Archive for July, 2009

Tonight is the last night for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge!  Thank goodness its over!  I had to blog three times today just to make up for all the blogs that I missed and for some reason I thought I had until tomorrow to make my 30 blogs.  Thanks goodness I read Sandra Martini’s blog tonight and realized this was the end of the road!

This has been a different experience.  But I am thankful for Connie Ragen Green for putting forth this challenge and helping all us newbie bloggers out there gain some exposure.  I am off to let her know I did it!

I can tell you for sure, I won’t be blogging tomorrow!

Did you know that your best asset is YOU?  Really, it is!  Here is how to make personal branding work for you.

1.  It’s all about the value that you can provide for your customers whether you are a entrepreneur or own a small company.

2.  Be known as a subject matter expert.  Narrow your focus and identify that niche that you want to be known for.

3.  Put your personal brand on everything that you do.  Every free report or presentation should be stamped with your personal touch.

4.  Think outside the box.  Forget the way things are currently done and be creative and innovative as you solve your clients most difficult challenges.

5.  Always be looking to grow and expand your network of contacts and associates.

Check back tomorrow for the last 5 tips on the brand called YOU!

I have been without a cell phone since last Tuesday.  I was supposed to get my new phone today, but low and behold another customer service catastrophe occurred with the shipping and it may be another three days before I get a new phone.

At first I thought is was kind of nice to be disconnected for a day or two.  Now it’s really putting a damper on my ability to connect to my clients, family and friends.

But the real issue for me is the total lack of customer service that my cell phone company has displayed.  I won’t bore you with the details but want to use this experience to highlight some key points for you as business women.

1.  In today’s business climate, customers  EXPECT to be treated to a level of  care that surpasses their expectations. It’s not okay to just keep apologizing for one mistake after another.  Customers expect to see results!  They want to know that you are going to do everything possible to correct the problem and to make them happy.

2.  Make sure that your employees are empowered to resolve customer complaints. It should be standard operating procedure for everyone in your business to have the mindset that the customer comes first and that they have the power to fix customer problems.

3.  Make sure your employees never, ever say to a customer “it’s not  my job.”  Teach your employees that even if they are approached with a task that falls outside of their abilities or job description, they can communicate this information by letting the customer know they need to connect them with another employee better equipped to handle their particular situation.

Nothing will loose you a client faster than poor customer service.  When you take the time to treat your customers with respect,  handle issues professionally and within a reasonable time frame you create a lasting impression of your business.

OMG!  I can’t believe that the Connie Green 30 day blogging challenge is almost done!  This has been a little harder that I thought it would be.  Primarily because having to think of meaningful things to blog about everyday is not as easy as one would think.  The reality is that I find it extremely easy during the week, but once the weekend hits I turn out and turn off and to have to keep remembering to log on and blog away.  It has been challenging.

I know for sure that I won’t continue to blog daily after the challenge is over.  But if Connie has another blogging challenge;  who know what might happen!  See you all tomorrow…signing off at 119 words!

Anybody who knows me knows that I am extremely patriotic.  I fly my flag year round and the pledge of allegiance always chokes me up.

Each week when I attend my Rotary Meeting  we all stand, place our hand over our heart and pledge our allegiance to this great country.  Each and every time I have to keep it together.  Add the national anthem and forget it; I usually have to brush a tear or two away.

I am not really sure when I became so patriotic.  As a child my parents flew the flag regularly outside our home.  And although we didn’t talk about patriotism I knew they were patriotic.   They grew up in the Great Depression and my father was a veteran.  My mother told us stories of her brothers who where fighter pilots in the war.  They loved their country and I love it too.

I am so grateful to all the men and women who have fought, died and continue to protect our country.  May we never loose sight of their great sacrifice and the sacrifice made by their families.  I honor them today.

God Bless America

Tonight I am going to see the fireworks at my daughters new place.  The front lawn of her new townhouse has a bird’s eye view of the fireworks display.   All we have to do is set up the chairs on the front lawn!  Is that awesome or what?

Tomorrow I am attending a flag raising ceremony followed by a delicious breakfast.  It is a beautiful event that includes lots of patriotic songs, dozens of flags, and a strong dose of gratitude for this wonderful country we live in.

What are you doing tomorrow to celebrate the Fourth of July?  Whatever you are doing I wish you a wonderful holiday with your family and friends.

God Bless America

I had a great conversation with a potential client the other day and she asked me, “How can I create a six figure business quickly?” My response to her, “With persistence and a heck of a lot of effort.”

If you want to build a six figure successful business it requires that you show up everywhere, all the time. As I like to say, it requires that you “step into your greatness.” When I finally embraced this concept in my business I really started to see my business begin to evolve and grow.

When I am working with a client and we are brainstorming  creative ways for them to “step it up”, they will often say that they are doing everything possible and the clients and the money is still not showing up!  When I press them further what I typically hear is a laundry list of excuses like: “I am not sure that idea will work in my business” or “That seems like it will require more time than I have” or, here is a great one, “Maybe I should go look for a job.” Yikes! I don’t know about you but the thought of going out and getting a J-O-B makes me ill.

Being a success minded women business owner takes effort and a whole lot of it. I have had several businesses in my lifetime and the ones that have been the most successful have been the businesses that I put forth consistent effort.

So, before you give up on your dreams of a successful business let me say: What effort are you really putting into your business? Are you treating your business like a business or a hobby? Are you doing something everyday to move your business forward or are you just dreaming about how you will make the business successful?

All the dreaming in the world won’t make your business a success. So put away your dream pillow and embrace the fact that to be successful you will have to put in the sweat!

I am not sure if I told you before today, but I have been on a 30 day Blogging Challenge. The challenge started by Connie Ragen Green has been a huge undertaking for me.

The basic rules of the challenge are:

1.  You must have 30 blogs posted at the end of the thirty days.

2.  You can blog more than once per day.

3. Your name must appear with the blog post.

4.  Basically, keep it clean.

5. Oh ya, I almost forgot…must be 100 words or more.

Right now I am at 86 words; somedays coming up with 100 words is like pulling teeth.  And the trouble with today, I have to post twice to make up for a few missed days.

At the end of the challenge I get my name and blog posted in Connie’s blog. Her past blogging challenges have shown to generate lots of new traffic to the people blog’s who met the challenge….that is the only reason why I am doing this.

Three months ago I decided to start my own women’s only networking events. I had long had this desire but had put if off for a variety of reason. In March I told myself “no more excuses, just do it” and I did.

The growth of the group has been nothing short of phenomenal. In three months we have 130 members and have strong regular attendance by the membership. Due to all the success of this group many people have asked me to start another group closer to the Boston area. You asked and I am listening…over the next couple of weeks I will be looking for a spot to host this event. So if you live close to Boston and know a great restaurant or other venue that would love to host a large group of women once a month, please let me know.

As soon as all the details have been worked out I will be posting this new event here.   Watch for the details.