Promote U Guru Blog

Posts Tagged ‘public speaking’

New Book, “Small Message, Big Impact” Worth Reading

June 03rd, 2011

Teri Sjodin's New Book Now on Amazon!

Hi All!

When I was offered an advanced reading copy of Teri Sjodin’s, new book, “Small Message, Big Impact: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work for You”, I quickly accepted. Why? Because it’s a great topic and one that I see many people struggle with.

In a nutshell, I have to say that Teri’s new book rocks! And you can now pick a copy because it became available on all major online book retailers, like Amazon, this week.

Here’s the scoop on why I highly recommend reading her book, and why I felt compelled to tell you about it:

  • For anyone who is responsible for selling ideas (to clients, co-workers or family members), or for anyone who sells products or services, or for anyone who conducts presentations, this book will improve your technique and effectiveness.
  • It’s straightforward, with no fluff, and it’s also a fun read. She has a very entertaining style so it’s not a typical “dry” how-to guide.

Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll learn:

  • How to incorporate new creative illustrations and bring your message to life.
  • How to build a compelling and persuasive case using six of the most consistently effective arguments in today’s market.
  • How to morph your elevator speech content and employ your best material in a variety of presentation opportunities, including the internet and social media platforms.
  • How to speak in your own authentic voice-it’s not only what you say, it’s how you say it.
  • This book includes outlines to help you craft your next talk, worksheets, a complete sample elevator speech, evaluation forms…and much more!

And it’s not just me giving the book great reviews. Business Guru, Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, “Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive”, as well as Selling Power Magazine and many others, have given it rave reviews, too.

Are you curious about Teri and why she is qualified to write a book on this topic? Here’s her brief bio: Terri L. Sjodin is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm. For over twenty years, Terri has served as a speaker and consultant to an impressive list of companies, industry associations, academic conferences, CEOs, and members of the United States Congress. She is also the author of “New Sales Speak: The 9 Biggest Sales Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” (Wiley).

Okay! Go get a copy! And thanks, again, to Kevin Small, an amazing Literary Agent, for offering me an advanced copy…also congrads to Teri on writing a great book!

Cheers & Happy Marketing,

Lisa

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How I’m Celebrating 2011 National Small Business Week

May 16th, 2011

Hi All!

This week, May 16-May 20, is National Small Business Week! It’s an annual event, mandated by the President of the United States, and was started in 1963 to pay tribute to all the small businesses across America each year (now totaling 27.2 million in 2011!).

Other quick factoids: More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and small businesses also create 60-80 percent of new jobs in the country…so we contribute to the economy big time!

And, because I coach and consult with small business owners, coaches, consultants, speakers and authors, and I see how much they struggle with their branding, marketing, PR, sales, book marketing, and/or social media strategies (prior to hiring me, of course!), I wanted to celebrate this annual event by providing you with a special offer to help your business succeed.

Special Offer Details:

– Receive a 15% discount on ANY consulting package that I offer. I provide a wide variety of package options ranging in cost so you are sure to find one that fits your budget!

– In addition to the special savings, I will also ADD one “bonus” consulting session to any package you choose!

– This is limited to the first 5 people who contact me by the end of this national event (by Friday, May 20th).

So if you are struggling with your branding, marketing, PR, social media, sales and/or book marketing efforts, contact me right away. I can also help you develop a “topic expert” personal brand platform to attract paid public speaking opportunities and media interviews…I help most of my clients with that!

Again, this is limited to 5 people and you need to contact me by May 20th. Just send me an email or give me a call and I will email you my complete Services & Options Overview Package. Contact info: Lisa@PromoteUGuru.com or call 408-340-8789.

Let’s get your brand, business and bottom-line booming in 2011!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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Interview With Author and Expert on How to Work Less And Do More

September 21st, 2010

Hi All!

Stever Robbins has just released his new book, Get-It-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More. It is a playful, yet serious guide to working less and doing more. In other words, creating a more productive life. Yes, it’s about getting more done at work. It’s also about getting more done in life. It lays out nine skills that apply anywhere you want to get greater results with less work. Sounds good to me!!

And here is an interview with Stever loaded with tips and insights you’re sure to benefit from:

1. Why do we procrastinate?

What are some simple tips for beating procrastination? Thinking causes procrastination. No, really. We build up tasks in our mind, thinking they’ll be huge, unachievable,or unpleasant. The remedy is to stop thinking and just start acting. Your brain will still get in your way, however. While you’re filling out your procrastinated expense reports, your brain will distract you with worries that you’re making no progress on the novel you’ve been procrastinating.

As I mention in my book, you can make your brain happy by speed-dating your tasks. List what you’re procrastinating. Start at the top and work on each task for exactly five minutes, then move to the next task. Use a timer to be precise. When you’re done, take a 5-10 minute break and do it again. Five minutes is short; your brain will let you do it. Since you’re hitting several of your procrastinated tasks, your brain knows you’ll get to your other tasks just five minutes from now. It frees you to focus completely on the task in front of you, yet guarantees you’ll go on to make progress on everything that’s important.


2.
Your career background includes a lot of technology companies, but Step 3 of your 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More is called “Conquer Technology”.  Why doesn’t technology automatically make us more productive?  How can we use it to become more productive?

Don’t get me wrong; some technology really delivers on its promise. But often, technology saves effort in one place while adding effort in others. For example, each new gadget packs more capability into each device. What makes it attractive and fun also makes it distracting and kills our productivity.

Technology is a tool, nothing more, and nothing less. When a carpenter uses a screwdriver, she picks it up, uses it, and puts it down again. That’s how you use tools. Treat your technology the same way. Instead of being married to it everywhere you go, divorce your technology. Have it around, just not in front of you. Do your thinking on paper. Decide what you need to do. Then get out the tools to do it. If you need to do something on computer—like send email—get up, walk over to your computer, open the email program, send the email, close the program, and walk back to your main work area. By keeping each task distinct, you’ll learn to use your computer as a tool. Instead of being a distraction, it becomes a superb way of amplifying your focus. In that Step 3 of the book, I explained how I evaluate all of my gadgets to make sure they are delivering on their work-less-do-more promise; I suggest everyone do the as me.

3. Does being organized automatically mean you’re getting more done?

Being organized means you have a place for everything and everything goes in its place. When you’re disorganized, everything you do has the added burden of your having to search for the tools need to do it. For example, when you’re disorganized, writing a Thank You card is an adventure. You have to brave your Supply Pile. You hunt for 5 minutes to find the crumpled paper bag where you stuffed those Thank You cards. You start writing … only to find you’re out of stamps. A 10-minute trip to the Post Office, later your cards are ready to go. If you’re organized, you get out your Thank You cards and stamps. You write the Thank You card, stamp the envelope, and toss it in mailbox. Elapsed time: 30 seconds, instead of 15 minutes and 30 seconds.

If you use the 15 minutes you saved to get more done, then being organized helps you get more done in the same amount of time. Otherwise, you’re getting the same done in less time, freeing up the extra time to do something awesome. Like eat Oreo Ice Cream Cake. That’s one way being physically organized can help you be more productive. I also offer advice on how to organize your days and brain better in the book too.

4.
In your book, you recommend people not consider all their options.  How can this help someone get more done?

We love choice! We believe more choice means more happiness and more movement towards our goals! The research on choice refutes this, however. Give us more than two or three choices and we become less likely to act and more likely to regret any choice we take.
In daily life, this means too many options stalls us, and we end up less happy with our choices. We make and re-make our decisions until we’ve spent more time and money making the decision than the decision is actually worth.

By limiting our options, we limit the research needed for the choice, and we’re more likely to keep moving forward. My example is buying a digital camera. I’ve needed one for three years now, but there are too many to choose from. If I simply limit my options to the first ten cameras that appear on the Consumer Reports web site, the decision becomes much easier. Will I get the best camera possible? Probably not. But I will get a camera and start doing the photography I need to get done. Without limiting my choices, I stay paralyzed and stressed.

5. Leverage is usually a term applied to finance?  The final step of your 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More is called “Leverage”. What do you mean when you use the term?

Leverage is a physics term. A lever is a simple machine. You put in a small force on the long end of a lever and get a strong force out. In finance, leverage means using a small amount of your own money to borrow a much greater amount, so you get huge financial effects using only a small amount of money.

