Networking Magic

Some of us love networking and some of us hate it. But it will be a huge factor in growing your business if you learn to do it well. Everyone you know or even just come across in your daily life is in your network. You never know who will be the contact that gives you a referral or has the perfect piece of information you need just at the right time.

Because I am an introvert, meeting new people does not always come easy to me. It's not that I don't know how, it's more that my first thought is not to call someone or go out to meet folks. My natural way is to look to or be with myself. But I know and I have proven to myself repeatedly that my business grows faster with the help of others.

Going to network meetings can be fun. It's all in how you look at them. Psych yourself up to make new friends, not to get business. Meet folks, ask questions, offer help.

When it comes your time to give one of those 10 minute introductions to your business, it really helps if you can make it memorable. I know of one person who showed up for hers in her pajamas since she worked out of her home. Another wore a crown and a pageant sash and dubbed herself "queen of the mortgage loan". The only ideas here were to have fun with it and to be remembered. You know that both of these folks were talked about for months after their speech and were remembered by all. The guy who stood up and give a fast, boring summary of what he does, was not remembered an hour later. And the ideas do not have to be as outrageous as these. It could be as simple as handing out a gimme gift, offering a cool computer projected presentation with music, making it very humorous, or anything else that gives you the edge. Maybe it's wearing a clown nose or harry potter glasses and somehow tying that into your talk. Maybe it's wearing all red because "red" is in the title of your business or having an unusual handout, maybe an origami folded fact sheet about your business. Whatever it is, it's going to make this part of networking more fun and have more lasting effects.

I'd love to hear what other techniques you've experienced at networking meetings.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

The Super Conference 2006

I'm going to this cool conference in NYC and I hope you will be interested too. This is an incredible event called Super Conference 2006: The Power of Collaboration to Build Your Business. It's to be held in New York City in mid-May so you have to hurry! It's produced and led by three of my most significant mentors, Andrea J. Lee, Michael Port and Milana Leshinsky! Two full days of workshops, seminars, conferences and networking for under $400! You owe it to your business, no matter what kind of business you are in, to check this out.

The Super Conference 2006


Let me know if you're going, too. I'd love to meet you in person!

How To Be Creative

A presentation on How To Be Creative. This is one of the most popular articles on the site "Change This". Here's the link:

http://www.changethis.com/6.HowToBeCreative

I thought it was an intriguing viewpoint from someone on the front line of creativity.

Enjoy!

To Collaborate or Not To Collaborate: There is No Question!

I am a strong introvert and I have to admit that collaboration does not come easily to me. Left to my own devices, I tend to work alone, be very independent and autonomous and to enjoy my alone time. However, when it comes to running a business, I see the value in collaboration.

My own collaborations started with running a workshop with one of my wonderful coach friends, Dorothy. She and I have been "money buddies" for a long time and decided to do a workshop called "Transforming Your Relationship with Money" together. It was a wonderful experience for me. I gained knowledge from her, learned valuable skills in working together and successfully put on my first professional workshop. We also exchanged ads in each other's mailing lists and divided the labor.

Another significant collaboration was with my friend and "art as process" coach, Kay Kemp. She already had a successful coaching business along with her art business. We collaborated by exchanging ads in each other's mailing lists, but she also has served as one of my business "angels" by letting me use her art studio as a place to hold my workshops. It has been very successful and continues to this time. Her business and her website (http://www.wildheartart.com) serve as inspiration and model for me in my own business.

So what is a collaboration, exactly? The dictionary says it means to "cooperate together". I think of a collaboration as one where both or all parties come together with a common need, share solutions and both or all benefit from the experience. Collaborations can be found in many different guises and can be extremely easy to initiate. Here are a few ideas:

• Ask for an interview with an almost famous or famous person in your field
• Exchange web links with another person in your or a related field
• Ask someone to mail an ad of yours to their mailing list in exchange for the same in yours
• Become an affiliate or create an affiliate program for your products
• Ask someone to be a guest columnist in your ezine or news letter
• Be a guest columnist in someone else's ezine
• Join with others in your field and put on an event, a retreat, a workshop
• Join with others in your field or your geographic location or in related fields and put together a public relations blitz, sharing the costs and the exposure.
• Exchange testimonials for products or services
• Invite others to teach a part of your workshop, exchange advertizing and waive workshop fees

So what are the benefits of collaboration for a solo-preneur?

• First, you spend time with other people instead of staying in your home office alone!!
• Business is expanded way beyond what you could do by your self through your own efforts.
• Your mailing or contact list is expanded more quickly.
• You gain contacts through others that provide you with additional business in the future.
• You gain knowledge and skills by exposure to others in your field
• You stay in the loop of what is happening in your field.

And lots more.

So instead of trying to do everything yourself, try collaboration.

I'm attending the Super Conference 2006: The Power Of Collaboration in Building Your Business in New York City in May. This is being presented by the incredible team of Andrea J. Lee, Michael Port and Milana Leshinsky (WOW!). If you're interested in knowing more about it or in registering for the incredible event, go to their Super Conference website.

Email -- Wonder Tool or Time Waster?

If you are like me and many others, you can waste many hours a day or a week just reading and answering email. Email can be an important communication tool with your clients, customers, vendors, collaborators, and others. But it can also be a huge waste of time! It can even be a "legitimate" way of avoiding what you don't want to do. And it can make you feel "busy" at work at the same time. What a deal!

I admit to being guilty to subscribing to many ezines, e-courses and other email. The reason I gave myself was that it was important that I see what my colleagues were doing in my field and also to learn more about marketing, sales, multiple streams of income, coaching, etc. So for valid reasons, I signed up for lots of email. Right now in my inbox sits more than a hundred unread emails. This does not include the fifty or so I deleted without reading. But I am taking control of my email and my time.

Here's what I am doing and maybe it will help you to waste less time in your business and to make more money!!

• I am ruthlessly unsubscribing to all but two of the coaching ezines.
• I am determinedly unsubscribing to all but one of the marketing ezines.
• I am tenaciously unsubscribing to all but one of the internet/multiple streams of income ezines.
• I am deleting everything not directly related to my business without reading it.
• When I decide to read an email or answer an email, I ask myself two questions (Learned this from the fabulous Andrea J. Lee at www.andreajlee.com), first, is this making me money? and second, what happens if I don't read or answer this email? Most of the time the answer will be: this is not making me money and nothing happens if I don't read it or answer it!

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

Your Best Asset as a Business Owner

Your best asset as a business owner is, yes, you guessed it, your clients or customers! But how much do you really know about them? Many entrepreneurs or business owners love having clients, but don't really know much about them. They may track inventory and say widget A is selling better than widget B, therefore, my customers like widget B better. Or they may know that most of them are men or women (unless your clients are all online!). Getting to know, understand and even think like your clients and customers is the best marketing move you can make. Have you ever had a friend or family member that you knew so well that you could buy gifts for them knowing absolutely they will love it? That's the way you should know your customers.

So how do we get to know them? By paying attention and gathering information; even by asking them what they like and don't like. At the very least you should be gathering names and addresses or email addresses depending on the nature of your business. These links to your customers are pure gold in your business. With a strong mailing list (either online or offline or both), you can send new offers to existing customers, send thank you notes, send out a survey asking about new products or new services, or send free "gifts" or enticements to visit your site or blog or store or office. Conventional marketing wisdom says that you must get in front of a potential client or customer at least 7 times, on average, before they recognize who you are and even longer before they will buy. The more you have contact with them, the more they feel they have a relationship with you and that helps to create loyalty. Clients with loyalty will buy more from you and even more important will refer their friends to you.

Here are ten ways to connect with your clients:

1. Send birthday greetings each year
2. Send an anniversary card on the anniversary of when they bought from you
3. Send out a newsletter or ezine
4. Send out thank you note every time some one buys from you
5. Send out a note announcing new products or services
6. Send out a free "report", e-course, article, book review or electronic resource
7. Send a receipt with an additional offer or "free gift" when someone buys from you
8. Send out holiday messages
9. Send out a survey asking for their help defining a new product or service
10. Send a note letting them know you've updated your web-log or website with new info

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

Time Wasters

Wasting time is universal. We all do it in some form or another. And some things that waste time can have some side benefits, like relaxation or getting information. But it can kill your business! My own time waster is playing computer games. I can sit for an hour or more if I let myself. And then I complain because I "don't have enough time" to create my products or write my ezine.

Below is a list of time wasters. Some are only time wasters when they are being used to avoid doing what you need to be doing! After all, you set the priorities here. And, of course, one person's waste of time is another's fun activity. Which ones are yours and how much time do you spend on them? Come on, be honest!

• Computer games
• Crossword puzzles and Sudoku
• TV watching
• Talking on the phone with friends and family
• House cleaning
• Having lengthy lunches with the girls
• Reading novels, magazines, newspapers
• Organizing
• Daydreaming
• Shopping
• Perfection seeking

If I didn't mention yours, give me a comment about it. I'll add yours to the list.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

Keywords - How do you know which ones to use?

I found this great online resource and thought I'd share it with you.

http://www.wordtracker.com/keyword-research-guide.html

It explains in detail how to use WordTracker and how to select the right keywords, right being the ones that will get you the traffic you desire or make you money!

So if you have an online business, this resource is worth it's weight in gold.

Enjoy!

For the Business Plan Averse

Even a small business or solo business needs a business plan. My own business plan, which is only a few pages long, clearly lays out what I want my business to be and also how it fits into my life. A previous article listed some groundwork (the Ideals) you may want to work on before your start writing your business plan.

The following are areas to address in your own solo-preneur business plan.

1. What is the business, a brief description. This should clearly define what your business does. Include your mission and vision.
2. Who does your business serve? Who is your target or ideal customer or client?
3. What is your role in the business? Where will you need help?
4. When does your business take place? For example, how many hours are you willing to work, what days, how many weeks per year, is it seasonal or on weekends only, etc.
5. Where will your business take place? From home, an office, traveling, etc.
6. How will your business be run?
7. How will you market your business? Traditional direct mail, Internet, in person via speaking engagements, paid advertising, etc.
8. What operations will you do versus what you will hire out or delegate?
9. If your business is a service business, what services in what areas will you perform?
10. For both services and products, how will you produce, sell and deliver these?
11. What is your financial situation now and in the future? Plan for cash flow, capital. Set goals for both income and expenses. State your philosophy about debt and managing money.
12. Size of business, when and how will you know it is time to expand, hire help, get further funding, change directions, etc.

Your business plan is a living document. It will evolve as your business grows and changes. You may stick very closely to your plan or yours may grow more organically. But either way, you need to have a plan from which to create your actions. Don't be surprised if you change your business plan several times in the first year or two of your business. Things often go in a different direction than that envisioned.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

The Ideals - What Do We Really Want From Our Business?

Most of us have some idea of what we want from our business and how much money we want to make. If you don't, now is the time to work that out. If you are not clear about where and how your business fits into your life and what lifestyle you desire, it is likely that your business will run you instead of the other way around. I am a big proponent in defining your "ideals" before writing a business plan, indeed, before starting a business. But it is never too late and as your business evolves, you may need to readdress your "ideals" occasionally.

Take some time now to fully flesh out the following. It may take a page or two for each area. You can list bullets or use prose, whatever works for you. Take out paper and pen or your computer and give yourself time to think through the following areas:

Ideal working lifestyle
Ideal customer or client
Ideal partners or collaborators
Ideal vendors or suppliers or service providers
Ideal working area or office and location
Ideal life (to insure your business supports and enhances it, not overtakes it!) Ideal finances/money (cash flow, income, expenses, capital, etc.)
Ideal business for you

When you are listing your ideals, try to let go of any judgment or thoughts about whether it is realistic or not. These are your desires and a definition of what would be best for you and your lifestyle. They may not come true 100% of the time, but can be used as a measure of whether you are getting what you desire from your business. Many business owners just live with crabby clients or late deliveries or a toxic work environment. Giving it some serious thought can help you to be clear about what you will and won't tolerate in your work life. And setting goals against these ideals along with creative actions can insure that most or all of your ideals can be realized within your business.

A brief example of an ideal work page is below.

My ideal work environment is:

• beautifully decorated with a sense of serenity, but energetic at the same time
• I will feel calm, energized and motivated when I walk into the room
• very organized
• professional feel
• near a large park, garden or countryside
• functional
• visitors and clients feel comfortable in the area
• enough space to both work and relax, for example, to stretch or do yoga at breaks
• in my home
• separated from my other home functions such as art studio, bedroom, etc.
• can be closed off from remainder of home
• air conditioned
• lots of light and with a window
• conducive to writing, researching and working with clients via phone
• lots of space for books and supplies
• best technology
• quiet space
• ergonomic furnishings
• easy to clean and maintain

Doesn't having this information make it much easier to tackle that business plan? Information created in identifying your ideal market aids you in developing a marketing plan. If you take the time to fully develop your desires for your business, the pay off will be huge.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

Fast Track Your Business Systems

I am lucky that I am a naturally organized person. Always have been, even as a young child. So keeping up with the administrative work in my business has been fairly easy. I have several systems in place to help me track clients, monitor website visitors, reports on my ezine, monitor overall metrics on various marketing efforts, bookkeeping, etc.

My business is growing fast, however. And I'm noticing that things I am doing manually that were perfect when I only had a few clients and ran a few workshops are now slowing me down. So it may be time for new systems. Ones that will take me to the next level and beyond.So what are business systems?

Entrepreneurs often don't take the time to write down what they do. It seems unnecessary when their business is run solely by them or is very small. However, writing down our business systems helps us to think through processes clearly so they are designed efficiently. This can be a huge time and money saver, both of which are critical to a business's success.

Business systems are the tools, processes and procedures that we use to run a business. They may be used in all areas of our business: sales, marketing, accounting, operations, production, etc. Examples might include using Quickbooks for your accounting and bookkeeping and tax reporting. Of course, just using Quickbooks is not a system. There has to be a regular routine around it such as entering receipts each day or each week. Printing reports weekly or monthly and at tax time. Another system might be the metrics by which you measure your business's success. This can be a spreadsheet or program report that gives you the critical information needed to see if you are on target with your goals. For example, I measure how many workshops I have given, average number of attendees, how many people are on my ezine list, are added to my ezine list and have dropped off my ezine list, as well as lots of other factors. I track my income, my marketing efforts, both what and how productive. I review the counts each week. Your own systems may include sales, tracking a particular marketing campaign, expenses, new products added, products retired, customers added, complaints, etc. Almost anything can be counted, but you don't want this to be so unwieldy you never get anything else done. Just count what is critical to your business success. A third system might be how you handle payroll or even update your website or perform data back-ups on your computer(s)

.So a system consists of what is being done, who does it, when they do it, where it is done or kept, using what tools and why, because you don't want to develop unnecessary systems. I find it best to have these systems written down. And when your business is big enough to start hiring help, such as an assistant or virtual assistant, you'll already have training material to hand over. After all you want everyone who works with you on the same page. Business systems can be an entrepreneur's best friend, making your business run more smoothly, helping you manage your time productively and insuring you always have the information you need to run your business and have the most success. If you aren't using business systems today, try it.

All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006