Who Cares What the Audience Wants? As a Presenter, You Should!

Who Cares What the Audience Wants? As a Presenter, You Should!
The next time you're tasked with giving a presentation,
forget getting it right! Think about it. You do your best
to prepare for a presentation you must deliver internally
or externally. You've created a myriad of Power Point
slides and have practiced each and every word over and
over. You get up in front of the group to present and your
become weak in the knees, you begin to sweat and your voice
seems to have dropped to a whisper. What happened? Public
speaking ranks as the number 1 fear of the human being. We
already know this. But, what else do we know? Every
presentation is made up of 3 components. We call them the
3V's.

1. Visual
2. Vocal
3. Verbal

These components together convey the total believability of
the message you are delivering. Let's define them. The
Visual component is everything you see or don't see. It
included movements that begin with the way you get out of
your chair and how you return to it. It included how you
are dressed, how you stand, walk, gesture and appear in
front of the audience. It included any visual aids you use
as well. The Vocal component includes not what you say but
HOW you say it. It compromises the tone of your voice, the
volume at which you speak, the rate at which you speak and
the pauses you include or don't include in your material.
The Verbal component is comprised of the actual words or
verbiage that you say. The words that you spent so much
time writing and preparing and that are probably on the
page you have in front of you to read.

Unless you are on the phone and have no visual appearance
to the audience, your presentation will have these 3
components. They are the tools you have to deliver 100%
impact and believability to your audience.

Now, we also know something else very important. Each of
these 3 components has a completely different weight in the
overall 100% believability of your message. They are
astonishing!

The weight of each component follows:

VISUAL 60%
VOCAL 30%
VERBAL 10%

Surprised? These numbers are absolutely critical to your
delivery of an exceptional presentation. It means that
your visual appearance and how you say what you say matter
9X more than simply the word you speak. No wonder
politicians with great poise, charisma and a convincing
tone get elected so often!

The problem remains that we invest our energy in getting
all the words and sentences right without paying attention
to our skills in the preparation and delivery. This simply
can and does not work based upon how we know human beings
take in and digest information. We must follow the rules of
the 3 V's to deliver a presentation that has impact. Yes,
it is work for us as a speaker, but there is a payoff.

An old, wise and very seasoned speaking coach once conveyed
one of the most important messages I have ever heard on
delivering presentations. This has been some of the most
valuable advice I have ever received on the topic. I will
share that advice with you now:

"The audience can never and will never be more excited
about the presentation than the presenter."

If you expect the folks sitting in front of you to stay
with you and take an interest in your material, then you
best heed the rules of thumb we are discussing here. I
didn't invent them. No one did! We just must deal with them
as a presenter to deliver excellence. Most presenters want
to go up in front of the audience and simply do what they
feel most comfortable doing and deliver their own way. The
audience pays with disinterest and boredom. You must
deliver an audience centered presentation. The presentation
is after all for them isn't it? If it doesn't work for the
audience, then you are wasting their time. And time is
something no one seems to have a lot of these days. You
can't change the rules. But, you can change the way you
deliver your material. Practice these skills by taking a
presentations skills course to drastically improve your
effectiveness. It will be one of the best things you have
done for yourself both personally and professionally!

----------------------------------------------------
With more than 20 years experience in corporate turnaround
environments, John Males brings expertise to clients in the
areas of management, sales and negotiations. His customers
include some of the world's most successful firms and
recognized brands. John can be reached at
info@fathomtraining.com or http://www.fathomtraining.com

Are you limiting your global income growth?

Are you limiting your global income growth?
Go grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and let me ask a
question that you should ask yourself. Are you limiting the
amount of business, the frequency of business, and the
profitability of business - your client could be doing with
you because you don't communicate clearly the advantage and
the significance of why it's important to them? And
remember, your client can be a client literally, it can be
your employer, it can be anyone you have a relationship
with, or any combination.

Take a few minutes and think about that first question. I'm
not going anywhere.

If the answer is yes, all you have to do is change that one
realization in your life and the lives of any team members
you are leading. In conducting your life as the head of
your own small business, incredible increases and
improvements and quantum leaps can't help but occur because
people from all over the world will seize the advantages
you now make clear and evident to them.

As a small business venture, your goal is to maximize your
profit. As we have told you before there are only three
ways to increase your profits. First, increase your
customer base. Second, increase the price or size of each
purchase, and third increase the frequency of repeat
business. You'll be able to accomplish all three by
communicating the value you offer to others in a compelling
way.

Let's talk about relationship power for a moment. You deal
with adults everyday from your own culture. Since, you're
dealing with people one way or the other, don't you think
you owe it to yourself to get the maximum yield out of the
experience that you possible can, not the least. And you've
got to understand that the maximum means giving so you can
receive. It means developing the ability and the genuine
interest to learn what the other side is all about.

The most powerful way to grow your culturally fluent
mindset, your global income-producing capabilities, your
empathic understanding of how others see situations, is not
to sit in a vacuum and conjure up your own idealistic view.
It's to engage people in all aspects of life, your
business, your job, from all four corners of the globe, and
ask questions. Ask them about their hopes, their dreams,
their points of view, their interests, and their goals.
That's what drives the world economy.

There are adults from cultures all over the world that want
to, and need to do business with you right now. They want
to earn a higher valued currency, they want to joint
venture with you so that you succeed. Take a moment and
read how other adults around the world want to give to you,
so that they can receive:

Jainism: "A man should wander about treating all creatures
as he himself would be treated."

Islam: "No one of you is a believer until he loves for his
neighbor what he loves for himself."

Christianity: "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also
to them."

Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed
stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself
to feel how it hurts."

Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow
man. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary."

Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty; do naught unto others
what you would not have them do unto you."

Confucianism: "What you do not want done to yourself, do
not do to others."

The more you understand other adults, the more effective
you will be. This is only possible by developing the
richest, most interactive relationships possible.

Now, a lot of my clients find themselves in a quandary,
thinking, "Maybe I should just be discounting this product,
or doing this service nobly for people. By "nobly" they
usually mean, "for free." The value you contribute in a
situation is so great that unless you realize a reward for
doing it, you probably won't do it consistently and
effectively for other people. It is perfectly acceptable
for you to receive a share of the rewards for the new and
additional value you create for other people.

As an aside, if you're not willing to charge for your
intangible service or product, most people won't respect,
appreciate, or use it. I used to give free advice to people
on local and global Client Attraction, and no one acted on
it. When I started charging people $350 per hour, everbody
acted because they saw value in the investment. I no longer
charge by the hour. Now, I only charge by the program.

