Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Twitter works – here’s an example

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Last week I was trying to teach myself how to use Pivot Tables in Microsoft Excel. I have a large Excel worksheet and I’m trying to sort and analyze the data to prepare my numbers for my 2008 tax return.

I posted a plea on Twitter and before I knew it I had a great resource from someone in my network – Tracey Lawton, the Office Organization Queen, who I know from the New Coach Connection, sent me a Microsoft Tutorial. Thank you, Tracey!!

But I saw the real magic of Twitter a little later, when computer consultant Debra Dalgleish contacted me. Now, not only did Debra write a book that was specifically designed to teach novice users about Pivot Tables in Excel 2007, she also happens to live in a neighboring city to Toronto.

But I’m quite sure that without Twitter, I never would have heard of her.

How did Debra know I was looking for this information? She used Twitter Search. First, she entered search terms related to her area of expertise. Then she set up an RSS feed for those results to be delivered directly to her Google Reader.  Once or twice a week she scans through them and responds to and/or posts about some of them on her blog.

Notice how Debra was using several of the strategies I mentioned in the Networking basics post I published the other day. By reaching out and making contact with a stranger in need, she helped me out and educated the Twitter network about what she does. And when I replied to Debra to say thank you, I introduced her to my network as a helpful, positive presence on Twitter.

Way to go, Debra! Nice to meet you, and thanks again for the help!

Networking basics

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I was speaking with a coach the other day who is just getting started in her new business. When she asked me about my experience with networking, I thought about what’s worked for me in my last 11 years of self-employment. 

  1. Be visible – I strive to stay active in my networking groups and professional associations. To do that, I limit the number of groups I get involved with at any one time. I choose groups that I enjoy being part of and where I meet lots of people I can learn from and who can hopefully refer business to me and/or do business with me.
  2. Be positive – I strive to be a positive presence so that people associate me with positive feelings and feel good about the time we’ve spent together. This goes back to the Maya Angelou quote that I’ve placed at the top of my Business Plan for the last three years in a row: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
  3. Help out – Over the years I’ve volunteered in my various professional associations (right now I maintain the website of the Music Therapy Association of Ontario) and networking groups (I gave a free talk for the NCC). I also share lots of free and hopefully helpful information via email groups, Twitter, Ezine Articles (here and here), this blog and occasionally on LinkedIn. Helping out also achieves my other three goals.
  4. Educate – I listen for opportunities to share more about who I help and what I do. I strive to help my network recognize my ideal clients. Notice this is the LAST step in the process.

This approach applies to online and in-person networking. Using these strategies, I have successfully gained clients, referrals, motivation, inspiration, resources and countless ideas for my business.

So if you’ve given up (or are about to) on your networking activities because they “don’t work,” ask yourself if you’re using all of these proven strategies.

Now Do This – a productivity tool that’s working for me

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Thanks to Adam Kayce, who I follow on Twitter, last week I discovered a new online productivity tool called Now Do This (here is more information about the tool).

This is a beautifully simple site that lets me input a list of tasks and then move through them one at a time. It's been a wonderful way to avoid overwhelm if my to do list is particularly long.

All I see is the one thing I'm working on RIGHT NOW. And when I finish that, I click "done" and my next task pops up.

I can edit the list anytime, and I can even use it as an idea catcher (they explain how on the Now Do This blog).

Ok, I'm off to click "done" on this blog post and see what's next!

Happy Holidays to You and Yours

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Wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season, and a prosperous and successful 2009 – whatever that means for you.

Thank you for your support in 2008. I appreciate you being a part of my business.

Sincere best wishes,
Linda Dessau
You Talk, I'll Write

P.S. I am on holidays now until Monday, January 5th. I will be checking email occasionally.