Vered Neta's Blog, page 14

Is Work-Life Balance a Myth?

Lately I made a decision that it is time to get moving and I MUST update my website, start re-writing my new book, get more people on my mailing list, write 6 blog posts in advance and put Open Circles Foundation on higher gear.

Oh I forgot one more thing … I MUST have fun doing all that…

I know, it was a bit of a crazy To-Do list, considering the fact that it was on top of my usual work in Open Circles and giving my usual workshops and trainings.

However, I thought it was manageable. I told myself, if I implement all the techniques of high performers and the techniques I teach I MUST be able to handle it.

So here is what happened on Day 1:

… I got an urgent email from Open Circles Marketing department that they need my input on the new website

… Which then pushed my “block-time” for my new book….

… Which got pushed down into my time of responding to email only twice a day…

… and caused me to postpone my action for my LinkedIn connections….

… which meant that my plan to have a nice and healthy dinner for Thom (my daughter) and Nisandeh (my beloved partner), go down the drain, because I had to complete all the above, and we had to settle with Take-Away dinner.

Day 2 – started already with a big overdraft on my time so I ended up rushing down my usual chores and not getting around to do the BIG stuff.

This continued on for nearly a week before I forced myself to look at the results that were staring at me straight in my face.

Bottom line – my very busy day felt like a big, non-productive failure. All of my grand plans to excel at everything went out the window. And I excelled at nothing.

Does this sound familiar to you? – Have you had days, or even weeks, where you felt that you were running as fast as you could, only to find out that you were not moving one step forward towards your goals and dreams?

That’s when I realized I fall into the standard trap of work-life balance definition.

Most people define work-life balance as some kind of walking on tightrope. However, try walking on tight-rope for 18 hours a day…. You will end up burned out and dead (especially if it high tightrope).

Others think about it as if it is dividing up our projects and our life tasks as though they were each a square in one of those old frozen TV dinners.

But life is not that organized and neat.

If you look out at nature you’ll see that there is order, but it doesn’t come as squares or lines, it shows up as cycles.

Life is not about dividing and separating, Life  is all about interconnections and connecting. It comes in a never ending circles and cycles.

It’s time we examine our definition and dream of balance. We need to realize that the more we try to separate between things, the harder it would become to have that balance.

Boundaries between work and life is not anymore possible when technology is making all that separation fuzzy and anyone can interrupt you, even when you are in the toilet!

Does that mean that work-life balance does not exist – NO! it only means that we need to define it differently and ask the right questions how to make it happen.

If balance is more an element of a cycle, you’ll need to look at it from a bigger picture.

So how can you achieve REAL work-life balance? Here are some tips you could use:

Everything has a time and place under the sun

King Solomon said it already: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”.

I’ve started a business; published a bestseller book; been an awesome wife and a great mom; ran 3 training companies; created and built a new type of museum. But I’ve never done all those things to excellence at the same time.

Trust me, there will come a day when your daughter’s birthday party falls on the same day as the radio show host phones and want you to come for an interview.

You better know where you are standing. You better know what are your priorities and where you are in the cycle of life.

Determine your priorities according where you are in your life. There will be years when your family (partner, kids, parents) will be the MOST important ones and will come first.

There will be years when your own achievements and contribution to the world will be the MOST important ones.

When you define your priorities remember it is only for a “season”, it’s not forever. Think, if this is your priority, what needs to be maintained, what needs to go away… for now.

Set boundaries and communicate them

Once you know what your priorities are, let others know them.

Allow your partners (work, life) help you in finding solutions for the occasional cases when life hits you with the unexpected.

Take it day by day.

One clever tip is to combine your work and personal calendars so you don’t necessarily prioritize one set of responsibilities over the other in advance.

Each day, you can decide whether the staff meeting is more important than getting lunch with an old high school buddy, or vice versa.

Rock to your own rhythm.

Researchers are increasingly paying attention to the topic of chronotypes (biological schedules that determine when we feel tired and awake).

What they have found is that people vary widely in terms of when they’re most creative, energetic, and productive.

Think about how your own abilities evolve throughout the day — if you’re most alert in the mornings, try getting to work early; if you really come alive after 9pm, consider creating a less traditional work schedule).

That way, you won’t feel like you’re wasting valuable time at work when you’re half-zoned out anyway.

As women we have an advantage in tuning into this system, as it is part of our blueprint, nature created us with cycles. If you only tune into your monthly cycle (even when you are finished with it, like me, after 50), you’ll find out that you are much more in balance with your work and life.

The only permanent thing in life is… change

Even once you’ve searched your soul to figure out what truly matters to you, accept that those priorities will change over time.

Life is stronger than anything, relationships end, children grow, parent dies or become sick, you might want to start a new project, or pick up a new hobby — whatever the situation, be prepared for your values and schedule to shift, and make adjustments accordingly.

Now I’m curious….

How do you create your Work-Life Balance?