Try this simple Giving-So-You-Can-Receive test: Write an
actual list of ten companies that sell products and
services to clients that have the same or similar profiles
as the clients (people or companies) you currently reach.
Just imagine the related products and services that your
clients are most likely buying before and after they buy
your items or programs. (Example: Your client bought a
puppy, prior to hiring you to clean their carpets!) Imagine
what events must be happening in their lives that would
initiate them contacting you, and insisting that they do
business with you.

Imagine writing, e-mailing or faxing the owner (or
president, or department head) of those companies and
letting them know that you have identified a profit center
that could easily add value to their current business, and
it wouldn't cost them anything. Let them know that the
profit center would help their current buyers to buy more
things, and spend more with them than they do now. And,
this idea has the enormous benefit of reactivating a ton of
old, inactive buyers. You would then ask them to give you
10% to 25% of the bottom-line profit for being the deal
maker.

If you actually did send a letter to all of the business
owners you've tallied, my educated guess is at least half
will enthusiastically want to know all the details and talk
to you. As you can see, the benefits of the recipient
business owner are many and obvious. People receiving this
letter all over the world would be CRAZY not to at least
call or email you to find out more about you and your
company.

----------------------------------------------------
Kim Schott, your Global Client Communication Expert, is the
author of the Keys to Client Communication System, the
step-by-step, paint by numbers client attraction program to
attract more clients in less time. To receive your weekly
how-to articles on consistantly attracting more local and
global clients in less time, visit
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com

One very classy affair

One very classy affair
Previously I mentioned that I am doing work in the
marketing to the affluent market. Homes, condos, resort
properties... pretty well anything that is targeted at the
top 3% of buyers.

And I also put out a request for information on any high
end marketing campaigns or companies you know of that I
should also know of.

One of them came to my desk on Monday... for an event that
just happened last night (Thurs).

It was a VIP wine & cheese to pre-announce sales of
Alberta's Tallest Residential Towers. So, I rsvp'd and made
sure I showed up to see what they were up to.

WOW!

Great gig they had there.

Some notes on what I saw and liked (and, of course, a
couple things they could have done better):

* A doorman in full dress gear - just like you would expect
to see at any 5 star restaurant, hotel or event.

* Live piano music as soon as you walk through the door

* Classy greeting desk - with live hostesses (they could
have had pre-printed name tags instead of hand scratched)

* Wine, cheese, beer, cajun prawns... overall good food and
drinks

* Self-paced 3 dimensional video walkthroughs of the towers
on a touch based flat screen (you could pick the floor you
wanted then look at the views you would get from north,
south, east or west)

* A mock suite you could walk through to get a feel for the
amenities offered

* VIPs! Lots of them. Some major players in the business
and socialite world were to be seen. Names you see in the
papers on a regular basis everywhere.

* Your purchase in the towers included membership to all
the amenities. These were top notch and definitely tailored
to those with money (you own personal wine cellar which
they manage for you, a top spa, a 5 star restaurant,
concierge service, special pet sitting, walking, and
grooming service, very classy pool, a deli for those on the
run, guest suites for out-of-towners, fitness center and a
private wine and cigar bar)

Overall, this was a classy gig.

But, a couple things they missed:

* No one (or no signs) to explain what you should be
looking at or paying attention to

* No possible way to tell the staff apart from the guests
(who do you ask questions of?)

* No on walking around saying hi and finding out what you
need from them

* No real materials to bring with you when you leave (had
to ask for it)

The positives outweighed the negatives, for sure. Time
will tell how their follow-up works and if I ever hear from
them again!

Now, have a look at that list of amenities alone... they
KNOW exactly what their perfect clients want... and are
willing to pay for.

Do you?

Is it possible your ideal clients WOULD pay more for
products and services from you if it catered more to their
inner-desires that you have to dig deep to find?

I'll bet that it IS possible... and some good research on
your behalf could turn up a potential advertising and
marketing goldmine!

Find some ways to dig this information out of them... and
then incorporate what they tell you.

----------------------------------------------------
Troy White, The Marketing Results Mentor and Expert
Copywriter helps clients achieve HUGE growth surges in
their business in very short periods of time. If you're an
entrepreneur in need of quick cash flow surges ' here is
the quick-hit solution to put money in your bank.... The
Wild West Wealth Summit! Make sure you visit
http://www.WildWestWealth.com or sign up for the Free Cash
Flow Surge Newsletter at http://www.CashFlowSurges.com

All Credit Applications Will Be Accepted

All Credit Applications Will Be Accepted
What a ridiculous statement which actually says absolutely
nothing directly, but indirectly is intended to deceive the
unsuspecting. The statement would lead one to believe that
upon filling out a credit application, credit is granted
and the item you desire to purchase will soon be yours.
This statement actually says: Go ahead and fill out this
application and we will receive it from you. If everything
is to our liking, we will secure you a great interest rate
quickly and enable your purchase. If you are less a
desirable risk than we would like, we likely will forward
your information to a local credit company that specializes
in high-risk credit. If you do succeed with them, you will
likely have an extremely high interest rate and a very
expensive transaction. Regardless, you will probably leave
here with a smile if you get the item you wanted.

Every time I read or hear that statement made, usually by
car dealerships in their television ads, I cringe. This
sales practice bothers me because I feel it is unethical to
prey upon the ignorant, taking advantage of their need
simply for profit. Deceit is not an acceptable business or
sales practice. That is not the way to successfully operate
your business, especially in the long run.

I know a person who owns a prominent music store where a
variety of lessons are offered in addition to a broad
selection of musical instruments. The owner, Bob, once told
me that the single, most profitable portion of his business
was the credit applications that he accepted on behalf of
his customers, especially students and their families, to
purchase instruments. These persons were typically those
that were often without savings or credit cards, but were
able to make weekly payments. Upon completion of their
credit applications, Bob would fax them to a local credit
company with whom he had made prior arrangements. They paid
him handsomely for these applications, typically receiving
dozens each week. His customers did not know that their
credit applications were going elsewhere.

Bob earns big profits on these customers in four ways:

1. He never discounts the instruments or music as he would
to "cash" customers, making a high initial profit each sale.

2. He earns a substantial commission for referring the
customer for credit.

3. He earns ongoing profits on the lessons purchased.

4. These "satisfied" customers refer others to Bob to meet
their needs, continuing the cycle.

Earning profits and having satisfied customers are good
things, but honesty and integrity should not be sacrificed
in the process. If Bob was up-front with these customers
about both the source of credit and the cost of such
credit, then the customer could make an informed choice.
Bob's practice is deceitful and inherently wrong, a
practice likely to catch up with him in the long run.

