I’ve had a hard time sleeping at night because I have so many wonderful and exciting ideas flying through my head, and I think you can shift your burnt out feeling to that same excitement if only you learn how.

The Holidays are about the spirit of things.

This is about getting in the right mindset and being happy with what you’re doing. I believe it’s possible to get excited and channel that into your small business for genuine happiness and success.

Watch the video to learn more about what’s been working for me:

1. Saying thanks shows your customers that you care.
2. When you show you care, it shows that you realize that they could have chosen to get your service or product from anywhere else.
3. Saying thank you gives you a good reputation.
4. You seem presumptuous if you don’t say thank you.
5. Saying thank you is polite.
6. People like it when you are polite.
7. Saying thank you will psychologically make you feel more thankful.
8. Being thankful makes you appreciate what you have much more.
9. Customers like feeling appreciated.
10. Saying thank you is not hard.
11. Saying thank you is not expensive.
12. You can say thank you for the smallest of things and it will only make people smile.
13. Saying thank you acknowledges that you are nothing without the people who support your business.
14. Saying thank you can be done in many different ways.
15. Saying thank you with words shows that you’re not afraid to show your appreciation in person.
16. Saying thank you with a customer loyalty benefit shows that you are not afraid to show your gratitude by returning a favor.
17. Providing a loyalty benefit shows that you’ve really thought about how to show your thankfulness in a mutually beneficial way.
18. Customers respond well to loyalty benefits as a form of saying thank you.
19. When you say thank you, it opens the conversation to get constructive feedback. “Thank you, what can we do better next time?“
20. Saying thank you establishes a relationship.
21. Relationships, when treated with care, can last a long time.
22. Long time customers are the most valuable to any business (finding new customers is expensive).
23. Saying thank you can turn a customer’s bad mood into a good mood.
24. Remembering that a transaction put them in a good mood increases the chance of a return purchase.
25. You can say thank you with a handwritten note, which is inexpensive but very personal.
26. Personal touches are a great way to care for those long term relationships.
27. Thank you can be said immediately after a purchase.
28. Thank you can be said months after a purchase, even if you said it already at the original time of purchase.
29. Thank you never loses its value.
30. By saying thank you at every opportunity, you will get better at saying it right.
31. Saying thank you will make you realize how much others help you in your journey to success.
32. Not saying thank you will build resentment from your customer, whether they realize it consciously or not.
33. Saying thank you will make you stand out among other businesses.
34. Saying thank you again later will remind the customer that you are there.
35. Saying thank you again later will remind the customer that you provided a pleasant experience.
36. A real thank you is generally unexpected.
37. Receiving unexpected VIP treatment is something for a customer to talk to friends about.
38. Saying thank you shows the care that you put into your business.
39. Customers like to know that they are supporting a business that cares about more than weaseling money out of them.
40. Receiving a thank you note after the fact shows that they were still being thought of kindly.
41. People like to be thought of kindly.
42. Not saying thank you indicates that you are ungrateful.
43. People do not like being treated with ingratitude.
44. Quality of service goes a long way.
45. Thank you can be said publicly, shining a spotlight of gratitude on a customer.
46. People like to be recognized for doing something good (and sometimes that spotlight will genuinely help their own cause, which is even better – supporting those who help you is ideal).
47. People who like to be recognized for good deeds may see another customer being highlighted and decide they’d like to be highlighted too.
48. There are endless ways to say thank you, making it a goal to say it a new way every day will open new doors for you.
49. Saying thank you makes you a grateful business.

One last thing: Thank you.

…I figure now would be an right time to tell you how much I appreciate you as a reader.

As you know, I just quit my job to help you and your small business become a rockstar. You could read anybody else’s blog. You could find the information I have to offer somewhere else. I’m not the only one who knows what I know. (And there will always be people who are smarter than me.)

Yet, you spend the time here on my blog every week, because you are that awesome.

For one reason or another you’ve decided that I’m the one who can help you figure out what you need to know.

(I hope that it’s because you believe in my passion and share my idea that small businesses should be able to succeed and allow each of us to live a life that we love.)

I am extremely grateful and will be forever in your debt because without you, I wouldn’t have a flying chance to make any difference. Every time you read my post, every time you share a video, every time you mention me in a Tweet, it truly makes me smile on the inside.

I wish that I could give you a hug every time I see that you invested any amount of time to help me out, chat with me or whatever else that we do.

So, thank you for being you. Thank you for being awesome.

Please, tell me how I can keep helping you.

