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Make the Most of Prospect Meetings

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Lucky you!  You networked your way into a meeting with a prospective client.  Now make sure you don’t blow the sale.  Here’s a sales meeting checklist that will help you prevail:

1.     Do your homework.  Beyond the information about the prospect’s needs and priorities that you learned in early conversations,  be sure to supplement client info with a visit to the company website.  Familiarize yourself with products and services,  identify benefits that your services are positioned to bring and formulate the value proposition you will articulate in the meeting.  While on the website,  check out the CEO and other top officers.  If it’s a not-for-profit group,  check out who’s on the board. Perhaps you know or have done business with a VIP?  Finally,  do an internet search and read any articles that have been written about the organization in the last 12 – 18 months.

2.     Set realistic objectives for your meeting.  At the minimum,  verify your understanding of the prospect’s need for your services and learn if there is an upcoming project for which you may be considered.  If a project has been scheduled,  inquire about the timetable and what you must do to obtain the contract (like submit a proposal).  Further,  it’s also wise to  inquire as to whether others will be invited to submit proposals,  so you’ll know the competitive landscape and know how hard you’ll have to work to land the assignment.

3.     Have the right presentation materials.  Have color-coordinated,  good quality printed collaterals that communicate not only the necessary information that a client will need to evaluate your products and services but also a professional image that will reinforce your brand and sell for you after the meeting ends.  If you’ll present a Power Point,  make sure your slides are easy to read,  clear,  concise and relevant.

4.     Rehearse your presentation.  If possible,  videotape yourself as you practice using your printed materials and/or Power Points,  to perfect your pacing and make sure your tone is appropriately upbeat.  Moreover,  be sure to anticipate questions and/or objections and practice answers that will reassure your prospect.

5.     Notice your surroundings.  Are there golf or tennis trophies in the office,  or good art on the walls?  If you can comfortably weave in an element or two,  it will be a good way to personalize your presentation and acknowledge and validate accomplishments or items of which your prospect is obviously proud.

6.     Notice your prospect.  Does your prospect appear to be paying attention to you?  Are there smiles and nods of agreement,  or a bored look,  or even a scowl on the face?  If it’s the latter two,  then you must stop and ask your prospect to tell what he/she finds troubling,  because you clearly have an objection to resolve and you’re nowhere until you do that satisfactorily.

7.     Ask qualifying questions.  Make your presentation a conversation and not a monologue.  Ask questions along the way to discover and confirm your prospect’s needs and listen to the answers.  Incorporate those answers into the rest of your presentation.  Remember to confirm that your prospect is the real decision-maker:  “Are you the person who will make the final decision?”

8.     Present case studies.  Case studies demonstrate the ways in which you can successfully meet client needs.  Prepare two or three that you can discuss and in the process,  build confidence in your capabilities.  Case studies are also a wonderful way to position yourself against competitors.

9.     Summarize your key points.  Place special emphasis on issues that are dear to your prospect,  as revealed in the answers to the qualifying questions you asked earlier on.

10.    Take action.  Ask for the business!  “I’d like to work with you.  Have I answered all your questions and put any reservations you might have to rest?  Do you feel ready to move forward?  When can we get started?”

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Technology / Office Leave a comment

Office Space Solutions

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Freelancers can work productively anytime,  anywhere.  That flexibility and control is perhaps our greatest advantage.  We are not tethered to a particular place for a specific time.  The many amazing technological advances that have occurred over the past 20 or so years have allowed us to be mobile.

But sometimes,  conducting business from the kitchen table,  coffee shop or library is neither practical nor sufficient.  We may need access to certain technical equipment or we may need appropriate meeting space.  We may need to demonstrate to a certain prospective client that we are not only capable,  but also  “real”   and occupancy in the right office space may be part of the sales pitch.  Temporary shared office space is the solution.   Shared offices give Freelancers access to workspaces that look,  feel and function like traditional office space.

The phenomenon of sharing office space,  called coworking,  reportedly was born 10+ years ago in San Francisco.  Coworking spaces are now available in many locales,  but finding the kind of space you need when you need it may not be easy.  You can always search Craig’s List,  but now there is a website that specializes in connecting Freelancers to the coworking spaces we need and at affordable prices.

