I call them the two M’s — Mindsets and Marketing

And I want to make a BOLD statement here and say that if you can focus your efforts on mastering the Mindsets and the Marketing in your business, you will be successful!

First, let’s discuss the Mindsets…

After years of learning and growing and accomplishing many goals I have set for myself, I decided that no matter what you decide to do in and with your life, your mindsets matters most.

In fact, your mindsets make or break your success in life in three ways:

1. Believing in Abundance
Right now you believe many goals are attainable and many are not. The way we were raised and our current environment dictate our beliefs and unless we are challenged and taught to believe differently, we stay stuck. Today–open your mind up to abundance. Take a goal and rewrite it in an abundant mindset. Try to make yourself believe that you can accomplish it even if there is a nagging voice saying “no way!” Then put it where you can see it every day. It can be a financial goal or the number of articles you want to write next year. Whatever you want to accomplish, have, or do. It doesn’t matter. Think abundantly and think big for yourself.

2. Manifesting What You Want
Once you begin to think more abundantly and do it enough that it becomes a practiced mindset, then you will begin to easily manifest what you need, want, and deserve in life. Since manifesting is done in the mind, it in itself is another mindset. You should begin to consciously manifest what you dream of and what you need to accomplish your dreams. That is why writing down your goals is so powerful. It forces you to consciously manifest your wants and desires.

3. Welcoming the Change
The third mindset and the hardest and most important is being open to change. Many of us are very fearful of change and don’t recognize that we are resisting an abundant life because of the safe choices we make. Me included. We limit ourselves because of that risk of failure. We get used to believing what other un-abundant thinkers think because at least then we don’t have to put ourselves out there and fail. Change is good–it helps you grow. When you begin to expect change and thrive in the middle of it, you will increase your speed at which you succeed at your goals.

And second, let’s discuss Marketing…

Outside of your mindsets, marketing is the next most important area to master in my opinion. Why? Let me list the many reasons that Marketing is so important to you–the visionary of your company! By the way, I define marketing as anything you do that lets other people know that your company exists.

Marketing is how:

1. You Build Personal and Professional Relationships With New Leads-There are so many interactive ways to market on the Internet today that let solo-preneurers to CEOs of large companies personally build relationships with those they serve in their businesses. And marketing is the only way that exists for new leads who don’t know you exist to find you. Some of the interactive strategies available to your business (no matter what size) are video, blogs, social networking, webinars, teleseminars, and audio. Non-interactive strategies are article marketing, online newsletters, advertising, direct mail, and search engine placement.

2. You Build Overall Brand Identity and Awareness-The more marketing strategies you incorporate into your business, the more “instances” people will see your company. There are a number of different ways to encourage your leads and customers to easily identify you. Keep the color and design the same throughout your website and newsletter and all marketing materials. Make sure every product and service you launch is in line with what you say your mission is. Write books and information products that represent you and grow your brand.

3. You Answer Questions Your Current and Future Customers Didn’t Know They Had-One of the best reasons to incorporate live radio or live teleseminars or webinars into your marketing is so that your leads and customers have an opportunity to learn from others who are ahead of them. It lets you the owner of the company or your employees serve them and help them solve their problems on the spot. And because much of this marketing is recorded and sent out via internal company lists and social networking, the marketing is automated.

4. You Create Physical Energy So Customers Can Learn More About Your Products and/or Services-I believe energy always balances itself. And I have found in business that the amount of time, expertise, and money energy I am willing to put into my marketing, it comes back to my companies proportionally. The key is to put in place marketing energy that is automated and keeps working long after you implement the marketing. For instance, Facebook, Twitter, Article Marketing, Online Newsletters, Direct Mail, and so on.
5. You Serve Your Customers-For Instance, your educate your leads when your write articles and blog posts. Always be of service in your marketing and your leads will return to uplevel to your product and service offerings when they are ready to take action.

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

What’s that saying?  “Stuff” happens?  In a world where no one is perfect, we know mistakes will be made and accidents will happen.  We do our best to avoid them, but the harsh reality is that at some point “stuff” is going to happen.

Knowing that a mistake is inevitable it makes sense to put policies and systems in place to be prepared for these accidents.  What you put in place for your company really depends on your individual situation.  But, no matter what you do, remember people typically want to feel heard and taken care of.

I recently experienced a few “stuff” happens moments.  Some handled very well, others not so much.  Here are 3 examples of how handling or not handling your clients experiences can affect your business.

The A+ Experience Before I headed up north to my a holiday party I decided to treat myself so I ran off to the local Ritz Carlton for a manicure, pedicure and a professional make-up application.  When I booked the appointment, I told them time was an issue as I was catching a plane.  I arrived on time, my manicurist was not so punctual.  I waited for 15 minutes when the spa manager came in to talk to me.  She explained what was going on, what was going to happen and offered to get me something to eat or drink.

By the time we got started, I’d been waiting for 30 minutes and quite frankly, I wasn’t so pleased.  A couple hours later, I was polished, concealed and running a good 35 minutes behind schedule. As I was thinking, “I probably won’t come here again”, I was told that because of my wait the fee for my manicure and pedicure ($65 each, which is a hefty fee for some nail polish) were waived.  It was completely unexpected and that one grand gesture has made me a raving fan.  I wouldn’t hesitate to go back because I know that my time and feelings are considered and taken care of.

The C+ Experience I booked a hotel room for an upcoming business trip. It was a slightly complicated reservation, a night under a group rate, a couple of nights with points and a night with a reduced rate if I pre-paid. I agreed to pre-pay the night, got my confirmation and went on my way.

A couple of weeks later I notice the charge on my card was 4 times what it should have been so I called to clear it up.  The first person I talked to said she couldn’t help me and passed me to another.  The second person said I needed to call someone else.  When I sighed and expressed my frustration with having to tell the story a third time, she called the third person and said it was taken care of.

Further follow-up showed that the problem had NOT been cleared up so I eventually had to make that third phone call and explain…again…and be irritated…again.  It was finally cleared up, they acknowledged their mistake, the manager apologized profusely, but it still cost me more time than it should have.  Still, this will be one of those experiences I don’t remember in a month.

The F Experience One of my vendors made an error.  They apparently lost an order.  Again, mistakes happen, we simply let them know a mistake had been made and we needed it fixed. Instead of an apology, we got a huffy attitude and an excuse about how they were so busy with other clients. The same thing happened again about two weeks after the first incident. They’ve made it pretty clear that they are not interested in our business so we’re looking for a replacement. I’ll keep you posted.

So ask yourself, what grade does your company get for handling errors?  Setting policies and systems around handling errors can make or break the way your clients see you

Beth Schneider, President of Process Prodigy Inc., www.processprodigy.com, along with her team of highly sought after operations consultants, reveal the insider secrets billion-dollar corporations pay thousands of dollars for. Specializing in process creation, Process Prodigy tools and techniques have helped entrepreneurs increase productivity by as much as 600%, and revenues by as much as 250%. Visit www.processprodigy.com/ezine and grab your FREE systems starter kit valued at $297.00.

My answer is it’s all about taking action.

Many of us experience fear of being ridiculed, fear of being judged, fear of making a mistake and fear of looking foolish. These show up in our businesses at different times and in different intensities – but mainly around our marketing.

We need to do the best we can to keep moving forward in spite of these all-too-common fears. A negative or fearful attitude towards our marketing can lead to inertia, inaction, saying no to great opportunities – and generally doing little or nothing about marketing our business and ourselves.

If your business is being affected by fears around marketing, then below are some actions for you to take to help you move more confidently forward.

1.      Be aware of your fears

Recognize when fear may be impacting the decisions you are making and the actions (or lack of) you are taking.  When you can be honest with yourself and others about your fear of public speaking, writing articles, networking face-to-face or whatever it may be, then you’ve freed yourself to take the next step.

2.      Realize the impact of your fears

When you can see what your fears are costing you, then you’ll be much more motivated to move forward despite your misgivings.  When fear raises its ugly head, take a step back and be honest about what not doing some specific marketing tactic is costing you. For example, you’re missing out on signing someone up for your workshop, or procrastinating only makes it harder, or you’re missing out on a great testimonial to add to your website.

