By Melissa Lagowski Founder/CEO/Queen Bee How many hours do you commit to meetings in a week? Out of 40 hours in an average work week, the majority of us are in meetings for at least half of that time. According to some stats in the nonprofit world, this could catapult to 65 or 75 percent. With so much of our lives devoted to collaboration via these collective encounters, let’s look at some ways to make your meetings more effective. Purpose The first step to more productive meetings is that everyone must understand the purpose or reason for the meeting so...
By Terri Champelli Sales and Business Development Let’s be real. This term has been thrown about in all walks of life for years, with the intent of requesting your audience to, in essence, cut the crap. In interpersonal skills and relations, it is important to be real. For your friends, family, neighbors, this is a given. In sales, it should be no different. Here, we are using this term to guide authentic connection as a pathway to meeting your clients’ needs and finding new referrals along the way. It is important to not look at this as a strategy but...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee It was October 1, 1999, when I began my first full-time position in the nonprofit world. I showed up excitedly and ready to dig in and get started. The president of the organization met me at the office, said the organization was looking forward to working with me, handed me the key to the office and walked out the door. Now what? As a staff of one, I was responsible for what would become 24 annual events, 12 newsletters and 8 committees. I remember looking around the office and trying to figure out where to...