Get Out There & Make Friends!

Photo by Helena Lopes: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-sitting-on-white-mat-on-grass-field-745045/

Are you a hermit?

It is an easy thing to become if you work from home primarily. It can be difficult to get outside and meet new people but it is necessary to grow your business.

No fear!

If you are not quite ready to do face-to-face events I have other options for you. There are so many ways to meet new people and you can do it right from the comfort of your home. So take baby steps by trying out the options that I wrote about in this post.

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NO Sales = NO Business!

Sales. That one word has so much power. It is the reason why we are all in business. If you are not interested in getting sales then you are a non-profit. There are so many tools available to help you to get more sales and thought leaders. The question remains: What exactly is a sale?

It seems simple but the definition according to Investopedia is, “A transaction between two or more parties in which the buyer receives tangible or intangible goods, services, or assets in exchange for money or other assets.”

Sounds simple enough but why does it seem more complicated than that in real life? My own definition of sales is sharing knowledge and resources that can improve clients’ lives in exchange for money.

Here are some resources to help you get started on the path to obtaining that elusive sale:

Tips On How To Increase Sales In Your Business

Content Marketing Tips & Tricks

Tools To Help You Stay Organized In Your Sales Workflow

I hope these resources help you increase the sales in your business and create more peace in your life.

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How To Identify Your Target Market

Photo by icon0.com from Pexels

When the topic of marketing comes up the next thing that follows is people telling you that you have to identify your target market. We have all heard the old adage by Meredith Hill and countless others, “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.” So how do you identify your target market? The best way to answer that question is to start with defining what is a target market? It sounds complex and highly technical but it boils down to selecting who is the ideal customer that you want to sell your service or product to.

Investopedia states that “A target market refers to a group of customers to whom a company wants to sell its products or services, and to whom it directs its marketing efforts.” In addition, “Consumers who make up a target market share similar characteristics including geography, buying power, demographics, and incomes.” The process of identifying your target market is a critical step in developing your marketing strategy for your business. Marketing campaign efforts can get expensive if you don’t have a clear understanding of who your services or products will appeal to and where those folks might congregate online.

How To Identify Your Target Market

Here are a few steps that will help you to identify your target market:

• Determine what problem you are trying to solve with your product or service

• Brainstorm what type of people would be most attracted to what your selling

• Choose who you would most like to work with

• Do Market Research

• Check out the competition to see who they are targeting to get some ideas flowing

• Create your marketing message

• Test it out

This list could go on forever but the main idea is to get started on the journey. I hope that these tips will help you to identify your target market and to start sharing your product or services with those who value it.

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5 Marketing Tools You Can Use Right Now To Run Your Business

Do you have a steady pipeline of customers walking through your doors? In these tough times the answer is probably no but just because things are challenging right now doesn’t mean that your marketing efforts have to take a back seat. Here are 5 marketing tools that you can use in your business right now! Even in the middle of the Covid-19 virus.

Meetup - This is a great way to get your message out and connect with your ideal customers. “Meetup is a service used to organize online groups that host in-person events for people with similar interests.” You can create virtual Meetup events to get started or create an event outside that has social distance measures in place.

HubSpot - This software is a one-stop-shop for marketing your business. They have tools for customer relationship management, content management, and of course marketing software. They offer free certification too.

Mailchimp - This tried and true email marketing platform is one of the most popular email solutions out there for managing your growing or beginning to grow email list.

Google Analytics - I know this sounds really nerdy and complicated but it is easy to connect your business website to this tool that can give you some serious data and feedback about visitors to your site.

Hootsuite - This is a must-have tool for managing your social media channels.

There you have it! It can be challenging to get customers to come through the door right now but it is not impossible. You can use these 5 tools that all have free versions to test them out on your business and start connecting more with your ideal client.

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How To Provide Amazing Value To Your Clients

We all know what it is like to receive great customer service and have a great customer experience.

It might look something like this:

You arrive at a new restaurant that you have heard a lot about and are feeling pretty lucky that you got a reservation because they fill up so quickly. The host seats you and your guest and lets you know the waiter will be with you momentarily. The waiter shows up quickly and with a smile on their face ready to offer you menus and take your drink, and appetizer requests. Once you receive your drinks and appetizers the waiter gives you time to enjoy the ambiance, the drinks and appetizers. He returns to take your main course order and like magic your food comes out quick, hot and delicious. Finally you finish your dining experience with dessert and enjoying more of the ambiance. The waiter asks if he can get you anything else and later brings you the check. You don’t even care about the amount and are happy to leave a big tip because you felt special and appreciated at each step along your dining experience.

