F’REE REPORT: The Top 10 Words that Say Buy and Why They Work

I have been following The Internet Marketing Sweetie for a few years now. Melissa always provides ethical and valuable Internet Marketing information on various topics related to small business, from Copywriting and Outsourcing to Email Marketing and Working from Home.

I just finished reading a new report from Melissa and I wanted to pass along a copy to you. The topic is keywords and how they work to increase your sales. If you’re looking for a practical and simple guide to putting together written material for a product or a sales page, I think you’ll find this information useful.

Click here for your copy of “SWEET Marketing Lingo: The Top 10 Words that Say Buy and Why They Work”.

Find out how certain keywords when we hear them, make us want to purchase the item that is associated with the keyword.

I hope you find this report useful and I encourage you to share this report with others who you think would find it useful too.

Outsourcing–The Answer To Small Business Owner Burnout

As a small business owner you are involved in all aspects of your business from bookkeeping and marketing to customer service. At some point you realize that it is no longer possible to do it all and still grow your business. How do you know when it’s time to stop trying to do it all yourself? How do you determine what work to outsource and what to continue to do yourself? What if you’re concerned about the financial investment?

First, have a look at the following checklist to determine if outsourcing is what you need now.

You know it’s time to outsource when:

• You’re burned out from working too many hours a day and too many days a week
• You feel like you can’t take time away from your business and you don’t (and friends and family are noticing this too)
• You are spending less time on your core revenue generating and business building tasks and it’s costing you money
• Key administrative functions that keep your business running are not getting completed

If this sounds like you then it’s time to hire someone. But first it’s important to get clear about what you need help with. Here are some general guidelines.

Do outsource:

• The work that supports and builds ongoing relationships with your clients
• The back end work that contributes to the growth of your business, generates profits and passive streams of income

Some examples of these tasks are:

• Newsletter creation i.e. the formatting, set up and distribution; you supply the content
• Setting up and managing your shopping cart i.e. putting ‘buy’ buttons on your web site
• Creating/Managing your website
• Posting to your blog
• Handling customer support
• Article submissions
• Graphic design

As the business owner, you should continue to:

• Do the things that will help grow your business and the things you enjoy
• Speak with potential clients, attend networking events
• Plan and create your next product or service

How do you know if outsourcing makes financial sense?

You can determine what your hourly rate would be by dividing your monthly profits by the number of hours worked and compare that to the rate that you would be paying to outsource. Remember that it may take you twice as long as a Virtual Assistant to complete some of the tasks that you want to outsource.

What do I do next?

Now that you know what your needs are you can start looking for a reputable Virtual Assistant. Someone who will become a partner in your success and someone you will work with long term for a mutually beneficial working relationship. You may want to check with fellow business owners you know and respect for referrals. Do any clients or colleagues know of someone who might be able to help? You can also find assistants through VA associations, forums and social media sites.

You need to be willing to let go of the control and give them your trust. After the initial learning curve your assistant will know your business well enough to work proactively with little or no direction from you. When you outsource and stop trying to do it all yourself, you’ll have the potential to become more productive, offer more services, increase revenue and grow your business to become more profitable.

Take A Real Vacation With The VACA System

You set your own hours and choose who you work with, however, as a solopreneur you may feel trapped in your business. If you can’t remember the last time you were able to get away on vacation then it’s time to have a look at putting a system in place that will allow you to take some much deserved time off.

Use the VACA system to create your back up plan allowing you to get away from time to time without your business suffering:

V = Virtual Assistant. Outsource your administrative tasks to a Virtual Assistant. By partnering with a professional who manages your core business functions regularly you are covered during periods of absence. A reputable VA can handle both the basic administrative and the highly technical functions of your business and almost everything in between. If you’re just getting started, hire someone to manage your voicemails and emails ensuring that customer service is uninterrupted. As your assistant learns your business she can proactively suggest more ways to help.

A = Align yourself with like business owners. Is there someone your clients can call on if they have an urgent request or to continue work on a project in your absence? Through online and offline networking you should be able to find someone with a similar work ethic who can take over for vacation or any period of extended absence. Then notify your clients in advance that you have handpicked a reliable associate that is available to assist them if required. You could arrange this as a subcontractor relationship or even negotiate a barter.

C = Create processes. Document your processes on a regular basis. List all the things that you do in your business with step by step instructions. This only has to be done once and refined when necessary. Do this for each client, product or process. Your Operations Manual will be a useful tool to anyone providing back up in your absence and if you outsource to a VA. It shortens the learning curve and is a valuable reference and time saving tool.

A = Automate your business. Set up a shopping cart system that integrates with your website. Anytime someone wants to make a purchase from you it’s a simple click of the mouse. If you are communicating regularly with your clients, you can schedule your weekly newsletter in advance to send to your list while you’re away at the cottage. All this and more can be done within the shopping cart.

Once you have set up your VACA system, the business can run without you to a certain degree. Now you can concentrate on other aspects of your business that will allow your company to grow and you to achieve the freedom you deserve and take a real vacation.

The Top 7 Excuses That Are Holding Back Your Small Business Success

Do you have bad habits in your business? Are there things you repeatedly do just out of habit? You know you could be holding yourself back from success but you continue making excuses. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote by Tony Robbins, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Bad habits and excuses go hand in hand. If you want to kick your business up a notch but you’re allowing excuses to keep you stuck, have a look at the following list.

 

These are the top 7 excuses business owners use to justify their inaction and how you can turn that around to achieve the success you strive for:

1. I don’t have the time. A lot of us procrastinate by getting lost in busywork because it’s easier. These are activities that take up time but are not producing results. By managing your time well and prioritizing, you can ensure that you make the time for that important project.

2. I’m too busy. Similar to the above but rather than procrastinating you are multitasking to the point of accomplishing nothing. Try single-tasking. Focus all your energy on the task at hand. You will make fewer errors and achieve better, faster results.

3. I’m afraid it won’t work. Fear of failure can be immobilizing. Make a list of ideas you’ve dreamed of putting into place in your business, but haven’t because you’re afraid. Take action in small steps and celebrate each small success along the way. If things aren’t working, do it differently knowing that you’re learning and improving with each experience.

4. I’m afraid it will work. Success can be scary because it means things will change. You will have new and probably more responsibilities but remember you have more to gain than lose. Keep doing what works to create long-term success.

5. I’m making enough. We are creatures of habit and become comfortable with the status quo. However, it is crucial to get outside your comfort zone and come up with new ideas for your business. Volunteer to speak at the next networking event. Perhaps the regulars know you socially but do they really know what you do? There are probably at least one or two fellow business owners in the group that could benefit from your product or service.

6. I’ve always used ‘X’. Loyalty may not always be a good thing. Does it take your webmaster 2 weeks to make a small change to your website? Perhaps it’s time to look for someone more efficient. Don’t let loyalty hamper your success.

7. What I’m doing is working. In this case, maybe all you need to do is keep doing what works and add to it.

So if your desire is to have something greater, what’s stopping you? Choose one of your bad habits and create a new one. It is said that it takes 21 days to change a habit. That’s not long really. So put yourself up to the challenge. Start today and a month from now your world will be better for it.

The 3 Rules Of Organization That Are Crucial To Small Business Owners

Are you unorganized and overwhelmed? Is your work area a disaster zone with papers strewn across your desk, no processes in place to complete daily tasks and excessive information coming at you both online and off?

The problem is that this state of physical and mental disorganization and overwhelm can spill over into your personal life too. This is especially true for home based business owners because our personal and business lives are so interconnected and it’s important that we are managing our time wisely.

But how did you get to this state of disorganization? It probably crept up on you as your business was growing and you started focusing more on the work at hand and less on managing your office.

How can you get from disorganized back to organized? The solution is simple if you follow these 3 rules and start streamlining your systems to manage the overwhelm:

Rule #1: Clear your desk. Before you jump into your work day, take 10 to 15 minutes to clear your desk and clear your mind saving you more than the time you invested. Make sure you have a procedure in place to keep your work area tidy and ensure paperwork is easy to access. Tools such as literature organizers to sort paperwork and containers for your writing utensils will make it easier to maintain your office space and manage your records.

Rule #2: Document your processes. Every time you do something for the first time it’s a good idea to make step by step notes. If you haven’t been doing this, start now. Again, it may take a little bit of extra time to document but you will have a reference to assist you with the task the next time and it will save you time in the long run. This is especially helpful if it is a task that you don’t repeat on a regular basis. And this information will be invaluable when your business has grown to the point that you decide to outsource or subcontract out work in the future. Make sure you document your notes within a Word document with separate headings for each topic or in a notebook or binder dedicated only to recording procedures. You don’t need more loose paper to manage.

Rule #3: Manage your information. Avoid information overload and stockpiling unneeded information. We collect so much information and it often isn’t organized in any specific way. There is so much useful information out there and some that we collect we don’t need to use right away. Start up one file to collect all this information. I have created a file I call “Tips and Tools” within my Outlook Tasks. It’s a simple table with the following headings where I can copy and paste all the info in point form that comes across my desk or inbox for easy reference when needed: “Company Name/Site Name/URL”, “Function” and “Details”. You can set up a similar system either in Word or within a notebook or binder. Now you have a handy reference and you can delete the emails or recycle the papers containing the original information. No more searching in various places as all the information is now in one place.

Initially it will take some time and energy to get from a state of disorganization to an orderly efficient system. Stick with this plan for several weeks and you will have control back. In a couple of months you will be reaping the rewards of greater productivity.

Your Easy To Follow Getting Started Article Marketing Checklist

Article marketing is a long term marketing strategy that helps position you as an expert in your niche and generate more traffic to your website. There are a number of guidelines to follow when writing and submitting articles, and although it is not difficult, it is a multi-step process and having a checklist in place is a helpful tool.

Here is your ‘getting started’ checklist to help you prepare to market your articles:

[ ] Create your author resource box of about 50 words in length. This is what will appear at the end of your articles stating who you are, what you do, the service or product and benefits you provide and a call to action inviting the reader to your website to sign up for your free report, newsletter or other offering. The resource box should be written in third person.

[ ] Create your author bio of up to about 150 words in length. Some of the article directories require a bio in addition to a resource box. Your bio will be based on your skills, experience and achievements and should also be written in third person.

[ ] Choose an author image that you will upload when creating your profiles. Most article directories will ask for one. Your photo will help people connect with you and should be professional looking.

[ ] Create a list of directories you are going to submit to. Start small with about 3 directories. Try www.ezinearticles.com, www.articledashboard.com and www.goarticles.com to start. You can add more later. Just Google “article submission directory” to find more sites.

[ ] Sign up for accounts with these directories and record the Name of the directory, Login URL, User Name, Password and any specific guidelines. For example one site only allows articles with a minimum of 500 words.

[ ] Create an Article Marketing Tracking document in the form of a spreadsheet to track the above directory information, articles submitted and dates submitted.

[ ] Create an Article Template for your writing. Article directories work best with text based articles. Just use plain text, no formatting, no tables etc. by creating and saving your articles in Notepad or another text based editor. Within each file include the Title, Category, Word Count, Key Words and Summary. You will need to enter this information with each article submission.

[ ] Decide on topics based on your market & your expertise and create an ideas file.

[ ] Write your first 400 – 700 word article and start submitting!

Most of the above steps are to be set up once and left. When you have everything in place, make sure you write and submit your articles regularly. If you write an ezine or newsletter you can repurpose these works. Once your subscribers have received their copy, start submitting to the article directories. You can also rework chapters of a book or ebook you have written into shorter articles.

If the above sounds like a great marketing tactic but you lack the time, consider hiring a Virtual Assistant to set you up with the accounts, edit your writing and submit your articles. All you need to do is provide the content and watch your website’s placement in the search results increase.

Go Ahead And Just Say No

Is business going really well? Are you so busy that you couldn’t possibly take on another client? This means sometimes having to say “no”. Do you have trouble saying “no”?

Here are 5 strategies to help you manage the overwhelm and learn ways to say “no”:

1. Set your business hours and stick with them. Once you set a precedence by replying to a client at 11:00 pm when your office closes at 5:00 pm, don’t be surprised to receive more requests after hours that you will be expected to respond to and this won’t always be possible. Most people are reasonable and won’t expect you to drop everything and respond right away but once you set a precedence it’s hard to go back.

2. Sometimes saying “no” may simply mean unsubscribing from mailing lists you signed up for. Don’t worry about offending a fellow business owner who’s a friend and puts out an awesome weekly ezine. She’s probably inundated with email too and will understand. Many of us are suffering from overwhelm and this is one way to reduce the amount of information coming at you. Pick only one or two mentors in your industry to follow and unsubscribe from the rest.

3. Start a waiting list as opposed to squeezing in ‘just one more’ client. As a business owner, you still need to address your own sales and marketing functions, attend networking events and grow your business. If you neglect these tasks and only attend to clients’ needs, your own business will fall apart.

4. Another way to say “no” is by saying “not now”. In my business I ask for 4 days turnaround time. I plan my upcoming week on Friday and my schedule for the week is set with little flexibility for last minute requests. To drop everything for an urgent request can negatively affect another client. Let your client know when you can handle their request, if not right away. You’re demonstrating that you value all your clients equally and that you wouldn’t push their work aside for another client either.

5. Have a backup plan. If a client has an urgent request and can’t wait your standard waiting period, refer the client to an associate who you trust will give your client the same expertise and high level of service as you would. Your client gets the work done and your associate is happy for the referral.

Saying “no” does not have to be considered a negative response. It is about setting realistic boundaries and expectations. Clients, family and friends can trust that you will respond honestly and will know that when you commit to something you will follow through. Saying “yes” when you should be saying “no” is setting yourself up for failure. To be successful, make it a rule to never promise what you can’t deliver.

Write Your Way To Expert Status

Everyone is an expert at something. Whatever product or service you provide in your business is your area of expertise. Writing articles about what you are an expert at and distributing those articles online through various article submission directories is a valuable marketing strategy called Article Marketing.

How will writing and submitting articles help your business?

Here’s how it works. You will:

Gain more exposure – When you write an article and submit it to various article directories it will be posted online for anyone to read. Surfers find your articles when they type related keywords into search engines to find what they’re looking for.

Generate more traffic to your site – You will create a ‘resource box’ that is included at the end of each article you submit. The resource box is a short bio about you, the author, with a link to your website. When someone reads your article and wants to find out more about you, they will click thru the article resource box at the end of your article & will be taken to your website.

Build trust – When you provide value to the reader by sharing information on your expertise through your articles, you gain their confidence in you, your products and services.

Grow your list – Make sure you have a ‘call to action’ in your resource box and a sign up form on your site to capture names and email addresses of those who visit. Offer a free report or a subscription to a newsletter that visitors can sign up for.

Boost business – When you build your market reach, name recognition and credibility, an increase in business is sure to follow.

Remember, no sales pitches. The directories are looking for content-rich articles of about 400-750 words. The only place you can promote yourself is within the resource box.

But what do you write about?

Consider:

• What is your area of expertise? What are you known for?
• Is there something that keeps coming up over & over again with several clients? Check your emails. What questions is your market asking you?
• Do you already write a newsletter? Repurpose your newsletter articles.

If there’s already many articles about your topic circulating out there, don’t worry, you will put a different spin on things as you write from your own experiences and in your own unique way.

Think you’re not a writer? Just write in your own voice, in a conversational style as if you were speaking one on one with someone. People like that.

Now that you’ve written an article, how do you go about circulating this article online?

Here are some simple steps to get you started:

1. Google the term ‘article submission directories’ to come up with various lists of the top sites you can submit your content to (start with 2 or 3 on up to 10).

2. Sign up for your free accounts and review their guidelines. I recommend starting with EzineArticles

3. Create your author resource box, about 50 words stating who you are, what you do, benefits you provide, call to action i.e. sign up for my free report.

4. It is best to convert all your articles to plain text with no formatting. To do this, copy from Word & paste into Notepad to remove any formatting. It makes submitting quick and easy.

5. Submit your articles making sure to track where you have submitted to, what you have submitted and when.

Repeat. Write and submit your articles regularly as an ongoing part of your marketing strategy. An ideal campaign would be to submit new articles weekly or bi-weekly. Articles are a great cost-effective way to market your business and gain expert status in your niche. What can you write about today?

The Top 5 Ways To Balance Your Commitments

Are you at the point of overwhelm in your business? Do you have so many clients or commitments that you’re not sure how you’re going to meet everyone’s demands? With too many commitments the quality of your work can suffer along with your good reputation and sanity. Does this overwhelm spill over into your personal life? If you work from a home office, others may not respect the fact that you have valid work to do and may put unreasonable demands on your time. Are you saying ‘yes’ to these requests too often?

If you’re at this point of frustration, it’s not too late to restructure a few things to achieve work, life and family balance. After all, as a business owner you have a highly sought after benefit that employees in the corporate world value highly – a flexible schedule. It’s time to get things back into perspective and enjoy this perk.

How? Here are the top 5 ways to balance your commitments:

1. First, start by setting boundaries: Solopreneurs working from home must have clear cut business vs. personal time. Set your business hours and stick with them. Ensure personal time is spent away from work-related activities. Don’t run errands during working hours or answer your business line when you’re about to sit down to dinner.

2. Next, start a waiting list: Too many clients may seem like a good problem to have when in reality it’s better to have fewer clients that get your full attention than more than you can handle. Never promise what you can’t deliver. There will always be an ebb and flow in your business which means that you can offer to put potential clients on a waiting list and contact them when you are available to fully accommodate their needs.

3. Or refer the work to others: Chances are that you have business relationships with others in your industry. Some potential clients may not be the right fit and you can choose to work only with those who are a good fit. Be honest and let the client know that a fellow business owner may be more suitable. Make the introduction.

4. Or build a team by subcontracting and/or outsourcing: Do you have a close knit group of colleagues that share your skill set, work ethics and standards that you would feel comfortable working with? Put together a team that you can subcontract out the overflow work to. And/or outsource to a Virtual Assistant rather than spending your own time on administrative and technical tasks. When you stop trying to do it all yourself, you’ll have the potential to offer more services, increase revenue and grow your business. Not to mention you’re helping others by employing them.

5. And last, but not least, make commitments to yourself equally as often as you do to others: What really matters to you? Make a commitment to yourself today about what you want to achieve. In my yoga classes we have been practicing making our ’sankalpa’ (a Sanskrit word meaning to set an intention using a short phrase or sentence). When you incorporate your intention into your daily routine, in time you can bring about positive change.

As a small business owner you already have many responsibilities. Setting boundaries, getting help and honouring commitments to yourself will satisfy the need for balance and boost your success.

When You Want To Learn Wordpress

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Please welcome my guest blogger, Kelly McCausey of Mom’s Talk Biz! Kelly has helped me immensely through her Wordpress Orientation group sessions. Participants are able to log in and follow along and ask as many questions as needed as Kelly walks you through each issue live on screen. I highly recommend these classes if you’re working with Wordpress and don’t want to tackle it alone. Sessions are ongoing. Please note that I am a compensated affiliate of Kelly’s products.

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Wordpress is the website building tool of choice for many business owners these days. It’s a great option. No software needed on your computer, great functionality and flexibility – and you can update your site content from any computer, netbook or smart phone. It’s no wonder that it’s become so popular.

You’ve probably heard that Wordpress is incredibly user friendly – and it is! Still, most first time users find it overwhelming at first. If you ever tried to tackle Wordpress on your own and felt like giving up, you’re not at all alone. There’s a lot to take in at first.

I was lucky though. I had several patient friends available to help me over the learning curve. Still, I wouldn’t say that I felt truly comfortable for months after. The more I got to know it, the more I realized that Wordpress is both simple and complex all at the same time.

If you only want to use Wordpress to publish content, it’s pretty darned simple. The visual editor operates like any basic word processor. You enter content, press publish and you’re finished.

Think of Wordpress as being three things at once.

1. It’s a Content Management Script that runs on your web server, letting you enter content as easily as writing an email.

2. Your content is stored in a Database on your web server.

3. Finally, it wears a Theme, a set of template files, that determines how the content is displayed online.

Entering content is easy. The database takes care of itself. Customization, want to alter your design and manipulate the database for special needs, you have to tap a whole other area of knowledge and that’s where many get stuck.

There’s good news and bad news for those who want to learn more about managing their Wordpress site. The good news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users who are willing to answer your questions. The bad news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users…

The trouble for newcomers is usually that they don’t know how to ask the right questions to produce the answers they really need. The documents and forums seem to be written in a foreign language and newbie questions are often answered with links to more foreign explanations that just add to their feelings of overwhelm.

My advice? Don’t give up. Keep asking questions. To get the best answers, provide as much information about your problem as you can. If you’re persistent, you’ll find that things come easier over time.

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About the Author:

Kelly McCausey of Mom’s Talk Biz invites you to Wordpress Orientation, your all access pass to exclusive Wordpress learning. We demonstrate answers to your questions during our live web conference sessions. If you’re goal is to do it yourself Wordpress Orientation is your pathway to learning how.

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