Barbara Demarest

Relationships Are the Key to Career Strength

Barbara Demarest — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:00:05 +0000

What’s the most important thing to learn if you want to advance your career? How to foster, develop, and manage relationships effectively.

In today’s emerging right-brain economy, the hard skills taught in schools provide only the baseline of what is required in most professions. Professionals who have the edge — those singled out for high-potential programs — are also skilled at forging meaningful relationships.

The adage “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care” has never been more relevant.

While a good education is important, it’s no longer enough. Today’s leaders need to add the development of emotional competencies to their professional learning agenda.

Leadership Skills for the 21st Century

The ability to engage in meaningful dialogue, to interact with other people effectively, and to be emotionally savvy are, in fact, the leadership abilities that will be more and more highly valued in the future.

The good news is that these skills can be developed.

Smart and engaged leaders who pay attention to improving these human connection skills are the candidates most likely to be hired or promoted. Regardless of what sector you work in – for profit, nonprofit, government, or education, the ability to connect and communicate is an important leadership capacity of the future.

Several research studies now bear out the added value of emotional competence:

• In one study, researchers measured whether a master’s degree made a difference in the quality of a teacher’s classroom performance, as measured by children’s achievements. The results: Neither a teaching certificate nor advanced degree separated the best educators from the average teachers.

In another study, Dr. Wendy Levinson, an international expert in the field of physician-patient relationships, examined why some doctors who made mistakes got sued and others didn’t. She found that patients filed lawsuits against doctors they didn’t like, while well-liked physicians were not sued.
Numerous studies confirm that physicians who avoid lawsuits take a little more time to talk with their patients — about three minutes more — than physicians who do get sued. Further, the quality of doctor-patient interactions has a tremendous impact on potential litigation.
When researchers reviewed surgeons’ conversations with patients solely on the basic of tone of voice, the doctors whose voices sounded more concerned and less dominant were less likely to be sued. Conversely, when surgeons’ voices were perceived as dominant, they were more likely to be sued.
In the end, the outcome seems to depend on respect, which in its simplest form is communicated through tone of voice. And by adding a few minutes of conversation, doctors strengthen the value of their interactions — an outcome that professionals in all industries should strive to achieve.

Training Leaders for Future Complexities

Many professional development programs focus on the individual and self-improvement, or on managing teams and influencing groups of people. Thousands of managers receive training each year, with an emphasis on leading others. When you have these opportunities, make sure that an important component of your study, training, and coaching includes a focus on how to develop interpersonal relationships and dialogue skills.

The best managers in the world are not only experts in systems, processes and technical competencies; they’re also proficient at managing emotions – their own and others’.

“As a leader moves up in an organization, up to 90 percent of their success lies in emotional intelligence,” notes Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence (2006).

In other words, nine out of ten executives who fail lack emotional competencies. A leader’s most valuable currency is relationships, emotional capital and the ability to connect with others.

The Boss Is Last

Sadly, most people’s experience with bosses falls short.

A Princeton University study explored how individuals felt about spending time with associates. Interactions with clients and customers topped the list, followed by interchanges with coworkers. Interactions with the boss came in last — rated, on average, as less enjoyable than cleaning the house.

The Gallup Organization conducted a famous study of workplace attitudes, asking 8 million people to respond to the following statement: “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.”

The results show that people who agree with this statement:

Are more likely to stay with an organization
Have more engaged customers
Are more productive

Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience. When a boss treats you with respect and cares about your life, you feel more enthusiastic and committed to your work.

We spend 50 percent more time with our customers, coworkers and bosses than we do with our friends, significant others, children and other relatives combined. To be sure, finding a few strong office relationships will help anyone become more engaged and productive.

Combining Smarts with Heart

Human connectivity requires the right combination of IQ (intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence). Unless you can connect with colleagues and clients at a deep level, bringing both your professional expertise and emotional commitment to relationships, you will not advance in your career as quickly or as far as you desire.

IQ can help people get hired, but EQ is often referenced when people get promoted. Leaders who are rewarded with promotions demonstrate both smarts and heart.

To improve your leadership potential, start talking. Have meaningful, authentic, and real conversations. Develop your personal relationships with colleagues and customers. Show your expertise, but show you care even more. If necessary, work with a professional coach to develop and improve your conversational and interpersonal skills.

