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Attention business owners, entrepreneurs, marketers and VA’s… and those who want to get the most out of Social Media Marketing…

It’s not too late to register for the upcoming Social Media Success Summit (Starting May 4th) for only $397 and save $200! (Savings only valid until midnight PST, April 20th). Check out below for details on this popular on-line summit where you will gain valuable information about social media… It’s a huge savings and really worth it. Click here to register

Dan and I registered the other day and in this early bird deal they are offering, you also get a bonus of a whole bunch of giveaways worth $797 that can be accessed once registered. I started watching some of the videos and have already learned a ton about Facebook! To me, that alone was a lot of value!

Here’s a sample of the 20 valuable (and relevant!) bonuses they’re giving away:

* Facebook for Business: How to Create a Loyal Following, Build Your Brand, and Increase Your Profits Using the #1 Social Network
* Using the Power and Reach of LinkedIn to Grow Your Business
* How to Grow and Engage an Audience on Twitter
* The Twitter Strategy Marketing Guide
* How to Drive More Qualified Traffic to Your Blog

There is also a forum and Facebook community to network with, which is also a bonus!

Be SURE to register by Tuesday, April 20, to enjoy a savings of $200!! (There’s even a two-pay plan to make it super easy on your wallet.)

This event is *entirely* virtual and your ticket includes ALL replays for your review or in case you can’t make any live sessions. 24 leading social media experts will lead content-rich sessions including someone I admire greatly, Mari Smith.

This year’s focus is to provide everything you need to create an effective social media marketing plan, track your social media results and learn from other successful businesses. Plus, you’ll find out how to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare and Groupon to attract high-caliber customers and grow your business during any economy.

Dan and I hope you will join us – the great thing is that after the event is over, we can help you build your social network if you don’t have the time nor inclination, but it’s so important you understand that medium first so we can provide assistance as needed.

To your social media success!

Sue & Dan

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I’ve been talking a lot lately to clients about branding and finding their niche but this can be quite challenging to new entrepreneurs or even seasoned business owners when it isn’t clear what their brand is or who they would ideally want to work with. It’s important to explore these two areas to better serve the success of your business. Fabienne Fredrickson teaches client attraction and wrote a great article about the importance of finding your niche (ideal client). Read below to help you put the fears surrounding this topic to rest.
Sue
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“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” — Bill Cosby

To attract clients consistently and with little effort, your marketing message must be clear and it must stand out. There’s no way around it. If what you say about your business and what prospects read about it isn’t sounding irresistible to them, they’ll move on to the next person. Guaranteed.

So, your task is to stand out from the pack and to make prospects really stand up and listen to what you have to offer. In my opinion, standing out from the pack is easiest if you have an expertise or a niche. (But you knew that already.) So, what’s stopping you? Well, after having worked with thousands of people on this issue, I’ve come up with 2 reasons why most people don’t niche:

• They believe they’ll turn away opportunities if they go too narrow.
• They wouldn’t even know where to start (and most are going about it the WRONG way).

Let’s start with the first point.

Believing that you’ll turn away clients and opportunities if you niche is actually completely and utterly invalid. It comes from a “lack” mindset, one based in fear. Ironically, the exact opposite is true. When you niche properly, you get more clients and Client Attraction becomes SO much easier:

• Your marketing message becomes crystal clear.
• Your marketing plan is SO much easier (and less costly).
• People perceive you as an expert (clients seek out experts).
• You get a lot more referrals than generalists do.
• Strategic alliances seek YOU out.
• You can charge more because you know more.
• You get sought out by the media (the media loves experts)

Once you get clear it’s of absolute benefit to you to niche, your job is to do just that. And that’s usually the daunting part. There are many ways of creating a niche. Solopreneurs often don’t know where to start and if you ask me, people go about it in the wrong way (that’s probably why it’s so frustrating and why they’ve even stopped trying to niche). Here’s where they’re making a mistake.

Most people look on the OUTSIDE for a niche, when they should be looking on the INSIDE. Instead of TRYING to find a demographic that is more affluent, or more likely to work with you and forcing yourself into a particular niche, just because the numbers look good on paper, look for a situation or type of person you have an AFFINITY with, who can recognize that working with you is essential.

Hint: your niche is usually someone like you, who is in the “before” stage of YOUR own “before-and-after” story. This is really important. When someone is looking to hire someone in your industry, they’re looking for a SOLUTION to their biggest problem. Not only that, they’re also looking for reassurance it will work and their mo-ney will be well spent.

Essentially, many will come to you and pay you (well) to have you show them how to get to the “after” part of the story. That’s when using your Compelling Story in your marketing begins to REALLY make a difference in your Client Attraction. When you can tell your story, show your struggles, what you did to get over those, and what your situation is like now (and that you can help them do the exact same thing and, oh, you’ve actually got a Proprietary System that will walk them through it easily) they’re SOLD.

Right there, on the spot, they will choose to be your client. And you haven’t even opened your mouth yet! Your marketing message and materials did all the work for you. How cool is that?

Your Assignment:

Instead of looking on the OUTSIDE for your niche, look for it on the INSIDE. Your best clients may just be the person experiencing the “before” part of your “before and after” story. A person in that position will look to you for the solutions they need and will probably do anything and pay relatively anything to work with you to get out of their situation. They’ll trust you faster than they would the average Joe and will look to you as their problem solver before anyone else.

Use your compelling story to pinpoint your niche. It can be either a type of SITUATION you’re solving or a type of PERSON you work with. Or it can be both, it doesn’t matter. They key is to have such clarity in your marketing (a niche) that clients and customers self-select and pre-qualify themselves to be your client, with little or no effort on your part. Then, they reach out to you without you having to do anything. Can you now see how much easier it is to have a niche? Good. This may just be the start of a whole new business and income level for you.

You may be having trouble figuring out your own Compelling Story, Proprietary System, and niche. If so, I recommend getting a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It gives you the most important things to do to figure this all out easily, and then set up simple, solid marketing systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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About Fabienne

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

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Let me start off by asking you a question…. How long has it been since your website’s home page has been updated with fresh new text and images? How about your blog? Has it been weeks… months even … since your last entry? What about the last time you sent out a newsletter?

If you had a strong urge to click the delete button after reading the above due to the sudden guilt pangs that just hit you, hold off on the temptation and be assured you are not alone! There are many business entrepreneurs that have neglected their website for many different reasons and now they are left feeling the whole “website thing” has been a bust. But there’s hope yet! Don’t abandon ship until you read this article…

Before getting started, it’s important to remember that your website is NOT a brochure! Its purpose was never to just build it and forget about it and then expect it to provide any kind of return on your initial investment.

So before you abandon your website all together and end up losing business to your competition, let’s talk about the reasons why it is vitally important to keep your website updated with fresh material and some things you can do now to get it back on track:

1. Your website is your most primary marketing piece for your business. Period. This is due to it being accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It never takes a holiday and is never not seen by anyone who visits it. Ask yourself what impression are others getting if they visited your site right now?  You want your site to give an accurate impression to not only your prospective client, but also your current clients so they can trust and believe that your business is in good shape too. No one ones to do business with a failing company.
2. Google and the other search engines will only love your site if it’s got something new to show its searchers.  If it detects that nothing has changed since the last time it indexed your site, then it will downgrade you in the search results. This is a critical point – you don’t want to get poor search result rankings!
3. Search engines are only going to display your site that matches a user’s search string if you have the right keywords placed within the text of your home page. Changing these keywords to match what your ideal client is looking for is very valuable so they will find your site easier when searching for products or services that match their needs.
4. Prospective clients can tell if a site has been stranded and will immediately get the impression you are either out of business or are not attentive enough to bother updating it. Either way, they have formed a negative impression on you and the credibility of your business.
5. If you have a newsletter signup box on your site but never or rarely send out a newsletter, this also gives the impression you are not on top of things and really don’t care about building your business. This topic is a whole ‘nother article to write on the importance of newsletters though….
6. Your website no longer accurately depicts your business direction anymore. Every business goes through the evolutionary process and it’s critical your website stays current with your product or service offerings. If you find yourself telling people, “oh sorry, my site doesn’t actually say anything about that particular service…” what kind of message is that person is getting about how well you run a business?
7. Your website looks like it was created in the 90′s. Yes, even sites I designed several years ago are looking old and outdated Avoid your site looking old by giving it a fresh redesign; otherwise, it looks like you don’t care enough about your business or about technological advances to keep it up to date. Keeping your website looking modern will improve your credibility and will give the impression you are attentive to the success of your business.
8. Your website looks “broken” in more recent versions of browsers. Have you ever looked at your site from a friend’s computer and wondered, “Why is it looking so funny?” This is a result of your site’s build being too old to be compatible with the newer browsers like IE 8 or Firefox 3.5. Back when your site was first built, it probably looked great across the more popular browsers but as browsers evolve, so must your website programming to ensure it continues to look good no matter what browser is used.
9. Along the same lines as the look of your site being old, so can the technology and coding used behind the scenes to build it. Old technology can create many problems including security threats and costly programming to work around the old scripts and code if new features need to be added. Often it is more cost effective to re-develop your site than to continually patch the security holes and do programming work-arounds that can be precariously unstable as soon as the next version of web browser comes along.

If you’re wondering if any of the above is applicable to you, then ask yourself if your site is performing the way it was intended. Are you getting sufficient leads? Are people finding your site and signing up for your newsletter to get them into your marketing funnel? Is your conversion rate where you want it to be?

If not, it’s a sure sign to take a close look at your “busting” website and have a talk with your web developer on ways to get it up-to-date so that it can provide you with the results you desire.

Your site can be a constantly evolving, powerful business tool if you treat it as such. It’s important to view it as your important, dynamic marketing collateral in your business and marketing plan. It can be as exciting, innovative and interactive as you want it to be, all you have to do is ask; the technology is available to create an amazing marketing piece for you like never before!

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About the Author: Susan is president/founder of eVision Media, a web development and eMarketing firm specializing in building effective brands for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations for over 10 years. With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, she is able to provide an authentic and personalized service for those wanting a trustworthy member of their team for their brand & marketing design, website development and SEO/eMarketing needs. Contact Susan today for a free 30 minute consultation on helping you build your website presence to be the effective marketing tool is can be. susan@evisionmedia.ca or visit www.evisionmedia.ca.

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Here’s a free teleseminar I wanted to share with you due to it being such a timely topic.  Do you try your hardest to please everyone and feel like you’re trying to win a losing battle? Are you aware that there does exist a perfect client for you and if you focused on that perfect niche, you wouldn’t be feeling like you’re being pulled in so many directions and only having mediocre results to show for your efforts?

This teleseminar talks about choosing your perfect niche that will get you out of that rut. It’s presented by a very respected coach, Kendal SummerHawk. She’s going to be sharing some of her secrets on Tuesday, April 7th at 5pm PST.  Here’s my personal link to register.

It’s on a topic that often keeps entrepreneurs from accelerating the growth of their businesses, which is why Kendall is the perfect person to be teaching this.

It’s called: “Niche Breakthrough Secrets” and I want to share this opportunity with you so you can take advantage of Kendall sharing her secrets.  (If you can’t be on the call, live, I recommend registering so you get the call recording.)

Kendall is famous for helping entrepreneurs create successful businesses using very simple strategies. Here’s a little secret about her work with clients:  One of the first things she looks at when she needs to fix their business (often helping them double and triple their 1ncomes) is how to mine the hidden gold in their niche.

Once she fixes this problem the results that magically happen for her clients are astounding!

The thing that’s really neat is that her secrets and strategies apply to both the brand new beginner and to the seasoned entrepreneur.

I highly encourage you to soak up all you can from this generous woman, in this complimentary one-time-only call! Here’s the link to secure your spot:  http://ow.ly/1udNv

This is what you’ll take away from this 75-minute complimentary call:

* the 5 HOTTEST niches that people are hungry for in this economy

* which niches are NOT easy to sell right now (no need to waste your time)

* how trying to please everyone will likely leave you broke, frustrated and potentially out of business (they’ll give you permission to focus on only the people you’re best meant to help)

* the one simple warning sign that signals if the niche you THOUGHT you had is really a dead-end (ignoring this could prove FATAL to your business)

* 3 easy steps to choosing a niche that is authentic AND lucrative (this is so simple you’ll wish you had learned this months or even years ago)

* how to quickly and respectfully shift from your old niche into a new one, without upsetting clients or colleagues

* exactly when is the time you need to niche (or re-niche) to move your business forward

* exciting details on the debut of Kendall’s BRAND NEW “Niche Breakthrough Secrets” telecourse, which will lay out for you, step-by- step, how to transform your competitive, draining businesses into a lucrative, enjoyable business… that easily generates double to triple the income.

(This applies to you, whether you’re brand new in business or you’re already seeing clients.)

Again, learn more and register for this complimentary call happening Tuesday, April 6 by clicking this link.

Sue

PS Remember to sign up even if you’re busy at that time – there will be a recording for you to listen to when you have time to sit, relax and really pay attention to what Kendall is teaching.

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Here’s a great tip from Client Attraction expert, Fabienne Fredrickson on how to use every day tools at your fingertips to help get you more clients. By the way, Fabienne just launched a great new system on authentic list building – I highly recommend her products (I’ve taken some of her courses) as she gives really great info. Check out her “Authentic List Building Coaching Program” here.

Here’s her article:

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Does Your Voicemail Get You Clients? Time to Change That!

If you’re serious about attracting clients consistently, I believe you should use every single piece of marketing “real estate” you can. Whether you’ve been in business for one year or 22 years, when you’re marketing your business, you want to have systems in place that PULL in clients without you having to do much to make it happen.

It can even be as “little” as using your outgoing voice mail as a Client Attraction tool . One of the key things you can do to PULL people in that most people in business do not do, especially when they’re working from home, is have an outgoing message on your voice mail or answering machine that describes exactly what you do, for whom, and what results they can expect.

The idea here is to have your voice explain what you do and how to give you referrals . So, instead of saying, “Hello, it’s Mary, leave a message,” you can say, “Hello, it’s Mary of so-and-so business, helping (insert target audience) who struggle with (insert common problem) achieve more (desired outcome).”

Once they know exactly what you do and for whom, don’t forget to list the best ways to reach you (other than phone) : your e-mail, your website, and your tag line. Oh, and don’t forget to include a call to action, like inviting them to visit your website and signing up for something. There are lots of different ways you can use your voice mail outgoing message as a way to get new clients. Remember to keep it pretty short or people will not want to call back.

You’d be surprised how many people over the years became my client, when all they had originally was my phone number . As a result of the voicemail, they all told me they went onto the website, signed up for the ezine, attended teleclasses, and after a while, wrote in to say they were ready to work with me. Not bad for a simple voicemail message!

My motto around marketing real estate? “If you’ve got it anyway, use it to attract clients!”

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Create an outgoing message that can also act as a marketing tool, if it is brief. Include your tagline and e-mail address if it is easy to remember, direct callers to your website, and make sure to tell them about your newsletter or list any upcoming workshops you are promoting. You’ll not only impress callers, you might just get a few new clients out of it.

Interested in more of these simple, highly effective marketing tools that attract new clients in the “real world?” Then it’s time to invest in a step-by-step marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to find your niche, get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things . So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com .

© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com .