Summer Break

Not sure what we are going to do yet, but the Brainwaves Bunch is taking a break for the summer.  See you back here at the end of August with reminders on our September subject.

Look forward to a 2-part series on presentation skills followed up by actual time to present with the team - practice makes perfect!

Happy Summer:)  Keep those positive vibes flowing!

Lora & Maria

June Brainwaves: Mid Year Review

So where are you?  Where is your business in terms of your 2011 goals?  Time to review and set plans in place to make the rest of the year even better than the first half.

Get together with the Brainwaves team and...

• examine your business progress for the first 6 months of 2011
• develop actions to stay on track or correct your course
• look at opportunities for the next 6 months
• determine if I will hit my year-end figures

Early Morning Conference Call

Click here to reserve your seat.

May 11th Brainwaves

We will be postponing this event until Thursday May 19th at 7:30 am.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

May Brainwaves: What Do I Need to Change?

Have you answered this question before?  What do I need to change?  It is usually followed by 'why do I need to change that?'
Good questions that we need to ask ourselves, to keep developing and moving our businesses to new levels.

May Brainwaves will look at change strategies:

• what gets in my way?
• what is my greatest fear?
• what would my life be like if I changed just one thing?
• do I think that if I do the same things over again I will get different results?

Be a part of Brainwaves on Wednesday May 11th, 2011 @ 7:30 am.

Click here to reserve your seat!

Teleconference will start at 7:30 am sharp!

April Brainwaves: ME - The Business Leader

April Brainwaves will focus on leadership.  Whether we are in a business of one or a business of many, leadership is key.  It is the value behind your brand.  It is your image.

Brainwaves will focus on:

• what are my leadership skills
• how do I demonstrate my leadership skills
• how can I improve my leadership skills
• leadership skills inventory

Join us by phone, for FREE:  Wednesday April 6th, 2011 @ 7:30 am.

Click here to reserve your seat now!

Networking Strategies

There are so many great tips and ideas to make networking effective.  Here a few steps to help make your networking successful:

• Choose a networking event to attend after researching attendees (online or by phone call to the organizer) to make sure that the people there are in your target audience.
• When at the event, even if you are shy, remember that everyone is there to network and speak with others, no one wants to be left standing alone, so you can even make your shyness or 'new-ness' a part of the conversation when you see someone standing by themselves.
• When speaking with others, focus on them - what do they do, how do they do it, who is their ideal customer.
• Take notes on their business card.  Don't forget your pen!
• Follow up is critical - be methodical and provide value with each follow up - whether by phone, email or regular mail.  It's not about closing the sale in the follow up.  It's about building a foundation for a relationship.
• Be genuine.  Be yourself. 

Let me know if you would like the complete notes by replying to this post.  You can also post more of your own ideas here too!

Don't forget to join us on April 6th for a personal development Brainwaves By Phone Session:

Me - the Business Leader!

How to Make Twitter Work for You

Are You Ready to Find Out How to Make Twitter Work for You?

Join us for a FREE webinar on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 2pm EST

to learn how to put Twitter to work for YOU!

In this free webinar you will learn:

• How to develop a Twitter marketing strategy
• What to say on Twitter
• How to make your Twitter profile stand out from everyone else

You will also receive some great bonuses that you can start using immediately to help you develop a great social media marketing plan.

Bonus 1: “5 Key Communication Strategies to Build Your Brand”, downloadable report (available as soon as you sign up!)

Bonus 2: Social Media Marketing Metrics, downloadable template (available after the webinar)

Bonus 3: Replay of the Webinar to watch at your convenience (available after the webinar)

Bonus 4: “How I Tripled my Blog Traffic in Two Months”, downloadable report (available immediately upon signup!)

Click to sign up!

March Brainwaves: Networking Strategies

Networking is the way business gets done these days.  It's no longer about how long the client has done the same old business with you....it's about the relationship you have built with the client and this starts out with networking.  They stick with you because they know you, you have added value to the service you offer, they trust you...you don't simply send them an annual or monthly invoice. You are people - connected!

March Brainwaves will focus on Networking and how to build relationships - it is easy to say (and type), not so easy to put into action if you are not regularly out there doing it.

Join us on our FREE call:  Wednesday March 2nd, 2011 @ 7:30 am to brainwave about:

• how to connect with people
• elevator pitches or HUB statements
• follow up process
• what the relationship means

Click here to sign up and reserve your seat today!

Brainwaves By Phone Update

This is the view from my front door the day after the snow-pocalypse in Southwestern Ontario. 

It is cold out but the sun is shining and the water is dripping from the eaves creating icicles and puddles at the same time.

Business needs to be able to adapt to changes created by the market, internal events or even natural events that get thrown our way.  Instead of postponing our Brainwaves session for February, we decided to host a FREE Brainwaves by Phone session.  We had a good response to the sign ups.  Had a little less response to actually getting on the call.  Nonetheless, we had a very good discussion on Untapped Business Opportunities.

Here are some of the key points:

• The hardest door to get through is the car door – schedule time to make the plan, then make it and follow it.
• We all wear so many hats as entrepreneurs, need to juggle the time and prioritize each day or week.  Have a set of goals for the year and break down the quarters to reach those goals
• Challenge is getting commitment from the client – follow thru – they always like what you are attempting to sell, it’s the decision-making that takes time and is usually a matter of ‘timing’

What we kept coming back to as a group was that 'untapped opportunities' are not just emerging trends, they can actually be at our doorstep - we need to be disciplined and focused, build and implement a plan, measure the success and repeat the process to get the clients we need to build and grow our business.

For a full copy of the notes, please email me at lora@solutionlinx.com.

Our next session will be March 2, 2011 - Networking - what to do when you get there and follow up tips!

SNOW ALERT!!!

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Due to the impending snow storm headed our way, the February Brainwaves Session will take place by phone.

So...instead of getting out and shovelling snow at 7:30 am tomorrow morning (Wednesday February 2nd), grab a cup of coffee and join us for a great discussion on Untapped Business Opportunities for 2011.

Meet new people, share ideas and of course, jumpstart your day with Brainwaves.

Click here to register.

Then we will send you the details for the teleconference number and access code.

Special Bonus for Brainwaves by Phone attendees:  extended Early Bird Pricing on Leadercast Tickets (until February 15th, 2011) - send me an email to receive this bonus:  lora@solutionlinx.com .

February Brainwaves: Untapped Business Opportunities

Untapped Business Opportunities usually means money in the bank.....
....but for some reason we are afraid to go after them.  Either we are not sure how or what or when or who....and really all we need is just a little push to find those answers.

Sometimes I wonder if we are just a little afraid of being successful and raising our own bar - then we would have to jump even higher!

February's Brainwaves will discuss:

• how my business can capitalize on emerging trends in my business area or other ones
• what resources are available to me
• who has what I need

Come prepared to share your ideas.  Or, if you have chased an untapped opportunity - tell your story and talk about how you survived!

Head over to the Buy Now page to sign up!

See you at Cora on Amy Croft in Tecumseh

Wednesday February 2nd, 2011 @ 7:30 am

January Snow Stop + Update

Two stories today....

1. we cancelled our first 2011 session because of all the snow - you can't control Mother Nature!
2. we still want to give you some tips for developing your 2011 Outlook

Reminder:  It's important to reserve your space with us so that we can contact you by email or phone for any cancellations or last minute changes.

2011 Outlook Tips

• The Plan:  have a clear and focused plan with a timeline over the entire year.
• Avoid Distractions:  create a list of distracting items that may take you off of your course so that you can recognize them and place them on your timeline where they belong.  Some things may need to be placed in later months of the year.  Others may need to go on a list of "nice to do" or "5 years out". 
• Be Realistic:  know what you can and cannot do.  This means stretching yourself and developing your skills, not overwhelming yourself with tasks, projects and learning that will cause you to miss out on making money. 

Example:  I would like to develop an App.  I have an idea and want to see if it will fly.  This is something that I know nothing about except for the ones I use on my Blackberry and Ipad.

• I have it on my timeline for 2011 to start in February.  This is my investigation process and connecting with someone I have in my connections from LinkedIn to discuss and brainstorm the topic. 
• I have allotted 4 hours in February to this project.  This will provide me with ample time to evaluate if I should proceed and if the App should stay on my 2011 plan or not.
• I do not know how to write code ( like the boys on Big Bang Theory) so I will need a very simple process or program or support system to execute this project if it goes.  I do not want to take my time away from clients, networking and the rest of my February and future goals as it could jeopardize my 2011 plan.

Use the tips for your outlook in 2011 to keep you focused.  If you find you are straying or need refocus, stop by a Brainwaves session or let me know.  I would be happy to coach you through that time.

January Brainwaves Feature Promotion

Check out the January Feature Page - SAVE MONEY Today!!

Click on Image.

2011 Brainwaves Calendar

2011 Brainwaves Topic Calendar

Thank you for the survey feedback.  We have done our best to incorporate all the topics suggested and voted upon by you, our members and followers.  We have skipped the social media topics as we were quite heavily into them through quite a bit of 2010.  This being said, we are happy to create secondary Brainwaves groups for this upon request (with minimum attendance numbers required) or you can chose to learn more about social media navigation and marketing by connecting with Business Success Coach Lora Crestan  - click here.

New for 2011:

• Wednesday sessions
• 7:30 am start time

January 12th:  Business Planning for 2011
What's Next?  My Outlook for 2011 - we will brainstorm the following:

• What is the plan?
• What are the steps?
• How to anticipate obstacles?
• How to track progress?
• How to track results?

Here is the topic list for the rest of the year.  Each month, brainstorming points will be posted to the blog (subscribe here).  As usual, each month a recap will also be posted with completed notes available at the Solution Linx website for Brainwaves Members Only access.


February 2nd:  Untapped Business Opportunities

March 2nd:  Networking Strategies

April 6th:  Demonstrating My Leadership

May 11th:  Change Strategies

June 1st:  Goal Setting & Mid-Year Review

September 14th:  Presentation Skills

October 5th:  My Brilliant Idea & Presentation Skills Part 2

November 2nd:  Open Topic - Brainwaves Members Choice + 2011 Recap

Brainwaves Goals 2011

Our New Year goals are quite simple:


...create an open environment for our clients to have brainstorming sessions on topics that benefit their business by implementing feedback provided

...create a network of business owners, leaders and like-minded individuals who can help each other grow their business and advance their careers by consistently seeking new attendees