Goals and why we should set them.

I was thinking the other day about some of the goals I had set myself last year and if I had actually met any of them? Well some I did and some I didn’t but hey you can’t get too down if they all don’t come through, the thing to remember is if you don’t set any you will just wander along life’s path with no real direction or purpose, pretty heavy stuff I know but true none the less.
I generally make four or five goals and then write them down and stick them on the fridge or copy them and pin them up in the office but this time I decided to make a desktop wallpaper for all my computers, home and office so I would see them every day without fail.
I find if they are in full view then it’s a constant reminder of why I do what I do, don’t get me wrong I love what I do but like any job, profession or vocation we have to be careful that we don’t become too bogged down with the ‘detail’ and forget why we love what we do.
So have a think about the goals you can set for yourself such as:
•    Be happy
•    More money
•    Holidays
•    Help people

The list is endless but the point is it has to be your list and what’s important to you, nobody else’s.

Let me know how you get on?

photo credit: KMiDigital - The picture is an example for you to follow.

Negativity and how to deal with it.

As most of you know I have run my blog for a little while now, I have to confess that it hasn’t been added to in a while and as those of you who know me realise I have had rather a lot on lately, but there it is none the less. One of the things I like to do is help people when I can but what can you do when someone who doesn’t really know you or what you do make comments about how you earn you’re living, well part of it at least?

To give you a little background I run workshops and seminars for the Chamber of Commerce on getting the best out of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook here in the West and sometimes out in Furness and so far its been a mixed bag, Cumbrian businesses seem to be taking a little to catch on what its about and how it can help, whereas some of the talks I have given in other parts of the country have been seized on and lots of the advice I have give has been acted upon and I still have regular contact with attendees and give them help and advice.

Now one of the things I say to them is if you get negative feedback or comments on something you do or have said don’t worry as it’s usually a mixture of jealousy and ignorance of what you do or what you have achieved.

But if this does happen here are a few tips to deal with it:

• Take it offline – don’t play this out in public as there is never anything to gain by this as either they or more importantly you look foolish or amateurish.
• Find out what you have said or done to warrant this negativity and if you can’t then the best thing to do is either stop following or block them. I have to say I don’t really like this approach as I feel everyone has the right to their opinion.
• If there is no other way to sort the negativity out then block them and move on as some people are there just for controversy and to create a reaction and lets be honest life is too short to get involved in this, or maybe you enjoy it, make up your own mind.
• Life is for sharing but negativity is not!

There you have it just a couple of tips to get you started, remember jealousy and ignorance are a terrible affliction and best avoided at all costs.

Have you experienced this on any of the big three platforms, if so let me know.

Photo credit: pasukaru76

Social Networking and how fantastic it really is

I am going to start off with a story of a great dad who was, as all siblings know, the best dad in the world, well mine was!
He died on Tuesday leaving a large hole in all the remaining families’ lives but what really astonished me, unlike when my mum died about six years ago, how the likes of Facebook and blogging have played such a major part in his death and letting people know.

Facebook
After dad died I put a message on Facebook and I was astonished by the response from friends, and they are friends, and sympathy I and the family received, this wasn’t possible six years ago as these types of websites were all still in their infancy or even thought of and letting large group of friends and family was virtually impossible.

Whether you think it should be used for this is obviously your opinion but just looking around Facebook and seeing how many pages there are for people who lose their lives either too soon, suddenly, in tragic or horrific circumstances or our brave service men and women give me hope that the world is better for these platforms.

Blogging
Obviously as you are reading this it is something that we couldn’t have done a few years ago, well that’s not strictly true I know but getting your message out was really difficult as early bloggers found.

Social Networking is a powerful tool so use it wisely.

Anyway if this post has spurred you to write your story, or part of it at least, then set up your blog and let the world know through FB and Twitter, let me know how you go?

Network like a Jedi

Over the course of the last week or so I have ran two seminars and one workshop on getting the best out of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, which have not only been enlightening but very rewarding. The people I have met have all been fantastic and I am sure they got as much out of it as I did.

The term ‘Network like a Jedi’ was said at a workshop and I thought that’s fantastic and just about sums it all up and I wish I had thought of it.

Anyway the purpose of this post is to share with you some of the things I think are important when using these fantastic platforms and even though some of the points are old ones they are, none the less good ones that bare repeating.

LinkedIn

• Create a killer profile and remember its not a CV but what you want to do now and in the future and remember to add a photo, yes it is important
• Remember that you are talking to real people with real feelings
• Use the people search to find who you are looking for colleagues, past and present, in fact anyone you can think of that can help you and your business
• Build your network with people of similar interests and goals
• Recommend and ask for recommendations.

