A Treat of a Retreat!

There’s only 2-days left! Don’t miss out!

This amazing deal is only around for TWO more days so I just want to tell you about it so you don’t miss out!!! Join Kelly O’Neil at the Marketing to Millionaires™ Retreat in Southern California on September 30 through October 2 for the incredible price of only $995 (or 3 payments of $387).

Marketing to Millionaires™ truly is THE results driven solution you need to not just survive, but to really SUCCEED in this transitioning economy. Nowhere else will you get the insider secrets to marketing to the affluent – a market who value expertise, are willing to pay premium prices, AND will build your business for you by raving to all their wealthy friends. Don’t just take my word for it, check out the testimonials here.

This year’s retreat is going to be AMAZING! Get your ticket now for only $995 (or 3 payments of $387), which is an unbelievable $2000 off the full admission price. It’s only going to be around until this Friday, January 15th at MIDNIGHT. Here’s the link again: click here. Don’t wait!

PS – This is THE event to take your business to the next level. But don’t believe me.. read all about her success stories for yourself here and register today: Register Today!

What I Learned in 2009

2009 has to have been the wildest ride ever! My business has gone from Point A to Point B to Point C and pulled me along with my hair flying behind me. I’ve coached and been coached, mentored and been mentored, delegated and been delegated to. The people I’ve met in person or virtually have impressed me beyond belief. I thought I knew a lot about being a business owner, but 2009 raised the awareness of my business potential to the nth power. My to-do list is crazy long; to the point that I’m almost stuck spinning my wheels. Thank goodness I have someone starting to help me soon. Maybe this week!

Here are some of the key things I learned along the way.

1. Find a mentor or business coach. It should be someone who has been down the same road as you and reached success. You will need to invest in yourself for this one. But the amount you invest will come back to you (many times over) if you put into action what they tell you to do.
2. Delegate! If you don’t know why or how, consider getting help in cutting the control strings. Check out Delegate or Bust!. Jessica can help you find the right match for what you need done.
3. You need to have systems in place for everything that you do. It’s impossible to grow your business without them.
4. Hang out or mastermind with other entrepreneurs who are on their way to greater success. Help each other with great ideas and accountability.
5. Pick up the phone and stay in touch. As much as we rely on our computers, social media and email, the key to more sales in 2010 may be at the end of your phone cord.
6. Read, read, read. If you don’t have any recommendations for business books or magazines (just ask someone), go to the nearest bookstore, or log onto Amazon and see what they are displaying for sale. There are so many “classics” as well as new books. Keep a book at your bedside or in your car to read while sitting in line at the bank depositing all your checks! Better yet, download the audio version and listen while running errands or puttering around the house. I always have teleconference replays and books on my MP3 player. (Santa brought me a new Sony version in shiny red that I love.) You can load tons of audios so you never have to be without inspiration.

Stay tuned for more details about each of these in upcoming blog posts. Y’all have a safe and Happy New Year! Here’s to our prosperity…

Please Don’t Be A Copy Cat!

This weekend I was alone during the day. My son was working and my husband was playing in a golf tournament. Perfect timing for me since I had lots to do in order to be ready for a business trip I am taking. The weather was glorious – clear blue skies, 70 degrees, and all sunshine. This is amazing after the near month-long rain and gloom we’ve been having. I just admired it from the window as I slowly worked my way through the to-do list.

The highlight of my weekend was listening to a teleseminar series by Gina Bell, called “How Does She Do It?”

Fifteen amazing women business owners gave advice on “How To Stop The Knee-Jerk Reaction of Comparing And Copying So You Can Create Success Online (Your Way) With Authenticity And Confidence!” It was the perfect thing to hear since I have been falling prey to seeing what others are doing and feeling like I have to copy cat my way to success. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that working for you?”

Here are a couple of things that were Aha moments to me:

•    You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Be authentic to your own style. Discover what works for you. Create new paradigms! Don’t look outside yourself for definition.

•    Talk about money with your business girlfriends. Get to know money so it will flow into your business. Love your money. Pay attention to it. That will start bringing it to you.

•    Be generous with your contacts, but don’t give away everything. And there will always be a segment of your audience that will want you to do the task for them.

For me it all boils down to staying true to my strengths- which are completely different from everyone else’s strengths. What I bring to my work and clients is me. And you bring you! Listen and watch what your mentors are doing, and then take what you can that works with your business. But don’t BE them. Be You!

