Source: GettyImages.com

There was a time when advertising or marketing meant putting up a sign on your front window, giving out fliers to people on the street, or placing posters on bulletin boards around town.  If you were lucky and had cash to spare, it meant buying some space in the local paper, or some air time on the local radio and TV stations.

And then came the Internet.

Now, your website, not your front window, is probably the first thing people see.  Fliers that used to be handed out to people on the street can now be emailed to people all over the world.  And when people talk about you and your products, it isn’t just happening in the salon, in the lockers, or by the water cooler – it’s now happening on blogs, forums, and social-media sites.  Almost everything that used to be limited to your locale can now happen anywhere in the world.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you forget your local customers.  Yes, the Internet helps you reach out other markets, but it is also a great way to establish your presence in the local marketplace.  Dorothy Dutch has an article up on our Small Business CEO Magazine called Local Internet Marketing and Advertising for Small to Mid-Size Businesses – 10 Tricks of the Trade explaining how.

She gave 10 tips, but I’ve grouped them together into a few, more general tips:

Get your site seen

Your website is your storefront, sales brochure, and virtual receptionist rolled into one.  The people who visit your website can learn about your business and your products, the causes you support, and many other things.

Of course, your site is no good if nobody knows about it.  Make sure your business cards, signs, stationery, and other materials have your website address printed on them.   You should also put your website in your email signature, and if possible, on your signatures for blog comments, forum posts, and other online interactions.

Dorothy also stresses having a smart website, which in her words is “one that uses SEO techniques to tell the search engines like Google what your site / business is about so that when potential customers search online for a business like yours… your business comes up first.”

Basically, a smart website is one that can talk to computers and other websites just as well as it talks with your customers.  This, along with the right keywords, allows your site to climb up Google and other search engine results.

Reach out to your market

Dorothy suggests using Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites to your advantage.  She also suggests utilizing blogs, and forums.  These sites are like the online equivalents of coffee shops, salons, and other places where people can talk to you and about you.  There are always several discussions going on, and getting on these sites lets you join these discussions.

By joining these communities, or even by building a community around your business, you can learn about what people like (or don’t like) about your business and your products, and even learn what they want that you can offer.  More importantly, interacting with your market  helps you build relationships with them – and makes it more likely they will become loyal customers.

Of course, social sites, blogs, and forums aren’t the only ways to build relationships with your market.  You can reach out to them through e-mail – but you need to know their addresses first.  Dorothy suggests:

“Have a place on your web site that encourages customers to provide you with their e-mail addresses. Keep your lists up to date and even begin to categorize the lists for your records. Start a newsletter to send to your e-mail list to keep them coming.”

E-mail campaigning over the internet to let local folks know who you are and what you are offering is one of the key ways to implement a successful local marketing campaign. Ask for new customer e-mail addresses at every opportunity. Have a place on your web site that encourages customers to provide you with their e-mail addresses. Keep your lists up to date and even begin to categorize the lists for your records. Start a newsletter to send to your e-mail list to keep them coming.

Mix old school techniques with new technology

Coupons, sales, and special offers are meant to pique interest.  A tempting enough offer will get customers to walk in, call in, or order online.  They can also get prospective customers to think about future sales and offers, and get them to keep coming back.

Another traditional sales technique is the referral.  It not only helps you get new customers, which is always good, but it also strengthens ties with your current customers.  By offering your best customers incentives for recruiting new customers, you get to do two things: you show them how much you value them and the business they bring in, and get them to work for you and advertise for you.

Now you may be wondering, where does the new technology come in?  For one thing, you can inform people about these offers online through e-mail, social media, or other channels.  Doing so lets you use tracking codes and other techniques that will also allow you to track these offers and see how well they work.

Get others to work for you

A referral program like Dorothy mentioned gets your customers actively advertising and supporting your business.  Getting involved in social media, forums, and other online discussions also gets people working for you by talking about you.  These, however, are not your only options to getting others working for your business.

Dorothy suggests article marketing, which entails writing (or finding somebody else to write) articles featuring your products or your services and submitting them to article-sharing sites.  These sites can spread your articles to several online publications, and consequently, get your products featured on several sites.

Of course, another way to get others to work for you is by hiring them.  There are companies that can help you with Internet marketing and incorporating the techniques that Dorothy mentions.  These companies can help you make full use of the Internet for your marketing efforts.

With all the advantages that Internet marketing offers over more traditional marketing techniques, it would be foolish not to learn how to use it.  Yes, the Internet allows you to market globally, but it also allows you to strengthen your presence in your local market.  The fact is that the Internet gives you another way to connect with your customers – and the best part is that you can connect with them even when they’re nowhere near your store.

Until next time,

Ric

Peace of mind – a concept seemingly foreign to most of us overworked and overscheduled people running out and about in this modern world. Amidst our responsibilities, needs, wants and everything else in our everyday lives, we seldom get the chance to own and revel in it. When we do get glimpses though, it’s like we get to taste just a little piece of heaven!

Now, there are a couple of ways we could grab our own slice and enjoy peace – finding out what we really want and learning to delegate or  let go, as some may say – two  deceptively simple phrases that, not surprisingly, weigh the hardest on most people’s minds.  How do you find out what you want? When is it right to let go?

Source: Gettyimages.com

Listen to YOU

An article from Thrish Bishop – speaker, Intuitive Guide and author of “The Question Journey” – in Healthy Wealthy n Wise entitled It’s Time to Be Quiet helps us focus on finding all the answers we need within ourselves. Imagine that, we try and try to find answers to life’s many questions elsewhere and get confused by everything that’s going on around us, when all we needed to do was to find a spot, be quiet and listen to our inner voices.

Below are some tips from Thrish mentioned in her article:

Break the “buy your answers” habit.

Do you, like me and most people, spend money on self-help materials, when they’re basically saying or teaching the same principles? Somehow, we might be led to think that maybe if we pay for something, what we find inside it might actually be of some value. Well, that may be true for most of these sources, but not always. Try listening to what YOU know. Learn to distinguish the difference between the information they give and the knowledge that you already have. Between what you find out and what you believe in, you’ll definitely find what you’re searching for.

