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Marketing in this day and age needs to be a two-way communication. In a professional service business, it may make more sense to focus on the four C’s of marketing rather than the more traditional four P’s. They are much more customer oriented – and you need to think like your clients to do your best marketing.

Originally coined by Robert F. Lauterborn, co-author of “The New Marketing Paradigm: Integrated Marketing Communications”, the four C’s are more client centered and encourage us to view our business from the client’s perspective. They represent a fundamental shift in the marketing paradigm in response to the dramatic changes in the way people now make their buying decisions.

• Instead of Product – you have Customer Value
• Instead of Place – Convenience
• For Price – Cost
• For Promotion – Communication

Here are some guidelines on these concepts and why they are important to consider in your marketing plan.

Customer Value
You can no longer sell whatever you want to. You can only sell what people specifically want to buy. Understand your client’s needs and wants through ongoing survey and feedback so that you can provide massive value back to them.

Convenience
With the Internet and increased competition, the availability of similar services is infinite. Think convenience to buy. Make it very convenient for consumers to acquire your products and services. Many websites are set up to sell online 24/7 so that when the client is ready to buy, they don’t have to wait.

Cost
Understand consumer’s costs to satisfy their wants and needs. Determine how customers will respond to paying your sales prices by doing some market research. Are your price points set at the level where customers are willing to buy?

Communication
Forget Promotion; the new word is Communication. Mass marketing no longer works. Two-way conversation is essential. Your marketing communication may need to be more of a relationship-based process.

In today’s economy, it’s very easy for consumers to take their dollars elsewhere. If you can understand your client’s needs and wants through ongoing survey and feedback, you will be able to provide lots of value back to them.

To promote yourself effectively, you need to stand in your clients and shoes, and look at things from their perspective. If you practice these four C’s you’ll have a better chance of connecting with your potential clients.

Take Action

Review your marketing practices in the following four areas:

1. Customer Value
Survey your client’s needs and wants on an ongoing basis so that you can provide massive value back to them.

2. Convenience
How convenient do you make it for consumers to acquire your products and services? Can they purchase from you 24/7 through your website?

3. Cost
How are customers responding to paying your sales prices? Will they buy at the price points you have set?

4. Communication
Take a look at your marketing communication. Is it one-way or two-way? Do you encourage comments and feedback? Can you say it’s a relationship-based process?

© Copyright Jan Marie Dore www.janmariedore.com All rights reserved.

Jan Marie teaches women how to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com .

Attracting and retaining prospects and clients is the lifeblood of any business. Yet one of the biggest challenges most of the entrepreneurs and self employed professionals I work with say they have is getting a steady stream of new clients.

Is this a challenge for you?

Well, if so, you’re not alone. I know that when I started my professional coaching business many years ago, I struggled for the first few years to build up a full practice of clients. Now, I have systems and support in place to generate new leads for my website and my business automatically so that the marketing is not such a time-consuming effort anymore.

If you need more clients to sustain the income for your business or professional practice, here are three of the best ways to generate new business quickly.

1. Ask for Referrals.

Asking for referrals is the number one way for most businesses to get new business. Yet many professionals don’t use this strategy because they are not confident in asking clients and colleagues to refer to them on. You can send an email, a letter, or a postcard to everyone in your database letting them know that you build your business through referrals and that you have openings for new clients. Be clear about the type of client you are looking for and how you can help them achieve a certain outcome or result. Being as specific as possible will make it easier for people to refer you new business.

2. Give a Free Talk or Teleseminar.

Giving free talks is a great way to put yourself in front of people who might be interested in your services. There are numerous places in every city where you could give a free talk. Teleseminars are also a great way to gain wider exposure. Be strategic in giving your presentation only to people who are in your target audience so there is more likelihood they will hire you. Focus on delivering good content, and weave in stories about the results people receive by working with you. Make a ‘call to action’ at the end of your talk to entice people to follow up, and have business cards, a brochure, and/or a handout they can take away with them.

3. Contact Former Clients.

This is the one of the most overlooked yet one of the best ways to get new clients quickly. Most professionals make the mistake of continually looking for brand new clients. This can be costly and time consuming. They don’t think to try the quick, low-cost way of contacting and reactivating former clients. People who have worked with you in the past will often be willing to work with you again – especially if you make them an offer they can’t refuse. Contact former clients and make them a special offer, or offer them a slight discount for the first session. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many say yes.

If your business needs an infusion of cash and clients right now, try any one of these quick, low-cost way to generate new prospects and clients. It can be easier than you think!

Wishing you much joy and prosperity in 2012!
Jan

P.S. Are you coming NEXT WEEK Friday, January 13th for my one day WORKSHOP “ATTRACT MORE GREAT NEW CLIENTS WITH A SMART MARKETING PLAN AND STRATEGY FOR 2012”? I’ll teach you easy ways to simplify your marketing, increase your visibility and income, and build a meaningful business around your life purpose.

Early price just $99 until TODAY January 3rd – save $80 off the full price of $179 by signing up NOW. Burlington, Ontario. Seats are filling up – limited to only 18 women – Join Us . . .

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW here for the “Smart Marketing Intensive“

P.P.S: Can’t make the live workshop? Why not schedule a private half-day virtual intensive with me to create your blueprint for success? Together we’ll design your customized plan to attract more clients, opportunities and income in 2012. Find out more and sign up here for your own “VIP Private Virtual Intensive”“

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You’re welcome to, however we do require that you include the copyright and the following bio with live web site link. Please also notify us where the material will appear. copyright by Jan Marie Dore of Femalepreneurs.com.

