I SEE YOU

There’s no doubt that the movie Avatar has captured the imagination of millions. So what does a Hollywood film have to do with business owners? Three words: I SEE YOU. In the movie, Neytiri of Pandora looks straight into Sully’s eyes and says to him, “I see you.” Three simple words, yet such profound meaning. Now think about that for a moment. Imagine taking the time to say that to our customers, our vendors, our employees, our subscribers, and our partners.  My observations and life experiences lead me to believe that people have a desire to be acknowledged and treated with dignity and respect. Once you understand that, then you are in a position to better SERVE the people around you whether it be employees or customers. I realize that sounds so obvious, but I am amazed at how oftentimes, businesses just don’t seem to care. By saying, I see you, Neytiri  acknowledged Sully, she validated him, and she showed him that she cared.

I see you means so much more than its literal connotation. It means:

• I am listening to you, Partners, Affiliates and Vendors
• I understand your needs and wants Mrs. Customer
• How can I empower you, Employees
• How can I help you Fans, Followers, Friends
• How can I support you, Subscribers to my blog
• What can I do to serve you, Database of Prospective Buyers
• How can I thank you, Donors

I See You is about the Platinum Rule

Ultimately, I see you means, I am here for you . I care about you. It’s about understanding the needs and wants of the people around you. I see you is more than the Golden Rule — Treat Others the way YOU want to be treated. I see you is about the Platinum Rule — Treat others the way THEY want to be treated. Now, you might say that giving everyone the customized attention and care of the Platinum Rule is not cost effective or realistic, but what I would encourage you to think about is how you can better understand the people around you that help make your business successful.  It’s a known fact that people do business with people who they know, like, and trust.  What are you doing to see the people around you so that they rave about your products and services and refer more business your way? How are you showing them that you care? If you are having a hard time answering these questions, then it’s time to ask them whether it be your employees or customers. I recommend using survey monkey, an online survey tool. By surveying your team, customers, etc., you will get the feedback you need to guide you in the right direction. Lastly, unfortunately, this lack of caring does not seem to discriminate, whether it be big business or small business. Here is a perfect example of someone who felt like his airline did not “See Him.”

Reminder: Just 9 more days left to win an HP iPAQ Glisten SmartPhone.

As an online business training and software company, we often get a lot of  small business owners who come to us asking to help them grow their business online.

So I have put together 7 tips on creating an online presence for entrepreneurs:

1. Have a long term perspective about your brand. Word travels fast on the internet so be intentional about your activities online.

2. Do some market research. Find out where your customers are hanging out online and start contributing to the conversation using social media. If the majority of them are on Facebook, then start networking with them on Facebook. The point is to be highly targeted when connecting with your prospective customers online. Otherwise, you can easily waste a lot of time.

3. Put a simple marketing plan together. Putting your intentions to the written word is a powerful exercise that will help you achieve your goals. Be sure to include an action plan. Keep it simple by writing out who is responsible for what by when.

4. Play to your strengths. The point here is to keep it simple by doing what you are good at. Don’t make it so hard on yourself. If you are great at writing, then start a blog. If you are great at speaking, then start vlogging (video blog). Start with one thing that you are good at and then incorporate another thing once you’ve got the first one down.

5. Join industry groups online. There are a gazillion like-minded groups and industry associations on the internet. Check out what your industry is doing online and be sure to connect and network with your colleagues. You never know when a collaboration can turn into something that is mutually benefitting.

6. Track your results. By measuring the outcome of your actions you will see where you need to make improvements to get the results you are looking for. There are a ton of measurement tools on the internet to track your web traffic. Google analytics is a good place to start.

Hear the Answers in the Quietness

It seems that the world of Business Coaching is exploding just like Social Media Experts so I’ve put together 6 Key Questions to ask your Business Coach before you hire him/her:

1. How long have you been a coach/consultant full-time? You want to know how long this person has made a living for himself/herself as a business consultant or coach. While the old business paradigm is melting and new innovative ways of doing business online are emerging, the fundamentals of business, i.e., PROFIT are still relevant. Understanding how well someone has made a living for themselves as a coach will tell you volumes about how successful they have been in their profession. What industries have they coached in? What level? Executive/CEO or managerial? Small businesses, entrepreneurs, start-up and non-profits? What size of businesses have they coached? A $30,000 dollar a year company is a lot different than a 3 million dollar a year company.

