Using Email for Better Business

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at email and how it can be better utilized for developing your business and enhancing your professional image. These are just a few strategies that may make a big difference for business owners and their staffs. These strategies are especially helpful for self-employed professionals with no employees or limited staff support.

• Use a spell check program and read the entire email prior to hitting the "send" button.
• Use the subject line carefully. Make it sound professional and business-oriented.
• Be aware that every email can be forwarded thousands upon thousands of times. Make sure that nothing in your email is offensive to anyone who may receive it. Make sure your email is factual and legitimate.
• Use a signature that is a business builder. Make sure you have all necessary contact information and websites listed in your electronic signature with correct links. Use your signature as a major marketing tool. Make it as professional as possible.
• Use correct rules of grammar. Begin sentences with capital letters and end them with correct punctuation. Never use all capital letters and never use all lowercase letters. Each email should be a business letter from you to a client, customer, or prospect.
• If you are sending the same email to a number of different people, use the BCC feature so as not to "out" all the people receiving your email.
• Check your email several times each weekday. Respond quickly. Clean out your inbox each week at a minimum by deleting all emails that you don't need to keep and setting up folders for those you do need to keep.
• Avoid sending any email when you are angry or upset about the matter at hand. Take time to read and read again your repsonse to make sure that it won't be misinterpretted by the reader. Written words are much more easily misinterpretted than spoken words.
• Remember that email is a tool. The phone is sometimes a better tool at the moment. Send the right message utilizing the best tool for the particular situation.

Email is a necessary strategy and must be used in the best possible way to build and enhance your business reputation.

Sara L. Fitts is a business coach who works with small business owners and self-employed professionals to enhance their business development. If you'd like to find out how she can help you, contact her today.

Enhancing Employee Relationships

Not only do small business owners have to rely on building and developing business relationships, those with employees must develop relationships that boost morale and a culture of making the business work most efficiently and productively.

Whether the small business owner has 1 employee or 500 +, these are some things to think about to enhance employee relationships.

• Every employee is valuable and must be treated as a valuable employee. If the employee is not valuable, why is he or she employed?
• Have only a few rules, regulations, or policies - and apply them to everyone. When employees are treated differently, their loyalty will be destroyed and never recovered.
• Never underestimate the power of "please" and "thank you" because these little words go a long way toward boosting morale and employee relations. These words aren't lost on customers, either!
• Reward exceptional effort and positive results. If you reward mediocre effort and results, you'll get less than mediocre effort the next time.
• Be careful about competition. If you're trying to build a team, there is only one side and not an "us against them" mentality.
• Competition can be healthy and motivational, but it can backfire and lead to team destruction.
• Monthly or quarterly meet with all staff members and inform them of what's going on within the business. This is an excellent opportunity to reward exceptional efforts and big wins within the business.
• Manage by walking around and speaking with your employees. This is a powerful way to find out what is really going on and to show that you care about them as people and employees.
• Have fun at work. Whether scheduled or not, make every attempt to create a climate of care and concern - and enjoyment - within the work environment. When people enjoy what they do, they produce better results.
• Believe in your organization, in your product or service, and believe in your people. Most employees will work harder when they feel validated and cared for.
• Be authentic. If you as a business owner want to enhance employee relationships, you must come from a place of authenticity about it. Sincerity is required for positive results.

There are many additional ways to enhance employee relationships. I've listed the foundation of enhanced employee relationships here.

Relationships that Every Business Owner Needs

Every business owner must cultivate a number of relationships in order to be successful. Without these, sustainable success is very likely to be out of reach. Regardless of industry, geographic area, gender, or clientele, these are the most important business relationships business owners need to develop.

• Accountant
• Attorney
• Estate attorney / planner
• Financial planner
• Business coach
• Stockbroker
• Banker
• Commercial printer
• Insurance broker
• Networker
• Physician - internist
• Web designer / host / programmer
• Plumber
• Mechanic
• Dentist
• Electrician
• Handyman or handywoman
• Florist
• Virtual Assitant - or a live and in-person adminstrative assistant

When you really think about all the relationships that are cultivated and developed over the course of building a business, there are many people that have a tremendous impact on the rate of success experienced by the business owner. These relationships are priceless and must be kept in a place of honor within the business.

Take a few minutes and list your key relationships - let me know what I've left off my list.

Small Business Dashboard

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at the Small Business Dashboard - an instrument panel on which business owners set their focus. While each business owner looks at unique aspects of his or her company, there are certain items that apply to every single business owner - regardless of what type of business it is.

These are the crucial items on the Small Business Dashboard I use with my clients - as well as my own business.

• Revenue
• Sales
• Costs / Expenses
• Staff / Staffing
• Profit / Loss
• Long-term goals of the business (5+ years)
• Short-term goals of the business (30 days - 1 year)
• Mid-range goals of the business (2 - 5 years)
• Marketing Plan
• Business Plan
• Client / Customer Base
• Economic forecasts
• Target market trends
• Business trends
• Industry news and trends
• Worth of the business
• Growth options
• When to sell or close (retirement considerations)

Each business owner determines the specific gauges on the dashboard and how often they are monitored. I design dashboards for each business owner with whom I work - so I can provide them with the best tools for growing and managing their businesses. This is a powerful tool that creates a baseline for our coaching partnership and sets the stage for crafting the best goals to get the best possible results.

If you'd like to know more about how I work with business owners, please contact me directly for a collaborative interview.

Keep Your Focus

This Week with Sara Fitts is about keeping your focus - no matter what you do to earn a living. Entrepreneurs, self-employed, small business owners, and any other person who works for a living knows this - but we often lose sight of what it takes to keep our focus when we are in the midst of running our businesses or living our lives. These are a few tips that I've learned along my way - some from clients, some from books, and a few from my father. I hope you find them helpful.

These are some tips to help you keep your focus:

• Know what you want to do, why you want to do it, and what it will take to get it done
• Be realistic about finances and timelines
• Believe in all the possibilities that exist
• Define your distractions and keep them away from you during work hours - you can do this!
• Work at tasks for certain amounts of time - and keep these start and stop times sacred
• Begin with the end in mind - keep your eye on the prize - know that you will reach the pot of gold
• Exercise for energy, health, and fitness
• Rest and relax
• Know whose rules you are following - make your own rules
• Define what drains you - and avoid your drains
• Define what fuels you - and embrace these
• Change your mindset to reflect what you want to focus on - and use the power of your mind to succeed
• Take time to enjoy what you already have worked for and achieved - don't wait for it to be finished or perfected
• Stay fresh by doing something new or something different

There are many ways to keep your focus and these are just a sampling of them. I'd love to hear from you on how you keep your focus.

Successfully Self-Employed

This Week with Sara Fitts focuses on the characteristics of the successfully self-employed. Self-employment isn't for everyone; however, for some, it is the only way to earn a living. What makes self-employment a viable option for some and not others? We'll explore those very qualitites and traits that make self-employment a successful enterprise.

What does it take to be successfully self-employed?

• Motivation
• Strong self-management skills
• Integrity and accountability to oneself
• Patience, persistence, and perspiration
• Commitment to doing whatever it takes to make it happen and never settling for less

What else does it take to be successfully self-employed?

• Talent
• Seeing the opportunities that exist - and making the most of them
• Creating more opportunities - and making the most of them
• Building the strongest team of experts that can be put together
• Building relationships that will last a lifetime
• Making the best decisions on a daily basis
• Stepping out of fear and comfort - into boldness that creates and sustains success

Self-employment is sometimes a lonely existence and is often filled with struggles uniquely owned by this group (of which I am one!); however, self-employment can be made better and stronger with the ingredients mentioned above.

Self-employment can also be a fabulous way to earn a living and provide needed goods and services to the world at large.

Filters for Success

This Week with Sara Fitts will focus on the filters for success - both personal and business success. [Filters for success refers to the filters through which we see reality and life.]

1. Be proactive - seek solutions instead of rehashing the reasons for lack of success.
2. Take action - any action to move forward.
3. Believe in the possibilities - and focus on them.
4. Don't procrastinate - rapidly respond to new opportunities.
5. Be accountable - to yourself and others.
6. Do something different - and see what happens.
7. Honestly and candidly assess how well what you are currently doing is actually working for you.
8. Make necessary changes.
9. Variety is the key - you must keep it fresh.
10. Stop talking and start making it happen!

How we view anything is as important as what we are viewing. We must see things through the right filter - or risk sabotaging ourselves and our success.

Reflections

This Week with Sara Fitts is back on track after a 10-day break. For the past few years this was my annual vacation at the beach; however, this year I had other responsibilities and the beach wasn't in the equation. Instead of rest and relaxation, I instead used this time for reflection. I'm sharing some of my profound period of growth with you here.

The first thing I gained from this period of deep reflection is that reflection is needed. All of us are busy. All of us have certain stresses. All of us have more on our plates than we probably want. Reflection helps us re-adjust and re-align our lives and our work. Reflection is needed.

Another thing I re-discovered is that our purpose and mission must stay in front of us and that everything else we do has to fit. If our purpose and mission isn't in alignment with what we are doing, then we aren't as productive and efficient as we need to be. Actually, we sabbotage ourselves every time we do anything that isn't in agreement with our mission. Businesses have failed for this very reason. Purpose and mission must lead the way.

And probably the most important thing gained from this period of deep reflection is that when we believe in what we are doing, everything else will fall into place. When we doubt ourselves and let the doubt from others seep into our thoughts and actions, we lose our sense of who we are and why we are here. We must believe in what we are doing, and everything else will fall into place.

Today is a special day for me because I'm announcing something that I've been working on for more than 5 years. I'm extremely pleased and proud of this work and this product. In the weeks ahead it will sit on a bigger stage and will be available for the owners of small businesses and their top management teams. It can even support self-employed professionals. It is a coaching system - not a program or seminar or workshop - it is a system that will provide a structure for increased success, growth, and revenue of small businesses and corporations. The market is Fortune 500 companies, Inc 500 businesses, and those businesses who want to make either list. More will be announced later - but the name of my trademark coaching system is Simple Little Formula.

Stay tuned....

Stop Trying

How many times in a day do you hear someone say that they will "try" to call you back, that they will "try" to meet you for lunch next week, that they will "try" to get a particular task done? How many times do you ever use the word "try" in the same context? Now the flip side of the original question: How often do they call you back, meet you for lunch, accomplish the task "tried"?

I feel that "try" is a word of inaction and disempowerment. Just using this word creates a climate of uncertainty - will it get done or not? I propose that we do not use this word - personally or in business - and instead be more decisive by stating clearly what we will do or not do. Almost immediately we have more credibility in the eyes of colleagues, clients, and customers. This is an empowering posture that can help us hold our own accountability.

A quick way to increase your position and credibility is to stop trying - and start doing or not doing. Either do something or don't, but stop trying. This is the best way to get into action, hold your accountability, and set yourself apart from others. The only thing left to do is follow up and follow through.

Reasons We Get Stuck

From time to time all of us experience the feeling of getting stuck. While I think it's much more important to get unstuck than to focus on being stuck, the reasons are important to note - so we can move forward faster.

The major reason we get stuck is that our choice of goal doesn't fit our priorities. Sometimes the goal we've chosen is one we've had continuously for months or even years. And sometimes our goal is simply too big and we need to break it down into smaller pieces. The cure for this could possibly be that we need a fresh perspective - and a fresh goal. We need to have a reachable, realistic goal that can be achieved in particular steps.

Another reason we get stuck is fear. Fear isn't always bad - it sometimes keeps us alive. Fear needs to be addressed and acknowledged for what it is. We must respect the fear. And then we must build reserves in order to reduce the consequences of our fears.

Yet another source of our "stuckness" is attitude and mentality. Positive attitudes get more positive results. Negativism breeds a contempt that creates an environment detrimental to growth and postive change. We can get unstuck and move forward if we adjust our attitudes and our mentality.

While there are many sources of why we can get stuck, these are at the top of the list. If we can address these sources, we all will move forward faster.

Lessons Learned

Today I'm thinking about all the lessons I've learned in the past years - about life and about business. One of the lessons I've learned is that things take longer than you want them to or need them to take. Why do things take longer? There are a number of reasons, I suppose; however, the one reason that keeps coming to mind is that no matter how well prepared you are, the timing is still not perfect. Since timing isn't perfect, things take longer!

Another lesson learned from my experience is that calm is power. When you are calm and others around you are not, you definitely have the edge and the upper hand. When you lose your calm demeanor, you lose control of all emotions and rational thoughts. Even if you just focus on remaining calm, you have an edge. And, once you lose composure, you can't take back what is said.

A third important lesson I've learned is that we have the power to make things happen. It isn't magic and it isn't mysterious. The power to make things happen consists of passion, motivation, determination, and persistence. We can't sit around and wait for something to happen - we must make it happen. And we must make it happen every single day.

Top 5 Characteristics of a Great Manager

Great managers are wonderful to work with and for - and here are the top 5 characteristics of the best managers.

1. Create a climate of openness and trust.
2. Never hide behind the position.
3. Acknowledge every staff member for his/her contributions.
4. Listen and observe.
5. Admit mistakes - learn from them and teach others how to avoid them.

Great managers can get excellent results from their staffs because they know how to manage people. They have many more attributes than the ones I've listed above; however, the list is made up of what matters the most to the people working in any company.

Top 5 Ways to Manage Your Time

There are many ways to manage your time, but I think these are the top 5. Even one of these 5 will help you take control of your time and create some breathing space.

1. Create stronger boundaries. Set limits and stick with them.
2. Confirm all appointments. This way you will never waste time driving or waiting for the meeting or appoinment.
3. Touch each piece of paper once. Stop moving stacks of papers from pile to pile.
4. Schedule everything. Much like the adage a place for everything and everything in its place, schedule everything that must be done and set a specific time in which to do it.
5. Capture an hour just for you. This rejuvenates you and creates more energy to get the other things in your life done.

Top 5 Characteristics of a Good Leader

Leadership remains a hot topic and today I'm listing the Top 5 Characteristics of a Good Leader.

1. Practices clear, candid, and open communication.
2. Creates a climate of trust.
3. Gives feedback and expects feedback from others.
4. Puts the right people in the right positions.
5. Sees the big picture - and never loses sight of it.

There are many characteristics of good leaders, but I think these are the top 5. Without these particular attributes, leadership suffers.

Top 5 Mistakes of Entrepreneurs

Today's Top 5 List is based on some of the mistakes made by entrepreneurs. The point is for us to learn from them and to strengthen our entrepreneurial spirits.

1. Sticking to one idea too long. Ideas are the currency of entrepreneurs - so try out several to see which ones are financially successful.
2. Ignoring cash flow. You'll always need more cash than you think you will.
3. Selling too hard. If you have to sell your ideas too hard, start listening to why they aren't buying.
4. Not having support structures. Hire people to help you - build your own team of support to include a virtual assistant, accountant, business coach, and any others you need to make your business venture work.
5. Giving up too soon. Everything takes longer than we want it to, expect it to, need it to. And that's just the way it is. Plan on a much longer launch time than you want - and stick with it.

I love entrepreneurial spirits - and have several entrepreneurs as clients. If you're an entrepreneur who is wanting to make things happen faster, a coach is one of the tools that can help.

Top 5 Ways to Work Effectively at Home

This Week with Sara Fitts is devoted this week to daily lists of top 5's. Today I'm listing the top 5 ways to effectively work out of your home office. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to work out of one's home, but I find that the most successful home offices utilize these 5 ways to be more effective.

1. Develop a routine or schedule. You're the boss, so set your times of operation - and stick with them.
2. Set deadlines for specific tasks - with consequences attached. Usually the self-employed have built-in consequences of not getting the work done!
3. Educate your family, friends, and neighbors about your business and your work schedule. While everyone experiences interruptions from time to time, set strong boundaries and live by them - period.
4. Set daily goals that will hold your focus. This can help manage your time, too.
5. Prepare for the next business day before today's close of business. Just by clearing your desk, organizing your files, reviewing the calendar, and knowing what's on tap for the next day leads to the start of another good day in business.

Each of us must find our own best ways to run our businesses and our home offices, but these are the top 5 ways that successful people have remained effective leaders in the business world.

Extreme Self Care Program

Today I'm showcasing Extreme Self Care. I'm licensed to provide this coaching program and those who have completed this program have found that they are living better, healthier lives as a result.

Extreme Self Care consists of 100 items which, when completed, will very likely result in emotional and physical balance - which further supports your career and busines success. The entire purpose of this program is to focus on strengthening the client through improved balance, wellness, and improved overall quality of life. Stress reduction is a major benefit as well. The whole point of this program is that it integrates the changes you are making in your life in order to create sustainable growth and sustainable improvement.

For more information, please contact me. I'd love to explain how this program can be designed just for you.

Personal Freedom Coaching Program (TM)

Today I'm showcasing a program that I'm licensed to provide. Personal Freedom is a fabulous personal development program that is based on 10 foundations of our lives.

The Personal Freedom Program addresses each of the following foundations of our lives as a separate module. I offer this as a 12-week program covering a module per week with assessments provided. The following are topics that are covered in this program:

1. Creating Boundaries
2. Requirements
3. Raising Your Standards
4. Finsih What is Unfinished
5. Getting Your Needs Met
6. Orienting around your Values
7. Building Reserves in all Areas
8. Minimizing Tolerations
9. Handle Your Money Completely
10. Define Success on Your Own Terms

People of all ages and professions have benefitted from this program and attribute it to increasing their personal success as well as business success. If you'd like more information, please contact me. I'd love to talk with you!

Intentional Leadership

Intentional Leadership is the coaching program I'm showcasing today. Please contact me directly for more information or to schedule a complimentary session.

Intentional Leadership is a 90-day program that focuses on the specific skill sets that are needed to set apart excellent leaders from those who only hold the title or position. The program consists of weekly 30-minute calls, unlimited email support, and weekly laser sessions of 5 - 10 minutes that support the client's progress. While this program addresses particular skills, the client's unique and individual situation is addressed at every point.

This program works for managers, sales professionals, team leaders, project managers, supervisors, and anyone who wants to position themselves for leadership roles in any organization.

Please visit www.SLFConsulting.com for more information on the programs I offer - or contact me personally to find out how this program might work for you and your specific needs.

Manage Your Time

This Week with Sara Fitts is dedicating this week to showcasing five coaching programs that I offer. Please contact me for additional information or to schedule a complimentary session to explore any of these programs.

Manage Your Time is a 6-week coaching program that provides a structure with supportive strategies to help you take control of your time and manage it - instead of letting it control you. The program works with weekly 30-minute phone calls (one-on-one coaching) and unlimited email support between calls. Strategies and techniques are presented in addition to providing unique structures for the individual needs of each client. The success rate for this program is extremely high - actually 100% of my clients have reported improved time management skills over the past few years.

This program works for individuals - personally and professionally - to improve their time management and give them more time. It keeps them efficient and more productive. For more information, please visit www.SLFConsulting.com or contact me directly. I'd love to help you manage your time!