This week I’ll be writing an article for my Creating Connections ezine readers about How to Effectively Communicate Your Love for Your Prospects and Clients.  Also this week, I’m teaching an in-depth teleclass for my Communication Success Network group coaching members on Showing the Love in Your Business.

Why the emphasis on love?

Look around you! It’s Valentine’s Day in less than a week and the world is exploding with advertisements, stories, and reds & pinks everywhere.  I know right now all things “love” are top of mind for my clients because that’s what the media are telling us is currently important, our social networks are talking about (”are you taking your spouse to dinner for Valentine’s Day or preparing a special meal at home?”), and retail outlets are now selling merchandise for.

People can barely turn on the TV, radio or internet, or go into a store without seeing or hearing something related to Valentine’s Day.

And that’s important information to be aware of as a business owner.  People are getting messages from EVERYWHERE. But if their focus is in one place, that’s where you want to be.

When you know what’s top of mind for your clients and prospects at any point, tapping into that shows you know what they are interested in right now. And you can communicate with them where their minds currently are.

It’s the same reason marketing experts tell us we need to know who our ideal prospects are.  As a communication expert I can tell you, knowing your audience is key to you speaking to their values, desires, and interests — and that’s precisely when they will be able to best hear your message.

So tell me…. what are your plans for Valentine’s Day? How will you communicate with your prospects and clients where they are this week?

Here is a tale of two tools you may want to use for your blogging & business success:

1. HARO: Help a Reporter Out Created by Peter Shankman

A couple of weeks ago I created a survey for meeting planning professionals who hire professional speakers.  I wanted some insight for an article I’m working on into their experience including stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to hiring & working with speakers.  Only problem was, I wanted responses from planners I’m not already friends with.  But how to find them?

You’d think Twitter would be a great resource.  Sure, my survey did get retweeted by some kind folks in that industry — but still, I only had a tiny handful of responses.  Nothing to base an entire article on.  Then one of my mastermind partners suggested I directly interview a few people.

That’s when I got the idea to put a query out to the HARO family of more than 100,000 readers.  And WOW — was the response amazing! I’ve received exactly the kind of stories I was looking for an have had the opportunity to interview some truly knowledgeable folks. The cost for this fabulous response and now the ability to write an article that will SURELY be picked up by an industry publication? FREE! Three cheers for Peter Shankman otherwise known as @Skydiver. Hip hip hooray, Peter!

2. Blogger Link Up Created by Cathy Stucker

Last weekend was a live event I wish I could have attended but being home with my kids was much more important.  So using the Twitter hashtag #NAMS I was able to follow all the fun, see the content from the speakers being shared by attendees, and feel a little closer to all the action all from my home. Blogging for business expert, Denise Wakeman, spoke and gave a tip for getting traffic and comments to your blog.  She recommended Cathy Stucker’s Blogger Link Up service, yet another free tool where you can post a request for guest blogger content, responses to a particular post, and more. I’ve only just subscribed today, but if Denise Wakeman recommends it, I know the service is good.  Plus Cathy Stuker has been in my tweet stream for what seems like ages now, and I know she is a woman with a lot of great information to share.

So there you have it! A tale of two tools to help you generate great content to communicate with those you can best serve in your small or home-based business. Do you have expereince with either of these tools? I’d love to hear about it!

I am embarrassed.

When I started my business and learned about the concept of blogging, I used to blog every single day of the week.  Of course back then, I didn’t have any clients — well I had one.  A pro bono client. And that was about the size of it.

Fast forward almost 4 years and my blogging habits have, well, um, become spotty at best.  And as I look at the last date I actually posted here… my face turns a bright shade of red.

Unfortunately that’s “leaked” into other areas of my business as well. Although my income from my part-time home business is going amazingly well (like making more than I ever did while working full time plus in an office or college classroom), my systems and processes are all over the place.

Just like with this blog. In all honest transparency, for many things I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants.  Sure, I have deadlines I create for myself that I *mostly* meet.  And I have a few things that are working amazingly well.  But I think a lot of work-at-home people can relate — there’s a lot of reacting going on.

Oops an email just came in. Let me respond to that.

There’s a direct message on Twitter from someone who wants to chat. Better find time.

Just got a phone call about a speaking engagement.  I need to get them what they need right this second.

And so on.

What happens is that without any real systems and processes in place, some important tasks, as well as those “that’d be nice to do someday” things tend to fall by the wayside.  Not because I don’t want to do them.  Or not because I’m not getting other things done.  It’s just I haven’t had a solid system for everything that has to happen.

Lucky for me I have My Fabulous VA, Rebekah Jones.  (Whew– breathing a big sigh of relief!)

Rebekah is an amazing virtual assistant — someone who handles lots of my “should be systematized” tasks.  She makes running my business easy and fun.

Since the beginning of my business I’ve always worked with a VA (used to be My Lisa was my go-to woman for just about everything until she decided to get out of the VA biz onto bigger exciting things for herself!).  Whether I had the income or not.  Why? Because I *knew* that having a fabulous VA would be necessary to get me to the place I wanted to be in my business. And I was right! Working with my VAs has allowed me to do what I am best at, which has allowed me to bring in plenty of income to pay them and myself.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “How do you work with a VA?” And importantly, “How do you work it so you are extra profitable with a VA?”  Well, I talked my own VA, Rebekah, into teaching a class with me tomorrow night to tell you.

We’re both excited because this class is specifically designed for coaches, consultants, speakers, and other heart-centered service-based entrepreneurs.  And it’s also for other VAs who want to know the magic formula to find your most fabulous clients.

As for me, much to Rebekah’s relief, this year I am developing systems, process and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for my business.  I’ve made it my theme for the year.  That means writing down schedules for everything and sticking to them.  Like when I’ll be blogging.

SO now, I invite you to do a couple of things:

1. Visit http://WinningBusinessRelationships.com now to see the invitation video we created for you.

2. Comment below about what areas you need better systems in and what systems you have in place that are working for you. (I need all the help & suggestions I can get!)

Kevin Nations

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tonight I had the chance to speak with Kevin Nations, one of the most talented business people I have ever met. What I personally learned from Kevin by taking his Big Ticket Blueprint class about a year and a half ago has allowed me to keep my coaching and consulting business completely filled. Every time I speak with him I get energized by his brilliance and always look forward to learning more.

This week in a 100% complimentary call on Thursday, October 29, at 4 PM Eastern / 3 PM Central / 1 PM Pacific Kevin will be showing you a model that will blow the familiar “know, like, and trust” advice out of the water. He’ll also get into how you can take yourself from being the object of admiration for your audience to being the object of DESIRE. Where instead of just liking you and thinking you’re doing good things, people have the sense that they HAVE to work with you. Now.

Listen in above as Kevin gives a sneak peek into what he’ll discuss this week. (Just click that little arrow underneath Kevin’s picture!)

And as a close personal friend of Kevin’s, after the recording was over, he gave me a preview of the content he’ll be sharing this week.  I gotta say it is unlike anything you have ever heard.  It was new to me — and I have been around and heard A LOT.

He calls it Prospect Seduction Blueprint — and this is one call you CANNOT miss. I’ll be there and I hope you are too!

If you know me at all, you know I tend to steer FAR clear of any talk of politics.  Even with friends & family (right JAM? ).  I leave that kind of talk to those who are far more knowledgeable about the issues than I am.

But… one issue that I can confidently comment on is the communication style and public speaking skills of anyone “out there” in the public eye.  I like to do so in a way that is relevant to the small, home-based, or micro-business owner.

Whether you agree or not with the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s choice of US President Barack Obama as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, there is one thing that is certain: as with the national election, public speaking played a major role in why Obama won.

In fact, according to multiple reports, speeches made by President Obama were the primary reason why Obama won.  The Associated Press Reports on Yahoo News that, “The Nobel committee said it paid special attention to Obama’s vision of a nuclear-free world, laid out in a speech in Prague and in April and at the United Nations last month.” (My italics for emphasis!)

If his speeches are responsible in large part for Barack Obama winning a Nobel Peace Prize, the power of public speaking is far-reaching.

So, if we bring this to the level of the small business owners, home-based business owners, micro-business owners, and entrepreneurs everywhere it becomes clear: a speech is a powerful mode of communicating your message so you can influence more people.  When you have effective communication skills and dynamic public speaking skills, you’ll be able to win more of what you want: more prospects, more clients, and more cash flow now.

Do you have a speech ready to deliver now? Is it polished? Is it getting you results?  Discover the Signature Speech and what it can do for your business.  I’m starting what just may be the final Signature Speech Solutions Group telecourse in a few weeks.

Wow! The response I’ve been getting to my 4th quarter challenge has been amazing! Yay for you if you’re joining me by publicly announcing that “you’re in” on my previous blog post or if you’re silently following along. Whatever you do… just take some action and git ‘er done!!

Today I’m sharing with you a strategy I want us to use to help keep focus and get more done — possibly in less time. I call it my 15 Minute Sprint.

Now I will share with you, this idea is not mine entirely, although I did grab the hashtag for Twitter . If you’re following me on Twitter you’ll see where I announce I’m getting ready for a #15MinSprint. And then when to begin.

Here are the simple rules:

1. Grab a timer. I use my iPhone because I always have it with me. You can use a kitchen timer, your cell phone, whatever is handy — set it for 15 minutes.
2. Turn off ALL distractions. During this 15 minutes you are to focus on 1 TASK ONLY!!  That’s it.  Just the one.  That means no email, no Tweetdeck (I know who you are!), no phone calls.  FOCUS on your 1 project.  I mean, really, it’s only 15 minutes.  The world can wait.
3. Be accountable. Share with us here on the blog that you’re doing your #15MinSprint.  Or share with your Twitter followers.  I’ll be creating a special column for #15MinSprint-ers so I can track for you and cheer you on!
4. Plan only 3 #15MinSprint sessions per hour. Why? Because you need to take a break occasionally.  We work at home for goodness sakes! Get a cuppa tea or coffee, read your email, tweet, chit chat with a girlfriend, throw in a load of laundry… whatever you want to do. But don’t plan more than 3 #15MinSprint sessions per hour.  Trust me.  With those 3 — in 2 hours you’ll get done more than you have in a day other times!
5. Organize Your Day. As you look at your list of to-dos prioritize what you need to get done and then make sure you do those things.  Have no more than 3-5 “need to dos” for the day.  Then add an extra “would be nice to do” — something like cleaning out your inbox, filing, sorting thru a pile on your desk, etc.  Even if you don’t get the full task done, you’ll be amazed what can happen with just 15 minutes!

Ok– so those are the rules.  Simple, right?  I wrote this post in during a #15MinSprint.  What will you do with yours?  Comment below & go go go!!!

Here in the Chicago area the sun is shining and it’s a cool brisk Monday morning. October has arrived in full gorgeous soon to be multi-colored force!

For business owners that means it’s the final quarter of 2009.

As I look at my never-ending to-do list and all the things that need my attention I found myself wondering where to start. Do you ever get that same feeling?

If you’re like me, you have a to-do list a mile long— but there are other thing mental to-dos that somehow keep getting passed up day after day.

So during this final quarter of 2009 I decided — I’m not waiting until 2010 to make some positive changes in my life that will affect my productivity and move my business forward.

I decided to act now. And I thought I’d invite you to join me. Then as January 1, 2010, arrives we’ll be set to hit the proverbial ground running!

We’ll be working on things like basic organization, getting a handle on finances, laser-focusing on our messages, and finding ways to repurpose what we may already have to better serve those in our professional communities. I’ll be sharing the same resources and tips I’ll be using all along the way.

What does this have to do with communication or public speaking? Simple. When you focus on improving yourself and moving your business and life forward, you send the message to yourself and those around you that you are serious about your success. You clear the space — both mental and physical — to allow other possibilities and beneficial relationships to develop that will propel you toward your goals.

What’s my motivation? Easy. I need some accountibility. If I tell you I’m going to do something, you may know me well enough by now to know if I promise you something I’m gonna make it happen.

Plus, sometimes working on your own can be a lonely enterprise. It’s awesome when you can create a connection with someone or a community and move forward together.

I’ll be posting here regularly about my progress and looking to hear how you’re doing as well.  There is no charge to follow along… I’m doing this for me as well as for you to motivate and inspire us both to further greatness.

If you’d like more direct help from me, I invite you to consider joining my Communication Success Network just for the next 3 months. Then each week during our group chats we can support each other more directly — along with everyone in the group. Plus you’ll get direct coaching from me, as well as all kinds of other cool bonuses.

So tell me now… are you up for the challenge and serious about your success? Comment below & throw your hat into the success ring with me!!

As I write this I am in the process of multiple projects.

Now I know, you may be thinking, “But Felicia, I heard you’re supposed to focus on 1 thing at a time to be the most successful?”

That advice is only partially correct.

You see, just because I have several major projects happening at once doesn’t mean my focus is split. In fact, I’m able to focus even more clearly on on task at a time, allowing me to get the projects done.  How? Read on.

I know as a small business owner or micro business if it’s just you, there are A LOT of tasks to keep up with.  So how do you stay productive and focused with so much on your plate at one time?  And how in the world can you get it all done?

With a little help.

Right now as I write this, my ezine is being prepared to go out this morning and I’m in the process of a major re-launch of a program I created from scratch.  Yet, I’m writing this blog post confidently knowing the other work is getting done.  Because I have help from 2 fabulous Virtual Assistants, Lisa Wells and Rebekah Zobel Jones.  Both are members of an organization called International Virtual Assistants Association, a group of dedicated administrative professionals whose sole task in their business is to help you with yours.

Pretty cool, right?

You can have the same secret weapon I do — and find your own highly qualified VA to help you with your specific needs by simply going to www.IVAA.org and completing a Request for Proposal (RFP).  Likely within minutes you’ll have emails from VAs ready and able to do the tasks you need them to do.

Here are some of the tasks I have my VAs do for me, either regularly or as special projects both now and in the past:

• format & send my bi-weekly ezine Creating Connections
• manage my calendar and appointments
• send email reminders of appointments and events to my clients and group coaching members
• upload new files to my website
• format & upload sales pages to my website
• manage my shopping carts
• manage my affiliate programs
• deal with website tech issues such as hosting and URL management
• respond to email inquiries for affiliate promotion requests, appointment requests, etc.
• send me regular reports and updates on my various projects and provide me with a to-do list based on those projects
• handle customer service and technical issues
• maintain my website to keep it current
• manage my books
• handle all my travel details & create itineraries for when I travel
• format and create pdf files for various teleseminars
• format & create order forms for speaking events
• create and revise powerpoint presentations
• I could go on & on!

What that all means is in the middle of a super busy week I can take the time to write on my blog, Tweet, talk to clients, or any other number of tasks I’d rather be doing.  Talk about a win-win situation!

IVAA.org is THE place to find someone to help you.  Oh– and my budget for my VAs? One works 5 hours per month and the other is 10 hours per month.  As you can see, because they are experts in what they do, it doesn’t take them long to do what needs to get done.

So now you know… my “secret weapon” isn’t a secret at all.  It’s getting help from experts who can get the job done!

Well first, let me say — ouch.

I have been in serious dental pain for the past 3 weeks.  I’ll save you the long story, but let it suffice to say that I had work done, and as that progressed the doctors determined I needed more.  Which turned out to be a root canal.

So yesterday I learned the meaning of the phrase, “About as fun as a root canal.”

It means it sucks.

But seriously… with as bad a reputation as a “root canal” has, modern dentistry has come a long way and the procedure was virtually painless. Aside from the injection of the anesthetic, I didn’t feel any pain at all.  I was scared as all get out, but apparently the term “root canal” is scarier than the actual event itself.

So that was my yesterday morning.

I spent most of the afternoon recovering and resting.  Then in the early evening I checked my email.

There was a message with the subject line “Hi from Cosmo.” (!!!!)

Of course I opened THAT one right away.  Apparently Cosmopolitan Magazine wants my expertise to help them with a story they are developing and they plan to credit me fully.  The message was brief and to the point.  Can I have some information to them by Monday morning?

Uuuuummmm, yep.

Begin happy dance of gratitude!

So what do a root canal & Cosmopolitan Magazine have in common? That was my day yesterday. (And boy did it turn out WAAAAAY better than I could have ever imagined!)

How did an editor at Cosmo decide to send ME a request for my expertise? It’s effective communication through online marketing. Because I have been writing for years now about effective communication and have many articles, mentions, and links online, it was easy for this editor to find me.  Also, by the way the editor asked for the specific information she did, I can tell she saw one of my online articles at Ezine Articles.com.  I have to thank my article marketing mentor, Jeff Herring for teaching me what I know about article marketing!

Make it easy for the people looking for you to find you online and you’ll get cool emails and media requests, too!  How do you do that? Be clear on your message and make sure your online image is professional, consistent, and cohesive because all that equals credibility.

Stay tuned… as soon as I have more details about the magazine edition I’ll be in I’ll let you know.

Yesterday on Twitter I wrote:

Wondering out loud: Can too much passion for what you know distract you from truly listening to your clients?

And wow– did I get a flood of answers!  I received many, many YES answers along with a retweet of my original question (a retweet on Twitter means someone copied & pasted what I said so others could see it, too. It’s a huge compliment to get retweeted).

I also got answers from some pretty high profile folks like Leesa Barnes and Coach Andrea J. Lee who said:

leesabarnes

Leesa Barnes: @FeliciaSlattery too much passion can label you an entertainer – great for a few laughs, but peeps go somewhere else to change their lives

andreajlee

Andrea J. Lee: @FeliciaSlattery Oh, juicy ? up my alley. I believe def YES! Beyond ego-based passion is a selfless passion that allows us 2 listen…

And other wise answers such as:

AndreaChin

Andrea Chin @FeliciaSlattery Not sure amt of passion will distract u from listenin but “know it all” attitude will def interfere w/ “hearing” whats said

Chett12

Amanda Matchett: @FeliciaSlattery I think it depends. If ones passion for what they know inhibits them from bein open to new ideas, then distraction mayoccur

ValoremLamb

Patrick Lamb: @FeliciaSlattery Too much passion? Those who excel combine unusual passion with ability to compartmentalize it and listen critically.

sweatyshop: @FeliciaSlattery In my personal experience, yes. You begin to forget that not everyone thinks like you nor comprehends like you.

SteveKloyda

Steve Kloyda: @FeliciaSlattery I think yes. When the focus is on what we know, are we really listening? Just a thought.

So now it’s your turn. Do you think there could be such a thing as passion clouding your judgment or ability to listen as effectively as your clients, customers, and prospects would prefer? I’d love your answers in the comments!