Every now and then it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of those simple gestures that can change a relationship, bring hope and healing and make a difference.  I came across this posting in a local Atlanta publication:  Gary Hill Business Directory – and thought it worth the time to send out a gentle reminder.

10 Commandments of Human Relations –

Compliments of the Historical News

• Speak to people.  There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
• Smile at people.  It takes 72 muscles to frown – only 14 to smile.
• Call people by name.  the sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his or her own name.
• Be friendly and helpful.  If you want friends, be friendly.
• Be cordial.  Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.
• Be genuinely interested in people.  You can like anybody if you try.
• Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
• Be considerate with the feelings of others.  It will be appreciated.
• Be thoughtful of the opinions of others.  There are three sides to the controversy – yours, the other person’s and the right one.

Be alert to give service.  What counts most in life is what we do for others

Did you procrastinate?

Didn’t send Holiday Cards? Need to send Thank You cards? Actually, sending cards now can get you noticed (and in a positive way). Instead of your card getting lost in the shuffle of the busy Holiday season, sending a heartfelt personal card for the New Year is surely to make your greeting ‘stand out from the rest.’

Are you making your resolutions for the New Year? Is getting organized and simplifying your life at the top of your list? It seems to make my Resolution list every year. What I find with organizing that has helped me the most over time, is putting systems and tools in place that not only remind me but help make the task easier and saves time and money. Here are to testimonials from two professional organizers who endorse as well as use SendOutCards:

Sending Christmas cards to all my clients was a breeze, using SOC with “custom shared” greeting cards.  SOC saved me lots of time this holiday season:  my client list is already loaded so I  was able to hand-select who to send cards to, I had the cards “done” in November but had the campaign sent in December, and, of course, I didn’t have to address envelopes or slap on stamps – what a time-saving service!

Dawn McCloskey
Ultra Organized, LLC
770-844-1049
www.ultraorganized.com
Member:  National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the NAPO Georgia Chapter
“From chaos comes order”

Send Out Cards is the perfect service to help any company or individual stay organized.  I consider Send Out Cards essential when organizing a client’s home or office.  I organize both residentially and commercially and Send Out Cards is perfect for families and businesses alike.  With Send Out Cards you can easily upload all your contacts, set reminders, even make cards ahead of time and set them to send on a certain date.  With a feature like this, even the busiest of clients can find the time to sit down once a month and send cards for all birthdays, anniversaries and other needs.  Send Out Cards also allows you to create your own handwriting font so your cards even have your personal touch.  Businesses can upload logos and other marketing pieces, making it the perfect tool to promote your business in a cost effective manner.  Save time and money and become more organized in 2009 by using Send Out Cards.

Sharon L. Hess

Mommy Management, Inc.

2260 Rushmore Drive   Suite P

Marietta, Ga. 30062

770-826-3864 – Cell and Office

770-993-4449 – Home

770-454-0143 – Fax

www.MommyManagementInc.com

So whether you want to send Happy New Year greetings or send Thank you cards or both, SendOutCards offers lots of great cards with New Year’s greetings and 1000s of great cards for every other occasion. Ring in 2009 with beautiful and thoughtful Happy New Year Cards for your family, friends, clients, and prospects. You can get very creative by customizing with colors, fonts, and images/photos to create wonderfully personalized cards that are unique and different. Wish your loved ones and clients joy and happiness in the coming year with an exceptional card from SendOutCards today!

Being one who has always been a card sender, SendOutCards provided that system for me and so much more. It provides the tools within the system that helps me to save time all year long. No more driving to the store, post office, stocking cards, (not to mention still not having just the right card when I needed it) and then trying to remember to mail it at the appropriate time. SendOutCards has solved all these issues for me.

I invite you to try the system yourself. Experience a demonstration and send a couple of cards with my compliments. Log onto www.CardsByPaintedLady.com or www.SendOutCards.com/12466.

I will be glad answer your questions and/or send you additional information. Get started today saving time and money. Find out how to set up your starter account for less than $15 with no monthly fees or contracts. Oh and ask me how you can also make money with SendOutCards.

Happy New Year and Happy Organizing!

In gratitude,

Annette

Resolve to Simplify Your Card Sending this year.  Log on and find out how to create, personalize, and mail your cards with just a few mouse clicks. Send them a REAL greeting card with my compliments @ www.CardsByPaintedLady.com or http://www.SendOutCards.com/12466

Gifts, Greeting Cards, and Promotional Products

www.PaintedLadyEnterprises.com

“Helping You and Your Business Look Good”

     All one has to do is look around where you are to feel grateful for life’s many blessings! And, all you have to do is think of those who continue to bless our lives every day to realize that reasons for gratitude are everywhere.  Just think of all the indivduals who make our lives easier – the mailman, the clerks who stock the grocery shelves, the tank trucks that supply us with gasoline, the bank teller, dry cleaner, street cleaners, garbage men and recyclers, retailers, civil servants, our dentist, doctors, financial planner, insurance agent and the list goes on and on.  With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, I’m reminded that my life is richer not because of what I’ve acquired but rather because of the people who make a difference in my life!  So, to those who have chosen to connect with me and for those of you who are an essential part of my life, I want you to know that I appreciate you and wish you overflowing peace and happiness now and always.  Express gratitude to the people in your life.  Let them know how much they are valued.  Until next time…………..Bonnie www.BonnieRossParker.com

I hauled myself out of bed the other morning at 4AM in order to attend a Breakfast networking meeting that was entitled How Gratitude can bring an increase in your bottom line!  When I first got the invitation to this meeting, I thought Oh Boy!  This is right up my alley.  But after a long week at getting up early going to meetings and then attending more late night meetings also, not to mention suffering from a head cold and sinus infection going on 4 weeks now, when the alarm went off, I thought, OMG what was I thinking.  I got ready anyway because I had to pick up my team mate who had registered and paid for us to go.

 

It was very well worth the trip.  It was not your typical business meeting.  This is a new group focused on all the right aspects of business.  The very first exercise we did was to talk with those at our table and to tell what we were grateful for not in our business, but in our life.  That was different, but it is close to Thanksgiving, so I could understand.  But as the presentation went on, I began to see the true theme of the meeting and the organization.  It was very refreshing because it hit right on my core values and beliefs, that  of building relationships with people and trying to establish a helpful giving attitude will come back to you ten fold. 

 

I go to a lot of face to face networking meetings of all kinds and meet a lot of people.  My primary purpose, of course, like everyone else, it to find new business.  Along the way I meet a lot of people who are doing the same thing.  Now we all know we can’t all do business with each other, however we can try and help each other.  How you ask?  Listen and ask questions.  Find out about the person and their business, what makes them unique and different from others in their industry.  One of the questions that you can ask, which was presented in this meeting, “Why should I do business with you?”  Try that one sometimes and you’ll be surprised at the answers you get.  Also think about what you would say if someone asked you that question.  Now you still might not need their services at the moment, but you can use that information in a number of ways.

 

Here are five things you can do:

 

• ¨ Introduce that person to a good referral partner for them. Example: Introduce a Real Estate person to a mortgage broker.
• ¨ Suggest/invite them to other networking meetings, groups, organizations, etc. that they might attend. I have a ‘Networking Opportunities’ list posted on my website that I refer people to.
• ¨ If it’s someone you really want to establish a relationship with, make the effort to follow up with them. Send them a note or card. Call and set up a meeting for coffee with the intention of ‘How can we help each other’ or ‘I want to get to know you and understand your business better.’
• ¨ File their info, so you will have it when you hear someone needs that service. Establish yourself as a ‘Who do you know that does?”
• ¨ Refer that person whenever possible.

 

Here is an example of how gratitude helped my bottom line this week.  I help co-host a women’s monthly networking meeting.  We had a professional organizer who attended our meetings a few times.  She impressed me because besides just introducing herself and telling about her business, she would offer helpful tips on organizing.  We established some rapport and she started using my greeting card service for which I was grateful.   When someone asks if I know an organizer, I refer them to her.  One of the referrals was to my sister in law, who just raved the ideas and information she provided, and she would definitely be using her services.  I also asked her to be a speaker at an upcoming business meeting in January.  So even though I have not used her services personally, I know she’s very good and knowledgeable at what she does and she is very reliable.  

 

Here’s where the story gets interesting.  I recently acquired a new client for my greeting card business and when I talked with her and asked how she found out about me and my service, she said she had been a speaker at a recent meeting of which my friend the organizer had sent her a thank you card.  Do you turn cards over to see what brand it is?  My website was printed on the back of the card.  She liked the card so much, she set up her own account, tried it, liked it, and then upgraded.  Was I grateful?  You better believe it.  I not only sent a Thank You card, but a gift as well.

 

So, I believe, the point of all this is showing gratitude and appreciation and helping others can help to build your business because they in turn will do the same for us. 

 

I leave you with these quotes:

 

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”  ~William A. Ward

 

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.  ~G.B. Stern

 

“Send Out to Give”  Kody Bateman

 

“What goes around, comes around”  – Proverb quote

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

In gratitude,

Annette S. Walden

                                                                 

Are your Holiday Cards done yet?  Log on and find out how to create, personalize, and mail your cards with just a few mouse clicks.  Send them a REAL greeting card with my compliments @ www.CardsByPaintedLady.com or www.SendOutCards.com/12466

 

Gifts, Greeting Cards, and Promotional Products

http://www.paintedladyenterprises.com/

“Helping You and Your Business Look Good”

It’s the holiday season I can already tell. It seems that this time of the year people’s nerves seem to be on edge. Or is the economy or a combination of both? Or is it that some individuals who are in business just don’t understand that being gracious in business dealings will help to build a lasting relationship with a client or potential client. And hopefully that lasting relationship will lead to future business and/or referrals.

Here are some of my recent musings that have prompted me to write this blog.

Sometimes people may not need your product or service when you initially talk with them. If you’re gracious during your interaction, they might remember you the next time someone says, “Do you know someone who sells XYZ?” Or they may even come back to you months later and say OK now the time is right and I want to buy your product or service.

Sometimes you may order something and when you received it, it just wasn’t what you expected. And if the person is gracious about letting you return it, you might be more apt to try and do business with them the next time you were looking for other products that they sell.

Sometimes people just don’t respond to your time table. People are busy. Life happens. People forget. Your priorities are not their priorities. I’ve always heard that sugar works better than vinegar or if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Sometimes a gentle nudge as a reminder works a whole lot better than sending a nasty gram/email. You never know what problems or issues they may be dealing with.

Sometimes having a cheerful, positive, and helpful attitude will promote you and your business far more than you know. I recently helped to put together a Holiday and Gift Bazaar. We did a lot of work promoting it, but we did not have the turn out that we had wanted. Most everyone was gracious and understanding and blamed it on the economy, etc. I was very impressed with one individual whose attitude and actions went far beyond my expectations. She even sent us a thank you note telling us how much she appreciated how professional everything was done and that she appreciated all our efforts. Now, she sells a product that I typically purchase from someone else, but because of her graciousness, the next time I am in need of this product, I will be ordering from her, referring her, and finding ways I can help her with her business.

And Sometimes I have been know to lose my cool as a consumer and pull out the ‘B’ card. I regret it when I do. Recently I had been trying to get an issue resolved. The person I was dealing with had done a wonderful job except for one little thing and she was a friend. She had to work through her company for a solution. I have to give her credit; she handled herself and me very graciously. She found and provided me with an acceptable resolution. I had been giving her glowing testimonials, but after that I am even more ingratiated to her. I recommend her every chance I get and I will do business with her again.

Here are some quotes to consider for doing business. I offer them for us to ponder this holiday season and throughout the year.

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>If you help enough people get want they want, you’ll get what you want. Zig Zilar

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Givers Gain – Ivan Misner

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.  ~Henry Clay

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.  ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.  ~Author Unknown

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.  ~Author Unknown

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.  ~Mark Twain

<!–[if !supportLists]–>¨ <!–[endif]–>The fragrance always lingers in the hand that gives the flower

I hope the saying that ‘Nice guys (gals) finish last’ isn’t true. And even if it is, I would rather be remembered as being gracious in my business dealings.

In gratitude,

Annette S. Walden

Marketing Solutions Consultant

www.PaintedLadyEnterprises.com

“Helping you and your business look good!”

 

Gifts, Greeting Cards, Promotional Products, & Business Resources

 

 

CONSISTENCY | INTERNETWORK MARKETING | RELATIONSHIP | TRAINING

5 Tips: You will be amazed at the difference being consistent in this way will change – well, just about everything in your life.

by Andrea Goodsaid

________________________________________

As I sit here chowing on a bag of Peppermint Patties, after just yesterday getting pretty clear on the idea that ‘I want to get thin again’, I’m reminded of a little twist of the Law of Attraction that’s easily glossed over in the daily practice of it.

The Law of Attraction is all about “intention” and ˜focusing on what we want”, right?

Well, intention has to meet

consistent action in the right

direction to work out the way we

want it to. Or no go.

Luckily, I’m tuned in enough to know better than to focus on the unwanted behavior and am instead (out of habit now, which is awesome to realize) appreciative of this moment of clarity and can giggle at myself, shake my head and put the candy a-w-a-y.

Eternally grateful, that my bag is still half full.

Which turns me to thinking about consistency and the juggling act we can create for ourselves in the process of marketing via social networks online (I know, crazy segue but hey, welcome to my brain – grin).

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the social side of online communities and forget about our networking intentions. Who hasn’t blown an hour (or three) following what I like to call “he said she said” threads – I know I sure have.

Or on the flip side, been overly focused on the “marketing” side of things and totally missed on the gems to be found and relationships that can be built when we remember to take the focus off of ourselves, putting aside all agenda, and find ways we can add value to the lives of others.

Better to focus most on the

NETWORKING aspect of the

beast and take consistent action

in that direction instead, yes?

And leave the pure “socializing” and “marketing” to the distracted, to those who don’t care who they interrupt and to people who have yet to become clear on the niche they want to attract.

Recently in a conversation on a new site that was created to be supportive of what is now being termed ‘Networking Naturally’, the question of being consistent and ‘genuinely’ social in this brave new world of Web 2.0 and social networking came up.

My general comment was as follows:

Drive by forum posters and people who never expand their profiles or take the time look around to see what they have to offer others are just missing the point (in my humble opinion).

And yet how to be consistent in your networking over time remains the challenge. Or at least it may seem a challenge if you are not in the habit of it.

It’s actually really easy and doesn’t have to be time consuming at all. Once it becomes second nature, my guess is you’ll wonder how you ever built any lasting business online without it.

So what is the definition of “networking” exactly?? And how do we make it a habit?

Networking is the art of building

relationships. And the habit

part comes by taking consistent

action in the right direction,

which in this case is ANYTHING

that builds a relationship with

another.

So where does that leave us?

Well if our intention is to become a better online networker, the way to do that is to take daily consistent action doing things that build relationships with others. And web 2.0 has provided the perfect vehicle.

Nothing too strenuous – these

consistent actions are more

marathon material than sprint.

And so are the results you will

get.

Here are five simple things you can do each day to get into the relationship building habit on social networking sites:

1. Leave sincere comments on the profiles of three new people each day.

2. Leave sincere comments on the profiles of three established friends’ profiles.

3. Visit three of your favorite groups and offer value by replying to a thread (or start a new one that will stir conversation) – remember to include a curiosity stirring signature file.

4. Write a short blog or journal post that lets people feel like they know you better.

5. Follow up privately with three friends — either ask for help or offer it.

That’s it.

You will be amazed at the difference being consistent in this way will change – well, just about everything in your life.

Now, to get out and be more consistent myself!

I appreciate you.

——————————————————

Andrea Goodsaid is a writer, networker, small business brainstormer and online community builder. She’s been online and networking, one solid relationship at a time since 1996. Most recently she is co-creating a community that is open to anyone who practices or would like to learn to apply the Law of Attraction to their marketing efforts. You’re invited to come see if it’s a fit for you too – www.NaturalNetworkers.com

by Dory Devlin

You know if she knows you’re feeling the pinch this year with rising gas prices, job uncertainty, and all-around-everything-is-so-expensive anxiety, Mom is not going to want you to spend a ton on her this Mother’s Day.

The market analysts who watch just how much we spend on what predict fewer dollars will be spent on Mom this May, though not in a big way. The National Retail Federation says, on average, we’ll each spend $138.63 on presents for mom, down from $139.14 last year, which still adds up to $15.8 billion. Tons of dough, which most moms would rather you not spend.

With that in mind, I thought my obligatory Mother’s Day post on Work+Money would focus on what working moms could use for Mother’s Day. If you ask any working mom, top of her list would be time. More time to get everything done that needs to be done. Time to just stop and be with our families.

Since my blogging roots are in tech, I always think of tech-related ideas first because tech is supposed to help us be more productive at work so we have more time for the other parts of our lives. So here a few tech ideas, and more importantly, ideas to give mom some time apart from all of her demands, and some other great ideas from the women of Shine.

Smartphone for a smart mom: Okay, if your mom is looking to make the leap from basic flip phone to a smartphone that will allow her to text and email with a full QWERTY keyboard, check email easily while on the road, the iPhone is all the rage and is very cool, but RIM’s BlackBerry Curve will do everything she needs. If you go the BlackBerry/iPhone route, take a tip from my chat with Lisa Belkin on her Life’s Work XM radio show the other day: Tell her to turn off the beeps and sounds that let you know when every single email has arrived so it doesn’t make her less productive and stressed. (Lisa does.) If you’ve got an older mom who is having trouble seeing the tiny, tiny print on her mobile phone, I recommend the Jitterbug phone, which is so intuitive to use, has large type on the screen, and can always reach a live operator by pressing zero. After the initial $147 purchase price, you can tailor monthly plans to how you use the phone, for as low as $10 a month. Continue Reading »

In the 1800′s Walt Whitman was quoted as saying, “Be curious, not judgmental”. Unfortunately, most of us see ourselves as the center of the universe. When we are quick to judge others we are really putting a label on them as it relates to our perception. Based on what we consider appropriate, we find fault with someone else’s hair style, way of dressing, how they conduct themselves, the kind of work they do, and so on. Statements like, “I can’t believe she bought that car.” “Did you notice the way he treated his son?”, or “How could anyone that overweight eat dessert?” are indicators that we are judging another’s behavior. What gives us the right to do that?

This is part of the series “Personally Speaking: Volume 1“ to purchase the entire series click here.