Shut off the chaos valve.

When we don’t want to know exactly what’s happening within us, or if we’re trying to hide something, we pretend that we have all these things going on. We make it a point to be busy, or we allow all the external distractions to, well, distract us.  Given that they really are important and they really do need your attention, don’t help them help you hide from what you need to do. Shut out the chaos, quiet your mind and find at least a modicum of peace within.

Rip-off the band-aid.

Don’t cover your feelings with bravado or denial. Those will only cause the negativity to fester. It’s better to let the wound breathe than let it breed in the dark. When emotions are exposed, it’s easier to deal with them, get them out of the way and move on to whatever you need to do. Let me tell you, the sooner you rip that bandage off, the better you’ll feel.

Cut the strings.

Don’t listen to society. Nor should you let them dictate what you should wear, eat, do or feel. Don’t let society’s restrictions limit you. I’m not saying you should break state laws or commit random acts of violence or sin. Show them off and be comfortable in your own skin instead. Listen to YOU and trust YOUR instincts. Follow your intuition and don’t allow “them” to mold you into something you’re not. Give yourself a chance to experience some personal growth.

Let THEM Help

Kim DeYoung – the “Get It Done Girl” who gives business and life solutions to mom entrepreneurs – on the other hand, shares with us one of the best tips for avoiding mistakes, and instead, boosting your profit and potential through her article Delegate – Give Yourself More Time, Energy and Money. How? Like the title said, through delegation. It may sound simple enough, but from my experience, it’s easier said than done.

One of the many business success secrets out there is delegation. Yes, aside from clearly setting and visualizing your goals, allowing failure to peep every once in a while and having a good marketing plan, you also need to learn how to let go of certain things and allow others to step up to the plate.

I’m sure you’d do an amazing job handling whatever it is you need to do, but with everything going on around you, you don’t have to drive yourself crazy with keeping up. There are other equally competent people out there who are very much willing to help and would likely give you better results and allow you to focus on the things that need your attention more.

Give the little, time-consuming things to them, so you could handle the bigger, more important things yourself. There are virtual assistants, virtual bookkeepers, and the like, who are very competent and enthusiastic about what they do.

With this set up, you could even pay them by the hour, as opposed to hiring full-time, in-house staff whom you’ll have to pay even without output. You’ll also get the benefit of picking their brains if you get stumped along the way, since they could easily have encountered similar situations before.

Kim DeYoung passed on some tips from her interview with Erin Blaskie:

Make a list of the things you know you want to delegate out.

Track your time for one week. Track everything.

Keep track of your time, so you’ll know which tasks take up more of it that you need to let go. Of course, this wouldn’t help if you don’t know how to leverage your time properly and end up spending more than you could bring in.

Communicate your business vision.

Consider your virtual assistants as partners, not employees.

Utilize their expertise.

Let them bring something to the table. The reason you chose to delegate tasks to them is because they know something that you might not. Trust them to share what they are capable of, and revel in human beings’ capacity to learn from each other and learn on their own, while trying to satisfy their insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Have you listened to the inner you, grabbed a piece of that peace, and found out what you want? Are you able to delegate and let go of tasks that would help you grow your business? Let me know through the comments section below.

Happy searching!
Adaire

Source: iStockphotos

What’s the difference between a rich person and a poor one?  The obvious answer would be the amount of money they possess, but the other unnoticed major difference is their mindset.  Notice how they are poles apart – a rich man will generally believe that he can make another million dollars if he wants to, while a poor guy will think that it’s so difficult to make money and become rich.  The mindset makes a lot of difference in a person’s life – there’s a certain type you need in order to achieve success. 

That’s the main subject in Karim Hajee’s interview in Small Business CEO Magazine on how to Unleash Your Creative Power.  This guy is an expert when it comes to creating wealth by having an entrepreneur’s mindset – after all, he has over 20 years worth of experience on it.  He’s actually an investigative reporter at one of the top news agencies in New York and he had to overcome some obstacles along the way.  During that time, it seemed impossible for someone like him – a guy from East Africa with an Indian descent – to be successful in his chosen field.  Well, that was what somebody said to him at least.  But he didn’t let that stop him from reaching his goals and objectives.  He pursued his dream and became a success.  The secret was to focus on the positive and not spend so much time on the negative.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Karim did not only turn out to be a winning journalist, but he also managed to create other profitable businesses along the way.  One of his most successful is his book on “Creating Power,” which focuses on developing that success mindset.  This involves positive thinking, blocking out negative thoughts, and focusing on reaching goals.

Creating Power By Karim Hajee

For instance, if you’re a brand-new entrepreneur, you must train your mind to think that your business will do well despite the recession.  Don’t allow yourself to consider that your business is having a slow time.  Believe that your money making venture is going to succeed and don’t entertain negative thoughts that it won’t.        

As a businessperson myself, I agree with what Karim discussed in his TALK – that every entrepreneur must turn his mindset around.  How?  By following these steps:

1. Look at your business overall and discover your objective.  The most common goal for entrepreneurs is to make money so focus on that.
2. Find a way to accomplish your objective.  Concentrate on attracting the right kind of people into your business. 
3. Know how you can attract these kinds of people.  Have faith that there are always people who are ready to buy whatever you’re selling – it’s just a matter of looking for them.

Keep an Open Mind

You must have encountered the saying, “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”  Our minds are like that, too.  If you want to think differently, you have to train your mind to do it.  It might take some time but it’s still possible.  The trick in turning toward an open mind is to keep track of the things you think about and say. 

Change your negative thoughts.  Be patient about it because your mind can’t automatically shift from negative to positive.  Your subconscious is not really used to receiving such responses.  But if you’re able to change the messages you send to your subconscious, then you’ll be able to change your energy and attract positive things – that’s the law of attraction at work.

