Marketing with Every Email

Do you make it easy for clients to make contact? How many times have you read an email and realized you needed to follow up with a call, but there was no phone number? Many professionals, including some of our colleagues, miss out on a very simple and easy marketing opportunity by not utilizing the signature feature on emails.

Your signature should include information such as your name (which would save time typing it each time), your contact information, and a link to your website. It is also a great place to draw attention to your awards, affiliations, and related upcoming events. I even like to include my email address. If a list serve is used, adding an email address allows recipients to reply directly to the sender without responding to everyone on the distribution list.

Signatures are easy to set up. If you use Outlook, click on Tools - go to Options - then to Mail Format and you can create contact information that will automatically appear every time a new email is opened. It is possible to create multiple signatures should you wish to have different ones for business and personal uses.

Learning from each other and sharing business-building techniques are just two of the many reasons our Los Angeles Chapter is a resource to over 100 organizers striving for excellence. Mark your calendar for the March 26 chapter meeting, as well as for the National Conference in Minneapolis which will take place from April 25–28, and share your knowledge with the best professional organizers anywhere.

March 26
Developing a Professional Image

You’re not just an organizer – you’re a professional organizer. Whether you work strictly with individuals, helping them create order out of chaos, or assist large corporate clients with large organizational messes, networking and meeting potential clients are activities necessary to your business.

At our March 26 meeting, image professional Cynthia Sliwa, AICI, The Image Counselor, will present “Organize the Elements of Your Image,” providing useful tips on developing a professional image and handling the social niceties of networking.

Cynthia is treasurer of the southern California chapter of the Association of Image Consultants International and received their Rising Star Award in 2005. She is a lawyer by trade and has been certified in personal image consulting by the Body Beautiful Institute and in corporate image training by Corporate Icon. Information about Cynthia's services may be found at www.theimagecounselor.com. She is located in Hermosa Beach.

April 2006
NO MEETING
It's Conference Time!

NAPO’s 19th Annual Conference and Organizing Expo will take place in Minneapolis, MN, from April 25-28!

May 21 – NAPO-LA chapter meeting (change of date to 3rd Monday)
June 25 – NAPO-LA chapter meeting

We are grateful to Jack Walser, Tom Post and Jan Harmon for their participation at our January meeting on recycling. They gave generously of their time and expertise. Finding out that Walser’s in Torrance accepts those sometimes difficult-to-discard items (e.g., e-waste, metals, batteries, white waste, and VCR tapes) was valuable information. Tom and Jan expanded our list of resources so that we can properly dispose of or donate discarded items no matter where in LA County we work or live.

The February meeting program was led by our Esselte guru, Barb Schmit (middle in photo below), who arranged for Mike Toibin of Sanford Brands (on right in photo) and our newest Associate Member, Gus Gougas of OrganizIT (on left in photo), to update us on the newest tools and items for "The Organizer’s Tool Box." Thanks to all for demonstrating the latest in office and residential products. We always love to play with new toys.

NAPO-LA honored the best in our business on February 3 at the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards dinner held at The Olympic Collection in Los Angeles.

Presented in part by The Container Store and Garage Envy, the awards gala recognized the growing professional organizing industry and celebrated the individual achievements of the most influential organizing experts who define standards for home and business productivity.

Winners of the 2007 Los Angeles Organizing Awards were:
• Best Organizing Product Resource -- The Container Store
• Most Supportive Media Outlet -- CBS 2 / KCAL 9
• Best National Organizing Show -- Neat
• Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Resource – 1-800-GotJunk?
• Best Garage Design Company -- Garage Envy
• Best Closet Design Company -- Get It Together LA!
• Most Helpful Organizing Technology -- The Paper Tiger
• Best Organizing Book -- "Organize Your Garage...In No Time," by Barry Izsak
• Most Organizer-Friendly Charity -- National Council of Jewish Women's Council Thrift Shops
• Best Office Organizing Product -- Brother P-Touch Label Maker
• Best Residential Organizing Product -- 3M Command Products
• Most Innovative Organizer -- Barry Izsak
• Best Organizer as Coach or Mentor -- Donna McMillan
• Most Valuable Educational Resource -- National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization
• NAPO-LA President's Award -- Cindy Kamm, Details-Etc.
• NAPO-LA Raising the Bar Award -- Chris McKenry, Get It Together, LA!
• NAPO-LA Volunteers of the Year -- Claire Flannery, Simplify, and Kristine Oller, Personalized Organization
• NAPO-LA Leading Edge Award -- Dolores Kaytes, Highly-Organized Inc.

