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Making Every Day Actions Extraordinary

August 27, 2008 – 1:16 pm

I am about to a launch a new blog and am researching information for it. As some of you may know, I am working to lower my high blood pressure. I am doing everything I can to use natural methods. And, in the course of my research, I have stumbled across some amazing information about the healing properties of food. Yes, the every day, ordinary act of eating certain foods can act like medicine, strong medicine. Hmm….

This discovery got me thinking - what other every day actions create extraordinary results? So, I have compiled a list for you to ponder. Please add to this with your own ideas and thoughts via the comment section.

Every Day Actions That Can Create Extraordinary Results:

1.  Generosity - How many times have you gone the extra mile and been more than rewarded for your extra effort? Myself, many. Microlending in third world countries is a great example. For less than $200, you can facilitate an entire lifetime of revenue earning potential for an entire village. Wow. That’s an extraordinary result. In business, when I have freely shared my knowledge, it always paid off, in both money and other intangible gifts. I have received free gifts, I have received new business, and I have received prestige and respect. If you are a generous person, the new kid on the block who can turn into the next big thing is more likely to show up on your door than someone else’s. If you were a publisher with a reputation for generosity, how would snagging the next Stephen King (because they knew you’d listen and give your time) affect your bottom line? Extraordinarily well, I suspect.

 2.  Kindness - Has anyone ever told you that you said just the right thing at just the right time to make them want to keep on keeping on? Or, maybe you demonstrated kindness to a stranger and someone saw you do it and became your dear friend? You were just being you, acting like you’d want to be treated, and goodness came from it. When you habitually do this every day, it comes back to you. As a child, the bible story about an angel of God visiting in disguise really stuck with me. I imagine that every person is God who is coming to visit, because you never know when an angel is at your door. And grace is an extraordinary thing. In business, being kind also builds in slack. People will tolerate errors more sympathetically if you act kindly toward them. Being mean doesn’t build you any credits for when things go wrong. Kindness does and that can literally save your business from disaster.

3.  Integrity - Some might argue that integrity is not an every day “ordinary” thing, but I disagree. I believe that people want to do the right thing as a natural impulse. They like the idea that they don’t have to hide behind a story and keep lies straight to interact. They like to feel welcome as they are. When you demonstrate integrity, having values and living by them, you demonstrate an acceptance of others. You tell them it’s ok to be themselves, that it’s safe to be with you. You tell them you are confident enough in who you are and grounded enough in what you believe in for them to be themselves too. It makes room for people to relax because they don’t feel they will be manipulated, or taken advantage of, or hurt. They put down their guard and extend you trust. If you’ve ever looked into the eyes of a widow or an abused child, you know the extraordinary potential of trust. In business, you gain lifetime clients who refer you and you alone to everyone they know. That can lead to extraordinary results, just by being willing to demonstate integrity, something you do every day.

Please understand that I am not suggesting you demonstrate these traits just for the sake of getting something in return. That’s not my point at all. Rather, when you are yourself, and you allow the every day things that are your nature to shine through, it does pay off. It makes it all the sweeter and more potent that you did them freely. A gift truly has no strings attached, or it’s not a gift. Give your gifts and you will have joy and success. It’s that simple.

Now it’s your turn - What every day actions do you do that have lead to extraordinary results? Let us know!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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Faith in Your Decisions, Determination in Your Actions

August 19, 2008 – 11:05 am

Deciding feels empowering.  When you finally make up your mind that you are going to achieve a particular goal, you are filled with a calmness. It’s only when I sit on the fence that I feel trepidation. A dear mentor of mine used to joke “Do you know what sitting on the fence will get you? (answer = splinters in your butt)”. There’s just something about making up your mind that helps.

Too often, though, the next stage is “but how do I do that?” and all kinds of personal doubt and fear begin seeping into your decision. The “who, what, where, when, how?”, creeps into your rosy decidedness and your calmness flies out the window.

