•"3 Steps to Outlining Your Ultimate Lifestyle Vision (and Business)"
"3 Steps to Outlining Your Ultimate Lifestyle Vision (and Business)" Over the course of the last 3-4 years in my business, I've invested heavily in coaches, mentors, workshops, mastermind groups and kicking my own learning up a BIG notch. I did this not only to advance my own business but to help grow my client's businesses too.
I wanted to create a better life for myself. I wanted more freedom to be able to be with family, travel and to speak and inspire other entrepreneurs.
When I...
•"Social Networking 101 - How to Use It to Increase Your Business!"
You know how often I get asked about how effective social networking is for someone's business, from my clients or when I'm out networking from random business owners?? Hundreds a month.
It's amazing. It's amazing how many of us are on the social sites but also how many are not!
I think if you're an entrepreneur, no matter whether you do business locally or globally, you should be doing some amount of social networking as ONE source of lead generation in your business.
Of course there are...
•Who Can You Partner With
Who Can You Partner With to do a joint venture or earn affiliate commissions?
Do you have friends or peers that do regular promotions with complimentary businesses or maybe they earn additional income by referring certain companies or products?
This is what I'm referring to here.
First, if you're thinking "but I can't do that with my business" or some other negative thought is crossing your mind - GET RID OF IT! Every single person (not even business owner) can make money some how this...
•"Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?"
"Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?" I know for some of you 'control freaks' out there this one's gonna be tough for you. But read on! You might find how EASY this can be, really.
When I finally gave in to delegating from my extremely 'do-it-myself' mentality at first I admit it was a bit hard. I was always double checking things and everyone around me to make sure they were doing it 'right'. I probably drove my first Virtual Assistant absolutely NUTS!
However my coach at the time...
•"Why a Membership Business Model Might be Right for You"
Over the last couple years I've found out about a whole new business model that's one of the most ingenious models I've seen yet - memberships.
You put up a website, offer a bunch of valuable content on a particular topic and maybe offer monthly information in one form or another as well (spending a couple hours a month ...maybe...) and then you market the site and watch people become subscribers and pay you for your information!!
It's absolutely amazing!!
I know a ton of people doing...
•"What is Your Life Purpose?"
"What is Your Life Purpose?" For many entrepreneurs we start a business because we have a passion for delivering a product or service in some way or we want to make a bunch of money (it's nice if you can have both).
Then we go along in our businesses, day by day, working hard (and often long hours) at what we believe is our purpose or our mission (and hopefully we enjoy ourselves along the way).
It wasn't until about 6 or 8 months ago I really 'got it'. I started to understand what this...
•Got FAITH?
? So, do you have it? Do you really know what it is? Let me explain why I'm talking about this today. First of all, if you're listening to the news or gossiping about the economy it may be hard for you to live currently in complete faith that 'everything will work out in the end'. However if you are choosing to reject the recession like many of my friends and I then your faith is probably pretty well in-tact.
My friend Christine Kloser is writing a book called The Faith Formula to...
•"5 Ways to Use Testimonials in Your Marketing"
This is an obvious message for some of you but is it for all of you? Are there areas you're missing in your marketing where you could be utilizing testimonials in order to give you, your business and your products and services more credibility?
Using testimonials in your marketing in various ways is a F.R.E.E. way to compel people to buy from you so you really want to maximize your efforts.
First of course you have to HAVE testimonials to show. If you don't have any then ASK your customers...
•"Is This Online Information Marketing Business Model Right For You? - Step 3"
"Is This Online Information Marketing Business Model Right For You? - Step 3" In these series of articles I'm writing, I want to specifically talk about the 8 Steps to Starting Your Own Online Information Marketing Business. Because this is by far one of the only types of businesses out there that is still generating millions of dollars and doing it via the internet.
Now when I say develop new streams of revenue, I'm not talking about adding one or more network marketing type businesses...
•Is This Online Information Marketing Business Model Right For You?
? Now is NOT the time to sit around in your business holding on to your wallets and sitting frozen on what to do next. It's time to TAKE ACTION! No, I'm not suggesting you have to spend a lot of money either, although if you're really struggling or unsure of what to do, hiring a coach like me of course would be well worth the investment.
