Tag: small business marketing strategy

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Sales & Marketing

Which Event is Right For You? 3 Questions to Help You Choose the Perfect Event

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.

 

If that’s you then never fear, help is here. As someone who has attended probably a gazillion events (the good, the bad and the ugly) I have a few thoughts on this whole event-attending business. Below are 3 questions to ask yourself when an event invitation crosses your path:

 

1. Is the event promise something you feel like you need to learn? First and foremost events are about training, so taking a look at what you’re going to walk away with is an excellent place to start. In addition to reviewing the event promise (or transformation you’ll receive by attending) also check out the event host. Is this someone you want to learn from? Not only from a credibility standpoint but are you going to enjoy watching them on a stage for big chunks of time?

 

If the answer is “yes” then it probably would be worth your while to carve out the time in your schedule to attend (especially if there’s not another way to get your hands on the information). If the answer is “no,” that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t attend, but you should definitely keep reading.

 

2. Will the networking be worth it? Will your ideal clients be in attendance and/or possible joint venture partners? Events are also about meeting people live and in person. If your peeps will be at the event then you also probably want to be there. If they aren’t going to be there, well, then you may want to think twice about attending, unless…

 

3. Is it time to infuse your business with new ideas? Are you feeling old and stale sitting by yourself in your home or office? Events are fabulous at helping you shake the cobwebs out of your current thoughts and behaviors and have you see things in a new light. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed in your business, attending an event can be just the ticket to helping you get a fresh new perspective (which ultimately can lead to you getting unstuck and un-overwhelmed).

 

And I know I promised 3 questions but here’s one more bonus question:

 

4. Has it been awhile since you attended an event? I do think there are a ton of benefits to getting yourself away from your daily to-do list and into the energy of possibilities that events hold, and if it’s been awhile since you attended an event, then it’s probably time.

 

Now for scoring — unless you had all yeses or all no’s, there’s no real right or wrong answer. If there was only one yes but it was a really strong and important yes, that may be enough for you. But on the flip side, you still might decline to attend an event even with all but one yes (if the one no was strong enough you just felt like you couldn’t stomach going).

 

Mostly what I wanted to do is to help you think about all the reasons why it’s important to attend events, and then to decide if this particular event is the right one for you.

 

 

Categories
Sales & Marketing

3 Reasons Why EVERY Entrepreneur Should Learn a Few Coaching Skills

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.

Why? Well, there are as many reasons as entrepreneurs out there but a good chunk of the time it has to do with some sort of block.

So how do I respond? As much as I can, I try and step in and work them through whatever has got them stuck (although I really am not a coach). Which means having a few coaching skills in my back pocket has proven to be amazingly helpful.

This is why I firmly believe all entrepreneurs could use a little training in the coaching skills department, even if they never call themselves a coach or sell coaching services or packages.

Here are 3 reasons why every entrepreneur could benefit from some coaching skills:

1. You’re more likely to have your clients actually use (and get results from) your products, programs or services. Even if you offer a pure done-for-you service, if your clients aren’t ready to embrace the next level of their business, they won’t get the results you know you can deliver.

Have you ever watched those reality television shows like “Restaurant Impossible” or “Hotel Impossible?” The host walks into a failing restaurant or hotel and along with giving them some practical, basic business advice, they also end up doing a heck of a lot of coaching around whatever it is that got the business owner to this place of near bankruptcy. And because the hosts do that coaching (along with it making good television because who doesn’t like to watch people crying and hugging on camera) the business owners are much more likely to follow through with their changes when they aren’t there.

That’s why coaching skills can be invaluable.

2. You reduce your refunds/unhappiness rate. Again, because your clients actually implement your suggestions/consulting/done-for-you services, they’re more likely to see results, which makes them happier and better clients.

You’re also more likely to end up with some killer testimonials from them not to mention lots of good word of mouth advertising.

3. You’re more likely to actually make a difference in the world. Look, if part of why you’re passionate about your business is because you want to get your message out there and see some change, that’s only going to happen if your clients actually implement what you’re teaching or offering. There’s no better to way to increase the odds of that happening then to be able to coach them when things come up.

Remember, your clients hired you or invested in your products because they had a problem they wanted solved. And the best thing you can do for them is to help make sure they actually get their money’s worth. And that’s where coaching skills can be worth their weight in gold.

