Communicating Effectively - You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

You’ve been selected as a guest on the Donnie Deutsch show to pitch “The Big Idea”. You have thirty seconds to describe your business and how it can benefit others.

What will you say? What do you want people to walk away with? How many people are watching the show and can benefit from your “Big Idea” or even provide funding?

There was one particular episode of “The Big Idea” that stood out to me. There was a panel of expert entrepreneurs there to provide constructive feedback to the entrepreneur on their “Big Idea”. Donnie introduced the guest and asked them to describe their business in thirty seconds. The business owner started to describe their business and began to fumble while explaining their product. I started to become unclear on the purpose of the business and how it could benefit me. Were they nervous from all the lights and cameras in the studio? Was it the panel of experts?

Well, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. With more people out of work today, starting your own business is more of an appealing option to create income. In a survey conducted by a Fortune Small Business/Zogby International online survey of 755 small business owners, 40% of entrepreneurs said they feel more secure having their own business as they would if they worked for a large firm (27% just as secure, 22% less and 8% not sure). Entrepreneurs may have a great business, but when it comes to communicating the product and vision, the message sometimes seems to get lost in translation. Why is that? We are not all experts when it comes to presenting ideas, let alone speaking to a group of people. People fear public speaking, but let’s focus on an exercise that helps you confidently present your business to one or many future clients and investors.

Exercise 1. Keep these key questions in mind as they will come up during conversations about your business:

- Why was this business created?
- Who does it benefit and how?
- How can we purchase your products and services and what is the cost?

Exercise 2. To help you answer these questions, do a brain dump of everything you know about your business. If you have a business plan, pull some information from there as well. If you don’t have one, maybe it’s time to start creating one. I would even include the S.W.O.T. Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.) from the business plan.

Strengths: What does your business offer that your competitor’s may not offer?
- Better distribution channels
- Niche market

Weaknesses: What are some of the objections a customer may have to not select your business?
- New to the market place
- Limited product and service offering

Opportunities: What external factors will allow your business to prosper?
- Political
- Demographic
- Technology

Threats: What threats would impact your business?
- Pricing
- Substitutes in the market place

Exercise 3. Now that you have your thoughts on paper, start putting some structure around your responses to the questions above. You only have thirty seconds to make your pitch and you want it to count.

Write out your main points on what you want to say. Create variations, some may be short and some may be long. Have a business partner, mentor, family member or friend ask you questions about your business and practice giving responses to the questions so you feel comfortable when it’s time. Your network does not want to see you fail, so ask them for honest and constructive feedback. In fact, have several different people from your trusted network ask you different questions about your business, so you get used to the different styles. Have some in a formal and informal setting. If you have a camcorder, record yourself so you can see how you look when you’re giving your responses.

Some questions to ask yourself and the person working with you on your responses:

Do you seem confident and natural about what you’re discussing?
Does it look like you’re thinking about what you want to say?
Do you “um” and “uh” when responding?

Make sure your responses feel and sound natural like you are having a conversation with the other person. You want to look very knowledgeable when talking about your business. Repeat this exercise as much as possible until you become comfortable. It will be valuable for you as you begin to speak to more people about your business. Make it easy for people to understand what you do, so they can easily promote your business to their network.

You got the call from Donnie Deutsch to pitch your “Big Idea”. Who knows how many people may be watching the show that evening. With the exercise that you completed, you will now feel more comfortable and confident talking about your business, not just to Donnie, but future clients and investors as well.

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Reggie Waller is the president of RWJ Consulting Group a provider of business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit RWJ Consulting Group

Networking: The quality of your network

I recently came across a blog post "It's about the QUALITY of your connections" by Jun Loayza (Co-Founder and CMO of Future Delivery). I really enjoyed the post, because it focused on building "QUALITY" relationships.

As a loyal user of LinkedIn.com, I too see many people focusing on quantity and not the quality of relationships. We all want people to like us and be our friend, but how many friends can we truly have at one time and really know them inside and out? It seems like social networking sites are turning more into a popularity contest and not being used as a true networking tool. If you saw a person from your network in public, would they recognize you or would you recognize them?

I challenge you to look at the contacts in your network and value those relationships you have established. If used correctly, your network can be a very powerful tool.

What is your purpose for networking? Is it to see how many people you can add to your network or is it to build healthy and valuable relationships?

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Reggie Waller is the president of RWJ Consulting Group a provider of business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit RWJ Consulting Group

Organizing your Contacts for Networking

Imagine you are nominated chair of a fundraising event for an organization you are passionate about. Your goal is to raise awareness about the organization as well as raise a set dollar amount. You are ready to share the news about this event with your contacts, but you realize one thing. Pulling all of the pertinent contact information and notifying them will take a little longer than expected.

Communicating with individuals in your network today, may not always be as easy as it seems. If you’re like most people, you have contacts stored in your cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), several email accounts (work and personal), traditional phone book or rolodex. If you use one or all, it can be a challenge when you want to contact or even share news with your network.

Information that is typically valuable:

- Contact name
- Title
- Phone number
- Place of employment
- Primary address
- Email address
- Fax number
- Notes section to write brief comments about your contact

There is more than one way to manage your contact’s information without it being an extensive process. Let’s get started organizing your contacts and formalizing your network!

Step 1: Identify all your sources of business contacts. To create a solid contact network, identify all the sources where your contacts can be located. This will not be an effortless process, but be sure to verify all of your online email accounts, social networking sites, black book, rolodex, business cards, etc.

Step 2: Start categorizing your contacts. Now that you have identified all of your contacts, put them in some type of category. The main categories are business, professional and personal, but create something so you can easily search and find them when you need them. In your process, make sure there is a notes section and capture information from prior conversations.

Step 3: Pull it all together. Which system works best for you? Here are some possible solutions:

Solution (1) - Microsoft Excel, Access or Outlook

Pros: The ability to sort data.
Cons: User must manually input data.

Solution (2) - Social network (LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook)

Pros:
- Contacts are responsible for updating their own information which saves you time.
- You can access this information with an internet connection.
- You act as a connector for your contacts to be introduced to others on that networking site.

Cons:
- Not all contacts can be found on the site you are using.
- Contacts do not update their contact information or access the site as often.

Solution (3) - PDA (Palm Treo, BlackBerry, iPhone)

Pros:
- The ability to place contacts in categories and sort.
- Can quickly contact individuals if device has an internet connection.

Cons:
- Must have a computer to extract contact data from application.

Solution (4) - Yahoo, AOL, Google

Pros: You can access this information with an internet connection.
Cons: Can only email a maximum number of contacts at one time.

Solution (5) - Business card scanner

Pros: Program captures all of the information from the business cards you scan.

Cons:
- Cost associated with the purchase of the program and the need for a computer.
- If your contact does not have a business card, you have to manually input the information.

Solution (6) - Traditional rolodex

Pros:
- No internet connection needed.
- All information is in one location

Cons:
- User must manually maintain and information needs to be inputted into an email or letter each time.

*Note: There are several other solutions available that were not listed.

Choose 2-3 solutions. Create an easy process for you to maintain contact information, so that when you need to contact your network you can do so.

Step 4: Actively use your contact list. Now that you pulled it all together, make sure you actively utilize your newly consolidated networking list. Make time to review your contact list either, once a quarter, once a year or a time that might be best for you to review especially if you have a long list.

Managing contacts in your network does not have to be a long and drawn out process. Don’t wait until you need to use your network to determine if their contact information is current. If you follow the steps provided above, you will find that maintaining your network will be much easier going forward.

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Reggie Waller is the president of RWJ Consulting Group a provider of business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit RWJ Consulting Group

Keith Ferrazzi on "How do I start networking?"

Keith Ferrazzi, author of "Never Eat Alone" shares quick and easy tips on "How do I start networking?"

There was one paragraph in the book that stood out to me about networking and the impact building relationships has on your growth:

"This realization came to some empowering implications.  To achieve your goals in life, I realized, it matters less how smart you are, how much innate talent you're born with, or even, most eye-opening to me, where you came from and how much you started out with.  Sure all these are important, but they mean little if you don't understand one thing: You can't get there alone.  In fact, you can't get very far at all."

What steps worked for you when you started networking?

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Reggie Waller is the president of RWJ Consulting Group a provider of business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit RWJ Consulting Group

Networking: Reconnecting with contacts in your network!

In an article, I wrote previously this year “Make a True Connection: Networking for Personal and Professional Success!” the message focused on networking with an emphasis on making a connection with a person and taking it beyond the business card.

This month, the focus is on “reconnecting with contacts in your network.” Reconnecting with contacts is like taking your car in for routine maintenance. It’s good to make it a part of your routine plan whether it’s monthly, quarterly or yearly, but it’s something you need to do. With the current conditions of the economy, some individuals have relied heavily on their existing network and others had to start from scratch.

Reconnecting with your network can bring many benefits to your professional relationship. Let’s focus on the Why, How and When:

Why reconnect with your professional contacts?

1. Get a status. See what has changed (i.e. revenues, business expansion, etc.)
2. Share industry news and updates.
3. Grow your business.
4. Build a lasting relationship.

How to reconnect with your professional contacts?

There are many ways that you can reconnect with your contacts. Only you would know the best methods based on prior conversations. Don’t limit yourself on the ways you network and reconnect with your contacts. Here are some ways for you to be strategic and recharge that connection:

- Social Networks – Send a message through LinkedIn, Facebook or any other social network. Social networks also allow you to give an update of things you are working on and literature you may be reading.

- Email – Send an email with those contacts you communicate with via email. Send a quick email to see how things are going with them especially with the current economic conditions. Who knows, they may require your help or the help of someone within your network.

- Phone call – Another method that is rarely used. It is always nice to talk and hear a voice on the other end of the phone.

- Lunch/ Face to face meeting – A cup of coffee or a bite to eat, a nice informal way to reconnect and share news with your contacts.

- Personal letter/ note card – This method is seldom used. Even though electronic communications reach our audience much faster, a handwritten message displays that there was some thought put behind the message.

- Holiday parties – What better way to reconnect with your contacts. If you are hesitant on going to several holiday parties, why not be the host of your own Holiday “Reconnecting Network” Party.

- Holiday cards – “Tis the season”. Share a card of warm wishes during the holidays and include a personal message.

When to reconnect with your professional contacts?

When you’re building your network, being patient and preparing for the next time is significant. It’s never too early or too late to build a healthy network. Don’t wait until you need something from your network. “Be proactive, not reactive when networking!”

As you see, reconnecting with your professional contacts can happen for any reason, any time and any place. Don’t let too much time go by or key factors take place before your reconnect. Remember, just as you take your car in for routine maintenance; make sure you set a goal of staying connected with your professional contacts.

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Reggie Waller is the president of RWJ Consulting Group a provider of business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit RWJ Consulting Group

Thank you! Part II … Recognizing Your Employees

“Recognizing employees is not simply a nice thing to do. It is an effective way to communicate your appreciation for the efforts and successes of others, while also reinforcing those actions and behaviors that make a difference in your organization” a point made by Mallary Tytel – President and Founder of Healthy Workplaces.

Let’s face it, we all like to be recognized for our efforts. Some like a “BIG to do” and others like a simple “Thank you”. Whatever the case, employees like to be acknowledged and shown they are appreciated.

Here are some ideas for you to incorporate into your recognition plan:

Employee pictures in printed advertising materials and television commercials: In 2007, federal court employees were recognized for leadership, excellence in court operations, and extraordinary actions. Each employees picture and a descriptive paragraph of their efforts appeared in “The Third Branch” newsletter of the federal courts.

Putting employee pictures in your print materials allows them to share it with family and friends.

Appreciation lunch: Instead of having a normal catered lunch or going to your cafeteria, why not have the management team serve lunch to the employees to show their appreciation. This can also be done serving ice cream sundaes to employees in the afternoon as a nice stress reliever.

Years of Service Recognition: When an employee reaches a milestone year of service with the company (5yr, 10yr, etc.) recognize them for their efforts. Have peers or other leaders that worked with the employee attend the event and provide comments. Have a cake, invite their family in and when you acknowledge them, personalize your message:

• What were the company revenues when they first joined?
• What was the first role they occupied?
• How has the employee progressed throughout the company?
• Any key initiatives that the employee was involved with?
• What was going on in the world when the employee first began with your company?

If you’re going to roast them during the years of service recognition, make sure that they are okay and all stories are appropriate for the occasion.

Team outing: Recognize the team for their accomplishments and take them out for a team outing. Bowling and lunch is a cheap outing. Everyone thrives on a little competition and bowling is an activity that everyone can enjoy (even if you have to put up the bumpers in the lane).

No meeting Fridays: Some employees spend enough time meeting about the meeting and what we plan to do in the next meeting. Give time back to your employees on Fridays and have a rule of no meetings.

Early close/ early leave in the summer: If your company can do so, why not let employees leave one hour early every Friday during the summer (May - Labor Day).

Do their job for a day: You recognized that they have done something above and beyond, but what better way to understand what they do than by doing their job for a day.

“Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business” – Susan M. Heathfield of About.com

Employers, what are your peers doing in your industry to recognize their employees?

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Reggie Waller is president of RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, which provides business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit http://www.rwjconsultinggroup.com

Thank You! Part I - Recognizing Your Customers

Not expressing thanks to your customers is a missed golden opportunity. It is a proven growth and customer retention strategy, one that businesses are not in the habit of doing.

- a Lenox etiquette poll found that nearly five out of every 10 people don't always say thanks.

When should you say thank you? There is no written rule that indicates when and how you should thank you customers. Some of us say it during the holidays and others say it when we win new business. It would be ideal to thank them at natural points:

• Customer demonstrates loyalty (i.e. number of years, amount of money spent, etc.)
• Customer provides a reference/ new project
• Customer gives you feedback
• New customer

These are some of many natural points in which you can say thank you to your customers. As you do your business planning each year, be sure to add a line item in your budget for customer recognition and ways you would thank them. Another point to keep in mind is that some companies have a policy in place for receiving gifts (i.e. must be between $25 - $50 dollars, shared with the group, etc.). You may want to check with your customers prior to sending a gift to ensure it is within the policy.

NOTE: No matter how late you are, be sure to thank your customer. It is better to be late, than to say nothing at all.

Ways to say thank you (monetary vs. non-monetary):

Monetary

Gift cards: They are a nice gesture and can be purchased in various denominations. You can also purchase them from various retailers that your customer may patronize.
Charitable giving: This is a unique way to thank a customer. If they have a charitable organization (i.e. American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc.) that you know of, make a contribution on their behalf. This is a personalized gift and it lets them know you support a cause they are passionate about.

Free samples of products: Depending on the nature of your business, you can offer free samples of existing and future products.

Discount: Offer a discount on the next point of sale.

Non- Monetary

Thank you note: This is the most traditional method of saying thank you. Nothing computer generated. Just a good old fashion hand-written note (personalized, sincere, short and specific) to show your gratitude. I have a stack of thank you cards that I use. You can keep them in your laptop bag, briefcase and write them when you have some down time.

Thank you letter: This is something that could be computer generated and is a little more formal. Be sure to personalize the letter and keep it specific.

Pick up the phone: When in doubt, pick up the phone and call the customer to say thank you. They would really appreciate you taking the time to pick up the phone and thank them for choosing your business/ service over your competitors. We schedule meetings throughout the week, so why not schedule a block of time to call your customers to thank them.

Newsletter recognition: All gifts don't need to be monetary. You can recognize your customers within your newsletters as well.

Give them leads: Again, no monetary value, but a great way to send potential business to your customers as a way of saying thank you.

Send an email: This is a way to thank multiple customers that may have been involved with a particular situation. This method is overused and not as personal, so use this method the least.

People like to feel appreciated and recognized. Saying thank you is a gift that keeps on giving. If it is not part of your business strategy, add it; it is an effective and winning business tactic.

Look for Thank you! Part II ... Recognizing Your Employees.

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Reggie Waller is president of RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, which provides business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit http://www.rwjconsultinggroup.com

Best Practices: Improve your memory skills for better networking

Jennifer Goddard wrote a great blog post on BNET.com called "OMG, Did You Just Forget the Client’s Name?".

Have you ever forgotten a client's name or even someone you just met? If you answered yes to either question, you're not alone. We tend to be on information overload causing us to forget some of the most simple things such as someone's name.

To help me improve my memory, a friend of mine recommended The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. This book has some valuable tips and exercises to help you improve your memory in the areas of:

• Speeches
• Names and Faces
• Long Words, Appointments and Errands, Shopping Lists
• Long-Digits Numbers

What methods do you use to improve your memory?

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Reggie Waller is president of RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, which provides business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit http://www.rwjconsultinggroup.com