2. Will you please provide me with your past and current references? I know this seems obvious, but you’d be surprise how many people don’t call on references. Testimonials are good, but you really should talk to someone who has been coached by this person bestowing their expertise. You also want to know how long the person being coached has been in business. In addition, you want to gauge how profitable they are. Now, this information will be a little hard to extract since most companies are private and won’t release that data. What they are more likely to tell you is how much revenue or sales they generated in one year. The problem with that is revenue only tells you one side of the story. An entrepreneur may have generated 2 million dollars in sales last year. However, if their expenses and overhead were 2.1 million, then they lost money. So, you need to do your due diligence and get creative in extracting that information. You may ask, “What’s your industry’s average profit margin and how profitable has your business been in relation to industry standards since you hired your Business Coach?”

3. How well do you understand technology and systems? There is no way getting around having a successful business today without the advice of an expert on key technologies and systems. Technology and systems are essential to business in today’s digital world. So, when hiring a business coach, make sure they know what they are talking about when it comes to advising you on what technologies and systems are best for your type of business. They don’t necessarily need to be the person implementing the systems and technologies, but they should at least be able to point you in the right direction to experts who can. Miss this question and you will certainly go down a deep rabbit hole of frustration and wasted time and money.

4. Will I be working with you or one of your “Trainers?” With the hyper-growth of the coaching business, many consultants are hiring trainers to help them with their clients. There is nothing wrong with that at all. You just need to be clear on who you will be working with. If it is one of their “trainers” then you will want to do your due diligence on that person as well. In addition, some coaching companies offer membership sites and group coaching. You will want to know how available and accessible the coach will be in those programs.

5. Are you in alignment with my values? Here is an example: Let’s say you are a “Green” business and you value the triple bottom line model, also known as the 3 P’s. Planet, People, Profit. So, would you hire a coach who has an over-excessive lavish lifestyle when you are clearly aware that mass consumption is bad for the environment?   Surround yourself with mentors, teachers, trainers, and coaches who are in alignment with your values.

6. Am I clear on the expectations between us? Having unclear and vague expectations is a recipe for the dreaded two D’s: DISASTER and DRAMA! Don’t ever assume anything. If you are not clear on the contractual agreement or offering, then be sure to ask before you buy. Please don’t buy into a coaching program only to find out that you can’t get out as smoothly as you got in.  Any business coach worth their salt will not make it difficult for you to leave the program. It should be an easy-in, easy-out model. You definitely will want to read the fine print. In addition, some coaching companies make an offer where you have access to a lot of coaching material for a nominal fee and 30 or so days later that fee increases substantially. It is a marketing tactic that is used to get you to try before you fully commit. They charge your credit card a low fee to get you started with the hope that you will find value and stick around. The fee then increases after 30 or so days and your credit card gets automatically charged every month. I am not knocking these campaigns, I just want you to understand the marketing strategy behind these tactics.

Here is a bonus tip on hiring a business coach/consultant. It is one that is unfortunately oftentimes overlooked: Listen to your intuition and instincts. Your inner voice is your guidance, your compass. It’s there for a reason, so get quiet and listen to it. If the coach resonates with you, then go for it!

This is not an exhaustive list of Questions and Tips, so if you have some insight on hiring a business coach/consultant, please feel free to add more on the comments below!

Brenda Tello-Horton is co-owner of Hware, an online business training and software company. She can be reached at info@hware.com

4 Tips to Getting Started with Social Media:

1. Understand your Target Audience – It’s not the entire 2 billion people on the internet. Get laser-focused on who they are and where they hang out online.

2. Know your Target Audience’s problems, challenges, and concerns. When you understand this, you will be in a much better position to help them.

3. Be a Solutionary! Yes, it’s a made-up word. Bring a solution to their problems in a revolutionary way. Today’s economic times requires that you address their issues with creativity and innovation. How does your product/service solve their problem?

