Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

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...

 

 

Twitter Autoreply For New Followers No Longer Working? The fix is here. . .

Do you have your Twitter set up to automatically reply whenever someone adds you as a friend?

You know, that Twitter, Tweetlater, Outlook concoction?

If so, have you noticed that your inbox is starting to fill up with Twitter emails?

The great news about rules and making things automatic is when it works, you don't have to think about a thing -- it all works seamlessly, making things effortless for you.

The not-so-great news is that when something goes wrong, everything stops and you're wondering what happened.

If you've recently found that your Twitter autoreplies aren't working, check the "from" line on the Twitter emails.  You'll notice that they've changed it from [email protected] to "twitter-follow-..." (and a whole string which includes your information and ends with [email protected].

Step 2: Open your Outlook Rules & Alerts and edit (click CHANGE RULE, then select "Edit rule settings") the Twitter rule to change the "from" to the new Twitter return email address by doubleclicking on the "Twitter" in the rule box and typing the return email address in.

Step 3: Click OK

Step 4: Click FINISH.

You're now all set and all future Twitter follows will be handled as before -- at least until the next change.  :-)

So what do you do about all the Twitter follows that are still sitting in your inbox from when the rule stopped working?

Simple...

Make sure you're in your Outlook folder which contains your Twitter emails (mine go to my general Inbox since I know they're going right back out...where do yours go?), then:

Step 1: Open your Outlook Rules & Alerts

Step 2: Click RUN RULES NOW

Step 3: Check off your Twitter rule

Step 4: Click RUN NOW and watch your inbox shrink

Step 5: Click CLOSE

Step 6: Click OK

Whew!  You're all set and can get back to tweeting!

And remember, taking a few moments now to keep everything automatic will save you hours upon hours going forward.

Online Success Simplified: 5 Must-Have Tools for a 6-Figure and Beyond Business

In building and growing an online business, or one with a strong online component, there are several must-have tools which will allow you to not only have passive revenue, but to enjoy multiple streams of it.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most basic tools (there are other, more advanced tools which will be covered in a separate article):

1. A Shopping Cart.

An online shopping cart allows you to sell digital products, have them automatically delivered to your clients and automate the follow-up so you’re not sending emails all day and night.

I use and highly recommend KickStart Cart as an all-in-one shopping cart and autoresponder service. The Pro Version is $99.00/month (U.S.). If you’re not yet offering products, you can get the Starter ($34/mo) or Basic ($59/mo) versions.

And in order to easily accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover Card, you’ll want to link your shopping cart with a merchant account using a payment gateway.

2. An Email Marketing System/Service.

An email marketing system allows you to send ezines, solo e-mails and contact your prospect list whenever you wish.

While you can, and many people do, use your shopping cart for this, I prefer to use a separate system (due to deliverability issues) and use Constant Contact.

I continue to test deliverability between Constant Contact and Kickstart Cart (which is one of the 1ShoppingCart brands – they all have the same issues) and, for now, remain with this choice.

3. A Website, Blogsite or Other Opt-in Page.

In any online business, your primary goal is to have ideal prospects sign up to your list so they can receive your ezine and other information.

The way to make this happen is by placing an opt-in box on a website, blogsite or single opt-in page.

The one you choose is completely up to you as all have been proven successful. The nice thing about a blogsite is that you can get it up and running quickly and inexpensively and your hosting is usually included.

If you’re doing it yourself, I recommend TypePad for blogs/blogsites as it’s easy-to-use and has responsive support staff.

4. An Incentive to Sign-up.

People are busy. We all receive too much in our email inboxes these days and will only part with our information if there is something in it for us: a special report that we’re interested in, an audio series which will give us new information, a checklist that would be handy to have.

You need to have some incentive on your website/blogsite/opt-in page in order for people to part with their names and email addresses.

The report/audio/checklist is WHAT you’re giving them. Your ezine? It’s the bonus gift they receive as a result of requesting the report.

5. A Mentor.

If you’re starting out or currently stuck in your online business efforts, you will want to strongly consider partnering with a mentor who can keep you focused and accountable while guiding you through the distractions (and there are MANY!).

You’ll want to chat with a few different people to see who you best resonate with.

The time and money spent with a good mentor will save you hours and thousands of dollars in learning and mistakes, not to mention how much sooner the revenue will start coming in!

