Want More Clicks & Shares From Your Video Posts? The ONE Thing You Need….

iphone-1603478_1280-1I’m going to cut to the chase, if you’re an entrepreneur serious about growing your business online, you need to be doing video.

We live in a world of Snapchat, Periscope, Facebook live-streaming, YouTube and many other platforms all moving to video. If you’re not getting your face in front of a camera, you are sooooooo going to get left behind.

I’ve been asked to critique many videos over the past few months for clients and colleagues and the number ONE thing I’ve noticed is this:

(Click to tweet)

If you have too much information, too many stories, too much movement and too many calls to action, you are going to lose people. What you need is an easy process to remember. Keep It Simple Sweetheart:)

If you want to get more engagement, clicks and shares, follows this easy 3-to-1 formula:

1. Speak to ONE person-Know who your ideal client or perfect audience member is and speak ONLY to them. Even though you may have thousands of people watching your videos, your message should go directly and only to that ONE ideal person. Period. This makes everything you say more targeted and powerful.

2. Have ONE point-Understand the main or underlying point you are trying to get across and have everything you are saying drive to that ONE point only. If you include more than one story to illustrate your point, make sure each story also supports and directs back to ONLY the point you are trying to make.

3. Have ONE call to action-Decide ahead of time what you want your video to do for you. If you want to grow your list, send them to your opt-in or landing page url. If you want to build your podcast audience, tell them to hit the subscribe button. What you DON’T want to do is ask people to do several things, “Like me on Facebook, visit my website, download my free report…etc.” Choose the ONE main course of action you’d like people to take, explain very clearly how they can do it and say it with authority.

*The ONE exception to #3 is, you always want to ask people to share your videos even if you are making another call to action. You are trying to build a following, so the more eyes on you, the better.

Remember, if you’re trying to create a strong brand presence online, you’re going to be doing a LOT of videos so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to tell your stories, articulate your brilliant insights and direct people to all the various, wonderful offerings you have. Don’t try to cram it all in at once, it will only overwhelm and confuse your audience.

Just ONE things at a time, baby:)

If you’d like to know how to create a rockin’ brand presence online so you can attract ideal clients and establish your celebrity expert status, apply for a Free Strategy Session here=>Profit From Your Message

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your  high notes!

Why There Is No Need For Cruz Control

I was a little behind the eight ball this week in writing my article, but I’m glad I waited. I want to share a perspective you might find helpful in building a POWERFUL BRAND. It occurred to me watching the Republican convention last night on television.

I’m not a die-hard follower of politics, but I like to be informed and it certainly is entertaining and educational to watch the circus of a presidential election.

In case you didn’t hear, last night Ted Cruz got booed on stage during his speech because he refused to endorse Trump for president. It was a crazy, bold move. Pretty shocking to every, everyone that is except for Trump.

Apparently, Trump had read the transcript the night before and knew what Cruz was going to say. He had the option to ban Cruz from speaking, but that’s not what he did. Instead, he let Cruz take the stage and completely sabotage himself.

Now whether you like him or not, whether you think he’s an insane megalomaniac or not, there is something very important to be learned here from what Trump did. He was so secure in his brand, he allowed a hater to take the stage. It was a brilliant move.

What would have happened if he had ban him? It would have given Cruz POWER. It would have implied he was important enough Trump needed to manage him to protect his reputation. However, because Trump let Cruz take the stage, he strengthened his position as top dog.

I’m sharing this because it is an excellent example of stepping into leadership.

When you are secure in yourself, in your value and have confidence in your point of view, you position yourself ABOVE the haters.

So many times our temptation is to get caught in the fray of snarkiness, and while there ARE times it’s necessary to set the record straight, giving credence to critics only lowers your status.

You are far bettered served to keep your focus on the prize and to continually strengthen your own brand through giving value, increasing visibility, refining your message, polishing your image and showing you are a leader who comes with a heart of service.

If you need help solidifying your position as an industry leader and upleveling your brand, you can apply for a free strategy session with me by clicking here=>bit.ly/ProfitStrategy

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your high notes.
xo

 

 

P. S. This is not an meant as any kind of political endorsement, simply an example of great brand strategy:)

Are You Happy?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Do what you love and the money will follow?”

I used to think that was a sweet, albeit unrealistic saying. I mean, I was an opera singer for goodness sake. I poured my whole heart and soul into it and never made any real money.

Admittedly, I never made it to the Met and perhaps if I had had more artistic success, I would be singing a different tune right now. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one….)

However, what I’ve come to realize is, doing what you love truly IS the path to joy and abundance. The trick is, most of us are not completely dialed in to what we want and perhaps more importantly WHY we want it.

Even though I passionately love, love, love singing (I mean I really love it), when I was younger, my singing meant something very different to me.

It meant a way out.

There’s’ no way at the age for 20 I could have told you from what exactly I was trying to escape. I just knew I thought singing was going to be my ticket to happiness.

Here’s what I thought singing would do for me….

-give me validation.
-make me famous.
-provide me with lots of money (when I got famous).
-make me feel important.
-make me feel beautiful.
-bring me adoration.
-bring me praise.
-bring me recognition.
-make me popular.

If you’ve ever had the lovely opportunity to have a laryngoscope shoved down your throat, that’s a long tube with a camera attached, you would know your vocal chords are tiny. On average, they’re only about 12-24 mm’s long and 3-5 mm’s thick. That’s it.

When I think of all the pressure I was putting on those two, teeny folds, sheesh, of course, there was NO WAY they could stand up to the pressure!! How could something so small and delicate possibly carry the weight of my entire happiness? Obviously, they couldn’t.

I know there are fabulous singers who had/have just as many misguided, neurotic motivations to be performers as I did who went on to have fabulous careers. I think it’s fair to say there are a LOT of messed up, extremely “successful” artists out there. But I couldn’t do it. My body wouldn’t let me.

The more I WANTED “it,” the tighter I got. I remember very clearly trying to sing in a masterclass where my jaw got so tight, I literally could not open my mouth. How’s that for your body trying to tell you something?

Believe me when I tell you, it was extremely painful. I felt like a leopard without spots. Why would God give me this gift if I couldn’t use it?

The problem was I was asking something of my singing it could never give me. I was begging it to show me I was lovable, but there’s no way it could because deep down, I didn’t believe it. I treated singing like an insecure teenager treats her wardrobe. I was riddled with self-loathing and insecurity.

Luckily, all the pain and disappoint I felt drove me to find answers. “Why is this happening to me? How can I feel better? Is there something else I should be doing with my life?”

I began an intense journey of self-discovery and healing that continues to this day. Obviously, I stopped pursuing a professional singing career to become an entrepreneur, however, the story doesn’t stop there.

I recently had a major epiphany.

For the past several months, I’ve been waking up depressed, not in a full-on depression kind of way, but generally down. I know a lot of happiness tools, so usually by mid-morning my mood improved. However, it was starting to really bother me to start my day this way.

Again, I began asking myself, “Why is this happening to me? How can I feel better? Is there something else I should be doing with my life?”

The answer came back a big YES!

I realized I had been operating my business to some degree in the same way I used to approach my singing, looking for outside validation. I was trying to figure out just the right program, meme, photo or blog post that was going to get people to respond to me. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for marketing and promoting your business, but my flavor of outside-in approval was rearing it’s ugly head again and reeking havoc on my happiness.

I’ll admit, it totally sucked to come to this realization, but I am sooooo grateful because it brought me back to myself.

I know that I know that I know when you honor who you are first, you create happiness and abundance which is why I have decided to make some changes in they way I do things around here.

Don’t worry, I’m still going to give tips and concrete strategies to build your business, but I am also going to be talking a LOT more about holistic success. Because YOU are a whole person. If you are not happy and healthy, you will never create the kind of business that lights you up and makes you money at the same time.

Your business needs to be an expression of who you are at your most creative, expressive, talented, intelligent, LOVING core. When you create a business from that place, you understand why and how you are here to serve. You build a true tribe that loves you and hangs on your every word.

I have spent the past 30 years learning how to love, honor and express who I am to be happy and prosperous. I want to help you do the same.

I can tell you from personal experience, if you don’t create your business in alignment with your deepest desires, it will mess with your mojo. Believe me, I know. On the flip side, if you do, it’s sunshine and roses Baby! (Did I mention I woke up in a good mode today?:)

If you’d like to know how to create a business that makes you happy and profitable, CLICK HERE=>bit.ly/ProfitStratgy

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your high notes.
xo

What To Do If You Are Asked Not To Sell Anything When You Speak For Business?

You’ve got a great talk and you finally get a chance to try out your speaking chops, there’s only one hitch, you are told you will not be allowed to sell anything. Ugg, such a bummer.

What to do, what to do…

You always want to weigh your opportunities. Your time and resources are limited, so you want to be choosy about where you spend your energy. There are lots of fish in the speaking sea, so don’t feel like you have to jump at every chance. However, if you are just starting out or if it’s a great opportunity to get in front of ideal clients or industry players, you may still want to move forward.

Remember, any time you are speaking to a captive audience, whether live or online, YOU are positioned as the authority. You have an extended amount of time to tell your story, share your expertise, give valuable insights and talk about your business. If you do a good job with your presentation, your audience is going to want to know more. Even if you can’t make an offer, you are still selling.

However, the best way to get your audience to take action is to structure your talk to sell. You want to guide your audience through a specific process that showcases the transformation that is possible if someone takes the next step to work with you without actually making an offer. And if you do this with authenticity and authority, you will create an atmosphere where people will want to know more.

Finally, if you can, offer a free strategy call. It is a phenomenal selling tool if you know what you are you doing. Any time you get a potential client on the phone with you from a talk, you have a very warm lead which makes closing that much easier.

If you would like to know more about how you can use signature talks to sell from the stage or online, I invite you to join me for my upcoming FREE webinar: “Close Any Room: How To Add Thousands Of Dollars To Your Monthly Income Using Signature Talks.” CLICK HERE to register!

Is Your Business Organized For Profits?

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a neat freak. Personally, I know it makes me feel calmer and more clear headed when I walk into a space that’s clean and tidy. There is also a lot of research to back up the physical and psychological benefits of keeping things organized.

Here are just a few…

You reduce stress.
You are happier.
You eat better.
You have better relationships.
You are more productive.
You sleep better.
You even reduce your risk of heart attack!

However, there are also important financial reasons to being organized, especially in your business.

When you have systems and structures in place, you create space, ease and flow for money to come into your life.

Think about the physical space of your office. If it’s a mess, your mind is distracted every time your eyes fall on something that isn’t pertinent to your priorities. Distraction equals lost time, mental focus and creativity. How are you going to create the next amazing project if every time you walk in your office, you see piles of unfinished tasks.

If you work online to any degree and even if you don’t, you also have to think about the flow of your business model. Is it organized for profit?

If you don’t have a very clear sense of how your business model should be set up, it is a lot harder to bring in and keep money flowing through your business. Whether you call it a funnel, a pyramid, a money mountain or anything else, you need to know where and how to funnel leads and clients through your processes. If you don’t, you are leaving money on the table.

When you are just starting out, your business model will be simpler and in some ways, that’s a very good thing. Having fewer options makes it easier for you to get very skilled at selling the offerings you do have. However, as your grow, you’ll want to develop a more robust menu of products and services, not only because it will allow you to express your genius and creativity, but because it will also allow you to bring in and keep more clients.

However, more options requires more clarity. You need to know how the pieces fit together and the flow of your funnel. Doing so will make you life so much easier for you and provide more value to your clients.

Here are few things to think about to set yourself up for maximum profits:

1. How/where do the majority of leads come into my funnel?
2. Do I have enough options to sell different levels of clients into my programs?
3. Do I know how to present my offers in creative ways without lowering prices?
4. Do I have up-sells and down-sells ready for sales calls?
5. Do I have lateral options available that might be attractive to current clients?
6. Do I know the best logical order to move clients through my model?
7. Do I know how to bundle services to give juicy sales incentives?

Building business models can be very overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, things get really, really fun. Suddenly, you feel more confident and grounded in your business. You recognize who is right fit for you much more quickly and sales calls get a heck of a lot easier.

What I know for sure is no model=no money. It is so worth the time to get organized in this part of your business. I can’t promise it will prevent a heart attack, but it just might. After all, what is a better stress reliever than knowing your profit house is order?

If you’d like to know more about how you can maximize your business model for profit, apply for a free strategy session here=>Session Application

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your notes!

How to Make Your Signature Talk Stand Out

You may have heard speaking is a great way to grow your business and it’s true! Speaking positions you as the expert in front of a group of potentially ideal clients. However, a LOT of entrepreneurs have caught the speaking bug and are vying for the attention and credit cards of the same audience.

So how do you stand out and make the audience see YOU as the person to meet their needs?

First, have a clear point of view that is unique to you. This will show up as your story, your beliefs and how you communicate what you value. The more you can lean into your authenticity, the more you will separate from the crowd. No matter how many coaches, consultants, CPA’s, lawyers or dog walkers there are out there, there is only one YOU. The more you clearly you can communicate your point of view, the more memorable and impactful you will be.

Next, own your place in the market. You need to be bold and find specific ways to differentiate yourself. Highlight what makes you special. Find a way to zig when others are zagging. For example, if everyone in your industry is talking about how you have to constantly hustle to succeed, maybe your stance could be about the need for space and peace in your business. Try to find your unique pocket and make some noise about it.

Finally, be good. No, be great. There are a LOT of mediocre speakers out there, a l-o-t. Make a decision right now to become great at presenting yourself and your material. Show up looking and acting the part of a polished expert. Give great content, dress well, have killer marketing materials and command the stage. Leave no doubt in the mind of your audience that you are a rock star at what you do and they would be crazy not to hire you!

If can you claim a unique and authentic space and show up as a high-value expert, you will be ahead of 99% of the people out there and dramatically increase your chances of closing the room!

To watch my FREE webinar on how to close any room, CLICK HERE!

How to Sell Without Sounding Salesy

One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs fail to make big profits from their speaking gigs is they don’t know how to sell in a way that feels good to them. As a result, they back away from presenting their offers or even make a clear offer at all which leaves them empty-handed and disappointed.

It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s absolutely possible to feel excited about selling your products and services which makes you more attractive to potential clients. The result is more money, more money, more money for you and more intense transformation for your audience.

The very best way to sell without sounding salesy is to keep the needs of your audience front and center. If you craft a talk that focuses on solving their problems and delivering high-value content, the sale becomes much, much easier. The key is maintaining a mindset of service with a clear understanding of the greater transformation you can deliver if your audience takes the next step with you.

The job of selling starts from the minute you open your mouth. You can’t ambush your audience with a big ask at the end and expect a great result. You must prepare them for the sale by laying the groundwork and expectation for a juicy offer all throughout your presentation. This demonstrates transparency and builds trust both of which are essential for closing happy clients.

The other way to compel your audience to buy is by telling powerful stories. When you share your own journey of transformation, you suddenly go from being a pushy sales dog to an empathetic character. When you show you genuinely care and want to help people change their lives, the word salesy goes right out the window. Of course, you need to know which stories to tell and how to tell them to be effective.

There is definitely an art and science to structuring your talk with the right elements at the right time, but when you understand the formula for authentic selling, you can relax and do your job which is to deliver value to your audience and make money from your expertise.

If you’d like to know more about how to create a signature talk that sells, click the link to get access to my FREE webinar “Close Any Room.” It’s full of information to help you create a profitable presentation=>bit.ly/CloseAnyRoomTraining.

How To Inspire Your Audiences To Buy From You

You may have heard that speaking is a great way to increase your profits, but you may also be wondering how the heck do you get people to actually buy from you. Whether you are just starting out speaking or you’ve been speaking for a while, but haven’t been converting from your talks the way you’d like to, I want you to know something…

There IS a way to get people to open up their wallets to work with you!

The first thing you need to do if you want your audience to buy your products and services is start with a clear objection to sell. You are in business to make money and any time you put your own time, energy and resources into something, you need to be thinking about the ROI. You are not speaking to stand there and look pretty, you are investing in this opportunity to grow your business.

However, having the mindset of sales is not about being pushy, it is about transformation. The biggest transformation your audience will get is by using your products or going through your process. They can only get so much transformation for free. If you believe in what you do and why you do it, instead of feeling gross about selling, you should see yourself as providing a valuable opportunity for your audience to get what they really want. If you can make your audience see that value, they will buy.

Next, you have to engage people on an emotional level. People buy with their hearts. They buy because of deeply rooted desire and needs. Their desire may be to alleviate emotional pain, feel sexier, attract a mate, buy a home or improve their health. Whatever their desire is, your job as a selling speaker is to wake up and intensify those emotions.

A great way to do this is with stories, your story, other people’s stories, examples or case studies. In sharing your own story, you create an emotional bond with the audience and build likeability and trust. The audience starts to see you as an ally instead of just a hard-nosed selling robot. Most importantly though, when you share a story of transformation, you start to paint a picture of what’s possible for the audience and that picture is the turning point to your profits.

So you can see, it is possible to inspire your audience to buy, but you need to be intentional about how you craft your talk to sell and by using emotional triggers to share the transformation that is possible. Once those pieces are in place, your conversion rates will soar.

If you’d like to know more about creating a signature talk that SELLS, I invite you to join me for my FREE upcoming webinar “Close Any Room: How To Add Thousands Of Dollars To Your Monthly Income Using Signature Talks.” CLICK HERE to register.

How Do You Choose The Right Topic For Your Talk?

“Why Add A Signature Talk To Your Business?”

If you’ve ever thought about adding speaking to your business model, the answer should be a big, fat YES, but not just any speaking. The most potent presentation you can make is a signature talk that sells.  Adding signature talks to your business model can potentially add thousands of dollars to your income every month!

Here’s why it works so well…

First of all, any time you speak you are using leverage to reach your audience. Instead of just speaking one-on-one like you might do at a networking event or even on a sales calls, you are speaking one-to-many every time you present. It may be to a small room of 20 people OR it could be to an audience of literally thousands online. That means for 30-45 minutes of effort you are exponentially impacting your audience.

Think about how much time, money and energy this saves you. Every time you go to a networking event you have to get dressed, find a sitter, make sure you have your business cards, drive to the event and hope you will connect with some really great people once you’re there. Even if you are really, really good at networking, you might connect with ten maybe 20 people max and speaker to them for a few minutes in a noisy, crowded room.

Now imagine putting the same effort into a talk where YOU are the headliner, everyone is there just to hear you and you can give the same talk over and over again. You can even sit home in your jammies and do it on the phone or on a webinar where hundreds of people have opted-in, no need for lipstick OR a sitter. That is leverage.

Another great benefit of using signature talks to sells is that whole opt-in piece. Your audience has raised their hands and shown they are interested in what you have to say. They have chosen to be there which means they are already warm and interested in the information you are going to share. This makes selling so much easier.

With a signature talk, you are also going to be in front of a captive audience in a more intimate atmosphere. Having their undivided attention gives you the chance to do some serious relationship building. You can share more of your story and expose them to more of your brilliant expertise. The audience gets to know you on a deeper level which helps establish the oh-so-important know, like and trust factor needed to turn potential clients into buyers.

The other great asset at your disposal giving signature talks is TIME. You will have more time in front of your audience which helps to build brand stickiness. And if you know what you are doing, you can use this time to not only deliver great value and information to your audience, but also guide them a structured process to prepare them for the sale. That way you feel in control and your audience doesn’t feel hit over the head at the end with your offer.

So you can see there are many fantastic reasons to incorporate signature talks into your business model. It’s leveraged, it deepens your relationship with your audience and it prepares the room to buy. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to add signature talks to their business!

If you would like to know more about creating a signature talk to increase your profits, I want to invite you to my upcoming FREE webinar “Close Any Room: How to Add Thousands Of Dollars To Your Monthly Income Using Signature Talks” CLICK HERE to register

How To Know What To Offer When Speaking To Sell?

One thing entrepreneurs struggle with when putting together their signature talks is knowing what to use as their offer, but having a clear offer is absolutely critical to leveraging your profits from speaking. The last thing you want to do is hem and haw at the end of your talk when you are trying to persuade your audience to buy!

Here are a few things to consider when putting together your offer.

First, please HAVE an offer. Unless you are working for a charity, you need to see your talk as a sales vehicle which means you have to have something to sell! Your time and expertise is too valuable to give away for free. There needs to be call to action at the end of your talk, even if it is requesting contact information in return for your newsletter or free report. You must be in the habit of asking.

If you are newer to business or perhaps newer to speaking and unsure of what to offer, it is totally cool to offer a free strategy call. This is still an ask, you still have to “sell” it. However, do not underestimate the value of offering a strategy call as your offer. Any time you get a potential client on the phone with you from a presentation, they are a warm lead.

Finally, if you do want to make a paid offer at the end of the talk, your decision should be based on how advanced you are in your business, what you already have in your business model and the topic of your talk. When you look at those three pieces, what to offer becomes a lot clearer.

Once you decide what to offer, keep it consistent. The last thing you want to do is change your offer for each speaking opportunity. That creates a level of complexity you don’t want on your plate. You want something that is rinse and repeat so you get more comfortable and confident making the offer each time you present it.

If you would like to know more about how to use signature talks to quantum leap your profits, I invite you to my upcoming FREE webinar: “Close Any Room: How To Add Thousands Of Dollars To Your Monthly Income Using Signature Talks.” CLICK HERE to register!