Time for Some Spring Cleaning

Spring is here.  As a woman in business, that means it’s time for some spring cleaning.  How much dust, disorder and clutter have you allowed to accumulate in your business since the winter?

Here are some tips for cleaning up your business this spring and getting a fresh start:

1)  Clean out your email box:  At the end of 2008, I had more than 1200 emails accumulated in my email box.  Why?  I call myself saving them so I could sort them into different categories.  Of course that never happened so I decided it was time to let those old emails go.  That’s what you have to do also.  Go through your e-mail box and find everything that’s important — agreements, contracts, and legal documents. Save those in proper files on your computer (as well as print a hard copy and file it), and then hit DELETE for everything else.

2)  Update your database:  It’s time to open up your database and get rid of all of those email addresses and regular addresses that no longer exist.  You should also get rid of any names that weren’t good prospects.

3)  Review your business plan:  Take an honest look at where you are with the plan.  Are you on track to meet the goals you’ve set for this year?  Also, be sure to update your plan with realistic objectives.

4)  Clean up your work space:  If you are constantly searching for important documents or other information, it may be because your workspace needs tidying up.  A clean and organized work space can cut down on wasted time and boost productivity.

5)  Update your marketing strategy:  If you didn’t achieve the financial goals you set for yourself in the last quarter (or come close), then you may want to go back to the drawing board and re-vamp your marketing plan. It may be necessary to review your image.  Keep what’s working and discard the rest.  You may also want to ask your existing clients what sold them on your business or service and implement their feedback into a new marketing plan.

Remember, your business is a reflection of you.  How you choose to represent it depends solely on how well you maintain it.

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It’s All in The Presention

Recently my church held a business expo to draw attention to the number of small business owners in the congregation.  I was one of the participants, along with a number of other baby boomer women.

Since I’ve done dozens of these events over the past couple of years, I had a good idea of how I wanted to present myself to my fellow church members and visitors.  But what I discovered is there are some business owners who don’t understand what it means to present at a Business Expo so here are some of my tips:

1)  Table Set-Up.  Always have a table cloth (or plastic cover) for your table.  The church did provide a white plastic cover, however, I recommend you use something colorful to blend in with the products you’re displaying.  (I chose red).  Also, you might want to add a flower arrangement or some other type of decoration to dress up your table even more.  Then neatly arrange your products without making the table look cluttered.

2)  Meet and Greet.  You should make it a point to greet everyone who passes by your table or booth—even if they don’t buy anything.  There is a saying:  A first impression is a lasting impression.  You never know when you may see that person again so you want their impression of you to be a favorable one.  There’s another saying:  You can draw more flies with honey than you can with you know what.  In essence that means turn on your charm and don’t be shy about self-promoting—just don’t overdo it.

3)  Information about your Business.  Always have an ample supply of business cards, flyers, brochures, etc so people can learn more about your products or services.  One of the worst things you can do (which I did) is run out of business cards.

4)  Giveaways.  Offering your product or a variety of products in a gift basket is a nice and clever way to get people over to your table.  While you have them register for the free prize, you also give them an opportunity to browse around to see what you have to offer and it also allows you to engage them in small talk.

5)  Reasonable Prices.  Knock a couple of dollars off of the regular price for your products. You should always make the potential customer feel like they’re getting a good deal. 

As a woman in business you’re going to find that everywhere you go potential customers will make judgments about your product, your credibility and your character based on the quality of your presentation.

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Your Business Image

As a woman in business how do your customers come in contact with your business? Do they arrive through word of mouth, through direct contact with you, business card or perhaps by stumbling upon your website?  All of these methods project some image of your business. What that image is, including your business name, reflects your position in the market. Would you expect specialty chocolates to be dropped into the bottom of a brown paper bag when you purchase them? You must decide upon the image you want your business to project.

Think about how you present yourself. This is most critical if you are a service business. The impression you create in face-to-face contact must reflect your position in the market and create a market opportunity for your business every time you speak to others. People are seeking your credibility on the product or service you sell. Convincing others of your credibility requires two key elements:

1.      Knowledge – You must be seen as knowledgeable about the product or service you are selling or promoting by providing expert information.

2.      Trust – Customers must believe you will act with their best interests in mind.

Credibility and visibility go hand-in-hand. You need to demonstrate your expertise, trustworthiness, and concern for your customer’s welfare. How will you do this? Marketing yourself is an active process. It requires you to assert yourself, make your audience aware of you (even if it is only one person), grab their attention, and then focus that attention on your credibility.

Business image is extremely important to customers who have many choices in deciding where to spend their money. It also affects whether or not someone will return to you in the future. Customers will leave you for many reasons, but almost 70% leave due to a poor attitude exhibited by employees of the business. This is easily avoidable if you understand what the customer wants and then communicate the image you want to project to all of your employees. Remember to talk periodically to your customers about what you’re doing right or wrong.  This is a good way to make sure that your customers view the business in the way you want it to be seen.

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Twitter Isn’t For Everybody

This week I reached a milestone when I picked up my 800^th follower on Twitter.  Now for me, that’s a big deal because my initial goal was to have 100 when I first signed on several months ago.  One hundred friends seemed like a manageable number.  Although I never expected all of them to be on Twitter at the same time, I felt confident I could follow the different conversations and offer valuable feedback as necessary. 

But here I am now with all of these followers and I have to admit, some of them have fallen by the wayside.  That, to me, is the danger of twitter networking.  What good is it to have lots of connections if you aren’t creating some type of win-win situation for each other?

As a woman in business, I definitely see the value of a site like twitter.  Case in point:  Forty-eight hours ago, I promoted a Valentine’s Special for my book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age.  As of this writing, I’ve sold 36 copies.  My goal is 100.

Why have I been able to make these sales?  I believe it’s because I provide a balance in my business and social networking.  I’m not constantly on the site trying to sell anything.  As a matter of fact, the Valentine’s Promotion is the first thing I’ve actually attempted to sell because I spend the majority of my time on the site promoting my blogs.  I also make it a point to promote others through “re-tweeting” and am always looking for guests for my radio shows.

Here are some of my reasons why I believe twitter networking can do more harm than good:

1)  Too Over Zealous:  I have seen some Twitterers who have literally thousands of connections.  I wonder why.  What is the point?  How can one effectively communicate with that many followers—unless all they’re doing is promoting their business and trying to sell their products or services.  It’s a turn off for me—especially when you don’t give me the respect or courtesy of responding to a simple question or request I may put out—like, “Do you mind stopping by my blog and leaving a comment?”

You can be assertive in getting your message out there to the masses but if you never acknowledge your followers on a level they can identify with, then you’re really defeating your purpose for being on Twitter.  

2)  Connecting with the WRONG people: When I first joined Twitter, I was told I should follow everyone who follows me.  That was considered common courtesy.  I tried that for awhile but soon discovered that everyone who was following me wasn’t necessarily interested in me—but rather in what they could sell me.  That was a turn-off! 

Before you decide to follow a follower, take a few minutes and check out their profile and the website attached.  See what they’re all about and then determine if that’s the kind of person you really want to be connected with.  While I am a firm believer that you can learn something from everybody, I also believe not everyone is necessarily meant to be connected.  I’ve even gone as far as to ask some followers why they chose to do so.

3)  Alienate some connections:  Having too many followers may cause you to alienate some connections.  At any given time, there are dozens upon dozens of conversations going on and some conversations get overlooked. 

I’ve also noticed there are some people who only respond to certain other people so no matter what you put out there, you just won’t get a response them.  Are those people you really want to be associated with?   

5) Inactivity:  Every now and then it’ a good idea to check and see what your followers are up to.  When was the last time they were on Twitter?  If their last post was two weeks ago or longer, maybe you may want to drop them or at least send a message to see if everything is OK with them.  Their response (or lack thereof) will help you determine whether you should have one less connection.

5)  Twitter isn’t for everybody:  Unless you’re willing to make an earnest effort to be engaging with your followers, offer more than your product or service, and be able to keep up with the fast pace, then maybe you should try another social networking site. 

Once you’ve clearly determined why you want to be on Twitter and who you’re trying to reach, then actively seek those people out.  There are some people there who are strictly about business and that’s OK if that’s where you’re coming from.  But, on the other hand, don’t expect those same people to ask you about your day or share their dinner menu with you.

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Website Marketing Ideas

If you’re a woman with an online business, you undoubtedly know the challenges you face in getting the word out about your product or services.  One of the best resources I have found is Social Networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.  Some people do tend to overdo it when it comes to their business promotions, however, if you draw them to your website, that’s the first step in turning a prospective client into a keeper. 

Here are some tips on marketing your website

1.     Broadcast your website like a phone number .

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   • Include your web address on all printed material (brochures, stationery, business cards, and press materials).
   • Include your web address in your email signature file.
   • Include your web address in your Yellow Pages listing and in other advertisements.

2.      Entice customers and prospects to visit your website again and again.

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   • Update your site regularly.
   • Add new features to your website regularly.
   • Revise your site’s Meta tags; to make it easier for search engines to find. (Your website developer can embed codes that the search engines use when indexing your web page.)
   • Offer Internet specials, such as discounts for orders placed online.
   • Host a discussion group on your website with customer comments and questions.
   • Add small photos on opening pages that expand to full-size pictures only when clicked. (This saves loading time.)
   • Tailor your choice of web features to your target market – just like you would with any other form of communication.

o        Regularly view your competitors’ websites. Learn from what they do right and from their mistakes.

