What’s Your Yearly Theme – Enter Our Contest!
Part 1: How To Enter the Contest
Post your theme for 2010 below, in our comments area and you’ll be entered into our contest. Email or postings on social networking sites will not be considered.
Don’t know what a yearly theme is? No problem. Read the article below and then create one.
The winner will be awarded a free consulting session on Feb. 2, 2010 (the contest ends 1/31/10). A $500 VALUE!
NOTE: This contest cannot be won by a current or former client, someone who has paid for one of our programs, our family members, or our power team members. But all those folks can post your theme below, even if can’t be a non-winners.
Part 2: The Article The Started the Contest
Have You Created Your Yearly Theme?
by Maria Marsala
Summary: Themes can make your year fun and focused.
They’re much easier to create or use and they last much longer than list of resolutions.
Article: Have You Created Your Yearly Themes Yet?
New Year’s resolutions don’t last long, do they? Instead, consider creating a theme to help keep you focused throughout the year.
Themes can be uplifting. Have you ever given a birthday party and asked people to bring gifts with a "garden" or "fishing" theme? I know someone who asked people to bring something they made themselves! What a wonderful idea! To actually get what you want at your party!
A theme can help you get what you want out of life, too. Anyone who is evolving can be helped considerably by having a terrific support network. Well, themes are part of a person’s support structure, the part that comes from the inside. When you create a theme for the year (or month, or quarter), you will be automatically pushed forward toward your goals. Why? Your theme helps keep you focused by providing you with a starting point during your decision making process. So important are themes, that creating one is the first of 24 steps towards creating a strong "Personal Foundation," a program that many coaches offer their clients.
Themes can be a few words or even one word to describe what you want to accomplish for the year.
What’s important is, once created, it inspires you into action and is easy to remember.
I recommend that you write your theme on index cards and place them strategically around your home and office.
A theme located near your mirror or designed on a poster for your office is a quick reminder of what you want to manifest.
Some examples of personal themes are…
- Forgive.
- I’m worth it!
- Financial freedom here I come!
- Move’n on.
- Have fun, fun, fun in all I do!
- Put down roots.
- Be present, present be.
- Be a successful me.
- Big leaps of faith
- Action, action, action
- Enjoying all I have
Examples of business themes are…
- Do it or dump it.
- Time is valuable.
- Prosperity first.
- Move’n on.
- No more Lone Ranger.
- Ask for help, even when you don’t need it.
- Free is not me.
Right now is a great time to create your yearly themes for the next year.
© 2010 Maria Marsala is a Strategic Business Advisor, Speaker, Author and former Wall Street Trader.
We help high-achieving, big thinking business women expand their businesses
strategically and get results — faster. Get Maria’s no B.S. advice today. Join MORE Business
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The 10 Questions You Should Never Stop Asking
Thank you Marc Kramer for writing this article. http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/20/ten-key-questions-entrepreneurs-management-kramer.html
No-cost Online Systematizing Business Building Resources
by Maria Marsala
18 of Coach Maria’s Favorite Web Things
These are a few of my favorite web things. They are no-cost to you, however, there is an investment of your time involved if you learn how to use each item and then time to use them!
Snip Url
Purpose: Make long URLS shorter so that they don’t end up as broken links. Shorten links used on Twitter.
Use: While there are many sites that shorten links, by far, this is the best one. Register and you can monitor how often someone clicks on the link(s) you’ve provided in your posts.
http://www.snipurl.com
Lattiss
Purpose: An online scheduler program "in the cloud" for appointment automation originally created for salons, most business owners can utilize it, too. Give access to the control panel to your assistant or front desk, too.
Use: Clients and prospects can schedule sessions directly from your website. 98% of mine prefer to use it. Also use it to schedule meetings, lunches, speaking engagements, etc.
http://www.lattiss.com/?promo=C906 View my calendar on my website here
Xenu
Purpose: Checks all the links on a page or website. Then you can manually fix the links that are broken.
Use: Download it to your computer. Check a whole website or a page you desire.
http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
Microsoft Templates
Purpose: Systematize your business by using these templates in whole or in part in your business.
Use: Visit the site, do a search for what you’re looking for or search to get ideas of what you need to systematize!
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/FX100595491033.aspx
Microsoft Backup for Outlook
Purpose: To make it easier to backup the main files and folders in Outlook for safe keeping.
Use: Follow the directions after you run the program. It will appear in the FILE area of your program as "Backup"
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/ha010875321033.aspx
Microsoft PDF Maker for Office 2007
Purpose: Easily save files in a type of file that are easily opened and then read by both PC’s and Mac’s.
Use: It’s easier to send files through email this way. PDF versions of files makes it a "bit" more difficult for thieves to steal your work.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4d951911-3e7e-4ae6-b059-a2e79ed87041&displaylang=en
Microsoft Training
Purpose: Learn how each program we use can work even more to our advantage.
Use: Listen to the audio’s or read the training materials, do the practices, use the features.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx
Google Analytics
Purpose: Analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. Learn what’s working or not working on your websites.
Use: Put a code in the main folder of your website. Read and monitor the results.
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Google Keywords
Purpose: To get better keyword ideas to place.
Use: Possibly add the keywords to a pages meta tags, use in the copy of a page and in your Pay Per Click (PPC) ads.
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Browser Shots
Purpose: Browser shots makes screenshots of your web design in different browsers.
use: Add a link to your main website or a web page.
http://www.browershots.org
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Purpose: An international collaboration that helps determine web standards.
Use: Validate the code behind your web pages, also if it has to do with coding of your website, it’s on this site in a tutorial.
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:w3.org&q=validator and
http://www.w3.org/TR/
Alexa
Purpose: A few tools that can help you with your website or viewing competitors websites. Example: view how much traffic a website gets.
Use: Pick the tool you’re looking to use.
http://www.alexa.com/company
Wikopedia
Purpose: Interesting information on just about any topic that is as good as the person providing the information.
Use: Pick a language, research.
http://www.wikipedia.org/
The Resource Queen
Purpose: It’s like having a search engine just for business and marketing issues; I use it and update it often.
Use: New? Subscribe. Then click on the links on the top of the page, put in the password/id and locate resources.
http://www.TheResourceQueen.com
CSE Lite
Purpose: Check spelling and coding of a page of your website. Has a feature for checking “many” pages at a time that you enter into the program.
Use: You can use it directly from your website URL or (best) the website page back-up you have on your computer.
http://www.TheResourceQueen.com
Search Engine Spider Simulator
Purpose: Displaying the contents of a webpage exactly how a Search Engine would see it.
Use: Enter a website, wait for the results.
http://www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider-simulator.php
Xobni
Purpose: Plug-ins for Outlook and Salesforce helps you to manage relationships.
Use: A way to connect by picture, etc. another way with people you don’t know or do know who email you.
http://www.xobni.com/
Way Back Machine
Purpose: Although I’ve kept most of my website pages, sometimes I lose information and can find it here.
Use: Find s file on an old website; get some laughs. View old version of competitors websites.
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.coachmaria.com
What’s Your Favorite Resource?