Loosecubes http://loosecubes.com calls itself a community marketplace for workspace.  Loosecubes has office spaces available around the globe,  from St. Louis to Sao Paulo to South Africa.  You must join the  (free)  service and then you can browse and sign up for office space that fits your needs.  It’s also possible to offer workspaces for rent on Loosecubes.  Anyone with available space can post a listing on the site.  Interested Freelancers can contact the space owner and negotiate a rental timeframe and payment.

Workspaces can be categorized in any number of ways to reflect the types of businesses they would best serve,  e.g. architects,  photographers,  web designers,  writers,  etc.  Amenities provided is anther way to filter:  printing and scanning,  parking and access to public transit,  Power Point LCD and screen,  coffee and tea.  Loosecubes is linked to social media and members can obtain recommendations for workspaces based on their needs and preferences on Twitter,  Tumblr,  Meetup and Facebook.

To evaluate the service,  I searched Boston and found workspaces listed for $200 – $600/month,  both in the city and near suburbs.  Per diem listings ranged from $0 – $50.  Nearly all listings were accompanied by a photo.

Loosecubes promotes also the intangible benefits of their service.  Through coworking,  Freelancers will meet and interact with peers and have opportunities to build relationships,  expand professional networks,   create referral arrangements and  even team up to work together on projects.

Every once in a while I need a good space to meet a client and a restaurant or coffee shop just won’t do,  much less my home office.  I just may check out  Loosecubes to see what’s available.  It sounds like an excellent resource for us Freelancers  (BTW,  I’m not on their payroll).

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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No More Self-Sabotage

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You’ve got the expertise and the enthusiasm.  You may have a few key relationships.  But for some annoying and worrisome reason,  your Freelance consulting practice is not realizing its financial potential.  No doubt a sluggish economy is a factor,  but might there be another factor as well? Could a fear of failure —or success— be keeping you from laying claim to your just rewards and causing you to subtly and persistently sabotage your business?  Take a look at these items and see if you recognize your behavior:

I.     Fear of selling

Many people fear and loathe selling.  Selling oneself can be overwhelming and may even seem impolite,  like bragging.  I spent many years in sales and yet confess I get sick of it myself.  But the fact is that if one is in business,  then one is in sales,  so you’d better get used to it.  Sales takes self-confidence and the right message.

Realize that friends and family want to know what you do so they can refer you to prospects.  Prospective clients want to know if you have the expertise to help them to achieve their organization’s objectives.  You must create a clear and simple message to facilitate that process.

Make a list of 2-3 competencies for which you are typically hired,  or would like to be known for.  Attach a compelling benefit to each one,  to emphasize the reason that you should be hired to perform that service.  Next,  describe 2-3 clients who typically hire you,  or for whom you feel your services are especially well-suited.  Your task is to create a 1 minute maximum elevator pitch that communicates what you do,  for whom you do it and the benefits derived.

Write it up and express your sales message in language that is comfortable for you and will be understood by those who can hire you.  Learn also to ask for the business:  “Do you have use for this type of service”?  “Do you have a project in mind? Would you like to set up a time to talk specifics”?  “Is there a budget for this project? Are you ready to move forward”?  “I would like to work with you.  Do you feel ready to  talk about how we can get started?”

II.    Fear of charging fees that reflect your value

Particularly in this economy,  many Freelancers feel too intimidated by the fear of rejection to ask for the money they deserve.  Many clients are,  unfortunately,  prone to minimize the price they will pay for your services,  even if they have the budget.  It is a buyer’s market.  Admittedly,  compromises may need to be made when it comes to setting your fee.  Nevertheless,  you must not undermine your sense of the value that your expertise brings and do what is necessary to obtain your just financial reward.  See my October 11 post for more tips on pricing.

III.   Performing too much pro bono work

Especially when starting out as a Freelance consultant,  the temptation is to throw oneself into either deeply discounted or pro bono projects as a way to gain experience,  create referrals and build a client list.  Judicious use of those methods may apply at any time in a Freelance career,  but be sure that you’re getting something of value in return.  Promises of future paid work are mostly empty,  I’m sorry to say.  Once such  “clients”  have learned that they can get your talents for free,  they will be reluctant to pay you for work.  They’ll just look for another hungry Freelancer to sucker.

