Imagine holding a baby and telling that precious child this bedtime story …

Life is colorful and full of adventure.  When you grow up, you’re going to become a “lead”.  

You’ll feel very special to be part of a “highly targeted” audience and an “autoresponder list”.  

Oh, what fun you’ll have traveling through a “sales funnel”!  

Not as thrilling as riding a roller coaster, but a fun ride nonetheless.   

Online marketers and small business owners from around the globe will be competing for your attention.  So you’ll need to become an instant pro at dodging “sales pitches” and recognizing “hype and fluff”.  

Be careful!  Those “bright shiny objects” can mesmerize and allure you.  

Once you become someone’s “prospect”, your inbox will be overflowing with mail.  Won’t it be wonderful to awaken every day to loads of correspondence from “internet marketers” who love to stay in touch with you?!  

Some days they’ll send you off to a “squeeze page”.  Don’t worry.  The squeezing doesn’t hurt.  I promise.

Other days they’ll ask you to enter an “opt in box”.  It’s easy to get in and relatively painless.  

You’ll have lots of opportunities to exercise your visual and auditory senses with all the invitations you’ll receive to attend “webinars” and “teleseminars”.  

Your reading skills are sure to be sharpened, too!  Everyone will ask you to visit their “blog”, read their “posts”, leave “comments”, and share their pearls of wisdom on “social media”.   

It’s inevitable, at some point, you’ll be encouraged to pull out your credit card, make a purchase, and download an “info product”.   But let’s not think about that right now.  You’re looking pretty sleepy.

One more thing before you nod off and head into slumberland.

If you don’t want to be a “lead” when you grow up …

That’s okay and no one will blame you for feeling that way.  

Traveling through that sales funnel sounds kinda scary, doesn’t it?!  

People shouldn’t be referred to as leads, anyway.  The term isn’t very endearing and it doesn’t have much of a friendly ring to it.

Now go off to sleep, little one, and “Dream Big!”

I’ve been reading a ton of discussions recently about whether it’s a good idea to offer your target audience a “freebie” as a means of growing your list …

… the folks you want to build a relationship with away from your blog — those wonderful email subscribers you want to nurture — the prospects you want to market to.

Giving away (even just a portion of) your expertise to potential customers or clients may not be the best way to fly.

It may even come back to bite you in the butt … big time.

Brian Clark from Copyblogger says, “Free is not a business model”.

Kinda makes your ears perk up, doesn’t it?

Armed with all the information I’ve devoured lately, I’m seriously considering removing the freebie offer from my site.

Here’s why …

The WRONG PEOPLE are opting in, which isn’t helping me one darn bit to grow a list of potential “paying” customers.

Oddly enough, rarely does a member of my target audience request my freebie.  Sound strange?  Well, believe it or not, this isn’t just happening to me.

So who’s opting in for the freebie?  Online marketing colleagues, fellow bloggers, curious looky-loos, and the proverbial tire kickers (Ya gotta love THAT crowd!).

Many of them opt in — grab the freebie — and immediately opt OUT.

It’s almost laughable.

Only I’m not laughing.

I’ve even got a few well-established online marketing “experts” who are simply “spying” on me under an alias email address.  Isn’t that a hoot?!  It wasn’t easy to figure out who they are, but I did.

Here’s the risk in offering a freebie …

Hardcore freebie seekers are out there in droves.  We’ll never experience a shortage of people wanting something for nothing.

They will never purchase ANYTHING from you — even if it’s priced at bargain-basement cost.

Once you give them something great for free, their expectation is that the free stuff will just keep rolling in for eternity.

Not cool.  You’re in business — not the “giveaway” business.

I’m convinced freebies may actually do you and your small business more harm than good.

The blog post that influenced my thinking and definitely had the greatest impact on me was from Ameena Falchetto. 

What’s your opinion?

• Is your freebie rockin’ your business?  
• Or are you rockin’ it without a freebie?

Photo credit:  alexanderdrachmann

Nothing spells disappointment like spending weeks or months creating, planning, organizing, and marketing a virtual event …

And then having no one show up or just a sparse handful of attendees.

Ouch!

3 Biggest Virtual Event Promo Challenges

1.)  You may not have a large network of contacts.
2.)  You may not have the resources to reach the people you want to connect with.
3.)  You may be an expert in your niche, but you may not be great at marketing.

Even if you’re not currently using virtual events to grow your business, read on anyway.  

You may be surprised to receive an unexpected invitation to co-host a teleseminar or webinar or be interviewed on Blog Talk Radio.  

So take the boy scout/girl scout approach and be prepared!

Enjoy Over The Top Attendance At Your Next Virtual Event

My colleague and friend, Chris Makell, and I pulled our resources and skills together at the end of 2011 and created a special presentation to help you succesfully promote your virtual events.

If you want to learn how to get an audience in your virtual seats, register at no cost to watch the replay of “Virtually Fantastic Event Promotions!”

You’ll be provided with a handout of event promotional tools.

Then be on the lookout for an opportunity to join me and Chris for a Facebook fan page Q & A session.  We want to get you inspired and motivated to rock your next virtual event!

Watch the replay today.

You’re up to bat …

• How do you get the word out about your telesminars or webinars?
• Are you getting awesome attendance at your virtual events?
• What’s your #1 virtual event promotional strategy?

Did you know your target audience EXPECTS you to brag?

It’s true!

No one wants to work with a loser, right?

Bragging the right way will help you build relationships while you increase sales and revenue.

Everybody likes to hire professionals or purchase products or services they can brag about.

Your potential customers and clients want to hear about …

• Obstacles you’ve overcome
• Success stories of clients you’ve worked with
• Awards you’ve won
• Contests and challenges you’ve entered or sponsored
• Your sales volume for the month
• Those glowing testimonials from happy customers
• Successful collaborations with colleagues
• Charities and causes you support and believe in
• Products or services you offer that help change people’s lives
• Business-building tools and software you love
• Coaches and mentors who have helped you succeed
• The blog post that earned you 100′s of comments
• Your proudest moment as an entrepreneur
• Times you’ve been in the spotlight
• Your secret sauce for success

So don’t believe it when someone tells you “bragging” is bad.  

It’s just the opposite – it’s good for business — and it’s essential to your success.

So …
If you could choose just ONE thing to “brag” about today, what would it be?

Post it in the comment box and let’s see how fast we can fill “The Brag Bag”!

I didn’t “ask for the sale” nearly enough times in 2011.

I didn’t stay laser-focused on making money this past year — BIG mistake.  As you know, without sales, you can’t stay in business.

Believe me, I don’t plan on repeating that mistake in 2012.

Does that mean I’m going to pitch, push, prod, and pounce on people at the turn of every corner?

No.

Am I going to include a promotional offer in every blog post and social media update for the next 365 days?

No.

Will I transform myself into an abnoxious unrelenting spammer?

Heavens, no!

But I do intend to work a lot harder on asking for the sale.

What will that work involve?

• Raising my level of confidence
• Acknowledging my expertise has value
• Charging what I’m worth
• Targeting the right people
• Testing new marketing platforms and modalities
• Getting my marketing messages out there in a bigger way
• Collaborating with colleagues for joint venture success
• Building more brand awareness
• Creating more Buzz!

Your turn …

1.  How do you plan to increase your sales in 2012?
2.  What was your biggest marketing mistake this past year?

Before the jolly bearded man in the red suit comes down the chimney …

I’m inviting you to participate in some Merry Marketing!

Do you have a special holiday offer you’d like to share?

Please use the comment box to post the link to your offer and a few details about the “benefits” of purchasing your product, program, or service.

Hope Santa is good to you this year!

**Note**
Please do not post any MLM or Direct Sales opportunities to join your company.  

Thank you.

In my previous post, I asked a pertinent question regarding social media engagement – “Are You Hitting The Reply Button?”

Truth is — most people aren’t.

I’d like to suggest giving that one a read first since today’s post is a follow-up.

One of my coolest ghostwriting online friends, Lisbeth Tanz, commented on that post by asking, “How do you get the attention you deserve?”

Before you can grab someone’s attention through engagement, you need to understand the meaning of life.

Not to worry. 

The explanation won’t go deep and I don’t intend to lay a lengthy woo-woo dissertation in your lap.

The meaning of life is people connection.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  We weren’t put on this earth to become hermits.  We’re here to connect.

So do ya think maybe that same concept applies to you as an entrepreneur and small business owner? 

You’re darn tootin’, it does!

So the next logical question is, “How do you engage to get the attention you deserve?”

It’s really pretty simple but most folks look at engagement online as a daunting, labor-intensive, time-sucking chore.  Too bad for them.

Let me ask you this first … do you know:

• At least three or four people online whose business, brand, and expertise you admire?  
• Entrepreneurs you trust and respect?  
• Bloggers whose posts you look forward to reading?  
• Facebook or LinkedIn group members who consistently share valuable tips you can implement right away?
• Small business owners whose virtual events you never want to miss?
• Publishers whose ezines you can’t wait to arrive in your inbox?
• Coaches, authors, public speaking and publicity experts whose work you recommend?
• Affiliate products and programs you promote?

Great!

You’ve got all the leading edge you need.  Your learning curve has come to a screeching halt.

You can now become a master at engagement and head right into the spotlight.

So how do you engage to get well-deserved attention? 

Drum roll please …

COMMENT (on people’s blog posts, articles, Facebook updates, Tweets, videos, interviews, podcasts, group member discussions, etc.)

COMPLIMENT (others on a job well done, special achievement or award, an artistic or creative talent, an outstanding speech, etc.) 

COLLABORATE (with fellow entrepreneurs on joint projects)

… period.

And when asked, for Pete’s sake, hit the “reply” button and answer your social media telephone!

Any questions?

The name of the game in social media marketing is engagement.

(It’s also leveraging, networking, offering valuable content, consistently showing up, and a number of other cool things but we’ll save those topics for a later date)

If you’re not engaging with your target audience, you’re simply delivering ineffective one-way communications.  

No fun talking to yourself, right?!

Without engagement, you may as well toss a handful of sand into the wind and see the results.  

Well, you probably won’t be able to “see” with all that sand in your eyes.

I subscribe to a lot of email newsletters.  Well, actually, too many of them and I’m sure they have support groups for over-subscribers like me. 

But …

I do have my favorites I totally enjoy reading and look forward to their arrival in my inbox.

Oftentimes I’m asked to hit the “reply” button when the author of one of my favorite ezines would like me to:

• Give my opinion
• Cast a vote
• Reveal my biggest entrepreneurial challenges
• Share an idea
• Suggest a topic of interest
• Or pose a question about something I need help with

And sometimes the message reads, “If you’re still alive and kickin’, please hit reply and let me know! I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

Are you ignoring the requests and passing up the opportunity to engage with fellow entrepreneurs and online marketing colleagues?

Worth keeping in mind:

Expression is not just about communication; it is also about connecting and engaging with people.

Are YOU hitting the “reply” button?

Photo Credit: Paul Shanks

The hotel rooms in Burnout-ville are always full …

… full of wrung out, worn out entrepreneurs.

The revolving doors at hotel front entrances are in perpetual motion.

Business is booming!

Unfortunately, it’s a vacation spot completely void of fun activities, swimming pools, shuffleboard, and scenic tours to book.

They have no souvenir shops — no one ever wants to bring back any reminders of their visit.

Talk about gloomy and somber.  

The scenery around town is pretty bleak.

Take a close look at the guests and you’ll notice clearly-defined dark circles under their eyes and people moving about at snail speed.  Guests resemble zombies right out of your favorite science fiction movie.

And the cuisine?

There’s no spice!  You could best describe what they’re serving as bland, dry, tasteless, and unsavory.  

Getting the feeling you’ll want to decline a free ticket to Burnout-ville? 

Beware — most tickets are “one-way” only.

You could easily be the next entrepreneur on your way to Burnout-ville if you are:

• Saying “yes” to every favor everyone asks of you
• Not eating properly
• Allowing 30-minute sessions with your clients to turn into 90 minutes
• Staying up late and burning the candle at both ends
• Forgetting there’s a world out there outside of the internet
• Multi-tasking on multiple days of the week
• Forcing yourself to blog when you don’t feel like blogging
• Simultaneously working your way through the last three programs you purchased
• Stretching yourself and your commitments so thin, you’re like a rubber band about to snap
• Constantly being distracted and derailed by shiny object syndrome
• Trying to build your business by yourself and too proud to ask for help
• Ignoring your family and friends
• Unable to recall the last time you had any fun

Ever spend any time in Burnout-ville? How did you end up there?

Every year, during the last couple of months, we turn our attention to “planning.”

As a former corporate leader, I too, built strategic plans for my team.

One year, we went off to a conference room in the south of France to plan new skills development strategies for a revamped organization. It was a full week, heads down, locked together in a common goal. And I had tools, templates for us to use and complete. I asked them to do some homework before they arrived in France and we all left with a plan of activities and due dates at the end of our time together.

Now, I’m not that much of a hard driver, we did get out for dinner and wonderful French wine every evening. Great team building… smile.  But planning IS a huge part of the corporate environment.

What about we entrepreneurs?

Do we use planning as part of our strategy to grow our skills and business? Sorry to say, I don’t think it’s as widely used or greatly appreciated. And that’s too bad, because at a minimum it can help you get the “stuff” out of your head and on paper so that you can see the possibilities available to you.

I do know that one of the reasons it’s not used effectively is because it can take “time” to plan.

And when you’re focused on attracting clients, designing and delivering programs or products, planning takes a back seat. For that reason, I want to give you a “shortcut” to do some planning if you can’t invest the time to grow your business. (Yes I’m being facetious!) But if I can get you to do “some” planning it could actually open you up to more in-depth focus and results. 

So the 3 simple keys or “shortcuts” to a strategic plan that rocks revolve around a theme:

Clarity – Action – Results

Here’s how you work with the keys…

Step 1: Get a notebook and write down the answer to the guiding questions below. Then walk away from the book for a day or so.

Step 2: Come back refreshed and review it making edits and clarifying key points, actions and ways to achieve the results you expect.

Step 3: Review it with a friend, coach, or buddy to see if you’re overlooking anything and then add the actions to your calendar for the next year.

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Clarity  ~ Clarify your vision 

Who are you in your business?

What is your business? (service based, product based, program based)

What is your market and your position in that market?

Who is your client and how do your serve them?

What do you want to shift in your vision for better results?

Action ~ The plan that helps you achieve your vision

What is your business model to grow the business?

What is your marketing plan to grow the business?

What are the highest payoff activities for you and who will handle the rest?

What do you want to shift in your actions for better results?

Results ~ The outcome that you want to “see”

What are the visual success cues that indicate achievement?

What are the emotional success cues that indicate achievement?

What is the plan to adjust when the outcome is not what you want?

What do you want to shift in your past results for even greater results? 

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Finally, ask yourself, “Where have I inserted the fun in this plan?” If the answer is…there isn’t any, then your plan DOES NOT ROCK. If you don’t infuse fun in each of the 3 simple keys, you will quickly find something else to do.

So step back and see where you can make fun a part of your plan!

Putting the answers to these questions down on paper gives you an opportunity to explore the possibilities for your business. Don’t censor your thoughts or your aspirations for the vision, action and results that you want.

And take it from me; don’t beat yourself up for where you are! Decide that it’s a starting point to move forward, which is an awesome place to be, especially if you consider the alternative! 

Just focusing on these three simple keys will help you to transform the vision of what you want for your business, into results that you will actually see and experience. So give it the same time, attention and love you give your clients and it will pay off for you.

The business mentor to the service professional who is ready to thrive as an entrepreneur, Chris Makell, shows her clients a different way to “Think Big…Play Bigger”^(TM) so that they create profitable businesses that bring meaning and impact to the world. 

Claim your free special report “5 Critical Steps to Get High Paying Clients, Today” at http://ChrisMakell.com/specialreport/