Did I miss your favorite no-cost resource? Like or don’t like a resource from this list? Tell Maria what you really think by clicking here!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission. And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:
©2009 Maria Marsala, Profit Advisor at Elevating Your Business. We provide insightful input to high-achieving women business owners looking for powerful results. Specializing in boosting the productivity, profitability and performance of their company simpler, easier, and faster! Will you be next?
Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today and take our free Business Checkup.
Grow Your Business Faster With Your Very Own Board of Advisors!
If you are a business owner who is unhappy with the return you’re getting on your business, if you’re being paid less now than when you worked for someone else, or if you have poor or no life/business balance, read on.
You have only 8 more days to save 20% on my Millionaire Business Mastermind Program.
Act now and save on the Vision Statement Teleclass http://www.ElevatingYourBusinessU.com/tele/vision.html Save $80! Sale ends 12/31/09. Sign up for the Millionaire Business Mastermind and get this teleclass as a Bonus!
Act now and save on either level of the Millionaire Business Mastermind Program
www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com Save up to $500. Sale ends 12/31/09.
To help you evaluate this investment in your business, below are 8 reasons why you should apply for the Millionaire Business Mastermind Program and why you should use the program to turbo-charge your business in 2010!
1. Lasting Results:
You get step-by-step instructions, resources and tools to help create your personal vision and goals, your company’s One Page Business Plan®, ideal client/target market profile, elevator speeches, and so much more. We explain the theory behind what you’re creating – so that you can easily use your creations over and over again to get lasting results.
2. Work Less:
You identify your ideal clients and the best ways to market to them. Chasing after the next new marketing "bling" won’t be necessary. Instead you’ll grow your business using time-tested, proven-to-work marketing strategies that have been successfully used by our service-based business clientele. You’ll build a marketing system that you can replicate and fine-tune so that you don’t keep reinventing the wheel – and you’ll be working less.
(See all that our clients are saying. Click the link now www.elevatingyourbusiness.com/success )
3. Get a Life:
No one ever goes into business to work 80-hour weeks or end up overwhelmed and frustrated. The business owners I work with know that they have to do business differently. And they’re ready to get their lives back.
4. Save Money (let me count the ways):
ONE) Market with a small or even no marketing budget and still reach your ideal clients. These methods
don’t take years to learn, either!
TWO) Work with me 1:1 for a year, and your investment is a minimum of $10,000. This program costs one-quarter of that amount.
THREE) Save a maximum of $500 when you take action before 12/31/09.
FOUR) Write-off the investment on this year’s taxes, saving you even more money! Of course, check with your CPA, EA, or Accountant about this.
"Maria’s input has helped me organize my business more in three months than I had in the nine months prior. She asks the right questions and doesn’t mince words. Her vast storehouse of business and marketing knowledge makes her a valuable partner in my business. She’s helped me package my services, allowing me to increase my fees by 200% and the monthly sales of the company are more than 600% from where we were just 8 months ago. If you’re considering hiring an advisor to help grow your business more rapidly, look no further. Maria is a skilled, caring, but firm coach, and most importantly, she will help you get the results you’re looking for in your business and personal life."
Elin Barton, COO & Partner, White Knight Pro Video Company, Binghamton, NY, http://www.WhiteKnightPro.com
5. Growing Business Faster With A Team:
Growth does not come without discomfort. When you’ve been in business for a while, you realize that going it alone is lonely and it can drive you stir-crazy! You can put yourself back on track–energized and thoroughly invested–when you’re part of a winning team; be it an Advisory Board, an advisor on your side, or a team of others to hold you accountable. The growth of your company is almost always equal to the commitment you make of your time and the company you keep. People are ready to become your clients but you need to stand out from the crowd. It’s time to move forward and trust your intuition. It’s time to surround yourself with other business owners that will help you expand your mind-set. All it takes is the click of a link to reach out for help!
(Click the link and get started www.millionairebusinessmastermind.com )
6. Choose The Best Program For You, Your Life, and Your Business:
Silver Plan: This is a must for you if you are a pre-launch business owner. That means that you don’t have a business name, licenses, business bank accounts, or insurance and maybe you don’t even know what business you want to start (although you could know). You’ll get your business set up right and work on getting paid clients.
Gold Plan: You have a service business at various levels of success. You’re ready to catapult your profits and are sick and tired of working so many hours! You deserve a life and are ready for change. You’ll discover how to create the shortest path to attract and retain new clients.
Platinum Plan: While this program isn’t on our website, it’s for our clients who have finalized their One Page Business Plan and are ready to execute their plan. If you qualify, email me directly about this program www.CoachMaria.com/help
7. Proven Strategies, Tips, and Resources:
Our clients have used our methods for nearly 10 years, and I’ve used them over a lifetime.
"Since working with Maria for just one hour a month over a six month period, I was able to clarify my mission and vision for my business, quickly resolve problems as they arose, and create a much improved version of my elevator pitch. Best of all, I’ve seen a monthly increase of $3,000 in revenues and I’ve just about doubled my hourly rate."
Carrie Meeks Stallwitz, Public Relations and Communications Expert, Witz PR, Houston, TX, http://www.WitzPr.com
8. Our Guarantee:
If you do your homework and follow our advice, but do not double your income in 12 months, you will receive additional six months of the program for free. That’s a $1500 value at no extra cost to you!
(Here are some of the comments I’ve received from clients. Click the link now www.elevatingyourbusiness.com/success )
"Aside from forcing us to focus on growing our business, your program provides a logical, compelling, balanced template and your
hands-on support was insightful and effective. Despite this tough economic terrain, client satisfaction, client retention, our rates and profits are higher than ever. Our business awareness is clearer. To be blunt, your help in teaching us when to "throw the fish back" and walk away from inappropriate candidate clients has saved us far more than what your strategic business program cost. We are looking forward to continuing to work with you to internalize what you teach.
"
Mike Klasco, Audio Engineer and Nora Wong, COO, Menlo Scientific, Richmond, CA, http://www.MenloScientific.com Read the letter Mike sent us here
Act now and save on the Vision Statement Teleclass http://www.ElevatingYourBusinessU.com/tele/vision.html Save $80! Sale ends 12/31/09. Sign up for the Millionaire Business Mastermind and get this teleclass as a Bonus!
Act now and save on either level of the Millionaire Business Mastermind Program
www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com Save up to $500. Sale ends 12/31/09.
Upwards and onwards,
Maria Marsala,
Profit Advisor, Author, Speaker and former Wall Street trader
NOTE: Past or current customers’ results do not guarantee you will have the same results. The people who invest in our coaching, advising and training programs get amazing results when they do the work necessary to grow their businesses. They invest in themselves and take their investment seriously. They do their homework each week and automate, systematize, leverage, and hire others to do some of the work of running their businesses.
About Maria Marsala
An irrepressible entrepreneur, Maria entered the business world at age 14, landed on Wall Street at age 17, and shattered the glass ceiling at age 21. Fiercely determined and keenly insightful, she became a bond trader when female executives were as rare as pink diamonds. Maria spent the next 20 years streamlining corporate operations and generating profits for her employers. Her penchant for dispensing valuable advice became evident as she mentored other women, transforming secretaries into traders.
