Career Success! Partners

Small Business "Recovery Kit" - 10 Tips for THRIVING in the Current Economy

Be the Leader in Your Market Niche - 10 Tips for Small Business Owners:

• Create Raving Fans and Absolutely AMAZING and Memorable Customer Experience
  

• Aggressively Employ "New Wave Marketing" - Lead Your Niche in Social Media Communication

• "Get Your House In Order" - Spend Wisely; Minimize Overhead; Operate a Lean Machine

• Establish Mutually Beneficial Strategic Alliances - Nurture Those Relationships to Create Lasting Partnerships

• "Get Out There" - Ensure the Business Owner(s) is Physically Visible in the Community and in the Market; Nurture Your Business Contact Network
  

• Be Nimble, Alert and Proactive - Find and Solve Customer Problems - Cater to "Real Time Needs" in Your Niche - Maintain an Highly Alert and "Open Mind" to New Product and Service Opportunities
  

• Surround Yourself with an All-Star Team - Employ Only Those Who Share Your Values, Vision and Mission - Help Your Team Members Think and Act Like "Owners"

• Lead With Value, NOT Price - Avoid the Overly-Aggressive Price-Cutting/Discounting "Trap"
  

• Focus On the Important - Manage Your Time and Energy Wisely - At Work and at Home - Optimize "Life Balance" Synergies

• Set "SMART" Goals - Work Within the Framework of a Set of SMART Goals That Facilitate Massive Action Oriented Around ALL of the Above Tips

For your company to THRIVE -- particularly in today's economy --  it is important that you address ALL of the above initiatives.  TOGETHER they create AMAZING SYNERGY and will help you LEAD in your market niche.

Our Coaching Program is designed to help business owners achieve career success and to sustain a thriving business, even in today's economy.  We help business owners formulate a massive action plan oriented around the above initiatives -- and then help hold them accountable to the day-to-day, week-to-week activities that must be executed on to achieve that plan.  All the best to your career success!

Andy Robinson
Executive Coach
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
239-285-5575
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com
www.AndyOnTheRadio.com

How Well Are You "Branded" Amongst Your Contact Network? Try This to Find Out

How well are you "branded" amongst your network of connections - friends, family members, individuals with whom you share outside interests, vendors, clients, colleagues, former colleagues?

• What comes to mind when people think of YOU? 

• Do your contacts fully understand what you do for a living and exactly HOW you add value to other people's lives?

• Who's "radar screen" are YOU on when someone asks a contact if they know someone who specializes in your areas of expertise?

Are YOU Getting Noticed? 
Do YOU Stand Out from the Crowd?

Try the following idea every once in a while to "research" and confirm your brand awareness:

1. Choose a network connection and give them a call, asking for a quick few minutes of their time
   
2. Tell them that you've been working on improving your personal branding campaign and that you're doing some research with some of your friends and clients to see how effectively you've been in communicating your brand to your network
   
3. Then, ask this question: "What is your understanding of exactly what I do for a living -- the product, service or skillset that I deliver?"
4. Listen carefully to their response and probe their response using the "blinking word" technique -- (a) Identify a couple of words that "blink" or really stand in in their response, (b) ask about one of those words, (c) notice the blinking words in his or her answer, (d) ask about one of those words, (e) repeat this process until you've reached a point where you can summarize a quick brand statement.  See the example below:
1. You: "What is your understanding of exactly what I do for a living?"
2. Your contact: "You're an executive coach." (blinking word bolded)
3. You: "What is your understanding of what a coach does?"
4. Your contact: "Helps someone be more effective in their job." (blinking word bolded)
5. You: "What are some things you think I do to help my clients be more effective?"
6. Your contact: "Maybe you help them manage their time better." (clinking word bolded)
7. You. "I definitely do a good bit of work with helping people get control over their time and focus on the important. One of the other areas of effectiveness I focus on is helping my clients is helping manager communicate more effectively with their teams."
8. You. "Thanks I appreciate your time. If you run across anyone who might need my help, please let me know.  Is there anything I could do to help you right now?"

OK, so what exactly have you accomplished with the above.  Consider this:

• You've reached out and communicated in person with someone in your network y
• You've strengthened your relationship by a notch or two
• You've asked for and received their help, and you've THANKED them for their help
• You've gotten "market" feedback on the brand that you wish to be known for
• You've educated a contact about what you do for a living
• You've enhanced your brand awareness
• You've empowered a network contact with the information necessary to possibly refer a client to you in the future
• You've made a referral request

Use your personal branding program to stay on the radar screen of your contact network base -- by keeping them current on what you do for a living and how you add value to your clients. Your branding program should include newsletters, frequent communication through social media, blogging and "in person" networking at clubs and professional organizations .  "Test" your branding program on an ONGOING basis using the above research program and make adjustments as necessary.

All the best to your career success!
_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

How to Love Your Job! "Love It, Don't Leave It!" - 26 Things YOU Can Do

I recently read Beverly Kaye's and Sharon Jordan-Evan's excellent book, "Love It Don't Leave It - 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work."  Beverly and Sharon share 26 great ideas for how to find what is RIGHT about your job and how to make the most of your work environment.

This book is particularly timely in today's job market, but is equally relevant regardless of the unemployment rate and state of the economy.

"Love It Don't Leave It" is definitely a MUST READ for anyone who wants to TAKE CONTROL of their performance and their careers.  All of the ideas are highly practical and IMMEDIATELY implementable.

Too many people leave their jobs because something is wrong or something is missing.  They either leave physically -- by walking out the door; or, they leave "mentally" by withdrawing their energy and commitment but stay put -- later regretting their departure (either way).

But....there ARE other options.  It is possible to achieve and regain love and passion for your work -- It is possible for YOU to create all of the following where you are now.

• A job you look forward to each day
• A that energizes you and manifests enthusiasm
• A job that truly uses your creativity and greatest strengths
• A job where you feel appreciated

NOW is the time to take control; pick up the book and take action -- the ideas are presented in a manner that facilitates implementation -- the processes are clearly presented.

Join us next week, Tuesday, November 3rd, at 4pm EST on Exceptional Wisdom Radio, when we interview Sharon on her book and she talks about some of the 26 ways to "fix" you current work situation.

8 Tips for Maximizing Your VALUE as a Business Professional

Zig Ziglar, one of my all time favorite motivational speakers and a great source of inspiration, was one of the first people I remember who used the term "Sharpening the Saw" to refer to keeping your COMPETITIVE EDGE sharp and mastering the process of LIFELONG LEARNING and professional development.

Today, more than ever, it is critical that we continue to "Sharpen the Saw" -- to improve upon our strengths, shore up our weaknesses and stay current in the latest thinking in our field of knowledge. With budgets tight, many companies are temporarily suspending traditional learning and training initiatives. It is therefore up to each of us to take the initiative in “sharpening the saw” – improving and enhancing our ability to add the highest value possible.

Those who make learning and professional development a priority will create significant competitive advantage for themselves, which in the current job market and economic times, has never been more important.

Consider the following ways to continue to “Sharpen Your Saw":

Read More. Commit to reading a minimum of at least one book a month focused on professional development, personal development or some other aspect of your work life. Keep a book at your desk, in your car, next to your favorite chair at home. Find time to read daily. Listen to audio books during your morning commute. Reading is the absolute BEST way to consistently sharpen your saw.

Become Certified. Obtain a key business license, certification or other professional designation. Enhance your credentials and professional standing in your field. Many certification programs are now offered online. The certification and licensure process offers an excellent learning opportunity AND awards you with a highly marketable designation in the end – a double bonus.

Join Toastmasters. Improve you public speaking skills. The “art” of public speaking is, and always will be, a highly marketable skill set. Toastmasters offers a structured and disciplined program for improving your ability to speak comfortably and effectively to small and large groups. It is also an excellent business networking opportunity.

Enroll in a Class. Seek out classroom learning opportunities at your local college or university. Consider an advanced degree or simply deepen your knowledge base in a chosen field of study. Many local colleges and universities offer excellent after-hours and weekend study programs.

Focus on Your Strengths. Dive deeper into one or more of your areas of strength. Actively seek out opportunities to spend more time in the areas where you add the highest value and which align best with those things that strengthen you.

Identify Your Weaknesses. Determine if any of your weaknesses are "career blockers" – areas that may hold you back from advancement. Make a commitment in 2009 to shore up any areas of weaknesses that you determine to be career blockers.

Teach Something. Offer your expertise to others through a teaching or training opportunity. Teaching is a great way to deepen your learning.

Publish Something. Begin writing a book; write an article for a professional publication; launch a “blog” focused on your area of expertise. Share your wisdom and knowledge with others. Writing will, by default, create opportunities for learning. Writing is also an excellent means for enhancing and building your personal brand.

Shift Your Career and Brand Into High Gear With This Tip

Whether you work for a global corporation, a small business, or for yourself, it is absolutely essential that you THINK and ACT like an "owner" -- "own" your job, own your role as a leader or manager, own your roles and responsibilities -- put yourself in the shoes of a business owner, and think and behave as any owner would do.  This is not new advice; many of us have heard this before, and many of us have probably given this advice to others.  But what does it actually MEAN to "think and act like a business owner?"  Standing in the shoes of a business owner is a mind-set shift and in my opinion includes fully embracing the following as part of HOW you DO your job and how you THINK about your job:

• Show Passion and Enthusiasm.  Both your head and your heart need to be "in the game."  Your clients and customers need to see and "feel" your enthusiasm for what you do.  Your colleagues, team mates and direct reports need to sense your passion for what you do.  Passion and enthusiasm are the fuel for the energy that flows into your job.  Others are drawn to you and inspired by you in direct correlation to level of sincere passion and enthusiasm you exhibit.  Think about it, can any business survive, long-term, if the owner is NOT truly passionate and enthusiastic about what he or she does?

• Treat Your Customers and Clients Like Gold.  Customers are the lifeblood of ANY business.  Your customers make be external individuals or businesses or your "customers" may be those at your company that you serve with respect to what you do.  Customer satisfaction and enthusiasm will drive the success of your job and your business.  Treat your customers like gold; create "raving fans" -- make customer and client enthusiasm a number one priority.

• Take Care of Your People.  As a business owner, your number one asset is your people -- your colleagues and team members.  Lead them, serve them, inspire them, appreciate them, recognize them, develop them .... show them -- every day -- that you care for them.  Surround yourself with exceptional talent and nurture and develop that talent as best as you can.  Get to know your work associates on a personal level; understand their personal and their professional goals.  Embrace your team and treat them like your family .... YOUR success depends on THEM.

• Deliver More Than Expected.  A key to building trust and building a positive and memorable reputation is to deliver more than expected.  Under-promise and over deliver.  Go the extra mile, take the extra step, drop the 13th donut into the box.  You've got to give first and give more to get more.  Make this your personal mantra.

• "Roll Up Your Sleeves" Whenever Necessary.  A business owner is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Delegate when possible and avoid "stepping on the toes" of your colleagues, but when something needs to get done, and there's no one to do it -- no task is too small for the business owner.  Just get it done, and do it with a smile.  Lead by example when it comes to being resourceful and getting things done in a timely manner.  Coffee need making? Do it.  Photocopies need to be made right now? Do it.

• Get Better and Better -- Continuously Improve.  A growing, thriving business MUST continue to improve and get better -- upping the ante, staying ahead of the competition, proactively responding to an evolving market, improving processes, reducing costs and improving performance.  YOU, as an employee, must maintain the same mindset.  Read, learn new things, set self-improvement and professional development goals.  Being the best you can be requires getting better and constantly looking for ways to improve yourself.

