What Your Kids Can Teach You About Success
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If you’re a mom, then you probably know that our kids can teach us quite a bit. And if we pay attention, we can learn a lot from them that we can apply to our business. Here’s some things I notice about my soon-to-be-3 year old, that I need to take into my business world just a little more often. So take some notes, and next time your kid asks you something for the 900th time, just remember that he’s really teaching you how to be a better business owner. (Yeah, I know, it’s still annoying – but it was worth a shot.)
1. Don’t give up on what you want
I know my children don’t like to hear “no,” and when they do – they don’t take it as the final answer, ever. So they set out to use whatever tools they have in their little arsenal to hear what they want, which is usually “yes.” So even it takes whining, begging, asking over and over, reasoning, laser-focused dedication – they will keep it up indefinitely, knowing that eventually they will wear you down and hear a yes. (Maybe not every time, but even if it’s one time out of 100, they know at some point it will happen.)
As adults we could stand to be a little more like that. Definitely don’ t take it to the extent our kids do, because that might be a little weird. But, if you really want something in life or in your business – well then don’t take no for an answer. Fight for it. Good things don’t always come easy (heck, they usually don’t), but they’re usually worth the hard work.
2. Believe in yourself
From watching my 10 year old son, I know that kids believe they can do anything. I’ve watched him do things I would never let him do if I was close enough to stop him. Kids are completely confident in themselves and in what they can do. If a kid’s good at something, he’ll let you know it. Over and over and over. And if they’re not good at something, they’ll keep trying until they are. Over and over and over. My little daughter can’t ride a skateboard (she’s not even 3 yet, remember), but she knows she wants to and she has no doubts that she can learn how if she tries hard enough. She will not give up.
As adults, we question ourselves and our abilities far too much . We let our doubts and our limiting beliefs hold us back from so much. You can do amazing things… all you have to do is believe you can and then go do it!
3. Laugh at yourself
My kids can laugh at silly things they do better than I can. They are able to just let go, laugh at their silly mistakes, and then move on and let it go. So if you do something silly or wrong, just acknowledge how funny it really is and laugh about it. You’ll be less stressed, happier, and by laughing and moving on, you can go on to try something different or make changes.
So go ahead and start laughing.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
This kind of ties back into #1 above. If a child wants something, they’re not going to hesitate to tell you about it – over and over again. For example, my daughter (yes, her again) just today wanted a bike helmet so she could practice riding that skateboard. I didn’t think we had one that would fit her. But she knew she wanted one, and so she asked, and asked, and asked and… you get the idea.Kids don’t like to keep what they want a secret and you know what, we shouldn’t either. If we were more open about exactly what we wanted from life and if we were willing to actually ask for it we might just get it.
How many times have you been talking to a prospect and instead of asking for the sale, you try to work your way around everything but just asking the question? If you want someone to help you in your business ASK, if you want to close a sale on one of your products, ASK FOR IT. Your child would, without hesitation, and not just once. And that’s why they usually get it. Even if they don’t get it every single time, they keep asking and keep going and keep trying until they do. So try acting more like a kid (appopriately of course) and see what happens.
Have a great day!
I talk all the time about how building your list is a huge part of succeeding with your online business. If you do business online, have you had success at building a large “list” of highly qualified, ideal prospects; people who are highly motivated and excited to buy your products, programs and services?
If not, you’re not alone. In fact, most solo-entrepreneurs haven’t a clue as to how to quickly build a list of responsive buyers.
And even worse, the people teaching this stuff in the “internet marketing” world are teaching tactics that are completely inauthentic, sleazy and without integrity. I know, I’ve tested out so many of these tactics, and a lot of them are just horrible.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve personally learned from someone who markets ethically and honestly, just like I market my services.
Client Attraction Mentor, Fabienne Fredrickson has a list building system that has allowed her to build her own list by 12,000 people in the last 12 months or so–and she does it AUTHENTICALLY. That means treating her prospects with respect, honoring them and adding a ton of value. And her many different techniques are low-cost to no-cost.
