Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Be Ah-Mazing: Honor Your Uniqueness

coco chanelCoco Chanel said ‘a girl should be two things, who and what she wants’ – I love her.

 

If you want to be more ah-mazing, and have influence and impact in the world, you can create more significance by showing up as the best version of you! The world needs your uniqueness.

 

Find out more on our latest episode of Ah-Maze TV – click here

 

Here are three strategies to help you honor your uniqueness:

 

 

Listen – you are welcome to listen to people’s feedback however it is up to you to decide what (and who) you will listen to. How will you listen to?

 

Know Yourself – know the best things about you, the strengths and the areas of your enhancement. I once had a wonderful boss called Barbara and she used to say “JJ, (that’s what she called me) you need to be able to tell me three things you are good at, don’t blink, don’t look away’. What are you good at?

 

As a professional speaker, when a client asked me to speak about a topic that isn’t my expertise, I simply recommend another great speaker, do what you are good at.

 

Show up – each day you get a choice to show up as the best version of yourself, that means the words you use, the clothes you wear, the attitude you bring – it’s all part of showing up. How will you show up today?

 

The world needs you, the best version of you. Today simply be ah-mazing!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Get Healthy – Walk and Talk

Do you ever feel chained to your chair and drained of energy at the end of each day?

Is a routine exercise regimen out of the question?

Get up, get moving and get productive with these tips to walk and talk.

 

 

Even the fabulous designer, Tory Burch, has jumped on the fitbit bandwagon with her own ah-mazing designs. If you’re interested in getting your own fitbit, check out them out: https://www.fitbit.com.

 

Want to receive tips to live an ah-mazing and productive life? Sign up below for my weekly ezine. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

9 Timesaving Tips from Professional House Cleaners

9_Timesaving_Tips_From_Professional_House_Cleaners___Real_Simple_-_Linkis_comLoved reading one of our clients Harmony Clean sharing their brilliance in Real Simple Magazine on the nine time saving tips for cleaning.

 

Click here to read their ideas. Thanks Vicki Brown for sharing such practical advice we can all incorporate so we can all get more done and feel more productive every day.

 

I especially liked tip #2 Shut off your phone. As a keynote speaker on productivity and performance, I am constantly sharing with audiences that we need to engage in conversations and give people the gift of our undivided attention. Vicki shares that if we shut off our phone we won’t get so sidetracked.

 

Spend a few minutes reading this great article, you will be so glad you did!

 

Monday, May 11, 2015

How to Set Agendas at Meetings

shutterstock_153584339Often when I work with leadership and sales teams on a new client pitch or product launch (or how to be more productive) they ask if there is a secret to a successful meetings. Yep! Set an agenda for a fabulously productive meeting!

 

So often people run the presentation with our ‘spiel’ and don’t take time and stop and find out what others in the meeting what to know or hear.  Here are ten strategies to apply and ensure your sales pitch, or meetings is  more effective.

 

Before the meeting

 

1.  Phone ahead – contact your potential client and confirm meeting time, location, power options and number in attendance.  This allows you to have sufficient copies of material if required.

 

2.  Find out who are the decision makers– as part of your confirmation phone call, find out names and titles of people. This assists preparation.

 

During the Meeting

 

3.  Write an agenda – before you open your laptop or launch into your presentation, take a few minutes to write up an agenda everyone can see or confirm the printed agenda.

 

4.  Use a Whiteboard or blank piece of paper to capture agenda items – Ask everyone at the meeting “What is on your agenda for our meeting today?” Some people may be surprised you asked the question so take time to allow people to think about their response.

 

5.  Use different colour pens for each person’s agenda item – if you have a white board or flipchart, use different colours for each person. If you are using a piece of paper use colors if you have them.  This allows you to quickly identify what is important to each person.

 

6.  Check the timing of the meeting – confirm with the attendees “Do we have until 1.00 PM together today?” This allows everyone to agree or provide you with information if they have to leave earlier to attend to another matter. This can be critical when pitching a new product or ideas, as you want to ensure the decision makers are available for the important components of your conversation.

 

7.  Identify global (strategic) and local (specific) agenda items –Look for the distinction between the two types of agenda items and make note of whom they belong to. This helps you address throughout the meeting.

 

8.  Ask how everyone “feels” about the meeting – it is important to get a sense for how people are feeling about the meeting. This can include the investment in time they are making, anticipation of what you have to offer, concerns about the product or company. In business we don’t always take time to acknowledge feelings that enter a meeting however feelings affect decision-making.


9.  Keep asking for agenda items
– you may need to continue asking, “Is there anything else?” If everyone says no, you may need to ask again “if there was something else, what would it be?” This allows everyone time to declare every agenda on their mind.

 

10.  Check for hidden agendas – in most meetings there is also a hidden agenda, even though we never call it that out loud! It is simple to find out what this is – just ask the question – “What other agendas are there for this meeting?”  Alternatively you might state “There always seems to be another agenda with most meetings I attend, is there another agenda today?” It is important to find out if there are other drivers, decision-making criteria or other concerns before you begin the meeting.

 

This seems like a long process however you need to invest time to save time with valuable meetings.

 

Setting agendas for a meeting shows your client you value their time, you want to cover information or content that is relevant to them, you haven’t come in to just “sell” your services or product.

 

When you invest in setting agenda you can speed up the meeting by addressing each item, focus your presentation on the aspects most important to your potential client, demonstrate respect for their investment in time and their concerns or feelings about the meeting. If you hold regular team meetings it is also valuable to have a specific agenda and allow an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting to add additional items, assess people’s feelings and uncover hidden agendas for that meeting.

 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

How to get more fabulous Twitter followers

What a treat to be featured with some of my friends Scott McKain and Shep Hyken in this great blog on how to get more twitter followers – read on for some great ideas and to hear 30+ expert bloggers share their brilliance.

How to Get More Free Twitter Followers Blog

How to Get More Free Twitter Followers Blog

Friday, May 08, 2015

Embrace What Matters

My friend does what matters.

 

At home he dotes on his kids, attends sporting games, coaches often and is fully attentive when possible.

At work he knows the numbers, his brilliant brain often does big deals in his head and he’s incredibly successful.

At community events he often generously contributes financially and strategically with advice, resources, coaching and networking.

 

He’s amazing.

 

shutterstock_193637342

You know someone like that, don’t you? Maybe I am describing you?

 

You don’t have time to do everything, only time to do what matters.  [Click to Tweet]

 

We need to embrace what matters. For each of you reading this, what matters to you is different to many people around you.

 

 

 

At homeFamily matters. Family takes many forms. My girlfriend says ‘it’s great that friends are like family, and family are like friends’. Can you give your undivided attention to someone you share your life with. Switch off your cell phone, share a meal with someone or go for a walk outside and enjoy conversation.

 

At workNumbers matter. Can you focus on the numbers? If you have your own company focus on what you bank, sell and deliver to your clients. If you work for a team know your sales targets, ROI and how you contribute to the P & L. If you manage a team of people, make time for every single one (maybe not all in one day).

 

At communityGenerosity matters – Give generously of your time and experience to local events, serve on boards and donate your brilliance. If you can’t give funds, give time. If you can’t give time, give connections. Simple.

 

I admire my friend, and so many of my friends like him who have busy lives full of responsibilities and commitments and they still invest time in others at home, at work and in their community.  He inspires me to want to do more, give more and be more.

 

How can you truly embrace what matters in your life? What do you need to give up in order to be able to give fully of the things that are most important to you?