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Archive for January, 2012

How to Avoid Bunny Trails When You Work Online

Posted on: January 30th, 2012 by Beth Heilman


Facebook and YouTube and LinkedIn, oh my. You know how it goes. You start your day of work online innocently enough logging in to your Twitter account. You see a few tweets with interesting links you want to check out…

Then of course you need to check out Facebook, too. Need to stay on top of the most current streams so you're "in the know" for your customers…

Oh, and then you remember the Farmville invitation you got from your cousin on the East Coast. It won't hurt to play for just a little while.

Next thing you know, you look at the clock and "Oh CRAP!!".

It's noon and nothing on you desk has gotten done. Sound familiar? Know anybody who does that (because we know it's not YOU!!) wink, wink

Ok, enough kidding and I'm certainly not scolding. When you use the Social Media sites for your business, they open up a world of
possibilities that weren't even available a few years ago, but be warned.

They can become the black hole of your productivity and an endless supply of bunny trails if you're not careful. What to do? Thanks, glad you asked 🙂

First and foremost, have your day planned ahead of time. If you don't have a planner or daily calendar or at least a pad of paper with a to-do list sitting on your desk, run to the store and get one…now. You'll be a whole lot less likely to roam around in cyberland if you have a plan.

Second, get thee a timer. Doesn't matter what kind…egg timer, digital timer, stop watch, set the alarm on your phone; something that you can set for a specific amount of time and preferably something that makes a loud, obnoxious noise when it's time to get your nose out of the cyber-barn.

You have important work to do and while it's okay to veg out for a few minutes with some of that stuff, collecting virtual cows and
chickens ain't gonna pay the power bill. Agreed? Moooooving on…

Third tip-o'-the-day is to automate. As much as possible you want to schedule tweets, article posts and the like in programs like Social Oomph ( SocialOomph.com) or my personal favorite, Hootsuite (hootsuite.com) Both of these have free and paid versions, both allow for scheduling and posting tweets and updates ahead of time. What a time saver!!

Hootsuite is great because you can hook your YouTube channel, Facebook (both personal profile and business page) and LinkedIn profile and access them all from one dashboard. Now, pre-programming everything will never take the place of live interaction and it's not supposed to.

Social Media is meant to be just that, social. But isn't it nice to be able to pop in to engage in a conversation and pop back out to take care of something in the "real world" (like say, meeting with a client or feeding your kid) and because you programmed things to post throughout the day, your content is getting seen even if you aren't. Bonus!!

And one more thing about Hootsuite. They have an app for iPhone and Android so you can set everything up over the phone!! It's a
HOOT!!…sweet! ;)

So there you have it. Three simple recommendations to corral those bunnies and keep your work day on track. Simple, yes. Sometimes the things that work the best aren't complicated at all. You have work to do…now hop to it.

This is where I ask what your favorite tools are to keep you on the straight and narrow in your business. Please do share below in the comment section. You'll be helping lots of other folks and they thank you…and so do I. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas (smiles),

Beth 🙂

Career Change Agent, Social Media Maven and Realtor Extraordinaire, Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a Social Media Marketing company created to help small businesses and solopreneurs "Connect the Spots Online". Beth is a 30 year Las Vegas resident, a mother of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 wonderful grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, you'll always succeed" and "there is always a way". Do you believe that? You should… 🙂

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Fellow Real Estate People: Your Clients Are Checking You Out Online. Will They Like What They See?

Posted on: January 26th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

Ahhhh, the internet. Whether you love it, hate it or are somewhere in between the fact is, an amazing tool…and it's here to stay. There's not much that you CAN'T find on the internet. Including information about you.

Do you like what it says? A more important question might be, when a new or prospective client does a search on you Will they like what they see?

Now I'm not talking about old photos that an ex-boyfriend took and posted on his Facebook wall (although if there are any of those floating around, you might want to see about getting rid of 'em). What I'm talking about is the impression folks get when they read your bio on your company's website, or Google your name to find out more about you and how you do business.