4. Make it easy for them to find you online using social media, search engine optimization, blogging, etc.

Not having a Social Media Plan is like going for a long Hike in the Mountains without any Food and Water.

The point is that you may survive, but it will be a very challenging and frustrating experience that could have otherwise been avoided. In my last post, I wrote about how planning starts with a VISION. In this post, I want to emphasize the importance of PLANNING. When most people think of planning, they yawn, BORING! Who wants to get boggled down with details?! “Let’s just go for it, make it happen and we will adjust along the way. Besides, it’s more fun and adventurous to have some spontaneity in our lives!” I swear, I used to say that and believe that with all my heart, and I still do in some areas of my life, but NOT when it comes to business. Unfortunately, I have had to learn through too many failures to understand why PLANNING is key to a successful business. So let’s dive into some key factors that are fundamental to having a solid social media plan. For the purpose of this blog post, I will be referring to small businesses:

• Know your target audience – Who are you selling to? Who’s attention do you want? Let’s narrow it down further. What  is your buyer persona?  That means, what are your buyers’ preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes. For example, my company, Hware sells software tools that help small businesses. Therefore, I look for entrepreneurs, and Work-at-Home folks to connect with online and try to make myself useful to them. I am laser-focused on the kind of person I want to interact with online. It’s  not that I don’t or won’t engage with anyone other than my ideal client, it’s just that I am very specific and clear about who I need to be talking to online for my business. More importantly, if your target audience is not online, then you are wasting your time being online. You need to be where they are. That’s where market research comes in.
• Spend some time doing some Market Research – It is crucial to find out where your customers hang out. Are they on Twitter or LinkedIn? Are most of them not using social networking sites and still prefer e-mail? The point is that you need to have a clear understanding of where they are so that you can communicate with them.  Occasionally, I enroll my online audience in surveys, which gives me insight into what they need. I then provide them with the results of the polls. By engaging my audience and asking for feedback, I gain tremendous knowledge on who they are, what their challenges are, and how I may better serve them. Here are a few online survey tools: Poll Daddy,  Survey Monkey and Twtpoll (for Twitter). The surveys need to be short, simple and convenient for the participant, otherwise, they will be reluctant fill it out.

• Know your online STAG: I call these your Strengths, Talents, Attributes, and Gifts. You must find and own your STAG and become like the beautiful statuesque male deer I live with here in the foothills of Northern California. They know their own power and beauty.  They grace the land with great ease and confidence. When you know your STAG, you will attract, engage, and be like a magnet to your online Fans, Friends, and Followers. When you are clear about your STAG, it will show in your energy, your presence. We all feed off of each other’s energy and your customers are no different. They will know if you are moving with ease and confidence and when you are putting their best interests first and foremost. (I will write more about STAG in future blog posts.) An example of using your STAG is let’s say that you are better at talking than writing; then perhaps you may want do more vlogging (video blogs) than blogging. The point is that you are playing to your strengths and when you work from a place of strengths, it always much easier.
• Remember that your Social Media Plan - should come under the umbrella of your marketing plan and your marketing plan falls under your business plan and your business plan should be part of your long-term strategic plan, (which I will write about in more detail another time.) So many people get overwhelmed with social media, but it is important to keep things in perspective. Social media is just one aspect of your overall business and as an entrepreneur/self-employed, you wear many different hats – social media is your marketing hat.

On my next blog post, I will delve into more detail about social media planning. I will be writing about some specific automation tools to help systematize and simplify your online presence.

Brenda Horton is Co-owner of Hware, a software company that designs business planning tools for small businesses. She will be hosting a FREE and LIVE Webinar on Social Media STRATEGIES for beginners on September 2nd.

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Your PLAN must start with a VISION.

I stopped by my Realtor friend’s office yesterday and she shared with me how she felt overwhelmed with all the social media stuff. She said that she did not understand what the Acid Rain website was all about. I said, “You mean, Active Rain.” A social networking site for the real estate community. If I were a grain of sand for everytime someone has said that to me, I’d be a beach. There is so much confusion and curiosity about social media. It is a HUGE topic that makes people feel like it is one more thing — like a necessary evil that they have to learn. I feel their pain. That is why I am writing a series of blog posts specifically for the social media newbie.

Begin with the END in mind.

Let’s put things in perspective. As with all big undertakings in life, you need to have a PLAN. Why do you think the planning industry is so BIG; event planners, wedding planners, financial planners; retirement planners, meal planners, life coaches, fitness trainers…you get the picture. Having a social media plan for your small business, start-up, or your non-profit is no different. Your PLAN needs to start with a VISION: Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with social media? Some people want to use it to grow their business. Some people want to just connect with friends. Non-profits may want to reach their donors with it. The point is that you need to start with the end in mind. What is your intention? It’s important to understand that social media is about networking, as in building relationships and making friends. After people like you and trust you, after they have become your friends, then it is much easier to ask them to buy from you or donate to your cause.

Are you social media conscious?

On my next blog post, I will write in more detail about creating a VISION for your social media plan. I’ll give you a hint. It starts with your target audience, your buyer persona, your ideal client profile.  In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your social media plan if you already have one. Even if you say, “I don’t have a plan, I just like observing and reading what people are saying on the different social networking sites.” That’s is okay too. The fact that you are conscious about what your intentions are with regards to social media is important to identify and understand. I realize this stuff sounds so obvious to those who are power users of social media, but I’m trying to help newcomers to social media connect the dots and make some sense of it. Please make comments on the blog post and let me know if you found this post to be useful.

Brenda Horton owns Hware, a software company that designs easy-to-use web-based, business planning tools for entrepreneurs.

She will be giving a webinar on social media for newbies next month. Be sure to sign up for her blog for notification of the upcoming webinar at www.hware.com/blog

Join Hware’s FAN page at www.Facebook.com/HwareFB

What Happened to AlphaWomen.com?

Usually, I am a very optimistic person, but please allow me to vent. I HATE seeing female-owned businesses fold, especially ones that empowered other women. I was saddened to hear that the AlphaWomen.com website, http://alphawomen.com/which was founded by Freda Mooncotch, is shutting down by the end of July 2009.  In Ms. Mooncotch’s blog post from July 1st, she stated, “I do not have the resources to continue to carry the site any longer…!” Ms. Mooncotch continues in the next paragraph, “Many of you are wondering what will come of me…Really the opportunities are endless and I don’t have a plan. I am going to let it unfold and jump into the unknown trusting that everything is going to work out for me! In fact, I know it is.”

Does Your Small Business Have a Business Plan?

I don’t have a plan? I wonder if Ms.Mooncotch had a business plan with AlpahWomen.com.  I wonder if she made revenue and financial projections. Sadly, but true, more small businesses fail than succeed within the first five years. The main reason is lack of capital also known as lack of money. Let’s give Ms. Mooncotch the benefit of the doubt and assume she had a business plan. It is safe to assume that her revenue projections did not make plan, which is why she can no longer carry the site. Ms.Mooncotch then writes, “If you feel compelled to take AlphaWomen.com over…by all means make me an offer…you won’t insult me by what you may think is a low ball offer. Just be ready to back it up with cash in the event we come to an agreement! You just never know what mood you might catch me in!”

Do You Make Business Decisions Based on Your Mood?

What mood you might catch me in? Is she selling a business based on her mood? What about the value of the business? What about the assets, database, and good-will? Don’t get me wrong. I am all for doing business with people that give me a “good vibe” and feelings are important.  However, one could be in the worst of moods, but a mood should NEVER dictate the price and transaction of a business deal. All too often, women entrepreneurs make decisions based on their feelings, mood, and heart and that is good, but we women entrepreneurs need to learn to incorporate  logic, the analytical side of our brain into business for creating balance. It is imperative that women entrepreneurs make a paradigm shift in how we see ourselves as business owners.  When you, as an entrepreneur are responsible for generating revenue for your very own small business, you have an obligation to see yourself as a business person. Do you think CEOs of successful companies tell their board of directors or investors that they don’t have a plan? Or, they say things like, ” Hey Tom, that’s okay that you ruined the relationship with Company ABC and lost a potential 2 million dollar business transaction. I know you weren’t in the best of moods. Hang in there buddy.” I think not.

