Developing Your Own Personal Action Plan

Adam Urbanski, known as The Marketing Mentor, is someone whom I highly respect for his ability to create solid, easy to understand plans that eliminate all of the guess work and leave nothing to chance.

Because I know that you probably don't have the time to sit and create a marketing plan from scratch (and believe me, that's not the most effective use of your time anyway), I recommend you take a look at Adam's Personal Action Plan.

His program gives you not only a sample of his very own Action Plan so you have a place to start, but also a fill-in-the-blanks marketing blueprint and a 2-hour training via audio and transcript on how to personalize it for your business.

Marketing "sprinters" are never going to get the best results. And the only way to become a successful Marketing "marathoner" is to have a plan. Why not borrow one from someone who has already succeeded in multiple businesses and has advised 7-figure entrepreneurs?

To read all about it and receive instant access, click here.

What's Important IS the Most Urgent

There are a few books that nearly every entrepreneur has (or should have) on their bookshelf. These include, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, Good to Great by Jim Collins and, of course, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. (Do you have a business book that you absolutely swear by? I'd love to know what it is.)

In Covey's book, he introduces the concept of urgent tasks vs. important ones and lays them out into four quadrants. This includes activities that are...

I. Both Urgent and Important

II. Important But Not Urgent

III. Urgent But Not Important

IV. Neither Urgent Nor Important

Check out the diagram above to see an example of what typically falls into each quadrant.

In Quadrant II (Important, But Not Urgent), preparation and planning lies at the top of the list along with relationship building and values clarification.

The problem is, while you know you need to do what I call "marathon" activities like long range, strategic planning, come up with an organizational chart and job descriptions for your team, write a batch of articles, blog posts, and press releases, or follow up with and survey your currently happy clients and customers, most business owners put these actions at the very bottom of their list.

And guess what? That means, they never get done.

Sound familiar? I had private sessions with almost 40 entrepreneurs last month and discovered that nearly every single one of them knew what was "important" but couldn't find the time to do it.

What do they do instead? They focus their time and attention on what I call "sprint" activities. These are often fueled by adrenaline, like struggling to meet deadlines or trouble shooting sudden emergencies. (Both, ironically, often caused by poor planning.) Or their sprint tasks are short distance, instant gratification jobs like sending emails, tweeting, filing papers...anything that has a definite finish line.

Yes, life gets in the way. And yes, unexpected situations and opportunities arise that you feel you must take priority. But if writing your business plan, creating your marketing calendar, or investing time in building relationships doesn't happen, your business is never going to move forward. You're going to look around 3 years from now and discover you are in exactly the same spot with the same challenges, cash flow, and excuses.

Why not cut it out now and save yourself some time? Let's commit to taking care of those most important tasks as soon as possible.

Here are 3 tips to help you take care of those "long distance" activities sooner rather than later:

1. Schedule an out of office retreat: Seriously, if you stay in your office or standard work environment, you will get sucked back into those "urgent but not important" tasks like phone calls, emails, and various distractions. Remove yourself from where you sit everyday and you just might get some much needed perspective. Make sure you block out at least a half day on your calendar (a full day or even two is better)...and write it down in ink, not pencil. (Does anyone still use hard copy calendars like me?)

2. Work in front of an audience: Just like when I was on the track team and had both teammates and a coach to supervise, challenge, and observe my performance, having someone there to simply witness what you are doing might be all you need to finally get things done. I also highly recommend hiring your own coach to keep you on track, focused, and accountable. Or join a mastermind group and/or get a fellow entrepreneur to be your buddy.

3. Put it in writing and keep it in front of your face everyday: Many entrepreneurs are highly creative visionaries who often "can't be bothered with the details." If you are someone who generally keeps all the details of your business in your head (which makes it virtually impossible to delegate any part of your business to someone else, by the way), you REALLY need to pin yourself down and put your plan on paper. Again, you might want to hire someone to help you with this as creating systems and detailed plans is probably not one of your strengths. And when you are finished, you must keep it some place visible to ensure you will actually follow your plan on a daily basis.

I am not a big fan of reinventing the wheel. Much of the important planning and systems creation you need to do can be "borrowed" from other successful business owners. If you typically experience "writer's block" when confronted with a blank computer screen, look for examples of what others have already created. The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan is a great resource.

Also, see my recommendation below for another tool that includes examples and templates for your very own essential marketing plan...

Sprints Vs. Marathons

I've spoken to more than a few full-time and wannabe entrepreneurs lately who say that their stress levels have never been higher. And at times, I can definitely lump myself in with that group!

Sometimes that's just part of working and being in business. But there are times when you need an outlet to relieve the tension. One of my clients recently posted a video about how she takes breaks during the day to play with her dog. Me? My favorite thing to do is go for a run, especially at the beach.

