The
Savvy
volume 1 :: december issue :: 2010
savvy classes p2 :: savvy article p3 :: savvy girls p4 savvy case study pp5+6 :: savvy quotes pp 7+8 :: savvy tip p9
coaching
How your business will benefit. page 3
Coming early in 2011! • New and improved website and social media presence! • New and improved newsletter
helping you integrate savvy marketing with social media Wow! 2010 has been a major year for me personally and professionally. I started a business, got engaged, traveled and so much more! It’s been a year full of growth, challenges, fears and inspiration and I wouldn’t trade a moment of it because through it all I grew personally and professionally. One of the biggest things to occur recently is that TCS has decided to refine its business focus. In all reality, we won’t be working with clients in a different manner. But our marketing and promotion will match what we are truly doing—business coaching with concierge marketing services. Why? Because it turns out, that’s what we have been doing all along! We are finally matching our external messaging to our internal activity and loving every moment of it!
format!
What kind of year has 2010 been for you? For me it has been filled with consolidation (of my 2 businesses), collaboration (with a new business partner), simplification (of my possessions and lifestyle), and travel (full-time RV adventure).
• Group and individual coaching opportunities! • A comprehensive menu
In the midst of all of this, I have learned two very important personal lessons: to stop restraining myself from developing my abilities to their fullest use; and to finally summon the courage to be fully candid in my relationships, even when it requires letting go of those toxic folks who are unable to accept my candor or be candid with me in return.
of concierge marketing services! • Exciting new blog topics! • Premium, subscription-based
Cassie and I have worked hard this year to build great relationships with some amazing professionals in the realms of public/media relations, web design, graphic design, and more so that as we enter 2011 you can benefit from improved economies of scale while keeping all of your marketing strategy and efforts under the umbrella of a singular message.
We will still offer training, social media tips and marketing discussions. But we’ll start to incorporate more of the things we work on with our clients—how to “get over the hump,” outsourcing responsibilities and managing personal and professional goals. Have ideas, suggestions or comments? Let us know! Happy holidays! We wish you We wish you a Merry peace and joy. Christmas and a wonderful
New Year!
marketing advice that you can access on your own time!
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Courses + Training
Quick-Hit Classes for Business Owners and Marketing Directors!
Marketing + Social Media Classes
We are excited to offer 4 new classes on social media and marketing! The classes are held at the Community College of Denver’s Auraria Campus. • Affordable parking…only $3.50! • Easy to find…right in the Admin Building! • Limit of 30 students per class…small enough to be personal and large enough to be anonymous if you want! • Choose the morning, lunch, or afternoon session…or any combination!
Save 15% when you choose 2 or more classes! TUESDAY, JANUARY 25TH
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26TH
Facebook Fabulous ($99) 9-11am: For the intermediate Facebook marketer that knows the basics, but now needs to “get down to business!”
Blogging for Business 101 ($49) 12-1pm: Want to jump on the blogging bandwagon for your business? Join us to learn the basics of blogging!
Blogging for Business 101 ($49) 12-1pm: Want to jump on the blogging bandwagon for your business? Join us to learn the basics of blogging!
Marketing Trends and Tactics for 2011 ($49) 1:30-2:30pm: Learn what is projected to be hot and on the spot in 2011!
Marketing Trends and Tactics for 2011 ($49) 2-3pm: Learn what is projected to be hot and on the spot in 2011!
Facebook Advertising 101 ($49) 3-4pm: Learn the things that marketers should know about Facebook advertising and why it “pays” to pay so little!
4-5pm: Facebook Advertising 101 ($49) Learn the things that marketers should know about Facebook advertising and why it “pays” to pay so little!
Facebook Fabulous ($99) 4:30-6:30pm: For the intermediate Facebook marketer that knows the basics, but now needs to “get down to business!” Just one for class? No problem! Utilize our personal coaching services. Have a group? Let us know and we’ll build you a customized class! Need us to travel to come to you? We can do that too!
Customized Classes!
The Collective Savvy helps you build the bridge between your business desires and completion. We offer classes and personal coaching on a variety of marketing and social media topics perfect for business owners and marketing professionals.
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Ready? Register today! Cassie: 720.244.3503
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info@thecollectivesavvy.com
coaching by Candy Rice
We say Merry Christmas because it’ s the holiday we celebrate at this time of year. If you celebrate a different holiday, we wish you great joy and hope you will respond to us with your preferred greeting!
How it will help your business.
Last month we delved into the topic of coaching for your business, showing you some statistics and telling you the story of a business owner who benefitted from coaching. This month I’d like to expand on coaching and why it can really help your business. What is coaching? Also known as consulting, the coaching process benefits our clients in three ways: 1) problemsolving—by helping you solve immediate marketing challenges, 2) structure—by helping you plan and focus your marketing efforts for the next quarter or year, and 3) brainstorming—by helping your business thrive through identifying niche markets and products/services. Coaching also involves education, and as knowledge experts, Cassie and I help you understand how to use the important new tools and strategies to make you stand out in today’s information-overloaded marketplace! We do this through think tanks, private on-site training, group classes, and webinars. Coaching can help your business at any point, whether you’re in startup, development, growth, or maturity mode. Why is coaching important? Successful business owners know how important coaching is to the growth of their businesses. Owning and running a business can sometimes be a lonely and somewhat isolated experience. Coaching can play an important role in helping you feel more connected by encouraging you, stimulating new ideas with you, and generating renewed excitement about your business. We can’t tell you how frequently we hear our consulting clients say, “I’m so excited again
about my business! I can’t wait to get started on my marketing!” What can you expect from coaching? Coaching can produce amazing results, or it can produce no results. There are two keys to coaching success: 1) choose the right coach for your business, and 2) do your part to fully implement the coaching advice at the right time. Here are 3 things to consider when choosing a marketing coach: 1. Does the coach have a broad background across many industries? This is important because she will have a greater knowledge of what marketing concepts actually work, regardless of industry. 2. Does the coach have a proven track record of success? This is important because the quality of advice is critical to your company’s success. 3. Does the coach have a broad network of trusted service providers she can connect you with to complete the recommended campaigns? This is probably the most overlooked element when choosing a coach, but it is very important for this reason: you need to have proven professionals standing ready to act on the marketing advice you’ve been given. If you are left to hunt for the right website designer to tweak your site, and a graphic designer to create your next campaign materials, you lose momentum, that campaign slips through the cracks, and you lose out on the opportunity to grow your business. The Collective Savvy is a concierge marketing firm. What that means is that we coach business owners and then, like a great concierge at a fine hotel, we connect them to our trusted network
of amazing professionals in these fields, and more: • brand experts • graphic designers • website designers and programmers • SEO experts • newsletter producers • copy writers • photographers What types of coaching do we do? We coach clients in the following topics: • marketing, • social media and blogging, • general business topics, • sales, and • personality assessment (coming soon!) What makes us qualified as coaches? Cassie has successfully improved organizations in numerous nonprofit and for-profit industries, spanning 5-diamond resorts to associations for architects and heart disease to event planning. She holds a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, and is wellconnected in the Denver area. I have also seen dramatic success in a variety of organizations and industries, from sport marketing to professional photography to higher ed to retail. I have owned five businesses, hold an MBA, and and have established partnerships with professionals around the country. So, when you’re ready to grow your business through coaching, we hope you’ll call or email us first! We are passionate about helping you grow your business!
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spread some joy with your social media.
insert some savvy.
Savvy Case Study
The Collective Savvy, Denver, Colorado + Austin, Texas Do As We Say, Not As We Do...and More: A case study on refining our business couldn’t quite put our finger on why. While we made some mistakes common to entrepreneurs (remember the old saying “Do as I say, not as I do?”) and had some growing pains, it was more than just that. We held off investing much marketing money and kept circling around the issue (thank goodness for candid communication!). Honestly, something just didn’t feel quite right.
As most of you know, The Collective Savvy launched in February of this year. But the story actually starts earlier than that. I worked with Candy’s husband Tim at the American Heart Association, who for a year said, “I just need to get you together with Candy...I have a feeling something good would come out of it.” So Candy and I finally met at a Starbucks in December of 2009. The first day Candy and I got together, we connected over common business approaches, theories and interest—and the idea of The Collective Savvy was born.
So we talked about it. Mulled it over. Analyzed it with others. And finally had a breakthrough while driving to a business meeting—we weren’t really doing what we wanted to be doing in the big scheme of things, nor what we had planned for initially! Our initial vision was bigger and broader—coaching people to succeed in business through education, training and assistance with marketing services. But we had narrowed that to just social media with some additional marketing
Early on in our development, we recognized that we were both “knowledge experts” who enjoy sharing what we learn with others in order to empower them to do more in their lives. We don’t believe in hoarding information and we love sharing it if it will help you! We both shared an interest in social media and a love of teaching, which shaped how we developed our business model and launched our company. Things moved quickly our first 4 months in business. We developed our business and marketing plans, taught classes, worked with clients and drew some attention nationally. We had a core group of clients around the country, most who had hired us to do something for them in social media. We were being invited to speak locally and nationally and being asked to volunteer our time, as well as our expertise. But as we settled in, business slowed down some and so did our thrill for what we were doing, although we
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Photos by Trish Eberlein, trishephoto.com.
Menu of Services Business Coaching • Advice in: • Marketing • Social Media • General Business • Sales
services. In other words, we had the right idea, but wrong execution. Although clients were coming to us for social media or website work initially, these conversations often turned to what their real needs were: general marketing services, tips on how to handle solopreneur endeavors, ways to grow their businesses, addressing staffing issues and more. Really, when we broke it all out, what we were doing was providing business coaching with concierge marketing services on an ongoing basis. Social media was a strong focus, but our interest and actual services had become much bigger, and at the same time more focused. So after some reflection, we have decided it’s time we listened to the advice we were providing clients. It is time that OUR “insides” matched our “outsides!”
Branding • Concierge services in: • Graphic Design • Website/Facebook Design • Copy Writing • Custom Photography Strategy • Concierge Services in: • Brand Audits • Marketing Plans • Brainstorm Sessions • Think Tank Problem Solving Solutions • Campaign Creation
Immediately upon deciding to make the shift doors started opening for us. We had four new clients contact us within 24 hours for coaching and now are gearing up to write our first book on social media marketing. Referrals are coming in steadily. More people are engaging with us online and off-line. And the ideas are mounting! We couldn’t be more excited! In addition, our planning process has taken off and we are so excited to share some of our new services with you in 2011 (make sure to check out Candy’s article on page 3 and the list at the right!). But most importantly, the move simply feels right. We look forward to sharing more business coaching tips, expanding our classes and seminars beyond social media marketing and helping you and your business succeed! by Cassie
Education • Concierge Services in: • Marketing Instruction • Social Media Instruction • Public Speaking • Free Marketing Newsletter, The Savvy • Premium, subscription-based marketing and social media content
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Ready to GrOw in 2011? Let us help you open new doors!
“A leader leads by example w
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ”
-Anne Frank Holocaust victim
“If you focus on results, yo
focus on change, yo 7
whether he i ntends to or not.” -Unknown
“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
-Victor Hugo author
ou will never change. If you
ou will get results.” -Jack Dixon 8
Savvy Tip Getting Savvy– 10 lessons we learned in 2010 1. Learn when to say no—Will a project or proposal grow your business, and grow it in the right direction? If the answer is no, then by all means say it. It’s not personal, it’s business. 2. Learn how to say no—There are nice ways to say no. Try: “That doesn’t fit into my business activities at the moment. I’d love to refer you to…” No harm, no foul. And someone else may love to get that business! 3. Shower—It sounds simple, but don’t just jump up in the mornings and get on the computer or the phone. Take a minute to breathe and go through your normal routine. After all, you’d hate to be caught by an unexpected visitor! 4. When you gotta “go,” GO—It’s amazing how often you get on a call, into a project or tied up with a client and forget to go to the bathroom. The work will always be there. But access to a bathroom may not, like when you are on the road between meetings! 5. Outsource—If you don’t like it or can’t/won’t do it, your business will benefit if you pay someone else to get the job done. And this will allow you to keep garnering new business that is right for you! In our book, that’s money well spent.
6. Take time—You went into business so that you can have a better lifestyle. Make sure you take personal time to enjoy what you have! 7. Use your office—It’s easy to get sucked into meetings at Starbucks or working from the couch, but that’s not always good for your body or your productivity! Use your work space for what you intended. 8. Schedule around your natural schedule—Need to sleep until 10? Start your hours at 11. Need a nap at 2? Start your day early! Work when you are most productive if at all possible—your body will thank you. 9. Don’t work when you aren’t working (or at least don’t let people know!)— Turn off the computer, screen phone calls and refuse to set appointments after business hours. If you were PetSmart, would you be available after hours to your customers? 10. Working from home does not mean housework—If you work from home, your significant other may sometimes view you as on perpetual vacation, or readily available for every pick-up, errand, or dog-walking opportunity. Your business is yours alone and you need to do it right to make money and achieve goals. Determine what you are comfortable with and stick to it. After all, if your spouse was working, they wouldn’t be picking up the dry cleaning, going to the grocery store and playing ball with the dog during their work hours, would they? Want help growing your business? Contact us at info@collectivesavvy.com.
Learn more about us online! www.thecollectivesavvy.com Candy: 303.947.5527 Cassie: 720.244.3503 like follow connect
info@thecollectivesavvy.com
facebook.com/collectivesavvy twitter.com/collectivesavvy linkedin.com/companies/collective-savvy facebook.com/thesavvygirls twitter.com/thesavvygirls
How can we help you?
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• Marketing + Social Media Strategy • Marketing + Social Media Management • Marketing + Social Media Newsletter • Design + Photography + Copy Writing • Marketing + Social Media Training