Browse Marketing Strategy

I was writing a bio for a client recently – a darn good bio – that showcased her expertise, her talent, and a bit of her quirky side. It was engaging and told “her story” in an authentic way and hopefully, would make prospects sit up and say, “I want to hire her!” Now…let’s backtrack a minute. Before I begin writing a bio or About Page for anyone, they must complete a two page questionnaire filled with juicy tidbits about their life – and some not so juicy, but necessary details.

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Staying focused and blocking out distractions is easier said than done. In addition to the myriad of requests, messages and tasks that have to be handled each day, you also have to fight against your own bad habits and tendencies. Figuring out what works for you can be a process of trial and error, OR you can adopt strategies that are tried and true. Following are 3 valuable tips on how to replace time-wasting activities with new habits that will empower you to be more productive, more focused and more effective during your work day:

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How many times have you checked your email inbox today? How many times throughout the day do you check for new messages? The answer to these questions is likely more often than you'd like to admit. The good news is, though... you're not alone! Most of the prospective clients and customers you are looking to do business with have similar habits. This means that your staying in touch with prospective clients, existing clients and referral partners via email is a very smart marketing strategy.

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Many entrepreneurs reach out to me for help because they have hit a wall and finally got sick of their perpetual state of overwhelm. Have you ever found yourself trying to figure out which way is up? Or perhaps you've been completely confused about what steps to take to grow your business? Remember that success in business (and marketing) follow a very simple method. Identify a problem and then offer a solution. Your ideal prospects have problems (or a compelling desire) and your business provides the solutions to those problem (or helps them create their desired result).

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Getting a straight answer when it comes to email marketing can feel like to trying to solicit tax advice from a four year-old. How the heck are you supposed to know who's wrong, who's right, what works, and what doesn't when it comes to your email marketing? If you take a quick look online, you'll quickly stumble upon expert debates on the topic. One marketing guru swears by long emails packed with information, while another insists upo "short and sweet" emails to increase conversions.

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As a small business owner, you've probably given some thought to your target market. After all, you're not trying to sell life-coaching services (or basket weaving classes, or SEO eBooks) to everyone in the world. Right? You're simply trying to sell your product or service to the people who want and need it most. Finding out who those people are, and learning to connect with them in a meaningful way, is what marketing is all about.

Published · 1,058 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Many entrepreneurs think the best marketing tactics cost a fortune and require budgets of thousands per month. The truth is that any small business owner with any budget can implement the following 3 marketing tactics with hardly any financial investment. The best part? These tactics are not only cost-effective, they’re the most effective ways to generate new business and keep current customers coming back. 1.Increase “word-of-mouth” referrals It’s an old adage for a reason: there really is no better marketing than word-of-mouth.

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Entrepreneurs generally have a lot in common. We're passionate about our work. We care deeply about delivering high quality products and services to the people who need us. We have a "never-say-die" spirit. Another thing we have in common is a bad habit of focusing on what went wrong. We often lose sight of the great things that went RIGHT, especially when it comes to reviewing our activity over a period of time. When you focus on the negative, you can make growing your business much more difficult than it needs to be.

Published · 1,152 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

When it comes to writing your Web site content, print ads, brochures, etc., are you keeping in line with what your competitors are saying…or are you standing out from the crowd? Many people use the same overused (and meaningless) words and phrases that everyone else uses. These include (and there are many more): • Lowest price • Best service • Highest quality • Most professional • Largest selection • Family owned • Most reliable • In business for 50 years

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Finding new prospects for your business is similar to dating. At the first encounter there is a level of attraction that causes a person to want to get know more about the individual who has caught their attention. After learning more about this attention grabbing person, a decision is made as to whether or not it is even worth pursuing a deeper relationship.

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If you would like a tool that gives you instant access to data that you have collected, you have no need to look any further tha Eve ote. Why can this be an effective tool for your Virtual Assistance business? Keep Track of Everything Eve ote has so many cool features that you just cannot get enough of using this awesome app! You can track absolutely everything that comes to your mind. One of the first things that you may want to do with Eve ote is to start saving data so that you can see how easy it is to collect information.

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Right now, at this very minute, there is an ideal prospect perusing the Internet, intently looking for the answer to a question that you could answer in 30 seconds flat. If you were able to connect with that individual and chat with them about their needs and their goals, it's quite likely that at some point in the conversation they would inquire about the products and services you offer, which would provide you with an opportunity to make a sale.

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Building a business is a fantastic and challenging experience. You can wake up exhilarated to begin your day and go to bed feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. The key to success is to maintain a positive "yes, I can do it" mindset. Easier said than done, right? Here are 5 keys to help you create and sustain a positive mindset so you attain the success you desire:

Published · 1,071 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

You want to build your email list. You also want to grow your social media following. While both marketing techniques can be effective in and of themselves, using them together gets you better results. If you have a large following on Facebook or Twitter, just imagine being able to capture the email addresses of all those prospects - people who have already indicated interest in your brand! Similarly, being able to leverage your email list to increase and engage social followers is also an incredibly beneficial marketing technique.

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It’s not what you want to discover after you’ve spent days – weeks even – creating a new info product and it’s simply not selling. Before you throw in the towel, check out these 7 areas. rn#1 Keywordsr Is your product easily found? Your product solves a problem – if you had this problem, what keywords would you type into Google to find the solution? Check it out; do you come up? If not, who does come up? Your competitors or something completely off target? Ensure the words and phrases people are actively using to search for your products are integrated naturally into the content.

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A webinar is one of the most involved – and most rewarding – arrows in your marketing quiver. Because webinars include a lot of moving parts like opt-in pages, social integration, audio/visual components, and slide shows, it’s no wonder that many small business owners commit these 7 common webinar mistakes when first getting started. Here’s what NOT to do when creating and marketing your webinar: 1. One-off Marketing

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You get it. You need to be sending a regular email newsletter to stay in touch with prospects, create sales opportunities and increase engagement with your audience. What happens as soon as you hit send? You start looking at your reports to see who and how many people are opening your message! Have you struggled with your email marketing because sometimes your emails get high open rates, while other times no one on your list can be bothered to open them? It could be a problem with your subject lines.

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Why do some of your emails get high open rates, while others sit in people's inboxes collecting dust? If your open rates and click-through rates are inconsistent, it could be because you're not following a strategic email blueprint. This article will outline the specific elements that should be included each and every time you email your list. The more consistent you are in including these items, the more consistent your open rates will be! Email Body

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Email campaigns are a highly effective way to deliver interesting and valuable content to every prospective, current and past customer. They provide the perfect medium for the personal touch you need to create incredible relationships - the kind of relationships that build trust and earn you income, not just once, but consistently over time.

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Feeling hesitant about what you're trying to accomplish affects all of us at one time or another. If you're ready to own your value and create more success in your business, it's time to move away from "I don't know if I can do this... " to "This is what I'm going to accomplish!"

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You see the need to stay in touch with your clients, prospects and supporters. You likely have great intentions of doing so. But for some reason, getting your newsletter out the door consistently just isn't happening. You might be time crunched (but who isn't), don't have a clue what to write about (I've been there) or maybe just struggle to finish the projects you start. The good news is, it's not that difficult to put a newsletter together and it can actually be fun! Especially if you take the lazy way out! Here's how to do it: 1. Decide what (and how) to write

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With Canada’s new Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), it’s hard for some businesses to get their message in front of new prospects – but it doesn’t have to be. It’s true; you can’t email a commercial message without permission. But you can mail a letter – the old fashioned way – through Canada Post. Marketing letters have never gone out of style. When everyone’s inbox is cluttered with unsolicited messages, mailing a letter stands out – but only if you do it properly. These 6 tips will ensure your letter not only gets opened, but it will get read. #1 Know the decision maker.r

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I'm often asked, "Sydni, how do you find so many great opportunities to grow your business?" So I want to share a behind the scenes story of how we walk our talk and open new doors for ourselves to attract the perfect clients for our business:

Published · 656 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

I often see entrepreneurs looking at their proverbial glass as half empty instead of half full. They might say: • If I only had the connections that person has... • If I only had the experience that person has... • If I only had the personality that person has... The list could go on and on. This type of thinking can sabotage a person in many ways, but perhaps the most critical is that it can cause you to overlook priceless opportunities that are available right in front of you. Instead of focusing what you don't have, focus on what you DO have.

Published · 833 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

You need to have strong email marketing systems in place in order to effectively monetize your email list. Why? Because sending out email marketing without having systems in place is like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks. Without systems, your email: -Might get opened, it might not.rn-Might get sent on a Wednesday, or maybe a Friday. That is, if you remember to do it in the first place.rn-May do more harm than good in terms of creating strong relationships with your list members.

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Doesn't it feel great to receive commendation for the work you do? There's nothing better than knowing you've truly made a difference in someone's life or business and have helped them reach a new level of success. Even better than your personal feelings is the fact that receiving positive feedback from your clients creates social proof for prospective clients. This is one of the reasons websites like YELP are so popular. Like it or not, the folks who are considering hiring you are going to details about what it's like to work with you.

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You don't have to be a professional event planner to host a workshop or seminar that gets you clients and generates new streams of revenue. However, you do need to pay close attention to the details! Put your attendees' needs first Dates, times, locations and dress codes, these are things your attendees will need to know. It only takes one uninformed (or worse, misinformed) attendee to turn a perfect night into a ruined relationship or a missed opportunity for your organization.

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Have you ever presented a product or service offer to your audience that you were beyond excited about? But then quickly found out you were the only person excited about it because very few (or no one) expressed an interest? (This has happened to us a few times. You live and learn, right!)

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Let's face it. Most folks go to a networking event hoping to close new business. Is that the case with you? If so, then you need a plan to make this happen. Simply showing up and collecting a few business cards is NOT going to create new money in your business.

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Ka-boom! You've just had a brilliant idea for a new product. You rush to get all your ideas down on paper, shell out thousands to your web designer, and start building a new business that you're sure is going to change lives (not to mention make you a millionaire!) Six months later no one's buying, and you end up disheartened, disillusioned, and broke. What did you do wrong? You failed to consider your prospects' pain points. Keep reading to learn: -Why you should never start a business without a problem in mind -How to tell the difference between a problem and a pain pointr

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"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain What makes you different? One thing that makes humans amazing is that there are not (and never have been) two people that are exactly alike. Try matching your fingerprints or dental impressions to anyone who has ever lived. It's impossible! You are absolutely unique. Your business is absolutely unique. So, why is it that your business looks similar to every other business in your industry?

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After being in business for 7 years, we have learned what it takes to grow a successful business. We had no idea when we started our first Virtual Assistance business that friends, family and associates would constantly ask the same question: "How did you do it?" Every single day of the week, we have new members join our community and ask a sought-after question. That question is, "How do I get clients?" Follow along as I share some foundational work that you can copy and start to implement today. If I were a new Virtual Assistant trying to grow a business, I would do the following:

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Many people are fed up and are looking for another way to support themselves financially. Does this sound familiar to you? It is possible that you have reached your limit of dealing with office politics, feeling unappreciated by your superiors, or just tired of the monotonous grind that you have experienced ever day for a number of years.

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You can become a very successful Virtual Assistant if you focus on the right things at the right time. For example, if you are interested in becoming a virtual assistant but have not yet started your business, that is the perfect time to focus on YOU. Here are some things that you want to consider. You Focus Do you have: 1. The right mindset to become a business owner? 2. The ability to persevere through stress? 3. A strong desire to succeed? 4. Enough knowledge to make sure that starting a business is a good step for you?

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Email marketing is, by far, the most cost effective online marketing strategy around. A recent statistic I read shared that for every $1 spent, $44.25 is the average return on email marketing investment. (Source: Experian) To utilize email marketing, however, of course you must have a list of people to send your emails to. In addition, you need to be continually looking for ways to get more strategic and creative about how you build your list.

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Even if you're not currently offering a lead magnet on your website, you've probably seen them before - a free report for opting into an email newsletter, a free music download for filling out a survey, and so on. Some small business owners go to great lengths to offer dynamic lead magnets, or as we like to call them "problem solving gifts". They put in lots of time and money to create a product or service that they could, in essence, sell for a profit. But instead of selling the solution, they give it away to build credibility and generate leads.

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Networking. Love it or not, when done correctly, it's one of the easiest and fastest ways to attract ideal clients and increase your revenue. Entrepreneurs who don't enjoy networking often feel that way because they have convinced themselves that they aren't good at it. Another common reason for resisting in-person networking is that some haven't enjoyed the results they expected.

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Just like closets and cupboards, marketing strategies and assets can accumulate clutter over the course of the year - It's time for some spring cleaning. My friends over at PR Web shared with me three great tips on how to make sure your marketing is current, polished, and efficient: 1. Clean up your lists

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So often, it isn't a lack of knowledge that prevents service professionals from achieving their business and marketing goals. Instead, a lack of focus and motivation are more often the culprits. You may be a person who knows exactly what you need to be doing. You possess the knowledge, but not enough confidence in your ability to make it happen and succeed as an entrepreneur.

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Content marketing. Yep, that's it. Plain and simple. What is Content Marketing? Award winning content marketer Amanda Maksymiw defines it this way: "Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to a target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers." Understand that your customers don't care about you, your products, or your services. They care about themselves, their wants and their needs.

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Many businesses have characteristics that are similar to any stock market in the world; there are ups and downs. When you experience a downturn, the culprit may be a slow drip of revenue, which means a slow drip of closed business from very few leads. Your goal, then, is to get in front of more leads, convert leads to clients and create systems around making this your business habit. Here's how you do it:

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For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, email marketing remains something of a mystery. You know you're supposed to be emailing your list, but when? How often? And what about? Choosing a great email program takes a lot of the guess-work out of email marketing, because you can measure exactly how your emails are being received by potential clients and customers. For example, you might enjoy a 33% open rate when you share your latest blog post, but only an 11% open rate when you send an email pushing a product or service you're trying to sell.

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Are you currently using webinars as part of your content marketing strategy? If not, you may have an outdated idea of exactly what a webinar is and just how powerful webinars can actually be. In the past, webinars were used primarily for product demonstrations and to usher customers through a company's sales funnel. Today, webinars are being used for everything from list-building and panel discussions to interactive courses and mastermind groups.

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Every (and I do mea EVERY) business - including yours - has the potential to be immediately more profitable. Unfortunately, many times we are unable to see the opportunities in front of us because we buried in the minutia of our daily task list. So how do you dig out the hidden treasure in your business? How do you tap into those "well... duh!" opportunities that are right in front of you? Here are a few areas of business to investigate:

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Did you know that it takes approximately 7 interactions with a prospective client before they buy from you?

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Creating and marketing a great webinar is tough. Choosing a webinar hosting platform shouldn't be. That's why we've researched the top-selling webinar hosting platforms on the Internet and compiled this handy list of pros and cons for each. We reviewed each application and evaluated the following: -Cost and value for the money -User-friendliness -Tech support and tutorials -Video streaming options -Integration with social media and other websites -Webinar marketing assistance

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If you’ve never created a webinar before, the thought of webinar marketing can be really intimidating. You’re probably wondering... • How will I work out the technical aspects of holding a webinar? • How do I give people access to the webinar? • What platform should I use for hosting the webinar? • What should the webinar be about, anyway? • How do I get people to attend my webinar? Don’t worry! While webinars are certainly more technically involved than other types of content marketing, once you get the first one under your belt you’ll be off to the races.

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Let's be honest! If you look back at the previous 12 months of your life, do you find things that are noteworthy or humdrum? Noteworthy - (adjective) Significant or unusual. Examples of things that are noteworthy: • Accomplishing meaningful goals. • Building or repairing important relationships. • Breaking through a paralyzing limiting belief. Humdrum - (adjective) Lacking excitement or variety; dull; monotonous. Examples of things that are humdrum: • Allowing hours, days and months to pass you by without making quality contributions to your life or that of others.

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Top-notch salons and spas provide value by giving their clientele exactly what they need. Follow these steps to create offers your clients can't refuse. 1. Learn about your clients Giving your clients exactly what they need starts with understanding their needs. The easiest way to do that is with a survey. Surveys are the perfect way to find out what is most important to your clients and how you can best serve them.

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There is no doubt about it - just the basic fact of being a vendor at the farmers market will generate sales. However, there is also lots of competition at the market, where many vendors may offer the same or similar types of produce. Ideally, you want customers to remember exactly who they purchased from, to be able to tell their friends and family about you, and even become a customer outside of the market if that is an option you offer.

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Skype is open. Instant message programs are pinging. Your unread email count is rising. Your browser has 8 tabs open. There are 5 documents open on your desktop. Your calendar alerts are popping up and you stop to send a quick text. Sound familiar? You probably think you're being efficient, but you're not. Multitasking is a big mistake and it's hurting your productivity. Which in turn is hurting your profits. Consider these startling statistics that highlight the negative effects of multitasking:

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You've made the decision and signed the contract to be an exhibitor at an upcoming event. To increase your success keep the following in mind. -Be recognizable and branded.

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Just as with any great first impression, it has to happen in the first ten seconds or you’ve missed your opportunity – sometimes forever. And grabbing attention in a media release is no different. You have to hook the reader immediately so they will continue to read through until the very ...

Published · 1,443 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Referrals are the lifeblood of your business. You need a consistent flow of referrals from your existing clients to achieve your weekly sales goals. A well designed referral program taps into your clients' networks rather than relying on you to make one-on-one connections. Don't be one of those spas or salons who leaves this to chance or throws together a program without much thought. Instead, create a system to generate referrals with grace, efficiency and consistency.

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Being successful as an entrepreneur requires one to take initiative and maintain a spirit of innovation. You can't sit back and wait for clients and a steady income to be handed to you. Instead, you have to get out there and create the opportunities you're looking for. If you are looking to enroll more clients into your practice, increase your income or create more flexibility in your schedule, I have a question for you. What are you actually doing EACH WEEK to create this reality?

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How often have you seen an announcement for a course, eBook or teleseminar presented by an amazing duo? Instead of wishing you were part of an incredible partnership, take the steps to form one on your own. It's easier than you think. The benefits of partnering for a project are enormous. Partnerships will expose your work to new audiences increasing your reach much faster than you ever could on your own. Many people in your partner's audience will become part of your tribe. Growing your audience leads to increased profits.

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Have you ever heard a marketing consultant tell you that you need to identify your ideal client profile? Most folks start thinking about demographics: age, education, income level, marital status and occupation. But defining your ideal client goes beyond what the census bureau measures. In order to really fill your books with ideal clients, you need to think about the personality traits, hobbies and interests of your clients. The more you know about the people you serve the better you can targeted your marketing efforts for your salon or spa.

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Webinars are a great way to build your audience - they give you an opportunity to "show and tell", which builds trust and credibility for your business. With webinars, you also have the opportunity to partner with another business offering complementary products and services, which can build your following even faster by getting exposure to their audience. Whether you're just starting out or have been in business for a number of years, additional profits for your business await you when you partner with another professional. Follow these simple tips to make it happen:

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I don't know a single entrepreneur who isn't busy and on the go these days. Folks who are struggling to grow their business often lament that they don't market like they should because they don't have enough time.

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With the myriad of options available to market your small business, it's quite easy to become overwhelmed in trying to figure out where you should focus your attention. Let me help you simplify the process. First, consider, who is an ideal client for YOUR business. This is critical, because you cannot be all things to all people. (I know you think everyone and anyone needs your service. But that is simply NOT true. The quicker you accept that, the more successful your business will be).

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Entrepreneurs are great at coming up with ideas! But we're not always very good at following through and turning our ideas into reality. Too many business owners fall in love with an idea or project, but then quickly become overwhelmed when it's time to execute. Thus they give up and never reap the rewards they were so eagerly seeking in the first place! Overwhelm leads to paralysis and unfinished projects. Don't let this keep happening to you! You need a better way to approach your goals. Follow these five steps to reach your goals and create more success in your small business.

Published · 977 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Creating a marketing video for your business used to mean booking time with a professional studio and paying a hefty price tag. Now you can do many of the same things using your own smartphone. Whether you have an iOS or Android device, you can use your smartphone or tablet as your personal video studio to craft content that speaks to your target audience. But in order to get started, you need the right apps. There are several video recording apps to choose from for your smartphone. Here are a few of your best options. For iOS Devices:

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In order to grow your business and achieve your goals, you have to streamline your activities and focus your efforts. What does this look like on a practical level? Learn to Say "No." It means that you're going to have to say "no" to any nonessential activities in your business, in your personal life and in your day that are distracting you from what you need to do in your business.

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Timing…oh what a controversial subject! Timing can mean the difference between success and failure for getting media exposure. There are a lot variables including time of year, what your competitors are doing, current trends in your industry, whether it’s good news or bad news, and the list goes on. To start, find out what the deadlines are for the various media during your initial research for publications and editors.

Published · 1,325 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 2 votes

Do you attend local networking events? Being part of formal referral and networking groups has been a big part of my success in growing two successful businesses in the past 6 years. Keep in mind that your networking doesn't have to be limited to official events. I've used a terrific technique lately that is low-stress, low-pressure and very effective for connecting with new prospects. Here's what I do: • I create a list of businesses in the area that would be a good fit for my services.

Published · 889 views

Growing vegetables seems so natural - the right thing to do. But it's not really that simple. At first the beginner gardener thinks they will just find a patch of soil and throw in some plants. But I know, and you probably know better, that there are many factors in making a garden successful. Soil, fertilizer, sun, moisture, weather conditions, spacing of the plants, bugs, pests, etc. all need to be considered.

Published · 611 views

Having a story printed about you and your business is the best form of FREE advertising there is. Why you ask? Because it’s believable. A news story in a local or national publication can give more details about your business in a way that allows your expertise to shine. People skim ...

Published · 1,306 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

I've organized and executed lots of events for different reasons over the years. Events are both exciting and exhausting. But why do them? The #1 benefit of events is they bring FOCUS. Everybody gets wrapped up in events - those leading the charge, fellow staff or volunteers helping out, customers, and the media. (Who knows maybe your animals on the farm get excited when they know they are going to be greeted by hordes of children.)

Published · 808 views

There are some moral values like honesty, truth, sincerity, to help others and welfare of humanity. Humans are divided in many categories according their race, religion, community caste and so on. But after all this, there is one thing, and that brings them together to think about their earth, their environment, and for peace of world and that thing is philanthropy. What is Philanthropy? Philanthropy means the spirit of well being for others, to be helpful to others. Philanthropy means do well and forget.

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Think for a few minutes about the last book that you have read. How long has it been since you started or completed a book? Reading deeply and widely can help you tremendously in your Virtual Assistance business. Let's take a look at several of the benefits that you can gain from picking up a book (or iPad or Nook or Kindle).

Published · 1,115 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Making a decision on whether to participate in a conference or trade show can be difficult. Organizers may show you charts outlining all of the amazing benefits. You may feel pressured to respond because of an early bird deadline that is about to expire. There are only x number of spots left and you don't want to miss out!

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Do you find it hard to believe that you can create or accomplish anything that you want? I used to have that problem. When growing up, I was very shy. My shyness stemmed from feelings of inadequacy. I always thought, "I'm not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, fast enough... " etc.

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Webinars are a prime way to build your audience and establish trust, but there's a right way and a wrong way to go about doing them. By making sure your webinar provides value, and leaves participants wanting more of what you have to offer, you can get the most out of this form of marketing. 1. Selecting the Right Content Focus Your participants will get the most value out of a webinar that is focused and on point. Avoid overwhelming your participants with everything that you know about a subject.

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"Old-school" business marketing ideas can still help you greatly in your quest to bring in more ideal clients to your business. In today's post, learn about 3 ways you increase business.

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So, you want to be tomorrow’s headliner. Every day, you’re working in your business dealing with clients, selling products or services, and it seems to be the “same old same old.” Things are going okay, but there’s nothing new to report. Nothing exciting going on! How are you supposed to get ...So, you want to be tomorrow’s headliner. Every day, you’re working in your business dealing with clients, selling products or services, and it seems to be the “same old same old.” Things are going okay, but there’s nothing new to report. Nothing exciting going on!

Published · 1,681 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Yes, there are many differences between writing articles to promote your business and writing a media release to garner free publicity. And it may seem obvious, but sometimes I just have to say it…the main difference is “audience.” And of course, what follows is audience expectations. But let’s start with the 7 similarities between writing an article and writing a media release.

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Developing high quality content is a critical component to being successful with your marketing efforts. At the very least you need to decide what to say on your business card and on your website. If you decide to blog you've got to figure out what to write there, and participating in social media requires a steady stream of interesting, engaging and results focused content. So, what are you to do if you have ZERO writing skills and don't even particularly like to write? A few things:

Published · 946 views

Entrepreneurs generally have a lot in common. We're passionate about our work. We care deeply about delivering high quality products and services to the people who need us. We have a "never-say-die" spirit. Another thing we have in common is a bad habit of focusing on what went wrong. We often lose sight of the great things that went RIGHT, especially when it comes to doing a year end review. When you focus on the negative, you can make growing your business much more difficult than it needs to be.

Published · 1,166 views

Uncover the 7 small business advertising ideas that will help you grow your business to a huge success. Having a variety of small business advertising ideas at your fingertips is a necessity for any business owner who wants to build his business and succeed in his niche. While there are literally hundreds of ways to advertise your small business, focusing on a select few proven ideas will deliver the best results. Here are 7 quality small business advertising ideas to help you meet your goals. Work with a Complementary Business

Published · 745 views

The term analysis paralysis is fitting when a person over-analyzes a situation to the point where a decision is avoided or action is not taken, thus paralyzing the outcome. Success ALWAYS responds to decisive action. So even if an action you take leads to an outcome you didn't expect, it doesn't mean you've made a mistake. The goal is to create results! Make this easy on yourself! Instead of wasting time and energy worrying about which step to take next, review what you've done in the past to help determine what you should be doing now and into the future.

Published · 1,030 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Many have thought that graphic designing and web designing are just the same but in reality, they are both different aspects of designing and creating a spectacular website. Starting with their similarities first and why every internet marketer needs them, it’s because graphic and web designing creates identity. In the Internet, it’s all about creating a name of your own in terms of unique images and design for people to easily grasp and remember. The more you please people with what they see, the more you interest them on what you’re trying to sell.

Published · 640 views

The only place where the more traffic you have, the better, is in the Internet. This only means that your website is busy with people directed on it every day. For new online entrepreneurs out there, generating traffic on your own is going to be stressful- especially if you have no idea where to start and what to do. The moment you set up your website, you aren’t even halfway done yet. If you want a way to do it fast and easy, try search engine optimisatio Birmingham’s service.

Published · 515 views

Running an online business still needs its own marketing strategies. Setting up a website isn’t enough since it’s only the first step in making it big in the online business industry. Like any other business that seeks publicity, what you need is advertising. But for small businesses that are just starting out, there must be something that wouldn’t cost too much.

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It's time to be honest! Are you really spending the time you need to each day on growing your business? Or are you getting distracted with time wasters like surfing the Internet, hanging out on Facebook or other busy work that isn't leading to profits?

Published · 916 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

As you think back over the last year of your business, are you pleased with your results? I hope so. I am proud of what you accomplished and you should be too! Are there some goals that you didn't quite reach? If so, you're not alone! Being goal oriented and stretching yourself is part of being an entrepreneur. But, for a variety of reasons, sometimes you miss the mark and don't get the exact results you were looking for.

Published · 885 views

Do you ever scream after working with a particular client? It is not the end of the world when you find yourself in a working relationship that is well, NOT working. I would really love to help you avoid (or get out of) a bad client situation. How can you do it? Know what you HATE To help me stay focused on only working with ideal clients (meaning those folks with whom I can do my BEST work and create the BEST possible results), I've developed a simple system that you too can model.

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Have you ever noticed on some treadmills that there is a setting called the "fat burning" zone? Theoretically, if you keep your pace, speed and incline at a certain level, you will maximize your work and keep your body in its prime "fat burning" zone. Which is obviously the goal if you are spending some time on a treadmill - you want slim, trim, tangible results!

Published · 879 views

Do you remember the goals that you set for 2012? How are you doing with being on track with those? I am asking you this for a VERY important reason. I want you to focus on your goals, remember them and crush them! Every year, people in general start the year off with fascinating expectations. But what normally happens to those expectations, goals or aspirations? By March or April, the target often becomes blurry and the objective is not accomplished.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you want your target market to be giddy over your services and products. You are in the business of serving others and you want to help as many ideal clients as you could possibly manage. Right?

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One of the most important elements of profitable marketing is often the most difficult for solo service professionals to maintain. That is sharing your solutions consistently. To keep your pipeline filled with ideal clients who happily and readily pay for your solutions, you MUST market your business regularly (meaning EVERY week...YES, that often).

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I often hear entrepreneurs making this excuse about why they aren't marketing their business consistently: "I don't have enough time to market Sydni!" I'll refrain from going off on a rant about making excuses (and how that correlates to how successful you are in business), but I will say that we are each gifted 24 hours each day. How you choose to spend that time is entirely up to you. But you can easily buy more time to help you specifically with your marketing. "How is that?" you ask.

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A well-written news release is a powerful tool that can give your business the free publicity money can’t buy. Publicity is the most effective way to gain customers. It differs from advertising, as you can’t control the message or the timing, but the benefit is great. A news story ...A well-written news release is a powerful tool that can give your business the free publicity money can’t buy.