Categories
Business Ideas

Results! Is Your Business Built on a Solid Foundation or Are You on Shaky Ground? 3 Ways to Tell

January 2005 was a turning point in my business. It was the month I incorporated my business.

Before then, I had operated as a sole proprietor. I started my business in 1998 as a freelance copywriter.

However, in 2003 I started getting that restless feeling. I knew I was destined for bigger and better things. I started researching how to take my freelance copywriting business to the next level. And part of that research included me looking into how my business was structured.

Even though my local CPA thought it was a waste of time and money for me to incorporate, the rest of my research told me otherwise, so I went ahead with it.

That was the year I finally broke 6 figures. Once I did that I never looked back.

Now, I’m not going to say that was the sole reason why I broke 6 figures nor am I going to claim all you need to do is incorporate and it will happen to you. But what I WILL tell you is when I incorporated, it caused a huge mental shift around how I viewed my business. Suddenly I was a serious business owner, not just a freelancer. And as such I started making decisions from a different place, a place that would ultimately cause my income to significantly jump.

(Also, there is a school of thought that your business will only grow as far as your foundation will take it. In other words, if your business only has the legal, financial, tax and insurance structure for a $50,000 year business, that’s all you’ll end up with. If your business can handle 7-figures and beyond, that’s what you’ll end up with.)

So what about you? If you’re anything like me, you started your business because you were “good” at something and/or you had a big message or dream to change the world. You didn’t start a business because you were in love with owning your own business. You may have been drawn to certain aspects of owning your own business, like being your own boss, calling the shots, working when and where you wanted, etc. But you weren’t driven by the “business” part of it.

The problem with that is it only takes you so far. You may be making money but you probably aren’t doing it very smartly. You don’t know how to plan or map out your finances so you tend to live in a very stressed out money place. You may be paying WAY too much in taxes with how you’re structured (I certainly was). And you may not have protected yourself or your business adequately so there’s always the chance you could lose everything you worked so hard for.

So what do you do? Well, it’s time to take a good hard look at your business and make a decision once and for all how serious you want to be about it. Here are 3 questions to get you started:

1. What are your goals for your business? Both long- and short-term?

2. Is your business currently set up to support your goals? And when I mean set up, I mean more than just your business structure. What about insurance, finances, taxes? Also are you taken care of legally (i.e. you have contracts where you need them)?

3. If the answer is no or you’re not sure, then take a deep breath and see this as an opportunity. Look, unless you ARE a lawyer or CPA, you probably find this as enjoyable as marketing your business. (Hey, I get it. Not everyone is a marketing geek like me.) But you have a chance here to put a solid foundation under your business so it can be supported as you build it.

Take this opportunity to do your own research on what you need. Interview business advisors to see if the ones you’re currently relying on are still the right ones for you or if you need new ones. Put together a plan and then execute that plan. You may be pleasantly surprised on how your business responds.

Categories
Sales & Marketing

3 Ways To Get Your Inner Critic Off Your Biz’s Board of Directors

So you know about your Inner Critic and you think he or she is residing on your biz’s board of directors, which is impacting your business.

 

So the REAL question is how do you do you get him or her OFF your board of directors?

 

Well, here are 3 keys to get you started:

 

1. Turn the voice down of your Inner Mean Girl or Bully. Sounds easier said than done, eh? Well, the way to get started is to identify their voice (which is NOT your voice) so you can stop listening to them.

 

At first you’ll probably find the voice getting louder, but that’s okay. It means you’re on the right track. Eventually you’ll be able to start turning the volume down.

 

2. Give your Inner Mean Girl or Bully another job. Although it usually doesn’t feel like it, your Inner Mean Girl or Bully came into existence to protect you. Yes it’s a misguided protection and yes at this point she or he is hurting you more than helping you, but nonetheless his or her original job was to help.

 

So now that the job has got completely twisted up, it’s time to give her or him a new job. A job that really WILL help and not hurt.

 

For instance, does your Inner Mean Girl like to compare you to others? Well maybe her new job should be as a talent scout — to find other talented people to hire or partner up with — rather than compare you to them.

 

See how this can work?

