Just look at the frequency that the pharmaceutical companies use gorgeous young women as their sales reps. Doctors are busy, they deal with lots of demands, and they see the ugliest of human situations in their office, day in and day out. Who can blame them for being persuaded by a vibrant, attractive woman? It sounds sexist, I realize, but it’s hard to deny that beauty works. Again, easy to debate whether or not it should, but there is some value in starting where we’re at and working from there.

The role of beauty in business also permeates our advertising culture. In magazine marketing, I am often confused and dismayed that teenagers are wearing expensive luxury items, items unlikely they could afford in real life. But the girls are young and beautiful and they appeal to the men who are likely to buy those yummy diamonds for the real life (probably some bit older than a teenager) women in their life. Lots of stereotypes to throw around here and I don’t want to get distracted by all that – like I said, it’s like a mine field sometimes.

I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the negative stereotypes of pretty women too (ditzy, shallow, manipulative) and fully recognize the role gender discrimination has played in the treatment of women. I am an advocate for the full engagement and respect of women worldwide. I see many of the atrocities and are often brought to my knees in sadness and shame when I research this topic. I don’t deny this is important and real. What I am asking is do we have to rid ourselves of beauty to rid ourselves of discrimination? I’m pretty sure the answer is no.

I confess that I am not ashamed of my sexuality. I love make up, I love my curves, I love fashion that flatters my figure, and I love looking as great as I can. To me, that is part of being a whole woman and I bring my entire self to the business environment. It’s part of my creativity, strength, and charm. Is that wrong? Some might think so, but it’s how I am choosing to live my life.

So, can beauty be empowerment in business?

Can we decide as women that we aren’t going to leave our genitals at the door (or our emotions or our desire to cooperate instead of compete, or our family values)?

Is there room for beauty in our vision of what business is and how it operates?

Do women have their own set of discriminatory attitudes against (or for) beauty in business?

I ask these questions sincerely, not rhetorically, and would love to hear about your experiences and thoughts on it.

What role does (should) beauty play in business for women?

I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
aka @Smartwoman

Recently my sweetheart came home with a boatload of toilet paper – two 12 packs. As a two person household, one that is frequently out of the house during the day, toilet paper isn’t something we use that much of. It’s not like we have a household of kids making forts with it or shoving it down the toilet just to see what happens, or needing their sweet little noses wiped with it, so two 12 packs will last us for many months to come. I wasn’t even completely sure where I’d store it all.

He proudly told me that he got this massively great deal and couldn’t pass it up. Our local HEB (my favorite grocery store already) offered a free 12 pack of their house brand if you bought a 12 pack of the high end, and much more expensive, national brand. Dramatic difference in price and, thanks to their amazingly clever promotion, I could now decide for myself – side by side – if the house brand competed with the quality of the national brand.

Smart thinking, right? So, let’s break it down. Both me and my sweetheart (who is now calling himself the mighty toilet paper hunter because he enjoys getting a deal so much) love HEB’s more because of their generosity. Their move certainly makes it less likely that I’ll be buying toilet paper at the big box store Costco, which I normally do. Score one for store loyalty and visit frequency.

I also get to compare their product head to head with a national brand. Score one for differentiation and competitive positioning. And, I”m here to tell you that the national brand is slightly better but not so much that it’s worth the huge difference in price. I will buy HEB’s house brand next time (next year?) I need to buy toilet paper.

Since I rarely buy toilet paper in more than a 4 roll pack if I buy it at HEB’s, they also got me to consider a larger pack for the future. Score one for raising per customer transactional price, one of the holy grails in retail selling.

All together, here’s what HEB’s got with their promotion – a reinforced loyal consumer who is there more often, only to their store, who is buying more than they used to per visit. Check, check, check – score all the way around. Call me a marketing dork, but I think what they did is brilliant.

So, what we can learn and apply from this? Is there something in your business you could do to offer a sample, head to head, with a competitor? Are you using clever ideas to validate your costing? Are you giving your already loyal fans a way to brag on you and to feel good about being loyal to you? Can you be as smart as a toilet paper scheme? I bet you can….share what you do!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWoman Guides

This is a 6 week telecourse that I created with my dear friend Jen Blackert as the Info Product Angels. Yeah, we were playfully spoofing Charlie’s Angels and we had a blast with the course.

