3 Phrases To Stop Saying Now!

If you look up any marketing or PR strategy, you will notice that visibility seems to be priority number one. Well, yes. Visuals do help any cause but content is always going to be king. With this said, what you say is important and it can harm you, your reputation, your company, or cause major turnover within your company!

So, what are the top 3 phrases you must stop using ASAP?

1. "I need you to be more like..." Wow, so much for treating people like individuals. People are not the same... not even twins. So, why are you expecting certain individuals to live up to the expectations of others? Don't drag other people into the conversation when you're having a one-on-one with anyone. Be specific and be direct.

2. "How do you think you're doing?" This is a set-up. The person on the other side of this question will become defensive and this will turn into a game that you don't want to play personally or professionally. Instead of asking someone how they think they are doing, tell them how they are doing at a job or as a client regardless if the news is good or bad.

3. "Hopefully, soon." This is not a commitment to anything and a waste of words. Again, be direct with people, employees, and clients. Don't give a rough and round about way of when someone is going to get started on something. It is OK to say, "I don't know when but my eventual plans within the next (months, years... whatever) are to have you...." If you can be specific, do so. If you can't, say so.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Website Design & Marketing

Website branding can be a tricky thing. Customers want stable content but the design should be current. While checking out the websites of your competitors is a great idea, copying them is not. You should distinguish your company as an industry leader- not a follower. While HireIME.com is going to undergoing some changes during this month, I wanted to share the top things to consider when rebranding and redesign your website from a marketing perspective.

1. Know your target audience and content requirements before selecting a design. If you are a technical company with a lot of content then consider white papers to prove your point, and share your data, without clogging up the real estate of your site.

2. Discuss ownership, budget, timeline, and scope of work with your design team. Make sure you understand the amount of technical hours required to translate a spec design into a live action design. Also, ask if you will have access to the back-end of the website and if additional charges will be implemented.

3. Figure out if your spec out is original. If your designer is using a WordPress website or anything else that is template-based, this means someone else has your website design- even if you change the colors or font. This is not OK for showing how innovative and original your company is. Make sure the design spec is 100% original by having this stated in writing.

4. Make sure you provide all edits to the return spec or soft-launch to the design team before coding. The actual coding of an original website is tedious. Changing the size of font on one sentence can be a billable hour so ensure you get as many edits in to the designer post launch date.

5. Too many clickable options. From a consumer perspective, this is a major mistake. Too many tabs, too many links- too much. Clients want simple directions and clear service options. Don't make people dig to find information. Why? Because they won't, they will move on.

6. No call to action on the front page. I could never understand why one would have a website without a call to action on the front page. Have your clients contact you ASAP, or at least make it easy for them to do so after they finish exploring the website. They could always revisit the main page, but they will not if there is no call to action. So, put a contact form or incentive-based offer right smack in the front of your website.

7. Interactive options. Live chat apps, online scheduling, online uploads for RFP requests- these are all pretty standard elements of today's websites. The same goes for video tutorials or company biographies. If you are missing these elements, you are already behind your competition no matter how clean or nice your website is.

I hope this information helps you create or redesign your website.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Money Mistakes

As a business owner, are you making money mistakes? If you have answered 'no', I would like to know why you are so sure of this. Money mistakes are common when starting a company. It is a proven fact that most business owners have to endure 10 years (on average) of money mistakes before being able to avoid common pitfalls. This said, I want to talk about the pitfalls of asking for money from investors and the common mistakes associated with the query.

Most business owners would love to have a silent investor backing them. This, however, isn't possible for many companies because not all business ideas are scalable. If you watch the show Shark Tank on ABC, you know that there are plenty of great companies and ideas floating around- but that doesn't mean an investor is ready to jump on board. So, to avoid making a major money mistake when it comes to obtaining an investor, make sure you are presenting a scalable company.

Another investor pitch mistake is putting to much value on your company and not presenting actual numbers and verifiable growth sources. Saying a company is worth a million dollars is very different than showing that it is worth a million dollars. Asking for too much money based on the amount of equity you are willing to give up is a red flag to investors. After all, they have the cash and can open up a competing company and maintain all equity and profits. You have to prove your value, not guest-esitmate it!

I hope these two tips have been helpful. Remember, the next time you ask for money don't make the two most common mistakes mentioned above.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

The secret to productivity!

I was introduced to an amazing tool that helps me increase productivity and get to know my clients better. In fact, it has boosted my productivity and my profits. What is it? A recording device.

