I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who’s come over from the Laura Roeder blog. It was such an honor to write a guest post for one of our favorite sites.

We’ve been writing about social media for several years, so there’s quite a bit of reading here. Therefore, I thought I’d share some of my favorite posts with you, as a little “Getting Started Guide” to our site.

These posts talk about the basics of internet marketing:

Three Quesition To Choose An Internet Business Niche

Inbound Marketing: Getting Your Customers To Call You

How To Choose Your Small Business Marketing Channel

Here are some posts to start out learning about social media:

Social Media Strategy: Presence

Social Media Strategy: Engagement

Social Media Strategy: Relationships

How To Choose A Good Online Profile Photo

How To Appear Like A Real Human In Your Business

Again, thank you so much for stopping by. I’d like to invite you to become part of the tribe and get private invites to webinars and other special social media trainings. So go sign up here.

We’ve got some amazing stuff coming in the next few weeks.

~ Joel

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

*Photo by .scarlet.

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This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey. Find out more about Samantha below.

The world of business zooms by us like a NASCAR racer going for the win. It’s quick, and, if you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss intricate details. Listening effectively is critical not only for your audience, but for your benefit as well. When you present yourself as an effective listener, you are able to better understand the wants, needs, and workings of your clientele, business partners, audience, and associates.

So, what makes one an effective listener? The two ears, one mouth ratio.

Speak less, listen more. Sounds easy, however, effective listening takes a genuine effort. It may appear profound to fathom the idea of talking less, but when doing so it enables you to listen in a manner that helps you interpret what you are hearing in a more effective way. For example, if a potential client is telling you about their recent experience with a business coach who ignored their emails, didn’t answer pertinent questions, and neglected their requests; these are signals telling you what your client sees as important when working with a professional. If you are listening effectively, you will be notating these points and beginning to prepare a response that assures your potential client they are in great hands working with you. You address their concerns and offer ways to demonstrate how you will make them feel comfortable under your care. If you are not listening effectively, you are most likely checking your Blackberry, thinking about the day’s agenda, and eager to end the call so you can forward them an invoice. Notice the difference…it’s incredible and can affect your business success.

Listen to Understand

When you take on the mentality that you want to listen to understand, you are opening yourself up to engaging more with your audience. You are now present with them and, this can help you zoom in on important details that may have been overlooked otherwise. These details can often be so intricate that, when not effectively listening, you’d skim right over them. However, those are often the details that can make or break a business deal, future partnership, or new client signing on to work with you.

The idea of the two ears one mouth ratio is to demonstrate that we have twice as much listening capability as we do speaking. Therefore, it is in our best interest to exercise this capability so we can better our business practices and grow our empires.

Here are a few helpful tips for listening effectively:

1. Prepare and seek to understand – Begin with a clear mind, eliminating all other distractions, (Blackberry, crowded room, checking emails, driving, etc) before beginning your call/meeting. Start with the intent to listen with a mindset that says you are focused on your audience and what they are verbally relaying to you.
2. Hold your response – So often we already have in our minds what we want to say in response, that we aren’t listening to our audience because we are so eager to speak. Give yourself the chance to fully engage with your audience before responding. Hear them out before you reply. You may surprise yourself by finding that the original response you were thinking of is different based on what you are now hearing.
3. Hold judgments/analyzing – It’s easy to already have a judgment of your audience before you finish your call/meeting. Sometimes, you may find yourself already mentally predicting their response. Try to keep these thoughts at bay until you have completed your conversation, then return to review your initial judgments/analyzations. You may find your initial findings conflict with your current findings.
4. Utilize note taking and/or a recording device – It’s wonderful to feel like we can remember every detail of every conversation we have. Save yourself the time and challenge of having to do this through utilizing note taking or a recording device for your calls/meetings. Both methods will help you stay organized, retain important information, and will keep pertinent ideas fresh in your mind. If you find you are more of a visual person, take advantage of the note taking. If you are more audio driven, grab a recording device.
5. Paraphrasing – Paraphrasing is taking what you have heard and using your own words to convey what you feel you’ve heard and understood. It’s a way of summarizing the conversation in words you feel comfortable using. Practicing this also helps you to recall important conversation points and show your audience you were engaged in the conversation. In addition, it supports you as it verbally helps you to continue to understand and interpret the conversation you are engaged in.

