Here Are The Skills You Need For 2012

Inc magazine published an article last month listing The 5 Hardest Jobs To Fill In 2012. The list was not that surprising considering how technology is becoming more and more important to both entrepreneurs and small business owners as well as large corporations.

The 5 jobs they listed were: software engineers and web developers; creative design and user experience; product management; marketing; and analytics.

Think about how you will be marketing your business in 2012.

When someone is looking for your service, do they look in the old reliable yellow pages or do they go to Google and do a search on your product or service? And by the way, most searches that are done online now are local searches. Local search is no longer an option if you want to stay in business in the new economy.

Does your website reflect what you do or is it just a "pretty" web site you built a few years ago that no longer serves your business? Does it provide a good user experience by providing free resources and valuable information? When someone is searching for your product or service, do they find your website or your competitor's website?

A billion plus people are using social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) to connect with people they otherwise could not meet. Like it or not, social media is now a part of our lives, and you can't continue seeing it as a waste of time. You have to optimize all your social media for the search engines as well as consistently post content that is relevant and interesting to your audience.

More businesses are watching the bottom line, so they have to find ways to measure everything they do. For example, if you have a website, you need to know how many visitors are visiting your site and where they are coming from. You need to know the words they are keying in to find your product or service.

We are in an ever-changing world, and the companies that survive will be the ones that embrace technology and all the tools that are at their disposal.

Do you have all the resources and people you need to make sure all the things I mentioned above are in place or being implemented? Do you have the skills, or do you need to hire someone who has the skills to help your company survive and thrive? This can be a consultant that works with you a few hours a week or an employee.

One final note concerning getting the right people and resources. Just because your 14-year old niece or nephew knows how to post a video to Facebook does not mean they know how to use Facebook or video to help make you money. Just because they can build a "pretty" website does not mean they know how to use that website make you money.

If you are serious about your business, find a professional who knows how to use technology to market your business and increase revenue. Do not delay in getting this done. Do not end this year wishing you had taken action while your competition passed you by ... and they will if you don't take action NOW!

Welcome To A New Year

It's amazing how refreshing it is to start a New Year. Don't know why, but it seems it's a chance for a new beginning. Of course we can have a new beginning or start over at any time during the year, but it's just not the same if we do it later.

I'm not the type to make New Year's resolutions like quit smoking (I don't smoke anyway), lose weight (I could stand to lose a few pounds), eat better (that is something I try to be aware of throughout the year even if I don't always do it), or any of the other things people make resolutions to do (and usually don't).

But I do enjoy the feeling and the sense of "starting over" in my personal life and in my business life. So I will make a few changes this year. And I'll quit doing the things that didn't work last year both personally and professionally. I'll start doing more of the things that do work. That should get me where I want to go this year. It really is that simple even if, most of the time, we try to make things harder than they should be.

And hopefully I'll end the year with a much better business and a much better life. But I have to prepare myself to make certain things happen in my personal and professional life. I must have a vision for where I want to be at the end of the year and write it down. You have to know where you're going to get to where you want to be.

Think about what you need to start doing more of and what do you need to quit doing ... and write those things down. It will make a huge difference in your life at the end of the year.

So for the last time this year, I'll say Happy New Year to everyone and I wish you all the success you can handle.

For All My Musician Friends

I was recently reading an article in the Tennessean Newspaper about a website - Noisetrade.com. You can read the article by clicking here.

Artists can post their music here and fans can download the music for free in exchange for their contact information. The opportunity for musicians profiting from this business model is unlimited. Unfortunately, some musicians still don't grasp this concept, but it is a model worth pursuing.

Another site I ran across ,which is for musicians, videographers, artists, illustrators, animators, filmmakers, and other creative types, is hitrecord.org. On this website, it's all about collaboration. You can collaborate on an assortment of projects with people from all over the world ... and actually get paid for your efforts.

What an amazing world we live in with such an enormous opportunity to be successful in whatever you pursue if you are willing to work, learn, and put in the required time it takes to become successful. So, open your mind to the possibilities of how you can pursue your dreams using the power of internet marketing, collaborative effort, and giving stuff away.

I would really like to hear your thoughts and let me know if you run across any other opportunities for creative types so I can share it with my audience.

I Love What I Do

I consider myself so fortunate because I get to do something I love to do. And I get to meet and work with some of the most amazing people. Not only do I have the privilege of helping them increase sales, improve their business, and stay on track to achieving their goals, I have the opportunity to learn and grow also.

One thing I have learned in business is that nobody knows everything they need to know ... and that includes me. So ongoing learning and training is a necessary part of what I do. The only way I can help clients is to make sure I am up-to-date with the latest technologies and methodologies, marketing techniques, and just having a general knowledge of what's going on in the world of business.

My clients keep me on my toes and keep me hungry for more knowledge. They are always coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things. It is a very collaborative effort when working with any of my clients.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone go from not knowing where to start in their business to seeing them gain momentum in achieving their goals and growing their business. It's hard to describe the feeling I have when I see their confidence increase, their knowledge of how to run their business more effectively increase, and see them making more money doing what they love to do.

So, I want to thank all my clients for an amazing 2011 and for everything you have given me. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you and all the new clients who will come on board in the coming year.

Happy New Year! It's going to be an amazing year for all of us.

8 Tips For A Better 2012

Here are eight things for you to focus your efforts on going into 2012 if you want to increase revenue, get more business, and build a better business.

1. MARKET EVERYDAY! (And I don't mean update your Facebook page) Make phone calls, network, make in-person cold calls, send a direct mail piece to a very targeted list, and/or do anything else you can think of to market your business. Get out and see the people.

2. Manage your time like your finances. Know where you are spending your time and what your ROI (return on investment) is for the time you are spending on specific tasks.

3. Create a website that is easy to navigate and optimized for Google and all the other search engines.

4. Implement SEO (search engine optimization) strategies for your website, social media, and video so you will be found when someone searches online for your product or service.

5. Develop social media strategies that work for you. For example, you can friend, follow, or connect with 5 people per day on each of your social media. You can blog every day or once a week. You can post a new video every month. The main ingredient in making your online tools work for you is consistency.

6. Exercise. This can be something as simple as stretching every morning as soon as you get out of bed. It has been proven that this simple regimen will greatly reduce your chances of heart attack and stroke. Or you can take a 20 minute walk every day. Find what works for you. And remember to drink plenty of water to cleanse your body and stay hydrated.

7. Meditate / pray everyday. Meditation can be something as simple as taking 2 minutes, wherever you are, to focus on your breathing. Just be still for two minutes, or even one minute, and focus on a spot on the wall while clearing your mind of any negative thoughts.

8. Read one book a month on a topic related to your business. Continue to work on your personal development by attending webinars, seminars, and other events.

I hope the tips I have just given you will generate a few ideas for strategies you can implement to grow you business in 2012.

Happy New Year. I wish you continued success in the coming year.