Taking A Bow On BNET
Exactly a week ago, something really really really good happened to/for me.
Even though I couldn’t officially spill the beans, I had to tell my friends (of course).
They were equally happy for me and, I suspect, a little frustrated that it would take me a week to come clean. This was my Facebook post that day:
A week hence
Now, that day has come, and I can officially tell you…
Today marks my debut as a BNET blogger.
Woo hoo!
In case – just in case – you’re not familiar with it, BNET is “the hub of the CBS Interactive Business Network, which
” … provides working professionals with the advice and insights they need to get ahead in today’s workplace. It isn’t a site for those who merely punch the clock: It’s for business leaders—of today and the future–who believe in the meaning of work and who know that nurturing excellence in their staff and their organization is the true measure of success.”
A lot of media properties make similar claims, but having been a regular BNET reader for a while, my personal opinion (and you can decide whether it’s humble or not) is that BNET provides real value for those in, and who care about, business.
So I’m absolutely THRILLED to bits about this!
Image: Ross Hall via Flickr, CC 2.0
My first post ran today: Are you listening to – or shouting at – your customers online?
Those of you who interact with me on various social networks know that this is a pet peeve of mine; when organizations don’t understand what a “two-way street means,” and instead opt for what I call the Billy Mays approach.
Do have a read, and if you like it, please share it, Facebook “like” it, Stumble it…
In other words, do pass it around to those you think would enjoy it, much as we share crudités at parties. They’re just enough to whet our appetite for more without making us feel engorged and sated.
Dude. Let’s make this the broccoli of crudités!
Because if you do, then I have a real chance at staying on as a blogger for BNET for a run of more than a few weeks.
And who wouldn’t want that?!
So. Please read, share, and let me know what you think – good or bad. If you have ideas for more posts (I’ll be posting once a week for the next few weeks, primarily on PR and social media), please let me know.
My crudités and I will thank you!
Filed under Business, Career, Personal, Social Media | Tags: blogging, bnet, crudites, Social Media | Comments (4)
Five Productivity Tools for PR Pros
A few months ago, I wrote a piece on communicating effectively with a virtual workforce for IABC’s monthly e-zine, CW Bulletin.
You see, I’ve been there, done that.
Silent Night
The night was silent. So silent that she could almost hear the dark, as it enveloped her in its belly.
“It’s time,” she heard it whisper.
She turned just a smidgeon, but enough to allow her to press the pillow just a tad closer to her ears in an effort to block out Dark’s unwelcome reminder.
“It’s time,” she heard again, this time more forcefully.
Friggin H, she said to herself, with not a little irritation.
“You can cuss me all you want, but it’s time, and this is the last time I’m going to tell you.”
With a sigh, eyes squeezed to try and wring the sleep from them, she arose, shaking her head ever so slightly, to begin the necessary rituals of ablutions, packing and boarding a train that would take her far away from her loved ones, but closer to her daily bread.
Image: rubyblossom., Creative Commons
To Love Yet Not
OK. That’s a little dramatic, but I went through that every week for two years since my job (before I went out on my own) was in New York, not DC.
I loved my job and most of the people I worked with. But the weekly commute was tough, there’s no denying that.
When I wasn’t commuting, I worked remotely – much as I do now – so I needed to find ways to connect with my team, which grew rapidly over the years, and keep them motivated… without wasting time.
And that led to the article.
Cha-cha-change
Of course, things have changed a lot in just a few years. We have so many more tools at our disposal that we’re spoiled for choice.
Here are five productivity tools I really like; a couple that I included in the aforementioned article, and a couple more. If you haven’t tried them yet, have a go.
1. Tungle
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Tungle. When people use it instead of email to schedule meetings, it really saves time.
I’ve been including it in my e-signature for a while now, and have incorporated it into my website as well as this blog (you’ve probably noticed the Tungle widget on this blog, even if you haven’t used it).
Check it out and I’m pretty sure you’ll become a fan.
2. Plaxo: contacts, calendar and e-cards
As a social network, I think Plaxo is pretty dismal, no matter how much it tries to Face-Twit-book-terify itself.
Its strength, to me, lies in its original offering, the “universal” address book which allows you to keep your contacts current even if you switch jobs, i.e. email services, and so on.
Now they’re offering a direct sync with Google (beta) if you’re a premium user (read, give them money, currently just under US $60 a year).
I am, which means I can keep my contacts current in both places, which will be useful should I ever stop using Google Contacts. GC also syncs with my BlackBerry, which means I really do have my contacts at my fingertips (I don’t know why Plaxo still doesn’t have a way to sync with BlackBerry’s directly).
These are great time savers – remember when you had to export your contacts as a .CSV file, import them, snore…?
The other thing I really like about Plaxo’s offerings are its ecards. I use them all the time to schedule and send mostly birthday greetings to my friends, family and business contacts, which is another way of networking with a twist.
This was one of the reasons I signed up for Plaxo’s premium service some years ago.
I figured the resulting selection of additional ecards (you’re limited in your selection if you use the free service) would more than offset what I would otherwise pay to actually buy a card, mail it to someone, etc.
I also now use Plaxo to make and send our own holiday cards, which has cut down significantly on holiday postage.
Yes, I send a lot of cards.
I don’t like their default settings, which make your card “social” (i.e. anyone in the recipient’s Plaxo network can see it) v. private (which is what I always select).
It is also nuts that Plaxo itself doesn’t know when I’ve already scheduled ecards and keeps emailing me reminders about various birthdays, etc., coming up.
But that aside, the ecards are cool.
3. Boomerang for Gmail
This is something I’ve just started using and I really like it. Essentially, Boomerang for Gmail lets you draft and schedule emails to be sent at a particular time.
This is an excellent way of ripping through your work when you’re on a roll, yet not scaring people into thinking you’re a sleepless work demon when they receive emails from you at 2:43 am.
You can also decide when you want to respond to email by telling Boomerang when you want to “receive” it, i.e. read something that’s already come into your inbox.
I’m not quite sure how useful this is since, if I’ve already read it, chances are I’ve already decided whether or not I’m going to reply to it, whether it’s spam, or whether I label/star it, etc.
But I’ll go with the flow.
Right now, BfG is in beta, which means you have to sign up for an invite code either via Baydin’s website or request one via Twitter, and be patient as they work through bugs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
When I did this, I got my invite code in a couple of days. I tested it almost immediately and after a couple of missteps – I had a pop-up blocker that I needed to disable – it worked perfectly.
Note: if you look at your draft after you have saved and scheduled it, it will NOT work. So don’t do that.
Their customer service is also pretty good; when it wasn’t working for me, I emailed them and got a reply almost immediately from their CEO.
Nice!
4. Toggl
If you need to track your time for your clients or projects, want to move up from a basic spreadsheet but don’t want to lay out a lot of cashola, try Toggl.
It’s easy, free (up to a point) and lets you track multiple projects, clients, etc., including those that are billable and those that are not.
Even if you don’t have to track your time, it’s still a good exercise to undertake. Doing so lets us see how we spend our time… assuming we are disciplined and truthful about it.
And this can help when negotiating or renegotiating client agreements (or when you need to push back on a client who’s demanding too much, though we all know we NEVER do that).
Bonus: it helps identify holes in your time management skills, including the amount of time you spend in/on social media.
Plus, you’ll have an answer for when someone asks you, “Just how much time DO you spend on Twitter?”
5. Google Docs
Another of my fave G-suite applications, because it lets me share and update documents in real time with as many people who need to be involved, without the pain that inevitably comes with people emailing each other different versions of a document that you have to keep saving and re-saving.
5. Evernote
I still like and use Delicious to bookmark stuff I come across on the Interwebs, but I find myself increasingly using Evernote because of the little notes I can write to myself.
This could be something I plan to send to a client, a cool blog post I want to use in a Weekly Roundup, or just something neat I have no idea what to do with at the moment, but I know I’ll want to come back to.
If you use Seesmic, you can also save items from your Twitter and Facebook streams.
I don’t. Hmpfh.
I realize this is a bit of a Google-heavy list, but many of the folks I know depend on the suite for their work (and more).
And if you don’t, hopefully you will find at least a couple of these useful in your daily work and play.
What productivity tools do you use frequently? Will you share below?
Business Bootcamp for PR Pros: Network With a Twist
On networking for business
We see, hear, read ad nauseam about how we should network to grow our businesses.
Image: USACE Europe District, Creative Commons
Too often, though, I think people take that to mean going to innumerable tweetups, happy hours and the ilk. I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen over-commit themselves to multiple networking events on the same night.
The end result is usually that they’re tired, over-extend themselves which they later regret, and sometimes do things they later feel sheepish about.
I, by the way, NEVER do things I later feel sheepish about.
I embrace my sheepishness from the get-go.
At any rate, I think networking events and tweetups are great.
I go to those that I can (I went to one last night and had a great time) but, frankly, I am a no-show at several more.
I know what you’re thinking. “She’s anti-social!”
Not at all.
And those of you who’ve met me know this. It’s not that I don’t want to meet new people—I love meeting new people.
I just recognize that there is a threshold beyond which some events are not productive for me, personally or professionally.
And if I’m not feeling my best at these events, you’re not going enjoy meeting or talking to me either.
See? Quite logical.
Networking with a twist
Outside of the gazillion networking events our calendars get crammed with—and there are some terrific ones out there—here are three ways to network with a twist that will grow your business.
I’ve experienced all of these at one point or another in my career, and again in rapid succession this past week.
I was so taken aback by how this “twisty networking thing” really works, that I went “Whoa!”
My dog, who knows exactly how to keep me in line, said, “Whatever, you’re not that special,” rolled over and went back to sleep.
Thanks a bunch, Suzy.
So I wanted to share. ’Cos I am like this only (a genius Indian saying we can all thank Channel V for).
1. Stay on the recruiter radar.
Usually we don’t think of recruiters as possible clients or as part of our business development process.
This is pretty stupid because good recruiters are some of the most connected people in the industry. They have to be. Their livelihood depends on it.
I’ve come across my share of bad recruiters, but the good ones are like gold.
Why? They understand the importance of networking and paying it forward and usually have memories longer than elephants.
When you make a good impression on them, they remember you.
Sometimes they have project-based work come their way – and don’t you want them thinking of you when it does? Or, they leave their recruitment firms and end up sourcing new hires for a new firm.
Helloo!! That often includes consultants and independent practitioners.
So: If you had a good rapport with them, connect on LinkedIn, Twitter and any other social networks where it makes sense. Make sure your profile stays up to date and “feed” your profile with your Twitter feed, blog posts, presentations, etc.
I believe this is particularly important for LinkedIn, though I think you should do a periodic sweep of all your networks, to make sure the information about you is up to date.
Be of help if they approach you for a search they are conducting. Connect them with someone you feel confident recommending.
One day – and I can’t tell you when, but I can tell you that it will happen – they will come back to you with a project that’s right up your alley and bingo! You have a new client.
2. A the LinkedIn Q & A.
There are a couple ways of doing this (possibly more, but these are two I’ve seen).
The first
is to join a group and mine its discussion forums, contributing thoughtfully when you can… and I don’t mean plugging your blog posts with scant regard to how spammy that might seem.
The second
is to set up an RSS feed for questions related to your area of expertise that are being asked on LinkedIn (and as you probably know, you can get alerts for your group updates, as in the first option above, sent to your email as well).
Just select “Answers” in the drop-down menu to the left of the search box, find the topics you’re interested in, and then click on the RSS option, as at left.
Yes, you will invariably find some that make you grit your teeth and wonder why so-and-so-with-usually-a-quote-unquote-decade-or-two-of-experience-or-so-they-say is asking something so basic you wonder whether she even understands what the dictionary definition of “expert” is.
But maybe there’s an educational opportunity here that could result in social karma down the road.
If you find what you think are really silly questions, though, ignore them, as well as the questions that are thinly veiled attempts at getting free consulting advice.
But those that are genuine requests for advice or sincere attempts to learn more? Go for ’em.
Just make sure you’re really adding value to the discussion at hand.
Bonus tip: if you find that 23 other people have already beaten you to the punch, don’t bother, unless you really have something original to say. Stay alert for the next opportunity and get in there as quickly as you can.
3. Be a volunteer leader.
Now you’re thinking, “Hang on. There’s nothing new about that. Isn’t business development and building their network the main reasons people volunteer with an association in the first place?”
Maybe, but it wasn’t for me. Every time I’ve gotten involved as a volunteer with an association, I’ve done it because I really enjoy the service aspect of it.
(That’s me at an IABC/DC Metro event with @amylizmartin and @SunainaTweets.)
What’s important is to really do stuff. Not just show up.
When you’re active and entrepreneurial in your voluntary leadership role, something funny starts happening.
Your colleagues on your board…
give you unsolicited recommendations.
People you’ve never heard of…
reach out to you because they recognize your commitment to the profession.
New business leads…
are forwarded to you from listservs you ordinarily wouldn’t have access to—and sometimes they’re even followed up by personal introductions made for you.
Why?
Because they’ve seen you in action.
They’ve seen your leadership style and your ability to manage an often far-too-large team.
They’ve seen how you handle conflict, and whether or not you try to come up with solutions.
They’ve experienced whether or not you really encourage creativity (regardless of what your resume says), whether you’re willing to say “no” diplomatically when the need arises, and whether you’re willing to give credit where credit is due.
All. These. Are. Things. Clients. Look. For. In. Their. External. Partners.
The key to all of this, of course, is to keep it real.
Be nice to people. Don’t indulge in SSP (shameless self-promotion). Make and maintain good relationships without expecting anything in return.
It will surprise you how quickly you come full circle.
Those are just three subtle ways of giving a new dimension to networking that will keep your business development funnel open and build your client base.
What has worked for you? Do share, I’d love to know.
Filed under Business, Networking, Public Relations | Tags: business development, networking with a twist | Comments (9)Living The Heretically Productive Life
A couple of months ago, I was asked by the estimable Thursday Bram to contribute to a blog post on Constructively Productive that would focus on “heretical’ productivity.
Image: woodring’s Flickrstream, Creative Commons
A fine idea, I thought. After all, is life worth living if you’re not a little heretical now and again?
Here’s what I said:
Put away the smart phone except for when you really, really need it. I don’t care how cool your iPhone or BlackBerry is, one of the worst things you can do is to make it your de facto computer. You’ll lose all your sense of rhythm if you’re constantly emailing back and forth from it.
When I was chained to my BlackBerry, I found myself constantly trying to keep up with myself. I wasn’t necessarily working better, just crazier. Sure, there are times when it comes in very handy, like emergencies, or when you’re not going to have access to your computer for a significant period of time.
But otherwise, treat it for what it is; a device that can help you stay in touch when you need to, not one that starts dictating to you.
I suggest you read all the responses if you’re intrigued by the concept of heretical productivity.
They’re from a bunch of fine, upstanding heretics, all of whom I’d be pleased to share a stake with as flames nip at our comely ankles.
Can’t you just see it?
“Darling, these ropes are chafing terribly on my wrists. Think you could nudge ‘em up a millimeter or two with your elbow?”
“Precious, consider it done.”
….
“Precious, I believe my elbow’s been consumed. So sorry for the inconvenience.”
Last weekend, I decided to put this into practice.
Because what is more heretical than advice from a heretic who doesn’t practice her own heresy?
With a trip to Alaska coming up…
(Eat your heart out. No, seriously, eat your heart out and then tell me what it tastes like because if it’s good I’ll post the recipe on my blog. It’s fine. We’re bloggers. We feed on each other.)
… my class at Johns Hopkins to prepare for, a new business proposal to submit in less than 24 hours and much writing and “deliverables” for clients, it wasn’t like I was lacking in a to-do list.
And don’t get me started on the household chores; my list was about two pages long (including things like getting my husband to clean up his record collection, and more) and indented to boot.
So I did the only thing that made sense.
I walked into my garden – which I must admit, at the risk of sounding smug, is very pretty these days – and inspected the crab grass.
Not six inches high yet? OK, no worries.
Back Yard Squirrel
and I had a temperate discussion on whether or not it was appropriate for him to steal bird feed from my bird feeder.
I pointed out that if he kept up with his kleptomaniac ways, the cardinals, blue jays and hummingbirds would go hungry, not to mention might suffer irreversible psychological damage.
He said, “Yes, but I’m bigger.”
I couldn’t dispute that. What was difficult for him to argue with is that I am bigger than him.
So after an amicable exchange of boos, hisses and tail-shaking, he wandered off to scavenge elsewhere, and I settled down in my hammock.
***
Before I continue, I must tell you that Back Yard Squirrel shares many of the deplorable tendencies of Common Squirrel. Not only that, he could teach CS a thing or two.
“Blink blink blink”?
“Dig”?
“Acorn”?
“Skitter”?
That’s all you got, CS? Come on over and BYS will give you a night on the town.
***
Three hours later, I awoke, much refreshed.
During my slumber, I apparently invented a new kind of measuring cup that ensures you don’t gain weight no matter how much you put in it, figured out how my proposal should read, and honed in on what references I should use in my class.
In addition, when I woke up
There was actually a bird eating from the feeder!
And my husband was cleaning up his record collection!
My proposal went in on time!
Now I’m not suggesting that the minute you shut your baby blues, all your problems will disappear. Um, well, they will, but they’ll come back.
Shut UP, BYS.
But there’s something to be said for just hitting “pause” when you have so much to do that you don’t know if you can do it all and still remain sane.
Studies have shown that we live and work better when we sleep well – and enough. At the risk of sounding new-agey, it refreshes our bodies, minds and souls.
See how well I’d fit in at the stake?
Work.
These are things all of us have to deal with. PR pros, clients, in house practitioners… we’re all painted with the same brush when it comes to Getting Things Done.
So to me, that hammock and what it gave back to me? That’s constructively productive.
- Why it pays to be idle from Constructively Productive
- How to stop information overload from crushing your creativity from Lateral Action
- Why I decided to manifest the Sabbath
Getting My WGBiz Groove On
Hard drive or no hard drive, life must go on, right?
Which is why I’m really glad today’s finally here. I’ll be heading out to the first-ever Women Grow Business Boot Camp shortly (thank you, sponsors Network Solutions and Steptoe & Johnson LLP), which, if the “buzz” and enthusiasm for is anything to go by, will be quite remarkable.
Here’s the 4-1-1 on it, and if you’d like to join us virtually, we’ll be live-streaming it today (thank you, Stacy Yamaoka of Yayastream!). Ready? Just stay current with the schedule, and press “play” below at 9:30 am ET today. Else, you can follow/join the conversation on Twitter, by using the #wgbiz hashtag.
See you there!
Image: Melanie Holtsman, Creative Commons
Filed under Business, Events, Women Grow Business | Tags: #wgbiz, boot camp, Women Grow Business, yayastream | Comment (0)How Edmund Cude Uses Mobile to Rent Apartments
While we were walking around St. John’s Wood, London, a few months ago, I came across this sign.
I hadn’t seen anything like that before, at least in the U.S., so I did a double-take. When you think about it, though, it makes perfect sense. Texting is on the rise among “older people” in the U.K., as reported by MediaWeek a while back:
The research claims texting is becoming more prevalent among older people, with 44% of 35 to 44-year-olds and 14% of 45-plus ages sending more than 30 text messages every week.
However, texting still remains the most popular among 25 to 34-year olds, with 40% of this age range more likely to use their mobile phones for texts rather than talking.
Conducted by Tekelec, a provider of mobile messaging solutions, across three groups; under-35s, 35 to 44-year-olds and 45-plus, the study shows texting is more popular among women than men.
So: you have an affluent neighborhood, the rise of texting among the age group that’s most likely to be able to afford living in said neighborhood, and texting being more popular with the gender that’s more likely to actually look up the real estate.
In that context, that sign makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
I asked my networks if they’d seen any creative uses of mobile/social media here in the U.S. Jason Falls put me in touch with Mike Whaling, who has an interesting post on how apartment companies can use Foursquare – but I haven’t actually seen any of this in action (then again, I’m not in the market for an apartment).
Via Google Buzz, Renee Revetta said:
You know what gets me about this? It’s so simple. It takes the behavior of Edmund Cude’s target market, puts it together with its penchant for technology, and delivers a call to action that’s quick and easy to implement.
From the horse’s mouth
Thanks to my cohort, Bryce Keane, I was able to get in touch with Edmund Cude after returning to the States, and Alex Vinter, a manager with the company, told me a little more about their approach to this form of marketing (all emphasis/italicization mine):
“The texting service was launched only recently. It triangulates the potential Tenant’s location and send them to top matches within the area and links to the relevant properties. It also registers their details on the system. We contact the potential Tenant during the week, to discuss their preferences and register them exactly for what they are looking for.
“Even though it’s a fresh new service, we have received lots of inquiries. From our property sources currently it accounts for 2% of all inquiries. Incidentally, a further 2% of inquiries come from callers who see boards on properties.
“This is roughly the same amount of inquiries from one of the large referral websites we use, of which we pay a subscription to, so that’s great news. Furthermore, it’s just launched and there will be more and more boards with this information on soon, so we expect enquiries to rise.”
How much does this cost?
“The costs are quite minimal to run day-to-day; it did obviously have the set up costs and the IT expertise behind that. Each prospective Tenant that sends us a text is charged at their normal standard rate, and we are charged a similar amount to return information to them via the same medium.”
How do prospects respond?
“The prospects respond well to the calls and appreciate the service. If they are not for whatever the reason, we take them off the registration system straight away. I have not come across a case where this has happened though!”
Can you say “good customer service,” anyone?
Why they’re doing this
“We decided to use this as it registers their interest on our computer system in real time. It also gives them instant feedback to their interest. Most potential Tenants do not leave a message registering their interest, so this really is important. The more potential Tenants details we have, the better rents we can achieve for our Landlords and the urgent properties can be let faster.”
What about mobile applications?
“We are trying out some new ideas in regards to possible mobile applications and other uses of mobile technology to make it easier for Tenants to access our available properties. But nothing is due to be released at the moment.”
What’s working?
“In terms of marketing, I think the most important thing we do well and which directly helps our business is by registering all callers and registering their requirements in the best detail possible. They are then called often to update them with new properties and to keep our lists up to date.
“This allows us to generate viewings as soon as new properties become available, rather than advertising and waiting for the enquiries to come along. This proactive approach, allows us to give us a very low void rate on all our properties and get the best return on our client’s investment.”
What’s the goal and ROI?
You can see from Alex’s comments this approach is all about ROI. Elaborating further:
“Our goal, as always, is to give the best possible service levels to our clients (the Landlords). If we can capture information for as many potential Tenants as possible, then we stand a much better chance of doing this. Hopefully also, by showing this proactive approach and using different methods, then more Landlords will choose to use our service, which in turn drives our business to grow.
“The success will be judged on how many inquiries are received; these have been initially promising and partly depend on how many boards we actually have out there, which would not be for 100% of our recently or currently available properties, because of certain restrictions in London on which properties can and cannot have boards attached to them.”
Now, that’s smart measurement. None of this AVE crap.
How else are they using social media/networks?
“We have recently launched our own Landlord portal on our website, where Landlords can log into and find out a various wealth of information about their portfolio/properties. I think the next step is moving into some other popular mainstream ways to get our name out there, like Twitter, Facebook and possibly a blog version of our quartile newsletters.”
Pretty cool, huh? Why isn’t everyone doing this, or some version of it?
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so do chime in. And Bryce, thank you so much for helping me get in touch with Edmund Cude. I owe you one.
Filed under Business, Communication, Marketing | Tags: bryce keane, edmund cude, jason falls, mike whaling, mobile marketing, renee revetta, texting, texting in the UK, using mobile to rent apartments | Comments (5)Announcing The Women Grow Business Boot Camp
Of dogs, guacamole and groupies
Disclosure, though I hope you already know this: I’m editor of Women Grow Business, a Network Solutions-hosted blog community by, for and of women entrepreneurs. I’m paid to do this, though I was not paid (or asked) to cross-post this announcement. I chose to do so because I think it might be useful for some of my readers.
When I started editing Women Grow Business, I knew it would be a trip and a half, but I don’t think I realized what a wild ride it would be. Seriously, I think WGB has spam groupies who insist on trying to sell men’s shoes. Whaaa… ??
Couldn’t we get a flash mob instead? (Image: Richard Wood, Creative Commons)
But anyway, founding editor Jill Foster came over one afternoon in January to walk me through the ins and outs of it, and afternoon turned to evening, through which we fortified ourselves with wine, olives, chips and guacamole (my dogs were particularly interested in the latter).
As we worked, we chatted about our hopes and dreams for WGB. We already knew what a phenomenal community we had (I give you the terrific contributors as well as the many guest bloggers who bring so much value when they share their thoughts and experiences). Of course, we wanted to grow that (which we’ve been doing slowly, not just on the blog, but on Twitter, LinkedIn and Amplify as well, are you connected to us there?).
What we really wanted to do, though, was take this vibrant, thriving online community and move it offline.
Particularly in a world where so much of our work and interaction is virtual, we’ve all seen how important it is to actually do stuff “IRL.”
Drum roll, please!
So it truly gives me great pleasure to announce (drum roll, please) the first-ever Women Grow Business Boot Camp, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, in downtown DC.
If you’re a woman entrepreneur in the DC area (or want to be one), I hope you’ll attend this half-day, FREE workshop where you’ll hear from women business owners, many of whom contribute to and/or have supported Women Grow Business since its inception.
I mean, it’s not every day you get a chance to meet Kathy Korman Frey aka @ChiefHotMomma and our keynote speaker (W00T!), as well as powerhouses like Marissa Levin, Patricia Frame, Shana Glickfield and many, many more.
What you’ll learn
Speakers will share their experiences in growing their businesses, and after the keynote, you’ll split into four breakout groups to learn more about four key areas of growing your business:
Money, Honey: the financial and infrastructural side to your business
Legal Eagle: the legal, IP and related issues we need to be aware of
What’s the Buzz?: marketing your business, including using PR and social media
Are You Being Served?: defining, reaching and retaining your ideal customer
We’re going to repeat these tracks after a short break, so that you can move to another group and learn about another area (and the speakers will change as well).
So by the end of the workshop, you should come away feeling empowered, armed with practical tips, and have done a ton of networking… at least, that’s what we hope you’ll come away with.
It’s on a Saturday, so hopefully that will make it easy for you to carve the time out of your busy schedules. And did I mention it’s FREE? Thank you, sponsors Network Solutions and the Intellectual Property Group and Diversity Committee of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.
Sign up!
You can register here, and do share the word with those you think would be interested… and maybe we can even come up with a flash mob of our own. Whadja say?
Cross-posted from Women Grow Business.
Filed under Business, Speaking, Women Grow Business | Tags: Events, jill foster, network solutions, steptoe & johnson, women entrepreneurs, Women Grow Business | Comment (1)Let Me Google That For You
… for some of the questions I get asked quite often (and I daresay you do too):
How do I start a blog?
How do I find a PR job in DC?
How do I get more followers on Twitter?
See? Easy.
It’s not that I mind being asked. I’m chuffed you consider my opinion worthwhile. But it will probably be more helpful to you if you’ve already done your – at least, some – homework, because then I can try to help fill in the gaps and not give you information you could easily find elsewhere.
And Google knows far more than I do. Trust me.
Filed under Business, Career, How To | Tags: google, lmgtfy | Comment (1)The Sales Pitch From Hell, And What Sales Can Learn From PR
A couple of months ago I received what has to count as the worst pitch/follow-up to me, to date.
Image: Thomas Hawk, Creative Commons
Surprise surprise, this wasn’t from a “PR person” or “flack;” you know the kind. It was from a sales assistant at a provider of chapter management services, which I was unlucky enough to receive because of my involvement with IABC/DC Metro.
Here’s what happened.
A lady (I’m just going to call her K__) person called me in February to talk about S__ (the company) as a replacement for our current chapter management system. Since I had no idea who she was, and was unfamiliar with her organization, I asked her to email me the relevant information, following which I’d get back to her.
She did as I requested. When I received the information, I circulated it among my board, and was then surprised to find she hadn’t just called me, but several board members, one of whom wondered how she had his work number (my guess was that she probably pulled it off the chapter website). One of them told me he’d do the demo, so I thought, great, that’s it.
Then, she called me again, a few days later.
Was there an introduction, i.e., “I’m K__ of S__ and I spoke to you a few days ago…”?
No. Just, ” “This is so & so” – no affiliation, nothing.
I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say I can’t really remember every single K__ (insert common girl’s name du jour) I come across in the course of my day-to-day work… especially a sales person I’ve never met.
The stated purpose of her call was to tell me I’d get an email from her re: the demo, because the person doing the demo had suggested (according to her) that she email me.
Hmm. OK.
I received this new email – which again she sent to multiple people on our board – and I told everyone else on my board not to worry because we knew who was doing the demo.
Then, I got another email a couple of weeks later… which wasn’t sent just to me, but to several IABC chapter leaders (we were all cc’d, not bcc’d).
Jaw, meet floor.
Image: Clément Seifert, Creative Commons.
That did it. Here’s the email I sent back, without the names (since I, at least, try to care about people’s privacy):
K__,
You’ve emailed and called me so many times about this now, that I have to say this – please stop.
I appreciate you are trying to generate business for S__, but as a seasoned PR professional, I am giving you the following free advice, which you are welcome to take to heart or disregard:
1. With this particular email, you included my email address on a cc list and not a bcc list, which is potentially a privacy violation. That is not a good business practice. It doesn’t matter whether or not everyone copied here is connected to IABC; it is not a good business practice.
2. It is a TERRIBLE idea to email someone, then call to let them know they’ll get an email (as you did with me) and then email to confirm they got an email – or several, because by this time, the person on the receiving end is thoroughly confused. Have you ever read the Bad Pitch Blog? Your job function may be characterized as sales, but sales come from good PR – and this is not good PR.
3. When reaching to [my chapter], it seems you reached to pretty much anyone you could find on our board list, and I know at least one other of our board members was confused, possibly irritated, at receiving the call from you. Never pitch multiple people at the same “outlet” (in this case, organization) at one go. Start with one and if they refer you to someone else, take the direction they give you. Do not try to hit several people at the same time, because all that’s going to happen on the other end is confusion and an irritated President (or, if it were the media, editor/writer).
4. You have already confirmed with me that our chapter’s [relevant board member] is attending one of your presentations – so why on earth was I included on this email? It would point to the fact that you need to “hit” certain people up again without keeping track of your prior communications with them. Again – not a good PR practice (or business practice).
Essentially, you have now turned me off so much to S__, that it’s going to take some amazing cost savings and increased functionality over what we currently use for us to consider you. I will certainly see what [relevant board member] has to say about your service, but after this, please do not pitch us again – if we’re interested, we’ll get back to you.
Let me repeat this: please do not pitch me – or us – again. At least until Dec. 31, 2010, which is when my term as chapter president ends.
Good luck with your work,
Regards,
Not 10 minutes had elapsed, but I got another email from her, this time to the person from our chapter who’s doing the demo and I, to reconfirm the demo.
That one I just let go.
Guess what? They didn’t get our business.
Not only that, but there were several chapter leaders on that cc list who were greatly irritated by her as well and I’m guessing S__ didn’t get their business either.
I didn’t get an apology from her (my email was probably the culprit). What I did get, about a month later, was another pitch from S__, though from a different person.
You can imagine how that went.
Salespeople, listen up.
The folks who write press releases aren’t the only one’s impacting your company’s PR. You do too, sometimes far more directly than they do. And you might want to get some PR 101 lessons from them (and believe me, they do much more than just writing press releases) before blasting emails to anyone you can find online.
I get that you have quotas to meet, and perhaps a portion of your income comes from the sales you generate, and I don’t blame you for trying to bring home the bacon. That’s what all of us do, every single day.
But with every email you write, every phone call you make, you have a choice to start building a relationship bridge with the person on the receiving end… or destroy it before you’re even off the line.
I also understand that perhaps you don’t have the budget for a dedicated PR function. But even if you don’t – no, especially if you don’t – you need to educate your sales force that relationship-building is something you have to be in for the long haul… and treat it as such. There are enough resources you can avail of to educate your team (and if you’re in a pinch, I’ll give you a break on my consulting services, as I’m sure many other PR pros would be happy to do).
And oh, you know those times you mess up (because we all have them)? A short apology goes a long way in mending that broken bridge, assuming, of course, that you’re interested in mending said bridge. If you’re not, no worries. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.
PR and sales are a lot more closely-related than you think they are.
Everyone, not just those in PR, can learn more from:
- Marshall Kirkpatrick on 5 PR Pitches: The Good and The Bad
- The Bad Pitch Blog
- Mark Weiner on the PR-to-Sales Connection
From Personal Relations to Public Relations
I had the good fortune to be a presenter at Social Commerce Camp DC in February, thanks to Shashi Bellamkonda and Kikscore. As I was looking through my deck, it occurred to me it would probably make for a good series of posts on PR best practices for small businesses:
On the other hand, it might all be old hat to you.
What do you think… shall I go for it?
Filed under Business, How To, Public Relations, Speaking
| Tags: pr, pr for small business, Public Relations |
Comments (9)
