Finally! Restaurants and pubs all over Toronto have opened their patios. In this city, that can only mean one thing - summer is on it's way!

It also means that your roster will soon be full of networking events - networking events you will actually attend. Let's face it, we all know we need to go to these things. They're just much more appealing when they involve umbrella drinks, open-toed shoes, and the possibility of a tan.

But before you slap on the coconut oil, ask yourself: when it comes to networking events, do you know how to play your business cards right?

You've probably seen it a million times: people dealing out business cards like they were at the World Poker Tour. They hand them to anyone and everyone in the hopes that the cards, like marketing flypaper, will catch a few prospects. At a dinner event I attended, one gentleman actually went so far as to put a business card at each place setting, before we'd even sat down to eat.

And what happens to the majority of them? They get forgotten or tossed. After one particularly card-happy event, I came home with no less than 26. Of the 26, I kept one. One card. The rest were either shuffled into a file folder (which reminds me - I need to purge my file folder) or discarded into the recycle bin.

So should you drop out of the card game entirely? No. Bring them. Lots of them. But change the game. Next time you're at a networking event, play a little Essential Message Hold'em.

Here's the rules: first, you play your hand close to your chest. Don't give out any cards. Instead, tell people how your business can help them (hint - tell them your Essential Message). Ask them what they do.  If there's a fit - a partnership opportunity, referral opportunity, need for services, etc -  then offer your card, or ask them for theirs.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it: Next time you're at an event, brush up on your card game. When you're chatting with people, say something like this (courtesy of Michel):

"You might have noticed I didn't pass around my business cards. Let me tell you a bit about what I do first. Then, if you think there's a fit with what you do, I'd be more than happy to give you my card. And I'll do the same for you -- I'll ask for your card if I think I could use your service or if I think I can refer some business to you."

 You'll have less to put out for recycling pickup - and you'll have made new connections that are meaningful, mutually beneficial and, ultimately profitable.

When it comes to word of mouth (WOM), I don't think anyone's ever said it better than marketer   Christina Kerley. From her blog:

When a person finds value in a brand they are inspired to tell others. And because that brand buzz is authentic (not profit-driven), others trust their opinion--and might just buy the brand, too. That is how WOM works. And how it's always worked.

Think about it. How often have you recommended a product or service to someone? What was your reason? Chances are, it was because that product or service, be it a restaurant, a shampoo or a marketing consultant (hint hint), was something that you were really happy with. Something that delivered on its promises. Something that, for you, was well worth shelling out a few clams for.

Kerley goes on to say:

Ergo, it is the job of marketers to (1) develop and maintain unique brands that are high in value (so as to delight and encourage positive WOM) + (2) devise clever ways to spread awareness/interest/desire about those brands (so that more people can learn, try and recommend those products to others) + (3) listen to the feedback on their brands and the brands that compete with them for market share so as to improve their current brands, or create entirely new ones. Or both.

This is what we're talking about when we encourage you to discover your Essential Message. When you know your true differentiation, you can position yourself around your unique value. You discover what your clients and customers both need and like most about what you do. And you know exactly what message to send out to your prospective customers - the people who need you - so they become aware of what you have to offer them and, hopefully, give you a call.

It's also what we're talking about when we pester our clients to collect testimonials. If you don't get feedback from the people who know, use and trust your brand, you can't improve or grow. While you're at it, why not ask your clients what it is, exactly, that you've done for them? You might be surprised at where the answer takes you - in fact, if Michel hadn't done just that, he wouldn't have discovered his gift for uncovering and communicating people's true differentiation - and The Essential Message wouldn't have been born.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: How much of your business has come via WOM? What are people saying about you? Find out. Send out a client survey. Ask for that testimonial or referral. And don't be shy about asking your clients just what it is about what you do that they value most - and, if necessary, changing your offering, and your messaging, accordingly.

Case studies are a crucial component of your marketing toolbox.. They add credibility to your claims and demonstrate the concrete benefits and advantages of your product or service. Perhaps most importantly, they help prospects understand how they might apply those benefits within their own organization.

Case studies are also helpful to communicate your key points of difference - what sets your company apart from all the others. (You do know your Essential Message, right?)

Powerful case studies and scenarios, however, don’t happen by chance. They must be short enough to be easily read and understood, while long enough to include both the key rational and emotional points that support your positioning.

Sound daunting? Well never fear - we've created a template that will help you write a case study (or better yet, several) quickly and easily. It will help you organize your thoughts, information and customer comments in a way that can be easily transformed into a powerful, interesting and valuable case study or scenario. You can jot down bullet points for each section in any order that is easiest for you.

1. BASIC FACTS:

• Company name:
• Customer contact information:
• Industry sector:
• Date of project:
• Names of key contacts:
• Your team members and their titles/contact information:

2. BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION.

Use this section to give the reader context for the story. It is essential that you use this section to set up the key elements that relate to the benefits which will be described later in the story. So, if your product is especially helpful to companies with a large workforce, make sure you include references to size of workforce; if your service is especially helpful for companies with multiple locations, make sure you include references to number of locations, and so on.

3. KEY STRENGTHS OF THE COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION.

What were the key strengths of the company before you started work with them? As in the background above, relate the strengths of the company to the solution that you eventually created for them. In other words, rather than focus (in this section) about what they were doing wrong, ask yourself, 'what were they doing right?'

4. KEY CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS.

What were the key challenges and problems of the company before you started working with them? Was something undesirable happening that they wanted to stop? Or, was there something they wanted to accomplish but couldn't using their old systems and processes?

5. COSTS.

What were the challenges mentioned above costing the company? If they could identify a financial cost to the challenge, what was it? Perhaps they were able to identify a lost opportunity cost – eg: because they were not able to enter a certain market, they were missing out on $20mm of potential sales volume.

The costs of the challenges are helpful to develop a business case/ROI, so it’s important to explore this section as much as possible. Two additional questions to answer related to costs:

• What non-financial costs did they experience? eg: loss of morale among employees, unhappy shareholders or board of directors, project manager can't sleep at night, etc.
• If they had done nothing to fix the challenges/problems, what bigger problems would they experience in the future? eg: lost market share, competitive pressure, business would go bankrupt, etc.

6. OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES.

This section demonstrates your credibility in this area. Your ability to explain the options and alternatives – and why they did not (or could not) work proves that you are an expert.

• What (if anything) did the company/organization try to solve the challenge/problem before implementing our solution?
• What other methods could they have tried?
• In each of the situations above, why were these options and alternatives inferior? The answer to this question may be partly based on your opinion – what do you think is bad or wrong about these alternatives?

7. THE SOLUTION.

This is the traditional part of the case study – what did you do for the customer? Describe the solution and highlight the key aspects related to the challenges and problems listed in part 4.

8. THE RESULTS.

What benefits did the company or organization get as a result of your solution? These should reflect back to the points listed in part 5.

• Financial results – eg: lower costs, added revenues, lower liability and risk.
• Non-financial results – eg: streamlined decision-making, greater security and confidence, higher morale of workforce. In addition, benefits may be very personal to certain people – eg: CEO has one less thing to worry about.

In both cases above, it’s very important to be specific. If the company saved money, how much? If the CEO has less to worry about, give an example where this was important.

9. BONUS POINTS.

• Was there anything you did that exceeded customer expectations? If so, explain.
• Did you encounter an unexpected problem that you solved in an especially clever way?
• Was there a side benefit to your solution that was a pleasant and unexpected surprise?
• Was there anything in your process or way of working that the customer found especially helpful?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: use this template to create a case study based on a recent situation with a client. Or, take an existing case study and assess it according to this template.

Mission statements. We've all read them. We've all tried to write them. And we've all discovered that, nine times out of ten, they stink.

Why? Because in most cases, companies write mission statements that simply state what they think their customers (or, in some cases, investors) want to hear. They state the company's reason for being, or future goals, but say nothing about what the company actually does FOR it's customers or why. They offer nothing for employees to rally around, no guiding philosophy that ensures everyone is on the same page and working together towards a common end.

Basically, most mission statements sound like they came out of the Dilbert Mission Statement Generator (my favorite: We have committed to conveniently revolutionize competitive catalysts for change in order to synergistically network excellent intellectual capital while promoting employee growth.)

Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start, suggests replacing mission statements with mantras, a 3-4 word statement that explains to employees why the company exists. He says, "The ultimate test for a mantra (or mission statement) is if your telephone operators (Trixie and Biff) can tell you what it is. If they can, then you’re onto something meaningful and memorable. If they can't, then, well, it sucks."

Developing a good mantra is a great way to escape the hell that meaningless mission statements have become.  To use Kawasaki's example, a mantra of "Healthy fast food" actually conveys a message, whereas “The mission of Wendy’s is to deliver superior quality products and services for our customers and communities through leadership, innovation, and partnerships” says...well, nothing, if all you want is a burger.

As Michel Neray (founder of The Essential Message) said in a presentation last week, "Nobody has ever bought anything because of a mission statement."

But you can't come up with a mantra (or mission statement, or vision statement) if you don't know how your company is truly different. What do you do that makes you stand out? That your competition doesn't do? What needs do you fill, what problems do you solve, that make you valuable to your clients or customers?

That's why we focus on Essential Messages.  We help companies and individuals discover their true differentiation, and communicate it in the most compelling way through all their customer touchpoints - sales, marketing and service. (in case you were wondering, that's our Essential Message - and everyone in the company knows it by heart.) The only thing that counts for customers, employees and other stakeholders is who you are, what you do and the true value you offer. That's an Essential Message.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: take a good, hard look at your company's mission statement. What is it really saying? Anything? Nothing? Does it effectively communicate your true differentiation to your target market, or is it a "Dilbert"? How could you change it to something more effective - an Essential Message, or a mantra? What do you need to know about your company, your competition and your customers in order to do so? How could you find these things out?

I was surfing around the marketing blogosphere yesterday, and came across this great story from Patrick Schaber. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to share it with you all. It's the best example I've ever come across of how real, honest communication - something that has, in this age of mobiles, Blackberries and email, fallen by the wayside - revolutionized a fast-paced, technology-laden Fortune 500 company.

What spurred this revolution? A couple of chairs.

Jill works in the Communications department of a large Midwest retail corporation in the U.S. and is a friend of Schaber's. He says:

She’s not the type to boast or draw attention to herself and to further put this in perspective, she’s the antithesis of the corporate, political-playing title climber. She’s got an incredible personality, truly enjoys people, and rarely is found without a positive glow...She had a simple idea that - at first - was met with opposition. But, her perpetual optimism won over management and they told her to give her idea a try.

What was her idea? Listening. Jill took two chairs and set them smack in the centre of the corporate campus. She hung a sign from them, stating the topic for the day, sat down in one, and waited for someone else to sit with her and have a conversation.

Well, her wait was short. People started to sit and talk. One at a time, Jill sat and spoke with employees. Taking notes on employees concerns and feedback, she promised their input would be anonymously passed on to upper management - and it is.

Would you believe that at times there are lines waiting to talk with her? They trust Jill and love sharing their thoughts with her. There are plans to not only increase the frequency of when she’s there to talk, but now she might sit at stores and talk with customers about their experience.

No official meetings. No laptop. No boardroom or blue suits. Just Jill and her chairs - and it worked. Old fashioned, face-to-face communication. Who'd a thunk it?

Here's the copy used to advertise the chair:

“The Chair” is designed to spark open, face-to-face, one-on-one conversation with employees in the simplest way possible: by offering employees a topic to talk about, an empty chair to sit on and an Employee Communications team member to listen to them (really listen - without a laptop, cell phone or Blackberry in the way). “The Chair” gives us a pulse-check on employee opinions, thoughts and ideas, while giving employees a place to be heard. “The Chair” is set up every other Wednesday  from  10:30  a.m.  to  noon  for  corporate  employees,  with  plans  to expand  it  to  store  employees  in  the  future.

Ultimately, business is people. Your co-workers, employees, clients - they are what makes your business, whatever it is, exist. How well your business works depends, in part, on how well you communicate with these people. And that means more than just talking to them - it also means listening to them. Honestly. With intent. It means raising topics and issues that matter, to you and to them, and then really hearing their feedback. And it means that sometimes, you just gotta put the tech stuff down, take a breath, and sit down with them.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: when you're meeting with clients or co-workers, how often do you answer your cell? Receive a text? Send an email? Next time you're face-to-face, turn the gadgets off and get engaged. Take it a step further - hold a meeting for the explicit purpose of connecting with your co-workers or clients. Ask them questions that you really want the answers to, and then shut up, sit still...and listen. Take notes with a pen and paper. Then act on their comments - who knows what benefits you'll reap from their input?

If you want to know more about The Chair, visit Schaber at The Lonely Marketer and he'll put you in touch with the now-famous Jill.

Like everyone else in the known universe, I am on Facebook. It was fun at first - looking up old friends, seeing which of my ex-boyfriends lost their hair - but after a month or so, I was bored.

Until Scrabulous.

Scrabulous, if you don't know, is an application created by two brothers from Calcutta, India that closely emulates the board game. It has become the most popular app on Facebook, with over 600,000 active players. I am one of them.

But if Hasbro/Mattel gets their way, I may not be one for long.

According to bloggers Matt Dickman and Shel Israel, Mattel and Hasbro issued a take down order on Scrabulous, claiming trademark infringement. The game is still functioning, for now. Good thing too, because I'm finally beating my most nefarious opponent and I need to bring my stats up.

Now, they have a point. Scrabulous is a Scrabble knock-off, and companies absolutely have to defend their brands. On the other hand, Scrabulous has revived their brand, particularly amongst young people who generally don't go out and buy board games - I wonder if sales have increased at all?

At first, I was angry about the whole kerfuffle. Why didn't Hasbro and Mattel come up with this idea in the first place? Why weren't they thinking outside of the board game box? They have a game that is easily transferable to the web - so why wouldn't they jump at the chance to reinvigorate a classic for a whole new generation of players?

Often, we get too comfortable with our service or product. We know what we do, and how we do it. That's a good thing, for sure - but sometimes, we need to look further. We need to examine how our business could benefit from charting new marketing territory.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Take a look at your Essential Message - what sets you apart. Now make a list of different ways you could communicate that message. Could you write articles for your local paper? Be a guest on a radio call-in show? Create an interactive application - a quiz, for example - for your website or a social networking site? Put the box away, and imagine how your business could get Scrabulous.

And if you have a minute, send me some 4-letter words involving 'z'. I'm stuck.

When I was a kid, I could eat anything and stay skinny as a rail. But once I hit my late teens, I started to...ahem...fill out. I am short, and have a small frame. 5 pounds on me LOOKS like 5 pounds. By the time I hit my mid-twenties, I'd gone from a wiry 95lbs to a sturdy, puffy 140lbs, most of it around my middle.

Thing is, I was anything but a junk-food junkie. Sure, I ate some "fun food" now and then, but for the most part my diet was low fat, lacto-ovo vegetarian. I ate eggs, low-fat dairy, and lots of whole grain pasta and bread. I religiously checked nutrition labels, selecting foods that fit the high-fibre, low-fat criteria that the media and the health community assured me would guarantee good health and a trim waistline. Butter, to me, was the Antichrist in spreadable form. Still, the weight kept coming.

I read diet books like they were sacred tomes, and tried everything I could find to get the weight off. I cut calories. I went even lower in fat. I worked out like a maniac, spending a good hour running my butt off - or trying to - on treadmills. Slowly, my weight crept down - to 130lbs, where it stubbornly decided to set up house. Nothing I did could budge that number any lower. I gave up, deciding that I was just genetically destined to be a bit pudgy.

Then, I quit smoking. Terrified of gaining more weight, I hit the internet and stumbled upon a low-carb message board. Why not? I'd tried everything else, after all. And since I was back to eating meat (I just never felt well without it), it seemed doable. Even though it went against everything I'd read about what constituted a healthy diet, I gave it a shot.

