Johanna McClain, certified brand strategist and business coach, will present "Zen and the art of defining your brand" at the eWomenNetwork Reno/Carson/Tahoe Chapter dinner event, April 18, 2012.

Branding is both a strategy and an art, and defining what a business offers is just the beginning.  The next eWomenNetwork Reno/Carson/Tahoe Chapter event presents “Zen and the art of defining your brand,” with Johanna McClain, certified brand strategist, 5 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. (doors open and informal networking begins at 4:30 p.m.), Wednesday, April 18, 2012, at the Hidden Valley Country Club, 3575 East Hidden Valley Dr., Reno. 

Attendees will learn at this powerful session:

• Why it’s important to communicate clearly what product or service a business  provides
• How a business can distinguish itself from the competition
• What makes a business unique
• Why businesses must brand or be branded, and how to achieve brand attitude, authenticity, alignment and action

The event also features dinner, eWomenNetwork’s trademarked Accelerated Networking^TM and a business expo.

Johanna McClain is a business success strategist, certified brand strategist and certified business coach who injects ethics, drive and core values into everyday business. She works with business owners throughout the region, offering insight and success strategies that have routinely grown their businesses  beyond their expectations. Her four “Brand A’s,” attitude, authenticity, alignment and action, are simple steps to get known.

eWomenNetwork is the No. 1 resource for connecting and promoting women and their businesses, offering Accelerated Networking  and other resources designed to build relationships and success.  The evening also includes dinner and a business expo.  The cost is $40 for eWomenNetwork members, $50 for non-members and $60 for late registration beginning April 14.  Vendor display tables also are available; for more information or to register, visit www.ewomennetwork.com/chapter/reno  or call 775-853-2120.

Similar to an airbag, the SaferMoto vests and jackets deploy in less than a quarter of a second.  A tether cord connects the vest or jacket to the motorcycle, and inflation from a compact replaceable CO₂ cartridge is triggered instantly when the rider falls.   

Airbag-equipped apparel now is used in more than 30 countries worldwide.  Riders who’ve experienced an accident wearing a SaferMoto vest or jacket rave about the level of protection offered by the products.  Professional motorcycle racer Justin Mastalka, 39, of Fernley, Nevada, was quoted in a 2011 USA Today article as saying, “Not only did it deploy like it was supposed to, but my helmet never touched the asphalt.”  He credits the SaferMoto airbag with preventing him from suffering his eleventh concussion in a recent accident. 

Cunningham started riding motorcycles as a natural part of growing up in a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, where motorcycles were transportation for the masses. “I spent the first two years of my life in a motorcycle sidecar – my parents couldn’t afford a car until my sister was born,” he said.  “In Scotland, motorcycles were very common for family transportation.”    

Cunningham continued to be a motorcycle enthusiast when he moved to the U.S. in 1995.  He started racing and was offered the opportunity to try motorcycle airbag technology by SaferMoto.com’s founder, John Mardesich.  “I had an accident wearing it and was so impressed with the protection that I ended up telling everyone about it,” he said.  Cunningham jumped at the opportunity to buy SaferMoto from Mardesich in 2010.   

SaferMoto airbag-equipped jackets and vests for all ages are available online and at select west coast motorcycle events.  The company recently entered into a partnership with Insurrection Racing, which now carries the SaferMoto line of protective gear in their Seattle and Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, California stores.  Specially made airbag-equipped vests and jackets for equestrians of all ages also are available at SaferRider.com. 

For more information, please contact SaferMoto.com at 877-250-6686, sales@safermoto.com or visit the SaferMoto website.

The SaferMoto vest offers outstanding neck and spine protection when deployed as shown in these views but is lightweight and comfortable for motorcyclists to wear. The SaferMoto vest offers outstanding neck and spine protection when deployed as shown in these views but is lightweight and comfortable for motorcyclists to wear.

SaferMoto.com, distributor of innovative inflatable motorcycle rider safety vests using airbag technology, and Insurrection Racing, maker of performance motorcycle leathers and accessories, have announced a partnership agreement to promote safer riding, whether on the street or the track. 

Insurrection now carries the SaferMoto line of protective gear in their Seattle and Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, California stores.  In addition, the company has designed a full one-piece customized co-branded Insurrection-SaferMoto racing suit by PILOT USA, a leading motorcycle suit manufacturer.  Insurrection is offering discounts on the suit and the entire Insurrection line for SaferMoto customers.  View the complete news release on PRWeb.

Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy continues a decades-long history of service at three Reno-Tahoe locations under the ownership of David Vasenden, RPh, and Brant Skanson, RPh, along with Terry Vasenden and Julie Skanson

Sierra Health Mart is inviting the community to celebrate the new name and meet its staff at events at all three pharmacies. A new name celebration and ribbon-cutting reception will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 4 at Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy-South Reno, 8040 South Virginia St. New name celebration and customer and medical partner appreciation open houses will be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, May 6 at Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy-Downtown Reno, 501 Ralston St. and Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy-Incline Village, 898 Tanager St.

“We’re excited to unite our three pharmacies under the Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy banner,” said Terry Vasenden, who shares ownership of the group with her husband, pharmacist David Vasenden, along with pharmacist Brant Skanson and his wife, Julie Skanson. “We’re still locally owned, and Brant and David still are available in our pharmacies, dedicated to providing the best possible patient care,” she added.

Sierra Health Mart has been growing and recently has increased its staff, now totaling more than 40 employees. The three pharmacies for several years have been under common ownership and affiliated as locally-owned franchisees of Health Mart Pharmacy, a leading national network of independently-owned pharmacies. The oldest pharmacy in the group, Don’s Pharmacy, has a 40-year tradition in downtown Reno. Terry Vasenden said the new name achieves a more unified identity and also helps patients locate the three pharmacies when directed to a Health Mart Pharmacy by insurance providers.

In addition to being the area’s only locally-owned pharmacy group, Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy is distinguished in being a compounding pharmacy. “Our pharmacists and staff have advanced training in compounding, allowing us to offer customized medications,” said Brant Skanson, RPh. “We can create specialty preparations and custom medications to solve medication challenges by adding flavoring, removing dyes or lactose, changing dosage forms and making medication easier to administer – even for pets,” he added.

“It’s rewarding to be part of a business that can work together in getting Reno and Tahoe healthier – one patient at a time,” said David Vasenden, RPh. “We enjoy giving back to our community through the organizations and charities we’re involved with, as well as providing our free women’s wellness seminars – a Party with a Purpose,” he added. Sierra Health Mart also is unique in offering a nurse educator who provides consultations for women experiencing the effects of perimenopause and menopause.

For more information about Sierra Health Mart Pharmacy, compounded medications or a Party with a Purpose, please call 853-3500 or visit www.SierraHealthMart.com.

If you want your community to recognize your extraordinary level of service, work on exceeding your clients’ expectations every day. In today’s competitive environment, you know what that means: going above and beyond the standard level of quality and service to truly differentiate yourself. People choose to do business with those they know, like and trust. Businesses that create trust through delivering even more than promised will be the winners in the competition for consumer choice.

My family recently traveled to Monterey, staying at the Hotel Abrego, accommodations I’d found online. The website looked inviting, and I found positive reviews at Travelocity – but I always experience a bit of stress as the family travel agent when booking a new hotel.

The front desk staff member eased by trepidations with a warm welcome once we arrived, and then she proceeded to exceed my expectations by saying the magical words, “We’re upgrading you – to fireplace rooms.” Now for all I know, the vast majority of their rooms may have fireplaces, but I didn’t expect the upgrade. Our family group all were thrilled with our fireplaces during several days of cold and intermittently rainy weather in Monterey.

The front desk representative even went further win our undying devotion by giving us a card for a complimentary glass of wine with our appetizer order in the hotel’s restaurant-bar. We were famished after our long drive, so we hungrily made a beeline back to the restaurant after we checked in to enjoy a free glass of wine and some hors d’oeuvres.

Whatever your business, your statement of value and purpose should support your exceptional service. Make your statement specific to your service and the customer group you serve or want to serve. My new favorite Monterey hotel states on its homepage that it is “Monterey’s newest, uniquely designed 93-room, full-service boutique hotel providing an exceptional value and a refreshing Monterey experience in a playful, relaxing, inviting environment” – all true, and, even better, exceeded in reality.

An accounting firm might develop a statement such as “Northern Nevada’s most trusted business advisory and accounting firm, focusing on solving the most complex business challenges for small to mid-sized enterprises.” Make the statement part of your website banner on every page, your business cards, letterhead, brochures and other collaterals.

Amplify your value by providing content around your expertise. Use social media for cost-effective communication of your value: website-based blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, podcasts and videos. Send out monthly enewsletters to your contact list. Give away white papers if you speak or offer seminars. Your tactic choices are endless and should be suited to your priority current and future clients. As a trusted business, you are perfectly positioned to provide content that is by definition of high value, reliable and, if consistently communicated, will launch your brand to new heights in 2011.

RAN ONE leadership and staff from top left, clockwise: Mike Celada, director of member services; Dennis Sinnott, director of business development; Rick Solomon, CPA, CEO, RAN ONE Americas; Lonni Gainer, member services advisor; Karen Reyburn, managing director, RAN ONE Europe; Karen Maggio, office administrator; and Mary Ellen Rosenblatt, controller

These firm leaders are in the trenches during a distressed economy, offering information and guidance to their business clients every day. RAN ONE helps accountants and business advisors become more successful and increase quality of life for themselves and their clients by providing advanced online and training resources, research, analytics and business connections.

These accountants and advisors are working on the leading edge of the entrepreneurial economy, where businesses succeed or fail on the basis of the decisions made and advice taken. These CPAs and CAs (Chartered Accountants, as they’re known in Canada) are leaders in learning all they can to keep their skills at the level needed to be their clients’ most trusted advisors.

They are more aware than ever of the importance of business development. Several of the attendees said they had recently hired business development or marketing specialists in the past year. They realize that professional services are no different from any other high-end product or service. They know they must develop their brands and communicate their values clearly and consistently to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

It’s about the relationships. These advisors said personal connections are the most important factor in creating referrals and that relationships take time to cultivate and nurture. One advisor said, “I went through my client list and discovered that the best referral sources were those who also were dependent on referrals: lawyers, bankers and insurance brokers.” Another advisor created a “wall of referrals” in his office on which he displayed in a visible location the business cards and brochures of his referral partners.

Promote by giving away your value – but not necessarily all for free. In the marketing roundtable I facilitated on the last day of the conference, several of the members discussed their success with offering seminars for clients and potential clients. One of the firms partnered with banks in offering financial planning seminars, for which they charged a small fee. They found that these seminars had higher attendance than those offered for free. It seems people are more likely to attend an event for which they’ve RSVPd if they’ve made even a nominal financial commitment. This firm always gave attendees a valuable takeaway, such as a white paper on the topic.

Social media is important for professional services – but the skeptics are out there. One of the younger attendees said in response to a few skeptics regarding the value of social media to the accounting and business advising profession, “It’s not about your current clients. It’s about your future clients.” The current 30- to-40-somethings will be buying and running businesses in the next few years. That client is searching for resources online (average age of Facebook users = 38.4; LinkedIn = 44.3). Professional service providers may be a bit late in joining the social media conversation, but the ones who are contributing on blogs and social communities are finding new ways to communicate their unique value to their current and future clients.

1. Smiling faces: Before you start talking, take a deep breath, smile and think of something funny to give yourself an internal laugh and help you relax. While you speak, your face should match your topic. Using a variety of expressions as you make your points will engage your viewers.

2. Your new best friend: If you’re speaking directly to the camera (rather than being interviewed by someone), make the camera the face of your best friend (or spouse or mom – someone who loves you unconditionally) in your imagination. This will help to make you more conversational and natural.

3. Power of three: Be prepared with three key points that you want to make. Make some notes in writing before you begin, but put them away before you start. Writing will help establish your points and a natural flow in your mind. A good construction is:
o Open with a problem or question
o Describe the solution
o Finish with a story to illustrate the point

4. Timing is everything: Keep your primary three points or segments to about 30 seconds to a minute each; online videos generally are more successful and frequently viewed when they are less than three minutes in length. Don’t memorize material, but keep your important facts and brief anecdotes in mind. Stories and examples bring more life to your points. Ideally, an interview should be an educated, engaging conversation.

5. Slow down. You’ve heard this before, but the idea of slowing down and enunciating your words applies particularly well in video, a medium which magnifies slushy speech. If you take a breath and slow down, you can think about what you’re going to say clearly and distinctly, and you’ll be less likely to use the dreaded filler words: uh, umm, so, like, you know, right? Right!

6. Eye signals: Eye contact is a sign of confidence and social engagement. Regardless of whether you’re being interviewed or looking at the camera, keep a natural eye contact, avoiding glancing down or to the side.

7. Body language: Watch people who are interviewed on national news programs, morning and evening. Notice what makes people look and sound credible and convincing. Watch body language. You’ll observe that engaging interviewees often lean forward a bit and have an open body position, arms not crossed defensively but relaxed at their sides or, if seated, on their legs, overlapping a bit. Crossing legs at the ankle if seated will help improve posture. If standing, keep knees a bit flexed and one leg slightly ahead of the other to help prevent swaying from side to side – or fainting.

8. What not to wear: The boundaries of dress considered business-presentable have expanded in recent years. If you’re unsure, it’s better to err on the side of formality. For women, that means a tailored blazer or shirt; save tight knits or party looks for another occasion. You want your clothes to say, “I’m a competent professional,” not to distract. For men, a suit or blazer and shirt with tie are almost always the right choice, but if you don’t wear a tie, go with a tailored shirt or shirt and blazer. Solid colors are best for everyone. Avoid prints and stripes (except for ties). Avoid black and white, as well, which don’t look as good on camera as color.

9. Finishing touches: Women should always wear makeup; outdoor light and bright indoor lights can have a bleaching effect. Men should consider powder to eliminate shine – including top of the head! Women should avoid shiny earrings or those that move and bracelets that jangle, which can be a distraction.

10. Keep smiling: When you’re finished, keep smiling for a few seconds. This will allow for a good concluding edit.

Remember, you are the expert! You know your material. Treat the video interview as a valuable opportunity to bring important information to potential customers that you may not even be able to imagine now. Relax, smile and share your knowledge!

Give away your expertise
Offer a free monthly e-newsletter or tip sheet with your top business tips of the month. Promote this on your website, your business cards, whenever you’re out meeting people. Offer real value in your newsletter, and make it available to everyone, not just clients. This is not a sales gimmick, although it will lead to sales.

Blog your expertise
Few tactics will be more powerful in enhancing your visibility and driving your firm’s website higher in online search results. Blog as regularly as you can; in the online world, content is king. RAN ONE makes posting new content simple through a multitude of online resources. Your blog provides a free platform for communication of your know-how and background. Yes, the operative word is FREE. WordPress at www.wordpress.com allows you to construct a quick and elegant blog foundation that easily can be linked to your website. Building and maintaining a blog requires knowledge and time, but it’s a brilliant investment for any business on a budget.

Add testimonials about your expertise
Ask your best clients to tell their stories about how you helped their businesses. Take them to lunch and interview them; you’ll be thanking them for their business at the same time. Add a photo and company logo to each client’s testimonial, and it becomes a win-win promotion of their own success along with yours.

Promote your expertise in your local media
Position your business skills in your hometown media. This includes your daily newspaper as well as local business publications, free suburban weeklies found in many markets and local radio and television outlets. Send brief news releases and photos announcing your firm members’ promotions and recognitions, firm innovations and new services. Write guest columns on business topics; the current economic tumult provides opportunities for anyone with credible advice for small businesses. If a current event comes up for which you have background and information, send a brief news release with your perspective and offer to be available for interviews.

Remember that you have valuable intelligence, skills and background that are highly prized commodities in business, especially in a challenging economic environment. Communicate your value, make a consistent public relations plan part of your business growth strategy and your business will garner results.

1. Set the stage.  Write a brief 100 to 150-word introduction of yourself for the group leader.  Include your name, your topic, why it’s important and what the audience will learn and your qualifications.  If your name is difficult to pronounce, include a pronunciation guide.
2. Map it out.  If you don’t know where to start in writing your speech, use mind-mapping.  Wikipedia has a good explanation and diagram of this method of staging your thoughts around a central theme. Think about the demographics of your audience and their needs as you’re brainstorming.   
3. Get it together: Use the three-point method of speech organization: introduction, content and conclusion or: here’s what I’m going to tell you, I’m telling you now and here’s what I told you.
4. Grab them.  Spend some time on your opening.  Start positively, never with an apology about your nervousness or lack of public speaking experience.  The first few minutes in any speech are critical.  The audience believes you are the expert from your great introduction, and you are!
5. Make them laugh.  Humor is great, but be very careful with any jokes or offhand comments that might offend.  Making the joke at your own expense is almost always safe and can be very engaging.
6. Look at me.  Making direct eye contact can be intimidating for some speakers, so try looking at the middle of people’s foreheads as you look around the room.  No one will know you’re looking at their “third eye,” and it may help you to relax.   
7. Come out from the shadows.  Try to escape the lectern if a portable microphone allows, holding a small piece of paper or note card to remind you of your points if needed.  Gesture with your hands and include movement – not rocking or pacing, but natural walking. 
8. Exude energy.  Be enthusiastic and animated in your voice and body language.  Practice this as much as your actual speech.
9. Tell a story.  Even if your talk is meant to be theoretical, include the reality of a story or life example.  We humans are hard-wired to respond to and remember stories; this is the basis of all cultures.  A great story will make your speech truly memorable.
10. Know when to fold.  Keep within your allotted time, or a bit earlier to allow for questions.  Recapture your primary points near the end.  Think about a strong impression at the conclusion with a brief inspirational story, quote or thought-provoking question.

As with any new endeavor, public speaking becomes easier and more comfortable with practice.  If you want to make a real commitment to improving your speaking abilities, consider joining Toastmasters.  Take every opportunity to be a presenter, and more invitations and opportunities will follow for you and your business!