Twitter

• Your profile is key so think about it
• Be cautious on who you follow and think about the reasons you are
• Download Tweetdeck, you won’t be able to do without it
• One of the quickest ways to get your business and its products or services out there 
• Perfect for customer service

Facebook

• A great tool for finding out what clients and associates do for pleasure
• Great to use as an ice breaker before a meeting, “how was the skiing trip” etc
• Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.
• Create a business account if you don’t already have one.
• Post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with Widgets Company on new web site redesign.”

Everyone of these comments came from the seminars and workshops proving what a great source of knowledge and inspiration they really are.
Here’s to the next round and let me know how you use the 'big three'?

photo credit: Stella Dauer

Is it just me...?

Now it isn't very often I have a rant but I feel the need today. I got into the office this morning with the sole intention of going through my presentation notes for Friday's workshop, so I switched off the annoying sound that my phone makes when an email arrives, you just have to look don’t you? But even after making the office sound proof all I have had is a constant flow of automated phone calls trying to sell me everything from webspace to a gold plated pen if I sign up for something or other.

It really gets my goat that these people are no respecters of privacy at all. I have been known, on occasion, to humour one of the guys on the other end of the phone, as my daughter did a similar thing as she was going through university, she told me how hard and soul destroying it can be to have the phone put down on them. But it isn’t even a person on the end of the phone that I can have a conversation with its an annoying drone.

Wouldn’t it be much better to maybe send an email, that way I can quickly add it to my junk folder. Surprise, surprise I have a business so I know what a nightmare marketing can be and how difficult it can also be to get your message across, but this just leaves me cold and I am sure I am not alone in this.

Right there’s my rant for the year…hopefully! Now back to work.

Let me know if this irritates you too and other guerrilla tactics that are being used to try and grab our attention.

photo credit: oneofsomany

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Take five minutes and tell me its not true.

Generating Fans - continued

In the last post I asked if you had started a fan page on either Facebook or other platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
If you haven’t then you should seriously think about it and if you have then well done you are heading in the right direction.

As I type this I am listening to a classic rock internet radio station from America not too long ago that wouldn’t have been possible, but what does that have to do with this you ask. Well after you have your page up and running, instructions how to do that are here, you should decide who you are going to target:

• Is your business a global business?
• Is your business a local business?
• Is your business both?
• What is your goal? 
• This could be to make money by increased sales
• Attract more visitors to your site to give them information

Whatever this is you have to have a goal or it’s all meaningless.

So how do you work out your strategy to get people to your ‘page’ well use the above as a starting point and then re work your plan and we will discuss this in more detail next time.

What is your plan for 2010, let me know?

Image credit: Keith McMean

You have a fan page on Facebook...now what?

So you have created a new fan page on Facebook and you have about a dozen 'fans' but how do you know they are the correct fans? Have you a strategy in place that will get you more fans that will buy your products or services? Do you know how to spot a real fan and someone who just connects so they aren’t ‘Billy no mates’?

This doesn’t just apply to Facebook, this applies to all social networking sites that can bring your business increased sales or exposure.

Over the coming weeks I will talk you through how to spot the real fan and maybe get a little piece of the action for your business, but the bottom line is if you don’t have a sound strategy or goal in place then it will just meander on into oblivion.

photo creadit: davynin

Crashes and other disasters

On Monday I had the mother of all crashes, my computer not car, I have everything backed up from previous experiences but it got me thinking that if we applied this to our clients and business where would we be without a backup?

If you lost one or even two of your major clients today what would you do to replace them and have you even given any thought to it? Well it happens to all of us at some point and you have to have a ‘plan b’ in place or you are well and truly sunk!

Most small businesses run on maybe ten to thirty clients, dependent on your type of business of course, but let’s say you run a retail business my guess is that you will have a handful of ‘golden clients’ that keep returning week after week and year after year, but then disaster strikes and you get a phone call to say they no longer require your services. Panic sets in and then you think what can I do to make up that shortfall? Well in most cases you will be nurturing other ‘warm’ clients and if not you should be. Just like I back up all my content just in case, you should also have a ‘just in case list'.

You may have other ways of doing this, please let me know what they are?

Photo credit: lordog

What inspires you?

I was asked a question the other day “what inspires you?” now sometimes I have to think about this one as a lot of things have inspired me over the years some of them being people, painting, music and the main one family, as without them I wouldn’t be what I am today.