Effective listening is an ongoing, important part of business practice. Let the tips above help guide you through effective listening methods that will continue to benefit you and your audience.

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by ky_olsen

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Having a dynamic team working with you is an incredible, powerful force which will only continue to benefit your business.  Sure, it is great to feel independently successful; to look up at your office building overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with an immaculate interior design, and a client roster so impressive Tony Robbins would be wowed and say,” That was all me!”

Yet, when having the dynamics of a team in place to help you reach and exceed your goals, you can propel your success forward in ways you wouldn’t have thought.

It begins here:  Formulating Your Power Group – creating a group of individuals you feel comfortable, inspired by, and ready to reach new levels with.  Let’s discuss the formula to building such a dynamic group:

Like Minded, Motivated, and Headed Forward

Creating your Power Group will be most beneficial when you find people who match your commitment, energy, vision, goals, and overall practice.

You may feel it best to have a Power Group of people from many different industries or backgrounds to bounce ideas, plans, and projects off of.  Bringing diversity to your Power Group can also help to gather perspectives that may have not been presented to you before.  Ideally, you want your Power Group to have the same vision for moving forward in business and to match your motivation.  This will also help you to stay on track towards your accomplishments and allow you to help your team achieve theirs as well.

Feels like Family

In my professional experience, I have found myself to be most successful when building solid relationships with those in my Power Group.  This is due to my Power Group being a group of individuals who, on top of having the same overall goals, motivations, and energy, are also helpful, supportive, and encouraging.  These are people I look to in moments of challenge for guidance, for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  You may find this  to be beneficial for you, too.

Also, I feel safe with this group of individuals as I trust their opinions, advice, and input.  Considering these points when formulating your Power Group can also help you to feel energized knowing you have a group of people who want to see you succeed, are rooting for you, and are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

Brainstorming and Challenge

Another great point about Team Dynamics and formulating your Power Group is not only the availability to brainstorm with one another, but also in challenging one another to reach the next level.  This is where matching each other’s energy in the group is incredible.  When all parties involved share motivation, the group’s energy becomes unstoppable.

Having your Power Group as a resource for bouncing around new thoughts and ideas, while also challenging one another, can lead to even more opportunities than you originally created.  This allows new ideas to form, new ways of breaking boundaries to generate, and creating new successes for you and your team to benefit from.

Accountability

Your Power Group is also great for creating an agenda, dividing it amongst equal parties, and creating accountability structures to ensure you are on track.  For example, you may be the Sales and Marketing expert on your team and have created a Marketing Plan.  This plan may require the design of a website for your clientele; therefore, you bring a Graphic Designer on board.  You may also look to a professional to handle your Accounting, and an Assistant to handle your daily calendaring, emails, trips, etc.

Or, in another example, you may have a Power Group that consists of people who you meet with once a week via conference call to cover a topic of discussion the group had agreed to the week before.  Therefore, every week covers a specific topic/agenda of focus and each member equally participates on the call, and with discussing the given topic.

Team Dynamics in the form of a Power Group = empowerment, progress, productivity, and comradeship.  It is a win-win situation for all parties involved and will only add to your incredible victories as a professional.

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by wishymom

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“You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.” – Harry Firestone

Being a successful person doesn’t revolve around money or commodities. It doesn’t even involve great accomplishments on the job or in your personal life. True success and leadership are developed when you take your relationships to the next level, serving others and committing to their success.

You read that correctly.

If you are bent on growing others, you will invest in growing yourself. This is one of the most critical and influential laws of leadership. And, the best part is the social media is specifically designed to help you master this principle.

Developing Others 101

We all play a part in the lives of many different people every day. Whether you’re a boss or a janitor, husband or brother, church leader or Girl Scout mom, you have influence in the lives of others every single day. However, most of us never harness this potential, at least not for good.

Whenever we think about people influencing others, we immediately assume it’s a bad thing. We think that one person is “playing” another and that someone is always getting the short end of the stick. Developing a person is certainly the opposite of taking advantage of someone.

When you are influencing someone to help them, you have their best interests in mind. You are giving your all–your mind, your attitude, and your experiences–to help them have a successful life. As you begin to develop someone, you grow closer to them and become a more significant part of their life. Once you have played your part in their life, they will most certainly reciprocate and help you when you need it. It’s simple; helping others helps yourself.