The above is by no means a complete listing of everything you’ll need in your business, but these 5 tools will see you WELL on your way to a 6-figure business.

The next item? You’ll have to wait for the next issue for that! :-)

My Request to You

If you’ve read the above and are shaking your head saying “I’ve done/have all of the above and STILL nothing’s happening”, then it’s time to reevaluate:

Is your Incentive something your ideal client is interested in? If you’re getting lots of traffic to your site, but no one’s signing up, the answer is “nope”, or you’re not presenting it correctly.

Is your ezine providing information and content which is relevant to your ideal clients? If you’re seeing a lot of unsubscribes, it’s time to revisit what you’re doing.

Do you have a mentor (or coach) who gives you broad strokes, but doesn’t provide the actual steps of what you need to do when in order to move forward? If so, you need to ask if this is the right person for you at this time.

You, and only you, control your business and your level of success. What do YOU want and how much do you want it? The right tools will get you there so much faster!

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”.

What lessons have you learned?

I was going to an email announcing that there are only 6 SPOTS and 6 DAYS LEFT to get into my LAST EVER 90 Day Intensive and then I realized this email would be better spent asking you what lessons you've learned from the launch of my program. 

 

You see, whether or not you join (and I really hope you will), there have been plenty of marketing lessons to learn via the emails I've sent out: 

 

1. THE format which GUARANTEES increased readership of any "frequently asked questions" -- did you catch it? 

 

2. The ONE primary reason this launch has had a greater number of email responses and phone calls than anything else I've done -- and how you can use it in your business.

 

3. Why email marketing is no longer enough and what else you can -- and must -- do to build awareness.

. . .and many more which I'll be sharing in the 90 Day Intensive program.

 

Many of you have indicated that you want to join the program, but are afraid you'll be overwhelmed or not have enough time to get things done. 

 

I promise you this: 

 

1. There is NO WAY I'm going to let you get overwhelmed. 

 

2. Time spent in this program will be time IMPLEMENTING and BUILDING your business -- you WILL be productive and focused and you WILL get results. 

 

3. This program is like having me as your PRIVATE ONLINE COACH, for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost you. 

 

If you're asking yourself whether or not this program is for you, ask yourself this one question: 

 

"Am I thrilled with the results my business is currently getting and if I was away for any length of time, would the revenue continue to come in or would things grind to a halt?"

 

. . .and you'll have your answer. 

 

You can learn more about the program at Small Business Marketing & Online Business Mentoring Program. 

 

As always, please email me if you have any questions. 

 

In full and unwavering support of you and your dreams, 

 

Sandy :-)

 

P.S. For those of you following me on Twitter -- I found Jordan's and it was DEFINITELY worth the trip!  :-)

 

P.P.S. And if you're not yet following me, you can find Sandy on Twitter here.

Your Questions Answered

WOW. . .we're getting quite a response from the "FAQ" email I sent out the other day regarding my 90 Day Intensive.  You see, we're hearing that many of you REALLY want to come, but are currently enrolled in another program or are attending a 2-3-day workshop this Fall.

On vacation, I'm currently enjoying the fresh air and foliage in New Hampshire and for the first time, my team called me.  They weren't sure how to answer your questions of "What should I do, because I really want to join?".  After all, they know that the early bird savings of $500 ends tomorrow and that this is the LAST TIME I'm offering the 90 Day Intensive and they want to be sure and get you the answers you need.

Since I know that what you receive from the 90 Day Intensive allows you to seriously maximize what you're getting from your other program or workshop, I've come up with a special deal for those who can show me proof of purchase in another program (yes, we will be checking  :-)  

1. In addition to all the benefits in the 90 Day Intensive (including monthly CDs of all trainings and Q&A sessions for no extra cost!), you get a private, 45-minute (recorded) 1-on-1 strategy session with me between October 1 and January 15, 2009. 

2. You get $300 off the investment of the 90 Day Intensive and a 4-pay, no deposit payment plan.

This means that through September 22, you get a total savings of $800 ($300 MultiProgram and $500 Early Bird Savings) and can sign up for the 90 Day Intensive for a 4-month investment of ONLY $299.25.

I don't know if it's the fresh air and gorgeous views or lack of calories from my fitness quest (those of you who have dieted know what I mean here), but I must have temporarily lost my mind to be offering this amazing deal!

Just think, you'll be able to make money online, have all your questions answered AND get incredible results (imagine standing up in your Mastermind or Platinum Program and having everyone be AMAZED at what you've ACCOMPLISHED!). . .without incurring travel costs and upsetting your family routine.

If you're ready to get results, you can sign up here:

http://snipurl.com/3sggj

Want to take another look at the information page?  You can do that by visiting http://www.90DayIntensive.com (but sign up from this email to get your $300 MultiProgram Savings!).

Remember, the Early Bird Savings of $500 is IN ADDITION to the $300 MultiProgram Savings and expires at

midnight

Eastern September 22!

In full and unwavering support of you and your business,

Sandy:-)

P.S. I wouldn't create such an amazing offer if I didn't care for you and your success as much as I do -- you see, it genuinely breaks my heart to see so many people with incredible potential in their business fail because of overwhelm with their online marketing, no matter how much they spend in other programs and workshops.  Let me help you take action and get results!

Online Business Mentoring Program

It seems like just yesterday everyone was talking about "making 2008 the best year ever".

Now that it's the end of summer, where are you in your business? Are you on track with your 2008 dreams and goals (do you have dreams and goals?) or have you gotten stuck somewhere along the way?

I'm THRILLED to announce the launch of my 90 Day Intensive Online Business Builder Mentoring Program!

I haven't seen another program out there which focuses so heavily on how-to implementation and hope you have a few minutes to review it right away.

First, let me promise you, there's no hype and no claims of "sign up and make millions tomorrow" -- you know me better!

If you're serious about growing your business, with the right know-how, moving things forward each and every day however, this program is for you. It's designed to build a sustainable business -- without sacrificing your life -- which makes you money for the long- term.

You can learn more here. . .

I've created some very special Early Bird Bonuses for those of you who read through the letter, know the program is for you and are ready to take decisive action towards the success of your business.

AND, if you sign-up on or before

MIDNIGHT

Eastern Time, September 22nd, you will SAVE AT LEAST $500.00 (actual savings depends which investment option you select) off the cost of the entire program!

This program is designed for business owners who want a proven implementation program with the support to keep you focused and hold you accountable.

I think when you read the letter, you'll agree I'm serious about helping you.

All the details are here. . .

What EXACTLY are "processes and systems"?

Several years ago, I purchased a "system" geared towards getting new clients -- it was very comprehensive and well-written. Until I got to the last chapter on setting up processes and systems for marketing. There was a chapter title page, followed by blank drawings asking you to fill in what YOUR processes and systems were.

I laughed and then laughed even harder (it was that or cry)...if I had my own processes and systems, I wouldn't have spent several hundred dollars and purchased the system to get them!

When people hear that I'm an expert in establishing processes and systems which result in more clients for small business owners, they immediately get a glazed look.

After all, what EXACTLY are processes and systems? Is this going to be a lot more "geek-speak" or technology that you have to learn or another blank page in an otherwise comprehensive system?

It's neither.

Creating processes and systems is all about setting things up so your business can pretty much run on its own. Of course, there are things that you must do to keep it running smoothly, but your processes and systems allow you to be out of the office, even unexpectedly, without everything grinding to a halt.

Here's an example of just some of my processes and systems:

• "How To" Operations Manual: The manual of all manuals -- it includes the step-by-step process that prospects go through before becoming private clients, the Welcome Packet they receive, templates for answering different types of emails, procedures for hiring new team members (and training them). This is THE manual of all manuals and covers everything behind-the-scenes of my business.
• Autoresponders: They're set up to automatically follow-up with clients and prospects after signing up for my newsletter, purchasing particular products or services, etc.
• Scheduling: Not only do I have a wall calendar (and desk calendar) which breaks the year down into business development days, vacations, conferences, and revenue-generating days; my team has a weekly schedule of what they are to do when (whether I'm around or not, so it runs like clockwork).
• Strategic Marketing Action Plan: This is my Marketing Bible. . .it breaks out the activities (new products, new programs, when what needs to be done for each as well as general business building tasks, etc.) by day and is constantly updated.

Add to this my email signature, my outgoing voicemail, the "goodies" which are snail mailed to my clients and prospects on a regular (that is, pre-determined) basis, my holiday mailings, etc. and you have a feeling for the processes and systems which run my business behind-the-scenes.

