Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @bskogrand. Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC, is the chief communications officer of Skogrand PR Solutions, a public relations, social media and search engine optimization firm based in Minneapolis. Skogrand is a Certified Search Engine Marketer, a Certified Master of Social Media and an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America. He has earned several awards for his work and is the author of the book 19 Tips for Successful Public Relations. For more info, visit www.skograndpr.com.

SmallBizLady: Many people have heard of search engine optimization (SEO). How would you define SEO?

Brant Skogrand: According to Search Engine College, where I became a Certified Search Engine Marketer, SEO is “the use of search engines to draw traffic to a website. It’s the technique of attaining a higher ranking in search engines and directories via alteration of website code and copy to make it more search engine compatible.”

SEO is divided into two categories: organic and paid. The Search Engine College definition mainly refers to organic SEO.

Paid (or pay-per-click) SEO also is important, because it can provide instantaneous visibility and be very useful for online marketing campaigns of a specific timeframe. Examples of pay-per-click SEO programs include Google AdWords and Bing Ads.

SmallBizLady: Why is SEO important?

Brant Skogrand:  Think about your own web search habits. I know that even if I’m really searching for something, I don’t usually go past the fourth page of Google. I’m the exception, however. According to HubSpot, 75 percent of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

Getting onto the first or second page of search results for keywords that are relevant to your organization can make a big difference in visits to your website – and very likely in your business results.

There are approximately 200 ranking factors that go into Google’s algorithm, ranging from keywords to social signals to tags and beyond. Having an understanding of those ranking factors can help your website rise in the search results. It does take time as well as a fine balance between optimizing your website and over-optimizing your website, which the search engines frown upon.

SmallBizLady: Why are keywords important to SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  Keyword research is probably the most crucial element to SEO. The search engines are looking to connect users with the most relevant sites. Keywords are more than just single words; they are the terms that potential site visitors would use in search engines to find your product or service.

Hopefully you already know who your target customer is. If not, start thinking about your target customer to move forward with your keyword research. Where do they live? What is their age range? What is your target customer’s gender?

Start writing down a “seed list” of keywords to choose from. For instance, a Minneapolis-based florist might start out with phrases that include the words “flowers,” “florists,” or “gifts.”

Those are pretty general terms though. Continuing on with the example of the Minneapolis-based florist, qualifying the terms will help you get closer to the phrases that visitors might actually use, such as “send flowers Minneapolis,” “florists Minneapolis,” “wedding bouquets Minneapolis,” “Valentine’s Day gifts Minneapolis,” etc.

This final list of keywords is important, because you will want to use them throughout your website: in the text, in headers, in the title of your website, and more. Most webpages can only be optimized for a maximum of two to three keywords or phrases. So, if you have a 10-page website to optimize, you’ll need approximately 30 keywords of phrases to target. You probably would want to come up with more words than that, though. It’s always good to have more keywords to choose from.

Some of the best resources that I have found to determine the actual traffic for various keywords include the Keyword Planner tool on the Google AdWords website, SEMrush and Raven Tools.

SmallBizLady: What role do tags have in SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  The title tag in particular is very important. Search Engine College defines the title tag as “a descriptive name of a page that is shown by browsers as the page name in the browser window.”

After the overall content of a webpage, the title tag is considered the single most important on-page SEO element.

Search engines prefer when your website has a unique title for each page, and may even ignore pages that have the same titles.

Search results limit the number of characters that they show for page titles. The best practice is to keep page titles to a length between 10 and 70 characters.

Use your keywords in your title tag. Put the most important keywords first, as search engines read from left to right.

The meta description tag also is important, as search engines often display this short, helpful summary of your page’s content. Searchers also use the meta description tag to decide which result to click on. A general best practice is to keep the meta description tag to a minimum of 50 characters and a maximum of 156 characters.

SmallBizLady: How can photos be optimized for SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  Since search engines are visually impaired, flashy webpages aren’t as useful as ones that have an appropriate level of text to help the search engines with appropriate context to understand the content and its quality.

Best practices recommend at least 250 words of text on each webpage.

I like to take advantage of any optimization possibility, however, and each photo has the opportunity for associated text. Both ALT text and title text for a photo provide search engines with useful information about the subject matter of an image. The search engines in turn use this information to determine the best image to return for a searcher’s query.

SmallBizLady: SEO is constantly changing. How can people keep up?

Brant Skogrand:  Several websites are very useful that track search engine updates, including: Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Watch, Moz and Search Engine Land.

Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team, also has a blog with very useful information.

Many search engine updates, such as Google’s recent announcement that websites that automatically encrypt their services will be boosted in Google’s ranking formula, are covered in the mainstream media.

SmallBizLady: What were the effects of the most recent Google updates?

Brant Skogrand:  Google changes its search algorithm around 500 to 600 times each year. Most of the changes are minor, but sometimes there’s a major algorithmic update – such as Google Panda or Google Penguin.

Recent updates include Pigeon (updates to local search algorithms), Panda 4.0 (part of an update to prevent sites with poor quality content to get into the top search results), changes to Google Authorship, and Payday Loan (an anti-spam update).

SmallBizLady: How can SEO be measured?

Brant Skogrand:  Hopefully it ties to business results.

While you can look at where your website ranks in the search results, there are more measures to look at by having Google Analytics installed on your website, which can track site usage and visitor behavior.

With Google Analytics, you can set a goal conversion – meaning that if people visit a certain page, request an appointment, buy an item, etc., you are meeting specific goals for your website.

Other measurements in Google Analytics range from bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who enter the site and “bounce” (leave the site) rather than continue viewing other pages within the same site) to the geographic location of site visitors to the most popular content and more.

SmallBizLady: What role does social media and public relations have in relation to SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  Earlier this year, Google’s Matt Cutts said, “But as far as doing special specific work to sort of say ‘you have this many followers on Twitter or this many likes on Facebook,’ to the best of my knowledge we don’t currently have any signals like that in our web search ranking algorithms.”

There’s value in having an active presence on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks (like Google+), however, because it can be a way to drive traffic and visitors to your website.

Having a blog on your website also can be valuable as a way to demonstrate thought leadership. Search engines also reward sites that frequently refresh content, which generally can be accomplished by having a blog.

There’s also value in obtaining media coverage through public relations outreach. The resulting articles could drive traffic to your website and increase the popularity of your organization. In addition, media websites often link to the websites of companies that they cover, which can be a boost to your organization’s SEO efforts.

SmallBizLady: How can entrepreneurs learn more about SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  I found the Search Engine College program very helpful. Their curriculum covers topics ranging from organic SEO to pay-per-click to copywriting and beyond. It’s on online program, and tutors grade your assignments.

Google also offers free online courses through Google Analytics Academy to help people improve their Analytics skills. There also are Google Partners certifications, including the AdWords certification, to demonstrate proficiency.

SmallBizLady: Why did you decide to write the 19 Tips for Successful Public Relations book?

Brant Skogrand:  Many organizations struggle with how to successfully integrate public relations into their marketing mix.

Because of the numerous demands on entrepreneurs’ time and money, many small business owners neither are able to learn public relations on their own nor hire an outside public relations firm.

My goal with the book is to help entrepreneurs learn small business public relations through straightforward tips and by analysis of real-life examples – and then be able to apply public relations strategies and tactics to help achieve their business goals.

SmallBizLady: Are there any other tips for SEO that you can give to startups and developing businesses?

Brant Skogrand:  As you probably have noticed, there are a lot of factors that go into SEO and it can be tough to keep up with the changes.

Even though you can do it on your own, the results generally are better when you hire an outside professional.

Be wary of people who guarantee results. Since we don’t run Google or Bing, we can’t guarantee that your website will rank at the top of the search results for specific terms. By using our knowledge and experience, however, your site should see optimization improvements.

“Key With Keywords Text” courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat:  http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post Understanding the Basics of Search Engine Optimization appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @womenrecharged. Aprille Franks-Hunt is an author, speaker, life & business advisor, as well as a multi-faceted business professional, who walked away from a successful career to pursue her passion of inspiring women beyond motivation. Aprille is the Creator/CEO of Women Recharged, a powerful movement designed to spread the global message of transformation through Aprille’s compelling LIVE, LEARN, and THRIVE mantra. For more information, visit aprillefranks.com.

SmallBizLady: How does having a solid brand play a part in getting media attention?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: When a “source” makes it easy for the media showcase their work and gain access – that’s a win-win-win. Delivering great solid content and being polished is a huge part of getting asked to come back. This doesn’t mean you can’t get coverage if you are just getting started, but the better you are at delivering a message, the more you will stand out.

SmallBizLady: Is gaining media coverage really about who you know?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: It’s not all about who you know, BUT if you know someone, of course that helps. Everything you do begins with your “warm market”. The people closest to you usually know what you’re up to first. The media is no different. Learning to leverage those relationships so that it’s a win-win for you both is what’s important.

SmallBizLady: What’s the distinction between publicity and advertising?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you gain access to for free – oftentimes with the same outlets. For instance, you can do a local segment on a TV show for 3 minutes as a subject matter expert for free or you can pay for a 60 second commercial to advertise on the same channel during the same time slot. In my opinion, you must have components of both.

SmallBizLady: Does the outlet matter?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: Knowing what to pitch to which outlet is imperative. Make sure it makes sense for the outlet first – watch the show, listen to the segments, and read the latest issues! Another thing is to go outside of what you normally would tune into. There may be outlets that fit your audience that you are unaware of, but would be a great fit. Do your research.

SmallBizLady: What’s considered a “good” or “#mediaworthy” story?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: While you may in fact have the best product or service in the world, so does everyone else who wants to be on TV, or in a national printed publication. A good story must be current and relevant to the outlet, first.  Is not about what you’re selling as much as it is about what you know and how what you know connects with that outlets audience. The media wants your knowledge, not necessarily your product.

SmallBizLady: Should entrepreneurs connect with local media outlets before going for the national outlets?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: Yes! I love to say, “Grow local!” I think instinctively entrepreneurs want to skip their backyards and go straight for the big boys. But you have to ask yourself are you ready for the big time yet. For example, do you have enough product in inventory? Do you have a way to capture leads on your website to handle traffic and does your website have enough bandwidth to handle a sudden influx of web traffic?  Not to mention being polished. Your local market may be a bit more forgiving than a national outlet.

SmallBizLady: There’s so much competition out there, how does someone stand out to get media attention?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: You have to be respectfully relentless if you want to stand out. Your pitch and angle can’t sound like everyone else’s. There has to be something interesting about what you have to offer. If you want to stand out, STAND OUT. No one playing it safe makes it big.

SmallBizLady: Who is the right contact person at any outlet to get booked?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: Knowing who to direct your pitch to is as important as the pitch itself. It would be similar to sending your resume to the janitor of a major corporation and you’re applying for an executive position. You are pitching to people, not companies. Reporters, writers, and journalists get hundreds of pitches each day, it’s important that you make connections with them directly. So, you must do your research! Make sure you are a “fan” of the outlet you are pitching. If it’s a printed publication, most times their email addresses are public as are their twitter handles. If it’s a TV show, find out who the Executive Producer of that show is – then email them your pitch.

SmallBizLady: How can someone find out what the media is looking for?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: One of my favorite FREE resources for finding out what the media is looking for today is a site called, Helpareporter.com or HARO for short. HARO is a service where various media outlets post queries looking for sources for their stories/segments. It’s free to subscribe and I’ve personally had national success using the outlet. I recommend it for those who want to #DIY their own PR!

SmallBizLady: What do entrepreneurs need to know about crafting a #mediaworthy pitch?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: My favorite question! Here are five things to take into consideration when crafting a pitch for the media:

1. Wrap your pitch around trendy topics/disasters – timing is key!
2. Subject lines: Think TMZ…no boring: “Subject: How to be successful” email headlines
3. No attachments in your email, consider using hyperlinks
4. Less is more, don’t be too wordy, 100 -150 words works: Headline >bullets> close!
5. Be consistent & patient – the majority of your pitches won’t get a response – but some will.

SmallBizLady: After someone has landed the media outlet they desired, how do they keep the momentum?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: Leveraging the opportunity is where most people fizzle. While each media opportunity you land is a boost in credibility for your brand – the expectation that being on TV or in a magazine is going to change your life overnight isn’t realistic. One should be prepared to capture the moment via video clips, testimonials from the show host, reporter or producer, capture screen shots, and then add them to your website. They can also be used in pitches to other outlets. You should also build content around your media opps by blogging about them or emailing snippets to your email list.

SmallBizLady: How did you land your first television appearance?

Aprille Franks-Hunt: A lady who was helping me sent an email to the show host for me to be a guest. Just days before I was to appear, the guest co-host was unavailable and they asked could I fill that spot for the day. Of course I said yes – that one show turned into me co-hosting 35 shows in one year with my own segment. I even hosted two shows myself while the host was on maternity leave. You never know what will happen, you just have to put yourself out there and be ready for what’s to come!

“Buzz Definition Displays Public Attention Or Popularity” courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat:  http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Get and Leverage Media Coverage for Your Small Business appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @CWEChatham. Rebecca Harris, MBA is the Director of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University and has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, consultant, and marketing specialist. She has started and managed a number of businesses, consulted on business development, marketing, sales management and strategic planning, and has worked for several non-profit organizations. Rebecca holds an MBA in marketing from The Fox School of Business at Temple University and a Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies from Northwestern University. For more info, visit chatham.edu/cwe

SmallBizLady: Can you provide us with some basic stats about women-owned businesses?

Rebecca Harris:

1. The number of women-owned firms accounts for 30% of all enterprises.
2. Women-owned firms employ 6% of the country’s workforce.
3. Women-owned firms contribute 4% of business revenues – roughly the same share they contributed in 1997.
4. Only 1.8 % of women-owned business hit the $1 million dollar mark compared to the national average of 5.3%.

SmallBizLady: What are the indicators that women need to take more risks in business?

Rebecca Harris: Between 1997 and 2013, the number of women-owned firms grew at 1-½ times the national average which is great news, however, when you look at the number of women who make it to the million dollar mark and the fact that women-owned businesses still only contribute 4% of business revenues to the economy – which is the same amount they contributed in 1997, I think that says it all – women have more work to do!

SmallBizLady: So how can women get to the million dollar mark as well as increase their business revenues?

Rebecca Harris: The bottom line is that women have to take more risks. And the risks we are going to talk about apply to both women and men in small businesses – as there are certainly lots of men who are small business owners who are risk averse.  But, men have an advantage over women from a biological perspective – men have more testosterone. Studies show that women with higher than normal levels of testosterone take more risks than women with less testosterone – and men, in general, have more!

SmallBizLady: What do you really mean when you talk about risks?

Rebecca Harris: When we talk about risks in business, we are referring to both behavioral and well as business risks. Behavioral risks include: calculated risks in order to get to ahead.  These types of risks include:

1. Getting out of your comfort zone
2. Admitting mistakes and soliciting feedback
3. Showing ambition
4. Stop playing it safe!

SmallBizLady: And in terms of business risks what are you looking at?

Rebecca Harris: When we talk about business risks we are talking about taking “calculated risks.” – Don’t go out today and take out a loan for a million dollars because we told you to take risks!

Calculated business risks include:

1. Hiring more employees (most women-owned firms are owner-operated)
2. Taking out business loans (most women-owned firms finance on credit cards debt)
3. Embracing change and responding to challenges in the marketplace
4. Knowing when to get in and when to exit!

SmallBizLady: How does taking risks in business correlate with the types of industries small businesses are in? 

Rebecca Harris: The correlation is significant, especially for women.

The industries with the highest concentration of women-owned firms are: health care and social assistance, educational services, and administrative support.

The industries with the lowest concentration of women-owned firms are construction, transportation and warehousing, wholesale trade, and finance and insurance.

And in general, the industries with the highest concentration of women-owned firms are lower revenue producers than those with the lowest concentrations of women business owners.

SmallBizLady: What are some of the ways to overcome the fear of taking risks in business?

1. Don’t be afraid to fail, if you don’t fail sometimes, you are playing it too safe.
2. Follow your intuition, for many times your gut reaction is correct.
3. Understand that everything won’t be comfortable all the time – you will need to have uncomfortable conversations with your employees and colleagues.
4. Realize that doing the same thing over and over will only result in the same outcome – and will eventually lead to diminishing returns and potential failure.

SmallBizLady: Can you actually build a plan to overcome the fear of taking business risks?

Rebecca Harris: You absolutely can. And for many business owners, this is really critical if risk taking does not come naturally.  Steps in this planning stage would include:

1. Start by taking small and less significant risks that have fewer long-term consequences.
2. Develop a specific plan for what business success looks like and work toward that. Having a plan to follow decreases your level of uncertainty about the future and thus decreases risk.
3. Ascertain an outside level of the amount of risk you can endure and work to this level (i.e. taking out loans up to a certain level, hiring a certain number of employees).
4. Ask, ask, ask! If you don’t ask you will never be in the game.

SmallBizLady: What else can you do to help overcome the fear of taking risks?

Rebecca Harris:

1. Become more risk forward – think and learn about what taking risks will produce and studying and thinking about this can lead to more calculated risk taking behavior.
2. Become an expert in your field and in the future trends in your business sector. Knowledge is power and if you have a good sense of future trends, you will be more secure taking risks.
3. Find a mentor who you can work with to help you overcome fears and evaluate opportunities.

SmallBizLady: Why is taking calculated risks taking good for you?

Rebecca Harris:

1. “No risk, no reward.”
2. Taking risks can help you break out of a rut and lead to greater confidence as a leader.
3. Risk taking is what moves the world forward, and change is critical in life.
4. Risk taking involves learning and engaging in new and different behavior, and learning new skills keeps us motivated and energized.

SmallBizLady: If you are not a natural risk taker can you really learn this skill and be successful in business?

Rebecca Harris: I not only think you can, but that you must do this.  You may have the greatest business idea since sliced bread, but if you can’t get out and sell your new idea, finance your operations, grow your customer base, enter into new markets, accept uncertainty and some failure, you will never take your business or yourself to the next level.

“Architect Shaking Hands” courtesy of Ambro / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat:  http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How Women Should be Taking More Risks in Business appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @JamelleSanders. Jamelle Sanders is best known as the Voice of a Generation, 21st Century Trailblazer, respected prophetic voice, world-class leader, life coach, success mentor, leading Empowerment Specialist, and Ambassador of Change, Jamelle Sanders is a 21st Century Leader that has devoted his life to helping individuals fulfill purpose and maximize potential. As an entrepreneur, Jamelle founded Jamelle Sanders International (JSI), to provide solutions to world problems; impacting the world by empowering change agents to make a difference in all facets of society. For more info, visit jamellesanders.com

SmallBizLady: Why is technology so important in business?

Jamelle Sanders: First of all, in the early days of my business, I knew technology was important. However, I didn’t know just how important it was to business. According to Forbes, businesses spent over $31 billion on technology last year. Businesses spent over 21% of their budgets on technology. When you really look into the research it boils down to businesses realizing that technology is too important not to invest in.

SmallBizLady: So what should businesses consider before investing in technology?

Jamelle Sanders: Businesses should consider a number of factors before investing in technology. The greatest benefit of technology to business is cost and time savings. Technology should be a major investment if you are in a process-driven company. This gives you the opportunity to streamline processes and increase productivity. Technology is also vital to protecting confidential information and trade secrets. Technology empowers you to automate systems saving you valuable time and money.

SmallBizLady: What technologies are central to the success of any business?

Jamelle Sanders: While the needs of every business will differ, I think some technologies are a must for any business. First, you need a computer. You need a functional website that serves your business needs. You need a word processing program, spreadsheet program and accounting software. You need a quality internet service provider. Lastly, I would advise investment in some type of electronic organizer. These basic tools will at least get a new business going.

SmallBizLady: What role does innovation play in the success of a business?

Jamelle Sanders: I would venture to say that innovation is the only thing that will keep a business relevant. We see companies like Amazon and Apple that have used innovation and experienced remarkable success. As an entrepreneur, it is so important to say on top of trends in the industry. The thing I love about technology is that it allows you to work smarter and better serve your customers. Innovation is vital to stretching your thinking and improving the customer experience.

SmallBizLady: How has technology empowered you as an entrepreneur?

Jamelle Sanders: Technology has had a profound impact on my business. In fact, 90% of my business success can be attributed to technology. My website brings in 50% of my revenues. Social media brings in another 40% of my revenues. The other 10% comes from other marketing channels. I am very grateful for technology. It has empowered me to be more productive, increased my profits and expanded the reach of my brand globally.

SmallBizLady: How important is a good website?

Jamelle Sanders: A good website is the first thing any serious entrepreneur should invest in. Initially, my website was terrible and not user-friendly. In fact, when I first launched my business, I had a flash site. It seemed like a great idea at the time. All of the moving graphics were impressive. However, as time went on I found out that the site was not user friendly at all. Immediately I talked with customers, strategized on what I wanted my site to represent and launched a new site.

SmallBizLady: What makes a website effective?

Jamelle Sanders: An effective website clearly articulates the vision and mission of your organization. Also, it gives customers a great understanding of your products and services. An effective website gives current contact information and also finds a way to capture the information of visitors to the website. Effective websites answer customer questions. Most importantly, a great website shows customers how to purchase your product or service.

SmallBizLady: Do you think entrepreneurs should blog?

Jamelle Sanders: Blogging is so important to entrepreneurship in the 21^st century. Initially, I was not on board with blogging. However, clients begin to reach out to me and tell me that they would like to hear more about leadership and business from me.  So I started blogging and the blog exploded. Thousands were reading the blog every week. In addition, new clients were being added to my roster, new opportunities were opening up to me and I was established as an expert in my field.

SmallBizLady: What should entrepreneurs consider before blogging? 

Jamelle Sanders: You have to consider your audience. Make sure that you are targeting the individuals that you want to reach. Next, make sure that you have something to say to the audience. Don’t simply recycle information but provide real value to your audience. Use your blog as a vehicle to brand yourself and express the power of your voice. Make sure that your blog solves a problem. Allow your blog to serve as a community for likeminded individuals to connect and share ideas.

SmallBizLady: What part does social media play in business success?

Jamelle Sanders: 93% of marketers use social media for marketing. Social media is a game changer for entrepreneurs in the 21^st century. Social media has given me a voice in parts of the world I never imagined possible for my business. Social media has generated press, increased revenues and connected me with amazing people all over the globe. Social media is not an option, but a necessity for business owners. If you don’t have an online presence, you are overlooking massive potential profits for your business.

SmallBizLady: So what would you say to business owners just starting out on social media?

Jamelle Sanders: I would tell new business owners to first of all get a social media strategy. You don’t want to just go on a posting spree. You need to post with substance. Also, you don’t want to appear that you are just trying to sell a product. Connect with your audience. Spend some time just talking with them and getting to know them. If you connect first people will be much more interested in buying your product or service. Get feedback from your audience and target your social media campaigns accordingly.

SmallBizLady: What are some of your favorite tech gadgets and trends?

Jamelle Sanders: I am in love with my iPad and I am always reading or researching some industry trend on my tablet. Also, as a busy entrepreneur my iPhone is a mini office for me.  I use a lot of apps to stay productive. Over is a great app for adding text to photos and uploading them to social media. Hours Keeper is an app that lets me track hours with clients and prepare invoices.  Evernote helps me capture my thoughts and stay organized.

“Tablet Pc And Icons Business” courtesy of Feelart / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat:  http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog.

The post How to Become a Technologically Empowered Entrepreneur appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

#SmallBizChat is a weekly conversation where small business owners can get answers to their questions. The focus of #SmallBizChat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss. 

Join me live every Wednesday, 8PM EST for #SmallBizChat on Twitter. 

Here’s how: follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter and click here for directions on how to join the conversation. 

Here is a list of who is on #SmallBizChat in October:

October 1: How to Build Wealth Through Your Business, @theRealKiyosaki – Robert T. Kiyosaki is best known as the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. This is the #1 personal finance book of all time, which has challenged and changed the way tens of millions of people around the world think about money. Robert is an educational entrepreneur, co-creator of the CASHFLOW® board game, founder of the financial education-based Rich Dad Company and author of multiple New York Times Bestsellers including: Conspiracy of The Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money, and Unfair Advantage. For more info, visit richdad.com

October 8: When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women, @FARNOOSH – Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance expert, bestselling author, TV personality, and sought-after speaker. Her mission is to help people take control of their finances so they can live their richest, happiest lives. She has personally coached a wide range of audiences, from college students, to couples, to executives at Fortune 500 firms. Farnoosh is a contributing editor at Money Magazine and frequent contributor to DailyWorth, Yahoo! and The Today Show. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfectly practical.” Her latest book is an Amazon #1 Best Seller and is entitled When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women. For more information, visit farnoosh.tv

October 15: How to Master, Manage and Communicate Your Message, @kimydavis – Kim Y. Davis  is a Houston-based journalist, speaker and consultant. She writes and produces print, online and video content for various media outlets about sports, politics and other issues. As a consultant, she helps corporations, non-profits, entrepreneurs and individuals find their voice, develop their message and tell their story. Kim helps people be heard in a time where there is so much noise. She uses communication as the tool and sports as the arena. As a speaker, she also draws on her background as a journalist, sports executive and athlete to address communications, leadership, community, diversity and wellness. For more info, visit thekdcompany.com

October 22: How to Think About Cyber Security in Your Small Business (Sponsored by Staples and Symantec), @brianmoran – As the Founder & CEO of Brian Moran & Associates, Brian is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs to run better businesses. Brian is leveraging his 20+ years of experience in publishing magazines for business owners (The Wall Street Journal, Inc. magazine, Entrepreneur magazine) to assist entrepreneurs with everything from social media to accessing growth capital to expanding into the global marketplace.

In August, 2012, Brian was given the prestigious Lou Campanelli award at SCORE’s national conference in recognition for his years of service in the small business market. In 2012 and 2013 Brian was named one of the top 100 SMB Influencers in the country by Small Business Trends & Small Biz Technology.

Brian is a graduate of Marquette University’s School of Journalism. You can connect with Brian on Twitter or by visiting the company web site.

October 29:  How to REALLY Make Sales! @gitomer – Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling.  His books are now available as online courses at www.GitomerVT.com. For information about training and seminars visit www.Gitomer.com or GitomerCertifiedAdvisors.com, or email Jeffrey personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

The post Who is on #SmallBizChat in October? appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @theRealKiyosaki.  Robert T. Kiyosaki is best known as the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. This is the #1 personal finance book of all time, which has challenged and changed the way tens of millions of people around the world think about money. Robert is an educational entrepreneur, co-creator of the CASHFLOW® board game, founder of the financial education-based Rich Dad Company and author of multiple New York Times Bestsellers including: Conspiracy of The Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money, and Unfair Advantage. For more info, visit richdad.com

SmallBizLady: What is the difference between good debt and bad debt?

Robert T. Kiyosaki:  Debt becomes good or bad based on how the money is used. If the borrowed money is simply spent on consumption—a vacation, jewelry, or shoes that you charge on your credit cards—then that is bad debt. The car loan that you write a check for each month is bad debt.

Debt becomes good or bad depending on who pays for it. Bad debt is debt that you pay for out of your own pocket. Good debt is debt that someone else pays for you. An example of good debt is when you borrow money to grow your business and pay that debt back out of positive cash flow from the business. Or, if you manage the property well, then the rent from the tenant pays the monthly mortgage payment. That is good debt.

SmallBizLady: How do words make you rich or poor?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: Words are tools. Since words affect our minds, they are some of the most powerful tools invented by humans, which is why we must choose our words carefully. When my rich dad wouldn’t allow me to say “I can’t afford it”, he was enforcing his belief that words can steal your power and make you weak. Instead, we were to ask ourselves “How can I afford it?” and challenge our brains to expand our means. The words we choose – and use – either opens our minds or closes them… make us feel powerful and creative or powerless victims of life. That’s the power of words.

SmallBizLady: Why do you say that savers are losers?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: I have been harshly criticized for saying, “Savers are losers.” In the year 2000, the price of gold was less than $300 an ounce. Today, gold is over $1,200 an ounce, which is yet another reflection of the loss in the purchasing power of the dollar. At the same time, banks are paying less than 2% interest on savings while inflation runs at 5%… although the government claims there is no inflation. That is why “Savers are losers.” It’s simple math: $1,200 for an ounce of gold is greater than $300 an ounce. Inflation at 5% is greater than 2% interest on your savings. You do not need algebra or calculus to figure out that money sitting in a bank is losing value, thus “savers are losers.”

SmallBizLady: How much do I need to save for retirement?

Robert T. Kiyosaki:  None! In order to know how large of a savings ‘nest-egg’ you’ll need, you’ll need to know three things: How long will you live? How will inflation increase? What will the various markets do?

These answers are impossible to know. You are gambling with your future.

But, if you stop saving, and start buying cash flow assets, your problem is solved.

By purchasing cash-flowing assets you could build a pipeline of cash flow for life—a pipeline that would produce cash in good times and bad, in market booms and market crashes. Your cash flow would increase automatically with inflation and, at the same time, allow you to pay less in taxes. You can survive at your current standard of living for as long as you live, whether you work or not.

SmallBizLady: You are famous for saying your house is not an asset. Can you explain this?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: My poor dad often said, “My house is an asset.” And my rich dad would say, “Your father may be a highly educated man, but his house is not an asset. It’s a liability.”

Millions of people are poor or struggle financially simply because they use “poor” or incorrect words. Millions of people struggle financially because they refer to their “liabilities” as “assets”.

Rich dad’s definitions were simple. They were:

• Assets put money in your pocket.
• Liabilities take money from your pocket.

Your house costs utilities, taxes, probably a mortgage, but makes you nothing. It takes money OUT of your pockets. On the other hand, a properly run rental house will put money IN your pockets.

SmallBizLady: What do you mean when you say that debt is the fastest way to wealth?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: The more debt you use, the more assets you can buy, which make you more money.

And since dollars are taxed and debt is tax free, which makes more sense to learn to use? As inflation goes up, doesn’t it make more sense to learn to use debt to acquire assets—assets that are likely to go up in value with inflation and provide cash flow?

To me, it makes more sense to learn to use debt than to get out of debt.

SmallBizLady: You say the rich do not work for money? What do they work for?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: The poor and the middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them. The rich work to build assets. Assets make money. That money then buys more assets. That money is now working for you. You are not working for money. Your money, through buying cash flowing assets, is making you more money. Your money is working for you.

SmallBizLady: What is the number one shortcut to starting a business?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: Since our schools do not teach a person much about entrepreneurship, the question is, how does a person get the education and experience to be successful as an entrepreneur? I recommend finding someone who has succeeded at your dream. Make them your mentor. I had rich dad as my coach and a mentor. Don’t worry. If you do not have a rich dad, then the second solution would be to find a business course. Be picky and make sure the course you find comes with a coach or mentor.

SmallBizLady: You said that entrepreneurship is the way to save the economy. Why?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: I’ve just seen a horrible statistic about the layoffs and unemployment problem. I’m not talking about the lies our governments feed us. I’m talking about the true numbers, and they are not good. I think we all know people who have lost their job and been unable to find another, or found another job but it pays far less. We all know the economy is worse off than they are saying.

If you expect the government to solve your problems, you have a problem. The problem is that the governments of the world are broke. Rather than be the problem, become part of the solution: Become a true capitalist, focusing on giving more to receive more.

SmallBizLady: What is the key to success?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: The key to success is education. Education can come in many forms: Mentors, coaches, books, seminars, but my favorite is through games and doing. Games are great simulators. Games are a reflection of behavior. They are also a safe way to practice and experiment. It’s why I made the CASHFLOW board game and why we are making mobile games for smart phones. Learning through doing is learning from mistakes. The ability to learn from one’s mistakes is probably the best way to learn.

SmallBizLady: Why do so many entrepreneurs fail?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: Many people say that two things stop most new entrepreneurs: The lack of capital and the lack of real-life business experience. From my own experience, I would add a third item:  The lack of emotional maturity and strength of character.

The lack of emotional maturity and strength of character is the main reason why people fail as entrepreneurs. While almost everyone has the ability to become an entrepreneur, not everyone needs to become an entrepreneur. And for many there are easier ways to live life and so they quit before they give themselves a chance to succeed.

SmallBizLady: What is one final piece of wisdom for entrepreneurs?

Robert T. Kiyosaki: “You can’t do a good deal with a bad partner.” These words could be the most important words in life, not just in business. Whenever you find a struggling business, a bad marriage, or an investment gone bad, you will find a bad partner.

This does not mean the person is a bad person, although they could be. It just means they are a bad partner, the wrong person for the task at hand. If you have bad partners, whatever you touch will turn bad. And if you have great partners, everything you touch turns to gold.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat:  http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Build Wealth Through Your Business appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @farnoosh. Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance expert, bestselling author, TV personality, and sought-after speaker. Her mission is to help people take control of their finances so they can live their richest, happiest lives. She has personally coached a wide range of audiences, from college students, to couples, to executives at Fortune 500 firms. Farnoosh is a contributing editor at Money Magazine and frequent contributor to DailyWorth, Yahoo! and The Today Show. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfectly practical.” Her latest book is an Amazon #1 Best Seller and is entitled When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women. For more information, please visit www.farnoosh.tv

SmallBizLady: Why did you want to write this book?

Farnoosh Torabi: We know by now that women are increasingly the chief breadwinners in their families. There have been studies, books and discussion all about this in recent years. But what we are not discussing – more importantly – is how to make these family dynamics work. The fact of the matter is, when she makes more, her relationship faces challenges – emotional and financial – that are very unique and potentially damaging.

I’ve been helping people with their finances for over 10 years and this was the first time where I saw a financial complexity really shaking things up in relationships to the point where there was no established guide or recipe on how to make your partnership succeed. And as someone who is in this demographic, making more than her husband, this was a personal need as well.

SmallBizLady: How did you first identify this trend?

Farnoosh Torabi: My curiosity about female breadwinners grew exponentially once I became engaged to my husband. This was a few years ago. As the breadwinner in our relationship, I yearned to connect with other women living a similar financial dynamic. It was around that time, too, when the media began to have a field day with the topic of “women on the rise,” highlighting how fabulous it is that we’re finally ascending in the workforce like never before and out-earning our male partners. While this is certainly something we should celebrate, we also need to acknowledge that this dramatic shift is riddled with complex struggles that can threaten coupledom and even spill into our relationships with friends and family members.

SmallBizLady: Why did you feel this issue was important?

Farnoosh Torabi: It’s important because, at the end of the day, we should be able to proudly celebrate the fact that women are on the rise and supporting not only themselves but their families as well – without any of the guilt, shame, confusion and hardship as it is. And ultimately, we need relationships to thrive for our own happiness…and to prove to the future generation that you can marry for love regardless of your financial success. Your relationship and prospects for finding the right partner won’t be threatened by the fact that she makes more or that he makes less.

SmallBizLady: What do the statistics show?

Farnoosh Torabi:

• MORE DIVORCE. When she makes more, marriage difficulties jump and divorce rates rise. In fact, economists at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the National University of Singapore found that traditional views of gender identity, particularly the perception that it’s a man’s job to make more money than the wife, are affecting whether or not we marry, whom we marry, how much we decide to work, and even whether we choose to stay married. Over a five-year span, they found that the divorce rate rose by half among couples in which the wife earned more.
• MORE INFIDELITY. Your marriage is also vulnerable to infidelity on both sides. A 2010 Cornell University study examined 18- to 28-year-old married and cohabitating couples that had been together for more than a year. Men who were entirely dependent on their female partner’s salary were five times more likely to cheat than men who made an equal amount of money. As for women, the more dependent they were on their male partners, the less likely they were to engage in infidelity.
• MORE PRESSURE TO MAKE IT ALL “WORK.” My own academic study of over 1,000 women – primarily breadwinners – found that when she makes more (versus making the less or the same) she feels more pressure to stay on top of the finances, advance in her career, maintain her income stream and deal with disapproving or judgmental family and friends. She also reports she’s less satisfied with marital satisfaction, with how the chores are getting managed and the couple’s family planning status.

