In my last blog I wrote about having a social media detox. It was time. It was well needed. Now I'm clearer in thought than ever about its value when it comes to selling. Social selling and social capital is what it's all about!
I don't need to tell you that the game of sales has got harder….but I'm going to!
It has! We're living in a digital era now. Technology and social media have changed everything.
We like, we follow, we subscribe and we link up. We post, we tweet and share – day in day out! We're oblivious to what life was like pre social – before. We're all inundated with messages and distractions. We're more busy than ever and never have there been fewer hours in the day to get our jobs done.
Urgh!
We're being told to “listen” and to share content so we can know our prospects and clients better and improve the relationships. We're being told to get friendlier and to express our vulnerabilities – to aid connection. We're online telling our stories and the world is taking note.
Much has changed, but also … much has not.
So, I’ve got a CRAZY question for you…and it relates to social selling.
How often do you go on social media for prospecting and selling? I'm talking about the 3 biggies for social selling – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – not quite the full Monty, but not too far off.
I know you're active on there, and I'm guessing that you're on certain platforms more than others (as they're fun) for quite a lot of your day. Obviously you're on them to drive your business forward. I know you wouldn't dream of being on there just to see what everyone else's doing. Or, even to”socialize” in the hope that your connections might buy from you. That would be plain silly!
So give it a moment, and think about it…
How often do you go on your social platforms? My guess is that you're on there at least 3 times a day if not more, for about 30 minutes, right?
Social Capital
Now I'm going to tell you something that quite frankly blew my mind. IBM reported that each additional relationship to your network is worth $948 to you (i.e. 100 relationships are worth $95,000! Now that's not quite enough for an Aston (my favourite car) but that's enough to buy a Porche!)
This is your social capital. The value of your network. It's a bigger asset than it ever was!
So if this interests you, watch my latest video where I reveal 6 tips to help you build your social capital and put your social media efforts into a social selling context – even if you're selling B2B.
It's time to delight your prospects, clients and customers, but I'll reveal more in a mo.
Cue video
Now I want to hear from you…
Tell me your story. Are you using social media to sell? If so, please share your stories and experience here and let us know what's working and what's not.
Thanks for participating!
With love and gratitude – as always,
P.S.
Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.
Last week I wrote about how to create wealth, attract money and be a money magnet. I referenced money affirmations and mindset mainly. This week's post is more practical. It's more strategic too. I'm getting specific and as a result you'll be getting the 7 core habits I've been using forever-and-a-day to grow large, profitable businesses, including my own!
You lucky, lucky things! 😉
My 7-core habit create wealth formula
Habit #1. Learn about money and success from wealthy people. Yes it's really quite simple. Go and make friends with the bling-bling crowd. Hang out with them. Watch how they operate. Listen to the way they deal with things.
If you've not read Rich Dad Poor Dad give it a skim. It illustrates the point I'm making well. You see, the truth of the matter is this – most of us learn about money from our parents. No one teaches us about money and success in school and it's a big failing in my opinion.
So, consider who you've been taking money advice from. Is it from your friends and family who've struggled to make ends meet, or is it from successful mentors who've proven they know how to make and maintain money and wealth?
Now I've hung out with a lot of wealthy people over the years and I can tell you this – wealthy people regularly take advice from people who've more money than they have. They employ the smartest accountants who make their money work for them i.e. they make it go further. They also continue learning about money and about investing all the time.
So take time to learn from those who know. Let their knowledge rub off on you.
Habit #2. Take good care of your money and become a good money manager. I used to dread logging into my bank account online or going to the ATM and requesting a balance. I used to have to psych myself up each time. No joke! It's ridiculous I know, but it's true. However, it dawned on me slowly. How could I hope to get more money if I couldn't deal with these basics? So if this is resonating with you, do as I did: start to treat your money like it's of real value. Doh! And, the easiest way to do this is to imagine it is!
Watch your bank account too. Look at the interest you're being charged and manage your cashflow daily. You need to have your eye on your P&L (profit and loss) and review it regularly. Management accounting is about as sexy as selling. Sorry. It's a pretty dry subject but it's so important.
So, you need to know exactly how much money you've got coming in (both for your business and for your personal accounts) and how much money is going out. You don't need to be a whizz at maths to do this either. You can do this with a simple spreadsheet but if you've got accounting software then that's even better. Look at your cashflow, sales order book and invoicing DAILY. It will focus your mind! Cash is always king.
Story time…
I learnt the “cash is king' lesson the hard way when my first 7-figure business nearly failed. Picture the scene. I'd just had my third child (the other two were 10 years and 19 months) and the business was set to storm the year. My business partner and I had adopted an even more intense ‘all or nothing' growth attitude. We'd decided at the start of the year to stop playing it safe and to take some measured risks so we could grow. For example, risk #1 was investing in one of our industry's largest shows as an exhibitor. Risk #2 was taking on a very expensive consultant in preparation for a contract that we'd just been given a verbal order on. Risk #3 was signing off on larger office premises. Now we had a strong order book at the time, but when several of our clients went into receivership out of the blue, owing us money, it nearly wiped out our business. Having a strong order book was about as useful as a chocolate fire guard. The bank wasn't able to extend any credit or able to increase our overdraft. Unless we could find a way to pay our suppliers, we were out of business too. However, we fought hard to hang on to the business, and thankfully we managed to turn it around. The lesson was learnt!
Video break
Ok back to the habits….
I'm going to bring up debts whilst we're on the subject of money management. Make sure to pay your debts on time but also use debt to grow your business. What do I mean when I say this? Well, as an entrepreneur you're going to have to use debt occasionally to grow your business. I call this ‘good debt' as it leads to you making more money. It's an investment. It delivers a return (ROI) and it generates cash! Examples of good debt include investing in a course, some coaching, equipment and so on. It may be through a credit card, a lease or hire purchase. Bad debt on the other hand is when you put things on credit cards and it doesn't generate you any money. I'd use a company car as an example.
One of the best books I've read on money management and how to create wealth is The Richest Man in Babylon.The book dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon. It teaches you through the characters in the parables who learn simple lessons in financial wisdom. Interestingly, it was first produced as a series of separate informational pamphlets and was distributed by banks and insurance companies.. It's a classic and an enjoyable quick read.
Habit #3. Look for opportunities and avoid being comfortable at all times. As an entrepreneur you've got to do things that others won't do. You've got to think, be, and act differently. And if you're after success you need to see opportunities where other people just see risk. I'm going to use companies that started in recessions as examples – Disney, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, General Motors, General Electric, Burger King, FedEx, Revlon, CNN, and in the UK, our very own M&S!
Habit #4. Play to win and make sure you're playing to win BIG. Decide now. How much money do you want to make? This is the time when you really can pluck a number from the air. However, once you've done this you need to plan for it and test it out. This means you've got to work out intelligently and strategically how you're going to achieve it. NEVER settle for an ambiguous amount without doing this. Otherwise that would be plain dumb!
Habit #5. Get used to being uncomfortable and decide if you're playing to win or loose. Avoid thinking and using the word ‘comfortable' at all times. Being comfortable will keep you stuck in survival mode. In order to get out of your current money zone you've got to get out of your comfort zone. Your business is only ever going to grow as much as you do and you're only growing when you're uncomfortable. Ironically when you're used to discomfort you're going to end up with wealth and success that makes you very comfortable.
[box]”Small thinking and small actions lead to small bank accounts. Big thinking and big actions lead to big money” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]
Habit #6. Learn to love receiving. This can be so hard for many of you I know. It was for me, until fairly recently. I cured it by becoming aware of it and learning to respond in a different manner. For example, whenever someone used to say that they liked my outfit I'd be quite embarrassed and say something like, “oh this? I've had it ages.” Now, I just smile and thank them. It's a win-win for both of us. When you don't accept a gift you're actually denying someone else the joy of giving. So if you're guilty of doing this, work on it as soon as you can.
Getting this sorted can go a long way to sorting out those “I'm not charging enough” or “Am I worth it” money issues I blogged about the other week. It enables you to feel comfortable charging appropriately for your products and services. Make sure to always charge well for your services and don't apologise for your rates or success. Get paid on time or ahead of time. Become good at asking for and receiving payment because you're worth it.
Habit #7. Enjoy giving.This is often referred to as ‘playing it forward' and I love it. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to do it and it's one of the reasons so many entrepreneurs are in business. You want to give to the charities and causes you believe in as you've a social conscience. So donate or give a percentage to charity and remember to leave a tip after a meal or for the maid if you've stayed at a hotel.
Now I want to hear from you…
Tell me which of these tips will you use? What tips do you use to create wealth and manage your money. Please share them here.
Today's post is all about outsourcingand developing systems and processes for your business. But, before I get into that I HAVE to ask you this. Who's the biggest threat to your business? Who's going to steal it all away from you? Well chances are it's no online hacker, that's for sure. I hope you're ready for the answer…
It's actually you!
I know this may be resonating with you. You're very busy, right?
So was I when I first started my business. You see when you start a business it's usually when you've just left a job. You're on your own and having to do everything yourself. Or, at least that's what you think you should be doing – even things that you probably know you stink at!
Yes the truth hurts sometimes but you know where I'm coming from.
Let's get specific here. I'm going to bring up one of my pet favourites. And yes, it's websites. This is the one thing I see entrepreneurs (new and old) do all the blinking time – they design and build their own websites. Now, I'm absolutely fine with this if money is genuinely an issue but for most of you it's not! The last one I worked with actually had a $5m business and it was pants (their website attempt that is)!
So things like building your own website, compiling your brochures, doing your accounting, processing your orders, personally responding to your prospects and clients emails and social media messages, organising the deliveries, writing blogs and copy, and may be even the sales are things you CAN and SHOULD outsource!
I'm being serious.
I can see you now – running around like the proverbial headless chicken! I did this too. And I can tell you what will happen if you continue with this.
The reason you started your business – for the love of your work – will slowly disappear . You'll get drowned in a flood of administrative trivia and one morning you'll wake up and you'll feel burnt out. You'll want to hide away from the world, under the douvet – all day. And, you'll have lost all the creative energy you had when you first started your business.
And, then it will hit you. You'll realise that you'll never be able to make the kind of money that you wanted to by doing these types of tasks and working in this way.
How do I know? Because I've been there too. I've done it and got the T-Shirt sistaaaa!!!
Now, even if you like doing some of these tasks you'll never make it.
Picture this. When I started my first 7-figure business there were two of us. It was easy. We were extremely focused and held each other accountable. We got an office as soon as we could. Now, this actually was a very smart thing to do as it made us get super disciplined right from the very start. I even remember turning up to work dressed in a suit just so I could get in the mood for being a professional and working as one. Nowadays it makes no difference to me. I can work as a professional even dressed in my PJs! Yes, I do that regularly! 😉
So my advice to you is this: decide what to outsource as soon as you can.
How to know what to outsource
Get a piece of paper or do it online and write 3 columns.
Make a list of things you don't like doing. Chris Ducker calls these tasks the “vomit in your mouth rather than do tasks.” Amusing! I know where he's coming from! Anyway, these typically are the things you procrastinate over.
Make a list of things you like doing but are not good at.
Make a list of things you can't do yourself. Yes you really can't do everything yourself! I hate to break it to you but many people out there are just far more talented than you.
[box]”Great leaders recognise their strengths and weaknesses early on and delegate them to others who are far more capable” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]
As soon as you have this you should now be clear on what you can outsource. Make a list and if you're still not sure of the things you feel you shouldn't be doing just ask yourself this question: how can you be spending your time better? What one thing would make a big difference to your working day?
Once you've done this you can post a job description for help. This usually manifests itself as a VA.
Virtual Assistants (VAs)
VAs are a life saver. No joke!
They are freelancers – usually women. They're independent and usually work on an “as needed” basis from their own homes or offices. This is brilliant as it saves you the costs and headache of hiring a regular full-time or even part-time assistant. This is how I got started and how I coach my students to take their businesses to the next level.
One of the first things I say to someone I'm coaching is what have your outsourced? The response I get back is usually I'll do it when I get some money in.
STOP!
You have to sort this out now! The advice I'm about to give you is so powerful. You don't need to break the bank but you need to get started. You can grow your business to 6 or even 7-figures without employees, but only if you use VAs and outsource. You have to learn to love delegating and become good at it. Otherwise you'll hold yourself back (biggest threat remember)! This is the time to move out of your own way; to feel the fear and to do it anyway. Start small but build big. The key is to get into the habit of this – even if it's only 5 hours a month. Get support or coaching with this if you need to BUT do it!
Hire a VA and do it per task or role. Set out the expectations and outline in detail what the job involves. There are lots of different VAs to chose from, so be specific – mobile app developers, SEO, marketing etc. As a minimum get a General VA (GVA) so someone who can deal wit your emails and booking meetings/appointments.
What could you delegate to a VA?
If you're not sure what to delegate to a VA, just keep a log of what you do on a daily and weekly basis. I recommend doing this for at least 7-days. I blogged about it last week – outsourcing: increase productivity vs. life gets in the way and other excuses. Once you've done this sit down and review it. Decide which activities are ones only you have to do and which ones you can delegate. For example, many of my clients use a VA as they find that they're spending a lot of time scheduling appointments. Obviously this is something that can be done by a VA. Consulting and coaching with the client is something completely different and something that only they can do.
