Get More Clients & Build a 6-Figure (or more) Business for Women Entrepreneurs » Business Building

Your Blog: Free or Self-Hosted. Which is best for your brand?

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:30:33 +0000

Want to Use Your Blog to Build Your Brand?

Want to build your reputation as an authority in your field while build an audience of ideal clients who are interested in what you have to say?

My advice: Create a blog.

And, not on a free blogging platform (such as Blogger.com or WordPress.com) – but a self-hosted WordPress blog.

That’s the blogging platform that my blog www.annemariecross.com is built on.

The beauty of having a self-hosted WordPress blog is that it’s not just a blog; it’s also a fully functioning website, which I think is pretty cool.

When setting up your own self-hosted WordPress blog – while the WordPress (blogging) software is free (from WordPress.org) there will be some costs involved in setup, hosting and graphic design.

So why should you pay for something you can get for free?

Especially if setting up your blog over at WordPress.com has all hosting and management costs being taken care of by their team?

Well, if you’re serious about making a great lasting impression and money in your business (which I assume you are), then you’ll want to invest in a self-hosted blog. [I’ll share some of my reasons why I believe this so strongly, shortly].

To me, this isn’t an expense, but an investment. An investment in your reputation and overall professionalism – as a self-hosted blog that has been strategically designed and branded will enable you to continue building a professional and memorable online presence.

If you’re still temped to go down the free route and host your blog on WordPress.com, be warned – they frown upon users selling their products/services (or even making reference to their products/services). You may just find your blog being taken down overnight.

Just like two of my colleagues. They lost everything overnight and had to start from scratch after WordPress.com shut down their blogs.

I don’t know about you. To me, it’s just not worth the risk.

So, in answer to the question “Your Blog: Free or Self-Hosted. Which is best for your brand?” Here are my top 5 reasons why I vote for a self-hosted WordPress blog.

1. Build a Consistent Professional Brand

While there are many free great-looking themes available for your self-hosted WordPress blog, once you get some funds behind you, I would strongly recommend you invest in a graphic designer to develop a professional personalised banner.

In fact, I purchased a theme from WooThemes.com, which cost me $70 for two standard yet very professional templates with some great features.

I hired a WordPress programmer who tweaked the theme to my brand colours; added a signup box on the top right hand side of the page (prime real estate) as part of my list-building strategy; and changed some of the formatting/layout to personalize it.

I also worked with a graphic designer to create my banner with the colours and fonts matching my business cards, brochures, images and flyers.

Having your own corporate colours, banners and images on your self-hosted blog will help you build a consistent professional on-brand message and online presence.

To brand your free blog to your corporate colours and images will also cost you money as well. My advice is to invest in your self-hosted WordPress blog from the start.

2. Build Credibility with Your Own Domain Name

Read both of these domain names out loud:

(A) www.[yourdomainname].com

(B) www.[yourdomainname].wordpress.com

Which do you think is easier for people to remember AND looks more professional?

Hopefully you’ve selected A.

It speaks for itself. Yes?

3. YOU maintain full control of your content

Because it can take hours to craft a well-written blog post, and months (if not years) to build a solid repertoire of inspiring, informative articles on your blog, you want to ensure that you retain control of all your content.

With a self-hosted blog you CAN maintain control of your information, whereas with a free option you can’t. If they decide they don’t like what you’re posting – they can shut you down overnight. Period.

I certainly wouldn’t want to take that risk and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to either. Especially considering all of the hard work you’re going to be putting in to building high-quality content for your audience.

Yes, of course having a self-hosted WordPress blog will mean you’re responsible for the security and updating of your blog software; however to me that’s a small price to pay for keeping my information safe and secure.

As one of my colleagues on Facebook so aptly commented:

“If you don’t own it – you don’t own it.”

4. Send traffic to YOUR site

With all of the effort you’re going to put into driving people back to your website through your social media and communications strategies, means YOU’LL benefit from all the traffic.

With a free blog – you’re sending all the traffic back to their site.

Plus, with your self-hosted blog, once you’ve captured their attention and interested they are far more likely to stick around and click through to review some of your product and service offerings.

Another advantage of having a self-hosted WordPress blog is the myriad of free (and paid) plugins available. (A plugin is a customised piece of software that provides specific abilities and functionalities to your WordPress blog.) These are easy to install and use.

Some of my favourite plugins include All in One SEO Pack to help me with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation); Shareaholic, which allows my readers to share my blog posts with their social network; and of course the GoogleAnalytics plugin, which allows me to see how many visitors are reading my posts and where they are coming from.

You can’t add plugins to your free WordPress.com hosted blog (unless of course you pay them.)

And, as I mentioned before, if you’re going to spend money – invest in your own self-hosted blog and reap the benefits.

5. Build Your List

As many marketing gurus state: “The money is in your list”, and having your own self-hosted blog/website will allow you to integrate your list-building strategy into your overall website strategy.

As you can see on my blog, I’ve set up my list-building strategy into the banner and footer and on selected pages throughout the site.

This list-building strategy works for me 24/7, 365 days per year with new contacts being added to my list on a daily basis. They don’t have to click through to another site in order to access it. They can access it directly from my self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is difficult (if not impossible) to do with a free WordPress.com hosted blog, and is going to require some investment costs on your part. As I have recommended before, invest in your own self-hosted blog and continue to enjoy the benefits.

So there are just five reasons why I prefer a self-hosted WordPress blog to the free WordPress.com hosted blog.

I also reached out to my community on Facebook and asked them the same question. Here’s what they said.

Have Your Say!

So, what do you think? Do you believe free or self-hosted is best? Do you have other reasons why you believe this? Please share! It’s always good to hear from you!

Till next time – stay brilliant and inspired

Annemarie Cross

Drawing on her 16+ years' award-winning expertise in branding, personal marketing, personal development and transformation, Annemarie provides 'step-by-step' business- & profit-building processes alongside breakthrough business & money mindset principles so you can stand out, get hired AND paid what you're worth. >>>>>>> IS ONE OF THESE SPOTS YOURS? <<<<<<< Get first-hand breakthrough coaching with Annemarie by booking into one of her powerful Business Breakthrough Strategy Sessions (limited spots available). More information here: http://bit.ly/breakthroughstrategy

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How to Charge What You’re Worth and Get It

Annemarie Cross — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:40:01 +0000

Still struggling to charge what you’re worth and get it?

You’re not alone!

In fact, numerous entrepreneurs and service-based business owners I speak to find this difficult, which is why I spent an entire hour with my Get More Clients Booked members on this topic.

As a gift, I’d like to give you exclusive access to the webinar recording so that you can learn the key steps you need to implement so that you can finally charge what you’re worth and get it.

Find out:

8 reasons why you haven’t been able to charge what you’re worth
The importance of building a Signature Brand if you want to attract a steady stream of ideal clients to your door, who are ready to invest in YOU!
Why building social proof is a vital component to becoming known as an authority in your field, so that you can finally charge what you’re worth and get it
My secret 3-step formula that will enable you to compile and create client testimonials that will practically sell your programs for you
Why it’s so important to have a Signature System if you want to become known as an expert so that you can dominate your niche online (and offline)
How to craft powerful headlines that sell
Why your Money Mindset may be blocking you from being able to charge what you’re worth
And more…

Grab a pen and paper and be ready to take lots of notes.

Prefer to listen/download the audio?

Download Audio Version here

Listen to Audio Version:

Ready to take this a step further?

Treat yourself to one my limited complementary Business Breakthrough Strategy Session so you can make 2012 your best year yet!
Take advantage of my special offer to become one of my Rubies Biz Acceleration Coaching Club members
Join our Get More Clients weekly webinar sessions

What was your biggest ‘aha’ moment after watching the video? What will you implement in your business TODAY so that you can charge what you’re worth and get it? Leave your comments below. It’s always nice to hear from you.

Stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Get More Clients: Features vs benefits – know the difference?

Annemarie Cross — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:04:23 +0000

Does this sound like you?

You’re a coach or consultant who is passionate about your work. Being able to support your clients reach their goals is extremely rewarding.

The program you’ve put together is EXACTLY what they need, and the techniques you use are pretty impressive. In fact the clients you’ve worked with have all been able to overcome their issues – and you can’t wait to help other people.

But, and here’s the clincher…

Despite the information you’ve provided on your website (that includes the list of benefits they’ll receive through participating in your program) – people are not signing up for your opt-in offer, not engaging with you on social media platforms, and certainly not investing in your services.

What are you doing wrong?

You just can’t get more clients booked into your programs.

Is this happening to you?

It’s a common issue for many service-based businesses, so you’re certainly not alone.

If you look closely at your program description, you’ll see that the problem is in the way you’re explaining the results/benefits your client will achieve when working with you. That’s because your benefit is not really a benefit, but rather a feature of your program.

I came across a quote recently, which describes what I’m talking about perfectly:

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill (feature). They want a quarter-inch hole (benefit).” – Theodore Levitt.

In reality, people don’t want to buy your coaching or consulting services – they want to buy “the outcome/result” that your coaching/consulting services will provide.

If you’re a career coach, people don’t want to buy your ‘innovative assessments’, powerful questioning techniques, or two hours of ‘narrative-based coaching’. They want to get rid of their confusion and frustration. They want to get off the boredom treadmill, and be able to bounce out of bed on a Monday morning because they have a job they love. They want the day to fly by because they’re so engaged in their work.
If you’re a résumé writer– people don’t want to buy a résumé that includes the latest in writing techniques, along with a powerful personal brand statement.They want a document that will get them noticed; a document that will open doors to exciting opportunities. They want a document that will secure them an interview for their dream job.
If you’re an interview/negotiation coach – people don’t want to buy your award-winning interview strategies or negotiation techniques.They want to be able to position themselves as a must-have candidate throughout the entire interview. They want to secure that job offer along with a salary package that pays them what they’re worth.
If you’re a life coach – people don’t want to buy latest coaching techniques provided in a relaxing, tranquil setting.They want to get rid of whatever problem is going on in their lives so that they can finally achieve their goal. This could be to rekindle passion in their relationship with their spouse; or to land the job of their dreams; or to finally be able to get a good night’s sleep without waking up several times a night due to fear and anxiety.

Here are two simple steps you can use to turn your program feature into a benefit that your ideal client will love.

Step 1: Know your ideal client

Do you know the answers to the following questions? You should.

The problems/issues they are experiencing
The words and phrases they use to describe their issues
The type of support/solutions they are typically looking for
The language/triggers that will catch their attention and prompt them to want to learn more about your services

The more specific and relevant the benefits and outcomes your program delivers to your ideal client’s goals and dreams, the more compelled your prospect will be to work with you.

Step 2: Complete the ‘So that…” process

Here’s where you put your statement through the ‘so that’ process to ensure you get to the ‘real’ benefit and result that will impress your ideal client.

Here are some examples:

Statement: I’ll help you build your brand to get you noticed and recognised as an expert SO THAT you get hired and paid what you’re worth.

Statement: I’ll help you get a ‘yes’ for your mortgage application SO THAT you can finally move into the home of your dreams and start your family.

Statement: I’ll write you a powerful résumé SO THAT your résumé stands out from the pile of résumés and gets you an invitation to interview for your dream job.

So, whatever statement you are currently using, put it through the ‘so that’ process to ensure you really are stating the benefits and results your client will receive through investing in your services.

Time to revisit and rewrite your list of benefits?

Was this helpful? How are you going to rewrite your statement so that it really does reflect the benefit/outcome your prospect can expect through working with you?

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Rejected? Keep in touch strategies to turn prospects into clients

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:12:22 +0000

You’ve spent countless hours preparing your program launch.

Everything is moving forward like clockwork and the last email is just about to go out. With the special offer you’ve included you’re expecting to generate some real interest from your list.

Then it happens – the thing you dread the most.

No signups.

Has this happened to you? You’re certainly not alone.

I’m sure we all have a sad story to share about a program launch that didn’t get any (or many) signups. Or a time when a prospect has just replied ‘no thanks’ to your offer despite the amazing presentation you’ve just delivered.

While this may feel like a blow to the stomach, it’s important NOT to take this personally. Doing so can lead to feelings of inadequacy in launching another program or presenting your offer to another prospect.

Just because he/she has decided not to hire you, doesn’t mean you’re unworthy of being hired.

One of my recent tweets said: “Received a ‘no’ to your pitch? Don’t take it personally. They may not yet be ready. Be there when they are.”

