Do You Love Yourself Enough to Make a Difference with Your Expertise?

Written by Janis Pettit on May 13, 2013 — 2 Comments

You’re filled with the desire to help others. You have a system, product, program or process that can transform lives, yet you just can’t seem to get enough clients or make enough money to really say you have a successful business. It’s so frustrating.

You’ve attended numerous free training events, downloaded free e-books and reports and you study all the time. You’ve even tried every marketing tactic you’ve learned. Yet it’s still not coming together. You’re just tapped out. You’ve heard others explain how their system works and is the best and you see that they are successful but you are doubtful it will work for you because nothing has so far.

Sure you may be making some money, even getting by and paying the bills, but soaring would not be the word you’d use to describe your business.

You just don’t get it. So what’s wrong? Why is all you do not getting the results you want?

You’ve probably heard people talk about the importance of working on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, right? The truth is that all the knowledge in the world won’t pay off if your thinking and beliefs are not aligned with your vision.

I’ve seen this situation unfold more times than I can count and each time I see the same problem keeping women stuck, keeping them invisible and unable to change lives with their God given talents. And the reason is often the same. It’s not easy to hear, but the truth is that often they just don’t love themselves enough. They don’t believe that they too can join the seemingly exclusive success club and be seen as an influencer who transforms others. The problem is this—if you don’t believe in yourself, why would someone else believe you could really get them great results?

Every daunting situation we face is there to teach us something and as soulful, service based entrepreneurs our job is to look within and figure out what the lesson is and then set about to learn it. That takes courage, humility and real gumption. It’s not for the weak hearted. Difficult situations like money problems, stagnation, relationship problems or anything else that blocks us don’t mean we are unworthy, unlovable or a failure. They don’t need to be used as an excuse to hide the real truth. When you love yourself enough to be as nurturing with yourself as you would be with a child; when you look at a difficult situation as a self-learning and growth opportunity, not as proof that you were never meant to succeed and when you start doing the work to learn the lesson your world will shift, your business will shift and your self confidence will soar.

When you look in the mirror and see Divine inspiration and unique gifts staring back at you, you’ll smile and begin to invest in changing, moving and growing.

Recently my friend and colleague, Kathleen Gage wrote a blog post about the assumption many people have that they should be able to get everything they need to make more money and be successful for free, without investing a dime in themselves. In other words, some people think they can get great results with no “skin in the game”. We all know that’s not how it works. Similarly you have to do the work and invest the time and energy necessary to face challenges, learn from them, be determined to overcome them and change.

If you know what your purpose is and that the work you were meant to do is important, then why would you stay stuck taking the same actions thinking you’ll get different results? If you see yourself as loved and lovable, if you value and believe in yourself and your gifts, why would you make excuses for not doing whatever it takes to attain your dream? If you truly can see your dream for your business becoming real, you will have the quiet, but powerful inner confidence you need to get outside your comfort zone, take action and invest in change. You will stop hiding, stop remaining invisible, stop settling for just barely getting by.

Otherwise you will tend to blame circumstances, make excuses, postpone, procrastinate, give away your power to others, stall until it’s “perfect” , operate from fear and put up a false front.

When you are filled with self-love, self-acceptance and self-confidence, you take 100% responsibility for the results you get. You know that the decisions you make today will determine the results you get tomorrow so you take bold action. And you will know you are special. You will feel determined to serve others with your gift and you will feel worthy of being well compensated in return.

This is a mindset shift of huge proportions. To love yourself and put yourself first so you are full enough to nurture and help others, instead of depleted and overwhelmed is truly stepping into your power and who you were meant to be.

Posted in entrepreneurial mindset | Tagged entrepreneurial mindset

How Correcting 3 Common Mistakes Increased Sale 86%

Written by Janis Pettit on March 21, 2013 — 1 Comment

by Karon Thackston

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the message we most want our customers to hear gets lost in a sea of superlatives. The marketer within us takes over and – before we know it – the core focus of the Web page, brochure or flyer becomes blurred. Let me assure you of one thing… if your prospects can’t determine – with crystal clarity – what you do and how it will benefit them, all your copywriting efforts will be in vain.

Provider Watch suffered from a bit of this problem. When I read their original home page copy I was confused about what they offered. While all the information seemed to be within the copy, I didn’t get it. That’s what happens all too often when we write our own copy: *we* understand what we mean, but that clarity isn’t passed on to our readers.

The owner of Provider Watch knew she had a great product. She also knew it should be very popular with daycare providers. What the owner didn’t understand was why her copy wasn’t triggering the reaction she was hoping for.

The Problems

There was no single, major problem with the Provider Watch home page. Instead, there were several little problems; the sum of which was costing Provider Watch conversions.

First the copy certainly did strike an emotional chord by relating to the site visitors on their level. What happened, however, was a delay in moving from an emotional tug at the heart to delivery of the message. As the visitors read on, they felt connected to *what* was being said, but they weren’t clear about *why* it was being said.

The second thing that struck me when I read the home page copy of this site was the “No Regrets” system. There were a few things I was unclear about. At some points there was mention of signing up for a free membership. At other points, a mention of how little it cost per month was made.

There was also reference to a credit reporting system, but I was confused as to whether the daycare provider reported *to* the system or received reports *from* the system. I saw information about collection help along with statements that Provider Watch was not a collection agency.

And third, search engine optimization also came into play with this site. The original home page had an odd choice of keywords. To make it successful, we’d have to come up with new phrases to help drive more targeted traffic to the site.

The Solutions

The solutions for this home page were quite simple. Outline what Provider Watch did, then clearly provide that information to the site visitors while keeping the emotional attraction. I wanted the site visitors to know immediately what was being offered and precisely how it would benefit them.

Because Provider Watch has such terrific knowledge about their target audience, I was able to accurately outline who I was talking with through the copy. Most of their daycare providers were small, independent, work-from-home operations that didn’t have any financial wiggle room. Every time a parent bounced a check or left without giving the required notice, it hurt the provider badly. I wanted the feeling that Provider Watch knew this, understood it and was offering help to come through.

In addition, I needed to find a way to offer proof that this was a viable service that filled a very real need. Because the service was unusual, educating the site visitor would be as important as selling to them.

The Rewrite

The original headline read:

“Warning! Deadbeat daycare parents don’t want you to know about this website!”

“The Provider Watch “No Regrets” Risk Management System contains over $615,654 in unpaid daycare debt, and that number grows daily!”

“There are a growing number of parents who simply steal childcare services by refusing to pay.”

I wanted to make that much clearer and also plainly deliver a major benefit to daycare providers so I changed the headline to:

Find Out If Parents Are Bad Payment Risks
BEFORE You Accept Them As Customers

That spoke loudly to providers who had been burned one time too many. It let them know immediately that this was a site that offered help in the way of prevention.

I went one step further by constructing a bullet list of what was included in both the free membership and the paid membership. I also gave them a method for getting more information and for signing up for whichever membership level met their needs.

The next challenge was to outline what services were provided, then clearly point out the benefits of these services to the site visitor. At the same time, I kept an eye open for opportunities to include keyphrases within the natural flow of the copy.

Overall, the home page was made to be much more simple, clear and concise with an unmistakable path that the site visitor could follow from introduction to purchase. You can view the new copy here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/providerwatch-after.pdf.

The Results

Did it work? Did it ever! Provider Watch has seen a:

52% increase in unique visitors to the site
22% increase in overall sign-ups
86% increase in paid subscribers
Steady increase in phone traffic

Another mystery solved!

Want to get more info about how applying these and other copywriting strategies to your site for improved rankings & sales? Karon has a free webinar that takes you behind the scenes and shows you every step of the process in detail. View it here.

© Karon Thackston

Posted in Copywriting | Tagged Copywriting, copywriting strategies, increased sales, Karon Thackston

How to Get Companies to Sponsor Your Marketing!

Written by Janis Pettit on March 13, 2013 — Leave a Comment

by Shannon Cherry

Most people think that corporate sponsorships are only for nonprofits, associations and little leagues. But here’s the thing: if you do any kind of promotions, you can be sponsored. And you’re leaving money on the table if you aren’t benefiting from sponsorships.

Even big name celebrities have sponsors. People including Madonna, Kobe Bryant, and Justin Timberlake… And we know they aren’t charities.

Okay, so you’re not nearly big rock star or sports legend. Is it possible for you, a small business owner, to get sponsorships?

Yes!

You see, the reasons why a company would sponsor a celebrity are the same reasons they would sponsor you.

It used to be that companies would underwrite the costs of a sponsorship for good will. Times have changed. Today, sponsorships are now a valuable marketing tool, and corporations looking for a better return on investment than just that it ‘feels good’ to help out.

The sponsor’s goal is often to get to a specific target market, so if you can answer these questions, you can get a support for something you are already – or planning on – doing:

1) Do you have a visible following?

Think about your subscriber list, your social media, your connections with traditional media. If you can clearly prove you have a following makes a sponsor interested. This doesn’t mean you need huge figures. It’s the quality of the following not the quantity that makes a difference. (See the next question to understand this more.)

2) Can you show you have an influence with your following?

Sponsors will want to see if you have a bond with the people in your ‘tribe.’ Influence means you can give them a call to action, and they will respond. This is exactly why the quality of your following is more important than the quantity. There’s no return on investment if you have 50,000 followers on Twitter but only 2 people are actually reacting to your tweets.

3) Are YOU willing to invest in a sponsorship relationship?

If you think the sponsorship is over as soon as the company has handed you the hard or soft money, then you’re ill prepared for sponsorships. The key is building a lasting relationship.

4) Can you verify that your sponsors will get a quantifiable return on investment?

There’s a right approach and a wrong approach to this. And without help, it can be hard to see what will work. (And by the way, what will work for one potential sponsor may not for another).

Shannon Cherry, a veteran in building connections – including corporate sponsorships, is sharing her sponsorship secrets to help individuals like you get your share of the $17 Billion in corporate sponsorship available. Join us on March 21st at 5 PM ET for the free webinar: “Win-Win-Win Your Way to Profitable Influence: How to Get Companies to Pay You to Market to Your Audience.”

Discover how Shannon is getting sponsors to pay for just about EVERYTHING she does, including clothes and makeup, computers, gifts for clients, blogging, attending and hosting events and much more.

When you join us on March 21st, you’ll discover:

Why companies have millions of dollars to dole out
Why a company would be interested in you and what you’re doing
What you really need to offer to land a sponsorship
What a sponsorship can pay for
And much, much more!

Go here to register.

Posted in Marketing | Tagged corporate sponsorships, Shannon Cherry

7 Step Formula for Using Free Webinars Generate 4 to 5 Figures in Monthly Sales

Written by Janis Pettit on February 19, 2013 — 2 Comments

For some years I offered regular free tele-classes to my online community and subscribers. Each was a complete topic-focused training for small and solo business owners, and at the end I showed attendees how they could master the topic by registering for an in depth coaching program or workshop. People loved the tele-classes and I was also able to fill my programs.

But about a year ago tele-classes lost their appeal and became less effective. That’s when I discovered the power of webinars. Webinars are light-years ahead of tele-classes in terms of their attention grabbing appeal and effectiveness. I just love delivering them! Once I started creating high value webinars my sales literally doubled and I got regular comments in social media from happy attendees. I knew I had found a jackpot strategy that I could use and teach my clients.

Over the next months my team and I worked together to develop a semi-automated process for creating, delivering and marketing with webinars. The result has been amazing.

Why do webinars work so well? Because attendees can see, hear and even read the content at the same time. No matter what their learning style, it’s covered. It even allows you the option of doing a live demonstration from your computer screen. Webinars are basically a form of video and just in case you didn’t know…

Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month
Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube. Wow!

Webinars have a TV-like quality and if you add some entertainment value, even better. You can make them interactive so you engage your audience and hold their attention. They offer you an opportunity to visually demonstrate the concepts you’re introducing, and to show the benefits of your product or service.

If this strategy interests you, then take a look at this overview of my 7- Step Webinar Success Formula.

Promote a product, program or service that people really need, want and are willing to pay for.
Create a high value webinar that educates, adds value, then converts
Craft and present your offer so it’s seen as a valuable solution worth the investment
Complete the technical set-up – so it’s automated and easy. That includes web pages, email lists for registrants and buyers and webinar delivery set-up
Prepare your marketing and promotional kit. You can use this again and again with different joint venture partners
Find the right joint venture partners who serve the same market you do.
Leverage for ongoing sales using automated webinar delivery software

This simple webinar formula can easily generate 4 to 5-figures in additional sales each and every month. And it can also add hundreds of new subscribers to your email list monthly. If you have knowledge or expertise and can create anything from simple information products to programs or even high priced coaching, consulting or training packages, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity if you’re not using webinars.