3.      Set some simple goals

Don’t encourage fear by setting goals that are impossible for you to complete.  If you set small doable tasks, every time you complete it quickly and successfully you build your confidence and beat that fear back a little bit more!  So start writing a monthly ezine instead of publishing it every week.

4.      Increase your marketing know-how

Fear can run rampant when we don’t know what we’re doing. If we don’t feel we know what we’re talking about, then it’s pretty hard to feel confident – makes sense doesn’t it! There are so many free resources (articles, reports, videos, ezines) that you can use to educate yourself about different marketing tactics you want to use.  As your knowledge increases, your self-confidence increases and your fear diminishes.

We all deserve to have success, enjoyment and less stress in our businesses.  Fear can put up roadblocks to getting what we want and deserve.  Don’t let your fears (many of them imaginary) stop you from doing marketing and increasing the number of clients you get, the money you make and the impact you make.

The next time fear around marketing shows up, do the steps above and you’ll feel much stronger about your ability to successfully and effectively market!

Christy is one such smart cookie. A newspaper was featuring her in an upcoming article and she asked me for advice on how to make the most of it.

Mary contacted me when she had a blog talk radio show coming up and wanted to know how to maximize her media coverage.

Jaclyn had many photos of her experience at the TV station and wanted to know how to use them to promote her business.

These ladies all have a goldmine on their hands, even with just one media win. And they are all spot-on in terms of planning what to do to use these experiences to their maximum potential. I am an advocate of publicizing your publicity because what you do with your media coverage is nearly as important as getting coverage to begin with.

When you find yourself in the same boat, here is a list of some things you can do with your coverage:

1. Send an email with a link to your article or a recording of your interview to your clients and potential clients. Let them know that you thought they may be interested in seeing what you are currently involved in.
2. If you’re more of a paper person, send a print copy of your article your clients, potential clients and partners, along with a short note, too. Let them know that you’d like to share a recent success and that you appreciate their business.
3. If you publish a newsletter or ezine, let your readers know that you were recently covered in the media and include links if appropriate.
4. Print off all articles and start a “media coverage” binder. Use this at tradeshows, events, in networking and to show to potential clients.
5. Send out a status update in your social media outlets saying something like, “I’m honored to be quoted in an article called (article title) in the newspaper today.” Also include a link.
6. If you have a planned TV spot or radio interview, send out a status update letting people know where to go to see you or hear you.
7. Add a spot on your home page stating: “As Seen In” and add logos of places you’ve been covered. See my web site for an example.
8. Add your media coverage to your bio.
9. Send a notice to your membership organizations letting them know that you were featured in the media. Generally speaking, membership groups like to promote their members’ successes.
10. If it’s appropriate, you can include your media coverage in proposals.
11. Going to the radio station or TV station to do a live interview? Take along your camera and use it. Take photos of you by the news van outside, in the lobby or with the news anchor or radio personality. Use these images in your newsletter, on your web site and share them on social media.
12. Use your Flip camera to shoot video of you being nervous before your interview and also your post-interview “high.” Share them in social media or place them on YouTube.
13. If you have even a few media wins, create a 1-minute video of your media coverage highlights and post it on YouTube. Add the link to your video to your online press kit. Some media outlets like to see where you’ve been covered before.
14. Send a short thank you note to the reporter or a congratulatory note to anyone else featured in the article that you’d like to pursue a relationship with.
15. Add a page to your online press kit about media outlets where you’ve been covered.

There are many ways to get the most out of your media coverage. The point is this: Once you are covered in the press, make the most of it.

See more of Meredit’s blog.

© 2010 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.

There are many ways to become the expert or go-to person.  Getting published has a major impact on your credibility.  Writing a book is one of the best ways to get your name out there and raise your credibility.  (And writing a book can actually be done in a weekend!)  Writing press releases to the local media works well too.  Getting to know reporters in your area is helpful, as they often need a “voice” for their articles and may call on you to help round out a story!  As women, we often fail to praise our accomplishments, or we diminish them.  Meredith says we should do the opposite – even if it means going online to search for awards that we can try to win.  If you receive an award, you must be the best at what you do!

