How to Become Famous in Your Field

Famous

In my years as an employee I never needed to use PR to secure job opportunities. Now that I’m a business owner gaining visibility and publicity through PR is just one of the ways I gain more traction in my business to build my brand and create buzz so that my business can grow.

The typical employee uses their resume and contacts to secure their jobs but business owners secure clients and customers by networking, marketing and gaining visibility through PR. What makes them stand out is their brand and it’s also what differentiates them from everyone else. It’s why I can’t emphasize enough that working on your niche will strengthen your brand and help you create longevity. Why is it really necessary to become an expert these days? Because when you do you will likely be paid more and it will make it easier for you to grow your business faster.

Now many people make the assumption that they need to spend big money to hire someone to handle their PR but that’s not necessarily the case. There are a variety of online and offline tricks to get PR to grow your business. With more people flocking to the internet many of the large publications and news channels are there and they’re looking for fresh newsworthy content for their readers. When you position yourself and your expertise just right you can easily open up the flood gates to create greater awareness of your business.

Most business owners don’t know how to publicize themselves and I have to admit that up until recently I didn’t know many of the tips and techniques either but I recently interviewed an expert to learn exactly what to do.

Meet Lori Nash Byron, Marketing and Branding Expert of Famous In Your Field. After over 20 years in corporate marketing positions Lori started her own successful business working with solo business owners to help them create buzz and become famous in their fields too.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lori about her 5 Ways to Become Famous in Your Field. She explained how she was working the corporate grind and that with just several simple PR strategies she was able to catapult herself right out of her job and into her own successful solo business. Now she works with others to create the same type of success.

She shared with me:

• Her top advice tips to business owners trying to grow their business while still on the job

• The 5 specific areas you must work on to create the fastest growth and increase your profitability for your business

• Easy strategies to get publicity for your business

• How to leverage your articles, posts, speeches, interviews to create a name for yourself and grow your business quickly

I’d love to hear about your experiences. In the comments below, fill me in by answering any of the following questions, or all if you’d like.

1. Have you gotten some PR for your business? Been on interviewed or quoted on t.v., radio, newspaper, online article?

2. How did you go about getting it and did it help your business?

Benefits Of Work Experience

Work Experience

Work experience has been in the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons! Used correctly work experience can be an invaluable learning experience for young people looking to get on the employment ladder or for the older generation wishing to change careers.

Are they exploitative? I think that depends on how they are used. Asking them to come and sweep up the shop floor when they are supposed to be gaining experience in web design would be clear exploitation; asking them to watch an expert at work and give input is surely worth its weight in gold in this competitive employment market.

Our economy is in a mess and our unemployment figures just keep increasing. Young people are told that without experience they can’t get a job and they can’t get experience because they can’t get a job. I think employers should be doing more to encourage young people not deter them from working.

As an employer I want to see people who have shown initiative in gaining experience in their field whether this was paid or not.

Work experience can provide them with an insight into their chosen career, this can also help them realise whether it is the right choice for them. The governments work experience scheme has taken several hits lately and I do appreciate there are definitely some flaws.

There obviously needs to be clear guidelines, companies advertising 12 week unpaid work placements suggests that they just don’t want to pay a temporary work during a particularly busy period.

There are various companies that run a year round “intern” policy, I don’t agree with this, it sounds like companies taking advantage of employees who are desperate to get some work experience but when does it stop becoming work experience and start becoming slave labour?

For me, work placement is a proven way of giving young people their first step on the employment ladder. This should be a couple of weeks learning the ropes and working out whether this is the career for them.

From a recruitment viewpoint a youngster who has applied to different companies requesting some experience shows they are keen and creative with a willingness to learn.

What more do you want from a young recruit? The public are reacting to a scandal that as far as I can see does not exist. The Get Britain Working work experience programme is targeted specifically to unemployed 16 to 24 year olds and offers them unpaid placements ranging to two to eight weeks. This could be a real chance for young people to boost their confidence and skills and get them back on the employment ladder.

All About ISO 9001

ISO 9001

As money become tighter in today’s economy, we look for quality products and services. People are getting pickier about what suppliers and supplies they use and often let credentials and connections decide what rout to take. To meet the expectations a client has to your product it is a good idea to implement systems for quality management.

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised certification for quality management. The streamline quality control system is implemented into your company ensuring you are providing the best possible products for your clients. The certification has become increasingly popular and been presented to around 1 million companies worldwide. The recent increase only solidifies the importance of obtaining it for other businesses. Appealing to the manufacturing industry, the certification aims to increase customer satisfaction, as well as product quality guarantee.

The implementation of the certification is a very straight forward process and not as time and resource consuming as many assume. The certification ensures that no stone is left unturned and provides a system for rectifying any problem. The systematic nature of ISO 9001 ensures that the process is continuously performed to ensure that any arising issues are dealt with swiftly.

The system will need the appropriate number of staff and time allocated in the implementation process. If this is taken into consideration from the beginning, the business can save substantial amounts of time. The average time for implementation and assessment is four days, but this varies with the size of the business. The certifying company should be instructing you on this before the process begins allowing you to make the necessary adjustments.

ISO 9001 implementation includes ‘gap analysis’. This means that existing procedures are identified and assessed in order to adapt them to conform to international standards. For any business this would result in a reduction in time allocated for training once the system is implemented. The changes are made as small as possible for companies to be able to go about their business as quickly as possible after implementation.

Once the assessment has taken place, the business will be given the appropriate amount of time to adjust procedures after the assessment is carried out. If all changes are made then the company is presented with the certificate. The certificate will be able to open doors to new clients and customers. The business will be able to use the ISO 9001 certification as a badge of honour, promoting their credentials and ensuring that they have good procedures for quality management.

The Different of Life Insurance Plans

Life Insurance

Today, almost everybody owns a life insurance policy. It could be for various reasons like investment purposes or for tax benefits, but the key point is that it provides complete peace of mind. With insurance plans, one does not have to worry about their family’s future security in their absence. These plans provide financial security to the surviving family members after the death of the insured.

Insurance is a must for anybody who has financial dependents. The age bracket to buy a insurance plan is approximately from 18 – 75 years of age. Most of the banks have a minimum and a maximum amount of money to be assured.

Types of Life Insurance Plans

Broadly, the two main types of insurance policies are term insurance and whole life insurance. Term Insurance Plans are the most basic and simplest plans. These plans provide a cover for risks only for a short period of time. After the term comes to an end, you can renew the plan but chances are that the premiums will rise. These plans are economical.

On the other hand, whole life insurance plans are expensive but these policies continue for as long as the insured lives. These plans are sometimes treated as investment options because one does not receive any money till the death of the insured.

Other plans include unit link life insurance plans that offer great investment options along with financial security. Usually, one has to pay two separate premiums – one for the life insurance and one for investment. These plans are beneficial as they provide financial solutions during your lifetime as well as after your lifetime to your family members.

There are retirement insurance plans available for senior citizens too. Insurance policies are extremely important for such people as these plans offer security and freedom to the surviving spouse. Child plans are another choice in insurance plans. These policies provide financial aid for your child’s education, marriage, etc. Another option are the health insurance policies. Health insurance policies provide a cover for medical expenses. These plans are suitable for people who suffer from health problems like diabetes, cancer, etc.

Riders in Life Insurance

Riders are the additional benefits that one can add to their life insurance policies. However, the premium amount increases with the inclusion of these riders. There are several types of riders in insurance plans offered by banks. The most popular of all are:

Critical Illness Benefit Rider: It offers financial aid in case the insured gets diagnosed with critical diseases like cancer, heart attacks, kidney failure, etc. Accidental Death and Disability Benefit Rider: In case the insured becomes disabled following an accident, this rider covers this risk.

Tax Benefits

Tax benefits as per the Income Tax Act, 1961 offer a deduction in the premium amounts, investments, dividends, etc. However, these benefits are subject to amendment regularly.

These Plans protect the needs and requirements of your loved ones in case of unfortunate events. It helps keep your family safe and secure even when you are not around.

Turning Your Passion Into A Perfect Career

Have you ever met someone who has the “perfect job” – like the animal lover who’s a great veterinarian or the science whiz who’s a lab technician? What about the people who are good at what they do – but hate getting up every morning to go do it?

Which one are you?

Unfortunately, most people get so wrapped up in making a good salary they head for whatever job will pay them the most. Sure, they get to provide a comfortable lifestyle for their family, but at what price? Is hating what you do worth making some extra money?

What if you could find the best of both worlds?

Some people fall into the perfect job without any effort – like the guy who takes over the family business. The family business is all he’s ever known. He grew up loving it and he’s happy being able to carry on the family tradition and stay close to home.

Unfortunately, a situation like that is pretty rare. That’s because most people decide to leave the nest and head out to see if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. If they find out it isn’t, they feel “stuck” in a job they hate.

Career Opportunity

Luckily, though, these decisions aren’t permanent. No matter how old you are – or no matter how long you’ve been working in your current profession – it’s never too late to create a new career path based on your passions. If you think there’s no money in that, think again. As soon as you understand your passions, you’ll discover there’s a big world out there!

Here’s what you need to do:

– Take a step back and examine where you are and how you got there. Figure out exactly what makes you unhappy about your current situation. Even though it’s your life and decisions you’ve made, you’ll probably be amazed when you sit down and carefully think about it all! The blur of the past 5 or 10 years will come into focus and you’ll start to really learn about yourself.

– Think about what you’re passionate about. How can you incorporate them into a career? To do this, you’ll have to be creative and look at your passions from a variety of angles. For example, if you love to travel, why? Does your passion stem from seeing new places? Meeting new people? If you simply enjoy meeting people from all walks of life, look for a job that allows you to do just that.

– Learn everything you can about your passion. Even if you love it, you may not know all there is to know about it. Maybe there’s an angle you haven’t thought of yet you can turn into a business opportunity.

– Don’t confuse your passion for admiration. Just because you admire the great book you just read doesn’t mean you have a passion for sitting down at your computer and working as a writer.

– Remember that everything takes time. The people who are making a good living off of their passions didn’t get there overnight. You generally don’t get to start out doing something you love and making a ton of money. However, if you’re really passionate about it, you’ll enjoy climbing the ladder and gradually seeing more success!

No matter where your passions take you – or what your bank account looks like at the end of the day – you owe it to yourself to get out of your current rut and try something new. Even if it doesn’t work out the way you originally planned, you’ll have fun on the ride!

Why You Need a Client – Getting White Paper

white paper

One of the most fundamental tools for financial services marketing is a white paper. Your white paper (or report) will do five important things for you. It will:

1. Attract new leads.
2. Encourage your current clients to send you more referrals.
3. Make it easy for professionals to refer you.
4. Position you as an expert.
5. Gain you media exposure.

A client-getting white paper lets you leverage your time. It’s created once, and then brings you clients week after week, month after month. So, let’s talk about how you can use this powerful document.

More leads with your white paper
The first thing you should do with it is post it to your website and start giving it away to everyone who signs up for your list. You’ll want to let website visitors know why it’s so special-tell them straight up what value they’ll get from reading it.

The easiest way to give away your white paper to new subscribers is to put the download link in their welcome message (the email they receive, automatically, once they’ve signed up for your list).

Of course, this alone will help increase the number of leads you’re currently generating. That’s because, right now, people visit your website and click away before they get in touch. They may get distracted, or they just aren’t ready to pick up the phone and they think they’ll remember you later. But, we all know what happens next-they forget.

Most visitors, once they click away, are unlikely to come back on their own. That’s why you need to get their names and email addresses-so that you can keep in touch with them and bring them back to your website again and again.

That your report means you’ll be able to stay in touch with website visitors would really be a big enough benefit all on its own to justify having one. But, there are a number of other benefits to having this powerful white paper, too.

What are some of these other benefits?

Referrals from your clients
The first is that it encourages your current clients to send you more referrals. Many financial advisors have trouble coaxing their clients to send them as many referrals as they’d like. And you may find that you don’t enjoy having to constantly ask in order to receive those referrals. A client-getting report can change that.

Here’s how this works. You have your white paper professionally printed and bound. It looks great. Powerful. Engaging. Then, you either mail or hand-deliver a copy to each and every one of your current clients. Whether those clients are currently AUM clients or they’d just hired you for hourly services, they all get a printed copy of this white paper.

(By the way, the more white papers you can hand-deliver, the better, but for the ones that you simply have to mail, make sure to include a hand-written note.)

For those clients you know are likely to talk about you, give them an extra copy and encourage them to give it away. You can even say, “Please give the extra to a friend-and let me know when you need more copies.”

Giving out these printed copies of your client-getting white paper to your current and past clients will get them talking about you. That’s because the paper is written specifically to give them something to say about you. They’ll be excited to share what they’ve learned with the people they know and this will mean that they actually do talk about you. (Instead of just meaning to.)

Referrals from your network
You’ll also get more referrals from the professionals in your network. Make sure you give these professionals ten (or more) copies of your printed paper and ask them to give them out liberally. Set this up as a way for them to add value to their own clients.

So, for instance, if you have an estate lawyer in your network, you’d invite them to give out this white paper when their clients come in for a meeting. You’d tell them exactly why your white paper will be a “value added” report for them to give away. Because your white paper will look professional (and be chock full of excellent content), that estate lawyer will feel good handing it out, knowing that their client is going to get great value from it.

This is a win-win situation for the professionals in your network-they’re giving away something of high value that they don’t have to create themselves; their clients will get lots of value from reading it. And, what’s more, those clients are receiving it from a professional they trust so they’ll be all the more likely to pick up the phone and set up an appointment with you.

Position you as an expert
Having a high-quality client-getting white paper positions you as an expert. It makes it clear just how deep and wide your knowledge goes and what’s more, the process of writing your report will help you see (sometimes for the first time) just how much you know and just how valuable your services are.

That’s because it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of offering your services, and you can forget how far you’ve come, and how much you know. (Sure, you know you’re the expert, but trust me, even you’ll be impressed by just how expert you are.)

This white paper will amp up your confidence levels and will let people see you as the expert you are without you having to sell yourself or brag about your accomplishments. In that way, it’s perfect for people who are modest by nature because it builds your credibility but it doesn’t require you to shout “Look at me! Look at me!”

Your client-getting white paper also makes a great tool for taking out into the world to get speaking gigs. If you want to do speaking, send your white paper to the person who does the hiring. You’ll be surprised how often you won’t need to write a specialized proposal-they’ll just hire you on the basis of your white paper alone.

Get media exposure
In addition to using your report to get speaking gigs, you can also use it to attract the attention of editors and reporters. When a reporter reads it, they’ll see clearly that you’re a financial expert. What’s more, it’ll give them context for the article and likely help them to ask really smart, engaging questions-which makes it that much easier to give smart, engaging answers!

You can send your white paper as a way to introduce yourself to editors at trade publications-though they’re not likely to print it as is (although that has been known to happen, if it’s what you want!), it’s very likely to be a helpful piece for them to use. You can also use pieces of it to introduce yourself to editors at consumer interest publications (who usually have less time to read proposals-so you’ll want to just excerpt the parts they’re most likely to be interested in).

What’s more, going back to the credibility it will give you, editors and reporters tend to look for experts who have done a lot of writing when looking for someone to interview. So, having it for free on your website will let them see that you have plenty to say on the topic.

White papers are a fundamental marketing tool
A white paper is a powerful way to market your financial services practice. It will help you attract new leads, encourage your clients and professional contacts to send you referrals, position you as an expert, and bring you media exposure. That’s a pretty amazing ROI for such a short document. Of course, all of this assumes you’ve written it correctly. If you’re not sure how to write one (or if you just want to make sure you do that right) listen to our free teleclass on how to write white papers.

Remember, this report can be leveraged in many useful ways that will help you attract more clients and grow your practice. It’s well worth the investment to get it done right.

Growing Number of Customers: Get a Pager System

Pager System

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the number of people in Australia has gone past 22 million. It may not seem big in some people’s standards but 22 million is a lot of people. Just think about what would happen if these people eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner in your restaurant every day.

As the population increases, so will the demand for basic needs such as food. As a restaurant manager, you are responsible for making sure that every hungry customer gets an equal share of fish and chips. If you cannot meet their needs, they tend to walk away and look for another restaurant. As a result, you lose a couple of dollars of potential profit because you kept him waiting.

How do you handle an increasing number of customers every year without faltering on service? You employ an age-old piece of technology that, over time, has undergone an extensive change in function: the pager. However, today’s pager is no longer the iconic pager that revolutionized the telecom industry in the old days.

Today’s paging system helps restaurants manage people more effectively by taking advantage of its technology. It still uses radio waves to transmit messages from pager to pager, but it no longer transmits strings of text and numbers. Instead, the pager is designed to ring and vibrate when it is prompted by a central control unit.

When the host asks a customer to wait for a vacant seat, he will give the customer a pager, typically a flat disc. While waiting, the customer can freely roam around the premises for a while, which prevents him from getting bored. When a vacant seat is available, the host instantly presses a button to let the pager ring and vibrate. The modern pager systems call the customer, letting him know that his table is ready.

Pager systems are useful for handling large volumes of customers as efficiently and quickly as possible. Waiting times are drastically reduced because the pager alert comes almost in an instant. You can prevent customers, as well as potential profit, from walking away even if your restaurant is already full.

It may be safe to say that the pager is not yet dead; instead, its makers just gave pager systems a total makeover to assume an entirely new function. With this asset for your restaurant, not even population growth can stop your business from flourishing. Contact a pager system provider to know more on how the new and improved pager works.

Why You Need a Service Provider for an ACN

Investment

Let us suppose that you are one of those profit minded geeks in Australia. You are a quick learner and want to earn a lot of money in life. You always wanted to start a company of your own and not work for somebody else’s venture. You are willing to take risks in order to achieve what you want. In fact, you have already started working towards your goal. You have a company and a team working under you. But is that all you need?

You need to register your company with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). Registering your company is a task full of hassles. But it is mandatory. You have no way out if you wish to carry out an ethical business. You can easily get service providers who may be willing to do this cumbersome chore for you. They may charge a bit for their efforts. But you can shed off the burden from your shoulders and relax while your work is getting completed.

When you register your company with ASIC, you get an Australian Company Number (ACN). An ACN is similar to the name of your company. It will be the identification of your company. You will have to include this number in all your company documents that are made public. It is a unique nine digit number. It does not take a lot of time for the ACN to arrive. Certain good quality service providers promise to get a company registered within twenty minutes.

The requirement for an authentic ACN is not much! You need to have a company name that is unique. You also need to have a registered office. The office need not be open to the public. But it should be a place where ASIC can send communication messages. The office can be the owner’s possession or a rented property. Hiring the services of an online service provider proves to be handy in such a situation. They can do the needful and also get your company registered at a low fee.

Any type of company can be registered with the ASIC. It can be a public company, a proprietary company, or a private company. There are many more formalities to be carried out after the formal registration of a company. A service provider to help you with the registration of a company and the acquirement of an ACN will ease the entire task for you. You can concentrate on your business while the documentation is carried out by an independent but dedicated service provider.

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