Do Not Read if Easily Offended

WARNING! This may offend, so if you are of a sensitive nature please stop
reading….

… don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Out of the many people on my mailing list(s) quite a few get in touch with me, especially as
I don’t hide behind a ‘no reply’ email address.

Some of the emails just want some simple advice, some want more and seem
to expect me to offer hours of my time for free, some like to send me abuse
because I dared to hit their inbox with an email, and some are desperate and
tell me ‘I’m desperate and will do anything, show me how?’

The thing is, while 100% of my subscribers want to be successful, I
would estimate less than 5% are prepared to do what it takes.

If you agree with any of these statements then I guarantee you will
struggle online.

#1. “I want to become a success online,but I don’t want to invest any money to
become a better entrepreneur.”

#2. “I want to become a success online,but I don’t have any time to learn
something.”

#3. “I want to become a success online,but I don’t have anything of value to
teach people and I’m not willing to learn something of value to teach.”

#4. “I want to become a success online and I will do whatever it takes, unless
it involves actual work.”

#5. “I want to become a success online,but everything out there is a scam.”

If you REALLY want to make 5, 6 or 7 figures as a successful online
marketer, then you have to REALLY give all you can give.

– You need to be prepared to work harder than most people.

– You need to help others as much as possible.

– You need to invest in the right tools and training..

– You need to step up and become the person you need to be to make this happen.

– You need to treat this like a business, not a hobby.

– You need to stop blaming others for your lack of success.

If you want to bitch, whine and complain about how you have no money,
no time and no value to give PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get out of this game
because it’s not for you..

You are not an entrepreneur until you can take responsibilities for your
actions, you need to step up, man up and grow up. You need to look in the
mirror and realise that the ONE big thing stopping you is YOU. You need to
get out of your own way.



If this email offends you, or you want to send me an angry response, or want
to click the unsubscribe button because I said something that hurt, then you
are not an entrepreneur, you are an excuse maker blaming everyone and
everything but yourself for your lack of action, rather than taking full
responsibility for your current circumstances and results.

You can change everything, but you need to want it, you need to be prepared to step up and take action.

If I’ve motivated you with this email then good, as that was my intention. I
know it will offend some and this email will cost me a ton of unsubscribes, but
that’s okay as I probably can’t help people who can’t help themselves.

However, if you are prepared to help yourself, and if you want to learn
better ways to help more people, and get results faster, and you’re prepared
to invest time and money to learn this.

Then get on this webinar and and let John Thornhill show you how to truly
succeed online, step by step.

I promise that you won’t regret it.

Until next time…

This Isn’t For Everyone

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been talking about this
ground-breaking webinar that you are invited to attend.

Yes, you are invited to join John as he reveals what’s working for
him right now to the tune of over 1 MILLION DOLLARS on JVZoo alone, 1.3
Million on ClickBank, and over 5 million in total.

However, I must warn you though that this webinar is not for the
faint-hearted. Slackers, tyre kickers and general shiny object
seekers should not attend as the truth will hurt.

During this webinar, you will learn everything you need to know to
create and launch your very own successful product online.

This is the ultimate 24/7 automated business that every successful
marketer is doing, and if you’re not doing it you really are missing out.

This ‘tell it like it is’ training has been receiving rave reviews,
and you have the chance to access it for free. (Usual cost $297)

Just go here to get started and get ready to receive some of the best
training ever.

I promise. 

Here’s Why Every Newbie Affiliate is Doomed to Fail

Many people get told that affiliate marketing is the best way to get
started online, and it does sound very attractive.

We get told we don’t have to deal with angry customers, we don’t have
to create a product, in fact, all we have to do is send some traffic,then bank the cash.

Sounds great, right?

Wrong!

You see, when you promote something as an affiliate, you only get to
keep a limited portion of the profits, usually 50%.

Plus you don’t build a list, and you can only make money from your
own efforts.

That’s why most would be affiliates give up before they earn their
first cent.