Yes, in the day of the app, I am relying on a basic digital recorder to move my business forward. I highly recommend this tactic to anyone and everyone- employee or business owner a like. You see, as a business owner I have to deal with many people, many problems, and many prospects daily.

Using a recorder allows me to record conversation highlights to review at a later date or time. When I am done pitching a client, I record my key thoughts about the client’s project and personal items he or she may have said to me right after the conversation and while it is fresh in my mind. Then when myself or my team is working on the proposal we can easily recall key information to include into the proposal. Even something as simply as a client mentioning they like Chiptole is useful. I will often record preferences noted by the client during a meeting so I can send a tailored ‘Thank You’ gift at a later date or as a follow up push.

So, simply taking a few minutes to recall important events into a record can truly help your productivity and your profit margin. Until next time, Twyla N. Garrett

Color and Your Website

People tend to use blues, black and shades of red when designing corporate-based websites. While this may be a nice way to design a website, research shows the use of color is changing when it comes to ROI.

In a peer reviewed journal article, Satyendra Singh determined that it takes a mere 90 seconds for a customer to form an opinion about a product. And, 62-90% of that interaction is determined by the color of the product alone. So, boring and corporate based websites that all look alike will not stand out!

This doesn’t mean you go out and start throwing wild colors on your website. There has to be a right way, the right time, and color catered to the right audience. Yellow is associated as a kids’ color. Unless you sell services or products aimed at kids and their parents, yellow would be a wrong choice of color. Orange is associated with discounting products and services. Does this fit your demographic. There is something to be said about the color of psychology. So, it isn’t just about using color but what colors you use and how you use it!

Targeting women? In a survey on color and gender via Inc.com, 35% of women said blue was their favorite color, followed by purple (23%) and green (14%). 33% of women confessed that orange was their least favorite color, followed by brown (33%) and gray (17%).

My suggestion if you are getting ready to spring clean your website, consider color use. Do a web search on the phrase ‘psychology of color’ and really think about who your website sells to and what colors you should incorporate. For some companies the use of color is a bad thing, even with the popularity of color and social media being high. Risk management companies shouldn’t ever use color. It defeats their purpose.

Still have questions? Connect with me on Twitter!

Twyla N. Garrett

Assistants Slow You Down

Everyone knows by reading my blog that I am a huge promoter of delegation. This said, I do want to address what happens when you hire your first assistant. There is a sense of relief and almost a feeling of less responsibility on the business owner or director. Don’t let hiring an assistant provoke a sense of “freedom” from work or responsibility. In fact, with an assistant you should be taking more on!

For example, controlling your own calendar is crucial. Many people let their assistants set up their appointments. Well, this is great if you want to be in hour long meetings or phone calls all day long. You need to control your calendar, period! Your productivity will go down when your assistant starts making meeting after meeting after meeting. Don’t delegate this task- ever!

Do you really need an assistant to book your travel plans? Is this cost-effective? No! Technology has made it so much easier to book your own flights, travel plants, etc. that paying someone to do this for you almost feels sacrilegious. You can mind five minutes in the day to book your own travel plans or dinner reservations. You don’t need to pay someone to do this for you.

You see, assistants can provide some benefit for you as far as performing actual work towards a goal. However, when it comes to booking meetings or travel for you personally – they are not needed. In fact, they hinder you.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

When and why to approach the media.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, businesses within this country that deserve the attention. However, not all of them will achieve coverage. Why is this? Well, I am going to use tonight's blog to provide some pointers on achieving media coverage using the right approach.

The first step you want to take it familiarizing yourself with the standards implemented and utilized today via the Associated Press. The Associated Press, otherwise known as AP, offer several interactive online tools that can help you write in the style preferred by many reporters and journalists. Learning how to format your approach will help you remain competitive when seeking media coverage.

The second step is to understand how relevant your company is in direct relation to media value. I suggest visiting Google News and type in a keyword directly related to your industry. The first page of Google News will reflect what is trending irrelevant within your industry and help you decide what slant to use when approaching media or writing a press release.

Finally, you want to make sure you are reaching the right reporter for editor. For example, if you offer a product that is related to the technology industry – contacting the general editor of the New York Times is a mistake. It is a mistake because the general editor is not in charge of assigning technology and computer pieces to the covering reporters. You should spend time researching which reporters and editors write for your industry – related news before you approach any newspaper or news outlet. Until next time,

Twyla Garrett

Free Business Classes- Where to Find Them Online!