Share it with us in the comment box below – your tips, advice and experience when it comes to creating balance between work and life

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a video from “Women Do Business Differently” seminar about Women’s Balance is in the Body

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



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Have a magical week! Vered

Are you a Perfectionist?

I have a confession, and it is hard for me to admit it…  I am not a perfectionist. On the contrary, I’m sloppy,  I never think till the end and I always have to come back and correct things I’ve done.

For years that made me insecure and doubt my own achievements. I used to compare myself to those around me that were perfectionist, and were creating amazing results, which I could not dream of achieving.

However, after living for 21 years now, with a “recovering perfectionist” I’ve learned some lessons on the way.

If you suffer from this disease called perfectionism let me remind you. All perfectionists have one thing in common. You all achieve… NOTHING.

You are so obsessed with getting everything PERFECT that you forget that the goal is to COMPLETE things and not just start with them, or have the PERFECT research, or have the PERFECT implementation.

Those of you who suffer from this disease you know very well, down in the bottom of your heart that, at the end of the day, you are not achieving as much as you could have, due to this obsession that EVERYTHING needs to be PERFECT.

For those of you who suffer from it – I have two words – GROW UP!! This idea that everything has to be PERFECT is an infantile idea that was planted in your brain when you were very young and thought that you have to do it PERFECT in order to get the love, appreciation or recognition that you wanted.

It’s time to grow up from this notion.

On the other hand, if you are like me, you might have gotten into your head that you are not OK or good enough because you were comparing yourself to someone else.

The problem is that you probably compared yourself to someone who has been doing the same thing for years and you believe that you can achieve the same results as they are even though you only started now.

When you have a goal — whether it’s starting a business or eating healthier or traveling the world — it’s easy to look at someone who is already doing it and then try to reverse engineer their strategy.

I always say that modeling is the fastest way to grow.

But it’s equally important to remember that the systems, habits, and strategies that successful people are using today are probably not the same ones they were using when they began their journey.

What is optimal for them right now isn’t necessarily needed for you to get started. There is a difference between the two.

Let me clear it up for you.

You are never fully prepared before you take action

Learning from others is great and I do it all the time myself.

But comparing your current situation to someone who is already successful can often make you feel like you lack the required resources to get started at all.

If you look at their optimal setup, it can be really easy to convince yourself that you need to buy new things or learn new skills or meet new people before you can even take the first step toward your goals.

And usually, that’s not true. Here are some examples.

Starting a business.

When you’re an entrepreneur, it’s so easy to get obsessed with optimal. This is especially true at the start.

I can remember being convinced that I will not succeed without a great logo. After all, every successful company I looked at had a professional logo. I’ve since learned my lesson. Now my “logo” is just the name of this website and it works for me more than anything I’ve dreamt about.

Eating healthy.

Maybe the optimal diet would involve buying organic or some other super-healthy food strategy. But if you’re just trying to make steps in the right direction, why caught up in the details? Start small and simply buy another vegetable this week — whether it’s organic or not. There will be plenty of time for optimization later.

A huge part of any real success is learning something new in the process

Claiming that you need to “learn more” or “get all of your ducks in a row” can often be a crutch that prevents you from moving forward on the stuff that actually matters.

You can point out how your business mentor is successful because they use XYZ software, but they probably got started without it.


You can complain that your golf game is suffering because you need new clubs, but the truth is you probably just need two years of practice

Obsessing about the ultimate strategy or the ultimate diet or the ultimate golf club can be a clever way to prevent yourself from doing hard work.

What I’ve learned in my search for making things PERFECT is that the success I wish for is not about making it PERFECT in the first go. It is the journey you take that makes YOU a master in what you are doing.

I’m all for improvements, it’s that one percent gains that fill me with joy. It’s those tiny habits, which leave me fanatical. It’s that pigheaded level of consistency, which makes my heart flutter.

Don’t let visions of what is optimal prevent you from getting started in the first place.

An imperfect start can always be improved, but obsessing over a perfect plan will never take you anywhere on its own.

Now I’m curious…

What was your journey to make things”perfect”?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your experience and tips for making things better and perfect 

As a thank-you gift I will send you a video from my seminar of Women Do Business Differently

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



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Have a magical week! Vered

Who’s Afraid of the BIG “BAD” … Negotiation Moment?

They say that women tend to look at negotiations as going to the dentist for a root canal, while men look at it as a game to be played and master.

Guess who has more chances of winning and getting better offers, better deals and hugher income? The answer is obvious.

If you look at negotiation as something, which is painful, and something to be feared of  your chances are low in mastering it or even willing to learn how to master it.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about 10 tips for better negotiation skills. However, I realized, once I read many of your comments, (by the way, thanks for all your honesty and contribution on that post), that women will not use those tips if they don’t confront their reason to the fear and hesitation of negotiations.

Many women hesitate from negotiating, whether it’s big-ticket items—i.e. €200 and up, from necklaces and cameras to couches (or hospital bills)—or their own salaries or service proposals that you need to send out. You’re either afraid of looking like a cheap tight-up person, bargaining or worse, you might come across as bossy and aggressive.

