There Are Times When I Don’t Want to Write

Posted on June 4, 2017 by MarleneMB

The commitment I made to write everyday for 100 days, consecutively, is not always easy to do. There are days like this one that I don’t feel the creative juices flowing. My muses are all still sleeping.

But I get out of the bed, put on my workout clothes (workout is now one of my rewards for writing) and sit in front of the laptop (okay the Chromebook)! Then, I let the thoughts flow, like these, of exactly what is roaming about in my pretty little head…one of my brothers have said that I have a peanut head…guess that is little enough.

Writing for at least 15-30 minutes shouldn’t be so daunting. Yet, the times like this one, are like riding that mountain bike up that last hill before you get to the finish line. You have to decide whether to quit at this moment, or do you just push on through the pain to get across that goal line.

Here I am pushing through the fog. Did I tell you that there are fogs floating in my brain? How can a peanut head have fog? I don’t know, but it seems I do. Thank goodness there is a cure for this: Caffeine!

The will to write can be strengthened by just writing. The thing that motivates me is that I’m not writing for myself. The message that is inside of me (screaming to get out} is meant to be shared with others. My message may help someone else.

So it is with your message. If you don’t feel like writing, or you doubt what you write will be good enough…write anyway. Write in the mindset that it’s not for you.

Write about a problem that you encountered and how you solved it. Write about love. Remember, love conquers all. Write about arguing with yourself about buying that pair of shoes. Okay, maybe that was me arguing with myself about the shoes. Recovering addict here.

The point is, just sit and write. Just maybe, maybe you will surprise yourself with the outcome.

Now to reward myself with 30 minutes of workout. Happy writing.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. Marlene is the owner of Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Keynote Speaker, an Author and a Business Consultant.

Be Your Own Valentine – Love Your Mind

Posted on February 14, 2017 by MarleneMB

Today is recognized globally as the day of love, Valentine’s Day. It is great that we recognize and appreciate that we love others. But what about loving ourselves. You can’t truly love until you love yourself.

As an entrepreneur, it is easy to get lost in the hustle, to grind till you drop. But at what cost? I’m guilty of that. In fact, I’ve been accused many times of being a workaholic! Sadly, it’s true. I’m learning to dial back a bit without the fear of losing my edge.

One thing I’ve learned is that I have to love myself more. That means allowing myself time to rest, exercise and feed my mind. Making the time to get all this done while still doing the things I need to get done for my clients is a challenge. So I have learned to maximize my time, effectively.

This is where Audible comes in. I invested in the monthly subscription for Audible. As much as I love to read, I don’t always have the time to stop and read. Audible app provides me the opportunity to listen to a book while I am driving, exercising, waiting for an appointment or cooking. Now I’m hooked on listening to professional and personal development books.

Often, I listen to three books at different times throughout the week. Currently, I’m listening to The Power of Broke by Daymond John (Shark Tank) and Daniel Paisner. The stories that they share about other entrepreneurs are both inspirational and informative.

The book provide tips that I can use in my business, especially for controlling my budget while making a pivotal change in direction. It also gives me a feeling of “I’ve got this!”

While listening to some of the Audible books, I have uttered “Yeah!” or “Amen!” on the treadmill at the gym. Needless to say, I’ve gotten some “what’s with her” looks.

What’s the bottom line? Making the time to enrich yourself mentality will help your grind game. Take the time to Be Your Own Valentine and Love Your Mind!

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Want Revenue Growth? Make Them Happy: Superior Customer Service

Posted on October 12, 2015 by MarleneMB

Drained and hungry after a flight from Florida Philadelphia, Dawnna St. Louisand I decided to get something to eat at one of the airport restaurants. :We decided to eat at Legal Sea Foods. I ordered soup and salad. When: the server, Edwin, brought our food I noticed that the salad did not have cranberries. I really thought cranberries will add a nice flavor to the salad.

I asked Edwin if they had cranberries. He said he would check. It was about 6-8 minutes before he reappeared with the cranberries. Pleasantly surprised, I told him I thought that they didn’t have it, because it took a while for him to get back. Edwin said: “We don’t. I went around to the Chinese restaurant to get them. I knew they have them.”

Wow! Dawnna and I were so impressed by this. Edwin could have simply said: “No, we don’t have them,” and continue on with his day. But he didn’t. Edwin provided superior customer service by going out of his way to give me with what I wanted. You know that earned him a great tip.