Should you gain diverse experience? Specialize? Go back to school for an advanced degree? Attend workshops? Get a coach? Yes, those can all be good ideas, but through all your skill building and experience gaining, make sure you are also developing those relationship muscles – authentic dialogue and understanding and caring about those around you.

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Yes! You may use this article by TheCoachingAssociation.com Executive Director Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses. You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

50 Tweetable Ideas

Guest Author — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:57:55 +0000

Jessica Swanson has been running a number of webinars and email blasts about practical tools for small businesses. The last few weeks she has focused on Twitter. I thought this list of 50 things to Tweet about might be helpful to pass along.

50 Tweet-able Ideas

Guest Author: Jesscia Swanson

One of the main questions from small business owners regarding Twitter is, “What in the world do I Tweet about?”

You understand that millions of your prospects are on Twitter, you realize that your Tweets should be valuable and educational, but you’re just not sure what to send out to your followers through your Twitter stream.

Here are 50 Tweetable ideas tailor-made for the small business owner:

1) Share a relevant quote from your industry.

2) Link to your blog post.

3) Link to someone else’s blog post.

4) Share a link to a video at: http://www.TwitVid.com

5) Share industry tips.

6) Ask questions.

7) Answer questions.

Share a cool, new tool that you just discovered.

9) Start a new # discussion within your industry.

10) Join a # discussion within your industry.

11) Re-tweet relevant tweets that your followers will enjoy.

12) Share a picture at: http://www.TwitPic.com

13) Link to one of your published articles.

14) Link to someone else’s published article.

15) Share a link to one of your recent press releases.

16) Post updates while attending a conference.

17) Share a link to your podcast.

18) Let your followers know about an upcoming interview.

19) Brag about your favorite clients and customers.

20) Ask for help solving a problem.

21) Share a link to your online radio show.

22) Create informal mastermind groups at: http://grouptweet.com

23) Generate quick polls at: http://www.TweetPoll.com

24) Give away free stuff (ebooks, reports, audios, etc.)

25) Review a product pertinent to your industry.

26) Review a book relevant to your industry.

27) Set up a #TweetUp to meet your twitter friends in-person.

28) Offer great customer service.

29) Find Joint Venture partners.

30) Brag about a job well done by another company or individual.

31) Provide your expert opinion.

32) Tweet out your eZine.

33) Promote your live event.

34) Promote your virtual event http://www.Tweetvite.com

35) Showcase your work.

36) Promote your new product or ebook.

37) Host a contest.

38) Build relationships with bloggers.

39) Build relationships with PR people.

40) Share a link to your Hubpage: www.Hubpages.com

41) Share a link to your Squidoo lens: www.Squidoo.com

42) Announce the upcoming launch of a new product or service.

43) Redistribute content.

44) Share a link to a powerpoint presentation on www.SlideShare.com

45) Take questions from the audience whenever you participate in a teleseminar or conference.

46) Form a group for your customers and clients at: http://grouptweet.com

47) Tell an industry joke.

48) Rant about something not done well in your industry.

49) Solve a problem that your target market is facing.

50) Toot your own horn. Go ahead, you deserve it!

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Jessica Swanson, “The Shoestring Marketer,” has helped entrepreneurs, all over the world, explode their businesses using cutting-edge, proven and completely free marketing strategies. To receive your FREE Shoestring Marketing Kit, which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, just like you, learn the exact techniques for marketing their businesses for no-cost, visit: www.ShoestringMarketingKit.com

Always Be Networking: Advice from Passport2Success

Barbara Demarest — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:48:11 +0000

Another run of the speed consulting program for job seekers was sponsored and coordinated by WFMY-TV on May 5, 2010. Many career coaches in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina volunteered their time. Here’s a little snippet of video that I contributed between one on one sessions with people looking for advice on their career transitions.

Listening – the Key to Reaching Just About Anyone

Barbara Demarest — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:21:36 +0000

In my various roles – strategy consultant, executive coach, mother of teen-aged boys, Board volunteer – I’ve run into people I don’t understand and with whom I can’t find common ground. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you’re stumped. In talking with colleagues about this phenomenon, we could all describe what happens: there are attempts at persuasion, logic, pleading, and bargaining. And you hope you don’t slide into anger as you begin to speak louder, persuade harder, encourage, cajole, argue and push. The end result is just greater confusion and greater resistance.

