Categories
Online Business

5 Ways to Effectively Utilize Outlook to Increase Productivity and Save Time

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Members of my Easy Office Organization program and my private clients know that I’m a die-hard Outlook fan. I’ve tried many email and contact management systems over the years, but keep coming back to this one tool. Why?

Because it does everything that I could possibly need in order to effectively run my business. It’s my:
* Email manager
* Contact manager
* Calendar planner
* Task scheduler
* Notes space

In short, it’s my command central for running my business.

If you’re not fully utilizing Outlook, in other words if you’re only using it for email management and nothing else, then today I’d like to share with you five ways in which you can utilize Outlook to effectively run your business too:

1. Create email templates

If you find yourself sending the same email more than once then it’s time to take that email and create an Outlook template, which is simply your email saved in the special Outlook templates folder. This saves you time as next time you need to send the same email you simply retrieve it from the templates folder; ‘tweak’ as needed, and hit ‘send’. Some examples of what you can create templates for are:

* Thank you for requesting more information
* Confirmation of an appointment
* Requesting a client testimonial

2. Set up recurring tasks

This is a great way to build into your schedule those tasks that you do on a regular basis, such as:
* writing your ezine article
* updating your bookkeeping system
* submitting your articles
* or any other regular task

When you create a new Task, simply set it up to recur automatically and next time that particular task is due it will pop up in your task list – reminding you. What a great way to automate your To Do list!

3. Create reminders for follow-up appointments

By creating reminders for follow-up appointments you’ll never miss important deadlines again. There are two ways I utilize Outlook to create reminders for me to follow up with clients & contacts. The first is by right-clicking on the item and choosing Followup from the menu; and the second is to create a task and specify the date the task needs to be completed by. Either way works well.

4. Create Post-It Notes

The Notes feature in Outlook is the same as using the sticky post-it notes, so rather than have them stuck all over my desk I simply utilize Outlook’s Notes feature in the same way, and have them stored in one place in my Notes folder.

Use notes to jot down questions, ideas, reminders, and anything you would write on a sticky note or note paper. You can leave notes open on the screen while you work. This is especially useful when you’re using notes for storing bits of information you may need later, such as directions or text you want to reuse in other items or documents.

5. Create Rules/Folders for filtering emails

This is probably the single most used feature in Outlook for me – having the ability to create rules to handle my incoming emails. By creating rules in Outlook you can filter and sort your email automatically as it comes into your Inbox. For example you can set up your rules to tell Outlook that if you receive an email from Client A automatically put this email in Client A’s Inbox folder – what a huge timesaver!

So now you know how you can use Outlook to effectively manage your business, increase your productivity, and save you time, what’s stopping you?

Categories
Success Attitude

Enjoying Life: How Discovering Your Natural Skills Can Keep Things Looking Up

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Article Contributed by Gary Jordan
Determining whether a particular skill you possess is natural or acquired is an important step to doing more of what you do best. Because many of of our natural skills bring a greater feeling of joy, these skills are worth discovering and developing.
A “skill” is a behavior or ability you’ve developed through training or experience. And, while all personal skills are behaviors, not all behaviors are skills. For example, telling a joke is a skill; laughing at a joke is a behavior.
Some of your skills are natural, meaning that were born with the potential to develop them easily. By the way, you usually have a strong affinity for those skills which are natural to you. Some of your skills are acquired, meaning you had to put more effort into developing them than you did your natural skills.
You may be able to perform both with equal ease, but the skills that are acquired will cost you more in terms of psychological, emotional and physical effort. The skills that are natural to you tend to bring with them fulfillment and joy, leading to a greater feeling of life success.
Take 10 minutes to reflect on the behaviors you perform every day.
o Which of these behaviors are skills?
o Which of these behaviors do you find easy, look forward to doing, or gain great satisfaction when you do them?
o Which do you find more challenging?
o Which do you find yourself putting off or postponing?
These are important keys to discovering your natural skills. Discovering and nurturing a new talent is an opportunity to find what you need to be successful in life and enjoy life more fully. When we are doing what we love, we are often performing at our best. This leads to a kind of fulfillment that allows us to live life passionately and happily.
About the Author
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He’s the co-founder of Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. www.vrft.com.