Be honest and up-front with prospects and customers. Look
out for their best interests. It is better to walk away
from a sale rather than complete it while sacrificing your
integrity.

----------------------------------------------------
Daniel Sitter, author of both Learning For Profit and
Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive
experience in sales, training, marketing and personal
development spanning a successful 25 year career.
Experience his blog at http://www.idea-sellers.com

The Shocking Truth About How To Start An Internet Business......Part 2

The Shocking Truth About How To Start An Internet Business......Part 2
Defining Your Audience
Carefully defining your audience before conducting any
marketing or advertising efforts can save thousands of
dollars and hours of wasted efforts. Audience research and
awareness also helps you organize and design your website
to appeal to this demographic. Your audience is anyone who
uses your site - from reading it to ordering on it and
navigating through it.

Start by defining personal aspects of your audience to
reach specific answers that can further your business.
Identify the following:

1. Their sex (percentage of male and female)

2. Their age (the dominant age range and categories)

3. Their technical ability

4. The number of years they've used the Internet

5. Their primary language

6. Their buying motives (economy, efficiency, durability,
performance, labor- or time-saving, construction,
operation, ease of repair or installation, availability,
quality craftsmanship, etc.)

7. What emotions cause them to buy (need for security or
convenience, curiosity, pride of appearance or ownership,
prestige, fear, need for individuality, need for
recognition, etc.)

8. How much money do they earn each year, and how much of
this is disposable?

9. How much money do they spend each year on products
similar to yours?

10. Where do they live?

11. Do they shop online? If so, how often?

12. Do they watch television, read the newspaper or search
online?

From these questions, you can deduce the most effective
means of advertising and promotion. You'll also identify
the best way to reach into their pocketbooks using the
right copy, design and user navigation. Will they see a
Google AdWord ad if you started a campaign? Do they want a
hip, creative or bare bones design? Will your site be
compatible with their browser? The answers should unfold.

When you're just starting out, your audience demographic
data is often based on your own instinct and research. As
you develop your business, conduct user surveys to
fine-tune the actual figures. Then repeat this step every
one to two years to ensure you're always marketing and
selling toward the right clientele. Stay tuned for Part
Four: Setting Your Business Structure in this ten part
series.

Developing a Sales, Marketing and Business Plan

Though it may seem like wasted time, careful business
planning is a critical task when launching any new
business. Your sales, marketing and business plans force
you to develop action items that can propel your business
to the next level. Further, If you need funding, investors
will need to see where your business is going - and how you
plan to get there.

Your business plan describes your company, its competitive
landscape, operational structure, possible threats to its
success and plans to avoid these threats. You'll also want
to tell investors and other interested parties where your
business capital lies, along with offering projected
finances for five to ten years out. This plan typically
includes an Executive Summary, Business Description, Market
Strategies, Competitive Analysis, Development Plan,
Operations Plan, Management Background or Bios and a
Financial Overview section. Business plans typically range
from 20-50 pages, with some even longer depending on the
amount of detail you want to include.

Once you've created your business plan, research your
audience and create a similar plan for your marketing and
sales objectives. Carefully determine who your customers
are, what their buying habits are and where they shop.
Estimate their income and education level. Outline
distribution channels, suppliers and competitors. Once you
have firm insight into your sales objectives, you can plan
a winning advertising campaign.

Revisit your plans annually to adjust figures, forecasts
and strategies. You'll be surprised, looking back, at the
progress you've made and the accomplishments you've reached
in just one year's time.

----------------------------------------------------
Clinton Douglas IV, writes E-Business articles for people
who want to achieve more online success. Learn Today, "How
to Start an Online Business in less than 30 Days starting
from Scratch"! Free Special Report - Limited Time! Plus,
weekly newsletter from Online Empire Secrets (A $400
Value). Click Here ==> http://www.clintondouglasiv.com To
get Your FREE REPORT!

Top Tips For Incorporating Your Personal Brand In Your Job Search

Top Tips For Incorporating Your Personal Brand In Your Job Search
When you think about your next career move, how would
things be different for you if you were HUNTED rather than
being the HUNTER? Personal branding (the process of
clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique
value proposition different and special) allows you to make
a name for yourself. It differentiates you from your peers
and helps to position you as a leader in your field - as a
specialist and an authority who knows how to do a job and
fill a particular niche in the workplace better than anyone
else.

Rather than finding yourself constantly pursuing jobs
opportunities that never quite pan out, sitting at home
waiting for the phone to ring, and having doors stay locked
shut to you, imagine what a positive and secure feeling it
would be to have employers and recruiters actually seek YOU
out. With some time and effort put into identifying and
communicating YOUR personal brand as it relates to your
career, this is one of the key benefits you will enjoy.

If you are a professional engaged in a serious job search,
it would be almost impossible to escape the issue of
personal branding. Everyone is talking about it! And, for
good reason. Personal branding can make an incredible
positive impact on not only your current job search, but on
the success and progression of your entire career. But,
just because everyone is talking about it, doesn't mean
that everyone is making use of the knowledge. Through
personal branding, there is still an incredible opportunity
for the forward-thinking professional to position
themselves heads and shoulders above their peers and
competitors in the job market.

It is not difficult to be convinced that personal branding
is the wave of the future when it comes to the professional
job search. But once you are convinced, and once you have
put the effort into clarifying YOUR personal brand, how do
you make that leap to incorporating that brand into your
job search? Is there such a thing as a brand-driven job
search? How exactly do you promote your personal brand in
the job market?

Here are 5 tips for incorporating your brand throughout
your resume, your cover letters, and your entire career
marketing portfolio.

Tip #1 - Branding provides your resume and other career
marketing documents with instant, precision-like focus that
positions you as the ideal candidate for the specific type
of opportunity that interests you. An unfocused resume is
boring and ineffective. An unfocused resume wastes your
readers' time and will land in the circular file. A
properly branded resume is, by definition, focused, and
addresses not only your unique value proposition, but it
does so in a way that addresses the concerns of your target
audience.

