We all know that there are certain attributes that all successful business owners possess. Taking action and acting on the ‘urgent’ issues are two such characteristics that really define those who do well.
I don’t know abut you but I have had days where I have felt really busy, but at the end of the day I didn’t feel like I’d really accomplished anything. These are the days when I have been ineffective working on all the ‘important’ things like, answering my emails, filing, tidying my desk, posting messages on facebook page etc - but where has it really got me?
Here are three questions to help you decipher the important tasks from the urgent.
1. “If I could only do three things today, what would I feel the most fulfilled in doing?”
2. What impact will these things have on growing or developing my business? In the short term, long term and in my overall vision?
3. What action am I going to take right NOW?
And if you are still reading, I hope the story below motivates you into action.
A Mumpreneur came home from work late again. She was tired and feeling irritated. Her 7-year old daughter was waiting for her at the door.
Daughter: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'
Mum: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the mum.
Daughter: 'Mummy, how much do you make in an hour?'
Mum: 'That's none of your business. The mum said angrily.
Daughter: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, what do you make in an hour?'
Mum: 'Fine. I make £30 an hour.'
Daughter: ' Oh’, the little girl replied, with her head down. 'Mummy, may I please borrow £15.00?'
The Mother was mad, 'If the only reason you asked me is so you can borrow some money to buy some silly toy or some other nonsense, then you can march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such selfish behaviour.' The little girl quietly went to her room and closed the door.
The mumpreneur sat down and felt even more angry about her daughters' questions. How dare she ask such questions to get some money? After about an hour or so, the mum had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something she really needed with the £15.00 and she really didn't ask for much money.
The mum went to the door of the little girl's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep?' She asked. 'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the little girl. 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the mum. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the £15 you asked for.'
The little girl sat up straight, smiling. 'Oh, thank you mummy!' she yelled. Then, reaching under her pillow she pulled out some crumpled up notes. The mum saw that the little girl already had money, she started to feel angry again. The little girl slowly counted out her money, and then looked up at her mum. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mum grumbled. Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little girl replied.
'Mummy, I have £30 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
Remember, you've got a life to live so getting your work done IS urgent otherwise you (and those you love) pay the price.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Monday, 23 March 2009
Just Who Do You Think You Are Emailing?
A couple of weeks ago now, I attended one of the South’s biggest business events. As with most of these events, exhibitors were out to generate leads. Each and every stand focused on attracting visitors by enticing them with a variety of incentives from competitions to prize draws. To participate all I had to do was simply drop my business card in the box provided.
I quite expected a few follow up emails or even telephone calls from any of the companies. By sharing my contact details I was basically giving my ‘permission’ to be contacted.
And indeed I did receive a few emails offering me additional services or inviting me to attend further events. This is all part of the marketing strategy and one I also use at events to further grow my database to ensure I always have a full pipeline of prospects and new leads to market to.
What wasn’t so good was receiving an email that openly showed 200+ other contacts (some of which are on my mailing list) in the cc box from a company I’d never heard of. This kind of ‘spamming’ raises suspicion, it angers and bottom line is it doesn’t work!
If you are going to use email marketing then it must be permission based. It might take longer to build your list but the quality of leads is far more important than the amount of subscribers.
Evidence shows, that permission based email lists deliver far better results, fewer unsubscribes, blocks or spam complaints.
If you are looking for better response rates and want to build trust with your prospects – be careful who you send your mailings to.
Recommended reading “Permission Marketing” Seth Godin
I quite expected a few follow up emails or even telephone calls from any of the companies. By sharing my contact details I was basically giving my ‘permission’ to be contacted.
And indeed I did receive a few emails offering me additional services or inviting me to attend further events. This is all part of the marketing strategy and one I also use at events to further grow my database to ensure I always have a full pipeline of prospects and new leads to market to.
What wasn’t so good was receiving an email that openly showed 200+ other contacts (some of which are on my mailing list) in the cc box from a company I’d never heard of. This kind of ‘spamming’ raises suspicion, it angers and bottom line is it doesn’t work!
If you are going to use email marketing then it must be permission based. It might take longer to build your list but the quality of leads is far more important than the amount of subscribers.
Evidence shows, that permission based email lists deliver far better results, fewer unsubscribes, blocks or spam complaints.
If you are looking for better response rates and want to build trust with your prospects – be careful who you send your mailings to.
Recommended reading “Permission Marketing” Seth Godin
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Winning Women Network
Are you looking for fun, friendly and informal events where you can meet other like-minded business women?
Then our monthly networking group, 'Winning Women' is where you want to be.