Here is the complete course, the recordings as well as the notes, that originally sold for $397. It’s yours as a thank you for supporting me in what I do.

Click here to access Info Product Angels Course

(it’s a word doc with all the audio file links embedded into it- if you need a different format, buzz me)

If you like it, share it. If you love how I look at things, want to launch a product, and need some help, call me at 512-917-3347. You can also find me via twitter at @Smartwoman

You don’t have to opt-in – just download and for pete’s sake, put the information to work. I know dozens and dozens and dozens of folks who have done this and love the money they make from packaging their expertise. Could that be you?

Seriously, just do it (and let me know if I can help).

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWoman Guides

Scope creep is when the encompassing goals of a project – that could be a writing assignment, a web redesign, an office re-do, or even your overall job requirements – begin to broaden outside the original agreement. It could be something as innocent as “Hey, while you’re at it, could you also give me these XX figures too?” to something larger to “We want to add on 4 people instead of just 2 – it’s just doubling up what you’re already doing right? It’s nothing – you’re doing the same thing, just add a few zeros.”

Whether you’re a consultant or an employee within a larger firm, scope creep can be infuriating in business, but it’s your job to set the boundaries. Most people are not particularly aware of what they are asking for – they hired you as a specialist for a reason, right? Sometimes it takes some education, sometimes it takes some conversation, and sometimes it takes just saying no.

Here are some suggestions as to how you can minimize any negative effect on you:

1.  Work to be clear upfront and set expectations.

Do your best to talk through the exact report, task, product or service you will provide. Include realistic dates for delivery and stay in touch with everyone involved. Know going in what might be a stopping point and be sure to make everyone aware of the parts of the project that are most crucial, the deal stoppers for all the other tasks.

If, like me, you set project rates, include approximately how many hours are included in that project and tell your client upfront how many physical meetings, phone calls, and extra support hand holding that includes. Also communicate how long those meetings will last. And, to cover any last minute requests, include an al a carte overage charge schedule, so that if they want more meetings, they can pay for them. Do all this going into the project, not in the middle or later at invoicing.

2. Speak up and push back.

Don’t think a person realizes what they’re asking for – they probably don’t. And, if they do, they may fully expect you to push back and challenge them. Compulsive negotiators – the type who always, no matter what, think it’s their job to negotiate anything presented – are accustomed to that game. Play it skillfully. Some people will always ask for more. Personally, I try to weed those people out ahead of time and not take them on as clients, but if you didn’t or your industry is packed with them so you can’t avoid them, then it’s your responsibility to speak up and push back.

If the new requests impacts the schedule, say so. If the new requests takes more hours than the original method, say so. It’s their project, you can let them choose. If they want a delay and they feel their request is required, then that’s their choice to make.

What you don’t want to do is nothing. You don’t want to volunteer to absorb the costs. You don’t want to agree to be part of a project where you don’t mention how the changes impact the quality and then end up with a hot mess that you’re ashamed to put your name on. What you don’t want to do is say nothing, the schedule slips, the budget flairs and you get blamed. Speak up and push back!

3. Get it done

If you dawdle in your project completions, of course more stuff is going to get piled on top of you – time is marching on! Create a project plan with small enough milestones that you can complete something, “put it to bed” so to speak, and move on to the next thing. Not only does this help create urgency, but it also makes it very clear that you are going back and doing rework if you have to go back and add work to that task. If all of your milestones are huge, it’s easy to lose motivation, lose momentum, and have additional requests placed on your work. Chunk it down small enough to have completions and large enough to not make managing the project itself another full time job.

Managing scope creep in your business is about managing expectations. It’s also about being confident enough in what needs to get done and when to take a stand when it’s necessary. Always remember that you have to put your name on the project when it’s through. It’s the only way to build a business through referrals and it’s the only way to build a portfolio of work. Stick to your guns, make choices based in reality not ego, and understand that scope creep is a natural phenomenon of the job. Deal with it and you’ll be fine.

