Business Success Archives

Communication And Follow Up In The Business World

Out of all the skillsets that are necessary to be a success, communication is perhaps the most important. Think about it. Communication is the only way for us to share concepts, ideas, feelings or plans. It’s the only way we can tell others about ourselves. If you own a business, it’s the only way to attract the attention of new customers and keep the attention of current customers. Since customers mean sales and sales mean profits, communication is actually currency. In other words, the manner in which you communicate is directly related to how much money you make. That is a powerful thought.

If communication is related to financial success, then it stands to reason that only good communication skills have value. Therefore, if one of your goals is financial success, you need to take the time to hone your communication skills and develop the most effective way to talk to your customer base. One of the best places to start this process …

Get Seen, Get Heard, Get Famous

You never know when the opportunity to share your expertise and garner free publicity will show up.

Case in point, not long ago, I had the privilege of being on Bolder Business Woman with the amazing Aprille Jaynes. She found me on LinkedIn and asked if I would like to share a few marketing tips with her listeners. She was one of the most organized and delightful hosts with whom I have had the honor to share my story. Since that time, show has been shared, tweeted, retweeted and listened to thousands of times.

I also recently connected with Tonya Scholz of SocialChats.net and had the same opportunity. Social Chats is a really laid back, conversational style of programming that leaves guests feeling good about themselves. Tonya and I have been connected on social media for years and just recently were introduced via a mutual friend. We hit it off right away and now…

5 Tips To Boost Your Willpower

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little extra boost of willpower when you need it most? It would make it so much easier to stick to our plans and reach our goals instead of giving in to temptation. Well, you’re in luck. I’m about to share five different tips and strategies with you that help you get that extra boost of willpower whenever you need it. Let’s dive in and explore these willpower “power-ups. Take It One Task At A Time The best way to strengthen willpower is to focus it on one task at a time. It’s tempting to get motivated and start to change everything all at once. I get it. It’s just not the most successful strategy. Instead, focus on one change at a time and use all your willpower to take it from new behavior to well-established habit before moving on to the next change. Your willpower efforts will strengthen many times over when you focus them on one thing at a time. Find An Accountability Partner It’s much easier to do what you set out to do w…

A Quick Guide to Outsourcing

Many extremely successful internet marketers say they would do one thing differently if they could. They say they’d outsource earlier in their business. In fact, many experts advise outsourcing almost from the very beginning. If you’ve come to a point where you’re ready to seek outsourcing help, congratulations! This is an important step. Where you go from here will help determine your success. Your First Step Your first step may be surprising. It’s not to start asking for referrals or to do a Google search for freelance help. Your first step is to sit down at your desk and plan. You want to begin with a definition or a list of the tasks you need help with. These tasks will also likely include systems or a step by step of how you want the task to be accomplished. For example, if you’re outsourcing your customer service, you want to outline your customer service system so whoever you hire can step right in and do the job correctly. You also want to plan how you’r…

In Business It’s Just as Important to Sell YOU!

When many business owners start out, they tend to emulate those they respect in their industry. This is not a mistake but rather a first step on the path to real business success. You will know that you’re on the road to long-standing success, however, when you’re able to sell YOU rather than to stand in the shadows of your mentor, coach, or business idol. Here’s how to let your personality shine through for better business today and tomorrow. * Be yourself - One of the easiest ways to be yourself and share your true personality is through your communications. This can be through your email messages, your blog posts, your social networking interactions and through your content efforts. When you write or speak with anyone in your industry - client, prospects or business associates, let your personality and communication style shine through. For example, if you have a knack for colorful metaphors, use them. If you have a very animated face when you speak, don…

Have You Ever Thought About Starting a Business of Your Own?

If you have ever thought about starting your own business, its important to know who you are and if you have the "qualities" it takes to have an Entrepreneurial Mindset? There are several ways to tell if you have this entrepreneurial mindset. Moreover, there are just as many ways to clear the road to becoming an entrepreneur. To Have the Entrepreneurial Mindset, Consider these Personality Traits: ___ Leadership qualities ___ Creative thinking ___ A feeling that there is something more than what you are doing in your current job ___ Innovative ideas If you show any or all of these qualities, you could very well be on your way to owning your own business because you do have that entrepreneurial spirit. How to Clear the Road toward Entrepreneurial Success (photo courtesy of Freepik) Going from the 9:00 to 5:00 grind to the entrepreneurial spirit may not be the easiest path, but it is something you can achieve. However, there are several steps you need to t…

Five Ideas to Get Your Freelancing Noticed

You started from scratch. You built your freelance business up from nothing. You’re doing well and you're proud of your accomplishments. However, you want more. You want to build a bigger business - one that supports all of your personal and financial goals. Here are five top tips to take your freelancing business further. #1 Publish - Publishing e-books, books and reports on pertinent and relevant topics in your industry will make you a household name. When you meet prospects you can say, “Here, let me give you a copy of my book.” Perhaps more importantly, people will start coming to you for your services because they’ve heard of you through your book. Publishing enhances your authority and credibility. It also makes it possible to justify higher rates. You are, after all, a published author and expert. #2 Blog - Okay, so you’re probably blogging already. But are you blogging on other industry blogs? Are you guest blogging for those movers and shakers in your industr…

The 5 Considerations You Need to Make When Creating Your Business Plan

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." That quote has been bandied about for so long, it is difficult to accurately determine who said it first. It has been credited to Benjamin Franklin and other great minds. Regardless who first made the statement , or since, it has definitely proven true where launching and managing a business is concerned. When creating your business plan, remember the following 5 important considerations that will help you achieve your goals. 1. Raising capital Forbes magazine reported that 8 out of 10 businesses fail within their first 18 months. What is the principal reason behind that 80% failure rate? The primary reason businesses big and small, off-line and online, fail so quickly is a lack of capital. You need upfront money to launch your business. You should also set some plan for a continual influx of capital, whether that be through sales, outside investors and venture capitalists, or diverting your personal income to your b…

Twelve Tips to Develop Your Online Media Kit

An online media kit is a page on your website where media and potential advertisers can learn what they need to know about your company. It generally contains: * Company overview * Summary of your products and services * Press releases or newsworthy items * Professional credits * Advertising rates * Traffic and demographic information * FAQs * Case studies, success stories, or testimonials * Professional surveys or reports * A calendar of industry or media appearances It makes sense to make sure you have a top-notch media kit available to interested parties. The promise of potential media coverage will undoubtedly boost your business and profits. And an increase in advertising sales, if you sell ad space on your website, is always welcome. Here are the top tips to develop your online media kit: * Make sure your press releases and newsworthy items are up-to-date and that they’re organized with the most recent release at the top. * Take the time to craft c…

How Savvy Women Who Work from Home Stay Motivated

Here are a few tips to help savvy work at home moms (WHAM) stay focused and motivated. #1 – Set a schedule. One of the best ways to stay productive when working from home is to separate work from home. By setting work hours you say to the world and to yourself “I’m now working and can only deal with work.” Once your work hours are finished you can then move on to other tasks. This is exactly what you would do if you worked outside the home. Being strict with yourself and setting a work schedule means that you not only get more done but you keep motivation at an all time high. It’s very demoralizing to fall behind on your work and this can really send any motivation you have into a nose dive. Avoid this trap by working to a set schedule. #2 – Create a goals board. Creating a visual reminder of why you do what you do is extremely motivating. This can be a simple cork board that you add written goals to. You can also add pictures of your family and other reminders…

What to Expect From a Coach

There are many different coaching styles and just as many opinions as to which is best. Here is a list of what you can expect from the coaching relationship: Visionary: A coach helps you envision your desired outcome. Strategist: A coach helps you map out a plan to reach your goals. Partner: A coach helps you reach the desired goal. Trainer: A coach teaches you the skills, strategies and techniques to address your concerns. Resource: A coach provides resources and connections to ensure your success. Listener: A coach listens. Motivator: A coach inspires. Supporter: A coach provides support in difficult times. Advisor: A coach offers advice to help you grow. Guide: A coach helps you get and stay on track. Helper: A coach assists you with difficult assignments. Assertive: A coach is direct when needed. Accountability: A coach helps you reach your goals by checking in regularly. Coachin…

Real Growth Requires You To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Can you think back on a time of real growth, be it in business, in your personal life, or anywhere else? More than likely, you had to step out of your comfort zone for that growth to happen. Yes, we can make progress by doing what we’ve always done. But it will be slow and more importantly, by staying within your comfort zone, you are limiting your potential growth. It’s when we step out of that zone, try something new, take a bit of a risk, and allow for personal and professional growth that we start to see big changes for the better. Let’s say you goal is to grow your reach and get out in front of a larger audience. What you’ve done so far, and what feels comfortable is writing a blog post a week and then sharing it on social media. Yes, some readers will find you. Yes, if you double or triple your efforts, publishing more posts per week and sharing more often across all your social media accounts, you will see some growth and engagement. But you’re staying in your comfort…

To Engineer Explosive Growth In Your Business You Must Stack Your Efforts

In order to create explosive growth in your business, you must take actionable steps like writing down your goals as well as mindset pieces like the one about stepping out of your comfort zone. In this article we are going to talk about combining those pieces into something that can give you that explosive growth you want. You see when you use the basic concept of exponential growth to your advantage, it doesn’t take very much progress in any one area to see big results. We briefly touched on this idea back on day three when we talked about increasing traffic, subscribers, and customers to add to our bottom line. Today we expand on this whole idea in a few different ways and tie it all back into setting goals and business planning in general. The idea is to make progress on your goals and stack them in a way that gives you leverage. Here’s an example. Let’s say your first goal is to grow your current part time income by $500 a month so you can quit your day job. Followin…

Why You Should Write to One Person On Your Blog

People end up on your blog a number of ways. They may be referred to you by friends or colleagues, or reach one of your blog posts through an Internet search. However someone finds your blog, that person doesn't care how many other people you are trying to reach. If you receive 1000 unique visitors to your blog each month, none of those human beings is thinking about any of the others. This is why it is extremely important to write in the second person. This means addressing your content to the words you, yourself and yours. No matter how much traffic you get, your blog is visited by a single person at a time. If someone was talking to you, across a coffee table in a friendly chat, wouldn't you prefer it if they spoke to you as an individual, rather than a member of a group? People love being recognized for who they are as an individual. When you write your content as if you are speaking to that individual, a single person, that person that reads your content as if you…

How to Identify Your IDEAL Client

If there’s one mistake that new—and sometimes even established—business owners make, it’s this: failing to develop a clear vision of her ideal client. Too often we think our service or product is “for everyone.” And while it might be true that everyone could use your help, it’s simply not possible for you and your brand to appeal to everyone. Your prices might not be in line with what some can afford. Your branding might not resonate with others. Your story may not touch everyone with the same sense of urgency. And when you try to reach everyone, rather than narrowing your focus to your truly ideal client, you dilute your message, making it even less likely that those perfect customers will find you. But if you’re just starting out, it can seem an impossible task to know who your ideal client is. Start with these three points. 1. Gender. Is your audience male or female? While men and women might both read and enjoy your content—and even buy your products—you will …