In times such as these, it helps to be reminded that active listening – when you mirror and reflect back to people what you hear – offers the best chance of reaching someone.

Mark Goulston’s Persuasion Cycle

In Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone , psychiatrist Mark Goulston explains that persuasion moves through a cycle:

From resisting to listening
From listening to considering
From considering to willing to do
From willing to do to doing
From doing to glad they did and continuing to do

Buy-in begins when people move from resisting to listening to considering what you’re saying. How do you get a person to go from the critical stage of resisting to listening? First, you listen to them.

The Three-Part Brain

Our brains evolved from lower animals:

Our primitive reptilian brain remains responsible for split-second survival reactions (i.e., the “freeze, fight or flight” response). Early in my career, I remember a mentor pointing out to me that there was a certain work situation that consistently sent me back to my reptilian brain. Wow, that was tough to hear, but I knew exactly what he meant when he said it – stimulus and response and nothing else.
The middle mammalian brain is the seat of emotions, where the inner drama queen reigns. This brain can be overwhelming sometimes. Completely taking over.
The upper primate/human brain weighs a situation logically and generates a conscious plan of action. It collects data from the reptile and mammal brains, analyzes it, and makes practical, ethical decisions.

To a small extent, these three brains work together, but they also function independently, especially under stress. This is what happens when people shift, becoming difficult and hard to reach.

The Amygdala Hijack

The amygdala is a part of the brain that processes memory and emotional reactions (especially fear and anger).

When it takes over, the primitive reptile brain runs the show, and surges of adrenaline keep us from thinking clearly over the next few minutes — an effect that may take hours to fade.

The term “amygdala hijack,” first coined by psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of the 1995 best seller, Emotional Intelligence, refers to what happens under acute stress.

When you try to reason with someone in a full amygdala hijack, you’re wasting your time. You must speak to him before the hijack occurs — or talk him down from it using empathy.

Mirror Neurons

Years ago, when scientists were studying Macaque monkeys’ brains, they found that specific nerve cells fired when the monkeys threw a ball or ate a banana. To their surprise, these same cells fired when one monkey watched another perform these acts.

When the brain’s “mirror neurons” fire, we have the ability to feel what the other person is experiencing. These cells are nature’s way of teaching us to care about other people.

Goulston suggests that many of us suffer a “mirror neuron receptor deficit.” CEOs and managers feel they give their best, only to be met day after day with apathy, hostility, or worse, no response at all. Their brains don’t get enough mirror neuron receptor activity. In other words, there’s not enough empathy going around the office.

Move from “Uh-oh” to “OK”

In a stressful encounter, you may have less than two minutes to gain control and salvage the situation.

Goulston recommends a five-step mental process, whether you’re dealing with a fender-bender, enraged teenager or work situation:

“Uh-Oh!” (Reaction Phase): “This is a disaster. I’m in trouble. It’s all over.”
“Oh, No!” (Release Phase): “This is a huge mess. I’m stuck with it. Why me?”
“Oh, Jeez!” (Re-Center Phase): “I can fix this, but it’s not going to be fun.”
“Oh, Well…” (Refocus Stage): “I’m not going to let this ruin my career/day/relationship. Here’s what I need to do right now to make it better.”
“OK.” (Reengage Phase): “OK, I’m ready to fix this. Let’s go.”

Rewire Yourself to Listen

Many of us don’t listen well, especially when it comes to the people we deal with regularly. We’ve gotten used to their patterns and their perspectives and we think we already know what they’re going to say.

When we size people up instantly, we form some pretty good first impressions. The problem is, these impressions last forever, and many are a jumbled mix of fact, fiction, prejudice and unconscious intuitions.

We use filters to put people in mental boxes before we really know them based on things like: gender, age, ethnicity, education level, accent, appearance, mannerisms, etc. Really listening means checking those filters to make room for what someone is saying.

