5 Ways To Get The Word Out About Your Business

Dear Felicia,

I am an events sponsorship consultant. I advise entrepreneurs on how to save money on events and in their businesses. With entrepreneurship on the rise, and bank loans declining, I would like entrepreneurs to know that there is a solution to achieving their dreams and goals without going into debt. Do you have any suggestions on how I can spread the word?

Roberta V.

via email



Dear Roberta,

Yes, there are lots of ways to spread the word about the valuable services you offer. Here are five to get you started:

1. Write: Write an article every week or every month and submit it to an article bank like ezinearticles.com or ideamarketers.com. These websites generate a lot of traffic so when people enter key words or phrases into Google or other search engines, if the words they have entered are in any article on these sites, then it is likely to show up high in the search results. The article they view could be yours!

2. Read: Read blogs and magazines related to your area of expertise. Post comments every week or write to the authors of the articles and offer to provide data or information for their next article. Make yourself a go-to resource and you can get publicity for your business.

3. Use social media. Even though millions of people and businesses are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, most businesses still don’t use these resources effectively, but you can. The key is to be relevant and useful. Tweet and post on Facebook and LinkedIn the top three to five points in each of your articles, and ask people what they think about them. Also, as you are reading the blogs and magazines I previously mentioned, tweet and post on Facebook and LinkedIn the insights and data points that jump out at you. You will become known as a wealth of information on events sponsorship.

4. Present a webinar. Offer a free webinar about how sponsorship can boost the success of an event and the marketing efforts of a small business. You can use a free service like anymeeting.com. At the end of the webinar, offer a free consultation to anyone who wants to learn how to apply the information you have shared to their specific business. At the end of the one-on-one consultation, sell the person your event sponsorship services.

5. Post your slides for more traffic. Upload a few of your slides from your webinar for free to slideshare.com. On the last slide indicate that a person can see the full presentation for free by registering for your next free webinar. Provide a link for them to do so. The e-mail addresses you capture from doing this will create a nice list of leads you can follow up on.

Notice how each of these marketing and publicity activities is integrated so you’re repurposing the same content. This is how you do the work of creating the information one time and then use it in various formats to “spread the word” over and over again.

Good luck!

Grace & Peace,

Felicia Joy




Article Posted by The Atlanta Post


Felicia Joy is a nationally recognized entrepreneur who created $50 million in value for the various organizations and companies she served in corporate America before launching her business enterprise. She is often called on to discuss the ins and outs of entrepreneurial success and has appeared on CNN, FOX and in other national press. Felicia operates Ms. CEO Inc., a company that helps women entrepreneurs achieve more success, faster — as well as Joy Group International, LLC, a business development and consulting firm. Send her your questions at ask@feliciajoy.biz or www.twitter.com/feliciajoy.

Why Keeping Your Social Media Personal Is Good For Business

You’re at a professional networking event. Adult beverage in hand, you are chatting with a few colleagues, you know pretty well. You are conversing in a public venue—just like you do in social media. At some point a stranger joins you.

One of two things happens next:

Option A: The stranger intrudes on your conversation with people you know. He puts a business card in front of your eyes. He starts talking about what he sells and why you should buy from him. He keeps talking, as one at a time, you and your friends retreat from your small social circle and regroup elsewhere in the room

Option B: The stranger joins your circle, with a smile and nod, but doesn’t speak. She listens to what the three of you say for a while. When she finally joins the conversation, she adds an interesting or useful tidbit to the topic the three of you had been discussing.

So many companies, new to social media, come in not listening but talking—talking about themselves and talking about why you should buy from this intruder. Everyone knows that the conversational intruder will do poorly in real life? So why do so many companies behave precisely this way online?

Want to read more about social media in small business? Check these out:

Why Your Next Online Sales Channel Will Be Facebook
How To Recognize And Reward Brand Advocacy
The Social Media Movement: Where Is It Going?

In real life we are rarely successful at being strictly business. We walk into an important meeting and start by asking about family or friends or how the team you both root for could have possibly lost that game.

Why so many business people try to mask their humanity online is beyond me. Why they intrude into existing conversations rather than join them is puzzlement. Why they try to qualify you as a prospect or get you to register somewhere seems to me less effective than starting the conversation about how pleasant it is outside now that winter is gone.

Both these stories are designed to make a point. The best way to win in social media is to behave there in precisely the same way you have succeeded in your business.

If you are a small business professional, chances are you have acquired the skills you need in social media, over the counter in a retail establishment or in professional gathering you have attended. You need to be a good listener. You need to read a situation before joining in. You should show a little of your human side. You should also use a professional but informal style.