Fast forward a year and a half to the present. Today, I am 113lbs, the lowest weight of my adult life. I broke almost every rule of healthy eating along the way - I eat lots of red meat, almost no fibre, very little fruit. Most days, my diet falls anywhere between 65-85% fat, most of which comes from animal products (like the formerly dreaded butter). I discovered, about a year ago, that I have an intolerance to gluten - so anything with wheat, rye, barley and other cereal grains not only makes me inflate like a puffer fish, but makes me ill and will eventually, if I continue eating it, lead to an autoimmune disease and other health problems. My hay-fever, acne, and a host of other issues have completely vanished. I don't count calories, I don't spend an hour on the treadmill, and I've never, ever felt healthier in my life.

Having a healthy body and mind means that you have to know what foods work and don't work for you. Having a healthy business isn't much different. In both cases, you have to know your Essential Message - what makes you different. Only when you know your true differentiation, and apply it throughout all of your messaging, can your marketing efforts - and your business - really succeed.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:  Some smart person once defined insanity as doing the same things over and over again, and expecting a different result. Where have you been spinning your wheels? Find one area of your business that's been lagging, and try something completely different. Examine your current marketing efforts - are they based on your true differentiation? Do you know your true differentiation, what REALLY sets you apart from everyone else out there?

Welcome, grasshopper, to your second lesson in email management. We have learned how to manage our inboxes, and therefore be better receivers. Now we are going to travel further along the path to electronic enlightenment and learn how to be better senders, through the teachings known as The Four Noble Email Truths. As Buddha says: Through poorly structured emails you may 'solve' one problem, but you           sow the seeds for another.

Noble Email Truth 1: A Vague Subject Line is Frustrating and Painful

Most of us -and I am as guilty as anybody - use subject lines to describe. "Millennium Falcon", "Jedi Training" and "Chewbacca" tell readers what the email is referring to, but give no hint as to what the actual topic of the email is. Most readers scan their inboxes by subject, using them to pick and choose which items to read now, and which to read later. Using the subject line to summarize your email, as in "The Millennium Falcon bathroom is low on toilet paper", "Jedi training at my swamp, Tuesday" and "Chewbacca has fleas - anyone recommend a good flea collar?"  allows readers to decide if the message is relevant right now, or if it can wait until later. It also allows them to quickly look back over saved emails and find information quickly. And if you're scheduling a meeting or conference call, include the date, time and topic in the subject line, so readers can organize their calendars more effectively. Buddha says: Clarity and detail are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, emails cannot survive.

Noble Email Truth 2: All Emails Have a Cause

Too many forwarded messages begin with an answer. How often has something like this ended up in your inbox:

To: Han Solo
From: Lando Calrissian
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Father

Wow. Luke must be, like, totally tripping!

Because you have no idea what the sender is referring to, you have to scroll through a multitude of responses to find out. And because reading email, as we learned last week, actually costs money, sending messages like these is expensive and time consuming for the reader. Now read this one:

To: Han Solo
From: Lando Calrissian
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Father

Vader just told Luke that he is his father. Wow. Luke must be, like, totally tripping!

If you have to forward a message, give the reader enough context to orient them right away. In a multi-person conversation, replies may arrive out of order. And no, you don't have to include the entire conversation in your forward - just the relevant information. Buddha says: An email that is forwarded and put into context is more important than an email that exists only as a forward.

Noble Email Truth 3: The Confusion About Action Can Be Ended

Make action requests crystal clear.  You may have copied someone on an email, expecting that they would read it and respond appropriately - but if you haven't written out what you want them to do with the information, there's a good chance they won't catch on. Example:

To: Jabba The Hut, Darth Vader, Boba Fett

Subject: Draft plan for galactic domination is done

The attack draft is done. Check it out in the attached file. The Emperor will need our responses by the end of the week.

People, unfortunately, are not mind-readers. Sometimes you just need to spell it out for them.If your message is going out to multiple readers, clearly mark out what each person should do with the information, or what steps you need them to take:

To: Jabba The Hut, Darth Vader, Boba Fett

Subject: Draft plan for galactic domination is done

Jabba: Can you elaborate on your plan to acquire Princess Leia as your love slave?

Vader: Not sure of the logistics of freezing Han Solo in carbonite. Can you forward some specs?

Boba Fett: Please submit a quote for your bounty-hunting services, and complete the attached application for custody of above-mentioned frozen Solo.

The attack plan draft is done. Check it out in the attached file. The Emperor will need our responses by the end of the week.

When you're clear about what you want, you get what you need - and you reduce your chances of getting buried under a pile of confused replies. Buddha says: All wrong-doing arises because of unclear email requests. If email is transformed can wrong-doing remain?

Noble Email Truth 4: The Way To End The Cause Of Email Suffering

Send less email.

Can it really be that easy? Yes! The less you send, the less you get - and the less you contribute to someone else's inbox insanity. Rather than having ten separate email conversations with one person, include all relevant topics in one email - or better yet, call them! You'll save a ton of time, and get the information you need immediately. And you'll leave your own inbox clear for...well, more messages. But the more you practice these Four Noble Truths, the more likely your clients and colleagues will follow suit. It's not just good practice for you - it's good training for others. Buddha says: Every human being is the author of his own inbox health or disease.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Peek through your Sent folder and see how many of your own messages fall short. Do your subject lines describe, or summarize? Are you guilty of forwarding without context? Do you send messages when it would be easier - and faster - to call? Could you become a better sender?

Do you have any tips and/or tricks to managing your email? Post them on our forum!

Email interrupting your workflow? Inbox interfering with your inner peace? If you're like most of us, your answer is a weary, defeated "yes". While email has certainly simplified communication and is a valuable business tool, it can also be a cruel, cruel mistress. How many of us have opened our email program only to be overrun by a bloody onslaught of new messages - messages that add even more chaos to the already message-ridden battlefield that our inbox has become - and beat a hasty retreat, vowing to deal with them later?

Never fear, grasshopper. In this first installment of Zen and the Art of Email Maintenance, we will look to the East and discover the 5 Precepts of Email Management; how to, as Buddha put it, be master of email rather than mastered by email. (I may be paraphrasing here - some of these old, dusty scrolls are hard to read.)

Precept 1: I Will Be Mindful And File All Email; I Will Not Be Unorganized Or Untidy

Sally McGhee, a consultant and productivity expert, suggests setting up an email reference system. All messages containing information that isn't needed for immediate action are filed here, in various email file folders, for easy access later. How you organize those files is up to you, but the simplest method is to create a top-level folder for each client, project or objective, with sub-folders for supporting information. We have one overseas client for whom we do a lot of projects - web content, brochures, case studies and so forth. To keep on top of things I set up a top-level folder for that client and sub-folders for each project, with the same folder names as those in My Documents folder. If I need to check back-and-forth information for a particular project, I know exactly where to look. Buddha says: Move your unactionable files and the Way will open.

Precept 2: I Will Respect The Property Of My Inbox; I Will Not Be Distracted

Dedicate time, say an hour, just for processing and organizing email. This is important time. Do not take phone calls or do anything else in this hour other than handle email. Make sure that colleagues know that you are unavailable. Treat this time as a meeting with a very important client - you. Start at the top of your inbox, and don't go on to the next message until you've handled the first. No, seriously - I mean it. I know you've got 40 million emails, but the only way to move them from your inbox (where they sit and glare at you, plotting your demise) is one at a time. Buddha says: A journey of a thousand emails begins with just one message.

Precept 3: I Will Be Conscious And Decisive In My Inbox; I Will Not Give Way To "Later"

Delete it, Do it, Delegate it, Defer it. These are your choices when you're dealing with email - and you have to choose wisely, grasshopper.

Does a message contain information that you need to keep, or that you can't find anywhere else? Does it relate to a project or objective you're currently working on? Will you use this information within the next six months? If not, get it outta there. Buddha says: Deletion itself is enlightenment. 

Is there a specific action you need to take? Can you act on this email immediately, and complete the task in two minutes or less? If so, then go for it. Why save it for later if you can get it out of your way now? If it's reference information you need to keep, file it appropriately. Buddha says: Just do it. (Okay, Nike said that.)

Can someone else do it? If so, delegate it to them immediately. Take one or two minutes to write a message and send it off. Done. Buddha says: If you're attached to anything you don't need to do, you shall surely go far astray.

Can't chuck it, get it done in two minutes or less, or hand it off? Then defer it until after you've processed all your emails. But don't leave it in your inbox - set up an "Action Items" folder and move it there. Buddha says: To an inbox that is still, the whole universe answers. (Fortunately, the universe has no email functionality at this time and will not answer electronically)

Precept 4: I Will Honour Time And Value; I Will Not Neglect Myself

No matter what your business, time is money. How much money are you making answering emails? According to blogger Jeremiah Owyang, none - you're actually paying for someone else's time! And  responding to email often leads to...well, more emails.  He suggests paying yourself first - budgeting time before you check your work email to take care of things that matter to you and to your business. Have blogs to read? Newsletters to send? Take your first hour to do things that increase your value and make you happy - connecting with clients, expanding your knowledge, etc - before you check your work email. Buddha says: Before email, chop wood, carry water, and do value-building tasks you enjoy.

Precept 5: I Will Exercise Proper Care Of My Time And Mind; I Will Not Check Email Every Five Seconds

What is the sound of one email arriving? In my opinion, this is the most important tip for reducing email stress - turn off your notifications. Do you really need to know when each and every message arrives in your inbox? Turn off your auto-check, and set aside time throughout the day to hit "send/receive" and manage your new messages. Buddha says: Refrain from email sound schemes that cloud the mind.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: How much time - and money - are you spending on email? To find out, divide your yearly earnings by 120,000 to find your per-minute salary. Next time you're dealing with email, time yourself. How much time does your email steal from you over the course of your day? (that alone will probably shock you!) Now multiply your per-minute wage by the time you spent - this is how much money you spent, from your own pocket, on email. And when you pick yourself up off the floor, figure out how to slash this figure by half. Buddha says: Contentment that derives from knowing how to manage email is eternal contentment.

I am a regular reader of Protein Power author Dr. Mike Eades' blog. He mainly covers issues relating to nutrition, and how to control or treat certain conditions (like diabetes) with diet - but lately he's been posting often about the dangers of statin drugs, used to lower cholesterol. In his opinion, statins are over-prescribed, have no proven benefit, and can actually lead to harm. So what does this have to do with your Essential Message?

A few days ago, Dr. Eades posted a letter he received from a reader. This person had been given statins by his doctor to treat a slightly high cholesterol reading (which, according to some doctors, is actually not a problem that requires treatment at all). He experienced some unpleasant side effects, for which he was given more drugs...and those drugs gave him side effects, so he got even more drugs, and so on. Eventually, he became extremely ill and is now attempting to rebuild his health - without statins, or any other drugs. You can read the entire post here, if you're interested (and I highly recommend doing so).

The logic of this whole situation baffled me. Why would a doctor not see that his patient was not getting better under his course of treatment - and in fact, was actually getting worse? Then I realized that this pattern is not at all unlike what we see here at The Essential Message, time and time again, with our Clarity Package clients.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of marketing books, tactics, strategies and tips floating around out there. When clients come to us, it's usually not because they lack information about how to market their service - it's because what they've been doing isn't working for them. They've tried networking. They've tried newsletters. They've tried radio spots, direct mail, and full-page ads. And sure, they've gotten a few hits. But they know these efforts aren't bringing in the business that they could, or should, be. Still, they keep at it - they read more books, hold more strategy meetings, seek more advice. But nothing changes. They're taking pill after pill, but not getting better.

The problem? They're treating an improper diagnosis. Their marketing efforts aren't the problem - more often than not, it's their core messaging that ails. Without establishing a core message, one that communicates their true differentiation, all of their marketing efforts are in vain. Like the pills, it doesn't matter how many strategies you throw at a marketing problem if the actual problem isn't the marketing in the first place. But once you treat the real problem - the overall messaging - all of the  marketing symptoms go away. Suddenly, the course of treatment is clear (and much simpler). And their business starts taking on a healthy glow.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Are you treating the symptoms, or the disease? Go through the "What's Your Essential Message" workbook (free to Bullpen members) and, as you do the exercises, really think about what makes you different from everyone else. What is your core message? Are you getting that across in your marketing? Examine your current efforts - brochures, press releases, sales letters, website - and see if you can diagnose any conditions that would be curable with the proper core messaging RX.