Jan Marie Dore mentors coaches, speakers, consultants and other solo-professional women to work fewer hours and make more money with online business building strategies. Get your free Professional Women’s Success Kit and other marketing resources at http://www.femalepreneurs.com

I’m getting ready to celebrate the holidays, as I’m sure you are too, but I wanted to take a moment to share with you a quick business assessment that can potentially shift your income dramatically in 2012.

With the changing economy, you may have noticed changes in the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. In this period of slower economic growth, the women business owners who clarify the most profitable zone in their marketplace are the ones who will come out on top. It’s now more important than ever to find a profitable niche you can be a leader in.

Do you know your ‘Perfect Profit Zone’?

If not, here’s a quick assessment you can take for your current business to determine your most profitable and in-demand services and products.

First, look for these two groups or client types in your current client base:

1. clients who have been the most loyal


2. clients who have been the most profitable

Then, look at your services, programs and products to determine:

1. which ones are in most demand


2. which ones are the most profitable

Now, find the intersection of your most loyal, profitable clients AND your most profitable, in-demand services and products, and you’ll know where the sweet spot is in your business that you can now leverage in 2010 for continued growth and profitability.

I invite you to post your comments and thoughts below.

Wishing you much joy and love during this holiday season,
Jan

P.S. Are you joining me Friday, January 13th for my one day workshop “ATTRACT MORE GREAT NEW CLIENTS WITH A SMART MARKETING PLAN AND STRATEGY FOR 2012”? I’ll teach you easy ways to simplify your marketing, increase your visibility and income, and build your business around your life purpose.

Only $99 until Dec 28th – save $80 off the full price of $179 by signing up early. Give yourself the gift of working ON your big business VISION for one full day. Burlington, Ontario. Seats are filling up – limited to only 18 women – so

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW here for the “Smart Marketing Intensive“

Visualizing your goals and desires is a very powerful way to attract what you want into your life more quickly. Before visualizing, the first thing you need to do is to make a decision about what you really want. You need to get crystal clear on exactly what you want to experience or have in your life six months, one year, and three years from now. You need to set some goals, write them down, and add dates for when you want to achieve them.

Once you have determined your goals, you need to really believe that you can actually have them. Belief always precedes attraction and results. You’ll want to picture yourself doing work you love, working with only your ideal clients, making your ideal income, and having enough time off for friends, family and personal interests.

Use your imagination to put yourself inside your visualization as if it were happening right now in this moment. Imagine what it feels and looks like to have achieved your goals. Picture it like a movie that’s unfolding, not just a snapshot in time. For example, if you want to attract more ideal clients, actually imagine their faces, see then interacting with you, and hear them say “Yes, I’m ready to work with you.” Feel the joy your experience in that moment.

If increased income is your goal, picture your ideal clients handing you a check made out with your name on it and the exact increased amount you want to charge for your services and programs. Or, if you take credit cards, imagine swiping their card or them giving you their number so you can process their order. Feel the sense of security and confidence you will feel as your bank balance increases.

Breathe in the positive feelings you experience as you imagine your ideal scene. Notice if you feel happier, more self-assured or confident, more peaceful or energized when you picture your goals being achieved. The feelings that come up for you are an essential piece to activate your vision and turn it into reality.

For best results, visualize daily. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are the best times. Throughout the day, you might also use a visual cue, such as a vision board, to remind you to connect with your vision and imagine the outcomes you want. Imagine as if it were happening right now, and make all your decisions from that future place.

Many people are visualizing, but get stopped in the belief part of the goal achievement process. They have some self-limiting beliefs they need to clear before the visualization will have enough power to attract what they really want.

For example, they may say “I want to earn a million dollars”, but their underlying belief says “I’d have to work too hard to make seven figures” or “People would never be willing to pay me enough for me to earn seven figures”. In coaching, we call this having conflicting intentions. The effect is that one intention cancels the other out and nothing happens.

The other factor that stops people from achieving what they really want is a lack of expecting the desired result to happen. If they have made a firm decision and clearly pictured the goals they want to achieve, and really they believe they can accomplish what they set out to do, then it’s often a lack of expectation that gets in the way.

People will say they want something, but then they don’t actually expect it will happen. They don’t take the action they need to take as if they were expecting it to happen, and consequently they don’t see the opportunity because they’re not really expecting it to show up.

So, the steps necessary to visualize your success are clarity, decision, visualization, feel the feelings, believe, expect results and take committed action. If you’re missing one of these steps, go back to the beginning and go through all the steps again to achieve the outcomes you really want.

Share your thoughts on visualizing below. What success have you had with visualizing the results you desire?

© by Jan Marie Dore of Femalepreneurs.com.
Jan Marie Dore mentors coaches, speakers, consultants and other solo-professional women to work fewer hours and make more money with online business building strategies. Get your free ‘Professional Women’s Success Kit’ and other marketing resources at Femalepreneurs.com

Personal Branding can be a powerful tool for success. If you are marketing yourself or your professional services, a strong personal brand will draw people and opportunities to you like a magnet.

Personal Branding is about honing your skills, narrowing your focus, and getting clear on what you’re passionate about.

Branding is not just about you being better than your competition. It’s about getting your prospects to choose you as the ONLY solution to their problem.

Here are seven powerful benefits of creating a strong personal brand:

1. Increase your competitive edge

One of the greatest benefits to you of having a strong brand is that it creates a sense of individuality and “separateness” in the marketplace so that your clients are able to easily differentiate your company from your competitors.

2. Catapult your authentic self into the marketplace

Your brand is deeply rooted in your authentic personal identity. The goal of personal branding is to be known for who you are as a person and what you stand for. Your brand is a reflection of who you are, your opinions, values, and beliefs that are visibly expressed by what you say and do, and how you do it.

In effect, it evolves from the search for identity and meaning. For many, it’s about using your best talents and gifts in the service of others. With a clearly defined personal brand strategy, you will create your life and business from a level of personal authenticity that reflects your deepest priorities.

3. Focus your time and talents to achieve maximum leverage

Your personal brand plan can become your own compass or personal North Star. It can guide all your actions and communications so that you demonstrate authenticity and consistency in all your interactions.

4. Create top of mind awareness for your business or professional services

Product and service differentiation has now shifted to brand differentiation. It means consumers do not distinguish products and services, but brands. The branding process allows you to take control of your identity and influence the perception others will have about you and the services you offer.

5. Create the buzz to increase demand for your products, services and expertise

You can achieve effortless business growth using simple branding solutions to generate word-of-mouth marketing through the invisible networks that the buzz spreads through.

Your brand will connect you with the movers and shakers who will send you referrals and give you testimonials. It will get people talking about you to stimulate customer-to-customer selling. Persistent action to communicate your brand consistently through many channels will start to generate the buzz and create excitement for your products and services.

6. Generate more sales and higher income in less time

Most professionals don’t reach their full income potential. A strong personal brand will enable you to effortlessly attract clients and opportunities. You will position yourself in the mind of your marketplace as THE service provider of choice to dominate your market and command higher fees – work less and make more!

7. Establish yourself as an expert and become a celebrity in your area of specialty

Gain name recognition in your area of expertise where it counts the most – in your customer’s mind. Make a lasting impression and be super-rewarded for your individuality.

Trust, respect, and admiration will follow when your name and message are embedded repeatedly into the consciousness of your target market. You will be perceived as an expert the more you are visible to your target audience. Your brand will propel you to the top in your marketplace.

It’s your time to SHINE!

Do you have a story about how your personal brand has benefited you and your business?

Please share a comment below.

Your journey of going from unknown to in-demand, brand name niche expert can begin with my new 6 week, value-packed, small group tele-training.

The Personal Brand Blueprint 6 Week Virtual Intensive: The Step-by-Step Marketing System to Go From Unknown to Sought-After, Highly-Paid, Brand Name Niche Expert

Find Out More and Sign Up Now

Over the next two months, I will personally take you through my proven personal brand marketing system and mentor you step-by-step in how to leverage your expertise and passion into a well-recognized, authority brand so you can attract all the clients, income and freedom you really want.

I’ll share with you my self-promotion secrets so you can make a name for yourself in your niche market and make a bigger difference in the world.

You’ll learn exactly what you need to do to create a well-known, in-demand, client-attracting personal brand so you can work less, have more freedom, and make more money in your solo-business.

You just can’t afford anymore to blend in and not get noticed. Don’t risk being plagued by the need to perpetually chase clients and income. Give yourself the gift of creating an authentic expert brand that will do the marketing for you – not just today, but far into the future.

Starts Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Find Out More and Sign Up Now

Copyright © Jan Marie Dore ~ www.janmariedore.com ~ All rights reserved.Jan Marie Dore, ‘The Women Entrepreneurs’ Success Coach’, Master Certified Coach, Speaker, and Author, publishes valuable ideas to grow a professional service business and increase profitability in her newsletter ‘Success Secrets for Women Entrepreneurs’.Jan Marie teaches self-employed female professionals to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com and read the Blog Success Secrets.

The quality and quantity of ideal clients you will attract is in direct relation to the work you put into building a client-attracting personal brand. You can increase your brand value by managing your website appearance and by communicating effectively with your marketplace.

Here’s how:

• Set up your website and blog so that you are speaking directly to your ideal prospects. Make the content about them, not all about you. You have about 30 seconds to capture their attention, and if they don’t see what they’re looking for, they will click away.
• Make an enticing offer at your website and blog that is very easy to see as soon as someone arrives at any of your pages. Don’t just say “sign up for my newsletter”. That just doesn’t work anymore. You must provide something that your prospects can get immediately and that they would value enough to give you their name and e-mail address in exchange for. (So you can build your list, of course!).
• Post to your blog a few times a week some relevant tips and actionable information that your ideal clients will benefit from. Communicate authentically from your expertise and come from a place of helping your clients solve their most pressing problems.
• Communicate consistently to your list so that they come to know, like and trust you. Twice a month or once a week is a good rhythm to get into. Be consistent with the day and time so they look forward to receiving your messages. Let your passion, expertise and personality shine through.

Do these four things and you will have the foundation for a client-attracting personal brand attracts more of your ideal clients authentically without you having to work so hard at selling.

I invite you to post your comments below.

I invite you to join me TUESDAY, November 22nd for my FREE Teleseminar: “Six Smart Strategies to Build the Buzz for Your Brand Online”.

Sign up here

In this value-packed training call, I’ll share with you my online marketing secrets so you can make a name for yourself in your niche market and make a bigger difference in the world.

You’ll learn exactly what you need to do to create a well-known, in-demand, client-attracting personal brand so you can work less, have more freedom, and make more money in your solo-business.

Sign up here

Click the arrow to listen to Jan Marie Dore reading this article

Is your website bringing you all the sales and opportunities you want?

Over the years as I have studied marketing best practices and mentored thousands of women entrepreneurs in marketing and growing their business, I have observed what works and what doesn’t work in creating effective websites that sell.