In Get-it-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More, I use leverage to mean doing a small amount of work and getting a huge result. Choose ways of working where you work less and get outsized results. For example, most of us scribble down a to-do list as a way of keeping track of what we have to do today. You can get leverage by jotting down that list in a format that someone else can understand. Then you can hire an assistant, give them your old to-do lists, and they can hit the ground running. You are doing a little more work by writing neater and maybe elaborating each item a bit. Your return is immense, though, because your to-do list enables you to free up time by delegating.

6. What is an action day?  Shouldn’t every day be an action day?

An action day is one of my favorite tips in the book and a great way to get things done while bonding with a friend. Call a friend who wants to have a super-productive day. Get together in person or by phone, each bringing a list of things you want to get done. Commit to making progress and start working. Check in at the top of each hour, report your last hour’s progress, and declare your next hour’s plan. Your promise to each other gets you started, and the hourly check-ins keep you on track. I find in-person or phone works best for action days.

Every day can be an action day if you have people willing to play. I wrote the final draft of my book by holding five action days a week. The action days kept me going through the rough patches, and a couple of the regular attendees became friends! An action day is pretty intense, though, and I found that two each week was a good number.

I hold regular action days. If you’d like to be on the announcement list, visit http://www.SteverRobbins.com/actiondays. I send out announcements of new action days once or twice a month.

7. What is the biggest hindrance to your personal productivity?  How do you deal with it?

The internet. The web and email are a large part of my job, and they’re both distraction machines. The moment I open an email or visit a web site to do research, I risk hours of distraction. Its siren song is extremely seductive and hard to resist…

My solution is to divorce my technology as I described earlier. Rather than thinking of my computer as “my computer,” I think of it as a different tools, depending on my task. Sometimes it’s my typewriter, sometimes it’s my reference book, and sometimes it’s my newspaper. When I think of it in terms of the tool I need at the moment, it helps me stay focused on the current task.

… and when that fails, I use a freeware program called Freedom on my Mac to shut down my internet connection for a couple of hours.

8. If a person can make just one change to make themselves more productive, what would you recommend they change?

Definitely Step 1, which is Live on Purpose. Regularly stop and ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. Then make sure what you’re doing is really the best way to reach that goal. I do this a dozen times a day. “Why am I surfing Facebook?” “I dunno. Habit.” “Ok, self, get back to work!”

Living on Purpose goes far beyond your moment-to-moment tasks, however. I used to go to four or five business conferences each year. Why? “I’m doing important business development,” was my answer. Year, right. When reviewing my client list, I realized not a single clienthad come from attending a conference. My clients had only come from my public speaking at conferences. Now, I only attend conferences where I’m speaking, or if there’s some other compelling reason to be there.

9. You recommend that people schedule interruptions. How is this possible?

You schedule interruptions by setting aside a time block each day for dealing with interruptions. If you’re interrupted, quickly decide if it’s a show-stopping emergency. If not, jot it down on your “Interruptions” list. Wait until your scheduled interruption time and work on it then. If Bernice drops by, asking you to review a memo she’s written, just say, “I would be happy to. I’m busy right now. How about if I get back to you a little after 4 p.m.?” When your interruption time arrives, her memo will be on your list and you can handle it then. Often if the interruption is someone with a problem, they’ll solve it themselves when you make yourself their convenient rescue service.

Interruptions will take your time one way or another. If you schedule them, at least you can get work done in the meantime.

Thanks, Stever! Great information and a truly terrific book.

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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2 Ways Leaving Your Computer Can Get You More Business, Faster!

July 20th, 2010

Hi All!

One of the first things new clients ask me is, “How can I get clients faster?”. They know building a social media presence needs to be part of their branding and marketing mix, but that can take time to generate leads and sales. So here’s my short answer to them, “Start speaking and network.”

Some of you may be thinking, “Duh”. But I’m here to tell you it’s not something many people think of. I know many small business owners who stay huddled in-front of their computers “hoping” they’ll generate clients through Twitter and trolling around Facebook. They forget that part of social networking means leaving their home office and actually talking to other humans, in person.

Public Speaking:

One of the ways I get clients quickly is by speaking. I conduct seminars and workshops, and have my target audience for consulting and coaching sitting in front of me for a few hours. Basically, think of conducting a presentation as an audition.

And, yes, I charge registration fees to attend my presentations, and I pack them full of great info, but there’s always several attendees who approach me afterwards who want to hire me to help them with their branding, marketing, PR and social media strategies one-on-one. So, I can generate revenue from not only conducting the actual seminar or workshop, but also from the attendees who hire me after.

As long as speaking doesn’t totally freak you out, do it. And even if it does terrify you, but you want to try it, do it! I don’t care what your profession is, you can come up with at least ONE presentation topic that people will be interested in. So, think about that, and develop a presentation your target audience will benefit from!

And, just fyi, the clients who I help develop speaking topics for, and who get “out there”, benefit tremendously. So, it’s not just working for me personally.

Networking:

When I ask most new clients how they are currently generating business, very few of them mention “networking” in-person. That’s unreal to me! There has got to be one or more professional associations in your area that have members who are your target audience. It’s also a great way to meet people for strategic alliances, partnerships, support, and referrals.

Whenever I attend a networking event, I always walk away with leads OR with contacts who can refer people to me. And this results in getting clients faster.

So, I strongly encourage you to investigate networking groups in your area, grab a stack of business cards, and go to their next event or mixer!

As I say often, this all may seem like common sense BUT it’s not common practice. If you choose to try one or both of these strategies, you could see an up-tick in business faster than you thought possible.

Sure, I love social media, and have benefited from using it in my business building mix, but the 2 strategies I just shared typically get me more business, faster. And they can work for you, too!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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12 Strategies to Sell More Books at Events

June 23rd, 2010

Hi All!

I came across this great article written by Penny E. Sansevieri, CEO and Founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. It’s entitled, “12 Secrets to Selling More Books at Events”. It’s filled with great info, so I hope all of you authors benefit from these great tips!

Article Excerpt:

So you got a book event, great! Now you want to maximize it, right? You’ve heard your writing buddies (or perhaps read online) about the lack of attendance at signings, so figuring out how to maximize the event, regardless of the numbers might be tricky. While I spend a lot of time addressing online marketing, the offline component is one you shouldn’t overlook. If book events are where you want to focus, then bringing in some ideas to help you sell more books is something you should consider.

Some years back when I was promoting The CliffhangerI ended up at a book signing in the driving rain. I mean, it was pouring and the store was all but empty. It was amazing I sold even one book, let alone seven. While not a big number, the copies were all sold to people who were seeking refuge in the store from the rain and not there for my event. This signing taught me a lot about events and connecting with consumers in stores. If you have an event coming up, consider these ideas before you head out:

  1. Marketing: First and foremost is the marketing of your event. But I’m not talking about the marketing you do the media (though that is great too). I’m speaking of in-store marketing; this is what most folks seem to overlook. This is where you supply things to the store to help them market your event. Because the first phase of a successful event is driving people to it. Here are a few thoughts.
    • Do bag stuffers. You can easily do this in your favorite computer program, do two up on a page, meaning that you use one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper to do two fliers. You’ll want to ask the store first if they mind that you provide this. Most stores or event venues don’t.
    • Bookmarks: while most in the industry see these as passé, people still love them. You can do bookmarks and bag stuffers (or staple them to the flier) or you can do custom bookmarks with the date and time of your event. Nowadays it’s pretty easy to get these done cheaply. Keep in mind that if you are having the event in a mall or other type shopping area, you might be able to drop the bookmarks (or bag stuffers) off at the nearby stores to see if they’ll help promote the event.
  2. Book signings are boring: Regardless of where you do the event, plan to do a talk instead of a signing. People are drawn into a discussion and are often turned off by an author just sitting at a table. Marketing is about message and movement so stand up and speak. If speaking in public is intimidating to you, go to Toastmasters or some other local networking/speaking group and see what you can learn.
  3. Unique places: If you want to get more attention for your event, consider doing events in unique places. We’ve done them in video stores, electronics stores, gyms, even restaurants (on slow nights); doing outside-the-bookstore events is a great way to gain more interest for your talk. Why? Because you aren’t competing with everyone else at the bookstore for your crowd. When you do an event at a locale that doesn’t normally do events, you’ll attract more people just because it’s considered “unique.”
  4. Show up early and talk it up: OK, so let’s say you’re in the store and there are a ton of people in there shopping (a book event dream, yes?) I suggest that you take your extra bag stuffers or custom bookmarks and just hand them to the people in the store. Let them know you are doing an event at such and such time and you’d love it if they can sit in. You’ll be surprised how many new people you might pull in this way.
  5. Customize: Regardless of what your talk is about, poll the audience first to see a) what brought them there, or b) what they hope to learn if your talk is educational. I suggest this because the more you can customize your discussion, the more likely you are to sell a book. If you can solve problems (and this is often done during the Q&A) all the better. You’ll look like the answer machine you are and readers love that. If you have the answers, they’ll want to buy from you. I promise.

Those are only five of the great tips she shared out of 12so CLICK HERE to read the other 7!

Cheers and Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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PART ONE: Your A-Z Guide of Social Media and Business Communication

March 18th, 2010

GUEST POST BY: Susan Young, President of Get in Front Communications, Inc.

Hi All!

The following post is a Guest Article courtesy of the fabulous Susan Young! Susan works with professionals who want to supercharge their communication skills, self-confidence and success. She’s the President of Get in Front Communications, Inc., a public relations and communications training company. Susan provides presentations and coaching on sales, Reading Body Language, Emotional Intelligence, public speaking, Social media and news. Visit www.getinfrontblogging.com and www.getinfrontcommunications.com. Follow Susan on Twitter @sueyoungmedia.

Here is PART ONE of her Guest Post which explains her tips A-M…Part Two will be posted SOON!

The way you communicate in your business relationships is directly tied to your revenues, reputation and success. Of course Social Media and technology are forcing us to set new rules, boundaries and etiquette.

Back to grade school we go!

Here are the ABC’s of Outstanding Social Media and Business Communication:

A is for authenticity. In the case of Social Media and online networking, the old adage  “Fake it ’til you make it” doesn’t work. Genuine is in; fake is out. Be yourself; be real.

B is for brand. Every message, tweet, blog and communication should reflect some hint of your brand and who you are.

C is for control yourself. Be careful not to slam or insult anyone online as it can come back to bite you in ways you never imagined.

D is for dialogue. Get involved in the conversations, groups and chats with meaningful contributions that reveal both your expertise and personality. Communication is a two-way street.

E is for Easy Does It. Before you jump into conversations or new arena’s, take a look around. Follow chats, Tweets and groups. Find the opinion leaders, and movers and shakers. Then slowly get involved.

F is for forge relationships. Pay attention to your loyal followers, ideal client targets and competition. Thank those who Retweet or share your information with others and connect with them offline. Follow what others are doing and comment on their blogs and sites. Interactive is a beautiful thing.

G is for Get in Front. This is about being proactive and making things happen. It’s not about being aggressive, obnoxious or “in your face.” It’s subtle marketing, branding and sharing value–online.

H is for headlines. Catchy news-style headlines of 5-8 words (including keywords) that address people’s needs/challenges will attract readers and followers, and help your SEO efforts.

I is for identify. Identify your niche. Identify your area of expertise and passion. Identify industry leaders. Identify trends in your field. Identify your ideal clients. Determine where they “hang out” online and go there. Watch them. We are in an amazing age where we have access to CEO’s, prominent business leaders and superstars that we never could have mingled with before.   And don’t forget, identify your competition and watch them too.

J is for just get going. Don’t whine that blogging takes too much time, or you’ll have to learn new technology. Look at Social Media and online networking as a breakthrough opportunity that the world has never experienced. Imagine the stories you’ll tell your grandchildren! If you want to bellyache instead of learn, get back in bed and pull the covers over your head. Everyone else is going places.  It would be nice if you came along.

K is for knowledge. Know your followers, why they connect with you and what you provide to them. Then give them more of what they want. If you don’t know, start asking them.

L is for limit your personal life when doing business. It’s great to share your personal insights or “Lessons Learned” but too much information about your private life when you are online to build your business reputation can backfire and destroy your credibility.

M is for mistakes. You’re bound to send out a message with a wrong link or misspelled word. Fix it if necessary, send out a correction or apology and move on. It happens to everyone. The nice thing about Social Media, especially Twitter, is that it’s a very forgiving community 🙂

Thank you, Susan! You ROCK!

PART TWO of the A-Z tips will be posted soon!

Lisa

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