Best of all they REALLY WORK.
Do you want to know more? Then join me in listening to Fabienne Wednesday, March 31st at 8pm EST for her special one-time-only F.R.E.E Teleseminar entitled:
“Authentic List Building for Massive Client Attraction and Profits: Proven online strategies from Fabienne Fredrickson for quickly, easily and consistently building your list with ideal prospects who love to buy from you…in a matter of weeks.”
Here’s the link to sign up:
It’s all happening Wednesday March 31st at 8pm EST. To join me for this one-time-only call, just register below and you’ll get details right away.
Maybe I’ll “see” you there.
Have a great day!
7 Features of a Successful Social Network Profile
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Yesterday I talked about the 10 rules to follow when you’re on social networking sites. One of those rules was to have a memorable profile. So today I’ll go over some ways to develop that profile.
1. Define your specific skills, passions and expertise that sets you apart from the rest of the people who offer what you offer. Differentiate yourself, show your uniqueness.
2. Add a professional photo. Of course, on some sites a professional photo can have a looser meaning, but remember your photo should be tasteful and appropriate for how you want to portray yourself.
3. Provide your “30 Second Elevator Speech.” Tailor this to the specific social network your profile is on.
4. Be interesting and memorable. But be careful your profile isn’t memorable for the wrong reasons.
5. Tag your profile with relevant keywords for your business. Use keywords that you want your business to show up under if people are doing a search.
6. Include key links to your blog, your website, and even other social networking sites. You want to highlight and promote your web presence.
7. Make sure your profile is readable and easy to follow. Keep your paragraphs short and concise, 2-3 sentences max. You want your profile to be something someone can read quickly to learn more about you and your business.
10 Rules for Social Networking
By · CommentsHere are 10 easy rules to follow when you’re using social media to build business. And even though they’re easy, don’t think they’re not important. Breaking these rules can make your social networking efforts count for nothing. So here we go…
1. Social networking requires “active engagement.” You can’t just drop in every few months and expect people to line up to use your services. You can’t log on to Facebook only to ask people to buy your stuff, as great as it is. You have to actively work on building relationships, offering help and information, and connecting with people.
2. Be a community builder. Give back to your audience or your network, and always be relationship-oriented.
3. Don’t spread yourself thin. Experiment with which social networks work for you and for your goals, but then only focus on 3 or 4 sites at a time. It’s not going to work for you if you’re trying to be on too many sites at once. You can’t be everywhere, nor do you want to.
4. Consistently add value to your networks, your connections, your groups. Share your expertise, add great content, write recommendations. Always be thinking about how you can help others.
5. Be selective and strategic about inviting or accepting friends, followers, connections. Think of quality as opposed to quantity.
6. Avoid any aggressive marketing tactics. You can’t be a pushy salesman and expect to see any results with social networking.
7. Build memorable profiles. Let people know about you, see what your passions are, what special skills you have, what you do well. Let your personality show.
8. Establish a routine/regular schedule. Set aside 30 mins/1 hour/15 mins (whatever time works for you), and then stick to your schedule. Identify your priority tasks and make sure those get done first in the time you have. And don’t let yourself get distracted.
9. Be professional and personable. One place to be sure to do this is with your photos. I recently turned down a friend request because the photo was a bit too “revealing.” Sure, maybe the person was all business and had the best intentions, but I definitely didn’t want that picture showing up on my wall. So think about how you want to portray yourself and make sure everything backs that up.
10. Don’t forget why you’re in Social Networking in the first place. Remember your goals and follow your action plan. Like I said before, don’t get distracted. Keep focused.
And don’t forget, if you need help figuring out what your online marketing action plan should be – contact me and I can point you in the right direction.
Have a great day!
Making Money with Your Email List
By · CommentsI talk all the time about capturing contact information from the people who visit your website. If you don’t have a way to get an email address, when someone comes to your site you really only have one chance to get them to buy your product or service. Once they leave your site, you have no way to reach out to them and build that “know, like, trust” factor. But, if you have a system in place that does capture a visitor’s contact info, then you have multiple chances to grow that relationship and let them see your expertise and knowledge.
Once you have this system in place, what do you do with those emails? How do you actually turn your list into business and make money from your list?
Here’s a quick step-by-step process on how to make money with your email list. I’m going to just a list today, but over the next few days I’ll be breaking down each one of the steps in more detail. So stay tuned…
1) Create a “hook” or a “bribe” to get people to sign up for your list.
2) Set up your email list and your autoresponders to deliver your hook.
3) Follow up with your list on a consistent basis.
4) Offer information, resources, and work on building up a relationship with your list.
5) Start making money from your list. Offer your own products and services, send out affiliate promotions.
It’s really that simple. Ok, it’s a little more work than this list makes it out to be – but this really is the basics of using your list to make money. Again, I will be going into more detail about some ways you can actually complete each of these steps in future posts.
But get started now thinking about what you can offer as your “hook.” You want something simple to create, but with real information. Don’t just send out fluff. And make sure it relates to what your product or service is.
Have a great day!
Technology – Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy?
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Being in the field that I am, most of my work is done online and through different types of modern technologies – Skype, the Internet, email, contact management software, smart phone, and so on. I’ve found that while technology and all the conveniences it brings can be a lifesaver at times, at other times it can be a huge roadblock in getting the real work done.
I see this not only in my own life, but in many of my clients and peers. And as I get busier and have more tasks, it seems that technology can start to become more of an enemy than a friend. So this week, when I was reading “Eat That Frog” again, this particular chapter about technology time sinks seemed very appropriate.
Here’s some tips on how to keep technology on your side, and not have it working against you.
- You have a choice – You can be plugged in or you can unplug at any time. You need to unplug from your phone, your email, the internet, Facebook – detach on a regular basis, so you don’t become overwhelmed and so that you stay calm, clearheaded and able to perform at your best.
- Don’t get addicted – I see this a lot with Facebook – you know who you are, those people who play Farmville 24/7, who message you the second you get online, are Tweeting about their dr. appt in the middle of the exam. Don’t fall into this trap, don’t let technology (whether it’s Facebook, your phone, checking your email constantly) suck you in. The whole goal of technology is to make our lives easier. It’s meant to help us improve our lives by helping us to accomplish things and communicate with people faster and more efficiently. So remember that, and don’t allow it to take up your time by obsessing over the use of it.
- Standardize and delegate – We all feel like no one else can do it as well as we can. That might be true, but at some point those small tasks are going to cost you time and money. One of the huge benefits of technology is that you can easily hand off many admin tasks without having to actually hire an employee. How would your life change if you had an extra 20 hours each week to think, work, plan, talk with clients and prospects, or even go to dinner with your spouse? Use technology to hand off tasks you really don’t need to be spending your time on.
- Treat technology as a servant, not a master – Technology is there to help you, not hinder you. Just because that notification on your Outlook goes off, it doesn’t mean you need to respond right now! One of the best ways to get a handle on technology – just turn it off. Don’t check your email as soon as you get to work or sit down at your desk. Turn off the cell phone. Just unplug, even if it’s for a few minutes!
Not Sure Which Niche to Target?
By · CommentsMy last post was about why I feel it’s so important to define your niche or target market. You may agree, you might disagree, but I’ve seen how marketing to a specific market works so much better than trying to reach everyone. Obviously, there are others that think the same way I do, because yesterday I received a newsletter talking about – you guessed it – picking your niche. Basically, she advises you not to get too caught up in picking the right niche at first, because eventually the right niche will find you. So just pick a niche already! Here it is for you – from Bernadette Doyle’s Client Magnet ezine.
