I'm Still Here

Ok, ok, I didn't just fall off the face of the earth. I have been extremely busy these past months helping my clients slice out a piece of heaven on the web. I have also been blogging ... just not here. Check out my posts all over cyberspace by typing my name in any search engine. Or, you could just check out a few of the other blogs I post on ... warning ... the content could relate to natural health, but who doesn't love that?

http://www.modernsageonline.com
http://www.freshcontents.com
http://www.brandingcave.com

Then again, isn't that the way it always goes? You spend so much time working on work and making other people look good that you neglect your own business and image. This is especially true for those of us who receive most if not all of our work from referrals from present clients.

So, my apologies to my ever patient webmaster who gently encourages me to update the site now and again - and I promise to be more diligent at keeping any site visitors in the loop in the future.

Why We Need Mentors

Of course, this is a no-brainer for people who embrace the idea of mentorship, but some take on the credo, "I'm self-made ... I did it all myself ... I did it my way." You do ultimately do it "your way," but unless you have had some help along the way from people who cared about you and believed in you, I'm guessing that "your way" is less than what it could be.

Our earliest mentors are our parents and grandparents. They model behavior and we are taught vital social cues and norms (or not) through them as we grow to become adults. As we go forward, many of us are mentored by teachers, by coaches, by scout leaders and Sunday school teachers. There may be a misconception, however, that the mentoring process stops when we become adults. It doesn't. In fact, adult mentorship is often the most vital to our professional, spiritual and social lives as it comes at a point where we can embrace it on all levels and when we are sophisticated enough to understand it for what it is.

My mentors in some areas of my life would not be my mentors in others, but I don't fault them for it. I thank them that they went before me and thought enough of me to believe in me and to help me believe more in myself. They are truly incredible people with indomitable spirits and iron wills for what they love and desire most in life - they are people who live life with passion.
It wouldn't be right of me not to share a few of them. Brenda Morris was one of my early adult mentors in faith. My mother's age, she had parented four children and seen one through both cancer and leukemia. She loved God with all her heart and never wavered, even in the face of incredible odds. She and her family surrounded me in a blanket of love and acceptance and her life encouraged me to strive on to go to and finish college when no one in my family had gone or expected me to go.

Mike Mandel was my mentor in confidence about my mental abilities. Growing up in rural Delaware, I was taught that as a woman, my looks were a greater asset than my brain. When I went to New York and then to Oxford to study at college, it was vital to escape the stereotypes to mentally survive. Mike Mandel showed me how to think on my own with confidence and courage. His own sacrifice, giving up a relationship with his family to become a Christian Jew, was one of the most fearless stories I had ever heard. Mike later became a pastor in New York State.

Jacob Miller taught me that great writers are not born, they are forged through pain and persistence into being. As my writing teacher, he made me read hundreds of great and sometimes obscure books and he revealed the many forms poetry can take before it becomes free. He also taught me that structure was not a cage - that it created more freedom than it denied. As a result, I am able to be a more disciplined writer and worker - I am able to be the consultant I am today.

Last, but certainly not least, is Deborah Gaines - whose sharp wit and gift of gab still makes me stop in awe to think of it. She taught me how to take charge, how to command respect instead of demanding it and how to speak up when I had something to say. She taught me that life was about more than work and that I could get through anything if I took it one day at a time and did the right thing in every moment I could.

That's the top of my list. Who believed in you when no one else would? Have you passed that gift on to those behind you on the path?

Beyond the Blank Page

Many of us are terrified at the concept of the blank page. I mean, there it is, staring up at us and we do not even know where to begin. This happens in both creative and business writing, but it does not have to. In my younger days, I thought writing was all about inspiration and, to some extent, inspiration is important. However, it is much like the Thomas Edison quote about genius

"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."

How do you break a sweat with writing, you may ask? You "banish the internal critic" as my writing teacher used to say and go for it. It could be a steaming pile of trash on the page but it will take you one step closer to your goal. Disciplined writers aren't born, they're made. I didn't believe it myself until I was forced to discipline myself for a job I was doing. It wasn't earth shattering content I was being asked to write - it was limited to a set number of characters and I had to research for the information. The hardest part of the job was to have the discipline to sit there, do the research and write the copy. After a few months, I was no longer afraid of a blank page. Words flowed every time I sat down and my life was changed, in a good way, forever.