I would vastly prefer to see your face than your business logo. I would rather talk to an individual referring to herself as I, then a faceless, nameless we.

This becomes particularly important in small business. Chances are strong that whatever you sell, there is a franchise, big box or chain offering similar goods or services at a lower price.


Posted by Shel Israel CEO, SI Associates on American Express Blog

Body Language is 80% of Communication

Dez, 25-year-old new father, makes the most of his not-a-dream-job.

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be no job. It would be to just gig my band, do Chi-Gong, martial arts and spend time with my girlfriend and our six-month-old daughter. But I would also like to own a café one day.

So what job do you currently hold?

I have a few jobs. I work at a coffee shop four days a week, three closing shifts 8:00pm to 2:00am or 3:00am, and one opening shift on Saturday mornings. I also work at a candy store once a week for about five hours. And then, I teach Chi-Gong once a week for two hours.

Do you like to work at the coffee shop?

I don’t necessarily like the work, but if I have to work, I want to work at a café. I really like the environment of coffee shops.

Alright. It’s not your dream job. Are there any other advantages?

Yes, for sure. It pays the bills. That’s a big one. But also, my boss is totally supportive of my goals outside of work. The schedule works great, too. I have band practice a couple days a week and a residency gig where we play a Saturday happy hour every week. I’ve been able to organize my schedule around the things I want to do.

I’ve also been learning a lot about how operations work at the coffee shop. That’s something I’ll need to know when I have my own cafe.

Ok, and what don’t you like about the work?

I don’t like working alone back there, especially during a rush. When it’s just me on the schedule, and I have to deal with all the drink orders and the food orders by myself, it can be really overwhelming. It gets frustrating, and I think to myself, ‘Why doesn’t he just schedule someone else?’ But I have to accept it. It’s his business, and he runs it the way he thinks is best.

What’s your secret to maintaining this kind of acceptance?

Well, I think it’s important to have personal goals outside your job. A lot of people seem to get stuck on the idea of ‘I hate my job,’ or ‘My job is keeping me from my dreams,’ but I think we limit ourselves. If you make time for your dreams no matter what your situation is, then you’ll start to see how even a non-dream job can help you achieve them.

For me, practicing Chi-Gong and martial arts helps me to empty my mind and accept those moments when I least like my job. Practicing a calm and accepting mind is a great start. Because in the big picture, the job really is helping me move further toward my goals.

What advice can you give those of us who don’t practice Chi-Gong and so might not be great at accepting the difficult moments?

Act as if. Sometimes when I can’t quite release all my frustrations, I smile and act as if everything is ok. Body language is 80 percent of communication, and pretending can actually turn the moment around and transform it into a positive one.


By Elizabeth Salaam
www.sandiegoreader.com

Why Everyone Should Start a Business or Invest in One

As Forest Whitaker’s character expressed to his son in the movie, The Great Debaters, “We do the things we have to do so we can do the things we want to do.”

If you’ve ever once thought about entrepreneurship, now is the time to make your move. If you have not thought about it, now is the time to do so.

If you’ve ever once thought about entrepreneurship, now is the time to make your move. If you have not thought about it, now is the time to do so.

People who keep saying that President Obama needs to create more jobs haven’t come to accept the fact that the global economy has changed forever. He has done what he can do in terms of policy and budget allocations to keep the economy afloat and stimulate business activity. The bottom line is we must change. We must start actively thinking about how we can be creators, innovators and contributors, not just consumers.

Every middle class person in America should start a business — or invest in their neighbor’s business — if we are once again to become a society of people who believe, with some measure of confidence, that we can achieve the American Dream.

I know what you are thinking. Felicia, did I read you correctly? Did you say, every middle class person in America should start a business or invest in their neighbor’s?

Yes, I did. This is not as outlandish as some may think. America started as a nation of small business owners. Very few people were employed by others prior to the Industrial Revolution. I know we will never return to pre-Industrial Revolution times, but there are a lot more people who should start their own businesses—and will have to start their own businesses—to survive and thrive in these economic conditions.



When it comes to business success and investing in ourselves or the success of people we know, we have to carefully reflect on the fact that we have already invested in businesses we knew nothing about through our 401ks and mutual funds. Where did that get us?

You ought to continue your investing program, but you also ought to consider some new ideas. Here’s why—salaries are not keeping up with inflation. Your job could be gone at any moment. Your investments have substantially declined in value, and it may take you up to a decade or longer to regain what you’ve lost in your investments if you only stick with the typical ways of earning and growing your money.