• "Systematize" Things.  Running a business involves replicating a variety of tasks and processes; the same holds true for your job.  Great business owners look for ways to add structure, consistency and quality to what they do by developing standard WAYS of doing things.  Stay alert for developing tools to help you work "ON" the job you do -- separate from the things you do to work "IN" your job.  Working "ON" your job means looking for ways to standardize and systematize the things you do -- developing processes, flowcharts, checklists, reference material, etc.  Systems and structure improve your productivity and the quality of the work you do.  THINK systems and processes.

• Stay Focused on Cash Flow and Spend Like It's YOUR Money.  Cost-consciousness and "bottom line" focus are always on the mind of a business owner.  Put yourself into the shoes of a business owner and look for ways to do things cheaper without compromising quality.  Look for new revenue opportunities.  Carefully evaluate capital expenditures; compare prices; look for "deals." Maintain a bottom line focus in the conduct of your work.

• Think Ahead; See the "Big Picture."  Great business owners stay one, two, three or more moves ahead of their best competitors.  Owners anticipate and think about the bigger picture.  Move outside your "box" and think about the interrelationship between what you do and everything else in your organization.  Step forward and then look back to see how to get there.  Know your own personal vision and mission and orchestrate your activities consistent with both.

The Art and Beauty of a Wonderfully-Crafted Elevator Speech - Is Yours Memorable?

We've all heard the term "Elevator Speech," and how important it is to formulate a compelling message to others in less than a minute.

Whether you're looking for a new job, trying to develop new business, promoting your company, or simply promoting yourself, it is absolutely essential to have an elevator pitch.  With diminished attention span of others and the fast-paced environment that we live and work it, you need to communicate your message quickly, clearly and distinctly to someone who doesn't even know you.  A great pitch or elevator speech takes planning and practice to deliver it quickly, on the spot and under pressure.

I have a WONDERFUL tool that I recommend to my coaching clients to help them in the formulation of a compelling elevator pitch.  The tools helps give structure to the thought process of developing a clear and memorable elevator speech.

The tool is offered from free by the Harvard Business School Alumni Career Services organization and is available TO ALL OF US for use.

Check out this COOL TOOL here: HBS-Elevator-Pitch-Tool. 

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

LinkedIn - How to Effectively Use LinkedIn's Group Feature to Grow Your Network

The "Groups" feature of LinkedIn has continued to grow in popularity and utility.  Groups are a powerful tool for expanding the depth and breadth of your LinkedIn network.  Many Groups treat members similar to FIRST DEGREE connections -- allowing you to make direct contact with a Group member without a referral or "Inmail".

I am currently an active member in over 30 Groups (LinkedIn allows you to join up to a maximum of 50 Groups).  I highly recommend finding AT LEAST 10 Groups to join -- AND becoming ACTIVE in.  Activity is key; simply joining gives you some benefits but being active in Group news and discussions is where the real value and leverage is.

Some of the things you can do as a Group member, all of which help you to GIVE VALUE TO YOUR NETWORK and expand your network reach and network quality include:

• Share great content and information as "News Items" in Group forums -- blog articles that you find online that would be of interest to Group members and other useful content online - news, events, book referrals, etc.

• Cross-post YOUR own blog articles -- ones that YOU write -- to as many relevant Groups as possible. I will very often cross-post my blog articles to five to ten relevant Groups -- significantly increasing exposure of the article and maximizing the number of people who could benefit in some way from the advice and information contained in the article.

• Participate -- in a meaningful way -- in Group forum discussions.  Make insightful positive-minded comments; add value to conversations; give advice when asked; answer questions.

• Utilize the "Jobs" feature of Groups.  Search for jobs or post job openings.  Groups are an excellent source of "niche" jobs and should be used by anyone actively engaged in a job search.

• Connect directly with other Group members.  Search for people to connect with -- someone who shares a common interest, a common employer experience, a common educational experience.  Groups are an excellent source for expanding your network of direct connections in LinkedIn.

• Start your own Group! Create your own "community" and serve as the moderator of Group activity.  Moderating and Group "ownership" gives you great exposure and strengthens your "brand" or area(s) of expertise.

Give consideration to the following ideas when searching for Groups to join:

• Industry-specific Groups - Examples include Retail Industry Group, Health Care-oriented Groups, Travel Industry Groups, etc.
• Trade and Professional Organization Groups -- There are Groups for scores of trade and professional organizations.  Join those relevant to you.
• Employer Alumni Groups.  Many of the Fortune 100+ companies have alumni Groups for their former employers.  This is a great way to reconnect with former colleagues.
• College/University Groups.  Most major colleges and universities of Alumni Organization Groups on LinkedIn.  Another excellent means for reconnecting with "long lost" contacts and friends.
• Job/Career-Related Groups.  There are hundreds of Groups in the job, career development, career management areas.  If you're in a job search, you'll definitely want to check these out.
• Social Media Groups.  There are Groups for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn where you'll find forums for discussion of tips, techniques and very useful advice relevant to most major social media tools.
• Peer-level Executive Groups.  Check the various CEO, COO, CIO, CFO, etc. specific groups.  A great way to connect with peer-level professionals and sharing useful information.
• Functional/Technical Specialty Groups.  There are scores and scores of these.  Find a Group or Groups relevant to your ares of functional or technical specialty (sales, marketing, accounting, IT, supply chain, etc., etc.)
• Personal Interest Groups.  An avid cyclist? ...there are Groups.  A devoted football team fan? ...there are Groups.  A great way to share with people of like-minded interests.
• New Business.  Find Groups to join where there are members who are highly likely to be a source of business for you -- potential customers, clients, buyers and "influencers."  Look for ways to add value to these Groups through discussion and sharing of information.

Begin expanding your Group involvement and participation today.  Another GREAT way to tap the power of LinkedIn!

_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

LinkedIn - 10 Tips for Effectively Using Your "Status Update"

One of the features of LinkedIn that tends to be underutilized is the "Status Update" (also called your "Network Update") in your LinkedIn Profile.  Your status update "block" is a white box located just below your picture on your "View My Profile" page.  If you don't see such a block, then you've not posted a status update.

From your LinkedIn Home Page or your "Edit My Profile" page, you can change your status update as frequently as you desire.  EVERY time you update your status, the home page of ALL of your network connections is "pinged" with your status update.  Status updates are also distributed to your network via email when LinkedIn sends you your weekly "Network Update."  Your latest status update is always displayed on your LinkedIn profile.

Your status updated is limited to 140 characters -- just like Twitter -- so keep that in mind, particularly when cutting and pasting information into your status update "window."

Updating your Status is a great way to "communicate" to your network on a frequent and ongoing basis.  I update my status at least once each day with different types of information.  10 Tips for Effectively Using Your Status Update to distribute useful information are presented below:

1. Insert the title and a "shortened" URL link to one of your recent blog articles (bit.ly is a great resource for shortening URL's)
2. Insert the title and a "shortened" URL to a blog article that you read and really liked -- particularly one that is timely, informative and relates to your "brand" or area of specialty in some way.
3. A link a newsworthy web posting or news item (include the title and a shortened URL). Alignment with you brand "voice" or area of specialty makes it more powerful.  I like to focus on POSITIVE news as opposed to negative news.
4. A great "quote of the day."  A great source of quotes of to search the #quote "hashtag" on Twitter.  Since Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters, you'll find quotes that "fit" the LinkedIn status update window.
5. A brief piece of advice relevant to your brand or area of specialty.
6. A link to a great YouTube video (I recommend linking only to Videos that are less than about 3 to 5 minutes in length).  The video content should be consistent with your "brand" or area of specialty.
7. A request to connect with you on Twitter, along with your Twitter URL.  I've created a "custom" domain for my Twitter URL - www.AndyOnTwitter.com.
8. An important announcement about you or your company -- a brief "press release" type of communication.
9. A link to an article in which YOU were quoted (I give the title of the article and a shortened URL link to the article).  The is a powerful PR and branding activity.
10. Recent results and key activities at work.  Something like "Just landed three new Executive Career Coaching clients this week; excited about launching those engagements!"

