Archive for September, 2009

Tonight I am hosting my seventh networking event at the Boxwood Grill in Methuen, MA.

As of this writing we have over 260 member from the Greater Boston Area and Southern New Hampshire.  We even have women travel from the Maine area from time to time.  Tonight’s event has 92 women registered for the event.  Just yesterday I told my friend I can’t wait until there are 100 women in the room!

If you live in the area and have never come to one of the meetings, please consider joining this group.  Most meetings are FREE to the members.  You can order off a limited menu and we have a cash bar.  The women are truly phenomenal and I know you won’t be disappointed.

So if you are in the area come on down tonight, September 29th, 7PM at the Boxwood Grill, 260 Howe St, Methuen, MA.  I would love to meet you and introduce you to the premier networking event in the Greater Boston Area!

If you haven’t noticed it has been several days since I posted anything on my blog.  That’s because I was the recipient of a negligent driver smashing into me at 40 mph while I was at a dead stop.  I have been spending the last several days getting better and recovering.  Although nothing too serious resulted from this accident it does take longer to get back to normal the older I get.

Because I have had a tremendous amount of time on my hands (I have been spending my days sitting around icing my neck and back) to think about self care.  My thoughts during the past few days have been a combination of thinking about my business and thinking about the importance of taking care of myself.  I know I should have put the business thoughts aside but it was terribly hard to completely let go.

What is it about women entrepreneurs that makes us feel that we can’t or shouldn’t take care of ourselves?  Although all the women business owners I know sent me messages about “resting” and “taking good care” I know that most if not all where thinking about what they would do if they were derailed for a few days or longer.  Thoughts like: “How long will I be unable to work?” and ” What will I do about money?” can often fill our heads when we are self employed or worse yet the soul provider for our families.

After thinking about this for days I firmly believe that part of “taking good care” means having a business plan that doesn’t solely rely on you to physically “work” all the time.  This means creating a solid plan with multiple streams of income so that when you are “down and out” the money is still flowing in!  My business plan does have multiple revenue streams and I continue to develop other possible streams of income for my business.  What does yours look like?  Let me know.

Be well and thanks for the well wishes!

The rest of the month has a ton of great networking opportunities coming up.  My post today is a compilation of events from today through the end of the month in an effort to help you figure out what’s out there!   See if one, or maybe two or three is right for you.

• New Media Marketing Event will premier this Friday, September 18^th from 3-5 PM at Centro Restaurant.  (www.imperial-image.com/VPevent). A panel of experts will be speaking on a variety of topics that will help you build brand.
• MVCC Mixer Event on Tuesday, September 22nd from 6-8 PM at MNTW Community Credit Union.  Call the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce for more information.
• Septebmer 23rd at the Wyndham in Andover check out Wyndham on Wednesday’s from 5 -9 PM offers a free networking event followed by Main Event Trivia!
• Also on September 23rd check out E Women Network’s Monthly Event with special Key Note Speaker Hank Phillipi Ryan from Channel 7 in Boston.  Open networking begins at 5:30 PM with dinner and accelerated networking.  Go to ewomen.com for more information.
• September 24th at Riverwalk Village in Methuen another MVCC Mixer Event! Event runs from 5 -7:30 PM.
• September 29th join us for DARE To Be Phenomenal Success Minded Women’s Business Network evening networking event.  7 – 9 PM at the Boxwood Grill, Methuen, MA.  Register here http://www.meetup.com/Dare-To-Be-Phenomenal-North-of-Boston-Chapter-Meetup/
• Septebmer 30th at the Wyndham in Andover check out Wyndham on Wednesday’s from 5 -9 PM offers a free networking event followed by Main Event Trivia!

Do you  know of any other events?  Post them in the reply section so everyone knows what’s going on for the rest of the month!  Happy networking.  Will I see you there?

Networking is more than just showing up.  It’s a combination of skill, confidence and clarity that make some people successful at it and others not.

In order to be an effective and successful networker you need to understand:

• How to introduce yourself
• What kinds of questions to ask to engage others
• How to successfully follow up

For some, these three basic skills come as easy as pie and for others it’s like trying to take candy from a toddler.  No matter what your skill level,  follow these simple tips to be a more effective networker.

