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Cool Practice Review: Dialogue Exercise

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Todd Hoskins chooses and uses tools, products, and practices that could belong in an entrepreneurial business toolkit. He’ll be checking out how useful they are to folks in a business environment.

Cool Practice Review: Dialogue Exercise
A Review by Todd Hoskins

Credit: I learned the structure of this exercise from Leilani Henry who runs a great business that creatively helps organizations learn, develop, and collaborate.  She’s also quite the artisan.

A clear agenda and good leadership usually makes for a good business meeting. But sometimes, spending time exploring possibilities and perspectives is valuable for creating strategy, nurturing the connectedness of the team, and getting a break from the task-heavy day that can drain and dry up our creative wells.

This exercise in dialogue, based upon the work of David Bohm, is a wonderful practice that can be used in team meetings, executive retreats, or even board meetings.

First, sit in a circle so each person can see one another. This works best for a group (not a few people on a couch), and the intimacy would be lost if you have more than a few dozen people.

The group leader asks a question. The person to the left or right will respond to the initial question, then ask a follow-up question to the person to his/her left or right. Move around the circle until you’re back at the beginning. Time limits can be suggested or enforced.

Guidelines
1. No question “answering.” The temptation will be strong to give an answer. Instead . . .
2. Ask open-ended questions – nothing that can receive a simple yes or no
3. Share your stream of thoughts in response to the question being posed to you. This may begin with “That makes me think of . . .” Or, “I’m wondering . . .”
4. Do not try to “stay on topic.” You will not escape the direction of the first (or tenth) question. The suggestiveness of the initial question is important
5. No judgments on the questions or responses being offered
6. No decisions are made during the dialogue – it’s a process for its own sake

Outcomes
1. At the end of the exercise, you will likely have a pool of meaning in the midst of the circle.
2. The questions and responses can give you a new perspective on issues, possibilities, and people within the circle

Suggestions
1. Have one or a few people write down key words and phrases as they surface
2. Take a break, then at a later time ask, “What could we learn from this?”

Some possible questions:
What will our company look like in five years?
Why are we not meeting expectations?
How do we make decisions?
How do creativity and work go together?
How could we be more involved in the community?

Again, NO ANSWERING!

Summing Up – Is it worth it?

Enterprise Value: 5/5 – Pushes people out of their comfort zones a bit, but in a good way

Entrepreneur Value: 5/5 – Great team-building

Personal Value: 2/5 – Family reunion fun? The principles apply. Adapt it for your personal relationships.

Let me know what you think!

Todd Hoskins helps small and medium sized businesses plan for the future, and execute in the present. With a background in sales, marketing, leadership, psychology, coaching, and technology, he works with executives to help create thriving individuals and organizations through developing and clarifying values, strategies, and tactics. You can learn more at VisualCV, or contact him on Twitter.

Social Media Book List: 42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers and Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors by managing their book promotion and publicity. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one author I am currently working with ’42 Rules to Turning Prospects into Customers’ by Meridith Elliott Powell and one book on the social media Amazon list ‘Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars’ by Mitch Meyerson .

The books I discuss in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

’42 Rules to Turning Prospects into Customers’

by Meridith Elliott Powell

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“Between the specific action steps and the simplicity of Meridith’s ideas, I found myself eager to try what I learned in this benefit-rich book. I gained ideas for my business in almost every chapter and have been effortlessly taking new steps forward with my sales process. Meridith just makes the sales process so easy!”
Misti Burmeister, CEO Inspirion, Inc., New York Times Best-Selling Author, Boomers to Bloggers: Success Strategies across Generations

“Sales can seem overwhelming and scary to so many, but thank goodness for Meridith. She approaches the topic of sales in a unique way in her new book by laying out easy steps that lead to great relationships that close that deal. This book is ideal for everyone from the sales professional to the professional who never thought they would have to sell. By the time you finish Meridith’s book, you will be a salesperson with a smile.”
Marquesa Pettway, DTM, Reinvention Expert, Speaker, Author, Coach

About the Book*:

The economy is changing. Trust and value have become the new Return on Investment (ROI). Consumers are the new drivers of the market; they are in control of where, when, how and from whom they buy. To succeed in this economy you need to do it all – build relationships, establish trust and value, maximize efficiency and generate bottom line results.

