Archives for July 2016

Why There Is No Need For Cruz Control

July 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment

I was a little behind the eight ball this week in writing my article, but I’m glad I waited. I want to share a perspective you might find helpful in building a POWERFUL BRAND. It occurred to me watching the Republican convention last night on television.

I’m not a die-hard follower of politics, but I like to be informed and it certainly is entertaining and educational to watch the circus of a presidential election.

In case you didn’t hear, last night Ted Cruz got booed on stage during his speech because he refused to endorse Trump for president. It was a crazy, bold move. Pretty shocking to every, everyone that is except for Trump.

Apparently, Trump had read the transcript the night before and knew what Cruz was going to say. He had the option to ban Cruz from speaking, but that’s not what he did. Instead, he let Cruz take the stage and completely sabotage himself.

Now whether you like him or not, whether you think he’s an insane megalomaniac or not, there is something very important to be learned here from what Trump did. He was so secure in his brand, he allowed a hater to take the stage. It was a brilliant move.

What would have happened if he had ban him? It would have given Cruz POWER. It would have implied he was important enough Trump needed to manage him to protect his reputation. However, because Trump let Cruz take the stage, he strengthened his position as top dog.

I’m sharing this because it is an excellent example of stepping into leadership.

When you are secure in yourself, in your value and have confidence in your point of view, you position yourself ABOVE the haters.

So many times our temptation is to get caught in the fray of snarkiness, and while there ARE times it’s necessary to set the record straight, giving credence to critics only lowers your status.

You are far bettered served to keep your focus on the prize and to continually strengthen your own brand through giving value, increasing visibility, refining your message, polishing your image and showing you are a leader who comes with a heart of service.

If you need help solidifying your position as an industry leader and upleveling your brand, you can apply for a free strategy session with me by clicking here=>bit.ly/ProfitStrategy

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your high notes.
xo

 

 

P. S. This is not an meant as any kind of political endorsement, simply an example of great brand strategy:)

Filed Under: Bold Branding, Business Building Strategies, Leadership, Taking a stand, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , , , , ,

Are You Happy?

July 16, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Do what you love and the money will follow?”

I used to think that was a sweet, albeit unrealistic saying. I mean, I was an opera singer for goodness sake. I poured my whole heart and soul into it and never made any real money.

Admittedly, I never made it to the Met and perhaps if I had had more artistic success, I would be singing a different tune right now. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one….)

However, what I’ve come to realize is, doing what you love truly IS the path to joy and abundance. The trick is, most of us are not completely dialed in to what we want and perhaps more importantly WHY we want it.

Even though I passionately love, love, love singing (I mean I really love it), when I was younger, my singing meant something very different to me.

It meant a way out.

There’s’ no way at the age for 20 I could have told you from what exactly I was trying to escape. I just knew I thought singing was going to be my ticket to happiness.

Here’s what I thought singing would do for me….

-give me validation.
-make me famous.
-provide me with lots of money (when I got famous).
-make me feel important.
-make me feel beautiful.
-bring me adoration.
-bring me praise.
-bring me recognition.
-make me popular.

If you’ve ever had the lovely opportunity to have a laryngoscope shoved down your throat, that’s a long tube with a camera attached, you would know your vocal chords are tiny. On average, they’re only about 12-24 mm’s long and 3-5 mm’s thick. That’s it.

When I think of all the pressure I was putting on those two, teeny folds, sheesh, of course, there was NO WAY they could stand up to the pressure!! How could something so small and delicate possibly carry the weight of my entire happiness? Obviously, they couldn’t.

I know there are fabulous singers who had/have just as many misguided, neurotic motivations to be performers as I did who went on to have fabulous careers. I think it’s fair to say there are a LOT of messed up, extremely “successful” artists out there. But I couldn’t do it. My body wouldn’t let me.

The more I WANTED “it,” the tighter I got. I remember very clearly trying to sing in a masterclass where my jaw got so tight, I literally could not open my mouth. How’s that for your body trying to tell you something?

Believe me when I tell you, it was extremely painful. I felt like a leopard without spots. Why would God give me this gift if I couldn’t use it?

The problem was I was asking something of my singing it could never give me. I was begging it to show me I was lovable, but there’s no way it could because deep down, I didn’t believe it. I treated singing like an insecure teenager treats her wardrobe. I was riddled with self-loathing and insecurity.

Luckily, all the pain and disappoint I felt drove me to find answers. “Why is this happening to me? How can I feel better? Is there something else I should be doing with my life?”

I began an intense journey of self-discovery and healing that continues to this day. Obviously, I stopped pursuing a professional singing career to become an entrepreneur, however, the story doesn’t stop there.

I recently had a major epiphany.

For the past several months, I’ve been waking up depressed, not in a full-on depression kind of way, but generally down. I know a lot of happiness tools, so usually by mid-morning my mood improved. However, it was starting to really bother me to start my day this way.

Again, I began asking myself, “Why is this happening to me? How can I feel better? Is there something else I should be doing with my life?”

The answer came back a big YES!

I realized I had been operating my business to some degree in the same way I used to approach my singing, looking for outside validation. I was trying to figure out just the right program, meme, photo or blog post that was going to get people to respond to me. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for marketing and promoting your business, but my flavor of outside-in approval was rearing it’s ugly head again and reeking havoc on my happiness.

I’ll admit, it totally sucked to come to this realization, but I am sooooo grateful because it brought me back to myself.