IV.    Failure to get press

Are you speaking on a panel,  teaching a course or presenting a workshop? Are you taking a leadership role in a local business association,  chamber of commerce or charity event?  If so,  you must write up a press release and send it to the business editors of local newspapers and blogs.  Follow up by telephone to make sure that the notice was received and answer any questions.

Offer to take the reporter to lunch or coffee,  to start building relationships with the press.  If an article is written,  first thank the reporter and then post the link on your website,  Facebook page,  LinkedIn page and/or Twitter feed.  Good publicity enhances your bona fides and often translates into increased business and additional requests to speak or teach.  Publicity enhances your reputation and helps you to obtain the fees that you know you deserve.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Business Strategy , , Leave a comment

Raise Prices? In This Economy?

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An effective pricing strategy is essential to every business,  because one goes into business to make money.  Freelancers and business owners deserve to be paid just as every worker expects payment for services or labor performed.  Determining how to price products is fairly straightforward  (what is the cost of materials? what is the price of labor?),  but pricing services,  especially intangibles,  can be daunting.  Many Freelancers operate in the knowledge economy  (e.g., providing leadership training)  and it’s not always possible to benchmark your prices against that of competitors’.

Add to the mix that clients are well aware that they have the upper hand in nearly all fee negotiations.  Exploitation is alive and well and there can be shameless manipulation to obtain your top-drawer services at bargain-basement prices.  The smug assumption is that if you refuse to work dirt cheap,  then it will be easy enough to find someone else who will.

Then there are the  “clients”  who request free services in exchange for  “opportunities for exposure”  or  “future paid work”  that I strongly suspect never materializes.  (Why would it?  Once you’ve built their website for free,  they no longer need you.)   In my experience,  nonprofits are the worse offenders and they do it with a clear conscience.  They rationalize their disrespectful behavior because their budgets are thinly stretched and their organization is all about doing good.  Ha!

Yes,  there is risk to raising prices in this climate of hyper cost-consciousness,  but every once in a while one must raise prices and there may be compelling reasons to do so now.  Your price increase may be in response to any number of factors,  not the least of which is to synchronize the value you bring with the fees you charge.  Or maybe you just plain old need more money to maintain your preferred standard of living as you hand over more money than you should for groceries and gasoline.

The art of pricing is to charge a fee that simultaneously reflects your perceived value to clients and allows you to achieve your desired bottom line.  To that end,  you can discover useful competitive intelligence at http://gsa.gov/mobis and learn what others in your specialty charge the US government for consulting services rendered.

To access,  see the search box at top right and enter a professional category  (e.g. project management).  Scroll through the businesses listed until you find one based in your geography.  Look to the right,  click  “terms and conditions”  and view the services and prices revealed.

If you learn that your prices are rather low by comparison,  then it might be time for a price increase.  Additionally,  if clients remark that your services are a wonderful bargain,  then it’s definitely time to give yourself a raise.

Be aware that billing practices can either help or hinder the introduction and acceptance of a price increase.  It’s easier to bill by the hour and for small jobs that may suffice.  But hourly billing can expose you to haggling over your hourly rate,  making a price increase unpalatable for those who’ve worked with you before.

A flat project fee holds many advantages and typically benefits both Freelancer and client.  A project fee also makes it easier to institute your price increase.  To make sure that you don’t lose money on a job,  obtain written project specifications  (to avoid  “mission creep”)  and calculate the number of hours/week it should take to successfully complete the job.

Be sure to add in at least 2 – 3 hours extra per week to accommodate unexpected delays.  You may even choose to discount your  (discreetly increased)  fee somewhat,  in exchange for the stability of working on a long-term project  (because those extra hours allotted may not all be used).  Furthermore,  you should also specify a weekly cap for hours worked and set an hourly rate for time worked in excess of the cap.

Your mission,  should you decide to accept,  is to get paid what you’re worth.  Investigate MOBIS to learn how your prices compare to competitors’.  Whatever your pricing,  if you feel that an increase is in order,  be strategic about your approach.

