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Heads-up: Google + Business Pages

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At last it is here.  The business page option for Google Plus was rolled out in November of last year.  The early adapters are still figuring it out,  but the consensus is that Google + is an innovative and useful social marketing tool for Freelancers,  business owners and our customers.   Google + combines and enhances the business-friendly social networking features of Facebook,  LinkedIn and Twitter and presents it all in one platform.

You’ll be able to share links,  location data,  photos,  videos and have interactive two-way conversations on the Plus platform.  Ian Schafer,  founder of the Manhattan digital marketing agency Deep Focus,  says  “Integrating with Google + is essential right now,  because of its impact on Google search results.  Experimentation will give businesses  (especially small ones)  a leg up on their competition.”

But all is not rosy.  First of all,  you need a Gmail address to set up and access the service.  On top of that,  there is as yet no cross-platform integration with other Google services.  Plus doesn’t mesh with Analytics,  Blogger or YouTube.  The company vows that full integration is on the horizon,  but an arrival date has not been promised.

As with all social media,  you must sign up  (with Gmail)  and create a profile.  Like LinkedIn,  describing your services is the name of the game.  The  “About”  tab is especially important,  for this is how visitors to your page will elect to invite you to connect with them  (or not).  Present an informative,  compelling profile and tell the story of you and your products and services.  You may provide a link to your website.

Like Facebook,  photos figure prominently in you Plus profile.  Before you sign up,  create five photos of yourself in action as you provide different aspects of your services,  sit on a panel,  speak or teach,  take a meeting or whatever.  Those photos will be uploaded to the Photo Strip,  which is displayed beneath your business name and tag line on your home page.

Next you can populate the  “Circles”,  “Sparks” and  “Hangout”  sections.  Circles are grouping categories for your connections.  Hangout lets you set up various group events and invite contacts from your Circles and also the public to interact in useful and engaging ways.  Sparks is a streaming feature that lets you choose to receive info that keeps you updated on business issues of interest to you.

Invite clients and professional contacts to join Circles that you will designate.  You get to curate what information is shared with contacts based on the Circle you place them in and that decision will be determined by their relationship to you and your business.  You may designate Circles for clients,  peers and colleagues,  members of your business advisory board,  friends,  press updates,  or whatever categories seem appropriate.

Through interactions with those in your Circles,  you may refine your understanding of what contacts would like to know about your business,  how your services can be packaged and marketed and/or what clients value most about your services and how you can become even more valuable.

Like the LinkedIn Answers forum,  questions can be posted and Google+ members can offer answers.  It’s a great way to expand your connections and build relationships by sharing your expertise.  Visit http://findpeopleonplus.com to find professionals in your target markets and find out what’s on their mind,  how you can help and who you want to invite into a Circle.

Hangout is a very intriguing feature of Plus.  It one-ups Facebook and the Skype connection.  Real-time interactive communication is possible on Hangout and with a larger audience.  Reportedly,  the Dalai Lama recently hosted a Hangout with Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu with an audience of millions. 

 With Hangout,  those of us who teach now have a way to present our courses and workshops in a free online classroom that will host up to 10 students in a group class.  Private consulting sessions are also possible with clients who live anywhere there is internet access.

So check out Google+ and consider the benefits for your business.  49 million hits were made on Plus in December 2011 and analysts predict that Plus will have 400 million users by year-end 2012.  Google is the word’s biggest search engine and inbound links are increasingly important in search engine marketing.  A well-thought out and crafted Google+ page has the potential to draw in prospects with the money and motive to join your client roster,  the best Circle of all.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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LinkedIn Profile Refresh

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Happy Year of the Dragon!  The New Year vibe is still rolling,  so I wonder if you’d like to keep-up the self-improvement kick and take a fresh look at your LinkedIn profile?  Usually,  I revisit mine about once a year.  Last year,  I pared down my rather long and complicated summary section. 

 I realized that in certain instances,  less is more and simplified my statement.  About  every 12-18 months,  I think it’s useful to make sure that my LinkedIn profile aligns with how I’m positioning myself and what I’m saying in the verbal package that is my elevator pitch.   So let’s do a little housekeeping.

Purge the clutter

Comb through your job history and weed out or streamline whatever does not support and enhance your professional goals.  Retain several years of your employment history,  but limit non-aligned jobs to title,  company and a one-sentence description of your responsibilities.  Use you employment and volunteer experience to reflect your brand and professional aspirations.

Add keywords

The headline of your profile is the critical factor in search results.  Choose your most relevant keywords carefully and add to your headline.  Be mindful of the subtle difference between keywords that are vital for your business / career and terms that are frequently searched.  If you provide services for a select market those keywords should reflect that market,  even if they are searched less often. 

 Judiciously embed relevant descriptive keywords that are associated with your business category into your headline and summary sections.   Visit Google Keywords Tool and identify popular keywords that will attract a sufficiently broad audience in local searches and then drill down to target your niche by discovering keywords that industry insiders might  search.

Add apps

Install Slide Share and upload a Power Point presentation to your profile that will communicate more specific details about your services.  I use WordPress Blog Link to invite connections and visitors to my page to read weekly blog postings.  I always write an excerpt that I hope connections will find tempting when LinkedIn Updates announces the arrival of a new post.

As of last week,  visitors to my profile will now find the app that was rolled out just a few months ago,  the Skills App.  The nice feature about  Skills is that you’ll receive data on groups that focus on that skill;  companies where that skill is common;  posted jobs requiring that skill;  and the size and growth trends of other professionals who hold that skill. 

Other free apps that may serve you well include Events,  that will let connections know the meet-ups and conferences where you will speak;  Portfolio Display,  that allows creative types to showcase their work;  and Reading List,  that allows you to share with connections the professional development books you’ve read and get ideas on additional books that you might find useful.  All of the apps will appear on your profile page.

Get recommendations

Recommendations are testimonials that provide third-party verification of your expertise and further support your professional goals and brand.  Ask a professional colleague who can vouch for your work to detail your contributions to a project that went especially well. 

 Specific,  quantifiable information that highlights your impact on company objectives enhances your credibility and is more believable than effusive compliments that merely tell people how talented you are.  Always return the favor and write a recommendation for those who produce testimonials for you.  In fact,  get the process started by  “spontaneously”  writing a recommendation for a colleague so that you can receive one in return.

LinkedIn is about creating and nurturing relationships,  so do your part and engage in conversations.  Congratulate your connections when an update comes through that heralds an achievement.   When you invite someone to join your network,  tell that person why you’re inviting them.  When someone invites you,  take the time to thank that person for his/her consideration.

Join groups appropriate for your skill set and goals and become known for posing good questions,  leading discussions and sharing timely and useful information.  Visit the  “Answers ”  forum and contribute thoughtful responses to questions that will allow you to showcase your judgment and expertise.  Utilize the free resource that is LinkedIn to position yourself as a go-to resource in your niche.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Probability Prospects

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You’ve just been introduced to a person who was not only happy to meet you because you have the chops to take on a hot project that’s on his/her radar screen,  but also has the authority to green-light your hire.  Oh, happy day!  You’re thrilled to do the card exchange as your newest prospect asks you to make contact so that the two of you can talk specifics.  You can almost taste the billable hours,  but how excited should you be?  Statistical probability can help you put a dollar value on your happiness quotient.

I found this intriguing formula that uses sales outcomes historical data and probability that allows you to calculate the expected value of your next prospect.  As has been noted in numerous posts and no doubt reflected in your own experience,  there is a randomness to networking and Freelance consulting.  In our effort to bring much-desired predictability and financial security to our lives,  the Freelancer’s  (and all salesperson’s)  objective is to control variables,  positively impact outcomes and therefore win more projects and generate more revenue.

Let’s say you’re talking to a prospective client about a project that you estimate should be worth $10,000.00.  The operative word is should.  $10K is the potential value and not the real value until and unless one is awarded the project.  If you don’t win the project,  then it’s worth zero.

Your project’s worth is impacted by the probability of successful close.  The following formula allows you to calculate the potential value of the prospect and the project throughout the various stages of the sales process.  Both the steps in the sales process and the values assigned at each step in the process are based on historical data provided by a large corporate sales force.  To refine the accuracy,  identify the steps in your usual sales process and record your sales success rates at each stage of your sales process.

I.     Identify the steps in your sales process

  •      Invitation to meet and discuss the project
  •      Initial appointment / discussion of of needs and benefits
  •      Verbal proposal / assessment of needs and benefits
  •      Invitation to submit written proposal

II.    Determine the probability of a successful outcome at each step

  •       Invitation to discuss project                                                      2%  success probability
  •       Initial appointment / discussion of of needs                       8%  success probability
  •       Verbal proposal/ assessment of needs and benefits      25%  success probability
  •       Invitation to submit written proposal                                 65%  success probability

III.   Calculate the dollar value at each point of the sale for a proposed $10K  project

  •        Invitation to discuss project                                                     $   200.00
  •        Initial appointment / discussion of needs                           $   800.00
  •        Verbal proposal / assessment of needs and benefits      $2,500.00
  •        Invitation to submit written proposal                                  $6,500.00

The key to customizing the outcomes probability formula for your business is keeping detailed records of  sales presentations from which to compile your statistics.   In other words,  here is yet another reason to document your business transactions so that reliable data will be there to guide business planning.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Sales and Networking Resolutions for 2012

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Welcome back for the final installment of New Year’s resolutions.  To keep yourself motivated to do what you resolve to do,  be aware that the key to success with any resolution,  personal or business,  is willpower.  Once you’ve set your goal,  then it’s all about execution.  Willpower—call it commitment or perseverance if you like— is the x-factor that most often separates winners from losers  (although good luck helps, too!).

Invite success by instituting systems that will keep you on your path.  Always develop strategies and an action plan for each resolution/goal.  Write up your resolutions and action plan timetable and tape it to your office wall.  Enter action plan activities and tasks into your calendar.  Attach notes to your file cabinet or refrigerator.  Reward yourself when key milestones are reached.

Resolve to network with purpose

A colleague named Lisa is very proud of her networking schedule.  She brags about attending five or six events every week.  The girl is everywhere.  A colleague named Erika is out and about less often.  She attends an event about once a month and works on getting to know the right people and building relationships over time.

So which Freelance consultant has the better reputation and bigger billable hours?  Erika does,  by far.  She works with name brand clients and she always seems to have a job in  (or has just completed or is about to start).  The last time Lisa and I spoke,  she told me that she hadn’t had a client in about six months.   So what’s up? Apparently,  Erika has figured out a networking strategy and activities that bring opportunities.  Lisa’s  “networking strategy”  seems to leave her with nothing but a bar tab and a tax write-off for event admission charges.

It’s interesting,  because it was Lisa who schooled me on the importance of having a networking agenda:

  • Get a client
  • Get a referral
  • Get information

Unfortunately,  the girl does not follow her own advice well enough.  While it’s advantageous to have a presence among peers and potential clients and also check out a fresh venue now and again,  it’s more important to know who will be in the room and understand why you should spend time and money to be there.

Swanning around town is not a viable networking strategy.  The process obviously is random and we never know when and where our next good client will appear—maybe in Pilates class?—but you still need to institute a system and go fishing where the fish you can catch will be.  Review your networking strategy and its ROI.   How did it contribute to your sales pipeline and what was your conversion rate?  Which events might you add or delete?

Take time also to refine the verbal package that is your elevator pitch.  Are you communicating the right info about your talents and services that grabs the attention and respect of potential clients? Do you know what their hot-button issues will be in 2012?

Resolve to show more than tell

Clients want relevant information about your services and how they will drive objectives.  They need to be assured that bringing you in on a project will make them look smart to both subordinates and superiors.

Rather than just droning on about how wonderful you are,  show prospective clients what you can do for them.  Set up this process by doing some research on the organization and its mission and customers.  Get a working knowledge of how your expertise will be useful.

If possible,  tell a story of a similar project you’ve successfully worked on,  to paint a picture that helps the client visualize how what you do fits with their needs.  With that approach,  you may even be positioned to up-sell services they didn’t know they wanted.  Present yourself as a trusted resource who is there to promote the client’s interests.

Good luck with your resolutions and thanks for reading,

Kim

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Business Planning Resolutions for 2012

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This week we’ll consider where you’d like to take your business,  what you’d like it to look like and how you’d like it to operate.  Every journey has a destination or goal.  The journey of your business should not be random;  it deserves careful thought and planning.  Reserve some quiet time to think about the journey of your Freelance venture.  You may want to start by reviewing where you’ve been.

Which kinds of clients and assignments give you the most fulfillment?  Which let your talents shine and/or bring in the most money? What competencies have you learned along the way?  What has taught you to become wiser and more confident?  What were your successes and what would you like to do better next time,  or maybe avoid altogether? Take stock and make a plan for the New Year.

Resolve to develop business goals and strategies

This sounds obvious,  but we all know that it’s very easy to get totally caught up in just trying to find clients and get paid,  getting tunnel vision.  We become like the hamster in a wheel,  busy–busy running in circles,  without giving adequate thought to our actions and following a road map.  As a result,  we can be going nowhere fast.

Start this year by nurturing yourself and taking time to reflect on what has transpired over the past year or two and acknowledging how you feel about it.  Did you set goals for your business? Were they realistic for you?  Which goals did you achieve and how did that occur?  Re-evaluate the direction it makes sense for your business to take and brainstorm strategies that you can enact  (alone or with the help of colleagues)  to bring it there.

Planning is the only way to create a successful business venture.  Set your direction and develop SMART goals :  Specific, Measurable,  Attainable,  Realistic and Time-bound.  Next devise strategies,  the path you will take to reach the goal.  Follow through with action plans  (with dates attached),  to keep you moving forward and on schedule.  Revisit your goals in three months and assess what is working,  what needs tweaking and what should be jettisoned.

Resolve to reaffirm your business model

The business model is the framework by which the business functions as a business:  the products and services that are offered;  by what methods,  in what location and by whom products and services are delivered to customers;  how the business will attract and retain customers;  the length of the sales cycle;  and how and when payment for products and services will be made.  Is your business model operating effectively?  In 2012,  take steps to ensure that your operation functions like a well-oiled machine.

For Freelance consultants,  the system of outreach to potential clients is often a sticking point.   Periodic review should be given to the products and services offered and how they are packaged,  presented, delivered and priced.  Talking with trusted clients is a good way to get feedback on your business model.  If you’re a LinkedIn member,  visit the Answers Forum and put questions out to your peers.  You will likely receive much useful information.

Finally,  review how you typically obtain clients and prospects.  Do you solicit them  (and how that happens),  do they find you  (and how that happens),  or do colleagues make referrals and introduction?  Which method has the best conversion rate?   What is the profile of organizations that have become your best clients over the past three years? Use what you learn about all of the above to buff up your business model and set the stage for a more profitable 2012.  New Year’s Resolutions will conclude next week.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Business Finance Resolutions for 2012

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Happy New Year!  Thank you for coming back in 2012.  The New Year is here and the time is ripe to take a fresh look at how you can bring more revenue and profit to your Freelance business.  The purpose of this blog is to inform and inspire readers to create the conditions that will generate a successful and rewarding Freelance consulting career.  Let’s get the ball rolling and look at how effective financial management promotes that goal.

Resolve to skillfully manage cash flow

Cash is king and cash flow is the life blood of every business.  Nothing flows unless the cash does.  Cash flow management means knowing how much money is expected to enter your coffers and when those checks are expected to arrive,  along with knowing how much money must be paid to creditors and when those checks must be sent. 

Even if you show a profit on your P & L,  it’s possible to have insufficient cash in hand to pay monthly bills and other accounts payable.  We all know that working as a Freelancer can be a cash flow nightmare,  so it’s vital to get arms around the accounts receivable,  or else sleepless nights will haunt.

Cash flow management actually begins in client meetings.  Once your project fee has been addressed and agreed upon,  diplomatically state that 15% – 20%  is paid at contract signing and that invoices are payable upon receipt.  Payment schedule for the balance will depend upon the length,  type and cost structure of the job. 

Whatever you do,  don’t allow more than 35%  of your fee to be payable at project conclusion  (unless it’s a small job).  Take steps to discourage the client from preserving his/her organization’s cash flow at your expense.  Write payment terms into the contract,  right along with the scope of your work,  deliverables and start date.