Notice how I’ve bolded the words ‘be there when they are’? I’ve done that for a reason.

Why you may feel like giving up on that prospect (or worse case – you feel like giving up altogether) it’s important NOT to walk away, but to maintain contact with him/her.

Here’s why.

In my recent interview with Meridith Elliot Powell – Author of “42 Rules to Turn Prospects into Customers” she stressed the importance of keeping in touch with your prospect, especially after receiving a no.

She states: “It can take between 8-12 touches (communications) with a prospect during a healthy economy before they say ‘yes’. However, in a shifting economy it can take double that amount of time.”

This is something we all need to be mindful of.

Are you regularly keeping in contact with your prospects? Do you have a keep-in-touch strategy in place that allows you to reach out to each of your prospects up to 20 times?

Many entrepreneurs don’t, and therefore end up doing nothing. Or their keep-in-touch strategy is completely ineffective and comes across as being too pushy or annoying.

Here are several ways you can remain top of mind with your prospect that won’t seem too aggressive or frustrating, so that you’re the first person they think of when they’re finally ready to move forward.

Seen an article that would be of interest to your prospect? Send them a copy along with a friendly note that you’re thinking of them and believe this article may be helpful.
Have you written an article recently that relates to something they are struggling with? Send them a copy (or link to your blog). This will not only keep you top of mind, but will also continue to confirm your expertise and credibility.
Are you connected to this person through your social media connections and continuing to position yourself as an authority in your field through articles and posts?
The more your name shows up in conversations and the more your articles get shared and Liked by your extended community, the more your expertise is confirmed as you show up on their social media feeds.
Has one of your clients recently completed your program and generated some amazing results and written an amazing testimonial?
Send a copy of this to your prospect and let them know that your goal would be to support them in achieving the same outcome (success) as your client when they are ready to move forward.
Have you recently won an award? Drop your prospect a note stating that your commitment to delivering outstanding outcomes is paramount and confirmed through the recent award.
Are you going to be speaking at a networking/business event? Sometimes organisers will give you some free tickets which you could then send to your prospect along with an invitation to join you.
If organisers don’t do this, why don’t you invest in a ticket (or two) for your prospect and invite them along as your special guest. They are going to benefit from the networking opportunities plus get the chance to hear your speak – thus allowing you to confirm your expertise and credibility in your field.
Keep an eye out to see what your prospect is doing in their business. Have they won an award? Written an article? Been mentioned by the press? Send them a card to congratulate them on their recent achievement.
Have you been interviewed on a podcast/radio show and have shared some tips that you know your prospect will find helpful? Burn a copy of the audio to CD and send it to them.
Alternatively you can send them a link to the recording, which they can download to their iPod or listen from their computer. Again, this is a great way to provide value to your prospect while confirm you are an authority in your field.

These are just a few of the ideas that I have come up with in the space of a few minutes.

Remember, your prospect may not be ready to invest in you yet. However by ensuring you have a strategic keep-in-touch system in place, incorporating some of the above suggestions will ensure they think of YOU when they’re ready to move forward.

Was this helpful? Which are you going to take action on today to allow you to reach out and connect with a prospect? Have you used other ways to keep in touch that you can share with other readers? Please leave your comments below. It’s always great to hear from you!

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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3 Reasons That Can Stop You From Building Your Reputation as An Expert

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:39:37 +0000

One of the goals of many of my clients (ambitious entrepreneurs running service-based businesses) is to increase their profile and reputation as an authority in their field.

Being known and respected as an expert has many advantages, which include:

The ability to distinguish yourself and your services from your competitors far more easily;
You’ll have a steady flow of clients as prospects will often seek you out because they have heard you can help them overcome their problems;
You can charge higher fees for your services because of the reputation and credibility you hold in the marketplace, just to name a few.

Is building your reputation as an expert something you long for, yet haven’t yet been able to achieve? Here are three common reasons why you may be struggling:

1. Offering diverse and unrelated services/products

While you may think that offering a diverse range of products and services will help you increase your income, unfortunately, the opposite can occur.

Heard of the saying ‘Jack-of-all-trades and master of none’?