In her new book, 42 Rules To Turn your Prospects into Customers, Meridith Elliott Powell draws on her 20-plus years in sales to give you a practical step-by-step guide on how to find the right prospects, build profitable relationships, close more sales and turn your customers into champions for your business. Through her experience, research and interviews with sales professionals, clients and executives, Powell has gathered valuable information that will help you navigate this change, get ahead of the curve, and succeed.

For sales people, business owners, and executives who need to know how to identify the right prospects; build quality relationships, and maximize their sales efforts, this book provides solid, actionable answers. The rules can be learned quickly and implemented immediately so you and your teams can develop your most critical skill – striking the balance between relationships and results.

Powell answers these questions and more:
• How can I make sure my networking efforts are setting me up for sales success?
• How do I maximize my time and minimize my expenses?
• How do I handle the stress of producing and meeting sales goals?
• How do I get my customers to buy my best and most valuable products or services?
• How do I standout from the competition?

Powell, a life-long student of sales and the sales process, is passionate about helping her clients succeed. Her experience, dedication to research and her desire to listen and learn from the ultimate teacher – our customers – ensure readers gain first hand knowledge of how to Turn Prospects into Customers.

This book is divided into three parts, each representing an important process in approaching prospects and turning them into customers.

Part I is The Foundation. It contains everything you need to consider before you go on your first sales call. I will walk you through every step and encourage you along the way. When you finish this section, you’ll actually look forward to setting up a sales call, and you’ll be eager to get started on your strategy.

Part II is The Call, your first visit with a potential customer. We will address how to use the foundation rules, and how to engage your customer so you design a sales experience that is positive for both of you.

Part III is The Follow-Up. These rules are so much more than just a thank-you card or a phone call; these are the rules that complete the movement of prospect to customer. They provide the opportunities to offer additional services to an already satisfied customer base, and to solidify relationships and retain business for the long term. A well-executed follow-up process will create a strategy strong in repeat business and
referrals.

About Meridith*:

Meridith Elliott Powell is a coach, speaker and business development expert. Meridith is passionate about networking, sales and service, and has dedicated herself to discovering why some people struggle and others succeed when it comes to developing these critical skills. On a self-described mission, Meridith uses everything she has learned to develop programs, coaching techniques and strategies to help people ignite their internal sales/networking flame.

Upbeat, energetic and cutting edge are just a few words used to describe Meridith’s selling and writing style. Prior to founding her company, MotionFirst, Meridith spent more than 20 years working in sales and leadership in the fields of finance, sales, marketing and strategy. In addition, she has been recognized numerous times for both her professional and charitable achievements.

Today she works as a certified strategist, coach, and human behavior specialist, working with a wide variety of clients ranging from health care to finance. She is an active member of the National Speakers Association, Lessons in Leadership and the American Society For Training and Development. In addition, she holds certifications as both a business and emotional intelligence coach.

You can purchase a copy of ’42 Rules to Turning Prospects into Customers’ online on the publisher site, Superstar Press, a Happy About imprint or on Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the social media list on Amazon and on my reading list is ‘Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars’.

Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars

by Mitch Meyerson

About the Book*
Online marketing expert Mitch Meyerson presents you with an unmatched advantage into the world of social media – the priceless secrets, strategies, tactics and insights of more than 20 of today’s social media elite. Handpicked to cover almost every aspect of social media marketing, Meyerson and this distinguished team of experts open their playbooks and teach you how to create effective social media campaigns to cut through the clutter, reach out to millions and grow your business.