Billing a flat project fee whenever possible is likely to be helpful to you and your clients  (they’ll know the project cost up front).  A modest price increase may be best,  or perhaps increase only the prices of selected services.  Most of all,  as discussed in previous posts,  you must work with the right clients and sell the value of your services.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Technology / Office , , Leave a comment

Mine Your Search Engine Data

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What are interested parties interested in when they visit your website?  That very critical marketing intelligence is often not quite obvious when we plan and contract to build our website. We know to include a description of the products and/or services we sell.  Those who sell products on their site know to include an e-commerce function.  Those who schedule on-line appointments know to include a booking function and perhaps also a pay online feature.

But what information,  surveys,  videos,  white papers or whatever grab attention and keep visitors on a certain website page and convey details that prospective customers need to make a decision about doing business with you,  helping to convert prospects into customers?  Well,  you have to build the thing before you figure out the nuances of what information and features best serve your prospects and business,  but once you’ve done that Google Analytics can help in a big way and as of September 29,  even more than before.  Let’s take a look at Site Search Analysis (SSA) and two new Google offerings,  Real-Time Analytics and Analytics Premium.

SSA functions as  Search Engine Optimization  (SEO)  for your website,  extracting  and reporting valuable data about  site visitors that will provide clues on how to effectively fine-tune the sales tool that is your website.  This is not inbound lead generation  (nor is it actual SEO).  SSA analyzes data generated by your website’s own search engine.  Analytics Premium and Real-Time Analytics will make the information more timely and comprehensive.

The big advantage of Real-Time Analytics is that it will produce a set of reports that show what’s happening on your website as it happens.  You will receive instant insight into the visit count and much other valuable information about what resonates with visitors directly from the search engine of your website.  Real-Time will also measure the activity of social media linked to your website and it will allow you to monitor the impact of new content and marketing campaigns.  Once you’re registered with Google Analytics,  you must enable the Real-Time feature by clicking “new version.”

The more traffic your website receives and the more search queries occur,  the more extensive and revealing the story.  The data from this internal search process will identify what prospective customers want from your website and your business.  What are they curious about?  What information do they seek?  SSA internal search data lets you know the ways your website does and does not deliver information and answer visitor’s questions.

You will be able to evaluate website content—do you provide enough of the right information,  do you tell the right story in the way that prospective customers can understand?  Or you may have the right content,  but analyzing search data can tell you if visitors to your site somehow become frustrated and wind up exiting the site,  perhaps because the desired information is hard to find because it’s buried somewhere that prospects don’t expect to find it,  meaning you need to re-arrange and re-configure pages.  Maybe your information needs to be presented in a more eye-catching fashion or the text and terms used should be clarified,  expressed in language that your clients use and will better understand?

Analytics Premium is a paid service that reportedly will produce more specific website traffic data than the free service.  Premium will offer more customizable variables and downloadable reports.   There will also be guaranteed service level agreements for data collection,  processing and reporting,  plus  24/7  customer service reps available to assist with installing the program.

In closing,  I offer you a caveat:  SSA provides much intriguing data about how prospective customers respond to your website,  but you have to interpret the meaning of it all and decide what smart thing to do with the information.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Survival Strategies , , 6 Comments

Pick the Right Clients

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As a coda to last week’s post about understanding,  communicating and being rewarded with money and respect for your value, I add thoughts about how to recognize good and bad prospective clients so that you will be positioned to sell on value and avoid being treated as a mere commodity.

As mentioned last week,  it’s important to develop the confidence to understand and accept that your services are not meant for every possible prospect.  Those who intend to exploit and devalue Freelancers will get us nothing but a knot in the stomach and lousy pay.

I know all too well,  however,  that sometimes it’s about paying the rent and keeping the phone on.  Who among us has not worked with a client who was a complete jerk early in the game,  but we kept telling ourselves that we’re pros,  we’ll make it work,  just get the frigging money and pay the g-d bills?

Other times,  it’s about getting the right name on the client list and catapulting yourself to the next level.  So you roll with the punches and vow never to work with the SOB ever again.  Even billionaires wind up doing business with those they’d rather not, so they can stay billionaires.  Business is like that.

Yet we do have some measure of control over the clients we work with,  no matter how dismal the economy.  It starts with our very own business model and whom we envision as our target clients: Fortune 1000s and large not-for-profits,  arts or social service organizations,  medical device and biotech.  Perhaps you decline to pursue chemical companies that create seeds for genetically engineered crops,  or tobacco companies,  or start-ups of any kind.

Whoever your target clients,  you must avoid like the plague those who display disrespectful or unethical behavior.  The sorting process takes place in the initial meetings.  First,  pay attention to how the particulars of the project and its scope are presented.  There should be attainable goals,  specific deliverables,  a clear idea of what your role will be and a reasonable project time-table.

The client should probably do 70% of the talking in your first meeting,  but there should be space for you to add your insights to the discussion as well.  Your second clue is,  have you been invited to add your thoughts about possible solutions and strategies,  or is your prospective client the supreme expert who casts you in the role of supplicant?

Several months ago,  I spoke with a prospect who had one set of goals during a phone meeting and our first face to face and a rather different set of goals in our second meeting.  Our first meeting was great,  our second meeting was revealing.  The prospect did all the talking and blocked a true dialogue.  Goals had changed and they seemed unattainable to me.  My perspective was not sought and my value seemed unappreciated.  Further talks were postponed as the prospect decided to take a vacation.  Eventually,  she opted to shelve the project. I was furious at the time but  now realize that she did me a favor.

As you get to know your prospective client do not ignore how he/she speaks in reference to other Freelancers with whom he/she may have worked.  Very early in Freelancing,  I met a prospect who was oh,  so charming in meeting #1.  But in the second meeting,  he showed his true colors by making frequent references to how he was reliably able to hire Freelancers to work  “cheap”.  Also,  as he described the project,  my role and the deliverable,  he stipulated ridiculously scant hours and short time frame for project completion.

Definitely,  I should have walked right out of that clown’s office after politely suggesting that it might be best if he contacted one of his  “cheap”  Freelancers for that assignment  (I wanted to, believe me).  But I was needy and desperate for both money and a better client list,  so I meekly sat there and sucked up the attack on my professional value,  signed the contract and began work.

The whole impossible task was going nowhere and I was not even close to producing the deliverable as scheduled when lucky for me,  a ranking staff member realized the whole thing was untenable and stepped in to work with me.  That staff member understood my value and appreciated the contributions that I made to setting the stage for the project’s eventual successful completion (and also ensured that I was paid on time).

So what is the moral of this story?  As always,  learn to appreciate and communicate your value as a competent professional and insist that all who aspire to work with you do so as well.  It’s the only way to be a successful Freelancer.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Sales , , 1 Comment

Sell on Value

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According to business experts,  it costs 5x more in resources to acquire a new client than it does to retain an existing client.  That cost is probably greater for those of us who specialize in providing intangible services,  where relationships and reputation exert a huge influence on the ability to attract clients and generate billable hours.

It is therefore imperative to 1.) Expertly communicate a strong value proposition and 2.) Unfailingly meet client expectations,  even when the client doesn’t really know what the expectations could or should be.  Those of us in the service business,  tangible and intangible,  must learn how to make the customer feel as though he/she has won by doing business with us.

To successfully compete as a service provider involves confidence,  reputation,  personality and selling skills.  Have the confidence to believe in your value as a highly qualified expert in your field.  Develop the selling skills to communicate your value with self-assurance  (but never arrogance)  in a way that is easily understood and targets the needs of your prospective clients.  Make clients and prospects feel as if doing business with you is a very smart decision.

Accept that you are not mass market and that your services are not a fit for every potential client.  It’s been estimated that 1/3 of customers are focused primarily on price.  Do not waste your time with such individuals because they are not for you.  Most are negative and difficult to work with,  because they know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Sell your unique value by building a portfolio of success stories to trot out and demonstrate the excellent results that you reliably deliver.  Use those stories to inspire confidence in your abilities  (in both the client and yourself).  Turn your client list into your sales force by obtaining word-of-mouth endorsements whenever possible.  Build trust in your professional capabilities.

Continue to demonstrate your value by fine tuning your listening skills,  so you will hear and understand both what your client wants and also what he/she really needs  (and that may not be the same thing)  and how you can best apply your talents to the project in a way that the client will come out feeling like a winner,  believing that hiring you was a smart decision.  Express your answers by using the client’s own words and phrases when possible,  using language that the client will relate to and appreciate.

