The Value Of Testimonials

When was the last time you updated your testimonials? Do you have a following of raving fans that only you know about? You should have a smattering of testimonials on your website or throughout your marketing materials, sales pages or within your newsletter. If not then it’s time to get to work on gathering your testimonials so your testimonials can get to work for you.

Just think of the process you go through when seeking out a new service or product. You likely start by asking those you trust for referrals. You also do your own research then compare factors such as cost, features and benefits. You also probably look for written reviews. Those reviews play a big part in your final decision and can even outweigh the cost factor when you consider the value you are getting for your money. Value can be found in great customer service and reliability.

If this is the process you go through then you can be pretty sure that this is what others are doing when looking for the product or service you offer. That’s why it’s important to have this information up front and centre. You may still get requests to speak to references but without any testimonials up front, your business may have already been eliminated from a potential buyers’ list of possible choices.

How do you go about getting testimonials? Just ask. Most delighted customers or clients will be happy to provide you with one. But people are busy or may not know what to say or how to say it, so help them out with a template you can provide when making your request.

You want the testimonial to be specific and state the reason why working with your business benefited them. By simply getting the answers to the following questions, you can build the testimonial. These questions can be altered slightly to suit your business.

Here’s what I use for my service-based business:

1. What challenges were you facing in your business?
2. What made you decide to hire someone to help?
3. What difference has working with me made? Please explain specific results or benefits.
4. Any additional comments.

When sending your request, be sure to mention that with their permission in exchange for their testimonial you will include their full name, company name and website url as well as a headshot.

And remember, unless your business holds a privacy and confidentiality factor, a testimonial from ‘Joe S., Toronto’ won’t hold as much weight. A full name and picture add validity to your testimonials. Also, if you slightly alter the testimonial, send a copy of the final version for your customers’ review before publishing.

How can you present the testimonials you collect? I proudly display my client testimonials on a dedicated page on my website. Testimonials can also be used on sales pages, strategically placed throughout your site or set up as a scrolling or fading list.

One of my clients shared her story of what led us to working together in the form of an article which is posted to my blog. Elizabeth speaks about how using virtual support has helped her to grow her business and the positive effect our working relationship has had.

If you have received a letter of accolades from a happy customer, feature it on your website or blog. And if your business uses print advertising, be sure to add testimonials to your promotional materials too.

Nothing is stronger than an effective, meaningful testimonial documenting a positive experience with your business. Use as many as you can. A diverse mix of testimonials with a variety of experiences and benefits leaves no room for doubt for your prospects. And as a business owner, feedback from clients in the way of testimonials can be very encouraging and motivating and helps make what you do all worthwhile.

The Top 5 Ways To Save Time And Get More Done

How do you make the most of your time? What are the best ways to save time and get more done? I regularly challenge myself to see how I can make the best use of the 5 or so hours I have available on a typical workday. I often review my schedule, rearrange a few things and try different methods. I’m always interested to hear what others are doing and what works for them.

Here are a few ideas that I have read or heard about and examples of what I have found works for me that you might like to try:

1. Dedicate an entire day to one specific action. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4 Hour Work Week says that this is one of his keys to success. He avoids breaking up days into tasks. For example, Monday is for going through emails, Tuesday is research and writing for new products and so on. This way, he can focus on one particular task per day and improve his performance on each task.

2. Allocate blocks of time to selected tasks. Similar to Tim Ferriss, I have found that it is best not to break up the day too much. However, it’s not always possible to devote an entire day to one task. Larger blocks of time will accomplish more. A couple of hours a day dedicated to one task twice a week is more effective than four 30 minute sessions a week.

3. Never break away to answer the phone or read an email. If you’re working on a task and are distracted, it takes about 20 minutes to get back to where you left off.

4. Spend a day alone, away from customers and clients. Commit one day per week on a regular basis to work on your business. This can consist of record keeping, scheduling, managing emails, writing articles, ezine creation, blog posts, business training/learning new skills or product creation and using your expertise to create alternate streams of income. When done on a regular basis you have plans in place, no lost time looking for documents and ongoing business building activities.