Resolve to get paid what you are worth

Establishing value and getting paid for same is the goal in every service business,  whether it’s teaching piano or being a nanny.  Your pricing strategy should reflect the value that your services bring to the client.  Needless to say,  pricing supports  cash flow and revenue.  To identify an appropriate fee range,  pricing experts recommend that you focus on four factors:

  • The perceived value of the services your provide
  • The demand for your services  (and your reputation as a purveyor)
  • What’s involved in the delivery of your service  (time = production cost = the Freelancer’s cost of goods sold)
  • Your mark-up / profit margin

Resolve to create and analyze the basic financial statements every quarter

Freelancers have a good idea as to how we’re faring financially,  because we either have the desired amount of money in the bank or we don’t.  We either have jobs in-house or we don’t.  We have either big jobs in or small jobs.  Like a balance sheet,  your bank statement provides the snapshot of your financial picture at a given moment.

There’s nothing like creating and then actually contemplating and analyzing one’s cash flow and income  (profit & loss)  statements to truly grasp your true financial picture and most importantly,  receive clues as to what would be advantageous for you to do about the business model,  sales and/or marketing segments of your consultancy.  Smart business decisions are invariably data-driven.

As you analyze your financials over the years,  you may identify regularly occurring busy periods and decide to hire temporary help or bring in a Freelance sub-contractor,  to give you another pair of hands at those times and allow yourself to make more money. 

Slow periods will likewise be identified.  You’ll be encouraged to find a way to either stimulate business during those times by incentivizing clients to hire you,  find temporary work,  find classes to teach (if that’s one of your competencies),  or engage in prospecting,  networking and professional development activities.

Next week,  I’ll return with more business-themed New Year’s Resolutions for 2012.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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The Road to Freelance

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Many established professionals consider leaving the world of traditional employment and launching a Freelance consulting career.  The growing lack of job security,  as evidenced by the unemployment rate,  along with the increasing occurrence of toxic work environments endured by those who are working,  have caused many people to give serious thought to self-employment.

I’ve found much personal and professional satisfaction in Freelance nation but there are challenges.  Preparation is key and if you’re still on the job,  begin now to build the infrastructure that will support your transition.   Take the steps while on the corporate dime to sock away some cash and learn how to approach your business clients and contacts as an independent professional.  Learn how to package and sell your services and determine and negotiate fees for the scope of work you will perform.  Visit professional associations and meet Freelancers who do what you aspire to do and ask some questions,  especially on how to build visibility and credibility as an independent consultant in your industry.

Build your savings account

Aim to have savings that will allow you to cover your living expenses for 12 months.  You don’t know how long it will take to sign your first client,  or the one after that.  Freelancers,  especially in the beginning,  will need cash to float themselves,  especially if one is the sole or primary breadwinner.  Furthermore,  scheduled  projects have a nasty habit of being delayed or even canceled.

Start saving money now by eliminating those $5.00 coffee drinks.  Brown bag your lunch whenever possible and cut back on nights out eating and drinking by 75%.  Do not buy any clothing you don’t absolutely need and cancel any vacation plans.  Remember that in addition to paying for living expenses,  you may need to buy or upgrade technology hardware and/or software and will also need to pay for marketing materials  (business cards, website, etc.)  so that you can effectively operate and promote your business.

Business plan and business model

You must figure out how you will get clients,  select the services you will offer and how to determine your fees.  You must choose the marketing materials you will use and decide what they will look like.  You must define the best target client groups and know how to approach them and convince them to hire you for Freelance work—even if you’ve worked with them as an employee of you current organization.  Do you need to be accepted onto an approved vendor list in order to be considered for hire?  Discreetly ask questions of those you can trust to not rat you out to your boss.   Also get an understanding of the typical length of the sales cycle.

Additionally,  it is necessary that you assess the competitive landscape.  The presence of competition is good,  as it demonstrates the need for services you provide and shows that Freelancers are hired to fulfill those needs.  However,  you don’t want to be in an over-crowded marketplace,  unless you are a very heavy-hitter.

Finally,  summon the discipline to write a business plan.  A mission statement,  comprehensive marketing plan and basic cash flow and profit and loss statements will provide a useful road map to get you started and encourage you to examine what will be required to make your Freelance venture successful.  I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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From Employee to Freelancer

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Perhaps the handwriting is on the wall?  Is your intuition talking to you?  Anyway,  rumor has it that a few jobs will be eliminated and you suspect that your head may eventually be on the chopping block.  In addition to sprucing up your resume and LinkedIn page,  you wonder if perhaps you might go out on your own?  If you must face insecurity,  why not have it on your own terms?  You may be right.  Millions of Americans have done exactly that,  including your humble diarist.

If you’re still collecting a check consider yourself fortunate,  as tense as things may be at the office.  Having a job gives you two enormous luxuries: time and money.  I was not so lucky.  I tried for many months to get a job after losing my long-held corporate gig.  I knew nothing about how to Freelance,  although I had long harbored the desire to strike out on my own.  Unfortunately,  I had to learn the hard way.  It was an expensive lesson that continues to reverberate.  On the other hand,  I am in business and somehow manage to support myself.

Self-employment is difficult in any economy.  It’s necessary to work hard and work smart,  plus be resourceful,  resilient and rather lucky.  I know a few people who are making good money,  but I’ve read that a 30%  decrease in income is typical.  Freelancers must campaign and compete for assignments and there will be gaps. 

Clients are known to pay when they feel like it and collecting in 15 – 30 days is not always possible.  Furthermore,  there are many expenses that we must shoulder:  professional training seminars,  technology and office supplies,  retirement plan,  health insurance,  life insurance  (yes, we do need it,  even if unmarried and childless).  On top of that,  we have no paid sick days,  vacation time or holidays.

But if you’re trying to explore all income generating options because unemployment checks do not last forever and you wonder if your next employer might be you,  here are a few Freelancer start-up guidelines for you to follow:

Expand your network

It’s almost impossible to secure work assignments when you’re not well-known to potential clients and there are few who can give testimonials that will vouch for your expertise.  Growing your network is the most important step you can take in preparing to become a Freelance consultant.  Ideally,  you will consult in a field and specialty where you have deep expertise and credibility. 

Immediately begin to cultivate and solidify client relationships with those who can green-light projects you would want.  Identify professional associations that cater to consultants in your industry and also seminars that clients attend and get on mailing lists,  so you’ll know where to network.  Read industry blogs and other publications,  so you will be up-to-date with important issues.

Check your credentials

Be sure that whatever competencies and qualifications,  degrees,  certificates,  licenses and/or  insurance necessary to do business are in hand.  Whatever you don’t have and can get on your employer’s dime,  take steps to do so ASAP.   Otherwise,  consider professional development expenses as a 2012 tax write-off.  If nothing else,  the improved credentials might help you get your next job if you decide to hold off going out on your own.

More next week,

Kim

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It’s Time to Stop Procrastinating

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It’s December 13.  Have you sent out your Christmas cards yet?  Well,  neither have I  (but I will).  I’m disciplined and organized and you know that to be true,  because I’ve faithfully published this blog every Tuesday morning since June 2009.  I enjoy writing this blog and I enjoy receiving cards from friends and colleagues every year,  but getting into the mood to write my cards takes some effort.  I will do it as always.  But first,  I’ll write this week’s post…

According to psychiatrist Ned Hallowell,   author of  “Driven to Distraction” (1995),  we mostly put things off because we are busy.  Most of us are working harder and longer these days.  Second,  we are prone to avoid what we consider to be drudgery.  But as we all eventually learn,  procrastination does not pay.  Avoiding the thing we hate does not make it go away.  It hangs like the sword of Damocles until the required work has been done.

The experts say that what we procrastinators need to do while we’re busy doing everything except what needs to be done is to understand why we’re avoiding the inevitable.  Research demonstrates that it basically breaks down into two categories:

1.   You’re faced with a task you despise and you’re unable to face it,  or

2.   You don’t know how to do what you need to do,  so you’re afraid to get started

We all put off doing what we dislike,  but procrastination cannot be allowed to rule one’s life.  To be a productive and responsible citizen,  to maintain positive work and family relationships,  we must train ourselves to put shoulder to the wheel and plow through onerous tasks when necessary.  Consider it character-building.

We can help ourselves by being honest about the kinds of tasks that we dislike and cause us to procrastinate and then figuring out which can be outsourced.  ( Would a virtual assistant write Christmas cards? )  You may want to hire someone to clean your apartment twice a month,  or send your laundry out,  or order your groceries online and arrange delivery.

