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The Sacramento Connector is a publication of Get Networking Now! TM & My Biz Assistant TM. It features articles for the entrepreneur and B2B advertising at affordable rates.
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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND NEW BUSINESS THROUGH REFERRALS, NET-WORKING AND REFERRAL MARKETING!
Hundreds of people have grown their businesses, built sustainable communities and networks, increased their online presence and hosted fabulous events, all with the help of Rebecca John-son and her services:
• Online & In-Person Marketing Coaching and Consulting• Professional Networking Leader & Community Development Mentoring• Keynote Speaking• Event Planning and Production• The Networking-Insider Program• Workshops and Trainings• Social Media & Web Presence Services
Having been a busy multi-preneur, balancing multiple businesses and/or projects at the same time, I wanted to come up with a way to help me maximize my time by: organizing my net-workingandmarketingscheduleConnectingwithpeoplebothonandofflineandteachingpeople the true value of networking and how they can easily grow their business by developing long lasting relationships by Building Communities One Business at a Time!
It all started with Get Networking Now! TM GNN is an advanced Business Networking Re-sourcefortheSacramentoandsurroundingareas.Weofferbothonlineandofflinenetworkingstrategies that allow the entrepreneur opportunities to save time and money.
My true passion is the enjoyment I get from teaching other entrepreneurs how to effectively meet complimentary entrepreneurs, Build Business Communities and lasting relationships by being active participants in referral strategies and an ongoing supportive community!
From the awesome relationships built through GNN, the idea that “There are lots of reasons to be in business for yourself! But, there is NO reason to be in business by yourself!” was born.
Like most start up businesses in these tough economic times, GNN has had its share of strug-gles. The primary reason we have survived these struggles is the fact that our Business Com-munity has rallied around us and helped us through the tough times. We have learned so much throughout our business experiences….Now it’s time to share this knowledge with oth-ers!
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It’s NOT A.D.D…it’s TMDD – time management deficit disorder…
And if you’ve got the disease, this 30-day course will certainly get it under control!
What Does Business Card Etiquette Mean? by: Gayle Hawks
Business cards are an important marketing tool for any business owner. They are used in business meetings as an introduction and left with potential customers as a means of getting a foot in the door. People give them out when someone needs their contact information and business cards should be used often and as neces-sary to promote and carry on business.
But what does business card etiquette mean? Many times, a business card serves asthefirstimpressionthatapotentialclienthasofyouandyourbusiness.Itistherefore extremely important that the business card is accurate and that it is clean. It should be easy to read with nothing crossed off or handwritten on its surface.Itreflectsyourpersonalityandshouldexudethequalityoftheservicesor products you provide.
A business card should be treated with the respect that you would treat the per-son handing it to you. Don’t discard it abruptly and put it down without looking at it. Read it when it is handed to you. Look at it and leave it out so that you can refer to information on it if needed during your meeting. Most times business cardsareexchangedwhenpeoplefirstmeet,butsometimescircumstancesdon’tpermit that so wait until it is appropriate to do so.
Business card etiquette also says that you should never include business cards with a thank you note or a congratulatory letter or other personal note. It should not be given out at a funeral or other serious events where people’s thoughts are on entirely different subjects. If someone asks you for your card then it is per-missible - but otherwise keep them in your pocket.
Always be prepared with enough business cards - including extras - when at-tending any type of business meeting, conference or seminar. Chances are there are going to be additional people there that you had not anticipated. If you do, however, run out of cards, make sure that you get the contact information for the people who did not receive one and have a card sent to them afterwards.
It’s important to resist the temptation to just hand out your business cards en masse at certain events. Remember, proper timing is critical along with handing them out at appropriate meetings and venues. Your company’s reputation and your own reputation may suffer if you attempt to “do business” at the improper time and place.
How Branding Can Lead to a Business’s Success...or Failure
by: Michele Pariza Wacek
For better or worse, every business out there has a brand.
I say for better or worse because you may not like what your brand is. Your brandcouldbeconfused.Itcouldbenonexistent.Itcouldbeconflicting.
Brands are more than a logo. Your brand is the core identity of your business.
And if you don’t know what your core identity is, or you never took the time to mapitout,thenyoumorelikelythannothaveaconfused,conflictingornonex-istent brand.
So why is this a problem? Well, because without a strong brand, you’re going to struggle needlessly trying to grow your business.
You see, you may be getting clients and business, but I can guarantee you’re working a lot harder then you would be if you had a strong brand. A strong brand attracts your ideal clients to you and repels not-so-ideal ones. This is one of the ways you become a client magnet -- having a strong brand then promoting that brand through a marketing system. Without this, you’re out searching for clients, rather than simply responding to clients coming to you. It’s a lot more work and a lot more stressful because you’re never sure where your next client is coming from.
If you have a strong brand, that means you have a strong reputation in the mar-ketplace. So people already know who are you and what you do. They know what problems you solve.
So if they have that problem, they come to you. If one of their friends has that problem, they refer their friend to you. See how that works?
Nowlet’slookattheflipside.Youhaveaweak,confused,conflictingornonex-istent brand. People may have heard of you but they aren’t what it is you do. They have no idea what problem you solve, so they don’t know if they need what you sell or not. They don’t know how to refer you. And worst of all, they quickly forget your name or your business name because it has no meaning or value for them.
Andifyoudon’tfigureoutwhatyourbrandisandthendoeverythingyoucanto continually emphasize and remind your ideal clients about it, then the mar-ketplace is going to decide what your brand is. And you’re probably not going to likewhatthemarketplacedecides.(Andyes,youneedtodoboth--figureoutwhat your brand is and then consistently market it. If you only do one and not the other, you’re back to the marketplace deciding what your brand is.)
So how do you know what’s going on with your brand? Ask yourself these ques-tions --
1.DoYOUknowwhatyourbrandis?Ifyoudon’t,thenyoumostdefinitelyhavea branding problem.
2. Do you know what your brand is but you don’t have a full pipeline of ideal clients? Then you either have not communicated your brand to your ideal cli-ents or you’re missing the marketing piece. (Or your branding is all wrong for who you want to attract so you may need to go back to the branding drawing board.)
3. Do you have a brand but you keep hearing things like: “Wow, I didn’t realize you did THIS.” Or “I thought you only did that, not this.” Then you have a brand communication and/or marketing problem OR you’ve gotten away from your brand (more on that next week).
4. And of course if you hear things like” “I’m not sure what it is you do.” Or “You’re the best-kept secret” you clearly have a brand problem.
Remember, it’s up to YOU to communicate and market your brand to your ideal clients, it’s not their job to remember you.
Last Minute Tax Tips for 2010
SmartMoney magazine asked tax experts about deductions and credits that taxpayers could still claim before April 15. Here are some of the highlights:
1 Going Green
With much fanfare, the government created several green tax initiatives last year. Consumers who installed new doors, windows or air-conditioning in 2009 can get tax credits of up to $1,500; those with new geothermal heating or solar energy systems can write off up to 30 percent of the costs. There’s also a credit ofupto$3,400forsomehybridcarsorfuel-efficientmotorcycles.Butcreditsforthe most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, have been phased out.
2 College Credit
Thanks to the dismal economy, enrollment is up by more than 15 percent at higher education institutions. There’s a slew of credits for students, including a Lifetime Learning Credit of up to $2,000 for coursework to improve job skills. Jointfilerscan’tclaimthecreditifincomeexceeds$120,000.
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3 Healthy Savings
Nearly 23 percent of Americans with private health insurance have a high-de-ductible plan that allows contributions to a health-savings account with pretax dollars. This works best for people who are generally healthy and rack up few bills. Those under 65 can fund up to $7,950 for 2009.
4 Taking Care
Long-term-care insurance, which can be used to cover a nursing home or in-house caregiver, can be pricey. But the premiums are considered a medical ex-pense, and such expenses are deductible if together they exceed 7.5 percent of an individual’s taxable income. For individuals between the ages of 50 and 60, the maximum deduction for premiums in 2009 is $1,190.
5 Fund Your Retirement
One way to trim your tax bill is to fully fund your individual retirement account. IRA deductions are available for contributions until Apr. 15, although individu-als covered by an employer’s 401(k) can’t claim an IRA deduction if their taxable incomeexceeds$65,000($109,000forjointfilers).Themaximumannualcon-tribution is $5,000, or $6,000 for those 50 and older. Tax breaks for the self-em-ployed are more lucrative: A SEP-IRA has no income limits, and the contribution limit is $49,000 for 2009.