Here are some of the first tasks that I first delegated to a VA:
Website/membership site
Sales Pages
Transcriptions for videos
Writing comments on blogs
SEO
Filtering my emails and responding to customer emails
Scheduling business interviews and meetings
PR
Now I want to hear from you…
Tell me how you've got on outsourcing – all the good and bad stories. I also want to know what activities you're not delegating and what it is that holds you back from doing so.
Most people know the saying “Want to get something done? Then ask a busy person.” It's true though isn't it. They can always find a way. So today it's all about finding ways to increase productivity and I'm gonna warn you now. Brace yourself. I'm taking no prisoners in this post.
If I had a dollar or pound for every time I heard this “life gets in the way” BS excuse I'd be one rich lady. It's not that I'm being unsympathetic. I do genuinely understand how tricky it is to build your business around other commitments, but find me one woman who's not busy! Seriously, whether or not you've got a business or a family, these days we're all busy – BUSY out of our minds! CRAZY BUSY! However, when it comes to being busy we all compete on a level playing field. You see we all have 24 hours in our day.
So no excuses. No BS cause some people just get stuff done….irrespective of whatever is going on. And I say, hats off to them! [Hence the hat in the picture!]
So, why do some people get more stuff done in their day and others don't? How do you gain control of your time before it drives you crazy? And whilst we're at it, how many of you really know how to take those 24 hours in your day and turn them into money?
Why do I ask? Well that's what entrepreneurship is really all about. It's about taking time and turning it into money. Right?
Don't answer that! It's a rhetorical question silly!
Now as women you might think we're well suited for this simple task as we're well known for possessing that “special gift” called multi-tasking. It's something we excel at. However, that's just simply another myth. Multi-tasking doesn't work! There I've said it! Actually I wrote about it a while ago upon my discovery – The real truth about women and multi-tasking and how to increase productivity. Now multi-tasking is a great concept, but the human brain simply cannot cope – not even a woman's brain! You see, if you try to divide your attention among a number of tasks your concentration suffers and your performance and productivity are shot.
So, when you know your To Do List is turning into a Wish List, your family hasn't seen you for months, you've given up on sleep, you're looking like s**t, you're trying to cram in too many things, you know you have to take action.
And here's how I can help you increase productivity. I've been there, done it and worn the blinking T-Shirt! I figured it out so I could get a load of stuff done. How else would I have been able to build a multi-million dollar business in two years whilst raising three kids? Uum?!
So keep up at the back, let's get going…
Video break [ignore if you prefer reading]
3 tips for getting more done in your day
The only way to increase productivity and get more productive when you're short on time is by systematizing. I know processes and systems don't exactly sound sexy or creative but they work. Having a system or process enables you to get your stuff done. Punto! And, getting your stuff done means you get to enter your genius zone, to be creative which will make you feel amazing! Oh and by the way, it'll make you money too! So keep up at the back, let's get going…
#1. Batch, chunk and time
Batching or chunking is an extremely efficient way to get things done. It's all about looking at a certain task and batching it into one span of time. For example, when I coach my students I always recommend they do this with their blogs, auto-responders, videos and many of their social media activities. I ask them to allocate a span of time each week to tackle each activity. For blogging and video blogging I tend to recommend getting a month's worth of content produced. This enables them to get in full flow; blogging become easier and therefore quicker to do. RESULT!
Another thing I get them to do relates to their inbound communications i.e. their messages via email, Facebook, Skype, text or the phone. If you're receiving these throughout your day via sound notifications you're in trouble. A distraction such as this equals taking your eye off the ball. It eats into your day. It slows you down. So set a time to check your messages. I usually do this three times a day – morning, noon and night. Attack all of your messages in one batch too. Keep everything switched off until then.
Apply the same principle to your meetings and even to your errands. Having a system like this works so well if you have kids. I often joke that at times it feels like I'm mobilizing an army!
If you add a timer to your batching you'll be even more productive. There's something psychological about using a timer in a schedule. You'll be amazed at how much more work you'll get done. I use one to manage my email. The tool I use is called The Email Game. Have a go, it's kind of fun!
#2. Become time sensitive
Pay attention to what you're doing and how long the tasks you're doing are taking. You can then estimate better when it comes to planning. The easiest way to do this is by keeping a record of it all. I recommend you do this for about 7 days.