Together, we are stronger!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
aka @Smartwoman

I have scheduled a facial. I will likely get a fancy haircut and pedicure. I will go hang out at some swanky hotels and clubs. I want to begin vibrating at the tone of luxury and high end service so I am going where my customer goes. I want to walk a mile in their Manolos.

How can this help you? Many of us don’t  necessarily live the same lives as our customers. It’s not required to be your customer but it certainly is a prime opportunity to improve your marketing message as well as your products and services if you know them intimately. Much like parents who say you just don’t understand what it is truly like to be a parent until you are one, you aren’t going to know everything by doing what they do, but you will learn a lot.

So, what could you learn? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• How your customers consume customer service – do they expect valet service or do they like do it yourself?
• Do they enjoy more choices or would they prefer a one-stop, turnkey solution?
• Do they shop during the day or at night?
• Where do they go for lunch? With friends or without?
• What advertising do they notice?
• What do they read?
• What is the attitude they walk through their life holding?
• Is saving money a godsend or do they think you have to pay more to get better?

There really is no one answer and it’s better to ask the question, immerse yourself in your customer’s world, and see what they say rather than work from stereotypes or assumptions. So, I encourage you to give it a try – how could you walk a mile in your customers’ shoes this week? I’d love to hear what you come up with!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO

What being “siloed” means is that each functional group – marketing, engineering, sales, finance, R&D, customer service – are essentially alone and separate. They don’t communicate between each other very effectively (or really at all) and, the more important concept, they don’t even consider the impact their own actions have on the other groups.

This can be a problem. A silo approach doesn’t allow for synergies of creativity or cost savings. It often causes delays and budget overruns (read less profit) when work needs to be redone to accommodate a real problem created in communication or process. It can also slow project completions, new product launches, and can even prevent a final close on a big sale because something unforeseen crops up at the last second. Not so good, right?

To avoid working in silos and risking functional group isolation (some call it “working in a vacuum”) here are some tips to help:

• Keep the lines of communication open – have a designated lead person whose job it is to facilitate the sharing of information cross functionally in your organization. It will likely need to be someone with a thick skin and a kind heart. When you can coax the truth out of someone, even when they are hesitant to share, that provides communication that has value. Sensitive issues call for an aware communicator. Find that person and task them with cross-functional representation.
• Have an “open door, honesty is the best policy, tell me the hard stuff sooner rather than later” communication and leadership approach. If you make it hard for your contractors, staff, and clients to tell you the truth, especially when it’s something you don’t particularly want to hear, they won’t.
• Develop a feedback system that incorporates all functions – a regular reporting mechanism that lets everyone see what everyone else is doing. When everyone knows that the feedback they are sharing is actionable and will be used to make improvements (and those improvements actually happen), people will be more willing to share and speak up.
• Remember the power of humor and relationships – a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down! It’s harder to be withdrawn, secretive, and unyielding with someone you’ve sung karaoke with. Encourage social glue, ways that your groups can come together that trigger their human side, and it can smooth this process. Social glue quickly becomes social lubricant as people see each others’ challenges as real, with a breathing, feeling person on the other end of it.

When you take the time to fully integrate all functions, you’ll find they can support each other in fun and interesting ways. Leverage your talent by making them talk, both amongst themselves and with you. I believe you’ll find it works wonders!

Any tips you’d like  to share? You’re invited to comment below!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWoman Guides

I used to say I didn’t want a marketer to sell me their product by invoking fear. I avoided using a fear based technique for sales myself, probably at the cost of losing sales (because it does work) but it just wasn’t worth trading in my integrity for money. Now, I’ve got a more clear idea.

Creating nightmare scenarios where I’m a loser if I don’t buy, my friends will desert me (assuming such a loser as me has any friends to begin with), my dog will run away, life will pass me by and things will never get better doesn’t work on me. I hate it – I resent any marketers that do it, I unsubscribe from their email lists, and I shun them for being mean, selfish, and cold. OK, I admit I have issues, but still…it’s how I feel. No, I am not afraid of these marketers but rather it hurts my heart to see their dirty mind tricks played on people.