What I want you to look at though is your current business model. Is it the same as it was 5 years ago (or more!)? If so, I would suggest you look at some...
•21 Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs Make When Building Your Business!
I realize that when you first started your business you may not have thought about EVERYTHING that would be involved with running a successful business, right?
You had a passion and interest in a particular product or service that you could offer and that you believed others would want. But there's a LOT more to running a successful business than what meets the eye. Here are some very common mistakes I see my clients and others I meet making every month in their businesses. The ones who...
•"16 Crucial Website Must Haves"
This information was sparked by Ali Brown's Online Success Blueprint Workshop when she was talking about ideas of things to talk about in your ezines; I came up with this topic idea because every client that coaches with me either needs a new website or we need to update their current site - EVERY ONE! So, take a good look at your site for some of these...
Why does it matter who you choose to design your website or redesign the one you have? Because all web designers are NOT created equal!...
•Secrets for Holiday Promotions & Gifting
Is your business holiday friendly? Do you get busier during the holidays or are you slower due to the fact that people are not interested in purchasing your products and/or services at this time of year.
Holiday promotions can be a useful tool for any type of business. However, you will still want to be creative. For example, if you send your clients holiday cards around Christmas or other December holiday, your card will most likely be one of 25 (or more) cards that your client receives....
•"What do I do about all those Social & Biz Networking sites out there anyway?"
"What do I do about all those Social & Biz Networking sites out there anyway?" What a great question, huh? You know how often I get asked this question from my clients or when I'm out networking from random business owners?? Hundreds a month. They ask me:
Is it worth it to spend my time on the forums or having profiles on these sites? - Asking and answering questions? - Posting articles, events, info, polls? - Recording and posting videos, sending people requests to join my 'network' -...
•What does your Marketing Funnel look like?
? Ok, so your Marketing Funnel is wide open on the top and much smaller at the bottom. At the top of the funnel is where you want to get as MANY prospects in as possible. At the bottom of the funnel is your HIGHEST PRICED service or product. And in the middle are in-between levels of services/products and prices.
So as you go down the funnel, the products are priced higher and higher, and the idea is to keep people flowing down from the top to the bottom.
So the first thing you want to do is...
•Do you need a Swift Kick in the Butt to do your Follow Up?
? I guess I'll always keep having to talk about this but this week alone I had two new clients who didn't have a clue about what to do for follow up.
Does this sound familiar?
It's ok, if it does. I'm not here to criticize you - I'm here to help you.
So, how are you following up with your leads, prospects, referrals, clients, contacts and power partners?
First of all are all of those people even on your radar list to follow up with? That's the first step.
Here are some assumptions I'm...
•My Hottest Networking Tips!
Ok, first of all for you 'Savvy Networkers' I suppose you can skip this one - or can you?
I talk to hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs every month and you know what one of their biggest fears are as a whole? How to Network.
This is one of my favorite things to teach actually to my clients. I love helping them get more comfortable with the whole process of networking: - where to network - how to network - what to bring with you networking - what to say when networking - how...
•7 Ideas to Get You Started Offering a Bonus in order to Increase Your Bottom Line
What is a bonus you say? A bonus is something you offer as incentive at the end of a sales page/letter/email/web page to really add value to whatever you're selling or offering and entice them to buy now. What you're selling could be online or offline services and the bonus could be given offline or online, depending on how to save your time and money by giving it.
Consult with a Marketing specialist for more info if you're confused or want help on how to figure out how to add this to your...
•9 Strategies to Boost Your Sales Copy to Make More Money!
I know a lot of you HATE to act like salespeople or HATE to push your product or service, but if you don't do it and you don't have a sales team - WHO WILL DO IT??
That's why I recommend you learn the most effective ways to write a sales letter or email. This way at least you'll have effective copy working for you.
So, what is a sales letter? What do I mean? Its that long, scrolling page that you see on many websites these days that you sometimes don't even know what they're selling until...
•Volunteering or giving to charity to Boost Your Biz
So, do you?
Volunteering for non-profit events is one thing I really love to do. One reason is because I'm not yet in a position of extreme wealth in order to give a ton of cash donations which many organizations of course need. So, instead I volunteer my time because while that is still very precious to me, it's what I have to give and I fully believe in giving to others.
