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Why are you in business? No seriously, why? If you just said it is to help others, make the world a better place or some other lofty dream, you are only partially correct. The truth is, you are in business to make money. Without money, you can’t be sustainable or make much of a difference and it’s really tough to be able to help others when you can hardly help yourself.

Below are some pointers that have helped me build a multi 6-figure business. Implement some or all of these suggestions and you’ll be on your way to fulfilling the reason why you are an entrepreneur to begin with … by nurturing your business to success!

STEP ONE: Nurture your Vision

Create specific goals that will lead you to fulfilling your vision. What do you want your business to look like a year from now? 5 years? Start there and create a plan that will support you– what needs to happen in order for those goals to be achieved? This roadmap will be what you follow to achieve your vision.  And remember to treat your business as a business instead of a hobby (whether you realize it or not) this mindset shift alone will make an incredible difference to your success.

STEP TWO: Nurture your marketing

It can’t be overstated enough at how important this step is. Without marketing your business, you will not flourish because no one will know you exist!  Here are some tips to get you going:

• Do a thorough analysis on who your ideal target market is, what their needs are and how you can help them.

• Spend at least an hour or two a week minimum working ON your business and if you can’t take that time, hire a competent marketing firm that can do a lot of it for you (and the bonus is that you’ll benefit from their expertise, which will save you more time, energy and money in the long run).

• Market yourself daily online via social media, networking groups, blog postings and commenting on other blog posts. This does not mean pushing your products or services on others! Your goal is to develop relationships so they can begin to know, like and trust you.

STEP THREE: Nurture your clients

The best way to build your business is through referrals. If a client is pleased with your offerings, they will be more than happy to tell others. In order to achieve this, here are a few pointers:

• Demonstrate you care about them by being accessible and responding to their needs in a timely manner

• Follow up to see how they are doing

• Thank them for being a client/doing business with you

• Stay in touch on a regular basis through social media, blog posts and newsletters

STEP FOUR: Nurture your team

It is nearly impossible to build a successful business without any help. Build a team of resources (either as employees, contractor or hiring an expert in a specific field) who can offset your weaknesses. Delegate as much as you can of the stuff you really don’t like doing or don’t know how to do (properly).

Lead your team by example and encourage, praise and respect them. Never scold and criticize them in front of their peers – that’s a sure fire way to demean and devalue them. Your team can also help by brainstorming for new ideas and ways things can be improved.

STEP FIVE: Nurture Your Systems and Processes

It’s probably the last thing you want to do, but it’s critical to document everything you do and how you do it as if you were going to re-create your business as a franchise. (Read Michael E. Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited to find out how.)

This step will save you countless amounts of time and energy, especially as you build your team while growing your business.

STEP SIX: Nurture Your Self

I encourage you to believe in what you are doing and have confidence that everything will work out.  Stop chasing after every guru out there and start trusting that you already have the resources you need to succeed.

Stay on track by following your plan and don’t let the shiny object syndrome continually pull you and your team in several different directions.

Find a mentor, mastermind group or coach that will not only support you but guide you on how to implement your plans and allow your brilliance to shine. You’ll stop wasting time and money and start focusing on what is most important so you can grow more quickly and get the support you need.

By nurturing your business using these 6 steps, you will not only enjoy growth and sustainability but also the success you desire!

I’d love to hear from you! Comment below and share your challenges or perhaps some ideas of your own that can help nurture your business to success.

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Many of us grow up thinking there has to be *one or the other*…

You make a lot of money and lose your soul.

OR, you stay true to your faith and family.

One of the reasons why we think this way is much of our world is stuck in the *old paradigm of thinking*. Especially when it comes to money and business.

Consider this… the “old” model for business was a *masculine* model. Business and life were separated. Work and home were clearly divided. (Just watch a few episodes of “Mad Men” and you’ll get this quite clearly.)

When women entered the workforce in greater and greater numbers, we were the ones to not quite understand why that was so. We work *holistically*, not in a rigidly segmented way. We were thinking of our happiness, our families, our fulfillment.

So we challenged the model. We changed it. We said “no more” and wanted to work in a way that brought meaning and joy to our lives.

The “old way” was a model *we never fit into in the first place*. Hence the huge uprising in female entrepreneurship.

Because finally, with all the opportunity before us, *we now have the edge*.

We can have faith, family, and financial freedom, all together.

In pre-chats with several of the luminaries being featured in entrepreneur mentor and ABC’s “Secret Millionaire” Ali Brown’s “Feminine Edge” teleseries, Ali’s been struck by something in particular: These women run their business with their values in order: Faith first, Family second, and Financial Freedom third.

They may describe it differently, but they do it–in different ways, with different lives, and different businesses.

I’m excited to learn from 13 of the best and brightest luminaries–from money masters to spiritual leaders–in Ali’s free teleseries. These women have designed a business on their own terms and created an extraordinary life for themselves. It’s time we joined them!

Watch Ali’s video now to get the scoop and reserve your spot:

Remember, “The Feminine Edge” is FREE to attend for all three days. I’ve already signed up, so you should register now too before you forget–it all starts TODAY, June 26!

Kind regards,
Sue

P.S. I also love how Ali is giving 20% of profits from her optional VIP upgrade to join FITE–a nonprofit helping women around the world empower themselves through entrepreneurship via microloans. You can see what she’s doing here:
https://alibrown.infusionsoft.com/go/feminineedge/evision/

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Ah spring! The bounty of colours that erupt from the grey doldrums of winter that brings everything back to life again!

Spring is a time for rejuvenation and your business marketing efforts are perfect for revitalization. It’s time now to put more spring into your marketing and get more clients!

Here are five things you can start on today to get you started:

1)      Pick up the phone. Just as spring is a time of new beginnings for you, the same principle applies for your potential clients. People are in a hopeful, happy mood and are more amiable to making decisions, developing plans and moving forward. Pick up the phone and call your leads, past clients and those you met through your networking activities and introduce yourself, or remind them that you’re still around, and are here to help them.

2)      Conduct a promotion. Create a contest or some sort of promotion that’s tied in with Spring. If you’re in the cleaning or organizing industry, this is tailor made for you! However,  avoid discounting your services – instead, add in more of what you’ll give or do to the regular price. Discounting devalues your product or service but adding more value to an existing package is a win-win scenario for both of you!

3)      Spruce up your website.  If you haven’t updated your website in the past month or so, it’s time to give it a freshen-up. Just like you wouldn’t be reading the Friday newspaper to find out what happened on Monday, your prospects also don’t want to see old news on your website. Spruce it up to bring back some life to it! Here are some suggestions:

1. Freshen up the  copy (text and images), especially on the home page, in a way that your prospects will find enticing.  Copy is King in the on-line world so don’t neglect this critical component of your website. If your copy isn’t well written, it’s not going to elicit much  trust from your potential clients nor compel them into action so be sure it’s written in a way that achieves your website goals.
2. Give it an updated look. If your site was created more than 3 years ago, it’s time to bring it up to date. An old and tired looking website is not going to attract your ideal client.  The more enticing your site looks to your prospects, the more effective it will be at drawing them in and hiring you.
3. Add a blog (or don’t forget about your blog!) A blog is a perfect way to keep your website copy fresh and new. Post an article once a week and not only will your prospects see that you are actively participating in your business (and seeing how much you know) but the search engines will reward you by bringing you up higher in the search engine rankings.
4. Add an eNewsletter (or don’t forget about your eNewsletter!) A perfect way to keep in touch with your tribe (your eNewsletter subscribers) is to write to them at least once a month. This is a critical component to your marketing efforts and you will get results from it. It doesn’t have to be elabourate like mine, but it’s essential for you to showcase your knowledge and skill by writing short articles that will inspire, inform and educate your followers.

   Hint: Integrate this with your blog to cut down on writing so many articles!) By the way, if you’re having trouble getting people to sign up for your existing eNewsletter, you might want to consider hiring Dan to do some SEO for you – he’s brilliant at driving targeted traffic to your website!

5. Add Social Media features to your site. If you’re participating in any of the social media channels, then it’s important you have those buttons and links on your website so you can send people to your accounts to follow you. Additionally, you can add social media sharing features to your site, especially your blog, so people can share your articles to their followers.

4)      Get active in Social Media.  There’s no avoiding it, social media is becoming more and more prominent, and expected, in today’s marketing efforts.  Incredibly,  I am hearing from some clients that they are not being considered for hire due to having a lack of followers on Facebook! Whether right or wrong, potential clients could judge you on your lack of participation in this arena so it’s worth taking a look at.  I know for some, it seems like a waste of time and honestly, I felt that way for a long time too. In the past year I’ve been doing more studying and working at social media and have found there are some key strategies that need to be in play in order for your efforts to not go to waste.

For those who are brand new to Facebook or did get started and didn’t do anything with it, check out my beginner’s guide to Facebook here. For those who are already active but are not seeing any kind of results yet, I suggest participating in the upcoming online Social Media Summit where you will learn tons from many top social media experts.

5)      Get out and network.  No amount of online efforts will ever replace the benefits of in-person networking. The key is to find the right networking events to participate in and there, you will gain a huge boost in building relationships and credibility. One of my mentoring clients, Janice Porter (Janice@janiceporter.com)  is a Networking master and I highly recommend you hire her as your personal mentor for networking – she will help prevent you from wasting your time and will teach you how to network effectively in order to build your client base .

If the above list seems overwhelming to you or you don’t know where, or how, to begin. One of my mentoring packages might be a good fit for you where I can walk you through each of these marketing channels and guide you to having a successful business this spring!

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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Some might call me a work-a-holic. I must admit, I almost wear that title like a badge of honour; proud of my accomplishments and the long hours I have invested in order to achieve them. It was just recently when I had a moment of clarity as to exactly why I am a work-a-holic and trust me, wanting to work hard, long hours has nothing to do with it! Given a choice, I’d much rather be lounging poolside as I work on my glowing tan, sipping fancy drinks with those tiny umbrella’s in them and reading some trashy romance novel (well, ok, make it a self help book instead). Oh, but be a multi-millionaire too. Minor detail.

If you are familiar with "Sacred Gifts" then you might already know where my story is heading. You see, one of my Sacred Gifts is the gift of Assistance (as well as the gift of "Service" which adds to the mix). Those of us with this gift have an absolute need to be of service. We thrive on it; our self value often depends on it. Many times to our detriment.

Here are some of the traits of those with the gift of assistance: We are dedicated to the success of another, we easily anticipate the needs of another, we love to be more in the background being the helpers than being on stage, and we are committed to the people we are serving.

Does this ring true for you or perhaps you know of someone with these traits? They aren’t hard to find in a crowd… they’re always the ones putting their hand up volunteering, serving on committees, and always have the "just tell me what needs to be done and I’ll get it done" attitude.

This all sounds quite wonderful, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, there’s a darker side that many aren’t aware of… the true story that goes on behind the scenes. The problem is, us "Assistants" have boundary issues. Yep, there, I said it! Saying "no" to a client or letting them know they have to wait until the next day before something can get done is really tough for me. In my mind, I’ve let them down severely and I’ve convinced myself that most likely they will immediately go and find someone else who can help them quicker than I can if I do.

Oh, you say that’s not the case and I’m just being silly? Well, we do live in an "immediate" society where people want satisfaction now and can’t wait for someone else to get around to doing their bidding.

The problem is compounded when my own clients ALSO have the gift of Assistance. Can you see the duplicity? THEY have no problems working non-stop and helping others … often at the sacrifice of their health, quality family time and personal wellness, so they actually expect others working with them to be the same way as they. I know I myself have fallen into this trap when I deal with my own resources wondering why on earth can’t they move any quicker? After all, it’s only Sunday night after dinner – what else could they possibly be doing but watching TV anyway?

So there you have it. We were born this way and didn’t choose to be work-a-holics. I continue to work on my boundaries but dare say the moment a client even remotely shows disappointment when I try to enforce them, I’m quick to say, "Ok, I can do it now". Sigh. Is there hope for me yet?

If you are interested in hearing more about Sacred gifts, I learned about mine at a fabulous workshop in Vancouver in the spring and Monique is holding another one Oct. 2-3, 2010 near Vancouver BC Canada. http://bit.ly/9EEFFm

Sue

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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 .

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More and more I’m witnessing a dangerous trend – the one where suddenly, due to the vast amount of information found on the Internet, everyone seems to be an expert at everything! I remember a friend once told me to “beware of the Internet – it lies!” Well, he was a bit overly dramatic, but he did make a good point in his efforts to try and save me from what he thought was certain disaster. At the risk of sounding just as dramatic, let me explain what I mean…

About the Author: Susan Friesen uses her heart-centered principles in running a successful service-centric website development and eMarketing firm in Canada. Her passion is helping entrepreneurs and business owners build a successful on-line presence and enjoys being a part of their on-ongoing support team. Find out more at www.eVisionMedia.ca. Get biz tips and inspiration by following her on Twitter!

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If you haven’t already, there’s still time to sign up for an excellent preview call hosted by Ali Brown TODAY, *Wednesday, July 29*.

It’s a free teleseminar called “Shine: The New Entrepreneurial Model That’s Changing the World”

If you haven’t heard of Ali, get ready to have your world changed forever. This dynamic woman is leading the way for entrepreneurs with her business models and income growth strategies.

Ali’s ready to launch something new, innovative, and relevant to today’s changing business model. And she’s revealing all on this one-time complimentary teleseminar called “Shine,”
which you can learn more about at:

http://bit.ly/OEfqR

There’s a huge shift happening in business, and the world. I have felt it and maybe you have too. Previous business models are failing and fading. Entrepreneurs who are continuing to operate as they have previously are finding the same old strategies are not working anymore. In fact, they are likely hurting their business.

Ali will explain it all on this one-time call. She’ll also be sharing about her groundbreaking new LIVE Shine event this fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. (And you’ll learn how you can enjoy a generous $500 discount off the ticket price.)

Again, learn more and register for this free teleseminar TODAY at: http://bit.ly/OEfqR

You don’t want to miss this informative call with Ali – I’ll be listening in too

Sue