September 1st, 2010
Do you think the Internet (and all the associated media that has followed) has changed our perception of an expert?
We all love ‘big names’ and are more likely to pay for a concert or conference with someone we know of than a complete stranger. And many organisers of events get caught up in finding a big name to draw crowds.
Yet I don’t think you have to be a big name to be an expert and some of the best presentations I’ve been to were run by people I hadn’t heard of before. Not every successful person is rich or famous, not all great business people own/work in the corporate world, not all talented people are widely recognised, and so on.
Getting back to my first question, is the net changing some of these perceptions? I think so as people in traditional ways were not recognised as experts or ‘worthy’ of teaching us can now share their knowledge and skills through articles, blogs, newsletters, tweets, webinars and more.
If you are thinking of attending an event, does the ‘size of a name’ influence you greatly? Would you Google (or use social media searches) the presenters to find out more?
Tags: expert, perceptions, presenters
Posted in Uncategorized, business events, business info | No Comments »
August 28th, 2010
My last post was about networking with a bottle of wine, so I thought I’d also aim it more specifically on social media as Chris did in his original post.
Using social media (facebook, twitter, blogs, You Tube, etc) is in many ways exactly the same as more traditional networking and socialising. Building these relationships depends on being friendly, listening to people and showing interest.
Even the differences are based on the same principles, they use technology to reach those aims. If you met someone at a party, you would answer them by talking; in social media, it is still polite and expected that you answer but you might do so by posting a comment or retweeting instead.
So some social media networking tips are:
- be generous with links – if you like something add the link to your blog, tweet it, write about it in Facebook, and so on. It costs you nothing but time, it actually gives you something to write about and is likely to help the creator
- visit other people’s blog, Facebook wall, twitter profile, You Tube channel and so on. You can learn more about them than just responding to their emails and comments, and they will probably appreciate you leaving comments when you visit
- if networking for your business, broaden your topics – chat with people about other interests (if you network in real life, you’d probably have some references to the weather, the food, the venue or major news/sports of the day, so why not on social media?)
- link all your social media outlets – it makes it easier for someone to find what they want but also helps your Twitter followers discover your blog readers, etc.
- give more often (by a long shot) than you promote or sell; Chris Brogan suggested a 15:1 ratio – what do you think is a good ratio?
- share information on how to socialise online - you don’t need to tell people how to talk but not all your customers and contacts know the purpose of # in a tweet or how to embed a video in a blog
- remember to touch base frequently – just like friends drift away if you don’t see them much, online contacts will forget you if you don’t tweet for a month or so.
I’m not a social media expert (closer to the beginner end of the scale really) so I’d love to hear your tips for maximising social media networking…
Tags: link, networking, social media, technology
Posted in Uncategorized, business info, social media | No Comments »
August 26th, 2010
Would you really take wine to every networking event? Probably not so let me explain…
Chris Brogan wrote a story in his blog about social media and not being ‘that guy’. In short, the story is that if you’re going on a picnic with friends take a bottle of wine rather than just coming along and eating everyone else’s food. Sounds obvious in that context doesn’t it?
The same principle applies in networking (Chris was specifically referring to social media but I am putting it together with all networking). People will respond better if you give something of value rather than if you just try taking.
So if someone at en event or on a forum says “I’m having trouble writing some promotional articles”, I could answer with “What questions do people often ask about your industry? Answering those questions is a good place to start your articles. Here are some tips in my blog.” Or I could be that guy and answer with “I write articles – you should pay me. Did you know I could also write your website and I …”
Effective networking is about building relationships rather than selling yourself.
Here are some networking tips off the top of my head:
- hand out business cards to selected people rather than everyone in reach
- remember things about people you network with – jotting down some notes soon after helps – to show you are interested
- be generousand show an abundant mentality – tell others about great promotional opportunities, give your opinion and expertise, link to other blogs/websites whether or not they link back, and so on
- smile! It’s much more inviting than a scowl, and it can even change your voice if you are on the phone
- introduce people to each other. For example, a friend mentions needing a plumber and you met one last week at a networking event – give your friend those contact details. It also means introducing people looking alone at an event too
- use people’s names – it means a lot to them and using it soon after hearing it helps you to remember it, too
- don’t be afraid to ask for help (not for business mind you) as it shows you are human and you give people a chance to help. Maybe you ask for referrals to a service, opinions on a decision you need to make or for understanding a technical issue. Pretending to know everything and be perfect is likely to alienate people than attract them
What other tips do you have for effective networking?
