The 10 Minute Marketer

Today’s guest is the best-selling author of "Free Range Brands" and founder of The Ertas Group, Nicole Ertas. She’ll be here to inform us on the rise of newer brands and the fall or stagnation of more traditional ones in today’s interconnected social environment. What Many Traditional Brands Lack More and more big brands today are trying to figure out how to be like some of the newer, smaller brands in an attempt at not falling behind. Brand to consumer relationships has made a huge shift from even just 8 or 10 years ago where traditional brands thought they had no reason to worry. Today they’re finding themselves trying to emulate much smaller, more contemporary brands. Why? Nicole claims that this change is because traditional brands were built on more of a “one-way,” controlled channel of communication. Newer brands focus on building a community and embracing the two-way environment we now live in. Four New Types of Consumers Who Can Make or Break Your Brand In today’s very social environment consumers want to participate in your brand. Gone are the days where your target audience would be receptive to a one-way message. The brands doing this correctly are shifting from making themselves the hero into making the consumer the hero. There are four new types of primary consumers: * Lords These are the modern day "influencers". In the past, this role was strictly designated towards celebrities and other high profile individuals, but today almost anyone with an internet connection can have a large following. * Lovers This type of consumer looks to connect on shared values. How can you find ways to connect using values and not features and benefits? * Hackers This group feels a strong need to participate, interact, and co-create with a brand. They don’t like being completely on the receiving end and want to help you build your brand. * Hawks The last group is the most aggressive, and basically, want to make sure you practice what you preach. With the growing distrust of large brands, companies must think about what they do from top to bottom; today is a world of transparency, and because of this you must make sure you’re able to appease the hawks. Defining Traits of a Free Range Brand Free Range Brands, as Nicole calls them, possess defining characteristics that make them what they are. These brands are much agiler and think about how to make consumers the hero. They act as leaders of a community and build the best relationship with consumers as opposed to being a product that only wants to talk about itself. These brands are aware of how to be more receptive and adaptable to what’s going on in the world. A lot of companies think just being on social media fills this requirement, but that’s a misconception --  it’s how you use it that makes all the difference. Suggestions on How to Do This Taking the time to focus on your social media efforts is important because when you’re all over the place, it’s hard to be interactive. If you’re not doing this in a way where you’re communicating with the people who are interacting with you, then you’re missing out on a tremendous opportunity. If that’s the case then pulling back and focusing on one platform where you can cultivate your followers is suggested. You don’t want to spread yourself so thin to the point where you can’t react to your community. Hide Your Brand and See Your Fans Grow Today almost everyone has some following -- whether it be Facebook, Instagram, or even Snapchat -- they want to be seen by their followers. This point resonates with the “Lords” especially, because they value discovery and want to elevate themselves to their fans. To take advantage of this, as a brand you should give them information or...

This morning we’re going to be going over some fantastic podcast content tips for you guys and our guest today is Sonar, an expert in the field and a host with GAB Radio Network. Talk to Your Audience Instead of at Them No one appreciates anyone talking down to them or ‘at’ them. Treat your audience as a group of your friends and make a conversation out of your discussion. People don’t want a lecture (they would have stayed in school if they did), they’re looking for a friendly, warm peer to peer conversation. A good tip is to engage your audience to a point where it feels like they’re sitting in a room with you -- this is one of the best ways to build a genuine conversation. Try Not to Take Long Breaks The big goal is to form a conversation, but at the same time, a podcast is certainly different from a regular conversation. In a personal conversation, you’re easily able to take long gaps to digest what has been said, however, on a podcast or radio if you stop talking for a solid 10 seconds your audience is probably going to leave you right there. You must articulate and engage your audience regularly, taking as little breaks as possible. Consistency Is Key  You’ve heard it a million times, and you’re going to hear it once more -- consistency is key. As a host, you’re looking to build expectation and anticipation from your listeners. It doesn't matter as much when you release, just always release at that time; this isn’t necessarily a content tip, but it’s good practice nonetheless. Radio and podcast hosting is all about timing. Know Your Subject Well You’re going to want to know what you’re talking about, and this means being well-versed in your podcast’s subject. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert, but you should know enough to ask the right questions to an expert. One of the benefits of podcasts is being able to find people who know more about something, interviewing them, then picking their brain. You are, essentially, the embodiment of your audience. Even if you know the answer, if it’s useful information, you should be asking it for your audience’s sake. Find a Co-Host A co-host isn’t a necessity, but it’s recommended. Sonar says he enjoys having a co-host because without one it feels like he’s preaching to his listeners. Being alone also cuts down on your downtime, meaning you always need to be saying something. Transitions are a lot easier with a co-host. One last benefit is even if you don’t have a guest you’re still able to have another voice thrown into the mix. With a co-host you have another person to lean on and that in itself is engaging to the audience.

Today we’re going to learn a bit from returning guest Donna Palm’s life experiences, what inspired her, and the ‘aha moment’ that got her to pick the path that she did. What was the ‘Aha Moment.' Donna claims that she has had quite a few times like these, but the one that paved her way to success was at the time she had just gotten divorced with two kids. At that point, she was a single mom that got tired of living a life she wasn’t happy with, and something snapped. Donna then decided that something had to change; she had to adjust her life, so she wrote down a plan or ‘blueprint’ for herself. She lists an inventory of where she was, what she had, and then her dreams and what it was she wanted to accomplish. Overcoming Fear and Depression At that point, she felt the lowest she has ever felt, and that fear and depression then acted as the driving force behind the change in her life.  She felt that she couldn’t and wouldn’t waste her life living this way; that she wasn’t going to wait another 20 or 30 years for something to change, especially since she had children and wanted a better living for them as well. What Donna Did to Excel Chances are you know a handful of lawyers and realtors, but not many of them experience success as big as Donna. She claims her success came about from her sincerity and honesty in dealing with people. You get back what you put in, and if you work hard to get customers and talk to people, it will come back to you. In fact, almost all of her clients are repeat or referrals from previous customers. The key takeaway here is “when you take care of your customers they will take care of you.” Donna’s Biggest Challenge If you’ve heard about Donna’s past situation one would think that her being a single mother trying to change her life was the greatest obstacle on her path to success, however, as cliche as it sounds, it was her believing in herself. More people than you think are in that very same situation, but if you don’t do something as simple as believing in yourself, then you’ll never be able to get up and follow your dreams. When Donna began to take chances, that’s when everything started changing for her. The Start of Believing in Herself There were a lot of pieces to the puzzle, but one of the most life changing according to Donna were the seminars she had attended. A lot of them were very inspirational and provided her with the motivation to follow her dreams. Another great reason were her kids -- looking into their eyes she couldn’t stand them living as they were. As a parent and a single mother she wanted to be their role model, and because of this, her children were a big motivation. Donna's Biggest Tip for Listeners Tenacity is imperative -- be tenacious, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to fail. You need to get started and stop making excuses. Without failure you will never be a success.   You can learn more about Donna Palm here: http://www.donnapalm.com/  

Podcasting helps us grow our business but what you may not have known is that a lot that goes into building a podcast. Today our guest is Mackenzie Bennet, and she works for one of the most popular podcasting platforms out there, Blubrry. This morning’s podcast is about how the Blubrry plugin makes the ins and outs of podcasts much easier for anyone trying to get into it. Podcast Hosting and Statistics Blubrry makes it simpler to host your podcasts and podcast downloads by storing them on their own servers as opposed to your own. This means that instead of using up gigabytes of bandwidth per month with potentially thousands of users listening to and downloading your podcasts, they’ll handle it all for you. This eliminates any possibility of your website crashing or you having to pay for an upgraded plan. Another feature they boast is their podcast statistics. These statistics make it easy to track where listeners are coming from, whether it be iTunes, Android, or any other platform. You can also see what marketing is working and what isn’t, which guests and show topics are the most popular and more with just one click of button. When Should Someone Use Blubrry Anyone who is planning to have a show should sign up for hosting because you never know how popular you’re going to get. Not many people know about this, but typically media files such as podcast downloads are against a web host’s Terms of Service so Blubrry also eliminates any possibility of you getting your service cancelled. The plugin also handles sharing, RSS, downloads, and posting of your podcast to various platforms such as iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and TuneIn. Even better, those who have opted into an email subscription via the plugin are sent emails every time a new podcast is uploaded. Because of these features, your podcast has the ability to grow much faster than if everything were handled by yourself. What If I Don't Have a Big Following We’re all aware that massive growth doesn’t happen overnight but a podcast is an amazing way to reach out to people with very little effort compared to conventional methods. Blubrry’s average downloads for all podcasts across the board is around 100-250 and while this sounds small, imagine a room filled with 250 people listening to you every week. Before podcasts you would have to travel to different locations very often in order to speak to a room filled with people of that very same size. Any Advice for People Who Want to Get into Podcasting Before you get into it, you should plan ahead and do research on who your audience is going to be. Reach out to people who already do podcasts and also communities who are interested in what your show’s topic is.   Sign up for Blubrry Podcast Hosting  Sign up for Blubrry Professional Statistics

Most people float through life without ever making a plan for themselves. They’ll make a plan for anything else, but in life when it comes to the route they take people always seem to neglect it. Today Donna Palm returns to give more insight to what exactly a ‘Blueprint’ for your dreams is. Where to Start with Making a Blueprint The first step towards creating an effective plan is to start where you are now. Get a good idea of what assets you currently have and where you stand in life at the moment. After doing that, Donna claims the next step should be to write down your goals, no matter how crazy or insane they may seem. Writing down your goals is one of the easiest ways to make a plan and act on it. If you want it, you should get up and go for it. Donna uses the words, "plan and accomplish," because just believing doesn’t get the job done, you need to do something about it. David chimes in with, “You don’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.” Blueprints Must Be Adaptable Just because you have a blueprint doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. Life is unpredictable, and nothing goes as planned one-hundred percent of the time. Keeping your plan resilient means, you’ll be able to adapt if something happens unexpectedly. That being said, blueprints aren’t only for individuals and those who are looking to change their lives. Even businesses and successful people can step back and make a plan as a guide to follow. A business without a blueprint or guide is one set up for failure. What Does ‘Dream Bigger’ Mean In life, anything can happen, so you should never be content. The majority of people have lost hope in their daily lives and settle for the mundane. These people live paycheck to paycheck only barely getting by because it’s the easy way out. ‘Dream Bigger’ mostly means not to accept the life you currently have and to never settle just because you think there’s nothing that could happen to you that’s better than where you’re at now. If a divorced single mom with two babies, in the middle of moving to an entirely different state with nothing can turn her life completely around, then so can you. Donna claims that her rise from being homeless to successful was because she dreamt bigger. Risk Is Necessary People often think the best time to take risks is when you’re at a younger age -- without a family and fewer responsibilities -- so it can be scary for people who are older, have a family, bills, and don’t want to put things like retirement on the line. Because of this, many think past a certain age it’s too late to take any form of risk. To counter this state of thought, Donna makes the hard-hitting point that at the end of the day you have two choices: Would you rather take the risk, or be lying on your deathbed thinking about everything you’ve missed out on that could have been. If you're still opposed to risk, doing tasks in small, calculated steps can help minimize it. You can learn more about Donna Palm here: http://www.donnapalm.com/

Today’s topic is about utilizing ‘storytelling’ to build your brand. Telling stories can be vital, from writing blog posts to setting up email autoresponder content -- building trust is critical. One of the Best Ways to Build Your Business One of the greatest ways to build your business and get eyes on your brand is to create a blog. Content from blog posts can even be used to create social media posts and as content for autoresponders in email marketing. At first, many are too intimidated to get this done, and this is why most blogs are lacking in the content department. These people ask themselves questions such as, “what would I write about,” or “what would people be interested in,” but in reality, it’s a lot easier to create content than you think it is. The best part about this is even if you’re more comfortable with audio or video, you can always have show notes written for you. Show notes are a summary that covers key points of what it was you spoke of prior (it's what you're reading right now). The importance of this goes beyond your listener having another medium to digest the content in; it makes it possible for Google to funnel visitors and potential clients to your site. Keep in mind that Google can’t ‘see’ audio or video, but can crawl blog posts. Delivery Is Important for Trust Building Many individuals think they need to be very formal, but on the contrary, people want to get to know you. Imagine each conversation as a one on one talk with a best friend. You shouldn’t particularly worry about any formalities because if you want people to feel comfortable around you, you have to seem human; this is a vital part of building trust with your base. Four Key Areas to Pull from for Content The main takeaway here is creating content that engages your ideal client in an efficient but ‘human’ way. Here are four easy methods for you to build content while incorporating storytelling into the mix: 1. Share a Problem That You've Solved / Problems That You Solve You should start off by writing down at least five different problems that you’ve solved or helped another person solve and tell a story while you do it. With a list of five, you have not only created content for the week, but you’ve effectively created content for the next four weeks worth of posts. A good way to get started would be to lay it out like this: * Here’s how I met one of my favorite clients. * Here’s the problem they had. * Here’s how I solved it. Keep in mind to do this is a way that doesn’t make you sound like a salesperson and remember to share it from the heart. 2. How are you different: Differences are something that usually catches people’s attention. If you’re providing a product or service, then you've probably started it because you couldn’t find a solution anywhere else. You can list a handful of stories about your journey in getting to your current point and tell those. Tell them why filling the niche you did makes you different. While doing this, you should neither be negative nor knock any competition. 3. Your inspiration for being in business: Stories of inspiration are some of the most personal ones we can share with others. Explain to people why you got into your particular field of business and even tell stories of anything that happened along the way. 4. Celebrating customers or clients: To do this, you can pick a few clients or customers, get permission to tell their story, or even interview them. Speaking of existing customers ties easily into the other steps, because you can even bring up how you’ve helped them solve a problem they had. These types of stories easily resonate with potential clients who’ve experienced something similar.

Today’s guest is Donna Palm, who went from homeless to the author of “Dream Bigger, Live Better” and independent real estate broker who within two years of that purchased her first RE/MAX real estate franchise. The goal of today’s podcast is to detail ways in which to make the most out of life, and she’s here to tell you how. Most People Lack a Blueprint It’s critical to keep track of exactly what you have and where you are now in life and where you want to be.  Donna started out as a single mother union electrician who was totally unhappy with her life, living in the cold state of Illinois, to residing in Florida and becoming a successful author and real estate agent. Having a blueprint is vital because it puts a lot into perspective and gives you a starting point. Start with Where You Are Something everyone should do is create an accomplishment or gratitude list. In it, you should include everything you could be grateful for that has happened to you and what you have to fall back on. Creating and carefully going through a gratitude list will lift your spirits and because of the very nature of the list, will have you notice that your life isn’t as bad as you initially thought it was. School of Life List What the second type of list Donna advises to create is a “School of Life List.” This list is essentially a checklist of mistakes you have made and what you’ve learned from them. Reflection is the key to improving yourself, and you must realize that failing is a key to becoming successful. Most people are afraid of failure, but in reality, this is where you get most of your strength. It gets you to better think about what you can do better the next time. Taking Chances Is Important Being persistent, taking chances, and trying against all the odds makes a difference. Lisa mentions a time where she introduced herself to a TV station manager, and for six months after that she was persistent enough, and to her friends’ surprise she ended up doing a show called “Health Power” for two years just because of that tenacity, effectively launching her career in media. Donna mentions it was her persistence that determined that success. Quit Making Excuses Excuses are poison to your success. If you want to do something, just do it, and this shift from your comfort zone is the first step to reshaping your life. The point is, don't ever give up. You have no clue what’s ahead of you if you never take a chance.   You can learn more about Donna here: http://www.donnapalm.com/

You aren’t alone if you have issues getting people to sign up to your website. You can spend all the money in the world on marketing and traffic, but if you lack a proper and effective funnel, it all means nothing. If your site design is profoundly flawed, the majority of visitors will leave without giving it a second thought. What Is a Call to Action A call to action is effectively an instruction you give to a potential customer for them to put to use a good or service of yours. Capturing a person in their first visit is tough, making email sign-ups one of the most effective calls to action you can implement. Keeping in touch with your audience is imperative and following the 80/20 rule is key. David further elaborates on this. Lead Magnets Are Important Lead magnets go hand-in-hand with a call to action and email marketing. In today’s digital world the best lead magnet is value. Why would anyone want to give you their email voluntarily? What value can you offer to them? We’ll figure out the best piece of value you can create to garner a valuable and engaged following. Solving Problems Is Key Solving problems isn’t necessarily selling your potential customer a good or service, but offering them something that is of immediate benefit to them. It is then up to them to utilize that information as a personal guide for free. Imagine being forcefully sold a car instantly, with little to no knowledge of what you’re getting into, as opposed to being offered a free brochure with all the information you need to make an educated purchase. Trust is Paramount Now that you’re at this step your primary goal is to build trust. If you put out a clear guideline of what you’re going to send them and when you’ll send it to them, it then creates a distant relationship between you and your customer. Keep in mind to reassure them you will never send them spam or sell their email address but instead, you’re working for them, sending them valuable information that will help them. Keep It Up Continuous value and knowledge are very practical for your email subscribers, and there is no reason to halt what it is you’re doing if it works. There are three options when it comes to sign-ups: The person will make a purchase, unsubscribe, or you continue to offer them free value. You must also keep in mind emails are not a substitute for social media posts, meaning, they are sent periodically and not in say groups of 10 emails per day. Your email campaigns should be more of a semi-blog post style content offering, for example, your latest tips, podcast, or any valuable content you want your audience to see. Naturally, now and then it is okay to promote particular content, just make sure it isn’t something completely unrelated to your brand's area of focus.

In today's podcast, we’re going to touch bases on the relationship between visions and dreams. Everyone has a dream of some sort, and if you’ve ever planned to accomplish anything only to end up putting it off forever to the point of it never getting done then today’s topic should be all too familiar with you. Importance of Vision To bring an idea into action, you must first have a vision. People without a vision are very easy to identify; they are the ones who are usually complaining about their jobs and how unhappy they are. These people have little to no motivation, and it is because they lack vision. What they don’t realize is that vision is the key to putting their dreams into action. What Exactly Is Vision In Dr. Joyce’s eyes, a dream is a goal that has yet to be accomplished and requires a vision. To her, a vision not only includes a plan to achieve a goal, but it also entails passion. She believes that a vision starts with yourself. A proper vision is organization and knowing what your limits are. You can look at it as a roadmap of how you are going to get there (your dreams). Money Isn't the #1 Goal, Passion Is Motivation is a crucial part of achieving your dreams, but unfortunately, a lot of people have the wrong idea when it comes to what motivates them. If you ask a significant portion of individuals with big dreams what their primary motivation is, they’ll boldly state that it’s money. What they don’t realize is, successful people, don’t primarily think of money in the process, what drives them is passion. Many people don’t see the big picture, they get impatient, but in reality, the money will come if you stick to it and see it through until the end. Vision Boards (the Good and the Bad) Vision boards are beneficial, however just having one makes little sense. There is a term related to vision boards, and that is, “putting it out there in the universe,” but if you aren’t actively putting forth any work towards the goals set on that vision board, nothing will happen. Any Actions You Can Take Identifying energy drainers is paramount. Get rid of distractions and people who discourage you. You cannot give up. If you think about it, we are all marketers that sell ourselves to others the very moment we open our mouths. You must find a balance with external distractions if they get in the way of your vision. Be a Contrarian It’s needless to say but most people are negative, and unfortunately friends and even family can be included in this group. A part of being a contrarian in today’s world involves removing the negative from your life. You need to ignore the negative obstacles to achieve your dreams. The truth is when you remember to tell yourself, “If it were easy everyone would be doing it,” you will feel a lot better. Developing Better Self Esteem Positive self-esteem is a necessary mindset to possess when you want to achieve your dreams. To stay concentrated on the big picture, you need to think like a winner. If you tell yourself you are the best at what you do the only thing that can stop you are other people. Revisiting the point of being a contrarian, you must remove the negativity from your life. Some useful tips are to stop reading the negative news you see online. Stop following friends or family who post or share nothing but negative stories. Find positive news instead and start your day in a positive light. It all starts with yourself and if you have positive self-esteem nothing and no one can hurt you. At the end of the day it is a game-changer to remain positive, motivated, and laser-focused on the right thing.   You can learn more about Dr. Joyce here: http://drjoyceknudsen.com/

