What to Include in Your Elevator Pitch

Marketing during a slow economy

Recently, I joined up with the Ladies Who Launch and Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers.
I'm hoping that I can learn how to launch Comfy Cozy into a new level!
I'm just starting to take some time to check out the sites and read the emails. I found this one to be of particular interest and wanted to share it here:


Q: What's the best way to market my product in a slowing economy? I have limited resources and can see that people are already reigning in their spending.

A: The market is in a tailspin at the moment, but I caution buying into every market report you hear. Plenty of businesses are still thriving, and some products won't even feel the effects of recession. Big ticket, non luxury items will be the first to feel those hits, but most small businesses, if they're strategic, can maneuver through this storm.

Here are some tips:

1. Don't buy the hype. The media will always have an angle, and markets always have highs and lows. There is a general psychology behind news headlines that tend to put people into a panic. The key is not to let yourself get worked up about these headlines. They change daily and weekly, and although it's good to know what's going on in your sector, do not become a slave to what the pundits say. Plenty of businesses survive (and thrive) in down markets. Change your thinking (even meditation can help keep you grounded through rough spots!), and the results will follow.

2. Assess what has the biggest effect on your bottom line and outsource the rest. I know an event planner who makes sure that he pares down his staff to essential personnel in tough times. He creates freelance/consulting relationships with anyone who is not totally necessary every single day. In this way, he is able to maintain a very small staff of four while running a multimillion-dollar business. He also makes his lunch every day, brews coffee at home instead of buying it at Starbucks, and, instead of organizing pricier lunch meetings, meets clients for breakfast or tea, or has people come straight to his office.

3. Use viral marketing strategies to promote and grow business. Blogging is free. Putting Search Engine Optimization techniques in place is often free, and publishing articles that support your product is a use of resources but no cost to you. Look for websites that might need content, and put your writing skills to work! Make sure your URL is in your byline to drive traffic to your site and provide ongoing content wherever you can. This establishes credibility but also creates links all over the web for your product. Good luck!

Text by Amy Swift, Editor in Chief of Ladies Who Launch

Guest Article: The 10 Crucial Differences Between Being a Small Business Owner and an Inspired Entrepreneur

By Nick Williams

When I was stuck in the corporate world many years ago, I dreamed of escape to the freedom of running my own small business. Eventually I plucked up the courage to leave and started my own small business, with the goal of training and inspiring people. In order to run my business, I taught myself how to do VAT, keep my books, do my accounts and keep stock of products. While I was free of the pressures of a boss and organisational structures and politics, but I still didn’t feel very free and I even felt a little disappointed. I felt a slave to my business, and had left the corporate world to work for love, but seemed to end up working for money, and working for my business, rather than my business working for me.

Today I see there is a big difference between the small business owner that I was then, and the inspired entrepreneur I have become today. I realise I had the heart and soul of an inspired entrepreneurs, but was trying to squeeze myself into the straightjacket of being a small business owner. Below I am sharing what I have identified as being the ten main differences between being a small business owner and an inspired entrepreneur.

Difference one - Inspired entrepreneurs follow their inner calling.

Inspired entrepreneurs have found the work they were born for, and are following their particular and unique calling. There is a great fit between what they do and who they are, and feel they are constantly drawn forward to become the person they were born to be.

Difference two - Inspired entrepreneurs create a business that supports their own talents, passions and lifestyle.

Inspired entrepreneurs create businesses that supports them and their lifestyle and don’t sacrifice their lifestyle to their businesses. Many small business owners sacrifice their own needs in order to be successful. Inspired entrepreneurs know their business can be a vehicle for discovering and expressing their own unique gifts and talents.

Difference three - Inspired entrepreneurs have a higher purpose than just making money.

Inspired entrepreneurs love making money and are very willing to make money, but that is not the sole purpose of their business. They didn’t set up a business to become an expert on tax and bookkeeping. Inspired entrepreneurs are motivated to create and contribute and that much of the conventional stuff needs to be done well, but is for the maintenance of the business, but not the purpose of the business.

Difference four - Inspired entrepreneurs are always evolving their business.

Inspired entrepreneurs love working on their business as well loving to work in their business. Small business owners tend just to work in their business, doing what needs doing to make the business work. Inspired entrepreneurs intrinsically love what they do, but also love stepping back and thinking creatively about their business, how it can be more fun, inspiring, profitable and effective.

Difference five- Inspired entrepreneurs love growing themselves.

Inspired entrepreneurs love learning and growing themselves through running their business. They know that running their own business is the best personal growth seminar on the planet, becoming a mirror to highlight both their strengths and their weaknesses. They are curious about what they can become and love discovering what they capable of. They are less interested in being competitive and more interested in realising their own potential.

Difference six - Inspired entrepreneurs are fuelled by inspiration rather than motivation.

Motivation is often about getting pumped up by some external force, whilst inspiration is about being lit by a fire within that can burn forever. Inspired entrepreneurs don’t need to pumped up, but they know they need to regularly kindle and rekindle their flame of inspiration, by going to their own wells of inspiration and inspiring themselves.

Difference seven - Inspired entrepreneurs love understanding how they find and attract their ideal clients.

Inspired entrepreneurs are endlessly curious about how to attract and serve their clients better. They love serving and contributing, and believe that what they do makes a difference. They enjoy getting the word out about what they do, and getting people to act, but only in ways that are grounded in honesty and integrity. They are willing to give up being anonymous.

Difference eight - Inspired entrepreneurs work in inspired, smart and strategic ways.

Inspired entrepreneurs know that hard work alone is no guarantee of success. They don’t confuse being busy with being strategic. They have shed the prevailing belief of the protestant work ethic and know that success doesn’t come from pain, struggle and sacrifice, but instead know it comes from brilliant ideas, well implemented. They know that “time out” to generate new ideas and think strategically is often more valuable than another hour at their desk.

Difference nine - Inspired entrepreneurs navigate their life by using joy as their compass.

Small businesses tend to be more mechanical and repetitive, whilst inspired entrepreneurs navigate their business and life through a sense of joy, inspiration and aliveness. They also have a sense of destiny and rightness about what they do, knowing that their particular talents are being used to the maximum and that they and their business evolve through a sense of ongoing revelation about their next steps. They hate being bored and are always asking, “How can I inspire myself next?”

Difference ten - Inspired entrepreneurs value their heart and their thinking.

Inspired entrepreneurs know that they bring the love and the money together by marrying their inspired heart together with their brilliant entrepreneurial thinking. They become potent by using one to support the other and not have them be enemies. They use great business strategies to support their inspired ideas.

So start inspiring yourself and setting your sights higher by become an inspired entrepreneur rather than a small business owner. It is one of the best ways on the planet of being happy, inspired and fulfilled, and making the contribution you were born to make.

Nick has created a free 8 part transformational e-course “Secrets of an Inspired Entrepreneur” (value £79.99) You can sign up now by going to www.inspired-entrepreneur.com right now.

Nick Williams is one of the world’s experts on inspiration at work and is passionate about helping create a new kind of entrepreneur. He is the best selling author of five books including The Work We Were Born To Do.

Guest Article: 4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics

Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc
http://BobLeduc.com

Some of the simplest marketing tactics often produce the most profitable results. Here are 4 examples that have proven highly effective for any business.

1. Focus on Your Best Prospects

Imagine how profitable your business would be if more of your new customers were like the best customers you have now. Here’s how you can make that happen…

Take some time to analyze your current customers to determine what key traits they share - and why those traits make them ideal customers for you. Then revise your sales message to appeal specifically to them.

This will increase both the number of new sales you get and the profitability of each new customer.

2. Pile on the Benefits

Customers usually buy something to save time or to save money. Offer them an opportunity to do both and you will boost your sales. But offer them multiple opportunities to do both and you will cause your sales to soar dramatically.

For example, structure your sales message to stress both the time saving and money saving benefits of your product or service. Then include a discount price offer if they buy before a certain deadline (more money saved). Finally,
figure out how you can deliver all or some of what they are buying immediately (more time saved).

Tip: If you cannot deliver all or part of your product immediately, add something to the purchase that you can deliver immediately. It can be as simple as a series of helpful tips related to your product posted on your web site …but available only to new customers.

3. Make Buying Easy

Make it easy for potential customers to buy from you and more will buy. Look for ways you can make your buying process easier - and faster.

