When I was a kid growing up my mom gave me all sorts of advice. Today I can still hear her saying, “Todd chose your friends carefully. Don’t get mixed up with the wrong group.” Mom knew that children are easily influenced by their peers and that if I ran with the wrong crowd they’d have a negative influence on my life.

Mom’s lesson holds true for children, teens, college students and adults. It is well documented that our fundamental beliefs and attitudes are greatly influenced by the people we allow into our lives. If we associate with people who gossip, we are likely to gossip. If we are around people who swear and use inappropriate language, we’re likely to exhibit the same behavior.

Dr. David McClelland of Harvard University concluded after 25 years of research that the choice of a negative “reference group” was in itself enough to condemn a person to failure and underachievement in life…read more

Every email we send someone makes an impression. This is no different than watching a commercial. Every advertisement you watch makes an impression on you and impacts your view of that advertiser.

The same is true with email. Every impression we make on others is how we are branding ourselves in their minds. It’s our choice what impression we make.

In Part One, I shared with you 16 of my top email tips and encouraged you to evaluate your email communication for the last 24 hours. How did you do?

Here are 17 more for you to chew on.

17. Use the recipient’s time zone—When you are scheduling an appointment or a phone call, avoid confusion by using their time zone. This will keep them from trying to convert the time to their time zone and reduce potential misunderstandings…read more

I’ve probably sent and received more than 500,000 emails over the last 10+ years. And combined with my focus on the little things that matter, I have formed some strong views on the subject. In this two-part lesson you will learn 33 tips that will improve your email communication.

As you review the list, you may feel these are picky little details that don’t really matter. Don’t allow yourself to think this way. Everything matters! Today’s post will cover the first 16 and tomorrow’s will outline the remaining 17.

1. Take pride In your emails—As I pointed out in What’s Your Email Brand?

every email you send makes an impression and plays a small role in defining your brand. If email is your primary form of communication, what you say and how you say it will play a significant role in how you are viewed.

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If you’re not a business owner, don’t let the title keep you from reading this post. Remember, we are all entrepreneurs marketing our services to the market place. This lesson has application to all of us who communicate online.

While I have been involved in the social media world for only a short time, picking up on its culture has not been hard to do. In my opinion, social media has brought transparency to every person and business.

The people and businesses that really care about their friends and customers are standing out like a lighthouse at night. At the same time those who are solely focused on themselves and promote their own agenda are stinking like three-day-old fish…read more

In What’s Your Brand? I pointed out that just as products carry a brand, people also carry a brand. Branding is how the world sees you; the impression you make on others; the values you stand for; the qualities that mold your personality; and the characteristics that make you stand out from the crowd.

This lesson will focus on a significant component of your overall brand—your online presence. In today’s world, you can be assured that every potential employer, prospective client and college admissions officer will search the Internet to learn as much as they can about you. It’s even likely that someone would check you out before asking you for a date. You can be assured that what they find will influence their opinion of you and what they learn can either close doors or open up opportunities….read more

I read a study a couple years ago that indicated people make a decision about the trustworthiness of a website in less than one second. Yes, I said less than one second. Think about it. How long does it take you to form an initial opinion of a website? Is it one second, two seconds or five seconds?

Just as people quickly form an initial opinion of a website, they also are quick to form an opinion of us. After all, do you notice how people look, what they are wearing and how they comb their hair? Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are a forming a mental picture of this person within a short amount of time.

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions

How we look plays a significant role in our overall brand, but it is especially important in the business world.

The first impression you make on people creates a lasting impression. In fact, if you fail to make a positive first impression, you may never be given a second chance. This is especially true when going on a sales call or a job interview. Just as your smile, handshake, eye contact and ability to remember someone’s name are components of an initial first impression, so is your appearance….read more