This is why the most successful online marketers, sell their own
products, and then promote products from the lists they build from
selling their own products.

When you sell your own products,you get to keep 100% of the profits
from the sales you make, and you aren’t the only one driving the
traffic, you can have an army of affiliates promote for you.

Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that selling your
own products is more profitable.

“But I wouldn’t know where to start.”

That’s where John Thornhill comes in.

Allow me to explain.

If you want to master one thing that will lead to your success
online it’s PRODUCT CREATION.

John launched his first product back in 2004, and since then he has
launched hundreds of his own products that have generated
millions in sales.

And every single thing he has learned since then is covered in a
brand new webinar he’s running.

On this webinar, you will learn everything you need to know to
create and launch your very own successful product online.



This is the ultimate 24/7 automated business that every successful
marketer is doing, and if you’re not doing it you really are missing
out.

Find out more here.

The Rumors Are True And The Hype is Real

Yes! The rumours are true and the hype is real.

A few days ago, product creation expert John Thornhill announced he was running a webinar to teach all
he knows about creating a successful product and sales funnel, and it seems quite a few of
you can’t believe what he is doing.

So it’s time for him to say YES to those questions you have…

#Yes. You will be taught everything you need to know about creating your very own successful product
and sales funnel. Remember that John has almost 15 years experience in this area.

#Yes. You will receive bonus worksheets, checklists,presentation slides and more,
meaning once the event is over you will have a step by step plan of action.

#Yes. You can take part in a Q&A session to make sure you get all your questions answered.

#Yes. You will receive a full high-quality recording of the workshop to view at your leisure.

#Yes. You will receive all of the support you need after the event.

#Yes. This will cost you absolutely nothing.

As I said, John actually has almost 15 years of product creation experience and has made millions of
dollars in the process. So without him bragging too much, I think that qualifies him to show you how it’s all done 😉

In short, he wants you to succeed from creating and selling your own digital products, just as he does.

So the question is… Do you want to be part of it?

If so then you simply have to get on this Webinar, get all the details here.

[Must Attend Webinar] How to Build Automated Sales Funnels

If you want to master one thing that will lead to your success
online it’s PRODUCT CREATION, and let me tell You there’s no one
better to learn from than John Thornhill

John launched his first product back in 2004, and since then he has
launched hundreds of his own products that have generated
millions in sales.

And every single thing he has learned since then is covered in
his latest training webinar.

On this webinar, you will learn everything you need to know to
create and launch your very own successful product online.

This is the ultimate 24/7 automated business that every successful
marketer is doing, and if you’re not doing it you really are missing
out.

Find out more here.

For GOD's Sake, Just Try Something New!

I really admire successful people. And over the years, I've studied many of them, read their biographies and books and tried to emulate their strategies.

These books have helped me, but it wasn't their strategies that gave me the most valuable insights.

I discovered the one thing all successful people have in common, a trait that all of them have practiced without exception:

They try new things. Risky things. Innovative things.

Their progress and success is based on breaking the mold, and doing the things very few people are willing to do.

And I'm stating it so simply because it is that simple and that difficult.

Sure, we all try things in our business:

We read articles and books

We put together a website

We try new software and online tools

We participate in social media

We ask for referrals from existing clients

We get out there and network

But with most of these, we're just going through the motions. We're doing what everyone else does to just survive in business.

Most of these activities are safe and don't challenge us, let alone lead to breakthroughs in performance and results.

This article is an attempt to help you understand what it takes to successfully try new things.

Why do we settle for doing the safe things that everyone else is doing? Why do we hold back and play small more often than not?

It's very simple, really.

Trying new things is scary!

If it wasn't, we'd all be outrageously successful at everything we attempted to accomplish.

And clearly, we're not.

Instead of trying new things we delay and procrastinate. We get stuck in perfectionism. We judge and second-guess ourselves. We are paralyzed by analysis. Or we hope things will change.

The first thing we tend to do is make a whole lot of excuses. We convince ourselves that we're not ready yet.

We don't try new things because we believe...

we don't have good enough ideas

we're not smart enough

we don't have enough information

we are lazy

we're not committed

we don't know the right people

we don't have enough time

we are disorganized

we don't have the right resources

we don't have the experience

we are not creative

we are inherently weak

we don't know where to start

we have bad habits

we can't get a break

All of these are just delay tactics. And none of them is legitimate.

The one and only reason we don't try new things is:

FEAR.

Many people, much wiser than me, have a few words to say on the subject:

"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration." - Frank Herbert
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." - Paul Coelho

"When we are afraid, we pull back from life." - John Lennon.

"Fear cuts deeper than swords." - George R.R. Martin.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." - Plato

"Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire." - Dan Brown

"I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. - Yann Martel

"Fear kills everything, your mind, your heart, your imagination." - Corenlius Funke

"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end." - Krishnamurti

Yes, the only thing that stops us from trying new things, from success, from living our dreams, is fear.

Therefore the only way to succeed is to face our fears and try something new anyway.

And this is a lifelong process, an everyday process.

Thankfully, many wise people have even more to say about going beyond your fears.

"Fear is inevitable, I have to accept that, but I cannot allow it to paralyze me." - Isabel Allende

"I believe that every single event in life happens as an opportunity to choose love over fear."- Oprah Winfrey

"We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen." - Leigh Bardugo

"Find out what you're afraid of and go live there." - Chuck Palahniuk

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." - Rosa Parks

"There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it." - George R.R. Martin

"It's better to die laughing than to live each moment in fear - Michael Crichton

"Don't fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail." - Bruce Lee

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." - Marie Curie

"He who has overcome his fears will truly be free." - Aristotle

"Courage is feeling fear, not getting rid of fear, and taking action in the face of fear. - Roy T. Bennett

Face your fears. Find your inner courage. Take action.

This is really the only strategy we need to remember and come back to over and over again, no matter what we want in life.

Don't be distracted by a million strategies that everyone tells you are the answer to success:

- Develop a perfect 10-step morning routine

- Read one book every week

- Exercise 30 minutes every day

- Write down your goals and look at them daily

- Meditate before you take on a big challenge

- Write a step-by-step action plan before you start

- Make sure your goals are aligned with your purpose

- Keep lists of every task and project important to you

- Write down all the things you're grateful for

- Pursue excellence in everything you do

Forget about all that stuff. It only clutters your mind.

There's nothing wrong with any of these, except that we think they hold the key to our success.

Instead, they just distract us from taking action now on that new idea or project that's important to us.

We don't need to be perfect or make things perfect and organized before we take action.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, trumps trying something new that we fear. And then simply doing our best.

Everything in our lives neatly falls into place when we make that our primary success habit.

All the ideas, strategies, tips, people, and resources that we need will come to us naturally and easily when we face our fears and take action.

If you don't believe me, believe these people:

"Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Everything you want waits on the other side of fear."

- Lisa Wingate

"On the other side of fear is your breakthrough." - Jeanette Coron

"Feel the fear and do it anyway." - Susan Jeffers

Cheers, Robert

P.S. You'll find some wonderful quotes (more than 6,000 of them) about overcoming your fears on Goodreads.

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10116798

What's the Hardest Part of Marketing Yourself?

In my Fast Track Marketing System I divide marketing into seven very specific modules:

1. The Game of Marketing

2. The Mindset of Marketing

3. Marketing Messages (Your Value Proposition)

4. Marketing and Selling Conversations

5. Written Marketing Materials

6. Marketing Strategies

7. Marketing Action Plans

All of these have their particular challenges. But in my experience in working with thousands of Independent Professionals, it's #7 that seems to be the hardest for most people.

After all, most of the other 6 modules are all about preparation to market yourself.

You learn the basics of the game of marketing, you work on your marketing mindset, you develop marketing messages, conversations, and written marketing materials, and ultimately choose the marketing strategies to get the word out.

And then the rubber hits the road. You have to actually get out there and connect with potential clients through networking, speaking, an eZine, social media, emails, etc.

For most, the bottom falls out of their marketing at this point. It simply goes nowhere, or more specifically it goes into the infamous "Random Zone" where things are done haphazardly and inconsistently.

If people have worked to develop the whole foundation of their marketing first, know who their target market is, have put together a web site and have practiced their marketing and selling conversations, they are going to have more success.

But even the well-prepared struggle with implementation.

Why is putting action plans into action so hard? Here are three of the most common ones. Are they familiar to you?

1. As soon as you start reaching out, you face possible rejection. What if your message, your talk, your emails fall on deaf ears? What if your potential clients could care less? What if they outright rejected your promotional efforts?

We conjure painful mental images in our mind that stop us cold.

For this one we need to work again on our mindset, on our thinking, realizing that if we reach out and people aren't interested, that it's not personal. They don't hate us; either they are simply not good prospects right now or our message doesn't have the impact it could.

So reach out to new prospects and keep improving your messages.

2. It takes way more time and effort than you ever thought it would. We think of marketing as a few promotional things we do here and there. This should be easy, we think. But it's not.

Time to do a reality check. Any marketing activity takes time, effort and commitment to make it work. Marketing is a bit of an art and nothing works perfectly on the first draft.

You need to make detailed and realistic plans based on strategies that others have used successfully in the past. If you just make it up as you go along, your chances of success are very slim.

3. It's never good enough and although you might even know what you're doing, you put off your marketing launches until everything is perfect... but it never is.

What underlies this are beliefs about perfection, not being good enough and being judged by others. It's not so much rejection you fear, but disapproval. What will others think of you?

Well, if your marketing campaign isn't relevant to those you are targeting, it's not a big deal. They'll just ignore it. They won't think much about it at all. But for the ones that are looking for what you offer, they'll not only be interested, they'll respond.

Your prospects are not looking for perfection from you; they're looking for assistance and value. If you've got that, perfection is virtually irrelevant.

I've done a whole lot of marketing action plans that were rejected by most people, took me a long time to implement, and were far from perfect. And most of them have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Marketing success is about know-how, value, commitment, and persistence. Everything else is just a distraction.

The Fearless Marketer Bottom Line: There could be a lot of other things stopping you from following through with your marketing plan as well. The question is, where are you going to focus - on your fears and worries about rejection, time, and perfection - or are you going to focus on the value and difference you make and give your marketing plans a real chance?

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10123107

Fighting Truthiness and Hype in Marketing

In 2005, Stephen Colbert, in his TV show, the Colbert Report, coined the word, "truthiness."

Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the intuition or perceptions of some individual or individuals, without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

Truthiness can range from ignorant assertions of falsehoods to deliberate duplicity or propaganda intended to sway opinions. - Wikipedia

We know that truthiness is rampant in politics.

But it's also rampant in marketing.

Many of us think that marketing is mostly truthiness, not real truth in any way, shape or form.

We expect hype and exaggeration, if not downright deception, when it comes to promoting products and services.

Because of this, many of us become almost immune to the majority of marketing messages.

We assume that whatever someone says about their business, product, or service must be a form of truthiness, a veiled lie that hides the real facts.

So, as an independent professional wanting to attract more clients, you are faced with a real dilemma.

You are puzzled about how you can persuasively communicate the value of your professional services given that most prospective clients will doubt almost everything you say.

Because of this, I've noticed that many independent professionals shy away from marketing completely.

While others chose to go to the truthiness dark side, hoping an excess of hype will carry the day.

A recent email promotion I received contained a number of over-the-top marketing promises about an online marketing program:

"You will witness a revolutionary new technology being released that will allow you as a small business owner (regardless of skill level or experience level) to... generate as many new clients as you can possibly handle."

Would you believe that? No, it's truthiness and hype incarnate!

And anyone who does believe it is likely a naïve, gullible person looking for miracles with little work on their part.

