The Economy Has Shifted Make it Work for You

International Association of
Self-Employed Communication Professionals
connect. grow. thrive.

The New Free Agent Economy
Make it work for you

The Rising Tide LifTs ALL BoATs
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IASECP.com connect. grow. thrive.

The Economy
Has Shifted...
Make it Work for You!

IASECP.com 2 of 53 connect. grow. thrive.

Agenda:
• What exactly has shifted?
• The New Reality—Make the adjustment
• Technology & Social Media are connectors
• A simple effective strategy
• Managing your time


A Brief History of Business
When you understand what’s going on, you can make better choices.

Before the mid 1800s… people were mainly free agents.

—OK, there was the whole Egyptian—Hebrew thing but….

People sold their time, knowledge, and skills to earn a living:
blacksmiths, bakers, seamstresses, candlestick makers.


Price of Progress?
Railroad barons came up with the idea
of having lots of people build their
railroads for them so they, the barons,
could make millions.

They had all the control
and all the rewards.


People left farms and
moved to cities to work
in factories.

Introducing:
an Economic Shift

Big Business | Employees


Unions demanded benefits,
but no control for employees.

Employees play by the rules.
The employer hold the leash.

Introducing:
an Unstable Situation
High Overhead | Eats Profits


To reduce expenses, companies lay off
employees.

People mistakenly think that if they
work harder; come in earlier and stay
later they can save their jobs.
But they are not in control.

Decisions made according to profit.

Introducing:
Outsourcing
Big Business | Consultants


The Train Has Wrecked.

People have focused on “staying on track”.

The corporate system has derailed.

The “track” is gone.

Entire industries—and the careers they
represented—have been swept away in a
tidal wave of change.

Hint: Stress & overwhelm come from trying
to stay on a track that no longer exists.

So now what?

Get off the track
Wasting energy & resources on things that don’t work causes stress.
So Stop!

Then what?


Kayak!
Replace the “on track” mindset
with a “Kayak” mindset.

Kayak Mindset Features:
• Go with the Flow
• Change course as needed
• Low overhead
• You’re in control
• Fun & exhilarating


Quick Paddling Tips to Float your Kayak
Be nimble & open to new possibilities
Paddling Tip #1: Don’t swallow the river.
There’s too much information. Trying to absorb everything will overwhelm you and
cause frustration and stress. Limit what you spend your time on and focus on what’s
got the highest return on investment. Filter.

Paddling Tip #2: Swim with your “school”.
Connect to your tribe to help you find the way. Be aware of who you’re spending time
with. Make sure they’re moving forward. Avoid negative energy and people that will
drain your resources. Don’t anchor yourself to someone swimming against the current!

Paddling Tip #3: Make friends with technology.
There are so many possibilities, but you need to be able to take advantage of them. Technology is the key. You can’t break it, so jump
in and try new things. But be conscious of where you’re spending your time.
Hint: You don’t have to program it—just know how to use it—or find someone who does.


The Age of The Consultant
(noun: a person who providers expert advise or services professionally)

Consultants sell their
time, knowledge, and
skills to earn a living.

Where have we heard
that before?

Introducing:
an Economic Shift

Projects | Consultants


The Big Difference
Big Business Organization Chart

The Man All the power.
CEO

Muffy, VP Flossy, VP
Admin HR

Groups of Groups of Groups of Groups of
Development Admin HR Accounting
Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons
It’s a pyramid—Just like those Egyption guys!
Guess who is playing the part of the Hebrew slaves?

Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ Pee-Ons’ No power.
Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons Pee-Ons The person on top has all the power.
Those below have no power no
matter how hard they work.


The Consultant
The most quality connections has power.
Consultant Organization Chart
Alice
SEO

Jan Mike
Copywriter Web Designer

Marcia Cindy Carol
Editor Graphic Designer PR
The
most
power.

Peter Greg
Illustrator CPA
Two-way connections
Bobby are the most valuable—
Photographer
have the most power.

