As much as we may look like Wonder Woman, or so as not to be sexist, Superman, and feel like them too, we cannot be a one person band and expect that the everything will just fall into place. It’ll fall alright, down, into bed, if you make it that far, from exhaustion.

A smart and successful small biz owner has back up, and I’d love to share my back up tricks honed from trial and error throughout the years that have saved me countless hours of unproductive work.

One of the best tips I’ve gotten to be constantly reminding ourselves of what is a time waster and what is a productive money making action for our day is from the wonderful business coach Jane Pollak, that goes like this: when creating your day to day tasks, use a green marker and mark which daily tasks are your business growth, money making tasks, and which are not. I usually make my list and then mark the moneymaking tasks with a green dot. If nothing else this will be a wake up call. Are you wasting way too much time on your proposals? There’s a system for that! Are you crunching all your numbers yourself for an hour a day? No need for that! Invoicing taking too long? There are a number of great programs for that.

Here’s my top 5 time saving and either free or really inexpensive systems, as I am a tightwad when it comes to these things… all designed to free you up so you can spend your day tackling the big stuff:

1) A really intuitive invoicing system: I use Freshbooks. Not only does it invoice really easily, but it sends them either by snail mail or email, does all kinds of cool numbers crunching, runs reports, allows you to send estimates that can convert to an invoice, and so much more. Bookkeeping — which I personally can’t stand to do so this forces me to do it in a fun and quick way — made easy, and quick. A nominal cost well worth the expense. Allows for customization as well

2) A proposal/Contract system — which used to take me half a day to do — try Quotegine. It allows you to create, save, customize and re-use templates in a library, sends it out with a click of a button and allows for an e signature on your clients end so that they don’t even have to print out, excepting for themselves or mail, attach, or fax back. Just pressing a button lands it back in your hands within a fraction of the time it would take otherwise, allowing you to get going on your next project. Free up until a certain amount of clients, and again, allows you to white label it.

3) A CRM system, otherwise known as a Contact Relationship Management System. Other wise known as a database. If you’re not already on Outlook, look no further than cloud based Highrise, run by the same cool, uber smart folks who created Freshbooks. If you are using your email contacts list as your database I might have to come over there and smack you. Highrise has all the bells and whistles you could ask for to allow you to keep on top of all of your prospects, clients and important business affiliates and contacts in an organized manner, create and schedule tasks and have them appear in your inbox when they come due, as a reminder to ‘get on that!’ It can also be synced with Freshbooks so that your whole client profile, jobs as well as the payments and invoicing are under one heading.

4) Housecleaning! I know that this involves money, but again, if you are trying to be all things to all people including a family of 4 back home, something is going to cave if you’re working hard all day and then expected to come home and clean the house as well. Even if you bring someone in just once per month to do the heavy cleaning, or pay your kids to do it. A scary thought I know. The money you spend here will make itself up to you in ROI if you’re taking the time where you would have been under the bed cleaning dust bunnies to instead contact 3 more warm leads to invite them to lunch. Time much better spent. I’d give you the name of mine as a referral but am afraid she’d be spread too thin and not have time for me. Selfish, I know, but some things are more precious than others. I do know that the team at The Maids are great though. Ask for Melissa.

5) Social Media tools. I have a confession. Social media is not my biggest strength. Other than LinkedIn, I do it because I have to, not because I want to, and I make no bones about it to my clients, as they need to do it as well. What has made it tolerable for me has been a little tool called Onlywire, which allows me to share what you’re reading right here with a load of social media and bookmarking sites instead of spending oodles of time uploading things separately when I could be interacting with folks online and off. Great for the SEO.

Hope these help you be more efficient and use your time more effectively. Now run to that networking meeting!

Suzen Pettit

www.omaginarium.com

www.omaginehealth.com

203 733 8578

Get Found, Get Heard, Get Crackin’

There is no denying that prestigious titles that come with high paying salaries bring with it certain unspoken privileges, but for members of disadvantaged groups, it also brings unspoken subliminally interpreted bias. Diversity has many dimensions but race, gender and age are probably the most predominant. The question of leadership development and how well underrepresented groups are treated in the corporate environment probably starts with how our brain processes data. The brain is a large data storage bin and with limited information on any group, such as Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Women, Lesbians, Disabled Veterans, etcetera, it processes the data it has and categorizes people within a group as one.

This process in the field of psychology is known as cognitive categorization and makes the issues of diversity and leadership very complex within the workplace. On the surface cognitive categorization is not racist, sexist or insidious; the dangerous aspect comes into play when mental categorizations are used to prevent hiring and promotions, derail careers and make negative assumptions about individuals based on group categorization.

These are multilayered, complex issues that must be discussed because dimensions of diversity matter but according to Katz and Miller, they matter less when brought out in the open and discussed. Contrary to what we tell our children and what we want to believe, people are not blind to differences nor due do we live and work in bias free environments.

One of the ways to minimize cognitive categorization is to develop culturally diverse activities outside the workplace. If more people of diverse backgrounds socialize outside of the work environment, they would come to see the totality of the human being and no longer evaluate or judge one another through a bias lens. Notice that the President plays basketball with men of diverse cultures and backgrounds. These men from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures, call each other friend and genuinely like and respect one another.

Outside socialization gives people the opportunity to get to know one another and have fun without feeling forced or pressured to do so. So I say, hey Mr. President, where are the female basketball players? Were any invited to play? By the way, isn’t his friend Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education? Another benefit to external socialization is its great networking properties.

The problem of the diversity inclusivity dilemma becomes more apparent when you consider the data. In 2011, according to the U.S. Census, 36.6% of respondents checked minority, which is 114 million people. That percentage is expected to continually climb. Diversity inclusion is certainly a leadership challenge related to organizational growth and change because it limits how an organization hires and utilizes talent and makes the most of its workforce, and with the workforce consisting of a large population of minorities and women, this lack of inclusion will increasingly impact a company’s bottom line.