So how can you eschew truthiness and still market your professional services effectively?

That, as they say, is the million-dollar question!

Well, the opposite of truthiness is honesty.

And yes, it is possible to communicate the value of your services truthfully, honestly, and with integrity.

But to do that you need to watch out for certain things that can become a slippery slope in your marketing.

Truthiness Insight #1

You must realize that what you feel about something is not the same as facts about something.

"I feel that my consulting services dramatically increase my clients' productivity."

OK, that's nice, but by what objective measure are you determining the actual effectiveness of your professional services?

How about doing some measuring instead, such as before and after metrics?

When you have actual proof of what happens before and after, your credibility increases, as does your own confidence in your services.

The best marketing outlines real benefits and advantages based on facts, not hope.

Truthiness Insight #2

It's not unusual to see client testimonials about how great it was to work with someone.

That's nice and it's certainly positive, but it's not as powerful as reports of real changes.

"I lost 20 pounds in four months working with Ralph on both my diet and exercise program. He really supported me during the challenging times and helped me develop positive new habits that have stuck with me for the past year."

This certainly trumps something like: "Ralph is a wonderful health coach who I trust with my life. You should definitely consider working with him."

We often hear about the importance of getting testimonials. However, better to focus on getting solid results for your clients and then getting the testimonials will be easy.

Truthiness Insight #3

When you always speak in superlatives about your services, you again undermine your credibility.

Remember, people are skeptical and understandably so. So many promises made by marketers end in disappointment.

Better to actually talk about some of the drawbacks of your services than paint a completely unrealistic picture of "success without effort."

I make it a point of telling all my prospective clients that if they engage me it will take a lot of work on their part to get out there and attract new clients.

They appreciate that I'm realistic and don't sugarcoat things.

But believe me, in the past I've been less than realistic and it hasn't turned out well for me!

We need to turn off the hype and get real. When we do, we tend to build more trust and confidence with our clients.

Truthiness Insight #4

We live in a sound-bite world.

Sound bites are important, as they are effective at getting attention and interest for our services.

But is there depth beyond the sound-bite? If not, you're going to come across as shallow and insubstantial.

I once attended a public speaking course that stated: "You should know 30 times more than what you say in your presentation."

That's what real professionalism is about: deep knowledge, understanding, and experience in your field.

As they say, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit."

This is the motto of the truthiness practitioner and ultimately won't bode well for your long-term success.

Truthiness Insight #5

One of the hallmarks of truthiness and hype is ever-changing marketing messages.

You think, "Heck, if one message isn't working, I'll try another until something sticks." But you pay little attention to the validity and authenticity of the message.

A message that is clever, catchy, or over-the-top may get attention, but undermine your professional image.

Your message needs to be interesting and believable.

It should make people think, not insult their intelligence.

Take some serious time to work on your marketing messages. Run them past your current clients and get their reaction.

Others will notice truthiness and hype before you do.

But you'll know you're on track if they say, "yes, that really hits the nail on the head; that's the reason I decided to work with you."

Start banishing truthiness and hype from your marketing.

Not only will you build trust with your clients, you'll start to attract more of the right clients, clients who are looking for a professional who walks their talk.

Cheers, Robert

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10121577

Why Nobody Is Reading Your Marketing Content

Almost every week I'm telling a client that there's a big problem with their marketing content.

It's not the subject matter, their writing style, their grammar, or even typos.

The problem is that their content is simply hard to read because of the way it's formatted.

Def: Format: "the way in which something is arranged or set out."

I've seen web pages with wonderful content that is simply unreadable because of poor formatting.

You've taken all that time to write a blog post or service description and nobody is reading it.

You, the writer, probably don't even notice, because you're too close to it; you have no objectivity.

The good news is that fixing readability is easy-peasy.

And once you understand the mistakes you're making, you'll never make them again.

Here are seven formatting mistakes that make it hard for readers to read your content.

I'm going to concentrate on the formatting of content on web pages and blogs as these are where we read most online marketing content.

1. Text that is too small.

This is the number one text formatting error. If someone has to squint to read your text, you're in trouble.

And did you know that more than 50% of people now browse the web on mobile devices? This makes small text even harder to read.

These days, with web pages moving to WordPress, page widths are wider than ever, so small text gets lost in the vast expanse of your screen.

How big should your text be? My recommendation is no smaller than 16px, however 20px is becoming more common. Bigger IS better.

2. Text that is too light.

I blame designers for this. Lighter text looks cool. I don't know why, but it just does.

And even worse is text that's both small and light!

But after you've made that cool impression on your website, can anyone read your text?

No, they can't!

Your poor readers! They can't read what you've written.

How dark should your text be? I recommend no lighter than 85% black. This will make your text a tad lighter, and less stark (hence, more cool) than 100% black.

3. Text that is too wide on the page

Now that you have a big, wide page to write on, why not format your text from edge-to-edge!

Please don't.

Adding wide text blocks to already small, light text and you have a major reading catastrophe.

Instead, you want some white space to narrow the text blocks on the page.

On a site such as Medium.com (which gets millions of readers) the font size is 21px and the margins of each side of the text take up about 50% of the screen real estate.

Another way to narrow your text block is to have a narrower left or right margin and then on the opposite side have a wider margin with graphic content or side-menus.

You'll see this on my blog pages.

I recommend that your main text block take no more than 60% of your screen's width.

4. Paragraphs that are too long

Long paragraphs are just as problematic as small, light or wide text. Huge paragraphs are simply hard to read online.

A web page is not read like a book. And the same paragraph rules don't apply.

It's OK to have short paragraphs.

Even one-sentence paragraphs.

Get it?

I recommend that paragraphs be no deeper than five lines. If you put just one key idea into each paragraph, readership will soar.

5. Poor font choice

This one is trickier as there are a zillion fonts available these days.

I generally suggest a very readable serif font such a "Georgia" or a sans-serif font such as "Open Sans."

But be careful about mixing fonts. You don't want your website to look like a ransom note.

It's common to use a bold serif or sans-serif font for headings, and then the opposite for body content.

This is where a designer can come in handy and help give a unified, professional look to your web pages.

6. Failure to use bolding

This is my secret weapon to increase readability. You don't see this enough online.

If your text is all black/gray text with no variation, there is no focal point to draw the eye.

Here's what happens:

A reader comes to your page and sees nothing but monochromatic text. Nothing attracts the eye.

The subconscious mind says, "Where's the good stuff? Do I have to wade through all of that text to find it? Shoot, that's too hard, let me go someplace else!"

But if you bold first sentences (sometimes initial clauses), the eye is attracted and there's an immediate payoff.

The reader is focused and understands what you're content is about in an instant and is encouraged to keep reading.

If you have lots of bolding throughout your text, then the reader can quickly scan for meaning. And even if they don't read your whole page, they'll get the general gist.

One mistake to avoid with bolding: You should almost never bold words or sentences in the middle of a paragraph. That just makes it harder to read.

If you want to add emphasis in the middle of a paragraph, use italics instead.

7. Not using sub-heads

Another great way to increase readability is to break up pages with sub-heads.

This is simply text in a larger font, often colored and/or bold text, as I've done in this article.

Subheads serve to organize the most important sections of your content.

Again, all of this increases readability which is what you want when a visitor comes to your website, right?

Cheers, Robert

P.S. To check the type of font and font size on any web page you can get a free Google Extension called WhatFont.

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10119933

Money - And How to Make More of It

I don't know many independent professionals who wouldn't like to make more money.

It seems so simple. Ultimately there are only four ways to make more money in your business:

1. Get more new clients or customers

2. Raise your rates or fees

3. Sell more services to each client

4. Get more repeat business from existing clients.

Yes, but how do you actually accomplish those three things?

For the next several weeks, I'm going to write a series of articles on how to make more money in your business.

And I'm going to do my best to give you practical, actionable ideas that work. I know they work because I've3 used them and so have many of my clients over the years.

But before I start, there's an important things to understand about money.

Money. Is. An. Emotional. Issue.

Money isn't dollar bills in our pocket or numbers in our bank account.

No, in our minds, money is about our self worth, about how we compare ourselves to others, about how we feel about ourselves, about our success, and ultimately about our survival.

I have a favorite story about money that makes this very clear.

A few years ago, I worked with a husband and wife team who were executive coaches.

Because of our work together, they started to attract more clients on a consistent basis.

However, like many independent professionals, they were undercharging for their professional services.

But when I suggested they raise their fees, they became very uncomfortable.

And when I dug in, I discovered why.

It turns out that both had been raised in relatively poor families and they continually got the message that "rich people are dishonest."

Because they believed that to be true, of course they didn't want to raise their fees. That would make them, in their minds, dishonest.

And, if they felt they were dishonest, that would be a moral failure. That wouldn't feel good. It actually felt better to make less money!

After we explored this belief in depth, they realized that it was both emotional and illogical. It clearly wasn't true that all rich people were dishonest.

Their belief started to transform to: "We offer an honest service that makes a difference to our clients and it's OK to charge what that service is really worth."

This new belief felt a lot better than the old one.

And realizing this, they finally clearly saw that the fees they then charged were virtually nothing compared to the value their clients received.

And before too long they had doubled their fees with almost no pushback from their clients.

And no angst on their part.

So, the very first thing to examine if you are not making the money you want, are your beliefs about money.

Sounds simple, but it's trickier than it seems.

Why? Because we believe what we believe to protect us from any kind of harm - even if this harm is imaginary.

My clients believed they'd become dishonest if they raised their fees. So, in their minds, not raising their fees prevented that from happening.

What shifted this belief was clearly seeing that it was essentially nonsense. They could raise their fees and still be honest people.

With this powerful insight, their belief was forever changed.

And now, as a business owner, I challenge you to question your beliefs about money. First, identify the ones that are holding you back.

Here are a few very popular ones:

Money is scarce

My clients can't pay higher fees

People will think I'm greedy

More money will lead to problems

It feels wrong to make money doing what I love

Money will corrupt me

Being wealthy will make me arrogant

I don't deserve a lot of money

Money leads to bad things

More money just means more taxes

Wanting more money is selfish and shallow

List yours here: ______________________

I don't know which of these beliefs is running you, but if you aren't making the money you want it's almost certain that one or more of these beliefs is holding you back.

What are the fears behind the beliefs?

Honestly ask if those beliefs are true and if they are serving you or limiting you.

Then ask how things might change without those beliefs.

You just might find that it's not so hard to raise your fees after all.

So, the first thing you must do to earn more money is to question your beliefs about money. Unless you do that, you're unlikely to take the practical steps that will help you earn more money.

Do this honest questioning about your money beliefs and you'll be ready to learn a number of step-by-step approaches to earning more money that I'll cover in the following weeks.

Cheers, Robert

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10123698

Nine Ways to Make Your Business Visible

My Fourth Law of Attracting Clients states that you must be visible.

Imagine that you woke up one morning and discovered you were completely invisible. And nobody could hear you either. If you sent an email, nobody would even see it.

Not such a great circumstance if you wanted to attract clients to your business!

But as absurd as this situation might seem, it's pretty close to reality for many independent professionals. They are rarely seen or noticed by their prospective clients.

If your business is not growing and you need to attract more clients, the very first thing you need to do is gain more visibility.

In my business, my efforts to become visible followed this progression: networking - speaking - keep-in-touch marketing - publishing.

I joined my local Chamber of Commerce, professional groups, and networking clubs and I started to meet a lot of new people, many prospective clients.

Then I contacted organizations and started to give talks on marketing for professionals. I met even more people and added them to my mailing list.

I then mailed a newsletter every other month to those on this list, and I sent postcard mailings inviting people to various introductory marketing events.

