KALÖN WOMEN: Smart Women Use Speaking to Grow Their Business

Guest Columnist: Joy Chudacoff

A few weeks ago, I took some time to evaluate where most of my clients come from and the two areas where I consistently receive highly qualified clients are referrals from happy clients and public speaking. It’s essential that you spend your valuable time doing the things that consistently bring you the clients that you love to work with. This week, I’m going to focus on public speaking as I get many questions from Smart Women on this topic.

Speaking to your target market is a wonderful way to reach more people in a short period of time and get your message out about how your product or service can help them. It works well because your target audience can get to know you on a more personal level and get a feel for your style and personality.

You may be reading this and thinking, “I’ve never done any public speaking and I’m not feeling very confident about it.” I understand completely. I started speaking 15 years ago because I had a mentor at the time who insisted this was a great way for me to grow my business. It was not by choice and I tried (unsuccessfully) numerous times to avoid the process. I remember my first speaking engagement. I had purchased a $300 silk suit to wear for the occasion. I was so nervous that I was sweating the entire time. By the end of the presentation, I was soaked! The suit was ruined. I sent it to the dry cleaners but it could not be saved. After that first presentation, little by little, I became a better speaker and more confident in my ability.

If you’ve been thinking that speaking is a tool that could help you grow your business and get your message out, you should take the leap and go for it. Here are some tips and solutions that will help make the process a lot easier:

1. Choose a Topic – Pick a topic where you have expert knowledge. Think about a problem or challenge that you solve for your clients. Create a presentation around this and include 3-5 main points that will be benefit your audience.

2. Use the KISS Principle – Divide your talk into 3 main areas. The beginning is your introduction where you create a desire for the audience to listen to you by sharing your level of expertise. Don’t forget to share your vulnerability as well. People love hearing that you’re not perfect and you’ve made mistakes too! The middle is the 3-5 main points you want to share on your topic. The ending is where you let them know how they can get more information and how they can work with you.

3. Offer a Free Gift – Ask everyone to fill out a form with their name and email address. Put the forms into a basket and have the host pull out some lucky winners for a free gift. For example, it could be a free session with you, a free book or e-book. People love free gifts! Let the audience know that they will hear from you in the future about special offers or new products and services. This is an excellent list building tool. (I see many speakers forgetting this step and it’s one of the most important!)

4. Give Them Something to Buy – If you have a table at the event (many events offer a table to speakers at little or no extra charge) have your products and brochures, with descriptions about your service, available. After you finish speaking, get back to your table as quickly as possible so that people who are interested in asking questions or interacting with you can approach you easily.

5. Follow-Up After the Event – After the event is over, make sure you follow-up with the event host and find out how they felt about your presentation. This is an excellent way to learn what went well and if there are some areas for improvement. Be sure to ask the host for a testimonial about your speaking. This is an invaluable tool to have on your web site media page and marketing materials.

You can start with a small group (5-10 people) and move on to larger audiences along the way. Over the last 15 years, I’ve spoken to groups of people that had an audience of 5 people as well as groups of up to 750 people. The number isn’t what’s important. The key is to inspire a few people who identify with you and want to work with you to help solve their problem or challenge. Speaking has made a tremendous difference in my business. It can make a difference in your business too.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.

She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.

If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and be the first to hear about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at www.SmartWomenSmartSolutionsCoaching.com

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KALÖN WOMEN: Smart Women Use Speaking to Grow Their Business

KALÖN WOMEN: Road Map for the Coming Years

Guest Columnist: Ronit Rogoszinski

In speaking with clients over the past few months, I found that time and time again they were dismayed to find themselves back in the same hole they had worked so hard to get out of. There isn’t just one challenge that faces individuals trying to get financially healthy, but rather several common mistakes that collectively seem to steer individuals off track. I want to take this opportunity over the next several months to map out some common errors and make suggestions to help you find solutions that will put you back on a successful path!

1 - Understand to the penny where your money is going.

I know that whenever I bring this first step up I get the sigh and rolling eyes as client’s huff and puff about having to do this AGAIN. (This is the same kind of feeling I get when I’m in the car with my kids and from the backseat I get the usual ”are we there yet?” whine). Yet as much as this step seems to be despised, many simply don’t do it for reasons such as procrastination or simple denial. I recommend you track this over several months, not just a week. This is a great way to get a true grasp over where you are spending your money. The good news is that today there are many templates and work sheets your advisor can provide for you. To track cash, here is a hint- if you pay your bills on line start by looking for a summary of your bill payments for the current year and previous year then all you need to track is where you spend the cash that you take out of the ATM.

2- Create a budget

Once the tracking is accurately complied over several months a true picture will emerge as to where your money goes. These facts will then enable you to put together a realistic budget. You’ll be amazed as to how much more in control you’ll feel once you’ve gone through this exercise! However, this budget MUST be revisited consistently over time. If your goal is to revisit it once a year, make sure you set a date each year and stick to it. The goal should be to first see how closely you stayed within the budget and then how to cut the budget by about 5-10% for the coming year. I can tell you that the nuisance of changing an insurance carrier or a phone provider is something I personally dislike, however, if the short term inconvenience saves me money, so be it.

