Time is Marching on. How are you doing on your revenue goals?
If you need more customers to make your goals, then check out the video I made for you on how to attract a steady stream of new customers.
The most successful people in your industry probably have several “structures” in place that feed them high-quality, prospective customers. In the video I made for you, I shared an example of a “client-attraction structure.”
This week, take a few minutes to do an assessment of your structures.
- Are maintaining the structures consistently, on a regular basis?
- Can you automate any of them?
- Do you have enough structures in place to meet your revenue goals this year?
In order to thrive, small businesses typically need between 8 and 12 client attraction structures.
To find out what I mean by a “client-attraction structure,” watch the 4-minute video I made for you.
If you want to attract more clients or customers, then I invite you to jump into the Sustainable Client Attraction program. In this virtual program, I will walk you through, step-by-step, the process of setting up and automating up to 18 different client-attraction structures.
Why struggle to get clients and customers? Set up structures that feed you all the clients/customers you can handle.
For details and to grab your spot now CLICK HERE!
I recently returned home from a relaxing vacation in Cancun, Mexico!
My husband and I went with my best friend Michelle and her husband David.
Below is a picture of us at our resort. Michelle turned 40 — a vacation was a fun way for her to start her 41st trip around the sun!
Now that I’m fully rejuvenated, I’m ready and raring to go! I’m amazed at the power of a good vacation.
In the book “Double Double,” author Cameron Herold talks about the power of vacations.
He sites some compelling statistics that indicate taking FIVE weeks of vacation every year will maximize your productivity. You’ll actually get more done all year by taking five weeks off to rejuvenate your body, mind and soul.
The following vacation plan has been proven to eliminate burnout and keep you truly enjoying your work.
The Recommended Vacation Plan:
- Two weeks during the summer, taken separately. For example one week in June and one week in August.
- One week during late winter for a warm-weather vacation or a ski trip. If your budget doesn’t allow for that, visit family or friends, go camping, or make it a stay-cation, which is a vacation at home, or in the town where you live.
- Five days between Christmas & New Years Eve. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, this time is helpful. It’s about having your vacations spread out over the year so that you are regularly being rejuvenated.
- Five days, each of the five days adjacent to five separate long weekends. Turn popular three-day holiday weekends into 4-day weekends.
I can attest to the power of this strategy after spending a week in Cancun! Arriba!
As you plan out your vacations this year, I recommend using my rock star travel agent, Debbie Palmer.
For info and to contact her, go to:
http://palmerpreferredtravel.com/
Did you know:
- 33% of high-school graduates never read another book for rest of their lives?
- 42% of college graduates never read a book after college?
My friend Nathalie shared those STUNNING statistics (by the Jerkins Group) on her blog last week.
I’ve committed to reading a book each week this year. In fact, at this very moment, I’m probably reading a book while on a beach in Mexico! (I’ll share some fun pictures with you in next week’s e-Tip – if you don’t get my weekly e-Tip, you can subscribe at the bottom of this post – look for the green box).
It’s a six-day trip and I brought two books to read. I always get more reading done when I am on vacation.
One of the books I brought with me to Mexico is Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers: The Story of Success.” 
The premise is that becoming highly successful at something has more to do with the time you spend on it than anything else. Gladwell calls it the “10,000 hour rule.” He cites dozens of case studies — from Bill Gates, to Michael Jordan, to Canadian pro hockey players — to illustrate that no one gets to the top unless they put in 10,000 hours of practice in their field.
The rule seems to apply everywhere: hockey, computer programming, music, law, cooking, writing, etc.
The rule even applies in your field.
This is an important, yet gravely overlooked concept. The Internet is littered with advertisements promising “make $50,000 online in 90 days.” And Hollywood worships the “overnight success.” It’s just not all that sexy to mention the 10,000 hours of practice, recitals, auditions, performances, and so on.
There is no magic pill for overnight results. You have to put in the work. 10,000 hours!
But who says it can’t be fun? My uber-smart, cool girlfriend, Nisha Moodley (of “Fierce Fabulous & Free”), says:
“Building a business IS hard work. But who says only *easy* is FUN?!”
Her formula for success is:
1. Stay engaged in the process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
2. Invest your time, energy and money into building sustainably.
3. Work in community.
There might not be a magic pill, but you can take a short cut to success by following a plan and being in a community of like-minded small-business owners to support you.
In case you haven’t heard, I created a program called Up, Running & HIGHLY Profitable – it’s designed to get you up & running fast, but with sustainability in mind. The program will get you engaged in your work, and will give you access to the Clear Simple Marketing community. Up, Running & HIGHLY Profitable is a 12-week, LIVE virtual program designed for people just starting a business or who have a business that is not yet fully off the ground.
If you or someone you know, is just starting a business or struggling to get their business off the ground, please check out by clicking here.
I have spent more than $20,000 learning what I am teaching you in this program (which costs less than $600). If this program was available to me back when I was getting started, I would have been able to build a successful and sustainable business in one year instead of four. And of course I would have saved $19.4K!
Here is just some of what the program covers:
- Crating your Unique Selling Proposition + Signature Offering + Your WHY
- A simple method for determining exactly what your ideal clients/customers want and what they are willing to pay for it
- How to package, price and present your offerings for maximum results
- 3 bootstrap methods that will bring in customers/clients FAST – and they won’t cost you one nickel!
- Finding hidden sources of passive income in your business – EVERY business has untapped opportunities for passive income
- How to set up an effective online presence that works FOR you, 24-7
- How to choose an effective lead-capture tool!
- A simple and free method for testing and tracking your web traffic, lead sources, opt-in rates, and sales/client conversion rates
- Designing an effective sales/marketing funnel that attracts clients/customers you LOVE!
- The unspoken rules of social media & how to leverage social media without letting it suck up your time
- How to get your first 500 Facebook Likes
- The 12-step formula for crafting effective sales & service web pages that get your prospective clients/customers to take ACTION!
- How to get social proof and why you need it
- How to stay focused, motivated, and organized during this exciting transition and beyond
It starts soon and spots are filling up fast!
If you chose to join this community, it will probably be the most FUN, productive, intense, game-changing 12 weeks of your life!
This is a community of small-business owners who are committed to rocking out their business and making their dreams a reality.
If that sounds like you, click here.
Pick up a book this week! One that will help you move closer to your goals.
It’s Valentines Day! And that’s good cause for
You probably don’t need a reminder to be loving and grateful to others. But you may need a reminder to be loving and grateful to yourself!
You have a dream — a dream worth pursuing!
You may give up on that dream if you look at how far there is to go instead of looking at how far you have come.
So, today, take 10 minutes to sit down and reflect upon:
- how much you’ve accomplished,
- how many insights you’ve had,
- how far you’ve come,
- how many lessons you’ve learned, and
Take several deep breaths. On each breath in, take in love, joy, and happiness.
Let those feelings fill you up.
On each breath out, send out gratitude into the world. Be grateful for:
- the lessons you’ve learned,
- the insights you’ve had,
- the resources and tools that showed up when you needed them,
- being a powerful human being that can think, make things happen, and create a life you love.
I’ve recommended this strategy to several clients and all of them reported that it immediately increased their energy and productivity.
After doing this exercise, some client’s have reported receiving a great, unexpected opportunity. Receiving those opportunities may have been a coincidence. Or, it could have been a result of being grateful for what they already had, creating an opportunity, or a readiness, for more opportunity.
It’s a simple exercise and, at the very least, it will make you feel great and inspire you to keep pursuing your dream!
If you are just starting a business, or if your business is not yet fully established and profitable, then check out the program we just launched!
Up, Running & HIGHLY Profitable is a LIVE virtual program in which I walk you through the process of creating a sustainable and profitable business.
It is by far my most comprehensive program.
I am pouring my heart and soul into this program because I want you to have the business you’ve been dreaming about!
Get all the details and grab your spot (space is limited) by clicking here.
Sometimes work can be challenging. In my case, Nermmie the neighborhood cat has been jumping all over me, walking on my keyboard, and planting herself firmly on my paperwork!
She seems to spend more time at our house than at others’ houses. I think it’s time for her to go outside, but she’s just so darn cute!
It’s called Time Blocking. Here’s how it works:
For example, I do my best work in the morning. My peak hours are from 7am-noon. I schedule my most important and challenging projects during that time because I know that I will be at my peak performance.
Research shows that re-focusing after a distraction takes, on average, 4-5 minutes. By eliminating distractions during your time blocks, you can save yourself quite a bit of time each week.
During your time blocks, shut off your phone, close down your email, and shut out all other distractions (in my case, Nermmie 
Put yourself in hyper-focus mode and soar through your project.
Recently, I listened to a talk by MaryEllen Tribby. 
If you’re unfamiliar with her, she’s a powerhouse. She helped several companies grow into multimillion dollar enterprises. She founded Working Moms Only, which grew into a 7-figure business in less than 18 months. Currently, she is the CEO of Idea Incubators.
If MaryEllen is excellent at anything, it’s getting stuff done!
The ground rule in MaryEllen’s work place is this: the office is a library in the morning, and a bar in the afternoon!
That means, from 8am-noon the staff is extremely quiet, focused on their projects, and they are to not interrupt each other unless absolutely necessary.
Then, from 1pm-5pm, they have meetings, mastermind, and collaborate on projects.
If you work in an office with staff, this strategy might be worth trying. If you work alone, you could still organize your schedule this way – or flip-flop the hours for “library” and “bar” if your peak hours are in the afternoon.
So, your one cool productivity strategy this week is to create a list of your most important current projects and block time for them in your schedule.
P.S. If your marketing calendar is looking a little grim these days, then revive it!
If you’re not sure how to revive your marketing
You can get the details by clicking here.
Let’s make this you’re most Productive, Organized, and Profitable year yet!
Whew! I just got home from an AMAZING weekend in Austin, Texas, with over 800 of the most successful and brilliant marketers in the world — people that are making things happen, no excuses.
When my girl, Marie Forleo, was nominated for “Marketer of the Year,” the handful of women at the event (it was primarily men) stood up and cheered! But, despite our enthusiastic support, the award went to the founder of BrainHost. He did acquire 140K new customers in 18 months, so he deserved it.
As you’ve probably noticed, over the last year the landscape for small businesses has changed. But in many ways, succeeding in small business has become easier!
You just need to know how to effectively leverage your available tools and resources.
This past weekend, I learned a whole LOT about how to do just that – leverage available tools and resources — and I will be sharing ninja strategies with you in future issues of P.O.P. If you’re not yet on the list, get on it now by entering your first name and email in the green box at the end of this blog post.
Now for today’s Tip!
Every business needs a marketing calendar.
You need to map out specific dates for your:
• client attraction strategies – creating sources of clients and customers that keep your pipeline full
• promotions
• launches
• editorial content
Many of you have asked, “What type of calendaring system do you use for your businesses?” So, I’m taking you inside my home office to show you.
If the video does not appear, click here.
There’s no right or wrong calendaring system. You just need to find one that works for you and use it!
The more consistent your marketing efforts, the more successful you will be. A calendar keeps you on track.
If your marketing calendar is looking a little grim these days, then revive it.
If you’re not sure how to revive your marketing
Let’s make this year you’re most Productive, Organized, and Profitable year yet!
How to Activate Your Money Flow
One of my girl crushes is on Angela Jia Kim, of Savor The Success. She is amazing! In addition to running Savor The Success, she is an accomplished concert pianist, and the founder of Om Aroma & Co., a successful organic skincare line, organic spa, and lifestyle gift boutique based in NYC.
In one of her videos, Angela addressed the intention behind investing in yourself. Is your investment a form of empowered spending? Or do you invest with a grudge because you think you’re wasting money? Find out! Angela shared an exercise for you to keep track of your investments to prove to yourself whether the intentions for your investments are working for you!
Here’s Angela’s intention:
“Money flows out. Ten times flows back. Where do I choose to energize the money flow?”
Take two minutes now to watch her video (if the video doesn’t appear, click here).
Then, for each investment, she writes down the following information
- What is the investment? (book, program, new website, etc.)
- How much does the investment cost?
- What is the potential return on investment?
That exercise will EMPOWER your choices for spending your money.
Now let’s get to my main message: Investing in your business is smart. Really smart.
Let’s compare investing in your business to investing in the stock market.
If you were to get a 15% return on investment in the stock market, then
a) Wow! Keep investing! or
b) it’s too good to be true – pull out, or
c) you’re in a movie called “The Return of Madoff, Part 2, ReDeux – Maximum Exposure …Again”
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If you were to spend $2000 per month on advertising, then:
a) You would moan about it (I’ve done that.)
b) You would worry that it wasn’t worth it (I’ve done that.)
c) Repeat each month (Yep, I’ve done that. That’s how I know you’ll do it.)
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I see that a behavior a lot, DESPITE MAKING a 150% return, repeatedly!!!
If you got a 150% return on your stock portfolio EVERY MONTH you’d be singing all the way to the bank, or to jail. For some reason, investing in the stock market just seems so damn sexy! Because of the risk, it’s like winning the lottery. Investing in your business is boring. It’s so predictable.
So, would you rather be risky and maybe rich, or boring and certainly rich?
If your competitors are kicking your butt, it’s probably because they are marketing more than you.
It’s been said many times before, but it bears repeating:
“Invest in yourself, in your education. There’s nothing better”
– Sylvia Porter
Sylvia Field Porter was an American economist and journalist. At the height of her career, her readership was greater than 40 million people. She wrote Sylvia Porter’s Money Book, subtitled “How to Earn It, Spend It, Save It, Invest It, Borrow It and Use It to Better Your Life”.
“I want something not just to invest in. I want something to believe in.”
– Dame Anita Roddick, DBE
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, known for shaping ethical consumerism. By the way, her title, DBE, stands for “Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” which makes her equivalent to a Knight.
“Our mind is the most valuable possession that we have. The quality of our lives is, and will be, a reflection of how well we develop, train, and utilize this precious gift.”
– Brian Tracy
“Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.”
– Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy is an author, marketer, and respected authority in the self-improvement industry. He has written many bestselling books, worked with famous company Nightingale Conant, and is a speaker that has addressed millions of people.
Take a few minutes now to do this exercise now. In the comments below tell me how it made you feel and if you have any a-ha moments in the process.
As you are making your list of investments, consider investing in the Marketing Blueprint program. This program is a labor of love from me. It’s exactly what I wish I had when I was growing my first business. It would have saved me hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on trial and error and lost revenue. This Blueprint will show you how to triple you revenue in the next six months (and it’s under $100 – talk about a HUGE return on investment!)
You can get the details and grab your copy now by clicking here.
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The Secret to Achieving Any Goal
The year 2012 is just getting started. How is 2012 looking for you?
At Clear Simple Marketing, we are committed to P.O.P. – Productivity, Organization & Profitability. If you’re committed to P.O.P., the you’ve probably set some goals to POP your business! I want you to achieve your goals – that’s what I’m here for! And I have a strategy that will get you there.
I achieved my goals by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals! I set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bounded goals.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bounded
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1. Specific Goals
Language has power. Goals that are general and vague are achievable but impotent. For example:
“I want to build my business.”
You’re goal is to “want.” Perfect. You’re done! But you haven’t POP’ed your business. Here’s an example of a more specific (but still slightly generalized, in order to make a point) goal that has POP potential:
“I will use email marketing, increase my monthly revenue, and get a healthy amount of sleep.”
The beautiful thing about this (more) specific goal is that: you must ask yourself “How the heck am I going to do that?” Continue specifying your goal by answering the classic investigation questions:
- Who?
- “My virtual assistant (VA) will write and send the marketing email.”
- “I send the email to my list.”
- What?
- “My VA will send 1 automated email each week.”
- “Increase monthly revenue by $1000/month”
- “I sleep at least 8 hours.”
- Where?
- “I will work from my home office.”
- “The $1000/month appears in my bank account statement.”
- “I sleep in my bed.”
- When?
- “I will send weekly emails in every week of 2012.”
- “My monthly income will increase by $1000/month for each of the last 6 months of 2012.”
- “I sleep at night, for 8 hours, at least 5 days every week of 2012.”
- Which? (specific requirements and constraints)
- “I use X email system.”
- “$1000/month from 10 sales per month of product Y.”
- “8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.”
- Why? (reasons & benefits)
- “Useful emails make me feel good about serving others by sharing knowledge.”
- “I will buy a new car, and take that specific vacation.”
- “I will feel invigorated, and productive, every day!”
Answer the obvious questions Get over how stupidly simple they are, and notice how answering the obvious questions (“I sleep in my bed.”) makes you feel the result of attaining that goal and motivates you.
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2. Measurable Goals
If you cannot measure your goal, then you can’t know if you have achieved your goal. Measurement is preceded by questions like: How much? How many? How long?
The goals above are measurable – you can count how many emails have gone out, how much more you are making each month from products sales, and how many hours you’ve slept in your bed at night.
Track your progress. Either you will feel good about making progress, or you will feel motivated to get going.
Break bigger goals into smaller ones if necessary.
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3. Attainable Goals
Your goals, however difficult, must be attainable. If you’re goals would seem unreasonable to even a highly accomplished person, then maybe you’re setting yourself up for failure (maybe even subconsciously, to play the game “I told you this wouldn’t work!” or “Poor me.”)
Remember your previous commitments: Keep them, or break them to make room for your new goals.
How many marketing emails can you really send out in a week? Is there really a clear path to earning a million dollars this year? You can sleep 8 hours per day, but you will have to learn to be highly productive for the other 16 hours every day.
If you’re goal is challenging, just start – you will build momentum and find out whether the goal is attainable. (You will also see whether you’re willing to give what it takes.) Start creating content for those weekly emails, or finding a VA to do it for you (or of course hiring us! Click here for details). Start marketing the product. Start going to bed at 10:00pm.
Again, break bigger goals into smaller ones if necessary.
Beware of clichés that leave you feeling empty, or with no where to go. Perhaps it’s “I will make a million dollars.” Everyone says it. Almost no one wants to do what it takes (besides win the lottery). If you cannot see yourself taking specific, achievable actions to accomplish this goal, then you will have no where to go. You won’t be able to answer the question “How the heck am I going to do that?” in any meaningful way.
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4. Relevant
Your goals must fulfill your main purpose. They must fulfill your “Why?” Otherwise, the goals are irrelevant. Let’s revisit the “Why?”
- “Useful emails make me feel good about serving others by sharing knowledge.”
- “I will buy a new car, and take that specific vacation.”
- “I will feel invigorated, and productive, every day!”
Compare the purpose to your goals and see if these “mission statements” hit home.
- My VA will share my knowledge by automatically sending 1 marketing email per week
- I will earn the money for a new car and vacation by increasing my monthly revenue by $1000 by selling 10 units of product Y each month
- I will feel invigorated and productive every day from getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in my bed 5 days a week
Your goal may be irrelevant if it sounds hollow like this:
- I will share my knowledge by opening a social media account and collect 3 fans (likes) per day
- I will earn the money for a new car by wanting to increase my income
- I will feel invigorated and productive every day by clearing out my email inbox everyday
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5. Time-bounded Goals
Would you get on a plane to Hawaii if the arrival time was “someday?” No. And if you did, you’re probably asking for trouble.
“Someday” never comes – or at least not fast enough. When you set a goal without time boundaries, you leave it open for happening never, or after you die – both of which I assume are undesirable to you.
Create deadlines that are achievable. If you want to “make a million dollars,” then set a deadline. The book “Seven Years to Seven Figures” is an example of a time-bounded, attainable goal.
In the examples above, we’ve set goals that are bounded by the days of the week, and months in the year 2012. Without deadlines, you’ll never know when you should achieve your goal.
If you want to achieve your goals, be S.M.A.R.T. about it. When I was just starting out, I wasted a lot of time and money on goals that did not bear fruit. I finally figured it out for myself by creating a Marketing Blueprint.
“Your Marketing Blueprint” is a fill-in-the-blank blueprint with easy-to-use checklists for S.M.A.R.T. goals for your small business. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels on goals that never seem to go anywhere, try the Marketing Blueprint.
Save $50 by using coupon code: ActFast50 before January 29th at mid-night CNT.
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3 Things Successful Business Owners Do
When talking with a business owner, I can usually tell how successful they are, or aren’t, within a few hours of conversation. I have consulted with dozens of small-business owners and found that the most successful owners do three things.
#1: They focus on the right things. They spend their time and money on things that will get
them the best results in the shortest amount of time. They always consider and calculate the ROI (return on investment) before deciding to spend their time, energy and money on a specific project or marketing endeavor.
#2: They are excellent time managers. Almost all great time managers map out what they need to get done each day, and by when. They map it out the night before. They block of chunks of time to complete their most important revenue-generating projects.
#3: They have a marketing plan. Instead of trying different marketing strategies in a willy-nilly fashion, they have a clear path, or blueprint. They track their efforts and correct course as needed.
Check out our brand new, fill-in-the-blank Marketing Blueprint that outlines the 3-step system for TRIPLING your business in the next six months.
Grab your Marketing Blueprint before January 21st and use coupon code: ActFast50 to save $30 (more than 50% OFF)!
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Get the details and grab Your Marketing Blueprint now at:
http://clearsimplemarketing.com/marketing-blueprint-program
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It’s the holiday season and, in the last week, I’ve personally seen about a dozen people make a big marketing mistake. It’s a common mistake that is most often observed this time of year. It can have a BIG affect on your revenue, bigger than you may realize.
If you want to make more money next year than you did this year, then start by fixing this one little mistake.
The one little mistake is: reaching out to your center of influence (COI) just once or twice a year.
You are filling my inbox with generic, holiday message that took you 15 minutes to create, after a whole year of radio silence. I want to feel special, and you may think you are adding value to my life. But, actually, your rarefied card indicates that I’m NOT special to you, and that you’re NOT adding value to my life. You’re just cluttering up my Inbox because you think you should at least say something once a year.
If you’re guilty of doing this, or something similar, here’s how to fix it:
Get in the spirit of giving value, and stay there.
- Give regularly: Communicate with your COI often. Give the gift of communication once per month, at minimum, ideally once per week.
- Give gifts: Provide value. Give helpful tips & resources, interesting information & statistics, special discounts, and so on. Gifts give value.
- Give yourself: Come on. Who wants to see a generic holiday photo with a generic message? Show me a photo of your family, or your staff, and say something funny, or heartfelt. Put some thought into it.
People want to do business with people that they know, like, and trust. People want to work with businesses that give value. If you want more people to do business with you, give more people a chance to get to know you, to like you, and to trust you. Find ways to make their life better by providing them value. A gift gives value without asking for value in return. Paradoxically, you will see returns.
If you want a step-by-step plan on how to do this effectively, grab my brand new program – Email Marketing that WORKS! Click here for details.
I will take you through a simple, doable plan that will generate amazing results for you.
In the comments below, share with me some ideas and ways that you are providing value to your Center of Influence.
