I often hear that sending a handwritten thank you note is so “last year” or “old fashioned”. When I’m social media sites and post I’m writing thank you notes I am immediately bombarded by people trying to sell me one of the many services that you can subscribe to that will send a thank you note for you. I don’t think machine written and signed thank you notes have the same sincerity as an “old fashioned” handwritten thank you note.  Below are my personal experiences that show the ROI (return on investment) of sending a handwritten thank you note.

1. Job Offer – We are often told to send a thank you note after a job interview. I, like most people, thought this was corny. However, I sent a thank you note after having a job interview for a job I really wanted. Guess what, I received an offer for the job. After this experience I have sent a thank you note after every job interview and I have been offered every job.  A handwritten thank you note is key to standing out amongst the competition in today’s highly competitive job market. One thank you note netted me a job offer of over 32 thousand dollars and a subsequent thank you note netted me a job offer of 60 thousand dollars.

2. Paid Speaking Engagement – Recently I attended a conference and sent the conference organizer a handwritten thank you note. He emailed me thanking me for the note and commented that no one sends them any longer. The conference organizer then asked if I was available to be a paid speaker at various upcoming conferences he had scheduled. He stopped by my office the following week and offered me an additional paid speaking engagement. This one thank you note has netted me over one thousand dollars so far.

3. Relationship Building – Thank you notes are a great way to build relationships. If you recently received a gift basket or other type of gift by winning a raffle the thank you note will not only show the business owner that provided the gift basket that you appreciated it but it will also show that you were raised with manners. This starts the rapport building process.

4. Repeat Clients & Referrals – Do you send thank you notes to your clients? I have and it pays off in customers that feel valued. Valued customers and clients will refer people to your business resulting in additional revenue. They will also return to do business with you. Your return on investment is unlimited.

5. Joint Ventures – When you read an article or blog that has great content do you send a thank you note to let the author know how much you appreciated it? This strategy has led to several joint ventures that has increased my business revenue.

Thank you notes are not a thing of the past. Hand written thank you notes are something you should be sending on a regular basis after receiving a gift, learning a new strategy or attending a job interview. Do not worry that you have horrible handwriting. The recipient will appreciate the time and effort you took to show your appreciate. The return on investment is unlimited. I encourage you to go right now and purchase a package of thank you notes and a book of stamps to keep on hand. This small investment will net you big returns.

Jaynine, is the Coach for the Military.

Coach Jaynine is a retired United States Marine, former psychotherapist and a doctoral candidate. She is the international business and life coach who has a proven track record for helping business owners increase their revenue by at least 8-10% each year during the most recent recession. She has also been known to get the phone ringing within 45 minutes of posting a resume online and helping her clients land a job within five days through the use of networking. Jaynine was recently referred to as the “Jillian Michaels” of the coaching industry. Are you following her on Facebook?

As a Career Coach who teaches social media for networking and job hunting I watch what my clients are posting online. It never ceases to amaze me that about once a year there is a renegade client who refuses to heed my advice and thus commits career suicide. I have also had clients contact me after they have committed career suicide in order to help them design a strategy to restart their career. My five tips below will ensure that you do not sabotage your career success.

1. Know the Corporate or Company Social Media Policy – Many companies have a social media policy that prevents you from talking about the company or your immediate office on social networking sites. If you did not sign a social media policy when you were hired I recommend you take the initiative and ask your Human Resource Officer if there is a social media policy for the company.

2. Do NOT Post Negative Comments – I see this social media faux pas created daily on various social media sites. A person gets online bad mouthing his or her employer and coworkers. The person is ranting and raving about wanting to smack the person all while calling the person all kinds of foul names. The offender of course is getting fueled by his or her friends who add their comments about how horrible it must be for the person to work with these idiots or whatever other names they are being called and the rant continues. I so badly want to ask the person why he or she continues to work there if he or she is so unhappy. Employers are still using social media to watch what employees are saying about the company. Do not get yourself fired because you ran your mouth online bad mouthing your coworkers, boss, customers or clients. You never know when your boss or clients are viewing your online profile.

3. Do NOT Disclose Trade Secrets – Regardless if your company has a social media policy or not it is wise to not disclose trade secrets. This means if you work in a bakery you do not post recipes online. If you work for a company that is struggling financially you do not disclose that information online. If you are working in a medical facility you do not post online who your latest client was for that day or who was just admitted to the hospital. It is better to err on the side of caution and be discrete than to run your mouth. Do not disclose trade secrets or confidential information. “Loose lips sink ships” is a military saying that applies to all.

4. Photos – Do not post photos that could cause embarrassment to your employer or you when you return to work on Monday morning. The news has reported several stories of school teachers being fired after posting bikini clad photos. Remember, your boss’s customers and clients may be watching you online too.

5. Friend Requests – Depending upon your profession it may be unethical for you to accept a friend request from a client or previous client. Several mental health professionals have lost their license for accepting the friend request of a former client and engaging in what he or she thought was generic conversation. But, the former client mistook the conversation as professional advice or a therapeutic relationship and later sued the therapist for misconduct or an inappropriate relationship. You do not want to blur the boundaries between a friendship and professional relationship.

It is no secret that people love to sue others as a way to make a quick buck. Do not open yourself or your employer up to be sued for slander or breach of confidentiality. Do not leave yourself open to be fired for voicing a negative opinion about your employer or coworkers. When you abide by my five tips on what not to post on social networking sites you will see your career soar.

Jaynine, is the owner of Dream Catcher – Business & Life Coaching.  Coach Jaynine is a retired United States Marine, former psychotherapist and a doctoral candidate. She is the international business and life coach who has a proven track record for helping business owners increase their revenue by at least 8-10% each year during the most recent recession. She has also been known to get the phone ringing within 45 minutes of posting a resume online and helping her clients land a job within five days through the use of networking. Jaynine was recently referred to as the “Jillian Michaels” of the coaching industry.

Dream Catcher – Business & Life Coaching is a woman owned and Veteran Owned Business. Coach Jaynine works with Veteran Business Owners, Military Veterans on Active Duty and those transitioning or already transitioned into the civilian world. Jaynine also enjoys working with family members of military veterans or those individuals who are willing to work hard.

Through the use of 1 on 1 Coaching, Group Coaching, live events and various home study courses Jaynine will show you how to increase your visibility while developing your expertise. Whether you are a Veteran Business Owner or still on Active Duty, Coach Jaynine is the coach for you. She will teach you the systems and strategies needed to grow your business, have a successful military career, or transition into civilian life. Jaynine is author of Write the Right Resume and offers an array of resume and career coaching services. You can download your free resume writing success tips at Write the Right Resume.com

Have you ever received an email that you couldn’t read? I mean you really couldn’t understand what the person was trying to say? Or did you receive an email but did not open it because the senders name was offensive and you know that no one you know would have an email address that sounded like they were the next up and coming porn star? It is that time of year again when high school and college graduates will be updating their resumes and emailing them to hiring managers. My tips below will ensure that your resume does not get deleted before it is even opened.

Five Tips for Email Success

1. Professional Email Address – now is not the time to have a sexy, silly, or vulgar email address. If you are job hunting I recommend you keep your email address your name.  When you are job hunting unless you are porn star drop the sexy email names. No one wants to call looking for “2sexy4u”.  It is also easier for the hiring manager to scroll through his or her email account and recognize your email after he or she has networked with you on LinkedIn than to have to open various emails to try and find your resume. If he or she cannot easily find your email he or she may not even bother to look for it.

2. Spelling and Grammar – use proper English when writing your emails. Now is the time to show off your writing skills. Also make sure you spell words correctly. Do not try and appear creative by spelling words wrong. You want the prospective employer to know you did graduate from high school or college. Do not – I repeat do not – write an email using the spelling short cut you use when typing a text message to your friends. I have heard from several employers that they have returned the emails asking the person to speak English. When they get the email returned again in the same text message style format they delete the email and do not look at the resume.  Do not let this happen to you.

3. Sentence structure – use proper sentence structure when typing an email. This means you capitalize the first letter of a sentence and you end a sentence with a punctuation mark.  You do not want to have run on sentences or fragmented sentences. Remember, this may be your only attempt to show off that you are the right person for the job.  You will also want to keep your font crisp and clear. Ensure it is large enough to be read by the reader.  This is not the time to use cursive or spooky font. It is recommended that you use black ink for the color of your font. Again, now is not the time to be cutesy or show off your creative streak.

4. Signature block – use your signature block to highlight your expertise. Use an appropriate salutation followed by your name and degree conferred. Below the signature block list your phone number so that t he reader can contact you. If you use social media it is permissible to use the social media icons under your signature. This will direct the reader to learn more about you.  If you have a website or blog also list the urls in your signature block.

5. Tag line – an email tagline gives the reader an opportunity to learn more about you. If you are job hunting it can be an abbreviated professional summary. Your last sentence should direct the reader to learn more about you at your LinkedIn profile, website or blog.

When you use my five tips for email success you increase your chances of getting your email read and the resume you attached opened.  Do not miss out on getting your dream job because your email was not even opened.

Dream Catcher, Business & Life Coaching is a Veteran Owned Business. Coach Jaynine is a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist who works with Veterans and those on Active Duty. Jaynine will show you how to increase your visibility while developing your expertise. Whether you are a Veteran Business Owner or still on Active Duty, Coach Jaynine is the coach for you. She will teach you the systems and strategies needed to grow your business, have a successful military career, or transition into civilian life. You can start turning your dreams into reality by downloading her FREE 15 Resume Success Tips.

Have you ever received an email that you couldn’t read? I mean you really couldn’t understand what the person was trying to say? Or did you receive an email but did not open it because the senders name was offensive and you know that no one you know would have an email address that sounded like they were the next up and coming porn star? It is that time of year again when high school and college graduates will be updating their resumes and emailing them to hiring managers. My tips below will ensure that your resume does not get deleted before it is even opened.

Five Tips for Email Success

1. Professional Email Address – now is not the time to have a sexy, silly, or vulgar email address. If you are job hunting I recommend you keep your email address your name.  When you are job hunting unless you are porn star drop the sexy email names. No one wants to call looking for “2sexy4u”.  It is also easier for the hiring manager to scroll through his or her email account and recognize your email after he or she has networked with you on LinkedIn than to have to open various emails to try and find your resume. If he or she cannot easily find your email he or she may not even bother to look for it.

2. Spelling and Grammar – use proper English when writing your emails. Now is the time to show off your writing skills. Also make sure you spell words correctly. Do not try and appear creative by spelling words wrong. You want the prospective employer to know you did graduate from high school or college. Do not – I repeat do not – write an email using the spelling short cut you use when typing a text message to your friends. I have heard from several employers that they have returned the emails asking the person to speak English. When they get the email returned again in the same text message style format they delete the email and do not look at the resume.  Do not let this happen to you.

3. Sentence structure – use proper sentence structure when typing an email. This means you capitalize the first letter of a sentence and you end a sentence with a punctuation mark.  You do not want to have run on sentences or fragmented sentences. Remember, this may be your only attempt to show off that you are the right person for the job.  You will also want to keep your font crisp and clear. Ensure it is large enough to be read by the reader.  This is not the time to use cursive or spooky font. It is recommended that you use black ink for the color of your font. Again, now is not the time to be cutesy or show off your creative streak.

4. Signature block – use your signature block to highlight your expertise. Use an appropriate salutation followed by your name and degree conferred. Below the signature block list your phone number so that t he reader can contact you. If you use social media it is permissible to use the social media icons under your signature. This will direct the reader to learn more about you.  If you have a website or blog also list the urls in your signature block.

