CS Design, Inc. dba 
140 Brockton Pl. Valparaiso, In 46385 219-464-9463 www.larrygaller.com Larry@larrygaller.com Building more profitable, more sustainable, and more enjoyable businesses Notable Quotable: "People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps."
Mary Kay Ash The latest column published 2/12/12 in the Business Section of “The Times" “Bucketize” Your Problems to solve them A businessperson recently told me that he had so many problems, challenges, and special situations that, “I'm overwhelmed and don't know where or how to start solving them.” So I asked him to list these issues over the next week, as he thought of them, in no particular order. When we talked next, he gave me a laundry list of issues and I could see how he felt overwhelmed. I then introduced him to the concept of “bucketizing.” “Bucketizing” is a verb I made up that describes the process of putting seemingly disparate things into categories or “buckets.” These “buckets” are quite different from the one in the Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson movie “The Bucket List” where two terminal cancer patients enjoy adventures together before “kicking the bucket.” I'm oversimplifying here because of space, but an example of a “Customer Service” bucket might have entries of “late delivery,” “arguing about a guarantee,” and “being rude to a client on the telephone.” The reason I suggest putting them all together into a “bucket” is because there might be, and often are, solutions each issue shares in common with others. For instance, improving communications with clients might be a partial solution for the three issues above. If they are all in the same “bucket” then we can work on them together, modifying the solution slightly for specific situations instead of starting from scratch with each issue. The initial response for each of these problems might start with the statement, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Tell me more about this situation so I can be of help.” Those two sentences can be used in many instances and will change the dynamic from a situation where the customer is angry and ready for battle into one where the two people speaking are working together to solve a problem so that the customer be satisfied and not be lost forever.
Rather than “overwhelm paralysis” from looking at all the issues facing you, just deal with one “bucket” at a time. Your load will be much lighter, your task easier, and you will accomplish so much more. Send a comment or question to Larry: Larry@larrygaller.com 
Time for your BREAKTHROUGH? The first session in the "One Year to Greatness" program is Tuesday, February 28 @ 7pm Eastern. If you want to transform your business into a Great Business, listen to the recording of the introductory call - just phone me at 219-464-9463 (leave a message if you get voice mail) or send an emailLarry@larrygaller.com with "Recording" in the subject line and I'll send it to you. Musings A LEAP YEAR Special Event! Because 2012 is a Leap Year, there is an extra day tacked onto February. It can be just a normal day ("same old / same old")or a day of POW! BAM! & Wowie! intense improvement. Three leading, business advisors have combined their talents to develop a unique full-day Business Improvement Intensive Webinar: “Focus on the Customer” - Ursula Saqui PhD. of Saqui Research
- Kathy Sipple of My Social Media Coach
- Larry Galler Small Business Greatness Coach and Times Columnist
Together we will be leading, in an interactive webinar format, a full day of creative, inspiring presentations, case studies, and panel discussions centered around the topic: “Focus on the Customer” Among the topics discussed will be: - Building a Customer Focused Business
- Engage with your Customers utilizing the power of Social Media
- Learn your Customers wants and needs through available market research resources
The cost of this event is $79 if you reserve your space before Feburary 22, $129 after 2/22. Reserve your space here: http://2012businessleap.eventbrite.com/ FREE STUFF!! Business Assessment I am again offering the highly acclaimed ROCK SOLID™ Business Self-Assessment It's FREE - $99 Value No one knows your business better than you. - You know the great, the good, the bad… and the ugly.
- You know what keeps you awake at night.
- You know, more than anyone, your dreams for the future, your fears about the future, the joys and frustrations of your business in the day-to-day.
But.. you don't know what you don't know - and the BSA (Business Self-Assessment) will help you identify the issues that you don't know (but are there) and clarify the issues you do know. The goal is to help you create a path towards resolving and improving those issues. By investing just ten to fifteen minutes taking an on-line assessment with 28 critical questions, you will have the opportunity to delve into your business in ways you have probably never probed. When you see the recommendations report and discuss it you will become aware, perhaps for the first time, of issues you have identified as challenges to overcome on your road towards realizing your ambition and creating a Rock-Solid™ Business. This assessment considers twenty-eight critical business health factors and, using sophisticated algorithms, creates a Recommendations Report which will give you a roadmap towards a more profitable, sustainable, and enjoyable business. Along with the Recommendations Report you also get a brief telephone analysis meeting with a trained, experienced Business Coach (that's me!). This analysis meeting will help you formulate prioritized actions to overcome the "bad and ugly" parts of your business and also help you make the "good" better, even great! To get started just send me an email Larry@larrygaller.com with "Self Assessment" in the subject line. In the body of the email please state your name, telephone number, business name, and time zone. I will set an appointment with you at a mutually convenient time to conduct the assessment by telephone. This offer is limited to just five Self Assessments per week and is appropriate for businesses with a staff of at least five in total.
FREE Special Report: Policies... Got 'Em? Company policies have got to be in place to manage a business effectively so everyone knows how certain actions are to be handled... from company hours to customer service issues, from time off for vacations or illness to grantees and refunds. Yet many small businesses have only verbal policies, not written out. Staff is given them once when new hires then not reinforced. Policies are important marketing and managing tools. This FREE Special Report will give you insight into how you can better create and enforce policies and help you lead your company to greatness. To receive your free copy just send an email to Larry@larrygaller.com and put "Special Report" in the subject line.
Larry's Speaker's Bureau This year was the busiest I've had for speaking engagements - 22 events all together for a multitude of organizations - service clubs, Chambers of Commerce, Industry Associations, Business Honor Societies. While I'm occasionally short of breath I'm never short of words! Some of the topics I've spoken on this year were: - "Power Networking" (Become a more effective Networker)
- "Boomerang Marketing" (Advanced Customer Retention)
- "Building a Culture of Innovation"
- "Marketing in these Difficult Times"
- "Preparing your business for Sale or Succession"
If your business group is looking for a dynamic presentation on business-building topics I'd be happy to talk to you. Email Larry@larrygaller.com or phone me at (219) 464-9463 to discuss topics, dates, etc. © Copyright 2012 CS Design, Inc. dba Larry Galler & Assoc. All Rights Reserved This newsletter is completely written by Larry Galler except for comments supplied by readers with attribution 
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