Feng Shui Organization Tip from Marci Shimoff

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

I subscribe to Marci Shimoff’s email newsletter.  I thought her most recent one was very interesting as I’m a proponent of getting rid of clutter in your life.  I’ve pasted the newsletter below in it’s entirety.

Have you noticed that there are some people who can let go of things easily and others who hold onto things for dear life? Well, historically, I’ve fallen into that second category.

So, a few years ago, I decided to counter my tendency to hold on by practicing letting go. I did that by starting a ritual that I call the “give-away game.” This is a feng shui ritual that consists of giving away or throwing away 27 items a day for 9 days in a row — that’s 243 things!

I’ve just completed my latest round of “give-away,” and boy, do I feel lighter, clearer, and more excited about what I get to create next in life. I’ve done this practice three times now, and each time, wonderful things have happened: the stalled deal for my PBS show miraculously came through, the ideal business manager showed up in my life, and I lost 15 pounds, to name just a few.

Everything we own carries an energy with it. As we let go of old energies, it clears the space for us to open to greater new energy. It’s amazing how letting go of old pots and pans can help us let go of the bigger things that hold us back.

I’ve had a lot of practice in the past few years in letting go.

Last year, my family went through a big clearing-out process as we prepared to sell our family home (the one we’d had for 58 years). As we sorted through my mother’s belongings, I marveled at her ability to let go of things she’d had forever. Perhaps she had a sense of what was ahead (she passed away three days after the house sold).

But letting go of that home and so many of the items I grew up with (much of the furniture was still the same) was a huge challenge for me. It represented the ending of my childhood (yes, I know that officially ended many years earlier, but there were deep emotional ties that went with that home).

Then letting go of my mother, just days later, was like the Mount Everest of releasing challenges.

A few weeks ago, on the one-year anniversary of my mother’s passing, my family visited our old family home. The new family that bought our home is fabulous. They’ve renovated, repainted, and decorated it beautifully. And, best of all, there was love and laughter throughout the house. It was thrilling to see the “baton” being passed to this family. Coincidentally, they have the same family configuration that our family had when my parents, brother, and sister moved in almost six decades earlier (one six-year-old girl and one five-year-old boy). Our letting go was their fresh start.

If you’re ready for a fresh start in any area of your life, I invite you to try the “give-away game.” Here’s how to do it:

1. Each day for nine days in a row give away or throw away 27 items. Notice what you’re hanging on to, not because you love it, but because you’re afraid to let it go.

2. Stand in your closet and touch or try on every piece of clothing. Ask yourself whether you want to carry that into your life ahead. If not, give it away or throw it away.

3. Clear out old books that don’t have messages that speak to you anymore, vitamins or medicines you no longer need, kitchen items that are cracked or worn-out. (Or how about those half-used shampoo bottles from four years ago?)

4. Fix items that are broken (or get rid of them). Clean items that are dirty. Put your loving attention on everything in your environment to see whether it represents who you are now.

Then notice what happens in your life — and watch for miracles. As you let go of things that carry old energy, you also strengthen your ability to let go of old ideas of feelings that no longer serve you. Then, you’re freer to create a magnificent future.

After just finishing this third round of “give away,” I’m already eager to start the next round.

Wishing you a beautiful letting go and fresh start,

Marci Shimoff

Marci Shimoff is a celebrated transformational leader and #1 New York Times best-selling author.  To learn more of her powerful techniques for establishing deep and authentic happiness and well-being, visit:  www.HappyForNoReason.com/

What do you think of this technique?  Please post your comment below.

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www.JoanneJohnsonVA.com

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Does Your Business’ Customer Service Need Fixing?

Posted on May 13, 2011 by

Every week I will showcase an excellent resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs to assist them with their business.  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Diana Price, owner of Your Life’s Purpose Customer Service Experts. Below is an excerpt from that interview.

Diana Price is passionate about customer service and sales and has been creating successful and productive teams for more than 15 years.  Diana is a dynamic speaker and has addressed audiences of all sizes.  She is a results-driven professional with many years of professional public speaking, customer service coaching, marketing and personal selling skills.  Diana sees the world through the eyes of the customers.  She is an expert when it comes to customer service and sales.  Loral Langemeier has endorsed Diana’s work.

What’s the number one thing every business owner should be doing to keep his or her customers happy?

You said the number one thing, but I can think of several number one things.  It’s not just one thing that a business owner must do to keep their customer happy.  The first thing that we all must understand is the customer is our paycheck.  If we internalize that then everything we do is going to have to be customer focused.  You have to find a way to say yes to your customer.  Always find a way to say yes.  And you want to train your team to carry out your mission.  If your team doesn’t understand your vision, that’s up to you to fix. You as a business owner have to fix that.  Always make your customers feel special.  Always say thank you to your customers.  Always give extra, give more than you promised.  If you say you’re going to do something, do it, but do more, do a little bit more.  Anticipate their needs.  And we always need to listen so very carefully to everything they say.  Sometimes the customer is saying something and we’re thinking about our response.  Just listen very carefully because in there you’re going to be able to provide a solution.  And when you provide a solution, provide it at a fair price.  And the last thing I want to say about that is we don’t want to take our customers for granted.  It’s very important no matter what you do to understand that maybe you think you’re giving good service, but it may not be as good as it can be.  So you’re always going to have to build that relationship and manage the relationship with your customer.

How do you train employees to follow through with your customer service protocol when no one is watching?

We have to start by hiring the right candidates.  If we have the right candidate then we can train the skills they need.  And if we don’t have the right candidate, we still have to train the skills they need.  You always want to be passionate with your team; you want to ignite passion in your team.  And guess who that starts with?  That starts with you and me, the business owner.  We have to be passionate and we have to believe in what we do and that’s going to permeate into our team.  We have to understand our people and we have to know what motivates them.  I always think it’s important to get to know them a little bit better.  Get to know about their family, their hobbies, their talents and their goals.  When we know more about them maybe we can use some of their special talents in a project.  It makes them feel apart of the whole package.  It’s important to create a welcoming environment.  Make sure the environment in your work place is very positive, it has energy, it’s not boring and that your team wants to come to work.  I always say you’ve got to create happiness and have fun while you’re there.  We do a lot of education and training so that is huge.  Ongoing coaching and training is absolutely vital.  You’ve got to provide your team with training opportunities to improve their skills.  And then one of the last things I always think about is, if you’re not watching how is your person going to respond?  You’ve got to empower them and encourage them.  Let them know that you trust them and you give them a level of autonomy so they will develop a sense of commitment and self-worth because if you’re always micro-managing them, that may be kind of uncomfortable.  In the long run, you have the responsibility as the business owner of satisfying your employees also, because how you treat your employees is how they will treat your customers.  If you’re yelling and screaming at your employees, they won’t think twice about yelling and screaming at your customers.  We need to be that positive role model.

How can we find out more about your awesome tools to help connect with customers and achieve more sales and business success?

You can find us online.  You can visit our website at www.YourLifesPurpose.net.  Our other website is www.CustomerServiceExperts.net.  You can also email me, Diana@YourLifesPurpose.net or Diana@CustomerServiceExperts.net.  We just love creating happiness for our clients.  It’s important that we go above and beyond so that you are completely happy with our service.  We live a customer service being.

What is the number one customer service issue in your business?  Please leave a comment below.

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8 Tips for Successful Delegation

Posted on April 12, 2011 by

Delegating isn’t always easy for entrepreneurs.  We are used to doing everything ourselves and doing it the way we want.  What happens when we don’t understand the importance of delegating is that we become extremely overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done and our business stagnates because we can’t devote the time needed to sales and marketing.

Following are some quick tips for delegating to others:

  1. Realize that when you delegate, you have a much greater opportunity to make more money.  When you delegate the time consuming tasks that need to get done, but don’t bring in money to your business, you can focus on your money making activities.
  2. Make a list of the things you don’t like to do or aren’t any good at and delegate those first.  If you find yourself dreading or putting off certain tasks, have someone else do them.
  3. Decide what you skills the person you are delegating to needs to have.  If you need someone to help promote your events, delegate to someone who has event promotion experience.
  4. You may need to delegate to more than one person.  If you need assistance with online marketing and bookkeeping, it may make sense to delegate these two different tasks to two different people.
  5. Make sure you are communicating regularly.  Clear, concise communication is very important when delegating.  Decide how and when you wish to communicate.  Be available to that person should they have questions.
  6. Share your business vision with your team.  When you share your vision with the people to whom you delegate, they can then understand the “big picture” you have for your business.  The more they know, the easier it will be for them to assist you.  They may even bring some great ideas to the table.
  7. Think of your relationship with your team as a collaboration.  Treat them as the invaluable part of your team that they are and work together to achieve your goals.
  8. Understand that delegating means that you trust the person you’ve delegated to, and allow that person to complete the tasks in “their” way.  Someone may do things a little differently than you do and that’s okay.  There’s usually more than one way to accomplish a task.  Their way may actually be more efficient than how you’ve always done it.

 

Do you currently delegate tasks to others?  What tips would you add to this list?

Don’t forget to sign up for a copy of my free report – 5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Outsourcing and How to Avoid Them.  Just type in your first name and email address in the sidebar and it will be promptly sent to your email inbox.

www.JoanneJohnsonVa.com

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Mobile Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

Mobile is arguably the most personal, targeted and relevant channel available. ~ John Arnold

There’s no question that mobile marketing is a hot topic these days.  According to Gartner Research, mobile apps are expected to generate $15.9 billion in end-user spending in 2012.

Mobile marketing is a great way to deliver content and promotions on the go to your customers. If your company is thinking about creating an application, here are three suggestions for what are predicted to be the hot apps in 2012.

3 Things To Do

Location-Based Services (LBS) - These services have the ability to make use of the geographical position of smartphones.  Marketers can send coupons or advertising directed at customers based on their current location.

The problem with this type of mobile marketing is that many people are worried about privacy issues.  A survey by eMarketer showed that 77% of women respondents were concerned about stalking with this type of marketing, compared with 60% of males.

Social Networking – Mobile social networking is the fastest growing consumer mobile application category, according to Gartner Research.  As more businesses are marketing on social networking sites, this isn’t likely to change.

Mobile Video – With smartphones being able to handle HD and 3D technology and networks having larger bandwidth, you’ll see more video marketing in the coming years.  Gartner suggests that mobile carriers partner with YouTube and other popular video providers so that users can replicate their Internet behavior on their mobile phones.

3 Things to Avoid

PC Type Mobile Sites – Many businesses try to squeeze the content of their regular website to fit a smaller screen.  Mobile sites need to be easy to read and navigate from a mobile device.

Too Much Information – Don’t bombard your customers with advertising.  Communicate with them regularly, ask them to interact and keep them engaged.  Make sure opting out is as easy as opting in.

Spamming – Spamming is never a good idea and since a mobile phone is the most personal device consumers carry, spamming on a phone is definitely taboo.  Always give them the chance to opt in for your service.

Are you currently using mobile marketing in your marketing mix?  If so, what are you using and how is it working?  Share your comments below.

Don’t forget to get a copy of my free report “5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Outsourcing and How You Can Avoid Them.”  Put your name and email in the sidebar on the right and I’ll get the report right out to you.

www.JoanneJohnsonVa.com

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Goal Setting 101

Posted on March 10, 2011 by

Setting goals is crucial for any business owner. Great goals will help you achieve a state of laser focus in moving towards what you want. Here are the most important things to keep in mind when you’re setting your goals.

Set Goals That Can Be Tracked in Numbers

A goal like “I want to make $4,000 a month blogging by Dec 21, 2011″ is a good goal.

A goal like “I want to be rich and feel successful” is not a good goal, because it’s not measurable.

With a measurable goal, you can divide it into a number of months and set monthly milestones to get you where you want to go. A “feeling-based” goal is impossible to track until you either get there or don’t get there, which almost certainly means you won’t get there.

Set Realistic Goals

Goals should be realistic, meaning you can actually achieve it in the time you’ve set. You should be able to actually see a path to where you want to be, without the need for a miracle happening.

For example, don’t set a goal to be a millionaire next year if you’ve never made more than $3,000 in a month. If you’re making $2,000 a month, however, $4,000 a month – or even $6,000 a month – is quite realistic.

Make your goals ambitious enough to inspire you to strive for them, but not so ambitious that you don’t truly believe you can make them happen.

Know the Why As Well As the What

In addition to knowing what you want, you need to have a clear idea of why you want that as well. Keep your why at the forefront of your attention.

For example, if your desire to make money stems from the desire to provide for your family, keep a picture of your family where you can see it every day to remind you of your “why.”

Check Your Goals Daily

Are your goals still what you really want? Over the course of a few months or years, your goals may change. People often forget to update their goals when they do.

Get in the habit of spending just ten minutes a day going over your goals, daily. This will help you keep on track as well as reinforce your desire for your goals, every single day. This creates a really powerful sense of momentum.

Many of the most successful people in the world have a consistent habit of reviewing their goals at the beginning of their day. Millionaires and even billionaires have often said that this first 10 to 30 minutes of the day is the most important period of time in their day.

Set measurable, realistic goals. Check them daily and recommit to them on an ongoing basis. Know why you want it as well as what you actually want.

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5 Easy Ways to Stay On Track with Your Goals

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

The end of March, and the end of the first quarter of 2011, will be here before we know it.  How are you doing with the goals you set for yourself a few months ago?  It’s easy to get back on track by following these tips:

Make sure the goals are SMART.  Be sure that your goals follow the SMART acronym – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.  When you can measure something specific, you’ll know if you’re on track to meet that goal.

Shrink your goals. If you have hit an obstacle in achieving a goal, it can help to break it down into smaller steps that are easier to complete.  As the saying goes, “You don’t eat an elephant all at once, you eat it one bite at a time.”

Get enough sleep.  Energy is required to accomplish anything and the bigger the goal, the more energy that’s needed.  The human ability of resolve is diminished with a tired brain.  Make sure your brain is rested and working at optimal levels.

Act in spite of your mood.  This one may not be as easy as the other steps but it’s very important.  Sometimes we think we need to be motivated to do something, but many times the motivation comes after we get started.  I think going to the gym is a good example of this.  I almost never want to go to the gym, but when I get there and start working out, I feel great and want to continue.

Be accountable.  Find someone who will hold you accountable for meeting your goals.  Have a set meeting with this person and let them know what your commitments are for that period. 

Implementing these 5 steps will help you achieve any type of goal that you want to accomplish.  What do you do to help yourself achieve your goals?

Get my free report, 5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Outsourcing and How You Can Avoid Them.  Just sign up in the side bar on the right.  Visit my website at www.JoanneJohnsonVA.com.

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3 Tips for Successful Delegating

Posted on February 22, 2011 by

Congratulations!  You’ve made the decision to delegate to someone else so you can focus on your money making activities.  Ok, so now what?

Many times entrepreneurs who’ve never used a virtual assistant aren’t sure how to work with someone who “isn’t right there” with them.  Following are a few tips for making the transition smoother.

1.  Communicate, communicate, communicate.  I can’t stress enough how important communication is for the client/VA relationship.  I haven’t yet met a virtual assistant who can read minds. 

Don’t be afraid to discuss what your business vision is with your VA.  S/he may have some great ideas for you in creating that vision.  The VA you’re working with may have other talents that you aren’t aware of that can be utilized to meet your goals.  It’s also acceptable to ask your VA for their opinion.  There may be times when you don’t know how to go about getting what you want done.  Your virtual assistant may have had to do that exact thing before and can guide you on how to move forward.

Accessibility is important, too.  Just as you want your emails and phone calls responded to in a timely manner, afford them the same courtesy.

2. Planning.  Having a planning meeting periodically with your VA let’s both parties know what’s coming in the future and what’s a priority for you.  This also assures that you are both on the same page with what needs to be completed.  The probability of rush work decreases as well if your VA knows what should be coming her way. 

 With that in mind, be sure to send all the information and documentation you can when assigning a new task to your VA.  Nothing is more of a waste of time than reinventing the wheel.  If you have a form or a marketing piece that you’ve used before and would like them to use as a template, provide it.  It’s better to have too much information than not enough.

 3.   Acknowledgement.   Everyone likes to be acknowledged for a job well done.  If your VA has done something awesome – let them know.  Referrals and thoughtful testimonials are wonderful ways to show your appreciation.   

 If these three simple tips are practiced consistently, then you should have an easy time of delegating.

 Don’t forget to sign up for my free report on the right side panel, 5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Outsourcing and How to Avoid Them.

 Visit my website at www.JoanneJohnsonVA.com

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Developing a Positive Money Mindset

Posted on February 17, 2011 by

The most important factor for making money has nothing to do with techniques or know-how. Your money mindset has a bigger influence on your finances than just about anything else in the world. This is why someone with no business experience and with less than $10 in their pocket can build a multi-million dollar business. 

The following 3 tips, when practiced consistently, can help you develop a positive money mindset:

1. Money is an expression of value 

If you study the minds of the most successful people in the world, one common understanding of money always comes up: “It’s not about the money.”

 Donald Trump, in Art of the Deal, says “I’ve got more money than I’ll ever need – It’s not about the money. It’s about the art. Eventually, we all kick the bucket and none of it matters anyway.”

 Felix Dennis, the man who founded Maxim Magazine, PC Magazine and many other successful publications, and is worth over $400 million dollars, is also a strong proponent that it’s not about the money.

 The most successful people in the world don’t focus on how to make money. Instead, they focus on how they can create value in the world.

 What problems can you solve? Who can you help? How can you create value? Money is just a reflection of how many people you’ve helped and how many problems you’ve solved.

 2. Act as if you’re already successful

 “You need to be a millionaire before you can have a million dollars” – T. Harv Eker, Author of Secrets of The Millionaire Mind.

 Before your bank account can reflect your financial success, you need to already embody the characteristics of someone who is successful.

 On a regular basis, put yourself in the shoes of your future, successful self. How would this person look, feel and think? What advice would your future self give you?

 Every day, try to take on this future version of you more and more. Breathe like that person would, think like that person would, hold your body like that person would and do business like that person would.

 3. Your success is just a matter of time

 People who don’t succeed tend to have the mindset of starting ventures to see “if” they’ll succeed. Successful people don’t wonder if they’ll succeed; they already know it’s just a matter of time.

 The question is not “if” but “when.”

 Successful people regard any failure as a setback or a lesson to be learned from. There is no such thing as an irrecoverable mistake.

 Incorporate these three things into your mindset. If you can really embody the creation of value while firmly holding yourself as someone who’s already successful and knowing that your success is just a matter of time, while taking the actions required to become successful, then your success is almost assured.

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5 Powerful Mind Success Strategies

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Building a business is a fantastic and challenging experience. You can wake up exhilarated to begin your day and go to bed feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. The key to success is to maintain a positive, yes you can do it, mindset.

Easier said than done, right? Here are 5 keys to help you create and sustain a positive mindset so you attain the success you desire.

1. Surround yourself with successful and positive people. The influence people have over our own personal energy is amazing. Moods and attitudes are so easily spread – think about how much of a difference a simple smile from a stranger can make for your day and then magnify it 1000 times to demonstrate the power of positive and successful friends, family and associates. When you have people around you who inspire you, believe in you and want you to succeed, there’s no room for doubts and even when they creep up, they’re quickly swept away.

2. Create a mantra or an affirmation. Repeating positive affirmations has been shown to get people through tough times and to actually help them truly believe what they’re saying.

For example, “I am building a powerful and profitable business.” Many of the most esteemed business professionals have used the same affirmation strategy to attain their success. To find the right affirmations for you, consider writing a quick list of your doubts, insecurities and complaints. These can then be quickly turned into affirmations.

For example, if you write that you’re always feeling disorganized then your affirmation would be, “I am organized and in control.” Repeat your affirmations several times a day and feel the power of positive thinking.

3. Capture negative thoughts. We all have negative thoughts from time to time, however, negative thoughts and emotions can derail us and prevent us from achieving all we desire. Of course catching those negative thoughts takes practice and persistence. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts or having negative emotions, find a trigger to turn them around. The affirmations mentioned above are a great way to turn the negative into the positive. You can also find quick pick me ups like a favorite song, a walk outside in the fresh air, or some exercise to help improve your mood.

4. Set goals/intentions and then be willing to let it go. The law of attraction says that we attract what we focus on the most. However, desperation, needing your business to be a success, sends mixed messages and a lot of negativity into the universe. Set your goals and intentions and then let them go. A certain amount of faith in yourself and in the power of attraction is necessary. Give it a try.

5. Be grateful. Gratitude is perhaps the single most powerful and positive tool for success. When you’re grateful for all of the wonderful things and people in your life the challenges you face seem significantly less important and are more easily dealt with.

Consider keeping a gratitude journal and make a practice of entering into it daily. That way, when you’re facing challenges a quick peek at all the amazing things in your life will make you feel as if you can tackle anything. Additionally, an attitude of gratitude helps you maintain a positive perspective and to face challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Success is within your reach and with the right attitude you can accomplish anything you set your sights on. Embrace these five powerful mind success strategies and you’ll build a better business and live a happier, more satisfying life.

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10 Quick Facebook Tips

Posted on February 8, 2011 by

Here are a few basic tips to keep in mind when using Facebook. Some of them are obvious, but it’s always good to be reminded.

1. Join a network to find like-minded people. Pick a group that you can contribute to and learn   from.
2. Provide value in your conversations and share relevant information.
3. Think before you post photos and/or videos. You may think someone’s photo is funny, but they may not want it posted.
4. Be aware of what you post and how others may perceive it. Remember, people can’t see you facial expressions or hear your tone of voice and may not know when you’re joking.
5. Post on others walls. Facebook is a social network, so don’t forget to be social.
6. To tag someone in your comments, add the @ symbol before their name. Click on “share” and their name will be hyperlinked and the symbol will be removed.
7. Invite your friends to follow or connect with you on other social networking sites.
8. Be sure to set your privacy settings so only those you want to see your profile can.
9. Make your posts interesting and increase your chances of getting comments and “likes”.
10. You can setup friends lists and easily search by that group to see those news feeds.

Don’t forget to grab a copy of my free report on the right hand sidebar.

www.JoanneJohnsoVA.com

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