Meredith had lots of other ideas for us to use to become celebrities.  It won’t happen overnight, but we should all start doing one or two of the things she mentioned so that our connections increase.  Raising your celebrity profile is one of the best ways to become better-known and increase your sales.

Submitted by Linda Mustric

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Whether your team is made up of employees or independent contractors if you find yourself barking orders, giving partial instructions or simply ignoring them for long periods of time you are probably making them feel like I did from that nightmare.

But even if your team members aren’t breaking out in hives or taking mediation for stress control, there are some key things you can do to make sure everyone on your team performs like the superstar you know they are.

Focus on What Went Right For some reason it always seems easier to point out (and harp on) the things that went wrong. I’m not saying you should ignore mistakes, but you also need to remember the flip side. Point out the good stuff that happens. When someone does a good job, say thank you and tell them you are appreciative of a job well done. Let them know you’ve taken notice of the things they’ve done, especially when they go above and beyond. You like it when someone compliments your work right? So why wouldn’t your team be the same. Praise and acknowledge good work on a regular basis.

Have a “No Surprise” policy Keep everyone on the same page by having regular team meetings. Share the current goals, the projects in the works and the high priorities with everyone at the same time. Then let everyone chime in with their ideas and what support they need from other team members to achieve the goals. Communication, buy in and participation all in one fell swoop.

Give Clear Directions Be specific about what you need accomplished. Here’s a simple example, if you say to someone, “please pick me up some lunch,” who knows what you will get; soup, pizza, a hamburger, a salad. The choices are endless. Instead, be specific about what you want. Say something like, “please go the deli down the street and pick me up a corn beef on rye with extra mustard.” See the difference. You are more likely to get what you want if you ask for it.

Give Everyone a Little Personal Time Have a one-on-one check in with each team member. Book 15 to 60 minutes each week to check their progress, give new assignments and answer any questions. It gives you the opportunity to work through all the tasks and projects at one time, which will save you time while showing them that you are approachable. This step is so important that this month’s Outrageously Effective System focuses on a strategic system to do just that.

Acknowledgment, communication, clarity and approachability are the keys to building your own superstar team.

By: Beth Schneider

Beth Schneider, President of Process Prodigy Inc. along with her team of highly sought after operations consultants, reveal the insider secrets billion-dollar corporations pay thousands of dollars for. Specializing in process creation, Process Prodigy tools and techniques have helped entrepreneurs increase productivity by as much as 600%, and revenues by as much as 250%. Visit www.processprodigy.com/ezine and grab your FREE systems starter kit valued at $297.00.

6 LIVE calls on these topics:

• Mindset
• Strategy
• Different Networking Avenues
• The Actual Event
• Referrals-Giving and Receiving
• Follow-Up

6 One-on-One Calls where we will:

• Discuss which techniques you applied and what worked for you
• Celebrate your successes
• Explore your biggest challenge and where you struggled

You will also receive these Bonuses:

• Recording of LIVE calls
• Recording of your one-on-one calls
• Worksheets with our notes and a place for your own
• Unlimited email access to Teresa and Renee during this 12-week journey.

Sign Up Today

Thoughts from Sandye Linnetz, Systems Coach and Goddess

Ready to create some systems for your company? Don’t know where to start? Well, as they say in the soundtrack from the Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning… a very good place to start…” It’s time to develop some job descriptions, folks.

Gather your team together and ask these questions:

• What is your job – your primary function? How would you describe your position to a new hire?
• What do you do all day?
• What are you responsible for?
• Who are you accountable to? Who is accountable to you?
• Approximately how much time do you spend on of your tasks?
• Where are you being most effective? Least effective?

Repeat this for each person in the company.

• Who does what?
• Who’s responsible and/or accountable for what?
• What is the location where the work take place? (home? office?)
• Are any special tools (computer? fax machine?) required? Who supplies them?
• What is the required physical space like?
• What education and previous experience is required to do each job?
• What are the physical and social requirements (e.g., lifting? language? driving?)
• What special skills, certifications or abilities are needed? (proficiencies with specific computer programs? great phone voice? math skills?)

