Posted on 12/28/2010 7:11 PM
- Are you thriving in your current professional role and enjoy it?
- Is your current position a positive for your personal and financial goals?
- Are you in control of your professional future or do you thread lightly in your environment?
- Do you TRULY want to be doing the same activity day after day in 2011?
Did you know 93% of people in today's work place are unhappy with their job and most do not know what to do about it? In strategic alliance with WBIS, High Heels & High Worth- the Leadership Training and Business-Career Development firm is offering a FREE 1 hour session for the first 25 23people who sign up for a unique Power Hour- New Year...New U! with Harvard educated business woman, Dorri C. Scott.
Designed for women in transition- employed, underemployed, career switchers or mothers seeking more balance, the New Year New U! program will plan, affirm and help you execute your next steps for high stepping success! Your information is confidential and we guarantee to make U the difference U are looking for! If you or someone you know wants action...Schedule an appointment-TODAY...it's FREE and worth it 703.225.3305. YOU are worth it!!! Share with your colleagues about this new program and let's go into 2011 with the Power of Possibility and change for those who are most important in your life!
Learn more about Dorri Scott
To Success!
Posted on 8/3/2009 9:46 PM
Social media is a HOT TOPIC and is a FUN marketing tool for your business. After all, if you are not having fun marketing your company, what results can you expect for its success? Many companies are on board with social media and entrepreneurs are increasing their cash flow, launching products and services. The benefit of using Social Media allows you to build a personal rapport with your clients while showing the value of your product. As with ALL of your marketing, determine how it best fits or if it is feasible to implement in your business plan. The current administration continues to leverage social media, increasing the “people” involvement with the country’s transitions and initiatives. That alone should give you more confidence in expanding your territory.
I have personally used social media since 1999. It all started when a colleague introduced me to the concept. As I transitioned from a corporate career to stay at home mom, I began to use
Plaxo while it was in beta mode. I thought it would be a great idea to build relationships with this forum as I started the groundwork for
WBIS, Women Building & Investing in Success. My vision is to create a POWERFUL global virtual network of women business owners and stay connected to them until we met in person at a
scheduled luncheon or
Networ’th’ing event. I used to watch the Jetson’s and really liked the way Judy stayed in touch with people at the touch of a button. I also used the Plaxo platform to learn about people and then their business endeavors. As an avid marketer, I fell in love with the demographic and psychographic information obtained using social media tools
J. The idea of using
Plaxo,
LinkedIn and other platforms were going to be my ticket to success. I tested many other platforms and decided I could only handle a few consistently, while taking care of home.
I’m extremely comfortable on the internet. My personal email address is very unique and when people hear it, their question is, “How did you get that address?” As the internet has progressed from cable to wireless, I used various communication skills with Verizon to keep the address in tact. I did not have much time for 1 to 1’s and coffee conversations while raising 2 toddlers and figuring out how to implement social media into WBIS- on a solo-preneurs budget. I contacted several women who I thought would be ideal clients for WBIS. We began to develop email relationships. At the time, response, commitment and results were more valuable than using classified ads or cold calls that I also used to initiate relationships. The email relationships became my mechanism to learn more about the person who I would eventually meet and decipher whether or not the person was a “good fit.” In May of 2008, at a WBIS
Networ’th’ing Night Event, it was amazing to see the many ‘
email relationships’
I cultivated over time. I probably knew about ¼ of the room on a more personal/professional level. As I spoke with each person individually, it was great to know something about their business during the conversation. As a marketing professional, what a GREAT metric used, confirming that Social Media will be one of the ‘unique’ qualities differentiating WBIS from other women’s business networking groups.
Over the course of a year I’ve been spending time further developing my preferred social media platforms,
Plaxo,
Linked In,
Twitter, and
FB . Of course I shared the ‘secret’ with the WBIS network in hopes they would come on board quickly. Many have experienced GREAT strides in their business. I understand many business owners use social media platforms to increase ‘lead generation.’ My approach to using social media allows to me really learn about the person to gain a level of trust. I establish a ‘best practices rule‘ to receive permission to send updates while developing meaningful dialogue. If a person puts me in their sales queue…we do not have a genuine relationship and I unsubscribe to their list.
Constant Contact is another GREAT marketing tool to use for your business success.
I’ve learned to leverage my time and build ‘true’ quality relationships. Many of the mentors I currently look to and value are a result of connecting with them via social media platforms.
The social media craze has EVERYONE excited and on board with potential results for their business. I thoroughly enjoy learning about business women, finding speakers and initiating potential relationships before I actually meet someone. The official ‘handshake’ is a nice gesture…I easily gravitate to hug mode
J. I can usually determine the
communication style needed before meeting the person. I am careful…There have been instances where my emotion was a little more than the person expected or could ‘read’ when we met in person. They looked at me with a ‘cautious stature’. After the personal conversations are over, we usually end up in ‘hug mode’ anyway. After all, I’m not Judy Jetson.
The boys are older now and I’m physically networking utilizing traditional business circles for
Centreville Medical Arts Pharmacy. I’m extremely comfortable walking into a room and not feeling like a stranger. I hear many stories from business owners who walk into networking events and it takes a while to warm up before they meet someone. For an introvert who may feel’ attacked’ when a person addresses them too soon, can be overwhelming as well. A Networking Tip for your business: I find it helpful to learn about the culture of a group before attending their meetings. Time and time again over the past few months, the quality of my 1 to 1 meetings has increased. The person and I have a much better understanding of each other and how we may be able to help leverage alliances. Referrals are the best source of business and the process of relationship building is quite essential. Try something for the next 30 days. As you begin to actively implement social media into your business relationships, track the quality of the meeting and the information you received from the potential client. Did you experience a warm comfort level before the first initial meeting at the Starbucks? Did the results of your email introduction, produce value? Evaluate the results compared to how you have traditionally developed relationships and let us know if there was a difference. We would love to hear your feedback.
A few months ago, I attended
chamber training and immediately began the formal introduction with the trainer, by commenting, “YOU must be Jonathan Arehart” He connects with me eye to eye and responds, “Well, that depends…I know you from somewhere.” My response, “This is the first networking event I’ve attended in 2 years…we must be
Facebook Friends.”
He smiles and responds, "That’s right…that’s exactly how I know of you." After the training, our conversation led to a professional relationship. To this day, I’m extremely comfortable using his services and referring his company to other business owners. Actually, this custom Blog is based from his company's ‘mymediaroom’ concept. I attended another event the following week. The person I was to be introduced to by a colleague says, ‘Are you as amazing as your colleague thinks of you and highly recommended I speak to you?’ My response: “ABSOULTELY. Hello, I’m
Sheila Dixon of
Centreville Medical Arts Pharmacy.” After this event, I spoke briefly with the leader and we have been cultivating a professional relationship via
FaceBook. This relationship will take a little more time to develop and that is o.k.
I do not know if being classified as a gen X,Y or XY truly makes a difference in cultivating relationships nowadays. With everyone learning about social media technologies and figuring out if it’s best for their business or just for fun, the playing field is being leveled. Of course understanding the various communication styles and implementing some time tested methods of addressing the person is helpful. If you are curious about a person and may want to work with them, your senses will alert you in evaluating whether or not it’s a good fit for your business success. For me, the bottom line remains the same. Did the company solve a need with the quality, respect and results I expected?
I must admit…Social media can definitely consume your time. Following are few actions you may want to consider:
1. Dedicate the amount of time you will spend communicating with others
2. Define how you are going to use social media for your business
3. Decide which platforms best fit your business
4. Be careful not to divulge too much about your personal self
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY…HAVE FUN and show a person your authentic identity.
In summary, social media is my preferred method of learning about a person before I actually meet them. The process provides a comfort level and helps me better gage whether the person is authentic in their intent to develop a professional or personal relationship. My goal is to ensure that I’m utilizing my valuable time effectively while growing
Centreville Medical Arts Pharmacy and
WBIS. The mission and vision are defined…the action steps continue.
I hope by reading this article, you will have a better comfort level about leveraging today’s social technology for your business. Each day there are more tools to try and methods to evaluate. As every good business owner finds new ways to leverage marketing dollars, keep your eye on the new trends, testing and measuring your bottom line results. If you are a woman owned business actively establishing business relationships, attend an upcoming WBIS Success Luncheon.
WBIS Members have the advantage of our upcoming monthly social media hotline, helping them to navigate the future of this viable marketing tool. We take
membership a step further and will set up social media profiles for your business if they are not completed and you would rather be cultivating existing relationships. Our members are investing in success to develop quality results for their life and business.
If you have any questions about social media or would like to share a social media strategy for your business, post your question or comment below and we look forward to connecting with you in personJ.
Take Care,
Sheila
Copyright2009. If you would like to share this article/blog, please use in its entirety and acknowledge source, Sheila K. Dixon and WBIS, www.wbis.biz .
11325 Random Hills Rd Suite 360 Fairfax, VA 22030
703.225.3305
Posted on 7/18/2009 1:44 PM
By Theresa Caldwell
WBIS promotes the positive power of seasoned professionals in our network. Thanks to friend and WBIS member, Theresa Caldwell shares tips on how you can maximize your media exposure.
After several years of experience booking guests for media interviews and events, I have narrowed down to five (5) characteristics of the best guests.
*Be available. If you want to get media exposure, expose yourself. Have a phone number, email address or website so people can find you. Once they contact you, get back to them quickly. It goes without saying that this also makes it easier for anyone who wants to do any business with you to find you. Once found, do your best to fit the interview into your schedule, or offer someone else who can do it.
*Ask about the interview structure. Be clear about whether it's for radio, television or print. Find out whether the interview can be done in-person or over the phone, live or on tape. Find out how long the interview is, and whether it has to be done "right now." If you can take at least a couple of minutes to pull your thoughts together, do it.
*"Stay Focused!" You would have had to be at the WBIS meeting for why I refer to this in this particular way. However, the bottom line is, keep your mind on what you are doing, saying and who you are saying it to during the interview. If you are doing a phone interview from home, don't do it in the chair that you curl up in to scarf down ice cream while watching movies. You may stand, but don't walk around too much. You don't want your breathing to start to sound like the rating of the interview has just gone from PG to R.
*Tell the truth, but not the whole story. This is one of my favorite phrases. Directly answer the question, but keep it simple, straight-forward. This helps you stay focused, and keeps you from babbling. Plus, the inappropriate, incorrect and goofy stuff usually happens when the interview subject is talking too much.
*Show personality and ENJOY yourself (or at least look and sound like you do). You don't have to have one of those perky personalities. But relax, use your wit and rely upon your command of the subject. Yes, you DO have command of the subjet or they would not have asked to interview you. Sometimes it's just a matter of looking at the question they pose from a different angle, but remain confident that you've got what it takes to be of service to the interviewer, the audience and your business/organization.
Don't worry. Very few people get all of these things right all of the time. But just like most things in life, do your best and trust that your best is enough. It usually is.
Please share a funny Success Story with WBIS where you were ON THE SPOT with the media.
Posted on 7/18/2009 1:34 PM
By Sheila K. Dixon
Question: When it comes to investing in yourself and business, what percentage of your professional development budget is dedicated to growing and nurturing your business?
Economic times are definitely causing business owners and entrepreneurs to focus more on ‘writing increased business from 9-5’, ‘ making the error of drastically slashing marketing budgets’ and 'relying on one’s charisma' to maintain or acquire new clients. The sales pitches are harder and faster. Social and Business networking is EXPLODING with business groups popping up everywhere. People are saying they are leveraging others contacts when they are really making a quick sale to get to the number. Times may be causing people to ‘grapple for the dollar.' STOP!!!!!!!! Cash is King, the recession is temporary and you cannot afford to lose the essence of your success.
While it is important to develop and implement an aggressive plan to sustain your family and employees, do not be paralyzed by the cost of investing in yourself. Self-Development is a VERY hard concept for many women to buy into when they are ‘paying for it’ especially when many do not know what kind of return to expect from the investment. Sheila Dixon hears it all of the time at WBIS: “I have the luncheon on my calendar and this is a GREAT topic, but I have clients booked all day.” Sheila’s response, “Are you taking TIME for self-care to further increase the quality of your net worth? I’m not mad at you, but if you want to remain competitive and prosperous, get control of your time, invest in your personal success, at least once a month, and you’ll most likely build increased net worth with real people who leverage powerful connections.” RESULT?
Here are a few tips every woman entrepreneur needs to accelerate and enhance the essence of business success in today's market:
- Peer-to-Peer “Networthing”- Benefit from peer-to-peer “networthing” that plans participant composition, develops meeting agendas and monitors goal attainment. A strong peer support group can more than pay for your time and membership within the first six months. Sometimes looking across the table at a peer who struggles with the same growth challenges as you do, allows you to release fears and replace them with measurable action.
- Adopt a CEO, SHE-EO, DIVA or a WBIS quality self-care system. Make your health a priority no matter what stage of business you are in. Bottom-Line: If you do not have health, you will not have wealth.
- Take time to reflect. In addition to scheduling your vacation, invest in structured time away from the home office or business entity. Take 15 minutes a day for spiritual enrichment. YOU do have the time. Take an additional 15 minutes to remain silent. The time away allows you to brainstorm and create, which is essential for grappling with pressing business challenges and finding breakthrough solutions. Journal your thoughts.
- Overcome personal limitations. A high-powered personal mentor or coach can help you breakthrough barriers that stunt your company’s growth potential. A good coach should be able to quantify how and when your investment will pay for itself during the first 3 months.
- Grow your credentials. Depending upon your industry, acquire additional certifications to enhance your ability to attract more clients.
YOU are your company’s greatest asset, so investing in your personal success needs to be RED Flagged in your business schedule and not viewed as ‘this would be something nice to do.’
WBIS is positioned in the community to support and nurture growing businesses as they prosper to the success desired for their life and business. Please share a strategy that consistently works for your success.
Take Care.
Sheila
