Doing Things We Dread
November 21, 2007
As I sit here in front of the computer I am breaking through on something that I have been tolerating for weeks now? actually sitting down to write this newsletter. I wasn’t blocked for ideas ? I had a list of them. I simply couldn’t (yea right? wouldn’t) sit down and put my thoughts on paper. The irony, of course is that I coach people through these very same issues and my clients have great success. Ohhhh coach heal thyself! Well the breakthrough came the other night when I was using a wonderful miracle of modern technology? The George Forman Grill! Let me explain.
I love to cook. It is an amazing creative experience for me? and let me give you some advice? remember presentation is everything. A meal can go from fair to fantastic simply by arranging the food on the plate? you sort of fool people into thinking it is actually better than it is? the French have known this for years. But I digress?
Let Google Baby Sit For You
November 21, 2007
Let Google Baby Sit For You
by: Catherine Franz
Objective: To use the spiders on the Internet to monitor information for you and save you the time.
Strategy: Use Google’s Alerts system to be your “watch dog” and do the work for you.
Who needs this strategy? People who want to have an ear-to-the wall on the Internet. People who want to save time researching. Anyone who wants or needs the latest information available online on a given topic in the shortest possible time.
What is Google Alerts? Google Alerts is an email notification update service sponsored by Google, set up by you, on a topic important to you, your business, or your profession.
How can I use this to my advantage?
* To monitor a news story
* To keep current on a competitor or vendor on the Internet
* To be notified whenever a favorite author writes something (such as myself, chuckle)
* To receive the latest news on a
..A movie star
..A particular movie
..A particular event
..A favorite sports team
Notable News - Its Not About You!
November 20, 2007
You enjoy what you do. In fact, you love your product and want to tell everyone about it. Well, I hate to tell you this, but no one cares! Think about the last major purchase you made?maybe a car ?did you buy it because you met a car salesman who told you how much he loved his work or did you buy it because you would spend less on fuel and maintenance and be able to spend more on eating out, make up or your favourite hobbies. Maybe it’s as simple as wanting to feel and look successful. Rather than participate in the herd mentality you see and hear in advertising everyday, do something different. Speak to the motivation of your prospective customers. Connect with them. A review of the five levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a good place to start. 1. The base of the pyramid is made up of those who are just coping with life and want basic physiological needs fulfillment: food, shelter, and clothing. 2. One level up are those who have a need to feel safe and secure. Stability, security of home and family and consistency in life are markers of this level. None of the higher needs can be addressed before these needs are met. Fears and anxieties develop here. 3. Love and belonging are next. Humans have a need to relate through groups, work, family……. This is the time that all those relationship books are purchased. 4. Esteem is not only self esteem from knowing what we know and being able to do what we do, it’s also the attention and recognition of others. This is where we buy a fancy car or a mansion on the hill. 5. The need to grow and self-actualize. This is to enable the maximizing of potential, knowledge, peace, self-fulfillment, and connection with God. Only approximately 2% of the world’s population has achieved this level of comfort and acceptance of self.
Reinvent Your Career In Five Simple Steps
November 19, 2007
The phrase "reinventing yourself" seems to be popping up all over lately. Just a few days ago a friend asked me how he could do it without starting completely over. His concern was, "How do I move in a new career direction without sacrificing all the skills and experience I’ve worked so hard to achieve?" The underlying question is, "Is this even possible?"
Yes, it is possible to start fresh without starting over! Here’s how:
1.) Take inventory of the skills, experience, credentials and achievements you’ve built into your career to date. Know your strengths and weaknesses, your assets and your liabilities. Recognize your transferable skills and how to market them. Describe the breath and depth of your work experience. Understand the value of your credentials. Match power verbs, specific nouns and quantifiable descriptors to your achievements and practice telling stories about them.
2.) Clarify your values. Dig deeply enough into yourself to know which values are yours and which are your parents’, mentors’, employers’, culture’s, society’s or faith community’s. Claim yours and release theirs. Look again at any value regarding money or security: What you think is a value may not be a value at all, but a mask covering a cluster of values. For example, "money", "benefits" and "security" often mask values such as lifestyle, adventure, independence and safety, so record these values as the latter, not the former, if you hope to actually live them.
Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!
November 18, 2007
Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!
Cold Water Comments are those comments, phrases and ideas that are meant to discourage, disparage, discredit and generally douse your ideas! There are several things you can do to keep those comments in someone’s bucket or warm them up once they’ve been tossed.
Planning for the Cold Water - With Towels in Each Hand!
Step 1 - Identify the Possible Cold WaterMake a list of all the comments you have heard in the past and might expect to hear now. Once you have identified the list, determine how you will respond to each of them. (Remember that at this stage you are trying to sell your idea, not start an argument!)
Step 2 - Determine the SourceAsk yourself - who carries that bucket of cold water with them most of the time? When you can envision not only the water, but the source of the water up front, you can be better prepared to respond.
