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Take Comfort in Writing...

Do you have something to say? Do you have the opportunity to say it to everyone you need it to be heard by?

If not, like most of us the opportunities aren’t a daily happenstance.  We have to make opportunities to be heard and most of that time is going to be by using our words in a published manor.  If you have been told you speak well, congratulations that’s a valuable portion of the skill set you can take advantage of when writing your thoughts, needs, stories, value down in an article format.

Every day our skills, products and services are seen in the form of reports, posts, proposals, blogs, guidelines, social media updates, texts, memoir notes, thank you notes, emails, ads and more.  We live in an era where the written word is around us 24/7 and it can make or break a business.  Knowing this that on average we will write more than 35,000 words in a year – we all need to brush up on this skill set and learn how to become a better writer, the kind of writer that gets results…

• First before you start writing (anything), ask yourself: Why am I writing? You need to have a purpose so that the outcome becomes the solution to the reason.  If you are writing to thank someone for a meeting you had, to motivate, or even to change a company policy your writing needs to be clear and bring value.
• Next when writing gauge the length need. The acronym K.I.S.S. is a very good rule to live by for majority of our writing needs.  Twitter has schooled a lot of us in the art form of getting a point across in 140 characters or less & even then if you can get it to around 100 you will have a 17% higher engagement rate. Why? Because humans are in a hurry and our attention spans are very short.
• There will be many occasions that we need to write without brevity. In these cases, first write like you talk don’t worry about the punctuation, sentence structure or flow.  You want to get your thoughts out on paper first then restate your purpose before quality checking, shortening, changing your words.  Ask yourself: What is the reason you are writing? What should it accomplish – what is to be taken away by the reader? What is the conclusion – what should happen after it is read?  Tip: if you are selling something there should be a call to action included.
• Where ever you are be there! This goes for writing too – make sure your surroundings will inspire your thought process. If you are stressed or in a location where focus is a struggle the results of your writing will show your frame of mind.
• Plan the time and set limits. Did you know the first four hours of your day are when we are at our most creative?  If you are writing for an important purpose don’t select the time based on leftovers.
• Choose by choose wisely – (great movie) but also words to write by. If you want your articles read, acted on and also shared don’t be repetitive. Use a thesaurus or buy a book of creative ways to use words; (Words that Sell – Richard Bayan, Phrases that Sell – Edward Werz)
• When writing key thing to ask yourself, ‘will this appeal to more than me?’ An accountant likes numbers and thinks differently than a gift retail shop owner. But, both need to communicate with each other because they both use each other’s services.  So when writing you have to channel your audience and what would appeal to them when they read your written verbiage.
• Email can be attributed to the fall of Rome. Not literally but definitely an applicable phrase in the twenty-first century. Clear & decisive with an open ended prompt will get you more effective and successful results. Save the three+ page montage for your book or thesis.
• Prior to publishing or sending out say it out loud. Does it sound bizarre like it was written by a transformer? Do you struggle over excessively long sentences? To catch typos, duplicate words or run on sentences during your final proofing read the last paragraph first and work your way back to the first sentence.  Our brains are skilled to be able to read misprinted sentences as long as the first and last letters are correct, so changing the direction you proof in will help you see the writing before the story.
• End all things with a gift. Inside of every written need, every text, tweet or article you have the ability to make a positive moment in another person’s world. Don’t miss an opportunity to be an affirmative force increasing the beauty in the world.

Keep these tips in mind when writing and whether or not it is perfection, your intent will cut through bringing you remarkable results.

Results by you....

Ok, let’s take a moment and get real!  How many of you are:

• Members of a professional group
• Have an advertisement running somewhere
• Or started up a blog or newsletter

Yes, if you’re reading this blog 99% of you can answer yes to one or all of those questions.  Now, how many of you are not happy with the ‘results’?

I’m guessing over 78% of you can say you’re not happy with the results to one or more of those questions.

So here’s where I am going to get real with you and ask the question that those that accept accountability will ask, “What are you not doing?”.  For a good many the thought process is to throw the blame for lack of results in the opposite direction.  But, if we are truthful and take accountability in our actions or lack of we’ll start to see real results in our endeavors.

Take the first one; Member of a professional group.  If it is not working for you can you honestly say you are giving it due time to work the opportunities available?  Do you even know all the opportunities or are you waiting for someone to point them out? Are you devoting time to prepare prior to the meeting? Are you asking for support in a way that others can assist easily?  Remember even in asking for referrals or support from a professional team you need to meet them over half way by first making your ‘ask’ very specific and then by ‘following up’.

Take the second one; Have an advertisement running? Ask yourself is what you are offering have a juicy call to action or bland? Are you giving them something that you already offer to the masses or making each marketing venue’s offer special?  Have you asked for second, third even fourth opinions on the value of the content and if it is appealing.  Depending on the media form of advertising you are using time plays a factor as well as how you represent your offer.  Yes, you can use media wrong.  Not all offers or even industries get the same results across multiple media formats.  If you don’t understand who your clients are, where they frequent or even what their needs are… how can you expect your advertisements to work?

Let’s now look at the Third one;  Blog or Newsletter.  Does it have a purpose?  In what ways if any are you cultivating a network to view it?  If you have a network do you know their needs and are you answering it or just talking for the sake of pushing out content?  Your reason for having a blog or a newsletter will define the content but no matter the content if you are not providing a true value in this world of over saturated advertising venues you will not be followed let alone get any return on your time spent producing your content.

So let’s wrap this up with some value, when you are a member of a professional group, run an advertisement or produce a blog/newsletter the following items should be factored in at all times.

• Provide real value – don’t create just for the sake of creating
• Know your target audience and fill a need in the right place at the right time
• All advertising efforts take time – if you are producing value in the locations your consumers are at it will work
• Preparation in all things is key, just being seen or just showing up won’t produce any worth while results
• Get objective opinions (Objective being the operative word) if you ask your friend with no real vested interest they will more than likely tell you what you want to hear versus what you need to hear.
• Most importantly you get out of anything no more than what you put into it.  If it takes you a few moments to throw something together without investing time, research or money – don’t be surprised when it produces devoid return.

These are just a few of the things in business that I hear professionals say, it’s not working!  So going forward instead of throwing out negative auto responses to empty returns on the ways you market try instead to take a good hard look on your actual investment in it.  Even if you pay to have someone create or design your marketing needs, if you are not taking an active interest in it don’t be surprised if the results are less than spectacular.  It is good to have marketing support or a talented media agent but without your organic contribution to its success your results will be less than what you desire.  After all your customer is there primarily because of you so if you are not involved it will show in the results or the lack of.

Need help with getting real results that increase your profitability?  We’re here for you but the next step is yours…   call, email, stop by it requires action to take the next step!

Schedule Like a Pro... part two - the afternoon

IMPORTANT WORK FIRST:
Many people arrive at the office and immediately get busy with email and meetings, leaving their realwork for later in the day. Rookie error…  First order of business in the morning is laying out your tasks by priority do your important work FIRST – with no distractions. Why? To put it bluntly distractions make us loose IQ points & offices are an endless stream of interruptions.  So if you don’t hit the ground running with your priority tasks needed for the success of your business what makes you think later on will improve your odds of having quality time?   Studies show that alertness and memory, the ability to think clearly and to learn, can vary by between 15% and 30% over the course of a day.  Moral of the story if you’re smarter in the morning then don’t you want that brain power working on your most valued tasks?

So make sure your making progress on the thing/s that matter.  Hint lay out no more than three ‘priority’ tasks and tackle them one at a time before taking on your busy work.  You can thank me later when you see the results!

But even you can’t sprint for miles. What do you do when your brain gets tired?

This is the time to regroup when you start to slow down:  It’s called afternoon brain fog syndrome. We have all felt it & I can tell you it is not only for the elderly. Why does this happen? Working too hard? Food coma? Often it’s just our natural body clock rhythm telling us we need to reboot.

First, take a break.  Taking a break does not mean you’re a slacker.  Studies show taking a power break 5-10 minutes every 90 minutes gives our brain a boost and makes us more productive with better results.  Get a snack… Take cleansing breathes – stretch the legs - refocus!

Lunch – take it!  You need to refuel – mentally and physically.  We don’t run on success alone. Stay away from heavy foods that will make you crave a three hour nap!  What you need next is a mini version of your morning ritual. Review your goals and the progress you have made for your morning. Get your second wind for the next part of your day. 

Nothing is more motivating than progress & progress is made when we stay on task completing priorities first.

You took a break, reviewed your goals and achievements, and now you’re ready to work again. What do you focus on for part two of your day?

The needed but not priority items:  Meetings, calls & people stuff:  When your energy is high 2-4 hours in the morning focus on the creative & challenging work!  When energy is in its lower productivity stages then focus on busy work… These are the things you can do as they say blind folded.

One of the most important tricks for maximizing your productivity involves matching your mental state to the task … At 6:00 a.m. I’m a creator, and by 2:00 p.m. I’m a networker… It’s the perfect match of my energy level with a mindless task.  When I say mindless I am not saying unimportant, just tasks that are 'busywork' things that don't require major concentrated efforts.  For you it might be the developer, the architect or the artist in the morning and the administrator, the task completer, or the communicator in the afternoon.  Just make sure whatever you are in the morning is what makes the wheels turn for your company!

So the workday is over. Is that it? Not hardly… Look for 'Schedule Like a Pro... The Evening.

Schedule Like a Pro...part 1 - the morning

Ever feel as if, in the quest to get everything done, you’re not quite doing enough?

All too often, time management tips are a too prevalent. Some even conflict with each other. What we need is a system that can be adapted no matter our profession.

What system does science say allows us to be most productive?  What schedule do pros use? 

What you need to take away from this is that feeling in control and making sure your energy levels are matched to the importance of the task at hand.  So let’s assemble a schedule that will help you and that will use real researched techniques into a more cohesive schedule you can apply to your day.

How do you work up an actual schedule?  I’m not talking about the traditional setting an appointment to meet a client.  But an actual planned ‘task’ schedule.  You may want to get your calendar or notepad out as the information shared over the next three blogs will have concepts you will want to add to your routine.  If you don’t have a routine what we will lay out below will change the way you manage your day to day schedule.

FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF YOUR DAY

1. Turn off your alarm (30 seconds): Place your alarm out of reach, away from your bed, so you have to get up to turn it off. Break out a big smile as you walk, which releases hormones that create happy feelings. Tell yourself it’s going to be a good day — out loud!  (Might want to get your significant other in on your morning routine – heads off mild panic attacks when you greet the morning)…
2. Let in the light of the sun rising (10 seconds): Wake up with some sunshine, which instantly elevates your mood and sends the signal to your brain that it’s morning.
3. Bring on the circulation (one minute): Spend this time moving your body. You can do jumping jacks, sit-ups, or body stretches. Get your yoga on!
4. Meditate on your day (one minute): Take time to visualize your day.  Imagine your success; how meetings will go, the things you need to remember, and happy outcomes of important conversations and interactions with others. This is some of your most productive thought time of the day – have an idea better write it down!
5. Be grateful (30 seconds): Tell yourself what you’re grateful for. Journaling is the best way to use this time.  Starting the morning on an appreciative note sets you up for a day of caring, understanding, and thoughtfulness.
6. Make your bed (one minute): Tidying your bedroom is proven to aid in getting you motivated to leave your room. Bonus is that it’s so nice to come home to a bed that’s already been made.
7. Be your choir of energy (Remaining 50 seconds): Singing is not restricted to the shower anymore.  Turn on a song that has some life in the rhythm and sing along as you dance out of your room. Singing releases endorphins, which naturally elevate your mood and energize your body.

 MORNING IS WHEN YOUR BRAIN IS AT ITS SHARPEST

The average persons brain is at its most powerful two to four hours after waking – SO DON’T WASTE IT

Watch for part two your day at the office and three wrapping up your day coming soon! 

Schedule Like a Pro... final part - the evening

There’s an optimal way to handle your schedule after the sun goes down too.

The last thing I want you to add to your schedule:  A relaxing evening… Though successful people do work long – long hours, the greats almost all take the evening off to recharge.  How many of you have trouble shutting the mind off of work needs? Just about all of us do – why?

A couple reasons:

1)     We feel as if we didn’t make enough progress

2)     We have pressing matters that are left unresolved

I propose a few things to add to your evening (work) routine… Here comes the rest of the story.  I want you to block time before you leave for the day – EVERYDAY to:

1)     Write down or mark off your accomplishments if you use an organisational system (there are several good ones out there)

2)     Write down the tasks still needed to be worked on for tomorrow or add them to your calendar (those will become your first morning things to do if they are of a priority level)

3)     Straighten your desk! Why, it helps you mentally put the office to bed like making your bed in the morning make your desk in the evening.  Plus, coming into to an organized office helps you stay focused, on track and not get the immediate over whelmed feeling that will cause you to veer off course.

Now do something for you… All day you have been awesome, staying on task & knocking out the work load.  So reward yourself.  Take a hike, read that book you’ve been looking at for the past month, share a glass of wine or share some light conversation with a friend, pick up a movie and pizza for family night or a board game, lay in the hammock and cloud watch… point is do something everyday that says I love life and am not willing to waste a moment of it!

LASTLY – SLEEP!!!

The bottom line is that sleep loss means valuable mind loss.  Sleep loss cripples thinking, in just about every way you can measure thinking.  Sleep loss hurts attention, executive function, immediate memory, physical negative effects, slows working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning ability, and in general makes you act like a cranky pill.  Your body regenerates best in a sleep state so if you are working hard now so that you can enjoy life do you really want to do it from a wheel chair?  Take care of your body and it will take care of you – you can make excuses for anything but you have to ask yourself if you want to make progress to change things for the better why allow yourself the negativity of an excuse to hold you back?

An excuse is the reason you are giving yourself for not doing things you know you need to do – so… No Excuses! Live Life to its fullest & start now because tomorrow will always be the excuse that holds you back.

ROAR!!

Quick release or hold hostage?

Question... (Rhetorical) 
With technology being what it is today, why do you get the response when unsubscribing from a newsletter that is no longer providing value: "Sorry to see you go, please be patient it might take a few days or weeks before you stop receiving our newsletter"...

And then you start receiving double! 

FYI - This is not a good technique to try & salvage what you lost by bombarding them with even more - just a thought

Example: I was receiving this newsletter (on a side note that I don't recall signing up for) and for the first half a dozen e-newsletters they sent great give-away offers, coupons and even a few good short articles I enjoyed reading.  To tell the truth one or two more newsletters and I would have been clicking on the site to see about the cost of the products they were talking about. But before I could act on my interest I started receiving aggressive call to action e-blasts then a few threatening to 'weed' out those that weren't interested.

That brings me to two thoughts I'd like to share:
1 - assumptions without facts
2 - if you want to use a system understand how to work it

If you are trying to generate business which is the basis I would think for using marketing mediums then at least allow the client to make the choice whether to follow or not - subscribe or not - purchase or not.  You never know who else might see or get recommended to view your newsletter & it certainly isn't hurting to have the subscriber. But threatening to cancel their subscription is more than likely to create an action saving you the trouble of removing them.

Instead of assuming they are not a value why not try understanding why they are not acting on your offer? This would be the logical next step - understand the marketing tools we use is seriously the key to having a successful marketing campaign.  If you are not getting results adapt and change don't use knee jerk reactions to something that just needs a little tweaking or patience.

"Every connection is not always a good client, but understanding that every connection has the potential to be a value to you will help you to look at your efforts and the results in a more productive manner."  ~K.Kirkland

Great businesses use the 'quick release' a one click unsubscribe because they understand the value of putting time into generating something worth sharing that their clients will want.  Think about it this way if you are providing value the ones that leave aren't in your 'tribe' of potentials anyways.  There are plenty that want to receive & will want to keep receiving as long as you provide value.  So why hold hostage the one that doesn't?

Have questions? Need help in your marketing efforts to create results that reward you for your time? We'd love to help just reach out when you're ready to accelerate!

Kristi Kirkland
Adding Needed Solutions Working Every Relationship!