Lisa Illman, Author at She Owns It

Four Ways using Google Alerts can Dramatically Support Business by @lisaillman

January 23, 2015 by Lisa Illman 1 Comment

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

I have been successfully using Google Alerts for years, in not only my business, but also as a tool for sales development. Google alerts are great for entrepreneurs as well as sales and marketing professionals. Four ways Google Alerts have brought me immediate results include the following:

1. New Clients
This is a top notch way to get new prospects delivered right to your in box. If you are a sales person, you will want to set up Google alerts to stay on top of prospective clients that are making the news. For example, if you sell cardiovascular equipment to hospitals in the Northeast, you might want to set up alerts with keywords hospitals, cardiovascular, Connecticut. Use each state you cover for a new Google Alert. Now make a cup of coffee and be ready because you will be emailed newsworthy updates for your prospects and possible contact names shortly!

2. Brand Awareness
Stay on top of your brand and get in front of any negativity that hits the Internet through Google Alerts. You will be emailed as soon as your brand is published. Getting only positive postings on the Internet? Fantastic! You might want to send that blog writer who mentioned your business a thank you email.

3. Competition
You know as well as I do, watching your own business is a heck of a lot more important then staring at someone else’s. BUT there are times you will want to know about new product introductions or price increases your competition has either announced or has been written about. Stay on top of it, have it emailed to your in box. You’ll also get to see their press releases immediately that could announce the departure of a top-notch employee, perhaps a new one for you!

4. Industry Trends
I love to read documents, newsletters and white pages specific to my industry, but sometimes it is cumbersome to sift through all the topics and find something I am following. Set up a Google Alert to hone in on the points of significance. Nobody said becoming an industry expert had to be difficult!

To set up Google Alerts, simply go to Google’s create an alert page. Now add some key words that you are interested in following. If you want to follow your competition, add their company name. If you are looking for industry trends, add the industry with the keywords associated with your interest. You might need to play around with the key words once you start getting the emails by either narrowing your search or broadening it. Now sit back and let Google email you a wealth of good, customized information right to your inbox!

————————————————————————————

Lisa Illman is the president and founder of Kritter Kommunity. Born in 2009 out of her passion for pets, Lisa’s vision for Kritter Kommunity was inspired by her kitty cats, Madison and Abigail. With very little cash to start her business, Lisa and her cat Abigail started blogging and tweeting to gain product exposure. They were able to take 100 orders before their new product was even available. A social media enthusiast today, Lisa and her cat Abigail still post and tweet regularly; they have over 15k pet loving followers on Twitter.

This was just the beginning of Lisa’s journey as an entrepreneur, inventor and writer for the pet industry. Coming out of the gate with no experience starting a business, Lisa took bold steps without knowing which would be mistakes, and which would take her to the next level of success. Tenacity and passion gave her the courage to pitch her own products to media contacts and landed them on many media outlets like Good Morning America. Relationship building and writing put her in a position to develop a solid reputation with the social media world of pet lovers; her furry muses cheering her every step of the way!

Hands on experience, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Pennsylvania State University, more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience, and numerous professional awards, Lisa has a strong foundation as she continues her journey as an entrepreneur, inventor and writer. She inspires others to capitalize on their interests through coaching and writing.

Lisa Illman

Three Ways to Carve Out Valuable Time Reading by @lisaillman

January 8, 2015 by Lisa Illman 1 Comment

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

Reading books and articles in an excellent way to learn new things, spark ideas and manifest creativity. I have been reading since I was very young, and as I grew into adulthood, reading sometimes would fall off as a priority. I always suffer the consequences when I let reading slip through the cracks, so I started to think of ways to make it a top priority in my life. Taking a pot burner type book on vacation and getting lost in it for hours, sometimes days, was easy for me. But integrating reading into my everyday life, now that can be challenging! Here are three tools I use to keep my readings at the forefront of my daily activities.

1. Add Reading to Your To Do List
After my morning journaling, I put adjust the to do list I wrote for myself the night before. As I adjust my list, I make sure reading is included on my list and even add a specific timeframe or amount of reading I will accomplish. By being specific about how many chapters I will read, or how much time I will dedicate to my article reading, I am reinforcing my efforts towards the activity. This morning I added to my to do list, “read through pages 229 of Simple Abundance” so that I have a goal and clear defining commitment to my book. Since I have a list of books I would like to read in a year, this simple act towards reading helps me stay on track and enjoy my entire list!

2. Embrace Digital Readings
Admittedly, reading hard cover books is my absolute favorite way to absorb information and enjoy getting lost in pages. I still do not even own a Kindle, and can’t imagine not having pages to turn. But with all the digital tools at my fingertips, I remind myself regularly that books are just one way to take in information. Business articles are rich in content and so easy to find. Sometimes I climb into bed with my iPad and scroll through my list of favorite Facebook Pages that consistently post business articles. I love clicking on them to read all about a new process, invention, product or service. In addition, blogs are another great way to embrace reading and what better blog then SheOwnsIt.com for new best business practices! In addition to Facebook and Blogs, I have found content rich material on LinkedIn and Twitter. Pinterest is a wonderful way to gather information and read up on helpful information. I have found Pinterest to be my favorite resource for DIY articles.

3. Use Audio books
Probably the best way to complete more book reading in a year is through listening to audio books. For those who travel to work daily, this is a wonderful way to get through those dreaded traffic jams! Audio books give us the ability to use travel time wisely. Nestled in a seat on the train or plane, or sitting behind the wheel of your car; listening while someone reads to you can be ideal. I used to hate driving more than two hours until I discovered the audio book. I actually look forward to getting in the car for long periods when I know I have a good book to keep me company!

Reading is said to be one of the top activities successful people do regularly. Get creative with ways to integrate more books and more reading into your routine. If the idea of new books sounds costly, get a library card. The library is a valuable resource for books, magazines, digital articles and audio books. Read forward, onward!

————————————————————————–

Lisa Illman

Dramatically Increase Productivity with Morning Journaling by @lisaillman

December 29, 2014 by Lisa Illman 6 Comments

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

Journals are long time best friends of some of the most successful business folk. Lists, ideas, goal setting, idea inspiring, creative writing and more can be captured in our pages of daily digests. Through writing, individuals remember daily tasks, plan out strategies, inspire ideas and generate strategies for business development. It would seem logical then that morning journaling can specifically have positive effects on the outcome of my day; this is why I started the habit of morning journaling. Here are the productive results that motivate me to keep this wonderful habit-forming action.

Begin with Gratitude
Many times, my morning journaling begins or ends with a gratitude section. It is no secret that the more we are grateful for, the more will come our way. It is also such a wonderful practice in building a foundation on a glass half full; what better way to seize the day than with a grateful heart!

Create a Successful Day
When I journal in the morning I literally lay out my day as if my achievements are happening as I write. I jot down how I feel as I accomplish each goal, which creates a positive outcome for my subconscious and conscious mind to begin with. Instead of a simply having a ‘to do list’, I motivate myself with inspiring affirmations and the feelings that come with the day I am planning. An excerpt from my morning journal this morning is a great example of creating a successful day.

“Today I enthusiastically write my articles for ShowOwnsIt.com that include December, January and February. As each article is complete, I am more energized and motivated to write the next. Creative writing surges through me, and I am excited to share my ideas and best practices with other aspiring business women.”

Organize Thoughts and To Do Lists by Priority
It is so tempting to rush into the day by hastily writing a to do list of bullet points that are unorganized and frantic. Through morning journaling, I am able to write about my goals, my dreams and how each ties into the other. I frequently ask myself, “How can I accomplish my dreams with my goals today?” From here, I write out a strategy almost effortlessly. Now I am ready to write a to do list that is prioritized and content rich. In my to do list are the tasks and actions that support my dreams and goals. A wonderful feeling of accomplishment pours over me at the end of the day as I see my commitment to my life. Even if I wrote a to do list the night before (which I sometimes do to prepare ahead of time and allow my subconscious to work it’s magic when I sleep), I can go back to this list and adjust accordingly. Everything starts to jive between my intentions and inspirations.

Morning journaling does not have to have the same structure each day. In fact, I highly recommend changing it up a bit. Some mornings I might spend thirty minutes writing on gratitude alone; or perhaps creating a successful day with which includes an afternoon gratitude meditation. However your morning journaling manifests itself is going to lead you to new results. Mornings and journaling combined are a wonderful duo; I encourage anyone to give it a try as you embark on a new year! Like me, you might find new prosperity, enhanced joy and a more serene overall life.

———————————————————————————–

Lisa Illman

Ways to Use Analogies for Effective Communication by @lisaillman

November 24, 2014 by Lisa Illman 3 Comments

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

When Tom Hanks who starred in the movie, Forrest Gump, said, “My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” viewers could literally envision taking a half bite of a chocolate to find out what was in the middle. Comparing the unknown middle of chocolates to the unpredictable journey of life resonated with the masses and soon the quote ranked #40 in the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. This is an example of using an analogy to effectively communicate an insightful notion.