Tip #2 - Use your personal brand profile and personal brand
statement to project a cohesive brand image and value
proposition across your resume, cover letters, and all your
documents. In my work, I have the opportunity to review a
lot of resumes, letters, biographies and other documents
that my clients and prospective clients have tried to write
for themselves. This tip relates to one of the most common
mistakes that I see. Too many people try to be too many
things to too many people. Their career marketing
portfolios (resumes, cover letters, biographies, etc.) are
a hodge-podge of documents written over a number of years
and added onto randomly whenever the need arises for an
updated resume. Certainly across the portfolio, and
sometimes even within the same document, I find multiple
design and content styles, as well as disconnected and
outdated messages. When you brand your job search documents
you immediately correct this problem.

Tip #3 - During the first review, resumes are scanned for
mere seconds in a process that is meant to do nothing more
than filter out unqualified candidates. Clearly and
succinctly incorporating your personal brand statement into
the profile or summary section of your resume is a way to
ensure that your resume will stand out and get attention.
One way to accomplish this is with a headline statement
followed by a sub-headline that promotes your value
proposition. If you aren't familiar with this style, take a
look at the many sample resumes on the Distinctive
Documents website.

Tip #4 - Personal branding gives you a way to truly let
your personality shine through and to establish an
emotional connection with your audience. It can be tough to
make this connection in your resume, but your cover letters
and your narrative biography are great opportunities to
promote soft skills and weave in examples of key brand
attributes. In a very real sense, personal branding
requires that you be courageous about really "owning"
yourself and acknowledging yourself for the strengths and
value you bring to the table. Let your personality come
across in your letters and in your biography. Don't be
afraid to make a connection by accentuating your strengths
and value proposition as they relate to your audience. This
is a great way to establish rapport and trust with your
reader even before you have the chance to speak by phone.

Tip #5 - Keep in mind that one of your primary goals in
branding your job search documents is to paint a compelling
portrait of your unique value proposition. To do this, you
will need to structure your resume so that it promotes your
key skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements
in a way that is both convincing and compelling and clearly
illustrates to the reader that you can meet their needs and
help them to achieve their goals, all the while adding
value to their organization and delivering a strong return
on their investment in hiring you. This is a lot to
accomplish in a single resume! One of the most effective
ways to do this is to focus the chronology of your work
history on achievements and results. Write your
achievements so that they tell a succinct story of the
challenges and problems you have faced, the actions you
took to meet those challenges, and then the results and
benefits of those actions - the actual return on investment
of your actions. Writing your professional chronology in
this way will engage the reader, supporting your brand and
helping them to envision how you will add value in the
future to their organization.

----------------------------------------------------
Certified resume writer and personal branding strategist,
Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive Career
Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com

Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of 101
Before-and-After Resume Examples
http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com

Outsource And Be Rich: The Little-Applied Secret ALL Wealth-y Entrepreneurs Use

Outsource And Be Rich: The Little-Applied Secret ALL Wealth-y Entrepreneurs Use
Let me share a big secret with you that all wealth-y
solo-entrepreneurs know: If you want to have an ideal
business, work less and make a whole lot more, I can assure
you that you CANNOT do it by yourself. You must outsource!

You know how I know this? Because for years, I tried! For
years, I tried to do everything in my business by myself,
like the good "lone ranger" that I thought I was. You know
what? It didn't work. In fact, a few years ago, I remember
getting on the phone with my coach and crying for the first
8 minutes of our coaching call. He listened patiently as I
sobbed and then said just one thing to me:

"Fabienne, Frank Sinatra didn't move his own pianos."

Silence on the phone. I stopped crying and it was like The
Truth had been spoken. It may seem like a "duh" moment to
you, but when I heard this for the first time, it felt like
the skies had parted and the answer to all my problems were
streaming down from the sky. I realized that I had been
trying to "move my own piano", instead of focusing on my
brilliance and my "genius" work - the stuff that I'm good
at and that only *I* can do in my business.

The minute he said those words to me, a surge of energy
went up my entire spine. I realized right then and there
that I was trying to do the impossible by doing it all
myself and that I would never be able to grow my business
further if I didn't change the way I did things.

So I changed my whole way of doing business and I started
DELEGATING different aspects of my business to others. And
I'm deliriously happy to report that my business, my bank
account (and my sanity) have never looked better!

Fact is, you cannot do it all on your own either. No matter
how much you like to think that you can do it better,
faster and more efficiently than anyone else, the fact
remains that you will eventually burn out. In his book "No
B.S. Business Success", Dan Kennedy talks about the worst
number in ANY business is the number 1. Meaning, you never
want to be the only one working in your business.

You MUST leverage your time and resources if you are
serious about running a successful business, getting
clients and finally making a good 1ncome being
self-employed. There's just no way around it. And getting
it ALL done means you have to eventually start outsourcing
and delegating.

Thing is, you can wait like I did until you nearly crumble
into a state of near exhaustion where things are falling
through the cracks left and right OR you can come from a
Full Practice Mentality and start getting assistance NOW,
before you ever get to that place.

Proper outsourcing means delegating specific things to
someone who's happy to do them for you:

Stuff you're not good at. Stuff you don't know how to do.
Stuff you don't have time to do. Anything outside of your
brilliance/genius (meaning, everything other than the stuff
only you can do in your business)

Delegating allows you to strengthen your strengths, instead
of trying to "better" your weaknesses. It means only
working on your core competencies and focusing on your
brilliance and genius work. In turn, you'll get more done,
you'll make more mo-ney, and you'll enjoy more time off for
the important things in life (like your family, your
friends, you know, the important stuff.)

It's the ULTIMATE leverage!

Now, I have a team of 5 virtual assistants and one
in-person assistant helping me on a part-time basis. On top
of that, I get help from bookkeepers, attorneys,
accountants, fulfillment houses, etc., so I can focus on
doing what I do best: speak, write, coach and create
products. Oh, and marketing too. Don't forget that. And
because of it, I'm personally able to PRODUCE so much more
than I've ever been able to.

But I know what you might be thinking. "That's fine for
you, Fabienne, but I'm not in a place where I can bring on
a whole staff of people." Well, believe me, I know about
that because I used to be there too! This wasn't an
overnight thing. It's taken me a few years to get to this
point. But the good news is, you can start slowly and ramp
up from there, like I did.

Here's what I want you to do:

Calculate what you're worth per hour when you're doing your
Brilliance/Genius work; that which only you can do. Make a
list of all the things you do each day. Attach a dollar
value to what you could pay someone to outsource this to.

Example: Let's assume you're worth $200 per billable hour.
Ideally you should be generating $200 or more for EACH hour
you work. However, I'll guess you're doing DOZENS of things
each day that someone charges less for (and is happy to do
for $15, $25, $45, $75, etc.) These are the things you want
to outsource, so you can make $200 every hour you DO work.
It's all about working smarter and more efficiently.

