A Parents Wish...

This morning, my mom forwarded me an email. Not just any email - no funny joke or message to send it to 25 people or else. The email included a link to an online mini-movie called Parent's Wish. I was in my "work" mode so I hesitated clicking on it, but she said that it was very poignant and almost brought her to tears, so I clicked. She was right. It is poignant, and almost brought me to tears as well. Parent's Wish is a mini-movie about aging parents and the cycle of parenthood. As our parents age, they become a little more dependent and in need of our patience - just like when we were toddlers.

Most of you who know me, know that I am a devout advocate for the elderly. Bridging the generation gap is one of my passions. It's why I created Kindred Generations and Karmic Acts of Kindness! Whether you take a few moments to watch the movie or not, I'd like to share this parent's wish for all of us...

1. Respect karma. What comes around, goes around. Respect karma by treating others - your partner, parents, your kids, your neighbors, your business associates, really anyone - the same way you'd like to be treated.

2. Strive for an intergenerational lifestyle. Take your kids to a senior center. Visit a nursing home to sing songs, read books or just have a conversation. Bake cookies for an elderly neighbor. Seek out activities to bring together our youth and elderly. Equip yourself and your family with the wisdom that the elderly can pass on. (Quick tip - One of the things my kids love to do is make cards to deliver to the local convalescent center. They enjoy playing "mailman" to all the residents.)

3. Have a gratitude attitude. Be thankful and say thank you for each and everything always. Even if you are having a bad day, say thank you - thank you for the opportunity to experience life, for the opportunity to grow, for the opportunity for another day.

And with that, I'd like to say thank you to you for stopping by. As always, remember to enrich your life and inspire your imagination.

With tons of chaos and creativity (and gratitude!),
Julie Watson Smith

Lucky 7's of Transforming Mid-Year Resolutions Into Goals

New Years resolutions were a-plenty at the first of the year, and now that spring is upon many of you have said that you feel your resolution expiration date has passed you by. Not so! But first, you need to have to transform those resolutions – or dreams – into goals and then create your actions for achievement.

1. State Your Intention. Writing down your resolution or goal provides a visual confirmation of your intention. It makes it real.
2. Get SMART. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-sensitive - SMART – goals create benchmarks to track your forward movement.
3. Be Itty-Bitty. Break your goals into a series of small, manageable tasks to jump start your progress. Smaller tasks also help create momentum to pull you forward to the next success.
4. Shout It Out. Announce your goals to others to create a network or support and accountability.
5. Flex-SMART. Flexibility with your goal components is necessary since circumstances change. And remember, flexibility and change do not equate to failure.
6. No More New. Don’t obsess about your goal being a New Year’s resolution. Rather, think of your goals and the goal setting process as your All Year resolution.
7. Recognize and Celebrate Successes. Partial accomplishments warrant just as much recognition and celebration as the final outcome. Appreciate all your victories.

Don't let an arbitrary expiration keep you stuck. Get moving, and just do it! Become unstoppable by creating momentum with daily actions toward your goals!

Lucky 7's of the 30-Second Pitch

As a mom-entrepreneur, I have many different roles: wife, mom, coach, boss, speaker, author, writer, coach, volunteer, mentor, homework checker, chauffeur, cheerleader, short-order cook...the list goes on. As many of you business owners understand - what don't you do, right?

However, I was out a month or so ago, and someone asked me, "What do you do?" And, usually I can roll of a short, sweet pitch, but, oh-no, I bumbled and rambled until this person's eyes glazed over. It was awful. It really made me realize the power of the 30-second pitch. So much so that this became the topic of the Inspired Imaginations MOB (Masterminding on Business) *Silver Club* meeting tonight here in Boulder County.

Really, what would you do if you were riding on an elevator and Oprah walked in? You have her undivided attention for 30-seconds or less. What would you say? Now hold that thought.

What do you say when someone asks you, "What do you do?" And you are completely tongue tied and stumped – worse, you rattle off a five-minute explanation including your services or products from A-Z, your credentials, your education, your clients, etc? By the time you've finished, that other person's eyes are glassy and they are mentally writing their grocery list in their head. Why? Because, they don't understand what you have said, don't need what you have, or are just not interested. So, what do you do? You need an effective 30-second pitch that it distinguishes you in a busy, overcrowded, and at times, indistinguishable marketplace. It must set you apart!

Here's the Lucky 7's for your 30-second pitch.

1. Make it about them: I think it was Stephen Covey who said, "Be interested to be interesting." Apply this philosophy be making your pitch about them – it focus on what you can do for them not just what you can do.
2. Be clear on your niche and specialty. Niche is the who and specialty is the what. Often entrepreneurs think, well, everyone is my customer. Yes and no. Yes, because, technically, you can sell to anyone. But, no because, you will not effectively reach your ideal clients if you are trying to market to everyone.
   
3. Focus on purpose rather than skills – what will the person gain (or in some cases, lose). Too often, an elevator pitch merely describes your skills, as in "Hi, I'm Julie, a coach, speaker and author." Yes, this is all true info, but, well, ick. It doesn't set me apart from the thousands of other coaches, speakers and columnists. It is useless info. What's your purpose for what you do and who you serve – basically, how do you add value. For example, I could say, "Hi, I'm Julie Smith. I launch mom-owned businesses with instant tools to apply at home and in the office to achieve the next level success." Better, right?
   
4. Start with a hook – an intriguing story or question to capture their interest. Kelly Paull, owner of Slumber Parties by Kelly and Internet Marketing Expert, has a great hook. Here it is: "Picture your husband eagerly taking your children out of the house for the evening, your girlfriends arriving giddy with excitement for ninety minutes of side-splitting laughter and adult entertainment with a lady-like twist." At this point, the listener is intrigued and wants to know more. She's hooked 'em. At this point, this listener is either her ideal customer or knows her ideal customer (think referrals!) You can also use a question that addresses your target markets challenge and the outcome of that challenge as your hook. "You know how the day-to-day hoopla in running a family or business can start to stunt creativity and growth?" (This is where you want heads nodding in agreement, maybe someone says, "Oh yeah that's me or my sister, or my friend"…you get the picture). "I give mom-entrepreneurs a boost of instant creativity by embracing chaos with 7 instant tools."
5. Share a resource. I love sharing resources. I have so many fabulous resources that I share in my Million Dollar MOB (Masterminding on Business) Connections and Contacts. Individually or in a group, share a favorite resource and how it helped you. One of my favorite is Vista Print. I think they have impeccable service, quality and pricing. So, I often share this resource with the added reinforcement of a business card or flyer. It shows the quality of the work from the resource and provides a visual pitch
6. Prepare and practice. The big secret to your pitch here is constant preparation and practice. Consider your audience and how you can help them (remember, it's all about them), and what they can gain. Next, write it down, practice it out loud in front of the mirror and with others.
   
7. Practice more! Nothing sounds worse than a poorly prepared or canned pitch that sounds like you don't know what you do or aren't confident in what you do. Keep practicing it!
   

Your 30-second pitch is your one of your most valuable marketing tools for distinguishing and branding yourself and your business. So, keep practicing and perfecting it so the next time, you are on an elevator and Oprah walks on, you'll know exactly what to say to set yourself apart!

Best wishes for continued personal and professional success!

JWS

PS. A quick note - 30-second message can be applied to all areas of your life. Need to share tell your child something, do it in 30-seconds. Gotta ask your husband a favor? Pique his interest with just a 30-second blurb. It works, trust me – succinctly and successfully.