Magnus Marketing Blog

Well, I DID get some lovely responses from my clients for the New Year. Shally Steckerl of JobMachine who always outdoes his generosity sent an extravagent gift and made me feel very humbled. John and Paul sent a funny picture with the basket I sent them. Others sent nice notes and warm wishes. How nice to be appreciated! It's the little things. My joy would have come from a nice card that said, "Thank you for your help in 2008, I look forward to working with you in 2009". Sometimes I really desire a nice stable job with a nice boss so I don't have to worry about paying my car, rent, or other expenses. I do replace clients very quickly and book up very fast, but every time, I keep thinking no one will want me to work with them. I hate doing my own business development, absolutely hate it - it is my Achilles Hell. :)

So any business that expects to double their revenue this year is crazy. If you work for a nut like this, start writing a business plan - you'll be better off taking your time and finding your own clients. While all of my clients are getting bites, it has slowed dramatically. I sent "prospect warnings" to all my clients, telling them it will be a slower 1st Quarter than last year. That is my prediction across the board for all businesses. There is no magic bullet folks, none - only being smart about what business you develop - period.

Surprisingly, people are buying stuff from Kohl's. The sales have been good and even better at our little store in East Brunswick. Many customers love our store and comment on how nice the staff is (because of me. :) ) and how organized (again, because of me). Actually, we still have the best team of people and managers there. In fact, I want to take a minute to write about a great manager named Dave. Dave has got to be the best boss I have ever had aside from Sunil Singhal formerly of Hexaware. Not only does he always greet me and my colleagues with this absolutely beaming smile, but he always takes some time to chat about store or personal business. He treats everyone very fairly and has shared a break or two with me and the girls. He is extraordinarily respectful of any opinions and will take the time to explain in detail why an idea or observation may or may not make sense. Sometimes he can be a little annoying or sarcastic in tone and may spend a little too much time in the office or freight area, but overall he is truly a great person. I have worked with Dave now for three years and hope he will be around for 3 more. The relationship I have with Dave is exactly what I should have had with the million other people I worked for - instead I won the lottery and kept pulling jackasses.

I'd rather have my blanket, Dell Vostro, and two phones in a cold attic than work for anyone like the former bosses I had. I like my clients very much, glad to have such great people to support and am waiting for the big one. Will it be AlphaPoint Technology premiered at Gartner? 3X on the cover of CRN? JobMachine written up in Marketing News? Let's see what 2009 will bring!