Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

3 Processes to Put Your Business on Automatic Pilot

I often talk about implementing systems in your business to keep everything running smoothly. Lots of people talk about systems and processes, but very few actually explain what that means.  

Last week, I was *out* of the office for 5-6 days recovering from surgery. During that time, systems which I instituted months ago kept things running so smoothly that most of my team didn't know about the surgery until after I was home from the hospital (where I spent 3 days).  

Here's an example of something you can, and should, institute in your own business -- no matter your industry:  

1. Place a buffer between you and prospective clients.  

Create a process whereby prospective clients do not speak with you until they've spoken with someone else on your team.  

Your team member should schedule the call on your calendar and gather info about the prospective client, including: why they want to speak with you (are they looking to purchase your service or sell you something?), what is their website (so you can get some background info beforehand), how long will the call take (unless you have a process for this -- mine is a 20-minute "Get Aquainted" call), etc.  

If you don't yet have a team, create a questionnaire which does the above and ask prospects to complete and return it 24 hours before your call.  

2. Create a "New Client Welcome Packet".  

Can you imagine if every time I had a new client, I had to discuss the same "welcome" speech and guidelines around working together? AHHHHHHH!  

Instead, I've created a "New Client Welcome Packet" which every new coaching client receives and which outlines our relationship, what to expect from me, what I expect, fees, confidentiality stipulations, etc. Once we decide to mentor together, this is the first thing every client receives and our first coaching call doesn't happen until this has been signed and returned.  

3. Create a schedule for your marketing activities.  

Different members of my team are responsible for different aspects of my marketing activities: posting articles online, posting articles on my blog, sending out press releases, etc.  

I've created a strategic marketing action plan which includes who does what, when. There are certain things I do weekly (write my ezine on Mondays, for example), even daily as well as my team. By having a schedule, everyone knows what needs to be done when, and by whom, and I don't have to *remind* anyone.  

And, just as importantly, when unexpected things pop up, we have a backup plan so that my clients and readers continue to receive the service they're used to.  

Your Next Action Step  

What processes can you create and implement in your business starting today? What one thing can you decide will be done on a certain day every week (by you or, preferably, a team member)?  

If you're overwhelmed and confused about HOW exactly to create processes and systems which put your business on automatic and let you make money while you sleep, go on vacation or, if required, recover from surgery, you'll want to check out my next 90 Day Intensive Online Business Mentoring Program -- spots are limited, first come, first served and those on the "advance notice" list have all the advantages with special goodies for signing up!  

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”.

The benefits of "shaking things up a bit"

While I usually adhere to a pretty strict schedule when it comes to getting things done in my business (it's what works best for me), every once in a while I like to shake things up for a day or two and see what "falls out", if you will.

Yesterday, rather than jump right in with writing as I normally would, I grabbed a non-business, fiction book I had picked up for the beach last weekend, a cup of Yogi peppermint tea, a throw and headed out to "behind the deck" (a couple of lounge chairs surrounded by container plantings) and proceeded to read and sip for an hour.

An absolutely blissful hour of no phone, no computer, no blackberry and, not even a pen.

And afterwards?  I had a gread day of coaching calls (it was Tuesday after all) and came up with even more creative ideas for my clients than usual.  :-)

So what can "shake up" in your routine today?

Staying Focused, Getting Things Done and Balance

The survey has resulted in several questions around the idea of implementing, staying focused and doing it in a way that you're not working 60+ hour work weeks in your business. 

The below question seems to sum it up...

How do other people "force" themselves to stay focused on the task at hand? How do they get everything done and still have time for a personal life? Balance ... how do they achieve balance?

Let me start by saying that if you feel the need to "force" yourself to stay focused, you may want to consider what you're doing and if that particular project/task is something that can be delegated. 

If it's a matter of too much to do, what do I do next, it's a matter of prioritization and I'd like you to ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is my NUMBER ONE priority right now?  It it growing my ezine list?  Is it increasing revenue (getting more paying clients)?  WHAT is it?

2. Once you know the WHAT, HOW are you going to achieve your goal/priority?  Grab a pen and paper and brainstorm ideas about how you can reach your goal (no censoring -- write them all down). 

3. Start implementing.  If you don't know how to do everything on your list, that's okay...start with the things you DO know and ensure that you do AT LEAST 2-3 things PER DAY to move your goal forward.

Many of my clients lose focus because they're not sure what their WHY is.  WHY are you in business doing what you're doing?  What's your biggest, brightest goal?  Do you have a Vision Board (which you see every day) with words and pictures of what you'll have or what you'll do once you've attained your goal?

These are all ways to keep you focused on doing what you need to be doing in order to reach your goal.  You'll be amazed at how this simple act of prioritizing will allow you to get more done. 

And remember my absolute hands-down favorite tool for getting more done while in the office...my Polder timer (you can get them at Target or other department stores).  When I'm working against the timer, I hunker down and stay completely focused on the project at hand.

For balance, it's important to remember that your home office is just that -- AN OFFICE.  Establish business hours for when you are working (even if your "office" is your kitchen table) and when you're not.

A great source to help with this is JOTT (www.jott.com) -- if you're hit with a business idea, pick up the phone and "call it in".  When you go back into the office, an email will be waiting for you with whatever you said transcribed.

Don't like the phone?  Keep a notepad nearby and jot (no pun intended) down your thoughts.

I'm guessing that you didn't go into business for yourself to be a workaholic -- set boundaries, with clients, with yourself and with your officetime and stick to them.  All aspects of your life will improve as a result.

Dear Sandy: How do I find what my target market wants most?

Dear Sandy,

How do I find what my target market wants most?

-- Wanting to please

Hi "Wanting to please",

The easiest way to find out what your target market wants most is to simply ask them.  Assuming you have a list of email addresses (of any size), create a survey using Survey Monkey and ask them to complete it -- much the same as I did when you asked this question.

Another way to ask your list is to hold an Open Q&A teleseminar -- give your list the call-in information, send a few reminders and sit on the phone for an hour answering any questions they have.  This will help you figure out what they most want and need.

With love and abundance,

Sandy :-)

Dear Sandy: What percentage of your work day do you allocate for any or all types of marketing?

Dear Sandy,

What percentage of your work day do you allocate for any or all types of marketing?

-- Not Sure

Dear "Not Sure",

This is a hard question to answer in that it depends...the short answer is "as long as it takes".

When I first started my business, I spent over 1/2 the day (about 70%) on marketing activities (writing, preparing/sending direct mail, placing ads, etc.).  As I got more clients, that percentage lessened.

I currently spend about 35% of my week on marketing.  For me, marketing includes the following: writing/publishing my newsletters (both print and ezine), public speaking, planning/scheduling/promoting/hosting teleseminars, all time spent on online forums, research into new product development (will my clients like it?), surveying my list, blogging (both posting on my and other blogs), social networking (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc), attending events, being a guest on others' teleseminars, etc.

I think you get the idea...my philosophy is simple.  If you're in business, you need to market.  Period.

In full and unwavering support of you,

Sandy :-)

Dear Sandy -- "How do I get out of the red?"

WOW!  I'm receiving a great response to my survey (http://snipurl.com/obbmp) and will be posting answers to many of the questions I'm receiving:

I've received so many questions that I've decided to turn this into a "Dear Sandy" set of posts.  :-)

Dear Sandy,

How do I get out of the red?

-- In The Red

Dear "In The Red", 

This is a great question as no one wants to be "in the red" or losing, rather than making, money.  Without knowing the specifics of your situation, I'm going to make a few assumptions and recommend the following:

1. Assuming you have/aspire to have, some form of online business, you must first focus on incoming cash flow.  If you have a list, what product or service can you offer them TODAY? Can you promote a teleseminar and charge for it?  If you don't have a list, you need to focus on building one (see today's ezine article).
2. What are you spending your money on?  If you're purchasing every "get rich quick", "you can make millions online" program out there, STOP!  Before you purchase anything, ask yourself "What result will I get?  Is it worth the $X I'm about to spend?"  If you have to *do* stuff, ensure you've set the time aside for it on your calendar BEFORE you purchase.
3. Stop charging.  Pay cash (or debit card) for all your purchases so you really have to think twice before you "swipe".

Getting out of the red is just like losing weight -- more money needs to come in than go out (only with weight, you want more out and less in).  What can you do NOW to jumpstart your revenue?

In full and unwavering support of you,

~Sandy :-)

Recommended Resource: JOTT

JOTT is a nifty little no cost web-based software which allows you to telephone in action items, reminders, etc. and it will transcribe and email them to you (or wherever you designate). 

I just started using JOTT and have enjoyed it so far -- it beats recording messages into my handheld recorder and then uploading them when I return to the office as I'm one of those people who gets tons of ideas while driving.

How to Turn a Chat Into a Marketing Piece You Can Use Again and Again

You've most likely heard of the term "repurpose" or "repurposing" and, chances are, that term has been uttered in the same sentence as "articles" or "article marketing".

Truth is, there are several different ways to repurpose everything you do in your business and article marketing is just one small piece.

Repurposing is one of the quickest ways to create a new product - whether that be a f*r*e*e* giveaway for your list or an information product (ebook, audio recording, etc.) that you sell to clients and prospects.

Let's look at creating a f*r*e*e* giveaway special report you offer prospects as a gift for signing up to receive your newsletter.

First, we need to choose a topic. Select one thing your clients ask you about regularly - a challenge you frequently help them with.

One of my clients is a financial and estate planner. A topic which easily confuses many. While I haven't discussed this with her, I'm willing to bet that when she has a new client, she sits down (in person or on the phone) and has a conversation about the simple steps you can take to put a plan in place.

This conversation, in generic terms, can easily be repurposed into a special report/e-course for her website/newsletter as follows:

1. Ask a friend to serve as the "client" (or ask an actual client and exclude names/identifying information).


2. Get a handheld digital recorder - ensure the batteries are new (or if this is done over the phone, record the call using a system such as www.audioacrobat.com).


3. Record the initial conversation discussing an overview of the steps needed to put a financial and estate plan in place.


4. Have the recording transcribed.


5. Review and replace/delete identifying information as necessary.


6. Break the text up into 3, 5 or 7 sections (look for natural breaks).


7. Offer the report through an e-course (using an autoresponder which makes it automatic) as a gift for those who sign up for her newsletter.

That's it!

We've just repurposed a conversation which occurs with every new client into a special report whose goal is to invite prospects to sign up for a newsletter or ezine AND we've done it in such a way (through a multi-step e-course) that allows repeated follow-up with valuable information for the prospect.

You could just as easily skip breaking the report into sections and offer it as a single report. How easy is that?

Your Coaching Challenge

Do you have a special report you can offer your clients and prospects? If not, I request that you select a date within the next 30 days by which you'll have, at a minimum, a draft version.

And remember, you do not need to have a website to make this happen and start getting signups for your newsletter list. The important thing is to take consistent action in moving forward. . .starting NOW! :-)

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 www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.

AirSet

AirSet is a wonderful, free online tool which allows those of us with multiple businesses and interests to store documents, establish action lists and update calendars by group and then merge and share our groups as we wish.    

I'm pretty new to playing with it and am finding it indispensable for my team to keep track of all we're doing, by project.

Click here to learn more about how AirSet can help you in your business.

3 Steps to Getting The Most Out of Conferences and Workshops

Once you return home from a conference or workshop, it's easy to forget all the things you learned and promised yourself you'd implement.

After all, you're back in your regular environment: your family needs attention after you've been gone, work tasks have piled up, personal items need handling. How are you to "catch up" and incorporate all the new things as well?

Here's my simple process for ensuring I implement and put new ideas into action as soon as I return from a conference or workshop:

1. Create an Action List.

While at the workshop, I make an action list of all the ideas I want to implement in my business - some are new and some are refining things I'm already doing.

The important thing to note here is that I do NOT censor this list - everything I think of goes on it.

2. 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 (mine usually runs 2-3 pages).

Review the items and decide which make sense for your business right now, in the next six months and in the next year.

Once you've separated the items into different lists, take out the "right now" sheet:

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 ensuring you got the most out of your time at the workshop.

File the other two lists in your tickler file for future action.

3. 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

Think back to the last conference or workshop you attended. Did you create an Action List of things to implement in your business?

If not, schedule some time on your calendar to sit down with the workshop binder, go through your notes and create an Action List of everything you want to implement.

Then follow the steps I outline above for getting them done! I set the intention to get at least one thing (new idea, better way of doing something, etc.) from every conference or workshop I attend - after all, the cost of attendance is high: money, travel, hotel, and, most importantly, my time and energy!

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 www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".