Emphasize the customer service that you are known to provide,  the prompt response to client questions and needs and also your sensitivity to costs  (despite your premium pricing).  Let clients know that it’s actually less costly to travel first class.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Survival Strategies , Leave a comment

Make the Right Decisions and Do the Right Thing

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I’m back with more on decision-making because in this perilous economic climate,  which shows no signs of abating,  the ability to make good decisions is so crucial.  Our survival depends upon being able to size up a situation or puzzle through a dilemma and make wise choices that will put us on the right path,  whether we are Freelancers,  business owners or employed/unemployed professionals.

But then again,  when in history has good decision-making not  been an important skill? The results of wise decisions made by the pharaohs in Egypt gave the world a magnificent civilization that thrived for 3000 years and the architectural wonders that are the Sphinx and the pyramids.  Doing business has always been about making decisions,  in ancient times and the present.

Often,  we must make decisions fast and on the fly.  Data available may be incomplete and possibly unreliable.  The ground shifts underfoot and the clock is ticking.  We’re anxious and stressed,  maybe borderline panicky.  Critical thinking is probably clouded by our biases,  born of preferences,  fears and past experiences that we pass off as intuition or gut feelings.  It’s disturbingly easy to be blind to the smart decision that is staring us in the face.

But if we intend to survive and maybe even thrive,  we have to learn to play the had that’s dealt and that means making the right decisions in a timely fashion because time is money.  We can get some much-needed assistance from author Guy Hale,  who provides useful guidance on how we can learn to make credible decisions in an imperfect world in his book  “Think Fast: Accurate Decision-Making, Problem-Solving and Planning” (2011).  Hale recommends the following:

I.  Figure things out
Analyze your situation and see the big picture.  Gain an understanding of how and why you are faced with this decision.  Did your actions,  or inaction,  bring you to this point,  or was it circumstance? Discover the root cause.

Maybe your decision is a positive one,  like you’ve been invited to work with a new client or form a strategic partnership with a colleague.  You’ll need to determine whether the arrangement is likely to be a good fit and that means weighing your options and making a decision. 

II.  Plan and act
Identify the time frame in which you must respond.  Identify potential obstacles and risks and the unknowns that may impact the outcome of the decision,  to the best of your ability.  Identify factors in your favor and how you can best employ and magnify them to your advantage.  Draw up a list of people who will become your allies,  willing to help you if needed and do the same to identify those likely to oppose you.

Use scenario planning to project possible outcomes for the decision: best-case scenario,  worse-case scenario and a couple more that split the difference.  Consider the short and long-term consequences of your choices and think also about who and what will be impacted by what you decide and how they are likely to react.

III.  Factor in Murphy’s Law
Do whatever you can to prevent events from turning sour by controlling everything that you can control,  while recognizing that some things may not go according to plan.  Have Plan B  (and maybe also Plan C)  ready to roll,  just in case.  Know that you’ve been thorough and diligent in your decision-making process and have faith.  Try to relax and roll with the punches and learn from any errors in judgment.

Thanks for reading,
Kim

Survival Strategies , Leave a comment

Decisions, Decisions

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We’re in business and all day long there are decisions to make.  Which business strategies look the most promising?  How should I price my services for this project?  Is the money they want to attend this conference really worth it?  If I pay this guy to make my website more interactive am I really going to get more billable hours out of it,  or will Mr. Web Developer be the only one getting paid in this deal?  Everyone in business had better have sharp decision-making skills,  because everything we do hinges on our judgment,   including how to interpret the data used in data-driven decision-making.

Eventually,  decision-making makes our brains tired.  Our thinking gets fuzzy and we might even become irrational.  We’re unable to stay focused and we make careless errors.  We sometimes do and say stupid things.  The name of this condition is called decision fatigue.  We bring it on by making too many decisions.

By the end of the day,  we’ve waded through so many choices and options that we get punch-drunk.  We don’t realize it,  but the more choices—i.e. decisions—we make throughout the day,  the more difficult it becomes for the brain’s cognitive processes to efficiently make another,  and still another,  choice.  Return emails now or at the end of the day?  Finish the report that’s due tomorrow or listen to a webinar? Green salad or fruit salad for lunch?

