Forget Me Not – Julie’s memoirs

Day 8 – Destination Website – The Decision

Day 8 – Destination Website – The Decision

Destination Website – The Decision and now for the changes

After my last post (see here), I revisited www.publishmystoires.com and view it as a visitor.  I want this website to be a destination website, and I feel that it’s more about me.  About my skills at writing my memoirs, about what I do and the skills I have.  It may not be about my potential clients and could be more of a lecture.  The website is a sales tool that yells, look at me.  As opposed to, so, you want to write your memoirs, well this is what you need to do.  My blog www.forgetmenot.publishmystories.com is the place to tell people about me.

There is a theory that you should give away all your content for free as a good business.  If people want to use your services, they will judge you on your knowledge.  If you are giving your information away for free, you demonstrate you know your services.  You are showing your clients that you are open and honest.  My website is transparent, my prices are visible, and I tell my clients what I do. 

Destination Website

However, I don’t think I give away much information to my clients for free.  When speaking with me, clients tell me I can overload them with ideas and suggestions.  My passion for their memoirs needs to slow down and get one or two tasks completed before moving on.

My clients tell me that my passion is infectious.

Publishing and helping people write their memoirs is a passion for me.  It is so important that we don’t lose the life lessons.  We should pass these lessons on to the next generation.  The government also agrees with me.  How often have you heard a politician say that ‘lessons have been learnt!’ this is all I am doing, helping people pass on lessons.

I know that sometimes my communication style is very middle class.  Very 1950s, prim and proper.  Please understand, I am not ashamed of being middle class because I am middle class and proud of it.  Being middle class is not a dirty word. It is not an embarrassment.  It just is.  I want my communications to reflect my personality.  I want my business to reflect my passion.

Family Feedback

My brother, looking cool on Bournemouth Pier

I asked my brother to watch one video I created (day two). I thought I came off well and was open, friendly, and relaxed.  My brother disagreed and thought I was stiff, reserved, and nervous.  It’s so interesting that what you think you have said is not what other people hear or see.  Paul (my brother) wants my personality to come across in the videos. He knows me well. He understands my passion and is very supportive of my www.publishmystories.com.  I now need to revisit my video recordings style. 

It’s not that straightforward

YouTube and matching my blog posts is all a learning curve for me.  I know that at the beginning of my video monologues, I will make mistakes.  There will be improvements, changes, and experiments.  Having a destination website and YouTube channel is one of my marketing strategies.  I need to get it right.  I also know that what I write in the blog has to be similar to YouTube.  These subtle changes are hard to balance, and I think I may overthink the situation. 

Maybe I need to look at the camera as one of my clients, stay focused and discuss the post with suggestions.  Added to this, I need to add keywords and phrases in the narrative so Google will find the post.  The posts then must pass Yoast’s SEO rules and a few other tools that I use.  Finally, the post URL is to be to several social media outlets.

What I learnt about writing my memoirs

  1. My videos are not showing my personality and passion for my clients
  2. Marketing is about the client and not my skills within the business.  My expertise is a given. That is why I am in business 
  3. Giving away free material is a valid marketing strategy.  If a client works with you, they know and understand your expectations

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 7 – Is your business a destination business?

Day 7 – Is your business a destination business?

A Destination Business?

Is your business a destination business?  Or is it a I need business and don’t care who you are as long as you can sort out my issue?  Alternatively it could be a luxury business that would be used occasionally by those with money to spare?  It’s a tricky question to answer. My business is a need now business, but I want it to be a destination business.

I went to IKEA today, and this must be one of the most successful destination businesses there are. When you go to IKEA, it’s more of an experience. Indeed, some of my friends tell me how they enjoy going to IKEA to have the ‘IKEA experience’.

The IKEA Experience

The Ikea experience involves arriving at IKEA at about 10.30 or 11 am, going directly to the café and having meatballs, chips, and a coffee and then walking around the shop for a few hours getting ideas and discussing the rooms created by IKEA.  After shopping, they return to the restaurant for something to eat on the way out.  They plan to spend at least five hours just walking around and looking for bargains. Indeed, IKEA is a destination business.