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No matter where you are…or what you’re doing…you could be asked, “What do you do?” Do you mumble an incoherent answer or simply stumble over words, leaving the inquirer confused. When it’s your turn to stand before a group of your peers and inspire others to ...No matter where you are…or what you’re doing…you could be asked, “What do you do?” Do you mumble an incoherent answer or simply stumble over words, leaving the inquirer confused.

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As an online entrepreneur you must admit that you cannot handle your business all on your own. Even though this is done online now and the legwork might be easier than setting up an actual branch, internet marketing still has its own tasks that require skills and strategies- one of these would be marketing.

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Thanks to the Internet, local businesses nowadays have the power to expand their marketing strategies online without paying such a high price. The World Wide Web has opened opportunities for small businesses to set up their own websites and use the Internet’s potential at its fullest to earn huge amounts of success. However, though there are millions of hopefuls who want to make a big break in the online world, only quite a few have succeeded. The reason why there are others who fail is that they don’t know what they’re exactly doing.

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Every entrepreneurs dream is to be successful in what he/she does. It’s great to have something you have worked hard for and see it prosper. When it comes to internet marketing, of course every businessman’s goal is to have a website that has massive traffic and earnings. But it’s easily said than actually done.

Published · 611 views

Aside from creating an effective branding design where people can instantly grasp the message you’re trying to convey, internet traffic is another factor that needs major prioritization. Having an amazing looking website is not enough most especially if no one lands on your page.

Published · 881 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

The Internet provides a large number of ways for an entrepreneur to earn huge profits online but it still depends on how you set everything up. The internet may seem a little too easy to use because of its features but having an online business doesn’t work that way. Like the actual business management, you need to have your own strategy. It’s all about beating the competition- and this time you’re dealing with a broader challenge.

Published · 552 views

Birmingham is one of the leading metropolitans in London and its business district is doing quite well as time passes. Along with the businesses’ ongoing success, more entrepreneurs and even the beginners in the field, are venturing out into online marketing. It’s a great way to expand business in terms of the internet’s advantageous features. However, when it comes to starting up an online business, you need to make prior investments as well. It’s not a smooth sailing trip at first, but with the success it brings afterwards, you and your business will feel like paradise.

Published · 799 views

The number of local businesses that are searching for companies that can offer search engine optimisation is continuously increasing making service providers such as SEO Birmingham broaden their accessibility to the public. Search engine optimisation is the process of increasing a website’s ranking on search engine listings. Search engines are basically going to be your primary source of traffic in the internet. However, you need to come up with a method in order to get the web traffic you need.

Published · 876 views

If you’re an internet marketer and are just getting started in the online industry, try placing yourself in an internet user’s shoes. Analyse how they think for a while and consider the facts on what they usually do while their online. These kinds of basic information might help you in terms of improving your online marketing skills. Bear in mind that even though the internet gives you more accessibility at a lesser price, you still have to create your own unique marketing strategies. And a great example of this is through having amazing websites.

Published · 625 views

Birmingham is London’s busiest city. With a huge population and labelled as one of UK’s business hubs, the city’s entrepreneurial performance continuous to take it up a notch every now and then. One of the current marketing trends that local businesses opt nowadays is internet marketing. Because of this, graphic designing professionals became greatly needed in the industry.

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The modern world is composed of a busy lifestyle that always needs to be on the go. Times have changed and there are certain things that people choose to do quickly in order to complete their errands for the day. Along with modernisation, technology advancement came along with it and one of its greatest innovations is the internet. Because of the World Wide Web, the world suddenly became smaller and things that involved communications became so much faster. This advancement in media and communications has brought marketing to a whole new level.

Published · 621 views

Amongst the a choice of advertising services on the web, articles are believed to be sensible for every short and durable changes There is no denying that a good, significant and distinctive writing has the power to formulate traffic and attract the affection of the readers. An article that propagates the words about you and your company is a reputable article. By considering at most successful cyberspace website all these occasions, you will most likely observe that it has diverse and good articles.

Published · 756 views

Web design can be interpreted in a lot of ways. As design is an ever-growing culture, we continue to find ways on how to construe our thoughts and turn it into something visible for the others to connect with as understand. Since a design has the capacity to convince and connect with someone, it has been one of the major aspects of marketing.

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If you’re an online entrepreneur and you’re finding ways for effective branding, you should prioritise your design first. Branding and design are two inseparable partners in the world of marketing. Consider the ads and how they’re presented. Every business needs to come up with a unique and entertaining design in order to amuse its viewers. Eventually, after it catches attention, it psychologically convinces them that this is the right product or service for them.

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Hiring a web designer that can cover all your internet marketing needs in terms of website operation, design and maintenance is still an asked question these days. There are still internet marketers out there who are doubtful of hiring such services because they’re afraid that it would only lead to a failed investment. However, before deciding that a web designer’s skill isn’t really needed when starting up an online business, consider all the services they can offer first.

Published · 655 views

Most service professionals know that they need to market their business consistently to get great results. But knowing and doing are two very different things. It can seem challenging to market consistently when you’re so busy serving your clients, actually running your company, and trying to take care of and enjoy the other aspects of your life.

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What we think our clients want and what they actually want can be vastly different. The only way to create offerings that are easy for them to say yes to and solve their problems is to find out for sure. And the easiest way to do that is to ask them! When you ask your audience what they need, it paints a clear picture of how you should position your business and your solutions in a way that appeals to them. So how do you come to understand what your clients really want?

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You've heard me say it before. Marketing is simply a matter of sharing solutions with people who are already looking for them. So, the point of your marketing messages is to encourage your prospective clients to take the next step with you: hire you to help them solve their problems.

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Inflatable Product Replicas Punch Up Your Product Launch There are literally hundreds of thousands of new products launched every year. The enormous task of bringing these products to the attention of the public falls in the laps of business owners and/or marketing directors. Your choices for promotion may seem obvious. There's the traditional mass mailing. You could opt for a coupon insert in the local papers. Or you could break the mold and add one (or all) of these 3 product launch ideas to the mix and see primo results. 1. Point-of-Purchase, Inflatable Product Replicas

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Building your business and growing it to support the lifestyle you want is the whole point of becoming an entrepreneur. The first step in doing so is to define what success means for you. Perhaps it means that you work a certain schedule. Have the ability to travel extensively. Or maybe it has to do with the amount of income you generate. Be OK with whatever success means to you and resist the urge the be influenced by what the "gurus" say you should be doing. Instead, focus your efforts on bringing your vision of success to life! This means taking action to works towards your goal.

Published · 917 views

Whether you work in pro, high school or college sports marketing and promotions, one of your primary goals is to increase attendance. If you have no fans in the stands, everything else suffers. Admission revenues decline; concession stand income is reduced, and sponsors lose interest. The question has always been: How do I boost team spirit and attendance in a way that won't break my bank? Inflatables get the job done.

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Outdoor events, in and of themselves, are special just because they take place outside. What many event coordinators may forget is that outdoor events require special care in several areas to ensure visitors remain comfortable and have fun. The most important factor is the weather. Whether winter, spring, summer or fall, most events are planned too far in advance to account for the possibility of inclement weather. It's important to be prepared and have a backup plan.

Published · 829 views

Your subject line can make or break your email marketing efforts. With the right subject line, you'll make an impact with your list members and encourage them to open your email and take a look inside. Also, you can increase your sales, deepen your connection and be more valuable to the recipients of your messages. There are four simple steps to creating more profitable subject lines: 1. Get to the Point

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The Internet is a place where you can do what you want to do and be what you want to be- virtually. Since the dawn of the virtual era, people's lives have changed drastically. From how they perform work to how they express their feelings. Everything has gotten so fast. E-mail in seconds, uploading photos instantly, sharing videos- everything is interactive. Internet really does play a huge role for those who work- and play.

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Let me ask you a question. What's the key to successful event marketing? Without a doubt, it's standing out in a crowd. Among the thousands of people milling around, you have to find some way to get noticed. However, this seems to be a notion most people miss. Just look around at the next tradeshow you attend. Same old, tired exhibits are what you'll see at most booths. That's a shame because with a little effort, custom inflatables can transform your exhibit from ordinary to outstanding.

Published · 1,674 views

If you want to fill your pipeline with prospects and increase your income, you have to speak the language of your ideal clients. When you speak their language, you'll be able to connect with them on a deeper level and show that you understand their problems. Some solo professionals struggle with describing what they do in a way that connects with their clients - but if you take the following three steps you'll be able to avoid this struggle. You can connect with more people who need what you have to offer.

Published · 521 views

There are certain things the vast majority of the population is extremely uncomfortable talking about. Included on that short list are changing their diets, their in-laws coming to visit and cancer. (The in-laws are probably the most intimidating of the three!) In order to converse with people about these and other awkward topics, you have to navigate around the emotional brick wall.

Published · 649 views

Parades have always been one of the best ways to generate excitement. Usually centered on a holiday such as Veteran's Day, July 4th or Thanksgiving, this fun gathering of the masses is a tradition that goes back well over a century. But savvy business owners and organization managers will take note of one fact: A parade equates to a captive audience. And don't we all just love a captive audience?! 3 Important Strategies for Making the Most of Parade Exposure

Published · 702 views

Have you ever watched a trade show manager at work? Shipping manifest in one hand and cell phone pressed to her ear, she tried to bring order out of chaos. Scanning a crowded exhibit hall for a late display vendor, she watches the clock as the limited time available for set up slips away and a critical part of her booth remains AWOL. If you've ever been that unlucky manager you know the helpless feeling of depending on others to make your display pop. But opt for inflatable and portable trade show booths and you might just find your next event is stress free.

Published · 880 views

Want to know the one thing that causes themed events to fail miserably? Not carrying the theme throughout every aspect of the affair. If your charity is hosting a Mexican night, you'll want to do more than simply serve tacos and play mariachi music. You'll want to infuse every element of the event with all things Mexican. That means forfeiting the ordinary in exchange for the memorable. Using inflatables for special events built upon themes is one surefire way to make your visual marketing more effective. That's because inflatables offer characteristics not found elsewhere.

Published · 918 views

Indoor pets are often considered to be members of the family, but they can cause health problems for the human members of the family by reducing the quality of the air inside the home. Pets release hair and dander into the air for their human companions to breathe, sometimes causing respiratory issues and allergic reactions. There are a number of things that pet owners can do to improve the air quality in their homes. Following the five tips described below can improve air quality by a significant amount. 1. Limit Pets To Certain Areas Of The Home

Published · 863 views

There is a fundamental truth about construction. Any building that is constructed has a better chance at lasting on bedrock than on sand. That is a guarantee! This is why it is so important that your business has a solid foundation. How can you make sure that this is the case with your business?

Published · 947 views

Franchises benefit from corporate advertising such as television and radio spots, coupons, newspaper inserts and more. But individual franchisees can’t expect to succeed by resting on the efforts of others or broad-sweeping efforts performed in a catchall fashion. It’s up to you, as the local franchise owner, to coordinate and implement marketing campaigns that will rally favor with the community.

Published · 868 views

Clients are in the search for websites that offers more than just products, they are also looking for websites that offer interesting graphic and web design, it is very important for businesses today to achieve the level of creativity that customers today are demanding. Web desig Birmingham gets clients for your business. The internet today is a crowded with many business providers. Some of them offering a different product or service, but some of them for sure are offering the same product as you are. There are so may

Published · 605 views

Internet marketing is an industry where image is of great importance. The competition over the rankings in Google or any other search engine for that matter is stiffer than it already is, there is no spoken language involved in online business as every transaction happens online so it is imperative for each business to stand out in every way possible; the internet is filled with so many businesses that offer the same products and services and graphic desig Birmingham will help you do as that and more.

Published · 639 views

It's a fact that the Internet is a great place to start up your online business. But with the thousands of other websites that sell the same line of products or services as yours, you need to have something that distinguishes you from the others. Competition in the Internet is a lot tougher since your the number of your potential customers is greater.

Published · 425 views

I recently reviewed my client list over the past 18 months to see where my clients had come from so that I could fine tune my marketing efforts. You see, Smart Simple Marketing is not about doing more. It's not about doing the "latest and greatest thing". It about doing what works and doing that consistently. After I completed my analysis, I found the statistics fascinating: • 27% of my clients came from FREE Teleseminars I'd hosted or participated in • 25% came from Online Marketing • 19% came from Referrals • 15% came from Networking

Published · 489 views

How much more profitable would your business be if the majority of your clients came from referrals? How would your life be different? Would you spend less time on prospecting? Receive more qualified leads? Grow your business faster and easier? There are multiple benefits. Now, what are you doing each day to create that reality?

Published · 617 views

As we approach the end of the year, NOW is the perfect time to take a look back at the last 12 months and take stock of what's working and what's not working in your business. Were you thrilled by your success or disappointed in your business? What were your greatest successes? What aspects of your business do you wish you were stronger in?

Published · 1,044 views

When you need an entrance – or an exit – custom inflatable archways mark the route in a highly professional manner. From corralling runners, to guiding visitors to the festival gate, to serving as a photo opp, inflatable arches light the way like beacons. And, because they are brandable, your sponsors get great exposure at the event and in the media. Attention Grabbingr

Published · 813 views

Marketing a service business will inquire an investment of your time and financial resources. What if you don't have a lot of money to spend on marketing? Now what? Does that mean you simply cannot market your service business and your only hope is waiting on the sidelines for someone to hire you? Not at all! Today is the day you learn that marketing a service business with a minimal budget is not only possible, it's easier than you think.

Published · 558 views

The internet is the new generation’s market haven. Because of its excellent features such as speed, time-efficiency and accessibility, entrepreneurs are instantly turning into internet marketers. For a newbie, how does one sell in the internet? There are many factors to consider actually. It is not like just putting up a site with your product in it. No matter how much you have invested in your site, if it does not create traffic, it’s nothing. The only time you get traffic is when you promote your business. Let internet users land on your site and see what you got.

Published · 469 views

It is very important for each product/ service to be known, that’s the whole point of SEO; this stands for Search Engine Optimization which is the process of getting your website higher up the natural rankings of Google, Yahoo! Bing (MSN) which are the three main search engines known worldwide. SEO Birmingham will put your products out there and give it the spotlight it needs to be known in the industry.

Published · 567 views

You've heard it said, "Ask and you shall receive." This is NEVER truer then when it comes to asking for referrals. Many service professionals are hesitant to do this for a number of reasons. It might be because you are afraid of "bothering" the person you're speaking to, because you're worried about what they might think of you, or (gasp), because they may say no.

Published · 552 views

These days, your advertising dollar has to work hard. Your customer’s attention is being pulled in a hundred directions, and the competition for her time – and money – is fierce. What you need is a big presence with the power to captivate and charm an audience. That’s where inflatable rooftop advertising really shines. Three Big Elements of Effective Rooftop Displaysr

Published · 857 views

Every chance that a business can save money, they would go about doing so. You see in business it is imperative that money should come in and not come out. Being practical is all there is to it. PPC Management Birmingham understands your business’ needs and will help you achieve what you desire to be in business.

Published · 644 views

Millions of internet surfers go online everyday and what they usually open up first are search engines. Some of those surfers are looking for answers for their queries, some are looking for reviews and some are looking for products/services. With most of the businesses today being online, it’s a tougher job to reach the number one spot. The competition over rankings and listings over the internet is intense. What a business needs is a good provider of SEO.

Published · 734 views

If you want to get the best results from your marketing efforts, you've got to be strategic in your approach. Choosing the right strategies for your business starts with selecting techniques that fit your goals and the solutions your ideal prospects are looking for. Then you need to IMPLEMENT those techniques and consistently track your results.

Published · 827 views

Small business marketing is not only necessary to your success as an entrepreneur, it's easier than you think. Statistics say your small business has a 1 in 6 chance of survival, but without effective, ongoing marketing, your odds are far less than that. Utilize proven small business marketing strategies that will let you spread the word about your business quickly and get in front of the right people.

Published · 513 views

If you want to pump up your profits, you have to get clear about exactly what you are offering your customers and offer it to them in a way that is compelling and interesting. The best way to do this is to position yourself as a problem solver for your ideal prospects. If you can solve problems for your clients, you're going to increase your visibility and keep your pipeline full.

Published · 828 views

Feeling overwhelmed with marketing your business? We've all been there at one time or another. But you don't have to stay there! Being in a constant state of overwhelm is a choice. It's a choice one makes partially as a result of a limiting belief that being successful in business is hard and can't be done with grace and ease. It's also partially a result of poor time management and disorganization. Whatever may be contributing to your overwhelm, let's get you out of there!

Published · 601 views

Birmingham is one of the leading metropolitans in London and its business district is doing quite well as time passes. Along with the businesses’ ongoing success, more entrepreneurs and even the beginners in the field, are venturing out into online marketing. It’s a great way to expand business in terms of the internet’s advantageous features. However, when it comes to starting up an online business, you need to make prior investments as well. It’s not a smooth sailing trip at first, but with the success it brings afterwards, you and your business will feel like paradise.

Published · 465 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Buzz. First introduced as a - well - "buzzword" in about 1998, it faded from the marketing vocabulary a few years later. However, with the explosion of Web 2.0 in recent years, the catchphrase is back in full force. What better way to describe the phenomenon of everyone chattering about your new product tha "buzz"?

Published · 770 views

What do heat maps and shopping have to do with trade shows? Most marketers know that heat maps are developed by following the eye path of customers as they look over advertising material such as websites, brochures, etc. What you may not know, however, is that the same eye-catching elements that perform well online or in print can also pull top performances with trade show displays.

Published · 780 views

As a service professional, an important element of your marketing strategy is to highlight why you are THE premier solutions provider for your target market. When you showcase your expertise and how others' lives and business have improved because of working with you, your services and products will be more compelling. You'll increase your visibility and you'll easily convert more prospects to clients.

Published · 536 views

Have you ever been lured to buy a product or avail a service from a website with a lousy design? I guess not. Customers are demanding, and they have the right to be. As a business, your top priority is to please the customers. You have to convince your customer into buying whatever product/services you are selling. Graphic designs are another way to promote your web site, although there are a number of sites that offers free graphic designs you can’t be sure with those as it has such limitations with its features.

Published · 421 views

Customers these days can be very demanding, gone are the days when plain website layouts are acceptable. Customers today crave design, graphics when it comes to surfing online. Internet marketing has been around for awhile now and the need for hiring web designers arises; web desig Birmingham get the job done for your business.

Published · 603 views

The real question is, why not need search engine optimisation? Birmingham is London's busiest boroughs and SEO has been popular in the business industry. Internet marketing is a very effective business however, the challenges are tough. First of all, the World Wide Web is a very vast place. As an Internet marketer, you're not just competing with the other's on your local branch. You're competing against similar online businesses across the world. This is why you need to step up your game.

Published · 347 views

The internet is the go-to place for every businessman who wants to sell and profit on the internet. It's fast, space saving and has a wider scope of potential customers- what every businessman wants. Putting up an online business is easy. However, an internet marketer must know what he's doing. You don't just register your website and wait for people to land on your page. That is not how it works. What you need to do is convince people to go to your website. To do this, you have to advertise.

Published · 391 views

PPC, or Pay Per Click advertising means that you, as the advertiser, would pay only when your advertisement is clicked and the potential client is directed to your website. This is a cost effective way of marketing your business since you will only pay when a customer clicks your ad, so you will be paying only for those people who reach your site directly.r

Published · 579 views

A graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to effectively convey ideas. A website is the actual place online where your business or product is presented, whereas a graphic design is an image of logo that represents your business concept. It is what the people remember most, as it is what they associate with your business when your representatives market your products to them.r

Published · 547 views

Internet Marketing is a great way of promoting an upcoming or existing business. This is an innovation brought about by the new technology of the modern age we live in. Nowadays, the internet is a more feasible way of advertising your business that newspapers or magazines. This is mainly because the internet is accessed daily by millions of people worldwide.

Published · 480 views

Internet marketers are increasing rapidly. With thousands of selling websites on the internet, how will a beginner beat the competition? Search engine optimisatio Birmingham will help your business be visible. This is by placing your site on every major search engine in the internet. Your website can even land on the top page! This can only be possible through a process called search engine optimisation or SEO. SEO will give your business an increase in target visitors as your site lands on the first few pages of Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.

Published · 492 views

Search Engine Optimisation is an internet marketing strategy that improves the visibility of a website by increasing a site’s ranking on a search engine such as Google. The more people view your website, the higher it rises in the ranking, in effect enabling your business to earn more revenues. The aim with SEO is for your website to rank higher in the listing, and to get to the first page of a search engine when a particular key word is entered.r

Published · 492 views

The internet is a most effective way of advertising a product or service. It is accessed everyday by millions and millions of people worldwide. Making use of a professional web design is a great strategy that will keep your potential client interested in learning more of your business. Smart Internet Business Solutions is a Birmingham-based company that specializes in making professional web designs that help boost your business’ popularity, thus create opportunity for more sales.

Published · 468 views

There’s a lot of talk – and opinions – about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) these days. It’s been around for decades and used for everything from self-driving cars to chatbots. There’s an application in pretty much every industry, and it’s being taken to whole new levels for individual use.

Published · 589 views

It’s the new year and the perfect time for a fresh outlook as you look at the year ahead. We often get caught up in the day-to-day busyness of our business and neglect what seems to be staring us in the face. And I’m referring to not checking the branding face you’re showing the world online. Set time aside this month to ensure you’re on track for success. #1. Review Your Website Take a few minutes to read through your website – yes, the entire website. - Is the content still relevant, and is it clear? Is it compelling?rn- Will your target audience easily identify with your message?r

Published · 602 views

2023 is just around the corner, so while you may have put on an extra push to end the year at an all-time high, this is the ideal time to set aside an hour or so to look back and review your results over the past year. I guarantee it will set the stage for some impressive leaps forward to reaching your goals next year. So, before you consider what you want to achieve in the future and set those goals, start by looking back at your successes. You can’t plan for the future if you’re worried about all the things in the past that you’ve attempted but didn’t work out.

Published · 584 views

When it comes to blogging, you continually look for new ideas and concepts to write about. And with each new post, your older content is moved down the list in your blog. But it doesn’t have to be forgotten. Go back to your older blog posts and turn the content into videos and powerful social posts. You can then link these new posts back to your original article or simply let them stand on their own to showcase your expertise in other formats. Have you written a checklist or list of tips that can stand on their own?

Published · 621 views

Do you send "canned" emails or letters to prospects and current customers? If so, have you read them recently – from your reader's point of view? Many businesses save time by using templated letters and emails; there's nothing wrong with that. But if you're repeatedly sending the same letter to the same customer, I guarantee it is not getting read. And if, by chance, you added some critical detail, it won't be noticed.

Published · 682 views

When it comes to marketing, you may have wondered why your efforts have fallen flat. Often, the answer has more to do with what you say and not with where you’re saying it. The good news, it can easily be fixed. Your first step is to be open. Read your content from the perspective of your customer, as if you don’t know anything about your business. It may not be easy, but it’s vital to get into their mindset.

Published · 684 views

10 seconds... That's how long your Website has to grab a visitor's attention before they click away. And that number is quickly declining – some stats show you only have 7 seconds to let your audience know they're in the right place. Your Website has a lot to do in a fraction of a minute. Here are 5 questions you need to ask to ensure prospects stick around. #1 Are You Clear About Who You Are?

Published · 811 views

Recently, I was asked if I could help a person with her creative writing. She was definitely interested in the Retreat I was offering next year (she had missed the one I just ran) but wanted help now. The question caught me by surprise as this is not something I normally offer, even though I designed and taught a Creative Writing program at our local college several years ago. I had to think this through and get back to her.

Published · 720 views

The easiest way to share your expertise today is to blog. But after spending hours writing and re-writing your articles, do you feel disheartened when your stats show people aren’t reading your insightful thoughts? Blogging is vital for building expert status, connecting with your prospects and customers, and keeping your website content fresh, which drives more traffic to your site. So, what can you do to make all this “work” worthwhile? Start with these savvy strategies to get people interested and reading your content. #1 Write an Enticing Keyword-Rich Headline

Published · 626 views

When it comes to marketing, conversational copywriting is essential. The outdated formal business communication is just that – outdated. Big words. Confusing sentences. Not only does it make the content challenging to read, but all too often, the reader loses interest before getting to the end of the first paragraph. Conversational copywriting resonates with your audience because your message reads as if it comes from a friend. It reads like you’re having a cozy conversation over a cup of coffee in a neighbourhood café – but more compelling.

Published · 838 views

It’s no longer “business as usual” to say the least. During this COVID-19 pandemic, nothing is as usual. You may have found yourself working from home – with or without children to care for – or discovering that many of your customers have shut down operations, so you’re wondering what to do with this “found time” in your schedule. This could be an ideal opportunity to tackle those items on your business “to-do” list that you’ve neglected far too long. Here are 7 ideas to help you take back a bit of control in your business and prepare for when things get back to a new “normal.”

Published · 948 views

Recently, I read an intriguing post in one of my Facebook groups. It went as follows: “I published a Facebook post and had 9 people saying they are interested! Then I sent a message to each one. And got crickets! Now what? Trying to stay positive.” As a copywriter, my immediate thought was that the author of this post did not share the value of what she was offering or that her message was unclear in some way. So, I read the responses. The first response fell in line with my thoughts. It began:

Published · 624 views

If you’re looking to add a new offering – a new workshop, free Webinar, or something else – take a look back at how you started to create something of value. When I was asked recently to teach high-level executives the basics of writing emails, thank you letters, newsletters, and reports, I thought this would be easy-peasy. Then I second-guessed myself when I thought these executives should know the basics. What could I possibly teach them?

Published · 623 views

Clients would ask people offering online services to come up with a graphic design. Some customers would ask Web designers to create a web design. Are these two concepts similar? What are their distinctions? This article simplifies Graphic Design from Web design and points out the distinctions between the two.

Published · 558 views

Content marketing continues to be a powerhouse move to gain exposure and maximize brand impact even though it may feel the Internet is saturated with blogs and social posts. The list of what “content marketing” is could go on and on, but in a nutshell, it includes the myriad ways you present your expertise to your audience/readers. • Blogs/articles that you’ve written • Blogs/articles you share from others with similar ideas and convictions • Social media posts • Videos

Published · 905 views

Unless, you've been cohabiting under a rock for the last decade, you have come across SEO. You probably have heard about the acronym from a colleague or from the media. Most people have a vague idea of what it is. They know that the SEO is connected with the internet in some intricate way. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

Published · 1,096 views

On a local radio show recently, an advertisement for an insurance agency was broadcasted in an interview format with the radio host asking questions to the agent. I've heard this ad several times, so I know they spent good money on promoting their business. Moreover, this interview format made the ad stand out from all the other advertising you usually hear. However, with the answer to the first question, I realized they had lost a great opportunity and wasted much money.

Published · 878 views

The past couple of years have certainly impacted many businesses. Some have shut their doors, while others have seen massive profits. Many are simply hanging on and hoping for the best. Have your sales hit a brick wall? Do you hear objections on every sales call? Perhaps you believe it’s bad timing, the wrong medium, or the big excuse – COVID. Many entrepreneurs say the number of Website impressions is above average, but they aren’t converting into sales. If this sounds like you, it’s time to take a hard look at your message.

Published · 616 views

At least once a year, it’s imperative to take time out to re-visit how you’re presenting yourself and your business to the world. Or, any time you’re experiencing change (and that may often be), make sure your message is on-brand across all platforms. Keep an eye on your competition 1. Review what your direct competitors are saying to market their products and services. 2. Check similar businesses in other cities and countries to see how they are marketing their offerings. Understand the current needs of your customers

Published · 615 views

With today’s pandemic shutdowns, you may have “found” time to take a serious look at what’s been working when it comes to marketing your business – and what has fallen short of targeted projections. When you consider why things haven’t worked out as planned, the answer usually comes down to unresponsive marketing content; that is, your content falls flat. The good news, it can easily be fixed.

Published · 883 views

Time management is a huge issue for entrepreneurs. There’s always “one more thing” that must be looked at before you can tackle the real work. If you answer your emails now, you promise yourself you’ll get to work on the “big” project…but somehow, the small things take over and the day is gone – and you end up feeling you haven’t accomplished anything significant. Sound familiar?

Published · 1,731 views

You put a lot of time into writing your blog posts – heck, you spend a lot of time just figuring out what to write about – so you want to make sure your blog gets opened and read. Here are 5 tips to make sure your audience will want to read yours. #1. Ignite the Spark. It can take time to come up with a relevant topic (and “relevance” is key) so do your homework. Research what your audience wants to read about then make it interesting.

Published · 999 views

It's the beginning of the year. Your slate is clean. This year can be anything you want it to be. If you want to have more fun in your business (and in your life), meet the movers and shakers, and see greater profits, now is the time to do it. Discover what you need to change or add into your "system" today to get more leads and more paying customers in the months to come. If you don't want to see the same results as you've had in the past, make change a way of life and really step into your extraordinary self. The choice is up to you.

Published · 1,438 views

Every busy professional needs a helping hand sometimes. If you’re insanely busy, you may require assistance almost all the time. In the business world, most top executives have a trusted personal assistant to manage their time and keep them on schedule. Until very recently, that personal assistant has always been, well, a person. Now, a new wave of AI assistants has appeared to help keep business professionals on task.