In 1998, brimming with over 25 years of business experience, Maria founded Elevating Your Business, a company dedicated to helping high-achieving women who own professional service businesses. Maria customizes solutions to detect and overcome each client’s unique obstacles, helping them create the business and lifestyle they only imagined possible.
When asked why they hire Maria, her clients consistently cite these three reasons:
- Her ability to "give them their life back" by systematizing and simplifying the essential functions of business, which they hate doing, including: planning, administration, operations, and marketing.
- Her insightful, kick-ass solutions to their business problems allow them to get unstuck quicker, attract their ideal clients, and achieve more in a few months than they could after years of struggling.
- Her focus on finances including budgeting, pricing, and creating products for their marketing funnel has increased their sales 25%-400% in 4 to 12 months!
After many requests to share her insights on what small business owners can learn from bigger businesses, Maria created a step-by-step program called "Corporate Secrets Marketing™". Her concepts have been quoted regularly in prestigious media outlets including: Money magazine, Jim Cramer’ "The Street", Women’s Day, Market Watch, Advisor Max, and The Bottom Line. Her strategies are mentioned in several books including: " Six Steps to Free Publicity"” by Marcia Yudkin, "Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists" edited by Gene Marks, and "Find Your Inner Betty" by Tanner Stransky – – she’ll deliver fabulous commentary to you, too. Maria has spoken internationally at more than 100 business and association meetings, retreats, conferences, as well as on radio and TV shows. Maria is an Internet-marketing veteran, trained life coach, certified teleseminar leader, author, and former newspaper columnist.
A life-long volunteer, Maria tutored first-graders at age 10, and has been recognized with numerous awards for her work with teenagers and protecting the environment. She currently holds memberships at Washington Distributive Education Clubs of America (WA DECA), Eagle Harbor UCC, Make Mine a Million, National Association of Female Executives (NAFE), Seattle Philanthropic Advisors Network (SPAN), Columbia Tower Business Club, and Women Business Advisors Alliance.
Maria is a very proud native NY’er who lives near Seattle, Washington. She is currently single and enjoys playing cards and games, gardening, attending the theater, driving around the country, attending concerts, or perusing hardware and office supply stores.
29 Great B2B Subject Lines
Enjoy this article from the Vertical Response Blog. (I did!)
http://blog.verticalresponse.com/verticalresponse_blog/2009/11/great-b2b-subject-lines.html
Are you ready for a business plan competition?
Well, the NY Times has posted a list of schools, organizations, etc. who are having competitions.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/11/business/smallbusiness/Competitions-table.html
P.S. If your group isn’t listed, have them contact the NY Times to add more to the list and you can have them post the events in the comments area of this blog post, too.
Are You Murdering Your Business?
You may not know it, but you could be causing the demise of your business. Could it be that it’s time to get focused, take action, be accountable and produce much better results? Let’s look at the business killers that could be holding your business down and then actions to maintain the right focus:
1. Focusing on Fires
Most business owners are focused on whatever business fires or emergencies come at them in a given day.
Action: Focus on creating a marketing plan and then execute your action plan.
2. Focusing on Bling
In business, bling is the shiny new marketing toy that everyone else seems to be using.
Action: Focus on doing more of what works. Test and monitor all current or new marketing strategies.
3. Focusing on a Long “To Do” List
Honestly, you can only “do” so much. Being busy does not equate to being productive.
Action: Focus on 5-9 strategies that will grow your business this year.
4. Focusing on Your Weaknesses
When you focus on your weaknesses, you spend your time being a frustrated learner and learning should be fun!
Action: Focus on your strengths and pay someone “to do” the work where you are weak.
5. Focusing on Control
It is expensive to continually learn new tasks and then do them. You waste time, money and make more mistakes when you do it all by yourself.
Action: Focus on delegating and taking care of you by creating a team of employees and consultants for your business.
6. Focusing on the Mass Market
When you market to everyone, you make no one special, and everyone wants to feel special.
Action: Focus on creating an ideal client profile and market to prospects who value what you offer and will pay you the most money in the least amount of time.
7. Focusing on Today Alone
Usually owners make decisions based solely on today and don’t think about how their decision will affect the future.
Action: Focus on decisions based on today, forecast five years from now, and develop a plan on how you will exit your business.
8. Focusing on Features
No one will buy from you if you stress the features or services that your company provides.
Action: Focus on the benefits and results your prospects will receive when they work with you.
9. Focusing on Cheap Prices
Have you noticed that cheap prices bring you clients who nickel and dime you (and waste so much of your time)?
Action: Focus on pricing your services “just right” based on the highest dollar amount your ideal clients will pay for them.
10. Focusing on What You’ve Been Doing
If what you’ve been doing isn’t getting you the results you desire, then your business needs some tweaking or even a reinvention.
Action: Focus on taking a fresh look at what you are doing, and if it is not working, get rid of it!
With special thanks to all my clients who reminded me of the basic changes they have made to their businesses that have helped them substantially grow their businesses and increase their profits.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission. And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:
©2009 Maria Marsala, Profitability Specialist at Elevating Your Business. We provide insightful input to high-achieving women business owners looking for powerful results. Specializing in boosting the productivity, profitability and performance of their companies simpler, easier, and faster! Will you be next? Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today and take our free Business Checkup.
How to Use Corporate Secrets to Manage “You, Inc. “
“The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” —Maureen Dowd, New York Times columnist
Big companies start out as small businesses; the most successful ones do all the right things that help them grow. When I was a junior trader on Wall Street, I learned a lot of those corporate “secrets” without realizing it. My five-year plan always got done in two years. At the time, I didn’t understand why; now I do. It was the “power” of planning, focus, and accountability.
There is a lot we can learn about guiding our careers from how companies operate. You can take the same strategies used to grow multi-billion dollar corporations and use them for the benefit of You, Inc. You are, after all, the owner of your own life, right? No matter whether you’re climbing the executive ladder or charting your personal life, here’s how to use some of these corporate secrets and strategies to plot your course forward (or upward, as the case may be!).
Here’s a simple look at five key strategic questions:
• Vision: What career are you growing?
• Mission: What’s the end result of this career?
• Goals – What results will you measure that define career success?
• Strategies – How will you grow your career?
• Plans – What is the work you have to do to reach your goals?
Your company probably uses a similar set of processes to achieve and monitor results and reach its long-term goals. The strategic questions we looked at above are adapted from the One Page Business & Performance Management System®, a resource used by executives and companies globally. You can use these questions to create a plan for your personal life, a five-year career plan, or to provide a framework around a team that you manage.
Why is it important? Well, consider this: If you don’t have your own vision, you may end up in someone else’s career! A common focus ensures that your staff knows what’s expected of them and that you’re all on the same page to meet objectives.
My experience as an executive and now coach is that too many people start their careers with a very loose plan for the future only to find – when they finally take some time to rest — that they are working at a company they don’t like, in a position they don’t fully enjoy. A 2007 survey by The Conference Board suggests that
Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs; less than half of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs, down from 61 percent just twenty years ago.
