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Look in the MirrorTake a moment to step outside yourself. Now, be honest with me here? If you could be your own boss, how would you rate your own performance in the last three months? Would you get a raise, a day off as a treat, or would a big and brawny security guy kindly escort you to the parking lot? In order to be an effective marketer and a progressive human being for that matter, you have to take a breather and look in the mirror. What are you doing that's working and what can you do to improve? See what it is you are actually doing in all your busy days running from meeting to meeting, answering calls, or a zillion emails. Are you remembering your goals or your MISSION? Have you sat down and actually taken the time to write out your goals and your mission? I read somewhere once that you should give yourself a "Company Evaluation" every month to make note of your progress and see where you still need to tighten up your act. I made a similar format to the evaluation form used at one of my past jobs. I tried it on myself for a few months and it really helps you re-focus and remember what your overall VISION was in the first place. It also brings your strengths and weaknesses to the forefront! Try it out and rate yourself at the end of the month to see how you did. Here's an example of how to do it. List your responsibilities and objectives and rate each one. 1 being the worst and 5 being the best: Evaluation of The Sweet Tooth (Pastry company): - Make an income of $3,000+ with orders for June: 2 Pros: I did great with developing buzz, because of the press I received in the Daily News. Giving the editor free pies worked! Cons: I was late for two important meetings, because of poor time management. I like to write out the pros and cons of the overall performance as well. What did you do exceptionally well and why? What are the steps needed to make next months evaluation better? When you elaborate on your highs and lows?you can be your own coach to some extent. You can then set goals to make improvements instead of floating through each month with no direction. Having this on paper might help stop you from repeating the same destructive patterns. You might even want to get a folder or binder to keep them all in, so you can note your progress. Break It Down: _ Review your schedule a week in advance. (Sounds easy enough, but most of us rarely do this--even with Mr. Palm Pilot in our lives) _ Break up big projects up into baby steps. _ Delegate, Delegate, DELEGATE! There is always someone who can help you. Just master the art of picking the RIGHT person for the task. _ Set deadlines for every task, no matter how small. Okay?I'll admit that I'm good for thinking something is a very small project and "a piece a cake", until 10 of those small pieces of cake pile up and make a big mess! So, set a deadline for the small project and get it outta the way! _ Know your best times of day to work. (Are you a morning person or do you like burning the midnight oil?) _ AND my favorite that I'm just getting the hang of: LEARN HOW TO SAY NO! You can't please everybody. Alright now?go shine up that mirror, take a nice long look, and let me know if you see the same reflection next month. Hopefully, you'll see someone on a whole other level! I'll be waiting to hear from ya... Simone Kelly is author and founder of Gots To Have It, Marketing, a firm that specializes in marketing and empowering entrepreneurs with a series of workshops and networking events. Please view her company web sites here: http://www.gotstohaveit.com and http://www.giventakenetwork.org |  | | | RELATED ARTICLES Salary, Raises, & Perks: Negotiate to Get Paid What Youre Worth! Salary negotiation requires preparation and good timing. 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Those Dream Jobs Dont Just Happen, Theyre Created While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, "Nice work if you can get it." He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous "if you can get it" thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely "get" great work; they create it!Despite all the emphasis on growth in the "job sector" I am continually amazed at just how many fascinating alternatives there are to the whole 9-to-5 schtick. And just as traditional job seekers can't wait around for "Mr. Job" to knock on the door, people who want to do satisfying work ? and call their own shots ? need to be proactive as well. Francis Bacon defined a wise man as one who "makes more opportunities than he finds." Here's a couple of other wise entrepreneurs who made it by going for it.Sports-lover Don Shoenewald was just 18 when he went to the Philadelphia Eagles management wearing a homemade Eagle costume and asking for a mascot job. They weren't interested. Undaunted, Shoenewald kept showing up at Eagles football games. Pretty soon the fans adopted him as the unofficial (meaning, "unpaid") mascot. Thirteen paid team mascot jobs, four mascot character creations (including ones for the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks), and 18 years later, Shoenewald started Mascot Mania, the only professional training school for mascots in the world.Despite what your high school guidance counselor might have told you, showing up invited in a bird costume isn't the only route to self-employment. For Dan Zawacki it all began when he was working as a sales rep for Honeywell and decided to give away 120 live lobsters as gifts to his customers. Dan was so bowled over by the response that he decided to open a small side business shipping live lobsters complete with pot, crackers, butter and bibs to crustacean-lovers from coast-to-coast. That is until his boss heard him pitching Lobster Gram, Inc. on a local radio station and promptly fired him.In the beginning, Dan worked out of his bedroom, storing his lobsters in a used tank in his father's garage. His first year he netted only $4,000. Ten years later, his company sells about 9,000 lobster packages a year for $99 plus shipping. All and all, not a bad tale.If you dream of making the transition from employee to self-bosser, the first thing you need to do is belief that you can. Then, the next time you see some entrepreneur doing what they love, try thinking: "Nice work ? now, all I have to do is get it! Why Employers Want an Employee with a Degree You wake up in the morning, head to work, and find out your company is downsizing and you are being laid off. No big deal you think, you have experience, you've worked at the same company for years. You think companies will WANT to hire you. Guess what, your wrong. It's a new day and age, while you may potentially find work. It's a lot more difficult than you may think to get a job these days. Most reputable companies are looking for qualified people who also have an education. |
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