Analogies, or using comparisons that resemble each other in some particulars between things otherwise unlike, can be a very effective tool to communicate a point, opinion or creative idea. With so many misunderstandings that get lost in translation, analogies can help a speaker to not only reel her listener in, but also successfully describe specific points. Three different situations that analogies can help effective communication include:

Selling Your Idea

No matter if you are bringing a new product to market or trying to sell a group of Investors on your business, analogies can really help drive your idea home. A main product line can be described as “the meat and potatoes of the business” or “this product is really the bread winner of our line.”

Presenting a Business or Finance Plan

Finance plans can be one of the most important albeit driest presentations, a speaker can give. Consider sprucing up your presentation with catchy analogies such as “this service cost our business so much money, we ended up dropping it like a hot potato.” When explaining the reason for specific sales increase “this product line is really our low hanging fruit for the sales team” could be used.

Telling a Story

Story telling is a wonderful way to engage your readers or audience. Analogies can add drama to any story, such as “the storm was so intense, our boat was being tossed around like a crouton in a ceaser salad!”

Using analogies is a great way to grab audience attention and help connect the dots as a story unfolds. Even in problem solving groups, analogies can foster ideas, bridge gaps and put the pieces of a puzzle together. When using analogies, try to create your own or use ones that are not overused, especially in business. You might start a ‘catchy’ analogy phrase among peers and business contacts setting you apart from others and really standing out from the norm!

—————————————————————————-

Lisa Illman

Five Outstanding Results that will Compel You to Eat the Frog by @lisaillman

September 18, 2014 by Lisa Illman 2 Comments

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

Mark Twain’s famous saying of eating a live frog every morning to get your most dreaded task out of the way has become an important step in my life. What exactly is a live frog? According to Twain, it is that one important item you should do that you might put off because you’d rather not do it. Examples of my frogs have been exercising, calling an unhappy client, organizing my desk, making a doctor’s appointment and even taking time to meditate. It is that one “to do” on my list that must get done today or tomorrow will feel much heavier. Over time, the payoffs of frog eating have given way to a normal routine of tackling dreaded tasks first. Here are the big picture rewards that continue to compel me to prioritize my day with toughest task first

Eliminate Procrastination

Probably the most obvious reward to taking one of the hardest tasks first is the elimination of procrastination. Defined in the dictionary as postponing or delaying an activity, procrastination can result in a number of poor consequences. There is the heavy feeling of something looming overhead when an activity is delayed, but other adverse results can also add up. If your frog is paying bills, the late fees that start to accumulate with late bill paying makes eating that frog a definite plus! If getting to the gym is your frog, then the lack of exercise of not doing this important step is the negative result. Procrastination is a heavy burden, eating frogs can quickly eliminate this pesky foe!

Reduce Anxiety

As frogs start to build on your to do list, so does the anxious tension that accumulates in your life. Fear and worry are like a Cancer; they multiply and feed each other. Taking whatever important step towards a day free from anxiety is not only good for you, but also for the people around you. Frog eating is one activity that can literally transform anxiety into serenity.

Generate Rewards

When frogs are big and juicy, squirmy and especially tough to choke down; I make it a point to have a big reward waiting. Rewarding frog eating is a great motivator for anyone who hasn’t been eating her frogs for sometime. In the past, when procrastination has gotten the best of me, I took the time to make a list. I wrote out two columns, one column titled FROG the other REWARD. For each task, I assigned an award; the harder the task, the bigger the reward. Rewards do not have to be big expensive items that might hurt your wallet. They can be anything from afternoon naps to café mochas in the park after lunch. Perhaps an extended lunch with a friend or if the wallet does allow, a new scarf or an hour massage. You get the idea; make it special, nurturing and something that you do not get to do everyday. Have fun with your frogs and gifts!

Clear the Mind

Stop the monkey chatter going on in your head! Plain and simple. When foreboding chores begin to lessen, the burden that is lifted is huge. The bigger the frog, the greater the relief and with relief comes a clear head. Peace of mind is priceless; with one big gulp, worry and fear can be wiped out.

Promote Good Healthy Living

The listed benefits of getting busy with your most dreaded tasks add up to one big bonus; a healthier lifestyle. By eliminating procrastination from your life, reducing stress, clearing your mind and creating a rewarding schedule, good living will naturally follow.