The gala evening included a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner, and awards ceremony, hosted by Master of Ceremonies and Los Angeles comedian, Dave Linden, with musical entertainment by the Monk Jazz Institute.

Other entertainment included a video celebrating NAPO-LA’s achievements over the past year. National NAPO President Barry Izsak also took part in the festivities.

To see more fun photos from this memorable evening, click here:

The MET committee is pleased to announce the start of our training program for 2007. Our first two classes will be held back-to-back on Saturday, March 24.

What a great benefit for members of NAPO-LA!

1. Unique Marketing Techniques to Build Your Organizing Business
How to get new clients, keep current clients, and have past clients work for you!

Let's talk marketing, minus the mumbo-jumbo and Power Point presentations. What you'll get in this class is a down-to-earth session packed with strategies that will help you avoid mistakes. You’ll also pick up multiple nuggets of knowledge on marketing research along with new perspectives on what "marketing" your organizing business is really all about.

The interactive portion of the class covers how you will get slightly famous! You'll leave with techniques that will enable you to boost your business by boosting the business of others.


Saturday, March 24, 8:30-11:30 am
Olympic Collection
Instructor Kristine Oller started her company Personalized Organization in 1999 and joined NAPO-LA in 2000.
Fee: $89/members $109/non-members

2. Quintessential Filing Systems
Learn the essentials of document storage, with more than five methods to offer your clients!

At least one of the methods covered is sure to be the solution for gathering all the lost papers in your client's home or office. You will also learn a personally developed system for "legally" filing by piling (!). This is a class not to be missed, unless you already know everything there is to know about filing! Do you?

You will receive an overview of the myriad components used in creating filing systems, whether stored on the desktop or in drawers, along with a variety of ways to employ them in the home or office. Supplies will be provided for hands-on exercises in which you will be invited to create a filing system for both a business and a home. And, if you'd like an alternative to creating dozens of labels with your P-touch, bring your laptop to see how to create folder labels with Avery templates. You'll impress your clients with this labor-saving technique!


Saturday, March 24, 1-4:30 pm
The Olympic Collection
Instructor Dolores Kaytes founded her company Highly-Organized in 1998, the same year she joined NAPO-LA.
Fee: $89/members $109/non-members

The day starts at 8 am with Marketing Techniques, then we break at 11:30 for refueling (lunch on your own or bring a bag lunch). Quintessential Filing Systems starts at 1 pm and goes until 4:30.

The classes will be held at the Olympic Collection. There is a 20-seat limit, so register early!

Go to our NAPO-LA web site to register.

by Deborah Kawashima
creativeOrganizer
and NAPO-LA Director of Marketing

Christine Ditullio Reiter, founder of Time Strategies based in South Pasadena, specializes in working with business clients. She was a sixth grade teacher before starting with IBM in 1977, working her way up to a systems engineer, doing productivity studies and workflow charts. In 1992 Reiter was downsized from IBM. “There I was, leaving the womb of the corporate world and I had to figure out what to do,” she explains. “People asked what I did at IBM and when I told them, they’d say, can you do that for me?” Her company Time Strategies evolved from there.

“I don’t think that there is an experience in our lives that doesn’t feed into the next phase,” said Reiter. “My position at IBM really was a marketing and sales job.” For Reiter, that translated into applying the public speaking skills she developed at IBM into marketing her own organizing business.

Get Your Name Out by Hook or by Crook!
“That’s the whole point of public speaking,” declares Reiter. First figure out your target market; then look for speaking opportunities. Approach groups that have weekly breakfast or luncheon meetings and need speakers. Networking or social groups like Rotary or Lions Clubs, Soroptomist International, local PTA and church groups or non-profit groups. (For more info, check out www.speakerservices.com)

“Initially, do it for free,” suggests Reiter. “As your business grows, your time will become too valuable to give away.” Usually it’s not worth speaking to companies for free. Instead, Reiter suggests asking them, “What kind of a budget do you have?” and work from there. “If they really want you, they’ll find it in their budget!”

Get Over Your Fear of Public Speaking
“If you are terrified to get up in front of a group, let your passion take you through it,” suggests Reiter. “Then do something to help you get over your fear.” She recommends joining your local Toastmasters www.toastmasters.org. “It’s a very safe place where you get practice and good feedback.”

Talks that Give Value for their Time “You want to deliver enough to peak their curiosity,” explains Reiter, “but you don’t want to give away the store.” Keep your talks focused on one specific topic and plan your objectives from there.

• Most talks are 30-35 minutes. Design your topic for the group.
• What do you want to get across to them?
• Have them fill out an evaluation sheet with optional contact info so you can put them on your mailing list.
• Collect their business cards for a giveaway prize drawing.
• Handouts with your business card can summarize key points from your talk.
• Follow-up with a Q&A period to showcase your expertise.

“Questions after your talk allow you to see who might be interested in your services,” advises Reiter. So get out there and start making public speaking another way to market yourself and your business!

NOTE: This article is one in an on-going series of interviews with Golden Circle members. It is just one of the many ways veteran members give back to NAPO-LA.

When:

April 25-28, 2007

NOTE: NAPO's room block at the Hilton Minneapolis is full but there are other recommended hotels nearby. Please check the NAPO National website for up-to-date information.

Are you going to Conference? If so, send an email to Robin Davi so we can all pose for a group photo to run in The Los Angeles Organizer at a future date! The following will be a are part of the NAPO-LA contingent: Robin Davi, Sheila McCurdy, Cindy Kamm, Claire Flannery, Carol Hogg, Chantale Bordonaro, Tanya Whitford, Mishele Vieira, Toni Scharff, Jean Furuya, Ann Gambrell, Marcy Melton, and Deborah Kawashima

Email: Robin

On April 25, the inaugural examination to become a Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO®) will take place prior to the NAPO National Conference in Minneapolis. This is the day many organizers have been waiting years for. It is a huge step forward for our industry and a giant step every organizer should be working towards.

I knew that I would sit for the exam as soon as it became a reality. I think it is important for my business, my growth, and my clients. When I joined NAPO eight years ago, most of the public did not know what a professional organizer was. Now that the industry is more widely known, it is increasingly important for us to elevate ourselves. When the public becomes aware that there are professional organizers and then there are certified professional organizers, it will become all the more important to have that certification.

NAPO has been sending us numerous emails regarding certification. You will find all the information regarding this exam at www.certifiedprofessionalorganizers.org. I applaud and thank the many organizers who dedicated years of service to NAPO to make this a reality for us.

By Ann Gambrell
Creative Time-Plus
and a Golden Circle Member

Okay -- it’s March, so why am I writing about resolutions and goals? Because by this time, most of the resolutions made at the beginning of the year have been forgotten and old habits have once again taken over. So this is a great time to reconnect with clients regarding the resolutions and goals they may have made in January. Many will appreciate a “boost” now as most of their good intentions have fallen by the wayside! You can help them to plan and integrate their goals into their hectic homes and busy lives.
Resolutions and goals are not one in the same. Resolutions are hopes, dreams and fantasies. Goals are everything resolutions are -- except with a definite plan! Planning is key to getting and staying organized.
If goal-setting has not been successful in the past for your clients, here are some ideas that may be helpful.

1. Establish four main goal categories:

• Personal
• Professional
• Family/Relationships
• Home/Entertainment

7. Celebrate each step in the goal process and, of course, when the goal is completed. They can do this and you can help. All it takes is a plan, implementation and someone to help the client -- and that’s the professional organizer -- you!

For those of you who have to carry documents with you, Pendaflex has just introduced a new product: the On-the-Go Desktop File. This nifty little file has a handle for easy transport from one location to another. Then, when you get wherever you're going, you just fold down the handles and snap them into place to form a base which holds the file upright. There are six non-removable pockets in bright colors, which, of course, will help you to find documents quickly.
And tucked under the pockets is a pencil holder so you won’t be without something to write with!