I liked the AlpahWomen.com website. I had high hopes for Ms. Mooncotch’s company mainly because I liked how her site was a platform for bringing women together. It was a brilliant idea, but unfortunately, like most small businesses, it was short lived. So here is my question to all the female entrepreneurs: Do you have a business plan in place for your small business? Feel free to post a comment.

Brenda Horton is the owner of Hware, a software company that designs online business planning tools for small businesses. She will be hosting a webinar series on social media strategies for beginners starting July 28th 2009.

Focus, Clarity, and Priorities start with a PLAN.

Has there ever been a time in your business when you lacked focus? Not clear on what actions to take to move your business forward? Not sure what to prioritize first, second, and third? At some point, many entrepreneurs and small business owners have struggled with lack of clarity. They are not sure what specific actions are needed that will result in generating revenue or taking their business to the next level. As an entrepreneur, I have oftentimes struggled with time management, focus, clarity and priorities.  As a former outside sales person, I’d spend my time cleaning my office as opposed to prospecting for customers. Or, I’d spend my time hanging out with customers who had no intention of buying from me versus cultivating customer relationships with those who could buy from me. Eventually, I realized that my office was not going to generate any revenue, but spending time with my qualified customers would.

Business and Strategic Planning minimizes failure and improves your success rate.

I speak from past personal experience when I say that oftentimes entrepreneurs “shoot from the hip” or they “wing it.” This mentality leads to a lot of wasted time and chasing our tails in a circle.  You would never go on a 6 week hiking trip up in the back country wilderness without a plan would you? Okay, maybe you would if you wanted to test your survival skills.  The same goes for your small business.

It would be business suicide to jump into ACTION without a PLAN. The sad truth is that many entrepreneurs do just that! Business planning and strategic planning have everything to do with preparing for the journey that will inevitably unfold in your business endeavors.  Moreover, knowing what to do first, second, and third is just as crucial. It’s about taking the right action at the right time. Business plannning  forces you to think things through on many different levels and scenarios. Let’s go back to the hiking analogy. What if bad weather hit? What if you got injured? What should you pack in your emergency kit? What if you encounter bears? Having a plan helps you think through all the variables, scenarios, and situations that you may encounter on your hiking trip. So it is with your small business. The purpose of a plan is to minimize failure. Unfortunately, small businesses have an extremely high failure rate. Business planning and strategic planning minimizes failure and improves your success rate. Prioritizing, focus, clarity, and managing your time all start with a plan. A plan helps you to focus on what is needed, why it is needed, when it is needed, who will take action, and how it will get done. It helps you get clear, laser focus, and prioritize the most important things in your business that will generate revenue and make your business profitable.

Are you ready to work on your Social Media PLAN?

Right now, more than ever,  small business owners are trying to figure out how to use social media to grow their business. I hear comments like, “What social networking site should I go to? Who should I connect with?  How much time should I spend on social media?”  I rarely hear, “What kind of return on my investment in social media will I get?”  Or, “How will I measure my efforts in social media?” Having a social media plan in place for your business is imperative. Otherwise, it could cost your business a lot of wasted time and money. It is not a one-size-fits-all.  A social media plan for a hospital may be different than for a restaurant. One industry may be slow to adopt social media while another is heavily using it. Where does your business fit into social media? Is your business ready to jump into the world of social media? Is now the right time? Do you have your systems and talent in place to manage your social media efforts? Taking the right action on social media at the right time starts with your business plan…ENVISION PLAN ACT.

Brenda Horton will be hosting a live webinar series on Social Media Summer Boot Camp for Beginners starting in July 2009. Sign up for her blog to receive more upcoming information.

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How Social Media and Twitter are changing the way we connect online

Last week I was dining at Centros in Sacramento with my 60+ year old friend. We talked quite a bit about social media. She works in the fund development department for a non-profit. She asked me to explain to her what all the fuss is about with regards to social media. She said that she did not understand why anyone would waste their day in front of a computer talking to people on line when relationships are most powerfully built in person. She felt overwhelmed with all the different online communities and she was clearly having a hard time wrapping her brain around Twitter. “I just don’t get it,” she kept saying. So, I gave her the highlights of how social media and Twitter are changing the way we connect online.

 

A brief history of Social Media

On a very basic fundamental level, humans have a great desire to connect and share with one another. When you understand that, then you will understand the power of social networking sites. It’s also important to understand that social media evolved from the early 80’s. People were connecting online via bulletin boards, forums and general chat rooms. My business partner built one of the first IBM PC bulletin boards which the Sacramento PC User group later adopted. The bulletin board (platform) allowed the users to share files, upload and download files, create forums and manage user registration.  Keep in mind there was no Internet at the time. Back then everyone had to dial in to him to connect. He was the “platform.” He was to the users of the PC user group what Twitter is to its users today. Later, came the live chat rooms where like-minded people connected via the Internet to discuss a specific subject matter, i.e.,politics, dogs, motorcycles, etc.

 

Make social media part of your marketing plan

Today, people are connecting online through platforms like Face Book, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter. These platforms facilitate getting a message, product, idea out to the masses in seconds. So, instead of having one person as the hub or platform that allow people to connect, we now have online platforms called social networking sites, which brings us to my friend’s question. “Why would anyone want to connect online when face-to-face is much more powerful?” Here is where the power of social networking sites like Twitter and Face Book are often misunderstood. Just because you are connecting with people online does not mean that you stop using the telephone and other means of communication tools. While having a face-to-face interaction with someone is absolutely the most powerful way to build, nurture, and cultivate relationships, it is also the most time and labor intensive.

With social networking sites, you are no longer limited to your local outreach marketing efforts, which are often expensive. Moreover, your online marketing strategies should not replace your face-to-face efforts of building relationships with your customers. It should be complementary and supplemental. Think of social media as a marketing strategy incorporated into your overall marketing plan and in today’s business environment it is vital to have a PLAN for your business.

 

Brenda Horton owns Hware, a software company that develops business tools for small businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and start-ups. She is the membership co-chair of the Sacramento Social Media Club.

Brenda Horton will be teaching a beginners class on Social Media at the Nevada County Association of Realtors on Friday May 29th from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. For more information and registration call 530-272-2627.

 

Place Independent Work

Work any place from any device. If you can connect to the Internet you can use smartphones, internet mobile devices, ultra mobile pcs, laptop computers, and desktop computers to access you data. Your computer systems should not require you to come to an office to get your work done. Instead your information should be accessable where ever you need to work. Be it home office, a local shared office, internet cafe, car, regional office, central office, client location, a job site, etc. Place Independent Work allows workers to get there job done where every it is most productive.

Examples

Envision Plan Act™ – Hware’s Internet based system for Strategic Planning, Business Planning and other types of plans.

GEMS-General Engineering Managment System – Hware’s Internet based system for Dispatch, Time, Mobilization, Equipment Service & Repair, and Job Safety for Heavy Construction industry.

Tools / Applications

LogMeIn.com – remote access and desktop control software for your computer. You can use LogMeIn to control your Windows or Mac PC from any computer that has a browser and Internet access.

Gmail.com – is a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that email can be more intuitive, efficient, and useful.  After all, Gmail has: less spam, mobile access and lots of space.

Google Apps – web applications for communication and colloboration. Google Apps includes Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs (share online documents, presentations, and spreadsheets), Google Sites (create websites and seure group wikis).

Zoho.com – is a suite of online applications (services) that you sign up for and access from our Website. The applications are free for individuals and some have a subscription fee for organizations. Our vision is to provide our customers (individuals, students, educators, non-profits, small and medium sized businesses) with the most comprehensive set of applications available anywhere (breadth); and for those applications to have enough features (depth) to make your user experience worthwhile.

Basecamp – project management and collaboration. Collaborate with your team and clients. Schedules, tasks, files, messages, and more. By 37signals

Highrise – online contact manager and simple CRM. Keep track of who your business talks to, what was said, and what to do next. By 37signals

Salesforce.com – easy-to-use Web-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution for sales, service, marketing, and call center operations that streamlines customer relationship management and boosts customer satisfaction.

SurveyMonkey – enable anyone to create professional online surveys quickly and easily.

Box.net – is the easiest way to share and manage your files online.