This separate and unequal corporate environment is part of America’s cultural landscape; past and present forces have shaped racial identification; cognitive processing, socio cultural in-group/out-group status and working relationships. Race, gender and age are prominent dimensions of diversity but diversity inclusion is about accepting people regardless of how they self identify or what personal idiosyncrasies or uniqueness they have—think Garcia on the hit television show Criminal Minds. Don’t judge talent by the package it comes in. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020, a quarter of the labor force will be baby boomers, those 55 years and older; therefore, the age dimension of diversity is something that will have to be addressed.

Diversity inclusive practices is a challenge for organizational growth because in order to achieve a work environment where all people feel that their differences are valued and respected, takes an entire organizational paradigm shift. Sigmund Freud proclaimed that we are not the rational rulers of our lives but are under the influence of unconscious forces of which we are unaware.

Leaders may not be acting with malicious forethought but in subconscious ways which are guided by internal and external social cultural influences. This is why it is critical that companies be willing and prepared to evaluate, assess and change their infrastructure, i.e., management practices and behaviors, human resource policies, and rewards, the systems that supports, validates and encourages the organization’s exclusive culture. This takes time and considerable effort.

The challenge for senior leadership is to understand in a work environment that has limited talent resources and more global competition than ever before, there is a huge need and big profit in being able to utilize a broader pool of skills, talent and perspectives that reside within the organization.

The research has spoken and diversity inclusion practices increases employee morale, lessens turnover and lawsuits, improves promotion and retention rates and improves a company’s public image. Talent management officers should address how diverse talent is being utilized, managed, mentored and groomed to succeed. How well an organization grows and develops is in large part determined by how well an organization uses its human assets.

Talk to me and let me know how you have been able to overcome some of the challenges surrounding diversity inclusion. Follow me DGSBlogger on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DGSBlogger

By Suzen Pettit

Not sure what I was thinking when I agreed to join a BNI (Business Networking International) group in my neighborhood, other than the idea of a networking group based solely on the idea of giving and receiving referrals, with none of the froo- froo attached to it, none of the dancing around….seemed so appealing. If you read my last post about my networking group challenges you’ll get what I’m talking about. So when my “Computer Troubleshooter” Rick Van Akin suggested that if I wanted to grow my business I should come to his BNI meeting just to “check it out” I thought, why not?

Little did I know at the time, or perhaps I just wasn’t listening, that the meetings began at 7 AM. AM? I thought he’d said PM. AM??? AM it was, and when I emailed the president to see just how formally attired I needed to be at 7 AM I was bummed out to hear that yoga pants were really not an option, unless of course I was a yoga instructor. I briefly considered switching careers. So I’d be lying if I said that I was ecstatic about attending my first meeting. Grumbling under my breath, I made it to the first meeting with seconds to spare, leaving my daughter to figure out how to get herself dressed, fed and to the school bus on her own. Third graders can do that in this country, can’t they? Kidding, she’s 11. Kidding again- she’s a teenager. Much more dangerous than a third grader.

That being said, and much to my surprise, I was blown away by the meeting. Seriously. I filled out an application and interviewed for the group, after my second visit. You’re only allowed 2 visits before having to decide, and even then there’s an application process.

Here’s my top 6 reasons why I joined the Super 7 BNI and you should join one too:

1. They mean business. And I mean business. They aren’t kidding about giving and receiving referrals. At the end of each meeting members are expected to go around the tables and with everyone witnessing, either offer a testimonial, a referral or a thank you to at least 1 person in the group. No slouchers allowed. Our eyes are all upon you.

2. You are held accountable- In a good way! Members are expected to make it to most of the weekly meetings- only 3 absences are allowed within a 6 month period without obtaining a substitute. It’s a structured group (although we do manage to have fun…). Commitment is expected of the group, and it pays off. If you are perceived as being serious about giving and receiving business referrals, and about satisfying customers that have been referred to you, business leads follow. Performing quality work is an expectation. After all, you need to look at these people in the eye at 7 AM each and every week. Therefore the weeding is taken care of, and a good group will end up with quality professionals who they can feel confident referring to their network. And parents.

3. The motto, originated by BNI founder Ivan Misner is that “Givers Gain”. Who doesn’t love that? Instead of the typical networking and “salesy” philosophy of “what can you do for me today”, in BNI we switch things up to a much more Buddhist way of thinking, in that if you are always thinking of ways, and of people to “give” business to, eventually it will come around. And 9 out of 10 times it does. Truly. Try doing it in your own life outside of a BNI and you will prove this to yourself. Give selflessly. It’s Karma, baby.

4. We get to hone our presentation skills: At every meeting folks get an opportunity to give a 60 second elevator speech (hate that term) about what a good lead would be for them that day, and at each meeting the members rotate an opportunity to give a “marketing minute” and a 10 minute presentation where they really get to present their “thang”. Why should someone hire this person? You’ll find out at the 10 minute presentation, and you’ll have a chance to really hone your delivery. Great presentation skill building. Who needs Toastmasters?

5. Only one professional of each profession allowed per group. If you’re admitted into the group, you are the sole financial advisor, life insurance agent, realtor, etc., which obviously encourages referrals. It’s easy to form strategic alliances and spheres of influences this way. Again, accountability is key however. We’re all counting on quality work being performed as it reflects back on us.

6. We’re out by 8:30 AM with the day in front of us. The funny thing is, most of us have a lot to talk about after the meeting and don’t want to go. If you’re lucky you’ll get into a great group like ours, who really enjoy one another’s company and use the power of BNI to grow our businesses both on site and off.

I’m really happy this great group of professionals allowed me to grace them with my presence. I’ve never looked back, gladly pay the dues, and in the one short year that I’ve been a member it has helped grow my business exponentially. Who couldn’t use that?

Suzen Pettit
www.omaginarium.com
www.omaginehealth.com
203 733 8578
Get Found, Get Heard, Get Crackin’

Couple Offers Tips for Love and Happiness (Hint: Fun Matters)

Barack and Michelle do it. Brad and Angelina do it. John and Yoko did it. How?

As the divorce rate hovers near an estimated 50 percent in the United States, many blame career stress as a major cause of separations. But somehow some couples grow stronger, especially when they work together.