The next step is for each person – including the boss – to keep a Daily Tracking Log for one week. For five days each of you will write down the specific tasks that you do – just notes; this isn’t a diary. It will be helpful to see if jobs are being duplicated and how much time is being spent on each. Create a simple form that will work for every position. This can be a form that allows for 15-30 minute time blocks and short notations.

Now it’s time to actually create written job descriptions for everyone in the company. Oops, are you a one-man-band or a one-woman-show? No problem. If that’s the case you will write up job descriptions for each of the jobs that either should exist or will… someday. Plan for growth. Yes, you may be doing everything right now, but when the time comes – as you grow – you will be replacing yourself, so prepare for it now by writing up those job descriptions so that you will know what you are looking for down the road. It’s much easier to fill a position when you know what you are looking for…

Here are some possible headings for your JOB DESCRIPTION form:

• Date:
• Title:
• Reports to:
• Location:
• Primary Function:
• Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:
• Education and Experience Requirements:
• Physical Context/Work Environment:
• Other Special Skills/Certifications/Abilities:

Design the Job Description form that will work best for your situation, including whatever information will be of value when hiring or evaluating an employee. Print the forms and make them accessible to all. Review them annually and update as jobs change. Add new job descriptions as necessary.

Systems are so much easier to design and implement when you have a clear picture of who is on the team and what they can be expected to do. You are on the road to getting the systems in place!

Beth Schneider, President of Process Prodigy Inc., www.processprodigy.com , along with her team of highly sought after operations consultants, reveal the insider secrets billion-dollar corporations pay thousands of dollars for. Specializing in process creation, Process Prodigy tools and techniques have helped entrepreneurs increase productivity by as much as 600%, and revenues by as much as 250%. Visit www.processprodigy.com/ezineand grab your FREE systems starter kit valued at $297.00.

Stick to a schedule. True, working from home allows you to set your own schedule and gives you the flexibility to travel, take care of children, or otherwise tend to your personal life. But if clients never know when they’ll be able to reach you or if you sometimes sleep ‘til noon because you stayed up late watching movies, that can jeopardize your professional reputation. Your work hours will depend on the nature of your business and when you work best, but once you get into a schedule, try to follow it. And let your regular clients or customers know what those hours are. Being self-disciplined with your time means customers or clients can count on you and makes it easier to get work done.

Mind your social media use. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be excellent tools for promoting your business and keeping in touch with old friends or colleagues. But if you get too personal or casual online, it can have an adverse effect on your business. Remember, anything you post online is public. Even if your settings are supposedly private, it’s easy for one of your contacts to take a screenshot or retweet something they find funny and/or offensive. Be friendly, but put on a professional face and always ask yourself how potential customers or clients might react to something you’ve posted.

Manage your incoming phone calls. If you use your cell phone for business and personal calls, remember to answer calls from unfamiliar numbers in a professional manner. Resist the urge to answer if you’re in a noisy bar or next to a screaming child. In fact, if you have young children, you should set up a separate phone line for your business and make sure you’re the only person who answers it.

Set up a separate workspace. Even if it’s a converted closet or a corner of your living room, having a space devoted to work helps you get into a business mindset that you’ll project to clients or customers. Having a designated workspace also helps you navigate issues of work/life balance. When you’re at your desk, it’s time to work. When you’re sitting on the couch watching TV, it’s time to relax.

Get out of the house when you have to. Sometimes it’s hard to feel like a professional when you’re surrounded by laundry that needs to be folded or toys that need to be put away. In those cases, it makes sense to work somewhere else, at least part of the time. It’s also smart to have a place outside of your home for meetings. Coworking spaces often let you rent conference space by the hour or the day. You could also partner with another small business to share meeting or office space. The bottom line? Maintain a professional mindset and create some separation (physically and mentally) between your business and your personal life.

Source Ali International   Self-made millionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500-ranked CEO Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. Get her FREE weekly articles and advice at www.AliBrown.com