For example, design your selling procedure so prospects do not have to make unnecessary decisions. Every decision they have to make interrupts the buying process …and diverts their attention away from completing the sale.

Tip: Don’t ask for unnecessary information during the ordering process. Instead, follow up after the sale with a personalized “thank you” message - and include a brief request for the information.

4. Follow Up - Again and Again

Selling is not a one step process. Most people do not buy something the first time the see or hear about it. You can salvage many of these potential customers with an effective follow up system.

Your follow up can be as simple as contacting these prospects periodically with a new offer. Or, better yet, follow up periodically with some useful information …and don’t charge them for it. You’ll build a supportive relationship that gains their trust - and eventually the sale.

Tip: Make sure you have a way to get the email addresses of visitors to your web site. You need it to follow up with them. For example, offer them a complimentary special report or other useful information …delivered only by email.

Each of these 4 dynamic marketing tactics provides a simple way for you to boost your sales and profits quickly. They are simple to use, highly effective and require very little if any new expense.

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

Guest Article: The Power of Asking

This week's Fantastic Friday post will be a guest article from my favorite professional speaker and author, Jack Canfield. I listen to his "Success Principles" on CD whenever I need a boost in my productivity.

The Power of Asking; 7 Ways to Boost Your Business
by Jack Canfield

The gift called "asking" has been around for a long, long time. One of life's fundamental truths states, "Ask and you shall receive." Kids are masters at using this gift, but we adults seem to have lost our ability to ask. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid any possibility of rejection.

Yet the world responds to those who ask! If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren't doing enough asking.

Here are seven asking strategies you can implement in your business (and in life) to boost your results and your bottom line:

Asking Strategy 1: Ask for Information

To win potential new clients, you first need to know what their current challenges are, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service.

Ask questions starting with the words who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate a prospect's needs can you offer a solution. Once you know what's important to them, stay on this topic and find solutions for them.

Asking Strategy 2: Ask for Business

Here's an amazing statistic: after giving a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service, more than 60 percent of the time salespeople never ask for the order! That's a bad habit, and one that could ultimately put you out of business.

Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don't waffle or talk around it—or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. No doubt you have heard of many good ways to ask the question, "Would you like to give it a try?" The point is, ask.

Asking Strategy 3: Ask for Written Endorsements

Well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your product or service and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and gets the job done on time.

When is the best time to ask? Right after you have provided excellent service, gone the extra mile to help out, or in any other way made your customer really happy.

Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

Asking Strategy 4: Ask for Top-Quality Referrals

Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It's the easiest, least expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace.

Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It's a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Asking Strategy 5: Ask for More Business

Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It's often easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

Asking Strategy 6: Ask to Renegotiate

Regular business activities include negotiation. Many businesses get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation, yet this is simply another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. Look at your vendors and suppliers and see if there are areas where you can be saving money. Just ask.

All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your personal life, too, such as changing your mortgage terms and rate, reviewing your cell phone plan and requesting a policy review with your insurance agent. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in stone.

Asking Strategy 7: Ask for Feedback

This is a powerful way to fine-tune your business that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting your customers' needs? Ask them, "How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Please share what you like or don't like about our products." Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions.

HOW TO ASK

Some people don't enjoy the fruits of asking because they don't ask effectively. If you use vague language you will not be clearly understood. Here are five ways to ensure that your asking gets results.

Ask Clearly
Be precise. Think clearly about your request. Take time to prepare. Use a note pad to pick words that have the greatest impact. Words are powerful, so choose them carefully.

Ask with Confidence
People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence.

Ask Consistently

Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In prospecting there are usually four or five "no's" before you get a "yes." Top producers understand this. When you find a way to ask that works, keep on asking it.

Ask Creatively

In this age of global competition, your asking may get lost in the crowd, unheard by the decision-makers you hope to reach. There is a way around this. If you want someone's attention, don't ask the ordinary way. Use your creativity to dream up a high-impact presentation.

Ask Sincerely

When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don't worry if your presentation isn't perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple and people will open up to you.

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's 1 Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: http://www.freesuccessstrategies.com/

Fantastic Friday: Building Better Links

It's Fantastic Friday again! How did a week speed by so quickly?

Today, I'm going to chat about building better web links.

Work at Home Moms are usually the chief cook and bottle washer in their business. You need to know how to help people FIND your website so that you can sell more and ultimately hire someone else to wash those bottles, so to speak.

