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.

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.

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.

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.

Got Your Pink Spoon?

"Making Website Visitors An Irresistible Offer"

Speaking of starting movements and building communities, if you have a website, do you have a highly successful strategy for converting your web visitors into subscribers to your mailing list and then into paying clients and customers?

I know some business owners who routinely get 100s of new subscribers to their list every week. But they don't just have a boring "Sign up for my newsletter" offer on their site. They use what some call "Pink Spoon Marketing," a phrase coined by Andrea J. Lee, which means they offer an enticing free sample of something that visitors simply can't pass up.

Coming up with the "right" free offer is tricky because you don't want it to cost more of your time (remember, you want 100s and 1000s of new subscribers each week) and it has to be something irresistible to your target market.

I've seen this method work for coaches as well as dentists, accountants, and insurance agents. Please don't write this concept off as something that "won't work for me."

Two marketing communications experts I greatly respect, Linda Claire Puig, of Ready2GoArticles.com, and Linda Dessau, of YouTalk-IWrite.com, have put together a course called the Pink Spoon Telecamp to help you learn all about pink spoons and how to use them to market yourself.

The best part, though, is that during the course, they'll also help you create your own pink spoon so that by the end of it, you'll have yours ready to put into place to attract your ideal clients and prospects!

They are offering tons of resources and perks. I particularly like the fact that they provide fill-in-the-blanks worksheets so you don't have start completely from scratch.

Some important details:

=> The course starts next week.
=> You'll also receive everything on CD and DVD.
=> They are currently offering $100 off but that ends TODAY.

Click here to read all about it...

My suggestion: Whether you decide to take their course or not, register on this page to listen to the free training that Linda and Linda gave recently. It's called "Help! My Website's Not Working!" and it's full of meaty content. Plus it's a great example of how Pink Spoon Marketing works.

To read all about it and save $100 today only, click here.

Why Plan B Is the Entrepreneur's Sidekick

Did you read a lot of comic books when you were a kid? If so, you might have noticed that many of the big name superheroes have sidekicks who are definitely the B players. They aren't big enough to be the headliner, but they make themselves useful now and then and sometimes even save the day.

What about you? Do you have a "sidekick" in your business? (Otherwise known as a Contingency Plan or what I like to call Plan B.)

In the New York Times bestseller, Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath, the authors mention an expression in the Army that goes simply, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." The same is true in life and in business and, as an entrepreneur, you've got to have that sidekick ready to go just in case of an emergency. And I guarantee, no matter how much planning you do in advance, something unexpected is bound to show up once in a while to spoil your day.

For instance, I taught a training called Tweeting for Dollars (For Clueless Entrepreneurs Only). If you missed it, grab your free CD here.

30 minutes before the call, I pulled up my conference line dashboard and made sure everything was set up correctly. Then 10 minutes before the training was scheduled to begin, my dashboard suddenly refreshed and flashed the words "Sorry, this event is over."

Houston, we have a problem.

In 8 minutes, I quickly put Plan B into action: I set up a new conference event, sent out a group email with the corrected information and managed to start the call on time. Afterwards, when the conference system would not release the audio recording of the event, I submitted a trouble ticket to let the conference service know about all the problems.

Here is their reply,

"This was an issue earlier brought to our attention, we have since resolved the issue. Our ISP changed one of our server's time zones for admin purposes without consulting with us. This caused the computer to think it was 7 hours in the future (when your event would be over) -- We changed the time zone, and it appears to be working now."

Can you plan for this kind of stuff? It's impossible! But you can prepare according to the belief that "No plan survives contact with the enemy."

Do you have back-up systems in case your computer crashes? (SOS Online Backup, Carbonite, and Mozy are good online options to check out.) If you record telephone conferences, do you have more than one recording system? Do you have someone who can step into your business and keep things running in case of an emergency? In other words...who's your sidekick? I encourage you to create the back up systems necessary to give you more freedom and less stress in your business.