Last Saturday we went for an afternoon walk at Coolangatta Beach as out morning walk at Rainbow Bay Beach had been cut short by rain. As we were walking along I saw a rainbow emerging from the horizon, I shouted out to Des: “look a rainbow”. What was amazing was it was like a ball.
We then watched as the rainbow formed into an arc. Sometimes it is good to change your routine, you never know what you will learn or see.
Simply put, project management simply means the planning, organisation and management of the resources necessary to bring about a successful conclusion to a specific task (âdeliverableâ), or group of tasks. There are numerous software packages available setting out detailed methodologies and providing project management training for managers who are new to the role.
Project objectives define a project. Projects by their very nature dictate that a number of different parties are involved in completing the various elements of the project and it is vital that all those participating are totally clear on what the final deliverable is, and what the staged objectives to achieve that deliverable are. It is the overall project managerâs job to draw together each of the separate strands of work, on time and on budget and oversee the project to a successful conclusion where the deliverables are presented to the client as agreed at the project outset. In the case of large projects where multiple teams are assembled, some project management training may be required by less experienced project team leaders and this may take place either prior to the project commencing or âon the jobâ as a learning curve.
There are three primary elements which make up the basic project objectives to be realised.
Know your objectives and you’ll be able to report with clarity. Your role will be mission critical in keeping everyone aware of how the project is progessing and how to keep it on track.
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Author Bio
Blathnaid Magill has an MBS in Electronic Business from University College Cork, Ireland. She enjoys writing about software and technology. She is currently writing on behalf of QA, who are the leading providers in Project Management Training.
Thank you, Blathnaid!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
“First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.â Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Stop messing around and just throw the grenade already!
King Arthur, Galahad, and Brother Maynard wasted a lot of time debating the proper way to hurl the hand grenade while the killer bunny escaped unharmed.
What are you doing that is sidetracking you from your real purpose? Your 200 blog subscriptions are useful, but only if you do something with the information youâve read (and the ones you arenât reading…I give you permission to delete them). The teetering stack of business books on your nightstand might contain ideas that will launch your business to the stratosphere, but only if you have a way to implement the ideas (and yes, they still count if theyâre clogging up your Kindle instead of your bedside).
Instead of counting to three over and over again, take action that will get you closer to your ultimate goal.
Hereâs how to toss the grenade:
What strategies do you use to get yourself to take action?
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Author’s Bio: Rosemary OâNeill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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A blog is a convenient tool that can serve many purposes. It can be used to chronicle personal events, marketing or branding. There are millions of blogs on the internet and the competition is fierce. The job of the blog writer is to write interesting posts so that it proves useful to the readers and keeps the search engines interested. The onus should on writing quality articles and not on increasing the number of articles mindlessly.
You should devote some time to think of blog post ideas or go into the admin section of the blog and add them in the drafts. This will save a lot of time and you can find the topics very easily. You can also think of using a timer if you take a lot of time in writing a single article. Once you are using a timer you will not be tempted to check your email or open the social networking page in the middle of writing an article. Always try to complete your articles before the deadline that you set.
This is the simplest way to write. Just write what’s in your brain at the moment. Choose a topic from your list, give yourself a 60 min time and start writing. Just keep writing whatever comes to your mind so that you do not lose the flow. If there are any spelling errors, you can always correct it later. Start by jotting down the facts related to the topic. Then one-by-one starts expanding on those topics and provides useful ideas. Readers are always in search of ‘benefits’ and ‘tips’. So write accordingly.
You can do your own research or just read 2 – 3 articles on the topic and summarize that information in your blog post using your own words. However, copying or duplicating information is strictly unethical. By the time your timer goes off, you should have a reasonably good content at your disposal.
All great blog posts boast of good headlines. It is prudent that you think about the headline of the article after you finished writing it. It is always easier to create a catchy and accurate headline once you have finished writing the post.
Once you have completed writing the post, read through the article at least twice to ensure that there is no phrase which does not sound right. Your post should not sound like an editorial; the reader must feel that you have written the post exclusively for him/her. Talk to the individual and not to the general public.
If there are any spelling errors, correct it. Run the spell check function in MS Word to be doubly sure. If possible add photos to your post as they introduce an element of interest in the article. You can create your own photos or get them from Google but use only those photos which are not copyrighted or has watermark in it. If you follow these guidelines diligently then you can soon write great blog posts quickly.
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Author’s Bio:
About the Author-: Brianne is a freelance writer and writes about most expensive cars and Lamborghini Aventador. She has also written a number of articles for different blogs. She loves writing on technology and luxury. You can find her on Twitter as @Brianne. ”
Thank you, Brianne!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
Remember as a kid when you listened to stories around the campfire? The ones that gripped you and stayed with you long into the night were the ones that played upon your emotions. They scared you or made you cry or made you laugh. In other words, they moved you.
Do the same for your online audiences. Use storytelling to make your content marketing stick in their heads. When you do, youâll give your content more mileage because not only will people respond to your message, theyâll remember it longer, too.
You may wonder where storytelling fits into your content marketing. After all, youâre just trying to get the word out on your brand, right? Wrong. Just getting the word out isnât enough to create a following. Youâve got to make a connection with people and thereâs no better way than drawing them in with stories that tap into their emotions.
To give your content marketing an emotional touch, follow these 3 storytelling tips:
When we meet new people, we establish connection through sharing stories — where we went to school and why, what kind of work we do, what things in our lives define us. Imagine your reader is a new acquaintance. What kind of story can you tell to get them engaged quickly?
Think about the things that set your company apart â those details that youâd share first to give people a sense of you and your brand. For example, at the heart of every company is the story of the person who had a big idea. Think about your company, what is the inspiration behind its inception? Youâve got a story right there.