But, deep inside, at least for the problem I am trying to solve, I feel pain about the issue. So, instead of highlighting fear, the Great What-If, when someone fully acknowledges my pain about something, I feel heard. I feel understood. And, if what they are offering relieves my pain, I’m buying it without even asking the price.

So, getting to know your customer well enough that you know what brings tears to their eyes and is breaking their heart (or their budget) rather than trying to leverage the Boogie Man scenario works better for me. I like helping people find relief. I don’t like scaring them. Maybe it’s just reframing, but I don’t think so. As a business person, if you’ve taken the time to really get to know your customers, you gain a connection that builds trust, rapport, and credibility – that’s what makes sales and loyal life long customers ultimately anyway, right?

My favorite part of it is how they feel after. How do you feel when someone gives you what you need to finally have that throbbing, white hot pain go away? I feel saved, grateful, ready to be alive again, and I attribute that relief to them. If their product doesn’t work, I usually say “Well, at least they tried to help me feel better.” When someone uses fear, I buy, I try their product and if it doesn’t fix my fear, I blame them. I feel exploited. I don’t say “Well, at least they tried to scare me.” I may not be able to print what I’d actually say, but I can assure you it’s not a thank you.

So – fear based versus white hot pain relief – how do you feel about it? Shout out below in the comment section!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO

Written by Rob Adams, “A Good Hard Kick In the Ass – Basic Training for Entrepreneurs” discusses how venture capitalists (VCs) decide what start-up companies to invest their Daddy Warbucks big money in. Seed level investment usually starts at 1 million with Series A (first level) usually comes in at 10 million. With those numbers, you can bet these financiers have some requirements. And, this very well written book describes exactly what that expectation is.

Start up financing can be tricky and many entrepreneurs think that, if they have a great idea and a detailed business plan, they will be able to secure financing from venture capitalists. As it turns out, the heavy weight VCs could barely care less about your business plan and they see ideas as a dime a dozen. They are looking for a great management team and market validation.

Both of these concepts – building a great management team and market validation – will likely be the subjects of more blog posts to come, but know this – if you get this book (I was lent it by my dear friend Naomi Friedman) you won’t regret it. It’s going to blow away your preconceptions and put you on the path to actually getting real venture capital investment in your start up if you heed its advice. Even if you decide to not seek outside capital in your business, it will help you run your business better. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO
Smartwoman Guides

You’re loving your followers on Twitter…

You’re building friends on your Facebook fan page…

You’re working your Linked In groups…

You’re visiting relevant niche focused influencers’ blogs and commenting with keyword rich verbiage that links back to a specific page to continue the conversation…

You have an opt-in on your website and you’re building a database list for backend promotion…

You’ve monetized your expert subject matter information into downloadable digital products…

Your authority building promotional articles are being published to other people’s blogs monthly…

You are publishing your own reputation building blog daily….

You’re seeing increases in your conversions and sales (list building and revenue results) and you even got a write up in a national online magazine…

To say you are an online marketing goddess doesn’t even come close! Life online is GOOD!

Oh, wait – excuse me…am I not describing you?

Oh, how embarrassing…um, maybe to keep all that happening (or get it happening if it’s not), you could create an online communication schedule. You won’t always necessarily follow it, but it’ll be a guide for you in creating your goddess quality online content.

Here are some tips on how to do it:

Pick 50 keywords to focus on

Start with just 10 if you wish, but choose ones that describe your services/product, your values and character, your clients’ needs, your niche or industry, and your unique value and focus in the marketplace. You’ll be concentrating on these words in your blog posts, your social media blurbs, your headlines, your entire marketing funnel. If the words are the ones your niche uses to find stuff on Google, then you’re going in the right direction.

For me, as an example – I would use marketing, online, women entrepreneurs, social media, philanthropy, pro bono, internet marketing, Austin, TX, business, beginning entrepreneurs, global, literacy, sharing, empowerment…you get the picture.

Decide your publishing timeline

I’d suggest daily or at least 3 times per week for your blogging, at least once daily for all of your social media homes (probably more on Twitter), at least once a week for commenting on other people’s blogs or forums, and at least monthly for new promotional articles.

If you aren’t able to do this on the fly real time day to day, create a bunch of material at one time when you’re feeling uber creative and schedule it out to launch automatically. If you are “too busy”, hire someone to help you, either a ghostwriter, a VA, or an intern – heck, go for the gold and do all three! Just commit to no excuses on this. If your clients can’t find you and if what they find isn’t compelling, you won’t be in business to be busy for very long any way. No excuses!

Keep going!

Even if you fall off schedule, keep going. Bootstrap online promotion techniques work really well, but frequency matters and regularly updating your content will make the Google spiders visit you more often. You deserve visibility and you can go from the world’s best kept secret to a promotional diva in a relatively short time if you show up and keep at it. The world needs you – please let us have you!

Still stuck? Try listening to this free, no opt-in preview call I did on how to turn 10 hrs of time into one month of online content. It will get your creativity going: Click here to listen to The Efficient Entrepreneur preview call

Final note: If I am coming off a bit harsh, please forgive me. It’s just that every day I see so many amazing, fantastic women with so much to share who are hiding from success. I have to swallow my own medicine too – none of us are immune from letting the urgent get in the way of the important, so I will crawl down off my soapbox now and go write a promotional article. *wink*

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, CEO SmartWoman Guides

Pro bono work is a great way to build your skills, increase your business visibility, and give back to your community.

Here are some guidelines that might help:

• Keep Your Intentions Pure

Don’t take a pro bono job if you are only motivated by personal gain or reputation building or the connections you will make. Most organizations that need your help are very sincere about their mission. If you don’t believe in what they do, refer someone else to them and then find something else to do that does align with your values.

• Don’t Commit Unless You Have the Time To Do It and Will Follow Through
  

Follow the same rules of under commit, over deliver that you do in your paid business transactions.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in the deep needs of these worthwhile organizations that you want to help more than you actually have time to do. Be careful with this, because once you make a commitment, they will be counting on you. It’s better to take on a small project, see how it fits into your lifestyle and other business demands, and then do more once you see how the first project goes.

• Remember That What You Do Every Day Easily Isn’t Easy For Other People

Lots of things we do day to day are second nature to us. We’ve programmed websites for years, we understand how to ask for funding, we manage projects like they’re an easy shopping list. Just because something is easy for us doesn’t mean it doesn’t have high value. Even something as seemingly simple (to you) as setting up social media profiles might sound like utter Greek to someone else who’s never done it. Just remember that acting like “any idiot could do it” will cast ill feelings on those who need your help. They don’t want or need to be made to feel stupid. Share your skills, the things you’re good at, and do it with a loving and compassionate heart. The things you do every day, which might seem like nothing to you, could be just the thing that propels a social organization to the next level.

• Honor Confidentiality (and Get Permission For Any Sharing)

If you want to share with your client base that you are donating your time – something that can be life and relationship building – confirm that the organization you’re helping is OK with that. Depending upon the group, you might have to remain quiet for the health and safety of who they help. In this case, get a letter of recommendation that you can perhaps share less publicly with potential clients during consult or get a commitment from your contact that you can share their info for a reference. Be on the safe side and ask first.

• Don’t Pro Bono Because You’re Afraid to Ask To Be Paid

Many organizations have budget to hire a professional. If you see a group you want to help, create a proper proposal to be hired and present it. If that doesn’t happen, then you can always offer pro bono. Sometimes we get shy or nervous about asking for what we’re worth. We know what the organization does is great and we really believe in it so we think we’re doing them a favor to volunteer. But too often, we get peeved when someone else comes along with the courage to ask to get paid and gets the job. Just because an organization is non-profit does not mean they only work with volunteers. If you aren’t sure, go back  to tip #1. If your intentions are pure, you will know the right thing to do.

Thank you for being the kind of person who does pro bono work. Enjoy your time!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWomanGuides.com