#3. Use procrastination to your advantage
Procrastination can actually be a good thing. Now I bet you didn't expect me to say that now did you? Well the reason I say this is because it's going to help you see how you work best. Look at these reasons for why you might be procrastinating on a project or task and see if anything resonates:
You don't enjoy the task. If this is the case liberate yourself. You have a choice as to whether to enjoy something or not. I hope you're smiling now! I'll use me as an example for this story. Admin. Urrgh. I hate it. It drives me crazy. Whilst I can do it, it's my least favourite task. So what do I do? First of all I use the DDA rule. If I don't like doing something I either delete it, delegate it, or automate it. Thank you Ali Brown for teaching me this. In this case I allocate it to my General VA. And, if you want to grow your business I'd advise you do the same. Outsource anything that's not a core skill ASAP. I discussed this the other week when I blogged about what your time is worth and mastering time management.
You may not enjoy a part of the task. If you're putting off a project because there's one part you don't enjoy you may be putting off the whole thing. Now there are two ways to handle this. 1) You can either outsource this aspect (delegate it) or 2) you can automate it. Before doing either of those things though, check the problem. I'll give you another story to illustrate this point. I was working with a client recently who had a problem with their social media (or so they thought). Their challenge was: “we know what we should be doing, but we're just not doing it.” I bet this sounds familiar. Now as it turned the problem they had related to developing a strategy and subsequent system for their social media. Once we worked out a strategy and a system, which we then turned into a habit, the problem disappeared.
You don't know how to handle the task. For example I was working with someone who wasn't taking action on a writing a sales proposal. As it turned out, her problem related to not knowing what to charge. So, I had her do some competitive research which fixed this.
You can't find the time. Time is just a statement of priority so you have to schedule time to do this, get rid of other tasks to make way for this, re-prioritize your tasks or outsource some of the other tasks.
You feel stuck. You may just need some momentum to get going so give yourself permission to start on one aspect of the project. You'll find that this usually creates momentum. I tend to do this with my blogging. I don't start with the headline as I usually find this the hardest part. Instead I just start with the message or the areas that flow.
You don't really want to do what you thought you wanted to do. You may have the wrong strategy. Think about your objective. Is this something you really want to do? Is this something you really need to do? If you're not sure leave it for a while. Meditate on it or just let it sit until you get clarification.
Now I want to hear from you…
Tell me what activities you're putting off, what methods you're using for being more productive and how you increase productivity in your day.
Up above, you're in love…down below you're too slow! When it comes to the subject of couples in business and working with your boyfriend or husbandI was clearly too slow, but that's for another post [dot, dot, dot].
They say for better or worse, for richer or poorer but no one ever mentions at the office AND at home, do they? Now whether you made those vows or not, I know the thought has crossed your mind…
So should you go into business or even work with your boyfriend, or husband (aka your “beloved”) in an effort to gain financial freedom, and spend more time with your family?
Now before I give you my take on this, I want you to know that this has been a post I've been meaning to write for a long time. Those of you who know my story are probably thinking OMG what the ‘BLEEP' is she going to write!
Have no fear – I'm a pro!
You see, I've first hand experience of building a business and working with my (ex) beloved! I worked with him for just over 13 years and we owned a company together for 16 years.
I have to be honest – it's not a pretty story. There were both good and bad times. Owning a company and working together is not going to work out well for the vast majority of you. Very, very few can pull it off.
Sorry to burst your bubble!
The truth of the matter is few couples' relationships are strong enough to weather the storm. It's not an easy ride. So the question is….are you the exception to the rule?
Video break [I'm still being well behaved]
Disadvantages of couples in business
There's an old saying, “you shouldn't work with friends or family” and having done both, I can understand why! But, that's my story, so the question is, can you survive working together? Let's look at the challenges…
There's no real separation between work and home life
They say you need to set boundaries and have a clear separation between your work and personal life, but that's easier said than done. Take it from me, when you work and live together you never really switch off from work. There's always an opportunity to talk about it. Whether you're feeding the baby, out having dinner, on holiday or in bed making out!
I'm not joking…seriously! And, from a business perspective, it can actually be quite productive; there's a lot you can achieve!
Yep you heard me right!
However, from a personal relationship perspective it can be so damaging. For example, I remember several times returning home from the office, annoyed with my partner for not fulfilling something during the day. It was hard to look him in the eye, when he got home, with love. He'd let me down on a job and I was the one who had to answer to our client the next day. There was no getting away from it. I had two choices – 1) to bury it and let it fester or 2) to communicate my feelings and work to resolve it that night. This leads me naturally on to my next point.
You need to be very conscious of each others feelings
This point is particularly relevant when expressing criticism. Remember you're sharing your bed with this person and you don’t want to start a personal war. Effective communication is paramount if you're going to be successful in business together so get good at it and resolve any disagreements immediately. Harbouring ill thoughts will kill your relationship.
You need to find ways to keep your relationship alive
If you're working in close proximity it's very easy to get bored of one another no matter how much you care for each other. In my opinion, the only way to deal with this is to have an active life outside of work (independently) and a good social life. When you don't and your day consists of working on the business and then seeing to the kids, you end up being quite cut off from the world and living in a bubble.
You need to agree how to make decisions
You need to agree who's the boss and if your business operates on 50-50 share split, who's voice gets priority. If it's 50-50 split, you need to decide what will happen in a stale-mate situation. This is vital. In my company we both owned 100% of the shares and although there was an MD we decided that if we both couldn't agree on something, no action would be taken. Agreement was vital for the company to move forward.
You need to have legal agreements in place
No matter how much you trust one another, you need legal agreements in place. I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH. No one has a crystal ball and when money is involved some people view things in a very different way. They get greedy.
You need to make sure they're the most qualified for the job
This is a hard one as you're going to have to take out all the emotion and communicate this in a diplomatic way. One of the best things you can do is to agree this rule upfront. In my business, this is what we did. If someone was more capable of doing the job then they would be employed. Neither my partner nor I maintained our positions by default. We either had to step up, learn the skills and perform for the sake of the business, or we stepped aside and let another take our place. In some cases, there was never a question of us doing the job. It was clear from the offset that we didn't have the skills and didn't want them either.
Advantages of couples in business
You're more understanding of one another
Working together actually brings in a whole new level of understanding in a couple. You have a totally shared experience that brings you closer together. You're both on the same page. You understand why you're doing what you're doing. You're both working for the same end goal, pulling in the same direction and as a consequence you work with more understanding and gumption.
For example, I remember having to book my partner in for jobs over the weekend of Bank holidays, or even our children's birthdays. Had he come home and told me someone at work had done this I'd have been quite resentful, but because I'd done it (as we were growing our business) it was OK.
You've got more flexibility
Having built a business along with raising a family I can honestly say it's much easier when you can do this as a family unit. Again, you're both on the same page and you can always find ways to deal with child care or take time out to be at their school for an event. You can also have lunch breaks together or agree who's working late and with remote access and mobile communication anything is possible.
You'll achieve more and build a successful business
Napoleon Hill wrote about this in a chapter of his book Think and Grow Rich. It was all about sex transmutation. He said that love, romance, and sex are all emotions that are capable of driving men to heights of super achievement. Love is the emotion which serves as a safety valve, and insures balance, poise, and constructive effort. When combined, these three emotions may lift one to an altitude of a genius. All I can say is that I know what we achieved! [Wink, wink]
Now I want to hear from you!
Ever mixed business with your boyfriend or husband? Tell me whether you found it to be a good experience or not. Leave your story in the box below.
Did you know that those who master their message, truly know their clients, and package their online persona as a leader have higher sales and more success in business than those who don’t? Well if you didn't know that, you do now!
Why? Well it’s because they bring their character to everything they do. They make it crystal clear as to who they are, what they do, and how they do it. They attract publicity through their energy, persistence and leadership.
You see I believe that a leader is born and not made. A leader is willing to step up when no one else is. Whether they’re leading a team of one or a team of thousands, or even millions, a leader is always willing to say say ‘follow me'.
And, it’s this trait that attracts clients like the proverbial moth to the flame.
Established stars like Sir Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Dan Kennedy, Brendon Burchard and Tony Robbins are perfect examples to illustrate the point, and you can see rising stars like Derek Halpern, Gabby Bernstein and Marie Forleo applying the same principles. They all use the same tactic to promote their work. They all bring their unique character to everything they do.
Now, whilst I feel quite confident that I’m on the way to doing this with my brand, the funny thing, (and I’m fess-ing up here) is that I’m guilty as charged for not knowing this as a highly effective marketing strategy. Oops!
Thankfully as a creative at heart, I’ve always liked being unique and I’m pretty used to never ‘quite fitting in.’ Just picture me, as a Director, with my high heels and dress in a male dominated IT environment, and you'll get the picture. You see, I’m confident to make up my own mind as to whether to follow the crowd or not. I like my ‘take on things.’ I speak up when others don’t – for things I believe in and know to be right. Perhaps being the older sibling has helped me step into the leader role. Who knows!
Anyway, I want to share this top tip with you, as it’s huge for your business. Clients choose to work with you because of the quality of the work you deliver; but clients choose to say with you because they love your character.
[box]Clients choose to stay with you because they love your characterTWEET THIS[/box]
By bringing your energy, vision, hope, determination and unique view on things, you add that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that drives and influences them in their daily lives. I've been in business and sales too long to know that people always buy from people, and clients either want to be like you, or they want to be able to relate to you i.e. you remind them of them!
