RVC Design Solutions

“What do you do?”

“I’m a typographer.”

“Oh, you’re a topographer. So does that mean you have a geology background, or you mostly work with maps?”

“Erm, not exactly. I’m a typographer, I work with fonts.”

“Funds? Like an investment banker?”

If you are a designer who cares about typography, odds are that you regularly try to explain to somebody–whether a client or someone at a party–why anybody should care about typography. Web designers are beginning to face these same questions that have long plagued graphic designers, thanks to new Web technologies such as @font-face and CSS3 typography features.

In the past decade, awareness of fonts and typography has become a bigger part of mainstream culture than it once was, thanks to such things as Gary Hustwit’s documentary film Helvetica, frequent news coverage of people who hate Comic Sans and type designer Matthew Carter winning a MacArthur “genius” grant. But all too often one is met with a blank look and/or confusion as to why anyone would bother about such things. Having encountered this regularly in my professional career as a typographer, I thought I’d share some of the ideas, arguments and information I’ve marshaled over the years: explaining branding, analogies about film, fashion and furniture, and summarizing recent research.

Even subtle differences in typography, such as appropriate small caps, old style figures, kerning and ligatures can measurably affect how people react to a document, as shown in this experiment by Larson et al.

Why care about typography and fonts at all? The branding argument is an easy one to make. The brand is the unique personality that identifies a product, service, person or place. Design gives us the visual instantiation of a brand. The selection of typefaces and the arrangement of them can be as important as the use of color, images or abstract graphics in creating a brand, and this is usually easy to explain.

But wait, your client says, “I already have a logo. Why worry about fonts and typography everywhere else?”

New York-based designer James Puckett had a great explanation when we discussed the issue on Typophile.com: “I always tell people that the difference between good typography and [bad typography] is the difference between work that looks professional and work that looks like someone threw it together in MS Word. One reason Apple’s stores look so good is the careful and consistent application of [the typeface] Myriad. But Kmart’s careless mashup of Helvetica, Gill Sans, News Gothic and Gotham looks like, well, Kmart.”

OK, so being consistent is good, but why not just be consistent with Times or Courier? Why do people keep designing new fonts anyway, don’t we have enough already? Hasn’t everything already been invented by now?

Typography is like fashion, or furniture. With rare functional exceptions, the world doesn’t “need” new clothing or furniture designs, but people want to look different or evoke a particular feeling or fit with a particular “look,” and there are trends and styles. While true innovation is rare, people consistently come up with variations on existing themes, or combine existing elements in new ways, whether in type design, clothing or furniture.

The kinds of clothing designs we see on Paris runways are usually the fashion equivalent of display typography—usable only in narrow situations, creating a memorable style that communicates quite strongly. Everyday clothing styles are a different matter, communicating more subtly, like body text choices in typography.

I like to use fashion and furniture analogies for another reason: Typefaces, too, are artifacts that can be aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. A great chair is not only visually attractive, but comfortable to sit in; a great typeface can be pleasing to the eye, and perform other functions as well, such as being legible for printing a newspaper, or on screen at body text sizes. Like furniture and clothing design, type design is a craft, blending art and science.

“Sure, that’s all very well, but I hardly notice the difference between this Aerial and Gill Sans, and I’m sure my customers won’t either. Same with all these fancy features you talk about, like ligatures and old-fashioned numbers.”

It would be great to answer this objection by quoting differences in reading speed and comprehension from good typography. But it turns out that even aesthetically unappealing choices rarely make a difference in those kinds of objective measures. One has to go to serious extremes to have a major impact on such variables.

Even so, as psychiatrist/philosopher Paul Watzlawick said (oft-quoted by Erik Spiekermann and others), “One cannot not communicate.” Applied to typography, this suggests that even using system fonts and default settings in Microsoft Word is a choice that has an effect. Viewers don’t have to be consciously aware of the details to experience the collective impact of typography. Even if the effective communication of the typography is “this is a typical office document.” That is a statement in itself, and one that can matter—particularly if the desired communication is “this is a menu from a fun restaurant.”

Once clients or acquaintances are convinced that typography matters, often they want to do things that we might consider, well, cheesy. Or at least excessive. In an online discussion, Italian designer Andrea de Franco observed, “There’s a general urge for something that shouts the communication as loud as possible, confusing accessibility and clarity with mere visual pollution.” Of course, there is a place for evocative typography, but unless one is being deliberately campy, there are limits.

So how does typography communicate without people noticing typography? It’s like watching a film: The average movie-goer knows little or nothing about camera movement and film editing, and rarely consciously notices these things, yet directors can still affect viewers by using these techniques. Similarly, people can be affected by good typography without being actively aware of it.

Yet if good typography doesn’t affect reading speed or comprehension, what difference does it make, and how do we know?

More sophisticated research techniques are beginning to show how good typography affects a reader’s mood and even performance on other tasks. Microsoft may not have a great rep with creative professionals, but they deserve props for having Kevin Larson, a cognitive psychologist on staff who focuses solely on reading, fonts and typography. Microsoft sponsors all sorts of research in this area by Larson and others, notably the set of studies by Larson, Hazlett, Chaparro and Picard published as “Measuring the Aesthetics of Reading,” results of which were first presented at the ATypI conference in Helsinki in 2005, and later published in 2006.

In short, they found two ways to measure the impact of good versus bad typography. One was “reduced activation in the corrugator muscle” (people frowned less), and the other was “improved performance on creative cognitive tasks” tackled after reading. Again, this was with documents that did not produce differences in reading speed or comprehension.

Until not long ago, most research on typography, and especially research on legibility in type design, was lacking. Luckily, there is a whole new wave of psychologists and typographers doing serious experimental research on the effects of good typography, and even what constitutes good typography or legible typeface design, and doing it in ways that are not leading to ridicule from typographers and type designers. Sofie Beier, for her PhD at the Royal College of Art in London, has done some fabulous research (published as a paper with Larson in Information Design Journal, 2010) on designing letterforms for legibility. Cognitive psychologist Dawn Shaikh, who has an extensive background in typography and legibility research, is now a user experience researcher at Google.

Other recent Micosoft-sponsored research looks at new ways of measuring eye fatigue during reading, which also seems likely to show dividends from good typography. The orbicularis oculi is the big muscle around the eye that we use for blinking and squinting, and hooking sensors up to it during reading allows measurement of what we might think of as eyestrain. Initial results from this line of research tell us that black on white text is more legible than gray on gray, and also that twelve point text is usually better than nine point. I like to cite these points because they support my own pro-legibility prejudices, but I will be the first to note that they do not necessarily mesh with current typographic fashion, especially in Web design.

Orbicularis research notwithstanding, as best as we can tell, most of what passes for typographic wisdom has a strong basis, not only in the tradition and culture of typography and design, but even in recent science. Many years ago I found it frustrating to justify why typography matters, but today I relish it.

Thomas Phinney

Using the perfect font is essential for good digital brand marketing. It is important to capture people’s attention and font is a main element of this process.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the late 1440’s and typography came to exist. Molds were created into metal type casts that made particular fonts that were used in printing. Modern technology today has allowed several versions of the same font to be created, generating typeface families. Read on for important tips on how to navigate through various typefaces to find the perfect brand and master typography in marketing.

Readability

Sans-Serif vs. Serif are two branches of font families and are imperative to good brand marketing. Readability attracts a customer’s eye and keeps them reading about the products and services being offered. Choosing certain fonts and typefaces ensures consistent readability and furthers the success of your product.

Sans-serif fonts do not have lines on the edge of text and are considered easier to look at. This increases readability and sans-serif fonts are often used in titles and subtitles for this purpose. In recent years, sans-serif fonts have become used more often in body copy on websites but are traditionally used for headlines.

Serif fonts have extra lines and detailing on the lettering and are often used in body copy because it arguably increases readability. Sans-serif fonts can often lose the reader’s eye and serif fonts ease the reading process and help people keep their place in bodies of text.

Differentiating between Titles and Body Copy is another part of choosing the best typefaces for ideal brand marketing. The title and logo in brand marketing must be distinctly different from the body text used on the website. Subtitles used must also not clash with the title or logo or it will result in a chaotic and unappealing webpage.

Kerning is the spacing between the letters of a title and is a central element to the title. The font used in the logo or title cannot be too close together or it will not be easily legible. The leading in the body copy follows similar rules. Leading is the space between lines of text and special attention needs to be taken to ensure that the space between lines is appropriate so that the text is decipherable.

Accessibility

The typography used must be accessible on different mobile interfaces. One source of type may look readable on a large mac computer yet when accessing the webpage on a smartphone, the body copy becomes illegible. It is important to double-check the accessibility of various fonts on different devices.

Many free sources of typography are not reliable on the interweb. Certain fonts are available for a limited time and then disappear due to copyright infringement or other issues and the webpage becomes unreadable. It is more viable to utilize reliable sources of typography such as Typekit, a licensed source for fonts that can be rented or purchased at a reasonable cost.

Personality

Different typefaces reflect a different company ethos. Classic and traditional fonts tend to lean towards an audience that is looking for a reliable and traditional company. Modern and Fresh type fonts lend themselves to young urban professionals looking to move forward into more futuristic company sources. Funky fonts are more stylistically creative and are appropriate for audiences that are younger and more attracted to fun interfaces. Lastly, elegant typefaces appeal to clothing companies and exudes femininity.

Consistency

Using consistent typography is vital to good brand marketing. Titles and logos should be repeated to present a uniform design model as well as similar body copy on different webpages. Using various fonts creates chaos and detracts the eye.

It is also important to use consistent color schemes with type. Contrasting colors are a good choice but they must be constant or it will not create a cohesive brand.

Customer service is an integral part of our job and should not be seen as an extension of it. A company’s most vital asset is its customers. Without them, we would not and could not exist in business. When you satisfy our customers, they not only help us grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates.

The practice of customer service should be as present on the show floor as it is in any other sales environment.

1. Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes your job possible.
2. Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions – thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. Do you know what three things are most important to your customer? Effective listening and undivided attention are particularly important on the show floor where there is a great danger of preoccupation – looking around to see to whom else we could be selling to.
3. Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don’t buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs.
4. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about doing business with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance. On the show floor be sure that your body language conveys sincerity. Your words and actions should be congruent.
5. Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world’s best systems for getting things done, but if customers don’t understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how your systems work and how they simplify transactions. Be careful that your systems don’t reduce the human element of your organization.
6. Appreciate the power of “Yes”. Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Always do what you say you are going to do.
7. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It’s easy and customers like it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win. Deal with problems immediately and let customers know what you have done. Make it simple for customers to complain. Value their complaints. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an opportunity to improve. Even if customers are having a bad day, go out of your way to make them feel comfortable.
8. Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition.
9. Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition.
10. Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation stems from the top. Treating customers and employees well is equally important.

Here’s a quick and fun way to enrich your business knowledge: streaming documentaries on Netflix.

The online movie and TV service has a vast cache of business and tech documentaries that anyone with a subscription can watch instantly. The topics range from profiles of great tech innovators like Steve Jobs to deep dives into industrial design.

Each of these 12 documentaries offers an entertaining storyline, as well as valuable insights into business success.

“Jiro Dreams Of Sushi” profiles Jiro Ono, a Japanese sushi chef and restaurant owner who is widely revered for his skill and $300-a-plate dinners. It follows the 85-year-old master as he works with vendors to secure the finest ingredients, manages and mentors his staff, and prepares his son to succeed him when he retires. The movie brings viewers inside the dedication, obsession, and decades of hard work it takes to achieve perfection.

“TED Talks: Life Hacks” is a collection of 10 popular TED lectures that offer tips and insights for success in life and business. You’ll learn body-language secrets from Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, research-backed productivity tricks from positive psychology expert Shawn Achor, and more.

“Inside: Lego,” a short 2014 film by Bloomberg, takes viewers inside one of the greatest turnaround stories in recent history. Lego, the Denmark-based toy maker, was in trouble in the early 2000s. It had overextended, lost its identity, and was bleeding money. After executing CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp’s strategy to refocus on the core business, Lego rebounded to become the world’s fastest-growing toy company.

“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” takes viewers deep inside the business of the late Joan Rivers. After following the comedian for a year, filmmakers reveal the highs and lows of Rivers’ decades-long quest to stay relevant. What does it take to get to the top and stay there? From meticulous organization systems to her willingness to take any job to make sure her staff got paid, the movie shows the fierce determination necessary for success.

Few people know pressure better than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and the US Secretary of the Treasury during the height of the financial crisis. “Hank: 5 Years from the Brink” explores the momentous task Paulson was handed in September 2008 — saving the global economy — and how he dealt with it.

If you’ve ever thought about starting a restaurant, Danny Meyer knows a thing or two about success in the business. “The Restaurateur: How Does Danny Do It?” offers a behind-the-scenes look at Meyer, the New York City restaurateur and man behind Shake Shack and Gramercy Tavern. The movie shows how Meyer’s philosophy of putting great food first launched his career.

The items you think the least about may have the most effective designs, according to the 2009 film “Objectified.” Take the Post-it note. Have you ever considered that someone put a lot of time into its appearance? The movie explores the unconscious but influential relationship we have with the objects around us, and why the smallest tweaks in design make an enormous difference.

“Something Ventured” portrays some of the most successful and prolific venture capitalists, who through genius or luck made big early-stage bets on tech companies like Apple, Google, Atari, and Intel. For a crash course in venture capital or a modern business history lesson, this 2011 documentary shows how entrepreneurs partnered with investors to build some of the greatest American companies.

The 2005 documentary “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” is a cautionary tale. It’s a deep dive into the fall of Enron, the energy company that was at one point valued at $70 billion but filed for bankruptcy in 2001. It’s become one of the most well-known cases of financial corruption and accounting fraud, and this film explores the psychology behind and fallout of the collapse of an empire.

Steve Jobs was one of the most revered entrepreneurs and designers of our time. In the PBS documentary “Steve Jobs: One Last Thing,” the filmmakers trace Jobs’ inspiring career and lasting legacy in technology and retail, as well as his legendary product presentations.

The 2013 PBS documentary “American Experience: Silicon Valley” chronicles the beginning of the modern technology age. It follows a group of eight technologists who took a risk and decided to start their own company in 1957. It’s a telling look at the history of the Valley and the birth of a culture characterized by openness, innovation, and idealism.

Why do people do the things they do? “Freakonomics,” a 2010 film based on the book by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, explores the scientific and economic concepts behind human behavior. It will open your eyes to what motivates your customers, employees, and coworkers.

Big businesses can spend a lot of money to buy customer happiness and loyalty but small business have to work harder to give their users the best. Fortunately, smaller companies with more conservative budgets have plenty of creative ways to delight, surprise and evangelize users.

Investing in customer service pays big dividends. Passionate buyers have a higher average order value, purchasing frequency and tendency to tell their friends. In order to regularly ‘wow’ clients, here are 13 things you must try.

1. Acknowledge their contributions.

In 2011, Lily Robinson, 3, wrote a letter to UK supermarket chain Sainsbury imploring it to rename its “tiger bread” to the more appropriate “giraffe bread” (based solely on its appearance). Sainsbury agreed and restocked its shelves with the bread under the new name, along with signs around the store crediting one clever customer for the suggestion.