Instead of waiting a decade or longer for your portfolio to return to where it was, you could use the time to establish and grow a successful business that would earn more money in the long run and provide you with more cash to invest. Earning only a set amount of money from a job, passively investing in big businesses you really know nothing about, and relying on the government and your employer simply won’t cut it anymore.

I am asking you to consider a new idea: believe in yourself and your neighbor. The future, and the wealth of the economic recovery, belongs to those who have faith and believe in themselves and the ones with whom they live, work and socialize. Why do we trust people we’ve never met and probably will never meet, more than we trust our very own friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances?

It’s our time. Believe in you.



Why Everyone Should Start a Business or Invest in One
May 19, 2011 10:30 AM
As Forest Whitaker’s character expressed to his son in the movie, The Great Debaters, “We do the things we have to do so we can do the things we want to do.”

If you’ve ever once thought about entrepreneurship, now is the time to make your move. If you have not thought about it, now is the time to do so.

People who keep saying that President Obama needs to create more jobs haven’t come to accept the fact that the global economy has changed forever. He has done what he can do in terms of policy and budget allocations to keep the economy afloat and stimulate business activity. The bottom line is we must change. We must start actively thinking about how we can be creators, innovators and contributors, not just consumers.

Every middle class person in America should start a business — or invest in their neighbor’s business — if we are once again to become a society of people who believe, with some measure of confidence, that we can achieve the American Dream.

I know what you are thinking. Felicia, did I read you correctly? Did you say, every middle class person in America should start a business or invest in their neighbor’s?

Yes, I did. This is not as outlandish as some may think. America started as a nation of small business owners. Very few people were employed by others prior to the Industrial Revolution. I know we will never return to pre-Industrial Revolution times, but there are a lot more people who should start their own businesses—and will have to start their own businesses—to survive and thrive in these economic conditions.

When it comes to business success and investing in ourselves or the success of people we know, we have to carefully reflect on the fact that we have already invested in businesses we knew nothing about through our 401ks and mutual funds. Where did that get us?

You ought to continue your investing program, but you also ought to consider some new ideas. Here’s why—salaries are not keeping up with inflation. Your job could be gone at any moment. Your investments have substantially declined in value, and it may take you up to a decade or longer to regain what you’ve lost in your investments if you only stick with the typical ways of earning and growing your money.

Instead of waiting a decade or longer for your portfolio to return to where it was, you could use the time to establish and grow a successful business that would earn more money in the long run and provide you with more cash to invest. Earning only a set amount of money from a job, passively investing in big businesses you really know nothing about, and relying on the government and your employer simply won’t cut it anymore.

I am asking you to consider a new idea: believe in yourself and your neighbor. The future, and the wealth of the economic recovery, belongs to those who have faith and believe in themselves and the ones with whom they live, work and socialize. Why do we trust people we’ve never met and probably will never meet, more than we trust our very own friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances?

It’s our time. Believe in you.

Felicia Joy is a nationally recognized entrepreneur who created $50 million in value for the various organizations and companies she served in corporate America before launching her business enterprise. She is often called on to discuss the ins and outs of entrepreneurial success and has appeared on CNN, FOX and in other national press. Felicia operates Ms. CEO Inc., a company that helps women entrepreneurs achieve more success, faster — as well as Joy Group International, LLC, a business development and consulting firm. Send her your questions at ask@feliciajoy.biz or www.twitter.com/feliciajoy.

Article Posted by The Atlanta Post

Everyone Knows Most Jobs are Gotten Through Networking But Do You Know How to Network?

Everyone Knows Most Jobs are Gotten Through Networking

Kim Mohiuddin, president of both MovinOnUpRésumés.com and Authentic Executive Careers, offers networking tips for those intimidated by the idea of networking.



Let’s start with the definition of networking. What exactly does it mean?

The term networking itself can be intimidating. It sounds like something from The Matrix. It just means cultivating relationships. That looks different for everyone. One person might go to weekly business breakfasts while another might make connections on the tennis court.

Once you’ve made the connections, it’s important to cultivate the relationships. It’s better to have a small network of people who you can really keep in touch with and know well enough to help than to have a huge list of people you can’t remember. The people in your network should be able to advocate for you and vice versa.

Why is networking so important?

Networking is critical to the job seeker because most jobs are found through networking. Some studies report that 90 percent of jobs are won through networking. A hiring manager in this market is likely looking at hundreds of résumés for one open position. It’s overwhelming. They’re much more likely to pay attention to the person who’s been referred. It’s more of a known quantity for them and also a way to save time, to quickly get to a candidate who will likely be a match.

