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How to sniff out time wasters… 5 ways to spot one | Rhea Freeman

how to sniff out time wastersI know that most people have to deal with time wasters in their business… and I guess it’s part of it all. To be honest, I can usually spot them a mile off, and I don’t always mind. I regularly take calls from people who just want to pick my brains. I get it. I have questions pop through on social media and I don’t mind answering them when I can. But proper time wasters are different.

Are we thinking that time is money?

I would like to note here that it’s not about money. It might be for you but, for me, it’s a bit different. I have a number of lovely PR  social media and coaching clients who pay me. They have paid for my time. And I am sure you’re the same – you have people who pay for the service you offer, or frequent your shop/store regularly and purchase from you. These people, our customers, allow our businesses to exist and allow us to do what we love. So we need to treasure these people. So why should some people have to pay and others not? Is that showing our customers a lack of respect? Is it a bit like being an insurance company and offering a HUGE discount for a new customer as you shaft your old ones and don’t offer them the same discounts and rewards?

On top of this, it’s our time that is being used. Time is one resource we can’t buy more of. If it’s my time, I could be working on my own business, I could be walking the dog, playing with the children, keeping the house in order, doing some ‘life admin’… but this doesn’t seem to figure on some people’s radars. I, like the vast majority of the population, am a very busy person. And I like to be busy. I go above and beyond for my clients and I enjoy doing this. I love my job and the work I do. And I don’t want you to think otherwise. But as with any resource, time needs to be protected and looked after…

It’s more about respect… and it’s rarely deliberate or malicious

I appreciate that the goal posts change and that life moves on. And the lack of respect for your time or knowledge from the time waster is rarely deliberate. If ever, actually. But I’m going to share five ways to spot time wasters so you can conserve your most valuable resource and spend it where you want…

How to sniff out a time waster…

  • They’d like to work with you but…  I work with some of the most incredible people in this equestrian and country industry and one of the things that comes through time and again is the importance of honesty. If you want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, that’s absolutely fine too… just be straight with people. It saves everyone a lot of time.
  • They forget your sessions/appointment… they book, it’s sorted… and then you call at the allocated time and they’re not there. A while later it becomes apparent that they have completely forgotten the session/appointment. I’m lucky that this doesn’t happen very often at all, and I also charge for missed sessions when less than 24 hours notice is given.
  • There’s always a crisis… and you feel you need to help. As a people pleaser when someone sends me a ‘help’ message, I tend to respond. Well, at least I did. For clients, I’m all over it and I will help them solve it if I possibly can, but for people that have never even bothered to comment on a social media post? Umm. They’ll happily use my time and then carry on with their lives. Umm.
  • They start off chats with ‘I don’t have any money, but…’. That’s completely fine… I get that 100%. But maybe have a Google? I also have a lot of free resources out there – blogs, podcasts, free groups – use them as much as you like. Please. That’s why they’re there.
  • They don’t do as they say. One of the things about coaching is that if you don’t put the effort in – if you don’t do the work- nothing will change. And that’s true of life. The sad thing about this is time wasters aren’t just wasting your time, they’re wasting theirs too. Making progress isn’t just in the theory – if only- it’s in the action. Also be aware that if someone hasn’t done the work before and they’re promising you the moon on a stick, but a bit wary.

See, time wasters don’t just eat into my time, or your time, they’re eating into theirs as well.

Why have I shared this blog? Is it a rant?

No, it isn’t. These are things I have observed over the years. Some have happened to me, some haven’t, but they have to friends. The thing is, if you sharpen your identification skills when it comes to time wasters, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and stress. Being aware of what’s happening is half the battle. And if you want your year to be the most amazing ever, and to achieve your biggest goals, you’re going to need every space second to make that happen.

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Video content: How to make video work hard for you

This blog is all about how to make video content work hard for you. Because, let’s be honest, it needs to. Making a video takes time, and if you pay to have it edited, it costs your money too. And that’s what I’ve created a video and a blog post about how to make video content work hard for you.

The video is on Youtube, and if you click on the image, you can watch the video.

How to make video content work hard – eight steps

Actually, let’s use the video above as an example of how to make content work hard for you. So, the start of this is the video. I created the video on my iPhone (so, no extra cost to me), and I did pay my husband to edit it because, well, he does this as part of his job and I like to have my logo on it in the right places. That didn’t cost me a huge amount, but it’s still a cost. So, step one… the video is on Youtube. Great. The video will stay on here forever (well, until I take it down) and it’ll be getting views until that point. Great. People can find it by searching for it.

Step two, in this case, is this blog. This blog, with the video embedded in it, will sit on my blog, on my website. It’ll help my SEO (due to the blog around the video), it’ll provide useful content for people viewing my website, it’s a solid step two.

Step three, sharing. I’ll share the blog with the video on my social media. By which I mean my business Facebook page, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. I might also share it in some of the business groups I’m involved with on Facebook.

Step four, native posting. I’ll then post the video natively to Facebook. Not the same week as I post the blog, but I will. And I’ll subtitle it so it works when people view Facebook on silent and autoplay kicks in.

Step five, I’ll share the Youtube link straight onto all my social media platforms. This won’t be in the near future, but I’ll post the link to Youtube on its own, without the blog content, so people can view it and visit my Youtube channel.

Step six, I’ll share it with my newsletter subscribers, so they get to see the blog and the video. Well, so they know it’s there. I’ll share a link to the blog for those who fancy a read, and I’ll embed the video too.

Step seven, if someone asks me a question about how to make content work hard, I’ll use this blog and my video as a resource that I can send them.

Step eight, in a few months, I could well do this all over again, when people have long forgotten about the blog. Or I might share it again when there’s a relevant news story about it.

And believe me when I say that depending on the social networks you use and the business you have, there are plenty more ways to make your content work really hard for you. Maybe you can use your video at shows you attend? Burnt onto a DVD for prospective customers? As a part of a resource pack for retailers selling your product? To help add another level of customer service, to help reduce the amount of time you spent troubleshooting or giving customers phone tutorials? Honestly, we’re just scratching the surface here.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your video content work hard for you, but you’e still not sure how to make it work in your situation, why not drop me a line?

 

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