At Hot Shot Delivery, we understand that shipping legal documents can represent a very large investment to a company. Depending on why the documents are being shipped, the degree of importance which is assigned to security might vary. For instance, some basic legal contracts which are simply replicas of a standard contract that a company sends out regularly, might not warrant increased security. Documents which are involved in large corporate acquisitions though, or which contain production information which needs to remain confidential within the company, are certainly worthy of any increased security measures which might be available from the courier industry.

There are two things that need to be protected against when shipping legal documents. The first is anything which could cause these documents to become lost, or to be delivered to the wrong address. The second is anything which would allow the information contained in the documents to get exposed to the wrong eyes. Luckily, both of these problems can be countered with the same security measures.

By using an in hand courier option, you know that your legal documents are going to be afforded the highest level of security available. By ensuring that a single, unbroken chain of custody is enforced on the documents, you know that you are getting a secure delivery of your package. Primarily, this is because this model of delivery creates accountability. There are no hand offs or transfers where documents can get lost, and when only one set of eyes sees the documents, confidentiality can be assured. If you need to deliver highly sensitive or valuable legal documents across the city or the world, give Hot Shot Delivery a call at 866-261-3184 or 713-869-7575. We have the resources to deliver your shipments safely and securely.

At Hot Shot, we provide customers with the highest possible guarantee that their delivery needs will always be met thanks to the technology that we utilize every day. The best way of demonstrating this is in the real world results that we have achieved for our clients.

If you visit the courier page of the Hot Shot website, you can read a case study of one of our clients, an architectural firm. They had been suffering through using a provider who was late for pickups, who lost orders, and who had terrible problems coordinating the different aspects of their service with the requirements of the architectural firm.

Not so once they turned to Hot Shot. By using the technology available through us, they are able to securely place their orders online. These orders are processed, and through the vast network of available couriers there is always a driver ready to pick up their order on time, every time. Once their order is picked up, they can track it throughout its delivery, reassuring themselves that it is progressing to its delivery point on time.

This firm was suffering because their business needed a same day courier that could provide them with a reliable and easy to use service, and they just couldn’t find one. Hot Shot addressed that need. It is through the use of technology, software, and a problem solving approach that Hot Shot is able to meet the delivery needs of our clients. Our clients, just like the architectural firm outlined in the case study, are able to move forward to meet their own clients’ needs with confidence knowing that they have the resource that Hot Shot provides, backing up their work. If your company is unsatisfied with its current same day delivery solution, call Hot Shot Delivery to see what we can offer you instead.

We have an incredible software system that has a feature that can automatically populate our order entry screens using our phone systems caller ID.  However, in order for us to make this work, we have to make a change to our phone system.  I have put this change off for way too long, mainly due to convincing myself that the pain of reassigning IP addresses etc far outweighed the benefit we would gain.  Not to mention the fear that someone may mess up and we lose our phones for a period of time.  However, while crafting my intentions for technological improvement and reducing operating costs, I soon realized that not only will this new phone system help increase our customer service (another intention), we will also be saving over $500 per month on our company phone bill and be getting better, more robust service.

The day to day reality of running a same day delivery business, like my Houston courier service, Hot Shot Delivery, Inc., or any business for that matter, is full of distractions and pressing issues.  With the right intentions in place and the discipline to follow through, life and business will be easier.  So, say goodbye to 2009 and the unresolved, unachieved, goals and resolutions of the past.  Welcome 2010!  I intend on this year being a banner year and I look forward to sharing it with each and every one of you. So don’t forget, Shop Hot Shot!

For more information on intentions, please visit my dear friend Brian Parsley at www.brianparsley.com or give me a call and we can share ideas.

There is an easy way to fix things like this and even prevent them from happening in the future. The simple fix is to open the door, roll up your sleeves and jump in with the crew. As a boss of a wonderful group of very talented people, it’s extremely easy and enjoyable for me to do this. These great people are a part of my family and I don’t want them to do anything that I can’t do or have not done myself.

