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Listen up, small business owners

Perhaps it’s the very description of our lot in life–the small business owner– that gives us a bit of a chip on our shoulder and the need to get in every last syllable. You know what I’m talking about if you have ever been to a BNI meeting or some other networking event. For whatever the reason, small business owners are, in Seinfeld terms, interrupters.

In other words, we are guilty of not always letting the other person in the conversation finish their thought before interjecting ours. Kind of like the business version of the former Big Show on WEEI.

Of course, yours truly is guilty as charged as a serial abuser. No more. Starting now, whether it’s a phone call or face-to-face, you will no longer hear my thoughts or opinions until the other person’s verbal thought has finished of its own volition, a sort of imaginary talking stick. When the person is done, I can imagine them passing it on to me and then it’s my turn.

There, I’m feeling better already. And you can join me on this mission to incorporate a critical element to all small business communication: listening. We’ll call it a Listener’s Club. Here are the rules.

Rule 1: Before you speak, make sure the other person in your conversation has stopped speaking for more than a count of three. Up until that point, LISTEN.

Rule 2: Learn Rule 1.

Rule 3: Be really sure you learn Rule 1.

Being a small business owner is not an easy task these days and, in many cases, it is dog-eat-dog out there. Yet our best hope in building our own business rests more on our ability to listen than it does blurting out our elevator speech. If we all listen, we can all win.

Sounds simple, but it sure makes a lot more sense when nobody interrupts.

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“Under Construction”

Does anything change your opinion of a company more than when you are surfing through a Web site and come across a page that says “Under Construction”? Probably not. Yet it’s something you see all the time.

Why? Good question. Perhaps they think you will check back at a later date to see if the construction is finished. And if you believe that one, perhaps you should start drafting your annual missive for Santa Claus.

Unless you’re a contractor or construction worker, people generally don’t like construction, real or online. Making an “Under Construction” sign part of your Web site–the 24/7 sales rep for your company–sends any number of negative messages to current and potential customers-from not being ready to not appreciating the time and effort it took for them to visit your site.

The advice here is never have the words “Under Construction” on your site. If a page isn’t ready to go, leave it off the site. Or, at worst, have a message that says “more information on _________is coming soon”.  If it’s truly noteworthy, you can announce the new content as part of your next e-newsletter or, if really noteworthy, as a press release.

When it comes to people visiting your Web site, you really may only get one chance to make an impression. An “Under Construction” sign is the surest way to get them to take an alternate route the next time.

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“John Adams” was a “Big, Fat Liar”

It’s true. Paul Giammati, the actor who played John Adams in the acclaimed HBO miniseries, also played Marty Wolf, the evil, blue-faced liar/director in the teen flick, Big Fat Liar. That was after playing a character known as “Pig Vomit” in Howard Stern’s Private Parts.

In fact, if you dig a little deeper into Paul Giammati’s career, you will also see he had a bit part in the 90s cult classic Singles (he played a guy making out with his girlfriend in a restaurant booth).

While a part like that may have discouraged some, Giammati had faith in his talent and what he had to offer and stayed with it. He has since been outstanding in countless movies and won awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Cinderella Man. Yet it all basically began with a movie where he never said a thing.

Far too many small businesses expect every marketing effort-ad, press release, blog, direct mail blast or article-to be a John Adams. In reality, you’re lucky if it’s “Pig Vomit”-a role in which Giammati was fantastic.

The point is that each time you market your company via whatever outlet you choose, you are building your brand and your resume.  Every release, rewrite of your Web page, direct mail letter, e-newsletter, Facebook page, etc. earns you credibility credits. So while it’s okay to strive for John Adams, there’s no shame if those efforts resemble a Big Fat Liar. Put enough of those marketing efforts together and your business could figuratively end up walking down the red carpet.