WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS - Blog

The Power of 15 Minutes

Never forget the power of 15 minutes. 

This is one of the best time saving tips I have ever been given.
There are lots of tasks you can accomplish or make a dent in, in as little as 15 minute blocks.  Write and send e-mails, return phone calls, write a planning list, review notes for a meeting.

At home you could  put on a load of washing, do the washing up, iron a couple of items - the list is endless. Too often we feel - "oh I've only got a few minutes - there's no point in starting anything".

Try using this 15 minute tasks tip several times a day for a few weeks and see how much difference it can make.

Make the most of networking

 

Try some of the following tips to make the most of your networking.

• Ask questions and really listen to the responses.
• Concentrating on someone else also helps to minimise nerves.
• Consider how you can be helpful to other networkers. Even if it doesn't lead to direct business, you will feel good and the other person will have a very positive opinion of you which they are likely to pass on to others.
• Give your full attention to those you are currently talking to, but don't be afraid to move on politely. After all, you are all there to network.
• Plan and rehearse some useful phrases for moving on while still leaving a good impression.
• As they say in marketing: "under promise and over deliver." It's nice to be helpful, but before you offer, be absolutely certain you will be able to follow through on your promise.
• If you are nervous about networking, arrive early. It seems less intimidating if people have not already formed into groups.
• Keep accurate records on the contacts you make. It's a good idea to make a quick note on their business card and follow up with more detail later.
• Not all networking events are going to turn out exactly as you'd like. Aim to be relaxed about this. Every new event is another opportunity for positive results.
• Remember to smile, make eye contact and be approachable!
• Remember, successful networking is about being visible. Attend a group several times before you dismiss it as ineffective. However, don't keep flogging a dead horse.
• Consider starting your own networking group.
• Don't forget about your family and social networks. Remember the six degrees of separation theory – you're never more than six people away from whoever it is you want to meet.

(c) Shona Partridge Women Mean Business

 

Try some of the following tips to make the most of your networking.

• Ask questions and really listen to the responses.
• Concentrating on someone else also helps to minimise nerves.
• Consider how you can be helpful to other networkers. Even if it doesn't lead to direct business, you will feel good and the other person will have a very positive opinion of you which they are likely to pass on to others.
• Give your full attention to those you are currently talking to, but don't be afraid to move on politely. After all, you are all there to network.
• Plan and rehearse some useful phrases for moving on while still leaving a good impression.
• As they say in marketing: "under promise and over deliver." It's nice to be helpful, but before you offer, be absolutely certain you will be able to follow through on your promise.
• If you are nervous about networking, arrive early. It seems less intimidating if people have not already formed into groups.
• Keep accurate records on the contacts you make. It's a good idea to make a quick note on their business card and follow up with more detail later.
• Not all networking events are going to turn out exactly as you'd like. Aim to be relaxed about this. Every new event is another opportunity for positive results.
• Remember to smile, make eye contact and be approachable!
• Remember, successful networking is about being visible. Attend a group several times before you dismiss it as ineffective. However, don't keep flogging a dead horse.
• Consider starting your own networking group.
• Don't forget about your family and social networks. Remember the six degrees of separation theory – you're never more than six people away from whoever it is you want to meet.

(c) Shona Partridge Women Mean Business

Marketing 101 - Tip # 9 Have a clear message

 You need to be able to clearly state what you do in one or two sentences. This is what's often called the "elevator speech" as it's supposed to be what you can say in the time it takes to go up a few floors in a lift. Unfortunately, crafting this message seems to "floor" a lot of small business owners!

The answer is to get really clear on what you do. And I mean really clear! If necessary, practice your words till the phrases are fixed firmly in your memory. Don't be caught off guard and end up waffling about what you do!

You can have a few variations depending on who you're talking to and depending on what product or programme you want to emphasise. Remember tip #8 - Ask Questions first!

Marketing 101 - Tip # 8 Ask questions first

It always pays to ask questions first - whether you're networking or you have a prospect on the phone.

Ask pertinent questions and really listen to the answers. So few people feel truly  heard these days. The temptation may be to jump in with ideas and solutions, but be patient until you have a clear picture of what your prospect  needs. By asking follow up questions and not making assumptions it won't even feel like "selling."

Think about the last time you were networking. Did most people jump into their pitch when they met you, or did anyone take the time to find out more about you and your requirements. Treat prospects the way you'd like to be treated! You'll be remembered for the right reasons.

How free sessions can hurt your business

Let me ask you a question. Over the past year, how much of your time have you given away for free? If you really stop to work this out, you might be shocked at the hours involved. In professions like coaching, students are taught to give away free sessions as a way of marketing. This doesn’t work for several reasons.

Let’s face it; if you don’t value your own time, no-one else is going to!

There are only two situations where you might consider giving your time for “free.” Number one is when you are still training or when you first qualify and want to do some sessions to get the experience and the practice. Even then, ideally you would negotiate some kind of fee, even if it’s only 25% of what you plan to charge later. If you want clients who will value working with you and give you great testimonials and referrals, then ensure there is some financial investment.

The other exception is the “getting to know you” session of around 15-20 minutes where you talk to a prospect about what they want and how you can help. In these situations your aim is to discover whether you would work well together, not to give away a free session.

By giving away free sessions of your expertise you will attract all sorts of time wasters who have no intention of ever becoming a paying client – what my American friends call “looky loos” or “tire kickers.” They are simply curious or they want a freebie.