When this happens, I do several things. First, I mentally stand firm - get determined - to take whatever actions it will require to accomplish the goal I decided on achieving. I commit to myself that I will go the distance. I act like a coach, telling myself I can do it, that I have what it takes, and that I’m “in it to win it”. Mentally, it sounds like a high school track meet rally. A little cheesy perhaps, but I would recommend you try it for yourself before you knock it. It works for me.

Next, I make a list of what I think it will take to accomplish my goal. I do this lightly and creatively, capturing all I can (see the project management 101 post to get more detail.) I include in this listing an honest recognition of my abilities. Just like the children’s story about the little engine that could, I tell myself “I think I can”. I don’t count on mantras or positive self talk to make me a gold medal gymnast if I can’t even do a cartwheel, but if I’ve done tasks before (or know someone who can do it for me), I mentally check off that part of it. By mentally setting it aside, the weight of the challenge lessens. I only really have to evaluate the difficulty of the unknown, of what I haven’t done before or don’t have a resource to do it. Usually about 75% or more is already a controllable and managable known item, so really it’s only the balance of the issue that needs to be investigated or resolved.

Secondly, I develop the habit of always returning to my decision. Not to reevaluate it, or question its validity, but rather to commit to it, again and again. Declaring your faith in yourself, in your abilities, and in your decision is valuable. It gives you and your ideas energy.

To declare my faith, I take some deep breaths and I say that I embrace and respect my decision. I claim my devotion to seeing my decision manifest. I reiterate that I stand willing and ready to be shown how my decision can come to be. I restate that I believe this can be. I use my spirituality here too, but you don’t necessarily have to do that if it’s not what you believe. It takes faith in yourself first and foremost but any help you can receive is good to get if it helps you.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. It can get tricky when you have to take action before you have the evidence or proof that it will work. And, faith won’t necessarily make it all work out how you think it will. But, it’s the engine of change. It’s the start button for new stuff. And, it helps reinforce your determination of action. So, start with faith in your decisions, have determination in your actions, and I have no doubt that it will work for you. Chime in here with any experiences where your faith and determination has helped you in your business. It always helps to hear how others do it.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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Health and Business - How Do You Manage An Unknown?

August 15, 2008 – 11:59 am

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure recently. Mainly because I had become rather overweight and sedimentary. Ok, I’ll be honest - I’d become a lazy lard butt. Although doctors cannot definitely say what causes HP, they do know that leading a more active life contributes to keeping it at healthy levels.

Since my situation arose, I have been doing everything by the book. Exercising, taking my medication, eating better, meditation, relaxation, and the best part - dark dark chocolate and a small amount of red wine every day. Pure torture, right? Believe it or not, it has all pushed my BP so low I can barely move, which is great, since my goal is to get off the meds and manage the issue holistically and naturally. I’m hoping I get reduced or removed from the meds on my next doc visit (wish me luck!).

I have learned some interesting things from this overall experience that relates completely to running a small business that I want to share.

1.  Everything is connected and important

I am not able to be the best business person I can be without good health. As much as I might push to get another to-do item done instead of go for a walk, it catches up and bites you if you don’t do what’s needed. Remembering to attend to your health is one of the most important ways you can ensure that what you are working for really does pay off.

Part of your commitment to yourself as a business person is treat your body with respect. I know I harp on relaxation and rest, but I do it for a reason. It works. It’s important. It’s connected. How would you feel if you had a million dollars in your bank account but died before you saw your daughter get married or a grandchild be born? How would you feel if you finally had the bucks to travel but couldn’t walk up the Great Wall of China’s steps because you lacked the energy? Money, success, and fame won’t comfort you in that, will it? Don’t wait for a wake up call - make adjustments now.

