Oh, wait! If you’re like me, you never call the person again! No, instead, several months later when you’re clearing out your George Costanza-sized wallet, you see a stash of old business cards – most of them faded and unreadable in places from the creases – and you wonder, Who the heck are these people?

Now, granted, I’m a pack rat, and I do hold onto stuff. But say you’re not a pack rat. Non-pack rats will go home, realize they’ll never call the person on the card again, and throw the card out.

This is disturbing for multiple reasons: Cost of printing (those business cards aren’t free, you know), environmental (how many of those business cards have you distributed?). Most of all, though, it’s the shame of a missed opportunity: a missed opportunity for a potentially great friendship or business contact (and let’s face it, in these tough economic times, having both is the best).

So what if you knew that no one would ever throw away your business card again? Are you intrigued? And what if you could know that your business card might be looked at over and over and over again? I’m not talking about graphic design. I’m not talking about welding your card onto someone’s dashboard. And I’m not talking about buckoos of cash! Some of you may know where I’m going with this, and I’ll go ahead and say it: You need to write a book!

Write a Book? Me?

I knew there was a catch, you might be thinking. “What are you talking about, Thompson? I can’t write a book!” Why not? I’ve heard it said many times that everyone has a book in them.

So, what’s your story? You should write it down. And now, it’s easier (and cheaper) than ever for you to write your story – whether it’s about your company, about your passion, about your charity, about your fictional story, or about your own life and experiences (but for the sake of the business card argument, let’s stick with your business).

Why Books are the New Business Cards

Remember when I asked you to talk about that business card from the guy you met earlier in this post? You had thrown it away, right? Why is that? Because that’s what people do with business cards. More than 80 percent of people who take your business card will throw it away. And sticking it in those fish bowls at Qdoba? Forget about it! That was a whole $0.78 you’ll never get back!

But when was the last time you threw a book away? My guess is, unless you live in a Communist country, you have seldom – if ever – thrown a book away. Books don’t get thrown away. They might get sold at yard sales or to a used book store, but most people find it hard to toss something like a book.

And usually for a long time before that happens, even if that business contact doesn’t read your book immediately, she will almost certainly place it on a shelf in her office or home book case. And books that sit on shelves and bookcases get noticed. Make no mistake, they get noticed. And if your content is compelling enough, passionate enough, and your title is intriguing enough that it begs to be opened, your book WILL get read!

The Cheapest, Fastest Ways to Publish Your Books!

Okay, maybe I’ve sold you on the potential power of giving out books to your business contacts or clients, but I haven’t sold you on writing your own yet. “I don’t have that kind of time,” you might say, in which case, I can’t help you. You have to make your own time, but I can tell you, unless you are a circus performer with two Blu-Tooth headsets on and the President of the US on one of them giving you secret service commands every waking minute of the day, you have the time.

If you do decide to make the time, you may be wondering, “Don’t I have to pay for publishing? Isn’t that extremely expensive? And what if nobody reads it?”

My answers: No. No. And that really depends on how interesting your book is.

If your book is interesting, you can publish it for next to nothing. You may try a print-on-demand publisher that takes your material and prints it and distributes it only to the people who order it. I think some POD publishers extremely fast, reliable, and have great quality.

So, what’s your story?

All right, so I’ve told you my story. So, what’s yours? Have you written a business card aka a book? Have a great idea for one? Let’s talk!

Photo by kvanhorn.

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Unfortunately, knowing how to write faster does not come naturally to most of us. We spend too much time worrying about the quality of our writing, struggling with organizational problems, or thinking about how our audience will perceive our copy to get the job done quickly. The good news is that writing fast is a skill that can be developed with a little practice. Here’s how.

How to Write Faster

1. Make notes first.

   When you’re in a time crunch, it’s tempting to dive right into a writing project without thinking out what you’re going to say.  But your writing will almost always flow faster if you carve out some time to jot down notes about the points you want and need to include in your text.  Writing notes, particularly in longhand, removes the pressure to form your ideas as beautifully worded prose from the start.
   

2. Gather your research in advance.

   Researching and writing simultaneously slows down the writing process. Before you start writing, complete your research as much as possible. If you find you need more information while writing, insert bold bracketed information in your text noting the information you need (e.g., [need more stats here]) and come back to it later. Breaking your writing flow to research just increases the risk of you getting sidetracked.
   

3. Eliminate all distractions.

   To write quickly, you have to get “into the zone.” Shut down all extraneous browser screens, turn off your cell phone, forget you ever heard of email.  If you work in an office, send the message to colleagues that you aren’t available to chat by closing your door or posting a polite sign outside of your cubicle noting that you are working to meet a deadline and can only respond to the most urgent matters. Also, take some time to organize your workspace before you begin to write. A cluttered desk can provide numerous distractions – not to mention bring out the procrastinating neat-freak in you who suddenly must stop writing to clean everything up.

4. Write Fast.

   All the preliminaries done?  Good. Now, in the eloquent words of author and blogger Alyssa Bowman, “throw up on the screen.”  Let all your words flow out without worrying about how it sounds, the structure, or who is going to read the finished product later. Above all, don’t go back and change a word of what you’ve written until you’re finished writing.  Editing is for later. When you’ve designated it time for writing, just write.
   

5. Set a time limit.

   If the idea of vomiting up your words without self-editing or stalling for an unspecified length of time intimidates you, set a time limit for each writing session. Set a timer for 15 minutes and write non-stop until the bell rings. When those 15 minutes are up, reset the timer and start again.  Work this way until the words begin to flow so naturally that you stop looking at the clock.
   

6. Walk away from it.

   If you’re truly stuck or blocked, don’t be afraid to stop writing.  Taking a break and doing something unrelated to your task can clear your mind and stop you from succumbing to the panic and fear that often accompanies writer’s block.  If you have time to let the piece sit overnight, even better. Being able to look at your writing with fresh eyes will vastly improve your flow.
   

7. Don’t be hard on yourself.

   When the writing isn’t going as quickly as you’d hoped, a common time-killer is to spend time cursing yourself and your slow brain for not producing faster.  But, as I’m sure you know, self-loathing does not produce speedier results. If you find yourself freaking out, remember that writing really is cognitively difficult work and that even seasoned pros sometimes don’t produce as fast as they’d like.  Then set your timer for 15 minutes, and keep on writing.

What tips do you have for writing faster?  Please share your comments with us below!

Photo by erichhh.

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I have often been told that I come across as a warm, welcoming person. And probably that is the reason so far I have never failed in any interview! But I can tell you showing yourself as a poised and polite person is very easy.

As a child I had a very loud, strong voice. So much so that in my school I was nick named as ‘Buland Aawaz’ (“loud, motivating voice”). It worked well in speeches and debates but at a more personal level, I soon realized I was being taken as a dominating person. When a friend pointed that out, I readily agreed to improve upon it.

First thing I did was to lower my tone while talking to people in person. With deliberate and conscious efforts, I could easily reach a level where I would keep my baritone at a pleasant level. This also taught me the importance of body language.

People have different body gestures and these define their personalities. Some people seem intimidating, some seem dishonest, some rude while some are strikingly welcoming. It is this non-verbal communication that sets the tone of the conversation and eventually determines the direction of the decisions.

Actress and playwright Mae West had once commented, ‘I speak two languages: English and Body’.

Indeed other than the words we speak, our body language best conveys our thoughts, confidence and honesty.

By studying these non-verbal cues, one can easily gauge what is actually going on in our minds and whether we are being honest in our words or not.

A person’s body language makes a huge difference in their likeability factor, self-confidence and people skills thus enhancing their overall personality. One should be very conscious about his/her body language. As many a times we unintentionally send wrong message with some of our gestures.

In today’s times of cut-throat competition where people have mastered the basic know-hows of essential communication skills, it is the body language that can give you an edge.

Ironically, body language or kinesics is not just about the way you twist or twirl your body. It is about every minute detail that is consociated with each of your moves and it includes your smile, movement of eyes and even the movement of your brows.

A person may not be shouting at you verbally but still you know he is fuming. How? Probably his eyes are revealing the truth or his clinching fist tells his true state of mind.

The way it is important to use right body language, it is equally important to learn to read non-verbal cues to understand people and their intentions. Learning body language not only helps in making a good impression but also helps immensely in figuring out the ‘unsaid’.

For example, nodding in a conversation means agreement, but if nodding is excessive it suggests the person is trying to please the speaker. Gesticulation is important but overdoing it or using dramatic gestures may harm a person’s image.

Below are some common body language dos and don’ts.

Do’s

Give a Firm Handshake

This is the most important body language basic. A handshake says a lot about your confidence. A firm, tight handshake speaks on behalf of your confidence and determination while a weak, shaky handshake gives the impression of no interest or no confidence.

Do the Nod

When people are talking to you. Nod once in a while to signal attentiveness but don’tt make it excessive.

Ease Your Shoulders

Keep your shoulders upright as a sign of alertness and keep them loose while moving them back (not pull back) slightly to have a relaxed posture.

Go Slow

Make deliberative moves. They make you look thoughtful and confident. If someone calls out to you, don’t snap your neck in that direction. Turn it slowly. Be composed.

Maintain Eye Contact

When giving a presentation or talking to a group, make eye contact with all of them. This helps in making better connection but make sure you are not staring. Staring is offensive.

Lower Your Drink

Holding your drink in front of your chest signals being guarded. Hold your drink lower and casually.

Smile

Smiling once in a while is a very good sign of being pleasant and shows your amiability but make sure you do not smile unnecessarily. And it should not look like a plastic, fake, forced smile.

Don’t's

Don’t Slouch

Slouching in the chair suggests you are unprepared. Avoid it to show confidence.

Don’t Rub the Back of Head

Rubbing your hands together or rubbing the back of your head or neck means you are bored. It shows you want to leave the scene immediately.

Don’t Shake Legs

Sitting with legs crossed and shaking one leg means you are being nervous. Not only it is highly irritating to the person sitting next to you, it is also a sign of weakness.

Don’t Keep Hands in Pocket

Keeping hands in pocket while talking to people or giving a presentation means the person is not confident. Also, it is taken as a sign of disrespect in many cultures.

Don’t Keep Arms Folded

Arms folded across the chest suggests the person is not interested or is being defensive.

Don’t Bite Your Nails

I understand that for people who bite their nails, this is not a sign of weakness or nervousness. I am a very confident person and I bite my nails a lot. And I know what drives me to nail biting. It is not nervousness but a mode of deep critical thinking. But still so many ask me not to be nervous when they see me biting my nails.

More Body Language Basics

• Leaning head on hands while tilting head back could mean the person is distracted or day dreaming.
• Above could also mean they are sceptical about what the speaker is saying.
• Leaning head to the side, fully facing the speaker, means the person is giving his/her full attention.
• Touching hair or twirling can mean the person is either self-conscious or trying to flirt.

Follow these basic body language rules and leave a long lasting first impression.

Photo by s-a-m.

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After all, Barack Obama didn’t begin life making flowing speeches and Winston Churchill started out with a voice impediment. So there is hope for each and every one of us.

Increasingly, presenting is something which we all have to tackle as part of our working lives. Whether it is direct presenting to a room full of expectant people, or remote presenting to a far off business partner via Skype or WebEx, or even one to one presenting at a job interview or sales pitch – presenting is a fact of modern life. So we really do need to learn to like it and build relevant presentation skills.

But the good news is presenting can be something you genuinely enjoy!  And, as we all know, if you enjoy something it usually makes you better at it which, in turn, shapes the experience of your audience.

Surprisingly, many of the techniques and ideas that a skilful presenter uses are nothing more than basic acting tricks – anyone can employ them regardless of how experienced or confident you are.

5 Ways You Can Build Strong Presentation Skills

You can learn a great deal by working with a trainer or coach, but, as that’s not always possible, here are a few presentation skills tips designed to help you deal with some common concerns and get you feeling confident.

1. Own the Space

When a superstar enters, they own the room. If you arrive early get into the presentation room before your audience. Walk from front to back, walk round the edges. Have a look at the stage from the audience point of view. Make it yours.

If you’re late and the crowd are waiting, do the same thing but with your eyes. Scan the presentation room; take in the details before you begin. Even if you feel nervous, you’ll start to make the space your own.

2. Don’t Hold Your Breath

Simple as that really. When you are anxious, your breathing becomes shallower; this affects your voice and drains the confidence from your presenting. Place your hand on your tummy button and breathe down deep.

If it’s mid presentation, take a drink, give the audience a question to discuss, and send your breath down low. Steady your ship.

3. Relax Your Feet

Another rapid fire remedy. The panic is rising, your voice is shaking and your hands are trembling. Stand still and relax your feet. Let go a little. Your feet are your foundation, let them take the weight. Trust us; it’ll make you feel better in a moment of panic.

4.  Softly, Softly

No one likes being glared at. So win you audience by making soft, gentle eye contact with them all. Think ‘scan the room’, not ‘stare them down’. You’ll make new friends that way.

5. You’re Never Alone

Presenting is a two way communication. You don’t need to feel alone up there. Ask the audience a question to kick off, make it conversational, allow them to contribute and be happy not to know every answer.

Helpful Habits Set You Free

By using a few of these tips your presentations will rest on a surer footing and you will be well on the way to developing excellent presentation skills.

Of course the key to performance success is practise – it may not make perfect but it certainly makes you feel more in control.

As with all skills and tips the only way to truly integrate them into your working life is to allow them to become subconscious habits. Habits are very powerful things, and we all stack up our fair share of ‘bad habits’, or at least unhelpful ones.

The ideas in this article may seem very simple – they are very simple – however, if you can use them and practise them enough so that they become deep rooted, helpful habits you’ll have a firm foundation upon which to build your future presentations and performances.

In fact, these practical tips constitute that mysterious and hard to define skill known as performance technique – the kind of thing which makes audience members say,

“Wow! I really felt as if his presentation was just for me.”

Or,

“She made a real connection with me; she spoke straight to me.”

Most of us have experienced truly powerful public speaking, where the room is left buzzing with energy and ideas by the speaker, where a sense of real connection between the audience and the person at the podium has been created.

To create this buzz you’ve got to have two essential attributes.

Firstly, you have to have something meaningful and relevant to say, something which will have an impact on the audience and resonate in their lives.

Secondly, you have to be able to connect with the crowd, you have to be able to open up to them and let them see into your heart and sense a little bit of your vulnerability.

Using the few ideas in this article will set you up to make the right impact and create a lively connection with your audience. This is the first step on the path to becoming an expert presenter with strong presentation skills. Enjoy!

Photo by o5com.

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The reality is that despite any unreasonableness you might be receiving from the people you deal with in business, there are very basic steps that you could take to avoid the majority of it. If you notice yourself doing any of the following, take a step back and try to introduce more positive alternatives.

1. Becoming a Robot

Instead: Be polite but not sterile

It’s important to ensure your conversations and emails can never be misconstrued as rude, but that doesn’t mean you need to be sterile. This is relevant to all aspects in your communications, from salutation to conclusion.

For example, I work with people who sign off their emails with ‘Sincere Regards’. How do you think that makes the recipient feel? Whilst it is a safe bet, it might not be the best signatory. But equally you would not want to appear over familiar. It is worth being conscious of how your communications will be interpreted by the recipient; be them verbal, written or in person.

2. Leaving Assumptions Unvoiced

Instead: Follow up meetings

It’s very simple. After a meeting, send the person you met with an email confirming the points of your discussion and your understanding of the actions to follow. It will now be in writing and no one can reinvent the truth. This simple action also shows you were listening and are interested in the project you are working on together.

3. Being Lazy, Procrastinating or Simply Not Caring

Instead: Be proactive, be interested and stay in touch

How often do you communicate with your active clients? Probably not regularly enough. Organising yourself and your team to make regular calls to check in on clients, even if there isn’t much to say, is a basic way to show you care. People like to feel special. It doesn’t take long to type an email to touch base with your contacts.

4. Forgetting to Stay Informed

Instead: Take pride and become an expert in your field

It’s important to stay on top of the industry that you profess to represent. By reading blogs like this you can very quickly stay informed on trends with design, development, marketing and much more. Knowing the major news and up-to-date developments mean you can not only maintain a reputation of expertise and knowledge but also become naturally able to incorporate interesting facts of the industry in conversation with clients and colleagues.

5. Neglecting to Build a Positive Business Culture

Instead: Introduce ways to show you care and are passionate

Simple actions such as organizing a morning tea, buying champagne for a hardworking colleague or even social networking and writing regular blog entries can help build upon the lively and positive energy within your business. Sharing these actions with the public via your website is an easy way to prove your business is made up of human beings who are passionate about what they do. These actions will naturally translate into every day behaviors, such as positive conversations and meeting tough problems with a sense of humor and can-do attitude.

Introduce these alternatives to your own behaviors when dealing with clients and colleagues. Quash any robotic behaviors and ban procrastination: Learn how to avoid losing clients and alienating your prospects today!

Photo by Voka – Kamer van Koophandel Limburg.

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Every change goes through 3 key phases:

• Ideation – the chemical reaction that happens in your brain as you try to solve complicated problems.
• Execution – where the idea actually sees the light of the day.

Noticed that? I said three phases but listed two. We always miss this one. Between Idea and Execution is Convincing – a phase where we influence other catalysts to buy in to your idea. Convince them that it makes sense to experiment. Only then can the execution even start.

Getting ideas and executing them flawlessly is something our education teaches us well, but creating a buy in with your art of influence is a subject that doesn’t find place in those heavy books.

So let us discuss a bit about how to pitch your ideas so that they are accepted and executed the way you want.

First, a Basic Principle

Before we move any further let me remind you the basic principle – You are a Salesman (or Saleswoman). No matter what designation you have, or which industry you belong to or what qualifications you possess. If you are working with others, if your customer pays your bill or if you strive to live a better life, you are a salesman.

You are selling at each moment of your life. It’s either a crazy idea or a just a sober change that you want. You need to know how to pitch it. Pitching is the first impression of a sales cycle and, let me not sound clichéd in saying,  your first impression is the last impression.

What is an Idea Made of?

This is one of the most important lessons a Himalayan Yogi can teach you. So if you don’t have the resources to reach him. Be attentive and I give that away to you for free!

An idea is made of passion; a spirit that really drives the idea. More the passion, easier it becomes to spill it over your audience. Tell them how crazily you believe in this change.

Show them how insanely you have toiled to ensure that the idea sees the light of the day. You have to be the most passionate guy in the room. It is not about begging. It is just about showing how cool it is. If you can understand this little advice, your audience will connect with you and your ideas well. Pitching then is just filler!

How to Deliver a Killer Pitch

Let’s move ahead and understand what is required to deliver a killer pitch.

1. Do your homework well

Pitching is a life and death situation for your idea. So something this critical can’t be gambled by not doing your groundwork before you start rolling.

Remember whether your audience is dumb or smart, they will ask you questions. Lots of them and you need to be apt enough in answering them. Before selling an idea you are selling yourself. They need to know how well you are prepared for it. You might know yourself well and know about your ideas inside out, but what remains in the triangle of pitching is your audience. Knowing about audience is the key because you just can’t pitch to aliens

2. Gather mass before pitching

Pitching an idea is an invitation for change. Change, Ah! The golden word. One word that we often propose a million times but defer implementing it our self. Let’s accept this. Change is uncomfortable.

While pitching any idea, no matter how sound, you are inviting pain for the receiver. Hence to win his confidence (and be confident yourself) you need to gather enough mass before rolling your pitch.

Try talking to a few colleagues to some extent, take feedback for other catalysts (customers, veterans etc). Accept that human brains work like sheep herds. We follow the majority blindly. That is the way we work. Rather fighting with it, why not use it for your benefit?

Second hand opinions, public votes and clarifying ‘what’s in it for you’ can give your pitch a massive head start right when you require it the most.

3. Stories, metaphors and examples add spice

Now let us dive a bit more into the human brain, a workshop where your idea will be analyzed threadbare. And notice that the brain works differently than the way we perceive.

The brain works in outcomes, in pictures and in feelings. Give it a hook and it guesstimates the outcomes and feels it. So if this is the case, why not give the right hooks yourself rather than allow the brain to pick and choose?

Stories keep a user tagged to your communication. Pictures help her visualize. Metaphors help her correlate as easily as possible. All this together amplifies the impact of your pitch to multiple levels. Use them often and from personal experience I can guarantee at least a 100% jump in the receptivity of your audience.

4. Pitching is like running a marathon

Pitching an idea is more of an art than science. It doesn’t have pre-defined formula or pre-designed steps. You can only master it by practicing it as much as possible. In that case pitching is more like a marathon.

• You practice a few hours daily and your body/mind starts building around it
• You run the whole race right inside your mind and visualize your performance
• You understand that you can’t be a winner in the first shot, but every time you add a drop into the ocean

Read again. Were the above sentences about how to pitch or were they about how to run a marathon?

Well both. Remember that you can often learn a few cool tricks on pitching, but what will be great is to devise your own tricks on the spot and have fun all at the same time. Pitching is like running a marathon by being in someone else’s shoes.

Post-pitch

While you will shower your audience with all the pitching awesomeness we just discussed, do remember that the feedback you get always works in your favor and YES there are ample things to do whatever the feedback be.

What if the pitch delivers well?

It’d be stupid to just pitch an idea, make people nod in agreement and close it. Change actually starts happening hereafter.

Ensure at least a formal communication to start with so that people share onus of your idea. Remember the ones who own it, share the responsibility. Once this is done get ready to team with likeminded and be ready to rock!

What if the idea gets rejected?

Aah! It pains really hard. No actually it doesn’t. Remember this key insight – a rejected idea is a half baked masterpiece. No idea is useless. Not only you have something you are already halfway through but you even have the knowledge of how not to pitch. Rework post taking feedback from your audience rather than killing the dream.

Remember the original idea was build upon a few enterprising thoughts. The new idea which will change the world will be based on the rejected one. If failure is the stepping stone to success, how can you dare to remove this stone out of your way? Accepted ideas are good, rejected ones are great. There is no failure only feedback.

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Share your tips on how to pitch an idea in the comments!

Photo by fin5bjh.

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Is there a better way to work? Yes. Enter coworking.

Coworking takes freelancers, indie workers, and entrepreneurs who feel that they have been dormant or isolated working alone at home or who have been migrating from a coffee shop to a friend’s garage or languishing in a sterile business center — to a space where they can truly roost.

“We can come out of hiding,” a coworker tells us, “and be in a space that’s comfortable, friendly, and has an aesthetic appeal that’s a far cry from the typical cookie-cutter office environment.”

What Makes Coworking Better

For many, it might be puzzling to pay for a well-equipped space teeming with other people, even with the chance of free coffee and inspiration. You might ask yourself, “Well, why pay for a place to work when I’m perfectly comfortable at home and paying nothing?” Or, “Isn’t the whole point of telecommuting or starting my own business a chance to avoid ‘going to the office’?”

Coworking may sound like an unnecessary expense, but let’s consider what you get from being a part of the space.

At its most basic level, coworking is the phenomenon of workers coming together in a shared or collaborative workspace for one or more of these reasons: to reduce costs by having shared facilities and equipment, to access a community of fellow entrepreneurs, and to seek out collaboration within and across fields. Coworking spaces offer an exciting alternative for people longing to escape the confines of their cubicle walls, the isolation of working solo at home, or the inconveniences of public venues.

The benefits and cost-savings in productivity and overall happiness and well-being reaped from coworking are also potentially huge. Enthusiasm and creativity become contagious and multiply when you diversify your work environment with people from different fields or backgrounds. At coworking spaces, members pass each other during the day, conversations get going, and miraculously idea-fusion happens with everyone benefitting from the shared thinking and brainstorming.

Differences matter. Coworking hinges on the belief that innovation and inspiration come from the cross-pollination of different people in different fields or specializations. Random opportunities and discoveries that arise from interactions with others play a large role in coworking.

Coworking and Google

To see this in action on a large scale, think about Google. Google made the culture of sharing and collaboration in the workplace legend. It deployed “grouplets” for initiatives that cover broader changes through the organization.

One remarkable story of a successful Google grouplet involved getting engineers to write their own testing code to reduce the incidence of bugs in software code. Thinking creatively, the grouplet came up with a campaign based on posting episodes discussing new and interesting testing techniques on the bathroom stalls. “Testing on the Toilet” spread fast and garnered both rants and raves. Soon, people were hungry for more, and the campaign ultimately developed enough inertia to become a de facto part of the coding culture. They moved out of the restrooms and into the mainstream.

Keith Sawyer, a professor of psychology and education at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, has written widely on collaboration and innovation. In his study of jazz performances, Keith Sawyer made this observation, “The group has the ideas, not the individual musicians.” Some of the most famous products were born out of this mosh pit of interaction — in contrast to the romantic idea of a lone working genius driving change. According to Sawyer, more often than not, true innovation emerges from an improvised process and draws from trial-by-error and many inputs.

Unexpected insights emerge from the group dynamic. If increasing interaction among different peer groups within a single company could lead to promising results, imagine the possibilities for solopreneurs, small businesses, and indie workers — if only they could reach similar levels of peer access as those experienced by their bigger counterparts. It is this potential that coworking tries to capture for its members.

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Do you agree? Let us know if you’ve experienced coworking and if so, how did it go? 

Read Part II of the series here.

Photo by Werkheim.

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I have made every mistake in the book and then some; but after all those mistakes and writing hundreds of articles about resolving conflict in the workplace, dealing with bullies, and trying to improve the health and wellness of the modern workplace, I finally got it.

There are some common characteristics of difficult people but every single difficult person that we encounter is different. That makes it harder to prescribe a simple remedy and needs a wide arsenal of tools in order to deal with “your” difficult person. Yet, two things are almost always true about any difficult person.

Two Absolute Truths About Difficult People

1. You cannot change them: No matter what you do, you cannot change someone. They have hardened their skins and their brains against any attempt to alter their behaviors and they are determined to stay as they are.

2. It’s better to work on yourself or the situation: Secondly, if you are particularly bothered by someone then you have to do something about yourself or the situation. As Mahatma Gandhi said “You must be the change that you want to see in the world.” But if it makes you feel any better go ahead and try to change the difficult person in your life. Let me know how that works out for you.

How to Deal with Difficult People

The good news is that if you are willing to do them there are lots of things you can actually change about yourself, at any age. They include your thinking when you are open to new ideas and your attitude when you are willing to try a different approach. When you are faced with a particularly difficult situation in your life it’s important to remember that you always have choices.

The first is whether or not you want to stay in that situation. This can apply to a job or a company or organization, a relationship or even a marriage, small situations like a restaurant that is too crowded or noisy for you to feel comfortable. There are consequences which may be extreme or very minute but don’t fall into the trap of saying that you are stuck. You always have a choice.

If your decision is to stay in that noisy café, lousy job or unsatisfying relationship, then you will still have choices but they will be limited. It is unlikely that the company you work for will suddenly change how it treats you or that the restaurant owner will shut up and tell everybody else to be quiet. It is almost equally unlikely that the other person in your marriage is going to change the way you want, no matter how much you may want it.

The reality is that you can either accept the difficult situation or person exactly as they are and hope that someday they or you do something to improve it. That doing begins with you — change what you can. One path will let you sleep at night; the other has the potential to become a living nightmare. The choice is up to you.

So what have you chosen? Tell us how you deal with difficult people or situations in your life.

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Based on my experience, I would say that the main reason for a failure was because the client was unsure and lacked information. E-mails, portfolio galleries, and phone calls sometimes aren’t convincing enough and may not persuade a customer that you totally understand their needs and can complete a task at a reasonable price. The solution to all these problems is a well-developed business proposal.

A Business Proposal to Inform, Persuade and Motivate

Usually, a business proposal is written in response to a particular request from your potential customer. It offers a certain way of conducting business and provides detailed descriptions with concrete figures, specific solutions and various sections which you will find below.

On the other hand business proposals may be more general and small by size and may not be addressed to a specific buyer. This kind of business proposal is called “unsolicited” and it is supposed to introduce your company and products or services, and usually is sent by mail to all potential clients.

It is more a marketing solution and the main goal here is not to sell a specific product yet but to provoke interest in the company and the team and to lead to future negotiations in order to get clients interested in your offerings. Such are the differences between the two main types of business proposals: solicited and unsolicited.

Set Goals for a Well-Developed Business Proposal

Whatever the type of business proposal you may need, the goals are quite obvious and approximately the same:

• Who owns the information also owns a promising deal. First of all, your proposal should give relevant information to your potential client. That is why you should try to include all of the required facts about your exclusive product or service, and you should not forget about the prices and other commercial terms. Do your best to be client-oriented; always try to be in your client’s shoes so that you will have a clear understanding of your client’s needs.
• The power of persuasion. A good business proposal should amaze your client, fascinate and raise interest. Be brief and cogent while persuading your client that your proposal and your product or service works best for his project and meets his requirements most of all. Provide evident examples from your business experience. To cut a long story short your business proposal should be “sexy”. But this will be another story.
• Don’t seem to be, just be. After reading your proposal a potential buyer should get a favorable impression of your company, have no doubts in your experience, expertise, qualification, etc. However, it doesn’t mean you should overestimate your talents and achievements; just always try to focus on your strengthens.

Get Things Structured

To sell your products or services you should have a clearly structured business proposal. Generally it should provide information about your company, your solution propositions, including how, when, where, and why you will do them. Usually it includes a certain number of sections that can vary depending on the type of business or other peculiarities.

• Executive summary. This section gives an overview of your proposal’s content. Intent attention to this passage will be paid by those clients who are always in a hurry and have no time for reading the whole proposal. At the same time the executive summary will guide and focus on the main points for those customers who are intended to read it to the very end.
• Company profile. Company profile section includes the history of your company, main clients, and rewards or other achievements if applicable. Also, you can add your company/team expertise and point out experience in a similar sphere. Freelances can skip the company information and concentrate on their expertise only.
• System understanding. In this part you may describe your vision of the client’s needs and requirements, and how thoroughly you understand the problem. In other words, the original client RFP should be the basis for this section.
• Proposed solution. Be ready for the main part of the proposal where you can apply all your ideas and best practices. Address all client requests, write in details with what you propose, and explain your strategy for a seamless solution and launch. Also, it is really important to introduce how your proposals will benefit the client’s company, and help it to achieve success.
• Time and costs. Include estimation of your time and efforts in this section, outline all project milestones, such as the project start date and progress reports delivery. It is crucial to make it clear what exactly is estimated and what is currently out of scope. This will help to avoid any misunderstandings in the future and also save money.
• Additional information. Feel free to build this section with other information you consider relevant for the proposal.

It goes without saying that you can create your business proposals with word documents, but there are online tools which can also help you prepare a proposal with ease.

A well-composed business proposal determines the success of your future deal. The best thing you can do for your business is to write a competent client-oriented proposal. So don’t keep your potential clients waiting — start creating your proposal right now and enjoy success!

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Unfortunately, when it comes to wanting more money out of your job, asking can be tricky and sometimes awkward. Although most companies do yearly evaluations, it is tough to know whether or not you are established enough after one year to ask for a raise if you’re new to the company.

On the other end of the spectrum, a veteran employee may think they deserve more money sometime between yearly evaluations. Then, of course, there are those disorganized companies who have not yet caught on to the idea of yearly evaluations. Did I mention this can get complicated?

When you deserve a raise is completely situational, and I cannot comment on whether or not you should be getting a raise. Upping your salary deals with the quality and amount of work you do for the company. This article is for those who know they deserve more.

One rule of thumb: If you aren’t sure if you deserve a raise, do not ask. Asking for a raise is tricky business, and you don’t want to rub your boss the wrong way for nothing.

How to Ask for a Raise 101

Once you decide you really and truly deserve a raise, it’s time to put that thought into action. Asking for more money does not have to be stressful, and if it is done correctly I guarantee you will come out on top. Consider a few of these tips to help make sure you have every aspect of your speech ready to go:

1. Approach the Right Person

A lot of times employees have more than one boss. They may have a supervisor who then answers to the head of the department who then answers to the head of the company who then might answer to a corporate branch. This makes it confusing when it comes time to express your thoughts, and you’re probably already nervous enough. When it comes to who you should be asking, ask the person who sees your work most often. In most cases, this will be your supervisor.

Your supervisor is the best person to evaluate your performance, and if they agree that a raise is in order, they will then bring it to their boss. Eventually, your request will go up the line, so it is not your responsibility to talk to everyone above you in ranking.

2. Be Prepared with What to Say

Be prepared with what you are going to say before jumping the gun. Create a list of your accomplishments as well as a list of days you did more than expected. For example, if you were always present at company events or fundraisers, bring this up. If a co-worker quit and you came in early to pick up the extra work, bring that up. Be sure to start with your most recent accomplishments first.

3. Meet Your Boss

You absolutely will want to make an appointment to see your supervisor. Let your supervisor know that the meeting is regarding a question; there is no need to tell him/her before the meeting that it will be about getting a raise.

If your supervisor does not have a system to set up appointments, it is best to ask him/her if there is a good time for the two of you to talk alone. Ideally, asking this question is best if done privately, so try to come in early one day or stay a little bit late. Your boss may even talk to you right on the spot. Ask if you can go use a conference room or a break room and then begin your argument.

4. Find a Good Time of the Year

As I discussed previously, a good time to ask for a raise would be during a yearly evaluation. This will eliminate you have to worry about who to ask or where to ask.

However, many people feel they deserve a raise somewhere in between yearly evaluations. This is completely acceptable. In fact, some companies actually make salary decisions just before evaluations, so it sometimes makes more sense to ask for your raise slightly before your evaluation. For example, if your company has evaluations in December, October would be a good time to bring up the idea of a raise.

5. Know Why You Deserve a Raise

Most people know why they deserve a raise. Be sure you look at see what you’re worth. Look on salary.com and see what others in your field are making. If you need to, you can use this as your last line of defense when talking to your boss. After all, if you are getting grossly underpaid, you have a great case as to why you deserve more money.

Parting Points

The biggest thing to remember is that you are not trying to argue or beg with your employer; you are trying to sell yourself. This will come with the preparation of your accomplishments. You want to be respectful, calm, and confident. If you go into your meeting and sound unsure about the points you are making, you will not be very convincing.

Furthermore, be prepared if your boss turns you down. If the boss says “no,” make sure you understand why. If the reasons are not warranted, you may want to be prepared to quit. If they are warranted, be prepared to ask what it will take. At the very least, you can ask for a title change.

In the end, your boss likely knows the kind of work you’ve been doing. Believe it or not, bosses like to be nice. They will probably want to give you a raise! As always, it is a matter of money. If you don’t ask for it, they aren’t going to mess with it and will continue to assume you’re happy. In other words, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Have you ever asked for a raise? How did it go?

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