What Stops You From Being Productive?

Lots of things get in our way when we are trying to be productive.

Most of these are easy to spot and tend to boil down to being distracted from our goals.

We want to get something done, but the email inbox is full, the grocery shopping can’t wait, the car needs an oil change, the daily work-related tasks, and the personal task, usually weigh us down mentally. Those things exist and we have to accept the fact that there will always be ‘little things’ to distract us from the things that we want to do.

The ‘secret’ is that we actually do have enough time to get our tasks done - both personal and work tasks. And we even have enough time left over to enjoy some relaxation. The secret is that we only think we don’t have enough time to get stuff done because we don’t actually know how much we need to do!

Most people keep their task list in their head. And here’s our problem: our minds just aren’t very good at keeping lists of things to do. We very quickly perceive that we have too many things to do, so we become discouraged and sometimes overwhelmed.

The easiest way to get control over your own productivity is to start, and use, a simple to-do list. For personal tasks. Keeping it simple is the key.

To keep a to-do list functional, you need to get rid of items when they are done. Don’t just cross them out – that just adds clutter and adds to the perception that you have too much to deal with. If you are using paper, then re-write your to-do list every night, leaving out the things that are done, so you have a nice, clean list the next day to work from.

Once you get into the habit of keeping a clean to-do list, you’ll find that it’s not overwhelming to get your tasks done. The reason is simple: you’ll be able to just look at your list to know what you need to do. Tackle each task, one at a time, and remove it when it’s done. Before you know it, you’ll be in control of your own productivity. And there’s no substitute for the feeling of satisfaction earned by getting stuff done before the end of the day.

SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT DEVELOPING THE RIGHT HABITS

12 Rules to Public SmartPhone Etiquette

Cell phones have become vital to our daily lives, and people are relying on them more and more for both business and private calls. Particularly smartphones  as they are rapidly evolving into indispensable devices.

With an increasingly connected society, it is becoming more and more important to know how to use these devices properly, without annoying or irritating those around us.

Following are twelve rules to using your smartphone in a way that allows you to conduct business but as not to annoy everyone around you!

    Twelve Rules

1.   If you are in a situation where you cannot move away from others, (a bus, theater, meeting, dinner table) you should not be using your smartphone. No one wants to listen to your conversation and it is rude to force them to do so. 

2.    If you use your phone for business, keep the ringer to a normal phone ring, not the latest Top 40 hit, or your favorite childhood song. 

3.    Turn your ringer off during public performances. 

4.   You do not need more than one electronic device with you at a time. Either use your cell phone, smartphone or your tablet, not both. And if you must do get a Phablet.

5.   Do not ever use your smartphone while driving. Pull over, and save yourself and your fellow drivers from a potentially dangerous situation. No Calls. No Texting. No skyping....etc. 

6.  Especially when in a business situation, do not wear an earpiece or other attachment for your phone. 

7.    Do not scream into your smartphone. You should be able to use your normal speaking voice, or do not make or receive the call. This prevents others from having to listen to your conversations. Having a poor viber-skype connection over WiFi is no excuse either.

8.    You do not need to have your smartphone with you everywhere. In fact, there are some places that a cell phone should never go, let alone a smartphone- such as a hospital, house of worship, a classroom, etc. Turn it off, or set it to Silent, if you must have it with you. No Facebooking.

9.    Do not try to show off all that your phone can do in a public place, that's what YouTube is for.

10. Do not take your phone out of your pocket, purse, or bag when in a meeting, at a meal, or other public venue just to hear it ring. Put it on vibrate or turn the ringer to a reasonable level that you can hear with it still safely tucked away in your pocket, purse or bag.

    
  11. If you are with company, in a meeting, at the dinner table, or even just visiting, do not         over do it with messengers, and you better not be continuously updating your social           networks status. No browsing. And certainly no AngryBirding.  

12. Before posting your captured photos of people with your smartphone, make sure you have their permission to post to your social networks; regardless whether they are your friends or just happened to be there. 

Be Connected. Be Considerate. Be Social. Be Polite. Be Safe.

You’re on LinkedIn, of course. But do you use it? Job Seekers Must! (via blog.resumebear.com)

You’re on LinkedIn, of course. But do you use it? Do you connect with people regularly, do you worry about your profile, is it part of your routine? Engagement with LinkedIn seems to be part generational, part whether you’re marketing-oriented or not. Despite LinkedIn’s penetration of the professional…

Fuzzy Mayhem

We are all dreamers and poets today,

eager to slip beyond

limitations of rational thought 

eager to escape into realms of imagination.
Palestine endures
Reality is fuzzy
it's challenging to stick to the facts
We grow confussion and
it's challenging to think clearly now.
Syria is bleeding
Egypt is running in circles of mayhem
Iraq......Libya ...Yemen .... Tunisia......one and the same
Reality is fuzzy
it's challenging to stick to the facts
We grow confussion and
it's challenging to think clearly now
And Palestine gives us perspective,
encouraging us to stay,
to hold our ground
And Palestine ...... testament of will
We were eager to slip beyond
limitations of rational thought
eager to escape into realms of imagination.
Palestine endures still
and we lost touch with what's most important.
and it's hell to pay now
we lost touch with what's most important
we are one and the same people
and we are bleeding
and we are lost in mayhem
and it's hell to pay now
Reality is fuzzy
Reality is fuzzy

GEK

Some Benefits of Coaching

Benefits from life coaching can be immediate and often last a life time. Often a coach will offer a valuable suggestion or ask a question in a way that changes your thinking immediately.

Hiring the right coach can benefit you in many ways; here are how life coaching can help:

• Life Coaching helps you to figure out your real priorities in your life.
• Life Coaching helps to shorten the time frame to achieving your goals.
• Life Coaching enables you to organize and brings structure to your life.
• Life Coaching encourages you to go further and do more than what you would normally do by yourself. 
• Life Coaching provides you with self-assurance, support, certainty,confidence, encouragement, motivation and inspiration depending on your needs and the situation. 

Those are benefits that you will experience personally and first hand. But often I have witnessed a ripple effect with my clients and their friends, family and coworkers. A good example is presented by my fellow coach Kelly Canull in her latest article, which she would love to share with us and thought that you may find useful too. In her article How a Life Coach Can Improve Employee Morale: Kelly shows how Life coaching can improve the quality of the workplace, and discusses benefits of coaching for both employees and management.  

Read Kelly's How a Life Coach Can Improve Employee Morale Now.

Tyler Durden’s 8 Rules of Innovation

Tyler Durden’s 8 Rules of Innovation | Lateral Action: "Tyler Durden’s 8 Rules of Innovation"


'via Blog this'

Tyler’s First Rule of Innovation: 

“No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.”

This is the most important lesson, and it’s the one people struggle with and resist. Tim Ferriss advocates the 80/20 rule of productivity, where you focus relentlessly on the 20% of the actions that lead to 80% of the return. People see this as nice in theory, but not practical.

Tyler’s Second Rule of Innovation:  “No fear! No distractions! The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide!”

Seriously. Don’t break the first two rules.

Tyler’s Third Rule of Innovation: “I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let’s evolve, let the chips fall where they may.”

Tyler’s Fourth Rule of Innovation:  “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

Tyler’s Fifth Rule of Innovation: “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your $%@# khakis.”

Tyler’s Sixth Rule of Innovation:“People do it everyday, they talk to themselves… they see themselves as they’d like to be, they don’t have the courage you have, to just run with it.”

Tyler’s Seventh Rule of Innovation: “Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.”

Tyler’s Eighth Rule of Innovation: “This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.”

First, you have to know, not fear, know that someday you are going to die. Until you know that, you have no sense of urgency. You think you have all the time in the world to do amazing things, but you may not live to see that particular someday.

So quit reading articles for a bit and go do what really needs to be done today.

Read the original article Tyler Durden’s 8 Rules of Innovation | Lateral Action by Brian Clark

8 Key Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

What does it take to become a successful entrepreneur? 
Why do some people succeed in business while others fail? 


1. Discipline
Being disciplined is perhaps the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur. Discipline in character is essential, yet financial discipline is equally important. Business is about money; and cash-flow is like blood to any business. Without cash, a business will fail. History has shown many times that lack of financial discipline or bad financial decisions are the triggering factors for the failure of most businesses. 


2. Risk Taker
Many entrepreneurs are risk takers as well. They take calculated risks in their business dealings. They are not afraid to try new products, new markets, new business relationships and new strategies. However, if one can receive the rewards and at the same time avoid certain risks by learning from others mistakes or their errors in assessing risks, then there’s no reason why the entrepreneur should take every risk even though he’s a risk taker by default. 


3. Spirit To Excel
All entrepreneurs have the spirit to excel. This is because a successful business isn’t built in one day. It is a long road and one needs to persevere until one achieves success. Entrepreneurs will keep working until the business is successful. 


4. Burning Desire
Entrepreneurs have a burning desire within them. This desire usually needs to be met, an itch that demands scratching attention, this is the desire the propels them forward and drives them to pursue their dreams. Setbacks are always unexpected and entrepreneurs need the desire and passion to pull them through these times. Failure in the absence of this burning desire will become a permanent humongous roadblock. Yet, to an entrepreneur, whose desire burns strong, failure is merely  a stepping stone towards success, a learning experience, and a test of entrepreneurial discipline. 


5. Communication Skills
Successful entrepreneurs do not work alone; and being an entrepreneur in a way is also about managing people. Employees need to be managed; costumers confidence must be gained; negotiations with suppliers and lenders are inevitable;  and vision needs to be communicated to investors. Hence, effective communication skills and interpersonal skills are very important to the entrepreneur. 


6. Smart Hard-work
Entrepreneurs are hardworking people. They are usually hands-on and have detailed knowledge of the industry they are in. An entrepreneur should expect to work hard, especially at the initial start-up phases, beyond that the challenge for the entrepreneur is to figure out how this hard work can translate into smart work down along the road.    


7. Creative Problem Solver
Contrary to popular belief, an entrepreneur doesn’t necessarily need to be creative or have an original idea, but creativity and imagination in solving problems are part of what defines an entrepreneur. Yet, There are many entrepreneurs who succeeded by copying other successful entrepreneurs. All they do is do it better and/or smarter than the rest of the entrepreneurs. They provide better customer service, source for better quality product, better pricing and so on. In either case, creative problem solving is an essential entrepreneurial skill.


8. Imagination
Entrepreneurship starts and is sustained through imagination. Imagination helps form the idea, imagination develops idea into a possible concept, imagination explores methods of implementation, imagination improves process when it answers how we can make the product or service better, and imagination fuels entrepreneurial creativity in lowering costs and stretching budgets when funds are next to or non-existent.


In summary the characteristics listed above are the common characteristics found in entrepreneurs. Even when a person lacks one or more of the characteristics listed above, he could still succeed if there are other factors working in his/her favor.


What other characteristics you find to be a core entrepreneurial trait? Please do share your thoughts and post your comments below.

A Long Overdue Recruiter's Rant - Part 2

Following on last Friday's rant, here are some case study examples to give you some insight, perhaps you can relate to my experience, or perhaps you can avoid making the same fatal mistakes as a job seeker:

CASE 1: CAN YOU ENDORSE ME?

This guy, we will call him Super Senior, So Super Senior here, sends me an invitation to connect, on October 12th, 2011, I accepted, since his profile was smart enough, and I do regularly get clients within the IT industry, and Super Senior does actually work at a Super company that I personally admire. you never know when you're going to need to consult with or recruit a Super Senior. Anyhow, Early this month, our Super Senior boy here, sends me a CAN YOU ENDORSE ME? request on LinkedIn.

The Facts again: I never met Super Senior in person, I never exchanged emails with Super Senior, I never worked with Super Senior online or offline. Yet here he was, 8 weeks later, asking for an endorsement. I mean he has presented his case and request so brilliantly, how can I refuse? so here is my Endorsement just for you Super Senior:

Super Senior Boy, is very easy going, and builds relationships quickly with total strangers, he's an asset to any team, for he's a senior process associate, way ahead of his peers, his unique Senior processing skills allow him to eliminate the natural and lengthy course of building any business relationship, he believes strongly in building trust in a matter of weeks, with minimal interaction, he is well known to cut to the chase . a go-getter and nothing will stand in his way!

Now, Do you really want to be that guy? 

Please, a pretty please decorated with dandelions, choose carefully whom you request an endorsement from.

DO Request Endorsements from:

• People you know well.
• People you worked with (colleagues, bosses, supervisors and clients)
• People you trust to be fair and have integrity. 
• People who are not family or friends.

CASE 2: GET ME A JOB, that's an order

This brilliant project manager, is polite, he uses the word PLEASE. The fact that he is currently working in a limited liability company in Dubai is qualification enough to get him any job, NO?. 

At least other job seekers, might add another line referring to their LinkedIn profile, or include a little introductory paragraph of what they can do and what they are looking for in a job, some might offer to send their CV.

