5 Tips to Maximize a Promotion

Does your company ever have promotions? Reduction in the price of products or a special on joining the business? Today, I have 5 tips to help you maximize your companies promotion:

1. Double your efforts: Add an extra hour or two to your day. Whether it's an extra hour in the morning or in the evening. Stay up later or get up early. Double your advertising. Double your calls to prospects.

2. Get Personal: Go back through everyone that you have talked to since the beginning of the year and share the details of the promotion with them.

3. Email Blasts: Send out an email blast to all of your contacts and let them know about the details of the promotion. I send out a weekly email blast as well as an email blast the last couple days of the promotion.

4. Keep a Spreadsheet: During the time of the promotion, keep a spreadsheet of all your conversations.The last week of the promotion, go back and call everyone to remind them the promotion is coming to an end.

5. Be Available: When you send an email blast, be available to answer emails and phone calls. If you are not able to take the call, make sure you return it in a timely fashion.

Hope these tips will help you maximize the promotion in your home business. If you have any questions or need any help with anything in your home business, feel free to contact me directly at 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help.

To your promotion success~

Mistakes Not to Make in Your Home Business

Entrepreneurial ventures are fraught with missteps, mishaps, and mistakes. No matter how steeped you are in business-ownership experience, you are bound to run into problems at some point.

The key to your success is to quickly identify your mistakes, learn from them, and prevent the same mistakes from happening again. Most home business owners fall into the same traps. It’s those mistakes which could make the difference between owning a successful and viable home business, or owning a money pit that could leave you in financial pain for years to come.

So, what are the biggest mistakes owners make when starting and managing their home businesses?

1. Trying to Get Rich Quick

Overnight success usually takes 15 to 20 years to achieve. If you go in expecting to be rich overnight, you may become discouraged early on and give up your dream prematurely. Know that success takes time, perseverance and a little bit of luck. Give your business the time to grow. Only if your company is stagnant for a long time should you take it as an indication that you need to try something new.

2. Assuming You Have No Competition

Even if you have the latest, greatest, never-been-done-before approach to something, don’t assume that you have no competition. Competition is more than just the direct, obvious competitors. Competition is also all the available alternatives. What else could the consumer do instead of using your product or service? Could they do nothing? The customer almost always has the option of walking away. That alone is a serious competitive threat.

 

3. Being a Weak Leader

The success of your company is contingent on you being a strong, effective leader. This does not mean you need to be an authoritarian, but neither are you everyone’s buddy. A great leader sets the course for the company, communicates it constantly and inspires the team to get to the next level.

4. Being All Business, All the Time

Many entrepreneurs put their personal lives on hold to focus exclusively on their business. Ultimately, both suffer. There is no question your business needs your full attention and effort, but only in short spurts. Just like an elite athlete in training, you need to have a proper, healthy diet, get enough rest and take breaks. Balance your personal and business life and you will actually do better in both.

5. Setting Unrealistic Financial Goals

If all business plans came true, being a billionaire would be nothing extraordinary. Many entrepreneurs go into a new venture planning astronomical returns. Yet most never even get the business off the ground. Unrealistic goals not only hurt your credibility, but can also be an emotional drain. Set specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, and time specific (SMART) goals to ensure continual progress. If you do this, your chances of being an overnight success (in 15 to 20 years) are much greater.

6. Having No ‘Rallying Point’

There is a reason why employees leave high-paying corporate jobs to go to start-ups, and it sure ain’t for the money. People are driven to serve an important purpose, in addition to getting a paycheck. Many businesses never define their real purpose for existence and continually attract a mix of employees who are seeking success in different ways. Clarify the purpose of your company, beyond just making money, and you set the stage for attracting like-minded employees.

7. Having No Clear Marketing Strategy

You never know where, when or how a new prospect is going to hear of your business. If you have a mix of messages out there, the prospects will have an unclear expectation of what you offer. Your company must present a consistent, clear message on all fronts. You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure every new prospect who sees your business for the first time receives the same, consistent message.

8. Not Being Forthright

The days of cover-ups died with Bill Clinton’s denial of sexual relations with “that woman.” The anonymous nature and grand size of the internet allows people to share anything with anyone at anytime. If your business tries to cover up a mistake, it is just a matter of time before word leaks and you are labeled a liar. That’s not good for business. Be the one to break your own bad news, and you will be perceived as honest and trustworthy.

9. Trying to Do It All

The greatest mistake entrepreneurs make is to believe they can do it all by themselves. While an entrepreneur can do most things, they do most things poorly. Just like any other person, an entrepreneur has one or two God-given talents. As an entrepreneur it is your job to identify what you are great at and do those few things to your fullest. Surround yourself with people who are strong where you are not. Great companies are built on the foundation of exploiting a few strengths, not on trying to.

Hope these tips help you. Feel free to share them with your team! If you have any questions about anything in your business, don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help. 

Here's to your success~

Using Craigslist in Your Home Business

Using Craigslist to market your home business is an easy and cost-effective way to bring attention to your company. The free Internet marketing that Craigslist offers allows you to draw local customers to your business, and can even helps increase your Internet traffic nationally. To market your business using Craigslist, just follow these easy steps.

Step 1: Create a Craigslist Account
A lot of people post to Craigslist without actually having an account, but it's important to have one if you intend to use Craigslist on a regular basis. This will allow for easy access to the ads you currently have posted.

Step 2: Decide Where to Post
Deciding where to post can be a tricky proposition. Cross-posting is prohibited, so you will want to restrict your postings to one area. If you live between two of the city choices that Craigslist offers, choose the larger city. You will need to choose a smaller sub-area to post to. Choose the area which is accurate to your location. Remember, Craigslist is for face-to-face encounters, not for ordering items through a website. Posting to an area that is more widely populated, but that isn't local, will likely get your ad flagged and deleted.

Step 3: Choose a Category
There are several categories that you can choose from to place your ad: "resume / job wanted," "for sale" or "service offered." It's up to you to decide which is most appropriate for your posting. If you offer services like writing or graphics work, you should post to "service offered" or "resume / job wanted." Goods, like clothing or baked treats, can be posted in "for sale." Happily, none of these categories cost money to post.

