Archive for February 2009
Does this sound like you: You’ve cut your marketing budget to bare bones. But at the same time you want to make sure clients, prospects and others know you are still in business?
Rochelle Seltzer, President of Seltzer Design, a design intelligence firm, suggests using a well designed postcard. Postcards present a tasteful way to stay in touch without spending a lot. She advises developing a campaign so that post cards are dropped a few times over the year to maximize the number of times you touch your clients, prospects and key referral sources.
Do you have other ways to market on a reduced budget?
Ascendency Awards for Business Women
At w2wlink.com you can participate now in the first ever Ascendancy Awards for Business Women. Awards will go to outstanding women who have “ascended” to achieve and innovate in Corporate, Entrepreneurial and Transition to Transformation settings. In addition to recognition for their accomplishments, the National Winners will each receive a prize of a private business club membership for one year from ClubCorp and a pair of round-trip tickets to any destination in the contiguous United States from American Airlines, along with other sponsored prizes.
Nominations are being accepted for winners in eight cities and an additional “anyone from anywhere” category. Cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C. Three National winners from the 27 winners will be selected by an executive women advisory board.
This is a unique opportunity to recognize, reward and inspire women to maximize their potential in their careers! You can request nomination and application forms by emailing womenawards@w2wlink.com or get them from www.w2wlink.com now through March 2009 – with winners announced May 2009.
For years I have preached and sometimes cajoled clients about setting up an advisory board. Today I start a series on setting-up and running my own advisory board. I’m now taking my own advice.
The Process:
I always advise clients start by thinking about the following questions:
- Why do I want an advisory board? What are my goals and objectives for forming a board?
- Am I clear about my vision for my business 2 years out?
- What are some of the unmet needs of my business, including skills sets?
- What do I need to do to make my advisory board most effective?
- What are the benefits to advisors and reasons that they might want to join the board?
- Who can I identify as potential advisors among my colleagues, friends & acquaintances?
- What is the appropriate size of my advisory board to meet my goals and objectives?
- How often do I want to meet? What frequency works for the advisors?
- What am I able to pay advisors: cash, stock or options, expenses, product?
- How long should advisors serve? Should I have rolling terms of service?
- How will I handle an ineffective advisor?
- How will I communicate between meetings?
- What is the appropriate board structure?
- How should I organize & conduct board meetings and distribute the materials?
In future posts I will share my thoughts, fears and successes as well as those of my three advisors. I am fortunate that three long-time colleagues readily agreed to serve when I asked. It will be a privilege to work with them.