Published · 1,975 views

Do you have a difficult time articulating what it is that you do? Have you noticed other people’s eyes glaze over when you respond to the question, “What do you do”? Whether you’re delivering your elevator pitch at a networking event, introducing yourself at a business reception, answering the question at a cocktail party, or promoting your services in print (online or offline), stick to the outcomes you deliver and spare the details on how you get there.

Published · 1,032 views

Although the whole notion of sponsorships has been around for years, it's only recently been gaining popularity in the online entrepreneurial community. Which leads me to 2 very important questions -- 1. Should you as a business become a sponsor? 2. Should you offer sponsorship opportunities? Let's look at the pros and cons of each and see if your business is missing out because you haven't fully considered sponsorships. First, let's look if you should become a sponsor.

Published · 918 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

You may have heard adding information products (or info-products) to your service business is a smart business decision. And indeed it is. There are many benefits to selling information products as part of your business. However, there is a dirty little secret around selling info-products. The dreaded refunds. You see, when what you're mainly selling services, you rarely run into refund situations. You may run into other challenges with getting paid but not refunds.

Published · 577 views

Recently, I wrote about the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when they create information products. Unfortunately, there are more mistakes to avoid when starting to sell them! Here are the biggest 3: 1. Your expectations are out of whack with reality. I once had a self development consultant tell me he wanted to sell a million dollars of his $497 product in one year. So I ran the numbers for him on what he would have to do to get that. He got very, very quiet. Look, I'm all about thinking big. I've thought big my entire life.

Published · 593 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

The good news about being a biz owner is you get to set your own schedule. And the bad news? You get to set your own schedule. (And we haven't even talked about how that looks when you work out of your home and all the distractions THAT brings.)

Published · 935 views

Your biggest strength is also your biggest weakness. And that's not only true of people, but also of things created by people.

Published · 902 views

This week I just wanted to share a very simple piece of information because it is …… well ………. Simple and I love simple! I could go onto make jokes about my partner, but I won’t! Not only is it a super simple and fast to create, but it will start growing your list for you quickly if you take the action. It’s about your “lead magnet” or in simpler terms, the thing that you give away to your ideal clients in exchange for their email address.

Published · 1,050 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 2 votes

The first time I heard that your subconscious could be sabotaging you, 2 things went through my mind. The first was relief -- OH maybe this isn't completely my fault after all. The second was confusion -- what the heck does this even mean? All I want is more clients, and I'm doing all this work to get more clients -- how can my subconscious mind be stopping me from getting more clients when my actions are all about getting more clients?

Published · 642 views

Last week I was blessed to co-lead our Inside Out Business Retreat here in sunny Spain. We had a beautiful group of practitioners in the room all intent on growing their businesses. The main topic of the retreat was to help our participants get comfortable and become successful with having a sales conversation. We shared just how that is possible without it being pushy, sleazy, awkward, and most of all how it can be fun and enjoyable.

Published · 919 views

It can make good marketing sense to partner with a nonprofit or cause. Consider what my marathon friends did when they were raising money to participate in the 3-Day Walk (you walk 60 miles in 3 days to promote breast cancer awareness and raise money for research). They approached a local restaurant called Backbu er, which was famous for their cinnamon rolls. For a week, every time someone bought a cinnamon roll, they donated $1 to my friends for their walk.

Published · 776 views

How many times has this happened to you? You come into your office with the intention of getting great things done today. You can't wait to get started, you’re excited, in fact, today IS the day you're taking your business to the next level. And then before you even realize it, something comes up, and it feels like a priority, so you hit the pause button on your plans and do this one little thing.

Published · 1,720 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

In part 1 I explored the definition of confidence via the Oxford dictionary and honed it down to be about belief and feeling. I also highlighted that feelings are pointers to the fact THAT we think and not personal to us. You can catch up with the first episode here

Published · 1,046 views

Most likely, if you are a service-based business owner, you have a desire to help anyone and everyone who comes across your path. You know the power of the services or products you provide and how life changing they can be for anyone who is willing to give it a try. The thing is, as much as we may want to, we can't actually help EVERYONE.

Published · 1,892 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

We all talk about the entrepreneurial journey -- how when you embark, the highs will be some of the best highs of your life … but there will be some lows too. The reality is that just as the highs you can reach running your own biz are some of the highest you'll experience, very few things may beat how low the lows can go. And when you hit rock bottom, you can REALLY hit rock bottom. Because the truth of the matter is you can't have the highs without the lows. They're a part of the journey and they also make the highs soooo much more sweeter.

Published · 677 views

What do you do when cashflow is down, or even non-existent? Well the first place most people look is to the experts. So Googling “how to make cash fast” or calling up a friend who has done what you want to do or is bringing in money doing what you do is often the first port of call. I know it has been for me. But is this helpful or is it a “red herring”? Could it be that we have been brainwashed into thinking that the answers are all out there – at our fingertips?r

Published · 822 views

The moment you open up an online store – you are not necessarily guaranteed of landslide sales. Online store is comparatively easier to set up than a physical shop, but it doesn’t mean that your online shopping cart will become ‘Wal-mart’ or ‘Zazzle’ ove ight! To be a successful online retail business owner, you need to have a plan in place and follow certain golden rules of e commerce.

Published · 1,487 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

I've been in business for myself for over 20 years now, and while my first venture did not fair so well, I did learn a lot about marketing myself and what would be expected of me if I wanted to succeed as an entrepreneur and successfully generate a salary for myself that could allow me the financial freedom of working for others. Small business owners are a unique group of individuals, are we not? We spend hours on end searching for ways to acquire new customers and improving our business practices.

Published · 756 views

If you’re currently in business for yourself or are considering starting a new business, marketing is a skill you absolutely must master, if you hope to be successful. Although marketing can be a daunting prospect for many entrepreneurs, mastering the basics of writing a marketing plan can be easy and fun – and it can provide you with the foundation you need to successfully grow your business.

Published · 1,756 views · Rated 3.2/5 from 5 votes

It's never a good thing when you rely on one stream of income. That stream dries up and you're, ahem, up that creek without a paddle. That's why having multiple streams of income is so valuable. One stream dries up, you've got a few other ones to depend on. (On another note, have you noticed how money is often referred to in water terms? Cash FLOW, multiple STREAMS of income or just income STREAMS. Just something to think about.) But talking about getting multiple income streams and actually implementing them in your business are two entirely different things.

Published · 1,068 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If you're like many entrepreneurs, the thought of marketing makes you slightly sick to your stomach. And it's more than a simple like or dislike of marketing; it's the idea of trying to fit it into your to-do list. You already have a million things going on, how can you possibly fit marketing in too? So, instead, you end up not doing anything...until you run out of work that is. Then you desperately race around, trying to cram as much marketing as possible into as short amount of time as possible to try and ramp up your business. Business picks up, you stop marketing again.

Published · 706 views

When two participants in my coaching group asked how to go about putting on a teleseminar last week and I went through the same explanation twice, it was a clear signal that it was time to share a module giving the whole group a step by step formula on just how to do that. It was great information for me too as to what to share with you today. Listening to the questions and goals of my clients is a great source of content for my blog and e-zine and is for you too!

Published · 1,124 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

I admit it. I'm a recovering workaholic/perfectionist, not to mention having delusions of superhero syndrome. I know I'll never be cured. But I can at least work on controlling it. I also know I'm not alone. Plenty of entrepreneurs and small business owners suffer from this same condition. (In fact, it's so prevalent I'm thinking about starting a recovery group for this.) Do you suffer from workaholic/perfectionism/superhero syndrome? Take this short quiz to find out. 1. You think working all the time, including nights and weekends, is a sign of: A. Success B. Insanityr

Published · 679 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

In a recent discovery session, a potential client was explaining to me about how she had just landed her first ever paying client. And then she got another one, and now she has other opportunities showing up to promote her business. Now this is an extremely lovely big hearted woman who provides a much needed transformational service and has been working with clients, but without getting paid for it for a very long time.

Published · 1,115 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Have you heard any of these? * A guy who works part time for the Eagles Football team updates his status report by saying something to the effect that the Eagles suck due to a trade they made. The Eagles fire him. * A woman gets a job offer from Cisco. She tweets "Got a job offer from Cisco. Now have to decide between a fatty paycheck versus a long commute and hating my job." One of Cisco channel partners sees it on Twitter and comments. I didn't hear how it turned out but I'm fairly certain Cisco rescinded the job offer.

Published · 807 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Last couple of issues I talked about how either moving too fast or too slow can sabotage your success. (You can read part 1 and 2 here: http://www.michelepw.com/blog ) Today I'm going to talk about a place where entrepreneurs typically move too fast -- launching their product. I know. You just finished your product or program and you can't wait to start selling it. In fact, if you could, you'd start selling it yesterday! And it's agonizing waiting to launch your product. You want to be making money NOW, not waiting for weeks or months before you actually see any income.

Published · 810 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 4 votes

While I am not a great believe in the one size fits all system when it comes to marketing your business - I am a firm believe in certain core marketing tools that are simple, down to earth, common sense and work! One of those is language. If we are not speaking the same language as our ideal client (knowing who your ideal client is a must as I shared in my last article “The Power of Choosing a Niche”), we have very little chance of them coming and working with us.

Published · 909 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

Have you ever had done something you thought was a really good idea at the time and then it completely backfires on you? Well, it happened to my good friend Nancy Marmolejo, Viva Visibility. If you don't know Nancy yet, you really need to. She is a social media rock star. However, sometimes even rock stars have days where the guitar is out of tune and the speakers catch fire and explode on stage. Here's the story in a nutshell. As you all know, social networking is pretty darn new and Twitter is the brand spanking new kid on that shiny new block.

Published · 631 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Wouldn't you love a simple formula for easily growing your small business? This could be just what you are looking for: 1. Create a how-to information product reflecting your expertise. 2. Sell or license many copies of the product to a large company. 3. Guide the company toward using your product as a promotional item as a way to sell more of their products or services. 4. Be sure your own name is someplace in the product. 5. Watch your client base grow.

Published · 1,216 views

It’s not sexy, but it’s the truth. What do you think I am talking about? Well, if you are anything like my client, you will have no idea either, and even when I said it out loud specifically, he had no idea what I was talking about. You might be able to empathize. He is in a tough position financially – he needs cash flow now. He is busy, busy, busy – building his marketing funnel as he has been taught to do – spending lots of time tweaking his free giveaway, creating autoresponders, getting graphics just right, writing his blog posts, sending out tweets, and so on and so on.

Published · 1,077 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide questionable value to anyone visiting or staffing a tradeshow booth. More and more meeting and marketing professionals are considering something a little different - booklets. They are a way to attract higher quality prospects, reap a handsome return on the investment of time and money in attending shows, and help set a company apart from the crowd.

Published · 1,351 views

Most clients come to work with me because they want to bring in more clients and they generally have no idea what to do next. They have been trying different strategies including the latest and greatest Twitter tips, the 7 step plan to successful blogging, the next best thing to sliced bread on Linked In, the hottest tip on selling e-books, and so on. But there is not a paying client in sight and they want to know what they have to do to change it. My first question is always "so who is your ideal client?"

Published · 944 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

It's an unfortunate fact of life (and business). Out of the blue you get a nasty email from someone. Sometimes it's about an article you've written. Sometimes it's accompanied by a refund request. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it's tied to anything at all. Or maybe you discover someone writing malicious things about you on a blog or a forum. Or maybe some other negative things suddenly start getting tweeted or posted to Facebook about you, your products or your business. Stuff happens.

Published · 832 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If it hasn't hit you yet, it will soon -- there are an awful lot of live events happening in the online world. Now there's an excellent reason for this -- hosting your own event can be a huge business booster, so many entrepreneurs find themselves giving the whole event-hosting a whirl. However, for the attendee, it can be downright overwhelming to decide which events are worth the time/money/aggravation to attend.

Published · 627 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Are you worried that your business is going to suffer because of the current economy? In this article you'll learn how to find customers in any economy by following a few simple steps... It's true - In a slumping economy consumers are spending less. But that doesn't mean they've stopped spending!

Published · 1,512 views

Do you, like many entrepreneurs, get caught up too easily in all the "latest and greatest" marketing tactics... but somehow fail to get the results promised? Keep reading to find out how to stay focused on what works! It seems the very things that make you a successful entrepreneur – ...

Published · 1,980 views

I was working with one of my clients last week on how to get her message out to the world so that she could attract in the clients she would love to work with, and just as importantly, how to do it without having to invest a whole lot of money and time. We had ascertained a couple of sessions earlier that her biggest strength, and one of the things she loved to do, was public speaking. And so I had suggested that she make some videos and put them onto YouTube especially since YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine after Google.

Published · 1,315 views

There's a lot of excellent reasons to take the time to write and publish a book. Having authored a book gives you instant credibility as an expert, which immediately sets you apart from everyone else in your field, helps fill your pipeline with perfect clients and gives you a reason to raise your rates. Plus books make great giveaways and client gifts, which is another fabulous way to use them.

Published · 843 views

If you're like many entrepreneurs, marketing is not one of your fave activities. (In fact, I would bet the only thing you detest more than marketing is sales.) The problem is if you aren't regularly marketing your business, your cash flow is also not that regular (and there's nothing worse than a feast-or-famine business model). So what can you do? Well, the easiest fix is to start marketing regularly. And the easiest way to start doing THAT is to make marketing a habit. To help you get started I've given you 3 marketing habits that are essential to business success:

Published · 619 views

What do you do? The question that we want to hear when we are business, and also the question that can be the most terrifying. Terrifying in the sense that because you are so passionate about what you do that you could speak about if for hours, but you have experienced the “glazed over” look and polite excuses to get away many times over, and just don't want to go there again.

Published · 1,227 views

Last weekend I spent time with a beautiful group of likeminded people. The proposal had been put forward by a couple of the participants to bring together a group of Three Principle facilitators in a retreat like situation and see what happens. And that was it. No agenda. No outcome. No goals. Just a space and time together to see what unfolded. It was fabulous.r

Published · 1,095 views

Do you have trouble defining your services? When you are at a networking event, do prospects just nod their head and walk away? If so, you may need help crafting a marketing message that is compelling and inspires your prospect to take action. Crafting your marketing message is not difficult, but it is not easier either.

Published · 1,363 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

So first of all, let me address why you would even need to know the difference. Basically, it makes life a lot simpler when it comes to marketing your business. And simplicity is an excellent benefit in and of itself. The simpler you can keep your life and business, the better. In fact, I am going to keep this article very simple with the aim of my message being very clear. When you know who your target market is, and your own niche, you will be on the road to getting more clients, I’ll tell you how that works a little later on.

Published · 1,102 views

1. It's not your grandfather's communications model. Communications has drastically changed since, say, the 1970s when advertising was in its heyday (actually most of the 1900s, but the 1970s is a good representative year). Target markets are fragmented, customers have more demands on their time and they've learned to shut out the majority of advertising messages out there. The old ways of marketing based on advertising don't work the way they used to. To succeed in the new communications model, you need every advantage you can find. And that includes harnessing your creativity.

Published · 596 views

There is something so amazing about following your heart and stepping out into the world to help people.

Published · 1,943 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Have you ever seen those commercials where the business owner talks about wearing every hat including the janitor's? While those commercials are definitely true, what I don't like about them is they also imply it's okay to KEEP wearing all sorts of hats in your business, like the janitors. You see, it's one thing when you first start out to do everything in your business. At that point you have more time, less clients and not a lot of money flowing in. And chances are you're so excited you WANT to be working on your business all the time.

Published · 690 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

There's a lot of value around being first in your business. The first person to come up with a hot product or service tends to reap a huge amount of rewards in the process. However, being first isn't always all that and a bag of chips. In fact, there are times when being second to the party puts you in a better position than being first. Below are 3 reasons to celebrate being second:

Published · 815 views

There is one challenge that, above all others, can have the most dramatic impact on the success potential of your business – marketing. Without a steady stream of new, qualified prospects coming into your business each and every week, your business will eventually dry up and be blown away ...

Published · 2,006 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

There is a lot of attention being put on internet marketing these days… search engine optimization (or SEO), social networking, podcasting, vlogging, blogging, RSS, email marketing, article marketing, etc. And more tactics are being added at an astonishing rate! So how do you determine ...

Published · 1,487 views

Being able to succinctly describe your business is an essential networking skill for two important reasons. First, the person you’re talking to can quickly and easily understand if they, or someone they know, is a potential customer of yours. Second, knowing specifically how to ...

Published · 929 views

In this age of business scandals, it's crucial to remember that businesses based on ethics and quality actually work better. With that in mind, here are ten easy resolutions to inspire your business to achieve a very profitable 2008. 1) I will base every aspect of my business on honesty, integrity, and quality. 2) I will make sure every employee, from janitor to CEO, is trained to view every interaction with a customer as a key step in the marketing process, and to always give the customer respect and attention.

Published · 1,165 views

In this age of business scandals, it's crucial to remember that businesses based on ethics and quality actually work better. With that in mind, here are ten easy resolutions to inspire your business to achieve a very profitable 2008. 1) I will base every aspect of my business on honesty, integrity, and quality. 2) I will make sure every employee, from janitor to CEO, is trained to view every interaction with a customer as a key step in the marketing process, and to always give the customer respect and attention.

Published · 870 views

If you've ever tried to promote your website using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) you’ll know that it’s an ever increasing challenge to keep up with all of the algorithmic changes that Google implements on an almost daily basis.

Published · 2,587 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Are You Optimizing Your Website and Internet Presence? Today internet presence for most companies is common place. Many companies and businesses still find that their website is not getting the traffic that they would expect or maybe they expected that the traffic would automatically come, ...

Published · 1,252 views

1. Base your business in the Magic Triangle. Honesty, integrity, and quality are the three sides of the Magic Triangle of business success. Create the kind of company that stands for something more than the bottom line, and your bottom line will increase.

Published · 1,514 views · Rated 2/5 from 2 votes

As a child, you probably heard, "to thine own self be true." But what does that really mean? When the newspapers are full of cheating and lying business owners, politicians, and academics, does it really make sense to maintain your integrity? To me, the answer is a clear, unwaffling YES! Without your integrity, you really don't have a business or a career-just a waiting game until you world comes crashing down around you.r

Published · 1,156 views

Building Emotional Capital One Client at a Timen While I was conducting a short meeting with my staff one morning, a potential client walked into our office. His first question was, “I see you’re having a meeting, should I come back?” I was immediately taken aback as to why a customer coming ...

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I had the good fortune to follow Dr. Ron Capps, a/k/a “The Niche Prof,” speaking at Willie Crawford’s 50th birthday celebration in Orlando. Ron started his speech by saying, don’t worry about taking notes; I’ll send you my slides. But please feel free to Tweet. I was one of several people who took him up on it; these are my Tweets about his talk (in reverse chronological order, as they appear on my Twitter page, shorthand, typos and all–these were all sent while he was speaking. The #bbash tag enables anyone to search for all the Tweets about this conference and find these):

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I just read a great book called Groundswell, winning in a world transformed by social technologies. I urge all of you that are reading my articles to get this book. It was written by two VP’s from Forrester Research, Charlene Li and Josh Be off. For those of you unfamiliar with Forrester ...

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Three Simple Steps to Increase Your Profits As my daughter approaches seven years of age, I gently remind her daily to watch her manners. I tell her to ask for things with a please at the end of her sentence. I prod her to say thank you to the family member who brings her dinner, to the person ...

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Want to know the secret to creating MEMORABLE promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your customers long after they've finished reading it? Then master the art of using words to create pictures in your customers' heads. If you can describe your products or services in such a way that it forms images in your customers' heads, well, then you've just created something that will last long after the marketing is over.

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Subhead: How to carve out your own slice in the market and charge more, attract more clients and enjoy greater confidence. Body: In the olden days, when there was just one blacksmith in each town, it was easy to brand yourself as the best blacksmith around. If someone needed a blacksmith, ...

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Do you want your book to open doors, or do you just want to hold your own words, bound and printed? How you publish affects your income, reputation, and your leverage. Let's look at three options: 1. Publish With a Traditional Publisher You'll gain prestige, credibility, and a nice advance-and they pick up all the publishing costs.

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How many times have you heard the same sound bites come out of your mouth to your clients, prospects, and audiences, almost boring yourself to tears in the process? Imagine generating money directly from those sound bites, from those pearls of wisdom that effortlessly trip off your tongue. Yes, ...

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Everyone has something they want the world to know. A tips booklet is a great way to do that, creating author status and a marketing tool for yourself in the process. You may have considered writing a book. Many people entertain that possibility. Fewer have actually followed through once ...

Published · 5,435 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

As an entrepreneur who specializes in a done-for-you service (it doesn't get any more done-for-you then handing clients a piece of copy plus the exact strategy for how to use it to get the best results in their business) you would think I would be the last person who would need to coach someone around mindset shifts or through their blocks. Alas that is not the case. You would be surprised at how many times I've been hired (and fully paid) for copy the clients have loved but never used.

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You've done all this work to get people to visit your website, only to have nothing happen. No sign ups for your newsletter, no inquiries about your products and services, no sales, no nothing. So what's the problem? Chances are it has something to do with your copy not engaging your ideal prospects so they want to become your customers and clients. What can you do to fix that? Well, the simple answer is your copy needs to connect on a deeper level to what your ideal clients find important. The difficult answer is how exactly do you do that. Below are 3 tips to get you started:

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The next time you find yourself measuring your success by adding a dollar sign in front, consider the following statement, “your self-worth is more important than your net worth”. Stay self-motivated by knowing your self-worth. Follow the 7 Realistic Ways to Stay Self-Motivated , and ...

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Buying business should be the best thing you have ever done for yourself. Many people want to buy a business but really don’t know how. If you are sure you want to buy a business rather than start from scratch, then follow these steps so you feel at ease in the process. 1. Make the decision ...

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Is there something in your business or life that you would like to change or improve – a relationship, a situation or even a daily task that drives you nuts? If there is some part of your business or life that isn’t working as well as you would like, you can live in resentment, accept it gracefully or change it. It is, of course, your choice. (Even when you choose to do “nothing”, you are making a choice.)

Published · 2,146 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

A corporate brand is a proprietary visual, emotional, and cultural image surrounding a company and/or its products. Corporate branding and identity development is one of the most important investments a company can make. OEM has taken the plunge and has made a commitment to re-introducing and ...

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Branding is most commonly used to differentiate a product or service in the eyes of the consumer from a similar product or service offered by the competition. As a result companies use mass media campaigns, product identity (corporate logos) and graphic design to promote their product or service ...

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I confess--I'm a marketing heretic! I've built my career on breaking all the rules--and one of the rules I break is that I don't hype. Do I put the best possible "spin" on the truth? Of course! But I refuse to deceive my readers into action. What are some of the common copywriter tricks that I *leave on the table?* Here are a few to start: * If you order in the next 24 hours, you get... (face it. If you come back tomorrow, the offer will almost always still hold)r

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Hopefully you already have a vision for your company. It might be to be the biggest, the best or the brightest in your industry. It might be to deliver a certain experience or level of service to your customers. It might be to take over the world and travel to the moon. Whatever it is ...

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In January’s news article I spoke about New Media and the importance of using various pathways to educate current and potential customers and provide access to products and services. This month I felt that it was important to talk about Social Networking. What is Social Networking? “Social ...

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How do your buyers feel when they've read your booklet or other information product? It may be something you've never actually considered until thisnmoment. If so, you're not alone. After all, you've labored to getnall that wisdom whittled down to a booklet, feeling like you'venleft out tons of ...

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You want to be a published author, of course. You've got five choices about how to do that. Here's a brief overview of the five major methods, outlining the advantages/disadvantages of each. Some can even be combined—for example, you can easily create an e-book and a self-published printed book from the same digital file. 1. Publish With a Traditional Publisherr

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Let’s talk about becoming an expert. First of all, what is an expert and why is it important for you? The dictionary definition of an expert is “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some field.” For our purposes I would like you to think of an Expert as someone who provides ...

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Do you really believe you having nothing more to say about your area of expertise, that it’s all been said by others? And said better than you could possibly say? There may be similarities in your perspective with that of other people. Looking further into your work, the odds are high that you ...

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One of the hardest things to do as a business owner is make time to work on growing your own business. We're so busy working for our clients, creating the products or services we sell, or reacting to the Tyranny of the Urgent that there just isn't enough time to give to our business. Successful businesses learn that they must prioritize marketing. (That means actually doing some!) You might reject the idea of spending time on your marketing because these hours aren't billable.

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...like beauty. It's in the eye of the beholder. This article is prompted by a recent comment from a publishing colleague - someone I and others hold in high regard, who is bright, articulate, and well-schooled in the traditional publishing industry. The colleague has a perspective about what a ...

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Stop Chasing Success and Let Success Find You Copyright 2006 One of the major problems that many business entrepreneurs have is that instead of following their own goals, ambitions and interests to gain success, they choose to chase after success by working to establish themselves in a hot ...

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The 7 Traits of an Exceptional & Successful Entrepreneur By Robert Moment n© 2004 How often have you either referred to or considered the expression, “Success is a journey and not a Destination?” Probably many times, yet often being in a hurry to get there, we forget that success is not ...

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So many of my clients name "referrals" or "word-of-mouth" as the number one source of growth in their business. However, when I ask how they get those referrals - so that we can increase them - they're not sure. I like business boosts to be predictable, reliable and replicable. Referrals are no different; they're a marketing strategy, not a fantasy.

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Since day one in our business we knew how important it was to build our community (in marketing language it’s called building your list). And to be totally transparent, in the beginning we were not very good at it, in fact you could say that we pretty much stunk. :-) But we learned, some through trial and error, some through modeling other people’s methods and a lot through investing in various workshops, courses and mentors.

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So the first thing to remember when you are networking is it’s all about them, not you. This might sound a bit strange, after all you are going out to find clients aren’t you? Well, yes, but clients come and work with you after you have built up a relationship with them. Let’s liken it to a romantic relationship. If you went straight up to someone you fancied and asked him/her to marry you, they would run a mile! Well it’s no different with the client/service provider relationship. Asking for the business on the first meeting would be just like asking them to marry you!r

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There's no better time to take stock of your business than the time between the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It's "out with the old, in with the new" and that includes out with anything that isn't serving you or your business at the highest level, and in with what you want your business to look like. To help you get on track for the fresh New Year and all it's possibilities, I thought I'd share 3 simple steps to get you and your business started on the right foot.

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On the surface, starting an internet-based business may seem like a dream come true. A business owner can start a business out of her home, selling her products and services everywhere and anywhere in the world without big marketing budgets or lots of advertising. However, once she puts up her first web site, that dream often comes crashing down – it’s not nearly as easy as it first looks. So, she does her research. She starts learning everything she can about Internet Marketing.

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Environment is key when it comes to being successful in achieving your goals. If you know me at all by now, you will know that I am all about the inside out rather than the outside in. So why am I talking about environment, isn't that about the outside? Well yes ..... and no. I'll address the yes first. When I am talking about your outer environment, generally I'm speaking about your workplace, home and who you hang out with. You know, everything that fills the space around you in your world.

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Every building must have a strong deep foundation for it to stay standing and not develop any cracks or fall down! The client attraction process is no different. There are 3 vital ingredients that make up this foundation.

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We’ve got a gift for you! How great does it feel to get a gift? Pretty good, right? How awesome is it to get the information you so desperately need, right when you need it to help you solve a big problem in your life? Pretty darn good, right? That’s exactly what happens for your potential client when they come to your website and see your Freebie waiting for them – but only if it speaks to them and can really help them.

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When my business partner and I set up our import business here in Spain with one very old 2nd hand van, his garage as storage space, and my living room as our office, with no business or marketing plan, we had no idea just how successful it was going to be.

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Being in business means making money, making a profit, because as I say to all my clients, if you are not making money, then you just have a hobby. So having ascertained that you are in business, then part of the business plan, and a big part of the business plan, is to set at least one money goal. Great! So now you have a goal. And so the next step is to work out how you are going to reach that goal and that’s what I’ve set out for you in this week’s article, a very quick and simple exercise that will let you know the facts.

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When you're in business for yourself, you wind up wearing a lot of hats. Sometimes this is essential, sometimes it's a hassle and often times it can be extremely detrimental to your success. The essential times come out of realizing that no one can look after your dream, your true desire, like you can. It's important to remember that you need to be in the driver's seat, you need to take responsibility and you need to hold the vision of what you desire... your dream... your business.

Published · 863 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Let's start with what effortless means. Basically, it's the opposite of effort. So making an effort speaks of really having to push, to try hard, to dig your heels in and get the job done. So effortless would mean we don't have to push, or try hard, or struggle to get the job done? That's exactly what I'm talking about, about not having to push, not having to struggle, not having to try hard. It 's the difference between rowing the boat in the water, or walking with the boat over your head alongside the river. What would you rather do? I know I'd rather be in the boat.

Published · 672 views

Consistency is absolutely one of the key success strategies to apply to any area of your life where you are seeking positive change. It is also something I resisted for a very long time. I am a spontaneous soul. I thrive in environments that offer variety. I love the unexpected. I am a crisis and trauma specialist and worked in that field for many years. I am hard-wired that way. What I didn’t like was routine, structure, sameness of any kind. And then I applied the value of Consistency to a business that was perplexing me and frustrating me, and voila! The magic ingredient.

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Believe it or not, there is a natural flow for clients to start working with you, particularly in service-based businesses. On one level, most of us understand that, in general, people will come in the door at a rather modest pace, until you have really been able to build that “know, like and trust” factor. Once you have built that trusting, authentic relationship with them and you present your offerings in a way that makes it a no-brainer for them to take the next step with you, the path for your clients will be a walk on the beach – for them and for you!

