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Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

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Comfort, Practicality, and Convenience

August 24, 2012 by Raul Colon

IMG_4103-1024x1024 Comfort, Practicality, and Convenience

The past years I have mainly worked from the comfort of home and my interactions with clients in person have been replaced with videoconferences from as close as San Juan, Puerto Rico and as far as England.

I have created a habit of working in clothes that might be appropriate for exercising but not for a business meeting. When I have a videoconference I will wear business appropriate attire including pants.

A few nights ago I was going out for the evening and I realized that I only have a few nice shirts which don’t fit (because I lost more weight), my business suits (I rarely use), and a bunch of stuff that I could not wear to that venue. Even looking at my shoes helped me understand that I had traded style and nice clothing for comfort and convenience.

Although I do visit Banana Republic every once in a while, most of my new clothes are from Marshalls. I am practical when it comes to getting the best deal on my clothes and if they are on clearance even better. I make sure that what I am buying is comfortable and fits into my daily life especially since we moved closer to the beach and my new activities involve water sports.

Are your clients going for comfort, practicality or convenience?

The same way I am always looking for comfort, practicality, and convenience, I realize some of my clients are looking for the same things. On occasions I am giving them what I think they need but for them it does not work.

I have to layout the benefits and analyze if my offering is practical and comfortable for them to work with.

Finding a balance with all three can be challenging.

When we build websites, we look at many factors like budget, time constraints, brand, and client image. These elements can impact me when delivering a project and impact the client further when he is trying to implement it and expecting results.

If the clients follow our recommendations and we have assessed the client’s needs correctly, we end up increasing the probability of having a successful project. Success for me is having a happy client that got the results we agreed to help him achieve.

So going back to my clothes example. Since I have decided to get items at a discount my wardrobe might not be attractive but it meets my current needs. The same way some clients want to have the expensive shoes but all they have is for the ones on clearance others might have a budget that will keep them barefoot for a while.

Clients on occasions want to be too comfortable while expecting results without putting the effort to share their story. We can teach clients how to create better quality content but if they don’t share their story they might be in the comfort zone where they will miss out on the best-expected results.

Finding a practical way and making it convenient for clients to find you online by engaging, creating content, and caring about your customers is the only way you will tie the many factors that make healthy online efforts successful.

Is your company wearing the wrong shoes, are you barefoot, or are you getting traction with the right elegant footwear?

 

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Small Business Tagged With: Business Advice, Small Business

Giving Free Advice or Getting Paid for IT

August 19, 2011 by Raul Colon

4235545299_6bee8a5378_z Giving Free Advice or Getting Paid for IT

I love giving free advice; the problem is that giving free advice has gotten me into trouble on many occasions. I am a firm believer that if you give you will receive plenty in return. I have given free services or given some of my services at a discount especially for people that read this blog and support many of my other efforts.

Is Free Advice Valuable?

The only way I see Free Advice being valuable is if the person on the other side is really interested in receiving it and more importantly taking any actions based on the advice.

Free Advice can come with a Heavy Cost

If the person receiving the advice is not interested, then your Free Advice comes with a cost to you. It costs you time when you thought it was an investment. It becomes a waste of your time and that other persons time.

Who should you Give Free Advice to
?

Those who have requested your help and continuously support you. I get requested for advice all the time. I try to help as many people as possible but I really have to help out those that are continuously supporting my efforts. I wish I could clone myself and divide myself. But time is something I have a constant battle with and I try to make the best of it.

Make sure they want your opinion

Another key part of giving free advice is making sure that even though the person asked you for it they really want to hear your opinion. People might ask for advice waiting for you to validate what they think is correct. They want an affirmation that they have done something great! If you see their is resistance to any of your advice ,try to cut your conversation as short as possible. Resistance is an indication that the person might have their own agenda and just want your approval.

Let them know you support them

I read a few months ago a post on @raffel’s blog on how you need to stop playing Devils Advocate and support those who have an idea, even when it might not make sense to you. This is true for those individuals that requested your approval. Be clear that you support them and wish them the best.

If you Asked for Advice Be Ready for My Follow Up

If I took the time to help someone, I make sure I  monitor the actions they take. Feel free to ask them about the progress and how they went about the situation for which they requested advice. If you see they are not committed, then you need to invest your time and energy elsewhere.

Seeing how the person approached it can give you a clear indication if the time talking with them was an investment or a waste of time. I usually pay attention to body language and other indicators that let me know if the person is listening and interested in what I am saying.

How do you approach others for advice? How do you approach those that requested your advice?

photo credit by Digital Magic Photography

 

Filed Under: Featured, Small Business Tagged With: Advice, Business Advice, Jim Raffel, Small Business

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