Archive for the ‘Client Attraction’ Category

If you want to wow your clients, and make their day, you can do that with extraordinary care. Your willingness to make your clients a priority, do what needs to be done (and then some), while demonstrating trustworthiness is a vital component to the success of your business. If you don’t provide exceptional client care, are often late completing projects, and don’t deliver what you say you will, you’ll lose those clients.

Make client care a priority. After all, without clients, you do not have a business. You’re clients aren’t there for you, you are there for them. You provide a product or service for them, and without them, you don’t exist. Therefore, good customer service is imperative for the life of your business. Read the rest of this entry »

In business you have strategies which comprise goals, tactics and metrics. If you keep these ideas straight when you’re barnstorming plans for your business you’ll go far in achieving great success. The steps are:

1. Create a goal – A good goal is one that you can name, and achieve. Goals should be both achievable and realistic but also challenging. It should also be specific. “Increase newsletter sign ups by 80% in 30 days.” From that you can get an actual number.
2. Craft tactics – Once you know your specific goal, then you can develop tactics, and tasks to reach that goal. Such as: “I will run a PPC campaign for 15 days”. With that tactic you’ll have many tasks to accomplish such as: creating the sales page, creating the advertisement, choosing the keywords, setting up your newsletter and so forth.
3. Accomplish tasks – Tasks come from the tactics you choose. Schedule tasks each day with your goals in mind using the tactics you decided upon. You have 30 days to accomplish your goal, so on day one you will create a sales page, day two you will create the advertisement, day three you’ll send out some tweets and blogs, day four you’ll decide upon keywords based on keyword research, and so on, until finally you’re running the PPC campaign.
4. Evaluate Metrics — For instance let’s assume you have 30 newsletter subscribers when you start. This means that you must increase your newsletter subscribers to 54 (30 * .08 + 30 = 54 -30 = 24) in 30 days. This means that you need to get almost one new subscriber each day of your campaign.  If the tactics you’re using aren’t achieving that, then you need to adjust.
5. Repeat — If something works, do it again, and again. No need to recreate the wheel when it works. If you choose to change something change only one small piece at a time and give time to see the results of your efforts.

Many marketers run two different campaigns at a time with two different sales pages that are only slightly different to see which words, colors, and style works best. This can work for you too, and it is a good way to test and evaluate if your work is effective or not. So let’s repeat here the steps:

1. Create a goal
2. Craft tactics
3. Accomplish tasks
4. Evaluate metrics
5. Repeat

As you can see, breaking things down to steps and scheduling each day to achieve each step will eventually lead you to achieving your goals. Keeping track of the results of each task will further encourage you to keep going, or to change tactics.

Does your productivity ever get hindered by your desire to be perfect?  As you seek the easiest or fastest route to your goal, you may find yourself stopped entirely. Sometimes you may even do this on purpose, to keep from having to make a decision.

However, there’s a work-around. Maybe you’ve heard of the term, “heuristic.” Heuristics are rules that allow a solution to be found more quickly. With a heuristic, a resolution can be found even when the entire path isn’t clear from the onset.

For example, if there were no roads, but you lived in New York and wanted to make your way to California, you might try to:

1. Walk west as far as you can.
2. Walk around any obstacle, if possible.
3. If faced with a mountain range, walk toward the space between 2 small peaks.
4. Repeat until reaching California.

Does this experiment give you the most efficient solution? No; however, it will get you where you want to go as long as you know travel west.

Try these strategies to increase your productivity:

1. Choose the right time. Nearly everyone has times of the day when they are most effective and times when they tend to drag. It’s smart to schedule the most critical tasks for your most effective time of the day.
2. Toss it. If a task doesn’t really need to be done, just get rid of it altogether.
3. Get the bad stuff out of the way. Do the unpleasant items quickly and as early in the day as possible.
4. Set a goal each day (or night). In the morning, decide what you want to accomplish that day. This can be even more effective when planned the night before. Once you have a sense of direction, you can spend all your time getting things done!
5. Eliminate all communication. While you’re working, turn off the phone / cell phone, and don’t check your email. Hang a sign that says, “Do not disturb,” if necessary. You don’t have to do this for all your tasks, but at least do it during the more difficult items.
6. Batch similar tasks together. Do all your emailing at one time. Make all your phone calls at another. Open your snail mail during a set block of time. You’ll waste less time by doing your work in this fashion.
7. Set a timer. Even if a task might take hours, starting will seem easier if you simply give yourself 30 minutes to get as much done as you can. A time limit seems to help many people concentrate and work better, too.
8. Set targets. For example, if you have to make cold-calls for your sales job, tell yourself that you’re not getting up for any reason until you’ve made at least 100 calls. Regardless of what happens, refuse to stop until you hit your target
9. Use the Pareto Principle. This principle states that 20% of the actions you could take will provide you with 80% of the benefits. So focus on the tasks that will accomplish the most. Unfortunately, these are frequently the tasks that are not enjoyable. You might be surprised how little you really have to do if you focus on the critical 20%.
10. Delegate some of your work. Is there anyone else who can help you? The people around you are resources. When appropriate, use their time and talents wisely to get things done more quickly.
11. Set a deadline. Having a specific endpoint will really help to focus your time and energy. If a task doesn’t feel necessary, chances are that it won’t get done.
12. Increase your speed. It sounds silly, but this can really help. Try doing everything a little faster. Walk faster, talk faster, type faster, and read faster.

Implement these strategies into your daily life and you’ll find yourself getting more done in less time. The ultimate secret is to stay on task and not waste any time. These rules will help you do ju

Here’s a bit of a A ha moment according to the Small Business Administration, 63% of all small business fail in the first 5 years!

This is a sad but true reality.  Even sadder is that many of these businesses could have succeeded.  Generally it’s not the lack of ideas that cause business failure.  One of the top reason for failure starts at the beginning the inception of your business.  It’s lack of vision.  Without vision how do you know where you’re going or even when you’ve arrived.

To start with, goals are crucial. When we set goals, what we’re really trying to do is to bring each piece of our lives in line with our overall vision for ourselves. Using a powerful vision-setting process can help you set more effective goals, since you can chart a course that will take you toward and support your vision.

Do you have a vision for each segment of your life? Do you know where you’re headed spiritually, socially, relationally, physically, financially, and more?

Use this process to help you create a vision that works for you:

1. Write down your vision for a particular aspect of your life. Write a couple of paragraphs describing what you’d like to have or be. There’s no right or wrong. In fact, you probably won’t precisely articulate your dreams the very first time you try the exercise. A reasonable guess is a good place to start.

• In writing your vision, avoid focusing on what you don’t want, because this will only bring about more of that. Turn your back on negativity and focus on what you do want to bring about.
  For example, if you want more money: Avoid wording your statement like: “I don’t want to be poor anymore.” Instead, envision what it would be like to be rich, which is what you want, and write about what that would be like for you.
  Although you may feel challenged when first learning to focus on what you want, it gets easier. Plus, the rewards are spectacular when you can do it consistently. You’ll start to notice that your life seems as if you can change it at will, which you can.

2. Visualize. Read your vision statement 2-3 times a day and imagine that aspect of your life matches your vision perfectly. How does your vision make you feel? Are you really excited and enthusiastic? Is it appealing to you on all levels? This shouldn’t take more than 60 seconds to do each time.

3. Refine. If you feel really good about your vision, that’s great. If not, now is the time to make some alterations. Continue refining the image of your dream life until doing your visualization feels spectacular. Re-write each new version.

• At this point, you may be wondering when this process ever ends. Fortunately, it never ends. Your vision will forever be changing slightly throughout your life, which is good, since your desires will also change over time.

4. Review your vision daily and ensure that it continues to attract you. This will rapidly usher change into your life. In turn, these changes will demonstrate that you’re actually moving towards that vision.

Create separate vision statements for all the areas of your life. Consider your finances, relationships, adventure, health, social life, and spirituality. If you can get all these visions to look just the way you want, imagine what your life will look like!

Why Spend Time On This Process?

Consider all the things you do every day. Everything you do is either helping you reach your vision or helping someone else reach theirs. Wouldn’t reaching your goals make it a lot easier for you to help others reach their?

Creating a vision is the first step to creating the life you desire. Tweak your visions frequently and really focus on the experience of living that vision. This gets easier all the time, because imagining something enjoyable is pleasurable in itself.

Don’t hesitate; create your visions today. Then, start reviewing and improving them immediately. Your life will change rapidly for the better. You’ll then be spending your time making your own visions a reality instead of making someone else’s dream come true.

I am often asked, “Linda how do you create a products or launch a service without getting overwhelmed and going a bit crazy?”  Well creating a product or service for your business is a pretty simple process.  But like any process knowing the steps is what makes the launch successful.

Done right, your products can help you meet and possibly even exceed your business goals.  Information products are an excellent business tactic to connect with and help more clients.

The one thing I hear quite often is that, “I’m in a service business and I don’t want to make a product, that’s not what my business model is about.”  Here’s the deal… you are one person and no matter how you look at it, your most precious resource… time is limited.  And I believe if you have the passion to help others then it’s important to help as many people as you can.  Let’s face it there’s only so many hours in a day, and so many people you can help one-on-one.  So what better way to help more clients then to provide information to give them what they want?   Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone has unique talents and strengths, but whether we’ve discovered and actively developed them is the real question! Maybe we’ve been told that we’re good at something, but we let our skills go untapped while we wait for the confidence and courage to take action.

There are even some people whose self-esteem is suffering to the point that they truly believe they don’t possess any talents at all! If this is you, please believe that your talents are there, just waiting to be revealed to you!

These tried and true strategies will help you develop your strengths to their full potential:

1. Research. Perhaps you think that you’re strong in one area, but you aren’t completely sure. This is where you need to look into things that interest you or that you believe you might be good at. See what resources are available and what it would take to make the commitment to strengthen your strengths.
2. Patience. Developing your strengths to their full potential won’t occur overnight. To fully develop a talent, you must be patient. Patience is not easy and many of us tend to struggle with it. But if you can be patient, you’ll definitely reap the benefits at the end of the process.

• A useful way to think of developing your talents is to consider it as a journey. It may take a while, but you’ll learn a lot along the way.
• You’ll make mistakes and celebrate milestones, and by the time you’re done, your strength will be fully developed to the peak of your abilities.

1. Set goals. People are more successful when they set goals. Write down what you’d like to accomplish and what date you’d like to achieve this by. Remember to be realistic and review your goals frequently to keep yourself on track.

• Post your goals in places where you’ll see them throughout the day. The refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and your computer monitor are a few ideas. This will not only keep you on track, but it’ll also motivate you to reach these goals as quickly as possible.

1. 4.      Believe you can do it. Confidence can be one of your greatest strengths and assets. When trying to improve yourself in any capacity, if you truly believe that you’re able to accomplish anything, you’ve won half the battle.
   The battle with your mind is often greater than any challenge you face in reality.

• You may have tough days when you’re unsure of yourself, but as long as you get back on track quickly, you’ll build momentum. Remember, you can do this!

Final Thoughts on Developing Your Strengths

Strengthening your strengths may be a daunting and overwhelming journey at times. And, yes, it will take some work. But everything worth anything involves hard work!

It’s important to focus on the big picture and remember the rewards you’ll enjoy once this process is over. Also, ensure that you have the unwavering belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. By possessing these two attributes, you’ll be on the road to success in no time!