Features:

* Proven tips and tactics from 20+ top social media marketers
* The biggest mistakes businesses make with social media and how to fix them
* Actionable plans for all areas including social networks, blogs, web TV and mobile marketing
* Real-world case studies, best practices and proven techniques from the experts
* Detailed list of resources

Contributions from World-Class Social Media Experts:

* Keith Ferrazi & Tahl Raz: Relationship Strategy
* Brian Clark: Psychology of Social Media
* Mitch Meyerson: Online Marketing
* Ann Handley: Creating Content
* Gary Vaynerchuk: Building Mega-Followings
* Andy Willbes: Personality
* Chris Brogan: Building Communities
* Joel Comm: Success Qualities
* Craig Valentine: Communicate with Impact
* Starr Hall: Building Profits
* Dan Janal: PR Strategies
* Michael Stelzner: Go Viral
* Denise Wakeman: Business Blogs
* Mari Smith: Facebook
* Deborah Cole Micek: Twitter
* Barbara Rozgonyi: LinkedIn
* Julie Perry: YouTube
* Paul Colligan: Podcasting
* Chris Garrett: Social Bookmarking
* Kim Dushinski: Mobile Marketing
* Shama Kabani: Online Video
* Dave Evans: One Hour a Day

About Mitch Meyerson*:

Mitch Meyerson is a speaker, trainer, and the author of 9 books including Mastering Online Marketing, Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet, and Six Keys to Creating the Life You Desire. He has been a featured expert on Oprah and is the Founder of the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program. For more information, visit: www.MitchMeyerson.com

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Success Secrets of Social Media Superstars’ on Amazon or on his website Mitch Meyerson.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

How to Avoid Using PowerPoint in 5 Easy Steps

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A Guest Post by Scott P. Dailey

You’re losing business because your presentation sucks, not because your fee is too high or someone else is smarter, more creative or more accomplished. You’re going in scared that you won’t compete and that same fear drove your preparedness and your crappy presentation.

… I’ll explain in a minute, but for now, wanna see 200 photographs of my recent business trip to Indianapolis? It’s loaded with killer shots of the thoroughly unremarkable office building I worked from. No? OK. Well what about video of surgeons removing the deceased section of my sigmoid colon? No!? Man, you’re tough to please. Oh I got it! How about I talk to you for an hour about how awesome my six-year-old son is at soccer? …

Seriously. How many of you are remotely interested in any of these topics, let alone eager to view, watch or listen to me carry on about them for an hour?

Now to be fair, maybe if some of my readers work in Indianapolis, they may take an interest in my trip to their fine city. They may, for instance, want to know where I stayed, or if given the right time of year, had I taken the time to catch a Colts or Pacers game. Maybe some among you have also been diagnosed with chronic diverticulitis and like me, had to have abdominal surgery to remove a damaged part of your colon. I bet that segment would want to engage me, if only to relate their experiences to mine. Or possibly your child rocks on the soccer field too and you’re dying to ask what position my son plays, so that you can tell of your child scoring the winning goal as time expired.

So what I’m getting at is that if I’m not able to relate on a visceral level that reflects directly on what’s important to me personally, I’m not likely to care very much about what you want to share with me.

If we know this and somewhere deep down most of us do, why then would we care about your long-winded, one-way presentation? Or an over-detailed dominating PowerPoint presentation?

poiwerpoint_geetesh_bajaj

These pitches, sadly often aren’t about the prospect at all. It’s about what you think of your ability to do a thing or even worse, all things. It is nothing more than what your prospect sees all the time from potential vendors: an overtly talkative brochure, peppered with gratuitous look-at-me platitudes. But what specifically is it doing apart from forcing people to pretend to be enthusiastic about you purely because they’re trapped in a room with you?

Reinvent the presentation experience

In which of your 100 slides do you get me emotional? I ask because that’s actually where I want your presentation to begin. Flip to that slide right now and please begin. I’m listening. Oh your presentation doesn’t have a slide that stirs me? Well in that case, here’s your hat, there’s the door and have a nice day.

