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Archive for the ‘Outsource Weakness & Embrace Strength’ Category

Forming Your Cheer Team

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Who’s your best cheerleader? As the business owner, it should be you!

I’m always surprised when I come across companies and brands who don’t use their own [insert product]. If you have a t-shirt business, you should rock your t-shirt designs often. Jewelry business? Are you wearing the latest necklace or earrings from your collection? Writing instrument company? Tell the Mont Blanc in your purse to make room.

You’ve likely become comfortable doing some “hip hip hooray” for yourself on occasion. What if tooting your own horn is a weakness for you? Or maybe you really don’t have the time to “get your business out there.” How do you outsource something as precious as brand presentation?

When you’re looking for collaborators and people to outsource tasks like marketing, public relations, copywriting, blogging, social media outreach or management – what should you do? Try these quick tips to add some cheerleaders to your squad:

Referrals. Ask around. Find out who your associates, family, friends, neighbors, etc. are using for their services. Whom do they trust to let in our their brand promotion and how has it been? When you’re at your networking groups, let people know that you’re looking for assistance, whether it’s short or long term and your expectations.

Research. As a wise woman often says, “This is show biz, not show friends.” (compliments of co-city leader and CRAVE sister, Christy Schutz of CRAVE Tampa Bay). Even though you receive referrals, you want to make sure you research. What worked for your sister’s cousin’s boyfriend, may not work for you. Ask for portfolio items, samples and other recommendations.

Should you always trust what a Google search says about a person or company? Not necessarily, however, there are several people whom have saved themselves some grief by doing a quick Google search in advance on their prospective outsource-ee. Let’s say you have a company that may be working closely with anti-tobacco non-profits organizations, it would be beneficial to be aware if your prospective publicist smokes like a chimney and openly publicizes it everywhere via Facebook. If you can find it, so can your clients.

Relate. It’s important to form a connection between yourself and the person/company that is going to work closely on your brand image and promotion. Don’t expect to be best friends, but you should feel comfortable. Sharing what works, what doesn’t work, what you’ve tried and where you want to go.
Don’t just pay someone because they’ll move stuff off of your to-do list. Pay someone who is going to get the job done in a way that best represents your company and your brand.

Good luck on leading your team and forming your stellar squad!

Nancy Vaughn is the principal, PR & Marketing Director at White Book Agency, a public relations, marketing and special events firm providing cost-effective communication strategies for entrepreneurs and businesses across the country.

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Capture & Captivate: A Killer 60 Seconds

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Regardless of what kind of business you run or where you run it from, effective communication skills are a necessity. The one business strength that every successful entrepreneur should own is the ability to be your company’s best spokesperson.

Even before you land the new client or close the sale, your potential client needs to understand what you are talking about, why they should care and how your product or service can benefit them. In the world of communication and business it is called an elevator speech (aka elevator pitch, elevator presentation,
or elevator story).

An effective elevator speech is no more than 2 minutes maximum (ideally 30 – 60 seconds) and is designed to play the role of a high-level introduction to whatever it is that you are selling.

Why you need an elevator speech?
There is no doubt that you are passionate about what you do and or sell and know your product or service inside out. The reality is that your potential customers are at most times not as passionate or interested in the minute details and intricacies of your product or services as you are. They are only interested in; why they should care about what you telling them and how your product or service can benefit them – and that is it! Even more, you only have around 40 seconds to make a powerful first impression. The attention span of the average person is just 30 -45 seconds before their mind starts wandering.

An elevator speech is one of those things that so many people think, “Hmmm, I should have one of those” but never get around to actually crafting.

Attention, all new and seasoned entrepreneurs … a solid elevator speech is critical to your success.

What goes into an elevator speech?
An elevator speech is about sharing the right information with a potential client so that something will intrigue them to; give you more time, a call, a meeting, a visit to your website. You are essentially trying to warm their buying temperature.

The aim is not to try and sell yourself really quickly; it’s about asking permission for more time to sell yourself properly.

It is a clear and compelling message that concisely and memorably introduces you, your service or your product. It spotlights your uniqueness. It focuses on the benefits you provide. And it is delivered effortlessly.

Equally as important as putting the right things in your elevator speech are ensuring that you don’t put the wrong things in it. Here are a few things that should not be a part of your elevator speech.

What to leave out of your Elevator Speech

~Do not share your extensive list of degrees, certificates and awards. No one cares as much as you do, especially when you only have their attention for less than two minutes.

~Do not start speaking by saying I am so nervous. That conveys a lack of confidence. When was the last time you lined up to work with someone who was not confident about themselves their product or service?

~Do not wing it, don’t try and develop your 2 minute pitch in the moment. Be prepared and know exactly what message you want your potential client to walk away with.

Most importantly, here a few tips to help you craft and deliver your killer elevator speech.

What to include in you Elevator Speech

~Have FUN with your elevator pitch and don’t be too serious! People respond to anything that makes them smile.

~Keep it SHORT. The shorter it is (ideally around 30-60 seconds), the easier it is to deliver when you only have a few seconds. Remember, clear, concise and compelling.

~Get right to the BENEFITS. What do you do that people want, and what results can they expect -tell them loud and clear!

~Develop a few VERSIONS of your elevator pitch. Ideally you want to have two or three elevator pitches for different types of customers and different types of settings

~PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. The more your practice, the more natural it will sound and the better your delivery will be – best of all the more comfortable you will be delivering it!

Remember, what ever comes out of your mouth in this short duration of time is the first and last impression you will leave in your potential clients mind. Make the choice to craft an elevator speech that leaves the right impression!

Karen Donaldson is a Motivational Speaker, Public Speaking and Presentation skills coach and Founder of Karen Donaldson Inc and Panache Life Inc. She has helped numerous executives, entrepreneurs and sales professionals become panic free presenters, communicate with confidence and clarity, command attention whenever they speak and deliver presentations that close the sale.

Visit Karen at www.karendonaldsoninc.com for free resources, one-on-one coaching and upcoming events.

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Outsourcing: Easier Than You Think

Monday, March 28th, 2011

My good friend and mentor Murray Smith will emphatically tell any business owner, “hire people who play at things you work at.” This was a concept that I always understood intellectually; in fact it made a lot of sense. Living it was a different story.

As I headed into my second year of business I knew I had to make some changes if I wanted to achieve what I had set out to do; both professionally and personally. I was exhausted and feeling frustrated with my business. I was spending a lot of my time on activities that I didn’t necessarily enjoy, weren’t fulfilling and most importantly, were preventing me from growing my business. I realized I had a lot of fear of letting go of control. I made the decision that it was time to get out of my own way. I had to face my fears, make some decisions and implement change. I’m the first to admit, this doesn’t happen over night. It time though, small but pivotal changes will have a huge impact on your overall success.

Since making changes in how I spend my time and what my focus is on a daily basis, I am in more control of my business, more productive and I am really enjoying it again. Some of the changes that I implemented were outsourcing bookkeeping and accounting, newsletter template design, in-store marketing design/printing and hiring a consultant to assist me with development of my social media marketing strategy. I now spend more time focused on activities that grow my business, such as sales and marketing, new product development and training and development of my staff.

When it comes to hiring the right person or firm for the areas/tasks you would want to outsource, it is sometimes easier than we think. Put it out to your network of friends, colleagues, business associates and other business owners. I found my new accountant through my hairdresser. She is fabulous!

Another common concern when it comes to outsourcing is cash flow. As business owners, this is a constant juggling act, especially in the first few years. We will most likely ask ourselves, can I afford to? Instead, ask can I afford not to? Remember to keep in mind your long-term goals. Also, don’t be afraid to shop around and negotiate. Most people are willing to work with you when it comes to pricing and/or payment options. But you don’t know unless you ask.

I also encourage you to utilize your staff. Research has shown that it is not just monetary satisfaction that keeps employees happy. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What do they enjoy doing? I had a big aha with this one as a result of being really sick with a bad cold and flu, thus unable to go into my store for almost five days. There were many things that needed to get done, including new merchandising and window display. I left the store in the hands of my staff and they did an amazing job! I decided to speak with them further about what they enjoy, what they don’t like, and what they would like to learn. These conversations have since allowed me to delegate some of the day to day responsibilities such as ordering, fulfilling and shipping out online orders, store merchandising and various essential but often time-consuming tasks that I now only follow up with on a regular basis. At the same time, I am empowering them, instilling confidence in them and providing them with the opportunity to learn and grow, which results in employee retention, loyalty and higher levels of productivity.

Lastly, it doesn’t always have to cost you money. Tap into your network of friends and family. You really don’t have to do it all yourself. Often our friends and family have skills that we don’t have and are only too happy to offer a lending hand.

Murray, who is also an accomplished entrepreneur himself, knows what he is talking about when he says, “Hire people who play at things you work at.” Allow yourself to make changes in small steps. As you start to work more in areas of your business that involve your strengths and outsource your weaknesses, you will see growth that will only inspire you to continue on that path. This is what is often referred to as working smarter, not harder. Whatever stage you are at in your business, I encourage you to take a good look at it and see if there are duties that you can outsource so that you can focus on what you are best at. Trust me, it is a decision that you will be happy that you made.

Jennifer Best is the founder of Steeped and Infused, a fabulous loose leaf tea business with two locations in Toronto.

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A Budget-Friendly “Outsourcing” Trick

Friday, March 25th, 2011

When we talk about embracing our strengths and outsourcing weaknesses, we understandably think of hiring web designers, bookkeepers and virtual assistants to help keep us focused on the meat of what we do best.

We know this. But it’s easier said than done, especially in the beginning.

How else might we *outsource* weaknesses, without actually outsourcing and paying a fee?

I do it through something I call ‘autopilot’. I gather together the things I hate to do, keep the list right of center on my peg board over my desk, and when I have to do these dreaded things that draw on my weakest abilities, I systemically action my way through them by boiling down the time I do them in, and using a timer. I try to do *outsourced* tasks in an hour or less.

In other words, I’ll make up whatever story or corner-cutting method I have to, to trick myself into getting through something I don’t like, without doing something far worse, which is to postpone a task, or hope it goes away magically.

It helps if I chunk the task down into bite size pieces.

Updating your Web site,  a potentially time-consuming task, is definitely something to tackle in chunks. I really don’t want to outsource all things to a Virtual Assistant, especially WordPress updates. Yet I really hate figuring out which widget I need to install, and altering Pages, which I have to do on a fairly regular basis. It’s not a strength of mine to figure out mechanical or technical things. Not only do I have little interest or patience for it, but it bores me a bit. I’d rather be working on a class proposal or coming up with content for a workshop.

I *outsource* this task to myself and do it at intervals, using a timer, and never attemp to bite off more than one technical project at a time.

A ‘project’ is something that could be, for some, as simple as installing a Facebook Fan Page widget on my Web site.

In fact, I auto-piloted a project just yesterday. True to form, installing the widget took longer than usual, because after installing a text box and cribbing the code from FB, it still didn’t fit in my sidebars. I had to call someone who maneuvered with me over the phone to adjust the ‘width’ of the widget to fit my page dimensions.

If we don’t figure out a way to spend the majority of time on stuff we are good at, we slowly drain our feelings of effectiveness and confidence. Our source energy lights people up AND keeps us strongly motivated, so we can’t afford to let anything take up residence in our vital spaces that isn’t predominantly a strength.

Once upon a time, some would encourage you to master your weaknesses. I’ve only ever found the opposite: Embrace strengths and *outsource* weaknesses.

Jillian J. Davis helps people define their life’s work and live it. You can find her blog and more about who she helps atwww.jillianjdavis.com.

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How To Be A Savvy Superwoman

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Often times we women carry a Superwoman complex. Whether it’s imposed on us by our family, friends or communities, the Superwoman cape is one that we wear proudly… Monday through Sunday. Our formal training bears little to no relevance on the countless tasks that we are handed each day. We Superwomen have to be careful to not let this distinguished title affect how we manage our businesses. What do I mean by that?

Our inner Superwoman may lead us to believe that not only CAN we run our business as a team of one, but that we SHOULD run our business as a team of one. We have to remember, however, that asking for help is okay. A true Superwoman is savvy and knows how to outsource those weaknesses. Here is your guide to being a Savvy Superwoman:

A Savvy Superwoman can identify her weaknesses. She is self-assured and knows that she is not a master of all things. Even more importantly, she is okay with it.

Savvy Superwoman Action Item: Make a list of your obvious strengths and weaknesses. Now, put your pride on the shelf…are there tasks that you have taken on, that have not produced the results that you expected? Your answer is probably a resounding yes! If so, those are more than likely…your less-than-obvious weaknesses. Add them to the list!

A Savvy Superwoman has an A Team. The A Team is a circle of close friends and colleagues who are a support system. Not only that, but they are skilled and probably represent many different industries. These are the people who she forms strategic partnerships with in order to enhance the success of her business (and theirs as well). For instance, maybe you want to have a customer appreciation party for your clients. You may not be great at event planning, but is there someone in your A Team that fits the bill?

Savvy Superwoman Action Item: List everyone who is in your immediate and extended network. Then, list their profession, skills and/or strengths. Now you have an A Team!

Here is your final task…

Compare your list of weaknesses with your A Team roster. Are there any matches? If so, then congrats…outsourcing your weaknesses will be a breeze. If you offer a service or skill that the other person may need, consider bartering. In this economy, many people may be open to bartering. Once you’ve distributed tasks among your A Team, then you can look to outside sources. The A Team can be a great place to seek referrals.

Happy outsourcing Savvy Superwoman!

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Patrice N. Perkins is the founder and editor of My Lifestyle ZEN, a Chicago-based blog for working professionals and entrepreneurs who value quality of life. You can visit Patrice’s website here: http://www.mylifestylezen.com/

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Jennifer Lee and the Right-Brain Business Plan

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

If a business plan is what you crave, Jennifer Lee is your go-to gal. She’s an entrepreneur, certified coach, writer, founder of Artizen Coaching, and so much more. We LOVE the concept behind her new book, The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success, and we were lucky enough to pick her brain on her book as well as her take on this month’s CRAVE theme, outsourcing weakness and embracing strength.

What’s the philosophy or message behind your new book, The Right-Brain Business Plan?

The main message is that your natural, creative right-brain genius is your most valuable business asset. So let it work for you!

You have many different components to your business / website. What do you do yourself and what do you outsource?

In my book, I take people through a couple of exercise to help with this (pp. 127-131). Going through those lists helped me sort out what makes sense for me to do and what to get help with.

What I do myself:

  • Strategy and vision
  • Business planning and development – identifying and making most of potential opportunities
  • Content creation
  • Writing my book, blog posts, newsletter, etc.
  • Designing and developing course materials, workshops, programs, etc.
  • Designing and developing products
  • Providing services to customers
  • Coaching
  • Leading groups
  • Speaking
  • Managing the moola
  • Financial projections/budget (with some occasional help from bookkeeper)
  • Billing and collecting payment
  • Paying vendors
  • Depositing checks (fun!)
  • Getting my statements and receipts to my bookkeeper monthly
  • Social media
  • Marketing and PR
  • Designing and updating my websites
  • Production and mailing of products (this is one I want to outsource soon!)

I outsource:

  • Accounting
  • Bookkeeping (I did it myself for the first few years until it became a nightmare!)
  • Legal (trademarks, contracts, etc.)
  • Graphic design and illustration for print and creative projects
  • Technical support (I’m fortunate that my husband can handle most all techie things and bonus he’s an awesome photographer. I also hired a webinar consultant to help run my recent video summit).
  • Administrative tasks like managing access to the RBBP private online community, helping to manage Facebook fan page, creating and scheduling reminder e-mails, managing my RBBP spotlight submissions, coordinating my blog book tour, answering general customer service or informational type e-mails, setting up products for e-commerce
  • Scheduling – I try and do most of it online through tungle.me
  • I’ve outsourced in the past: copy editing, copywriting, proofreading, and brand consulting
  • Cleaning my house!

How did you determine what to outsource and how did you do that?

I look at all of the things on my plate and figure out what:

  • I’m not that good at
  • Requires expert guidance
  • Drives me crazy, pisses me off, and/or makes me go-cross-eyed
  • I’m decent at but it takes me way too long and my time could be better used elsewhere.

Do you have any tips for surrounding yourself with a great team?

Always be on the look out for great people. Even if you’re not ready to hire someone yet, ask for referrals. That way you’re not choosing someone out of desperation at the last minute (I’ve been there, it didn’t turn out well).
Interview at least three people until you find the right fit.

The more great people you surround yourself with the more they’ll help connect you with other great people (they seem to hang around each other!). And do your part in connecting great people with each other. It’s just good karma.

What aspect of your business are you most passionate about? What’s the best part of your job?

Coming up with and implementing new creative ideas and projects and seeing them have a positive impact in people’s lives. Working directly with my perfect customers – people who are already successful and who are highly committed to taking their life and business to their next level. It’s so rewarding and fulfilling to see them reaching their dreams.

When it comes to creating business plans, what is the most common obstacle entrepreneurs seem to have?

The most common problem is that they actually don’t have a business plan or if they do, they haven’t looked at it in ages.

The most challenging part of your business is….?

Finding enough time to do all of the things I want to do!

If you could give yourself some words of advice 5 years ago, what would it be?

Well, 5 years ago this June was when I left my corporate job so I would say to keep trusting myself and moving forward. And don’t go it alone!

What’s the first step an aspiring entrepreneur should take to make a living doing what she craves?

I’d say the first step is to start talking to positive, supportive people about what you want to be doing. Even if your idea isn’t fully formed yet, the more you put you and your idea out there, the more momentum you’ll gain and connections you’ll make. Plus you’ll start holding yourself accountable to actions you need to do to make your idea real.

What are three things you crave?

  • Creative white space
  • Afternoon naps
  • A personal gourmet chef who also does dishes!

________________

Jennifer Lee, the founder of Artizen Coaching and author of The Right-Brain Business Plan, spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder before pursuing her creative dreams. Through her popular workshops, coaching practice, and writing, she empowers others to follow their passions. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Automate Your Biz for Maximum Sales & Freedom

Monday, March 21st, 2011

People always ask me, “how do you ‘Get It All Done’ every month?” or “how do you do so much and make it all look so easy?”.

What I’ve discovered in my 9 years of being an entrepreneur is that the productivity practices I’ve adopted or developed are some of the most important systems that help me achieve this and are why I am at the level I am in my business.

Using systems and consistent ways to market and follow up is entirely how I built my multiple six-figure business. It wasn’t always that easy however; I had to learn the hard way.

I am a recovering control freak myself and tried to do it all but got way burned out and even got divorced along the way. These days I find it much less stressful and more enjoyable to delegate, have systems in place, great functionality on my website so I can attract, talk to and help thousands more entrepreneurs than I ever could before with my old business model and practices.

In my marketing and on my free calls I refer a lot to the templates I use for my email marketing, follow up, direct mail, social media connecting and more; all of which play a big part in not only automatic lead generation but high-volume sales conversions within my business.

There is so much you can do online to market and promote your business but no ONE entrepreneur can ever do it all, at least not effectively of course.

Therefore it is crucial that you learn how to automate as much of your business and marketing tasks as humanly possible. You need to do this though without compromising your relationships or much needed personal touch.

Most entrepreneurs barely reach 5-10% of the potential number of prospects they could with what they attempt to accomplish in their marketing efforts. You can be in many more places and be much more well known if you learn some simple techniques for automating, delegating and systematizing much of what you do.

Common Mistakes I’ve seen over the years with start ups and established business owners:

  • You’re trying to do it all yourself
  • You think you ‘can’t afford it’ whatever IT is
  • You don’t believe in yourself enough to truly charge what you’re worth
  • You’re too busy to do ‘it’ whatever IT is
  • You simply don’t see what’s possible for you, you don’t know what you don’t know
  • You haven’t learned how to run your own successful business yet you think you will just figure it out. You haven’t gone to school to learn how to be a successful entrepreneur! (They don’t teach this in college you know.)

Why it’s important to automate more in your business, your marketing and even your life?

  • To get more time back to do more money-making, client attraction tasks
  • So your business runs, generates leads and income when you’re not there
  • So you can stop working so hard and repeating yourself on things
  • To streamline systems so you can manage more client flow and cash flow

4 Example Homework Exercises I use in my coaching programs that you can do now to start automating and delegating:

Take 2 minutes or so and write out the top 3-5 questions you get asked over and over and over again in your business before someone becomes a customer. Then take those and either put them and their answers onto an FAQ page on your website or on your voicemail or note on your voicemail or email signature where to get more information online.

You can also take those questions (and maybe some more) and put them into a pre-consultation questionnaire or intake form online so when someone wants to speak to you or have a free or initial consultation, you send them to that questionnaire first to give you more information before you speak. This will help qualify prospects more as well.

Take 2 minutes or so and write every single step and thing you do in order of how you would do after you go networking or in order to follow up with a new prospect or group of prospects. Determine what you would send them, say to them, write to them, how often and also develop templates that can be used with little alteration every time. This becomes your follow up system that you can then delegate.

Track your time for 7 days, 24/7. Keep track of everything you do from personal to business and more including housework, internet research, family time, cooking, errands, social media, etc. Then look over that list after the week is up and cross out things that don’t need to be done at all, find someone to take on the tasks you should not be doing or don’t like to do and find ways to automate or delegate many of the other tasks that you’re repeating or that are not necessarily revenue producing tasks.

Those exercises can get you started but if you understand that you can increase your business with more automating, delegating and systematizing then I highly recommend you look for resources or people who can show you what to do.

With more automating and delegating you can increase your income and productivity and reduce your stress about making money as you’ll free up your time to be able to make so much more!

Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker and International JumpStart Your Biz Coach who’s helped hundreds of small business owners take dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next level in business, revenues and their personal life. She offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself business-building products. She’s been featured on various news talk shows and radio shows including Oprah and Friends XM Radio. Go online now to get started with her Free Entrepreneur’s Success Kit and a complimentary Business Strategy Session here!

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Melody: Why The One-Hat Woman Always Wins

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

This is a subject I wish I would have understood 20 years ago.  It’s something I certainly wish I could have told my younger business self.  For some reason I thought I had to wear all the hats.  Be the visionary, bookkeeper, HR manager,  general manager, designer, networker, shipping expert, master of inventory, negotiator, signer of contracts,  salesperson,  marketing director,  janitor (well I never really did that, but was in charge that it got done), writer, event coordinator and on and on. Was I a control freak or just STUPID?

When I started the CRAVE company I reinvented my life and decided to do everything the “opposite” way, starting with outsourcing almost EVERYTHING.  I wanted to run my company on my laptop from anywhere in the world so outsourcing was really the only way to go.  I now embrace the fact that I am the crazy entrepreneurial visionary. I need to spend most of my time dreaming up the next move or I won’t have a company to run.  All the other stuff…bookkeeping, marketing, writing, new team members and sales are ALL outsourced.  There are many talented people who do all these things really well, way better than me.  Phew that felt good.

I am excited to announce that I’ve finished my book, CRAVING SUCCESS. Another new experience for me. Over the last 18 months I wrote down the stories of the 20+ businesses I have started, with the mistakes made and lessons learned.   Now, I admit that writing is not my forte.  I can barely speak the English language properly, let alone write in proper grammar. But I couldn’t outsource this one…. or could I? I forced myself to write one chapter a night (around midnight) for awhile then put it away for a few months.  It was weighing on me to finish, so I rounded up some girlfriends and talked them into going on a retreat to a beach house for a few days to focus on getting projects done.  I did finish that weekend, but in reality that was just the start.

My outsourcing began by reaching out to Sally Reavis, who became my writing/editing guru and co-author.  She worked on the manuscript and me for the next 6 months to flesh everything out.  Then came design (which I LOVE and always know what I want), but I couldn’t design myself out of a paperbag.  My good friend and walking buddy, Bridget Perez from Tray Creative, was excited to design the front cover, and I got one of my fabulous CRAVE designers, Alison Turner, to crank out the interior.  My photographer husband pulled all the pictures together and my other designer, Amanda Buzard, turned them into a something cohesive.  I was running out of time with the deadline I’d set, so I called the company that prints our CRAVE books and begged for press time and a really good deal for a full color book. I also asked some smart friends to read the manuscript for use-ability, got the copy editor involved, and (finally!) last week we went to print.

I loved every minute of this project and KNOW it takes a team to pull everything off.  I love to set crazy deadlines and power through to get it done.  The way I figure it…if you don’t have a deadline you will never get it done.  If you don’t outsource the stuff you don’t like or are not that good at…you will never get it done.

What do you need to outsource?

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