Make the Other Person Feel “Felt”

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes so you can change the dynamics of a relationship. In that instant, you “get” each other, and this breakthrough leads to cooperation, collaboration and effective communication.

When you mirror what another person feels, she’s hardwired to mirror you in return. When you say, “I understand what you’re feeling” — and you mean it — she will feel grateful and, in return, express her appreciation with a desire to understand you. It’s an irresistible biological urge that pulls another person toward you.

Phrases for Difficult Conversations

Here are some suggested phrases to help someone feel “felt”:

“I’m trying to get a sense of what you’re feeling. I think it’s (fill in an emotion). Is that what you’re feeling?” Listen without judgment or comment.

“What are you feeling?”

“How frustrated (angry, upset, etc.) are you?” Allow the person to vent.

“And the reason you’re so frustrated (angry, upset) is because (repeat back to them what they’ve told you).” Again, let the person vent.

“Tell me, what needs to happen for that feeling to be better?” Listen without judgment or argument.

“What part can I play in making this happen? What part are you willing to play?”

These are just some common ideas about listening. The point is to use these phrases as a way to practice and as a guide. To take our listening skills beyond the intuitive takes focus and practice – just like any other skill you want to improve.

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Yes! You may use this article by TheCoachingAssociation.com Executive Director Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

12 Reasons Your Small Business Needs Twitter

Guest Author — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:08:20 +0000

Twitter is a powerful tool for small businesses, consultants, nonprofits, and individuals. This post by guest author Jessica Swanson is a helpful checklist if you are looking for some reasons to try out Twitter. My only caveat is that social media is labor intensive and can therefore cost you time even if it doesn’t cost you money. See what you think of Jessica’s ideas.

Guest Author: Jessica Swanson

As a small business owner, you’ve undoubtedly heard that your business needs to have a strong Twitter presence. So, you have dutifully signed up for a Twitter account, have a some followers and have even sent out a few Tweets. Now, you’re wondering how in the world Twitter will actually help your business.

Here are 12 reasons why your small business needs to be on Twitter:

1) Build Authenticate Relationships. Twitter allows you to begin building authentic relationships with your prospects, clients and customers. As a small business owner, strong customer relationships are one of your greatest assets.

2) Share Your Expertise. If you provide valuable, interesting and compelling Tweets, you will begin positioning yourself as an expert in your particular field and industry.

3) Generate Traffic To Your Website. As you build a strong presence on Twitter and offer valuable Tweets, your followers will begin to take notice of you. Consequently, they’ll naturally want to visit your profile to learn more about you and your small business.

4) Obtain Qualified Leads For Your Business. If your Twitter profile gives your followers a compelling reason to visit your landing page or website, they will take action. Make sure that your landing page is set up to collect their name and email address (in exchange for a free downloadable offer) to begin building your list.

5) Allow Others To Spread Your Ideas. As others retweet your quotes, ideas and strategies, your ideas are spread to hundreds, even thousands, of fresh, new eyes around the world.

6) Extend The Reach Of Your Brand. If your Tweets are filled with expert tips, advice and strategies, Twitter becomes an amazing tool for establishing a strong presence for your brand.

7) Discover The Latest “Buzz” About Your Company. What’s the buzz about you and your company? If you subscribe to www.TweetBuzzer.com you can keep abreast of everything that is said about you in the Twitter world.

8) Get In Front Of High Profile Individuals. There is simply no better way than Twitter to connect with high-profile individuals. As long as a high-profile individual follows you back, they have access to your Tweets. Think of all the possibilities!

9) Track Your Competition. Twitter is a wonderful way to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. As a marketer, it’s imperative to understand what is happening in your industry, and your competitors are a great place to start.

10) Conduct Market Research. Big companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to perform market research. But, through Twitter, you can perform market research for free! Through the use of quizzes, polls and surveys, you can discover, first-hand anything that you want to know about your target market.

11) Keep Current Within Your Industry. As a small business owner, it’s essential to keep current with the latest trends in your industry. You can subscribe to the Tweets of bloggers, PR professionals and others Twitterers connected to your industry to stay fresh and updated.

12) It’s FREE. As a Shoestring Marketer, there’s nothing better than tapping into a low-cost, high-impact marketing tool to help build your small business.

So, take the time to build your Twitter presence, tap into its power and build your small business on a shoestring marketing budget!

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7 Tricks For Creating Powerful Ad-Copy

Guest Author — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:03:30 +0000

Guest Author: Jessica Swanson

As a small business owner, at one time or another, you will need to create a compelling ad. It doesn’t matter if your ad is a sales brochure, email announcement or a newspaper ad, ultimately, your ad-copy must grab your prospect’s attention, produce a desired emotional response that urges them to take action.

Here Are 7 Key Points To Keep In Mind, When Writing Ad-Copy:

1. Choose Your Words Carefully

There are over 175,000 words in the English language and, if used wisely, have the power to sway people’s thinking, change their perspective and even motivate them to take action.

Selecting your words thoughtfully and with precision will create an enormous difference in the quality and performance of your ads.

- Words that create a feeling of safety: peace, relaxed, serene, secure, warm

- Words that create a sense of control: confidence, mastery, balance, self-assured, composure

- Words that create excitement: edgy, exhilarating, explosive, juicy, sensational

2. Focus On Benefits

Many small business owners make the mistake of focusing on the features of their product or service. Unfortunately, your prospect isn’t interested in mere features; they are only interested in how your product or service will improve their life.

Therefore, eliminate focusing on the mundane characteristics of your product and service and instead concentrate on how it will benefit your prospect’s life. Will it make them thinner? Happier? Richer?

If you are able to effectively portray how your product will change lives, your battle is half-done.

3. Establish Trust

One of the jobs of your ad-copy is to establish trust between you and your buyers. People will never do business with companies that they don’t feel confident about. Therefore, you need to put their anxieties to rest and convince them that their fears are unsubstantiated.

There are various ways to establish credibility:

- Use statements that are truthful and original;

- Offer free product samples or free services;

- Include your name and contact information in your ad-copy;

- Use testimonials from satisfied clients/customers;

- Avoid generalizations and include specifics;

4. Create One Clear Objective

Every single piece of ad-copy that you produce (whether it is a Google Adword campaign or a piece of direct mail) should be deliberately simple.

You should have only one, crystal clear objective in your ad. Either you want your prospect to visit a website, call a 1-800 number or take out their wallet and make a purchase. If your ad contains multiple objectives, your prospect will only become confused and overwhelmed.

As the saying goes, “Keep It Simple Stupid!” This applies to your ad-copy as well.

5. Differentiate Your Company

One of the main ingredients in successful ad-copy is to convince your prospects that you are different and unique from your competition. Your ad should always convey at least one reason why you are different.

Do you offer superior customer service? Are you the fastest? Do you produce the highest quality materials?

Discover what main attributes motivate your particular target market and make this attribute the focal point when differentiating yourself.

6. Pack Your Headlines With Power

There are dozens of research studies that suggest that your headline is the most important part of your entire ad. In fact, you only have three seconds to capture your prospect’s interest, so your headline needs to be packed with as much power as possible.

You should always use “power words” in your headline such as:

Amazing

Announcing

Advice To

At Last

Bargains

Breakthrough

Discover

Do You

Enormous

Facts

Finally

Free

Great News

Guaranteed

Here

How Much

Inside Secrets Of…

Innovative

Love

Only

Proven

Sale

This

Which

Yes

7. Create An Emotional Response

Ultimately, your ad should produce a desired emotion in your prospect. It’s simply not enough that your prospect relates to your company in a logical manner. There needs to be an emotional connection as well.

Use words that bring about the emotions that you want your customer or client to feel: love, fear, desire, power, more control, etc.

If your prospect relates to you on both an emotional and logical level, you are engaging them in a fuller manner and they are more likely to connect with you and your company.

Although writing solid ad-copy isn’t child’s play, it can be learned through practice, patience and perseverance.

The difference between producing a mediocre ad and producing an irresistible ad that motivates your prospect to take action could literally mean thousands of dollars in extra sales, customers and clients.

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Competitive Intelligence – Sophisticated or Quick & Dirty

Barbara Demarest — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:14:52 +0000

Inc. has been posting some very good information on “how to” do things related to a small business. One of their posts that caught my attention was about the secrets of competitive intelligence. The post talked about how important it is for companies of all sizes to know what is going on around them and to pay attention to the competition. And that small companies may need to be even more attentive to their competitors.