We've all heard that the best way to drive traffic to your website via GOOGLE placement, is through link exchanges. This is because Google takes into consideration how many other websites are linking to yours to determine your websites relevancy to a particular keyword phrase. There are lots of other factors, but inbound links seems to be Googles' number one consideration.

When people are searching for your products, do they already know the name of your business? If so, then you want your inbound links to reference your company's name. For example, my business is called Shaka Studios. We sell much of our furniture through independent retail stores and we put our brand name on everything we make. So, it does make sense, for our particular company, that we promote our brand name through links.

However, if you do not sell wholesale, you most likely do not have a way to promote your brand awareness, so you need to go a different route. You need to concentrate on relevant search terms for your goods and services.

Shaka Studios makes custom furniture. Custom furniture is a very broad search term with 1.5 million Google results. So, while it is true that custom furniture is a relevant search term for Shaka Studios, there is too much competition for that term and it is not worth competing in that market.

The best links are specific, highly searched keywords, with little competition. Here is your step by step action plan:

1. Use Googles' External Keyword Tool to find relevant terms for your goods and services.
2. Search each term on Google to find out how stiff is your competition. If a particular keyword phrase turns up more than 500K results, cross it off your list.
3. Pick the 5 to 10 most important keywords left on your list. Those that pertain most to the products or service that make you the most profit or give you the most pleasure to craft.
4. For each of your 5 to 10 most important keywords, create a separate web page that uses the keyword in the URL, title and Header1 fields. If you do not know how to do this, ask a web designer for help. It is worth paying a professional to do it correctly. Most shopping cart software will do this automatically. I created a page for the keyword phrase cherry queen size bed because the phrase had less than 500k Google results. Notice my link points directly to that page. (This is called a linked keyword phrase.)
5. Find directories, websites, blogs, networking groups that are relevant to your industry and place ads, exchange links, blog, network with the group using your keyword phrase in relevant sentences making sure the phrase is linked to the page you created in step 4. You also want to make sure you use the linked keyword phrase on other pages of your own website. If you do not know how to do this, ask your web designer to show you. It is in your web designer's best interest to help you, because she has placed a link to her website on your website and the more people that see your site, the more that will see hers.
6. Stay on top of your keyword phrases and adjust them as necessary.

It takes time and patience to develop your list of keywords, create the web pages, and find good places to put your links, but it is worth the effort if you want to drive more traffic to your website.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Guest Article: Blast Through These Four Obstacles And Let Your Online Business Soar

Copyright © 2007-2008 Casey Moher

It's vital that you surmount a series of resistance points on your way to establishing a customer.

Your obstacles are:

1. No TRUST for you on the part of your visitor.
2. No NEED for what you have.
3. No perception that you can HELP them.
4. They are in no HURRY to act.

Let's take these one at a time:

On-line, you are a stranger to everyone. The most difficult part (establishing instantaneous rapport) is also the most important part of your business plan.

Doubt quickly evaporates from the mind of your visitor if your initial approach is to provide them with something of high perceived-value absolutely free. As your site visitor begins their visit, there are more questions than answers going through their mind.

If the first thing you do is to offer something free, it goes a long way towards reducing that sales resistance and that lack of trust they intrinsically feel. A good item to give away would be a report on a popular and good-selling internet-based product or service that you have something about.

Good-selling products and services are a great place to start with your plans to produce a report to use as your free gift. You'll find that this approach is the best way to overcome the obstacle of NO TRUST! Obstacle number TWO is the one of NO NEED.

A great approach to blasting past no-need is to select a product for your review that has some strong testimonials from customers who have purchsed it. The more your visitors appreciate the value of your free information, the more receptive they will be to your sales message.

It is when you begin to present your offer that obstacle number three (NO HELP) starts to nag at the back of your customer's mind.

The mind-set of NO HELP is a stubborn one and hangs in there even though you have built up a good amount of TRUST with your site visitor. Here, too, it is third-party testimonials that are your best tool for cracking through this obstacle. By now you should be getting a feel for how helpful and easy it is for you to establish yourself as an affiliate marketer for a useful product.

There are a huge number of things that are done for you when you are an affiliate. Order taking, shipping, complaints and returns. Moreover, a great and proven sales letter together with testimonials are in place for your use in obstacle-busting.

Also, getting your business started and getting past the obstacles we are talking about today are all much easier when you begin as an affiliate marketer for a useful product.

You are now in the position of three hurdles down and one to go. Getting someone 'off the dime' and settling on a decision is your fourth obstacle. This individual is plagued with inaction and the attitude that there is NO HURRY. To move your customer out of the comfort zone that your product will always be available to them, they need a reason to act right away! Scarcity or limited availability of the product is one good way to do this.

Additionally, you can use the concept that the product may indeed be available for the foreseeable future, but the price could well be quickly climbing very soon. Also, in all reality, the product itself will go away at some point and you won't be promoting it any longer.

Use both the notion of approaching scarcity together with the possibility of loss to effectively contain the obstacle of NO HURRY.

Building an ever-growing list of responsive customers is the key to financial stability and growth for you and your family. You can build a responsive list of loyal subscribers if you apply yourself and follow the concepts outlined in this article. Getting past the four obstacles we've been discussing can help you greatly in cultivating a list of responsive customers.


About the Author:
Casey Moher - Caseymoher@comcast.net (801) 941-3334

Mr. Moher is a Registered Pharmacist and Life-Long Marketing and Sales Professional. You Can Get His Free Five-Day Mini-Course on Building Targeted Website Traffic by visiting: http://www.newtrafficmaster.com/


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Why Her Brain Matters

While we’ve only scratched the surface of brain study, here’s one fact we do know: a woman’s brain has four times as many connections between the left and right hemispheres as that of a man’s.

Does this make women smarter or more superior than men?

Read More...

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Fantastic Friday

Yea! I see Lynn figured out how to add our SuperWAHMz logo!

We have set a schedule and Friday is my official day to post to SuperWAHMZ. What shall I call my Friday posts? What else starts with F?

• Furniture
• Frenzy
• Fun
• Fish
• Funky
• Fantastic

Oooooh... Fantastic, that's a good one. Fantastic Friday.

Sidebars are in purple: My 9 year old just walked in the my office wearing a long pink skirt with silver sequins trimming the bottom, a camo cammy and a pink knit shrug. I'm glad she has her own sense of style. It shows she is comfortable with herself.

Let's see. What shall I chat about?

Since this is basically my introductory post, I guess I'll talk about myself.

I sell custom furniture. Unlike the other SuperWAHMz, I do not actually create and make the items my company sells. My husband, Shane, is the creative one. Before Shane, (a time I like to refer to as BS) I was a buyer for a chain of specialty ski shops. Before that, I was a Territory Manager for The North Face. (Yes, I belong to the TNF Alumni Club.)

Check out Plaxo. It's a nifty tool to keep my address book up to date. It also helps me reconnect with people I USED to know. All of a sudden, I have found all sorts of old TNFers and am amazed at what some of them are doing. I had one buddy, James, that was the only person that would eat Thai Food with me. After he left the corporate office and went into outside sales, we still made a point to eat one Thai meal together when we were at trade shows. James and I have reconnected and he is now a journalist specializing in "lifestyle storytelling." Check out James's website: http://www.theoutdoorprofessional.com/ and listen to his podcast interview of our mutual buddy, professional climber, Conrad Anker.

Uh oh. I stopped talking about myself. What else?

I've worked at home for over 7 years. Before that, I took my daughter to work with me. The company that I co-own with Shane is as old as our marriage: 10 years. Which reminds me, this is our 10 year anniversary, so I should be throwing a big hoopla over it on our website, eh?

We just have the one daughter. 2 dogs. 2 cats. We live in Texas. I've been in Texas for 12 years. Came here for the buyer gig.

The transition from working at a glamorous company like TNF - to a bankrupt 20 store chain - to a mom & pop operation wasn't the easiest. I have tried really hard to approach our business with corporate objectivity. It's not easy. Especially since Shane has never worked for anyone but himself. Yes, that's right. He started making and selling his custom furniture at 17 and has never had to seek other sources of income.

Two more things before I blog off:

1. I am a HUGE supporter of Girl Scouts.
2. Yesterday I achieved my Competent Communicator designation with Toastmasters International. I will post my speech here soon.

Smooches!

Kandas