2.  Experts don’t know everything (and sometimes they know very little)

I had to get a general care physician because of my situation - never had one before, never needed one. And, as nice as this one is, as well educated and trained, he is not very helpful in offering suggestions on how to really manage my BP. As far as he is concerned, I am likely destined to be on medication for the rest of my life. Partly, his lack of help is because he is an allopathic doctor only, and gives relatively low weight to holistic methods. Partly, the entire state of the industry around BP revolves around the pharaceutical industry and ultimately an unknown condition. Some people take up to 9 different medicines, each one designed to counter balance the ill side effects of another. It’s a dangerous and precarious dance and doesn’t always result in a healthy BP level. Even holistic methods offer differing results. No one thing has been determined yet that “fixes” this. It’s an unknown.

I often feel like marketing is in the same boat. Lots of “experts”, lots of education, plenty of pseudo solutions, and no 100% reliable results. Like my BP, I have to test, try new things one at a time, monitoring the results, research for myself, and ultimately do what I feel comfortable doing. Like BP, marketing is a bit of a do or die situation. It’s crucial to business success. But, guru advice needs to be taken as one point of information, to be combined with your other knowledge, your intuition, and common sense, and then applied consistently and conservatively. You can pour a bunch of money down the drain and not really improve. Keep your eyes and mind open.

3.  Consistent and committed actions pay off

I am doing the right things to improve with consistency and commitment and it’s working. Every day, I do what I need to do. No, I haven’t started working out 7 days a week for 90 minutes. I take a vigorous walk for 30 minutes. Much more than that and I am too tired to do it again the next day. No,  I haven’t gone on some freak fad diet. I have added fruits and vegetables and cut down on empty calories. No, I haven’t joined an ashram and given up all stress. I have learned to relax at a moment’s notice by breathing deeply and getting in touch with my spiritual center. Stress is part of life, and it’s not all bad. The trick is to manage it.

When you’re the CEO of a small business, much of what you do cannot be done by anyone else. You are the imagination and heart of your dream business and no one else can step in to be that. Because of your vital importance, you must take care of yourself. You could say I am suggesting that you do as I say, not as I do, since I let my health go. You could also conclude that you should learn from other’s mistakes and not fall into the same trap. I am actively fixing my mistake. Are you? If not, why not? If not, is your why not really so important that you would risk your entire business on it? Take action - I’m going to step off my soap box now, ok? OHMMMMM! :-)

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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Setting a Work At Home Schedule

August 14, 2008 – 1:12 pm

One of the challenges I see women entrepreneurs who work at home face is setting a work at home schedule. The TV tempts, the kids want attention, the dishes need to be done, and it can get difficult to stick to a disciplined schedule. Here are some suggestions to help:

1.  Honor your and your family’s natural personal rhythms.

If you don’t do well at math or accounting right after you wake up, don’t do it then. If you would rather talk to people after lunch, fine. If Wednesday is a super distracting and chaotic Soccer and Ballet class day, it’s ok to schedule a day off from work those days. Forcing yourself to do things against your grain will suck the very life out of you and you will resent your new business.

One word of caution here: if you naturally put off scary things (like closing a sale) or know you get bored doing repetitive but crucial tasks (like bookkeeping or web maintenance), you have to get help. Either get help facing and overcoming your fears or be woman enough to hire someone. Not doing them at all probably won’t work. If the issue is serious enough, you should probably reconsider if you’re even in the right business for you or if you should be in business at all. If you’re naturally an outdoor person and you’ve created an all-indoor business,  you are swimming upstream. Be honest with yourself about what you like to do and structure your business activities accordingly.

2.  Set weekly goals rather than daily goals when possible:

Of course, if the train leaves on Tuesday at 2 pm, you’d better be there. No avoiding that deadline. But, by lengthening your goal due dates where you can, you build in flexibility. If you arbitrarily say Tuesday at 2 pm this to-do item must be done, or….or what? You’ve “failed” if you miss the deadline, right? Isn’t that how it feels when you miss a due date, even when it was completely arbitrary? Why do that to yourself? How much energy are you going to have to keep working if you set yourself up to be a failure all the time? Don’t this to your psyche. Working for yourself is challenging enough without approaching your goals this way. It’s better to say this week, I will accomplish this task. You can schedule a specific proposed time to get it done, but the actual goal is more flexible. This allows for you to manage the unexpected and allows you to implement significantly more creativity into your days. It’s just so much more fun and satisfying, so you’re more likely to keep doing it. Keeping at it is the name of the game.