In 1997, I transitioned to an email list that reached 50,000 people at its peak. These people received this eZine once a week and I also promoted various

products and services to those on the list. Twenty years later the eZine still goes out weekly.

Finally, I published my InfoGuru Marketing Manual that developed more credibility and led to more clients and participants in my marketing groups.

I may be a lot of things, but one is not being invisible!

The hard truth you have to face is that very few people wake up in the morning with your name on their lips. You cannot remain relatively invisible and expect your business to grow magically.

You need to remedy this with a "Visibility Plan." Here are nine ways to do it:

1. Start slow, with patience. You can't get in front of 50,000 people overnight. Get clear on who your ideal clients are and where you can connect with them.

2. Focus on as many in-person meetings as possible through professional organizations. Really get to know people and their needs.

3. Reach out to make connections with those you've met who could be possible clients or refer you to clients. Real connections are more powerful than virtual connections.

4. With permission, add people to your e-list and send some valuable information at least monthly. This kind of keep-in-touch marketing is essential to stay visible.

5. Set up your website to get opt-ins in return for a report or article. Make it a practice to give away lots of value and demonstrate your expertise.

6. Establish a presence on social media such as Facebook and Linked In. But don't make this your primary visibility method, as it can be hard to stand out in this crowded arena.

7. Submit articles to online publications that your ideal clients visit and read. This is a great way to build credibility to a very targeted audience.

8. Seek out opportunities to give presentations - everything from speaking at professional groups to giving a TED talk. Nothing is more powerful than highlighting your expertise on stage.

9. Publish a book or e-book that establishes your expertise. A book is a powerful door-opener that provides a platform for the services and programs you offer.

I've done all of these things to one degree or another and I've also helped my clients do them as well, with great success.

These are all opportunities to communicate the value of your business and build credibility and trust over the long haul.

Remember, nobody is going to do business with someone who is invisible!

Cheers, Robert

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link: http://actionplan.club/free-stuff.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Middleton/374949
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10128675

4 Reasons Why Digital Marketing Is Important for Small Businesses

83% of SMBs (small businesses) believe digital marketing (DM) is crucial for their businesses. Can you beat that? A simple "No". The modern world is increasingly driven by digital media. We are constantly hooked to the Internet for something or the other. Such a digitally-influenced space makes a digital presence more than compulsory for every business to reach the customers. Boosting sales figures is the prime goal for SMEs taking to DM today. Added to it, SMEs are also counting on online marketing for enhancing brand awareness, lead conversion, and improvement of website traffic.

The post below shares 4 significant benefits of digital marketing for small businesses.

Customers are online

80% of potential consumers take to online media for information. When we come across a new business or company, the immediate reflex is to search for digital marketing in the web world. Gone are the days when we used to visit a store physically or call it up to know about it. Thus, it's extremely crucial for a small business to have a strong presence online and digital marketing is the tool for it. Put simply, if your potential customer can't find you online, she will immediately go to your competitor.

To connect to the modern "smart" world

Mobile phones are no longer used for mere calling or texting. In fact, smartphones are one of the most important tools to browse the web world today. 91% American adults are in constant touch with their smartphones. When it comes to searching for a product or service, they will naturally prefer to make queries from their smartphone only. If your business is not present online, just imagine the huge chunk of potential leads you are going to lose!

More economical

Capital crisis is a major problem for most of the small businesses. And this is where digital marketing comes as a savior. Online marketing is any day cheaper compared to traditional marketing. In fact, some of the channels are even free of cost. For example, it costs you nothing to make your business page on social media and stay connected to your customers online.

Digital marketing also helps you to save money. There are many online marketing tools that are available for free like free website builder, free email marketing management tools and so on.

Better ROI

On one hand, DM helps you to reach your customers while keeping the costs low. On another hand, it helps you to save money for your business. The end result is better ROI for your business over time.

When are you going digital? If you need to learn digital marketing, probably can start with digital marketing course first.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Calvyn_Lee/704543
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10036043