That’s what can occur when you have too many service offerings that are unrelated and have different target markets, with different needs and desires. In fact you’ll end up confusing your prospects and they won’t see you as being someone who can help them with their specific needs.

If you were to audit your products and services, would they fit under the one core brand message? Can they be used by the same prospect? Do they help your ideal client reach their ultimate goal?

Hopefully you’ve answered ‘yes’. If not, and your dream is to become known as an expert so that you can attract a steady flow of ideal clients and be paid what you’re worth, my advice would be to:

Get totally clear on your core brand message and your ideal client.
Concentrate on offering a range of services and products that deliver value and support specifically to both your brand message and ideal client.
Stay on-brand and on-topic in all of your online and offline communications so that you don’t weaken your message and confuse your prospects by becoming a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

2. Doubting your strengths and talents

Something that one of my mentors once told me, which has had a profound impact on my business was: “The first sale you’ll ever make, is to yourself.”

If you’re totally honest with yourself, do you truly believe that the money your clients invest in you is worth it? Would you invest in you? If not, you’re going to find it very difficult to build your profile as an expert and be paid accordingly.

My advice is to seriously consider getting support around dealing with your beliefs and emotional barriers that are keeping you stuck and not being able to recognise the real value you offer. Not doing so will continue to make it very difficult to charge higher fees.

In the meantime, some practical steps to help you start to challenge some of those beliefs:

Write a list of all of the benefits and solutions you offer your prospects. If you aren’t totally clear on this, it’ll be virtually impossible for you to value the work you’re doing OR portray this powerfully to a prospect.
What are the successes your clients are experiencing through working with you?
What’s the feedback you are receiving for the great work you are doing?

These are all valid proof that your strengths, talents and support you offer your clients are enabling them to generate some amazing outcomes.

3. Unconvincing branding and marketing messages

You can have the best products and services that can support your clients in achieving their goals, however if you’re not showcasing your expertise in your online and offline marketing and communications, it will be difficult for you to become known as an expert and to charge a higher fee and get it.

Are you regularly writing articles and blog posts that speak to the needs of your target market and demonstrate that you have the skills, knowledge and services that can help them achieve their goals?

What’s the first impression a prospect has when they first come to your website? Are they able to quickly understand what it is you do and how you can help them? Are you creating that ‘wow’ factor in the core brand message you are portraying?

Here are some powerful ways to do that:

Ensure all of your online bios are consistently portraying the same core brand message.
Make sure you introduce yourself in a benefit-driven way in your online and offline (face-to-face) conversations.
Include client testimonials on your website of the successes they have achieved through working with you.

Building your reputation as an authority in your field and becoming known as an expert is certainly worth the effort, so ensure you only have service/product offerings that are relevant to your target market; you recognise (and believe) the value and benefits you offer your clients; and that you create powerful branding and marketing messages.

After all, you ARE worth it! Isn’t it time your fees reflect this?

What do you think? Was this article helpful?

Share your comment – it’s always great to hear from you! And, if you think these tips were helpful, please Like, Tweet and Share with your network. As always, I’d really appreciate it.

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie

Annemarie Cross

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Audio Biz Tip: Standing in your power with money

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:27:03 +0000

Hi, everyone!

This is Annemarie Cross, Branding, Money Breakthroughs and Business Coach, helping solopreneurs get noticed, hired and paid what they’re worth.

Today, I spent an hour with my great group of ladies who are working through my Money Breakthroughs course. It was amazing to see them finally being able to break through money issues that had been keeping them stuck and unable to reach their income goals.

Are you struggling to reach your income goals? Yes? Well today’s tip is relevant for you and comes directly from the Money Breakthroughs program.

As an entrepreneur running a business it is important that you continue to stand in your power with money. When you don’t – it will impact your self-worth and definitely your net-worth too (i.e. money in your bank).

Unfortunately though, if we’re truly honest with ourselves, there are many ways where we don’t stand in our power with money in our business.

I call these ‘Money Leaks’ and in fact have come up with 32 different ways in my Money Leaks Report

Here are three:

Not charging what you’re worth
Not valuing the skills and the talents that you bring to your clients and not charging accordingly
Discounting your services as the only way to make a sale

…and the list goes on

Not standing in your power with money can also relate to things that you tolerate in your business. Do any of these look familiar:

Making excuses for contractors/suppliers who aren’t delivering what they promised
Re-doing things your staff worked on because it had errors
Working with demanding clients that take up way too much of your time, are draining your energy and are not contributing their part of the coaching relationships

What ways do you recognise that you’re not standing in your power with money?

