Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneurs’

Whether you’re selling a product or service, the 5 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades… to get results! These guidelines can apply to Web copy, e-mail, sales letters, brochures, direct mail, and more. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you’ve come to the right place.

Tip 1. Tune into that well known radio station WIIFM.

Many entrepreneurs talk endlessly on and on about how great their business is and what great their products they have. Hello? Client, anyone? What’s your prospect or client thinking, “So, what? What’s in it for me?” Start being client centered. If you can, talk with some of your current clients and ask them:
1) why they chose you, and
2) what they get out of your product or service.

Tip 2. Put your focus on the benefits.

Way too many small biz owners get so into the fact that their product or service offers a lot of neat features is great, but what do they DO for your customer? Do they cover the BIG 4? 1) Do make her money? Save her money? Save time? Avoid effort? Think about what your clients are REALLY looking for.

Now, what does a life insurance agent sell? Policies?

Nope — peace of mind. (You’ve got it NOW.)

Tip 3. Draw them in with interest.

The first thing your prospect or client hears can mean the difference between success and failure. have an interest (your clients interest) based conversation. Forget the jargon because most offend those conversations aren’t effective. There are many ways to have an attention holding conversation. REMEMBER to make it the conversation client centered — no one gives a hoot about your company. So if you are a financial adviser don’t talk with a prospect about what a new amazing financial program you have. Instead talk with them about turning their finances around in 30 days! Make sense?

Tip 4. Nix the buzzwords.

Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords — stick to the benefits. An easy way to weed out buzzwords is to think of dear old Grandma listening to your conversation. Would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. (Unless your target audience is a business audience then you’d want to upscale your conversational style and upscale your words.)

Tip 5. Use client’s stories as OFTEN as you can.

Let your prospects know they won’t be the first to try you. Give results-oriented stories from your clients who have benefited from your product or service. Give your clients names (as long as you have permission to use their name). Your prospects and clients want to know they’re not the only one. HINT: Use this magical sentence. “I have a client just like you” and go on and tell the story).

© 2008-2010 Ileana Kane All Rights Reserved.

**If you would like personalized coaching to assist you in overcoming your obstacles, email Ileana at ileana@ileanakane.com for further details. © 2010 Ileana Kane   All Rights Reserved

 Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following blurb along with the reprint of the article:

 Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, teaches Enterprising Entrepreneurs how to express their true value and get paid what they are worth. Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your business. 

Get your FREE audio: www.ileanakane.com

If you desire to get more clients and make more sales (and break into your 6-figures) and you’re frustrated and struggling, you might be challenged with fear and self-sabotage that keeps you from propelling yourself into the success you crave.

The good new is once you become aware of the top 3 self sabotaging mistakes, you can make the changes you need to eliminate them and quickly turn your situation around.  Once you take the steps to improve this area, you’ll be amazed at how quickly other areas of your business and your life will transform.

Let me give you three steps to make the ‘turn around.’

Over the years, I’ve coached and helped thousands of people make changes in their business and the biggest thing you can do right now is stop telling yourself selling is hard, getting clients is hard and making money is hard.

The problem is, once you tell yourself ‘it’s hard’, then you turn around and find the evidence that feeds what you’ve told yourself is true.

The golden key to open up to more possibility is to have the willingness to have it be easy.  Once you can be open to possibility, you’ll be able to find the right resources to help advance your passion and achieve your dream.

Step # 2  Make Peace With Your Past

Trying to create from a place of not being at peace with your past only creates more of what you already have. If you take the steps to forgive yourself and others, you’ll clean up your inner world and be able to create the outer world that is fulfilling and feeds you. Now you’re at a place where you can let go of all the old beliefs around money that keep you stuck.

Step # 3  Set A New Stage

Look at what you’re saying yes to.  Take a moment and look at your money goal at the end of the year.  Make decisions from that new place. Only say yes to those clients and opportunities that will match your level of energy and are in alignment with your values.

In order to grow you’ve got to let go. By taking these steps you’re clearing the path to quickly leap forward with your income your six and seven figure success.. 

Pam had been excited when she first started her small business she had her marketing planned out and working her marketing plan.  Somehow her passion wained and her motivation was at an all time low.  She was losing sleep at night.

When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was doing so much marketing to promote her business and there wasn’t enough time in the day to get it all done.  By the end of  the day she was tired and her phone wasn’t ringing like it used to.  I found Pam committing the forbidden 6 marketing sins.

For many entrepreneurs, we have difficulty doing a lot of marketing without getting the return on investment with our time.  Listed below are the seven sins of marketing.  They’re so simple I’m afraid that you might dismiss it at a first glance. So give it a read. I’m sure you will get ideas how to tune-up your own marketing system.

MARKETING SIN  #1- No marketing plan.

Let me ask would you go on vacation with out  a plan?  It’s no different in marketing. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are “doers.” There is nothing wrong with that – that is why they work for themselves and get things done! But often they get so busy they lose sight of where they are going and how they want to get there.

Just by giving the name of marketing plan sounds UGH and boring just the thought of those two words are less than motivating. The fact is creating a simple marketing plan can be so easy.  Hung up on the naming your  marketing plan still?  Call it your money map!

Let me give you the first three steps of creating your money map:

MARKETING SIN #2 – You’re like everyone else.

Most small business owners just name their selves by the profession.  For an example: I’m a mortgage broker, I’m a therapist, I make jewelry.  YAWN.  It’s like looking at a herd of zebras.  There is absolutely nothing to differentiate you from the herd. But if you were the color-striped zebra; you would stand out in everyone’s mind.

Take a long look and ask yourself these top two questions.  What makes your business different?  What makes you, your services or products unique? With the explosion of  new businesses, it should be your top concern – to set yourself apart from the pack.

If you are providing an ordinary product or service it may be hard to set yourself apart based on what or how you do it. But there is one thing in your business that no one else can duplicate – YOU!

MARKETING SIN #3 – No Visibility

If no one knows who you are or what you do you will always struggle to get enough business. Networking, public speaking, publishing articles are just a few no cost ways of getting the word out.

One BIG caution.  Do NOT do what one of my clients did before they came to me. They had a meeting with a television advertising salesperson who promised them everything and of course the delivery was way less than promised.  In fact this small business owner did not receive one lead from all his efforts and money spent. (If you
do approach the radio and television advertising arena, make SURE you are working with someone who KNOWS the business.)

The real key to a thriving business is sharing the value we offer in our products and     services to our customers.  Knowing the value of what we offer will lead to getting paid
what you are worth.

Charging what you are worth is a simple two-step process.  The first step is to know the value of the results you deliver and the second step is to know that your are absolutely worth it. The value of what you offer is perceived by your clients and your pricing is perceived by you.  

The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is they try to describe what they do. 
       
Describing what you do leads you down the path of using features. Trust me, your clients do not care about the features.  

Let me give you an example of features.  Let’s say you are a coach.  When coaches are  new to growing their business, they normally tell you how many sessions you will get with them and how long the sessions last.  Yes, at some time, your client will need to know this but not at the beginning of your conversation.  Just remember in the above example this is not a benefit or a result of what you do for them. 

What you want to do, is let them know the results they will get. 

Let’s take the same example of the transition coach. What you want to talk about is how, at the end of 60 days, your client has a clear plan describing what they want to do and how they will make their transition.  

See the difference between the features (the number and time of sessions) rather than the end result?  

Keep focused on the remarkable results and you will start seeing a big difference in getting more clients (and higher paying clients).

Your business in action: 

Think about what you really do for your clients in the end and what’s in it for them.  
   
Then write out a long list of benefits and results.

© Ileana Kane All Rights Reserved 

Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following     blurb along with the reprint of the article:

 Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, helps Enterprising Entrepreneurs express their true value and get paid what they are worth while moving away from trading  ‘dollars for hours work.’  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your business.  For your FREE audio: www.milliondollarmuse.com

MARKETING SIN #4 – There is no or very little internet presence

Did you know over 95% of small business web sites are just a brochure site. This type

of site is a pure waste of time and money. You’ll never make a dime from these sites.

A strong online presence can become a serious marketing tool. But if you just do not know how to make your web site generate leads and sales – you are not alone.

Amazingly, with a few simple and inexpensive tweaks you can turn your web brochure

into a profitable, lead generating machine.

MARKETING SIN #5 – Telling how great you are.

Most small business owners and entrepreneurs feel you have to boast what a great job you do. This just leaves you feeling slippery and unprofessional. No wonder you avoid marketing.

The truth be known most potential clients don’t have a clue about all the ways you can help them. Your job? You are to educate them. In all of your marketing efforts, find out

about their problem and tell a story about a client who had a similar problem. Also include educating strategies in your articles, talks and books.

MARKETING SIN #6 – No effective follow-up worse yet no follow up at all.

Did you know that more than 80% of sales made take five prospect follow-up contacts.

Did you know most people never follow-up or give up after 2 contacts? They just don’t know how to consistently stay in touch with their prospects, referral sources and existing clients.
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Develop a follow-up system that gets results. I publish a ezine, send out a one page friendly letter and I use Send Out Cards. I’ll soon be adding an informational CD to send out. Here are some other options for you to consider. A full-blown newsletter, send out postcards with a tip, when you see an article that would be of benefit to your prospect or client sent that to them with a personal note.

Get started and take action NOW!

MARKETING SIN #7 – There is no WOW in you marketing.

AT the beginning, I told you there were six marketing sins. You counted right this is number 7. The last very simple way to WOW your clients is to -under-promise and over- deliver!

Simple and OFTEN overlooked. What you need to do is to ‘pamper’ your clients and be generous with your prospects and clients.

Sit back and contemplate what you’ve read. Make a list of what you need to implement.

and then assign a date by when you’ll complete the items. My client Pam was amazed how quickly her business turned around and you’ll be amazed too!

© 2008 Ileana Kane.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it: Ileana Kane founder of “Turn Your Passion to Profit Marketing Breakthrough System” publishes a weekly Ezine ‘Opportunities on Marketing & Success for Your Small Business’. If you’re ready to take your business to new heights with ease and your ready make more money, have more profits and more time off. Get your FREE Audio ‘Turn Your Passion To Profit” in 5 Proven Simple Steps. Go now to: www.milliondollarmuse.com.

The easiest and simplest way for entrepreneurs to out smart and out market your competition is to be willing to do what 99% of your competition is unwilling to do.  Here are the next 3 HOT marketing strategies in this issue.  Stay tuned for more.

Marketing Strategy Four.  Lock Your Sales in Advance

It is amazing!  I am finding what has worked in one industry works in many other industries.  I found this little secret out when I was in charge of marketing for a small new home builder.  Let me share the secret with you (other industries might call this a product launch).  When we were getting ready to release a new home community for sale, we would have the construction of the product well underway, set a sales date, put up a sign, have the doors open for giving out information and start gathering names and loan applications.  On the day we had the first sale we would offer a limited number of homes for sale at an irresistible price (this is before they’re even ready for occupancy).

As an entrepreneur you are able to do this, too!  When you are offering a teleclass or launching a new product or service, start early and build interest and momentum in your product or service, create urgency and offer it at an irresistible price with an irresistible bonus.  Your sales will skyrocket.

Marketing Strategy Five. Align With Your Congruency Factor and Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drum.

Here’s the  biggest mistakes I made when I became an entrepreneur.  Very simple.  I
looked at how everyone else was working their small business. Let me share how one
small change can boost your sales just by embracing your congruency factor.

In one of my workshops, I told a story about Paddy Lund.  Paddy is a dentist and when he went into practice he looked around to see how other dentists marketed their practice… and he followed suit.  In a moment you will see why this is a bad idea.  Paddy ended up with $65,000 annual revenues, working long hours and feeling dog tired at the end of the day.  The day came when Paddy decided to market his small business the way he wanted. He started by remodeling his office into a more spacious, warm and friendly surrounding which reflected the essence of tranquility.  In this space of tranquility he could serve tea  to his patients while he sat and visited with his patients. Paddy reopened the office and worked only by referral.  He soon transformed his $65,000 practice to a $400,000 practice.

A participant in one of my workshops took this story to heart.  As an entrepreneur, she
realized the mistake she had made in  marketing her small business and decided to some changes to her business.  And the outcome of the changes?  She went from charging $65 per hour to charging $200 per hour for her services.  And what this gave her was more income and more profit!

Marketing Strategy Six.  Move from Using A Marketing Tactic to Marketing Strategy

Do you want to know the difference?  If you are doing a lot of things and not seeming to get anything done, putting out a lot of energy feeling like you are chasing clients and chasing down business, you probably are experiencing using too many marketing tactics.  You are in a vicious cycle of working long hours and bringing in mediocre returns.

Let’s say you were a General and your job was to overtake a hill.  Overtaking the hill would be the strategy.  That’s the over arching goal.  The way you decide to over take the hill would be that tactic portion of the job you are setting out to do.

If you have done your job and positioned your small business in the marketplace, what you will experience is the joy of having your prospects and customers come to you. They seek you out as the obvious choice to serve their needs.

If you will take the time and make some changes in your small business, you WILL be the entrepreneur who out smarts and out markets her small business. You’ll be able to work a lot less and enjoy the FREEDOM your small business promised you in the first
place.

© 2008 Ileana Kane.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it: Ileana Kane founder of “Turn Your Passion to Profit Marketing Breakthrough System” publishes a weekly Ezine ‘Opportunities on Marketing & Success for Your Small Business’. If you’re ready to take your business to new heights with ease and your ready make more money, have more profits and more time off. Get your FREE Audio ‘Turn Your Passion To Profit” in 5 Proven Simple Steps. Go now to: www.milliondollarmuse.com.

No matter what the economy entrepreneurs can boost their confidence in marketing their small business. Here are my 20 quick and practical methods to increase your confidence,in marketing your small business.

1. Think about someone who is confident and act, talk, and walk like him or her. Model their mannerisms and behavior. It works for them; it will work for you.

2. Smile a lot more. That doesn’t mean putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the street, when you meet people and generally be happier even if you’re not feeling that way. (Remember to put a spring in your walk!)

3. Learn from the past; don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s gone; it’s never coming back. instead learn from it for next time.

4. Buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done, treat yourself to something new. it will make you feel better and will give your ego a boost.

5. Are you prepared for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet any challenge that may come up? Are you prepared for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet someone for the first time? If not, get to it.

6. Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity – because you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more confidence.

7. Improve your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these are and put a plan in place to improve them over time.

8. Learn how to say no to people. Don’t be afraid, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. just watch the reaction on their face after you’ve said it the first time and there will be no going back.

9. Change the mindset. Look on the “can do” side of things rather than the “can’t do”. You’ve accomplished lots in your life and you will accomplish lots more in the future.

10. Be in charge of your thoughts at all times. What is a thought? It’s just a question that you’ve asked yourself and the thought is you’re answer. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, you’re probably asking a negative question. Change the questions to be more positive.

11. Whenever you feel a negative thought coming, STOP, THINK, and say is this really important in the grand scheme of things. A lot of the time it isn’t. Many people in life major in minor things!

12. Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It’s not what they say to you that’s the problem it’s what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that’s the problem. Change the way you think.

13. List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word – this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying “I’m enraged about this” say, “I’m a little annoyed”. Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You’ll be surprised with the results.

14. At the end of each day list your achievements and successes throughout that day.

15. Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out?

16. Every morning when you’re in the shower, play over in your head the events in the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence and it will be so.

17. Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence levels. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you’ve got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language

18. Emotion is created by motion. As in 17, make sure you move around consistently. this creates energy and gets the blood pumping around you body – it makes you feel better and more confident.

19. Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are.

20. And finally – You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time – will what I am worrying about really matter?

Make sure you make marketing your small business a priority with a smile on your face, a spring in your walk and a song in your heart.

© 2008 Ileana Kane.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it: Ileana Kane founder of “Turn Your Passion to Profit Marketing Breakthrough System” publishes a weekly Ezine ‘Opportunities on Marketing & Success for Your Small Business’. If you’re ready to take your business to new heights with ease and your ready make more money, have more profits and more time off. Get your FREE Audio ‘Turn Your Passion To Profit” in 5 Proven Simple Steps. Go now to: www.milliondollarmuse.com.

There are many entrepreneurs who are terrific at what they do and struggle with how to get clients and loose the momentum in growing their business. There must be at least 101 basic ways to get clients and it’s hard to choose what to do so these entrepreneurs end up getting stuck and doing nothing. Getting new clients and gaining momentum in your business is probably one of the easiest things to do and you just need to think in a different way. Today’s  entrepreneurs need to be willing to do what 99% of their competition is unwilling to do. Here are 5 ways to get  clients with little or no money in a simple easy way. By taking action and being proactive you will gain momentum in your business and open the floodgates of having more clients, more profits and more time off.

1. Referral Marketing Will Create a Gold Vein of Opportunity

Are you missing out on this gold vein of opportunity? Let’s take a look at the 5 reasons you want to place referral marketing in your small business marketing mix: 1) this one marketing strategy will give you a client that will buy more often; 2) will buy for a longer period of time; 3) they will also buy a higher quality of product or service; 4) and buy a higher quantity of product or service; once your system is in place you spend less time on getting clients; 5) You will experience much higher profits by placing referral marketing in your small business strategy. Here are two real world examples and the impact referral marketing can make in your small business profits. I had been brought into a company that was experiencing a slump in their sales. And what did I find? No referral marketing! We introduced one referral system and brought sales up. Then we introduced two more referral systems for a total of three systems and brought sales up again. What’s the bottom line? This company experienced a sales increase over $19,000,000 (a 42% increase in business) in a very short 10 months! By tracking where my sales came from, I found one of my workshops had a 37% referral rate. Referral marketing strategies work no matter the size of you business or how long you’ve been in business.

2. Front Load Your Sales.

It is amazing! I am finding what has worked in one industry works in many other industries. I found this little secret out when I was in charge of marketing for a small new home builder. Let me share the secret with you . . .

When we were getting ready to release a new home community for sale, we would have the construction of the product well underway, set a sales date, put up a sign, have the doors open for giving out information and start gathering names and loan applications.

On the day we had the first sale, we would offer a limited number of homes for sale at an irresistible price (this is before they’re even ready for occupancy). You are able to do this, too!

Entrepreneurs
When you are offering a teleclass or launching a new product or service, start early and build interest and momentum in your product or service, create urgency and offer it at an irresistible price.

3. Align With Your Congruency Factor and Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drum.

In one of my workshops, I told a story about Paddy Lund. Paddy is a dentist and when he went into practice he looked around to see how other dentists marketed their practice and he followed suit. In a moment you will see why this is a bad idea.

Paddy ended up with $65,000 annual revenues, working long hours and feeling dog-tired at the end of the day. The day came when Paddy remodeled his office into a more spacious, warm and friendly surrounding which reflected the essence of tranquility where he could serve tea to his patients while he sat and visited with his patients. Paddy reopened the office and worked only by referral. He soon transformed his $65,000 practice to a $400,000 practice.

A participant in one of my workshops took this story to heart. She made just a few low cost changes to her dance business and went from charging $65 per hour to charging $200 per hour. How’s that for profit

4. Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Tactics

Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Tactic. Do you know the difference? If you are doing a lot of things and not seeming to get anything done, putting out a lot of energy feeling like you are chasing clients and chasing down business, you probably are experiencing tactical marketing. You are in a vicious cycle of working long hours and bringing in mediocre returns.

Let me give you a simple example of marketing strategically. If you were a General and your job was to overtake a hill. Overtaking the hill would be the strategy. That’s the over arching goal. The way you decide to over take the hill would be the tactic portion of the job you are setting out to do. So, in essence the small goals to achieve the the overarching strategy.

If you have done your job and positioned your company in the marketplace, what you will experience is the joy of having your prospects and customers come to you. They seek you out as the obvious choice to serve their needs.

5. Use Your Competitors.

And you say, why would my competitor want to help me?

Well, who you think your competition is may in fact not really be your competition. Let’s take the field of professional organizers. An organizer is an organizer is an organizer. Not necessarily so. I met with an organizer the other day who helps new car dealerships get organized so they can be more productive and make more sales. Wouldn’t it be to her benefit to talk with other organizers and let them know her specialty?

Another real world example. A friend of mine who is a realtor was talking with one of her competitors and he is planning on retiring the business after 30 years. I had her make an appointment with him to negotiate with him an introduction and endorsement to his client base in exchange she would give him the referral every time one of his clients sells or purchases a home through her. She gets the benefit of his 30 years of work without having to do any upfront marketing saving her time and saving her small business money and he gets the benefit of knowing his clients will be well taken care of by a very capable and ethical real estate professional and he continues to make money without the work and headache after he retires.

Today entrepreneurs just need to use brain power not money power to get clients for their small business For the full proven 5 simple steps to uncover the hidden profit opportunities that you knew existed in your small business and learn more about Pathway to Profit, Freedom and Breakthrough Workshop go to now www.ileanakane.com

© 2008 Ileana Kane.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it: Ileana Kane founder of “Turn Your Passion to Profit”publishes ‘Opportunities on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine. If you’re ready to take your business to new heights with ease and your ready make more money, have more profits and more time off. Get your FREE marketing and success tips now at www.milliondollarmuse.com