Touch of Britain is located at5712 Watt Ave.North Highlands, Ca. 95660
Touch of Britain, found both on Facebook under this name and at www.touchofbrit-ain.com,was founded in 1985 by two friends. Since that time Lilian, one of the two original partners, has taken over the shop and has truly made it a family run busi-ness. Her husband LJ, who is retired military, is the cook. Tamara, Lilian’s daugh-ter, is the manager. Together they run a shop complete with the humor and family atmosphere found only in Great Britain and similar mixed heritage homes.
The shop has imported foods, candies, teapots, novelties, and at present Easter treats seen in England. Attached to the shop is a beautiful tea room where you can dine on crumpets with butter and jam, scones with Devon Cream, various pies and pasties,bangers(Englishsausage)andchips,andfishandchips.Theirdrinkselec-tion ranges from American colas and beers to and British Ale, Shandy, Guinness, and Harp’s as well as British soft drinks. Today’sexperienceatTouchofBritainconsistedoftheironepiecefishandchipsmeal complete with mushy peas, bread and butter, and an ice tea to wash it down. After placing the order I started to look around the tearoom. The room is painted in a very light pink. There are a variety of pictures hanging on the wall. A picture of Winston Churchill and for all you Star Trek fans out there one of James Dohan among other celebrity pictures can be seen on the wall. Each table has pink table cloth, place mats, teacups and saucers, a tile trivet for your tea pot, malt vinegar, sugars, salt and pepper.
Ifyouenjoyfishandchips,youwilltrulyenjoythismeal.
IcanhonestlysayinmylifeIhaveatefishandchipsupanddownthewestcoastand in several states on the east coast. As a local to the greater Sacramento area IhavebeentomanyaplacespecializinginfishandchipsaswellasBritishfoods.In my opinion none of the places I have been to can touch what I have had at Touch of Britain.
Reviewed by Thom Puckett
STEPS TO AVOID SOCIAL MEDIA FATIGUE SYNDROME
Ok, so maybe it’s not a “syndrome” – at least not yet… but social media fatigue is a REAL thing. Business professionals everywhere are complaining about how much time and effort it takes to effectively “work” social media to their business’ advantage.
I can’t tell you how often I hear in my practice, things like:
“I just can’t keep up” or “It’s just so time consuming” or “I’m not seeing results so I’m going to quit.”
IseehundredsofabandonedTwitterprofiles,Facebookprofilesthathaven’tbeenupdatedinmonths,andLinkedINprofilesthataresooutdated,I’mnotsurewhytheprofileisevenstill“active”.It’sdishearteningtosaytheleast!Eachoneoftheseprofile“users”atonepoint,sawsomesortofbenefitthatSocialMediacould provide for their business and yet, there they sit- empty.
The GOOD news, is that those of us who are still actively using and participating in Social Media can actually avoid becoming a long lost user!
Here are a few tips to avoid “Social Media Fatigue Syndrome”:
Automate:Getyourprofilesconnected,sowhenyouareshortontime,andyouonly have time to update one site, your comment will auto-publish to the other sites. (Currently, my Facebook Fan Page feeds into my Twitter Account that feeds into my LinkedIn Account).
Delegate:Getsomeonewhoknow’ssocialmediatosetupyourprofiles,sothatthey are attractive, inviting and creative. Have them import and locate contacts and “followers” and maintain your sites so that you don’t have to. (We recom-mend using a service like My Biz Assistant or My Social Media Pro)
Schedule a particular time (or time slots) during the week to hop onto your un-der-utilized social media sites to see what’s going on. Be sure to genuinely inter-act with other users so they know you are a “real” person and not a bot.
Filter:Utilizeyouremailfilterstocreateafolderspecificallyforsocialmediaalerts and emails. There is nothing more distracting than a few hundred emails tellingyouthat“so-and-so”justchangedtheirprofilepicture,ortheirhometown.Besuretoutilizethe“notification”accountsettingsoneachsitetoensureyouare only getting direct messages and event invitations or a notice when you have been tagged in a post or mentioned in a tweet. This way you can go into your folder on your designated social media time and address anything you need to
attend to.
