Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

Getting Things Done – the Right Things – in a Crazy Unrelenting World

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Let’s face it. . .the world’s crazy. No matter how much you do, it seems as if there’s another avalanche ready to bury you and you’re constantly running, running, running to stay ahead or even to keep up.

And that’s just for your business – add in personal stuff and it’s understandable why you want to put your head under a pillow some mornings.

When a Good Friend Becomes a Bad Vendor

Have you ever gotten to know someone who later turned out to be a friend, client and vendor?

It's happened to me several times and I truly feel blessed by these relationships.

While there's no hard and fast rules, for me the friendship usually comes first, then as we learn more about each other, one often realizes she needs the services of the other and a client relationship is born. And after learning even more about each other, often times the client relationship is reciprocated.

And it's in the best interests of both of our businesses (this is key). . .

Of my current private clients, I can immediately think of 3 where these lines are all crossed.

And it works for one simple reason -- respect:

• we respect each other and the brilliance we each bring,

• we respect the lines and

• through that respect, we know which "role" we're in during any given conversation.

7 Strategies Guaranteed to Increase Your Productivity

Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day, knowing you worked your butt off and yet wondering what the heck you actually accomplished toward your goals or, worse yet, wondering why nothing has been crossed off your “to do” list? It’s more than a little frustrating to say the least and can lead to a feeling of overwhelm.

Here are seven "implement today, let's get things moving" strategies guaranteed to increase your productivity!

Conversions What do they mean and why do they matter?

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We hear all the time that we need to "increase our conversions" or "get our numbers up". But what exactly does that mean and what else do we need to know?

"Conversion" is all about turning leads into paying clients and, when done well, more leads into more clients while doing it better, faster and with the least possible expense.

"Conversion" is also used to describe the result of desiring someone to take a step -- whichever step you want them to take -- whether signing up for a f'ree report, register for a strategy session, join a teleseminar or webinar, etc. -- the result is a desired action.

"Conversion Percentage" (sorry, just a little bit of math here) is defined as the "number of NEW sales" divided by the "number of leads" times 100.

And in the above case, "NEW sales" are people who are giving you money for the very first time (they're not repeat clients) and "leads" are people who have expressed, in some way, interest in what you're offering -- whether they visited your website, called your office, sent you an email, etc.

"New Client Cost" is defined as how much it costs for you to market to someone such that they give you money for the first time.

"Extreme Client Care(tm)" describes the process by which the better the care you provide to your clients, the less likely they'll be to switch to another vendor. (More on this in an upcoming series.)

Why do these terms matter?

Quite simply put, the better your conversion, the lower your new client cost AND the better your client care, the less new clients you'll need as existing clients won't leave your service and will refer others who cost almost nothing to market to (and therefore lower your new client cost even further).

You may want to read the above paragraph again to truly absorb the logic.

Make It Real -- My Request to You

Before we can even chat about increasing your conversions, you need to know where you stand today.

Ask your webmaster or assistant to get you signed up with a service such as Webstat if you don't already get statistics about the number of visitors to your site, blog, ezine sign-ups, etc.

After all, you need to know where you are in order to determine where you want to be. :-)

Credibility GONE – Are you risking yours by doing this?

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Imagine your excitement: You just gave up your credit card info and plunked down money on a product from someone you've been following for a while, maybe even someone you've bought from before and really admire.

You're enjoying that instant post-purchase euphoria -- after all, THIS is the product you've been waiting for.

A week goes by. . .no product.

"It's okay", you tell yourself, "there's a reason they call it 'snail mail' after all".

Two weeks. . .no product.

"It will be here any day", you tell yourself, excitement starting to wane just a little.

A month. . .still no product.

Now you're getting worried. You email the company who tells you that it's not quite finished or is at the printer's and will ship in 2 weeks.

Another month goes by. . .no product and no communication.

Now you ask yourself: "Is there even a product?"

Another email to the company and another promise that it will ship in "2 weeks".

Another month and still no product, no communication.

At some point, you start to lose faith. All the good will that this company/entrepreneur has built up through their ezine, Twitter and Facebook connecting, f'ree teleseminars, etc. is quickly dwindling.

All because someone didn't plan properly (I'm assuming that when this happens, it's not malicious and is simply a case of poor planning).

