People Archives - Shakadoo

The Pros And Cons Of Working Remotely

One of my friends recently moved to another state because her husband got a new job there. She hasn’t found a new job there yet, so her current company is allowing her to work remotely for them. Working from home is great in some ways- you set your own hours, you don’t have to leave the house and deal with a commute, and you honestly have much more free time. However, it is MUCH easier to get distracted, get behind, and spend your evenings and weekends playing catch up. Check out this post by Ieva at therandomp blog for the pros and cons of working remotely, and decide whether or not it’s right for you:

Con- you can feel misinformed, out of the loop, and miss out on communications if you are not diligent.

Con- there is less contact with coworkers and clients- you can’t judge reactions by body language.

Pro- you can do things whenever you want.

Pro- way more independence and freedom

Con- hard to organize other people and projects from far away.

Photo Credit: dave.see

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Friday Fun Video: Confidence at Work

by Kathy T.

I firmly believe that confidence comes from knowing what you’re doing. So practice, practice, practice!

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Why You Should Follow Up On Sales

by Kathy T.

This advice could be for Realtors, or any other business professionals. If your career depends on sales, commissions, and referrals, following up with past clients is completely crucial. You never know what you’ll stumble across when talking to older leads! Maybe they have a friend who needs your services, or maybe they need to enlist you again. Check out this post by Rayven at Stay A Stay-At-Home Mom for why it’s important to follow up, and why you shouldn’t get discouraged:

-Occasionally, when you are doing customer followup with someone via email, you will not get a response.

Maybe that person is uninterested in your message at this time

In any case, send another customer followup email to the person a few days later. Most people need to see a product or opportunity 6-8 times before they take action. If they do not reply again, try back in a couple weeks, then a couple months, then a year.

Photo Credit: Garry Knight

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Is It Time To Fire Your Client?

by Kathy T.

Firing anyone is never easy. It’s especially hard when the person is a client of yours: someone who is supposed to be giving you money. It’s terrible, and it’s sad, but it happens. Anyone in any type of contract, freelance, or sales field can relate. If you’re a Realtor, you’ve had those sellers- the ones who just aren’t ready to give up their home. It’s frustrating to think that you’ve poured hours, weeks, or months of work into one sale, and then they continue to flake out on you. In one of these situations, it’s probably time to fire your client. Yes, you’re losing their money, but your time could be better spent elsewhere. In the time it took to close with them, you could have had three or four other jobs. At this point, it’s time to cut your losses and move on. So, do you think you’re ready to let your troublesome client go? Read this post by Alyssa Faber at Backlog of Business for the red flags:

-Payment issues- if they never pay you consistently, on time, and in full, it’s time to say bye.

-Client is a “buzzkill,” or client is disrespectful/verbally abusive- if you dread checking your inbox and seeing an email from them, it’s not a healthy relationship.

-They don’t understand that you are a business professional that has other clients, and treat you are their personal servant.

-Client lacks honesty, tries to micro-manage everything, or ties up all of your time.

Photo Credit: BTO University

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Responding To Blog Comments

by Kathy T.

I know, on this site, the comments are disabled. This is because we’ve had spam problems in the past, and find it easier than sorting through page after page of spam to find genuine comments and questions. However, if you have your own blog, I strongly recommend that you respond to as many relevant readers’ comments as you can- especially if you are first starting out! (I know, do as I say, not as I do). No, you don’t have to type 100 individual “Thank you, glad you liked it”-s to all the people who comment: “Awesome idea!”. But, you should still read all of them, and respond to any questions (especially if you run a recipe or craft blog!). It really helps you connect with your readers! For more reasons why you should respond, check out this post by Marc Guberti:

What most bloggers forget is that they can build conversations by simply responding to other people’s comments. Responding to someone else’s comment counts as a comment in the grand total. If you respond to 25 comments, people will see that your blog post has received 50 comments. That shows bustling activity and popularity: the two things that people look for in a blog.

Photo Credit: D Kalo

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Should You Set Up An Email List For Your Blog?

by Kathy T.

Currently, I’m subscribed the email lists of more blogs than I can count. Personal finance blogs, craft (crochet) blogs, mommy blogs, pet blogs, food blogs- the list goes on and on. I love seeing new crochet patterns, recipes, and tips in my email. It also makes me feel more connected with the writers, and lets me know if they are running any contests. So, if you are considering adding an email list to your blog, you should definitely do it! Read this post by Bonnie Andrews at HobbyToHot for more info:

-It gives you direct access to your readers

-It gives you access to feedback

-It deepens your connection with your readers

-It’s the highest “return on investment” of any other channel

Photo Credit: Jonathon Narvey

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How to Build Coworker Relationships While Working from Home

by Kathy T.

Working from home has a ton of perks, but one drawback (or extra perk, if you’re a hermit) is the lack of face to face communication. Sure, you e-mail, talk on the phone, or even use video calls- but none of this compares to having meaningful in-person relationships with coworkers. This can be problematic, especially if you are trying to network and make even more professional connections. Luckily, Kerry Schofield at co.exist has some tips for creating more significant work relationships while telecommuting:

The research of Dunbar and his colleagues indicates that virtual relationships may require more effort, patience, and TLC than in-person ones to make them work. In short, emails and text messages are simply not as satisfying to most humans as a chat over coffee.

So with all our amazing high tech options for virtual conferencing these days, what does research suggest is best–video calls, text-based approaches (such as email or IM), or a good old-fashioned phone call? Well, none of them are likely to be as satisfying or influential as an in-person meeting.

Of the virtual options, video conferencing emerged as the most effective for emotionally impactful, meaningful interactions, probably because video conferencing–unlike text or audio-only media–allows us to process non-verbal communication such as facial expression and gestures.

Photo Credit: Nan Palmero

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Working from Home Can be Challenge

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Where there is delight in wearing jeans and sweatpants, there is also loneliness where day-to-day interaction with colleagues is absent. Dan of Geek to Me understands what’s coming as he faces working from home,

I’ve worked some from home before. At that Wyoming paper, I took video home to edit from time to time. There wasn’t a reason besides wanting to be at home. I was still working, but I hadn’t slacks on. Or jeans if it was Friday. Sweatpanted bliss.

Then, when I returned to Chicago, I still did work for them through the ol’ VPN from the comfort of my couch. By simply glancing away from the screen I was able to look into the maw of Soldier Field or out across Lake Michigan.

The self-discipline to turn off the television and give your full attention on what’s before you could be challenging, especially with a fridge just a room or two away or a dog barking for attention.

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A New Idea

by mandianderson Leave a Comment

I think I’ll start my own series of posts entitled “Maddening Monday”. Lately, I’ve had plenty of those. We’re in the middle of a huge move, which is very difficult with no paid vacation days or PTO. But when you’re self-employed, that’s what you have to deal with.

Yesterday Patrick scheduled a job for after 3pm today, at the customer’s request. That was convenient, as we figured we could get a lot done while our daughter was at school. This morning the customer called, and told him that he could come anytime because his wife would now be home all day. Patrick drops everything here, runs to Nashville to pick up the glass, and heads their way…because customers come first. On his way, he receives a phone call from a woman saying she needed to cancel the job. When he asked if she wanted to reschedule, she replied that they had called two companies, and they went with the company who arrived first! Patrick just called to tell me that he was on his way home, after wasting most of the day and quite a bit of gas.

99% of our customers are AWESOME…but it’s days like today that I long for some kind of mandatory “stupid charge” when we get screwed over! Here’s to a better day (and smarter people) tomorrow!

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