All too often I have seen entrepreneurs and professionals spend thousands of dollars on pretty but ineffective websites. They pay someone for a lovely design but that person may not know the basics of how your website needs to be designed so that you get more leads and more sales.

Here are the mistakes I see and the steps to fix them:

Mistake 1: No Way to Capture Leads
The number one goal of your website should be to capture names and email addresses of prospects so you can get your message in front of them over and over. You’ll want to automate this system with one of the many services that will do this for you.

Mistake 2: Opt-In Box and Call to Action Not Visible
Your opt-in box for your free offer and to subscribe to your list needs to be at the top of every page of your website. Top left is ideal, or in the header or top right are excellent too. All too often, these boxes are hidden far down the page. Make it very easy for people to find it as soon as they come to your site. A call to action is what tells people what to do next. Don’t assume they will know. Say “click here now to get your free report” or “enter your name to receive your free gift instantly”.

Mistake 3: No Compelling Offer to a Specific Target Audience
This is the biggest mistake I see. There are two aspects to this. First, the target market is too broad or general. Second, there is nothing offered that is compelling enough for these ideal prospects to exchange their name and email address for. It’s not enough now to say “sign up for my newsletter”. You need to make it much more enticing. Offer something that will solve a problem for your marketplace. Offer something they’ll get instantly – such as a special report, tips lists, audio class or e-course, a quiz or assessment, a CD or a video – and let them know they’ll also receive your ezine or weekly tips.

Mistake 4: A Homepage That Is All About You
When someone visits your website, the first thing they want to know is “what’s in it for me?” They want to know that you understand them and their challenges before they want to know about you. The mistake I see too often is the website owner’s mission statement or vision or credentials first thing on the homepage. Make the beginning paragraphs about your prospects, not about you. Show them that you identify with them and understand their frustrations, and only then let them know how you can help them.

Mistake 5: No Compelling Headline on Each Page
A headline serves two purposes: to capture people’s attention so they will want to read more, and to tell the search engines what your site is all about. Search engines look for key words or phrases in your headlines and first two paragraphs of text, and so do people. When prospects see that you understand them and you’re talking to them, they’ll want to read more.

Mistake 6: No Clear Path for Prospects to Follow
Keep your navigation at your site very simple and guide people through so they aren’t overwhelmed at your home page by too many options. The main goal of your website should be to get people on your list. Once they are on your list, you will have multiple opportunities to sell to them. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to sell high-end services too soon before prospects get a chance to know you and appreciate your expertise. Get them on your list first, and then as they come to appreciate you as a resource and trusted advisor through your articles and tips, start telling them gradually about your services and products.

Here are six steps you can take right now to shift your website from ineffective to a continual sales generator:

1. Have a way to automatically capture prospects names and email addresses. There are many excellent services that can automate this for you such as 1 Shopping Cart, A Weber, or Get Response.
2. Make sure your opt-in box and call to action to capture leads are at the top of every page.
3. Create an enticing offer that prospects will clamor to get and will gladly give you their name and email address to receive.
4. Review your homepage to ensure that it’s mainly about your prospects and their challenges and not all about you.
5. Write a compelling headline using your keywords for each page of your website.
6. Develop a clear path for prospects to follow from the initial subscription to your list to something free or low-cost, then on up to medium and higher priced products and services. This is often called your “marketing funnel”.

Do all these things, and you should start seeing more subscribers added to your list and more sales at your website.

Get ready to solve all these challenges and make 2012 your best year yet! My signature business training for women entrepreneurs, Femalepreneurs Business School, returns in January 2012. Want to be put on the priority notification list for when we open? Email my client support team here with “Femalepreneurs Business School priority list” in the subject line.

Copyright © Jan Marie Dore ~ www.femalepreneurs.com ~ All rights reserved.

Jan Marie Dore, ‘The Professional Women’s Success Coach’, Master Certified Coach, Speaker, and Author, publishes valuable ideas to grow a professional service business and increase profitability in her newsletter ‘Success Secrets for Solo-Professional Women’.Jan Marie teaches self-employed female professionals to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com and read the Blog Prosperous Professional Women

In today’s crowded online marketplace, building your reputation as a thought leader or expert is one of the best strategies to give your attention to in your professional service or expertise-based business.

It’s easy to make a name for yourself if you know what to do and how to do it effectively so that you stand out and get noticed.

Here are my three tips to make a name for yourself in the online world if you’re a coach, consultant, speaker, trainer or other solo-professional who provides a service:

1. Participate in online social networks
   
   In this day and age, it’s become essential to have a presence in social media. Even if you feel you don’t want to spend a lot of time in social networks, you still need to be at one or two of the sites. Facebook is quickly becoming the #1 place to be seen and heard. At a minimum, have your assistant set up a business page in Facebook where people can choose to follow you.


2. Publish a blog
   
   Publishing a blog can position you as the go-to person in your field. If you regularly post tips, ideas and resources to help your target audience solve their biggest challenges, you’ll soon start gathering a community of followers who will listen to what you have to say. A blog is also a great way to attract media attention and receive requests for talks and interviews.


3. Offer free teleseminars, webinars and audio programs
   
   Teleseminars are a quick, easy, free way to deliver your message to a wider audience. I regularly offer teleseminars on topics my clients want to know about. I use teleseminars to test-market titles and new programs before I spend time and money delivering in-person programs. I convert all my teleseminars into audio programs that I have used as both free giveaways and paid content for my membership site.

Take these three steps to make a name for yourself and stand out in an overcrowded marketplace.