And if you do a really good job in the free session, the other danger is that you’ll inspire and motivate your prospect into thinking they can do this all by themselves. This happened to me several times when I was brand new in business. When someone has already paid you for the session they are much more likely to continue working with you for a fee.

As soon as I started charging for a “trial” session, my conversion rate shot up to over 90%. Today it’s closer to 100%. Charging for your introductory session means you only spend time with serious contenders.

“Free” clients will often mess you about, being late for appointments, not doing the work they signed up for and sometimes they will even disappear without an explanation. You’ll maybe even start to think that it’s your fault. Don’t go there! It’s only happening because you haven’t charged a fee. Free clients are usually not so invested in the work and this can impact on your confidence when you are new in business.

So, if you’re still giving away free sessions because that’s what everyone else in your field is doing, try charging for introductory sessions. You may get fewer prospects, but you’ll definitely convert more of them into paying clients. People value what they pay for. You know you’re good at what you do, so why give it away for free? By all means run special introductory offers, but do charge something for them.

I haven’t given away free one to one sessions for years now. What I do instead is give away free resources like this newsletter, the bonus reports and the information on my blog. I’m happy to invest that time because I do the work only once yet I can reach thousands of people with the same information.

Isn’t this a great reason to start your own newsletter? But that’s a topic for another article!

(c) Shona Partridge

Communications restored! Time to celebrate.

Today I'm celebrating that I've got my email back up and running again! For a frustrating 36 hours I couldn't access my messages. Our email is something we all take for granted until it goes wrong. I'm reminding myself every Friday in this blog to stop and take time to be grateful and to celebrate what's good about life.There's so much gloom and doom around us in the news and I'm determined not to let it dictate my mood.

I love this quotation:  "Happiness is not having what you want - it's wanting what you have!" How true.  I know I sound a bit like Pollyanna but what's wrong with looking on the bright side of life? As Pollyanna said "There's always something to be glad about!" What do you have to be glad about this weekend?

Marketing 101 - Tip # 7 Have a networking plan

Networking is the life blood of many small business marketing plans. In fact - in some small businesses it's the only marketing they do. Don't get me wrong - I love networking and it's one of the ways I built  my own business in the early days.

Make networking part of your marketing plan, but not the whole effort you put in! When you've picked your niche, check out which groups are available  locally  for your target clients. It's better to attend a small number of networking groups regularly than to go to lots of different ones only now and again.

When you're at events ask questions first so you can find out what the person you're talking to really needs. Be a good listener and don't talk about you and your business unless it's specifically focused on the person you're talking to.

I'll talk more about networking  in future posts.

People make the world go round!

One of the things I enjoy most about running my own business, is the chance to meet people I never would if I had a job.

Entrepreneurial types are a different breed and I always come away from client calls or meetings feeling energised.

Modern technology also gives us the chance to work with people from all different countries. I've been lucky enough to work with clients from Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, France, Iran and Germany as well as Scotland, England and Wales. And my own business coaches though based In America are from Russia, Poland and France originally. I've been in business for myself for seven years and it's only recently that I really noticed this - we take modern communications so much for granted.

On a UK scale, my current group of  Mastermind clients are based in Yorkshire, Hampshire, Perthshire and Hertfordshire. How amazing we can meet virtually with people at opposite ends of the country and on opposite sides of the planet!

So today I'm celebrating the great people I get to work with and the amazing technology that makes it all possible.

Twitter overwhelm - how many posts is too many?

Like many other small business owners, I've been grabbed by the Twitter phenomenon. However, I'm not going to tweet 20 times a day thank you! Twitter does have it's place in my marketing and PR arsenal, but not at the top of my list. I can see how addictive it might be, but personally, as a writer, I prefer to invest my time in creating more content - 140 characters is a tad on the short side for me!

You can call me old fashioned but I prefer blogging, Facebook and even the good old e-zine newsletter as ways of keeping in touch and sharing information. Maybe part of the disconnect with Twitter for me is that anyone can add you to their list. When I first joined, my contact details were hoovered up by dozens of complete strangers. Fine if you want to grow your contacts list with no interaction....I just like to have some kind of connection with the people on my lists.

Recent statistics show that around 90% of tweets are being posted by only 10% of Twitter members. I know these people are getting great value out of the profile building possibilities of Twitter - it just doesn't feel like something I want to spend a lot of time on. I'd much rather be creating content for programmes and writing feature length articles and blog posts.

I will continue to Tweet as part of my marketing mix - sometimes it can be quite fun - but I'd much rather you read my blog!

Creating new Blogs

I've been having lots of fun this past week creating brand new blogs for clients and for myself. I've been blogging since 2006 and love the whole concept.

Initially I wondered what on earth a blog was and how I would ever create my own. Fast forward a couple of years and I'll create a new blog for myself in a few hours! And now I help my clients create their own blogs! Not bad for someone who doesn't consider herself a "techie"! 

I've also discovered that this is one of the simplest ways to create a website where you have total control over the content. No more relying on someone else to post your content for you and no more relying on HTML for website creation.

I love Typepad but there are other platforms you can use like Blogger and Wordpress.  I looked into these other platforms but because of its simplicity (and it looks great!)I fell in love with Typepad, so that's what I personally use and what I teach my clients to use.