Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

What do John Cena & Wrestling have to do with your business?

My 15-year-old nephew is a fan of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and of John Cena (one of their stars) in particular. 

This weekend, while flipping through stations, I kept seeing an ad for WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view and pictures of Cena wearing a t-shirt with "HLR" on it.  So last night, when WWE was coming on, I hopped over to see what the "HLR" was for.

Turns out it's for Hustle - Loyalty - Respect -- these are the tenets by which John Cena's character lives.

Think about that for a second: Hustle, Loyalty and Respect.

Pretty good, wouldn't you agree?

While I never would have thought my business had anything to do with wrestling, it absolutely does.

Here's how I incorporate those words into my business and life:

Hustle -- Implement and take action quickly, as if your life depends on it because, quite frankly, your business life DOES depend on it.

Loyalty -- Remain loyal to your business by remembering that YOU are its owner and responsibility for its success or failure rests with you and remain loyal to your clients and customers by treating them with the utmost...

Respect -- Your clients are people, not a tribe, not a herd, and not dollar signs.  They are real people who each have a unique gift and your *job* is to help them fully impact the world by using YOUR gift.

So how will you incorporate H-L-R into your life, starting today? 

Stuck? 4 Steps for Making the RIGHT Decision

Ever had one of those times when you have to make a decision and just aren't sure what to do?

Here are the 4 strategies I use for making decisions when the answer isn't immediately obvious to me:

1. Ensure I'm not feeling stressed -- about the choice or anything else.  If I'm feeling stressed, I do something to relax (get a massage, go for a walk, etc.) and don't even consider the choice at hand until I'm fully relaxed.
2. Pick up the phone and call a few friends.  It helps me to discuss the pros and cons with a few good friends -- while I may not always agree with them, hearing different opinions helps to open my mind to things I may not have considered.
3. Once I'm relaxed and have chatted with a few friends, it's time for me to sleep on it.  I pose the question to my subconscious and let it do the work while I sleep.
4. After a good night's sleep, I get up, do some yoga and have breakfast and then check in (out loud)with my intuition and go with my first thought.

I find that this 4-step system rarely lets me down...try it and let me know how it works for you.  :-)

Affiliate Programs: The Truths No One Talks About

When used properly, affiliate, or referral, programs are fabulous:

• for you (the host if you will),
• for your affiliates -- after all, they get to share a great resource AND get paid for it -- and
• for your new client who may not have been exposed to your wonderful info otherwise.

So knowing that affiliate programs are "so fabulous", why aren't more people using them to their fullest advantage?

Quite simply, affiliate programs are vastly underutilized as most business owners don't know how to properly leverage an affiliate, or referral, program.

First, there's setting it up in the shopping cart or acquiring one through another online gateway -- it's not the most user intuitive process out there and most business owners don't take the time to learn it properly or make it easy for their affiliates to use.

Second, as affiliate sales start rolling in, you're thrilled/excited even. And then it happens, the day you're supposed to pay your affiliate commissions and you find they're in the thousands of dollars and you don't have that cash "on hand".

Let me take a moment to say that having affiliate commissions in the thousands of dollars is not necessarily a bad thing.

It can mean you're reaching clients who would have never heard of you/your product if not for your affiliates and so your sales are up, up, up (good thing).

or

It can also mean that you're relying a bit too much on your affiliates to do your marketing for you and you're not using enough different media on your own (not-so-good thing as you're likely paying more for affiliate commission than you would for increased marketing).

You know which category you fall into. :-)

Business owners who have high affiliate sales must (and I don't use this word lightly) be sure to set aside the affiliate commissions as the sales are made and revenue comes in so that you're not surprised when the "bill comes due".

The worst thing you can do is make your affiliates wait for their commissions -- it sends a message that you don't value them (even if you do).

So what SHOULD you be doing for your affiliate program?