It's not any breaking news to Real Estate folks that upwards of 93% of people wanting to buy a home do their searching online before they ever contact a Realtor. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that while that same client is checking out that sweet three bedroom colonial on Maple Street you have listed, they're also checking out… you.

Have you taken ownership of your online presence?

If you haven't, it's time you do before someone else does.

Now, I'm not trying to sound ominous, but in today's society it's the negative that gets reported and you know how people like to talk about the least little negative thing. But let's not dwell on that…

Fact is, in today's internet world you can let people not only know what you do, you kick-butt Real Estate pro, you; but by having your own blog and Social Media presence you can let people know who you are as a person. You get to sell you.

In today's market, it's the person who takes the time to build the relationship with their customer and treats them well that makes the sale. Are you doing something everyday to show prospective clients how awesome you are by sharing a more personal side of you?

I hope so. If you're not, I hate to be the one to break it to you,but you're going to be left behind…or at the very least stagnate where
you're at.

Tomorrow's business goes to the one who builds the relationships today.

Claiming your place on Social Media will help build and nurture those relationships. Are you using it to build your business?

I'd love to hear how you're using Social Media to market and grow your business. Leave a comment below and let me know what you're doing. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth 🙂

Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a company specializing in Social Media Marketing to help Real Estate Professionals attract, engage and keep quality customers. Beth is a 30 year Las Vegas resident, a mother of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 wonderful grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, you'll always succeed". Do you believe that? You should…

 

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Are you Listening To the Voices In your Head?

Posted on: January 23rd, 2012 by Beth Heilman

Are you Listening To the Voices In your Head?

Well? Are you?

You know the one's I mean. It's the little whisper that say's "Why even bother trying that new business. You failed at the last one. What makes you think now will be any different?" or "Are you sure you want to try that? What if you mess up? Everyone will laugh at you"

You've heard it at least once or twice right?

Did it let it stop you? No? Good…

Because for quite a while I let it stop me. Until now…

This is how I finally (yes, I can be a little dense sometimes) caught on and how God taught me a lesson on how to tune it out.

God has such a great sense of humor…Let me explain what I mean.

A few days ago, I had a coaching call with one of my mentors. His name is PJ McClure and he's known as the Mindset Maven. He's a master at cutting through BS to get to the root of a problem and let me tell you my roots ran deep.

See, ever since I got down-sized four years ago, I've made many (and I do mean many) attempts at starting businesses. I'd start 'em, be going great guns and then I'd come to a screeching halt. Dead stop…stuck.

ACK!!

I always had my Real Estate business to fall back on so we didn't starve, but even that wasn't going so well. SO last year I decided to invest in some coaching, heavy duty business coaching and with it came the mindset coaching. Best thing I've ever done for my business. All I can say is Wow!!

Now comes the God's sense of humor part…

The day after a call with PJ came a breakthrough of ginormous proportions. I was taking a goal-setting workshop and by no small
coincidence I was sitting next to a lady who was very sweet, but also very "different" if you get my drift.

As good business people do, we introduced ourselves and I made the mistake of asking "what do you do?" She began at that point to tell me all about this weight loss product she sold that she'd lost 40 pounds on and that it was hard to get used to the taste at first but she got used to it and here's the brochure and here's her card and oh, by the way she also has a biofeedback machine at home to eliminate stress and she needed people to "practice" on so would I come over to her house so she could get the credits toward her certification and…Lordy!

I kept asking myself "what, does she think I'm fat?" Why they heck does she keep rambling on about this stuff. Does she know what she can do with those protein bars? Oooops…was I really thinking that?

Why was I getting so annoyed? At last, the class started.

And the real fun began…

Ever sit near someone who has a comment to say about EVERYTHING the instructor says? Ever sit right next to someone who talks to themselves for no good reason? And when they read, it's out loud in a hushed mumble WHILE the instructor is talking.

