Branding Your Business with a Human Face

Should a corporation have the same rights as a human being? Let’s leave that argument to the politicians. As any smart marketer knows, people like to relate with people. When we feel like we're being directly advertised to, we automatically put up a subconscious block. If it's a person making a suggestion to us about a product, we're far more likely to give them a listen.

The transition from print and television advertising to internet marketing presents both challenges and opportunities for a business trying to maintain a human element to its outreach. To close the gap between impersonal direct marketing and subtle yet effective person-to-person influencing on the web, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Write a Guest Post

That's why I'm here, right? I love studying social media and business trends, and sharing the knowledge I've picked up over the years is honestly a real pleasure and one of my favorite parts of my job. The fringe benefit is that by guest posting, you also help to establish your company's reputation as a trusted, knowledgeable source of information. Find a blog that you enjoy reading and offer them your services -- before you know it, you may be a published author!

2. Converse on Social Media

The reasons to market your company through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and so forth are the subject of thousands of blog posts around the web. But Tweets and Facebook posts from a company should have the same human feel that a post from a friend would have. Instead of putting "Tax services, 20 percent off" for your tax preparation company, try a post like "What do you hate most about tax season?" that sparks a conversation.

3. Be a Style Maker

Don't be afraid to get personal with your company posts online. If your business is big enough or you have a trusted employee (or employees), give them access to the company account and ask them to post, pin and tweet freely to it, from photographs to links. Set guidelines, but remember that you're trying to portray your brand as a collection of living and breathing individuals who have a variety of interests and personalities, just like the people reading your messages.

4. Send Newsletters With Personal Messages

Even more personal than guest posting, a monthly email newsletter allows a business to directly reach customers who have given permission for you to send them content. Don't squander this opportunity with worthless drivel and boring marketing. Instead, make your message a personal one.

Not long ago, the foundation of business was human relationships. In small town America, some people still know their barber, postman, and grocer by name. Take that idea and apply it to your business on the web, and you'll find that customers become more loyal as they form a relationship with you and your brand.

Christopher Wallace

Christopher Wallace is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Amsterdam Printing, one of the nation's largest providers of promotional products for businesses large and small. Amsterdam specializes in custom pens and other promotional items such as calendars, laptop bags and T-shirts. Christopher regularly contributes to Promo & Marketing Wall blog.

Our Purpose as Coaches

Two bricklayers are working alongside one another at a building site. Someone asks them both what they're doing.

The first bricklayer replies, "I put mortar on these bricks and pile them up in a line. I try to make it as neat as possible’

The other bricklayer smiles and says "I'm helping to build the new cathedral."

We've all met people who focus on the "what" they're doing instead of the "why" they're doing it. It's difficult to feel passionate about something when we're missing the meaning behind what we're doing and why we're here.

The Purpose of Knowing Your Purpose

How a person defines purpose has as much to do with his or her mindset as it does with any other beliefs.

Defining purpose in work, life and business is not about the daily tasks, it's about the reason for the tasks in the first place – the why, not the what. Discovering purpose allows us to create the vision behind the tasks, and knowing that vision can dramatically change results.

For example, a chef's purpose is not to cook food – that's a task. The reason for this task is to help people enjoy life by having a good time with loved ones around a meal they didn't have to prepare (or clean up) themselves.

People who are fulfilled at work know how the work they do supports the company's vision, values and goals whether it's their own company or someone else's.

Coaches who are fulfilled know that whilst they need to know the ‘what’  - the skills and techniques to support clients, they also need to keep in mind the ‘why’ so it all makes sense.  They know what’s important to them as a coach.  

How to determine your purpose?

Determine your strengths.  For example as a coach, find out from clients and fellow coaches what they see as your ‘unique-ness’ as a coach e.g. getting to the key point in a coaching conversation or holding a much bigger vision for your clients. We all have something that makes us standout.

Determine your passions or values. As coaches you’ll know about values and passions – these are the things you love to do - with or without external rewards (like money or recognition).

Determine your causes. What in the world makes you feel discontent or compels you to action?

Find the sweet spot. After determining your strengths, passions and causes, find the overlap between them. That's the sweet spot, where you're likely to find the most fulfilment in your coaching life.

Knowing your purpose helps:

• Give meaning to everything you do.
• Guide you through tough times and difficult decisions.
• Encourage you to follow your instinct instead of following the crowd.

Whether you're a bricklayer, a coach or a CEO it's ultimately through being clear on purpose that makes us be most fulfilled and impactful.

Claire Palmer, PCC

By Claire Palmer PCC, Executive & Career Coach, Coach Supervisor. Claire is passionate about her clients being fulfilled & successful in their career, work and life. She has an innate ability to focus ‘right in’, with deep understanding, to what’s important and from there work with her clients to identify the practical action that achieves results, often more than expected. Claire is a Past President & Board member UK International Coach Federation and a past co-chair, ICF Global Regulatory Committee.

Four simple ways to thank your clients

Do you regularly express gratitude to your clients? People like to feel appreciated…it’s human nature. Here are four simple ways you can express gratitude to your clients today (and every day!):

1. Handwritten thank you notes. Yes, it might be time consuming, but this gesture is well worth it. Technology has changed the face of communication –people text instead of call and email instead of write. Taking the time to write a personalized, handwritten letter is a novelty these days—and a well-received token of gratitude.

2. Develop and implement a customer loyalty program. Maybe this means providing a discount or a small gift to those clients who refer potential clients to you. No matter what works for your practice, this kind of program will show clients that you appreciate their business.

3. Acknowledge your clients’ special occasions. This can mean sending greetings on Birthdays, holidays, and/or other special occasions. These messages will show your clients that you care about what is going on in their lives.

4. Show daily gratitude. Something as simple as looking a person in the eye, providing your full attention when they are speaking, and promptly returning telephone calls and emails are all ways you can express gratitude every day of the year!

How have you thanked your clients this year? Share your ideas below!

Coaching Managers to Manage Themselves FIRST!

In his book “First Things First,” Steven Covey wrote “Where there’s no Gardener, there’s no Garden.”

The Garden can be a place of great energy and great solace, a place to work and to reflect. In the garden we can plough, sow, tend, nurture and ultimately harvest. 

However the Garden will not flourish if the Gardener is ineffective in managing themselves and the Garden. In an organisation a Manager cannot expect to manage the work and results of other people successfully if they cannot manage themselves first.

In my coaching conversations with Leaders and Managers I encourage them to create and work in their own garden.

Self management should be the Manager’s Number One priority.

As an Executive Coach, I am often asked by the Manager “Coachee” for coaching to be better in planning, managing and organising themselves, improving work/life balance, delegation, giving effective feedback and strategies for stress management. 

Managers discuss their feelings such as struggling, being overwhelmed, not able to delegate enough, guilt about hours spent at work, challenged by staffing problems and so on.

Some Managers are so focused on their own battles and survival that they have less energy to give of themselves in leading, managing and developing others.  

What are the Essentials for Coaching a Manager in Self Management?

1. The Coaching process must be a conversation with Coachee objectives and actions. Coaching objectives specifically in the area of self management are essential. The Coaching process needs to demonstrate and replicate “self management” itself with goals and actions, positive focus and motivation, discipline, reflection and reward and celebration.

2. The use of assessment and survey tools can be very effective for creating self awareness of personal style. Throughout their lives and careers, many Managers do not understand how other people perceive them. A diagnostic or assessment instrument can be a great starting point to increase self awareness around style and behaviours. The ethical and responsible use of all diagnostic and assessment tools, especially in debriefing, is a key competence for a Coach.

3. It is important for a Manager to understand how his capability for self management impacts either positively or negatively on his abilities to manage his role, function and build relationships. We focus on self management in relationship to management functions such as Leadership, Planning, Organising, Coaching and giving feedback, Getting Results and Building Relationships with Stakeholders. 

4. Coaching provides a space for Managers to slow their pulse and reflect especially on their own thoughts, actions and behaviours. Powerful and focused questions from the Coach can facilitate the Manager reflecting on specific events and their actions from different perspectives. The space for reflection and talking through issues can also help the Manager to be more creative with options and solutions.

5. Coaching facilitates the Manager identifying self management strengths, obstacles and challenges and options for risk and experimentation. Strengths emphasised can be affirmed by the Coach. The outcomes of risk taking and experimentation can be shared for review, problem solving, affirming and celebrating with their Coach.

6. A Coaching conversation should always come to a close with clear actions. When a Manager has some objectives about managing themselves better outcomes can be realised however it appears that sustainable change occurs when the Manager views their own process more as a marathon rather than a sprint.  

7. Each Coaching conversation is a building block for the next. As a Manager owns his issues, experiments and takes action the Coach is ready to provide support, affirmation and positive reinforcement of efforts made and changes that proved successful. The Managers’ levels of confidence increase. In addition seeking feedback from others such as Managers, peers and staff supplements the recognition and support from the Coach. This augurs for more sustainable change in the identified areas for improvement, development and growth of the Manager.

8. In Coaching we ask the Manager to become the successful Gardener working in their own Garden first. In this Garden the Gardener speaks to him or herself in positive ways, says “ well that was dumb” when forgetting to fertilise in Spring, uses words of encouragement to keep going when digging a soil that is dry and rock hard and to have optimism to sow and nurture again after a storm has destroyed all the crops. And finally the Gardener can reflect upon and celebrate the bumper harvest that feeds himself and others in his life.

In Australia Lisa Baker, ACC, has a long held passion for facilitating individuals and organisations to find their own ideas, solutions and realise potential. Whether providing business coaching, coaching and building teams in organisations, to facilitating with a CEO to lead and implement major change, you will find Lisa energised and sharing her infectious optimism. For more information go to www.kaleidoscopeconsulting.com.au.

A Laser Business Mentor Session with Susan Hogarth and Teresia LaRocque

In this laser mentor session, Susan (www.czcoaching.com) identifies the one thing that will make the biggest difference in leveraging her time and maximizing the various business opportunities she is attracting.

 

Teresia LaRocque, MCC, Business building Mentor, shows how taking 15 minutes to laser focus can make a big difference in your business success. This mini session will help you learn how embracing the habits of blocking and planning your time will increase your focus, productivity and efficiency as an entrepreneur.

 



 

Teresia LaRocque MCC

Teresia LaRocque MCC, is Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Building Mentor for the Erickson Business Center –  www.ericksonbusinesscenter.com at Erickson College International www.erickson.edu. Teresia is a pioneer in the booming profession of personal coaching, the first recipient of the International Coach Federation’s Master Coach Credential in Canada and cofounder for the Vancouver International Coach Federation chapter. Teresia is committed to supporting coaches to take their talent and passion for coaching and make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.

 

Teresia is the founder and facilitator of the Passion into Profit Program, a customized business building program offered through the Erickson Business Center. For free business building tips and advice, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EricksonBusinessCenter.