Trick-or-Treaters in the Office

We’ve had a HUGE week here at BLI, with the BLI Dream Team (Scott, Brian and Terry) on the road in the Southeast, signing several new dealers, and more! I apologize for the infrequent blog updates, but to make it up to you, here’s a giant dose of “Awwww!”

Brian's kids: Aleenay (princess) and Brennan (Lightning McQueen pit crew member)

Brennan and Aleenay -- with mom, Bridget, and little sister, Makaelyn (kitty cat)

Chrisy's daughter: Leanna (Tweety Bird)

Renee' giving candy to Leanna

Monica's son: Andon (monkey)

Andon -- with mom, Monica

Tonya's daughter: Chloe (zebra)

Will giving candy to Chloe

Tonya's son: Gaige (duck)

Gaige -- and mom, Tonya

an attempt at a group photo

Will's son: Hunter (tiger)

Chrisy holding Hunter

Have a safe, happy Halloween weekend!

‘Get Out There and Sell Somethin!’

At BLI, we really enjoy Sales Trainer Phil Rea and his “pep talk” videos. They circulate around the office, and here and there, we might hear Phil’s voice coming from the speakers of a coworker. Phil always gives a good laugh along with good sales advice.

We feel this week’s video was particularly relevant to our dealers, so that is why we’re sharing it. We are proud to partner with manufacturers who build truly high-quality buildings. This week’s video is a great reminder to ask for what you want — ask for what you deserve to receive for that building. There’s no need to beg customers when all you really need to do is let the quality of your building speak for itself.

Listen to what Phil has to say:

Your Website: Your Business’ Home on the Internet

Image courtesy of http://laht.com

When business is slow and budget cuts have to be made, it’s easy to dismiss the importance of your company’s website. However,your website is your company’s home on the Internet — it’s where people find you when they’re shopping from home instead of driving to your location.

Logic tells us that if your sales lot is professional, laid out well, and easy to find, that will go a long way in making your business successful. Similarly, your website is your online “lot,” and it should look professional and be easy to find and use. There are ways to save money by building, designing and maintaining your own website, and since this might not be your specialty, here are some simple guidelines to help you out.

DESIGN
As a general rule, simple is best. In the same way a woman can’t go wrong with a simple, black dress, you can’t go wrong with a simple, clean website. When your website is kept simple, it’s easier to read, easier to use and aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, when you can’t decide between three fonts, four colors and several goofy animations, so you just use them all — that’s when you run the risk of making your site look cheesy, childish and unprofessional.

A happy medium for keeping the website budget low while having a professional website is to hire someone to develop the site for you and have this person create a template with which you can maintain and update the site on your own. If you can’t afford that, there are easy-to-use sites out there. I’ve used Yola (very easy — and free) and Squarespace (slightly more advanced — reasonably priced for its features).

CONTENT
On a related note, be sure to consistently update your content as to keep customers coming back for more information. Having a blog on your website is a great way to do this, but keeping customers on top of your newest products and ongoing sales/promotions will accomplish the same goal.

Avoid using huge blocks of text. Website visitors are looking to absorb a lot of information in very little time, so stick with short paragraphs written in an easy-to-understand, jargon-free manner. Spreading out your products’ details throughout the website is important too; don’t put every piece of information on the home page, because that can be overwhelming to visitors.

IMAGES
A website devoid of photos and images will tell visitors nothing about your barns and sheds. A few photos showing your different styles, some swatches of exterior colors you offer, even drawings of your layouts will tell a lot about what you offer. The key is that these photos and images look professional. Hiring a photographer to take a few photos of your barns won’t break the bank, and it will really add to the polished look of your website.

Feel free to post photos of happy customers with their new barns, but put these in a special gallery — don’t feature them on your home page. As I mentioned earlier, steer clear of the old-school animations. They make your site look dated and silly.

LAST TIPS

• Once you’ve invested time in working on your website, you’re not able to think objectively. Ask employees and friends to give you their opinion.
• Look at competitors’ websites. Chances are you’ll be able to tell what they’re doing well and what they’re doing poorly even if you aren’t a professional web developer. If they’re doing it wrong, do it better. If they’re doing it right, do it better.
• Use the Internet to find more tips and tricks. There are plenty of business owners like you out there in the same boat, so there are many out there offering their advice.

What are you trying to accomplish with your website? Is it easy to find and easy to use? What could you do better? If you’d like advice on how to improve your current website, feel free to give me a call or e-mail me!

Comraderie in the Workplace

Photo by Jacque Haag

The Kansas State Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks face off in Lawrence tomorrow, and it has the office pretty stirred up. Among the sports fans on staff, the BLI team members are split almost perfectly on either side of this instate rivalry.

