Small Business Survival Conversations

Small Business Survival Conversations

By Anna SteinfestBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Small Business Survival Conversations episodes

  • Episode 50: Making Feedback a Positive

    Giving feedback is extremely important to your employees. 
    So today Dr. Michael Troyer and Anna Steinfest will teach you:
    Feedback – what is it tied to? 

    Think about that – what is it you are assessing? 

    How often is it subjective and bias-laden (or seen that way by the recipient)? 

     

    What if it were a partnership?

     

    Exploring what is right in front of us – seeing how we see the same things differently

     

    Changing the Perspective (what lake are we both looking at and what do we see? / what problem are we both looking at and what do we see?)

     

    Instead of telling employees what to see and know or what you see and know

     

    Guide them where to look (at themselves and how they can get better)

     

     

    Use “success” questions to structure their perspective and their mood

     

     

     

    Help them diagnose their challenges – with questions

     

     

     

    Point them in the right direction – with questions

    11 min
  • Episode 45: New Goals for the New Year

    Today Dr. Michael Troyer and Anna Steinfest will help you with your New Year's Goals for success. You will learn:
    How to set up strategic goals 

    (one or two results to be achieved – with a one-to-two year time horizon)

    Examples:

    • Growth
    • New Product or Service
    • New Market Entry
    • Innovation (Creative Thinking)


    Not Market Share – it is a result of strategy – not a strategy in itself


    How to determine one to three Action Items that begin the effort to execute on each of the Strategic Goal(s)

    Actions steps to break down the overwhelming character of a goal into do-able steps – to begin the process of execution

    How to craft an Action Plan

    Three steps for each goal

    • When (time of completion)
    • How (process to achieve)
    • What (measure of outcome)
    • Who (accountable person)
    12 min
  • A Christmas “Thank You!” For Those Who Have Helped You to Best Serve Your Customers

    Today Dr. Michael Troyer and Anna Steinfest will discuss who is on your Christmas List to say "Thank you". They will give you ideas on what to do and how to be creative in expressing your gratitude. 
    Who is on your list?

    •  Customers, of course 
    • Employees and co-workers
    • The community members who sought you out to support you during the virus pandemic and the recession 
    • Your family who has supported you and put up with you for the last 12 months 

    What? 

    • Do you need to provide a very personal and heartfelt “thank you”? 
    • Could you write, in your personal hand (your best hand) or in an email message (second best)

     Can you speak to at least one specific contribution that they have offered up to you and your colleagues? 

    Do you know what that contribution did for you – either personally or strategically 

    Do you need to send a gift? 

    • It is a nice gesture but not a requirement
    •  It is more your personal words - specific to something that they have done - that will mean the most!

     

    11 min
  • Episode 42: What, Me Worry? - Why Do I Need Business Insurance?

    Today Dr. Michael Troyer and Anna Steinfest will explain why businesses need business insurance.
    You will learn that business insurance helps cover the costs associated with property damage and liability claims. Without business insurance, business owners may have to pay out-of-pocket for costly damages and legal claims against their company. Depending on the incident, this could be a financially devastating scenario for business owners.

    10 min
  • Episode 39: Helping Your Employees to Make Wiser Business Decisions

    Dr. Micheal Troyer and Anna Steinfest will help you answer the following questions:

    • When you see employees making decisions that are hurting the business, themselves, the team or the customer, what can you do? 
    • Do they understand what they have done? Are they thinking about the implications of their actions? Or do they just don’t care?

    They will give you tools amongst which is CRMR (Communicate  –  Reinforce  –  Measure  –  Reward).
    And if they just don’t care? 

    Show them that they got on the wrong bus and help them find a better bus route for them – just not the route that your firm is on.

     

    9 min
  • Episode 38: Customer Connection

    Send us a text

    Today Dr. Michael Troyer and Anna Steinfest will teach you how to create a long-term relationship with your customers. Probably a better question is – how can you make your customer feel better about their life and make them feel appreciated by you and your employees?

    • Make them feel comfortable whether in person or online – do more of that than you thought you could do before all of this. 
    • Make them feel more secure – more than you thought you could do or needed to do in the past.
    • Give them a reason to trust you and your business. 

     Our question to you is: Can you think of creative ways to do these three things – offer comfort, provide security, and create trust?

     

     

    Let us know your thoughts.

     

    9 min

About Small Business Survival Conversations

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Small Business Survival Conversations is the weekly podcast designed to empower entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small business owners who are fighting every day to build, grow, and sustain…