Now, my biggest problem is finding time to write. However, once I sit down I can write and fine-tune an article in about an hour or two. Just think of what an article a month could do for your business or your personal career? With all of the venues out there for publishing, you could become an expert in whatever area you desire.

Think about it. Until next time,

Victoria

P.S. I am also the Office Coach on ModernSage.com. Stop by and check out some pointers for making it in the corporate world:

Getting Ahead at Work Part I 5 ways to sabotage your performance in a corporate environment.
Getting Ahead at Work Part II 5 ways to prove your worth and get ahead in a corporate environment.

India's Calling - Five Outsourcing Tips

We have all heard that India is a great place to find incredibly reasonable programmers and web services, but do you really get the bang for your buck?

The short answer is “yes,” if you know exactly what you are looking for. If you don't, you could be walking down a road to confusion. However, this is the rule when working with any web house, whether it is in the U.S. or abroad. The people I have met so far in my experience with teams in India are bright, hospitable people who go through many of the struggles and triumphs that business people go through here. The only caveat is that they have to endure more in terms of work conditions and they actually seem far more eager to do the work in many cases.

Yes, sometimes I do feel like a Benedict Arnold for serving as a liaison for outsourcing programming. After all, our programmers over here do a fine job. However, India has positioned itself to be the premier provider of web services to the world at a rate that most start ups just can't pass up. If I am to be a proper capitalist, I have to admit this – and accept it.

So, here it is. Five things I have learned from working with teams in India so far. Who knows what I will think in a year?

1. Be Polite Many of us in the U.S. business world are used to just getting to the point. We avoid the small talk and jump right in. This doesn’t go over well there. Being polite and saying ‘good morning” and “good evening” and asking them how their day is going will lead to a better relationship. Come to think of it, it would lead to better relationships on this side of the world as well.


2. Strive for Clarity People in India are taught the English language in grade school. However, keep in mind that they may not understand the plethora of slang that permeates our daily language. Make sure that they understand you and that you understand them. Lists are key.


3. Be a Broken Record You may not get an answer the first time you ask a question. I haven't figured out why this is yet. Keep asking until you do – and be firm without being rude.


4. Think Pictures Be incredibly clear about what you need. If you are outsourcing programming, have a designer create mock ups (wire frames, whatever you choose to call it) of exactly what needs to be done with each screen in the process. Then hire a project manager to manage the project and serve as a liaison with the team in India. This will save you tons of time and effort. Your absolute dream project manager for many projects will be the very U.S. programmers who losing work to the Indian programmers.


5. Don't Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket They will want you to host with them, to do everything with them and they offer attractive packages. However, just to be on the safe side, don't do everything with one company. Remember, you haven't seen their operation. Losing your site would be a disaster and litigation with another country is a giant headache.

So, there it is, my tips for working with teams in India. If you have any other insights, please share them with me in comments or by emailing me at vdravneek@monarchcontent.com.

Well, subh ratri everyone. Until next time.

Why First Impressions Matter - Everywhere

By: Victoria Dravneek

Technology is wonderful -- it is exploding, growing and expanding our ideas of how information, entertainment and plain creativity are packaged. The thing that remains the same, however, is us. We are finite in our ability to process information and our initial reaction or "first impression" is more important now than at any other time in recorded history.

"The medium is the message," you can almost hear the famous ad exec. Marshal McLuhan's words whispering through the corridors of thought. However, I would challenge this and say what the potential client who first clicks on your website (walks into your office, reads an advertisement) thinks is really the message. What is your message? I'm too cheap to hire a professional to design my website? I wrote this myself and it is really obvious? We really like magenta curtains?

But I'm no corporate monolith, is the first kind of reaction I get from many clients when I talk to them about branding. Most of them are small to medium-sized business owners who have fought their way to where they are with hard work, determination and one eye always on the bottom line. In many cases, these clients are their brand - they just need to be able to define it and themselves so that the whole package of their business can reflect it. I guess this is one case where "the medium really is the message."