Creating Successful Emails Today’s show will look at successful emailing – what should you put in an email cover, how long should it be – among other things; the discussion will be between the show’s hosts Lisa and David. Categories of emails Most individuals get a lot of emails on a daily basis – Lisa gets maybe forty or fifty per day, David gets well over a hundred or two hundred.  Emails maybe coming from customers, from sites you subscribe, shopping sites, some definitely maybe spam – the key is to craft the perfect email because no one will ever see it unless you do the things which will be discussed in the next few minutes. Crafting the perfect email To start take your mailing list, segment it and as you have a sign up box – make it targeted.  For example for Lisa’s radio show there maybe persons only interested in recipes or exercise – if she’s sending out emails, she would need to make them targeted; do not send emails to everyone because they may unsubscribe.  Let the subscriber choose if they want some or all of the information.  Crafting the perfect email begins on the sign up page on your webpage. What is in the email? Be informational 80% of the time; sell 20% of the time. If you’re an entrepreneur constantly blasting out emails – sale, sale, sale – you’re going to lose people because they don’t care.  Show them you care by your selling our product by showing your customers you are an expert, you know how to use I, you may be showing other ways of using the product they never thought of.  Who the email is from is critical because people won’t open it if they recognize the person sending it; so if you’re a company use the company’s name and then put your name.  If you’re building a personal relationship with your client – put your name first, because people want to recognize who it is from. When to send emails? The key is to be consistent; David suggests emailing out consistently every time each week – find out which day works for your industry – but be consistent because if you start changing days it may be seen as spam  and it may get deleted. Often overlooked.... The subject line is often overlooked; and, if done incorrectly you could turn off people.  A third of persons will decide to open it or not based on the subject line so it doesn’t matter if you’re giving away gold for free it wouldn’t matter because based on the subject line, people are making the decision to open it and see that offer.  There’s also a report that 70% of people reports an email as spam solely based on the subject line! Craft the perfect subject line Create a subject line that is going to get curiosity going – it doesn’t have to be very specific because sometimes vague build curiosity. One of the most famous email heading was done when President Obama was running and it simply said “Hey You.” Another category is: reveal a secret – for instance say “the number one reason entrepreneurs always _____.”  Another way to do it is to begin with a number; another is how to.  The fifth way is to create a pain point or top of mind problem and then solve it. Increase the opening rate If you have a large mailing list you’re doing yourself a disservice:  if the reader is not expecting it, if you’re constantly selling and if you’re not following one of the five categories for subject headings.

When speaking to potential clients one would assume a generational gap would be a reference to millennials in contrast to the ages before them, and while that’s true, today’s podcast will present a different spin on the meaning of “new generation in town” you probably have never wrapped your head around. The Forgotten Generation In today’s marketing environment it isn’t necessarily the newer generation that everyone is forgetting, it’s the older ones and not just this, we fail to remember that different generations aren’t necessarily supposed to be kept separate. Reaching out to newer generations is important, but we cannot forget to communicate and work together to achieve the greatest overall results. Learning various ways to speak with and communicate between different generations is of utmost value in today’s ever-changing world. Learning to Speak to Generations That Aren't Yours If you desire to remain competitive, you must find ways to discover more about generations that are different from yours, whether they come before or after, some may just be your ideal clients which you would benefit from targeting. Differences in Ideologies and Lifestyles Between Generations Is Okay Dr. Joyce authored a book called, “The Generational Puzzle” and in it, she interviewed different people from each generation and had them tell their story. During this process she noticed that there are vast differences in what each from their respective generations would say, however, as we learn, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. An example was brought up about the show “Survivor” where they had Millennials vs. Generation X, and while they all had their differences, when they came together problems were solved a lot faster than naught. Similarities vs. Differences in Generations and What We Can Learn We're told that although differences are apparent, there are a lot more similarities between the generations than there is contrast. It is clear that there are quite a few lessons the younger generations can learn from the wisdom of the older ones, and inversely, there are a lot of innovative methods the young generations can teach the older ones (Dr. Joyce goes into more detail with an example). Social Media and How It Bridges the Generational Gap As we all know, social media is the greatest phenomena of this century when it comes to connecting to and expanding your audience. In today’s world, people of all ages are becoming more technology savvy, and the majority of the world is active on their smart and mobile devices, further strengthening this point. If you have a desire to learn about a target audience that’s foreign you need to reach out to them and connect on a different level. We have a lot to learn from every generation.   You can learn more about Dr. Joyce here: http://drjoyceknudsen.com/

Today’s discussion will be “what you think your customers want to hear versus what they really do want to hear;” in other words, features and benefits. Features versus Benefits It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, no matter what business you’re in – you offer something and most people confuse features and benefits of their product and they don’t really get what the benefits are because they think the feature is the benefit; often the two is confused. The way to distinguish them is to ask yourself “so what?”  In marketing we say, people are very selfish – they only buy when you can solve a problem – what they want to hear is “what does it do for me?”   When we assume that our customers want to hear all the feature of what we offer – we’re assuming they have knowledge of our industry but really what they want to hear is the benefits of what we have to offer.  For instance, if asked to sell a pencil many persons would say it is made of lead, and it’s wood and it has an eraser on it – all those are the features; but to sell the benefits you would say it’s easy to hold so it makes it easy to write in cursive, you can write a personal letter and connect with people on a whole other level and if you make a mistake you can erase it.   The features are of interest in a longer description page if someone wants to look up and get more information but in your emails and your posts on social media – anything you’re writing – you want to focus on the benefits and that’s the critical part to learn. Why do you need to sell benefits? Everyone will clearly understand why they need to buy what you have to offer – you would have answered the “so what?” The benefits can be sold without giving any technical knowledge of the industry or even telling one feature of the product.  Companies like Apple have been very successful in selling benefits to their customers – for instance, when they introduced the iPod; everyone else was selling mp3 players that contained 8mb, 32mb or 64mb and what Apple did when they launched the iPod said “put a thousand songs in your pocket.” It was sold on the benefit without any technical information about the industry. Are more people getting this right? The ones getting it right are most successful; most small entrepreneurs don’t know the difference.  Most persons will say “everybody should know this,” but no, if you went back in time before you learned it – that is where your customer is, they don’t have the technical knowledge of your industry so tell them how you benefit them – how you address top of mind problems, how you solve their problems.  Selling the benefits of your product is not bragging – you’re just saying to people what you have that is beneficial. What do you promote? Make a list of all the features of your products and then list the benefits of all those features; mix it up, pick your favorites and that’s what you should promote.  

In today's show our guest is Dr. Joyce Knudsen. She is a professional Image and life coach, who is also the operator for the first and only school for certification in this area. Why is it important that we keep our word - from a brand, business or personal side? Saying something that you don't mean will not help you or your business in anyway. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you need to know that your word is your bond, it means everything. In other words, if you tell your clients that you are going to be there at a certain time and a certain place, it is your responsibility to be there. People need to know that they can rely on you, in whatever way you present yourself to them. When you keep your word, this builds trust and respect.   Tips to help you remember things and keep your word. * Write it down - Do not wait until the end of the day to write down something important. * Be real - take extra steps, bring things to your conversation that can help. * Be there - You have to be there for your clients when you say you will. Take away notes. Do not say something unless you're going to keep your word. If you say something, no matter how small or how big, make sure to carry it through. Do not use excuses. If you're not able to make it, let the client know before the appointed time because their time is as valuable as yours. Guest Website: www.drjoyceknudsen.com

