Archive for September, 2009

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Marketing Tip: Be Passionate

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

Be passionate.

As a business owner: your enthusiasm, your positive energy and your problem-solving skills are sometimes exactly what it takes to save the day and the deal in a business transaction. Passion can actually be a great part of your marketing as a woman. Also, chances are what you offer is a product or service that you’ll be offering for a long time. It’s important that you love your product and believe in it – but it’s even more important for you to love and believe in your customer.

Be passionate first about serving the customer, not just from a customer service standpoint after they become a customer but also in the marketing message that you build before they become a customer. Don’t fall in love with your products (in terms of where your time and energy goes) fall in love with your customers – their needs, what matters to them, how you can help. For many women business owners we have a tendency to wait a little bit until others sort of draw us out and approve of what we do. Passion says, “I’m sold on this. I’m enthusiastic about this. I’d love you to be, too.”

One of the things we love about famous people is their passion: consider the intensity of Donald Trump, the mirth and ease of Jay Leno, the conviction and honesty of Oprah Winfrey and the outrageousness of comedienne Joan Rivers. All of them have a “brand” with their look, their personality and the way they come across to others. We like them (or not) because we know what we can expect with them consistently. You have to own it, be it and work it. When you believe it and convey your convictions others will be drawn into your passion and want to do business with you as a result.

If something doesn’t quite work the way you’d like it to at first – don’t blame your customers for “not getting it.” They are never to blame – the responsibility belongs to us as the business owner to help them “get it.” Your target market is the final arbiter – the problem isn’t about them. It’s about you and your message. Be passionate enough to discover the best way for you to get through.

PS: Get your personally autographed copy of Denise Michaels business bestseller by clicking here. And, you can get her free tips to help you be marketing savvy and more confident as a woman business owner at Empower U Academy.

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How to Make News Work for Your Business (Part 2)

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

Ever wondered how small business owners seem to get headlines in the media while you’ve sent in media releases in the past – but nothing’s ever happened? Today’s post is about how to use the news in a positive way to promote and market your business more successfully. This strategy is testosterone-free, can be done on a shoestring budget and will help women discover one of the secrets to media coverage that works.

Yesterday my post was about how to get a more balanced view of the news. How to see it in a more clear way, stay on top of things and spend less time doing it. Today is about promoting your business – plain and simple. Marketing you – the woman who owns a business. And, understanding news really CAN make a positive difference for a change.

This strategy is known as the “hook” or the “angle.”

If you recall in yesterday’s post one of the ways the media uses to fill up their hours and hours of endless news coverage time is to spin off new “angles” or “tangents” on the same story. Guess what? You may be able to help them to do just that. *wink*

When a story is really big and there is a tremendous amount of interest in it – reporters, editors and producers are desperately looking for new “angles” or “hooks” to keep up the already heightened interest. When they say a story has “legs” it means there are a lot of ways that story can keep going and going.

The biggest news story of the decade was the event that took place September 11, 2001. Look at all the groups impacted:

• People in New York
• People who got out of the World Trade Center buildings
• Families of the people who didn’t get out
• The fire department that helped and lost 300+ firefighters
• Employees and families of Canton Fitzgerald on the 96th floor most of whom perished
• The travel industry New York
• The airline industry nationwide
• Hawaiin tourism – their primary industry – took a huge hit
• Rudy Giuliani (the mayor of NYC at the time) surged in popularity
• The insurance company in Switzerland who insured the buildings that fell
• A manufacturer of American flags in New Jersey had skyrocketing sales
• A suburb in New Jersey lost 50+ residents
• The funeral industry was impacted and there was a shortage of caskets
• Broadway and the theatres on the Great White Way
• 143 people who perished were from Great Britain
• People around the US who had relatives in 9/11
• Our US military
• … and many, many more

Every one of the bullets above created stories in newspapers, on TV, radio and online – sometimes numerous stories. I could go on writing bullets like what you see above for another hour – but hopefully you get the idea how two planes flying into the World Trade Center impacted not just those buildings and the people in them but much, much more.

Your mission – should you choose to accept it – is to watch for big news stories and create an angle or a hook where you can respond as an expert or authority within your business. It doesn’t have to be nearly as big a story as 9/11 was. But it must be big enough to have legs. And when it happens you need to respond quickly.

Let me give you three examples:

Several years ago there was a guy in Atlanta who was in the courtroom being sentenced – I think it was for attempted rape. Somehow he managed to steal the gun from the bailiff. Then, he shot and killed the judge and bailiff. Next he got out of the courthouse and stole a car. He killed two more people on his spree and ended up at the apartment of Ashley Smith at 2:00 am. She’d just arrived home from buying cigarettes at the drug store across the street. In an ordeal that lasted all night she successfully talked this killing machine into taking her out of bondage and turning himself into police. Media called her a hero.

I wrote a media release and sent it out nationally saying she used “testosterone-free” marketing skills without even knowing it to bring the guy to justice. That release got me a 20 minute spot on a local TV interview show AND an article in a national business publication.

Here’s a second example:

Last July, the President was in a tele-town hall sponsored by AARP. He was asked about his health care plans. Particularly about one teensy part that allows doctors to get paid to talk with patients about their choices regarding end-of-life care. Obama replied he thought this was good because it encourages people to have a living will and we all should have a living will. And he said he and the First Lady both have a living will.

Well, I have a client who is an Elder Law attorney. I called her about this and suggested she check it out on CNN.com. Then I told her to write a media release positioning her as an authority in this regard. She did and got news coverage in her city – she still has a waiting list of clients who want her to draw up their living wills.

One last example:

I saw a story on CNN that said in a recent study it’s been determined that tanning beds are horribly carcinogenic and are a sure way to get skin cancer if you keep tanning that way on a regular basis. This story came out the beginning of August and Ernie and I had just returned from a glamorous one week cruise down to the Mexican Riviera. The day before we left I went to a woman who owns a business doing spray tans.

When I heard the story I called her on the phone and told her. I said she should write a media release reinforcing that spray tans are a safer way to go. She didn’t write the release but she put a box on her website with the story’s headline and a link to the video on CNN.com. Also, whenever she went to networking events she included that headline in her “elevator speech.” She told me just being aware of that news story helped her business tremendously the last couple months.

The moral is – don’t be afraid of the news or the media. Look at it not as a regular Joe or Joanne six-pack news consumer. Instead look for opportunities and ways that it can help your own business to grow and succeed.

Get more information about “How to Make Customers Happily say YES!” by clicking here.

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How to Make News Work for Your Business (Part 1)

Monday, September 28th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

You’re busy. You don’t have a lot of time for news. However, as a woman, home-based business owner out in the world, it’s probably a good strategy to keep up with what’s happening. Then there’s all that negativity in the news. Who needs all the dire predictions of increased terror alerts and another murder weighing you down?

This two part article provides a few smart guidelines for slightly overwhelmed women business owners to keep up with news without getting caught up in it. Maybe you can even benefit from it. Hopefully, I have some useful knowledge for the task. Journalism was one of my majors in college (Marketing was the other).

If you’re over 40 it may be hard to remember a day when we didn’t have so much TV news. There was a half hour in the morning. A half hour at noon. A half hour at dinner time. And a half hour at 11:00 pm. That’s it. I remember when NBC’s The Today Show was one hour – now it’s four hours. It’s crazy.

Traditional news as an industry is going through massive change. It’s not just in the last year with the economic tailspin we’ve experienced. In the last two decades with the onset of the internet, newpapers and two a lesser degree are barely hanging on with their fingernails for survival.

“So what? Why should I care?” you say. Consider this: the vast majority of investigative journalism that uncovers the big stories is provided by and paid for by traditional news sources. Newspapers and TV are online – but most haven’t yet figured out how to turn online news into a profitable business model that supports all their costs.

There are three cable news networks that report all news all the time: FOX, CNN and MSNBC. Then there’s ever-increasing news programming on network television. Then there’s what I call “niche news” like CSpan, providing gavel to gavel coverage of Congress. “E” is about entertainment news – basically celebrity fluff.

Since there’s not much more happening, but 24 hours of time to fill and tougher competition for ratings (which is translated to advertising revenues and survival) what’s a network exec to do?