This week, Terry thought it would be fun to cover the place in K-State and KU sports memorabilia. He and I really got into it, and our desks have been attracting quite a bit of attention. (Note: All that superior K-State stuff you see belongs to me. Terry was supposed to bring more KU gear today, but he’s not in the office. )

In all seriousness, he and I often talk about how important it is to enjoy not only our work but also the people we work with. Terry likes to point out that we spend more time with our coworkers than we do our own family. (And we do! Think about it — eight hours a day working, eight hours a day sleeping, the other eight spread out among errands, daily activities, commutes, family, etc.)

To some, it might seem that we tend to goof off. But truly, we love our jobs, we love our coworkers, and we love life. (Think about the frustration of being the only upbeat person in a group of grumpy, uninterested employees!) Life is too short — so we enjoy what we’re given. We are truly blessed to work in an environment of hardworking, caring, generous and encouraging people.

You can see that this instance of K-State/KU rivalry is actually an example of the comraderie we have.

Share with us! What “rivalries” do you have? How do you and your coworkers invest in each other’s lives and keep the office mood light? How could you promote an environment of teamwork and encouragement?

Scott’s Trip to Malawi

As you might have read in our last newsletter and on Twitter, Scott has been in Malawi, Africa. He, along with 22 other men from around the world, were there for more than two weeks on a Bible distribution trip with the Gideons. They distributed more than 500,000 Scriptures. We’ll let the photos tell the story.

Find more photos here.

“What a great time here in Africa. Response to the Word is unbelievable. Such a hunger and openness to the Gospel.” –Scott, in an e-mail update from Africa

Like the Birds

Image courtesy of www.destinationknowlton.com

Every fall there is a flock of birds that migrate through a parking lot in Emporia. They fill the trees and sing to their hearts’ content. I love it! They have not a care in the world. They are not concerned about their next meal or the cat who wants them as his next meal.

The Bible says, “For this reason I say unto you, do not be worried about your life. As to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more that they?” –Matthew 6:25-26

In all our hustle and bustle, let’s not forget that God made life to be enjoyed. Why take life seriously? We will never get out of it alive.

HOW TO: Tackle Blogging for Your Business

Here’s part three in my ongoing series on social media. (Here are the Facebook and Twitter posts.) By now, I’m sure you have a pretty good handle on what a blog is, so this should be easy, right?

At the Social Media Marketing Book Camp with Sarah Evans that I keep talking about, I learned some facts about the average blogger. You might find them interesting:

• The blogosphere is dominated by affluent, educated male bloggers.
• Bloggers use Twitter more than the average person.
• Most bloggers do not make money by blogging.
• Most bloggers are hobbyists.

If you’re ready to get started, there are a lot of ways to go. As you can tell, we use WordPress. I’ve also used Blogger before. Both are free and easy to use. You can customize your URL (like ours is blirentals.wordpress.com), as long as no one else has already chosen it.

WHAT DO I PUT ON A BLOG?
There are so many ways you can use your blog, and I recommend checking out how other bloggers use their site. Blogs concerning the same industry will be especially helpful. (My general mission when checking out competitors is not to copy them — it’s to see what they’re doing, what they’re not doing, and how I can do the job better than they do.) Here are some general ideas:

• Pick a national issue (probably something you’ve just read about in the news) and add your own commentary and insights on the issue.
• Write about relevant events — specials, promotions, open houses, trade shows, etc.
• Invite others to write a guest post. This person should be an expert in a relevant field or have experience that is relevant to your readers.
• Share interesting anecdotes — maybe about a little girl’s reaction to her new playhouse or an interesting way a customer is using their barn or shed.
• Post corresponding images and videos. Original content is ideal here but not a requirement (as long as you give proper credit).
• Plan what to write about ahead of time. You can use themes. (Be creative: “How-to Tuesdays” and “Customer Appreciation Week.”)

ANY MORE TIPS?

• Use descriptive, interesting, attention-grabbing titles.
• Use the same language your audience uses. Do all your customers understand the technical details of how you build sheds? Probably not. So cut back on the jargon and put it in terms they can understand. And don’t overuse the thesaurus. Readers can tell when you’re using words you don’t usually use, and this detracts from their ability to relate to you.
• Ask questions to promote interaction.
• Check for comments once or twice a day. Respond to those who comment.
• Share your blog posts on other social networks, like Facebook and Twitter.
• Be consistent. Post one or two blog entries a week.
• Create your own content, and be yourself.
• Don’t forget to spell check!

Does this help you get started with blogging? What other questions do you have? As always, if you don’t want to post them here, feel free to call or e-mail me.