In this issue:

Personal Development
• Priorities: 'No' is the new 'Yes' 
 
Trends
• 'Cash mobs' flood local shops with cash 
• Rise of the solo economy 
• Is Pinterest the next big thing in social media? 
 
News
• Newspaper websites visited by 63% of adults
• Can Facebook's EdgeRank be manipulated?
 
Tips
• Discover new business ideas by 'hatesurfing' 
• Never use these 7 words in an email subject line  
• Achieve your goals by keeping your mouth shut
• How focusing on problems demotivates employees
• Why selling service, quality and price can hurt margins
• An easy way to find out if you website is mobile friendly
• Much more...

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT    

Priorities: ‘No’ is the New ‘Yes’  

Are you a prisoner to urgent matters? Try these four powerful yet simple practices to clarify your priorities.  
 
by Tony Schwartz  
 
I WAS SITTING with the CEO and senior team of a well-respected organization. One at a time, they told me they spend their long days either in back-to-back meetings, responding to email or putting out fires. They also readily acknowledged this way of working wasn’t serving them well — personally or professionally.

It’s a conundrum they couldn’t seem to solve. It’s also a theme on which I hear variations every day. Think of it as a madness loop — a vicious cycle. We react to what’s in front of us, whether it truly matters or not. More than ever, we’re prisoners of the urgent.

Prioritizing requires reflection, which takes time, and many of the executives I meet are so busy racing just to keep up that they believe they don’t have time to stop and think about much of anything.

Too often — and masochistically — they default to “yes.” Saying yes to requests feels safer, avoids conflict and takes less time than pausing to decide whether or not the request is truly important.

Truth be told, there’s also an adrenaline rush in saying yes. Many of us have become addicted, unwittingly, to the speed of our lives — the adrenaline high of constant busyness. We mistake activity for productivity, more for better, and we ask ourselves “What’s next?” far more often than we do “Why this?” But as Gandhi put it, “A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

Saying no, thoughtfully, may be the most undervalued capacity of our times. In a world of relentless demands and infinite options, it behooves us to prioritize the tasks that add the most value. That also means deciding what to do less of, or to stop doing altogether.

Making these choices requires that we regularly step back from the madding crowd. It’s only when we pause — when we say no to the next urgent demand or seductive source of instant gratification — that we give ourselves the space to reflect on, metabolize, assess and make sense of what we’ve just experienced.

Taking time also allows us to collect ourselves, refuel and renew, and make conscious course corrections that ultimately save us time when we plunge back into the fray.

What follows are four simple practices that serve a better prioritized and more intentional life:

1. Schedule in your calendar anything that feels important but not urgent — to borrow Steven Covey’s phrase. If it feels urgent, you’re likely going to get it done. If it’s something you can put off, you likely will — especially if it’s challenging.

The key to success is building rituals — highly specific practices that you commit to doing at precise times, so that over time they become automatic, and no longer require much conscious intention or energy. One example is scheduling regular time in your calendar for brainstorming, or for more strategic and longer term thinking.

The most recent ritual I added to my life is getting entirely offline after dinner each evening, and on the weekends. I’m only two weeks into the practice, but I know it’s already created space in my mind to think and imagine.

2. As your final activity before leaving work in the evening, set aside sufficient time — at least 15 to 20 minutes — to take stock of what’s happened that day and to decide the most important tasks you want to accomplish the next day.

Clarifying and defining your priorities — what the researcher Peter Gollwitzer calls “implementation intentions” — will help you to stay focused on your priorities in the face of all the distractions you’ll inevitably face the following day.

3. Do the most important thing on your list first when you get to work in the morning, for up to 90 minutes. Keep your door closed, your email turned off and your phone on silent. The more singularly absorbed your focus, the more you’ll get accomplished and the higher the quality of the work is likely to be. When you finish, take a break to renew and refuel.

Most of us have the highest level of energy and the fewest distractions in the morning. If you can’t begin the day that way, schedule the most important activity as early as possible. If you’re one of the rare people who feels more energy later in the day, designate that time instead to do your most important activity.

4. Take at least one scheduled break in the morning, one in the afternoon and leave your desk for lunch. These are each important opportunities to renew yourself so that your energy doesn’t run down as the day wears on. They’re also opportunities to briefly take stock.

Here are two questions you may want to ask yourself during these breaks:

    • Did I get done what I intended to get done since my last break and if not, why not?
    • What do I want to accomplish between now and my next break, and what do I have to say “no” to, in order to make that possible? 

Tony Schwartz is the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working. Become a fan of The Energy Project on Facebook and connect with Tony at Twitter.com/TonySchwartz and Twitter.com/Energy_Project. (Reprinted from HBR.org.)   

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T R E N D S  

‘Cash mobs’ flood local shops with cash   

First, there were flash mobs, masses of people who gathered in public spaces and often burst into song and dance. Now, we have the cash mob, a similar phenomenon — sans theatrics — that is giving small business a boost. The organizers send out details via Facebook and Twitter: where to meet up, what time and how much cash to bring (usually around $20).

The first cash mob was in Buffalo, N.Y., last September, organized by Chris Smith, an engineer at Oracle. Since then, events have spread to nearly 30 cities. For example, last November in Cleveland, a cash mob descended upon Visible Voice, a local bookstore, where a group of 40 or so spent about $1,500.

The blog cashmobs.wordpress.com offers suggested guidelines for setting up a cash mob, including: a location is announced but not a specific business, businesses must be locally owned, business owners give back to the community in some way and the businesses must approve the cash mob before it is announced. Also, the location should be near a local watering hole, so that the mob can grab drinks afterward, thus supporting another local business.
 

Source: Inc. Magazine, Mar. 2012   

Rise of the solo economy  

According to a 1957 survey, the average American thought that people who preferred being unmarried were either “sick,” “immoral” or “neurotic.” Oh, how things have changed. Today, only 51% of adults are married and 28% of all households now consist of just one person — the highest level in U.S. history.

Conventional wisdom is that these “singletons” tend to be lonely and isolated, perhaps even social failures. But after extensive research, Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University and author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, has concluded that the conventional wisdom has it wrong. He says that most singletons are so by choice, are reluctant to settle and willingly pay a premium for the privilege of living alone.

In fact, singletons are fueling the economy. They spend more discretionary dollars than their married counterparts. Their average per capita annual expenditure was $34,471 in 2010, compared with $28,017 for married individuals without kids and $23,179 per person in the highest-spending families with children. Singletons play an essential role in revitalizing cities and public spaces. They’re more likely to eat in cafés and restaurants, go to a gym, take art classes, attend public events and volunteer. A majority of singletons are women.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that U.S. singles contribute $1.9 trillion to the economy annually. Historically, corporations have made little effort to target this market. But their purchasing power has grown so dramatically that companies are beginning to pay attention.
 

Source: Fortune, Feb. 6, 2012   

Is Pinterest the next big thing in social media?  

A new social media site is stepping up as a valuable marketing tool for businesses. Pinterest, an online bulletin board for your favorite images, launched in 2010 and is already experiencing wild growth. The site registered more than 7 million unique visitors in December, up from 1.6 million in September. And it’s driving more traffic to company websites and blogs than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined.

Pinterest allows you to organize images — such as beautiful floral arrangements or wines you’ve tasted — into boards for specific categories. When you “pin” something new, your followers will see it. They can like, comment or re-pin it to their boards. Like Facebook content, your Pinterest pins can go viral.

Perhaps the most powerful business application is the ability to post images of your products on your Pinterest board and link them back to your website. It works as a sort of virtual store catalog.

But remember that this is social media. If you simply display images of your products without contributing other content or sharing other users’ pins, you’ll likely find that people don’t pay much attention. But savvy social media users know not to get too promotional. For example, Daniel Gordon, who runs Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City, pins pictures of his rings and watches, but he also has a board for images that make him laugh and other types of products he loves.
 

Source: Entrepreneur.com, February 7, 2012   

 
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N E W S  

Newspaper websites visited by 63% of adults  

While newspaper readership has been declining in recent years, newspaper websites are gaining steam and becoming more appealing to advertisers. More newspapers are implementing strategies designed to boost digital ad response, such as product launches including animated editorials and smart phone apps.

Newspaper websites in the fourth quarter of 2011 averaged more than 111 million monthly unique visitors, according to an analysis of comScore data by the Newspaper Association of America. The monthly figure represented an increase of almost 6% over the year-earlier period.

The data also show that 63% of all adult Internet users visit newspaper websites. Furthermore, newspaper websites attract affluent readers — 70% of Internet users with household income above $60,000 are reached by newspaper websites, a reach that climbs to 75% when looking at household incomes above $100,000.

Other key findings of the analysis: For people ages 45 to 54, newspaper website percentage reach of Internet users climbed to 67%. Within the 18-to-34 demographic, newspaper website reach of Internet users remained at or above 60%.  
 

Source: Mediapost.com, Feb. 20, 2012    

Can Facebook’s EdgeRank be manipulated?  

EdgeRank is an algorithm that Facebook uses to determine if fans get to see your posts. It’s based on the number of interactions a page receives such as “likes,” posts or comments. Because of EdgeRank, the typical post only reaches about 17% of your fans.

BlitzLocal released a study titled, “What We’ve Learned From 120 Billion Facebook Impressions.” The study suggests that to increase interaction, brands need to post more often and engage their consumers in a two-way dialogue. More than 70% of the interaction occurs during the first hour that a post is made. Keep your efforts up by posting more often and monitoring right after you post (versus posting and going to bed.)

The best posts, in order of effectiveness, are: video, links, asking a question, photos and status updates. In all cases, a post with a question tends to drive increased interaction (up to 20%) compared to posts without questions.

Longer posts tend to perform poorly. The ideal interaction being driven by posts is between 100 to 119 characters.  
 

Source: Clickz.com, Feb. 23, 2012    

 
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T I P S    
 

• Discover new ideas for your business by “hate surfing.” One of the best ways to change your customer’s experience is to dive headfirst into negativity. Hate surfing is a term that describes the act of going online specifically to read as many negative comments, reviews, blog posts, tweets and messages as possible to generate insights that can help you run your business better. Start with any negative comments about your own company and expand to your competitors and the industry in general. Hiding within those complaints are opportunities to delight customers in ways your competitors might be missing.
  
  Source: www.rohitbhargava.com
  
  
• Persuade prospects to respond to your emails through the use of certain words in the subject line. Baydin, a maker of email management tools, gathered data from 5 million emails and discovered which subject lines got the most responses and which did not. The most effective words are: apply, opportunity, demo, connect, payments, conference and cancellation. Words to avoid: confirm, join, assistance, speaker, press, social and invite.
  
  Source: www.techjournalsouth.com
  
  
• Achieve your goals by keeping your mouth shut. This idea was popularized by Derek Sivers in his presentation at TED. Contrary to popular belief, psychology tests have proven that when you tell someone your goal and they acknowledge it, you are less likely to do the work to realize that goal. This is because your brain mistakes the talking for the doing — that is, the gratification that the social acknowledgment brings tricks your brain into feeling that the goal has already been accomplished. The satisfaction you experience in the telling removes the motivation to do whatever it takes to actually make it happen.
  
  Source: www.openforum.com
  
  
• A strong “call to action” can be a powerful motivator for your prospect to take the next step in the buying process (e.g., call, click, stop by, download, “like,” tell a friend, etc.). A wimpy call to action, such as “call us” or “click here,” will do little to spur action. Rev up your message with these tips: 1) Start by identifying the problem (the pain) and explain how your product or service solves it. The benefits you offer can become part of your call to action. 2) Make your call to action stand out visually. 3) Offer an incentive, such as a discount or free gift, as a reward for heeding your call to action. 4) Avoid surrounding your call to action with too many choices. For example, presenting three action choices — “View Demo,” “Get More Information” and “Buy Now” — all in the same place will reduce the success rate.
  
  Source: marketingmatters.dexone.com
  
  
• When trying to motivate employees, focusing on problems tends to create fatigue and resistance, many studies have shown, whereas looking for opportunities to build on strengths leads to inspiration and motivation. This doesn’t mean ignoring problems. But it does mean that the rational idea of pointing out to employees just how bad things are doesn’t work. Instead, focus on how your organization’s, or individuals’, strengths can be used to overcome challenges.
  
  Source: blogs.hbr.org
  
  
• Has this ever happened to you? You’re talking to a client and you realize that the conversation has gotten off on the wrong foot. When a business conversation becomes awkward and stilted — or even worse, heated and combative — what do you do next? If you continue trying to make your point, the tension is likely to escalate, creating a greater divide. If you bring the conversation to an abrupt end and exit, you’ll both be left with a bad taste in your mouth. However, you can likely salvage the situation with the use of this phrase: “Do you mind if we start over?” People are forgiving. They want things to go well, and this question disarms them and eases the way to a new beginning.
  
  Source: Power Questions by Andrew Sobel and Jerry Panas (Wiley, 2012)
  
  
• If you often lower your price to get the deal, you are probably selling in the wrong context. Price is relative to business problems. If you are selling in the iron-triangle of Service, Quality and Price, then you are not selling value that solves business problems. You are selling into a comparative matrix that boxes you into a same-same measurement with your competitors. When you solve business problems — time, money and risk — then you are in a very different dialogue. What’s more, the greater your ability to solve those problems, the more you should be able to charge. In the world of business solutions, there is no such thing as a true “apples-to-apples” comparison, so stop acting like what you offer is a commodity and show how you are different.
  
  Source: www.huntingbigsales.com
  
  
• Military veterans that own their own business have a number of resources available to them. From training to financing to federal contracting opportunities, new programs are cropping up frequently. There are too many to list here, but you can visit http://dbhc.us/5 for more information.
  
  Source: www.businessweek.com
  
  
• How mobile-friendly is your website? Today, it’s reported that half of all local searches are performed on a mobile device, and those searchers are quick to leave a website that has slow load times and poor readability. In fact, 60% expect a mobile site to load properly in three seconds or less. A new Google initiative, GoMo (www.howtogomo.com), allows you to test the mobile functionality of your website, showing you what your mobile visitors are actually seeing. It also provides tips for improving the mobile readiness of your site, as well as resources for building the mobile version of your website. Some tips: keep loading times fast, simplify navigation, be “thumb friendly” and design for visibility.
  
  Source: www.smallbiztrends.com  

 
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