But thinking about it we can all draw inspiration from lots of different places without ever really knowing it. My web background started about twelve years ago from a painting and design background and just seeing some great work really inspired me, and still does today. But I think as we all move forward on this exciting journey of ours lots of things and people will continue to inspire me and hopefully you too, if we look at it logically lots of people do great things but the web has given rise to groups having more of a say than ever before and really influencing politics and decision making, we saw the first political online vote not so long ago, and this trend will continue and you have to use it to you’re advantage in whatever it is you do.

So again I think the new pioneers really inspire me and long may it continue, let me know what inspires you?

Photo credit: nicasaurusrex

What do you do that’s so different?

After reading a post by Seth Godin, [link to post] it got me thinking what do we offer that is so different, a product a service, well yes that could be the thing but I think it is more likely to be ‘you’.
Lets face it in this ‘fast paced’, ‘in your face’ and ‘hyper speed’ world we can sometimes offer a very similar service to another company and then it comes down to what you offer as a person, as we are told ‘client’s buy people not products’ and I believe this to be true so when looking at you’re competitors yes you may be similar but I bet you are not similar people so get out there and show the world just how good you are at what it is you do.

Photo credit:  pshutterbug

Do you know where you're headed?...part two

If you had the choice or chance would you change anything? If you could go back to the very beginning and start again would you? I ask this question because as business people we like to reshape and progress things as much as we possibly can, always looking for new things and avenues to explore.

After watching an old program about Peter Jones, from Dragon's Den, last night it suddenly struck me that we reinvent ourselves regularly to survive and stay ahead of the game and this can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. Personally I thing it's a great thing and I try to look at the business at least once a quarter, maybe even sooner if I get the chance, and decide if its headed in the right direction. Watching Peter Jones I get the feeling that he likes a challenge and to experiment in new things, now this might be ok when you are a millionaire but what about the rest of us, well it doesn't cost anything to look at the business and its direction every once in a while.

I would urge you to take a little time out of your schedule and write down where you are and where you would like to be, it might just help you realise which path you are on and is it the right one for you and your business.

photo credit: д§mд

Do you know where you’re headed as a person and a business?

Well it could be that you’re on the path that was chosen for you or it could be that you chose the path yourself. Sounds deep doesn’t it but I will explain.

I met a guy the other day who came to me with an idea, a good idea, and we talked it through in some depth and I thought here’s a guy who has a plan and will probably see it through, he seems to have the conviction and the drive, go for it I thought.

Now to me he seems to be on his chosen path, or will be soon, and that got me thinking, how do we know when we are doing what we truly enjoy or love and I think it has to be both, we as human’s need to be satisfied and content. Do you know or even care that we are doing something that we love that also brings in money and satisfaction.

I see many people who would love to do their own thing but the moral of the story is, don’t follow but lead, yes you can take a little bit here and their and then add your own ‘spin’ to it but make it yours. I think it was Tony Bennett, the great jazz singer, who said “steal from one and you’re a thief, steal from everyone and its research” a fantastic sentiment.

For a little bit more on this read Mikes thoughts on this here

Do we still speak to each other or not?

So how do we filter all the noise that’s out there vying for our attention with the likes of Twitter, FaceBook, blogging and all the other platforms we can ‘speak’ to each other on a meanigful level. Well I have a radical theory that maybe the time is fast approaching when meaningful conversation is best done face to face. Goodness who would have thought it?

Example, I was in Edinburgh on Thursday for a seminar…but that’s another story, let’s just say I won’t be forgetting the sat nav again!!! Anyway I had spoken to Robin a couple of times through email etc regarding some work I wanted him to do for the company and I have to say I am a little old school when it comes to working relationships, I like to shake their hand and look into their eye to get the measure of the person and if its something we can do together.

Anyway great first meeting and we will definitely be doing future projects together and I guess it will work out good for the both of us.

The point of all this is social networking is great and as a company we use it a lot plus we give clients help and advice on how to best use it for their company, not all companies benefit from it though, its not a one size fits all scenario. But at the end of the day I still think it best to meet and shake hands and my feeling is that great and meaningful relationships are always done this way…do you agree?

Photo Credit: MariSheibley

Do you have a rock’n’roll lifestyle?

Is being an entrepreneur the new perceived rock’n’roll lifestyle? It seems to be in vogue at the moment. In a way I feel that’s misleading as it’s still as risky as it’s ever been.

But having said that, we live in a society where people value being in control of their own lives and destiny’s and starting a business is the single one thing anyone can do to achieve that. It can also be a very good way of making money and immensely satisfying, you just have to go about it in the right way. Remember if you, in the first few years, enjoy working long hours and having very little money then this is for you, if not don’t do it! That said I enjoy every moment of it even though its been tough at times.

There are lots or ways to become an entrepreneur and online is no different from the traditional 'start a coffee shop' scenario except you don’t have a coffee shop! You can start an ecommerce business selling to customers in the UK and across the world, it’s never been easier, social networking, we all know about this one as its so ‘high profile’. Have a look at ‘becoming an expert’ and work out for yourself what you are good at and what could make you money, there are lots of great resources out there in the sea of self employment so jump in, but be careful of the sharks!

Let me know how you get on?

photo credit: dubassy

How to become an expert!

The definition of an expert is:
“Someone widely recognised as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study.”

Dominating a sector is also extremely cost-effective and we are far better committing all our time, energy and money to a specific target, than trying to accommodate everyone in that sector.

Why do companies self harm?

So you have a multi million pound company and no social networking policy in place, hello what are you thinking, they can do what they like, when they like, who are we talking about? You're staff!

If you run any sort of company at all , regardless of size, you need a policy in place especially if your staff have access to social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook as this gives them licence to say what they like when they like instantly. Nothing can kill a brand or company quicker than disgruntled staff.

So what do you do about it? Review your policy and if you don't have one or your not sure what you need to include in it we can help so don't delay. The longer you leave it the worse it can and will get.

Imagine the scenario you just let one of your staff go, even worse they could still be working for you, and the next thing you know your company is being 'dissed' all over the web and how do you rescue that reputation, not as easy as it sounds.

This might all be a little scary and you're sitting reading this thinking "that's never going to happen to me", but don't be so sure and how do you know it isn't!

That's the best way to kill a company...?

photo credit: the|G|™

Your Connections

How many of you our there keep any sort of record about the people you meet in a business situation and what do you do with that information?

If you do how do you do it, and if you don't...why not?

Its the best way to make new contacts and keep in touch with what is going on. I personally use Salesforce, its the free personal version, yeah some of the bells and whistles aren't there but hey its does for what I want it to do. The best thing it does is keep everything all in once place so I can change details at the drop of a hat. Now you would be forgiven for thinking "big deal" but look at it this way you attend networking events, you attend seminars you even meet people in the street and do you keep a record of who they are and what you might be able to help them with?

Business cards are a great source of information and most people don't even look at them regularly never mind act on them. Categorise them into hot, warm and cold leads and work to make the warm ones hot and the cold ones warm, move them up the list. If you keep a contacts list make sure it's up to date and being used.

Let me know what you use and how it works for you?

Photo credit: digitalTool

Community Spirit

Do you belong to a community?

I was thinking the other day, after a conversation with a friend, that isn't it strange how we all belong to different communities and never really know it, or there again maybe we do.
Here's an example of what I mean. As I sit typing this post I am aware that I can upload photos from my Blackberry to Facebook and Twitter, this can also be done from an iPhone or any other smartphone.

My point is that whether we use a Blackberry or iPhone or any other device for that matter we use them either because that's all we have ever used or we have asked our 'community' which is the best one. For all of us, depending on which community we are in, this can be an emotive choice.

I have an iPod which I listen to constantly, now I am not saying that my iPod is any better or worse that anything from another manufacturer but its strange that I chose that particular brand and model, I think this is all to do with communities and which one we belong to and how it makes us feel to belong to that community. There is something special about owning an iPod or an iPhone or a Blackberry and belonging to that community.

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saachi and Saachi started a community called Lovemarks (link to site) and this is all based on making your brand 'lovable' by your clients, a fantastic concept and a great way for your clients to 'spread the word' for your company.

I would be interested to know which community you belong to?

photo credit: amsterdammed

Unlocking the future

Having just read Chris Brogan's excellent blog on 'No locks No Gates' (link to blog) I was reminded of when I started my design business, KMiDigital, and the amount of people who said, "did you know such and such has a very similar company?" No I didn't and to be honest I wasn't really that bothered as this was MY company and MY ideas on how it would operate and function.

So with this in mind are all businesses the same, churning out the same dull things day after day or has individuality came to the top and entrepreneurs are now the ones setting the standard, or has this always been the case.

Just like some of the art work Joshua Davis (link to site) has produced using flash, who would have thought this possible 5 or 10 years ago? Or that Hillman Curtis would transcend from designer to filmmaker (link to site) or has he, it could be that they have both just taken their chosen medium to greater heights and if these guys can do this then why can't the rest of us?

Photo Credit: cogdogblog