But you need to realize that this is so far fetched and off track. It is one of those times that your instincts are off.

Remember what you might call your instincts, are a results of generations of conditioning, which said, “Women should play “nice”, or “Women should not voice their opinions”, or that “Women are worth less than men and should be grateful for what they get”.

Negotiating the price of big-ticket items is a reasonable thing to do and one that you can become successful at if you start doing it. At the start of it, it might feel awkward and un-natural, but when you keep doing it and looking at it as a game, you’ll start enjoying it and become better and better.

In order to ease your mind (and instincts) which are not used to doing it there are certain elements that you need to be aware of that could help you in doing it better.

The truth is, that companies often build room into the price to negotiate. Therefore in a way they expect you to negotiate with them. Have a look at some figures that were collected about prices in big companies:

Furniture is marked-up 80% or more over what the store paid for it.
Jewelry is marked-up at least 100%, and often more than twice that.
The garment industry is all about marking prices up and then down, depending on the season.

This doesn’t guarantee you a discount at every store, or every time you shop. Computers, have a slimmer profit margin now, so you would likely have to purchase other items at the same time (like a printer) to be able to bargain.

And a few stores (hello, Tiffany; hello, Apple) will tell you they just don’t negotiate.

Most other stores, even car dealers, presume a customer will try to bargain them down a bit.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start with a win-win mindset.

You’re not begging, you are just doing business. The store will get the sale and you’ll save money, money you might even spend on something else at that shop.

2. Use your people skills.

Women are good at getting people to like them, and that rapport can lead to deals. Ask the salesperson to show you several pieces of jewelry, say, and build friendship by chatting about what looks best. (Side bonus: taking time to look at an array of items will help you to look less eager for that one you have your eye on—a good strategy anyway.)

3. Negotiate with the right person.

You’re at a camera shop and you ask the salesperson if he can give you a better price on the item you want, and he says he can’t negotiate. All that means is that you need to ask to speak to the manager (or owner, if it’s a small shop), whoever does have that authority.The manager wants to move the merchandise; just like a salesperson who works on commission, she’s got an incentive to cut a deal with you.

4. Play the loyalty card.

A store is going to be interested in someone who can bring it repeat business. So it’s worth saying, “I saw a comparable couch priced €500 lower online. I’d prefer to stay local and buy from you. Can you give me a price closer to that?”

5. Request a discount for buying a floor sample or a slightly damaged product.

If you want a chair on display, offer less than what is on the price tag. If the item is being discontinued, you may well have a deal. Also, if you notice the tiniest button missing or other little flaw on a piece of clothing, show the manager. Even at a large store like H&M, she’ll likely give you a 5% to 10% discount, as her other option is paying to ship the damaged item back to the manufacturer.

6. Be ready to leave.

Sometimes, a manager will tell a woman he can’t cut her a deal when, in the same situation, he would have given her husband a deal. They know the man will really leave, but with the woman, they decide to wait and see. My advice: “Just leave.” The manager may stop you before you get to the door. If not, “You can always come back another day. If some place won’t negotiate with you, others will.”

7. Use this little secret.

A recent study showed that women were excellent at negotiating their prices when they were told that they were expected to do so. So you can be excellent at this kind of negotiating, too. Remember, it’s expected of you to negotiate.

Now I’m curious….

How did you overcome your fear of negotiations?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience when it comes to negotiation

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a free ticket to a workshop on “Negotiations for Women” of my good friend and expert on Negotiations Jacqueline Moleman – It’s all about practicing and doing and she’s the BEST in teaching you how to do it.

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



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Have a magical week! Vered

Why No One Reads Your Blog

I often hear this cry… NO ONE READS MY BLOG!

You probably know by now that you MUST have a Blog. However, if you believe in that famous sentence from “Fields of Dreams” “Build it and they will come!”, you’re in for a BIG SURPRISE… and not a good one…

Nothing is further from the truth then hoping that just because you wrote something people would come to your website or Blog.

It is critical you understand that todays’ marketing is based on Social Media and on Social Media you do not become famous or successful overnight. Social media is like a long-term relationship, not a one-night-stand.

You need to build a relationship with your audience and create a community for them, which they love coming to. Building a solid blog readership and community using Social Media takes time. It takes planning and goal setting. It takes investment in understanding your audience, and aligning your business goals and objectives to your online execution

Be patient and focus on the needs of your audience. Provide them the most compelling experience you possibly can. Show them value. Deliver them relevance, context and a unique experience and content which they cannot find on all the other blog out there

If you truly want to get readers and build a community around your blog here are some reasons why you have not been able to do it. Now, I’m known to be one who says things bluntly. That’s the reason I always say I’m not a Lady.

Beware… I don’t use “politically correct” language.

Here are 7 reasons why no one read your Blog:

1.     Your Blog is all about YOU

Even though you might state you are about your community and helping other people, your blog tells a different story.

Every blog post is about you, what you have done, what you are going to do, what you sell and why you are so awesome.

Quit telling people how awesome you are and prove it. Help your ideal customer solve their problems, period.

Quit filling your blog titles with the million hashtags. Your audience is not stupid! They see through and that’s why they don’t revisit your blog, share your blog posts or recommend it to others.

2.     Your Content Sucks

There is nothing on your blog that resonates with your ideal customer. You are basically babbling about nothing.

You may even be repeating the same content every other blogger in your niche is blogging about.

There is nothing your audience haven’t read before and nothing that is actually helping your ideal customer solve problems, feel empowered, learn or be better in life and business

3.     You don’t know your audience

The reason your content sucks is because you don’t know your audience.

It is going to be really hard to write content that inspires and connects with your audience if you don’t know them.

You must get in their head; know what keeps them up at night. Know what they need from you and how you are going to help them solve problems

4.     You are not consistent in your blogging

You want your audience to be waiting at their “doorsteps” for your blog post, or in these days at their computers. But if you blog only once or twice a year, or you sometimes do it on Tuesdays, and sometimes on Thursdays, they will not know when to expect your blog post

After developing a plan with goals and objectives and having a full understanding of your audience, develop an editorial calendar. It will help keep you accountable and ensure you are providing the highest value possible consistently for your readers

5.     There is no community

Have you made sure you created a space for a community to develop as a result of your Blog? Remember the most important part of social media is creating and online marketing is building a community.

Make sure you allow people to comment on your Blog and give them an incentive to do it.

You must take time to nurture relationships. You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.

6.     No body knows about you or your Blog

You could have the BEST blog on the planet but if nobody knows about it, well it won’t do you much good.

You need to share your Blog on other social media platforms. Make sure you have the buttons that allow your readers to share it with their networks. Make sure you post your blog on other social platforms to let people know about your Blog

If you just launched your blog, please be patient. Be sure that you have a solid plan to build awareness, nurture community and grow your readership over time

7.     Waiting for Perfection

You need to remember that all perfectionists have only one thing is common. All Perfectionists achieve… NOTHING!

Embrace the imperfect perfection in your business and blog. Be humble and take your readers along with you on your journey. If you share your ups, downs and learning’s they will be part of the community that builds you.

Then when you start succeeding as a business leader and blogger, your audience and readers will celebrate with you as they feel as though they were part of the development process.

Now it’s your turn…

What mistakes have you made with your Blog?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your experience and tips for better Blog posts

As a thank-you gift I will send you my editorial calendar planner which helps me to plan and organize all my Social Media activities (not just my Blog Posts) and instructions how to fill it up.

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



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and blog readers...

Have a magical week! Vered

Are You Still Waiting for Inspiration?

It was Sunday, one of the few Sunday’s where I did not have to give or be in any training. It was a beautiful day and one of the first Spring Sundays we’ve had this year.

My head was telling me – take the day off, you deserve it, you have ahead of you several weekends of workshops and trainings and travel, take the time to just BE and enjoy it.

My heart was whispering to me – be true to yourself. You’ve promised yourself to write this weekend a few blog posts, this is what you came here to do… your mission is to inspire people, so do that first.

I really didn’t want to. Even when I sat down to my computer, the page was blank and I had no idea what to write about. I was waiting for inspiration to come to me and help me.

But then something else took place. My fingers started typing and within less than 60 minutes an article was born, a blog post was posted and a newsletter was born.

All true professional know that secret… You need to start whether you like it or not.

You need to do the routine and the workout whether you are in the mood or not.

You need to have a daily routine that you follow in order to be successful in what you are doing.

In short… You need to have a schedule.

Here are some interesting examples from some of the greatest artists in the world:

Franz Kafka would go to his day job from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, eat lunch and then take a long nap until 7:30 PM, exercise and eat dinner with his family in the evening, and then begin writing at 11 PM for a few hours each night before going to bed.
Maya Angelou rents a local hotel room and goes there to write. She arrives at 6:30 AM, writes until 2 PM, and then goes home to do some editing. She never sleeps at the hotel.
The famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami wakes up at 4 AM, writes for five hours, and then goes for a run.

The bottom line is that the work of top creative isn’t dependent upon motivation or inspiration, but rather it follows a consistent pattern and routine.

Do you have a schedule and a daily routine that will help you reach your goals?

It’s the mastering of daily habits that leads to creative success, not some mythical spark of genius.

Routine and schedule gives you permission to create junk

Working creatively is a bit like going to the gym. You don’t always know when you’ll have a great workout. You just go out do your workout and sometimes you have an amazing one and sometimes a crappy one, but the main point is you go and do your workout.

Creative work is no different than training in the gym. You can’t selectively choose your best moments and only work on the days when you have great ideas.

The only way to show the great ideas inside of you is to go through a volume of work, put in your repetitions, and show up over and over again.

Obviously, doing something below average is never the goal. But you have to give yourself permission to go through the occasional days of below average work because it’s the price you have to pay to get to excellent work.

If you’re anything like me, you hate creating something that isn’t excellent. It’s easy to start judging your work and convince yourself to not share something, not publish something, and not ship something because “this isn’t good enough yet.”

But the alternative is even worse: if you don’t have a schedule forcing you to deliver, then it’s really easy to avoid doing the work at all. The only way to be consistent enough to make a masterpiece is to give yourself permission to create junk along the way.

Goals without schedule are just dreams

Any goal that you have, working out, starting a business, creating art, or building most habits needs a system that would get you there. The schedule is the system that makes your goals a reality.

If you don’t set a schedule for yourself, then your only option is to rely on motivation. Motivation is a very fragile element and therefore I always say that goals without a system and schedule are just dreams.

If your workout doesn’t have a time when it usually occurs, then each day you’ll wake up thinking, “I hope I feel motivated to exercise today.”

If your business doesn’t have a system for marketing, then you’ll show up at work crossing your fingers that you’ll find a way to get the word out (in addition to everything else you have to do).

If you didn’t block time to write every week, then you’ll find yourself saying things like, “I just need to find the willpower to do it.”

Stop waiting for motivation or inspiration to strike you and set a schedule for your habits.

This is the difference between professionals and amateurs. Professionals set a schedule and stick to it. Amateurs wait until they feel inspired or motivated.

Now I’m curious….

What daily routines do you have that got you to your success?

Share it with us in the comment box below – your tips, advice and experience when it comes to creating schedule for success

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a video from  “52 Ways for Balanced Life” about a tool that could help you create ritual and schedule on a daily basis

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



- LinkedIn connections
and blog readers...

Have a magical week! Vered

5 Lessons from Apple

If I’ll ask you to name a company that it’s marketing and branding are the BEST and that you wished you knew how they do it, what name would be the first one that would come up in your mind?

If your answer was Apple – BINGO!

Apple is probably the most revered and most successful company today in the world. Their own customers are doing their marketing, and their branding is so strong that you don’t need to see their logo in order to recognize that it is an Apple product.

Wouldn’t you want something similar happening to your products and services?

When you realize this, there is only one question that needs to come up in your mind, which is… HOW DO THEY DO IT?

I’ve always believed that success leaves clues and if one person, one company managed to do something, all you need to do is find out HOW they did it and create your own success.

So when I came across an interview with Allison Johnson (an amazing woman), former Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Communication, I listened to every single word she said with full attention.

To my surprise I found out that the two words that the genius behind Apple (Steve Jobs) hated the most were… Branding and Marketing!

However, when I listened even closer I was cheering, as the reasons for him to hate those words were principles I’ve been saying about business for years.

So here are a few lessons we can learn about business from the Apple:

1. Business is all about human psychology.

If you want to be successful in business you need to understand human psychology and what triggers people.

How much do you invest in getting to know what your target audience thinks, feels and struggles with?

2. Advertisement and commercials are dead.

In the old economy, advertisements were the key for success. However in the New Economy advertisements and commercials are associated with “fake” “artificial” and even “fraud”.

In the New Economy people want to see authenticity and real human connection not over-the-top, hype promises.

Do you allow your audience to see YOU as a person or are you hiding behind the “professional” look?

3. People associate Branding with Advertisement.

People associated brands with television advertising and commercials and artificial things. The most important thing today is people’s relationship to the product.

Therefore if you focus on the branding, you are neglecting the important element. Focus on the relationship of the client with your product and service.

4. Marketing = Adding Value

Most companies treat marketing as a way to pre-sell their clients on their products and services. Most business owners do not know the difference between selling and marketing.

Marketing is only good when you add VALUE to your market. Any time that you are not adding value to your target audience you are selling them on something, which in human psychology (see point 1) is an act that most people resent.

Adding value means that you are EDUCATING your audience about your product and/or services. It means helping them to get the maximum out of it so they could be more successful or happier. If you are not doing that – you are selling to them and not marketing to them.

Have a look at what you are doing – are you adding value to your clients?

STOP… just a second… that doesn’t make sense Vered… isn’t marketing what Apple does best? How can you say that you shouldn’t do marketing when they are the BEST in it?

5. Marketing Campaigns = Education

If you read carefully the above principle the focus is on EDUCATION. When you want to roll out a new product or service you first need to look at it as a campaign not a promotion.

Campaign means: “series of promotions leading to a desired outcome”. The desired outcome should be educating your audience, not selling to them.

Your whole focus in your campaigns needs to be how can you communicate effectively to your audience and educate them on how great their experience will be when they use the new product or service.

You need to know what is the motivation behind this new service or product, how would it serve best your audience and what added value would it add to them that they have not had yet.

You need to find a way to WOW them in your communication and educate them on the results that they would get when they use this product or service.

Have a look at your marketing communication; are you working in campaigns or in just promotions? Do you educate them or do you just give information?

Now I’m curious….

What lessons from the above can you implement in your business?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience on what worked for you when it comes to marketing

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



- LinkedIn connections
and blog readers...

Have a magical week! Vered

Social Media is all about PEOPLE

Last week my beloved partner, Nisandeh, had his 46th birthday. As many of you know, by now, he chose to celebrate it by going around the streets of Amsterdam and giving 46 gifts to total strangers.

It was a marvelous experience in getting to see how humans connect. It was a wonderful demonstration of how quickly we can connect to strangers and turn suspicious minds into trusting and becoming friends.

For me it was also a great lesson in business. You see, at the center of any relationship, business and life are human beings.

When you remember that you’ll stop expecting business results by only focusing on the tools. The heart of social media are people, human beings.

People buy from people. Humans buy from other human beings. It is human beings who are reading your blog content, tweets. It’s human beings who are watching your videos and liking your post on Facebook.

Social Media did not invent the need for human relationships in business; it was always there. The problem is that many of you are still looking for that shiny button that would make it all automatic for you.

Many of you are still wishing and dreaming that one day a nice shiny bright social tool is going to fall onto your lap and will give you an overnight brand success story.

Nothing is more further from the truth!

Get this straight – success is based on real investment in human beings and the rest comes easy. You must know them, care about them and help them achieve their goals.

It is not until you help your audience, ideal customer, community; solve their problems that you will solve yours.

Trust me, there is no other way around it.

You may be able to buy short-lived fame and fortune. However, it will only be short lived and is not sustainable.

The brands that will win in the end are the ones who invest in communities and the human beings within them, in a real and authentic way, period.

Here is what I found out from my outing with Nisandeh going through the streets of Amsterdam handing out gifts to strangers:

In Real Life people talk, listen, share, complain, cry, work, sing, laugh and make new friends. In real life people hang out in social circles. They talk and laugh with peeps that make them feel good.

Now they hang out online in social circles. Circles like Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

Guess what, online people also talk, listen, share, complain, cry work, sing, laugh, and make new friends.

Thanks to social media they can now talk, listen, share, complain, cry, work, sing, laugh, and make new friends without leaving their house.

Just like they do in real life. Guess what else…. Social media is real. It’s not fake. It’s real life.

The same thing that you do in real life, when you wish to connect with another person, you’ll need to do on social media.

You’ll need to be open,

You’ll need to be willing to share,

You’ll need to be able to give (first),

You’ll need to be willing to be vulnerable,

You’ll need to be willing to inspire others,

You’ll need to be fun to be with

You’ll need to be authentic and in the moment

You’ll need to be HUMAN!

After all, behind each avatar there are people who would like to talk, listen, share, complain, cry work, sing, laugh, and make new friends with YOU.

Find out where the people you want to talk to are hanging out. Just like you would do in real life.

Get to know them so you can have a real conversation with them.

And once you do that… you’ll have a success story to tell about social media.

Now I’m curious….

What lessons have you learned in making connections with strangers?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience when it comes to changing strangers into friends

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you my special report of “How to Do Social Media Without Losing Your Sanity”

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

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Have a magical week! Vered

You Are Worth It!

Have you ever had this feeling, that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you work, regardless of how many successes you achieve, there still something missing in your life?

A few years ago I realized that I was still trying to prove myself that I was SOMEBODY.

I was driving myself crazy in my attempts to be ‘Wonder-Woman’. Trying to be a successful

career woman, a passionate lover, a giving mother, an ideal daughter and the perfect friend

to everyone who asked for attention.

I ended up drained, almost burned out and ultimately… dissatisfied.

Do you recognize a similar pattern in your life? This is a sign of low self-esteem.

But how come you got to a place where your self-esteem is low?

It all begins one day, with your birth into the world.

Showered with love and affection, you are adored; appreciated and enjoyed…

Everything around you, indeed the whole universe, is simply an extension of yourself.

Although you were cranky when you were hungry, tired or wet, you made no negative judgments about yourself the way adolescents and adults do. You never cried about self-doubt, self-hate, or wanting to be popular.

As an infant, you still hold the idea that you’re the center of the universe.

When you enter the shopping mall – you don’t just want a toy – you want the whole toy store.

And then… 20-30-40 years later (after a few ‘failures’ and many statements such as “You can’t always get what you want…” or “Be nice and polite to everyone…” or “Girls have to be nice…” or “If you’ll behave yourself, tomorrow you can have one…”) … you visit someone for the first time.

They ask you a simple question: “would you like coffee or tea?”

And you answer: “oh, it doesn’t matter” or “what’s easier for you” or “no thanks, I’ve had coffee in the morning…”

As adults, we can choose the messages we accept or reject. No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. The building of a high self-esteem is a continuing process, not something that can be developed overnight.

From my experience of working with thousands of women, every woman has the capacity for a high self-esteem. The only question is, are you ready to make the commitment necessary to increase your self-esteem?

If your answer is yes, here are 7 steps to raise your self-esteem:

STEP 1

Stop comparing yourself with others and diminishing yourself with negative judgments.

You can’t develop high self-esteem if you repeat negative phrases about yourself and your abilities.

There will always be some people who have more than you and some who have less.

You are unique and your purpose is to express your uniqueness.

Who can do that better than you?

STEP 2

Avoid perfectionism. Perfectionism paralyzes you and keeps you from accomplishing your goals.

STEP 3

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. When you are surrounded by negative people who constantly put you down, your self-esteem is diminished.

STEP 4

Acknowledge yourself. Get yourself a beautiful booklet, and write in it every night, before going to sleep, 20 things you did well during the day. Big or small, doesn’t matter, as long as you allow yourself to feel acknowledged.

STEP 5

Get involved in the work and activities that inspire you. It’s hard to feel good about yourself if your days are spent in work you detest. Even if you cannot leave your present work situation immediately, you can still devote leisure time to hobbies and activities, which you find stimulating and enjoyable.

STEP 6

Solve problems. Don’t avoid problems, and don’t complain about them. Treat them as challenges and opportunities for growth.

STEP 7

Free yourself from “shoulds” and most important – Take action!

Live your life on the basis of what is possible for you and what feels right to you instead of what you or others think you “should” do.

Discover what you want and what you are good at and take actions designed to fulfill your potential.

You won’t develop high self-esteem if you sit on the sidelines and avoid challenges.

When you take action – regardless of the result – you feel better about yourself.

When you fail to move forward because of fear and anxiety, you create frustration and dissatisfaction within yourself

Now I’m curious….

What is your experience in raising your self-esteem?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience how to raise self-esteem

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a video from  ”52 Ways for Balanced Life” about a tool that could help you in raising your self-esteem on a daily basis

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



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Have a magical week! Vered

 

7 Lessons from Oscars Night About Social Media

Those of you who know me, know I’m a “movie freak”. I love the movies.

So Oscar night is one of my small indulgences I keep for myself. Although I do not watch TV for more than 20 years now, Oscar nights were always something that I would follow on the Internet (once the internet was born with LIVE streaming). Even when the airing is in an ungodly hours for us, humans, leaving in European time zones, I would still watch it.

This year I finally had a good proof how watching such an event can teach you a lot about… BUSINESS and not just Show Business (“There’s no business like show business…”)

I’m talking about the latest sensation on Social Media, the most tweeted “selfie” of all times.

Unless you are in the age group above 80 or were buried under a rock you didn’t hear about this sensation.

So just to keep you up to date here is that photo of the famous “selfie”. For those of you who are still in the dark – a “selfie”, is taking your own photo with your mobile phone (even the Pope does it…)

However, if you watched how Ellen DeGeneres made sure that her “selfi” in the Oscars would become the most re-tweeted “selfie” ever, you could learn a few important lessons about how to run your social media marketing.

So here are 7 lessons you can learn from Ellen:

1. ASK for what you want.

In life just like in marketing you need to ASK for what you want. Even the great Ellen had to ask people to Re-tweet what she is about to send on Twitter. No matter how big and famous you are, you still need to ASK the people to do what you want them to do. Don’t be shy and don’t expect them to know what you want them to do.

Next time ask them to retweet your next webinar or seminar or promotion. Just ask them and you might be surprised that they will reward you by doing just that.

2. Tell them WHY

It’s not enough to ask people to do something. You need to give them a WHY. Remember, all successful businesses start with a WHY. In the case of Ellen she just told people that her WHY is that she wants it to be the most re-tweeted “selfie” in history. That’s a good reason on it’s own.

Wanting to break a world record, to make a difference, to make a change. People love joining good causes.

So next time when you ask people to re-tweet your webinar promotion think what is your why behind it and tell them your goal. It might be as simple as: “ My goal with this webinar is to empower businesswomen to step forward and create leadership in their business and community, please RT!””

3. Include an image.

In the world of social media – image rules. It’s just that simple. People love to click on images and SHARE them. Think what images do you put out there that would trigger people to share them.

4. Use hashtags.

#Hashtags are used to group a community or people talking about the same topic together. She made it easy for people to find the tweet. Be consistent with your hashtags and your tribe will find you too! Check #BalancedBusinessWomen

5. A strong network is essential.

You don’t have to have a big network or community of followers as Ellen has, but you need to have a STRONG relationship. She has built up her Twitter following for a long time and it paid off. Her network gave her the Re-tweet when she needed it.

Lesson: Keep building your network. It is golden. It doesn’t have to be only on Tweeter.

When it comes to social media, the strength of your relationship with your network will define your success. Make sure you build a long-term relationship with your audience.

6. The Only Time you have is NOW.

The whole power of the social network and social media is “Being in the NOW”. That’s the beauty of it in a nutshell. People are there NOW and ready to connect. Don’t wait for tomorrow for today’s news. Ellen cleverly tweeted while people were using Twitter at that moment.

Make sure you know when your audience is online – this is what all Google Analytics and Facebook insights section will give you a lot of information on the times that your audience is watching and listening to you.