Bring a more focused direction to your marketing strategies and start promoting yourself as your own best asset. You’ll notice that clients, opportunities and media will soon start paying attention to what you have to say!

I invite you to post your comments below.

Wishing you much joy and success,
Jan

Sign up here

I invite you to join me next TUESDAY, October 25th for my FREE Teleseminar: “Six Smart Strategies to Convert More Interested Prospects into Long-Term Invested Clients and Add New High-Profit Income Streams to Your Service Business”.

Would you like to know how to sign up higher paying clients every time?

In this value packed free training call you’ll learn:

• How to package your passion and expertise into an irresistible client program that will differentiate you in your marketplace and attract more clients who want to work with you.


• How to fill your programs and convert more prospects into long-term invested clients using easy-to-do preview teleseminars.


• A simple formula for authentic sales conversations to enrol more invested clients into your programs and high level 1-on-1 packaged services every time.


• The specific steps you can take to shift from a single source of income into a highly leveraged, multiple streams of income, high profit business.

Find out more and Sign Up Here

I’ve been teaching several classes recently to coaches and other service professionals about adding information products as a new revenue stream. I love connecting with women and supporting them in learning and implementing new ideas to grow their business.

Internet marketing comes naturally to me as I’ve been doing it for so long. I teach women service providers step-by-step how to create new profit centers in their business. I like to break it down into simple, doable steps to make it easy to implement.

My business changed dramatically when I added
new revenue streams and information products.

. . . my marketing became easier

. . . my income increased

. . . I made more sales when I went out to speak

I’d like to share with you some of the ideas I shared at my talk
on how you can get started with information products.

1) Find an unmet need and fill an existing demand.
You’ll have your best success selling information products by finding an unfilled need in your current marketplace and creating a product or program to meet that existing demand. It’s almost impossible to create demand that doesn’t already exist, but you can do very well providing the solutions, resources and answers that people are already searching for.

2) Repurpose everything you do.
You don’t have to start from scratch when creating a new information product. You more than likely have something on your computer from an article, a talk or a workshop that you could use and repurpose. For example, turn a series of articles into an ebook, record the ebook as an audio program, or package your seminar into a workbook you can sell. The ideas are endless.

3) Enroll support and assistance to complete your projects.
You need support and assistance to complete your projects. Don’t try to do it all alone. Keep your first project simple, and don’t get bogged down trying to learn new technology. If anything feels too technical, pick up the phone or send an email to someone you know who has already done this. Or, join a coaching program or hire a virtual assistant to get you set up and started quickly. There are many very reasonably priced services and programs available. This will give you momentum to complete your projects so you can start making sales sooner.

You can easily add a new profit center to your business by turning what you know into an information product, coaching program or seminar. This will make your marketing much easier, increase your sales, and have clients calling you instead of you having to chase after them.

I invite you to share your questions and comments below.

Wishing you much success,
Jan

P.S. Join me next Tuesday, October 10th for my FREE Teleseminar Training Call: “Simple Strategies to Create a Client Attractive Income Generating Signature Program: How to Take the Ceiling Off Your Income, Attract More Clients, and Achieve Expert Status by Packaging Your Passion and Expertise”.

Trading hours for dollars in your professional service business will never bring you wealth or freedom. How can you take the ceiling off your income, attract more clients, and have more time off? By creating your own signature programs and information products to share your knowledge with more people, differentiate your services from others in your marketplace, position yourself as the go-to person in your field, achieve expert status, and earn passive income.

Find out more and Sign Up Here for “Simple Strategies to Create a Client Attractive Income Generating Signature Program”

P.P.S. If you would like to see my valuable resource guide on Publishing ebooks and other information products, go to The Online Profits System: the Complete Guide to Packaging and Selling Your Expertise to Attract More Clients,Make Passive Income, and Gain Instant Expert Status

Hasn’t fall come upon us quickly? I can’t believe it’s almost October!

Are you on track with your income goals for 2011? Or, are you in a place of wanting more clients to fill your practice and grow your business? Join me for my free training call next Thursday to find out how you can ramp up your income quickly.(See details below.)

There are easy ways you can leverage the internet to attract more prospects and clients. You can also create leveraged programs that will attract your ideal clients, give you more income, and free up your time so you don’t have to be always chasing after new clients.

I have designed a highly leveraged, scalable business that allows me to work when and where I want, and travel when and where I want. My business is almost entirely automated and much of what I do is over to the internet and the phone. The days I am consulting or masterminding in person with clients, or speaking or training, I can plan in advance around the time I will be away – which I always schedule in first – so my time is very flexible.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I want to give you some tips on how you can design your business to give you the freedom, lifestyle and income you really want. That’s the reason your started your business in the first place, right?

Here are the steps I took that you can take too:

First, if your only method of delivering your service is one person at a time and requires you to be present, think of ways you can shift some of your services so you can deliver them to more than one person at a time – for example, a small group or a workshop – or ways you could deliver your information in a packaged format.

Next, design a group program or a workshop, or create an information product. Or, do it all at the same time like I do. Start a group program and use that structure to create your first information product that you can sell online.

Then, automate many of the functions in your business using some of the low cost internet tools available that save you lots of time. You can automate things like client attraction, your ezine sign up, your special report or ebook delivery, follow-up messages, and online sales.

Because of the way I have set up my business, I make sales of my products and programs even when I’m visiting a different city or taking time off. It’s a great feeling to turn on your computer in the morning and see the sales notifier pop up to say you have made a sale – like I did this morning – even when it’s the weekend and you’re doing something else you enjoy.

These are some simple changes you can make to get you started. It’s about shifting your thinking about how you can grow your business and income, and then changing some of your delivery formats and methods.