When I was in high school, I was a competitive sprinter and jumper. I hated having to run more than a couple of laps around the track because, in my mind, I was strictly a short distance girl. When I questioned my coach about why I needed to run 3 miles if my best distance was only 200 meters, she replied, "Trust me. It's important."

And she was right. Logging in those longer distances was not nearly as fun or glamorous as the sprints, but they laid the foundation for the explosive power and speed I needed to finish strong.

As age caught up with me, I reluctantly transitioned to being a long distance runner. (That's me in the middle of that photo, finishing my one and only marathon in Honolulu a few years ago.) Now those longer distances are what I love the most.

Sprints and marathons are also part of running a business. Sometimes you have to push through short, intense periods, especially when trouble-shooting or putting out fires. Other times, you need to slow down the pace and keep it smooth and steady. In my opinion, it's the marathons in business that truly set you up for success.

"Interview Series Profits"

I had so much fun during the interview I did recently with Tom Buford about his Interview Series Profits program and the feedback from the folks who showed up was amazing.

Tom really outdid himself, sharing lots of tips and "secrets" about why and how to create an expert interview series to help you grow and promote your business.

I personally learned a ton! Here are some of the gems Tom shared:

=> One of the easiest ways to get others to give you referrals to potential guest experts for your series
=> How to set everything up in advance to make it extremely easy for your wish list of guest experts to say "yes"
=> Why you might not want to keep the series intact and how you can leverage each interview into an incredible list builder

Plus a whole lot more. If you missed it, you can still listen and learn from Tom. The special offers he made during the call have expired, but I guarantee you will walk away from this audio with solid action steps you can take immediately.

To listen, click here.

Hate Public Speaking?

"How to Boost Your Credibility, Visibility, and Likeability At the Same Time"

I work with and speak to entrepreneurs all the time and one of the most common questions I hear is, "How can I get more people into my network and, once I am connected to them, how can I get them to become clients and customers for life?"

Let's address one issue at a time...

#1: Getting more people into your community is all about good marketing and networking, whether that is via the internet or in person.

Above all else, you must have a clear message that addresses who you can help and what you can do for them.

If you are going to grow your list of connections via the web, then there are many different strategies you can use such as article marketing, social networking via Twitter, LinkedIn, & Facebook, blogging, pay-per-click advertising, and pod-casting to name just a few. The list is endless.

Some of these strategies, such as article marketing, are very effective but can take a lot longer to payoff. Others, like social networking and blogging can be very time consuming if you don't have the right strategies in place.

If you focus your efforts more on in person networking and you work with small business owners, then hitting the local leads groups and chamber of commerce meetings are good places to start.

#2: Getting people on your list is one thing, but turning them into customers is another.

Shaking hands and collecting business cards can get you a lot of "followers" and "friends" on the internet or names in your database, but it doesn't necessarily mean that these connections will ever translate into money for your business.

In order to do that you must start building the "know, like, and trust factor" that is critical to getting people to invest their time and money with you. With so many competitors and alternatives out there, a potential customer needs to feel that they know who you are, that you are someone they want to spend more time with, and that you are someone who is trustworthy and credible.

Hands down, the fastest way to create that connection is through public speaking, whether that's via an in person speaking gig or via the virtual world of teleseminars or webinars.

The top concerns I hear regarding public speaking are:

1. "I have a fear of public speaking" and/or "I'm afraid I'll screw up and sound like an idiot."

2. "I don't have anything new to teach."

3. "No one will want to listen to me because I don't have a proven track record."

If any (or all) of those statements sound familiar, then a great strategy for you is to enter the public speaking arena not by taking center stage, but by interviewing the experts themselves.

This allows you to position yourself as a leader who is concerned with the same issues as your potential clients which in turn, helps you build rapport with them.

Plus you can then turn the recording of those interviews into either promotional tools or products.

I've had great success getting new clients via hosting free interviews I did with folks who had experience with topics that I don't consider my area of expertise, such as growing your business via Facebook groups, engineering successful product launches and creating quick content.

Not only did I get new clients, I rapidly built my subscriber list and made great connections with successful business owners who I can potentially partner with again in the future.

3 Ways to Save Yourself Time & Money Today

"3 Ways To Save Yourself Time & Money Today"

Do you ever feel like technology has made your life more complicated?

I actually thought that all these great advances in how we communicate via cell phones, social media like Facebook, and texting in addition to the amount of information and tools that can be accessed via the internet would simplify my life.

Unfortunately, this has not turned out to be the case. Instead of saving time, many of these devices actually demand more from us.

Here are 3 of my favorite tactics to save time using technology. And because many of them are free, they are also a great way to save money.

Plus as someone I'm connected with via Twitter, Jennifer Davey, once tweeted, "Time is money for any business, but especially for the small business."

1. Have your voicemail messages transcribed: If you are on the go a lot or just not that fast a typist, you can save a lot of time by speaking your sales copy, articles, or email messages and having someone else transcribe them. Here are 2 services that take your voice mail messages and translate them into print for you:

   1. Google Voice: A new and free service from the clever folks at Google, this service has too many features to mention here. But my favorite is the fact that it transcribes my new voice mail messages and sends them to me both as a text message and as an email. I often leave myself messages when I am out and about (like at the beach) that I can retrieve later. Back at the office, I copy and paste the contents into a website, email, or word document and save myself all that typing. They are currently only allowing new users to sign up by invitation only but you can sign up to get on the waiting list.

   2. Jott.com: This is another great service that I recommended when they were completely free and in beta testing mode. Since then they have listened to their users, made significant upgrades and now charge for different services which includes voicemail transcriptions. You can try it for free for 7 days.

2. Have an "assistant" schedule your meetings: If you have a lot of meetings to schedule, it can be a hassle to manage it all yourself. Plus the margin for messing up a time zone or even getting the days mixed up can be pretty huge. These online services handle everything for you, from allowing clients to select a session time, to having them answer specific questions in advance, sending you both written notification and reminders, and translating time zones.

   1. Timedriver.com: This is the service I currently use and, although it is not without its glitches, it has saved me hours of time. Currently offering 90 days free, $29.95/year

   2. Clickbook.net: This one has more bells and whistles than I personally need but offers their service for free.

   3. GenBook.com: A third option with a service level that is completely free. You can upgrade if you want more features such as text reminders or want to book appointments past 30 days.

3. Ask people what they want: As simple as it sounds, this one can save you hundreds of hours potentially wasted on developing products, services, or marketing campaigns. Conducting periodic surveys truly keeps you in touch with what your clients want the most. And online surveys can quickly compile the information for you so you can keep things organized.

   1. Zoomerang.com: Free service level allows up to 30 questions, 100 responses per survey.

   2. SurveyMonkey.com: Free service level allows up to 10 questions, 100 responses per survey.

   3. FreeOnlineSurveys.com: Free service level allows up to 20 questions, 50 responses per survey.

With all of these options, take the time to check out which one suit your style of learning and personality the best.

Remember, life is short. Don't miss it.

The 5 Lies You Tell Yourself Before Lunch

If you read bestselling business books like First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths, you might buy into the notion that you shouldn't waste a lot of time trying to fix your weaknesses but rather, concentrate on focusing your efforts in areas where you naturally excel.

That's great, but what if the parts of your personality, aptitude, and/or skill set that you consider to be your weaknesses are just great big lies you (or others) tell?

Let me give you an example.

Actor, Reese Witherspoon, who won an Academy Award for singing and acting as country music singer June Carter in the movie Walk The Line wanted to be a singer when she was a girl but had been told in summer camp by an instructor, "I like you, but don't ever sing again."

When she was offered the June Carter role she said, "As long as I don't have to sing. I can't sing." Although she was initially assured she wouldn't have to sing, the director later changed his mind. Witherspoon says,

"When this came up, I said, 'I can't sing. So I'm not going to sing.' He said, 'I need you to try.' It ended up being a good thing because this little seed that was planted in my mind became a huge thing, and it was good to conquer that fear."

"I can't sing" was a belief she held onto until someone "planted the seed" that this belief might not be true. Only from there could she begin to expand her possibilities.

Witherspoon's story is not unique. Here are some lies I heard clients, colleagues, and friends admit to in the last 7 days:

• I'm not a good marketer.

• I'm not smart enough.

• I'm not an "idea" person.

• I can't be social because I'm an introvert.

• I'm not an organized person.

Sometimes these statements are made with regret. Other times they are made with pride. These beliefs have become part of the speaker's identity. It's part of who they are, "I'm not an organized person. Take it or leave it."

It's easy to use what I call the "5 Lies You Tell Before Lunch" as an excuse not to try, not to explore possibilities and to instead, stay stuck in a rut, doing business the only way you know how.

And, let's face it, don't nothing is much easier than facing your fears or putting in some extra effort to overcome a challenge.

To explore whether this concept applies to you, ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. What stories do I tell myself about who I am as a business owner?

2. What stories do I allow others to tell me about myself? (Look to the people who "know you best" like your family and friends from past episodes in your life such as high school, who now pop out of the woodwork via places like Facebook and Classmates.)

3. How do you know that these stories are true for you today, no matter what your past track record shows?

And maybe these stories are true for you. No judgments from me. That's when it's time to delegate or work around your weaknesses.

Go out and buy books like Now, Discover Your Strengths and Strengths Finder 2.0 and knock yourself out.