Helen Levinson
Chicago
- 19 comments
- 4 likes given
- 9 likes received
Conservative. Entrepreneur. Mom. Speaker. Microsoft (MSVP). Creative Geek. Technologist. #GameChanger. Luv nerds, sci-fi, apps, wine, travel, politics, history, #MSTech
I am definitely a nomophobic. My smartphone is what keeps my day in-line and on task. From managing meetings in my Calendar, to lists in Evernote, RSS feeds of my favorite blogs pushed via Reeder, to all my travel apps-favorites such as Tripit and TaxiMagic, to games like Chicktionary and Words With Friends and let's not forget HBO Go! Phew. It's my entire life in a little smartphone. Some may think it's sad, I just say it makes managing my life so much easier!
#6 - Guilty as charged. There is more political posting activity on my wall from myself and FB friends than the Internet has in discussion boards. lol - Great post and so true!
@DulceDeLauryn You are not alone! Feel free to share any other bad traits. I'm sure there are plenty more out there.
Ha, yes, not uncommon. Check out this post to help in that area... Learn the Built-in Superpowers of Your Brain and Body http://j.mp/KundAi ;-)
Julie, had you never reached out to me on LinkedIn we would have missed the opportunity to add you to our dynamic team of rock stars!! You truly know how to use LinkedIn to it's fullest potential. Congrats on your new deal!
Katie Cool
Katie,
Great feedback! Being there for your teenagers is very important. This is when we need to keep them closest to us and help them grow into responsible adults. Sounds like you've got things balanced out just right. Kudos to you! Wish you much success in business and family.
EricaConroy
Hi Erica,
Thanks for posting. I feel the same way. I love my career but also love the domesticated side of my life. When I had my daughter and was off for a few months, my husband would come home from work to find baby being nursed in one hand and iPhone in the other hand. The lack of business interaction left my brain a mess.Well, being sleep deprived didn't help either. From a mental and emotional viewpoint, it's difficult to juggle both, but as time goes on I'm learning from other CEO moms on how to balance as best as I can. I'm sure many more women from @YummyMummyClub @ModernMom @Blogher and bloggymoms can relate as well as comment on this topic.
Congrats on your little one and academic acheivements. I'm sure you are an inspiration to many!
deleted_91832_Sean McGinniskathysteeleSeanMcGinnis
Don't tell your wife! See you soon my sweet. :)
Hmmm... interesting view point here. As a digital marketer, I can see that woman could "rule the roost" within the social networks only because we are great multi-taskers, not so much as you've noted as "talkers". I for one am not for small talk and @KathySteele can attest to this.
It's really about what we can multi-task, and women get alot done online. Especially, mom entrepenuers like me that need to rely on the Internet to find that perfect birthday gift, to register my child in an art class, schedule dentist appointments, redeem Amex points, etc.The list goes on and I can get all of this done in less than a few hours. It would be impossible for me to handle all that is on my plate without the use of the Internet.
The largest segment growing on Facebook are women in the age range of 50-65. There may be some chattiness going on there, but there is alot of useful information being exchanged as well. Let's not forget, many marketers of large brands are having a field day in targeting this growing group of women with Facebook adds highlighting promotions and sales. Last, mommy bloggers have impacted the way consumers buy and perceive a specific product or service. As a gender, we are influential. People want to hear what we think because WE are the main consumer.
Now, are people really still saying things like, "You slept your way to the top"? That's an old adage to me. Look at women such as Annie Young-Scrivner, Global CMO at Starbucks, or Molly Garris, Director-Digital Strategy at Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide. Do you really think that they slept their way to the top? These women are successful because they have the mindset of advancing their careers despite gender. I'm sure that their level of intellect plays a huge role in the climb up the ladder.
Are the views of being a child bearing woman still setting us back in the business world? I'm not sure about these comments either. I think there is great admiration and respect for any women who can run a company and manage to have a family. Maybe I've been out of corporate america too long, but I know many women that are strong minded entrepenuers, who are happily married and have two or more children while running successful businesses.
The only struggles I faced as a woman, was 11 years ago when I started my business. I was 29 and naive. So of course, I could not identify a qualified prospect from a man that was just hitting on me. As with any learning experience, as women and/or men we adjust our way of thinking quickly to make sure that an undesirable situation does not repeat itself.
I'm a big believer in surrounding myself with great people. This is how I've been able to advance my personal life, my business and my influence in the digital marketing and technology realm.
To @SeanMcGinnis point, "awesome finds awesome" is a perfect statement.
Nathan, great post! We work so much and there is no doubt that our significant others are fighting for attention when we are with our other "significants" ... our laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. My husband says that he shares our bed with my laptop, smartphone and our 2 year old daughter. Makes for little "play" time if you know what I mean. :) The one thing I've learned is to schedule "no comittment weekends". This means that one weekend a month we comittment to having to NO agenda and remain "unplugged". My husband and I both put in many hours of work and travel, so it's important to us that our little girl has our attention and receives the quality time she deserves with her parents.
Would love to hear @seanmcginnis and @jasonmcminn weigh in on this post. Oh, and Nathan, be sure to leave early today!! :)
tedcoine
Ted, I agree with your comments. I am very comfortable "unplugging" because I need that downtime to recharge and refresh my thinking.
sean McGinnis yes it was me!!!
StephRWong Seriously? Someone used that line on you as a pick-up? Wow, what a schoomzer. :)
Love it! Here is one that I'll never forget: "Your legs must be tired, because you've been running through my mind all night." ... eeeewwww
danielnewmanUV HelenLevinson Thanks! Coffee? Let's Tweet a date. :)
This is such a great post! These days we are dealing with a different buyer mentality and a longer sales cycle, so it is vital to know how to qualify a prospect up front with good probing questions. The qualification process, if done properly, can save you hours of chasing a lead that is just "window shopping" or "fishing". The points listed in this post are right on target!
I love sales, I love the hunt, but I hate when people waste my time. When I started in sales 15 years ago I used to get super excited when a lead came in. Now, I ask questions first, then get excited. It is critical to develop a list of 10 great (or 12 in this case.. hint, hint) questions to ask a prospect before spending the time to prepare a proposal. Probing also helps identify the prospect's needs and pain points. Once you've identified their challenges, frustrations and concerns it is up to you to showcase how your services will in fact address those pain points. In addition, if you can convert their pain into ROI - dollars spent versus dollars potentially lost in not using your services - then you are ahead of the game.
Last, with those questions be sure to listen, listen, listen. Being a good listener goes hand in hand with asking the right questions. By asking the right questions and listening to your prospect, you can eventually hone your sales skills and possibly sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves. :)