I admit it…I’m spoiled.  My office window looks out on a large open area of hillside and pine trees where it’s not uncommon to see deer, wild turkeys, moose, elk, chipmunks, porcupines, the occasional coyote, a variety of birds,  and other wildlife.

Yes,  I love it…and hate it.  I am a nature lover and am delighted that we share common space without interfering…too much.  I hate how much it distracts me at times,…like when I find myself quitting writing to watch the wildlife.

This morning, however, as I watched a young turkey hen with her baby chick  when I sat down to write,  I realized there are some valuable lessons that could be learned from her behavior.  And I decided to share.  OK, I know…who ever equates turkeys with marketing measures?  Well…today, I am…and I hope it’s meaningful.

Tell me, after you read this, if you agree with these three turkey behaviors that could make you a better marketer: Read More→

When you’re first starting a new project for a client, it’s important to have a long-range vision and some strategic planning.   You want to know what the product or service is, who the target audience is, and why this particular product or service is something they should purchase.

Questions typically asked by marketers of their clients at this juncture  include: “When do you need this project completed…or What is my deadline?”  along with “When will I receive your overall marketing strategy,” and “What would you like me to focus on as major selling points?”

While all of these questions may be valid, there are three things to do before lunch at your first meeting that will secure this client, and get your project launched successfully.

“Thing #1:  Start with the most important question first: Read More→

Business, whether online or ‘brick and mortar’, is a lot like life.  It can have some unanticipated, amazing twists and turns.

My life recently brought one of those “twists,” when I was diagnosed with cancer.  Totally unexpected.  Totally unanticipated.  And, of course, as an entrepreneur and writer, I knew it would affect my business. 

I also knew that it did not have to destroy it.  That it was up to me to assume responsibility for managing my business in much the same way I have always done with my life…meeting whatever challenge is presented with a positive attitude and total belief that I was in charge of the outcome. Read More→

Like cancer in your body, potential destructive cells can sit in your online business.  Like the discovery of cancer in your body, once it’s there, you have only one choice…kill or be killed.

Maybe you’re thinking that’s a little over-dramatic, but think about it for a minute.   Are the destructive cancer cells in your business activated just like the destructive cancer cells in your body?

There is a school of thought, that if you can abstain from “the blame game” can move you fairly quickly to a solution set.  Let’s start with cause and consequence.

What does it take to have a healthy business and a healthy body and what happens when any of the basics are missing?  Would you agree, the basics are:  Read More→

Have you ever thought that all successful marketers must have an even more successful agent?  If you have, then you’re right.

In fact, most successful marketers have at least seven agents.  And the best part is, you can employ them all to achieve greater levels of success than you ever dreamed possible.

Am I tweaking your curiosity?  Are you wondering who you can afford to hire that will guarantee your success…and not just one agent but seven?  If so…keep reading…’cuz here they are: Read More→

Are you new on the Web, and still feel like that awkward teenager…wanting to be socially acceptable…but not sure how?

If you’re an Internet entrepreneur, and just getting started, this can be a real challenge.  You know you should have a social media presence to get your business name  spread around, but you just don’t know how to go about it.  Both personally and in business, we want others to like us.   We tend to behave in ways that we believe are most socially acceptable to the people or groups we want to be accepted by.  In business, we understand how important that is…it puts food on the table and clothes on our backs. 

You’re passionate about your product, and you’ve just put up a website.   Now, you want to take advantage of some free advertisement through social media.  What can you say on social media…facebook, twitter and the myriad of other sites…that will attract visitors…especially buyers…to your site?   How do you present your ‘best face’ in 140 characters or less?

Well you can relax a little…the rules may be modified for the new social media, but they really haven’t changed.  People who are searching for a good business relationship, on-line, or in a brick and mortar store, are still looking for the same basic things:

• Relationship…can we communicate in a way that makes both of us richer in some way?
• Honesty…can we trust the relationship?  Be your authentic self…regardless of the environment, because pretending to be something you’re not will always show through in the end. 
• Consistency…will you treat me the way I want to be treated every time we do business?

When you’re trying to get a business off the ground through communication, especially social media, who you are is what you say…succinctly.  People searching for information on line are usually looking for a quick solution to a problem they wish to solve.  If you have a solution for losing weight, for example, and you can convey it well in 140 characters or less on Twitter, you are highly likely to be able to draw attention to your website.  For example, if you were to tweet “Left Behind…60 pounds in 6 weeks” followed by a website address, you would undoubtedly draw visitors.  However, if those visitors found a website that either did not convey weight loss information, or did not convey that information honestly, your communication would fail.

I’m not saying that dishonest communication doesn’t occur on the Internet.  It does…and a small percentage of it is very successful…in the short term.  If you want to have a long-term business relationship, however, the same tenants for success that have always worked will still work…

1. Care about your customer.
2. Focus on your customer’s needs.
3. Always do the best you can for them.

What’s different in the new social communications world, is that you must rely on a few words to make a strong connection with your audience.  To be well-received socially on Twitter, for example, you’ll need to know what your customers…or potential customers…care about so that you can sing the right tune.  Focus your very short message on their needs…something that can show them where and how they can meet that need.   With only 140 characters, your message needs to be powerful…and short. 

For a long-lasting relationship, and to build new relationships, your message will need to be repeated in multiple ways multiple times.  At the same time, the message needs to remain fresh and relevant. 

Learn the art of new social media communication.  It can be fun and creative.  It will hone your skills as a communicator and increase your ability to develop relationships with a larger and more diverse group of people.  Just remember…to be well received in the new social environment as well as the old, it’s still all about building relationship…in a brave new world of ever-evolving communication styles.

Say that really fast two or three times after a few glasses of wine….”Is it a blob or a blog?”

A blob, by loose definition, is a gob of matter of some vague or indefinite form, generally viscous…of a glutinous nature.

Not to be confused…?  with a blog, which is, by loose definition, an online personal journal meant for public consumption. Read More→

Yes –this blog post is a blatant affiliate plug for an internet marketer, Armand Morin.  Not just any internet marketer, though.  Armand is a top internet marketer…for a very good reason…he’s really good at what he does.  And a very good reason to follow Armand is…he’ll teach you how to be really good!

And…Yes, it’s true — if you follow my links and go to Armand’s event, I’ll make a few bucks.

More important, though, if you decide to go, you’ll benefit in so many ways, you’ll wonder what took you so long to connect.  If you want to be a gold medal contender for internet marketing,  get the coach who can teach you exactly how to win gold.  He knows how…because he’s done it! Read More→

Deepak Chopra is one of the best known and most respected names in mind/body medicine.  Warren Buffett is one of the best known and most widely respected names in investment strategies.

What did you think when I mentioned these two names together?     Were you curious about why these two highly respected people popped together into my mind?  It’s really fairly simple to me…I see them both as “whole brain leaders.” Read More→

Right now, many people in America are either out Christmas shopping, or deciding what gifts are best suited for friends and family, and choosing how to most closely match those items with what they decide to spend. 

You may be on the buying end.

Or, you may be hoping to be on the selling end.  If your wallet or purse is looking pretty empty, you may be hoping to sell a product and make enough profit that you can afford to buy something for someone else. 

How you make your buying decisions should parallel how you make your selling decisions…with a whole brain process. Read More→