Successful Blog

Invest Energy in Your Business Relationships

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Rosemary O’Neill

Relationships take work

Strong relationships, both personal and business, take a consistent investment of energy over a long period of time. Anyone who is selling you “likes,” or Twitter followers, or other nonsense like that is not helping you build your business.

The Tickler File

I love to entertain. Part of the fun is making sure that each person who visits always gets their favorite things. My dad loves blueberries, but not ever baked into anything. My sister-in-law has a particular affection for those little white Russian tea cookies. But I could never hold all of that information in my brain, so I cheat a little. In my Evernote system, I have a “dossier” on each person who visits. It’s my relationship tickler file.

Invest Energy in Your Business Relationships

The most successful business owners and entrepreneurs have a strong network of relationships that they can call on when the chips are down. Liz refers to these as “the people who won’t let you fail.”

But these people don’t just appear out of nowhere. You must slowly build those ties over time, maintaining contact, learning about each other, having face-to-face conversations, and providing support to each others’ causes.

The quick hit of buying followers or making fake reviews will never cut the mustard in the long run. The random stranger who was paid to like your Facebook page won’t be there for you when you launch your new product.

Tips to Build Your Own Tickler File

  • Add notes to your contact system or CRM (e.g., “dog named Babs”)
  • Set up reminders either in Google calendar or in your CRM
  • Start noticing when people share preferences or details about their lives
  • Foster your sense of curiosity about other people, focus on them when they’re speaking, not on what you’re going to say next
  • Don’t just rely on the automated happy birthday status update; get creative and recognize people on days other

    • than their birthday

  • After you meet with someone, write down notes from the meeting for next time, so you can progress each time

How do you invest in your business relationships?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

5 Compelling Reasons to Comment on Blogs

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Rosemary O’Neill

Blog commenting is the broccoli of the social media world, an important part of a balanced diet.

In contrast, it’s so easy to pop out a Retweet, hit the “like” button, or re-pin an infographic—those are the Krispy Kreme donuts. A quick rush and then you’re hungry again.

The ROI of Blog Commenting

The other day, I asked someone who was considering a major purchase from my company how they found us. What he said blew my mind. He found me through a blog comment I made on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog THREE YEARS AGO. I happened to be the first commenter on the post, and because of the post’s content, it had surfaced in a Google search by my new friend. (Yes, that’s the sound of angels singing.)

If you can craft a blog comment that contributes to the conversation, adds helpful information, or draws others in, then you’ve done something useful with your social media time investment. If all you have to say is, “great post!” then don’t bother.

Be brief, be witty, be on topic (or all three) and you will attract the attention of the blog writer as well as your fellow readers. Then it’s not only broccoli, it’s doing P90X while eating broccoli.

Start eating your broccoli today.

5 Compelling Reasons to Comment on Blogs

  1. Puts your hat in the ring – Every time you make a helpful comment, you have “shown the flag” for your personal brand. Some commenting systems even allow you to carry points or likes on your comment content, so they become a “body of work.”
  2. Follow you back – I frequently check out other commenters on blogs I frequent. I’ll check out their personal sites, recent posts, and their company pages. Even if the blog uses the “no-follow” for your link, you can still have people follow you home.
  3. Gives back to the blog writer – Commenting and extending the conversation is a small way to give back to the author of the post. Getting validation that someone is reading and that the post resonated with them is something even “famous” bloggers crave.
  4. Exercises your writing muscle – Blog comments can be a disciplined way of distilling your thoughts and practicing expression. If you’re not ready to write an entire blog post of your own, try routinely commenting for a while. It’s great exercise!
  5. Networking with other commenters – There are plenty of blogs where the discussion in the comments is even more stimulating than the blog content itself. Check out Social Media Examiner’s excellent commenter banter, or the established community within SpinSucks comments. If you show up frequently, you can become part of the community too.

So, have you had your broccoli yet today?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Know lots of things

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Rosemary O’Neill

Know lots of things

Intellectual curiosity is a hugely valuable asset for entrepreneurs and small business owners alike. Stoking the fires of learning should be a lifelong, never-ending quest, and the input to your brain should be much more than just a steady stream of blog posts and Pinterest photos.

Last night, I was working on the NYTimes crossword puzzle (on my iPad—I’ve finally given up my beloved paper copy) when my 8 year old son came over and asked me what I was doing.

As I was explaining how crossword puzzles work, I realized that the fundamental skill for doing a crossword is to know a little bit about a lot of things. Random opera characters, book titles, TV shows from the 50’s, words from your Barron’s vocabulary tests in 8th grade, all of these things lay the groundwork for being able to solve the puzzle.

The conversation with my son left me wondering whether, in this age of immersion in blogs, rapid-fire videos, and Tweets, we are going to lose the ability to do the New York Times crossword.

Are we going to lose our broad curiosity about things that don’t relate to Facebook or smartphones? Does that also hinder our ability to patiently noodle through complex problems with multiple layers of connection?

Our challenge in 2012 is finding the long, difficult knowledge rather than the quick hit. Let’s make sure that we still listen to a full length symphony, read War and Peace, visit the Louvre. And let’s not stopping doing the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. In ink.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Follow Through is Everything

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Rosemary O’Neill

Follow-Through is Everything

There are two kinds of people in the world. People who are good at following through, and people who are frustrated, wondering why their plans never work out. If you can master the follow-through, you have already put yourself ten steps ahead of everyone else.

