You Know It’s Time to Unplug When …

The challenge to unplug is the challenge of every coach, speaker, expert and information marketer.

There is always another creative thought, another idea, another project, another marketing campaign, another something demanding our attention NOW. Even though we know that it’s important to “unplug” in order to keep moving forward with our oh-so-brilliant ideas – to give our creative juices time to flow – we charge forward into project after project, often at the expense of our relationships, our families and even our health.

Of course there’s a flip side. Successful information entrepreneurs are creative, self-starters who thrive on being busy doing something. We LOVE creating things! But in order to keep doing that, it’s important to carve out time to unplug and rest our racing minds.That means we must recognize the signs that it’s time to unplug!

You know it’s time to unplug when …

• Your neck, back, arm, hands and/or eyes hurt from working hours, days, weeks (yes, sometimes weeks) at your computer
• You begin to resent others who are off having fun
• Your child or spouse is asking, “Why are you always checking your phone while I’m talking to you?”
• You’re feeling confused, sad, frustrated or overwhelmed for too many minutes/hours each day
• You’re no longer feeling creative
• You’re gaining weight, eating poorly and/or feeling tired
• You’re pushing instead of allowing
• You’re not being nice to the people around you

Of course there are many other signs that it’s time to unplug … these are just a few. But I’ve decided to keep this post short because it’s time to take my own advice and head to the pool with my husband. Blue skies, pleasant breezes and a good guy – the perfect way to unplug.

Want more information about crafting a lifestyle that incorporates lots of unplugging?

Download my free DREAM LIFESTYLE BLUEPRINT!

What’s Your Marketing Rhythm?

Why does it have to be so complicated to be a successful entrepreneur? Why do I feel so scattered and overwhelmed all the time?

I used to ask myself those questions over and over again – in my head, of course. Well, sometimes out loud too. The really frustrating part was that the more I looked for answers and solutions from others, the more complicated things got – particularly with marketing.

Some were saying that social media was the answer. Others stressed the importance of good old-fashioned networking. Most were saying your should do it all. What???

Then, just at the point where I thought my brain would explode, something clicked into place. I can’t pinpoint exactly when, but one day I woke up and realized that I’d discovered my marketing rhythm. And it was a very, very good day.

A marketing rhythm, I realized, is essential for business growth. When you create your own marketing routine – a routine through which you steadily growing your list of followers – you end up spending less time on stress and frustration and more time on creating and imagining possibilities. If fact, it’s virtually impossible to reach the next level as an entrepreneur if you’re scattered and stressed in your marketing efforts. And the result of finding your marketing rhythm is, plain and simple, more clients!

Remember, if you are a coach, consultant or expert, marketing is really just positioning and teaching: reflecting who you are and what you stand for (positioning) and communicating how you can help people with your product or service (teaching). Your marketing rhythm is created when you consistently use vehicles and daily routines to put your positioning and teaching in front of potential clients.

So here are the two simple things you can start doing NOW to develop your marketing rhythm. (This is exactly what helped me develop my own marketing rhythm!)

Lean into Your Strengths: If you enjoy (such as I do!) writing in your blog, writing an ezine, filming videos and conducting teleseminars and webinars, these strengths should be a big part of your marketing rhythm. Each day, you should be creating or working on something in one of those areas – they will become “client magnet” zones for you.

Outsourcing Weaknesses: If social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are not your strengths, then hire a virtual assistant who can help with your tweets and posts, as well as scroll for information and other posts that might be of interest to you.

That’s it. Nothing complicated. No multiple-step productivity plan. Just leaning into strengths and outsourcing weaknesses. Isn’t is cool when the simplest of things can create the most amazing results?

Speaking of things that can produce amazing results, are you using video in your marketing? Love it or hate it, video is here to stay, and if you’re not using it, you’re leaving money on the table! Whether it’s your strength or soon-to-be-outsourced weakness, you MUST be in-the-know about how video can help skyrocket your business.

Join me for a F.R.E.E. game-changing webinar on Thursday, August 25th:

“Video Secrets Revealed – Multiply Your Marketing, Inspire Instant Action and Attract More Clients Online”

REGISTER NOW: http://www.expinarformula.com/

“I Can’t Stand Marketing!”

That was me just a couple of years ago. That’s what I would say time and time again. “I can’t stand marketing!”

I didn’t understand the word, I didn’t understand what I needed to do and I didn’t understand why everyone kept telling me that I was such a natural marketer. What??? A natural marketer? What was wrong with these people?

Turns out they were right. Turns out my perception of marketing was what was wrong.

We hear so much hype about marketing, it’s no wonder we’re all walking around confused and frustrated about it: social marketing, online marketing, direct marketing, blah, blah, blah. But, you see, these are simply ways to market – they are marketing vehicles. Marketing itself is a combination of two straight-forward strategies. Are you ready? Here they are: positioning and teaching.