1. Provide your affiliates with cut-and-paste email language, Twitter/Facebook posts, etc. so it’s as easy as possible for them to promote you and your product/service
Set aside the funds for your affiliates so when “pay day” comes, you have the cash ready to go
2. Speaking of “pay day”, most affiliate programs pay affiliates on the paydate after the sale is made (if yours is different, let your affiliates know up front, such as in the case of waiting for an event to occur) so no one's surprised
3. And to continue with “pay day” items, if you offer your affiliates a choice about how they get paid (check or PayPal, for example), respect their choice and
4. If you’re paying through PayPal, avoid using the e-check option as your affiliates will have to wait an additional 2-15 days in order to access their funds

Most of the above deal with paying your affiliates and there's a reason:

Once you've gone through the work of finding them, signing them up and teaching them how to represent you, the last thing you want to do is mess up the payment part.

Make It Real: My Request to You

If you don't yet have an affiliate program, PERFECT, as you'll avoid making the above mistakes which so many have done before you and can get started on the right foot. :-)

And if you do have an affiliate program, let me share some things I'm in the process of implementing for my affiliates with the hopes of inspiring you to greater heights for your own:

1. Sending out a hardcopy resource kit (I've accepted that the shopping cart confuses many and want to make it SUPER easy)
2. Hosting quarterly contests for affiliates
3. Making commissions recurring on recurring/continuity programs so that we all benefit

So what can you do TODAY to create, or increase the effectiveness of, your affiliate program?

And if you're interested in joining my program, click here to sign up. :-)

Strong Boundaries: The Cornerstone of Every Profitable Business

When was the last time a client called your cell phone after hours or sent you an email at 8pm and expected an answer by 9pm or didn’t pay you per your agreement? Or a vendor or coach took a week to answer an email?

If this is happening, it’s time to either set, or reaffirm, your boundaries.

What are boundaries?

Personally, I like to think of “boundaries” as “the standards around which I manage my business”. For example:

What are the hours you’re *at* work and take phone calls?

What are the terms under which you accept payment, and won’t work otherwise?

What happens when clients make an appointment and then don’t show? Do you let them reschedule?

What is an acceptable way for others to speak/write to you? If they’re frustrated, are you willing to be their punching bag? (Your answer better be NO! here.)

You get the idea.

Boundaries aren’t negative. They are an extension of you and communicate to your clients how you’re willing to do business with them.

That said, on the flip side, as a client, you should have boundaries or standards as well. For example:

What is an acceptable timeframe for your questions to be answered?

Do you prefer email, telephone or both as the situation dictates?

What is an acceptable way for others to speak/write to you? If they’re frustrated, are you willing to be their punching bag? (Your answer better be NO! here – and “yes”, this is a repeat of the above.)

If you’re a client hiring someone, you’ll want to know both your and their boundaries before you start doing business together.

After all, if, as the client, your standard is such that all questions must be answered within 48 hours and your coach/vendor doesn’t answer emails on Fridays or Mondays, the relationship may not be a good fit for you.

As the coach/vendor, it’s your responsibility to tell your clients what they can expect, before they become clients, so they can make a decision which will save you both time and frustration down the line.

It’s important that you have a set of boundaries or standards which you adhere to in working with others – doing so makes it easy to decide if you want to work with someone (either as client or coach/vendor). After all, they either meet your standards and *get* your boundaries, or they don’t.

Setting boundaries and standards which are true to you make you authentic. And holding true to those boundaries and standards makes you a person, a business, of integrity.

My Request to You

As a coach/vendor: Ensure your client agreements accurately describe your turnaround times, any days you don’t work, payment terms, etc. so your clients can make informed decisions on working with you.

As a client: Ensure that the boundaries of your coaches and vendors are in sync with your wants and needs in order to get the most of each relationship.

In the end, it’s about respect for one another and the way we do business.

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

Client Retention Strategy EVERY Business Can Use -- Are YOU Doing It?

I've used Constant Contact (www.ConstantContact.com) in my business for years and just signed up for a second account for my husband's band.

Within hours of signing up, they called to ensure I had no questions and to give me the name and number of a real live person in case I DID have any questions down the road.

Contacting, or "touching", our clients just to touch base is an art which seems to have gone the way of the payphone.  Hardly any businesses are doing it these days, but those who do are generating immense customer loyalty and with it, higher revenues.

When was the last time you picked up the phone or sent an email (NOT an autoresponder) just to check in with a client?

More importantly, when will be the next time you do it?  Think about it...just one client every day. 

Thanks for making me see

I'm in Orlando having a wonderful time despite close to record-freezing temperatures this week -- no crowds at any of the parks, amazing shops (BCBG and Coldwater Creek are my favorites with Chicos on the "almost there" list) and great company (here with one of my best friends from the old *corporate* days).

My team, who I love and are absolutely amazing themselves, did something they NEVER do. . .they called me on vacation and begged me to do something.  You see...

In learning about my new Strategic Marketing -- Sandy Style "SMAC" program, Adam Urbanski, Marketing Mentor Extraordinnaire had this to say:

"I love it! The whole thing is just SMAColicious! Well... Except for the price! You are way underpricing this!"

And he's right.  I did underprice the program and did it consciously during these tough economic times. 

Since doing that however, my team has been swamped with emails and calls asking if the program REALLY includes everything on my information page given the low investment. 

Quite frankly, it's gotten to the point that I'm embarrassed about this price and will be increasing it substantially when I get back to Massachusetts on Monday, November 24th in order to reflect the value and results you'll receive (and have my team like me again).

And to give you an idea of my program's value, here's an excerpt from a recent client email:

"I know I'm not the first to tell you this but you are way undercharging for your services!  I soooooo get that and I soooooo appreciate all that you share..."

So if you're looking to start the New Year off right, now's the time to take action -- January will be too late!

Here's a recap of the most popular questions I've gotten about the program...

Q. Can I reserve a spot now and "start the clock" on my program in January?

A. ABSOLUTELY -- in fact, all of the November and December spots are gone and, as of this writing, there are ONLY 2 left for January.  As this is customized for each client, I only have room for so many.

Q. Is it possible to pay in installments?

A. Yes! I heard your requests and have added a two-pay investment option. You can learn more about it here.

Q. Is there a forum where we can speak with other people who are in the program?

A. Nope, this program is meant to build your list, get you increased exposure and get you new clients -- rather than post on an internal forum where everyone's talking about the same things, we'll be focusing on your posting on forums and social networking sites where your ideal clients hang out.

Q. Will you teach me the technical aspects of creating a website?

A. I'm not qualified to teach you the technical aspects of creating a website (heck, I couldn't even build one for my hubby's band).  I will however recommend you to resources I use as well as give you low cost, easy to implement choices which work extremely well.

Q. This program includes a variety of "contacts" or "touches", not just a calendar.  Is that right?

A. Yes...This program is the perfect mix of:

• Mentoring -- coaching and mentoring tips direct from me and geared towards moving you further faster
• Motivation -- a weekly fax designed to keep you informed and inspired
• How-to Support -- videos, audios and process maps designed to show you step-by-step how to get things done
• Concrete Action Steps -- your very own, customized-for-you calendar telling you what to do when

Q. How long will you offer this program for?

A. Until it stops being fun for me...I love what I do and if something changes that, I let it go.  :-)

Have more questions?  Send me an email or leave a comment here and I'll get back with you.

Click here to learn more or sign up today...

Adam Urbanski and Teri Garr's "Mr. Mom" Character Both Approve

In learning about my new Strategic Marketing -- Sandy Style "SMAC" program, Adam Urbanski, Marketing Mentor Extraordinnaire had this to say:

"I love it! The whole thing is just SMAColicious! Well... Except for the price! You are way underpricing this!"

And he's right.  I am underpricing it and I'm doing it consciously.  You see, I was chatting with a friend the other day and we got onto the topic of the economy and the energy around it when I got a flashback to the movie "Mr. Mom" that I saw as a kid.

I remembered "Mom" (Teri Garr) in the movie getting a job at an advertising agency and she came up with a campaign for canned tuna.  You see, the economy was tough in the movie, tuna sales were down and the client wasn't happy.

The premise of the campaign was that they would LOWER the price of the tuna during the tough economic times to help out their customers and prices would go back to normal once the economy rebounded.

And that's what I'm doing.  I'm offering this program at a "budget friendly" investment to help out my clients during a tough economy so that you can continue moving your business forward.

I've gotten several questions about the program and want to answer them here...

Q. Can I reserve a spot now and "start the clock" on my program in December or January?

A. ABSOLUTELY -- this program is not here to overwhelm you. If you want to reserve your spot, yet wait a bit before starting, that's completely doable -- remember, this is customized for YOU.

Q. Is it possible to pay in installments?

A. Yes! I heard your requests and have added a two-pay investment option. You can learn more about it here.

Q. Is there a forum where we can speak with other people who are in the program?

A. Nope, this program is meant to build your list, get you increased exposure and get you new clients -- rather than post on an internal forum, we'll be focusing on your posting on forums and social networking sites where your ideal clients hang out.

Q. Will you teach me the technical aspects of creating a website?

A. I'm not qualified to teach you the technical aspects of creating a website (heck, I couldn't even build one for my hubby's band last weekend).  I will however recommend you to resources I use as well as give you low cost, easy to implement choices which work extremely well.

Q. This program includes a variety of "contacts", not just a calendar.  Is that right?

A. Yes...This program is the perfect mix of:

• Mentoring -- coaching and mentoring tips direct from me and geared towards moving you further faster
• Motivation -- a weekly fax designed to keep you informed and inspired
• How-to Support -- videos, audios and process maps designed to show you step-by-step how to get things done
• Concrete Action Steps -- your very own, customized-for-you calendar telling you what to do when

Have more questions?  Send me an email or leave a comment here and I'll get back with you.

Click here to learn more or sign up today...

 

 

Tortoise or hare -- which describes you? And why "neither" is the *right* answer!

We've all heard the famous story of the tortoise and the hare and their legendary race.  Not knowing the outcome, who would have ever put their bet on the tortoise?

When it comes to managing and marketing your business, it's more important to pick a few things to do consistently rather than flitter about doing the latest, "greatest" or sexiest things out there.  You'll be a whole lot more effective this way.

So does that make you a tortoise or a hare in your marketing?

Actually, neither are ideal.

Let me explain. . .

A hare spends her time racing here and there, taking shortcuts whereever possible and ends up with a foundation build on wobbly ground.

A tortoise spends her time analyzing each move, ensuring it's the best one to do "right now" when, by the time she implements, "right now" is often several weeks or months later.

Instead, you want to incorporate the best aspects of both:

Before beginning any new endeavor (whether creating a new product or service or signing up for a new social networking site), take a few minutes to determine how this will fit into your business AND whether you can commit the time to CONSISTENTLY work on it (whether you do yourself or delegate to a team).

Then, MAKE THE DECISION (here's where hares often falter).

If "yes", create space in your calendar to consistently do, go forth and implement!

If "no", let it go and get back to business!

Always remember, DONE is more important than perfect!

5 Strategies To Getting Your Money's Worth At Seminars & Workshops

You open your email to find a notice about an upcoming seminar or workshop on a topic you desperately want to learn more about.

Later that day, you get the mail and there's a postcard inviting you to the same workshop.

"Should I go?" you think.

"It's expensive, I'll have to pay for airfare and hotel, but I'll learn *so much* and will really be able to propel my business forward," you say to yourself.

After much wrangling between those two guys that sit on each of your shoulders, you decide to go for it. You tell your clients you'll be gone, you buy the plane tickets, book the hotel, pay the workshop fee and you're excited!

The day finally arrives. You can hardly wait. You get a seat and wait for things to start.

By the second hour, your head is brimming with ideas while your stomach is full of coffee. You desperately want a break and can't focus on anything else.

The break comes and goes and now you are starved. "WHEN is lunch anyway?" you hear yourself asking your neighbor.

After wolfing down something which the hotel is convinced passes for food, it's back to the workshop. Now the carb crash comes and you need a nap -- the speaker is very interesting, but hey, you're getting the seminar CDs and will catch up on anything you miss then.

Does this sound familiar? I've been to three workshops/seminars in the past two months and have watched this scenario unfold for HUNDREDS of people -- again and again.

It's critical you have a system in place to insure you get the most out of each and every seminar and workshop you attend -- after all, you're spending your money AND time attending.

1. Bring a notepad.

Insure you have either a notepad or notebook dedicated ONLY to "Action List" items.