It also helps to surround yourself with people who’ll support your success.  Those who will say, “You can do it!”  It’s essential to talk to the right crowd – those who have a good support structure.  At the same time, you must avoid people who are just maliciously negative – those who suggest you quit before you even start.  It’s true what they say, “Like attracts like.”  It’s best to gravitate towards positive people instead of negative ones.

Key Things to Look Out For

 The most important lesson I learned from Karim is to have the right mindset.  Remove the negative thoughts from your mind and concentrate on the positive.  I discovered it’s also necessary that you know what you want and why you want it.  You must also remember that you need to set aside some time to have some fun because your mind is relaxed during that time and your subconscious mind will be open to new possibilities.  Another significant thing that was pointed out was change is bound to happen – whether it concerns you or your business – so just embrace it and don’t fight it. 

 To know more about unleashing your creative power, download Karim’s FREE TALK here . 

 Or if you have something to share about developing the right mindset, do leave a comment below. 

More Power to You!
Adaire

Source: iStockphoto

Communication, verbal or not, is our way of getting in touch with people – or even animals, for that matter. Without communication, we won’t be able to build relationships, we’ll be locked in our own worlds and we’ll never get whatever we want to say out to our fellow human beings.

Furthermore, the money-making success secret of businesses, whether small or big and using online or offline marketing, is right communication. This is what Ric Thompson’s Small Business CEO Magazine’s  talk with Sam Horn focused on – Empowered Communication.

Sam Horn, with six books and 20 years of award-winning communication/creativity consultancy for international clients under her belt, discussed a few tips that she also featured in two of her books, Pop! and Tongue Fu! This top-rated speaker and in-demand consultant shared how we could empower our communication and use it to improve our businesses and relationships.

Source: iStockphotos

Elevate Your Style

At first meetings, we’re often asked, “What do you do?” For some professionals, this is so easy to answer. They either say they’re doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants and the like. But for others with out-of-the-box, slightly unique or somewhat new careers, it’s very hard to convey what we do. I mean, it’s simple if the word marketing just covers it. But since there are different types of marketing out there – online marketing, event marketing, strategic marketing, web marketing, email marketing, affiliate marketing, etc. – it’s best to be more specific, yeah?      

You don’t want people knitting their brows in confusion and forgetting all about you do you? Of course not!  Sam Horn introduced the concept of the “elevator speech” or “elevator intro.” According to her, when we answer a question concerning what we do, we have to offer them something that they’ll be able to touch, feel, hear or taste. We should answer in such a way that will capture the other’s person’s senses.

Instead of rambling on about the technicalities of our job, that others might not necessarily care for, we could ask them a question so we could get FI or free information from them. We could then wrap our answer around that information. It would help relate what we do to what they’ve experienced or known before. They’ll understand what we’re about and most probably even want what we’re offering. Since we connected with them on a deeper level and our conversation led to something meaningful, there’s a bigger chance that they’ll remember us. 

One of the greater benefits of having people understand what we do is the chance of getting unsolicited – but very much welcomed – word-of-mouth promotion from them. First impressions last, as they say.  When we’ve captured their attention and made what we do remarkable to them, people tend to share information about us without actually meaning to. If someone asks them about what we do, then they’ll have an easier time sharing the information in our behalf. This is how information about us and our services could go viral. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I would call effective marketing.

“Good manners are made of petty sacrifices.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

 This is another concept that Sam Horn shares in her talk with Ric Thompson. According to her, the best way to deal with complaints is not to explain, but to take the A-train instead — agree, apologize and act. I totally agree!  The best way to put out a fire is not to fan it nor add fuel to it, right?

During conflicts, it’s always easier to defend oneself isn’t it, especially if we’re certain it’s not our fault. It’s mostly an ego thing, I know. But there you go.  It’s human nature. When threatened, our defense and fighting instincts take over. When we’re on the frontlines of service though – whether by email, phone or in person – it’s not exactly the smartest way to go.

So, what should we do? We should do as Sam Horn advices – bite our tongue and process our thoughts quickly in our heads. We have to learn to think on our feet and to agree that we didn’t deliver what was expected, apologize for the oversight and act on a solution that would appease the customer or whomever we’re talking to. This doesn’t only work in business mind you, but on every relationship we wish to keep.

Don’ worry though, even if you don’t get it right the first time, there’s such a thing as a “fresh start.” Even if we stumble during introductions and first meetings, we could always make up for them the next chance we get – whether it be a day, a week, a month or even a year after the incident. Now, doesn’t that make you breathe easier?

Keep It Short

“I try to leave out the parts people skip.” – Elmore Leonard, bestselling author of Get Shorty

“Instant gratification takes too long.” – Carrie Fisher, Princess Leah from the Star Wars movies

These are good points to launch the other good advice that Sam Horn shared in her talk with Ric Thompson. She said, “If we write an article that’s too long, if we speak for too long, if we give a report that’s too long, or if we have marketing copy that’s too long, we are taking ourselves out of the game.”  

This, I believe, is true. If we really want to capture people’s attention and be remembered by them, then watching their eyes glaze over and boring their brains out are not exactly the smart routes to take.  Trust me, and the experts, on this – keep it short.

As a litmus test, it’s always better to ask yourself if what you have to say is (1) interesting; (2) easily understandable; and (3) would add value to the person you’re speaking with, before you actually say anything. Even when you’re excited, try to not get ahead of yourself. Take the time to process your thoughts before uttering any words. Better yet, it helps to have a prepared intro or a concise and compelling bit when you go into any personal or professional gathering. It’s a little unnerving to think about at first, I know. But with practice, it’ll get easier. 

Communication comes easy to everyone. Empowered communication, on the other hand, is a different matter all together. With the tips Sam Horn shared, we are actually given room to improve on our own communication skills. Keep in mind that in what we have to say, whether it’s about ourselves or our business, it always pays to keep it short, interesting, easily understood and remarkable. The best way to go viral, build networks and strengthen relationships is to get our messages across and have people relate to what we say.