5. Tag line – an email tagline gives the reader an opportunity to learn more about you. If you are job hunting it can be an abbreviated professional summary. Your last sentence should direct the reader to learn more about you at your LinkedIn profile, website or blog.

When you use my five tips for email success you increase your chances of getting your email read and the resume you attached opened.  Do not miss out on getting your dream job because your email was not even opened.

Dream Catcher, Business & Life Coaching is a Veteran Owned Business. Coach Jaynine is a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist who works with Veterans and those on Active Duty. Jaynine will show you how to increase your visibility while developing your expertise. Whether you are a Veteran Business Owner or still on Active Duty, Coach Jaynine is the coach for you. She will teach you the systems and strategies needed to grow your business, have a successful military career, or transition into civilian life. You can start turning your dreams into reality by downloading her FREE 15 Resume Success Tips.

Jacksonville, North Carolina – Jaynine Howard is the owner of Dream Catcher Business & Life Coaching. She is also a veteran business owner and the host of The Coach is in. January 2011 marked the third anniversary of The Coach is in. Each Monday at 2pmEST, Howard interviews business owners,  authors or whoever she meets that she knows has a message you need to hear so that you can turn your dreams into reality.  You can access the call by dialing from any telephone Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 31087# or via your computer at talkshoe.com/tc/31087.com.  The Coach is in is sponsored by American Dream Cakes, Inc. http://www.americandreamcakes.com/ located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. American Dream Cakes, Inc. is celebrated their 10^th anniversary on April 13, 2011.

The June 2011 guest list is guaranteed to help you soar into summer.

June 6 –Coach Jaynine – Business & Life Coach and the author of Write the Right Resume will share the latest trends in job hunting and resume writing.  You can download your free 15 Resume Writing Tips at www.writetherightresume.com.

June 13 – Alissa Finerman, author, Living Your Top 1%: Nine Essential Rituals to Achieve Your Ultimate Life Goals.  To learn more about Alissa and to take the “Living in Your Top 1%” quiz visit www.AlissaFinerman.com

June 20 –Rob Ffield– Capt Rob Ffield served 27 years in the Navy. He has served two tours as TOPGUN instructor and has been the boss of the Blue Angels.  Rob is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of CATSHOT Group, LLC, the Executive Director of the non-profit, Veterans Transition Inc, and CEO of CATSHOT Veterans Education Group, LLC.  You can download CATSHOT Culture of Excellence Top 10 Lessons Learned at http://catshotgroup.com/

June 27 – Chip Chamberlin,  PGA, General Manager & PGA Director of Golf, The Country Club of the Crystal Coast in Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. Chip has 32 years golf management experience. His experience is in membership retention and keeping golf resorts and country club golf operations financially sound.  Chip will share how he turned his passion for golf into a career.  He is truly living his dream and enjoying every minute of his day.  You can download your free ecourse on How to Write a Personal Mission Statement at www.writetherightresume.com .

Howard states “Each week my international audience can learn from industry specific experts. Why waste time with trial and error and making costly mistakes when you can listen and learn from the experts.” “When you make time to listen to The Coach is in you will start your week motivated to succeed and face new challenges with confidence.  Coach Jaynine and her guests will help you soar into summer.”

Coach Jaynine is a member of the Carteret Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Leadership Carteret Class of 2011, Jacksonville – Onslow Chamber of Commerce, and the American Psychological Association. She is also a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist who works with Veterans and those on Active Duty.  Dream Catcher is where your desire to succeed and your commitment to grow personally and professionally turn your dreams into reality. You can start turning your dreams into reality by signing up for your free ecourse My 5 Secrets to Networking Success http://networkingdetox.com.

Business Owners and job seekers, whether you purr or roar there is power in the pounce. What have you pounced on lately? What opportunities have you let slip through the cracks because you did not seize the opportunity? My three steps will help you put more power in your pounce.

Three Steps to Add Power to Your Pounce

1. Actively Listen. Often people will casually say they would like to work with us or they will say they are looking for someone to do x, y or z. Rarely, does a person walk up to you and ask to work with you or offer you the job. You must actively listen and be ready to pounce. You must be ready to ask for the sale or job opportunity.

2. Overcome feeling uncomfortable. As a business owner or person job hunting you must be ok with feeling uncomfortable and asking for the lead, referral, sale or job. The uncomfortable feeling means that change and growth is taking place. Do not hide from this feeling or run from it. If you do – someone else will pounce on the opportunity.

3. Ask for the sale or opportunity. People cannot hire you if they do not know that you are available and interested in working with him or her. You must ask for the sale. Do not let the person think you did not want to work with him or her. The person may think you do like them or that you are too busy. If you want to work with that person you must be ready to pounce and ask for the sale or opportunity.
Now, I know steps two and three are easier said than done. In order to make this mindset shift I want you to decide if you are the cat that purrs or roars. It is ok to have a sexy purr or quiet purr. Not everyone likes to roar. The person that hires you will hire you because they resonate with your personality. But, you must be ready to pounce on the opportunity. Once you decide what type of purr or roar you will have I want you to envision yourself pouncing on the opportunity. This requires quick action on your part.

When you start actively listening, learn to overcome feeling uncomfortable and ask for the sale or opportunity you will be pouncing. There is power in the pounce. Sometimes you may need to pounce more than once. This is what I call following up. Following up with prospective clients or employers requires you overcome that uncomfortable feeling and ask for the sale or opportunity. When you are ready to make that follow up phone call I want you to envision yourself pouncing. Does that vision make you laugh? Does it make you feel triumphant? It should help ease that uncomfortable feeling. Everyone has to at one time or another has to put power in the pounce. My three steps should have you putting more power in your pounce so that you have more money in your bank account and you turn your dreams into reality.

Don’t forget to visit the Success Store

The BOGO Sale ends at midnight tomorrow.

Do you live a neat and orderly life? Do you function better in chaos? Some people will say they work better when surrounded by piles of papers or stacks of books. But do they really? I don’t think so. Mess breeds stress. Have you recently had to pay late fees because you forgot to pay a bill on time? Have you shown up late for an appointment because you could not find your keys or had to stop and find a belt, shoe or sock? Lack of organization and office procedures is detrimental to the small business owner, businessman and businesswoman, parent and student. My five tips below will help you design an environment that will save you time, money and needless stress.

Stop Sabotaging You and Your Success– Spring into Action – Get Organized

1. Designate Days – when you designate days when you do your filing, book keeping, article writing, invoicing and other necessary task you will save yourself time and money. You will know when you are going to do these tasks. You will avoid paying late fees when you pay your bills on time. Business owners often forget to follow up with hot leads or late bill payers. This costs the business money. I want you to grab your day planner or calendar and right now and schedule days when you will complete the routine tasks that are necessary for running your business and life. This will eliminate stress too and put more money in your bank account.

2. Designate a Home – what happens when you return to your office from checking the mailbox? Where does the mail end up? Do you put office supplies in a designated area? Everything in your office and home should have a designated home. Your office should not look like your bedroom with books, newspapers, shoes and clothing strewn about.

3. Designate Time – do you designate a time each week to clean and organize your office? When do you turn those piles into files? If you or your designated help do not do it when will it get done?

4. Dare to be Honest – why are you sabotaging your success by being unorganized? Are you afraid of success? I dare you to self reflect and be honest with yourself. You may find you really do not like doing a particular task or you do not know how to do the task. If you do not like doing the task then delegate it to someone else. If you do not know how to complete a task either learn how to complete it or delegate it to a professional.

5. Dream – dream about your ideal life and how much easier things will be when you are organized. Dream about how you will use the extra time you will have once you are organized. Dream about how you would like your ideal office space or home to look and then design a strategy to create that space.

Lack of organization costs business owners money. Money is hard to come by these days.  So, stop sabotaging you, your life and your business. Employ my five tips above and you will eliminate stress from your life and put more money in your bank account.

Dream Catcher, Business & Life Coaching is a Veteran Owned Business. Coach Jaynine is a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist who works with Veterans and those on Active Duty. Jaynine will show you how to increase your visibility while developing your expertise. Whether you are a Veteran Business Owner or still on Active Duty, Coach Jaynine is the coach for you. She will teach you the systems and strategies needed to grow your business, have a successful military career, or transition into civilian life. You can start turning your dreams into reality by signing up for her free ecourse My 5 Secrets to Networking Success http://networkingdetox.com/

It was my pleasure to have Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN as guest on The Coach is in. The topic came up regarding how to find a support system if your environment does not contain a group of people who supports your ideas. Bill’s response was “We have the freedom within us to be the first person in our support group or support system.” Wow, that is so very true. But at times it is easier said than done. My five tips below will help you when you are having one of those days.

Coach Jaynine’s Five Tips to Motivate YOU!

1. Self Reflect. When you are having one of those days take time to self reflect on why you are doing what you are doing. What is your goal? What are you doing that is working well? What is not working and needs changed? Get out paper and pencil and start putting your thoughts on paper. If you are list person make a list of the pro and cons of pursuing your dream. Dare to dream and rekindle that passion that you once had for your business.

2. Music. You know what music gets you dancing in your seat. Find your iPod or mp3 player and find that music that kicks your brain into high gear and gets your blood pumping. Start dancing on your desk or in the street or wherever. Enjoy the feeling and let yourself get caught up in the feeling.

3. Read. Now is the time to pull out the books or magazines that inspire you. Maybe it is your bible or something by Joel Osteen. Maybe it is Fortune or Inc. Magazine. Whatever is on your nightstand is probably something that you enjoy and contains articles or profiles of other business owners that will inspire you.

4. Journal. Re-read your journal entries and look for patterns of what or who causes you to doubt yourself. When you can identify the culprit you can design an action plan to not allow yourself to be affected by the Negative Nellie’s and Debbie Downers.

5. Exercise. Nothing is going to motivate you faster than lacing up your running shoes. Exercise is going to get those endorphins working. Endorphins are manufactured in your body and are often referred to as nature’s morphine. Working up sweat will elevate your mood in a very healthy manner.

My five tips to help you motivate you will propel you back into action so you can continue to grow your business. Exercising to music is a great way to start your morning. I have many of my best ideas while out for a morning run. I get clarity on issues where I have been stuck. You may also find that starting your day reading scripture or something from someone that inspires you sets the tone for the day. Bill Rasmussen was quoted as saying “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” So, go create a great day, great life and great future.

Coach Jaynine is the owner of Dream Catcher Business & Life Coaching. She is the international business and life coach who enjoys teaching business owners the systems and strategies needed to grow their business. She is a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist residing in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She is also the author of Write the Right Resume, Attract Love Keep Love and various other ebooks and home study courses. Coach Jaynine is a member of the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce, Carteret Chamber of Commerce, and the American Psychological Association.

To learn how to stay inspired and grow your business contact Coach Jaynine at 910-539-2810 or Jaynine@coachjaynine.com so you can start turning your dreams into reality. You can also visit her website at http://coachjaynine.com/

Gift Ideas

Write the Right Resume – great book/service for someone who will be graduating and entering the job market www.writetherightresume.com

Attract Love Keep Love – great ebook for the person who is single and does not want to spend another holiday season alone. I met my husband after writing this book. $19.97 www.attractlovekeeplove.com

Mom’s Recipes for the Broke & Starving – ebook with over 41 main recipes and several variations that I wrote for my adult children who did not know how to grocery shop or cook. Most recipes serve a family of 4 and cost approximately $5 per recipe. This makes a great stocking stuffer for college kids. Download your copy today for $2.97  http://dld.bz/eq6F

Gift Certificates Available for Business & Life Coaching