Want To Be A Stronger Marketer? Work Your Marketing Muscles!
November 17, 2007
You want to be more flexible? You have to stretch your muscles. Want to be physically stronger? You have to find a way to workout and build your muscles. Want to be a stronger marketer? You’ve got to work your marketing muscles.
Just as an athlete needs to workout to stay in shape, if you want to get stronger at marketing, you need to work your marketing muscles. So how do you work marketing muscles?
1. Read Regularly. There is no shortage of resources out there folks. Find them and begin consuming them. There are books and newsletters and resources all over the web. Don’t get overwhelmed by the volume of resources available. Pick one and commit to consuming it. Schedule a time that works for you and sit down and read that resource. Even if you only find one or two good ideas, doesn’t that make you a little bit stronger?
2. Find Avenues To Write. Writing might be the single most important skill for effective marketing. "But I’m not a good writer" you say. Listen, you are a wealth of information about your business or industry, and writing is the key to sharing that information to attract business. Writing will also help you gain clarity about the value of your own services.
How To Drive Traffic With A Blog
November 16, 2007
How To Drive Traffic With A Blog
by: Jack Humphrey
Blogs are different than regular static sites. Although a blog is really just a fancy word for a content management system, therefore it is just a regular site with enhanced and easy editing, a blog has a sense of urgency and “newness.” People read blogs because there is a general feeling that the information posted is more current compared to static sites.
This is true when the blogger is very regular with new material and gives people a reason to tune in frequently.
Promoting a blog, I have found, is far easier than promoting a regular website for many reasons.
Because you can create “news” on your blog at the drop of a hat, you can create buzz. Buzz is infectious, produces links from “buzzed” website owners looking to present their visitors with a buzz, and gets you attention that is harder to acquire for regular sites.
You can promote a blog through RSS and get subscribers who would rather use a “podcatcher” (a newer phrase that simply means they subscribe to your RSS feed rather than your email list with a tool like FireAnt http://fireant.com).
19 Questions to Supercharge Your Business Plan
November 16, 2007
Whether you are seeking capital for your company or are optimizing your business strategy, the most important element - particularly for outside investors - may be your written business plan. You can tune-up and supercharge your plan using this 19-step checklist. When your written plan firmly answers yes to each of these 19 questions, your market/product strategy is in terrific shape plus you increase the odds of attracting investment capital.
If you don’t already have a written business plan - write one! Your business plan is a blueprint for your whole company. It describes in detail your goals, the financial and technical viability of your goals, and the strategy you will use (or are using) to reach those goals. And your business plan is a working tool - it is a yardstick to measure your progress and a compass to keep you on course.
Must a business plan be written?
Yes! A plan which is not written usually has not been thought through fully. And despite what you may have read, it is doubtful that any business ever attracted capital on the back of a napkin.
Do You Get Attention With Your 30-Second Introduction?
November 15, 2007
I went to a networking event the other day where the meeting leader said, "We’re going to skip doing the 30-second introductions today because mine’s so bad and it doesn’t work that it nauseates me." I thought to myself, WOW! I’d skip the next networking meeting until I’d worked out a new introduction.
Do you get attention with your introduction? Are you prepared to introduce yourself at your next networking event or for when someone ask, "What do you do?" Consider these tips for developing an attention getting introduction.
1. Start With The First 10 Seconds. What if 10 seconds is all you get? Does your first sentence tell your listener enough so they understand what you do and inspire them to want to know more? Here’s the simple, but effective approach. "I work with [type of clients] who have [these types of problems, issues or challenges]." That’s it. Don’t try to sugar it up or make it real catchy.
2. Avoid the What You Are Approach. "I’m an accountant" or "I’m a marketing consultant" or "I’m a financial planner" or "I’m a growth coach". You’ve heard them time and again. You’ve probably even done it yourself. The problem is your listener(s) may not understand what the title means or even worse they may fill in an incorrect definition.
Stuff We Make Up About Our Prospects
November 14, 2007
? Go through the "no’s" to get to "yes."
? It takes X number of "no’s" to get 1 "yes."
? Every "no" brings you closer to "yes."
I’ve heard these statements in so many sales training courses and read them in so many sales books. No wonder so many people hate cold calling! Who wants to hear "no"? Who wants to go through X number of "no’s" to get to "yes"? That’s exhausting and demoralizing. Ecch!
Wouldn’t it be so much nicer if almost no one said "no"? Isn’t it great to hear "yes"! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to only hear possibilities? Well, you can. And this is how:
I have been writing a lot recently about changing the way that you think. Many times, what we think is a "no" is really something that we are making up! It is important to differentiate between the actual words your prospect says and what you think your prospect is saying. There are the "facts," or "the words," and then there are the stories, the things we make up about what we think our prospect is really saying. Frequently, the two have nothing in common!