In a way, these tips help us work on our own personal growth. By learning how to communicate well, we improve ourselves and our relationships with those around us. Don’t you think so too? 

To access the recording of Ric Thompson’s talk with Sam Horn on Empowered Communication, click here.

If you have thoughts and other tips to share on how to improve communication skills, please type in your comments below.

Happy mingling people!
Adaire

“Success is not a place at which one arrives but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.” ~ Alex Noble

We’re halfway through 2010, and yes, times are still tough. Amidst news of recovery and restarting growth, there are still those who fear for their livelihood, their income, their next meal. Not to be Ms. Negative here, but let’s face it, there will always be challenges. For as long as we live, there will always be problems to solve and hills to climb. After all, it’s one way to make sure we’re alive right? If we don’t have anything else to overcome, then we might as well just drop and well, stop living.

Contrary to popular belief, bad times can actually bring the best out of people. It is during these tough times that the strongest surface. The survival instinct within us tells us that only the fittest survive. As we have seen in history, the best practices are those that survive over time and only the strong thrive in the thickest situations. Those who are left standing are those that make millions and live happier lives.
Whether we’re talking about our professional or personal lives, it’s not really just the destination that we’re supposed to focus on. Of course, we all want to make millions in business and enter the pearly gates once we check out, but ultimately, it’s not the results that would matter. At the end of the day, more than the destination, it’s the journey that we should be more concerned about – the means to our end, so to speak. The journey is where we’ll spend most of our waking hours and get to experience a whole range of emotions. Thus, it’s not really something to be cavalier about.

Source: GettyImages.com

Fighting Tough

As humans, we are born resilient. When times are tough and we feel we can’t take it anymore, we’ll be surprised to find that we still have all that reserve energy and strength deep within us that we could call upon to get us through. On top of that, Anne Leedom, founder of www.netconnectpublicity.com, publisher of www.parentingbookmark.com and one of our contributors at HealthyWealthyNWise Magazine, shared with us Five Ways to Feel Empowered During Challenging Times.

Surround yourself with positive people.

Don’t add insult to injury. If you’re already feeling down and out, it’s not wise to surround yourself with negative energy and people, right? Trust me, you’ll be more productive if you maintain the company of optimistic people. I’m not saying you should forget about everyone you know, just spend time with those who could help lift you up for the meantime. Better yet, go with those who have the same goals as you. That way, you won’t have to feel lonely or out of place on your road to success. Be careful though, misery does love company. So, better have the power to say, “No, thanks!” and move on to positivity.

Do something you love everyday.

Don’t deprive yourself. Yes, I know, times are tough, but that doesn’t mean you have to wallow in self pity and close yourself off from those that you love. Go ahead, pamper yourself every once in a while. Never feel guilty for giving yourself time to enjoy. It could be as simple as sharing a meal with your family, listening to your favorite music, watching a bit of that guilty pleasure (a.k.a. that afternoon soap you’ve been following ever since you were a teenager or that single scoop of ice cream you so love ), etc. It doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as it helps you get through and provides you with a refreshed outlook every time.

Stay organized.

Declutter your life. Imagine being overstressed and overworked and having to deal with a cluttered office or messy home. Looking for those darned keys, slipping on that blasted banana peel and missing that deadline due to a misplaced report – you don’t need those in your life! In fact, you have the power to prevent them from happening. Organize your office and clean your home. You’ll find that these simple measures can help lift that heavy weight off your shoulders – and would likely save you from physical injury in the process.

Get Up and Move.

Shake those limbs and move that body. I’m a big fan of sports. I love feeling the energy that runs through my body whenever I run, swim or even dance. There’s something about hearing my heart beat faster and feeling my whole body’s coordination that keep me alive and refreshed. Somehow, knowing that I’m physically conditioned and healthy helps me focus my mind on the prize. It’s true what they say, adrenaline keeps you energized, happy and productive. Waking up those lethargic muscles helps give you the confidence you need to last however many rounds you need to get through the day. Stop dilly dallying. Get up and find your own physical activity now.

Give Yourself a Break.

Take a breather. Don’t push yourself to the limit, and don’t go thinking you could be too hard on yourself either. No matter how you see it or feel, it’s not always the end of the world. Every obstacle you face will resolve itself one way or another, with or without your help. Of course, you would prefer to have and solve things your own way. But, how are you supposed to enjoy whatever emotional or financial success awaits you if you go on and drop into oblivion or worse, beat yourself to a pulp over every single hiccup. Learn to adjust to those ever-changing situations, and challenge yourself with the many different ways you could get up and keep on fighting.

Ready for Business

What does this all have to do with you and your small- or medium-sized business? Don’t forget, the strength of your business is only a projection of your internal abilities and set goals. Whatever you achieve depends largely on how strong your foothold is. In spite all the uncontrollable external forces that may affect our decisions and actions, our success also depends on our minds, instincts, emotions and ability to ride the waves and come out standing at the other end.

Working Smart

Frustrations lead nowhere. In challenging times, we tend to work harder. We can’t help it. We try to double or even triple our efforts, thinking that by putting in extra hours and investing more, we’ll have a better chance at survival. These often lead to frustration, and the more frustrated we get, the more we struggle. The answer is not to work harder, but to work smarter. That’s a great stab at the back of the well-trusted notion most of us hardworking citizens believe in. How can we reach our goals if we won’t work hard? How can we achieve if we don’t push hard? Not to underestimate the blood-and-sweat-earned achievements, but it’s important to know how to work and work best.

The key is to know the best possible way to reach our goals – the smartest way possible. Not really academically smart per se, but smart in knowing how to tap resources, making fast and right judgments, acting quick, working creatively and coming up with proactive solutions to problems. With the rate of information and technology nowadays, someone else will beat you to your goal if you’re not fast enough. Especially in these tough times, everything is up for grabs and ready for the taking, and people will do everything to get what they want.

Are you equipped to survive these challenging times? How will you shape your business and personal lives to achieve that longed-for success? Share your thoughts and success secrets through the comments section below.