SmallBizLady: Why is this such a problem?

Farnoosh Torabi: Like it or not, our way of thinking about money is largely rooted in biology and how we’ve been socialized and raised. For example, men generally feel the need to be the “alpha” in order to feel attractive. They need to “provide,” and that – forever – has meant “financially provide.” Women, no matter how much money they make, still want to be “taken care of” in some capacity by their mate. Society has evolved but our lower animal brain is still stuck on the thought, “what does this mean for my status.” These sometimes unconscious – though fundamental – human needs go unrecognized or unappreciated and lead to trouble in a marriage where she makes more.

SmallBizLady: What’s the promise of the book?

Farnoosh Torabi: I promise that with the recipes in this book (and I encourage readers to change up the ingredients to suit their preferences), you will walk away with feeling acceptance and ultimately empowerment. It’s the acceptance that it’s okay to earn more.  And finally, this book intends to empower breadwinning women and the men who love them…to be able to confidently create a new set of rules in their relationship so they can feel secure in themselves and as a couple.

Along the way, this book will give answers breadwinning women desperately seek, like how to:

• Manage money in your relationship without you feeling stressed and him feeling left out
• Avoid resentment
• Boost intimacy
• Make your man still feel like a hero AND want to do more for you
• Avoid the trap of being the woman who “does it all” and take advantage of the smartest ways to delegate.
• Quickly figure out whether you’ve found Mr. Right, or if you need to cut your losses and move on.

SmallBizLady: Why do you think there are more breadwinning women now than in years past?

Farnoosh Torabi: Part of what is fueling this trend is the fact that women are achieving greater academic success. Beginning in grade school, young female students are generally earning higher grades than their male classmates, due to what researchers cite as better “approaches towards learning.” Girls are characterized as more attentive, eager to learn and organized when it comes to education – and teachers are rewarding them for that. Young women are also enrolling in college and graduating with diplomas at higher rates than men. In the graduating class of 2013, women earned the majority of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The projection is the same for 2014 and beyond.

In recent years the employment market has also favored women in certain ways. In the last decade the male-dominated manufacturing sector, for example, has shed almost six million jobs, nearly one third of its total work force, and has taken in few young workers. Meantime, job openings in health, education, and services, sectors that tend to be led by female employees, have been on the rise.

Women are also prioritizing their professional lives more than men during their younger years. A 2012 Pew Research Center study found that 66 percent of young women ages 18 to 34 rate their career high on their list of life priorities, compared with 59 percent of young men.

All of this supports women to earn more than men during their younger years and to potentially continue their breadwinning status once marriage enters the picture.

SmallBizLady: How does this effect households that have a female entrepreneur as chief breadwinner?

Farnoosh Torabi: Female breadwinners – especially those who are entrepreneurs –face unique challenges within their households. They risk burning out unless they commit to a new way of thinking and managing responsibilities with their partners that transcend gender role expectations and that, instead, play on their strengths. According to my study, female breadwinners say they tend to feel more pressure to “make it all work” – from finances to career to housework. She’s working hard to be not only the primary financial provider, but also at the forefront of all tasks in her home and personal life.

And as an entrepreneur whose income may not be consistent or predictable, and as someone who must find private sources for health care and retirement savings, the pressure to provide can be insurmountable.

That said, it’s important to highlight the great many opportunities and advantages households have with an entrepreneur mother who makes more. For example, the inherent flexibility that comes with being her own boss can better serve her and her family’s needs. Let’s not forget, too, that’s there’s a great deal of pride and exciting potential that comes with being an entrepreneur – especially a female entrepreneur. As a family, there are opportunities to come together to support the business and take it to the next level. It’s not uncommon, for example, to see husbands join their wives’ business efforts either full or part-time.

SmallBizLady: How does a woman handle raising kids and managing a business? Can she do both effectively?

Farnoosh Torabi: Yes, certainly. One common denominator I’ve discovered among female breadwinning entrepreneurs who are skillfully balancing career and family is that they establish clear boundaries between both worlds. Many create non-negotiables regarding how they spend their time between the office and home. For some, it means not checking email between 6pm and 8pm and reserving those hours for family time. For others, a non-negotiable may mean no early morning meetings, so that they can have breakfast with their children and take them to school, or limiting business travel to no more than a few nights away per month. These women decide on the most important moments between them and their children and create a work structure that protects those moments.

SmallBizLady: How should breadwinning entrepreneurial women manage money in their relationships?

Farnoosh Torabi: Level the financial playing field and be transparent. In a marriage where she makes more – and especially where she is running her own business – it’s extremely important to ‘level the financial playing field’ and to give his income a real sense of purpose, as it can easily get out-shadowed by what she makes. For example, if he makes less, allocate more of his income towards big family savings goals, such as an annual vacation, college savings or the down payment on a new car. That feels more significant and meaningful than having his income cover random expenses here and there. As an entrepreneur, it is also necessary to be transparent about business related income, expenses and investments so both spouses are on the same page. Include your partner in quarterly meetings to review budgets, expenses and goals. Even if he’s not an active partner in the business, he is your life partner and deserves to be in the know.

SmallBizLady: You also say in your book that you shouldn’t ask for help. You should ask for accountability. Explain.

Farnoosh Torabi: It is paramount that female entrepreneurs who make more don’t just ask for help from their spouses (e.g. help me with making dinner tonight or help me by picking up the kids today) but rather assigning entire domains to them and asking them to choose ways they can be entirely accountable for major aspects of the relationship and family. For example, rather than help with dinner from time to time, he can be completely in charge of nutrition and food, which means he is responsible for stocking the fridge and pantries, planning meals and packing lunches. Or, he can choose to be accountable for managing the retirement and savings accounts. Together decide what can be the areas in your lives that he can just completely take over and be the ultimate provider in that way. It’s beneficial for your state of mind and healthy for his ego.

SmallBizLady: You also support outsourcing. How can you tell when it’s worth it to pay someone else to do a job for you?

Farnoosh Torabi: Doing a good “job” as a business owner and spouse doesn’t mean doing every job. Yet that is sometimes the harsh expectation we, women, place upon ourselves. Put some of your family money to work and hire others to take care of ritual domestic and office-related tasks that neither you nor your spouse really want to do. Whether it’s hiring a virtual assistant to help organize your schedule or a caregiver to help you manage childcare, investing in other people to help you accomplish your day-to-day responsibilities can be well worth it if it allows you to spend your time in more meaningful and fulfilling ways. It’s worth it if it will cost you LESS to pay someone to do a task than your hourly wage. And your hourly wage is roughly your annual income, subtract the last 3 zeros and divide by 2. (So, if you make $100,000 a year, your hourly wage is $50 an hour).

Confident Corporate Female Manager” courtesy of stockimages / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @kimydavis. Kim Y. Davis is a Houston-based journalist, speaker and consultant. She writes and produces print, online and video content for various media outlets about sports, politics and other issues. As a consultant, she helps corporations, non-profits, entrepreneurs and individuals find their voice, develop their message and tell their story. Kim helps people to be heard in a time where there is so much noise. She uses communication as the tool and sports as the arena. As a speaker, she also draws on her background as a journalist, sports executive and athlete to address communications, leadership, community, diversity and wellness. For more info, visit thekdcompany.com

SmallBizLady: Do I need to hire a PR professional to get media coverage?

Kim Y. Davis: When determining whether or not you need to hire a PR professional, consider your goals and how much work you are willing and able to do to tell/sell your story. You can absolutely get media coverage without hiring a PR firm or consultant, but it’s not a bad idea to get some direction. There is a lot of information online and some PR firms/consultants offer workshops and webinars. Do your research before you make a decision about hiring a firm. Consider enlisting the help of an intern from a local university’s journalism or communications department if you don’t have the budget to hire a professional.

SmallBizLady: When should I hire a PR firm or consultant?

Kim Y. Davis: You’ll know it’s time to hire a PR firm or consultant if and when you want help developing your message and creating a communications strategy. If you don’t know where to start, it’s probably time to hire a professional. A tell-tale sign is if you want someone to also pitch you and/or your company for potential stories. Another indicator is when you are ready to take your communications plan to the next level and are willing to commit a line item in your budget for it. Keep in mind, getting media coverage is a process so be patient and know that it doesn’t happen over night.

SmallBizLady: What should we look for when hiring a PR firm or consultant?

Kim Y. Davis: Find out what your potential PR firm or consultant’s philosophy or approach is to getting coverage. Don’t expect them to give you a plan without being their client, but it is appropriate to get a sense of how they work. Be sure to interview them before you sign on the dotted line and know what you are looking for. Some things to look for include: have they worked in the media? Do they understand the roles of the decision makers at various media outlets? Do they have any relationships in or with the media? These are just a few of the things you should ask. Be sure to ask for references.

SmallBizLady: How do I craft a message for my company that engages the media?

Kim Y. Davis: The best message is a simply well-told story. That’s because people are drawn to good stories regardless of the topic. So the best place to start is by deciding what your story is and why that story is important. If you sell cakes, then start your story with how you started making cakes, why you started selling your cakes, and what makes your cakes so special. In other words: describe your cakes; distinguish what makes your cakes from different from other bakeries and tell them what’s in it for them if they buy your cakes (w-i-n).

In essence you’re answering the question, “Why should I care?” We always need to answer that question when we communicate our business, our products, our messages… our story. The “I” is whoever the audience is. Your message should be consistent, brief, focused, and easy to listen to or read. Also be credible by providing message supports: prove your points with stats, stories, and relevant verifiable quotes/information.

SmallBizLady: What are the key components of a successful pitch?

Kim Y. Davis: First of all, there is no secret formula or the perfect pitch. There are some things you shouldn’t do, but there is no magic potion that works every time. With that said, there are some things your pitch should include. For starters, the subject line of the pitch should be clear and brief. Don’t try to get creative or fancy…just tell them what it is. Write the name of the campaign and the essence of the pitch in the subject line, and then explain it in the body of the email. And for goodness sake, please be honest. If you’re pitching on someone else’s behalf, say that. If you’re making your own pitch, then move forward accordingly. If it’s your first attempt at pitching yourself or campaign, say that. Next build your pitch list. Yes, this requires more research but it’s worth it. Once you have your list, check out each name/outlet on the list to become familiar with them. Dig a little deeper to see if the reporter/producer/editor has done any stories about your topic. If so, proceed. If not, try to determine if your hook is a fit for him or her.

Spell check, spell check, spell check. Spelling errors are a big turnoff. It might sound silly, but us reporter types can be persnickety. Never add an attachment. Cut and paste your pitch into the body of the email. Again, you’re asking too much if you expect someone to open an attachment. In most cases it simply won’t happen. And finally, while this will sound like common sense… we all know common sense is not always common. So, be nice. Seriously open and close your pitch with a bit of professional politeness. I always end my pitches and requests with “thanks in advance for your time and consideration”. Your pitch might not yield a story, but your approach can certainly help you build a relationship or at least make a good impression.

SmallBizLady: I’ve been booked for an interview – now what?

Kim Y. Davis: Once you’ve been booked for an interview, take a moment to identify your business objective(s) to determine who you need to reach. Know what you want to say. This is your opportunity to deliver your message so take it! Create bullet or talking points for yourself. Don’t memorize them but do practice. The more you do it, the better you will get. Get comfortable with your talking points… in any order and let that be the focus of your interview preparation. Go back to the message/story you crafted earlier and develop two to three key points. If it’s TV, dress accordingly. Avoid distracting prints, large dangling jewelry and over the top makeup. Less is more. Ladies be sure to stay away from lip-gloss. In the age of HD TV, less is absolutely more. If you can’t get professional media training, practice in the front of a mirror and even record your answers with your phone or video camera.

SmallBizLady: How do we make the interview a win-win for the reporter/host and us?

Kim Y. Davis: Interview the reporter – ask what his/her objectives are. Know what the person interviewing you is looking for so you’re prepared. Don’t expect a reporter to send questions in advance. However do ask for a general overview of the upcoming interview. It’s also important to know the reporter’s deadline and how they plan to use the interview. Ask who else is being interviewed and what they’d like for you to contribute. Yes it appropriate to ask these questions. Just remember to be polite. Next, think about what you would say if you could write the headline or lead story. What quotes would you want attributed to you or your organization? Stay away from answers that are too technical. If you don’t know the answer just say so. Be brief, never answer “no comment,” and know that nothing is ever 100% off the record. Be positive and have fun, as it will come through in the interview. Reporters want good quotes and reliable information.

SmallBizLady: Why do some people seem to get more media coverage than others?

Kim Y. Davis: One of the questions I get more often than not is, “why do some people get coverage and others don’t?” While relationships do matter, so does accessibility and staying top-of-mind. A business owner or executive who is quotable and knowledgeable is every reporter’s dream. The current 24-hour news cycle creates a very different media environment than it did when I started in the business about 25 years ago. The people you see, hear, or read quotes from the most have been established as experts in their field and make it easy for people to find them. They make themselves relevant by tying what they do and know into current news topics or issues. They don’t wait for people to call them… they reach out… without being a media stalker… and remind the media what they do, what they know and that they are available.

SmallBizLady: What is the difference between public relations and advertising?

Kim Y. Davis: There is an old saying: “Advertising (Marketing) is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for”. Advertising is paid media, public relations is earned media. Public relations is third-party validation through media outlets where someone else talks about the benefits of you, your company, book, service, or products. Advertising is you or your company telling your story through paid advertisement, collateral material, sponsorships or paid endorsements.

SmallBizLady: What is the one thing you advise all of your clients to do or not to do regardless of industry?

Kim Y. Davis: If I had a media-training bible, I’d start with this: Never text, tweet, Facebook, Instagram, Pin, or email anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the newspaper. Be careful what you social mediate: it can come back to bite you. Just like nothing is ever 100% off the record, nothing is ever really deleted from cyberspace.

SmallBizLady: As our companies grow, is it more important to have an internal or external communications plan?

Kim Y. Davis: As your company grows, it is important to have an internal and external communications plan. Internal communications engages the staff and creates a better team environment. External communications engages clients, potential clients, media, advocates, and supporters.

SmallBizLady: When should we start developing a communications plan?

Kim Y. Davis: While communications is always important and we all want to get our message out, make sure you’re ready before you unveil a huge campaign. Wait until you’re comfortable with where your business or product is: once you get people to subscribe, explore, and buy or otherwise sample you or your product…if you lose them, it will take three times the public relations or advertising effort (spend) to get them back.

“On Air” courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Master, Manage and Communicate Your Message appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Kelly Springer MS, RD, CDN, @KellysChoiceLLC. Kelly Springer’s passion for nutrition started at a very young age and grows stronger every day. She has been very fortunate to have worked in multiple areas of nutrition. She started her career at 17 years old pushing tray carts and delivering menus in the hospital. Kelly attended West Virginia University where she received her BS in Nutrition. She went on to get her Masters in Health Education from Cortland College and then completed a distance internship with Sodexo. Kelly has worked as a clinical, residential, bariatric, community, retail and media dietitian. She now owns her own nutrition company called Kelly’s Choice, LLC. Kelly’s Choice contracts RD’s to promote the message of “real food”. Kelly is currently consulting with food companies, colleges, sports teams, school districts, restaurants, medical practices, and work places. Kelly’s goal is to share her passion for nutrition with the world. For more info, visit kellyschoice.org

SmallBizLady: Is it okay to skip meals in order to catch up on work?

Kelly Springer: It might seem like a good idea to skip lunch to answer emails and return phone calls, but your body thinks otherwise. We need to refuel our bodies with food every few hours, just as you refill your car with gas. Skipping a meal can cause a depletion of your body’s main source of fuel (glucose) which can lead to fatigue, irritability, delay in decision making, poor work performance, and calorie loading later in the day. Try to go no longer than 4 hours without eating to avoid these side effects. Quick meals are better than no meals- have a banana and orange juice for breakfast, an apple and Greek yogurt for lunch, and a handful of almonds as a snack.

SmallBizLady: Can a lack of sleep actually lead to weight gain?

Kelly Springer: In a world free from deadlines, meetings, and stress we would all get the 7-8 hours of sleep that experts recommend. A lack of sleep can interfere with alertness, concentration, problem solving, and even appetite. Our brain relies on a hormone called ghrelin to tell us when we are hungry and when to store calories as fat. Not getting enough sleep causes a rise in ghrelin levels, leading the body to believe it is hungry and must eat everything in sight. Our sluggish bodies will also crave foods high in sugar and fat to provide quick energy, further contributing to weight gain. No wonder the word ghrelin sounds so much like gremlin!

SmallBizLady: What is mindful eating and how can I become more mindful?

Kelly Springer: Mindful eating is the idea that we should use food to nourish our bodies instead of as a source of comfort, stress relief, thoughtless activity, or one of the other many reasons we turn to food. A mindful eater takes time to enjoy food, notices when they are full, and pays attention to feelings that trigger the desire to eat.  Try to step away from your desk to eat instead of devouring a sandwich while filling in your calendar for the month ahead. Mindless eating can lead to overeating and feelings of guilt. You may think you are hungry when you actually are stressed, happy, mad, sad, excited, or a mix of the above. Try to go for a walk, talk to a friend or colleague, or step away from what you are working on for 10 minutes while you decide if food is really what you need.

SmallBizLady: What are some healthy snacks to have on hand at the office or at home?

Kelly Springer: Snacks are important because they curb hunger between meals. Try to keep your snacks between 200 and 300 calories.  The key to a healthy snack is to pack in as much nutrition as possible. A fool proof way to do this is remember three categories – carbohydrate, protein, and fruits/veggies – and incorporate all three into each snack. Veggies are low in calories and high in nutrition value. Pair them with some hummus, Greek yogurt and/or peanut butter and you have snack that will keep you away from the vending machine. Pack Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites with Dried Cranberries and keep them in your desk…brain power and crunch!

SmallBizLady: How can I sneak in exercise when I have little to no time?

Kelly Springer: Go on a walk at lunch time. Stand at a work station or sit on an exercise ball at your desk. Take the stairs. Lift your legs under your desk.  Choose a parking spot that’s further away. Best way to burn more calories during the day is to move more during the day. Try getting up from your desk at least three times for 10 minute breaks. Take a quick walk, do some squats, or jumping jacks. You will be more productive too!

SmallBizLady: How can I keep hydrated during the day?

Kelly Springer:  We sometimes become so wrapped up in work that we forget to keep hydrated! Find a water bottle that works for you….that fits your hand and your mouth. Set a goal of how many glasses you want to get in before you leave work. Switch out your second cup of coffee with a glass of water or tea. If you don’t like the taste of water, try flavoring it with frozen fruit or lemons and limes.  Make a spritzer with sparkling water and strawberries and a lime. This adds a bit more nutrition to your water as well (well if you eat the fruit as you drink the water).

SmallBizLady: What can I do to add variety to my diet?

Kelly Springer: Chances are, if we hooked ourselves up with a GPS tracker at the grocery store we would repeat the same path week after week. Venture off course! Make a goal of buying 2 new foods you want to try each week. If you always buy apples, try purchasing pears instead. Growing tired of yogurt? Swap it for cottage cheese and fruit. Instead of eating raw almonds, try creating a trail mix with dried fruit and granola. Adding variety will allow you to incorporate different nutrients while also keeping your taste buds awake.

SmallBizLady: Healthy eating seems to go out the window when traveling. Any advice?

Kelly Springer: Kelly’s Choice Dietitians recommends when traveling, you’ll want to pack durable foods   that travel well and don’t make a mess.  Apples, oranges, pre-portioned nuts, and homemade or store-bought granola bars are easy and delicious choices.  If you didn’t have time to pack snacks before your trip, a sandwich on whole grain bread with a lean protein and lots of vegetables is always a healthy and delicious choice – just watch the mayo and cheese! For breakfast, many chain restaurants are now offering oatmeal.

SmallBizLady: Give me some good advice for eating out.

Kelly Springer:  Share your plate with a friend. This will cut your calories in half automatically. If you are alone, ask for a to-go container and save the rest for your next meal. This will save time and money! Start with a salad instead of going crazy with the bread basket.  And speaking of the bread basket – if you’ll feel tempted to overeat, simply ask the waiter to remove it from the table before you put yourself into a carbohydrate coma. Most restaurants have online menus with nutritional information on them. Look before you go to the restaurant for a delicious and healthy food choice. Planning your meals in advanced will help you stay focused and on track.

SmallBizLady: Can food really help keep my brain healthy?

Kelly Springer: The foods we eat can have an impact on all of our organs, including the brain. Omega-3 and omega-6 are two healthy fats that are necessary to keep are brains sharp.  Omega-3 can be found in foods like walnuts, flax seeds, salmon, broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower. Food sources of omega-6 include almonds, olive oil, avocado, and peanut butter. Most Americans consume enough omega-6 fatty acids. Go ahead and sprinkle flax seeds on your oatmeal or add walnuts to your salad — your brain will thank you!

SmallBizLady: Should I be eating a gluten-free diet?

Kelly Springer:   That depends on the reason you wish to do. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, malt, barley, and a small amount in oats. Individuals with celiac disease have an autoimmune reaction to gluten, resulting in damage to the small intestine. Individuals can experience abdominal pain, bloating, joint pain, mouth sores, and flatulence. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may want to consult a registered dietitian and try eliminating gluten from your diet. If you are looking to jump on the fad diet bandwagon to lose weight, you may want to reconsider. Gluten-free diets tend to be higher in fat, low in fiber, and low in vitamins and minerals. You may actually find yourself gaining weight!

SmallBizLady: Is organic really better?

Kelly Springer: This is a personal decision. What foods you choose to buy organic depends on your thoughts on conventional foods versus organic foods. A paper from the Sept 4^th issues of Annals of Internal Medicine did the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date of existing studies comparing organic and conventional foods. They did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives, though consumption of organic foods can reduce the risk of pesticide exposure.

“Fruit Basket” courtesy of winnond / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post Why Mindful Eating Matters to Your Small Business Success appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Jeffrey Gitomer, @Gitomer. Jeffrey is a creative, on-the-edge, writer and speaker whose expertise on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development is world renowned. He is the author of The New York Times best sellers The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections, and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. Jeffrey’s syndicated column, Sales Moves is read by more than four million people every week. For more information: www.gitomer.com

SmallBizLady: The word ATTRACTION is a misused word in small & big business. How do small business owners attract leads in today’s social world?

Jeffrey Gitomer: All business social media must be combined with your traditional business and Internet outreach. To attract, the key ideas are “personalized messages” and “value-based” messages.

If you’re looking for more attraction (who isn’t?), here are some of the small business, internet, AND business social media value-based messaging and marketing elements I use to transfer my messages. My messages and posts both attract and connect. Go to these links and follow me. Then study them, learn how do what I do, and emulate it. And get the rest on my upcoming webinar so you can implement yours.

• LinkedIn – Jeffrey Gitomer – The number one business resource. I post my thought of the day or link of the day. RESPONSE: People like it and share it with their connections. That has led to more than 15,000 connections.
• Twitter – @gitomer – I tweet three or four times a day. I usually send out one link a day. RESPONSE: I am re-tweeted or favorited more than 100 times a day, and I gain between 50 and 100 new followers a day.
• Facebook business – /jeffreygitomer – Like me, then read a bunch of my posts, then be inspired to comment or post. RESPONSE: All of my followers (likers) read it, and when they like it or comment, all of their connections can see it too.
• YouTube channel – BuyGitomer – People watch a few of my 300+ videos. RESPONSE: more than 23,000 subscribers.

You cannot control how people search. You must be findable by company, person, product, topic, and keywords that will get your name to pop up.

It’s not one thing that creates attraction. It’s a strategic combination of a social, online, and face-to-face outreach MIX that attracts interested buyers. It’s a confluence of value-based things that are available to customers and prospects.

I just shared 4 of mine so you could see the diversity of my offerings and the multiple opportunities that prospects have to find you, be attracted to you, connect with you, and buy from you. All 13 of my attraction outreaches will be shared on my webinar series How To REALLY Generate Sales. Sign up today at www.getsales14.com

SmallBizLady: What do you do EVERY DAY to build attraction and brand?

Jeffrey Gitomer: What do you do to create consistency in your daily business habits? And I wonder how many of your daily habits take the long-term view. Or are you just trying to make sales to make quota? Big mistake.

I want to talk about one element of your personal business habits: Your personal outreach, your daily outreach that builds attraction, personal brand, authority, known expertise, recognition, position in your industry, Google rank, social media presence, top of mind awareness, and reputation. Oh, that.

Sounds like a LOT of work. But actually it takes LESS time than your morning bathroom routine once you’re set up and rolling. And these are habits that create attraction. Real attraction.

The cool part is it costs (almost) nothing. All you have to do is allocate the time, and (most important) commit to DAILY OUTREACH.

Here are two of my consistent actions

• Blog or personal website. A starting place, a landing place, and a jumping off place for stories, ideas, opinions, photos, videos, training, and anything else your customers or followers would find BOTH interesting and valuable. On a blog you can mix business and personal, as long as it’s not offensive. Your posts can be subscribed to and delivered by email. OUTREACH: Blog with a minimum of a weekly, if not daily, post. You have unlimited space for text, photos, and videos. Your blog is an opportunity for people to realize both your intellect and your passion.
• YouTube. Video is the new black. This is a chance to convey messages, training, subject matter expertise, testimonials, and offers of value. Your viewers can subscribe, and your posts can be cross-pollinated on your blog, your Facebook page, and your LinkedIn profile.

The rest of my consistent actions will be given on my upcoming webinar series: How to REALLY Generate Sales. Sign up today at www.getsales14.com

SmallBizLady: How do I attract leads at a face-to-face networking event?

Jeffrey Gitomer: Most people take networking for granted, and think of it more as a place to meet friends and clients rather than capture an opportunity. They also fail to realize that people, whether you know them or not, are cultivating an impression of you – not just about you look like, but also based on how you act, and how you dress.

Your physical presence, your physiology, and your communication prowess can determine whether the outcome is business or no business.

On my upcoming webinar on Attraction, I will give a few networking attraction tips. Here are 3 for your learning and connecting pleasure:

1. I shake and look. When I shake someone’s hand, it’s a firm grasp and a direct look in the eye.
2. I smile. Even in New York City. I find that by giving smile, I get a smile.
3. I ask before I tell. Whether I ask for their name, or a simple “how are you?” I want to hear the other person before they hear me.

Face-to-face networking is still a GREAT way to attract and connect in the world of social and online sales.

SmallBizLady: How come people don’t call me back?

Jeffrey Gitomer: People not calling you back is not a problem, it’s a symptom.

Here are some of the real reasons people don’t call you back:

1. Boring message
2. Insincere message
3. Sales message not a value message
4. Self-serving message
5. No humor employed
6. Non-compelling message

How should you leave a voicemail?

Answer:

• Give your name and number first
• Offer facts and valuable info on what they want to hear (not what you have to sell) – 30 words or less and ASK for a callback OR text
• Give your name and number AGAIN

NOTE: If you have nothing of value to say, don’t bother picking up the phone.

SmallBizLady: What is the FIRST question I should ask at the start of an in person or telephone sales call?

Jeffrey Gitomer: The first question sets the tone.

The customer is making a judgment on you from the moment you enter the door and begin the selling process. The old sales adage says, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not quite so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends.”

Rapport and engagement begins in a relaxed atmosphere between or among friendly people. You cannot control how friendly the other guy will be. But you have 100% control over yourself. When you walk in the door, or the meeting starts, it’s likely that you will talk first. Your words set the tone and the atmosphere for whatever is to follow. If you talk about the weather, if you talk about the news, if you talk about your flat tire or your problems – you will lose respect, you will lose all chances for rapport, and you will lose the sale. Miserably.

And it’s most likely that you will leave the sale blaming its loss on everyone except the person who lost it. That would be you.

I begin conversations, whether in person or on the phone, asking people where they live and where they grew up. Because I’m well-traveled, it’s likely that I will have something to say or even something in common with where they live or where they grew up.

Get relaxed with an emotional based, non-threatening, personal question, and you will have tacit permission to ask your way to a sale.

SmallBizLady: Why is cold calling a waste of my time?                                             

Jeffrey Gitomer: The three word definition of a cold call is – waste of time.

No one likes cold calls. Not the salesperson that makes them. And, surely not the prospect who receives them.

“Cold calls are a necessary evil of selling” is a false statement. “Cold calls are a necessary evil if you don’t employ the correct selling strategies” is a true statement.

Here’s what waits for you at the other end of a cold call.

• You’re calling people who don’t want what you’ve got.
• You’re calling people who don’t know what you’ve got.
• You’re calling people who don’t want to be bothered.
• You’re calling people who resent being interrupted.
• You’re calling people who resent intrusion.
• You’re calling people who resent your call.
• You’re calling people who will get angry at you or your company.

It’s not a “cold call.” It’s an intrusion without an invitation. A gate-crash. And if handled poorly, will ruin future chances for a legitimate sales call.

Let’s see… poor timing, having a tough time getting through, and when you do – you fight for attention. 95% of those who get through are wholly untrained and incapable of selling anything anyway. What’s the point? Isn’t there a better way? Look at the other side – there is no worse way.

SmallBizLady: How did my mother help me make sales?

Jeffrey Gitomer: Mother’s rules make for great salespeople.

I know this sounds hokey, but if you want to be a great salesperson, you should have listened to your mother.

Your mom said it best. As a child, when you were fighting or arguing with a sibling or friend, your mom would say, “Billy, you know better than that! Now you make friends with Johnny.”

Here are two major sales tips right out of mouth and memory of your mother:

Make friends. There’s an old sales adage that says, “all things being equal, people want to do business with their friends.”  I say, “all things being not quite so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.” Your mother never told you to use the alternative of choice close or the sharp angle close on Johnny. She just said make friends. That may have been one of the most powerful sales lessons you ever got.

Say nice things. Your mother told you, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” I’m certain she only told you this a hundred times. Somehow after you got your business cards printed, that lesson was lost – especially when you begin speaking about your competition. I’m sure your mother would approve of referring to them as, “My worthy competition.”

More motherly advice in one of the upcoming 5-part webinar series. How to REALLY Generate Sales. Sign up today at www.getsales14.com

DON’T MISS ONE OF THEM.

SmallBizLady: What is the BEST WAY to make a sale?

Jeffrey Gitomer: The easiest way to make a sale is to lower your price to a point that you make no profit. Not a good option.

REAL ANSWER: There is no EASIEST way to make a sale.

And, just like there is no easiest way to make a sale, there is no BEST way to make a sale – BUT there are several elements that contain the word BEST that you must self-evaluate in order to discover why the sales takes place, or why not.

KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.

Oh, you can occasionally make a manipulative sale. But if you’re still in the 1970’s trying to “find the pain,” or “sell an up-front contract,” or “make a cold call,” or “close the sale,” you’re toast. Sales toast.

Here are a few of the BEST ways to make a sale:

• The best way to make a sale is to have your reputation precede you by word-of-mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence.
• The best way to make a sale is to be known as a valued resource before you start.
• The best way to make a sale is to be friendly before you start.
• The best way to make a sale is to meet with the CEO or actual decision maker.
• The best way to make a sale is not to be salesy, or cocky, or condescending.
• The best way to make a sale is to find some common ground before you start the selling process.

I’ll give you the rest of the list in my upcoming webinar on how to close a sale.

Sign up today at www.getsales14.com

SmallBizLady: What is the BEST WAY to close a sale?                                         

Jeffrey Gitomer: Try this: Change your mindset. Don’t close the sale, assume the sale. A good ending must be decisive, set-up, and inevitable.  YOU have to be engaging, believable, passionate, and offer a compelling message.  You have to be prepared with testimonials from other customers, and you have to prove that your future customer will have a positive outcome for their business.  And you must assume the sale is yours.

The assumptive position is the strongest selling strategy in the world.

By definition, you believe you will make every sale you attempt.

It sounds simple. It is simple — but, it’s not easy. In order to utilize the assumptive close, you must be qualified.

There are two major prerequisites that make the assumptive close possible:

1. Your personal preparedness. In your company, people assume that everything revolves around your product or service, but that’s not true. You have to find a balance between product preparedness and mental preparedness. You must display self-confidence, have total product knowledge, have a positive mental attitude, exude so much enthusiasm that it’s contagious, and have a desire to help that exceeds a desire to earn money.

2. Your sales preparedness. That means that the needs of your prospect have been determined. The buying motives of the prospect are known to you. You’re established as a person of value in the mind of the prospect.  The prospect has confidence in you.  You’ve removed any objections, barriers, or perceived risks they may have. And you’ve built solid rapport.  Your job is to know everything you can about your prospect’s business, their market, their needs, and their customers, their people.  Know their buying motives, how they profit and how they produce.

Learn more strategic information in my Close the Sale webinar coming soon. Sign up today www.getsales14.com

SmallBizLady: What is the BEST WAY to overcome a sales objection?

Jeffrey Gitomer: Over the years I’ve defined objections as barriers, because there is normally something hidden way beneath the surface. And in order for the sale to take place, the barrier must be lowered. Sometimes, even eliminated.

I’ve also defined the biggest objection besides price to be the unspoken risk that the customer perceives, but won’t talk about.

Let me give you a couple of examples. When the customer says price is too high, what they’re really saying is, “My perceived value in doing business with you is not high enough to meet your price.”

Salespeople and sales managers try to address the price issue with a tactic or some kind of sales talk. It doesn’t work – not, it never works, but it almost never works. And even if the salesperson is persuasive, and manipulates his or her way to the sale, the buyer will often have remorse and want to cancel the transaction.

HERE’S MY RECOMMENDATION: Rather than trying to give you some slick sales talk, I suggest you re-engage the customer with dialog that uncovers real reasons and eventually gets down to their buying motive. If I uncover the buyer’s motive, I will make a sale regardless of price. If I engage the prospective customer in a value-based and value-driven discussion, I might be able to get them to see my perspective.

SmallBizLady: What is the BEST WAY to build a relationship?

Jeffrey Gitomer: The root word of relationship is the word RELATE.

If you can’t relate, you can’t hope to build a relationship.

Maybe it’s best understood this way:

The key to relate and relationship would be the word “mutual”

You both understand and you both think relatively the same way or feel relatively the same way. Democrats can’t relate to republicans – but republicans can relate to republicans. In fact, democrats think all republicans are nuts. And republicans think all democrats are nuts. KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: The good news is, they’re both right.

My “eat-your-spinach” plan for you – the 7.5 “one- a-day” strategies that will earn you ten times what the cold call will produce, build your reputation, and keep your customers loyal will be revealed on my 5th webinar in the series. Here’s one of the strategies

1. Visit one customer a day. Talk to the people that love you and already buy from you. Find out why they do, and ask them if you can record it. Video is best. Just a documented minute about their “why.” NOTE WELL: If you’re reluctant to do this, it’s because your relationship with the customer is weak or non-existent.

SmallBizLady: Why is coffee still for closers?        

Jeffrey Gitomer: My goal each day is to have an early morning cup of coffee with someone that can help me enhance relationships, make connections, build value, and make sales. As a traveler, I can’t do this every day. But I try my best to do it as often as I am able.

A coffee meeting is a brand new way to look at the value of a cup of coffee. You may look at coffee as a cost or an expense. To me, coffee is an investment of time. It’s not “how I drink it.” Rather, it’s “who I drink it with.”

KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Whenever I meet someone for coffee in the morning, I find the meeting is relaxed and fun. It’s a genuine exchange of information. It’s always informal and humorous. And it’s usually with someone I do business with or could do business with.

I try to have these meetings early. Very early. Between seven and eight in the morning. Sometimes I have two breakfasts – one at seven and one and eight.

Oftentimes my appointments meet each other, so it becomes an additional networking opportunity. Many of my customers, prospects, and connections have done business with my other customers, prospects, and connections.

PERSONAL NOTE: When I’m done my with coffee and my meeting is over, I get back home as fast as I can so I can take my young daughter to school by nine. And no, I can’t do it every day, but that is the goal every day.

Think about the impact of that. A sales call BEFORE the day starts.

HERE’S HOW THAT IDEA APPLIES TO YOU:

If you have one cup of coffee a day with a customer or prospect, that’s equal to 250 sales calls THIS YEAR that will be relaxed, build relationships, make sales, gain referrals, and create business opportunities. Coffee and sales – not just coffee.

If you could use even more help with your sales, join Jeffrey Gitomer for SmallBizLady’s FREE five-part webinar series: “How to Really Make Sales!” Mark your calendar. The Webinar series will take place LIVE on GoToWebinar at 1pm ET and replay at 4pm ET and 7pm ET that same day. Register here: http://www.getsales14.com.

Webinar schedule:

1. Thursday October 30, 1pm ET – How to Attract Customers
2. Thursday November 6, 1pm ET – How to Network and Make an Appointment
3. Wednesday November 12, 1pm ET – How to Make a Sales Call
4. Thursday November 20, 1pm ET – How to Close a Sale 
5. Thursday December 4, 1pm ET – How to Build a Relationship

If you miss one, not to worry, it will replay twice after it’s recorded, so it will be available for you when you are ready to learn. Don’t miss out! Register today http://www.getsales14.com

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com

The post How to REALLY Generate Sales appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @briellaarion. Melissa Krivachek is the President of Briella Arion, Inc. As a two time international best-selling author and award winning entrepreneur, she loves teaching people across the globe how they can have it all – Love, Success, & Happiness – all at the same time. Chosen as Evolution Magazine 2013 Power Player Under 40, and featured on CNN, Forbes, ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, and FOX, in addition to receiving dozens of other accolades, including being honored by the National Council of American Executives as a Top Ranked US Executive in 2014, Melissa’s passion for growth resonates with entrepreneurs looking to break through the ceiling of complexity to build sustainable million dollar + businesses.  For more info, visit briellaarion.com

SmallBizLady: What is the easiest way to get more clients?

Melissa Krivachek:  Social media is a great way to engage with your prospects because it allows you to interact and engage on a level that breaks down barriers buyers may have. By updating your networks multiple times each day people get to know, like, & trust you. As a result they will buy your products and services because they feel you relate to them and you can solve their biggest problems. Social media helps bridge the gap between your social life and the lifestyle people truly desire.

SmallBizLady: How does social media improve profitability?

Melissa Krivachek: The #1 killer of business is obscurity. When people don’t know you, they won’t buy from you, and you not only lose clients, you lose money. Social media platforms are the easiest, cheapest and most effective way to scale your business quickly and with ease.  As a result of relating to your audience, more people will buy from and recommend you to others, generating more revenue and a longer customer life cycle. It’s 80% easier and cheaper to close existing clients then it is to find new ones.

SmallBizLady: How will interacting with your clients on social media drum up more business?

Melissa Krivachek: Buyers want an experience when it comes to social media and sales, not just another useless product or service. In fact, most buyers purchase far more products than they could possibly use and consume, and far more information than they will ever apply. By providing your audience value and steps they can implement in their business daily, you build rapport. When you have rapport, your business and bottom line will dramatically increase.

SmallBizLady: What kind of engagement should your business have?

Melissa Krivachek: Depending on what you’re selling, your engagement focus should be one of two things: the quality of prospects or the quantity of prospects. The lower the price point, the more buyers you need. The higher the price point, the higher quality of prospects you want in the sales funnel. Getting in front of the right people is more important than getting in front of thousands of people when you first start. Focus on a few social channels and interact consistently and notice your audience and bottom line increase.

SmallBizLady: How should I brand myself?

Melissa Krivachek: Branding yourself is the most critical aspect of business. Be personal, because people want to know there is a face behind the brand. The brand itself will provide an experience and the story. People behind the brand make it real. As a result, you can convert cold prospects into big profits because people love people.

SmallBizLady: Where should I start?

Melissa Krivachek: You should start by utilizing and focusing on one platform at a time and add platforms as your audience and business grows. By focusing on one thing at a time you will not only get more done but you will be able to get in front of more of the right people for your products/services. Utilize Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube to start. These social platforms drive the most traffic and dominate the search engines.

SmallBizLady What if my message isn’t perfect?

Melissa Krivachek: Don’t worry about a perfect message. Worry about who is seeing and hearing your message. Then figure out how to dominate more of the market you’re looking for. The only way to perfect your message is to practice it over and over, and even then know that it won’t be perfect. People will buy from you because they can relate to and trust in you. Get out there and make yourself known, don’t wait for people to come to you because they won’t if they don’t know you.

SmallBizLady: How does love affect my business & bottom line?

Melissa Krivachek: Love is the most powerful force one will ever encounter in their life. Your business affects your relationships, and your relationships affect your business far more than you realize. When you invest in your relationships as much as you invest in your business you will ultimately have more love, success, and happiness.

SmallBizLady: What is the quickest way to make more money?

Melissa Krivachek: The quickest way to make more money is to ask for referrals from current clients. Then, utilize the power of testimonials from current or past clients to share on your social networks. Finally use video to get in front of and speak with more people. When people see your face and hear your voice they are 80% more likely to purchase from you.

SmallBizLady: How do I close more deals?

Melissa Krivachek: Closing more deals is what every individual and business ultimately want. First, focus on adding more value to your current clients. Second, increase your prices, as most business under value what they offer in the marketplace. When you increase your prices, the quality of people you attract will automatically increase. As a result, you can easily multiply your bottom line and create more success in your own business, as well as your clients.

SmallBizLady: How do I get over my fear of selling?

Melissa Krivachek: The fear of selling is something every sales person faces, including seasoned sales people. When you sell more, get in front of more people, create more value, ask for more money and repeat daily, the fear of selling will decrease. The more times you repeat an action, the less fear you have and the more impact you create in the marketplace. I encourage you to call at least 3 prospects every day and evaluate yourself or ask for a critique from a peer, and then fine tune your pitch until it becomes easy.

SmallBizLady: What should I be doing every day to get more clients & make more money?

Melissa Krivachek: To get more clients and make more money, you need to be active and participate on multiple social media channels. Get in front of your prospects and make sure they know who you are and what value you can add to your clients and their business. Make sure your phone becomes your best friend and utilize social media to build powerful relationships to impact more people.

“Professional Lady Speaking On Phone” courtesy of stockimages / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Get MORE Clients, MORE Money and MORE Love appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @michellepippin, B. Michelle Pippin. There’s certainly no shortage of business “gurus” vying for your attention, promising you the world on a silver platter, dollars while you sleep, and other business myths that often lead their clients feeling broke and bummed.  As the undisputed authority on creating clients for your business, Michelle is committed to doing the opposite. In fact, she measures her own success by the increase her clients see to their bottom line. Outlets such as Forbes.com, Good Morning America Weekend, The NFIB, The Price of Business, Main Street and more have featured her business savvy over the years, noting that her candid approach is appreciated by businesses small and large.

Defined by her own confidence and clarity, she’s often described by her clients as relentless, grass-roots, offensive, passionate, profit-driven… and sometimes, even worse!  If your business is pregnant with potential, and you are ready to (FINALLY!) give birth to profit, you’ve got to speak to Michelle. She can be found at bmichellepippin.com and womenwhowow.com

SmallBizLady: Why do most business owners struggle with sales? 

B. Michelle Pippin: First, they’re struggling because sales are an issue.  They love the idea, they love what they provide.  They love the business…  But sales are lacking or inconsistent. The sales they get aren’t enough, aren’t providing enough profit, or they’re not coming in consistently enough. This causes stress and fear and anxiety and frustration.

There’s also this little-discussed phenomenon of a business owner WANTING to be good enough not to have to market or sell.  They’d rather clients just show up.  Also, sales experts have notoriously OVER-complicated sales. So, sales feel complex at best and awkward or sleazy at worst. In reality, though sales get the client clear and action-oriented – it’s a good thing.

SmallBizLady:  What do most small businesses typically do to fix the sales problem? 

B. Michelle Pippin: They either keep doing what they’ve always done or they keep buying leads through commercials or print ads, etc., because they think they need MORE leads or MORE exposure or they look anxiously for the next magic bullet to give them the increase they need.

SmallBizLady: Why doesn’t this work?  

B. Michelle Pippin: This doesn’t work because they never fix the holes in their sales process… At the beginning of every sales funnel is a prospect. Savvy business owners make it their job to be a good steward of that prospect, develop him or her thoroughly and walk them through to a win-win sale.

MOST business owners immediately think, “I need more leads.”, but, it doesn’t work. Even IF the magic bullet brings new leads, the sales funnel is still full of holes and so you just LOSE those leads you just bought or hustled for.

SmallBizLady: How did you get to be so focused on sales? 

B. Michelle Pippin: Let’s face it.  Sales are the lifeblood of business.  Without sales, you either have a hobby or closed doors.  Being married to a public school teacher, and having $213 dollars in the bank when I opened my first business in 1999, left me NO ROOM for a hobby and even less room for failure.

It was baptism by fire for me, and this was the best gift I could ever give my business.  I skipped over all of the branding and networking and “visioneering” and started selling.  With a $50 start-up investment, I created $63K in income that year.  Only after that, did I start reading about how “hard” business was, and how it was so hard to make money…  At first, I thought I was just lucky.  Over the years, I realized that I had uncovered some super simple sales strategies that just plain worked.

SmallBizLady: What are 3 examples of where typical sales funnels lose leads? 

B. Michelle Pippin: One way is word vomiting all over a prospect, talking more than you listen and unveiling your entire list of services or products in hopes of seeming important, smart, or even just in hopes of stumbling upon something they want. As a result, prospects’ eyes glaze over and they take the nearest exit out of the sales funnel.  Of course, there’s always the pitfall of price.  Business owners get it in their heads that they have too few sales because their prices are too high.  They don’t want to discount what they KNOW to be so valuable, but they do.  Unfortunately, sales won’t go up measurably for them and profit goes down.  They’ve just applied a price solution to what may have been a messaging or packaging problem.  Finally, there’s the Bermuda triangle of lost leads — this is where leads engage you in conversation, emails, and express interest or even say YES — only to disappear before taking out their credit card.  The solution is to arm your sales funnel with expected and appreciated follow up.

SmallBizLady: What can small business owners do to create a high profit sales funnel? 

B. Michelle Pippin: The most important and critical aspect of the sales funnel is targeting well.  You have to design your sales funnel for a very specific target market, so — yes — you’ll likely have more than one sales funnel at work in your business.  Everything in a well-orchestrated sales funnel is based on you knowing your target INTIMATELY– so that you can speak their language, craft a compelling offer that FEELS like it’s “just for them” and also anticipate their expected objections.   The most profitable sales funnels are PERSONALIZED.

SmallBizLady: Okay, we have our target.  What is next? 

B. Michelle Pippin: Well, you look at your own sales funnel.  First, do you HAVE one? Have you choreographed the different steps in your own sales funnel? Or do you wing it?   If you don’t have a multi-step sales funnel — Create one.

If you have a sales funnel, work to find the leaks.    Each business owner must look to see where prospects are dropping out of their sales funnel.  This is easy for me as a strategist to see — in other people’s business. However, it’s critical we learn to identify those leaks in our own.  The good news is that every leak has a fix.   First, we have to find them.

SmallBizLady: For those that have NO sales funnel created, what steps must be included?

B. Michelle Pippin: 

• An introduction point.   How will clients or patients find you initially? What will they be looking for? What is their pain? What’s top of mind for them?
• A bait offer – this is something that lures your prospect into the sales funnel itself. Keep the free offer simple and direct and specific.  It should require very little commitment on behalf of your prospect. They’ve now raised their hands and initiated a step into your funnel.
• Indoctrinate them.  This delays the sale, but it gives you a chance to properly position yourself, add value to your prospect, and demonstrate integrity, commitment and expertise.
• Asking for the Sale.  Make the offer.
• Follow Up.

SmallBizLady: How about for those who have sales funnels? How do you fix the leaks? 

B. Michelle Pippin: It’s really simple.  Look back at your last 20 prospects with an objective eye.  Where did you lose them? Was it after your initial conversation? Stop talking and listen.  Don’t pitch, serve.  Maybe it was after they said they’d think about it — and instead of going home with a check, you walked in with your head hung in defeat?  Build in some strategic follow up in your sales funnel — and tell prospects about it ahead of time. Make it expected and appreciated.  Look closely at your last 20 prospects.  Your experience with them will help you clearly identify where your existing sales funnel needs some work.

SmallBizLady: Talk to us about  “asking for the sale” — making the offer.  

B. Michelle Pippin: Women are infamous for never actually making the ask.  They put a package “out there” but never directly ask for the business. So, first: ASK FOR THE SALE.  Beyond that, there are several components of a strong offer — and I believe EACH is critical.  Most people include only PRICE and DELIVERABLES in their offer — or what you will pay, and what you will get.   A strong, compelling offer also includes:

• Risk Reversals — sometimes in the form of a guarantee or built-in support / follow up
• Expected Outcome — reminding the prospect of what they said they wanted
• Anticipated Objections — don’t wait for the prospect to bring that up.  You know what objections you hear most often. Prepare for them.  Losing sales to “price?” Do their homework / comparison shopping for them, so you can show them the REAL value of what you offer
• A firm ask

SmallBizLady: How do you know how to price your product or service in the offer? 

B. Michelle Pippin: Here’s what I know about price.  Price is MUCH more elastic than business owners think. There are always segments of the market willing to pay for premium levels of service or product quality.  As an example: there’s a market for Neiman Marcus and a market for Walmart.  We get to choose which market we spend our time on. The key is to make sure your price aligns with your VALUE and with your market.  If you are constantly getting price-based objections, one of two things are at play.  You’re either speaking to the wrong market, OR your positioning within that market needs some work.  Your prices speak on your behalf.  Allow them to speak of VALUE and TOP QUALITY.

SmallBizLady: What are the three most important things to know about sales funnels? 

B. Michelle Pippin:

• Don’t ever wing it.  Plan it, work it; maintain it.
• There’s a fix for every leak.   Every sales funnel starts with some leaks.  Keep looking, keep making your funnel stronger.
• Measure.  Always measure results.  Emotions are misleading, but numbers never are.  So, measure number of leads, number of conversions, etc.  Keep working to improve your numbers.

“Business Graph” courtesy of jscreationzs / www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Develop a Sales Funnel for MAXIMUM Profit appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This week’s guest is Gene Marks @Genemarks. Gene is a nationally recognized management columnist and speaker specializing in small and medium sized businesses. He writes regularly for the NY Times, Forbes and Huffington Post. This chat was sponsored by Can Capital. CAN Capital has helped more than 55,000 small businesses access over $4 Billion in working capital since 1998. For more details www.cancapital.com

SmallBizLady: What is Small Business Saturday?

Gene Marks: #SmallBusinessSaturday is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage holiday shoppers to support their communities by shopping at locally owned businesses, which usually can’t afford the deep discounts that big-box retailers promote on Black Friday.

SmallBizLady: Why is this day important for small businesses?

Gene Marks: #SmallBusinessSaturday is a highly publicized day that gives SMBs the opportunity to stand out from the corporate retailers that tend to take the spotlight during holiday shopping. This also is an opportunity to engage with new customers and convert them into regular shoppers. But it’s critical that small business owners are prepared, with inventory and extra staff on hand. Small business supporters like @CANCapital can help with this by providing access to funding for additional inventory for the day or special marketing campaigns.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses make the most out of Small Business Saturday?

Gene Marks: The key is planning ahead so your small business stands out and is seen as a destination for holiday shoppers that day. Try hosting a special event for the day to give shoppers a memorable experience – promote it the entire week before through email marketing, social media and signs throughout the neighborhood. Give customers an incentive to come in – whether that’s discounts for one day only, free snacks and drinks, or even free gift-wrapping. The first step is bringing the customers in for the day – the next step is making them want to come back. Don’t be afraid to spend money to make money. This is one of those cases where a little extra investment can have a very strong – and very fast – return.

SmallBizLady: What are some tactics for small businesses to build on that day to convert one-day shoppers into regular customers?

Gene Marks: Every person who enters your door on #SmallBusinessSaturday should be personally greeted. Be sure to also have pens and papers laid out near the entrance and by cash registers to give customers the opportunity to list their email and sign up for your small business’ mailing list. And if you don’t have a mailing list, now is the time to create one! Also, don’t be afraid to interact with each customer and tell them how your business contributes to the local community. Customers will remember that personal touch and should keep coming back for the friendliness that local businesses provide.

SmallBizLady: For small businesses with a tiny budget, what are some low-cost ideas that a business owner can do to drive customers into the door?

Gene Marks: Make signs stating that your business is locally owned with its address and information, and then hang them around the neighborhood. Reach out to local media about your plans for #SmallBusinessSaturday and encourage them to come by to hear your business’ story. Make sure all your social media pages are up to date and post content about your business’ plans for the day. If you’re still struggling with budget and need some last minute cash for marketing, try reaching out to alternative finance companies like @CANCapital – they provide access to working capital for small businesses with funding usually available within a few days. They’re a much quicker option than traditional resources and can help get you the money you need to make #SmallBusinessSaturday a success.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses use this day to differentiate themselves from big-box, corporate retailers?

Gene Marks: Local, local, local. That’s the message you want to push out on #SmallBusinessSaturday. Engage with each customer, promote your participation in the community, share your story and relate with each person that comes in the door.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses leverage their social media pages to drive customers into the door for Small Business Saturday?

Gene Marks: Start posting your #SmallBusinessSaturday plans a couple weeks ahead and engage with your followers while doing so. Run a contest encouraging followers to answer questions like “What’s the hottest holiday gift this season?” Anyone who answers gets a 5% discount with the winner getting a 15% discount. Post photos of your employees getting ready for the day and post your business’ story of how it got started. SMBs can also incorporate #SmallBusinessSaturday hashtag in their posts to attract more eyes. This could work well if they use promoted tweets or Facebook ads targeting by geography. With social media, you want to engage with your followers and start a conversation with the goal of having them wake up on November 29^th remembering that its #SmallBusinessSaturday and they have places they need to go – like your business!

SmallBizLady: Most shoppers think of only retailers for Small Business Saturday, how can restaurants or bars get involved?

GeneMarks: #SmallBusinessSaturday is definitely for everyone – not just retailers. A day of shopping can certainly make one hungry. I suggest using a lot of the same tactics: posting on social media with one day discounts and hanging signs outside. Try teaming up with local retailers by leaving coupons in their stores. Offer discounts if customers show a receipt from a locally owned business. Try even coming up with a new meal or drink item for the day – anything with a local tie to it to help incentivize customers. Offer promotions via “daily deal” websites (like Groupon, etc) if your business is set up to handle the flux that may occur as a result of the promotion. Again, think about whether a quick capital infusion obtained with help from a small business-focused organization like @CANCapital can give you the extra boost you need to make the most of the day.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses improve their online presence for Small Business Saturday?

GeneMarks: Make sure your business website is completely up to date – address, phone number, directions. Be sure to have a business description, “About Us” section with your businesses story, and if you don’t have an e-commerce platform, at least have descriptions of the products available within the store. Next, have graphics or text on your website promoting your businesses participation in #SmallBusinessSaturday. List what your business is doing for the day and why customers should be coming in.

SmallBizLady: What are some creative incentives for the day that small businesses can consider offering to customers?

Gene Marks: The biggest incentive is special discounts for the day. But if you want to get creative, try planning a special event unique to your target customers. For example, if you’re a retailer targeting the under 18 crowd, team up with some local teenagers. Host a talent show where if someone shares their special talent, they win a prize just for participating. That could be a discount, free food or drinks, or even free products.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses cross-promote with other small businesses in their area for the day?

Gene Marks: One idea is to create a local map with other participating businesses. Once a customer comes into each business, they get a stamp on that map. If they walk in to every participating business, that customer can then enter a raffle for some sort of prize like a gift basket with a product from each participating store. Each store can reach out to their individual mailing lists ahead of time to let customers know about this group contest, which will help promote your business to new customers.

SmallBizLady: What about Cyber Monday? Should small businesses with an online presence get involved on this day as well?

Gene Marks: If your business has an e-commerce platform, there’s no reason your business shouldn’t participate in #SmallBusinessSaturday and Cyber Monday. You’ll need to offer some discounts or maybe even free shipping, but it’s another day to incentivize customers to purchase for the holidays.

SmallBizLady: There’s just over one week left until the big day. What are some last-minute planning tips?

Gene Marks: If your business has not started planning, get on your social media accounts right now and start posting about your participation. Reach out to your neighboring businesses and try and plan some cross-promotion deals. Make a sign stating your businesses participation. And make sure you have enough funding on hand to make the investments required to give customers the great experience they expect and deserve.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Stand Out on Small Business Saturday appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This week’s guest is Marcus Lemonis @MarcusLemonis – Marcus is chairman and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises and host of CNBC’s Primetime reality series “The Profit,” where he lends his expertise to struggling small businesses around the country. Crain’s Chicago Business featured him in their 2005 edition of “40 under 40” and in 2008, Ernst & Young named him “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Marcus’ success in business and philanthropy has also paved way for a valuable television career. In 2011, he was featured on two episodes of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice and also appeared on an episode of ABC’s Secret Millionaire in 2012.  For more information, visit bit.ly/1zwzGxS.

SmallBizLady: What is the number one thing that small businesses need to remember when it comes to staffing during the holidays?

Marcus Lemonis:  It’s so simple, but very often overlooked: Make sure you are fully staffed with trained employees at all of your locations. There is nothing worse than having customers in retail stores looking for assistance….and not enough staff on hand to greet them or answer questions. Holiday shopping can be stressful, and customers turn to small businesses because they trust them and enjoy the personal attention that many big box retailers don’t provide. By simply having enough trained staff present to handle customer inquiries, small businesses help their customers feel valued—which goes a long way to building loyalty.

SmallBizLady: What is the best advertising strategy for small businesses for the holiday season?

Marcus Lemonis:  Small businesses don’t typically work with an excess of funds to put towards advertising and promotion, so the key is to get creative. Small businesses have the advantage of being able to give their customers more personalized attention – offer sales for your existing customers and host unique events offering free coffee and donuts for example.  Pay attention to competitive advertisements and learn from the big box retailers. Avoid Black Friday and offer customers a more unique, personalized experience on Saturday or Sunday.

SmallBizLady: What can retail businesses specifically do to help boost sales during the holidays?

Marcus Lemonis:  Festive store and window appearances during the holiday go a long way! Retail stores should not only decorate for the holidays but also make sure that current specials and promotions are on the storefronts as well as their website.  Beat the big box retailers by stocking shelves with the season’s most popular items and offer special services like free gift wrapping or home delivery.

SmallBizLady: What tips can you offer online retail small businesses for the holiday season?

Marcus Lemonis:  The most important thing for online retailers to do is give customers a reason to stay on their website. Some incentives to consider are competitive pricing, flash sales, and free shipping –these are often standard features of larger retail sites and an easy way for small businesses to stay in the holiday shopping game. Online retail small businesses should also ramp up on customer service during the holiday season –be sure to staff up on both technical and general shopping support professionals.

SmallBizLady: What is the best way to promote sales and specials?

Marcus Lemonis:  Remember, every customer has a different budget so small businesses should make sure to have a variety of specials to appeal to what each customer considers a “deal”. For example, “Deals under $25”, “Great Finds under $50”, or “Steals under $200”. This helps customers to not be overwhelmed by cost, but rather be able to focus on the options that best fall within their budget.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses build customer loyalty?

Marcus Lemonis:  In addition to providing superior products and services of course, small businesses should make sure they are showing their appreciation to their most loyal customers. Establish a special “club” for frequent customers and offer them exclusive discounts throughout the year or even invitations to special sales or previews of certain collections of products. Consumers like to feel “valued” by the businesses they support, and with a core group of loyal customers, your small businesses will flourish.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses capitalize on the influx of new customers during the holiday season?

Marcus Lemonis:  During the holidays customers are often looking for the best value and the perfect gift – this presents an amazing opportunity for small business owners to keep those customers year round. Before the holiday madness begins, establish a customer retention plan for the new customers that come in during the holiday season. Repeat shoppers are the basis for longevity, which is every business’ goal. Offer a coupon for new customers to return in January, when the crowds have died down, to keep the momentum going.

SmallBizLady: How should small businesses use social media during the holiday season?

Marcus Lemonis:  All businesses, regardless of size, should be using social media to connect with both existing and new customers. But because there’s so much clutter in the social media space, make sure whomever is working on the social media efforts is posting relevant (that’s the key word!) information on the right days and times of day to help drive traffic to your company’s website and store. Make sure to offer social media followers special deals, which will turn into actual business as well as encourage others to become followers, too.

SmallBizLady: What should small businesses do for their staff during the holidays?

Marcus Lemonis:  Remember, your staff is the backbone of the entire operation—spending countless hours to keep the business flowing and thriving. And like anyone else, your staff will enjoy knowing their work is appreciated — this can be as simple as planning a catered lunch, dinner, or late-day snack if your store has extended hours. Once the holiday madness has died down a bit, gift them with an end of year party or small present to help make sure that they know they are the number #1 reason for the business’ success!

SmallBizLady: What benefits are there to using a small business credit card during the holidays?

Marcus Lemonis:  The holidays are a time of year when everyone is spending more money— small businesses are definitely not exempt from this!  With the need to keep more product on the shelves, fulfill specialty orders, expedite shipping and wrapping, etc. – cost can add up quickly – but by having the right business credit card you can earn rewards on the purchases you are making anyway. For example, Ink from Chase allows cardholders to accumulate points to reinvest—in their business or themselves. Ink offers five times the rewards on purchases most small business owners already make this time of year, including mobile phones, Internet, cable, and office supplies.

SmallBizLady: With so many different holidays celebrated during the season, how do small businesses stay sensitive to their customer base?

Marcus Lemonis:  Because there are so many different holidays during this time, it’s important for small businesses to know their customer base very well. If it is a diverse mix, then make sure to show appreciation for all of the different religious and cultural traditions that customers may celebrate in any interior or exterior decorations or marketing promotions. If your customer base is a bit narrower, then feel free to highlight the specific holiday that they celebrate to show that you respect their traditions.

SmallBizLady: How can small businesses give back during the holiday season?

Marcus Lemonis:  Small businesses are traditionally known to be great supporters of local charities and community efforts – whether they’re contributing to local schools, community sport teams, or local charities – the holidays present a great time to give back.  Be sure to offer opportunities to your customers take part in the gift of giving as well – an easy way to do this is by posting signs and literature near registers or offering special discounts and coupons for customers that contribute. Also, remember that donations don’t have to be confined to monetary giving only – you can also donate time, resources and even products.  Charitable giving not only feels good and impacts those in need, but can also shine a favorable light on your small business.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Bring in More Profit and More Customers this Holiday Season appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as @SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This week’s guest is Steven Power @StevenRPower. Steven is the President of Bigcommerce. Previously he was the founder and CEO of ReachLocal Australia. Steve brings extensive leadership experience in helping both global companies and small businesses succeed. For more information about launching an online business check out bigcommerce.com

SmallBizLady: How do I decide what to sell online?

Steve Power: Choosing what to sell online is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as an entrepreneur. To be successful, try sticking with what you know while solving issues you see in the real world — life hacks, contraptions, simple solutions and services are great places to start brainstorming. Pick products that you’re passionate about or things you’ve had experience with in the past. You can market a new item you’ve invented that you think solves a unique problem, or you can build a brand around products that are already popular in the market, like toys, jewelry or pet supplies.

SmallBizLady: How do I choose where to sell my products?

Steve Power: The first step is picking an ecommerce solution. If you’re new to selling online or aren’t familiar with coding, a custom solution may not be the best idea. Not only can it be very expensive to hire developers, it can take months to build. It’s also not wise to spend the money before testing the market with your idea. I’d recommend starting with a full-service platform because it’s cheaper and you can learn more about your audience, which means better conversion and more dollars in your pocket.

SmallBizLady: What’s the easiest way to start selling online?

Steve Power: A full-service ecommerce platform can help you get started with very little technical effort, plus its flexibility will support your business as you grow. It’s important to check out any platform’s forum, blog content and support materials. Get on the phone with their support or sales team to ask questions about why that platform might work for you. Ask people who have used that platform for their honest feedback, and definitely cruise through the platform with a free trial so you can tinker with features — any platform that doesn’t let you test it before you buy is a red flag. Once you settle on a platform, their team will guide you through setting it up.

SmallBizLady: How is an online store different from selling on Etsy or Ebay?

Steve Power: Setting up shop on sites like Etsy or Ebay may sound easier initially, but having your own website gives you complete control of your product, marketing and pricing so that you can truly scale your business. Etsy and Ebay take a percentage of your cut from the start, plus sellers are at the mercy of price increases or site changes that they have no choice but to follow. Plus, competition on these sites make it difficult to generate repeat buys or differentiate your products from other similar stores on the same site. There is little opportunity to create a memorable brand experience and hook repeat customers. In addition, you don’t have SEO control on Etsy or Ebay — many sellers have seen a decrease in traffic after search engine updates, so fewer people are seeing their products. If you want to be in control of your own business, costs, and marketing, the best way to do that is with your own website.

SmallBizLady: How do I know my product will sell?

Steve Power: Not everyone on the web will want to purchase your product — you need to dig in and find your target market and affirm your product’s market viability. Focus on the problem your product solves, and who needs to solve that problem. That’s your target market. For example, PetPaint looked at the niche market of pet costumes and identified a totally different way to outfit pets (with paint), and that resonated with a passionate group of buyers. Then, drill in even further to identify who has likely bought your product or service already. If your business idea is brand new, look at your competitors to get additional insights into their marketing and targeting.

SmallBizLady: How do I get funding for my online business?

Steve Power: Finding a source of funding can be a challenge, especially since the average cost of starting a business is $30,000 — but it can and must be done. There are three main ways to fund your business: securing money from investors, crowdfunding campaigns and bank loans.

Investors don’t have to be a venture capital firm. In fact, the best way to get capital is to pitch your family and friends as investors. If you go that route, or the VC route, decide if you want to issue a loan from them or a share in the business. The latter can be helpful if you need guidance or a partner to have “skin in the  game.” No matter which way you decide to go, be realistic about how much money you need. You can ask for money in chunks to fund specific parts of your business, like setting up inventory. SBA.gov has tons of resources to help you decide which method of funding is best for you.

SmallBizLady: How do I make my online store look beautiful?

Steve Power: Keep in mind that conversion should be priority No. 1 — it’s about making money and driving shoppers to the checkout page. “Pretty” is a stellar bonus, and the design should always reflect your brand. To do this, focus on quality from the beginning so that your store looks professional and attracts the right shoppers. Instead of trying to be a graphic designer, use pre-designed site templates that come with your ecommerce platform that offer a clean, focused look, I like GradysColdBrew.com.

Remember your online store should showcase your product. Product photography is important here — big, clear, realistic photos will allow customers to virtually handle the products, giving them a clear view of their quality and intricacies. You can create your own photography setup with simple materials like a tripod and decent camera (even your smartphone will do), a white backdrop sheet and sufficient lighting.

SmallBizLady: What’s an ETA for getting my business off the ground?

Steve Power: Once you’ve done your research to pick your product and ecommerce platform, you’ve just got to get into the nuts and bolts of setting up your infrastructure and choosing which features and customizations you want to use to wow your customers. If you’re committed to buckling down and getting a beautiful online store off the ground, you can get through the entire process in a weekend. You can always make changes and tweaks to your store and marketing strategy as you go.

SmallBizLady: How do I uncover and develop my brand?

Steve Power: To create a brand people love, consider your customers. Remember their wants and needs, and think about what would make them excited to be in your community. What images, stories and words elicit emotion around your product? People purchase products because of the emotional connection they feel with a brand, not because of a logo, set of colors or catchy tagline. A brand is something that customers feel, that makes them excited to interact with your company or others who love the brand, too. From social media to emails, the checkout page and packaging, each consumer touchpoint should be considered and reflect a unified brand experience.

SmallBizLady: How do I generate repeat customers?

Steve Power: Email marketing is 100% measurable and highly targeted, so often-times this will generate your highest ROI out of any organic channel. It’s easy to do, and free apps like MailChimp can walk you through the entire process. Think about seasonal events you can leverage for email promotions, and when there isn’t a seasonal opportunity, think about how you can reward some of your top customers with special discounts or personalized outreach. You can also use targeting techniques with paid campaigns on social media by posting specials, coupons, new products, etc. Customer service is crucial, too — focus on providing the best customer experience you can to create brand trust and loyalty.

SmallBizLady: How should I use social media marketing for my online store?

Steve Power: First of all, you need to pick which network(s) is the best fit for what you’re selling. Is your product beautiful and highly visual? Consider Pinterest or Instagram. Do you want to tap into larger conversations relevant to your brand? Twitter and Instagram are best for that. Facebook is still the social leader in driving traffic and purchases to online stores, and it can be the best place for building a community around your brand. No matter the channels you choose, form a content theme that links all of your marketing mix together.

Social media is all about building a community, and people are on social media either to be informed or entertained. Develop content that speaks to your audience directly and start or join conversations you think they would be interested in. Provide inspiring and interesting content that’s relevant to your business, but stray from being overly promotional. Be prepared to provide customer service on social media, and always aim to be responsive in a prompt and honest manner. Social media is a great place to crowdsource for product ideas, too. There are a million different strategies that could work for your pages, so be open to adjusting for what content works, what doesn’t, and how often you should post.

SmallBizLady: How do I track the success of my online store?

Steve Power: The most important ecommerce benchmarks are AOV (average order value), repeat revenue, and CLV (customer lifetime value). Get comfortable with purchase and customer data to help you pick out the rich insights you need to crush these benchmarks. For example, review your sales data to find out what products are most popular. Focus on getting more reviews of those products so more people will add them to their carts — in fact, product reviews create a 74% increase in product conversion.

Repeat revenue is important because the typical online store gets 43% of its revenue from repeat customers. Once you have a customer base, focus on growing revenue by targeting your existing customers instead of offering discounts to gain the attention of new shoppers. Your data can help you figure out how soon after a purchase to reach out to a customer, or how often you should be emailing your various customer segments.

CLV is the single most-important metric for your online store. Why? The top 1% of ecommerce shoppers spend 30x more than the average customer. Their lifetime value to your business is much higher than the average shopper’s, so spend your time and budget marketing to them. Treat your best customers like VIPs by writing them a note or offering a special deal, and watch what happens to your profit. Having a great analytics and insights dashboard on your ecommerce platform can help you with all of this.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

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Melinda Emerson, Twitter’s @SmallBizLady offers business advice and encouragement to more than three million entrepreneurs every week online. Forbes magazine named her the top woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She’s a successful businesswoman, a social media expert, a best-selling author and journalist, and a dynamic and stimulating speaker.

We decided to turn the tables on her and put her in the interview chair for a change. Her new book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2^nd Edition is being released January 2, 2015.  She’s really excited about her updated book, which includes new information of crowdfunding, content strategy and social media marketing.

Barbara Pender: You’re an amazing role model for all entrepreneurs, but especially women entrepreneurs. Can you tell us your story?

Melinda Emerson: I was 26 when I started my company Quintessence Group. I knew I didn’t know much about running a small business, but I did know I could never have another job. I am journalist, so I enjoy reading and doing research. I approached starting a business like a research project. I was in a male-dominated field, but I did well. After about 7 years in business, I was doing very well. I had numerous professional accolades and awards, and I had the largest female-owned production company in my city. Then my former husband and I got pregnant, and I was immediately put on bed rest. I went from being the worst workaholic in the world, to not being about to leave my home. My business really suffered. In fact, I almost went out of business at that time. Unfortunately, I built a business that couldn’t run without me.

However, when I had six months to sit and think, I realized all the expensive mistakes I had made in business. I also realized that I did not have good advice starting out. It occurred to me that other people would experience the same thing unless I started educating people about the right way to start and run a business. The first thing I did after my son was born and I adjusted to new motherhood, was start working on my bestselling book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months. It was completed in 2008, but when the global recession hit, my publisher postponed the release of the book until 2010. This was heartbreaking to me, as I was using the book to reinvent myself as a national small business expert.

A good friend suggested that I hire a publicist to help me start promoting the book even though it wasn’t coming out for 18 months. I hired a woman who specialized in book launches, but she knew social media. She suggested that I build my brand on the social media platform Twitter, which was really new at the time. When I first went to Twitter to sign up for an account, my name was taken. After I got over the initial shock, my publicist suggested that I come up with a nickname that would tell people who I am and what I am about. We came up with SmallBizLady, which was the best branding move I could have made. I have used that brand to build a social media machine to help small business owners, and now I reach 3 million small business owners a week online and write a regular column in the New York Times. After I survived the huge bump in the road in my business, I figured out that the most valuable thing in my business was what I learned from running it, and I decided that I would make my focus to help other entrepreneurs. I made it my mission to end small business failure.

Being my own boss is the ultimate form of freedom. I wake up each day without an alarm clock; I have a purpose clock. My mission is the focus of every speech I give, every video I create and every blog post I write on my blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Most people have great business ideas; they just don’t know how to run a business. I try to stand in the gap for those people and give helpful business advice before they realize they even need it.

Barbara Pender: What personal qualities do you have that you think have made you a successful entrepreneur?

Melinda Emerson: I am a successful entrepreneur because I believe that being nice is my secret weapon. I am constantly reading and learning to be a better leader. I don’t take a no from anyone who can’t say yes. I have never believed I couldn’t be successful. I leverage technology to be more effective in my business. I am relentlessly consistent in my business habits. I do not believe in daily to-do lists. I check my bank accounts daily and pay vendors quickly. I delegate things I don’t do well or enjoy, and I have a team of mentors who I call for advice regularly. I also pray over my business.

Barbara Pender: Why did you write Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months?

Melinda Emerson: There are five main things that small business owners struggle with: how to get new customers, how to manage their brand online (i.e. website and social media), how to keep customers, how to find and manage employees, and cash-flow. The nature of business has changed altogether since 2008 when I first wrote this book. Small business owners have less time to hit it big with their niche target customer now, and they have global competition, mobile web marketing, and the online marketplace to deal with. It’s a lot to deal with; there is a slim margin for error. I thought the best way to help entrepreneurs would be to provide a step-by-step proven method to start a successful small business.  This book is based on all the expensive lessons I have learned in business.

Barbara Pender: What is the book about?

Melinda Emerson: Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months provides a realistic, month-by-month planning guide to start a sustainable and profitable small business. If you’re planning to start a business soon, the key to being successful is not only to create a sound business concept, but also taking the time to figure out the business of running a business. This book will point out the important and necessary steps to take – so you will have the right foundation. Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months is everything you need to run your successful small business.  I discuss my Emerson planning system, crowdfunding, building your website, leveraging social media, hiring your team, opening for business, and the things you should be measuring in your small business.

Barbara Pender: Why does it take 12 Months to start a business?

Melinda Emerson: 12 Months is an ideal time frame to start a business, but it’s not meant to be restrictive.  I have been an entrepreneur for more than 11 years.  Based on my experience, I believe the longer you plan, the more research you will do, and the more money you save, the more likely you are to succeed in business.

Barbara Pender: What if you don’t have 12 months to plan?

Melinda Emerson: 12 months to plan your business is what I suggest based on research and experience. Have people done it in a shorter amount of time?  Sure.  Sometimes people are forced to start sooner.  This is triggered by layoffs, getting fired, buyouts or retirement packages. I only planned for three months with my first business, but the challenge with that approach is you learn plenty of costly lessons the hard way.  If you live by a budget, have your debt under control, and have a significant amount of savings, you will be able to start your business much sooner.   Depending on your individual situation, it may take more than a year to get your money straight. That is critical because the money to start your business is in your right or left pocket.

Barbara Pender: What are the 7 Essential Principles of Small Business Success?

Melinda Emerson: I have interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs and after listening to what they said about running their businesses and observing how they did business, I realized that there were 7 things they all had in common. These include having an entrepreneurial mindset, utilizing strict fiscal discipline, and having a kitchen cabinet of advisors. They make use of a well-defined brand identity; have a niche market customer, excellent customer service, and a firm understanding every day of their cash position by carefully managing their banking relationship. Using these principles can help any business run at its best.  It’s the gold standard all businesses need to strive for from the very beginning.

Barbara Pender: How do you balance work and home life?

Melinda Emerson: I try to be present wherever I am. I do not overwhelm myself. I am a morning person. I focus on completing five key tasks a day before 11 am every day, anything after that is a bonus. I’m not at the ball field on my cellphone. I do not sleep with my cellphone at my bedside. I’m a divorced, single mom of a 9-year-old son. It is tough to manage my hectic business travel schedule and my role as a mom. I have a babysitter who helps me. My ex-husband helps too. I also have family members who step in to help. But, my son understands what I do for a living, and he and I always say, “Mommy works hard so we can play hard.” When my son is with me, I also try not to take phone calls. I do not work or do social media on the weekends when I have my son. I have boundaries that I just do not cross. Once upon a time, I was a really bad workaholic, and I do not want to go back to that life.

Barbara Pender: Do you think women approach the challenges of entrepreneurship differently from men?

Melinda Emerson: Yes, we are women and we think about things differently. We are better at listening, asking for help and building and managing relationships with employees and customers. But we are also more risk-averse – we don’t take out business loans, we don’t hire people fast enough because we believe we can do it all by ourselves, and we struggle with confidence issues, which men do not.

Barbara Pender: What are the biggest lessons you have learned in business?

Melinda Emerson: You must have a niche target market. If everyone can use your product or service, no one will. You must hire people who are trustworthy and polite. You can teach someone how to do anything, but you can’t teach him or her to be nice. You also cannot teach them to have integrity. Your employees must have these traits coming in the door.

Barbara Pender: What are you most proud of?

Melinda Emerson: I am most proud of the fact that I have survived over 15 years in business, and that I have had the opportunity to update my book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2^nd Edition. The nature of business has changed quite a bit since I first wrote the book in 2007, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to update every chapter and add several new ones to discuss all the new stuff going on in business. I share tips on crowdfunding, developing a great website, content strategy, and of course there is a new chapter on how to become a social media ninja. It really is a step-by-step guide to a business that works. I have been fortunate enough to accomplish nearly all of my professional business goals. I am currently developing a new professional bucket list for myself.

Barbara Pender: What advice would you give someone else starting a business from scratch?

Melinda Emerson: It’s hard to give just one piece of advice, so I will give you my top things I try to tell people. You never lose in business, either you win or you learn. A good idea is still a good idea three weeks from now – take the time to slow down, do your research and get a plan together. Your business can only grow as far as your hand can reach, which means you need help. Document your processes and systems so that you can let go knowing your processes will become routine. Don’t just completely turn over the keys to staff, do spot checks on things periodically to make sure your quality is not suffering in any way. This will help you focus on what you do best, which should be cultivating prospects and keeping clients.

Barbara Pender: How do you define success?

Melinda Emerson: Success is just success, it really doesn’t mean a whole lot. When I was younger in business it was all about revenues, but that is not a good measure of success. There are plenty of wealthy people who are miserable. A better question is how do I define happiness? I define happiness as having complete control over my time and having the resources to invest in the things and people I care about.  I cherish my son and family and my deepest friendships. I also believe ultimate happiness is having someone in your life to build with and share your life.

The post How to Succeed in Life and in Business appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

As many of you know, every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter chat #SmallBizChat. Over the year, our chats with a variety of professionals who share their insight and experience generate a lot of great discussion. Each of those chats creates abundant value for my readers, so I encourage you to dig in to the smallbizchat category on the blog and discover the gems you find most relevant. This year, so many of these interviews stood out to me — there were really too many to list — but we whittled it down to seven that are fascinating reads to share with you as we reflect on 2014.

1. As small business owners, we need to know how to successfully close sales. Generating sales is Jeffrey Gitomer’s specialty, and in this chat he shares key pointers to help you attract sales. He outlines the habits and actions necessary to make sales, including how you can create consistency in your daily business habits. Make Jeffrey’s insightful analysis of the steps you need to take to make sales second nature a must-read for your list.

2. Personal finance expert, bestselling author, TV personality, and sought-after speaker Farnoosh Torabi discusses the challenges faced by couples when the female makes more money. In this honest dialogue, Farnoosh highlights some of the cultural biases that challenge women and offers suggestions on how couples can counteract those issues. She also provides detailed advice for entrepreneurs facing an inconsistent income stream.

3. Another great chat from 2014 was with bestselling author, Robert T. Kiyosaki. You might know him better as the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In this timely chat, we discussed how to build wealth through your business. Robert also shared incredible insights, including one compelling piece of advice that will change the way you think about planning for retirement forever.

4. Adeel Ahmad knows retail from top to bottom, and he shares with us some profound insights regarding the changing face of retail in this #SmallBizChat. In addition to sharing numerous tips on how to survive in modern retail, Adeel describes the attitude that online sellers must adopt in order to succeed in the constantly evolving market that is modern retail. There is so much important information in this chat that you’ll have to read about it to glean it all!

5. Building a thriving small business is easier said than done, but Mike Michalowicz has done it more than once. In fact, he has developed a sure-fire process for ensuring small business success. In this chat, Mike shares with you why you should put profit first in your small business. Mike is fearless, and he tears down the old model of Sales – Expenses = Profit to illustrate a new model that prioritizes profit from day one.

6. In this chat, Jill Konrath details the steps needed to prepare your small business for salespeople. Jill Konrath knows sales and she challenges us to throw out the old concept of salespeople as hucksters and embrace the notion of agile selling. Sales are vitally important, and Jill shares why entrepreneurs need to understand how sales work before they hire someone to help them sell. She also reveals several new ways that small business owners can develop new learning skills.

7. Steve Strauss is not only the Senior Small Business Columnist for USA TODAY, but in 2014 he also celebrated his 20th year being in business for himself. In this chat, he shares his expertise in how to survive as a small business for five years or more. Steve discusses many things, including the mistake that he sees small businesses make too often, as well as tips on marketing and what it takes to stay in business. He also shares his favorite free resource for small business owners.

In order to succeed as your own boss, you need to cultivate lifelong learning. #SmallBizChat is a great resource for those of you building your business and for those who are making the leap to become their own boss. 2015 promises to bring more wisdom and knowledge in our weekly #SmallBizChat sessions; join us every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET.

The post Best of #SmallBizChat 2014 appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with John Lawson, CEO of ColderICE Media (@ColderICE). John is an expert on selling online. He is the CEO at ColderICE Media, Amazon #1 best-selling author, IBM Futurist and eBay Influencer. John is celebrated as one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America. For more information about John, visit JohnLawson.com or
ShoeStringKing.com.

SmallBizLady: John, let’s say I have a product and I want to get started selling online, what should I do?

John Lawson: The first thing you want to do is figure out where you want to start selling. There are two primary ways to get started online.

1) The first option would be with a regular e-commerce store. A website that is your own the domain. By domain I mean it has an address like www.yourstorename.com. That would be where you send people to buy your products.

2) Another option is using a marketplace. Marketplaces are like internet malls for lack of a better term. These are sites like Ebay, Etsy, even Amazon where you would list your products, and they would do the marketing for you. It is very competitive, but it does have some built-in traffic that you can easily tap into.

Both of these options are viable ways to start, and both have unique benefits and challenges. You can do either of them in isolation or even a hybrid of both. But my suggestion is that if you are just getting started you probably want to concentrate on one at a time in the beginning.

SmallBizLady: How would one go about determining which option is best?

John Lawson: Remember there is no right or wrong path, just differences. If you are an established business as a brick and mortar store, and you just want to get online, and you would do your own shipping, I like having your own domain.

Doing a web store on your own dot com will help with branding and could really increase foot traffic as a possible added benefit. It’s called the halo effect. If I am looking for a product and you happen to be selling it, suddenly I see that you have a store near me, I might be inclined to drive over and visit. But even more likely the fact that your site is attached to a physical presence makes it more “trustworthy” to online shoppers and can increase buyer conversions even online. Hence the term, “halo effect”.

Marketplaces have built-in audiences, and that is the boom factor for them. You can list products on a marketplace and optimize it with the right title and keywords, and you could be selling in hours. Driving traffic to your website is your responsibility. In a marketplace, they do that for you. But it is NOT free! Web marketplaces charge as much as 15% for the privilege of selling in that marketplace. But you do get what you pay for…eyeballs. And eyeballs can and should turn into sales.

SmallBizLady: What if I don’t actually have a product to sell yet? Where can I go to find products?

John Lawson: That’s a great question and it is probably the #1 question people ask me…where to find products to sell? Personally, that is the easy part. You can find product EVERYWHERE around you. The harder part is finding the RIGHT product to sell.

The first place and easiest place to find products are in your own house. I know it sounds silly, but there are things in your home that are worth lots of money. When I first got started, I would sell used books from my own bookshelves. Used books are a huge category on both Ebay and Amazon. As a matter of fact, used media of all types can actually be sold online. Everything from LP’s to Video Tapes to DVD’s all of it can be of value.

What I tell people is that the first way to dip a toe into the water is to sell used items around your house on eBay to get a feel for the process. On Amazon I would say try used DVD in good condition and the original packaging. Do this to get a feel for the marketplace and how to fulfill orders to a customer.

For new products, there are wholesalers in your area near you, somewhere. What you will need before you speak to them is a business license. That is very easy to get to your local government office, contact them for the process. Once you have that license, it becomes your golden ticket. With it, you can find manufacturers and wholesale business owners about purchasing from them.

Also, it will allow you to go to trade shows. Look for trade shows in your area and just attend. They are usually FREE, and you get in with your license. A good resource to find shows near you is TheTradeShowNetwork.com, it’s online and lists many of the trade and gift shows.

Another place and this is guerilla for sure; I have found great products right by my house by cruising thru the business parks in my area. Often these buildings have row and rows of offices, and many of them are product manufacturers. I source some eyewear this way, but simply walking in and talking with the owners, asking them about what they did and what they sold.

Keep in mind that these guys who are product manufacturers are looking for sellers just like you and they are happy to talk to you.

SmallBizLady: What about online sources like Alibaba?

John Lawson: Alibaba is one of the most renowned B2B platforms. And one of its core businesses is the “China Suppliers” service. More and more online sellers are choosing to source products via the online B2B platform. The Alibaba platform is a comprehensive domestic & foreign trade platform. Its shops and businesses cover most industries. With more and more people doing business there you do want to take a few thing into account when finding sources to protect yourself.

1. Avoid Free Account Members – a seller that is serious about offering quality products, they will be willing to pay fees for a Gold account
2. Avoid Big Brands, Especially Electronics – Branded goods are by far the most common product in these scams on Alibaba,especiallybranded electronics.
3. Look At The Age of the Account – The longer an account has been running, the less likely it is to bean scammer
4. Consider The Payment Options Being Requested -Western Unionand bank transfers arefavouritesof scammers because they can often avoid being traced by these methods. Upfront payments in full are also demanded by scammers for obvious reasons.
5. Ask For References Outside Of Alibaba – Get references from other companies and customers they’ve worked with in the past, ideally in your own country.

SmallBizLady: How can people research and find hot selling items?

John Lawson: 44% of buying consumers today will start their search on Amazon. That makes Amazon a very powerful product search engine and not only for buyers but also for merchants. An easy way to see what is hot and selling is to go to Amazon.com/Best-Sellers/zbgs. That URL takes you the right to the Amazon best sellers list of products in any given category.

Google Trends (trends.google.com) is another resource you can use to find information on what is selling and what people are looking for. We used Google Trends when it came to selling our bandannas online. Google Trends told us that more people misspelled the word bandanna by using only one “n”. So we made sure that we optimized our product titles and descriptions so it would show up for both the proper and the misspelling of that word.

SmallBizLady: If I want to start my own store online what e-commerce solutions are there for me?

John Lawson: The e-commerce store selection today is vast. Where there use to be a handful of options today that are probably more than 100 out there. The selection for a newbie can be overwhelming. I tell my students that you really want to figure out what you need and want to have in a store solution. Break it down by the need in one column and wants in another.

You are basically going to get all of the things you need to be covered and as many of the things you also want when comparing the solutions. Having a solid list of things really helps in making your selection. Remember that all platforms are NOT the same, there are differences, and you want to pick the one that works best for you and your back office. In my free online training class, we go thru some of the options and compare them with you. Please check that out at StartTheStore.com and sign up for that FREE class.

A few things you want to consider are:

Inventory size: how many SKUs you will need to manage on your store.

Multi-variation: do you need color and size selection options? Or maybe you need fitment options for customizing items.

Self hosting or hosted: Will you be installing it yourself or do you want an all in one solution where they are hosting the store for you?

