Savor the Success - Business Network for women entrepreneurs

You might be thinking - 'Life like an encyclopedia?! Has she lost her mind?!'

That's right folks - treat life like that dusty old set of Britannica's you had years ago and you'll ultimately increase your success. So, how does this work? To explain this concept, let me back up a bit and share a story...

I recently enrolled in a great spokesperson/hosting workshop to help fine tune my craft and to get critical feedback on my performance as a TV spokesperson. Our exercise for the past two weeks was to present a product 'QVC style.' The instructor chose our products and for me he chose....a Sharpie marker.

At first glance I thought 'how am I going to fill 5 minutes with a black marker?' While I owned plenty of Sharpie's, this wasn't a product I had ever thought much about, much less thought I'd be responsible to present it in front of an audience. My classmates were given products like deodorant and toothpaste. I could immediately think of all the benefits for those products like 'Fights Gingivitis!' 'Whitens Teeth!.' My mind flashed to the sexed up Axe body spray commercials and how fun it would be to infuse that into your product pitch.

But I was left with my Sharpie.

So without much instruction except to 'learn about the product,' I set about researching everything I could about Sharpie online. Turns out, the product not only has an interesting history (its claim to fame was its permanent, acid-free, photo safe nature - which means all celebs use Sharpie's to sign photos and other memorabilia and it won't smear or wash off). I also found tons of great uses for Sharpie (covering gray hair, filling in bleach stains on black clothing) and a whole Sharpie Uncapped initiative, which fosters creativity by using the markers to design gift wrap, clothing and more.

After I completed the exercise, my instructor mentioned that the point is no matter what audition you go into, you're always given the product name ahead of time. You should take that time to research as much as possible so you're prepared for anything that's thrown your way. The more preparation, the more confident you'll be and the more natural your performance when discussing the product's benefits.

Just like in class, this concept of researching is so important to any entrepreneurial situation. The more research you do, the better the result will be. For example:

• If you're booked for a TV appearance, know as much as possible about the tone, content and the hosts of the show. You'll be able to interact and engage better within the confines of the show, and you'll have better chemistry on camera.
  
• If you're getting ready for a meeting, research the person/people you're meeting with as well as the company. With all of the social media tools today, many people have an online presence. You might stumble upon a blog, an article they've written, or their Twitter page which provides insight into their personality.
  
• Before pitching a specific reporter, editor, producer, booker, etc - know the things they've already covered. A pitch is so much better if it's written after viewing 3-4 segments/articles/blogs that the person has worked on. Your tone and details will be specially crafted to them, and your response rate will go up.
  
• Before a networking meeting, research the latest happenings of the organization hosting the meeting. Look at the attendees (if available beforehand) and get to know a little about them before meeting them. They'll be impressed that you took the time to research them and their company, and it's a great icebreaker!

Point is - treat every experience like a research project. Do your planning ahead of time, and reap the benefit in the end!

Visit Melissa's lifestyle blog at www.melissacassera.com