Be Authentic AND Appealing

In July/August 2015
The Costco Connection,
Lori Godin,
Founder of
FrugalEdmontonMama.com,
a site that earns
$3,000 a month,
shares
that bloggers must
“be authentic
and find your voice.

That is absolutely
when things turned around for me.
When people were able to
identify with my blog,
they kept coming back
and they shared more,
and that brought
even more readers.”

Being authentic
isn’t the same as
having people be able
to identify with you.
It’s a balance between the two.
You want to be real
but you want to be appealing also.

It often takes some trial and error,
posting different articles
and then watching
how readers respond.

Make an effort to find your voice.

Published
Categorized as Marketing

The Power In Marketing

One thing that Facebook knows cold
is that the audience
is now driving conversations.

If your post has a lot of likes
or comments,
more people see it.
No one cares about the post?
Fewer people see it.

Aprille Janes
shares

“The power in marketing today
has shifted to the audience.
They choose how they get information
and what to pay attention to.
If you respect and work
within that new paradigm,
you’ll develop satisfied customers
and raving fans.

– Consumers today
use communication mediums
to help them buy,
not to be sold to.
– People “curate” their experience.
You show them respect
by delivering content
they value in one place.
– We can encourage
two way conversations.
Listening to what they are interested in
saves time and effort.
– We can use frequency
rather than repetition
to become a trusted resource.
– As a small business,
it’s easier for us to engage
on a personal level.”

Want to increase your reach?
Talk about things
your prospects want you
to talk about.

Published
Categorized as Marketing

Brain-Dump Before A Vacation

Often, when I’m waiting to fall asleep,
I’ll figure out the solutions
to some of my writing problems.

If I try to keep these solutions
in my brain,
I have trouble relaxing
and can’t fall asleep.

If I take two minutes
and write these solutions down,
I can relax
and fall asleep.

Writing things down
helps us to unwind
on vacations also.

In the July/August 2015
The Costco Connection,
Carole Spiers
shares

“Before you actually
leave the office,
make a to-do list
and “brain-dump”
all outstanding matters
to be addressed
upon your return.
This will help you
clear your mind
so you can relax.”

Write it down
so you can forget about everything
during your vacation.

Always Be Different

One of my pen names
is floundering
in a romance subgenre.
I was trying to figure out why.

Then I realized.
It wasn’t different enough
from the competition.
Yes, my voice is unique
but there wasn’t anything
I could point to
and say
“Hey readers,
you should buy these books
because XYZ.”

Brian Scudamore,
Founder of
1-800-GOT-JUNK?,
shares
(in July/August 2015
The Costco Connection)

“What is your business doing
that is new, exciting and different?
If you’re hearing crickets
when you ask yourself that,
it’s time to get creative.

Differentiating in a competitive market
is the only way to survive and thrive.
Whether it’s a quirky and engaging brand profile
or personalized customer service touches
(or both!),
evaluate why your company
deserves to lead the pack
in your industry.”

Always be different.

Self-Awareness And Success

We all have strengths and weaknesses.
Much of success is KNOWING
what these strengths and weaknesses
are.

An analysis by Korn Ferry
of 6,977 professionals
at 486 publicly traded companies
determined that

“Poor-performing companies’ professionals
were 79 percent more likely
to have low overall self-awareness
than those at firms with robust ROR.”

Joy Hazucha,
Global Vice President
of the Korn Ferry Institute,
shares

“Self-awareness can directly translate
into better choices,
and result in more fulfilling careers.
On the other hand,
those with low self-awareness
tend to scramble the messages
they receive concerning improvement,
interpreting them as a threat
rather than an opportunity.
They often have an
‘I am what I am’ mentality
and continue doing things
the way they always have.”

Are you in touch
with your TRUE personality?

Ask

Why was singer
Ed Sheeran
a co-host of the 2015 MMVAs?

Because he asked.
Less than a year ago,
he was interviewed by
one of the VJs
and he specifically asked
to be a co-host for the awards.

We all know the phrase
“Opportunities aren’t given.
They’re taken.”
This ‘taking’ usually isn’t brutal.
It’s often a firm ask.

And often the people asked
are flattered by the request.
They might not say ‘yes’
but, if the ask is polite,
it will be remembered.

Ask for the opportunities
you want.

Published
Categorized as Sales

If You Don’t Know…

I recently participated in
a workshop held by
a large New York Publisher.

The digital marketing expert
from this publisher
was asked the first question.

His answer was wrong.
It was so wrong
that the audience was speechless.

After that answer,
people started to leave.
The remaining people
pushed back on every answer.
He’d lost all credibility.

The sad truth is…
EVERYONE involved in the workshop
lost credibility.

You’re not a human Google.
No one expects you
to know everything.

If you don’t know an answer,
tell the asker
that you’ll get back to her.

Don’t guess.

Published
Categorized as Sales

The Power Of Expectations

Seth Godin
has a great post
on expectations.

One snippet that I love
is

“Expectations work
for two reasons.

First, they give us the enthusiasm
and confidence to do hard work.

Second, like a placebo,
they subtly change our attitude,
and give us the resilience
to make it through
the rough spots.
“Eventually” gives us
the energy to persist.

When our culture
(our media,
our power structures,
our society) says,
“people who look like you
shouldn’t expect to have
a life like that,”
we’re stealing.
Stealing from people
capable of achieving more,
and stealing
from our community as well.”

As I’ve mentioned previously
on clientk,
I wasn’t expected to be successful
by many of the people
around me.
They weren’t successful.
They didn’t think that was possible
for me.

But SOME of the people
I met
expected big things from me.
They were so loud with this opinion
that I believed them
and expected it from myself.

As a clientk reader,
I expect equally great things
from you.
You’re intelligent.
You have access to tools
(like a computer
and the internet).
You have everything you need
to become successful.

Expect success for yourself.

Birthdays And Anniversaries

I LOVE celebrating
my birthday
(my personal birthday,
my business’ birthday,
my relationship’s birthday,
etc.).

Why?

Because I love looking back
and seeing everything that I’ve done
(or my business has done or…)
over the past year.
I’m never in the same place
as I was 365 days ago.

If I find myself dreading my birthday,
I know I haven’t done enough.
I haven’t pushed myself enough.
I feel as though I’m in the same spot,
not progressing.

This dread is a wake up call.
It’s the emotional shove I need
to get ‘er done,
try new things,
do something different.

Make your birthday
a day to be celebrated.

When Your Spouse Is Better Known

Whenever I hear about a husband
becoming upset
because his wife is more successful
than he is,
I shake my head.

Strength aligns with strength.
This is true in Romance novels
(the heroine should be the hero’s equal)
and it is true in life.

If your spouse is badass,
I can assure you
that people KNOW you’re badass.

As Will Wagner
shares
(re: Dave Goldberg)

“Most strong personalities
would bristle at the perception
of being overshadowed
and might balk as being introduced
(as he often was)
as “Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey
and Husband of Sheryl Sandberg”.

Dave took that phrase
the way someone might take
the phrase
“CEO and Professional Race Car Driver.”
“Not only am I a great CEO and leader,
but I’m also a badass race car driver.”
Dave was clearly in love with his wife
and very proud of her,
and it showed.
She was part of his life story
and part of who he was.”

Your spouse is your partner,
not your competition.
When she does well,
you do well.
Be supportive.