There’s plenty of news out there – but by and large Americans aren’t overly concerned with international headlines. Also, we seem to only be able to handle a few snippets of good news – what gets eyeballs glued to the the tube are the three Cs: conflict, controversy and confrontation If happy, positive news of what’s right in the world got the same kind of ratings – believe me – that’s what would be aired.

Three things:
• Repeat the same story over and over again. Ever notice how the same video image is looped over and over again?
• Spin off new “angles” or “tangents” on the same story – this tactic can be an opportunity for your business I’ll discuss in a future post.*
• Sensationalize and whip up stories that are much ado about nothing into a frenzy.

One truism for news: “When dog bites man – that’s not news. Ahhhh, but when man bites dog? THAT’S news!

TV news is the most sensational. Why? It’s all about entertainment value – it’s a show. Written words seem less crazy-making than visual images and out-of-breath news anchors. What to do? Get your news online in written form or from a newspaper. If you feel you must watch – watch short videos online. Most of the commercials are removed – so you save time. And, you don’t have to watch stories you’re not interested in.

No matter where you get news – mix it up. Don’t get it from just one source if you want a balanced point of view. Sure, it’s pleasant to read or watch news that always agrees with your point of view. But it’s smart to understand the other side.

Also, avail yourself of news sources from other countries. BBC for example. Since my husband is originally from India, I get a kick out of Times of India. Just click on “World” and you’ll get a whole new perspective about how that part of the world sees us. Other online newspapers in English originate from different countries, too.

Let me give you an example:

FOX News clearly leans to the conservative right, politically. The network has spearheaded and given the most airtime to the “tea party” demonstrations and other right wing interests. FOX is most likely to oppose the current administration in the White House. Sean Hannity is especially virulent in his disdain of our current President. Many of his “news stories” fall into the category of much ado about nothing whipped into a frenzy.

Last week apparently a video surfaced on YouTube of school children singing songs praising President Obama. Hannity reported it as children being indoctrinated akin to something like “Hitler Youth.”

The next morning I saw the same “story” reported on CNN. The school principal was interviewed. She shared a few details: it was a one time program during Black History Month. The school children sang songs about President Washington, President Lincoln and President Obama. You still might now agree – but it’s a very different story indeed. But you would never get that context if you only watched the Hannity version of the story.

So, when reading or watching news keep these guidelines in mind.
• Don’t get overwhelmed with it.
• Limit your time with it.
• Avoid over-exposure to TV news
• And not too much all from one source.
• It’s all about balance.

Tomorrow my blog post will be about how you can use the news in a positive way to help promote your business.

PS: Go to http://www.EmpowerUAcademy.com for my marketing and empowerment tipse. Also, find out about my one-on-one mentoring program at http://www.MentoringwithDenise.com

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The American Dream: Does it Still Work?

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

My husband Ernie and I live in Las Vegas which is absolutely in the depths of the housing slump. Since we had the highest highs – we’ve also had the most precipitous drop. Real estate appears poised to go up now – but it’s been a pretty long, fast, slide downward the last couple years. There’s a local show on radio once a week on the state of the housing and real estate market.

Recently a guest on the show remarked perhaps the idea of owning a home with a 30-year mortgage as “the American Dream” doesn’t set well with our changing, shifting lifestyles and careers anymore. After all, that model came into vogue back in the days when many Americans worked 30-40 years for the same company.

Now, not only don’t many of us work for the same company throughout our career. More and more of us are entrepreneurial, home-based business owners and don’t work for any company – like myself. At times entrepreneurs have gaps in their income that don’t fit with a big mortgage every month. That’s become the new norm when it comes to work. And as we’re digging out of this recession I believe we’re going to have an unprecedented wave of entrepreneurism. But mortgages are still like an albatross around the neck whether a person’s income goes up or down. Doesn’t quite work.

My husband and I own our home. We’ve been here almost eight years. We bought when the market was down right after 9/11. We didn’t do anything fancy or clever – just a basic, 30 year fixed mortgage. We also chose to live in a home that was below our means. Not very sexy. Unlike many of our friends and family who bought as much home as they could possibly qualify for. It’s decorated elegantly – but in size it’s modest. Our mortgage payment is equivalent to what many pay to rent a basic two bedroom apartment.

We have friends who’ve lost their fancy homes the last two years for a myriad of reasons. One couple we know – they’re both entreprenuers. The kids are close to grown and almost launched. He still works his full-time job in addition to his business. They live in a gorgeous home in a very upscale area but the income from their respective home-based businesses doesn’t really cut the mustard when it comes to the cashflow needed to live in that house. They know and accept sagely it’ll be a couple years before it flips around. They moved in four years ago when the market was at the top of it’s lofty peak. She recently whispered to me they’re trying to short sell the house and move into something much smaller. I told her about our smaller by half home and she sighed, “I wish we’d done that.”

We also have family members who are positively cash strapped to a massive mortgage. They too bought at the top of the market. She wasn’t working because she’d just had a baby a few months before they bought the house. She’s back to work now, but because of the high mortgage payments when their adjustable mortgage went up – she doesn’t really have the choice to be home with her kids.

We chose to live carefully and set aside the difference and we’ve invested in ourselves and in our own businesses. As a result, we’ve created a different kind of wealth. Part of it is money – but even more important is the knowledge that our security is all about our ability to create more money as we travel through life.

I don’t believe in relying on a specific theory or idea about money or security. None of them seem to hold water the way they did 20 years ago. The tectonic plates are shifting and the world is changing too fast to stay “married” to one idea or notion anymore. We’re shifting right along with it – and enjoying the journey.

PS: Visit me online at http://www.EmpowerUAcademy.com for great ideas to help you in business and in life

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Secrets to Stimulating Your Own Cashflow

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

Sure, pundits and experts are starting to cautiously say “the recession is over.” However, if you’re like millions of women business owners you put on a happy face to the rest of the world that says, “Everything’s great!” but on the inside you may still be concerned.

How do you stimulate your personal economy so you get results rather than get caught up in the lack mass consciousness that’s become so pervasive the last year. This article provides seven stimulating secrets to get you back on track. Successful women in business depend on these principles to keep their cashflow humming so when someone asks them about business they can honestly and enthusiastically say, “We must be doing something right. My business hasn’t been impacted.”

• Stay away from the nattering nabobs of negativity. Whether its cable news almost predicting Armageddon daily, or, just the people you meet at a networking mixer who have fear all over their face. Stay away from anything less than optimistic. It’s impossible to be confident when you feel afraid. About 15 minutes of news daily is all you need to keep up to speed with what’s happening. Turn off the news and focus on the 99 percent of the world that’s doing well.

• Make progress every day and give yourself credit. Focus on doing what gives you the greatest results. Creating a successful business is about moving energy and building momentum. Consider all the thrust it takes to get a jet off the ground. Except the most important work you do may not be about running around. The most important work can be about consciously shifting your mindset. Then, when you take action amazing things happen.

• Speak with enthusiasm and passion. Wealthy people attract others to their dreams by speaking with passion, enthusiasm and confidence. They give the impression they just know their product or service is amazing and their business will be a winner. Once you launch your business stop looking for validation. Get over feeling like you need “permission.” If you offer good value and products or services that help others you don’t need permission or validation from anyone.

• Be bold. One bold stroke to get the word out can do much more than dozens of hesitant, little moves. This means expanding your comfort zone because your business growth doesn’t happen any faster than your personal growth. This mean when you decide you’re going to get on a radio talk show or do some other promotion that’ll make a big splash you do it with your head up, with boldness and confidence.

• Understand the importance of marketing. Marketing is about building relationships – but it’s more than smiling and chatting with other business owners at a networking mixer. Your marketing message goes out ahead of you. It precedes you. It should filter out people not likely to do business with you and filter in people who are likely to do business with you. Filtering means when you actually talk with a prospective customer chances are they already know about you and are partially pre-sold making sales much easier.

• Be emotionally compelling. People still have wants and needs. What’s lacking right now is trust and confidence. When people feel you understand, empathize and have a solution for their problem they will do business with you. Too many business owners try to play it safe because they think customers will buy based only on features and benefits. They must see how your features and benefits help them solve their problems.

• Ask for the sale. Some business owners enjoy building the relationship however they’re afraid they might mess it up by asking for the sale. Don’t be pushy but do be willing to confidently guide and direct a conversation. After I’ve explained everything about what I offer, me fees and answered all their questions and gotten strong signals they are interested my closing question is, “When would you like to get started?”

By following these seven secrets you’ll crack the code on stimulating your own economy. You’ll discover more people are receptive and open to what you offer. They will come to trust you and have confidence in you and as a result your cash flow will increase. You will be in your own flow of wealth and abundance so when people ask you about your business you can sincerely smile and say, “My business is great!!”

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Women Biz Owners: Get Your Systems Together

Friday, September 25th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

Lately I’ve been busy. It’s better than being bored – but it’s also important to decide if your kind of busy is “smart, profitable busy” or is it “just keeping busy.” I try to be aware how much time I spend on marketing, servicing clients, long-range strategic planning and just daily maintenance stuff like catching up with emails, etc.

Don’t get stuck like many women do, “in the thick of thin things.” Or spin your wheels, wasting valuable time on work that’s of little consequence. No wonder you end up feeling like success is elusive and you’ll have to keep working harder and harder to achieve only marginal gains. It can do a number on your confidence level, too.

Though most of my clients come to me from online, this year I’ve focused a lot of attention on becoming more well-known in my local area of Las Vegas. That means online and offline networking. Traffic building online (I have four sites and this new blog) and building a “fan base” offline locally.

Most of my marketing mentoring clients come to me from online. Most of my book sales and workshop sales come from offline. Currently I have several projects I want to build up a head of steam with. Especially my Empower U Academy site – it’s brand new and time to implement my marketing plan. Also, I have a marketing workshop coming up Monday November 2nd to fill. That doesn’t include regular marketing and book mentoring clients, bringing in new clients, networking, writing for this blog. Going to the gym. And oh, once in awhile it’s nice to spend a little quality time with my husband, Ernie. There’s a lot on my plate.

One thing I’m working to improve in my business is systems. Because I’m a writer and a creative person it’s not where my energy naturally goes. However, I’m cognizant how important it is to have systems in place. So when business comes in you have a way of handling it without throwing your hands up in the air and falling into a blithering heap of overwhelm. Without systems in place this is a very real possibility.

So, how do you do it? Well, as I just said in the last paragraph this isn’t where my energy naturally goes so I’m not an expert. One great suggestion is to get one of Michael Gerber’s “E-Myth” books. Start with “The E-Myth Revisited.” Its a fast, easy read.

Here are a couple over-arching aims when it comes to systems. Think about the orderly process of a sale and what that process should be like for your customer. Then think about the experience of doing business with you. From start to finish. You want the experience to be fairly consistent and congruent from one customer to the next. And, if the person providing the experience isn’t necessarily you – how would you bring them up to speed? Systems are created from the place of what you want the experience to be like for your customers.

You know what it’s like when you refer a friend to a great restaurant. You tell them what a wonderful time you had. You share about the amazing food, the ambience and the stellar service. A few weeks later your friend says, “I don’t know what happened but that isn’t at ALL the experience we had.” Then she tells you about the undercooked food and the lackluster service. You feel bad you referred her and make a mental note not to refer anyone else. The experience you had is totally different from the experience she had.

Putting systems into place in your business sounds boring – but in reality it’s quite exciting. You can finally run your business with less overwhelm, happier customers or clients, more referrals and create more cashflow for yourself and all the people and things that matter in your life. Because it’s important to have a business you’re passionate about. But transforming your business from an expensive hobby to a real business must be about passion AND having the pieces in place to create real cashflow.

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Focus on Your Highest and Best Use of Time

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

Living life on purpose means making conscious choices about how to spend your time in business and in life – every hour of the day. These are lofty words but I felt it would be valuable to give our women business owner readers a sense of how to keep living on purpose when stuff happens. Because when you get rocked off your foundation and dragged off on a tangent it can shake your confidence. The opposite of feeling empowered.

About ten years ago I got a big “a-ha” when I was working with a mega-bestselling author. Someone wanted to do a certain business deal with him. He didn’t want to do it. He said to the person at the other end of the phone line, “I’m not going to do this deal with you. And it’s not because it’s not a good proposal – it is. I’m confident you’ll make a lot of money with it. But here’s why I’m bowing out: over the years I’ve discovered it only makes sense for me to get involved with projects and ideas I’m really passionate about. I can see you’re passionate about it – and that’s good. But I’m not. So I’m going to pass because I want to keep my energy, resources and everything else focused on the things I’m really good at. Those few things I have a deep passion about.”

Overhearing that conversation turned me around. I got clarity, focus and started thinking differently about all the business deals and opportunities pitched to me by other women. As if we all have unlimited time and can keep stuffing more and more into our already over-stressed, over-stuffed lives. We don’t. It’s a great example of making a conscious choice and living on purpose.

How many times have you been approached by someone abuzz with a network marketing company or direct selling. They say something like, “If you love the product you should consider becoming a distributor.” Or here’s a good one: “You can do the business in your spare time.”

My reply, “What spare time?” I’m already having a tough time fitting in an hour to go to the gym and maybe spend a little quality time with my husband now and then whom I love dearly. How am I supposed to fit in time for another business?”

It might make perfect sense to a lot of people, but now that I have the clarity from that experience – it’s about the dumbest stuff I’ve ever heard. After all, I might love Prego Spaghetti Sauce but that doesn’t mean I’m interested in selling it as a business. Please don’t take this as if I have something against networking businesses – I don’t. Many people enjoy satisfying and successful businesses in MLM and that’s fine. I’m only speaking from my experience.

For women who are promoting a business – if you can show your prospects how your product, service or business opportunity IS the highest and best use of time and is in alignment with their core values – you will build your organization much faster. I use this approach in my own sales and about 75-80 percent of the time they happily say “yes.”

So keep your eye and our focus on what really matters, we can more easily judge what we want to put our valuable time into. We can discern that which feeds our passions and provides us with satisfaction no matter how much money we’re making – and which detracts from our lives.

PS: Visit http://www.EmpowerUAcademy.com and get my free marketing and empowerment tips today. Fast, free and delivered to your inbox.

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Boomer Women: Great Target Market for Your Business

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

DMM: Whose your target market? Are you marketing to one of the largest audiences in America with more disposable income than any other demographic group? It’s baby boomers. The people who are the best “fit” for my products and services are generally women business owners age 40-65. Much to the chagrin of some Gen Y and Gen X folks – we aren’t going away any time soon.

Okay, some of us wear mom jeans and still wear a wrist watch. We are still care about buying products and services. The short article below from Entrepreneur Magazine will give you a little more of an idea of the power of marketing to boomers

A baby boomer turns 50 every 7 seconds–joining a population segment that will grow by 25 percent in the next decade while other segments remain flat.

Matt Thornhill, founder of consulting firm The Boomer Project, which helps businesses reach adults born between 1946 and 1964, says it’s time for marketers to recalibrate their thinking about marketing to older adults. Boomers are a dynamic group that’s much more open to new experiences and brands than previous generations of older adults have been. Stephanie Lakhani found that to be true at her upscale Breathe Wellness Spasin Boise, Idaho. Catering primarily to boomers, the two spas bring in about $1.2 million per year. She says boomers are an excellent target, with disposable income and a tendency to refer business. “They expect perfect service,” says Lakhani, 35, who adds, “They tend to travel and buy in groups, so giving them an incentive to refer a friend in the form of an upgrade or a thank you [gesture] works very well. They are also very responsive to direct mail.”

Thornhill adds that marketers should target boomers by what they’re doing instead of how old they are. “Boomers are living such cyclical lives. In their 40s or 50s, they could be going back to college, be empty nesters or be married a second time and raising a young family,” he explains. “You wouldn’t sell the same vacation package to all these people. So pick the lifestyle segment you’re targeting, and focus on that.”

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Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Watch Your Cash Flow Grow

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

I’m leaving for the gym in a few minutes. It’s out of my comfort zone and not where I feel confident by any stretch of the imagination. As a woman business owner I have so much more to do that’s the highest and best use of my time. If I’m not marketing or selling, I’m talking with a mentoring client, creating alliances, planning for my next workshop or maybe throwing a load of clothes into the washer. But I’m going to the gym in a few minutes anyway. My husband Ernie’s bugging me to get moving.

When I get there I’ll probably groan through the first few laps around the track before picking up steam. I’ll probably do some upper body exercises with weights. Some of those machines I actually get a weird pleasure from Then I’ll walk and it’ll feel effortless to total three miles. I’d still rather be working on my business.

I feel like a fish out of water at the gym. I don’t look like the impossibly fit bodies there. I go with the eternal hope someday this 50-plus body will be whipped into shape.

I’m thinking about two marketing mentoring clients I talked with yesterday. During our session they exclaimed, “But Denise, I don’t do THAT! I’ve NEVER done that before.” They were arguing for their limitations. These were tasks that were new but not necessarily difficult or requiring a high degree of skill.

Isn’t that the point? Your business growth cannot happen any faster than your personal growth.

Before agreeing to work with a new client I ask a few questions. One of them is, How many hours a week do you put into your business?” Some clients still have full time jobs – however I’m not the right person to work with anyone putting in less than 15 hours a week. I also ask, “Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone?” Because the things you’ll need to do to reach your goals will naturally be different than the things you’ve already done. This takes many people out of their comfort zone.

We all have the tasks and activities we feel confident about. They come so naturally to us its like falling off a log. Everything else tends to make us a little uncomfortable. If you don’t take a chance and try something new you’ll never know exactly what your business and your life could’ve been otherwise.

Get my marketing and empowerment tips in your Inbox at http://www.EmpowerUAcademy.com

Discover more about how marketing mentoring with Denise can help you reach the levels of success you’re striving for at http://www.MentoringwithDenise.com

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Posted in Marketing Bits | 2 Comments »

74 Powerful and Impactful Questions

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Whenever I post this list – people think I’m a genius. Not so. I learned these questions from speaker, David Cooper. He says they should be delivered in a soft voice with a smile. Tailor made for women business owners to help you market and sell. I always give credit to Cooper – but some people forget in their enthusiasm. Do a good job presenting your product or service and questions like these can help you get to a happy “yes” more quickly. Consider this a little early Christmas gift.

By David Cooper

1. Can you get excited about……………..?
2. Do you see the value of………………..?
3. Do you see the benefit of…………….. ?
4. Can you see the merit in………………?
5. Wouldn’t it be terrific if………………?
6. Aren’t you glad that ………………….?
7. Aren’t you looking forward to………..?
8. Doesn’t it make sense to ……………..?
9. Don’t you agree ………………………?
10. Isn’t it going to be fun when………….?
11. Isn’t it about time that ………………..?
12. Doesn’t it give you confidence to know…….?
13. Wouldn’t it be worth while to find…………..?
14. Can you see the advantage of………………..?
15. Wouldn’t it be reassuring to…………………?
16. Don’t you feel that …………………………..?
17. Wouldn’t it be great to save money by………?
18. Aren’t you really excited that ……………….?
19. Won’t it be gratifying when…………………?
20. Isn’t it good to know…………………………?
21. Wouldn’t it be marvelous to …………………?
22. Haven’t you enjoyed…………………………?
23. Haven’t you benefited by……………………?
24. Wouldn’t you be happy to find………………?
25. Aren’t you happy to know…………………..?
26. Aren’t you anxious to know…………………?
27. Isn’t it fantastic to know…………………….?
28. Isn’t it wonderful to find…………………….?
29. Wouldn’t it be satisfying to know…………..?
30. Isn’t it worth considering that………………?
31. Wouldn’t you prefer………………………..?
32. Don’t you feel that it is best if……………..?
33. Don’t you feel knowing that……………….?
34. Can’t you see how this would………………?
35. Wouldn’t it be significant if……………….?
36. Wouldn’t you like to strive for…………….?
37. Wouldn’t a higher quality life be worth……?
38. Wouldn’t it be tremendous if………………?
39. Wouldn’t you agree………………………..?
40. Wouldn’t it be great………………………..?
41. Wouldn’t it open doors if………………….?
42. Isn’t it worth……………………………….?
43. Wouldn’t you benefit by…………………..?
44. Can you gain from…………….…………..?
45. What do you think about………………….?
46. Isn’t that exciting………………………….?
47. Wouldn’t you feel better if………………..?
48. If the results were…………………………?
49. Wouldn’t it change your mind if………….?
50. Wouldn’t you reach the top quicker by……?
51. Wouldn’t it help your career if……………?
52. Do you feel the power in………………….?
53. Isn’t it stimulating when………………….?
54. Don’t you know that………………………?
55. Wouldn’t a highlight be…………………..?
56. Couldn’t it light up your life………………?
57. Aren’t you delighted that…………………?
58. Doesn’t it thrill you to know………………?
59. Wouldn’t you be pleased if……………….?
60. Wouldn’t you take pride in……………….?
61. Wouldn’t it be motivating to……………..?
62. Wouldn’t you love to grow by……………?
63. Isn’t it inspiring to know…………………?
64. Wouldn’t it make a difference if…………?
65. Wouldn’t your success be guaranteed if….?
66. Wouldn’t you enjoy knowing…………….?
67. Do you realize the importance of…………?
68. Wouldn’t your family enjoy……………..?
69. Can you see the potential of……………..?
70. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know………?
71. Wouldn’t it be an exciting challenge if…..?
72. Isn’t it going to be incredible when………?
73. Could you reach more of your potential by..?
74. Can you visualize the monetary gain of……?

