Archive for July, 2010

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Networking Takes Time

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

I met recently with a client who had been very frustrated with her networking. She had been feeling like she’d been out there, doing it for 5-6 months, and nothing had happened. Yet.

Then in our last session, she was bouncing with excitement. Finally, it had come together. People she had seen at several events were talking to her about how they would work together or refer her. She was starting to make connections between other people, and she was slowly learning which events were worth her time and which ones weren’t.

Beginning your networking can be frustrating. You want the magic to happen right away, and then it doesn’t. A lot of people give up just before they hit the sweet spot.

This is why I always recommend you begin networking before you need it. Are you currently employed? Start making connections now, while you still have a paycheck. Thinking about starting a business? Begin your networking now, before you need clients.

And what if you are currently in business or unemployed? Start as soon as possible. It’s much easier to network when you don’t need results right away, but it’s better to start now than wait. My rule of thumb is that it can take 6 months to a year before you’ll be known, liked and trusted enough for the magic to happen.

Starting now means you’ll get through that hard period that much sooner.

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Updated: When I Blog

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Last month, I wrote a post on when I write my blog posts. Ironically, that post was obsolete the day after I posted it. Because that’s when I decided to change my writing schedule.

I can write blog posts anytime. I can only work on my book in the morning. So I was using my time inefficiently. I’ve been working on my new schedule for about a month now, and I’ve decided it works. Hopefully, I won’t change it again the day after I post this.

Having a number of posts in the can still doesn’t work for me. I need the sense of urgency to write every day. One or two written in advance works well, but I don’t keep consistent if I have more than that.

What has changed is when I do my daily writing. Previously, I wrote each day’s post that morning. What I do now is write a tomorrow’s post in the late morning or afternoon, depending on the rest of my schedule.

As soon as I get up, I review, publish and schedule my tweets about the post. That is always done before 9:00. Then later in the day, I find/make time to write the next post. Rinse and repeat the next day.

This preserves my morning creative time for my book while still getting my blog post written. I still do most of my blog writing on my phone, using Evernote. When I get back in the evening, I sync Evernote, and I’m ready to cut and paste into WordPress.

I used to write in WordPress for iPhone, but I’ve started using Evernote instead. WordPress for iPhone gave me some problems, and Evernote is more stable.

Moral of this post? Just because something has been working for you, don’t hesitate to change it when it stops working.

Anyone else want to share when you write your posts? Or something that used to work but doesn’t now?

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iPad as Productivity Tool. Guest Post by @jarehart

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

About a month ago, I saw a tweet from Jonathan Arehart of Cavendo about how the iPad was allowing him to virtually eliminate paper. Naturally, I was intrigued, and I asked him to write a guest post about how he is using the iPad as a productivity tool. He has some good points, especially on that paper elimination and extending the purchasing life cycle of his laptop. Take it from here, Jonathan!

iPad as a Paperless Business Tool
by Jonathan Arehart

Apple is known for creating great consumer products. The current success of the Apple brand really started with the introduction of the first iPod launched in October 2001. Ever since then Apple has progressed into every aspect of the home and office, and especially the mobile computing environment with new and faster MacBook laptops, more robust Mac Mini desktops, and more recently the iPhone. Many of these devices have great business applications, especially the MacBook Pro laptop series, popular among graphic design and video production firms (aside from the traditional Mac Pro desktop series, of course). However, Apple made a huge leap into the business space, perhaps unknowingly, with the introduction of the iPad in early 2010.

Part laptop, part tablet and completely mobile, the iPad has quickly become a powerful clutch for the busy professional. With a 9.7-inch LED “multi-touch” screen and 9-10 hours of battery life, the iPad fills a void many devices before have tried and mostly failed at. Tablet PCs have had a slow adoption over the past decade since their introduction in the early 2000s, and laptops have had a hit-or-miss utility in meetings and the boardroom.

A challenge in the quest to go paperless, or as close to paperless as you can get, has always been the ability to limit new paper creation. It’s very easy to create a pile and folder full of loose papers full of notes and annotations, and finding a non-obtrusive and user-friendly way to eliminate this entry point has been a mission of mine for many years. Tablet PCs were overpriced. Laptops don’t have handwriting capabilities or touchscreens, and mobile phones are simply too small to take notes on by hand. The iPad is the perfect marriage of a touchscreen, useful web-based applications, and always-on access and integration with existing business systems.

Through the combination of various applications (listed at the end of this article) I have found the iPad to be the perfect companion for Board meetings or client meetings. No longer do I have to carry Board packets or bulky client files, I can simply reference all of my past notes and record new notes using the iPad. I use Penultimate to author new notes that I can then easily email to myself or anyone else as a PDF file. Dropbox is the perfect application for retrieving stored notes, including old archives that have been scanned. I imagine in the near future you will be able to save items such as PDF files generated by applications like Penultimate directly to Dropbox, saving the step of emailing it to yourself and then saving to Dropbox.

More than a month into the iPad life I have significantly reduced the amount of new paper generated in my office. This is evidenced by not only smaller piles in my inbox/outbox but also far less administrative time expended by my team on scanning, organizing, and filing papers. I fully expect over the next 6-12 months to realize a full return on the investment not only in the hardware but also all software and connectivity costs on my iPad upgrade.

It is also interesting to point out the impact of the iPad on my regular technology purchasing cycle. I typically move to replace or upgrade major equipment such as my laptop (currently a MacBook Pro) every three years. This being the third year of my replacement cycle I instead opted for the iPad, at a third of the cost, over a new MacBook Pro. I have found my three-year-old laptop is plenty sufficient for my complex mobile needs when I need full processing power on the road. The iPad has filled the gap on less complex needs such as note taking, document retrieval and entertainment. The overall impact is a noticeable increase in productivity and lower overall technology costs, although my travel bag has become noticeably heavier! The trade-off is well worth it though.

Pros

1.Compact design works well in meetings and is far less obtrusive than a laptop.

2.Full wireless capabilities (3G and Wi-Fi), plus 3G service is available as a prepaid option and no contract is required.

3.Synchronizes well with Apple’s MobileMe service and other enterprise platforms like Microsoft Exchange Server for contacts, calendars, and email.

4.Reasonably priced between netbooks and more powerful laptops.

Cons

1.Doesn’t work with every corporate or enterprise environment.

2.No stylus is included and there is not an official stylus, but there are great third-party devices available.

3.Difficult to hold and maneuver by itself, so get a good case. I am a fan of the M-Edge cases especially the Executive Jacket ($59.99 leather). (It is often confused for an actual notebook!)

4.AT&T is the only carrier available for 3G service and you cannot link your wireless service with an existing AT&T account.

Applications

Mail (Included) – Email is a pleasure again with the intuitive and full HTML experience of Mail included on the iPad. If you’ve ever used the iPhone, it’s the exact same application except that as of this writing the new Mail included with iOS 4, with a unified inbox and threaded conversations, is not available for the iPad (coming in Fall 2010).

Penultimate ($2.99) – This is by far my favorite note-taking application. Paired with the Pogo Sketch stylus I no longer carry legal or notepads with me on meetings.

Dropbox (Free with an account) – If you use Dropbox for file sharing and syncing across your desktop and mobile devices, the iPad application is a must-have. If you’re not using Dropbox, you’re missing out on one of the simplest solutions to the age-old problem of sharing files across your devices.

Echofon ($4.99) – There are many Twitter applications for the iPhone and iPad, but Echofon wins hands-down, especially on the iPad for its speed and ease-of-use.

Netflix (Free, but an account is required) – Take a break and catch up on The Office or your favorite movie or TV series with the instant streaming capabilities of the Netflix application, and yes, it works over 3G as well.

USAToday (Free, for now) – One of the smoothest news applications I’ve seen anywhere, plus it even looks like a real newspaper on the screen. The presentation is top-notch and provides you the latest news from USA Today updated throughout the day.

Thanks, Jonathan! Cavendo is my web designer and host, and I can’t recommend them enough. To learn more, visit their website or contact Jonathan directly at ceo@cavendo.com.

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Networking Safely

Monday, July 12th, 2010

I recently returned from a two-day trip to Virginia Commonwealth University. My son starts there in the fall, and we were attending new student orientation. One of the presentations given to both parents and students was on safety, and it got me to thinking about safety while networking. While these tips may seem very basic, sometimes we need reminders.

1. Always meet in public places

I’ve been invited to one on one meetings in people’s homes. It really isn’t a good idea to accept until you know the person well. I’d probably make an exception for certain types of businesses that are run out of a home, like daycare or personal training. They are likely to be safe, and seeing the environment in which they work could be advantageous for determining if you want to refer them.

2. Network with a buddy at night

I seldom feel unsafe going to and from evening networking events, but there are exceptions. Do some basic research on the part of town before going. If you have any doubts, find a buddy. As I’ve noticed in a previous post on networking as a team, there are other advantages besides safety.

3. Should you put your address on your business card?

Obviously, if you work in commercial space, no problem. But what if you work from a home office? It’s really your call. There are a few advantages to having it. For those people who send handwritten cards, they know where to send them. It gives people an idea of where you’re located for scheduling meetings.

If you are living alone, however, I advise against it. A post office box is inexpensive and can accomplish the same things


4. Should you put your address on your website or social media page?

I’m going to advise against this unless you work in commercial space. A business card is usually given to someone you’ve spoken to, at least for a few minutes. Anyone can find you on-line. I wouldn’t take the chance.

These are a few ideas. Anyone else have tips to share in the comments? If I get enough tips, I will do a follow up post with links to contributor’s websites.

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Tracking Marketing ROI Part 3-Other Forms of Marketing

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

This is my 200th post! Let’s celebrate with a guest post from Susan Prince, otherwise known as @CadenceMarket. A couple of weeks ago I did two posts on tracking ROI from social media and other networking. Susan has done a follow up post for us on tracking the ROI from other forms of marketing. Take it from here, Susan!

Continuing the idea of tracking your marketing efforts, you should now be in the habit of asking how and where people learned about your business.

Sometimes this can be tricky as people may not always remember exactly where they heard about you. Good marketing always has some form of brand awareness which is geared towards building familiarity with your business. And while it’s nice that people remember you from your advertising, sponsorship or PR activities, it is also important to have some portion of your marketing budget dedicated to activities that can be more easily tracked. Not only that, but it’s very gratifying to see your marketing dollars produce actual sales. It reaffirms the idea that marketing does work!

Depending on your objectives, there are a variety of tactics you can employ that generate trackable results. For example, if you’re interested in building your email list, you may offer a free white paper or some other valuable information on your website that requires an email address. Of course most people are interested in increasing their sales – so tactics that drive customers to their store or website are particularly valuable.

So what types of tactics can you employ that generate trackable results?

Postcards
Coupons
Email offers
Internet ads
Advertising with a specific call to action

All of these tactics require that customer to either physically present something, mention a specific code or visit a unique url to receive the promotion.

The beauty of these types of promotions is that they can have an immediate impact on business. Personally, I love postcards. They are relatively inexpensive and really stand out in this day and age where most people’s email inboxes are overloaded with promotions. By mailing out a postcard with a specific promotion (i.e., bring in this card to receive a 20% discount off your order), you will know exactly who responded to the mailing because they need to bring the card in to redeem the discount.

And while it is difficult to generate a huge response from email, it’s infinitely trackable. You can see exactly who opened your email, who clicked on the links, who forwarded it to their friends and who decided they don’t want to hear from you anymore.

Internet ads also don’t typically generate lots of response, but like email promotions, they are relatively inexpensive and again easy to track.

Regardless of which method you decide to employ, you can count on high degree of satisfaction by seeing exactly what’s working and what’s not.

Thank you, Susan. All those forms of marketing are not areas in which I work with clients. So if you are interested in learning more, stop by Susan’s website for more information

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Insourcing Social Media

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

There are a number of companies out there that offer to outsource your social media content. In fact, someone recently suggested to me that I might want to make that all or part of my business.

I’m not crazy about the idea. Social media is very personal. When we engage with an individual or a company, we like to know we are talking to them, not to an outside consultant.

There is a musician I follow on social media. I know he does his own stuff because he’s not a very good writer. No PR firm would write like that. But I love reading it because his personality shines through. I read every blog post thoroughly because his sense of irony makes me laugh.

If you are a sole proprietor on social media, work at finding the time to do it yourself. No firm can get across that personal touch.

If you have employees, you have options. One of my clients started seeing a lot more success when he handed Twitter off to his general manager. She knows the clientele better and enjoys it more. The quality of interaction and the number of tweets has more than doubled. She was a good choice.

But he delegated the right way. He developed the overall strategy and voice for the business. He made sure the general manager was interested and motivated. He delegated well. He didn’t dump it on her.

I recommend you do what he did. Develop the vision yourself. Work it for a while so you understand the tools. Then find the right person to insource the job to.

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