I was going to title this blog post How Entrepreneurs can Reduce Stress in their Workday, but Noon Hour Dance Parties is really what I wanted to share.
Can you imagine your noon hour spent dancing away? There was an article I read recently in a magazine about the trend of noon hour dance parties in Sweden. It was started by a woman who felt she was working too hard and wanted to do something to break up her workdays. [Read more...]
I was reading an article in Success magazine about a fellow named Scott Ginsberg. He has some fabulous ideas for networking and how to make yourself more approachable to others.
Scott started his business by a decision he made 12 years ago to NOT take off the sticky nametag he had on at an event: “Hello, my name is Scott”. He left it on and he started meeting new people daily. The first day was 20 people. And primarily because they came over to ask why he was walking around with a nametag on!
This opened his eyes to how people react to certain situations and from this came the foundations of his business and career. He has written several books and his newest is called, “The Nametag Principle”. To this day, he continues to wear his nametag (In fact rumour has it he has one tattooed on!)
I totally understand the benefits of wearing a nametag. When I started my business four years ago I ordered myself a nametag. I hated wearing those sticky ones at networking events and had one created just for me (A holdback to my days at the bank when we all wore a nametag). It has my name, title (At the time it said Virtual Assistant) and then my business name.
I cannot tell you how many conversations this nametag has started. Whether it is my last name, or title (At the time Virtual Assistant was an unknown term and prompted many questions) and even the nametag itself got people talking to me.
Wearing it to an event, really gave others something to focus on and to start a conversation with me (We all know the awkwardness sometimes at networking events… wondering what new things we can come up with to start a conversation.) My nametag gave people an easy out to say hello and ask me a question. Not bad for my initial investment of $11.75.
Reading this article about Scott has also made me think about my own nametag experiences and I think it’s time to order some new ones. I say ‘ones’ because I often wear different hats at events and having ones that fit the situation will be helpful. Sometimes I am the Virtual Assistant, others I am the Online Marketing & Social Media Specialist and then sometimes I am simply @TimeonTaskVA, my Twitter persona.
How about you, have you ever considered getting your own nametag or had some great experiences because you were wearing one? If so, what results have you had – share your good ‘nametag’ stories!
One of the things I did in 2008 when I started networking online for my business was to set a goal of helping others online. If I see someone who looks like they were hacked, have a typo in their BIO, you know, the little things… I try to help by letting them know how they can fix the situation. If I see someone asking a question, needing help I point them in the right direction. It’s my way of paying it forward ( the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead – ie. if you help 3 people and they each help 3 people, it’s just like word of mouth or viral marketing, but instead people helping others) for all the help I got in my life from others and especially when I started my business.
It’s the little things that I see when I am networking online – looking at new followers, chatting on a Facebook page, and talking to people. Really, it’s the same as you would help out people in person too (well, except for the old one of someone’s ’fly being down’ and never knowing if you say something or not – can’t see that situation happening online!) – just being kind and helpful.
Anyhow this past week I ran into a different type of way I could help someone. It started when I got my mail and my new Moo Cards were in there. Whoohoo – More Moo! And the Bonus was these were the 100 FREE mini moo cards I got from a Klout Perk. They were even free but for the shipping. I flew in the house all excited to open the package and see them (and by the way if you are wondering what a Moo card is, you have obviously never held one in your hand. They are a delight to hold and touch and feel. If you want to see one live and in person, send me an email with your address and I will mail you one of mine! Seriously, I will)
…. back to the story
I get the package open and then open the little box they come in … and the first one is usually a reference card for the order, I look past that and it is another odd card, I keep looking and then finally it dawns on me… they are all these odd cards and not mine! UGh! All the excitement for nothing!
I had someone else’s cards! I called Moo Customer Service and we go through the order numbers and they realize that I have someone else’s cards and someone out there probably is getting mine. A little shipping mixup. No big deal, they tell me to chuck the cards in the garbage because they are sending me a rush order, as well as this other person whose cards I have in my hands.
Chuck them out??? No way - they are Moo Cards. Mini or not – they are too nice to put in the recycle bin. Luckily the cards had the twitter id of the company – @QuipMag (and the special order reference card had the name of the person who made the order) – so I looked them up on twitter, got their website, then found the right person on the “About” page.
I emailed and said what happened, that she would probably get an email about an order problem and that more cards were coming… but in the meantime – what is her address so I can mail this box of cards off. (I could not in any way throw them out).
She was so happy I emailed and very appreciative that I was willing to mail the cards. I did, she got them last week and was so grateful I took the time to send them. We also got to know a little bit about each other’s business in the process.
A little help and a little pay it forward – it always comes back I say…
So today I got a tweet from Kateryna:
@timeontaskva So guess what, I just got your cards! Will mail them tomorrow please DM me your address
Pay it Forward, It ALWAYS comes back one way or another and not always from the recipient as was the case today – but somewhere somehow it will come back to you.
PS. Don’t forget to send me an email if you want a sample mini-moo card. The postage is on me!
As a small business owner, your business can be operating like a well-oiled machine, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re going to be stressed out. It’s ironic that when things are going really well, we typically end up spending MORE hours on our jobs because we’re just having so much fun and we’re seeing all the fantastic benefits of hard work.
To be a healthy person, you need to be a well-rounded person. Here are a handful of tips to make sure your business isn’t taking over your life at the expense of your health and well-being:
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – regular exercise reduces anxiety, combats obesity, and makes you a nicer person to be around. If you are sitting on your rear in front of the computer most of the day, you have to find some way to move your body on a regular basis. It can be as simple as a 15 minute walk first thing in the morning, or as intense as a 2 hour gym workout. Just choose something and do it. Commit to this for three weeks and you will probably develop a life long healthy habit.
I’m willing to bet that at least once in the past month, you’ve found yourself up way too late, finishing one last work project, answering one more email, or putting the finishing touches on one last product. On an occasional basis, these nocturnal escapades are no big deal, But burn the midnight oil night after night after night, and you’re frying yourself. Not only does sleep deprivation make you anxious, edgy and unable think clearly, it also makes it harder for you to work at peak efficiency. Set a bedtime, and stick to it.
You will probably laugh at this, thinking you don’t have time for a hobby. But the truth is, you don’t have time NOT to have a hobby! Whether it’s knitting, canoeing, genealogy, cooking, or grooming llamas, you need something that will provide balance to your life. There will be days when the business side of things isn’t going so well, and you will need an escape. Get a hobby before you’re forced to find one.
Connecting with those around you is critical to minimizing your stress. At the end of your life, you’re going to be worried more about the people you love and less about the business you created. Show your family and friends how important they are to you NOW by giving them their rightful share of your time. The bonus? It will calm your anxiety when you know you’re investing time where it’s going to matter most throughout your lifetime.
It will take time to get all of these items as part of your regular routine, but stick with it, if you do your health, mind and family will all be more appreciative, as will your clients and business!
They have different names but their purpose is the same for all…you spend time with a prospective client to determine if your services will fits the needs they have and if you want to work together (make a sale).
There is a point to every sales call or consult that is like the saying “sink or swim”. There are many ways to ruin a sales call and beating around the bush is just one of them. You need to make sure you get to the point and stay focused on the purpose of the call.
You don’t want to spend too much time during a sales call or consult or you risk the prospect losing interest and can also end up giving away too much information. This was something I found I did … A LOT! It’s easy to get talking and lose control because you are enjoying the conversation. But time was an issue for me and not wasting it, was a goal I had.
After a year in business I made a few changes with regards to my consults and since then I have been able to make much better use of my time during these calls. The solution?
A consult process and an agenda tick sheet for each call to be as effective as possible. 
Here are my Top 4 Tips to Keeping Focus during a Sales Call:
1. PRE-Consult Info: One of the most effective tools I do is to send a consult form to everyone looking to have a call with me. The form includes all relevant background information I am looking for when talking to prospective clients. I find this fills me in on a lot of the information that clients want to share about their business. I find if I have the info up front then I have a better idea of their business and their needs.
2. Consult Questions on a Form: The best way to spend time during a consult or sales call is to have an agenda. I created myself a consult form that contains a lot of the normal information I want to learn about a client and the questions I want to ask based on the background I already know. Most of the form is setup like a checklist, so I write less information as opposed to ticking or circling answers. With the form by my side I can keep on track during the call and better spend our time together. If the conversation gets off topic, I use this form to get me back to earth and to keep the focus during the call. It also helps that I have many areas I ask questions and have a lot of the standard answers. I only need to circle the answer from the client. Saves me time and helps me keep better notes.
3. Services & Benefits info: My consult form also has areas on it that remind me of the benefits I want to share about our services and how they can help the client. I keep a list of prices as well so I am not thinking about them as the list is right there in front of me.
4. Set a Time Limit: My consults are free but if I didn’t keep them to a time limit I would have many hours a month spent on these calls. Not every call converts into a client; so keeping them focused is essential to remaining productive. I let prospective clients know how long my free consults take. This sets the expectations up front as to how much time is needed. If it goes over (and occasionally it does) they are appreciative of the extra time I spent with them. The form helps a lot to keep me to a shorter time on the calls. It is easy to lose track of where you are and one look at the form and I know what to ask about next.
My process and form mean that I now have an agenda to follow and the time is focused on the real issues at hand. It keeps clients from getting confused with too much information and me learning how I can help solve their issues.
Look back at your notes from the last 5 sales calls or consults you have had. Take note of the common information you wanted to know and the questions you asked. Using this information you can setup two documents; one to gather info prior to the call and one to use during the call. Make certain to include a part on the form that lists your services, benefits and prices. You may not always refer to this part as you get more familiar with your process, but it’s always good to have the notes there to back you up.
Good luck with your Sales Process, and let me know how your first call goes once you have tried this method.
S4B Bootcamp - The Money is in the List: How to use Social Media to Build your Email List and Sales
