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  • Are you constantly double—or triple-booked with days that involve so many back-to-back meetings that you don’t have time to breathe?

    That’s no way to run a business. And it will negatively impact your productivity and sustainability over time.

    At Elevate, we step in and partner with CEOs and business owners to help give them control of their calendars back so they can use their time more efficiently and effectively.

    Today, our experienced EAs are sharing their top tips that you can take and use to improve your own calendar management in your business!

    Executive calendar management mistakes

    We have truly seen it all when it comes to calendar and time management disasters.

    Most of our clients tend to struggle with:

    • Double booking
    • Not enough breathing room or breaks between meetings
    • Not paying attention or following what’s on their calendar
    • Using more than one email account
    • Confusing personal and business calendars and appointments
    • Losing control over meetings just put on their calendars
    • Not being prepared for meetings
    • Not respecting time blocks

    Can you relate to any of those struggles? You’re not alone! Keep reading to see what we suggest doing instead.

    How to manage your calendar like a pro

    A well-managed calendar helps you feel more productive, increases your efficiency, and sets a solid standard for the rest of your team to follow.

    When you are in control of your time, you feel more peaceful, less chaotic, and less rushed. Calendar management is truly a game-changer!

    Here are the inside secrets our EAs shared about how to manage your calendar:

    • Merge all calendars so double-bookings don’t happen
    • Share access and visibility to all calendars across your team
    • Set meeting buffers and limits within your scheduling apps
    • Use color coding to indicate different calendar entries: green for networking, your company’s main color for meetings, blue or pink for personal appointments, etc.
    • Separate business and personal calendars and email accounts
    • Add focus time/free space into your day
    • Set meetings for 25 mins and 50 mins to automatically give yourself a break
    • Practice annual and quarterly calendar planning
    • Give your EA control of your calendar and allow them to be the gatekeeper of your time (we’ll protect your time better than you will!)
    • Create a templated agenda and ensure every meeting has a stated purpose, touchpoints, and loose or structured agenda as needed
    • Manually confirm calendar invites when using scheduling links
    • Use naming conventions for calendar invites
    • Mark personal appointments as private on your work calendar

    Need help with your executive calendar management?

    Implementing these best practices will help you take back control of your calendar and your time!

    But if you know maintaining these best practices is hard – or you know yourself well enough to know things will start to slip at some point – one of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is to bring on an EA.

    We are ruthlessly efficient and passionate about helping you manage your time and protect your priorities. Check out our Executive Assistant services to see how one of our talented EAs can level up your business and give you the gift of time!

  • 02 Oct 2024 by 95Visual

    Even the mightiest ships face storms, and B2B lead nurturing isn’t without its own set of squalls. The ever-shifting terrain of customer needs and expectations can feel like navigating through uncharted waters. One moment, you think you’ve got your bearings, and the next, the wind changes, and you’re off course. It’s a challenge, but with the right strategies, you can stay on track and keep your leads engaged.

    Common Challenges and Solutions in Lead Nurturing

    One of the biggest hurdles in lead nurturing is ensuring your messages don’t just get lost in the void. You’ve got great content, a solid product, but how do you make sure the right people are hearing you at the right time? It’s like shouting into the wind if your timing is off.

     

    1. Timely Communication: Keeping the Conversation Alive

    Timing is everything. Send a message too soon, and your lead might not be ready. Wait too long, and they’ve already moved on. The solution? Automated triggers. These are like your trusty first mates, always on the lookout, ready to send the right message at just the right moment. By setting up automated triggers based on user behavior—like when they visit a certain page or download a resource—you ensure that no lead is left unattended. This keeps the conversation warm and consistent, making it much more likely that your leads will stay engaged.

    2. Staying Agile: Adapting to Changing Customer Needs

    The market’s always changing. What worked yesterday might not work today. This is where agility comes into play. Regularly updating and refining your strategy with fresh intelligence gathered from customer feedback and market research is essential. Think of it as recalibrating your compass to ensure you’re always heading in the right direction. If you’re not staying ahead of trends and shifting customer desires, you’re falling behind. 

    3. Customer-Centric Culture: Aligning with Evolving Expectations

    Your leads aren’t just looking for a product; they’re looking for a solution that fits into their world. To keep up with their evolving expectations, your entire approach needs to be customer-centric. This means fostering a culture within your business that’s flexible, responsive, and focused on what your customers need—now and in the future. When your team is aligned with the mindset of your customers, your lead nurturing efforts become much more effective.

     

    Incorporating Marketing Automation in Lead Nurturing

    Now, let’s talk about marketing automation. Imagine your lead nurturing efforts as a symphony—each part moving in perfect harmony. Marketing automation is like the conductor, ensuring everything plays out smoothly and on time. It’s not just about making life easier; it’s about amplifying your strategy to reach its full potential.

     

    1. Streamlined Efficiency: Ensuring No Lead Falls Through the Cracks

    Marketing automation tools can handle the heavy lifting of repetitive tasks, like sending follow-up emails or scheduling social media posts. This way, you’re not just hoping that no lead slips through the cracks—you’re ensuring it. With automation, you can maintain a consistent presence without manually managing every little detail, freeing you up to focus on the big picture.

    2. Personalized Journeys: Tailoring the Experience

    One of the biggest benefits of marketing automation is the ability to create personalized journeys for each lead. It’s like having a custom-built map for each prospect, guiding them through the sales funnel based on their preferences, behavior, and needs. No two leads are the same, so why should their journeys be? Automation allows you to tailor your interactions, making each lead feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

    3. Human Touch: Enhancing, Not Replacing, Personal Interaction

    Even with all this automation, the human touch is still crucial. Technology should enhance your lead nurturing efforts, not replace the personal interactions that build trust and rapport. Use automation to handle the routine, but when it comes to closing deals or addressing specific concerns, nothing beats a real conversation. It’s the balance between automation and personal interaction that makes for a winning strategy.

     

    The Importance of Continuous Lead Nurturing

    Lead nurturing doesn’t stop once you’ve made a sale. It’s like tending a garden—you don’t just plant the seeds and walk away. You water them, pull the weeds, and watch as your garden flourishes over time. Continuous lead nurturing is about cultivating those customer relationships long after the first sale is made.

     

    1. Building Customer Loyalty: From Vendor to Trusted Advisor

    Regular engagement transforms your brand from just another vendor into a trusted advisor. When you’re consistently providing value and staying in touch, you become the first person they think of when they need a solution. This is how you build loyalty that lasts.

    2. Fostering Long-Term Relationships: Maturing Into Partnerships

    Like a well-aged wine, relationships take time to mature. The connections you maintain after the purchase can grow into partnerships of increased value. It’s not just about one-off transactions; it’s about building something that lasts and grows.

    3. Repeat Business and Referrals: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

    Satisfied customers don’t just come back—they bring friends. By nurturing these relationships consistently, you tap into the power of referrals. This is growth without the grind of constant hunting for new leads. When you’ve got happy customers singing your praises, the new business tends to find you.

     

    Conclusion

    B2B lead nurturing is full of challenges, but with the right strategies, you can navigate these tricky waters. By focusing on timely communication, staying agile, and leveraging marketing automation, you can turn these challenges into opportunities. And remember, the nurturing doesn’t stop with the first sale—it’s a continuous process that builds loyalty, fosters long-term relationships, and drives repeat business. In the end, it’s all about cultivating relationships that grow and flourish over time, setting your business up for sustained success.

     


     

    Who is 95Visual & Joshua Maddux?

    95Visual is a leading web design and digital marketing agency based in Santa Clarita, CA, dedicated to helping businesses grow their online presence with custom solutions. We believe that every business is unique, and so are its challenges. That’s why we focus on creating tailored strategies that drive real results, whether it’s through innovative website design, targeted marketing campaigns, or comprehensive lead nurturing tactics.

    Joshua Maddux, the founder and CEO of 95Visual, has spent over a decade guiding businesses through the complexities of the digital world. With a knack for simplifying the most intricate marketing strategies, Joshua is passionate about helping companies not only survive but thrive in today’s competitive landscape. He’s all about building strong relationships—whether it’s between a brand and its customers or within the teams that drive those brands forward. Through 95Visual, Joshua has empowered countless businesses to achieve their goals by combining creativity, technology, and a deep understanding of what makes each client unique.

    At 95Visual, we don’t just design websites—we craft digital experiences that engage, convert, and keep customers coming back. And under Joshua’s leadership, we’ve become known for our commitment to delivering value and forging lasting partnerships that extend far beyond a single project. Whether you’re looking to revamp your online presence, develop a robust lead nurturing strategy, or simply need guidance on your next digital marketing move, 95Visual is here to help you navigate your journey to success.

  • This Halloween please donate to the SCV Food Pantry! Your monetary donation helps us help others. Every dollar goes directly to feeding kids and students in our area! We are feeding over 7000 people per month from the Santa Clarita Valley and we need your help. We just started helping out the students at Calarts! https://app.joindeed.org/deeds/66f5a5da2397cb3618ba633c