Chris Brogan: President of New Marketing Labs, the Inbound Marketing Summit conferences and Inbound Marketing Bootcamp.
He is author of Social Media 101, co-author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book Trust Agents, with Julien
Smith. Chris Brogan is an eleven year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies. Chris speaks, blogs, writes
articles. His blog is in the top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati.

Chris Brogan said,
“There are thousands of great minds all plugged into
the same conversation who could help each other.
You’ve got sources of information,
and you have the tools to connect it all.”


Marketing versus Connecting
Old-School Marketing (Push Marketing)
Examples: Advertising, yellow pages, direct mail, etc...
Marketing “at” people
The old-school concept of marketing is fading fast. Why?
• Public is saturated, distracted, inpatient
• High cost, low return on investment (0.01% considered good)
• Public has lost trust and confidence
• One size does not fit all
• Not personal, annoying
• Difficult to maintain
• Trying to be everywhere and everything
to everyone doesn’t work any more


The new form of marketing is really an old idea: Connecting

Relationship Building (Pull Marketing)
Examples: Email, newsletters, blogs, social
media. Sharing “with” people

• Authentic
• Very targeted
• No to low cost; High return on investment (10-30% average)
• Easy to maintain
• Leadership
• Customized service and products
• Community
• Integrity
• It’s more fun!


A Simple
Effective Strategy


Connecting is a journey not an event
Part of planning a journey is not only knowing where you’re
going—but what it will look like when you get there.

Have a plan | Work the plan
Consistency is key.

Answer these simple questions:
• What is success to me?
• Where’s my comfort zone?
• Who exactly am I trying to reach?
• Where are they looking?


Complete the picture
Most solo-based business is done online—you need
to present a united consistent front

Web Strategy
A website is the foundation. It’s where customers
get info about the company and products.

Internet Marketing Strategy
How you reach out with traditional affiliate
networks, advertising on others sites, pay per click,
search ad, and press and media relations online.

Social Media Strategy
Leveraging relationships and networks. The power
of networks, raw and open feedback, existing social
network tools that people use.


Where do you show up?
Tip: Don’t waste resources trying to be everywhere.

Here’s your Sweet Spot

Where Where your
you’re most ideal people
comfortable are looking

Concentrate on showing up in your sweet spot.


The basic tools
Tip: Keep it simple—start with the basic four
C o n n e c t i o n

Twitter: Immediate conversations

LinkedIn: Highlights professional life

FaceBook: Connect people
D e e p e r

Blogs: Go the deepest — Direct the conversation


Add a tool and a nice dashboard.

Google Reader: Collect all blog rss feeds in one place.

iGoogle. Dashboard to monitor it all in one place.

Security Notice: Each site has its own security features. You choose what information to display and which to
hide. Never reveal personal information that you would not feel safe sharing with a room full of strangers.
Social media sites are safe as long as your use common sense.


Basic Strategy
Tip: Keep it simple—start where you are.
Action Step #1:
Contact a few ideal clients for a quick survey.

Action Step #2: Compile your Master Profile.

Action Step #3: Set up profiles in: FaceBook, Linked In, Twitter.

Don’t worry about knowing everything about each application.
Just set up your profiles.

Time Commitment: Less than an hour to do all three.

Create a Master Profile
Tip: Do this once and update it, keep it on your hard drive.

Include a good pic:
• Friendly
• Professional (not sexy)
• Up to date (no high school pics)
• Use .jpg or .png NOT .gif
• Zero in—eye contact
• Remember: relationship building

Profile Tips
Each social media platform is a little different
• Be candid; show some personality
• Be the expert; not a job seeker
• Accomplishments and goals; not tasks
• What makes you different
• Include personal endeavors if they
give insight into you
• Include a link to your website, blog
• Write like you would talk—Do not
write to show how smart you are
• Keep it short


Set up Your Twitter Profile.
Go to: http://www.twitter.com/

Click “Sign up now”.

Fill in the form and click
“Create my account”.


Set up Your Linked In Profile.
Go to: http://www.linkedin.com/

Enter your name, email, and pick a password;
then click “Join Now”.

Use your Master Profile info and upload your picture.

Linked In Tip: When you finish a client project, enter it into Linked In as a past job. You can use Linked In’s “Recommend Request” feature to ask your client to
give you a recommendation for the completed project.

Your Linked In “Home” page will suggest people
you might know. You can also upload your own
address book.

Linked In Tip: Your Linked In “Home” page will let your connect your profile with Twitter and FaceBook. You can send info to the all at one time.


Set up Your FaceBook Profile.
Go to: http://www.faceBook.com/pages/create.php

Select the type
of business.

Name your page.
Tip: Your own name is
your brand.

You need to manage your
business identity on
FaceBook. Filter
people who
Click “Create Page”.
might send
Use your Master questionable
Profile & upload content. If in
your picture. doubt, create a
separate personal profile.


Catch your breath...
We’re going to go a little deeper.

The true power of Social Media:
Present yourself as the expert that you are.

You’ve just created your presence.

The next phase is to populate it
with your expertise.

Action Step #4: Find blogs to follow & set up
your reader—then get your own blog going.

Tip. Use Google keywords to find blogs.


Join the Blog-o-sphere.
Present yourself as an expert
You should have your own blog, but until it gets rolling start
by tracking and commenting on others’ blogs. This will help
you stay current and it will give you content to share.

Track blogs with an RSS Reader like Google Reader:
• Google RSS Reader is a free tool
• Pulls in the blogs that you follow
• Excellent for using in your own tweets and blog posts
—you’re sharing information; you do not have to create it
• Be the resource in your niche


Set up Google Reader
All your blogs in one place—not your email in box
If you don’t already have a Google account, visit Google’s home
page. At the top left of the screen you will see some options. Click
on the “more” button and select “Reader”.

Create a Google Account. You be sent a verification email.
If you already have an account, just sign in.

Google will send you an email with a verification link. Look for
that email and click on the link. You will be taken to a new screen
which says your email address has been verified. Click on the link
to manage your account profile.

Look for the section on the right
that says “My Services”. Reader
should be listed there.
Click on the link.

You’re all set to start adding rss feeds.


Set Up Your Feed Reader
Keep your email in box clear—and collect news in one place.

Add an rss feed here.
These are the
new feeds.

All of my feeds.


Copy a feed to your reader
Step 1: Find a blog to track,
click on the RSS icon.

Step 2: Click on the “+Google” button.

Step 4: Click
Step 3: Copy this link “Add Subscription”.
Step 5: Paste Link
here.


Manage Your Time


Make monitoring easy
Create a simple dashboard to pull all your info together.

Pull it all into one location

Dip in regularly

See what’s going on

Respond quickly

Get back to work.


Pull it all together
Create and monitor your plan.

Action Step #5: Set up your iGoogle Dashboard and bookmark it.
Keep it on its own tab so you get there quickly.

iGoogle Dashboard
You add widgets to pull in info that you want to track

Customize your
theme here. Add widgets here.
Search for widgets by
name or browse by
interest. Move them to
where you want them.

My Twitter feed.

Pull in rss feeds here.
FaceBook is
in the center.

Tip: Keep your dashboard on a browser tab, so you can check it often.

Your Customized
Strategy and Time
Management System
It doesn’t work if it doesn’t work for you.


Your Strategy & Your Time
Put your plan into action

Start with the answers to those original questions:

{
• What is success to me?
How you’re doing. » More visibility
» More speaking opportunities
» More clients

{
• Where’s my comfort zone?
Where you’ll be the » Computer/email
most successful. » In person/events
» One-on-one contact/phone

{
How to approach • Who exactly am I trying to reach?
them and what » Potential partners
their needs are. » Solo business owners
» Small or big business decision makers

{
Where to put the
• Where are they looking?
» Most people start their search—whether it’s for personal or business—with Google
majority of your » Networking events; trade shows; (90% of people still use the internet as the information source)
time and effort. » Online forums; email; almost all computer contact.


Jump in and get started
You’ve got your profiles and rss feeds set up—what next?

Be an eavesdropper.
Follow a people that you admire
on Twitter—observe for a few days.
Keep your iGoogle page up in your
browser and dip in occasionally.

Time commitment:
1 minute a couple of times a day.

Tip: Google a few keywords for the people you want to connect with.

Focus!
A focused presence on one site is more effective than a barely
active presence on many sites.

Stick with the Basic Three at first.
You can develop a healthy network of contacts
by using a small number of tools.

Time commitment:
15-30 minutes a day.

Tip: Dip in various times of the day to maximize the number that you reach.

Ramp up your contribution.
Now you’re comfortable with the basic tools...

Understand First | Then Share
Keep up-to-date with your rss feeds
Share what you read; Comment when you can
Join the conversation
Be the expert

Time commitment:
15-30 minute a couple of times a week.

Tip: Don’t just promote. Interact and engage. Resources are indispensable.

Next: add your blog and email
These work together to polish your presence.

Now you lead
Your list is the backbone of your business.
Start the conversation
Demonstrate your expertise
Copy and paste your article into your blog

Time commitment:
30 minute a week, or every other week

Tip: Email is still the #1 form of contact. Blogs build SEO and drive traffic to
your site. They’re not separate “projects”. They’re partners.

Track time and ROI
Measure your time and results.

Time investment:
• You set up your profiles:
About 1 hour/once
• Find blogs and set up your reader:
About 30 minutes/ once
• You eavesdropped: About 5-10 minutes a day
• You began commenting: About 15-30 minutes a few times a week
• You started your email/blog: About 30 minutes a week

This is a simple, basic plan to get your started.
Keep it as simple as you like. Ramp up when you’re ready.

A few resources
When you’re ready do more...

Blogging: Keyword Research:
Wordpress: The #1 Blog Publishing Platform. Free and easily WordTracker Free Keywords Tool: Spits out a number for the
customizable. popularity of a keyword of your choice. Search volume numbers can
Wordpress Plugins: Download any plugins, widgets, or be compared to find the perfect niche, or to choose keywords for
customizable elements for your Wordpress blog. your blog posts.
Woo Themes: The resource for premium looking Wordpress themes. Google Adwords Tool: Helps you decide what keywords to use for
your Adwords campaigns. You can check the popularity of keywords
Revolution 2: Another resource for premium Wordpress themes. and the competition.
Hosting: SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool: Keyword research tool, with
Bluehost: Easy to use, 1-click automatic Wordpress installation, and more information and numbers to compare and select the perfect
good customer service. keywords.
PowWeb: Easy to use hosting service, includes 1-click Wordpress SEO Keyword Ranking: A tool to keep track of the keywords you’re
installation. working on.
Amazon S3: Simple Storage Service. Reliable internet storage, which Email Subscriptions & Marketing:
is great for putting large files like podcasts and videos to avoid Aweber: The internet’s most powerful email opt-in service and email
bandwidth problems on your own website. marketing/broadcasting tool.
Product Distribution & Shopping Carts: Testing Results:
E-Junkie: Shopping cart for digital products. Comes with an affiliate Google Analytics: Free website tracking and analytical tool. A must
program for your products. have for anyone with any type of website.
Clickbank: Digital products retailer. Comes with an affiliate Clicktale: Watch actual recordings of how people use your website.
program for your products. You can then optimize your website if you don’t like what you see.
Paypal.com: Selling your own products. Accepts payments from the Google Optimizer: Free tool tests webpages with the same content,
above shopping carts. only changing one or two things to see which one works best.


Our Next Event:
The Fantastic Power of Focus

Jackie B. has been an entrepreneur and author for
over 30 years. Initially, with a CPA firm, her practice
morphed into a small business consulting firm, Babicky
Performance Partners.

Jackie’s Book | Better, Richer, Smarter!
Jackie B. Peterson Creative entrepreneurs can practice their craft AND
March 25, 2010 make money. Real life stories show entrepreneurs making
Webinar: 2pm PST choices for financially successful, sustainable enterprises.
Members: Free
Nonmembers: $10 Ten steps outline strategies of success. For our March
event, Jackie will share The Fantastic Power of Focus.


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Self-Employed Communication Professionals
connect. grow. thrive.

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The Economy Has Shifted Make it Work for You

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