Two key suggestions in the article were that you should know yourself first and then figure out what matters in your competitive space. The author quotes experts who offer ways to track what your competitors are doing and how to keep up with what your market is looking for from its suppliers.

A number of resources were mentioned in the article, including:

The writers at Inc. point out that you need clarity and discipline to “be in the game.” The MBA in me got very excited to read about these tools and be reminded of SWOT analyses and competitive mapping, but I also thought about how much time and discipline these activities take. If you can check out the Inc. article, I encourage you to do so, it is excellent, but if you don’t think you can implement the more sophisticated system they mention, you might want to read a little bit about Howie Jacobson’s Checkmate. Don’t let the semi-cheesy sales page fool you, this is some really helpful stuff. Howie has taken what he knows about Adwords — which is enough to get the “for Dummies” book people to ask him to write the Google Adwords for Dummies books — and has taken on competitive positioning. In about an hour, using the Checkmate matrix, I was able to outline my client’s competitive space. I used the Google search page for the keywords that were important to my client and then went to town. I strongly believe in the competitive intelligence work outlined by Inc. That’s good stuff, but for quick and dirty and getting me started, I have to say what I learned via Checkmate was pretty powerful and something I can do easily at any time I need to check in on my positioning.

I’ve gotten to know Howie since he moved to about an hour’s drive me, so let me know if you are interested in Checkmate, I might be able to help you get connected or even get a discount. Just email me at info@barbarademarest.com.

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy and development consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses. You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

How to Build a Business That Fits Your Life

Guest Author — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:45:29 +0000

Today’s guest author is Sherri Garrity from TheCorporateFugitive.com. Sherri writes frequent posts on her blog about what it takes to transition from a corporate employee to a self-employed entrepreneur. When individuals come to me for career transition counseling, one of the options that is often on the table is whether or not freelancing or self-employment might work for them. In this article, Sherri talks a little about how to think about your life first and the job fitting into that life second. For many of us, this is tough because we don’t realize that we can actually design our lives and not assume that our employment situation is what defines the rest of our existence.

Guest Author: Sherri Garrity on Building a Business to Fit Your Life

There’s a reason the first question I ask a client is “what do you want your life to be like?” It’s because without a clear and vivid vision of what YOU want, you won’t be very likely to get it.

This sounds trite and flippant, but I assure you, it’s by far the most important question you need to ask yourself as you build a business.

Who you are, what you love, what you hate, how you like to work, how you like to play, and how much money you desire and need are all important ingredients that will allow you to create the business that really fits you best. Doesn’t this sound better than if I were to ask you what business model is right for you?

Here are two scenarios of people in the same kind of business, yet set up completely different:

Peggy absolutely loves to nurture and care for her clients and enjoys lots of interaction with them. Her passion is taking care of her clients’ needs and making their lives easier. In her career she was a high level executive assistant in the corporate world. She left her job in her early 50s to care for her husband who became unable to work. She also has a daughter in university. She needs to have a consistent income, and a predictable daytime schedule. She needs to be at home. What works for Peggy’s virtual assistant practice is to work very closely with mainly local clients, from her home office. She does administrative work for a small number of ongoing clients in a particular industry. She can be available to them during their business day. She takes on a small number of virtual clients outside of her geographic area for task-oriented, as needed projects to diversify her income.

Sandra has a pre-school child and gave her letter of resignation soon after going back to work so that she could be home with her young child. Her income from her job was not enough for her to make working for someone else worth it financially and emotionally. Her schedule is completely erratic and she requires absolute flexibility. Her income needs are not high, and is a second income for her family. She loves variety and the satisfaction of turning projects around quickly and moving on to the next one. She tends to get bored quickly, just likes to get the work done and move on. She dislikes the day-to-day administration and works best when she has a clear direction and a definite project end. Her passion leans toward technical problem solving and creativity. What works for Sandra’s virtual assistance practice is a specialty in online marketing software. She sets up electronic newsletters, and manages the back end of her clients’ shopping cart systems and email marketing. Because she is so specialized, she often is not the sole virtual assistant for her clients and frequently is a member of a project team. She likes this because she doesn’t want to be the point person and also due to her schedule, she isn’t suited for customer service and regular interaction with her clients and their clients. She can handle a higher number of clients and most of the work she does can be done at any time of day or night as long as she meets her deadlines.

