Fortunately, in a sea of sameness it’s not too difficult to position yourself as the expert that you are. With just a little creativity and extra effort, you can be a stand-out in your industry and be the envy of your peers. When you master the following three strategies, your marketing will become much more effective, and profitable.

1. Be like Webster:
It’s absolutely imperative to define yourself and your brand. Whether it’s a well defined niche, or emphasis upon your area of expertise, (or even better, BOTH!) you must have some distinguishing characteristics that are quickly and easily identified. Your prospective clients will decide in less than three seconds whether to hang out on your website, or open your emails.

When you take a stand as a specialist, it makes your marketing easier, and also more attention getting. As an expert, it becomes simpler to understand who your target audience members are, and where to go to find them. It also makes the “how-to” part of marketing more natural and FUN. Furthermore, when you have a specific audience and a systematized solution, it’s unquestionable as to what type of information, solutions, resources and tools will provide the most value to your market, and get the most attention for your business.

2. Speak Results:
Being a specialist pays off most when it’s clearly conveyed, as in shouted from the rooftops. Emphasize your message at every point of communication so that it’s cohesive across all of your digital marketing channels. On your website, make sure that your tagline, home page copy, and opt-in gift are related and connected with the same theme. Make sure that all your blog posts have a central goal centered around the results your clients want. Every time your clients cross your path you want them to be reminded that you are the “go-to” resource for your area of expertise.

3. Avoid Vanilla:
Marketing needs to stand out and get noticed, like mint chocolate chip or even superman. Vanilla gets overlooked in a freezer of flavors. There are many business owners who are unwilling to invest in a slick website or a beautiful brand. That means there is opportunity for you to steal the spotlight. Over 85% of all buying decisions are researched on the internet. What do your prospective clients see when they look at your online marketing?

Give your marketing materials a once over. Is your website clean, uncluttered and easy to scan? First impressions count more than ever, especially in the online world where it only takes one click to look elsewhere. Make sure that your marketing gets noticed and is worthy of being bookmarked, shared, and subscribed to. Killer copy writing, eye popping graphics, interactive elements like video, podcasts, and assessments all combine for a creative communication strategy that attracts clients and provides you with residual income.

Which of these strategies do you need help with? Leave me a comment or a question below, I’d love to help you out.

Here are three threatening mindsets that might be precluding you from getting the success you ultimately desire.

1. Long range results: For many entrepreneurs, focusing on a specific set of results can stop the process of achievement.  For example, being too focused on creating revenue, attracting clients or launching a project can create more stress and frustration than simply focusing on the individual action steps that lead to the result.  Even worse, the frustration can cause some to give up and quit.   Sometimes the best way to achieve your goals is to focus on your moving feet rather than the finish line.

Create a plan, and follow the steps for at least a few weeks and try to ignore all signs of improvement or lack of progress.

2. Tangible Results: Business is just a math equation, and even the most mathematically challenged business owners know that revenue must be higher than expenses in order to have a sustainable business.  Yet focusing too much on the bottom line can impact morale, confidence and most importantly, customer service.  Not everyone is equipped with the head space to crunch numbers, keep organized records, and crunch numbers.  Let your book keeper generate your P&L statements so you can focus on what you do best.

It’s much more empowering and peaceful to concentrate on providing more value to clients and customers, and the money will follow.  Count your clients and let your accountant calculate the cash flow.

3. Sell the result: Sales trainers will tell you to sell the sizzle, not the steak.  In other words, sell the results that your clients need and want.  Lagging sales are often because the salesperson tries to sell the service or product, not the value or possibility.

However, many marketing mentors will also recommend that you detach from the outcome your clients achieve in order to protect your sanity.  We can’t want results more than our clients want them for themselves.   Reducing stress safeguards the safety of a business.

However, it’s a fine line between ethical and sane.  As someone who invests in her clients equally as much as they invest in me, I’ve found that it’s better to teach our clients how to focus on achievable results and position our services accordingly.   Never sell an outcome that isn’t reasonably achievable.  Frustrated clients are even more dangerous than the business owner’s frustration.