Stay focused and keep fighting!
Adaire

From Shakespeare’s “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,” to John Donne’s “No man is an Island, entire of itself,” to the common saying, “Two heads are better than one….” — these ideas all come from a place of truth. We might want to think that we can handle anything and everything all the time, but there are moments when we’re proven quite wrong. Then, when things do go wrong, fear builds within us and we lose part of the confidence that helps us face whatever comes our way. We lose part of what gives us the inspiration to do what we do. It kind of hurts and makes us a feel a little stumped when that happens, doesn’t it? <g>

This is exactly when a good partnership comes in. It’s always reassuring to have a person or group that could support and complement our talents and skills, as well as fill in our weaknesses. That’s why in business, as in life, it’s amazing when you’re able to find the right partner. Your equal, supposedly and if you will, in the overall scheme of things. I’m lucky enough to have found that in my husband, Ric, and our numerous business partners and affiliates. Without them, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have reached the kind of success we have today.       

Exploring the Unknown

More often than not, as business owners, we are afraid to test the waters and try out new things. We become so comfortable in our shells, our time-tested tools and in doing things our own way. Why should we try something new, take a risk and put everything at stake, when you’re right where you think you want to be, safe and sound and earning just like you’re used to? Why bother when during this tough times, many are suffering more losses than you?

Like all business people, we know that the danger of running a business is when you’ve hit the plateau. It’s not really that rock bottom we’re afraid of, isn’t it, but the static, unmoving line we’re seemingly stuck in. <g> Nowadays, people are satisfied just to survive, especially when we see our businesses as tickets to our independence, freedom and happiness. But then again, our raw instinct tells us that for businesses to survive, it has to be profitable. To survive, it is not enough just to be safe. It is important to be risky too. The trick is to know how and up to where we’re willing to risk.

Source: GettyImages.com

Stepping Up When Needs Must

Part of growing up in business is accepting that there, indeed, comes a time when we need a little help, or boost if you will. If you have the talents and products but not the right means to advertise and promote them, then get a partner. If you have all the resources and money in the world but not the right product or product development team, then get a partner. Sometimes, we think and think and rack our brains some more about what we could do to survive in this competitive world of business. In reality though, the answer may just be that simple and staring us right in front of our faces. <g>

This is what we can pull from the Small Business CEO Magazine article, Tips to Be a Profitable Business in 2010 by Scott Letourneau –- joint ventures are the “in” thing that would help businesses more profitable this 2010. It has worked before and will continue to work beyond our time. It will eliminate the dread and fear that tend to overcome us whenever it’s time to pay the bills, give our staff their salaries or feed and provide for our families.   

One good business success secret, then, is knowing how to form ventures. Small companies should include this in their goal setting when they start their businesses. They would definitely thrive with strategic alliances, especially if they know how and with whom to partner. Partnerships are not just about building relationships. It’s about building and maintaining profitable ones.

Partnerships are a good way to start and strengthen a business – large or small. Another company can complement those that you need to improve on or those you lack. Even big industries tie up with smaller units to create faster and more personalized products and services. A creative production agency that needs technical specialists can partner with a product development company to refine their marketing strategy. A publishing giant can partner with a research consultancy group. It boils down to working smart and doing what you need to do to ensure your business success.  

Forming partnerships can help us avoid hitting the downward spiral that often follows the monotonous drone of a flailing business. Partnerships help our businesses to diversify and multiply, and to continue churning out brighter and fresher ideas.

Braving the Future

As marketing and business people, we should know that size is not solely dependent on manpower or resources. It can also be measured by different factors such as profits, investments and of course, market reach.

One of the dangers in being a big business is that it has a lot of areas to cover. Therefore, it will be faster to crash. The issue with a smaller business, on the other hand, is the need to compete with larger businesses and coming up short due to lack of resources, means or connections. Thus, it will be harder to fly. The key, then, is in knowing how to specialize and develop areas of specialization – making sure that all the little nuts and bolts work, in hope of hitting the right altitude needed to soar smoothly amidst all the money-making businesses. 

Instead of continuously trying to build empires, why not start with towns? Dividing your business into smaller fields, or taking things one at a time, then strengthening these areas can provide personal and smart approaches to product development and marketing. Segmented and specialized fields often become autonomous and empowered, which can streamline workflow and expedite processes and decisions. Eventually, when these smaller areas have proven their worth, they become profitable and competitive and can even be grown into their own full-blown businesses.  

Not many business people venture unto the far side, but this could just be the side that would enhance your strengths and help you discover new ones. We often feel cautious when it comes to change. But change is inevitable, especially since all businesses have cycles. Up and down, some die out and some survive. And sometimes, there are those that seem to have become lost in the vastness of it all when it fact, they are just there – only with a different look.

Don’t be afraid of change. Letting others in and partnering with them can make a huge difference. That difference may be a small or huge leap, but it could be the leap that transforms, not only your products and market, but how you drive others to change as well. The true measure of how strong a business is does not only rest in its existence, but in how it exists. How, in the scheme of it all, it stands out and become the model that influences others to change.

Are you in a profitable business partnership? How has this strategic alliance helped the performance of your business? Let us know through the comments section below.

Happy partnership!
Liz

Mistakes are everywhere, and everyone makes them. Some get over them quickly and take all they can from the experience, while others wallow in failure and slowly fall into the abyss.

Don’t be afraid of mistakes and failures. Like it or not, they are, in fact, unavoidable. <g> We all need to accept that making mistakes is as normal part of living as breathing. When you learned to walk you didn’t do it perfectly the first time – you got up and fell down, then you got up again and again and again until you KNEW how to do it.  Then you moved on to running…

It just depends on how you look at things and how you deal with mistakes when you encounter them, as to whether the mistake will benefit or harm you in the long run.

Let me tell you, entrepreneurs aren’t spared from this experience – far from it – if anything we seem to make MORE than our fair share of mistakes. From the startup rookie to the most seasoned of experts, no one is exempted. The failures, though, tend to keep us on our toes and remind us to keep our eyes on the goals we’ve set for ourselves and our businesses.

But, just because having some failures is inevitable doesn’t mean that we need to make every rookie mistake in the book…  We CAN learn from the mistakes of others and get on with making some new and truly spectacular ones of our own …

 Below, are a few mistakes that small business owners should watch out for in protecting their money-making ventures. These were shared with us by a friend through one of our online magazines, Small Business CEO Magazine.

Source: GettyImages.com

Proceed With Caution From a small business owner who helps others start and manage their online businesses, Latoya Hackett, is an article that warns us about the 8 Detrimental Mistakes That Small Business Owners Make.  To protect your business, you should be aware of the following so you wouldn’t have to subject your livelihood to harm. They may seem trivial at first glance, but when left unchecked, they will certainly do more harm than initially thought.

Underestimating Your Project or Service Time

Murphy’s law – anything that could go wrong would go wrong – is a funny but non-amusing thing. Like it or not, it strikes at its fancy and spares no one. This is why you need to pad your deadlines and time. You can’t expect everything to go smoothly all the time. You must keep yourself from being burned out and leave room for unexpected issues that may arise. Observe how long you do a task or service and always consider that when committing whatever deliverable you have to give. It wouldn’t hurt to add a little extra time for good measure. 

Incorrect Pricing 

You shouldn’t sell yourself short. Instead, you should know exactly what costs come into your production and factor all aspects into your pricing. Include man hours, materials, miscellaneous and security fees if need be, etc. You don’t want to end up giving free service unknowingly, or discover that your production expense ended up costing more than what the client paid. Giving discounts and free service to loyal customers is a business perk you could give to maintain good relationships with your clients. But you can’t do it all the time, nor for everyone, or you’ll end up losing profit. For any business, that is definitely not good. <g>

Not Charging for All of Your Time and Cost 

I know, sometimes you cut out some hours where you feel you did not really do what was asked. Or, you cut off some production time to make the client believe that you actually work faster than you really do. That’s all well and good sometimes, since you owe it to the client to give the task a 100 % and whatever slack you take goes into your own time as an added bonus. Again, doing this at times is okay, but in the end, you have to shape up and find out which tasks you should charge and which you could offer as a freebie. After all, you deserve to be compensated for the services you provide.

Not Receiving Timely Payments 

In order for your business to keep operating smoothly, money should flow in and out at a steady pace. That wouldn’t happen if you lag in collecting payments or you let some of your clients get away with paying late. Always make sure to keep track of when you should deliver your invoices and be vigilant in monitoring the payments you receive. Opening a company credit card is also good for back up, just in case. 

Winging things and doing some tasks on the fly is good for honing your think-on-your-feet skills every once in a while. It doesn’t hurt to keep things interesting sometimes. <g> But if you don’t have procedures or systems to follow when doing tasks or producing deliverables, you could be wasting precious time in figuring out how to go about things every single time you have to do them. They can be simple or elaborate, as long as everyone is aware of and could follow them well. This would ensure a smoother operation within the company and could boost productivity in the process.

Before spending money on anything, you should be aware of all the factors involved. You can’t just buy advertising without finding out how much it costs, how it could help your business, will they be shown to your intended market, the possible results it could bring and other information that would help you figure out if shelling out money is worthwhile. If you choose to go ahead with buying advertising, you should also have the capacity to check and assess its results to ensure that it was, indeed, a wise investment.

Spreading Yourself Too Thin 

The last thing you want to do is burn yourself out before you even get to enjoy your first paycheck. As a startup business owner, who may or may not be starting out with much, you might feel that you should cover everything to save up on costs. Or, you might feel the need to do all the tasks just to prove that you can. Well, stop it! <g> You must learn your limits and know where your strengths lie. Spend your time wisely and focus your attention on these strengths. Swallow your pride and accept your weaknesses, and find someone who is better at them than you are. This way, you’ll be saving time and effort and end up doing more for the business.

Not Getting Help Soon Enough

The thing with getting help is, you need to take action before it’s too late. After all, what use would the it be if the business has already gone up in flames. <g> As soon as you see the need for it, seek help. Do what you need to do, and don’t hesitate or second guess your decision. Finding help at the right time may just be the very thing that saves your business. 

Have you ever committed any of these common small business mistakes? How did you overcome them? Are there other mistakes that you want people to watch out for? Let us know through the comments section below. 

Keep your businesses safe everyone!
Liz

In this day and age, people come up with new products to sell every day. At the same time, many come up with various ways to promote existing ones. This means that competition gets tighter and tighter every day, vying for your customers’ attention. The question is, what can you do to get ahead of the competition? How can you show your existing and potential customers that your product is better than the rest of what’s out there? Sounds mind boggling doesn’t it? Well, really, it’s not. <g>

The good old ways 

It used to be that companies held focused group discussions, market research, surveys and comments/suggestions hotlines or paper slips to get reactions and feedback from their customers. These are all well and good and reliable, but could also cost a lot of money and resources. However expensive they may be, they are still widely used nowadays by many companies. 

But, and this is a big but, only dead fish swim with the water. In the tides of today’s business, it’s dreadful to just go with the flow and do what everybody else does. With the ever-increasing choices fuelled by the onset of information, it’s easy to get caught in the wave. 

You see, there are those who merely observe and watch what the market wants first before putting something out there. Then, there are the radicals who only want to change and change, until they get too caught up and lose their identities. In the middle of all these, there are the neutral ones who are undecided about what they want to do and are completely satisfied in just earning and letting others move the pieces around. Once in a while though, there come the brilliant ones who start trends and become the earth movers that the business world needs. You could be one or all of these people, but you don’t need to become a fish out of water in order to find out. 

The secret to experience change is to be the change you want to see. These changes need not be something sparkly and spectacular. They could simply be reinventions or a small tweaks in the way you’ve been doing things that can open up new opportunities. It’s just being at the right place and at the right time with the right solution. Some ideas are no longer new in themselves, but their implication to your business can be the exact change you need. 

Source: GettyImages.com

21st century improvements  

Often, we only listen to the things we’d like to hear: the good and the positive. However, there are times when positive feedback may come few and far between. As you may well know, that doesn’t bode well for business. It means that something has got to change. You need to turn a new leaf, or perhaps even a new ear, so to speak.

One money-making success secret from Dr. Jim Anderson in his Small Business CEO Magazine article , A New Way to Listen to What Your Customers Are Saying About You, is that you could, or better yet should, listen to what your existing customers have to say about your products. Their feedback can help you make improvements to your products, as well as how to present and market them. Since they’re looking at it from the outside, they bring a new perspective into the mix. How’s that for, “Oh, I should have thought of that!” scenarios?  <g>   

You have to listen to both sides of what your customers are saying. We are constantly bombarded with information — even to the point of receiving negative and critical comments — and they may make us feel down and out and criticized. Turning a new ear, like turning a new leaf, is shifting our attention on how we view this information. 

With the Internet’s continuous growth, plenty of new ways are available. Not only do you save up on money, manpower and resources, you could also save up on space. You could advertise, sell and distribute your product from your home. You could even get real-time feedback in your website, or search for what they’re saying about you in blogs, social media networks and forums. If you know about my husband Ric and I, and how we started and run our businesses, you’ll know that we are big fans of these new and improved marketing strategies. But that’s another story altogether. <g>

This approach focuses on knowing how to advertise and market your products. Your customers’ comments can provide a springboard for a theme you can campaign for. Most customers would notice the tiniest details like how the sun shines in their hotel room, the busyness of the street or the packaging of a product, and these details could be powerful imagery you can use for launching or promoting your product. You could build, rebuild and reformat marketing strategies and campaigns at nearly the drop of a hat with this information. 

The trick is in knowing what, how and to whom to advertise. Some people may already know the features of your product, but not all may know its other benefits. Thinking out of the box does not mean you have to go too much out of your way to boost your advertising campaign. It could be as simple and easy as pinpointing the other benefits that lie just beneath the surface. 

In with the old, in with the new 

Don’t let your fear overtake your passion for what you do. Listen to your customers’ feedback – positive and negative – and use that information to reinvent your product and boost your advertising and marketing strategies. Use the Internet and whatever technology is available to your advantage. Milk these 21^st century inventions for what they’re worth. <g>

However, don’t let go of the good old ways too. There’s nothing wrong with holding focused group discussions, market research and personal, one-on-one surveys. They may be old, but if you’ve already got the resources, why not spend a little. At the end of the day, they, too, are still very reliable. Use the gifts that those before you have created. Mix the old with the new, and experience how this convergence could bring you more profits and business this 2010 and beyond.  

Do you listen to what your customers are saying about you? What other 21^st century marketing strategies do you think could help improve your product and business? Share your thoughts with us through the comments section below. 

Happy fishing!
Liz

If given the choice between 1) picking your own brain and racking it for answers to all of the greatest life and business questions you encounter and 2) having other brains to pick, which would you choose? I know what I would choose, the second one. I mean, having confidence in your own ability to decide on what you need to do and run your business properly is great, but admit it, it helps to have someone else corroborate whatever it is you’re thinking. It’s great to have someone support and agree with whatever ideas and plans you may have. What do you know, no man is indeed an island.

There’s something to be said about joining a mastermind group. Being able to bounce ideas off like-minded individuals who are as focused and passionate as you is very liberating, not only for the mind but for the soul as well. I know it’s not healthy to rely on affirmation all the time, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to get it every once in a while – but that may be getting beside the point.

Even the great masters, experts and leaders had them. Oh, some of them may want to be remembered as single-handedly coming up and creating all the greatness they contributed to society and culture, but ultimately, they had their own sounding boards – be they apprentices, board members or the others in their league of masters.

Source: GettyImages.com

Five Points for Masterminding

A mastermind group opens up plenty of opportunities for self improvement and business growth. It allows for new, possibly great ideas to surface. Ideas and even conclusions that we may be capable of brewing and reaching by ourselves, but having other people focusing on the same thing makes the process faster. This leaves more room for more ideas and further growth. There’s also the undeniable chance of building good business relationships and strengthening networks, since the members of the mastermind group are, or should be, people you believe in and trust.

One Small Business CEO Magazine article from Loren Fogelman entitled 5 Important Reasons a Mastermind Group Accelerates Business Growth gives us five more reasons why joining such a group could help your business grow.

Test ideas with the group before beginning a project

How many times have you gone gung-ho and started on a half-cooked project, only to find out that you miscalculated some elements? Well, all that time, energy and, not to mention, money you wasted could have been prevented if you had only presented your plans to a colleague before you launched.

You may think you know your market well and could provide what they need at the drop of a hat, but you’re not error proof. A good leader has to make fast and hard decisions, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave a little time and room for feedback and suggestions. This way, you could cover more bases and anticipate and address more issues that may come up in the process before making your project public. It won’t take anything from you to be a little cautious, since we’re talking about precious time and resources here.

Accountability

Accountability is one success secret that not everyone has, but being part of a mastermind group brings it out of people. No one wants to fall flat on their face in front of esteemed colleagues now, do they? ☺ Thus, being part of a group instils more responsibility in you. You are able to set and reach your goal successfully, since others depend on you to do so. If it were just you alone, it’s very easy to shrug details and caution out of the way. Not so when you know that other people have also invested their time, effort and energy into a project and are counting on you to give as much as they have, if not more.

Stepping out of the box

Having different points of view and approaches allows you to come up with more remarkable ideas. Since each member of the group deals with things in their own way, you could share with and take some amazing ideas from each other and make them your own. At the same time, having all these unique minds in one place could be fun, so enjoy the process and take as much as you can from every experience. Revel in the skills each member has and hone your own in the process.

Stretching yourself

When alone, you’re limited to what you see and what you know. You develop your own comfort zone. This is good for building self assurance at times, but it closes off your mind to other things and ideas too. It’s good to have a group that could take you out of that comfort zone and allow you to see other parts of the spectrum. Since some of them have been there themselves, they would encourage you and support your aim to try out other things. In stretching your views and opening up to new possibilities, you won’t have to fly blindly, since there will be others to guide you.

Dividing the sorrows and sharing the joys

Failure and setbacks are part of every experience. Being a member of a group means you don’t have to deal with them alone. Your colleagues could give you feedback on what you could have done to prevent the mishap and provide their own solutions. They could present fresh perspectives on the situation, so you won’t have to rack your brain and punish yourself hard. Since there are several of you in the group who give and receive advice, you would also realize that everyone goes through their own problems.

On the other hand, there will be plenty of people to join in the celebration if you achieve success. The more people are in the group, the more reason there will be to celebrate. Thus, giving each one the motivation to push forward and remain positive on their projects. Jealousy and in-fighting would almost always be thrown out the window, since you’re all practically in the same league.

Do you have your own mastermind group? How has being a member changed your outlook towards business and life? Share your experiences with us through the comments section below.

Happy masterminding!
Adaire

Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Social media has grown increasingly these past few years. From putting up online newsletters, magazines, articles and blogs, people have now ventured into viral videos, networking sites and one-liner updates with 140 characters or less and whatnot.

If the Internet connected people before, it has definitely made them even more connected now. It used to be that people searched online for news and information. Now, information finds them. We used to compose messages and send them to people online through several email addresses via mail servers such as Yahoo!, Hotmail, and the like. Now, we could update hundreds of our family and friends with notes and status updates in the social networking sites. What used to take minutes takes mere seconds today, imagine that!

Nowadays, you can not only use and enter these social media sites via computers. They are now able to reach people via mobile devices such as cellular phones, PDAs and other handheld gadgets. The web of information and networks are made even more viral than before.
These are developments that Ric Thompson and Jody Colvard tackled in their Internet Marketing VIPS (Very Important Profit Systems) discussion entitled Integrating Social Media.

Jody Colvard is definitely a certified Internet expert, since she’s dubbed the Grandmother of the Internet. Being one of the pioneers who have utilized the power of the Internet since 1995, Jody Colvard has, together with her business partner Declan Dunn, worked with large companies such as American Express, Priceline and Travelocity – teaching them and other companies how to produce and use video, audio and podcasting.

Humanizing factor

Social media has captured the attention of millions of people worldwide. We not only use the Internet for information anymore. We also use it for connecting with more and more people. These social media sites have humanized online communication. We put faces to the names, speak with people in real time and update each other with snippets of conversation – just like the conversations we had before, back in the offline world.  

However viral and tech-y they might get, people should and do treat it like they do their usual offline groups and communities. Before developing a connection, they would first build relationships with each other – interact with several people in the community and earn each other’s confidence and trust.

In creating and joining these communities and networks, we find more and more people who share the same interests and goals with us. We connect with more people who have similar passions we have and have undergone pretty much the same experiences. It’s nice when people have an even bigger chance of finding their place in the world.

Business benefits

Gone are the days of putting out only print and television ads, notices and articles. Now, businesses, events and the like put up their own websites and set up their social media accounts to get more people interested.

Businesses step up and integrate themselves into the online world to communicate more with their clients and customers. Those who were apprehensive at first, due to fear of being too open, are slowly realizing that the benefits to be had are more promising by building stronger and more personal relationships with their customers. They now find that having an open line of communication with these customers provide them with instant feedback and suggestions for their products and services.

Customers, on the other hand, are not satisfied with faceless service anymore. They now demand to know who they’re dealing with – the more personal and open, the better. Customers are not satisfied with receiving newsletters and brochures via snail mail, or anonymous phone updates from random strangers. Now, they demand video and audio that offer them deeper insights and information on the products that they choose to patronize.

Instead of trying to get more new customers and people all the time, businesses also focus more on their existing clients and take better care of them. Instead of fleeting business relationships that consisted of one or two transactions, businesses and their clientele are now keen on building longer and deeper connections. When they’ve grown accustomed to each other’s qualities, the clients get to trust the businesses more in providing the products and services they want and need. That makes for a quieter and more profitable marketplace!

Deployment opportunities

From quotes and blog posts, to teasers and videos, the fastest avenues for spreading them around are the various social media sites and networks multiplying on the Internet today – YouTube, 5MinuteVideo, Blip.tv, Vimeo, Viddler, Veoh, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Digg, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc. They are made more colourful and striking by free online programs that help in their faster and easier creation and distribution – FriendFeed, Camtasia, Animoto, iStockphoto, TubeMogul, etc.

With people’s attention spans becoming shorter and shorter, businesses constantly need to find ways to feed them information and entice them to return to their sites to linger there and buy. They create as many accounts as they can in order to introduce their products to a wider range of their target audience – getting themselves out there and finding the people they want to reach. For some, collaborating with established online sites make for better visibility.

The bottom line is still knowing who their audience is, how to speak to them and how to reach them – with keywords, calls to action, multiple choices of accessing information and products and more involvement through different avenues for feedback and suggestions.

Of course, rules and ethics are not to be ruled out. In fact, more and more restrictions and limitations are being processed to protect online users. According to Jody Colvard, we could expect a more well-mannered society where people are going to have more control over their own niches and nooks, against people who just aim to promote themselves and exploit people online.

Have you been captured by the power of social media? Do you use such social networking methods for your business? Let me know through the comments section below.

To access Ric Thompson’s Internet Marketing VIPS (Very Important Profit Systems) discussion with Jody Colvard and other profit systems, go to: www.internetmarketingvips.com.

To access Jody Colvard’s seven-module course that offers all you need to learn to be able to create your own show, broadcast and promote it via social media, get visibility for your business and build a brand for yourself, click on: www.InternetMarketingVIPS.com/fmg