Struggling to Get Found Online? Get the Answers You Are Missing

My guest blogger and teleseminar guest for Sept. 7th will be sharing just how important internet marketing is for the future of your business.  She’s made a lot of people wealthy doing what she’ll be sharing with us, so you’re not going to want to miss any of what she has to share below, and during the teleseminar.  Sue

If you’ve been struggling to get your business found online then you don’t want to miss the presentation. (Click here for information on this teleseminar!)

Angela Moore , president of Six Degrees SEO shares the secrets to getting in front of your customers when they are searching for you. If you are tired of wasting money on marketing and advertising methods that don’t work anymore, find out what works now to draw your prospects to you and bring your business more business.

Gone are the days of the print directories and using expensive ads that you can’t track. When was the last time you used the yellow pages for anything other than a booster chair or doorstop? TV ads are so expensive, most small business owners can’t afford them and you have no guarantee that you will be seen by your prospects.  Radio ads are about the same, how do you know you are reaching your customers, how do you track your ROI? To top it all off, you pay for these ads for a short period of time and then they are gone.

Internet marketing has a much longer shelf life. Find out how you can take your current marketing budget and double or triple your efforts, track you ROI, and have longer staying power. The longer you wait to start your Internet marketing the more catch up you will have to do. Can you imagine where you would be now had you implemented an Internet Marketing strategy a few years ago. Don’t make the mistake in thinking that the time has passed. Only 26% of small businesses are really marketing on the Internet so you have a huge opportunity to claim your place on the Internet and get found. Remember the longer the delay the longer it will take to get found as you will end up with more and more competition. Join our presentation to see what you can do today to get started.  (Click here for information on the teleseminar, and to sign-up.)

Over 20 Values an Executive Coach Provides

The Key Benefits of Enlisting a Business Coach 

The other day I was meeting with a woman who asked me, “Sue I know what a Life Coach does, but I don’t know the purpose of an Executive/Business Coach?”  Well, it’s not counseling, and it’s not consulting, although I shift into this mode frequently.  The best way I can describe it is for you to think of a coach of an Olympic Athlete.  Now, that elicits exactly what we do, but for a business leader.  We are your greatest supporter, your cheerleader, and a bit of a velvet brick.  Our purpose is to ensure you become successful:

• To challenge, develop, and assist you in improving your leadership skills.
• Uncover and develop your unique leadership style.
• Provide essential feedback regarding gaps in your skills and abilities. Discovering feedback in a safe, private environment.
• Reveal so you can abort any self-sabotaging ways which would jeopardize your leadership and your job.
• Expedite the improvement of your time management and organizational skills.
• Help you to develop greater abilities in making appropriate, time bound decisions.
• Establish concrete goals for change and progress.
• Someone to hold you ACCOUNTABLE to do the things you know you need to do, to become the leader you aspire to be.
• A uniquely rich development opportunity to truly discover all you were meant to be.
• Have a non-partisan, non judgmental, objective third party who is an impartial sounding board.
• Assistance to execute key business initiatives.
• Help in balancing work and life priorities.
• Cultivate exceptional ability to influence those you lead.
• Development of your unique personal mission, vision, and values.
• Reduce turnover while building loyalty and retention.
• Successfully navigate the white waters of conflict.
• Enhance and fine-tune your decision making skills, learning to appropriately evaluate business risks, while navigating any politically entrenched environment.
• Inspire peak performance in employees by employing fresh leadership insights.

Contact Sue right now, with the e-mail below, to set up a complimentary Discovery Session to explore if Executive Coaching is right for you right now.  Sue will be doing the same, discerning if you’re a good fit, as a client, for her.  If all is compatible, we then co-create a plan that works specifically for you, and your specific needs. Contact Sue at AccidentalLeader@comcast.net for more information, and to set up our Discovery Session.

Stop Being Frustrated with What You’ve Not Achieved!

Five Ways to Get back into, or Stay in SDM, Success Driven Mode

Having lived with chronic physical issues, I live in the world of being frustrated with how little I’ve accomplished each day.  Even today, here I am sitting at the computer with my adorable co-dependent kitty draped over my shoulder wishing I had gotten more done.   We live in the desert where we have the most wonderful monsoon weather, which simultaneously creates a monsoon in my back.  (A monsoon is very stormy, violent weather)  Yesterday, I began the day filled with visions of all I wanted to achieve, yet as the day progressed, so did my challenges.  Now, you may not have a physical challenge, maybe you still have children at home, while attempting to work, or parents you’re taking care of, been there done that too!  Or, you may have some other issue hindering your output.  This said, I am truly a blessed business woman, and I’m sure you are as well, if you look hard enough to find those things to be thankful for.   So, how do I keep directionally moving forward toward my dream, when my body goes south?  Here are five ways to quit being frustrated, and coach and manage yourself to keep moving forward to be the leader you were meant to be! This is how to make a demand on yourself to stay in SDM -  Success Driven Mode:

YOUR COACHING MOMENT with Sue, The “Accidental Leader“:

1. Set your goals for the day the night before. Then be sure you’ve gone back and chosen the 20% that will give you the 80% ROI for your time and effort. PUT THESE ITEMS ON YOUR LIST TO DO FIRST.
2. Be sure to start your day off spiritually.  I spend time with the Lord in prayer and meditation on His Word.  The more I need to get done, the more I know I need this focus and centering in my life, and in my business.
3. Stick to your goals for the day – relentlessly!  Only substitute if it is the kind of emergency only you can do, that can’t be done by someone else, some other time.   Delegate otherwise, or delete altogether!
4. Be grateful at the end of the day for the small things you’ve accomplished.  Write them down.  I guarantee this will chase the grumpies away.  And while you’re at it, don’t compare yourself to the high performers, instead look at someone worse off than yourself, then take the time to be thankful that you have the strength, skills, and especially physical ability to do your dream job in this country.
5. Lastly, DON’T QUIT!  Just don’t quit.  Some day all this effort will amalgamate into something stellar, but you can’t quit.  Remember, quitters never win and winners never quit.

How You Can Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary?

You Can Create Your Dream!

You can take your business from ordinary to extraordinary by living an extraordinary life! It all begins with you, and the decisions you make. It starts with one small decision built upon another, and by managing your options. What you do today will reap a reward tomorrow. Make the right things habitual, and watch your life evolve exponentially. So how do you begin? Extraordinary business owners start their day doing those things which are:

• Necessary not necessarily interesting

• Difficult but obligatory, like eating the worst tasting vegetables

• Exasperating but essential – Just do it!

Do this and you’re called “RESPONSIBLE” a “LEADER”. Responsibility, as well as leadership, means you’ve learned the buck stops with you. Even if you have a new, fun or exciting opportunity emerge during the day, it’s no excuse for not doing “First things first!” as Steven Covey would say! In fact, another quality of an extraordinary business owner is that you don’t make excuses, it’s not a part of your vocabulary, or your life. As well, you create processes and systems for anything you possibly can.  Then, if things aren’t working, you can be assured you’re not working your systems. You may not be providing the leadership needed to make a demand on yourself. That’s right, you have to lead yourself! To be extraordinary, you must follow-through and take initiative to do the 20% of items that will bring you 80% return financially.  Once you do, your confidence will soar, your belief level will climb, and success will be imminent.

YOUR COACHING MOMENT:

Let me ask you:

• What’s stopping you?

• Where can you up your game, put business systems in place?

• What do you need to clamp down on – in your day, with your time?

• Are you making a list every night – to be sure you’re doing the 20% items that bring you the 80% return?

• Are you managing your time, or is the tyranny of the urgent dictating your day?

• What can you turn into a system for greater effectiveness?

I heard a saying that has stuck with me to this day:

If it’s going to be, it’s up to me! – Now, once you’ve been that responsible leader, business owner, be sure to have FUN! You only have one life, so enjoy the journey, not just the dream. It’s why you’re paying the high price of your time in the first place!

What are you doing that is taking you on the path to having an EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS? I’d love to hear, and showcase your story.

A Doodad, Or A Feeling? What Sells Your Product Or Service? pt.2

Would You Like to Have Clients/Prospects be Drawn to You With Magnetic, Or Pull Marketing?

Yesterday we went over, in detail, the difference between trying to sell prospects on your product/service by telling them about your value and benefits as opposed to giving them lists of the features.  It takes a little more time to think and prepare what you say, but like any skill, the more you change your mind-set and give the benefits and values, the more clients/customers will be automatically drawn to you!

Features for a service such as Executive Coaching, the features I provide are:

• Certified Executive Coach, and Certified Mastermind Executive Coach along with CPLP certification (interesting yet?  Of course not!)
• 32 years experience including coaching the top 3 executives of a billion dollar public works engineering project for three years (maybe)
• Coaching can be done virtually

Here’s the translation from the above into VALUES and BENEFITS:

• Have the peace of mind and confidence that you’re dealing with an experienced professional who has dealt with every kind of situation imaginable. Sue will provide you with options to get you unstuck, and skills to assist you in reaching your full potential while helping you leap-frog to top levels of your industry.
• Establish and reach your goals in a third to half the amount of time it would take you to do it on your own, because you have accountability to fulfill the  plans that you have develop and agree to.  You’re at the helm.
• Envision sitting in your pj’s or your most comfortable attire, at your favorite spot, during the best time of day for you, while receiving encouragement, and assistance by your own personal trusted mentor, who genuinely cares about you and your success.  I’ll partner with you each step of the way, assisting you in reaching your personal mission and why you were put here in this life, at this time in history!  I’ll help you work on leaving YOUR individual MARK in this world!

