My Voicemail isn’t Working – Fabulous!

For the last six weeks, my voicemail hasn’t been working on my mobile. For a sole trader, you would think that would be a disaster. Well, I must tell you I am very happy about it.

Can it be fixed? Yes, easily with one phone call to O2. So why haven’t I spent the 15 minutes doing just that? It’s because I am relishing the tranquillity and discipline.

We have generally become too reliant on our mobiles and speedy communication. A bold statement I realise from a pretty switched-on business person but I realise for me it is all too disruptive. For instance, it is far too easy for someone to quickly leave a voicemail and think they can tick one more piece of communication off their list. All they’ve done is create extra work for me.

A lot of the time I can’t understand much of the voicemail message. There is either noise on the line or around me, the caller has spoken too quickly or rambled or sometimes the message just gets cuts off. It is so frustrating and normally means I then must phone the caller back to figure out the reason for the call and that results in a detailed conversation there and then when it isn’t necessarily the most convenient time. I also sometimes forget to call back if I can’t do it immediately which then results in another phone contact.

Often you will find there was no urgency for the call. Indeed, they can be unwanted sales calls. In my opinion, I believe an email is still the best way to communicate for business. It allows me to clearly understand the reason for the contact and provide a timely, thoughtful response.

I can hear many of your shouting that just shifts the burden to a very full inbox. I get it and, yes, I can easily get frustrated by too many emails too. It isn’t necessary to send a ‘thank you’ after you think you've completed an email communication. Overall though, I am a disciplined person when it comes to my emails and I can prioritise my responses. And I hope it ultimately provides the same to those who have sent them.

I should admit I just made the call to O2 to fix the problem. Seems it is a bit of a complicated issue and will require an engineer but I have been assured that it will be sorted within 5 days. This doesn’t mean I’ve gone back on my desire for a more peaceful voicemail-life. Even fixed, I still have control as to when to turn the message system on or not and believe I will be managing just that! If you want to get my best attention, send me an email please as the first point of contact. I thank you.

The Engine is On and Back Up and Running

Right I am stepping into action again - at least that is my intention. I have not blogged for too long a time now and need to restart and keep it going. I have a load of excuses and some of them are almost acceptable but I need to do as I preach to others. Blogs shouldn't be onerous or painful. They shouldn't take long to write if it is a subject you know well or are passionate about. Goodness knows I have a lot I am passionate about.

I am slightly changing the focus of my blogging now - only a bit. I've learned a lot over the years, actually still learning, and want to write down these tidbits and pass on including what I am up to currently. There will be varying topics so the flow may not be as fluid as it could be but all these topics will be things I am personally interested in.

With that change comes a blog title update. One of my favourite expressions apparently (although I never realised I was saying it as often as I do until someone pointed it out) is that I am no 'Spring Chicken'. I think people take me wrong when I say that but I am actually being self-deprecating rather than feeling sorry for myself. I also mean I've 'been there, done that' and definitely have lots of t-shirts. So you are now reading my blog 'No Spring Chicken Pearls of Wisdom' and I hope to be providing what it says on the tin. Of course, I do have the perogative of changing this title again if so inspired - it's my party. 

I should think the topics will vary including Social Media tips and tricks (and annoyances), my life in London and my lovely area of Chiswick, the current state of the world and the nightmare currently going on in my beloved USA and my newest venture into the scary but exhilarating world of property investing.  Please feel free to join into the conversation if anything I've said inspires you to feedback or add your own experiences. No placing bets though on whether I can keep this up. Surely once a week is easily achievable - yes?

Must you be Perfect or is Close Good Enough

So what do you think is more important for business? Speed to market or getting everything exactly right before taking action? I wouldn’t proclaim to have the absolute answer but it is something I run across a lot lately.

I do have an opinion. I think, to coin a very old phrase, the early bird catches the worm.  I have yet to find a perfect website, social media campaign or youtube video but so many still hit the spot and get a response and that’s what counts. If you spend so much time looking for the 100% right words or the perfect photo, you will lose time gaining business.

Being in the digital age means everything is manageable. If you aren’t happy with some of the copy, change it. That’s why God invented the CMS. I often tell my clients that 95% is pretty damn good when it comes to getting their new website ready. The rest can be updated as you go so get it out there. If the odd mistake is noticed, then thank the bearer of the news and make the change (you could say they won the prize for first spot). The fact that someone took the time to look at the website in the first place and notice the error means you’ve won. Another old adage – any publicity is good publicity.

