Are you connecting with your audience Are you sure

Are you connecting with your audience Are you sure I was browsing Joanne Meehls website and saw something I LOVED.  On her menu she has an About You link.  Get it?  Not About Me, but About YOU. That is cool.  I think this is brilliant.  Could you do something like this to let your target audience know you understand them?  Wouldnt this help your target audience feel more comfortable that you are the right person for the job, whatever job that might be? Heres a screenshot (click here to go to the page): Are you connecting with your audience Are you sure I was browsing Joanne Meehls website and saw something I LOVED.  On her menu she has an About You link.  Get it?  Not About Me, but About YOU. That is cool.  I think this is brilliant.  Could you do something like this to let your target audience know you understand them?  Wouldnt this help your target audience feel more comfortable that you are the right person for the job, whatever job that might be? Heres a screenshot (click here to go to the page):

What to Do After a Car Crash

What to Do After a Car Crash Chances are you have probably been in a car crash in your life. (If you haven’t, then you are one of the lucky ones.) Being in a crash is scary and confusing, as you not only have to worry about your car and injuries but you should also be thinking about what comes next. Many people are so worked up by the situation that they don’t stop to think about what you have to do after the big crash. The Zebra is an insurance comparison marketplace that has come up with a helpful graphic to guide you on what to do after a car crash. Step 1: Call for Emergency Services if You Need to and ALWAYS Call the Police! If anyone appears to be injured, you need to call 911, and be prepared to describe the situation and any injuries sustained. The police need to be there to fill out an accident report, no matter how small the crash. (And you may need this report later when dealing with potential insurance claims.) Step 2: Assess the Damage If you can safely move your car, do so. Make sure to snap a couple of pictures of the scene if possible. If your car looks like it can’t be moved, call a tow truck. Step 3: Exchange Information with the Other Party Always exchange information with any other party involved, even if it is just a fender bender and the other party swears not to file a claim. If the other party tries to offer you cash instead of exchanging information, don’t accept. Accepting cash instead of getting their info could make you miss out on future insurance claims and you could even be held liable for the crash even if it wasn’t your fault. Step 4: Document the Damage Take lots of photos from the crash and be sure to write down your experience as soon as it’s safe. If you wait to write down your side of the story, you may forget important details. Step 5: Call your Insurance Company Call your insurance company, even if you don’t want to file a claim. Many insurance companies require you in their contract to notify them of any accidents. If you can, call them while at the crash scene, as this can help them gather all of the information before things start to get hazy. Courtesy of: The Zebra Image Source; Image Source

Is Your Job Making You Sick 7 Work Related Anxiety Triggers and How to Ease the Stress

Is Your Job Making You Sick 7 Work Related Anxiety Triggers and How to Ease the Stress Whether you work from home or go to an office daily; you are always working for someone else. Your services, talents, skills and knowledge are being exchanged for money and that means meeting expectations. It also means dealing with daily triggers that frustrate us. According to Dr. Sanam Hafeez, these triggers build up stress which may negatively impact our personal relationships physical health. Dr. Hafeez offers 7 work related anxiety triggers with tips on what we can do to deal with them.   Fear Based Bosses Bosses who focus on possibilities and solutions inspire creativity and collaboration. Fear-based bosses aren’t leaders they are energy drainers. They have quick tempers, focus on problems, complain and threaten. According to Dr. Hafeez people make the mistake of remaining in a job for the wrong reasons. “Being spoken to harshly every day is no way to live. It’s abusive and causes anxiety. My advice, file a complaint with human resources and resign. Your well-being matters first and most.”   Co-Worker Cliques Some work cultures include gossip, passive aggressiveness, undercutting, sabotage, and verbal jabs that would rival any high school clique. “If your work is solid, align with others who are focused and keep your eye on the prize. You have a job to do and your focus will be thrown off by unnecessary cattiness. When you hear a group of co-workers gossiping, politely excuse yourself,” advises Dr. Hafeez. Technology Glitches We’ve all had instances where we want to throw our computers out the window, stomp on our cell phones and kick a vending machine after it gobbles up our last 2 singles. “Technology is what led to a higher standard for speed and efficiency. When we can’t get what we want in .005 seconds we get agitated. It’s conditioning,” she explains. “Centering is a great technique that helps delay reaction time to stressors. Before pounding on the copy machine, step back count to 5, breathe and pivot to fixing whatever may be wrong or finding someone who can assist.” Presenting You can be the most articulate, outgoing person and still have anxiety when it comes to presenting to a group. It is common for people to experience insomnia, nausea and tension headaches leading up to an important presentation. Preparation is key. “Allow ample time to gather key points and mentally rehearse your presentation while doing another unrelated activity such as cooking, cleaning, walking or running, to release stress and remain present suggests Dr. Hafeez.” Your Commute “Once you exceed 30 minutes one-way, your happiness level drops and your stress level rises,” says Dr. Hafeez. A coping mechanism she suggests is to use the commute as a time to learn. If driving, tune off the negative news talk radio and opt for interesting podcasts or audio books. If stuck on a bus or train, reading a book, watching a show on the iPad, or getting a head start on email are also ways to make the time fly. Business Travel Rushing for airplanes and dealing with weather delays and over-booked flights not to mention navigating an unfamiliar place will stress anyone out. “Preparation and a solid backup plan is a great way to ease pre-business travel stress. While face-to-face meetings may be optimal, skipping a flight and opting for a video conference may be a less stressful option.”  Quotas and Commissions While most workers love the self-determined earning potential of a commission-paid job, they still find it stressful when they look at the numbers and fear coming up short. “Anxiety is cause by excessive worry about future events you believe you cannot control, explains Dr. Hafeez.” It may sound harsh but setting higher targets can be helpful. When you raise the bar at making 50 sales calls instead of coasting by with the usual 20, you’ll most likely complete 30 and will feel accomplished. “Acknowledge daily wins and break down the effort into smaller chunks of time so you focus on what’s in front of you,” she advises. About the Doctor: Dr. Sanam Hafeez PsyD  is a NYC based licensed clinical neuropsychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s College and the founder and Clinical Director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. a neuropsychological, developmental and educational center in Manhattan and Queens.  

The Power of Referral Partners, Part 2 Choosing the Right Ones - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Power of Referral Partners, Part 2 Choosing the Right Ones - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career While many of us who start our own businesses or who become solo professionals value our independence, we quickly find more value in having people at our side to give us extra strength, visibility and insight in the market. In last week’s post, I touched on the power of referral partnerships. These are collaborations you can create with other entrepreneurs, professional service providers or small businesses owners that can open up a whole pipeline of new business for the both of you and strengthen your respective brands. Picking the right referral partners Here are six criteria to consider: Adjacent expertise. The partnership will have more potential if there is a natural connection between your products and services, if one leads logically into the other, or if one fills in a critical missing piece. For example, for a time in my strategy consulting company, I partnered with a marketing consultant who wrote business plans but needed someone who was strong in business strategy but also had financial expertise to build financial models and develop financial projections. Similar market. The power of the partnership comes from applying your combined efforts to reach the same audience. By bundling your products and services you offer a more complete and attractive solution for a market that doesn’t want to pull all the pieces together themselves. In addition, as a team, you may even be able to penetrate new markets more quickly and more effectively. Similar values. Everyone wants to make money, but you should be in sync on how you want to do it. Whichever end of the spectrum you each typically operate inâ€"high-touch, high level of service vs. non-customized, mass serviceâ€"you should both be on the same side overall to help minimize potential conflicts in the partnership. Similar sense of urgency. How good are both of you with deadlines? Are you both disciplined? If something needs to be done by next week, will you both work on your respective pieces to make sure it gets done? Or are you both pretty low-key? That’s fine too, but being mismatched in this area will lead to a lot of frustration as one partner will feel that the other isn’t pulling his or her own weight. Similar sense of importance. Is the partnership of equal priority to both of you or does one have more at stake than the other? If this is a top priority for you, but much lower down on your partner’s list, you may end up taking on a greater workload to get things done. You might be okay with this, but just be sure to discuss it upfront so expectations are clear. Similar levels of (im)perfectionism. If you’re both on the same side of the scale of perfectionism/imperfectionism, the partnership can be successful. But if youre someone who likes to plan very carefully while your partner is ready to take action no matter how imperfect, you’ll have a difficult time getting anything off the ground. Have a candid discussion It’s so easy to get swept up in the excitement of a new partnership at the beginning, but before you decide to work together, have a candid discussion about each of the items above. You’ll gain valuable information about each other’s work style, and perhaps even learn some new things about yourself. But more importantly, you’ll develop a deeper connection, more trust and even a greater vision of how you could take the partnership further. Author: Liz Lynch is founder of the  Center for Networking Excellence and  author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online (McGraw-Hill, 2008).  She writes, speaks and consults to experienced professionals on  how to seamlessly integrate social media and traditional networking to save time and  accelerate results.

CFO Resume Writing Service

CFO Resume Writing ServiceCFO resume writing is an important part of the hiring process for many companies, both large and small. In some industries, such as banking, a CFO can make the difference between life and death for the corporation, with crucial decisions like funding and mergers and acquisitions deciding the future of the company.If you are a CFO, then you will want to make sure your resume is current and up to date. The key to being successful in the CFO resume writing process is to have all of the proper information on your resume, at all times.In order to make sure that your CFO resume writing skills are top notch, you will want to hire a professional to create a resume for you. The best way to go about this is to find a reputable CFO resume writing service.A CFO resume writing service will provide you with quality written information, which will provide potential employers with all of the information they need to see about you. This will help to get you hired faster, and help you to build up a solid reputation with potential employers.The first thing that a CFO resume service will do for you is to get you prepared for your application by including your past positions. This is very important, because it is where they will be able to go back and see all of the positions you have held, both inside and outside of your current position. You will want to put these positions in chronological order, so that they can be easily and quickly reviewed by the hiring manager.In addition to listing your positions in chronological order, a CFO resume writing service will also list what responsibilities you have as a CFO. You will want to include all of the responsibilities you have had during your career with your organization, including responsibilities such as technical and financial management, corporate governance, strategic planning, and budget and accounting planning.A CFO resume writing service will also include information regarding your experience, educati on, and certifications that you have received while working in the field. You will want to make sure that you list all of the information relevant to your role in the organization, including any certifications that you have earned.While there are many things to consider when choosing a CFO resume writing service, you will find that this is one of the most important things that you can do. Your ability to get hired will rely on the quality of your resume, and you will find that it will not be as easy as you may think to find a good one.

Five Interventions to Support Business Continuity

Five Interventions to Support Business Continuity If you would like to avoid distraction in your business and costly downtime, it is important that you have a continuity plan. Every minute you lose productivity you are making negative profits, so you have to make sure that you always have a Plan B and can focus on growing your customer base and value provided ti your market. Below you will find five interventions you might want to think about to maintain your business continuity. 1. Training and Development Markets and technologies change rapidly today, and you will have to be prepared for the changes. Whether you are operating in a highly regulated environment or are actively seeking new methods to become more productive, it is important that you keep your employees’ knowledge and skill up to date. Training and development investments can pay off for years to come, and prevent your business from losing out to the competition. 2. Energy Supplies If you run a busy office or manufacturing workshop, it is important that you have the energy you need to run your operations. From heating to internet access and electricity, you need to have a backup plan. It might be time to invest in generac back up generators so your business can carry on operating even if there is a fault in your area. You might want to sign up for flexible pay-as-you-go satellite or mobile internet you can share with your workers, so you can carry on answering queries and talk to customers on the phone.   3. New Market Exploration If you keep on focusing on the same market, you will never grow your business. It is important that you actively seek new markets and opportunities, instead of sitting back and relying on your existing customers. Your niche market behavior or preferences might change in a couple of months’ time, and if you don’t make adjustments in your strategy or explore new areas, you might lose your business. 4. Customer Relationship Management To become successful, you will have to stay organized and give out a professional image for your customers. If you don’t yet have a customer relationship management software, it might be time to invest in one, so you can follow up quotes and make your most valuable clients feel respected and special. It is always cheaper to keep your existing profitable clients than finding new ones. 5. Reputation Management One of your most valuable assets is your brand reputation. If you lose it, you might end up losing money and profits. You should implement a reputation management strategy and monitor your online and offline customer feedback. Create a business transparency policy, so you can be open and honest with your employees, customers, and other stakeholders. If you would like to avoid disruption in your business, you will have to make sure you are looking after your most important resources and react to the market changes. Have contingency plans in place, complete risk assessments regularly, and make your existing clients feel valued. Continuity can save you money and reduce uncertainty in your business.

How To Handle Obstacles That Are Holding You Back

How To Handle Obstacles That Are Holding You Back I work with a lot of very successful people in my Executive Coaching and I can assure you that even very successful people face obstacles. Let me take you through the eight of the most common obstacles I’ve come across, and then we’ll talk about some strategies for handling them: Limiting beliefsLike “I’m too old, I’m too young, I’m not qualified”, which are basically a lack of confidence. Societal norms/expectationsSuch as “big boys don’t cry â€" I can’t show emotion, women don’t do this, Chinese people culturally can’t do that…”. HabitsOur automatic reactions or habits we’ve fallen into, like being defensive when challenged, or saying no first before then thinking it through. Burdens of the pastThings that have happened that might prevent us from dealing with the current situation in the most effective way. Sometimes we forget that we’ve learned and grown and matured since then and no longer need to be guided â€" or rather, misguided by that negative experience in the past. FearsOf the unknown, of failure, success, all sorts of fears. Lack of clarityAbout what is success, or how to go about a task. PeopleWho are not supportive and are standing in your way. Lack of resourcesSuch as time, money or people. Looking at these examples, the first six are “self”-based â€" they’re internal. And this kind of “internal churn” can really stop you from performing to your potential. The good news is, if it’s internal to ourselves, there’s every reason we can deal with them in an effective way. Of course, the fact that we’re right up close with it can make it hard, but self-managing is a key part of becoming a good leader and enjoying greater career success. It’s in our own interest to learn to manage ourselves well. Self-managing is a key part of becoming a good leader and enjoying greater career success On the other hand, only two out of the 8 obstacles are external, or other-based: people who are not supportive, and lack of resources. Interesting. Of course, what really matters when we’re trying to achieve a big goal is what we do with those obstacles. How to handle internal obstacles For the internal obstacles, the most effective strategy I’ve found is to: Recognize them for what they areShine a spotlight on it and say, “okay, I see this limiting belief and I can see it’s not true, and here’s the evidence”, and then replace the limiting thoughts with something more constructive. Or if it’s a fear, look at what it is that we’re afraid of and what we’ll be missing if we let the fear keep us from taking action. Find someone to help go through the issue dispassionatelySome of us can do this on their own, but I personally find it helpful to have another person to talk it through with. Then find a way to release yourself from it and let go of itI struggled with this for years until finally, one of my mentors said to me as he watched me spin my wheels, “decide and move on”. He was basically telling me that unless I learned to move on, I would never be as successful as I wanted to be. I can still hear him saying this to me whenever I’m in the midst of this internal churn. And that triggers me to act. The other things I’ve found useful is to remind myself of the saying: ”You aren’t responsible for the first thought that goes through your head, but you are responsible for what you do with it.” It’s okay when the internal obstacle pops into your head uninvited, but then it’s up to you to “get over with it”, as my mother says. Let me give you an example of someone who I tremendously respect who is exceptional at taking obstacles, addressing them, and then putting them on the shelf. Let’s call him Bill. Bill had asked me to do a project with his organization. I said, “Well, it’s too far away, I’m not qualified, it’s too difficult, I don’t have the time …” â€" I had so many obstacles in my mind. He said, “let’s sit down and go through them”. So we did. I said “this is an obstacle”. He’d say, “this is how we’re going to address this obstacle”, and then he’d put it aside and say, Next? Next obstacle â€" here’s how we’re going to address that, put it aside. And so on. Before I knew it, I had no more objections or obstacles left and I realized that I could say, “yes” to this project I really wanted to do but thought I couldn’t. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could do that for ourselves or find someone to help us with it? How to handle external obstacles Once we’ve recognized the internal obstacles, then what we’re left with are the external ones. You will find that there are fewer of them, which makes them easier to deal with. If it’s lack of time, there’s always the tactic of “focus, prioritize and delegate”. If it’s money or people resources, then surely it’s within our capability to go out and persuade someone to donate or hire or give us advice. If it’s really about people who are not supportive, we need to look at that and decide if it’s important to win them over â€" do we need to negotiate? Sometimes there’s nothing we can do and we have to move on from there. But most of the time, there will be something within our resources that we can use to help us address the external obstacles. So now, I want you to list your obstacles, shine a light on them and get someone to help you do the equivalent of “here’s how we’re going to address it, move it aside.” Then I want you to get out there and do what you are meant to do! And remember to come on over to my Facebook page and leave a comment.