Vote on Kat's New Pics!

Hi! It's Kat here, The JumpStart Your Biz Coach! I decided to update my business photos - got to do that at least every 18 months or so (unless you change your hair more often of course!).

So, here they are. Feel free to post a comment on which ones you like best. I'd love to know because I'm building a new website too and am going to incorporate ONE of these into the top banner area....so please help me out!

Here's my current site http://www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com for reference.

red1

brown closeup --> red2

brown standing black/white

Thanks! And if anyone wants to know who my photographer is...it's Michelle Lipowski in Folsom, CA http://www.reflectionsbyml.com.

-- Kat Out

Cancer Shmancer

Well, this has been a pretty good week. I got semi-good news about my sister's cancer - that it is responding to the new treatment she's been having which is phenomenal since they didn't know if it would. The bad thing for her is that she'll have to endure treatments for the rest of her life; the good news is that it means containment and better quality of life for her and hopfully for much longer too.

Unfortunately I found out that one of my close friends also just got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, however she's gotten better news this week as well than she had initially received. She's only 39 and has NO history of it in her family....she went into the doctor for BACK PAIN and came out with breast cancer!!

What's up with that? Geeeezzzzz!

All of this cancer talk though made me want to go schedule my own mamogram! Not that I want to get one but who knows??

So, I called Kaiser Permanente and they said they won't approve me getting one until I'm 40! Or unless there's history in my family (and my sister is a step)!

We'll see about that when I go in there next week for my regular annual exam though and I raise bloody hell...

What if I have it now and it can be treated rather than wait until I'm 40 and who knows???

Frustrated and Furious....

--Kat Out

EntrePalooza - June 27, 2008 - Sacramento, CA

Come for the Speakers....Stay for the Networking!

We're excited to bring you speakers who have NEVER spoken in the Sacramento area ever!

We GUARANTEE this will be an event worth attending - for the content and the company!

Speaker Profile

Richard Ruckman, TGIF Networking

TGIFNetworking.com


Richard is a Networking Superstar, he and his company belong to numerous chambers of commerce and organizations where networking is the primary source of meeting and building relationships. He is an expert and giving referrals and showing others how to network effectively, give quality referrals and be the type of person or professional that is deserving of quality referrals.

He and his partner Tom started TGIF Networking because they saw a need for a type of referral organization that was not being met in the greater Sacramento area and they have grown to 12 chapters in 2008 and plan to double or triple that this year expanding into the Bay Area and surrounding communities within 200 miles or so of Sacramento...then even on to other states! Richard has big goals and is a true entrepreneur at heart.

--Kat Out !

Katrina is one of the Featured Speakers at the Business Boot Camp

On WEDNESDAY, MAY 28 - Katrina is one of the Featured Speakers at the Business Boot Camp during the 2008 Fabulous 50 Marketplace sponsored by the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.

Location: Folsom Lake CollegeTime of Kat's Presentation: 9:00 - 9:55 am

Topic: "3 'Million Dollar Business Success Strategies' that will Take Your Business from Surviving to Thriving!"

This event costs $20 to attend (entire Boot Camp) but is open to anyone, expo is free.For information, contact Sally Howard at 916-985-2698 or showard@folsomchamber.com.

--Kat Out !

“The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make”

TUESDAY, MAY 27 @ 5:00 PM (PST) - Upcoming JumpStart Your Marketing Mentor Program Teleclass with Katrina Sawa, The JumpStart Your Biz Coach and Special Guest - Kim Duke, The Sales Diva!

Topic: “The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make”

If you've ever been afraid of selling yourself or not sure how to go about selling yourself or your products or services that feels comfortable to you - Kim will share her Sales Secrets and also some very blunt tips too I'm sure to motivate you to do better!

You will learn:

• Which mistake is keeping you stuck in an out-dated way of selling (yikes - it's killing your bank account!)
• How to avoid the common mistake that women entrepreneurs fall into (this is a bad one)
  Discover the mistake that stops customers from finding you (really - if you're not doing this - you're invisible!)
• Why you MUST stop doing the mistake that keeps your sales and business small
• How to avoid the mistake that actually pushes customers away from you.

You'll love Kim's high energy and conversational style. She's sassy, she's savvy (and maybe a little bossy!) but you will walk away with tips you can use immediately.

Mark your calendar NOW and plan on joining us LIVE on this call!To access this call: You must be a member of the Mentor Program which allows you to access this and all previous teleclass recordings, transcripts, additional informative articles, templates, samples, referrals, plus a monthly call-in day with Katrina for ONE-ON-ONE coaching! Go to www.MentorSignup.com for all the details and to sign up. You will receive instant access to an online Mentor Only Resources page and then an email with this teleclass call in info just before so you don't miss it!

--Kat Out

21 Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs Make When Building Your Business!

I realize that when you first started your business you may not have thought about EVERYTHING that would be involved with running a successful business, right?

You had a passion and interest in a particular product or service that you could offer and that you believed others would want. But there's a LOT more to running a successful business than what meets the eye.

Here are some very common mistakes I see my clients and others I meet making every month in their businesses. The ones who end up being successful are the ones who REALIZE this and take steps to FIX their issues.

What mistakes are YOU making?

1. Not marketing to everyone you know
2. Not having a consistent follow up marketing system
3. Being afraid of networking and not learning how to overcome it
4. Thinking if they build it, they will come
5. Cutting back on marketing first when times are tough
6. Lack of understanding of what types of marketing will work for their business and what won't
7. Planning too much and not DOING anything
8. Giving up too soon
9. Not estimating enough start up costs and expenditures
10. Letting their own opinions about marketing get in the way of what they decide to do to market their business
11. Thinking they can do it all themselves and need to
12. Not asking for help
13. Spending too much time on things that are not making them money
14. Not getting professional help from the start with certain aspects of their business
15. Compromising quality and professionalism to save money
16. Not really knowing and understanding their target market
17. Not knowing their competition or following them too closely without knowing if what they're doing is working or not
18. Making decisions in their marketing based on what types of marketing THEY like or don't like to be targeted with
19. Not continually learning about new techniques and practices
20. Not keeping up with technology to better build your business
21. Thinking that marketing = expensive

What are YOU going to do about the ones you identify with?
I hope this gives you some things to think about. Remember, to get a plan in order so you DON'T end up making these common mistakes and to get a more specific and targeted approach to your marketing and business growth I'm happy to sit down with you in a 1-on-1 Planning Meeting. I recently changed the format of these meetings by the way, now you get 3 meetings, each 2 weeks apart from each other so you can better implement the strategies we discuss - all for one price! Go to
www.1on1PlanningMeeting.com to find out more.

Do you have a question you want an answer to??


Submit it online to me right now!

© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa Marketing

--Kat Out !

Q & A with Katrina #2

Many of you have written in questions in the last few months and I wanted to answer some of them for you.

Question: What are the lowest cost ways to promote my business in my local area?

Answer: Of course that will depend on the area but if you are a retail or storefront business and your target market is maybe a 5-10 mile radius, then typically it would be best to do an effective direct mail campaign to a list of ONLY your target market in households, preferably to drive them to your website which should be designed to capture those leads. Let me know if you need to find a good mailing list to do this with.

If you are a home-based business with a local target market the answer could be similar however I've found that networking at local organizations, chambers and associations where your target market is in regular attendance is the best way (and least expensive) to build relationships with new prospects. But you must have a very thorough follow up system in place or you're wasting your time networking!

Question: I'm a part of a franchise and we are very limited on what and how we can market our local business with, do you have any suggestions we could implement to help get around all the rules we struggle with? (this could also be good for network marketing companies too)

Answer: Well, I don't necessarily recommend 'breaking' the rules however there might be some things you can do to enhance your exposure online and off. You'll have to check what's ok or not for your company. Some suggestions I've given before for some franchisees and network marketers are:

• If your page on the main website or your site is limited to what you can do, start your own blog where you can say anything you want about you and your biz and you can get more personal, add photos and links to other sites, etc. from there.


• To drive more traffic to your site or special page - do social networking on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Fastpitch and other sites and forums where you can interact with your target market more on a personal level - make sure you have a good signature line with call to action and links. Say hello to ME too when you're there!

Network, network, network like crazy making sure to do all kinds of personal follow up afterwards such as handwritten notes, greeting cards, gifts and calls.

Do displays at events and tradeshows where your target market is in attendance, I find that in person you're open to a lot more possibilities.

Figure out what you can speak on and offer to speak to groups of your target market; when people get to know you better, they tend to want to do business more with you.

I hope this helps you! Remember, these are somewhat generalized answers and for a more specific and targeted approach to your marketing and business growth I'm happy to sit down with you in a 1-on-1 Planning Meeting. I recently changed the format of these meetings by the way, now you get 3 meetings, each 2 weeks apart from each other so you can better implement the strategies we discuss - all for one price! Go to

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001WPxfWm4aRWfld_4dvihDEj21KQLaVD4KTwQOd_vFMtxkS_SF7kuuDYcxNM8sp8wopdnZBWmj_hQJusWAoulMJL_aqRYCWJF2FJYegYax5YmU9L1oVDZATHhckinQ9OGo to find out more.

Kat Out --

Happy Tres de Mayo from Kat

Every year I hold a party for clients and friends and this year I moved it to Tres de Mayo celebrating Mexican Fiesta style....here's a few pics of the festivities!

Group of girlies from my Girl's Night Out list!


And announcing.....my new man....Scott! :-) I'm sooooo happy!!

Scott and his friend Jeff...

My friend James trying to catch his shot glass....

My friend Heather and her dog Bogey, all dressed to party!

And a big group of us in good form!

It was a fun night....

'Til next year.

Kat Out --

"How to Become a Good Networker (Even If You Don't Like Networking!)" by Katrina Sawa

For many entrepreneurs networking is a must to build your contact list the fastest way possible. After all, networking is one of the least expensive, most effective forms of marketing that you can do!

Besides if you have no customers yet and nothing to do - you have to do something! Networking is also the best way to build relationships; no other form of marketing or advertising can do this for you. People buy from people they like and connect with.

I've been self employed for five years and I'm still networking; I'm just more selective now on where and who I network with. When I first started out I joined four local chambers, a women's organization and a leads group and I was at every event all the time.

As my business started picking up, I reduced the number of groups I was involved in and remained in only those that were the best fit for me and that brought me the most clients. I was extremely active in those that I stayed in so that I would be well known; basically I became the Go-to-Gal for my industry and associations.

This is what you want. You want for others to see you as the expert in your field. The key is though to be selfless, generous and knowledgeable in the process.

These days I'm networking even online through various social networking sites, business networking sites and other membership sites that I belong to but this takes time and finesse as well.

Rarely do I see very many really good networkers though so I urge you to learn more, practice your skills, focus on giving to others and really work at becoming the best networker you can because it will pay off with more customers and bigger profits.

Here are a few habits that a good networker typically exudes; they will:

• Go with a goal


• Be prepared, mentally and with materials


• Arrive early and stay late


• Work the room


• Master their 'commercials' and alter them as needed


• Introduce others around


• Pass people off nicely and move on


• Ask questions of the other person


• Know to listen more than they talk


• Take notes on cards


• Quickly and repeatedly follow up

So, how to you match up? What are you doing?

One thing I want to remind you of is that no matter which ones you are doing if you are NOT doing the very last one listed - the FOLLOW UP - then I can tell you right now that you are absolutely wasting your time (and money) doing the networking in the first place!!

I can't stress to you enough that if you find yourself not being able to get your follow up done - then figure out someone to delegate this to. It's worth whatever it costs to pay someone to do this for you because it could mean the difference between one sale and fourteen sales!

P.S. Want my help getting some clarity in your business or business idea? I can take your ideas or current business and literally figure out how to put it into OVERDRIVE within a really short amount of time. Contact me or sign up for one of my 1on1 services!

Go to my services page if you want to work with me 1on1.

Go to my products page if you're a do-it-yourselfer.

--Kat Out !

Some needed R&R in Maui!

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I was in Maui but what a nice few days it was....

There were 6 of us that went - for a destination wedding for my friends Heather and Brian pictured here:

Here was the view from my hotel room, nice huh?

Here is most of us out a couple nights in a row...fun, fun, fun!

Here are the girls in the room before going down to the beach for the wedding....

Then the real party begins....the beach wedding (barefoot of course)....the conch shell guy.

Here we are waiting for the after wedding dinner cruise - had to go get a quick cocktail!

Here is us on the boat dinner cruise after the wedding - waiting for the Mai Tais to be served! (see a trend?)

I think someone has a picture of me snorkeling with the turtles but I don't have that yet....oh and no way am I posting the closeup in my bikini!

'Til next vacation...

Kat Out --

EntrePalooza - June 27, 2008 - Sacramento, CA

Come for the Speakers....Stay for the Networking!

We're excited to bring you speakers who have NEVER spoken in the Sacramento area ever!

We GUARANTEE this will be an event worth attending - for the content and the company!

Speaker Profile

Coming to us from New Mexico!

Tod C. Novak “America's Sales & Motivation Expert”

Tod Novak is a one of a kind, results-driven entrepreneur and people motivator who is considered one of the top sales and communication experts in the world today. He defied insurmountable obstacles in childhood to become an American success story and is referred to as “Americas Sales and Motivational Expert”. Unlike any other speaker, Tod’s formal education stopped with the fifth grade. While other kids were in school, Tod was being schooled in the real world of business starting his first of 27 businesses at the age of 9. Now 34 years later at the age of 43, Tod has a lifetime of “real world” business experience that couldn’t be learned with traditional schooling. In one project alone, Tod increased one of his client’s profits 400 million dollars.

Tod has become a leading professional speaker, author and CEO of The Novak Group. His clients have come from virtually every type of industry including, health care, call centers, banking, franchises, class action law, manufacturing, technology and direct sales with clients like Comcast, Ford, Liberty Mutual, AOL, Healthpoint surgical and State farm. Tod has appeared on national radio and TV and has authored numerous articles. His compelling new book is called “Has Technology Left Us Speechless?”

Tod is a proud member of the National Speakers Association and president of NSA New Mexico, and is a board member of the Greater AlbuquerqueChamber of Commerce. http://www.thenovakgroup.com/


Productive Communication for Increased Profits

Tod’s presentations are powerful, fun, and interactive where you learn "how to" maximize every opportunity with a customer or employee. You will walk away with lots of facts and details that will give you proven results in your business. The effectiveness of your employees’ communication and service to the customer is the one thing that can separate your business from the competition. You will discover how to:

• increase sales and customer service
• reduce employee turnover
• improve communication and reduce conflict with prospects, customers and co-workers
• access your own and others communication styles for a healthy work environment
• overcome barriers to listening in a sales or customer service situation

The minute you leave the presentation you will be ready to use what you have just learned in every area of your life.

Kat out !

"How to Become a Speaker to Boost Your Business"

I thought I'd write a quick note about why you want to become a speaker in order to boost your business this week because speaking has really done a lot of positive things for me in my business.

For some of you who are already speaking, maybe you're forgetting a few things too??? Like - promoting your talks to the media! That's a big mistake I still see a lot of seasoned speakers forgetting to take the time to do. And who knows - you could get yourself interviewed by TV with the right topic or timing?

I started speaking at events like chamber of commerce small business luncheons, women's groups, sales meetings and leads group meetings about 4 years ago. I found that by doing so, it really catapulted me into more of an expert role in my industry. People looked to me as more of the go-to person for marketing in their area plus I got a lot more free publicity in the local papers and business journals.

Speaking can be a challenge for many in regards to the following:

• Who do you speak in front of? How do you initiate a speaking gig?
• How do you prepare for a speaking presentation?
• How do you know what topics are of interest?
• How do you capitalize on the publicity you could potentially receive?
• How do you promote yourself during the talk?
• What do you bring or handout to promote yourself?
• How do you follow up after a speaking gig?

How do you overcome these obstacles or figure out how to accomplish them?

1. You can ask other speakers how they do it.
2. You can ask the people who book the speakers at such events, they'll tell you.
3. You can read books and online articles about the subject.
4. You can get coaching and advice from someone who helps others on this topic.
   

What do you do first?

First you want to develop a few topics (Many people will say only develop ONE signature talk but it's up to you; I find having a few works best for me since I can talk on many different types of topics), survey an audience of people if you aren't sure what kind of topics. Then write up a quick description or outline of a possible 20-30 minute talk on those topics, something with bullets, short and to the point showing how the audience will benefit (see my speaking page on my website if you aren't sure what I mean).

Then put those topics on a word document, add your photo and a short bio as well as your contact info to book you for a speaking gig and whoala! You just developed your speaker sheet. (Mine are on that same speaking page on the bottom.)

Next, you send it by email or mail to all those persons responsible for booking speakers for their events; you can normally find them on the organizations' websites or call to ask who's in charge of such a thing for each one.

Then you want to follow up with a phone call or another email and try to get the person on the phone so you can quickly chat with them and brainstorm how you can serve their audience in a talk you can give.

Finally, remember to contact these organizations way ahead of time. Many of them book their speakers for the year in the fall of the previous year so if you contact them in February, it might be too late for that year, but make sure you're on their list for the following year then.

Oh, and one last thing....remember to practice your talks, get feedback and keep revising them to stay current, interesting and valuable.
Let me know if you need help or referrals - I do talk to a lot of speaker 'booker' types!

P.S. Want my help getting some clarity in your business or business idea? I can take your ideas or current business and literally figure out how to put it into OVERDRIVE within a really short amount of time. Contact me or sign up for one of my 1on1 services!

Go to my services page.

Go to my products page.

--Kat Out !