Give it a try, make it a habit.

By the way there are tools available that allow you to cross-post your Twitter updates DIRECTLY to your LinkedIn status udpates (as well as Facebook and other social media applications).  A couple of tools I really like are ping.fm and hellotxt.com (check them out).

All the best to your Career Success!
_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Add-Value Tip: Maintain an "Add Value!" Mindset

As an employee and business professional you must create real value on an ongoing basis....significant value at that. Your job must be one that is truly necessary to the success of your employer and you must be performing job in an exemplary way. It is absolutely essential that you create the value that customers/clients of your employer will be expecting.

Presented below are some tips and suggestions for adding value. Develop a mindset of adding value in a sustainable manner and take personal responsibility for ensuring you consistently add value to your employer .... in these tough economic times, adding value as an employee is more important than ever.

Bottom-Line Orientation.
Focus on projects, tasks and activities that have the most immediate near-term impact on the bottom line. Put yourself in the "owner's" seat and ensure you're doing everything possible to positively impact results.

Cost-Saving Mentality.
Constantly look for ways to save your company money. Share those ideas with others. Little things replicated across an entire employee base can make a big difference. Be cost-conscious and responsible.

Win-Win Solutions.
Look for win-win solutions with colleagues, team-mates, customers and vendors. Embrace the philosophy of creating leveraged value through your relationships. Be open-minded and considerate of others' ideas.

Improve Personal Productivity.
Aggressively look for ways to improve your personal productivity. Eliminate time-wasters and distractions. Learn to say no to those tasks and activities that run counter to your productivity.

Stay Focused on the Important.
Prioritize your work efforts to ensure you're focusing on the most important tasks and activities first. Ensue that the things you think are important are consistent with and in alignment with what your supervisor and the company believes are most important.

High Quality Work.
Produce high quality deliverables that are consistently in top final form. Be the role model for producing top notch work product. Embrace quality as a personal branding element.

Reach Out to Others.
Reach to help and support others. Make yourself available to and accessible to others -- be approachable and responsive. Set the example for being a supportive and service-oriented teammate.

Time Sensitivity and Deadline-Focused.
Discipline yourself to be deadline-focused. Make it a point to complete tasks, projects, deliverables and administrative reports/forms ahead of schedule. Work with a sense of urgency, particularly on important tasks and assignments.

Positive Influence.
Be a positive influence to others. Avoid negative talk and gossip .... break the chain of negativity.

Devote Yourself to the Perfection of Whatever You Pursue - Mastery is a Key to Career Success

"The price that must be paid for mastery is discipline. No one achieves lasting success without it. From the moment you awake each day, devote yourself to the perfection of whatever you pursue. Do this and you will achieve self-mastery. Achieve self-mastery and you will have the makings of a great leader... Discipline is all about cultivating powerful habits that become part of your lifestyle." - Robin Crow - Rock Solid Leadership

What powerful habits have YOU cultivated and incorporated into your lifestyle?

• Do you have a reading routine that helps keep you current in the latest thinking in your area(s) of expertise?
• Do you invest in your personal and professional development on a regular basis?
• Do you meet regularly with a mentor or coach or mastermind group that helps stretch your thinking?
• Do you regularly write or "blog" about topics relevant to your strengths and areas of expertise?  Writing helps support and "cement in" the things we've learned.  Many times, getting going with a blog opens up a book-writing opportunity.
  
• Do you regularly speak on topics relevant to your areas of expertise?  Do you seek out speaking opportunities?
• Do you have a way and means for staying in touch with your key business and personal connections?  Is this a habit?
• What did you do TODAY to help perfect your areas of mastery?

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day