I know that I know that I know when you honor who you are first, you create happiness and abundance which is why I have decided to make some changes in they way I do things around here.

Don’t worry, I’m still going to give tips and concrete strategies to build your business, but I am also going to be talking a LOT more about holistic success. Because YOU are a whole person. If you are not happy and healthy, you will never create the kind of business that lights you up and makes you money at the same time.

Your business needs to be an expression of who you are at your most creative, expressive, talented, intelligent, LOVING core. When you create a business from that place, you understand why and how you are here to serve. You build a true tribe that loves you and hangs on your every word.

I have spent the past 30 years learning how to love, honor and express who I am to be happy and prosperous. I want to help you do the same.

I can tell you from personal experience, if you don’t create your business in alignment with your deepest desires, it will mess with your mojo. Believe me, I know. On the flip side, if you do, it’s sunshine and roses Baby! (Did I mention I woke up in a good mode today?:)

If you’d like to know how to create a business that makes you happy and profitable, CLICK HERE=>bit.ly/ProfitStratgy

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your high notes.
xo

Filed Under: Authentic Branding, Brand Happiness, Entrepreneurial Success, Finding Your Purpose, Finding your support, Life Lessons, Overcoming challenges, Personal Branding

What To Do If You Are Asked Not To Sell Anything When You Speak For Business?

July 6, 2016 By Leave a Comment

You’ve got a great talk and you finally get a chance to try out your speaking chops, there’s only one hitch, you are told you will not be allowed to sell anything. Ugg, such a bummer.

What to do, what to do…

You always want to weigh your opportunities. Your time and resources are limited, so you want to be choosy about where you spend your energy. There are lots of fish in the speaking sea, so don’t feel like you have to jump at every chance. However, if you are just starting out or if it’s a great opportunity to get in front of ideal clients or industry players, you may still want to move forward.

Remember, any time you are speaking to a captive audience, whether live or online, YOU are positioned as the authority. You have an extended amount of time to tell your story, share your expertise, give valuable insights and talk about your business. If you do a good job with your presentation, your audience is going to want to know more. Even if you can’t make an offer, you are still selling.

However, the best way to get your audience to take action is to structure your talk to sell. You want to guide your audience through a specific process that showcases the transformation that is possible if someone takes the next step to work with you without actually making an offer. And if you do this with authenticity and authority, you will create an atmosphere where people will want to know more.

Finally, if you can, offer a free strategy call. It is a phenomenal selling tool if you know what you are you doing. Any time you get a potential client on the phone with you from a talk, you have a very warm lead which makes closing that much easier.

If you would like to know more about how you can use signature talks to sell from the stage or online, I invite you to join me for my upcoming FREE webinar: “Close Any Room: How To Add Thousands Of Dollars To Your Monthly Income Using Signature Talks.” CLICK HERE to register!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Is Your Business Organized For Profits?

July 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a neat freak. Personally, I know it makes me feel calmer and more clear headed when I walk into a space that’s clean and tidy. There is also a lot of research to back up the physical and psychological benefits of keeping things organized.

Here are just a few…

You reduce stress.
You are happier.
You eat better.
You have better relationships.
You are more productive.
You sleep better.
You even reduce your risk of heart attack!

However, there are also important financial reasons to being organized, especially in your business.

When you have systems and structures in place, you create space, ease and flow for money to come into your life.

Think about the physical space of your office. If it’s a mess, your mind is distracted every time your eyes fall on something that isn’t pertinent to your priorities. Distraction equals lost time, mental focus and creativity. How are you going to create the next amazing project if every time you walk in your office, you see piles of unfinished tasks.

If you work online to any degree and even if you don’t, you also have to think about the flow of your business model. Is it organized for profit?

If you don’t have a very clear sense of how your business model should be set up, it is a lot harder to bring in and keep money flowing through your business. Whether you call it a funnel, a pyramid, a money mountain or anything else, you need to know where and how to funnel leads and clients through your processes. If you don’t, you are leaving money on the table.

When you are just starting out, your business model will be simpler and in some ways, that’s a very good thing. Having fewer options makes it easier for you to get very skilled at selling the offerings you do have. However, as your grow, you’ll want to develop a more robust menu of products and services, not only because it will allow you to express your genius and creativity, but because it will also allow you to bring in and keep more clients.

However, more options requires more clarity. You need to know how the pieces fit together and the flow of your funnel. Doing so will make you life so much easier for you and provide more value to your clients.

Here are few things to think about to set yourself up for maximum profits:

1. How/where do the majority of leads come into my funnel?
2. Do I have enough options to sell different levels of clients into my programs?
3. Do I know how to present my offers in creative ways without lowering prices?
4. Do I have up-sells and down-sells ready for sales calls?
5. Do I have lateral options available that might be attractive to current clients?
6. Do I know the best logical order to move clients through my model?
7. Do I know how to bundle services to give juicy sales incentives?

Building business models can be very overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, things get really, really fun. Suddenly, you feel more confident and grounded in your business. You recognize who is right fit for you much more quickly and sales calls get a heck of a lot easier.

What I know for sure is no model=no money. It is so worth the time to get organized in this part of your business. I can’t promise it will prevent a heart attack, but it just might. After all, what is a better stress reliever than knowing your profit house is order?

If you’d like to know more about how you can maximize your business model for profit, apply for a free strategy session here=>Session Application

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your notes!

Filed Under: Brand Building, Business Building Strategies, Careful Packaging, Increasing profits, Running a successful business, Success Strategies, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , , , , , , ,