Quality over Quantity: The Importance of Putting Your Business’s Value First

Despite what Punxsutawney Phil saw on Groundhog’s Day this year, spring season is still just around the corner for event professionals. Whether there will be six more weeks of winter or not, there’s a good chance your business will see an influx of potential clients. This is nothing to be afraid of— if you have a ton of leads coming your way then you’re definitely doing something right! However, it’s good to keep in mind that you are only one person and even if you do happen to staff several employees, running your company ragged is bad for business.

While you may want to take on every project that falls into your lap, remember that you must uphold the promise you've made in assuring folks of your high-quality services. Here are a few things to always remember:

Always, always, always be wary of the accidental double booking. There’s nothing worse than having to call a client after finalizing dates because you realized you’ve already got a gig in the books on that particular day. Don’t think we’re questioning your expertise, but hey, we’re all human and we all make mistakes. This is why keeping calendars detailed and organized is absolutely vital, along with sharing them with any employees you may have so that they, too, are up to speed. Don’t forget that with Inspherio, double booking events is avoided like the plague.

Double booking’s unfriendly cousin— Overbooking. Oh yeah, there is definitely such a thing. Some businesses may thrive from keeping their calendars jammed packed, but that doesn’t mean it works for everyone. As a business owner, it’s important to know your limit. If you and all of your employees are working non-stop, at some point one, or all, of you are going to get tired and grouchy, which could ultimately result in the demise of the high quality services you promise to your clients. It’s easy to avoid this by simply setting a limit to how many events you do a week and if by chance you need to book extra, compensate by seeking extra help.

It’s okay to say “no” to a potential client. I know, this can always be a bit of an awkward situation. But you must etch into your mind that not all clients are going to be a good match for you and vice versa. Step back and take a look at your business, whether it be wedding planning, photography, videography, DJing— you’re doing something you’re good at for a reason. You’ve recognized this, started a business, and now you’re out there making the promise that you can deliver to clients the best of the best. If you happen to say yes to a client who expects something from you that you aren’t sure you are able to give at 100%, then you shouldn’t be working for them. This isn’t to say you aren’t good at the business, but rather a call of attention to the value of your business. Don’t debase that by contracting with a client that you know you won’t be able to satisfy.

Being busy is good, but we know that when it comes to planning events and making clients happy, getting sloppy just isn’t an option. We propose to you this Spring season that you give it your all while always remembering the importance of resting and recharging your batteries.

Don't forget you can manage your business better with Inspherio. Keep track of your events, clients, calendar, and so much more all in one program.

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5 Steps to Achieve Great Things

Les McKeown recently wrote an article for Inc magazine that outlined what he described as the "First 5 Steps to Achieving Great Things."  In his article, Les is focused on that all-important transition from Good to Great.  There has certainly been no shortage of advice on this transition, and that's because of its importance.  Anyone can become good at something simply through natural talents, but unless there is a conscious effort to become more than that, you will fall short of Greatness.  

Les' 5 Steps are as follows:
1.  Prioritize
2.  Plan Ruthlessly; Execute Relentlessly
3.  Get out of your inbox
4.  Get out of your office
5.  Review, revise, adapt, push on

Prioritize
To achieve great things, you must prioritize where your attention will be focused.  This also depends on how you will define greatness for your particular business.  Prioritization can include making Goals for the Long Term & Short Term.

Plan Ruthlessly; Execute Relentlessly
McKeown defines good planning as having a plan, working the plan, and not being trapped by the plan.  Obviously, you must work the plan in order to achieve your goals, but if you aren't adapting your performance based on your results then you are becoming trapped in a plan.  

Get out of your inbox
Not every email is worth checking the second it is received.  Recent studies indicate that smartphone users check their phone 150 times per day.  The constant notifications from your phone can bring about all sorts of distractions.  A great point that Les makes in his article is that by checking your inbox every chance you get "you're working to other people's agenda, not your own."

