Just recently, I felt so overwhelmed with everything that was going on in my life.  It seemed like every which way I turned there was something or someone that needed my attention.  I got bogged down in the day to running around that comes with running a home, a business, a radio program and then throw in a social life to the mix.  All of a sudden there just didn’t seem to be enough time for me in there.    

The first thing I did was get someone to help me with some business issues that were on a timeline.  A VA (virtual assistant) can be such a treasure at high times of work load, it can take the pressure off.  The second thing I did was prioritise the most pressing tasks at hand.  The third thing I did was sit down and read an e-book.  Probably something you would think would be high on the priority list.  I had heard about a technique for time management and so I googled this technique and came across a fabulous e-book.   I am so glad I didn’t do overwhelm for that hour and instead armed myself with a very valuable tool.  This technique is called the ‘Pomodoro Technique’.

As a business coach I coach people on time management so I should know what I should do.  Coaching can be just like the cook, who doesn’t like cooking at home, or the mechanic that never gets around to fixing their own car.  Well, coaches can be just the same, they never get around to practicing the time management skills they instill in their clients.

So, back to my hour time out of reading the Pomodoro Technique, I have to say it was the best hour I spent arming myself with a really easy technique to get myself out of overwhelm and back into productive mode.  Any of us can do overwhelm so well that we waist time agonizing over what has to be done and what hasn’t been done that we actually don’t achieve anything.  Next minute a few hours or even worse a whole week has gone by and nothing has been achieved.  Once I read the e-book, I decided to give it a go and see if it worked.  By the end of the day my ‘to do list’ had shrunk and I was no longer feeling overwhelmed and drained.  I somehow felt relieved and satisfied that I had achieved so much in such a short space of time.

Do you do overwhelm well?  If so, I recommend spending an hour or two and have a read of this e-book, you might end up just like me and pleasantly surprised.  Now, I don’t do overwhelm so much anymore, I do Pomodoro instead!


 

On my last webinar "Maintaining The Passion In Your Business" a couple of weeks ago, I touched on the topic of skills trading.  This has sparked some major conversation with the listeners and some of my clients since the webinar.

What is skills trading and how can it help me?  Do you have a particular task that makes you cringe when you have to do it?  Is there a task that you don't have the skill set for?  I am sure you have answered yes to at least one of these questions.  I actually answered yes to both of the questions.

Whether you are a stay at home Mum, small to medium business owner or working in a large organisation there are tasks that just don't fit with our drivers or skill set.  We are all very different beings and something I love to do is a loathe to another.  As a small to medium business owner I don't have every single skill required to run a small to medium business.  I have my limitations.  The smart thing is I know I have limitations and have identified them.

Skills trading is not new, it has been around for centuries.  You have what someone else needs and you barter for a win/win outcome.  The difference  is there is no physical product exchange but  trading of your skills.

A few months ago I had a task that needed completing.  I didn't have the time, the skills or the inclination to even attempt doing this particular task and I was on a dead line. I dug deep intp my little resources kit of 'people I know and trust' and phoned around to see if anyone in this little kit had the time and the skills I required.  After a couple of phone calls I hit jackpot.  Another small to medium business owner had exactly what I was looking for and enough time on their hands.  After some discussion we came to an agreement my task would be completed by the other business owner and in return I shared my skills and did some of her tasks.  It was a win/win for all involved.  The best part was there was no financial exchange which kept our costs down and our jobs completed.

An ideal way to identify skills you can share and trade is to complete a skills and resources assessment.  This assessment helps you to identify areas you can trade.  It is amazing when you are working to a limited budget what can be achieived by thinking out side the square.  Ask yourself what skill do I have that would be a benefit to another and I love doing?  This is an ideal way to kickstart you in thinking beyond financial payment and into a skill trading mindset.

For me, I use skills trading on a regular basis.  Just this week I used skills trading to have manuals and seminar bags made up for next weeks seminar.  I have less stress, less mess and all my seminar manuals and bags ready to go for my seminar.  My manual maker has 2 hours of sales calls to potential clients to take her business to the next level.  How can you use skills trading in your life or business?  I would love to hear some of your ideas or how you have already used skills trading.

Wow, what a bold statement.  Sometimes you get great service, sometimes ok service and rarely super, fabulous, awesome service.  Occasionally you can feel like it is a privelege to be served by the service provider in some establishments. 

Well, last weekend, hubby and I headed into Melbourne for a weekend just the two of us.  We stayed at a particularly grand hotel at the top of town in Spring Street.  I am so in love with this hotel, just this morning I mentioned my wake should be there if anything should happen to me.

From the moment you pull up outside in your car to the moment your weekend draws to a close the service is absolutely awesome.  You are made to feel like you are the only people in the hotel for the weekend, nothing is too much trouble.

