Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

Get Real and Make Things Happen

I remember, as I'm sure you do, my parents telling me how much easier we had it than they did (after all, they probably had to walk 5 miles up hill in the snow, BOTH ways, just to get to school). :-)

Given that my Dad grew up in a small town in Italy where electricity came from a car battery, I always believed them.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of reasons about the tough times and why people aren't making money:

1. We're in a recession and the economy stinks
2. Emails aren't being delivered
3. The "list" isn't big enough or has the wrong people on it
4. Prospects are more wary about purchasing (justifiably in my mind)
5. I'm overwhelmed and have so much to do, I don't know where to start
6. . . .the list goes on.

What I'm not hearing are all the reasons why people can make money:

1. Access to pretty much any info with a few clicks on our keyboards
2. Ability to partner with a coach or mentor and see fast results
3. A client pool of the entire world rather than simply as far as you can drive on a given day (thinking door-to-door sales here)
4. Teleseminars and webinars as a means of sharing information and teaching a group of people at the same time without requiring them (or you) to leave home
5. Digital products and the ability to have a 6 figure business without fulfillment hassles
6. . . .and once again, the list goes on. :-)

So what are YOU doing to increase your revenue this year, this month, this week?

• Do you have an ezine that you send out regularly (not just when you "get to it") AND that contains info your prospects want to hear about OR are you overly focused on sharing the "what and why" without any "how"?
• Are you reaching out and communicating with your clients and prospects or are you hitting "send" and hoping for the "ka-ching" sound to tell you someone purchased something?
• Do you make it easy for people to purchase from you (see my blog for some recent trainwrecks I encountered around this)?
• Do you care about your clients? I mean REALLY care about them, not just the revenue they bring you? And does it show without you having to tell them regularly?
• Do you take the time to do at least one thing EVERY SINGLE DAY to move your business forward (such as article marketing or social networking or sending a card to a client or prospect)?
• Do you know the return on investment for everything you do or are you just doing things and hoping something sticks?

Basically, are you taking the right actions to grow your business or are you sitting on the sidelines complaining about all the reasons it can't be done and griping about those who have done it?

These days we have so many more opportunities to make money faster and easier than ever before -- even with the recession -- and those who are focused on providing value and being of service to clients, while authentic to themselves, are poised for the most success.

If you're overwhelmed or feel like a top spinning round and round, unsure of what to do next (or how to do it or even if you should be doing it), email my assistant to set up a no obligation "Get Acquainted" call with me. 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”.

5 Questions You MUST Ask Before Joining a High Level Coaching Program

The latest rage among internet or online-focused businesses is the high level (over $10,000/year) coaching or mentoring program frequently referred to as “Gold”, “Platinum” or “Diamond” programs – it seems that almost everyone has their version of one.

These can be amazing programs. I fully believe in them based on the below and have participated in several (do the math here) over the past few years and am in one now.

I’ve seen, and had, huge and amazing leaps made and I’ve seen people on the verge of bankruptcy and everything in between as a result of joining these programs.

Some move forward exponentially and others end up overwhelmed, frustrated and broke.

So why the vast difference in experiences?

There are several things you need to consider before joining a high level program:

1. Can you afford the program?

While this seems like a simple question, it’s really not. You need to play with the numbers and ask yourself, “If my income remains stable or drops, can I afford this program? How will I pay for it?”

Remember that “paying for it” includes travel to and from retreats, hotel stays, meals and funds to implement ideas and new strategies as well as the program fees themselves.

You may choose to take out a new credit card, remortgage your house, etc. – it’s always better to have a backup plan and not need it then need it and not have it; especially as many of these programs require full payment even if you have to leave the program.

2. Why are you joining?

If you’re joining expecting to reach a million dollars in Month 2 of the program, you’ll want to reassess. You want to know your goals and planned outcomes for the program before joining and ask the program host if they’re realistic given where you currently are in your business.

3. Is this the right program/coach for you?

Do your research. Do you resonate with the person offering the program? Do you like her? Could you see yourself sitting down for a cup of tea together and having something, other than business, to talk about? Are her morals and integrity in line with yours?

Is her vision for the program in alignment with your anticipated outcomes?

4. Is now the right time?

Before spending oodles of money on a program to take you to the next level. . .and beyond, do you have the basics covered?

Do you have a team to support you? Do you have a website/blogsite? Do you have an ezine newsletter going out, at the very least, twice a month? Do you have client follow-up and retention processes? Do you have paying clients?

In effect, do you have the systems and foundation in place in order to get the most out of the program?

5. Do you have the time?

These programs take time: time to travel and participate in retreats, time to implement, time for group and 1-on-1 calls, time to assist others in the program (mutual support is critical in a successful program) and time to generate the revenue to pay for it all.

In order to get the most from your participation, you’ll want to ensure you have the time allotted.

If you’re unsure about any of the above, you’ll want to schedule a quick call with the program host to go over your situation before you sign on the dotted line.

My Request to You

Before joining any high level coaching program, put down the sales page or letter, print out this article, grab a pen and notepad and answer each of above with complete and total honesty.

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”.

How To Host Your Own Teleseminar: The Tools You Need To Make It Happen Without Fear!

You know all the reasons why you should host a teleseminar, but do you know HOW?

In this 60-minute teleseminar, I revealed insider secrets on How to Host Your Own Teleseminar.

Here are just a few of the topics covered:

• What to do if no one shows up on your call?
• Which bridge lines work best -- even for international callers who have phone charges?
• What order you should do things in? There IS an order for success.
• How do you promote your teleseminars even if you don't have an ezine or website?

If you're ready to start making money while being known as an expert by hosting YOUR own teleseminars, Click here to learn more...

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...

$300 for $8

While playing around on the computer this weekend, I saw a promotion from Yanik Silver for his new Maverick Business Insider.

 

For less than $8, he's offering several "in the mail" goodies worth just under $300 including his latest book "34 Rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs", audio program, wall poster, closed session DVD, etc.

 

While I haven't yet received my set (there are many other goodies included), I think it's worth checking out for yourself at Maverick Business Insider.

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...

 

 

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”.

How to Create a Survey Using Survey Monkey: All You Have To Do is Ask

Have you been thinking about sending a survey to your list, but not quite sure how to go about it?

 

Unsure of the types of questions to ask or even what you'll get from the survey?

 

Not sure how to ask people to fill out your survey when you know how busy they are?

 

Great News! I've put together a step-by-step guide to creating surveys using Survey Monkey - we even walk through a sample survey and have screenshots to guide you every step of the way!

 

This digital guide isn't meant to languish in your computer's hard drive forever - it's designed to have you sending out a survey TODAY!

 

Here's a quick look at the table of contents so you know exactly what's covered:

 

1. The Benefits of Using Surveys
2. Creating Your First Survey
3. Getting an Account
4. Setting Up Your Survey
5. Sharing Your Survey
6. Analyzing Results
7. What Next?
8. Appendix: Sample Emails

If you're ready to send out a survey and have been wondering how to make it happen, click here to purchase this guide now for only $19.00!

It happens TOMORROW!

WHY Aren't I Getting More Leads from My Website?!

Got a website but the phone's still not ringing?

All the web traffic in the world won't matter if your site is missing this one critical element . . .

It's the key that gets your visitor (aka your potential client) to give you their name and email so you can continue building a relationship with them even if they never visit your site again. Think of it as your "Irresistible Free Taste" (or IFT).

Join Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Online Marketing Strategy, and I for a fun and informative session on the hows and whys of creating an Irresistible Free Taste that will send your website conversion rate to the moon.
You'll discover:

• Whose advice you shouldn't listen to when creating your free offer
• How to choose a magnetic topic
• Whether an audio or print offer is best
• 2 critical design elements that will increase sign ups by as much as 300%
• The one thing that, if it's missing, can "break the deal"

Learn how easy it is to make the most of your website and turn every visitor into a potential client.

You can sign up here. . .

How To Repurpose Your Work: Do It Once and Get Paid Again and Again

Are you ready to move your business forward while saving time AND effort?

"Repurposing" is the act of reusing or recycling everything you do and How To Repurpose Your Work, will teach you to. . .

• better leverage your efforts
• get more exposure
• save time
• be recognized and interviewed as an expert by people such as Alexandria Brown and organizations such as Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circles
• work once and get paid over and over

Here's just a smidgeon of what these techniques have done for me:

=> quickly increased the size of my mailing list -- with prospects who WANT to hear from me

=> put me at the top of the Google search listings

=> resulted in people I've never heard of calling me and wanting to work together

You can learn more here. . .