Step 4: Make a Good Ad
Making an ad for Craigslist requires some knowledge of what is acceptable and will not get your post removed. No blatant advertising is allowed, so you can't phrase your post like an advertisement. If you are posting in "for sale," you can't link to any external websites. Instead, just make a list of the goods you're offering, include prices and some photos, and instruct interested parties to contact you via phone or email. For the other two categories, you might be able to get away with including your website if it's subtle - again, no in-your-face advertising. Something like "for my qualifications, please see this site" is usually acceptable.

Step 5: Get Attention
Craigslist accepts HTML code, which you can use to pretty up your post and make it stand out from the rest. You can also use your company website.

Step 6: Maintain Your Posts
Craigslist automatically deletes posts after a certain amount of time, and the posts are arranged by date and time posted (newest to oldest), so it's a good idea to repost your listings every day. This is when a Craigslist account comes in handy, because it's very easy to renew ads instead of going through the entire posting process again.

Craigslist is a great way to draw attention to your business at no cost to yourself other than a little time. With these easy steps, you can have your Craigslist postings working for you in no time.

 Hope these tips have helped you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help!

Personal Development

Personal development is a big deal to me.  When I first started with my company over 9 years ago, I remember attending a training call where they talked about personal development and I remember thinking 'I don't need that crap.' That was my attitude for a long time. I kept heard others talk about how much personal development helped them and my enroller kept pushing me to at least be open to listening to one or two training calls on it. I finally caved. 

I put on a recorded training call of Anthony Robbins my enroller had given me.  I had heard it before but I hadn’t LISTENED to it.  My mind was open and the time couldn’t have been better for me to LISTEN to his message…. from that point on, my life became “the better way”.  I hope this message finds you pondering the same questions and that you are ready to “LISTEN”.

This topic can encompass anything that involves your transformation as a person. It means becoming the best you can be and reaching towards your potential. When you become a ‘better’ person than you were yesterday (this does not mean better than another person) your life and it’s circumstances improve. This is usually achieved by looking internally and then changing the way you act externally.

When it comes to doing something, planning what you intend to do is essential. Writing down what you want is the first step. It’s no different when it comes to your personal self development. Plan for it. Keep it brief and monitor what happens. Write down the results in a diary. Writing down what you want and what you get clarifies your thought process and cements your intention. You are allowed to change or adjust your plan whenever you wish. If there is no success as you follow the steps in your plan, that’s your signal to review what you have done or to adjust your plan.

Here are 10 tips to consider for your personal development plan

1. Start Now
Do something about your personal development plan today. It’s going to take some time to achieve lasting change so you need to start now. You can build on what you do today, tomorrow. Don’t become a pro at crastination!

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
– Abraham Lincoln

2. Baby Steps
To make a plan you need to include steps. Break a large goal into it’s smallest components. Keep the end result in mind as you focus on the smaller bite sized steps.

3. Learn From Other People
You can gain from the success of other people and you can learn from their mistakes. Your own experience is a harsh teacher so learn from the mistakes of others. If you can find a mentor or coach your task will be easier. Read as many books as you can.

4. Embrace Change
The world is changing all the time. Even if you do nothing you will change by default as the world turns. There is no escape from this. If people and ideas didn’t change we would all still be living in caves. Your personal self development plan needs to include how you are going to change, what action will you take? Only action leads to results.  “I see better than I hear” comes to mind here.

5. Be Accountable
You are responsible for your own progress. You are responsible for what you are today and where you are today. That means it’s your job to initiate the steps involved in your personal development plan. If you don’t bother, no one else will. It also means you own the result and no one else is to blame. Buck stops here! 

6. Be Grateful & Recognize Your Worth
Focus on what you already have.  Think about how others benefit from what you do. If you improve yourself, those benefits will increase. Your personal development is for others, as well as for you.

7. Be Intentional
Whatever you intend becomes your reality. Find your true intention before you resolve to do something and make sure you really want what you say you want. If your goal and your intention are not aligned, then you’ll think up lots of excuses and all sorts of situations to prevent your progress.

8. Challenge Yourself
Your goals need to be just out of reach. If you reach for an impossible target, you’re setting yourself up for a failure. If you stick to what’s easy, you’re denying yourself the satisfaction of achievement and only minimal change will occur. Find that middle ground with a stretch goal in your personal development.

9. Follow Your Passion
It’s no good doing things that you don’t like. Chose actions that appeal to you and are in line with your values. Pick people to help you that you like being around. Make sure you’re following your heart while not running from the hard issues.  Become a Master in the Art of Living where people can’t tell if you’re working or playing because, to you, you’re always doing both!

10. Keep Going & NEVER Give Up
Life works in cycles and moves to a rhythm. You will have up and downs. When you hit a slow point or things don’t seem to be moving, don’t give up, keep going. There is no such thing as continual rapid advancement and that means your personal development plan needs to be achievable and balanced. Find your rhythm and go with the flow. There’s no such thing as finished personal self development. You can go on learning, changing and renewing for all of your life.

I hope you “listened” hard to this message and are beginning, adjusting to improving upon your own personal development plan by implementing some of the techniques above! Which one was your favorite?

Feel free to share these tips with your team. If you need help with anything in your business, please feel free to call or text me at 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help. 

To your success~

30 New Leads Per Day

Would it be awesome to have 30 people requesting information on your website about your business every day? You can have this! It's not hard, just takes a little work and yes consistency...something we have talked about time and time again. If you want consistent results from your business...treat it like it is...a business and work it every.single.day.

Today, I am going to share with you a few things that I personally do to generate 30+ new leads every single day in my business:

1.Blogging: I blog every day, 5 days a week. I share my blog on social media and other sources and have people visiting my company website every day!

2. My Team's Co-op: My team has a co-op that I buy into every single month. I budget this right into my advertising expense and it's one of my favorite lead generation methods. My team purchases a huge advertising campaign and we can buy shares so it's more affordable for everyone. Check with your team to see if your team has a coop you can become a part of it. It's definitely worth the investment!