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There is a lot of talk right now about the “Economic Crisis”. In fact, it’s all over the TV, radio, newspaper, Internet, political debates, etc. It is during times like this when it is important to remember that we create what we experience. Our words, thoughts and beliefs have incredible power, and they create the life we live. They color our perspective and determine how we see the events in our world and what we attract into our life and our business.

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When I worked in the banking world (seems like a lifetime ago!) everything was pretty much decided for me. I had a boss who told me when to come in, how long I needed to be there, what to do when I was there, what my deadlines and goals were and overall what was expected of me. I also had colleagues who not only had certain expectations of me, but who also supported me and had my back. There was a team of support all around me and every supply I could ever want was normally always at hand.

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At 6 am on Monday morning. I was still wide awake – I hadn't slept a wink all night which was very unusual for me! On Sunday evening I had an insight, and that's what was playing on my mind all night. The insight was, in a nutshell, just how much time I spend in fear*. Now that may seem really obvious to you, but I honestly had not realised just how much of my life was tainted or even controlled by fear. Fear was in the driver's seat without me being aware of it. Most of my decisions were being made from a place of fear or insecurity.

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You must believe that you can get clients. One of the most damaging things I hear business owners do at the moment is talk about how bad things are and how there is no money around. I can hold my hand up and say I’ve done it too. And when I catch myself, then I remind myself, I am creating my own reality through my thoughts and beliefs. And what I focus on is what I get. Beware of taking part in chit chat about how bad the economy is, how business is suffering in your part of the world, the negative news, etc. The more attention you give to anything, the bigger it gets.

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One thing we have learned from experience is that once you have passion, fire and purpose behind your desire, the actual decision or "resolution" to fulfill your desire comes much more easily and with a "firmness of purpose". The way we see it is, when you finally get down to the point of truly making a decision – you have to leave no room for turning back! You "burn the boats". It is in the decision where our free will comes in. We are the only ones who know what our True Desires are; no one else, not even the Universe can dictate what our True Desires "should" be.

Published · 1,529 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 2 votes

You, the possibility seeker, you know what you want, even if it’s not clearly defined yet, even if you are just starting to step into it, just starting to open the door and take a peek at the possibilities for your life that are beginning to call out to you. You may not know what you want yet, but you know you want SOMETHING. Something more? Something different?

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“We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?” We absolutely love this quote from Marianne Williamson. And do you want to know what really breaks our hearts? It’s when we see people who are so full of potential, not step into their greatness… Because they are worried about what others will think, or they don’t think they are worthy, or they don’t think they are good, perfect special, or unique enough.

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So let's quickly look at why goal setting is so important. And just in case the word “goal” turns you off, please replace it with a word that fits for you, it could be intention or objective, etc. It's the feeling that is behind the words that is the key here. Please choose a word that feels right to you.

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I don’t know about you, but when I first started out as a solo-preneur in my service business and sat down to write the copy for my website, I found it incredibly challenging. I had no idea where to start on my home page, let alone any others. So I did what most other coaches were doing, I spent days and days checking out other coaches’ websites, looking for ideas and inspiration for my own, comparing their sites, their pages, articles, prices, and all that good stuff.r

Published · 1,692 views

We recently received a lovely email from someone in our newsletter community thanking us for the information they have received from us over the past year and that, now, they had something exciting to share with us. They also asked for our professional opinion as well. Oh! How fun…I couldn’t wait to read on. I scrolled down the email message with excited anticipation to see what my exciting surprise was. Suddenly, my anticipation took a huge dive! The first thingr I saw was the question “What is ECUA?” (Just so you know, the acronym has beenr

Published · 1,373 views

I was coaching with a client yesterday, and I was reminded to share with her an insight I had been made aware of years ago. It struck a chord in her, it was one of those “Aha” moments and so I wanted to share it with you today. And it’s this …. “people don’t remember you for the way you look, or the things you say, they remember you for the way you make them feel”.

Published · 1,018 views

If 2 people are using the same proven formula for closing the sale time and time again, and one is closing the sale 70% of the time, and the other one isn't, what is the difference? Well if they are using the same script and speaking to the same people, then the difference has to be in the person using the script. And of course, this all boils down to their mindset. The mindset being what we are thinking, feeling and believing, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Published · 1,120 views

Do you want to know one of the easiest and quickest ways of building your business as a heart based entrepeneur? Joint venture partnerships. Yep, this is the fastest growing trend when it comes to building your list both on line and off line. If you don't know what joint venture partnerships are, very simply put, they are 2 or more businesses coming together, with the same or at least similar target markets, to promote each others services and products.

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We talk a lot about attracting in our ideal clients or our target market, but have you taken the time to work out the specifics? By the specifics I mean what your ideal client looks like, thinks like, acts like, wants in life and so on? Have you been specific and let the Universe know who to bring you? Or are you willing to work with anyone who comes along? I know as heart based people we do have this feeling of wanting to help the whole world, but there are specific groups of people that are going to work better with you than with anyone else in the world.

Published · 865 views

I made up my mind last month that I was going to live more simply, stop complicating my life and making it so hard. I had an insight that showed me just how much I was complicating things for myself. Well, you know how the best laid plans don't always work out......... that's what happened to me. I found myself overcomplicating my business again this week.

Published · 1,481 views

In case dancing isn't your thing, Donald Driver, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, won this year's Dancing With the Stars. Even if you're not a Green Bay Packers fan, there are a lot of reasons to root for Donald. He's the classic rags-to-riches story: Dad in jail when he was born, family was homeless during much of his childhood. He was a seventh round draft pick of the Packers and ended up becoming one of the most productive receivers in Packer history. (Plus he's just an all-around really nice guy.)

Published · 765 views

Can you think of anything much better than a good story? Stories are how we relate to and understand one another and there are so many great ones out there. They stand the test of time, passed on from person to person, generation to generation. They are made into books, poems, plays, movies, TV shows, urban legends, cave paintings... you get the idea. But the best stories ever told are the stories that you can personally relate to. The ones that speak directly to your heart, that tap into your emotions, that allow you to really feel what is going on for the person in the story.

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If you really want 2012 to be your breakthrough year, it’s essential to put your purpose and your message into a plan that you can go back to and look at (at least once a week) so you can stay focused, inspired and on track throughout the year. With a strong plan, focused on how many people you want to help, how much money you want to make and the steps to build the vision you want to create, you can accomplish more while staying in integrity with your passion. Here are the six steps of your very simple Business Plan (a condensed version of a section in our Authentic PROFITS System):

Published · 1,554 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Whether you already have your business up and running or you’re thinking of taking the plunge to put your dream into reality, we all know there are certain things that need to be in place. When it comes to getting the word out and connecting with those who need and want your services, your marketing tools and skills need to be finely honed and polished. But it doesn’t have to be difficult, frustrating or a struggle! Remember, this is YOUR gift and YOUR business and you can do it YOUR way – as long as you’re using these 10 Business Building Blocks.

Published · 859 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Networking is such a crucial element in building your business and there are some traps you can easily fall into that can make it less than effective for you and your business. We have put together 10 simple tips that can help you make the most out of your networking opportunities, and create optimal relationships that are win-win for all!

Published · 943 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Of all the things entrepreneurs struggle with, this one is probably the most difficult and most dangerous. Why? Because it directly impacts the success of your business. I know I'm not revealing any big eye-opening secret when I tell you that if you don't regularly and consistently market your business, your business won't grow. I know you know this. But none of that helps you when you hate marketing. (In fact, it probably makes you feel even worse, doesn't it?) So what did you do? Here are 3 steps to get you started (hint -- these work even if you love marketing):

Published · 818 views

I'm a professional athlete who sometimes gets bored off the field. There's only so much television you can watch, so that's why I like to hop on Twitter. I especially like to do this when I'm really angry about something. But I've discovered I get a big backlash when I do this. I've blamed the Mad Twitter Hacker, but the problem is no one believes there is a Mad Twitter Hacker and they still get mad at me. I don't get it -- nobody is really reading Twitter anyway, right? Any professional athlete, any city Dear Any Athlete,

Published · 907 views

When I worked in the banking world (seems like a lifetime ago!) everything was pretty much decided for me. I had a boss who told me when to come in, how long I needed to be there, what to do when I was there, what my deadlines and goals were and overall what was expected of me. I also had colleagues who not only had certain expectations of me, but who also supported me and had my back. There was a team of support all around me and every supply I could ever want was normally always at hand. Since Brian and I started our own business, we are our own bosses!

Published · 726 views · Rated 2/5 from 2 votes

How do you get more clients to work with you? By building the ‘know, like and trust factor’. What does that mean? Well basically it means you are creating a relationship with your potential clients just like you would any relationship.

Published · 942 views

It's never about the strategy, it's always about the mindset. That was one of the key points that I heard Garret Kramer say over and over in a variety of ways in his book Stillpower and in our recent interviews.

Published · 843 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

In my copywriting trainings, this topic invariably comes up. And usually it's because I'm questioning my students' choice of words on their websites or other online promotional copy. "I chose that word because it's a good SEO keyword," they say. Ah. It may be a good SEO keyword but it's certainly not a good people word.

Published · 1,053 views

There can be many struggles you face when operating your own business. In fact it can be an intensely emotional experience, especially when you are dedicated to helping other people change their lives for the better. So, we wanted to give you some food for thought: Did you know that we can only experience one emotion at a time? Did you know that all our emotions vibrate at a certain frequency? Some higher like love and some lower like anger.

Published · 704 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

When a business owner asks me what's the first step I recommend they take in order to get their business off the ground, my answer is to get very clear. Clarity is one of the most important keys to success. If you are not clear about the who, the why, the what and the when, then it's pretty much like putting your child (or pet) in the back of a taxi and saying, take him/her wherever you want and don't worry about the cost, how long it takes, or even if you go anywhere at all. In fact if you want to go round and round in circles, that's fine too!

Published · 676 views

We are all unique, we are all special, but do we act that way when we are talking about our business? What are you doing to differentiate yourself from the other people inrnyour expertise or field? How do you stand out from the other coaches, speakers, practitioners, healers, counselors, and other business owners? Remember, in a field of grey, a splash of color really stands out! So what are we talking about here, how do you stand out from the crowd? Inr

Published · 1,425 views

We are conditioned from birth to seek approval, it's in our bones, our muscles, every cell of our bodies. At a recent seminar I attended it was likened to an addictive substance and I thought it was a brilliant analogy to highlight the power it has over us. So to share it with you, imagine that approval seeking is an addictive chemical substance that we are spoon fed from a very early age. It wasn't done intentionally to harm us, it is just part of the way our society functions.

Published · 753 views

As you may know, I am on a MISSION to shine a great big TRUTH spotlight on all the Big Fat Lies you’re most likely telling yourself about Internet Marketing right now. However, I can only do so much. I can tell you what the truth is. And you may even believe it. (In your head that is.) But then, come the darkest part of the night, you’ll wake up in a sweat. And you’ll be thinking: “What if Michele is wrong? What if the reason why I’m having so much trouble succeeding on the Internet really IS all about me?”r

Published · 662 views

It sounds magical, doesn't it? Attracting leads, clients and sales to you effortlessly. In fact, it almost doesn't sound possible. But the truth is, it IS possible, even if it isn't magic. It's all about good, solid marketing principles. And if you follow the below 3 keys, you'll be well on your way to experiencing that for yourself in your business. 1. Create a powerful message that appeals to your ideal clients. This could also be thought of as your Unique Selling Proposition (or USP).

Published · 713 views

The hallmark of a successful retail business is in its use of technology. What point of sale system you are using, whether you and your employees are IT efficient or not and finally, if you are selling online through an integrated process. Use of technology in the retail business is a necessity these days so that you can augment your sales and remain ahead in the completion all through the year.

Published · 979 views

As we watch in awe the amazing and (relatively) peaceful revolutions taking place around the world, we are reminded that it only takes a spark to get a fire going. It only takes a few passionate, resourceful and committed individuals to bring unbelievable change to the world.

Published · 1,838 views

Last year I hit a big financial milestone in my business. Now, I'm not telling you this to brag. I'm telling you this because I want this for you, and I believe you can do it too. Look, I made every mistake in the book (and probably even a few that aren't in the book). I also probably started my business exactly the way you did -- as a solopreneur.

Published · 586 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 2 votes

I was very excited about how I ended 2010. I finally hit a financial milestone. However, I wasn't an ove ight success. I started this process in 2005 to transform my business from a one-woman freelance copywriter to president of a copywriting and marketing company. I'm going through all the things I did so you can duplicate my success. Below are 5 things that worked for me: 1. Started attending events. Now, I'm not talking about becoming an event junkie. But I do believe going to events is key to taking your business to the next level.

Published · 530 views

One of my most favorite quotes - if not my very favorite - is by a woman named Lila Watson, an an Aboriginal Australian, Murri visual artist, activist and educator. In a speech at the United Nations she said, "If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time...But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Published · 4,333 views · Rated 3.4/5 from 5 votes

For online retailers, the year-long wait is over as the shopping season is in full swing now. Despite a sluggish recovery, there is no shortage of enthusiasm for online shoppers who are already on a buying spree. Thanks to flexible and innovative strategies of online retailers, the web shoppers are finding it more convenient to shop online.

Published · 950 views

At the beginning of a new year there is usually a lot of excitement about all the new possibilities and opportunities that seem to be right around the corner. Then the champagne high wears off, the excitement fades and we begin to fall back into our old "everyday" patterns of what was, what is and what will always be... forgetting about all the possibilities and opportunities that only a few weeks ago seemed like forgone conclusions. Well we want to share 5 steps that not only make for a great and successful year, but also make for a great and successful life!

Published · 1,568 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 10 votes

Recently, my 23-year-old son helped me to truly understand the question - "How Bad Do You Want It?"

Published · 1,618 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

You can probably feel it sometimes, can’t you? That nagging... why isn’t this working? What is going on? Is it just me? Am I the right business?... If these questions are nagging you, then chances are pretty good you are dealing with at least one of these 5 major blocks that can stop even the most well-meaning, talented and amazing entrepreneurs in their tracks. So, let’s break these blocks down...

Published · 1,736 views · Rated 2/5 from 3 votes

"Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude. ...the reason simply is that the mental attitude of gratitude draws the mind into closer touch with the source from which the blessings come." ~Wallace D. Wattles There can be many struggles you face when operating your own business. In fact it can be an intensely emotional experience, especially when you are dedicated to helping other people change their lives for the better. So, we wanted to give you some food for thought:

Published · 1,584 views · Rated 2/5 from 3 votes

Over the years I've attended my share of live sporting events, but I must say there's a lot to like about live NFL games. In fact, I'd like to share 3 of those lessons below that you too can use to build your business. 1. Know what business you're REALLY in. Think the NFL is just about football? Think again. The NFL is in the entertainment business and yes the NFL is well aware of that.

Published · 816 views

Internet has become one of the most vital parts of our everyday life. It has transformed our trade, communication and transaction system. E-commerce business is increasing day by day all over the world. E-commerce statistics confirm the explosive pace at which this industry has developed as worldwide B2C (business to customer) e-commerce sales increased to more than 1.2 trillio US dollars in 2013 (source: statista.com).

Published · 795 views

“I just don’t know where to start” This is one of the common answers I hear having asked the question – how can I help you? So in my business, practitioners are coming to me to help them grow their businesses/practices which generally means they need clients. They are heart centred service professionals and the fact that you are part of this community, I imagine you are one of these too and can relate. You may have just the same question too. Where to start?

Published · 1,081 views

I remember years ago being part of a group trip and stopping for a picnic. The organizer shared some crisps and then took a bite of one. She looked at me and said “Mmmmm, aren’t crisps just heavenly?” Back then, I was totally in my head and wondering why this woman was getting so excited about a crisp! And I replied with something like “don’t you normally eat crisps then?” to which she replied very kindly “yes, I do”, smiled and moved on to chat with someone else. I just didn’t understand why someone who eats crisps regularly could get so excited about eating them.

Published · 1,550 views

One of our mentors is always reminding us that we need to "let go of something of a lower nature to get something of a higher nature." And though this makes sense on an intellectual level, it can be challenging to remember that in the moment of needing to let go. For example perhaps you have a partnership, a relationship, a house, a client, a team member, a job, etc. that is no longer serving you. It is keeping you from growing, but it feels impossible to "let it go."

Published · 887 views · Rated 1.4/5 from 5 votes

So many of us heart-based business owners jump in with our heart, our soul and both feet only to land on... what do I do now? Urghhh... that's what happened to us when we first started our original "Life Purpose" coaching business. Today we enjoy a thriving, multiple 6-figure business that brings us incredible joy and excitement. So how did we get there? Well, you gotta have a plan - plain and simple! To support you on your journey as an entrepreneur, here are the top ten elements that are crucial for you to have in place in your business (or at the very least to have in progress).

Published · 718 views · Rated 1.5/5 from 4 votes

This week I did a free session with a lovely lady who really wants to create a business model that serves both her and her ideal clients. She has a beautiful vision and an obvious passion to make a difference in the world. There were a few blocks that she could see to her bringing this vision into the form. One of them, and a very common one, was the uncertainty of what might or might not happen. Would she get the clients? Be able to fulfill her end of the bargain? Make the money? In other words, be successful?

Published · 1,011 views

I had a beautiful conversation with a beautiful soul recently who happens to live in Kathmandu in Nepal which I think is very cool that technology allows us to do this! It was our 2nd attempt after the Skype connection failed the first time, and I am so very happy we persisted and made it happen.

Published · 788 views

Marketing is a word, a label for something, that’s all. So why does it drum up so much anxiety or disdain in people? Well, that’s an interesting question. A friend shared this on Facebook a couple of days ago and I shared it because it really impacted me and illustrated my point so clearly. “The same boiling water that softens potatoes also hardens eggs. Everything depends on what you are made of, not your circumstances”

Published · 917 views

Marketing is the life-blood of your business; it is what sustains all businesses today, small and corporate alike. Marketing is the combination of strategies you apply in your small business to get new customers, to maintain customer loyalty and to increase your business profitability. If you want to grow your business, here are five small business marketing strategies you should put into practice right away:

Published · 1,034 views

Generally when we're building new websites, our clients have several design and development ideas that they would like implemented into the new site. Most of the time, we try to take the clients' ideas into account, but we have several suggestions that pop up often that we have to politely decline, and here's why: Confusing Purposer We have a client with a very interesting company name; unfortunately, the name is not reflective at all of what the business actually does. They came up with a design concept that played up the name, with a cute cartoon character and all.

Published · 920 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

A blog is a contraction word of "web log". It is a website that contains personal postings, usually the author's thoughts and feelings about things and events. It may also contain educational articles, videos, images, comments, opinions, descriptions of things or announcements of events. Blogging, the verb, is the act of making the contents of the web log on a regular basis.

Published · 871 views

It is imperative that, as a small business owner, you create a marketing plan. It's also imperative that you realize your marketing plan is going to be a work in progress. Your plan (and you!) must be flexible enough to change and adapt to the current market conditions, changes in the economy, advances in technology and so on. Here are 6 great tips to keep in mind when you begin creating your own small business marketing plan: 1. Establish Goals

Published · 924 views

Have you ever heard the saying "If everyone is your customer, no one is your customer"? Many small business owners are afraid to create a niche for their business thinking that they will end up turning away prospects or that they will cut themselves off from potential customers. The fact is, having a niche actually makes your small business marketing much easier. A niche gives you focus. It allows you to tailor your message to your particular audience. It allows you to have a better understanding of your target market and to craft a very clear and concise target market profile.

Published · 819 views

Public relations, or getting publicity through mainstream media, has been around for hundreds of years and has been proven effective in bringing in consumer traffic to small businesses. But, is such an ancient marketing method still effective for today's high-tech small businesses? While it's true that typical public relations have existed long before the computer and the internet were invented, the fact is, it is still extremely effective for almost all online businesses.

Published · 744 views

If you’ve been paying attention to your website traffic, you might have noticed a significant dip in the number of visitors coming to your website by searching longtail keywords. (Longtail keywords are search terms that have more than 3 words in the phrase. "Marketing" is a keyword. "Indianapolis Small Business Marketing Consultant" is a longtail keyword.)

Published · 1,405 views

One of the most relaxing parts of life is lounging in a warm, bubbling hot tub. Stress and tension seem to melt away, and we come out feeling renewed. With a healthy regard for basic safety, and a dose of common sense, hot tub ownership can improve your health and your quality of life. Read below for some helpful safety tips. Sanitizer & Water Balance

Published · 1,204 views

Sanitizing your hot tub water is the most important maintenance you can do for your health and for the life of your hot tub. Soaking in a hot tub is like taking a bath, except you don’t drain this tub when you are done. In fact, you don’t drain it for months. The warm water provides a perfect breeding ground for organic material and microorganisms. Without an effective sanitizer system, things could get ugly quick. Notice I said “system.” You need more than one method working at once to keep your hot tub clean.

Published · 2,094 views

Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy also known as aquatic therapy where water revitalizes, maintains, and restores health. These can include hot tubs, saunas, steam baths or foot baths. Warm water makes moving safer with gentle resistance and soft pressure on the body. It also provides safe cushioning for stressed or fragile bones. Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, and Chinese ancient cultures often used warm and cold water for healing. However, as with many healthy practices, hydrotherapy largely disappeared during the Middle Ages, then was revived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Published · 1,437 views

Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy also known as aquatic therapy where water revitalizes, maintains, and restores health. These can include hot tubs, saunas, steam baths or foot baths. Warm water makes moving safer with gentle resistance and soft pressure on the body. It also provides safe cushioning for stressed or fragile bones. Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, and Chinese ancient cultures often used warm and cold water for healing. However, as with many healthy practices, hydrotherapy largely disappeared during the Middle Ages, then was revived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Published · 1,343 views

Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy also known as aquatic therapy where water revitalizes, maintains, and restores health. These can include hot tubs, saunas, steam baths or foot baths. Warm water makes moving safer with gentle resistance and soft pressure on the body. It also provides safe cushioning for stressed or fragile bones. Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, and Chinese ancient cultures often used warm and cold water for healing. However, as with many healthy practices, hydrotherapy largely disappeared during the Middle Ages, then was revived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Published · 1,370 views

Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy also known as aquatic therapy where water revitalizes, maintains, and restores health. These can include hot tubs, saunas, steam baths or foot baths. Warm water makes moving safer with gentle resistance and soft pressure on the body. It also provides safe cushioning for stressed or fragile bones. Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, and Chinese ancient cultures often used warm and cold water for healing. However, as with many healthy practices, hydrotherapy largely disappeared during the Middle Ages, then was revived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Published · 1,482 views

Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy also known as aquatic therapy where water revitalizes, maintains, and restores health. These can include hot tubs, saunas, steam baths or foot baths. Warm water makes moving safer with gentle resistance and soft pressure on the body. It also provides safe cushioning for stressed or fragile bones. Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, and Chinese ancient cultures often used warm and cold water for healing. However, as with many healthy practices, hydrotherapy largely disappeared during the Middle Ages, then was revived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Published · 1,379 views

If you're like many entrepreneurs I've encountered, you probably started your business because you are really good at what you do. At some point in time, you might have decided you were sick and tired of bringing home the bacon for your boss and you figured you'd be better off starting your own business and keeping the bacon on your own kitchen table. Or perhaps you have an exceptional skill, something that comes so naturally to you that all your friends and family have always said, "You should be making money with this. You should start your own business."

Published · 1,333 views · Rated 4/5 from 2 votes

Many entrepreneurs think they do not need a mission statement since their business is small. They mistakenly believe that a mission statement is something created by Fortune 500 companies to hang on the wall in the CEO's office. But a mission statement is especially important for a small business. A mission statement is a brief description of your business's purpose and overall goal. In a nutshell, your mission statement tells the world why your business exists and what needs your business fills.

Published · 966 views

It seems as if most of the entrepreneurs I've encountered lately are looking for the "get rich quick" version of small business marketing. Unfortunately, such a thing doesn't really exist, but if you're looking for some tried-and-true marketing principles that can accelerate your success, I've got a few to share with you: Pull Marketing Works Better Than Push Marketing

Published · 795 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

When it comes to small business marketing, cross-selling is a great technique to increase sales and improve the bottom line. I often work with my coaching clients to create cross-selling programs for their small businesses. The problem with cross-selling is that it can sometimes confuse your customers and cause them to abandon their purchase in the middle of the process. It's important that you employ cross-selling techniques correctly so that your sales will actually grow and not dwindle. Here are 8 of my favorite and most effective cross-selling techniques:

Published · 1,889 views

Our small business clients are always interested in affordable SEO ideas to increase the traffic to their websites on a very limited budget. And we typically offer the same search engine optimization tip to all of our clients: The easiest, most affordable SEO step you can make to drive traffic to your website is to add unique content on a regular basis. Many of our small business marketing clients don’t like to hear that. They’re not natural born writers, and they believe adding content on a consistent schedule is going to be extremely difficult.

Published · 862 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

The press release has been around for most of modern history in one form or another. When you have some small business news you want to share, using a press release is often the best route to take. However, there are some things you need to know about promoting your business with a press release. Keep these four tips in mind before setting up your press release. Target Newspapers First

Published · 964 views

It definitely takes a lot of time and effort to craft the perfect blog post. You must research your keywords, develop the perfect headline, craft a compelling opening sentence, create perfect subheads, design a visually appealing layout. Once your post is finally written, it would be easy to breath a sigh of relief, hit the publish button, and sick back and relax. But once your post is published, you’re only half-way done. Now it’s time to drive traffic and entice readers to your blog.

Published · 747 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

With all the changes taking place in our economy it is important now more than ever to keep our eyes open for opportunities and different ways of doing business. Think about breaking away from the conventional approaches you have been taking in the many different areas in your business. Recently, I saw a clever sign at a Dairy Queen. It read: Happy Hour 50% off drinks 2pm-4pm A few instructive things here. One, they borrowed a very common business practice of restaurants and bars.

Published · 1,268 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 4 votes

Web analytics play a major role in the optimization of your online presence; however, if you’re like most small business owners, you probably have only a vague understanding of analytics. You might have heard of web site analytics, maybe even attended a class or a seminar about analytics. But the options probably seemed overwhelming and technical and a bit too complicated.

Published · 765 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Many people laugh when I say this, some people cringe. I think most people are afraid to continue to follow up for fear of being rejected.

Published · 3,131 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 4 votes

When marketing anything in your business it is important to use a multi-step, multi-channel system. It has been reported that your advertising or offer needs to be seen at least eight times before a buying decision is made. I’m sure you can relate to this. You get something in the mail and you think you might want to buy it. You then set it aside. Time passes and the offer expires. Then you see an ad in the newspaper and clip it out and put it aside. At some point in time, it could be the 4th time it could be the 9th time, you actually follow through and make the purchase.

Published · 1,443 views · Rated 3/5 from 3 votes

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the tight economy and how small businesses are currently under a financial strain. We’re all feeling the pressure to generate new revenue and improve our overall ROI. The financial news can certainly seem bleak and depressing right about now. But the good news, for your small business at least, is that there is a marketing tool that is still proving successful and generating high returns on investment. In fact, studies show that this particular tactic actually received an increase in 2009 marketing budgets.

Published · 965 views

The only way to know if one marketing medium is better than another is to test. Some businesses fall into the trap of doing what they have always done marketing and advertising-wise because it produces what they think are okay results. This is all well and good if you have in fact tested other ways to market and found a particular medium does outperform every other. But, if you are doing it because this is the way you’ve always done it, you may want to re-think your strategy. Testing may reveal a better way to get less costly leads. There is another reason some businesses don’t test.

Published · 1,436 views

First, I want you to understand that I am NOT giving you license to steal other people’s content. There ARE repercussions to using duplicate content, but it is not a penalty per se. There continues to be a lot of misinformation surrounding the so-called "Duplicate Content" penalty. I actually have one client who was extremely reluctant to start repurposing his articles and distributing them on article directory sites because he was conce ed about getting hit with the duplicate content penalty.

Published · 1,216 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 2 votes

My email in-box is jam packed, I have several calls from sales people that I haven't returned yet, my desk is a mess, and I'm finding it very hard to concentrate. What in the world is going on here! Well, for starters, my friend Chris is undergoing her second brain surgery today (a 7 hour procedure that will hopefully eliminate what remains of the tumor), my husband is recovering from surgery that was definitely not as easy and painless as the doctor lead us to believe it would be, my staff is about to double from 3.5 of us to 7.5 of us. All of this has caused me to totally lose my focus.

Published · 2,443 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 2 votes

There are many ways that need to be kept in mind when you operate a business in order to make the most of it. You want to be as productive as possible and you want to have a constant stream of new business coming through your doors. Even though those are important things for you to keep in mind, it is also important for you to keep your existing customers in mind as well. After all, a great deal of your business is going to come from those individuals who have already used your services in the past.

Published · 819 views

Do you set goals for your business? This is a question that you should take very seriously. Goal setting helps a business owner accomplish two specific things. The first thing that it does is it breaks down a huge task into smaller bite sized pieces. Let’s face it, running a business is hard. We all want to get rich and big. We want our business to grow at a fast pace and we want to enjoy the ride all the way to the top. Well, this is easier said than done, and there are about a million little steps that need to be reached before we reach the “top”.