POSITIONING (in terms of marketing) means that you must be clear about who you are, who you serve and what you stand for.

TEACHING (in terms of marketing) means that you must be able to explain to clients what you do and how you can help them. This must be a clear and consistent message!

Your website, blog, social sites, networking events, online video, etc. then provide the platform for your positioning and your teaching. It is through these vehicles that you then position yourself and teach your market about your product or service.In fact, once you get clear on your positioning and how to teach your clients (or potential clients) it’s simply a matter of choosing which marketing tools or vehicles will work best for you.

For example, one of my clients has positioned herself as an expert in elementary education, and she already knows how to teach educators about how her services and products can help them. Now all she needs are vehicles – tools – through which she can display her positioning and share her teachings. She has decided to use her website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, tradeshows, conferences and (to my sheer delight) video as her marketing tools. These tools combined with her expert positioning and clear, consistent teaching (content) about her expertise makes her marketing super effective.

TAKE ACTION:

Make a decision to be consistent about your positioning and teaching in every marketing vehicle that you use.

Whether you are designing your website, writing a blog post or filming a marketing video, remember to convey  who you are, who you serve, what you stand for, and to explain what your service/program is and how it can help your ideal client . That’s the essence – the foundation – of marketing, and the more you practice and refine your positioning and tweak your teaching about your service or product, the more fun things get. Yep, FUN! (Warning … you might actually start liking that word, marketing!)

Pamela Recommends …
Join me for my BRAND NEW F.R.E.E. Webinar!

“Video Secrets Revealed – Multiply Your Marketing, Inspire Instant Action and Attract More Clients Online”

Thursday, August 25, 2011
8 PM Eastern/ 5 PM Pacific

Here’s what you’re going to learn on this BRAND NEW, game-changing webinar:

• 3 video strategies EVERY coach, consultant, speaker or expert should be using online to attract clients and increase sales (Be sure to take good notes … these strategies are essential!)
• The biggest, common mistakes that entrepreneurs make with online video (You MUST know about these … If you avoid these mistakes you’ll be INSTANTLY ahead of the pack!)
• The one KEY thing that every video you make should reflect about you (This is a take-away that you can put into action immediately after the webinar!)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

The Dog Collar Mistake that Coaches, Consultants and Experts Make

Have you ever brought home a puppy? (My husband once went out to get fish food and came back with a bloodhound puppy … but already I digress.)

The thing about puppies (besides the fact that they are irresistibly cute) is that they grow – something you have to consider when buying things, such as, collars or doggie coats. Buy too big and your furry friend will be sliding right out. Buy too small and he’ll only wear it for a week.

So it’s important to go with “adjustable”. Then all you have to do is increase the width of the collar, notch by notch, until Mr. Irresistible graduates to the next size. Of course, you may have to buy a bigger collar as time goes by (bloodhounds grow really big – did I mention that?), but it does reduce the number of collars you’d have to buy if adjustable ones weren’t available.

Yeah, I know. It’s time to link this analogy to coaches, consultants and experts – and the common mistake that they make. It has to do with that adjustable concept, except the business term is a different – it’s “scalable”.

You see, many experts who serve others through talks, seminars, coaching sessions and conferences grow their businesses by doing more and more and more. To serve more people (and make more money) they simply add more speaking engagements and coaching sessions to their calendars. They don’t  “adjust the collar”. Meaning, they’re not creating a scalable business that allows them to serve more people and work less. And that’s a big mistake.

Believe me, I know. I made the same mistake – for years! I stuffed my calendar with speaking engagements and seminars until I dreaded – dreaded – going out on the road. I became mired in misery because I was not scaling my business. Then I finally woke up and smelled the coffee (and discovered the adjustable collar).

Fast forward to today. Now I use systems and tools that allow me to reach more people and work less on a daily basis. For example, I conduct online seminars, create audio and video programs and implement campaigns that market my programs and products 24/7. I start small with each of my products, programs or campaigns, then use “scalable helpers”, such as, virtual assistants, online membership platforms and video to expand my reach.

Plus I teach others how to do the same thing. (Love that!)

So just like that growing puppy and his too tight collar, if your business is hitting its ceiling because there’s no room for adjustment, then it’s definitely time to examine scaling. A few simple adjustments can create astonishing results. Before you know it you’ll be breathing a sigh of relief and enjoying more of the wonderful things that life has to offer. Such as, how-can-they-possibly-be-that-cute puppies.

To know more about automating your income through systems that allow you to work less and enjoy more life, grab a free copy of my DREAM LIFESTYLE BLUEPRINT. (I just love this stuff!)