The 3rd person in the room

The third person is like the all seeing, all knowing person telling the story. This tense is considered more academic and more formal than writing in the first or second person. It also seems less biased when statements are presented.

For your business market, when writing for your blog, first person writing is the norm. We expect your voice to be heard load and clear. Your readers want to hear your story. However, when producing a web site or the printed word, the third person is needed with one exception -- your mission statement, then it should be in first person.

For some unknown reason "we" believe what someone else says about you instead of "you" telling us all about what you do or how you do it. The third person comes with authority, the first person sounds more like bragging (and sometimes begging). The third person in the room give the impression of been there, seen it and loved it and wants to share "their" insight into your world. It's a way to convey your own testimonial about your business and the fun part -- you get to write it.

- - We'll speak of testimonials next - -

"The right angle to approach any problem is the TRY-ANGLE" (says Bryan E. Hoddle)

Marketing 101: Stress - yours!

Owning your own business can be a stressful job. You're responsible for it all, including planning the annual company picnic (of 1). It's all up to you to get the job done and done right. Relieve stress by understanding which brain hemisphere is stressed.

If you feel depressed or emotionally overwrought, your stress is in the right hemisphere ... the creative, emotional, holistic side. What to do: Switch to your matter-of-fact left hemisphere by doing math, writing factual prose or organizing. The emotional right brain will calm down.

If you feel time-stressed and overburdened the left hemisphere is involved. What to do: Switch to your right brain by singing, take a walk, playing a sport, do a physical activity.

Just a couple of my stress relief suggestions.
And remember: It's not personal, it's just business

Who do you know?

Still talking business tips, hints and ideas - today's topic: Your Sphere of Influence. This group's definition is everyone you know and past customers. It takes a village to build your customer base to sell to. First and foremost: Tell everyone you know about your business, what you do and how much fun you're having doing it. You have to toot your own horn, no one else will.

With the world wide web influence, it's become simpler and easy to toot that horn. Facebook, Twitter, blog spots, texting, emails are all great tools to use in promote your business along with snail mail. Also:

1. You already know how much and how often --- you've gotten those big business emails and post cards in the mail. How often do they contact you? Does it feel like too much and you delete that email without opening it? Or does it come every once in a while and you actually read the information. Be consistent and do it again, again, again.
2. Let your Sphere know when something new is happening within your business -- if you're excited they'll be excited, too.
3. Diversify - don't just rely on one or two avenues to get the word out. Try different contact methods.
4. Ask your Sphere "who do they know?" that would benefit from your business or product.
5. And remember: "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done." So tell them.

The 10 most powerful two-letter words:
If it is to be, it is up to me.

Perception is everything!

Marketing 101:
As with most things, in business perception is everything. Here's a little story to consider.

Although two competing candy shops had the same prices, neighborhood kids preferred one store over the other. When asked why, they said, "Because the person in the "good" store always gives more candy. The girl in the other store takes candy away." True? Not really. In the "good" store, the owner would always make sure to put a small amount of candy on the scale, then keep adding to it. In the "bad" store, the owner would pile a heaping amount of candy on the scale and then take it off until it hit the right weight.
The same amount of candy was old, but perception is everything.

How are perspective clients/customers perceiving you?
Step back and pretend you're the client
- what catches your eye?
- what tone have you set?
- would YOU buy this?
- and would you come back and buy, again?
- are you giving too much (and then taking it away)?
(opps, it's been weeks since you've been to your contact site &
it will be weeks to get those lost clients back)
- or too little and then adding to the pile a piece at a time?
(keep your contact avenues fresh and always updated)

It takes less effort to keep an old customer satisfied than to get a new customer interested.

It's a new day.....

When I had my marketing graphic design business the industry buzz words were;

Personal Marketing
Image Recognition

and
Advantage
(used in every other sentence)
Now the catch word is
Branding
Creating a business image to catch the eye of your client/customer in a way for them to remember you when they need you. And doing it again, and again and again.

The basics are still the same and I'll be sharing a few of these techniques and ideas with you over the next few weeks. If you have a business (no matter how big or how small) and you're doing these things - good on you. And if not, it's never to late to start getting the advantage of image recognition in personal marketing to get a jump on branding your business, today.

Case in point: I've updated my business card.

The Old card:
the New card:
The Old Card is cute and whimsy, like the journals I create. However, the new card actually shows what I create: a journal staged to subliminally show how to use it --- much better. When doing a business make-over, it's best to carry over at least one or two of the same elements you've been using. Keep the same colors or fonts -- just mix it up for a fresh look.

And another tip: when using a photo or graphic on a business card it's best to have the image on the left side of the card -- most people are right handed and will pick up the card with their left hand while calling you with their right hand, you don't want your information covered but easily accessible. Plus, we read left to right and the first thing you want them to see is what you offer. And the last thing they see to be your name and contact information.

February --- whew!

As part of the scrapbooking world's Project 12 (doing a layout for each month) here's my February layout for 2010. I got the layout inspiration from a page in Martha Stewart's Living magazine I read while in one of the many medical waiting rooms.

Scrapbook Page

I was sent some really cute photos of Sara (my darling daughter-in-law) of her 30th birthday and pulled together a whimsical layout for the scrapbook album.

nothing is impossible; the word itself says,
I'M POSSIBLE.
audrey hepburn

Stuck•ee, noun: Someone who is assigned a task she just can't get out of.
(I hope to be an unStukee soon and back to adding blogging to the list)

I need a little bit of distraction this morning and played with my digi scrapbook files to come up with a birthday photo layout. The hot flash of red and the flat cool of gray - good complimentary colors and I always use white for space to rest the eye.

Did You Know?

Coca Cola was the first soft drink
to be consumed in outer space.

Each year, more than 50,000 people
are injured by jewelry in the U.S.

Washington State Law says women can't
take three steps backwards while dancing.

We are born with 350 bones
and die with 206.

Each 5 mph over 60 mph is like paying
an additional 10 cents a gallon for gas

An iceberg contains more
heat than a lit match.

Approximately 850 peanuts
make a 18 oz. jar of peanut butter

111, 111, 111, x 111, 111, 111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Your thumb is the same length as your nose

Sesquipedalianist

I love wordsmiths because they use and like, ah, you know, ah --- words, all words! Words like quidnunc or poppysmic (yea, I saw that movie, too). Wordsmiths are cognizant of what words work well together to give us a descriptive picture.

In scrapbooking, I like using the technique of using old book pages or dictionaries to cut up and use on a page layout or card. To ink, crumble, tear or simply as is, adding character and whimsy to complete the look & feel of a complete project.

I recently went to Goodwill to purchase "said" book -- one I didn't care if it was torn asunder to bits and pieces. I found a dictionary that would work quite well. However, when I got it home and really looked through it -- I just couldn't put scissors to paper and render it worthless as a keeper of words. It had obviously been owned by a student of journalism. The inside covers and various pages had little snippets of journalism wisdom, that the author felt worth remembering.

Write Tight!
Remember: 1) self-edit 2) self-edit 3) self-edit
If there's anything you don't know for certain, look it up
Ten minutes early is right on time
Cut throat secretaries. They know everything.
Double check everything - even if you think you know it.
1. Never use the words locate or construct 2. Lead with the news
3. Write for the reader, not the source 4. Rewrite chunky sentences.
There is no yesterday, There is no tomorrow, There is only today.
Says/Features Said/News
Good writing can't cover bad reporting
Have fun and kick ass!

When I grow up, I want to be a wordsmith, have fun and kick ass, too!

Happy Birthday!

6 More Weeks of Winter!