Unfortunately, most folks don’t get the value of planning. Not the time savings, expense savings, nor the money-producing results of planning. Ultimately, “pain” is what leads someone to give into taking the time out to plan. When you don’t like the results you’re getting, it’s time to do what you’ve been putting off.
Here is a simple way to look at the planning process:
• Assess where you are right now.
• Create your plan.
• Execute what you created.
• Monitor what you create and tweak it where necessary.
• Create a “lessons learned” form for each completed action plan.
Planning doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, it can be an adventure you take with your team. You can create a living breathing plan to help you keep focused on your goals and accountable to yourself (and others) on just one-page
Remember, you’re in charge of You, Inc., and really—who better to take charge?
How Business Owners Can More Easily Reach the Affluent
Locating and Engaging Affluent Clients More Quickly in Your Own Community
Remember the scene in Pretty Woman when call girl Julia Roberts goes into the pricey boutique, money in hand, to buy some clothes, only to have the sneering sales ladies shame her out of the store? Well, Julia gets them back by taking her excessive purchasing power elsewhere, then coming back to flaunt it in their faces. The point is, don’t judge a book by its cover OR miss out on a great opportunity that may be right under your nose.
It is not always easy to spot someone with considerable purchasing power, namely because on the outside, they appear just like you and me. However, by changing your thought process and using some strategy, you may find that you’ve been surrounded by affluent prospective clients all along.
Affluence Today
First, let’s consider what it means to be affluent. Simply put, affluence indicates an abundance of money, property, or other material goods. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the Wikipedia description of affluent to mean the top 1% of U.S. earners, which is about $350,000 in household income. Inarguably, this is a lot of money. But the upper class are still people like you and me; most of them are not in the multi-mega millionaire Donald Trump category.
Short of asking everyone you meet their annual salary (definitely NOT a strategy I’d ever recommend!), how do you go about identifying affluent clients? They demonstrate consistent traits and habits.
About The Affluent
The affluent are zealous about their involvement. It’s easy to see their passion because it’s where they’re involved the most. Besides their devotion to their vocation, the affluent spend considerable time in organizations that allow them to live their avocation – think sailing, flying, and cigar clubs. Meeting affluent clients in this type of environment allows you to see what motivates them outside of a traditional business setting.
Similarly, the affluent are generally very philanthropic. A simple search of social networking sites for various charitable causes can yield long lists of members; clearly these are people who enjoy helping others and spreading the word about worthwhile organizations among their peer group.
An affluent client also values self-improvement. Whether it is personal or professional development, this type of person makes time to attend workshops or classes on topics of interest to them. They spend their time on high-value activities to continue personal and professional growth, and ultimately be more successful.
It probably also goes without saying that the affluent are a very discerning crowd. Simply put, they like “the best”, be it a service, product, or perception. This means they demand individualized attention. No matter how many customers or clients you have, make sure your affluent clientele perceive themselves as your one and only concern. This may require some additional work on your part, but the return on investment will more than make up for it.
Finally, affluent individuals typically surround themselves with other prominent people. They want to work with someone who’s already a known commodity – someone who has been prominently published, has received considerable news coverage, or is already connected within the right circles.
Why Target Affluent Clients
Affluent clients, though potentially more demanding than other clients, can provide significant payback.
This client type easily makes referrals to people they like, know and trust. Similarly, if you can help one of their friends or family members, it typically results in a new client somewhere down the line, a lá the “pay it forward” mentality. As business owners, affluents like to be part of joint ventures or strategic alliances of others who work with their clients.
Like most other consumers, the affluent buy things based on emotion but they are looking for exceptional value they couldn’t get anywhere else. Affluent clients see such expenses as an investment because it ultimately helps them make more money. If you are able to complete a task faster than they can, their time can then be focused on their core strengths. If you can demonstrate how your product or service benefits affluent clients, you won’t be seen simply as a commodity, but as an advisor.
Where To Look For Them
Knowing the background and value of affluent clients, you’re ready to fine tune your marketing plan to seek them out. Chances are, you’re already involved in many of these activities yourself.
Arts & Leisure
Boating/sailing clubs
Flying clubs
Fitness centers (especially early in the morning or during the school day)
Wine/cigar clubs
Performing Arts (opera, symphony, theatre)
Extreme sports like rock climbing, mountaineering, and deep sea fishing
Golf & Tennis clubs
Spa
Personal & Professional Development
High-priced conferences or events (especially retreats and cruises)
Speaking circuit
Business or executive clubs and bars (especially after work)
Masterminds like: Visage, Entrepreneur Network, The Alternative Board, Young Presidents Organization, Women Presidents Organization
Reading magazines such as Town & Country, Millionaire, Worth, The Robb Report
Community
City/Country clubs
Board of Directors/Trustee for large non-profits, banks, large corporations
Philanthropic Associations
Rotary and other service related organizations
Political dinners/fundraisers
First class seating in planes
Volunteers or participants at fundraising events
Angel Investment Organizations, some of which have a “service provide” category
Church (specifically for the older affluents)
How to Engage Affluents
Reaching these clients can be more fun than work – it’s all in your thought process! From the list above, pick activities that sound appealing to you trying them on for size. Keep your integrity intact and never do anything you hate doing just to meet prospective clients. Some other ideas:
Consider joining a group where they hang out, if you enjoy what the group offers of course.
Consider marketing or speaking to a group where they hang out.
Considering joining an organization you enjoy in one of the more affluent zip codes near you.
Get involved on a board of something you’re passionate about.
More Resources
Reading about the upper echelon may provide you additional marketing ideas.
The Sound’s wealthiest zip codes
The Richest Zip Codes—and How They Got That Way
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE?
If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission.
And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:
©2009 Maria Marsala, Profitability Specialist at Elevating Your Business. We provide kickass input to high-achieving women business owners looking for proven business results. We help you focus, take action and get better result$ — faster! Be next. In ten minutes you can assess your businesses strengths and weaknesses. Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today and take our free Business Checkup.
Find Serenity During The Holidays (when serenity is the last thing on your mind!)
50 Ways to Find Serenity During The Holidays (when serenity is the last thing on your mind!)
Read it, get it!
http://snipurl.com/serenitycards1
Toot, Toot …. Two in one day!
Quoted in article (well, it’s an article in an article )
10 Ways To Get Paid What You Deserve
http://snipurl.com/10waystogetpaid
Audio Interview by Angelia Miller of Adrenaline Living Talk Show
Success Doesn’t Happen Overnight. And it happens in ways you might not expect.
http://tinyurl.com/yjdtwdh
Happy Thanksgiving Business Advisors…
Thanksgiving is upon us and it’s one of the great times of the year to look back and take a real hard look at what I’m grateful for.
This year my business has taken a different turn with me adding more group work through my Mastermind program and I’ve created more One Page Business Plans using Skype then I’ve ever done before.