A strong story has a character audiences can connect with and a plot that keeps them engaged. Find the human factor in your brand and make it your central character. Introduce employees who are making a difference in their communities or share compelling profiles of the people who have benefitted from your products.
Then offer readers a glimpse into how these people changed, i.e., through the volunteer work for an important cause or because of the positive impact your products made in their lives. The journey of a character through circumstances carries more clout when readers see how those events shaped that character.
People are drawn to emotional images and language, so use those powerful tools in your content marketing.
Photographs and video can immediately boost your content curb appeal. They can also provide inspiration to your content creation. For example, a humorous video can not only grab audience interest, it may just have the emotional impact to go viral.
Give your written content more life and emotional connection, as well. Use active language and sentence structures to make reading easier and more interesting.
Try this simple way to start â change all your verb forms of âto beâ into active words. For example, instead of âOur company was looking for a way to be a better supplier for our customersâ, try âXYZ felt our customers needed better service. These new changes do just thatâ.
The best way to keep your content marketing fresh is to play with it. Experiment with new perspectives and integrate the things you find interesting.
Keep in mind that your message should always compel your audiences to act. Use your story to motivate people to visit your website, check out your product or download your latest whitepaper.
Have you had success integrating emotional storytelling into your content marketing? Weâd like to hear your best campfire story here.
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Author’s Bio:
Stacy Acevero writes about PR and social media at PRWeb.com. You can find her on Twitter as @sacevero.
Stacey, you and your stories are irresistible! 🙂
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Larry Bailin to talk shop. Larry is a talented internet marketer and a nationally sought keynote. Larry’s in his second edition of his book, “Mommy, Where Do Customers From” and enjoys continued success at his firm Single Throw located in Wall New Jersey.
The two of us sat across from one another and covered all the requisite mainstays like what portion of your mix should comprise PPC, how much of your social footprint should be automated (Larry says none and incidentally, I think he’s right) and the two of us agreed that Seth Godin is a keeper. But the typical talking points of our conversation, while enlightening and entertaining in general, didn’t move the needle.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s fun to talk to other internet marketers – particularly those that the industry leans on as much as it does Larry. But no. The conversation was cool, but the majority of the time largely academic. The majority that is. You see, something fascinating DID happen. Something was unearthed. A fortuitously excavated idea emerged from an otherwise casually enjoyable dialogue between two passionate internet marketers.
So what was so gripping about our talk? What topic emerged that did, in this marketer’s opinion, move the proverbial needle?
It was this: salesmanship. Specifically, how to disarm buyers when engaging them.
Nothing special right? I mean who among us doesn’t understand that disarming buyers is critical to earning a customer’s confidence? None that I know. But Larry helped me stumble upon a model for appealing to buyers that, for me, called upon marketers and product makers to sell as much, if not more, than is expected of the sales team.
It’s an uphill climb … Salespeople are gods of optimism. Salespeople have a tough job. We all know it.
Selling well takes a scientific understanding of the human condition. Being great at it requires all that, plus the grace of a ballerina, the poise of a Super Bowl quarterback, and the precision of a brain surgeon. This is why selling is often perceived as Herculean. Just ask any seasoned seller. They’ll tell yah: sales is not a vocation for the weak. And it’s because the nuance and complexities of the sales dance, that establishes trust with buyers is a salesperson’s toughest obstacle — they face built-in quantities of both skepticism and doubt.
To their credit, the ever-hopeful salespeople press on, despite a century of data that tells them every day that 95 percent of their effort, or better, is a waste of time.
Wow. Nearly 100%? Just wow!
What if your salespeople weren’t the only ones selling? What if she wasn’t the only one attending the all those breakfast briefings, tradeshows and mixers? Not so novel you’re thinking, right?
Scott, our salespeople do travel to these events with product specialists and marketers.
I know, I know. But let’s dig a bit deeper into the potential role that supporting cast could play in securing that sale for our valiant sales peeps. We’re bringing them, but are they helping?
Ok so, what if – just what if – the salesperson wasn’t the salesperson?
What if the product makers were also marketers … what if marketers were also salespeople? What if every person on the team was all three?
I told Larry that I never seem to come off appearing like the salesman toward buyers, although I’m always selling my stuff.
Says Larry, “It’s because you’re not the salesman, Scott. Someone else is the salesman. You’re just Scott. A nice guy with great ideas.”
And the church choir erupted in sonic ecstasy! And birds softly propped on slate roofs everywhere, all at once, scattered in a flurry into the dewy fog of an early May sunrise! And there it was.
I am the salesman, the marketer and the product expert all at once. And I should be all these things if I want to help my sales folks make the sale. And because I am not actually the salesman after all, I get to say, “Hey buyer, I’m not the salesperson.” When I bring the salesperson to meet the buyer, I get to say, “This is Jane. Jane handles sales. I’m Scott. I just help.”
This tag-team method of prospect engagement builds relationships in these ways.
It’s been my experience that the buyer ultimately ends up saying to me,” Hi Scott. What’s your story?” And the sales process has begun.
So before your sales team gears up for the next event, get your product people, your marketing people, and your salespeople in the same room to talk about how to evolve your sales process.
How might your team captivate buyers with a disarming and helpful approach?
Kudos Larry. Great talk.
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Author’s Bio:
Scott P. Dailey is a Web designer, copywriter and internet marketer. Scott’s blog, ( scottpdailey.com ) makes connections between social networking etiquette and the prevailing human social habits that drive on and offline business engagement patterns. You can connect with Scott via Twitter at @scottpdailey.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!