It’s a lot easier to turn a ship that’s moving in the wrong direction than it is to turn a ship that’s not moving at all.
If you’ve been getting “analysis paralysis”, scratching your head and trying to figure out what your direction is, just pick a purpose and start heading toward it. If you’re off course, the market will correct you.
If you’re not heading in the right direction, the market will quickly give you feedback that will help you adjust. Just don’t get overly concerned that what you decide today is going to be cast in stone.
Don’t worry about picking the wrong area or niche at first. Don’t worry if you find that you’re being called an expert on something that you don’t want to be known as the expert on.
Areas of expertise can change. But you can only change your direction if you have already set out in one to begin with.
Bob Burg is the author of a book called “Endless Referrals.” He is now positioned as a referral expert and an expert on helping people to generate referrals for business.
When he first started out, his niche was memory experts. He noticed that people who took his memory courses wanted to improve their memory to remember the names of people they’d met at networking meetings and events. They wanted to improve their memory to achieve better business results.
As he spotted that connection, he started to focus more on being the referral expert. No one accused him of being a fraud because he was now a referral expert instead of a memory expert. The market let him know in which direction to steer his business.
When you set course in your chosen direction, look for niches and markets where it’s going to be easier for you to establish personal relationships and position yourself as an expert.
If the niche you do choose turns out to be an enormous amount of effort, you have to weigh whether or not it’s worth your while to continue down that road or take a different road to get business.
When Dan Kennedy, the marketing expert, was invited to submit a proposal to give a speech in Switzerland, he opted out. While plenty of other people would jump at the opportunity, and spend a day putting together a proposal to bid, that is not the way he wants to go after business. Perhaps it didn’t seem worthwhile to spend the time writing the proposal. The point is that you have to make the determination of how you want to do business.
Your niche will evolve with your business. It’s an actual evolution that happens in most any business. Look at my own situation. I started out as specializing, by trial and error, as a cold calling expert. But I didn’t stop at that. Today, I’m teaching people how to find new business and triple their income! The way in which I’m helping people and the types of people I’m helping is completely different from what I started out with.
But it’s turned out for the best for everyone!
Stop Yelling in Your Front Yard – Get a Niche!
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Today I’m going to briefly talk about your niche or target market. This is so important, and I wish more people got why it’s so important to have a specific niche you focus your marketing efforts on.
What is marketing, really? Marketing is just communication. And who do you want to communicate with? Obviously, I’m going to say your target market – a group of people who have common interests and common problems and that you can find hanging out (online and offline) in the same places. And hopefully this niche or target market is something or someone you’re passionate about helping, glad to spend time with, passionate about working with.
So why do you need to pick a target market, why can’t you just market to anyone/anywhere? Because if marketing is simply communication, then NOT choosing a target market is like trying to get your voice heard by the rest of the world over all the noise being made by all the other people communicating (marketing). This is especially true when you’re communicating (marketing) online.
I recently read this book, and I loved how she put this. It really made it clear to me, so I’m going to put my own twist on it and use it for you: Trying to reach everyone/anyone online, it’s like going out in your front yard right now and yelling at the top of your lungs that you have a fantastic teleseminar going on next week. Almost no one is going to hear you! Maybe your neighbor to the left or right will hear you, but they probably aren’t interested in your amazing teleseminar. You think you’re going to reach everyone (hey, I’m yelling really loud!), but you’re going to end up reaching no one that’s actually interested in what you’re yelling about.
If you want to communicate something to someone, whether it’s to get them to do or buy something, think something, feel a certain way or believe something, you need to know who you want to communicate that thing to. And the clearer you are about your target market, and the more passionate you are about it, the more likely your income is going to start growing.
So stop yelling in your front yard – go get yourself a niche!
If you want more information about picking and marketing to your target market, check out my free webinar this Friday. There’s no pitch, it’s not a preview call, it’s just good information that will help you market your business online. See you there!