Label: Take the time (hopefully from the beginning) to label your “friends” and “followers” so you can quickly jump on Facebook or Twitter and view your “fa-vorite people”, your “family”, your “mentors” quickly without having to sort through hundreds of posts on your home page or main feed.
Make the Ask: If you have people interacting and asking questions on your Fan Page or other social media accounts, set an appointment and meet your “fan” for coffee! There is nothing worse than engaging a business as a customer and they never make the “ask”! That is the entire point of having your business online, isn’t it?
Take a break! If you feel like you are getting overwhelmed, distracted, addicted or exhausted from being in front of the computer all of the time- STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! Set a timer during your social media “session” so you don’t get “sucked in” to the pages and pages of endless (and sometimes useless) information on the internet. If you need to, “unplug” for a weekend or a week, and see how much you miss (or don’t miss) while being gone. (**Be sure to delegate your business sites to someone else so that your customer care stand-ards remain intact).
Measure Results: Keep a log of people you’ve met via social media that you have actually met in person! Note each time you get a new customer who says “I found you on Facebook”, or “I heard about your on Twitter”. Track your weekly increases in followers or fans and how that coincides with your business and webtraffic.Trackingyourresultswillremindyouthatsocialmediadonewell,does actually work!
Whateveryoudo,don’tabandonyourprofiles.Ifyoumustabandonasocialme-dia site- remove your site from the platform and any evidence from your mar-keting or website. You don’t want your customers to get the wrong impression whentheystumbleuponaprofilethatwaslastupdated6monthsorayearago!
Remember,unattendedprofilesbecomebreedinggroundsforspam,virusesandbots- which no one likes!
Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget that social networking doesn’t compare to REAL interaction with human beings. Get out there, meet the people you only see online, and engage in actual conversation! This will help you maintain the motivation to keep up with your social media plan!
Rebecca Johnson is the founder of Get Networking Now, My Social Media Pro, The Sacramento Connector Magazine and the Networking Insider.
Social Media Plans By Stan Lem
Social media like Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and LinkedIn are here to stay. If you want tobeasuccessfulbusinesspersonit’sessentialtodiscoverhowtobenefitfromthesetools. There are a few steps that are essential to perform when setting up your social media plan.
Thefirststepinusingsocialmediaistodeterminethevalueoffacebook,twitter,stum-bleupon and other social media to your online business. You must have a plan and work your plan. Its best if these goals are measurable in terms of obtaining a certain numberofnewcustomers,aspecificdollaramountinsalesoraspecificdollaramountinprofit.Insuchamanneryoucaneasilydeterminewhatsocialmediatoolsarethemostbeneficialforyourbusiness.Writethesegoalsdownandkeeptheminasafeplace where you can access them often. Social media is not going to happen overnight so take into consideration breaking every goal down into smaller steps. Without doubt itwillhelpyoutodetermineeasilythespecifictoolssuchasfacebooklayouts,facebookbackgrounds and facebook templates that you want to work with.
The second step is to identify what challenges lie in implementing your goals into social media. It can be organizational changes, content changes, identifying your target audi-ence. You should also keep in mind what your competitors is doing. At last you should determine who will run your social media campaign. Without doubt the best way is to hire an expert to run your social media campaign.
The third step is to choose the most effective tools to implement your plan. Bear in mind that technology is only a part of that plan. Dont make a popular mistake - dont let the technology control the business plan. Identify what outlets such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter, and blogs will most effective meet your goals. Explain to your team the necessity of using social media.
Also don’t forget to include search engine optimization in your social media. Social media is one of the powerful tools in creating of page ranking. First of all you can use it to build inbound links to your homepage. This will increase your page rank. Remember that that it takes a month to rescan a page of writing by the search engine robots. If you want that your page will be rescanned within a week -just add video on your site from YouTube or other sites . The search engine robots like fresh content and you will have raised your page ranking again. Of course, the higher your web-site ranks the muchmorecustomerswillfindyoursiteandthemoreprofitsyouwillmake.
