March 22, 2010

How to Act Like a Professional... Unload the Baggage Keeping
You From Business Success... Get to Know Your Score... Your
Info Marketing Business Reflects Who You Are... and More.

Has this happened to you? You hear about a perfect opportunity, whether it's a "can't-miss" job opening or a chance to secure an investor in your company, and yet the opportunity passes you by. You have all the qualifications and resources, yet when it comes to "closing the deal," you can't seem to make it happen.

In my experience, I've met with several people who've walked through my door with stellar credentials, yet, in a face-to-face meeting, have disappointed -- all those impressive stats on paper get thrown out the window, because they don't know how to handle themselves in a professional manner.

Believe it or not, most of the time, it's how you present yourself that will close a deal for you, not your experience or your resources.

To put it bluntly: the way you present yourself to others may be keeping you from success!

Here are some tips that I've picked up that can increase your chances of success:

Make Eye Contact. Always look the person you are talking to in the eye. Never look down, start glancing around the room or look at someone else. The person will think you're disinterested in them, and they will become disinterested in you.

If you have a problem looking someone in the eye, here's a tip: focus on their eyes, not their entire face. This may dull your phobia of looking at them face-to-face.

Speak Clearly. Mumbling, long pauses, and "um-ing" and "aw- ing" are sure-fire ways for you to get dismissed out of an important person's office. Think about what you are going to say before you say it, and be prepared to answer questions.

Limit Hand Gestures. Try to limit your hand movements. It's okay to gesture a few times when emphasizing a point. Other than that, you should keep your hands folded in front of you. If it helps to hold something in your hand (like a pen), then do so. Just don't fidget with it!

(Did you know that Hugh Hefner was given a pipe by a TV director because he thought that his constant hand movements were distracting? Now that very pipe is a main part of his image!)

Schedule Around Illness. If you're feeling sick, chances are you look sick. And if you look sick, chances are whomever you are trying to sell yourself to will want you out of their office as quickly as possible. So, if you've got a red nose, and pale skin, and you're coughing like a coal miner, reschedule. Note: try to reschedule for as soon as possible.

Follow Etiquette. If you're in an important meeting, let's say with someone who is interested in investing in your new business, try to be as "classy" as possible. Hold the door open for them. Guys, wait for women in the room to sit first, and always stand when they stand. In fact, you should always stand to shake hands with anyone.

If someone offers you a drink, don't ask for a non-fat cappuccino with four sweeteners on the side! If you need a drink, ask for water. Not only will it help you when you're speaking, but it will always be on hand. There's no need for someone to have to brew coffee for you.

Another trick I've learned is, when the other person starts walking towards the door, follow them. This is because they want you out of the office. This doesn't mean they aren't interested. It may just mean they are busy and need to get back to work.

Follow up. Wait for two days. If you haven't heard from the person yet, call them. If they aren't in, leave a detailed message. If they don't call you back within a week, consider them uninterested.

I'm not sure exactly why it happened, but one morning I woke up, took a look around my home and decided that I had too much stuff.

I had boxes of magazines I hadn't unpacked a year after moving. I had clothing hanging in my closet that I hadn't worn in years. I had stacks of files hanging around for no real reason other than I felt I shouldn't throw them away.

There must have been a time when having a lot of stuff may have meant something to me. These items, packed away in boxes and tucked into corners, all held some sort of sentimental value. However, as I was soon to discover, you don't need stuff to have memories.

Pretty soon my mission became clear. I needed to de-clutter my home. Little did I know when I started this project that an overhaul of the stuff I carried with me would also help me in my professional life.

My first step was to determine what I really needed. What clothing I should keep, what files I actually need and what other items I could not do without.

This step was pretty difficult at first. I'd always come up with an excuse about why I'd need that ill-fitting and stretched shirt again. However, I found that once I started filling up bags with items to donate to charity (or headed straight to the landfill, for the absolute junk), it became easier to see things go.

I was able to sell a few items in the process. Listing them online at Craigslist was free and fast. Not only was I lightening the load this stuff was in my life, but I was also pocketing some cash in the process. Now my de-cluttering task became more than just a clean-up -- it became fun.

What happened next was quite unexpected. By eliminating the junk from my home, I also began doing the same in my professional life. I found myself able to get rid of doubts and approach situations with a "bare bones" attitude. This meant I'd focus on the task at hand and how to get done exactly what needed to be done with no extra baggage following me around.

While it may have taken a dozen garbage bags and a few hours of effort, cleaning out my home also helped me discover that the secrets to better business practices can be found anywhere.

If you've ever applied for a loan, new credit, line of credit or any kind of financing and been rejected, you know it can be a terrible feeling. You likely felt embarrassed, uncomfortable, and quite down on yourself for not being able to secure the credit you so desperately needed.

What can be the worst part, however, is the confusion. You may be left asking yourself, "What did I do wrong?" or, "How could this have happened?"

After all, to the best of your knowledge, you were a prime candidate for the credit you requested. Well, what you may not have known is that, regardless of how responsible you look, how good of a business plan you've prepared, or how good of a person you are, the main factor that determines whether or not you get the credit you were looking for has to do with your credit score.

