Are You Taking Advantage of Your eStatus?
Are You Taking Advantage of Your eStatus?
By Jane Atkinson
Are you taking advantage of your eStatus?
My friend Tina, a fellow entrepreneur, had a rough week. She had not received a large contract that she was counting on. Her business is new and she has been working her butt off for months.
After her disappointing call, she decided to take the next day off and during her day of pampering and yoga she had an epiphany. She realized that she had been so focused on the business, that she was forgetting to enjoy the fact that she was an entrepreneur living her dream. No more 9 to 5, no more 30 minute commute, no more crazy boss, no more wearing pantyhose.
Tina was taking her eStatus (entrepreneur status) for granted.
Have you ever lost yourself in your business and forgotten to smell the roses of being self
employed??
Sure, there are some headaches and responsibilities that come along with your own business BUT the payoffs are most gratifying.
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How To Make Marketing Simple
How To Make Marketing Simple
By Biana Babinsky
Quite a few clients have told me that marketing is difficult for them. It is difficult to get started with marketing; it is difficult to figure out how to market, and it is difficult to understand how to market effectively. Even if you are already using marketing techniques to promote your business, there is no guarantee that your marketing efforts will bring the results you are looking for.
I have put together a simple plan for you to take charge of your marketing and to simplify at least some of the process. Here are five marketing steps:
- Define What Needs To Be Done. What are you marketing? Is it a product or a service? What are the results you are looking for? Would you like to generate more sales, more leads, more partners? Which online marketing techniques are you planning to use? Search engine optimization, article marketing, newsletter publishing? The better you define these points, the easier it will be for you to put your marketing plan into motion.
Success Is a Choice ©
Success Is a Choice ©
by Deborah Cole Micek
“You’re as successful as you want to be.”
Just try and throw this statement out at your next networking function or family gathering and watch the sparks fly. Emotions may flare up, yet it will not discount the validity of this statement.
To prove this point and show you how we may limit ourselves by the choices we make, thereby giving you the freedom to make the choice to succeed in your business and life, I’ll give you three, very simple examples.
- The Three-Letter Word That Can Cost You Millions
One of the ways my clients “go out of bounds” in their coaching calls with me is when they use the word “but.” Consistently using this three-letter word will cost you relationships, sales, and moneymaking growth opportunities.
The word “but” shuts down communication, turns off your creativity, and turns you into a victim.
Ask yourself honestly if you’ve ever been guilty of saying or thinking any of the following limiting beliefs:
But that won’t work.
But I’ve always done it this way.
But I’ve tried everything.
But I don’t have a college education.
But I don’t want to do that.Repeating any one of these statements will limit your future success. Stopping the use of this dirty, three-letter word is under your control.
Networking, Connecting, Building Rapport
Networking, Connecting, Building Rapport
By Karen Susman
Being a networking nut, I’m always looking for new ways to make
Remarkable Associations! Recently, I read a book called How To Connect
in Business in 90 Seconds or Less by Nicholas Boothman. Some of
Boothman’s ideas that may benefit you are:
1. Realize your job in making connections is to reduce the fight or
flight response in the other person. When you meet someone new, be
open, positive, approachable, non-confrontational and aware of the
other person’s reaction to you.
2. Use metaphors to describe what you do. For instance, if you sell
insurance, you might say using insurance is like planting a garden.
Then explain what you mean. Using a metaphor gives your networking
partner a picture of what you do.
3. Offer a reason why you want something. For instance, if you’d like
an appointment with someone, instead of saying, “I’d like to meet with
Ms. Jones on Thursday,” say, “I’d like to meet with Ms. Jones on
Thursday because my services might be able to save her a lot of
money.” Studies showed this worked when people butted in line. If they
used “because,” there was increased compliance.
4. Use positive language instead of planting negative thoughts. If
someone asks you to do something, don’t say “No problem.” Say, “It
would be a pleasure.” If this sounds silly, please don’t think about
an elephant.
5. We’ve all heard of the elevator speech or the seven-second
commercial that briefly tells what you do. Here’s a step to take
before you form your short promo. Come up with your “Big Idea.” Your
“Big Idea” is what drives you. For instance, perhaps your Big Idea is
that you want to make a difference in the health of those in your
community. Or, perhaps you want to make people’s lives easier. You
don’t announce your Big Idea to people, but it propels you. Ask
yourself, “Am I doing/living my big idea?” Thinking and acting your
Big Idea will give you confidence, too.
6. Respond. When people are speaking to you, listening isn’t enough.
Encourage them with questions, statements or even “Hmmmm.” These show
you are engaged in what they are saying. You can encourage
non-verbally, too. Lean in, make eye contact, nod appropriately and
mirror your facial expression to the speaker’s.
Try some of these ideas. Importantly, keep in mind that your goal is
to build rapport with others. Then you can build a relationship. Then
you can get what you want.
©Karen Susman
Karen Susman, Speaker/Author/Coach, works with organizations and individuals that want to maximize their performance and quality of life. Check out her free tips and articles at www.karensusman.com. Karen can be reached at 1-888-678-8818 or karen@karensusman.com.
Still More Media Attention for Your Book
Still More Media Attention for Your Book
by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com
If you can’t get journalists interested in writing about your book, it doesn’t matter how good your book is: It’s going to be hard to find an audience. So how can you pitch your book to journalists to get them interested? Here are some tips on effective media pitches:
Tie in to the news. The easiest way to get journalism attention for your book (or anything else, for that matter) is to tie your topic in to the news. A few years ago, I noticed a Voice of America journalist looking for sources for a story. My book, “Terrorism and Kids: Comforting Your Child,” had been a small-press bestseller in the US, but I wondered if Voice of America might provide a new, overseas audience. Unfortunately, the journalist wasn’t doing a piece on terrorism—his subject was the sudden popularity of home theatre systems. By tying in to current events, however, I was able to get my book on terrorism into his piece on home theatre systems, with this email: “You can thank Osama bin Laden for the sudden popularity of home theatre systems; Americans, post-9/11, are moving their entertainment into their homes; it’s a 9/11 nesting response.” That one liner netted me 15 minutes on Voice of America.
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