Work Better, Not Harder

To the 'person' who has hijacked my domain: For 3 weeks now you have been making up email addresses that end with my domain name and sending spam emails on my behalf. Is it working for you? Are you making lots of money? Or just having a thrill? Please go find something more useful to do. Earn an honest living. Volunteer those techie skills for a good cause. Leave me alone. I don't want to get blacklisted again! Click to Tweet this Article

My garden was on the Gardens Galore tour in support of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada last weekend, so I have been spending a lot of time getting it ready for company. It was all very exciting and, while preparing, I decided my garden is a lot like my business. How did I come to that conclusion? Here's a bit of fun... Planning and Design This is all about figuring out what I want my garden to look like in the end and then figuring out what I need to do to get there. It means pulling out a pencil and paper, roughing out ideas, and firming them up. Tools and Supplies Pruners, shovels and rakes: investing in good tools makes a difference. Twist ties, stakes and mulch: there are some supplies I always need to have handy to keep my momentum going. Landscaping (the Hard Work) I need energy and perseverance (and my husband) to move all the rocks, dig all the holes, and plant all the plants. Some of the work is tedious and some of it is fun - but it all...

Your contact list doesn’t grow on its own and summer is when we all tend to slow down. Here are some practical, yet easy ways to grow your contact list over the summer months and still enjoy some time off. eMail Auto Responder When you set up your ‘out of office’ vacation notification, include a call to action and link to your newsletter sign-up form. Scheduled social media posts Set up a series of posts using Hootsuite or similar to encourage sign-ups . You can direct people to your sign-up form, to your archive, or to specific past issues that still make good reading. Review your current and prospective client list When you’re preparing for your fall sales activities, also note those that aren’t already receiving your newsletter and encourage them to sign up by sending a personal note. Review not only the contacts in your CRM system, but also those you’ve connected with on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. You could also consider mailing a copy of your most recent newsletter. Net...