Consider implementing at least one of the above strategies for a month see if there is a shift in your “results”.   If you have a question or comment, leave one below, I’d love to get your feedback.

However, when entrepreneurs seek out consultants, marketers, trainings, and mentors, our business decisions are often influenced by these outside forces.  After six years of studying, coaching, and training, I’ve learned that there are four big rules that I just can’t (and have chosen not to) follow in running my company.

These are four big rules that I’ve been taught, and have tested over the years.  In the end, I’ve rewritten them to fit my personal views, principles and personality.

1.  Don’t Overdeliver:  While it can be a tendency for entrepreneurs to sell themselves short and give too much away for less than what’s worth, this can be easily adjusted and balanced.  However, what I take issue with is the strategy of purposely offering less than what clients need so they have to continually invest to get what they want.   This creates frustration, disappointment, and potentially a reputation management issue.

I have found that the more value I give to clients, the more likely it is that they will continue to work with me and send me referrals.  Happy and satisfied clients also write fantastic testimonials, reviews, and give glowing word-of-mouth feedback which will ultimately be a better business building strategy over time.

2. Always be selling:  While revenue is the most important asset for any business, cash flow is impossible to create without clients.  And when marketers are sending a barrage of “buy buy buy” offers, subscribers and clients can become turned off.  It’s imperative to not view people as ATM machines.

A better phrase to follow is: “always be giving.“   In looking for ways to provide value, build relationships, and come from a place of service, prospective clients and current clients will want to stay connected indefinitely, and will refer others in our direction.

3. You don’t need a website:  Many marketers love to say that you don’t need a website or a list to build your business.  The logic is based on the ability to create revenue by connecting with the right people and having sales conversations.  This is absolutely possible, it’s how I started all of my businesses.   However, a more accurate statement would be: you don’t need a bad website.

While it’s true that most entrepreneurs aren’t website marketing experts, and it’s a waste of time and lost revenue to spend time and money doing the wrong things for a website that ultimately won’t provide an ROI, the right website will build a list quickly and create revenue more easily than networking and making phone calls.  Plus, a great and effective website will help you build your business around the clock.

4. Follow the money:  The strategy of following the leader and creating a business that is on someone else’s business model is potentially the most dangerous of all.  The popular mantra is to “find someone who’s successful and do what they’re doing.”   However, there are many pitfalls to blindly following the leader.

One of the coolest things about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to be creative.  We can be creative with the services we offer, our marketing, and the culture we co-create with our team members.   Part of the creativity process is allowing our own gifts, talents, passions, and instincts lead us in the right direction.

What happens when we follow a model that isn’t a good fit for who we are and what our long range plan is, is that we create a business that is a far cry from the original vision and mission we had when we first started out.

The key is to create a business that encompasses proven models and strategies, but also allows our own brilliance to clearly shine through.   It’s great to have access to mentoring, coaching, trainings, templates, checklists, and processes, but they will serve you best when you apply your own creative stamp.

Which of these risky rules do you break and why? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to know your thoughts.

I have followed all the rules in building an international multi-six figure coaching business, and I have broken many of the rules too. Recently, I’ve realized that I had it ALL wrong.  Although I had created a mutli-six figure business, I was looking at things in the wrong way.  What I mean by that is that there is always a cause and effect relationship for any result whether it’s positive or negative.

Here is an example of what I’m referring to, fill in these blanks:

I can prove that my business is growing because:

1._____________________________________
2._____________________________________
3. _____________________________________

Until recently, my answers would have looked like this:

1.  My revenue has quadrupled

2.  My list of subscribers has doubled

3. I have increased my pricing.

But, I was completely wrong.  I was way off base.  My big wake-up moment is that none of those things prove that my business is growing!  They are effects of something else, not the cause.  The true cause was right in front of me, and I knew it was there but I didn’t give it enough credit.  And now that I’m so much more clear, everything looks differently.