I invite you to post your comments or questions below.

P.S. Please join me next Thursday Sept 29th for my value-packed FREE training call “Insider Secrets to Leveraging Your Time and Talent Into a High-Profit, High-Impact, Multiple Streams of Income Business That Gets Your Purpose Out Into the World in a Much Bigger Way . . . and Gives You More Visibility, Income, and Freedom”.

Find out more and Sign Up Here to learn Exactly how to Build a Multiple Streams of Income Business . I’ll be teaching you everything you need to do to shift from a single source of income into a highly leveraged, multiple income streams, high profit business model that gets your purpose out into the world in a much bigger way and gives you more visibility, freedom and income. Sign Up NOW!.

Copyright © Jan Marie Dore ~ www.femalepreneurs.com ~ All rights reserved.Jan Marie Dore, ‘The Professional Women’s Success Coach’, Master Certified Coach, Speaker, and Author, publishes valuable ideas to grow a professional service business and increase profitability in her newsletter ‘Success Secrets for Professional Women’.Jan Marie teaches self-employed female professionals to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com and read the Blog Prosperous Professional Women.

I regularly lead a lot of teleclasses and group coaching programs for coaches, consultants and other professional women. One of my recent participants said:

“I’m tired of playing small. It’s not satisfying me or paying my bills. I’m not making enough money in this work which I love.”

I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. Women who love their work and want to make a bigger difference…who have a purpose and a message and want to take it bigger. . . . who are ready to get out there and connect with more people and not be so isolated in their home office.

I see many women ready to reinvent themselves and their business and get there voice out into the world in a bigger way.

These are the 3 key shifts I see many women need to make to take their message and their income to higher levels:

1. Shift into a more leveraged, specialized business model.

2. Shift away from so much 1-1 work into groups, programs, and seminars where you can teach and serve at the same time and get an income boost.

3. Shift into new ways of doing business and new ways of getting your message out more effectively by leveraging the internet and simple systems and support.

I’m on a mission to mentor more women to be financially successful and personally fulfilled. Stay tuned over the next few days and weeks for more details on exactly how I’m going to do that…..Jan

One of the most important skills for an entrepreneur is decision making. Lack of quick decision making is one of the main causes of business failure.

Successful entrepreneurs learn the skill of making definite decisions quickly, changing their decisions slowly, and then getting into action quickly.

Struggling entrepreneurs have the opposite habit. They procrastinate and make decisions very slowly, then change their mind so quickly and frequently that they don’t get into the action and momentum required to succeed. They are easily influenced to change their mind and follow a different path or a different teacher. They will listen to other people’s opinions instead of following their own inner wisdom.

Does that sound like you? If you allow yourself to be too easily influenced by others, and to procrastinate on making decisions, you will not succeed. You may need to gather some facts and information from others, but the ultimate decision lies with you.

Cultivate the habit of having a mind of your own. Trust your intuition and inner wisdom to guide you in making the right decisions for you and your business.

Here’s something you can do right now to stop procrastinating. Make a list of all the decisions you need to make, both big and small. Tap into your intuition or wise self and jot down your answer to each decision quickly. Make a definite yes or no answer, and start trusting that it’s the right answer for you. Go with it, and get into immediate action on your “yes’ decisions. Your success will be practically guaranteed!

Click the button to listen to this article read by Jan and share your comments below.

Over the past thirteen years, I have worked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs as their business coach. I’ve noticed that many women small business owners experience the same challenges in growing and running their businesses, such as feeling overwhelmed and isolated, having difficulty keeping focused, not enrolling enough support, and not planning for growth.

Here’s a summary of my best advice for any woman running a small business – my top seven tips for women entrepreneurs:

1) Focus on your strengths

There’s an old saying – ‘Do what you do best and delegate the rest.’ Know what your top strengths are. Delegate or drop anything that you’re not exceptionally skilled at, and focus at least 80% of your time using your key talents that bring you income.

2) Put yourself first

Your growing business needs a lot of time and attention. Many women in business put themselves third or fourth on their list of priorities. Put you and your business first and everything else will fall into place.

3) Learn to say ‘no’

I ask women who have started a business to drop anywhere from 25% to 50% of their time commitments when we start working together. Most women are too over-committed with non-business related activities. Be strategic about what you say yes to, especially in the first few years of your business. Guard your precious time as the valuable asset that it is.

4) Plan for success

Lack of planning causes more businesses to fail than anything else. Planning is very valuable because it causes you to think ahead to your vision and next steps to reach your goals. You can create a simple one page marketing plan that outlines your business objectives and how you will achieve them.

5) Ask for support

Don’t try to figure it all out by yourself. Notice where you are stuck and could use some help, and ask for it. Ask colleagues or others who have been in business and could mentor you, hire a business coach, or form your own mastermind support team.

6) Delegate or drop your weaknesses

Get clear on what you don’t enjoy doing or don’t do very well. Either stop trying to do it, or find someone who will do it for you. A perfect example is bookkeeping. If you dislike it, give it to someone else to do, and free up your time to earn money doing what you do well.

7) Keep an eye on the bottom line

You don’t need to have complex financial statements, but setting targets and tracking some key indicators every month will help you understand how you are doing. You’ll know sooner what’s working and what’s not working so that you can make strategic adjustments.

Implement at least three of these tips, and watch your business flourish!

© Copyright Jan Marie Dore www.janmariedore.com All rights reserved.

Jan Marie teaches women how to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com .

I work with women to fulfill their purpose and potential through entrepreneurship. Yet many of these women lose sight of why they went business in the first place, and start to lose their passion and enthusiasm over time.

One client I’ll call Mary, came to be because she was at her wits end drowning in paperwork, emails, and to-do lists. She felt drained, overworked, and uninspired. She was in a place of not remembering why she had started her business in the first place or what she felt called to do.

Her reason for going into business was because she felt a strong call to make a contribution in the world. She didn’t know exactly how to do that in the way she imagined, so she just started with what she knew. This is where most women start, but they often get lost along the way.

By the time Mary came to me, she was exhausted, ready to give up, and had very limited financial resources remaining.

Here’s what I had her do to turn her situation around quickly – and you can to!

One: get clear on what you feel most called to do right now
It may be time to hone in on your true purpose and talents more narrowly. Get very specific on the exact value you bring to your clients and the key challenges you can help them solve.

Two: get support
Mary was running a one-woman show in trying to do everything herself. One of the first things we did was to get her some simple administrative support for a few hours a week.

Three: simplify and streamline
Look at your service and program offerings for the clients and the services you can let go of that are no longer a passion for you, for the things that take a lot of your time but don’t reward you financially, and for places where you have a long list of offerings but no clear specialty. Eliminate at least half of what you’re currently doing that no longer serves you so you can focus on the work that truly fulfills inspires you.

So what happened with my client Mary?

She immediately brought on an assistant for several hours a month which grew over time. She simplified by dropping one of her service offerings that didn’t bring a good financial reward, and completed with several clients who were draining her energy. She was then in a position to step into her greatness. Now she’s thriving and very happy and more fulfilled in her work.

Are you ready and willing to take your true place in the world and make the difference only you can make?

Most women are trying to do too much and consequently aren’t bringing their true contribution to the world. Stop playing small and start standing out for the work you feel called to do. Get clear on your true calling and core talents. Then, simplify, streamline, specialize, and get support so you can step into your fullest potential.

Wishing you much success and a great summer
Jan

PS: If it’s time for you to take your place in the world and you’d like the support of a qualified mentor to streamline, simplify, and step into your fullest potential, I’m booking a limited number of “Breakthrough Intensive VIP Consulting Days“. Click here to schedule a call with me to inquire about working together in a private day or half-day of consulting and mentoring to get on the fast track to more sales.

Marketing and sales is what business is all about. Knowing how to effectively promote yourself can give you control over your income. Even though you provide a service such as coaching, consulting, or training, if you don’t also master the skill of marketing, you’ll struggle to attract enough clients to keep you in business for a long time.

You need to do three key things:

• Get clear on the one thing you do better than virtually everyone you know.
  Take time to figure out what you are really, really good at. Know what sets you apart so you can stand out and get noticed. Get feedback to make sure your strength is something people really want and will pay for in your marketplace.
• Highlight that strength in everything you do.
  Teach it. Lead with it. Leverage it. Package it. Promote yourself as an expert or specialist in what you do best. Communicating from a place of power and certainty about your core talent will make all the difference in your sales.
• Continuously demonstrate your unique ability.
  Demonstrate to prospects and clients how you can uniquely solve their problems with your core gifts and talents. Bring your unique ability into everything you do on a consistent basis.

It takes a shift in your mindset to claim the power of your brilliance and really own it. By doing this, people will naturally be attracted to working with you and you won’t have to work so hard at selling yourself.

It’s a power shift inside yourself that will make all the difference in your marketing being either highly effective are not effective at all. You can make this shift in your mind – even if you are currently struggling – and watch the lid come off your income.

Come from a place of helping others and knowing that you have the strength and talent to really help them solve their current challenges. Believe that you’re the best person to help them. Step into your power and claim expert positioning, and watch your income and sales soar!

I welcome your comments below!
Jan

P.S. If it’s time for you to step into your power and claim expert positioning and you want the support of a qualified mentor to get there, I’m booking a limited number of “Breakthrough VIP Intensive Consulting Days“. Watch for an announcement next week, or contact me to schedule a call to find out more.

Are you missing out on one of the most powerful strategies for attracting more clients?

Writing articles on the web is one of the best ways for solo-professionals to attract attention for their business. Strategically placing articles can literally explode your business. It’s a great way to generate interest in your services and products and to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Your articles can serve as a commercial to sell your services to new prospects. They are like road signs on the information highway directing traffic to your website.

Articles posted online give you essentially free publicity for your business and many other benefits. As a result of writing and distributing articles, you can gain lots more clients and help many more people with the information you provide. You can become a recognized authority in your area of expertise. You can attract thousands of qualified prospects who you know are interested in your ideas and your products and services. Your ezine list can grow every day, without spending money paying for targeted leads.

Your articles don’t have to be very long. Three hundred to five hundred words are enough. In fact nowadays, shorter is better. People want their information in quick sound bytes.

Here are four great ways you can use your articles to drive traffic to your website and people to your business:

1) Publish articles at your website or blog
Create your own article directory at your website with all of your articles. List the title of each article, and also include a few sentences to describe the content based on your site’s keywords. Or, better yet, publish all of your articles at your blog. This will raise your rankings with the search engines.

2) Post articles in other people’s ezines or blogs
You can reach a new audience by publishing your articles in other people’s ezines or posting at their blogs. You benefit from being exposed to their readers, and gain instant credibility as the published expert.

3) Submit your articles to online article directories
Look for online article directories in your favorite search engine. Search on article directories + the name of your area of specialty to find directories that cater to your niche market. Go to the major list groups like Yahoo and Topica and type “article announce lists” in the search box. Look for large lists and also smaller lists in your niche to submit articles to.

4) Promote your articles to specialty sites in your target marketplace
To bring more targeted visitors to your website, post articles written for your niche market at specialty sites that cater to their needs. Offer specific information that demonstrates your knowledge in your area of expertise.

Writing and publishing articles on a regular basis is one of the most effective ways to grow your professional service business, attract new clients, and become a recognized authority in your area of expertise. Do these four things regularly, and watch calls and emails from prospects and visitors to your website soar!

Want a great resource for promoting your business by publishing articles?

See my ebook Article Marketing Simplified:the Eight Step System for Attracting More Clients and Sales by Writing Articles.

This is my quick-start, how-to guide to writing and publishing articles designed specifically for solo professional entrepreneurs who want more clients and more credibility. You’ll discover insider article marketing secrets that establish you as the expert in your field and attract more qualified visitors to your website. It’s a great resource – a 90 page workbook, bonus report on the top article submission sites, and 2 audio programs on article marketing.

Copyright © Jan Marie Dore ~ www.femalepreneurs.com ~ All rights reserved.Jan Marie Dore, ‘The Professional Women’s Success Coach’, Master Certified Coach, Speaker, and Author, publishes valuable ideas to grow a professional service business and increase profitability in her newsletter ‘Success Secrets for Professional Women’.Jan Marie teaches self-employed female professionals to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com and read the Blog Prosperous Professional Women.

What I have noticed with many of the service professionals I coach is that when I start working with them, they have only one source of income – and it usually means they are giving up all of their time to bring in the amount of money they want to make.

They are stuck in an old business model that no longer works!

If you are someone who has only one income stream – such as coaching or any hourly or monthly paid service that you offer – here are several ideas for you to add new income streams from your expertise and the work you’re already doing with your clients:

• give and in person workshop


• create a simple information product


• design a coaching program


• offer a teleseminar series


• start a mastermind group


• deliver a paid presentation or seminar


• offer your clients a one-day intensive


• structure a small group virtual program


• design in-person retreats

Innovation equals income. Choose one new income stream you can add to your business this month. Get creative in thinking outside the box about how you can package and deliver your expertise and not just your time. Then watch your revenue go up!

I invite you to share your thoughts below.

Wishing you much success with adding new income streams!
Jan

PS: I’d love to help you do this! Contact me to find out how.

Click the arrow to listen to Jan Marie Dore reading this article

In these times when business may be slow and people don’t seem to be spending as much, it’s easy to hide out and lay low thinking you’ll just wait till it all ends. You may think that’s a good strategy. I know I considered it.

But, if you have a purpose in life and a passion for helping people, then what is called for in these times is just the opposite of what you might be doing.

Are you hearing the call to step into your brilliance, or are you standing on the sidelines hoping this will all go away?

The businesses that will survive this economic shift are the ones who make over their business model, keep in touch with their market, and come up with new product and service offerings.

I notice many women are hiding out from their life purpose and bigger vision of what’s possible them and for the world. They’re shrinking back instead of being the voice of encouragement and change.

If you find you’ve been hiding out, feeling disconnected from your prospects and clients, and going to overwhelm and confusion about what to do next, here are five things you can do right now. These five things will call on you to step out of your comfort zone and be at your best.

• Have an opinion
  This is not the time to be sitting on the fence. Be opinionated. Be contrarian. Be controversial. Let your personality shine through as a people get to know the real you.
• Be visible
  This is not the time to be hiding out. You need to step out of your comfort zone and be seen and heard. Your ‘small mind’ may be telling you to play it safe, but your big mind knows it’s your time to shine. The world desperately needs more teachers, healers and leaders with a strong message of hope and change.
• Share your thoughts in various media
  There are so many ways to get your message out now that there’s no excuse not to. Speaking to a group of people is one of the more powerful ways to share your message. Publishing a blog or articles is another great way. Bring your message forward to heal the planet.
• Redefine your market
  You may have noticed that the marketplace is shifting. What you may not know is that this means it’s the perfect time to redefine who it is you’re meant to serve and what your product and service offerings are. We can no more treat our business like a hobby and expect a continual stream of ideal clients unless we have a tightly defined target audience, specialty and niche.
• Start or join a mastermind group and work with the coach
  No one can make it through challenging times on their own and come out ahead. The ones who reach out for support will be the ones who not only make it through, but come through stronger, more purposeful and more profitable than ever. You need someone to challenge and inspire you. You need someone who will hold the possibility of your big dream even when you lose sight of it. To grow and change, you need to be around people who have ambition and are playing a bigger game. People who will motivate you to do your best and be your best and will call you on your stuff so you don’t get away with hiding out.

Service providers who are complacent or have mediocre services that no longer meet a pressing need are the ones who may not survive the shift unless they are ready to make changes.

This is the perfect time to make a lot of money doing what you love. There’s really no lack of money out there. It’s time to dream bigger and stop hiding out. Be around people who have ambition and will inspire and support you, and you’ll come out ahead.

……………………………………………………….

Copyright © Jan Marie Dore ~ www.femalepreneurs.com ~ All rights reserved.

Jan Marie Dore, ‘The Professional Women’s Success Coach’, Master Certified Coach, Speaker, and Author, publishes valuable ideas to grow a professional service business and increase profitability in her newsletter ‘Success Secrets for Solo-Professional Women’.Jan Marie teaches self-employed female professionals to attract more clients and financial success, and as a result, live extraordinary lives. For free resources and programs on marketing a professional practice please visit Femalepreneurs.com and read the Blog Prosperous Professional Women