3- Pay Down Debt

Another practice you’ll need to implement at this time is increasing your payments to the debt side of the equation. Paying minimums once a month will only perpetuate your debt indefinitely. List your debts from the highest interest rate to the lowest and start to pay more than the minimum on the highest interest rate account, as well as increasing the frequency of the payments.

Next month I want to move to the second step in our road map plan which will address living within your means. As our country struggles to get back to economic health you’ll hear rhetoric about consumer spending a lot. Unfortunately, what’s been supposedly good for the country over the past decades is not good for us the individuals. Addressing this next step will mean some serious soul searching both as individuals and as a society at large.

Ronit Rogoszinski has been helping individuals and professionals understand the world of finance and wise personal money management for over twenty years. The New York partner of Arch Financial Group, Ronit is a graduate of Queens College’s Scholars Program, holding FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations through LPL Financial. As the proud mother of four children, Ronit understands firsthand the demands we all have in our fast paced lives. Yet her calm, personal and relaxed nature help to put her clients at ease while remaining focused on the job at hand – realizing and bringing them closer to their financial goals.

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KALÖN WOMEN: Road Map for the Coming Years

KALÖN WOMEN: Women as Savvy Investors - Yes YOU!

Guest Columnist: Ronit Rogoszinski

With 80-90% of women ending up managing their own finances at some point in their lives, becoming a savvy investor can never start too soon.

Understanding your role and clarifying your goals are the first steps in taking charge of your finances. It is so important to understand that you are responsible for your money not anyone else. I speak with women all the time who feel that their ignorance of money and finance disqualifies them from ever asking questions or taking on an active role in managing money. Granted, initially it may be an overwhelming task, but like anything else in life, one step at a time, in a forward motion gets you going and keeps you going towards reaching your goals.

So what am I here to share with you today? I wanted to give you some insight as to some of the first steps you should take in becoming a savvy investor. As I mentioned before you need to understand the role you will play in this process and the goals you want to achieve. Your role may very well be a passive one in managing your finances. If you have a spouse, an advisor or someone in the family who has managed your money for you, that’s fine. However, you should ask questions and request to become more involved in understanding the strategy and focus of the account. Don’t take no for an answer! I hear this all the time “I am made to feel so stupid when I ask questions” or “I don’t understand the answers so why ask the questions”. Ahh!! This is your money; this is your financial future. If you are made to feel incompetent or the individual lacks patience in teaching you – fire them! Obviously, if it’s your spouse or your uncle that may be hard; however what I mean is, explain that you want to better understand the strategy of the account and if they can’t respect your wishes, find an advisor you’re comfortable with and start your own portfolio. The goals for this account will matter greatly and so an honest conversation with the individual you are hiring should establish the parameters of how the funds will be invested. An ongoing relationship that allows you to learn in an open manner is priceless, so respect the person you’re working with by setting rules and roles for both of you to follow.

As you expand your involvement, here are some topics you must discuss and know from your spouse or the person managing your family’s finances, if you have been passive all these years. Ask what your net worth is. This measure that takes the total value of your assets (what you own) and subtracts from it the total value of your liabilities (what you owe) should be positive and growing. You will also want to know where all the investments are being held and who do you need to contact in an emergency to access these funds. Do you and your spouse have life insurance? In which case again, where and who do you need to know? Before I go on I will tell you ladies that most men do find this line of questioning very intimidating and may get quite irate from it. Others will be totally relieved that you are finally taking some action in protecting yourself in case they can’t take care of you. Be prepared that the response you may get may not be what you expect it to be.

I strongly encourage women of all ages to get involved and start by taking the first steps towards becoming a savvy investor by asking questions, looking over what you already have and finding someone you are comfortable talking to in helping you on this learning curve. It’s never too late to get going.


Ronit Rogoszinski has been helping individuals and professionals understand the world of finance and wise personal money management for over twenty years. A graduate of Queens College’s Scholars Program, Ronit holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations through LPL Financial and is New York State certified in Long Term Care Insurance. As the proud mother of four children,

Ronit understands firsthand the demands we all have in our fast paced lives. Yet her calm, personal and relaxed nature help to put her clients at ease while remaining focused on the job at hand – realizing and bringing them closer to their financial goals.

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KALÖN WOMEN: What Can Michelle Obama’s Designer Teach You about Looking for a Job?

Guest Columnist: Dickie Sykes

Do you remember the one-shoulder, inauguration ball gown Michelle Obama wore? Well, 27-year old Taiwanese-born designer Jason Wu made that dress. The night Mrs. Obama wore it, his life changed forever.

Jason Wu began knocking down doors and creating opportunity long before January 20, 2009. At the tender age of 16, he started freelancing for Integrity Toys as a doll designer. He cold-called the company and maneuvered his way into that job. Integrity Toys president, Percy Newsum, said, “He was very persistent and he even came to us with contacts and he knew a doll distributor who would take a chance with him." (W Magazine 2010) Jason still serves as partner and creative director for the company. He is only 27 and has worked there 11 years.