In fact, your credit score not only determines what kind of credit you qualify for, but also the terms that are attached to it. The higher your credit score, the more access you have to credit and the less interest you will pay. On the other hand, the lower your score is, the less access to credit you may have, and you will likely be forced to pay high interest rates if you do receive it.

Your credit score is calculated by the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. They are given information from creditors based on your performance paying back credit. For instance, making your mortgage payments on time, your car payments on time, or paying your credit card bills or any other retail credit card. If you miss a payment, your score takes a hit. If things are all paid on time, your credit score improves. The credit scoring system was invented by the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) and another name for your credit score is "FICO score." This is how it is determined:

35% -- Punctuality of payments (only takes late payments of more than 30 days into account).
30% -- The amount of debt you have in relation to the credit available to you.
15% -- The length of your credit history.
10% -- Type of credit: installment (mortgage or car payments) or revolving (credit cards).
10% -- Recent searches of credit, or newly granted credit.

Your credit score will fall somewhere between 300 and 850, and, the higher it is, the better. The average FICO score is around 720.

If you are unaware of your credit score, it's important to learn what it is. This way, you can make the necessary adjustments to improve your score and make credit more available to you. Although your credit score can't be fixed overnight, making the right adjustments to your lifestyle and spending techniques can have long-term benefits to your credit score, so it can be improved.

On Wednesday, I'll outline the steps you can take to boost your credit score!

** Your Info Marketing Business Reflects Who You Are
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

A lot of people think being an entrepreneur is just a big hustle. The person trying to start his or her own business is out to wheel and deal with no sense of honesty. They snare clients like a wild animal, take whatever they can from them, and then release them all beaten and bruised.

Sounds pretty gruesome, no? Good thing it's far from the truth.

In fact, while some entrepreneurs are a tad rough, most of them are just regular folks. Like someone working in a trade or in an accounting office, the entrepreneur wants a secure profession in life to make a living. That's it.

Part of the myth about attaining that entrepreneurial profession is that you are out for a get-rich-quick turnover on clients. Entrepreneurs who really want to make a living at their trade need secure clients. If you go out and rip people off, your reputation is going to go bad really fast. But if you work to establish a client base that enjoys your service and comes back for it time and again, this is best way to achieve long-term success.

This client relationship is 100% vital to becoming an information marketer. If you are distributing information on a regular basis, but have no clients to take it, you're not going to last. You have to work at getting consistent clients. And part of getting those clients is keeping them. Not only to you have to establish your client base, but you also have to maintain it.

The good news is that there are some easy ways you can maintain a strong client base for your info marketing business. They might sound simple, but you have no idea how many people forget them when they are interacting with clients. Here they are:

--- Stick to a schedule: You would be surprised about how many people forget to stick to a routine of work when they go into info marketing. They fail to realize that consistency in work delivery is what customers come to expect. Just like getting your mail or your paycheck on time, regular scheduling is needed. If people did what they wanted, nobody could depend on any basic life services. That said, whatever your schedule for newsletter or product delivery is, stick with it. Your clients will appreciate this.

--- Return calls: As with any business, you're going to get people asking questions, making queries, or registering complaints. Next to not sticking with your schedule, not returning customer calls is a cardinal sin in the entrepreneurial world. Think of the last time you were on hold at a government office or someone never called you back when you were inquiring about their service. You felt pretty unwanted and underappreciated right? This is something that shows a lack of interest and commitment to any new or existing clients. The results from this are obvious -- if you don't show interest, clients will get the services they want elsewhere.

--- Be calm and collected: You're going get to get happy clients, but also a few angry ones, too. You might have made an error or maybe they are having a bad day. Either way, something has gone wrong and a client is upset. What do you do? The answer is to stand strong. This can be tough. I have worked in customer service. You do get people saying some cruel and awful things. But you have to stay tough. People are people and they come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of anger. If you show true professionalism in calmly dealing with whatever problem they have, they will come back time and again.

--- Be a good teacher/set an example: I knew a part-time info marketer a long time ago. He was a computer expert who sold computers and also wrote a regular column for a local tech newsletter. He was pretty well informed and was keen to share his knowledge with the public. Occasionally he would slip away from his desk, so I asked him where he went. He mentioned that he often got e-mails from clients needing help. He had no problem helping them set up their computers and giving them tutoring, sometimes for free. One student was an old woman whose children bought her computer to save money and time for writing letters. This guy was a stand-up citizen. Clients loved him and others used him as a role model for their own business. When he left for a new job out west, his bosses begged him not to go. The lesson: if you are going to go into info marketing, don't aim to be second best. Be the best example and, if possible, teacher for those with whom you interact. Your reputation will only strengthen with the public over time.

Working with the public is tough, no question. Info marketers and other entrepreneurs really have to work hard to earn their daily bread. But it can be very rewarding, too. If you always work with your clients' best interests in mind, you will see great opportunities now and well into the future.