To justify this, REPLACE the time you've saved with doing
your Brilliance/Genius work and working on your Client
Attraction assignments. Why? Because marketing = more
clients = more do11ars. Enough said. (That doesn't mean you
can go goof off. That's NOT the point, at least not at the
beginning.)

Makes sense?

If budget is an issue, just start small. Focus first on
tasks that will immediately make you money (stuff you're
not doing now, stuff you don't know how to do) and set a
maximum hour cap per month. Then, as re-venue comes in, you
can grow from there.

Within months of my taking the leap and doing this,
outsourcing helped bring in so much mo-re mo-ney, I was
able to increase the hours I could delegate and outsource
some more and I eventually doubled my revenues in ONE year.

You can too. It's really easy.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

So, take out a sheet of paper and do the following:

Calculate what you're worth per hour when you're doing your
Brilliance/Genius work; that which only you can do Make a
list of all the things you do each day that don't fall
within the category of your Brilliance/Genius work Attach a
dollar value to what you could pay someone to outsource
this to Begin to outsource and delegate, little by little I
guarantee that you too will catapult your 1ncome as you
focus more and more on business development and Client
Attraction, as well as your genius work. You won't believe
you ever did it any other way.

----------------------------------------------------
Need some resources on how to clear the decks and make
Client Attraction a priority by outsourcing? Then get a
copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™.
It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So,
you do step one of the system, and when you're done with
that, you move on to step two, and so on. You can get it
at http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com .

Blogging 101 by Dr. Robin - Just for you for fun and profit

Blogging 101 by Dr. Robin - Just for you for fun and profit
If writing is an art, then, blogging is one way of using
words to come up with an art. This is because people who
are into blogging are the ones who are artistic on their
own sense, carefully choosing words that would best
describe their feelings, sentiments, wishes, desires, and
everything.

Basically, blogs were first introduced as weblogs that
refer to a "server's log file." It was created when web
logging hit the virtual market. Since its inception in the
mid-1990s, web logging gradually saturated the virtual
community making the Internet a viable source of greater
information.

However, with web logging, you still need a web site and
domain names, but with blogging, you do not need anything
just an account with blog providers. In most cases, these
kinds of blogs are free of charge.

With the onset of blogging in the industry, personal
journaling had been a common ground for people who wish to
be known all over the world. However, not literally famous
as this is not a case on being popular or well-known
personality.

Generally, blogs are created for personal use. Like a
journal, people can write their daily adventures,
sentiments, and whatever ideas they want to express online.

Nevertheless, with the advent of the online businesses,
blogs had gradually taken the limelight in providing
businesses a chance to boost their productivity online.
This is where the business blogs have taken the limelight.

Business blogs are, basically, created to advertise the
services or products of a certain web site or online
business in order to increase online sales.

Moreover, business blogs are also one way of promoting the
company so that the other readers will know that a certain
company exists online. With blogs, entrepreneurs are able
to establish a name in the virtual market through articles
that can be very useful in the reader's life.

From there, you can make money out of blogs by simply
syndicating it to your business' web site. This can be done
through the RSS technology.

So, if you are thinking to create a blog, whether for
business or for pleasure, you need to know some tips that
could help you get through and make your blog one of the
interesting blogs online.

Here's how:

1. Consider your audience

Even if your blog is generally personal, still, it would be
better to consider the minds of your readers. You have to
think of something that would interest them.

After all, most of the reasons of people who write blogs
are not at all confined to their own personal motives. Most
of them would love to be "heard" (or read) and would love
to be known, in some way or another, even for just a
minute. Hence, it is very important to come with a write up
that everybody can understand, not necessarily that these
people can relate to it but they can understand it.

2. Pictures speaks a thousand words

To make your blogging worth the browsing effort of your
readers, it would be extremely nice if you will put some
pictures in it. It does not necessarily mean you have to
place a picture of yourself. Any photographs will do as
long as it does not pose danger or insult to anyone who
will be reading your blog.

3. Make constructive and beneficial blogs

Even if you are free to write anything you wan to say to
the world, still, it would be better to create some
write-ups that would be beneficial to your readers.

After all, its information technology that you have there
so better be inclined to provide information rather than
sheer quirky entertainment.

4. Avoid making multifaceted and complicated blogs

In order to have an interesting blogs, try not to use some
highly technical and highfalutin words. After all, it is
not a science discourse or a debate that you are making, so
better stick to simple facts and short blogs.

Bear in mind that most people who use the Internet usually
do more scanning than scrutinizing each site word for word.
Therefore, it would be better to come with blogs that will
not bore your readers just because you have these lengthy
articles.

5. Make it interactive

As much as possible and if your capacity will allow it,
make your blog interactive. You can do this by placing some
video or audio clips in your blog.

You can even place an area for comments or for some
feedbacks. In this way, you can get some impressions or
reactions of other people. Who knows, you might even gain
some friends just by making them feel at home in your blog
site.

Indeed, blogs are not created just for the mere fun of it.
It also has its own purpose in the world of the Internet.
Therefore, for people who wish to harness their craft, as
far as writing is concerned, blogs are the best way to do
it.

As they say, blogging is the contemporary term of creative
and commercial writing.

OK. Now go forth and Blog the world with your Ideas,
Thoughts, and Sayings. Use your art of words to the the
world know what you think.

----------------------------------------------------
"Dr. Robin", the well known MLM Radio personality is and
has built his "honorary" doctorate in the Network Marketing
world and has had experience in numerous other network
marketing companies. He is a nationally recognized expert
in the network marketing business.Dr. Robin is the current
host of the radio show, Gorilla Talk Radio presents
"Networking with the Blindguy" with up to 3.8 million
listeners.http://gorillatalkradio.com

How Leaders Create The Energy Essential To Success

How Leaders Create The Energy Essential To Success
Leaders know high energy individuals, workgroups and
organizations create success. How to create and sustain
that high energy is the key challenge leaders face every
day.

The following behaviors and beliefs are keys that leaders
we have worked with have found work to achieve consistent
high energy with their people.

Leaders start with the belief that commitment unleashes
energy and that compliance reduces energy. To the extent
that their people feel committed to the goals of the
organization, they will work harder, produce more and
accomplish more than any group of people waiting to be told
what to do. Compliance keeps people waiting for direction -
it keeps them asking " What do you want me to do now?"

Leaders share knowledge and information, they don't hoard
it. They want their people to know how things are going.
They believe 90% of their people can handle the truth, but
that 100% of their people are turned off by half truths and
secrecy. Leaders practice the exact opposite of the "if
knowledge is power, than the sharing of knowledge is a
reduction in power" behavior of high control managers.

Leaders work with their people to create goals that align
with the organization's goals. Then they keep the goals as
simple as possible and work to have their people align
their personal goals with the goals of the organization.
And they fight to keep the goal process as simple and free
of bureaucratic stuff as possible. They want goals to
create energy, and not have process destroy it.

When leaders think they've communicated enough - they know
they need to communicate more. Effective communication
creates energy.

Leaders protect the time of their people. There are always
distractions that can take the energy out of any endeavor.
Leaders keep their people protected from the low value,
time and energy eating things that invariably show up. Just
as individuals need to keep their eye on the few important
things, so must leaders keep their eye on the same few
important things,

Leaders define what having "your eye on the ball " means.
The purpose of goals - solid, real goals focused on
contribution and accomplishment - keep the main things the
main things - and make it easier for everyone to be
energized and focused.

Leaders know action creates energy - lack of action sucks
the energy out of any enterprise. Ever been in a restaurant
when it's not busy? Bad time to be there - you might expect
the best service and the best food, but it rarely works out
that way. Come back when the place is really busy - and see
a high level of service and energy and focus. Focused busy
has a power all its own.

Leaders have high expectations of all their people - and
they hold them to their expectations. Nothing is more
demoralizing and sapping of energy than to have a manager
indicate by words or actions that not much is expected. And
guess what? When that belief is communicated - not much is
accomplished. Nobody ever did anyone a favor by telling
them to "take it easy."

Leaders demand that their people know what their
contribution to the enterprise is and how it is measured,
and how they are doing. And not just at the annual
performance review. Leaders hold performance reviews all
the time.

Leaders know the more open and communicative their
behavior, the more authority, power and energy they and
their people have. High control managers, on the other
hand, fail to see that, and hold as much power as possible
to themselves, and in doing that, they actually cede power
to others, and don't tap the potential energy of their
people.

Leaders protect the energy of their people from the
negative 5 percent that show up - in even the best
organizations. They protect them by taking swift action to
either remediate the negative behavior, or, failing that,
by getting rid of the negative 5 percenters. And not by
simply palming them off on the next manager or leader.

Leaders incorporate these beliefs and behaviors into their
every day work and play. They know that anything that
requires constant special attention to keep going will
fail. Only imbedded behaviors and beliefs have lasting
value.

Review the behaviors and beliefs that leaders have shared
in this article, and see where you can add to your impact
and create more energy with your people - and the people
around you. Do it through action - today.

----------------------------------------------------
Andy Cox helps clients align their resources and design and
implement change through the application of goals focused
on the important few elements that have maximum impact in
achieving success - as defined by the client. He can be
reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com or at
acox@coxconsultgroup.com

Career Choice Is Not What YOU Think.....

Career Choice Is Not What YOU Think.....
Your career choice is extremely important, however, your
actions affect the employer so be careful how you think
about leaving your present employer.

Maybe you have made a bad choice of career and want to
change. Fine! Just don't take it out on fellow employees by
laying out sick or taking excessive time off. Be
responsible whatever the job today.

Everyone in your future will want to know about your past
performance, so be very careful how you take action or one
day it will hit you in the backside without mercy.

How important is your job to the team? Will you be highly
missed? Not much? Glad to see you go?

Most of us never think about who we'd miss.... UNTIL there
is a sudden change in things NOT getting done in the office
or the plant.

Well, when you stop to think about it..... there are more
folks than we realize who we depend on everyday of the
week. I know, the first one we think about is the PAYROLL
clerk who writes our weekly paycheck. Then there are others
that quickly come to mind.... the coffee maker; the mail
clerk; the UPS guy/gal or FEDx person; the cleaning crew
and more. A BIG WOW!!

Missing persons never cross your mind before it affects our
routine. Suddenly someone hollers out with who's going to
make the coffee this morning? Where's the payroll clerk?

One of the biggest challenges comes when no one emptied the
trash cans over night. Usually, we just expect it to get
down without a thought.

Why is it important for EVERYONE to do their job
efficiently? It's like your sparkplugs misfiring when you
crank up the car, right? Just ONE dead plug and we all know
something is wrong immediately. None of us like the
inconvenience and challenge of poor performance with our
cars or a team-mate.

Ask the question of yourself. Who would be affected in
their daily routine if YOU failed to be on the job when
expected? Are you important to the smooth running of your
office; department; plant or wherever you accept a paycheck
today? Probably very important or your "pink" slip is
coming soon.

How about the CEO? Yes, he or she is very important to the
success of your firm. However, unless you are on the
executive floor of the firm it's unlikely that his/her
performance will affect your daily routine.

Their job is to THINK and SEARCH for ways to build and grow
the business. Maybe even BUY competitors for market share
and value to your stockholders and most probably you and
fellow employees too.

Recently, we read about Microsoft bidding for Yahoo to the
tune of $44+ billion dollars. Hopefully, it will be a "good
deal" for all stockholders and the employees of both firms
involved.

Before you complain or quit without notice.... it's a good
idea to realize you and every employee has value to your
personal success just as YOU have value and worth to their
success as fellow team-players.

ACTIONTIP: Before YOU take a sick day or begin your
vacation or give up the ghost..... think about how it will
affect the smooth running of your team. Did you make
arrangements so your job will be covered? Is your
Supervisor informed and ready for your absence? Be
responsible and take action as a leader. One day you may be
the Supervisor or even the CEO or COO.... a move up to the
TOP floor begins now!

----------------------------------------------------
Don Monteith spent 32 years as co-owner of several
franchises and a personnel/staffing business. Every year,
his firm placed hundreds of job candidates in their dream
job. Today, Don shares his business and career expertise.
http://www.HowToGetYourDreamJob.com

The Trust Equation

The Trust Equation
In the constant attempt to deepen knowledge and
understanding of coaching, helping other people, and
fulfill the motto of AMC of providing the 'Keys to
Success', I have recently read the book "COACHING AND
FEEDBACK FOR PERFORMANCE", which is part of the a series of
books titled "leading from the center". It's published by
Duke Corporate Education.

One area I am often running into as coaching becomes more
used and better understood is the question of internal
versus external coaching. The group of authors who created
the Duke book try to make a clear claim for the benefits of
coaching from the inside, actually going as far as
suggesting that every leader and manager should be a coach
for his team members.