Categories
Planning & Management

Get Organized to Get Clients

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This article has been inspired by one of the respondents to my recent survey who commented “I need clients not organization”. This particular comment really stuck out for me because I feel that a lot of business owners become so focused on getting the clients that they really don’t understand being more organized means getting more clients, and therefore do not put in place the foundational pieces that will allow their business to grow.

You will probably have heard me say before that you need to “manage” your business before you can “market” your business, or to take what this respondent said and turn it on it’s head:

You need to get organized to get clients.

Sure, you may get clients without being organized, but you won’t get clients consistently; you won’t be able to create a business that brings you the fulfillment of bringing in a significant income; and you won’t have the security that even in a slow economy your business will still bring you in the clients and provide you with a consistent income – and yes I’m talking from experience here. 2009 has been my best year ever!

So today I’m going to share with you why becoming more organized and having your systems in place means getting more clients – and a continual flow of clients too.

It all starts with your filing system i.e. getting the papers off your desk and put away and getting the clutter off the floor. Once you have cleared away the clutter and have a system in place for retrieving information so that you can access it when you need it, you eliminate a lot of the overwhelm. And once the overwhelm has been eliminated your mind becomes clear, you can focus, and your creative juices start to flow – think implementing new programs or creating new info products. You now have the space (both physically and mentally) to start working on your business rather than in your business.

Once the clutter has gone you then need to take charge of your finances. You need to know exactly where you are financially in your business so that you can make sound business decisions, i.e. can you place an advert in that ezine where your target market hangs out and so will bring in new clients for you? Can you afford to attend that networking event where you know you will make new contacts who will eventually become clients or generate a constant referral source for your business? Having your financial information organized will tell you exactly whether you can make that investment. And making that investment will lead to new clients.

Now that you’ve placed that advert or attended that networking event, you need to follow up with all the people you’ve just met. A contact management system will let you do just that! And this is the real secret to getting new clients – the follow-up; the making connections; the staying-in-touch. All this comes from having your contact management system organized, and this is where you can bring in new clients consistently.

And finally, you need to create an online marketing system that draws new clients to you daily; people who sign up to your list; who want to stay in touch with you; are interested in your programs, products, and services. Your marketing system should be fully automated so that it can continue to work for you even while you’re not present in your business.

So now can you see why you need to get organized to get clients?

It’s the lack of organization that stops your business from growing; that stops you from getting new clients on a regular basis; and that takes away the security and fulfillment you get from running your own business. By being organized you will get clients consistently and your business will grow.

Categories
Entrepreneurs

Launching a New Product or Service – Things Two Types of Women Business Owners Should Consider

