How To Avoid Being Exiled By Facebook

For the last several weeks I've been noticing a lot of BIG name internet gurus sending me notes telling me of their Facebook exile experiences. Facebook is a great social networking site that allows you to meet and network with other entrepreneurs, friends and family. Here are some red flags that will get you booted off of Facebook sooner than you can say "facebook."

Accepting too many friends at once.
OK so you've ignored so many notification/friend requests and you decide one day to catch up on all your friend requests...be careful! Accepting too many at once will send that red flag to the automated facebook police! Try accepting 5 at a time every day to circumvent it.

Sending out too many messages.
Facebook's spam filter will automatically flag you if you send out too many messages at once, so again, try to limit them to 5 a day until you catch up.

Promoting your business or service too much.
The automated facebook spam filter will pick up if your messages look too "canned" so make your messages personal and put your web link after your name.

Stay tuned in my next post on Twitter tips. See you around facebook!
________________________________________________

A pioneer in the virtual world, as well as an author, speaker and business coach, Jennifer Wong has been helping entrepreneurs or "homepreneurs" succeed with their businesses for over 10 years. Sign up at http://www.thehomebizbuzz.com for her intense, information-packed ezine to be in on the buzz for your small business. Whether you're just starting out with your dream business, or simply looking for resources for your existing business, you won't want to miss getting in on the BUZZ.

Knowing When To Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em

In this economy especially, it's hard to turn clients away or sometimes even dissolving your business relationship. I recently had to part ways with a client after a prolonged and agonizing self-examination of our relationship. My "a-ha" moment came after I realized that I was not enjoying our work together and that there was a disconnect between us. After analzying how much revenue (or lack of revenue in this case as it was not much) would be lost if I fired this client, I decided that it was time to fold 'em as Kenny Rogers says.

Looking back on how I arrived at this point to have to fire a client, I realized that if I had followed what I teach my clients to do, I would not have gotten to that point at all! There's a saying, "physician, heal thyself" that applies to this.

When new or prospective clients come to you, it's critical that you take those dollar sign glasses off and really look at several factors, such as:

• Do I feel comfortable with interacting with this person? (for example, are they compatible to my personality?)
• Do I enjoy doing the tasks or services they require of me? (for example, if you don't like making telemarketing calls and that's what they're looking for--well guess what? You'll be wishing you turned this client away from the jump start!)
• How much work or product would I have to make from this relationship for it to be worth it to me?
• Is the work or service they're asking for in alignment with where I want to be?

If you ask yourself those 4 simple questions, you will save yourself some questions later on. Having a great relationship with your clients is a key to more business--through referrals from them and future work opportunties with them.

__________________________________________________________

A pioneer in the virtual world, as well as an author,speaker and business coach, Jennifer Wong has been helping entrepreneurs or "homepreneurs" succeed with their businesses for over 10 years. Sign up at http://www.thehomebizbuzz.com for her intense, information-packed ezine to be in on the buzz for your small business. Whether you're just starting out with your dream business, or simply looking for resources for your existing business, you won't want to miss getting in on the BUZZ.

Getting the most out of your time...

As an entrepreneur for the last ten years, I have learned greatly from the mistakes I've made as well as the "home runs" I've made. I've compiled a list of tips to help you manage your time and business efficiently so that you have more time to devote to doing what you love to do best.

1. Have a schedule for the week. I'm not saying that you need to plan every minute but I've found it extremely helpful to plan the week out in advance. For example, Monday, post to blog, check in social networking sites, client check in calls. Tuesday, article marketing and social networking site check in. Planning out what days you do what can help you maximize how much time you have for other work and down time.
2. Decide ahead of time what hours are business hours for you. For example, if you have a child who goes to school, perhaps your hours would be during school hours. Or, if you have a toddler, your business hours could maybe be nap times and at night. Having set hours also helps you avoid the "all work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl" syndrome.
3. Have a whiteboard and calendar posted up prominently where you can see them. I put all my goals for the week on one whiteboard and on another put projects for each client and due dates. Being able to visualize what you have on your plate helps it not seem so overwhelming---especially when you can wipe it off when it's done!
4. Put all your tasks and reminders in Outlook under the Task Manager setting. It will automatically come up when you open Outlook and serves as an additional reminder of what you have going on.

Want more tips? Sign up for my bi-weekly ezine, jammed pack of tips and resources for your home business. To sign up, send an email to: ezine@thehomebizbuzz.com with your first name in the subject line.

_________________________________________________________________

Jennifer Wong is a successful solo entreprenuer who began her business over 10 years ago, pioneering the way for many successful internet entrepreneurs. She offers home-based business coaching and mentorship programs and a biweekly ezine from her website, http://www.thehomebizbuzz.com/.