I didn’t plan to attend, but my mother insisted that I go on her behalf. After finishing up a call with one of my colleagues, I noticed that I had just 15-minutes to get to the event.

Hunger dictated my next move, so I stopped off at a restaurant to pick up an order of poutine. I purposely chose it because it’s quiet (no wrappers), scent-free and there’s a good chance that I can keep it under control while juggling a pen and paper.

I got to the hotel, signed in, then was asked to sit down in the “green area” to wait to be seated in the main room. About 30-seconds go by and a woman stood in front of me and asked me to follow her.

Before she took me into the room, we stopped in the hallway so she could tell me the purpose of today’s event. Her first words to me were:

“You’re late and you already missed the DVD that we showed.”

At this point, I didn’t even know her name. My first reaction was “who cares?” Instead, I said:

“Well, there’s another 90-minutes to go in the presentation, so I’ll be able to catch a good portion of the session, right?”

My optimism seemed to be bothering her because she decided to attack me another way (I’m trying not to be biased here, but it’s my story and from my perspective). She took notice of the covered container in my

hands containing the poutine and said:

“We don’t allow food inside because it’s not that type of event. You can eat it out here and I’ll take you inside once you’re finished.”

I sighed. I was late and didn’t want to miss any more, but I agreed that I would stay in the hallway with my food.

She explained a few things to me about how the rest of the afternoon would go and then walked me inside the room. That’s when she turned and said to me:

“I’ll seat you towards the back so that the smells from your food don’t bother anyone else.”

Oh brother.

I was utterly and completely confused at this point. The poutine container was covered - tightly. Plus, I thought food was not allowed inside the room, so why was she escorting me in?

I sat down, put my notebook on the floor and tried to gather myself so I wouldn’t drop my poutine. I was impressed that there was a woman on stage (don’t see that alot) and only heard her say “We’re looking to put these vending machines in offices with 10-75 employees,” when the woman who greeted me (and I use that term lightly) said:

“You’re going to have to leave and eat your food in the hallway as I don’t want it to disturb others.”

Really?

I looked at her in complete disbelief. I was seated so far away from anyone I couldn’t believe for a minute that I was disturbing anyone. Plus, the container was sealed tightly, so I was puzzled as to what smells she was referring to.

I had enough of her negative energy and the constant nitpicking about a tightly sealed container that I still hadn’t opened. So, I said:

“I’m leaving.”

And walked out the door and came home.

As I reflect on this experience, there is one thing the woman did not do that would’ve alleviated her own stress.

Now, she was rude to me. Her customer service skills needs ALOT of work, especially given that I’m the prospect with the potential to buy. But, her rudeness isn’t the problem.

The problem is that she operated out of integrity by not respecting her own boundaries.

She first told me that food wasn’t allowed inside the room whether I was consuming it or not. But then, she took me inside. She contradicted herself.

She approached me one more time either because she was really bothered I was sitting in the room with food or because one of her colleagues reminded her and she needed to quickly correct her mistake.

Whatever the reason, by dishonoring her own boundaries, she couldn’t get upset at me for not honoring them as well.

In your business, you have to respect your own boundaries. If you don’t, you can’t get mad at people who do not. For example:

• If you provide coaching and you normally don’t discount, don’t do it just because you have a new client and you’re desparate for money. If you negotiate your rate for this client, he or she will feel that everything is negotiable in your business. You have not respected your money boundaries, so don’t expect the client to do so either EVER.
• If you normally tell people on Twitter or Facebook that all support issues must go through your help desk or through a specific email, don’t start answering support issues just because you have the solution at your fingertips. If you don’t respect your own customer service process (the boundary), neither will your customers.
• If you don’t do speaking gigs on weekends, don’t start just because your favorite colleague, friend, or client asked you to. You will feel resentful that you can’t attend your daughter’s piano recital and this energy will come out during your presentation. If you don’t respect your own time boundaries, neither will your friends or colleagues.

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My friend, Milana Leshinsky, is looking for a few good coaches and coaching entrepreneurs.

Milana put together the Coaching Entrepreneur of the Year Award and wants you to submit your application.

Now, you don’t have to be a certified coach to enter. If you’re doing group coaching, 1-to-1 coaching, leading a mastermind or retreats, you have to apply.

The process is simple - just submit the application BEFORE September 30, 2009 to be considered. Here’s a direct link to the application (it opens as a Word document).

Want to know what the prizes are? They are so juicy that I’ll let the video below explain it all. Take a peek.

And don’t forget to submit your application before September 30, 2009. So, are you the next coaching entrepreneur of the year?

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The conference bridge line service I’ve recently fallen in love with - Maestro Conference - is hosting a virtual event in October called Maestro Month.

I invite you to attend my session called Virtual Event Profits: How to Make 5 or 6 Figures Hosting a Multi-Speaker Virtual Event at 3pm ET on October 28, 2009. Register your spot for this free teleseminar.

I’m delighted to be selected as a speaker along with world-class leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Michael Port, Michael Bernard Beckwith, T. Harv Eker, and John Gray (full list below).

Register Now

These free virtual trainings in health, personal growth, business, spirituality and societal change feature more than a dozen NY Times bestselling authors, all helping you to unleash your full potential. I’m excited to be part of this group and to introduce you to more of their work.

Find out more

On these calls, you’ll find out why I love using Maestro Conference so much as you’ll get to experience it as an attendee. This new technology allows you to engage with me and other attendees on the calls as if we’re in a live workshop, with breakout groups and more.

In my own calls, I’ve started to make them more interactive because I believe people learn best when they’re dialoguing about what they’re learning, which is what MaestroConference makes possible.

Register now to gain access to my teleconference and up to two other free calls during MaestroMonth. You can also participate in as many calls as you like with a $1 trial membership. In addition, there are eight free gifts from participants and sponsors.

Oh and here’s a full list of the teachers during Maestro Month:

Health: Deepak Chopra, John Gray, Candace Pert, Olivia Newton John & John Easterling, Judith Orloff, Joan Borysenko, Norman Shealy, Eric Pearl, Len Saputo, Mary Shomon, Jennifer MacLean, Lee Gerdes, Mona Lisa Schulz

Personal Growth: Debbie & Arielle Ford, Dan Millman, John Assaraf, Hale Dwoskin, Vishen Lakhaini, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dave Ellis, Brian Johnson, Mike Robbins, Tripp Lanier & Jayson Gaddis, Zen DeBrucke, Amy Ahlers

Business: T. Harv Eker, Michael Port, Robin Sharma, Lance Secretan, Chip Conley, Ray Blanchard, Jeff Hoffman, David Finkel, Lynne Twist, Mari Smith, DC Cordova, Cynthia Kersey, Charlotte & Laura Shelton, James Malinchak, Bettie Spruill, Rinaldo Brutoco

Spirituality: Marianne Williamson, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Andrew Cohen, James Twyman, Genpo Roshi, Andrew Harvey, Carter Phipps, Lisa Schrader, Paul & Patty Richards, Ron Alexander, Lauren Mackler, Paul Hoffman, Ellen Debenport, Nicole Daedone, Stephen Dinan & Devaa Haley Mitchell

Societal Change: Gregg Braden, Seane Corn, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jean Houston, Starhawk, Aqeela Sherrils, Azim Khamisa, Steve Bhaerman, Fred Johnson, David Cooperrider, Anodea Judith, Lynne McMullen, Richard Rudd, Miki Kashtan, Stacey Lawson

Special track for Entrepreneurs: Sharon Drew Morgen, Morgana Rae, Ken Foster, Leesa Barnes, Garrett Sutton, Larry Ousley, James Burgin & John Ward, Steve Maxwell, Leslie Grossman, Brian Burt

Special series for Facilitators: Harrison Owen, Juanita Brown & Nicole Boyer, David Isaacs, Diana Whitney, Christine Whitney Sanchez

Campaign Sponsors: Gaia Soulmates, EnlightenNext

Click here to register now

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I’m honoured to be one of the individuals selected to speak at this year’s Blog World & New Media Expo taking place October 15-17, 2009 in Las Vegas.

I visit that place to attend conferences and trade shows so much that even customs is wondering what’s going on. However, because it’s the conference capital of the world and that’s where every conference in my industry holds their event, I have no choice but to go to sin city.

I digres…

I’m so looking forward to attending Blog World & New Media Expo. We’re having a tweetup the evening of October 14th. This tweetup is organized by myself, Elizabeth PW and Sarah Robinson and it’s not affiliated in any way with Blog World. You can register here.

Then, the sessions begin on October 15th. There are so many to choose from. I’m way excited because I’m going to meet some of my online pals for the first time in person, including Mari Smith, Denise Wakeman, Shama Hyder, Brian Solis and too many others to list right now.

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I had a chance to share with the attendees how they can use social media to attract coaching leads to their business.

This is a small clip of the 60-minute presentation that I did. In it, I share with attendees how they can release their social media fears. As you view this, I invite you to follow the exercises to release your own fears about social media, podcasting, virtual events or any other online marketing tactic. I’d love to hear your fears in the comments section below.

In Part 2, I’ll share the part of the presentation where I show you how to shake those fears so you can tackle social media, podcasting, virtual events or any other online marketing tool with confidence.

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I’m tickled pink that I get to interview my friend, Milana Leshinsky, on the following topic:

The Biggest Mistake Most Entrepreneurs Make That Keep Them from Earning a Seven Figure Income

…And How To Cash In On The Hottest Trend in Business Today
to Turn Your Knowledge Into A Multiple Income Stream Empire!

Milana Leshinsky, Coaching Millions

Milana has guided my business over the past 4-years and I modeled much of what she does in my own business because we share the same values. I’ve learned ALOT from Milana and I’m excited that I get to share her expertise with you.

On September 17, 2009 at 2pm ET, Milana , a successful knowledge-marketing entrepreneur and a
business advisor to experts (like yours truly), will show you how to ride the exciting wave of the hottest new trend and add high-ticket low-time-investment income streams to your existing knowledge-based business.

Here’s what you’ll discover on this 60-minute, information-rich teleclass:

• How To Unlock A Gold Mine Of New Cash Flow That’s Sitting Un-Tapped, Right Now, In Your Existing Market
• How To Double Or Triple Your Income in 90 days From Your Existing Knowledge Without Spending A Ton Of Money Of New Advertising Sources, Without Increasing The Number Of Hours You’re Working Each Week, And Without Toiling For Months On End To Create New Products.
• How to Create New Income Streams Every Top Entrepreneur Has Been Enjoying, While Helping a Ton More Customers Succeed!
• And, How to Create Your Very Own Multiple-Income-Stream Empire From Your Existing Knowledge!

To get the call-in details for this FREE teleclass, just enter your first name and email address below.

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Looking through the pages of Podcasting for Profit made me more aware that the planning and producing that goes into a podcast are the same techniques you’d use to plan a virtual event.

Here’s what I discovered:

Whether you’re producing a podcast or a virtual event, you need to choose a titillating title. As I stated in my book, the title of your podcast can either create intrigue and interest or it can bore the person to tears. Your virtual event is no different. You need to choose the right name so that people feel compelled to attend.

A podcast and a virtual event both need to have compelling content. As a podcast or virtual event producer, taking some time to plan your podcast episodes or your virtual event sessions will help you identify the right experts to provide that content. By planning the content, you’ll be able to give your audience exactly what they’ve been asking for.

Both a podcast and a virtual event require intelligent, brilliant guests. Expert interviews are the fastest and most inexpensive way for you to build content for your podcast and virtual event. That’s why you need to decide which guests will give you the best information. You not only have to invite that person to participate in your podcast or virtual event, but you also have to ask engaging questions so that you get the desired content that will help your target market.

The outcome of a podcast and a virtual event results in multiple streams of income. Recording your content is essential to helping you leverage it for other uses. You can use a podcast to market your virtual event and then you can use the recordings from your virtual event as a podcast episode.

In my book Podcasting for Profit, I listed a dozen ways you can develop several income sources from your podcast recordings. Membership websites, training programs, e-books, CDs, DVDs, paid syndication and downloadable transcripts are just some of the ways you can leverage the recordings created from your podcast into many sources of income. Of course, this same model can be used for virtual events as well.

You can use a podcast and a virtual event to position yourself as an expert in your industry. People get to hear your voice, they get to witness you rubbing shoulders with some of the top names in your field, and they become familiar with your personality. All these are recipes for building your own following of fans, friends, and foes in way that text alone can’t do. Your podcast and virtual event helps you to connect with people in a dynamic way which then makes it easier for you to attract customers to your business.

If you’re writing articles, blog posts, and relying on text alone to market your business online, you’re missing out on a rich and lucrative way to build rapport with people. If your business has slowed down quite a bit, it may not be due to the economy. Instead, it may be a result of you not allowing people see and hear your unique personality.

Over the next 90 days, I encourage you to either launch a podcast or produce a virtual event to give your target market another way to experience you and your brand.

• If you need help launching a podcast, get my book Podcasting for Profit at Amazon or any other online bookseller. It contains exercises and activities that will help you launch a podcast with confidence.
• If you need help producing a virtual event, click here to join the Association of Virtual Event Managers, Organizers & Hosts. You’ll get access to many resources, including forums, where you can ask anything about producing a virtual event.

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As I posted about this feat on Twitter, I got many questions from people wondering how I went from 13 followers in 2007 to 10,000 2 ½ years later.

To some, taking just over two years to gain 10,000 followers may seem rather slow, especially considering all the various tools out there where you can buy a few hundred followers per day. For me, I value quality over quantity and I’ve been rewarded with thousands of dollars worth of sales from those who follow me on Twitter.

So, how can you authentically grow your Twitter lists from a few hundred to a few thousand? Here are just a

few of my tips.

First, I had a “me” attitude when I tweeted. In other words, I tweeted about the things that had my attention. I found that when I tweeted telling people what was interesting to me, Twitter became very easy to use.

I tweeted from conferences, I tweeted while traveling, I tweeted while sitting at the hairdressers. Whatever I found interesting, funny or odd, I would share it with my followers. That’s the beauty of Twitter – you can blather on about your interests and only those who find it captivating will interact with you.

Second, I completely ignored the numbers. Whether I had 13 people following me or 300, it really didn’t matter. What was important was the interactivity of my audience. I was more concerned about people NOT responding to me, than whether or not I lost a follower or gained 10 more. Once I let go of the numbers,

Twitter became a true social networking tool.

Next, I followed people who fit my criteria. I didn’t follow someone else’s formula. Instead, I put together my own requirements and followed those who met it. So, what was my criteria? The person had to have a picture posted, had to have tweets sent within the last 72 hour period, and had to tweet using their real name. Yup, that’s it.

I was very unforgiving with spammers. If someone’s first contact with me includes a link to a squeeze page, free gifts, and offer, or a video extolling the services of their new MLM, I quickly block them.

Some spammers unfollow you as soon as you follow them so they can add more people to their list. Typically, if there is a difference of a few hundred people between your follower and following lists, it means you have quite of number of spammers following you and you’ll need to clean them out. So, once every 30-days, I use a service called Twitter Karma to cull my follow list.

To grow your follow list on Twitter, be selfish, tweet about what has your attention and follow those that fit your criteria. It may take you a few months, but your business will be rewarded with ample prospects hanging on to your every word.

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I found a picture of me when I was in my late 20s and wow, I could see the anger piercing from my eyes even though I was smiling.

That period was my angry period and I remember why.

I was supposed to be doing something else. Instead of working for a technology start-up as a project manager, I was supposed to be playing basketball. My 20-something year old self would constantly remind me that I was supposed to be a big time basketball star representing my country at the Olympics and making my hometown proud as I played professionally in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

But instead, I was angry that a knee injury took me out of the game in my 2nd year of college which ended all my hoop dreams. I carried around that anger from the time I quit playing college basketball in 1995 until I attended the Millionaire Mind Intensive workshop in 2004.

Almost a decade.

Looking back on that period of my life, I could see that the anger did so many destructive things:

1. It left me feeling resentful which meant that I complained about everything.
2. It brought on a whole set of health issues, including being overweight and becoming lactose intolerant.
3. My relationships with my family, my friends and my boyfriend at the time were strained because I only focused on the negative things happening in my life.
4. I couldn’t figure out why I was constantly broke and continued to spend all my money buying food since it brought me pleasure (or so I thought).
5. It disconnected me from having a wonderful experience with my Creator because I blamed Him everyday for my circumstances.

As Joyce Meyer said recently in one of her teachings, you can be bitter or you can be better. Anger encourages poverty, while gratitude encourages abundance. When I left the Millionaire Mind Intensive weekend in July 2004 at the age of 30, I made a decision to change my thinking. It has been a 5-year journey, but the person I am today is happier, healthier, more prosperous and feeling way better.

How can you develop a much more positive outlook? Be thankful for the small things. I was reminded of this when my friend, Nancy Marmolejo, sent out words of thanks even though her car broke down on a busy Los Angeles highway. If you’re thankful for the small things in your life now, God will cause an overflow of abundance in your life tomorrow.

Another thing you can do is keep a journal beside your bed where you can write down the 1, 2 or 3 things you’re thankful for before you fall asleep. I’ve been doing this every night for about two weeks. I’ve now developed a habit to say thanks whenever I’m tempted to complain.

Just these 2 things can help you get rid of the bitterness and anger. Having a thankful attitude is a choice. I challenge you to throw out the mental, spiritual and emotional junk.

Have fun and be Marketing Fit!

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You see, those who have lots of fans and critics do so because they have chosen not to play it safe. Think of any guru out there and I can bet that they are successful because they took a position on a topic, defended it well and stuck to their morals.

I’ve come to understand that there are 2 ways I can approach my business: I can be mediocre and coast through life or I can strive for excellence and make an impact. I choose the latter.

I know you want to be a person of excellence. So, the next time you make excuses or give in to your fears, remember some of my favorite quotes:

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”
– Katherine Hepburn

“Be you because everyone else is already taken.”
– Oscar Wilde

“Well behaved women rarely make history.”
– Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

I trust that these quotes will help you create a business that makes a profound difference in this world. Stop being paralyzed by what people think, okay?

Have fun and be Marketing Fit!

photo courtesy: Kelly Sue

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