Article Contributed by Kendall SummerHawk
If someone had looked in a crystal ball back when I first started my business and predicted that I would create a 7-figure coaching business, I think I would have snorted, and said, “Excuse me, but what are you smoking?!”
The truth is when I first started my business I just wanted to make as much money as I had when I was at my j-o-b. Believe me, that number wasn’t even close to 6-figures, much less 7.
But something shifted when I saw that 6-figures was possible. I became intrigued to figure out what it would take to reach that magical milestone.
The biggest “A-ha!” came when I started including Divine Guidance (read, intuition) in every marketing or business decision.
Now, remember that intuition is not fear or self-doubt. Those emotions are just trying to sidetrack you from stepping into your place of power. You can tell if it’s fear or self-doubt because you’ll find yourself saying things like, “It’s not the right time” or “I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
Sorry, gals, that’s fear speaking. How do I know? Because fear gives you reasons not to do something, while Divine Guidance places opportunities at your feet.
Okay…so, what does Divine Guidance have to do with reaching 6-figures and beyond, all with grace, ease and simplicity?
Plenty!
After coaching thousands of women business owners I’ve discovered that there are four key areas where you may be letting fear make your decisions, instead of tapping into the grace and ease of Divine Guidance.
If you’re serious about creating a 6-figure business (or beyond), here’s a simple checklist you can use to make sure you’re connecting with the full power of Divine Guidance, instead of playing small due to fear or self-doubt.
I recommend printing these tips out and taping them to your wall or bulletin board as a daily reminder to integrate Divine Guidance into your marketing. This, more than anything else, will help you leap into 6-figures (or beyond) in a way that is powerfully authentic for YOU!
Tip #1: Choose Your Tribe of Ideal Clients
Getting crystal clear on who your ideal client is will help make your marketing fast, easy and powerful to implement. Understand that a “refuse to choose” attitude is simply fear holding you back.
Don’t make choosing your niche a big deal, okay? Simply look at the people most like you, who want to know how to do something that you find simple and easy. Ask Divine Guidance to make this clear for you. Just be sure not to discount or ignore the answer that your intuition gives you!
Hint: if your current ideal client hasn’t been responding well to your marketing then chances are good you’ve been playing small. Now is the time to specialize. Don’t ignore how important this is because specialists make a big impact for others, and make big money!
Tip #2: Stop Trying to Grow Your List by Dribs and Drabs and Instead Grow Your List by the Hundreds, Even by the Thousands
If you’re serious about creating a 6-figure business, you’ll need to step up and make yourself known to others who can direct hundreds, if not thousands, of people to you.
Ask your intuition, “What do I need to do to create a powerful, confident presence with the people who market to my ideal clients?” For example, the action my intuition guided me to take was to ask famous people in my industry for testimonials for my info products. I got nearly all of the ones I asked for, which led to JV opportunities. In one month alone I grew my list by over 25%!
Tip #3: offer a System, Not Just a Service
If you haven’t yet offered a system then you’re going to be shocked at how much easier it is to sign up new clients! People love systems because they offer them a feeling of security and reassurance that you know what you’re doing and it will work for them.
The power of offering a system will give you immediate attention and credibility. So, whether you create your own or find it’s faster and easier for you to get training and use someone else’s, just do it.
Tip #4: Stop Being Afraid of “How You’ll handle More Business” and Start Seeing Opportunities to Expand Your Impact
Feeling fearful about how you would handle more business simply means you have the desire to have more business, but don’t just yet have the specific know-how or strategies to make your business expandable. No worries. All you need to do is find a mentor who’s walked the path you want. Your mentor will help give you answers, resources and tools to make your business simple, easy and fun to run while it grows.
The trick is this: Do not let FEAR of growth keep you from taking action to expand your business (or yourself).
If you look at every obstacle as an opportunity to request help from Divine Guidance, you’ll quickly find yourself, as I did, moving easily into 6-figures. You will then find, just as quickly, yourself expanding effortlessly into even greater amounts of money, marketing and soul!
About the Author
Kendall SummerHawk, the Million Dollar Marketing Coach, is an expert at helping women entrepreneurs at all levels design a business they love and charge what they’re worth and get it. Kendall delivers simple ways entrepreneurs can design and price their services to quickly move away from ‘dollars-for-hours work’ and create more money, time, and freedom in their business. For free articles, free resources and to sign up for a free subscription to Kendall’s Money, Marketing and Soul weekly articles visit www.kendallsummerhawk.com.
Author: Pamela Swift
Article Contributed by Gary Jordan
Determining whether a particular skill you possess is natural or acquired is an important step to doing more of what you do best. Because many of of our natural skills bring a greater feeling of joy, these skills are worth discovering and developing.