Now, you may say that this was not so significant. It was a small gesture and he was doing it for tips. For me, it was a big gesture. One that left me with a great impression not only of Edwin but of Legal Seafood. I will definitely visit the establishment again.

Edwin’s actions is a great example of the way customer service will win you new clients. As an entrepreneur, you cannot discount the value of providing your clients with the best customer service that you can. Here are some tips I gathered from my experience with Edwin:

Listen to your clients: Take the time to hear what challenges your client is facing, or what he or she wants. When people know that you are truly listening to them, they know you care. Therefore, they are more apt to do business with you.
No shouldn’t be the first answer: Before you say “No,” think of the issue your client is experiencing or what they want. Is there a solution that you can provide that will not cost you a lot of money, time and significant effort to provide it? By providing the solution, does it bring greater dividend in the long run? If so, go ahead and deliver it.
Let them know what you did: This one may not feel right to everyone, but I learned early in my corporate career that sometimes you have to do this. How will they know that you care enough to give them this special service, if you don’t tell them? It is similar to telling your manager what you did to deserve a raise or a promotion.
Don’t discount the Power of Great Customer Service: More than likely you have experienced good and bad customer service. Lately, it seems that the latter occurs more often than the former. Ensure that your company is delivery customer service that your clients are willing to tell people about it and recommend your company.
Provide the proper customer service training: Lack of proper customer service training for your employees can kill your business. I have seen it often enough. You may save money up front by not paying for training, but you will lose much more if your staff doesn’t know how to provide your clients with good customer service.

Lesson learned: Superior Customer Service = Happy Clients = Revenue Growth.

Upon leaving the restaurant, I asked Edwin if the restaurant had a Tweeter account. I told him I wanted to send out a tweet about how impressed I was by his service. He said he didn’t know if they did, but he was so happy I was pleased with his service. He raised his hands above his head, pumped his fists and chanted: “Edwin, Edwin, Edwin.” Dawnna and I had no choice but to laugh. Edwin’s gesture made me feel that I had truly entered the City of Brotherly Love. What a great way to start our business trip on a hight note.

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Speaker, an Author and a Business Coach.

Mission Accomplished – Networking for A Bold, Audacious, Powerful Woman

Posted on August 10, 2015 by MarleneMB

The phone rang and I glanced over to see who was interrupting my busy day. It was Dawnna St. Louis, one of my mentors. I happily took her call because she always has nuggets of wisdom to share. This time it was different. It was a business offer.

Dawnna asked if I wanted to go with her to New Orleans to the Promotional Products Association International Women Leadership Conference. She was the closing keynote speaker. She wanted me to network for her during the conference. I would intermingle with the attendees, share information about Dawnna, and collect information that the attendees want to learn. Our mission was to secure at least two solid speaking engagements for Dawnna after the conference.

Of course I said “Yes.” Someone is going to fly me out to New Orleans, pay for my hotel, air and for what I love doing: networking and meeting new people? Absolutely, I was going.

The first night of the conference we attended the welcoming cocktail party. While Dawnna chatted with one of the other speakers, I floated around to meet the women. These women were quite friendly and welcomed me into their circle. I told them that I worked with Dawnna and she wanted to know what it is that they wanted to learn at the conference. Dawnna’s desired to ensure she delivered the most impactful speech and teach them “The Audacious Acts of Powerful Women Leaders,” her keynote speech title.

The workshops and networking sessions started on Monday and concluded on Wednesday with Dawnna’s keynote speech. Throughout that time, I mingled with the attendees. As I learned about the women’s interests and career concerns, I shared the information with Dawnna. She incorporated this information in her speech to make it more effective for the audience. I also told the women they shouldn’t miss Dawnna’s speech. She would be sharing valuable tips for them to be more successful in their industry. I informed these women that Dawnna was one of my mentors that have given me the confidence to start and grow my business.

By the time Dawnna to take the stage, the women’s expectation and curiosity had grown. Dawnna entered the room with a lot of energy, boldness and music playing to engage the audience. She threw out a challenge for four of them to get up on stage; if they thought they were audacious enough. The room exploded with excitement. The women rushed to the stage. I was in position to allow only four of them on stage. These women overcame whatever shyness they had and performed whatever acts Dawnna asked of them up on that stage. Here is an image of them having fun and the audience laughing along with them.

Next Dawnna shared her powerful story about going from being homeless to being the CIO of a multi-million-dollar company. She shared the challenges she faced in a male-dominated industry. This story resonated with the audience. Next she taught them how they can use audacious acts to become powerful women leaders in their careers. Finally, she concluded with questions from the audience that gave them an opportunity to get answers to burning questions they had. The event was a great success!

Here are things I learned from networking for Dawnna:

Care about what the audience needs/wants and not what you think they want to know.
Take the time to get to know them by listening more and talking less.
Be open and genuine when you approach them, you will be accepted more readily.
Offer to be of assistance to the event organizer. This goes a long way in getting access to your audience.
It is not about you, the networker, it is about the person your are networking for and his/her audience.
Perform your best for your client by going the extra mile.

The organizer requested that Dawnna and I attend the final dinner party in order for the women to speak with Dawnna in an informal setting. At the event, some of the women chatted with Dawnna while I got testimonials from the others on a cell phone. They were too happy to share that they thought Dawnna was the best speaker at the conference. They also told Dawnna what I great job I did for her. Our goal was to secure two new speaking engagements after the conference. We secured five! Mission Accomplished!

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Guard Your Time Wisely – 5 Reasons Why Using an Agenda is Powerful

Posted on February 13, 2015 by MarleneMB

© [www.emotin-flash.de] / Dollar Photo Club

“Is it possible for us to meet sometimes next week? I am changing my business direction and I would like your advice on my plans.” This was the call I got from a former colleague. I said: “sure.” I believe in not charging for my first consultation session with anyone. Thus I agreed to meet with her to see how I may assist her.

When the former colleague and I met, she went around in circles about this new business direction. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. I shared some information with her while trying to figure out what was the true objective of the meeting. Finally, I told her that I had to meet my obligations to my current clients and walked her out to her vehicle.

Before her departure, she turned to me and said: “I know you are very busy and your time is limited, but I hope I am able to show you the value of my product. I didn’t get the chance to demonstrate it to you.” It immediately clicked in my head that this was her true objective. It wasn’t that she wanted my advice; she wanted to sell me her product!

As you can imagine, I was a bit annoyed that she approached it in such a deceptive way (in my opinion). I would have appreciated that she was more direct about her true intent. I probably would have listened to her pitch in the first place. Instead she wasted her time and mine.

My fellow business owners guard your time wisely. Ask for an agenda prior to meeting with someone that wishes to conduct business with you. Provide an agenda; if you are the one leading the meeting. Here are five reasons why using an agenda is powerful:

1) Clearly Defines Meeting Objective: When you put an agenda together for a meeting, it is wise to state the purpose of the meeting. I generally put that in the overview section of the agenda. It is the first item I list. This reduces any confusion the meeting attendees may have about the reason for the meeting.

2) Keeps the Meeting On Track: It is so easy for a meeting to spiral out of control and run overtime when you don’t have an agenda. People may agree upon the objective of the meeting, but someone may go off on a tangent that veers the meeting in a different direction. This often results in the objective not being met.

3) Respects People’s Time: Time is precious. If you are a business owner, you may realize that times flies quickly. The day is done in flash. Providing an agenda for your meeting shows the folks attending that you value their time. It also helps the meeting time to be utilized more effectively.

4) Uncovers Any Open/New Item: The agenda should include a question and answer period to ensure that all undisclosed items are discussed. You will find that an open/new item section helps to reduce conducting multiple meetings about the same thing. Generally, clearing the air by using the open discussion segment brings everyone to the same understanding.

5) Schedule Follow Up Meetings or Discussions: It is not often that one closes a deal on the first meeting. Usually a one-meeting close occurs during a commoditized product and/or service sale. For the most part, larger or more complex sales take more than one meeting. If you are just doing business with the person for the first time, you often find that you have to build a relationship with you clients in order to close these types of deals. Putting “Follow-up” on the agenda makes it easier for everyone to coordinate his/her schedule immediately in ordet to set a date for the next conversation.

There are more great reasons for incorporating an agenda into your next meeting. These five methods are the ones that I use to better serve my clients an me. I also suggest that you send the agenda prior to your meeting. This will give the decision maker an opportunity to add necessary items or remove ones that are not relevant.

Again, guard your time wisely. Give your meeting Power. Try these tips when creating your meeting agendas. Let me know how they impact the effectiveness of your meetings. Have a Happy Meeting!

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