Back Office Compatibility: Will it work with your other back-end solutions?

SmallBizLady: Once I get my own store set up, how would I start to drive traffic?

John Lawson: Start thinking about traffic and optimization BEFORE you build the store. What I mean by that is having well-optimized product titles, and descriptions can go a long way into making your store “findable” online.

Great pictures sell products, take good shots of the product and also the product in use shots. People want to see products being used. Capturing action shots can really get your items noticed, and they are good fodder for social imagining sites like Pinterest and Instagram.

Of course, social media can not be overlooked when it comes to e-commerce. I pinned a best seller on this subject called “Kick Ass Social Commerce for Ecopreneurs” that goes deep into how best to use social media to sell products. One of the key ideas in my book is the fact that it’s not about likes, it’s about sales. There are strategies that you should take to make actual sales via social. Who cares if they “like” you? We want them to buy something.

Social media and website optimization are what we call earned traffic. The other and often the fastest way to get traffic is with paid traffic. Paid traffic is online advertising using things like Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, Sponsored Pins on Pinterest, etc. Choosing and starting the right ad strategy is tough. What might work for one business may not work well for another. These are things you run into. My recommendation is to start small, test, optimize and then grow from there. It is very rewarding financially once you get the paid marketing dial in just right.

SmallBizLady: How long does it take to start making money in e-commerce?

John Lawson: That really is a relative question with no real answer. You can put a popular item up on Ebay or Amazon and sell it within the hour. You can start a store and have orders the next morning. That can happen. But I say you really want to give it up to 6 months to start your empire. You want a business that will last and grow and to has that; you must give it time. Don’t fall for the notion that e-commerce is easy, it’s not. It is very rewarding, but the notion being sold off “build a site” and people will find you is a misnomer. You do need to do some work.

Having said that, we have had many that started and within month one they already had made their money back and were on their way to profits and success. You can do it!

SmallBizLady: What shipping company should I use? FedEx, UPS, Post Office?

John Lawson: Over the years that I have been in this business I have used them all. You will probably end up with relationships with all of them in one form or another. When it comes to items less than 1 lbs,

it is hard to beat the USPS starting out. But once you scale that to hundreds of packages a day, FedEx and UPS have solutions that beat USPS

Both FedEx and UPS have similar services these days, but FedEx is my company of choice. We have been with FedEx for nearly a decade and really have been well served by them. FedEx does Ground, SmartPost and their specialty is still overnight, and rush delivery none compares to them on that level.

We have used them all for different reasons and times. Your suppliers may have a different account than you. So many days all three trucks will come to our warehouse. The key is to know your reps and has a good relationship with your driver/carrier. They are part of your team, and if you make them feel that way, they will bend over backward to help you succeed.

SmallBizLady: What are your thoughts on drop shipping?

John Lawson: Drop shipping is a tried, tested and viable business model. I am not a fan of it on marketplaces like Amazon because you don’t control the inventory. Mistakes in delivery or missed shipment windows can cause your accounts to be shut down on Amazon, so I like to have control over that process.

On your own website and even Ebay, we have seen companies do great things using drop shipping. A key to finding a good drop shipper is the actually contact the manufacturer directly and create a relationship with them. Again, the thought of this is easy riches with no work is just crap. You need to do your homework and find good suppliers, and you will be in great shape.

For those who have the product but prefer not to ship it themselves, you can get Amazon to ship it to you. There is a service inside of Amazon call FBA which is “fulfillment by Amazon” for a fee, Amazon will take your products and warehouse them. When they sell, Amazon will pick it, package and ship the items on your behalf.

SmallBizLady: How do you handle sales taxes?

John Lawson: That is a deep subject matter and somewhat a muddy situation because if you’re shipping products to Amazon, there’s a thing called “Nexus,” where it’s saying that if you have an entity in a state then you have to pay some taxes for the state.

Since Amazon is so wide it has warehouse entities in many states; that becomes a confusion for some sellers that use FBA. If you’re an Amazon seller using the fulfillment by Amazon your products can be in their warehouses and that might be considered a nexus for you. You want to engage a tax professional for guidance on how to proceed.

If you are not using FBA, and you are self-fulfilling right out of your own warehouse, and that’s the only warehouse you have, then you’re only responsible for sales in the state where you have that warehouse, i.e. nexus.
I live in Georgia. Our warehouse is in Georgia. We pay taxes on purchases only from Georgia residents, to Georgia people. If you’re living in a tax-free are like Nevada, Texas, Florida, etc., you wouldn’t pay any taxes for those items being shipped.

SmallBizLady: Last question, this is about pricing items…How do I know how much to mark my products up?

John Lawson: Fantastic question, and that really depends on. If you’re selling a Ferrari, and it’s a $200,000 car, I don’t need a huge markup. I’ll take 10% and be happy, but if you’re selling a lower-priced item, like under $20, under $25, that 10-20% may not work so well.

I always tell students that in the industry, wholesale is usually half of retail. You really want to be getting the product at half of wholesale. Or 25% of the retail price. That is a good marker for me. The reason I say that is if it’s a $20 product you’re looking to spend about $5 on that item. Now if that product is not moving as fast as you thought or the market has shrunk and all of a sudden it’s not doing what you would have hoped. It becomes a lot more simpler for you to get $5 back on that product than it would be if you paid anything close to retail.

You make your money when you buy your product; not when you sell your product. Remember that. You make it when you buy, not when you sell. I’ll see people, and they see an item they like, and they say, “Oh, dude, I know that these sell for $25, and it’s $18 right now. I could make $7.”

Not a good look because you never know when somebody else is going to come in that market that also found it for $18 and just undercut you because they want to make $2, and they sell it for $20.

Now you’re in a race to the bottom, and it’s really hard now for you to get your money back out of that product. Had you bought that product at the right price using what we just talked about and that competitor came in at $18? It wouldn’t be hard for you to compete on that same price and match it or even beat it.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz
For more tips on how to start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Start, Run and Grow an Ecommerce Store appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Jay Bean @jayrbean and @freshlime_inc. Jay is founder and CEO of FreshLime. Heis a focused and innovative entrepreneur with over a decade of online marketing and digital experience. Jay has a proven record of growing digital media technology and online advertising-based businesses with his singular vision. For more information about Jay, visit www.freshlime.com.

SmallBizLady: There are so many options out there to market your business. Where should you start in figuring out your strategy?

Jay Bean: There are more options today than ever before in history.  It is important for small business to have a degree of marketing knowledge if they want to tackle this big task on their own.  For most business owners they will save a lot of time and money if they outsource their marketing efforts.  This can be done through a small local agency or other trusted source.  Find out who other similar businesses are using in your area.  There are also a lot of online resources that can be accessed for local marketing strategies.

SmallBizLady: What is a realistic marketing budget for when you get started promoting your business?

Jay Bean: A startup should plan on spending 25-30% of their projected revenue on marketing.  If it is a business with an existing customer base, that % may only need to be 10-12%.

SmallBizLady: Is it a good idea to go into debt for marketing to land new customers?

Jay Bean: Dave Ramsay always says “you don’t have to go into debt to build a successful business” and it is true. But it isn’t necessarily a bad idea either. Having money to invest in marketing to make money will scale your business faster it just carries more risk. Weigh the pros and cons and decide what your level of comfort is in spending money on marketing. Start small and test what works and then continue to spend in the areas you are seeing a greater return.

SmallBizLady: How can you accurately measure if you are getting a return on your marketing spend?

Jay Bean: This is a million dollar question in the world of marketing. When you advertising options revolved around offline channels, you used to just ask customers where they heard about your business to determine what was working and what wasn’t. Now that customers are online you have better options than ever to track what’s happening with your dollars. Pay-per-click makes it really easy, but now you can track more through search, social and retargeting. If a digital solution doesn’t offer you a way to track results you can absolutely find one that does.

SmallBizLady: Are social networks a good place to market my business?

Jay Bean: People are spending more and more time on social media and in recent years the trend in social media has been mobile-first. This is incredibly important if your business thrives on location-based services or storefronts. You want to spend your marketing dollars where your potential customers are and because they are on social you should absolutely be there too.

SmallBizLady: Is search engine optimization as important as it used to be?

Jay Bean: SEO has changed a lot, but it is still very important for most businesses.  Today it goes well beyond optimizing just your website, but you really need to focus on your whole online presence.  This includes directory listings, website, and social pages.  It may be a lot to keep up with, so ask for help.

SmallBizLady: What are the most important things I need online to optimize my digital marketing efforts?

Jay Bean: Business owners spend a lot of money on equipment, facilities, etc., but when it comes to online presence and marketing they feel those things should be free.  To succeed online, you have to have a good presence (Website, Directories, and Social).  It is not enough just to get started with these efforts, but you have to spend time and money to keep it updated.  What is needed is different for every business.
SmallBizLady: What is a good return on investment for digital marketing?

Jay Bean: The Return on Marketing Investment is also different for every business. If your business’ customers are coming back every month, you can afford to spend more money to acquire each customer. I see a lot of businesses that use gut feel to determine if they are getting a good return. Going by your gut will normally not produce the highest profits.

SmallBizLady: Which social networks should I focus on when marketing my business?

Jay Bean: This question is different for every business, but the big answer is – all of them can be important. The first step is educating you on the big ones like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, SnapChat, Periscope, YouTube, etc. Then you need to ask yourself where your target customer is spending the most time. After that, it’s about creating marketing campaigns that will optimize engagement. Then you are ready to start spending marketing dollars on social media.

SmallBizLady: There are a lot of influencers out there that can spread the good word about your business. How much should you budget for this and is their help effective for marketing?

Jay Bean: It’s always a good idea to have others spreading genuine testimonials online about your business. Offer customers many opportunities to leave reviews, share with friends, etc. You can do that with a discount on the next service, or another incentive. Beyond that, it’s important to create a list of really influential people online – that could be media personalities, authors, experts, other companies, or mommy bloggers. From there you can reach out to them and try to build relationships. Some of them will review your service and product simply because they like the idea and need more content for their own purposes. Others will charge to post a review. If that is the case, make sure you ask for an updated and realistic media kit with impressions and typical ROI, and the rights to also promote their content about you freely. If the influencer is in your target demo or your target customers spend time with them, it just may be worth the cost.

SmallBizLady: What are some of the best tools to measure online and offline marketing?

Jay Bean: The true measurement of any marketing or engagement activity is a sales transaction.  Because 93% of transactions are offline, most marketers are forced to settle for lesser attribution methods.  No business owner should settle for clicks or impressions.  Today we have the ability to track additional actions and sales which are more meaningful.  There is no reason business owners should be guessing what is working.  Using sales transaction data is the only way to measure true success.

SmallBizLady: Social media is becoming more and more important, but most posts aren’t seeing a lot of engagement or return – how can you use social media to get visibility and attract customers?

Jay Bean: I wish I could say that you just have to have viral content and then you can drive a lot of business on social for free (well, not including the cost of your time). However, it’s not that simple anymore. Social networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. don’t just share your content with all of your followers anymore. You have to pay for that. And truthfully it’s often worth the cost and they provide dashboards to track how many clicks and sometimes conversions you get from marketing with them. As mentioned before, it’s important to start small, see what is working, and scale from there.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz
For more tips on how to start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How to Pick the Right Marketing Tools from the Thousands Available for Your Small Business appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Christine Kloser, @christinekloser. Christine is the founder of TransformationalAuthor.com where she has taught nearly 70,000 entrepreneurs, messengers, and leaders from more than 100 countries how to write their transformational books. For more information about Christine, visit www.ChristineKloser.com.

SmallBizLady: Why should small business owners write a book?

Christine Kloser: The biggest reason small business owners should become authors is that it opens doors of opportunity for their business.   Nothing compares to the impact you can have in your market when you say you’re the author of XYZ book.   Even if you enjoy a six or seven-figure business (or more), are a speaker, have built a large network of colleagues and supporters, or created the best program in your niche…. it doesn’t compare to the clout and opportunity that comes with being a published author.

SmallBizLady: What are some of the biggest benefits of being a published author?

Christine Kloser: First, the credibility and expert status authors gain is invaluable.   Being an author sets you apart from the crowd, attracts prospective clients and customers, invites speaking engagements, publicity, etc.   But perhaps even more important… what I’ve discovered in my nine-year career coaching authors is that some of the most powerful benefits are increased clarity, confidence and courage.   Who the author becomes through writing and publishing their book gives them an inner strength and confidence that is often unmatched by any other business activity.   And that boost in confidence can be a true game-changer!

SmallBizLady: What’s the biggest pitfall small business owners need to avoid when writing their book?

Christine Kloser: The biggest pitfall aspiring authors need to avoid is writing their book BEFORE creating a solid foundation for it. Too many authors, especially those who “go it alone”, don’t know what they don’t know and write without any plan.   Many don’t know who their ideal reader is or what problem their book will solve, or how to succinctly communicate what their book is about. It’s tragic, because they write their book and then try to figure those things out when it’s already too late.   The foundation must be laid before beginning to write.
SmallBizLady: How do you suggest aspiring authors get past “writer’s block?”

Christine Kloser: This is one of the most common questions I hear… despite the fact that there’s really no such thing as “writer’s block.”   For example, if I asked you right now to write a letter to someone you love, no matter how “blocked” you thought you were, you could write it!   The “block “authors face is often internal and stems from some fear of not being good enough, worrying about what others will think, feeling exposed, inadequate, etc.   The best way to overcome this and write is to imagine – like the love letter I just mentioned – that you are writing your book to only ONE person who you care about and know you can help.   This will help dissipate the fear, eliminate the “block” and allow the writing to flow.

SmallBizLady: What’s the first thing an aspiring author must know to write a book that grows their business?

Christine Kloser: The key to writing a book geared toward helping you grow your business is to sell yourself without being pushy.   What that looks like in your book is showcasing your expertise, sharing case studies of client successes, mentioning the ways you help people through your business, sharing personal stories of how you gained the knowledge you have now, etc. Your book is the perfect place to toot your own horn.   And as you do it’s important to not be so pushy that your readers feel like they are being “sold” on every page.   Shine the spotlight on yourself while making gentle invitations toward your business.

SmallBizLady: Is it true that being a published author can directly impact the bottom line?

Christine Kloser: Absolutely! Being a published author can have a huge impact on your bottom line. But here’s the key.   The bottom line will not be impacted much be your book sales. Books are better known as a lead generation tool than an income generation tool.   So don’t expect to make tons of money from book sales alone, but do leverage the leads you generate from your book… because that’s where the money will come from the most.

SmallBizLady: Why is back matter so important for authors who want to grow their business with a book? (And what is back matter?)

Christine Kloser: The back matter of a book consists of the information on the pages that follow your core content. Thus the term “back” matter – it is at the end of your book. This is where you’d include information, invitations and offers regarding your business.   In addition, you’d include your author bio, contact information and anything else needed to ensure your readers know what you do, and how to get in touch with you to learn more about your business services.
SmallBizLady: How do you suggest aspiring authors deal with the concern that nobody will hire them if they put all their knowledge into a book?

Christine Kloser: Most of the authors I’ve coached have this concern – if they put their “best stuff” in a book, it eliminates the need for them to be hired.   Nothing could be further from the truth. When you are generous with your information – versus holding it back to get a sale – your readers will discover how knowledgeable you are, feel they can trust you, and will have a deeper understanding of the value of your wisdom. The vast majority of the time your generosity will make them want more of your expertise… thus enticing them to take action to contact you for further help.

SmallBizLady: Can you share an example of how being generous with content increases sales?

Christine Kloser: One of my favorite examples is my client Dallas Travers, who went through my Get Your Book Done® program to write her book, “The Tao of Show Business.”   Dallas was an acting coach who knew deep down inside how valuable her information was for aspiring actors. Through our coaching, she gained the confidence she needed to write her book and share all of her treasured “secrets for success.”   As a result, she went from being a relative “unknown” in her industry to being one of the leading experts in her field.   But not only did she gain the respect of her peers, her business experienced massive growth.,. both multiplying her impact and her income immediately following the release of her book. She shared everything on the pages of her book, and it made her readers want a lot more of what she had to offer.

SmallBizLady: What are a few specific ways small biz owners can use a book to grow their business?

Christine Kloser: The most common way small business owners can use a book to grow their business is to include multiple calls to action within the book. For example, if you publish a print or digital newsletter you can provide information on how to subscribe. If you provide free consultations for prospective clients, you can include information on how to request a consult with you. If you provide programs or services your readers can purchase online, then you can include brief descriptions of those services with links to learn more and make a purchase.   If you are a speaker, you can include a synopsis of your talk topics and contact information about booking you to speak.   The possibilities are endless.

SmallBizLady: How can a small business owner write a book, run a business, enjoy their life and perhaps manage a job all at the same time?   How can they find the time to write?

Christine Kloser: There are two essential answers to this question.   The first one is that you must assess your life and realistically determine when you can write.   It may be that thirty minutes every morning is best for you, or on your lunch break, or after the kids are all asleep, or for five hours on Sunday afternoon.   The next thing is to follow a system – so you always know exactly what to do when you sit down to work on your book.   If you leave it to “chance” you’re likely to waste hours, weeks, months or years trying to “figure out” what you should be doing. Following a system (which is why I created by Get Your Book Done® program) takes the guesswork out of what to do and the order to do it… which makes for the best use of the time you set aside to write.

SmallBizLady: What are the most important words an author will write for their book?

Christine Kloser: Believe it or not, the most important words you’ll write for your book are not inside the pages of your book!   They are the 250 words that will comprise your back cover copy. Why? Because the purpose of your back cover copy is to clearly and succinctly communicate the value of your book. Back cover copy is your marketing copy, yet also serves as a guidepost for you.    Writing the back cover copy first, before your book, ensures you know what your book is, who it is for and provides you with a “north star” to keep you on track and focused while you write.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz
For more tips on how to start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

The post How To Write a Book That Grows Your Business appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss.