When is the last time you updated, or even looked at, your professional online bios? If you’re like most people, you set up your online profiles. I know in the rush of take care of my coaching clients and building my business, I don’t always think to go into my online profiles and update them when I have learned a new skill, or start offering a new service or even begin a new endeavor. It’s not always top of mind, but updating our online professional bios should be part of our business strategy.
Take time today to look at your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and your business page. Here are some items to pay attention to:
If a potential client was seeking you out, does your current bio speak to your unique skills and to the audience you’re reaching out for? Make sure there are key words and searchable terms in your bio that a potential client would use to search you for.
List your top three qualifications and highlight them on your profiles and in the headlines on your social media pages.
Readers have short attention spans. With this in mind, put your most important information at the top of your bio and keep it short. Use bullet points to break up text and focus on your most relevant information.
After you’ve updated your online professional profiles, share that information with clients and potential clients, you can say, “I’ve recently updated my profile to better show the world who I am!” You can even ask, “do you agree?” and solicit insight from your followers — they may have information or a word you can use in your bio that you never thought of.
Being productive is something that an entrepreneur simply must be. Why? As a business owner there are so many tasks pulling you in different directions and you need to know when to say yes, when to work on your most pressing tasks and when to kick back and work on those “mindless” items on your to-do list that have to get done, but don’t take a lot of brain power.
I uncovered these interesting productivity tips:
The most productive day of the week? Tuesday. Schedule your most pressing tasks for that day.
The most productive time of the day? 10:26 am.
The least productive time of the day? 2:55 pm.
The least productive day of the week? Friday. Are you surprised at that? Use Friday as a “catch up” day or a day to call potential clients or to return phone calls. Use it to prepare your to-do list for the upcoming week so you’re ready to jump right in on Monday.
Additional thought from me: When you leave the office on Friday — or any day of the week, actually — leave priority tasks front and center on your desk.
Know your own personally productive times of the day and week and utilize those to your best advantage.
Monsoon season is coming to Arizona and because of that, business owners (in Arizona and across the globe, actually) have to have plans in place to weather storms — both figuratively and literally. With Arizona’s monsoons come damaging rains, high winds and dust storms aka haboobs and all of these — or even any one of these could put an unprepared business owner into a tailspin.
If you have a physical location, you could find your building flooded or find yourself without electricity. Even if you have a virtual business you could find yourself impacted by storms in the form of power outages or floods as well. It’s best to have contingency plans in place to help weather storms and these could be in the form of off site storage, cloud storage and insurance coverage to help make you whole in the event of an emergency.
In addition to this, a business owner needs to understand ways to deal with the intangibles of entrepreneurship. Do you ever find yourself getting knocked off course? Are there events that happen that you just hadn’t planned for that cause you to skip a beat? If so, here are steps you can implement today to help you maintain an even keel:
Is your vision for your business clear? If it isn’t you can easily be blown off course.
Is your mission for how you deliver your goods and services clear? Again, see Number 1.
Does your team understand the mission and vision and the procedures you have in place to make them a reality?
Does your team understand their individual roles and responsibilities in the organization?
Are you an accountable and inspirational leader? This means, you take responsibility for your actions and you lead by example.
How prepared are you and is your business in the event of a “monsoon”?
Have you ever wondered if you fear the possibility of success? Some individuals do. They will limit what they do and thereby limit the successes they achieve simply because they are afraid of success. If you’re a business owner, does this make sense? Are you satisfied with the status quo?
I’ll bet you’re not and if you agree, here are some ways that I offer to overcome your fears so you can achieve greater success:
Revel in your expertise. You have likely claimed a business niche and if that’s the case, then own it. Become the trusted resource. If you do that you will become the go-to person and your business will soar.
It’s not always about “the sale.” Consider how you can best serve your current and potential clients. Think about how your goods and service make their lives easier and focus on that… the sales will likely follow.
Remember to say “thank you.” Those two words alone can set you apart from the competition. Showing gratitude to your clients for, well, being your clients makes them feel valued and will keep them loyal.
Are you letting fear hold you back? What walls are you running up against? Let us know in the comments.
Whether verbal or non verbal, everything in business and life is about communication. From sending emails to making phone calls to having face-to-face meetings, communication matters.
Want to improve your communication skills? Here are a few tips:
Speak in short sentences without a lot of industry jargon. You don’t need to be terse, just clear. If you’re sending an email, it’s important to be clear — perhaps even more so. If you have to deliver “bad news,” it’s best to do that in person or via telephone, not via email.
Give your full attention to the person in front of you –whether on the phone, in person or when you’re composing an email. It’s easy to get distracted and not give your full attention. Don’t let a caller or client feel they are not important enough for you to stop what you’re doing to pay attention to his or her concerns.
What you do is as important as what you say you will do. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Are you an effective communicator? What can you do to be even more so?
I’ll bet that title drew you in, right? In today’s economy it is possible to make a million dollars in your business, if you know what you’re doing, offer a high quality product or service and if you’re tracking your success. Bottom line: You need to plan for your successes if you want to make millions!
Here are some steps to consider if you’re seeking wealth and success:
Always be above board. Earn your money by having a strong belief system and ethical practices.
Make certain you’re caring for your current clients before you bring on new clients. If a client has been wooed away from you, you should have seen their discontent and been able to avert it. If you’re losing clients and don’t know why, take a step back and look over your recent communications with them — you are keeping in touch aren’t you? Did you pay enough attention to their questions and concerns? Before you bring on new clients you should have client care practices in place for current clients.
Show your benefit to potential clients means by demonstrating to them why and how, you are better than the “business next door.” Understand what sets you apart and figure out how to explain those differences in a way that will be meaningful to your prospects. Show your uniqueness.
Answer the questions your clients are asking. Become the go-to expert in your business niche, you will see your business income soar! Why? People will come to trust you and this will help build your business base.
Network. Read. Stay connected with colleagues. Stay on top of what is new and interesting in your industry and in your niche.
What can you do to become more successful aka a millionaire!?