Can you give me some specific examples where networking has paid off?

One client was recently offered a chief financial officer position. He saw the open position and used LinkedIn (this is an amazing tool... every job seeker should be on it) to discover that a recruiter in his network was connected to another executive at the company. He got a personal introduction and the interview cycle was very short for a C-level executive.

Another client landed the position of logistics manager. He noticed that a local company was setting up manufacturing operations in Mexico. He had a great deal of experience with optimizing this kind of set-up. So he used LinkedIn to find a connection of a connection who worked in the company.

Most of my clients are executives, but this really works at any level. A customer service agent or store clerk who sees a “Coming Soon” sign for a new business can ask around for an introduction.

For some people, the very idea of talking to strangers makes them nervous. What do you say to them?

For those who are genuinely nervous about talking to new people, start in environments in which you’re comfortable. This could mean an online environment like LinkedIn where you don’t have to talk in real time (you can meet lots of new people by joining professional groups) or volunteering for something you’re passionate about. If you’re an introvert, a great resource is The Successful Introvert by Wendy Gelberg.

But even normally extroverted people can be thwarted by the false idea that they are supposed to “sell” themselves or ask for something from their network. That fear is allayed by remembering to come from a place of giving, of being interested in and ready to help the other. Ask about them. What are they most interested in? What gets them excited? How can you help them? It’s natural for the other person to offer their help and support as well, or to be open when you approach them later.

What are some baby steps one can take?

Get a LinkedIn account or start using that existing one that’s been ignored. I’m on LinkedIn, Now What? by Jason Alba will show you the ropes.

Create a “board of directors” for your job search. These are hired experts or just people who know you well and can help in areas from cheer leading to résumé writing. A nice resource for getting your close confidants on one page and keeping them updated on your search so they can help is a free account at startwire.com (full disclosure, I served on their advisory board during their beta phase).

Make a list of everyone you know. Do they all know how they can help you? Consider calling them or crafting an email letting them know how they could help. You’ll want to share your specific job target and also give them a one- or two-sentence summary of why you offer value. This is to make it easy for them to talk about you. The easier you make it for people to help, the more likely they are to do it.

Are there different channels/types of networking that are best for reserved people?

Networking online, like through LinkedIn or Facebook.

Networking around shared interests. This could be volunteer work, a professional organization, or a hobby.

If you are going to an event, try arriving exactly on time. Usually there are fewer people if you get there early, and that is often an easier way for reserved people to interface.

How about follow-up steps or channels, once they become more comfortable?

Most online networking has to become real-world at some point. One-on-one meetings or lunches are good. There’s not the perceived pressure to “perform” as there can be at a group event.

The follow-up is more about cultivating the relationships you’ve built. Look for ways to help your network by sharing information or contacts with them. If you are short on time, focusing networking activities around your professional field helps because you can, for example, share the same useful news article with all of your network. You’ve helped a lot of people with one idea.

In addition to giving (and in conjunction with it,) update your connections on how things are going for you (always be positive) and how they can help.

Do you have any additional conversational tricks for once a person gets “out there?”

Just come from a place of genuine interest in other people, and things will flow naturally.

It is good to be prepared with a response when people ask what you do. Rather than launching into a canned speech, ask a question that will allow the person to be http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifinvested in what you do. So, if you are an X-ray tech and someone asks what you do, answer with a question like, “Have you or your loved one ever broken a bone?” The answer for almost everyone would be something like, “Yes, my daughter had her wrist in a cast for three months last year.” They might even tell a story about how it happened. Now, when you explain that you’re the person who takes the X-rays when people are injured, they are personally involved in what you have to say.

Tip: if people raise their eyebrows when you tell them what you do, they are excited about it and interested. If they knit their eyebrows, they don’t get it. Practice your elevator question with friends until you get raised eyebrows


By Elizabeth Salaam | www.sandiegoreader.com

Increase Income & Generate Business Opportunities

Colleagues,



Volvo is known for safety. Lexus is known for luxury. What are you known for?



If you’re a strategic, forward-thinking professional, you need a strong and spontaneous answer to that question. Whatever it is you’re known for is the foundation of your brand.



You may think “I’m a CFO … that’s my brand.” No … that’s not your brand, that’s your title. What kind of CFO are you? Whatever attributes make you unique and special contribute heavily to your brand identity … and those are the qualities you must reveal in everything you do in order to establish your brand and attract others to you.