Note dear reader, that both cases occurred on the same day, and that's just from LinkedIn, my business email and Gmail are another story altogether.

In a trivia survey years ago, that a colleague sent me, I answered a question of what is your favorite sport? my answer was watching my inbox download. Seriously, you never know what to expect! 

Am quite fond of emails that have NO subject, no email body, and attachment titled mycv.xxx , CV1.xxx, or CV[1].xxx.  Yaaay for me, a guessing game!

I especially like job seekers with a great sense of personal branding: the attachment will hold their name! WOW! just their name blows me away, how can I pass such a resourceful and talented candidate?  I want to hire them on the spot! At least that's what they think.

Yes, some actually do have something in the email body, some of what I see daily in my mailboxes :

see my CV

I am looking for job, attached is my cv

Please find the attachment word file

Dear Sir, Please attached my cv for any suitable jobs

Just brilliant! sometimes, I do open the attachments when I have the time, and actually have a job order to fill, and to my surprise, the majority of those people are not entry level or fresh graduates, many of them have years of experience and at least a certification of some sorts or a post-graduate degree! (sometimes PhDs even)

Dear Job Seeker, 

If you have the wits to attain any degree beyond high-school, then it is expected that you know how to apply for jobs properly, it is expected that you introduce yourself adequately and clearly, it is expected that you do your homework before you apply for any job. Be professional, be creative, encourage us recruiters and hiring managers to be interested to at least to review your application. That's the first step, and a very important step for you, that's what you need to worry about. Don't worry about us, we know how to find the people we need, we don't really rely on unsolicited applications, but if that's what you want to do, you really have to stand out (get short-listed, that's your second step), and make us want to interview you, (that's the third step). 

regards,

a concerned recruiter

P.S. Don't get me started on your un-professionally sound email address. 

Pinky19xx@domain.com

theman@domain.com

sexylady@domain.com
cdght.dgfdfj@domain.com
smartboy@domain.com
....
....
....
the list is a mile long

The moral of the story is, use your real name as your professional email, show confidence in who you are, there is no need to show how sexy, clever, mysterious and unreliable you are when creating your professional email address! AND

Don't use another person's email to apply, always use your own. 

Read  A Long Overdue Recruiter's Rant - Part 1

if you liked this post do share it with your friends and leave a comment

your feedback is appreciated, 

A Long Overdue Recruiter's Rant - Part 1

(a WARNING: this is a rant of the recruiter in me, Technical Writer mode is switched OFF at the moment of RANTING)

Dear Job Seeker,

Yes, am a recruitment consultant, I cater to hiring managers and their companies.
Yes, I can give you free advice on how to improve your resume. 
Yes, I may know someone "in" the company you want to work for...
Yes, I can coach you and help you prepare for interviews...and plan your career path
Yes, do send me your CV or resume, I'd love to see it in case a match comes up

NO, I will not recommend you, just because you are in any one of my social media networks, DO I KNOW YOU? I cannot recommend you and endorse you on LINKEDIN or write a recommendation letter of any type, if I haven't worked with you! I cannot attest to your character if we never met in person and never had a long-term social or business relationship.

NO, I will not write your resume / CV / profile if you don't hire me, neither expect any of my recruiter colleagues to do so, this is what we do for a living, not for charity. 

NO, I don't influence hiring decisions in companies or the hiring managers there who are not my clients! even if I know them. You see, I get paid by the client and not you my dear job seeker, as most of my fellow recruiters do. Even then, and even if I have hiring decision making power in most cases, all that I can do is recommend you based on your passing your interview evaluation with me. After-all, I'd be recruiting on behalf of the client.

NO, Don't email your CV with no cover letter what so ever! It doesn't have to be something fancy, or another attached file for that matter, just write a short paragraph (5 - 8 sentences long):

• introduce yourself, 
• tell us what position(s) your are applying for or are interested in
• give us a reason to open and read your resume
• distinguish yourself from the tens and hundreds of applications we receive daily
• make sure you have your correct contact information on your resume and in the body of your email too (add it after your signature)
• Give us something to work with for your sake!

Again NO, recruitment consultants don't run  charities; money is on the clock, yes we want to help, but for us to spend hours on hours working with you on your career or interview skills without compensation is not something we do if the client is paying us to find them the right candidates. 

There are specialized recruiters that will work with you, to develop your career and help you with leads to job opportunities; and yes, you have to pay them a percentage of your annual salary or a retainer. Seek them out, Unfortunately for you am not that kind of recruiter, but; ...if you want my help you can hire me as your career coach, but you really got to invest time and money in yourself and actually do most of the work yourself. You see, if you don't then after you are hired, this is what will happen YOU'LL GET FIRED eventually! and that's not good for either one of us! don't you agree?

We really want to hire people, and do our best to review all applicants, but can you please, a pretty please decorated with dandelions, can you just use the reference code we asked you to use in the subject line for any advertised vacancy? 

After going through hundreds of applications each day, we may as well, just overlook you because you already have demonstrated that you lack certain important skills, you didn't pay attention to details and you are unable for the life of your CAREER follow simple straightforward directions. You already have lost our attention, and probably would be moved to the Dump file, instead of getting shortlisted for second screening.

It is in the second screening mostly that a decision to call you in for an interview is made. SO please, a pretty please decorated with dandelions, Pay attention to details and follow instructions. 

If you don't meet  50% - 80% of the job requirements, please try and explain why you think you'd be the right candidate for the job? We really want to know what makes you the right choice. If you don't even meet 50% of job requirements, then, don't apply. Seriously, don't bother, because we won't!

please, a pretty please decorated with dandelions, help us help you

if you liked this post do leave a comment 

your feedback is appreciated, 

The Most Crowded Marketplace Of All - A guest post by Paul Andrew

Paul Andrew Founder of The Leadership Coach™

I have always pursued the ideal that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

As I’ve worked with leaders around the world, I have discovered that mindset is not only a more satisfying way to live but it’s also a hallmark of those who rise above their competition.

The most crowded marketplace of all is mediocrity.

Think of your own industry. How many leading companies or organisations are there that have clearly risen above the crowd? And by comparison, how many of the “mediocre masses” are there? The eagles have a different experience of this world than the pigeons.

So here are a few exits on the highway to mediocrity that you might consider if you long to escape the throng-

1. Do less.

Thin out how much you do… in order to do what you do with excellence. Hold three events not ten. Offer two services instead of seven. Creativity is as much about what you leave out as what you leave in. And often doing too many things is the enemy of doing the most important things with excellence. Often, but not always…

2. Do more.

At the risk of contradicting myself, sometimes the answer is to do more. Go beyond what others offer. Market research would have told Ford and Jobs that people just wanted faster horses and smaller phones. Instead they gave them something more, something they didn’t even know they needed until they experienced what “more” looked like in the automobile and the iPhone.

3. Do it differently.

There’s a wine shop in my neighbourhood that I like. They’re not the closest, the largest or the cheapest. But they do something their competitors don’t- they get out from behind the counter and talk about their wines. They make it fun and educational without making customers feel inferior. Remember that whether you’re selling a product or a service, you’re really selling an experience. So do it differently.

So if you’re ready for the air up there, scorn mediocrity and ask yourself, “How could we do less, do more or do it differently?”

------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

LinkedIn Company Pages - Update Your Company Status

LinkedIn just announced a  new feature for Company Pages—"Status Updates".  What a brilliant idea! You can now, engage your audience with Company Status updates, which will allow you to:

• Post updates directly from your company overview page.
• Share company announcements, product releases, promotions, and other news.
• Engage directly with your followers and possibly their entire network.
• Optimize the conversation by seeing which updates are most engaging.

Updates can only be made by company "Administrators" when the Company Page is set to "Designated Admins Only". And make sure that your News Module is set to Show news about my company, (you can see the News Module by clicking on the Admin Tools - a blue drop down menu - choose EDIT, the New Module feature is located at the bottom of your page), otherwise, the Company Status update field won't show on your company overview page; and you won't be able to post any company updates.

For more information go to LinkedIn's Company Status Updates

Taking my own advice - a moment of truth

This October is indeed a very busy month for me and my company! Although the business is doing well considering the multitude of challenges I had to face since Decapolis Consulting's inception; from financing to buying out a partner, from building my teams to networking, from acquiring new clients and retaining existing clients - I haven’t  been able to meet all of my goals as well as I could have.


As this month marks Decapolis Consulting one year anniversary in business, and since business has been slow for quite some time now, and in a moment of truth; I have decided earlier this month to hire myself and my team to conduct a Current Situation Analysis, to figure out why we haven’t met our set goals.

Our findings were surprisingly simple, yet crucial. Which I will share with you in a moment, after I shed some light on the background dynamics that led to my decision to hire our very own services.

As I said earlier, business has been slow for quite some time, and I found myself with some free time, so last May I joined Mowgli Foundation as a mentor, gave out free coaching packages to a number of individuals, and I just recently volunteered with Injaz’s Company Program.  The experience of volunteering and  helping others is its own reward. But I was pleasantly surprised that I have gained a lot too!  The insight into my own self and into my business alone which came through my involvement with Mowgli Foundation and the wonderful people I met through the program, is priceless. I started asking myself questions like what is my story?  What is my company’s story? Where am I going with the business?  What am I missing?

Questions that every entrepreneur should ask themselves, but sometimes just get too caught up with building and operating day-to-day business that we miss paying attention to the big picture, we forget our story, or worse yet we get emotionally attached to our story. 

I directed my team to be objective in their analysis, and to be emotionally detached upon making recommendations. It wasn’t easy, but we managed.

As simple as the reasons were, the result recommendations were brutal. They were brutal because we were very emotionally attached to the original story. You see, circumstances have changed; mainly due to the dissolving of partnership and incurred additional financial commitments as a natural result of buying out a partner. We went from a partnership to a sole proprietorship, but our message and story didn't change, and we realized that potential clients were confused and overwhelmed with our many offerings that didn't seem to tie well together in light of our new situation. Our story was amiss and a mess!

Our own recommendations for ourselves can also benefit all entrepreneurs who find themselves a bit too emotionally attached to their startups:

1.     FOCUS and Niche Our Story

2.     Modify and Restructure our services to fit our target niche

3.  Redo our business & marketing plans to align with our new modified business

4.  And as a result of all of that, the company profile, website and other promotional content will be rewritten.

5.  Add to the team: starting with hiring (aggressive) marketing and sales professionals for each service line; adding more consultants to our support teams. (yes we are hiring)

6. Put in place a new Action Plan with SMART goals with emphasis on measurable and objective evaluation mechanisms.

Taking our own advice,  we have decided that Decapolis Consulting will Focus on providing management support services and consultancy to SMEs and we will continue to support other consulting firms as their backhaul support kitchens.

We are currently restructuring our offered service lines and some lines will be discontinued altogether. The next step remains to present our recreated story through our website and promotional material. So stay tuned, as we would love to have your feedback!

To Err is Human

Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. Be your own best friend, support yourself when things go wrong. Listen to what you say to yourself. Watch out for the negatives, for when you knock yourself back.

Give yourself a break. Accept when you have given something your best shot. If you didn't succeed this time, so what, have another go. Work out why you went wrong and what you need to do to succeed next time. Allow yourself time to build skills.

My Top Four Social Networks - and how I relate to each

Am probably on 100+ of social and professional networks that I can't even remember joining. The ones I kept on using are the ones that provided the most value to me personally and professionally one way or the other. I still use about a dozen other professional and niche networks, but am not talking about those today.

This post is about the social networks I love using the most and use almost on a daily basis; which are Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Despite the many similar features, I find each network is unique; in how I use it and what it means to me.

Twitter, I find provides a window to the world, or one big social event that never ends; from news to gossip, music & videos, intelligent and not so intelligent conversations, and I just love the topic focused chats. Twitter offers great two way exposure.  About 40% of my coaching clients found me on Twitter. 

LinkedIn, is brilliant in every possible way, professional and very useful, great for brainstorming ideas and sales leads. Groups, InMail and LinkedIn Today; well I just love. LinkedIn results in about 60% of my Consulting business, and 50% of that are of clients initiating first contact! 

Google Plus, well you just got to love the clean and simple layout. Google+ is where I learn about things and meet great people of brilliant minds. Hangouts are super cool, I've even used them for business meetings and coaching sessions. Though I found that most people are more comfortable having those over Skype. Circles make me happy, and Sparks I enjoy. Google+ to me is more about the people.

Facebook, well, its FACEbook, it's an interactive  family album and a school yearbook that updates me on what every family member, classmate and friend are all doing, playing and Liking. A little bit more personal than professional for me. Facebook Ads I found great for generating Page LIKES and creating traffic to outside links, that's about it. But Pages I like, more than Groups. Feel free to visit my pages. Coach Ghada Facebook Page  , Decapolis Consulting Facebook Page go ahead and LIKE them! 

Now concerning privacy issues on all social networks, most of posts and updates are PUBLIC, Facebook is where I pay more attention to privacy settings since the family and friends are almost all addicted to posting pictures almost instantaneously; and for the occasional awkward shared joke or link.

My personal Advice about privacy online, applies to the same advice I give about writing: if you don't want people to find about it, don't write it! simply don't put into writing anything that might come back one day and bite you!

With constant privacy policy and layout changes on any given social network, you just can't be sure! So, if you don't want people to find about it, JUST don't write it, don't post it, don't upload it. don't share it, don't tweet it, or even like or plus it.

The cat always gets out.

I had someone ask me yesterday whether they should be writing follow up letters to sales leads. My answer was Absolutely! And I shared with them this article for Stacie Heeaps which am sharing with you here. Hope you find it as useful as I do!

Write Effective Follow-up Letters

By Stacie Heaps

Follow-up letters can be very important to help you accomplish what you want or need to. For one thing, follow-up letters show to the recipient of the letter your interest in a particular subject or position or your dedication to a responsibility or cause. Furthermore, when written correctly, follow-up letters can be effective tools in helping or ensuring that important tasks get done.  

Purposes of Follow-up Letters

Follow-up letters are written for a wide variety of reasons, but they are most often written for one of four main purposes:

·       Provide further information and show continued interest after an interview.

·       Recap important points or decisions made at a meeting, seminar, workshop, etc.

·       Reiterate the benefits of a product or service, or demonstrate continued interest in a client or potential customer by announcing a special offer.

·       Remind readers of an upcoming meeting or other important event.

8 Tips for Writing Effective Follow-up Letters

1.     Send your follow-up letter promptly, especially after an interview (usually within 24 hours; 48 hours at the most).

2.     Indicate to the recipient of the letter whether or not you need a response, and specify how the person can respond to you: via phone, e-mail, in person, or by mail.

3.     Send reminders about meetings and appointments well in advance so that the recipient has sufficient time to prepare or fulfill assignments. You may send other reminders as the need arises. The message of your letter should be brief and clearly stated to avoid misunderstandings.

4.     Take advantage of follow-up letters to reiterate the positive aspects of your service or product, and gently urge your client or potential customer to take the next step in negotiating a sale. If the reader has already expressed interest in your business, give a firm sales pitch. Highlight the benefits of your product or service, but don't push too hard.

5.     Don't duplicate previous sales pitches, but offer something new, such as more information or a special discount.

6.     When following up after an interview, indicate that you are willing to provide additional information or references (if applicable).

7.     If you do not receive a response from an initial follow-up letter, you may want to write a second letter. Include a copy of the previous follow-up letter with your new one, or repeat the message. Reiterate the importance of receiving a response.

8.     Avoid negative remarks. If you do not receive a response after a first letter, do not imply in later letters that the reader is forgetful, thoughtless, or negligent, as this will likely make him or her feel defensive. Showing your frustration will usually make the situation worse.

  

Follow-up Letter after an Interview

When writing a follow-up letter after an interview, you should:

Thank the interviewer and briefly remind him or her of your name and qualifications.

Reiterate your interest in the position.

Add important information that did not come up during the interview.

Remind the interviewer of some aspect of the interview that went well, briefly elaborate on an idea brought up in the interview, or work to repair any damage that may have been done during the meeting.

Send information the employer may have asked you to provide during the interview.

Send the follow-up letter within 24 hours. Sending a follow-up letter will show that you are courteous and professional, and it will give you an edge over job applicants who do not send thank-you or follow-up letters (many do not).

Follow-up Letter to Recap Important Information

Send a follow-up letter after a meeting or other occasion in order to:

Remind individuals who attended a meeting of the decisions and assignments that were made (this can help to move the work along).

Reiterate important ideas that were shared.

Promote further discussion and collaboration.

Follow-up Letter to Reiterate Benefits or Announce a Special Offer

Writing follow-up letters to customers allows you to:

Establish or renew a relationship with a current or potential customer.

Remind a client or potential customer of your continued willingness to serve him or her.

Emphasize the advantages of doing business with your company, and propose a course of action that the customer can take.

Thank a customer or announce a special sale or limited-time offer.

Keep your company's name before the customer, and reinforce the impression that you are a good person to do business with.

Follow-up Letter to Remind Readers of Important Events

By sending a follow-up letter, you are able to:

Include reminders about upcoming meetings or appointments.

Include in the letter the date, time, and location of the event, along with any other important information that the reader may need to know before attending.