A “skill” is a behavior or ability you’ve developed through training or experience. And, while all personal skills are behaviors, not all behaviors are skills. For example, telling a joke is a skill; laughing at a joke is a behavior.
Some of your skills are natural, meaning that were born with the potential to develop them easily. By the way, you usually have a strong affinity for those skills which are natural to you. Some of your skills are acquired, meaning you had to put more effort into developing them than you did your natural skills.
You may be able to perform both with equal ease, but the skills that are acquired will cost you more in terms of psychological, emotional and physical effort. The skills that are natural to you tend to bring with them fulfillment and joy, leading to a greater feeling of life success.
Take 10 minutes to reflect on the behaviors you perform every day.
o Which of these behaviors are skills?
o Which of these behaviors do you find easy, look forward to doing, or gain great satisfaction when you do them?
o Which do you find more challenging?
o Which do you find yourself putting off or postponing?
These are important keys to discovering your natural skills. Discovering and nurturing a new talent is an opportunity to find what you need to be successful in life and enjoy life more fully. When we are doing what we love, we are often performing at our best. This leads to a kind of fulfillment that allows us to live life passionately and happily.
About the Author
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He’s the co-founder of Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. www.vrft.com.
Article Contributed by Michele DeKinder-Smith
Launching a product is an important step in growing a business. If you’re already in the business of selling products, it’s an opportunity to expand into a new market. If your primary business is in services, offering a product is an opportunity to get beyond the “dollars for hours” trap and begin creating residual income. In either case, launching a product, or even a new service, takes time, forethought and a great deal of investment. And, while it’s exciting, it can be stressful, too.
A new study from Jane Out of the Box, an authority on women entrepreneurs, recently revealed there are five distinct types of women in business. Each of these five types has a unique approach to running a business—and as a consequence, each of them has a unique combination of characteristics and factors. This article profiles two important Jane “types” and the things they should keep in mind as they plan for (and launch) new products.
Jane Dough is an entrepreneur who enjoys running her business and makes good money. She is comfortable and determined in buying and selling, which may be why she’s five times more likely than the average female business owner to hit the million dollar mark. Jane Dough is clear in her priorities and may be intentionally and actively growing an asset-based or legacy business. It is estimated that 18% of women fall in the category of Jane Dough.
If you’re the Jane Dough type, chances are good you feel totally confident about this launch. You’re a big picture gal, and you probably believe this launch will benefit your business. But before you go ahead with it, here are some things to think about:
* Staying focused on the big picture means you may fail to truly analyze all the potential risks and benefits of your new product or service. Although you make good business decisions and are able to separate your business from your emotion, sometimes you move so fast you forget to consider all the angles.
* Have you adequately assessed your market? Do the parameters and features of price points associated with the product need to be tweaked? Are you reaching your target market with the right message? You’ve got plenty of business coming in and plenty of other plans in the works. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to yield to those caution signs. Slow down and analyze all the intricacies, colors and patterns that make up the big picture you love so much.
* What about the system around your launch? Have you taken the time to explain to your team what they need to do to make the launch a success? Having a system in place can prevent problems before they happen–and just thinking about that system can make you slow down enough to consider all the angles.
By taking the time to understand exactly how this new launch fits in—rather than staying focused on the big picture vision, and forging blindly ahead—you’ll be able to learn from possible mistakes before they happen.
Tenacity Jane is an entrepreneur with an undeniable passion for her business, and also one who tends to be struggling with cash flow. As a result, she’s working long hours, and making less money than she’d like. Nevertheless, Tenacity Jane is bound and determined to make her business a success. At 31% of women in business, Tenacity Janes are the largest single Jane type.
If you’re the Tenacity Jane type, you’re no stranger to challenge. But that doesn’t mean you should create another one for yourself. Before launching a new product or service, ask yourself some questions:
* Is adding a product or service a smart business decision, or is it just something you just really want to do? Tenacity Janes tend to love what they’re doing so much, and want it so badly, that emotions sometimes get in the way. The deep and abiding faith you have in your business and in yourself as an entrepreneur is what keeps you going–but it won’t launch a new product and keep it off the ground.
* Is the timing good for adding another output for your business? For Tenacity Jane, finances are an issue. If this product launch fails, will it put you out of business? Is this a risk you can afford to take right now, or should you put it off until your business more stable? A product launch can boost your business–but it also can suck your resources dry.
* Have you done enough research and planning? For some Tenacity Janes, their business results from a great concept but a poor plan. For others, they have a great idea but no clue how to run a business. Make sure all your ducks are in a row before you launch a product. What if your product takes off? Are you equipped to handle a huge increase in business? Remember, if things go well, you’re going to be swamped with more work. And if they don’t, you’re going to be out a lot of money. Either way, you need to be prepared.
