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Are You Over on Mars While Your Clients Seem to Hang Out on Venus When

A Cord of Three Strands... Have you ever struggled really hard to communicate something and found that you just couldn’t get your message across? This happens to me all the time with my husband. I try to explain how I’m feeling, and I just can’t seem to find the right words. Before we married, we both read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus – and honestly it was quite an eye-opener! Everyone pays lip service to the idea that men and women are different, but I’ll admit suprise at how very different they REALLY are! Of course, marriage is where most people discover this idea at the deepest level – and it’s usually discovered pretty fast! But what is it that you always hear is at the top of the list of marital advice? Effective communication is key. Even though I can’t always convey my exact meaning to my husband, I really believe reading that book and others like it has helped us get through more than one sticky patch in terms of understanding where the other person is coming from. Of course, this works the same way in your business. You not only want to know who your target market is – you want to know how they’re thinking and how that compares to how you’re thinking! It’s easy to get tunnel vision in your communication efforts – your product or service may have become so familiar to you that it gets difficult to see how it may look to someone on the outside. You may even have a very well-established client base made up of people who know you so well that you can confidently use jargon or short-hand – but how will that serve you when you’re ready to attract new clients and customers? If you’re concerned that you may not be conveying your message exactly the way you want it to come across, take a few steps to start building that bridge over to Venus: Look at your copy with fresh eyes. Make yourself think – “How would I have perceived this message before I got into this market?“ Ask a relative or friend who is not involved in any way in your business world to read over some of your stuff. What questions do they come up with? Are you being as clear as you can be in every area? Are you making assumptions about what people might understand? Ask your community! Add a poll to your Facebook, Twitter, Blog, or newsletter. People love to share their opinions and to know their thoughts are valued – and it’s never been easier to get immediate feedback on what you’re doing. Just make sure you really take the feedback you get into account – and say thank you for it! Take inventory frequently – evaluate your communication efforts on a regular basis, and don’t be afraid to change or update your copy as needed. The main thing to notice is that most of these steps involve someone else! Whether it’s reading a book that will assist you, taking a teleseminar, signing up for a mastermind, asking friends, colleagues, or customers for feedback, hiring an editor or a coach, or taking advantage of the incredible array of training and advice available online – you should never feel like you have to fly solo. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up…A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecc. 4:9,12 If you’d like assistance with sharing your heart through effective communication and want to learn more about my services, please e-mail me at Kelly (at) SharingYourHeartServices.com. var addthis_pub = ''; var addthis_language = 'en';var addthis_options = 'email, favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, google, facebook, reddit, live, more';

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The Secret to My Creativity Even My Husband Doesn’t Know…

Posted by Kelly | Posted in Communication 101 | Posted on 08-01-2010

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Time to join the greats!

Time to join the greats!

By Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Expert Copywriting Strategist

Yesterday my hubby came home at 4:30pm and I was passed out on the bed, hooked up to my iPod, with an eye mask enjoying a late afternoon snooze.

“I thought you were working!” he said.

“But I was!” I replied.

As a creative person I can tell you sometimes a complete disconnect is the only way to stoke those innovative fires. A nap can be the best thing you do to increase your creativity and productivity. Sounds crazy, I know.

But I’m not alone here. Winston Churchill was a napper. So were Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Leonardo Da Vinci, John Rockefeller, Gene Autry, and Thomas Edison, to name a few. Those are some powerhouse names. I say if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

Let’s say it’s 2:45 pm and you’re staring at your computer screen with a laundry list of TO DO items. Your mental energy just isn’t locked in, and your mind is jello. How productive do you think you’re going to be? Even if you buckle down and focus, whatever you turn out isn’t likely to be your top-shelf best. Time to recharge with a power nap.

For me, whenever I close my eyes in the afternoon away from email, the phone, the fax, the Internet, Facebook . . .let’s just call them “THE DISTRACTIONS” . . . my mind is finally able to put together marketing campaigns, clever copy, and ideas with COMPLETE FOCUS. In fact, the less I try to come up with a solution and relax my brain, the easier it seems to come. Sometimes it just requires a nap to reboot creativity.

A NASA study showed a 26-minute nap can boost performance by 34%. The fact is most people are naturally tired in the afternoon anyway (about 8 hours after waking). Our biological clocks are built that way. Research is very clear that naps reduce stress, increase productivity, perk up patience, and improve brain function. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. I know I wouldn’t get nearly as much done without them personally.

So how do you incorporate naps into your workday?

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Let go of the guilt. You are NOT being lazy. You are doing your mind (and your work) a great service by coming back to it refreshed with new ideas.
  • RULE NUMBER TWO: Decide how long you’ll nap for and set an alarm. There are great restorative benefits in a 5 minute nap but the longer your nap is, the more revived you’ll feel. (Note that napping over 60 minutes isn’t recommended because your body could go into deeper sleep cycles and make it harder to sleep later.)
  • RULE NUMBER THREE: Explore a method of relaxing that works for you. I recommend investing in Wendi Friesen’s “Power Nap” CDs and downloading them on your iPod. She walks you through a deep nap at 5, 10, 20, and 30 minute intervals. She’s my preferred napping coach.
  • RULE NUMBER FOUR: Be sure to turn off phones and other distractions that could interrupt your time for you. Life can carry on without you for 30 minutes (or whatever time you decide to rest for).
  • RULE NUMBER FIVE: Block out light and sound. The fewer distractions that can pull you back into the thinking world, the better. As I mentioned, I use a hypnosis recording on my iPod usually. Otherwise, I grab foam earplugs. My favorite light-zilching mask is made by Bucky. (Be sure to get the “Shades” and NOT the “40 Blinks” eye mask.)

Listen, naps aren’t anything new. Many cultures have siesta time built into the day. And not just our Latin friends – many European towns close shop at midday for lunch and some afternoon rest. Practically every other animal on the planet naps (except for maybe sharks, but who wants to be like them anyway?)

So, you may think they’re being lazy but science is confirming more and more that ignoring our natural biorhythms and by forcing ourselves awake reduces our effectiveness. I say, go forth and nap. Return and be creative!

Happy snoozing!

Copywriting Strategist Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero publishes the award-winning Copywriting TNT weekly ezine with 23,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your business, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://tinyurl.com/copywriting-TNT

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