How To Introduce Yourself

• Remember to state your full name.  Now some of you may be thinking “come on, forgetting your name?”  But it’s true that people often forget to state their name.  And make sure you state your full name. Don’t just say, “Hi, my name is Maureen”.   Try looking up “Maureen” in the phone book.

• People will often omit their company name when introducing themselves.  Your company name is just as important as your name.  You want the two to be joined together so that when people think of you, they automatically think of your company.

• Don’t forget a pithy elevator speech that grabs the attention of the person you are meeting and clearly states the value you offer your clients.

Questions You Should Ask

• When at a business networking event the easiest way to get the ball rolling is by talking about something you have in common – the event you are attending.  For example, if you are at a Chamber event you can ask if they have every attended a Chamber event, etc.  Once the ice has been broken and the small talk is done you can go on to other topics.

• I love to ask people who they hope to meet at the event.  This gives me the opportunity to get to know the person and their business better.  If I can be of assistance  immediately, great.    If I don’t know someone at the event that can help them I make of a note of it on the back of their business card for future reference.  Either way I am remembered as a great resource.

• Ask your new connection if can send them an invite to connect on LinkedIn.  Don’t assume that everyone you meet wants to connect with you just because you are meeting them at a networking event. If they say yes don’t send the generic, “I want to add you to my professional network”  which translates too,  ” I could care less if you remember who I am “.  Send them a brief note that reinforces the conversation you had with them. Be memorable!

Following Up

OK, you have gone to the meeting, exchanged business cards, asked some great questions and were even able to connect some people together.  What’s next?  The follow up!  Networking is more that just showing up and it goes on long after the event is over.

• On average, each week I meet with at least two people that I have met through my networking efforts.  As I write this post I just came back from coffee with one colleague and lunch with another.

• If you meet someone knew at an event and they call you return their call promptly.  Failure to do so is business suicide.

• Be proactive and schedule time to get to know new business contacts by scheduling opportunities to  meet and learn more about their business and how you can help them achieve their goals.

These small gestures go a long way in being remembered.  It’s all about building quality relationships and these tips are just some tools in your business toolbox to achieve great networking results!

When you are on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as well as the countless other sites that are available for social media marketing do you know the unspoken rules of etiquette?  Do you understand what NOT to do?  Do you realize the mistakes that most newbie’s make?  Every day I see people breaking the rules of on line social networking.  So this article is devoted to making sure you don’t make these dreadful and sometimes costly mistakes when you are trying to grow your business on the world wide web.

1. Spending Way Too Much Money or Way Too Little

You know the old saying “You need to spend money to make money”. Well this is true, but you need to spend your money wisely.  Nothing is different just because you are marketing on the web.  You need to develop a solid marketing plan and corresponding budget that fits into the overall goals that you are trying to achieve.  NEVER and I do mean never buy leads…but also realize that you need to make some investment if you want to see results.

2. Insisting On Doing It Alone

The most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who’ve worked with a coach, mentor or joined a education and support group like a mastermind.  Unfortunately, many new entrepreneurs and business people make the mistake in believing they can do it alone.  Don’t make the same mistake!  Hire a coach, join a mastermind, or work with a mentor who can make your journey towards success smoother and faster.  These people and resources can shorten your learning curve and have you making money faster than going it along.  Not sure what option is the best for you and your business?  Contact me at maureen@daretobephenomenal.com and I will help you sort it out.

3. Thinking Like An Employee Instead of An Entrepreneur

Most of us worked for someone else at one point in our careers.  And because most of us came from that place we sometimes forget that we are not employees anymore but rather masters of our own destiny.  We are the decision makers, the movers and shakers.  We don’t have to answer to anyone…we make the rules!  But with that comes the responsibility to make it happen.  Set your goals, prioritize your work, get serious and self-disciplined and know that success won’t happen overnight but with consistent effort success will be achieved.

