Organized Assistant » networking

Do You Play Well with Others? A look at cooperative competition

Janet — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:17:42 +0000

In my experience, most professional organizers are very happy to share resources and expertise with their colleagues and reap many rewards from doing so. I asked my client, Julie Stobbe, about her thoughts on the subject, and was so impressed that I invited her to share them here today as my guest blogger.

Coopetition occurs when companies work together for parts of their business where they do not believe they have competitive advantage and where they believe they can share common costs. (Source: Wikipedia)

Cooperating with someone in your line of business is a great way to get to know people, brainstorm and learn ideas and help each other with areas that you are weak in. When I decided to try coopetition, I did it on a project basis. I used it to help me to market better, because marketing is not my strength. I would think about something I would like to have (product development) or something I would like to do (offer a new service) and think about someone who had mentioned that they had an interest in the same thing. I would approach them with an idea and see if they were interested in working together to develop and implement the plan. It was nice to have a partner to walk the path with and hold my hand. The payoff is having to do half the work while increasing business for both parties with the understanding that if they get busy and need help, they would approach me first, and I would do the same for them. If you develop a service with a partner, if someone gets sick, you have the other person as backup. I always selected someone who lived east of my main marketing area. This made it easy to get materials delivered over a larger area - half the work, twice the area covered. This gave us both exposure to a larger market. Here are some examples of projects I’ve worked on with people in my field and with complementary businesses:

Developing organizing tip booklets; we have 4 different topics.
Developing courses to offer to colleges, school boards and groups; we have 3 different 3 hour courses prepared.
Advertising someone else’s electronic resources (because I don’t want to develop them at this time) in exchange for services.
Advertising together so the cost of printing is shared by both companies.
Recommending specialty services to clients, such as clutter removal service, rug cleaning, and website design.
Inviting someone to attend new meetings and events with me. That way I don’t have to walk in alone, and perhaps they can make introductions too.

Although I have been fortunate and careful with whom I partner, there are always things to consider.

The person you partner with now represents your company as well as their own. Make sure you have similar business ethics or your company’s reputation maybe adversely affected.
If you are producing a product and the quality of what they produce is not up to your standards, you may be disappointed. However, you have both contributed time and money to the project so they may use it the way they want to.
One of the companies may work much harder at marketing the product or service than the other company. Make sure that you can live with it if you realize that you are marketing them but they are not marketing you.

Overall, I have gained a lot from coopetition with others. I have grown as a business person, I have learned new skills, I have made good friends I can depend on, and I have learned to be flexible. I hope my coopetition partners have found me to be reasonable, supportive and hard working. Taking a chance to work with good people is really making a sure bet. Julie Stobbe is a POC Trained Professional Organizer and the owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario, Canada. You can also like Mind over Clutter on Facebook. Do you have a “coopetition” story of your own? Please share it in the Comments. If you have any questions for Julie, please feel free to post them here as well.

How to Streamline Your Facebook Activities

Janet — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:19:44 +0000

I know many professional organizers who are not taking advantage of Facebook to market their businesses. Their reasoning is sound: "I help my clients to make the best use of their time and space. It just doesn't make sense for me to waste time on Facebook or other social networks."

If you associate Facebook with playing games such as Farmville or Mafia Wars, poking friends, or completing quizzes like "How many kids you will have?" I can understand why you wouldn't see how a Facebook presence can be beneficial to your business. Keep in mind, however, that you can be on Facebook without ever participating in these types of activities. Although new applications are added every week, taking a moment to block these applications from your news feed will save you from spending time and energy filtering through the updates of your friends who like to use them. Here are three more ways to make sure that Facebook doesn't distract you from more important activities:

Use Networked Blogs or another application to automatically post an update when you publish something to your blog.
Use an external application such as Ping.fm, TweetDeck or HootSuite to post updates without logging into the Facebook website.
You can also pre-schedule your updates using TweetDeck or HootSuite. Take advantage of this to post helpful tips at various times throughout the day and/or week, even while you're out working with clients. This keeps your name in front of your target audience, and allows you to increase the frequency of your updates without having them all show up one after another.

Although these strategies allow you to maintain a presence on Facebook without even logging into the site, it is important that you visit the site on a regular basis in order to communicate with other users, especially those who have commented on your posts. The name of the game is social media, and if you don't engage with others, they will stop trying to engage with you. You should be able to manage this in 15 minutes or less per day. That is not a lot of time, so you'll want to use it wisely. Give priority to:

Checking your notifications, to see if anyone has responded to any of your comments, and
Visiting your business page, if you have one, because comments posted on there will not normally appear in your news feed or notifications.

In addition to blocking frivolous applications as noted above, you can organize your friends into groups. When you visit Facebook, instead of the default news feed which lists all of your friends, go directly to the feed for the group(s) that you most want to stay connected with. Once you have completed these three steps, if you haven't used up your 15 minutes, you can explore other things that may be going on. If you tend to get distracted, set a timer so you don't get off track. If you'd also like to use Facebook for sharing news and photos with family and friends, do that at a different time, not during the 15 minutes allotted to your business. Try it for a couple of weeks, then come back and share your results! While you're on Facebook, be sure to "like" Organized Assistant, if you're not already a fan. Photo credit: Beth Kanter

Your Social Media Profiles

Janet — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:00:05 +0000

Once upon a time, all you needed was a professional-looking business card and maybe a brochure. In more recent years, it became expected that even a small business like yours would have a website. These days, prospective clients want to get to know you personally, through Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social networking websites.

Just signing up for these sites is not enough; you need to create a compelling profile that will make it clear why others should connect with you. Most social networking profiles include three basic pieces of information: a photo, a short description, and a link. Deciding what picture and information you'd like to share before you even log in will help you to simplify the process. In today's post, I will share some guidelines for creating an engaging profile, but first, let's ensure that your profile data is secure and that you don't unintentionally share any private information. Your User Names and Passwords Although it may be tempting to use the same password for each site, this is not wise, for security reasons. Consider that if someone is able to hack into one account, once they figure out your password, they can hack into your other accounts as well. Under no circumstances should you use the name of a pet or family member, or even a dictionary word, as your password, as these are far too easy to guess. I've been using Roboform, which generates strong random passwords and stores them securely, for several years, and it has completely eliminated the need to remember my passwords or type them every time I log into a site. With the free version, you can store up to 10 logins indefinitely. I highly recommend it! Your Privacy Take the time to familiarize yourself with a site's privacy policies before you decide to join, and to stay on top of any changes that might require you to adjust your settings. You can usually choose what information is and is not displayed, but Facebook in particular is notorious for changing its policies, and if you're not up to speed with the changes, you might find yourself sharing information that was previously set as private. If certain information is optional, consider whether it is to your benefit to have it appear on your profile. Otherwise, leave it off. Your Profile Photo Begin by selecting the picture you will use on your profiles. Using the same one on all of your profiles will be less work for you and will also ensure that people who don't know you well will recognize you from one site to another. On some sites, your profile picture is displayed as a very small thumbnail image, so it's best to use a headshot rather than a full body shot. Using your business logo rather than a personal photo may be a good way to enhance your brand recognition, but keep in mind that it may be less engaging. As Brian Manzullo said in a recent Web Journalist Chat,

Readers want to talk to people. They want to see faces, not company logos.

Whatever image you choose, make sure that it is the correct size and proportion for the site so that it doesn't cut off important parts or turn fuzzy. A professional photograph is ideal, but don't worry if you don't have one. Just be sure to choose one that is in focus and shows you at your best. If you look tired or grumpy, it doesn't exactly invite people to talk to you, does it? Avoid displaying the site's default image if at all possible, as many people won't give you a second glance if your profile lacks this important detail. Your Short Description Don't make the mistake of just typing something in off the top of your head, because what you put in this section is critical to attracting people to join your network. Also, resist the temptation to leave it until later, because it's too easy to forget about it. In many cases, you are limited to a specific number of characters, so you have to be very selective in what you say. Avoid making it a sales pitch, and instead create a compelling message that will make people interested in learning more about you and what you have to say. When writing your description, be sure to use the keywords and phrases that are apt to be used by people who are searching for someone like you, to increase the likelihood that your profile will come up in their search results. Your Link Some sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, allow you to list multiple links, so you can easily link to your main website, your blog, and any other sites you may have. Others, such as Twitter, only give you space for one link, so you need to decide what will be most effective. Most people post a link to their business home page, but since many users will click on the link to learn more about you and decide whether or not to follow you, it might be more beneficial to link to your “About Me” page or your blog. Some people even set up a special landing page just for this purpose, which provides an opportunity to share much more detail than will fit on your Twitter profile. Your link can easily be changed at any time, so feel free to experiment. Other Information Take advantage of any other fields that are available on each site in order to incorporate additional keywords and to provide supplementary details that may encourage others to engage with you. Again, don't just start typing without considering whether the information reflects the professional image that you wish to portray, and take the time to proofread everything you write before you add it to your public profile. Organized Assistant has helped lots of professional organizers and other small business clients to develop and manage their online presence. If you need some help getting started, or if you're not getting the results from social media that you'd hoped for, don't hesitate to request a free 30 minute consultation.

Establishing Your Network on LinkedIn

Janet — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:39:35 +0000

With all the current hype about social media, you've probably joined a few sites simply because someone sent you an invitation, or because you heard or read that it was a good idea. Once you've signed up, the benefits aren't always obvious, especially when you only have one or two connections.

Today's post will be a step-by-step guide to finding people on LinkedIn that you already know, and adding them to your network. To get started, simply click on the "in" button to the right of this post. This will take you to my LinkedIn profile. On the right side, click on Sign In, if you already have an account, or Join Now if you don't. If we're not already connected, feel free to click on Add Janet to your network. Please include a personal note to let me know that you read my blog. It's actually a good practice to always include a personal note, because if the other person doesn't recognize your name, they might report you to LinkedIn, and you don't want to risk having your privileges suspended, even temporarily. Once you're logged into your account, click on Contacts at the top of your screen, then at the top right, click on Add Connections. If you have a webmail address book in Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or AOL, enter your user name and password in the section on the left. A list of your contacts will appear on your screen, and there will be a LinkedIn graphic next to those who are already members of the site. For now, we will only look at contacts who are already on LinkedIn. By default, all contacts will be selected. Click on the Select All box to deselect them. Please note that this feature doesn't give you the option of including a personal note, so you should only select people who know you and will recognize your name. Next, click in the box next to the contacts you wish to connect with, and click on Send Invitations. If you don't use webmail but an email program on your computer, click on Import your desktop email contacts. Now you'll need to minimize LinkedIn and go to your email program. In Outlook, click on File – Export and choose Export to a file. Click Next then choose Comma Separated Values (Windows). Click Next, click on your Contacts folder, then click Next again. You will now have the option of naming the file and specifying where you want to save it. I recommend leaving the name as is and saving it to your Desktop (click on Browse and click on Desktop). Click Next and then Finish. If you have a large number of contacts, this may take a few minutes. The procedure for other email applications may be slightly different, so refer to your Help screen if you need instructions. Once you have exported your contacts, minimize or close your email program and go back to LinkedIn. Click on Browse, navigate to your desktop, select the .csv file, and click on Open. Click on Upload File. You might get a message that reads We can't upload your file at this moment. Please try again later. This is frustrating, but there's not much you can do about it. Go and do something else and come back to it later on. Once you've successfully uploaded your contacts file, a list of your contacts will appear on your screen, and there will be a LinkedIn graphic next to those who are already members of the site. For now, we will only look at contacts who are already on LinkedIn. By default, all contacts will be selected. Click on the Select All box to deselect them. Please note that this feature doesn't give you the option of including a personal note, so you should only select people who know you and will recognize your name. Next, click in the box next to the contacts you wish to connect with, and click on Send Invitations. Please note that you won't actually be connected to these people until they receive and accept your invitation. You probably know a lot more people on LinkedIn than you'll find by importing your address book. To find more, go to the profile of someone with whom you're likely to have common acquaintances, and look at their connections. When you see someone you know, simply click on their name to go to their profile, then click to add them to your network, remembering to add a personal note. You'll often see a list of people under the heading People You May Know. Take a look through these as well. If there is someone in particular you'd like to connect with on LinkedIn, type his or her name into the search box at the top right of your screen. If it is a common name, you may be presented with a lengthy list of matches, but you can filter the search results by changing the location, industry, and/or other filter selections on the left. As you grow your network, you will probably want to start connecting to people you don't already know, but that will be a topic for another day. Is LinkedIn an important part of your online marketing strategy? If not, what type of information do you need to help you use it more effectively? Photo credit: Personeelsnet

Ten Types of Tweets

Janet — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:24:28 +0000

Last year, I was invited to be a contestant in Blog-Off II, a blogging competition to find the best social media and marketing experts. Although I wasn't selected as a winner, it was a great experience which gave me an opportunity to connect with and learn from some really outstanding bloggers. Today I'd like to share one of the posts I wrote for the competition.

There are a lot of people who just don't get Twitter. I understand that. After all, your introduction to the site probably involved a visit to the Twitter home page, which doesn't really give you much of an idea of what it's all about, or to someone's profile, which often seems like a bunch of random comments full of strange characters and acronyms. Despite that, someone may have convinced you to sign up anyway, and now you just don't know what to type into that little box that's asking you "What's happening?" If you take a look at what other people are doing, you'll start to see several typical kinds of tweets. Here are some of the ways I've seen people using Twitter over the last day or so:

@HSPCliff: #HSP alert. Don't get upset by mistakes. No matter how smart you are, you'll never know everything. There's always something new to learn. (Tweet Type #1: motivational)

@HouseandHome: Get free design tips and exclusive offers in our eNewsletter http://bit.ly/45ZLds (Tweet Type #2: promotional)

@organizedhome: I just wanted to say thanks to all my twitter friends. Just check stats on my blog. You are all so supportive. Thank you! (Tweet Type #3: appreciation)

@garagerev: Website for my new business has just gone live. http://www.handmadewoodworks.com (Tweet Type #4: announcement)

@Letscooktonight: Just made a recipe from my cookbook. Sausage pepper & onion heroes. MMMM tasted great. (Tweet Type #5: casual chatter)

@ProsperbyDesign: Do you have a daily SUCCESS PRACTICE or HABIT you can share? I write My Brilliant Today each day, and say 5+ thank yous! (Tweet Type #6: initiating a discussion)

I've included the user names here to show that even seemingly non-business tweets are often related to the tweeter's area of expertise, and you'll notice that most of these messages are at least a little bit self-promoting. Let's face it; most of us are using Twitter as a marketing tool, but if you don't want your followers to just skip over your tweets or, even worse, to stop following you, you need to be careful that your tweets don't look like a running stream of ads. One of the cool things about social media is that it allows us to be authentic, so take advantage of that and let your personality shine through! On the other hand, don't try so hard to show your human side that you bore people or put them off by sharing too much information. No one's really interested in your baby's poop! (Tweet Type #7: mundane chatter) It's important to remember that Twitter isn’t about throwing out random promotional messages and hoping they get noticed – it’s about engaging in conversations. You need to take some time to read and reply to what other people are saying, especially if they ask a question. (Tweet Type #8: replying to someone else's tweet) Another popular way to let someone know that you read and liked what they said is to pass it on to your own followers, often with your own comment added. (Tweet Type #9: the retweet) Twitter can also be a great platform to ask your own requests for information you need for a project, upcoming trip, or just about anything else. (Tweet Type #10: asking a question) I've just shown you ten different types of tweets, which I hope you'll find helpful the next time you're stuck for something to say on Twitter, but I've barely scratched the surface of the possibilities! I'd love to hear some of the creative types of tweets that you've seen or have posted yourself – I'm sure we can get this list up to 20!

A First Timer’s Perspective on The Annual NAPO Conference

Janet — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:59:50 +0000

Last week, we heard about NAPO 2010 through the Eyes of a Seasoned Conference-Goer. After asking Julie Bestry to cover the conference for my blog, I thought it would also be interesting to hear from someone who has never been before. I posted a request on LinkedIn, and Randi Hutton rose to the challenge.

I was probably the only NAPO member who was actually excited about the annual conference being held in Columbus, Ohio -- where I grew up! And my High School Reunion was being held at the same time… does it get any better than that????? So, off I went with great glee to enjoy my hat trick – Annual Conference, Reunion and Family. I had put a lot of time into organizing for the trip. My daily itinerary typed up, each session’s descriptions put into a folder for that day and much thought was given to choosing sessions to attend. Would it be worth it? I arrived in Columbus on Sunday to visit with family and friends prior to the opening of the Conference on Wednesday. I stayed locally at a friend’s condo and I went over to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon to pick up my materials and case the joint. As a first timer attendee (yet an experienced professional organizer), I had no idea what to expect, starting with the box of different ribbons one could wear proudly upon their jackets. Of course, mine said "First Time Attendee" but I was assured by an experienced conference attendee that that meant everyone would say ‘hi’ and welcome me. Note: she was pinning on multi ribbons as she spoke. The local Ohio Contingency had arranged a kick-off entitled "The Amazing Race" which turned out to be different groups of attendees holding onto a rope and running around the exhibition hall looking to find the items on their scavenger lists. They all seemed to be having a fun time, laughing with glee at their finds, at their new camaraderie in the shared experience and the prizes won. This is not my type of activity and I had found my favorite organizer from NYC and we talked and then investigated the Exhibitors booths. That was kick-off enough for me. Ah, the exhibitors booths – what an array of interesting and mostly useful products! From bagged storage items to storage boxes to calendars of all sorts (books, desk, wall, computerized) and books written by attending organizers, all sorts of technology driven organizational tools to closet companies and organizing related organizations, there was much to see, learn and some perhaps with whom one could partner. Great Exhibitors! The Conference Sessions opened on Thursday with an enthusiastic Keynote Speaker who revved my engine and on we all went to our first session. All of the Special Guest Speakers were interesting and motivational in one way or another. The Sessions: There were always at least five or more sessions to choose from and oftentimes I found myself having a difficult time choosing. Fortunately, they tape all of the sessions so my back-up plan was to buy the tapes to the unattended sessions of interest. Unfortunately, after all of my angst over choice, I was 50/50 and I think some improvement could be made. It would have been helpful to have a notation by each session re: entry, intermediate or experienced level of content. I never mind going to a session that might be advanced, however, to have wasted time in a couple beginning level sessions was a bit bothersome. Yes, you can walk out and I did so at one session but I wouldn’t want to make a habit of it. I was lucky to have someone tell me about some of the speakers but that is a very subjective analysis. I enjoyed many of the sessions and took something away from each of them. I have always felt that if you actually take something away that you implement (still on my ‘to do’ list) then it is worthwhile. There was this wonderful Information Board where people would list get-togethers, invites to dinner, etc. There was a posting for all business organizers to informally meet at a certain time. This turned out to be one of the highlights of my conference experience. Around one table sat a group with the same interest, all of whom had something to offer to the conversation… all of whom I hope to get to know better over time. We decided to have a Google group so that we could have continued discussions year round. I am sure there were other opportunities that I might have missed due to my outside night-time commitments, yet I am very happy with this experience. Prior to my trip, I had contacted a few organizers from different parts of the country and very much enjoyed meeting them and hope to build on those relationships. Some were less experienced than me, others moreso. Either way, we all have something to share with one another and this conference brought us together – so another win/win. As I write this, I realize I took away even more than I originally thought. Yes, I gained inspiration. Yes, I gained ideas and information. Yes, I met some nice and interesting people and yes, I believe some of them will become long distance friends and associates. I am thankful that the stars aligned so that I was able to go to the conference, go to my reunion and spend time with my family. I don’t know if I would have gone had not it all fallen in the same week. So, I might not be your typical first time attendee, but I am a happy first time attendee and now that I know some of the ropes, I hope future first time attendees will lean on me. Randi Hutton, Professional Organizer, is the founder and owner of the RZ connection. After years as a Realtor, during which she has helped hundreds of people organize their homes, downsize and relocate nationally and internationally, Randi created the RZ connection to help her clients simplify their lives, reduce their stress, and increase efficiency. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) as well as the National Association of Realtors, Connecticut Association of Realtors, Mid Fairfield Board of Realtors, Consolidated Multiple Listing Service, Real Estate Board of New York, and New York Women In Film & Television. She has her B.A. from Lake Forest College, earned her ABR and GRI accreditations, and is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, an Exceptional Properties Specialist and a Relocation Specialist.

Using Facebook to Promote Your Organizing Business

Janet — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:09:20 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a seminar with social media business coach Mari Smith, as part of Social Media Success Summit 2010 (SMSS10). The timing was perfect, as it allowed me to learn about some of the latest developments on Facebook, and to include a few of Mari's tips in my presentation to the Halton-Peel Chapter of POC last night. Here are the highlights of my talk.

Facebook is the #1 social network and the 2^nd most popular website in the world, after Google. According to a study conducted in 2009, more than 50% of Canadians under age 45 and 30% of Canadians between 45 and 54 are on Facebook. The number of users has increased since then, and continues to grow on a daily basis. Mari referred to a study by eMarketer which revealed that 68% of US Facebook users are "more likely to buy on a positive Facebook friend referral." Therefore, it's becoming increasingly important to consider Facebook as one of your marketing strategies. There are basically three ways that you can have a presence on Facebook: personal profiles, business pages, and groups. Since you have to have a personal profile to participate on Facebook, we'll start there. Personal Profile One of the things that many people worry about is using their personal profile for business, but you can maximize your networking potential without sacrificing your privacy through the use of two features. The first step is to create a Friends List for your personal friends and family members. To do this, click on Friends on the left side of your home page. At the top of the page you'll see a button that says Create a List. Type in a name for this list and select the people who should be included in the list. When you're done, click on the Create List button at the bottom. People can be added to and removed from that list whenever you like. Next, go to your Privacy Settings. You'll find this under Account at the top right hand side of your screen. Now, you'll see a list of the various types of information on your profile. This is where you control who can see your Bio, Birthday, Interested In and Looking For statuses, Religious and Political Views, Photo Albums, Posts by You, Posts by Friends, as well as who can write on your Wall or comment on your Posts. Beside each one is a button with a picture of a lock on it. This is a dropdown menu. Click on it and choose Customize. Under Make Visible to... choose Specific People, then type in the name of the list you created in the previous step. This will prevent that type of information from being seen by anyone other than the people you've assigned to that group. It is a little bit of work to set up, but it's more effective than trying to manage multiple profiles (which is actually contrary to Facebook's Terms of Service) or figuring out how to handle it when you receive a friend request from a someone that you'd like to have in your network, but you don't necessarily want that person to see photos of your family vacation. Using your profile is a great way to keep your name in front of people you've met but aren't in regular contact with, whether it's past clients, prospective clients who haven't yet taken the step of doing business with you, people you've met at networking events, or others. Business Page In addition to your personal profile, you can take things up a notch by setting up a page for your business. There is value in opening up your personal profile to business contacts, but there are even more advantages to having a business page:

You are limited to 5000 friends, but you can have unlimited fans
You can send an update to all your fans but you can only send a message to 20 friends at one time
Pages are fully indexed by Google
Pages can be viewed by people who are not logged into Facebook
Pages can be customized to incorporate a special landing page, a sign-up box for your ezine

To set up your page, click on the Advertising link at the bottom of your screen, then click on Pages. There you'll find some information about creating and using your page as well as a Create a Page button. When you create a Facebook page, there are a few things that you will not be able to change later, so these should be chosen carefully. This includes:

The name of your page
The category – you should choose Brand, product, or organization rather than local business – this is more for bricks and mortar businesses who need to list location, hours of operation, parking, etc.
The primary administrator – you can have multiple administrators but the person who creates the page can never be removed as an admin, so it's probably best to do it through your own Facebook account, even if a VA or someone else is going to work on the page for you, because you'll never be able to take away their admin privileges

Once the page is set up, you can start adding content and applications to make it interesting for people so they will want to become fans. Once they are fans, things you add to your page will come up in their news feed. If you have a blog, you can use the Networked Blogs application to automatically import your new posts to both your personal profile and your business page. This will put a link to your posts in your friends' and fans' news feeds. It's a great way to add fresh content without having to log into your account. However, you should log in at least once a week to respond to comments, deal with friend requests, and comment on other people's posts. It is social networking after all, and not your own personal ad space. Stay away from the games and you shouldn't have to worry about it taking up too much of your time! Other popular applications include Videos, Discussions, and Reviews. There's even an application that will allow you to create customized pages, such as a Welcome Page, a newsletter sign-up box; really, the possibilities are nearly endless. Groups Because groups have been available longer than business pages, some people set up groups for their business as a way to communicate with their clients and others who might be interested in their area of expertise. Many of these businesses have now switched over to pages, because they are much more limited in what they can do.

Groups are not indexed on Google
Groups cannot be customized
Group activities don't come up on people's news feeds, so they tend to go unnoticed
Although groups can have unlimited members, once they exceed 5000, you can no longer send out blanket messages

Once you have your business page up and running, you should promote it on your website, your blog, your ezine, and anywhere else that makes sense, and of course you'll want to link your page back to your website and your blog. An integrated approach to online marketing will be most effective in helping you to achieve your goals. To learn more read Mari Smith's new book, Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day.

NAPO 2010 through the Eyes of a Seasoned Conference-Goer

Janet — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:33:19 +0000

After losing an argument with myself about whether or not I would attend this year's NAPO Conference, I needed to recruit a guest blogger to share the highlights with my readers, and the first person I thought of was Julie Bestry, who is a great writer and a constant source of support and inspiration to me. I think you'll agree that reading Julie's post is the next best thing to being there.

Innovate, Connect, Inspire...and Eat Amazing Ice Cream For me, the National Association of Professional Organizers' Annual Conference and Expo is a combination of the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, with a dash of summer camp and a dollop of class reunion. One might imagine that after attending eight consecutive conferences, I'd be jaded going into the ninth, but even if that were remotely true, this year's conference decluttered every bit of cynicism right out of me. For those of you who were unable to attend, Janet has kindly offered me the opportunity to share the details of what you missed. Connecting Extemporaneously The theme of this year's conference was "Innovate, Connect, Inspire", but I have to say I hold a special place in my heart for the "connect" element. The excitement began when two of my NAPO-GA colleagues, the Michelles (Grey and Cooper, of whom I was tempted to say "Hi, I'm Julie. This is my organizer, Michelle, and my other organizer, Michelle") picked me up in Chattanooga for our rain-soaked road trip to Columbus, Ohio. Upon arrival at the Hyatt Regency, I was eager to get up to my room to watch Lost. Although my room immediately struck me as oddly shaped, I was so captivated by the Smoke Monster that I failed to notice that Room #1111 lacked a desk! The narrow corner room, shaped quite like an arrowhead, with two full walls of windows and a rest room that required advanced yoga experience, was apparently one of four on each floor of the Hyatt that offered "special architecture", as the front desk later pitched it. I'm of a belief that anything that doesn't kill you makes for great anecdotes, and found a flight-load of colleagues in the lobby on Wednesday morning to regale. While I warned those in need of desk space to avoid rooms ending in 11, 22, 33 or 44, friend and beloved host of NAPO's famed Ask the Organizer Panel, Monica Ricci, noted that I have strange NAPO hotel room karma. It's true. I endured a wee-hours fire drill the night prior to taking the CPO® exam in Minneapolis, and my hotel ceiling collapsed in Boston the year I opted for a "boutique" hotel. While connecting with Randi Hutton, whom Janet has picked to share a first-time attendee's tale, I sat in a prime position to see my colleagues as they arrived. Randi and I were repeatedly (but politely) interrupted by the joyous hoots of recognition and affection of colleagues, to the point that Randi must have wondered if we were more like sorority girls on the first day back at school than seasoned professionals. Unbeknownst to me, word had spread quickly of my hotel room adventures, and I ended up giving tours to the curious. I even played Pied Piper to one party of VIPs, including Clutter Diet's Lorie Marrero, Hoarders celeb Geralin Thomas, the lovely Stephanie Shalofsky and incoming NAPO-NYC president, Sharon Lowenheim. During another tour, I stated that the bed's positioning made me feel as though I were about to be shot out of a cannon. Fellow Tennessee organizer Melissa Gratias noted that the narrow point at which the two walled windows connected seemed more like the bow of a ship, and promptly acted out the "I'm the King of the World" scene from Titanic. Innovating Connections, NAPO EXPO-Style Impromptu connections notwithstanding, NAPO had something bold and innovative designed to help prompt connections, not only with our fellow professional organizers, but also with our esteemed vendors. On Wednesday night, the NAPO-Ohio chapter sponsored an Amazing Race-themed game wherein teams of ten organizers were shackled to looped ropes, a la kindergarten art museum field trips. Armed with a list of 40+ trivia questions about vendors and their wares, the Race had each team running – connected (by rope) – hither and yon, across and around the Expo floor. While the CBS version of Amazing Race might be more high profile, I'd wager that the speed (and competitive nature) of teammates and rivals made the game at least as compelling, and I'm certain that NAPO-Ohio's Andrea Sharb gave Phil Keoghan a run for his money as host. A good time was had by all, though probably not as good a time as the Scott Roewer-led team to which I was assigned...because, through Scott's tenacity and leadership, and a stroke of genius on the part of NAPO-Philadelphia's Annette Reyman, we landed in first place and won ClosetMaid canvas bins full of prizes donated by Expo vendors. Rest assured, not one prize item any of the teams received could be remotely considered clutter! (For a recap of the merchandise displayed at the Expo, I invite you to my blog.) An Army of Professional Organizers Marches (and Connects) On Its Stomach NAPOites also connected, refreshed and dined in ever-changing do-si-do configurations throughout the week. Our official lunches ranged from ad hoc, standing-room-only in the Expo for Thursday's boxed lunch to regional tables (not quite regionally-arranged, such that Pacific Northwesterners lunched a fork's throw from Mid-Atlantic organizers) at Friday's annual NAPO business meeting. For Saturday's award luncheon, we chose special interest tables so that members could chat about business organizing, or working with ADHD clients, and so on. (I lunched with one of three tables of NAPO Twitter colleagues). Dinners were decided off-campus, and ranged from formal chapter meals to spontaneous gatherings at niftily-named Columbus eateries like the Surly Girl Saloon and Sushi Rock. The long-awaited, expertly-planned (by NAPO-DC's Kim Oser) Tweetup at Bucca di Beppo was such a hot ticket that numerous late-deciders, including one former NAPO president, had to be turned away. One unofficial dining experience seems to have been partaken by many... multiple times. (Indeed, only Saturday night's downpour kept me from a third night in attendance at this local gem.) Each night, confection aficionados were found connecting and obviously inspired by the innovative ice cream at Columbus' Jeni's Ice Cream, where tantalizing flavors like Salty Caramel and Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Cherries captivated the NAPOites whom we saw coming, going, and standing in line. Innovating and Inspiring...And Learning Of course, the NAPO conference is much more than a big party. We came to learn...and be inspired! If the collective buzz, both at the conference and on Twitter and Facebook in the days since conference are any indication, our three keynote speakers were the most motivating in recent history. Tim Sanders, author of Love Is the Killer App and the new Saving the World at Work, kicked off the conference with his keynote, Innovating How We Connect. Tim shared the lesson of his mentor, that we can "Accomplish more in two months, developing a sincere interest in two people, than in two years trying to develop their interest in you." Sanders talked about turning our customers into friends, but in a genuine and constructive way. First, he reviewed how we should not merely add, but multiply, the value we provide others, by recommending (and giving) books, because giving away knowledge establishes trust, and by sharing our networks, matchmaking to improve others' professional and personal lives. Next, Sanders spoke about empathy and the importance of listening "powerlessly", without judgment or agenda, to help others feel truly heard. He captivated a room of 700+ professional organizers with the theory of "emotional leakage" propagated by Paul Ekman (upon whose research the Fox show Lie to Me is based). Finally, Sanders spoke about elevating the purpose of a task to find the joy inherent within it. His anecdote about Timberland executives literally giving the boots off their feet to Hurricane Katrina recovery workers was awe-inspiring and left quite a few organizers decluttering their tears. And this was just on the first day! Gina Schreck's Friday keynote, Connecting Via Technology, delighted inveterate tweeters and technophobes alike. Schreck humorously brought home the lesson that good social networking is part of a solid professional image, and that even if we haven't changed, our clients have, and it's expected that professionals will connect, collaborate and build communities. As part of that, Schreck highlighted some best practices for using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and talked about the importance of using links to blogs, articles and video, not only to spotlight our expertise, but also to get indexed by Google. I was enthralled by Gina Schreck's entertaining combination of philosophical, practical and technical advice with regard to selecting whom to follow, befriend or link. Her best pointer, however, was one that, while referencing Twitter, should apply to all of us, each time we talk or type: "Be interesting, be helpful, or be quiet!" Quite a few of our colleagues must have been inspired to innovate and connect (see, there's that theme again!), as we veterans have seen a huge influx of NAPO members joining Twitter in the past few days. Our closing keynote speaker, Monica Wofford, sent us home with a lesson on Inspiring Contagious Confidence. She began with the precept that "confidence is a belief that you can do something", and the notion that confidence is not the same as self-esteem ("the belief that you are worth the effort"). Wofford dazzled the room with a high-energy invocation to clearly identify what we want from our businesses and our lives, and learn to articulate those desires with authenticity, through changed thoughts, perceptions, beliefs and actions. And these were only the keynotes! In between, we soaked up knowledge about the skills of organizing, everything from "power offices" to health data, from project management to Six Sigma. Other breakout sessions focused on specific client populations, including seniors, clients with ADD/ADHD, and hoarders. Along with such conference stalwarts, NAPO speakers also presented new topics designed to make us better at running our businesses, from Porter Knight's "Knowing Your Numbers" to Lisa Montanaro's "It Takes a Village to Run a Successful Biz", in addition to sessions on transitioning from hands-on organizing to coaching, working with independent contractors, and writing effective business proposals. Innovating NAPO Session Structure NAPO also innovated this year with mega sessions, including two back-to-back classes from Canadian professional organizer and marketing expert Krista Green. She charmed novices and veterans alike, with her practical advice on running, branding and marketing a successful organizing business. Another mega-session offered in-depth discussion on serving, as well as marketing to, the aging senior market. No matter where you stood on the technology spectrum, from Luddite to webmaster, there was something for everyone at this year's conference. Scott Roewer and Lauren Halagarda, NAPO's own "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" dynamic duo) each went a few steps beyond their 2009 offerings, inspiring attendees to venture into technological productivity solutions for themselves and their clients. In many cases, the Roewer/Halagarda team seemed to have inspired purchases of software and hardware (on an equal opportunity basis) for both PC and Mac platforms...and for all those gadgets. Another session offered a veritable college-level survey course on the various "Organizing Tools on the Web". My own conference highlight was attending a session presented by the two most innovative professional organizers I know, Brandie Kajino and Allison Carter, whose "How to Make Money With Virtual Classes" walked attendees through every step of the teleclass and webinar development experience. The NAPO 2010 Annual Conference and Expo innovated its own practices and taught us how to innovate our businesses, our marketing methods, and our ways of thinking and interacting. We explored new ways of connecting, at the conference and beyond, with one another and with our clients and prospects. And we were inspired, not only by our keynote speakers and presenters, but by our colleagues. I never fail to be amazed that I get to rub shoulders and tweets with so many jaw-droppingly fantastic colleagues. I hope to see many more of you, again or for the first time, at NAPO's next conference, April 6-9, 2011, in San Diego. Julie Bestry is a Certified Professional Organizer, speaker and author, who helps individuals and businesses save time and money, reduce stress and increase productivity through new organizational skills and systems. Although a generalist, Julie specializes in paper organizing, blogging as the Paper Doll, and publishes Best Results for Busy People: Organizing Your Modern World. For more information, visit Best Results Organizing at http://www.juliebestry.com.

Learning Opportunities for Professional Organizers in Southern Ontario

Janet — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:31:58 +0000

I love it that I still have connections within Professional Organizers of Canada! Following my successful presentation last month for the Southwestern Ontario Chapter, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be speaking at two Chapter meetings in May. Here are the details of these and other upcoming professional organizer events in Ontario.

On Monday, May 10, I'll be speaking about Facebook for Professional Organizers for the Halton-Peel Chapter, at Tansley Woods, 1996 Itabashi Way, Burlington. Doors open at 6:45, and the meeting runs to about 9:00. All members and guests are requested to RSVP to halton-peel@organizersincanada.com. On Wednesday, May 26, I'll be speaking about Organizing for Personality Types for the North-GTA Chapter, at Williams Coffee Pub, 192 McEwan Drive East, Bolton. Doors open at 6:30, and the meeting runs to about 9:00. All members and guests are requested to RSVP to north-gta@organizersincanada.com. Both of the above meetings are free for POC members and $15 for guests. I'm looking forward to talking to some of my former colleagues, as well as meeting many of my online contacts face-to-face for the first time. Of course, it's not all about me, and there are some other educational activities taking place in the area that you won't want to miss! The POC Toronto Chapter is holding a Professional Development Day on Tuesday, May 11, featuring three dynamic speakers, who will address Business Planning, Communication, and Media Relations. It sounds like a fantastic event and I would love to go myself, but my calendar for May is pretty full, since I've signed up for the Social Media Success Summit. Jane Woolsey of ProfessionalOrganizers.com told me that she is planning to attend, so it would be a great chance to ask her any questions you might have about getting started as a professional organizer. (Be sure to sign up for her Solutions newsletter, if you're not already a subscriber, because in her May issue she's going to be announcing a Special Summer Price on the next Comprehensive Training Program for Professional Organizers in Toronto!) Wherever you are, there are countless educational events taking place not just in May, but every month. Never say you are too busy or can't afford it! Instead, consider the value of lifelong learning, both for your business, and for yourself.

If you want to earn more – learn more. If you want to get more out of the world you must put more into the world. For, after all, men will get no more out of life than they put into it. William J.H. Boetcker

Don’t Commit These Networking Faux Pas!

Janet — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:56:09 +0000

Today I continue my series for Improve Management Skills Month with a look at social networking, both online and offline. Mastering the art of networking will help you to build your brand, expand your reach, grow your business, and be a more confident individual. To determine whether you are networking effectively, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do you hand out business cards without even introducing yourself? Networking is not about one-way advertising; it's about building and growing relationships. Don't worry that there isn't time at a networking event to talk to every other person in attendance – networking is about quality, not quantity. If there's someone there that you really want to meet, but they are engaged in conversation with someone else, patiently wait for your opportunity to talk to them. Don't just hand them your business card and hope they'll be so enthralled with it that they'll look you up. People form relationships with other people, not with business cards. A better way to make connections is to initiate a conversation and ask for the other person's card. If they want yours, they will ask for it. It might also be appropriate to ask them to email you some additional information about something you discussed, in which case it is perfectly acceptable to give them your business card. The online equivalent of this faux pas is to send out Friend Requests on Facebook, or invitations to connect on LinkedIn, without including a personalized note introducing yourself and explaining why you'd like to connect with that person. If you know the person already, it's probably acceptable (kind of like saying, "Mary, can I have your business card?"), but it's always a nice touch, especially if they may not remember immediately where you've met. Twitter is a little different, because you can follow most people without their permission, but if you're following someone with the hope that they'll notice and follow you back, you need to try a little harder. Show your admiration and interest by retweeting some of their posts, and engage in conversation by responding to others. 2. Do you monopolize the conversation? When you meet someone for the first time, do you talk only about your business, or do you ask about theirs? Even if they offer a product or service you don't need yourself, it might be useful to someone else you know, and you can do both people a favor by making the connection. Of course you want to let people know what you offer – that's one of the goals of networking – but avoid sharing too much information. Watch for visual cues that the other person is getting bored or wanting to get away to talk to others. In online networking, make sure that your status updates and posts aren't restricted to announcements about your new blog posts, upcoming events, or other forms of advertising. It's important to engage with others if you really want to build strong connections. 3. Do you add people to your mailing list without their permission? It just amazes me how many people think that it's okay to start sending you their newsletter and/or promotional emails, just because you gave them your business card. I was recently at a networking breakfast where during the group discussion, someone mentioned how much this practice annoys them, and I agreed. Despite that, the person sitting next to me added me to her weekly mailing list, and I suspect that she added everyone else that she met too. Of course, you want to increase your subscriber base, but that is not the way to go about it. I recommend that you take one of the following approaches:

When the person gives you their card, say, "I have a weekly/monthly/occasional newsletter that I send that includes tips about organizing/special offers/information about my upcoming organizing workshops – may I add you to my mailing list?"
When you get back to your office, email each person you met individually, tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them, and refer to something you discussed. Tell them about your newsletter and invite them to subscribe. Include a copy of a back issue to help them decide whether it's something that would be of value to them.

When you add people without permission, even if they have the option of unsubscribing easily, you not only risk annoying them, but you put them in the awkward position of not wanting to offend someone they have just met. Is that really how you want to start off a new relationship? Sure, it takes a little more effort to email people personally, but it's also a lot more effective. Remember: networking is about quality, not quantity. This is less of an issue online, but I have occasionally had people start sending me their newsletters and e-flyers simply because we'd interacted through an online network, and not because I'd signed up for a free e-book or teleclass. I could go on, but will save a discussion of opt-in, double opt-in, and opt-out systems for another post. 4. Do you forget to follow up with the people you meet? Clearly, by following up, I don't mean sending them your newsletter. I mean sending them a personal email, or perhaps a card in the mail, to reinforce the connection that you made. This is especially important if you offered to send them information about something. It's not about sending them your sales pitch, unless they specifically asked you to do that. If you really want to be remembered, why not send them an article about one of their areas of interest, to show that you were listening? Online, once you've connected with people, make an effort to stay in touch. I realize that your time is valuable and I don't expect you to send personal messages to everyone all the time. But if someone sends you a message on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or another site, take the time to respond. And be sure to acknowledge when someone receives an award or celebrates a birthday or anniversary. The main thing to remember here is that networking isn't about going out and getting clients. It's not even about getting referrals. It's about knowing the people in your network well enough that when someone asks you, "Do you know anyone who ..... ?" you'll be able to connect them to someone. That will make people notice you, remember you, and appreciate you, and will ultimately (but not immediately) bring you new business. One person I know who is a Master at networking is Michael Fletcher of Neworld Coaching. He goes out of his way to get to know every person in his very large network – what they do, what challenges they face, and what type of clients they're looking for – without ever pushing his services, and it's this very approach that has made his business such a success. Recognizing that not everyone can afford business coaching, Michael has developed a 13-week online course called Small Business Group Coaching 101 where you’ll learn lots of important strategies to help you grow your business. This program includes weekly webinars, workbooks and other materials, and a one-on-one coaching session with Michael. If you sign up, please mention my name in the “Tell us about your company” area of the registration form.