If your character is strong, opinionated and positions you as a leader in your field, then you become the trusted advisor, the go-to person – the one to turn to for help. Developing your online persona as a leader is one of the strongest influences you can use to be memorable. Copycat and samey-samey won't differentiate you. It won’t attract clients, publicity and it won’t convert into sales.
However, that doesn't mean to say that you have to create an online persona or brand that's different for the sake of being different. That would be dumb and could potentially lead to brand suicide. I've seen that before!
You need to keep your integrity in tact.
Packaging your brand and yourself as a leader takes strategy. As an entrepreneur it's your job to define your image and your message so no one misunderstands who you are and what you stand for.
So, to help you with this, here are 10 tips to help you define, or even redefine your online persona as a leader:
Communicate your why, purpose or life mission.
Demonstrate that you practice what you preach and always lead by example.
Be genuine, approachable and reliable.
Get opinionated. Show you’re not afraid to stand up for something you believe in, even if it goes against the grain.
Share your stories of perseverance and those where you’ve failed and also overcome adversity.
Share your interests and passions outside of business.
Under promise and over-deliver.
Be inspiring and encourage others to overcome their hurdles.
Develop a unique methodology or system that offers added value.
Give back to your community in as many ways possible.
These are only starting points, it's up to you to own your online persona as a leader and present the face you want to be known for to your clients consistently.
What are your thoughts? Are you comfortable stepping into the limelight and crafting your online persona as a leader? Have you had any good or bad experiences by doing this?
Please share your experiences and feedback in the comments below as I’d love to hear.
Finally, thank you, as always for reading and contributing here. And, if you found this useful, please share it with your friends!
Most people know I’m no coder, but when it comes to getting a small business online I’m actually a huge fan of WordPress as the platform of choice. Why? Well firstly it’s gets you started online cheaply and secondly a WordPresswebsite is actually quite easy to use. Too many times I’ve heard small business owners tell me that they can’t update their website and have had to get their web designer to do it for them – at a cost. And whilst it’s great to outsource, and concentrate on your core skills, outsourcing your website management is costly and time consuming at a time when quite frankly you don’t need it. Bah!
Now I have to come clean here. When I first built my website I got confused with the whole thing and I actually built a WordPress.com website. Whilst it was great that I took action after my website class, there are reasons why it's better to build a WordPress.org website, which I'll go into shortly.
WordPress to solve the problem
So let me tell you about WordPress. Well, WordPress is not only the most popular free and open sourceblogging tool available on the Internet, but it’s also a powerful Content Management System (CMS) that can be used to build websites. It’s used by over 16.7% of Alexa’s top 1 million websites and as of August 2011 it manages 22% of all new websites. It’s used by large corporates too and just to make it complicated for you, there are two versions of it – wordpress.org and wordpress.com!
Worpress.org or wordpress.com – which one to use
WordPress.com is a hosting platform that provides a quick and easy way to get your blog or website online. It’s free and easy to use and once you’ve signed up you can create your blog or website immediately – for free. It’s great for hobbyists or special interest blogs, but if you’re serious about building a website for a sustainable business (large or small) then it’s important to have control over the look of your website so it doesn’t look like a generic blog. This is why I almost always recommend using WordPress.org.
Here are 8 advantages you’ll have if you use WordPress.org as your website:
1. Search engines love WordPress. As sites using this CMS will be indexed in the search engines much faster than traditional static websites you’ll have traffic coming to your site sooner rather than later.
2. WordPress has an unlimited number of plug-ins or add-ons that have been developed to perform everything from shopping carts to contact forms. These are updated and upgraded constantly so you’ll always have the latest technology and innovations at your fingertips.
3. It’s usually considerably cheaper to have a website developed with WordPress than any other website. The available plug-ins are generally one-click installations which means you won’t have to pay a web developer to do costly coding to develop the features you’d like on your website.
4. WordPress has a great deal of SEO built right in. This enables you to rank well in the search engines. And despite web designer telling you that they do SEO, in my experience most don’t do it very well.
5. WordPress is easy for anyone without coding skills to maintain on their own. This means you can add new content whenever you want without having to pay a web designer to do it for you. Yay!
6. These days every business website needs a blog. By having a WordPress site you’ll have one there built right in so you can easily interact with your visitors.
7. WordPress has a built in RSS feed. This means that you have the ability to syndicate your content. This makes it a very useful traffic-grabbing tool.
8. By having a WordPress website you can market it to all of the blog directories. This means you have the potential of reaching many more visitors than a standard HTML website.
