The Secret of New Marketing
I have always maintained that the best way to market is by word of mouth. Communicating with your network is the most powerful and important marketing vehicle you’ve got. I was so pleased to read Seth Godin’s blog this week,http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/first-ten-.html because he validated this marketing approach and labeled it, the secret of new marketing.
In his blog, Seth states:
Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you.
Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it, you win. If they love it, they’ll each find you ten more people (or a hundred or a thousand or, perhaps, just three). Repeat.
If they don’t love it, you need a new product. Start over.
Your idea spreads. Your business grows. Not as fast as you want, but faster than you could ever imagine.
This approach is so effective because you are communicating your message to people who know you and respect you. It is common knowledge that we buy products and services with brands that we trust. Your network contacts already trust you and believe in you and are more than willing to spread the word about your business and your brand.
Initially, it is not necessary to get your message out to the anonymous masses. There is a common belief that to jump start your business it is important to reach as many people as possible with expensive press releases and formal product launches. Seth calls this approach backwards. You spend a lot of money in the beginning and then it falls off when you should be doing the exact opposite. Save your marketing dollars until your business starts to grow and thrive.
Consciously nurture your network and be clear on your promotional message. What your network contacts say about you contributes to the value and reputational power of your brand.
April Teleclass on Self Promotion starts April 7th!
There is still time to register. 3 one hour sessions run consecutive Tuesday evenings 7-8pm EDT
Learn how to overcome your limiting beliefs around selling yourself and your business.
Create your own authentic and effective message to promote yourself.
Workbook included. $99 for 3 sessions!
register online: http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching
Here are some testimonials:
“Thanks Bonnie! It was a great session and I found it very helpful. I am charged up and ready to go.”
“To anyone who hasn’t taken this workshop, I highly recommend it!! It’s excellent information.”
“Bonnie’s insight and approach regarding sales was transformational for me.”
The Case for Levity
This is a guest post from my friend and very talented colleague, Katie West.
You know the drill. Head down, nose to the grindstone, work first and play later. Sure, there is merit and reward in focus and drive. They are crucial skills that help us attain our goals. But what happens when we realize that our drive and determination have driven us right into the ground? It is hard to meet our goals or enjoy their achievement if we have been left so ragged by stress and exhaustion that we are barely standing, much less smiling and laughing.
By constantly prioritizing values that drain us, without re-supplying ourselves with values such as joy, play, and fun which serve to energize and rejuvenate us, it becomes increasingly harder to find the power necessary to make significant progress towards our goals.
One way to think of it is to imagine putting your hand very close in front of your face. It is hard to focus on our hand because of how close it is to our eyes. Now, move it out as far as your arm will reach. It becomes much easier to focus on it and discern the details of it, right? The importance of levity in our lives is that it provides that critical distance and perspective we need in order to view our experience. By placing emphasis on lightness, joy, and possibility in our lives, we are able to be more productive, creative, and energetic in our responses to our work and home lives.
Sometimes people still hold firmly to the notion that fun and levity prevent or slow down efficiency. Studies show that the opposite is true. Companies who value fun and play in the workplace, rank higher in surveys of workplace satisfaction. Also, the same companies repeatedly tend to be more successful in their overall goals.
Levity boosts our ability to think outside the box and be able to generate the innovative solutions necessary to solve a problem. We stand out from the crowd. It is an easy choice when we think about it: Either working with someone who complains, uses their intelligence to find flaws, and rarely smiles OR working alongside someone that readily shares their positive spirit, their zest for a particular project, or whose creative ideas inspire you.
How can we bring a little more levity and joy into our lives during such a challenging time in our society?
First step, we have to choose to bring this powerful energy into our lives and this means we are willing to seek it out in full confidence it will help us live our lives better, perform more optimally, and create a climate of wellness within us.
A couple of simple ideas for more joy, possibility, and lightness in our days:
Watch a movie that you find funny.
Practice laughing (it is okay if you are faking it-you still get the happy benefits) on your drive or walk to work by pretending you are listening to something funny on the radio or pretending you are on the phone having a funny conversation.