I have also spotted many slip ups in Twitter and Facebook. That could be something as simple as sending out publicly what you thought was a DM or private message to just plain bad spelling (the curse of the predictive text – I have done my fair share of funny posts). Well there again the beauty and speed of social media channels means you get a second slice of the pie. You get the chance to update or do a second mea culpa message. You may get noticed but isn’t that really what you want?

There are a few things I do find hard to excuse such as using lower case ‘i’ when referring to yourself or apostrophes where they don’t belong. I slightly despair at what texting and social media has done to our grammar and spelling especially with younger people. I can understand how it happens but wish more care was taken or at least considered.

Overall, my advice is get out there and get selling yourself and your products or services. Spending a lot of time and money for perfection at the beginning of your journey is a luxury few SMEs can afford. There is plenty of time to update. Your website and marketing should be an ever-evolving thing.   

Resolutions or Just Get My Act Together ?

I think I need to skip making resolutions this New Year. I go in every year with gusto and the best intentions and then I get to the end of the year and feel bad because I didn’t manage to keep to my resolutions. So this year, I think I shall try and simplify things and cheer myself on by thinking ‘Come on Jeannie, just do better’.

Last year’s resolutions included a few practical items along with some professional and personal things. I was determined to get my British Nationality and my British Driver’s License. Got one out of two so not a complete failure (I am a Brit now - hurrah). The elusive driver’s license remains a goal for if I am to stay in the UK, I need wheels to enable me to consider a move out of London. But I refuse to say I will definitely get that license in 2016 – it has got to be because I want it bad enough.

Professionally well that was hit and miss. From the routine of doing a regular blog (fail) to finding and doing something new and exciting (tried but no cigar), I can’t say it was a great year for me. I have very itchy feet at the moment in terms of my businesses and have no regrets about trying new things but still searching for the one ‘thing’ that makes me happy and makes some money.

So what is that ‘better’ I'm looking for? I'm not very sure but I do know I need to get a few things on track and keep to them. The first is getting fit which I say every year but don’t necessary admit to it in writing. Well here we go and we’ll start off by buying a Fitbit with a gift card I've received. Watching my diet and generally moving more needs to be on the agenda.

I also need to be better getting my business ambitions right. One positive lesson I did learn this year was the art of saying ‘no’ and that felt very empowering. If it isn't right, just say ‘no’ and move on. I shall continue doing that. This new year I've also got to learn to also say ‘yes’ and ‘why not’ before judging something isn't for me. So for those people who have reached out about new business ideas and opportunities, I may just say let’s go for it – nothing ventured etc. And anyone who has an idea, happy to hear all about it.

So in 2016, I will try to do better and get my act together. I will certainly tell my family and friends how much they mean to me and I will keep my spirits high no matter what. I wish all of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year and may you all have a go at doing better. It is something we can all do.

Working from Home – some ‘Home Truths’

27 February 2015

It has been 2 weeks since my last post – I must do better. Been busy but aren’t we all? I’ve needed some inspiration to write something compelling. I got it today – it was called ‘almost Spring’.

So what does ‘almost Spring’ have to do with working from home? Well lovely, sunny weather especially on a Friday is one of the best things about working from home. It means I got to plan my day around getting out for a walk and fresh air. Oh and had a nice lunch with a colleague and friend.

I find many people who have to work in an office are envious at the idea that I work from home. I can tell you there are as many negatives as positives and it is completely up to you to make it worthwhile.  Here are some highs and the lows:

Working from Home – 5 Good Things: 

• -          You don’t have to go on public transport during rush hour
• -          You don’t have to dress up in ‘work’ clothes every day
• -          You can have flexibility in the hours you work
• -          You will be home for ‘that delivery’
• -          You save money on lunches & coffee

 Working from Home – 5 not such Good Things:

• -          You’re always the one travelling to the meetings & rarely vv (travel is such a time-waster)
• -          You dress down a bit more than you should (and can sometimes work in your pjs)
• -          You tend to work too much and at odd hours
• -          You miss comradery, office gossip and just someone to moan to
• -          You are 'everyman' from boss to administrator to IT support to cleaner

Okay perhaps I don’t hear any violins yet but you need to make the best of what can be a lonely time. I often crave that buzz of the office with phones ringing and trays of tea being made by someone in the department every hour. It can be hard to concentrate with all the quiet – you can easily lose focus and start to fiddle with household chores.

The benefits of working from home should outweigh the negatives but it is up to you to make it work well. Working from home isn’t suitable for everybody. You need discipline, imagination and other friends and colleagues nearby to make your own water cooler moments (regularly). 