7. Engage.

I think anyone watching what happened; will admit Ellen DeGeneres was ENGAGING. She was making everyone feel like they were part of her inner circle, made it fun, and people were willing to participate.

The only way to create and build your relationship with your audience is when you engage with them. It’s not enough just to post a photo or a quote, you need to interact with the responds you get and acknowledge them for sharing or commenting.

Make it into a dialog and a conversation. This is how you would build a strong network.

Now I’m curious….

What lessons have you learned doing your Social Media?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience when it comes to social media

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a video from  ”Mistakes Women Make in Business” seminar

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



- LinkedIn connections
and blog readers...

Have a magical week! Vered

10 Tips for Better Negotiation Skills

They say that in life you get what you deserve, but in business you get what you… negotiate for.

If this saying is true – HOW ARE YOUR NEGOTIATIONS SKILLS?

Research shows that most men would look at negotiation as a game while women would look at it as going to the dentist for a root canal operation. Guess who has higher rates of success in negotiation?

Obviously when you treat negotiation as a painful process you would do your utmost to avoid it. But when your business is depended on it you are playing a losing game when you are not willing to negotiate.

You need to understand that everybody needs to negotiate from time to time; at work, at home, as a leader, as a sales person, and as a consumer. Therefore you need to view the process of negotiation not as a source of conflict but a place for cooperation.

The number 1 rule for all successful negotiations is – it has to be a Win-Win solution for BOTH sides. When you have this mindset you are ready to start improving you negotiation skills.

Here are 10 tips to improve your negotiation skills:

1. Ask for what you want

The biggest mistake you can make is not negotiating. Don’t look at the situation in terms of decisions you have to make, but as opportunities to negotiate. The last thing you want to have is an attitude of either accepting the offer or turning it down.

You need to understand that almost everything is negotiable, therefore you better ask for what you want!

2. Negotiate for yourself as if you were negotiating for someone else.

I realize that relationships are important for you and therefore you might take things personally.

However, if you come into the negotiation with a mindset that you are doing it for someone else you’ll find it easier even when turned down and will not see it as a personal rejection.

Remember negotiations are NEVER personal issue!

3. Become a good listener

This is your strong point, use it to your advantage. Women are great listeners and negotiators are like detectives. They ask probing questions and then remain silent. The other person will tell you everything you need to know – all you have to do is listen.

You can become an effective listener by allowing the other person to do most of the talking. Follow the 70/30 Rule – listen 70 percent of the time, and talk only 30 percent of the time. Encourage the other person to talk by asking lots of open-ended questions – questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”

4. Focus on the other side’s needs, not yours.

Remember that the aim of every negotiation is a Win-Win solution. You need to come to the table KNOWING that you are going to get what you want. Your job is to find out what are the other person’s needs.

When you focus on your own needs, you miss the big picture. Instead, successful negotiators ask, “What are the REAL needs of the other side in this negotiation?” When you do it you will feel more powerful recognizing the reasons for the other side for the deal and being able to find solutions to it.

5. Master the details, but be flexible.

Preparation often enables women to get the respect they need to negotiate on a level playing field with men. But don’t get so stuck in the details that you lose sight of your ultimate goal. Just because you know something doesn’t mean everyone needs to know it.

6. Don’t make the first move

The best way to find out what are the other side objectives is to encourage them to open first. They may ask for less than you think. If you open first, you may give away more than is necessary.

7. Be patient

This is very difficult especially when you are not used to negotiation and all you want is to get over that stage. Whoever is more flexible about time has the advantage. Your patience can be the key to your success, especially if they other side is in a hurry.

8. Be willing to say “No”.

“No” is the most powerful word in negotiating, but many women have difficulty saying it. They want to keep everyone happy, to avoid conflict, to be liked, and to please. To be a good negotiator, you must be able to say no with firmness and credibility.

Always be willing to walk away – Never negotiate without options. If you depend too much on the positive outcome of a negotiation, you lose your ability to say “No”.

9. Don’t be afraid to break the rules.

In negotiating, there are no rules unless all the parties agree on them. You do not have to play by someone else’s rules when you negotiate. You can create the rules. Make sure you do not make assumptions that could go against you. Be willing to question EVERYTHING!

10. Lighten up

Humor is used when you negotiate not just to get a laugh, but also to ease the tension.

Women often think they won’t be taken seriously if they joke around, but most women run a bigger risk of being perceived as humorless.

Remember that sometimes it pays to laugh, even when a joke isn’t particularly funny. If you look at the negotiation as a game you can start having fun with it.

Now I’m curious….

What would be the negotiation skills would you need to master?

Share it with us in the comment box below - your tips, advice and experience when it comes to negotiation

As a thank-you gift for your comment I will send you a video from  ”Mistakes Women Make in Business” seminar

If you find this article inspiring, please SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn or retweet it, by pushing the button on the left, for the right channel, so more women could benefit from it.

Please share this article with your:



- LinkedIn connections
and blog readers...

Have a magical week! Vered