I am currently in the process of getting my main website in order, which I’ve been meaning to do forever now. I’ve been lucky enough that the bulk of my clientele comes from referrals, repeat clients, or serial entrepreneurs who fancy perpetually picking my brain.

The Shape of Business to Come

So what have I seen in the business landscape over the past year? I’ve seen companies buckle down and focus on what’s really important. Old processes and policies are flying out like crazy…because they’re no longer working in this climate. A few aspects that all channel into Customer Relationship Management that I’ve been focusing on with my clients are:

• Where the Business is Coming From-  No longer can businesses be lacking in their tracking strategies. Every dollar counts now more than it ever did, and this is where it’s at. No where your business comes from. This is priceless information.
• How do I Make the Process EXCEPTIONAL? – Creating an extremely unique and awesome customer experience doesn’t require vast amounts of money, just a bit of creativity and know-how. This, along with stellar customer service creates a genuine loyalty around a brand and it’s product or service. Make it memorable and elicit conversation. It’s the cheapest and most effective marketing method around (still).
• Know it All – Make it someone’s job to know EVERYTHING about your customer. Their clicking habits, the A/B test page results, what makes them tick, what sites they frequent, where their money is being spent, what email campaign traits get the best responses, and so on. Organize this all into one central location and make a meeting out of it at least every quarter. You’d be surprised at how this type of information spawns innovation in your business. Don’t be afraid to tweak processes, ads, and marketing based on the information you find. This information is useless unless you act upon it quickly.
• Service though Social Media: If your customer is talking about you, that’s great. If they’re expressing dismay with you, social media is your opportunity to make it right, while showing the rest of the world that you CAN and are WILLING to make it right. Social media is an exceptional customer service tool, because it provides past records of challenges, errors, mistakes, and fixes that are priceless to your business. Be sure to log your customer service conquests online, with basic information on the customer, what their issue was, how long it took to solve the issue, what you did to solve the issue, how much it cost you, and so on.  If you have Salesforce, or some other CRM tool, be sure to log this information thoroughly. You’ll be so glad you did!

These are just a few things I am seeing for 2010.There is a lot more I’d like to write, but I’ll save that for another post. I wish you all a prosperous and safe 2010!

True Innovation and Business Success

This really made me think a lot about innovating in general. How many businesses do you see out there that are consistently trying to bring new into the world? New concepts, new ideas, new territory? Not too many, right? I mean, we all know Apple leads the way in this territory, simply because their type of innovation is generally the kind that most people can afford. Even I have an iPhone.  It was new, and it was very different. Truly an impressive piece of gadgetry.

Then we have the big money innovator companies like ultra high luxury car manufacturers, and amazingly high fashion clothing. These industries are in a consistent state of innovation. Last year’s product is hardly relevant today. Could you say the same about your business? If not, what if you could?

It would make you more money! It would be easier to market! HEY, it would be CHEAPER to market!

What if you took your concepts, and strived for innovation every time you re-marketed them? Consistent innovation where is generally isn’t called for… reminds me a lot of what Apple did. They changed a lot about technology in a relatively short amount of time. They made it trendy, colorful, and downright awesome at times. (and I’m not even a fangirl!)  They took a great product and made it more interesting. Gave it more appeal, and then charged quite a bit more money for it.

Innovating Makes Marketing Simpler

Imagine how tweaking a few of your products or services for the times can render better results when it comes to marketing? If your sales are down, perhaps you aren’t offering exactly what is being needed at that time. We fail and we learn. Tweaking a product or a service isn’t really admitting failure, it’s being strong, dedicated, and best of all; flexible. If you aren’t flexible, you’re losing out on a lot of money.

So go forth, grow your sales, make more money and sprinkle some innovation into your ideas!

Have you ever evaluated how trustworthy your brand, product, or service looks to an outsider?

If you happen to be in an industry where trust is already limited, then you’ve got your work cut out for you. Lawyers, investors, and network marketers rank among the lowest trusted in today’s society. Personally, I have an extremely hard time trusting Realtors. I can’t stand about 90% of them.  As a younger person who was recently looking for a home to buy, I can’t tell you how many times I caught the listing agent lying to me about things they had assumed I was uneducated about. This happened repeatedly. While not all Realtors are liars, those 10 that I came into contact with, happened to shape my views on how I perceived realtors as far as trust went.

Think about what it takes for you to really trust a person or an entire organization. What acts, displays, or gestures are you looking for when you’re initially deciding whether someone or something is trustworthy or not. We often perform our “trust” processes unconsciously, but if you really take a moment to brainstorm what factors make you trust, you’ll be gaining valuable insight on what you need to do to gain others trust.

Kurt Mortensen, the author of Maximum Influence and Persuasion IQ, defines the five C’s of trust as:

• Character
• Competence
• Confidence
• Credibility
• Congruence

* Does your personal brand or corporate identity emcompass these traits?

* How can we prove ourselves more trustworthy, without breaking the bank?

* How do you do it?

All comments and input are welcome! This is an open discussion after all!

“The recession is driving marketers to concentrate on gaining new business, even more than on customer retention objectives,” says David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Search Marketing Trends: Back to Basics. “Search is the ultimate online acquisition tool, and therefore is positioned to do relatively well in this economy.”  – from eMarketer’s article Titled “Searching for New Customers in the Recession?”

Grabbing web searchers attention isn’t difficult if you are correctly targeting, analyzing, and covering all of your bases. Search marketing is gaining more momentum than ever, and if you aren’t investing marketing dollars into your SEM efforts, you are doing your business a great disservice. eMarketer goes on to state that paid search, contextual advertising, paid inclusion (PPC), and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will all see increased spending through 2013.

Harnessing the power of search  marketing also happens to be one of the safest routes to more sales that almost any business can take immediate action on. Simply appearing in search results is no longer good enough. Remember, you are one of thousands vying for your customer’s sales, while they are clinging to their dollars tighter than ever. Your content needs to be highly targeted and polished.  There is a highly effective method to executing a super-charged targeted search marketing campaign:

Put Yourself In Your Customer’s Shoes When Designing a Search Campaign

Are they really looking to click on PPC ads, or do they get right down to business and cycle through natural results first? Are your users savvy enough to know the difference? Do they search for specific products by UPC numbers or codes? Are they confused when landing on your ‘targeted’ pages? This information is imperative to your search marketing efforts.

I am telling my clients this on a daily basis:

Mediocre is no longer sufficient. Striving to be Remarkable in Every Aspect is Now NOT an Option.

What kind of efforts has your business implemented to try to be remarkable? Have you seen any instances of big businesses trying to be remarkable lately?

Many of of my colleagues have been asking me for advice on how to earn extra money to keep their marketing stable, or even to grow their overall marketing efforts, since others in their industry are seemingly decreasing their marketing spending.  We know sales and overall conversions are down, but these same sales would be stagnant without any marketing at all, which is why we shouldn’t roll-over and play dead because things are getting tough. It just takes a bit of thinking outside of the box.

While many of my suggestions may seem like they’re “below” some people, I argue that in this economy, nobody is below much of anything, short of working the streets (which I don’t recommend). I know a man who was just laid off of his $200,000 per year job and is now working as a bank teller for less than $12 an hour.  It is because of this, business owners may need to broaden their horizons when it comes to bringing in some extra working revenue into their business. I also see many of my entrepreneur friends dipping into their savings to market their businesses. This is very risky, and I always recommend having some cushion money to fall back on if you’re a business owner, and especially if you have a family.

While brainstorming with a friend, we came up with our list of:

Ways to Raise Money to Market Your Business in a Bad Economy

• Let go of Things that Don’t Matter: This is the first thing I ask clients and colleagues when they say they don’t have money… “Do you have “stuff”? Everyone loves stuff. You will likely sell it for less than you purchased it for, which is fine if it was something you didn’t use often anyways. If you’ve got a $5,000 pool table in your home that you never use, sell it! If you drive a newer luxury car that is paid for, why not trade it in for something a bit more practical? Unused office equipment? Sell it! These downgrades aren’t permanent. We all know that things will eventually get better. For now, every penny really does count.

• Make the Most of Your Client List: All of your old invoices are worth their weight in gold. Even if you aren’t the best record keeper, you should have some record of whose been purchasing from you over the years. If you have employees, put them to work calling or emailing old customers and simply asking how they are doing. Special “loyalty discounts” and other specials could do the trick.  Remember not to be pushy, and to keep the customer’s best interest in mind. You should be calling/emailing with “How can I help them?” in mind.

• Barter or Trade: Now more than ever, I’ve noticed that more and more people are willing to barter or trade services, expertise and even merchandise. Ask yourself what will help you raise money, and brainstorm it onto a list called “Things I Need To Barter or Trade For“. Post your barter request on local and regional classified sites, social networks, and of course on Twitter.  This will likely get you some good results. Do remember that your trades need to be relatively equal in value, and they should equip you with something to better your business by.

• Put Your Other Skills to Use: Outside of your business activities, what other skills do you posses that could earn you extra money? Are you a good writer? Many people make a good amount of extra cash doing freelance writing work, and with the internet, it’s very easy to find. Perhaps you are good at math? Tutoring local students could also earn you some extra cash. I know a local woman who works from her home office, and also watches a handful of kids (all over 9 years old) during the weekdays to supplement her income since business was down a bit.  She ended up making a bit more than she had thought she would, and used the excess to put towards more marketing that helped her immensely.

Besides smarter budgeting, what are some other ways you have found to raise money to keep your business going? Chances are, it required you to be resourceful, and to truly think outside of the box.

We’ve got sites like LinkedIn, which really helps break the ice when it comes to meeting new people in our industry, or perhaps an industry that we’re trying to break into. However, with so many new technologies making it so simple to have these contacts at our disposal, we often start collecting and hoarding contacts, followers, fans, and prospects like nobody’s businesses… simply because we can.  To break this habit of going through the motions, simply adding contacts because they “look” interesting. Take it a step further, and make it a goal to create long lasting business relationships with the people you are adding to your social networks….online and offline.

7  Steps to Creating Long Lasting Business Relationships

1. Be Sincere: There’s nothing more annoying than meeting a new business contact who doesn’t say what they mean. If you’re wanting to connect with someone because you admire them, tell them so! If you’re wanting to connect because you are looking to break into the industry, tell them so as well! Chances are, you’ll end up gaining a mentor, because most experienced business people are generally willing to answer questions and help out. Be sincere and honest about your intentions. If you live in their area, and are simply wanting to connect with other business professionals for the sake of having someone to relate to, then tell them. Business owners are really in a league of their own, so most will understand your need to relate.
2. Don’t Implement “Automatic Networking” tactics: There was a debate a while back on Twitter about automatic responses. Many people have implemented automatic DM’s (Direct Messages) to be sent to their new followers basically saying “thank you” or “hey, check out my site”. This is highly discouraged for those looking to create personalized business relationships. Would you walk into a conference and say the exact same thing to everyone you met?  Probably not! Generally, each person likes to be greeted personally… with a personalized comment.  Your automatic email responses and twitter responses are not going to get you the results you are looking for when building solid business relationships…especially if your direct response is “Hey, go to my site (and buy this!)”…. or “hey, look at my blog”.  Take the time to greet everyone personally. (if you can’t, take a few minutes every day to at least personally respond to a few additions within your contacts). It tells them that they were worth your time, and that their friendship is important to you.  Remember, they can probably figure out how to get to your blog if they’ve found you on Twitter.  You won’t lose out, trust me.
3. Take Initiative: Often times, you’ll see people with a network of 500 or more on LinkedIn, and you start to wonder how they manage all of those contacts. Realistically most people have never met more than at least 100 of their contacts, and have likely not spoken to at least half of them over the phone. Building real relationships means showing that person that you are genuinely wanting to conect with them… not just by having them as a “friend” on your giant list of “friends” within your myspace, facebook, or linkedin accounts. Take initiative and send at least 5 of your contacts an email everyday. Set up phone calls to connect and chat. Do a local search… do you live near any of your contacts? Invite them to chat over coffee! Start a local group for yourself and your  new found contacts. The possibilities are endless.
4. Tear Down Those ‘ Walls’: It’s not all about business with business relationships. Generally, you have far more in common with your business connections than you may realize. Or perhaps you have no business aspects in common, but you love the same kind of music, or are passionate about trying new wines. Bring a your personality to the forefront of your online and offline conversations. I love talking to other business owners who have a passion. (even when it’s for things I am not familiar with). It gives me the opportunity to learn from them about why they love what they love.  Ask about their favorite kind of music, remember their birthday, favorite restaurants, foods, art, and so on. Use these as opportunities to open other means of communication. If you’re attending a new restaurant along the same lines as your colleagues favorite food, invite him and his wife along! Remember, use this method in moderation, otherwise you may come off as nosey, creepy, or even a stalker.
5. Be Generous: Have a new friend who just started his blog? Give him a shout out on your Twitter and introduce him to your giant network! Note one of his better blog posts! Getting a colleague to remember you is easy when you know how to be generous. I’m not saying to go out and buy them gifts or expensive items.  It’s really the little things that count, because to someone who needs help, these small deeds don’t seem so little at the time. Is your good friend a word-class chef? Go to his local Yahoo/Google pages and give him good reviews! Give him good reviews on his social sites as well.  Happen to be a web designer? Help out your new contact with his new site. Even just a few pointers to get him in the right direction helps! The best way to make friends is to be selfless. When you see someone struggling, cheer them up and help them remember their passion, and why they WILL succeed. Everyone needs cheerleaders. Especially business owners.
6. Don’t Sell: This is a given, but I had to include it. Don’t ever try to sell yourself to your business relationships at any point. They know what you do for a living, they know what services you offer, and they know how to contact you if they need them. You’re there to be a friend, as are they. You are there to mutually benefit each other. If you’ve agreed to refer others to each other, then that’s great, but be sure to keep this process professional and clean of self-selling.
7. Create Weekly/Monthly Contact Habits: If you’re like most business owners, professionals, or entrepreneurs, your week is probably already jam-packed with work, meetings, calls, and emails. However, taking time out to network is imperative to building your business relationships. Make it a point to set aside time at least once a month to go over your new contacts and connect with them on a higher level. Whether it be making a phone call, sending a friendly email, or inviting them to chat over coffee at your local Starbucks or Coffee Bean. Is it someones birthday? Send them a card and something else creative and memorable. Putting thought into the little things really makes an impact down the road.

The benefits of creating long lasting business relationships far outweight the time it takes to nuture them. Be sure to always be honest, and treat others as you would want to be treated. If you’re having trouble approaching people, just ask yourself how you’d like to be approached in that particular situation. You’re not making making relationships purely for your success, but to genuinely build meaningly friendships.

***  What are some of your favorite ways to really connect with your business contacts and colleagues?

Without further ado, I give to thee: “5 Steps to a Smooth Running Business”

• Be more observant: The sheer number of business owners that aren’t taking a look at the big picture is really shocking to me. I’ve learned that entrepreneurs and business owners have a tendency to be stubborn. (This is a good trait, and a bad one). It is because of this, we often overlook the true health of our business. Perhaps we’re still in love with the whole idea of our business’s concept, that we often overlook little things that could go wrong. Some business owners just can’t bear see their idea failing, and sometimes they are quick to pass off little details that could be vital to their business’s success.
• Don’t Wing-it: No more working on the fly. It’s far easier to waste time during work time if it’s not planned out in advance.  It’s time to go back to that list of goals you’ve probably written somewhere and sit down with it for at least an hour. Each goal likely has a task that you need to be working on everyday to achieve it. Your staff should be in on these goals, or at least your management team. Having everyone on the same page of what needs to be achieved is essential. Don’t let your office’s daily tasks become aimless or ‘on the fly’. Sit down with your management team, and tell them exactly what is going down for the rest of the week. Be militant! Don’t let them divert from the task at hand. Organize work time into segments that are focused on each task, and make sure they stick to it. The results will speak for themselves.
• De-Flaw your Customer Relationship Management System: If your company is one that deals with clients, customers, or some type of database of contact information for the people who generate your business’s source of money, then you are in need of a CRM or a Customer Relationship Management system. Your CRM should be highly scalable, and should be easily modified by someone on your staff. Ask yourself these three questions: “How smooth is the data flow in my company”? Is my office organized in their dealings with our customers? Are my staff organized in each step of involvement they have in the sales/service process? If you had a negative response to any of these questions, your CRM needs to be updated or implemented. The end goal is a completely personalized central data flow that will inform everyone (including you) what’s really going on with each and every client, down to the tiniest detail. This step is imperative for our next step.
• Perform weekly Check-ups: To build your business up to the well-oiled machine that you’d like it to be, you need to be honest with yourself at least once a week on how healthy your business really is. Like a growing child, your business really does need a periodic check-up. In our current economy, this is more crucial than ever. To perform a four-point check-up on your business simply take a closer look at your marketing, accounting + expenses, profits +margins, along with customer service/support. Develop a weekly worksheet or template that each department head fills out (honestly), that details the important data from each department’s happenings that week. How’s the money, marketing and customer service? Did an employee upset a customer today? Discuss what happened and how to rectify it. A few dollars are missing? Find out where your staff went wrong, and make sure it doesn’t happen again, with more than just a few dollars.
• Build Burning Passion within your Team: If no one really cares about any of your business’s ultimate goals, none of the aforementioned steps will do anything to help your business run smoothly. Slacking and complaining generally comes from employees that don’t believe in the company they work for. As much as you’d like to think that all of your employees are really in it for the long-haul to see you succeed, you are very wrong… and possibly a bit delusional. (it’s okay, it happens to the best of us). The truth is that most employees are thinking about what they’re going to get out of their experience with your company. Are they getting more money? More vacation time? More perks, stocks, or benefits? Building passion isn’t at difficult as it may seem. Right out of college, kids line up at the front door to work at great companies like Google and Apple. Why is that? Well, Google, being the “cool” company that it is, has a game room, a gym, and all kinds of other crazy perks to keep their employees happy and motivated. Their theory that happier employees work better is likely true, considering they are one of the world’s largest and most successful entities.  So ask yourself… “What is a company that I admire, and how do they create passion within their team?” Chances are, you’ll find out some great ways to keep your staff motivated and happy.

- Colin Powell

“There are some defeats more triumphant than victories.”

- Michel de Montaigne

“Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it’s not going to get the business.”

- Warren Buffet

“Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other”

- Bill Gates

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

- Mark Twain

     Trying to entice new customers in this economy has never been an easy task, but the real proof of hardship was seen in the data that last Holiday season’s shoppers brought to internet retailer’s attention. According to a study done by ForSee Results, consumer satisfaction with online shopping fell 3.09% during the second week after Thanksgiving, compared to the same week in 2007 from 77.6 on a 100-point scale to 75.2. Larry Freed, ForeSee’s president and CEO says:

 “Maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction throughout the holiday shopping period will separate the companies who are able not only to survive 2008, but to thrive from those that will be closing their doors in January.”

The Consumer is Now Playing ‘Hard to Get’

     With analysts worrisome forecasts on the rise for the 2009 economical outlook, I am seeing more and more reason to start expanding the horizons when it comes to obtaining new customers and clients. With the dollar being held even tighter in the palms of your target demographics hands, you’re either already looking to make some changes in the way you pursue your sales, or you’re simply ignoring the fact that sales are more difficult to make, and are perhaps even thinking that things will eventually get better, and economic turmoil will soon pass. I’ve got some bad news for you if you’re in agreement with the latter statement… it’s not over, and 2009 is likely going to be a lot like was.

• Your consumer is now trying to buy as much as possible. When they finally decide to buy, it’s going to be a well-thought out purchase, that likely was deliberated for a month or two before the cash even hits the register.

The Domino Affect of Thinking Inside of the Box

     Many business owners are simply waiting too long to implement any type of new marketing efforts within their company. By the time they are on the phone with me, they’re frowning at the idea of implementing social media because the lead-to-sale time is “way too long” for them. They immediately suggest what they are familiar with. It’s this same last-minute fear that is dropping so many business’s like flies these days…. the fear to try something new. 

Doing More of What Isn’t Working Isn’t Going to Make Things Better!

     I can’t stress this point enough. For some businesses, the idea of implementing any indirect sales and marketing avenues are so far-fetched, they often giggle at the idea when it’s suggested in meetings and consultations. They often say how they’d hate to be on the same social network that teenagers, comedians, artists, perverts, and musicians frequent. They say it could hurt their companies credibility, and damage their “professional” persona and reputation. Some say it looks low-budget and shoddy.

     I say that NOT implementing these strategies could not only hurt their business, but quite likely take them out all together (I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago, but times are tough these days!). As for damaging their reputation, social media would actually render them a wide-spread and respected reputation, if used correctly.

     Apple, one of the most brilliantly branded companies in the world, has taken almost every perfect step to building a community around it’s brand. I believe that any company can effectively carry this out… and now is not the time to ponder, or wait around for something else to go wrong, or for sales to slip further downward. It’s time to take action.

He Who Holds the Money Makes the Rules

     And my, have the rules changed! For one, consumers are as demanding as ever, with their once-in-a-while, very calculated purchases. Not only do you have to build even more credibility, trust, and rapport, you also need to provide top-notch support, customer service, and an overall visable and respected brand/image. This is where social media fits in nice and snug. All of these things can be achieved using social media. Content, friends, followers, networks, articles and blogs all make up a giant flurry of buzz around your company. It delivers a powerful punch, and if used correctly, it far outweighs most paid marketing strategies out there.

      What are some of the ways you’ll be ramping up your social media efforts in 2009?

“What do you think your greatest weaknesses are?”

      I remember hearing this question for the first time and thinking “Dude, are you serious? Shouldn’t you be giving me the opportunity to stroke my ego?” There’s a reason that 99% of employers ask potential employees this question, and I truly believe it’s because they want to know that their candidate has the ability to be accountable.

     Accountability is something that I’ve really learned a lot about over the past few years, especially since I’ve worked for myself for the duration of most of my career. There are times when things go wrong in our business or our personal lives, and it becomes increasingly easy to act as though we are victims of circumstance.  Once one can learn to become accountable on many different levels of their lives, although it’s not easy for everyone. I can really only tell you that the results of pure and honest accountability bring ineffable success when it comes to your professional and even your personal well-being.

      The Three major components to dilligenty persuing and actually achieving any goal:

1. The ability to be truly motivated
2. The ability disciplined
3. The ability to be accountable to yourself.

     The accountability factor is majorly overlooked by many. We spend so much time building ourselves up, that we often forget the meaning of learning is to never overlook our failures and weaknesses.

It’s Ego-Checking Time. The Demise of a Business    

     When thinking of this topic, I’m often reminded of a past colleague who was derelict in his ego-checking and accountability tactics. He never admitted when he was wrong (even when he was, and everyone else knew it but him), and at certain points when his business was about to explode, he’d somehow fail in a thoughtless manner that almost made me think he had an inadvertent fear of success. From the outside, it was easy to tell what his major weaknessess were. He was egotistical, arrogant, and he wasn’t ever able to hand off control of his business to his managers so they could properly do their jobs. Instead he’d make a mess of things that he wasn’t sure about because he was  afraid to let go of his control. His arrogance cost him his entire business. He became hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and lost everything he had, personally and professionally. In addition to this, he created a very bad name for himself in his industry, as many promises and projects went unfulfilled.

Admitting My Own Weaknesses, and Using them To Achieve a Better Outcome

     The pros of admitting weakness are far greater than the cons. I remember when I started writing my book (which isn’t yet complete). I first had to really take a step outside of myself and take a hard look at my writing. The conclusion: I’m not a great writer. I know I’m not the worst writer around, but for a book, it’s got to be top-notch all the way. I immediately knew that I needed to hire a talented writer as an editor. This person’s life is writing, which is great, because my life consists of my businesses and my consulting. That was the best decision I made for that project. The editor takes my concepts and writes them out more eloquently than I ever could, making it easy to take in, and easy to get enthusiastic about. It was hard to let someone else take the reigns on a project that I deemed “my baby”. In the end, it was a good decision, and to make it, I had to admit that I wasn’t perfect at everything.

       So why is it that successful people are able to admit weakness?

     Successful people learn that not being great at something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a roadblock. Every experience for us to fail and learn something from it is truly a gift. I can recall many failures and personal roadblocks that I’ve encountered on my quest for success. Each one taught me something priceless about myself and my abilities.  Some weaknesses have opened the door to opportunities that helped me better myself, and others simply taught me more about what I am and am not capable of.  Learning one’s limits is also another imperative factor not only for just being a product member of society, but even more important, if you actually plan to accomplish great things in your life.

Each of us have unique abilities, and our weaknesses definitely compliment one another’s strengths. This is what makes life interesting, fun, and even why we happen to choose the friends and networks that we choose.

What are your weaknesses, and how have you come to terms with them?