3.  Schedule your work to match with your client’s schedules:

If you have to talk with clients in Hong Kong, you have to talk to them when they’re awake. No getting around that. If your biggest client only works on Tuesday and Thursday morning, that’s when you will have to work too. If most of your clients only take calls to set appointments in the early AM before their day starts spirialing out of control, that’s when you will call, even if it defies your natural personal rhythms. I will repeat again because I feel it is super important - if your work schedule requirements go too heavily against your natural personal rhythms, don’t just try to grin and bear it - hire someone to do that work that loves working during those times. With virtual assistants available worldwide, there is no reason to not at least explore the possibilities. Your clients will know you hate what you’re doing and you won’t be successful at it. Don’t be a scrooge - be a boss. You’re the CEO of your company, so act like one. Solve the problems, don’t just suffer through them. Not loving what you do is a problem. Take action to fix it.

4.  Reward yourself by punching out on time:

Part of setting a work at home schedule is committing to a time when you will quit working for the day as well as how many days or hours you will work each week. In my opinion (and I know you will hear differently from others), hard work is not the secret. Focusing on your unique gifts and on the most important tasks are what’s important. Get out of the worker bee mentality and become a visionary. Visionaries take sabatticals, they go on vision quests, and they give their minds room to roam. That means they take time away from the office, for themselves, for their family, for their health, and for unabashed fun.

We all sincerely desire a life of meaning.  As the old adage goes, no one ever sat on their death bed wishing they had spent more time at the office. And, being off of work isn’t just about going to the next set of household tasks. It’s about resting, rejuvenating, relaxing, and recovering. Reading a novel, not another business education text. Eating good food, working in your gardening, traveling - all the finer things in life that don’t revolve around work. Go to a party in a gorgeous dress and don’t bring any business cards (they hardly fit into a proper evening bag anyway - there’s a reason for that…). Give yourself space to be a full person. You will get more done in smarter ways if you give your brain and body a rest.

I hope these tips work for you. I guess it’s easy to see that I believe in life balance, right? I do.  And, I wish you the best of successs. You’re invited to comment here on how you schedule yourself successfully.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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Project Management 101

August 12, 2008 – 10:17 am

Good project management is essential to staying organized. I’m not a fan of jargon and industry specific nomenclature, so here is a basic guide as to what it takes to really manage a project.

To start, what is a “project”? Simply put, it’s a grouping of activities that result in an end result. Getting your kids out the door to school can be a project, as can shopping, or building a website. Planning a wedding is a great real life example of a project (a REALLY big one!) so let’s use that for our case study. Here’s what you need to know:

First, make a complete task list: List everything, and I mean everything, you can think of that needs to be done, small and big. The minister, the church, the reception, the honeymoon flight arrangements, the shoes, the flowers, the dress, your attendants, buying your lacey negligee, etc., etc., etc.

Once you have the list, you can then group the smaller items under bigger ones. For example, the honeymoon would be the main topic and tasks like make flight arrangements, get passports, book the hotel, pack your suitcase would be sub tasks underneath it. By grouping you can not only see it all and be complete, but it also helps you see what you could delegate off. Delegating big chunks of your work is a way to get more done faster. Hiring a wedding planner is a great example of doing this. You hire someone to manage all the task groupings.

Set a proposed budget: This can be a money budget, a time budget, a resource budget, or all of the above. You need to be as accurate as you can. If a caterer normally charges $50 a plate for what you want to have, budgeting $5 per plate is just silly. Sure you might expect some discount, but don’t build your budget based on getting screaming deals that would make your grandmother blush in embarassment. Relationships need to be honored. Your partners are people who are feeding their familes and sending their kids to college just like anyone else. An honest pay for honest work is fair. Violating this will come back to bite you later on. I am not suggesting that you let yourself be taken advantage of, but if you’ve pushed so hard on the front end, you will have no goodwill left on the back end when you need it.

