Most couples don't have the bandwidth to stay in touch when it comes to financial matters. One person handles this, the other handles that. Maybe you've figured out how to make this work. For most of us, it takes being a bit more intentional to really make financial headway.
I'm putting on "Money Talks for Couples" because most of our marriages need a pause button, an excuse to stop, reflect and maybe change tactics. Even the savviest of couples can benefit from a cooperative financial refresher course. Money Talks for Couples will cover topics ranging from understanding your health insurance at work and investing principles, to online personal finance tools and homeowners insurance. Each month we'll have a different focus.
The sessions will begin with a light buffet style dinner from a local restaurant, followed by a 1 hour learning segment, and lastly a 30 minute Q&A. Babysitting will be provided for the duration. Money Talks will be done by 7ish.
The May 12th session will provide an intro to the series, with an overview of family financial planning principles, and a tutorial on Yodlee.com a free personal finance tool.
Future topics will include:
Teaching our kids about Money
Life Insurance- Planning for What Happens Now?
Saving for College- What educational savings accounts make sense for you?
Investing- Maxing out the Roth and keeping your 401K in Check
This month's session will be held at the community center at Willamette Landing. Space is limited to 10 couples, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged. We need to plan for the right amount of childcare and food as well. Please RSVP to Rebecca Badger. You can reach her via Twitter @rebeccabadger, email rebecca@workwithrebecca.com , or via cell phone @ 231-6428.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
ROI on Social Media? Not so fast...
A friend of mine sent me this link. The article is about whether or not social media improves the bottom line. Does it increase sales and productivity or does it ultimately become a time-trap? Having spent most of my career in sales and business development, it immediately piqued my interest. Have a look:
http://snurl.com/fyzzc
The opening of the article is "... companies are struggling to locate enough social-media-generated revenue to justify the time and resources expended on them...". This sort of pragmatic approach doesn't really work when it comes to social media and the business 3.0 paradigm we're moving in to. The whole premise of the article assumes that engaging in social media is an option. I think we're going to see that in coming months and years, it will become a pre-requisite to many, if not most new business relationships.
Here's my take: social media is a by-product of GenX/Yers hungering for more authenticity. The line between our personal lives and professional roles has become permanently blurred. With social media, it's less about the polished image and scripted messaging, and more about the true grit of what someone is bring to the table. Good, bad or ugly, at least you know what you're getting.
Social media personalizes and legitimizes your marketing and branding efforts. Someone has to actually care what you have to say, for your messaging to have impact. Things have changed. There's too much noise for simple TOMA strategies or old skool sales 101 alone. People now want a more personal experience and it begins with social media (and face-time).
Stein makes a great point though, as it relates to sales success. "The challenge is, once a connection has been made through channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter, salespeople still need to have the knowledge and resources to follow through to conversion...If I don't have the skills, the tools, or [the] people...then that sale will never happen," Stein is right, social media doesn't somehow negate the need for good salesmanship or technical ability. Social media is simply the setting in which credibility is established and trust is created.
So there's an insurance guy's take. Social media doesn't sell insurance policies. Social media simply provides a powerful and authentic medium for new relationships, and relationships are where all good sales are made.
http://snurl.com/fyzzc
The opening of the article is "... companies are struggling to locate enough social-media-generated revenue to justify the time and resources expended on them...". This sort of pragmatic approach doesn't really work when it comes to social media and the business 3.0 paradigm we're moving in to. The whole premise of the article assumes that engaging in social media is an option. I think we're going to see that in coming months and years, it will become a pre-requisite to many, if not most new business relationships.
Here's my take: social media is a by-product of GenX/Yers hungering for more authenticity. The line between our personal lives and professional roles has become permanently blurred. With social media, it's less about the polished image and scripted messaging, and more about the true grit of what someone is bring to the table. Good, bad or ugly, at least you know what you're getting.
Social media personalizes and legitimizes your marketing and branding efforts. Someone has to actually care what you have to say, for your messaging to have impact. Things have changed. There's too much noise for simple TOMA strategies or old skool sales 101 alone. People now want a more personal experience and it begins with social media (and face-time).
Stein makes a great point though, as it relates to sales success. "The challenge is, once a connection has been made through channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter, salespeople still need to have the knowledge and resources to follow through to conversion...If I don't have the skills, the tools, or [the] people...then that sale will never happen," Stein is right, social media doesn't somehow negate the need for good salesmanship or technical ability. Social media is simply the setting in which credibility is established and trust is created.
So there's an insurance guy's take. Social media doesn't sell insurance policies. Social media simply provides a powerful and authentic medium for new relationships, and relationships are where all good sales are made.
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