Additionally I have some great folks working for me, like Christine Mifsud of Right Hand MarCom who is updating the verbiage for my website (go see my home page and bio for the start of what’s she’s doing www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com And Nancy Oywang of
www.Eye2EyeGraphics.com who started giving my business a much needed new look 3 years ago, and now all my materials look so much more professional! And others like Nancy Kiefner who has helped me take a new look at my tag line (the new one is “Insightful Solutions. Lasting Results”.
Let me not forget Amanda Gibbs, who was my PA as she called herself, my Personal Assistant who did everything from help clean my house and iron my cloths to getting materials ready for my next speaking engagement. And Martie Hambas, a Realtor from Scarsdale, NY who motivated me through thick and thin – and happens to be my younger sister.
And last but not least are all the great students and clients I’ve helped doubled or triple their incomes; as it gives me much pleasure to help others make more money. And to Elin, who despite what she though, quadrupled her monthly income in six months! My thank you list can go on and on…
I know you’re busy, and I know that you want to know what’s in this email for you, so let me bottom line this email for you.
I’m having a stupendous pre-Thanksgiving sale on the next Fast Track to Business Success Mastermind group. Now, the sale is ONLY 4 days (November 24-28.) You can learn more about the program where you will work with me and your peers to substantially grow your business in just six months. Click here now
Join now and receive 1 extra CD (you can choose from any of the 6 CDs I created) – a $79 to $299 value and 30 extra minutes worth of 1:1 time with me (a $250 value) just for joining between November 24 and 28.
To learn more about the program go here right now.
http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com
Remember, you don’t need any coupon code for this discount, you just need to complete the Mastermind Application and send it to me A.S.A.P. — before midnight November 28, the sooner the better!
Why sooner? Because as soon as we talk, and as soon as you’re accepted in the program, I’ll send you all the software, CDs, reports and everythying else you’ll get that is mentioned at
http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com
Now, I don’t have another mastermind group like this starting for quite a while so this is your opportunity to get in on a program that has turbo-charged my clients success over the last 11 years. (The work we do in the group is very similar to what I do 1:1 with clients, except that instead of spending $15,0000. per year to hire me, you’ll be paying a small monthly fee.)
What you’ll be able to accomplish:
- Determine what your marketing campaigns should include to attract the best clients
- Learn how to leverage your time and talents and turn them into more money
- Improve your level of confidence and motivation because you’ll understand business so much better
- Create systems that will help you work smarter throughout the life of your business
- Become more focused, organized, and energized
- Get whatever answers you need on whatever areas of business you’re stuck with, whenever you need information.
Well… Are you ready to be the next business owner to double your income or double your free time? OR maybe you’re ready to start that business, get your passion back and get off the ground running.
Then put on your running shoes and click here
http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com /
Again there is no code to complete, instead complete our application here
http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com and schedule your 30 minute free session today.
Upwards and onwards,
Maria Marsala
Profitability Expert, Speaker, Author and former Wall Street Trader
P.S. Companies in business 25 have used these same strategies to grow their business. You can do it, too.
This is NOT a get rich quick program. This not a program that promises to make you wealthy tomorrow.
This IS a program that shares with you the basics of a strong business foundation, the same basics you’ll use over and over again to help your business grow year after year.
P.P.S. Just for my newsletter subscribers. Get a complimentary consultation by clicking here
http://snipurl.com/novcomplimentarysession
About Maria
Maria Marsala is CEO of Elevating Your Business, a company devoted to powering-up women ready to expand their businesses and live high-quality lives.
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love Maria’s marketing and business success home-study training products that will help you market and grow your business faster than you could on your own. They range from building strong business fundamentals, to online marketing, to speaking and attracting great clients.
An irrepressible entrepreneur, Maria sold AVON at age 14 and landed on Wall Street three years later. Fiercely determined and keenly insightful, Maria became a bond trader when women executives were as rare as pink diamonds.
In 1998, brimming with 25 years of business expertise, Maria Marsala created Elevating Your Business, a company dedicated to helping women business owners maximize their companies’ value and profits.
Are your existing business structures and systems draining your time and energy, ultimately undermining your dreams?
Drawing on her experience as a profitability advisor, speaker, author and life coach, Maria tailors solutions to detect and overcome obstacles, helping you create the business and lifestyle you only imagined.
Take the first step toward an increased bottom line, rocketing productivity, and a sparkling quality of life. Contact Maria today.
©1998-2009 Maria Marsala and ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Elevating Your Business
National Office
19906 Hamilton CT NE Suite A
Poulsbo, WA 98370
USA
Tele: 425-440-9659
Every dollar counts…
Your Pricing Your Services Just Right program helped me develop a pricing strategy (I was under-pricing) and give proper credence to my certification, experience and value of my services.
To be honest, testing this new pricing strategy was very risky for me. But I used my new rate with a lead and the reaction was you’re charging “too much”. Two choices: I could drop my price and deplete my value to what the prospective client felt was appropriate or fight for my price by explaining the value. I showed the prospective client how my services, calculated by the cost per participant, were very reasonable per person. He agreed and I was awarded the contract.
The bottom line….I made an additional $50 more per hour which amounted to an additional income of $200 for this one job. I felt empowered, informed and had the courage to do the right thing for myself and my business. Using what I was taught with just one client has almost paid for the cost of the class and CD. Thanks Maria!
Janet Graff, CMP
JLG Event Management Solutions
Your Event and Meeting Specialist (EMS) for Medical Meetings, Conferences and Events
We Simplify Registration and Contract Negotiations
http://www.JLG-EventManagementSolutions.com
NOTE: Tho learn more about Maria’s next “Make More Money” program especially for service business owners go to click here
12 Low-Cost Business Growth Strategies Available At Your Library!
12 Low-Cost Business Growth Strategies Available At Your Local Library!
by Maria Marsala
Ya, the library. You know, the poster-festooned encyclopedia vault from school days past? You probably spent a lot of time there, researching for science projects and book reports. Remember reaching up on tiptoes to hand your library card to the librarian at the check-out desk?
This should bring you back – Encyclopedia Britannica! It’s never too late to join the "look it up club" whose motto was "we never guess, we look it up." Use the library’s valuable resources-even when you can see over the librarian’s desk. Today, make an appointment with your local business or reference librarian, and then do it again three years. If you move, do it again. This person is a wealth of information and can show you everything mentioned in this article.
Go visit your library. Why? Well, it’s like the story of our computers and brains – we don’t use all that we have at our disposal. And we don’t know all there is to learn from an institution that has been an institution and safe haven for many.
See generations of tax dollars at work-and work these twelve low-cost library strategies for business owners listed below. Make the phone call, set the appointment, get off your duff, and visit your local library. If you haven’t been to one in years, you might have to find it, too!
An obvious benefit that allows you to borrow books, DVDs and CDs instead of buying them, saving you needless office clutter. Check and see whether you can reserve books online (tre convenient!) or whether your library has inter-loan agreements with other libraries, which gives you better access to what you’re looking for.
Find the calendar for the library system near you. You may have to do a little driving to attend the library’s free class offerings for anything that interests you. Usually you can find computer, writing, business, or career classes to assist you.
Each year, the library purchases databases worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (like Reference USA, census, Gayles Association listing, Morningstar, etc.). Ask the librarian to explain what each list is and how he/she suggests it might be used. Evaluate how each database can help you determine what networking groups to join, organizations to cold call for speaking engagements, or create your own cold calling or direct mailing database.
Survey newspapers and magazines to see if you would benefit from subscribing to them-checking them out before you spend the money is just plain smart! If you know that your target market subscribes to them, you should as well. Read it for a few months. Once you get a feel for the content, learn what the writer’s guidelines are and submit a query or article as a way to get in front of a large number of pre-qualified potential clients.
Research back issues of local newspapers to find networking groups and create a list of potential business development partners. Provide others you meet locally with your list.
Libraries are great places to meet other business owners. Many have plug-in areas for laptops. (If you ever visit Poulsbo, Washington, bring a cup of coffee and site in front of the fireplace!)
Learn what classes you can teach (they usually only allow free classes). This will help you brush up on your presentation skills and build your local visibility.
Why spend hundreds of dollars per year on books, when you can order a book on the computer, receive a notice when "it’s in" and go pick it up? Libraries usually have a variety of books on CD that you can listen to in the car (and yes, even on audios). Remember you don’t have to listen to business CDs all the time; spice it up and get something different.
Many libraries have "Friends of the Library" associations that can use board members with business experience.
See what volunteer opportunities are available in your community. Libraries hold many events for children. The library is a great place to give back to your community.
Libraries take donations of books, especially those in good condition. Or they sell them for fundraising. Some libraries have a "used book store", an inexpensive way to find books to give away to clients and partners-and support the library at the same time!
or at least ask if they rent out rooms that you might use to have networking meetings, teach classes, etc. Some libraries only rent rooms out to non-profits, while others are happy to have the additional income when the conference rooms aren’t in use.
Once you meet your librarian, remember one of those other “old fashioned” feel-good gesters. Take out a pen, stamp, and write a thank you note. Pop it into the blue mailboxes before they, too, become a blast from our pasts.
Then get on the computer and use all you’ve learned to help you grow your business.
Love this article? Tweet about it!
140 characters are ready for you below, just copy and past to twitter or tweetdeck
You’ll love this low cost marketing tip http://snipurl.com/yourneighborhood PLS RT
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE?
If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission.
And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:
©2009 Maria Marsala, Profitability Specialist at Elevating Your Business. We provide kickass input to high-achieving women business owners looking for proven business results. We help you focus, take action and get better result$ — faster! Be next. In ten minutes you can assess your businesses strengths and weaknesses. Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today and take our free Business Checkup.
[GMB] Booming Businesses in an UP and Down Economy
|
Who else wants to take their business to the next level in 2010? Who wants to build a marketing system that shines no matter what the economy is doing? Who wants to work smarter and deliver consistent marketing results every single time? Maria is here with a reminder that my newest program, Millionaire Business Mastermind: Solid Business Essentials You’ve heard it how many times? You cannot grow a solid, scalable, sellable business without having the basics in place. You can try (and I did that back in 1998). Which Describes You?
If so, you’ve come to the right place. E.B. started her brick n’ mortar business a few months before we worked together for six months. Since that time she’s tripled her income (some months quadrupled it) and has hired her first of many employees. C.W. owned a service business for a year and recently worked with me for six months, too. She’s doubled her hourly rate and almost doubled her monthly rate to nearly $7000 a month. M.W. has a business whose income has tripled in the past 2 years; and best of all, she’s attracting higher-quality client and has purchased a horse to enjoy. L.D. went from overworked business owner to working one day a month! Her sales increased from 8M to 14M in nine months. It’s time to learn some step-by-step strategies that will help your business run like a well-oiled This 12-week program begins as soon as each group has 5 members. There are three very affordable programs available:
Learn more and grab one of the 8 spots here. Maria will provide easy-to-follow course materials that will help you connect the dots Learn the details here and join us today. Upwards and onwards, Profitability Expert, Speaker, Author and former Wall Street Trader P.S. Companies in business 25 years have used these same strategies to grow their business. You can do it, too. About Maria
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love Maria’s marketing and business success home-study training products that will help you market and grow your business faster than you could on your own. They range from building strong business fundamentals, to online marketing, to speaking and attracting great clients. An irrepressible entrepreneur, Maria sold AVON at age 14 and landed on Wall Street three years later. Fiercely determined and keenly insightful, Maria became a bond trader when women executives were as rare as pink diamonds. In 1998, brimming with 25 years of business expertise, Maria Marsala created Elevating Your Business, a company dedicated to helping women business owners maximize their companies’ value and profits. Are your existing business structures and systems draining your time and energy, ultimately undermining your dreams? Drawing on her experience as a profitability advisor, speaker, author and life coach, Maria tailors solutions to detect and overcome obstacles, helping you create the business and lifestyle you only imagined. Take the first step toward an increased bottom line, rocketing productivity, and a sparkling quality of life. Contact Maria today. Every week you get fresh business, marketing or Internet ideas, resources, and classes to help you get more business without it costing you a small fortune or a zillion hours of your time. Delivered to you by Maria Marsala, Get More Business! is dedicated to helping companies reach their goal$. Be you a Small Business Owner, Independent Service Professional, or Information Marketer, you’ll build a more successful and profitable business/practice. Pay it Forward. ©1998-2009 Maria Marsala and ElevatingYourBusiness.com Elevating Your Business Tele: 425-440-9659 |
Excuses are soul-killers (Strategic Planning… Simplified)
“Excuses are soul-killers” was one of 3,500 quotes submitted, and one
of 365 chosen to appear in the 2010 Woman’s Advantage Calendar. It
will appear on May 24, 2010. In fact, because of that submission, I
have been issued a new title: “Top-Idea Maven”. (Learn more about the
Women’s Advantage and their calendar
at http://www.coachmaria.com/blog/?p=291 )
EXCUSES ARE OUT!
So, do you know a business owner or executive who is ready to ditch
their excuses and follow a simple process (like one-page simple) that
helps improve focus, accountability, and profits? Maybe a fellow
colleague has recently told you. . .
• I’m not growing my business as fast as I’d like, profits have
flat-lined, or are on the decline.
• I want more clients and to have a long-lasting, positive impact
on their lives or businesses.
• I’m tired of spending so much time putting out fires all the
time (or chasing clients).
• I know I should create a plan, but I don’t have the time
or energy.
Maybe you’ve said it?
“It helps to have a plan. I’ve accomplished more in four months than
I did the entire previous year. I feel so much more focused and my
income has doubled.”
Joan Runnheim, Career Strategist
Pathways Career, Hudson, WI
SIMPLE is in!
It’s a business plan . . . it’s a marketing plan . . . no, it’s both,
PLUS it’s a performance management system with scorecards to help keep
you focused and accountable. It’s on one page. You post it online
for your whole team OR create an MS Word document. It can be done in
groups (in person or via teleseminar or webinar format) OR it can be
done privately.