The next thing is to create the content. The content needs to be compelling for your customers.Tellthecustomerwhyyourproductwillbenefitthem.Spendalotoftimeeducating your potential customer. Spend very little time on actually selling. Do not forget to learn how to use facebook layouts, facebook backgrounds and facebook tem-plates to promote your online business.
The 14 Most Effective Leadership TraitsBy : Chris Yarbrough
I use the term “brainwash” endearingly because the truth is that it was some of best training and most effective learni ng that I have ever encountered in my life. The acronym was JJDIDTIEBUCKLE or “JJ did tie buckle.” It covers the fol-lowing fourteen leadership traits and they are true and effective whether you are a marine, a choir teacher or anything in between.
JUSTICE Justice means being fair. Treat others equally. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you and so forth.
JUDGMENT Judgment is the ability to effectively assess the situation. You must be able to accurately understand the implications of the situation you are in so that you can make good decisions. Judgment is also known as common sense.
DEPENDABILITY Dependability is nearly self-explanatory. People must be able to depend on you to provide support, accurate information, guidance and motivation. People must be able to trust in your honesty as well as your competence.
INITIATIVE Initiative is your tendency to approach your responsibilities in a proactive man-ner. A leader with initiative will not wait for direction before taking action. If you see something that needs to be done, do it.
DECISIVENESS Decisiveness is the ability to make solid decisions quickly. With sound judgment, youwillhaveenoughinformationandwithconfidenceinyourinformation,youcan make the decision now without hemming and hawing about.
TACT Tact is a skill that enables you to communicate with people in a direct and effec-tivemannerwithoutspurringconflict.Thisgoesbacktopeopleskills.Youneedto be able to give direction without making people angry. Tact will help you in-spireconfidenceinyourleadershipabilitiesandgaintrustandloyalty.
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INTEGRITY Integrity is essentially honesty, which is crucial to being able to lead people ef-fectively. Without honesty, there is no trust. Without trust, others will not truly follow you and support your motives or efforts.
ENTHUSIASM Enthusiasm deals directly with your ability to motivate. It is about maintaining and putting forth a positive attitude. Enthusiasm expects success and drives us closer to achieving it. It fosters optimism and inspires others to follow your lead.
BEARING Bearing is a trait that is often not discussed in civilian organizations but is none-theless critical for good leadership. Bearing is the way you conduct and control yourself.Itisyourappearance,yourpostureandyourmannerthatreflectsself-confidenceandself-control.Standstraightandexudeademeanorofleadershipand authority. Bearing lets people know that you take your role seriously. Do not slouchaboutorgoofoff.Thesethingsdonotinspireconfidenceinothersthatyou can lead them.
UNSELFISHNESS Unselfishnessisanotherthatisself-explanatory.Agoodleaderislookingoutforthegoodoftheteam.Aleaderisnotselfishlyseekinghisorherbestinterest.Leaders have no ulterior motives.
COURAGE Courageisthetraitthatisparamountinallgoodleadership.Youmustfirsthavethe courage to lead, to expect success, to accept responsibility and to face chal-lenge. Leaders do not fear failure, they embrace it and learn from it in order to minimize its impact and the likelihood that it will occur again. Look fear in the eye and grin. Courage is the chariot that carries us to victory.
KNOWLEDGE Knowledge is another important component of good leadership. You must have the experience, training and information necessary to see the operation to a suc-cessful end. Without knowledge, we are guessing our way through life. Without knowledge, there can be no judgment or sound decision making.
LOYALTY Loyalty involves being devoted to the task or the goals of the organization that you are a part of. Continued on page 24
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It means that you make the goals of the team your own. The loyal leader stands behind his people and supports them. He truly believes in what he is doing. Loy-alty in leadership promotes a loyal following.
ENDURANCE Endurance what keeps us going when the going gets tough? Endurance encom-passes our dedication and tenacity to see the job through to completion regard-less of obstacles or challenges along the way. It embodies both our mental and physical stamina and will power.
“JJ Did Tie Buckle.” To this day, I still believe in this acronym. I uphold that these 14leadershipconceptstrulydefinethecharacteristicsofgoodleadership.Asaleader, carry these ideas with you wherever you go. Commit them to memory and put them to action. People will notice and your leadership skill will improve tremendously. You will be well on your way to being the best leader you can be.
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