Next, set the preferred desired date for completion: This would be the day of the wedding, when everything needs to be completed. Much like catching a train, once you set the steps in motion for such a big event it’s relatively difficult (and expensive) to adjust the date, so either things get done on time or they don’t get done. You will be able to readily see, once you do the next step, if this desired date is reasonable. If it is, you can set the final date. If not, you either change the date, or alter the list of tasks you expect to have completed by that date. There’s no getting around this and it’s important to be realistic. Being late to the chapel just simply isn’t an option.

From this first proposed desired date, we back out all of the needed tasks: What I mean by that is, if it takes 10 weeks for your custom designer dress to be made, fitted, and ready, then you have to have that dress decision made no later than 10 weeks from the wedding date. If it takes 3 week to schedule the cake tasting and 3 more weeks for the cake to be ready, then you have to allow a minimum of 6 weeks from the wedding date for that task to be done.

Add some slack: When a task is crucial, it’s foolish to play things to the wire. Don’t overpad, but allowing 10-15% time allowance for the unexpected to happen is a good idea, because the unexpected will. No amount of diva bridezilla behavior is going to change anything when a hurricane shuts down the dress factory that is making your dress. Even if you’re accustomed to pushing to get your way, time is stubborn and has a way of pushing back. Adding some slack to your plan helps out.

Set priorities: Now, you take the task list and identify the drop dead, must have items. You are not getting married if the groom and minister doesn’t show or if you don’t get the marriage license. Those are must haves. The bubble machine with matching clown is not. Identifying must haves vs. nice to haves helps if you have to go to plan B or if you have to make an unexpected adjustment. It also keeps you focused and on time and on track. And, no, everything is not priority one. Give up that idea. It’s simply not true.

Setting priorities also includes identifying items that depend on another. For example, you can’t expect your bouquets to show up on wedding day if you never visited the florist (well, unless you were smart enough to tell someone else to handle it…). These dependencies are crucial, because if the first thing doesn’t get done on time, it cascades down the schedule to everything that depends on it. Be sure you are aware of these relationships so you can make adjustments as needed.

Implement, Adjust, and Enjoy: As you go through your plan, joyfully check off your completes. As you have schedule pushout in your completions, make the needed adjustments, always looking to see if something high in priority is in jeopardy of not getting done. Even though in this example it might be hard to stay flexible, in most cases, you can do that. Keeping your eyes on the true purpose of the project in the first place - in this case to marry the person you love - is the way to not only enjoy the result but also to enjoy the journey. You might only get married once but most projects will include people you want to work with again. Respect, realistic expectations, kind yet firm actions, and a sense of humor will go a long way to making this project and all the future ones successful.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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From What You Love to What You Do in Business

August 8, 2008 – 11:25 am

We talked recently about making a list of what you love to do in order to decide what you really want to do in business. Today, we will talk about what to do with that list.

Your list includes the things that thrill you, fill you with joy, and you would do for no money at all. I will use a piece of my list as an example to build from.

On my list, I put down that I love to use my voice - talking, singing, writing, expressing my point of view, etc. Okay, so now that I have that idea, where do we go next?

Creatively brainstorm actions or job that use that action. Write it all down as you fully discover and explore as many ways as possible to put that desire into action. So, I might list the following things that use my voice:

  • Speaking
  • Singing
  • Writing

Within each of those categories, I could break it down further. Speaking could include

1.  Interviewing: Being interviewed, interviewing others, interviewing on the radio, TV, or podcasts for the internet.
2.  Public speaking: Giving presentation, teaching a class, or sitting on a forum
3.  Creating audio products to sell.
4.  Voice overs: Creating commercials, movie trailers, TV and radio ads, etc.

You see it can get pretty interesting. What’s important is that you key off of what you really love to start with and then brainstorm ideas that dovetail into that. You’ll be tempted to edit your ideas for practicality, but it’s not time to do that yet. Put down everything you can imagine that fits your category. The beauty of brainstorming is it often takes us somewhere new and unexpected. Let it flow!