4. Posting Without Permission

The other day I opened my Facebook profile and to my horror someone had posted the link to their website on my profile page and never once asked me if it was ok.  It wasn’t and I immediately deleted it.  This is social networking spamming and if you engage in this type of behavior its business suicide.  Your profile is for posting great stuff about your business…my profile is for posting great stuff about my business.  Now that doesn’t mean that you can’t ask people to help spread the word about a new product or service that you are providing.  But you must ask permission first.  Failure to do so is just plain rude.

5. Not Being Yourself

There is nothing worse than when you can feel how inauthentic and disingenuous someone is being.  People can sense when you are only concerned about yourself and how much money you stand to earn.  It is a real turnoff!  Be authentic and genuine as you network with people on line.  Find out how you might be able to help them.  Remember what Ivan Misner, CEO of BNI taught, that “Givers Gain”.

6. Not Making About The Value

No one cares what you do.  Really they don’t.  What people care about is the value of your product or service and how it can improve their business or life.  But often times I read on Facebook about some ‘amazing new opportunity’ and I think…ugh…when will they ever learn?  Real value is about sharing your knowledge, tips, strategies, great content or anything that will actually be of benefit to someone else.  The person who provided the most VALUE will be the front runner…plain and simple.

7. Make Your Personal Growth Your Number One Priority

In order to be successful you must make your personal growth a priority.  Successful people are not afraid to seek out situations and experiences that challenge them beyond their comfort zone.  Being successful as an entrepreneur, which means by the way making great money doing what you love, requires that you frequently fall outside of your comfort zone.  In fact, frequently feeling uncomfortable means that you are stretching and growing!  Being successful means that you don’t shy away from these opportunities to grow but rather you embrace them. In the end, you will be successful and will have grown tremendously in the process.

By following these 7 tips you can be more successful with both your online and off line marketing.  In the end remember to be yourself, embrace the challenges and be persistent in your efforts.

I love social media.  I use all the tools I can to grow my following and my business.  But in this day and age you need to be careful and protect yourself from unscrupulous people on the web who want to hijack your account.  So what is a savvy and phenomenal business woman to do to protect herself from trojans, phishers, hackers and imposters floating around Facebook ?  Read my tips to learn more.

Watch For Suspicious Activity

Are you seeing suspicious activity in your News Feed, or on your wall or better yet in your inbox?  If so, delete it.  Delete posts from your wall and from newsfeeds that you find iffy.  If you get an email with a suspicious link delete it.   And, whatever you do, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!  If you make the mistake and click on it you pretty much have handed over your account to someone else.   Remember that hijackers are coy and deceiving so it may appear that it is legitimate even when it is not.

Remove Friends As Appropriate

Remove friends who post suspicious links to your wall or that are contained in emails.  I know I can hear some of you saying, “But they are my friends”.    Still delete them because the person who is sending you the link is more than likely NOT your friend but the person who has hijacked your friends account.  Be safe and remove friends when needed.  Once your friend has regained control over their account you can always add them to your friend list .

Turn off Facebook Chat Feature

Personally, I hate chatting.   I find it a huge waste of time.  Send me an email or better yet pick up the phone or Skype me.   Never mind what a huge distraction it can be when you are trying to post an event, update your profile or post information for your followers.  But the real reason I mention this is because you don’t ever want to be chatting with someone you don’t know.  Hopefully, you know all of your Facebook friends, but I know that some of us “friend” people that we don’t necessarily know because we are trying to grow our list and build a following.  So, just play it safe and turn it off!

Hide your year of birth

Don’t show your year of birth. This may or may not make a difference. I’m not one to be shy about my age or how old I am… however, I heard from an identity theft expert that not disclosing your year of birth is just another way of protecting yourself from identity theft.

Keep Private Information Private

Just because you are using social media doesn’t mean everyone needs to know everything about you.  The line between personal and professional is definitely blurred.  So decide what you want to share on Facebook, twitter and the like and think carefully before you share something.

By following this simple tips you can ensure that your Facebook account is safe and that you are being smart and protecting your account.

Do you remember where you were eight years ago when you heard the news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center?  I do.  I remember as if it were yesterday.  Sitting at my desk back in the days when I was working in corporate America my administrative assistant came running in to tell me the news.