Call a friend and leave a laughing message on their voice mail and ask them to do the same.
Write 3 things you are grateful for each day.
What ways can you bring levity into your life?
Katie West is The Levity Coach. http://levitycoaching.com
How Many Hats Can a Woman Wear in One Day?
No, this isn’t a riddle! We wear so many hats during the course of one day that it’s quite remarkable. How do we do it so effortlessly? Have you ever thought about all the different roles you play? There are probably way too many to mention in one blog post, however, since my intention is to give all women a much needed pat on the back and recognition for all they accomplish, I am going to give this a try.
Early Morning
- Housekeeper
- Caterer/short order cook
- Drill Sargent
- Chauffeur
- Event Planner
- Commuter
- Athlete (did you get your gym time in?)
Work
- Correspondent
- Visionary
- Leader
- Manager
- Customer Service Representative
- Computer whiz
- Team Player
- Mentor/coach
- Task Master
- Negotiator
- Marketing Director
- Salesperson
- Bookkeeper
- HR Director
- Peacekeeper
- Researcher
- Worker Bee
- Cheerleader
- Speaker/Presenter
- Humorist
- Nurse
- Therapist
Evening
- All of early morning activities again
- Disciplinarian
- Personal Shopper
- Laundress
- Librarian
- Sports Fan
- Teacher
- Activist/Community member
- Story teller
- Babysitter
- Entertainer
- Companion, lover, partner, mother, sister, daughter, friend
WHEW! It really is quite remarkable how many different hats we can wear during the course of one day and how we can switch those hats so effortlessly. We are FABULOUS!
I know this isn’t everything. What did I miss? I would love to hear your feedback and be able to add to the list!
Join the Friday Breakfast Brag Club (TGIF)
Share and Celebrate your weekly successes by calling in each Friday 8-8:30 am EDT and practice your positive self-talk. This is a FUN way to end your work week.
Just $29.99 per month for all the self-esteem boosting you can take!
http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching
Narrow Your Niche to Attract More Clients
We are all taught in Marketing 101 the importance of defining a niche and clarifying who we consider to be our target audience. I think we all understand this concept intellectually. It makes sense. When people have a clear understanding of what services and products you offer and who will benefit from those products and services, they can easily refer business. Yes, the concept completely makes sense.
Now, we are starting our own business. We have these wonderful products and/or services to bring to market. We don’t want to miss out on any opportunity to make a sale. So what do we do? Do we go back to Marketing 101 and choose a well-defined niche? Very often, we don’t. We ignore the marketing pundits and cast a really wide net in hopes of being wildly successful right out of the starting gate. We don’t want to turn down any opportunity that may come our way. The problem is that promoting ourselves without a specific target audience and niche can often backfire. We try to attract everyone, but we end up not attracting the clients we want and we limit our success because we haven’t defined our message so that others can refer business.
The hesitancy to narrow our niche is often fear based. We are fearful that if we limit ourselves we won’t be successful and that when we first start a business we need to take any clients/customers that we can. This approach can also be true, however, of more experienced entrepreneurs who are still holding on and patiently waiting for their businesses to grow.
The first step to attracting clients is to define your target audience. Who is your ideal client? Gender, age, income, educational background, occupation, geography, hobbies and interests, special needs are all important factors.
Once you clarify the target audience, you need to create a message to promote yourself and your business that will attract this type of customer/client. Your message should be very specific about what you provide for that target audience and how they will benefit. There should be an emotional component for them to latch on to. Make your message personal and tell your story and your own connection to this product or service.
I have assisted many clients through this process and the results are usually quite remarkable. Once you get over the fear of narrowing your niche and you send a clear message to your network, your business will literally take off. All of a sudden, the light bulb goes on and people get it. They will know someone who needs your services or product and they will refer business.
Your promotional message can be used in any form of media. Now you have the content for any successful promotion whether it’s face to face meetings, radio, print ads, web site, or brochures.
Narrow your niche and you WILL attract more clients.
April Teleclass: Self-Promotion for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Learn what limiting beliefs hold you back from successfully promoting yourself and your business.
Create your own unique compelling message that will help you stand out in a crowd.
This stimulating interactive group class will help any business owner feel comfortable and confident promoting themselves. Workbook included.
NOW ONLY $99 for 3 one hour sessions!
Tuesday evenings, 7-8pm EST. April 7, April 14, April 21
Brand New! Starting in April. Weekly Success Group!
The Friday Breakfast Brag Club (T.G.I.F.)
Thank Goodness I‘m Fabulous!
End your week on a high note. Call in every Friday morning 8-8:30 am EDT and share your successes for the week in a safe and supportive environment. Practice a little bragging.
What went right this week? What does that say about you?
Celebrate YOU every week. What fun!
$29.99 per month. 3 month commitment. Space limited.
Click here for more information on both Group Classes. www.womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching
How to Stay Marketable in a Down Economy
How do you stay marketable in a down economy? Promote your personal brand.
When it comes to selling yourself, you should follow the same guidelines that you use when selling any product or service. Take an objective point of view, do an assessment of the product (you), create an effective pitch, and develop a sales plan.
1. Know Your Product.
Do an assessment of yourself and get to know yourself as the “product”.
What are your strengths?
List 3-5 personality pluses and how these traits have helped you in your current and past positions.
List 3-5 recent accomplishments. What do these accomplishments say about you?
2. What is your sales pitch for your product?
Create your own personal pitch.
Answer these questions:
What is my story? my history?
What differentiates me? What special qualities do I have and why are they marketable?
How have these qualities helped me be successful in the past?
What are my features and benefits?
i.e. I am tenacious and what that means to my employer is that they can count on me to stay focused and complete my assigned projects.
3. Create Your Sales Plan
What is your career goal for the next 6-12 months?
Create action items to help you reach your goal.
Identify people you need to be in front of consistently. How will you accomplish that? Set timeframes and identify resources needed if any.
What organizations should you join/attend? What committee should you volunteer for?
What special projects should you take on?
4. Go out there and sell yourself.
Always be prepared 24/7 to talk about your accomplishments.
Consistently work your sales plan and stay in front of your “web of influence”, your important contacts.
Stay visible. Stay positive. Stay focused.
Approach selling yourself and your own personal brand with the enthusiasm and confidence your “product” deserves. You are the best possible “product”. Go out there and let everyone know what you’ve got!
Want to practice your positive self-talk?
NEW Group staring in April
Friday morning Breakfast Brag Club (TGIF)
Thank Goodness I’m Fabulous!!!
8-8:30 am EDT every Friday morning
check it out: http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching/
Women On Business Roundtable
Here is a great opportunity for women business owners to get expert advice. This announcement was posted today on Women on Business.
I’m very happy to announce the new Women On Business Roundtable, which will provide a great opportunity for business women to increase their online profiles, access expert advice and guidance, and encourage business growth.
The team of Women On Business authors (including myself), who are all experts in various fields such as marketing, coaching, finance, management, and technology, are launching a “roundtable” discussion to focus on our readers.
Here is how it works:
1. Women On Business readers are asked to submit a profile of their companies and list any specific issues they might be having with their business (submission instructions are included at the end of this post). Are you wondering how to market your business on the social web, having trouble with an employee, struggling during the economic downturn? Submit your profile and issues in order to be considered as the subject for the Women On Business Roundtable discussion.
2. Each month, one profile will be chosen to be featured on Women On Business as the subject of the Women On Business Roundtable discussion.
3. The Women On Business writing team, using our collective brainpower and experience — a combined 150+ years worth! — will provide targeted analysis, valuable advice, and next steps to grow the business and meet the challenges it faces.
4. Women On Business readers are also encouraged to join the conversation and offer their own experiences and expertise. We look forward to tapping into the advice of our team of experts and into the minds and hearts of our readers to help our participants.
5. Throughout the month, the goal is for the conversation to continue and grow, and for the profiled business woman to ask additional questions, clarify suggestions and end up with actionable, useful advice and guidance, which should benefit many other readers as well.
Please join us! It’s a great way to gain some hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of consulting from a group with deep knowledge in their respective fields — for free!
Submit a one-page description of your business, and three issues you’d like the team to address here, and we’ll choose each month from the available submissions. You can send an email directly to susan[AT]womenonbusiness.com (replacing the [AT] with @) or use the contact form. Note that anonymous submissions will be accepted but identifiable business submissions will be given highest priority.
Please spread the word – email, Digg, Stumble, Tweet and so on! Let’s get the conversation going and start helping each other!
Love Yourself
It’s Valentine’s Day week and love is in the air. What better time to celebrate ourselves?
This holiday we engage in the tradition of sending our love to our friends, family, and significant others with sentimental cards, gifts, chocolate, jewelry, etc. We often spend Valentine’s Day doing romantic things for our loved ones; special candlelit dinners, good wine and food, or maybe a weekend away for two in a cozy inn.
We can often overlook how special and wonderful we are.
Here is my Valentine gift to all of you.
- “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” ~ Lucille Ball
- “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~ Buddha
- “Don’t forget to love yourself.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
- “You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.” ~ Unknown
- “The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.” ~ Sonya Friedman
- “Self-love seems so often unrequited.” ~ Anthony Powell
- “If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy.” ~ Kristin Chenoweth
- “To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. ” ~ Alan Cohen
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Accepting Praise
There are many things in life that in theory appear to be so simple yet can be incredibly difficult to actually invoke. At the top of my list of seemingly simple things to do is accepting praise graciously and saying, “Thank you.”
Why do we feel the need to deflect the praise, apologize for our success, and even offer self-deprecating remarks about ourselves in response to a compliment? Obviously, the recognition makes us very uncomfortable. Why is that? Do we feel we are not worth it?
When someone notices our good work we need to stand up and take the credit. How often do we slip into the habit of giving the credit to others and not wholeheartedly accepting a compliment?
Why should it be embarrassing or uncomfortable to be recognized for our hard work and effort? Our upbringing taught us to be humble and to wait to be noticed, yet taking the back seat has never gotten anyone to the C-suite. Taking the back seat has rarely helped anyone get promoted.
Women are definitely more troubled with accepting praise. We need to get better at stepping into the spotlight at work and increase both our visibility and credibility in order to advance our careers.
It sounds so simple. Just look someone in the eye and say, “Thank you. I appreciate the fact that you noticed how hard I worked on that project. It was a challenge and it ended up being very successful.”
Step up to the plate and welcome the applause. Step into the spotlight graciously and it will have a very positive effect on your career. Know that you are worthy of all the recognition that is bestowed on you for your accomplishments.
Sign up now for the March Teleclass “Grow Your Business. No Cold Calls Necessary”.
Learn how to dramatically build your business through your network contacts in this interactive group teleclass. Create your own sales plan. Workbooks included.
This class is perfect for new entrepreneurs and business owners to get a jump start on building their business!
Four one hour sessions Tuesday nights from 7-8 pm EST beginning March 3rd.
Participants call into toll-free bridge line for each session.
Fee $199. Register by February 28 for a 25% discount.
Register @ www.womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching
You Have the Right to Brag
You have the right to brag, but does bragging about yourself seem right?
Hardly. We are all taught from a very early age NOT to brag and to be humble, however, women follow this lesson much more closely than their male counterparts.
This is not a male bashing post by any means, just a personal observation about women and how uncomfortable we are “bragging” or speaking positively about ourselves. It is certainly no issue for most of us to brag about our children, our significant others, and friends close to us, but when it comes to talking about our own accomplishments not only do we feel uncomfortable, we often don’t even recognize how great we really are and what wonderful things we do everyday.
Case in point: I ran a workshop yesterday for a group of professional women. There was an exercise in the session where I asked them to write about all their accomplishments. The group struggled with the assignment. Even though the assignment was to write down any success no matter how small, it was a difficult task. Now, when I followed that exercise with one that required them to write down their shortcomings, it was not only easier for the group to think of things, but they also recognized that they were more likely to think about their weaknesses and disappointments than their successes. They also acknowledged that they almost never acknowledge their accomplishments.
Why is all this important? Certainly it is important to recognize all the wonderful things we do everyday. That’s a necessary component to building self-esteem and is a practice that we should all follow.
How does this translate into the business world? I think it’s obvious that we should connect with our value and our talent so that we can feel more comfortable speaking about ourselves in a positive manner. Effective self-promotion is important to build a business or successful career.
Here’s an exercise to help us recognize and celebrate our achievements.
Start a journal. Let’s call it MY BRAGGING RITES.
Force yourself to make at least one entry everyday. Force yourself. Make it part of your daily routine and write something that you accomplished that day, no matter how small.
Maybe you finished a project before the deadline and amazed your boss. (Wow. You are organized!)
Maybe you made a presentation at a meeting that made a difference in the way your team thinks about an issue. (Great. You are creative and inspiring.)
Maybe you got an appointment with someone who has the potential to give you more business. (Yeah. Go Get ‘em.)
You completed everything on your TO-DO list this week. (You are tenacious, organized, and motivated.)
You get the idea, right? Start to assemble your bragging rites. Review your accomplishments on a regular basis and celebrate your successes.
Now, when you need to promote yourself and have difficulty thinking of things to say, open up MY BRAGGING RITES and you will have all the material you need. Open up MY BRAGGING RITES and prepare for your interview, your sales meeting, your personnel review. Give yourself the ammunition you need. You have the right to brag.
How would you like to be interviewed for my Bragging Bunch podcasts? Email me if you are interested and I will give you 5 minutes to brag about yourself and your business!
Workaholism and Success
A friend commented to me the other day that he thought I was a workaholic and it prompted me to think about the veracity of that statement. I do certainly work many many hours so I was very curious to see if I actually fall into the category of having an addiction to work. I looked up the definition of “workaholism”. I found two definitions.
Workaholism is a compulsiveness to work.
Workaholism is an obsessive need to work.
Now, I look at these two definitions and try to be as objective as anyone can be about themselves (that’s a challenge) and weigh whether or not I fall into the dreaded “workaholic” category. I will admit that I am compulsive about work, therefore, the first definition fits. However, I don’t feel an obsessive need to work, just for the sake of working.
My question is this. When you are an entrepreneur or trying to advance your career is it necessary to be a workaholic to be successful?
As an entrepreneur, my passion and drive propels me to work and build my business. Most of the time, it does not even feel like work. I am in a creative zone and the adrenaline takes over. Hours go by and I actually lose track of time. I am very fortunate that my work is stimulating and aligned with my passion to assist professional women to be successful. It is true that I end up working many extra hours each week, but it doesn’t feel obsessive to me. The primary force behind the long hours is my love for my business.
There is nothing wrong in having the drive to succeed. One would be foolish to think that you can start a business or advance your career without putting in much time and effort. Successful careers and businesses don’t happen by chance. The danger is perhaps in consistently choosing work over other options such as family, friends, exercise, recreational activities. It is easy to lose track of how important it is to balance your life. In fact, stepping away from work every so often can also contribute to your success. The break allows you to be even more creative and productive and gives you a new perspective on your business and career path.
Here is my answer to the above question on whether you need to be a workaholic to be successful. Hard work is unquestionably an important factor in success. Yes, you need to work hard and work smart to be successful. Smart working habits that include time well spent in other activities that nourish your body and soul are other important components for a successful life and career. When you recognize that you are consistently choosing work over everything else in your life, beware. An obsession with work can be as dysfunctional as other types of addiction and just as unhealthy.
I am interested in hearing your comments. How much time do you feel you need to devote to work to be successful?
Check out Women’s Success Coaching monthly teleclasses and register online.
http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching/
February: Selling Yourself and Your Services. How to Feel Comfortable with Self-Promotion
March: Grow Your Business. No Cold Calls Necessary.
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