As business people, we are always on a budget and super busy- right? Right! Well, I've dug up some amazing resources to help you attend business school online and for free.

Start with Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Their Small Business Development Center offers more than 90 free online business courses to self learners. Courses cover a wide range of business topics, including accounting, advertising, business planning, finance, management, marketing, sales, and small business tax. Click here to visit the school.

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a free accounting course. he course provides an overview of fundamental accounting topics. Course materials are easy to understand and take approximately 30 minutes to review. You can access the free course materials by clicking on the course name below. When you have finished the course, you can request a certificate of completion from the Small Business Administration. You can find the course by clicking here.

MIT offers a free technology and communication course. The self-guided course includes video lectures, lecture notes, assignments, and exams with solutions. You can access the free course materials by clicking on the course name below. You can access this course by clicking here.

So you see, there are free and valid resources for business school online.

Happy Friday,
Twyla

Is Productivity Your Enemy? It Might Be!

Here is sit on a Saturday writing about productivity. I can because I've completed all my work for the week. Yes, I have the weekend off. This doesn't mean I am sitting around doing nothing. I am using my extra time to be productive. Let me write a blog, research new business ideas, seek out old clients that may use my services- see, I'm taking charge of my destiny. Are you? I've found people who are "too busy" to accomplish anything really use that phrase as an excuse to not do anything. "Too busy" is starting to be the best excuse for people who like to dodge responsibility. But, if you are trying to be productive and just can't get it right then follow the following tips. I promise these tips will help you become more productive!

Write down your tasks- all of them. This is going to start off as becoming overwhelming. As you take count of each unfinished, yet important, task- you will begin to feel buried alive. Don't! Once you have all of your tasks on paper- number them in the order of importance. Next, write down which numbers need be completed daily, which ones have to be finished within the next week and then which ones have 3-6 month results goals. Schedule accordingly. Don't leave work until you are finished with each daily scheduled goal.

I find this method helps increase productivity, keeps you focused on your goals, and helps you not be overwhelmed every single day of what has to be done.

Need more help? I'm offering a FREE business consultation to the first three people to follow me on Twitter and DM with the word "productive".

Happy Saturday,
Twyla

How NOT To Network!

I get invited to several events. And, I attend as many as possible. On a recent trip, I was invited to a networking event. I went with a friend and acted as an observer only because the event was not related to my industry. I learned a lot at this event. Not so much about networking, but more on how people behave and how not to network. Let's start with working the room. Oh, I could see people running once they made eye contact with a shark. You know, a shark is the type of person who wants to ABC (always be closing) with you. You're either a shark's prospect or you're not important. This led me to think about sales pitches and most of us business owners (and everyday employees) have to sell something. Are we all sharks? No. But there difference is only in the approach and not the purpose.

"Remember six degrees of separation? With the introduction and widespread use of social media and other technologies, a study from 2012 shows that these days, it's more like four degrees. The more people you know--really know--the more likely you are to make that important connection you need to take your career, company, or venture to the next level," via Inc.com.

No matter what event you are attending, networking isn't about prospects and non-prospects. I learned this first-hand. You have to engage people. Introduce yourself and gracefully pitch what you have to offer. Not everything is a hard-sale or cold-call. You can stand out in someone's mind without being overly aggressive or making him or her feel as if they serve no purpose to you. The best way to network is to be honest and genuine. After all, you're not selling a produce or service, you're selling yourself. I have a five day rule with people I meet at networking events.

My 5 day rule is as follows. First, treat everyone you meet equally. You never know where or who is going to send a referral your way. Take everyone's card and be as honest as possible. Next, ask questions. Learn more about the person you are networking with. Let him or her do most of the talking. Last, promise to follow up. If you feel you have a strong lead, or potential business referral resource, tell that person you want to get together for coffee within the next week. Follow up, via email, the next day and invite him or her to meet for coffee within five days. If they don't respond, can't make it, or cancel- move on. People who are serious about growing their networking database will make the effort to take an hour out for coffee- especially since you're treating!

The worst thing you can do at a networking event is be a hard-seller. Don't lie, don't exaggerate your capabilities and don't be obnoxious. Be yourself, do your follow-up, and always thank people for their time.

Speaking of which........
Thank you for YOUR time,

Twyla Garrett, owner of IME.