Now, it’s your turn. Take out the list you’ve made and go for it. Remember (yes, I think it’s worth repeating): It’s not the time yet to edit yourself too much. You’re not deciding the final actions, but coming up with options that thrill you, satisfy your passion, and are ways you can get paid. Don’t toss out the “crazy” ones. We will talk next about how you can take the crazy ones and adapt them to real life. Feel free to post your list here to share. Fun, right? :-)

Together,  we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
 

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Deciding What You Love To Do in Business

August 6, 2008 – 7:46 pm

Recently, I had the pleasure of winning a complimentary business coaching session. I loved the experience and I learned something very valuable: Do what you love in business.

But is it really that easy to know what that is? I don’t think so. We all get wrapped up in shoulds, and goals, and to-do lists, and expectations that are more rooted in fantasy than action. I am a strong proponent of big ideas, so it’s not that part of it that worries me really. More the part about the “shoulds”.

How much happiness comes from living a life of “should”?  Not much, really. Sure, you’re going to pay your bills and there is happiness in that. It’s much easier to be happy with a roof over your head and a meal in your belly. But, is that the point you’re at? Are you at that edge or are you closer to the middle where you do have the financial room to reevaluate your path?

If you are on the edge, get help (If you don’t know how, email me and I’ll do what I can to get you resources). Many a triumph has come from rags to riches. But, if you’re in the middle and would like to live a more passionate life, I would like to share the trick my coach asked of me:

Make a list of what you LOVE to do.

Put aside what you think is the logical plan. Put aside what you had lined up, what you had planned to do. Put the fast track plan you’ve imagined since college down. Step away from your presuppositions. Grab a soda or a glass of wine, find some private space, and write down the things that thrill you.

Don’t worry about how you’ll make money, not yet.  Just let the ideas flow. Connect with your heart and find out what makes you gasp with joy. Be creative. Get to the center of what it is about the things that feel good to you and really hone in on what it is about those things that work so well for you. If you like helping people, define why. Is it because you enjoy facilitating the transition, the a-ha moment? Or, do you pride yourself on teaching? Maybe you like helping people simply for a sense of service. Maybe you look to defeat ignorance. Maybe you enjoy helping people to help themselves. All of these points of view can take you in a different direction.

This process may take a few days, even weeks. Take the time to do it. Getting to know yourself will give you a laser focused awareness of your needs as a business person. It will awaken your own appreciation for your skills and desires. All of this will feed into a true passion driven vision and business plan. Don’t spend time figuring out how you’re going to turn your ideas into a job. Just savor the process of getting in touch with your wow factor.

We will discuss later this week about what to do next with your list. It’s an easier process than it may seem at first. The first step is to get to know yourself and what you love. Then, we will figure out how to transform those thoughts into opportunities.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

 

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Evolving in Public: How Do I Do That Gracefully?

August 5, 2008 – 9:35 am

I have learned many things the last few months as a new blogger. I feel good that I have done some really cool and interesting things. The feedback has been great. I like expressing myself, connecting with others, engaging. I love the new friendships I’ve made.

I also have made what I would consider some grave errors. Your personality flaws really come forward when you put yourself out there. There are traits that I have know about for some time that I am having to look at full on and frankly, deal with or else. It’s not always so comfortable. I think the unabashed honesty is healthy, but it’s prickly to see your downfalls so acutely. I sometimes want to hide and give up. But, because of the amazingly great things that I have enjoyed, I don’t.

Because of this personal and professional evolution, I make changes. I am not sure how to evolve in public gracefully so I ask that you bear with me. I beg your forgiveness as I evolve. I seek your understanding and compassion. I even desire your input, because I firmly believe that we all experience common issues and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if you’ve gone through this too.

In short, I thank you, faithful reader, for your loyalty through thick and thin. I thank you for your encouraging emails and loving thoughts. I am so happy to be here. I am so happy that you are here.