People want to know, and will buy according to what products and services can do for them, NOT because of the features they have. It makes all the difference in marketing plan and its effectiveness as to whether you’re selling FEATURES as opposed to offering the VALUES and BENEFITS.
EXAMPLE:  Charles Revson (not a typo), then CEO of Revlon Company, was once asked to describe what his company sold.  Listen carefully to what he said, and then compare it to the above information.  He said, “In the factory we make cosmetics, but in the stores we sell hope.” He didn’t sell them on the products, but what the products will ultimately bring them, and who doesn’t want HOPE!

So, next time you’re asked what you do, don’t give them the features and attributes. Wow them with the benefits and value you bring to the table.  You don’t have to sell, just share the “right” information and watch them buy.  People don’t like to be sold, but they do like to buy! Let them see in their minds-eye how you can help them fulfill their hopes and dreams, and they’re yours, your customer/client.

Your Intentional Coaching Moment:

1.    Make a list of all the features of your products and services.
2.    Next, using the questions above, translate these features into benefits and values.
3.    Now go share this information with three people and ask for their feedback!

A Doodad, Or A Feeling? Knowing what Sells Your Product Or Service? pt.1

People Hate To Be Sold, But Love To Buy.  Word It Well, And You Will Draw Them To You With Magnetic, Or Pull Marketing!

When introducing yourself or your products and services, are you talking about all the features,  the bright and shiny aspects?  Or, are you doing what is called “magnetic“, or “pull” marketing, which draws them to you by asking questions that provide the mental image of the values and benefits of your service or product?  Will you intrigue them by highlighting the advantages or take-aways they will receive?  Or, are you droning on about all the little doodads they, quite honestly, could care less about?

When you’re writing about your products and/or services on your website, in a brochure, or on your business cards, ask yourself these questions:

1.    What do they want to know?
2.    What benefit will this bring them?
3.    Why would they want to use this/me?
4.    How will my product/service make them feel?

And then by all means, make absolutely sure you are:

• filling a gap
• meeting a need
• fulfilling their dream
• making them feel good when they use the product or service!

Ah, now we’re talking!  This is what they really want to know.  What they don’t want is to hear you drone on about the features. What are features?  Features tell or describe the details of your product, and what you do: “b o r i n g“.  You’ve got to spice it up.

For instance, if you’re selling ceiling fans, the features would include:

1. Five blades with light dimmers
2. In three colors
3. Four customizable lights which you can switch to whatever style you like
4. Three speeds, in any color you like

Now, at some point they will need the feature information, but this isn’t what will compel them to buy. Giving them the VALUE, will compel them to buy.  For example, some of the fan’s values are:

• Would you like to walk into your room and have it be five degrees cooler in the heat of summer, while keeping it warmer during the winter?
• Imagine capturing the ambiance of your room, as you sit by your fire, dimming the lights while you enjoy a glass of wine, or a cup of hot chocolate?

More in pt. 2 to help you write about the benefit and value of your products and/or services.  All of this is to assist you in being seen as a forerunner in your industry.  I know, you didn’t become a leader or business owner to have to worry about marketing.  But unless you hire this aspect out, you’ll have to spend a good 50% of your time marketing and promoting, or you won’t have clients!  Write this information in strategic places well, and you’ll expedite the process, and be able to spend more time doing what you got into business to do in the first place!

Can You Take Correction, or Are You in Love, Infatuated With Your Own Ideas About Your Product You’re Marketing?

Are You Skipping Marketing Steps, Thinking You’re Moving Forward When Actually You’re Shooting Yourself in the Foot?

I’m currently in a program that asks, “Where are you in your marketing cycle?” It shows the marketing funnel where you begin contact with a potential client/customer, moving them through the know, like, and trust factors, along with developing 7 to 10 contacts with them, until they, your prospect, finally make a purchase. Yet, before you can even begin to bring them into your funnel (with some kind of free offer to entice them) you have to know your target market! Once this is done, then you can draw them to you, sprinkling them with your valuable knowledge, heart, and a clear focus via a newsletter and/or blog. If you skip the step of understanding your target market, it will be like you’re taking a shot gun approach: You’re just pulling your marketing trigger and hoping someone you “hit” will then connect with you. NO, you need a magnet, something to pull them into your world, while utilizing the correct tools to connect and enrich your niche, your tribe, those that relate to you, so that they can receive from you. Once this is in place, you can then create products relevant to your target market, products that when these potential prospects read your promo, will allow them to feel your presence and special unique way of supporting and helping them. So, with this knowledge, I’m watching people in this product creation group be “stuck”. They’re stuck on the dream they had before they started the program, and can’t hear what the leaders are saying about changes they see are needed. Even though the two leaders provide the material and teleseminar to assist them, I still see some who are in love, no infatuated with their own ideas, and aren’t following the plan. So let me ask you, do you get stuck on your own ideas, your brilliant plans? Are people around you challenging you to re-think what or how you’re doing things? Listen and learn, and you’ll be able to tweak what and how you’re doing things, so they’ll work appropriately and be profitable for you. In fact, the people in this product creation group I’m in, who are receiving the correction and redirection, are the ones who will succeed, maybe even win the prize. The key is to listen to your target market, and those who have gone before you successfully. Check the validity of your ideas with a survey. Call your friends who are in your target market, and ask the right questions. Get the necessary information. Find out what your marketing tribe wants, needs, and will pay for, once you build the rapport. Then, never give up. I’ve had people on my list for years before they finally purchased something. It’s also about the right timing. Just make sure you’re the one who has your name in front of them when they are ready to buy, and you’ll get the business.

This is only a small aspect about your marketing funnel. There is so much more.  Stay tuned in the future and we’ll dive deeper!

Are You a Business Owner or Leader with Struggles, Challenges, or Hardships?

March is Dedicated to “Over-comers!” Those Who Won’t Be Held Down!  (It’s Been 35 Years Since My Head On Car Accident) If I Can Do the Things That I Do, Then I’m Here to Say, You Can Reach Your Goals and Not Be Held Back Either!

I don’t know a business owner that doesn’t have their fair share of difficulties, whether it’s keeping good employees, paying the bills, or finding and keeping faithful, hardworking leadership, or struggles at home. And yet, there are some challenges that over the years escalate into mountains you either have to bore a tunnel through, or you need to be massively equipped to go over. The difference between those that “make it” and those that allow their mountains of challenge to over-take them is what I call “Emotional Fortitude”. Emotional fortitude is the ability to handle anything emotionally, good or bad, and not let it uncap an explosion of emotions, and/or high blood pressure. Everyone also has a “Set Back Factor”, your “SBF”. This is the point in any challenge where you start to allow the challenges to dictate your day, good or bad. If your “SBF” is low, everything that happens to you, creates you. If your “SBF” is high, then no matter what happens you stay in control of your emotions, not allowing them to dictate your feelings or your emotions. You dictate them instead, by a strategic plan. This plan may now need re-engineering, but you still stick to the plan. Now, if you have a low “Emotional Fortitude”, then everything that happens to you and/or your business elicits strong emotions which you therefore react. Instead, the goal is that you learn to dictate and stay in control of your emotions, and feelings. And because your faith vision is not dictated by these unruly characters, emotions and feelings, you can ride the tide of events without flipping out over them. However, when you have a low “Emotional Fortitude”, you become a victim of your circumstances. However, if during your trials, struggles and challenges you keep a positive attitude/faith, not allowing yourself to go on a roller coaster of emotions, then you are now living by your “faith index”. And this is the goal: to be a healthy, well adjusted, positive adult business owner or leader who can bend and sway with the currents of trials that appear as tornados but are reduced by your healthy perspective and emotions, into a little bitty wind that everyone learns to live with. Someone with a high “faith index”, has learned to turn their “problems” into opportunities, and turn their challenging opportunities into personal and professional growth. These are the people that do things differently. They’ve learned they can rearrange, change, or engineer their circumstances in a way that works for them, even if at first it doesn’t appear to look like this. They have learned, through experience, that they can amalgamate anything into something that works for them, given enough time, and the right attitude and perspective. If your Emotional Fortitude is low, this means that when things go awry, so does the way you treat people, your employees and your family. If your “Setback Factor” is low then everything that happens to you either holds you captive or sets you back from forward progress. You can tell if you’re working with someone with a high “Emotional Fortitude” . . . and a high “Setback Factor” they exude confidence, confidence in themselves, their business, and their employees. They are someone you like being around because they are always positive, don’t whine, and give you the feeling you can make it as well. And, you can learn to be this kind of leader, or business owner. We will continue this topic on the next article.