Let me tell ya, after about half an hour of that I was ready to come unglued. I've got zero tolerance for someone disrupting a class and especially one I paid good money to go to.

It was right about then I could almost see God smile. Then He whispered, "Tune out the voice and focus".

My classmate kept mumbling and I'd get aggrevated then I'd hear "Tune out the voice and focus".

Sometimes I'm a little slow on the up-take, but this time I got it. One of those ah-ha moments you hear about that stay with you for life.

It wasn't just my neighbor's voice I was being told to tune out, it was also the one I'd been listening to in my head. It was the one I'd let stop me so many times. The one that would always cast doubt or tell me I couldn't or why bother, it won't work anyway. THAT voice.

Finally, peace.

No, she didn't stop talking; but I was no longer listening. I really didn't hear her anymore. For the first time in a long time I was able to concentrate and really focus on the important things. The things I needed to take action on to move my business forward. And I learned that even though that voice may always be there, it's my choice to listen or not.

Next time your little voice of doubt or fear starts chattering, I hope you remember this story. It's always in your power to "tune out the
voice and focus".

Have you ever had an experience like that? A real ah-ha moment that changed the game forever? I'd love to hear your story. Please leave a comment below and share. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth 🙂

Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a company specializing in using Social Media Marketing (and some other nifty cool things, too) to help Real Estate Professionals attract, engage and keep their ideal customers. After experiencing the devastating effects the housing market crash had on her and her fellow Real Estate peeps, she has made it her mission to get businesses back on track using innovative marketing strategies with an emphasis on Social Media. Business as usual just doesn't work anymore.

Beth has lived in fabulous Las Vegas for 30 years. She's a mom of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 amazing grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, things will turn out just fine". Do you believe that? You should… 🙂

 

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To Succeed, You Have To Be Seen

Posted on: January 16th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

To succeed in business, just like in any area of your life, you need to put yourself out there. You need to be seen.

That exposure…that standing in the spotlight, can scare the bajeebers out of some people. And it will kill any chance of succeeding on any big scale.

It will kill your dream.

For the purpose of what we're talking about here today, we're talking about your business but it could apply to any area of your life.

Whenever you start anything new, like your own business, there's always the the initial start-up jitters. A thousand questions race though your brain simultaneously.

"Will it work?" Will people buy?" "Am I really cut out for this?" Round and round goes the brain till it looks a lot like Danica Patrick on a NASCAR track. Vrooom!!

It's really easy to head for pit row and want to stay there. It's safe.

You look like you're getting things done. There's a flurry of activity going on, but you don't have a chance to win unless you get back out on the track.

You have to be seen.

I've been stuck there, I know how it feels. You want so much to be one of those people you hear about who don't just make "get by" money.

They're freakin' killin' it and takin' it to the bank!!

Friends, they didn't get there overnight and they didn't get there by hiding in their home office. They got out of their comfort zone, put
themselves out there and got seen.

There are plenty of ways to promote yourself and your business. One of my favorite and most fun (not to mention far-reaching and cost effective ) is getting in involved in Social Media.

Just the number of people on Facebook alone is more than the population of many countries!! Imagine for a minute being able to reach out to someone halfway across the world with the click of a mouse. That was unheard of just a few years ago.

Think of the possibilities of building strong relationships with people who can't wait to do business with you because of how your share things about your life and the products and services you offer.

Think how gratifying it will be to be of service to people not just in you local area, but all over the world.

All because you let yourself be seen and you used Social Media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn) to do it.

It's no secret that things in the economy have gone crazy. Not just here in the US, but all over the world. And it's the small business owner that cares enough to put themselves out there that will get this mess turned around.

If you're already busy promoting yourself and your business, good on ya!

If you've been playing small and waiting until you have everything perfect…STOP!

The world needs you! It's time to be seen… 

What are your feelings on being seen in the marketplace and using social media to do it? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to know what you think. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas (smiles),

Beth

 

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