Have you ever had one of those moments?  I’ve had a few in my life, like when my mom died.  Life seemed more precious, small things seemed smaller and big things were bigger. My big wake-up call is that the reason my business has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, is NOT because of my marketing, or hard work, or even my sales skills, although they have played a part.  The bottom line is that companies only grow if they have satisfied clients and customers.

And when your satisfied clients and customers are happy, they become raving fans and loyal advocates to you and your business, and that is what changes everything for the better.   Marketing becomes more effective, and also easier because you can get away with less when referrals are rolling in.  Your list grows organically, your open rates depend less on your subject lines and more on “from”, your testimonial pages fill up, your social media pages get more likes, comments and shares, and these are just some of the benefits.

I’ve followed the rules of marketing and building a coaching business, and I’ve also broken some rules when they didn’t seem to be a fit for my personality and nature. And recently, the more rules I break, the better things are.  The happier my clients are, they more they promote me, and the happier I and my team are.  What I’ve found is that following my heart is always a better journey than following the money trail.  Following our instincts is always better than following along.

One of my business mentors asked me to do an exercise where I asked my clients why they’ve stayed with me for years and continued in invest in my services.  When I started looking at my treasured clients responses in preparing for my event where I’ll be teaching ethical relationship marketing strategies and how to create lifetime clients, a light bulb went on that could have lit the entire Great Lakes.  “Eureka!  My clients are my mirror,” I realized almost instantly.  I’ll share more about this soon.

Home is where your blog posts are, and this website is home for me.  I tried a different path for awhile, but it ultimately was just part of the journey rather than a new destination.  I’m getting ready for my event next week, and those of you attending will get a close up view of my new business model and preview of my new services and programs, which I’m really excited about and I’m 100% sure you will as well because I’ll be delivering what you’ve been asking for for years.

Next week I’ll share with you the four big marketing rules I chose to ignore and how breaking the rules was one of the best things I’ve ever done.  What rules have you broken, and which ones do you need to break?

Whenever I speak to prospective clients, one of the first questions I ask is, “what will a successful business will do for you?”  The answers I hear range from personal fulfillment,  positive change in financial status, and  the inspiration of others.  Many people explain to me that they want to be role models to their clients as well as their circles of family, friends, and even their children.

This resonates with me because my success as a business owner is something I hope positively influences my own clients, colleagues, friends and family.   I spend a lot of time thinking about how my role as a business owner affects my two daughters.  I would love to see how they might emulate my path if they are so inspired.

As a former teacher, student, and parent, I know many educational systems spend time trying to match students talents and aptitude to suggested college programs and possible vocations.  While I recognize that this can serve a purpose,  it isn’t always the best method to help a student find their life purpose.

While I do want my girls to have a college education and have that experience, I often spend time talking with them about what they love to do now.  Many times our passions and interests as children are clues as to what may become a career that is more fulfilling than becoming a doctor, lawyer or architect because tests and guidance counselors suggest it.   When I think about my own interests as a child, I remember loving to write and teach.  It’s no surprise that both of these are key components to what I do as a business and marketing consultant.

Recently I’ve tried to devote some time to mentoring my fourteen year old.  She has accompanied me on some conferences where she has met some of my colleagues, who have been generous with sharing their wisdom and advice on subjects such as intuition, careers, and life.  I recently took her with me on a recent photo shoot to meet a photographer who blends her intuitive gifts with her photography talent.  I intuitively suspected that when I discovered this photographer (Siddiqi Ray of AuRay.com), that she was put in my path more for my daughter than for myself.

Because my oldest daughter has a passion for photography, that trip was very transformative as I invested in my daughter also experiencing the make-over and headshots taken.  The photographer felt a connection with her and volunteered to mentor her for a few days this summer.  This opportunity may have far reaching effects for my daughter.

Finding gratitude for being a business owner can be trying when we have days that are stressful.  I know there are days when I feel frustrated and overwhelmed.  But fortunately, seeing possibility and transformation through the people who are inspired by us as entrepreneurs, whether it’s through our clients, friends, family, or even our children, it serves as a powerful reminder that there are many rewards in living our dream.

If you have any comments or stories of inspiration or gratitude that have been influenced by your business, please leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear!

Many business owners believe that they need to spend time and money on their websites, their promotional materials, or in joining expensive networking groups.  Whether your marketing plan is random, or exhausting, it is often an exercise in futility.  Even a marketing calendar filled with coffee meetings, writing proposals and making cold calls often fails to create cash flow.   The harsh truth is that all of these things are a waste of time and money without one very crucial skill.   An entrepreneur’s main priority needs to be on sales.

While it’s true that marketing is what attracts leads and prospects to your door, without strong sales systems these leads will allow a lot of money to fall off the table.  It is extremely stressful and frustrating when clients tell you that they “can’t afford” your services, or that “this isn’t the right time”.  These are common objections that quite often signal issues in the sales process and results in not having a signed agreement with a new client.

Marketing and sales are extremely important to every successful business, but it’s important to know which one to focus on first in building your business.  In order to stay in business, a company needs to have revenue, which means sales need to be happening on a regular basis.   A company without sales is a company that is out of business.

Consider what happens with an entreprenuer who is a mindless~marketer.  She tries a variety of marketing methods, and as more time passes, she gets more stressed out about the long time survival of her company.  As her frustration and stress levels rise, prospective clients pick up unconsciously on her anxiousness.  She gets caught in a cycle of neediness, and chasing clients as a desperate attempt to relieve her financial burden.  This creates a cycle of mental and financial stress.

However, the more sales and revenue your company creates, the less marketing you need to do.  Consider the business owner who knows how to convert a lead into a client, with an average conversion rate of even 50%.  That business owner has the confidence that with only a few sales calls per week, the odds are excellent that they will be able to create the revenue they need to grow their business.  That business owner has a relaxed confidence that their marketing and sales system will sustain their income and overall business success.

A solid marketing plan for success defines the following 9 sales skills:

1. Your ideal client
2. That market’s needs, wants and challenges
3. A lead attraction blueprint
4. The sales strategy which includes your packages and pricing
5. Your proprietary process, messaging and communication strategy
6. A mastery on the sales conversation
7. A plan for handling client objections
8. Customer service protocols
9. Referral methods

Therefore, it makes sense that investments which will build and polish your sales skills is a wise investment that should take precedence before marketing for leads that may not convert into sales.   Actually, a strong and well defined sales strategy will produce leads and clients without having to spend a lot of money on marketing.   Plus, when sales are strong, you will create plenty of revenue that will allow you to easily afford marketing methods that can be put into place by capable contractors, which frees up more time to create more revenue. Then you will have a profitable business that has a strong engine which will fuel your future growth.

I’d love for you to share any questions or comments below!

Free sessions are hands down one of the best ways to attract new clients.  Being that the number one job of every business owner is to make sales, offering free sessions is a strategic way to get clients and bring in that needed revenue.  Let’s face it, a day without sales is a day without income and too many of those means you’re out of business or officially a non-profit.

Seasoned coaches know that an effective way to fill the calendar is to offer clients a complimentary session.  Coaches often call these “discovery” or “strategy” sessions.  Actually, you don’t want to call them either.  Give your consultation a juicy name which is benefit driven that appeal to your client’s burning desire.   For example, “Summer Slim Down Strategy Session” is much more enticing than “free strategy session”.

Be sure to put a value on your session, as in “I’d like to offer you the opportunity to schedule a free strategy session, which is a $297 value”.   Look for ways to gift your strategy sessions as program bonuses, or after speaking engagements, workshops, etc.  You can also allow your referral partners to gift them as a way to add value to their services and packages.