Energy and willpower eventually become depleted,  we lose self-control and we screw up.  We blow off the diet and the gym and dive into a bag of cookies instead.  We forget our budget and buy shoes we don’t need.  We ignore the report that’s due and read the Onion.

To get some rest,  our tired brains prod us to look for shortcuts and we become sloppy or reckless.  We may act impulsively because we don’t have the mental energy to consider the big picture and weigh the consequences of our actions.  We are prone to taking the easy way and that can mean doing nothing—which is a decision in itself,  but it doesn’t feel that way to the brain.  Of course,  avoiding a decision can cause problems in the long run but in the here and now,  we may just decide to  “table”  the decision.

But we have work to do and decisions to make,  so what should we do when we need to do the right thing?  Social psychologist Roy Bauminster studied mental discipline at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH and at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.  His work indicates that it’s best to make important decisions in the morning after eating a light,  nutritious breakfast.  Our brains derive energy from healthy food and that helps us to comprehend and value long-term prospects and bolsters decision-making ability.  In the morning we have enough willpower to exercise the self-control needed for making important strategic or financial decisions.

Bauminster advises that we tackle the big decisions first,  before we have to make numerous smaller decisions that will sap energy and lead to decision fatigue.  In practice,  schedule your client meetings for early in the day,  before late afternoon whenever possible.  Write and pitch proposals early in the day.

But then again…Bauminster’s findings indicate to me that it’s possible to get a proposal slipped into the budget late in the day, when your client is a bit tired and defenses are down.  You may alternatively have a good proposal rejected because the client is too tired to decide and it’s easy to turn you down.  It’s a roll of the dice,  I suppose.

Also,  where does this leave the night people?  The energy derived from nutritious food holds the key.  Bauminster found that decisions and choices made immediately before lunch were often less than optimal,  so if you’re more of a night person,  making decisions and seeing clients in the two hours after lunch may work.  Discussing business deals over lunch or dinner can also be beneficial  (for any of us, actually,  even morning people like me).  You must decide.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , , Leave a comment

Get Power Point Right

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All right,  we’re concluding the  “make the most of summer”  theme by taking a look at Power Point and how we can buff up our expertise.  As we all know,  a vital ongoing business goal for Freelancers is staying visible within our client and referral pool.  That means one of your objectives as we approach September and the fourth quarter is to nail down a speaking gig at a business or professional association that is frequented by potential clients and referral sources.  That could cause you to use Power Point.

The technology has been around for 20 years but most people,  including frequent users,  still get Power Point wrong.  We put too much stuff on our slides.  Someone tells us we should liven things up and recommends that we use Clip Art,  so we throw that in plus some cheesy slide transitions,  too,  to make sure that our audience stays awake.  We use too many slides because we depend on Power Point like a crutch to move our presentation along,  rather than using our words and insights to create the flow.

I understand that when teaching a course there will be perhaps many slides and more text than in a presentation for a meeting or conference.  Nevertheless,  instructors and presenters need to unchain themselves from Power Point tyranny and learn to use the technology to its full advantage.  Here are a few guidelines that will help you to finally get Power Point right:

  • Tell a compelling story that the audience will value and understand.  The story must have a beginning,  middle and end.
  • Frame the big issue that you must address at the beginning; then discuss the major challenges and opportunities that will impact that challenge; state the solution at the end.  Conclude with a summary of key points to wrap things up.
  • Distill the major points: give broad strokes and avoid complex details.
  • Sprinkle in a few relevant charts and graphs that support your story.  They also provide visual interest.
  • Use bullet points.  Communicate in short and powerful statements,  not paragraphs.
  • Do not clutter your slides with text.  Do not use  “busy”  charts or graphs.  Make the slides clear and easy to read.
  • Check your spelling and grammar.
  • Keep the fonts consistent and background colors and designs appropriate to your topic and audience.  Avoid Clip Art and distracting slide transitions.
  • Practice your presentation and ensure that your dialogue and slides work together smoothly.
  • Be enthusiastic,  be confident and engage your audience.  Have fun!

 

Thanks for reading,

Kim