06.10.2011 Stand Out… Be Noticed!  How to Self-Promote

“You don’t want to hit people over the head with your self-promotion,” Jessica Kleinman and Meryl Weinsaft Copper, authors of Be Your Own Best Publicist, tell us.

When your brand is you, it can be difficult to draw the line between getting the word out and being a walking sandwich board – broadcasting you accomplishments ad naseum to anyone who will listen.

How can you find the balance between passive and pesky when trying to self-promote.

“A lot of people are afraid to pat themselves on the back for fear of seeming too boastful,” they add. “But if you do it in a subtle way and combine it with promoting others as well, chances are those people will, in turn, promote and endorse you.

“Kleinman and Copper advise using creative PR teachniques to balance out self-promotion. Have a signature style (whether in dress or always sending thank-you notes after job interviews), consider non-traditional forms of advertising (like on Facebook) and networking even when you don’t need to will help.

Merely posting links to your work or business on your social media profiles may appear narcissistic, insincere and obnoxious. Instead, Kleinman and Copper suggest following others in your industry, building relationships with them and cross promoting so your content isn’t the only thing the follower sees.

Read the article at: http://www.littlepinkbook.com/little-pink-book/business/how-to-self-promote   

06.08.2011 PES and You – Building a Winning Brand

Congratulations…your new business is starting to flourish! Working in your office basement or small apartment was fine until now.  Customers are calling, shipments are arriving and your vendors and customers want to meet you.  Now what?

Entrepreneur magazine states 3 ways that you can make your brand stand out in a crowd.  Plaza Executive Suites can partner with you to help develop that newly minted image. 

Craft Your Image - You already have the catchy company name and the clever logo.  PES can help you cement that all important first impression.  Whether you walk into our lobby for the first time or have your calls handled by our professional office staff, you will know why Fortune 100 and start up companies have selected PES to help project a successful polished image.

Get Known - Getting the word out is what brings in the customers!  Why not let Plaza Executive Suites work for you?  The PES newsletter is a great tool to let over 2,000 businesses know about you.  PES can promote your business via our Twitter account and Facebook page.

Know What the Customer Wants - To increase your chance for success, you need to know how strong the perception of your brand is and what will make it stronger.  Today’s business environment requires a flawless, professional image that PES can generate.  Let us run your office while you run your business. 

05.31.11 Unleash Your Inner Guerrilla Marketer

Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term, “guerrilla marketer” in the 1980’s defining it as an approach for “achieving conventional goals, such as profits and joy, with unconventional methods, such as investing energy instead of money.”

With four words – energy instead of money – Levinson won the hearts and influenced the marketing plans of entrepreneurs everywhere. Here are some of his suggestions:

Viewing Social Media as a Guerrilla Marketing Tool - “If businesses can just devote an hour every other day, it can achieve social media presence that nurtures leads and keeps people engaged.”

Social Media Deliver Online Presence and Customer Interaction - “Research shows that only 25% of small businesses have social media presence and many don’t have websites at all. Yet U.S. adults spend increasingly more time online with social media their No. 1 activity behind search,” Peter Wylie of Three Ships Media says. “Tools are easy, simple and free”.

Social Media Success Tips - “For businesses with a large customer base, Facebook is the initial place to be.” Wylie says. ”For consultative companies, a business blog written by real people in conversational language is a great vehicle.”

05.27.11 Want to know the best kept secret in Danbury?

Plaza Executive Suites has three beautifully appointed conference rooms to hold your gatherings up to 12 people.

In addition to the professional decor and room appointments, PES conference rooms are also equipped with dry-erase boards, speaker phones, high-speed internet and DVD/VCR capabilities.

Our smaller conference room, which seats 8-10 comfortably, has been set up with an automatic drop down projection screen for your presentations. The room also houses equipment for video conferencing via IP or ISDN. 

Our ample, larger space holds 10-12 and is adjacent to our Hospitality area for catering services.

New to PES is the Suite Conference room, suitable for 4-6 people and features professional furnishings, speaker phone, a dry erase board and high speed internet like our larger rooms. The Suite Conference room has a lower price point than our larger meeting spaces.

For an additional charge, conference facilities are available evenings, weekends and holidays.

Any of our rooms make an affordable, smart choice for your next event. Contact Patricia Longueuil for more information at 203.791.3800. 

01.27.11 Six Keys for Success in 2011:

Cindy Spivack of Cindy Spivak Inernational, Inc. believes the following six steps are key to success in 2011, though clearly not the only steps necessary. None of these steps are new, but they are tried and true, providing results. Let’s review:

1. 12-Month Goals - an imperative. Having goals also makes it easier to take action steps to support them. Goals should be specific and measurable and accomplished by a deadline. Day-by-day action steps should exist and time blocked on your schedule to accomplish them.

2. Manage your Time - to complete your goals and manage your time effectively. Keys to managing time include, but are not limited to, attitude, goal setting/planning, prioritzing, scheduling, managing interruptions and delagation.

3. Be Organized - take the time needed to get and stay organized. This may require that you develop new habits. Start today!

4. Cold Calls - before you make any calls, draft a script and tweak it as needed. Choose a specific number of calls to make each dday and stick to it. Create a habit. GAther names to call from directories, on-line searches and perhaps your own database.

5. Develop a Follow-up System - commonly known as a tickler system. This system will keep track of what follow-up is required and when. Find one that works for you, though I would suggest an electronic one that includes e-mail, calendar and the ability to attach documents.

6. Have Meetings - having a face-to-face meeting increases the probability of at least getting to the next step of turning a prospect into a client. A meeting can be the result of a conversation in a networking group, at a school event with other parents, at a gym while working out…anywhere you have a conversation that results in an opportunity to do business together.

12.03.10 Four Time Management Tools:

Time management tools include a to-do list, schedule, slack time and clean-up routines.

1.  Start with a to-do list and tackle “most” items early: most important, most time consuming, most daunting, etc. Most people find it rewarding to check off things they get done throughout the day.

2.  Set realistic time estimates and places in the schedule for doing specific tasks. Set break and lunch times. Just before going on break, spent 10 minutes re-assessing your to-dos. Leave the last hour of the day open to deal with clean-up and planning for the next day. Schedule time to return e-mails and calls. Stack up documents and folders that need to be handled the next day. Clean off your desk for a fresh start in the morning.Andi Gray is President of Strategy Leaders and this article appears in its entirety at www.westfaironline.com

Sometimes people get behind the eight ball because they treat all the tasks as equal priority. Some people first deal with items that can be handled the fastest in hopes that it will free up time for more time consuming projects. Some people put off tasks they find most challenging, hoping they will go away. Prioritize what stays at the top of the list and what falls away if the list gets too long.

3.  Know when the to-do list gets too long. Then it is time to delegate. Better to ask for help than to lose control. Identify tasks that can be handled by someone more junior. Periodically hire a temp or bring in an intern for simple assignments. Identify tasks that have absolute time deadlines. Work those deadlines into your daily and weekly plan. Chop up times consuming tasks into smaller bits and work on them early in the day. If you’ve never done something before, figure it will take twice as long to complete as you expect. Figure out what gets you behind everyday and build a plan to work through that.

4.  Learn to balance between good enough and done, versus perfect and past due. Recognize when a job is well done and make time halfway through your day to review your task list. Discuss with your superior what’s working and what changes need to take place. Remember, this is training. It takes some time to train.

11.01.10 – Plaza Executive Suites…great furnished offices, we commended PES for great service to all!

 A current client stated the following as they transitioned out of PES: “Our experience with Plaza Executive Suites has been wonderful.  Our company has benefited greatly from the use of your offices.  Your professional staff and all their help for us has been much appreciated.  Our experience with Plaza Executive Suites could not have been better.”  …Grace ‘N Vessels of Christ Ministries

Visit our office at 100 Mill Plain Road, Danbury CT for a tour of the facility and to learn more about our virtual office program, conference rooms and video conferencing.

09.28.10 – Executive Suites plus Video Conferencing…the only way to go today!

As companies continue to lay off their employees and slash budgets in the face of a devastating economy, many organizations quickly turn to two creative and immediately implementable options:  the executive suite and video teleconferencing.  These concepts are far from new, but are becoming a business’ life line to survival and a standard for doing business going forward.

09.27.10 – Brokers, this is for YOU!

A $25 Gift Card from Starbucks. This is our gift to you when you bring your client on a tour of Plaza Executive Suites.  A great gift and your commission…even easier.  We do all the work – just introduce your client to our professional staff.  Our staff will do the rest and notify you when the Agreement is signed.  Almost effortless on your part!

Plaza Executive Suites is the perfect solution for your clients requiring a small office that is immediately available and fully furnished with a professional image.  Call (203.791.3800) or e-mail (sales@plazaexecutivesuite.com) to schedule a time to tour our facility located just off Exit 2 of I84.