Everyone has an unnecessarily verbose and egocentric PowerPoint. I know of no capabilities presentation that is ever justified in being as long as it is. The problem with most of them are that they’re authored by our fear of failure, not our ability to solve the audience’s problems. And so I challenge you to be the anti-presenter! Be the salesperson who goes in there and kills it because fear of:

* leaving something out
* not being good enough
* not getting money

did not color your pitch. If you’re not going to win the business, lose it because you suck, not because your awful presentation messed you up. Here’s five things I do on sales calls that have helped me not lose the business.

  1. Never bring a presentation to a sales pitch.

    I bring a business card and the team that will steer the project and that’s it. If I’m responding to an RFP, my response honors (to the letter) the RFP guidelines and requirements. Nothing unsolicited is ever included. I never voluntarily talk about business needs nor present business solutions that fall outside the prospect’s requirements or curiosities.

  2. Research your prospect.

    I focus on key players and read up (on and offline) on what is available on each stake holder. I research their successes and failures and because what I do is Web related, I look at the BBB information, along with sentiment surrounding the company’s social and emotional footprint.

    It’s important to memorize these fundamentals because the people you’re meeting with are sure to be emotionally invested in the outcome of the gig, as well as their business in general. Exhibiting a good degree of knowledge out the door will help them see you more as an ally, then a vendor.

  3. Shut up.

    This one’s tough, because I yap a lot. But yes, I do shut up. I close my mouth and listen to the prospect talk about themselves. This is always the best of all available opportunities to sell yourself too because this is precisely the stage in the sales process where the prospect shows you their cards. If they’re talking about their stuff, you can be assured that they’re going to get excited talking about it.

    This is where many perfectly qualified vendors lose the business and never understand why they did. As the prospect is talking about their stuff, the manner with which they exhibit enthusiasm may be foreign when compared to the way you get excited. Doesn’t mean they’re not pumped. So don’t just match their enthusiasm or overdo it. Rather, replicate it using the tone and mood they’re using to convey it. Again, guide them toward seeing you as an ally, not a money-grubbing vendor. Be similar to them, not dissimilar.

  4. Ask Questions.

    Ask them questions that force them to talk more about the stuff that gets them excited. Try, when possible, to limit your questions to only those that relate to the topics they are most passionate about. If you’ve been doing great listening, then you already know what turns them on. Taking this specific action has won me more business and gotten me more jobs than any other sales method I use. And for the love of all things holy, be patient. The longer you wait to add your own anecdotes, the more you’ve got them telling theirs. The more they’re busy telling theirs, the more they’ll want to hear yours when your chance comes. Prematurely grasping for the microphone, or worse, snagging it before it’s been handed to you will kill any momentum you’ve been building in the previous steps. simply put: if you see what got ’em hot and bothered, well hell, sex sells! Make ’em talk about it more. Well done. No go cash some checks.

  5. Relate to them.

    Suggestion #5 is last on purpose. Offering anecdotes and casual social banter in the earliest stages of a pitch is a stupid decision. Imagine we’re at a party and you and your friends are conversing about the NFL. You’re a club. A clan. All equally vetted by the other. Now imagine I walk up to your group, unknown to you all, and dive head-long into a rant about the NY Jets losing their season opener. What are the odds you’ll dig me?

    Relating to the client is really all you’ve been doing to this point, but you’ve been the guy or gal humbly listening, eventually asking questions as you and your friends talk about pro football. After I have demonstrated my interest in you and most importantly, on your terms, you may then be ready to hear my take on a Jets loss.

    The time to crack jokes and secure social common ground isn’t when you first sit down. I’ve seen this over and over. Sure you’re a cool dude or chick. Sure you can slay ’em, but earn your seat at that table. Earn the right to be casual.

How do you relate with your prospects? How do you sell customers? Do you use a presentation? Does it work? What separates you from the thousands that do use a capabilities presentation?

—–

Scott P. Dailey is a Web designer, copywriter and network administrator. Recently Scott launched ( http://scottpdailey.com ), his social media blog that makes connections between social networking etiquette and the prevailing human social habits that drive on and offline business engagement patterns. You can connect with Scott via Twitter at @scottpdailey.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Geetesh Bajaj

Thanks, Scott!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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How Do You Know When Quitting that Quest Is a Good Idea?

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It’s Something Like Business Infatuation

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I just spent an hour working on art for a blog post that I couldn’t write. The concept was too hard, to convoluted and too stupid to deserve the time and space it would take to explain it. It didn’t deserve a diagram. It didn’t even deserve a blog post.

I’ve done that before. It happens when I get too involved with my own ideas and lose sight of the people I’m writing for. Lucky for me, I recognize the symptoms sooner and sooner each time.

Most of them have to do with working too hard to make something work right.

How to Know When to Quit

It happens with ideas, with projects, and with relationships. We get started on something small or something big. Somewhere along the line infatuation sets in. We’re inspired with a foolish or extravagant love for some part of it.

It may be that we’ve discovered a little known fact that’s fascinating to think about.

Why your friends will always have more friends that you do.

It may be the most musical sentence we’ve ever written, that doesn’t fit inside any paragraph of what we’re writing now.


When I give my soul room to breathe, everyone I know gets nicer.

It may be the person, the career, or the company that immediately caught our attention and got us thinking new thoughts. It may be the project or idea we just thought up that moved us to get to doing our most outstanding work.

Whichever it is that has captured our inspired commitment to work at some point, when things stop working, we don’t want to believe we were wrong. Rather than recognizing the problem, we keep fighting to make it right again. We unconsciously find ourselves committed to a failing course. It’s an emotional response. It’s irrational and time wasting at best. Costly at worst.

When we’re on a quest, we’re emotionally involved. Emotions filter judgment and skew our evaluations. They build cognitive bias which reinforces our beliefs and often clouds the truth. How do you know when to give it up? Here are questions you might ask to figure out if you’re working too hard to make something work.

  • Do you find yourself moving things around more than you’re moving things forward? Measure the time and effort you’re spending compared to similar situations.
  • Do you find that you’re talking more about how things could / should / might work than talking about the work itself? Talking about behavior and process is not the same as talking about the work.
  • Do you find that you’re spending time rewriting or reworking all around one detail, one person, one idea that you love? When a detail becomes more important than the work, stop to remind yourself of your goal.
  • When you try to explain to others what’s holding you up, do they suggest that you lose the exact piece that you care about most? Do you hear yourself arguing for the problem rather than looking for a solution?

If you’re finding yourself saying “yes,” you might want to get some distance to find a less personal view. Imagine what the situation or the project would be like without the part or person that you have formed a personal relationship with.

Suppose you were offered the option to move that “lovely dear” to another project where he, she, or it is a far better fit? If the feeling you get in thinking of your answer is relief, then you know you’re working too hard to make things work.

How do you know when quitting your current quest is a good idea?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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Social Media Book List: If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go and Blog Marketing

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors by managing their book promotion and publicity. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one author I am currently working with ‘If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go>’ by Doug Warshauer and one book on the social media Amazon list ‘Blog Marketing: The Revolutionary New Way to Increase Sales, Build Your Brand, and Get Exceptional Results’ by Jeremy Wright.

The books I discuss in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘If I’m So Smart, Where Did all My Money Go?’

by Doug Warshauer

Doug Warshauer's book If I'm So Smart, Where did All My Money Go?

Book Review by Kirkus Review—-
A realistic, detailed guide to planning for your financial future.

Warshauer was a small business forecaster by trade, skilled at incorporating the myriad of financial factors that make up the universe of a small company and projecting their expenses and profitability. In a burst of insight, he decided to apply those same methods on a more intimate scale. He has thus come up with an excellent set of guidelines in the hopes of ensuring a stable financial future for individuals and families.