What’s so special about the process? You complete your first draft
in two hours or less! Then, we’ll help you take it to new heights,
finalize it, and show you how to integrate it with scorecards to help
keep you focused and accountable. It’s all about setting priorities
and creating a roadmap to success.
INVITATION. . .
Learn how 250,000 entrepreneurs—from the smallest home business to
Fortune 100 companies such as Thomson, State Farm, and Disney—have
rapidly turbo-charged their businesses:
http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com
“Your one-day planning program, along with the many insights and
business therapy you provided, helped me see the forest through the
trees. Thank you for the really great thought-provoking day.”
Ahmad Mohazab, Principal, Architect
TECTA Associates, San Francisco, CA
NO EXCUSES . . . GET STARTED TODAY!
Choose the way you’d like to get started . . .
1. “Do It For You” 1:1 Private Sessions
I sit with you in person, or we talk using Skype or the phone and I
ask you lots of clarifying questions. As you’re providing me with
answers, I’ll create the plan for you. It can’t get much easier than
that and have a viable plan you’ll use every day. (I did say there
were NO excuses, didn’t I?)
2. Do It In A Day
Visit Seattle on November 6 and create a solid draft of your plan in
one day as you enjoy the view from the tallest building in Seattle
www.Columbia-Tower.com (taller than the Space Needle—you’ll see).
OR have me come to your office to “do it in a day” with your staff.
Download the flyer at http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com (see Nov 6)
Already have a plan you use every day to set priorities and make
decisions? Forward this email along to someone who doesn’t before
October 19, so they qualify for the bonus below.
3. Do It Virtually
Join eight of your peers in a Mastermind group twice a month. This
is an advisory board of non-competing business leaders who help each
other achieve greater results. Expect to be held accountable and to
answer tough questions along the way, which is the beauty of this
approach. For more information, visit
http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com
4. Attend a Mini-Program
Plan to attend a 90-minute program in Seattle on October 14,
sponsored by the Zino Society and Davis Wright Tremaine. Register now
at http://www.zinosociety.com/calendar/755/
5. Demo The Live System
I’ll walk you through the system online. You’ll need access to a
computer for 10-15 minutes. Email me now at
linkedin@elevatingyourbusinesss.com or call 425-440-9659 to schedule
your demo session.
6. Enjoy The Video
Listen to a 60-minute program I conducted for executives, sales
professionals, and business owners:
http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com
I hope you’ll join me in Seattle on November 6. Past clients have
created amazing results for themselves after using the plan. Take
a look at their success at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/success/
I have room for just 14 business owners or independent professionals
ready to trade in their excuses for a bigger, better business.
Business success in any economy starts with a plan. Call me today
to get a jump start on 2010. Create your plan today
http://www.BusinessAndMarketingPlan.com
Upwards and onwards,
Maria Marsala
Profitability Specialist, Speaker, Author, and former Wall Street Trader
P.S. BONUS: Mention receiving our email and the first person in
your company to attend receives $300 off. Offer good until October 19, 2009.
___________________________________________________________________
Kickass Input > Proven Results
Helping high-achieving service business owners boost the productivity,
performance, and profitability of their company by 20-75%, faster!
It takes 10 minutes to learn which areas of your business need your immediate
attention. Visit http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Phone: WA: (425) 440-9659 NY: (917) 460-1458
Elevating Your Business Companies include:
** Business Advisory Services: http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
** Millionaire Business Mastermind: http://www.MillionaireBusinessMastermind.com
** Business Advisors University: http://www.BusinessAdvisorsUniversity.com
** Book A Business Speaker: http://www.MariaMarsala.com
LinkedIn Answers: Proven Tactics To Get The Biggest Bang For Your Time
If your ideal clients are on LinkedIn, then you want to be there, too. So create a keyword driven profile on LinkedIn for yourself. Complete every area possible, take a look at the apps (applications/programs) you might want to add, and you’re done… right?
Wrong.
One of the best ways to dip your feet into a community of new business owners and executives, like LinkedIn, is to ask or answer questions. ANSWERS is a community where other members ask or answer questions to learn and connect with others. When you answer a question, chances are good that people you “don’t yet know from a hole in the wall” will see your answer, go to your profile and want, in someway, to connect with you.
Being a very eclectic businessperson with a brain like a sponge I looked at LinkedIn Answers and was overwhelmed when I looked at all the questions I “could” answer.
How do you determine which questions to answer?
Many of us can answer several questions in a variety of business arenas. However, since time is money, I’m sure you’ll agree that doing so may take a few hours a day to do! What’s a business owner to do?
Prioritize. Use your Ideal Client Profile to determine which categories or sub-categories would best highlight your company and it’s services, (once someone learns about you). Example: If I looked at my company, the two main services that bring me the most amount of clients in the least amount of time are business planning and pricing. So I joined those two ANSWER areas first.
Then I joined a few others “just because” I’d like to learn more about those areas, or I have a few things on my mind I’d like to say about those things from time to time.
How do you answer questions, to connect with others who value what you’re saying WHILE not giving away your knowledge for free?
Carefully of course. You want to say enough to help the person, without giving away the bank. I use the Links area of the answers to post links to an article or resource on my website or the website of others that answers the question. I use affiliate links when I recommend a product for someone to use, too. BUT I never post affiliate links or any links “just because”. Make sure that the links are 100% meaningful to the answer or someone will FLAG you as a spammer.
With 21 main categories on LinkedIn, which questions do you answer?
Take a look at who your ideal clients are. Where would they be asking questions? What’s your expertise? Choose those categories or sub-categories.
I’ll answer questions whose answers are simple to answer, i.e. I can answer them in 1 sentence, some bullets or less than two paragraphs. Sometimes I write more than two paragraphs, but not often. HINT: If you’re continually answering similar questions because your company has answers to those questions, keep a MS Word file with your answers. Then cut/paste.
Sometimes when I view a question to answer, I’ll take the time to look at the requestor’s profile to see if I think they’re my ideal clients. I stay away from answering questions from students, or individuals in India, for example, because that’s NOT who my clients are. I move quickly to answer questions from women who own service based businesses, independent service providers, etc. (my niche). And I will answer some questions that I feel I can contribute to when I have the time or the answer is a “quickie”.
How do you easily determine which questions to answer from the tons of questions asked each day?
First, I chose each category that I felt I could contribute my knowledge to; places of course where my ideal clients hang out.
Next I downloaded each of those categories or sub-category’s RSS feeds. To learn more about RSS feeds click this link .
So the first two RSS feeds I downloaded were Business Plan and Pricing. Then I added 10 other categories or subcategories that I might be able to answer questions.
Also consider the RSS feeds for areas of business you want to do better. I’m learning so much by seeing the ideas and thoughts of others.
My RSS feeds download into OUTLOOK which keeps each of them very organized. But I can tell you that at first I was reading way too many subject lines in each category and wasted time. So much so that I just stopped answering questions.
I thought there had to be an easier way. And I found one that I use every day.
How to easily sort through tons of LinkedIn Answers each day
The directions I’m about to provide you use a feature in MS Outlook. If you use another email program or search program, see if you can do something similar with what you use.
1. Set up the RSS feeds in all the categories or sub-categories you choose to answer to download to your email program. When you download your email, it will also download any new ANSWERS
2. Open MS Outlook. Under the RSS Feeds (small orange graphic under Outbox) you’ll find Send Items and then Search Folders
3. Right click and add a new search (we’re going to customize it) using the word LINKEDIN.
4. Listen to this training module and create a SEARCH that searches through all your LinkedIn RSS feeds for keywords you’ve deemed important to growing your business. To listen click here
5. When new ANSWERS come through the RSS feed that contain those keywords, they’ll show up in your new LINKEDIN Search.
6. Look through the LINKEDIN Search file for subject lines and if you want to answer the message, click on “view article”.
7. You’ll now be online and can answer the question.
8. AFTER you answer the question(s) you want, scan the original RSS feeds to see that you didn’t miss important keywords (and therefore questions to answer). If some were missed, go back to your LINKEDIN Search and add more keywords. If none, move to #10.
9. OR, if you end up with too many items showing up in the LINKEDIN Search, then remove or change some keywords.
10. Once you think or feel that your search is A-OK, and you’ve answered the questions you want to answer, you can delete all the questions that weren’t filtered to your LINKEDIN Search in confidence.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission. And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:
©2009 Maria Marsala, Profitability Specialist at Elevating Your Business. We provide insightful input to high-achieving women business owners looking for powerful results. Specializing in boosting the productivity, profitability and performance of their company simpler, easier, and faster! Will you be next? Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today and take our free Business Checkup.
Before and After Bio
Two weeks ago I was attracted to listen to an audio called Bye-Bye Boring Bios. When I got to the website, I realized that the person giving the talk was a local PR person, Nancy Juetten. Even if she wasn’t from the Seattle area, this is a not-to miss audio.
Then on Sept 16, I attended an event sponsored by the Puget Sound Business Journal, where Nancy was on of the speakers. Between those two encounters, I updated one of my many bio’s, this one is very short and I use it for a ½ page promo card designed by Creative Designer Nancy Oywang.
The first two words of my bio are those that Nancy Juetten recommended when I spoke to her at the Puget Sound Business Journal event. I made minor changes, but the rest of the changes, that bring the bio to light were made by Chistine Mifsud, someone new working for me that has surely impressed me (and Nancy J)
Before and after bio here:
Old and Very Good:
Maria Marsala, the founder of Elevating Your Business, is a business consultant, coach, speaker, author, and former Fortune 500 Wall Street executive. She entered the business world selling Avon at 14 and landed on Wall Street three years later. Maria was rewarded for her fierce determination and keen insights when she became a bond trader and department manager at a time women executives were a rare commodity. Since 1998, Maria has helped thousands of B2B service industry CEOs/presidents, professionals and management teams to eliminate the problems of quickly growing businesses by streamlining and automating their planning, operations, and marketing processes. The results? They increase their bottom line, work smarter, and enjoy a higher quality life. Would you like to be next? Contact Maria today!
New and Better:
An irrepressible entrepreneur, Maria sold AVON at age 14 and landed on Wall Street three years later. Fiercely determined and keenly insightful, Maria became a bond trader when female executives were as rare as pink diamonds. In 1998, brimming with over 25 years of business expertise, Maria Marsala created Elevating Your Business, a company dedicated to helping professional service business owners maximize their companies’ value and profits. Is your existing business structure draining your time, energy, and profitability? Drawing on her experience as an advisor, speaker, and author, Maria will tailor a solution to detect and overcome your unique obstacles, helping you create the business and lifestyle you only imagined. Contact Maria today and take the first step toward an elevated bottom line, turbo-charged productivity, and a sparkling quality of life.
Listen to the audio that started it all here http://www.pitchrate.com//content/content-article.asp?articleid=4819
Purchase the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Workbook here
Increase profits in these tough times… saved us far more than what it cost
Maria
I started Menlo Scientific over 25 years ago. We are a small company with big clients. When my business partner (and fiancee) signed up to create a One Page Business Plan and ideal client profile programs, I felt that we already were growing our firm in the right directions. Frankly much of what you teach I thought I already knew.
On the other hand, after 25 years of not getting around to doing enough of it (business strategic development planning), the likelihood of moving forward on a well thought out business development program was nil. Having a formal program and a mentor has resulted in increased profits in these tough times. Another factor is the cognitive dissonance of having made the financial and time commitment, which is a strong incentive to putting together a business plan and business development program into a higher priority. But aside from forcing the participants to focus on growing their business, your program provides a logical and compelling template that is balanced, insightful, effective, and supportive.
In this tough economic terrain, our rates are higher, client satisfaction higher, with higher client retention. In the last half year our business situational awayness is clearer. To be blunt, your help in teaching us when to throw the fish back and walk away from inappropriate candidate clients has saved us far more than what your course cost.
We are looking forward to continuing to work with you to internalize what you teach.
Best wishes
Mike Klasco and Nora Wong
www.menloscientific.com
Maria Marsala Selected As a “Top-Idea Maven” by The Woman’s Advantage
Maria Marsala Selected As a “Top-Idea Maven” by The Woman’s Advantage
Entrepreneur’s Advice Featured in 2010 Woman’s Advantage Calendar
Poulsbo, WA – Maria Marsala, Profitability Expert at Elevating Your Business was selected from over 3,500 submissions to be featured in The 2010 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar. The calendar provides advice for women business owners from influential women leaders across the US and Canada.
Mary Cantando, Growth Expert of The Woman’s Advantage, today announced that Maria’s advice will be included in the calendar which is to be released this month.
“Maria Marsala’s quote was selected because it was simply powerful yet easy to understand. Her idea “Excuses are soul-killers” is relevant to almost every woman in business today.” says Cantando. “Women business owners and those who dream of starting a business will learn so much from the advice provided by Maria and the other successful women quoted in the calendar.”
The Woman’s Advantage 2010 Calendar provides sound bites of advice on key business issues including: organization, promotion, sales, and human resources.
About Maria Marsala
Maria Marsala, a refugee from Wall Street, is an internationally known profitability expert and speaker who supports women businesses owners to run highly profitable, more productive businesses while they live a high-quality lifestyle. She’s also a licensed One Page Business Plan® Consultant and member of the National Association of Female Executives, Seattle Philanthropic Advisors Network, and recently founded the Women Business Advisors Alliance.
About Mary Cantando:
Mary Cantando is a nationally recognized expert on women business owners. She is the developer of the successful Woman’s Advantage line of products, geared specifically to women entrepreneurs. A member of the National Speakers’ Association, Cantando provides keynotes and workshops for women who want to grow their businesses.
News Facts:
• Maria Marsala was selected as a “Top-Idea Maven” by The Woman’s Advantage. Her quote appears on May 24 in the 2010 Woman’s Advantage Calendar.
• The Woman’s Advantage Calendar provides daily advice on key business issues including organization, promotion, sales, and human resources. For more information, call 919-841-0401 or visit http://www.WomansAdvantage.biz