I've been thinking that our followers oftentimes think we are somehow “lucky” in business or smarter than they are. So, this week, I asked my awesome friends to share a fail, disaster, or total miss from their businesses. And, to let us know if there was a lesson or some good that came from it.

I'm totally teasing with the title. These aren't “Massive Fails“. My point is to show that at the time they probably felt like it, but you can see that every single one was or is just a step on the path to more awesome things.

I hope you enjoy this post. If so, please comment and share!

Brian T. Edmondson
InternetIncomeCoach.com

When it comes to getting “lucky” in business (or anything else in life) I always think back to one of my favorite quotes from the Roman philosopher Seneca who said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Even those who win the lottery had to actually go out and buy a ticket and realize that they were taking a gamble and ran the risk of (certainly) losing money.

Lucky for those of us in business (no pun intended), the chances of success are much higher than hitting PowerBall, but we should realize that there is no guarantee of success and most likely we'll have to lose a lot before we find a winner. Whether running a new paid advertising campaign, launching a new product, etc. we'll have to test several different headlines, copy, audiences, etc. and fail quite a few times before we find a winner. For most people who fail in business it's not because they aren't lucky enough or smart enough, it's because they just didn't persevere long enough before they could succeed. It's the classic Acres of Diamonds story.

I could give endless examples of where I've failed and continue to fail, but the key is I embrace the concept of failing fast and failing forward. A big example of what many people would consider to be a big failure was when I declared personal bankruptcy at the age of 25 while pursuing my dreams of building an online business. A traumatic experience no doubt, but I came out of that experience a better person in so many ways.

Just recently I sank around $1,000 into a Facebook ad campaign to promote a product and didn't make one single sale. Losing $1,000 and having a big crush to my ego (I'm supposed to be a marketing “guru” right?) wasn't pleasant, but the lessons learned on what worked and didn't work were priceless.

Don't be fooled by anybody that tells you that starting an online business and making money online is easy and doesn't take hard work, dedication, and sometimes, yes… a little bit of luck.

Karon Thackston
MarketingWords.com

I have had numerous fails during my 20 years of owning MarketingWords.com. Every time I’ve made a mess of things, I’ve learned something – even if it was to never, EVER do _____ again.

One of the biggest mistakes I made (and one of the hardest to get over) was not outsourcing. In my mind, outsourcing was an expense that I could not afford early on. I thought I needed to do as much as possible myself to save money. Here’s how that worked for far too many years…

I’d need to set up a new funnel (or do some other techy thing, or install and configure some funky plugin, or whatever). I’d spend hours trying to learn how to do what I needed, digging around the ‘Net for free tips and whatnot. Then, I’d fail at my first 3 or 4 attempts. It finally dawned on me that I was losing money hand over fist by not outsourcing.

When I realized how much I could have been making in the 5-7 hours I struggled and did not even accomplish what I wanted, I was shocked. All the while, I could have paid a pro to setup the {whatever God-awful, techy thing you think of} and it would have taken them only minutes because they do this sort of thing all day, every day. I wasted time (when I could have been making hundreds of dollars) in order to save $50 or $75.

I head slapped myself and began looking for help the same day I had this realization. Not only did it free me up to make more, it also alleviated a LOT of stress.

Lou Bortone
“The Godfather of Video”
LouBortone.com

Share a fail? There are too many to keep track of! As entrepreneur, the only profession with a worse “failure rate” is baseball, where you only have to hit the ball 3 out of 10 times to be a superstar.

In fact, there are definitely times when I’m only batting 3 for 10 when it comes to promotions, selling products or selling coaching. Fortunately, those 3 “hits” are usually enough to run a successful business, and the “public” rarely knows, nor cares, about the 7 ideas that flopped.

I remember one embarrassing “dry spell” when I was participating in a “selling” program with a highly regarded “guru.” Our mission was to make 50 sales calls and close as many as possible, using their “foolproof” sales script. I made dozens of calls and was literally zero for 50. Nada. The big, fat goose egg. Epic failure. Not. One. Sale.

The lesson: Sales “scripts” are not for everyone, and some selling “systems” simply don’t work for introverts or less assertive personalities. I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. But once I dumped their “foolproof” script and put my own personality into client conversations, everything changed for the better. Skip the script. Follow your gut. You do you!

Angela Wills
Digital Business Coach
LaptopLifestyleBusiness.club

A total miss happened very early on for me. I was DESPERATE to leave my afternoon-shift factory job and I wanted to be gone in a flash. The ONLY thing on my mind was getting out of there. There is so much to a business than replacing one income for the next, which I was able to do by taking on Virtual Assistant clients.

I quit my job and moved into my business role but the total miss became evident about four months later when I was basically tied to my desk morning, noon and night. I had quit my job to be home for my son, to create a life I loved and to love what I did and I had none of it. The only thing I'd done was trade one boss for about 15 (or up to 25 at times) and I was so stressed out, overwhelmed, overworked and just could not even see or think straight. It was a serious problem!

I fixed it, of course, and it's now eleven years later and I make it my mission to NOT see others get caught and stuck in the same trap as I did. I now live with the kind of freedom that lets me do what I want, when I want and where I want.

That did not just happen. It had to be designed. It had to be thought about, planned about, worked on and tested until it became a reality. And I love that. I love that we CAN create exactly what we want, if we get really clear on what that is.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

I have tried a lot of things in my business that didn't work over the years. I'm willing to fail, even spectacularly, even publicly, if it means I'm stretching and growing and have the chance to love people and make money. That means I could tell you any number of stories

Like the time I decided to tackle the whole launch formula thing.

I was selling an array of products easily and profitably but a lot of smart heads said I should have a ‘signature product' that sells for a higher price. So I retired a lot of individual products, went into my virtual work shed to create a really big product with modules galore. Then I studied the process of having a big launch. I planned out videos and emails and crafted the best sales page I could imagine – which wasn't easy because the product was now sooo big I didn't know what to say about it. I reached out for affiliate support – which did not come in droves.

The launch week arrived, everything was ready. Freebies every day, new videos every day, awesome follow up planned. And pfffffzzzffffzz.

I made sales. About $10,000 in total. Hurray? Not really. For all the time and effort, it didn't increase my overall sales. My expectations were that all this extra hoopla and the big course price, together would create at least $25,000 at launch and keep making me big chunks of cash for a long time to come. That isn't what happened. Turns out, it's not simple to sell expensive products that include everything but the kitchen sink.

I dropped it. I don't sell it anymore. I GIVE it to my coaching clients to support them in whatever area they're needing extra information in.

In some ways I don't regret giving it a try because I had to know. In another, private, deep down in my heart way – I wish I hadn't done any of it. It sucks to fail.

I took my lessons from it though. I rock at creating, marketing and selling smaller products that meet very specific needs. I am in my genius zone with I deliver group coaching programs and challenges. I keep my focus on these things and continue to love people and make money.

Candice L. Davis
Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

Every time I'm asked about a business failure, the same story pops into my mind. It was the kind of painful moment that lays a groove in your brain so you never forget it. Four years ago, my business partners and I put weeks into building our first digital product, an online course to help people write, publish, and market their nonfiction books. We were proud of the course, and we invited some of the experts we knew personally to become affiliates for our big launch day.

They had the audience. They had the engagement. They sold nothing. In fact, they did little or nothing to promote the $1500 product.

The problem: We'd reached out to experts who'd never been involved in affiliate marketing, had no idea what it entailed, and didn't really have an interest in promoting affiliate products. They were lovely people who wanted to do us a favor, but a post or two on their Facebook business pages didn't move the needle for us. Our affiliates didn't know what they were doing–and neither did we.

The lesson: It's a lot easier to work with experienced affiliates for a big promotion, but if you're just introducing your affiliates to the concept, it's wiser not to rely heavily on them for your marketing efforts. (It seems like common sense now, but we were caught up in the excitement of building something new!) Make the effort to get the newbie affiliates' buy-in, and make sure they have all the information they need to do a great job as an affiliate. A few months later, we did just that, and we enjoyed our first multi-five-figure day with one webinar for a single affiliate.

Terry Dean
MyMarketingCoach.com

Well, this is a toughie, because I have so many failures and mistakes. Where should I start?

Here's a good one. I had a flash of brilliance. It was an incredible idea that was going to make a fortune.

Create a step-by-step marketing course designed specifically for local business owners. Perfect. They all need this. I disappear into my man cave and work on this for 6 months. It was a masterpiece. Over 300 pages packed with A-B-C instructions, checklists, worksheets, and more. The crowd cheers, “He is finally done and ready to launch this game changer.”

Launch. Silence. A few sales trickle in, but nothing like the stampede that was expected.

Six months down the drain. What was my mistake? No one identifies themselves as a local business owners.

Local business owner is too general. They're dentists, chiropractors, CPAs, physical therapists, gym owners, martial arts dojos, restaurateurs etc.

I was able to make the project profitable by editing the product and sales copy to dentists. Then going after that specific audience.

But this miserable failure has an even better silver lining to it. Around half of my one-on-one coaching clients sell B2B in these exact types of niche markets. A portion of their success has been built upon my failure.

The big takeaways here are to do your research before running with a big product idea. What are people currently buying? What do they want to buy? What solutions are they searching for?

Everyone wants a custom solution just for them…even if the answer is 95% the same as other related markets. Becoming more specialized is a way to set yourself apart.

And even painful failures can be a stepping stone to greater success.

Note from Nik: If you're an intermediate to advanced marketer and you sell your own products – be sure to check out Terry's My Marketing Mentor Program

Nicole Dean
Awesome Human, Author, Business Consultant, etc.
From here!

Well you already know my motto. “You don't have to be perfect to be profitable'. (You can even tell from this image circa 2012.)

God knows that I'm not. I manage to screw things up often enough to prove that.

My biggest failures and what I learned.

I would say my biggest failures over the years always come from (lack of) confidence and (lots of) fear.

I'm scared to do something and I don't take action and I miss my window of opportunity. (You have no idea how often this happens.)

I WISH I had more failures, but I have the opposite problem. I don't have enough. Because I do the things that I know are safe and easy. Which isn't always a bad thing in my position. But it sometimes is.

I mean, I do preach to my coaching clients and we brainstorm what would be “fun, easy, and profitable”.

And that's true. That's where I like to spend 90% of my time.

But… sometimes a good stretch is needed as well.

Along the same lines, I've oftentimes been scared to let go of something so I hold onto too many things and I dilute my energy.

I've failed to let go of tons of stuff, even though every year, I commit to doing it.

Every year, I make a list of websites that I need to sell or give away.

Every year, I think how much easier my life would be if I would just do it.

But I don't do it. This mistake has literally cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars – simply because I'm not 100% focusing enough on my ‘money' projects.

The funny thing is that, if I looked at my business and my life as if I were my own coaching client, I'd kick my butt!

I would never let one of my coaching clients hang on to this much baggage. It's not practical and it's certainly not the most profitable plan.

It's not even that I really spend TIME on most of the “extra” stuff. It's just a mental drain and sucks my soul. (Not to be toooo dramatic or anything. lol!)

I keep justifying that the extra websites and projects are just “sitting there making money” – which is true for a lot of them. But, how much risk and wasted mental energy do I really need in my life?

