by Angela Taffs | Jul 9, 2017 | Sales and Marketing
Are you breaking Facebook rules
Over recent weeks, I have had a number of new ladies join my Facebook group only for them to have their posts deleted and a message being sent explaining why and what to do in future if they want to stay in the group.
I have also had a few ladies contact me as they have found themselves banned from other groups that they were in.
I’m sure the majority of us use other social media groups to build relationships and promote our businesses but before you fall foul and get yourself banned, try adhering to these simple rules.
When joining a new group, before doing anything else, READ THE GROUP RULES
It’s so simple but so many don’t bother to do it. The rules can usually be found in the group description or sometimes at the top of the page as a pinned post. If you don’t read the rules, you are pretty rude and don’t be surprised if you get kicked out.
And here are a few other things to consider:
Mistake 1 – Promoting Yourself in a Non-Promotional Group
It’s quite simple – you will get banned. There are a number of groups that don’t want their feeds saturated with ‘you can make a million in a week – come find out how’ or some other promotional spam. Even if it’s not spam, if it’s a non-promotional group, you can’t promote in it. Simples!! Which part is not understood? It really annoys me that people join my group and can’t be bothered to read the description and group rules. if they are that lazy, I simply ban them.
Mistake 2 Jumping on Someone Else’s Post to Promote Yourself
This is what happens. Someone asks a question or starts a conversation. They strike up a conversation with their ideal client and are building a relationship with them by giving them valuable help and advice. You see this and decide to jump on board. You leap in to tell the ideal client what you can do to help them and tell them to get in contact.
Let me tell you, THIS IS PLAIN BLOODY RUDE AND UNACCEPTABLE
Don’t be so lazy. Go start some conversations of your own.
Mistake 3 Sending Friend Requests and Private Messaging Other Members
This has to be one of the biggest irritants of all time. It’s false. It’s spammy. It makes you look unprofessional and desperate.
Before approaching anyone privately, you need to build a relationship with them. Not just jump on them as soon as you see a glimmer of an ideal client.
If you are genuinely offering free help to them or giving them some valuable advice in private, then ok. But if your sole intention is to sell to them, don’t be surprised if they report you to admin and you get yourself banned instantly from the group.
Mistake 4 – Joining a Group and Making your First Post a Promotion
Why would you do this? Again, it makes you look unprofessional and desperate. You wouldn’t go to a dinner party where you didn’t know anyone, walk into the room and start shouting at everyone what you do. You would (if you have any manners) walk in, introduce yourself, ask others what they do and get to know people a little first.
You need to start building relationships and trust before bleating about what you do. I would suggest at least a couple of weeks of interacting with others and getting the feel of the group before any type of promotion.
Mistake 5 – Arguing with Admin
Yes, sending private messages to admin that you have a special case for promoting your latest craze and telling them how to run their group is likely to get you banned also. I have had a few of these in the past where people have contacted me to say how everyone wants promotions to be allowed freely so I ought to change the rules. Nope!! My group. My rules. If they don’t like it they can go somewhere else.
In future, use some common sense and some manners when joining groups for the first time. Yes, we all mistakes but learn from them and be respectful to others. Alternatively, set up your own group and do whatever you want!
by Angela Taffs | Jul 3, 2017 | Business Success, Personal and Lifestyle
If you are running your own business, when was the last time you updated your cv? Probably not since you went self-employed I am guessing. Well, why would you? You run your own business and are not looking for a job so there is no need.
But just stop a moment. This could be a really useful exercise to determine if you are the right person for the job. And I can’t take credit for this idea. It came from my husband.
He was made redundant recently, quite out of the blue. He had been employed for many years so his cv was wholly out of date. We sat down together and I helped him update all his information. Some of this was work related but there was also a host of transferrable skill he had picked up from hobbies such as work with the local football team.
He was so nervous when we started but when he read it back, he was a little taken aback. He couldn’t believe this was him. He thought the cv sounded too good to be true. But every word WAS true. He had just failed over the years to realise how many talents he had and what assets he had that other people wanted.
It was then that he turned to me and said he thought everyone should have to re-do their c.v. every six months to give themselves the confidence boost that he had gained.
And it got me thinking. What a good idea.
How about you go write a job description for the perfect person to run your business. Remember to list all the essential skills required and the additional desirable skills. Ask the question as to why the applicant would like to work for the company and why they feel they are better suited than anyone else.
Now go apply for this job. And be honest with yourself.
One of two things may happen.
Firstly, you realise how bloody wonderful you are and what skills you have to offer to the world. This can be a huge confidence boost as in the case of my other half.
Or, you may realise you are lacking a skill or desirable asset. And if that is the case, as you have now identified this, you can go find out how to fill that gap in your skill set. This will only make you better and more effective at your work which in turn, will help your business grow.
Have a go and let me know in the comments how you found this exercise.
by Angela Taffs | Jul 3, 2017 | Business Success, Personal and Lifestyle
Not enough hours for studying your online course?
Have you ever signed up to do an online course or follow a program full of good intentions and enthusiasm but then found you just don’t have enough hours in the week to dip into it?
When I run a new program I always give my ladies pre-course homework which includes top tips for blocking out time and treating their investment with the importance it deserves. But inevitably, life happens and things get in the way.
But it’s not always this way. It can just be a case of poor planning. You think, oh, it’s ok, I’ll start next week and catch up. And then the next week comes and you put it off again. And so on.
What then happens is that you forget why you signed up in the first place. Everyone else on the course or in the Facebook group seems to be miles ahead of you. You get disillusioned and you add the online course or program to a number of others gathering dust in your computer archives.
Sound familiar? Yes? Well, I am guilty too.
A couple of months ago I signed up to a course that cost me thousands of pounds. Whilst I have half-heartedly dipped in and out, I haven’t been truly focused and have slipped way behind everyone else. It was then that I thought I ought to practice what I preach.
Here is my solution …
Rather than wasting my hard-earned money and also rather than moving significantly forward with the business that I know this course can teach me, I am taking a different approach.
I am booking myself a few days away. Yes, more money, but much more economical than wasting the thousands that I have already spent as I will make more with my new learnings. I am pretending I am going to a conference.
Why? Because if I did sign up for a conference, I would have to go and wouldn’t have the day-to-day distractions I have by trying to study at home. And it’s going to be a nice little break for me.
Just a two-night stay will give me 3 days of uninterrupted learning so I can get back on track.
If you have found yourself in the same predicament, why not try this for yourself? You don’t have to stay in a luxury hotel. If funds are tight, how about seeing if a friend is away on holiday and would let you use their house? (I’ve done this before and they were more than happy for someone to be around for a few days rather than the house sit empty.) If you love camping, this can be incredibly cost-effective. Download all your materials so you don’t need internet access (even less disruption) and take yourself off. Please do be sensible with safety precautions of course though. Go online and find a last-minute deal. There are some great bargains to be had.
And then when you return, make sure you have a plan to stay on track with your online course in the future. I have just booked myself a weekly slot at my local library. UK libraries allow you a desk and computer with internet access for free for up to two hours. You can have longer at a small cost but you may be amazed at what you can achieve in two hours when you get laser focused and have no interruptions.
Give it a try and let me know how you get on. Just realising that growth and learning are vital to your future business success can help you plan this into your weekly or monthly routine.
If you have any ideas of your own, please leave a comment below.
by Angela Taffs | Jun 19, 2017 | Sales and Marketing
There are 4 key points when creating any sort of marketing message. If you work through these one at a time, in the end, you will have a crystal-clear message to attract your much-needed clients.
Who are you talking to and what problem do they have?
Describe your ideal client and what problem they are having. What keeps them awake at night?
You really need to get your ideal client clear in your head. Who are they? Where do they hang out? What interests do they have? What age and gender are they?
It is through this clarity that you can then nail down what problem they are having (which they may not yet realise themself). Do they need more time, money, easier way to do something? What exactly is it?
How can you help them solve this problem?
Once you have identified your ideal client and what problem they have, the next step is to describe simply and clearly how you can help them solve this problem.
Really dig deep as to what the end result is that will make a huge difference to them. Will they be healthier, happier, and more confident? Get clear on the benefit of the client working with you rather than taking no action at all and carrying on as they are.
Why should they believe you?
Moving on from who your ideal client is, what problem they have and how you can help them, you need to explain why they should believe you.
Don’t be vague on this. Be specific. What results have you gained in the past? How many people have you helped and what results did they get? Do you have glowing testimonials from happy clients? You need something tangible here so that will start to trust that you can make a difference in their lives.
Why should they act now?
The final part of your marketing message is why should a buyer act now.
Think about what is going to happen if they delay their purchase. Why should they buy now and not wait for another six months? How can you create a sense of urgency?
Now you need to put this all together to create your full marketing message. Remember the 4 key points:
- Who are you talking to and what problem do they have?
- How can you help them solve this problem?
- Why should they believe you?
- Why should they act now?
You don’t need to write a novel here. Keep it short and sweet and attention-grabbing.
Write it out and post over in the Facebook group with the tag #Feedback and I will take a look and give you some feedback.
by Angela Taffs | May 26, 2017 | Personal and Lifestyle
A true story of how my dream came true
Something spooky happened to me a few weekends ago. And I swear to you every word is true!
I have a vision board over my desk and for the past couple of years, I have had the photo below on it.
Even though I have my own office in my house, I have always yearned for a separate space outside of the house but also a space where I can sit and relax outside.
Every day I look at this picture and imagine myself having this built. I have also wandered around our garden many a time and thought about where could it go, how much will it cost etc. But there has never seemed to be the right place to put it and I thought it would be cost prohibitive.
And then the strange but true thing happened.
My lovely gardener came over and we decided to tackle an area of the garden that was wholly inaccessible due to a HUGE amount of ivy, old grapevine, and many other things growing. We had a little shed that was in danger of collapse from the amount of growth over it.
And when the debris was cleared, we found this!
Yes, I swear, I had no idea that we had this amount of space completely hidden. And just compare this photo to the one on my vision board.
It’s the identical footprint!!!!!
Both my gardener and I were completely flabbergasted when I ran indoors and grabbed my photo to show him.
Yes, it needs work, but nowhere near as much as I first thought. The outline is there. And even more spooky, the plant is in exactly the same place as my vision board picture.
Some things are just meant to be and maybe if we really believe we can have something, it comes to us in the most mysterious ways.
And here’s another thing
Oh, and talking about spooky, no one else sees my vision board. Below is another picture of an item I have on my vision board.
Now, my husband is usually completely and utterly useless at choosing presents for me. In the past, I have received an iron and a microwave for birthdays and just last year had a mop for Christmas as he says he never knows what to buy.
But this year was different. It was my 50th birthday and this is what he bought me.
The photo really doesn’t do the watch justice but apart from the colour of the face, it is practically identical to what I had on my vision board, even down to the number of diamonds around the face and between the numbers!
If you don’t have a vision board yet, go create one. Even if you don’t believe it and you do this for fun you will enjoy it, but you may just be seriously surprised at what happens over time. It really can be amazing what can happen when we really focus on something.
P.S. Have you ever had anything like this happen to you? Did you have something on your vision board that suddenly materialised? Let me know in the comments below