When a user recommends ways to change or improve any aspect of your business, whether it be your website, logistics or sales cycle, be prepared to act on their best feedback. Then, let the world know who deserves credit for the innovative idea.

2. Break the rules.

Leave room for serendipity. When interacting with customers, it is easy to read from a script that tells you to do X when the conditions are A, B and C. Make exceptions when your customers have uncommon issues and asking you for help. Promocode expired? No worries. Give them a new and better one. Consider yourself lucky that they would even give you the chance to deliver happiness instead of abandoning your site and falling out of your sales cycle entirely.

3. Celebrate an odd holiday.

May 25th is National Tap Dance Day. Will you post a funny gif for your social media fans and followers to see? Find a fun holiday each month and celebrate it with your customers. They will appreciate sharing the unique experience and will love how quirky you are.

4. Empower your user.

Provide customers with applications to help them be better at their jobs or in life. Offer other resources allowing them to reach their full personal or professional potential, too. For example, HubSpot does a great job by providing users with tools like Marketing Grader to identify how well their online marketing works plus areas for improvement.

5. Free extras and upgrades!

One of the simplest and least expensive ways to surprise and delight users is with complimentary perks. Express shipping and sample products generally won’t bite into your margins but do increase revenue. In fact, when customers know they can have instant gratification and get the chance to try some of your other products, they are incredibly likely to make additional purchases to fulfill immediate needs and order more of the products they’ve already sampled.

6. Give a gift to pass on.

While referrals are one of the main drivers of growth for companies like Uber, Instacart and AirBnB, many users feel uncomfortable about the give-and-get incentive scheme. Instead, make your clients look good by giving them a gift they can only share with someone they care about, without receiving anything in return. The satisfaction of giving to others will be all they need — not another $20 in free Uber credit.

7. Hand deliver goods.

Meet your customers in-person in a wacky manner. Come carrying an obnoxiously sized box filled with goodies or wearing an animal suit for laughs and giggles. Your most active users will cherish the face-to-face experience and will have a story to tell everyone they know later.

8. Invite them to hang out.

Give your best clients a behind-the-scenes experience to learn who you and your team really are, and what your product represents. Extend a special invite to some of your coolest customers to come hang out for a day at the office, at your production facility or at an exclusive mixer bringing together some of the greatest minds in your industry.

9 Make fun of yourself.

Be a bit silly and vulnerable. Self-deprecating humor can go a long way. In a blog post for Contently, Jillian Richardson lists five brands that playfully made fun of themselves. Examples include Internet Explorer’s collaboration video with Onion Labs titled, “Uninstall,” and Dissolve’s “This Is a Generic Brand Video”.

10. Offer a giveaway.

Bundle a bunch of goods together and create a sweepstakes your customers can enter. Deliver the winning prizes to a handful or a dozen users at random and give the other entrants a consolation prize. Coupon codes when users least expect it always work wonders .

11. Recognize them on social media.

Everyone loves a virtual high-five, so retweet a fan’s post, reply with your thoughts on a cool article a customer shared or honor them publicly with an award you just made up. Dunkin Donuts took this idea to a whole new level by selecting some of its Twitter followers to star in upcoming YouTube commercials.

12. Share a Snapchat or Vine.

When your customers are halfway around the world, an in-person meet might not be feasible. That said, you can turn to Snapchat or Vine to share visual content that describes what you do, why you do it and the people you work with to create, produce and deliver the items your customer ultimately receives. When you tell stories about a customer’s purchase, they get to fully appreciate your brand and the effort you put into everything you do.

13. Tell their story.

Your clients are real people with powerful stories. Blank Label, a menswear retailer, recently launched its Made To Fit campaign which demonstrates the transformation customers have undergone with their new, custom-made garments. The brand makes it a point to talk about who its clients are as human beings. That authenticity goes a long way to develop rapport with existing users and engage prospective buyers who might relate more with an interaction designer, medical student or 6’7″ oceanographer — real people — instead of the aspirational male model driving around in a $100,000 sports car.

Firas Kittaneh

1. Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love.

2. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.

3. Hire people who you think will love working there.

4. Sales Cure All. Know how your company will make money and how you will actually make sales.

5. Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them. Pay up for people in your core competencies. Get the best. Outside the core competencies, hire people that fit your culture but aren’t as expensive to pay.

6. An espresso machine? Are you kidding me? Coffee is for closers. Sodas are free. Lunch is a chance to get out of the office and talk. There are 24 hours in a day, and if people like their jobs, they will find ways to use as much of it as possible to do their jobs.

7. No offices. Open offices keep everyone in tune with what is going on and keep the energy up. If an employee is about privacy, show him or her how to use the lock on the bathroom. There is nothing private in a startup. This is also a good way to keep from hiring executives who cannot operate successfully in a startup. My biggest fear was always hiring someone who wanted to build an empire. If the person demands to fly first class or to bring over a personal secretary, run away. If an exec won’t go on sales calls, run away. They are empire builders and will pollute your company.

8. As far as technology, go with what you know. That is always the most inexpensive way. If you know Apple, use it. If you know Vista, ask yourself why, then use it. It’s a startup so there are just a few employees. Let people use what they know.

9. Keep the organization flat. If you have managers reporting to managers in a startup, you will fail. Once you get beyond startup, if you have managers reporting to managers, you will create politics.

10. Never buy swag. A sure sign of failure for a startup is when someone sends me logo-embroidered polo shirts. If your people are at shows and in public, it’s okay to buy for your own employees, but if you really think people are going to wear your branded polo when they’re out and about, you are mistaken and have no idea how to spend your money.

11. Never hire a PR firm. A public relations firm will call or email people in the publications you already read, on the shows you already watch and at the websites you already surf. Those people publish their emails. Whenever you consume any information related to your field, get the email of the person publishing it and send them a message introducing yourself and the company. Their job is to find new stuff. They will welcome hearing from the founder instead of some PR flack. Once you establish communication with that person, make yourself available to answer their questions about the industry and be a source for them. If you are smart, they will use you.

12. Make the job fun for employees. Keep a pulse on the stress levels and accomplishments of your people and reward them. My first company, MicroSolutions, when we had a record sales month, or someone did something special, I would walk around handing out $100 bills to salespeople. At Broadcast.com and MicroSolutions, we had a company shot. The Kamikaze. We would take people to a bar every now and then and buy one or ten for everyone. At MicroSolutions, more often than not we had vendors cover the tab. Vendors always love a good party.

Mark Cuban

The good news is you won a big contract. The bad news is you committed to do the impossible.

Deadlines trip up most entrepreneurs. They’re the direct cause of quite a bit of lost repeat business, not to mention a ridiculous amount of stress. The problem is that time and money are always intertwined because nobody gets paid until somebody delivers the goods. That goes for both you and the customer, if it’s B2B.

Nothing teaches you how to deal with crazy deadlines better than putting your butt on the line as a top executive in a publicly traded company. That’s what I did for more years than I care to think about and, while the pressure was enormous, entrepreneurial life seems like a walk in the park by comparison.

Whatever business you’re in, meeting deadlines always comes down to estimating two data points: 1) When does the customer really need it, and 2) How long does it really take for you to deliver the goods. This is how to make those guestimates as accurately as possible and communicate with the customer along the way.

Know how long it takes to do your job.

I know that seems obvious, but few entrepreneurs understand the importance of that competency. Just remember you live in the real world where there’s just one of you, one of each worker involved, and a finite number of working hours in a week. Don’t laugh; you’d be amazed how many people screw that up.

At the end of every project, make sure you assess the accuracy of your initial forecast to improve future quotes. In time, you’ll get very good at it.

Determine the customer’s real plans.

When customers tell you to jump, your initial reaction will always be to say, “How high?” You need to resist that urge and learn to ask questions and find out as much as you can before providing any answers.

To be specific, when customers ask, “When can you deliver?” your reply should be something along the lines of, “When do you need it?” or “Can you tell me more about your project?” Always get information before you give it. Sometimes you have to do a little digging but that’s how you build buffers into your schedule without risking the business or your credibility.

Also remember that things change. Even after you’ve committed to a schedule, it’s a good idea to stay up to date and see if you’ve acquired any wiggle room – without setting off any alarms, of course

Always be honest … with yourself.

While you need to know how well you’re tracking to your forecast, it’s equally important to be smart about what you tell customers. Never communicate more than you have to. Remember, not every schedule slip or milestone miss is critical and it may do far more harm than good to share too much information.

Always develop an aggressive internal schedule and have the discipline to stick to it religiously. Why? Things will go wrong. They always do. And when they do, you don’t want it to impact the schedule you committed to, which you’ve hopefully had the foresight to pad as much as possible.

It’s OK to commit to the impossible.

You will be asked to commit to the impossible. That can’t be helped. In fact, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The biggest, most successful companies on earth always ask the world of their vendors – and they usually get it because everyone wants their business.

Just do one thing before you sign on the dotted line: Tell the customer something along the lines of how important their business is to you, that it’s going to be a real challenge, but they’re your top priority and you’ll move heaven and earth to meet their schedule. Then do it.

What to do when you screw-up … and you will.

If you miss a deadline, and you probably will, don’t beat yourself up. Well-managed companies usually build in some padding just in case. In the unfortunate event that your miss legitimately harms the customer’s business, you can still recover and perhaps even create an opportunity to build a stronger relationship. It just depends on how you handle it.

Granted, it’s a tenuous situation, but once you know you’ve passed the point of no return, you want to come clean and tell them exactly how you’re going to do everything in your power to make it right. If you perform well when your butt’s on the line, that should actually improve your credibility and their trust in you.

Nothing builds a stronger customer relationship than going through hell together.

Steve Tobak

1. Accept that you don’t always know best.

When Kleenex tissues were first introduced, they were intended to be used with cold cream as a makeup remover. But before long, Kimberly-Clark realized that customers instead were using the product as a disposable handkerchief. Within a few years, that’s exactly how the company was marketing its tissue.

Consumers are smart. So, pay attention to what they have to say about your business — and be careful not to squeeze yourself into a box so small there’s no room to grow. You never want to risk being so focused on your original vision that you don’t realize when a better opportunity comes along.

2. Let your customers do the heavy lifting.

Keep in mind that the people who buy your product are also the best positioned to sell it. Give them plenty of reasons to do so.

Making your company, product or brand ripe for evangelism is all about the extras. If you give people more than they expect, they’ll be far more likely to talk you up and encourage others to give you a try. But the trouble is, some startups grab on to the notion of “extras” without understanding exactly how that notion works.

A few months ago, I went on to Amazon.com to order a replacement filter for our refrigerator. It came in a box with a handwritten return address in Brooklyn, which seemed a little odd. Even odder was the fact that the package contained a Bic pen as a “free gift.” I’m always happy to have an extra pen, but the disconnect between the freebie and the product I’d ordered made this new acquisition more creepy than cool.

When you’re thinking of ways to give customers something extra, stick with the fundamentals: unexpectedly good service, useful information, a reason to want to be associated with you. When I think about Amazon.com, my mind doesn’t immediately go to that strange filter purchase.

I think about all the times the company has surprised me by anticipating needs I didn’t realize I had — for things like free two-day shipping and free movies and music (with Amazon Prime). I also think about a company that has always seemed to be a step ahead on the technology front, whether through its plans for drone delivery or its recently released Amazon Dash reorder buttons.