My coach’s request for you today is to make a commitment to yourself that you’re going to deal with whatever toleration or whatever situation is showing up in your business that is not having you stand in your power with money.

Think about what do you need to do to put a stop to this:

Do you need to increase your fees?
Do you need to fire your supplier and find one who is going to live up to the standard they promised?
Do you need to talk to your demanding client and pull them up on what they’re doing/not doing?
Tired of hitting your head against that income ceiling and ready to breakthrough it once and for all by enrolling in our next Money Breakthroughs Program?

Whatever the action step(s) you’ve identified – schedule it and follow it through, so that you can once and for all plug up those Money Leaks and stand in your power with money.

Was this helpful? How so? Please leave a comment below – it’s always great to hear from you.

And, please Like it and Share it with your community by clicking the buttons below. I’d really appreciate it!

Until next time, stay inspired

Annemarie Cross

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Audio Biz Tip: Birds of a feather

Annemarie Cross — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:43:34 +0000

Hi, everyone!

This is Annemarie Cross, Branding, Money Breakthroughs and Business Coach, helping solopreneurs just like you in getting noticed, hired and paid for what you’re worth.

Today’s audio tip is about the people you hang around with and how they can influence the results (or lack of results) you generate in your business.

One of the recent tweets I shared with my community was: “Birds of a Feather Flock Together. Are the crowds you’re flocking with online inspiring you or not? Is it time to change crowds?”

While building a strong support network is important for all small business owners, it’s extremely important for solopreneurs who spend a large portion of their day working alone.

However, it’s also very important to be selective in your choice of people you spend time with, because whether you realise it or not – they will/can impact your mindset and results you see in your business.

Who are you hanging out with in your online communities (i.e. Facebook and Twitter)? Are the conversations, posts, pictures and comments they share empowering – or disempowering?

If you surround yourself and get involved in conversations with naysayers – (people who always speak about things going wrong, complaining about what’s happening in their lives and in their day, and telling you why this or that is not going to work, etc) – this is going to impact what you focus your attention and energy on.

However, if you surround yourself with inspiring people – people who encourage you to look for ways to overcome issues in your business, and opportunities to grow, learn and develop, you’ll achieve your outcomes and goals much faster.

And, you’re more likely going to enjoy the journey because your attention and energy is not being dragged down each time you read a negative and disempowering comment.

My coach’s request today is that you have a look at the people you’re spending time with.

Are some of them naysayers and extremely critical and negative in their thinking and approach? If so, it’s best to stay away and not get involved in any of their conversations.

Rather, surround yourself with positive, empowering people to help keep you focused and on track.

Here’s to your success; I hope you found this tip helpful. If you did, please like it, share it with people you care about. And, please leave a comment – it’s always good to hear from my readers.

Until next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Audio Biz Tip: Leverage your Time

Annemarie Cross — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:11:10 +0000

Hi! This is Annemarie Cross, Branding, Money Breakthroughs and Business Coach helping solopreneurs get noticed, hired and paid what they’re worth.

Today’s biz nugget is all about “Leveraging your Time”.

Each and every one of us has a certain amount of hours that we can work everyday. [I certainly hope you’re not burning the candle at both ends, like many of my clients before they go through this process.]

The process I’m talking about is to help you get clear on what activities and tasks you should be focusing on to get you closest to the money.

While there may be other business activities which are important, like administration, bookkeeping, answering the phone etc– these should really be outsourced therefore allowing you to focus on revenue-generating tasks.

These revenue-generating things include: marketing, engaging with prospects, speaking at events, writing articles, developing and launching packages/programs, product development, creating videos or audio message – whatever it is to help you get your brand message in front of your prospect so that you can be top of mind with your ideal client.

So what activity were you working on prior to listening to this audio/reading this post?

Were you taking action on a task that is going to get you out in front of your ideal client? Or were you spending time procrastinating or avoiding these important activities? Or were you working on tasks you should be outsourcing?