- Anne Dorko

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After a lot of struggle with management at my regular 9-5, I finally decided to cut the cord. I was really starting to identify with Steve Jobs’ quote:

I put up with a lot of nonsensical rules and felt penalized for even suggesting alternatives to help turn around a sinking ship. This week I decided I am done with that.

I fired my boss on Tuesday. (Or, in other words, I quit my job.)

It’s time for me to focus on you.

That’s right – I’m not going to take another full-time job. 

I am not going to rest in security while I preach to you the power of doing your own thing. I’m going to make change happen instead of waiting for change to happen to me.

If you’re new here, what I do is help people learn how to use the web better than they’re using it now. Particularly, how to use the web to solve problems. (Even more specifically: small business problems, but a lot of my teachings are universal.)

What does that mean?

I need you. I need your support. I need you to help me help you.

I’m not asking for money for what I’ve offered - this blog, the newsletter and everything that currently exists for free is going to keep happening totally free.

(On the other hand, I will start to offer paid solutions and one-on-one coaching on top of what is already here for those of you who want that in-depth approach.)

What I do need from you is participation.

Let’s grow together.

I’m working on so many ideas for us to come together as a team and start to really get involved.

If that’s true, then it’s time to start making our voices heard. It’s time we start communicating.

New: Weekly Small Business Twitter Chats

I’m going to start organizing weekly small business Twitter chats. I use a tool called TweetChat.com to track these sorts of things – we’ll be participating by using the hashtag #smallbizweb

I do not have a time or schedule for this yet!

…and if you’re wondering, YES, this is free participation!

How to take part:

Let me know in the comments or by sending me a tweet using the hashtag what times are good for you.

Example: “I am usually available weekday evenings after 6pm PST”

Don’t have Twitter or find this confusing?

Don’t be embarrassed! This is totally fine if you’re not sure how this would work or if you don’t have a Twitter account. Just post to the comments what you need explained and I will help you out.

Twitter chats are essentially a group of people on Twitter all using the same hashtag to connect a conversation. For example:

@annedorko Q1: Who has a website? #smallbizweb

@lindaursin A1: I have a website! #smallbizweb

@jbowlessd A1: I am working on a new website! #smallbizweb

– if you’re new to Twitter or uncomfortable with it, that is all the more reason to jump in. By practicing with people who know that you’re just learning the ropes, you’ll be in good hands and get advice and tips on how to do better.

New: Weekly Google+ Hangouts

If you’re on Google+ I’d also love to have video chats with you guys on a weekly basis. We can talk about your goals, your needs, your frustrations and it may be way easier to do that in real-time voice and video chat than through 140 characters on Twitter.

Once again, I do not have a time or schedule yet!

…if you were still wondering, this is also free participation.

How to participate:

Let me know in the comments what times are good for you.

Example: “I am usually available weekday evenings after 6pm PST”

Don’t have Google+ or find this confusing?

Don’t be embarrassed! Google+ is just the new social network Google has provided. It is open to the public and you can sign up if you like. Google+ hangouts are when a group of people get together and have a video chat together as a group.

If you have any questions about how it might work, just ask in the comments!

Not New: Blog Comments

I know that I get readers here. I can see it in my website analytics.

I know that commenting is scary. It is so easy to passively read and then move on with your life.

Commenting is free.

Here are some comment ideas for when you read a post:

Blog comment idea #1: How did you apply it to your website (or schedule, or business, or life)?

If I write a blog post that touches you and you apply it to yourself in any way at all – share that with us! It’s going to inspire other people to try the same for themselves. It’s going to show people that you’re making change. It’s going to get people involved in what you’re doing.

Blog comment idea #2: Agree or disagree with the post.

If you agree or disagree with something I write, tell me so. I love to have discussion about the things that I’ve obviously cared enough about to share with you. Do you have more information or resources on a topic? Share the links! Do you have information about why I’m wrong? Share those links too!

Do you just have an opinion about what I wrote? Let us know!

Blog comment idea #3: Share the way that you’ve done it.

Perhaps I’m sharing a technique about how to do XYZ, but you have a different technique that works for you. Tell us the technique!

That way, others who are reading the post will see what you’re doing and be able to have that as another option besides the technique that I offered in the post. And when others share their technique, well, you can see how we’ll all start benefiting.

Blog comment idea #4: Share resources that relate to the post.

Similar to the last comment idea, if I’m sharing resources and you have a resource that you use, then feel free to share that resource with us!

I’m betting all of you have different resources you turn to and a lot of you aren’t satisfied with the one you’re using. By reporting on what you use and how you like it, we can all make more educated decisions on what we end up using in the future.

Blog comment idea #5: Ask a question.

Did I write a confusing post? Did I skip important factors that jumbled the message? Did I not break down the elements of the post into small enough portions?

Let me know by asking questions about where I lost you. I have to stress – do NOT be embarrassed. Just ask.

Blog comment idea #6: Answer a question.

Maybe part of a blog post was confusing to you, but you seemed to have understood a part that confused someone else who asked a question.

Expertise is not required to offer a helping hand. If someone has asked a question and you think you can help, by all means, please go and answer! Of course I’ll jump in as soon as I can to help out, but we’re all here for each other.

Also, the best way to learn is to teach.

Blog comment idea #7: Reply to other comments.

Did someone share how they’re applying the blog post to their website? Go check out their website and see what you think! Then come back and leave words of encouragement and if necessary, some constructive criticism.

How does that song go? “Let’s get together, yeah yeah yeah!”

What venue will work for you to get involved?

Maybe you prefer a forum over social media outlets. If we want a forum, I can make a forum happen!

Perhaps you would like to focus on participating at the Facebook page instead.

…because whether I just became jobless or self-employed rests in your hands.

In your small business, you may realize that there’s a lot on your to learn list and a lot on your wish list of things that you could handle without hiring out a lot of help. You just don’t have money to fund that.

So, what is stopping you? Your anticipation.

As one of my biggest inspirations Seth Godin says:
“Go. Make something happen.”

Can’t see the video? Watch by clicking here.

This is some of the best small business advice I have to offer.

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The other day one of my new acquaintances said to me, “Wow! You’re really well-rounded.”

I was polite and offered up a sincere thank you. But inside, I wondered to myself why I am the exception.

As I go through day-to-day life I don’t really feel particularly different or special compared to anyone else. So why are my regular activities so impressive to everyone else?

Learning is a passion.

Let’s get this straight: I hated school.

Well, I hated grade school, at any rate. College was pretty fun.

I can tell you exactly why I loved college, too. I focused on learning something that is fascinating to me.

What makes a person skilled?

If I told you the things that interested me as I grew up, you suddenly wouldn’t be surprised at the amount of random knowledge and skills that I’ve picked up over the years.

I can fairly accurately guess the breeds in any given mutt. Why?

Because when I was a kid I dogs were my obsession and I read every dog book I could get my hands on.

I am a decent artist. Why?

Because I loved to draw, and I kept drawing and drawing and drawing. I have a bit of natural talent, but not the kind of raw talent that is going to make me a world-class professional. Disney Animation isn’t exactly knocking on my door. Yet, I kept drawing and because I kept doing it, I got better.

I don’t really want to give you a laundry list of what I’m good at and why.

What makes me different? I let myself have passions, and I allow the desire to learn more about those passions become a passion in and of itself.

When I want to learn about something, nothing holds me back. I believe that I can make myself into whatever it is that is in my sights.

What makes a person well-rounded?

Give in to that desire.

You want to get your business online?

Get nerdy with it!

You’ll get over it – but the amount of information you can learn in a short time of obsession is immeasurable. The learning that you do isn’t going to leave you.

As you let yourself go in and out of mini-obsessions, you’ll start to see that you’re becoming one of those Jack of All Trade types who has dabbled in a bit of everything.

Give yourself mini-obsessions. Chase what is interesting to you now and then let it expire.

Have faith in yourself.

If you’re thinking about how hard something is when you’re trying to learn it, you will be so distracted that it really will be hard to grasp.

Have some faith that you’re of the human species, which is specifically designed to adapt and learn new skills quickly. We’re also very good at using those skills to our advantage for survival.

You must overcome the mental hurdle, and in my opinion the best way is to forget it’s there.

Follow the 80/20 rule.

Pareto’s Law states that about 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. That means you can reach the 80% percentile of skill level at something new with only about 20% of the total effort it would take you to get to an expert skill level.

At the beginning of a new skill you’re going to have a sharp learning curve where you go from “beginner” to “intermediate advanced” pretty quickly.

Let yourself reach that point and then don’t worry about becoming an expert. When you need a real expert you can have them come in and help, but in the meantime you’re suddenly able to handle a lot of situations that you weren’t equipped for before.

Use this to your advantage.

You want to learn to blog for your business?

Spend a few days totally obsessing over what that will take. Spend a few weeks practicing churning out blog post after blog post. You won’t always make this much time for it, so take advantage of your new learning passion and take as much learning curve out as you can.

You want to learn social media for your business?

Set up an account and practice all the time until you feel comfortable with it, or at least feel that you’ve started to get it. Sure, you won’t always be this active in social media but this is going to get your foot in the door.

You want to learn to ________ for your business?

Use this rapid learning style to just do it. Get the scariest part over by jumping in feet first with a fire that cannot be contained.

The rest will come naturally to you.

What are you going to learn this week?

Here is the first Web Tip I ever did – learn about KISS and why you need to do it every day.

You can subscribe to the channel at youtube.com/annedorko - or if you want access to secret videos and early access to web tips, you can subscribe to my newsletter by using the form under “Enter your email to get web tips in your inbox!” in the upper right hand corner of this page.

If you can’t see the video, click here to watch.

• November is the National Novel Writing Month. I will be participating, and as such, I will only be blogging once per week instead of twice.
• The maintenance guide I’m working on seems to be losing direction. I am putting it on hold until I find something better for it.
• Tell me what you’d like to learn about from me over the next month in the comments. I have some post ideas but ultimately this blog is for you, not me.
  Example questions: “How do I fix this bug with my website?” “I can’t figure out what to do with this page.” “How do I write a good About page?” 
• For that matter, if you feel like there’s something missing at all in my blog, website, or resources let me know!

With that out of the way, on to the learning, soldiers!

What is the ROI of Social Media?

Scott Stratten of UnMarketing recently posted a video that I loved. (By the way, if you’re not reading the UnMarketing blog, you really should be. Scott is really awesome. Make sure you subscribe to his newsletter.)

Hold on… there is no ROI?

*slow clap*

In the comments following that video, I’ve seen arguments to companies actually doing the math of what the return on investment is to answer the phones. Tell me what the return on investment was to calculate that return on investment?

It’s an insane, illogical circle I tell you.

“Okay!” you shout, “we get it! We should be on social media. I mean, we even read your guide on using social media as a marketing tool.” (Oh, I just went there.)

Fine. If you insist.

3 Easy Steps to Social

Step One:
Show up.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just give a shout out to a business when I talk about them on Twitter (mostly positive!) but there is no Twitter handle to use.

Often, this means I don’t send that tweet. Why would I? Then I have to go to a lot of extra work to find a link or some sort of information that will allow my followers to figure out who the hell I am talking about.

If I send this out on Twitter: “Just had a bomb burger at @yourbusinesshere”, then my followers can find your business and it’s information by clicking through and finding out who you are on your terms.

Fixing the problem:

Time to sign up for any given social media account:

30 seconds

Step Two: Visit.

So you signed up for a Twitter account (or Facebook page, or what have you).

That’s great. 

Except not.

“What the heck Anne? You told me this is what I NEEDED.”

I’m sorry – I lied. Well, I didn’t really lie, but we’re only on Step Two so you just know we’re not finished yet. I really hope that you don’t feel deceived.

So what comes next?

Well, the only thing worse than not having a social media account is having one and then completely forgetting it exists.

Update irregularly? Not optimal, but it still works.

Creating an account and never doing a damn thing with it EVER? Why bother? You’re sending the message to your customers that you forgot about it and you’ll forget about them too.

Fixing the problem:

Time it takes to update your social media profile even just once per week:

30 seconds/week

Up to 5 minutes if you include some research time for ideas.

Step Three: Listen and respond.

This is the most vital step. The first two were just warming you up to get to this stage.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Social media is high tech relationship marketing.

Depending on how active your customers are on any given social media service, you’ll want to check for conversation around your business once or twice per day.

If people aren’t talking about you, you’re going to want to check for conversation around the type of service or products that your business offers.

If you have time, do both anyways.

You should make it a goal to reply to a set number of people every day. Maybe 3. Maybe 5. Maybe 10. I recommend starting small. Let’s say your minimum is 3. Find 3 conversations to get involved with.

Now, when I say to reply to these people, I don’t mean just shoot them a link to your website.

Make it useful.

I am constantly giving away free tips and advice to people because it helps me establish authority in my field. It also helps that I honestly enjoy helping people. I cannot count the number of “THANK YOU SO MUCH” replies I have received.

Here’s one of my favorites:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/mistressmia/status/118838899819819009"]

That sort of response should be your goal with every reply you give.

Fixing the problem:

Time it takes to monitor for mentions of your business and reply:

5 minutes/day

Go forth and be social.

What are you waiting for?

Oh, and when you get there make sure you follow me on Twitter and circle me on Google+

Being real.

Keeping true to your passions.

Seeing your business through the eyes of your customers.

What I do that is invaluable is make visible the lines between those principles and action items. That interpretation is a skill.

I am here to remind you of the goal.

I am here to remind you of your cornerstone.

I am here to keep you inspired.

I am here to keep you thinking outside of the box when you get sucked back into it.

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