That is an example of delivering value.

According to the Oxford dictionary, value is “the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” And Merriam-Webster dictionary describes value as, “A fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged.”

Is Value Subjective?

Yes, in my opinion it is. But I think we can all agree if you go to a nice 4 star rated restaurant vs. McDonald’s that the expectation is that you will get more for your money at the 4 star rated restaurant. The key word is expectation. If you just give people what they expect then that’s okay BUT if you go beyond what they expect then you can provide them with amazing value. In my opinion, this is something that you can’t buy it is intrinsic, genuine value that makes the other person feel special. In order for it to work it has to be authentic and not rehearsed or fake. It could be described as your competitive advantage.

What do you do different that makes your business different then others?

A great example of this is Zappos.com. They are known for delivering happiness through providing a WOW customer service experience. Here are some ideas on how you can provide amazing value to your clients:

1. Seek to become an expert on what your clients 3 main pain points are and integrate them into your services.

2. Surprise them with thank you gifts for choosing your company to do business with.

3. Create services and packages that are all-inclusive and a win/win solution.

4. Deliver a white-glove concierge experience every-time.

5. Use social media to stay connected and share useful tips or answer questions from followers.

6. Build a community for them through online or in person events so that they can have shared experiences with others.

The bottom-line is that the more you can make your clients feel special and valued in an authentic way the more clients will beat a path to your door.

What are some ideas that you have tried in the past to create more amazing value to your clients?

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Using Your Personal Story To Market Your Business

We all love a good story.

Marketers know this and you can see the results of this every time you turn on the t.v. and a commercial appears. I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel like I am watching a mini-movie and then discover that it’s a commercial to sell me an Apple product or some other “must have” item.

Why Did You Start Your Business?

I am guessing that you probably started your business based on something that happened to you and it compelled you to change it by sharing your talents. I know I started my business for a number of reasons but primarily because I was tired of the old way of working. I didn’t want to be constrained by corporate bureaucracy which was preventing me in my opinion from growing in my career. I wanted to be able to travel and live my life in real-time. I wanted to be able to have choices in where I worked, how I worked and to be able to work on things that I was passionate about. So you can say pure frustration with the status quo is what moved me to start my own business.

:)

When you are faced with life challenges there are a myriad of ways to deal with it. Jennifer Esposito the actress has an interesting story about what led her to start her own online business, The Simply Box. The actress shares on her site, Simply Jennifer that after experiencing multiple divorces and an undiagnosed celiac disease illness she decided to use these challenges to help others to improve their lives. She goes on to say that, “Money; toxic people; toxic places; toxic jobs; toxic behavior; even toxic living situations were a catalyst. It was a surplus of unneeded excess that was not for her greater good.”

That got my attention and I am sure it resonates with others. She married her love for healthy cooking and a desire to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle by attending the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to help people change their lives for the better.

Are You Relatable?

We all have heard this statement; “We buy from people we know like and trust”.

Are you relatable? Are you someone that people can resonate with and take a chance on trying your product or service?

What is your story?

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Are You Using Social Media To Share Your Business?

I love social media. It’s a great way to build connections with others and stay abreast of what is going on in the lives of your friends and family. But it is also a great tool to use to build business relationships, network with others and find clients.

How Can I use Social Media To Increase My Brand Awareness?

1. Listen and Share: The best way to use this tool is to share your resources and answer questions that are pain points for others.

2. Focus: It is good to have a presence on the top 3 social media channels, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn but to really get the most out of it start with focusing on just one core activity like blogging. The question of how many channels to use really depends on how much time you have to spend on it. Jeff Bullas a social media strategist states that, “It is more a matter of the resources that you have available, both in time and money to engage in Social Media effectively.

3. Be Consistent: According to Buffer.com, “The first thing that businesses and entrepreneurs can do to find success is make a commitment to social media. They’ve found that it takes eight months to one year to really get the hang of social media. Not only to get a consistent content stream going, but to figure out what your audience resonates with and what they don’t”.

4. Be on a team: Often the best way to really build lasting connections is to join a specific group on Facebook, LinkedIn or on any social media channel that you use. If you treat the group like your in person group associations and provide support you will get more out of it.

This is a short list on how you can use social media to share your business. The most important thing is to get started and share information, pick one focused channel to put your time and effort into, be consistent and join a group or groups where you can provide the most value.

What are your tips for using social media to share your business?

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FALL IS HERE!

Summer is winding down and fall is fast approaching. I hope you enjoyed your downtime and had time to have moments of reflection. We all know that if we are not sharing our business with others and actively doing marketing then we are one step away from not being in business.