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Be the Change You want to See in Your Business

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

By Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”

After years of mentoring clients and leading teleclasses and workshops I’ve encountered many personalities among women business owners. Frequently I meet people excited, optimistic and confident about the possibilities to market and grow their business. But every time I talk with them they don’t seem like they’re moving forward. They smile and say all right things – but something holds them back from getting the good they say they want.

So it’s with apologies that you see above in the headline I’ve butchered Ghandi’s famous quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

If I had a nickel for every aspiring business owner who said, “Denise, I’ve read books, listened to audios and spent thousands on seminars. I should be a millionaire by now.” The missing link between buying knowledge and achieving confidence, abundance, health and anything else is taking action.

If you start an exercise program and go for a fifteen minute walk four times a week, you will get one result. Let’s say you start a different fitness program. You start eating healthier and gradually work up to running thirty minutes every day. And, you train with weights. The second fitness program will give you a different result. It’s about “cause and effect” again.

Let’s say you apply your energy to solving a specific problem. How you implement solutions impacts your results. One choice is to do nothing, toss up your hands and say, “I don’t know where to start,” Doing is key. Another choice is to say, “I can’t wait to see what good will come of this” and take proactive steps forward. You’ll get a different result. It’s all about cause and effect.

Yes, sometimes taking action is a little scary. I understand. It’s easier to spend time wandering aimlessly – considering different possibilities and ideas. After all, you never have to face rejection or failure that way. I say these people are spinning in the world of ideas. The ideas all look enticing – but you never enjoy the benefits until you pick a direction and take decisive action.

Most people who become wealthy do so because they take the same ideas (cause) and move energy, creating an effect. Some are motivated and go for it on their own. Others are smart enough to realize they needed help and mentorship to help them develop their strategy and ideas, support them when blocks come up and hold them accountable.

When you listen actively do you consider:

• How can I take this idea and use it to work for me?
• What would happen if I just went ahead and did it?
• How can I take this idea and push it even further to the next level?
• How can I customize this idea to my business and my needs?
• What obstacles are in my way? How can I remove them?
• How can I create a system that doesn’t require hands-on involvement?
• Will this idea help me create more of what I want?

What effects are you creating? Do you communicate clearly? Are you building positive relationships in business so you get the results you want and the cash flow, too? Are you looking for ways to put knowledge into action?

One of my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein is, “Insanity means doing things the way you’ve always done them and expecting a different result.” Your willingness to put cause and effect into action will help you take action and get the results you deserve.

Get my free mentoring and empowerment tips at http://www.EmpowerUAcademy.com Great information, very helpful right at your fingertips.

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Posted in Personal Growth | 4 Comments »

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