I admit it. I’m a bit of a black and white person. Figure it out, do what’s best, and move forward. “Moving on!” is a familiar refrain in my world.

So when we, as a family, decided it was time to sell our house and find a new one, I clipped along and got it done. Old house sold. New house bought. Packing. Moving. Planning.

Moving. On.

But what I didn’t count on in all my efficient trouncing forward was the emotional toll it would take on everyone around me. My children cried. A lot. My sweet, easy-going husband was wound tight as a drum and stomped around for several weeks. Even my animals became not themselves.

What was wrong? Didn’t we all want this? Weren’t we all excited about the moving on?

If I’d taken my moving on hat off for five minutes to really think about things, I would have realized that efficiency cannot take the place of closure. Recognizing the emotions associated with change, regardless of how positive the change is, is an important part of moving on. Perhaps the most important part.

What is true in life is also true in business. You must properly handle the endings to fully succeed in your beginnings. Clients. Employees. Jobs.

Pay proper attention to the things you are letting go.

Be gracious in your goodbyes.

I love what Ellen Goodman said on the matter, “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage or a relationship is over — and let it go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out.”

Essential for moving on.

You’re standing at the podium in front of the room with all 500 eyes on you. Waiting. On. Your. Every. Word. Is this your worst nightmare?

It can be a terrifying feeling for many – in fact, statistics indicate about 74% of people have a fear of public speaking. So if you can relate, you’re in good company. But knowing this doesn’t help when business requires a speech.

The solution? You’ve got to grab the presentation bull by the horns and practice. Honestly, the more you present, the better you’ll get, both in technique and in feeling relaxed when you’re at the head of the table.

Even if presenting doesn’t make you break out in a sweat, it never hurts to remind ourselves of a few best practices that will more fully engage audiences to achieve the desired outcome.

1. Research Your Audience. Know who you’re talking to – if you want to influence these people, you need to understand what they care about and what motivates them.

2. Start With a Good Story. Preferably one that the audience can relate to – and one that will make them laugh. Capture their attention right away.

3. Clarify the Goal of the Presentation. Before you even outline what you’re going to say, determine the end goal. Sharing a key process? Persuasion to a specific point of view? Providing status on a project? Then, as you’ve likely heard before, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And tell them what you told them.” Keep it simple and on topic.

4. Make Eye Contact. Engagement happens when people feel like you’re talking to them versus at them. They’re more likely to actually hear you and buy into your content when they feel a more personal connection. Eye contact goes a long way in small, intimate meetings and large, seemingly impersonal audiences.

5. Project Your Voice. Everyone in the room, no matter how large, should be able to hear you – otherwise, what’s the point? Practice, if you can, in the room you’ll be in so you can gauge how loud you need to be – and don’t turn your back and talk to your slides instead of your audience.

6. Slow Down. Most people, when they’re nervous, don’t realize how quickly they talk. Concentrate on speaking slowly, pausing at key points, and giving meaning to your words.

7. Use Big Gestures. Not only is your voice and delivery important, so are your gestures. Command the space you’re inhabiting in front of the room. Move around, make a point with your hands – think like a TV weatherman! Your enthusiasm and passion for your subject should be evident in your actions.

8. Be Entertaining. A presentation is not the same as reading an informative article or textbook. It’s in person, and as such, the audience expects to have an emotional connection with the speaker. They want more than just the facts – they want to be engaged.

9. Anticipate Questions. Come prepared with answers to potential questions. You can’t possibly cover everything in one presentation, so what are people likely to ask? You’ve started a conversation, and an enthusiastic audience will want to know more.

10. Practice Like Crazy. Last but certainly not least, practice!!! When you know what you’re going to say backward and forward, you won’t have to worry about stumbling over words or losing your train of thought. And when you know your presentation, you won’t read slides, which keeps your audience focused on you.

Have more tips? All of us on the Porch would like to hear from you!

I love it when people ask me about our brand and how the name came to be. We enjoyed our branding process immensely; and we as a team love it when start-ups come to us with their business concept and ask us to help them name, brand and market it.

Just yesterday we were presenting logo options to a client who commented that they were impressed by our process for naming, preparing a creative brief and then developing logo concepts. The leadership team had no idea how much time, energy and thought went into the process and were curious whether we thought other start-ups went through a similar process.

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

But they should! Naming your brand is an important process and must be tackled in a diligent, thoughtful way. Choosing a strong name requires that it:

1. Stands out from the competition (unless it’s more important to fit in)
2. Communicates the business you’re in
3. Reinforces your brand promise
4. Communicates your company’s distinguishing characteristics
5. Has long term viability
6. Is easy to read
7. Is easy to pronounce
8. Is simple to spell
9. Is short and concise
10. Is memorable

Do the work on the front end to analyze your brand, your business, your competitors and your promise to ensure that your identity represents all that you want and need. You will save time, money and energy down the road if you start off right!

After the long, cold winter, the arrival of spring is a welcome influx of new growth and new beginnings. Spring flowers, Easter and Passover celebrations and the kickoff of baseball season brings us happiness and warmth. We embrace this change.

Change is good.

In business and in life, the one thing we can be certain of is that change is around the corner.

Change is necessary. And change is rarely smooth.

Change can often be tumultuous – just google spring weather and take a look at the storms created by the replacement of cold air with warmth. But then think about the spectacular aftermath … after the spring storms depart, we are left with a rewarding burst of color.

Anything worth doing well comes at a price. Successful disruptors are revered, and for good reason. To have the vision for necessary change and the courage to enact the plan is not for the faint of heart. Patti Johnson notes in her book, Make Waves, “Even though each change is different, there are common patterns, habits and strategies that fuel those who start grassroots changes”

In order to grow, evolve and meet today’s rapid pace of change. It is vital that you and your organization are ready to meet the needs of the process of change and the new environment created:

• Have a vision.
• Have a strategy (identify the end goal and plan how to get there).
• Make sure the vision and plan are clearly communicated.
• Be prepared. You need the right team of like-mind folks.

Remember change is good, necessary and it is rarely smooth. As you begin to implement changes, be watchful of results and ready to adapt. Communicate those changes along the way. You will find the results well worth the pain and effort of getting there.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a little tennis-obsessed. I love to play it, watch it, discuss it … it’s my thing. It keeps me sane and makes me happy.

So about three months ago, I got a phone call from someone who I knew only by name (a captain of a rival tennis team). She was forming a “dream team” of players that she felt had the potential to advance and win a city championship, then a sectional championship, and ultimately a national championship.

Naturally, I jumped on board, excited about the possibilities.

After easily winning our regular season flight, last weekend we played for the city championships. Unfortunately, in the month prior I’d been sidelined with illness and injury and wasn’t in fighting shape. My heart was in it and I played, but I didn’t play well, and I wasn’t able to get the win to help my team. Fortunately for me and for everyone, other members of our team won their matches and the team as a whole won the city championship and advanced us to sectionals.

Of course this experience clearly illuminates the importance of TEAM. Finding the right people at the right time to help with the right things – a perfectly constructed gathering of people fully able to collectively move the ball forward and achieve goals. Yin and yang. Strength and weakness. It’s applicable in tennis and even more applicable in business.

I am so thankful to our captain, Lynn, for doing the work necessary to put us all together.

Here’s what we all can learn from her about assembling a TEAM, I will call them ~ “Lessons From Lynn:”

1.  Every team needs a leader who knows what’s what. A good leader has been in the trenches and knows whereof they speak. They should have the knowledge and experience to know what lies ahead and what will be required.

2.  Experience will tell you what you need. Trust your experience to guide you in identifying the needs of your TEAM. Do you need a strategist? An analytical type? Someone wildly creative? A worker bee? What combination of strengths and personalities is going to get you where you need to go?

3.  Find your people. Find the best people you can to fill your roles. Don’t settle for “almost good enough. “Enlist help from recruiters (we are partial to Mom Corps Dallas, one of our superstar clients) and/or behavioral benchmarking software (we are partial to Shadowmatch USA, who we have worked with in the past) to aid you in your search.

4.  Don’t be afraid to remove people who aren’t a good fit. If someone’s work is not aligned with the efforts of the TEAM, don’t try to fit a round peg into a square hole.

5.  Delegation is key. Lynn didn’t even play during city championship weekend. Her role was to make the decisions, delegate, organize and support. The leader doesn’t have to be the star.

6.  Let people do what they’re good at. Diversity in skills and experience brings broader perspectives and different approaches to the TEAM and allows for efficient assignment of people to roles. If you have assembled your team well, who does what should be an easy decision.

I feel lucky to be a part of a fantastic tennis team, and an equally fantastic rocking work team at Front Porch Marketing.

Take a page from our leaders and assemble your own DREAM TEAM to get you where you want to go!

Everyone recognizes the importance of social media marketing in this day and age. There are obvious benefits of using social media – it’s low cost high return, it’s easy to use and every consumer is active on one or more social media networks.

But as important as it is to have a social media presence, the biggest part of effectively using social media is having a strong social following that will help you build your brand and your social network week after week.

Here are some suggestions for building your social following:

1. Share frequently and be consistent. Let your followers hear your voice. The worst thing you can do is let too much time pass between shares.
2. Provide content that is informative, engaging and valuable. People want to feel like it’s worth their while to follow you. If you provide information that is useful rather than product-focused, you are more likely to attract more followers. You will also become recognized as an authority or expert and that’s a great way to increase your shares. The goal should be quality over quantity.
3. Make sure it’s not only all about business. Sharing inspirational quotes or photos or even throwing in a little humor will make your shares feel less commercial and add personality to your brand. It will also most likely get you more shares, RTs, etc.
4. Be responsive and interact with fans and followers. Monitor your accounts and respond to questions or complaints immediately. You should also engage your fans and followers by asking questions or participating in discussions. Polls are another way to get followers to interact.
5. Don’t spread yourself thin on too many social media sites. There are many social media outlets, but it’s crucial to focus on the sites that work best for your business. Not every business needs to be active on every social platform. If you are in more of a visual industry, an image-based site like Instagram or Pinterest may be the best fit. A business-to-business situation requires a presence on LinkedIn.
6. Talk about your social media presence everywhere. Include your presence on your website, your email signature, on your blog, on your business cards and other collateral materials, print advertising, signage, etc. Everywhere you talk about your business you should talk about your social media! You should also add share buttons to as much of your content as possible.
7. Offer incentives to new fans and followers. Whether it’s a giveaway or the first look at something, people love to feel like an “insider” and love to get a deal of some sort. Consider offering exclusive promotions and offers available only to your social media followers.
8. Connect with people in your industry. Those people will value your brand. Follow them and engage in conversations. Retweet their content. Follow back anyone who follows you. Look to see who your followers are following and follow some of them.
9. Make sure your profiles are complete with a clear description of your business and a link to your website. Make it easy for your current and prospective audience to find you.

Building your social media following will take time, but if you stay committed, consistent and make an effort to optimize your social media presence you will see the results!

Often, during times of personal challenge, I say, “Without lows, there are no highs,” and it gets me through the struggle and the same goes in business today.

For a personal example, my youngest son recently cut his own hair. It was disastrous … resulting in a shaved head right before school pictures. That was a low. But oh how sweet it was to get that first real haircut! Before the low, I would not have classified a haircut as a high.

Without a valley, there are no peaks.

All companies, big and small, have peaks and valleys. Some turn around and some flatline:

• You might open and be flooded with customers, but business tapers off;
• You might open your doors and need to considerably grow your customer base;
• You might have a sustainable model, but outside influences (economy, commodities, technology) change.

It happens to the best companies – it happens to all companies. What you do while in the valley determines your future.

Do you give up or do you find a pair of boots and start hiking?

In the Summer of 2008 Starbucks Corporation eliminated 12,000 full and part-time positions and closed 600 U.S. company-operated stores. I was there. The employee-centric company was in a valley. I was in a personal valley, watching talented professionals, my friends and colleagues, leave their beloved company.

So how did Starbucks start hiking? Howard Schultz came back with passion and a plan. There’s a fabulous book titled Onward that details the journey.

Are you in the valley? Is your business at the bottom of the mountain? Put on your boots and start your journey to the top.

People change. Attitudes change. Environments change. Business landscapes change. Change is good. Movement is good.

Face the challenge and start hiking.

It was my intention to write a prophetic post this week about the Texas bag law and the impact on Texans, small business and the progress on our slow road to being a sustainable nation. 

And, then, duh dun dah … Mr. Flu A happened in the middle of the night and Ms. Worst Diaper Rash in the history of ever (ITHOE) caused baby to scream, “Mommmmiieeeeee,” every time she is changed during the day which is every 20 minutes due to the severity of her raw booty’s condition.

Folks, mama needed to work ~ lots of deadlines and things to be done.

Small business owners can’t just go a hundred miles an hour the day after a sleepless night. They can’t drop everything to take their child to an early morning, unscheduled pediatrician’s appointment. They can’t run and cuddle their wailing baby at the drop of a hat in the middle of a work day … Or can they??

Friends, they can.

There are four must haves for every small business owner in case life takes an unexpected turn on an action-packed work day:

1. Highly, functioning virtual work space – Have the bunker ready at all times. High speed Internet, phone charger and all necessary supplies you use on a daily basis at the office. Thankfully I have a high quality color laser printer wired and ready in the home office and a pack of the 32 pound paper on hand at all times. We were able to complete the brand book we are presenting to a client today.   
   
2. The village – I mention it frequently. It takes a spouse that can stay home from work for a few hours with the sleeping baby while mama goes to the early morning doctor’s appointment with the other baby. It is extremely helpful if the spouse’s employer believes in their employees putting their families first in times of need. It also takes a doting daytime care giver to be there when mom can’t to console the aching baby.
3. Attitude of gratitude – It is easy to go down a dark hole and focus on all the things negative happening in your world. Instead, focus on the positive. Be grateful for all that is right. There are a million and one books, articles and studies showing that professionals with a positive attitude are more productive and successful. Put on your rose-colored rock star glasses and leave the tissue with lotion for the sickees.
4. And, last but not least, a dependable and adaptable team – When the work needs to be done – the client’s blog sm’ed by 8:30 a.m., the enewsletter draft to the client by noon, the conference call rescheduled, etc. – the work needs to be done. Make sure your team is as adaptable and reliable as you are and willing to step in and step up in a pinch.

Check, check, check and check! The kiddos are on the mend, deadlines were met, work got done and there is a new episode of American Idol on the DVR calling my name. Ciao for now!

We look forward to the holidays all year long. They are a wonderful time for festive gatherings, re-visiting family memories and traditions, and creating new ones. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukkah or Kwanzaa, the virtues of each of these holidays are celebrated for weeks and months in advance.

However, preparations for these celebrations can really zap our time. On any given day, the challenges presented by Father Time during the holidays can be intense. A Hollywood producer might love to document the chaos of a holiday reality show — imagine Gordon Ramsay trying to handle the heat in the kitchen while simultaneously shopping, decorating, wrapping, delivering and entertaining!

And beware! Just when you think you’ve wrangled things into manageable chaos, factor in a last minute curveball, because Someone. Will. Get. Sick.

It’s tempting to throw in the towel and let yourself get voted off the island and retreat. But with a little patience, pluck and determination, you can survive the holiday jungle and actually enjoy your holidays!

Here are a few of our tips on how to get through the season in one piece and beat Father Time at his own game:

• Drink calming tea – it’s vital for survival.
• Pay attention to behaviors. Delegate the right tasks to the right people. And, by all means, bring in “special teams” when necessary.
• These days are long, people! Avoid the jitters and get an extra boost of sustainable energy with a Radiant Red Glow (with jalapeno) from The GEM.
• Survivors will be welcomed back into civilization and rewarded with the rejuvenation gleaned from a good night’s sleep. On The Porch, we love the comfort and feel of crisp percale Egyptian cotton sheets. Lyric by Peacock Alley are our faves.

So enjoy the chaos and the glamour of the holidays, but remember, when it all comes down to it – there is a reason for the season. Take a deep breath, grab a mug and position your children under each arm, because “It’s a Wonderful Life” is truly what we have.

Digital Summit Dallas

This week, our team had the opportunity to attend the Dallas Digital Summit, the region’s largest digital gathering, to re-enforce our digital insight strong hold.

Attendees were from a diverse range of organizations including national brands, agencies, technology, media, B2B providers, associations, nonprofits and start-ups. 

The conference was two days of jammed pack information all things digital insight ~ from SEO, email, mobile, social, analytics to cross-channel campaigns, trends and overall digital strategies.

Here’s the top 10 take-ways the team will be rockin’ on the porch in 2015:
1)   It is Search Everything Optimization not Search Engine Optimization
2)   Local SEO is absolutely vital for any business with a physical location
3)   Everyone wants their emails to be meaningful! Change your email strategy and get it opened
4)   Social media is not elective any more
5)   Employees can be the biggest brand ambassadors
6)   Create a behavioral statement to compliment your mission and vision
7)   Watch your inauthentic dislikers ~ it’s ok to ask why they don’t love you anymore
8)   2015 trend watch: more video, more spend on social
9)   Make it pervasive, participatory, personalized and prescriptive
10) Wheel and Spoke – Cross Channel is essential

Need to get started on your 2015 digital plan? Let’s get together on the porch and rock it out.