There are many ways to fill your appointment book with free sessions, however, there comes a time when every business owner needs to decide whether to continue offering sessions for free, or to charge for them.   It can be a turning point for a  coach to make this decision for his or her practice.

Here are four factors to consider when considering whether to charge or not for your consultations.

1. Your schedule: Is your client roster virtually filled?  If so, it’s definitely time to start charging for your valuable time.  It may also be time to raise your rates and expand your services to include more profitable services, such as VIP days, group coaching, and live events.

2. Your price point: Are your services at a price level that is considered to be more high~end than low~end?  If so, you probably want to be selective about to whom you offer your no~cost sessions.  Charge for your strategy sessions, or only extend complimentary invitations to clients who have already invested in your products, programs and services.

3. The client: Have an application process the client must complete before allocating time in your schedule for a strategy session.  Ask some pre-qualifying questions through an application to determine if the prospective client is a good fit for your services.

The criteria to evaluate is the urgency of the client to solve their challenges, their level of commitment and motivation, and their coachability.   Consider turning away completely anyone who is uncooperative about adhering to your request in completing and returning the intake form, or complacent about their goals, or charge for your time.

4. Your team: Do you have team members who are trained, or can be trained, to emulate your sales process?  If so, you personally should stop doing your sales calls and delegate them to your capable team members.  This option would allow you to continue offering free sessions to prospective clients if desired, but will liberate you from everything but service delivery and revenue producing activities.

The bottom line is that the longer you’re in business and the more revenue your company is producing, the more you can afford to be  selective about to whom you offer your valuable time and strategy sessions.  It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing decision, you can also change your policy depending on how busy you are, or on your mood!   After all, freedom of choice is one of the inherent benefits in working for yourself.

Thanks so much for reading!  What questions or challenges do you have regarding offering strategy sessions? Leave me a comment below, I’d be happy to answer your questions.

The reason for this is because there is a big difference between having a website, and having a website that gets you a return on your investment.  If your website isn’t producing clients and revenue on a regular basis, it’s not worth its hosting and domain fees.  What separates the internet marketing professionals and the amateurs, is in knowing how to integrate strategic sales and marketing strategy into their online marketing plan.

Too many people spend too much time on the aesthetics for their site.  They spend weeks and months making the site look “perfect”. But the main focus needs to be on the strategy.  Graphics don’t turn visitors into clients. There are many components that need to be included in order to leverage and maximize revenue opportunities, but here are the main features an efficient and profitable website should include:

1. Traffic: Obviously, one of the first marketing strategies to consider is how to attract traffic to your website.  Unfortunately, it’s much more complicated than, “build it and they will come”.  The truth is that they won’t come without a marketing plan.

The key part of getting traffic is in making sure that its targeted traffic, meaning comprised of mainly your ideal clients.  In order to do that, it’s important to have a niche, to stake a claim as a specialist, and engage in keyword and competition research so that your peeps are able to find you.

Once you have a keyword strategy, and you understand where the holes are regarding your competitors, you can optimize your site and content for the search engines, which will attract the traffic which is most likely to be interested in your services.

2. Irresistible offer:  The number one job of your website is to build your list.  Some clients will find your website and be ready to hire you at first glance, but according to the Rule of Seven in marketing, many people need to hear from you at least seven times before they know, like and trust you enough to invest in your services.  The truth is, for most websites, the revenue comes from a consistent and effective email marketing campaign.

The bigger and more targeted your list is, the more clients you will have in your pipeline now and in the future.  This all starts by getting your website visitors to subscribe to your juicy incentive that they find too irresistible to refuse.  However, your incentive will only be juicy if it is targeted to your ideal clients and provides a solution to their burning needs.  This is where having a target marketed and understanding their needs becomes necessary in order to offer the perfect opt-in gift.

Showcase your compelling opt-in gift with attention~getting graphics, calls to action, a price value, and the word “free”.  Your opt in form should be on every page of your website, with eye~catching graphics that correspond with the offer.  People judge a book by it’s cover online as well as off, so make sure your graphic design is professional and corresponds to your offer.  For instance, have an ecover for your guide, or a cd graphic for an audio gift, etc.

3. Connective Copy:  The content you put on your site can make or break conversions.  How you title your opt in, what you say on your home page, the way you describe your services and write your blog posts will either attract or detract visitors.  Copy writing for a website is much different than writing for offline venues.  The goal to provide information that visitors will find valuable enough to read, engage with, and ultimately feel connected to who you are and what you offer.

You can accomplish this by talking directly to your ideal client.  Imagine your favorite previous client, and write directly to them in a conversational tone.  Use result oriented and benefit driven copy writing which is written in first person.  Remember, website visitors care little about you and your services until they believe that you understand them and their concerns.

The right type of copy writing can generate traffic, attract links, increase subscribers, and grow your business with clients, revenue and profits.

4. Contact form:  Be sure to have an easy to find contact form that customers can easily contact you.  Offer a variety of ways to get in touch, including a contact form, an email address, phone number, address, and skype.  Clients have a variety of preferred ways to get in touch, so try to appeal to everyone’s preference and make it easy to find.

If your website is missing any of these features, get them on your website as soon as possible and start building your list more efficiently.   Your list is a gold mine of targeted clients who will be excited to hear from you, work with you, and ultimately buy from you.

Which of these website elements do you need to put in place, and are there any other website marketing strategies that are helping you build your list and attract clients?  Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

First we have the Aggressive Amanda’s. Aggressive Amanda is very hype-y, sales-y, and in-your-face marketer who churns out emails, products, programs and sales pages. She probably emails you several times a week, and even more so when there is something she is selling, which is often.

Aggressive Amanda uses hard-core sales tactics that feed your fears, emotions, and pushes your pain buttons. She tends to over~promise and under~deliver. Like a bad friend, after awhile you feel like it’s all about her. When you sample her wares, the goods (and the refund policy) leave a not-so-sweet taste in your mouth.

The problem with Amanda is that after awhile, unflattering reviews start to circulate, and people unsubscribe in droves. Amanda has to consistently put a lot of effort into list building to replenish the high numbers of people
who hit the “unsubscribe” button on the bottom of her ever so plentiful emails.

Eventually Aggressive Amanda hits a plateau in her business that she can’t get past because people talk and she can’t build her list faster than than it gets depleted. She also can’t rely on repeat business when customers realize that her Kool-Aid is watered down and filled with artificial flavors.

Then there are the Authentic Amy’s. Amy is someone you’d love to take out to lunch and be friends with. She provides more value and content than pitches, provides more facts than fiction, and her marketing is more of a mix of fun and fair than fairytale. When you hear from her your first thought isn’t, “OMG, another email from her?!!”

Amy is someone you love to hear from, and you try to open most of her emails to see what she has to say because she is personable and approachable and may even may even go out of her way to show you she cares by remembering your name. She might even send you a personal note, write on your Facebook wall when it’s your birthday, and call you out of the blue just to see if there is anything with which she can help you out.

I’ve invested in marketing mentors who used sales tactics that didn’t feel good to me, so I couldn’t in good conscious implement what I was paying to learn. . The lesson I learned was more about what NOT to do, and who I didn’t want to be, which is the silver lining in a very expensive storm cloud. Since then I’ve invested in mentors who were more in alignment with my values and principles and haven’t looked back.

One of my favorite (and most honest and honorable) online marketers, Mike Hill, recommends not using any marketing methods that “your mom wouldn’t be proud of.” I love that mantra! I’d add also not to use any marketing strategies that would embarrass your kids either because they do Google each others parents in class sometimes, believe me it happens.

If you’d like to be more of an Authentic Amy than an Aggressive Amanda, strive for marketing that feels authentic, honest, and comes from a place of service. Truly effective marketing makes your customers feel like you care, and shows them that you’re sincere about wanting to help them succeed. Always be more than generous with your content because providing consistent value will always want people want to stick around.