As you can see from the above examples, Peggy and Sandra have entirely different needs. Had either of them chosen each other’s model to follow, they’d be miserable. Their businesses would soon feel like a job, and you can bet their relationships with their clients would be less than effective.

So, how do you avoid this in your life and business? Take the time to figure out what you truly want, and custom fit your business to your life plan.

Here are some tips to get you thinking:

1. What’s your “sweet spot”?

Jim Collins, the author of the Good to Great leadership books, says it is where all of these three things intersect:

Something that people will pay you for – these are your marketable skills that you have

Something you’re passionate about

Something that you’re put on this earth to do – the elusive “purpose” many of us seek

2. What kind of lifestyle do you want?

Explore and carefully consider how you want your life to be, now and in the future. Look at each of these areas:

Personal and family responsibilities

Financial obligations and desires

Amount of time you want to spend “doing” client work

Degree of flexibility in your schedule

Willingness to travel, or need to work from local base

How you prefer to work (degree of autonomy and interaction, short turnaround or long haul)

Energy level (prefer steady and predictable, or adrenaline junkie)

Risk tolerance (lots of security and stability, or open to uncertainty)

3. Who needs you?

There’s a client out there right now, just waiting for someone like you who understands their needs and is ideally matched for you.

If you “do the work”, you’ll reap the rewards. These guidelines will help you to identify what you really want and what is ideally suited to you, so that you can build the business that is your best fit.

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Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

Morning Sports Talk: It’s Business

Barbara Demarest — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:53:01 +0000

ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning Show was on today as it is most mornings during my household’s get-up-get-ready-and-go period. I was a bit more attentive today since the talk was college basketball and my alma mater had just won the championship in a squeaker. I was about to tune out as the two Mikes moved on to the story about how the Philadelphia Eagles had traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. At some point, the conversation turned to whether Redskins player Jason Campbell should or should not have been told about the trade before the public heard about it and the media questioned him.

This is Business

Mike Greenberg said yes, someone, even if it was an assistant should have talked to Campbell before he was blindsided by the media. Mike Golic responded with a bit of a you-gotta-be-kidding-me-you-wimp face and a comment that let the audience know he thought Greenberg was being way too touchy-feely about the whole thing.

Golic also postured that the Redskins had publicly stated that the quarterback position was open and that Campbell should not have hurt feelings about being passed over in a trade. Then Golic said, “This is business.”

I’ll save for another post why I think “business” and treating well the people who are part of your organization are not mutually exclusive concepts and focus today on how taking the time to manage your message is absolutely about “business.”

Managing Your Message, Brand and Fan Experience

When Mike Greenberg suggested that Jason Campbell should have been informed about a trade that didn’t involve him personally – he wasn’t being traded and he hadn’t officially had the job that McNabb was being traded to take – Mike Golic reacted to the comment as if it was all about Jason Campbell’s feelings. I’m suggesting that this was one way to react, but certainly not the only reaction if you are thinking about “business.” Instead you could have thought about brand, the marketing message, and the fan experience.

Management guru Peter Drucker is often quoted as having said that there is only one valid purpose of a business and that is to create a customer. He also said that there are only two basic functions of a business: marketing and innovation. It seems to me that the Redskins are taking care of the innovation function by trying out a new mix of players and shaking up their line up (not that I know ANYTHING about professional football). Where I think Golic gets it wrong is on the marketing.

Marketing is about creating a great customer experience that keeps them coming back and buying your product or service. It includes managing your message and maintaining your brand. If for no other reason than “business,” it would have been a good idea to make sure Jason Campbell knew about the trade and that management knew what he would say to the press when asked. If the press thinks that your fans, i.e. the Redskins’ customers, will be interested in what Jason Campbell thinks about the trade, then the leadership of the Redskins should be strategically thinking about that too. Even if you aren’t going to like or can’t control what Jason Campbell says or does next, it is better to know and plan the next piece of your messaging strategy than to leave it as an unknown where you have to react in the moment to whatever is said to the public.

Manage your message, make sure everyone involved in creating the fan experience is on board with your strategy, and leverage your opportunities in front of the press to enhance and extend your fan base. That’s business.

How Proving Your Value Costs You Money and Loses Clients

Guest Author — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:40:59 +0000

Guest Author: Sherri Garrity on Value Pricing

If I were to ask you, are you committed to doing things the hard way? I’m sure you’d say no. But every day I see examples of business owners making what could be simple, instead very complex. What they don’t realize is that it’s costing them a ton of money in lost profits and sales.

Of course, we don’t do this consciously. The fact is, it’s something that we’ve grown up believing. We’ve learned to equate success with sacrifice, and high value with more. If you’re committed to doing what it takes and are prepared to work really hard until it pays off I’d like to play Dr. Phil for a moment and ask: How’s that working for you?

Yes, you need to have faith, develop a strong strategy, and be consistently committed to sticking to it. You also need to be willing to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone, and learn the technical skills needed to run a business. But muscling your way through and doing more is not the answer.

Here are two examples of how this backfires on you.

One: Under-pricing and devaluing your worth

I see this often with entrepreneurs who feel the need to work their way up. They’re inclined to start low and aim high, when they are far better off going for the gold right from the beginning. They price extremely low, and feel the need to prove themselves by discounting, giving a lot away for free, take work that doesn’t fit them, and limit themselves in many other ways.
As a result of charging low fees, they often get clients, and lots of them. The problem soon becomes getting the work done. They can’t keep up. They are afraid to market more because they can’t take on new clients. They’re becoming known for the work they don’t really want to do for clients who are not their ideal. They’re afraid to raise their fees because they’re worried they’ll lose the clients they have. And guess what? Clients who buy the cheapest solution are often the most difficult to work with. Does that sound like fun?

Two: Setting high fees and defending your worth

Other entrepreneurs who understand the need to set their prices higher often still give too much away because they feel they need to prove their worth. Demonstrating value is fine, but doing too much out of feeling the need to defend high prices, is not. Entrepreneurs who bend over backwards and stuff their packages with so many extras often don’t realize that although they might be charging and getting a premium fee, they’re chipping away at their profitability by going overboard. And the sad thing is that most of the time, their clients actually don’t want all of the extra stuff. They’re often overwhelmed by it! Or they draw out a process longer because they’re afraid letting the clients know how quickly they did it, will make it seem less valuable. In either case, it takes away from the elegant, efficient solution the clients are more than willing to pay a higher price for. And it becomes unsustainable.

If you watched the popular 1980s sitcom Murphy Brown, you’ll remember Eldin. He was practically a live-in at Murphy’s home. What started as a simple project grew more and more ambitious but never was completed. You may have hired contractors like this.

When it came time for us to repaint our house a few years ago, I knew it was something we couldn’t take on. I was busy with my working and having a young child at home. In the past I had tried various painters and was really frustrated. While they were not around quite as long as Eldin, each job took far longer and became more complicated (and more expensive) as it progressed. They were sure to tell me how much work it was for them, how many steps there were to take, and why it was costing more and taking longer.

I decided to try someone else I found through a referral. He quoted me a higher fee than the others. But he sold me on efficiency and guarantee. He let me know what to expect and made it very easy for me to say yes. The morning of the appointed day, he arrived at 7:30 a.m. as promised. All I had to do the night before was move furniture a few feet away from the walls and take down hanging items.

By the time I arrived home around 5 p.m. that day, he was gone. I had a beautiful, professional quality paint job in our family room, hallway and bathroom, and it was completely done. No mess, no fuss, and delivered as promised. I felt it was almost magical. This was not something I could ever do myself. Was I willing to pay more for that? You bet I was. And I’ve referred him thousands of dollars in new clients since.

So what does this have to do with doing things the hard way?

I encourage you to look at the two examples of business owners. If you see yourself in either description, think about what your value is to your clients. Most of the time, they are paying you to solve a problem, and the faster, more gracefully and expertly you can do so, with the least amount of work and inconvenience for them, the higher the value is of what you offer. Think of ways you can make it easy and effortless for your clients to say yes, and to work with you, instead of ways to prove you’re worth it.

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Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.