Social Media and Developing Others

The Internet is the perfect place to begin developing others in order to help you both grow. The advancement of peer-to-peer networking (P2P) has made this leadership principle easier than ever. Websites such as Twitter and Facebook connect you to others and provide you with the means of interacting, which is the fundamental key to developing others.

In order to properly influence and develop others so that you will also benefit, you need to be helpful and understanding in your interactions. Let’s dive into what this could look like…

• Make it a point to routinely connect with others for the sole purpose of developing a friendship. If you have hundreds of friend, connections, or followers, schedule time each day or week to reach out to someone and grow that relationship. Use a quick email, Facebook message, or DM to let them know you’re there.
• Not every attempt at communication is going to bud into a happy-go-lucky relationship so make sure you don’t neglect the people you’re currently close with. These people don’t plan to go anywhere; don’t give them a reason to leave.
• Connect with like-minded people through groups and fan pages. This is going to be critical because you are most likely to continue conversation with someone if you know you have something in common. In a group or fan page, you know what the common thread is and you can use it accordingly to generate conversation.
• Don’t be overly pushy or set on helping every person you contact. It’s not going to happen and don’t force it you don’t see a reciprocated interest. That person may still come around in their due time; don’t destroy that potential connection right now.

Action Steps

Here are three action steps for you to complete today or this week:

• Create a short list of people, maybe five or six, that you will contact to start growing your relationship. Don’t pick the most wealthy people or the most popular. Instead, pick the people who you will connect with the most.
• Determine your best mode of contact. Will you use a Facebook message? A DM? Will you just pick up the phone and call? Try to determine the best way for the other person to chat and use that method.
• Contact someone and begin to develop others. Take a chance and do it! You will begin to reap the benefits shortly…

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by svilen001

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“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

When things are going great, it seems as if you’re on top of the world. Nothing can hold you back and you can’t seem to do anything wrong. Your confidence is high and your ability to focus is hawk-like. You are leading your people in an extraordinary way, giving them what they want and need to be successful. You are crushing your goals and nothing is out of order. You’re truly the king or queen of the world.

Then something goes wrong and it all falls apart. You fall apart. Your team breaks down and the progress you’ve just made no longer exists.

What do you do?

Tough Times Make You Who You Are

When your world has seemingly come to an end, you need to step up to the plate and become a great leader. Leading when things are great doesn’t really show your character. Sure, it allows for you to exhibit qualities that show you’re a team player but none that make you a concrete leader. When things take a turn for the worse, everyone turns to you for advice, guidance, and navigation. Hard times require you to be decisive, encouraging, and humble–three great qualities of an expert leader.

In Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title, he talks about this concept, stating, “It’s the most uncomfortable of conditions that can be the crucible that forges the best leaders.” Without a doubt, it’s time for you to stop playing the victim during change and be the catalyst to make great things happen.

How Does This Apply to Social Media?

We’ve all been there: someone decides to take a shot at your or your business, they get attention, and you’re expected to respond. You’re expected to engage in a war of words with this person or business because they just talked negatively about your business. Human desire tells us to keep up the fighting because we can’t lose our dignity.

Don’t.

Instead, be an authentic leader and speak respectfully about your competition. Make promises to your customers that you will give them the best service possibly. Kill the competition with kindness and with a respect that leaves them wondering what is happening.

How you react during heated moments, the times when things fall apart for you, is what will make and shape your business and clientele.

As a rule, don’t…

• Blast your competition on Facebook or Twitter. No one wants to hear (or read) a war of words via the Internet. Plus, it only shows that you stoop just as low as the other players in your niche.
• React to claims about your company. Instead, respond with authenticity and honesty. If you messed up and someone found out, own it. It will show you are in it for the long run instead of trying to scam others.
• Complain on Twitter or Facebook. If your competition releases a new product, don’t complain that they stole your idea. It will only get you in trouble.
• Deny change. Embrace it. Every business changes and when things begin to take a different shape, it’s the people who respond well that get considered for promotions and big customer contracts later.

Action Steps

Here are a few action steps in order to begin leading in difficult times:

• Think about what recent changes your business has gone through. How can you overcome adversity and lead through change?
• Begin to show “props” and kudos to your fans on Facebook and Twitter. This will show that you’re authentic and appreciate them. When the going gets tough, they’ll run to you and support you.
• Start responding to crisis situations versus reacting to them. Keep your calm and your cool in order to be the better person in the long run.
• Share this article with your network via your favorite social media website.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by bjearwicke

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This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey.

The word “image” circulates around the planet like a breath of air, clinging to each of us, and illustrating to the world who we feel we are. Without consideration towards our image, the opportunities in business we desire will breeze right past us, zooming in on those who have created an image of integrity, class, and respect.

Clients come to me at times and question why they are not generating any new business. They are extremely knowledgeable in their fields, have a great product/service, and are using strong marketing strategies. Many times, I find they are just simply missing key points to presenting a reputable image, and through my consulting work we work to help them fine tune those areas of opportunity.

Here are helpful, key areas to review and consider for your professional image:

Online presence – With the internet providing mainstream communication, it is a place to boost your image and to lay a foundation which identifies you as professional, poised, and full of integrity. Create a profile within your networking sites that will outline your area of expertise. List your skills, talents, and specific focus. Look at your website background. Is it clean? What message does it deliver? What message do you want to deliver? Be careful with photos. Photos instantly create a label.

Sure, it would feel great if people knew the real you, but they are going off of what they see online, especially at first glance. For example, if you want to be viewed as professional, do not post photos which are extremely revealing or incredibly casual.  Even if you are in a profession where you are promoting your appearance, you can post photos which highlight your best features and still represent you as respectable.

Wardrobe – We are judged on our wardrobe, whether we realize it or not. Have you ever walked into a business meeting and noticed a young woman in an extremely low cut blouse and short skirt or, a young man in jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt? Or, how about when going to the grocery store you see someone walking around in their pajamas? What were your initial thoughts? As much as we all want to be respected for who we are inside, our image is our personal billboard. So, how we dress indicates how others portray us.

Of course, we dress to occasion. When attending an event we may be in semi-formal attire, and when meeting friends for lunch, we may be in casual attire. Yet, in business scenarios, professional attire commands a respect. It says to the world that we are composed and polished. So, take a look at your wardrobe. Does it tell the story that you want? Does it appear misleading in any way? Is it too revealing, too casual, too formal?

Language – How we speak, write, and communicate also labels us. If you are the CEO of your company, and are tweeting something along the lines of, “Dats coo, hit me up later,” what do you feel your audience perceives? Or, if promoting your material and the headline says, “Nu Muzik!” what are you telling readers about you? This is a critical point to consider.

Many times we don’t even think twice about what we say, we just want to get the word out. Just remember, how you communicate is up to you. How others perceive you is also up to you. If you want to be viewed as intelligent, your communication needs to follow suit. If you want to be viewed as an Executive, your communication needs to follow suit. Think carefully about what you are saying, writing, or texting before you deliver.

Overall Conduct – Whether at an event, online, or in a meeting, conduct represents your image. Too often we don’t think about this in detail. It can help our image or harm it. For example, when we’re online in social networking sites, we have every opportunity to empower our image. If we are sharing personal information, we need to be aware of what we’re saying, and decide if it’s appropriate for the world to see. Remember, the Internet is the World Wide Web and everyone is watching.

If we’re at an event and we are networking, yet are drinking in excess and are not thinking clearly, this will impact how others perceive us in such situations. If we are scheduled for a meeting, yet show up 20 minutes late, are dressed casually, and are unprepared, those meeting with us are casting judgment. Thus, overall conduct reflects every aspect of our image.

Another aspect of conduct is how we respect others. As a professional, you have the opportunity to engage with people of many backgrounds, walks of life, and experiences. If you are shunning someone because they are not famous, or because they are not as educated as you are, or because they are male and you only want to do business with women, this will affect your overall image in ways that you may have not considered.

For example, if you are a consultant seeking to assist others, yet are speaking of others negatively, what does this say about your business? If you are a doctor, yet are not fully reviewing your patients’ charts and looking for every possible way to help them, what does this say about your practice? Consider respecting all walks of life, even if they are not pertinent to what you are looking to do. You never know who knows who, and the one person that you’d least expect to be relevant to your business, could be the one person who holds the key to you opening new doors of opportunity.

Your Image is Your Personal Billboard.

You deserve to be appreciated for the professional you are, so make your billboard shine! The world awaits!

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by cr55

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“Success, both in business and personally, is something that’s consciously created.” – Robin Sharma, The Leader Who Had No Title

Today’s culture revolves around titles and accolades, accomplishments and scoring the best accounts. We see celebrities praised for blockbuster movies and athletes remembered for show-stopping plays. Society is obsessed with achieving greatness and spending the most money.

“Leaders” are no different. Those in management tend to think that fancy cars and corner offices are the life. Dinners purchased with company credit cards and international business meetings give off impressions of leadership and success.

But true leadership involves nothing mentioned above. In fact, no one needs a title, or fancy car or wads of money, to be a leader. They just need passion, determination, and a commitment to make the world a better place.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be sharing with you how to manage your social media campaign like a true leader. The concepts in the series will be pulled from Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title. You need no title to be a great leader. You don’t need to be chief social media marketer or manager of the IT department. If you are determined to change the lives of others, this is for you.

You and your social media campaigns can have an impact on the world; you just need to unlock your inner leader.

The Title Conundrum

Our culture is obsessed with titles. The person with the best or highest ranking title is usually considered the “winner” and will get praise solely the few words that follow their name. However, titles undoubtedly lead to trouble. When a person is given a high ranking title, they put themselves above everyone else. Instead of being the leader they are called to be, the employee walks around like a king or queen, expecting everyone else to wait on them. All of this because of a title.

Leading without a title means that you put away the notions that one person is better than another and you work to benefit others. You are humble in your daily work routine. Instead of serving yourself, you serve others. Your vision of the world is not clouded by thoughts of self; instead, you think about how you can help the world.

No Title = No Limits

One of the first objections people normally have to the leading without a title concept is the perception that if you have no title, you won’t get the glory and money and benefits of the “titled” positions. This is not the case. In fact, it’s about the furthest from the truth that you can get.

If you are good at what you do, people will notice. If you continue to be good at what you do, people will praise you. If you consistently go above and beyond in the workplace, you will receive accolades that will make others jealous. Your determination means and willingness to help others will set you apart from even the people who have the big titles. Do you know why?

You are committed to making the world a better place, which is something that most corner office residents don’t even think about.

When you have no title, there are no limits on what you can do.

Leading Without A Title in Social Media

Now that you have an idea as to how you can begin to unleash the true leader within you, let’s focus on how you can apply the leader without a title principles to social media and marketing.

First, put your customers and clients before your business needs. Want to impress your clientele? Bend over backwards to serve them. Bring them customer service like they’ve never seen. As Seth Godin states in Linchpin, “Customers…crave the unique, the remarkable, and the human.” Deliver them something that they can’t get from another company–above and beyond loyalty to their needs.

Next, offer your help and expertise to those who want to learn. You are a knowledge base full wonderful thoughts and ideas. Don’t hold them inside; instead, share them with the people in your industry who need them the most. Ideas are copyrighted. Be diligent in serving others because they will return the favor when you need it the most.

Finally, put your new and innovative ideas into motion. Have you figured out an easy and simple method for creating customer Facebook pages of Twitter backgrounds? How about an easy to use program that notifies you whenever someone mentions you on Twitter or writes on your fan page wall? If you have a great idea for process improvement or making your industry thrive, go for it. As a leader without a title, you’re more concerned about the well-being of the world itself than just yourself. Share your resources, ideas, and passions with others.

Action Items

It’s time for you to begin leading without a title and having a greater impact on the the world. Here are a few action items for you to do today:

• List three ways that you can serve your current customer base. How can you “wow” them? What needs could you meet that you aren’t addressing right now?
• Join a LinkedIn Group or message board in order to help people in an area where you are strong. Good with Macs? Join the Apple users group. Really good with web programming? See if you can help solve some code problems on a forum.
• Tease out one idea you’ve been holding inside for a long time. What do you need to do to set it in motion? Whatever it is, do it.

As always, please share this article on the social networking site of your choice. Also, if you haven’t connected with us on Facebook or LinkedIn yet, come join us.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by pnijhuis

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Greetings Folk Media family! Here is another Power Topic from the “Ammo for Your Arsenal” Business Series. This article, “You Believe; They Buy,” is covering the essential steps to ensure you are well prepared to present your product/service to your audience and boost your results.

When you have made a purchase, one that you love, how passionate was the person about their product you bought from? Or, how about when you have chosen a Real Estate agent? Interior Designer? Lawyer? Did they appear enthusiastic, confident, energetic, and excited about their product/service? Chances are if you bought/hired them/etc, they were.

Having conviction and full force belief in your product/service is the way towards increased profits, incredible sales, and a thriving empire. People want to feel the passion you have for your business. They want to hear in your voice, and witness in your expression, the love you feel for your product/service. Many consumers begin their product/service search with speculation and suspicion. Some feel nervous about spending money, others may feel unsure of the necessity of the item of interest, and some may need to feel confident in their choice and you can help them through your guidance. It starts with you! If you believe, they will buy.

So, it sounds simple, right? It starts with preparation. Being prepared before you present, pitch, and articulate will help you bring in more clientele as your confidence will undoubtedly skyrocket, leaving your audience feeling thrilled to partake in your product/services. What steps can be taken to ensure you are confident in your product/service and have unwavering faith that your audience is making the smartest choice buying from you, hiring you, etc. versus choosing a competitor?

Here are 5 helpful steps to empower your presentation:

Research – Know your product, know your service, and know every intricate detail! There can never be too much research or education within your business. Learn about what you are offering your audience, research every angle, understand the lingo, and be incredibly knowledgeable that you are able to overcome any objection and answer any question you are given. Knowing, is half the battle.

Reach out to Mentors/Colleagues – Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. Don’t be! Ask away! Ask those you have seen succeed in your field the questions you need in order to follow the suit of success. Ask your colleagues to hear your pitch, listen to your presentation, and brainstorm with you new ideas. Ask your mentors to sit down with you and review your business plans for your product/service. This is priceless information you can obtain and these people are there for your resource! Ask and you shall receive.

Compare/Contrast – It’s important to review what others in your field are doing and compare your product/services to theirs. What about your business sets you apart from your competition? What makes your business incredibly unique? Why would consumers feel they made the best choice purchasing from you/hiring you/etc? Comparing and contrasting your business to others goes along with point 1–research. This will allow you to gauge where you may want to consider improving, revamping, or updating your current offerings. In addition, when you are informed as to how others in your field are performing, you can utilize this knowledge to help you fine tune your presentation to shine above the rest. After all, you are amazing; it’s time to let your audience feel the same way about your business and your product/service!

Practice Your Pitch – Practice, practice, practice! This is essential as it will help you smooth out your process, catch any errors, and perfect your presentation. I consistently am practicing as I find it helps me to feel more certain of my presentation and, it also helps bring new thoughts/ideas my way to work with as well. Take the time to practice every piece of your presentation, pitch, etc. before you begin engaging with your audience. Think about this: when some of the world’s greatest public speakers, who are experts in their field, entertain an audience of 20,000+ people, rest assured, they have practiced. Even if you feel you have the presentation down pat and can recite it in your sleep, practice! This step will only benefit you from utilizing it.

Passion – This step is one that, through your research, preparation, and practice, will seep out of your pores as you find yourself excited about your product/service. The more you know, the more you will be eager to share your business with others. You will find yourself full of energy and adrenaline, ready to conquer the world and share your amazing product/service with your audience. It is an incredible feeling and will help you catapult forward in your business! If you currently are in a position where you are lacking passion, think about the positive attributes of your job now and what steps you will need to take to reach a career that is evident of you living your passion. Passion is like fire; once it is ignited, it will reach everywhere! This is an amazing thing! Believe in yourself, believe in your product/service, prepare yourself, and you will be unstoppable!

These steps are designed to help you continue to leverage your business forward, regardless of what product/service you have to offer. Focus on your goal, stick to it, and take the time to be prepared. Quality counts and you want to be a showstopper when you are representing your brand. Utilizing the above steps will assist you with empowering your product/service delivery. The more you believe in the worth of your produce or service and are assured of your business, confidence will radiate from you. Your audience will feel your belief in your business and will be there ready, with money in hand! ?

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by

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This post is written by guest author Samantha Casey.

Greetings Folk Media family! I feel honored to be guest blogging for you and sharing with you my business series, “Ammo for Your Arsenal.” This series is designed to bring you empowering advice, tips, and tools that will help you in your day to day business as Professionals. Whether you are the CEO or are just beginning in the business world, this series will provide information which will be useful in all arenas. This Power Topic covers the art of Less Promise, Greater Delivery. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery…”

What exactly does that mean? It’s a short phrase yet, encompasses the formula to your success.  For business professionals, regardless of the industry we are in, or position we hold within the company, the critical element to our lifeline is the ability to satisfy our clientele/audience/fanbase. Without them, we don’t exist. We want to provide every essential necessity to ensure they return to us for their services because they Trust and Believe in our business. We want to build relationships; lasting relationships with people who feel they know us, can relate to us, and are comfortable with us as their service provider.

Let’s break this down a little further. Each half is the ammo you will need to continue growing your business, clientele base, and retaining those you already have loyal to you.

Less Promise: aka “Under Promise”

This is where many find themselves in hot water. It is easy to meet a potential client, business colleague, future investment partner, etc and find yourself promising them the moon, stars, sun, and every planet in existence. If you are capable of delivering that, yes, do it! However, it is much more wise to under promise what you will be offering, and wowing your audience when you exceed their expectations by light years. Err on the side of caution here. Confidence is key in how you present yourself and it is very easy to get caught up in wanting to impress your audience, with the result of promising more than you can follow through on, because you are so determined to bring these guys onboard. You can do that without delivering false expectations and your impression will be one that is deemed respectable. This relates to something as simple as when you state you will forward an email or as to when you commit to a project deadline. You want to create commitments which are realistic for your business model and are sure to be honored. Your word is one people will NOT forget–keep it simple; whether in an email or verbally spoken, your word is a contract of its own.

Greater Delivery: aka “Over Delivering”

Over delivering is simply exceeding the expectation you have set forth from what was originally promised to your audience. This is where you have promised a Honda, but have delivered a Bentley. You have committed to a delivery and have executed that delivery by means which are far beyond what your client was originally asking of you.

If you are a Graphic Designer, perhaps you promised your clientele a finished website in two weeks, but have delivered the final product in one. If you are a Recording Artist, perhaps you promised your fans a chat session on Twitter, but have gone live on UStream to interact instead. Over delivering can be appreciated in simple ways but the key to this is: you have delivered MORE than you had committed to. Your audience will thank you, your clients will trust you, and your image will be noteworthy as one filled with integrity. It is critical that your delivery is greater than what you have promised your audience. When you come through, your audience will be awed. Your clients and colleagues will remember this…and this is how you WANT to be remembered! You want to get in there and consistently build a solid reputation!

The Quickest Way To Destroy Yourself

As I know you are aware, the business world is full of many people who cut corners, are dishonest, and talk fast in order to earn a quick buck. Don’t place yourself into that mold due to not keeping your commitments; once in there, you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get out! Your image will be destroyed. In the long run, more will be coming out of your pocket to salvage all that you have lost along the way therefore; taking the easy road is one that will detour before you reach the road of success. So, steer clear of that mold. Promise what you know you are capable of delivering, and take the time, even a moment, to commit to take it a step further by delivering more. Less promise, greater delivery.

The road to success begins with committing, and following through. Ultimately, this ammo will give you the essential tool to build your credibility and reputation as sound, reliable, and one that is focused on ensuring your clientele/audience/fanbase is satisfied. You do not want to tarnish your word. Negativity spreads like wildfire and it is much easier to be labeled with a sour image than it is to retain a credible one.

Keeping Your Commitments = Keeping Your Business

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery”

Make this your business mantra! Repeat it, use it, and follow it. It is your blueprint to creating a phenomenal and triumphant empire.

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by LarryLens

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We all want it–the opportunity to give less to a task or progress and to see results that can only come if we give 110%. No one would mind giving less sweat or hard work every now and then and still seeing the results unchanged.

What you think might be a delusional fantasy can actually be a reality, including when you’re working on your various social media marketing tactics. Yes, you can give less effort with the results, and profit, remaining unchanged.

It’s easy–get a team.

“Teamwork can make the dream work.” – John Maxwell

How many times have you thought that doing your job, and the job of everyone else, was too tough. In reality it probably is but that doesn’t mean you need to shoulder all of the burden.

When it comes to producing high quality results, the efforts of individuals are futile. The real action comes with teams of cohesive and highly functional people who are set on achieving a goal.

Charles Lindbergh didn’t fly across the Atlantic on his own; he had countless hours of consulting and navigators who showed him the way. Michael Jordan could never have been the greatest basketball player to set foot on an NBA court if he didn’t surround himself with team players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson.

Believe it or not, your success as the social media manager of a big business or Twitter account manager of a mom-and-pop grocery store hinges on working with a team of people who are dedicated to striving for success.

Your dreams and the goals of the company depend on teamwork.

Dissecting the Fundamentals of Teamwork

When working on a team, there are a few things that need to happen in order to spark success. Two, three, or eight people can’t just wear shirts with the same logo and call themselves a team. Critical changes need to take place before success starts pouring in.

Ego Adjustment – All members of the team must adjust their egos in order to work well with one another. A humble approach to every situation is a great quality of a team. If a member of a team feels more entitled than the other members, nothing good can come of working together. You can’t expect to hand off a Twitter or Facebook task and think that the person needs to do it your way. That’s not how it works. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the team and the end goal.

Free Thinking Environment – One of the best aspects of working on a team is the fact that nothing is off limits. No idea is stupid and everyone goes. Some of the best ideas come when nothing is ruled out. When working on a team, you must be open to new ideas and ideas that might now sound good at first. Have you written off SEO or Google Analytics? Don’t. Not a big fan of Twitter? Don’t exclude it from your ideas. No member of the team can judge another based on an idea because the ultimate purpose of the team is to achieve success, not cut others down.

Shared Workload – One of the primary reasons teams don’t work is because of an unequal distribution of work. In a team environment, one person cannot do more than the others. This will generate feelings of bitterness and resentment, which will poison the team. Don’t overburden others when you’re reaching out to them for help with social media management. If you’re the team lead, make sure that you shoulder most of the tasks.

Higher Desire – The most critical aspect of working in a team is the mentality of every individual. Each person needs to know that they are working toward a greater good or goal and not for personal gain. Yes, personal gain may be a result of working well in a team environment, such as a promotion, but it isn’t the sole reason for joining together with others. Everyone must be clear on your goals and dreams for your social media campaign and they must work toward that each day or you’ll be coming up empty.

Dispelling Your Doubts

Working with teams can create a lot of doubt. Heck, even setting up teams can cause tension, fear, and anxiety for everyone involved. You might even be thinking to yourself, “Eric, my company doesn’t have the resources to put more than one person on the social media team. We’re just not that big.” Sure, your company may not be able to assign anyone else the duty of managing Twitter and Facebook but that shouldn’t stop you from forming a team.

People fear teams because people fear open communication. With teams you need to be honest and you need to work together in a timely manner to produce a desired product or achieve a goal. This requires good communication and people fear communicating. Although communication can be scary, the end result is worth the effort. Remember, think big picture, not “me” picture.

If your company is like most, they don’t have the resources to have a big social media marketing team. They don’t need one. Instead, pull from the resources and connections you have already established. Do you maintain a blog? Could someone else write a post every other week to free you up to do something else? Do you schedule tweets in HootSuite or TweetDeck? Could someone else create the document of all the tweet you’ll send and you can put them in the application? Simple, little tasks can help facilitate a team. Not every member needs a title. If someone else can do something for you, they are part of your team.

Today’s Action Steps

Teamwork is the only way to success. History shows us that nothing great is ever accomplished by one person; instead, a team is needed to pull everything together and produce excellent results. To get you started on forming or managing your social media team, here are some action steps:

- Brainstorm at least 10 ways that other people in your business can help you manage your social media profiles more effectively? Start by thinking of their talents and areas or interest and then move to the skills they want to develop.
- Reach out to one person on your list and see if they’d be willing to partner with you in your efforts. Stay excited and see where the conversation goes.
- Pick up a copy of John Maxwell’s Teamwork 101. It’s a powerful read for anyone who is on a team or leading a team.
- Share this article with other people who can begin to produce the same results, or even better, with less effort.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on teamwork and hear any success stories or tips you may have. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by lumaxart

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