* Are you looking at this possible product launch as just another challenge? Well, it’s not! Launching a new product is a big deal. Make sure you’re giving it enough thought, time and attention. We know you’re familiar with struggles, but launching a product has the potential to take up even more of your time, use up even more of your money and cause even more desperation. Make sure you’re ready!
Each Jane presented here–Jane Dough and Tenacity Jane–has several things to consider before launching a new product or service. Each entrepreneur must decide whether this is the right thing to do for her business–and for herself. Because in the end, isn’t that what this is all about? Asking herself the right questions and thinking about the right issues will allow every Jane, when the time comes, to move boldly forward in the future.
About the Author
Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com.
Facebook just added the @mentions feature, which allows you to include other Facebook users in your status updates. If you use Twitter, the @name symbology will look very familiar to you.
While I haven’t played around with it a whole lot yet, the feature lets you mention another Facebook user, list their name like @mary, and then opens up a drop down menu of all your friends named Mary, from which you can select the actual friend you were talking about.
There is an auto-suggestion feature to help you cull through your list if you know a lot of people named Mary. Once you mention someone using the @, they get a notification and it also show up in their Wall- it’s almost like posting to their Wall without having to go to their profile.
The new feature allows you to include individual users, as I’ve mentioned, but you can also include brand names (through their Facebook pages), events and groups. When you monitor your friend’s status updates, all the links are clickable, so you can see exactly who your friends are talking about and hanging out with.
These changes have a few key implications for marketers.
First, you will gain from fostering overlapping connections within your social networks. If you (like me) tend to update mostly on Twitter, you might want to start spending some time in Facebook too, and highlighting your connections there. This will help “place” you within a social context that will build your reputation and influence.
Second, you will need to be even more careful about what you share online, as there will be greater transparency about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with if you use the @mentions feature.
Third, you should get into Facebook and get your fan page and profile fully set up, so when people mention you and link to you, you’re putting your best profile forward.
And while you’re in there, please connect with me on Facebook!
Dr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog
Article Contributed by By Eric Gruber
The whole point to article marketing is to put your business on autopilot. You want to get your articles published on top websites, ezines and article directories that direct traffic to your website. You want to be able to capture prospect’s names and email addresses so you can promote to them over and over again without lifting a finger.
Now, the problem is most people have greatly increased their website traffic with articles, but they have NOTHING to show for it. No one is signing up for their newsletters. No one is buying anything. And, the prospects are lost forever.
It does NOT matter how much traffic you get from articles, if your website doesn’t convert.
Why Your Website Isn’t Converting
Most article marketers link to their homepage in the bio box. This home page has a small little newsletter sign up box in the corner that is so hard to find. There are times that you need a magnifying glass to find the newsletter opt-in box mixed up in all the clutter.
The page itself has so many links and calls-to-action that it confuses prospects that are at your site to receive a free newsletter, special report, ebook or whatever your offering is. Confused prospects become frustrated prospects who leave your site and are never to be found again. That’s why you need a focused squeeze page.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term squeeze page, it is a web page that is specifically designed to compel visitors to opt in to your list. A well-designed squeeze page can convert as many as half of the people who visit it, into opt-in email list subscribers.
How to Make Squeeze Pages Work for You
In order for the squeeze page to be able to do its work most effectively, there must be no other way for the visitor to get into your web site without opting in first to your opt in email list.
For example, check out:
http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com
http://www.RestrainingOrder911.com
Notice to get to any of the other pages in the website above, including the sales pages, you must have to opt in to an email list first.
Now, you may be thinking, but what about all the others that didn’t opt in to the list? What if they would have bought something from me?
Well, let me ask you this. If they don’t trust you enough to opt-in to your list, to give you their name and email address in exchange for a free gift, do you really think that that person is going to whip out their credit card and give you their credit card number? Of course not!
Proof That Squeeze Pages Work
Now, the current conversion rate on the Restraining Order 911 sales letter since putting up a squeeze page is 20%. Before he created a squeeze page and auto-responder system that would continually educate his list and promote his product, Ron Lasorsa’s conversion rate was around 1%. So with my help, Ron has created a 2000% increase in revenue by sending his article marketing, video marketing, social media marketing and pay-per-click advertising traffic to a squeeze page.
Don’t you think it’s time that you setup a squeeze page to send your article traffic to? If so, check out my free video on squeeze pages at: http://www.livewebsitereviews.com/youtube
About the Author
Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for Internet marketers, small business owners and entrepreneurs who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, he invites you to check out his squeeze page – and in return for your name and email address Eric will send you 3 of his favorite article writing templates. Claim your free instant article writing templates at http://www.trymyfreearticlewritingtemplates.com