Friday, December 31, 2010

Celebrate Your Year

As you set goals for the coming year, it’s a good idea to take stock of the progress you’ve made toward your 2010 goals. For many people, this review is unpleasant and even can lead to a downward spiral.

If you didn’t achieve all of the goals you set at the beginning of the year, you may feel like you have failed. Our self-esteem can take a hit, we can become disheartened and discouraged, and our motivation drops. Some people actually become depressed.

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to reframe how you look at success. Zeroing in on accomplishments that didn’t happen puts your focus on what you lack, rather than on what you have (the things you did experience and accomplish). This subtle mental trap leads to a host of negative consequences, which usually lead to attracting more lack.

The answer is not giving up the review of your year. Periodic review is essential to the process of growth and goal achievement. The key is to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate what you did accomplish, and then to refocus on the goals that you still want to achieve.

The “Win List”

One of the techniques I teach my Platinum Inner Circle Group is to create a detailed “Win List” at the end of the year. Its purpose is to help you acknowledge all of your wins, especially those that didn’t start as a written goal or intention.

This powerful technique takes about 30 minutes to complete. Start by listing all of the goals you set and achieved this year. Then list any other wins you think of – both large and small.

Here are some questions to help identify your successes.

What wins or progress did you achieve in business?
Did you discontinue an old product or develop a new product or product line?
Did you identify a new market to focus on?
Did you create any new marketing pieces or campaigns?
Did you delegate any tasks to become more productive? This could include adding new staff and/or assistants, such as a housekeeper, executive assistant, gardener, errand runner, babysitter, or child care person. It also might include putting new systems into place to increase your efficiency.
Did you buy, use or learn to use any new technology? This includes mental, emotional or spiritual technology, as well as mechanical, electronic and digital technology?
Did you spend more time in nature?
Did you develop any new supportive habits (such as meditation, exercise, sleep, or gratitude)? Did you overcome any non-supportive habits (for example, addiction to alcohol, caffeine, sugar, video games, porn, gambling, or shopping)?
How did you grow in leadership?
Did you deliver any presentations or speeches or develop new programs?
Did you develop any new abilities, skills or competencies?
What success did you achieve in the areas of financial income, investments or debt reduction?
Did you create any new relationships or deepen existing relationships? Consider both business and personal relationships.
Did you make any progress in self-development?
Did you attend any positive events (e.g., seminars, lectures, concerts, theater, or sports)?
Did you experience any positive events with your family?
Where there any positive events in relation to your house or apartment?
Did you take any trips or vacations?
Were there any positive additions to your life?
Were there any positive events in your community?
How about any positive events in your spiritual life (e.g., church services, meditation, retreats, rituals)?
Did you experience any positive events in regards to letting go (e.g., bad habits, negative people, or clutter)?
Did you have any wins in health and fitness (e.g., weight, exercise, cholesterol, sports, or endurance)?
Reduce Mental Friction

Mental “friction” caused by negative thoughts and feelings will slow down your progress as you work to achieve your goals. By using this technique to focus your attention on what you did achieve, you’ll shift into a state of gratitude and joy, accelerating your momentum into the new year.

For 4 more simple steps you can take to wrap up 2010 and prepare for 2011 , visit my blog.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Social Networking Strategy: Communication is the key!

In recent months there has been many webinars and websites discussing the value added reasons in combining communications are a key social strategy for your online presence. As internet entrepreneur have utilized key website with great results. Below were going to give you some practical advice on how to use the social networking as a key tool to build your resources and promote your expertise or marketing ideas in easy and effortless way.
LinkedIn
Many professional s are using this simple and effective website to display their resume credentials with picture and interests. Have the ability to join groups and ask questions on different topics.
You can also request referrals and request to speak to professionals in other networks via permission based email. Add people your network and grow you resources with your own social network.
Post updates , search for groups and connect with other in you network through existing connects ( with permission) Ask question to industry experts on different topics and join relative groups online.
Created your own online resume through easy to use template is great benefit you can update at your own convenience. There are also various types of online software that is available to upload presentations you have completed and search for answer by asking industry experts.
Have had the opportunity to locate previous co-workers and friends with easy to use networking addition feature.


Twitter
This social function allows you to type 140 characters of information from daily interests to links and website you may be connected to. Tweeting is simple and easy to do. You can have followers or follow others on the social networking journey. Many CEO, singers and actors can be found twitting on their daily happenings.
Recently many corporations have used the Twitter to keep their customer informed on company news and product and service launches.
You can also post links to other networking sites that you have posted information for followers to learn more about you in the social networking arena.
There are many other enhancement software you can find online to increase the people you want to have follow or have following you.
This is social website has its advantages in being an “connection” website to link people with other social website you are on, from posting links of articles or blog post of interest.

Facebook
Facebook has combination of resources to use. Taking approach of learning it step and step to create profile that is interested and engaging with your friends, make frequent updates and work toward building your profile
Creating your own sub groups within the community where you can promote events to a specified inner circle of entrepreneurs and professionals.
You can add pictures of events you have attended to build you relationship with other and share what your interests. You can tie in your blog address to your profile and attach other blogs that you also read.
Promote events that you are planning to attend and share them with your group who are in the local vicinity.
The environment of friends you create will have an impact on the type of information you give and receive with you profile. Avoid playing games and participating in activities that could have potential to distract you

Connection of networks
Key goal is to combine the networks to create a strategy of interest which will lead to following
Create interest
Share with your networks what you are doing. Do speak regularly or write articles online. Do you associate or promote people of interest who add value to people
Promote Events
What events do you attend in your area and why. Take pictures of events and post them with brief explanation
Create referrals
You have to create an appetite that your potential customer customers need to follow you and learn more about you. In all the above networks you can email and send message to your online professional’s database. Email and ask them what they are doing and how you can assist.

Get Connected-Make it Happen
Get connected with the people who can bring value to you and your group and gradually learn and understand how you can bring value to them. Either by specific information or events of interest and in due time you can make great things happen!

We covered some simple steps to a productive and result oriented social experience is a process to being confident to try influence and understand how you deal with people online within the various social networks available above.

Writer and Speaker in a year- You can do it!

It is with great honor to share this article in appreciation for the Toronto Public Library. It was not long ago that I wrote three articles within a 5 month period which gave me the credibility and leverage to be able to speak to various groups and organizations in the Toronto Region. Let go back in time and tell you the story.
In October 2007in Toronto and the Small Business Seminar was happening sponsored by Enterprise Toronto and Centennial College. There was tradeshow and seminar happening all day with lots of opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs. Had lots of business cards and was prepared with infomercial about myself.
“Bring business cards and have infomercial about yourself”
First stop was the tradeshow where there were vendors from various companies Staples Business Depot, Car Dealership, Graphic Designers and many more. The Toronto Public Library had a booth representing the Small Biz Express Section. Had a brief conversation with the representative and continued network and meet people at the show. There was also various seminars being held by seasoned experts in different fields.
Overall the show was very informative and met some great entrepreneurs whom to this day have contact with. The importance part of networking is the following up with all the contacts that have been made. ( 24 to 48 is the normal time to call back)
Had proceeded to follow-up with participants and exhibitors at the events. One of the tradeshow exhibitors was the Toronto Public Library who had a website call the Smallbizxress which the featured monthly articles on different entrepreneurs and the different expertise. Within the next few months had submitted 3 articles from Mentorship, Effective Networking Skills and How to Market and promote yourself and also had one my mentors Terry Gogna (www.terrygogna) submit two articles regarding his book “ How can I get myself to do what I need to do”.
Having the articles online gave me the opportunity to leverage them to various contacts that I had met networking in the Toronto area with the opportunity for future speaking engagements. Within the next six months had spoken for Enterprise Toronto at City Hall and North York on Do you have a Mentor? to Career Door Inc in Toronto who did IT Job Fair with complimentary speaking seminars as a value added information for the participants.
The most memorable and (nervous) talk was my first day for Career Door in February 2008 at the Marriot Hotel in Toronto. It was a two-day event and was scheduled to speak two times. My first speaking engagement and had to do it twice! Putting together a powerpoint presentation to have some resources to use was ready get this done.
Room was average size with seating for about 50 people with a stage and podium. Going into the first talk I was very nervous until of the hotel caterers gave me water on the house to calm me done and some encouragement sent me of to get start my talk.
Few months early one my mentors had suggested to record myself which was a great way evaluate yourself moving forward to get better, with that had set up my recording device and was ready to speak.
Both talks went well and with the help of Max Haroon (www.sipgroup.org) and Ron Vereggen (www.rapidsucesscoach.com) (who were also speakers that day) were helpful resources to have available on both days.
Having a successfully spoken proceeded to speak to other organizations in Toronto and with few months spoke at Enterprise Toronto, Bloor-Dundas Employment Centre, Skills for Change and numerous time at Career Door Inc over the past year.
Have learned many lesson along the way from importance of audience participation, improving presentation style and engaging with audience.
On your of success you will come many opportunities that you will pursue with the realization that it will open many door for you and allow to get better every day and gain the confidence and persistence to pursue bigger goals and desire.
Get Connected Make it Happen you too can become the best you can be.
Jim Pagiamtzis is writer, speaker and entrepreneur in Toronto. Can be reached payamgis@gmail.com

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

How to Persuade Larger Players to Work With You

As entrepreneurs, we know that working with companies
who are bigger than we are can catapult our businesses.
We strive to win accounts with big name clients and
aspire to collaborate with leaders in our industries
because they have the clout and the cash.

In truth, it really isn’t that difficult to wrangle
larger, more established contacts into your sales
pipeline or support network, but you need to have some
critical components lined up first.

After all, they have more to lose than you do. If they
work with you, partner with you, hire you, or give you
money, there's a risk to that. A big part of your job
will be to decrease the perceived risk to them.

Here are two areas to focus on:

First, showcase your abilities.

When you start contacting prospects or potential
partners, if they don’t know you already, they’re going
to want to check you out before they respond. They want
to read about your background, understand your
experience and get a level of comfort that you can
actually do what you are promising. Are you the real
deal? Will working with you diminish their reputation?

Your website, blog and social networking pages should
be filled with content that puts you in the best light.
You want to show why you’re the best person for them to
be working with, that you have the expertise and the
experience.

Articles you’ve written, interviews of you in the
media, and case studies of your work are invaluable. On
the other hand, an incomplete LinkedIn profile, a
homemade website, or an “About Us” page that doesn’t
include information about you or the other principals
in the company doesn’t help your case one bit.

Second, solicit help from your network.

Nothing sells you better than someone else doing the
selling. Collect client testimonials and post them on
your website. Get permission to use their full name and
company rather than just initials. This lends a lot to
the credibility of your endorsers.

Your network can also be helpful in making
introductions to key people within your target
companies. Use LinkedIn to find which of your contacts
may be connected to decision makers, influencers and
buyers within the companies you want to work with, and
ask them directly if they would be comfortable making a
phone call or sending an email on your behalf.

You want potential clients and partners to be receptive
to hearing from you when you contact them and an
introduction from a trusted mutual contact can go a
long way.

With online communications making it so easy to do
business outside our immediate geographic boundaries,
and often with people we’ve never met face-to-face,
it’s important that you build a strong case for
yourself so you can compete effectively for these
opportunities.

What you share about yourself online, and what others
can say about you can boost your credibility immensely
and help you get through to that larger, more
established players more quickly and more successfully.


© 2010 Liz Lynch. All Rights Reserved


http://www.smartnetworking.com


"Liz Lynch, business development strategist and author
of ‘Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and
Online,’ teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to
get 24/7 networking results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort.
Get her Smart Networking Toolkit at
www.SmartNetworking.com.”

Sunday, December 19, 2010

December 2010 Newsletter

Get Connected
Make (Wealth) Happen!
December 2010 Newsletter

December has arrived time put your goals down on paper, There lots of great
books and articles to read regarding put energy into your goals in 2011. Take
the time to do. No matter what they are. The process is important event more
than the goal. Check out my blog( www.jimpagiamtzis.blogspot.com)
 for a great article by Jack Canfield on how to look what your success are
in 2010 and how to give them momentum.


Wish everyone the all the best this Holiday Season
and a very joyous and wealth creating  New year in 2011

Excited news 2 new books by your truly "How to Attract Mentor" & How to
be come Networking Success"
3rd book coming in late 2011 that will revolutionize networking for the
next decade


Thank you to all entrepreneurs who made this year a successful and
utilizing their unique abilities.
AJ Parl
Barb Sawyers
Phil Taylor
Sue Lacher
Happy Happy
Claudio Rusillo
Richard Dolan
Joe Collins
Anna Nawrocki
Sue Dier
Cheryl Rankin
Tibor Shanto
Bizlanch
Max Haroon
Centennial College
Galini Gravidlou
Canada Job Expo
Enterprise Toronto
Skills for Change
TM Mahdi and CG6
Natalia Kantor
Marc Gordon
Vivienne Gauci
Gary and Kim Coles
John and Angela Amato

Have put together some great "spotlight" feature on
my blog the past few months

Get Connected Make it Happen members on Facebook, LinkedIN, Sprouter.Plaxo,

and many more that I have met.

Stay tuned for the January 2011 Newsletter full of
great information, events,great spotlight stories and much
more.....

Have a wealth creating new year
Jim Pagiamtzis
payamgis@gmail.com

Monday, December 13, 2010

Spotlight: Natalia Kantor

I have had the opportunity to share the stage with many great entrepreneurs this year, with various unique abilities. Natalia Kantor really did share the "Get Connected Make it Happen" moment at InitiativeTO (https://www.facebook.com/InitiativeTO) on November 17. She began with a brief introduction and then came to the crowd to learn more about us and allow us to "choose" one of her cards. I said "she doesn't waste time connecting". after that we were treated to great talk on her Road less traveled of being on entrepreneur

1. What is your definition of an entrepreneur?

Natalia Kantor answer:
Entrepreneurship: "It's not about reducing the world to what it is but rather seeing what it can become!"
Entrepreneurship is a gateway to reinventing business, reinventing culture, reinventing yourself and reinventing the world. Entrepreneurship is about innovation. And innovation can only happen with 'out of the box' thinking! Entrepreneurship is about making and breaking your own rules, testing the grounds and redefining what is possible! Entrepreneurship is about creating and not only filling the demand.

2. You have traveled and seen many parts of the world. What part of the word has made the most impact for you?


I have traveled to many, many places and they all have made a big impact on me. Each place teaches you something different.
In my opinion, travel in general is the greatest teacher because when you travel, you become more receptive. New surroundings sharpen your mind.

Natalia Kantor
Biography

For the longest time I tried to define who I am as an individual and as a professional. I graduated from Ryerson University in 2006 with a new media degree. Initially I worked as a graphic and web designer. Then I moved up to working as a creative director. Later I fell in love with video as a format and worked as a production manager for an online magazine. I found that if you don’t know yourself, someone else is always more than happy to define your role for you. I found it harder and harder trying to fit myself into a box of someone’s design. I made a decision to take some time off and define who I was for myself. I traveled to such places as Burningman and the southern United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Australia. Today I can say that I am an entrepreneur. I describe myself as a multi-platform creative producer. Multi-platform because I produce multimedia, web, print, photo and video work for a range of online and offline media platforms. I am the director and founder of We Are Communications, a creative agency focused on integrating creative direction, communication, innovation and entrepreneurship with Web 2.0 applications and social media. I am also a founder of women's network called Co-Inspirers, focused on creative self-development. Currently, I am incubating Roads Less Traveled, a multi-platform host-driven travel series, an online community and an annual conference focused on alternative living and I love what I do.


ROADS LESS TRAVELED.TV
“Imagine the alternative, a different way of life”

FAN PAGE: www.facebook.com/roadslesstravaled
TRAILER: http://vimeo.com/13742301

Jim Pagiamtzis is a published author, writer and entrepreneur who has written for the Toronto Public Library spoken at Universities, Enterprise Toronto, Initiative TO on How to be come a networking Success and How to attract Mentor in Business Life and Success. You can be email payamgis@gmail.com if you interested in being featured in future spotlight articles or have him come and speaking to sales or marketing organizations

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Spotlight: Marc Gordon

Recently had spoken at Initiative TO on "How to attract a Mentor in Business, Life and Success" throughout the day there were speaker who I had shared the stage. Marc Gordon had a presentation that was funny and engaging.

1st. Many of the business you had started were prior to social media of today. You made it work through work ethic and commitment. With the explosion of online videos do you think businesses can still connect with consumer online effectively and create long-term business

Marc Gordon response:
I believe that "connecting" with a client, or market, is done on a level that goes far beyond social media, videos, email, or web sites. The fact is that consumers decide what to buy for so many reasons. And these reasons can change overnight. Something as simple as a celebrity endorsement, bad press, or school yard influences can render the most aggressive online campaigns ineffective. And while video and other types of web marketing tools can have some form of influence, at the end of the day the consumer will buy products for the same reason since mass consumption became a reality: because they fill a practical or emotional need.


2nd. What advise do you have for entrepreneurs looking for business opportunities going into 2011?

Marc Gordon response:
My advice to entrepreneurs would be to focus on the quality and innovation of the product and service first. Great marketing will not compensate for a lousy product. Also, do not get swept up in the belief that social media must be an essential part of a company's marketing program. I have seen many businesses lose business because they have allocated so many resources to keeping their twitter and Facebook accounts active, rather than focus on customer service and product development.

Marc Gordon

Tel: (416) 238-7811

Watch the latest episode of marctv

Follow me on Twitter

Be a fan on Facebook

Learn more about me at marcgordon.ca

See how your business can grow at fourword.biz

Jim Pagiamtzis is a published author, writer and entrepreneur who has written for the Toronto Public Library spoken at Universities, Enterprise Toronto, Initiative TO on How to be come a networking Success and How to attract Mentor in Business Life and Success. You can be email payamgis@gmail.com if you interested in being featured in future spotlight articles or have him come and speaking to sales or marketing organizations

Spotlight: Barb Sawyers

Networking in Toronto have had the opportunity to meet entrepreneur who have expertise in various areas of business, Life and Success.

Currently a friend has been editing two books that are based on my talks that I have been doing the past few years on “How to become a Networking Success” and “ How to attract a Mentor in Business, Life and Success”. She made a comment saying “ Jim, You right like you talk!” I said “What’s wrong with that!”

Below is a review on great book by Barb Sawyer called “You write like you talk only better” 3 steps to turn good talkers into great talkers.

The book is full of great template ideas and exercises to build your writing skills. Going to share briefly on 3 points that I found of interest.

1st When writing email or letter to someone put a picture of them in front of you.

Get Connected Make it Happen-response

This was brilliant idea that you can do with business cards, pictures this will create a stronger “connection” between you and the recipient

2nd The first 30 words should be clear and to the point

Get Connected Make it Happen –response

You see this everyday in newspaper and magazine. First paragraph has just enough information to get you interested in reading the entire articles

3rd First impression count most

Get Connected Make it Happen-response

In the world of networking we go out shake hands with people everyday, online we do the same but we use our words as our way to connect and generate interest in our writing.

Barb Sawyers helps good talkers become great writers so they can connect with more people.

She shows people how to write like they talk, only better, through her book, training, speaking and blog at http://www.stickycommunication.ca. She also writes for clients, transforming a telephone conversation into written words.

Barb sharpened this skill through more than 25 years writing for a wide range of organizations, her master’s degree in journalism and her active involvement with the International Association of Business Communicators.


Jim Pagiamtzis is a published author, writer and entrepreneur who has written for the Toronto Public Library spoken at Universities, Enterprise Toronto, Initiative TO on How to be come a networking Success and How to attract Mentor in Business Life and Success. You can be email payamgis@gmail.com if you interested in being featured in future spotlight articles or have him come and speaking to sales or marketing organization