Published · 1,313 views

August can be a frustrating month for gardeners in the South. This is not planting or seeding time – especially not when the temperature tops ninety degrees! No pruning, either. Or transplanting, unless absolutely necessary.

Published · 1,388 views

Wouldn't it be refreshing and less stressful to speak to a human operator without having to listen to a laundry list of annoying automated service menu options when making a call to inquire about a bill or to get general information? God forbid if you pressed the wrong number and have to start your call all over again.

Published · 1,376 views · Rated 3.3/5 from 4 votes

Whether you market to other businesses or to consumers (or to both), the quality of your mailing list directly affects its success. Not only can a good list lead to increased sales, the cleaner and more targeted your list is, the greater your return on investment. While it takes extra time to build quality business and consumer mailing lists, it's not overly difficult. Here's how to get started.

Published · 999 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Is your business experiencing stagnation with the Recession? If so, continue reading. Five years ago, did you see this economic recession coming? Perhaps, you did to a lesser extent, but you didn’t really think it was going to be this bad, right?

Published · 1,052 views · Rated 2.7/5 from 3 votes

One of my mentors, Bill Glazer, legendary and outrageous marketing guru always says he "makes a sale to get a customer." Most businesses look at it the other way around. They think, "I need to get a customer to make a sale." If your business is one where people return to you time and time again, your objective should be like Bill's. Your focus should be on how to get a new customer and not on the profits from the first sale.

Published · 1,059 views

Buying sales leads to power your telemarketing lists is a great way to quickly ramp up your outbound marketing campaign. However, are you getting the most out of the leads you purchase? Use the tips below to get more out of your leads, regardless of where you buy them.

Published · 1,324 views

These are tough times we are seeing for business. The economy is at an all time low and many people are beginning to feel the pinch. Is there any hope at all for the little guy to get by in these hard times? I say absolutely yes! I know it’s a major cliché, but the old saying holds so much truth. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” What this really means is that when times are hard, you need to try harder. It’s easy to be successful when times are easy. In terms of getting clients, there are a number of cost effective ways you can improve your chances.

Published · 991 views

Here we are, it's June already and the year is half way over. The time couldn't be better to take an objective look at your email marketing campaign and assess any changes or fixes that need to be made. What kinds of things should you look for? Here are a few pointers to get you started: Take a look at your subscription process. Are all of the forms on every page working? Where is the reader taken after registering? Are there any unnecessary clicks included in the opt-in route?

Published · 702 views

There is a lot to search engine optimization, so I am going to cover some basics and leave it at that. First let’s go over some key parts to SEO. Keywords are words that people use on the search engines to find your website. These keywords can help determine your rank on the search engines. This is why keyword research is a great way to assess which ones to use and which ones would be too difficult to rank with. There are some great tools out there for this research. One of the best to use is Google AdWords Keyword Tool, if you are looking for a free resource.

Published · 1,101 views

There are many components to designing a WordPress website. I am going to cover the 10 basics when designing a WordPress website.

Published · 923 views

The Internet has certainly changed the way that many of us do business. Not only may we use the Internet to take sales from existing customers, we may also use it as a means to pull in additional customers and to make sure that they are aware of the services that we offer. This can be done in a number of different ways but a few of the more powerful ways include email marketing, text messages and social media.

Published · 988 views

We are living in difficult economic times, and many of us tend to struggle with our own finances, let alone getting other people to purchase items if we are in sales. That doesn't mean, however, that we are living in times that are so desperate that we are not able to pick up on our sales and continue to advance our business. If you find that your sales are lagging, there are some things that can be done which will help to improve your sales and to get them back on track once again. Here are some tips that can help you through the process.

Published · 963 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

What is a high maintenance client? Is it someone who makes unreasonable requests or demands? Is it someone who doesn’t respect your time or your efforts? How about someone who tells you what they want and then complains after you give it to them. They sometimes will say that they wanted something completely different and accuse you of not following instructions. A high maintenance client can be all of these things and more. The real question is how do you deal with them?

Published · 3,462 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

One of the most common questions I get from friends, clients and strangers alike, is how to build a powerful brand with little to no budget. There’s a popular saying that you either have to spend time or money to build your business. When you don’t have the budget, you’ll be putting in more time. Thankfully, putting in the time allows you to connect, engage, create and converse – all offering the opportunity to build your brand and your community.

Published · 962 views

As a small business owner, it's highly likely that you're wearing many hats, and one of those hats happens to be Chief Marketing Officer. And I can tell you that I've met more than one entrepreneur who felt that was the hat that just doesn't quite fit. Most of our small business activities ...

Published · 800 views

1. Keep your word and follow through. 2. Tell her she’s beautiful. 3. Tell her she’s strong. 4. Honor her brain. 5. Be a good role model. 6. Become a mentor. 7. Listen to her (no really, stop talking and listen.) 8. Encourage her to dream and pursue her passions. 9. Know your rights and make sure she understands hers. 10. Vote for reproductive freedom. 11. Be kind and patient with yourself. 12. Be kind and patient with her. 13. Teach her to focus on a glass half full world. 14. Teach her to use her brains, not her body, to influence and persuade. 15. Make sure she reads. A lot.r

Published · 965 views

What type of letter grade can you give your overall business operations right now? An A, B, C, D, or F? Is this grade the same that you gave your business a year or two ago? At this point, everyone is practically worn out from discussing the perils of our current recession. It doesn't matter who ...

Published · 2,577 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Does it appear that our lives are being reduced to microchips of pure scientific theories of defining who we are and what our fate will be? Have we become overly mesmerized with the special effects of incredible technology in our Digital Era, as manual labor slowly disappears by eliminating the ...

Published · 1,697 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Wouldn't it be refreshing and less stressful to speak to a human operator without having to listen to a laundry list of annoying automated service menu options when making a call to inquire about a bill or to get general information? God forbid if you pressed the wrong number and have to start ...

Published · 1,373 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Quite often, personal strongholds greatly attribute to the failure of a business. However, if we examine some close-knit areas in our lives, we might easily recognize that some of these elements could be blocking our business and personal successes. Metaphorically speaking, a stronghold is like ...

Published · 2,269 views · Rated 3.3/5 from 3 votes

Earth is home to some 6.7 billion people today and is expected to have 9 billion by 2040. Some years ago, on a visit to the Mayan ruins of Copan, in Honduras, I heard a guide say that “nobody knows” why the population, after having flourished on the site an estimated 400 years, “suddenly ...

Published · 1,186 views

Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an organization's success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and exte al communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag ...

Published · 30,103 views · Rated 4/5 from 3 votes

No matter what you do for a living, you’ll never have an awesome brand unless you realize that you’re in the people business. Connecting, conversing and helping other people get what they want. Gary Vaynerchuck, the son of Russian immigrants, grew up in his parents’ liquor store. Turned off by the stuffiness of the wine industry–conceited sommeliers and snobby shopkeepers unwilling (or unable) to educate their consumers – Gary rebranded his parents store to Wine Library, and founded the website, WineLibraryTV to make wine accessible and understandable to all who had an interest.

Published · 783 views

Focusing on the four areas to diagnose the health of your business during the recession, consist of a SWOT analysis that include the following quadrants: 1. Strengths 2. Weaknesses 3. Opportunities 4. Threats Recapping the first two areas of your SWOT analysis when diagnosing your business ...

Published · 1,666 views · Rated 3/5 from 4 votes

There are new and existing businesses that need a physical office front, but incurring the expense of leasing an office space can put a strain on their budget. Some businesses are not zoned to run their operations from home and maintaining a professional image is a must. So what do you do about ...

Published · 1,832 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Are you familiar with that old cliche “The Early Bird Gets the Worm?” Typically this passage means that success will come to those who make the effort to prepare adequately and follow through effectively. Many businesses have taken advantage of this slogan by offering “value ...

Published · 1,503 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Today, branding isn’t optional. You are a 24/7 walking, talking billboard. Every day, in everything you do – how you interact, how you dress, what your website looks like, how you speak – you tell the world about yourself. People are buying only one thing from you – the way the engagement (hiring you, working with you, learning from you, using your product or service, etc.) makes them FEEL. And the only way to be considered awesome is to earn a piece of valuable real estate in your potential clients’ hearts and minds.

Published · 1,600 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Having an online presence is one of the most important things a business can have these days. Without some sort of online fingerprint, a business is just not working in the 21st century. One of the best ways to have this presence is through social networking. There are many social networking sites, but all of them have similarities. There are definite do’s and don’ts that should be followed by a business professional when social networking. Here are some of the things that you should do as soon as you start your business profile. Do:

Published · 972 views

In order to comprehend the impact of communication within your organization, members must understand that this particular element of your marketing mix is used to deliver advertising messages and assist target audiences and customers to make purchases. Communication builds a relationship with ...

Published · 7,271 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Many businesses live and die as a result of the leads that are available to them. It is not only important to consider where the leads are generated but it is also important for you to consider what is done with those leads once they are in your possession. Here are a few tips that you can use in order to follow up on your sales leads properly and to ensure that the majority of them are going to be converted if at all possible.

Published · 987 views

I have to admit it, I’ve had enough. Social media has been around the block. Millions of “how to” posts and books have been written, yet so many people are still getting it wrong. I’ve mentioned quite a few of these don’ts in previous posts over the past three years, but somehow, the message still isn’t getting through. Social media is personal, but too many people (and companies) are treating it as an impersonal advertising platform. Fail. There are people on the receiving end of your posts. People who want to connect and engage. It’s called social media for a reason.

Published · 768 views

Here’s how to structure a believable, sales promoting guarantee that removes the risk from your customer and yet does not put you in a bind. You all know that you must guarantee every product that you sell in one way or another. That’s because if it’s really that good, then you shouldn’t be ...

Published · 786 views

One of the most important things that many businesses need to consider is the fact that they need to have a fresh and constant supply of leads in order to generate the revenue that they need. This is especially true when it comes to financial leads, such as those for a variety of different types of loans. It is also true in the insurance industry, where leads are contacted regularly to provide the fresh customers that are needed to keep the business in business.

Published · 988 views

www.newward.com Have you visited Linked in, www.linkedin.com? Linked in connects you with people that you know, also known as your immediate sphere of influence. Through those connections you can see who your friends, also known as connections, are connected to. Linked in tracts your 1st, ...

Published · 1,301 views

Marketing For Small Businesses That Think BIG! Small businesses that think BIG use a multifaceted approach to marketing. Learn the secrets, gain the tools then watch your business accelerate to the next level of success. Marketing For Small Businesses That Thing BIG! is a seminar packed ...

Published · 1,836 views

Do you want to add oomph, pizzazz and wow to your ads, brochures, newsletters, press releases, websites, direct mail pieces, project proposals, e-mails and even business cards, so that you attract and retain the right customers? As the old saying goes, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." The ...

Published · 2,226 views

Your business provides you with the livelihood that is necessary to keep you and your family safe and secure. That is why you must constantly work on your business and make sure that it is working well for you. Multiple things need to be considered in this regard, from the type of advertising that you do all the way to the promotional materials that you may use. You may also have some specific needs for your business, such as if you work in tradeshows regularly. Here are a few tips that can help you to get the word out about your business and can help to keep your customers happy.

Published · 907 views

You probably think that your company, your product or service and your website are as fascinating to everyone else as they are to you. I'm sorry to disillusion you, but the vast majority of your current and prospective website visitors out there don't care about you and your website; they're ...

Published · 1,273 views

Are you feeling mystified and intimidated about how to write a marketing plan for your business? Here are some thought-provoking questions that might be useful discussion-starters (and ones to keep in mind constantly) when you're assessing your current and potential marketing strategies: 1. ...

Published · 2,937 views

A bio can be used on your website, social networking profiles and many other online avenues. It’s there to let other people know more about you and what you are good at. It also tells people important information like what you do for a living. A bio does a very important job, and can help us out professionally. A bio unfortunately also sticks out like a sore thumb when it is too short and inadequate. The other side of this is if it is too long. You don’t want your audience to get bored and stop reading.

Published · 1,590 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

I get asked by many entrepreneurs starting up a new business, what should I know on the start up phase. Here are 5 essentials that you should know:

Published · 1,097 views

We live in a world of copycats. My husband calls them “sheeple.” You know, the followers. People that don’t come up with any of their own original ideas, but rather, blindly follow others. This is rampant in the online marketing world. Websites, sales pages and signature programs that smell an awful lot like the next person. People, a program isn’t your signature unless YOU developed it.

Published · 752 views

You’ve started a Twitter account, built a Facebook Fan Page and are considering jumping on Google+. But if you’re subscribing to the theory of “if I build it, they will come,” you’re in for a pretty disappointing ride. Social media is an incredible vehicle for connection, but once the connection is made, then what? You’ve got to engage if you’re going to grow your community and your business. You can’t expect that just because you slap up a profile picture, a link to your website and a daily post, that your ideal clients will be banging down your door to get in.r

Published · 743 views

There’s no shortage of time management books, tips and tricks. Yet most people I know seem to struggle with their time in one way or another. We all have the same 168 hours every week of our lives. Once you take out time for work, sleep, meals and commuting, you’re left with roughly six to ten hours a week. Not much time to play with, is there? The real secret to time management is actually self-management. In order to better manage your time, you first have to manage yourself.

Published · 912 views

Do you understand the importance of moderation? Moderation is an important part of life and without it we can become obsessed with something that was initially harmless. These things can take over parts of our lives that should be reserved. Things like family dinners and spending quality time with your spouse or children can quickly take a back seat to work.

Published · 985 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Once you have remarkable content up on your blog - useful information you know your target audience wants to consume and will be of value to them , you'll need a steady stream of traffic to engage your audience and turn readers into evangelists. While patience is a must while you build your tribe, there are a number of things you can do to increase traffic to your blog over time. Here Are 13 Ways To Increase Your Blog Traffic:

Published · 861 views

Not a day goes by without a question from one of my clients about how to "do" social media. What is it? Won't it suck up all of my time? Misconceptions about the whole concept are rampant. First, let's simplify the name. Social media is nothing more than a conversation. It's an opportunity for you to jump in at any point in time and connect, engage and offer something of value to both people you know and those you've never met.

Published · 741 views

Marketing and sales are the lifeblood of any venture, whether you’re moving books off shelves or putting widgets into the hands of teenagers, whether you’re teaching classes or improving health and wellness. If there’s no value exchange, there is no business. Why is knowing your prospect the most critical factor to success? Because without this key information, you’re playing a guessing game, hoping to hit a target while blindfolded. Who wants to play like that?

Published · 1,157 views

What is confidence, exactly? The dictionary defines confidence as: belief or trust in oneself and one's powers or abilities; certitude, assurance. I’d like to take it a few steps further. To me, confidence is knowing who you are and feeling comfortable in your own skin, despite any exte al pressures that might make you feel otherwise. It’s having a clear sense of self that doesn’t get blown about by every wind.

Published · 1,025 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

What marketing avenues are you using to make customers aware of your products and services? Are you increasing the creative component of your marketing strategy? Do you think social media magazines will fit into your marketing program?

Published · 1,591 views

Part of being an entrepreneur is having a passion for what you're doing. It's also about juggling many things at once - projects, deadlines, people and opportunities. When you start your business, you're fueled by excitement and motivation. Soon enough, you have a never-ending (and always-growing) to-do list and an overwhelming desire to hit the pause button.

Published · 780 views

It’s not enough to be memorable. It’s a good first start, but in today’s attention-deficit culture, you’re going to need more. In order for a brand to have real staying power, you must have these eight essential characteristics . Having only one or two just won’t cut it. Clarity without an emotional connection is flat, social engagement without energy is boring and remarkability without authenticity has no heart.

Published · 871 views

We live in a world filled with experts. Let’s face it: anyone with a degree, a certification, a few awards or years of experience in a particular industry can tout themselves as an expert. And in the dinosaur ages pre-Inte et, this might have been enough. Today, there are literally MILLIONS of people with special skills or knowledge and years of training under their belts. Smug and satisfied, these same people hang their degrees on their walls, create brochure-style websites, print up their business cards and call themselves experts. But they are not authorities.

Published · 994 views · Rated 2.7/5 from 3 votes

If we're in business, it's comforting to know that we’re not the first to walk this journey. Thousands of very successful business people have done this before, and they’ve made their findings available to us through books, coaching, videos, and the Internet. With so much information out there (and much of it free) why don’t we see more millionaires rising up from the grassroots? People like Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller didn’t have access to even a fraction of what we have ready available today. We should see more rising stars than ever before.

Published · 1,195 views

Most of the time when an individual gets an idea of starting a business, they start with an urgency to sell their personal skills and be their own boss. This is the commonly accepted definition of a small business owner. Unfortunately, it’s also the reason so many businesses fail. By definition a Technician is a person who is trained or skilled in the technicalities of a subject, an expert. On the other hand an entrepreneur is the owner or manager of a business enterprise to make profits.

Published · 1,282 views · Rated 3.7/5 from 9 votes

Though SEO as a whole can become a rather complicated technique, there are several steps that just about any small business owner can take to optimize his website and increase the chances of it appearing in organic search results. Most small businesses are locally-focused – that is, they cater to or offer their services to their local community. However, many small business website owners think "internationally" when it comes to search engine optimization.

Published · 1,454 views

Have you added pay per click to your small business marketing plan? If you thought PPC was only for huge websites with gigantic advertising budgets, think again. Pay per click advertising can be a fantastic way to test the sales copy on a web page before publishing that page to the general public. At one time webmasters had to create a web page and then just cross their fingers, hoping the page would be

Published · 1,027 views

By now you've probably heard all the buzz about social media and how it can drive leads for your business. But when it comes to small business marketing, I'm going to assume that your budget is not unlimited. You need to know that every dollar you spend will bring at least $1.01 to your bottom line. So you might have been a little hesitant to dive into social media for lead generation because you weren't sure how to track or measure the results. If that sounds like you, I've got some great tips to share with you. ** Use link shortening to measure lead generation.

Published · 1,109 views

Are you concentrating all of your SEO link building activities on your home page? If so, read on. If you're one of the lucky ones, you might have noticed that more of your website's interior pages have been getting listed in the search engine results pages. If you're one of the unlucky ones, you might have noticed that you've lost a lot of ground as far as ranking for particular keywords.

Published · 1,302 views

You might think that SEO techniques involve some kind of trickery, or maybe some top secret steps that only the search engine optimization professionals are aware of. In fact, search engine optimization isn't extremely difficult, it simply involves following a few simple rules. There are a few very easy steps that even a novice webmaster can take to search engine optimize his website.

Published · 1,126 views

I see more than 300 new beverage companies per year. Some drinks are great! So why is it that 99% of these drinks fail? Great new drinks fail primarily because entrepreneurs were not prepared with the right knowledge and strategy.

Published · 15,853 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

This is a questio I hear again and again. What is the difference between attracting Window Shoppers and drawing in Paying Clients? The answer is in your words. Take a look at your web site, your special offers, and your sales pages. Are you promising bargains or presenting transformation with clear benefits? Your own focus will be the focus of your Prospects. Bargains attract people with a poverty mindset. Transformation opportunities attract people who are focused on seeing change, not pinching pennies.

Published · 1,248 views

What Superman can Teach You about Unselfish Self Promotion? Can Unselfishness and Self Promotion even be placed side by side in a sentence? Aren't Self Promotion and Unselfishness mortal enemies? A comic book scene comes to mind were the Hero called "Unselfish" battles the Villain "Self Promotion" in every month's comic strip. The Villain wants to rule the world powered by desire, greed, and …… The Hero wants world peace, prosperity and happiness for all human kind and took an oath to protect human kind and the essential universal values of society.

Published · 1,625 views

If life is running you, if you see glimpses of living a life of something more than you need to read this.. The lies you tell yourself stop you from living your greatest life. It's easy to look at the success of others and attribute it to their wealth or their education…. ... or any other thing that we believe that we don't have. This is a lie that we tell ourselves to keep us paralysed from taking action and to stop us from waking up from our own slumber to live our greatest life.

Published · 5,246 views · Rated 5/5 from 2 votes

What does the future coach look like? Have we got it wrong? Are you passionate about the 7 Figure coaching business dream lifestyle or… … are you passionate about building a 6 Figure business that changes the lives of those in your local community and gives you flexibility of time with family? I have worked in the coaching industry for 10 years, I have seen a lot. I believe that we are on the edge of a powerful global transformation of the coaching industry and I want to discuss what that means for us all, together. THE CURRENT STATE OF THE COACHING INDUSTRY:

Published · 5,819 views · Rated 4.5/5 from 4 votes

An affordable SEO plan that is quick and easy and perfect for a small business budget.. The task of search engine optimization for your website can seem overwhelming at times. You have enough work to do just running your small business, so it’s easy to put SEO at the bottom of your priority list. However, without proper search engine optimization, your website is very unlikely to be much of a success. This can mean the money and time that you spent getting your website designed and developed becomes wasted.

Published · 1,162 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

A huge part of SEO revolves around keyword research. Keyword research is inexpensive or free for those willing to do the work themselves and it doesn’t involve a whole lot of effort, other than integrating the keywords into web content. However, keyword research doesn’t just mean going to Google and finding the hottest search phrases that are related to your product and then littering your website with those terms. There is a lot more to SEO than that, if you really want to get the maximum effectiveness from the technique.

Published · 912 views

Video marketing is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for a small business owner to advertise his or her products or services online. YouTube is one of the most visited sites on the web and in July of 2010 it was the 3rd most visited website on the planet with over 100 million unique visitors for the month. With more people going online every day looking for information on how to do things, clearly video marketing on the internet is here to stay.

Published · 976 views

When it comes to small business marketing getting referrals is a huge part of the profit game. Referrals are inexpensive to obtain and easier to sell to. You don’t have to place a huge ad in a high-dollar newspaper to find referrals, so referred clients are inexpensive to come by. And since you don’t have to spend as much time building up trust and explaining how your process works, referred clients are easier to sell to.

Published · 908 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

The use of online videos in small business marketing has become an increasingly popular strategy. Research has suggested that immediately after viewing a company’s video consumers are far more likely to visit the company website or contact the company via phone. In fact they can be up to 40% more likely to make some sort of contact. This is a pretty dramatic statistic.

Published · 916 views

Will Google Instant Effect Your Small Business Marketing? Typical web surfers take over 9 seconds to type their search terms into the Google search bar. Apparently, Google thought this staggering amount of time was unacceptable, and so on Wednesday, they quietly launched Google Instant, an new search feature designed to save searchers anywhere from 2 to 5 second per search.

Published · 865 views

When you are launching a new program, you may consider kicking it off with a free, introductory call to get people interested and registered. But how do you get people to register for that free call? Here are seven ways to find clients for a successful kick off. 1. Network Like Crazy. Go to as many networking events as you can find to meet lots of new people. You can create a special event card that communicates details about your free introductory event and hand that out instead of a business card.

Published · 678 views

To attract clients, your blog and newsletter serve very different purposes. Obviously, the ezine is delivered by email and is created for outreach marketing. You are sending information directly to people who have subscribed which is like them saying, “Yes, I want to stay in touch with you and get your information.” On the other hand, your blog lives on the web and people can come and find it when and how they please. It also connects to your social media profile and you can do all kinds of cool marketing with it.

Published · 659 views

Are you starting to develop programs to attract clients in groups? When I first started offering group courses, I had a mix of people who were at different levels. While the programs were successful with a blended group, I definitely felt it would be better to create specific courses that met different needs. Each time I delivered the program, I changed things here and there to improve them.

Published · 1,047 views

Most small busines owners start feeling stretched and get to the point where they can no longer do it all alone. You realize you need another pair of hands to complete everything that’s on your plate. So you decide to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) and think this is a way to help you get more done faster. You may not know right away what tasks your VA should handle, but you would love for this service to somehow pay for itself.

Published · 1,032 views

Have you been thinking about raising your rates? That can be both exciting and nerve wracking for business owners. On one hand, you’ll produce more income from the same amount of work. On the other hand you may be conce ed by the risk of losing clients due to higher rates. While this may be true, there are best practices for handling a rate increase that, if done well, can get you new clients!

Published · 1,021 views

Public speaking is one of the fastest ways to attract new clients. The on-the-spot connection you establish with one effective presentation is a richer and more holistic experience compared to a blog post, a video or even social media. Your live speaking engagement is able to convey your expertise, authenticity and accelerates the Know, Like and Trust factor for your audience. Public speaking is one of the fastest ways to attract new clients.

Published · 528 views

If your practice is filling up and you are looking for ways to serve more people, consider developing a boot camp program. I did this several years ago when my practice was full, and I had a waiting list. There were also others who couldn’t afford to participate in my live programs. I wanted to come up with a way to build my business and serve more people that didn’t require a lot of my time.

Published · 1,001 views

Do you speak often and wonder how you can get paid to speak? Getting paid speaking gigs is a real possibility. When you’re paid to speak, you’re earning money to give your presentation and get clients at the same time. Just keep in mind that the speaking business can be an entire business in itself, beyond the services you already offer. I still take advantage of speaking opportunities that don’t pay which, by the way, is true of many associations. Why do I agree to do this? Speaking, paid or unpaid, is good for many reasons: 1. For the exposure 2. To get clientsr

Published · 1,179 views

As business owners working to get new clients, we've all heard it. You're in the closing part of the conversation and your client says those fateful words, "I can't afford it." For some owners, this is the worst case scenario because you feel stuck when your potential customer uses this reason not to work with you. There are many variations of this excuse which may include: - That's a lot of money - My sister needs my help - I have a mortgage to pay - My son needs new tires - Let me look over my finances, etc.

Published · 966 views

When you are building a business, you want a solution for accepting payment online that is reliable and looks professional and trustworthy to clients. We have switched providers as we have grown to accommodate different levels of service and higher numbers of transactions.

Published · 631 views

If you are working to attract clients and create a positive mindset, affirmations will help get you there. What a difference they can make! In case you aren’t familiar with this mindset technique, an affirmation is a positive statement about a goal you want to achieve, written in the present tense as if it is happening right now. The First Step is to Write Your Affirmations. You want to craft a series of positive statements about the goals you wish to accomplish. For example, you might write about your business:r

Published · 1,168 views

If you are in the start-up phase of your business, you may wonder how much networking you need to do. Some people don’t feel comfortable with networking and meeting new people and as a result, they prefer to do less. Their natural instinct is to avoid this process.

Published · 531 views

Sometimes clients come to me who have trouble filling their higher-end programs. I have found the problem can often result from people not seeing the program’s full value. To get clients and fill your programs, you must communicate a lot of value. One of the best ways to do this is crush them with social proof.

Published · 661 views

Have you noticed you are attracting interest in your business, but somehow you’re not getting more clients? When this happens to people, there is usually something we call a “chaotic vibration” going on.

Published · 1,161 views

Have you come up with a system that got you where you are today? Often that is the basis for a small business – sharing your knowledge, wisdom and solutions with others who have the same type of problem. That’s how to attract clients. While it’s very important to be congruent with what you say and do and be the kind of person who “walks your talk,” let me share a little secret. You do not have to be perfect. Nor do you need to have every single thing figured out.

Published · 1,087 views

Have you noticed a budding niche in your practice? This can be very exciting to help you find clients more easily. But, it can also cause a conce for business people who are unsure how to handle this transition in their practice or don’t feel ready to commit yet to a particular niche. Discover If You Have a Niche. First, here’s how to notice if you’ve got a niche starting. Take a look back at all your clients so far and ask yourself these questions: - What made them call you? - What did they need help with? - Why did they choose you?

Published · 615 views

When you have written a new blog post, there are three ways to post the information on Facebook. We have done quite a bit of research and testing to discover what works best to get the engagement you want with fans. So let me share what we have learned.

Published · 653 views

Years ago, I felt like I was living a little bit of a lie. Everything I put out there on my website was focused strictly on business, both client attraction and marketing. However, when you get more familiar with my work, you can start to see what’s on the inside: my spirituality.

Published · 1,146 views

Using video is an excellent strategy to attract visitors to your site and get clients. With video, people get to hear about your expertise, see how you speak, get to know you a bit and discover if they like you. In addition, using video to build an online presence can be very powerful as it provides many more search results about you and what you offer.

Published · 1,050 views

When I was just starting out as a holistic health counselor, I needed to attract clients and fill my practice. Once I learned about BNI (Business Networking International), I joined a chapter. My first practice filled up quickly through this remarkable networking group. To find clients, I offered people a free health assessment which worked really well.

Published · 796 views

If you are just getting started building your business, you may find some tasks feel easy and simple and others drum up a bit of discomfort. This is totally natural. The key is to move ahead anyway as you expand your comfort zone. Practicing the uncomfortable parts of growing your business helps you to conquer and then excel at them. For some business owners, getting the structure in place is easy. But, handling the conversation to sign people up for the “get-acquainted” call is what trips them up. If that sounds like you, I’ve got the solution.

Published · 734 views

You are ready to get out there and start speaking in front of groups, which is one of the best ways to get clients. To do this, you need a strong signature talk. You may be wondering how to write your speech and what needs to go into it. It’s actually really simple. Here are five steps for creating a hard-working signature talk that helps you get clients.

Published · 1,067 views

Way back in the day, I had a client who owned a transmission shop in a city of 100,000 people. His transmission shop was named 'AAA Transmission'. He chose this name because this would be the first listing in the yellow pages when someone searched for 'transmission' (yellow page optimization was and is much simpler than search engine optimization). This placement in the yellow pages was responsible for bringing in nearly 90% of his new business. One year, due to an oversight, the phone book company failed to place his ad in the yellow pages section.