And last but not least…

5. Schedule in an appointment with yourself. My yoga instructor told me about a colleague of hers, an alternative health care practitioner, who schedules in a fake client each week. Her fake client is actually her ‘me’ time and she finds that she must schedule this time in order for it to happen. And as far as her assistant knows, she is booked and will not take any other clients during that time slot. Don’t just value yourself by what you’re doing. Take the time to recharge and take care of yourself.

To build a strong business and truly achieve success there’s no need to rush around feeling stressed. Your time is the most important resource you have. Just manage your time well, don’t become addicted to ‘doing’ and take time for yourself.

What time saving steps do you take to get more done and stay on track?

Tried, Tested And True Timely Tasks

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” ~Robert Burns

No matter how well you schedule your day, we all have those days that our plans get disrupted and we have to rearrange how we spend our time. Your child gets sick and has to come home from school or a task takes much longer than expected due to technical difficulties. As solopreneurs we enjoy such things as the freedom to be there for family when needed without having to ask for permission but at the same time we don’t have someone to step in for us when life happens. So what can we do when time is in short supply?

An hour doesn’t seem like much and if we let it will get wasted away on some mindless task. Remember Parkinson’s Law? “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” If you really want to accomplish something in a small amount of time, you need to have what I call ‘focused time’. It is amazing what you can accomplish and feel really good about with just an hour of focused time.

In an ongoing effort to make better use of my own time, I would like to share with you my personally tested and proven list of tasks that can be accomplished when an hour is all you’ve got:

*50 emails in 50 minutes

Start by sorting your messages by ‘From’ name. (In Outlook click on the word ‘From’ and your messages will sort alphabetically). You can quickly scan thru and manage the least important 50 messages that only require a short response or a quick read. Or use the hour to reply to at least five priority emails with full responses.

*A dozen article ideas in an hour

Do you struggle with what to write about in your ezine or on your blog? Develop a pool of resources by taking an hour to brainstorm. Take 5 minutes to write each title and related points.

*One article written in one hour

Grab an article title from your ideas file and start writing. Within an hour you will have a completed piece.

*6 article submissions in 60 minutes

Assuming you have your articles written and article submission accounts set up, you can submit at least one of your articles to 6 article directories in an hour.

*One information product assembled in one hour

If you write on a regular basis or even have a list of FAQ’s, you have content to create an information product to give away or sell. Gather your content, organize by category and piece your product (free giveaway, e-report, e-course, e-book) together.

*60 minutes of Social Networking

Maintain your online presence. Make a relevant post and respond to any comments. Accept or decline friend requests.

*One hour of learning

Did you know that the average person can read about 60 pages in 60 minutes? Take an hour to read one chapter in a business book and gain some valuable knowledge. Teleclasses are typically an hour in length. Did you miss the last teleclass you signed up for? Take the time now to listen to the recording and make a few notes.

*One weekly schedule created in one hour

I plan in advance for my week ahead by blocking off chunks of time each day dedicated to specific to do’s. Make this as detailed as you can and you will find you only have to tweak it slightly to accommodate for changes throughout the week.

Having completed the task reminds you that it’s possible to achieve something significant in one hour and you can do it again and again. Just remember ‘focused time’ means you are doing nothing else during your hour. Not answering your phone or responding to new emails coming in. This strategy works well on your Business Development days too. For best results commit to one day or one half-day a week and try one-hour blocks of time.

Getting Organized For Success

I recently volunteered to lead an informal discussion group on a favourite topic of mine: “Getting Organized For Success”. The purpose of the group was to share ideas and pick up some new ones. The participants were small business owners from a wide range of businesses, both male and female. Although the group was so diverse, when it comes to organization, their challenges were very much the same!

It was interesting to learn that the most pressing organizational issues most small business owners have to deal with are: Clutter, Email Overwhelm and Time Management

Here are some of the ideas I shared with the group to deal with the above along with some of the solutions the group had to offer:

Clutter: the physical clutter i.e. stacks of paperwork, receipts; the home office becomes a dumping ground and papers for both business and household pile up. Over time the paperwork accumulates into unmanageable piles.