I agree with some of the arguments made and the methods
suggested, but still strongly believe that an external
coach is a much better change agent for the company or
organization that hires him or her (or me).

When looking through the book at the arguments for and
against internal versus external coaching, I ran across the
"Trust Equation". I am sure everybody reading this article
is probably in agreement that trust is the fundamental and
most important issue in coaching, period. What was
interesting when reading the book was that the authors
actually point to the creators of the Trust Equation to
show the importance of trust in the coaching relationship
without ever realizing that by highlighting it they
provided the best argument not to have the internal manager
or leader become a coach.

The equation is shown below. If you look at the parts and
the explanations you will see that the driving factor is
actually the level of self-orientation. The lower that
level is, the higher the level of trust will be. The big,
even huge, benefit of the external coach is that he or she
is not part of the internal politics, wrangling, history,
posturing and all the other internal fights and issues
every organization experiences. That allows the external
coach to have very little to almost no self-interest, other
then providing good service to help the coachee.

With that factor going towards zero, T = TRUST can become
almost infinitely high. Thank you very much to the
promoters of internal coaching from Duke Corporate
Education for providing such a great argument for external
coaches. I knew we did something right. I guess it goes to
show that you can find friends in the strangest places.

Here is the equation followed by explanations for each
component. In words it says: "Trust is the sum of
Credibility,Reliability and Intimacy, divided by
self-interest. This means that that trust can become almost
infinitely high when self-interest is very low, like with
an external coach. Just imagine you had no self-interest
when coaching. With that value being zero, trust would
really be without limit.

C + R + I T = _______ S

C = Credibility

Credibility has to do with the words we speak. In a
sentence, we might say, "I can trust what she says about
intellectual property; she is very credible on the subject.

R = Reliability

By contrast, reliability has to do with actions. We might
say, for example, "If he says he'll deliver the product
tomorrow, I trust him, because he's dependable."

I + Intimacy

Intimacy refers to the safety or security that we feel when
entrusting someone with something. We might say, "I can
trust her with that information; she's never violated my
confidentiality before, and she would never embarrass me."

S + Self-orientation

Self-orientation refers to the focus of the person in
question: in particular, whether the person's focus is
primarily on himself or herself, or on the other person.
Increasing the value of the factors in the numerator
increases the value of trust. Increasing the value of the
denominator—that is, self-orientation—decreases the value
of trust.

----------------------------------------------------
Axel Meierhoefer is a published author, educator, coach,
consultant, and the founder of Axel Meierhoefer Consulting
LLC (AMC LLC). His motto is" Helping others help themselves
achieve success". If you like to take a free test
assessment to discover where you stand on the path to
success or you like to get a consultation to prepare
coaching, you can learn more about Axel at
http://www.meierhoefer.net/blog or send an email to
AM@Meierhoefer.net

Five Simple Steps to Getting More Done This Year!

Five Simple Steps to Getting More Done This Year!
Have you ever looked at your ToDo List and found it keeps
growing and growing and the same things seem to stay on the
list forever? They simply don't get done?

That used to happen to me, too. In fact, it happens to
everyone at one time or another. Over the years, I've
tried almost every calendar and time management system out
there - and spent hundreds of dollars on time management
books and CDs. I tried them, and some things worked some
of the time. Nothing really worked all of the time. My
ToDo List kept on growing and growing.

I was always inspired at the start of a new year - and
promised myself that this year would really be different.
I'd stay on top of my ToDo List and get everything done.
Part way through the year, I'd be discouraged to find that
my ToDo List was still longer than my day. And things I'd
wanted to finish were still on the list.

And at the end of the year, I'd start to get inspired
again, and want to try something new.

Finally, I got fed up with it, and designed my own calendar
system. It's my own Project Manager. And it really does
keep me on track with everything I'm doing.

It works so well, I can't wait to share it with you.
Here's how it works - and I've included an outline to make
it easier for you to use it for your own business:

First of all, write down your Vision for your business and
your life for the next year. Follow the outline at the end
of this article. Pick your Top 3 projects and schedule them
into your calendar system. Outline to follow.

Be sure to keep the appointments you make for yourself.
The appointments you make for yourself for your Top 3
projects are at least as important as the ones you make
with your clients.

Outline for Getting More Done This Year

1. Create your Vision. Write a brief description of your
Vision for the year. Where do you want to be a year from
now? Include both your business and your personal goals
and Vision. Write it like a story. Take some time now and
once a week to create the picture of your Ideal Year.
Think of it like a movie, and that you're in the movie.
What clients do you want to work with? Where do you want
to work and live? What are your Ideal clients like?

2. Pick your Top 3 Projects for the Year. Make a list of
all the projects you want to do this year. Think of
everything you want to do as a project. For example, if
you want to write a book, write "Write a book" on your
list. Or "Get 25% more clients". Or "Go to a conference
to network and for my own professional development".
Brainstorm and make a list of all the possible projects you
could do. Don't eliminate any now - simply write them all
down. Then after you have a long list, pick your Top 3 and
write them on a separate piece of paper for each one. Add
the "Why" and the "By When Date". See the sample at the
end of this article.

Project Why By When
Write a book on XXX Be the recognized Expert June 1, 2008

3. What Will It Take? On the piece of paper that has your
Top 3 Projects for the year, write "What Will It Take?"
That is, what will it take to do each of your projects.
For example, you may write, "schedule an hour a day" or "go
to a conference to learn how to write and market books".
Then write a "By When" date after each one. You'll
schedule these dates in your calendar.

4. Make your Yearly Project Calendar. Write your "By
When" dates in your calendar system. You can use a paper
system or a calendar on the computer (Outlook, ACT! or
another contact manager). For example, write on June 1,
2008 - "Book finished". For each month between January and
June, write how much of your book will be finished that
month. For example, in January, you might write, "Book
outline finished" on January 30th. For February, you might
write, "Chapters 1-3 finished" on February 28th.

Schedule in your calendar each of the things on your list
of "What Will It Take?" For example, if you want to finish
your book outline by January 30th, and you must research
other books on the same subject, schedule a day or two (or
evenings) to do the "book research" before January 30th.
Write these in pen, and give them the same importance you
give to client appointments. They are commitments to
yourself.

Do this for each of your Top 3 projects.

Now, look at the deadlines for each month, and give each
month a theme. That is, your primary focus for the month.
Staying with the book example, January's theme could be
"research and proposal". And February could be "writing",
and March could be "book marketing plan".

You now have your deadlines and target By When dates in
your calendar.

