Author name: Cindy Donaldson

Is it a weakness?

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I was reminiscing back about a family jaunt to Ireland - one of my favorite spots in the world!  Vacations are grand, especially when you can spend time with family, including your adult children.  When the fun time is over - we tend to DREAD the day before we hit the office again - imagining the filled inboxes, the tasks that need to be done and everyone and their mother wanting a piece of you!

I have to admit, multi-tasking is a superpower of mine.  Adrenalin kicks in and I just go like the Energizer Bunny.  Some people call it one of my amazing strengths – others call it one of my biggest weaknesses.  I call it my secret weapon - ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

When I do business coaching I used to dive in with a  SWOT Analysis - or something similar to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so we can create a roadmap going forward. It's common, and no one ever thought twice about it.

But when it comes to Life coaching - the words Strengths and Weaknesses should take a back seat.

 Is a weakness really a weakness?   Isn’t it subjective? Who is the magic decider on the topic – is there a SWOT God who labels your attributes?

My multi-tasking ABILITY is awed by many. I often hear, “How the hell do you do ALL that!” On the flip side, I’ve also had coaches tell me that my extreme multi-tasking needs to be worked on, and dialed back for me to achieve bliss, calm, and balance.

It took me a very long time to realize that we are all unique, and one person's "weakness" could easily be viewed as a strength by someone else.  (sigh)

And more…A few years ago there was a viral video going around about people with autism. The message:  Is it a “disability” or simply a DIFFERENT Ability?  I’m with the latter.  I know so many incredibly brilliant people on the spectrum with amazing abilities that I could only dream of!

Our past can get in the way - because our brain doesn't know if we are lying to ourselves or not!

It was ALWAYS drilled into my head to Capitalize on your Strengths and Compensate for your Weaknesses.  What if we just concentrated and focused on our strengths and just thought of "weaknesses" as OTHER ABILITIES?  Hmmmmm…..deep thought.  I But think about it.  What if?

What if we did not judge someone by their alleged weaknesses but instead revered them for their strengths?  It goes back to forcing someone to do something that isn’t in their wheelhouse – they could try, but they won’t excel, and many will fail. Like trying to make a fish climb a tree - #epicfail  or making a polar bear live in the Amazon rain forest #overheated

Why judge the fish on her climbing ability?  Really?  Sounds silly, but we as humans do this ALL THE TIME.

In my mind,  this goes back to self-love and acceptance of yourself and others.  Just Imagine the possibilities if we focused on the good versus the “bad”.  Just Imagine.

I’ll leave you with this.  CLICK HERE

 

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email opens

Email Marketing: When the Opens are FALLING – Do THIS

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I’ve been an email marketer since the beginning of email marketing.  It’s just my jam.  I love writing, I love getting instant feedback – and yea, I’m not going to lie, I love seeing open rates in the 30’s and 40’s.

And then came Covid.  Everyone was Zoomed out and Emailed out.  There was very little room for fluff.  Unless it pertained to your job or your kid\’s homeschooling or staying in touch with a shut in loved one – no one wanted to look at another pixel on the screen.

My email open rates dropped – and dropped big time.  I even had some of my most loyal followers apologize to me that they haven’t been reading because well…life.

Here’s how I reacted:

  1. I added more emails.   If they missed one on Monday, they may get one on Thursday – or Friday.  I surely didn’t stop.  I ended up broadening my reach and collective open rates went up.  In other words – someone may not have read both Monday and Thursday – but they may have read one.  I’ll take it.
  2. I started videotaping my emails! Yes – you heard it.  I was always an email purist. If you don’t sign up for my list – you aren’t getting my email.  People do have time to listen to a short 3-5 minute video – so I did it.  Grab the replays on youtube.com/cindydonaldson.  I’m getting engagement from NON-email followers!  Double win.
  3. I didn’t judge or worry. I put on my big girl panties and my empathy hat – everyone is in the same boat. It’s not me.
  4. I didn’t change the structure or the time of my emails – my followers know my drill. Why add confusion?
  5. I encouraged followers to save them – toss them in a folder for later.
  6. I dumped in VALUE. Now wasn’t the time to sell them “stuff”  – it was the time to over-serve – I mean OVER SERVE.

I still 100% believe email marketing gives marketers the biggest bang for their buck – and that means brands.  The cost is in the time and creativity – oh and paying for a good platform, but the cost pales in comparison to a huge digital advertising campaign.

Here are my rules of engagement:

  1. Keep the subject line intriguing, genuine, and short. I love the 2-3 word ones.
  2. Keep it conversational – tell a damn story
  3. Tell them what the main goal is in the first paragraph
  4. Dump in the value
  5. End with something for them to do – a call to action
  6. For service businesses like mine – only sell a couple of times a year

It’s not that hard.  Write like you speak.  Don’t overthink it.

Email marketing isn’t going anywhere.  If you aren’t on my list – what are you waiting for?  Join HERE.

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experience

How’s your Customer’s Experience?

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Ah, the customer experience. When you are the customer, it’s very easy to describe your experience with a business – what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you wish they did differently or did more of – the list goes on. However, as a business owner or employee – trying to figure out your customer’s experience – and making sure it’s a good one – can be really hard.

Let’s first define what “Customer Experience” actually means – it’s the impression your customers have of your brand as a whole throughout all aspects of the buyer\’s journey. It results in their view of your brand and impacts factors related to your bottom-line including revenue.

The two primary touchpoints that create the customer experience are people and products/services. Positive customer experiences are crucial to the success of a business – not only do you get loyal customers, but they can also refer you more business! There is no better marketing than a customer who is willing to promote your business for you via word of mouth and is a brand advocate.

Creating an excellent customer experience is something that you should obsess over.

When it comes to purchasing products and services, it’s not the business owner who has the power, it’s the buyer. Why? Because customers not only have the internet at their fingertips to research anything and everything, but they have options – usually both locally and online when it comes to purchasing products or services.

It’s not about getting just ONE sale from a customer, it’s about creating sticky customers – repeat buyers. If you want customers to continue doing business with you, then you need to provide a remarkable experience and make them WANT to continue doing business with you.

 How to you measure your customer experience?

  1. Send surveys – Use customer satisfaction surveys on a regular basis, and at meaningful times through the customer journey – to get insights into your customers’ experiences with your brand, people, and product/service. This is where that Net Promoter Score comes in handy! Analyzing NPS from multiple touchpoints across the customer journey will tell you what you need to improve and where you\’re providing an excellent experience already while showing customers you\’re listening to them and care about what they have to say.
  2. Look at customer trends – Look at your churn rate. How often and how many one and done customers do you have – and why? You need to understand if your rate of churn is increasing or decreasing and why so you can prevent it from continuing. Is it a faulty product, is your time to perform service to long, is it a bad employee experience, did they move, etc.
  3. Look at your FAQs and support tickets/returns. If you are constantly being asked the same questions from customers, be proactive, and put more information on your website or in your brick and mortar to make their experience better. Are you getting a lot of return requests or service issues about certain products/services? You need to analyze all this information and distill how you can make a streamlined and enjoyable experience for customers.

Want to make a great customer experience? Make a customer journey map, create buyer personas, establish a positive connection with customers, ask for and act on feedback, create helpful content, and build a community.

How’s your Customer’s Experience? Read More »

mistakes

Are You a Mistakes Repeat Offender?

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Everyone makes mistakes – we are human after all.  But, are you a repeat offender?  Do you even recognize you’ve made a mistake?  Are you constantly doing damage control?

Deep breath – you aren’t alone.

Here are some tips and guidelines to help you reduce the number of mistakes you are making, what to do when you make them, and how to prevent them from happing again.

  1. OWN YOUR MISTAKES. The worst thing you can do after making a mistake is not owning it. No one is perfect, people inherently know that although let’s be honest we often expect it. So when you make a mistake don’t try to cover it up, acknowledge it, apologize for it, and skip the part where you make excuses or try to blame it on someone else. When you aren’t an “oops owner” it shows you can’t take accountability for your actions, and it just makes things awkward for everyone involved. Be a LEADER and OWN it!
  2. FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE. If you work in manufacturing, root cause analysis is a term you probably hear all the time, but it can apply to anyone and any industry. Root cause analysis is finding out WHY the mistake happened in the first place so you can prevent it from happening again. Was it caused by operator/human error, a bad process or procedure, poor communication, etc.? If you don’t know what caused the mistake, then how can you make sure it won’t happen again?
  3. CREATE NEW POLICIES OR PROCEDURES. If you’ve determined that the error is due to poor or incomplete policies or procedures, then it’s time to do some updating. Whether you need to create a new process or update the ones you already have in place, it’s important to document any change that needs to be made.
  4. You’d be surprised how many times there are mistakes or issues because of poor communication. Once you’ve handled the above 3 steps, it’s important to communicate to everyone what the issue was and how it’s going to be fixed. It shows your employees, board members, clients, etc. that you care about preventing the same mistakes from happening again.

If you make a mistake, don’t freak out. Take a deep breath and figure out if you need to take any immediate steps to fix any urgent issues or fall out. Always make sure you acknowledge you made a mistake and that you will do your best to fix it. If it requires getting others involved, don’t be embarrassed – they are human too – and can often have an outsider’s perspective on why it happened or how to avoid it happening again!

The end goal – one and done and no repeat offenders.

Are You a Mistakes Repeat Offender? Read More »

social media

How to do Social Media the Right Way

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When you think about posting on your business social media pages, do you start to panic, feel overwhelmed, and just feel all around uncertainty about what the heck you are even doing? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. The funny thing is, social media for personal use can be fun, informative, and doesn’t require much effort or deep thought – for the most part. See a lost dog post, share it. See a post looking for recommendations for a plumber – put the info for Joe’s Plumbing because you wouldn’t think of calling anyone else.

When it comes to using social media for business, it seems like there are so many rules and the information can be conflicting. But doing social media the right way can be very simple, straightforward, and dare I say – rewarding and fun. When you start to get more followers and increased engagement, you’ll agree on the last two!

Here’s some simple and easy tips to help you get your business social off on the right foot or to improve what you are doing now:

  1. Pick the right channels. The easiest way to get overwhelmed is to try to post on every single social media channel out there. And yes, I purposely used the word try. Because unless posting on social is your full-time job, it’s almost impossible to keep up with every platform. Choose the platforms that your ideal clients are on. For example, if you cater to women in the 35-55 range, yes you should be on Facebook, Pinterest, and even Instagram.
  2. Be consistent. Posting 2x a day for 2 weeks is great, but it’s not going to help you if you come to a screeching halt and stop posting for 6 months. Find a cadence that you can keep up with. 3x a week – great, start there. If you can increase to 1x a day, even better. But start small and work your way up as you get more comfortable.
  3. Plan ahead. If you post daily at 1 pm, don’t wait until 12:45 to figure out what you want to post. Use a spreadsheet and create your content in advance. Use Hootsuite or other scheduling platforms to set up all your content at least a week ahead so that you don’t have to panic at the last minute.
  4. Engage. Social is meant to be social. Engage with other people, pages, and groups. If you are a florist and you see a post in a group asking about the best plant food for roses, feel free to chime in and share your knowledge and how you know so much (because you are a local florist) and if they have any other questions, here’s how to reach you. You are being helpful, but also noting your business. If you want people to engage with you, you have to engage with them. If people comment on your posts, make sure you engage back with them. Serve not Sell.
  5. Follow others. A little quid pro quo is par for the course when it comes to social media. Want to increase your follows, start following others. If you want to keep an eye on the competition, don’t follow them from your business page, use your personal. But otherwise, follow any associations, chambers, and complementary businesses that make sense. If you are a florist, following a bridal boutique, wedding venue, and catering companies just makes sense.
  6. Always look at your metrics. I know, I get it. The metrics can be confusing and well, boring for many to look at, but trust me, you won’t know if you are successful unless you look at your metrics. How many new followers did you get? What topics got the best engagement? What timing got the best engagement? You get the idea. Does video or pictures or text get more engagement? You can look at so much data!

Hopefully, you made it this far and didn’t get stressed out. These rules are meant as a guideline. Start small and take them one at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t expect to get 500k followers in a week. And don’t forget to have fun with it!

How to do Social Media the Right Way Read More »

handbook

Is Your Employee Handbook Collecting Dust?

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Unless you are a new company who just penned your employee handbook, odds are that yours hasn’t been updated in quite some time – at least not a major overhaul. The way we work and what our employees come to expect from a workplace have changed a lot over the past couple of years. Of course, 2020 has been the year of unpredictability, but even before all the craziness, how any team works is ever evolving.

Today’s employees can’t embrace the 9-5 workday like they did in the past. Why? Work life balance has become difficult to maintain and nearly impossible to separate the two. Gone are the days where it’s common for 1 parent to stay home and manage the kids and household. So what does this all have to do with updating your Employee Handbook – EVERYTHING! Employees need flexibility now more than ever.

Rigid rules where an employee is penalized for taking a personal day last minute to handle an emergency or leave work early to catch a kid’s soccer game are a thing of the past. Employees are no longer prioritizing jobs over family. Life is short and no one will ever say on their death bed that they wished they stayed to finish their month-end report instead of watching little Joey score the game winning goal. Adapting now to the new way of working will help you keep dedicated and exceptional employees.

Consider adding these to your handbook if you haven’t already:

Flex time: As long as your employee gets their work done, does it matter when they do it? If they need an afternoon off and can get their work done later that night or by working a few extra hours early in the morning, why not let them. Unless it needs to be done at a specific time, allow your employees some flexibility in their hours.

Summer hours: Trust me, at 2 pm on a hot, sunny Friday afternoon, no one is getting much work done. They are already daydreaming about what they are doing after work, this weekend, etc. Consider letting employees take Friday afternoons off between Memorial Day and Labor Day by cutting their lunches short or coming in a half hour early each day.

Working remote: While this may have been forced on many people in 2020, many people are finding that their employees are happier and more productive. Why? No rush hour traffic, less stress with getting the kids ready and out the door, less worrying about things they need to do outside work – your morning 15 minute coffee break is now a great time to run the vacuum, fold a load of laundry, or check in on the kids. I think home offices are going to be trending for quite some time. And it saves the employer overhead costs too!

More vacation time: Did you know that employees who take more vacation time are actually happier more successful AND productive employees?  Not only should you be encouraging your employees to use every last minute of PTO time, but it might be time to take another look at your earned vacation time. One week is just not enough – especially if you need to work a full year before taking it.  PS – at The Red Barn we have a minimum 4 week vacation rule and there are zero issues with taking a mental health day when it’s needed.

In the long run, it costs a company far less money to keep good employees and make sure they are happy, than it does to keep turning over unhappy employees. Does your company have a cool perk – we’d love to hear what it is – send us an email at social@staging.redbarnconsultingllc.com.

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Mentor vs. Coach – What’s the Difference and Which do I Need?

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Whether you are stuck in a rut or crushing your goals – having a mentor or coach who helps you with your personal development can be a game-changer. The first step of course is finding someone you are comfortable talking to – but how do you know if you need a mentor or a coach – and what the heck is the difference?

A mentor or coach can support your drive for greater self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and enhanced confidence in managing challenges, especially in uncomfortable situations. But they really aren’t the same.

Mentoring is defined as “A process of direct transfer of experience and knowledge from one person to another”. We often think of a mentor as a seasoned professional who provides guidance and direction to a mentee—usually a junior–level person with similar interests who may aspire to the position of the mentor. The mentor has already achieved success within the industry and is voluntarily sharing their expertise with a colleague. This doesn’t just apply to the corporate world, if you are starting your own business, you may find a mentor who took a similar path to what you want to take or who is already in the industry you plan to work in. Mentors typically aren’t paid; they volunteer their time to help mentor others.

Coaching is defined as “A method of achieving set goals. A coach helps their clients achieve specific, immediate goals as defined by the organization or the client”. If you are an employee, your company may hire a coach to help you, but as an entrepreneur, you may hire a coach to help you with a specific goal or skill. You may hire a coach to help you launch a business, write a book, improve on your social media or writing skills, etc. Coaches are paid for their work because it’s their job – their main business is coaching others.

Key differentiators

Relationship: Mentoring is oriented around relationships – yes, you might focus on learning things and improving competencies, but over time it becomes more about the bond and rapport you develop vs. business issues.

Coaching is more task-oriented. A coach is there to help you become more proficient in certain areas or skills you are lacking – for example if you suck at doing presentations, you might hire a public speaking coach.

Drivers: Mentors are development-driven, focusing on the future by sharing their past experiences and what they learned to help the mentee.

Coaches are performance-driven, focusing on the present, and improving or acquiring new skills that can be used immediately.

Duration: Mentoring doesn’t usually have an end date; it’s understood that there is a significant time commitment from both parties as you move from acquaintances to building a strong fellowship – mentoring can last years or even decades.

Coaching typically has a defined end date. You set a specific schedule to meet and it ends when the trainee masters the skills or goal that’s been defined. Of course, you can keep adding new goals to work on, but there is a defined start and end for each commitment.

Key take-a-ways:

  • Mentoring is a long-term process based on mutual trust and respect. Coaching, on the other hand, is for a short period of time.
  • Mentoring is more focused on creating an informal association between the mentor and mentee, whereas coaching follows a more structured and formal approach.
  • A business mentor has the first-hand experience of the mentee’s line of work. A business coach, however, does not need to have a hands-on experience of the kind of work the coachee is engaged in.
  • The topmost priority of a business mentor is to help develop skills that are not just relevant for the mentees in their present job, but also for the future. For a business coach, the biggest priority is to improve performance that impacts the present job.

Need help finding a mentor? Did you know that there are actually 8 levels of mentorship – check out this cool article on how to find a mentor? Finding the right business coach requires some legwork as well, here are 16 tips to help you find the right fit.

Now that you understand the difference, go forth, and find your new coach or mentor. Thinking of starting your own business or need some coaching in marketing, sales, or operations –  we may be able to help!

Mentor vs. Coach – What’s the Difference and Which do I Need? Read More »

Siteline

Erin and Ashley from SightLine talk predictive analytics and it\’s role at colleges and universities

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Join me as I chat with Ashley Kern and Erin Thompson of Siteline Data, LLC. We dive deep into how Colleges and Universities should be utilizing their data to pivot during and after the pandemic. Who is thriving? Who is struggling? These two women are changing the way higher education predicts their future! Fascinating science!

\"Erin\"Erin is the COO and Retention Specialist for SightLine. She has over a decade of higher education experience in various roles, including admissions, alumni engagement and instruction. Erin possesses a Master’s of Education degree in Higher Education Administration, and a graduate certificate in Post-Secondary STEM Education. Her graduate research focused heavily on student success as well as instructional techniques.

 

 

 

\"Ashley\"Ashley Kern, MS, is the founder of SightLine, which empowers colleges and universities to support their students through predictive analytics. Ashley earned her Masters of Science in Data Science from Michigan Technological University and has been solving enrollment and retention focused challenges in higher education 2016.

 

Erin and Ashley from SightLine talk predictive analytics and it\’s role at colleges and universities Read More »

Siteline

Erin and Ashley from SightLine talk predictive analytics and it\’s role at colleges and universities

Leave a Comment / podcast / By / / , , , , , , , ,

Join me as I chat with Ashley Kern and Erin Thompson of Siteline Data, LLC. We dive deep into how Colleges and Universities should be utilizing their data to pivot during and after the pandemic. Who is thriving? Who is struggling? These two women are changing the way higher education predicts their future! Fascinating science!

\"Erin\"Erin is the COO and Retention Specialist for SightLine. She has over a decade of higher education experience in various roles, including admissions, alumni engagement and instruction. Erin possesses a Master’s of Education degree in Higher Education Administration, and a graduate certificate in Post-Secondary STEM Education. Her graduate research focused heavily on student success as well as instructional techniques.

 

 

 

\"Ashley\"Ashley Kern, MS, is the founder of SightLine, which empowers colleges and universities to support their students through predictive analytics. Ashley earned her Masters of Science in Data Science from Michigan Technological University and has been solving enrollment and retention focused challenges in higher education 2016.

 

Erin and Ashley from SightLine talk predictive analytics and it\’s role at colleges and universities Read More »