Get out of your office
The advice to get out of your office can be taken several different ways.  For example: your business' success in dependent on you getting out there, meeting with clients, and booking new events.  That doesn't all happen from within an office.  

Another way to take this advice is to get a change of scenery now and then.  Becoming comfortable is the enemy of innovation.  The more time you spend in one place,  the easier it is to fall into a routine complacency. 

Review, revise, adapt, push on
After a plan has been put in place, you need to review your success; revise anything that could be improved; adapt your plan to accomidate your recent findings, and push on.



Photo Credit: Squidish

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All About Inspherio

It’s time to get your Event Business organized with Inspherio - the most advanced business management program for Event Industry Professionals.  Inspherio provides solutions for businesses of any size, no matter if you are a one person operation or a full crew with many employees.  No other tool allows you to manage your entire business from one place - even employees and payroll!  

The exclusive Enterprise Version of Inspherio is leaps and bounds beyond any other program on the market today!

No other program offers a Truly All-In-One Solution, allowing you to:

• Schedule Your Employees & Assign Them to Events
• No more wasting time on an antiquated scheduling process
• Give Your Employees Account Access with Individual Login Information
• All your company information in one central place
• Automate Your Payroll Process & Track Expenses Intuitively 
• Eliminate that shoe box full of receipts & tax info
• Gather All Event Info From your Clients Automatically Add it to Contracts in Real Time
• Inspherio eliminates redundancies wherever possible
• Create Contracts in the Cloud & E-Sign Them From Anywhere
• Always Be Closing, no matter where in the world you are
• Generate Comprehensive Reports at Tax Time & Throughout the Year
• “Planning Your Success” is our motto, but can also Measure Your Success

With Inspherio, you are not alone.  Our customer support team is always available to offer heroic help whenever you need it through phone, email, & chat support.  Just give us a call at 704.234.6000 or email us at support@Inspherio.com with any questions you may have.

These are just a few examples of what Inspherio can do for your business. Join Inspherio Now to checkout the above features and more!!! Get started for Free!  NO Credit Card required to check it out!

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Learn Some InspherioTerminology

As you become more familiar with Inspherio, you may notice some words or phrases that you aren't familiar with, or perhaps you aren't sure of the context in which they are used in Inspherio.  Today, we can clear up some of this with a blog all about some of the Terminology within Inspherio.

Incoming Leads:
With Inspherio, you have the ability to import your leads directly from your website, your Inspherio site, or even a .csv file.  The "Contact Me" form on your Inspherio site automatically sends any lead information to the Incoming Leads section of Inspherio.  If you already have a website you use for your business, you can embed the "Contact Me" form onto your website easily so that your website leads will be automatically brought into your Inspherio account.

Active Leads:
An Incoming Lead is automatically changed to an Active Lead when you begin interacting with them using Inspherio.  You can use Inspherio to send them pricing information, create a custom quote, and even create a contract.  

InActive Lead:
If one of your leads falls through or if you are unable to work with them, you can change a lead to "inactive."  This way, you can retain their information that has been provided for your records, but this will not be kept with your active leads or events.

Booked Events:
Once an Active Lead accepts a contract, it becomes a Booked Event.  There is nothing to manually update, it is an automatic transition just like the transition from an incoming lead to an active lead.

Past Events:
After an event is concluded, it will make it's final transition to become a Past Event.  This is another automatic transition.  There is nothing to update manually for this, but you can view all of your past events through your Inspherio Account by selecting Events >> Past Events.  You can also create reports 

Cancelled Events:
A Cancelled Event is just as it sounds.  An event becomes a Cancelled Event when a Booked Event falls through.  The difference between a Cancelled Event and and InActive Lead is the fact that a contract was sent, whereas an InActive Lead cancels before a contract is sent.

To manage your business more efficiently, and learn some more Inspherio Terminology, you can sign-up for a Inspherio account.  Inspherio is the premier Business Management Solution for Event Professionals. 

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