One of the toughest parts of running any business is finding, keeping, and following-up on leads. After a lead or two has been gained it’s really easy to lose track of that lead. Did you follow up? When were you supposed to call back? What initial impressions did you have when you first spoke to your contact? All of these questions are entirely relevant and also very important, but keeping track of these things isn’t simple.

A new business tool (site, really) called Prospect Sleuth makes the lead process simpler though, and this is one free tool that you’ll want to check out.

The Prospect Sleuth site is friendly enough and includes a complete tutorial that is interactive and explanatory. It’s highly recommended that you go through this tutorial, play with the interface a bit, and see what this tool can really do. You’ll notice that entering lead information (like addresses, names, and phone numbers) is very easy to do, and you’ll also note that everything you add to your personal database is organized by date.

After the initial tutorial, you can set up your own Prospect Sleuth account by registering (you must provide an email and a password). Once that’s done, you will be brought to your own homepage where you can begin to enter information. As with any lead list, it’s a good idea to make sure that you enter as much information as possible.

Once your Prospect Sleuth account is set up and ready to go, you can access your account at any time to add additional lead information. As you generate more leads, you can add more details to your lead list – it’s just that simple. In a way, Prospect Sleuth can be compared to a site like FreshBooks.

While the two sites don’t provide the same type of service, FreshBooks does keep all of your accounts in order (invoicing and all) online for free. Comparatively, Prospect Sleuth keeps all of your leads online for free – see how similar the two are? If you’re not familiar with this type of online service, take a few moments to check out the Prospect Sleuth tutorial (and check out FreshBooks while you’re at it!).

If your leads are a jumbled mess and you want a better way to keep track of those potential clients, Prospect Sleuth is definitely worth a look. It’s tough to run a business without any leads and even tougher to keep that business running without keeping track of the leads you do have.

Live Out Loud!

P.S. I’d love to connect directly and I welcome you to claim your Complimentary 25 minute Discover Session Today!

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Even though some people are born pioneering leaders, and others have to work a little bit to get there, maintaining that admirable leadership quality takes a bit of gusto and effort. Luckily, remaining a leader for life isn’t so difficult if you love what you do and can spread that enthusiasm to everyone around you at all times. Thus, the first key to becoming a leader for life is:

1. Passion: Passion is the driving force behind all the great leaders in the world. It’s also the reason that some people make it in the business world while others fall flat. Sure other ingredients to success are just as important (having a road map, taking the time to analyze your business…), but none of these things matter if you don’t love what you do. This brings us to the second key to lifelong leadership:
2. Enthusiasm: think about it, would you follow and admire someone who is constantly down on their luck? Would you take the time to notice someone who doesn’t possess a great amount of energy? Probably not; so even if you are feeling a bit down or not quite yourself, dig deep inside to find that hidden enthusiasm – a little bit goes a long way! Next up is something so simple that you may have looked over it entirely:
3. Motivation: sometimes the people you work with (or simply surround yourself with) have excellent ideas and can become integral parts of your business community. Only, many people need a dose of motivation in order to share those ideas and to stand out from the crowd. You can also strive for personal motivation – if you aren’t motivated, why should anyone you work with be motivated? Lastly, it’s vitally important to take the time to:
4. Listen Carefully: attentions wander, it’s a fact of life and it happens to everyone, but learning to bring your concentration to someone who is talking to you is crucial. Aim for eye contact, speak with an assured and confident tone, and really take the time to hear what the person who is speaking to you is saying. Often, we talk a lot of the time but we hardly ever make time to listen. If there’s one thing that you should consider striving for every day it’s listening.

It’s not hard to become a lifelong leader once you get the hang of the things listed above. Loving what you do, spreading your passion, motivating others, and always taking the time to really listen with all of your attention are the four most important ingredients to becoming a leader for life.

Live Out Loud!

P.S. I’d love to connect directly and I welcome you to claim your Complimentary 25 minute Discover Session Today!

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This week is “Pioneering Tool-Time.  I have known about, and used this relatively new Online Service for several months now (and even shared it with my Tribe in my Pioneer Biz Weekly a few weeks ago). Now that I have had even more time to enjoy Mint.com, I decided to share it here too!! After all, I simply have to “spread the wealth” right? *wink* We’re all facing the same information overload, and around money in particular all the “noise,” bills, accounts, IRA’s, advice and other blah blah is deafening. At least it can be for me. So when I happened upon Mint.com several months ago now it was most certainly one of those rarities these days (at least for me) — “things that make me [you] go hmmmmm?”  :)

Mint.com – The Basics (hit the link to find out more) is FREE, one-time setup, and no worries on security they use 128-bit SSL encryption–the same security that banks use–and all data is protected and validated by VeriSign and TRUSTe. Mint.com allows you see all your accounts, balances and transactions together, on the web or your phone. Mint automatically pulls all your financial information into one place, so you can finally get the entire picture. It automatically updates and categorizes your information, and suggests ways to help you save. You can even send automatic alerts—like bill reminders—to your mobile phone or email. Need help budgeting? Mint’s got it covered too; it calculates your average spending in any category to help you easily create a budget based on historical spending. Compare your spending year-to-year, month-to-month, whatever fits your style. Mint shows you exactly how your spending decisions will affect how much you have left at the end of the month or year. You’ll know immediately what you can do today to save more tomorrow.

OK so I know by now you want to hop on over to Mint.com to check it out!! So I’ll wrap it up for now… Before I go though, per my friend who’s <gasp> an Attorney, *wink* he insisted I clearly state that I’m in NO way endorsing this service, nor am I an affiliate of Mint.com. I’m just sharing a coolio new online service I’m testing out with you.

I’m still taking it for a test drive but so far I think it’s rather impressive. Try it if you’d like – or not… But if you do be sure to let me know your thoughts: mandy@pioneeringbusinessbydesign.com.

Live Out Loud!

P.S. I’d love to connect directly and I welcome you to claim your Complimentary 25 minute Discover Session Today!

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This week is a short & sweet Pioneering post sent from my Sparkly iPad2 – yes I do love my iPad2 and anyone who knows me, knows that it’s one of my fave gadgets of all time. I’m an iPad gal what can I say? I just find it to be a never-ending source of FUN! So, this week it dawned on me I haven’t yet shared my discovery (many months ago now-sorry…) of the incredible Flipboard application Yupper – I’m still “Flipping out for Flipboard!!!”

No doubt some of you have already discovered this brilliant gem of an app and love it as much as I do. For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure, I highly, strongly—screaming from the rooftops recommend that you check it out asap. Trust me you’ll be so thrilled that you did.  I know some have tablets that are not MAC base – and rumor is that it will become available for you too very soon so stay tuned.

Briefly (as I encourage you to visit them directly) Flipboard is:

Honestly-if you haven’t already had the pleasure – hop on over to their site, or on Facebook, and “meet” Flipboard. This is one of those…once you try it you’ll understand why I’m still “Flipping” out. I share the FYI with you today from my heart to yours as always – I share it because I use it and adore it. #AwesomeTechFun #NuffSaid

Cheerio for now…

Live Out Loud!

P.S. I’d love to connect directly and I welcome you to claim your Complimentary 25 minute Discover Session Today!

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Every person has a limit. All too often, we tend to overlook that limit. When this happens, it’s easy to become frustrated, run-down, and even experience serious burn-out, even depression. Your life and your business should (and can) be enjoyable and fun, though these positive feelings are hard to come by when you’ve stretched yourself too thin. The way to avoid overworking your body, soul, and mind is to set clear boundaries.

In life and in business, boundaries are essential to overall well-being, balance, maintaining your sanity frankly, and most importantly success and a sense of Woo Hoo… Taking the time to ‘D’efine with clarity what your personal/unique limits are on both the personal and professional fronts is critical. Accordingly, no time like the present to get that clarity right? Truly this will make all the difference in being able to set and keep your boundaries, even prior to going into any situation where you might be remotely tempted to say “yes” when you really mean “no,” or where you know you’ll be tempted to “people-please” thereby losing yourself in the process.

So, it’s “egg-timer time.” Even prior to getting on the next phone call, going to that next event,  friend dinner, exploring a new project/partnership, or agreeing to working on a Sunday just this one last time…get your pen, paper and egg timer (or iPhone *win*) out and set the timer for 8 minutes. 1-2-3 go—  Start writing down all the tasks, events, plans, projects, calls etc…that you have on your plate now, or that you may have taken on in the past, but that internally make you want to scream. You know, those things that you end up asking yourself, ‘what was I ever thinking when I agreed to that one?’” DING – ok stop – 8 minutes is up. Now – look at your paper (without judgment…or try to at least) and use this list as the start of your boundary GPS (so to speak). This visual/hardcopy GPS will help you create your unique “Boundary Blueprint” going forward. It should assist you so you stop, ponder and only then decide on next steps and IF this is a true “yes” moment?

To get you started on the boundary-train-these are a few that you might want to consider:

• Simply – learn to just say “No!!” (You can even practice in the mirror daily…and nope I’m not kidding–I do J). This is one of the hardest things to do (especially if you’re a people pleaser!). Sometimes, a project may come along that’s completely out of your scope. Or, a good client might hand you a project that takes a lot of time but doesn’t pay much. Or, someone wants to partner on a project/event that sounds great but in the pit of your stomach it just doesn’t feel right. When these things happen, it’s okay to simply say “no.” Or, to phrase it in a more positive way, let the other person or group know that while honored it just doesn’t resonate with you at the moment in terms of timing and your current landscape in life and in business.

• Consider (again ‘d’efine with clarity) what you feel are both strengths and weaknesses (we all have them so this is not about judging yourself at all). Everyone is good at something, but nobody is good at everything. Even though you may want to take every project that comes your way, if you aren’t comfortable with something don’t go out on that limb. You can always learn add to your skill set in a particular area during your free time, and then offer those skills to clients, partners at a later time. But, working on a project that you’re not comfortable with will usually end badly.

• Remember to incorporate some all important “you” time into your day/week/month & year! Remember those lazy weekend days when you had no work to do? If you find yourself rising with the roosters every Saturday and Sunday (granted, some weekend work is necessary if you own your own business), it might be a good idea to go “off-grid” for a weekend every now and then. Head to a yoga class, spend some time cooking a great meal, or simply unwind and dine with a friend. Taking time away from your business will allow your body and mind to rest and rejuvenate.

• Ready, Set, Reload! Working at your desk all day long takes a lot of brain power. Sometimes, it’s best to step away from your desk for an hour or so. If you find yourself eating lunch while working and spending too many hours attached to your desk chair, set hourly limits for yourself. For example, you can work for one hour, take a small break, and then go back to work for another hour.

It’s also important to set personal boundaries. Truth is: Your business shows up in your life and your life shows up in your business. Making time for both your business and personal life is crucial to your overall success and well-being. By letting your friends and family members know what your working hours are, you can spend time concentrating on your work without being disturbed. You can also set specific times when you will visit with your loved ones without answering any phone calls, emails and/or texts (and stick to it!!).

During your personal time, step away from the iPad, tablet and Smartphone! One pioneering tip: Carefully think about who you give your cell phone number to. Nine times out of ten, it’s not a good idea to hand out your cell number to just anyone as this will almost certainly lead to your personal boundaries being crossed!

Finally, start out with baby-steps, be kind to yourself, don’t judge yourself and keep in mind that like any muscle that needs to be toned – it takes some time to find, flex and tone the boundary muscle. So, keep your sparkly new “Boundary Blueprint” that we just created at the ready to support you as you start to set boundaries, live on your own terms – and best of all have a blast while being both fulfilled and profitable.

Here’s to Being You | Being Bold | Being Brilliantly Successful

Live Out Loud!

P.S. I’d love to connect directly and I welcome you to claim your Complimentary 25 minute Discover Session Today!

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