Branding doesn't have to be this over-inflated, expensive word that makes small business anxiously clutch their wallets in fear of marauding consultants. It is simple in essence - what do you want people to think about you? And, more importantly, how can you get them to think that about you from the first moment they have contact with you or your business through a physical office, website and advertising and marketing materials? They need one fluid, simple message.

It all sounds very simple, but how do you get from point A to point B? How does your client end up getting the warm fuzzies that make them choose your company for their needs? Well, first, we need to determine who the client is down to the last detail. This is your average client and their demographic, geographic and psychographic information. Now, take a look at your competition. Yes, you have competition - even if you don't realize it. There is always someone out there who is competing for the same dollars that you are. Find out who it is and what they are doing right - and wrong. Once you've listed your top competitors with strengths and weaknesses, you're ready to look at your own business. What does your business do better than anyone else does and how does it meet the needs of your target client? Now, armed with all of this information, what are the descriptive words that you want a client to think when they see anything related to your company? Go crazy, make a list to the moon and narrow it down to about 15 or so words. Then isolate three that really make the grade. This is your nugget - your piece of the branding pie. To use the marketer's lingo - it is your Brand Identity.

Make a summary and keep this information with you. Let it improve as your business grows and make sure that anyone who has anything to do with creating materials with your business knows it. It is more important than a handshake or a look in the eye - it is both of these things when you aren't there in the flesh to provide them.

The following is the result of a few hours spent with one recent client. We covered a lot of ground. I have changed the name to "my fabulous client" to respect the identity of the client. I have also included a few easy books to get started.

I. Branding Summary

Over-riding Goal
To create a multi-media enterprise that provides My Fabulous Client with an outlet for her creative personality; that draws more attention to healthy
living and encourages people to aspire to a more balanced life.

Vision
My Fabulous Client is a community interested in natural health and wellness. Members share experiences and knowledge, find information and resources, get access to experts and events and continue membership because they are a part of a caring community. My Fabulous Client has multiple revenue streams from experts, providers, producers, a marketplace, alliances, affiliations and membership fees.

Mission
My Fabulous Client provides a virtual community where those interested in a lifestyle based on natural health and wellness can find information, resources and community.

Goals

• Transfer the My Fabulous Client brand to the online marketplace
  
• Create sustainable revenue streams


• Establish Market Entry


• Grow user base and traffic

Objectives (how we will get it):

• Build My Fabulous Client for phase-by-phase rollout


• Develop a solid branding plan


• Plan and build infrastructure for revenue streams


• Create and execute Marketing/Content strategy


• Develop and execute a Sales Model

Brand

My Fabulous Client Target Client Profile:

Demographics:

• Professionals & Entrepreneurs


• Mostly female


• Age 35-60


• Education Level: Bachelors plus


• Mid to high-range comfort level with technology


• Broadband enabled


• Active mind and lifestyle


• Joiners

Psychographics:

• They value: Nature, health, recycling, environmental, independent thinkers, have money but aren't materialistic


• Mindset: Changing priorities, seeking mode, looking for practical information


• Likes funny, to be inspired, likes to read


• Identified as "LOHAS Community" and "Cultural Creatives" in recent books.


• Stage: People who are sick or who have been sick and are tired of doctors and medicines and want to feel healthy again.


• Stage: Young family moms who want to provide healthy living for children and husbands.


• Stage: Boomers and empty nesters who are getting older and want to get in touch with their health.

Geographics:

• United States, Mainly suburbs and urban areas

Brand Identity:

Credible, Fun, Personal Connection-oriented

Brand Promise:

My Fabulous Client will provide a vibrant community where each user can establish a personal connection with others and find credible information in a hassle-free, non-threatening environment where they feel ownership.

Brand Personality:

• Inspiring/enlightening


• Credible


• Honest/Uncompromised


• Informative


• Funny


• Warm


• High energy, vibrant


• Discriminating, practical


• Complimentary medicine


• Entrepreneurial spirit

Quick & Easy Resources:

Small Business Marketing for Dummies
AllAboutBranding.com
MarketingSherpa.com