Virtually Speaking
June 2002 - Issue 3

In this Issue:
Food for Thought
NVAS Steering Committee Announced!
May Event Highlights
June Event Reminders
Upcoming Events
Summertime Sitters - Babysitter Basics
Married and in Business
Marketing’s Greatest Enemy

Food for Thought

BUSINESS TIPS

Tips for running separate home-based businesses with a spouse

• Discuss short and long-term goals for each business
• Understand how your spouse's business works
• Schedule couple time on a regular basis
• Communicate with each other consistently

Announcing our new NVAS Steering Committee!  Our committee consists of Theresa A. Martinez of ASAP Solutions, Adrian M. Martinez of Web World Wizardry, Darlene Keberle of Administrative Relief Services, & Laurie De La Cruz of ESP Marketing.  The Steering Committee will meet on a regular basis to go over the goals of the organization, brainstorm on ideas & events to bring to the organization, & help coordinate future events.  If you have any questions or feedback for the Steering Committee, please notify us at committee@nvas.org.

May Event Highlights

The Growth Guild – May 9th

This month’s topic was "How to Use Custom Greeting Cards to Market Your Business" presented by Cindy Fetters.  Everyone had a lot of fun!  We enjoyed learning to make our own greeting cards & how to order either customized cards or the supplies to make our own customized cards directly from Cindy.  She shared the importance of making a lasting impression on our clients & how to do it with a special touch in a very affordable way.

If you would like information on how to contact Cindy Fetters, her information is located in our Membership Directory on www.nvas.org or you can email us at info@nvas.org.

If you were unable to attend the meeting, we hope to see you at the next one!

The Gathering – May 23rd

This month’s luncheon mixer was held on May 23^rd at MacAlpine's Soda Fountain in central Phoenix.  We had a blast!

MacAlpine's opened its door in 1928 and has endured through the Stock Market crash of 1929, WWII and the dramatic growth of Phoenix the past five decades. One claim to fame, reportedly, is that Wayne Newton was discovered at MacAlpine's.  Each of us had a special treat while chatting with the other attendees.

If you weren't able to attend, we hope to see you at our future events!

June Event Reminders

The Growth Guild

Each meeting includes a speaker/facilitator & a brainstorming roundtable session.

June 13th from 9:00 am - 11:00 am

"You Can Succeed at the Balancing Act!" presented by Janet Drez of A Perfect Solution.

Ever feel like life's a tug-of-war...and you're the rope? Are you facing too much paper, too many commitments, and too many demands of all types?  If so, you won't want to miss this presentation, Janet Drez has been balancing her business, speaking engagements, family life and volunteer activities for 15 years. Janet will share her real-life, in-the-trenches experience and proven strategies to help you:

       Redefine true "balance"

       Discover your primary aims

       Get organized using "Operation Clean Sweep"

       Say "no" without guilt

       Involve your family in your work

It will be held at 4130 E. Van Buren, Suite 150 (just south of Loop 202 & west of 44th Street) in the small conference room at the ASBA office.  You can find out more information about our events on our calendar. Please RSVP - theresa@nvas.org.

The Gathering

Networking Mixer
June 27th from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Jillian’s - 21001 N. Tatum Blvd. (Tatum & Loop 101 - in Desert Ridge Marketplace), Phoenix

Come join our VIP party for NVAS.  Enjoy hors d’ oeuvres, bottomless soda, iced tea, and water.  We will have our own pool table and game cards available to the attendees.
$10 for members and guests of members, $15 for non-members - payable to NVAS or Theresa A. Martinez by cash or check, payable at mixer or mail to 2149 E. Crest Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85024.  Please RSVP by June 25th - theresa@nvas.org

Take advantage of our discounted membership rates & enjoy discounted events, workshops, & training sessions. Basic membership is only $15 for the first year. Other membership levels are available. For more information, check out our website at http://www.nvas.org/membership.htm. The memberships form is downloadable & contains all of the discounted rates. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@nvas.org or call us at 480/515-5055.

Upcoming Events

Things to keep an eye out for…

The Growth Guild
July 11th from 9:00 am - 11:00 am
"Learning to Work Virtually" presented by Katie Bivens of ASAP Solutions
4130 E. Van Buren, Suite 150 (just south of Loop 202 & west of 44th Street) in the small conference room at the ASBA office. Please RSVP - theresa@nvas.org.

August 8th from 9:00 am - 11:00 am
"Do I Need a Website?" presented by Adrian Martinez of Web World Wizardry
4130 E. Van Buren, Suite 150 (just south of Loop 202 & west of 44th Street) in the small conference room at the ASBA office. Please RSVP - theresa@nvas.org.

September 12th from 9:00 am - 11:00 am
"Managing Yourself Within Time" presented by Valerie Simpson of Organize-U Consulting, Inc.
4130 E. Van Buren, Suite 150 (just south of Loop 202 & west of 44th Street) in the small conference room at the ASBA office. Please RSVP - theresa@nvas.org.

The Gathering

July – Date, Time, & Location to be determined.

Check our calendar for updated information.

Summertime Sitters – Babysitter Basics

Where are the best places to look for sitters?

       Start with asking your friends & family

       Run an ad in your local newspaper, local online classified (e.g. azfamily.com or accessarizona.com), school bulletin, or at church

       Find out if your little one’s friends have older siblings or if their parents know of anyone

       Call a high school nearby, they generally have child development classes that train their students safe babysitting basics

How old does a sitter need to be?

Anyone between 13 and 16 years old works well.  They’re old enough to be responsible, but still young enough to want to babysit.  Younger sitters, between 10 and 13, make great helpers.  Use them when you need someone to watch the kids while you’re at home working on a project.  By the time they reach babysitting age, the relationship is already there.

What should I do before the babysitter comes?

       Try to leave your house tidy, so it’s easy for your sitter to find things

       Set out anything she might need while she or he is there, including baby food, diapers, pajamas, pacifiers, or special toys.

       Make a brief list of house rules, and write down any phone numbers and addresses she or he may need.

How much should I pay?

It usually depends on how many children the sitter will be caring for.  Negotiate with your sitter before she or he comes, and make sure you have cash to pay her or him when you return.  Generally hourly rates that babysitters are earning across the country range from $5-$11 per hour.  Sometimes you may be able to "share" the expense with other parents that are in need of a sitter.  Check with other parents you know and talk to the sitter about the arrangement while negotiating the rate.

Married and in Business
More couples work together in separate, home-based firms
BY MICHELLE SWAFFORD TRIBUNE
(printed in February 2002)

When Adrian Martinez decided to work at home, it was a fleeting thought to join his wife, Theresa, in her home-based business, even though she was part of his inspiration for leaving the corporate world.  "We thought about it for a second," he said. "It would be hard to get anything done if we worked together. But when we need another opinion then we ask each other."

While many married couples find it easier to go into business together when they become entrepreneurs, the Martinez family and others are finding it more complementary to start separate home-based businesses that focus on individual interests or strengths.

In the Valley, 81 percent of small businesses define themselves as a family business, said Mary Lou Bessette, director of the Center for the Advancement of Small Business at Arizona State University.  Bessette said the center is fairly new and hasn't tracked couples who start separate businesses, but she's curious about the trend.  Valley couples who have made it work say communication, couple time and confidence in their spouses are key to their success.

Adrian Martinez started Web World Wizardry in 2000 after the company he worked for closed. He had been doing Web site design and development on the side, but wasn't sure about doing it full time.

He said he was used to working long days, six days a week and traveling frequently. "I expected to come home from work and find a full-grown child," he joked. Working at their northeast Valley home has helped his marriage and family relationship.  "I get to see all the cool things (my daughter) is doing. I never knew what I was missing before," he said.  Martinez said he was envious of his wife's lifestyle. She started ASAP Solutions, a virtual administrative and secretarial services company, in 1997 so she could spend more time with their then two children. Now, there are three Martinez children, ages 6 months to 11 years.

Although the couple operates separate businesses, they share responsibilities and even a few clients. For example, Theresa handles the accounting for both businesses and Adrian does the Web site design and maintenance for both. They cater to the same niche market: Small businesses and individuals. Adrian's first client was one of Theresa's clients who needed Web site work.

Sometimes the client overlap creates problems, the couple said.  "A client would say, ‘Tell Adrian blah, blah, blah’," Theresa Martinez said. "Then I'd have to say, ‘It'd be better if you tell him.’ ’’

Adrian and Theresa Martinez have been married for nearly six years, and they say their business arrangement has strengthened their relationship. "We're together all the time now except when we have a meeting or on-site job," Theresa Martinez said. "You have to adjust and definitely have to communicate a lot more."  The couple schedules time together weekly for meals and to discuss joint projects.  "We laughed the first few times, but it's a necessity," Adrian said. 

Karen Niles and her husband, Dave Robbins, operate a handful of home-based businesses out of their north East Valley home. Niles runs Imagecatchers Photography where she takes photographs and restores old ones. She's also a Mary Kay beauty consultant. Robbins runs Alanson Air, an air conditioning company. 

The couple say it wasn't a conscious decision to start separate companies, they just followed their interests. Robbins helps Niles with photo shoots and delivers make-up orders, while Niles does the bookkeeping and advertising for all three businesses.  "Personally, it's the best decision we could have made after being married for 11 years. We've started to understand our shortcomings and our strong points," Robbins said. "I think we complement each other. I would have a real hard time running a business without her."

It's not always shared lunches and bliss though. They say it still takes work.  "We have our problems communicating once in awhile, but after time we've learned that the other isn't as stupid as we think they are," Robbins said. "You have to sit down together and determine if you really have a stable, comfortable relationship. Do you really know each other and do you really know what each other wants and can you respect that," he asked.  "A co-business is a marriage and the other way around," Robbins said.

Susan and Shawn Bates also operate separate home-based businesses, but share duties. Susan operates Clays in Motion, a mobile pottery painting service, while Shawn runs Fix & Flatter home maintenance and remodeling service. Susan schedules the appointments for both businesses and Shawn helps her glaze the pottery and run the kiln. Susan still has to schedule herself into Shawn's schedule when he gets too busy to fix things around their Phoenix home.

They split their workshop area in half and took classes together to understand each other's businesses so they could help out.  "You have to have good communication and know where the other person's business is headed," Susan said. "It works because we work together and help each other out."

Marketing’s Greatest Enemy

You work like crazy trying to attract attention and business, operating from a marketing calendar, committing to your strategy and doing everything right, but you lose clients.  You did your marketing so well and marketed so wisely that you’re almost in a state of shock when your clients ignore you.

You treated them well while you were making your business transactions.  You gave them a fair price and knew that the quality you put into your offering matched the quality they got out of it.

You assured them that service is your middle name.  You smiled and used their name when you said hello & good-bye, thanking them for the business.  And then, after all of that caring attention, they completely ignored you.

Do you know why they ignored you?  Why it was so easy for them to put you out of their minds???

The Marketing Enemy

It’s because you ignored them!  It’s because you make the sale & then made the grave, but all-too-common, error of thinking that your marketing job was over.  That was a terrible error.  Nearly 70 percent of business lost in America is lost due to apathy after the sale.  Apathy is the deadliest enemy of marketing.  A “love ‘em & leave ‘em” attitude is usually fatal to profitability.

Follow-Up

The opposite of apathy is follow-up.  Guerilla marketers have a “love ‘em & leave ‘em” attitude, marketing to prospects like crazy until the sale is made, then continuing to market like crazy to them after the sale.  Apathy never sets in.  Client’s never feel ignored.

Guerilla marketers do all in their power to intensify the relationship with caring follow-up & loving attention.  They know that once they have established a good relationship, their products or services are no longer thought of as a commodity.  Businesses that offer commodities often lose clients to competitors due to lower prices.  Businesses that form warm relationships transcend being thought of as a commodity and maintain their client relationships with service & constant contact.

Relationship Building

People want relationships.  They want the businesses they patronize to stay in contact and want to feel cared for and not ignored.  All guerilla marketers know that their client relationships are their most precious assets.  They know that if a client utilizes their services once and had an enjoyable experience, they are likely to utilize them again... and again, and again.  And to provide many referrals over time.

Keeping in Contact

To nourish these kinds of lasting relationships, guerilla marketers send thank you notes after the sale - within 48 hours.  They contact clients within a month of the sale to make certain they are satisfied and have no questions.  They get in touch with the clients once again three months after the sale, this time to suggest items or services... and three months after that, they make another contact.

This kind of follow-up not only prevents the dreaded apathy from setting in, it can also increase business anywhere from 20 to 300 percent.  That’s because clients, in their hearts, silently hope for recognition, acknowledgements, information, advancement opportunities, and new calls to action.

Instead of the kind of apathy that loses clients forever, constant attention and follow-up results in healthy back-end sales.  This means repeat sales, ancillary sales, and referral sales.  This means big profits for you!  Because it costs six times more to sell something to a new prospect than to sell that same thing to an existing client.

Client Value

All the true marketing experts these days ask you to calculate the lifetime of a client.  If you don’t understand the damaging effects of apathy after the sale, that lifetime value is pretty small.  If you do all in your power to prevent apathy from ever setting in, the lifetime value of each client may be measured in hundreds of dollars, maybe even more.

You’ll profit from the initial sale, from the repeat sales, from the referral sales, and from the long, mutually beneficial relationship.  It happens only when you defeat the most deadly enemy of marketing... now you know how to do that!