comments

Susan,

This was so needed. Thank you! As a freelance reporter, I've been following the TARP mess and did an article for which I interviewed some bank executives. Very interesting answers from those who accepted TARP money and those who did not.

What the banks are being allowed to do to consumers is unspeakable. And with the money we taxpayers gave to them.

I think it's a wake-up call and Bob and I have cut down drastically on our credit card spending, with the ultimate goal of not using them anymore.

Your advice is timely and very helpful.

Carole,

Great to hear from you. And welcome to Savvy Bloggers! I know, the technical side of blogging (or setting up a blog) can be challenging for some of us (ME!).

Thankfully I have my partner Bob (just steps away from my desk) to figure it all out for me. (He specializes in designing WordPress blogs and websites.)

I admire you for tackling that on your own. Bob gives free WordPress workshops here in Seattle, but that would be a ways for you to travel. :-)

Thank you for the link to Yaro's free report. Would love to include that in next week's Savvy Blogger update.

Again, welcome and hope to hear more from you!

Hey, Susan. Same thing here.

Not to sing his praises, but Bob (the other half of Cat's Eye Design) is responsive and several of our clients depend on him to troubleshoot for them and keep their websites and blogs humming.

I have heard horror stories from clients whose previous designers/developers either jumped ship or failed to respond in a timely manner.

Best of luck in finding the support person who works for you.

Judy

As a right-brain creative who sometimes can get so sidetracked by the why's and what-ifs, MAN, I so wanted to make this event.

Going to have to get a full report from Bob!

First lines of Tale of Two Cities. Love it.

You know, you are right. So often, evaluation is looked at as an "event" even though some of us might have been trained in the "continuous evaluation" model.

I love your checklist and wouldn't it be great if we asked ourselves these questions on a monthly basis?

I have been a boss and have been involved in many staff evaluations but when you are a solopreneuer, and your own boss, sometimes this process gets overlooked.

You have inspired me, Mark.

Wow.

What a great idea for a networking event, Jessie. If Bob and I were closer (first ferry leaves at 6:30 so we'd never make it in time!), we'd be there. Hope everyone takes advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

That's a very interesting comment Anthony made on watching the grocery store to see how the economy os doing. Never really thought about it this way.

We are finding in this current economic climate that:

1. Finding (and sticking to) our niche has brought us all kinds of new clients. Scary move for us, but took us out of that huge pool of people who can do "everything for everyone." And when the niche includes social media, businesses redistributing their marketing dollars in hopes of stretching them further are looking for ways to leverage social media to get more visibility.

2. Exploring our first international partnerships and strategic alliances and will be developing new products and services to reach a larger customer base. Just starting down this road, but the advantage of scale (joint marketing, for instance) is promising.

Those are the two things that have helped us the most in this economy.

Our beloved cat Nuz left us at 4:45 this morning. I sat with him and he died lying on his favorite blanket.

I'm sorry for canceling at the last minute. We are kind of broken up here. He was with us for almost 17 years.

Thanks for understanding.

Diana,

I can only wish that biz owners who are doing it the wrong way would read this. I still have people who I thought knew better automatically put me on their list. It's kind of a surprise when that first issue hits my inbox. Even if you have good content, you haven't given me the choice to subscribe or not. Leaves a bad impression. And, it's breaking spamming laws.

Interesting on the frequency and timing issue. Ours does go out at about 3am every Tuesday morning and we strive for a 95% fresh content, 5% promotion ratio.

Howard, if you are reading this, wow, I'm impressed with the content you are putting out, at least on your blog. It's interesting, engaging, useful. So, "old school" professionals CAN learn new tricks. (I guess I'm proof of that, too.) : -)

Very good email marketing article, Diana. Nice job.

My extra hour is allowing me to quit early for a Sunday and...and... wow, it's such an unusual feeling. WHAT will I do?

I'm thinking maybe a bubble bath. : - ) And a glass of wine? (Not at the same time. though.)

Finally. I get to come to a Masterminds! YAY!

Good solid advice here, Kaya. I think that all of us know in our hearts when it is time, when the prospect is ready, to hear more about how we can help them. And what you call "Pushi-tis" doesn't feel like that when you show your passion for what you do by helping first: providing ideas/strategies for people to try on, building trust and your credibility.

And I agree with Taylor. The selling part (which most of us hate to do) feels much easier after you have developed the relationship.

Thanks for sharing, Kaya.

Thanks Richard. Bob and I teach a blogging class and always share ideas for driving traffic. I think I may have a few resources on that,

I'll send you a private message.

Deborah,

Wow. I think you could write a separate article on each of the 4 C's.

You give us much to think about here. The biggest concern of clients I talk to is how to find time for social media. I think our choices are so many that it can be overwhelming.

I agree with Urs. Consistency is important, perhaps more important than finding 6 or 8 sites to jump on, and then being all scattered about it.

Of your C's, for me, curiosity can be both a blessing and a curse. I have to pull mine in so I don't play the "follow the links" game.

But one of my favorites of your 4 C's is courage. You have hit it on the head with being vulnerable and sharing an opinion. This, I think, is what separates the adequate bloggers from the truly gifted ones.

Thanks for the thought-provoking article.

Okay, I'm stepping back in. It wasn't that I took offense. And it may be the era I came of age in. Things are so much better for women now.

Anyone see the movie Anchorman? That's the way it was for strong, smart women in the 70s.

I was teasing Ken. Hope everyone recognized that. Loved his article and I told him that. :- )

Ha!

DeBorah,

What I love about Biznik is that people share their different strategies and that there is not just one way to do something, like get more referrals.

You have a nice plan for capturing testimonials, following up with clients AND getting referrals names, all in one process.

I think what I take away from this is that, while there are no rigid formulas, someone else's plan and strategies might just work for me—if I modify them and make them my own.

Thanks for sharing what works for you. And Howard's affirmation is the best!