I know many of you have your own blog, or are public speakers, or take courageous steps toward being in the public eye. I would love some comments from you on how you evolve as a public figure. How do you do it? How does a person balance their public persona (and all the expectations that seem associated with that) with their humanly frail and vulnerable self or their need to make changes? Do you handle it by not making the public you any different than the private you? Do you just not worry about it? What’s that like for you?

I look forward to hearing what you have to say. :-)

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

 

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International Smart Women in the News

July 29, 2008 – 10:26 am

I have some great stories to share with you again this week of awesome and inspiring women worldwide. Enjoy!

Women achievers honoured
Dispatch Online - South Africa
Melonie Gobel of Living Waters emerged the winner in the new social entrepreneur category. The women were honoured at a glittering event in East London’s …
See all stories on this topic

SMALL ECONOMIC UNITS IN DEMAND WORLDWIDE By Yank Elliot, IAHBE …
By Erny Setyawati(Erny Setyawati)
Other ways women can use IT are:. Female farmers could greatly increase productivity with access to information on improved agricultural inputs, weather, markets, new production techniques, and farming technologies. Entrepreneurs …
BUILDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP - http://buildingentrepreneurship.blogspot.com/

07/30TiE Successful Women Entrepreneurs
By admin
Body BASIC RICH The Chugh Firm http://www.chugh.com Description: TiE-Atlanta is proud to present “A Candid Conversation With Successful Women Entrepreneurs: What they wish they had known and what they are still … More: continues here …
Uvox.us » LifeHacker: The Lifehacker… - http://www.uvox.us

Leap of faith
Hindu - Chennai,India
Meenu calls herself a social entrepreneur. “I believe that when women move into spaces not considered their own, it frees them mentally. …
See all stories on this topic

Global Grassroots helping women social entrepreneurs
By David
In Rwanda, Global Grassroots offers Social Entrepreneurship Training and Venture Investments to genocide survivors, including widows, women with HIV/AIDS and victims of sexual assault. Investments assist in capacity building, …
Who are Americans? - http://whoareamericans.com

From Inmate To Entrepreneur
By Rich
The Mercy Corps program is intended to foster an entrepreneurial mindset by teaching financial literacy, and small business and interpersonal skills to minimum security female prisoners. It is a rigorous 26 week-long program that covers …
Business Opportunities Weblog - http://www.business-opportunities.biz

Mandy Haberman: Success with a No-Spill Drinking Cup
By WomenHomeBusiness.com(WomenHomeBusiness.com)
Hence, the Anywayup Cup was created in 1990. In 2000, Mandy received the title British Female Inventor of the Year; and in 2003 was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as a ‘Pioneer to the Life of the Nation’.
Entrepreneur Success Stories - http://www.womenhomebusiness.com/blog/blog.html

Business Push Benefits Poor
World Bank Group - Washington,DC,USA
To do so, it created a network of 46000 entrepreneurs, most of them disadvantaged women, who sell low-priced products, often in single-use packages, …
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Women entrepreneurs launch their Website FP Report
MULTAN: Women entrepreneurs Multan has launched its own Website “NeedleCraft Association” (NCA) with the collaboration of Multan Chamber of Commerce & …
- http://www.thefrontierpost.com

You can get involved with programs helping women entrepreneurs worldwide for very little money. I will be doing a piece in a few days about microfinancing and how you can use funds from these organizations and how you can help others through them. Thank you for all you do!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

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Referrals, Testimonials, and the Need For Strong Business Relationships

July 28, 2008 – 12:38 pm

I don’t know about you, but referrals and recommendations work on me. When someone I trust, either a friend, family member, or someone I recognize as an expert recommends a business, I usually check it out. Especially in areas of wide choice, huge variation in service levels, and many substitute alternatives, I ask my friends what they choose, whether it’s light hearted stuff like a hairdresser or restaurant or more serious stuff like a physician or preschool for my niece.

