The eWomenNetwork Annual Conference last week in Dallas, TX was off the hook exciting, energizing and (expensive!)...read on, you'll see what I'm talking about!
First of all, for all my eWomen Friends: Let me say what an amazing weekend we had!
For those unfortunate souls who weren't able to attend this year - OMG! You must, must, must join us next year - go buy your tickets now! Many of us can't even put into words WHY you must attend but if the sign of us signing up for next year at this year's conference (for hundreds of people) isn't proof enough, then I don't know what is! Go to http://www.ewomennetwork.com/.
I don't know about you but clearly I made some remarkable shifts in my business (and my life and mindset too!) during my experience in Dallas this year (and I've got video to prove it! scroll down for that)
In case you forgot who I am, let me refresh your memory.....
I'm OPRAH BOUND!!!
Let me tell you what happened. Each year Sandra and Kym offer these amazing trips and adventures during the conference to all over the world - New York, Bamff, San Fran and even foreign countries. Two years ago I wanted to go on the trip with Sandra and one of her Millionaire Girlfriends plus 10 other eWomen members to New York but the price tag was a hefty $7,500!!!
Two years ago, it was a sign up and they'll let you know if you got the trip type of thing but I couldn't even figure out how I would pay to do that, even though I wanted to go so bad and I KNEW it would be an awesome opportunity to network and make connections with women all over the country!
So, I let it slip me by and regretted it all year long.
Then last year they changed the format to a LIVE AUCTION format for the trips at the Gala in front of 2000 women. I had come prepared last year though with about $10,000 in room available on my credit cards in case she offered a trip to New York again; I wasn't going to let it slip me by again!
But in 2007, last year, I'm not really sure if there was a New York trip or what happened but it didn't matter because all of the trips went for huge amounts of money; I don't even remember how much they went for but they were all way over my $10K budget or they didn't feel like the right fit for me - one way or another, I didn't get a trip last year either.
Here's our table - all girls from our South Placer Chapter of eWomenNetwork.
So this year, they told us what trips they had on the website before we even got to the conference. I looked them over:
one was a pro bowl football trip of some kind to New York (but football??), hotel, air, show tickets, etc
one was a trip to Estee Lauder studios and a pampering trip in New York, makeover, shopping, hotel, air, show tickets, etc.
one was a trip to the CNBC studios and time with Donnie Deutsch, star of The Big Idea show, Hearst Publishing, hotel, air, show, etc.
and the last one was a trip to the Emmys, limo, red carpet, photo shoot, dinner with the Yanceys, hotel, air, etc.
But none of these really called out to me regardless of the fact that 3 of the 4 were in NY! I decided to wait until I got there to see what would happen.
Let me preface this with saying that -
THE REASON WHY I WANTED TO DO A TRIP:
Was NOT for the pampering, shopping or sight seeing --- it was purely for self promotion, exposure and connections I could make to further my business before, during and after the trip with whomever I came in contact with. This is a BUSINESS DECISION AND BUSINESS INVESTMENT.
Let me also preface this story with saying that I was also up for the Matchmaker of the Year Award - I was 1 of 6 Finalists and very proud to be among such other great networkers and connectors across America! I did not win this award unfortunately but....that made me even more determined to frankly...figure out how to get some 'stage time' during the gala that night!
So, the live auction came up, they started with the pro bowl trip which went for a steal by the way - a trip to NY and Hawaii for only $8000 or something crazy like that.
Anyhow...they kept going and the bids went up and up and up....the CNBC I think was one of the last ones and I almost bidded on that one since it had to do with getting in front of great media contacts and that's how you get noticed....but something didn't feel right. (maybe it was the $32,000 it ended up going for - to my new friend Sheila Stewart by the way, you go girl!)
A couple other packages, people would keep bidding it up and then Kym and Sandra would pull the potential winners on stage to ask if they wanted to share the package instead of taking their significant others or whatever plus they kept throwing in other add ons to the packages when the bidding got good so I knew this would be what happens each time.
So, that was it. The auction was over (so I thought) and I hadn't bidded for anything and wasn't going anywhere yet again....
UNTIL.....
OPRAH'S FACE APPEARED ON THE BIG SCREEN!
Yep, it was a surprise package trip to Chicago for a chance to meet OPRAH! They rattled off the perks and details of the trip but frankly I wasn't much paying attention at that point because I already had my hand up with my program in it ready to bid my $10,000!!!!
Oh, this package quickly went from $10K, to $15K, to $20K, to $25K...and it kept going, and going and I kept bidding and bidding.....not even really thinking HOW I WOULD GET THE MONEY but thinking that this was the opportunity of a lifetime and something in my gut told me I had to keep going....
I HAD TO WIN THIS PACKAGE!
The Oprah trip was for 2 people and there was this other woman waaaayyyyy across the room from me also bidding and she kept bidding against me - we'd go in $2K increments and this went on for about what seemed like 30 minutes but I'm sure it was only 4 or 5 or so I guess.
So, it got up to freakin' $65,000 - can you say OH MY GOD!
It was all a blur to me frankly but I was thinking to myself - bring us up on stage and negotiate dude! I didn't need to take anyone else and was totally open to going with the other gal bidding to cut the costs a bit....here's some pics with me, Glenda and Sandra and Kym Yancey.
Yes, it was me and this other gal Glenda bidding and yes, at that point Kym and Sandra and Taya brought us up on stage. They whispered to us for a short time while the audience was laughing and chanting the Jeopardy tune and finally Kym offered the trip to both of us for $50,000 each. We both quickly agreed, they made a huge big deal about it on stage, we took tons of photos (which I still have to get and upload) and I'm sure they have better video than me but mine's pretty funny (scroll down for that).
We were whisked away outside the room (to get our money of course!). That's when the first call I made was to Jaime, my Financial Advisor with Edward Jones! She didn't answer (I have her cell phone, come to find out she was in a Rotary meeting). I texted her "Call Me Now!" and she still didn't reply.
I was kinda shaking and freaking out at this point and afraid to call anyone else I knew who wasn't there cuz I knew they wouldn't understand WHAT THE HECK I JUST DID! You almost had to be there to know the energy in the room, the vibration in myself and the enormous mindset shift and belief of complete FAITH (that it would all work out, the universe would bring me good things).
It's a really great package I'm sure; I don't have all the details yet but I trust in faith that this is what I was meant to bid for and what was going to be my next quantum leap in my business.
It was recorded first hand by my friend Jen Bourn of Bourn Creative who had the foresight to catch it on video for me from literally behind the scenes - THANK GOODNESS - THIS WILL BE AWESOME PUBLICITY!!!
I really have to attribute much of my entire mindset shift in the last two years (that there is an abundance of money out there and you've got to give to get and my risk taking spirit to take such a huge GIANT LEAP OF FAITH) to my coaches Alexandria Brown and David Neagle.
For Ali who inspired me to design the business and life of my dreams, to work less and make more, to set up systems to allow me more freedom in my business to do the things I'm meant to do and for introducing me to David who was my next step this year.
For David who totally altered my mindset in regards to 'just believing' and it will come and to go with my gut and live in faith and basically do 'what feels right'.
They both believe in not holding back on getting what you want and to just go for it! Not worrying about HOW things will happen but first making the DECISION for what you want - that's the first step.
I can't wait to share this experience with them in Vegas at the end of the month at David's Experience the Reality of Success Seminar (I think it's sold out but you might check and try to attend!).
In addition, I hope to INSPIRE YOU ALL to live the life and business of YOUR DREAMS. What does that look like?
You probably aren't ready to take a big leap like I did this last weekend but start opening up your mind to the possibilities and you'll be so much closer to getting what you truly want!
I'm working on posting more pictures now of this night and the whole conference experience from my eyes and all of them will eventually also be on my FaceBook profile too (click here to go there now) but I wanted to post this....
8 Ways to Take Your Small Business to the Next Level, part 1
Now that you have built a successful business, you have an established customer base and you are fairly well known in your geographical area, your industry or both, what do you do to stay ahead of your competition? You might want to consider the following tips to help you to expand your business and take it to the next level.
The following are 4 tips to help you increase the size of your business and take it to the next level. In my next post I will share the other 4.
1. Open another location. Either open another location or move into an office space if you are currently working from a home office. This may not be the best choice for expansion; however, it is the first thing business owners often do. If you are thinking of doing this, be sure you are maintaining a consistent bottom-line profit and that you have shown steady growth over the past few years. You also want to ensure your infrastructure, staff and your systems can accommodate the growth. Finally, research the demand of taking this next step and how it will affect your decision.
2. Expand your product or service lines to compliment the ones you currently have. This will allow you to offer more selection and it makes your products and services more appealing to your customer base. However, first, you need to conduct market research to determine which products and/or services are in demand, which would be profitable for you, and which would be affordable to your customers.
3. Find ways to increase repeat business for your current customers. This is a lot less expensive than locating new customers. Initiate reorder cards that you can send out to remind customers to reorder products and/or services when you want them to, not just when they remember to do so. Contact them more often with a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter via email or mail to ensure the customer is keeping you on the top of their minds for additional sales.
Consider developing volume sales discounts, monthly rates, or other discounts to entice them to purchase more at a time or for a longer period of time than instead of just a single sale. If you can, try to get your customer to contract with your business, if your business is set up to do so.
4. Update your Web site or develop a new one if you do not have one. Be sure to add monthly specials, discounts and/or promotions on your site – especially on the home page to attract attention. Ensure individuals/businesses visiting your site sign up in order to qualify to win a drawing or receive a discount, so that you can add them to your database. You can also add products and/or services to sell online. If done correctly, this adds sales and reduces the time necessary to locate these sales. These are typically bonus sales above and beyond anything you would normally sell since they are from a different ‘group’ of people.
--Kat Out
Want help figuring out the best ways to take your business to the next level? Contact Katrina and find out how she can help you or go to her website and at least get her Free Report at http://www.getfreemarketingtips.com/!
Do You Feel Like You're Running on a Hamster Wheel and You Don't Know How or Can't Get Off?
Why do we always insist on doing it all?
I can't tell you how many clients and other business owners I see every month who continue to believe that THEY have to DO IT ALL.
I learned this lesson a couple years ago. When I hired my first assistant I thought I had to hire "an employee" so I got the insurance, worker's comp, payroll service and put an ad out.
I didn't even know what I could pay or for how many hours mind you at this time, I just knew in order to get more successful and get more business quicker - I needed someone to help me do the things that were slowing me down.
So I found my first "employee", paid the payroll, taxes, etc. It was all relatively easy.
Unfortunately that employee ran his course and I soon needed someone with additional talents and skills. So I (being the connector that I am) found that employee another job with a client of mine and hired a different employee for myself with added skills that I needed to get me to my next step. That second employee was so good in fact that she got hired out from under me to work full time in a great job. I wished her well because it was ideal for her but then I was stuck again and back on the hamster wheel, doing it all myself.
I was introduced to a temp agency who could have someone come and work in my home or from their home if need be for certain projects. I hired someone from the temp agency who worked out very well. She had another small business of her own and she did other work for other professionals as well. She brought many ideas to the table for me and challenged me to work more ON my business and let her work IN it. She took on client projects and research projects plus other things that I really didn't need to be doing. I in turn was able to network more, follow up more and got a lot more new clients and referrals after this.
After this temp gal ran her course I was so used to someone working "virtually" for me, from her home or from mine depending on the day or project that I wasn't sure I wanted someone to come back into my home office space again. This is when I learned about Virtual Assistants - what a concept! They do my work from their home and it gets done efficiently and successfully.
I now have 3 Virtual Assistants and looking to hire one more. One who does all my bookkeeping, manages my shopping cart sales and my QuickBooks, one who does all my data entry for all the business cards I collect out networking and they also do any mailers that need to go out to my list. The third VA is my right hand gal - she does everything I can think of. Anything that comes across my desk that needs to be signed up for, looked into, opportunities that need investigating plus she handles my whole membership program (Marketing Mentor Program) - new sign ups, cancellations, email blasts, website updates and so much more! I couldn't think about doing this alone anymore and I am no longer on the hamster wheel!!
I realize it's hard to figure out how and what to outsource at first because you think you are the only one that can do certain things.
But I can tell you - every single client I consult with in my 1-On-1 Marketing Planning Meeting or any call or consult really - I urge and recommend outsourcing 1-8 things! There is always a way - you sometimes just need to be SHOWN the way.
Once you do this you will be able to step off that hamster wheel more often than not and you will have so much more free time to do the things that you LOVE TO DO, be with the clients you LOVE working with, be able to develop new products and services and figure out ways to leverage your time and expertise to make you more M.O.N.E.Y. with less effort and less time.
Isn't that the goal?
Let me help you figure out how to get off that hamster wheel and get more clients and experience more success faster - let's do it now!
3 Tips on How to Build Your List From Your Web site
These are 3 Tips on How to Build Your List From Your Web site Someday, wouldn’t you like to be able to work strictly by word of mouth and a referral system? Wouldn't it be nice to work less hours, while still earning more money? Your contact database is your most precious asset and is the key to helping you achieve these goals. Therefore, it is imperative that you increase the number of contacts within your database and use it to keep in front of those contacts regularly. This will ensure that when your contacts think about the product or service you offer, that YOU are on the top of their mind.
3 Tips on Building Your List from Your Web site
1. Add an Email Signup Form to the home page of your Web site, as well as the other pages of your site. There should also be a link to an email marketing program such as the one that I am using, which automatically adds individuals to my mailing list when they sign up. There is no manual entry process necessary. This type of service makes it easy for visitors to add themselves to your list; however, you still must tempt them to sign up! One way to do this is to use a “give away”, such as a free report or resource offering that entices them to sign up. Be sure to steer clear of saying "sign up for our newsletter". 2. Develop an Email Marketing Campaign designed to use your ever-increasing database contacts. Remember, it is not enough to just add contacts to your list; you need to remind them about you often. Are you getting my email newsletters chock full of great marketing tips?
3. Develop Exceptional Copy for your Web site. You will not retain the interests of your site visitors without great content, headlines, and informative yet easy to read text. In addition, if you are selling a product and/or service that is not available as a Web purchase, be sure to include separate sales pages for each product or service that you offer. If you struggle with writing good content to sell your product and/or service, hire a content writer. Remember, good writing is vital to the success of any Web site!
Does this make sense? It really is not that difficult. The most difficult part is creating a Web site that is professional, functional and that is updated often to include these "must haves". This task is not normally something most people can do themselves. It can be a disservice to your business if you attempt to design your own site. This is not something that you should be doing - delegate it!
What NOT to do when planning a LIVE event! Part 2 of 2
Last week I started discussing my trials and tribulations on planning and promoting a big live event. I shared with you 10 of the 20 things I came across that you do not want to do when planning your live event. Here’s the other 10. 11. Don't think you're going to run your own audio visuals especially if you're the speaker (that includes videotaping yourself, recording the audios, playing music during breaks etc.) - you need to be 'on your game' the whole day
12. Do not forget that you have to give your attendees "AN EXPERIENCE" they will never forget or why will they come back or buy from you?
13. Don't think "if you build it, they will come"
14. Don't spend your marketing dollars in the wrong places or inexpensive places just because they're inexpensive - make sure you spend your dollars where your target audience will see it
15. Don't think you can put on an event for 30 + (and especially more!) people and NOT spend hardly any marketing dollars
16. Do not be cheap - you want to look like you have what it takes for them to hire you or feel comfortable to buy your products
17. Don't forget last minute details like nametags, volunteers, extra microphones, table signs, electricity and internet, parking and directions
18. Do not let yourself get sick because you are working 20 + hours a day trying to pull it all together at the end because you thought you could 'do it all yourself' (to save money)
19. Don't forget to sell stuff at your LIVE event
20. Don't forget to have a feedback survey afterwards and collect testimonials (live in person, audio or written) for future marketing purposes
No, Richard and I didn't make all these mistakes but we came close to many and did a few. Since this topic was so top of mind with me at the moment I thought I'd share these points I've learned with you. I hope you find it helpful.
Now don't get discouraged! You can still plan your own event, just be wise about it. You can actually make a TON ofmoney if you structure it right. I plan to sell stuff at EntrePalooza - product and services packages and a bootcamp for example. And at one event Ali was a guest at (not her own event - she makes more there) she made over $100,000 on her product sales in the back of the room - amazing huh? (maybe some of you already do this? fantastic!)
Ali Brown actually put together her complete marketing secrets on every step she took to plan, promote, market, sell out and put on her Blueprint Workshop among other tips for being a speaker at other people's events too - she rolled it all into an awesome product she now sells called her Marketing Workshop Secrets. I think it's fantastic myself and she gives you all her email templates, copies of her mailings, timeline, budget, everything in this package. If you're thinking about planning your own LIVE event in the next year or two (because Ali says you have to plan 6 months in advance!) I highly recommend you pick up her Marketing Workshop Secrets product and get some help! (because believe me, I'm not going to do it for you! hee hee)
Go to the products page of her website and check it out - Alexandria Brown -- Kat Out
I started this blog basically because my techie friends said it would be good to link this with my website (www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com) and vice versa for more overall traffic to my site.
In it I talk about business and marketing issues and topics but I also share a little of my personal life.
For more info or to get my Free Report: The Top 3 Ways to JumpStart Your Marketing - go to www.JumpStartYourMarketing.com now!
The Ultimate Follow Up Systemthis is 117 pages of content written by me that shows you EXACTLY how to do your own effective follow up and design your own system so that it definitely gets done each week - this is all stuff I teach my clients every day with in my $500/hour coaching practice.
The Do-It-Yourself Marketing Planning Guide***174 page planning guide and workbook with questions to get you thinking about EVERY aspect of your small business’ marketing PLUS sample budgeting spreadsheet, follow up letters, email correspondence, flyer templates, letterhead templates, how to articles and checklists, free reports, ebooks and more!