3.     Use your site for sales and customer service.

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   • Use shopping cart software that allows customers to shop and order online. The software also provides instant feedback of total costs, including tax amounts, to your online customers.
   • Have a secure website for Internet sales.
   • Provide a street map to your business location on the Web. (Customers can print it out.) If you have multiple locations, find a way to let customers know which location is most convenient for them.
   • Provide forms on your web page that can be completed and submitted online for customers’ convenience. (If inquiries are allowed in the forms, respond to them promptly. Most web users expect a response within 24 hours.)
   • Create a link to your email on every page in your website. That way, if something on the page sparks a customer’s response, you’ve made it easy for them to “talk” to you.
   • Make sure your customers can find you by searching with keywords. Check how easy it is to locate your site using various search engines.
   • Check your website using various versions of browsers and types of computers to be sure it loads quickly and correctly. Get business associates and friends to access your site and tell you how it looks.
   • Provide a variety of ways for online customers to contact you: by email, phone (800 number), fax and mail.
   • Offer an online newsletter. This could be an electronic version of a printed newsletter you already publish, something entirely different, or a combination of the two.
   • Feature some interesting history or suggestions about your area of business.
   • Offer to include photos sent by your customers showing them using your business.
   • Create a sense of family among your web page readers.

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Your Website Image

As a woman in business, you should be concerned about your appearance–your website appearance, that is.

Developing your web site, just as with other promotional campaigns, requires careful planning.  Produce an up-to-date, aesthetically pleasing site with valuable content for your target audience. It’s important to have accurate and timely information – don’t let your site become stale. Updating your content frequently will encourage repeat visits.

Promote your web site through various public relations and marketing methods online and off-line. Some suggestions include:

·         Print your web site and email addresses on all of your marketing materials, including business cards, letterhead, brochures, advertisements, and product packaging.

·         Include a hotlink to your web site in your email signature file along with your name, address, and the name of your business. (A signature file is a closing which automatically appears at the bottom of an email message. In effect, it’s an “electronic letterhead.”) If your email software doesn’t support hotlinks in signature files, be sure that your URL is at least spelled out.

·         Participate in discussion groups. In discussion groups, you can promote your image by contributing suitable and useful information to discussions. It’s bad form, however, to blatantly advertise your web site, company or product in these forums.

You can link your web site to other sites and develop cross-promotional relationships online. Also, regularly visit the web sites of your competitors…and even the sites of non-competing organizations your target audience might visit. Learn from what these sites do well – and from what they could improve upon.

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Do You Have a Promotion Plan?

So you have a product and have set your price. Will the world come running to your doorstep? Not unless people know about your product – you must promote it. Set the stage for sales with a thoughtfully developed promotion plan.

If you’re a woman in business you NEED a promotion plan.  Why?  because a promotion plan outlines the promotional tools or tactics you plan to use to accomplish your marketing objectives. To the new or inexperienced marketer, the promotion plan might be mistaken as the entire marketing plan because it outlines where the majority of the marketing budget will be spent. It is, however, just one component of the marketing plan – there are additional strategy and planning components described in a marketing plan.

Laying the Groundwork for Effective Promotional Tactics
When you’re deciding upon the best promotional strategy for reaching your target market, you need to:

• Do research
• Keep your customer in mind
• Be creative

Doing research includes activities such as studying your target market and finding out what other businesses in your industry are doing. A relatively quick way to learn how your competitors communicate their marketing messages is to look in trade journals. This will give you an idea of which features they believe are important and are emphasizing.

Keeping your customer in mind will help prevent wasting your money and time on ineffective promotional activities.

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What’s Your Business Image?

Your company image is your identity in the marketplace but your identity is may not be exclusive to you. A competitor may have the same image as you. For example, think about two grocery store chains that operate in your region. Both may have an image of offering quality products at reasonable prices. You might feel equally comfortable in stores of both chains, think they hire competent and friendly people and appreciate each enterprise’s contribution to your community.

Your company image, however, may differentiate you from your competition. Using the grocery chain example again, two chains may offer quality products at reasonable prices. However, one chain might not be as clean or brightly lit as another. Its employees might not be as helpful and friendly. You may choose the clean, brightly lit, friendly store because of those image attributes alone.

Interestingly, your company has an image even if you do not undertake any activities to try to build one. If you’re successful, you have customers. And, your customers have thoughts, feelings, beliefs and opinions about you and your products and services.

Even if you do not advertise, distribute flyers, pass out brochures or issue press releases, it might surprise you that the following items will quietly, yet actively, create a company image.

·         Your company logo. Does it evoke the desired thoughts and feelings in your target audience?

·         Your Web site. Is it zany and full of wild colors or conservative and designed with muted colors?

·         Product packaging. Do products from the same line look like they came from the same company?

·         The look of your business cards, letterhead and invoices. A look is created with color, paper quality and type style.

·         How you and/or your employees interact with customers in person and on the phone.

·         How your phone is answered.

Note, it is what others think and feel about your business, not what you think or what your sales literature says about your business.

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Steps to Success

As a woman in business, your success depends on you.  What does that mean?  In essence, it means you need to be mindful of what needs to be done in order to survive and thrive with your business. 

Here are some to tips to keep your mind, body and spirit on the right track:

Successful Business Women Feed Their Minds:

Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books, listen to tapes. Stress management levels will be much more effective when you look after yourself.

Successful Business Women Clean out the Clutter:  

You will save yourself loads of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment etc. You’ll be able to find things, save money because you won’t have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you’ll be less stressed. Organize your office regularly and keep the clutter out. Eliminating clutter will help you to avoid procrastination. It’s too easy to avoid getting things done if you are overwhelmed with clutter.

Successful Small Business Owners Use a Planner to Stay Organized:

With so much to organize in your small business, you need to record your appointments and all of the other things you have to do.  Keeping an organizer is the most effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life. Balance is extremely important.

Successful Small Business Owners Learn to say “No”

To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of the things you want, you have to be firm with others and let them know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfill their requests. If you constantly say “yes” to everyone else’s requests you will never have the time to do what you really want to.

Successful Small Business Owners Do What They Do Best and Delegate the Rest

See what tasks you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else’s talents. Many small business owners are spending heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake. Stress management is an important part of running your small business. Reduce the stress by delegating or outsourcing wherever you can.

Use a bookkeeper, personal assistant or virtual assistant. Always ask yourself, who else can I get to do this? Use your time management to focus on what you do best.

 Successful Business Women Always Take Care of # 1:    

That means you must take care of YOU.  Get plenty of exercise and eat healthy.  What good is it to have a successful business if you’re too stressed out to appreciate it?

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Make Your Mess Your Message in 2009

There comes a time in every woman’s life when she has to take a close look at herself. Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or not at whom made you do it. She has to just look at herself in all her glory and imperfection.

Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up. Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.

Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi, the woman with an issue of blood flow, and Esther, to name a few. Mary was a prostitute, a very uneasy woman. But by the time Jesus was done with her, she was His closest follower. Abigail was unfortunate in marrying an abusive man, but by the time God was done with her, she had married one of the wealthiest men in the land.

Some women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, “What’s up with her?” ask yourself, “What’s up with me?” Once you understand the issues that are holding you back, you can start making your MESS—Your MESSAGE and become an encouragement to your sister.  Remember, we as women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death.

Let’s build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi.

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Stop Relying on Corporate America for Financial Success

I am one of thousands of women who left Corporate America after being fed up with trying to play the game by the “male-dominated” rules. We work hard but still receive unequal pay and no matter how high we climb up the corporate ladder, we still don’t always get the respect we deserve. I ran across this interesting article from StopMakingOthersRich.com and thought it was important to share.

It is long been known that women are not treated the same in Corporate America. That is why we are seeing an influx of Corporate Women joining home based businesses. The challenge they face here is that they are running into another type of mistreatment. We are used to them doing almost all of the house work so when they are home, we mistakenly try to interfere with their time to work their business. This is why it is critical for all Women working a Home Based Business to have a Global Mentor.

Business women put out all the stops to reach the peak of their career, but sometimes, they come to a sudden realization that they have been too busy and have forgotten their families. In this event, they drop everything and consider a career as a full time housewife and mother or they continue to work at home. Working at home can be a great option for them.
Most business women stop at the pinnacle of their career just to spend time with their family. But now that home based businesses are becoming popular, not to mention booming, they can still continue working without sacrificing being with their family.

Search out ways to get a stable schedule, even if you are a business woman, single mom or a full time wife and mother you can still become a successful entrepreneur. Find a good system and plug into it. You can achieve great things.

First task is for you to sit with your family and set some rules with them and make them understand that you don’t stay at home just to clean up after them. Your family has to realize that when you were still working in an office they don’t go barging in your workroom to have their snacks opened for them and the same applies in your new work. Tell them that they can do their chores while you work and then you can attend to them during lunch time or after you get some of your work done. This way, your family will know that you need time to focus on your job as well.

Being able to meet deadlines and making your clients satisfied is an important factor in a home based business. It’s the same as working in an office except you can do it in the comforts of your own home. Having a sense of balance in your busy life as a career and family woman can be exhausting but with a little preparation and some getting used to, you’ll be on top of your game in no time.

Develop your Financial Freedom Plan and get your Husband’s signature to solidify the deal. Make sure he knows that you have potential to earn more than he does through a good home based business. You are the one who needs to make it happen and ensure the fact that your family respects your time to work.

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