Published · 1,535 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

When you are starting a new business, the first couple of years involve a lot of hard work to attract clients. That’s no secret. But sometimes business owners come to me about how hard they are working and that nothing is happening yet.

Published · 1,003 views

When I first started doing teleseminars to attract clients, I would do live calls with everyone on the line being able to ask me questions. My first boot camps were structured the same way as well. This worked fine when the groups were relatively small. Background Noise is Disruptive.

Published · 556 views

When you offer programs that stretch over six months to a year, you will encounter clients who want to drop out. Frequently, money is cited as the reason. What’s behind this excuse is usually one of two things. Occasionally, clients are not experiencing the value they anticipated, but this is not common.

Published · 585 views

Have you ever become a victim of your own perfection paralysis when it comes to marketing yourself? I talked to a few clients this week who have been toying with the idea of putting together a talk to promote their services for months but haven’t done anything about it. The problem is they’re waiting to have the talk written, finished, practiced, the flyer completed and have a list of marketing sources that are lined up to promote the thing before actually selecting a date and getting it done.

Published · 1,418 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

When your service fees run in the thousands, one thing that can help your prospects say “yes” is to allow them to make payments. Sometimes business owners find this problematic. There can be confusion because when clients don’t meet deadlines or put off decisions, they feel they can’t collect the payment as originally agreed.

Published · 1,001 views

There is some debate about whether or not you should put your pricing on the web if you want to get clients. The decision depends on what you are offering and the price of the packages. For example, if you offer products that are immediately downloadable or fulfill by mail, then pricing is obviously needed. People can’t buy if the price and a “buy now” button aren’t available. However, when you have a service that might be pricier, I have found it’s better to not reveal your fee online and instead, go over packages during a “Get Acquainted” call.

Published · 1,052 views

As a business owner, you are looking to attract clients all the time to keep your pipeline full. Everyone has prospects who don’t sign on right away. These are leads who expressed interest at some point. Maybe they spoke to you at length about your services, or you had a “get acquainted” call with them. For whatever reason, they didn’t sign up at that time. You can reach back 12 months to build this list. I call these leads “low hanging fruit” because you know they have some interest so they are easier to “pick” or reconnect with, and often some will become clients.

Published · 963 views

Most business owners have experienced this common situation. You get an email inquiry asking about your fees as the first or only question. If you have responded with your pricing, you probably never heard from the person again, right? This is not the best way to reel in a potential client. People may be interested in working with you but fear they cannot afford you. When you send your pricing right off the bat, you prevent the sales conversation and you haven’t built in any value. That’s why I recommend you should not send out your prices when requested.

Published · 908 views

Having a video on your homepage brings your connection with visitors to another level so you can attract clients more easily. When prospects come to your site and click on the video, they get to see who you are, which is huge. As you know people do business with people they know, like and trust. Video facilitates the start of a relationship. To get the most from your video, here are my recommendations:

Published · 597 views

Every person you encounter will always have that One Big Thing that keeps them from doing whatever it is that you are trying to persuade them to. You know it is there, but you are never quite sure what it is. You know that it stands in the way of your desired result. If you only knew what it was... Understanding the One Big Thing:

Published · 3,752 views · Rated 3/5 from 5 votes

Recently I had a student ask me a question about expanding her business. She worked with small groups in person and was approaching the point where her space was nearly full. We talked about what she could do to attract clients and grow and came up with all of these possible steps to get moving. She could: - Get a bigger space - Use someone else’s space - Train an employee to run programs for her to deliver more classes - Go virtual with a webinar - Consider a secondary target audience, like corporations, etc. What Are You Being Called to do?

Published · 582 views

When you want to bring in some fast cash or if things have slowed down, you may feel tempted to attract clients by lowering your rates. This is an extremely common reaction and I understand why you might think it’s a quick fix. However, this is a strategy that will not serve you in the long run. I’m going to share three crucial reasons why lowering your rates is a path you never want to take.

Published · 946 views

If you are familiar with my methods, then you know I always recommend networking groups, and BNI in particular. This powerful international group helped me learn how to network and fill my practice quickly by meeting lots of new people and gaining referrals.

Published · 973 views

When you are looking to get new clients, one of the best ways is to have a phone call with prospects to get to know them a bit and tell them about your services. Some people offer a free consultation, but I tell my students that this is not the best positioning for what the call is really about. Instead I recommend offering a “Get Acquainted Call.” Here are three reasons why this is a much better approach to get clients:

Published · 1,062 views

Let’s say you are out at a networking event to find clients. You start having an engaging conversation with a person who fits your target and would be an ideal client. Then you get asked a question that stops you in your tracks: “Can you tell me how your coaching will impact my bottom line?”

Published · 633 views

When you are trying to fill an event, you want to know not only how many people plan to attend, but how many will likely show up. Years ago, I used to run a lot of free programs, hoping to get as many people as possible to attend. I figured paying for the event would be a barrier and keep prospects from attending. Since, we experimented with charging a fee for our smaller events. We learned that people who pay are much more likely to attend the program versus a simple RSVP.

Published · 1,054 views

Sometimes my students end up in the frustrating place where prospects can’t afford their programs. This is a tough spot to be in and there are a few things that might be contributing to this situation. When I hear this, I recommend three tweaks to their get acquainted session and closing process.

Published · 681 views

When talking about their business, most solo-preneurs make the mistake of describing exactly what they do, in boring detail. “My company has been in business for X number of years and we use the newest technology systems. We use a complicated series of… blah blah blah.” Many coaches and consultants talk about coaching ad nauseam, “What is coaching, are you coachable, what is your coachability index, who is the coach, blah blah blah”. I know, because I did it too in the beginning and it didn’t work.

Published · 1,192 views

As you work to grow your business, there are many options available to attract clients along the way. One thing that may tempt you is the idea of licensing your proprietary system and/or training coaches or trainers to teach it to others. This can be a lucrative revenue stream but first I recommend you follow these steps before moving into that arena.

Published · 1,002 views

There are many ways to write a blog post that will attract clients, but I’m going to share two methods that are used most often. THE ORGANIZED APPROACH. With this method of writing blog posts, the title is written first. This sets the tone for the post and provides the overall idea. Some writers are very organized in their thinking from the beginning and will get it on paper in an orderly fashion.

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If you are a new small business owner without a long track record, you may find it difficult to talk to your potential clients about results. Sometimes students worry that results will vary for each person. Or, they aren’t sure what they can actually deliver. This makes it difficult for you to help them envision results while you close the sale and get clients. 1. Look at Your Own Results.

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Quote: “The biggest difference between an average income and financial-freedom is… IMPLEMENTATION.“- Bill Glazer I recently spent four long days and nights with information marketing millionaires at the Information Marketing Summit and was astonished to hear that many of them, when pressed for THE secret of their recent 7-figure success, named ONE and only one. Best of all, I was able to witness this theme with most everyone I met, particularly the VERY successful ones.

Published · 1,220 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Recently a student told me how she had a lot of fear about her small business and how to get clients. She had an enormous number of opportunities coming her way, but she felt afraid to take any action. That fear made her feel like a failure and unworthy of such opportunity. As a result she was paralyzed – she couldn’t seem to take the next step on anything.

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Sometimes, no matter what you try, nothing seems to work to find clients and you feel like you’re going to give up or breakdown. First, know that you are not alone. Lots of business owners experience this and believe it or not, I still go through this. I’m a human being and it happens to me too when things just don’t go my way. This is what I do when I get to the point when I’m really frustrated and wondering what the heck is going on. Try following these steps to break out of that mindset and get moving again.

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When you first start out in business, you may feel you don’t have all the answers. That’s more common than you can imagine. However, that is no reason not to start sharing what you know with clients and recognizing the unique angle you bring that no one else can. You are ahead of others.

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Every time I speak in front of an audience, whether it’s 50 or 1,200 small business owners, I get the same old question. Then following my answer, I always see a roomful of dropped jaws and gaping mouths. The question? How often do I need to reach out to my prospective clients and clients? The answer? A minimum of 25 times a year, preferably 52 or more times a year. Silence. Jaws slowly creak open and begin to drop. You could hear a pin fall. 52 or more times a year??? I’m not kidding.

Published · 1,156 views · Rated 3.7/5 from 6 votes

Creating your Irresistible Free Offer (IFO) is a powerful way to attract clients and start building a database so you have people to market to. This is also how you begin building a relationship with prospects. If you are ready to create your own CD, follow these steps and it will be done and ready before you know it!

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If will power were the way to change your life, it would be easy. Unfortunately, will power isn't enough. If you want to change your life, then you need a plan, and it requires you to start with your belief. To try and separate the mind, body and spirit in order to enact change in your life won't work. Making change is based on universal human truth and laws of the universe. These laws work the same way every time for every person as long as you implement them.

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Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) to help you handle tasks that you can delegate is one the best ways to be able to grow your business. Taking this step frees up your time to focus on what you do best and attract more clients. But how do you choose the right VA? 1. Write down all the things you and your team are doing that is not the best use of your time. This is a bit tedious, but actually make a list of everything you do over two to three days or even a week. 2. Note the dollar amount next to each task that you would pay someone to do these things.

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Let’s face it: being self-employed, our businesses are fundamentally a reflection of every part of us. It’s not like working for a corporation where you don’t really control the outcome of the business unless you’re at the top. Who you and I “are” as people literally affects our businesses, every day, every minute, every second, with every breath. Knowing that the “inner” is directly reflected in the “outer,” it’s especially so for those working solo. If there’s turmoil or disconnection within you as a person, it will be reflected in your business.

Published · 1,439 views · Rated 4/5 from 2 votes

“A desire can overcome all objections and obstacles.” -Anonymous You’ll always get objections. Let’s face it. You may have the world’s best service, the best product available in your category or industry, but no matter what you do, no matter how good you are, you’re always going to have to deal with objections. What’s the nature of objections, anyway? I believe most people simply have limiting beliefs of some sort; old conditioning that often keeps them from succeeding. It may be fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being ripped off, fear of overwhelm, etc.

Published · 1,156 views · Rated 4/5 from 2 votes

You're looking for the best way to penetrate the marketplace with your goods/services. Capturing the market share and make boat loads of money in the process. You hear all the hype about the latest approach to getting your message out to the masses. But there is one place that you can focus your attention that costs you nothing and yet over time will pay huge dividends. Building your credibility in the market place is the single most important marketing skill you can have. All of your marketing efforts will eventually come crashing down if you don't have credibility in the marketplace.

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If you are at the ramp up phase of building your business, let me share the single most valuable piece of advice I can give you: Get out from behind your computer and meet people! Many new business owners struggle with many marketing conce s such as naming their business, constructing a website or picking the best niche. But in truth, the most effective steps you can take for building your business is to network like crazy and speak to groups.

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When you are just starting out, there can be a lot of fear about where money is going to come from and how you’ll find clients. I understand this because back in the beginning, I lived through it too. So I went back and documented everything I did that worked and created the Quick Start Guide. One of the gems in that start up program is to write a congratulatory card to yourself about how much money you want to earn each month, the number of clients you need and how you’ll feel when this happens.

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In the 'old days', creating awareness of a product or service in the marketplace required a simple and very straightforward approach. Most of us just advertised in the media available at the time. These outlets included newspaper, radio, television and magazines. Frankly, it was a no-brainer.

Published · 2,940 views · Rated 3/5 from 3 votes

Are you looking to attract clients by creating your proprietary system? This is the foundation of your business and tells the story of how you solved a problem for yourself. Once you have the system, that’s how you share your method so others can learn how to do it too. If you are like me, you learned what you know from a series of people and mentors.

Published · 559 views

It’s a phenomenon that happens to most people in business for themselves after a few years. When solo-entrepreneurs first get started in marketing their business, they have gusto, they have energy, and many take a no-excuses approach to getting clients. They’re WILLING to do what it takes, and they do it often (most of them). But after a few years, they begin to rest on their laurels, they get lazy, and after a while, they stop doing what they used to do to get clients.

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Do you waffle on the commitments you make? Maybe you make promises to yourself to clean your house or exercise regularly. You get started, but then in time, it fizzles out. This lack of commitment often stems from a self esteem issue. I saw a speaker this year who talked about this exact topic. She said, “Commitment equals results.” If you want to lose weight or get more clients, you need to look at your level of commitment around whatever it is you’re striving for.

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Occasionally I meet business owners who are not only great at what they do, but very fast as well. Their proprietary system gets to the heart of the matter super quickly and provides solutions in just a few sessions. This amazing efficiency has good and not-so-good aspects to it. If this describes how you do business, you could be not only short changing your clients by not providing enough access to you, but you could also be limiting your income. Even though fast action might seem like a strength, a more thorough approach could serve you and your clients better for several reasons.

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Sometimes my clients tell me fear of failure is holding them back from getting started. They feel stuck or frozen around their business and battling this causes them to miss deadlines, and avoid decisions and standing up for what they want.

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Are you wondering if you should raise your rates? If you have been thinking about the pros and cons of a price increase, I have a recommendation for you. First, if you want to raise your rate, do this on your super premium packages. However, to keep your programs as appealing as possible, raise the value you offer at the same time. Give clients so much that it starts to seem incredibly affordable for everything they get over the duration of the program. When you make it all about the value and the access to you, you can outshine your competition and stay ahead of them.

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If you have an office or store front location, running an open house event is a powerful way to attract new clients. This gives prospects a chance to meet you and that helps them to get to know and like you to build trust. People do business with those they know and like. The question is how do you spread the word and get people to attend? You want the room to be full for this event to be most effective. My favorite strategies are below to help you pack the house.

Published · 659 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

When it comes to an online business opportunity you will wonder that which opportunity is real and which is scam. Whether you are searching for affiliate marketing or some investments, you have to cut through the hunt. With the overpowering promises that many business in UAE are offering these days, it seems hard to evaluate that which information is real and which one is fake.

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Do you struggle with charging a fee for your services, but want to start building your business? Whether you are a coach or a massage therapist, you cannot survive if you give your services away for free. Some first time business owners have difficulty with the idea of earning a good living by helping others. They think they shouldn’t charge right away or if they love what they do, they should give it away. However, when you are building your business, there are several essential reasons why you cannot continue this practice of working for free.

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Congratulations! You’ve sent out your first warm letter to the people in your network of contacts. That is a huge step to undertake for generating leads, so feel proud of yourself. But what do you do next if you don’t hear back from any of the recipients?

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If you want your website content to attract clients, you need to know how to speak their language. Here are five steps that will make your home page a client attraction magnet: 1. Provide real solutions. To capture the attention of your ideal clients, you want to talk about and provide real solutions. This proves you know what you are talking about and makes you credible.

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Having a marketing plan is a key to the success of your business. Failing to plan can lead to the rapid failure of your business. I'm going to share with you four secrets to highly effective marketing. But first we need to understand that... Marketing is building a path to your business so that your potential buyers can find what they need and get it from you. Small businesses with an highly effective marketing plan are consistently being found by those who want to do business with them. They have learned these four secrets.

Published · 1,671 views · Rated 3.7/5 from 12 votes

If you have been ramping up to provide a group program and have success with gathering a good group, you might be wondering what the next step is. How can you leverage success with a group and extend working with them? There are a few things you can do to build on the success of a group program. Choose which one might work for you based on how much of your topic has been addressed in the initial group program.

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If you are working to transition from one business to another, then you need a way to jump start your business and get things off the ground quickly. Many of my clients are looking for how to use their time efficiently, so they can launch their new idea, while they still have money coming in from the original business. To jump start your business, the single strongest step you can take is to start speaking. Here’s what I recommend you focus on to get in front of audiences and make this transition as quickly as possible.

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When you first start a business, sometimes you encounter the classic Catch-22 problem – how can I market my business to attract clients so I can make money without actually having the money needed to pay for the marketing? This is what I discovered back when I started 12 – 13 years ago. The good news is there’s always a way to make some money. At that time, I didn’t have enough clients or enough money. Yes, I’ve actually been in that tough spot.

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Have you ever looked at your to-do list and just wanted to run away? Sometimes, procrastination gets the best of us self-employed people. It seems that everything is priority and we tend to put some things on the back burner. The thing is, if the items on your to-do list have to do with marketing and Client Attraction, then you don’t want to ignore them (if you do, your pipeline of prospects will be empty in 6 months, or less). Procrastination creeps its ugly head in my business every now and then.

Published · 1,202 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 2 votes

Are you holding yourself back from stepping things up and thinking bigger? Whether you are just starting to build your business or making $500,000 a year, the fear of getting out there can get in your way. If you want your company to grow, then you have to be willing to take risks, be seen, and even encounter rejection. When you avoid these hurdles, you simply inhibit your ability to grow.

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I see this time and time again with entrepreneurs: A person tries so hard to market their business, wondering why it’s not “happening”, and is frustrated to see that the results aren’t coming in.

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As an entrepreneur, you know you excel at several things. You are really good at what you offer and there are some additional “back office” skills that you handle well too. But you are not good at every single thing, nor should you expect that of yourself. Sometimes clients who have a lot of technology challenges start to feel this is a sign they are going in the wrong direction. Don’t allow yourself to read the signs incorrectly or take away the wrong message.

Published · 549 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

To really play a big game in your business and make a great impact with your clients (and therefore your income), you must be really, really good at what you do. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he explains how those who are truly masterful at their skill or trade spend at least 10,000 hours doing that one thing consistently. That’s the equivalent of 10 years of doing one thing again and again. THAT is mastery. Mastery is infinitely more Client Attractive than mediocrity. You can’t be good, let alone masterful, at everything.

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Are you working on list building in a competitive area of business? If so, selecting keywords to highlight in articles, videos, or web content can be challenging. The right keywords help improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). To say it simply, they’re the words someone in your ideal market will type into a search engine when looking for your product or service. So how do you ensure you appear prominently in the results?

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An important part of client attraction involves knowing how to make your current clients feel special. There’s a concept I really like by Joe Polish and Dean Jackson, my friends and brilliant marketers. They think beyond attracting clients to keeping your current clients happy and then staying in touch after your work has been completed. Here are some things to think about: - What are you doing that makes current clients feel appreciated? - How are you “wowing” them on a continual basis? - How are you surprising and delighting them?

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All businesses turn over customers on a regular basis for any number of reasons; 20% of the population move annually, they may no longer need your product orrnservice, they began buying from a relative or friend, they find a better price and/or they become upset with your products and/or service. So you need to be finding, targeting and developing new customers on an ongoing basis. Also, don’t forget to do everything you can to keep your current customers happy.

Published · 896 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Blogs are cool. I enjoy designing them and also enjoy writing and reading them. I like the fact they are interactive…But how can you drive more traffic to your blog? Here are a few tips that I use for every blog post I do. Of course there may be more…I just know that these work. * Write a keyword rich headline Click on over to Word Tracker and put in a phrase that describes your topic and it will bring up a list of keywords that people put in the search engines for that topic, as well as the search volume.

Published · 1,253 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Are you trying to create some content for your business and feel completely stuck? It’s hard to look at the blank page and create something from nothing. This is daunting to many of my clients. You may wonder what exactly you have to say to people, worry about how to organize it or feel writer’s block.

Published · 573 views

Affiliate programs are great for bringing in additional income. For example, if you hold a joint venture teleclass and your partner promotes one of her programs at the end of the call, you often agree to getting a cut of sales. This is a commission for helping your partner reach a new audience – yours! Affiliate programs like this usually range in compensation from 25 – 50% for a product, but less for a service.

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This week, it’s all about living life like you mean it! You already know that I’m all about implementation and doing whatever it takes in life and business. But in this week’s strategy, I’d like to focus on a topic I wrote about in my book. As an entrepreneur, this is an important concept for you to take in and one that is often not given the attention it deserves.

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Are you in a business start up and find yourself with money conce s? I can relate and went through this too when I was just starting. To help myself minimize fear, doubt and worry, I did a bunch of things to bring money in temporarily. I tell the story often of how I started teaching cooking classes in my New York City apartment during my business start up. But I also took a part time job temporarily to bring in some steady cash while I was establishing my first coaching business.

Published · 621 views

Could you be experiencing self sabotage? Sometimes as a new business owner gets clear about what they offer and their marketing message, good things start to happen. But then, you might hit a bump in the road where resistance shows up. For example, you might meet prospects who are excited to work with you, but they don’t become clients for a variety of reasons.

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To attract clients, I recommend putting together three different packages. 1. A premium program offering the best value with a less expensive price per session. 2. A mid range program. 3. A low -end option that reduces the barrier to entry. Let’s say the number of sessions would be twelve, eight and four. This gives prospects a choice to figure out the best program for their situation and finances.

Published · 520 views

QUOTE:”Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.” – Ghandi Sometimes, despite the stellar marketing plans, our “positive thinking”, our resolve, our determination and manifesting, we have doubts about whether we can really “do” this. Let’s admit it. Sometimes fear steps in anyway, despite our best intentions. The inner doubt begins to take over and we wonder if it’s really going to “happen”. Thing is, the way we feel about our business directs the actions that we take.

Published · 1,195 views

If you have a book or audio program that you are selling, here’s an idea on how to not only extend the product to more fully leverage it, but also help your clients learn more at the same time. Three things worksheets do for your clients. You can create worksheets for each segment of your program. Worksheets are a simple, yet very powerful tool. They can help your clients: - Reinforce the learning you provide - Work through various topics - Discover something new about themselves Quick tips for developing worksheets.r

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I’ve discovered something really interesting in terms of human behavior over the last 3 years. I’m shocked to notice how often people stop themselves by using excuses for not doing something in their business, and in their lives. The thing is, they’re not even aware of it. Here’s what I mean… People SAY they want something very badly, that they want a change, and theoretically, that they’d do anything to get it. But when the rubber meets the road, it’s a totally different story.

Published · 1,379 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 6 votes

For many entrepreneurial women with children at home, your working time is limited. Given this restriction, how do you balance the children, household tasks and work to keep your business growing? One thing I know from having three children and a business is that it is a Catch-22. It’s hard to bring in more clients and more money when you don’t have the support. You need some type of child care. Yet it’s hard to afford childcare when you don’t have more clients and money coming in, right?

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Do you feel like you are rushing through your day and not giving any one thing your full attention? I know how easily this can happen because many people use a multi task approach which leaves them feeling scattered and their projects incomplete. Let me share what I do. First, I have a mantra that I live by, “A strong focus now creates a different future later.” My team knows not to just walk into my office. If they do, I will just say, “I’m sorry. I can’t talk right now, I’m focused.” This might seem abrupt, but when I’m doing one thing, I need to do that one thing only.r

Published · 559 views

To dramatically increase referrals, it’s important to educate the people you consider personal advocates (those who know you, like you, trust you, love you, and want the best for you), and let them know what you’re up to and who your best clients are. If you’re just starting out, it’s a letter of introduction; if you’ve been in practice several months or years, write an “update letter” on how your practice has grown or new services that you provide. The fact is, most people who are your personal advocates will be happy to help (people LOVE to give referrals and to help a fr

Published · 1,114 views

Some clients come to me with strong feelings of overwhelm. They are getting so much email and information and can’t get to everything on their to-do list, never mind read all the material that shows up in their inbox. For some business owners, this can cause you to feel shut down or immobilized as resistance grows to moving forward with any passion or energy.

Published · 523 views

You were put here on this earth for a purpose. You have chosen to fill that role as a Sales Professional. That's what you are a Sales Professional. You are the key to the American economy! You hold in your hand the power to change the world. Because nothing happens until a sale is made. Nothing. Nothing. Factories don't run. Trucks don't drive over the road. Trains don't go down the tracks. Hospitals can't service patients. Pharmacies can't dispense medications. Until a sale is made - somewhere. You are the most important component in the American economy. Without you we fail.

Published · 1,676 views · Rated 4/5 from 2 votes

In practice building (and getting clients) it seems to be that most self-employed people just hope for the best. They simply keep doing what they’ve been doing and don’t have a strategy for creating the practice they’d be truly and deeply happy with. This is a big mistake in my opinion. I used to write down my goals each year, but it never really worked for me. I just didn’t feel really excited about my new goals. They didn’t seem to propel me in motion and so I kind of viewed them as being useless.

Published · 1,120 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

QUOTE: “Until one is released, step by step or all at once, from the roots of fear-based thinking, no amount of Mo-ney will give prosperity. This is fact…” – Anonymous Even though I’m totally unplugged from what’s going on in the world, by choice, stuff is still trickling in. You see, I’ve made a conscious choice for years not to listen to the news, read the papers or listen to talk radio. It’s not just that I’m a very sensitive person and I react to negative stuff more deeply than others seem to, it’s that I don’t like what it does to my mindset.

Published · 1,219 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Public speaking is one of my strongest strategies for client attraction. There is nothing like connecting with people in person and giving them a sample of what you have to offer. You may wonder what to talk about and how you should structure the presentation. Let me tell you what I did that worked so well for me with public speaking. 1. Start with your compelling story. I started by saying, “I want to take you back to 1999”. I tell the audience my whole compelling story so they know what I went through and can relate to me.

Published · 545 views

Would you be surprised if I told you I’ve actually mentored a LOT of marketing consultants and business coaches who help others build their businesses? Many of these consultants and coaches come to me because, even though they know how to put these steps into practice, they still don’t have a full practice, or at least not consistently. WHY? The reason is simple. They don’t market consistently.

Published · 1,224 views

On occasion, clients tell me they have resistance to change. This holds them back from taking steps that would help them market their businesses better, grow faster and experience greater success. What gets in the way? Often the problem boils down to ego. Your ego can really get in the way. You might think you should already be where you want to be. Or you already know everything the experts say. Maybe you feel you can’t afford to hire a coach or mentor.

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I’m often asked how to attract clients to fill a workshop. If you are planning to deliver a program, here are six suggestions to help you reach as many people as possible with details about your event and pack the house.

Published · 533 views

Many business owners have a hard time getting their heads around the real value of social media. Some refuse, some are afraid of it, some are confused by it, many ignore it completely and others jump in just to say they have jumped in. “What is the ROI of social media?” is a question heard more and more these days. The mindset of the successful business owner demands a fair return on investment. This is common sense and is frankly most likely the reason why that individual is the owner. The owner invests money or manpower to attempt to create a profit of a certain percentage.

Published · 949 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

How do you know how many posts are optimal to gain a good level of interaction on your Facebook business page? This takes some trial and error to figure out. The Life Span of a Social Media Post is short.

Published · 560 views

Depending on the source you believe, somewhere around 500,000 new books hit the shelves this year. What does this mean? If each book was but an inch thick, and all the books were placed on a single shelf, that shelf would be over 7.8 MILES long. Your book is but one of them. This does not take into consideration all the books out there already. That's just this past year. Walk outside tonight. Count every star you can see in the sky. Write down the total number of stars you can see, then take that number times a factor of 200,000.

Published · 1,102 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

You’ve heard me get on my soapbox several times about needing to really hone in on your target audience BEFORE you go out there and market yourself extensively. One of the major reasons this is so important is that most people make the mistake of trying to market to EVERYBODY, fearing that if they niche themselves too much, they’ll narrow down their prospective client pool too much.

Published · 1,119 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

When you are ready to have the sales conversation with people and make sales calls, check your mindset before you even pick up the phone. What I have found works best is to come from your heart and a place of “giving” rather than about hoping to get something from the person on the other end of the line. Sometimes clients tell me they have trouble closing the sale which often comes with nervousness and fear of rejection.

Published · 579 views

“The only difference between salad and garbage is timing!” At least that’s what I’ve been focusing on recently, especially for businesses that are time sensitive. Some chiropractors have this problem, so do lawyers, but my thought is when you’re in a service business, timing is EVERYTHING.

Published · 1,577 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

QUOTE: “Most people confuse wishing and wanting with pursuing. You must place your trust in ACTION.” – Price Pritchett I’ve been hearing this one question a lot recently: “Fabienne, what did you actually DO to multiply your 1ncome so quickly?

Published · 1,139 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

This is Part Two of the series on trust. You might wish to begin by reading Part One found elsewhere on this site. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make in regards to marketing is attempting to market a product or service to those who do not need that product or service.

Published · 855 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

One of the best ways to increase your reach to potential clients quickly is by creating a joint venture. Forming partnerships with other successful people can skyrocket your exposure to your ideal clients, build your list and help fill your practice. The first step is to determine who would be a good joint venture partner. Here are a few things to consider about your JV prospects: - Do you feel good about the material they share? - Do they have a good reputation in the industry? - Do they have the same ideal clients you want?

Published · 636 views

Are you struggling to come up with your business name? This can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people who are starting a new business. You want to get the name right, maybe have something clever or memorable. I understand the desire, and other experts may disagree with me, but I don’t think this is necessary or wise for three big reasons.

Published · 556 views

I get a lot of questions about how to handle client cancellations. This is such a common problem, but many business owners have difficulty knowing the best way to deal with a client who cancels at the last minute. What I’ve found is that you need to know three basic concepts to address the situation. 1. Communicate Rules Up Front. When a client signs up, you send them your welcome letter and packet which could be sent via snail mail or email. Instead of many separate pages, you can create one big PDF document with all your policies and procedures.

Published · 601 views

When you are looking to build your business working with joint venture partners, compensation depends on what type of program you are promoting. There is a difference in what you should pay for private coaching as an example vs. passive income products like a home study kit.