• The best way to avoid clutter is to have a system to manage the paperwork before it gets out of control.

• If you prefer to have everything neat yet close at hand, try a literature organizer. The cardboard models are sturdy and inexpensive. With 8, 24 or more letter size compartments labeled by category, each piece of paper that crosses your desk can be placed in its respective slot immediately.

• If you prefer your paperwork out of sight, use a filing cabinet with labeled hanging folders.

• Use an ‘in’ tray only for the items that need your attention right away.

Email Overwhelm: need I say more? Business owners cannot possibly respond to emails at the rate in which they come pouring in and managing email is too time consuming.

• Avoid attempting to respond each time you receive a new email. Schedule one or two times throughout your day that work best to dedicate to email management.

• Sort incoming mail by “From” or “Subject”. This will group emails alphabetically by sender or subject and is a great way to skim through emails quickly to identify what needs your attention now, what can be deleted right away and what can wait until later.

• Be proactive about managing your email. Take the time to set up ‘rules’ (Outlook has this feature). You can automate what should be done when an email comes in from a particular person i.e. move to ‘x’ folder. You can get very specific with this and assign sounds to alert you when you get an email containing certain key words or other rules you specify.

Time Management: juggling multiple calendars and multiple devices i.e. Blackberry, Outlook and Day-Timer; balancing personal and business commitments.

• To Do Lists do the trick for most of us. One member of our discussion group writes his lists for the next day at the end of every day and enjoys crossing tasks off his list. He even admitted to adding unscheduled tasks that he had just completed in order to get the satisfaction of crossing them off!

• I plan for my week ahead every Friday by blocking off chunks of time dedicated to various tasks.

• Remember to always schedule time to work on your business too. Allocate time for record keeping, managing emails, scheduling and creating your newsletter.

• I have all my business and personal appointments in one calendar and differentiate by using pen for business and pencil for personal.

• Remember if you use multiple calendars like your iPhone and Outlook, to keep them in sync.

Getting and staying organized is a continuous process but doesn’t have to be a burden. When you get to the point where you can maintain the systems you implement, you can better handle the day-to-day challenges and demands of operating a business while balancing other commitments such as family. Use these tips and suggestions to make your business the best it can be. Enjoy the journey to a successful business and life.

The Top 5 Essential Qualities To Look For When Hiring A Virtual Assistant

I’ve had many interesting conversations with business owners who are at a point in their businesswhere they know they need help and are looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA).At those times when I’m not taking on new clients, I have offered assistance in a different way – as more of an advisor. From this perspective I’ve found that while the business owner knows they need help they’re not always sure what to look for.

Deciding it’s time to let go is hard enough – finding someone you can put your trust in is another challenge. If you’re at that crossroads in your business read on for the top 5 essential qualities to look for when hiring a Virtual Assistant.

For a long term mutually beneficial working relationship, look for:

1. Someone who runs their own legitimate business – Consider the fact that an entrepreneur who has built their business from the ground up has a reputation to uphold and is serious about what they do. They love their work, are committed to their clients and are professionals with the skills and experience needed to do the job. They are constantly learning in order to upgrade their skills and keep up with technological advancements. Although it may seem like a nice idea to help out a neighbour who’s out of work and pay them a small fee to return your voicemails for instance, I’ve heard the horror stories that have come out of some of these scenarios. You get what you pay for!

2. Someone who takes the initiative and sets up a free consultation – After you have shown an interest in working together, your future VA should schedule a phone or in person meeting with you that will help her pinpoint your greatest areas of need. This needs analysis should consist of questions such as: What is causing you the most frustration? What does a typical day consist of? and my favourite; In a perfect world, what does working with a VA look like to you? Communication is key. She should also discuss with you how you prefer to communicate and how often.

3. Someone who prepares a formal proposal – After the initial consultation, if your VA has determined she can help and you both feel that the partnership would be a good fit, your VA should follow up with a formal proposal outlining the ways in which she can help and her fees.

4. Someone who puts together a formal agreement – if the proposal is accepted, your VA should prepare an agreement outlining the terms and conditions of your working relationship. The agreement should have a statement that covers confidentiality. The VA should also include her policies that explain how she works, availability, payment options etc.

5. Someone who is proactive and looking to build a long term working relationship with you – Let’s face it, you’re hiring a VA to free up your time, not to create more work for yourself. You should be able to assign new tasks to your VA and she will run with them. Of course there’s always the initial learning curve when you start working together and for new projects but after the first 2-3 months things should start to flow. After a while, your VA should be coming to you with ideas when she identifies gaps in your marketing. Strategies that will help boost business and grow your list. Over time your VA will become a partner in your success. The longer she works with you, the more she learns your business and finds more ways to help you.

Where can you find your assistant? Through VA associations, forums, social media sites and local networking events. You may also want to check with fellow business owners for referrals.

At some point in our businesses we all need some help. The right VA could be the turning point in your business allowing you to become more productive and prosperous with more time to spend doing the things you enjoy.

How Does Your To Do List Compare To Your What’s Done List?

How often do you review your To Do List, sigh and experience feelings of
overwhelm? If you’re like most of us, this probably happens on a regular
basis. But what about your What’s Done List? How often do you review it?
Or do you even have one?

We all know that perception is everything and if we focus our attention on
what’s done (perceived as positive) instead of what we have to do (perceived
as negative) it can boost our confidence and inspire us.
Here are 3 easy ways you can boost your confidence:

1. If you maintain your To Do List electronically, in Word for example,
create a new column where you can cut and paste or drag and drop
completed items from your To Do List into your What’s Done List.
Compile for one month, date and print your page. 3-hole punch and file
it in your Success Binder (or duotang).

2. If you don’t have a formal To Do List you can still recognize your
successes by documenting each one on a note card. Keep one card per
week and accumulate over the course of a year. Make sure each card is
dated for the current week and add one line for each new accomplishment
that week. File your cards in your Success (recipe) Box.

3. If you use a white board, it’s a great way to view your accomplishments
up front and centre. Erase each completed task from your To Do List and
transpose it to your What’s Done List. Take a digital photo weekly to
document and file in your Success (photo) Album.

Compile your What’s Done Lists over the course of a year and review
regularly. Whatever method you use, I suggest reviewing your What’s Done
Lists weekly and you’ll be amazed at how much you’re accomplishing. For
instance, Friday or Monday prior to planning your next week of To Do’s, take
some time to review and celebrate your successes.

Your What’s Done List can also serve another purpose. By tracking all the
small steps that add up to the completion of one larger task, you have just
created a process. Document this process for your future use or for a
Virtual Assistant to follow if you decide to outsource this task later on.

Yes, it feels great to cross things off a To Do List but it feels even better
to recognize a growing list of What’s Done. Honour where you are now as
opposed to where you want to be. It won’t be long before your To Do List is
nothing compared to your What’s Done List.

Working From Home In My Pajamas And Other Home Based Business Myths

Working from home is not for everyone and working from home in your pajamas is not the norm.The work from home life is often mistaken for a carefree and easygoing lifestyle. Although I wouldn’t give it up for anything, the truth is it has its fair share of challenges. You must be disciplined and motivated and wear many hats. Income can be inconsistent and unpredictable. The work from home community is often not taken seriously as business owners and I just wanted to dispel some of the myths.

Myth #1 – You Work In Your Pajamas – personally, I don’t have to dress UP but I do have to get out of bed and get dressed every morning, make breakfast, pack lunches and walk the kids to school.

Myth #2 – You Mow The Lawn, Do Laundry And Housework All Day – some business owners may be tempted because they are ‘home anyway’ but if you are not focused on business during business hours you will not have a business.

Myth #3 – You Can Write Off EVERYTHING – in most cases you can only write off a small portion of your expenses. For instance a home based business owner can write off the heating bill for the percentage of space that their office/business occupies of the total home. By year’s end, it doesn’t amount to much.

Myth #4 – You NEVER Have To Leave Home – some home-based business owners spend most of their time out of the office meeting with prospective clients and marketing their business. At some point we all must experience face-to-face contact meeting with clients or at business networking events.

Myth #5 – You Can ‘Get Rich Quick’ – you can get rich maybe, quickly no. Building a business takes long hours and hard work. You must build your reputation, continuously upgrade your skills and create a solid client base. Then you can introduce an alternate stream of income to generate more money and take your business to the next level – over time.

Myth #6 – You Can Work While The Baby Sleeps OR You Can Work While the Children Play – another common misconception is that by working from home you can save a bundle on child care costs. It is difficult to manage working and parenting simultaneously. If the kids are in the house and unoccupied, they’re going to want you and you won’t be able to focus on the task at hand. Not fair to your kids or your clients.

Myth #7 – You Have Much More Free Time – because there are no boundaries between work and home, work is always there. And because you likely love what you do, it can be difficult to break away from your work in mind and body. Any “free time” feels like it should be spent squeezing in some work and it can be challenging to ignore the call of your computer.

Of course there are the many advantages of working from home too. If you’re not feeling well you can work around it and take a nap if you wake up with a headache. You can make your own schedule without a boss to answer to and nothing beats being able to walk the kids back and forth to school. Just being available to your children for school trips, sick days and homework help is one of the absolute best reasons to work at home.

What’s your favourite work from home myth?

How To Turn Your Intentions Into Reality

What does the power of intention mean to you? Do you use this power to achieve your goals? Does it work for you? How does it work? To me, the power of intention is simply a plan, a positive attitude and action and most importantly, it only works if I write my intention down. Here are a couple of examples of how it was worked for me and for others.

Recently, I added another line to my weekly schedule and entitled it “Goal”. I did this because I have had some big goals lately and haven’t been seeing enough progress towards those goals. I decided that I would take my own advice, and chunk those big goals down into smaller, more manageable pieces. In that new “Goal” space I wrote what my goal was for the day. As the week progressed my daily goal got moved to the next day each day, until Friday arrived. This was my last chance to complete my intended goal. I set aside an hour and completed it.

The next week I did the same thing and my ‘daily’ goal became my weekly goal. And that’s okay because I learned that a weekly goal is what’s manageable and what works for me.

Here’s another example. A long time client and good friend and I had a discussion around this topic some time ago. He began to tell me about his ‘will’ and I wasn’t quite sure where he was going to go with this. He explained that while unpacking after a move, he came across his ‘will’ that he had written several years ago. When he read it, everything he had intended had come to pass. It read: “I will…” and listed several of his aspirations in business. So you see, writing it down can be very effective.

Why does writing your intentions down work? I think it makes them more ‘real’. Your intentions are out of your mind now and there is physical evidence of them which makes you accountable. Want to give it a try?

Here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Identify your intention – keep it simple and brief and include a deadline, it will act as your guide

2. Write it down – write it somewhere prominent like an agenda you refer to daily or a white board with your to-do list, it will draw your attention and help you feel more accountable

3. Follow with actions – take steps towards your intention, this will demonstrate your commitment

4. Experience it – acknowledge that you did what you said you would, celebrate each achievement, they all add up

When you set an intention and then act on it remember to stay focused, be positive, be true to yourself and believe in yourself. This seems to empower the Law of Attraction leading you exactly where you want to go. Things will happen as they are meant to if you use this tool to turn your intentions into reality. It’s in your hands.

Outsourcing–The Answer To Small Business Owner Burnout

As a small business owner you are involved in all aspects of your business from bookkeeping and marketing to customer service. At some point you realize that it is no longer possible to do it all and still grow your business. How do you know when it’s time to stop trying to do it all yourself? How do you determine what work to outsource and what to continue to do yourself? What if you’re concerned about the financial investment?

First, have a look at the following checklist to determine if outsourcing is what you need now.

You know it’s time to outsource when:

• You’re burned out from working too many hours a day and too many days a week
• You feel like you can’t take time away from your business and you don’t (and friends and family are noticing this too)
• You are spending less time on your core revenue generating and business building tasks and it’s costing you money
• Key administrative functions that keep your business running are not getting completed

If this sounds like you then it’s time to hire someone. But first it’s important to get clear about what you need help with. Here are some general guidelines.

Do outsource:

• The work that supports and builds ongoing relationships with your clients
• The back end work that contributes to the growth of your business, generates profits and passive streams of income

Some examples of these tasks are:

• Newsletter creation i.e. the formatting, set up and distribution; you supply the content
• Setting up and managing your shopping cart i.e. putting ‘buy’ buttons on your web site
• Creating/Managing your website
• Posting to your blog
• Handling customer support
• Article submissions
• Graphic design

As the business owner, you should continue to:

• Do the things that will help grow your business and the things you enjoy
• Speak with potential clients, attend networking events
• Plan and create your next product or service

How do you know if outsourcing makes financial sense?

You can determine what your hourly rate would be by dividing your monthly profits by the number of hours worked and compare that to the rate that you would be paying to outsource. Remember that it may take you twice as long as a Virtual Assistant to complete some of the tasks that you want to outsource.

What do I do next?

Now that you know what your needs are you can start looking for a reputable Virtual Assistant. Someone who will become a partner in your success and someone you will work with long term for a mutually beneficial working relationship. You may want to check with fellow business owners you know and respect for referrals. Do any clients or colleagues know of someone who might be able to help? You can also find assistants through VA associations, forums and social media sites.

You need to be willing to let go of the control and give them your trust. After the initial learning curve your assistant will know your business well enough to work proactively with little or no direction from you. When you outsource and stop trying to do it all yourself, you’ll have the potential to become more productive, offer more services, increase revenue and grow your business to become more profitable.

The Top 7 Excuses That Are Holding Back Your Small Business Success

Do you have bad habits in your business? Are there things you repeatedly do just out of habit? You know you could be holding yourself back from success but you continue making excuses. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote by Tony Robbins, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Bad habits and excuses go hand in hand. If you want to kick your business up a notch but you’re allowing excuses to keep you stuck, have a look at the following list.

 

These are the top 7 excuses business owners use to justify their inaction and how you can turn that around to achieve the success you strive for:

1. I don’t have the time. A lot of us procrastinate by getting lost in busywork because it’s easier. These are activities that take up time but are not producing results. By managing your time well and prioritizing, you can ensure that you make the time for that important project.

2. I’m too busy. Similar to the above but rather than procrastinating you are multitasking to the point of accomplishing nothing. Try single-tasking. Focus all your energy on the task at hand. You will make fewer errors and achieve better, faster results.

3. I’m afraid it won’t work. Fear of failure can be immobilizing. Make a list of ideas you’ve dreamed of putting into place in your business, but haven’t because you’re afraid. Take action in small steps and celebrate each small success along the way. If things aren’t working, do it differently knowing that you’re learning and improving with each experience.

4. I’m afraid it will work. Success can be scary because it means things will change. You will have new and probably more responsibilities but remember you have more to gain than lose. Keep doing what works to create long-term success.

5. I’m making enough. We are creatures of habit and become comfortable with the status quo. However, it is crucial to get outside your comfort zone and come up with new ideas for your business. Volunteer to speak at the next networking event. Perhaps the regulars know you socially but do they really know what you do? There are probably at least one or two fellow business owners in the group that could benefit from your product or service.

6. I’ve always used ‘X’. Loyalty may not always be a good thing. Does it take your webmaster 2 weeks to make a small change to your website? Perhaps it’s time to look for someone more efficient. Don’t let loyalty hamper your success.

7. What I’m doing is working. In this case, maybe all you need to do is keep doing what works and add to it.

So if your desire is to have something greater, what’s stopping you? Choose one of your bad habits and create a new one. It is said that it takes 21 days to change a habit. That’s not long really. So put yourself up to the challenge. Start today and a month from now your world will be better for it.

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