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May 30
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professional woman, personal branding

Personal Branding: 4 Questions To Start With

By Personal Branding

Personal branding is your  way to show the world who you are, what you know, and what you stand for. You use it to communicate all you bring to the table so ideal clients will buy from you and perfect opportunities come to you.

A lot of people start on the outside when working on their personal brands: they get a new headshot, buy new business cards, get their websites redesigned.

Personal Branding: Where To Start

The place to start  for personal branding is not on the outside. It’s INSIDE, and giving yourself a bit of time to go within will help you develop a personal brand that is compelling, clear, and attractive to your ideal clients, prospects, employers, referral partners and other opportunities. It will also help you feel more confident because you’ll be showcasing your strengths and Deep Genius™.

Being self-aware is the first step to both developing your personal brand and really owning it. The more you understand yourself and what makes you tick, the better you can understand your personal branding and bring it to the forefront to build your business, grow trust, and advance your career.

The place to start is to look at who you are and what drives you. These four questions guide you through the basics and give you solid place to launch your personal branding from. After you reach clarity on these four points, you’ll have a starting point to create your message, visual brand and more.

1. What Are Your Values?

Your values are the beliefs you operate under and are a big factor for your personal branding. They guide your decisions by determining what matters most to you. Think about situations, behaviors, or trends that drive you crazy and make you angry. There’s a good chance these irk you because they trample over your values. Your dislike of trolls on social media flies in the face of your value of RESPECT. Seeing people hoodwink others steps on your value of HONESTY.

Think about your values and identify your top 5-10. Observe yourself and how you see these values showing up in your life and work. Because your personal branding reflects who you are, it will reflect your values whether you’re consciously doing that or not. Be sure you are highlighting the values you stand for, not someone else’s.

Here are a few to get you started: integrity, honesty, advocacy, beauty, luxury, elegance, freedom, individualism, self-determination, community, togetherness, service, education, creativity, artistry, fairness, justice, equality, religion, spirituality, order, neatness, simplicity.

2. What’s Your Big Why?

Personal branding is an expression to state what drives you. What’s the big reason fueling you in life? What’s your purpose? What’s your mission?

Are you here to bring peace, love, and understanding? Are you here to poke holes through paradigms and get people to look at the world differently? Will you be the first to do or be something? What is your dream? Where do you feel called to serve?

When you find your Big Why, work no longer feels like work. It’s your passion. Time collapses and bends when you’re immersed in your Big Why, and even working long hours can feel like five minutes because you’re so inspired and motivated.

When you recognize your WHY and how it works in your life, you can highlight it as part of what makes you unique… ie, your personal brand.

3. What’s Your Deep Genius™ ?

The dictionary defines genius as “exceptional intellectual or creative power or natural ability”.  Combining that with your learned skills and strengths gained through life experience, you have your Deep Genius™.  It’s a key differentiation in the way I approach personal branding with my clients. It’s your unique imprint on the world, the invisible force inside you that drives innovation and potential. It’s your secret stamp.

Think of the things that come easily and effortlessly to you. These are your natural strengths- the things that make up your genius. You may have a natural gift with people, children, animals, difficult situations, mathematical problems, logistical challenges, spatial relationships, making money, business, selling, marketing, language… the possibilities are endless. Look at your own skills and spot the things that come second nature to you. That’s the first step of finding your Deep Genius™.

4. Why Does It All Matter?

You’re here to make an impact. You stand for something. You have a voice. Why does that matter?

A key part of your personal brand is knowing what you’re an advocate for. An advocate is here to stand up and be the voice that’s heard.

You can be an advocate for kindness, and that shows up in your work around customer service,  working with the elderly or in the field of diversity and inclusion. You can be an advocate for financial freedom and teach people ways to make their money work for them. You can be an advocate for longevity and work in the area of health and wellness. No matter what you do or who you work for, you are an advocate for something. Look at your values and your Big Why and you’ll see the clues there. Knowing this gives depth to your personal brand and lets you speak passionately about what you do.

By answering these four questions, you now have the basis for your personal brand. From this point, you’ll build out by aligning this with your  precise skills, competency, personality, and expertise. You’ll feel more clear when creating visual branding such as a website, logo, or photos.

Starting from the inside is the strongest way to land on your true, unique personal brand. By taking a few moments to look at who you really are, you’ll find that your personal branding is nothing more than you stating the truth of who you are, proudly and confidently.

 

Ready to Uncover Your Deep Genius™ Personal Brand?

The fastest results happen when you have a dedicated professional guiding you every step of the way. That’s what I do and it’s my Deep Genius™. Working together, we discover hidden assets that help you make more money, advance your career, get known in your industry and make a bigger impact.

Click HERE to learn more about personal branding coaching with me 

Oct 07
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Men: Go From Doing to Being

By Uncategorized No Comments

A lot of successful men come to me for consulting and coaching. They’re at the top of their game, financially secure, and masters in their fields.

But something’s up. They feel restless. Wondering why being BUSY like they’ve always been doesn’t give them the buzz it once did. What’s their genius, they wonder? What is it they’re really meant to be doing here?

And yes, like most men they want to FIX IT! Fix that feeling, fix that restlessness, find a solution and let’s move on!

Look, guys: you’ve spent YEARS finding fast solutions to fix things. But your answers aren’t going to come to you via transactions this time around. When you reach a certain age- say 45 and up- things change. Especially if you’ve enjoyed success and have reached your goals.

More and more men are coming to me with the desire to stop DOING and start BEING.

They’ve built up this wonderful business, taken all the risks, started things, created, constructed… and now they’re ready for something else.

But what is that?

For many, it’s the journey to becoming a mentor, a leader, and a teacher.

To fill those shoes, you need to know about yourself. You need to understand what makes you tick, what your strengths are, and what you want to be remembered for.

It’s not a small feat.

You start to use words like “legacy”, that before sounded strangely grandfatherly. Or you might realize that building for you is no longer about start ups or ventures… building for you is now about something within.

Men, let me tell you something.

If you’re feeling this restless pull to go within and find out WHO you are, you are in good company. More and more men are coming to this place of realization where they want to now be honored for WHO they are, not just for WHAT they have done or can do.

When I work with clients, I take them on the inner journey by delving deeply into their Talent and Genius. I find out their life story, their innate gifts, their character. I learn about their personality, their dreams, and their biggest goals. I discover hidden talents, little known traits, and strengths that couldn’t be revealed until now.

And after that digging and learning, a leader emerges. A man ready to embark on the next phase of his life, a man ready to mentor and inspire others.

The first step, though, is to unhook from DOING… and learn how to BE. Just Be.

If you’re a man on the brink of your next chapter, a man who has built it and done it and is ready to discover WHO you are as a legacy maker, then contact me and let’s see if my work can usher in that next phase. 

Jul 08
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10 Tips to Create Killer Content

By Market Positioning No Comments

“Content is King” when positioning yourself as an expert. But what do you do when you run dry on ideas? What do you talk about? What do you write about? Who cares?

First of all, LOTS of people care. When you create content, you’re taking your wisdom and packaging it so others can learn from it. It can be something as simple as a checklist or as elaborate as a video series.

Follow these 10 tips so creating content is always on your mind and something you do on a regular basis to promote your business.

1. Listen

Keep your eyes and ears open and look for teachable moments. Tie your content into everyday life with analogies that loop back to your area of expertise.

2. Survey

Ask your list, friends, network, or Facebook connections questions to help you understand what people want. Find out the challenges and obstacles people are facing then create content to address those issues.

3.  Repurpose

A single topic can be repurposed into multiple formats and still stay fresh and relevant. For example, an article you write could be turned into the topic for a video, webinar, blog post, podcast, speech. People will consume the same information in multiple formats- repurposing will help you do that.

4. Repackage

Look back at things you’ve created over the past months or years. Bundle similar topics together into a repackaged version. It gives new life to your content!

5. Report

Find something to report on whether it’s in your industry or from information you collect. Publish it in multiple formats to leverage.

6. Piggyback

Is there a hot topic in the news? Something everyone is talking about? Put your opinion or findings together and piggyback on the idea. What will make you stand out is having your own opinion and using your content to differentiate yourself from the rest.

7. Systematize

Create an editorial calendar and use it to brainstorm topics you’ll use in your content. Be consistent with your topics so people can easily identify your expertise with the solution they need.

8. Collaborate

Team up with a colleague and co-create content. Interview each other, create something together, or cross promote.

9. Rant

Nothing gets the blood up like a good old rant. Is there something you want to speak up about? Let that fuel your content.

10. Recycle

Like repurposing and repackaging, recycling is giving life to existing content. If you have something you created years ago that’s just collecting dust, bring it out for a revival!

 Remember: creating content anchors your status as a recognized expert. Take these tips and get your message out there!

——————

Are you ready to leverage your expertise so you attract more clients and make more money? Apply for a complimentary consultation with me to explore challenges, opportunities, and wild ideas in your business!

There is no pressure to buy from me or enter any of my programs, however if you appear to be a good candidate for my mentoring, then (and only then) will I share how we can work together. You can learn about my intensive mentoring, group programs, VIP Days, and more IF it’s a good fit. We’ll know that when we connect!

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May 21
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10 Tips To Keep Clients

By Build Your Business, Uncategorized No Comments

Guess what?

Getting clients isn’t all about finding new people day after day to fill your programs. So many people think that doing business involves a never-ending chase for the new prospect. In addition to keeping your business open to welcome new clients, don’t forget about your existing clients and how you can continue to work together.

With a balanced approach, you can still get your name out there so new clients find you, yet  retain the clients you currently have.

I’ve been asked this question a lot so I created a list of 10 ways you can retain clients so they can continue their transformations, and you can continue getting paid.

You’ll notice that the first half of these tips involve client care and personal interactions. I list these because you need to have an ongoing culture of client appreciation and celebration. If someone feels valued by you, they’re less likely to go elsewhere for help.

I’ve also included a few tactical efforts- specific things you can do in your business RIGHT NOW to create new revenue streams.

lollipop

1. Put client care first: treat your clients like gold from the start

This should be a given. Be good to your clients and they’ll be good to you!

2. Track progress together

It’s important to keep track of clients’ progress together. Keep records of where people were when they started with you, and where they are now. Review progress as a regular part of your interactions so your clients see all the big changes happening for them.

3. Celebrate results!

Celebrate your clients as often as possible. Whether it’s a shout out on Facebook , a quick email, or acknowledgment on a phone call, make it a regular practice to celebrate results.

4. Remember special occasions

A simple card, flowers, or a thoughtful birthday gift can mean the world to your client. It’s that extra touch that people remember and appreciate.

5. Offer entry to a higher level program (Upsell)

Design your programs so people have the opportunity to continue with you on a higher, more intense level if that’s the right fit. If someone takes a 4 week class with you, then invite them to a 90 Day Inner Circle, a live retreat, or another way to take the deeper dive.

6. Offer to repeat

Someone might want to take your program again- don’t deny the chance for repeat business if you can create this!

7. Offer entry to a continuity program

A continuity program is anything that gives clients the chance to stay on working with you for either an ongoing monthly charge or for a specified price/duration. Continuity programs operate like memberships- clients get access to materials, resources, coaching, etc as long as they’re members.

8. Give a special Alumni Offer

Value your clients by giving them special Alumni Offers. You can give them a special price to show how much you appreciate their ongoing business.

9. Offer “Client Only” Perks They Can’t Resist

Make being your client the coolest thing on the planet! Find things to share that ONLY your clients get access to. It turns your clients into VIP Rock Stars!

10. Always Let Your Clients Know You Value and Cherish Them!

Much of client retention has to do with how a person feels while they’re your client. Letting your clients know they’re special and valued keeps them in your world. Make it your top priority to create a world your clients LOVE to be in!

Share this article- and be sure to leave a comment below with your thoughts.

 

Apr 29
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Book Marketing Challenge 2014

By Marketing Tip No Comments

Authors and aspiring authors, listen up!

A lot of business owners think that writing a book will change their world, fill their bank accounts, and create a nonstop flow of clients.

Actually, that’s not true.

The opportunities flow when you do 2 important things:

  1. Promote and market your book with a killer online marketing strategy
  2. Promote and market YOU as an author with an equally strong strategy

It hurts when you find out how many authors run out of gas after their books publish. Whether it’s an unsold Kindle book gathering digital dust, or cases of books cluttering your garage, the book marketing plan is where you need to put your energy.

Enter my friend D’vorah Lansky, the best book marketing expert around.

Each year for the past six years she’s pulled together an amazing group of
book marketing experts, who are eager to share their knowledge and expertise with you.

This year over 40 authors, publishers, and book marketing experts (including myself)
will be sharing their wisdom as part of the 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge!

Grab your complimentary ticket here

bmChallenge2014

The Book Marketing Challenge will provide you with hands-on, interactive training, on a wide variety of
online book marketing strategies. You’ll also have opportunities to develop wonderful
new friendships with other authors and our guest experts!

During the Book Marketing Challenge, you’ll have access to workshops, expert interviews, articles,
daily action steps, hot tips, special gifts, and opportunities to expand your online presence.

Claim your FREE ACCESS PASS and connect with authors, publishers, and book marketing experts
who are dedicated to bringing their message to the world and showing you how to do the same.

Join us for this hands-on, interactive program and:

  • Develop Your Author platform
  • Learn how to build a list of thirsty readers
  • Discover ways to create multiple income streams with your book
  • Access specific book marketing strategies that deliver results
  • Find out the most powerful ways to reach more readers, globally

Join us for the Book Marketing Challenge: Expand Your Reach, Your Connections, and Your Book Sales!
Register for your Free Access Pass and get started today.

Let’s do this! Sign up here

Apr 29
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Wild Ideas with Pamela Slim

By Business Motivation, Uncategorized No Comments

A while back, I grabbed a few of my most wildly creative entrepreneur friends and asked them all the same thing:

Tell me about a risky, wild idea you took action on… and it paid off.

I wanted to hear their thoughts on risk taking and innovation… and inspire YOU to take risks with your wildly creative ideas.

Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation and her latest, Body of Work, is a risk taker extraordinaire. From her days as a high school exchange student to her current fame as a best selling author and coach, Pam’s life is devoted to curiously seeking new ways of understanding the world and ourselves.

Listen in to this inspiring conversation!

P.S. The link I mention to the VirtualChatSeries.com site is inactive but if you’re not yet a subscriber to my list, Click here to get my free training Get Paid to Be You!

Mar 11
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W.A.I.T.

By Business Motivation No Comments

I first learned this acronym when I was training to be a coach. Listening (and letting people talk) are more powerful tools for getting to the solution than lecturing. It works beautifully when selling too!WAIT

Keep this over your phone (if you do a lot of phone work) or in your head as you work with people. It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received!

Use the social share buttons below to put this on your Facebook wall or Pinterest!

Feb 20
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No List and No Clients

By Build Your Business, Uncategorized No Comments

Most of the tips I share here make a simple assumption: you’ve got a business with clients but you want  more. I mentor coaches ready to make that leap by offering coaching groups, higher end services, and positioning themselves online as experts.

But what about the new coaches? What about the people who don’t have lists or are just starting out online?

By popular demand, I’ve assembled 4 super easy tips to get you clients. You don’t need to learn any software or spend money. These are things I used to build my business 10 years ago and if I had to start all over again, I’d do the exact same thing. From here you can move people onto your list then move up to do more online marketing.

We all need a square one… here you go!

1. Public Speaking

When I first started out, I joined a few networking groups then quickly offered myself as a speaker. This was a great way to get both clients and MORE speaking invites! You can also do “brown bag” talks at local companies, offer community workshops, church seminars, and start building your business locally.

2. Join Groups

Both online and offline, when you’re part of a group you can show off your expertise by offering sharp insights and valuable wisdom. Join groups where your ideal client is hanging out. That’s the secret: if you join groups filled with other coaches, you’ll just spin your wheels!

3. Reach Out Old School Style

Compose a letter that describes your services and send it out to family and friends. Let people know what you’re doing, that you’re accepting clients, and if they’d please share this with people they know who’d benefit from this. It’s an old school approach but it’s tried and true!

4. Talk About Your Business So People Get Excited to Hear More

When people hear you explain your business, do they get excited and want to hear more? Or do they walk away? Fine tune the way you describe what you do and you’ll instantly improve your odds of getting the sale!

Put those 4 pieces in place and you’ll have everything you need to get more clients. From there you can build a bigger online presence via your website, Facebook page, etc. But for starters, keep it simple. Reach out. Make the ask.

You can do this!

Feb 19
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Want Awesome Clients? Feed Them Dinner

By Build Your Business, Uncategorized No Comments

When you think of perfect clients, who comes to mind?

People who can pay you? People who have problems you can solve?
Those are great places to start, but there are other elements to include ESPECIALLY if you’re a coach or consultant.

Why? Because our work gets to the heart of people. We see their good, bad, and ugly. Our questions to spark growth can irritate some, enthrall others… in other words, there’s a lot of emotion attached to the work we do and we need to consider this when identifying who we want to work with.

Here’s what I do: I picture myself giving a big dinner party. The guests are my Ideal Clients. And as I look around the table, I see people who I absolutely LOVE to be around. People who love the food, appreciate the ambiance, and enjoy the entire experience. They are positive, proactive, action based, and doing good for the world.

You are sooooo not invited to my coaching group!

You are sooooo not invited to my coaching group!

You know who I don’t see when I picture this dinner party? I don’t see bullies, haters, drama queens, excuse makers, thieves, plagiarists, backstabbers, gossipers, or crybabies.

You, as a business owner, have every right to choose who is and who is NOT your ideal client. Even if the person comes to you loaded with money, ready to throw cash at your feet, if it’s not a fit you have the power to say NO.

I know, it can be scary. You probably need the money, need the sale, tell yourself you’ll just hunker down and tolerate this person until your coaching agreement is over.

Ummmmm, hello? You’re a coach right? When I trained as a coach, the big word of the day was TOLERATIONS. We helped people identify what they were TOLERATING, then coached them to release that. How can you work in integrity if you’re tolerating less than ideal clients?

When you clear yourself of non-ideal clients, you open the doors to more than your share of perfectly matched clients!

And please… don’t start with too much logic when you identify your Ideal Client. Start with your heart. Your head will understand. Here’s the recipe I’ve used for the last decade to fill my business with clients so cool, they’ll amaze and delight you and pay you!

1. List all the qualities and attributes of your perfect client. This is the person who you’re excited to work with and who brings total joy to your work.
Here are some examples:

My perfect client

  • is enthusiastic
  • sees my fee as a great value and pays on time
  • gets incredible results from our work
  • is open minded and willing to trust
  • refers reliable, wonderful people
  • makes time to implement our work
  • appreciates the new directions I take with my business and grows with me.

 

 

2. What is a common passion that I share with my ideal clients?
Consider these examples:

  • Committed to making a difference in the world
  • Uses organic products
  • Appreciates creativity, diversity, and connecting with the community
  • Loves kids and pets
  • Into technology
  • Enjoys the outdoors

 

 

3. What is this person’s temperament?
Are they:

  • assertive
  • outgoing
  • introverted
  • pensive
  • quiet
  • dreamy
  • childlike
  • strong
  • charismatic
  • daring
  • etc?

If you could wake up each day and know that your business was filled with perfect clients, how would you approach your work? What would your energy level be like? How would you present yourself to the rest of the world? What would your income be?

Yes, finding clients involves market research, such as studying demographics and trends. But it also involves setting the boundaries that will allow the right people to connect with you. By sharpening your focus on what it is that you want, you’ll be much clearer on what you don’t want.

Fill your business with perfect clients and enjoy the gift of loving what you do while making an outstanding living. Bon appetit!

Jan 08
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I Set Healthy Boundaries

By Business Motivation No Comments

If you’re a coach, trainer, speaker, consultant, healer or other helping profession, you may feel challenged by setting firm boundaries around your time and availability. Your nature is to help and serve… but you need to take care of yourself too so you don’t burn out.

Your Talent and Genius (#TAG) deserve this.

Here are a few places to start:

1. WORK HOURS
Create a work schedule with your available days and times. Put this in the signature line of your emails so clients see this, and let clients know your hours when they sign up to work with you. Don’t give the impression that you’re open 24/7.

2. WHAT YOU DO/ WHAT YOU DON’T DO
One of my colleagues recently shared a frustration of being asked endless technical questions from his clients. They didn’t hire him for technical help, but somewhere along the line he must have given some technical help because it opened up the floodgates. Set up the working relationship right by outlining your strengths and providing links to resources people can tap into if they need help you’re not qualified to provide.

3. AUTOMATE
We all love the personal touch, but automation can help enforce boundaries. Setting up an auto-reply on your email over the weekend, using an online calendar to book appointments, and utilizing online forums for Q and A are just a few ways to protect your precious time while still helping clients.

4. MODEL WHAT OTHERS CAN EMULATE
Like attracts like. When you model healthy boundaries, you serve your clients. They’ll be inspired to set healthy boundaries in their lives too.

5. BE CHEERFUL ABOUT YOUR BOUNDARIES
Setting boundaries isn’t about being bitchy, reactive, or whiny about what you don’t tolerate. They’re there to kindly inform people how they can best be served. Use phrases such as “in order to best serve you, I’ve created these guidelines”. Put the positive spin on your boundaries and your fear of setting them will vanish.

If you have other tips to add to this, feel free to put them in the comments.
You can also LIKE and SHARE this with your friends!

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