Further postings on business topics can be found at www.debralindh.com
Friday, August 10, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Preparing for a Presentation - More Than a PPT
Preparing for a presentation most would think it's all about creating a ppt, practicing, and figuring out the technical stuff like "what time should I be there?" Preparing for a presentation means a bit more to me. Yesterday, I delivered a presentation for the MN Inventor's Network. My day started with a solid breakfast followed by an hour at the gym and running 3 miles. I listened to songs on my iPhone that motivate me and keep my energy high, some old school songs that remind me of good days gone past, as well as had very positive conversations with people I know at the gym. I made the conscious decision to not listen to the news, read the online paper, or have any conversations with "downers." I needed my mindset to be that "set" and focused on being at my fullest potential.
Now mind you, we've been experiencing a heatwave in the Twin Cities. I'm not a person who does well in excessive heat..then again, who does? I was challenged on the outfit...but had picked out the Top 1 and the #2...I went for the Top 1.
Still, I had a good lunch...a couple snacks and was on my way. All keeping in mind of a great presentation.
Then I did something that I'm not sure most people do. I meditated and did some visualization. In my home I have a room, (I call it the Fancy Room) where I do my meditative work. Actually, this is the center of the house where my husband does his meditative work too, the kids will relax on the couch for quite times...it's also the place we hold "family meetings." It's a pretty special room.
So, why did I take time to meditate and do visualization exercises? I've come to learn from education, reaching out and exploring, as well as from experience that mindful practices can bring about wonderful opportunities as well as experiences. In short, like attracts like. Have you ever met a person that once you were finished talking with them that you felt GREAT!? Or what about a person that you felt so depleted? Well, I wanted to prepare myself for that "Wow! Great!" interaction. I already began the day by taking care of my body with great organic meals, my mind was focused on the positive, now I wanted to bring it all home with mindful work. I always feel balanced and calm. I'm already a high energy person, so the balance and calm keeps me grounded.
The visualization component...while meditating I envisioned the people from the MN Inventor's Network that I had not seen in years...the smiles from reconnecting, new faces, the interest in learning and education...the support from friends in attendance...and an overall positive experience - for everyone!
All of my efforts manifested into an outstanding presentation, a very warm and engaged audience, fabulous follow up questions, and many interactions since last night. Plus the feedback was more than I anticipated (Type 3 for those of you who attended last night and are reading this).
I challenge and encourage you to think and consider what I did to prepare for my presentation. After all, it is more than a ppt!
Now mind you, we've been experiencing a heatwave in the Twin Cities. I'm not a person who does well in excessive heat..then again, who does? I was challenged on the outfit...but had picked out the Top 1 and the #2...I went for the Top 1.
Still, I had a good lunch...a couple snacks and was on my way. All keeping in mind of a great presentation.
Then I did something that I'm not sure most people do. I meditated and did some visualization. In my home I have a room, (I call it the Fancy Room) where I do my meditative work. Actually, this is the center of the house where my husband does his meditative work too, the kids will relax on the couch for quite times...it's also the place we hold "family meetings." It's a pretty special room.
So, why did I take time to meditate and do visualization exercises? I've come to learn from education, reaching out and exploring, as well as from experience that mindful practices can bring about wonderful opportunities as well as experiences. In short, like attracts like. Have you ever met a person that once you were finished talking with them that you felt GREAT!? Or what about a person that you felt so depleted? Well, I wanted to prepare myself for that "Wow! Great!" interaction. I already began the day by taking care of my body with great organic meals, my mind was focused on the positive, now I wanted to bring it all home with mindful work. I always feel balanced and calm. I'm already a high energy person, so the balance and calm keeps me grounded.
The visualization component...while meditating I envisioned the people from the MN Inventor's Network that I had not seen in years...the smiles from reconnecting, new faces, the interest in learning and education...the support from friends in attendance...and an overall positive experience - for everyone!
All of my efforts manifested into an outstanding presentation, a very warm and engaged audience, fabulous follow up questions, and many interactions since last night. Plus the feedback was more than I anticipated (Type 3 for those of you who attended last night and are reading this).
I challenge and encourage you to think and consider what I did to prepare for my presentation. After all, it is more than a ppt!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Oh Those Service Providers...What to Do?!?
Well, another day when I'm looking for a service provider to help out. A service provider is aka as a consultant...someone who can "do" something that either I can't as in, it's not my skill set OR that I simply just don't have time to learn and/or do.
Seeking out help for 2 specific tasks, I found 2 people to help out. The business of these people is what I need; they are the experts, claim to be the experts, claim to have the experience, and we have a lovely hour conversation where we both ask a lot of questions to determine potential and fit. I feel great getting off the phone thinking "Hey, these people can really help me out...I just don't have the time and would love to check this off my list."
One of the providers follow up with an email asking me to "do" a list of things. After looking at the list, my immediate reaction and thought was, "Well, if I do all of this stuff then what do I need you for?" My second thought was, "Who was on that call? Did I talk to someone else because these to-do items do not reflect what I clearly communicated as my needs but rather what everyone else is doing." Alright. Take a deep breath, right? It's possible there could have been some miscommunication so I send a follow up email to summarize our conversation. And what do I get back in return? Asking me for the to-do list?! Really???
I remember back in the day (early in my career) a manager signing me up for listening skills training. At the time, I thought it was lame but now can clearly see the value in what "Pat" was doing for me. Long live 1993 and the value of active listening!
The second provider. Several days passed, including their "I'll send a proposal to you by the end of the week." So, I followed up asking about the information. I got the proposal. Everything looked really good; very professional, in a packet, organized, and then I got to reading the specific proposal details; the scope of the project - this person and company completely missed the mark about Messy Face. What did they miss? The product, the company, our vision, mission, goals not to mention mom-invented, award-winning, and patent plus the trademark. So, I re-read the information from the beginning thinking again that maybe I missed something. Nope. Did I follow up with this person? No, I did not. Instead, I went to the gym and ran!
I have a lot of questions for people out there trying to earn business from new clients. What would you do if I missed over promised and under delivered? What would you do if I missed your product/service...would you do business with me? Would you even want to do business with me? How is it possible to say you're a professional and expert in your industry when not understanding the client's need, company and product, and deliver an off-mark scope of services?
Seems like common sense to me. But then again, maybe it's not obvious to the provider.
So, what to do? I always believe that an opportunity for learning is an outcome of stuff like this...one thing is for me to blog and share. Why? Because I'm a big supporter of sharing knowledge with others so they can avoid making similar mistakes. And in this case it's "What to do from What not to do."
Second, the added-value question in the next discussion with a provider: "Share with me in detail how you would propose to meet the scope/needs." "How will the proposal reflect our conversation?" "Send me a summary of what I'm asking for...This will help make sure we are on the same page and have a clear understanding of what I'm asking for."
Third, I did not communicate my expectations for time management. For example, if someone says "I'll deliver the proposal by Thursday" but the day comes, passes, and now a week goes by - the likelihood of me following up is close to not and moving on to contact their competitor. So, service provider - if you miss the timeline or agreed "anything" buck up, own it, and be accountable! Don't ignore it or passively make a joke of it. Business is not a joke. It's a serious commitment.
The main lesson is that there are a lot of people and providers out there looking for new business and can deliver on their promises. I'm off to find 2....
Seeking out help for 2 specific tasks, I found 2 people to help out. The business of these people is what I need; they are the experts, claim to be the experts, claim to have the experience, and we have a lovely hour conversation where we both ask a lot of questions to determine potential and fit. I feel great getting off the phone thinking "Hey, these people can really help me out...I just don't have the time and would love to check this off my list."
One of the providers follow up with an email asking me to "do" a list of things. After looking at the list, my immediate reaction and thought was, "Well, if I do all of this stuff then what do I need you for?" My second thought was, "Who was on that call? Did I talk to someone else because these to-do items do not reflect what I clearly communicated as my needs but rather what everyone else is doing." Alright. Take a deep breath, right? It's possible there could have been some miscommunication so I send a follow up email to summarize our conversation. And what do I get back in return? Asking me for the to-do list?! Really???
I remember back in the day (early in my career) a manager signing me up for listening skills training. At the time, I thought it was lame but now can clearly see the value in what "Pat" was doing for me. Long live 1993 and the value of active listening!
The second provider. Several days passed, including their "I'll send a proposal to you by the end of the week." So, I followed up asking about the information. I got the proposal. Everything looked really good; very professional, in a packet, organized, and then I got to reading the specific proposal details; the scope of the project - this person and company completely missed the mark about Messy Face. What did they miss? The product, the company, our vision, mission, goals not to mention mom-invented, award-winning, and patent plus the trademark. So, I re-read the information from the beginning thinking again that maybe I missed something. Nope. Did I follow up with this person? No, I did not. Instead, I went to the gym and ran!
I have a lot of questions for people out there trying to earn business from new clients. What would you do if I missed over promised and under delivered? What would you do if I missed your product/service...would you do business with me? Would you even want to do business with me? How is it possible to say you're a professional and expert in your industry when not understanding the client's need, company and product, and deliver an off-mark scope of services?
Seems like common sense to me. But then again, maybe it's not obvious to the provider.
So, what to do? I always believe that an opportunity for learning is an outcome of stuff like this...one thing is for me to blog and share. Why? Because I'm a big supporter of sharing knowledge with others so they can avoid making similar mistakes. And in this case it's "What to do from What not to do."
Second, the added-value question in the next discussion with a provider: "Share with me in detail how you would propose to meet the scope/needs." "How will the proposal reflect our conversation?" "Send me a summary of what I'm asking for...This will help make sure we are on the same page and have a clear understanding of what I'm asking for."
Third, I did not communicate my expectations for time management. For example, if someone says "I'll deliver the proposal by Thursday" but the day comes, passes, and now a week goes by - the likelihood of me following up is close to not and moving on to contact their competitor. So, service provider - if you miss the timeline or agreed "anything" buck up, own it, and be accountable! Don't ignore it or passively make a joke of it. Business is not a joke. It's a serious commitment.
The main lesson is that there are a lot of people and providers out there looking for new business and can deliver on their promises. I'm off to find 2....
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The What Leads to the Why
The "what" leads to the "why." What does this mean? It means that we first need to think about and identify "what" we want to do or are trying to do and then think about the details of the "how" do we do it to support the "what." Often times, people get hooked on the "how" and forget about the "what" and then wonder why the plan did not turn out the way they thought.
To illustrate the point...Take for example going on vacation. The "what" is going on vacation and the destination. Let's say the North Shore. Okay, think about all the details (the "how") to support going on vacation to the North Shore. Which road do we want to take? Food, water, music, snacks? Are we going drive straight through and ignore the exit to see the "Mystery Spot" or are we going to check it out?
The details are the fun part...the "what" is the tedious part, however, if you think about it and write it down...this increases your success, keeps you on track. Keep in mind that revisiting the plan is important. Consider if there are any changes...there are always going to be things that come up to either disrupt the journey (in this case a low gas tank) or in a practical sense it could be regulation changes and/or market changes. Either way, prepare for reevaluation. And then keep moving forward!
Minnesota Inventor's Congress 2012
I'm back home from the Minnesota Inventor's Congress aka MIC. This year was especially exciting for many reasons. First, at Messy Face we launched a new version of our bib - all made from certified organic cotton, an Eco-friendly waterproof liner - still Made in the USA and now from suppliers and components that are all domestic! We're proud to support just over 200 jobs and local economies in the great states of NC, TX, MO, OR, MI, MN, NJ, NY...again, making the most out of a mess. Second, we launched our eCommerce website. This is a long day waiting as people were sending emails asking "Where can we buy your bib??" We even had a mom who emailed almost every day to ask when the site would be live!
Third, we met with several inventors and idea people concerned about how to move forward. These folks were passionate about learning, asking questions to figure things out and gain perspectives from inventor's who are "doing it."
I don't believe I have ever done so much talking as I lost my voice on Friday and again on Saturday.
So, what were my take aways from the MIC? Well, first off to invest in joining a group such as the MIC to surround yourself with peers and also people who are genuinely trying to help. Also, to give back. Of all the people I talked with there was only one person who stuck out as a "taker." It was all about him and I noticed how many people did not want to talk with him. So, when someone approaches you and they only talk about themselves and don't ask about you...beware. Also, the need for my presentation on "If I Knew Then What I Know Now"...yes, stay tuned for more info on a workshop...thanks to all who gave me the feedback to do this and meet this need...
The folks at MIC, Deb Hess, Kevin and Jan...are all top notch folks. They've been there for me over the past years and continue to provide services and support that inventors need. Kudos to the MIC for another great event!
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