Attempting to boost your self-esteem during normal times is hard enough, but what happens when you’re dealing with a difficult period in your life?

Stressful issues like job loss, broken relationships, or sickness can lower our self-esteem. We tend to take the blame and feel that, if we were “better,” these things wouldn’t have happened in the first place. When thinking rationally, we may realize that this is untrue, but it’s harder during times of struggle to feel good about ourselves!

Here are some simple strategies you can use to give your self-esteem a boost during trying times:

1. Focus on the positive. Yes, negative things can happen in your life, but this must not be your only focus. As I’m sure you’ve heard before: “Things could be worse.” Try to turn your attention onto what you have that is good.

• Whether it’s wonderful children, a terrific spouse, or a roof over your head, focus on what is positive and special in your life.
  Not only will this make you feel better about your current situation, but you’ll also realize that these good things would not have been possible without you.
• It’s time to understand that you are a positive influence in the lives of many. Realistically, everyone has to deal with difficult times as a part of growing and maturing. Try to remember that “this too shall pass” and keep your chin up.

1. Take time for you. With all that’s happening in your life right now, you’re under a lot of stress. This obviously isn’t helping your feelings of low self-esteem. More than likely, you’re not taking any time out for the most important person in your life: you.

• Allow some time to relax and regroup. It will do wonders for your mindset! Make the time to do something that you thoroughly enjoy doing. It can be alone or with family or a trusted friend – whatever relaxes you the most.
• Read a book, take a bubble bath, make some cookies, or dance around the house to your favorite music. Anything that can relieve some of that stress you’re feeling will make a big difference.

1. Believe that things will get better. The power of the mind is amazing. If you’re in a situation that you truly believe is hopeless, your chances of changing that situation worsen greatly. If you believe things can and will get better, your chances of improving the situation are greatest.

• Knowing that things will improve will also help you feel more confident about yourself. You’ll feel more positive heading into the right direction, and your self-esteem will increase.

Life sometimes presents us with difficult situations that we’re not prepared to deal with. During these times, consciously redirect your feelings away from the negative and towards the positive. Your self-esteem will be strengthened, along with your belief of a better outcome.

When you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, things don’t seem as dark. Use these tips to find your light and feel better.

Networking locally is a great way to market your online business offline. There are numerous organizations, clubs, and groups that you can join and network with that will assist with your offline marketing. The chamber of commerce, meet up, women’s groups, even your local hobby clubs are good networking opportunities. Where ever your possible clients and customers “live” is where you should be, both online and offline.

Online business owners often live in a sort of vacuum not having much contact with the outside world, so finding a way to get out of your comfort zone will be good for you and your business. There are good reasons to network locally aside from the fact that it can be actually fun to do. Plus, you need to get out of the house and out from behind the computer to be a well rounded person. Many people are shy or intimidated by offline marketing especially face to face networking, but you need not be worried. Here are a few ways to break into offline marketing via networking.

Church – Yes, church is for worshipping, but you can also network at church. Most people do. They buy from church members, and patronize their congregants businesses and refer each other. This is perfectly acceptable to do and will in fact make you feel more a part of your community. There are churches of all stripes, so if you do not attend one right now, you can find churches that are liberal and conservative, it’s completely up to you.

Exercise class — Of course you should get to know people with whom you are sweating every day! When you get to know people and make friends with them they will want to tell their friends about you, so don’t be shy, and tell people what you do. Ask them what they do first to break the ice.

Join the PTA — Most local areas have Parent Teacher Associations of some sort. If you are a parent, or a grandparent, you can join your local PTA. Once you join, get involved. Usually they will offer several sponsorship activities every year from an advertising spot in the yearbook, to the newsletter, to placards at an event. Even if you do not join, you can usually still sponsor events at your local schools.

Try these ideas for icebreakers to start networking in order to market your online business offline and before you know it you’ll feel more comfortable for more powerful networking such as joining and participating in your local chamber of commerce.