The On-the-Go Desktop File is a great idea for those times when you have no room to set up much in the way of an office; e.g., at those GO Month events where there is no room to move, much less any space to spread out your work.

by Ann Gambrell
Creative Time-Plus
and Golden Circle Liaison

In January, the Los Angeles area Golden Circle members held their quarterly gathering at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Hosts Barbara Ricketts and Steve Skidmore arranged for information on the tours and other amenities. Members explored the Library as well as the Air Force One jet that President Ronald Reagan used while in office.

Lunch was in the Ronald Reagan Café where we shared tour experiences and networked. Delicious desserts provided by Barbara & Steve and served on gold-rimmed china dishes were enjoyed by the group. Very special!

Ann Gambrell brought updated Golden Circle information to the group. Members offered to write articles for the NAPO-LA newsletter’s Golden Circle column. Jean Furuya brought information on the need for volunteers to assist visitors at our chapter meetings. Jean also shared that two of our Golden Circle members, Dolores Kaytes and Kristine Oller, will be teaching the upcoming MET training sessions on Saturday, March 24.

The next Golden Circle meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 15, with hosts Sally Hulem and Donna McMillan.

For more information on Golden Circle,
contact Ann Gambrell
Email: gambrellann@aol.com

Move Slowly with Seniors

When working with seniors, it is important to sit and listen, move slowly, and be patient, rather than getting in there and "getting it done" too quickly.

Creative Use of Stickers

If you have an inventory of supplies that you sell to clients, put a sticker on the bottom of each item with the price (including the tax). This way, you won't have to carry around old receipts or end up charging less (or more) than you paid.

About the TIPS Program:
NAPO-LA's TIPS Program is managed by the chapter's Golden Circle members. Ann Gambrell is the chair and invites all chapter members to submit their organizing tips via email or on index cards that will be available at the monthly chapter meetings for deposit into the “Organizing Tips” box.

TIPS are requested in two categories:

The NAPO in the Schools Task Force has been selected and divided up into three groups: elementary, middle-school and high-school. The Task Force is made up of NAPO members all across the country and I am happy to be serving as chairperson for all groups.

All of the Task Force groups are developing basic classroom presentations for their grade levels along with support materials to create opportunities for a professional organizer to work within a school community; i.e., with staff, students and parents.

The program is designed to work within NAPO’s strategic plan of bringing awareness to the organizing industry, to NAPO, and to the individual organizer who brings the program to a school.

The initial presentation will be rolled out during Conference in April, with the full program available this fall.

On the local level, NAPO in the Schools was presented to 2nd and 3rd graders at the Broadway Elementary School, a LASUD Title 1 school located in Venice. The classroom presentations included an exercise of organizing the insides of children’s desks. Both the students and the teachers loved it.

If you know any teachers who might be interested in NAPO in the Schools coming to their classrooms, or if you are interested in participating yourself, please send me an email.

Email: deborah@creativeorganizer.com
Phone: 323-656-9665

Chantale Bordonaro
Simplicity Source
Redondo Beach

NOTE: "Warm Welcome" is a new feature of The Los Angeles Organizer. If you just joined NAPO-LA, get your photo taken at the next chapter meeting! Or email your photo to the Editor along with your name, your business name, where you live, and when you joined NAPO-LA. Email to claireflannery@ca.rr.com

If you are a member of NAPO-LA working consistently and on an ongoing basis with chronically disorganized clients, you are invited to participate in an informal support group. Our topic of discussion will be "Time Management and CD Clients."

This meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 10, from 6 - 8:30 pm.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Jean Furuya
Email: jean@theofficejeanie.com
Phone: 310-316-1753

Mentors and Coaches Directory

The Mentoring, Education and Training (MET) Committee provides a listing of the Los Angeles Chapter Organizing Consultants available to provide guidance, advice and support to potential, new and existing professional organizers. If you're interested, contact the consultants directly for information and fees. The NAPO-LA Chapter provides the listings and has no involvement with the consultant and the organizer client. Click below for details:

Met Classifieds