This is not a "To Do" list -- "to do" lists sound like work and generally lower your energy. This is an "Action" list -- completing these items will propel your business forward.

Personally, I put a small box next to each item that I can check off as it's completed. I don't number them as these are not in priority order. The order is based on when the item pops into my head.

2. Bring a notebook.

You should have ONE notebook for ALL your seminars and workshops. This is for your "Notes" -- if the presenter provides you with a handout of his presentation, GREAT, you can take notes directly on it.
If not, however, you'll want to keep all your notes in this notebook -- start the section with the seminar name, location and date and note each speaker's name and presentation title and any notes from it.

Notes, NOT action list items. . .action items go on your Action List. It's important to keep them separate so you don't need to search through pages of notes for your action items.

Always remember: It's not what you know that matters; it's what you IMPLEMENT!

3. Bring plenty of business cards.

You'll be amazed at how many people forget to bring business cards with them when attending workshops.

Always insure you have plenty of cards with your current information and, preferably, a picture of you on it. We meet so many people at seminars; you want to insure people remember you when going through their new stack of cards at home.

4. Take a day.

If possible, take a day or 1/2 day when you get home to unpack, get back in the swing of things and take a good look at your Action List.

Are there items which can be done in 10 minutes or less? If so, identify those items and schedule an hour for each group of 5 activities over the next week (this allows a little extra time). This will insure you make steady progress soon after the seminar.

Do you have bigger projects? No sweat, break them down into smaller chunks -- 30 minutes at most -- and schedule them on your calendar.

By scheduling these activities *on your calendar*, you'll have a start and end time for getting them done and insuring you got the most out of your time at the workshop.

5. Follow-up.

Chances are you've met new friends and potential clients.

Now's the time to drop them a brief note and let them know you're happy to have met them and follow-up with any information you may have promised.

And, remember, if appropriate for you, thank the speaker for the seminar and all you learned.

Your Coaching Challenge

Your coaching challenge for this week is to prepare a "Seminar Toolbag" which includes a notepad, notebook, business cards, two pens and anything else you may need.

Here's what's in my Toolbag (a bag I take to all seminars) in addition to the above: granola bars, lip balm, post-its, tissues, peppermint patties, a digital camera and since I'm not a coffee drinker, my favorite tea bags.

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

Article Marketing Repurposing Strategy - Creating Information Products

When you're getting ready to create your first information product or, if you're feeling a little stuck, I recommend you start with something simple. . . mini-guides!

Take one of your most popular articles and create a step-by-step mini-guide around it where you teach your ideal clients something that they've already expressed an interest in learning.

A mini-guide can be as short as 10 pages - size isn't important here, quality of information is. You want to walk your readers through a process which allows them to walk away with something tangible (such as a service they can now use).

Let's take a look at what you'd need to do to start selling your mini-guides:  

1. Write the content - remember to focus on VALUE and specific info. This is no place for fluff.
2. Set up a way to receive payment - I recommend Kickstart Cart, but you can also use PayPal.
3. Write a brief information page telling your prospects what the mini-guide is about, including its price and how to order.
4. Set up a "thank you" page with a link to download your mini-guide.
5. If you're using a shopping cart to take orders, create an autoresponder to send out the download link again and thank your clients for purchasing.
6. On the information page, let prospects know that, as a special bonus, they'll also receive your newsletter (just remember to include your Privacy Policy and notice that they can opt out at any time)
7. And now it's time to announce your mini-guide to your list.

In terms of how much you can/should charge for these "mini-guides", I would keep them under $20 (unless the information is highly technical, then you can charge more) and use them as a means to let your prospects "get to know you" before they purchase any of your more expensive products.

While you probably won't get rich creating and selling mini-guides (although you could), they serve as a great means of introducing people to your information and content.

My Request to You

Pick an article you've written and have gotten a great response on or, if you're not sure which to pick, write a list of questions your clients and customers frequently ask.

Now ask yourself "How can I give my prospects a step-by-step process which answers their questions/gives them what they need?"

"Step-by-step" is key here.

Once you have that answer, you're ready to start writing. :-)

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.