Thanksgiving is by definition a great time to stop and smell the roses. A few days off to spend time with family and friends and remind ourselves of how much we have to be thankful for. Like many others, I am most grateful for my lovely bride, family and friends, and good health. But this is business blog, so lets get pragmatic.
Top 3 Business Things I Am Most Thankful for in 2011
Virtual Business – The virtual business model has improved my lifestyle significantly. I am more effective during a 45-50 hour work week than I was previously during a 60+ hour week. The elimination of travel, office interruptions and internal meetings allows me to be more responsive to clients and prospects and to execute my sales and marketing initiatives with greater efficacy. It also allowed me to create a business that was profitable from day one. Most importantly, the virtual model creates more time for my family and yields an improved quality of life, and I am very appreciative.
Our eMarketing & Webinar Campaign – Our monthly insurance agency eMarketing and web seminar campaign continually yields 40-50% of our new prospects and clients. It is a program that we enjoy delivering, it brings value to our target market, and it pays significant dividends. A win/win/win like this is rare, so we invest time and resources in maintaining the efficacy of the campaign. However it continues to be time well spent and I am very thankful for the opportunities it creates.
Improved Retention – I came from the insurance business where 90% retention is mediocre, 95% is decent, and dollar for dollar retention rates often exceed 100% in a hard market. So I needed a retention reality check when leaving that industry. We do not disclose specific numbers, but subjectively from my viewpoint of very high standards, I felt our retention was good last year, and was very good this year. A bump to excellent next year would be phenomenal, but I am more than pleased at our current level.
What are you thankful for in your business?