Marsh Optical

My husband and I were at a point where we realized that we were organized and could now think of growing our business. The only trouble was we didn't really know how. We thought we did but at that time it seemed that we had met most of the residents in our neighborhood and had to find other client sources. Our previous marketing techniques worked but we were now maintaining our client base and not expanding it.

We were referred to Muriel Haber of Haber Resources and during our initial complementary session we asked what she could do for us to stimulate growth. She understood that we felt that we didn't want to take away from our established routines and preferred if she handled any PR or projects for us.

Muriel explained that what we were asking for was consulting and not coaching. She agreed that it would be faster and wouldn't interfere with our established procedures, but also wouldn't give us the tools to increase our client base ourselves nor would it establish new patterns in the way we managed our business.

We decided to give the coaching a try, and committed to a period of three months. Working with Muriel was instrumental in helping us see that we had to be involved in the community. We actually did much more than we ever planned.

During the first three months, we joined the local merchants association and I (Wendy) eventually became treasurer and then, a year later, President. Muriel asked if there was a particular group we could target for advertising. Bob had started making varilux lenses, and we realized that the 40-year-olds would love to have bifocals that were "invisible". We bought a mailing list, sent flyers, and went on the Internet.

We contacted a local college and working hand in hand with them, set up an alliance that included a discount for their students as well as an eyeglass counter on the campus. We became the liaison between the college and the merchant association, which increased business in our neighborhood.

Did we increase our business? You bet. We also learned that as small entrepreneurs we had been spending 90 - 95% of our time "working" our business. As a result of our coaching experience with Muriel, we learned how to manage and grow our business, hiring and training several employees to do the nitty-gritty that we used to do.

So now we might be doing more than before when it comes to socializing and community involvement, but we are also experiencing the rewards of our efforts and of coaching.

Bob and Wendy Marsh
Marsh Optical