My overall sense that Amazon is always looking for new ways to make my life easier is what makes me not just a fan but a vocal one.

3. Grow a personality.

You need to make people want to spend time with your business. That’s true whether you’re a restaurateur, a subscription service or a gadget maker. Today’s consumers want to be engaged with their brand partners — and they want to have fun doing it. Take a look at how Chipotle projects itself. In the restaurants, every element plays into its “Food with Integrity” platform: from the playful, hand-lettered packaging to the organic, cruelty-free ingredients.

Or consider how Lyft sets itself apart from Uber and others by being irreverent and fun (giant pink, fuzzy mustache, fist bumps, great music) and by making it a point to sign on drivers who are upbeat and good conversationalists. Sometimes it really is more about the ride than the destination.

So, millennials, pay heed: You may have an absolute killer idea and a business plan worthy of an MBA case study. But neither will matter if you don’t invite people into your business. They’re the best partner you could possibly find.

Andrew Benett

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#1 Networking OFFLINE Face to Face
Yes, I know this can all too easily be compared to NOTworking! When done correctly your networking will absolutely determine your NET WORTH. Networking correctly means knowing clearly and concisely who your ideal client is so you can deliberately select the best events, groups, and associations to attend to meet them. Just going out to a slew of random events in the vague hope of meeting a client is a profound waste of time. Being targeted, selective, and allowing yourself to explore an opportunity to see if your ideal client is in attendance is the way to go.

Where to Look for Events & Groups:

• Google your local city, town, or county for business networking events.
• Check out Meetup.com there are thousands of groups including business professional networking groups.
• Explore local business clubs and your local Chamber of Commerce.
• Research local civic organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimist, and more. These are filled with business owners and local professionals.

#2 Getting Clients-To-Be Into Strategy or Discovery Sessions
News Flash! The whole point to networking is to bring someone into your private database, don’t leave them online and don’t leave them where you met them. You have to take the next step and that means scheduling either a face to face private coffee meeting or lunch or getting on the phone with them for a private call to explore what their needs are and see if you have strategies and solutions to meet those needs. This is often referred to as a Strategy or Discovery Session. It is not a sales pitch.

#3 Speaking at Local Business Events, Trade Shows, Association Meetings, and Conferences
Speaking, though it terrifies many, is singularly the most effective way to get your message out to many people at one time and to really connect with them. This builds your KLT factor (Know, Like and Trust) essential to getting people to do business with you.

The key is to craft a single signature talk that you deliver in a variety of formats from 20 key minutes to a full day workshop. Your signature talk is crafted to specifically highlight the three major problems your ideal client faces and provide specific strategies to address these. The strategies require your services to be most effectively implemented and that is evident in the course of your talk. Again, you aren’t pitching, you are creating awareness about a need, providing a solution, and the means to implement the solutions for a happy outcome.

#4 Teaching at Adult Education Programs (Local Universities and Colleges)
Depending on your ideal client, this can be a fantastic way to get in front of your market with education based marketing. I taught for a decade at Evening at Emory and four years at Oglethorpe. The exposure through their catalogues and online was priceless and I was paid a small stipend to teach. It is like being paid to market your business.

This is also a much easier type of speaking since you can employ all manner of media, including powerpoint, video, interactive exercises and more because you usually have participants for a 2-4 hour block of time. The learning is more relaxed, and you can easily incorporate stories from your clients as illustrations of what you teach. I regularly had my attendees become clients, they were busy female professionals, not college students.

#5 Host an Information Event at a Client Location
Tear a page from the success handbook of many network marketing businesses and ask a local client if you can host a small event at their location. They can be in an office or home, and you provide both food and beverages as well as taking care of all event invites, including the colleagues or friends your client wants to invite. If you specialize in health and well being, in interior design, in real estate, in financial services, in business marketing or any number of other service based specialties, this is a great way to spread the word about your expertise and opportunities.

Melissa Galt