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Article Contributed by Michele DeKinder-Smith
Launching a product is an important step in growing a business. If you’re already in the business of selling products, it’s an opportunity to expand into a new market. If your primary business is in services, offering a product is an opportunity to get beyond the “dollars for hours” trap and begin creating residual income. In either case, launching a product, or even a new service, takes time, forethought and a great deal of investment. And, while it’s exciting, it can be stressful, too.
A new study from Jane Out of the Box, an authority on women entrepreneurs, recently revealed there are five distinct types of women in business. Each of these five types has a unique approach to running a business—and as a consequence, each of them has a unique combination of characteristics and factors. This article profiles two important Jane “types” and the things they should keep in mind as they plan for (and launch) new products.
Jane Dough is an entrepreneur who enjoys running her business and makes good money. She is comfortable and determined in buying and selling, which may be why she’s five times more likely than the average female business owner to hit the million dollar mark. Jane Dough is clear in her priorities and may be intentionally and actively growing an asset-based or legacy business. It is estimated that 18% of women fall in the category of Jane Dough.
If you’re the Jane Dough type, chances are good you feel totally confident about this launch. You’re a big picture gal, and you probably believe this launch will benefit your business. But before you go ahead with it, here are some things to think about:
* Staying focused on the big picture means you may fail to truly analyze all the potential risks and benefits of your new product or service. Although you make good business decisions and are able to separate your business from your emotion, sometimes you move so fast you forget to consider all the angles.
* Have you adequately assessed your market? Do the parameters and features of price points associated with the product need to be tweaked? Are you reaching your target market with the right message? You’ve got plenty of business coming in and plenty of other plans in the works. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to yield to those caution signs. Slow down and analyze all the intricacies, colors and patterns that make up the big picture you love so much.
* What about the system around your launch? Have you taken the time to explain to your team what they need to do to make the launch a success? Having a system in place can prevent problems before they happen–and just thinking about that system can make you slow down enough to consider all the angles.
By taking the time to understand exactly how this new launch fits in—rather than staying focused on the big picture vision, and forging blindly ahead—you’ll be able to learn from possible mistakes before they happen.
Tenacity Jane is an entrepreneur with an undeniable passion for her business, and also one who tends to be struggling with cash flow. As a result, she’s working long hours, and making less money than she’d like. Nevertheless, Tenacity Jane is bound and determined to make her business a success. At 31% of women in business, Tenacity Janes are the largest single Jane type.
If you’re the Tenacity Jane type, you’re no stranger to challenge. But that doesn’t mean you should create another one for yourself. Before launching a new product or service, ask yourself some questions:
* Is adding a product or service a smart business decision, or is it just something you just really want to do? Tenacity Janes tend to love what they’re doing so much, and want it so badly, that emotions sometimes get in the way. The deep and abiding faith you have in your business and in yourself as an entrepreneur is what keeps you going–but it won’t launch a new product and keep it off the ground.
* Is the timing good for adding another output for your business? For Tenacity Jane, finances are an issue. If this product launch fails, will it put you out of business? Is this a risk you can afford to take right now, or should you put it off until your business more stable? A product launch can boost your business–but it also can suck your resources dry.
* Have you done enough research and planning? For some Tenacity Janes, their business results from a great concept but a poor plan. For others, they have a great idea but no clue how to run a business. Make sure all your ducks are in a row before you launch a product. What if your product takes off? Are you equipped to handle a huge increase in business? Remember, if things go well, you’re going to be swamped with more work. And if they don’t, you’re going to be out a lot of money. Either way, you need to be prepared.
* Are you looking at this possible product launch as just another challenge? Well, it’s not! Launching a new product is a big deal. Make sure you’re giving it enough thought, time and attention. We know you’re familiar with struggles, but launching a product has the potential to take up even more of your time, use up even more of your money and cause even more desperation. Make sure you’re ready!
Each Jane presented here–Jane Dough and Tenacity Jane–has several things to consider before launching a new product or service. Each entrepreneur must decide whether this is the right thing to do for her business–and for herself. Because in the end, isn’t that what this is all about? Asking herself the right questions and thinking about the right issues will allow every Jane, when the time comes, to move boldly forward in the future.
About the Author
Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com.

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Facebook is Looking More Like Twitter

Facebook just added the @mentions feature, which allows you to include other Facebook users in your status updates. If you use Twitter, the @name symbology will look very familiar to you.
While I haven’t played around with it a whole lot yet, the feature lets you mention another Facebook user, list their name like @mary, and then opens up a drop down menu of all your friends named Mary, from which you can select the actual friend you were talking about.
There is an auto-suggestion feature to help you cull through your list if you know a lot of people named Mary. Once you mention someone using the @, they get a notification and it also show up in their Wall- it’s almost like posting to their Wall without having to go to their profile.
The new feature allows you to include individual users, as I’ve mentioned, but you can also include brand names (through their Facebook pages), events and groups. When you monitor your friend’s status updates, all the links are clickable, so you can see exactly who your friends are talking about and hanging out with.
These changes have a few key implications for marketers.
First, you will gain from fostering overlapping connections within your social networks. If you (like me) tend to update mostly on Twitter, you might want to start spending some time in Facebook too, and highlighting your connections there. This will help “place” you within a social context that will build your reputation and influence.
Second, you will need to be even more careful about what you share online, as there will be greater transparency about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with if you use the @mentions feature.
Third, you should get into Facebook and get your fan page and profile fully set up, so when people mention you and link to you, you’re putting your best profile forward.
And while you’re in there, please connect with me on Facebook!
RachnaJainPhoto.jpgDr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog