What Is A Blog Tour Manager?

What Is A Blog Tour Manager?

I've been eluding to some interesting changes at Relax Consulting - one of those changes is a hat that I (Crystal) will be wearing in 2013 and beyond. I am taking on some freelance work with WOW Women on Writing. I will be working with WOW in the capacity of a Blog Tour Manager. I thought I would do a post about this, primarily to help me wrap my head around what I will be doing - I need to explain this to others, and since I will not be active in this role for a few weeks yet, research is key in preparing and explaining.

Let's start with the first question my mother will ask: "What's WOW?"

WOW! is a global magazine, designed to support women's creativity, energy, blood, sweat and tears, throughout all stages of the writing process. Wow! is committed to excellence in every way, in their work ethic in the products and services they provide, and in their relationships with readers, contributors, freelancers, interviewees, advertisers, and subscribers. WOW! is a resource for writers; offering classes, links to author sites, free newsletters, quarterly contests, teleseminars, and great support at all levels.


Now we know what WOW! is - what is a Blog Tour Manager? (I've read the job description and I'm not exactly sure I can do the position justice with an elevator pitch, but I'm going to try - here goes:)

A Blog Tour Manager is an extremely motivated self starter who has their own blog and blogs regularly. Someone who uses Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and who enjoys reading (and can read quickly) and writing book reviews. Someone who is comfortable with sales, enjoys interviewing authors for blog posts, and someone who works at home and is available via email. A WOW! Blog Tour Manager works with authors booking blog tours, staying organized, interviewing the author, and ultimately launching the author's work!


I feel that the position of Blog Tour Manager will fit nicely with my work at Relax Consulting as well as the duties that fall under my other titles of mother, wife, diary farm owner, and musician. I am super excited for this opportunity and didn't want anyone thinking that Relax Consulting was closing. This should be something that will enhance what Relax has to offer by refining my writing and marketing skills.

Your continued prayers and support are appreciated as I embark on a new leg of this amazing journey called LIFE!

~Crystal

It's The Most Charitable Time Of The Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year

With the kids jingle-belling

And everyone telling you

Be of good cheer

It's the most wonderful time of the year

...or has it become...                the most CHARITABLE time of the year?                

As a business owner, this is the time of year that your mailbox and inbox is flooded with requests for charitable donations. Veterans with small children who have no where to live, children whose fathers are in prison whose mothers have no money to afford presents, elderly people alone in nursing homes without family to visit, animals found abused or neglected, and the list goes on and on. Your employees come to you asking if you're able to throw a few dollars toward their favorite charity, bell ringers at the door of your favorite grocery store, and your heart goes out to each charity and individual. The question is...

How do you decide which charity you will donate to? How much will you donate?

Of course, your initial reaction is to give a little something to every one. Each story tugs at your heart strings and compels you to open your wallet. And then you realize that the wallet is empty and there are still more requests. Now, what do you do? If you say no, you feel like you've failed someone. Is the Veteran more worthy of a donation than the child who has holes in his shoes? Where is the line? Or...have you already heard these horror stories from other professionals and business owners and instead of drawing the line, you simply say 'NO' to every one right from the start?

Do you write a policy to help you next year? Do you appoint a team and a process to ensure fairness and equality?

No one wants to be a Scrooge, but business is business. The following suggestions may help you move forward in a way that allows for charitable giving, but also allows you to say no and keep some money in the bank:

1) Set a Budget - decide how much you will spend annually on charities and stick with it.

2) Do Your Homework - learn about how organizations use the money. You don't want your money going to an organization where pennies on the dollar actually make it to help the cause. Determine if you want to choose worldwide organizations, local organization, or both.

3) Be Fair - you don't want to give $5,000 to one organization and $5 to the other. Your budget process may allot for a certain percent going to local charities and a different percent to worldwide charities. Set a minimum and maximum amount, use matching funds with a limit, or limit the number of organizations you will contribute to each year. If you limit the number of organizations, you may want to look at your own mission and/or vision statement and make sure that you are aligning your business with a charitable organization that has a similar mission/vision or at least one that is not contrary to where your business is headed.

4) Share the Responsibility - engage others in your organization. Let them choose the recipients. Asking for the input of others will relieve some of your stress and will all but eliminate the perception that the company only gives to your 'pet projects'.

5) Set  Expectations - Have a form or process. There are things you want to know about the charity or organization you are giving to. You wouldn't just hand a $500 check to someone knocking at the door, so be prepared - when they do knock, ask them to complete your form and provide the information that is importation to you (ie: how long has the charity/organization been around, who determines how my money is used, does the money stay local, etc...)

6) Let Others Know - Let others in your organization know how the charitable giving process works at your company. This will eliminate those emails that tug at your heart strings. If an employee learns of a worthy cause, they will know how to get their cause on the list for consideration. They shouldn't feel like you are being unfair, you are simply following the rules of the company. This helps your employees look smart too - if they are approached on Thanksgiving day by a well meaning friend or family member, they can respond "our company does give to different organizations each year, it's too late to get on the list for this year, but I can pass the information along for consideration next year" (the employee looks good, you look good, and the company looks good)!


What works for you? What have you done in the past? Have you tried any of the techniques listed above? We want your feedback - now and always!

And don't worry, we know - it really is, THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Elevator Pitch Made Easy

There are three reasons to come up with an elevator pitch:

1-You've been asked to give an elevator pitch...now what?

2-You're stuck in an elevator with a potential client and this is your make it or break it moment.

3-You're a planner and you hope to someday be stuck in an elevator with a potential client and you want to be prepared

Before you get too stressed out about it. Realize that an elevator pitch should take less than 60 seconds and ideally more like 45-50 seconds. Don't start planning yet....just humor me. Close your eyes and count to 50.

That didn't take long at all, did it?

Can you talk to someone for that same short period of time?

Of course you can!!!

Before we talk about WHAT you should say, let's talk about carrying yourself. Eyes up - look at the person you're talking to. Even the most confident people get shy on an elevator or while presenting - don't let that happen to you. You can be the most sincere person in the world, but your audience isn't going to 'get that' about you if they can't see your eyes.

Now wow them with the 3 E's of an Elevator pitch:

Educate
Engage
Entertain

In other words: Who are you and what do you do? What can what you do help me with what I do (use my name)? Let me know who you are so I remember you.

Hi Jeff. I'm Crystal Otto with Relax Consulting right here in Two Rivers. I've been meaning to give you a call. I specialize in social media and blogging for small businesses. Don't let the name Relax Consulting deceive you though - there's not foot soak included with the free consultation - but if you'd sit down with me I can definitely bring you a coffee. Jeff, what's the best number to reach you at for a follow up? 

Don't just hand someone your business card and expect them to remember what you do and who you are. In fact, the business card can be your worst enemy. They're looking at the card instead of looking at you. When they get off the elevator they'll toss the card on their desk. Your card won't have made an impression and neither will you. They won't know that you have a great smile, sparkly eyes, straight teeth, a funny personality, etc...if you let a small piece of recycled toilet paper tubes with some ink on them do you marketing, you won't be leaving the impression you meant to. Be prepared!

How you say things is far more important than what you say. Be yourself, be sincere, be genuine, and be engaging. And...if you're here in Two Rivers, Wisconsin - be quick...there's possibly two elevators in the entire town and I'm not sure we have any buildings with more than four floors. Your elevator pitch may need to be ten seconds or less in this town :)

~Crystal

WaterStone Boxers - Testimonial for Relax Consulting

9.6.12 Testimonial:

I have worked with Mrs. Crystal Otto for the past few weeks creating my website. I enjoyed it every minute of the way. Effortless and very intuitive Mrs. Otto knew what I was looking for and how I wanted my website to be presented to the public.

At first I thought her questions a bit odd as I did not know what purpose it would serve for a website I trusted her and answered the questions-yet from those simple 5-6 questions Mrs. Otto seemed to almost read my mind and have a "Vulcan mind meld" and created the website that I would have created myself had I known how to do it.

Mrs. Otto is professional, thoughtful, creative, tech savvy and *so easy to work with*. I have already recommended her to friends and co-workers who are looking for her services. I will continue to do so as I know Mrs. Otto will not disappoint!

Respectfully submitted,

Leyla Gaeth
Waterstone Boxers http://www.waterstoneboxers.com/

They Said WHAT About Me & My Business?

I (Crystal) just realized that I may have been keeping secrets from you...

The secret I'm talking about is Google Alerts - if you already have one set up, you can quit reading - thanks for the great visit and I hope you're having a RELAXing day!

For those of you who haven't heard of Google Alerts, you can Google it and you'll get a super explanation - (or click here) or here's the short version for those of you who are like me and don't have a ton of time and just want to get down to the 'down and dirty' of it all.

some companies want to charge you to know what people are saying about you and/or your company - but what you do is this (and it's totally free):  you go to this website: http://www.google.com/alerts

and then you can put in a google alert for anything you'd like (Relax Consulting for example) or anyone you'd like (Crystal Casavant for example) and anytime your search criteria are met online (an article, publication, blog, etc...), you'll get an email in your inbox (or now they offer text messages, I think). It's a nice way to hear complaints or accolades right away, when you can either thank the person, or do some damage control to avoid it becoming bigger than life and hurting your business or your reputation.

It's pretty self explanatory, and Google has great helps and explanations along the way - but if you have any questions, let me know and I'd be glad to help. I've had mine set for at least a year and I love it. Sometimes it's the wrong person or business, but you just delete the email. Quick and Easy so YOU can RELAX!

~Crystal

Fabulous Friday includes Fabulous Recipes Now!

Last Fabulous Friday was a bust (no submissions), so this Friday we will include recipe ideas and here's the first one:

Apple Pear Poppyseed Salad!

Salad Ingredients:
16oz lettuce (spinach or romaine)
6oz cheese - shredded (we like swiss)
1c roasted cashews (salted)
1/2c craisins or dried cranberries (if in door county, substitute with dried cherries)
1 large apple thinly sliced (we like keeping the peeling on)
1 large pear thinly sliced (same as above - we like the peeling)

Dressing Ingredients:
2/3c light olive oil (extra virgin)
1/2c sugar
1/3c lemon juice
2T poppy seeds
2t chopped onions (the finer the better)
1t dijon mustard
1/2t salt (sea salt is best)

Directions:

combine salad ingredients in a bowl

combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl

toss salad and dressing together just before serving (chilled plates are a nice touch)

New Five Star Rating & Fabulous Review for Relax Consulting!

We just received a five star rating and fabulous review from one of our newest clients. Here's the scoop:

5 Stars from the team at Wick's World of Wood http://wicksworldofwood.com/

Crystal's Professionalism is Second to None!

Our company had Relax Consulting work on some advertising designs for a new campaign. The level of professionalism was second to none. We received the designs on time and they were just what we were looking for. We look forward to working with Crystal in the future.

6/27/2012

Introducing Fabulous Friday at Relax Consulting

We know, We know...the office isn't even really open on Fridays...but...Facebook usage statistics show that in 20 minutes on Facebook, the following occurs:
* 1 Million links are shared
* 2.7 Million photos are uploaded
* 2.7 Million messages are sent
* 1.8 Million status updates
* 10.2 Million comments are made

If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country on our planet. Friday is a great day to share with our community of Facebook friends, and an opportunity to share means an opportunity to encourage and inspire. That's why Relax Consulting came up with a plan for Fabulous Friday at Relax Consulting.

Here's the 'scoop':


What: an opportunity to share and inspire

When: every Friday on the Relax Consulting FB page

Why: because we are a community that cares about one another

Who: anyone can participate (but we'd appreciate if you'd like our page)  http://www.facebook.com/successwithrelax

Details: sometime during the week, share a photo, story, joke, picture, or poem with us and we will choose one to share with everyone on Friday.

To "share" - all you need to do is place your submission on our wall. Keep in mind this is a family friendly page and we ask that all submissions be tasteful.

Thanks!

Grab a Spoon - Stir That Pot!

Crystal here, with some thoughts that have been on my mind. I am the type of person who asks questions about everything. Yup...it was annoying in first grade and it's still really annoying...BUT...if knowledge is power and you gain knowledge by asking questions then she who asks the most questions wins, right? Not that life is a game of winning or losing or a game at all, it just reminds me of that saying "he who dies with the most toys wins" which also holds no water, so just something funny. OK - now for the point.

I worked for a decade in an environment where one of our rules to live by included the phrase "don't stir the pot" and I understood what was meant by the saying so I never questioned it. In context, it simply meant that you shouldn't gossip about something, just get back to work. That's a great philosophy, but last week or so I started thinking about the saying itself in the literal sense. Can't believe it took me this long, but I guess I was too busy to question it...anyway, now I ask: What happens if you don't stir a pot?

*the food burns
*your mean sticks and the pot is ruined
*the meal becomes inedible
*your hard work preparing the meal goes down the drain
*the house smells like charred food
*your family never gets to sit down to a hot meal

So...grab a spoon and stir that pot. The difference between stirring the pot and gossiping needs to be clearly defined though. Make sure you're talking to the RIGHT people, about the RIGHT things, for the RIGHT reasons and providing solutions. Otherwise, you still end up with stinky air, a ruined pot, and you never get to enjoy the delicious meal.

Pretty random thoughts and hope this wasn't too hard to follow - just felt I had to share.

I'm off to go grab a spoon and stir the pot (of spaghetti that is - at least at our house tonight)!

~Crystal


Do you have other sayings that are just plain funny or you wonder where they came from or what they mean? Post them here, it would be great to discuss them!

Crystal's Literary Diet

Crystal is often asked what she is reading (probably because she asks others the same question). She wanted to share some literary suggestions with the Relax Consulting blog followers and as you can see below, Crystal feels strongly that a literary diet should include some meat and potatoes/educational reading, some dessert/a fun read or a romance novel, and some snacks/periodicals to even things out. Some of the books below are being read for the first time and some for the tenth time. If you have any feedback on any of them, please leave a comment below to help other reader in their choosing of a literary diet.

What's on your literary diet menu for the next few weeks?

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey is a fun read with a little bit of business and a lot of laughter. (find Crystal's full review of this one on Ezine: http://ezinearticles.com/?This-Boss-Loves-BossyPants!&id=6921339)

Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Brian and Jeff Eisenberg is definitely a business and marketing book, a good value with lots of insight

Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is the kind of book that can change your life - stop putting off until tomorrow what you could be enjoying today. A complete review of this one should be up on Ezine in a few days, subscribe to Crystal's ezine feed to read it first: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Crystal_J_Casavant)

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball is a fun read - not part of Crystal's business book diet, but more like the banana cream pie after the meal. A great book to grab when relaxing with a cup of coffee.

Customer Satisfaction is Worthless by Jeffrey H. Gitomer is a fabulous read for customers and customer service providers alike. Who wants to be satisfied when you can instead have your expectations exceeded?

Success Magazine - where you can learn, laugh, and find valuable business tools. As part of the literary diet, this is the mid-afternoon snack of carrots and celery needed to get you through the day.

What is Relax Consulting?

What is Relax Consulting?

I get asked this question a lot, and when I try to answer using a title or reference to another business, I feel like I'm trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. Administrative Consulting or Virtual Assisting is 'sort of' what I do...but more of some and less of other things that those type of companies provide. What Relax Consulting is, is an extension of me. We do the things that I'm good at and the things I enjoy - and we do them for the people I enjoy spending my time with. 

I am reading a book by Tim Ferriss called the Four Hour Work Week where he talks about controlling the W's in your life, which lets you control, WHAT you do, WHEN you do it, WHERE you do it, and with WHOM. And that's exactly what Relax Consulting is. I help companies and individuals with marketing, writing, team building, presentation creation/polishing, etc...and it do it on my terms to fit into my family schedule, I do it from my home (or remotely - gotta love technology - ie: from the beach), and I get to choose my clients which means I have the ability to work with only those people I want to work with.

So, to answer the initial question of what Relax Consulting is, it's a chance for someone who is frustrated by their limitations, to sit down and talk to someone who has insightful ideas, positive energy, and a passion for life. We can talk about plans, goals, and ideas, and see if we can help one another. This may mean I help you design a website and teach someone at your office how to maintain it and link together your social media, or it may mean you call me once in a while to write a blog or proof read a presentation. 

In the end - Relax Consulting is about building relationships, building up one another, and going back to the basics of life where one hand washes the other and ideas can be shared and created openly and honestly among people that respect one another.

That's the scoop - and as I learn more things, or hire additional teammates, Relax Consulting will become bigger, better, and we will expand into different business spaces. It's all about embracing diversity and individuality as well as driving change!

~Crystal

Simplifying Social Medial for Your Successful Business

Well - the presentation has been used, tested, reviewed, and now I'd like to tell you it's perfect...but let's go with 'polished' instead. If you know of someone who would benefit from this particular presentation, direct them to the Relax Consulting website and I can present to them individually, as a group, or to a larger audience. Or, if you'd like a self directed study, I would be happy to email you a copy of the powerpoint presentation that you can use on your own. FREE OF CHARGE, of course - because providing value to others comes with it's own priceless reward for me too!