One couple who have worked together for nearly a decade in the stressful world of theater, producing Off-Broadway plays, has decided to share their secrets.

“In part, it is because we work together that our bond has strengthened after 10 years of marriage,” says Jamillah Lamb, co-author along with her husband, David, of Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together.

The couple has worked together professionally in their stage company, Between The Lines Productions, Inc., for nine years. But the Lambs say even couples who aren’t business partners are working together every day; because being in any relationship requires negotiating, compromising, and decision-making. Just think about the last time you had to decide whose mother’s house you were going to for Christmas or where you were going to go for vacation or even which movie you were going to see last weekend.

“We get more opportunity to grow together because, between home and work, we’re making 100 decisions a day instead of 10,” Jamillah says.

The couple live by their guiding rule, “Love like kids, act like adults.”

“That means to love freely and completely, without a fortress around your heart, and behave responsibly,” David says.

A crucial ingredient for any successful marriage is friendship, the Lambs say. Here are some of their tips:

• Enjoy life: Some couples won’t go to theme parks until they have children. But letting one’s inner child out to play with their partner’s inner child strengthens a relationship’s bond.

• Forgive the small stuff: No one is always right, and no one wants to be around someone who always needs to be right.

• Appreciate individuality: Everyone needs to have their own identity, including those in a long-term relationship and couples who work together. David enjoys his comic book collection, while Jamillah keeps a library of romance novels.

• Do not misdirect anger: In psychology, it’s called transference; dumping your bad day on someone else. It is poison for any relationship.

• Remember your love: Couples may fight, but guard what you say. There’s no need for ugliness even when you disagree.

Couples need to remember relationships take work, but they can also be a blast of fun, David says.

“Love is worth the sacrifice,” they agree. “Today, with stories of celebrity couples walking away after only days of marriage and even more people living as though sacrifice is nearly a curse word, we say: ‘It’s worth the sacrifice.’ For us, it means that we are willing to give up something that we thought was valuable or important for something even more important: love and our happiness.”

Love is, in part, the acknowledgement and deep appreciation for another human being, Jamillah says.

“Couples should never take each other for granted,” she advises. “In love, as in business, everyone wants to be appreciated. The simplest gesture can go a long way to help your significant other feel like they are making a significant contribution to your life, your family, or your business.”

David and Jamillah Lamb have been married for 10 years. They founded and have run Between The Lines Productions, Inc. since 2003. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., David attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and New York University School of Law. He is the playwright of “Platanos y Collard Greens.” Jamillah Lamb grew up in the same Chicago neighborhood as first lady Michelle Obama. She earned her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard. Together they wrote Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving to share what they have learned as successful partners in love and in business.They live in Brooklyn with their daughter.

Five thousand years ago, people relied on rivers to provide pathways of commerce, of connection, of community.

Back in ancient Egypt, commerce was advanced by travelling Merchant Priests. These priests were trained to regard business a sacred practice, rather than just a financial transaction. It was considered a vehicle by which both vendors and customers could raise their vibrational consciousness, contribute to their communities and, ultimately, create their self-actualization.

The Merchant Priests were responsible for maintaining balance and flow of abundance with people and amongst communities. Business was their channel for making sure that there was a healthy flow of goods through and across the population geographically and amongst economic levels so that there was consistency in experiencing wealth.

They considered goods as a measure of energy vs. being a profit center; their emphasis was on prosperity as a practice and trust was the keystone of good business. Even more fascinating is that these merchant priests traded in precious goods as determined by their ability to carry positive energetic frequencies rather than focusing on their financial value.

This is radically different from today’s marketplace where you can find and exchange anything and everything, much of it without energetically supportive qualities or in a way that honors the connection as the sacred trust it actually represents.

The Merchant Priests were concerned with the overall health and well-being of the collective community and could actually monitor and manage the psychic tone of their culture, much like we rely on the stock market to tell us how our economy is doing. Sacred commerce, or the merchant priesthood, is the foundation and the future of business.

Business is a symbol for the health of our collective community. It’s an accelerator of cultural evolution and personal expansion. By allowing your spiritual practice to come through your business and online presence, you are walking the path of your divine purpose. By unifying your life and your livelihood, you are increasing your ability to contribute in a more powerful and profound way to your growth, your legacy and the greater good.

When you look at how you’ve been approaching your business especially online (using the river of life), and how people have been doing business with you, is it in integrity with higher consciousness? Or is it just a way to make money?

If it doesn’t feel good to think about your business in the light of sacred commerce, consider this your invitation to become a modern-day virtual Merchant Priest. You, your business, and everyone you touch along your Internet river, will benefit.

Making the most of human nature since 1998, Lynn Scheurell believes that business is your highest calling made manifest through service. By teaching the art of sacred entrepreneuring, she bridges the transformational gap that each business owner encounters in their journey toward conscious, and often dramatic, results. By honoring your natural gifts and living to what really matters, all choices become a purposeful expression of personal destiny which creates dramatic results quickly in both life and business. Learn more at www.MyCreativeCatalyst.com.

Seven Power Questions to Help You Become a Bankable Star

Hollywood’s biggest stars mean blockbuster movies and big bucks for movie  executives, and that’s why these stars are in such high demand. Is this how prospective clients in your market view you or your company? If not, Andrew Sobel has a few tips to help you become the “Bankable Star” of your industry.

“Get me Will Smith!” “We need Sandra Bullock!” “Call George Clooney!”

These mega-stars are known throughout the world. Fans love them for their big personalities and their blockbuster movies, but in Hollywood, they’re known for the cha-ching! sound studio executives and investors hear whenever they’re cast in a new film. In the movie industry, the Will Smiths, Sandra Bullocks, and George Clooneys of the world are known as “Bankable Stars,” a term used to describe an actor who can give investors utter confidence that they will achieve a return on their money by ensuring a large box-office draw. They are rare, highly sought after, and earn the highest fees in the industry.

The truth is there are Bankable Stars in almost every industry, notes Andrew Sobel. And when you can become the George Clooney of your market, it will be great for business.

“Just like the Bankable Stars you see in Hollywood, there are advisors and service providers in every market, who like their West Coast brethren are highly sought after and bring in very high fees,” says Sobel, coauthor along with Jerold Panas of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others . “I call them ‘Bankable Advisors.’ Some are individuals and some are firms. Regardless, clients love them.”

Sobel notes that examples of famous individual Bankable Advisors would include Alan Dershowitz (law), Ram Charan (board consulting), Jim Collins (CEO consulting), Marshall Goldsmith (CEO coaching), and so on. Examples of firms that historically have been Bankable Advisors could include Goldman Sachs (initial public offerings), McKinsey (strategy consulting), and IBM (computing). There are also individual Bankable Advisors who work inside Bankable Firms—a good example is Bain’s loyalty expert Fred Reichheld.

“Fortunately, you don’t have to be a global eminence to achieve bankable status,” says Sobel. “Regardless of your profession, in your particular market niche, you can become a Bankable Advisor without the galactic notoriety of Good to Great author Jim Collins. In fact, I can give you two great examples from my own network.

“One is a sales executive who is considered the ‘most connected’ individual in the industry he serves. He’s seen to be at the crossroads of market information—he always knows who is up, who is down, and what the latest market trends are. Executives eagerly await his calls and visits. Another is a friend of mine who runs an upscale travel agency—yes, they still exist!—that caters to a demanding New York clientele. He knows the best, hottest places to go virtually anywhere in the world and is the go-to luxury travel advisor for many wealthy businesspeople. You might be surprised to learn he owns and rents out four luxury apartments in Manhattan right now.”

So how do you become a Bankable Advisor who is sought after, earns high fees, and rarely has to go searching for clients because great clients come to you? Here are seven power questions you must ask and answer to move yourself towards bankability in the business world:

1. Do you offer clients utterly consistent quality, again and again? You must build a reputation for consistent delivery, year in and year out. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley lead the IPO market because they are perceived to have reliably procured capital, at the right price, to hundreds of newly listed companies. “On the other hand, I’ve had clients who had so many historic quality issues that they struggled to come up with reliable references when asked for their names by prospects,” notes Sobel. “As a result, their margins have been cut, and they face endless ‘Requests for Proposal.’ They are not bankable! I’ve heard this quality message from dozens of top executives as they’ve talked about their most trusted advisors: ‘You have to deliver, deliver, deliver; and over time, my trust in you builds up.’”

2. Are you a thought leader in your market? Some Bankable Advisors earn their stripes through writing books. “But there are other ways of building a reputation as a thought leader,” says Sobel. “You can achieve this through deep industry focus, for example—by speaking at industry forums, writing articles for professional publications, and being known as the consultant to industry leaders. A good example of this is Ernst & Young’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. Because the company has run the program every year for over 25 years, they own that space now. You must consistently engage in thought leadership activities over time—you can’t just write one article or hold one breakfast event and then declare victory. If you can produce, every year, a slow but steady stream of thoughtful perspectives on your chosen niche, you will notice a powerful ‘flywheel’ effect that grows every year.”

3. Is your name clearly associated with a powerful value proposition? Like movie stars, Bankable Advisors have a specific value proposition that people associate with them. For actor Liam Neeson, it’s delivering an “intelligent” action film, whereas for author Jim Collins, it’s helping companies become great. “Your public value proposition may not define everything you do with clients, but it’s the tip of the spear that you’re best known for,” explains Sobel. “Mine, for example, is ‘Helping companies and individuals develop their clients for life.’ Without a recognizable value proposition, you risk becoming a commodity—just another tradable expert for hire.”

4. Do you have strong name recognition in your market? Bankable Advisors are well known! And in truth, most of them work very hard at getting their name out in the marketplace. When you’re bankable and potential clients in your geographic area, market niche, or industry segment think of your specialty, they think of YOU. “There is a multitude of ways to achieve this type of ‘marketing gravity,’ ranging from publishing to speaking to getting known as the advisor to top leaders in your industry,” says Sobel. “Google your own name—how many citations does it get? However known or unknown you are today, start planning two or three key activities that will increase your name recognition over the next 6-12 months.”

5. Are you selective about the clients you will take on? Bankable Advisors are scarce. When you work for everyone, it dilutes your brand. This has been the downfall of some fashion designers—remember Pierre Cardin, who put his name on everything in sight? However, attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Barry Scheck (the “DNA guy”) understand the scarcity principle and won’t take on just any client.

“Not just any small company can hire Morgan Stanley to do their IPO,” notes Sobel. “Think about the extreme case of Bruce Lee, the famed martial artist. He died right after his first Hollywood film was completed (Enter the Dragon), but he is still one of the most recognizable stars in the action flick genre. Most likely because he was extraordinary—probably the best in history—and also because his untimely death left us all wanting more. But let’s face it, after the tenth Jet Li movie, the fascination wears off…Bottom line: Bankable Advisors understand they shouldn’t spread themselves too thin. They turn down business that isn’t just right for them and their brand in the marketplace.”

6. Are your fees at the top of your field? As a result of (1) through (5), Bankable Advisors are able to charge high fees. But there is more to it than that. “Many researchers have demonstrated that high prices lead to high perceived value,” says Sobel. “Most people think that it’s the other way around—that you deliver high value and then you get high fees. But consider this: When you buy a luxury BMW, you EXPECT it to be fabulous. So on the road to becoming bankable, you enter into a virtuous circle of ever-higher perceived value and fees, with clients experiencing what they expect. One other thing happens: Part of your value comes from the fact that hiring you reduces risk for the person who has retained you. That was IBM’s huge advantage in the early days of the computer industry: No one ever got fired for buying IBM! In other words, you add value just by virtue of your bankable status.”

7. Do you ask the questions? Or are you “grilled” by potential clients who don’t really know who you are? When a film director calls George Clooney to discuss a potential movie project, who do you think is asking the tough questions? The star is. “The same applies in business,” notes Sobel. “When a CEO calls management guru and author Jim Collins, it’s Collins who is asking the questions about the CEO’s issues, his strategy, his organization, and so on. And here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait until you’re famous to put yourself in this position—you can do it right now, regardless of where you are in your career. When you’re the one with the thought-provoking, engaging questions in the conversation—be it with a brand new prospect or a longtime client—you immediately move yourself up a notch and gain control of the discussion. You quickly move from being a vendor who takes orders to a proactive, thoughtful advisor who is focused on helping clients achieve their most important goals.”

“Know this: There’s a natural progression of fame that you should expect and enjoy as you strive to become a Bankable Advisor,” says Sobel. “In fact, my coauthor, Jerry Panas, is the perfect example of what happens on this progression. Jerry is the undisputed Bankable Advisor in the field of philanthropy and fundraising. He’s written 13 books. Once, on behalf of a major non-profit client, he even solicited a major gift from the Duchess of Windsor. There is almost no one in the non-profit sector who hasn’t heard of Jerry. No board of trustees will ever be criticized for hiring Jerry and his firm.

“Here’s how the progression of Jerry’s career went:

‘Who’s Jerry Panas?’

‘Get me Jerry Panas!’

‘Get me a Jerry Panas-type!’

‘Get me a young Jerry Panas!’

And someday…‘Who’s Jerry Panas?’

“How far along are you on the progression from unknown expert-for-hire to Bankable Advisor?” asks Sobel. “Regardless of the answer, start thinking about the steps you need to take to move closer to being renowned in your particular market.”

About the Authors:

Andrew Sobel is the most widely published author in the world on client loyalty and the capabilities required to build trusted business relationships. His first book, the bestselling Clients for Life, defined an entire genre of business literature about client loyalty. In addition to Power Questions, his other books include Making Rain and the award-winning All for One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships.

Jerry Panas is executive partner of Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners, one of the world’s most highly regarded firms in the field of fundraising services and financial resource development. His firm has served over 2,500 client-institutions since its founding in 1968. Jerry’s clients comprise many of the foremost not-for-profit institutions in the world. They include every major university, museum, and healthcare center in the United States. Internationally, Jerry has advised organizations as diverse as the University of Oxford, The American Hospital in Paris, and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Mexico, the largest orphanage in the world.

To Increase Your Visibility and Your Success Starting Today

Tired of just being another business, another CEO, another sales representative? Want to be known as an expert and have businesses calling you to buy your products or services? Want to be the “go to” person for your industry? Want to be the top income producing sales person in route to the company paid vacation of your dreams?

Who do people gravitate to for business or advice? The answer – an expert. Ok, so you are thinking experts are well-known for their vast experience and they are highly visible. You are probably thinking that you don’t want to wait another five, ten, or fifteen years to gain expert status.

So, what if you could have some quick and easy ways to become an –

INSTANT EXPERT.

HAVE INSTANT VISIBILITY.

BE AN INSTANT SUCCESS.

Over the last several years, I have researched, read, asked questions, observed and basically made it my mission to find out how people become instant experts.

Here are the four (4) keys of those who are experts.

They Know Their Stuff. And, you probably do also. But experts know their business in a different way. They know statistics and interesting facts that relate to what’s happening in the overall business climate TODAY. They are able to tell interesting stories intermingled with hard factual statistics. They marry the “emotion” of the story with the “logic” of the facts. All purchasing decisions (100%) are either made with emotion or with logic or a combination of the both. So, within a few short sentences of a story, experts are able to connect at 100%. Experts can create a “purchase need” where none existed.

How do you put this all together? Well, you already know or at the very least know where to find the factual data you need. Take a few minutes and jot down a list of relevant examples to back up your facts. Now, just put them together like you are telling a story to an old friend. If you are new to this or feel uncomfortable, then write out the stories and factual data pretending you are writing a story about your industry or business. You may want to practice the story several times a day in the beginning or practice with a trusted friend or spouse. Then start trying it out as you begin meeting people. Gage their reaction to you and your story, and then adjust it until you get the reaction that you want. It’s that simple.

They Use Media. Stedman Graham (think Oprah) was asked if he had to bundle Oprah’s entire success into just one word, what would the word be? He responded with the word “media”. The more people you can reach to learn about your product or service, the more likely you are to make a sale. For the most part, as business people, we confuse media with advertising. There is a significant difference in the meaning of the terms. Traditional advertising such as newspaper ads, television commercials, radio spots, website banners, trade magazine ads, are all very effective, but are also very expensive. But, media does not equate to advertising. A timely article in the local newspaper costs you nothing. A feature article in your trade magazine costs you nothing. An interview on TV regarding an interesting topic costs you nothing. An interview on your local radio station costs you nothing, but your media exposure ($$$ value) is beyond measure.

To begin getting media exposure, start by writing an article for your local newspaper. Watch and listen to current news stories and find a good match for your expertise with the news stories of the day. For example, during the Gulf oil spill about a year ago, if your company did research on marine wildlife you could have written an article about how marine wildlife were effected by petroleum based products; or if your business was in human psychology, then you could have written a story on how people deal with crisis situations and offer suggestions that would have benefited those that are affected by disasters. Depending on your business, you could talk with the local newspaper and ask if they would be interested in running a series of articles about something your company specializes in – for example, if you are a financial planner, then you might suggest that you write a series of articles about how the changes in the new laws affect people’s retirement. You can also do the same for radio shows. Radio stations are always looking for new people to interview about relevant events. If you are scheduled to speak at an event, then you can invite your local media to attend the event or at the very least do an interview with you about the topic you will be presenting at the meeting. You can easily find a list of your current media contacts by doing a quick internet search. Be creative.

They Leverage Their Time. We all are familiar with ROI (return on investment), but how many of us understand the concept of ROT (return on time)? Here’s an example: a financial planner was doing an average job of getting new clients, but she was frustrated at only being able to write so many new clients a day until she started using the power of leveraged time. Instead of contacting one or two potential new clients per day – otherwise known as cold calling or sometimes warm calling (a referral), she decided to leverage her time and attract clients that wanted her services. She worked out a partnership with another similar, but not competitive, businesses and set up local informational programs of 20-25 people per session who were seeking information and knowledge about investments and retirement planning. So instead of cold-calling for several hours a day, she spent time with 20-25 people per session who were interested in financial planning services. Think about it, who would be building their client portfolio faster- the person who does one to two cold calls per day or the person who is getting 20-25 hot lead per hour? This lady is now one of the top six (6) professional financial planners in the United States.

A good question to ask is “what action will put me closest to the money?” Experts value their time and they understand the value of their time. This means that you must take a good, hard look at how you are spending your time right now. Start spending your time on things that are critical to your success and ditch, delegate, or revamp everything else.

They Are Visible. Visibility is visibility and it can be achieved in many different ways. You can have your own website (or a special page attached to your company’s website with more detailed information about you, with your company’s permission of course), you can belong to LinkedIn, Twitter, or Face Book or other internet social networking sites. You can write articles for local papers or your trade industry. You can write a special report and email it to your existing clients or others who you want to become your clients. You can write an article for internet dispersion (vertical marketing) that can be picked up by newspapers, TV and radio stations, or anyone who writes blogs or e-zines with a link back to you, the expert. You can quickly become a speaker at local events or within your trade industry. All you need to do is pick interesting and timely topics. Most meeting and conference planners are looking for speakers.

Another way to increase your visibility is to be nominated for awards and then announce that you have been nominated for the award. Don’t be afraid to nominate yourself for an award, that’s actually the way most people get nominated. Then announce again if you win the award.

Also, add to the back of your business card when reprinted (or add a clear label to your current card with key words or a personal tag line you want your customers to remember). One of the best ones I have seen is a regional pharmaceutical representative whose tag line is “I Sell Drugs”. I have only met him once in my life and that was several years ago, but still to this day, I can picture his face and I would know him anywhere, anytime, and I would know exactly what he sells. This is an extreme example, but you get the point.

Now, I always like to give more than I promise. So here’s a bonus tip.

Experts Get Invited to do Joint Ventures: By using these four (4) keys, you can quickly obtain expert status.

Your next step after becoming “an expert” is incredible business opportunities through joint venturing. Joint ventures are business partnership created with reputable business people that create a win-win situation for both businesses as well as their customers. Remember, the theory of six degrees of separation. What used to be considered “pie in the sky” or “unthinkable partnerships” for businesses are within the reach of all businesses today. Joint ventures offer new ways of introducing your product to new markets or through new marketing channels. For example, a lady who wrote a simple little book of the 100 reasons she was glad to have her Mom, through a series of introductions, did a joint venture with one of the largest gift card companies as part of their Mother’s Day offer. The lady received a check for six figures and the gift card company had a huge “special promotion — gift with purchase” for their customers. The gift card company also made a huge profit on the venture.

As an expert your opportunities are endless – paid speaking engagements – authoring a book, being sought after for interviews on national TV, being contracted for prime consulting assignments, or a vast multitude of other incredible opportunities.

Don’t wait to become an expert. Try these four (4) simple ways to gain the status of “expert” almost overnight.

Debra J. “Debbie” Cunningham is the President and CEO of Evergreen Business Strategies located in Williamstown, WV. She is a certified business coach and consultant providing strategic guidance for business owners who want to make huge leaps in their business and personal revenue and in their lifestyles. Visit her website at www.evergreen-business-strategies.com for a list of upcoming programs and F.R.E.E. resources including “15 Quick and Easy Ways to Increase Your Visibility Right Now!

By Yvonne DiVita

The phrase “Resistance is Futile” comes from the old Star Trek TV series. In it, the Borg, described in Wikipedia as “a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms,” travel the universe with the goal of assimilating other races into their “hive”. Their success rate is legendary.

It’s Futile to Resist… women shoppers

I maintain that women are the New Borg. We have the power and the reach to assimilate any and all products and services – and if you do not bend to our will, we will take our handbags and wallets and embrace (assimilate) your competitors.

Technology is one reason we’re able to do this. Technology, via social media, has given us a way to connect with each other across vast distances. It’s enabled us to talk to each other, all day, every day, about … well, anything. But, the reality is much simpler. Women like to share. We used to meet at the village well – to gossip and chat and share childcare or marriage advice. We used to have coffee klatches where we would share baking recipes and more. Today, we have blogs and twitter and Facebook, and we do the very same things there that we did at the well or in coffee klatches, but today – our power has grown exponentially by virtue of the size of our networks. And today, we also talk business.

Think of it this way, women shop after dropping the kids off at soccer practice, or in front of their computer, after the kids are in bed. Their weapon is the click of a mouse, their power is infinite – each one of them is connected to hundreds of others, who are connected to hundreds of others, and on and on, to infinity. There is nothing cybernetic about them, but they control your whole world with their fingertips; your business success, your product development, even what kind of car you drive. They watch what you do, what you say, and how you treat their friends. And they gather in flocks to talk about you – day after day. To ignore them is futile!

Accepting women as the New Borg is not as hard or as scary as it sounds. A recent report by One Up Web, showed that in 2008, 94.1 million blog readers and 55 million users on Facebook were creating “earned content” (content not bought like traditional advertising also sometimes referred to as user-generated content) and attracting the major search engines in a big way. One Up Web noted that is it no longer enough to optimize your website – now you must optimize “your online presence.” If search has been assimilated—how can you resist?

It’s time to accept that user-generated content makes the ultimate decision on who you are. And Google listens! http://www.oneupweb.com/landing/09_searchhaschanged/ It’s time to understand that women are a masters at user-generated content. Women from all walks of life; mommy bloggers, professionals, consultants, cooks, physicians, and more. These are women who have a lot to share and could be sharing you and your business, if you but give them the right opportunity to do so.

Customer Engagement: SOP in a Web 2.0 World

This does not mean you should jump on the social media bandwagon with both feet, eyes closed in fear, as it careens down the bumpy path of authenticity and open, honest conversations. It does not mean thinking “pink” or adding a “for women only” link to your services page. It means working with professionals who can teach you best practices, work with you to establish measurable ROI (yes, there is a measurable ROI to social media), and ultimately, guide you through that learning curve, relevant to the ways women are gathering online. Lesson One: You must be willing to talk with your women customers, not at them. Take the time to learn how your women customers are using social media tools. Engage them where they are, not where you’d like them to be. http://www.booksblogsandbeyond.com/2009/03/following-a-leader-into-web-20.html

Cheap and Free, it’s Not

In a February 2009 article for Businessweek Online, social media expert, BL Ochman debunked six media myths surrounding social media. Her #1 myth, “Social media is cheap, if not free” stands out as a prime misconception about social media (which is why it’s #1, of course!).

According to BL, the tools of engagement – the YouTubes, the Flickrs, the Nings, the Diggs and their like – offer free versions, indeed. But, to what end, one must ask? Her answer: “…integrating these tools into a corporate marketing program requires skill, time, and money. The budget for an effective social media marketing campaign begins at $50,000 for two to three months.”

That’s two to three months of work – not a week of throwing up a blog, followed by a week of showing off your VP of Sales singing “High Hopes” on YouTube. It’s dedicating time and resources – to learning how to approach and embrace women online. If you accept that it’s futile to resist, that women are now and will always be a positive focus for your business, you are on the path to success. Ignore this growing voice online to your own detriment. They will discover your lack of attention. And they will tell Google – which will ultimately make you invisible.

It’s time to stop whining about the economy. Think, instead, about women and marketing and how they’re so comfortable online. Know that women want to work with you, buy what you sell – just on their terms, not yours. Put yourself in their hands and watch your profits soar. It’s truly futile to resist a compelling force that can work wonders for you – if you just let it!

In addition to being one of the 100 Women in Ecommerce for 2012, Yvonne DiVita is President, Windsor Media Enterprises, Inc. Visit her at Lipsticking, a blog about Marketing to Women Online www.lipsticking.com and follow her on twitter: @lipsticking

By Marsha Friedman

We recently lost a legend, boxing coach and trainer Angelo Dundee, the cornerman for world heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali.

I’m a huge fan of world championship boxing – and boxing doesn’t get huger than Ali!

He was one of the great athletes who relied on “Angie” to advise him in the ring. Neither Ali nor Sugar Ray Leonard, both powerful and gifted, were crazy enough to think they could win all by themselves.

And yet, look at how many of us make that very mistake!

I published Celebritize Yourself in the spring of 2009. At the time, I’d been in public relations for nearly 19 years. My book was a how-to, based on my experience, for building yourself as an expert in your field – an expert celebrity, if you will. Part of the method in my book is how to get lots of media exposure and how to be a great guest. Hello!? Of course I didn’t need anyone’s help with media for Celebritize Yourself! And even if I thought I did, how foolish would that look – the PR expert getting help with her PR?

But the reality is, we all need a coach. Ali and Leonard needed Coach Dundee. Giants quarterback Eli Manning needed Coach Tom Coughlin on Super Bowl Sunday. Tiger Woods has a swing coach and he had a life coach, his dad Earl Woods. Judging from the way things turned out after the elder Woods passed away, Tiger still needed a life coach.

When I set out to develop my media message for Celebritize Yourself, I found it a much bigger challenge than I’d expected. What comes completely naturally for me in helping clients was not at all natural when it came to my own book. Spending months immersed in writing will do that to a person. I became so involved in writing, I had a hard time stepping back and objectively assessing the options.

So I called my good friend Lee Habeeb, a media coach to many of the stars of talk radio: Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt and Bill Bennett.

Lee readily came to my rescue – and assured me that getting some coaching for my own book promotion was not only quite all right, it was essential. We spent many hours discussing critical messages he saw in Celebritize Yourself that I never would have spotted on my own – being too blinded by the trees to have any view of the forest. We worked on sound-bite answers and alternate ways to get my message out. He shared experiences from his days as executive producer of The Laura Ingraham Show, when guests would be cut short because of how boring they were or their infomercial approach. All good lessons from a pro.

So often I’ve heard writers and entrepreneurs, some of whom have spent years on their projects, say they plan to “handle the marketing” alone after they’ve finally finished. That’s like entering a crowded playing field wearing blinders. When you’re so close to what you’ve created, when you’ve been living with it in your head for so long, it’s difficult to see the full spectrum of marketing angles and possibilities.

Your novel about brothers fighting against each other in the Civil War could also make you the perfect person to talk about patriotism, family, fraternal bondsand the importance of standing up for personal convictions.

Your supplement for joint pain could be a springboard for a Valentine’s Day talk radio discussion of enjoying romance despite chronic pain; it could become an article with tips for exercises to supplement the supplement; it could even turn into a story about active grandparenting.

After you’ve poured heart and soul into a book, product or business, at the very least, get some coaching from friends who know your project, or fellow writers and entrepreneurs who have had their own successes. Best of all would be finding people with experience in the media. Brainstorm the possibilities for publicizing your effort and you’ll soon see the potential for angles and messages that are far greater than you might have imagined alone.

If you’ve set high goals and you’re serious about the results, consider hiring a professional. It worked for Muhammad Ali!
Marsha Friedman is a 21-year veteran of the public relations industry and a sought after national public speaker on the power of publicity. She is the founder and CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.GuaranteedNationalPR.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy, promotion and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is also the author of the book, Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business. When she is not running her business, she has Cherish the Children, a non-profit foundation that helps under-privileged local foster children.

10 Things You Need to Know (Now!) About Successful Networking

Many people spend a lot of time and energy trying to make effective business connections, only to find that their networking is not working. Vickie Milazzo shares her insight on how to build meaningful relationships with the right people.

In the business world, we’re often advised to network. Interested in changing careers? Network! Need to attract some new clients? Network! Wish you had a knowledgeable mentor? Network! The fact is, networking is a valuable and effective tool that can enrich and advance your career…when you use it properly. The problem, according to Vickie Milazzo, is that many of us are wasting our time with a type of networking that is not working.

“I see many people investing a lot of time and energy into meeting new people and making those people like them,” says Milazzo, author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman.  “The problem is, they’re making connections with the wrong people or they’re approaching the right people the wrong way…or both!”

Milazzo has a great deal of experience on which to base her observations. As the founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar company, she didn’t achieve her current level of success by having breakfast with the same 16 people every Wednesday. She cultivated selective relationships with careful planning.

“I started my professional life as a nurse, and I later started a company that consults with attorneys on medical-related cases,” Milazzo recalls. “People often comment that I must have known a lot of attorneys when I started my business, but the truth is, I didn’t. I didn’t live in their neighborhoods or get invited to their parties. What I did do was reinvent traditional networking.

“To see good results, you need to know what type of person can help you and where you can meet these individuals,” she explains. “You also need to build meaningful relationships once you do meet the right people. It’s all about being smart and being selective.”

If you’re ready to put an end to “not”working and see the results you want, read on for five of Milazzo’s tips:

Don’t just socialize—select. Perhaps because the strategy is so ubiquitous, many people confuse networking with simply being friendly. Any time you meet new people and make new connections, the thinking goes, you’re adding on to your social circle and thus networking. But according to Milazzo, that line of thought is stretching it a little thin. True networking isn’t “just” hanging out and being friendly—it’s meeting the right people.

“Once again, I want to stress the importance of being selective when you’re trying to network,” she says. “Think about it: you can chat and laugh and make friends all day—and that’s great for your social life. But unless your new buddies are also connected to you professionally, your efforts won’t have an effect on your resume. Remember, successful people are selective about where and with whom they network. They don’t expect a block party to change their businesses. Instead, they research what they need, they locate its source, and then they connect.”

Make sure your group makes sense. Understanding that the neighbors’ cocktail party isn’t an opportunity to network is Step One. Step Two is realizing that even among professionals, you must still continue to be selective. In other words, you won’t necessarily find the people you need at your typical networking social hour. You must create a personalized network of colleagues, clients, consultants, vendors, and acquaintances on whom you can depend to give you anything from information to referrals.

Get outside your comfort zone. Generally, we tend to gravitate toward people who are similar to us: people who think similarly, who find similar things fun, and who are in similar walks of life. That’s fine when it comes to your friendships, but you need to aim higher when it comes to networking. Over 60 percent of people find jobs through networking, for example, and you can bet that most of them didn’t achieve this goal because they knew someone at the bottom of the pecking order.

“No, I’m not advocating snobbery,” Milazzo clarifies. “It’s normal to gravitate toward people who are the same as you—but in business, one of the main reasons why people don’t get ahead is that the don’t get out of their groups. Make every effort to meet people who are a rung or two higher than you on the professional ladder. If you impress someone who is more successful than you are, they’ll have a lot more influence than someone whose position is equivalent with yours.”

Know when to move on. You’ve heard of beating a dead horse…but when it comes to networking, that saying could be amended to “mining a dead prospect.” In other words, no matter how selective you were on the front end, don’t make the mistake of giving any particular individual or group all of your time if you aren’t seeing results or getting quality advice.

Instead of casting a wide net, go after individual fish. When you cast a wide net, you might garner a large number of possible contacts, but chances are you won’t be able to spend enough time building a relationship with each of them in order to make it a worthwhile networking experience. “However, when you try to hook individual fish, focusing on one or two specific contacts at a time, you can build stronger, more meaningful relationships,” says Milazzo. “You’ll get to know their wants and needs and they’ll have a better understanding of yours.”

Develop a system for keeping up with details. How often have you attended a conference or other event, met a bunch of different people, and then returned home without cultivating any of those relationships? In fact, you probably went right into planning mode for the next event on your schedule. “Instead, put the information you learn from and about people to work,” advises Milazzo. “There are tons of apps and other software available today that can help you keep up with important details about people immediately after you meet them. When you meet someone knew, take note (electronically) of what the person looked like, what you discussed, and one or two things you found unique about that person. That way the next time you speak with him or if you want to reach out after the event, you can mention something that will personally interest him, allowing you to make a stronger, more lasting connection.”

Manage the follow up. Rubbing elbows at one or two events with a new contact does not automatically create a beneficial relationship. How you follow up with that contact is just as important as how you made your first impression. “When you do check in with a new contact, find a way to create value,” recommends Milazzo. “Send her an article that you think might interest her or connect her with someone you know who might be a potential new customer for her or who might be able to help her with her business. Tell her you recently put a piece of her advice to work, and thank her for her valuable insight on the matter. When you do these things, you create reasons to stay in touch and that’s a great way to keep the relationship growing.”

Don’t wait until you need something to follow up. Remember, the new relationships you’re forging aren’t all about you trying to get anything and everything you can out of your contacts. Be careful that you’re not constantly reaching out to them always asking for this or that. “Show how you can benefit the person as well,” says Milazzo. “Simply waiting until you need something to reach out to the person will make him feel like you’re taking advantage of him.”

Network outside social media. While networking through social media is an important way to make a connection, it’s not the only way to maintain it. You can’t and shouldn’t depend on millions of LinkedIn connections and Facebook friends to do the trick. “Simply having an online connection with a huge group of people is not going to drive that much action for you,” notes Milazzo. “You have to connect with social media connections offline in order to really form meaningful relationships with them. Write them letters or thank you notes. Heck, actually pick up the phone and call them! A colleague recently told me that she met with a high level businessperson who told her he calls four different people in his network every morning just to reach out and see how they’re doing. The lesson learned? You simply can’t lose when you create a systematic way for staying in touch!”

Give as much as you get. Successful networking is a two-way street. Most of us start by asking for help and advice, but as we become more knowledgeable and successful, we gain the means to help others. Remember, success isn’t a monopoly: the more creative, intelligent, and effective people there are, the more successful your entire industry will be. Whenever possible, give younger (or at least more inexperienced) people a piece of advice or a leg up whenever you can.

“Ultimately, taking ‘not’working to networking isn’t difficult—it simply requires you to be smart about who you’re spending your time with. Always engage in powerful and meaningful networking, not just a pocketful of business cards and a glass of cheap white zinfandel. And never stop expecting high performance from your network—if it’s not productive move on!”

Vickie Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman WickedSuccess.com). From a shotgun house in New Orleans to owner of a $16-million business, Milazzo shares the innovative suc¬cess strategies that earned her a place on the Inc. list of Top 10 Entrepreneurs and Inc. Top 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America.

She is also the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn’t Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now.