Once we checked into the hotel we preceded down to the wonderful walkways and arcades that Melbourne is so famous for.  We decided lunch was in order and plonked ourselves down in a little laneway cafe.  The service there was just fabulous.  The waitress came back to make sure everything was in order, we were happy with the food, did we need another cup of coffee.  The waitress returned several times and was unobtrusive, not pushy or 'selling', just very helpful and polite.  In fact the whole weekend we encountered the most super, fabulous, awesome service where ever we went.

The art of fabulous customer service is not a dying practise, it is alive and well.  Everywhere we went from small family run restaurants in China Town, large national department stores and laneway cafes and bars we encountered amazing service.  Even the horse drawn carriage ride around the city on Saturday night, the driver was keen to oblige and take our photos for us on the carriage, even if there was a small queue of eager customers behind us.

This got me  thinking, do we get back what we project?  If we are a happy friendly customer do we automatically receive a happy friendly service?

Just recently on my free webinar series the end comments went something like this... customers and clients only remember two types of service, really super, fabulous, awesome service or really stinky service. Nobody remembers the mediocre service from a provider.

Of all the establishments we visited over the weekend, I have already told friends and family, recommended places and gave a big thumbs up on the services and places  we ventured.  The power of word of mouth marketing! 

Guess what?  It hasn't cost any of these businesses one cent!

For weeks now I had been agonizing over a small issue I wanted to do with some of my technology.  I had surfed the web trying to find the answers, spoken to different people and racked my brains.  All to no avail.

Yesterday, I had a my regular catch up with a friend and fellow business owner.  We were discussing all the bit and pieces from the past month about business and life in general.  Through the discussion I mentioned my little technology issue.  My friend had also been pondering this same issue for the last month.  A small comment from my friend spurned a longer discsussion and from this, a couple of suggestions were thrown around and then voila!  The answer came to us both.  It had been sitting there all along, we just didn't know it.  You can imagine the elation we both felt at this little issue being fixed in just a matter of 10 minutes or so.

The conversation caused a Synergistic effect which helped solve both of our problems.  Synergy is the combined action or functioning, the co-operative action of two or more.  In other words, two heads are better than one.  As we joined forces on our little issue we worked better as a team to create a solution.  Two parts being greater than the sum of one.

I wonder how many times in our lives we can create a Synergy to build a better outcome for both parties?

It gets you thinking doesn't it? 

Do you know the saying "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"?  Basically, it means it is better to have a small actual advantage than taking the chance of having a greater one.

Just down the road from me there is a little shopping centre.  For the last two years there have been two vacant shops.  The leasing terms and the rental are very high,  small business owners turn away from renting the premises.  My husband and I regularly discuss if it were us we would sooner have both shops leased for a lesser rent than leave them empty and not having any return. 

Just this week, the little bird in the hand saying came to top of mind again.  For months I had been searching for a venue to hold my seminars.  I wanted a venue that the room was intimate but not too small, good lighting as I use a data projector and there needed to be catering.  Well, I found what was the perfect venue for my seminars and hired the room for the day.  I sent an email to the venue the next day letting them know how fabulous the room was, also how great their staff were.  (I believe in sending through positive feedback as businesses rarely get compliments.)  I decided I would also book the room again to use for my next seminar.  On the return email  I was informed the cost of the room had tripled.  I was very surprised as you can imagine.  The other part to this was that two of the participants had also considered that they would like to hire this room for their workshops.
 
Now I am not miffed with the venue as they have to make a profit also and their charges are their charges, that's life.  It did make me think though, how many days will the room stand empty as the hiring costs have tripled?  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush don't you think?

Has this saying ever rung true for you in your business?  I would enjoy hearing your experience. 

For the last few years I have worked from a home office which can be a lonely existence if you let it.  Prior to this I was on the road and had minimul contact with work colleagues.  Again a lonley existence.  Before this I had worked in a busy corporate office where you were always surrounded by people you could bounce ideas off, socialise with and generally had a healthy level of contact.

After about 7 months of working from a home office I decided to create a network of people to help maintain my sanity, keep me informed and assist in maintaining some connection to outside business.  

Each month I  meet with two business owners for a morning coffee at a local cafe. At this get together we dicuss everything from technology, staffing issues, business, local events, you name it, we discuss it.  It is amazing, discussing a small issue that can seem insurmountable while working away on your own, with some healthy input can produce a simple solution.

I also ensure that I attend one or two business networking functions every month or two.  Attending the networking functions help to give you a fresh new look at your business, your office and your outlook.  Most networking events have a guest speaker on the day, speakers can also give you the ability to view your world in a new light. 

If you are a business owner and are feeling the same challenges I did I would love to hear from you.  If you have created your own support network I would also be keen to hear how this has assisted you in your business.

Recently I was working with a client discussing different options for social media and also the business.  Basically, this was a business coaching session.  After lengthy discussion my client decided to add a button for Skype to their website.  The thinking behind this was it makes it easier for potential clients to access the business with a FREE Skype to Skype call.

Personally, I love Skype, with my family and a lot of my friends living on the other side of Australia it is a great cost effective way of keeping in touch.  The added bonus to all of this is I can get to see them with the webcam.  I also use Skype for my business and do coaching over Skype for  inter-state and overseas clients.  For me Skype has been an invaluable tool for my business and personally.

Now back to my client.  As I mentioned my client loaded a button onto the website and away they went.  So they thought!  A few days after the said buttons were loaded I decided to visit the website and make sure the button's were working for my client.  Guess what? No answer!  I then sent a message through hoping that would work, three days later there was no response.  I have since tried several times to contact my client using Skype and no answer.
 
If you are going to use Skype for business it is imperative you are accessible to a user.  There are cost effective ways of adding a voice mail service to your Skype account to ensure you don't miss any callls.  Imagine if my calls were that of a potential new customer or client, how frustrating would it be.

As I mentioned I love Skype, I think it is such a great service.  If you use it for business though, I recommend making sure you have a way of capturing your callls.  Let's face it you have a voicemail service on your mobile phone and most businesses have an answering machine or service on their land line.  Treat Skype with the same level of  service it shows respect to your caller.

I would love to hear your comments on how you use Skype for your business or personally

My husband has a great saying 'failing to prepare is preparing to fail'. I love this saying because it is so true.   

The one place I don't 'wing' it, is when I am on air on my radio program.  I have on occasions and after listening to the replay I can certainly hear the differene in my shows.  I always make sure I prepare ahead of time.  I even prepare for little unexpected surprises.

If you are going to be interviewed on radio, TV or for a print article then I can not stipulate the importance of being prepared.  It is imperative to be able to determine the preparation you will need to undertake to be able to execute professionalism and show your business and you in the best possible light.

I think the most important point to consider is confirming the date, time and the location of the interview. 
I remember recently I had a guest planned for my radio program.  The program runs from 9.00 am to 11.00am every Monday morning.  My guest was scheduled in the studio to be interviewed directly after the 9.00 am news. At 9.30am when I could leave the panel and make a call I finally got through to her.  For some reason she thought it was after the 11.00am news.  Now my show doesn't go to air in that time slot, I don't know what went wrong at the guests end.

We agreed that she could make it and be interviewed after the 10.00am news.  (I did 'wing' it for about 30 minutes I must admit).  Anxiously I waited and finally my guest arrived at 10.47am.  Now do you think I was happy?  Uh huh, no way!  I had promoted the guest, her business and how thrilled I was to have her on the show for the last few weeks. 

Forgetting how frustrating it was for me, what did this person's clients think?    What were the audience thinking?  Did this instill a level of trust and confidence?  I think not.

The morale of this story is..............failing to prepare is preparing to fail..........  If this is your big chance to promote you and your business do everything in your power to get it right, the first time as there may not be a next time. 

By the way, the guest had a 10 minute quick interview and I have never invited her back on the show.  What a fabulous opportunity her and her business missed, through failing to prepare.

I would love to hear your comments where you have failed to prepare but you have been able to recover with a great outcome.

According to NeilsonWire the top Social Media websites in Australia for 2009 are Facebook with a 75% following, YouTube with a 70% following and Wikipedia with 65%.  MySpace had a 48% following and Twitter just 35%. Don't let the 35% figure of Twitter fool you as the application has grown by 400% according to the latest report on the NeilsonWire Website.  38% of users also interacted with a brand using social media.

Looking at these figures to me it really indicates that small to medium enterprises need to embrace the social media avenues to stay in touch with their clients, customers and strategically aligned businesses.

I know for myself I have had some extremely positive results using social media for business.  I have been fortunate enough to have some fabulous networking opportunities come my way which would not have happened with tradional marketing of my business.  I have also had interaction with other businesses that has lead me to be invited to be a guest presenter.  These opportunities  were only possible through my business being seen and being at the right place at the right time, by the right person.  Six - eight months ago my business would not have been at the right place, at the right time and seen by the right person, I just wasn't there.  Besides my website and a few on-line directories my on-line presence was limited.  

With social media sites growing in Australia Mr and Mrs Small to Medium Business Owner need to ask themselves the key question........... Are you media ready for Social and Tradional Media?   

Seminar
Mastering Media With Clarity - 21st April 2010 (See Events Page)