By the ‘80’s piggybanks had changed; they had stoppers in the bottom to remove money whenever you wanted. By not having to keep adding to your savings until you’d reached your goal, many times they were never met.  The bank became a place to gather loose change and such, but it took away the demand, if you will, that you reach a goal or lose it all, by having to ‘break the bank’.

It makes me think about my business goals in somewhat the same way.  I have to find ways of making myself accountable to reaching the goals I’ve set.  Last year, I setup several reminders to check in on my 2010 goals. When I got the first reminder, I realized, – YIKES, now where did I put those goals? J  I was not focused on reaching them.

It’s difficult when you’re the boss, isn’t it?  How can we set goals and make ourselves accountable for the goals we need to keep our businesses afloat in these challenging times?

First, take a look at what types of goals you might want to set for yourself.  Some to consider might include:

• Sales/income
• Number of new clients
• New equipment/software
• Knowledge-based achievements (certifications; classes)
• Adding staff or sub-contractors

As you can see, there are many types of goals you can set for your business.  I usually try and have three to four of these areas covered in my yearly goals; that way, if one seems to be lacking, I can transition more time and effort into making that particular goal a priority, or adjust it to give myself a clearer way to achieve it.

I think the next most important thing is to put it in writing – something about memorializing it makes it seem more attainable, and real.  You might even consider sharing your yearly goals with a colleague or peer and ask them to check in with you several times a year to make sure you’re on track to achieving them.

Equally as important is making sure that you don’t beat yourself up if you don’t attain a particular goal.  Goals are something you are aspiring to achieve; they should help you be accountable for where you want your business to go.

2008 was a perfect example of that for me.  I was right on track with my sales/income and new client goals for 2008, right until the stock market crashed in October.  Suddenly, everything changed.  By the end of the year, several goals had not been met.

I rewarded myself for those goals I did achieve, took stock of those I didn’t, and tried to understand why; then I realigned my goals for 2009 and again for 2010, to offset these changes, and added several new categories of goals that will help me keep my business on track and growing.

Goals are meant to inspire you and invoke you into taking action.  Don’t let them bring you down if you don’t achieve them; re-adjust them. Find a cheerleader, someone who will help you stay on track with your goals, but will also encourage you and help you see the positive changes and growth you have experienced.

I am pleased to say I exceeded my 2009 goals and I look forward to a prosperous 2010 and achieving my goals.  Re-invent yourself and keep making deposits in your unbreakable piggybank of growth.  Stay positive and watch what happens.

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, a VA practice, is an author, writer, speaker and VA Business Coach specializing in providing professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s).  For her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?” or a 2-month trial in her group coaching program visit:  http://www.VAbizcoach.com; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Tweet This Post

I don’t think it’s about the time at all, I think it’s about how we manage ourselves.  My friend, Pam Vaccaro (www.designsontime.com) says it best, “It’s about your focus!”

I know from my own experience, making a few simple changes have made a HUGE impact on my effectiveness, and stress levels.   I tried several different options and settled on the system that worked for me.

One of my biggest faux pas was thinking multi-tasking was a good thing.  I would work on a client document while I was running another client’s color postcards on my laser jet and another project on my copier, only to find that somewhere along the line the copier jammed, or the laser jet ran out of ink, and I was overwhelmed trying to juggle them all.  I don’t believe our brains work that way.  Since I stopped multi-tasking, I get so much more done, and feel more energized and effective.

I’ve also been guilty of creating a sense of urgency where one may not exist, or not being clear with a client who gives me an unreasonable deadline.  Since I’ve taken back that control, managing time is much simpler.  By increasing my level of communication, I also avoid having to spend time solving problems.  They just simply don’t exist.

I also try and be more aware of the time I’m spending on non-income generating Emails.  That was very difficult for me since a lot of my client projects and communication come through Email.   I used to cringe when I’d look at my watch only to find I’d spent several hours going through social media or volunteer Emails that didn’t need to be handled right away.

I now have a basic kitchen timer on my desk and allow myself a specific amount of time, at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day, to handle these Emails.  My life feels so much more organized now, it’s truly amazing how these few simple changes have made a profound impact on the way I manage my time.

So give several of these options a try or come up with a few of your own, and see if you can’t transition your focus to better manage your time.  And remember to enjoy your life to the fullest; it’s not JUST about business!

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or herFREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com. Find out more at www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Tweet This Post

It is behavior that is remarkably similar to that of the late 1990s technology bubble. Companies kept going up and up in value, despite no real long-term outlook. Eventually, the bubble burst and the self-proclaimed ‘experts’ ran away, seemingly unable to admit that they were wrong about some things. While social media is unlikely to end the same way, primarily thanks to the massive amount of audience and user participation that is taking place, the marketing strategy applied to social media should reflect the events of the late 1990s.

That means that instead of being remarkably optimistic without reason, companies should be relatively cautious and conservative when embracing social media marketing. Rather than looking at the short-term possibilities, companies should be looking at the long-term implications for their brand, should they sink time and money into a form of marketing that does not offer any long-term solution. Instead of hiring the latest and greatest social media consultant to develop a web strategy, businesses should be looking at their own strategy, and incorporating social media platforms as tactics, not as a replacement.

In short, the focus should not be on social media itself, but on the results that it can bring. As much as we have heard about the myriad ways in which Twitter can change the world, there has been relatively little evidence to support any such theory. Sure, brands are making it big on Twitter and plenty of companies are making some serious marketing income, but there’s yet to be anything to suggest that businesses should discard every marketing method pioneered before 2007 to jump on board the social media train.

If your business is looking to incorporate social media marketing into its strategy, there are several questions you should be asking yourself before you invest the time and money. Is your brand compatible with social media audiences? Are you a business that inspires conversation and discussion? Can you build a reliable, solid community around your business? For most, the answer is no, and a social media presence is not the most effective solution.

For some, the answer is yes, and for them it is wise to look at social media as a piece of the puzzle, rather than as the solution. While Twitter can help you sell products and Facebook can help you generate positive feedback and PR, neither can fix a broken business model or a poor product. Social media thrives on discussion, and when there’s none to be had, there’s nothing but resources to be wasted. Study the social media platforms before you dive in, and invest time and money cautiously.

Tweet This Post

Here are five things to consider in crafting your 60-second infomercial:

1. Who is your target market?  While I can open my informercial by saying, “although I have clients in almost every industry…” – you still want to focus on your niche or target market to help people think of who they know that could benefit from your services.  If you’re still not sure, analyze your current client list and see if there is a particular industry, or type of client that seems most logical to your offerings.
2. What problems does your target market have that you can solve?  Keep it simple.  Come up with one or two things – don’t overdo it – less is more!
3. How do you solve these problems?  Again, don’t come up with a laundry list of products/services, just enough to whet the appetite so they’ll want to find out more.
4. Mention something specific that speaks to results, like: ‘many of my clients say their sales increased at least 20% as a result of working with us’.
5. End with either a memorable tagline, or a question – like – ‘is that something that might be of interest to you or someone you know?’

Once you have it setup, print it out and practice it (and time yourself) several times until you have it pretty well memorized.  You don’t want to come off sounding too scripted, but you will need to get comfortable with all the aspects so that you’re sure to hit all the points you need to in your time allotment.

Once you have this mastered, you will want to cut the content even more, for a true elevator speech – which is usually only 30-seconds in length.

Finally, especially if you attend networking events regularly, you will want to have several different versions for answering the questions numbered two, three, and four above.  This gives people the opportunity to hear more about the additional services/products you provide.  If you only talk about one specific product or service, they’ll believe that’s all you offer and you could be leaving potential sales on the table.

With a little bit of work, and practice, you’ll have the perfect 60-second infomercial that helps people immediately recognize what it is you do, and who they need to refer to you.  Word of mouth marketing is the most cost-effective way to market your business.  The infomercial is the best tool to close the sale!

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA,  EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA).  ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing support and consulting to busy entrepreneurs.  Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit:  http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Tweet This Post

1) Sending Out Promotions Rather than News

All Internet marketing, including your eZine, should focus on building long-lasting relationships with your subscribers over time. If your eZine message is consistently aimed at prompting an immediate sale, you’ll find a steady stream of subscribers opting out.

To build a loyal following, design your eZine campaign to provide content and resources that will help spark interest in your product or service by subtly providing them with topics that show the benefits of your offerings.  For example, if you’re a business coach, sharing information that your target market could benefit from, will quickly show them you are an expert in this field. This will eventually lead to a positive action on their part, i.e. contacting you for professional business coaching.

2) Not Focusing on Subscribers

When organizing your eZine campaign, provide relevant and up-to-date content written in a way that speaks to your subscriber’s needs, never on your business offerings. People don’t care much about what your business can do for them, but what they can gain by building a relationship with you, that may ultimately lead to working together.  Using our coaching example above, sending valuable resources and information about challenges your ideal client may face would be better than just an announcement about your next program. By providing relevant content in a timely manner, subscribers are more likely to be loyal to your eZine campaign.

3) Making it Difficult to Opt Out

Your eZine success is not driven by the number of subscribers on your list.  The quality, not the quantity of your subscribers is far more important.  Making it difficult for people to unsubscribe can potentially lead to disaster.  Beyond annoying and alienating potential prospects, it will be more difficult to track your eZine results.  Allowing people to easily unsubscribe keeps your reputation intact and allows you to achieve optimum response rates.

It is perfectly understandable for you to want to make the most out of your eZine campaign as quickly as possible, but don’t let that allow you to defeat its entire purpose. Realize that it takes some time for eZine marketing to produce optimum results by making sure it’s implemented correctly. To keep you focused on the desired result, avoid these mistakes that eZine marketers often commit when running their Internet campaign.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA).  ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs.  Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, send a request to:  service@accbizsvcs.com or visit:  http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Tweet This Post

The massive web community of Facebook offers possibilities for business owners. Because Facebook is a proven networking tool, businesses should consider reaching out to new customers through this application. In a sense, Facebook is the business owner’s vehicle for free online marketing because anyone can obtain a free profile and business page.

As a member of the Facebook community, a business uses the Facebook Page to develop a “face” on the web. Business owners should exercise caution in establishing the company’s online presence. The new online “face” of the company must not undermine or contradict the brand that the company has already created through conventional marketing strategies. It should go without saying that your Facebook Page should compliment your website, and is never meant to be a substitute for one. Your website and blog continue to be your primary online marketing tools.

The Facebook page is also a way to allow customers to access easy-to-read information about the company, including updates and photos. However, customers will also have the ability to make comments on a publicly viewable Facebook profile. Customers who type in a search engine query such as “ABC Company” can find the company’s Facebook profile in the search results. When customers land on a corporate Facebook page, they should be encouraged to stay and join the contacts of the company with engaging content that you post on the page.

Above all, Facebook is a social marketing tool. The messages you post onto your Facebook pages reflect your company. Do not write content that reads like a marketing brochure or a press release. As a business owner, remember to use a web-user-friendly style in all text. Two phrases that describe this communication style are “abbreviated” and “conversational.” But what makes online text conversational? Look at the two examples below.

Sentence #1: ABC Company is pleased to announce that the third line of its eco-friendly t-shirts will be available for sale online on December 1.

Sentence #2: ABC Company launches our third line of T-shirts on December 1! Check back on Facebook for a link to our order page. Get a T-shirt of your own for a great price.

After reading the two sentences above, which one would you select as more conversational and appealing to a Facebook reader?

The second sentence offers all of the same information as the first sentence; however, the second sentence is more casual. The informal tone of the second sentence ensures that many Facebook readers will feel like ABC Company is talking directly to them.

Remember that Facebook and other social networks create new business marketing buzz. If you want to unlock the potential of Facebook, begin by conducting research on how social media marketing works. Your exploration of social media marketing strategies will give you a better understanding of how to use Facebook for online marketing.

Tweet This Post

Here are five things to consider in crafting your 60-second infomercial:

1. Who is your target market?  While I can open my infomercial by saying, “although I have clients in almost every industry…” – you still want to focus on your niche or target market to help people think of who they know that could benefit from your services.  If you’re still not sure, analyze your current client list and see if there is a particular industry, or type of client that seems most logical to your offerings.
2. What problems does your target market have that you can solve?  Keep it simple.  Come up with one or two things – don’t overdo it – less is more!
3. How do you solve these problems?  Again, don’t come up with a laundry list of products/services, just enough to whet the appetite so they’ll want to find out more.
4. Mention something specific that speaks to results, like: ‘many of my clients say their sales increased at least 20% as a result of working with us’.
5. End with either a memorable tagline, or a question – like – ‘is that something that might be of interest to you or someone you know?’

Once you have it setup, print it out and practice it (and time yourself) several times until you have it pretty well memorized.  You don’t want to come off sounding too scripted, but you will need to get comfortable with all the aspects so that you’re sure to hit all the points you need to in your time allotment.

Once you have this mastered, you will want to cut the content even more, for a true elevator speech – which is usually only 30-seconds in length.

Finally, especially if you attend networking events regularly, you will want to have several different versions for answering the questions numbered two, three, and four above.  This gives people the opportunity to hear more about the additional services/products you provide.  If you only talk about one specific product or service, they’ll believe that’s all you offer and you could be leaving potential sales on the table.

With a little bit of work, and practice, you’ll have the perfect 60-second infomercial that helps people immediately recognize what it is you do, and who they need to refer to you.  Word of mouth marketing is the most cost-effective way to market your business.  The infomercial is the best tool to close the sale!

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, a VA practice, is an author, writer, speaker and VA Business Coach specializing in providing professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s).  For her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?” or a 2-month trial in her group coaching program visit: http://www.VAbizcoach.com; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Tweet This Post

What is anchor text?

It’s a very powerful website optimization strategy that utilizes keyword links instead of  url links to point to a page or location and are used to indicate the subject matter of the page that it links to.

Anchor text enhances the relevance of the target page (<– that’s your page) and the inclusion of important keywords in the anchor text can make a big difference in the final ranking of your site pages in search engines. The objective of search engines is to provide highly relevant search results; this is where anchor text helps.

The use of this particular plugin encourages external backlinks to your website. Links coming from other URLs should use effective anchor text in order to associate keyword phrases with your  specific internal pages. Using this plugin allows you to control those external links by providing the link AND the anchor text.

Are you starting to see the value now?

The real key in making this work to your benefit is by giving your blog articles appropriate Titles using keywords. That’s another article altogether….

Here’s an extra tip for those that submit to article directories: use anchor text in your Author’s Resource Box.

Tweet This Post

A woman had a dream to swim the English Channel. After two years of stringent training she was ready to reach for her dream.

The day was unseasonably warm, a good sign she thought, as she prepared for her take off from France, heading for England. Not worrying about beating any records, her plan was to complete the swim in 12-14 hours. Nine hours into the swim she was still feeling positive. The escort boats continued to provide encouragement and support as she continued towards the English coast.

Suddenly a dense fog settled in and the waters became cold and choppy, taking their toll on her body as she continued to push beyond her limits, rounding into hour twelve. By the time she began her 13^th hour, her pace was decidedly slower, and the fog just a bit denser than it had been for the past several hours.

It was totally impossible to see anything now; the fog was so thick, as she tried hopelessly to keep her arms and legs moving. Worn out and totally spent, she just didn’t think she could go any further. Reluctantly, she asked the escort boat to pull her out; she just couldn’t go any longer.

As they headed for the shoreline, she was surprised to find that she had quit only 200 yards from shore. Because the dense fog had prevented her from seeing land, she just felt like there was no end in sight. How disappointing that must have been for her.

This story has always resonated for me. I’m a very visual person, so sometimes not being able to see the finish line can cause me to hesitate or back away from completing something that could easily have taken me to the next level in my business.

I’ve taken steps now to ensure that when I make a plan, it’s not open-ended; it has a beginning, middle, and an end, one that I promise myself I will reach, no matter what.

I started a new marketing plan last year, and when I checked in on the progress mid-year, I hadn’t seen a significant increase in attaining the goals I’d hoped the plan would help me achieve, but I didn’t change direction, I didn’t abandon the original plan. I was determined to follow it through to the end of the year and see how it really performed.

Today I had a little extra time to take a peek at where I am and how I’m doing – hey, things are starting to look up – the new marketing is reaching the target I had in mind, and I’m starting to increase exposure and dialog in this arena…so finally, I can see land, or the hint of land, and I’m happy to keep the new plan in place.

So take a moment to consider what you’ve done better this year, maybe what you haven’t yet completed, and what changes you may want to incorporate in the coming months. Although the economy may have dealt us some lemons, I’m anxious to begin making lemonade, how about you?

Don’t give up on your business’ look for ways to streamline processes and expenses in a way that doesn’t compromise your marketing initiatives, or the way you connect with current and past clients. Check into new technologies and ways to increase productivity and encourage and acknowledge your staff and those who have direct contact with your clientele.

Tweet This Post

Here’s how I took care of both of those obstacles by signing new clients who had services and products I wanted.

The owner/manager of some lovely beach homes in an area where we  love to vacation offers shared ownership of some of his beach front properties and rents them when the share owners can’t use them. We’d been invited guests of friends who own one of these timeshares and imagined how nice it would be to own one ourselves. My husband and I just couldn’t swing the cost of fractional ownership and the rental prices are staggering, too.

We visited this resort area once or twice a year, always staying in not-so-nice digs, and for just a couple of nights’ stay. After one of these visits, I decided to contact the owner  of the luxury properties and see if he needed any web support (I’d visited his site and knew it remained largely unchanged for long periods). It was one of those happy serendipitous connections: he’d been looking for someone to take over the site’s maintenance for awhile and I called at the right time. We went forward from there and now I barter with him periodically for a week at one of his lovely properties.

My auto mechanic of twenty years had never made the leap to the Web. Living in a small town means we’ve become well-acquainted over the years and when I come in for service we chat about kids, baseball, our town. Enough years have passed that father had passed ownership to son, who seemed poised to take the business in some new hip directions. During an oil change I the son if he had considered building a website. He responded that he knew they needed to do it but were too busy to figure out where to begin. We chatted about it and the seed was planted. A couple months later, he called and asked if I could come in and discuss building a site. We agreed to barter and I ended up with almost a year of auto service in exchange for the project.

On a smaller scale, I have worked out trades for advertising on one of my sites with my massage therapist, the owner of a local yarn shop, my hair stylist, and a cycling shop.

The approach to this strategy is simple.

1. List the  businesses you already frequent, and scope out their operations for a place where your services might be a fit. Since you already know what they have to offer, there is barter potential if you land them as a client.
2. Pay them a visit at a time when they aren’t swamped, and mention what you can do for them. If you’re a regular face and they are already familiar with you on one level, it we be much easier.
3. After you have a contract and have developed a good working relationship with this new client, broach the barter idea.

If you haven’t bartered before, you’ll need to become familiar with the IRS rules for barter transactions and be sure to issue invoices and keep accounting records which will satisfy the government. You also need to consider that barter income reduces cash income, so you’ll need to make certain you don’t arrange for more bartering relationships than you can afford.

In the current economy, hand picking the clients you want from the businesses you already know and trust is a low risk approach. Just look around. These may be in your community just waiting for you to tap them. Or, if you prefer not to work with local clients, think about the businesses you frequent when traveling, visiting family, or on vacation. You probably have many relationships with businesses in which you could convert your role from customer to service provider. And if you can add a bartering arrangement to the deal, you both win.

Tweet This Post