Hey folks, here’s something that will bring you a little laugh. I found a whole bunch of ADHD/ADD t-shirts online. I got curious about what was out there when I saw Ty Pennington on TV wearing an ADHD t-shirt made to look like an ACDC t-shirt. Well there are plenty more where that came from.
I don’t mean to sound like a screaming, hyper, 10 year old but.... I AM GOING TO BE ON THE RADIO!!!!!!! I got word today that radio 103.7 wants me to be their guest. I’ll be on the air Thursday, August 30th at 7am. They call it “Hersday” and focus all the topics on womens issues and items of interest. I’ll be chattin away with Jen on air about organizing tips and ideas. You’ll be able to call in and ask any questions you may have. So stay tuned in on August 30th and send some love my way. It would be awesome to hear a familiar voice. Oh and if anyone has ever been on the air before and has any tips that might be helpful feel free to write me a comment. I could use the advice.
It continues to amaze me how many business cards I find when working with a small business owner. Stacks and stacks of cards in piles or in a box. These small pieces of paper are extremely valuable. Every time I tell my small business clients that, they always ask why. On that card is a potential client, referral source, friend, vendor, partnership etc. These cards are a means to your survival and marketing your business successfully.
My plan of action starts with determining your categories. For example; vendors, clients, business resources, personal etc. Sorting these contacts gives you the means to target the appropriate markets. Their names, phone numbers, addresses and email addresses can be used in your distribution lists, mailers, cold calls etc. So why not make it easier to market yourself. You can sort them in any way that makes sense to you. Perhaps Attorneys are a great referral source for you. Or maybe you market your business according to zip codes. You can create an e-newsletter that is directly marketed toward that demographic.
The second course of action is getting these contacts into your current contact management system. Whether it’s your Rolodex, Outlook, or a program like ACT, they should be enteried on a regular basis and kept in the categories you have preset. Yes, this takes time, but there are ways to make it easier. Purchase a business card scanner. The information on the card is scanned and automatically saved accordingly in the scanner software. The data you have now scanned can be saved as a comma delimited file and used in Excel, or uploaded to your current contact management software. You can even manage it using the scanner software.
Perhaps, right now, you don’t see the need to market your business. Do this anyway. You never know when you might need this data and what a relief it will be to have it all in one place and ready to utilize.
While sifting through a pile with a client recently I found an article about erasable copy paper. It’s an article from the Richmond Times Dispatch in December 2006. “Scientists at Xerox research centers announced that they have developed technology to print on pages where the text will disappear after 16 hours. The “erasable paper” relies on chemicals that change color when exposed to a printers light and then gradually disappears in 16-24 hours. Xerox spokesperson Bill McKee said the paper can be reused between 20 to 50 times.”
This is an amazing new tool. Consider what you would get done in a day if you knew the type on your paper would soon disappear. In the article it states that this invention would be a great benefit for security purposes. But imagine how many fewer piles you would have in your office if the text would no longer be there tomorrow. I recommend managers and executives use this tool to motivate their staff to get work done. It is also a great way to reuse our resources and reduce the amount of paper we use in a year. Companies would save tons of money with a resource like this. Kudos to Xerox!