(The perfect business waiting area from IKEA)

Destination Business with writing my memoirs
Destination Business with writing my memoirs
IKEA – Bedroom
Destination Business with writing my memoirs
Bedroom – IKea

Destination Business with writing my memoirs
IKEA – Dressing Room

Destination businesses can also be online, for example, Amazon, eBay, and YouTube.  These websites understand their customer’s needs.  They offer the services quickly, efficiently and without complications.  We know they will deliver, and we trust that the information from these sites will be accurate, informative, and valuable.  

What makes a destination business?

Make sure you understand your customers’ needs (or how you will solve the ‘pain’ they are currently in) and what it is they are after.  Leverage your products in a way that your customers understand what it is your offering.  How can you make your products or services vital to your customers? For example, if I say I am a solicitor and leave it at that.  Will my customer know what services I offer?  We know different solicitors provide different services—for example, Contract law v Criminal Law.  If I said, I am a contract solicitor. You understand with certainty which part of the law they work. 

Add an Upsell

Add an upsell – something your customers didn’t think they wanted until you showed them how important or valuable it would be for them.  Going back to IKEA, if you popped in for a few candles, how likely are you to browse the store and pick up a few other odds and ends.  I could never go into IKEA without spending at least £60.  Did I need the items before I went into IKEA? No?  Did I know the things existed before I went into IKEA? Not only did I not know they existed, but I didn’t know I wanted them. 

My website is www.publishmystoires.com.  In the title, it states that I publish stories.  Within that heading, there are sections for writing memoirs, publishing fiction and poems.  My blog www.forgetmenot.publishmystories.com is all about writing my memoirs and letting people know that writing memoirs are easy once you understand your topic.  Therefore, I clearly state that I can transcribe manuscripts ready for publishing. 

How to upsell on a website?

Upselling has been standard on a website for many years. It starts with you giving your email address for a free eBook or something else just as enjoyable.  Then at check out, you see other items that may be of interest.  You will even a notice of how many people have bought that item today.  Confirming that your decision was wise and other people agree with you.

My upsell is letting my authors know I can arrange for their books to be published.  I can also create a simple website for them and help them start their marketing plan if needed.

Getting customers to trust you and your services

Getting customers to trust and respect you is not as easy as it sounds.  You must provide flawless service.  Have superb customer services and aftercare.  The product has to be outstanding, and you need to be as passionate about your customer as they are.  The customer needs to feel that they are the only person you are looking after.  To be blunt, you want them to come back time after time and tell everyone about your reasonable service.  Testimonials, customer feedback, and surveys are so important.

What I learnt about writing my memoirs

  1. Customers will support and spend money on a destination business
  2. Understanding your customer’s needs and easing ‘their pain’ has to be the target for any entrepreneur
  3. A thriving destination business is the responsibility of the owner and customer.  Customers will vote with their feet or credit card.

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 6 – WALKING AWAY WHEN NOT WRITING IN YOUR VOICE

Day 6 – WALKING AWAY WHEN NOT WRITING IN YOUR VOICE

Writing in your voice is so crucial to your writing style. I know this as I had lost mine; if I am honest, this is not the original blog post I was going to post today.  I had spent the last three hours writing a post and researching wearing a dressing gown outside the home.  The reason for this was that I opened my curtains today and noticed a woman walking her dog.  She was wearing a pink terry-towelling dressing gown and flip-flops.  My entire article was about social norms and values, our individual freedoms and being judgemental.  It was more like an essay or lecture.  So my three hours have resulted in no blog post and me starting afresh. 

Deciding if you should walk away from a task can be daunting.  You need to evaluate several factors.  How much time is this costing you?  Should you spend your time on more cost-effective tasks?  Is there someone cheaper and more experienced that can do the job instead of you?  After careful consideration of the above philosophy. I am going to walk away from the previous three hours of research.  The post will be marked down as an experience to stay focused in the future.  It turned out to be a vanity blog post to say, look at me, don’t I know many long words. 

Deciding if you should walk away from a task can be daunting.  You need to evaluate several factors.  How much time is this costing you?  Should you spend your time on more cost-effective tasks?  Is there someone cheaper and more experienced that can do the job instead of you?  After careful consideration of the above philosophy. I am going to walk away from the previous three hours of research.  The post will be marked down as an experience to stay focused in the future.  It turned out to be a vanity blog post to say, look at me, don’t I know many long words.

I don’t want to write my memoirs using words that are not from my mouth. Words need to resonate with me, as they are so important.  My style of writing is straightforward, to the point, and I think easy to read.  Using a voice that is not mine is not part of me writing my memoirs or www.forgetmenot.publishmystoires.com.

Writing in your voice

Writing in your voice is so important; it will convey more to the reader about you than you will realise.  You tell your reader your truth in your words, and it is you being genuine when writing your memoirs.  It is very much the tone you use, the words, the way you describe something.  When writing your memoirs, you have the control.

So, I stopped writing my last post.  It was a good essay if I was at university, but I don’t want to write in that style.  Writing my memoirs in this business blog is about me.  I do not wish to lecture or get on my high horse and tell you how to think.  I would prefer you get to know me and my style, know Publish My Stories, and writing memoirs is fun.

What I learnt about writing my memoirs

  1. I need to stay focused on my primary goal and not go off on a tangent
  2. Have the courage to walk away from a business deal or activity if it isn’t working
  3. I have found my voice in my blog and my business.

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 5 – Opportunity Knocks – “Writing my Memoirs” or something Else!

Day 5 – Opportunity Knocks – “Writing my Memoirs” or something Else!

Opportunity Knocks – Writing my Memoirs or previous skills?

Opportunities to promote yourself and your business can arise at any moment. If anyone tells me they are about to start “writing my memoirs” is a blatant chance. In that case, I know there is an opportunity for us to work together. If you can see that opportunity, grab it with both hands and don’t let go. 

It may sound strange, but you could miss an opportunity if you don’t recognise it right away.  Alternatively, if you don’t know about the possibility of the chance, then you will miss it.  For example, I was at a networking meeting a few weeks ago when one delegate asked if anybody would like to become a trustee of a charity he ran.  In the past, I have been a town councillor and deputy mayor and volunteered in my local community.  I’m a firm believer that everybody should give something back to the community.  I raised my hand and expressed an interest in more information.

As it transpires, I knew the person who set the charity up. I’d worked with him at a previous company.  The charity helps people learn to swim, prevents drowning, and raises money for awareness.  The first meeting was on 4 August, for all potential trustees to understand more about the charity.  I stated that I’m still interested and am looking forward to finding out more about the organisation. 

Back to my old job – Writing Minutes, not Writing my Memoirs

Five Five minutes into the meeting, the chair asked if I would mind taking the meeting minutes.  I hadn’t been elected as a trustee yet, but I said yes as I knew the chair, and he knew my previous skills.  I then introduce myself to the other trustees from all over the world.  During my introduction, I explained what I did by helping people write memoirs and getting their stories into print. I expressed my passion for writing memoirs and listening to family history.  In the meeting, there was someone from the British Space Agency and Canadian Charity Worker.  If I hadn’t said yes to being interested in being a trustee, there is no way that I would have had the opportunity to meet these people.

I’m now looking forward to spending more time getting to know my fellow trustees. Finding out more about them and their business and hoping that they will promote me and my passion for publishing memoirs.  Opportunity seems to knock in the strangest of places and at the strangest of times!  We just need to make sure that our eyes are open, and our ears are listening. Then we can grab those opportunities with both hands.  You never know what may happen or who you will meet.

The Charity – SwimTayka

SwimTayka, is a charity that promote water safety, swimming skills and clean water stewardship to children in developing nations.

What I learnt from this

  1. Opportunities are out there. You need to recognise them when they arise and when they do grab it with both hands.
  2. Any skills you had from a previous job will always come in useful.
  3. Past contacts and work colleagues are a great referral and opportunity generator. 