The Secret to Social Media – Time
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Social Media is everywhere. It’s in your email inbox, it’s on the news, you see articles everywhere, and if you do a search for Google you’ll get millions of results. So of course, learning about social media isn’t too difficult. You can find blogs, videos, ebooks, teleseminars, and hundreds of other tools to teach you ways to use social media. So why do so many people still have difficulty actually getting started with using social media to market their business?
One of the biggest reasons I hear is time. Lack of time, not enough time, don’t want to spend the time, wanting to spend the time doing something else. You can’t make more time, no matter how much you learn about social networking and online marketing. You have time or you don’t. If you need more time, you have to find it or spend less time doing something else.
So if time is what’s standing in the way of marketing your business online, you basically have three ways to resolve this time issue. Which way you choose depends on which means more to you, time or money.
1. Just jump in and figure it out on your own. You’ll make mistakes, it will take time, but it’s the cheapest way to get it done – money wise. This is probably the most expensive if you’re talking about the time you’ll need to spend. One positive point to this method is that you’ll know how to do it, so even if you decide to outsource at a future date, you’ll have a good idea of what should be happening. I used this method to get my basic foundation in understanding how social networking and online marketing really work, and to see the results once you finally learn how to do it right. But believe me, it took more hours out of my day (and night) then I even want to remember!
2. Learn from others who have already spent the time learning. Like I mentioned above, there are hundreds of products you can buy, listen to, read online (and offline) to see how others are using social media and online marketing. This will also take time, time to read – time to listen – time to learn – time to implement, but no where as much time as Option 1. Of course, in exchange for less time and benefiting from the time others have spent, you’re going to spend more money than Option 1. So your cost increases but your time decreases.
If you take this route, just be aware of what you’re purchasing. Talk to other people who’ve bought products, ask for recommendations. There’s a ton of information out there, but it doesn’t mean that all of that information is good or that it’s going to fit your needs. And don’t forget to take advantage of the tons of free information out there, to get you started for free.
3. Outsource your online marketing. This is going to save you the most time, of course. And, consequently, cost you the most of the 3 options. A huge benefit to outsourcing is that it allows you the time to do what you really enjoy, what you’re best at. My clients usually come to me after spending some time trying out Option 1 or 2. But even after getting training, or spending the time to learn on their own, they find that they still don’t have the time or the desire to take on the task themselves. What they like is that I come up with a strategy and then make it happen for them.
My final note for you is that online marketing has to be done consistently, so whatever option you decide to try out, make sure you commit to a consistent schedule. Social media can have a huge impact on your business, allowing you reach out to people you otherwise never would, to teach people you’d normally never meet, to grow your business in ways you never thought you could. So whatever way you decide to integrate online marketing into your business, whether by spending more time or more money, as Nike says – Just Do It!
Have a great day!
6 Simple Steps to Social Media Success – Webinar
By · CommentsLike so many other solo entrepreneurs, when I first started using social media and trying to market my services online, I was confused and unsure. Confused of what I should or shouldn’t be doing, unsure if what I was doing was actually going to work, uncertain of how others made it all look so easy. Confused, unsure, uncertain, overwhelmed, stuck – do any of those fit you as you try to navigate the world of online marketing?
Nowadays almost everyone knows about Twitter, Facebook and all the other hundreds of ways you can promote yourself and your business online. But which of these sites actually works, how can you market yourself without seeming “salesy” or “pushy?” And how do you find the time to fit all of that online stuff with your day-to-day activities you’re already having to juggle everyday?
On February 19th, I’m going to be sharing with you some simple steps you can follow to make your online marketing efforts successful. I’m offering a free webinar to show you how to get more clients, make more money, and still have time to run your business. This webinar is truly free, no pitch, no sales talk, just really good information you’ll be able to put to use right away.
Click here to go get signed up.
See you on the call!
