Richard Maun

Category: Uncategorized

  • Twitter Business Cards

    You can follow me; you're all invited. I will follow back too!
    You can follow me; you're all invited. I will follow back too!

    Does your business card work hard enough for you? Does it really earn its keep in your wallet, ready to be offered to new and exciting people?

    I’ve been pondering these questions for a while now as my card was designed when ‘social media’ was in short trousers and Twitter just an idea on a bar mat. Then a few weeks ago I saw a great business card on Twitter from my colleague Laura Brown (@yourfirstpa). The card came from Goodprint (@Goodprint) who have a number of great templates, so I took advantage of a special offer and spent a couple of hours designing my own Twitter business card.

    Now that I have it…I love it; for two reasons. Firstly, it really promotes what I like to call ‘Brand Richard’. People buy people and the card tells potential clients something about me. It creates opportunities for people to ask me questions and there’s a great call to action at the top.

    The other reason I love it is that it landed me a new client (yes really). A few days ago I bumped into a colleague and offered him one of my new Twitter cards and because he was with a lady visitor, I also offered one to her as a courtesy.

    It sparked a conversation about networking and social media that lead to her asking me if I would like to run some workshops for her organisation. Would I?

    Of course I would…

    Take a moment to look at your business card and ask yourself if it does a great job of selling you? Does it invite discussion and give you a chance to sell yourself?

    For me, I do like my existing business card, which still has a place in my wallet. However, the new Twitter card is fast becoming a great new addition, because it’s a clever way to achieve two vital networking goals:

    1) Creating interesting conversations
    2) Being memorable

    Have a look in your wallet today. Is there space in there for a Twitter business card?

     

    Books! Speaks!

    If you’re new to this blog there are three great books listed on the homepage and you’re welcome to browse. If you’d like to know how to write one, do contact me and line up your questions. If you’d like me be a speaker for your group or event then you can have that too. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at it (I love it). What would you like? Networking? Leadership? Runnng a business?

    Pass It On

    If you know someone who would be interested in this blog post please forward it to them, or ReTweet it, or let them know they can subscribe to regular emails via the box on the homepage.

  • What Did You Learn On Holiday?

    A soggy giraffe is no fun. Giraffes prefer sun and choc ices.
    A soggy giraffe is no fun. Giraffes prefer sun and choc ices.

    Well hello there and I hope Crow looked after you all with his blogging. He certainly looked a happy bird when I saw him earlier! Now he’s got the hang of it he’s keen to do some more, so I’m sure he’ll pop up again.

    So, thank you Crow.

    Now where was I? Ah yes…the end of the holidays, the start of school and the picking up of all the loose ends left in a tangle at the beginning of August. And with all transitions it’s often helpful to reflect on what went before and to draw a few conclusions.

    So, in the spirit of being a bit reflective I would like to invite you to consider these questions:

    Q1 – What worked well for you over the summer?

    Q2 – What will do you differently next year?

    I ask these questions because one of the things I learned over the summer was that sometime the best thing to do is to say STOP!

    For example, we were travelling to Longleat, to enjoy a proper English Safari and had proper English rain to accompany us, which clearly was also coming along for a day out. The forecast had said it would be sunny, but it was fibbing, so I pulled up the car and suggested we stop and go somewhere else instead. A bold move, when you have children to disappoint.

    However, given that the temptation is to carry on regardless it was great to show the kids that you can call a halt and can change your plans. We went to a motor museum instead and kept dry.

    And a couple of days later, when the sun came out, we went back to wave at stationary rhinos and gasp in awe at sleepy lions, and had a much better time.

    In fact later on, I said stop a second time and instead of going to the cinema when the sun was out we enjoyed a warm and interesting time at Chedworth Roman Villa.

    What did the Romans ever do for us? …I hear you cry… Well on that day they sold us very nice icecreams and kept the sun shining until it was time to head off. And I thought it was particularly clever of them to build a large house with heated baths on the site of a future National Trust site. Clever chaps these Romans.

    So, for me the thing that worked really well was simply saying ‘stop’.

    And next year the thing we will do differently is to go abroad for some sun. That way we can see what the Romans did for other countries too. Apparently they were a big noise in Italy….

     

    Books! Speaks!

    If you’re new to this blog there are some books listed on the homepage and you’re welcome to browse. If you’d like to know how to write one, do contact me and ask me your questions. If you’d like me to do a bit of public speaking, or talk to your colleagues, then you can have that too. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at it. You can decide for yourself though.

    Pass It On

    If you know someone who would be interested in this blog post please forward it to them, or ReTweet it, or let them know they can subscribe to regular emails via the box on the homepage.