Eating the frog has become the most productive approach to my day. If I ever get off track and stray from this simple concept, I immediately put together a list of things that need to get done. One day at a time, each frog is crossed off my list and the heavy burden of delay is released. Most evenings before I go to bed, I ask myself “what is the one thing I need to do tomorrow if I do nothing else?” -that is usually my frog.

————————————————————————————-

Lisa Illman

Three Incredible Best Practices That Will Help You Become Successful by @lisaillman

August 27, 2014 by Lisa Illman Leave a Comment

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

As I look back on the past five years, I can identify key practices that significantly improved my results in my personal and business growth. To list all would be grueling, so I handpicked a few of my favorites!

Carry a Journal

This is such an easy and important step for any businessperson. Have a journal that you take with you anywhere. Your journal will not only keep a log of your daily activities, it can be a great tool for brainstorming during unexpected delays. You will be so thankful you have your journal when that encounter with someone you would love to meet happens. Taking notes during important conversations (especially unplanned ones) is key to saving details and contact information.

Create and Update a Success Diary

In his book, “The Success Principles”, Jack Canfield recommends creating and keeping a success diary. A success diary should include all of your successes starting from birth. Yes, that is correct, go that far back. As far back as you can remember and start listing all of your achievements. I included all of my successes in a notebook to date and then switched over to an electronic notepad I have on my iPhone for daily achievements. The success diary from your elementary school years might include anything from dance recitals you performed to ribbons you won at school. High-school years could include obtaining your driver’s license, a school play you participated in and trophies you may have won. The key is to consider everything. Overcoming bad habits like smoking to making friends with the nasty neighbor nobody liked. As you approach your current age, you should have a wealth of achievements to look back on. Creating this list will show you just how much you can do! As you keep your achievements logged everyday, you can feel good about the things you are accomplishing. Everyone struggles with feelings of less then from time to time. Questions of doubt creep in from time to time and a resource of documented positive affirmations will help readjust the stinking thinking. Your Success Diary will remind you how far you have come and how far everyday you continue to go! Page through your diary from time to time. Take a look at what a winner you are and watch your self-confidence soar!

Identify and Follow Two Unattainable Mentors

Mentors are a valuable asset to anyone trying to achieve success. Sometimes it is not possible to have a mentor with direct contact, but don’t let that stop you from using them! Identify two people you admire and make them your mentors. Follow them on Twitter, read their books, watch their videos and practice their principles. Your mentors can change as you grow and start to admire others, but having winners in focus at all times is important. Several years ago, my main unattainable mentor was Sarah Blakely, the Inventor of Spanx. I admire her tenacity and relentless drive, so when she did not answer my letter I wrote to ask her to mentor me; I decided to make her my mentor anyway! I watched her videos, read her story and got on the Spanx email distribution list. In one of her videos, Sarah talks about how her Father’s questions at dinnertime after a day at school was significant to the success of her business. His unusual line of questioning helped her handle rejection and failure while trying to launch her product. She talks of how her Dad would ask every evening “So what did you fail at today?” Sarah said she would proudly talk of all her achievements and what she did well at that day at school. Her Dad would continue asking, “that is great, but what did you fail at today?” He was always extremely disappointed if Sarah couldn’t think of things she failed. Sarah quickly realized that failure was a sign she was trying to push herself beyond her comfort zone, and that failing was a major part of the process to success. Her recollection still echoes in my mind when I need to quickly overcome rejection or a failed project. Feel the disappointment, learn from it and quickly realize that I am one step closer to my dreams!

Best practices are the gems I keep as my constant when everything around me seems to be changing. Having a few that are part of your routine will provide increased results, and give you a sense of control, focus and authority over your life. Once your best practices are in place and consistent, pay it forward and share with others!

—————————————————————————–

Lisa Illman

Effectively using Accountability Partners for Business Results by @lisaillman

August 22, 2014 by Lisa Illman 1 Comment

Share your journey, reach your goals.

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

You hear it often when it comes to exercise and losing weight; have an exercise partner who shares your same desire to be fit and healthy. But can this concept also be applied to your business or career? Absolutely! I have always had a partner who knows my with my business, blog and invention goals and agrees to hold me accountable for my action towards meeting these goals. In return, I agree to do the same for her. We text each other daily, spend a few minutes on the phone every week and meet for lunch once a month or once a quarter depending on our schedules. But no matter what, we agree to stick to our agreed upon schedule because we both know the benefits we reap from this very important activity. Not to mention it is fun to get together with another person and share ideas during our dinners. In between our face-to-face sessions we are corresponding regularly to check in on progress made and as importantly, providing encouragement to each other.

When choosing your accountability partner, you want to be sure your partner has a positive attitude and is interested in results. Think of someone you already know from school, work or volunteer groups that seem to have the same drive as you do. In addition, a partner who is committed to success and is enthusiastic about meeting and even succeeding her goals. In Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles, Jack writes of the importance of having an accountability partner. In October 2013 Jack posted on his Facebook page, “The key to a successful accountability partner relationship is choosing someone who is as excited about reaching his or her goal as you are about reaching yours. Do you have an accountability partner?”

Ask yourself these five questions when identifying possible candidates.

Is this person committed and driven?

Is she accountable for her goals and actions towards a successful life?

Does this person have a positive outlook on life? Is she mature and respectful, having a responsible caring approach? (No harsh critics!)

Do I trust this person? (Stay away from gossips!)

Will she be able to invest the time our relationship deserves?

As you consider potential partners, also consider the above questions for yourself. Are you committed, positive and trust worthy? You will want to be the best accountability partner you can be; as we all know, you get out of it what you put into it!

Now that you have your accountability partner, set a schedule to correspond and be sure to agree on how you will be corresponding and how often. Consider how many times you want to talk on the phone, text, email and meet face to face. Many partners like to talk daily with a quick chat on the phone at the end of the day. I have had success doing correspondence this way, but also through daily texts with Friday calls (which always last longer than a few minutes) and monthly lunches. I have used a combination of daily emails, weekly Skype and quarterly dinners with accountability partners who live in other areas and have seen tremendous results. However you set up your schedule, be sure you agree on one that works for you both. Get committed to the schedule and stick with the plan. Invest the time, be positive, stay committed, have fun and watch your results soar!

—————————————————————————————–

Lisa Illman

Four Incredible Ways EzineArticles.com can Dramatically Help Your Small Business by @lisaillman

July 5, 2014 by Lisa Illman 2 Comments

by Lisa Illman | Featured Contributor

EzineArticles.com is a wonderful resource for writers and publishers. You might be wondering how it can help your small business when you are not a writer or a publisher, but I assure you, it can! EzineArticles.com is a wealth of some of the most qualified experts in hundreds of different niche markets from around the world. When I started my outdoor pet enclosure business, Kritter Kommunity, I wrote several articles for Ezine. Below are the four incredible ways it helped my business and I believe can help yours too!

Improve Google Page Rank

When you write an article for EzineArticle.com (or have someone write and article for you), you are able to include a link back to a website. Linking your website via EzineArticles.com can be a good bump to your Google PR because EzineArticles.com is a GPR 6 and that is a pretty nice ranking which in turn helps yours! As long as the article stays within their guidelines, you can use a keyword that will also be beneficial to your website during Google searches.

For more information about Google Page Rankings and how they can help on line businesses, check out, “Reasons Guest Blogging will Improve Your Social Media Network”. Writing for EzineArticles.com and linking to your site is a great way to get a boost in Google’s ranking.

Traffic to Your Website

When your article is accepted and published by EzineArticles.com it not only goes onto their website which serves millions of unique visitors monthly, an email which announces every new article posted to over 100,000 permission-based members/publishers is also sent out. Each time your article is read, the reader could click on the link back to your website which will bring you more traffic. Ezine Publishers could pick up your article to use in their email newsletters, putting your article with links, in an even larger audience!

Establish Yourself as an Expert in Your Field

One of EzineArticles.com main goal is to provide quality content to its readers. By approving your article, you are not only getting yourself Ezine’s seal of approval, you are given the opportunity to include a bio in their resource box. This gives you the chance to gain credibility, exposure, brand recognition and you get to add two more new links as well!

Published Articles are References

Once your articles are published you can use them as references for your clients or other opportunities in your field of work. When I threw my hat in the ring to become a Feature Contributor on SheOwnsIt.com, I was able to provide examples of my writing with the EzineArticles.com I have written. When I send out email newsletters to my clients, I include the newest published EzineArticle.com for them to read. I not only gain credibility, the articles are acting as letters of reference for me. I have also used my published articles to provide examples to be referenced for acting as a guest speaker at various venues.

Writing articles in your field will keep you sharp and on the ball. Using a resource like EzineArticles.com will propel your efforts and put you front and center with new potential clients while continuing to impress the current ones!

————————————————————————————

Lisa Illman