Tags: networking, value, wine
Posted in Uncategorized, business info | 1 Comment »
August 23rd, 2010
If you’ve been in business a while, the chances are you’ve had at least one annoying, energy-sapping client. So, like me you will probably appreciate the following comments from Seth Godin:
The challenge of winning more than your fair share of the market is that the best available strategy–providing remarkable service and an honest human connection–will be abused by a few people you work with.
You have three choices: put up with the whiners, write off everyone, or, deliberately exclude the ungrateful curs.
Firing the customers you can’t possibly please gives you the bandwidth and resources to coddle the ones that truly deserve your attention and repay you with referrals, applause and loyalty.
Next time you are having trouble with the idea of sacking a client, or refusing to take on a particular client, remember that doing so gives you more energy to do a great job for those clients who will truly appreciate it.
On the positive side, the time consuming clients I have had in the past have helped me better value my time and espertise, and taught me what to look for in people I want to work with.
Who would you prefer to coddle?
Tags: appreciate, Clients, sacking, service
Posted in business info | No Comments »
August 17th, 2010
Look at your web stats and some of the keyword tools available and find out what terms people are really using to find your website.
Are they the words you expected? More importantly, are they the words you are using in the content of your site?
For example, you have an article on your site about Crimson Rosellas but discover most customers search for information on red parrots (because they don’t know the name of the bird). It isn’t hard to add red and parrots to your list of keywords in the site meta data and adjust the article itself to include ‘red parrots’ at least once.
Having relevant keywords is good; having relevant keywords that your potential customers actually use is much better.
Have you played with keywords and seen positive results in website traffic? Share your story 
Tags: keyword, people, search, using
Posted in business tools, web content | No Comments »
August 12th, 2010
Do you have the time or inclination to read the same information presented the same way over and over?
I’m pretty sure your answer is no – when we want to find something out we don’t want to read the same article we found last week. In itself, that’s enough reason to provide unique content on your website, in your blog and so on.
Unique content that is obviously yours (not just a PLR article copied across, an RSS feed or worst of all plagiarism) shows your knowledge, your generosity in sharing information and helps your search engine results. People will learn to visit your site/blog/newsletter for a fresh perspective on relevant topics; many copied articles and they have no real reason to bookmark you rather than the others posting the same writing.
Private Lable Rights (PLR) articles can be useful for filling a site quickly but they are not truly showcasing you or your business. Some people edit their PLR articles to make them a bit different to others’ versions of the articles, which is useful, but if you are going to so much effort why not just write your own to start with? Or get someone else to write it for you (given the editing time you may be surprised at which is cheaper in the long run).
When you do use PLR articles (edited or not), add something to it. For example, if the article is on travel insurance and you cancelled a holiday last year, add in a story about how travel insurance saved you $1,000. It will personalise the article, build your credibility and offer something new.
Likewise, openly using other people’s articles can be a valuable addition to your own content, but it works best when you introduce it appropriately to make it relevant.
What success have you had with PLR articles? Did you make them ‘yours’ before using them or not?
Tags: article, content, personalise, PLR, unqiue
Posted in newsletter content, web content, writing | No Comments »
July 31st, 2010
I did a survey today which was ok on the whole but question 5 had a surprise element in it. Note I did not know who was behind the survey (deliberately to get unbiased answers).
The question was in effect “Are you primarily a business or personal customer of these services?”
The answer options were “personal/business/equal/I am no longer a customer of Company X”
So the anonymous-to-get-unbiased-answers aspect was thrown out the window with that answer which is not so good. It also didn’t mean a lot as I never said I had been a Company X customer, nor even acknowledged I’d heard of company X before. The fourth answer didn’t even answer the question so was completely irrelevant.
The lesson is to read every answer with the question before you finalise a survey or any other multiple choice list – this also applies for a bulleted list in that each point must complete a sentence from the introduction.
From the above example…
“Are you primarily a business or personal customer of these services?” “personal” works
“Are you primarily a business or personal customer of these services?” “no longer a customer of Company X” doesn’t work.
If you are writing or editing a survey, ensure you read each answer with the question in this way to get a polished, sensible result.
Tags: answer, question, relevant, survey
Posted in bad writing examples, grammar & details, writing | No Comments »
July 20th, 2010
Ok, proofreading is boring – not many people actually enjoy the thought of reading their work over and over again to find errors. It’s a bit better proofreading someone else’s work, but most people still don’t want to do it.
However, like many things in business and in life, it is necessary. Necessary that is if you want a professional finish to your written materials anyway.
So here are my tips to make it as easy and painless as possible:
- hire a proofreader! Ok, I added this point for fun although it is a valid option
- get someone else to read it for you – fresh eyes are more likely to spot errors and other issues
- use a spell check to find the obvious typos (e.g. teh and yuo) BUT do not rely on it alone as it will not pick up the wrong word (e.g. know and now are both real words) and may not use your local or preferred spelling (e.g. color vs colour)
- leave as much time as posisble between writing/editing and proofreading (or subsequent rounds of proofreading) – a few days is ideal but overnight is a minimum. If time really is short, do something else in between so your mind has ‘forgotten’ some of the details
- read it out loud – your tongue often trips over things your eyes would accept
- read it backwards – that way you will read the actual words instead of the sentences so spelling errors are more obvious
- print it rather than read it on a screen – not only is this easier on your eyes, it gives a different visual perspective and you can even read it away from your desk
- change magnification of the text – seeing it bigger sometimes makes words stand out more
Some tips will suit you more than others, some will be more appropriate for particular documents, too. However, using a range of techniques (especially for more important documents) will help you achieve a higher quality document.
Tags: errors, proof reading, spelling, tips
Posted in grammar & details, writing | No Comments »
July 12th, 2010
This is a pair of words that sound identical and have the same letters but have very different meanings and are very different in other tenses.
pride: feelings of self-respect, value, and worth, especially after an achievement or about a particular aspect of self/life
Mary takes pride in her work and her customer’s feedback.
He has pride; she is proud
pried: to have peered or looked into something beyond a casual glance; to have levered things apart
Tom pried the board off the fence so he could see inside.
She pried into his papers; a spy will pry into many things.
Tags: pride, pried, tense
Posted in Monday Meanings | No Comments »
July 5th, 2010
Last week I referredto a post by Danielle Keister about admitting she is human and may make mistakes before she actually makes any. The other detail I got from her post was her insistence on having a consultation or meeting at the beginning of each client relationship.
I think a consultation is a valuble step in an ongoing business relationship but it doesn’t matter as much when you are dong a small one-off task for the client. Given you are trying to make relationships with clients, here are some reasons to value consultations:
- despite our increasing comfort in dealing with people electronically, there is something human and appealing in meeting a real person. Conversations with clients are often easier when you can picture each other and have an idea of who the other really is – think about how surprising it sometimes is to see a picture of someone you have heard or emailed with
- you can set some ground rules and expectations
- you can establish a better understanding of each other which can lead to easier communications as you work together. For instance, I have a client who knows me well enough that a brief outline of her requirments is usually enough for me to write what she wants, and that saves us both time
- it can be a tool in screening out tyre kickers who would otherwise waste your time
- sometimes you can determine that an effective working relationship is unlikely and move on before you both waste time and energy on it. This is hard for a new business, but having suitable clients and client relationships makes business much more fun and leaves you the resources to be a better job overall
However, it isn’t always practical to meet face to face with clients. Personally, I have had a small proportion of my clients in Melbourne with the rest being interstate or overseas. I have travelled interstate and to New Zealand to meet ith clients but it generally isn’t feasible.
So here are some other ways to build client relationships in the early stages:
- use a phone and include some chatting as well as business talk – voip makes this an affordable option
- invite the client to add you to our favourite chatting software (msn, yahoo, etc) so you can chat about projects
- have an information sheet or webpage that outlines some expectations and procedures - use a friendly tone but make it clear
- add friendly comments and questions to emails (e.g. how did your team go over the weekend? has the weather warmed up yet? how was your day/weekend?)
- have a client questionnaire for all new clients to complete so you can learn about them quickly
- take extra care to paraphrase their instructions and information to ensure you are understanding them and their communication style
How do you establish good relationships with clients from the begining? Do you insist on some sort of start up meeting?
Tags: client, consultations, inderstanding, relationship
Posted in business info | 2 Comments »