If I were to let them go and focus on my Focal Point – the profit that I would get from that would so squash the small amounts that some of those small sites bring in every month.

Over the years I have worked hard at simplifying, but it's still not enough. 

1. No more junk mail. (I've eliminated most of my junk mail.)

2. No more telemarketers (we turned off the ringer on the home phone years ago).

3. I'm dumping all unnecessary things – even if it only involves a few minutes per month.

4. Heck, I even had laser hair removal on my legs so I don't have to waste time shaving anymore. lol. (Too much information? Probably.)

It's time to file this away for good and to put my chronic overwhelm from mental clutter to rest.

Lesson learned. All things come with a price. Even good things. I don't need this much “stuff” in my life or in my head.

My Epic Fail. 

But if I were to say one EPIC fail that I had, it would actually be a co-epic fail with my friend, Kelly McCausey who shared above.

We host Beachpreneurs Conference / Workshop events.

And, because we are smart, we rely on experts. So, for our hotel event, because there's so much risk, we used an Event Coordinator.

That was a smart move.

But we still ended up with miscommunication between us and the hotel, which cost us money – and a LOT of stress.

Kelly read the contract. (And at this point she'd already hosted a few events, so she was pretty knowledgable.)

I read the contract. (I used to write Bank Manuals for a living so I know how to pick apart words!)

The Event Coordinator read the contract. (And this is what she does for a living.)

We all misunderstood one word.

It was a costly word.

The result from this mistake?

Since then, Kelly has become pretty freaking smart in negotiating with hotels for events. Both for us and for her own events. It was also a great test of our partnership AND our friendship (not really) AND we learned some things about communication AND in stress management (really). lol.

Thankfully we have a great hotel now for our Beachpreneurs events. And we love going back every year. (Join us!)

Talk to me.

1. Do you have a failure that you would like to share? And a lesson learned?

2. Did one of my friends' posts resonate with you?

3. Do you suffer from mental chaos? What are you doing about it?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you like this post – share it and check out my friends’ sites. That’ll make me happy! Appreciate you!

How to Get the Attention of your Target Audience
through Short Copy (when you have only a moment to do so). 

Because most social media posts are considered short copy and also because email marketing has never been more competitive to get the person to open your email, I wanted to ask her to share her smarts with you.

So, in the video (and transcript) below, she answers the following questions.

1. What do you mean exactly when you say “Short Copy?”
2. Why is it important to have short copy that works better?
3. What is one tip that people watching this can take immediately and walk away with.
4. Why does everyone watching this need your product?

You can check out her new course here:

Short Copy Success Secrets

If you prefer to read the interview, you can do that here:

Hi Nicole. It’s Karon Thackston. I got your email and I thought it would be way easier to answer the questions that you had about short copy. This way is whole lot more fun too, than just sending an email. I printed out all of your questions and want to take a few minutes to go over them. In your message you’re talking about the new Short Copy Success Secrets product that Christine Cobb and I developed.

What do you mean exactly when you say short copy?

Our definition of short copy is little tiny snippets of text that hold a lot of weight and power.

They don’t work by themselves. They are the first step in kicking off some important process.

Included in the short copy category would be

• headlines,
• blog post title,
• article titles,
• tweets or other types of social posts,
• bullet points within copy,
• email subject lines,
• PPC ads,
• Pinterest pins,
• and all sorts of different tiny little snippets of text.

These snippets aren’t very long but they are all important because of their place in the process. Short copy doesn’t work alone.

When you have a blog post, that title can literally make or break the success of the post. When people see the title that you’ve posted all around the net, they read it on your blog, or if you send out an email announcing that there is a new post on your blog the title is all they are going by. Nine times out of ten even if you include a snippet of text or a paragraph or two from the blog post that doesn’t get read. Your visitors or perspective visitors will read the title and that’s all they’re going to read.

The same goes for email subject lines. If you are sending out email campaigns your email subject line is make or break. That is what people will read and they’ll decide whether or not to open your email or trash it.

PPC ads are the same type of thing. You get this little tiny bit of text that can’t possibly sell on its own. Its goal is to drive traffic to a landing page that converts visitors into paying customers.

The same goes for everything else such as bullet points inside copy. Bullet points are extremely important because they are very scannable for one thing. Due to the difference in the formatting they immediately draw the eye to that one particular section. If you blow it in your bullet points people probably aren’t going to read too much further.

All of these different things are included in the short copy. Any tiny snippet of text that is responsible for driving visitors to a next step would be included in the short copy.

Why is it important to have short copy that works better?

In the many years that I’ve been writing business copy for all sorts of different clients through Marketing Words which is my copywriting services company, I have seen that you have to pay as much attention or more to the short copy that’s involved in any type of marketing campaign.

We talked about emails and the importance of the email subject line, and we talked about blog posts and PPC ads and how vital those are. If you are doing a social media campaign, especially if you are auto-posting you’re going to have to learn how to master the 140 characters or less post. If you post longer than something on Twitter and you’re also including Facebook or Linked in, writing your posts for those type of websites which are much longer is not going to come across well on Twitter. If you are doing multiple posts on multiple different social media sites you might as well just be writing at that 140 character mark, which is Twitter’s limit, so that it sounds right on all of them.

There are some tricks and techniques to getting a point across. You want to compel people to click on your post and engage them or build curiosity and make them wonder, “What in the world is that? Let me click on over there and see what that is.” There are lots of different ideas and strategies for being able to create social media posts that actually get some engagement. It’s wonderful if you are growing your following and you have 1000 or 10000 followers on Facebook or LinkedIn. However if you can’t get those people off the social media site and into whatever it is that you’re doing they don’t do you a whole lot of good.

Mastering how to write short copy for social media can really propel the rest of your marketing activities through the roof. You can then move people off Twitter and onto your list so you can communicate with them without limitations. You move them from LinkedIn over to your free offer or the start of some marketing funnel that can eventually lead them away from just being a connection on LinkedIn and being a paid client. All of these things are included in that.

What is one tip that people can take immediately and walk away with and use right now?

One thing that I like to do, especially with social media but it works well with any short copy is to leave out important information. This is sort of like real estate agents do. They are taught, when they are creating their home listings to leave out the price or location or how many bedrooms it has. They leave out a vital piece of information that someone would have to have in order to make a decision. The reason for that is because then people have to act. They have to email you, they have to contact you, they have to call you, or they have to do something to get the rest of the information. The same holds true when you’re writing short copy.

You can replace vital pieces of information with “this,” “these,” and “it.” When you do that, instead of saying something to the effect of, “Seven Marketing Strategies that Show you How to Make More Money” you can say, “These Seven Strategies Show you How to Make More Money.” These particular strategies mean that it’s specific to you and also it’s peaking curiosity because people don’t know what “these” seven strategies are. You haven’t named them yet.

You can do it with “it” as well. “It’s the one thing all Six Figure Money Makers have in Common.” What is it? That makes you want to click and find out what they are talking about. Leave out some vital information and don’t give it all away when you’re writing short copy. Instead substitute some of those words that I mentioned so that you can get people interested in what you are saying.

Why does everyone need this particular product?

It doesn’t really matter what industry you’re in. Everyone who has any play in marketing will write subject lines for email at one point or another. You’ll write headlines for your website copy. If you’re into online marketing chances are you have a website. Social media is a huge player right now. Everyone needs to know how to compel people to engage with those posts not just read them and shuffle off. We want them to share them and like them and comment on them and most importantly to click to whatever it is that you want them to click to.

All of this information that’s included in Short Copy Success Secrets goes into a lot of detail and walks you through step by step on how to use these strategies to improve all of short copy that you are writing. When you kick off your marketing process with a killer email subject line, an exceptional social post, or a blog post title that captures people’s attention and gets them to want to read the rest of it then everything flows through the rest of the process faster and smoother because you’ve captured attention right up front. You got noticed online, which is huge. Today there are email boxes that are flooded with email messages. There are thousands and thousands of them coming through every single day.

In social media you have newsfeeds on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest that are going by in real time. People don’t usually stop for an hour and say, “You know, I haven’t heard from Nicole Dean in awhile. Let me just click over to her Facebook page and see what’s been going on.” If you don’t get their attention right that minute they aren’t going to go backwards looking for you. You have to be right there and grab their eye right on the spot in order to get them interested in what you have to say.

I hope this helps Nicole. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m always here to help. Hope you have a great day.

I hope you enjoyed this. Even if you don't plan on buying Karon's course, do click over and watch her video and read up on her sales page. You'll gain a new perspective on your Short Copy for sure.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you love Karon as much as I do, be sure to check out these other posts from my archives.

• Online Success Cast #29: Karon Thackston
• 3 Secrets for Writing Your Next Sales Page in Half the Time
• How to Find and Choose a Business Coach
• http://www.nicoleonthenet.com/15722/do-you-partner/

I love learning from her as she's a rock star in the Copywriting and SEO world and her clients get results from her work.

So, I'll hand this post over to the awesomely amazing Karon Thackston.

3 Secrets for Writing Your Next Sales Page in Half the Time

By Karon Thackston

“I just sit staring at the blank screen like a deer in the headlights.”

“I get confused about everything that has to be included.”

“I end up with a stack of notes and have no idea how to use them.”

These are just a few of the responses I got after asking the question, “What’s so hard about writing a sales page?”

In other words… it takes a long time because there are lots of pieces to the puzzle.

There are, however, several ways to reduce your writing time by as much as half. Let me share 3 of my favorite secrets with you here.

1. Shrink Your Target Audience

Who does your target audience consist of? WAIT! Before you answer with something like “Everybody who…” or “Anybody that…,” we need to think about this.

Trying to communicate with anybody and everybody is not only a beginner’s approach to copywriting, but it can also actually weaken your overall marketing. Why? Because the broader your audience, the harder it will be to speak to prospects on their level.

Copywriting is actually just written communication. In order for you to connect effectively with others (we’ll use me as an example), you have to know something about them and they have to have an interest in what you’re providing.

Let’s say you want to write copy about your new ebook or your coaching program (or whatever it might be) that is enticing to me. Exactly what is it about your offer that will most appeal to me? If you and I have met for the first time via this blog post, you wouldn’t have a clue about what I want/need/like/dislike. That means you’d also only have a snowball’s chance at converting me into a customer until you did a little research about me.

Once you take some time to figure out who I am, what I do and how to reach me, your copywriting message starts to morph into a more compelling message. If you try to do this with “anybody” and “everybody,” you will fragment your sales page so badly that it won’t make sense to a single person.

The narrower you are about your audience, the better you can get to know them and the more persuasive your copy will be.

So… rather than starting to define your target customers as “Anybody who…” or “Everybody that…,” begin your description with “Only those people who…” Now you can concentrate on writing just to the most qualified people who visit your site and save yourself a ton o’ time!

2. Let Your Customers Tell You What to Write

I can’t put enough emphasis on just how vital it is to use your customers’ preferred language when you write. Yes, yes… you have to be authentic to yourself, but you should be creating web pages FOR your customers, not exclusively ABOUT you/your product/your service. Remember the old saying “It’s all about them”?

Instead of wasting a lot of time trying to figure out just what words/concepts strike a chord with your customers, go straight to the source.