The plan—five big steps composed of 18 smaller steps—is very sensible, and each bears Warshauer’s hallmark: accounting for the different life goals that each person or family will have. He begins by explaining how much of our net income should be saved, spent on homes and auto, and even spent on clothing. He provides a numerical guideline for each area, insisting that if spending in one category goes up, it must drop in other areas.

These short-term goals segue into long-term planning, such as the decision to save for public school versus private, and how to understand how much each family will need for retirement. These insights take the book one step deeper than the average financial-planning instructional. The book is also unique in that Warshauer presents the rules for financial success in the form of a story. Joe, one of the main protagonists, is a generic young adult who spends more than he’s earning, and thus decides to attend one of the author’s financial seminars.

Other characters include single mothers and young parents. The fiction structure is loose, basically just a tool to help the author dispense his financial rules in a way that keeps readers engaged. Naturally, the dialogue itself tends to get tedious, as seminar attendees ask dry questions about finance, but on the whole it’s more readable than a strictly nonfiction manual.

A helpful introductory guide to financial planning for singles and families looking to get the most out of their money.

About the Book*:

How do you achieve a balanced financial life and lasting wealth?

Conventional advice does not teach people how to balance conflicting demands from living expenses, credit cards bills, mortgages, college funds, and retirement investments. Finally, there is a book that does.

“If I’m So Smart, Where Did All My Money Go?” is an engaging look at ten diverse characters who each face different financial challenges. In this story of a personal finance seminar, you will meet the following people:

* Joe, a 23 year-old college graduate who already finds himself with $20,000 of credit card debt, and wonders if he has done permanent damage to his financial future,
* Eric and Sally, a couple in their 30s who bought a home at the peak of the market and who fear they could lose all of their equity,
* Andrea, a 40ish single mother whose living expenses make saving for college and retirement seem an impossible dream,
* Mitchell, a 55 year-old with two children on the verge of college, who wonders how he will ever be able to retire.

They, and others, each learn how to best achieve their own personal objectives: how to save and invest money for cars, homes, college, and retirement.

By following these examples, you will learn how to apply the lessons to your own life. After reading this story you will have learned:

* Exactly how much YOU need to save for your Home, College, and Retirement
* How to prioritize YOUR savings goals
* Exactly how much YOU can afford to spend on everything: your house, your car, food, clothing, and entertainment
* Which debt YOU should pay off and which you should keep
* Whether YOU should buy a home or rent one
* When YOU should invest in stocks and when to choose safer investments

You will learn to balance each of your financial objectives in order to achieve all of them. Most important, you will develop a level of confidence in your financial future that you never imagined possible.

About Doug Warshauer*:

Doug Warshauer is the founder of Kessler Warshauer Ventures, a highly successful private equity investment firm. He developed the techniques presented in this book by modeling the prospects of hundreds of businesses. Here, for the first time ever, he makes these techniques available to families to help them better manage their money. Doug holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an MA from New York University, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in the Chicago area. Follow along each week with Doug’s financial strategies or ask him a question on his blog, www.DougWarshauer.com.

You can purchase a copy of ‘If I’m So Smart, Where did All My Money Go?’ online at Amazon or on his website, Doug Warshauer.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

A book on the social media list on Amazon is ‘It’s Not Just Who You Know’ by Tommy Spaulding.

Blog Marketing

Blog Marketing by Jeremy Wright

“Blogs will soon become a staple in the information diet of every serious businessperson . . . . Blogs offer an accelerated and efficient approach to acquiring and understanding the kind of information all of us need to make business decisions.”
— John Battelle, Business 2.0

About the Book*:

With an exclusive look inside Google, Disney, Yahoo, IBM, and others, this book shows how your company can use blogs to raise its visibility and transform internal communications

All companies, large and small, know that reaching customers directly and influencing–and being influenced by–them is essential to success. Blog Marketing shows marketing and PR professionals as well small business owners how to do just that without spending a lot of money. Readers will learn how to tap into the power of blogs to create a direct line of communication with customers, raise the company’s visibility, and position their organizations as industry thought leaders.

