boring? Does it say anything or make any promises? Is it unique -
does it tell the story of your town or business – or is it just another
lamppost, signpost, or clock tower image symbol of nostalgic Americana? Do your community entry signs look like people did them 20
years ago, and never updated them?

Many communities have become so entrenched
in their own perspective that they have lost the vision for how to attract
people from outside to their downtowns – they don’t even recognize the unique
and interesting qualities that would make someone else want to visit – and
return. And they don’t know how to band together behind the banner of a strong
brand to create a unified, energetic local community either.

Maybe
it’s time to step it up – to engage in a marketing planning process that
defines who you are and symbolizes that identity with a renewed logo approach
as well as a matching campaign to get those promises out there to all of your
constituents. Isn’t it time to band together as a community behind a common
goal? Isn’t it time to recruit customers to the whole of your downtown
experience? Isn’t it time to work together to keep customers coming back for
more – and spending more and more? I’d advocate a solid brand as a great place
to start to make all of these things happen.