As a consumer, your options are simple:

1. Ask for a refund or
2. Write the company owner and ask for an update then decide whether to stick it out or ask for a refund
3. Decide how this will affect your relationship with the company going forward

As the business owner who created the product, you have a lot more work to do:

1. Start to repair the damage done to your, and your company's, reputation by PERSONALLY emailing everyone affected with an apology and update (it's the least you can do).
2. Offer your clients something for their inconvenience -- a bonus product, a 15-minute call, whatever you feel is appropriate for the situation.
3. Ship the darn product -- move Heaven and Earth to get that product priority mailed, at a minimum, immediately and with a note of apology.
4. Figure out what went wrong and fix it so it doesn't happen again. . .ever! After all, you've spent countless hours building your reputation and now you need to repair it.

Many business owners frequently sell products before they're finished -- after all, it helps with the production and marketing costs and lets them know how much inventory to order.

Whether or not I agree with this practice, doesn't matter.

What does matter is that if you choose to do this, you want to be sure you know the ACTUAL date of shipment and stay in frequent communication with your clients so they know what's going on.

Make It Real -- My Request to You

There's so much talk about business owners being "authentic" and "in integrity" and that's great -- it makes us all feel warm and fuzzy inside.

However, there are times when the reality differs from the intent, no matter how good the intention was.

My request to you is to PLAN and remember Murphy's Law and plan some time in for mishaps, delays, etc.

Practicing Extreme Client Care(tm) means underpromising and overdelivering whenever possible and it's this which will gain you the love and trust of your clients.

Does your business need a reality check?

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During a consultation last week, I was speaking with a 5-figure business owner who wanted to make $150,000 this year.

Doable?

Absolutely!

Doable with the plan she had?

Absolutely not.

So many business owners create good solid goals and then take haphazard action, constantly led astray by another bright shiny object or thinking the Law of Attraction will deliver it all to them.

The “reality check”?

It’s a combination of taking the RIGHT action in the RIGHT way at the RIGHT time WHILE maintaining a positive and abundant mindset that will propel you forward to your goals.

While you may think this sounds a little tough, it’s a whole lot tougher to close your doors and get a J O B working for someone else, especially after spending thousands of hours and dollars on programs and products, all designed to get you “to the next level”.

Make It Real: My Request To You

First, revisit your goals for this quarter (July through September) and this year.

Second, determine if your goals are REALISTIC given where you are now and your plans (HOW will you bring in the revenue, which projects, implemented when?) for the rest of the year.

Third, either revise your goals, your plan or both so that they’re in alignment and doable.

Fourth. . .take action. Now!

If you want help determining if your goals are realistic and building a plan you can implement to reach those goals (or others we set), you’ll want to see if a strategy session with me works for you.

Where do you go from here?

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Just yesterday I was talking with a new client who’s invested thousands of dollars on programs, plans and info products and came to me asking “What should I do?” as she was so overwhelmed with all the options and wanted to get the *right* things done in order to achieve her goals.

In a time when information – good and bad – surrounds us and we’re hit (it actually feels like I’m being hit sometimes) with thousands of marketing messages every day around what we should do with our business, it’s no wonder you’re confused about the best way to get where you’re going.

Mapquest gives you a choice when it comes to driving directions:

• Shortest distance or
• Scenic route

I’m guessing you want the “shortest distance” to your business goals as opposed to the longer scenic route.

Knowing that, it’s time to decide which steps, in which specific order will get you there:

1. Write – don’t type -- a list of all your goals (there’s a greater connection to our desires when we write them out)
2. Put each goal on a separate piece of paper
3. Write the projects which will culminate in the completion of each goal
4. Decide which goal you want to work on FIRST (now I know you want more than one, but you can only do one thing well at a time, so pick a #1)
5. Decide which project within that goal you want work on FIRST
6. Write a list of tasks/action steps for that project – complete with timeframes
7. Delegate what you can to your team
8. Do what only you can do (if you don’t yet have a team, prioritize the tasks – there is usually a natural order to these)
9. Take this goal as far as you can and move on to the next

It’s key to remember that no matter how much you “want it all”, you’ll get there quicker by picking one thing, getting it done and moving on to the next. The “all” will come before you know it.

And if you’re confused about which goal/project to start first?

Answer this one question: “What *pain* keeps you up at night or which goal makes you giddy with joy?” and you’ve got your first goal.

If you want help sorting out which priority is THE priority or need to brainstorm the right steps to get you there, you’ll want to see if a strategy session with me works for you.

Multiple Streams of Income -- Begin Your Journey

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Have you ever seen the movie "Bridge Jones Diary"?

There's a scene in it where Bridget notes that one of her friends had one hit song in the 1980s and realized that was more than enough to carry him through the 1990s and so didn't bother doing anything new.

When you look at your business, have you TRULY set it up for success in the long term?

By this I mean, are you offering, and marketing, more than one product or service or are all your eggs in one basket?

If they are, no problem. . .acknowledge it and start to build another nest or learn to market the other products/services you have and can offer.

There was a time when over 60% of my revenue came from one client and my clients have had as much as 90% of revenue coming from one source.

This is a dangerous place to be, especially (sorry, have to say it) in this new economy.

It's time for you to think outside the box -- here's an example from one of my clients:

Heidi focused on marketing herself as a bookkeeper. She's an amazing one (I've used her), but she also has this natural skill of streamlining and optimizing computer systems so they run faster than they, or you, ever imagined.

She would "just do" all this computer optimization "stuff" because it was easier for her if her clients' computers ran efficiently. She never thought about actually charging for this service -- despite her clients telling her how much easier their lives were as a result.

Can you see where Heidi originally had a "one hit wonder" business and, with a little tweaking to her marketing, was able to create a second stream of income from existing, as well as new, clients?

Make It Real. . .My Request to You

Knowing the above and seeing businesses around you either thrive or fail, what step can you take right now, today to change things?

• Is it a phone call to a prospective client or joint venture partner?
• Is there a service that you *just do* for your clients that you can (and should) be charging for?
• Is it the information page for that product you've had "on the shelf"?
• Is it signing up for an affiliate program of someone you admire and sharing their products/services?
• Is it scheduling that teleseminar to get more people on your list or to share a new program with them

What *one thing* can you do today to actually create multiple streams of revenue for tomorrow?

You'll notice that I'm asking for only one step today. . .and other tomorrow. . .and a third the next day. Before you know it, you'll have that new revenue!

Productivity Buster: Mistaking Activity for Accomplishment

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A former client recently contacted me about working together again and, in asking a few questions about what she's been up to, etc., I realized that for all the work she's been doing (and she works a lot), she hasn't been "done-ing" anything.

Now while "done-ing" certainly isn't a word (yet), it does speak to the difference between working on a project so that you're forever "doing" it and actually getting it "done".

As small business owners and entrepreneurs dedicated to making our businesses a success, we need to be focused a lot more on the "done-ing" than the doing.

I was discussing this concept with a team member the other day and described it as the difference between "activity" and "accomplishment":

Activity is where you're busily doing things all day, doing, doing, doing, busy as a bee, flitting from one project to another.

Accomplishment, however, is where you're laser-focused on a task or project either until it's done or until you've spent your allotted time on it for that day (as in writing a book where it's not your intent to finish it in one day).

You see "activity" everywhere in the corporate world: meetings, for example, are a hive of activity.

"Accomplishment" is a little more rare -- those who accomplish stand head and shoulders above the crowd and, in the world of small businesses, to put it frankly, those who accomplish succeed.

Those who work a lot in their businesses and yet never seem to finish anything are destined for failure or, at best, mediocrity.

And even worse, what truly makes my heart break, are those who are trying and actually accomplishing things, but are done-ing the wrong things at the wrong time and so see no forward momentum, no increase in profits in their business.

Make It Real: My Request to You

While "done-ing" sounds as simple as "doing", it actually takes several support mechanisms to keep it happening again and again.

Here are a few things I do to ensure more "done-ing" (and of the right things) and less continuous doing (which is essentially a version of procrastination):

1. Start off by creating a strategic marketing plan which is designed to take me to my goal (do in the timeframe which makes sense for you -- for me, it's an annual goal broken into quarterly mini-goals broken into monthly objectives broken into weekly targets broken into daily success actions).
2. Select a few items (actual number depends on size of project/task) and put them on my "Success Action List" for the day, then schedule a time to do them on my calendar -- this allows for coaching calls and other appointments and ensures I don't over schedule myself.
3. At the end of each day, prepare for the next day and review what actually got done versus what was planned to be completed -- I run around 85% of plan depending on the day.
4. Each month, compare the number of "Done" items with the previous month and then compare the profit for both months -- an increase in the "Dones" usually results in an increase in the profit.

And for those who think, I don't have time to do this. . .truth is you don't have time to NOT do it. The success of your business is at stake. What's it worth to you?

Helping you figure this out in a way which resonates with you while reaching your goal is what I do best. To learn more about my current programs or for a no obligation Get Acquainted Strategy Session, email my assistant Gina 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...