If you need a check-list for your wordpress website, or you want to 7 ways to generate leads through your wordpress website just click the links. Please let me know how you'll use this and, also how you're getting on with the website design you're planning. If you have any more tips, please just add them in the comment box. Feel free to share this with anyone who might find this useful too. Until then….
Building your own website is not for the faint hearted, but in this day and age it's totally possible – even if you're not tech savvy. I should know as this is exactly what I've done. Now, my website may not be perfect but it's doing the job I need it to right now. And, until you have enough money to outsource it, you can do the same. Obviously it's a preferred choice to get a designer to do this for you, but whether you do or don't, here are some key points to bear in mind.
The purpose of a business is to create a customer, so as an entrepreneur creating, optimizing, and promoting, content is essential if you’re going to fill the top of your sales and marketing funnel with more targeted, relevant websitetraffic and leads. The good news is that if you create, optimize and promote your blog on your website (or quite frankly on another's) you’re going to get 55% more traffic and 70% more leads than those who don't. That's quite a large figure!
Anyway, here are 7 ways to help you generate more leads on your website and boost your marketing efforts.
The ultimate way to create a performing website
1. Blogging
As you know every website has the potential to rank well in search engines and draw traffic from other sources i.e. from social media sites and the blogosphere. However, nowadays this all depends on whether your website is well optimized and how valuable it is to your readers i.e. useful, relevant, interesting, and so on. Adding a blog to a website is therefore a very powerful way to achieve this. In addition it’s also a great way to convert leads into clients. By having valuable and relevant calls to action, allowing your readers to subscribe, and encouraging them to follow you on social media are great ways to leverage your blog and get more. The more active you get online – on your website – the faster you'll grow.
2. SEO
70% of the links search-users click on are organic, which is why if you’ve gone to the trouble of creating a blog on your website, then you've got to optimize it. You have to give your valuable website content the best possible chance of drawing traffic in from the web. You need to maximize your ROC – return on content. Search engines look for fresh content so that they can serve it up later in search results so if they're not indexing it, results won't show it. The more fresh content you create on your website, the more often search engines will come back looking for more.
3. Mobile
Mobile is huge and if your website isn’t mobile friendly then you’re missing a trick. In fact I’d go so far as to say you have to redesign it! When mobile optimizing your website, you must consider smaller screen sizes and slower bandwidths. This may mean using smaller images and font sizes, and thinking about how much content is displayed on a single page. If you outsource this to a designer, just ensure you let them know. Ask for a website that is “responsive.” If you’re building your own website, I’d suggest using a WordPress.org. website. They have multiple mobile friendly templates. Once again make sure it is responsive. Theme Forest is a good place to start.
4. Social
Social media isn’t a fad, or a silver bullet, but it has changed the way we market. And, whether you like it or not the world is becoming more social. It's not just about the number of fans, friends and follows you have. Studies have shown that being active on Twitter and Facebook increases the number of inbound links, traffic and leads. As a result, companies are now favouring an increased investment in social media and blogs. Obviously there’s a right and wrong way to use it, and it’s imperative that you engage in conversations and not just blab about your own company/brand. It's about delivering meaningful content, having a dialogue and engaging with others. Blog posts shared on Twitter get 117% more page views than those not shared. Linkedin proves the most effective platform for B2B and Facebook for B2C. However, Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, Linkedin and YouTube combined (source, Shareaholic, February 2012) so you might want to experiment and see what works for your brand.
5. Analytics
I'm going to put it bluntly…there’s no point doing anything unless you’re measuring it. You need to know what works and what doesn’t. If you can't measure how many visits, leads and clients your different campaigns generate, you need to either get help with this or think again about why you're in business. Google Analytics provides a way to do this.
6. Tools
If you have a website, check out how it's performing by going to this marketing tool Marketing Grader. For SEO you can use SEO Scorer or ScribeSEO.
7. Resources
Nathalie Lussier is an online business triple threat, serving up digital strategy and integration along with do-it-yourself training programs that will turn your website into the asset you know it should be. She’s the creator of The Website Checkup Tool, and she loves getting techy with it, martial arts, and drinking green juice. Whilst I built my own website, I used many of the techniques Nathalie taught and that's why I have no hesitation recommending her to you here.
Please let me know if there's anything else you'd recommend by posting a comment below. Watch out for my check list on building a website that's coming soon. It will be useful if you're outsourcing your website design or designing your website yourself.
In my last blog I wrote about having a social media detox. It was time. It was well needed. Now I'm clearer in thought than ever about its value when it comes to selling. Social selling and social capital is what it's all about!
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