Business Leaders, Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For Better Exposure!

Great, Short Tip For Better Optimization!

Just did this tip myself! LinkedIn is by far one of the foremost social media marketing sites for professionals.  Not only does every fortune 500 company have an executive participating, but the average income of users is $100,000.  It is “THE” social media business site to use!  More to come.

Today’s Small Business Leaders Ask, Newsletter or Blog?

But What’s the Difference between a Newsletter and Blog?

MULTIPLE VEHICLES, SIMILAR PURPOSES:

Which do you do, blog or send a newsletters? Which one is best? My answer: YES. Some of your tribe read newsletters, others blogs. Better yet, some read both, and the choices are a cornucopia so diverse it rivals the unique drinks specifically created and optimized by the customers of Starbucks. Just listen to mine: Grande l/2 caf vanilla latte with 2 pumps sugar free, 2 pumps regular half whole mile half 2% no foam latte. Got that? Yes I’m a spoiled barista mom, and I love it. Denise Wakeman says it’s 50/50.

According to Wikipedia: “Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.^[2]”

Knowing “what to blog” takes knowing your tribe. This is your specific niche -target market. They are those who relate to you, your leadership, and what you have to offer, and this subject is for a different post! Only be sure to not skip this part of the process.

Blogs are archived into categories where as in a library, clients and prospects are given the opportunity search and find specific topics and subjects of interest. This tool, your blog, allows you to collect statistics on what your tribe gravitates to, giving you the edge as to what more to offer them. Adding value is why they read. In a blog you can provide a synopsis of important to do’s or 10 best . . . 15 most useful . . whatever you write, video, or podcast, it’s called a post. It can be a pertinent industry trend, a snippet of information currently in the news, and statistics of interest. It is estimated that people read blogs more than newspapers. Other common content is information taken from trade publications, links to other blogs where a post is worth highlighting and linking your information to. It can even be a way to point to a free downloadable white paper, or give you a quick observation regarding a specific industry trend. Getting the idea?  The best way to get to know blogs is to first subscribe to ones of interest, and being just reading them.  Once you’re comfortable with this, begin responding, adding your two cents.  This is a great way to become familiar with this mode of delivery.  After a while, it will be second nature.  To learn more, check  out Denise Wakeman .

NEWSLETTERS or EZINES:

In an online newsletter, referred by some as an ezine, you can send it in html form allowing it to be colorful and fully branded, eye catching throughout. The other version filling our inbox, is simple broadcasts packed with pertinent information promoting all kinds of offerings from teleseminars to products, but without the fluff and stuff. Newsletters tend, for small businesses, to add the personal touch – where the sender gives “hooks” bits of personal information to build their “know, like and trust”, through personalization, talking about their family, pictures etc. Broadcasts on the other hand are sent to promote products, share invitations and events, give updates and promotions relevant to their business and your life. Since these are permission based emails that you must join, it can make people feel as though they are part of something, a sense of belonging to some group!

LINKING THESE VEHICLES:

You might take a few paragraphs from your newsletter and invite them to read more by clicking away to the full-length article you’ve written in the current post of your blog. (This way they are linked and work together.)

OVERLAPPING OBJECTIVES:

Both the newsletter, ezine and the blog create the:

• “know, like, and trust” factor with your customers and niche.
• They both help build your brand through creating a place to establish your credibility and expertise.
  
• Give you credibility, if done right with your tribe, those people who follow you by:
  
• Subscribing to receive your pertinent information.
• Hopefully will turn fans into raving customers.
• Both need a way for: “email bait” to get you on their customer list.  This is THE most important tool in your business arsenal!

Now here’s an interesting fact, you can choose how you want to receive the delivery of either:

• Reader on a feed, in an email, AND NOW on their iphone

In this information age where marketing is as much about giving away valuable content as it is about selling your products, some are still learning what the balance of this equation is. The new vehicle of information has married both.

Ultimately, You Have Multiple Tools with Unique Vehicles to Give Your Tribe:

• What they want
• How they want it
• Delivered in their preferred manner
• In ways they can participate and interact
• Providing them with fun, interesting, applicable ways to MEET THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS!

All of this to meet their interests, inclinations, learning styles, preferences and needs. Build together, with a strategically thought out plan to turn prospects into clients and clients into raving fans.

Now, if I haven’t confused you more, if the only thing you take away is BUILD YOUR TRIBE, your list, and get connected with them, however you do this, just DO IT.  Build your list, your tribe, your niche who connect with you, and want to receive from you.  Cheers!

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