To be honest, it’s quite a bit of fun to get back to the basics of your company and deal directly with the front line situations. Recently, I spent the day with the customer service group at my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery. I answered calls, tracked packages, took orders, communicated with drivers and talked with tons of customers. It was a great day and I vowed to myself to experience this process more often. In just one day on the front line, I learned about a recurring service request that could turn in to a new service offering. I also learned some quick short cuts when working through our system as well as great insight about what motivates my employees.

I did not stop there – I jumped in with one of our drivers and spent the day making deliveries. That gave me the chance to see a day in the life of our delivery drivers. The traffic problems, their interaction with our customers, the challenges they experience and, again, what motivates them as independent contractors were all witnessed during my delivery day adventure.

As it seems to be in many areas, communication is the key. Opening the lines of communication with your employees can make things so much better for everyone and the way to do that is to walk in their shoes. See what they are going through each day and they are more likely to talk to you about their ideas for improvement and feel like an important part of the team.

Now don’t get me wrong, it is still extremely important for you, as the boss, to work on strategy, marketing and the “big picture” of your company. These are areas that can facilitate long term growth and additional revenue streams. Just find a balance between the two and you will see that your company will benefit greatly.

So, be sure to take some time and figure out how you can get more involved with the team. Your entire organization will notice, appreciate and communicate with you – which is a win-win for everyone!

Until Next Time,

Eric

Shout it out to the world!

I won’t go as far as saying it’s our duty to others, but I’m getting very close to feeling that way. People rely on their community to give them honest and accurate feedback about businesses, products and services. It’s our way of weeding through the junk to get to the great stuff. Without this, we will continue to keep people in business that treat their customers poorly, don’t back up their products and cheat people out of their money. If people speak up about the great companies, then the bad ones will lose business in the process.

A little example from my life – I recently had to switch banks due to a poor service issue that I could not ignore. This bank has been a part of my life and my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery, for years. The sad thing was, it was an easy decision to finally make the switch. Somewhere in this “bad economy”, this bank forgot the importance of loyalty, customer service and convenience. It became all about numbers and the bottom line for them. I had recommended this bank to my employees, my contractors, my friends and business colleagues. I could not sit by and watch as their new philosophy caused problems, inconveniences and frustration for multiple people. So, I took a stand – changed banks and told others my reasons for leaving.

Good service is not optional!! It’s not a thing of the past, it’s not a choice and it’s definitely not a perk. It’s expected by me – Every Time. And for that matter, I expect my company to provide that good service to our customers. And, if you don’t get it – Tell me about it! I want to know how my company can improve because I want Hot Shot Delivery to be around in the future. I want to provide the level of service that gets shouted out to the world. High quality, high caliber service that people want to recommend to others. That’s when I know I’m successful. Treating customers like they matter, because you know what… they do.

It’s really very easy to let people know how you were treated or how your new product compares to your expectations. If you are worried about putting your active email address out on the internet, it’s simple to create a “review email account”. Email accounts from Google, Yahoo and MSN are all free. Create an account that you use to review products and give feedback. You will be doing your part and helping others with their buying decisions. People need to know when you have found something so great that it’s made your life easier. They also need to know when you have run in to bad service issues so they can avoid the same problems. It’s a way of giving back through your time and your opinion. You are helping people – it will make you feel great!

Think about it for a minute – can you go through and recommend to others a service that you currently work with? Your doctor, your veterinarian, your dry cleaner, your local delivery service (grins) – are these companies so great that you want to shout it out? If so, look them up online and do a local review of their service so that others who are in need of that service can be one step closer to finding that great business experience too.

Do you have any other great ideas about getting the word about great service out to the masses? If so, let’s chat more about it. Comment on this blog and I’ll get back with you shortly.

Until Next Time,

Eric

While sitting at home healing, I ran across an old article in Money magazine that got me thinking about what I would label as good uses of your money. The current economy has most people thinking of ways to be smart with their money and not wasteful. Being smart with your money does not mean not spending any of it…it means making the right decisions that will pay off for you financially, for your career or for your future. None of these ideas will make you rich, but they may be able to provide lower risk and a higher probability of success. That’s what I call smart. Most of these ideas are related to your money and your family. It’s by no means the only thing to do with your money, but it’s a start.