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion

Day 4 – Listening Skills for Entrepreneurs

Day 4 – Listening Skills for Entrepreneurs

Listening Skills for Entrepreneurs

We all think we can listen; we believe we understand what the speaker in front of us, or on the telephone is asking us to do, but this is not always the case.  How many times in your work have you heard the statement “Oh, sorry, I didn’t understand what you wanted me to do” or “you told me to do X”.  It is more common than you would think. This is because we are not listening or understanding what the speaker is telling us.  This could be because they are not describing it in a way that resonates with you.  Maybe the terminology they are using is unfamiliar or that they are describing it in a way that is not congruent with your listening/learning modalities (Kinaesthetic, audio, or visual).

One of my clients called and asked if I would do a task for them.  I told them I would in about 10 minutes, as I had to finish something else.  They appeared happy with that outcome.  6 minutes later, they called back to see if I had done the task.  I repeated back to them I had a task to finish and that their task would be next on my list.  Again, they were happy with that outcome.  On the third call I changed my tactic and told them it would be done by ‘close of play that day’.  On this occasion they replied they were happy with that and apologised for calling me so many times. They were in the middle of cooking and their mind was elsewhere.

There are in fact three main types of listening skills we all use daily.

Passive Listening – half listening to a conversation and not understating what is being said and in what context

Reflective Listening – listening to the speaker and repeating back what you have heard in your own words to demonstrate you understand the speaker.  (Fantastic for entrepreneurs when dealing with clients to ensure you get the right information to provide a quote and continued services)

Active Listening – When you are paying attention to the speaker and giving them your undivided attention.

Think about your role at work. How much of your day are you communicating (listening, speaking, reading, or writing)? Each job is different, and the time we spend communicating can also vary from day to day.

Listening for Answers

The ability to listen is an important skill. Listening allows you to understand what the speaker is asking of you. It shows that you’re interested in what the speaker has to say.

We all experience common listening problems.

  • Our attention wanders
  • We miss the point
  • Our emotions interfere
  • We interrupt before the speaker has stopped speaking
  • Thinking ahead and missing what’s being said now

Responding to Feelings

The content (the words spoken) is one thing, but how people feel gives full value to the message. Responding to the speaker’s feelings adds an extra dimension of listening. Are they disgusted and angry or in love and excited? Perhaps they are ambivalent! These are all feelings that you can reply to in your part of the conversation.

Reading Cues

Listening means we are also very conscious of the non-verbal aspects of the conversation.

  • What are the speaker’s facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture telling us?
  • Is their voice loud or shaky?
  • Are they stressing certain points?
  • Are they mumbling or having difficulty finding the words they want to say?

When you are listening to someone, these techniques will show a speaker that you are paying attention.

Physical indicators include making eye contact, nodding your head from time to time, and leaning into the conversation.

You can also give verbal cues or use phrases such as “Uh-huh,” “Go on,” and “Then what?”

You can use questions for clarification or summarising statements for example:

  • “Do you mean they were charging £4.00 for just a cup of coffee?”
  • “So, after you got a cab, got to the store, and found the right salesclerk, what happened then?”

Tips for Becoming a Better Listener

  • Decide to listen – Look at the person speaking to you. Give them your undivided attention.
  • Don’t interrupt – Make it a habit to let the speaker finish what they are saying.
  • Make eye contact with the speaker. Don’t let your eyes wander.
  • Make notes on important conversation.
  • Ask questions throughout the conversation.

Learning Points

  1. There are three types of listening skills, passive, reflective and active listening
  2. If you do not understand what is being said, ask the person to repeat it back to you differently or use reflective listening to confirm their requests
  3. Backup your conversations with an email, letter or quotation so you can manage expectations from both

Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts

Day 21 – An Expert
Day 25 – Bullying is Slow
Day 29 – Bullied Health
Day 22 – Fire a Client
Day 26 – Management
Day 30 – Survival
Day 23 – A Dilemma
Day 27 – Accused
Day 31 – I Made It
Day 24 – Sold
Day 28 – Promotion