Published · 595 views

Looking for quick ways to build business and bring in extra cash? Once you get your practice rolling, one of the easiest ways to do this is to look for opportunities that I call, “Money on the Table”. I don’t mean to highlight what you haven’t done. Yet, sometimes, the places where you haven’t followed up offer the strongest opportunities to earn income quickly and build business.

Published · 718 views

As a business coach over the past 13 years, here’s what I have discovered: Everyone is silently begging to be led. Now there are two schools of coaching if you will: 1) The first says you cannot and should not advise. You must pull answers only from what the client says. 2) The second is more like consulting and I believe in this type because that’s what I pay for.

Published · 548 views

Do you hesitate to follow up with people you met who expressed interest in working with you? Some clients tell me they have a variety of fears about making those calls: - People might not remember who I am. - Maybe people don’t want to hear from me. - I might be bothering people. These conce s cause procrastination and hold you back from contacting prospects who are “low hanging fruit” or most likely to become clients. The following suggestions will help you create new habits to get past the fears and make it easier to contact people.

Published · 517 views

Creating session packages for some business owners is easy and it’s very obvious how things should work. But, for other owners, they prefer packages that offer more flexibility to attract more clients. Their prospects might need more time per call or more time in between sessions. There are many ways to set up packages that will attract more clients and I’ll share a few alte atives to choose from. These suggestions might spark additional ideas that will work perfectly for your type of business.

Published · 587 views

One of the hottest topics in marketing today is the subject of using social media tools for marketing. It appears to be quite difficult for some to get their heads around what this means for businesses that market products and services through the traditional model. It is often quite difficult to say what social media marketing is. However it is quite easy to say what it is not. Social media marketing is not a 'thing', nor is it an event. Social media marketing is a process.

Published · 1,286 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Has this ever happened to you? Things are finally starting to fall into place. The phone rings, new clients show up and you start meeting joint venture partners to help grow your business. Yay! Things are looking up and then, it all suddenly falls apart. Clients don’t show up and meetings with potential partners are cancelled. What happened?

Published · 529 views

Are you looking to find more clients to grow your business? I often talk about the “warm letter” as a powerful way to enlist the help of your current network of friends, family and colleagues. Most people know about 250 people before they even start networking. That’s a lot of contacts! Think how fast your business could grow if they all knew about what you are doing and how they could help.

Published · 599 views

When you take the step to work with a virtual assistant, you empower yourself to accomplish so much more. You hand off the tasks that someone else can do, so you can do more of what you do best. One of my clients came to me recently, conce ed about how her VA wasn’t getting work done. Her virtual assistant had a very hectic life including children, going to school and working. She suddenly became unavailable because she had a a virus. As a result, deadlines were being missed.

Published · 541 views

Following up on leads is 90% of the game, right? At least that’s what we hear. You spend all this time networking, marketing yourself, making cold calls, looking for the right client, but what’s the point of it all if you don’t follow up on the leads you DO have? This was a major obstacle for one of my clients this week and a shift was created when I shared the Low Hanging Fruit List with her. Let’s think about Low Hanging Fruit on a tree for a moment, as it relates to its counterpart higher up on the tree.

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"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." - Carl Jung You've heard a lot more about the Law of Attraction recently. For nearly 10 years, I've been using it consciously to create my ideal business, on a daily basis, in addition to disciplined marketing strategies. With anything in life, if you don't KNOW where you're going, you'll either eventually get lost or it'll take you a long time to get there, much longer than necessary.

Published · 1,375 views · Rated 3.6/5 from 5 votes

Following up with people who express an interest in your services can make a tremendous difference in your bottom line. I call these prospects “low-hanging fruit”. That’s because they have already shown some interest in what you do which makes them more valuable to your business than others who haven’t. Makes sense right?

Published · 630 views

While the media is searching out anything to create panic in the eyes of consumers, I want you to think about your own life. When you went to the mall last time, was it empty? What about popular restaurants? Could you hear crickets chirping? Personally, everywhere I go, I’m still waiting in line, I still wait ten minutes for a table, and I’m seeing people STILL buying a lot. In fact, to put it in perspective, our business has made more just last month than most people make all year. What “economy”? I’m telling you this to point out to you that the MEDIA wants you to be scared.

Published · 1,312 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Offering payment plans to your clients is a smart way to make your premium packages more affordable. This is particularly true when your packages range from six to 12 months. Length of Payment Plans. The first thing to be aware of is to make sure your payment plans are not as long as the program. In other words, if you have a 12 month program, I encourage you to make the installments no more than eight to nine months.

Published · 705 views

Like most entrepreneurs, you are always looking for list building ideas. Once your list gets to about 1,000 people, that seems to be the tipping point for your email marketing campaigns to start delivering strong results. One powerful way to grow your list to that point is by creating a podcast series where you interview other experts in your field. This method offers several advantages to the parties involved. Benefits for Experts - It offers the professional being interviewed more exposure to your list and the listeners

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When you're aiming for lucrative corporate contracts the techniques you might use to reach small businesses (SMEs) may not yield the results you want them to. Find out how to change your approach and increase your success rate. If you have attended a few networking events you might have noticed that they are mainly populated by independent coaches, consultants and small business owners.

Published · 1,222 views · Rated 3.3/5 from 4 votes

Your elevator speech is the way you succinctly explain what you do for people you meet at networking events. You share just enough information to encapsulate what you do and spark interest among the men and women you talk with. The point is to get the conversation going, right?

Published · 739 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

If you’re serious about attracting clients consistently, I believe you should use every single piece of marketing “real estate” you can. Whether you’ve been in business for one year or 22 years, when you’re marketing your business, you want to have systems in place that PULL in clients without you having to do much to make it happen. It can even be as “little” as using your outgoing voice mail as a Client Attraction tool.

Published · 2,355 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of UAE. The emirate consists of a city of the same name. The city is the largest in terms of population among the rest of the cities of UAE and is the second largest city in terms of area after Abu Dhabi. The history of Dubai dates back to the era even before than the formation of United Arab Emirates. It was only a desert back then in which only tribal Bedouins living in the area could survive.

Published · 2,224 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Have you started doing free teleclasses yet? This can be such a powerful method to accomplish two important goals. First, free teleclasses will help build and grow your list. The bigger your list, the more people to which you can market your programs and products. As I’ve said many times, I have found the tipping point for list building is about 1,000 people.

Published · 619 views

Your landing page is the first place prospects see you on the web. So, you want to make sure you grab their attention immediately, to keep them reading rather than clicking away to the next site. The following landing page strategies come from the way I have created our own landing pages, which has been very successful. I’m going to share how I have done it with you and you can make adjustments so the tips apply to your business.

Published · 563 views

You are ramping up your business, looking for individual clients. While networking, you meet many people who are also in the business building stage. They are interested in your work, but aren’t sure they can afford it. So, rather than pay you, they offer to exchange services with you. The barter discussion follows. Prospective clients might offer to help you format the ebook you’re writing, videotape a presentation or record some audio. These three bartering offers are focused on helping you create and produce product to sell to generate passive income.

Published · 577 views

There comes a time in almost any entrepreneur’s practice when you revamp your programs. Talking to new prospects about the revised program is easy since they don’t know about your previous options. But how do you get existing clients to upgrade? Earlier in my practice, I raised my fees on a regular basis, like every few months for new clients that signed up for one of my programs. However, I never did actually raise my rates for current clients. That didn’t feel right to me.

Published · 623 views

Whether your business is new or you are expanding your offerings, the very first thing you want to do is let people know what you are up to. The more people who know, the better your chances of getting referrals which will help get your client pipeline flowing. One method I often recommend to quickly educate your environment about your business is the “Warm Letter of Introduction”. Here’s the strategy behind it:

Published · 586 views

Sometimes people just starting out in their practice feel nervous about credentials and experience. That’s totally understandable since you are moving into a new area. However, for you to build your practice and feel good about what you have to offer, you need to shore up your belief in yourself. Confidence is very attractive in business and life right? Here are four ways you can build yourself up to exude confidence. 1. Write your compelling story. Here’s how to get your story started. Ask yourself these questions: - What is your story?rn- What challenges did you face?r

Published · 595 views

If your practice is booming, taking a well needed vacation can be difficult. This is especially true if you have lined up new clients who will have to wait to get started. Normally I recommend not working during your vacation, but sometimes you need limited availability. When I took mate ity leave, I got smart about this situation. Here are some suggestions to help you plan ahead and handle client expectations and needs while you are away.

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QUOTE: “Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine… And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Marianne Williamson During a Mastermind session over a year ago, I got clear on the ONE obstacle that was standing between me and tripling my business past the 7-figure mark.

Published · 1,385 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

QUOTE: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure… Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.”rn – Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love After sharing my personal “Video Vision Board” with my 10,000+ readers this week, I received a lot of comments and questions. One of the ones that stood out the most for me was this one: “Hey Fabienne, just watched the You Tube video. It’s awesome.

Published · 1,174 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

As your business grows, offering the Get Acquainted Call gives you the opportunity to get to know prospects who have expressed interest in your work. There are a number of advantages of actually referring to this conversation as the “Get Acquainted Call” (GAC) vs. calling it something else. The Get Acquainted Call gives you the chance to get to know your prospects: - What a person’s business is about or the issue she wants help with - Determine if the prospect fits your ideal client profile - Gives the prospect a chance to know what it’s like to work with you

Published · 637 views

Today we’re going to talk about how to always have clients—not just clients once in awhile, but to always have clients consistently. A few years ago someone asked me, “What is the difference between salad and garbage?” I had never been asked that before. The only difference between salad and garbage is time. When you’re looking at a fresh green salad and you don’t eat it right away, in a few days it becomes garbage and unappetizing. You’ve also heard the idea of striking while the iron is hot—hot leads turn into cold leads if you don’t take action on them right away.

Published · 679 views

Today’s article is about How to Create an Irresistible List building Opt-In Offer. In addition to networking and speaking, if you want to build your business very quickly, one of the very first things that you want to focus on is building your email newsletter list. You see, you can have all of the best products and all of the best services in the world, but if you have no one to offer them to, they won’t sell very quickly.

Published · 600 views

Today’s topic is about how to create great, free content in order to build your list. We talked about how you can have all of the best products and services in the world, but if you have no one to offer them to or no one to sell them to they won’t sell very quickly. When you have an email list (also called an ezine list) of several hundred and preferably, several thousands of people who are eager to hear from you, you now have people who will buy your products and services immediately and over time.

Published · 630 views

One of the biggest things that affects your business and your income is your level of self-confidence. You’d think it would be marketing and yes, marketing is massively important, but if you don’t have confidence in your abilities, if you don’t have confidence in your business or in what you’re doing you’re not going to get anywhere in your business.

Published · 656 views

I’d like to talk to you today about seeing the opportunities that are right in front of you. Price Pritchett has a quote that says “Most people confuse wishing and wanting with pursuing. You must place your trust in action.” Well, I’ve been hearing one question a lot recently, “You talk about getting more clients, making more money and multiplying your business and I hear that some of your clients are actually multiplying their income in one year. How does that happen and can I do it too?”

Published · 696 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Usually we talk to you about attracting and signing on new clients. That’s what everyone wants right–new, ideal, high-paying clients, continually filling your pipeline. For the bulk of my career that’s what I focused on too. After awhile I realized that I was spending a huge amount of time and effort attracting brand new clients, but my current clients were leaving after their initial term was over.

Published · 628 views

This week I’d like to talk to you about how to show conviction and authority in your marketing. Did you know there is a way of BEING that literally makes or breaks your ability to attract clients in large numbers? Many self employed people don’t use it and, as a result, are literally letting prospective clients slip through their fingers, day in and day out—even if they have done a lot of marketing and networking, and even if they have lots of prospects.

Published · 674 views

This week I want to talk to you about what it means to take a stand for your prospects, your clients and your customers. Taking a stand means to publicly express an opinion about something—even if it’s not very popular. Think of it as putting out a manifesto or getting up on your soapbox and telling the world what you think about the situation at hand.

Published · 564 views

Today’s topic is about taking personal responsibility for the results that you’re experiencing in your business. One of the things I believe makes or breaks someone’s chances for success in business is that of personal responsibility. I believe strongly in personal responsibility. I often call it the No-Excuses Approach.

Published · 922 views

Today’s article is about how to transition into a new business. Whether you’re transitioning from a corporate job into a new business or if you are transitioning from one business to another, it can feel like a bit of an identity crisis. I know because I’ve done this twice. The identity crisis and the angst comes from the fact that you don’t want to lose income from the first business or job, but you also need to let others know about what you’re doing. I have several tips for you today about how to transition from one into the other.

Published · 815 views

Have you already created your proprietary system? If you did, congratulations! That will make your marketing so much easier. I do get a lot of questions from clients about the best way to use the system with your individual clients once it’s been created. The conce is, “Clients differ, so how can I take everyone through the exact same process in the exact same order?”

Published · 693 views

Have you ever thought about what it takes to attract ideal clients and customers who happily buy when you’re not in front of them? Today, I’d like to share some best practices with you that I use and that my clients now use to write marketing copy that sells.

Published · 1,495 views

What it takes to attract ideal clients and customers who happily buy when you’re not in front of them? We do this by having the skills to write authentic marketing copy that sells. I walked you through my first four strategies to creating authentic copy that sells. We talked about setting an intention and really energetically setting yourself up for giving rather than taking. We talked about identifying exactly who you’re writing to, defining your objective and your outcome, and then writing straight from the heart – from your heart to your reader’s heart. This is heart connection.

Published · 611 views

Many entrepreneurs are drawn to open their business because of a defining moment or series of events that changed everything in their lives. Because of that moment, some of us dropped everything and decided to dedicate the rest of our professional lives to doing what we now do. What I’d like to talk to you today is about not underestimating that. You can actually use your story to attract ideal clients.

Published · 582 views

If you are relatively new at building your business, you may wonder, “What do I say to a prospect who asks me how many clients I have?” Let me share with you what I used to say when I was just building my business. Here’s how I would answer this seemingly touchy question, “I have five clients (or whatever the number is) and the reason you want to work with me is I’m not on a pedestal. I’m still building my business. I’m in the trenches with you. Everything I’ve tried that is working, I’m immediately showing you exactly how to do it.”

Published · 545 views

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” — Bill Cosby To attract clients consistently and with little effort, your marketing message must be clear and it must stand out. There’s no way around it. If what you say about your business and what prospects read about it isn’t sounding irresistible to them, they’ll move on to the next person. Guaranteed. So, your task is to stand out from the pack and to make prospects really stand up and listen to what you have to offer.

Published · 1,155 views · Rated 3/5 from 4 votes

To dramatically increase referrals, it’s important to educate the people you consider personal advocates (those who know you, like you, trust you, love you, and want the best for you), and let them know what you’re up to and who your best clients are. If you’re just starting out, it’s a letter of introduction; if you’ve been in practice several months or years, write an “update letter” on how your practice has grown or new services that you provide. The fact is, most people who are your personal advocates will be happy to help (people LOVE to give referrals and to help a fr

Published · 1,087 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

“The day you plant the seed is NOT the day you eat the fruit. Don’t worry, don’t get frustrated, be persistent. It’s on its way to you.” That’s a thought that always stays with me in taking my business (or one of my clients’ businesses) to the very next level. Thing is, we’re conditioned through the media that everything is supposed to happen miraculously quickly in our lives: “Thinner thighs in 30 days” “Quit smoking in 2 hours” “Build your list to 30,000 people in 4 months” “Sell $100,000.00 worth of products in 2 hours” Whoa.

Published · 1,601 views

When I started out building my first practice, I was taught to offer only one program. This was meant to make things easy for practitioners. But, what I noticed with time is that many prospects would come for the free consultation or get acquainted session and leave without signing up.

Published · 556 views

If your small business buys inventory, products or equipment that you resell or use in providing your products and/or services, you may be able to save up to 50% on your advertising costs by using available co-op advertising funds. Co-op advertising is a cost sharing program between a manufacturer, supplier, wholesaler, distributor or vendor and your business where they pay a portion of your advertising costs. Every year hundreds of thousands of co-op advertising funds go unclaimed because small business owners do not file claims. It is not totally free money.

Published · 1,263 views · Rated 2/5 from 2 votes

Occasionally, clients come to me with one solid idea and feel stuck about expanding it to generate more package opportunities. I can certainly help with that! Let’s say you have one big package that offers a high end service such as help writing and publishing a book. You work with clients by telephone and take them step-by-step through the writing process.

Published · 604 views

You’ve done everything right so far. You know who your ideal target is. You attend networking events to meet new prospects. You schedule a series of Get Acquainted Calls. The calls go really well! Your prospects get what you offer and they want it. But, instead of saying “Yes” at the end of the call, they want to talk to their spouses first about working with you. How do you handle when a prospect defers to his or her spouse? This is actually an objection and it allows your prospect to put off the decision to work with you. Usually the end result sounds something like:

Published · 619 views

The terms small business coach or business mentor are often used interchangeably within the business world, but what do people really mean when they talk about small business coaching or business mentoring?

Published · 1,075 views · Rated 1/5 from 2 votes

Do you feel there is something in the way of earning a living from using your talents? Some of my clients struggle with making money based on doing what they call “God’s work”. There is this conflicting feeling among many people doing spiritual and healing work that they shouldn’t make money this way or that they should give this work away. Or, perhaps you’ve been doing all the mindset work, thinking “I want money, I want clients, I want money, I want clients…” but it’s not coming to you. And you are not generating the income you want and need to cover your expenses and live well.

Published · 850 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

The last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about aiming for MUCH bigger in our business, in our life, and in our purpose. We’ve stretched, looked into the fears of dreaming TOO big (is there such a thing?!) and looked at all the other emotions that come up once we’ve actually MADE the decision to play a bigger game. These are related to issues of safety, not rocking the boat, and self-doubt as to whether we really CAN play a bigger game in life and business. But then, if this weren’t enough, there’s yet another thing that is likely to stop a lot of people right in their tracks.

Published · 1,418 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Are you struggling with how to choose your niche market? Maybe you have a couple of niches and want a way to test them to discover which will be the most viable. If this conce is keeping you from launching your business or moving to the next level, here are a couple of ways to approach making your selection. A lot depends on how big your list is. Large List.

Published · 689 views

QUOTE: “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey An amazing thing transpired this week during my Mastermind meeting with my clients.

Published · 1,543 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 2 votes

Are you having trouble promoting yourself? Maybe you find it hard to write emails about upcoming programs or announce events. You might wonder what is holding you back or blocking you from getting out there and letting people know what you offer. Many of my clients have encountered resistance in this area. Let me share a few ideas on what this could be related to. You might: - Be afraid to get out there in a big way - Want to avoid the spotlight - Fear criticism from others - Feel too pushy - Resist the idea of selling to anyone

Published · 588 views

Many clients come to me to for help with their fears about discussing money. They may feel comfortable talking about what they do with prospects or how they would be served by working together. But when it comes time to actually say their fees, it becomes this big stumbling block. Sometimes people fear their fees are too high or that no one will want to pay what they’re asking. But this is not the right way to think about what you are doing. Let me share a much better way of looking at the fee discussion. You are not asking for money.

Published · 613 views

In sifting through emails from a R&D survey I launched a couple of years ago, I read the responses, and honestly, I wanted to cry. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I haven’t been aware that most solopreneurs have very low expectations of what could be made in self-employment (I’ve been at this for almost 10 years after all!), but I just didn’t know how LOW.

Published · 1,193 views

If you are just starting out, it might feel daunting to come up with your first program. You could have questions like: - What should I talk about?rn- What must be covered?rn- How do I handle difference in people?rn- What steps come first? These questions swimming in your head can make you feel overwhelmed. But don’t worry, I can make this easy for you. 1. Make a list of every topic you can think of about the work you do now. Think about what your clients are suffering over. What keeps them up at night with the 3am sweats?

Published · 590 views

When you start creating your packages, you want to be sure you have different levels to serve clients who are in different situations. Rather than simply creating a program and pricing as you like, I have found a method that speaks directly to your prospects and helps them to self-select the best program for them. Here’s what I recommend as the method to choose your package and pricing levels. Think about your packages based on the different levels your clients fit into. You can separate your prospects and clients into categories or groups who share similar conce s.

Published · 613 views

This happens to every business owner at some point. Prospects tell you they can’t afford the service, or they’ll wait for the next program, or they can’t spend the money right now. Learning how to handle these money-related objections can help you get more clients and serve people who are experiencing resistance. But going deeper, you might want to look at where your own resistance is showing up too. I recommend three ways to deal with money objections from clients and yourself. 1. Use Client Objections in Your Marketing Materials.r

Published · 611 views

If you’ve been in business for a few years, you’ve probably been marketing your business for just as many years (hopefully). You’ve tried marketing tactics that worked, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve tried some that didn’t and failed miserably. After a while, I believe everyone gets into a slump with their marketing plan. This happens with a majority of my clients at some point or other, and has happened to me too in the past. There are many reasons for this: 1. We get bored. 2. We get complacent or lazy. 3.

Published · 1,052 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Have you ever felt strange about marketing your services for fear of people thinking you weren’t successful enough or good enough at what you do?

Published · 1,102 views

Sometimes, it’s best to not reinvent the wheel or “fix what ain’t broke,” as the saying goes. Let’s say you have several clients you absolutely LOVE (they get great results from working with you, they pay you on time and never negotiated, you like them, they send referrals, etc.). Now, look at where all of these clients have come from. Perhaps it’s a particular networking group, or a talk that you gave, a referral from a strategic alliance or Center of Influence, or a referral from a client.

Published · 1,296 views · Rated 2.5/5 from 2 votes

Years ago, there was a question in my intake packet for new clients titled, “What is holding you back or slowing your progress?”, as it relates to attracting all the clients they need and having a full practice. Having worked with hundreds and hundreds of clients over the years, I’ve seen it all. Other than “no knowledge of marketing,” one thing seems to come up over and over again, and it happened again this week, with a brand new client. The client answered this: “Sometimes, the ‘Little Voice’ inside me asks, ‘Who needs my program anyway?

Published · 1,123 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

One of the great things about direct mail is that there are only there main components – the list, the offer and the copy. If you get them all right, your direct mail efforts have a great chance for success. But if you put all your efforts into one and do not pay much attention to the others, your direct mail will almost always fail. While there has been a lot written about colors, typefaces, paper size, et., those are all minor variables when compared to the list, offer and copy. Here is where to focus your attention as you plan your direct mail effort: The List.

Published · 1,186 views

QUOTE: “The biggest difference between an average income and financial freedom is… IMPLEMENTATION.” - Bill Glazer I recently spent four long days and nights with information marketing millionaires at the Information Marketing Summit and was astonished to hear that many of them, when pressed for THE secret of their recent 7-figure success, named ONE and only one. Best of all, I was able to witness this theme with most everyone I met, particularly the VERY successful ones. These entrepreneur millionaires have ONE secret in common: IMPLEMENTING new ideas quickly.

Published · 1,420 views

Today’s article is about why clients sometimes back out and what to do about it. Sometimes for whatever reason, a brand new client decides to back out and not go forward in working with you even before you’ve started to work together. So, here you’ve spent time marketing to that client, following up, cultivating the lead, successfully going through the whole closing of the sale process, and you’ve gotten a brand new client who suddenly backs out. I think there’s nothing more frustrating than that.

Published · 705 views

Today’s topic is where to find clients. You’ve opened up your business. Perhaps, you’ve been in business a few years and your practice is still not full yet or you’re just looking to fill your programs even more. The big question you may have is where do I find clients? These are my four best tips for how to find your ideal client and how to get in front of them in large numbers and inexpensively. (That’s the ultimate shortcut!)

Published · 677 views

“What you have to give is enough-if you give it with all your heart.”rn -Chieko N. Okazaki For years, I’ve noticed how many of my clients stopped themselves from marketing because they needed to learn MORE. They’d already gone through the required training, and many were certified, but it was like something strange was in the punch bowl and they were all drinking it: the “I’m Not Enough Yet” fruit punch. Here are some of the things I heard from some clients and workshop participants.

Published · 1,280 views

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” -Thomas Jefferson You may be working your tail off to market your business and yet you’re still wondering why it hasn’t “happened” yet. I’ve seen this happen thousands of times. An entrepreneur is seemingly working HARD to get clients, working like a dog to bring in some good in-come and yet, the results just aren’t showing up.

Published · 1,329 views · Rated 3/5 from 5 votes

When writing sales letters that sell, there are 11 key ingredients that must be applied. But first you “Must" determine who will receive your sales message. This is crucial to the success of your sales letter. The who is the most important ingredient in your marketing campaign. You can send an ...

Published · 3,561 views

Too many people ride the ‘feast or famine’ roller coaster of having clients, especially SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs. Some months they have almost too many clients and are WAY too busy, and other months, they’re feeling the pinch. The well is dry and they’re digging their well when they’re thirsty. ...

Published · 922 views

Whether we trained to be a life coach, executive coach, small business coach or another niche coach, we were taught to keep an open mind. To clear our own thoughts and be completely present with our clients. To listen. To observe. To facilitate. But never to judge. While this is almost ...

Published · 1,188 views

Direct Mail touches people every day. Many people look forward to receiving their daily mail. In fact, 98 percent of consumers bring in their mail the day it’s delivered, and 77 percent sort through it immediately. In addition to that kind of exposure, Direct Mail offers these benefits: It’s ...

Published · 1,224 views

Let’s face it, most solopreneurs put marketing on the back burner, something they get to only once they’ve put out all the fires that need to be put out, once they answer each and every e-mail in their inbox, once they’ve sent every client what they promised to send. Yes, it’s really important ...

Published · 1,077 views

Are you having trouble setting your fees? For some of my clients it’s not easy to set a proper fee. You might hear yourself wondering things like, “Who do I think I am charging that much?” Let me share something that has really worked for me. This strategy changed my life when I started noticing how much I did not want to become a commodity. This is such an important stance to take about your fees and your business, I want you to say this out loud right now. “I do not want to become a commodity!”

Published · 637 views

Have you ever given your all to something, experienced some delays, encountered disappointments, and then given up? What about when it comes to marketing your business? Do you sometimes get frustrated because the results you want aren’t coming to you as quickly as you’d like, despite the fact ...

Published · 1,022 views

Did you know that your customers or clients secretly gossip about your business to their friends, family and colleagues? It’s true, so why not make it good gossip. Viral Marketing can be low cost, easy and affordable for any small business to implement and receive exceptional results. Here’s ...

Published · 1,984 views

Today’s topic is about aligning your business with your life purpose. What I see every once in a while is a business owner who has had great results for a while and then begins to lose traction or begins to stay at the same level for a few months or a few years, without continuing to grow. Or perhaps it is a business owner - maybe even you - who has become bored with their business. Maybe you don’t jump out of bed anymore to go and grow it.

Published · 644 views

Today’s topic is about entry-level offers. See, in your business I believe that you should have more than one offer, whether it’s a product or a service that you sell. For many years I offered just one program and it was take it or leave it. That’s just what people did. They either took it or they left it. The problem was, not enough of them took it in the beginning for me to feel like I was really making the kind of money I wanted to make in my business. So, I decided to create a series of yeses.

Published · 699 views

Often my clients come to me with a very broad group of ideal clients and need help narrowing it down. The more you get clear on who your ideal client is, the better your marketing message can speak directly to them and their conce s. This will significantly improve your marketing results as you pull clients in and they can more easily self-select to work with you.

Published · 627 views

Today’s topic is about creating a team that loves working with you. When you first start your business, you may have started from home—in a spare bedroom or a little office, and you’re just by yourself. That’s good in the beginning because you may be on a shoestring budget, but after a while as you get more and more successful, there’s just so much more to do, in terms of customer service, or in terms of doing things you don’t know how to do.

Published · 602 views

Today’s topic is something that people ask me about all the time. What do you do when all this stuff that I’ve been teaching works and you get to full practice capacity? You can’t take on any more clients without pulling your hair out and there’s just no more ‘you’ to go around. The first thing you can do is create a waiting list. That’s good for the short term but it doesn’t really do much because you still have them waiting for you.

Published · 855 views

Today’s topic is the law of association. You might be thinking, “So, how does this help me get more clients?” The law of association is one of these universal or spiritual principles that really apply everywhere. It’s something that is one of these shortcuts or trump cards for entrepreneurs who understand what it’s all about. It means that if you want to multiply your business very quickly, you must not be a lone ranger. The law of association states that whom you spend your time with and whom you listen to dictates how big of a game you play in your business.

Published · 734 views

Today’s topic is about working only from your strengths. I work with all sorts of entrepreneurs: people who are just ramping up their business, people who are looking to have massive leverage in their business and people who play a really bigger game - visionaries who are creating a legacy.

Published · 722 views

I’ve mentored a few already-successful solopreneurs recently who walk the line between ‘high-achiever’ and ‘overachiever’ and let me tell you, there IS a difference. You’ve heard me say many times that I work best with high-achieving go getters who know exactly what they want (usually it’s more ...

Published · 765 views

There are some solo-entrepreneurs that market ’til they’re blue in the face, and STILL don’t attract ideal, high-paying clients. They’re seemingly doing all the “right things”: they’ve got marketing materials, marketing plans, they’re speaking, networking, etc. and yet producing no real results. ...

