The Savvy :: Benefits of Concierge Services

The

Savvy

volume 2 :: january issue :: 2011

savvy classes p2 :: savvy article p3 :: savvy girls p4 :: savvy case study pp5+6 :: savvy quotes pp 7+8 behind the savvy p9 :: guest post p10 :: featured service p10 :: savvy gadget p10:: savvy tip p11

concierge services

Savvy services to save you time + money. page 3

Have you seen what’ s new?

• New and improved website and social media presence!

concierge marketing coaches championing your business “A new year, a new you” seems to be the mantra for many people at the start of the year. I don’t buy into that, as the things in our past are what shapes who we are today.

But I do love a new year because it is a time of reflection and a time to set intentions. These reflections and intentions aren’t limited to me personally; they often involve my business as well, as one often affects the other.

Ah, 2011! I love this time of year! So much optimism about what lies ahead and so many new opportunities!

This year, I resolve to focus even more on sales and building a sustainable network. I am committed to adding fun to my workday and letting some of the stress go. And I vow to separate myself from the things that don’t assist me in hitting my business goals.

If you haven’t already cruised by our website in 2011, we invite you to do so today and see how we’ve grown and adapted to new marketplace needs in the new year!

• New and improved newsletter content!

Just like you, we have been working hard since the middle of last month to prepare ourselves for a busy January.

Several of our own internal strategies have been tweaked and refined, and two of our most important outlets to the world have been refreshed—our website and this newsletter!

• New opportunities for help in growing your business!

• A comprehensive menu of concierge marketing services!

• New headshots, courtesy

We have also added some fresh new content to these pages, including a monthly guest post from other savvy entrepreneurs, a look at some fun new gadgets each month, and a bit more information about Cassie’s and my individual sideline activities in the new Behind the Savvy section.

I’m sure you have gone through a similar process, and we would love to hear what your goals include. So let us know where you need some assistance! We love helping others hit their goals through savvy coaching and collective business support Thanks for being here... through our concierge services. we’d love to help you have Together, we can make 2011 rock! a great year!

of Trish Eberlein of trishephoto.com.

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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!”

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.

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!

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Ready? Register today!

Cassie: 720.244.3503

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info@thecollectivesavvy.com

concierge services

by Cassie Bair

Savvy services to save you time and money.

There is power in “collective thinking.”

This is one of the reasons we opted to include the word “collective” in our business name. Collective thinking allows for brainstorming and targeted problem solving by using the old “two heads are better than one” approach.

By brainstorming and problem solving with a group of people from a variety of backgrounds with multiple points of view and creative knowledge, ideas have the opportunity to grow exponentially through vibrant discussion and positive energy.

“Collective thinking” is different than “group think,” which typically involves passive buy-in or acceptance. Instead, collective thinking is more like a think tank, working within an energized structure on a specific challenge to come up with a variety of optimal solutions on multiple topics.

The Collective Savvy frequently utilizes collective thinking—through our internal partnership, with our significant others, and via professional contacts in a variety of fields whose business sense, values, and creativity we trust.

One of the services we are launching is year is a think tank program to serve an intimate set of clients. This group will

benefit from the energy, excitement, and support that can only come from a group of distinctive, dynamic professionals uniting for the purpose of inventive business development and problem-solving.

Our goal is to generate enthusiasm, brainstorm fresh ideas, and offer unique and savvy problem-solving advice to help business members succeed.

Who would benefit from such a program?

Any person in business would take away something of value. However, the type of business person best serviced by actively participating in our new program is likely to be a small business owner, entrepreneur, or marketing director seeking a team with which to bounce ideas around and build rapport.

This person may work alone or in a setting that doesn’t yield this type of opportunity.

What is the value of such a savvy program?

Clients will receive input from professionals in a variety of industries, allowing an imaginative exploration of ideas. The time and financial commitments are relatively minimal in exchange for the resulting strategies and the natural networking that will

occur. The supportive and innovative nature of such a group can only grow over time.

What is required?

Time and commitment are a “must” to participate in our think tanks, along with a nominal financial fee. A unit such as this can only succeed if group members make the meetings a priority and attend with the intention of participating in a lively discussion.

When will it start?

Our savvy program will be launched in the next few months, so stay tuned for more information! Want to be the first to know when our “collective thinking” program rolls out? Email us directly at info@thecollectivesavvy. com. Once we are fully prepared to roll with this fun concept, we will be sharing it with everyone and know it will be a sold-out program!

We are so excited to share our new ideas and programs with you and hope you are enjoying the process! If you have suggestions or ideas on ways we can better assist you with your business, please let us know by emailing us, posting on our Facebook page, or tweeting us.

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start the year off right with savvy coaching.

insert some savvy.

Savvy Case Study

The Collective Savvy, Denver, Colorado + Austin, Texas On the Leading Edge with Concierge Services for Business This month, we are foregoing our usual case study of a specific business and focusing instead on the idea of concierge services evolving out of their traditional role (hotels) and more into business than ever before.

The trend is starting to creep into other business areas as well. There seems to be multiple reasons why this is occurring including saving companies of all sizes time, money, and hassle while focusing business and marketing activities.

As you may have noticed, Candy and I have refocused The Collective Savvy to be more reflective of what our clients are asking for, as well as the services we actually provide and how we provide them. It took us a while to identify how we wanted to position our refined focus and finally settled on the word “concierge.”

At The Collective Savvy, our goal is to assist you with the following time- and money-saving concierge services:

According to Merriam Webster, the word “concierge” is defined as: “a usually multilingual hotel staff member who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations, and arranges tours; broadly: a person employed (as by a business) to make arrangements or run errands” The economic situation in the United States has forced many companies to take a hard look at their expenses and reduce spending. Companies are seeking to get the same job done while reducing payroll and expenditures and while retaining their current culture and level of service. In addition, with information being so readily available on the internet, customers expect more from companies in a timely, professional fashion.

This carries over beyond web research and into other business service areas.

Using a concierge when staying in a hotel is fairly common.

And now, we are seeing more and more concierge services, such as in housing developments and embedded in company settings.

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• Managing Your Time Wisely concierge services saves you time knowledge to hone in what you exactly what you ask for. You d on areas of your business in wh allowing you to focus on critical b

ly—Using our marketing e by tapping our collective u need and by delivering don’t spend a lot of time hich you’re not an expert, business development.

Menu of Services • Spending Your Money Wisely—Using our concierge services saves you money, especially when it comes to marketing. If you were to hire a graphic designer, a photographer, a printer, an advertising professional, and a social media expert for your team, you would spend a lot of money on salaries, training, payroll taxes, equipment, insurance, and more. By utilizing our concierge services, you save those funds because you pay for only what you need, when you need it.

• Securing Premium Service—By using our marketing concierge service, you receive the benefit of having access to highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals who focus specifically on you. Our reputation is valuable to us, as are our customers. We ensure that the services we provide your company are top-of-the-line and guarantee your satisfaction.

• Filtering Information—You don’t have to spend time collecting information, sales quotes, or referrals, or learning a skill set you have no interest in. We have the resources and connections to provide you with the best options for your business.

The way we are able to accomplish these concierge services is through a wide network of contracted professionals with proven track records. We either take on your project ourselves or match you with the perfect contractor for you, all while facilitating the entire project and ensuring that your marketing message and goals remain in focus.

So the next time you find yourself overwhelmed by business and marketing challenges, consider tapping into The Collective Savvy’s concierge services. We love to see our clients succeed!

by Cassie

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Business Coaching • Advice in: • Marketing • Social Media • General Business • Sales 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 Education • Concierge Services in: • Marketing Instruction • Social Media Instruction • Public Speaking • Free Marketing Newsletter, The Savvy • Premium, subscription-based marketing and social media content

Ready to G r O in 2011?

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Let us help you open new doors!

Outsource your marketing to The Collective Savvy in 2011.

Marketing Article 9 Marketing Tips for a Six-Year-Old’s Lemonade Stand Excerpt of an article by Jim Lodico at www.webdesignerdepot.com

The other day my daughter, Sophia, announced that she wanted to set up a lemonade stand.

Seeing as how I didn’t really want to spend the better part of my weekend selling lemonade, I tried to talk her out of it by showing her how much she’d need to spend to buy the lemonade mix, get the cups, that sort of thing.

Regardless of my best efforts, there was no changing her mind. She wanted to go into business and there wasn’t anything I was going to do to stop her.

So as I succumbed to my role as venture capitalist in her first business startup. I decided that at the very least, this would be a great chance to teach my daughter about counting money, basic business principals, that sort of thing.

We sat down with a pad of paper and started writing the business plan.

It didn’t take long before Sophia, becoming completely exasperated with my efforts to teach her about price structure and ROI, looked up at me and said: “But Daddy, I just want to give it away. Our

neighbors are so nice, I just want to give them the lemonade.”

Wow! What do you say to that? She hit me with a complete game changer that I didn’t expect.

Suddenly, the lemonade stand had taken on an entirely different meaning.

So we put away the business plan, she drew up a sign and my wife helped her mix a pitcher of lemonade.

Just as we were about to open for business, Sophia came in from the back porch with a sprig of mint she had cut from a pot.

“Can we put mint in the lemonade?” she asked. “I want to make it extra special.”

And with that, on a Sunday afternoon in a quiet neighborhood, she was open for business.

Within a few minutes, one of our neighbors who had heard about the project came over with 50 cents to buy a glass of lemonade.

Twice the price my daughter was originally planning to charge.

“But it’s free” Sophia told her.

“That’s OK. I want to pay you for the lemonade”, she replied.

Not knowing what to do with the money, Sophia put it in a cup and set the cup on the table (where everyone could see it).

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”

-John Crosby

Before long, more neighbors came by, each one giving her at least 50 cents. When a car would pass, she would jump up and down and scream, “Free lemonade” hoping they would stop.

For the most part they didn’t. However, at one point, one did and the driver handed her three dollars for his glass of lemonade – 1,100 percent more then if she’d gone with her father’s suggestion of 25 cents per cup. read the rest of the article >>

American Politician

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“Do what you do so well that they w ill want to see it agai n and bri ng thei r friends.”

-Walt Disney

American Cartoonist

Social Media Article Should You Outsource Your Social Media Marketing or Keep it In House?

Excerpt of an article by Vic at www.dailyseotip.com

Many businesses aren’t currently outsourcing their social media efforts. Of the most outsourced tasks about 1/3 of all business had or were planning to outsource content creation and 32% having outsourced or planned to outsource search engine optimization of their social sites. This is according the 2010 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report by Marketing Sherpa. I have a feeling more businesses will outsource this in the future once people have figured out systems for doing it effectively and efficiently. So should you outsource it? I’m going to give you some food for thought.

“In business you get what you want by giving other people what they want.”

-Alice MacDougall

American Businesswoman

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

-Zig Ziglar American Motivational speaker

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• Outsource if you don’t have a marketing department.

As an entrepreneur, you wear many hats. In a new business, social media can be a big help getting the word out and you might not have a dedicated marketing person working for you yet. There are many people who are experienced at social media who won’t cost an arm and a leg. Go to Odesk.com and post a job for social media experts. You’ll surely find one. Getting a virtual employee is often cheaper and more efficient than hiring someone to work in your office.

• Keep it in house if you have the ability to develop the core competency. If you have a bit larger of the company, you can delegate social media tasks to someone who handles customer service or other marketing tasks. Since they are

related (and customer service agent will have plenty of content to share on blogs and Fan Pages), it won’t take much for the person to add “social media marketer” to their job title.

• Outsource if you want to run the leanest organization possible. This is slightly related to the small company problem earlier but many companies’ cultures are ones where they encourage lean behavior. One of my favorite books is called the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. He talks about creating businesses completely run by outsourced vendors.

If you want to run a simple company with as little employees as possible then outsource Social Media Marketing.

• Keep it in house if you have trade data that CAN’T be leaked. Let’s say you run a software company. Let’s also say that your software is very unique and expensive. For social media to be really effective, you have to have to be intimately involved with the product to come up with ideas to work social media sites. If you don’t feel comfortable having outside advisors use your software or that it’s so technical that it isn’t practical for a non-user/customer to become proficient, then keep your social media marketing in house.

Obviously, I haven’t shared all the factors you might want to consider. But this is a good start for you to think about. Only you know your business. Although less than half of most social media tasks are outsourced right now, more companies will see the value of outsourcing social media to experts. In my opinion, if you think you might want to outsource social media at some point, you should start now while there are plenty of good experts at cheap prices.

Behind the Savvy

rices’ radical sabbatical

COLORADO CULTURE

Cassie has a passion for exploration, especially if it involves weird, wacky and wonderful cultural sites and experiences! She loves sharing what she finds, so she launched Colorado Culture over a year ago.

Candy loves to travel, having roadtripped with her husband Tim through 49 U.S. states and visited numerous countries overseas in the past 15 years. She is presently on a year-long (and maybe longer!) RV adventure, experiencing life on the road while building her business.

Colorado Culture is a passion of mine. I love connecting with people over events, places to visit, roadside attractions, amazing sites and much more. Support of free resources and small businesses is important to me, as well as the joy of sharing all that I discover with people who may be interested. Often listing free activities—and always posting interesting ones—Colorado Culture is a culmination of all of these things!

I have longed for years to be more mobile in my work life, and taking the risk of going out on the road, living in 208 square feet on a 365/24/7 basis with my husband and our 90-lb lab, and continuing to build a business has been one of the greatest adventures of my life so far! I’m now 6 months into this journey, and feel like I just about have a workable balance that will enable me to really begin blogging about it in earnest. And who knows? I might even have a book in me just waiting to be written!

Visit these sites to follow along: • www.truecoloradoculture.com—In-depth coverage of places and events unique to Colorado.

• www.facebook.com/coloradoculture—Daily updates on things to do, articles and photos of our excursions.

• www.twitter.com/coloradoculture—An easy way to keep up with us or share tips.

• www.youtube.com/coloradoculture—Video footage of some of the weird, wacky and wonderful things that we experience.

Visit these sites to follow along: • www.ricesradicalsabbatical.com—Frequent blogging about our journey, including our dog Chase’s perspective.

• www.facebook.com/laptopnomads—Daily updates and photos from our adventure.

• www.twitter.com/laptopnomads—An easy way to keep up with us or share ideas.

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Savvy Guest Post

Featured Savvy Service

The Importance of Professional Photography in Marketing

by Darcy Miccio Pace of Riverbank Photography Did you know that you have approximately 3 seconds to grab a potential customer’s attention? Do your images represent your company, your brand and/or your product accurately? Did you spend most of your marketing budget on the creation of your website, but failed to budget for professional photography?

If so, that could be likened to a bride who spent thousands of dollars on a venue, a dress, caterer and musicians, but tried to save a few dollars by having Uncle Gus photograph her wedding. Do you think Uncle Gus was able to capture the essence of this once-in-a-lifetime event?

Savvy Concierge Services

A Little Clean Machine

The Collective Savvy team offers a variety of concierge marketing and social media services. In future issues we will highlight a specific service and explain it more in-depth, but for January we wanted explain some of the things we can assist you with in 2011!

The best way to be productive is to eliminate all distractions. If you are one of our business “neat freaks” who must work in a fairly sterile environment, this savvy little gadget is bound to complement your need for clean. Next time you are the store (or online), scoop up a USB powered mini vacuum cleaner.

Our goal is to make your business life easier by saving you time and energy, as well as help you achieve your goals. We take “collective” seriously by bringing to the table a team of experts on a variety of topics. This allows us to ensure you the best—and most savvy— service to achieve success in your marketing endeavors!

In marketing, image is everything. Professional photography is what will capture the true essence of your company and brand. If the images you display on your website or in your marketing materials are less than professional, your brand message will be weakened. If your images are average, potential customers will assume your products and services are just that—average. Beautiful photographs that are unique to your company are guaranteed to be attention grabbers.

The Savvy Concierge Menu: • Strategy—business and marketing consulting, brainstorm sessions, marketing plans, and think tanks.

• Branding—graphic & web design, photography, and copy writing.

• Education—marketing, social media, and sales training via classes, webinars, boot camps, and private customized sessions.

Professional photography will creatively tell a story about your business as well as support your marketing objectives and brand message. Images created by a professional will support your marketing campaign, help construct your desired brand image, attract potential clients, and in the end, encourage sales.

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Featured Savvy Gadget

Take pleasure in eliminating all dust from your keyboard and grit out of your laptop bag with this gizmo. The sight of a clean computer and the fact that the vacuum will fit tidily in many bags will do your heart—and mind—good.

When you are a busy business professional, you want to work smarter, not harder. We “collectively” agree this gadget will help you get the job done! [Contented sigh] Looking for your own USB powered mini vacuum cleaner? Here’s a great place to start!

About Candy + Cassie

Savvy Tips

Candy Rice and Cassie Bair are coCEOs of The Collective Savvy, a unique company focused on business coaching and concierge marketing services. Their enterprise is devoted to empowering business owners nationally with the tools and time savings to live the lives of their dreams.

The Power of the Collective—Outsourcing If you own a small business, you know you are the CEO, grand secretary, and king janitor. Spending too much time on tasks vs. building your business can be detrimental to your income and the growth of your overall business.

Learn more about us online! www.thecollectivesavvy.com

So take time to kick the time killers to the curb with the following outsourcing options: 1. Marketing Coaches 2. Bookkeepers 3. Virtual Assistants 4. Cleaning Crews 5. Website Managers

Candy: 303.947.5527 Cassie: 720.244.3503

info@thecollectivesavvy.com

If you are savvy about your outsourcing, you will ask for referrals, interview candidates extensively, and “trust but confirm” to ensure they are doing the job for which you hired them.

facebook.com/collectivesavvy twitter.com/collectivesavvy linkedin.com/companies/collective-savvy

For a relatively nominal fee, you save time, hassle and distraction so you can devote your time where it matters most—building your business!

facebook.com/thesavvygirls twitter.com/thesavvygirls

Want help growing your business? Contact us at info@thecollectivesavvy.com.

like follow ect conn

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If you liked this month’s issue, you’ll love Cassie’s & Candy’s dynamic marketing and social media coaching to help you market and grow your business, ranging from online marketing strategies to social media training and concierge business services.

While Candy and Cassie are best known for their expertise in marketing, their clients say that the greatest benefit comes from the savvy girls’ philosophy of sharing knowledge. Both Candy and Cassie believe that this is an important way to build business in today’s social network community mindset.

You can learn more about Cassie and Candy and their coaching, concierge services, and courses at thecollectivesavvy.com.

The Collective Savvy PO Box 7465 Denver, CO 80207