Trolls may post once, occasionally or be regular offenders, but their goal is usually to be as disruptive as possible by instigating others. If you give the troll the attention they are after by reacting, they usually win, so paying little attention to them is the best way to deal with trolls.

Don’t Feed the Trolls

DFTT is a well-known acronym in the blogging world, and basically reiterates the importance of not acknowledging the troll and their comments. If you respond, you are giving them more ammunition to continue on with their disruptive behavior. When you ignore them entirely, they may eventually just go away.

But what if ignoring them just doesn’t work? If they become a habitual poster and start to disrupt conversations with your readers and essentially drive people away with their negativity, you may need to try a different tact.

Find Out What They’re All About

You can usually find out something about the troll by checking their account information for an email address, website and/or IP address. Even if the poster comments anonymously, if you keep a record of submitted comments and they have commented before, you may be able to identify them. If it’s someone who has commented normally in the past, it’s possible that they’re just having a bad day and their one comment will be the end of it.

You can also Google the troll with whatever information you have to see how they act on other outlets to get an idea if this is habitual for them or a one-time thing.

If you’re able to get an idea of what is motivating them to post inappropriately, you can make an informed decision on how to handle the situation.

Kill Them with Kindness

Trolls want you to get angry and respond defensively to their taunts. You can turn the tables on them by taking the high road and thanking them for their comment, pulling them into the conversation, and even complimenting something that they said. You will likely catch them off-guard, although they may come back and keep trying to incite you.

Block Them

If you have serial trolls commenting on your blog, you may opt to put your comments in moderation and refuse to post anything that is off-topic. Although this may be an inconvenience to your regular readers, this may be the only way to maintain the integrity of your blog.

Report Them

In the most extreme situations, if a troll escalates the situation to personal attacks, invading your privacy and excessive harassment, you may be in a position where you will need to take legal action. Keep a log of all of your interactions with the subject so you have a paper trail of the situation to use to back up your claims. This is a rare but very serious situation, and one you will want to be prepared for.

How do you deal with trolls on your blog?

Image credit: Crow Girl

I recently stumbled across the Pomodoro Technique and was immediately intrigued. Although not new (Francesco Cirillo created the technique in 1992), the Pomodoro Technique teaches us how to remove some of our anxiety around time and learn how to become more consistently productive.

The Focus of The Pomodoro Technique

According to the free ebook available for download on the web site, the goal of the Pomodoro Technique is to provide a simple process for improving productivity by:

• Alleviating anxiety
• Enhancing focus and concentration by cutting down on interruptions
• Increasing awareness of your decisions
• Boosting motivation and keeping it constant
• Bolstering the determination to achieve your goals
• Refining the estimation process, both in qualitative and quantitative terms
• Improving your work or study process
• Strengthening your determination to keep on applying yourself in the face of complex situations

Sounds like a pretty hefty goal, doesn’t it? And one that will most certainly make you more productive if you’re able to accomplish it. Let’s look at how the technique actually works.

Using The Pomodoro Technique

One of the most attractive features of the Pomodoro Technique is how simple it is. Here is a simplified 6-step process compiled from information provided on the web site and in the book:

1. Gather necessary materials: a timer, blank or lined paper (or a To Do Today template available on the website as shown below), a pencil and an eraser.
2. Choose a task to be accomplished.
3. Set your timer to 25 minutes (each 25-minute timer interval is considered a “Pomodoro”).
4. Work on the task until the timer rings and put a check on your sheet of paper in the column to the right of your task.
5. Take a 3-5 minute break.
6. Move on to the next task.

You should be able to keep on working, Pomodoro after Pomodoro, until each task is finished. Then you simply cross it out.

Helpful Tips

I definitely suggest reading through the ebook and information on the web site (there are a number of templates, cheetsheets and tools available), but here are some general tips to help you make the most of the Pomodoro Technique:

• Take a 15-30 minute break every 4 Pomodoros.
• If you finish a task while the Pomodoro is still ticking, take advantage of the opportunity to “overlearn” by using them to review your work and make improvements.
• If a task takes more than 5–7 Pomodoros to complete, break it down into smaller tasks.
• Mark interruptions on your sheet so you can track (and eliminate) them over time.
• Don’t use the Pomodoro Technique for activities you do in your free time.

Not a paper person? You can implement this technique electronically, by using a spreadsheet or database. This is the best application for me, and I can see implementing it into my current task tracking system as a timing guide. I plan to give it a try over the coming weeks.

What do you think about the Pomodoro Technique? Will you give it a try to improve your productivity?

By understanding and addressing your clients’ needs, you will be able to:

• Strengthen relationships with your clients
• Ensure client satisfaction
• Become a valued (and irreplaceable) partner for your clients
• Create a more satisfying work environment
• Align yourself for new opportunities with current clients and increase the possibility of referrals

Getting to Know Your Clients

Even if you think you have a good understanding of where your clients are coming from, there is always room for improvement and ways to get to know them better. To start, consider the following questions.

• Why did they hire you?
• What problem, challenge or need do your services solve?
• What are their business goals and what role do you play?
• Who are their clients?
• What do they want out of a relationship with you?

How to Strengthen Relationships with Your Clients

Just like with all relationships, business relationships thrive when fundamental needs are met. You can ensure you are meeting the most basic needs of your clients by being consistent in five main areas.

Do Great Work

It’s an obvious no-brainer when building relationships that the quality of work you do should be exemplary. If you’re not making your clients happy, it will be virtually impossible to forge long-lasting relationships.

Communicate Regularly

Consistent communication is important in all relationships. You can do this by being responsive to calls and emails, scheduling regular check-ins, sharing company news, and interacting with your clients across social media, if appropriate.

Ask for Feedback

After individual projects or reaching milestones, ask your clients for their view on how things are going. You can take a formal approach by having a client satisfaction survey, or ask them informally during a conversation. The most important step of getting client feedback, however, is having a plan for addressing any concerns or criticisms and being committed to improving the situation.

Rely on Your Expertise

Many times, your clients will welcome and appreciate suggestions on how to do things better or more effectively. Use your past experience and in-depth knowledge of the work to help your clients develop solutions that surpass their initial expectations.

Cultivate Partnerships

By considering each client relationship as an ongoing partnership, you can move the relationship to a collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship. This focus can make you more successful at building a sustainable relationship instead of simply doing the work and moving on.

How do you get to know your clients better? What do you do with that insight?

Image credit: arte_ram

But, having said that, I will admit there may be value in cold calling, if:

• You can identify a very specific target audience and can reach them via phone (after verifying they are not listed on the Do-Not-Call Registry).
• You have time and interest in making a lot of calls.
• You have a plan for before, during and after making the calls.
• You’re confident, friendly and conversational.
• You’re ready to deal with rejection.
• It’s not your only means of marketing but a part of a larger plan.

If you’re one of the rare people on the planet who enjoy calling strangers to pitch a product or service, and generally fit the criteria listed above, then cold calling may be a beneficial marketing tool for you.

Cold Calling Tips

Here are some cold calling tips to get you started:

• Identify Clear Goals – Before you make any calls, you need to pinpoint exactly what your aim is so you can get your message out quickly before you lose the interest of the other person.
• Have a Script – While you will want to avoid sounding like a recording and inject some spontaneity in the call, you should have an outline of what you want to say to be sure to hit all of the main points during the call.
• Start with Existing Relationships – Yes, cold calling usually means calling strangers, but you can also use the same technique to check-in with people you have networked with in the past.
• Do Your Research – It’s not enough to have a list of phone numbers. Take the time to research each company you plan to call and personalize your script accordingly.
• Smile – Your entire voice and tone changes when you smile, so take a minute to get yourself in the right frame of mind before dialing.
• Create a Follow-Up Plan – During the call, aim to set up a time for another meeting, tell the potential client you will be sending them more information or ask if it’s okay for you to call back later in the week. Don’t wait for them to make the next move; be proactive.
• Practice, Practice, Practice – Just like with public speaking, the more you practice the more comfortable you will be and the more success you will have. Do a few test runs, record yourself and critique your presentation.

Do you ever use cold calling to drum up new business? Have you been successful?

Image credit: Ivan Prole

I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you so you can beef up your RSS feeds with some great business reads.

Note: I’ve included the approximate publication frequency for the blogs below so you know what you’re getting before you subscribe.

1. An Entrepreneur’s Life: Michael Cage’s blog that discusses his life as an entrepreneur, marketing ideas and more business-related goodies. Publication frequency: 0-4 posts per month

2. Bizzia: A very active blog, covering all facets of business, including news, finances, freelancing and more. Publication frequency: 2-20 posts per day [recently merged with another site -- link removed.]

3. Duct Tape Marketing: Do-it-yourself, easy and affordable marketing tips for small businesses from John Jantsch. Publication frequency: 5-10 posts per week

4. Freelance Folder: A great mix of posts on freelancing issues, including working with clients, finding freelance work and marketing tips. Publication frequency: 5-10 posts per week

5. Freelance Switch: Provides tips, advice, and news related to freelancing. Publication frequency: 5-10 posts per week

6. New York Times, You’re the Boss: Posts that provide news and advice about running a small business. Publication frequency: 5-10 posts per week

7. Small Biz Bee: A blog for small businesses and entrepreneurs that focuses on business development, marketing, social media and more. Publication frequency: 4-10 posts per month

8. Small Business from CNNMoney.com: Small business news with a financial focus. Publication frequency: 5-10 posts per week

9. Small Business Trends: Posts that focus on trends among small businesses and how they impact those in the trenches. Publication frequency: 10-12 posts per week

10. SitePoint Blogs: Of course, I have to include the blog you’re reading right now, one of my personal favorites. It covers business, tech news, design topics and some great tutorials. Publication frequency: 1-5 posts per day

11. Six Pixels of Separation: Mitch Joel’s blog that shares his insight on marketing, new media and branding. Publication frequency: 5-8 posts per week

12. The Trump Blog: Who doesn’t love The Donald? This blog focuses on business topics and advice with a great motivational twist. Publication frequency: 5 posts per week

13. Web Worker Daily: Tips and advice for anyone who uses the web for work. Publication frequency: 2-8 posts per day

What’s your favorite business blog?

Image credit: Ivan Petrov

This is a hot topic for me these days, as I prepare to enter the hospital to have my third child. Because he has special needs and will need surgery right after birth, we are anticipating being away from home for at least two weeks, but the unknowns are overwhelming. So I need a rock-solid plan to make sure my work gets done, my clients are taken care of and nothing falls through the cracks.

Unfortunately, you never know when something might happen that will make you unable to work, even for a short period of time. If you aren’t prepared, you could face consequences that hurt your livelihood for years to come. I am fortunate because I have a heads up about what we will be facing and a loose idea of how much work I will be able to do, but many times you can’t anticipate these challenges. The only way to manage crises effectively is with a standing business continuity plan.

Here are the key elements of my plan, most of which are universal. Hopefully it will give you a good starting point if you have not created a continuity plan for yourself yet.

Support Team

I have several excellent subcontractors, and they know who my clients are, the work I do and how to contact them, if necessary. One of my subcontractors has taken a primary role and will be kept up-to-date on all of my open projects before I leave. She has access to my passwords, client information and other vital data to keep things moving in my absence.

Process Documentation

As I take on new work, I create process documents specific to each client. Some are formal documents that I end up sharing with the client, others are more informal notes that I keep in my project management software. The key is to have the who, what, when, where and why for each client in writing, somewhere that’s accessible to your support team. This way, someone else can pick up and continue work on a project when necessary and know exactly what they should be doing.

Communication Plan

Because I’ve known for months that I will be out of the office for a while, I’ve had plenty of time to communicate the situation to my clients and team. But if this is an unexpected event, you will need a plan for communicating with everyone who needs to be in the know. Having a ready-to-go email list can be helpful so you can send a quick message and get everyone up to speed at one time. It’s also important to have a plan for keeping clients and your team updated during the situation so they know what’s going on and when they can expect you back.

Data Access

There will likely be a number of files that your team will need to access in order to fill in for you. If you already have your data backed up on a secure and accessible system, you’re ahead of the game. You would just need to create a directory with the necessary files and give your team access. I use my project management system to collect working files, process documentation and client information so everything is in one place. And I can assign access as necessary.

Those are the main components of my business continuity plan, and I’ve found that once these factors are taken care of, the rest tends to fall into place. What elements make up your continuity plan? Do you feel confident everything will continue moving along if you’re unable to work?

Image credit: Vangelis Thomaidis

While large and well-known companies are the most visible when it comes to interacting with customers on Twitter, customer service can be a focus of every professional, whether you have an established small business or if you’re a freelancer.

The Benefits of Customer Service in Social Media

There are so many positive benefits that can be gained from a successful customer service-oriented presence on Twitter. Here are a few to consider:

Find Out What Your Clients Really Want

One key way to get value out of Twitter in terms of a customer service tool is by listening. If you’re able to track conversations related not only to your specific business, but also among potential clients discussing their needs, you will gain invaluable insight into what your clients really want from you.

This can play a huge role in your marketing and sales efforts because you can tailor your offerings to meet the individual needs you’ve witnessed discussion about on Twitter, and take time to focus on what current clients are saying outside of your own interactions.

Make Your Clients Feel Valued

There is nothing worse to an unhappy customer than feeling like no one cares. When you invest in a product or service, you have certain expectations about what you will receive in return. And when those expectations are not met, you wind up with a bitter taste in your mouth.

There’s already a serious problem if your clients are moving right to Twitter to air their issues instead of approaching you first. But on an everyday basis, you can watch what your clients are saying and learn to anticipate their needs before they even make it known to you. This type of preventative customer service will create loyal and long-term client relationships.

Happy Clients = Referrals

It’s a well-known fact that word of mouth marketing is powerful. And if you have clients who are extraordinarily happy with the service you provide, you will likely see an increase in referrals. If your clients are inclined to sing your praises, Twitter is a great outlet in which to do that.  And if they’re used to communicating with you on Twitter already, you’re positioned to benefit.  By retweeting and outwardly supporting your clients on Twitter, you will increase the likelihood that they will take reciprocal actions.

How to Provide Excellent Customer Service through Twitter

Use Monitoring Tools

In order to provide customer service on Twitter, you need to know what people are saying about you, about their needs and about the industry in which you work. This can be easily accomplished by routinely checking various resources, including:

• Monitter
• TweetBeep
• Twitter Search
• TweetScan

For more on online reputation monitoring for various social media outlets, see: Online Reputation Management: 16 Free Tools.

Be Responsive…And Quickly

Because Twitter is a public forum, acting fast is necessary, especially in a situation when someone is expressing disgruntlement with your own services. You should acknowledge the issue and offer a resolution as quickly as possible.

Watch for Dissatisfaction

When you’re monitoring Twitter, especially with keywords, take note of tweets that focus on frustration and discontent around the types of services you offer. While the unhappy client may not be a client of yours, watching for complaints can help you identify someone as a potential client. If their reasons for dissatisfaction are areas where you excel, they may welcome and appreciate you reaching out to them.

How do you use Twitter to provide customer service?

Related posts:

• 5 Ways to Use Twitter to Kill Your Business
• Tips for Using Blogs, Twitter and Facebook to Find New Clients

Most AdWords-like systems operate on the same principle:

1. You choose a set of keywords and phrases.
2. You create one or more adverts, normally in plain text.
3. You opt to pay a certain amount when a user clicks your advert and proceeds to your website.

The more you pay, the higher you will normally appear in the sponsored listings.

Other than a minimum charge, there is no restriction on the keywords you can choose. If you run a company called Foozle Software, any of your competitors can have their adverts appear when the keyword “Foozle” is entered.

This situation has been brought to light by luxury fashion designer Louis Vuitton. The company claimed Google’s practice of selling trade names was illegal under European law and also allowed counterfeit traders to sell fake goods. In 2006, a Paris court ordered Google to pay $250,000 for trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition and misleading advertising. Google has appealed to The European Court of Justice and could win following an adviser’s recent statement:

Google has not committed a trademark infringement by allowing advertisers to select keywords corresponding to trademarks.

Is trademark hijacking a major problem? A similar issue was raised by the use of competitor names in meta tags. The fact remains that, defamation laws aside, there is nothing to stop anyone creating a website that mentions your brand name. Search engines should remain impartial; they must be permitted to link to that content if it is relevant to the search phrase. However, perhaps AdWords is not impartial because it favors the biggest spenders?

Unfortunately, search engine competition is becoming so important, we could see many big businesses resort to litigation. I suspect many lawyers are secretly hoping Louis Vuitton wins their case.

Has a competitor used your trade or product name? Was it a problem and how did you handle the situation?

Once you’ve made it through the brainstorming session, you will have a number of thoughts that will need to be analyzed, processed and incorporated into an action plan. This evaluation step helps you get rid of the non-working ideas and use the good results to formulate your next steps.

Here’s how to make sense of what you’ve created and morph your thoughts and ideas into a plan of action.

Return to the Ground Rules

One of the first steps you took before beginning your brainstorming process was listing the ground rules for the solution. These rules could be anything from requiring skills you already have, avoiding an unrealistic investment, or adhering to a set of ethical standards.

Whatever the rules were, now is the time to go through your set of ideas generated from your brainstorm and eliminate everything that goes against your identified guidelines.

Eliminate the Noise

Now, you will still have a lengthy list of ideas, thoughts and concepts that you need to wade through. Take a few minutes and look at each element and make a decision on the validity of it, automatically eliminating anything that is irrelevant or off-topic.

If there are concepts that do not immediately apply to the challenge, but have value, you may want to create a secondary list of possible considerations. This list can be used to supplement your action plan, or even as a starting point for a follow-up brainstorming session.

Pick Out the Patterns

Take the remaining thoughts and concepts you have down, and look for a common pattern or theme. Do any of the ideas generate new viewpoints that you hadn’t considered before? Start to organize your ideas by their commonalities, level of development, or completeness.

Start to Plan

Once you have a clear idea of the action steps needed to take your brainstorm through to execution, it’s time to plan it out. Start by identifying your goal, then incorporate each of the concepts into specific tasks. Like with all goal planning, be sure to include a way to measure progress as you go.

If you’re unable to break down the rough ideas into groups and then individual tasks, you may want to consider one or more additional brainstorming sessions to flesh out each idea in more detail.

How do you brainstorm? Do you find your brainstorm method to be productive?

Related posts:

• Brainstorming: A Guide to Breaking Through Your Barriers
• Brainstorming: The Cubing and Webbing Methods

Image credit: Michal Zacharzewski

One of the steps discussed yesterday focused on the different processes you can use during your brainstorming session to develop ideas. While I briefly covered a few options, this post will focus on providing detailed information on two types of brainstorming methods – cubing and webbing.

Cubing

Cubing is a brainstorming strategy outlined in the book, Writing, by Gregory Cowan and Elizabeth Cowan (New York: Wiley, 1980). With cubing, like with other brainstorming methods, you start with one topic, challenge or issue. Then, you apply six points of view (like the six sides of a cube) to the issue.

You should move quickly through each side of the cube, spending only 3-5 minutes on each side. Here are the six perspectives to consider in cubing:

1. Describe it – How would you describe this topic, challenge or issue, including characteristics, definitions and parameters?
2. Compare it – What is it similar to? Different from?
3. Associate it – How does the topic connect to other issues you’ve dealt with before? Does it make you think of anything you’ve worked on in the past?
4. Analyze it – What smaller parts make up the whole? Is it possible to break down the issue?
5. Apply it – How is it used? Who uses it?
6. Argue for or against it – Explain your position for supporting or not supporting it.

Once you’ve completed each side of the cube, look at your responses to see if there are any emerging patterns. You can apply the evaluation process to analyze the results of this exercise.

Webbing

Webbing, sometimes referred to as mind mapping, typically involves writing down a number of thoughts and ideas. Then, you return to what you wrote and connect the dots to create a web that links together all of your individual thoughts.

This can actually be a very chaotic process, and you have to be willing to let go of your organized mental structure more than in other brainstorming methods. But if you’re successful at webbing, you can develop a number of ideas that are instantly applicable to each other and the topic in question.

To start, grab your sheet of paper and write down your focus topic in the center. Then, simply jot down every other idea, concept or consideration you are thinking about that relates to the topic. Ignore placement and formatting for the dumping stage and focus on getting the ideas down on paper.

Once your sheet is covered with ideas, start to identify the ideas that relate to each other by circling, starring or otherwise marking them. Then, connect the circles with lines. You may want to use different types of lines, different colors, or even a second sheet of paper or sticky notes to group and regroup your ideas.

The end result will be a number of clustered ideas that are connected through a web of lines. This is when you will move to the evaluation stage of brainstorming and start to make sense out of what you’ve created.

Related posts:

• Brainstorming: A Guide to Breaking Through Your Barriers
• Brainstorming: Making Sense and Taking Action

Image credit: Andrew Beierle