I was walking through Wal-Mart the other day, when I passed three young kids just kind of messing around.  As I zipped pass them on my way to find a phone cord, the biggest one looked around and said, “Hey, where’d Mom go?” After paying attention long enough to make sure they connected with someone, I went on my way thinking about how applicable that question is for business. (Kind of weird, I know.)

Those kids had only one point of reference for where they were supposed to be, what they were doing and why they were even there. And it was no longer in sight. They knew they needed to find it before they really got lost (and probably got in trouble). How easy is it for us to lose our focus and get distracted  — and lose a lot of ground before we even realize what happened?

We can get caught up doing all kinds of things related to our business that over time, can cause problems. We can get over-distracted by social media, we can read too many how-to or motivational books or check out one too many blogs on the greatest new software. We can even turn legitimate networking into just hanging out.

Sounds like fun, but if we linger too long, and our focus on the core tasks slip, we can find ourselves standing in the aisle looking at each other wondering where everyone went.

Dave Fiore is the founder and CEO of davemail.

While waiting for my 15-year-old daughter to exhaust the rest of her allowance at the mall (with the help of a friend), I sat in the café area at Borders reading the September issue of Entrepreneur. I was pleased to come across an article entitled “The Twittering Class,” about the use of social media tools, but was flabbergasted by how far the article missed the mark.

How many experts out there, much less regular business people, are simply missing the point of Twitter as it relates to business?

The author, Mikal E. Belicove, is a consultant, who according to the magazine byline, specializes in Web site usability and business blogging.  I’m sure he knows his stuff, but his cursory, shallow evaluation of Twitter demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of not only the potential, but also the purpose of the microblogging tool.

Belicove writes that because tweets (Twitter posts of 140 characters or fewer) have a short shelf life, they cannot replace Web sites or blogs in driving sales (half true – they can drive sales, but not in the same way).

He then says this: “Twitter is better for company announcements, spotting trends, conducting polls and posting on new products, services and in-the-moment specials…remember to include strong calls to action in your tweets.”

What? While Twitter certainly is useful for trend spotting, that advice is the fastest way to get yourself unfollowed by just about everyone. Twitter is not a sales flier. It is not a bulletin board on which to post your latest “Everything Must Go” sales event. It is not even a place to describe your services and then close with a strong call to action.

Twitter is a place to develop relationships. To contribute to the conversation. To share ideas. To be encouraged. To be social. And yes, to share with others what you do – in the mix of a conversation – just like you would do face to face.

Do you walk into a room and immediately start telling every person you see about how great your business is or how they can save 20 percent this Saturday? If you do, you shouldn’t, and if you don’t, you should show your Twitter followers the same courtesy.

The sales will most likely come if you let it happen naturally. People want to do business with people they know – not a salesman who happened to gain access to them. Give it time, listen and be a real person first, and then Twitter really can be a great tool in your sales arsenal. 

Dave Fiore is the founder and CEO of davemail.

Running a business well is like riding a bike. Not because you never forget how, but because getting off to a good start does not always ensure long-term success.

Riding a bicycle in a straight line, even pretty fast, is easy to learn, as my son discovered right away. But a couple days ago, we went for a little skills training. Instead of just riding around the block, we spent some time at a nearby cul-de-sac going really slowly and working on fundamentals. I would have him make sharp turns and maintain his balance by shifting his weight, turning the front wheel and pedaling just enough to stay up.

He thought it was kind of dumb at first, but I think he started to like it as he got the hang of it. It is empowering to realize that you are in control and feel like you can handle anything that comes your way.

It may not have been as fun or flashy as speeding down the street, but how often is the road straight for very long? How often can we get away with not making adjustments? It helps to have some skills when the inevitable speed bumps get in the way.  

Are we just riding fast with our businesses or learning everything we need to be in control – at least of how we react to change? Especially with start-ups or restarts, we often feel compelled to do the things that show the most progress first – at the expense of the fundamentals. This is not a good time to lack skills.

Back to the bike lessons – after about five minutes, my son wanted us to start chasing each other around the circle and riding in opposite directions — coming as close to each other as we could without crashing.

Actually, that might be better practice for real life, after all.

Dave Fiore is the founder and CEO of davemail.

