I received a question from “Mike,” who runs a small business that creates websites for other businesses. The presenting question was “Would it be wise to use the weekly throw away newspaper to follow-up with advertisers and potential customers?” The idea was that he quickly could see whether an advertiser listed a website and contact them if they did not have one.

My perspective is that most of these publications are read by people with a lot of time on their hands and without much money. I also believe that most of the advertisers in these publications operate on a shoestring budget and sell to people without a lot of money. Generally, this does not provide a good context for increasing revenue.

A long time ago, I worked part-time for a coin dealer. One of the first tricks I learned was to place a nice coin on a piece of black velvet. The black background blocked out distractions and highlighted the coin in the best possible way. The black allowed the customer to focus entirely on the coin.  Jewelers typically use the same trick.

You can use the same technique with photos for a catalog, eBay, or your website. Put the product on a black background. This will avoid excess clutter which is distracting.  The obvious exception would be situations where clothing is on a model or you are demonstrating something like a lawnmower where you want to show how it cuts grass.

Good lighting is important. If you don’t have the proper lights, consider purchasing some. You can purchase some for less than one hundred dollars from Amazon.com using this link:  http://amzn.to/2iknl1n

“The Lord spoke to Isaiah and said, ‘Present your case,’ says the LORD. ‘Set forth your arguments,’ says Jacob's King.” (Isaiah 41:21, NIV) In the marketplace we need to present the strongest arguments possible for a product or service.  Part of that argument is to use a background to highlight our products.

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Unacceptable is a very clear word to me.  An unacceptable circumstance is intolerable for business or customers. I’ve used an auto repair shop that’s convenient, reasonable in cost, and has an owner I believe is ethical.  However for six weeks, their phone system hasn’t worked properly. When I call and no one picks up the call, it goes to voicemail except you cannot leave a message on any of the extensions. I brought this situation to the owner and manager on several occasions.  Clearly this is extremely frustrating because I can’t get through to make an appointment to bring my car in.  Or if my car is in the shop, I can’t find out if it’s ready.

The other day I drove to an appointment to visit a client and the traffic backed up for several miles on my route. When the slowdown first occurred, I blamed it on Christmas shopping traffic and I allowed extra time. However, it turned out that a traffic light was out on a major intersection, and there was not a policeman to direct traffic. This created a three mile traffic snarl that made me 15 minutes late for an appointment. I have a rule that I’m never late for client appointments. I started to view my tardiness as a disaster, especially since I was meeting a client for the first time. However, after I thought about it; I started putting the situation in true focus. This was not a disaster; it was simply a minor problem or annoyance.

I recently encountered a computer glitch which I struggled to work through. Rather than continue to frustrate myself and waste time, I hired somebody for $60 to fix the problem. The money was well spent.  

In your business it is important to know when to hire a specialist to do tasks you cannot do or could accomplish more effectively with their help. When you do, you allow yourself and others to concentrate on higher value work.