More than a Few Words

Business owners who believe in rapport and relationship-building often think of automation as a bad word.  This perception comes from the not really understanding how good automation words.  Automation can be as simple as acknowledging a form fill, or as complex as a multi step campaign after an in person interaction.  My guest, Richard Wall says a good automation campaign starts with a clear, but...

Does it matter when you send out an email newsletter? People are going to read it whenever it lands in their inbox, right? Well, maybe not. There's a lot of research that suggests there actually is a best time of day and a best day of the week. According to studies by a number of different organizations, the middle of the week is actually the best time to send your email. The middle of the week is...

You have probably heard multiple times you need to start your sales process by defining your niche because when you do, you can create more relevant content.   But our guest Leon Streete, says just defining the "who" is not enough.  The demographics only gives you half of the picture. The second part, which is usually the most important part, is to think about what is going on psychologically with...

Everyone is not your customer. And while some people might become customers sometime in the future, there are some people who never will. Make the best use of your marketing efforts by narrowing down to a niche. Then, even after you have narrowed your market and created a well defined target audience, your customers are not all the same. Some are casual buyers and others are rabid fans. There are...

Many "would be writers" think they should start with a title and let the story unfold.  Our guest, Tina Bakehouse suggests starting in the middle.  Begin by fleshing out the content in the middle.  Once you are clear on the body of what you're writing it will inspire the title and the flow from beginning to end. While a good title will grab the reader's attention, the best part of any story is the...

If your blog titles don't grab reader's attention, they're not going to read your blog posts.  While it might seem that people want to see something positive in these challenging times, surprisingly negative titles work better. Look at the newsfeed on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn. Posts with negative titles stand out and are more likely to be read, create engagement and be shared. So, I want yo...

Ultimately, social media is a human platform. If we can read a story and we can relate to it, we're more likely to engage with that, we're more likely to comment on it, like it and share it. Our guest, Victoria Lee suggests in every single post you create, you want to relate that back to your own experience.  She believes those personal posts are the top type of posts when it comes to creating con...

As you plan your next email marketing campaign don't overwhelm customers with multiple offers. They won't spend the time reading all that text. As a matter of fact, there's a lot of research which proves the more choices you give someone, the less likely they are to make any decision at all. So if you want to create an effective email, make one compelling offer.  Why?  Think about kids on Christma...

​Goals are an important part of a successful business, but we often don't achieve them as quickly as we would like.  Coach Cailen Ascher suggests business owners take a few lessons from yoga. They have these wonderful teachings around non grasping, and detachment, which often get misinterpreted, as being blasé about life. That is not the point. Think if it as goals with an open hand rather than a...

You may not believe this, but negative reviews are a gift. They give you a chance to improve to change your customer perception, and maybe even be a hero. When someone writes a negative review, they're annoyed at your company, not you, so don't let it get personal. Instead, put yourself in the customer shoes and get ready to engage. Be sure to respond quickly to take control of your brand and the...

You spend hours creating content so you may be disappointed to discover that nobody's reading it. But it doesn't have to be that way. Our guest, Jonny Cooper shared three simple reasons content fails to deliver results. You forgot the ABC- Audience Before Content. Essentially, you need a clear picture of who you are writing for, before you start writing.  Too often we start writing for a general a...

Ask most small business owners what makes their company unique. And they'll tell you it boils down to the people and the culture. That great culture attracts more potential employees and clients. Now it's easy to maintain your culture when you have longtime employees. But it's much harder when you have turnover and rapid growth. How do you hold on your culture as your organization grows? It starts...

There is a cycle business owners get trapped in as they start to spiral toward burnout.  Coach Linsi Brownson says the first thing you need to do is recognize, you're not doing anything wrong.  This is just a phase in your business. This is actually a really great moment to step back and realign the business, by going back to the drawing board and looking at three things: yourself, your business p...

Are you frustrated by the lack of engagement and results from your Facebook pages? Maybe it is because you are treating Facebook like any other advertising platform, and not a social network. People come to Facebook to check in with friends, share a joke, trade a recipe or get a daily dose of inspiration. Contractors who invade the news feed with ads promoting coupons for clean and checks or air f...

What would you learn in one hundred networking conversations?  And how would those conversations change your business? That is what our guest, Chella Diaz set out to discover when she set a goal to have conversations with  100 smart, interesting women.    About Chella Chella is passionate about empowering women to master their money skills.  She helps women identify and release their money baggage...

If you think Instagram is just about pretty pictures, you're really missing out on opportunities. Sure, a pretty picture is going to stop your audience in their tracks, but it's not necessarily going to be enough to start a conversation. Instagram allows you to use up to 2200 characters for your caption. So take advantage of the opportunity to engage your audience through words that complement the...

When you collaborate with people you would, on the surface level think of as your competitors, it is amazing what happens You will discover your business is healthier, your mental status healthier and the tips and tricks and strategies that you uncover can completely change how you operate your business.  What about the fear of competitors stealing your secrets?  Our guest,  Jon Tsourakis​  believ...

The other day, I got the nicest note from a prospect,  who by the way is now a client. He said "The information you shared was valuable and easy to understand. Most of the folks we talked to try to wow us with technical crap and it becomes so confusing. You guys didn't , thanks!! " As a former school teacher, I was trained to break complex concepts into smaller, easy to understand elements. It see...

According to our guest, Ellen Goodwin , you can have all the plans in the world, manage your time, block out time for specific activities, but if you have no energy, you're going to be dead in the water. Without energy, nothing moves forward so today we explore how managing your energy is the actual the key to time management.   Managing your energy relies on the four "P"s: Prepare, protection, pr...

I always say there are three days in the life of a project give me an emotional left. When I make the sale When I send the invoice  When I get the check. The foundation of cash management starts with an understanding of how much money you have in the bank, knowing when the checks will arrive and how much you are anticipating in the next 30, 60 or 90 days? Those sales boost your numbers but what wi...

There, there's about seven different qualities that are highly associated with someone's credibility, trustworthiness and perception of leadership when it comes to vocal qualities. The research around this astounding.  For example, Duke University did a study of almost 1000 CEOs.  They found on the topic of pitch alone, CEOs who had a lower pitch to their voice, had more tenure, commanded larger c...

I want to ask you a very specific question. Who were you writing for? Now, if you have a personal blog and you're documenting the days of your life, you're writing for yourself. But if you have a business blog then you are writing with business objectives in mind.  Those objectives are directed towards a specific audience and you need to write for them.  So, are are you writing for your customers...

There are many elements in a successful ecommerce program, but email is at the top of the list.  From simple promotional campaigns to event specific "flows" the trick is to send the right message at the right time.   This week, our guest Ivana Radojevic talks about the four types of email you should include in your ecommerce marketing program 1) The Welcome Flow - a series of emails sent to new si...

Long before I ever worked on my first website, I was developing brochures and direct mail campaigns for business owners. Many of the rules of good copywriting I learned back then, are transferable to a digital environment especially, great content is engaging and interesting to a reader when it's focused on them. So the trick as you're writing your web copy is to make sure you're focused on the cl...

As you drive down the road, you have to be ready to make small adjustments.  The same is true for your marketing. This week's guests, Sharyn and Hank Yuloff,  think you need to stop thinking about your marketing as if the plan was carved in stone.  Instead, you should view it as a path that will need to be adjusted along the way.  You need to keep your hand on the wheel, so you can make the small...