:(

This month we will look at different ways to market our business and share what we do with others.

What are some low-cost ways that you use to share your business with others?

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Tis The Season Of Business Networking!

Well it's that time again everyone. It is time to get out there and make new friends and share your business with others. In short it is the season of business networking. Does your face look like the surprised Santa above?

Is this how you feel when you walk into an event and attempt to start "networking"?

Well fear no more. Check out this post on how integrating these 7 tips to your networking efforts could help you to feel relaxed and excited to share your business. The bottom line in my opinion is to just be yourself and share what value you can bring to help someone. 

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8 IDEAS TO FIND YOUR IDEAL CLIENT

Do you know who's your ideal client or where to find them?

Have you heard catchphrases like, "Create your ideal avatar"?

Have you thought, "What in the world is an "ideal avatar" and how in the world do I create one?  According to Rich Brooks from Social Media Examiner, "You’ll want to create a fictional persona of your ideal customer, to the point of naming it, knowing how many kids it has or what it does on the weekends".

The point is to get so detailed that you can start to visualize what this person looks like and how you can best provide value-added services. If all this sounds completely overwhelming check out how John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur On Fire created his avatar named Jimmy. And once you figure out who your ideal avatar/client is, check out the infographic below for ideas on where to find them.

Does all this talk of "avatars & ideal clients" make your head spin? You're not alone. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Is It Worth It To Go To Networking Events?

It was once said that it takes a village to raise a child.

I believe that it also takes a business village to grow a business. We can only do so much on our own that's why it's important to get out of our comfort zone and go meet other entrepreneurs. The best way to do that is by attending conferences.  According to Crunch.co, "54% of those who had attended a networking event agreed that networking “is very important for their professional development”.

I know what your thinking: I don't have time to attend conferences!!

It is easier than you think.

Introducing: Meetup

For those of you not familiar with Meetup it is a great online networking tool. You go on the site look for groups that have similar interests and join.

It's that simple.

I did just that and it led me to attending a conference in my own backyard called Amplify Live Experience which was amazing and led by a terrific guy by the name of Keith Yackey. I got a chance to hear nationally recognized speakers on all things entrepreneurship and I met some really cool like minded business people.

I even met one of my favorite podcasters Lewis Howes which I wrote about in a previous post. And got a chance to talk to a lot of people about my business and gain new insights and possible new clients. All this came from joining a local Meetup.

So do you think it is worth it to go to networking events? I would say absolutely YES!!

What do you think? Are you going to sit in a silo or go out and make new business friends and start telling people about how you serve others?

 

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Are You Burning Out From Building Your Business?

Image courtesy of marin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April is here and spring is underway.

How is your business doing?

How are you doing?

Are you stressed out trying to run your business and your life?

I know first hand how you can become burnt-out when you're trying to maintain the upward trajectory of your business. You want to succeed and not give the naysayers anything to talk about. If you are looking for tips on how to avoid burn-out check out this post I wrote back in November.

As we move ahead this month I will be sharing different ideas on how to market yourself so that you can build your client list. Like the Burger King slogan, you can "have it your way" BUT you must have a plan and take action.

This journey we are all on is worth it. As Wayne Dyer famously stated, "Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life".

So relax. Take a deep breath and let’s get ready to build connections and relationships so that we can help our clients be their best.

Start by reading my post on how to avoid burn-out and share some of your own ninja tricks below that keep you from burning the candle at both ends.

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Is Networking Overrated?

As a business owner we have all heard the importance of making time to network.

But is it really necessary?

If you have all your ducks in a row and business is coming in the door and everything is smooth sailing then what is the point? And who has time for that anyway? 

Well if you're a lifestyle entrepreneur and if you aren't sure check out last week's post about that topic then networking is extremely important. As a lifestyle entrepreneur networking is all about making friends and building honest authentic connections with people. Since most lifestyle entrepreneurs work from home or are location independent then carving time out to mix & mingle may seem cumbersome but it is crucial. There are a myriad of ways to network with others such as online via virtual conferences, in person at specialized meetups, local chamber organizations or through volunteerism.

Have you ever found yourself in need of a professional endorsement or a key connection to that "right" person? We all have. I bet you were thinking I wish I would have kept in touch with "fill in the blank". Don't be that person who only reaches out to others when you need something. Get out there make friends and build lasting relationships with other professionals. According to Rishi Chowdhury of the Business Insider, "Your net worth is only as good as your network." Now that's food for thought!

What do you think about the whole idea of networking? Is it overrated, a lost art or necessary in your world?