After all, owning your own business should be about freedom -- freedom to have and do the things which mean the most to you.

Your Coaching Challenge

While all of the above is important in creating the ultimate business which allows you to take vacations (without checking in every 10 minutes), take off early to go to a child's school event or even just sit on the deck so you can finish an engrossing novel, my first request is that you create your own Strategic Marketing Action Plan and remember to focus on ACTION and IMPLEMENTATION.

After all, without clients, it doesn't really matter how great your processes are.

If you're unsure of where to begin or what REALLY works, I'd love for you to join me in my upcoming 90 Day Intensive Online Business Mentoring Program where you'll leave with a Strategic Marketing Action Plan AND a whole lot more!

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”.

Online Business Mentoring Program

It seems like just yesterday everyone was talking about "making 2008 the best year ever".

Now that it's the end of summer, where are you in your business? Are you on track with your 2008 dreams and goals (do you have dreams and goals?) or have you gotten stuck somewhere along the way?

I'm THRILLED to announce the launch of my 90 Day Intensive Online Business Builder Mentoring Program!

I haven't seen another program out there which focuses so heavily on how-to implementation and hope you have a few minutes to review it right away.

First, let me promise you, there's no hype and no claims of "sign up and make millions tomorrow" -- you know me better!

If you're serious about growing your business, with the right know-how, moving things forward each and every day however, this program is for you. It's designed to build a sustainable business -- without sacrificing your life -- which makes you money for the long- term.

You can learn more here. . .

I've created some very special Early Bird Bonuses for those of you who read through the letter, know the program is for you and are ready to take decisive action towards the success of your business.

AND, if you sign-up on or before

MIDNIGHT

Eastern Time, September 17th, you will SAVE AT LEAST $500.00 (actual savings depends which investment option you select) off the cost of the entire program!

This program is designed for business owners who want a proven implementation program with the support to keep you focused and hold you accountable.

I think when you read the letter, you'll agree I'm serious about helping you.

All the details are here. . .

Autoresponders: What are they and how to use them

Many business owners are confused about what exactly an autoresponder is. . .and what it isn't.

An autoresponder is a piece of software -- either standalone or as part of something larger like a shopping cart -- which AUTOMATICALLY sends an email, or a sequence of emails when triggered.

"Triggered" in this case, means:

someone purchases a product or service online

someone sends an email to a specific address

someone fills out a "name and email" form online and signs up for a newsletter, a teleseminar, etc.

someone contacts you to learn more about your business

Once triggered, the autoresponder system sends out the email sequence as it was set up. For example:

If you go on vacation, you can tell your email system to state "I'm currently out of the office until X and will respond when I return." -- whether you realize it or not, this is a simple autoresponder. It is automatically sent to people who email you while you're on vacation.

A more complex, but just as simple to set up, autoresponder, may look like this:

Today: Client purchases your latest ebook and within minutes receives two emails: one from your shopping cart with a receipt for their payment (this autoresponder goes out without you having to set it up as a feature of most shopping carts) and a second from your autoresponder (which you created) thanking them for their purchase and providing the link where they can download the ebook.

2 days from today: Client automatically receives an email asking if they got the link okay and if they have any questions.

4 days from today: Client automatically receives an email asking if they caught the important piece of information you shared on page X.

And so on. . .you write the above sequence once and your autoresponder system will start sending it out each time someone purchases that particular product.

Let's look at that again -- you write it ONCE and your autoresponder system automatically sends it out every time the product is purchased, whether today, tomorrow or 4am on New Year's Eve. Talk about putting your business on autopilot!

Even knowing the above, autoresponders are one of the great untapped resources of today's small business owner.

In addition to the above, there are several other ways you can use autoresponders in your business to follow-up with clients and prospects, as a lead generator and even as an assistant.

Your Next Step

If you have an autoresponder system, it's time to start using it to its FULL potential and if you're not yet using an autoresponder, it's time to start. :-)

Remember, every use of an autoresponder means one less way you have to do the same thing over and over ensuring your clients and prospects receive the same great experience -- no matter when they contact or purchase from you!

Feeling unsure of what to do or where to start? We'll be discussing the best ways to seamlessly set up and use autoresponders in your business in my upcoming Online Business Mentoring Program.

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”.