Read your testimonials and take notes. Better yet… read your competitions’ testimonials! These are comments directly from your clients/customers. What do you see? Their exact words. If they say they like something (and you find it repeated several times), make a note: that’s something to include in your copy.

Visit forums associated with your industry. What praises and rants do you see in the threads? Jot them down… these are your prospects’ exact words, so pay close attention.

What you’ll end up with is a handy little list of phrases that you can use in your copy. When visitors read these statements, they will make an instant and powerful impact because (say it with me) they are your audience’s exact words.

Just imagine how fast the writing process will go with this by your side.

3. Make the “P” Word a Priority

Nobody likes this word: planning. But I’ll truthfully tell you that, without taking the proper steps up front, you are all but bound to struggle when you get to the writing phase. The magic truly happens before you ever pen a single word.

Sexy it ain’t, but the results certainly are! If you organize all your information, plan the purpose of your page, map out exactly what happens where, then – when you actually begin to write – you’ll be amazed at how painless and foolproof the process becomes.

By applying these 3 strategies to your next sales page, you’ll discover a time-saving approach that will reduce your stress and get you done significantly faster.

Want more help with that vital planning stage?

Now you can pick up the exact same guides and worksheets Karon uses when she writes copy for her clients. Get all the details about her new Copywriting Cheat Sheets (and save 34%!) when you download your copy today.

Check it out here!

Of course, I can't be too serious in this post.

My husband saw the title and his guesses for the content were:

1. Write less words.
2. Write faster.
3. Outsource it.

Go figure. Even if you do it HIS way, the planning guides are a huge help.

Big hugs.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. I had Karon on my podcast awhile back. You can listen to or read her interview here: Karon Thackston Success Story.

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

I just found a new coach that I'm working with and am super happy about that. (You can find out who it is at the end of this post.)

That led to this week's question.

Do you currently have a business coach or mentor?
If so, are you brave enough to share who it is and why you chose that person? 

This week the experts will name names, point fingers, and give shouts of kudos where appropriate.

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Plan Your Online Business says:

My business coach is Armand Morin. I'm a part of Armand's Platinum group, which meets monthly on the phone, daily via email, and 3 times per year at Armand's home. I've enjoyed Armand's business advice since 2005, so it must be working!

I chose Armand because I liked the way he does business. I always learn something new from him. He truly loves what he does and is always learning and sharing the latest and greatest information. He also has the ability to diagnose problems quickly and offer a solution. Armand attracts people just like him – no pretense, no hype, 100% above-board business owners – many of whom are not “internet marketers.” Armand himself operates several businesses outside the IM space, so he has broad experience that pays off for us.

Most importantly he genuinely cares about my success. He is a patient teacher and even better mentor. I highly recommend him as a business coach!

Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets says:

I work with several coaches for various reasons. My business and internet marketing coach is Bob The Teacher who helps keep me focused on my money-making activities while helping me make decisions about my business direction. In my business I interact with A LOT of coaches and I chose Bob because he's everything I'm not in many ways: he “gets” technology like no one I've ever met, he's uber-organized, and is amazing at connecting with people (ok, well I do that, too, but Bob is fabulous at it!). Not a week goes by where I don't learn some new tip or trick that is useful! I met Bob when he was a speaker at an event in 2008 and we've been friends and business associates ever since.

I also have a wealth coach, Kamin Samuel, who has helped me stay focused and grounded in my business. Working with her has helped me open up areas of wealth and income I would never have experienced without her coaching and guidance. We started out in a program together in 2006 and all these years later still work together regularly.

Finally, I have an ADD coach, Tina File, who, having ADD herself is adept at helping me prioritize and gives me useful strategies for getting everything I need to get done without feeling too overwhelmed. Tina was a client who wanted to learn more about speaking for her business and when I heard about how she helps so many entrepreneurs with quieting the noise inside their heads long enough to be productive, I knew she could help me.

The point is, there are different coaches for different skill sets. One of these days I'm going to hire YOU, Nicole, to help me get my passive income and affiliate programs running as they should because YOU are the hands-down clear expert on that. I find the best and work with them. It's always served me well!

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

Why, yes! I do have a business coach, Nicole. And it's YOU!

I have some very specific goals I'm working to accomplish and you have proven systems in place where these goals are concerned. I knew you'd be able to get me through to where I wanted to be and give me the know-how and resources to be able to continue down the path long-term.

Plus, you're just a fun person! I knew I'd enjoy my time with you and have a few laughs along the way. Nothing better than making money and having fun doing it!

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

The idea of coaching has never appealed to me; instead, I have chosen to work with several mentors since coming online in 2006. I think of a coach as someone who cheers you on to do your best and challenges you to do more, while a mentor guides you toward success by sharing what's working for them and then showing you exactly how you can do something very similar for your own business. During my first two years online I worked with two different mentors, and each of them helped me to move forward. One mentor I still work with to this day is Armand Morin, someone who continues to help my business grow by leaps and bounds. I'm in his Platinum program, which is limited to twenty-five entrepreneurs from around the world. I've been with this group since 2008.

Several years ago I was asked to join a Mastermind of my peers and I enthusiastically agreed. We meet in person several times a year and via Skype or webinar at other times. Unlike the mentor relationship, Masterminds are by invitation only and include the opportunity to joint venture and recommend each others best products, programs, and courses. This group has helped me to grow on both a personal and a professional level and to achieve goals I never thought possible.

I would encourage you to seek out like-minded people to put together your own Mastermind, and to choose one person you admire and respect to be your mentor. Having multiple mentors does not seem to work for anyone, and my own mentees experience the best results when they work exclusively with me for one or two years. Knowing that someone cares about your success as much as they do their own can help you to move up by leaps and bounds and will help ensure that you reach and surpass your wildest dreams and goals. Going it alone does not work, so get involved with the right people and be willing to do the work to achieve great results in record time.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I have had some short term coaching in the last year, but I don't have a full time coach right now. I do have smart friends who I welcome input from on a regular basis though.

What I'd really like is to be part of a Mastermind. I want to spend more time with people making more money than me. I want to soak up their attitude and submit my brain for regular stretching sessions. I respond well to firm accountability (I can't bear reporting a missed deadline!) and enjoy the mix of a mastermind environment.

If I can't find a mastermind that fits me soon, I'm going to circle back to the coaching question. I know I can't get from where I am to where I want to go without some steady outside influence.

Tiffany Dow of  Work Life Balance says:

I have an online business coach who started out as just someone who saw potential in me and reached out to help me go from ghostwriter to marketer.

His name is Craig Desorcy . He currently works with both individual entrepreneurs as well as coaches or niche leaders – but the thing I love most about him is how he teaches people to “come to the table, ready to serve.”

As most of us know, greed gets you only so far. You build a solid reputation and a loyal fanbase that converts well through your efforts in helping others, and he excels at helping you tap into that.

What started out as a simple friendship discussing Internet Marketing has evolved into official coaching calls with my mentor. During these sessions, it almost always turns out to be something personal holding me back from professional success, and he takes me to that place that reveals what it is and shows me a simple way to address it.

One thing I find myself doing during times of extreme stress is becoming paralyzed or scrambling to get things done. Craig is the voice of calm and reasoning that shows me that if I breathe through it and think things through with a calm, clear mind, it all works out effortlessly.

I also love that he doesn’t have a cookie cutter approach to his coaching. He might ask some of the same questions to get insight, but he recognizes each individual as a separate entity and doesn’t try shoving his personal ideal business strategy on anyone – he tailors what you need to you because we’re all unique in our set of skills and talents, available time, and obstacles that we’re overcoming. 

Shannon Cherry of Learn How I Get *Paid* to Attend Events says:

Currently I don't have a business coach, but want one. It's difficult for me to find the right person, as I am an out of the box, fast thinker which can annoy some, and can challenge someone who is coaching me. (Rebellious anyone?) So finding a person who gets my values and can go with me toe-to-toe has been a very long, very hard process.

That said, I am quite lucky as I have several very smart friends who help me on occasion, whether I need help or just an ear to listen to me whine.

And if anyone is up for the job, here's my help wanted ad.

Help Wanted: Smart Coach or Mentor to Help Successful Marketer to Expand Her Reach and Increase Her Profits

Established entrepreneur with a rapidly growing client base is currently seeking a dynamic, driven, and experienced individual to be their coach or mentor. This position will have the primary responsibility for providing ongoing support and ideas to the entrepreneur to grow the business.

Specific responsibilities for this position will include: help with the development of new business opportunities through analysis and interaction with the entrepreneur, coordinate and conduct regular mentoring activities which may include live meetings, phone calls and email support. The position will also assist with providing guidance to promote revenue growth. This position is highly visible and requires working in an effective and professional manner.

The ideal candidate will have a combination of real world and coaching/mentoring experience. In addition, he or she needs to:

• Provide a reasonable contract with an ‘out’ clause for both parties. (I refuse to be sucked into a contract for a ‘lifetime’ or even a year, unless specific guarantees are in place.)
• Listen to entrepreneur when the advice given isn’t working, without blame.
• Be unique and not use a cookie-cutter approach when it comes to coaching/mentoring. (I see through that quickly.)
• Understand how to work with a strong personality who sees through BS pretty quickly.
• Uses and comprehends fundamental marketing principles… not too much of the Law of Attraction and woo-woo techniques unless you like my eyes to roll.
• Recommend only additional products/program that you see as a benefit to the entrepreneur (as opposed to something you get a kick-back on or have a back-end agreement to do.)

Divas, kings, queens, gods, goddesses, emperors, mavens, and other self-important titles that have nothing to do with your abilities need NOT apply, unless you have been officially coronated or ordained in some way. (Please provide appropriate documentation, if needed.)

Compensation is commensurate with experience and proven TYPICAL results. (Not your best results… results, on average, for all your clients.)

Melissa Ingold of Time Freedom Business says:

My personal and business coach for this year is Jennifer Longmore, and I’ll share more about why I chose her in a moment, but first…

I say “this year” because as I grow both personally and professionally, my needs change.

Choosing the right coach shouldn’t be taken lightly. I don’t go out looking for a coach to be my personal cheerleader, I have friends like Nicole for that and mastermind groups. I choose a coach who is going to help me get to where I want to be next.

And I think that’s where a lot of people go wrong with coaching. They hire a coach who isn’t in a place to get them to the next level, or they think a coach is going to be all “rah, rah” and so they don’t hire one.

If you’re not hiring a coach for the right reasons, you’ll end up disappointed.

If you’re not hiring a coach because you don’t think it’s for you, you’re missing out.

The right coach brings more to the table than just helping you one-to-one in your business, they can bring:

• Connections – They can personally connect you with the movers and shakers in your industry, and get you in front of people you’d never get in front of on your own. Whether it’s to get you an interview, some kind of promo, a speaking engagement, or for a JV.
• Resources – They’ll share their personal recommendations for people and tools that they wouldn’t share with their list or blog readers publicly. You know, the kind of stuff they normally hold close to their chest, but as their high-level coaching client, they’re more than willing to share them with you.
• Money – They’ll become invested in your business, and they’ll really get to see what you’re doing and the value you’re bringing to the market. And so, more often than not, they’ll promote your products and programs to their huge lists, exposing you to a whole new group of people that can result in a lot of money for you.
• Smarts – They’ll, more often than not, have their own business coach, and so there’s a trickledown effect that happens because of that. They learn from their super-duper successful coach, they try and test new things, and then that knowledge ends up trickling back down to you. They’ll tell you about all the things they’re doing in their business, what’s getting results, what’s going on behind the scenes, and more. You’ll get an inside look at how they’re running their own business, and why they’re doing what they do. Plus, they always have so many crazy good ideas for you, so you’re going to make a lot of money.

You see, you don’t get all those things in a mastermind group. When people are in a group setting, they’re not as open and trusting as they would be with a private coach. And the mentor running the group, isn’t likely going to lay all their cards down on the table because some stuff will only be shared with their private high-level coaching clients.

Think about it. If you were running a group of 25 people, would you send an email to your list promoting every single one of them? Would you send them all to your best writer or VA? Would you connect them all to the go-to people you worked really, really hard to build a relationship with? Would you really share all of your hard-earned top secret tricks and strategies?

Maybe with one or two of them, but I guarantee you won’t open yourself up to all of them. It’s just human nature.

Now I’m not saying there isn’t value in mastermind groups, there totally is. But a group like that by itself, won’t get you to the next level as quickly as a well-chosen coach can.

At the end of 2010, I hired Carrie Wilkerson as my coach for 2011. She was more successful than me, she had a ton of connections, and I really wanted to see what she was doing and why.

I invested $20,000 in her yearlong program, and what do you know, I added another $100k to my income that year. It ended up being my best year up to that point, for all the reasons I mentioned above.

I don’t pick coaches to cheer me on. I pick coaches who have what it takes to make me money and grow my business.

In 2012 I didn’t work with a coach, because I took almost the whole year off.

Then in April of last year, I purchased some info products from Jennifer Longmore, which then led to private one-to-one sessions with her for the remainder of the year. At the end of 2013, I made the leap into her yearlong coaching program, so I’ll be working with her all of this year.

I chose to work with Jennifer this year because I’ve been working on a lot of inner personal / business stuff that was stalling me out. I say “was”, because since working with her, my business has taken a quantum leap in growth and income. But I still have a lot more internal work to do.

But what I’ve found, is that as you get ready to up-level your business, fear and other niggly’s will come up, and if you don’t work through those and clear them, you’ll stay stuck below the glass ceiling instead of busting through.

I really can’t explain how Jennifer does what she does. I just know that she’s freaking brilliant, and she’s changed my life in so many incredible ways.

I don’t know what the next year will bring. Maybe I’ll want to keep working with her, or I may be on the lookout for someone else. Again, I choose a coach based on what my goals are and where I want to be in the next year.

So my last piece of advice? Figure out what your needs are, and where you want to be personally and professionally, and then find someone who can bring a crap load of benefits to the table for you.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

As I mentioned, I just started with a new coach and I'm happy! happy! happy!

Note that I said “new coach” as I feel that the coaching/client relationship is a fluid and evolving thing. In my opinion, to stick with the same business coach or mentor forever will limit you.

The problem that I'd been having was finding a coach for ME.  Once you get to a certain level of income/success in your business, it can be very difficult to find a coach who you trust and who is someone that you can be honest and direct with – as well as who has knowledge in areas where you want to get stronger.

Could I have found a coach to help me become a better speaker? In a heartbeat. I've definitely got room for improvement at that.

Could I have found a coach to help me write and publish my book? Absolutely. In fact I have one.

But, someone to teach me to be a better marketer? Well, I'm kinda awesome at that – so it's a little more difficult.

One normal alternative, and what I'd been doing was to create private masterminds with peers which worked well.

But, I really wanted something different. And, I've tried to coach friends and be coached by friends — it just doesn't work as well as I'd like. I wanted to work with someone who I admired – but who wasn't a girlfriend (and someone who I was paying so they had to be honest instead of just being nice).

So, I'd been on the hunt for a coach for me. And, I knew several other friends who were looking as well.

My criteria at this point in time for a coach included:

1. My coach must have built at least two successful profitable businesses, and also have a great relationship with his/her list.

2. My coach could not be working 80 hours a week. I've built my business so that I can work when I want to but I have plenty of recurring income streams and systems in place so I make money ongoing. Having a coach who was flying all over the country and working 8-18 hours a day wasn't going to be a good fit.

3. Similarly, I wanted someone who doesn't work off a jam packed calendar. I like to have my schedule mostly free except for a few coaching calls and any interviews that I'm doing. Otherwise, I feel trapped by my business.

4. Someone uber-productive.

5. A businessperson with low overhead. I didn't want someone who had a staff of 15 employees and an office building. I wanted someone running a tight, lean, profitable business.

6. A person who rocks at positioning. I felt stuck in a decision about rebranding and how to move forward with it.  So, I wanted someone who was very clear in his/her positioning and in putting themselves out clearly in the marketplace.

7. A great public speaker/presenter. I am getting more and more speaking opportunities and I know that I can improve in this area.

8. A person who I trusted to not blab to others and who I felt comfortable being honest and open with. (Someone safe and kind.)

9. Someone who was familiar with and who would understand my business model, with EasyPLR.com, CoachGlue.com, Beachpreneurs.com as well as my other areas of business.

10. He or she must offer email coaching. Again, I'm not a fan of scheduling calls and I prefer flexibility. Plus, I wanted private coaching, not group. Sometimes more opinions are not necessarily better.

11. Funny helps. I wouldn't mind having some laughs, too.

12. My coach must also have MASSIVE amounts of integrity in business and in personal life. This is not optional.

13. He or she must also be making the world a better place with the platform that they have built. (Using the opportunity of having an audience to get the word out about ways to impact the world.)

Not too hard, right? Well, when I was stuck in Icelanta during the storm, Kelly and I brainstormed and one person JUMPED out at me as the right person. And, I was so sure that I was making the right decision that I jumped on the lifetime coaching option. It was the best and easiest money that I've spent in a long time. (Watch for new greatness to happen soon.)

Click here to find out who I picked!

I do hope you found this post to be interesting and informative.  

Please share your tips for finding an working with a coach below. Also, feel free to give a shout out if you have a coach that you are working with that you love.

Big hugs to you!
Nicole Dean

This week I asked our panel of experts…

Do you partner in your business – like long-term JVs?

If so, any horror stories or tips for success?

Let me have it.

I think you'll enjoy the responses.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

I had partners during the years I worked in real estate, but now I prefer to only get involved in joint ventures. I define a JV as a business relationship based on a specific project, with a definite start and end date.

These have worked out extremely well for me and I continue to look for new joint venture partners as my business grows.

Want to see One of Connie's Recent JVs?

click here to check it out

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

Christine Cobb and I have a site we co-own. We started it back in 2010 and have really enjoyed working with one another. It's great to have someone to brainstorm with (not just about our joint site) and to do the things I don't like/want to do.

One of the things that plays a big role in Christine and I getting along so well is that we bring different strengths to the business relationship. What she's good at, I stink at and vice versa We each have something valuable to contribute. We also both have thick skin.

If she doesn't care for something I've written or doesn't think it will work, she tells me. (Politely.) If I'm not big on the way she has something set up to operate, I let her know. (Gently.) There's a great deal of mutual respect involved.

I have been involved in other short-term JV relationships where the other party didn't do hardly anything she was supposed to. It's no fun to be stuck holding the bag and having to do everything yourself. Later, that person expected to be paid for doing nothing.

I think the moral of the story is to know (or get to know) the person you're about to partner with. Make sure you are compatible with your personalities, talents, skills and work ethics or it could turn out to be a situation you wish you would have avoided.

Want to see Karon's JV with Christine Cobb?

 Just Click here

Barb Ling of Social Curation Ignition says:

Nope!

Barb is brilliant in so many ways.

You can peek inside her brain in her Social Curation Ignition course (click for details).

Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing says:

Absolutely, without my partners I have no idea where I'd be.

I've been enormously blessed with great partners. There are many aspects to a partnership dynamic but for me, the biggest thing is honesty. Not just being truthful, but being forthright – even when it is painful.

Years ago, while we were all together in a project, Kelly McCausey and Alice Seba sat me down to discuss my performance on a presentation I'd just given. It was awful. Both the presentation and the meeting after.

In the end, it only made me respect and value them so much more; Knowing they'd give me the truth whether it is what I want to hear or not. In return, I'm prepared to give the partnership 100% when working on my portion of things.

Want to See One of Lynette's Partnerships?

Check out WordPress Plugins you Can Sell

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

I don't do very many long-term partnerships, because I was burned early on in a few.

One of my ongoing ones has been with Glenn Livingston. It has been awesome. There are two big tips I could give here.

1. Only partner with someone you'd trust with the keys to your house.

The best quality of a good partner is someone you can trust. I'll often do short-term partnerships first and those eventually morph into longer run deals as the trust is built up over time. Even the best contracts won't make a dishonest person someone you want to deal with.

2. Partner with someone who adds value to your life.

One of the projects Glenn Livingston and I did came together because I mentioned that if someone combined Glenn's research skills with my copywriting skills, they'd be downright dangerous. We created the Total Conversion Code together.

It was very profitable for both of us, but what was even more valuable was the skills we both picked up in the process. Both of us have become conversion experts from filling in our weak links.

Click here to Check out Terry’s Mentoring Club

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I've no horror stories and after all these years and the different projects I've partnered on, that's a blessing. I've never been horribly let down, stiffed financially or left holding the bag. I have good relationships with every person I've ever partnered with… in fact, I'd partner with any one of them again if the right project presented itself.

I like that my main business is just me. I'm independent and enjoy working on my own most of the time, but, I love to have side-gig partnerships going on around me too.

A few reasons why:

* I feel more driven to meet deadlines when a partner is waiting on me.
* I'm always learning something new from one of my partners.
* My partners introduce me to cool new people I might not have met on my own.
* Partners can cover for each other when life gets crazy.

And hey, sometimes it's just plain more fun to work with other people.

My partnering success tip would be to be open to your partners' ideas.

If you take on a partner, but then want to keep doing everything the way you've always done it – you're missing out and probably will end up frustrating the other person. Partnerships are amazing opportunities to try new things so shake off the same old attitudes and go for it.

Want to See One of Kelly's Partnerships?

Check out SoloMasterminds

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I have had a lot of partnerships over the years. Just counting quickly I can think of 10 different people who I’ve partnered with over the years.

• Some of my partnerships have been AWESOME.
• Most have been positive.
• A few have not. (I have several grey hairs from one partnership that went south.)

A few years ago, I was much more open to partnerships.

While I am still open to a win-win (or I’d be silly not to be), I’m definitely more hesitant to get into a partnership now than I have been in the past. If I have an idea for a project, I’d usually just create it myself, use my own team, and/or get an intern to help. That way it’s part of my core business.

The number one thing I look for in the people who I want to work closely with?

Well, there are several, but the one thing that is absolutely a must-have is someone who has proven to show respect. (Sing it Aretha! R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to ME!)

I always tell my kids that the one thing in life you have to learn is respect.

• Respect for yourself, including your health and wellbeing and your future.
• Respect for others, including their feelings.
• Respect for property, both our own and others.
• Respect for the environment.

Just respect.

Anyone I’d partner with would have to show respect for themselves, respect in their business, respect to customers by providing quality (no shortcuts), respect to others in their field, and respect to me. It’s kind of a broad answer, but it’s just an overall feeling you get when you meet someone. If they are backstabbing people or putting out shoddy products, I don’t really want to be associated with them. If they aren’t showing me respect, before we even partner, then I just can’t partner with them.

A business partnership (or even hiring someone) is very much like a marriage in many ways. If the trust gets lost… it’s very very hard to ever get it back. If there’s an uneven feeling in the relationship or one person feels the other isn’t treating her or their business with respect, then it’s never going to feel “right”.

Examples?

As for right now, I'm only in a few long-term partnerships.

My most active JV's at the moment are –

• CoachGlue.com – a project that I created with my good friend, Melissa Ingold, and I'm really excited about it.
• MomWebs.com – a web hosting company that I co-CEO with Kelly McCausey that specializes in helping moms get their blogs online to share their message with the masses.

What about You?

Talk to me. Any tips for my readers? I would love to hear what you think about partnering.

Warmly and with big hugs.
Nicole Dean

PS. Remember, the best way to ensure I get awesome peeps to contribute to Expert Briefs is if you go check out their stuff.

Here's a recap of the JV Examples in this post.

What a wide variety of ways we are all partnering. From software to web hosting to templates. Cool stuff.

• Connie's JV
• Karon's JV
• Lynette's JV
• Kelly's JV
• Nicole's JV #1
• Nicole's JV #2

As you may know, I just returned from my annual off-the-grid time this summer.

So, I'll ask all of the Experts this question.

“If you could only work an hour every day and needed to continue to make the most money possible, what would your schedule look like?”

I think you will like their answers.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

If I only had an hour available to work each day, it would be spent on writing a blog post and an email message to my list. I actually do this for several weeks each summer while I am visiting family in Finland. They want me to spend every minute with them, so I get up an hour early and work on a new blog post and send out an email.

This strategy works extremely well for me, at least for three or four weeks at a time. It motivates me to be as productive as possible during my hour each day, and it also forces me to step away from my business to rethink everything I am doing. When I return to a full time schedule, which is three to four hours each day, I am refreshed and have more ideas than ever.

Connie knows Affiliate Marketing!

click here to learn her secrets
(use coupon SECRET) for 100% discount on this product that normally sells for $27

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

With only one hour per day to make money, I would rotate between consulting clients and hosting webinars for two reasons.

First, it makes me a lot of money fast.

Second, I *really* love doing both!

I get a big kick out of consulting with companies and watching the results after they've implemented a plan of action we've created together. Whether it's working out the details of landing page campaigns, strategizing copywriting for a website or email blast, or coming up with new online marketing ideas that can help companies get the word out… it's all a blast!

Teaching is a big passion so, naturally, webinars fall right in line with that. I love making complicated things simple and showing people how to breakthrough on processes. And, when working with the right JV partner, webinars can produce a bunch ‘o bucks fast with great residual income, too.

When you think Copywriting, you think of Karon.
Check out her Step-by-Step Copywriting Course if you want to ramp up your skills.

Kevin Riley of Maximize Your E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013  says:

I like to go for long holidays – often in Europe. This autumn, Rieko and I will be spending 3 weeks in a chalet in my hometown in Switzerland, 2 nights in Geneva, and 4 nights in Helsinki.

Now, when at the chalet (or even in a hotel) I'll often work for an hour. What I do is, I get up early in the morning, make myself a good cup of coffee, and then sit at the table in the chalet (which has a wonderful view up the valley and you can see the sun hitting the peaks and then slowly coming down the mountain to the valley – priceless beauty that I enjoy while working). For about an hour (I never set a rigid schedule on holidays) I have a quiet time to do some work – usually writing content for a new product or website.

How would I roll this over into everyday life, if I could only work 1 hour all the time? I'd make sure that the 1 hour was 100% uninterrupted – no Facebook, etc. I'd spend the first 10 minutes taking care of any customer service needs (I get only a few e-mails requiring an answer or a solution, as I sell info products and they need minimal tech support). Then, I'd do only productive, move-my-business-forward work (see next paragraph).

To ensure my remaining 50 minutes are pure productivity, I'd sit down for a few minutes the night before (I do this anyways) and make a ToDo list of 5 important tasks to do the next day. Having a ToDo list that you created the night before makes sure you don't waste a minute of time thinking “Now, what is it I need to get done?” or wasting your time on non-essential work. Every task on this list must be something that moves your business forward – product creation, marketing, etc.

You can learn about email marketing from
Kevin here ->  Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013

Terry Dean of Monthly Mentor Club says:

While I normally take off several days a week right now, I’m going to assume I’m allowed 7 one hour days for the challenge.

First of all, I get to cheat a little.

The absolute essential for bringing in the most money possible is email. It has the highest return-on-investment.

Since I’ve written emails for over a decade, I’d spend the first 7 hours going through all my old emails and collecting them together in a long set-and-forget autoresponder sequence.

That’s priority #1. If you have a list and you’ve been sending any type of regular emails, you can also take advantage of this. Have you been going back through your mailings and reloading your successful emails as autoresponders?

Once the autoresponder sequence is together, I can invest the rest of my time in driving traffic to my list. With limited time, I’d stick to paid advertising.

This would vary by the market you’re in, but for me right now this likely means Facebook ads and Pay-Per-View ads. Six hours a week would go to setting up, optimizing, and tracking the ads.

Here’s the most basic formula for Internet Lifestyle Freedom:

Step 1: Target buying traffic.
Step 2: Get them on a list.
Step 3: Send offers.

The autoresponder takes care of the offers. Step 1 and 2 would be tapping into paid advertising and getting them on a list. The ads would be going directly to my squeeze page where visitors enter their email address to join the list.

Everything else such as customer support and anything technical would be outsourced. Even new products would have to be 100% outsourced. The final hour would be on checking on all the outsourced tasks.

Very simple system for a limited time frame.

You may not have the advantage of all those emails to load on autoresponder.

In that situation, I’d invest almost half my time or 3 hours a week in creating emails.

The next 3 hours would be spent optimizing and tracking just ONE paid traffic source. No way there’s enough time to work with more than one on that limited schedule.

The final hour still goes to checking on the outsourced activities.

This question forces you to focus on the 80/20 of your business. What’s absolutely essential? And where is your greatest return on investment?

Click here to Check out Terry’s Mentoring Club

Barb Ling of Social Curation Ignition says:

Grow my email marketing for both my affiliates and my own products as well. Plan out a month-long membership/continuity product and work my earlobes off getting that off the ground; recurring payments are key.

So…I'd give myself 10 minutes to socially network, 20 minutes to schedule email marketing and 30 for new product every day.

Barb thinks differently than anyone I've ever met.

You can peek inside her brain in her Social Curation Ignition course (click for details).

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Well, you know that I have an answer here, since this is what I have been up to lately. 

Like my friends, I focused on money-making activities – and I outsourced anything humanly possible to hire out.

That left me to do just a few things.

1. Check in with my Project Manager regularly.

2. Write my mailings.

3. Release some offers that I had ready.

4. Announce a few blog posts that were scheduled after they posted.

BUT — The important thing to note is that every day, in every way possible, I focus on building my recurring and passive income streams. So, my funnels are all built around long-term growth, not just spikes. That means that my income does not dip very much at all if I choose not to work for a few weeks. The base income stays pretty steady – so I don't have to sweat it as much as some might.

So what about you?

If you only had an  hour a day to work, what would you focus your time on?

Talk so me.

Best of luck.
Nicole

PS. Be sure to check out my friends so I can keep them contributing.

• Connie Green
• Karon Thackston
• Kevin Riley
• Terry Dean
• Barb Ling

This week I asked our panel of experts…

We all reach plateaus.

What do you do to burst through yours?

I hope you find this information helpful and inspiring, especially if you're stuck in a rut right now in your business.

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

When I hit a plateau in my business, I reorganize.

For instance, I hit one not too long ago and needed a way to break through to the next level. So I began looking around my business to see how to accomplish this quickly.

One of my previous products (“Writing With Keywords“) was due for an update. I'd just done an interview with Google's Matt Cutts about how much keyword optimization has changed since Panda and Penguin so I organized that interview with a bunch of examples and other new material and took “Writing With Keywords” from an ebook to a mini-video series. Within a matter of about 2 weeks I had a totally revamped product to sell which has brought thousands of dollars (and growing) into my biz f-a-s-t!

Another thing I do to overcome financial plateaus is re-evaluate my affiliate offerings. I keep a running list of affiliate products I sell. Sometimes, for whatever reason, a handful of them can fall to the sidelines. Reviewing the list is a good reminder to promote the ones that I might have gotten slack about.

If we're talking about emotional plateaus, what works best to get me over the hump is time off. Even if I'm not in a position to take an entire week off completely, sleeping late in the mornings or taking a long weekend can give me the break I need to rejuvenate and come back fresh.

Want to Learn Copywriting from Karon?

Check out more from her here:
Step-by-Step Copywriting Course

Dennis Becker of Earn1KaDay says:

When I've hit plateaus in the past, I've found it was due mental conditioning.

For example, inside my 5 Bucks a Day book, I talked about setting a daily income goal in the beginning when I was tweaking my 5 Bucks a Day strategy.

I've always posted my daily goals on a post it note which is stuck to my printer, which is beside my monitor, always in range of my peripheral vision.

When I reached my first daily income goal, I raised the number quite significantly in fact, and started working towards my next goal.

When I reached that number, I forgot to change the post it note, and I was stuck for weeks, until I realized that my subconscious was satisfied because it had reached the goal that I had set.

Once I changed the post it note again to a higher number, things started to improve again.

The mind works in mysterious ways, but who am I to argue?

I always like to talk about the fact that I settled on the name of Earn 1K a Day for my site, because it's all about the glass ceiling concept, and I was inspired by what had happened to me, but also because of the Roger Bannister story.

Roger was the man who first ran a mile in less than 4 minutes, and back in his time scientists swore that it was physically impossible for a human to run that fast. Roger didn't listen, did it one day, and not long after that, other runners achieved the same result of a sub-4 minute mile.

Plateaus are meant to be stepping stones, ceilings are meant to be broken through, and goals are checkpoints so that our mind keeps us on track.

Want Dennis to Help YOU to Set a Daily Goal?

Join his community here-> Earn1KaDay

Tiffany Dow of The Guide to Shiny Object Syndrome says:

When it comes to business plateaus, I love it when I hit these because it means I’m about to break through to a new level of either financial success or personal satisfaction.

I usually realize I’m in one of these when I start feeling boredom. When I recognize it, I start looking at my business and I’ll see that everything’s at a plateau – comments, income, satisfaction, etc.

I like to sit down and map out my business on paper with a pen – just crude drawings. It might have PLR Store, minisite eBooks, Kindle, Squidoo, Affiliate sites, etc. on it.

I quickly look to see which ones are thriving and which might be dipping in traffic or sales or just leveled out. I also gauge my interest in each one at that moment (because I’m fickle and sometimes I show more love to some parts of my business than others).

Once I zero in on whatever it is I want to work on to break through it, I look at coming up with a new way to recharge the income or enthusiasm or attention on that business model.

For example, I recently realized I had stagnated with my PLR store – so I categorized all my packs according to topics so I could see how much I had in stock for each one. Then I decided to start a series of 72-hour sales where I create 10 new pages and sell them for $7 (customer gets discount) and then add on some existing packs that I had categorized as freebies (customer gets something for nothing).

The sales are going amazing, I’ve broken through a stagnant phase and everyone’s happy! I also wanted to do more with Kindle, but I wanted to incorporate something with my daughter, so we’re building a series of kids’ books and I’m very excited about it.

Plateaus are always about analyzing where you’ve grown complacent and then energizing yourself to do something new or different.

“Love this post? Pin it!”

Think Tiff is Terrif?

Check out more from her here:
The Guide to Shiny Object Syndrome

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I can't say that I've been at a business plateau in recent years, I've had too many challenges to deal with and have spent a lot of time just trying to dig my way out of a valley. I did recognize towards the end of last year that I felt like I'd hit a ‘people plateau'. It'd been awhile since I had met someone ‘new' in my business.

With nearly ten years of podcasting under my belt, I'm used to meeting new people all the time. I believe I'd begun taking it for granted there'd be someone new around every corner. Alas, I turned a corner and ran into the same faces and voices.

It's a big world but we tend to live in small neighborhoods, even here on the world wide web.

I determined to break out of the rut and pursue new neighborhoods, new people and new experiences. One of the ways I've done it is by being more involved in content curation. I made an effort to find new people, subscribe to their blogs and podcasts and engage them in their circles. It's been powerful.

Another thing I've done is to get out from behind the desk. I'm traveling more this year than ever before and trying to say yes to as many opportunities to meet new people as I can. I should finish the year with lots of new friendships that open exciting new doors.

Whatever plateau you might be dealing with, I bet it could be busted by reaching out to new neighborhoods and forging new relationships.

Note from Nik: I'm thrilled that Kelly will be joining me at Dennis' live event in Vegas in a few weeks.

Join us? Details are here: Earn 1 K a Day Seminar.

Think  Kelly is Cool?

Check out more from her here:
Solo Smarts Podcast

Alice Seba of Step-by-Step PLR Guides says:

When I think of plateaus in business, I think of two things:

• Getting to a place where you’re not sure what to do next
• Reaching an income plateau where you can’t seem to get to the next level

Both of those can be very frustrating, but that’s when it’s time to sit back and get away from the computer for a bit. This is usually where I grab a paper and pencil and write down everything I have going on. My plateaus often result from being overwhelmed by everything that’s going on and sometimes I just need to take stock of everything to see a clearer path. This is the time to evaluate what’s working, what isn’t and what could be better. I often use a mind map app on iPhone for this process as well. I personally don’t find reading mind maps helpful, but I do find the process of creating one makes it easier for me to compartmentalize the different parts of my business so everything is clear in mind.

After writing everything all down, it’s time to come up with a few action plans that include:

• A list of activities or projects that aren’t fruitful and should be discontinued.
  This isn’t always easy, but if we want to keep moving forward, we have to be able to let go of things that just aren’t helping us grow.

• A list of things that need to be done to improve my business.
  I particularly look for ways to connect things together, so I can sell more of our products and services to our customers, no matter how they found us.

• A list of necessary tasks that are dragging me down.
  These are tasks that will be outsourced to a VA or other qualified professional. I often find a plateau comes from my taking on more things in the business that I just don’t enjoy doing or I simply don’t excel in.

I know a lot of people beat themselves up over plateaus. They just sit in front of the computer and wonder what to do next or they just keep doing what they’ve always done, hoping to make a breakthrough. For me, I find if I’m in any type of rut that is the most critical time to give myself a break and do more thinking for a while. Then I can start working again when things are clear in mind.

Awed by Alice?

She's got shortcuts that you can use in your business here:
Step-by-Step How To Guides

David Perdew of NAMS says:

Got the MullyGrubs?

Here in Alabama, we have our own language that creatively stretches words and meanings that are not really found elsewhere – to my knowledge anyway. And I’ve lived all over the world.

One of my closest older friends (he was 76 when he died a few years ago) was a born-and-raised Alabama hellion. He had a fiery temper and a heart of gold. Never was he depressed.

So, when I noticed he wasn’t all that perky one day, I said, “Tommy, what’s wrong with you?”

“Got the MullyGrubs,” he said.

“Huh? What’s the MullyGrubs?”

“Ain’t nothing right. Ain’t nothing wrong,” Tommy said. “I just got the MullyGrubs!”

I completely understood that. It was his word for when we’ve hit that spot that just seems like we’re stuck in goo. It might be emotional or business or social or even spiritual goo, but it sure has us stuck.

Stuck, and we’re not sure why?

At least, that’s the way has been for me.

It’s a really uncomfortable place for me. And it shows up as inertia. Something just isn’t moving in the right direction. And as my spiritual hero, Albert Einstein, said,

“Nothing happens until something moves.”

So, to get unstuck, or climb off that plateau, I’ve got to move.

If it’s a spiritual plateau, I start investigating new writers and new ideas – expanding my mind.

If it’s a relationship plateau, I plan a getaway – some way to spend some intense time with my honey talking, planning, resolving. (I personally like long, captive car trips.)

If it’s a business plateau, I look for three things that need to change and find the right people to help me change them ASAP. This year, I focused on:

• Tripling my income
• Building real assets
• And exploding my list

My list size has remained the same (give or take 20 percent) over the last two years. It’s an awesome small community that is very responsive and loyal, but I had been completely and totally focused on delivering commissions to my affiliates and not growing the list except by adding buyers to our membership sites. (Not complaining, a list of 40 percent buyers is pretty great.)

But this year, I’m focusing on additional list building opportunities – not just affiliates. (Love affiliates, but I don’t want to wear them out…)

I was obviously stuck. So, I started the MyNAMS 30-Day List Building Challenge with just a few days of planning and diving right in.

I set bold goals and published them.

I opened my business to about 320 people showing them exactly what I was doing. I worked like a demon doing 3 webinars a day creating lessons, tools, content and challenges to the folks.

And, of course, I’m creating an awesome crew of JV partners through our 30 expert interviews for the launch (at a much higher price) during the post July 4^th weekend.

Movement! We have movement. My list is growing. Income is increasing. And I’m building more assets.

And guess what? I don’t have time for the MullyGrubs.

There’s too much work to do climbing this mountain at the end of the plateau. I’ll see you up there.

Digging My Friend, David?

Check out his free training here:
Free Weekly Webinars

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Great minds think alike.

Here are a few things that I do regularly to avoid plateaus and to overcome them.

First, I take a look and see where my income is actually coming from.

Then I look to see where my time and resources are being spent.

The quickest way for me to get over a plateau is if I can spot a place where there's little money coming in with lots of resources going out (time, money, and/or energy).  I usually let those projects go. (Although sometimes I get stuck because my heart is still in a project or it needs work before I can sell it off… in which case, sometimes I really need a boost to release it.)

Another strategy that works really well for me is that I grab pen and paper and go sit outside and plan what I want the next year to five years to look like. I basically brainstorm with future Nicole and see which path that I can take to make me happiest, and most profitable at the same time.

I also have my “big hairy” goals on a post-it, like Dennis suggested. The number originally scared the pants off of me, but now I'm thinking of increasing it again as I know that I can blast past it.  Having earned more in a month than a lot of people earn in a year has really shown me that I wasn't thinking big enough at the time that I wrote down that number. So, I'm on to bigger and hairier things.

This basically comes back again to my “R.E.A.D.” system.

1. Ruminate.

2. Eliminate.

3. Automate.

4. Delegate.

But it all starts with the Ruminate part – which is the planning stage. Without having a clear picture of where you stand and where you want to be, you can work your little butt off, outsource your heart out, and still be sitting on that same plateau in five or ten years, wondering why everyone else has blown by you. And, we certainly don't want that!

Your turn.

What are your tips? What are your struggles? Talk to me.

Best wishes, as always.
Nicole

PS. Remember, ya'll. If you want me to get awesome people to answer these questions, you've got to be leaving comments, sharing and checking out their sites.

Here they are one more time:

• Karon
• Dennis
• Tiffany
• Kelly
• Alice
• David

This week I asked our panel of experts…

“Last week, we talked about branding. Do you have any
examples of interesting, fun, or even odd brands that
stand out to you and that you love?”

I think you'll enjoy the responses.

Kevin Riley of  Maximize Your E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013 says:

For many years, I've been in awe of the branding of Amazon. The whole A to Z promise in their name. The implication that it is huge (Amazon River). The fact that everyone (even those who rarely shop online) know Amazon, and most have shopped there at least once. The fact that they snagged a memorable name that starts with A – and it's not Acme or Ajax.

You can learn about email marketing from
Kevin here ->  Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013

Lou Bortone of Video in a Day says:

One of the “new” brands that I'm enamored with at the moment is “Neuro” beverages. (http://drinkneuro.com/)

In the hyper-competitive world of sport and vitamin beverages, Neuro stands out with it's cool packaging, flavors and marketing. Check out their website and take note of the style, colors and “attitude” of the brand. And with flavor choices like “bliss,” “passion,” and “sonic,” the drink is almost irresistible. Neuro has all the makings of a brand on the move.

Want to learn about adding video in your business?
Lou's your man. -> Video in a Day

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

Check out Sally Hogshead's book “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation” which has awesome stories about branding. One that stands out is how the liquor company Jagermeister built a very successful brand based on just how disgusting their product tastes.

Now THAT'S odd and creative!

When you think Copywriting, you think of Karon.
Check out her Step-by-Step Copywriting Course if you want to ramp up your skills.

Tiffany Dow of Ghostwriting Cash says:

Have you ever seen the movie Crazy People with Daryl Hannah and Dudley Moore? If not, as a marketer, I highly suggest you go find it and watch it. It will leave you wishing that everyone in the world marketed that way.

It’s about a group of patients at a mental facility who start marketing for a major company. They’re so blunt and refreshingly honest that the public goes crazy for them. That’s the kind of marketing I like to see.

I love humor.

I love brands that take a stand on something.

I love brands that are honest about their products.

Old Spice is one of my favorites. The commercial with the guy who changes scenes and says, “Look at your man, now back at me…” – the company is obviously going way over the top about how a simple scent can transform your life but they do it in a hilarious way – almost making fun of their entire industry for making such claims.

When a company takes a stand on an issue, I appreciate that. I know that my dollars can go toward funding certain things that I may or may not agree with, so when they’re transparent about that – I appreciate the heads up.

Take Oreo and their rainbow cookie for example. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that I’m a hardcore conservative, but that’s the one (and probably only lol) issue where I stand on the liberal side. So I loved that Oreo used their brand power for that.

Will there be companies who take a stand where I disagree with them? Yes. And I may quit spending money with them – but as a consumer, I still appreciate that they’re honest with me about it.

I have many of my own readers who say, “Tiffany – I love most of what you do, but sometimes you rub me the wrong way. However, I always know I’m getting the truth about what you believe, so I respect that and I stick around.”

That’s powerful.

Be honest and it will serve you well.

Tiffany has been a ghostwriter for years, writing for the Who's Who of Internet Marketing.

Learn her mad skills here -> Ghostwriting Cash

Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step says:

I love Little Miss Matched, at littlemissmatched.com. They started the trend of wearing two non-matching socks, and their website is exciting, fun, and colorful – just like the brand! But at the same time they're iconoclasts, they also make it easy for people to buy.

The areas in which they've chosen to be different don't interfere with letting people find what they want and actually purchase from them.

Lain Can Show you How to Craft Your Business.

Learn more here -> Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I've got company over so I'll answer short and sweet. Here are a few brands that make me happy.

One of my favorite brands is ThinkGeek.com. Clever and Fun. ‘Nuff said.

Another brand that I've been watching has been Charmin. Here's their latest post. (#tweetfromtheseat)

I also find a lot of liquor brands to be quite creative.

Lessons Learned from the Liquor Store.

My favorite place to go for marketing inspiration, especially when it comes to creative branding, is the liquor store.

Well, for that reason and so I can grab some wine, of course.

On my mastermind weekend with Connie Green, we stopped at a liquor store so that I could grab some wine. I mentioned to Connie my fascination with the branding on the bottles and she, so graciously asked the gentleman running the store if I could take a few pictures. He agreed. I was so excited!

Here are a couple of the pictures that I took in those few minutes….

Angry Orchard.

I love how the creators of this brand took the Wizard of Oz reference and ran with it.

Skinny Girl Cocktails.

I could write for days about Skinny Girl and their brand. But, basically, who wants a beer gut? Skinny girl to the rescue.

Oddka Vodka.

Last but certainly not least is Oddka Vodka.

What makes Oddka unique? Well, they have oddly flavored Vodka. Nothing as cool as Bacon Vodka, but still pretty awesome as you are about to see.

Their two oddest flavors are Fresh Cut Grass and Wasabi.

See?

and

Oddka reminds me of Harry Potter's Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans ? 1.2 oz Box – the jelly beans that come in earthworm, fresh cut grass, and booger flavor. Why not attract that market for vodka? (Not that I want to drink Booger Vodka, but you get what I mean.)

So talk to me.

Where do you find odd inspiration for your marketing?

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Yes, if you are over the age of 21, feel free to click on any of the images above and check them out. It's a pretty interesting study in branding if you ask me.

Big Favor – If you love Expert Briefs, be sure to check out my smart friends.

The more peeps I send their way, the more I can get them to contribute.  Here are the links again in the order that I received their responses.

• Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013
• Video in a Day
• Step-by-Step Copywriting Course
• Ghostwriting Cash
• Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step

This week I asked our panel of experts…

“We all know that Webinars can bring in huge profits.

The big problem is figuring out
the technology behind it.

So What Software or Tool do you Use to Run Your Webinars?”

I think you'll enjoy the responses. I found them fascinating myself. (And the best part is that you can try most of these recommended webinar services totally free to figure out which works best for YOU.) I hope it helps!

Awesome Resource:

If you’d like “Done for You” webinars that include scripts and powerpoint slides – be sure to check out PLR for Teleseminars and Webinars – all you have to do is read the scripts while showing the slides. Webinars couldn’t get any easier.

Here are the responses…

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

I use GoToWebinar.

• I've tried WebEx and had multiple horrible experiences.
• I also test drove Adobe Connect and didn't think it had the flexibility of GTW.

While everybody has their own preference, GoToWebinar works best for me. I've used it for years.

Karon Uses –

Click here to try GotoWebinar free

Bob Jenkins of Teleseminar Formula says:

I love teaching virtual workshops and free one-off classes with webinars and teleseminars.

For webinars, where I want to demonstrate a particular software or online tool live, I use GoToWebinar (GTW).

I also prefer using GTW when I want more interaction with the participants. The downsides of GTW are: it's not technically fool proof for my audience, and it doesn't do a great job of recording. So I use Camtasia to record simultaneously to the broadcast.

For teleseminars and webinars where I can use slides and screenshots (as opposed to live demos), I use WelcomeToTheCall (WTTC).

This is much easier tech for both me and the audience, and the recording is not only done by the system, but the replay is available immediately. The downsides of WTTC are: the chatroom is pretty lame, and you don't get to show a spontaneous demo based on a user's question since the viewing screen is determined by pre-loaded slides. However, the instant replay feature and the fact that people can call in to a variety of local numbers in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and on Skype make it a great system for most simple presentations.

Bob Uses –

Click here to try GotoWebinar free

and

Click here to try WelcomeToTheCall free

Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step says:

I use Webex's Event Center, developed by Cisco.

It is WAY more than what most people need (and what most people will want to pay!) but it is exactly what *I* need for my monthly free “scrapinars” and my multi-day virtual events.

When selecting your webinar platform, I suggest making a list of your criteria, including:

-How many “seats” do you need? (I need room for up to 1000!)

-What are you sharing? Audio and slideshows, live video, pre-recorded video? (I share all of those)

-Do you need the ability to let your audience chat with one another? (My audience considers the chat to be one of the best parts of the event!)

-Will it work on Mac and PC?

-Will it work on iPhone/iPad?

-Can you record?

-Can you have multiple presenters or hosts? (I host other teachers, so I need to be able to share the mike.)

-How much do you want to spend?

-What kind of support do you get? (I have 24/7 support for my attendees, a must-have for paid events)

-How stable is the platform? (Some of the “freebie” solutions are worth what you pay for them! Nothing.)

It may seem insane to some people when I tell them I pay almost $500 a month for my webinar service, but it's worth it. Just as location, location, location is everything in a brick-and-mortar business, my webroom is my storefront and it has to work, be dependable, and allow me to communicate with my audience in the way I want to.

Lain Uses  –

Click here to try WebEx Event Center

Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets says:

I know there are so many platforms for webinars and many have tons of bells and whistles, but I'm a simple gal and too much technology scares me (I'll admit it!).

However, in a survey I did in January 2013, I found most people in my market (speakers, authors, experts) prefer by a wide margin to consume content via webinars (even more than blogging, teleseminars, and podcasts, all of which were also high on the list).

So for my time and comfort level, I prefer Instant Teleseminar for my webinars.

It's easy to put together a slide show presentation (I use PowerPoint) and upload it and show the slides during my webinar. It also records the slides and audio simultaneously and I don't have to do any work after it's over to make sure the folks registered can watch the replay any time. Plus, if I want to limit the amount of time any replay is available, all I have to do is click one button and it's gone from public view. Click again, and it's back. Super simple; super easy.

Felicia Uses –

Click here to try Instant Teleseminar for $1

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

I host one or two webinars every week and have been using Citrix (GoTo Webinar) since 2008.

However, the audio is not the quality I need, so I use Instant Teleseminar to record the audio and then ‘marry' it to the video I record during the webinar using Camtasia, It all sounds very technical, but it's very simple to do once you've done it a few times.

Connie Uses –

Click here to try GotoWebinar free

and

Click here to try Instant Teleseminar for $1

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Webinars Made Simple says:

I use GotoWebinar for webinars.

I've used them since 2006 when I first started doing webinars.

I've used many other webinar services when I've taught online courses as a contractor or guest. And I've tried just about every other webinar service that has come onto the market. But I continue to prefer GotoWebinar.

They are reliable, with good quality audio and video, and provide support that is time-critical when you need it. Since I record all of my webinars and turn them into products, I need to be able to depend on a professional solution.

Jeanette Uses –

Click here to try GotoWebinar free

Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing says:

I was very lucky to be one of the early adopters for Meeting Burner and got in during their Beta testing.

Over the last few weeks I finally switched to using Meeting Burner exclusively.

I really like how quick it is to get going and almost each session, my experience as a presenter has been positive. Recordings have been a snap and customer service is great. After a session one day, I completed their feedback form which is presented to you after every meeting. I never expected any response from that but sure enough got someone really helpful.

At this point, I wish they had 3 things.

1. Ability to schedule recurring meeting (since I hold my sessions every week it's a chore to keep setting it up. Good thing you can duplicate the meetings)

2. Record audio without the conference bridge.

3. An intermediate plan between the Pro and the Premier or a better value (more number of seats) for the Pro plan.

Lynette Uses –

Click here to try Meeting Burner free

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Normally this is where I sum up and anchor the post with my “expert” opinion.

But the truth is that I asked this question because I wanted to know the responses, myself.

I currently use GotoWebinar, but I don't find it very intuitive, so I was thinking of checking out some of the competition.

I DO want to be able so show demonstrations on my screen, so it looks like Welcome to the Call and Instant Teleseminar won't work for my needs.

I'll be checking out Meeting Burner, and will let you know what I think.

For your reference, here is everything mentioned in this post…

Webinar Services that you can try free:

• Meeting Burner – new on the scene and promising.
• GotoWebinar – old reliable. Good for sharing your screen and doing demonstrations.
• WelcomeToTheCall – for teleseminars and/or webinars where you are teaching with PowerPoints
• WebEx Event Center – the big daddy for intense needs.

Webinar Service that you can try for $1:

• Instant Teleseminar – same as Welcome to the Call

People who Contributed in order of last name (go check them out):

• Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Webinars Made Simple
• Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing
• Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step
• Bob Jenkins of Teleseminar Formula
• Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies
• Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets
• Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course

This week I asked our panel of experts …

“What do you do to regain your focus when you get sidetracked
and wander off on side projects??”

I think you'll find the responses interesting.

Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step says:

Sometimes, wandering off on side projects is procrastination. And sometimes it's a good business move! Knowing which is which is a key to business success.

When I look at my list of tasks and objectives and see myself avoiding the one I've listed as Numero Uno, then I give myself a deadline (and a swift kick in the yoga pants!). I have a pretty high self-discipline quotient, so I remind myself why the task is important to my business goals. That's usually enough to get me moving.

If I'm not procrastinating, then I just might be taking advantage of a more important opportunity. Like if I'm invited on the Today Show, I'm not going to be worrying about the fact that my to-do list says I should be prepping next week's blog posts!

The secret here is knowing your long-term and short-term business goals and knowing when to sacrifice the short-term because something more critical has come up. Don't be a slave to your to-do list; make it work FOR you!

Kevin Riley of  Blogpreneur Training says:

What? Who me? Wander off on side projects… Oh, look! A squirrel.

It depends. If the side project 1. won't eat up too much time, 2. won't endanger a deadline on a main project, and 3. will add to my business, I will follow through on it. That gets it out of my head and out of my way.

Now, I only do this on rare occasion. An example would be my recent “Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013“. The idea arose while I was promoting Tahir Shah's “Total Lead Capture” system. I'd already been mapping out an e-mail strategy for my own upcoming new business venture, and I decided that this would be a great time to create a guide that put all the strategy on paper.

Now, since I will be using my own guide as guidance when creating my e-mail marketing campaign for the new business, and I could turn around and sell this guide to other Internet marketers (plus give it away as a bonus to those who purchased the TLC system via my promotion), it was a win-win decision. And, since my timeline for my new business venture stretches out six months to launch, I had the time to take a short side track.

My advice: Consider the value of your side project and the impact on your main business caused by time spent on the side project. If it's feasible to pursue the side project, without negative impact on your main business plan, go ahead (but only for a short-term side track). If, on the other hand, the side project could put you off track for your main business plan, or would take away precious time from an existing project, I recommend doing what I do in such a case – write it down on paper and pin it to a future projects cork board.

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

Your first goal is to keep these side journeys to a minimum.

I do that in two ways. The first is to become an expert at the word, “No.”

Practice it. Use it. As an entrepreneur you're surrounding by opportunities. Many of them may be home runs, but they're just not right for you. You're likely going to say NO at least 10 times as often as you say YES.

The 2nd method is even more important for me, because it's also how I usually get back on track.

I have hanging a single sheet of paper hanging in my office just to the left of my computers. It's at perfect eye level when I turned that direction. It has my yearly “Internet Lifestyle Plan” on it.

This includes what my mission is, who my target customer is, what I'm passionate about, along with the primary directions and marketing I'm planning for the year. It also lists when I work and when I'm off. I update this sheet around quarterly.

I'm always testing new opportunities, because one of my greatest strengths is curiosity. How does this work and how can we improve on it?

When I get off track on a project I shouldn't be on, that one piece of paper is staring at me. It's almost like a conscience because I can feel its disapproval.

Here's a good example of when this came into play. I was thinking about going into the “life coaching” market. It was new and exciting. I did my research, and even starting writing a course…planned as a Clickbank course for the market.

But my Internet Lifestyle Plan was staring at me. The audience wasn't the same as my core audience. It was a distraction.

Once it bugged me enough, I took what I had written, edited it quickly, and turned it into a Kindle ebook.

I made one mention of the ebook, but haven't really thought much about it since. Except every month I get a nice little check from Amazon for it…and consistent new incoming email leads also.

Plus I have several mastermind partners who I meet with by Skype/phone every month. They'll call me on it if I get off track also.

Really it comes down to those 3 steps for me:

1. Have a short Internet Lifestyle plan that's visible to you all the time.

2. Have a coach or mastermind group you're accountable to.

3. Find a way to “close shop” and profit from being side tracked.

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

BIG problem for me I confess to having a major case of shiny object syndrome as well as a mild touch of ADD. I can run down a rabbit trail with world-class precision if I'm not careful.

When I see that happening, the first thing I do is verbally tell myself to focus. (Yes, in addition to all that, I also have a quirky need to talk to myself.) I make a micro to-do list of things that I must get done that day (or even within the next few hours) and I turn off everything else. Email gets closed, Facebook gets shut down and any pressing thoughts or ideas get quickly jotted on a sticky note so I can come back to them later without forgetting what I was so excited about.

Then I remind myself of the benefits of completing whatever it is (client copywriting project, updating my own marketing plan, completing a new webinar, etc.) I was originally working on.

I sit up nice and straight, take a deep breath and off I go!

Kristen Eckstein of Self Publish on Demand says:

Entrepreneurs get sidetracked? Really? Between shiny objects and new ideas flooding my mind at 100 miles-per-hour, it’s a wonder I stay on track with a new project idea long enough to finish it and not jump to something else!

But that’s actually how I regain focus. Sometimes we’re not meant to finish that project. Sometimes the new idea brings a fresh new energy, and to try to ignore it only makes it harder to concentrate on what we “should” be doing. This happened to me with my 21 Ways series. I still have two books in the series each partially written. And that’s when I got really excited about starting a third one. Now, I’d already published two books in the series myself and had over 18 more outlined. This new idea was completely new. And I chose to use that passion, energy and drive to write it.

Less than 30 days later 21 Ways to Be a Kid Again & Get Adult Results was published. And what I learned from that experience I’ve been able to apply toward new project ideas. Instead of fighting that excitement and energy that comes with a new idea, I allow it to fuel me to take action on it. Can you imagine how many more passionate and amazing ideas will be produced if we quit trying to forget about them and drop everything to take action on them instead?

The important thing is to take action quickly before you get frustrated and begin to lose steam. Fuel your focus with your passion, run with it, and go for it!

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I axe those projects. ROFL!!

Ok, my real answer…

When I realize I've gone down a rabbit trail I stop everything and evaluate. My favorite evaluation tool is a good ‘brain dump'. I take stock of everything I have my hands in or my mind on. I list every project, from the biggest to the smallest.

Next, I prioritize. Which projects are most deserving of my time? Where are the great profits? What has to be done before a new project can begin making profit? Based on these judgments I decide which projects get to stay active and which need to be tabled or even axed.

Usually, once I make up my mind, I have total peace about it. I can kill a project faster than anyone I know and never look back. Whenever I do, I feel an immediate sense of relief. My ‘main projects' get more of my time and creativity and that leads to a better business overall.

Bob Jenkins of How to Use Mindmaps to Organize Your Business says:

When I get sidetracked, I don't beat myself up too much at first. Usually, it's simply a sign of mental fatigue, and I simply need to take a break for a few minutes or hours.

But if I truly get sidetracked for DAYS or WEEKS, then I know something's up. So I talk to my girlfriend (who happens to be an amazing life coach) or “Friends in the Business” for some sound-boarding. Am I confused about why the project is important? Have I found something that fulfills my goals in this new project? Am I missing a key piece that's holding me back, or encouraging the procrastination?

Ultimately, the tool I use daily keeps me focused: Freemind mindmapping software.

With my “Monetized Action Plan” in front of me when I start my computer, I have my project mapped out, and my action steps visible. I can see the big picture, and know the little steps along the way are going to help me finish the project faster.

Finally, I remember who I'm doing the project for. Every day of delay is another day that someone, somewhere continues to struggle without my solution to make things easier.

Tiffany Dow of The Guide to Shiny Object Syndrome says:

Getting sidetracked can be a boon or a bust. Sometimes what you get sidetracked with can turn out to be something that you really enjoy, that’s really profitable, and that might even replace a less fulfilling business model or strategy.

But if it’s a bust, then that’s when we start feeling regret, kicking ourselves for getting sidetracked, and vow never to do it again.

Personally, I have learned to go with it. It’s a perk of being an entrepreneur for me. If I get a touch of restlessness and need a change, I can get on a different track. If I realize it’s not going where I want it to go, I simply turn around and head home.

If you allow yourself this freedom, without guilt, it becomes less of a struggle. It’s kind of like dieting. Once you truly get rid of food guilt and allow yourself to eat what you want, when you want, it doesn’t cause you to binge and hide food, etc. You’re able to eat a few bites and walk away because you know that without any anxiety, if you want to come back in 2 hours and nibble again, you can.

It’s not an all or nothing mentality.

But during those times when I do get sidetracked and it turns out to be a bust, what I normally do is sit down with a regular pen and paper and jot down the priority of my projects. I do this based on:

• What’s fulfilling – this is a biggie for me because if I’m not happy, it has to go.
• What’s profitable – I’m no dummy, so if my efforts aren’t bringing the cash in, it has to become a hobby or be gone for good.
• What my audience needs – if they’re not considered, then I lose my edge in the marketplace. I have to make sure everything is serving their needs.

I routinely reevaluate my projects based on these three factors and I cut things out if they don’t meet all three – not two out of three, but all three. That sometimes means cutting out things that are making me money – and that’s okay. I’ve deleted sites making me $300 a month before because my heart wasn’t in it or it wasn’t beneficial for my audience.

Don’t beat yourself up if you’re a flitter – someone who goes from one task to the next. It’s a perk! Just don’t let it be your Achilles Heel – keep a leash on it to some degree and you’ll enjoy those moments of getting off the beaten path.

Susanne Myers of  Daily Affiliate Tasks says:

I’m a big list person. The best thing I can do to make sure I stay on track is to make a list. If I’m working on a big project, I like to break things down into individual steps. That will become my master checklist.

For example, let’s say my project is to come out with a new info product. My list may include things like:

• Outline the product
• Write the ebook, record the lessons etc.
• Set up a website for the new product
• Order graphics
• Write a sales letter
• Create a download page
• Create support pages (like contact, privacy policy etc.)
• Etc.

Once I have that one big long list of everything that needs to happen before I can launch my product, I start incorporating tasks into my regular daily lists.

Those daily to-do lists contain a few things for the project along with ongoing tasks like mailing my lists, blogging, approving comments, staying active on social media etc.

I pay attention to how I structure my to-do lists as well. For example, it takes me a little while to get going in the morning and I don’t do my best writing before my second cup of coffee. Instead the first few items on my daily list are easy things I can do and check off quickly. This may involve approving comments, sending out emails to get in touch with a JV partner, order a new cover etc. Being able to check a few items off quickly creates momentum for me.

I also know that I need to get most of the content creation done before 2pm, or it’s just not going to happen, so working on the content for my new product, sending an email to my lists and writing blog posts is next on my to-do list. I wrap my day up with more little “filler” work that can be done while supervising homework for example.

The key for me is to break everything down into baby-steps and have a list that keeps me on track to make sure everything gets done. Days when I stick to my to-do list have always been my most productive.

The other thing that helps me stay focused is to have a deadline. This may involve promising someone that they can promote a new product, or sending out something to my lists letting them know it will be ready by a certain date. Having that deadline will make me push harder and get things done without getting distracted by side-projects.

Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets says:

As many people who know me are aware, I was sidetracked BIG time last year with lung cancer. My business pretty much ground to a halt, aside from some small continuity and affiliate checks I had rolling in, which kept my business rolling while I dealt with serious health issues for most of the year. I am now 100% healed and doing great.

For me, getting back to work could only happen after I was fully healed (as a speaker, if I can't speak, that's a problem!). How I did it was to announce to my community – email and social media- that I was back, explained what happened while I was away, and then did a survey to gauge people's interest in my plans and content.

As a communication specialist, I communicate with people first. That's just my way and it's always been profitable. Once I had that valuable feedback, I could pay attention to trends and give people what they told me they wanted first and make my plans fall in line with that. It was easy and fun getting back into the swing of work. Today, just three months after being back, I've had three of the most profitable and successful months in my business because I listened to what people wanted.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Wow. I guess this is sure a hot topic, based upon the number of responses today.

For me the answer to this question comes down to two things:

1. Knowing where the profit is.
2. Having a daily or weekly plan.

That's really the key.

When I know where I'm making the most money, I can focus my time, energy, and, most importantly my resources into those projects FIRST. What I do with the rest of my day, is really up to me then. That means that everything from my own time, to buying advertising, to focusing on getting affiliates to promote, etc. is all focused where I'll get the highest return on my investments. (I consider time an investment. Don't you?)

If I know my numbers, then I KNOW what to do and I'm not guessing.

For instance, it would be silly of me to wake up and dig into project B when project A is rockin' and rolling. So, I focus on A first, and then only jump into B after I've made progress.

The other area is having a daily and weekly plan. I am 100% more productive and focused when I have my plan in front of me than when I don't.  If I don't have a “Stuff to Do this Week” list – I tend to wander.

Wandering is NOT profitable. Focusing is.

My friends have already shared so much great info this week that I'm going to wrap up with a challenge for you.

Whatever you goals are,  multiply them by 5

Seriously.

• If your goal is to reach $1000 per month in profit, reach for $5000 per month in profit instead.
• If your goal is to write one Kindle book by the end of this year, make it your goal to write five awesome books by the end of the year.
• If your goal is to reach out to 5 new potential affiliates per week, make it 5 per day.

REACH HIGHER.

That in itself will help you to focus.

Post your thoughts below.

Warmly,
Nicole

PS. If you LOVE Expert Briefs, be sure to pick up my new book on Amazon:

Learn How to Start a Profitable Blog