3. Classifieds: Yes, I still use free classified sites, I advertise on them every day. I have an advertising schedule made out each week so I know exactly what sites I am using every day. I post 5-10 ads on each site and direct people to my company website.

4. Job Boards: Anther tried and true method that people often forget about. Job boards are similar to classified sites except you can only post about your opportunity. I add 5 job boards to my advertising schedule and post 25 ads on each site daily. I also direct people to my company website from the job board postings.

5. Recycling Leads: One of my favorites and yes it does work! When someone requests information and I reach out to them to have a conversation and they tell me no, not right now; I make note of that and reach out to them again in 6-12 months. I usually send a text message and direct them to visit my company website if they are open to looking at the opportunity again. I do this daily and generate a handful of new leads!

6. Social Media: I LOVE social media! There is SO much you can do to generate leads on social media! Engage in conversations, share pictures and quotes, post in groups, reach out to people in groups, the list goes on and on. It's easy to get sucked into social media and get caught up in drama, dirty laundry, excitement, games, conversing with friends, etc. so set a time limit and be strict about it. I allow myself 30 minutes at a time on social media and then I move on to other things. I have to or I will get caught up in all the stuff and never get anything else accomplished.

7. Local Marketing: I leave a paper trail everywhere I go and am always looking for opportunity to share and or leave information about my company. Flyers, business cards, brochures, work great for this. I have a business basket in my car and it has several different advertising materials for my business. I am always leaving information and people do see it and reach out to you.

8. Free and Purchased Leads: Yes, I do buy leads and have a few sources where I obtain leads for free. The free leads that I get, usually come in bulk so I send out a bulk email using group-mail and direct people to my company website. When I purchase leads, I send them a text message and again direct them to my company website.

I could keep going as there are SO many ways to generate leads for your business. One thing that I hope you noticed with all of these tips that I direct everyone to my company website. Don't get me wrong, I will talk to anyone about my business and what I do but I LOVE when someone has been on my website and opted in! It makes the conversation SO much better!

I sincerely hope these tips help you to start and or increase your leads so you can build your business. If you need help with anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly by phone or text 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help :)

Happy Lead Generation~

Thinking About Quitting?

If you’ve been trying to grow your business alone, discouragement can easily knock you off your feet and make you question whether you should be giving up on your business — wondering whether achieving your dream is even possible. If you’re feeling this fear in your business you are not alone. I have felt your pain and so have thousands of other now successful entrepreneurs. The good news is you are taking a step in the right direction just by reading this blog and seeking answers.
Here are 5 tips that will help you get up when you feel like giving up. Implement these tips to help you get your “A-game” on.

1. Expect to struggle with challenges.

Challenges are a part of life … and it’s also a part of growing your business. A wise person taught me a long time ago, “a person’s reaction is based on their expectation.” Being exposed to so many “overnight” success stories on social media it is no wonder how any normal person might feel like a ‘failure’ if you are going through a rough time in your business.

Well, I rarely find those sound bytes on social media revealing the failures and hard times they had to overcome in order to get to the success they are today.


The point is … life is not easy, right?

When you expect growing a business to be easy, then challenges will take you by surprise.  Don’t let obstacles knock the wind out of you and make you dwell on negative thinking. As Vince Lombardi famously said, “it’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” I’ve learned, though it’s so much faster and easier to get up from setbacks when you have other people to help you. That’s why it’s important to …

2. Connect with like-minded entrepreneurs.

It’s pretty hard to encourage yourself when you’re in the midst of massive anxiety and frustration.

First, you’ve got to make a decision to get out of solitary confinement and not operate your business like an island. Don’t try to climb out of your discouragement alone.

• Find a mastermind group or an advisory group where you get together regularly with like minded entrepreneurs to work ON your business.
• Join a local networking group where you can build relationships with other business owners and entrepreneurs.
• Reach out to a colleague and ask them to be your accountability partner. (Just don’t choose someone who is in the same place of contemplating giving up in their business right now).

3. Reconnect to your “WHY”.

I find that people think most about quitting and giving up when their business is not making enough money (you need to attract more clients) or the business just isn’t fun anymore.

A business won’t survive long if you’re just in it for the money. Yes, it must make money in order to thrive as a business, but there has to be a much greater meaning that drives you in your business.

The problem is pursuing money is not a meaningful purpose. We all need to make a living, but I believe God created each of us on purpose and for a greater purpose. What was the difference you set out to make in people’s lives through your business? It doesn’t matter how unglamorous you might think your profession is. Even a house painting business can make a powerful impact when it’s run as a purpose driven business. When business is slow it’s easy to sink into self pity and start to question whether it’s time to throw in the towel. Instead, shift your focus off yourself and onto others.
Reconnect with your purpose and focus on the impact you want to make through your business.

4. Find an experienced guide.

Discouragement can feel as insurmountable as climbing Mount Everest when you’re not supported by an experienced guide. You can’t afford making costly mistakes. Hiring an experienced guide is worth every penny!

5. Evaluate your equipment.

When rock climbing you have to have the proper equipment to have a successful climb. The wrong shoes will make every step hiking up the mountain slippery and dangerous. A clothing line rope does not qualify as proper equipment. You may be able to hang clothes with it, but you wouldn’t depend on a clothing line rope to hold you from falling off a cliff. If business is slow, you want to evaluate what equipment are you using in your marketing toolbox. Don’t overlook the importance of having the right marketing tools. You can watch your sales climb much faster if you use the right tool for the right job. These are some of the critical tech tools every business should be equipped with.

• effective lead generation magnet(s)
• a lead capture landing page
• a lead generation website
• email marketing/autoresponder tool
• traffic generation tools like social media

I hope these tips have helped you and you are ready to continue on in your business! If you need help or have any questions about anything in your business, don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help :)

To your success~
 

Offline Marketing for Your Business

We talk a lot about online marketing using social media, job boards, classifieds, emails, etc. But did you know offline marketing works well too, as long as you are consistent. I am going to share with you several strategies that I use in my business to generate leads locally. The key with local marketing is to stay consistent, as I just mentioned. You can't do these things once or twice and get discouraged when you don't see results. You have to keep going. I make a point to do offline marketing 1-2 times a month.

1. Business Cards: I purchase business cards from www.vistaprint.com. I love how affordable and fast they are. I look for places to leave my business card when I am out: gas stations, grocery stores, libraries, restaurants, banks, etc.

2. Flyers: I create my own flyers and print them from my home printer. You can do the same or take your flyer to an office supply store and make copies there. I use flyers the same way that I use business cards...looking when I am out to find places to leave my information.

3. Post It Notes: I have post it notes made through vistaprint.com. I use these when I can't leave a flyer or business card. Example: I stick post it notes on ATM machines and gas pumps.

4. Car Magnets: Again using vistaprint.com (I use them for pretty much everything!), I LOVE having magnets on my car. I am a driving billboard and it works! Keep it simple because people are going to be seeing it briefly as you are passing them or they may not have anything to write down your information. I have just my phone number on my magnets. No website just my number for the person to call or text me at.

5. Vendor Shows/Craft Fairs: Whether you go to see the other vendors or you sign up to be a vendor, Craft Fairs, Expos, Vendor Shows, etc are a great way to spread the word about your business locally. Some cost a little bit of money to have a spot in the show. I have done shows that have been free and some that have been up to $400 for a spot. This is also a great way to get out of your comfort zone - we don't grow unless we get out right? You can get your business in front of a lot of people at once. Give out samples, brochures, etc. I always have a place for them to write their phone/email so I can send them more information and follow up with them later on.

With local marketing, it's all about consistency but also creativity. Think outside the box. I have left flyers in public restrooms, put business cards in diaper boxes at Target. It does work as long as you make it work. I usually go out the first and the 15th of the month and leave more flyers and business cards. Each time I do, I get more response!!

I hope this gives you some ideas for local marketing. If you have any questions or need help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I am always here and happy to help!

To your success~

Instagram

Ever wondered how you can generate leads on Instagram? How about building multiple platforms at once using only Instagram? There is so much you can do on Instagram and it won't cost you a dime!

Check out this training that I did for my team on how to work and build your Instagram. I also show you how to build your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms all at the same time!

The training is available here.

As always, I am here if you have any questions. Feel free to contact me by phone or text 612-208-9434. I am always happy to help :)

To your success~

Using Text Messaging in Your Business

64% of consumers believe that businesses should use SMS messages to interact with customers more often than they currently do.

Mobile marketing is a red hot topic and text messaging is a very effective way to communicate with your tribe. Adding text messaging is easy and there are a lot of fun ways to use it.
The top five reasons why consumers opt in to a brand’s text messages are:
- coupons or deals (77%)
- personal alerts (50%)
- being in the loop (48%)
- more meaningful content (33%)
- no need to visit a physical location/website/app for information (31%)



Here are 7 ways to add text messaging to your business:

1. Slides From Your Presentation

Giving a presentation or holding a seminar is an excellent way to grow your audience and find potential new customers. Have them text a keyword to your number so you can email the slides. This can be an automated process if your email marketing software integrates text messaging. Set it up ahead of time so that it's all ready to go at the end of your presentation - instant gratification is a good thing for your attendees!

2. Sign Up For Your Communications
Opting in to your communications has never been easier. Getting their mobile number makes it easy for your customers to engage with you. Text messages have a 98% open rate, while email has only a 20% open rate. With open rates so high - you might want to only text!
74% of respondents report an improved overall impression of businesses that interact with them via text messaging.

3. Appointment Reminders
If you have a service based business, using text messaging to confirm and remind people of appointments is key. Not only is it convenient for your customers, but it also keeps cancellation rates low. 70% of respondents agree that using SMS text messaging is a good way for an organization to get their attention.

4. Follow Up To Your Website Opt-In
When someone opts-in to your website lead magnet, capture their mobile number so you can make a thoughtful follow up. It's a great way to get communication going, as well. Ask how they are doing, did they enjoy the opt-in, do they have questions, etc. As many as 45% of people reply to branded text messages they receive. It takes the average person 90 minutes to respond to email, but only 90 seconds to respond to a text message.

5. Limited Time Promotions
Use text messaging to let your customers or audience know of a limited time promotion. You can text a URL to a landing page that gives the details. 89% of marketers employing SMS marketing find it more effective than corporate websites (64%) and display/banner ads (59%)

6. Customer Service
68% of consumers would like to use mobile messaging to contact a company with billing questions or concerns. Implementing a way for customers to text with your customer service team would be great news for over half of your customers.

7. Integrated Marketing
Finally, try adding text messaging in to your overall marketing plan. Like any medium, no one channel is a silver bullet. Using text messaging with your email marketing, event marketing, seminars, sales, etc., makes a big difference. Add text messaging to your marketing arsenal and see the impact it can have.

Recently, I did a training call for my team on how I use text messaging in my business, you are welcome to check it out here.  If you need help with anything in your home business, please don't hesitate to ask,  I am always here and happy to help. Here's to your success ~

Creating Advertising That Works

It doesn’t matter whether your business has been around for two months or two decades—a careful marketing strategy is essential to your success. A good advertisement can bring in new customers or remind your old customers what you have to offer. Effective advertisements share a few of the same qualities. They are engaging, relevant, and well-timed—and most importantly, they draw customers in to your business. Check out the five key principles that stand behind all successful advertisements.

1. Make People Stop and Pay Attention
First, your advertisement should make people stop what they’re doing and pay attention. Most consumers view advertisements as interruptions and automatically ignore the messages. Your advertisement needs to be engaging and catch their interest. However, catching someone’s interest isn’t enough. Many advertisements attract attention through gimmicks and jokes, but the important parts of the message—the company’s name or product—don’t stick with the customer. An effective advertisement is interesting and also informative, staying in the customer’s mind after he or she has moved on.

2. Advertise in the Right Places
From television to the Internet to the newspaper, there are plenty of places to advertise—but marketing mediums are not created equally. Choose the advertising platforms that are most relevant to your audience and create ads designed especially for the venues. For example, a restaurant might create a morning radio commercial advertising their new breakfast sandwiches while simultaneously advertising a dinner special on local evening television. Think about what your customers will be doing when they see your ad and plan a message that is tuned to their interests.

3. Appeal to Emotion and Reason
To create an effective advertisement, it’s essential to understand why people buy products and services. There are certainly logical reasons at hand based on the customer’s needs, but most consumers also base their purchases on emotional reasons. The most successful advertisements simultaneously appeal to a customer’s rational and emotional sides. Catch your customer’s attention first with an emotional appeal that will make him or her want the product, and then follow up with rational reasons to convince the customer that he or she needs the product.

4. Focus On Frequency
Because most people ignore advertisements, customers typically need to be exposed to your message about three times before they will become aware of what you’re offering. Of course, the first three exposures aren’t enough to guarantee a sale. Most consumers generally need 9-12 exposures to a message before they are ready to make a decision or a purchase. That means that it’s important to run your ads frequently—and in many cases, across multiple platforms—if you hope to reach a wider audience and increase your sales.

5. Coordinate Your Advertising Efforts
To increase customer awareness about your product, coordinate your marketing efforts so that each advertisement clearly reflects your company and your brand. Consumers are more likely to take note of your business when you have an integrated marketing plan that includes advertisements across multiple platforms. By using the same theme of your television commercial in a magazine ad or on a website banner, customers will become more aware of what you’re selling and they’ll be more likely to remember your company’s name when they’re finally ready to buy.

Hope these tips helped you! I also did a webinar recently with my team where I shared some useful tips on how to create ads that will get you responses. These tips will work for any business. Feel free to watch the webinar here.  As always, if you have any questions or need help with anything in your business, feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to help in any way!! You can call or text me directly at 612-208-9434. Here's to your success~

Setting Goals

Setting business goals within an organization is common practice, shared by all businesses. Executives set business goals that help increase motivation and determination, as well as those that offer critical learning strategies for training purposes.

Whether you are just starting to evaluate your goals or if you are in the re-evaluation process, follow these six steps for successful goal setting:

1. Define Quantifiable Goals
   The first step in setting business goals is determining exactly what you want to accomplish. Make sure your goal is worth your effort. Think about how you would design goals if you were certain that they would be successful. Conversely, what would your strategy be if this was your last opportunity? It’s important to set clear goals; you should know exactly where you want to go and you should not waiver from your target regardless of failures along the way. Be as specific as possible, so you are able to determine when you’ve reached your goal.
2. Make your Goals Specific
   Once again, make sure your business goals aren’t too vague. It’s critical to use a goal setting formula that gives your goal a built-in action plan. Define your end goal and create a road map for exactly how you’re going to reach your goal. Be specific with what you want to accomplish at each check point. You’ll achieve a great deal more than you would without these guidelines.
3. Commit to your Goals
   Make a commitment and stick with it. Once you’ve set your plan in motion, stay motivated to see your goals through to the end. Don’t procrastinate or second-guess your decisions, as this will only delay the process. Don’t forget to enjoy the process and reward yourself for staying focused.
4. Make your Goals Public
   An extremely effective technique for achieving business goals is making them public. Invite a team or even a single person into your plan; you’ll face accountability which can be very motivating. Once you share your goals with someone, you can determine what sort of involvement they will have with your plan. Will you ask them to check in with you every so often or not? What their role entails is up to you.
5. Set a Deadline
   If you don’t set a deadline, your goal will fail. Goals without deadlines indicate that you are not fully committed. Determining a deadline puts your goal into context. Pick a reasonable date that isn’t too aggressive, but also not too far away.
6. Reward Yourself
   In the goal-setting process, there’s one very important thing to remember: you. Once you’ve accomplished a goal or reached a milestone within your goal, make sure to mark the occasion. You’ve invested an incredible amount of time, energy and determination to reach your goal, so make sure you take a moment to celebrate your success.

Another tip that I have that really works for me is to write my goals down. I keep them next to me while I am working and I also take them with me so that I have them constantly in front of me. When I feel like not working hard or not working at all, my goals are there reminding me that I have to get busy!

Hope these tips helped you! If you need any help setting goals or want to share them with me for accountability, please feel free to reach me directly at 612-208-9434. As always, I am here and happy to help!

Staying Consistent for Home Business Success

Are you struggling to stay consistent in your network marketing business? Maybe you know what to do but never seem to get to it. Tomorrow becomes next week, next week becomes next month and so on!

Or maybe you succeed in taking action for a period of time but then stop because you aren’t yet in profit.

Does that sound familiar?

Staying consistent is the key to growing a profitable, successful home business. Even if you are not yet seeing a profit, consistency is your best friend when it comes to succeeding at anything.
Today I have some reasons and tips for you on how to stay consistent for home business success. I believe that understanding why you need to stay consistent is the key to actually doing it.

Taking Action and Staying Consistent

You’ve probably read all the tips about network marketing and attended lots of training. All the “How-to’s” in the world won’t help you if you are not staying consistent in network marketing.
Here you go:

Take Action No Matter What

I know how hard it can be when your efforts are not yet paying off. When I started my business, I blogged for months without a single sale! But I did it consistently and then one day, BOOM! I’ve been getting a weekly paycheck ever since. What would have happened if I said, “I am not getting results right now so there is no point to do this.”

Sometimes your motivation may go away due to lack of income. But I promise you, if you do the income producing activities anyway, you will eventually make money. It is your consistent action that will cause that to happen or not. It’s really that simple. Decide what you want.

Your Why and Priorities

I’ve heard all the excuses. “I’m too busy” “I was too tired” and so on. How big is your WHY? What is your reason for starting your business in the first place? Is your why important enough that you made it a priority in your life OR is it just another wishful thought?

When something is important, you make it a priority. If it’s not, well then, you know the rest.
When I started my business my children were three and ten ( I had a toddler and a preteen) and was involved in a few volunteer activities. I still made sure that I took action on my business daily no matter what! My husband was working 80 hours a week and freedom was calling! I was tired of the paycheck to paycheck struggle...robbing Peter to pay Paul. That freedom, my children and never having that struggle again was and still is my priority. Get it done!

Staying Consistent is Part of Your Brand and How Others Perceive You

Not attracting anyone to your business? Maybe it’s because you are inconsistent. Success leaves clues. You may have heard that quote. If you are not consistent, you won’t leave any success clues. If your audience sees you today and not tomorrow, or if you constantly change gears, people will not see you as a leader or even a person they want to partner with.

Establish a Daily Routine

Sticking to a daily routine is a great way to staying consistent for home business success. All successful people have a daily routine that they stick to! Instead of living your lifestyle, live your life by incorporating the habits of successful people.

Take a look at some top earners. Don’t look at what they have, look at their daily habits and create your own routine.

Staying consistent takes determination and discipline. We do it whether we want to or not.
Think about whether your business is important enough in your life to live the lifestyle you always wanted, or just a little wishful thinking.

I did a training on establishing a routine and marketing schedule. You can access it here.

If you got some value from this Staying Consistent for Home Business Success, please feel free to share! As always, please let me know if you need any help with your home business. I am always here and happy to help!

5 Common Objections and How to Overcome Them

If you’ve has a home business for any length of time, you have probably already heard at least two or three objections. Don’t ya just love the excuses reasons people come up with as to why they don’t want to buy your product, or join the company?

You’ve probably heard most of them but, do you know how to deal with them? Are you equipped to answer their questions well enough to satisfy their fear? Here are some “nuggets” for you to try next time you encounter an objection.

Common Objection #1 -I don't know a lot of people

Encourage your team members and prospects to not only make a list of people they know they might need/want the product/service your business is offering. Also, there are so many ways to generate leads online as well as purchase leads for your business. Check with your team to see if they have any training on lead generation and use what they provide as they are tried and true methods! You can also provide leads to your team. I love providing leads to my team members when they get started as well as when they bring on new business. Let your team members know you are there to help them!

Common Objection #2 -I don’t have time

Tell her you understand how busy she is and that’s exactly why you chose her. It’s proven that busy people are the ones that get things done. Have her get her calendar and show her how little time she will have to invest in order to get the products she wants for free. Always show why joining your team is going to benefit them, not you, and let her know you are here for her, to help her succeed!

Common Objection #3 -I don’t the money to invest in starting a business right now

Some home business companies offer the kit if they hold a certain number of show to pay for it. The best way to respond to this is by asking when they think they would be able to have the money and to offer saving suggestions to help them come up with the money. If they are truthful and really are interested in joining the company, they will most likely follow your instructions and work toward gathering up the money somehow, someway. Some suggestions you can use for saving money are: foregoing that cappuccino or latte` everyday, taking a sack lunch instead of eating out, skipping their weekly night out and putting that money away, at least until they’ve raised enough to purchase the start up kit. Encourage them by gently reminding them that they are starting a new business which takes time, effort and money and that you are there to help them succeed.

Common Objection #4 -I am not a good sales person

A good response to this one is, “Either am I!” And that’s the honest to goodness truth. You don’t have to be a “sales” person to sell something you love and believe in and hopefully you are approaching only people with the business plan who truly love and believe in the product. Remind them that just being who they are, being open and honest about their experience with the product is the best way to sell it. They don’t have to use any fancy sales talk, just be themselves. Always, always remind them that you are there to help them succeed in their business!

Common Objection #5 -I don’t have time to start or run a business

How much time do you actually invest in your business? Are you in it part time? Did you start out part time and built it up to a full time career? Were you working another full time job when you started out and now are working your home business full time and your other job part time? Let your potential new recruit in on how you’ve gotten where you are today. Perhaps you are just starting out too, so let your recruit know how you are using your valuable time to reach your goals and dreams and how she can do the same. Besides, she wouldn’t have asked you about the opportunity if she wasn’t at least curious.

Don’t let objections that you can’t overcome stop you from pressing forward to reaching your goals and dreams. You may know that certain prospect would be a great recruit, but she truly doesn’t have the time, and perhaps she simply doesn’t have the desire. Its okay let it go. Just be there for her when she changes her mind in the future. You don’t want to destroy any chance of having her join your team by being too pushy. Some people simply need more time.

In home business there will always be objections, but if you are honest with your customers, prospects and recruits about how and why you are successful, how much time you actually spend working your business and help them be organized and good managers of their time, then they will trust you and they will help your business succeed because their business is succeeding.

Hope this helps! If you need any help in succeeding in your home business, please feel free to reach out to me, I am always here and happy to help ~

Staying Positive!

 

 

How to Stay Positive at Work as an Entrepreneur

Remember Your Purpose 

When you get negative thoughts as an entrepreneur, they tend to distract you from your main purpose. So if you can really focus back on that purpose, it can help you put things in perspective and realize that some of those concerns or issues aren’t as devastating as you previously thought.

Change Your Focus

Or you could take a different approach and simply shift your focus for a short time. If a certain task or direction just isn’t working for you, try a new one and it could improve your outlook.

Look at Your Goals

You can also get some of your focus back and improve your outlook by simply looking back at some of your main goals for your business. So keep them written down somewhere and bring them out when you need an extra boost.

Talk to a Mentor

Having a business mentor who has been through tough times and knows how to get through them can be invaluable during your inevitable business struggles.

Take a Break from Social Media

Social media can be a great tool. But it can also lead some entrepreneurs into the comparison trap. So if you find yourself constantly using social media to compare your progress to that of other businesses, you may need to take a break from it.

See Others as Motivational
Or you could use the opportunity to see the success of other entrepreneurs as a motivating factor instead. Look at their success and see that it is possible and then use that to push your business to the next level.

Look Back at Your Progress

Looking back at your own business on occasion can also be a motivating factor. If you’re able to see how far you’ve come, it can change your mindset going forward.

Move On from Failure

However, it’s not always a great idea to dwell on the past. When you experience failure, which is inevitable, you need to find a way to move onto the next task quickly instead of letting the failure ruin your mindset.

Write Down What You Learned

One easy way you can put failure in perspective is to write down some lessons you learned from the experience. This can show you that even though you failed, you did gain something. And it can also help you continue moving forward.

Spend Time with Loved Ones

Starting a business can take up a lot of time and energy. But it’s a good idea to regularly step back and remember the reasons you started in the first place. So spend time with your family and other loved ones regularly to improve your mindset and stay positive.

 

Talk to Your Team

Your team members can also help you potentially break out of a negative funk. Talk to them about ideas for the business along with their personal and professional goals.

Talk to Your Customers

You can also reach out to your customers from time to time to see how they’ve been affected by your business and remind yourself why you do what you do.

Do the Hardest Work First

If your negative outlook can be attributed to overwhelm, then sometimes the best thing you can do is just get the work done. Focus on the most difficult tasks first so that you can get them out of the way and reduce your overwhelm quickly.

Appreciate Your Freedom

Being an entrepreneur means that you’re the boss. That doesn’t mean you can necessarily do whatever you want all the time. But you do get some freedom. So realizing that can really help you stay positive during difficult times.

Make a Plan 

Negativity and overwhelm can sometimes also be attributed to a lack of direction. If this is the case for you, then you need to sit down and actually map out a plan for the next few months or years of your business. Having even a general idea where you’re going can really be a benefit.

Take a Break

Or you might just need to step back for a little bit to refocus. Take a short vacation or just simply unplug for a long weekend.

Reward Yourself

When you do get things accomplished in your business, it’s important to celebrate that in some way. Map out a small rewards system for yourself to stay motivated and positive during the daily grind.

Reward Your Team

You can also apply a similar awards system to your team. Keeping them motivated and happy can improve the overall mood around your office and keep everyone at your business more positive.

 

Make a Game of It

You can even appy some gaming theory to getting things done. Create a points system for larger tasks or spur some friendly competition between coworkers to keep everyone motivated and engaged.

Get Some Exercise

Regular exercise gives you endorphins, which can help you stay positive on a daily basis. So even short bursts of exercise a few times a week can make a big difference.

Connect with Other Entrepreneurs
Sharing the struggles of entrepreneurship can be a good way to clear your mind and move forward. But talking to your family and friends about those struggles might not have the same effect as talking to someone who can really relate. So find some other entrepreneurs to connect with, either in your local community or online.

Write Down What You’re Thankful For

Along with the struggles, there are plenty of great things to be thankful for when it comes to running a business. So instead of just forgetting those positives and dwelling on what needs to be done, take a moment out of your day and write down some things you have to be thankful for.

Thank Others
You can also show that gratitude to others by simply saying “thank you” or writing short thank you notes.

Try Out Meditation

Meditation can be another way to sort of clear your mind and stay focused on the positives throughout your day.

Use Daily Affirmations

Or you can try a more vocal approach like daily affirmations. State positive things about yourself, and the positive attitude could follow.

Seek Out Inspiration

If you’re feeling uninspired in your business, just waiting around for inspiration to strike can seem like a lifetime. So seek out some inspiration through reading, going outdoors or even browsing sites like Pinterest.

Get Some Hobbies
Having some hobbies outside of work can also help you stay positive and inspired on a regular basis.

Educate Yourself

You can also choose to expand your mind through regular training or education programs, which can lead to new ideas and motivation.

Remind Yourself What Make You Happy

No matter how many great habits you build around your business, there are going to be times when you feel a little down. So it can be a good idea to have a folder on your computer or even a physical list or scrapbook that you can pull out during those tough times to remind yourself of what makes you happy.

Visualize Your Goals

You can also regularly remind yourself of your main goals by keeping them visible in your workspace. Create a list or post them on a board in your office so you’re constantly reminded why you’re doing what you do.

Hope these tips helped you! If you need help with anything in your home business, don't hesitate to reach out to me by phone or text: 612-208-9434. I am always here and happy to help :)

5 Tips for Building Relationships With Your Prospects

In order to create better business relationships with your prospects, there are 5 major things you can do: 

 

 

 

1. Treat your Customers the Right Way. Remember the Golden Rule you were taught in Kindergarten? Treat Others How You Want to be Treated?! It's not just a rule on the playground, it's a rule in your business too! You don't want someone calling you saying, "you don't know me, but I have the best product on the market and you need to buy it?" Gross, right!! Ask questions and build rapport first and then talk about your products and opportunity. 

 

2. Always Listen to Them. This is a must in your business. Listen to your prospect, you need to know where they are coming from. Their experiences, etc. It's part of the rapport building. For example, when I am talking to a prospect and they tell me they have been scammed many times and have lost a lot of money and are unsure about investing in another opportunity, I let them know right then and there that there is an investment and how much and explain that I felt the same way and this is what I have found with my company. Which leads me to the next tip....

3. Build Trust. People have to know, trust and like you before they will do any business with you. Would you buy a car from just anyone? How about a house? No! You want to make sure you are getting a car that won't break down 2 hours after you buy it and a house that isn't going to blow over like the house made of sticks that the three little pigs built. When you listen and treat your prospects right, they will trust you. Remember, most people aren't joining your company, they are joining you! 

4. Follow up. Have you heard the old saying "the fortune is in the follow-up?". It absolutely is. It's also part of building that trust. If you tell a prospect that you are going to call them at 3pm on Friday, you better make sure you are calling them at 3 pm on Friday. Otherwise, they are going to be left thinking: "if they aren't calling me now to help me and answer questions, how do I know they are going to call me when I join the company?" Don't leave them in the dark, be available to help them and get their questions answered! 

5. Be Transparent. Be Humble. Be Vulnerable. This will build trust and rapport. When a prospect starts talking about being scammed, I share with them that I was scammed too. When they talk about trying so many opportunities that didn't work for them, I share that I tried several that didn't work for me either. And I am being completely honest with them. They appreciate that I understand where they are coming from. And they will appreciate that you do too. I love to use the Feel Felt Found Method. I know how you feel, I felt the same way and this is what I have found. It really builds that rapport. Remember, people will not always remember what you say, BUT they will remember how you made them feel! 

I hope this has helped you when it comes to prospecting in your business! If I can help in anyway, please feel free to reach out to me by phone or text at 612-208-9434.

As always, I am here and happy to help you succeed~

Hitting a Home Run in Your Business

As you may or may not know, I live in Minneapolis, MN. Home of the MN Twins!! If you are an avid baseball fan like I am, you probably know that the MN Twins are currently first in their series!! So exciting to watch them, and we are all hoping that they can land in the World Series this year!!

You are probably wondering: what do baseball and business have in common? In life, we take many swings, but not all end in home runs. The same applies for starting a home-based business. There are bound to be times when you swing and miss, but there are also times when you swing your bat and send the ball sailing over the third baseman’s head.

So how can you make sure that every swing turns into a hit and grows your home business? The truth is that growth relies on several factors: working hard, procuring the right tools, and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes along.

The good news is that all you need to get started on the path to growth is some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. I’ve gathered 4 quick tips on what you should keep in mind when working to grow your business.

Batter up!

First Base: Just Look to the Cloud

It should come as no surprise that the best way to start encouraging business growth is by investing in the technology you need. But with a tight budget, how is that possible? The answer is simple. Get ready to look to the cloud and point out where your hit will go.

From email marketing to project management and even social media, home business owners should be looking to automate as much as possible. With apps like Sprout Social, Elite Email, Earliz, and more, there’s a bit of something for every business, no matter what your area of expertise. But before you even begin to search for the apps you need, start by looking for a simple platform that’s built to keep everything organized. After all, sure you can go out and buy all of the baseball equipment you need, but without a bag to put it all in, you may find that juggling all of that equipment from game to game will be more than just a little difficult. They say to get the job done right, you have to have the right tools. After all, you wouldn’t step up to the plate armed with a hockey stick, would you?

Sliding into Second: Step Up to Every Opportunity

In order to hit a home run, or to even get on base, you have to be ready to take advantage of anything and everything thrown your way. Being a home-based entrepreneur gives you two huge advantages over larger companies: agility and adaptability. If you get thrown a curve ball, you can easily side step it and take it into right field, or you can pass it up and wait for a juicier pitch. Being adaptable and agile can help give you that competitive edge that all small businesses need. The best hitters are those that can hit the ball into the gaps between players, and you should be no different with your own strategy. If you can identify a particular customer need, you can act quickly to make sure that you take advantage of that moment by meeting that need and simultaneously positioning your company to benefit.

Rounding Third: Hard Work Beats Talent Every Day

At the end of the day, no game is won by talent alone. Instead, it’s the drive, passion, and hard work that can take a team to the Playoffs. The first and most fundamental fact about both business and baseball is that the best players and entrepreneurs have the passion to succeed, allowing them to turn their dreams into a reality. Keep this in mind with your own business. To grow, you have to work hard, and in some cases, harder than you’ve ever worked before. There will be long, coffee-filled nights and aching backs, but when all is said a done, every ache and blister will be an additional run scored for your company’s success.

Heading Home: Stick to Your Game Plan

The road ahead for a successful business is the same as the one for baseball: when you look toward your end-goal, whether it’s increasing profits or winning a pennant, there are plenty of challenges waiting. Before you step onto the field, make sure that you have a game plan set in place. Having a plan will help you take advantage of constantly changing conditions, while still keeping your ultimate goals in site. Not to mention a plan will enable you to ask the important question: is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve my goal?

The best strategy for both baseball and businesses is to formulate a plan that you stick to. Know your long-range and short-range goals and stay focused on what you have to do in order to achieve them. Keep your business plan close and don’t be afraid to change it up if the opportunity comes along.
Growing a home business takes time, commitment, and plenty of practice, just like gearing up for the World Series. With these 4 tips, you can be well on your way to hitting a home run with your home-based business.

Do you have any other tips or stories for how to grow your home business? Let us know in the comments below!

Hurricanes in life...

What do you do when you look at the television and see a category 4 hurricane headed your way?

You see, hurricanes don't just come in the form of weather patterns, wind and rain. Every day we face hurricanes at work and in life.

A sudden illness. A sick child. A car accident. Divorce. Job loss. Company reorganization. Financial crisis. The death of a loved one. Loss of business, etc.

 

The winds of life blow. The conditions get worse. Hurricanes come at us from all directions.

So what do we do? Do we give up? Do we live in fear? Do we hide under the covers or do we face the reality of the storm, adapt and deal with the damages it brings?

The answer comes from a boy named Joshua. As a hurricane was approaching their town years ago Joshua’s mom was in his room telling him that that she and his dad were getting a divorce. With tears streaming down his face he said, "You know Mom, this is really hard but I’m going to try to be strong and positive and trust it will all work out."

As she told me this story my heart just melted. This boy, whose pain was unbearable, was choosing to stay positive as his world was being torn apart. While his levies of strength were breaking and the pain was flooding in, he was mustering up the courage and faith to reinforce his walls and stay strong in the face of adversity. He didn't act in denial. He accepted the situation. And he knew he had to deal with it; with courage, positivity, hope and faith.

I've come to realize that, like Joshua, every one of us will come face to face with hurricanes in our life. We will come to the realization that our situation is beyond our control. During these moments we are meant to realize that we can’t do it alone. In our powerlessness we are meant to discover the ultimate power. In our fear we are meant to find our faith. And in our need for control we are meant to find a peace that comes when we surrender. We are meant to stay positive and overcome whatever challenges come our way.

I don't know why we have to face hurricanes but people like Joshua and my own heart show me the way to overcome them.

Storms are going to happen. But the sun always rises and shines again.

 

If you need any help with your home business, don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at 612-208-9434 by phone or text. Look forward to hearing from you~