Because if you give - you will receive! So, I encourage my clients and friends to find places and organizations they can...
•Do you have trouble focusing?
? Do you have trouble focusing?
Focusing ON your business, rather than just IN it?
Where do you do your best, most productive work? Where do you come up with the BIG IDEAS? Where do you find it's easist for you to IMPLEMENT those big ideas?
A couple years ago, I thought it was just me. Just me who procrastinated those things I didn't want to do or didn't know how to do. Just me who got distracted with the dog in my face, my own personal needs (working out, massage, getting my nails done,...
•JumpStart Your Marketing Checklist
One thing I've found in my many years of entrepreneurship is that smart marketing is the key to success. I've worked with so many different types of small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants from all kinds of industries and no matter what the business is; I've found that if the person doesn't know how to market it and they don't get help to do so, the business just doesn't survive. The following 8 items are what I consider a good small business start up checklist; if you...
•How To: Take Your Small Business to the Next Level
You've built a successful business, you have an established customer base and you are well known in your geographical area or your industry or both; so now what do you do to stay ahead of the pack? How do you take your business to the next level?
Here are 9 ways to grow your business and take it to the next level:
1. Delegate Stop doing things in your business that don't directly make you money. Delegate them to an assistant or other professional to free up your time to work "ON" your...
•15 Ways to Improve Your Closing Ratios and Sales Presentations
Over the years, clients and friends have talked to me about their desire to improve their sales presentations and closing ratios. Your sales presentation, closing techniques and tactics can make or break your marketing. Therefore, it is not enough to do launching effective marketing campaigns to obtain new customers and to continually market to your existing database for more referrals and repeat business. In addition, you must be able to ask for and close the sale. Otherwise, it is a...
•The 9 Things You Will Want to Include in Your Email Newsletters
What makes the ones you read interesting or valuable to you? What kind of information does the author provide? Do catchy headings and photos attract your attention? Does fancy HTML attract your attention in the newsletter or do you become frustrated because of the long download time or drain on the space on your email? How much of this is important to your target audience? Remember, do not base your decisions solely on what you like or do.
Before you begin creating a newsletter for your...
•How to Establish Yourself as an Expert
Have you established yourself as an Expert in your field? If not, this is a great way to get added exposure, publicity and credibility for you and your business which will ultimately bring you more sales and more money!!
Many business professionals I know are so good at what they do but the problem is that everyone else doesn't know that about them. When you think about what kind of image you want to present to the public and business community - what is that? What do you look like (in...
•5 Tips on How to Manage Your Direct Mail Campaigns
Many business owners I know typically turn to a local office supply store such as Kinko's or Office Depot to help with their printing needs. Then, they generally assemble and prepare the materials themselves. Depending upon the number of mailers you need to send, this could be a time consuming and costly process. It is often much less expensive and time consuming to have a local printer, print broker or even online printer print the materials, and then to work with a local mailing house to...
•Avoid These 10 Design Disasters When Creating Your Business' Marketing Materials
Have you ever noticed how many articles there are relating to creating your own marketing materials? These articles concentrate on areas a business owner "should do," offering such clever advice as "know your audience," "say it with pictures" or "write clearly and distinctly." This is not bad advice. However, you should also know what not to do. This article focuses on just that. More specifically, it will address what most 'do-it-yourselfers' are tempted to, but should not do.
What Not to...
•How to Know Which Form of Advertising Will Work for Your Business
Are you spending a large portion of your budget advertising in The Yellow Pages, or another medium? Have you ever wondered if these types of advertising truly worked?
Unfortunately, in some industries, such as businesses that tend to get called in an emergency (e.g. plumbers, electricians, and dentists) you need to advertise in places such as the Yellow Pages. I say unfortunately because this type of advertising is so expensive. However, the majority of us may not need to use such...
•How Does Your Direct Mail Pull?
? Assuming you have a great graphic artist who designs your marketing materials, mailers and collateral (which is a big assumption, I know)...
Where do you go to get them printed and/or mailed? How do you know which messages will be better to use? How often should you send mail out to your list?
Many small business owners I know typically do mailings hap hazzardly, meaning they plan a promotion or sale quickly to get business in the door or plan a workshop to happen in 2 weeks and then they...
•Do You Need To Update Your Website?