You’re invited to learn more about how I use webinars to generate ongoing monthly sales by attending my free 90-minute in depth webinar training. You can register here to watch the entire webinar. You’ll get access to the training and downloadable handout too.

Or you can register for the Webinar Sales Success Secrets Workshop and get access to my entire system!

Posted in Business strategy, Increase sales, Joint ventures | Tagged free webinars, generate sales, marketing strategy, sales strategy

Come hang out with me and meet other top online entrepreneurs at NAMS

Written by bizcoach on January 10, 2013 — 1 Comment

There is only one live event I know about where you can learn everything you need to know to explode your online business all in one place. You can personally meet and learn from 25 super successful online Entrepreneurs whose names you know. You can network and walk away with amazing joint venture opportunities.

The event is NAMS and it takes place February 8th, 9th and 10th in Atlanta. I’ll be one of 25 instructors offering an amazing array of hot topic workshops. There are 4 levels of top notch training available, the 100, 200, 300 and 400 level (just like in college!). Choose the level that’s right for you. And I’d like to invite you to LET ME KNOW if you’re coming as I intend to have a “meetup” with all the members of my community who show up.

This could change your business in 2013!

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM MY FRIEND LOU BORTONE TO SEE WHAT NAMS IS ALL ABOUT.

CLICK HERE TO GRAB ONE OF THE REMAINING SPOTS

Posted in Joint ventures, Live events, small business growth | Tagged internet marketing training, Joint ventures, live event, NAMS, small business marketing

How to Make Your Plan for Next Year a Reality

Written by Janis Pettit on December 20, 2012 — Leave a Comment

If you’ve started to follow through on Lesson 3, creating your strategic Profit Plan and Money Map, you may be starting to feel real excitement about what’s possible. When you struggle, then you actually create a detailed plan that seems a stretch but do-able, you start to see that something big can happen.

However there is a huge step you need to take to make it real. You have to take action each and every day. Looking at your plan and actually implementing it means a huge shift and leap of faith. Many people feel some fear at this point. What if I’m wrong? What if this fails? This is normal! Every one of us goes through this at some point. I’ve been through it a number of times.

So let’s talk about the three areas you need to work on to make your plan real.

Mindset Shift

In order to step out and take action on your plan you will need 4 things:

courage
fierce determination to keep moving forward and not give up or stall
passion
willingness to accept that not everything you planned may work, but that something will work

I want you to get out a Post-it and write this on it:

“I am 100% responsible for the results I get. I can choose fear or I can choose success. Which future reality am I creating by TODAY’S actions?”

Tape this to your computer. It’s immensely powerful!

Promotional Plan

Now that you have a plan you need leads and clients. Set up a Promotional Calendar for the first 4 months of the year. I use Google Calendar and share it with my team. I actually suggest having two calendars

Your Marketing Calendar – here is where you schedule promotional events and product launches, such as preview tele-classes or webinars that introduce a product, program or service, joint ventures where you promote others or they offer your tele-class or webinar, program start dates (if it’s a fixed date). Look at the dates you’ve entered and if you plan to introduce a product via a tele-class or webinar, backtrack 2 months and put in your calendar that you need to recruit joint venture partners, prepare your promotional materials (like e-mail and social media status updates and tweets), and affiliate promo materials. In Google Calendar you can color code these.
Your E-mail/Social Media Calendar – Put in the subject of each email you’ll send to your list and the social media and blog posts you post each week. These should tie in with whatever you’re promoting from your Marketing Calendar. This way you are strategic about the messages you send. This is crucial.
Make a list of potential Joint Venture or Referral partners. Decide what commissions or fees you will pay on sales they generate on each product or service you plan to promote. Start to connect with them and set up phone calls or live meetings to discuss a possible partnership.

Here is a RARE INSIDE SNEAK PEAK at my planned Marketing Calendar and E-mail/Social Media calendar for next February. The blue is the Marketing Calendar, the red is the E-mail Calendar and the green are several planned events that I need to attend.

Then all you need to do is go to your Calendar and do what it says to do. This will help you use your time more efficiently and will dramatically accelerate the results you get. Taking focused action each day will make you feel like you’re really moving forward, because you will be!

Get Support to Grow Fast

Finally, getting help and support is crucial. That means using outsourced help to do the things that are time-consuming but not worth your time as the CEO of your company, as well as rote tasks that are outside your skill set.

Work with a coach or mastermind group to help you brainstorm, plan and identify how to really soar and to keep you accountable and motivated. Every successful entrepreneur I know does this because you cannot succeed by being a lone wolf. You need feedback and brainstorming to go beyond your current boundaries and get help seeing what you don’t see from the inside.

Are you reading these lessons or following through on the suggested actions? Because if you do, the coming year will be your best year yet!

ARE YOU READY?

I have a 2 openings remaining in my private coaching and mentoring program, Step Up & Soar. I’m looking to help a few people who are motivated to take their current business to a whole new level of income and they also want to work and stress less. If you are ready for high level guidance creating and implementing the strategies and systems that will bring your Profit Plan to life, let’s set up a time to talk. We’ll dig deep and see what needs to be done now to get you to your dream business.

Posted in Business strategy, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial mindset, small business growth | Tagged business plan, money map, profit plan, small business growth

Create Your Profit Plan and Money Map

Written by Janis Pettit on December 17, 2012 — Leave a Comment

One of the best ways to stay on track and meet your income goals is to have a yearly profit plan and Money Map. This is what separates the struggling business owners who use a random approach with no strategy from the ones that really plan, set goals and deadlines and that make a really great income.

First let’s review how to build your profit plan.

The first step is to set your one year income goal. Make it a stretch but still realistic. Now if you tend to think small it may need to be a big stretch to get you outside your comfort zone. But on the other hand if you are currently making $30,000 a year in sales and less in income, saying you want to do 500K in a year might not be realistic. But bringing your personal income to six-figures could be.
Add up your expenses from last year. Say you made $30,000 in sales and your expenses were $6,000. That’s 20% of your sales. Say you want to make a personal income next year of $100,000. Well if your expenses are 20% you need to make $100,000 plus 20%. You have to have $125,000 in sales to take out 100K as personal income. This seems basic, but many small and solo business owners ignore these steps!
Now set your sales goal which in the example above is $125,000.
Now let’s make a Money Map to figure out how you will make your sales goal. List each product you will offer, the price and how many you can realistically sell each month. This is where you will need to begin to think big and think strategically. You can do this using a chart or mind map or in Excel.Deciding on your products and pricing: It’s always easier to do less sales of a higher priced product than to sell a big quantity of a low priced product. So it’s easier to sell 5 programs at say, $5000 and make almost $25,000, than to sell 1250 e-books at $20 each to make the same money! In the last lesson we worked on your Product Strategy. Here is where it comes in handy.
Now make a conservative estimate of how many of each product or program you think you could sell per month. Or, if it’s recurring income, how many people would be paying you and at what amount per month. Do this for each product and program.
Finally, adjust your graph until you figure out how you can meet your sales goal. You may need to add a program or increase product sales by working with joint venture partners to send you more clients. Once you have what you think is a realistic plan, share it with me a trusted advisor to be sure it’s a slightly uncomfortable stretch, but possible.

I’ve found that this plan needs to be somewhat flexible. Sometimes you don’t meet your sales goals and sometimes you surpass them. You may come up with ideas during the year to improve your plan or the products in it. But having a plan for exactly how you’ll make the income you want will focus you like a laser beam on what needs to be done each and every week.

Remember the Product Strategy Chart I gave you in the last lesson? Well here it is completed as a Money Map.

This client had made only $57,600 the year before. Note how creating and implementing the money map increased her income by over $100,000!

It’s easy to skip over this type of detailed planning. Excuses I hear are “I’m too busy around the holidays”, “I don’t really have any products”, “I don’t feel comfortable with planning around money”, “I’m just starting out”. These are all excuses. Remember that you are 100% responsible for the business and life you create. Committing to this planning will help you step into your power and that will be a huge leap forward toward your most cherished goals.

If you’d like expert help creating an exciting Money Map for next year, grab one of the limited time slots I’ve made available this month for a 30 minute business strategy session with me. Let me help you get clarity about what will move your business forward fast and how I can help you get those income generating projects done. I have 3 openings in my Step Up & Soar private coaching program and I’m looking for motivated people who are ready to explore working with me to achieve amazing results.

Posted in Business strategy, coaching, entrepreneur | Tagged business plan, money map, profit plan

Creating a Product Strategy for Next Year

Written by Janis Pettit on December 12, 2012 — 1 Comment

Let’s assume that you’re already in business and clear about your most profitable niche- the one where you can stand out, attract clients and deliver results. Let’s also assume that you have had some success. But you may feel frustrated, stalled or stuck and would like to turn a corner next year.

One of the first steps you need to take is to create a product strategy. If you’ve been selling time for an hourly or monthly fee, chances are you are underselling your expertise or knowledge and unfortunately have created an income ceiling, since there are only so many hours in a week for which you can charge a fee. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to package your knowledge and create passive and recurring income.

Once you start creating knowledge products, such as e-books, home study courses, membership programs, video or audio programs and products, you’ll be able to reach many more people and create-

a stream of recurring income that doesn’t require your time
a funnel of new high quality prospects for higher level coaching or consulting programs

In my Knowledge to Income Workshop, I take students through the entire process of creating products that sell, including:

Choosing a topic and title that attracts buyers
Choosing a format that people respond to, depending on the topic and type of product
Step-by-step process for planning out your “create a product” project and for actually quickly completing the project
Step-by-step process for setting up the marketing, sales and delivery systems and putting them on autopilot
The best marketing and sales process that keeps sales coming in on an ongoing basis
Multiplying sales by leveraging your work

Once you master a simple product creation system you can use it again and again. So how do you create a product strategy once you’ve begun to package your expertise?

Let me give you an example. Say you’ve written an e-book that describes the process you take your clients through to get them from “problem” to “result”. Your strategy for this e-book is to get new subscribers and prospects interested in learning more and in working with you. So you offer this e-book free of charge in exchange for someone’s email address and you add them to your mailing list. You can also offer the same e-book on Amazon’s Kindle for free. Remember the goal is new subscribers, so be sure to include all your contact information and a few testimonials in the e-book.

Once they’ve read the e-book you invite them to attend a high value training webinar—again at no cost. On the webinar you introduce them to a downloadable program or a membership program you’ve created and a certain number of people buy this program from the webinar.

Now you connect with some joint venture partners who are willing to offer the same webinar to their community for a percentage of the resulting sales. You could run this webinar with different partners monthly all of next year.

Perhaps you then plan to introduce a higher level mastermind program or intensive retreat to those who complete the workshop. What will be the goal of the Mastermind? How long will it last? When will it begin or can people join at any time? What will the tuition be?

As you map this out you begin to create a product strategy—a natural progression that your clients take from one product to the next.

As you can see from this example, to develop a product strategy for next year, you need to ask yourself;

What urgent problems exist in my market that I could help solve with a new product?
What is the logical next step or next level program that makes sense for my buyers?
What educational marketing materials or training would interest people in these products?
When should I plan on offering them during the coming year?

Once you’ve mapped out a product strategy you will have a solid idea of what you’ll offer and when. Next we’ll work on planning out a product launch marketing calendar and a money map.

Here is a sample product strategy for a coach, consultant or service based business. Wait until you see the Money Map that goes with this chart! Check out this related article “Create a Business Plan in 30 Days”

If you’d like guidance to create your product strategy for next year, grab one of the limited time slots I’ve made available this month for a 30 minute business strategy session with me. Let me help you get clarity about what will move your business forward fast and how I can help you get those income generating projects done. I have 3 openings in my Step Up & Soar private coaching program and I’m looking for motivated people who are ready to explore working with me to achieve amazing results.

Posted in Business strategy, coaching, entrepreneur | Tagged business plan, Business strategy, information products

Are you a Perpetual Learner or a Perpetual Action Taker?

Written by Janis Pettit on December 4, 2012 — 1 Comment

As creative Entrepreneurs most of us have an insatiable curiosity. We love to learn and feed the creative juices. But just like an excess of anything, too much learning may not be good for you. It’s easy to spend your precious work time reading free e-books, watching webinars and videos or attending free tele-classes. No doubt you will learn some valuable tips, tactics and skills, but if they are not what you need right here and right now to make you more successful then all this information will just accumulate and lead you to overwhelm and overload. Plus you’ll have wasted a lot of precious time.

I use a sophisticated software system called Infusionsoft in my business. It handles all my e-mail marketing, shopping cart, affiliate management and contact data base needs for my business. One of the cool features is that each time someone takes an action, like registering for a training I offer, or downloading a free report, it “tags” that person, letting me know what action they took.

By looking at the tags attached to someone’s contact record I learn a lot. I recently noticed someone had tried to register for one of my workshops but their credit card payment was declined and they were unable to complete the registration. When I checked their record I saw that for almost two years they had attended just about every free training I’d offered, but obviously were still struggling to make money in their business. There was obviously little goal planning or action taking. Unfortunately I see this too often. This person had become a perpetual learner.

I remember being there myself when I started my business back in 2001. It took me more than a year to understand that I could gather bits or pieces of the puzzle but I would never put it all together if I didn’t do three things

get help from a coach or mentor
stop and think before devouring new information
become a perpetual focused action taker

Random action taken without a real understanding of the marketing and money generating systems that create success will only get mediocre results. So, I sought help from people who had already been there and achieved the results I wanted. When I started really taking perpetual action, my business took off.

Perpetual learners often fear that if they take action it won’t be perfect and they will be seen as an impostor. Do you fear that taking bold action may not get the results you wanted? Or have you hesitated to get help year after year because you are stuck believing that there isn’t enough money, and that belief becomes a self fulfilling prophecy? While you’re doing all that learning, success may be passing you by.

Over the years so many clients have come to me with this problem and they had finally reached a point where they made a decision to change. This is a good time to look at your business and see if you are more successful than you were at this time last year. If not that’s a loud and clear message that some major and perhaps uncomfortable changes need to be made in how you spend your time and in your belief in your ability to plan and achieve your goals and run a successful business.

Here are a few tips that will help you move from perpetual learner to perpetual action taker

Make a list of the skills of knowledge you need now. Then chose to learn only what will serve you immediately with your current projects and money generating goals.
Set aside time each week to look over all the training events you are interested in and chose only those that will serve you. Avoid impulsively clicking through to every offer that comes through your inbox.
Track how you spend your time for a week. Are you spending 75% of your time focusing on client or money generating activities or on creating marketing materials and products that will generate income?
Find a way to actively connect with prospects, clients or potential JV partners every day. If you are behind your computer not really talking to anyone that’s a warning sign.
Get help. Once you chose to work with a coach, mentor or advisor, follow their system and once it works, keep working it.

I hope if you are reading this that it’s exactly the message you needed to hear. I hope time stops for one moment and you become aware that this is your time to make major changes and to surge forward. It is truly an “aha” moment when you wake up to the realization that perpetual learning can keep you stuck in a holding pattern, making excuses and procrastinating, and that changing this habit is the lesson that will set you free.

Posted in Business strategy, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial mindset | Tagged goal planning, marketing plan, small business growth

How NAMS has turned online business training on it’s head

Written by bizcoach on October 29, 2012 — 1 Comment

Many of you have heard me talk about my involvement with NAMS – the Online Marketing university and bi-annual live conferences. I’m a conference instructor, NAMS member and also a student as I learn from other successful online entrepreneurs.

In fact NAMS is where I find my best joint venture partners and hottest ideas and strategies. Yes, the NAMS Business System provides more value than any other in depth online training or conference I’ve seen.

However there was one problem.

The member’s area had tons of high value recorded trainings, tutorial videos, audios, transcripts and free resources—right from beginner through advanced, but it was disorganized and confusing.

All that has changed. Founder Dave Perdew has turned the NAMS dashboard into a sleek, organized learning bonanza. It’s now a step-by-step online learning system with 4 levels, 100, 200, 300, and 400, just like college. It’s so impressive that I invited Dave to create a video to take you on a tour.

I promise it will blow you away. And Dave is offering a one-time chance to get a lifetime membership (I have one) for just $147 instead of the normal $200 PER YEAR! I highly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity to have training on demand. This offer ends at midnight on October 31st.

Want to know how to do something with technology? It’s there.
Want a royalty free photo or music? It’s there
Want in depth training from me or one of the other more than 30 top notch instructors? It’s there.

Take a little time to watch the video (no opt-in required) and consider a lifetime membership. It’s available until midnight on Halloween, October 31st.

Posted in Online marketing, small business growth | Tagged internet marketing, NAMS, online business training