I'm trying to get back into an exercise habit. I am setting my alarm so I will get up at the same time every morning and exercise. By doing this, I hope to reap the benefits of participating in a regular exercise program.
Marketing must be a habit also. If you truly want to build a successful business, marketing is something you must do regularly. Much like exercise, there won't be any long term benefit if you only do it when you feel like it.
Almost every morning I get up when the alarm goes off, lace up my running shoes, put one of the dogs on his leash, and go for a morning walk. (Sorry, all you avid runners, but this gal is too old and banged up to try running anymore. Those days are gone!). We've been doing it long enough that I am beginning to feel the difference when I miss it. And the days that I do miss it are steadily decreasing in number. It's becoming a habit.
Likewise, almost every day, I do at least 3 tasks to market my business. Just as I schedule my exercise for first thing in the morning, I schedule my marketing tasks as part of each day as well. If I miss one of my regularly scheduled tasks, my business feels it. I've been doing it long enough that I can see the difference.
How can you develop the marketing habit? Easy. Repetition. Doing the same thing over and over until it is part of you. So pick a marketing task. Anything will do. Do you write well? Make it a habit to write and submit two articles a week. Do you enjoy making videos? Schedule time each week to create and post one video. Are you a Twitter and Facebook fanatic? Set aside time each day to tweet or post about your business.
Once you are in the habit of doing this one task, add another and do it repeatedly. And then another and another. Soon your marketing habit will be such a part of you, you will feel the difference when you skip a day.
Psychologists say it takes at least 6 months of repetition for something to become a habit, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you will see results. And you will see results. I've lost 14 pounds, just by walking the dogs every morning. And my business continues to grow, just by marketing every day.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Promoting Your Site
Business plan - check. Catchy business name - check. Business cards - check. Website - check. Traffic - oops! No traffic. What's an online entrepreneur to do?
Fortunately, there are many ways to get traffic to your site. We will cover some of them here.
The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is to provide visitors with content. A good content-rich site is like a traffic magnet. Make sure your keywords are included in your content so the search engines will find you. In fact, you really want to make a list of all your keywords and then develop a page devoted to each one. Put your keyword in the first paragraph of the page, preferably within the first 90 characters. Use it in a text link or hyperlink. Help the search engines find your keywords in every way possible.
Does your website have a site map? If not, you need to build one. A site map is another way for search engines to find you. And since it has links to all of your pages, it will help your visitors find their way around more easily. The easier your site is to navigate, the more likely you will get - and keep - visitors.
Market, market, market. Too many would-be online entrepreneurs put up a site, then sit back and wait for traffic to find them. When it doesn't they get very upset, declare it's all a scam, and quit. You have to let prospects know you exist. You do that by marketing your site both online and offline. Place ads, send emails announcing your new site to your lists, blog about it on your blog if you have one, Tweet about it, announce it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the myriad social networking sites.
Write articles for others to use as content for their sites. Just make sure that when they do, they include a link back to your site. Many websites are looking for good content for their readers. My personal favorite is EzineArticles.com.
Get some PR. You are an expert in your chosen area. Participate in or host a press worthy event of your own, and let the local media know about it. It can be something as small as hosting a business workshop for teens or teaching newbies how to use social media. I have done both of these and both got me great press and new business. Plus the media now knows me and frequently contacts me to get my input on other stories and events.
Earlier I mentioned using your blog to promote your site. I assume you have one. If you don't, you need to start. It is one of the fastest and easiest ways I know to get exposure online. I like Blogger. I have clients who prefer WordPress. It doesn't matter which one you use. Just use one of them and get started.
Is your website listed on your business cards and letterhead? Sounds simple but not everyone thinks about it. I have at least three business cards right sitting in front of me right now from a networking event I attended this morning that don't have a website listed or email address. Since I like to look at a person's website before I call to find out more about their business, these three have just lost out. And while we're talking about adding your site to your print media, don't forget to add it to your email signature as well. If you're like me, you send a lot of email every day. Each one carries a link to my sites at the bottom.
SEO and meta tags, optimizing your videos and images - these all have a place in promoting your site. But for most beginners, it's a bit complicated. I don't even pretend to fully understand SEO. That's why I have someone else do it for me. Meanwhile, the tips listed above will help you get started. Once you have some traffic coming to your site, you can learn the rest. Or hire someone else to do it for you...
Fortunately, there are many ways to get traffic to your site. We will cover some of them here.
The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is to provide visitors with content. A good content-rich site is like a traffic magnet. Make sure your keywords are included in your content so the search engines will find you. In fact, you really want to make a list of all your keywords and then develop a page devoted to each one. Put your keyword in the first paragraph of the page, preferably within the first 90 characters. Use it in a text link or hyperlink. Help the search engines find your keywords in every way possible.
Does your website have a site map? If not, you need to build one. A site map is another way for search engines to find you. And since it has links to all of your pages, it will help your visitors find their way around more easily. The easier your site is to navigate, the more likely you will get - and keep - visitors.
Market, market, market. Too many would-be online entrepreneurs put up a site, then sit back and wait for traffic to find them. When it doesn't they get very upset, declare it's all a scam, and quit. You have to let prospects know you exist. You do that by marketing your site both online and offline. Place ads, send emails announcing your new site to your lists, blog about it on your blog if you have one, Tweet about it, announce it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the myriad social networking sites.
Write articles for others to use as content for their sites. Just make sure that when they do, they include a link back to your site. Many websites are looking for good content for their readers. My personal favorite is EzineArticles.com.
Get some PR. You are an expert in your chosen area. Participate in or host a press worthy event of your own, and let the local media know about it. It can be something as small as hosting a business workshop for teens or teaching newbies how to use social media. I have done both of these and both got me great press and new business. Plus the media now knows me and frequently contacts me to get my input on other stories and events.
Earlier I mentioned using your blog to promote your site. I assume you have one. If you don't, you need to start. It is one of the fastest and easiest ways I know to get exposure online. I like Blogger. I have clients who prefer WordPress. It doesn't matter which one you use. Just use one of them and get started.
Is your website listed on your business cards and letterhead? Sounds simple but not everyone thinks about it. I have at least three business cards right sitting in front of me right now from a networking event I attended this morning that don't have a website listed or email address. Since I like to look at a person's website before I call to find out more about their business, these three have just lost out. And while we're talking about adding your site to your print media, don't forget to add it to your email signature as well. If you're like me, you send a lot of email every day. Each one carries a link to my sites at the bottom.
SEO and meta tags, optimizing your videos and images - these all have a place in promoting your site. But for most beginners, it's a bit complicated. I don't even pretend to fully understand SEO. That's why I have someone else do it for me. Meanwhile, the tips listed above will help you get started. Once you have some traffic coming to your site, you can learn the rest. Or hire someone else to do it for you...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Holy &%*#! What a Ride!
An accident. Rehab. A death in the family. Rattlesnake bite. Tornado. Flooding. Raising your teenage granddaughter. Sounds like the plot to a bad disaster movie, doesn't it? Well, unfortunately, it's been all too real.
The past year has been difficult for me and my family. I will spare you all of the depressing details. Let's just say it was enough to make me withdraw from all except the most essential interactions. I desparately needed time to heal - physically and emotionally.
But heal I have, thanks to God and the support of my family and many friends. And I'm back now, and ready to get back to work.
Now I wasn't completely absent. Still needed to make a living after all. So I have kept in touch with my network marketing teams, worked with some of my coaching clients. But I didn't reach out to anyone new or share with anyone I was not well acquainted with.
This down time was actually very beneficial. Of course, I would rather have not had to go through some of these experiences. But they did cause me to step back and take a good hard look at where I was heading. And the conclusion I came to was - I was going the wrong way. It took me a while to figure it out, but suddenly there it was.
With that in mind, I am making some changes. This blog will remain. I still think it serves an important purpose. Don't Trip Over Your Brain is expanding. Since I have started two other network marketing businesses in addition to FHTM, it will focus more on network marketing techniques anyone can use and less on FHTM specifics.
Bob has recovered from his run-in with the rattlesnake. But between that and the fact that he is 15 years old (that's like 105 in dog years!), he is no longer as spunky as he used to be. And so he will be retiring from traveling. He will still be blogging. But we are revamping his entire site. The traveling will be taken on by Austin and Bob is going to devote his energies to a new adopt-a-pet segment. The Adventures of Traveling Bob is now going to be a new expanded site. Look for our launch in mid to late August 2011.
As for me, I've also been working on something new. It's not completed yet, but I'm very excited about it already. So much so, that I don't want to wait until it is finished to share. Boomer Biz Coach is becoming more focused, starting with the launch of our new site: Boomer Business Ideas (http://www.boomer-business-ideas.com/.)