I often go in with a softer attitude toward performance, too. I cut them slack. And, when they don’t need any slack and perform well, it rates double. And, not only does the business get a gold star, but so does the friend who recommended them. It all works together to strengthen my trust and deepen my relationship with all involved. I go in expecting greatness rather than wondering if I’ll get it.

To use testimonials and referrals to strengthen your business relationships, here are some helpful hints:

1. Ask directly
Nothing goes farther than simply asking. And, be sure to be polite but direct.

If you are looking for more clients, ask your current clients during the process, rather than after. To understand why this particular timing is important, you need to understand a scientific phenomenon called “morphic convergence”. In basic terms, it’s why when you are beginning to shop for a Prius (or even just start to think actively about starting to shop for a Prius) you begin to notice Prius cars all over the place when you never noticed them before. And, you start meeting other people by happenstance that are also looking to buy a Prius. Your mental focus brings these things into view for you, or converges on that idea.

The approach then is to use the power of your client’s morphic convergence experience to help you. If they are looking to buy your product, they have probably met others who are too. Waiting until after the sale or process means your client will meet more people who just bought their Prius rather than are looking to buy, which doesn’t really help you, right?

Ask for an introduction to anyone they know who they feel could use your services. Include in your introductory meeting with clients that you work mainly by referral. Tell them that you would rather spend money serving the loyal clients you have better than on advertising looking for new clients. Timing is everything. You don’t want to ask for a referral before that new client even knows what you’re about, but it can happen sooner than you probably think or are completely comfortable initiating at this point. Just ask and it will feel more and more comfortable to you as you practice it. Find your groove and it will come back to you in good will and increased sales.

2. Set up an incentive program
Reward your clients with recognition, gifts, discounts, your unfettered time, or other courteous and thoughtful gestures.

It doesn’t have to cost much, as you will find that the human touch goes a long way. People don’t refer their friends to make money, in general. They are being kind and helpful. Responding in equally motivated ways magnifies that and does more for a relationship than money. Money is nice, but giving a gift rather than offering a discount sets the stage for maintaining your price points as well as building trust and rapport.

One thing you can do here: if you have a progression of products that you sell, for example beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, giving a gift that moves the referring client to your next level of products in addition to recognizing their generosity for referring can increase your business in more than one way. That’s great for everyone.

Another idea is to partner with other businesses that can refer back to you when developing client gift ideas. If you sell birthday cakes, include a free helium rental coupon for balloons from a florist gift shop. The client will have to pick up the helium canister and is likely to buy the fancy balloons at the same time. And, give the florist gift shop a gift offer they can give away. Be sure to make it a real gift though rather than a thinly disguised sale offer or it won’t work. But, don’t you think that client will always call you for cakes when they get such great service? Of course they will!

3. Be consistent and make it easy and fun to participate
Adding more positive experience and doing so consistently emphasizes further the advantages of interacting with you and your business.

Setting up a call-in audio testimonial line and then featuring the referring client and their business on your website or in your newsletter is a fun way to show your appreciation. People love talking about and hearing themselves, and it is so sincere and believable. And it establishes further reciprocity - you do something for them, they do something for you, you do something for them, and so on and so on.

If you are a blogger or website owner, review and recommend someone else’s site that would be helpful to your core clients and then send an email to that site’s owner with a link to your review. They are likely to refer back to you. Sometimes referrals come after you’ve given first, so be generous with your information and expertise. It will pay off.

Don’t pretend that sending a cute birthday card to your insurance clients is going to ensure you referrals. I always laugh out loud when I get an overly personal message from someone who, frankly, isn’t that overly personal with me in actuality. Consistent contact is usually better than no contact, but make the contact count. Pick up the phone for example. Even a phone message just saying hello, or inviting them to a client appreciation wine tasting, or checking on someone for no particular reason at all carries weight. Pretending you know them enough to send them a personal greeting doesn’t.

Many service providers I work with only work with referral clients. They don’t advertise, they don’t discount, and they don’t take on clients they don’t like. They don’t have to because they have implemented a referral strategy that gives them everything they need. If you try it, you might like it. :-)

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman



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