Published · 812 views

Have you ever been stopped in your marketing tracks because of procrastination and didn’t know where it was coming from? This happened a few times with some of my private clients recently, and we noticed that every time, it wasn’t really procrastination, it was a fear of some sort that was ...

Published · 1,052 views

One of the best things to do to quickly establish credibility, get massive exposure, and attract new clients, is speaking. Hands down. Whether you organize your own seminars on a regular basis to continually fill the pipeline (the way I did for years), or get booked for talks to “pre-formed” groups like associations, it works like a charm-provided you give very good info. If you deliver the talk properly, there’s always a group of people at the end of your talk who rush up to the podium to chat with you.

Published · 762 views

As an entrepreneur, you probably have an enormous to-do list. Even when you get an assistant, the number of tasks you need to complete can be overwhelming. Since there are more things to get done than hours in the day, that means you need to prioritize what you are doing right? Making money is your first priority. If income is your top priority, then I recommend creating your to-do list and prioritizing each item by what will make you the most money the fastest. It’s easy really.

Published · 701 views

Are you building a business and in the process of attracting new clients? If you are, one very effective marketing tool to consider is the free teleclass. Why does this marketing method work so well to generate leads? Here are six big reasons: 1. Sharing valuable content and solutions to the problem your prospects are up at 3:00 am worrying about is very enticing. 2. Giving prospects a taste of what it is like to work with you helps them decide to move forward with you. 3. Demonstrating your brilliance and expertise shows you are well versed in the help you provide.r

Published · 639 views

Ever notice that some people have tons of connections in LinkedIn and some people have one? While it is easy to sign up for a LinkedIn account, few people realize that their LinkedIn account can open door to new business partnerships, potentials clients, and a wealth of information to aid in ...

Published · 1,095 views

“Quote: Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.”- Brian Tracy Sometimes, the signs that it’s time to invest in taking your business to go to the next BIG level show up without notice. Take this past summer, for example. The second ...

Published · 747 views

I once asked a few people to be part of my Research and Development team to find out what stopped them from getting out there in a BIG way to get clients. I also asked them to tell me the MOST they could see themselves making being self-employed. Honestly, I was saddened by the answers that ...

Published · 1,129 views

When I was first starting out trying to close the sale as an solo-entrepreneur, I would offer only one rate and the offer was basically “this is what I charge, take it or leave it.” So people would either take it or leave it. Then I realized that clients work in a different way. Many people like options (I do too). They don’t want to be “forced” into taking something that doesn’t suit them. They want the option of small, medium or large. There’s also some psychology to it.

Published · 1,143 views

Do you have a lot on your plate right now? Maybe you are planning to offer several programs this year, introducing a new package, creating a new home study course, etc. Then new opportunities pop up as you consider working with JV partners, or the media calls, or someone asks you to do a big presentation. Whew, that’s a lot of stuff to accomplish and keep track of! How can you prioritize so many projects? How do you even decide which projects to focus on, what to let go of and what to do first? These are good questions to have to find answers for, right?

Published · 612 views

I am a big believe in using social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to connect with more people and add value. To leverage these tools well requires a mix of status updates to accomplish three things: 1) add value 2) build relationships 3) share your solutions and offers Use a variety of messages. For this post, I’m going to talk specifically about Twitter, but the same idea applies to all social media platforms. You want to send out a mix of tweets to make things more interesting. This list is just some of the types to consider: - A famous quote to inspirer

Published · 2,325 views

In the everyday race for place and space in the online social marketing world, many business owners are getting caught up in the quicksand of believing that pure numbers equal ROI (return on investment). In truth, watching the numbers add up can be a natural high that screams from the Academy ...

Published · 1,182 views

If you are planning a new workshop, one of the first things I advise my clients to do is think about what you want to have happen when it’s over. In other words, whenever you do an event, always have an “upsell” to offer people. I don’t love the word “upsell’ so let me just say what I am really talking about is the opportunity to work more deeply with attendees.

Published · 580 views

Forging Joint Venture partnerships is a powerful way to gain exposure to new prospects and build your list. But what do you say to start the conversation with a potential partner and how do you figure out what to do together? I’d like to share the method I have used in my own business. Whether you have the opportunity to meet partners live face-to-face at conferences or networking events or by telephone, I recommend you simply introduce yourself. Then adjust the following script to make it yours. How to start the conversationr

Published · 606 views

Although the Secret is a good book to read to introduce you to the Law of Attraction, it leaves out a few crucial steps if you really want to succeed. It's not enough to change the way you think, or to think positive thoughts. There are other crucial steps on the road to success. Below are ...

Published · 2,744 views

Sometimes you get to the point where you have started putting things in place, but you still need more clients. If money is tight and you feel panicked, I know how hard that can be. I’ve been there too. Let me share what I did to pull myself out of the panic and get my income flowing in a positive direction. Money is energyr First, let me give you a little theoretical background. Money is energy and is all around us. If you understand what money is, it’s just a manifestation.

Published · 582 views

When you start working on your branding, one of the first things you need to determine is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). You want to know what your clients like about the experience of working with you. What results have they gotten? What did they like most? What makes the biggest difference for them? Make sure you don’t ask clients what they like about you. It’s never about you. It’s always about the experience they receive from you. There are a number of ways to gather this information about your business. You could:r

Published · 601 views

You’ve come up with a free teleclass you want to run. That’s great! And you know this is an opportunity to promote your programs. You are looking for the way to convert listeners into clients. But how many programs can you talk about and still effectively sell them? You may have a year-long program, a six-month program and a one-on-one program. You might even have more package options than that.

Published · 534 views

Are you ready to shake things up in your marketing? From time to time, you may want to run a special promotion to create strong interest in a particular program and get a bunch of new clients quickly. Let me share four specific things you can do to spice up any promotion so that prospects get excited and take action right away.

Published · 642 views

Are you thinking about putting together a group coaching program? Conducting a group is a great way to boost income as you can serve many clients within the same time frame. And often the cost for clients is reduced since multiple people are on the phone line versus the price of private coaching.

Published · 904 views

Today, I want to talk to you about being more authentic in your marketing. One of the things that really changed my business many years ago is when I started taking down the walls and allowing myself to be more authentic, more real, more genuine, not just in my own life, but in my business. It worked in all areas of my life. That’s how I got together with my husband (not to over-share or anything), but I just took down the walls and I started letting people in, in my personal life. It was amazing what happened.

Published · 730 views

Today I’d like to talk to you about how to be more decisive in your business. I speak to thousands of entrepreneurs each year and I have been for 12 years now. Every time I get together with a group of successful entrepreneurs, I see they’re people who take decisive action. Successful people take decisive action. But I also meet entrepreneurs who like to over-think and they might make a decision but then they change their mind. There’s this waffling effect. I meet people who have a lot of self doubt. They tend to listen to that inner critic a lot.

Published · 836 views

Whether you like it or not, one thing that happens once you start multiplying your business is that you become a target for criticism. I’m not talking about criticism from your family or friends, because you may get that too, but I’m referring to criticism in your industry. Every time that I have stepped out of my comfort zone, taken a risk and have done something much bigger in my business, inevitably there are going to be some haters — people who will criticize just to take pot shots.

Published · 943 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

Today I want to talk to you about how to manage your clients. Whether you are just starting out or you are at full practice right now looking to multiply, you must know how to manage your clients effectively. You might be thinking, “What does this have to do with multiplying my business?” It has everything to do with it because when you have a practice full of clients who are all doing their own things, it creates a big stress and drain for you and it’s very, very time consuming.

Published · 595 views

One of the questions that I get a lot now, which I didn’t get 10 years ago is, “How do you manage all of your social media activity?” Ten years ago we didn’t have social media but now you’ve got your Facebook profile and fan page, you’ve got Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus and the list goes on. So, how do you make sense of it all and how do you set it up so that it doesn’t totally consume your time because remember, you should be doing many different things to attract more clients.

Published · 585 views

Today, I want to talk to you about the inner game of client attraction. The marketing piece of client attraction is considered the outer game. It is what you do, it is the actions that you take, figuring out who your ideal client is and getting out there in a big way and all that good stuff. And then there is the inner game.

Published · 894 views

A question that I get all the time is, “What numbers should I track in my business?” My answer? Track all the numbers you want to grow—and expenses, which of course you don’t want to grow. I’m always shocked that when I ask someone how much they’ve made so far in their business this year or this month, a lot of times they don’t have an answer to that question. For many years, before I had a full-time financial person for my business, I always knew, to the day, how much I had made that month as opposed to what my goal was.

Published · 739 views

If you are working on building your list, a telesummit can bring in hundreds of new contacts very quickly. To be honest, I don’t coach on topics I haven’t done before and personally, I have never created a telesummit. However, I’ve been a part of so many as a featured speaker and guest. So I know how they can really drum up lots of new contacts for your database.

Published · 705 views

I get asked this all the time...how come my site isn't on the first page of google? Well, even though I did my part and designed a professional looking website, optimized the pages with the right keywords and phrases in the tags; if you do not have alot of quality inbound links coming to your ...

Published · 1,278 views

When you are building your business and working on your mindset, your energy is on the rise. You are plugging away, implementing, and keeping your head in the game. You may even be seeking new friends and surrounding yourself with people who share similar beliefs to help pull you forward. But, what about current friends and family who don’t think the way you do and aren’t ready to embrace the new way of life you have chosen?

Published · 608 views

When you are a coach, you want to see your clients succeed. Their success is your reason for sharing your knowledge, wisdom and support. However, I have seen people get very upset about whether or not their clients were getting good results. And to be honest, in the beginning I was like this too. “It’s important to remember that you should be responsible to your clients, but not for them.” Are you responsible for your clients’ success? It would be ideal if you could be responsible for your clients and even do some things for them. But, you can’t do that right?

Published · 995 views

Whenever you are making a presentation to a group, your top priority is to determine what you want the attendees to do. I call this the “Most Wanted Response” or the “Most Wanted Action”. Either way, you’ve got to know what you want people to do before you start planning what you’ll say. Why is this so important? Ultimately, the point of the presentation is to encourage people to do something, right? You want them to sign up for your newsletter or ask for your free irresistible offer, or decide to hire you. Whatever response you desire influences what you will say in the talk.

Published · 924 views

There are several reasons why I’m a big fan of choosing a niche. The biggest one is it makes your marketing so much easier. But many of my clients wonder how to choose a niche. Sometimes, people make the mistake of just going for clients who have plenty of money, and while it makes sense to select ideal clients who can afford your services, that cannot be the only qualification. You want to think about these three requirements to know you are choosing your niche wisely. 1. Is this a group of people who seek out the help of a coach or service provider like yourself?r

Published · 577 views

If you have started a new business and spent time and money on developing your branding and online presence, that’s great. Establishing your brand can ensure all your communication will be clear and reinforce your image. But you still need clients right? Ultimately, the need for clients should be your first priority for a new business. When you are ramping up a practice, there is one amazing and powerful way to get the exposure you need. It’s networking! A very impactful marketing tool, networking can help you create a strong database and fill your practice quickly.

Published · 817 views

A lot of my clients who are just starting out want to run teleclasses. This is a great way to work with a group, bring in good income, and leverage your time. Trouble is, when you are starting out, your list might not be big enough to fill a group. No problem. I have found when your database reaches 1,000, that is like the tipping point for really being able to sell programs and products. This was true in my business. I want to share three powerful ways to build your list quickly so you can eventually run those group teleclasses for a fee.

Published · 574 views

Marketing affiliate products is similar to marketing your own products. Many of the internet marketing techniques are the same. The difference is that with affiliate products, you aren't just competing against similar products within the marketplace. You are also competing with other affiliates ...

Published · 1,256 views

Prosperity Christianity has gotten a bad rap. A lot of people seem to think it means that for Christians to be rich, they have to have a lot of money or else God hasn't fully blessed them. After watching the recent events play out in the press, for stars like Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, and ...

Published · 2,287 views

Some people are satisfied with they way they are. They don't see a need to change, or may they just think they're OK the way they are. Some will even go so far as to say, "This is the way I've always been. I can't change." Can't usually means won't. If you really want to change your life, ...

Published · 1,351 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If you are just starting your practice, you may feel like you are stuck in a vortex of confusion about your marketing and what comes first. For example, so many clients have asked me, “How can I get out there when I don’t have my website yet? Not having a finished website can keep people from establishing a brand, getting a logo designed, printing up business cards, and more. When everything hinges on a completed and working website, it seems like nothing else can move forward. But, this is a big fallacy for people and I say this lovingly – it is total nonsense.

Published · 1,162 views

As a busy entrepreneur, you are probably creating articles, programs and teleclasses to provide value and attract more clients. But did you know your materials have more life to them than a one-time use? To make the most of your productivity, you want to find ways to leverage these creations to get even more out of them. I’m going to share a number of the ways you can repurpose your materials to make them work harder for you. 1. Combine blog posts to create an ebook 2. Record yourself reading your ebook to make an audio product

Published · 1,171 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Marketing your business with email is an art. It's very easy to get accused of spamming nowadays. Add to that the filters ISPs are using, and your messagenmay not get through. If you do it right, email marketing can become a veryneffective method of marketing your business. Before you ...

Published · 1,633 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If you just started a new business, you may be wondering “What are the most powerful first steps I can take to market your services?” I know it’s overwhelming because there are so many exciting marketing opportunities. However, there are three particular methods that you can count on to jumpstart your business and get the traction you need to begin building. 1. Meet new people through networking

Published · 1,070 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Are you having trouble squeezing Client Attraction activity into your work schedule? If you already have a job or a growing practice, it might be tough. So how do you make time for the recommended hours you need to attract new clients? 1. What can you put the “pause button” on in your daily activities? I guarantee there are things you do that are not serving your clients or attracting new ones either. These time drains may include: - Checking and responding to email - Personal phone conversations - Surfing the web - Bouncing between tasks

Published · 1,096 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

You may have a service that takes a little more explaining to help prospects and colleagues understand what you do. Not all services are immediately obvious in terms of who is being served or what the end benefits are. This can be challenging. Sometimes your marketing message needs to be refined a number of times to get it working just right. Or you may need to repeat the message several times for it to sink in. Try these five ways to improve communication and help networkers and prospects grasp your service more quickly.

Published · 1,088 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Your welcome package sets your clients up for working with you in a number of important ways. If done correctly, it does the following: - Establishes boundaries - Sets up expectations - Provides rules - Explains the best way to work with you - Answers frequently asked questions Providing this welcome package to clients will help them understand what is expected of them and eliminate miscommunication. In addition, it will hopefully help you avoid problems that can crop up without this kind of documentation.

Published · 1,893 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

So you want to start a business but you don't have a lot ofmoney? Start your business online, and it won't be a problem. There are some pretty terrific resources you can use. Some ofthem you have to pay for, but they are inexpensive and can getyou started quickly and easily. 1. A domain and ...

Published · 2,266 views

Ask any business person who's website is at the top of thesearch engines if his/her site is making money, and the answeris almost always "yes". An example is Glenn Canady, the author of "Gorilla Marketing"who employed only one of these strategies, and it made him over$1 million dollars. The ...

Published · 1,557 views

Whether you are a start up or still at the beginning phase of your business, getting initial consultations is a huge concern. This is one of the most frequent questions I hear from my clients. Your consultation is the gateway to signing new clients and the fastest way to make money for a start up or relatively new business. So how can you fill your calendar with enough consultations to convert a good percentage to clients? Here are eight ways to attract plenty of initial consultations and keep them flowing.

Published · 1,067 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

What’s great about having a proprietary system is that it becomes what I call an “Accordion Talk” where you could deliver a 25-minute talk or two hours or a full day. It all depends on how much time you have for the presentation. The key is to provide a lot of content and value so the audience feels like they want to work with you, but – not give away the “how”. Follow this template and you can stretch it to fill as much time as you have for the workshop.

Published · 1,142 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

If your business is just getting off the ground, you need to build your subscriber list for marketing from zero. This list will be used for email marketing and direct mail. Here are eight easy ways to start off with a bang! 1. Put your previous business contacts on the list. Even if you are doing something completely different, colleagues will be curious how and what you are doing. 2. Add your holiday card list to your list. Let your friends and family know what you are up to as well. They are likely to be supportive so don’t miss out on sharing your news with this close group.

Published · 1,092 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

It’s easy to see why video can be a powerful tool to help you sell more programs, products or services. The medium is very engaging and offers a fun way to share your marketing message. It also makes it easy for viewers to get to know you, leveraging the important Know, Like, Trust factor. To make the most of it, here are nine suggestions to create videos that sell: 1. Keep it short. Most video should be only a couple of minutes, which is enough to connect and get your message across.

Published · 1,113 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Joint venture partnerships are a great way to expand your reach and build your list. This method is becoming more and more popular helping many business owners to increase their data base rapidly. But how can you find the right partners for your business and what do you say when you contact them? Follow this step-by-step guide to find and connect with powerful joint venture partnerships easily.

Published · 1,195 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

According to a study by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, an important sounding group, Facebook fans are basically really worthless. In an ideal world, all these brands would love to believe that consumers “like” really means something, but it seems that “likes” have little or no value. Most people would probably ignore this study, except that Ehrenberg-Bass Institute is supported by some of the biggest brands in the world, including Coca-Cola and Procter and Gamble.

Published · 1,636 views

Do you ever find yourself being afraid of marketing in a BIG way for fear of growing too big and too fast? Two clients this week expressed worry in marketing their businesses. Not because they were worried about NOT getting clients from the Client Attraction techniques we’re implementing together. Actually, it was the OPPOSITE.

Published · 989 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

When you are starting out or if you encounter a slowdown in your business, it’s so important to make sure you remain client attractive. What do I mean by that? The truth is if you need the money and the clients more than they need you, they are going to almost smell it on you. Fear and desperation are not attractive for bringing in new clients. In fact these two states of being are client repellent! If you feel these negative emotions you might be pushing clients away. Why is this true? It’s simple – if you need them more than they need you, they will not trust you.

Published · 1,064 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Let me ask you right from the start – which one do you think you are? Committed or interested in growing your business? It actually does make a very big difference. Because getting to the bottom of that question reveals how badly you want success. So, are you committed or interested? If you are committed, you will basically do whatever it takes to become successful. Here’s what that actually means. You will: • Get organized and schedule time in your calendar to market your business • Finish your assignments from the home study course or workshop in a boxr

Published · 633 views

If you are just starting to run group programs, finding the right time slot may feel like a challenge. Sometimes my clients want to please everyone, so they ask the group that is forming what are the best times for them. What I have found as a rule of thumb is that whenever you ask for a consensus, you open up a huge can of worms that you never can close for two reasons. “Be strategic with your time while leading a group program to ensure everyone can participate and get value.”

Published · 954 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Some solopreneurs go for their goals and Client Attraction assignments with amazing zest and enthusiasm. They’re the I-know-what-I-want-just-give-me-the-tools-and-let-me-at-‘em-Fabienne type of folks. Nothing gets in the way and they just get things done. The majority of folks, however, at one point or another, get stopped in their own marketing tracks.

Published · 1,111 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

If you want to start making more being self-employed while having more time off, it’s crucial to outsource, delegate, and systematize different parts of your business, even if you’re a beginner. Let’s face it, it takes a lot to make your solo-business a Client Attraction machine, but even more so if you’re doing it all on your own.

Published · 1,068 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

If you’re anything like me, you’re being bombarded with ezines and emails that continually try to sell you something. Sometimes a particular ezine even arrives on a daily basis, and truthfully, I sit there at my desk, wondering why I subscribe, so much so that I often unsubscribe just as fast as I sign up for them.

Published · 1,096 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

There are many ways to set up your packages, but I recommend building levels that entice clients to go for the high end. This not only serves you, but it truly serves your clients as well. First of all, when clients stay with you for extended periods, they get that much more value, content and support to help them achieve their goals. Second, you can be there to support them as new situations crop up, which always do in business.

Published · 1,018 views

Most people in networking groups want to help you, knowing that you will help them too. Here’s how to make it easy for them. Start by coming up with answers to your pull marketing questions from the Client Attraction system. Think about: - What problems do your ideal clients have? - What issues do they need to solve to get to the next level? - What blocks do they encounter in trying to achieve their goals? - What makes them unhappy? Write all your answers down.

Published · 947 views

When you find yourself putting off making your follow up calls, there is probably some type of fear at work. Maybe you fear being rejected, hearing the word “No” or feeling bad when someone doesn’t want to do your program. I understand why you could feel that way, but here’s what I want you to think about. I’ll make it really, really simple for you. First, there’s a reason that you are doing what you are doing for a living. What is that reason?

Published · 988 views

While individual coaching is the fastest path to cash, sometimes people prefer to run groups. If you have a busy practice, groups can be a wonderful way to leverage your time, so you get paid by multiple people for the same time slot. If groups appeal to you, here are a few tips to enroll clients. 1. Networking

Published · 949 views

Video is getting hotter than ever and with good reason. This medium let’s people see who you are and leverages the Know Like and Trust Factor that helps people get comfortable with you. But, where do you use video in your marketing and your website? Here are three ways to use video to help market your business. 1. Your Website’s Home Page

Published · 1,079 views

When you speak to groups or run a teleclass, you want to share enough information to accomplish three goals: 1. Demonstrate your expertise 2. Provide insight about the topic 3. Offer some real value to listeners Delivering on these three goals will help you connect with prospects and attract new clients. For some people, they may have a tendency to give away too much information for free. You may be the kind of person who cares about them and wants to take care of them. Or you might feel you have to give everything away for people to like you.

Published · 1,301 views

Do you get referrals from people or services? I sure hope you do! Yet, you may find that your initial conversations with these referred prospects are taking too long. It can be a very time consuming process. That’s why it helps to set up a system and put everything into your marketing materials, making the conversation so much quicker. This is a list of what you need to shorten these calls: Written interview with yourself which includes answers to frequently asked questions and explains your packages and/or programs.r

Published · 993 views

Accept change because if you want to get more clients and you want to make more money and you want to play a bigger game and you really want to leverage and multiply your business and breakthroughs, then that means something needs to change. But here’s what I’ve learned in my life so far is that we human beings are not wired for change. If you think about the body’s ability to keep the body temperature the same and the saline content in your blood the same and the water the same and if you think about your pH level, it’s always about balance. It’s always about keeping the status quo.

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Content is king. Content is everything. I want to drill into your consciousness today that you want to become the master of high content/high value. There are so many reasons to do high content/high value in not only your marketing, but also in your offerings. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of fluff out there. There are so many people who are marketing against you.

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When you have a new product you are ready to launch, one of the fastest ways to get the word out about it is through affiliates. Affiliates are colleagues who you partner with to promote your product and then compensate in some way for their help. 1. What Size List Should You Seek

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When you get to a point in your business when you have a lot of clients and you’re at full practice capacity, sometimes you’re overwhelmed and it’s really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You can’t make more money because there’s no more you to go around and no more time. This is where a lot of people sometimes quit in their business or they just keep going at full practice capacity for many years but they don’t ever multiply their business.

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Free programs, both teleclasses and live workshops, are one of the best ways I know to build your list, provide value and establish the Know, Like, and Trust Factor. Putting together the programs is relatively simple. Yet, there are two key factors to keep your eye on: 1. How much information should you share for free? 2. Are you attracting new people to achieve your list building goals?

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As a new coach, you might find yourself struggling with choosing your niche. From a marketing perspective, this is a very important step. But if you are just out of the gate, you may be feeling like you can help so many different kinds of people and are confused about which way to turn. I’m going to let you off the hook for a short time. I once heard Thomas Leonard, the founder of CoachU and Coachville say “Coach 100 clients and then you will find out what your niche is.” So for right now, you can decide NOT to pick a niche.

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You can have a business card that’s useless or one that gets you clients. Which do you want? Your business card should be considered a serious sales tool, something that someone will look at and get a very good idea not only at what you do, but what you can do for them.

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Clients ask me every week, “Fabienne, HOW do you come up with new content for your ezines every single week!? I can barely make the time to write one newsletter a month and I just don’t know what I’d talk about if I wrote it weekly or every other week! I’m busy enough networking, following up on prospects, setting up speaking gigs, and seeing clients that I just don’t have the time to create a brand new article each week!”

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I believe that every entrepreneur needs to have some dedicated focus time in their business to be able to grow it whether growing it for you means getting more clients and making more money or if it means leveraging it and multiplying it by leaps and bounds. You need to create some focus time in your business to make that happen. When I say to people, “Try to create at least four hours per day for marketing or growth or development,” I hear lots of shrieks, “Ah, how can I do that? I’m so busy.”

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I want to talk to you today about systems. Systems are crucial if you want to multiply your business and get to the next level. Whether you are just starting out, ramping up or you’re in a place where you’re needing some serious leverage, I want you to think about how things get done in your business. Most likely right now you have a self-generated business, whereby if YOU don’t start something yourself, or generate it, it doesn’t get done.

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Information products are a great way to set yourself up as an expert and build trust – as well as build your revenues. Here are three different information products you can create to share your knowledge with prospects at different levels.

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One of the ways to play a much bigger game in marketing your business and really leverage what you’re doing right now is speaking. Speaking is one of the best ways to leverage yourself in your marketing because instead of talking one-to-one, you’re now talking one-to-many. Instead of marketing one-to-one, you’re now marketing one-to-many. That is the ultimate leverage.

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How do you define what you really do? This is a problem that many entrepreneurs have in terms of their marketing. For most entrepreneurs actually, but it’s especially so for people who do more than one thing in their business. I’m a big fan of saying, “Be known for one thing and one thing only,” but for a lot of people that poses a problem because they are really good at several things. So, for example you might be a nutritionist who is also into Reiki and natural remedies and jujitsu.

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Ok, you’ve picked your topic for a free teleclass and you’ve written up your program notes. That’s a great start. You know you will be sharing information that your prospects and clients really want to hear. Make sure you don’t give away the farm by focusing on “what to do”, and not giving all the details on “how to do it”. This strategy will get attendees excited to want to know even more.

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”rn–Maya Angelou Referrals. Everyone wants ‘em, but few are willing to ask for them for fear of seeming pushy, desperate or sleazy. If you ask self-employed individuals how they would ideally like to build their businesses, they would tell you ‘by word of mouth.’ Why? Because… - It’s an ongoing, renewable process.rn- You don’t have to spend money on advertising.rn- Referrals most often end up being high quality clients.r

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Today’s tip is about getting clear on your ideal clients’ biggest issues. Why do you want to get clear on their biggest issues? Because you want to get to know them really well. Why do you want to get to know them really well? Because you know what your ideal clients are struggling with, the more you can position yourself as their problem solver.

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Today I want to talk to you about ways to get out of a marketing rut. Sometimes clients come in and things are going well, but then something shifts and before long you find yourself in a rut. Maybe you’re not doing as much marketing, maybe your marketing is not working as well. Something has shifted and you’re seeing that not as many clients are coming in.

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For some people, facing the fear of rejection that is possible on the get-acquainted call can be daunting. You may be so focused on dreading the potential of rejection that conducting the call itself becomes difficult. I understand how this can happen and have a couple of suggestions to help you look at what’s happening in a new and more powerful way.

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Today’s article strategy is how to hire effectively. I want to be really transparent with you on this topic. We hired our first full time, in-person employee three years ago and she’s still with us, which is so great. However, a lot of the people that we hired afterward are no longer working for our company. That’s because we hired very ineffectively. They were all lovely people, they just weren’t the right people.

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When you are just starting to look for speaking opportunities, you may wonder where to begin. There are a number of organizations that look for speakers on a regular basis, sometimes monthly or even weekly. They may not pay you, but don’t let that stop you from accepting the gig. Every time you speak, you’ll still meet lots of new people and build your marketing list. Here is a small list of groups to check into that frequently need speakers:rn- Traditional Groups - Rotary Clubs - Lions Clubs - Chamber of Commerce Lead Groups Women’s Networking Groupsr

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Recently I shared three powerful ways to follow up. But sometimes the methods alone don’t help you get the job done. That’s when you have to ask yourself, “Do I have a system in place to follow up with hot prospects?” Without a system, it’s easy to let the follow up tasks fall between the cracks. Follow up can be time consuming, especially when there are several calls back and forth if you have trouble reaching a prospect. That’s not a good thing because a hot prospect can get cold while phone tag is in play.

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One of the things that I tell my clients on a regular basis is, “If you want a full practice in six months or if you want to have clients in six months you need to be marketing today.” Sometimes it actually takes more than six months to turn a cold lead into a warm prospect, then into a prospect who’s hot and ready to buy. That process doesn’t always happen ove ight.

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Selecting the right business name can make a tremendous difference in attracting the right clients. A well-crafted name also helps communicate what you do quickly, making it that much easier to let people know how you can serve them. What I see with my clients however, is that they can tend to get stuck on coming up with a name they like. Sometimes they struggle wondering if they have created the best possible name which can lead to perfectionism and paralysis. That’s why I say there actually is no business name nirvana. No magic solution.

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If your target is female entrepreneurs, that is great news. Why do I say this? Because they are an easy group to find! If this group is your ideal client, I’m going to share a variety of methods to help you reach women business owners. 1. Visit Women’s Associations

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When you are working to bring your business to the next level, building your list becomes a crucial element of your marketing efforts. One powerful way to do this quickly is by hooking up with big joint venture partners. Who Should You Partner With? When seeking joint venture partners, look for: - Businesses that serve the same ideal client - Coaches who focus on a different aspect of business than you - Companies with synergy where you can both benefit or build on each other’s work

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