If you are a freelancer or consultant and one of your clients asks you to work in their office part-time, even one morning a week, then jump at the chance. It could make a very big difference to having the perfect work situation. I’m starting to do that now and I can already feel the difference. It makes the time I am home working much more enjoyable because it isn’t all the time.  

It’s the Content, Stupid

10 February 2015

Remember that famous slogan from Bill Clinton’s Presidential campaign? Allegedly it was “It’s the economy, stupid”.  The gist being he could talk about all the issues you can imagine but in the end, people would decide who to vote for based on what he would do for their wallets.

It got me thinking that it’s similar with Social Media. You can be good at all the tips & tricks of the Social Media channels but in the end of the day, it’s simply what you are talking about that cuts through. When I do a Social Media strategy for a client, I definitely focus on content and keywords but probably not enough. I intend on doing more.

It may sound logical but I’ve come across so many people who struggle with what to say in their tweets and posts. While lots rely on pictures to do the talking, which do make for engaging posts, I believe it is what you say with those images and how you say it that really counts.

I’ve noticed in recent months on Facebook that my personal posts, with short and ‘nice’ or funny stories, get the most reaction. I don’t post with an image and I often think at the time they are too long but I am amazed at the reaction. Seems I’ve either tugged at someone’s heart strings or I’ve told a funny anecdote that others can relate to and that’s what gets a response.

As with email marketing, a headline can make or break you. Funny, ironic, sarcastic or a little bit rude (just a bit) works a treat in getting people’s attention. If you don’t require a title, then a short intro sentence using those sorts of tones should work too. Just think about how you might react if you are in the receiving line.  How many emails do you ignore every day and which ones get your attention.

In thinking about content, I tell clients who are stuck for ideas, start with a calendar. Use an A3 sheet of paper and split by the twelve months and plot the usual big holidays first e.g. Christmas, Easter, bank holidays etc. Then do a bit of research to find out some unusual holidays (e.g. ‘National Cheese Day’ ‘Dogs go to work with owners Day’ and similar) and stick those in the calendar. Then consider key dates specific to your industry. If you’re in travel and tourism, think about the high travel season or type of holiday relevant to the time of the year e.g. beach, skiing, day’s out. Or research all the main industry shows and events. FAQs make great content. Keep filling in your calendar and suddenly you have twelve months of content, without much effort, planned.

Do think laterally too in terms of content. Don’t just talk about your own industry or business – figure out how you can take advantage of a totally unrelated topic and turn it into something relevant for you and your business. The Chelsea Flower Show may not seem an obvious connection to an Osteopath but if you just think about all those gardeners bending down and making their displays, well sure you can imagine there might be some very sore backs. Suddenly, you’ve got an interesting story with a link. And you can be sure the Chelsea Flower Show will be trending all over social media (don’t forget to use those Hashtags!).

Finishing off, I remember another famous saying ‘Content is King’. I certainly think so – in fact it’s true royalty!

It Was Staring me in the Eyes – that ‘Special Relationship’

20 January 2015

As anyone who has read any of the previous articles in this blog will know, change is on my mind. Having had a lot of time over the holidays to think, opportunities and ideas became clearer. Sometimes you just have to take time to get away from it all including the laptops, iPads and mobiles and even people. Once you get that space you get clarity that you couldn’t find before. It’s a bit like distinguishing those trees in the woods.

So a year of change is it. And over the last week, while I’ve still had a bit of space, I’ve come to realise a few more things. One thing that dawned on me, which was staring me in the face, is that I haven’t made enough of the fact that I am an American who has lived in London for over 27 years. I very much understand what the British want and what it takes to make it here. So why aren’t I promoting that to North American businesses who want to get into the market here?

What I have found very interesting is that looking at the stats of this blog, the majority of readers are coming from the US (double the UK).  I’ve been distributing the blogs through various Social Media channels including Google +, LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter (with Twitter & LinkedIn bringing in the most views). So dissecting that further, seems I have either more connections and followers from the US or more from the US have a propensity to be interested in what I am writing about. In any case, there seems to be more of an appeal from across the pond.

Next step is to fine-tune the message and then figure out how to get it across. The message is simple ‘Americans - let me be your go-to person on the ground here in the UK if you want business from & in the UK’. That isn’t very eloquent but it is the gist of the opportunity. How I tell them will mean first tweaking my Social Media profiles starting with LinkedIn and then getting a new website spelling out just what I can do. So giving myself more work to do but it will be worth it in the end.

My goodness – give yourself a little headspace and the ideas and opportunities just flow. Try it. You never know what you may come up with!