Consistent Practice

When I was first learning to golf, one of the hardest things was learning to move the club “through” the ball and take a complete swing. A lot of dirt was flung before I got the idea. And the muscle memory is part of the art.

The more you practice following through, the easier it gets.

Action Items to Practice Following Through

  • After conferences and events, record all of the contacts you made, and for each one, find a way to reinforce the connection within one week after the event. Ideally, you can find one small action you can do that will help move your contact’s project along.
  • When you say you’re going to do something, do it. Make this an ironclad, “prime directive.”
  • Create a tickler file with reminders. Use the technology at hand to give yourself automatic reminders. With “reminders” now built in on Mac OS, and thousands of Android apps, you almost have no excuse.
  • Maintain contact information. Whether you prefer a stack of paper business cards or you pull them in with CardMunch, keep your contact information up-to-date and include notes about where you met the person.
  • Close the loop. We already discussed having your “ask” ready in case an opportunity arises. Get practiced at making that next phone call or sending that next email that will seal the deal. Don’t just leave it out there hanging, and don’t be the one waiting for your contact to call you back. Go get it.
  • Return your phone calls and emails. A good practice is to save some period of time (maybe at the end of the day) when you clear out the messages. Just delete the ones that are unsolicited and not of interest to you—they’re just mental clutter.
  • Don’t take on projects you don’t intend to finish. Practice saying “no” as well! It’s easier to follow through when you are focused on commitments that align with your goals.

How do you build your “follow-through” muscle? Do you use any tricks to support your practice?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Embrace the Chaos

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Rosemary O’Neill

The best (and worst) part of being an entrepreneur or small business owner is the sheer unpredictability of day to day life. Planning anything is tricky when you have no idea what’s going to happen next.

Welcome to life as a glamorous business person!

There’s a scene in the movie Parenthood in which the grandmother reflects on life as either a merry-go-round or a rollercoaster. Later, Steve Martin’s wife (played by Mary Steenburgen) tells him that she “loves the rollercoaster.” He’s worried about everything that happens, and she is excited by the thrill of not knowing what’s around the bend.

If you can’t embrace the chaos, you should not own a business.

So how can you cope with life’s curveballs?

  • Go ahead and make strategic plans for 3-5 years out, but also incorporate flexibility. Revisit your plans routinely and update them to account for changes.
  • Create some very short-term plans as well. Do you know what you want to accomplish this week? This month?
  • Make sure you have activities that you love outside of your business. Don’t sleep with your phone under your pillow. Leave a zone of peace that you can escape to when the rollercoaster takes you upside down.
  • Keep friends close to you who will support you when things get scary. Business is unpredictable, but a strong network of “people who won’t let you fail” offers a refuge of comfort so that you can carry on.
  • Remember that chaos works in both directions—if today’s surprise is a total disaster with your shipping, tomorrow’s surprise could be a big new customer inquiry.
  • Have standards, routines, and training in place to make sure that the little things are under control (or as under control as they CAN be). You shouldn’t have to be reinventing the wheel every day.
  • Find a way to keep it all in perspective. Volunteer for a non-profit, look out at the ocean, stargaze, find a touchstone that will show you your place in the universe on a regular basis. It’s easy to start thinking that if the FedEx doesn’t arrive on time, all is lost. Step back in humility once in a while and realize the true importance of things. Let your dog lick your face, kiss your son or daughter.
  • Don’t surround yourself with people who live in chaos on purpose. You know them, right? They carry a cloud of disaster around with them, and they attract it. Keep those people at arm’s length and maintain your sanity.

The Ultimate Pre-Conference Checklist

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Rosemary O’Neill

SOBCon NW Here I Come!

As you read this, I should be happily rubbing elbows with Liz, Terry, and tons of other smart enthusiastic entrepreneurs and small business owners at SOBCon NW in Portland.

The trip inspired me to share my personal pre-conference to do list.

I hope it helps make your next conference experience more productive!

  • Try to connect with other attendees in advance (Twitter is my weapon of choice).
  • Start following the conference hashtag (if you’re really hardcore, make a Hootsuite column for the conference stream).
  • Charge all devices and pack chargers, cords, Mophie juicepack, and a power strip.
  • Download a movie or two to the iPad.
  • Re-look at and update all social profiles, since they’ll hopefully be getting looked at a lot. You want to make a good first impression.
  • Back up your laptop and phone, in case either gets misplaced or stolen. You should already have your important stuff stored in the “cloud” on DropBox or elsewhere.
  • Try to arrange specific meetups in advance (sometimes in the heat of the action you can lose out on meeting specific people).
  • Consider whether you want to capture some content for your blog (be ready to shoot impromptu interview videos or live-blog a session).
  • Include flat shoes that can be tossed in a briefcase (I saw you do that, Gini Dietrich!).
  • Always bring a couple of powerbars (good if you get stuck in an airplane, or if the conference food is bad, or if you skip lunch to meet with someone).
  • If there’s an attendee list (check the event site, or Lanyrd.com) scan for new people you can meet.
  • Decide what your ‘ask’ is, in case anyone says, ‘so what can I help you with?’ (I learned this one painfully ).
  • Brush up your two-sentence pitch for when someone says, ‘what do you do?’
  • Scan the session information and think in advance of what smart questions you might ask if the speaker does Q&A at the end.

Note that this is the ‘attendee’ version of the list. Mitch Joel posted the definitive ‘speaker’ version of this list a few months ago.

What do you do to make the most of your conference attendance?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss