Across The Desk With Elizabeth Plouffe

Something I've come to realize after reading 30 or more business books, is that everything new is old again. That the vast majority of the current day guru's are standing on the shoulders of giants like Dale Carnegie. With each advent of technology, someone devises a new way to improve organizations, develop leadership and support change. But they use ideas developed 70 years ago to do it. It's true. So that's why I've been revisiting the masters. After all, Dale Carnegie wrote this book in 1936 and 80 years later, we're still talking about it. His ideas and strategies are still being taught in courses around the world. His suggestions for authentic persuasion and building relationships are being use in corporations today. His notions of fairness and consideration are coming back in to vogue because we went so far the other way the pendulum just had to swing back. I, for one, welcome the times back when people showed appreciation with no other motive than kindness. A time where the mere idea of tricking

Have you ever had a friend that you can go years without talking to but when you pick up the phone it's like no time has passed? What if they asked you to help them move? Still feeling chatty? Me either. That's what can happen if you don't communicate with your customers on a regular basis. When you have something to sell or an event for them to come to and you send out that invite? Chances are, they'll treat your invite much like you might react to the moving request. The conversation will be over. But if you take control of your communications and offer helpful content, keep in touch, and share some laughs, then when it comes time to ask, they'll be listening. If communications hasn't been on the top 5 of your businesses to do list, it's time to get it on there. Use 2017 as your goal year to take steps to keeping the conversation going. How? That's what we're going to chat about today. A simple solution to start a 3 month comms plan with an added bonus tip for your website. Take a listen and build your p

Do you let your life or business happen to you? I used to. And for the most part I've been ok. But I've never been able to set goals and couldn't understand why. Now I know. Part of it was I didn't know what I wanted to do or achieve. I couldn't see a clear path. Since starting my business (which was also an accident), especially this year, now the path is clear. I'm sharing with you some of the tools I'm using to reflect, create and achieve the goals I'm setting for myself. Some are big, audacious, in your face goals. Some are smaller but equally kick ass goals. Some are short term. Some are long. But all of them are taking me down the path that I'M creating one goal at a time.

Have you ever seen an ad with a celebrity endorsement? Especially a celebrity who you admire and trust? Well, as much as you can trust someone you don't actually know. Has that influenced your decision about the product or service to buy or use and then it's turned out to be junk? Are you tired of all the questions? The reason for all the questions is to get you thinking about the social proof that the product or service has used to build trust (albeit second hand trust you didn't really have any way)and get you to buy. How's that head scratcher? Today's podcast focuses on the good and bad of legitimacy. It can be make or break for some businesses especially in this day and age of instant online reviews, commentary and condemnation. If you've decided to go the scam route (as so many do) and imply endorsement vs actually building your own legitimacy, well, you've been warned. We're here to get everybody to put their sneaky shit meter on high alert and out you!

Have you ever thought about your story? Would you know what to say? Until recently I didn't know. Ironic for a writer / communicator who is also a Gemini (Yes, I believe in astrology. Don't judge me. It's my story.) When you've had some challenges in your life, they can become your story. I've had a few. More than a few. As they happened so close together, they became more of my story than I realized. It took a good friend telling me that they should be a part of my story for me to realize that I didn't want that anymore. It wasn't who I was. SO! I went in search of my story. After two months of coaching and journalling and all that good stuff - I found it. Ever since I found it, my life has changed in so many ways. My story now? I'm a teacher. It's not only what I do, it's what drives me. In business. In life. In friendships. In my family. It's what I need to do to feel like I'm contributing to society. If you aren't sure what your story is, I encourage you to find out. I can guarantee you, it's worth th

What's the first thing you think of when it comes to sales? For me, it's every BAD sales person I've had to deal with. From car sales to timeshares to cell phone plans - I've dealt with some doozies. The problem when you are the one selling is that everybody you meet has had the same run-ins. Snakeoil techniques. Schmoozing. Telling you what you want to hear. Blech. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth just from remembering ... But it doesn't have to be that way. If you're in business you need to remember to learn everything you can about the right way so no one is thinking of you the way you think of those other guys. Your business depends on it. Today on Wise Word Wednesdays, I'm chatting up The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. This is actually the first book I've EVER read on sales and (pun intended), I'm sold. It's practical. Applicable. Easy to understand and even easier to use for your business. Give it a listen. I promise no snakes were harmed in the making of this podcast ;)

Say. Act. Do. It's that simple. Congruency is our topic today in the 6 Principles of Influence. What does that mean? In the simplest of terms and the easiest of explanations is that if you want to convey and build trust, you have to be consistent in everything you do. For example - if you make an appointment with someone, taking up their valuable time, to make a pitch and you show up late or don't show up at all - what do you think that says? It says that you don't actually value the time or person that you've arranged to meet. By showing up late, you are stating that you aren't to be trusted to deliver. By not showing up at all? Heck - I wouldn't leave my dog with you. We all understand that life happens and you could run late but once it becomes a pattern of behaviour, you are acting incongruent to what you are hoping to establish. Trust. It comes down to this: do what you say and say what you do. For example, if you are faking being involved in a conversation just to get a sale, your body language will

Has it been one of those years for you? Or couple of years? When you're an entrepreneur it can feel like you've survived a year vs celebrating the beginning of another. Especially at a time of year where reflection and goal setting is forced upon us. But as an entrepreneur maybe it's worth taking another look at the value of reflection. Maybe that needs to be a goal for the whole year. Why the girly title of this podcast? It's actually not as girly as I probably think but I'll clarify anyway. When you start a business, you have NO idea of the power of the up's and down's. NO idea how hard it will be some days (or months) to dig in and keep going. And for a woman, I can honestly say it's a bit harder. Despite progress, being a woman entrepreneur is still considered an oddity so we start with an extra handicap. Boobs have their bonuses but they can still be a hindrance to more than our golf swing ;) This week on Get to Know Me, I share the importance of finding a way to recognize and remember your achievement

If you're in business, you're going to need help. As much as we'd all like to be able to solve our problems ourselves, we can't do it all. And we shouldn't. The worst thing you can do for your business is labor under the delusion that you've got all the answers to all the questions. From me to you: get over yourself. You don't. Nobody does. Sounds ballsy right? Well this week during our Ballsy Women in Business meeting we covered so many great topics that I can't help but admire the women who joined us and asked the questions. Why? Because admitting you don't know something or need help can be hard. Believe me - I wrote the book on not asking for help. And it has the same ending as anyone else who writes a similar book. I got over myself and asked for help and lived happily ever after. Well, not quite. That would be why Ballsy exists. Because we all need times during our business' iteration to address the new situations, questions and problems that crop up. Take a listen and find out the topics we covered

When you are dealing with a mental health issue, trying to navigate the healthcare system can be stressful. Heck - it's stressful no matter what. Once you are in the system, one of the keys to success for your treatment is developing trust with your health care team. That can put you in a tricky position to provide honest feedback that is positive or negative. Imagine an app that can help you solve that problem. Well, it's here. Meet Dr. Gillian Mulvale who is working with her team at the DeGroote School of Business in the Health Leadership Academy to develop the MyExperience app. This app has been specifically designed to allow patients to provide feedback on their experience within the mental health field. Honest, constructive and valuable, this feedback will allow practitioners to develop and improve the services they are providing. Something they've wanted for a long time. Interested in learning more about this great breakthrough for the mental health community? I was too. Take a listen and you'll see w

Return on investment. That's the key for most business people but when you are building a business, keeping the ROI in line with the PITA is key to success. Why? Well, sometimes social media can have a high PITA factor with low ROI. Before you think we're talking about sandwiches and dietary advice, I mean the pain in the ass factor. For some businesses, I recommend you lower the PITA factor by NOT using social media for your business. Yep. A consultant just said don't use my services please. Why? Because there are so many ways to negatively impact your business by screwing up your online presence that if you can't afford someone to help you or do it for you, then DON'T. That's not to say that you CAN'T. You absolutely can. But the time it will take to teach yourself the ins and outs of the social media platforms and tools, the creation of a content calendar and the way to engage contributes to the PITA factor exponentially and reduces your ROI more than businesses sometimes realize. Take a listen and fin

Has there ever been a time where you've made a decision to buy something or work with someone based on the opinion of others? Have you noticed that when someone does you a favor or provides a freebie you feel obligated to help them out next time? Maybe you've noticed that someone has a lot in common with you and when it's suggested you work on a project together, the decision is easy. All of these scenarios fall under the 6 Principles of Influence. But as we all know, influence can be used for good and for not so good intentions. Why is this important to know? Because being manipulated to our detriment can negatively impact our personal life and business while using the principles of influence in a positive way can open doors. Learn how to spot when social influence is being used to sell you that latest fad cream or how to use it to help you get a new client. Get wise to the give and take of reciprocity and how you might not be getting the best deal with that freebie. Does someone have an unusual amount of

I hope that all businesses try to keep their corporate social responsibility plan to of mind all year. For such a long title, I sometimes wonder if creating a CSR plan is more a tool to look good than actually do good. Cynical? Maybe. But once you chat with Monica Graves, you'll see what putting your money where your jewels are really means. Cancer is another cause where I think people can lose focus on how to actually support the families that are affected by this nefarious disease. In my case? My father had it. My grandfather, 2 uncles and grandmother in law died of it. My sister in law has battled and won. Even I've had 2 cancer scares that shows me I'm not immune. How did I cope? I was lucky and just dealt. I didn't have kids to feed or bills to pay that were going to be affected by my diagnosis. Today's podcast is about how to give back. Personally. Professionally. Entrepreneurially. Take that CSR and put it to work rather than paying it lip service. 3 Little Wishes is one of the many ways that Monica

How is it possible that one book can contain so many seemingly disparate items? Happiness + business + science + motivation + action items + inspiration It's insane. Yet that's exactly what Shawn Achor manages to do in his 2010 book The Happiness Advantage. For a research geek like me, who isn't a huge fan of talking about feelings, this book was like divine intervention. Science backed recommendations on how to be happier? Jackpot! Shawn Achor provides corporate and personal narratives that allow anyone to relate to the mind blowing idea that are brains are capable of change and that change can include being happier. Why is this important? Other than the obvious (really? You don't want to be happier?), the book clearly demonstrates the impact on productivity, creativity, relationship building, health and achieving success. That last one is the biggest myth busted of all. Success will not make you happier. Happier will make you successful. Let that sink in for a minute and then give a listen. I'm about

I think there is a very thin line between eccentric and eclectic. Both refer to the possibility of seemingly unrelated ideas coming together in ways people might not have considered before. Stepping over the line from eclectic to eccentric? Well that's when you try to put peanut butter and tuna fish together. Not a great idea. The benefits of being described as or acting like either eccentric or eclectic has its benefits and drawbacks. For me, the benefits are many. Having eclectic tastes allows me to talk to just about anybody at events and put together ideas that seem random to some. Until we talk about it further and they have the inevitable a-ha. Eccentric? That means I don't mind taking on weird challenges, fit right in with odd teams and seldom object to doing something out of the ordinary that most might run from. Interested in learning more about the benefits? Listen on, Macduff. Listen on ...

Do you hate wasting time? I do. I even go so far as to plan out my driving route for errands so that I minimize travel time wasted. If I have to backtrack? That drives me bananas. So believe me - I don't waste time on books that will be bad for my business or get in the way of me achieve my goals faster. Gary Vaynerchuk has written three books specifically geared at helping business owners at all levels succeed. Despite the occasional appearance of the Salty V, I believe through watching and learning from him that he truly wants to help others. So I gave Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook a shot. For someone who peruses used book stores and avoids paying full price, shelling out the $40 was hard. But was it worth it? It turns out it was. This book has been designed to help you navigate the choppy waters of social media and specifically how not to screw it up for your business. If there is any time to invest your time and energy, it's when it has to do with your business. After all, any return on investment when lear

Have you ever lost your wallet? Or had it stolen? That sucks right?! This weekend I got the chance to make it suck less for someone. How? Social media. In this day and age of mobile phones and mobile people, it can be hard to track someone down the traditional way. But thanks to social media, all we need to do is follow the breadcrumbs that get left online. My husband found the wallet in downtown Toronto while working but the address on the ID was in Burlington. It made sense for him to bring it home as we could return it quickly. With knowledge of the panic associated with losing your wallet, I wanted to get in touch with him sooner. So I went online. All it took was googling his full name to find the beginning of the trail. LinkedIn proved to be a bit of a bust but his Facebook profile provided some ideas. He'd listed his work as being at a pub close to where my husband found the wallet so I gave them a call. Sure enough, he works there. After explaining the situation, the staff agreed to contact him wit

So what do women talk about when they meet up? Kids? Work? Husbands? Expectations? Trust? Sounds like a typical meeting meeting right? Turns out it can be all of that and so much more. Tuesday night was the joint Ballsy / Women in Tech meetup that featured speaker Norine Jones. Norine was asked to speak to the group based on a conversation that we had during another meeting. Specifically, it was to discuss the role of women in business and what exactly that means. How much sacrifice should we be making for our business vs our families and how do we make those choices. What started out as a speaking gig turned in to a terrific discussion that I think generated far more helpful perspectives than a regular format would have done. I'd already had the conversation and still ended up with six pages of notes. If you're a woman in business, or a man still trying to learn about women, then this podcast might shed some light on the mental games we play with ourselves and how men factor in to all of that.

The Huffington Post ran an article last year on "11 Things We Fake in Our Social Media Lives" and I love it. As part of my business (and my inherently nosy personality) I love the peeking in on other people's lives aspect of social media. I love the stories they tell. I love connecting with people over similar interests. But what I don't love is the fakery and insincerity of some accounts on behalf of businesses. I just want to shake them and say, "Really? Are you sure about that?". I thought it was just me. Then I read Unmarketing by Scott Stratten and felt a huge sense of relief. I was not alone in my frustration on the fake factor. I've had Unmarketing on my shelf for a bit. I'm not sure why I held out but am so glad I got over whatever was holding me back. This book confirmed that the fake route, autotweeting, push marketing and all the other things that drive me crazy were in fact dumb. And bad for your business. And annoying. Thanks to reading this book I now have a deeper confidence in the slow but s

If you have ever been to a restaurant or event, you might be guilty of this: can you even remember the face of the server at the last restaurant you went to? At the last event you were at (wedding, gala, networking, did you thank the staff that cleared your plates and picked up after you all night? Chances are the answer is no. Sadly that seems to be more common these days. The ME generation has returned and the manners have left the building. We are so distracted by phones and noise and our problems and just US in general that we forget one important thing: there is a them behind the tidy table you are now sitting at. There is a them behind the beautifully arranged room you are enjoying. And them? They like to hear thank you. Quite frankly so do I. Why the rant? I've over rude people. I'm over staff at events feeling unappreciated and borderline maligned. I've coordinated enough events, been to enough events and worked at enough events that when I hear stories of rudeness - well quite frankly, I get a litt