We know that working from home can be isolating, so each month we offer a themed evening aimed at women in business where you can socialise, exchange ideas, grow and develop both personally and professionally.
We also know that networking is essential to the growth of any business.
We guarantee you will make new friends, have fun and go away feeling relaxed, refreshed, energised and super-productive!
Winning Women networking events are held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham from 7-9.30pm
Come and join us at our next WINNING WOMEN Meeting-Thursday March 26th 2009.
You and Your Business - Making A Great First Impression
With Image Consultant Penny Gregory,
It is often said that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, yet we are all judged by our appearance. Within just a few seconds of meeting us people start to form their opinion, so we owe it to ourselves and our businesses to create a great first impression.
During this evening, you will discover ways to dress to help make a positive impact on your prospective clients, helping to boost your self confidence and win you new business.
No Membership, just turn up, £7.00 on the door.
Then our monthly networking group, 'Winning Women' is where you want to be.
We know that working from home can be isolating, so each month we offer a themed evening aimed at women in business where you can socialise, exchange ideas, grow and develop both personally and professionally.
We also know that networking is essential to the growth of any business.
We guarantee you will make new friends, have fun and go away feeling relaxed, refreshed, energised and super-productive!
Winning Women networking events are held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham from 7-9.30pm
Come and join us at our next WINNING WOMEN Meeting-Thursday March 26th 2009.
You and Your Business - Making A Great First Impression
With Image Consultant Penny Gregory,
It is often said that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, yet we are all judged by our appearance. Within just a few seconds of meeting us people start to form their opinion, so we owe it to ourselves and our businesses to create a great first impression.
During this evening, you will discover ways to dress to help make a positive impact on your prospective clients, helping to boost your self confidence and win you new business.
No Membership, just turn up, £7.00 on the door.
Monday, 16 March 2009
What Shall I Post On My Blog Today? 3 Ways To Overcome Resistance To Blogging
One of the most common responses I hear when I suggest that my clients set up a blog is that they don’t know what to write about.
“I haven’t got anything to write about” is a popular retort, as is “I’m not very creative, I lack ideas for content.”
Having an online presence is fast on its way to becoming the norm, like it or not the internet is here to stay. So if you aren’t already making the most of your online presence then you are soon going to be left behind. Blogging is a great way to add a personal touch to your business and helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Now really is the time to embrace the changes in marketing by launching your own blog, my three quick and easy tips below will help you overcome your resistance to joining the millions of other online bloggers.
Pay attention to what your clients are saying to you. Listen to the conversations and discover what their current problems or concerns are. Simple, you now have the topics to write about. I know you are passionate about helping your clients and blogging provides a great platform to support your clients and hit a much wider audience at the same time.
Don’t underestimate your knowledge. We all have huge amounts of great knowledge stored away in our memories. But don’t assume just because you have that knowledge that everyone else has too. Sometimes what seems obvious to you may be a completely new concept to someone else. Remember as a business owner you are a problem solver, your clients have sought you out because they regard you as an expert.
If you are still struggling for ideas why not approach your colleagues, use your contacts recycle articles, with their permission of course! It’s a win/win situation; it provides your colleague some free publicity and gives you the much needed content.
“I haven’t got anything to write about” is a popular retort, as is “I’m not very creative, I lack ideas for content.”
Having an online presence is fast on its way to becoming the norm, like it or not the internet is here to stay. So if you aren’t already making the most of your online presence then you are soon going to be left behind. Blogging is a great way to add a personal touch to your business and helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Now really is the time to embrace the changes in marketing by launching your own blog, my three quick and easy tips below will help you overcome your resistance to joining the millions of other online bloggers.
Pay attention to what your clients are saying to you. Listen to the conversations and discover what their current problems or concerns are. Simple, you now have the topics to write about. I know you are passionate about helping your clients and blogging provides a great platform to support your clients and hit a much wider audience at the same time.
Don’t underestimate your knowledge. We all have huge amounts of great knowledge stored away in our memories. But don’t assume just because you have that knowledge that everyone else has too. Sometimes what seems obvious to you may be a completely new concept to someone else. Remember as a business owner you are a problem solver, your clients have sought you out because they regard you as an expert.
If you are still struggling for ideas why not approach your colleagues, use your contacts recycle articles, with their permission of course! It’s a win/win situation; it provides your colleague some free publicity and gives you the much needed content.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Lights, Camera, ACTION
"Most people stop short of taking action; they spend more time thinking about
what they need to do and analysing it all. This wastes so much time and energy.
Time and energy that could be put to better use.”
I’ve been really busy over the last few weeks and I’m really pleased with all my achievements that are moving my business in the direction I want to go.
I’ve been working hard on my product creation and although still in early stages it’s getting very exciting. I’ve joined a new mentoring group that is sure to take my business to the next level and I am eagerly waiting to meet the other members of the group later this month. I have also been reflecting on how lucky I am.
Firstly how lucky I am to have such a great support network around me and secondly how none of this would have materialised if I hadn’t taken the necessary action.
In my world the two go hand in hand, as a mother of four I need the support network in place to ensure I have the time to take action. I am truly grateful to all those wonderful people who support me and bring so much into my life. One of the keys to making my support network really work for me is that I always ensure that I surround myself with upbeat, positive people.
The second aspect is taking action. Even if you have the best ideas in the world nothing will happen unless you are prepared to take action and sometimes that means stepping out side our comfort zones to reap the results you want.
Minimum action produces minimal results but, if you take massive action, then you will be rewarded with massive results.
Successful people know and understand that the major key to their success was taking massive action.
So are you playing around with your camera and lights or are you taking ACTION?
what they need to do and analysing it all. This wastes so much time and energy.
Time and energy that could be put to better use.”
I’ve been really busy over the last few weeks and I’m really pleased with all my achievements that are moving my business in the direction I want to go.
I’ve been working hard on my product creation and although still in early stages it’s getting very exciting. I’ve joined a new mentoring group that is sure to take my business to the next level and I am eagerly waiting to meet the other members of the group later this month. I have also been reflecting on how lucky I am.
Firstly how lucky I am to have such a great support network around me and secondly how none of this would have materialised if I hadn’t taken the necessary action.
In my world the two go hand in hand, as a mother of four I need the support network in place to ensure I have the time to take action. I am truly grateful to all those wonderful people who support me and bring so much into my life. One of the keys to making my support network really work for me is that I always ensure that I surround myself with upbeat, positive people.
The second aspect is taking action. Even if you have the best ideas in the world nothing will happen unless you are prepared to take action and sometimes that means stepping out side our comfort zones to reap the results you want.
Minimum action produces minimal results but, if you take massive action, then you will be rewarded with massive results.
Successful people know and understand that the major key to their success was taking massive action.
So are you playing around with your camera and lights or are you taking ACTION?
Monday, 2 March 2009
Why taking A Shower Is Good For Your Business
Have you ever noticed that when you take shower your thinking becomes crystal clear? My thoughts tend to flow so it comes as no surprise that the majority of my best ideas derive from my morning shower.
Take this morning for example, I sprung out of the shower with the answer to an issue that has been bothering me for a long time. Each time I consciously focused on this issue it appeared to magnify and I perceived it as a much bigger problem than it actually was.
So what is it that happens to our minds when we take a shower? I put this down to my ‘state’ as I freshen and revitalise myself under the constant stream of water. Typically I’m relaxed which allows my subconscious mind to meander through my thoughts. Often the result is an ‘Aha’ moment, coming out of the blue - totally surprising me, as I’m not consciously focusing on any one thing in particular.
So why does this happen? I liken taking a shower to some kind of meditative state, I’m 100% alert but relaxed at the same time - which in effect allows my thoughts to roam freely and tap into less frequently accessed neural pathways.
Just imagine what an impact it would have on our businesses if we could create this state more often, what services and products could be created, what magnetic marketing material we could write, there are no limits.
So next time you’re looking for a spot of inspiration or a solution to a nagging issue, can I suggest you take a shower!
Take this morning for example, I sprung out of the shower with the answer to an issue that has been bothering me for a long time. Each time I consciously focused on this issue it appeared to magnify and I perceived it as a much bigger problem than it actually was.
So what is it that happens to our minds when we take a shower? I put this down to my ‘state’ as I freshen and revitalise myself under the constant stream of water. Typically I’m relaxed which allows my subconscious mind to meander through my thoughts. Often the result is an ‘Aha’ moment, coming out of the blue - totally surprising me, as I’m not consciously focusing on any one thing in particular.
So why does this happen? I liken taking a shower to some kind of meditative state, I’m 100% alert but relaxed at the same time - which in effect allows my thoughts to roam freely and tap into less frequently accessed neural pathways.
Just imagine what an impact it would have on our businesses if we could create this state more often, what services and products could be created, what magnetic marketing material we could write, there are no limits.
So next time you’re looking for a spot of inspiration or a solution to a nagging issue, can I suggest you take a shower!
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