The Solution To A Lack of Leads, Clients or Consistent Income

business ups and downsMany businesses have characteristics that are similar to any stock market in the world; there are ups and downs. When you experience a downturn, the culprit may be a slow drip of revenue, which means a slow drip of closed business from very few leads. Your goal, then, is to get in front of more leads, convert leads to clients and create systems around making this your business habit. Here’s how you do it:

Not enough leads – This is an issue with visibility. Quite frankly, not enough people know about what you offer and your ideal prospects don’t see you as a solution to the challenges they are facing. This problem is solved by increasing and improving your marketing efforts. This means you need to be showing up where your prospective clients are gathering (online and offline) and engaging them in conversation to understand what they need. Read more about The Solution to a Lack of Leads, Clients or Consistent Income

Uncovering “Hidden” Profits In Your Business

Every (and I do mean EVERY) business – including yours – has the potential to be immediately more profitable. Unfortunately, many times we are unable to see the opportunities in front of us because we buried in the minutia of our daily task list.

So how do you dig out the hidden treasure in your business? How do you tap into those "well... duh!" opportunities that are right in front of you?

Here are a few areas of business to investigate: Read more about Uncovering "Hidden" Profits In Your Business

Spring Clean Your Marketing For Success

Just like closets and cupboards, marketing strategies and assets can accumulate clutter over the course of the year – It’s time for some spring cleaning. Marketing Spring Cleaning

My friends over at PR Web shared with me three great tips on how to make sure your marketing is current, polished, and efficient:

1. Clean up your lists

Bounced back and duplicate emails are ineffective and can damage your goodwill with customers, journalists and other stakeholders. Go through your lists to verify that names, email addresses and other information are still current. Delete inactive addresses as well as duplicate or incomplete entries.

This is especially important for your media list. Journalism is a fast-changing world and writers move to different outlets and cover different topics. Ensuring that you’re contacting the right people with your news is critical when it comes to generating publicity for your business.

2. Revisit your social strategy

Take stock of how you are using your social media channels and content. If you’re neglecting certain channels or networks, consider deactivating them until you have the time and/or resources to maintain them regularly. Focus on cultivating the channels that serve your business best.

Check that your content still aligns with your overall marketing goals.

  • Has your strategic message changed at all?
  • Have your social media goals changed?
  • Do your analytics show any weak areas that need improvement?

Answer these questions to evaluate whether you need to update your social strategy.

3. Update your boilerplate and website

It’s easy to forget about your company boilerplate. Take stock of your accomplishments and milestones from the last year and update your boilerplate accordingly.

The same goes for your company website. Have you hired new team members? Secured killer press coverage? Launched a new product or service? Now is the time to update your website to reflect your recent growth.

Don’t let out-of-date information and content weigh down your marketing. Spring-cleaning your strategy is crucial to long-term success.

How to Avoid Missing Out On the Exact Opportunities You’re Looking For

I often see entrepreneurs looking at their proverbial glass as half empty instead of half full. They might say:

  • If I only had the connections that person has...
  • If I only had the experience that person has...
  • If I only had the personality that person has...

The list could go on and on. This type of thinking can sabotage a person in many ways, but perhaps the most critical is that it can cause you to overlook priceless opportunities that are available right in front of you.

Instead of focusing what you don't have, focus on what you DO have.

  • What connections DO you have?
  • What experience DO you have?
  • What elements of your personality DO serve you well?

After you've taken inventory of your assets, start considering how you can leverage those and what opportunities you can create as a result. Read more about How to Avoid Missing Out On the Exact Opporunities You're Looking For

Network Your Way to a More Profitable Business

Networking. Love it or not, when done correctly, it’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to attract ideal clients and increase your revenue.

Entrepreneurs who don’t enjoy networking often feel that way because they have convinced themselves that they aren’t good at it. Another common reason for resisting in-person networking is that some haven’t enjoyed the results they expected.

Being effective at networking is certainly an acquirable skill. If it’s not one you currently possess, rest assured you can learn it with ease. If you happen to be great at networking, you’ll be happy to know that with a bit of ongoing effort you’ll continue to connect with ideal prospects and close more business.

So how does one go about using networking opportunities to create opportunities and attract ideal clients?  Following are seven simple tips that will put you on the fast track to success: Read more about Network Your Way to a More Profitable Business

How to Make Exponential Progress in Business

Sometimes, the most difficult part about being in business for yourself is holding yourself accountable to accomplish your purpose. When you’re the boss there’s no one looking over your shoulder to see if things are getting done. Also, it can be challenging to think through your ideas and figure out what direction to take next.

Growing your business and achieving your goals is often the biggest challenge small business owners face.

As an entrepreneur, you know all (or almost all) of the things you need to do to make your business successful and prosperous.  For example, you know you should:

  • Keep your website up to date
  • Network strategically
  • Have a plan for marketing your business
  • WORK your marketing plan
  • Stay abreast of trends in your industry
  • Outsource non-revenue generating tasks
  • Keep your financial records in order
  • Invest in continuing education opportunities
  • Apply what you learn

…and the list goes on. Read more about How to Make Exponential Progress in Business

Develop Rock Solid Confidence In Your Ability To Succeed

Last week, I shared with you a few tips for tapping into your unstoppable potential.  One reason you may have struggled with this in the past is due to a lack of confidence.

Feeling hesitant about what you’re trying to accomplish affects all of us at one time or another. If you’re ready to own your value and create more success in your business, it’s time to move away from "I don't know if I can do this..." to "This is what I'm going to accomplish!"

Shifting your mindset starts with making a decision to do things differently. For example, if you are used to focusing on all of the things you "can't do," "don't deserve" or feel unsure about, you'll want to make a conscious decision to re-train how to talk to and about yourself. Start replacing those negative comments with statements such as, "I can do this. I can create my own success. I deserve to be successful! I will be successful!" Read more about Develop rock Solid Confidence In Your Ability To Succeed

Tap Into Your Unstoppable Potential (Yes, you do have it!)

self-doubtSo often, it isn’t a lack of knowledge that prevents service professionals from achieving their business and marketing goals.

Instead, a lack of focus and motivation are more often the culprits.  You may be a person who knows exactly what you need to be doing. You possess the knowledge, but not enough confidence in your ability to make it happen and succeed as an entrepreneur.

Throughout the many small business communities that I belong to (both online and offline), I often see a LOT of untapped potential.  I see service professionals who have the potential to command top dollar for their work, to create businesses that truly give them the flexible schedule they crave and work only with clients who respect them and value their contributions.  I see this in them, but many times, they just can’t see it for themselves.

"WHY is that," you may ask? Read more about Tap Into Your Unstoppable Potential (Yes, you do have it!)

5 Powerful Strategies for Creating a Powerful Mindset

good jobBuilding a business is a fantastic and challenging experience.  You can wake up exhilarated to begin your day and go to bed feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.  The key to success is to maintain a positive "yes, I can do it" mindset.

Easier said than done, right?  Here are 5 keys to help you create and sustain a positive mindset so you attain the success you desire: Read more about 5 Powerful Strategies for Creating a Powerful Mindset

Turn Your Limited Time Into MORE Income

Time=money. Are you choosing to act accordingly?

Ask any entrepreneur what their main goal is and you can be sure that increasing income is at the top of the list. Let’s face it. There will always be bills to pay, saving accounts to pad, vacations to plan – you name it – and just about all of it requires money.

So what’s a busy entrepreneur to do? You do what most small business owners do. You work harder. You raise your fees, repackage your services, work more hours to bring on more clients – and find yourself overwhelmed and still underpaid.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. There is a much simpler way to increase your income. It has far less to do with working harder and everything to do with being smarter about how you spend your time. Read more about Turn Your Limited Time Into MORE Income