On the other hand, you might be thinking: “I don’t need branding … my skills and experience stand on their own merit.” But skills and experience alone can’t help you to achieve your goals. Why?



The global workforce is enormous … you have competitors who continually increase their visibility by seeding perceptions of quality and value … all because they recognize the long-term investment and return on building a well-recognized and highly trusted brand.



Branding helps you to land jobs and opportunities by making you uniquely attractive to consumers. And being valued by consumers translates directly to a healthy bottom line.



It’s all very simple: Think about what you want to be known for and let branding help you stand out from a sea of competition.



Find out more here

I'll see you on the radio this and every Sunday morning at 8am (EST) on Your Career Is Calling on 107.7 FM and online on www.1077TheBronc.com.



Best wishes and own your career,



Rod Colón
Career Management Consultant, Executive Coach, Speaker, Author
Weekly Co-Host of Radio Show "YOUR CAREER IS CALLING".
732-367-5580

www.RodColon.com



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Win the Race the Race for 21st Century Jobs

Four Reasons Any Action Is Better than None

ETP Colleagues, here's brief insightful article by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor at Harvard Business School, that comments about the positive benfits of action. Enjoy!

Rosabeth Moss Kanter


Four Reasons Any Action Is Better than None

It's well-known that busy people get the most done. Their secret is simple: They never stop moving.

Of course, sitting still can be a good thing if it involves renewal, reflection, and focused attention (or having meals with the family). But sitting still can be a bad thing if it involves procrastination, indecision, and passivity.

Companies heading downhill have passive cultures. Unmade decisions pile up. Opportunities are lost. No one wants to risk making a mistake. It becomes easier to sit it out than get into the game. One of my favorite examples involves the backwater bank in which employees would send customers who had complicated problems to the rival bank across the street, rather than try to do anything.

In contrast, in companies with high levels of innovation, people take initiative. They start new things. They don't wait to be told. They get routine work done efficiently in order to free up the time to get involved in something new. Here are some of the reasons.

Small wins matter. Small wins pave the way for bigger wins. A nudge in the right direction, as Cass Sunstein and the new behavioral economists tell us, can lead to major tipping points (per Malcolm Gladwell) when you achieve critical mass. As I saw in my study of business turnarounds and sports teams, confidence — the expectation of a positive outcome that motivates high levels of effort — is built on one win at a time.

Accomplishments come in pieces. A journey of a thousand miles is daunting. The single step with which the journey begins is manageable. Every step you take now adds up by getting that much closer to a goal. Busy people in high-productivity environments tend to take just one more action, return one more phone call, set one more thing in motion before calling it quits for the day. By tomorrow, new demands will start piling up. Mental tricks like dividing big tasks into numerous small steps make it possible to identify immediate actions to get big things off the ground.

Perfection is unattainable anyway. Forget perfection. Just do it. So what if you're wrong? You can always try again. In an uncertain world of rapid change, business strategy includes room for improvisation. Live by some classic slogans: Best is the enemy of good. (Don't wait for perfect conditions.) Nothing ventured, nothing gained. (It takes a little risk to get rewards.)

Actions produce energy and momentum. It simply feels better to take action than sitting around navel-gazing and getting sluggish. Overwork can bring stress, but, in fact, many studies show that the important factor in work stress is lack of control. Identifying a positive action is a way to feel in control. Getting moving doesn't drain energy; it tends to build energy. For people trying to solve the national obesity epidemic, or just to lose a few pounds, exercise is more fun than dieting.

These principles represent more than management tips. They reflect a can-do philosophy that is essential for any entrepreneur or any place that wants more entrepreneurs. The only way to activate potential is to support action.

Sometimes it doesn't seem easy. Organizational cultures, autocratic bosses, uncooperative co-workers, long losing streaks, the uncertainty of shifting industry conditions, and big world events like natural disasters and revolutions can stop people in their tracks. But those who emerge triumphant, and get the most done anyway, are the people who would rather take action, any action, than wait around.

Intrapreneur's 10 Commandments by Gifford Pinchot

1. Come to work each day willing to be fired.

2. Circumvent any orders aimed at stopping your dream.

3. Do any job needed to make your project work, regardless of
your job description.

4. Find people to help you.

5. Follow your intuition about the people you choose, and
work only with the best.

6. Work underground as long as you can--publicity triggers the
corporate immune mechanism.

7. Never bet on a race unless you are running in it.

8. Remember it is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.

9. Be true to your goals, but realistic about the ways to achieve them.

10. Honor your sponsors.


--Gifford Pinchot, Intrapreneuring, Harper & Row, 1985