Be Unique

This morning I received a photo of my daughter taken last week when she was out with her friends. Earlier that day she had called to tell me she had found the perfect top for a “party” skirt she has. This skirt has been to many events, has a very expensive designer label inside, and is covered in sequins. Not exactly the kind of thing you might see on the dance floor at the local joint on a Thursday evening.  However, after telling her she would likely be the only person not in shorts or jeans, and that some would probably loudly whisper as she walked by, she confidently went out for the fun.

Why am I telling you this? Because she “owned” her uniqueness. She admitted that there were lots of comments – both good and bad – but she embraced her style and probably carried it off just great. If you are in business, you know that you need to know what is unique about YOUR offerings. What makes you stand out from the crowd? How are you different, and better than, your competition. Once you know how your business is unique, then you are able to develop a marketing plan that clearly explains how you can solve your clients’ needs or problems. Without it, you are just like everyone else.

So, grab your party skirt and step on out there!

Leaping Up the Ladder of Success

2009 has been the year I really invested in myself and my business. On January 2, I started looking for a business coach to help me. For a number of months I worked with AssistU founder and Virtual Assistant coach- Stacy Brice.  Not long after that began, I won a three month small business coaching program scholarship with the amazing small business coach Allison Babb. We met originally when she was looking to hire a VA. Between these two coaches I got really clear on my strengths and target market. Investing the time and money was a very smart decision.

Like many small business owners I listen to lots of teleseminars and read a ton of information by successful internet marketers. At the beginning of the summer someone new came onto my radar- Kelly O’Neil. It was at a time when I was determined to take a significant leap forward with my marketing efforts. I jumped at the offer for a new 6 month coaching program. The many coaching sessions, mastermind groups and calls each month have solidified some great ideas for other side businesses, and I am enjoying the support as I create new offerings.  One of the things I have added to my business is speaking and teaching small business owners who are stuck in the 20th Century with technology. I have, therefore, developed solutions that teach them about current internet and social media marketing techniques. This works really well with my current VA clients, too.

Last week I decided to go to my first coaching retreat. While it was not on my list for 2009, the event very quickly was decided upon, and travel plans were made. It was explained to me this way: do you want to take baby steps in your business, or do you want to leap up the ladder of success? The answer was obvious to me, and I know the retreat will be an amazing opportunity to connect with other small business owners who are growing their businesses, too.

So, what are you doing to leap up the ladder of success? How have you invested in yourself this year?

Video Marketing Made Easy

A couple weeks ago I conducted a social media presentation to a large group of business owners from my area. Shortly thereafter one of the attendees became my client. She wanted some help boosting her internet presence. We started with a great strategy session and brainstormed a lot of ideas. Well, earlier this week I received an email from her bragging about the videos she had made showing multiple applications for her product.  After viewing them, one of my friends said, “She could be the new Billy Mays.” I think she’s right!

Here is the link for one of the videos.  NokOut There are several additional videos already listed on You Tube, and she is adding more in the next week. I was so proud of her and the videos that I wanted to share them with you. They are only 1 minute long, but definitely get the message across. Each video shows a different application for using this product.

If you have a product to sell, why don’t you make some videos. Create a free You Tube account, upload the videos, and then start spreading the word on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and put it on your website.  Ask your clients and customers to send in videos they have made using your product, too. Be creative – have a video contest perhaps. Videos can be used for teaching, giving a look at your restaurant or store, or explaining something new.  All you need is an inexpensive video camera ($150-$175). If you want to do some simple editing, there are a variety of software tools that you can use. My favorite is Camtasia Studio. You can use it for editing both video and audio, and at $299, it’s been a nice tool to add to my business.

Good luck with your own video marketing. Just be careful what you create: You Tube is forever.

Going Green in our Marketing

Each week I collect all my fruit and veggie scraps in a large Tupperware container on my counter. Then sometime over the weekend I dump all of this into my compost bin, then turn and water it all well. This keeps things “cooking” right along. The idea for this came at my garden club one month when I realized that this would be a great way to enhance the quality of our clay filled soil. After a few months, it’s actually looking great! I will be able to add this to my flower beds this fall.

So, that got me thinking about recycling, and how we should reuse the many bits of ideas we have just sitting around in folders, books, existing products, or from the many sources on the internet. This is your reminder that you need to “re-purpose” your ideas. Take your free report that you offer on your website and use those ideas as a series of emails to your contact list. Or make tweets out of it. Can you expand an idea into an e-course? How about making an information product out of the teleseminar you recorded? Add a little workbook and an audio CD and sell it as part of a larger package.  There are so many ways you can reuse the information you already have, or have created.

Why rethink when you can recycle?