To hear the words "you’re hired" in this job market you must have a strategic plan-of-action that includes research. Jason researched the company to determine what would bring value to them. He went to Integrity Toys with that, not begging for an opportunity. It was a win-win scenario. He wanted to work for them, and he brought value: contacts and a doll distributor.

Based on your skills, talent and passion, what industries and employers do you want to work for? What quantifiable value do you bring? Before you go to your next job interview, you must know that. That’s what gets you hired, bringing value.

After the inauguration Jason’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing, but he was ready and prepared for success. He had been knocking down doors and creating opportunity all his life. Success is when opportunity meets preparation. Are you seeking out opportunities that you are prepared to handle? If the answer is unequivocally Yes, then cold call companies, knock on their doors, and send a proposal and video to showcase how your skills and talent can benefit their needs. Don’t wait for opportunity to come knocking because you’ll be waiting a long time.


Bio:

Dickie Sykes is a former construction executive and CEO of DGS Consulting LLC. She reinvented her career and relocated her business from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia. For more information on DGS Consulting, contact Dickie@dgsconsultingllc.com

Learn how to bring value to your next job interview. DGS Consulting has made it simple. To purchase the company’s how-to products on job interviewing, log on to www.dgsconsultingllc.com or www.Amazon.com. "Yes, You Can Still Find a Job -The Gold

Standard of Job Interviewing’ is a 60-minute CD that accompanies a 42-page PDF textbook.

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KALÖN WOMEN: What Can Michelle Obama’s Designer Teach You about Looking for a Job?

KALÖN WOMEN: The "I" Pronoun

Guest Columnist: Sandra Levitin

Who am I?

What do I want?

How did I get so lost?

When do I come first?

Where do I start?

These are questions that I get on a regular basis from friends, family and our Kalön Women across the world. They all have to do with “self-discovery,” which seems to be a hot topic of discussion these days within the world of boomer women. Personal growth is most often a slow and gradual process, and it can be difficult to recognize the magnitude of the changes taking place in our lives when we are too close to it. It is so important that we regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the many wonderful steps of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we take a hard look at our own progress, we need never feel that we are wavering between past achievements and the realization of future goals.

If we look closely at our lives, we may see that much of what brings us pleasure in the present is representative of the ambitions of our past that we worked so hard to attain. At one time, the abundance we enjoy currently likely seemed like a far-off dream. Now it is simply reality—a reality we created through our diligence, passion, and unflagging determination. Whether our progress is fast or slow, we deserve to congratulate ourselves for our successes.

To remind me of the insights I have gained with time, I need to temporarily adopt an outsider’s perspective and carefully consider how my life in the present differs from the sequence of experiences I’ve lived through in the past. My friends often tell me, “Sandra, look at what you have accomplished in just two years.”

With that in mind, I created a written list, of those strengths, aptitudes, and inner qualities I now attribute to myself, and it helps me understand that I am not the same person I was one year ago, five years ago, or 10 years ago. My attitudes, opinions, and values were markedly different, and these differences can be attributed to my willingness to accept that I still have much to learn. I used to have difficulty giving myself credit for these changes, but then I think about the goals I have realized, the lives I have touched, the wisdom I have acquired, and the level of enlightenment I attained over the past years.

Recognizing that my own growth is neither boastful nor immodest was very hard for me because I came from the old school of “we” as most women have done in their family life as well as in their careers. It is a natural fact of life and becomes a powerful motivational force when we celebrate our own growth. Knowing that I am brighter, stronger, and more grounded than I once was I can look forward to the changes to come. In acknowledging my own growth, I can build a sturdy foundation upon which I can continue to blossom well into the future.

What is it about us, as women that keep us from using the “I” pronoun more often?


Sandra Levitin is the Founder/CEO/Editor of Kalön Women, an online magazine for women forty plus. Her first book, “Learning How to Hop Again” is due to be released in 2010.

Sandra’s experience and leadership capabilities for the past 30 years led her to be a top sales trainer for several national and international companies. As a top leader in her field, she moved companies into guiding their training efforts toward the topics of: Developing a Success Blueprint ▪ Creating a Personal Brand ▪ Evaluating “First Impressions” ▪ The Art of Selling ▪ How to Convey Who You Are and What You Do.

After making a tough decision, Sandra decided to leave the corporate environment at 50 and fulfill a 15 year dream that started with a friend who died from breast cancer before they could see it through together. Kalön Women launched in November 2008.

Sandra is a Mid-Life Strategist who specializes in supporting women through the myriad of life changes after forty.

ABOUT KALÖN WOMEN: The mission of Kalön Women is to provide answers and raise awareness of issues and causes that affect women 40+, so that they will be stronger from knowledge gained, and the generation of women who follow in their path will hopefully find it less rocky. The articles, stories, poetry and other written expressions in Kalön Women are created by real women 40+. Written to inspire, help and perhaps provide a few laughs to all “women of a certain age”.

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Membership in TNNWC’s Global Interactive Cooperative Business Community is free of charge and entitles you to receive both The National Networker Newsletter and The BLUE TUESDAY Report, as well as access to our unparalleled Suite of Business Services.

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KALÖN WOMEN: The "I" Pronoun