Show Summary One of the hardest things to do is to talk about yourself and yet it’s something that you absolutely have to do – meeting new clients or even for your webpage. Today’s show will look at how to create the “About Me “page. The “About Me” page It made a big difference for Lisa after David taught her about the “About Me” page – it got her re-energized about why she’s doing what she’s doing on her health website and her health shows. It forced her to think about her mother’s illness, her childhood and wanting to help people live their healthiest lives. As David points out it is sometimes difficult for people to talk about themselves because it may seem like bragging but you want to get across your background, your expertise because your audience wants to connect with you. There’s a formula – all entrepreneurs have a story to tell and David will provide the formula to assist you to tell the story on your website. What’s the formula? You want to cover: who you are, you’re expertise, how it addresses the needs your clients have and how they can contact you. Often times the contact information is overlooked and left off the about me page but you want to leave your readers with a call to action or how they can reach you. How do you write it? Instead of worrying about sentence structure and things like that, Lisa suggests that it can be written as though you’re talking to a friend. When someone is reading your website, it can come across as a big cold corporation but that doesn’t work - people want to connect with you, they want to know that you understand their problems; they want to know you have gone through some of the same problems. So, when you tell your story do not be formal; so you can download an app on your phone which allows you to record yourself and ask yourself the questions, ask them out loud and answer as though you’re talking to a friend. What are the questions which should be answered? What is it you do? Why did you start your particular type business? Describe it. What drives you to do what you do? What is your background in the area? What special achievements, awards, and recognition have you received? What was your “aha” moment which got you into this area? What were some of the biggest challenges/obstacles you faced? Do not worry about the order; do not worry about formality, do not be shy, do not worry about trying to impress anybody. Just talk as though you’re talking to a friend and tell stories that your audience can relate and connect to. About Me After you’ve answered all the questions above, you would have addressed all you want to keep in the “About Me” page – it can be 700–1000 words; include a few pictures, some nice graphics, tell your story in a fun personal one on one way. Make sure all the questions above are answered but no need to be formal and at the end a call to action as to how someone can contact you. Examples Check out my About Me page by clicking "Start Here" above or check out Lisa's at www.itsyourhealthwithlisadavis.com. Remember, they can be fun, informational and the fact that people will want to learn more about you.

Show Summary David Essel - author of the book “Positive Thinking Will Never Change your Life but This Book Will” is back on the show; he’s monetized giving advice and helping others into a business. What is David Essel’s business? David has worked with people in all areas of life; he has helped entrepreneurs in starting and expanding their business, hiring the right staff, marketing and advertising.  He also goes across the board in helping to heal, to lose weight and to feel better about themselves; positive thinking is only a small part of this process. Positive Thinking Won’t Change Your Life....  People say if you want something – you just put it out into the Universe - but it doesn’t end there; you’ve got to work hard at it – you’ve got to be tenacious.  David’s suggests that if your vision board, your affirmations hasn’t brought you exactly what you wanted in the last three years then you need to do things differently; the reality is if it doesn’t work – stop doing it – no matter who endorses it.   Nothing will change if you don’t make that change; none of the great gurus have ever said they created their success via their thoughts.  In all aspects of life – business, relationships, and health - it is doing that thing which makes you uncomfortable which will bring you success. Vision boards are great but it figuring out how to get to your goals and stepping out of your comfort zone that is going to help you achieve those goals. David’s “aha “moment... When the book was written it would either sink David’s career or make it explode – and it has exploded, and the reason for that is that he is speaking truth.  He is authentic, he has been doing this work for thirty-six years and he came to the realization that up to 1998 what he was teaching people was nonsense.  When he got to this point he apologized to his people and said “here’s an inexpensive book that will give you proof of the reality of success;” that is what has taken him to where he is. The Positive Thinking Movement David has been endorsed by Jenny McCarthy as the “new leader of the positive thinking movement” because his positive thinking movement is the one that actually gets things done. David devotes the first hour of every day to affirmations, journaling, gratitude, prayer and meditation and then after that he working hard at achieving his goals. Get Chapter One of the book Download at www.talkdavid.com and download it. Read it and enjoy – you’ll want the rest of the book!