by Angela Taffs | Dec 29, 2014 | Personal and Lifestyle
Why there really is no such thing as a stupid question
How many times have you been in a meeting or at a conference or workshop and come away not really understanding all that was said but you were too afraid to ask what might have been considered a stupid question? Did you scuttle off home and quickly do a search online to find out what was being talked about? Do you wish you had known this in the room as it would have helped you understand the rest of what was being said?
Many people try to save face by pretending to know what others are talking about but this leaves them with a fear of inadequacy. They become afraid to fully engage in the conversation as they are not wholly sure what is being discussed.
Don’t be afraid to ask a stupid question
I was once the only female manager in a room of 17 men. The subject that was being discussed had a lot of jargon that I was not familiar with. This was a common occurrence and I would always leave the meetings feeling I was stupid and then be nervous about going to the next one for fear of being asked something I didn’t know.
One day, I decided to brave it and ask what the Chairman was talking about. I was shaking and terrified everyone would think I was the ‘dumb blonde’ asking a stupid question. What actually happened was that after I asked the question, a number of other managers thanked me for asking as they had no idea what was being said either. The chairman praised me for making the effort to fully understand the subject matter and I instantly went up in everyone’s estimation.
So in future, ask stupid questions. Ask the questions that everyone else is afraid to ask. You will become more confident in yourself and be admired and recognized as a confident person.
And if you have what you consider a stupid question to ask me, post it in the comments box below.
by Angela Taffs | Dec 29, 2014 | Sales and Marketing
Have the words ‘thank you’ been eradicated from the English language of late?
It appears to be so at times.
Have we forgotten the importance of thank you?
A few months ago I helped out a struggling start-up business and set them up with a website to help them out. All completely free of charge. I tried to help mentor them and sent emails and messages to ask how things were going but got very little in return.
Now suddenly out of the blue I get a message saying they need to update some details on the site. I sent them the necessary login details and got a reply that they would prefer for me to do it for them which I duly did. I sent them a message to let them know the work had been done and guess what I got in return? Absolutely nothing!
Just one simple message with the words ‘thank you’ would have been sufficient and to let me know my efforts were appreciated. But no, I got absolutely nothing. When they inevitably turn to me for help again in the future, unfortunately, they will be sorely disappointed as I will not be keen to help.
So please may I ask you all in your hectic, busy schedules, don’t forget the importance of thank you. Just take a moment out here and then to say those simple words of thank you to people who have helped you. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds and costs absolutely nothing, but is worth so much to the recipient.
Moan over for the day.
by Angela Taffs | Dec 29, 2014 | Personal and Lifestyle
How many times do I hear “Oh I would love to do that but there just aren’t enough hours in the day”?
Constantly. But is this true or is it just that we have our priorities all wrong?
Are you your own worst enemy?
A simple way to create time for yourself is to become your own best friend and stop being your own worst enemy.
I used to exercise on a regular basis and felt fantastic for doing so. But then life and all its inherent problems crept up and time for doing what I wanted to do diminished.
I was talking to someone recently about how I wanted to get fit again but I just didn’t have the time. All I needed was half an hour to go for a short jog, do a 20 min DVD or go on the cross trainer that is gathering dust in my spare room.
He asked me the following question:
“If your best friend phoned you and told you they had been given a warning by their doctor that if they didn’t lose weight they were going to become seriously ill and they asked for your help, would you help them? If they asked you to join them 3 evenings per week for just half an hour to go for a walk, swim etc, would you be there for them?”
Well, of course, the answer was yes. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I said no.
What is someone you loved was rushed into hospital? Would you make the time that evening to go and visit them? Of course, you would.
What if George Clooney was going to turn up in town and you were offered a free ticket to have dinner with him. Would you find the time to go? I hope not! I hope you would say, “no I am far too busy for you George but I know a lovely lady called Angie who will take my place”
So I guess by now you get the point of what I am trying to get across about being your own worst enemy.
Instead, create time for yourself by becoming your own best friend? Treat yourself with the love and with the respect you deserve. If you don’t take time out to look after yourself, everything around you will suffer at some point, I promise you.
Remember, you can be your own best friend or your own worst enemy. Choose wisely. And create time for yourself.
Until next time
Angie x
by Angela Taffs | Dec 29, 2014 | Personal and Lifestyle
Business dress for women doesn’t have to be boring!
Business dress for women can sometimes be a little dull, so recently I invited an image consultant to be a guest speaker at a women’s start-up business club that I run.
As soon as everyone arrived, I realised that I was the only one sitting in my regimental black. I know they say you should never wear black, but it is such an easy fail-safe colour to choose, especially for work. I have black skirts, tops, trousers and dresses that I wear almost daily to work. I accessorise with my usual silver jewellery but it tends to stop there.
So often women are afraid of going to a style/image/colour consultant as they think that after the session they will have to buy a whole new wardrobe, but that is not the case.
First off, the consultant decided that in all her 20 years of working in the business, she had never found anyone so difficult as me to colour match and eventually gave up saying I would need a one to one session with her for a few hours. Well, I like to be an individual I guess! But the inability to correctly colour match me turned into my advantage. Whilst others tried on different colour clothes that they didn’t already own, I stayed in my black dress but started playing around with the accessories and colour swatches to hand.
Accessories update a boring outfit
In the day-to-day routine of life, I had completely forgotten how much a few simple accessories can completely transform an outfit. I was wearing a simple v-neck black wool dress with a simple star-shaped silver necklace. By removing the necklace and putting on the most chunky leopard print design necklace worthy of Cleopatra, I suddenly transformed my simple look into one of style and wow. I felt fantastic.
Next came the scarves. By being shown how to tie a scarf properly (more research on this soon) I could change my dress into a zingy fun outfit with lime green, or sophisticated luxury with a silvery sheen little number.
So when I got up this morning and automatically put on a black top, skirt and black boots, I suddenly stopped before leaving my dressing room and started to look around. I found a beautiful topaz blue necklace and earrings which I put on instead of my usual understated silver. Suddenly my look was more interesting and I felt more interesting.
I then took this off and played around with different coloured belts and reminded myself that such a simple and cost-effective accessory could completely transform my outfit.
I really must make more effort, and have more fun when dressing.
So here are my top 5 accessories for chopping and changing to transform your look and to illustrate how business dress for women doesn’t have to be dull.
One dress, many outfits
Scarves
Remember they don’t have to be tied around your neck. Use them as a belt or tie to the handle of a handbag for added interest
Jewellery
Whether a necklace, earrings or bangles, jewellery can instantly give you a different look. With costume jewellery being so inexpensive, you can play with different colours, designs, shapes and sizes dependent on the look you want.
Belts
Again, different colours, shapes and designs can transform your outfit in an inexpensive way.
Shoes
My passion of course! Take a black dress and add a red pair of shoes and a statement is instantly made. Swap the red for leopard skin. Change the heel height from flat to stiletto. The possibilities are endless.
Bags
If you are on an evening out or shopping during the day, a bag can be a simple way of transforming your outfit in just the same way as other accessories. A simple small clutch for sophistication. An oversized shopper for casual elegance. A decent handbag can be expensive but go hunting in the charity shops. It is amazing what you can find.
Business dress for women doesn’t need to be dull. Utilise some of these ideas to transform your business attire and let your personality shine through.
by Angela Taffs | Dec 29, 2014 | Sales and Marketing
Make more sales with a smile
I am passionate about the importance of customer service and the huge difference this can make to small business success. So many local traders get this right but there are still so many that get it so horribly wrong.
This past weekend I went to a local food fair. The fair was packed and the producers, without exception, had some fabulous products on sale. I could easily have spent a small fortune and purchased something from each and every one of them.
But the difference in customer service was quite marked.
As I went around, there were the stall holders that smiled as I went by and exchanged pleasantries and light hearted banter without trying to hard sell me. There were those that offered a free tasting (always a winner in my book) but without making feel me feel as though I had to buy.
There was the fish man who was cooking up a great pan of mussels and as I walked by told me I looked cold so gave me a dish full to eat as I walked round and to keep my hand warm by holding the bowl. The mussels were gorgeous and after I had walked around the show I went back to him and bought some fish.
Customer service begins with a smile.
There was the lady selling home made Christmas puddings. She offered me a leaflet whilst engaging in general conversation about Christmas dinner. She then gave me a taster as I was leaving her stall. She made me feel welcome and that she was interested in me and so I went back and purchased from her.
Then there was the chap selling wine who seemed to be only giving tasters to his own family. Last year at the fair I purchased 2 cases of wine from him. This year, as he left me standing there feeling like an idiot, I purchased nothing from him.
There was the chocolatier, whose cake I desperately wanted to purchase. I was completely ignored the first time I went to the stall but gave him the benefit of the doubt and returned again. This time I had my husband by my side and we were discussing how much we liked the cake and wondered how much it cost, but we got both ignored again. I even went back a third time and found the man and his wife in conversation with another potential customer so my hopes were raised, but even though I stood there for a good 5 minutes, they made no effort to engage with me. They lost a sale!
I then went over to buy some cider (my husband lives on the stuff) but as soon as I saw the downcast face of the lady behind the stall I decided I ought to call the Samaritans to come and have a chat with her. She looked thoroughly fed up and even though I tried to start a conversation with her about the different ciders, there was nothing coming back my way. I left empty handed.
Sunday’s example reminded of when I was with a group of businesses who went to a local show in order to promote their products. Those that put a smile on their face and made a bit of effort did really well on the day. Those that stood back moaning among themselves and making no effort to go out and interact with the public failed to make the sales. They were all in the same tent. They all had the same exposure. But some left complaining bitterly that it was a waste of time and blaming everything and everyone but themselves. Others left with huge smiles on their faces and money in their pockets.
So if you are a small trader and want to make more sales with no extra expense or marketing, try smiling. Try talking to your customers as an individual person and take an interest in them. If possible, let them try a sample of your product rather than viewing them as scroungers. And if you know someone who gives exceptional customer service, let me know so I can give them a shout out.
Such a simple way to make more sales.