? So, what do you think? Are you getting the most your website could bring?
Here are some questions to ask yourself (or your web designer or hosting company):
1. When is the last time you rewrote any of the copy or uploaded new content?
2. Have you maximized your pages for keywords for the search engines?
3. Do you have an opt in box on every page? Is it working?
4. Are you tracking your web stats to see how many people are coming to which pages, staying for how long, leaving on what page,...
•Speaking at Events to Boost your Biz
I started speaking at events like chamber of commerce small business luncheons, women's groups, sales meetings and leads group meetings about 3 years ago. I found that by doing so, it really catapulted me into more of an expert role in my industry. People looked to me as more of the go-to person for marketing in their area plus I got a lot more free publicity in the local papers and business journals.
Speaking can be a challenge for many in regards to the following:
- Who do you speak in...
•Market Research Strategies for Small Businesses
Have you ever done any market research? If not, you may be missing some valuable marketing ideas and information that you could capture by doing some research. Market research is a vital part of the process that most small businesses or start-ups neglect to do. However, it could be the single most important thing a new business does prior to formulating their business plan, location or marketing strategy.
Marketing research is the process of gathering data and opinions from consumers,...
•Top 10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Marketing Dollar$
Top 10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Marketing Dollar$ Here are the Top 10 Tips I give small business owners and entrepreneurs on a daily basis when I see them out at networking functions. These 10 things will be the least expensive and probably the most effective forms of marketing that you could do to promote your business.
1. Display your cards at coffee shops, book stores, businesses of people you know, membership stores like Costco and Sam's Club; all of these are free.
2. Hold an...
•What you may not know about SPAM
I'm not going to talk about how to GET RID OF SPAM in your inbox; I'm not going to talk about SPAM, the food (if you can call it that?). I'm talking about accusing others of SPAMMING.
You know I advocate doing your own ezine almost 100% of the time. And for the most part, this is a great part of your marketing. Of course we are becoming bombarded with more and more ezines, newsletters and articles and such every day in our inboxes.
Some of you (or not you, but other people...) may be just...
•How to Cold Call The Right Way to Build Your Small Business
In my many years of sales and marketing work with small businesses, many of them would ask me all kinds of questions about cold calling like the ones below. They would profess to be leery of doing it for fear of rejection or simply through fear of making the call. See if any of these resonate with you?
1. "Does cold calling really work?" 2. "I hate feeling like I'm being sold, so I want to learn how to come across less like a salesman." 3. "What's the MAIN purpose of cold calling anyway?"...
•Your Database is Your Most Important Marketing Tool
Databases are a small businesses most our most important marketing tool. The following article discusses how to ensure the data within your database is valid and reliable, how to systematize or automate your database marketing, and how to obtain a useful prospect or mailing list.
Whether you keep your contacts in Outlook, ACT, Goldmine, QuickBooks, Excel or another contact management program, the thing that matters most is that the database needs to be updated - new contacts should be added...
•What To Do During Slow Months
So, what do you do if your business is slower during some months?
Yes, you can make more cold calls, run more advertising or stand on the street corner waving a huge sale sign. Or, if it's going to be slow no matter what you do, then how about planning for next year? How about taking some career development courses/classes/seminars? How about boning up on your computer skills to find out how you can be more efficient in your business? What about doing things that take up a bunch of time...
•5 Questions to Consider for FREE or Low-Cost Publicity
1. Where do you go to get publicity? - Media, all local newspapers, magazines, trade magazines, business publications and local radio and television stations if you are doing something that involves a non-profit or charity as they normally only care about publicizing public service announcements. - Your chamber of commerce or other organizations you belong to. - Your clients and referral sources - Visitor's centers, Community centers, Senior centers, Neighborhood or Merchant Association
2....
•Do You Feel Like You're Running on a Hampster Wheel and You Don't Know How or Can't Get Off?
? Why do we always insist on doing it all?
I can't tell you how many clients and other business owners I see every month who continue to believe that THEY have to DO IT ALL.
I learned this lesson a couple years ago. When I hired my first assistant I thought I had to hire "an employee" so I got the insurance, worker's comp, payroll service and put an ad out.
I didn't even know what I could pay or for how many hours mind you at this time, I just knew in order to get more successful and get...
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