Setting up a time table and schedule can help to get you started on what can’t be farmed out to someone else.  Use deadlines to motivate you to get cracking and get the job done.  Teresa Amabile,  co-author of  “The Progress Principle” (2011),  suggests breaking a project down into manageable segments and creating an achievable time table and deadlines for each.  These  “small wins”  make the project more manageable and less intimidating.  When faced with a task you have a history of avoiding,  put it in your calendar to tackle segments of it,  to ensure that you get the job done on schedule.  Post-it notes on your computer screen can work,  too.

It’s helpful to give yourself rewards for completing projects.  When segments of your project are completed,  maybe treat yourself to a nice hot chocolate and your favorite croissant at breakfast the next day.  When an especially important project is completed,  maybe a facial or a massage can be scheduled,  or perhaps even a weekend trip to a favorite place.

If your procrastination is caused by not knowing how to do something,  then get help.  Solicit advice from a trusted friend or colleague,  or do an internet search to get more information about how you can approach the project to learn what successful completion looks like and what you have to do to get there.  If you don’t have the required skill set,  recruit someone who does and make your project a team effort.

OK,  enough avoidance behaviour for me,  it’s time to face the music.  I bought a nice box of cards and holiday stamps back in November,  so I’m able to dive in and start writing.  My reward is a Christmas lunch party that’s in my calendar for December 14.  On my way to the party,  I’ll pass by the post office and mail the cards,  I promise.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , 20 Comments

Christmas Party Networking

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Christmas season is upon us and your party invitations are in the mail.  My favorite part of Christmas is the parties and I usually have a good time.  Christmas parties are an excellent way to catch up with dear friends and meet new people as well and for those reasons they set the stage for networking.  Catch some Christmas spirit and be sure to wrangle two or three invitations (I’ll bet that will be easy for you).  As you add parties to your calendar,  give some thought to the following:

Guest list

Ask your host who’s likely to be in attendance to find out who the VIPs will be and decide whom you’d like to meet.  Do an internet search and peruse the LinkedIn page,  using what you learn to devise a savvy ice breaker plus a couple of questions that will allow your VIP to do what s/he enjoys most—talk about him/herself.  Ask the host to make introductions.  The party is social and not business,  so frame your approach as relationship building,  although it’s probably not taboo to talk a wee bit of business.  Go with the flow.  If it’s not awkward,  ask to get together after the new year to continue your business discussion.  In the second week of January,  make contact.

Respect the occasion

Be mindful that a Christmas party is a social event.  Even if the gathering is sponsored by a professional or business association,  dial back the all-business mode and get to know folks and let them get to know you,  too.  Refrain from treating a Christmas party as just another business meet ‘n’ greet.  Overt selling is to be avoided.

What not to wear

I belong to a club that hosts a black-tie optional Christmas party every year.  About half the men wear a tux.  A white dinner jacket with black tuxedo trousers is likewise very chic and appropriate attire.  A dark suit with tie is acceptable.  The ladies wear after-six formal dresses,  usually long.  A lady can also wear a tux  (work it like Marlene Dietrich).  Ladies should avoid showing too much cleavage or too much leg,  or wearing a very tight dress,  no matter how physically gifted,  when business networking is part of the agenda.

Moderate alcohol intake

 Last year,  I was invited by a friend to attend a Christmas party that was hosted by a prominent marketing company whose client list includes politicians who hold office at the state and federal level.  My friend has worked with the company off and on and he’d like to do more.   He complained that lucrative assignments had been withheld from him.   However,  as I watched him guzzle about six drinks in 90 minutes,  I wondered why they gave him any work at all.   His foolish behaviour also soured the introductions he made for me  (and I’m suffering for it,  because I don’t know anyone else to bring me back this year,  without the lush).   In other words,   make the most of your networking and pace your drinking.  Two or three drinks are all you need.  The idea is to relax and not get tanked,  or even visibly tipsy.  An unexpected VIP may walk through the door and you don’t want to look and sound ridiculous.  Moreover,  you don’t want to upset your host.

So far,  I’ve attended three Christmas parties.  I had a lovely time at each affair and I was fortunate enough to meet and enjoy the company of one person with whom I plan to follow up.  Two more parties are on my calendar and I intend to make the most of them.  

Thanks for reading,

Kim