Each week, review your calendar and write down your Top 3
Focus Areas for each week. I recommend writing them on the
Monday page of your calendar, at the top. Find the best
place for you. A Post-it Note also works, and you can move
it from day to day so you really keep it in focus. For
example, for the week of January 14th, your Top 3 may be:

a. Research target audience for book (Book project)

b. Research books on the same subject (Book project)

c. Pick and fine-tune my Niche (Get 25% more clients
project)

Schedule appointments for yourself to do each of these.
For example, do the research for the book on Tuesday
afternoon on the Internet and Saturday morning. And
research on your Niche on Thursday morning.

5. Review Your Progress. At the end of the week, review
your progress for the week toward each of your Top 3
projects. If you didn't make the progress you wanted,
schedule some extra time the following week. And decide
which other things you'll set aside or take off your ToDo
List in order to have the time to spend on your Top 3
projects. Perhaps it's getting up 30 minutes early. Or
not watching TV for an hour. Keep your Top 3 Projects at
your highest priority.

An Insider Tip for you: Block out some time on your
calendar every Friday afternoon to catch up with
unscheduled things that came up, or to devote to your Top 3
projects. That way you have some flexibility built into
your week every week.

__________________________

Sample of Top 3 Projects for the Year

Project: Write a book on Making More Money

Why: Be the recognized Expert

By When: June 1, 2008

What Will It Take?

Research the target audience by January 15, 2008

Research books on the same subject by January 15, 2008

Create my own Exclusive Proprietary system for making more
money by January 20, 2008

Learn how to write a book proposal and book marketing plan
by February 28, 2008

Theme for the month:

January - research and proposal & 25% more clients

February - book marketing plan & 25% more clients

March - write chapters 1-5 & 25% more clients

April - write chapters 6-10 (by now you have 25% more
clients - so you can focus on your book!)

May - manuscript to editor

June - book finished

July - manuscript to publisher (if self-publishing)

__________________________

Use this outline for your top 3 projects:

Project:

Why:

By When:

What Will It Take?

Then outline the theme(s) for each month.

----------------------------------------------------
Jan Wallen works with companies that want significant sales
results. Jan is action- and results-oriented. Once you
start working together, she is 100% committed to
significant sales results for you. To learn more, call
(646) 485-4059 or go to http://www.janwallen.com

The Biggest Mistake Managers Make When Leading Virtual Teams

The Biggest Mistake Managers Make When Leading Virtual Teams
Virtual teaming has been on radar screen a lot lately. It
was a hot topic at a recent management consulting
conference I attended, and it popped up in the Wall Street
Journal a few weeks later. I'm feeling a little like an
avatar myself these days -- I lead a virtual team,
participate on virtual teams, and advise on virtual teams,
often having little or no personal contact with the other
members.

Virtual teaming has its own challenges, and they grow
bigger when the team is truly global and no matter what
time you meet, one location is in their pajamas.

To my fellow leaders of virtual teams, I salute you and
offer this advice, culled from my own experience and
discussions with people who are in the same boat, either as
leaders of, advisors to, or members of virtual teams.

The easiest mistake to make is to assume that building this
group of individuals into a high-functioning team will take
twice as much effort as it took to build your co-located
team. Try four or five times as much effort, particularly
if the team is global. Plan accordingly.

When team members are far away, everything dysfunctional is
amplified once the honeymoon is over. When something goes
wrong, we're far more likely to assume that the people in
another location are at fault, incompetent, not pulling
their weight, mean-spirited, selfish, back-stabbing, and on
and on.

In these moments, of course, we're fully convinced of how
reasonable, competent, perfectly honest, and apolitical we
and our local team members are. That's why it helps to get
an outside perspective, from someone other than your
spouse, on what's going on and how you might be unwittingly
contributing to the problem.

That's also why it's essential to do whatever you can to
help the team members be with one another in person or at
least feel like they are. Here are some techniques that
have worked:

* Bring the team together in person at least twice a year.
If the team is huge, at least bring the leaders together
twice a year.

* Use a technology that allows you to see one another. The
crème de la crème would be Cisco's new
TelePresence technology, which produces an incredible live
meeting experience, and is just plain cool, but will set
you back about $300,000. Check it out here:
http://cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7060/index.html

Other
options range from webcams and videoconferencing systems to
my personal favorite -- a team found themselves with only
one virtual member who was chronically forgotten and left
out, so they put a web cam and dedicated screen in each
location so everyone could see each other at work. Whenever
he wanted to talk to someone or vice versa, it was as
simple as turning to the screen and saying, "Hey, got a
minute?" A dirt cheap solution for a relatively simple but
important challenge.

* Add a personal aspect to your meetings and web space. One
team opened their early meetings with a "getting to know
you" time. This naturally morphed into a personal space
(nicknamed "Our Virtual Water Cooler") on their shared site
in which one member posted pictures of her new puppy,
another shared photos of his remodeled basement, and a
third shared pix from a recent vacation. The goodwill and
humanity that was built was of great help during bumpy
times.

More tips:

* Involve the team members in "offshore" locations in some
of the more interesting work that's typically reserved for
US, Australian, and European offices. Those of you who have
call centers in India and programmers doing nothing but
legacy systems maintenance in suburban Shanghai have access
to a talent pool that is intellectually outgrowing the
typical offshore responsibilities and may be eager to take
on more. One of my clients tells me he has been doing this
for a while now. He's highly respected for the results he
gets, and he has yet to face political resistance for
making the offshore/onshore boundaries fuzzy.

* I hate to keep pushing my clients' products, but if
you're not using an inexpensive technology like Webex
(http://webex.com) for meetings that involve documents,
you're missing out on an opportunity to maximize shared
understanding and minimize the errors and pointless
arguments that come from only talking with one another
instead of sharing real-time documents.

* When in doubt, first assume your non-local counterparts
are both competent and honest. Assume the best and enter
the conversation from a mutual problem-solving perspective.
Insist that your team do the same.

* Most importantly, whatever you want them to do, also do
it yourself. If you include "getting to know you" time in
your early meetings, but all you share are your career
highlights, there's little hope anyone will know you
better, extend more goodwill your way, or open up so others
get to know them. Likewise, post your own pictures at the
virtual water cooler and others will follow suit.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Selby Long, Founder and Principal of Selby Group,
provides executive coaching and organizational development
services. Jennifer's knack is helping clients navigate the
leadership and organizational challenges triggered by
change and growth. She knows firsthand that great plans
often fail because companies don't take into account the
human factors that come into play when implementing them.
Visit Jennifer at: http://selbygroup.com