All posts by Marian Pierre-Louis

New Mastermind Groups Starting Soon!

Mastermind Groups

New Mastermind Groups Starting Soon

Do you want some accountability to help push your genealogy business forward? Tired of working in isolation? How about joining a group of peers that will support, encourage, challenge and push you forward? A Mastermind Group will do all that!

Last year I started two Mastermind Groups. It was a year of adventure and experimentation. I’m pleased to be able to say that both groups have decided to continue for a second year. The participants of each group have bonded into a tight network, enjoying the support and camaraderie.

With the success of these groups, I’ve decided to start a few new groups.

What are Mastermind Groups?

Mastermind groups are small – limited to 10 people – and meet monthly. They are an opportunity for you to network and build relationships with genealogy professional colleagues while challenging you to grow your business. Each month you will share your successes and challenges and receive feedback, encouragement and constructive suggestions.

The meetings feature a main discussion topic, sometimes including an instructional video, that provides direction in using tools such as social media, direct mail, graphics and creating a successful online bio. Other times we discuss issues of ethics within our industry or share best practices for getting your daily job done.

You will be encouraged to be the best that you can be based on what you define as your goals and your personal business success. The key is having the information and know-how you need so that when you’re ready to implement new aspects of your business you have the background knowledge to make wise decisions.

Classes Start in March

Several new Mastermind Groups will be starting in March 2016.

You can find all the details here on The Genealogy Professional podcast Mastermind Page.

Any questions at all, please contact Marian Pierre-Louis.

The Secret of Success

Blog Post
The Lightbulb of Inspiration and Success by Ramunas Geciauskas
photo by Ramunas Geciauskas

The Secret of Success is in how you learn.

It’s the ability to take something seemingly unrelated to you and then turn it around into a benefit for your genealogy research or your business.

How many times have you attended a conference methodology talk? The speaker uses examples from one state, let’s say Texas. While exiting you hear one of the attendees say, “I didn’t get anything out of that talk. All the examples were from Texas and I don’t have any Texas ancestors!”

I can learn from absolutely every speaker. Sometimes I learn methodology tricks, sometimes I learn about new record groups and sometimes I learn how to become a better speaker. On occasion I learn what not to do while speaking. For me, every talk is a learning opportunity.

Yesterday I presented a webinar on using Facebook Pages for small business. In the webinar I very briefly mentioned a podcast episode that I listened to that really changed the way I approach Facebook Pages. It was an interview on the Social Media Marketing podcast where the host, Michael Stelzner, interviewed two women who run the Facebook page Quirky Momma.

The Quirky Momma page provides tips and inspiration to Moms in regards to kids activities. While it’s a nice page, it’s not really my thing and I don’t follow it.  The Quirky Momma ladies, however, have built their following to 1.5 million people on Facebook. The interview discusses their strategies for taking their page from less than 13,000 to over 50,000. As you can see they’ve gone way beyond that!

Many of the strategies in the interview don’t necessarily apply to me. I’m not willing to post to my page 200 or more times per week. Nor can I write multiple blog posts in one day. It worked for them but it won’t work for my lifestyle or work obligations. However, I still got lots out of the interview. I adapted many of their tricks by scaling them down. Or I just used the tricks that applied to me.

Success, inspiration and opportunity are right there in front of you every day. You just need change how you look at them.

Grab the ideas and make them work for you!

If you’ve adapted something you’ve seen or heard with success let us know in the comments. We could all use a little inspiration!

Replay: Starting from Scratch – Twitter for Small Businesses

Webinar

The replay of Tuesday’s webinar – Starting from Scratch – Twitter for Small Businesses is now available.

I’ve put it on YouTube (you can watch it below). It will be there for at least two weeks. I’m not sure yet if I’ll keep it up longer than that.

This is in HD so you can watch it full screen. Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.

I’ll be doing a follow-up more advanced Twitter webinar after this initial 3-part series is over.

There are still two more free webinars in the series that you can sign up for!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Time zones: 12PM Eastern, 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific, 4PM GMT.

“Starting from Scratch: Facebook Pages for Small Businesses”

Are you wondering if Facebook Pages are worth the time and effort? Have you heard that you have to pay for ads to get seen? Not sure what to post and when?

In this webinar Marian Pierre-Louis will introduce you to the world of Facebook Pages starting from scratch!  We will begin with creating an account then move on to what to post, how to attract new followers and a frank discussion about whether it’s worth it.

Register for the Webinar

Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Time zones: 12PM Eastern, 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific, 4PM GMT.

“Starting from Scratch: Google+ for Small Businesses”

Not sure what Google+ is? Have you heard that no one is on
the site? Afraid of yet one more social media platform to take up your time?

In this webinar Marian Pierre-Louis will introduce you to the world of Google+ starting from scratch!  We will begin with creating an account then move on to how to post, why you used use collections and why Google+ is worth the effort.

Register for the Webinar

And here’s another opportunity:

Education – Webinar Practicum

TGP Webinar Practicum

Want to add webinars to your speaking repertoire? In part one of this webinar practicum you will learn best practices for conducting webinars. In part two you will work one-on-one with Marian Pierre-Louis to record your very own webinar!

More details here.

** NEW Workshop ** – Webinar Practicum

Workshops

TGP Workshop - Webinar PracticumHave you ever wanted to try presenting a webinar but were too scared? Do you want to add webinars to your list of services? Or perhaps you’d like to have a video recording of a webinar that you can share to demonstrate your speaking skills and experience?

Then this Webinar Practicum is for you!!

The Webinar Practicum consists of two parts:

Part 1 – Live webinar group training and Q&A

The first part is a live webinar that will teach you everything you need to know about preparing for and delivering webinars. We will discuss equipment, how to prepare your slides, how broadband impacts your presentation, best practices during the live webinar and much more! The one hour lecture will be followed by a question and answer session to address of your specific questions.

The live event will be Friday, October 23, 2015 at 12 noon EDT (New York time). If you’re not available for the live event you can still participate. A video recording will be made available to you and you will have the chance to ask any further questions via email.

Part 2 – One-on-One private recording session

The second part of Webinar Practicum includes a one-on-one recording session with Marian Pierre-Louis to be scheduled at your convenience (and hers). You will experience using the GoToWebinar interface firsthand and will record a presentation. You’ll be given a copy of the video for your own use so that you can share it with conference organizers to demonstrate your skills.

The purpose of the workshop will be to:

  • help you become comfortable with the GoToWebinar interface
  • teach you how to best prepare your presentation for broadband delivery
  • identify the right equipment to make you sound your best for presentations
  • devise strategies to overcome online live mistakes or mishaps
  • provide you with your own video copy of you presenting a webinar

Details

Please note: One-on-one recording sessions must be completed within four months of the live webinar presentation.

Price: US $49

Date:

Part 1 – Friday, 23 October 2015, 12pm EDT (New York time) /  9am PDT (California time)

Part 2 – scheduled at your convenience (60 minutes in length total)

Format: GoToMeeting

No refunds or cancellations after the live event.

Register for the Workshop

 

 

TGP 27 Andrea Bentschneider goes Beyond History

Germany, Show Notes

Featured Guest

Andrea Bentschneider

Andrea Bentschneider has been actively conducting systematic genealogical research for Andrea Bentschneiderover 20 years. Founding her company Beyond History in 2004 was the beginning of turning her passion into her profession.

Since then, with her teams she has worked on hundreds of successful research projects for national and international private persons, companies and institutions. She is a sought after expert in the area of genealogy for the media and the exclusive researcher in Germany for the company “Ancestry”, the world’s largest family history website. She has also research for the international television episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? in countries such as Germany, Australia, America, Norway, the Netherlands and England. She appeared in two episodes in Australia in 2009 as well as 2013 on TLC in the episode with Chelsea Handler.
Last, but not least, she is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (USA) and the Chairwoman of the Association of German Speaking Professional Genealogists.

Her substantial knowledge is a combination of a great wealth of experience and the knowledge of countless historical sources and archives. Each family research calls for an individual approach. This is a challenge that Andrea Bentschneider and her team approach each day anew with enthusiasm.

Contact Links

Andrea Bentschneider on Twitter – @ABentschneider on Twitter

Andrea Bentschneider ‘s Beyond History – German Genealogy Services

Beyond History on Google+

Beyond History Blog

Beyond History website

One Action Genealogists Can Take Right Now

“Join APG, know what your strengths are and where your clients are.“

Recommended Book

Who Moved My Cheese by Kenneth Blanchard

Advice

“Know who your clients are and their expectations. Communicate with them clearly“

Action Item

Andrea talked about her company being more than a genealogy company. It’s a business that helps people to fulfill their dreams. In this case, by reconnecting them with their ancestral homeland – Germany. Your business does more than research or educational services too!

ACTION:

Think about your business beyond the specific tasks that you provide. How does what you do impact your clients? Does it inspire them, educate them, help them grow, fulfill their dreams? Start thinking about your business in a different way so that you can see the change and impact that you have on your clients or stakeholders.

Direct link to this post: http://www.thegenealogyprofessional.com/andrea-bentschneider

NEWS

3 FREE upcoming webinars on social media:

  1. Starting from Scratch: Twitter for Small Businesses, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 at 12noon EDT (New York Time), – REGISTER
  2. Starting from Scratch: Facebook Pages for Small Businesses, Tuesday, 20 October 2015 at 12noon EDT (New York Time), – REGISTER
  3. Starting from Scratch: Google+ for Small Businesses, Tuesday, 27 October 2015 at 12noon EDT (New York Time), – REGISTER

Education – Webinar Practicum

TGP Webinar Practicum

Want to add webinars to your speaking repertoire? In part one of this webinar practicum you will learn best practices for conducting webinars. In part two you will work one-on-one with Marian Pierre-Louis to record your very own webinar!

More details here.

 

 

 

 

 

FREE Social Media Webinar Series

Webinar

Part 2 - Facebook Pages

Are you frustrated by social media? Not sure that it’s worth all the effort? Confused by how it works? Then this webinar series is for you!

In this Starting from Scratch series we’ll cover Twitter, Facebook Pages and Google+. And We’ll start right from the very beginning and answer all your questions.

Twitter

Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Time zones: 12PM Eastern, 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific, 4PM GMT.

“Starting from Scratch: Twitter for Small Businesses”

Are you frustrated by Twitter? You can’t figure out what all the fuss is about? Why do so many people think it’s great?

In this webinar Marian Pierre-Louis will introduce you to the world of Twitter starting from scratch! You won’t have to be embarrassed about any questions you might ask. We will begin with creating an account then move on to sending the first tweet, reweeting, following other people and much more! Come figure out Twitter once and for all!

Webinar Replay

Facebook Pages

Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Time zones: 12PM Eastern, 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific, 4PM GMT.

“Starting from Scratch: Facebook Pages for Small Businesses”

Are you wondering if Facebook Pages are worth the time and effort? Have you heard that you have to pay for ads to get seen? Not sure what to post and when?

In this webinar Marian Pierre-Louis will introduce you to the world of Facebook Pages starting from scratch!  We will begin with creating an account then move on to what to post, how to attract new followers and a frank discussion about whether it’s worth it.

Register for the Webinar

 

Google+

Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Time zones: 12PM Eastern, 11AM Central, 10AM Mountain, 9AM Pacific, 4PM GMT.

“Starting from Scratch: Google+ for Small Businesses”

Not sure what Google+ is? Have you heard that no one is on
the site? Afraid of yet one more social media platform to take up your time?

In this webinar Marian Pierre-Louis will introduce you to the world of Google+ starting from scratch!  We will begin with creating an account then move on to how to post, why you used use collections and why Google+ is worth the effort.

Register for the Webinar

Use the Tagging Feature on LinkedIn to Organize Your Contacts

LinkedIn

Do you have a LinkedIn account? I bet there are a lot of LinkedIn features that you aren’t using yet.

One of the best features that few people know about is the tagging feature. Tagging lets you organize your contacts. Forgotten the name of a colleague that you met at a conference two years ago? Not a problem! With tagging you can categorize clients, colleagues, partners, subcontractors, local contacts and more with tags that you’ll remember.

Let me show you how it works in this 3 minute video.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/Zfafp3-JKnk

Tech Tip: 5 Things You need to know about Periscope

Tech Tips

Periscope is a new live streaming tool that has enabled anyone in the world with a smart phone  to broadcast live. Not only that, viewers can watch in real time and interact with the broadcaster.

Periscope App

(left) Periscope world view showing live broadcasts, (right) Displays your Twitter followers and shows how many Periscope followers they have.

Here are 5 things you need to know about Periscope:

  1. Periscope is owned by Twitter so the usernames that start with @ are the same on both platforms. If you have the app installed on your phone and one of your Twitter followers starts a Periscope session, you will be notified (if you have opted for push notifications). Otherwise you can see the live stream notifications in the twitter stream (but by the time you do the live stream might be over).
  2. You don’t have to have the app installed on your phone to watch a Periscope live streaming session. Search Twitter for the word Periscope and you will find live session where you can click on the link and view through your browser. Viewers on the web are anonymous (nice if you’re just trying to figure how it all works) but they can’t  leave comments.
  3. If you tap the screen while watching Periscope live streaming, hearts will fly up. That let’s the broadcaster know you like them without typing a comment. Broadcasters get ranked by the number of hearts they receive.
  4. You can comment on live streaming sessions and the people broadcasting can respond in real time to your questions or comments. The comment function is only available on the apps found in mobile devices so there is no chance that you will get too wordy with your text unless you are a master of typing with your thumbs.
  5. Periscope works best when broadcasting from wifi. Users broadcasting from their smart phones while “on the go” tend to have pixelated, shaky video.

In an upcoming post, we’ll get into potential business applications and best practices for Periscope.

Get Your Feet Moving!

Blog Post, ,

Feet Walking by Pedro Ribeiro Simoes

Steve Jobs did it. Maybe you should too.

Achieving success as a genealogy professional is more than just being an expert genealogist. Being a successful professional of any sort means taking accountability and responsibility for all aspects of your life including achieving life balance, wellness and health.

There’s more of an irony, I think, in the field of genealogy. Our calling is to connect with generations past and to pass on the bonds developed in the present. If we don’t spend time with our family because we work too much, we are undermining the very core of what we are doing. And if we don’t exercise or eat properly, we may  be robbed of the time to spend with family or to work for clients.

One of the ideas I mention often in my professional topic presentations is the practice of stopping what you are doing, leaving your phone in the car (unless you are truly disciplined enough not to check it) and go for a walk.

I always feel a bit crazy for suggesting this to people in business talks. At the same time, I think it’s absolutely a critical part of the productivity cycle. Even if you’re not a creative professional by trade (artist, writer, etc) we are all creative in how we work. Analyzing a genealogical problem to find a solution can be a very cerebral, creative process. Dreaming up the title of your next talk or article demands some creative brainstorming. And sometimes figuring out how to tactfully reply to a client email would benefit from a 10 minute walk down the road.

I try to walk every morning for 30 minutes. If I can’t walk outside (which is not possible in Eastern Massachusetts this winter!) then I walk inside on a treadmill. But I frequently take a few quick loops around my cul-de-sac after lunch just to get the blood flowing and to take stock of my morning productivity.

Well, it turns out I am not so crazy after all. Today the Canva blog posted an article by Andrew Tate called “Why Steve Jobs Took Long Walks and Why You Should Too.” This article cites evidence for the beneficial properties of talking walks during the business day.

The one thing this article mentions that I haven’t done is holding meetings during walks.  I think I might like to try that during the Spring.  Of course, it can be a bit harder to get together with other genealogy professionals as we are so spread apart. Perhaps if we can’t physically be in the same location, we can get together via phone while both walking!

As Spring is starting to approach think about incorporating walks into your work day as part of your business success! Try it and see what results you get. Then stop back here and share your success.

If you have other ideas for encouraging productivity and creativity I would love to hear them!

 

Photo by: Pedro Ribeiro Simões