5 Things To Do With Your Money:

1. Automate – Your financial life, that is. Don’t rely on your emotions or your memory to put aside money each month towards your investments. Things get put off  or moved down the list when you make them a manual action. Contact your bank or your broker to have monthly investments routed from your account each month…automatically. Make investing an afterthought by taking the thought out of it. Do the same thing for all of your monthly bills. It will make life easier, I promise. And, you will never pay late fees again or waste time each month managing the bills and investing. This leaves you more time to do the things that generate profit or income.

2. Every Penny Counts - Get a jar, a bucket, a big cup, whatever…and  make a pact with your family to put all stray coins there. Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, all of it goes in the jar. Do this for six months and then bring it to a bank that has a coin sorter. Now, for the boring part , don’t spend it. Yes, I said don’t spend it. Open a savings account and put the money there. Let it earn interest as you determine what you will want it to pay for in the future. It’s easy to save hundreds of dollars each year (if not more) effortlessly. This money can eventually pay for a big family vacation, a college education, paying down high-interest debt, etc… The possibilities are endless and the process is fun for the whole family. Kids really get in to this and it’s a great outing when you go to the bank to find out how much the family saved TOGETHER.

3. Invest in College - I can’t stress enough the importance of sending your kids to college. In today’s world, the competition is fierce and the jobs are limited. Save the money, borrow the money, whatever it takes  – make sure they go to college. College graduates make 80% more than non-graduates over their lifetime. This adds up to a cool million over their lifetime. Now, that’s a good use of your money.

4. Know your credit score - This is a really important number to know. It can prevent or facilitate the purchase of necessary things in life. Having a bad credit score can haunt you for years and years. Get a reporting agency to give you the credit report for all three bureaus. It will cost you some money, but you will have the number and be able to fix any problem issues before it’s too late. And, many times, mistakes are made and your credit report has someone else’s problems on it. This can take years to fix if you don’t take action quickly. So, please spend the $50 and get a good idea of where things stand in your credit world.

5. Push the limits – Max out your 401(k). Yes, the market is rocky, but it’s still a good place to put your money to invest in your future. Determine your riskyness through your age and the closeness to retirement. Keep things a little more conservative if you can’t afford to have too much fluctuation. Either way, many companies provide 401(k) matching programs, which is free money to you. Take advantage of it and max out your contributions. Putting a few dollars in each month can turn in to thousands of dollars when it comes time to retire. It’s worth pinching the pennies now to have security later in life.

That’s about it for me for this week. I’m finally back at my Houston Courier Service this week and am very busy trying to catch up. I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. Let me know if you have any other great ideas for your money.

Until Next Time,

Eric

Before I give you my few tips, I’ll let you in on why a company should be interested in the social media world. The plain and simple facts are that there are thousands of your clients, friends, family and community that are interacting online. They do business online, they maintain relationships online and they get educated online through news articles, websites and blogs. Why not get involved as a representative of your company? It’s easy but it does take a little time. However, this type of grass-roots marketing is worth it when you look at the cost – FREE. Talk about increasing margins… when cost of sales is nothing, sign me up for more of that!

So, here are my three tips:

1) Start a BLOG – Of course I’m going to recommend that you do a blog, considering  you are reading mine right now. There are a few different types of blogs. A few examples are: 1) The Personal Blog – this is the most common type of blog and it provides commentary and insight on topics that are of interest to the author. The posts are a bit longer and explore a variety of themes. 2) The Online Journal Blog – This is a shorter, daily version of a blog. It’s less about exploring topics and more about a breakdown of daily occurrences. 3) Video Log – Another version of a blog is when the topics being explored are all recorded on video and provided in that medium to the audience. This is often called a VLOG.

The reasons a company owner should do a blog are countless. For instance, a blog lets you put a name and a face to the company you represent. You give your customers some insight in to who you are, the things that are important to you and the life you lead outside of the business. It also lets you explain certain parts of your business or your industry to those that are interested. Another valuable part of the blog is it’s effectiveness within the search engines. Blogs will help your company’s natural rankings go higher so that new customers can find you when searching for keywords related to your business.

A word of caution when writing a blog – try to keep it varied in topic and interesting. For instance, I have a Houston Courier Service, but if I wrote about how great my courier service was every single time I wrote a post, my blog readers would lose interest very quickly. Think about how you run your business and what insight you have learned that could help other business owners. Use your blog as a way to help others, not just to pontificate about how great your business is.

2) Get a Twitter Account - When I first heard about Twitter, I did not think it would catch on at all. Who would want to do updates throughout the day about random things? Turns out, it’s really easy to get in to. With all of the additional platforms  that make it extremely easy to manage (TwitterBerry, TweetDeck, etc…), “Tweeting” is actually a fun way to reach customers or potential customers in your area.  Many of the Fortune 100 companies have a Twitter account where customers like you and me can see what goes on in an average day at their company.

Will you get customers from Twitter? Well, it depends. Having followers and following people in your area gives you a chance to become aware of events and things that you may not have known about. Attending these events can provide a way to get face-to-face time with potential customers who may need your product or service.  If you use the Twitter account as a way to get your foot in the door, then sure, you can definitely get new business from your FREE Twitter account.

A word of caution about Twitter – Do not push your company in every single Twitter post. Like a blog, your followers will get bored with your Tweets and “unfollow” you. Make your Tweets interesting, include links, pictures, funny thoughts, etc… Throw in a word about your business, but not in an overwhelming way. Keep the balance. Oh – and one more thing – many followers can see right through a “fake account” – so, keep it real.

3) Get a Facebook Account – Millions and Millions of people are on Facebook. Your employees, your friends, your grandmother, etc… This social media website has an extremely broad demographic that spans all ages, all genders, all cultures, etc… Why not create a page for you and for your company? Create a Group so people can follow your company and the events that are occurring. And the great thing is that you can link your Blog, Twitter and Facebook together so that all three update when one is changed. Post a blog and your Twitter and Facebook accounts can automatically inform your followers of the new blog with a link to it. Post a Twitter Update and not only do your Twitter followers get it, but so do all of your Facebook followers. It’s easy to set up and amazing to see the impact it can have on your business.

Those are my three tips for Social Media and your business. There are plenty more ideas that you can incorporate – Digg, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, etc…  If you are interested in more information, please feel free to comment and I can send more over. Just remember, I am still new at this myself and trying to figure out what works and what is a waste of time. But, I’m more than willing to help you and your business move in to the Social Media world.

Till Next Time,
Eric

Recently, I started to take a look at my own company to determine what, if anything, needs to be changed or fixed to lower our internal concerns of cash flow. I figured there were some basic areas that I needed to look in to and those were: Receivables, Bad Debt Issues, Too Much Overhead and the biggest – Low Profit Margins.

Today, I’m going to chat about Low Profit Margins. I see this so often in my industry. Perhaps it is because we are service-based vs. product-based or perhaps its because we are all competing for the same business. Either way, by taking a good look at my customers,  I was able to see that not only was I not profitable on some customers, but I was actually LOSING MONEY! When you consider the costs associated with deliveries which includes the delivery drivers, the taxes (don’t get me started on the taxes), the gas prices, the customer service group, the technology costs for order placement-tracking and reporting, the costs associated with the building, etc… – things start to add up.

Now, I’m not suggesting that in this tough economy we go in and start raising prices across the board, but I am saying that we need to all be aware of the necessary margins associated with our particular type of business and keep that in mind when bringing in new customers.  Often, companies don’t include all areas of cost when bidding on new work.  Bringing in new business that generates cash, but is not profitable in the long-run, is a sure-fire way to go out of business.

You may find that you have multiple divisions within your business. Some may be more profitable than others – put your focus there. And bring in customers that understand the value of the service that you are providing. Customers that won’t haggle with you over a few pennies difference. Instead of price haggling, explain why your service is better than the others and don’t budge on your pricing. Your goal is to continue to price your business in a way that keeps you in business. Good customers respect that and understand your need to make a profit.

I know that running a business is more than a full-time job. So, when you are swamped with decisions to make, operations to run, employees to manage, books to keep and new customers to get – remember this – get back to the basics. Ensure your receivables are not out of control, you are not running with too much bad debt, you don’t bite off more than you can chew with your overhead and that you price your work in a way that is profitable. Because at the end of the day, Cash Flow is KING.

Until Next Time,

Eric

So, let’s get in to it…

5 Ways to Ace an Interview:

1. Talking Points – Any seasoned PR professional will tell you that the secret to a good media interview is to pick your talking points and stick to them as you communicate your message. The same is true with a job interview. Brainstorm 2-3 points that you want the interviewer to know about you and find ways to insert them in to the conversation.

2. Practice The Standard Questions – do an internet search for “common interview questions” and print that list out and start practicing. The easy ones are “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”, “Why do you think you are right for this job?”, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”, etc… Have these questions in your mind and be ready to answer them with eye-contact and confidence.

3. Interview the Interviewer – People naturally like to talk about themselves and their interests. Use this knowledge to prepare a big list of questions for your interviewer. But, a word of caution, make sure these questions are relevant and intelligent. The way to do this is to do research about the company. Go through the website, find press releases, find information in forums, check in to social media/networking sites and more to get a good grasp of the company, the management philosophy and how you would fit in with this environment.

4. Mirror Tells All - 93% of what you are communicating in an interview will come from non-verbal cues. How you sit in the chair, what you do with your hands, eye contact, etc… These things will tell an interviewer how interested you are in the position, how familiar you are with the subject at hand and your level of confidence. If you are not sure how you look as you answer the questions, practice in front of the mirror. That will give you a good point of reference and an idea of what to work to fix.

5. Follow-Up – I know I’m only speaking for myself and my Houston Same Day Delivery business, but I have a feeling most business owners feel the same…. I’m VERY busy. You may be the most qualified candidate for the job, but I may have had a business issue that has pulled my attention away from the hiring process. It is your job to follow-up with me. You want the job, you should follow-up to find out how the process is advancing. Now, another word of caution, do not follow-up 10 times in one week. That takes persistence to a level of nagging and annoyance. Use your best judgment in this area.

Those are my bits of advice for people going through the interview process. I wish you all well and don’t worry – if you are looking for a job, the right fit will come along.

Till Next Time,

Eric

5 Ways to Blow An Interview

1. Gossipers – We have all worked for bad bosses and bad companies in the past, but there is no reason to run down a laundry list of flaws to your new potential employer. My natural response to this is “If they talk like this about their old boss, how will they talk about me?” If you are asked about the details, which you most likely will be, you should have a factual, dignifed answer prepared and leave it at that. Getting in to the he-said, she-said dirty details is not going to help you get the job.

2. Unprofessionalism – I tend to conduct interviews in a relaxed format. I don’t want to add to the nervous-factor, if I can avoid it. I want people to feel comfortable so I can get a feel for who they really are and how they will fit in with the family-atmosphere of Hot Shot Delivery. That being said, an interview is never the time to talk to me about personal problems, political ranting or any explicit information. I don’t care how comfortable you are with me, this is still an interview and we are still strangers. Stay professional and remember what you are here to do.

3. Arriving Unprepared - In this ‘age of the internet’, it is absolutely unacceptable to arrive to an interview without an idea of who the company is, what they do, how long they have been in business, etc… If I take the time to read through your history, education, accomplishments and references, you should be fully prepared as well. You would be surprised at how many people come to an interview completely unprepared and one of their questions to me is “What does Hot Shot do?”.

4. Dress The Part – If you want to be treated as a professional, show up like one. Clean, pressed clothing that is not missing buttons, has holes or stains is the way to arrive. Respect the role you are applying for by dressing for success. I’m not asking for a 3 piece suit – but I am asking for a little consideration when dressing for the interview that could become your new paycheck or lifelong career.

5. Don’t Know Yourself – Some of the most frustrating interviews to me are the ones where the candidate can’t tell me about themselves. Strengths, weaknesses, insight, opinions…anything. Why they want to work at this company and how it is the right fit for them seems to be something they should run through before walking in. Many people do not. So, be sure to practice these answers and come prepared to speak intelligently about yourself.

Interviewing is an art and some people are very good at it and others need some help. Just because you are not the best at interviewing does not mean you are not an extreme asset to an organization. If you take the extra time to practice, follow the do-s and don’t-s of interviewing and arrive with a smile, you are already ahead of the pack. Have faith, have confidence and knock em dead.

Till Next Time,

Eric