I need a new smartphone. My Palm Treo was the victim of an office mishap and needs to be replaced. Even with my insurance, a new phone will be only $50 more, so the search is on. In posting my quandary about whether to stay with Palm (Pre), slide over to Blackberry or make the jump to an iPhone, the response from my online friends has been quite interesting.

Even though I never directly asked for opinions, one group was very vocal about expressing their affection for their mobile device. You could call it iLove.

The passion that iPhone users display for their devices is almost scary. They love their phones. I mean, really love them. If you were a lazy researcher (which I have never met, BTW), you could take the ratio of iPhone responses to everything else and predict that about 90 percent of all people with mobile phones are using the darling of the AT&T wireless family.

In truth, there are many more Blackberry users in the world, but you would never know it. How many of them would stop a stranger in the street to tell them how much they love their phone? Or offer a quick game of Mario Kart?

The obvious question here is how do we take a small share of the market and energize our base to the degree that it seems we are the industry leader? How do we create raving fans (with a nod to Ken Blanchard) and get them to spread the word?

Well, unless you have the equivalent of the coolest, sleekest phone ever created, you had probably better focus on the basics of delivering a good product and offering over-the-top customer service.

Getting even a few people talking, especially if they are the right people, will be a huge step in the right direction.

PHONE UPDATE: I ended up going with the Blackberry Tour, which just became available through Sprint last week. I absolutely love it, and it is perfect for what I need a mobile device to do.

Dave Fiore is founder and CEO of davemail.

Ever notice how many things seem like they should be fun until you actually do them? What is really sad is that we have done most of those things before – and we should know better.

For me, many of those misguided notions of fun involve shopping of some kind. Going to the mall sounds appealing every six months or so, and even yard sales have a certain pull until the reality of sifting through piles of outdated electronics and battered sports equipment while sweating through your shirt sets in.

For me, though, it is the call of the mega-bookstore that snags me most often. Now, I like bookstores, and I like browsing through “my” sections and the magazines. And since I generally only go into bookstores when I am with my wife, I like that part of it, too.

The problem lies in the innocent-looking but soul-sucking rows of bargain tables offering $2 and $3 books on every subject imaginable. Books-A-Million, in particular, has more linear feet of bargain books than anyplace I have ever seen.

It is not the bargains that bother me, but rather the overwhelming pull they possess to attract my wife to start at one end and shuffle ever so slowly down the line — combing through the piles with great intensity and expectation.

She loves it. Me? Not so much. But I dutifully follow for a while until my repeated sighing causes her to insist that I check out the business magazines.

It really does amaze me how patient and determined she is to find just one or two deals that will save us money and serve a significant purpose. Unless you own a bookstore, however, it is highly unlikely that your customers are going to be that patient.

We need to do a better job of communicating the benefit of what we offer right up front. Make it obvious from the first few seconds they enter your store, visit your Web site or encounter you at the coffee shop. Our 30-second elevator speech should not just be about what we do, but rather focus on how we can help.

Most potential customers are not going to spend an hour inching their way through your business looking for the thing they can’t live without. It is our job to point it out to them right away.

What role can SMS messaging play in a marketing campaign? 

SMS (short message service) messages are text messages delivered to mobile phones much in the same way email newsletters are delivered to inboxes.

Each text can be up to 160 characters and is sent to a list of mobile phone numbers.

They are especially effective for urgent communications such as breaking legislative news (the committee is voting in an hour, call your rep right now) or a large conference (the keynote speaker starts in 15 minutes - don’t miss it).  

They are much more intrusive than email, because in some cases, they can cost the recipient money. So BE SURE you have permission to send SMS before you do it. Otherwise, you could be fined, or even worse, lose a potential client and create some very bad buzz about your business.  

They also are a little more expensive to send than newsletters, so use them wisely. Saved for the right moments, and sent to the right people,  SMS messages can move a lot of people in a very short amount of time, producing big results.

At about 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, I tweeted that I was about to head home and was looking forward to being greeted by my youngest three children (ages 9, 7 and 3) because they still run to me with open arms and big smiles when I get home.

After a few minutes of light traffic and sports-talk radio, I was ready for my hugs and “I love yous.” What I got was something far more nefarious. Sending their mother to the front yard to distract me, my three little angels did indeed run to greet me – dressed in swimsuits and armed with an array of water weapons firing at will. With little regard for my sharp, business-casual attire and leatherette portfolio, they proceeded to drench me, much to their delight (as well as their mom’s, based on her snickers).

Running a small business can put us in similar situations at times. We walk in the office door with high expectations only to be attacked with email, voicemail, tweets and updates that can quickly throw our expectations for a loop.

 So what do we do about it?

 I am a little embarrassed to admit that there was a time that I would have gotten a little put out by the water attack incident. I was tired, my clothes were getting wet and I probably was not looking too cool in front of the neighbors.

 Thankfully, I have grown to understand that water dries, clothes get washed and my neighbors already know I’m not cool. Plus, I certainly didn’t want to disappoint my little army (that had been waiting to ambush me for a while I later learned) with anything but feigned fear and indignation and lots of slow running. OK, that part was real.

 I am grateful for all my clients, even if what they need at the moment is a little inconvenient or makes me shift my day around a little.

 I would hate to imagine what life would be like without them.

When a client presents a task that challenges your ability to deliver, you can politely decline and refer them to a competitor, hurriedly add a staff member or seek help from a trusted independent contractor.

Clever copy, creative logos (and really cool email newsletters) often are the work of talented individuals or companies hired by managers of companies in need of a specific skill set. While these stealth specialists often remain anonymous to the client, they play a vital role in more local projects than you might expect.

So how do you decide if outsourcing is your best option and then choose the right provider?

• Determine exactly what you need. This may seem obvious, but understanding the details of your project will help ensure that you find the best outsourcing option. Then communicate those details clearly.
• Establish a realistic budget. Everything sounds easy around the conference table, but take a hard look at the how long it will really take and what may be needed to complete the project.
• Choose between a per-hour project and retainer relationship. A project-based assignment is clearly defined and may be better for the short-term, while a monthly retainer allows greater flexibility.
• Set clear financial parameters. The contractor should never spring extra charges on a client, and the client should resist the temptation to add to a job already agreed upon – without expecting to pay for it.
• Allow time for a learning curve. Even your employees need some time to learn the ins and outs of your operation and your business culture. Build this into your schedule.
• Provide a reliable contact person. Even if you are the one doing the hiring, give your contractor the “best” person to reach when they have questions or need information.
• Know who you are hiring. Check references, see samples and ask around. Make sure they know what they’re doing, people like working with them and that they deliver on time.
• Look beyond the hourly rate. Don’t be scared off by a contractor’s hourly fee. Remember that there are no payroll benefits or taxes, and in most cases, you are getting a level of experience and expertise you could never afford in a full-time employee. A bargain for sure.

It is a lesson that business owners and managers learn quickly: There is simply more to do than time to do it. And if that isn’t the case, then something is probably wrong.

I can already hear all the Franklin planners popping open and the chants that proper time management is the key to happiness and world peace. But it’s more than that. It’s about balancing our daily activities so that we are providing flawless customer service, pursuing new business and attending to the tiny details that keep our doors open – all in a fluid environment that demands thinking on our feet and personal discipline.

It simply is too easy for an entire day to go by without moving the business essentials forward. So what do we do to guard against spending time on good stuff, but not the best stuff? And how do you figure out what the best stuff even is?

I posted that question on my blog and got a most insightful response from my 85-year-old grandfather who lives in Ohio and is apparently still cool enough to blog. His no-nonsense approach, learned through decades of successful sales, management and business experience, got right to the point.

“Dave, business practices have not changed much over time,” he said. “The best advice I can give you is that you have to learn to separate the chaff from the wheat. Without new business coming in, everything else is inconsequential! So that must be uppermost in your mind at all times. I know you have a million and one things to do, but somehow they will get done.”

So there you have it. Nothing else matters if you don’t have clients (or customers). What a novel idea. Of course, you should make sure you are taking good care of the clients you already have, but I think from his perspective that is a given. Creating a revolving door doesn’t get you anywhere.

Being a smart businessperson means staying in business – something that is a whole lot easier when someone is buying what you’re selling. And while there are at least a million other things we can be doing, we must keep new business coming in and let the rest take care of itself.