What about if you were to look at what you were doing yesterday? Or what you had planned for later today or even tomorrow? Are all of these activities ‘revenue-generating’? Or can/should some of these be outsourced to a support team?

Remember, you’re not going to build a high five figure, six (or even seven figure) business if you’re doing your filing, bookkeeping and data-entry.

Hire yourself a support team today!

If you like this post, share it, like it, and send it to someone you care about.

Until next time, have a fantastic day and remember – stay inspired!

Annemarie Cross

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Audio Biz Tip: Powerful Introductions

Annemarie Cross — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:16:19 +0000

Hi! This is Annemarie Cross, Branding, Money Breakthroughs and Business Coach helping solopreneurs get noticed, hired and paid what they’re worth.

Today’s biz nugget is all about how you introduce yourself in a powerful and memorable way.

The words you use when you first meet someone, are very important.

What you may not realise is that you only have 15 to 30 seconds at most, to really capture their interest.

So, rather than stating your job title (which is what most people do) you want to talk about the value and benefits you offer your clients.

For instance: Do you help business owners increase their brands, increase their prospects, and increase their income?

Yes? Then include those benefits in your introduction:

“I support small business owners working in the professional industry build a strong powerful brand so they can stand out from their competitors, get hired and paid well for the amazing work they do”.

Now it’s your turn.

Who do you work with? [Your target market]
What do you do? [Brief overview of your services]
What results and benefits will your client achieve? [The results]

Now use the above elements in your introduction. When you do, you’ll be sure to make a powerful and memorable impression.

Here’s the template to guide you:

“I support [1. target market] [by/in] [2. Brief overview of your services] so they can [3. Results/benefits].”

Pretty cool – yes?! And the best of all is that it’s simple, easy to remember AND stated in a way that will seize the person’s attention and invitation to speak more about what you do.

Bingo – you’ve just gotten their attention.

Did you find this helpful? Please Like, Tweet and share – I really appreciate it.

Until next time, stay inspired

Annemarie Cross

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Are you engaging (or disengaging and enraging) your network?

Annemarie Cross — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:08:48 +0000

Many business owners can see the value of using social media and other online tools to share helpful and relevant information with their network in order to build their brand and reputation as an expert.

Unlike traditional ‘interruption’ marketing (where businesses continue to push and bombard the marketplace with sales/promotional information) social media marketing (often referred to as ‘relationship’ marketing) is more about building and nurturing relationships with your network. Some of which could very well be your ideal client.

Today’s consumer is far savvier, is much harder to impress, is extremely time poor and therefore less likely to react to a constant barrage of sales messages.

Therefore engagement and interaction is critical and something that you should be doing in order to continue building relationships with people who could eventually become your perfect client.

Here are ten ways to elicit engagement as you continue to nurture and strengthen the relationships with people in your network:

1. Be focused

Be clear and focused on your audience. Who is it that you want to become part of your community? What are their interests? What do they struggle with? How can you deliver value and capture their interest and attention?

When you take time to answer this you’ll find they are far more likely to be interested in the information and resources you share. And, therefore be willing to engage in conversation with you.

2. Be communicative

Avoid the conversation that only goes one way, where you don’t answer questions or respond to comments that people have made. Especially if they have commented on your blog, Facebook wall or Twitter feed.

Take the time to respond to them personally. Not doing so would be considered rude!

It’s also important to realise that communication is not all about talking but also about listening. So make sure you also ‘listen’ to what people are saying.

3. Be resourceful

Become a resource – a go-to person by continuing to add interesting and informative posts, articles, videos etc that will be of interest to your community.

By continuing to add value you’ll soon develop a reputation as a resourceful person, whose information is trustworthy and relevant.

Don’t be the person who constantly sends out promotional material about your products and services – people will just not be interested.

By taking the time to build a level of trust with your community, and by concentrating on relationship building and resource sharing they will be far more open to receiving information about your products and services.

In fact, they may well have approached you already for more details as you’ve developed a certain level of respect in that area.

4. Be compelling

As you continue to write tweets, articles and produce videos, end your segment with a call to action to elicit comments and participation.

I often ask people what they thought about my article, what they found most helpful, whether they are doing something else that works for them as a way to spark participation in the conversation.

Another call to action may include asking whether they’d feel comfortable sharing your article with their community if they believe the content was worth sharing, thus enabling you to get your information out into the wider community.

5. Be polite

Hopefully this step doesn’t need much explanation. Remember what your parents told you – play nice; be nice.

Some people choose to take a more controversial position in their approach. However being overly controversial, direct and rude to people will not inspire people to engage/hang out with you.

People may have different opinions than you – and this doesn’t mean they are wrong. So be respectful of their models of the world.

6. Be constant

Ensure you post and interact with people regularly. Posting once a month or even once a fortnight is not enough. Aim for at least one quality blog post/article per week and regular interaction on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.

Your followers will be more likely to comment and participate if they know you’ll respond sooner – rather than if your responses are infrequent and delayed.

7. Be trustworthy

Would you keep company with someone who came across as shady and untrustworthy? No? Neither would the people in your network.

Everything you do and say, the conversations you participate in, the groups you join, the photos you share – everything, impacts your brand and reputation.

People like to hang out with people they know, like and trust. So make sure that you are honest in all your communications, interactions and business dealings. If you do the opposite – you’ll find yourself unfollowed, unfriended and possibly banned.

Was this helpful? Are you already doing these things? Yes? Fantastic – then you should be well on your way to building an ‘engaged’ network.

I reached out to my Facebook Community and asked them to share their thoughts on building an engaged community. Here are some of their suggestions – also very important:

Karina Alvela Ask your fans what they’d like you to talk about and do it. Provide fans with free tips and advice, so you look like an expert in your field. Poll your fans for new product suggestions and use that information to manage your service offerings.

Bob Milam Stay in your sweet spot. Don’t pretend to know something if it’s outside your expertise. Also, scrupulously credit your sources – avoiding plagiarism like the plague.

Astra Spider When writing articles or blog posts, share from your heart, share what feels good in your heart, and share from your own experience. Generosity and authenticity count! @abundantheart

James Doan’s Corner Office Exceed expectations. Always under promise and over deliver. Don’t promise what you might not be able to do. The temptation is to promise too much. Be realistic – then deliver just a little more.

Laura Farmer Honesty and integrity always comes through … Always level UP! It’s this standard that engages people every time!

Dr Shellie Hipsky Ask probing questions, deliver intriguing content, encourage others to provide their own expertise, and always remember to thank those who contribute.

Allyn Horne Do not use the community as your billboard. Enagage in MULTI-DIRECTIONAL dialogue rather than “spray and pray” messaging that may or may not engage your audience, and does not foster conversation.

Ali Meehan Be inclusive, add value to what your community are saying, people buy people so engage, engage, engage!

Kristi Jackson Mba Don’t join any community just to sell your widgets- people see a sales pitch from a mile away. Instead, join a group ready to give information, connect people with the solutions they need, and they will come looking for you

Erin Morrow Share 80% of useful information & knowledge-expect to get 20%. This will come back to you ten-fold!

@.l.interpretations Be prepared with useful and relative information and services to draw prospects. You’re trying to make $$$, but prospects are trying to hold onto theirs. What good is it if you can’t be considered a helpful and reliable source? Build trust and reputation first, then the $$$ will come.

Sandy Sidhu Show up. Participate. Interact. Provide value. @Sandysidhu

Jorge Furber The challenge in social networks is not to be connected to thousands of people the challenge is to build relationships. For that we must listen, create value, know and understand the needs of our connections and bring our knowledge and experience to the community. Also be consistent and focus on a few topics to generate credibility.

Natalie McIvor building an engaged community starts with you. You must be engaged and authentically connected to your community not just passing through. Networking is not about seeing how many business cards you can collect but rather it is about taking the time to connect with others, share yourself, be engaged when in conversation, follow up promises and is more about the quality of relationships than the quantity.

The Online Close Ask your followers what they struggle with….then ANSWER them with a helpful tip promptly. Ask, respond.

Guy Hobson Provide value and sincerity in helping your community solve problems. Become their ultimate trustworthy resource.

What about you? What do YOU think it takes to build an engaged community? Share your comment below! And, if you think these tips were helpful, please Like, Tweet and Share with your network. As always, I’d really appreciate it.

Till next time, stay inspired!

Annemarie

Annemarie Cross

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