 

3. Start listening to your intuition or Inner Wisdom. Probably the biggest problem with your Inner Mean Girl or Bully is their voice is so darn loud it drowns out the voice of your intuition. How can you possibly figure out what your next step is supposed to be in your business if your Inner Wisdom is engaged in a shouting match with your Inner Mean Girl? (And unfortunately Inner Wisdom really isn’t all that talented at shouting — unlike your Inner Mean Girl who excels at throwing fits.)

 

So how can you hear your Inner Wisdom? A good place to start is to get quiet. Inner Wisdom can’t hear herself or himself think when there’s all this noise around. (Hence why your Inner Mean Girl or Bully have gotten so darn good at being noisy.) Give yourself room to just sit and breathe and keep telling your Inner Mean Girl or Bully to hush. Eventually you’ll start to “hear” your Inner Wisdom.

 

(And you’ll know it’s your Inner Wisdom because your Inner Wisdom will NEVER lie to you, where your Inner Mean Girl or Bully often lie and are in fact very good liars.)

 

Now this might not be easy at first but don’t give up. The more you do it the easier it will be. And wouldn’t it be wonderful to stop having that darn Inner Mean Girl or Bully yapping in your ear and instead be able to truly follow your Inner Wisdom?

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Is Your Inner Critic on Your Biz’s Board of Directors? 3 Ways to Tell

You know that voice. The one that berates you and criticizes you.

 

“So-and-so has a successful business, what’s wrong with you?”

 

“Your mother (or spouse or friend) was right — you’re not cut out to have a business.”

 

“You only have 6 months left of 2012 and you STILL haven’t accomplished anything on your to-do list.”

 

And on and on. You get the picture.

 

This voice is your Inner Mean Girl or Inner Mean Bully, which I prefer to call Inner Critic (mostly because Inner Critic sounds way too nice for that nasty voice).

 

Now, while your Inner Mean Girl/Bully can show up in all sorts of instances (i.e. in your love life, as a parent) this is about when she/he decides to put herself on your business’s board of directors.

 

We all have one — a board of directors residing in your head. This is the place where you make business decisions such as:

 

* Should I invest in the program or not?

* Should I hire this person or not? (Or should I hire someone period?)

* Is this an opportunity I should take advantage of or not?

* Is this someone I should partner with or not?

* Should I create this product or not?

* Should I complete this marketing task today or not? (Or should I write my ezine or not?)

 

You see where I’m going. Pretty much any decision you make with your business traces back to your business’s board of directors.

 

Now the problem comes in when your Inner Mean Girl/Bully is sitting on the board (or worse, president of the board). Because if this is the case, you’re making decisions from a place of weakness instead of strength. Consider:

 

* You don’t hire someone because you’re afraid you won’t be able to pay for it, even though you’ve reached a point you can’t grow without putting a team in place.

 

* OR you spend WAY too much (on a program or multiple programs, on a big team, etc.) and your business can’t support that yet.

 

* You find yourself choosing partners or opportunities that turn into disasters.

 

* You procrastinate when it comes to completing marketing tasks even though you know it would help stabilize your cash flow.

 

* You always have “one more edit” or “one more thing” to do with your product or book (which means you never actually start selling it.)

 

* You can never relax — you’re constantly “doing” yet you’re still not moving forward in your business the way you think you ought to be.

 

* And so on.

 

To top it off, (as if making poor decisions wasn’t punishment enough) your Inner Mean Girl/Bully will beat you up when things go wrong.

 

There’s just no way to win.

 

So how can you tell if your Inner Mean Girl/Bully is in charge or not? Here are 3 signs:

 

1. How are you feeling? Do you find yourself suffering from burnout, exhaustion, overwhelm? You probably have an Inner Mean Girl/Bully problem.

 

2. Do you find yourself procrastinating or maybe you’re unfocused? Or maybe you have writer’s block or are creativity stuck? This is another Inner Mean Girl/Bully sign.

 

3. Do you have a history of making bad business decisions? Again, tell-tale sign of an Inner Mean Girl/Bully on your board of directors.

 

These are just the tip of the iceberg but I think the key is this: if you are unhappy with any part of your business, then it’s worth it to see if there is an Inner Mean Girl/Bully lurking about and sabotaging you.