At first I thought she was mistaken; heard the news report incorrectly.  So I went on the Internet to find out what was happening.  As I was surfing the web she ran in to tell me another plane had hit another tower.  I was in shock.  I didn’t know what was happening but I did know nothing would ever be the same

As the days passed and people began to grapple with what had occurred I noticed so many people flying their flags.  Patriotism was alive and well in this country.  Now today, eight years later, hardly a flag is flown.

I have NEVER taken my flag down (even in the rain, even though I know I am not supposed to leave it out in inclement weather) since September 11, 2001.  I can’t bring myself to take it down and quite honestly I don’t want to; I don’t want to forget.

Today let us honor the memory of all the victims of that day and wish peace to their families members who must endure each day with out them.  Let us be grateful to all the men and women who serve our country with honor and for the sacrifices they endure for you and me to be free.  Let us remember the families who who wait patiently for their loved ones to return home. Let us never forget.

I am starting another 30 day blogging challenge!  The last challenge that I did was great but some days I will admit it was hard to think of things to write about.  And the person promoting the challenge never put my name up on her site as promised!  I was proud of myself for completing the challenge but disappointed that I didn’t get the recognition promised.  This time I don’t care about the recognition so much.  It really is about being as creative as I can be when I blog.  To look for  new and interesting stuff to write about that you, my readers will enjoy.

So off I go…see you at the end!

We are just about at the end of the marketing mindset posts that I have been sharing with you.  I am going to give you #6 and #7 today so that we can close this out and I can post some other great information this week.  So here goes:

Belief #6:  There are so many ways to market my business!  Where do I start?

Marketing is simple.  Now before you send me an email and say, “it’s hard” hear that I said simple, not easy.  Marketing is work, and you must put in the time, energy and effort for it to be effective.  Marketing is simply telling people over and over again what you can do for them.  By going back to the simple question, “who is my ideal client” and crafting a clear marketing message to your audience, almost any marketing strategy will serve to bring you the clients that you are looking for.

Belief #7:  I don’t want to become a ‘pushy’ or ‘cheesy sales person’

You have something of great value to offer to the people who need you! Great business people add VALUE to the lives of their clients.  If you think of yourself as adding value by offering your incredible gifts and talents to your clients, you will come see marketing in a different light.  We don’t all have the same abilities and interests.  It is your responsibility as a business owner to share your talents with others so that others may reap all the benefits from your unique product or service.  Don’t be afraid to share it with the world.

Conclusion

If you are one of the many people who feels negatively about marketing, I hope that this information will help you start to transform your ideas about  marketing. The main point that I would like you remember is this: The key marketing with integrity is to focus on helping others first.

You have spent your life sharpening your skills and knowledge.  Now it’s up to you to share your knowledge and skills with others so their lives are better, richer and fuller.  It’s up up to you to market yourself – go out and do it today!

The other day I was listening to two women talk about marketing…yes, you could say I was eavesdropping.  But what I heard made me almost gasp in horror!  It is belief # 5.  Read on to learn more.

Belief #5: I am too busy to market my business

Hmm…really? You’re kidding, right?  If you are in business for yourself, then you are in the business of marketing your business!  Marketing is as important as your  particular product or service.  I know this is not what many of you want to hear but it IS true.  If you don’t market yourself, you don’t have clients.  If you don’t have clients, then you don’t have a business.  If you don’t have a business, then you have a  hobby; you’re doing something you love but you don’t get paid.

I am sorry ladies but you are in the business of marketing your business!  I can’t say it any clearer than that and if you choose to fall into the trap that you are too busy to market I dare say you probably won’t be in business for very long.  In this day and age those who continue to promote and market themselves will be head and shoulders above other business owners who failed to market and market effectively.

Feel intimidated?  Well don’t be.  I teach my clients all the time how to develop a simple, but effective marketing plan.  And remember you don’t have to implement it all yourself.  A wonderful Virtual or local Assistant can be a big asset in implementing your plan.

Now go out there and market your business and see the results!