In Blog Marketing, leading blogging consultant Jeremy Wright explains how and why companies of all types blog and reveals strategies for effectively interacting with customers. You’ll find out how authentic feedback from customers can lead to potential new marketing strategies, innovative new product ideas, and new concepts that will completely transform your business.

Get an exclusive look at some phenomenally successful companies currently taking advantage of blogs including Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Google, Disney, General Motors, and others, and find out how you can reap the rewards in your own organization.

Blog Marketing is filled with real-world examples of how blogging can

* Extend company branding
* Create positive experiences with your customers
* Provide real feedback on your company and its products
* Transform the way your company does business
* Simplify a variety of project management tasks
* Impact the bottom line

The business world is undergoing profound changes, redefining marketing, public relations, and customer communications. If you aren’t inviting this change into your own business–and keep in mind, your competitors are–then the writing is on the wall. No matter what your business, blogging is essential to your success, both now and in the future.

About Jeremy Wright*:

Jeremy Wright is an author and business consultant with a passion for blogging, communications, time management, and anything else that makes people’s lives easier. He has spoken at dozens of conferences and worked with a wide range of companies — from Fortune 500s to home-based businesses — to understand the power of blogging and online marketing. His blog, Ensight.org, is read by more than 250,000 people every month.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Blog Marketing’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Do You Know the Five Cornerstones of an Outstanding Business Blog?

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A Guest Post by David Hobart

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Blogging is a useful way to convey a discussion piece or news feeds on a specific subject. If you have a blog or are thinking about setting up a one, it’s a good idea to be aware of what makes a blog stand out and last and what makes an “also ran.” If you’re blogging for business it’s important to keep these in mind.

  • Time. Setting up and maintaining a blog, as with any web content, takes time and effort. One of the most common mistakes that bloggers make is to underestimate the amount of time it will take to set up a blog and add to it regularly. There will be a delay in attracting interest when first getting a blog off the ground, so a potential blogger not only has to make the initial commitment but must maintain the blog even when that interest is minimal. If you are seriously thinking about setting up a blog it is worth planning your blogging time around your daily routine. Aim to blog smaller items at regular intervals rather than write time consuming articles.
  • Content. People blog for many different reasons, but by far the most successful bloggers have powerful opinions that really show through in their writing. Avoid choosing a subject you are not passionate about. Your passion and interest in your chosen subject will make it easier for you to blog without it being a chore. It will also help stop you giving up in the early stages. Remember that your blog is a forum for you to tell the world how you feel, so pick a subject you feel strongly about.
  • Purpose. Once you have chosen your subject, be clear about what you want to convey. Do you want to be informative? Is there a particular demographic you want to target? How could your blog be useful to the reader? Bear these questions in mind when you blog. It will help with clarity of content. Do not make search engine optimization your priority. This may conflict with your writing and readers will pick up on this. The reader should always come first. Address your points quickly as this will help attract the immediate interest of the reader.
  • Personality. Your blog should be an extension of your personality. It should not be cold and lifeless. Another common mistake is writing your web content in the style of an article or lecture. The reader should be able to read your blog and imagine you talking to them. It should be engaging, warm and friendly. This can be difficult to master, but imagine you are in a coffee shop chatting to a friend about your chosen subject, and write accordingly.
  • Individuality. Some of the most annoying blogs are ones where the blogger is following the herd. Lack of originality is a no-no. A potential follower will switch off if they read opinions they have already heard a million times before. They may also assume that you copied your blog from someone else. Don’t be afraid of blogging about what you think and feel. Your views are just as valid as everyone else’s and this is your opportunity to write about them. Also, make sure the opinions you blog about belong to you and no one else.

These five cornerstones hold up an outstanding business blog. Have you incorporated all five into what you’re doing with yours?

——
David Hobart is Managing Director at Pure Content.
You’ll find him on Twitter as @DaveHobart

Thanks, David!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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