Helping Businesses And Their People Thrive

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Copy of Cold Emails_ Blog Post. Remember the age-old marketing term ‘cold calling’? It was, or still is in some cases, a technique where you’d have a list of phone numbers and you would call them one-by-one, trying to sell an item or service. It was awful, tedious, and often times very obtrusive to the person at the other end of the phone.

When I first went into marketing, this is something I was taught to do. I hated it. And I never experienced any real growth from it either. While doing this, you may be able to convince one or two people out of the twenty to give in and buy your product or service, but that was very rare. Usually, these people would turn into one-time clients and after the initial contact, you would end up with nothing but crickets. This is how I view cold emailing, to me, it is the exact same concept. You’re sending an unsolicited email to someone that you’ve never met or had any contact with. Cold emailing is your chance at a first impression.

I wanted to write about cold emailing because I received two emails last week that were both very different from one another. Each description is below.

The first did their research. Then, they began to explain what they could do for my company, and even gave an example of the results I might see. It was short and to the point. It was not obtrusive at all, but merely a quick description explaining what they could do to fit my needs.

The second email did no research at all. They basically sent me a pitch telling me what they do, how good they are at it, and included a calendar link to make an appointment with them. That was annoying. I’m sure they found my email address on my website or LinkedIn page, which is fine, but after reading the email it felt very disingenuous and a waste of my time. Why would I want to schedule my own appointment with someone who may or may not be able to help me expand my business? Who is this person? Do they even know anything about me or what I do?

So if you must send out cold emails, please follow these principals first. That way you’ll refrain from sounding too ‘salesy’ and you’ll actually be providing something of value.

PRINCIPALS OF COLD EMAILING:

Do your research!!!– This is the most important, have some knowledge about the individual or company and use that to your advantage.
Personalize the email– Use your personal work email address. Speak to your reader by name, use some background information you may have found about the individual or company. Compliment them on some of their achievements. DON’T start the email with just a simple greeting. Be personable!
Offer something of value– How can you help them? What steps will you take to help them? How might you be a good fit? A freebie wouldn’t hurt either, especially if it pertains to what you’re offering.
Keep it short and simple– Busy professionals don’t have a lot of time to read through long emails. Try to keep it short and straight to the point. That way if someone just skims through the email, they’re still absorbing key points. Leave out photos, long signatures etc.
Break up your points- Breaking up your key points will help the reader to easily identify what you’re talking about.
Add a link or two- Make sure to add your website link so the reader can get further information if they’re interested.

Have you experienced any of these cold email disasters or victories? Would you like to add something to this list? I’d love to hear from you!

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I get questions from clients regarding inbox management quite often. Below are a few examples of what I’ve come across.

“My inbox is overflowing, help!”

“How am I ever going to get through all of these emails?”

“What if I miss something important?”

Does this sound familiar? Are you struggling to keep up with the overflow of emails coming through 24/7? Are important emails going unanswered because you didn’t see them among all of the others? If so, I think I can provide some easy steps that will allow you to manage your inbox with ease. I’ve helped a lot of my clients get their emails organized while keeping their inboxes at a minimum level.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that this will happen overnight, and I’m not going to tell you that your inbox will be empty all the time either. But, what I will say is that you will feel confident to never miss another important email again, you will never have to spend time sorting through your inbox to find those missing emails, and you will always be aware what is coming in and what is being sent out. As long you follow these steps:

Prioritize: This is the first thing I ask my clients to do. I like to have at least 2 priority levels, highest (most urgent) and lowest. However, this is not static and can change depending on the number of emails you receive. I’ve had clients with priority levels 1, 2, 3 and 4. It’s all up to you!

Action items (optional): This is an optional step that I like to include for special circumstances. If you consistently receive a lot of calendar invitations or certain messages that are highly urgent. Having an action category with a bright colored labeled will be very beneficial. I like to leave these emails in the inbox so they won’t be missed.

Color code: I feel that this is such a simple, yet valuable way to organize not only emails but calendars as well. When your eye is drawn to a specific color, you’ll automatically see the importance. I like to have my clients create color-coded labels (or folders) to help identify the priority levels. For example: Green= lowest priority, orange= highest priority, red= action item.

Think- Read, Categorize, Respond, Archive or Delete: Try to get yourself into the habit of going through your inbox at the beginning of your work day. This entails sorting through your emails and categorizing each email with its priority level, then respond (if needed, depending on priority and time). Once finished, delete or archive. By doing this you will get rid of any junk emails that may be filtering through, and you will be able to respond to your most urgent messages in a timely manner.

Trust me, these steps may seem like a lot at first but once you get used to the process it’s extremely simple. In no time you will have successfully managed your inbox, you’ll find everything in its place, nice and organized.

Do you have anything you would like to add that may have helped you get organized?

Administration, Finance, Helpful time saving tips, Marketing, New Strategies, Productivity, Travel

you-get-what-you-pay-for

Why do people tend to pay more for goods, services or support? Because of the value, they’re receiving in return. If an individual is hiring someone to work in the typical office environment they would be compensated according to their skill set and experience. So why should it be any different when hiring remotely?

In this remote industry, it can be difficult to determine what price is the right one. Knowing what you want out of your Administrative Consultant is the easy part. You want highly skilled, competent individuals to provide you and/or your team quality support. The only difference is your Administrative Consultant is not your employee and there is no resume to use as a reference. So, how do you find these individuals? There are social networks such as LinkedIn where experience is laid out in a profile and some may even have recommendations. If you ask, most Consultants don’t mind providing you with their background experience either. Websites are also a great way to get to know your Consultant. Things like support options, pricing, contact information and background experience should be included. Personally, I like to have a call with each potential client to find out if we’re a good fit. By speaking to my clients first, I’m able to learn more about them and decide if the support I provide will be beneficial. These calls usually consist of support needs, getting a little background on one another and how your consultant works on a day-to-day basis.

After you’ve finished the vetting process the next question is cost. What should an Administrative Consultant charge? When thinking of payment my advice is to consider these factors:

Their time is valuable– Most consultants have multiple clients, so they’re likely juggling many projects and tasks at one time.
Cost versus quality– I think this speaks for itself, but ultimately it’s up to you.
What type of support is needed?– Will you be needing daily interaction, single projects etc?
Skillset– Do you need support that includes an enhanced skill set such as content creation, graphic design, bookkeeping, marketing, or advanced administration skills?
Experience– This is a tricky one, you may feel fine working with someone who is just starting out. I’m mean, they have to start somewhere right? I would just make sure that the individual has some background experience in the type of support you’re needing. Of course, there are seasoned professionals with lots of experience, I have ten years and counting myself. So, the way I run my business may be different, it’s really about collaboration and finding someone who will bring value to you and your business.

Remember, when you decide to work with an Administrative Consultant do your research. Take the time to properly vet the individual and consider all the factors above. By doing that, I think you will have a better grasp of what makes sense for you. After all, you’re choosing to work with an Administrative Consultant because you need quality support. You’re leaving important aspects of your business in their hands. They should be compensated accordingly.

Administration, Finance, Helpful time saving tips, Marketing, New Strategies, Productivity, Travel

how-to-handle-mistakes

We all make mistakes, so how should we handle them?

Does the circumstance matter? Should our clients be privy to every mistake that is made? In my experience, it’s best to take these 4 steps when you find yourself in such an unfortunate situation.

Acknowledge it
Learn from it
Fix it
Move on!

Acknowledging the mistake means taking responsibility for the error that was caused, plus this will prove your credibility. Depending on the size of the mistake, you should consider disclosing it to your client as well. I’m not talking about a little mistake you can easily fix. No client wants to be bothered with every little thing. I’m talking about something that can be detrimental to the workplace. It is essential that you bite the bullet and spill the beans no matter how hard it may be. You don’t want to be caught in a lie down the road if you never disclosed the mistake in the first place.

Learning from your mistake. Now, this is important because you don’t want to be repeating the same mistakes over again. Write it down, set reminders, practice, etc. Do what you have to so the mistake is not made again. Remind yourself to double and triple check everything prior to moving forward. This will make it less likely for another error to occur.

Fixing the mistake. Since you were the one who made the mistake, it is now your responsibility to correct it. Sometimes the timing alone can be essential, so make sure to correct the error as soon as possible and go out of your way to ensure it has been fixed correctly.

Now you can breathe easily and move on! Take it easy on yourself, don’t spend time focusing on the mistake you made and the reasons why. That will just cause you to worry, and worrying can cause more mistakes. If you follow these 4 steps I guarantee the likelihood of making another mistake will decrease dramatically.

Remember we all make mistakes every now and then, but how you handle them is what makes all the difference.

Helpful time saving tips, New Strategies, Productivity

5-tips-to-get-you-motivated

We all have our own scenarios and reasons as to why we’re not feeling motivated. You went to bed too late, woke up too early, or you’re just not getting enough sleep in general. It could be that it’s Friday and your entire week has been exhausting, or it’s Monday and you are not quite ready for the week ahead. Whatever the reason, we all have them. So I’ve come up with some quick tips to help you get going when you least feel like it.

Set Your Alarm: Not only will this wake you up, but I find if I set my alarm 30 minutes before I actually want to get up, it helps get my brain in ‘wake up’ mode.
Give yourself at least 20 minutes to mentally prepare for the day: I’m not good when I’m running late. I like to take my time with my morning routine. I like to get my coffee ready, my workspace all set-up etc. When you’re prepared, you’re more likely to feel motivated for the workday.
Make a list: I don’t know about you, but I like to know what needs to get done each day. I like to see it in front of me, on paper. Not just what is on my calendar, but all of the small things that need to be accomplished before days end. Crossing those things off my list just adds to my motivation.
Set a big goal for the day (something do-able): At the bottom of my daily list I like to set one large goal for the day. This could be working on a major project you have going, creating content, or that one thing you’ve been putting off for weeks. This should be something you can get done in a day.
Routine, routine, routine: This is the most important step! Make a routine for yourself. This is essential if you want to get things done in a timely manner. The more you do it, the more likely it will become repetitive. Having a routine will make you feel efficient, confident and eager to start your workday. This is a major step for motivation, so jump in!