Lots more coming. I'll keep you posted. It feels good to be back in the world again. I missed all of you. Now let's get to work!
The past year has been difficult for me and my family. I will spare you all of the depressing details. Let's just say it was enough to make me withdraw from all except the most essential interactions. I desparately needed time to heal - physically and emotionally.
But heal I have, thanks to God and the support of my family and many friends. And I'm back now, and ready to get back to work.
Now I wasn't completely absent. Still needed to make a living after all. So I have kept in touch with my network marketing teams, worked with some of my coaching clients. But I didn't reach out to anyone new or share with anyone I was not well acquainted with.
This down time was actually very beneficial. Of course, I would rather have not had to go through some of these experiences. But they did cause me to step back and take a good hard look at where I was heading. And the conclusion I came to was - I was going the wrong way. It took me a while to figure it out, but suddenly there it was.
With that in mind, I am making some changes. This blog will remain. I still think it serves an important purpose. Don't Trip Over Your Brain is expanding. Since I have started two other network marketing businesses in addition to FHTM, it will focus more on network marketing techniques anyone can use and less on FHTM specifics.
Bob has recovered from his run-in with the rattlesnake. But between that and the fact that he is 15 years old (that's like 105 in dog years!), he is no longer as spunky as he used to be. And so he will be retiring from traveling. He will still be blogging. But we are revamping his entire site. The traveling will be taken on by Austin and Bob is going to devote his energies to a new adopt-a-pet segment. The Adventures of Traveling Bob is now going to be a new expanded site. Look for our launch in mid to late August 2011.
As for me, I've also been working on something new. It's not completed yet, but I'm very excited about it already. So much so, that I don't want to wait until it is finished to share. Boomer Biz Coach is becoming more focused, starting with the launch of our new site: Boomer Business Ideas (http://www.boomer-business-ideas.com/.)
Lots more coming. I'll keep you posted. It feels good to be back in the world again. I missed all of you. Now let's get to work!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Once Upon a Time in the Business World - A Marketing Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, you decided to go into business for yourself. You've got your business up and running. You've joined several affiliate programs. You've signed up with a fabulous network marketing opportunity. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the money to flow in. But it's been a few weeks or months, or - heaven forbid! - a year, and there's been little or no traffic to your website. No one is calling you about your product or services. And there hasn't been much cash flowing - at least not INTO you bank account. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.
Then one day you meet a friend for lunch. You haven't seen each other in a while and as you talk, she asks what you are doing. You half-heartedly tell her about your venture. After all, it's not really working that well and you don't want to look foolish in front of her. So you explain how it was just something you took a stab at, not really expecting it to work. And her response? "Really? I had no idea you were in business for yourself! How long have you been doing this? What sort of business is it? Tell me more." By the time lunch is over, you have explained exactly what it is you are doing and discover that she is a perfect client for you. The client is so happy with your services, that she tells others and soon you have a small but growing business. Encouraged that perhaps this really does work, you start to actively tell others what it is that you do and before long, you business is growing and thriving.
Does this sound like a fairy tale? Unfortunately, it's a true story. The business woman was me. The friend was planning her daughter's wedding and was having difficulty finding a place to hold the reception. She became my very first client when I started my meeting planning business. From that first wedding, I built a business that included major associations, multi-national corporations, and even an Internet guru or two as clients!
Now I know you are all asking the same question. Why didn't she know about my new business sooner? We had been friends for years and although we didn't get to see each other as often as we liked, we still kept in touch by email and phone. She should have been one of the first people to know. All I can tell you is I failed to promote myself and my business.
Many new business owners have the same problem. They are either unsure how to go about marketing themselves or they feel self-conscious promoting themselves. Or perhaps they think that they have to be pushy and aggressive to sell their products or services and they just don't feel comfortable doing so. Sometimes it may be they feel they don't have money to use to promote their business effectively. And so they sit and wait and hope that somehow, someway, someone will find them in the vast sea of businesses vying for attention.
Let me tell you one thing I have learned during my journey to become an entrepreneur. A little self-promotion is a good thing! If you don't know how to start, there are books and courses that will help you learn. If you think you have to be pushy, dishonest, or overly aggressive, that's not the case. There are many ways to promote your business in a more "gentle" manner. If money is an issue, I can personally tell you that while you always do need to have a little money to invest in your business, there are many free and low-cost but effective ways to get the word out about who you are and what you do.
I'll be devoting several more posts to marketing your business. I'll discuss various ways to promote yourself and your business that have worked for me. And I'll give you some resources - some free, some not - that I have found helpful in learning how to sell myself and my services. Let's start with one that I have found invaluable.
I'm not an overly pushy person and I hate a hard sell. So when I became friends with Denise Michaels and discovered that she had written a wonderful book designed for all of us that are looking for a softer, gentler approach to marketing, I was overjoyed. I promptly read the book and used much of what she taught to start building my business. I still refer to the book today and I highly recommend it to everyone. I am not an affiliate for Denise and I don't get a time for referrals. I just promote it because I found it that useful - and my number one goal in business is to help everyone achieve success. Pick up a copy of Testosterone Free Marketing, read it cover to cover, and then, most important of all, take action!
Once upon a time, a new business owner read this blog, took the advice, used some of the resources shared, started to really promote their business, made a ton of money, and lived happily ever after!
Then one day you meet a friend for lunch. You haven't seen each other in a while and as you talk, she asks what you are doing. You half-heartedly tell her about your venture. After all, it's not really working that well and you don't want to look foolish in front of her. So you explain how it was just something you took a stab at, not really expecting it to work. And her response? "Really? I had no idea you were in business for yourself! How long have you been doing this? What sort of business is it? Tell me more." By the time lunch is over, you have explained exactly what it is you are doing and discover that she is a perfect client for you. The client is so happy with your services, that she tells others and soon you have a small but growing business. Encouraged that perhaps this really does work, you start to actively tell others what it is that you do and before long, you business is growing and thriving.
Does this sound like a fairy tale? Unfortunately, it's a true story. The business woman was me. The friend was planning her daughter's wedding and was having difficulty finding a place to hold the reception. She became my very first client when I started my meeting planning business. From that first wedding, I built a business that included major associations, multi-national corporations, and even an Internet guru or two as clients!
Now I know you are all asking the same question. Why didn't she know about my new business sooner? We had been friends for years and although we didn't get to see each other as often as we liked, we still kept in touch by email and phone. She should have been one of the first people to know. All I can tell you is I failed to promote myself and my business.
Many new business owners have the same problem. They are either unsure how to go about marketing themselves or they feel self-conscious promoting themselves. Or perhaps they think that they have to be pushy and aggressive to sell their products or services and they just don't feel comfortable doing so. Sometimes it may be they feel they don't have money to use to promote their business effectively. And so they sit and wait and hope that somehow, someway, someone will find them in the vast sea of businesses vying for attention.
Let me tell you one thing I have learned during my journey to become an entrepreneur. A little self-promotion is a good thing! If you don't know how to start, there are books and courses that will help you learn. If you think you have to be pushy, dishonest, or overly aggressive, that's not the case. There are many ways to promote your business in a more "gentle" manner. If money is an issue, I can personally tell you that while you always do need to have a little money to invest in your business, there are many free and low-cost but effective ways to get the word out about who you are and what you do.
I'll be devoting several more posts to marketing your business. I'll discuss various ways to promote yourself and your business that have worked for me. And I'll give you some resources - some free, some not - that I have found helpful in learning how to sell myself and my services. Let's start with one that I have found invaluable.
I'm not an overly pushy person and I hate a hard sell. So when I became friends with Denise Michaels and discovered that she had written a wonderful book designed for all of us that are looking for a softer, gentler approach to marketing, I was overjoyed. I promptly read the book and used much of what she taught to start building my business. I still refer to the book today and I highly recommend it to everyone. I am not an affiliate for Denise and I don't get a time for referrals. I just promote it because I found it that useful - and my number one goal in business is to help everyone achieve success. Pick up a copy of Testosterone Free Marketing, read it cover to cover, and then, most important of all, take action!
Once upon a time, a new business owner read this blog, took the advice, used some of the resources shared, started to really promote their business, made a ton of money, and lived happily ever after!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off By The Next Big Thing
I have a junk email account that I use when signing up for mailing lists, newsletters, and other such things. I use it to help keep my business account inbox at a manageable level. Because along with an ever-increasing presence online comes an ever-increasing flow of "offers" and "opportunities" into my inbox.
Now don't get me wrong. Not everything that arrives via email is junk. I met the fabulous Ken McArthur by replying to a "junk" email. But it's hard to know which offers are legitimate and which really are junk. When I first started out, I subscribed to, joined, or purchased just about everything that came my way. And after spending a pretty good chunk of cash and filling my inbox with a ton of things that were either outdated, full of info available for free online if you just took the time to look, or were just outright scams, I learned - the hard way - to be more discerning.
The Internet is full of offers for the next big thing. A new product or system launches and everyone is pushing it and suddenly you are caught up in the hoopla and poof! - there goes your cash out the door for another purchase. Some of these offerings are wonderful opportunities to start or expand your business. But even if they are worthwhile, that still doesn't mean you should jump right out there and grab it.
How do you tell the scams from legitimate offers? And how do you know when an offer is right for you? Here are some tips.
1. Use your common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do you really think you are going to put up a website tonight and "Make 1000's Overnight While You Sleep"? Let's be real. If that were at all possible, everyone would be doing it. Making a living online takes work. In fact, you may work harder getting your business off the ground than you do at your job.
2. Do your homework. Most real scams have been around for awhile in one guise or another. Get online and do some research. If there are others who have tried it and found it to be a rip off, word will get out. You just have to look. Look for forums, newsletters, or other websites that review work-at-home business opportunities or internet marketing programs. Post a question on Twitter or ask on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the social networking sites. Many users of these sites have been where you are and are willing to share what they know.
3. Contact the company. Search for the company online. Can you find an actual site for them or just their sales letter? Is there a phone number? When you call the phone number, does someone actually answer? Look at the email address the offer came from. Is it a bona fide address? If you reply to it, does your message get bounced back? If so, is there an email address provided somewhere in the offer so you can contact the company with questions?
4. Look at the offer itself. Does the price seem ridiculously low for all that you are promised? That can be a warning sign. Scam artists know that most people are not going to come after them for $20. They count on that. Instead of hoping for a few sales of a high-dollar offer, they count on massive sales of $20 or less, knowing that most people will write off their mistake as a learning experience.
If you find that the opportunity or product is legitimate, how do you know if it's right for you? Again, there are some basic guidelines.
1. Does it complement or enhance your core business? When you are just starting out, you especially do not want to be distracted by trying too many things at once. Focus on your basic business and get that fully profitable before branching off into something else.
2. Can you really afford it? If you are taking money from daily expenses to cover the cost of the next book, class, system, or opportunity, you probably shouldn't.
3. Will you actually use it, read it, follow it? If it's just one more ebook on your computer or bound book on your shelf, it's not worth it. If you don't have time to read and use the information you already have, why do you want to spend money on more? If the program requires you to do something you have no skill in or dislike, you won't be successful. Why waste the money and the time?
Use this knowledge the next time you are tempted to try the "next big thing". There are lots of good, reliable, effective programs, tools, mentors, and systems available. Hopefully, this information will help you find them and avoid the scam artists.
Now don't get me wrong. Not everything that arrives via email is junk. I met the fabulous Ken McArthur by replying to a "junk" email. But it's hard to know which offers are legitimate and which really are junk. When I first started out, I subscribed to, joined, or purchased just about everything that came my way. And after spending a pretty good chunk of cash and filling my inbox with a ton of things that were either outdated, full of info available for free online if you just took the time to look, or were just outright scams, I learned - the hard way - to be more discerning.
The Internet is full of offers for the next big thing. A new product or system launches and everyone is pushing it and suddenly you are caught up in the hoopla and poof! - there goes your cash out the door for another purchase. Some of these offerings are wonderful opportunities to start or expand your business. But even if they are worthwhile, that still doesn't mean you should jump right out there and grab it.
How do you tell the scams from legitimate offers? And how do you know when an offer is right for you? Here are some tips.
1. Use your common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do you really think you are going to put up a website tonight and "Make 1000's Overnight While You Sleep"? Let's be real. If that were at all possible, everyone would be doing it. Making a living online takes work. In fact, you may work harder getting your business off the ground than you do at your job.
2. Do your homework. Most real scams have been around for awhile in one guise or another. Get online and do some research. If there are others who have tried it and found it to be a rip off, word will get out. You just have to look. Look for forums, newsletters, or other websites that review work-at-home business opportunities or internet marketing programs. Post a question on Twitter or ask on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the social networking sites. Many users of these sites have been where you are and are willing to share what they know.
3. Contact the company. Search for the company online. Can you find an actual site for them or just their sales letter? Is there a phone number? When you call the phone number, does someone actually answer? Look at the email address the offer came from. Is it a bona fide address? If you reply to it, does your message get bounced back? If so, is there an email address provided somewhere in the offer so you can contact the company with questions?
4. Look at the offer itself. Does the price seem ridiculously low for all that you are promised? That can be a warning sign. Scam artists know that most people are not going to come after them for $20. They count on that. Instead of hoping for a few sales of a high-dollar offer, they count on massive sales of $20 or less, knowing that most people will write off their mistake as a learning experience.
If you find that the opportunity or product is legitimate, how do you know if it's right for you? Again, there are some basic guidelines.
1. Does it complement or enhance your core business? When you are just starting out, you especially do not want to be distracted by trying too many things at once. Focus on your basic business and get that fully profitable before branching off into something else.
2. Can you really afford it? If you are taking money from daily expenses to cover the cost of the next book, class, system, or opportunity, you probably shouldn't.
3. Will you actually use it, read it, follow it? If it's just one more ebook on your computer or bound book on your shelf, it's not worth it. If you don't have time to read and use the information you already have, why do you want to spend money on more? If the program requires you to do something you have no skill in or dislike, you won't be successful. Why waste the money and the time?
Use this knowledge the next time you are tempted to try the "next big thing". There are lots of good, reliable, effective programs, tools, mentors, and systems available. Hopefully, this information will help you find them and avoid the scam artists.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Who Do You Follow?
I've posted several lists lately - who to follow on Twitter, which Internet marketing experts are worth listening to, who are the best women on the Internet right now. And I've received some feedback. Some of it agreed with my recommendations. Some didn't. And some readers stated that while my list was good, I missed several people they thought should be included. So now I'm interested. I try to keep up with the best and the brightest online, but obviously I can't keep track of everybody. But if there is someone out there beneficial to my readers, then I would like to know more about them.
I've decided to devote the next couple of posts to you - and your recommendations. Tell me who you think is worth mentioning here. Whose advice do you trust? Whose suggestions do you follow? Whose tweets do you read without fail? Comment here and I will check them out. I'll devote a post to each of them. Either a guest post by you since you're recommending them, or if you prefer, I'll do the writing and give you the credit for the recommendation.
I'm looking forward to making some great new connections and finding fabulous new resources for me and my clients and subscribers!
I've decided to devote the next couple of posts to you - and your recommendations. Tell me who you think is worth mentioning here. Whose advice do you trust? Whose suggestions do you follow? Whose tweets do you read without fail? Comment here and I will check them out. I'll devote a post to each of them. Either a guest post by you since you're recommending them, or if you prefer, I'll do the writing and give you the credit for the recommendation.
I'm looking forward to making some great new connections and finding fabulous new resources for me and my clients and subscribers!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
From Flower Girl to Duchess Through the Power of Communication
"One day I'll be famous, I'll be proper and prim. Go to St. James so often, I will call it St. Jim..."
May 20th was Eliza Doolittle Day, and yes, theater buff that I am, I'm still singing some of my favorite songs from "My Fair Lady" three days later. If you are not familiar with it, it's a musical about rather snobbish phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, who wagers that he can take a cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and pass her off as a member of high society by teaching her to speak properly.
I know that you would love to hear about our Eliza Doolittle Day celebration or perhaps more about the musical. And I would love to share all that with you. But that is not my purpose here. What inspired this post was the discussion we had at our little get-together. In the movie, Henry Higgins turns Eliza Doolittle into a woman able to pass herself off as a duchess by helping her learn to speak proper English. Our discussion concerned whether people are still judged today by the way they speak. And that led to a discussion of the importance of good communication skills, including proper grammar - and to a consensus that since these are no longer taught in school, it's important to learn them elsewhere.
In business, it is critical to be able to communicate your ideas quickly and clearly. You may have the most brilliant idea, one-of-a kind service, or valuable product on the market today, but if you cannot make me understand that, your idea, service, or product is useless.
Communicating effectively requires many different skills. Proper pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are vital. There are many books and classes available that teach these basics. I don't have a particular favorite. At the risk of betraying my age, I went to school when grammar, punctuation, and penmanship were still taught in elementary school. I have seen several books on these subjects at the local Barnes & Noble, however, and most of them seemed likely to be effective. If someone has a resource to recommend, please feel free to post it in the comments.
Another crucial factor in effective communication is vocabulary. You don't need to memorize the dictionary. But you do need to have a large enough vocabulary to always have the right word at your disposal. When I was 13, my grandmother gave me a subscription to Reader's Digest for my birthday. Believe it or not, I was thrilled. This magazine held a wealth of treasures for me, including a feature called "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power." Each issue came with 20 words, their definitions, and an example of their usage in a sentence. It was an easy way to increase my vocabulary by 20 words each month. Reader's Digest still carries this feature and they have an online version on their website.
Perfect grammar, extensive vocabulary, proper pronunciation - is that everything? No. Unfortunately, you can have all of this and still not be able to get your point across. Fortunately, this is also a skill that can be learned. And I happen to know the only person I would recommend to teach you.
Before I continue, in keeping with all of the current laws, I must state that I am an affiliate for the products I am about to recommend, and the link is an affiliate link. And now that we have that out of the way, let me also state that the only reason I am an affiliate is because I can make this recommendation with no hesitation at all. So where do you go to learn to put all of the basic skills together into an effective package? Felicia Slattery's Communication Transformation. Felicia is a communication consultant, speaker, and coach specializing in training busy professionals to succeed by communicating effectively with clients and prospects. You've seen her mentioned in many of my blog posts as one of the people whose opinions and input I value and trust. If you really want to learn how to get your message across, she is the one person who can help you.
Learn to speak and write clearly and concisely. Practice the skills necessary to communicate with ease and confidence. Who knows what might happen?
"One evening the King will say, Oh Liza old thing. I want all of England your praises to sing. Next week on the 20th of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."
May 20th was Eliza Doolittle Day, and yes, theater buff that I am, I'm still singing some of my favorite songs from "My Fair Lady" three days later. If you are not familiar with it, it's a musical about rather snobbish phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, who wagers that he can take a cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and pass her off as a member of high society by teaching her to speak properly.
I know that you would love to hear about our Eliza Doolittle Day celebration or perhaps more about the musical. And I would love to share all that with you. But that is not my purpose here. What inspired this post was the discussion we had at our little get-together. In the movie, Henry Higgins turns Eliza Doolittle into a woman able to pass herself off as a duchess by helping her learn to speak proper English. Our discussion concerned whether people are still judged today by the way they speak. And that led to a discussion of the importance of good communication skills, including proper grammar - and to a consensus that since these are no longer taught in school, it's important to learn them elsewhere.
In business, it is critical to be able to communicate your ideas quickly and clearly. You may have the most brilliant idea, one-of-a kind service, or valuable product on the market today, but if you cannot make me understand that, your idea, service, or product is useless.
Communicating effectively requires many different skills. Proper pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are vital. There are many books and classes available that teach these basics. I don't have a particular favorite. At the risk of betraying my age, I went to school when grammar, punctuation, and penmanship were still taught in elementary school. I have seen several books on these subjects at the local Barnes & Noble, however, and most of them seemed likely to be effective. If someone has a resource to recommend, please feel free to post it in the comments.
Another crucial factor in effective communication is vocabulary. You don't need to memorize the dictionary. But you do need to have a large enough vocabulary to always have the right word at your disposal. When I was 13, my grandmother gave me a subscription to Reader's Digest for my birthday. Believe it or not, I was thrilled. This magazine held a wealth of treasures for me, including a feature called "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power." Each issue came with 20 words, their definitions, and an example of their usage in a sentence. It was an easy way to increase my vocabulary by 20 words each month. Reader's Digest still carries this feature and they have an online version on their website.
Perfect grammar, extensive vocabulary, proper pronunciation - is that everything? No. Unfortunately, you can have all of this and still not be able to get your point across. Fortunately, this is also a skill that can be learned. And I happen to know the only person I would recommend to teach you.
Before I continue, in keeping with all of the current laws, I must state that I am an affiliate for the products I am about to recommend, and the link is an affiliate link. And now that we have that out of the way, let me also state that the only reason I am an affiliate is because I can make this recommendation with no hesitation at all. So where do you go to learn to put all of the basic skills together into an effective package? Felicia Slattery's Communication Transformation. Felicia is a communication consultant, speaker, and coach specializing in training busy professionals to succeed by communicating effectively with clients and prospects. You've seen her mentioned in many of my blog posts as one of the people whose opinions and input I value and trust. If you really want to learn how to get your message across, she is the one person who can help you.
Learn to speak and write clearly and concisely. Practice the skills necessary to communicate with ease and confidence. Who knows what might happen?
"One evening the King will say, Oh Liza old thing. I want all of England your praises to sing. Next week on the 20th of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."
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