If you’re like me, you set aside some time over the weekend to catch up on your reading or engage in other tasks that are more along the “business development” lines to keep current with new trends in your field or learn new skills.

Well have I got the ticket for you this weekend! This series of interviews is designed to catapult your ability to be a “Client Attraction Rock Star” in 2013. (And I’m all about being a Rock Star!)

Right now — more than ever before — people are actively SEEKING coaches, consultants, mentors, advisors, practitioners, and the like…

And statistics prove that they’re willing to pay top dollar for the help that will change their lives!

So… what’s the catch?

Well, it’s simple. To be successful, you simply MUST know how to effectively market your business and sell your services.

You must know how to consistently “Get To YES.”

That’s why I’m thrilled to tell you about this upcoming training! 24 highly sought after guest experts, are revealing ALL of their client attraction and sales secrets in a 100% FREE VIRTUAL MASTERY TRAINING.

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you may remember that last year, I was the Virtual Event Manager for this training series. I listened to the calls (and more importantly heard the feedback from attendees) and the training and feedback was fantastic! Attendees were really impressed by the calibre of speakers participating and the quality of the information they were sharing.

Get the scoop by clicking here.

Join renowned trainers such as Suzanne Evans, Pamela Bruner, Jeneth Blackert, Rich German, Maria Andros, Heather Dominick, Eva Gregory, Brandy Mychals, Christy Whitman, Mary Allen, Kathleen Gage, Sage Lavine, Lisa Cherney, Nancy Marmolejo, and more for:

“THE GET-TO-YES FORMULA” – A FREE CLIENT ATTRACTION & SALES MASTERY TRAINING

Jan. 21 – Feb. 5, 2013

Hosted by my friend and colleague, Barb Wade

Register here

And guess what? In addition to participating in all of the trainings when they air, Barb’s also giving everyone ALL OF THE RECORDINGS absolutely free, too!

Typically, it would cost thousands of dollars to amass these particular multiple-6-and-7-figure guest experts to co-facilitate an advanced course like this.

But not only do you get access to all of the trainings, each speaker has a RESOURCE / GIFT for you, too — just for registering!

Register here

I urge you to join thousands around the globe for this one-of-a-kind virtual training series. You won’t be disappointed!

I know what I’ll be doing this weekend… how about you?

iMarketing Tip: Know Your Customer

I’m a big movie buff and an even bigger music lover so it’s not unusual to hear me quote movies or song lyrics.

Case in point: The first rule of Fight Club: you do NOT talk about Fight Club.

We’re not going to talk about fighting or even discuss the merits of NOT talking about something… it simply popped into my head when I was sitting down to write this ezine.

The first rule of iMarketing: you MUST know your customer.

Know your customer. If there were a list of rules for doing business online, this would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

When I used to work for a Brokerage House, one of the forms that we had to fill out for every client that opened a trading account was the KYC Form (Know Your Client). It contained the usual address information but then got into specifics about their trading preferences (on a scale from high risk to conservative), how long they had until retirement, other information about their household, etc. etc. The information was collected so that the Broker could make recommendations based on a unique understanding of each client’s goals and circumstances.

The same deep knowledge of your client (or target market or ideal customer depending on which particular guru you follow) is critical to your success in marketing your business.

I’ve seen it time and time again: a lot of businesses spend countless amounts of money and man-hours using the wrong marketing strategies or platforms or even words to reach their customers – both their potential customers and current customers.

There’s nothing worse than standing on the inside of a company and watching a mass-exodus of customers. But if you find yourself in the unforunate position of NOT knowing who your customers are, chances are you’re not going to be able to deliver what they want in terms of products and services and failing to meet their expectations.

So get to know your customers – create a form if you need to or write out a brief description of their specific characteristics. If you don’t take the time to do this for each group you serve, you better prepare yourself for the consequences.

I was just invited to an exclusive marketing webinar titled: “Seven Steps to New Year’s Success” this Wednesday, and I know you’ll want to attend too.

The webinar is all about how to strategically grow your business in 2013 by automating your lead generation and follow up processes. During the webinar you’ll learn:

• The secret to generating more leads with your existing website
• How to consistently and automatically follow up with your prospects in a personalized manner
• How to generate more revenue per client in ways that keep them coming back for more
• What you can do to consistently get referrals from your clients

I’ve made it really easy for you to attend, just click here (BTW… This webinar is FREE):

Don’t forget, the webinar is on Wednesday, December 19 at 12:00 PM Noon Pacific/3:00 PM Eastern.

I’ll see you there!

Do you battle the “time demon?”  I know I sometimes do.  Thankfully I’m really fortunate to work with some fantastic entrepreneurs and business coaches who are skilled at teaching others how to manage their time.  I’ve learned some great time management techniques over the years that have increased my productivity and enabled me to do more in less time.

Here’s a quick video by Gavin Preston in which he shares two of his tips for managing your time more effectively.  Enjoy!

Gavin Preston Burning Acceleration Zone: Time Management Tips

Click here to view the embedded video.

Everywhere you look you see people using Smart Phones, iPhones and a variety of handheld devices to surf the web.  I’m sure there’s some fancy statistic I could look up that will tell me the percentage of browsing done by mobile device… and I’m sure as soon as I type it here, it will be outdated.  Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of mobile browsing going on.

Of course, devices like the iPhone and iPad and the Samsung Galaxy S3 make it easy to browse the web, no matter where you happen to be.  So chances are that your site has been visited recently by someone using a mobile device.  If you do any kind of e-mail marketing (publish a newsletter or send regular broadcasts to your followers) or even if you post links to your content on Twitter or Facebook, people will find your site on their phones.  I don’t know about you, but I have email delivered to my Blackberry and often click on the links in the emails to find out more information or view a special offer.  Chances are pretty good that mobile browsers have come knocking on your virtual door.

That’s why I want to cover a few simple ways to make your site mobile friendly.  I said simple — I’m not going to get too techie.  If you need help with any of these steps, just drop me a line in the comments or on Twitter.

Testing Your Site

First thing’s first: you need to check if your site is mobile friendly.  There’s an online validator that can test your site but I promised to keep these steps easy-peasy so the best thing to do is grab a mobile device and hit your own site.  What does it look like?  Does it take a long time to load?  Are your pages and images formatted properly?  Are links easy to see and follow?  Just go through a few pages on your site and test things.  Don’t have an iPhone or an iPad or any other mobile device?  No worries!  Just drop me a comment in the comment area below with your URL and I’ll browse it on my end.

WordPress Mobile Plugins

There are a growing number of WordPress plugins that will allow your WordPress blog to display much more easily on mobile devices.  I am going to be re-launching my WordPress plugin review in the coming weeks (you’ve asked for it to come back) so I’ll review a few for you.  If you have a WordPress blog or WordPress site, this is the fastest solution to turn your site into a mobile friendly site.  I’m not going to recommend one plugin over another as each site is unique and mobile plugins are being released constantly.  If you have a favorite mobile plugin, let me know in the comments area below.  I’m always excited to discover a new plugin, especially if I know it has worked well for someone!

Mirror Sites

When I worked on the team of a hosted blogging platform, we had tossed around the idea of instantly creating mobile friendly versions of each member site on a subdomain.  The solution was never implemented but it’s an idea that you can easily implement yourself.  You can create a stripped-down version of your site that only has essential details like company info, directions, hours and a few other key pieces of information.  You would install it on a subdomain like m.yourdomain.com or mobile.yourdomain.com.  Then all that’s needed is to install some detection and redirect code on your site that detects when a visitor is using a mobile device and routes them to the subdomain rather than the main site.  This is especially useful if your main site is graphic / video intensive and takes a long time to load on a mobile device.

Most hosting accounts allow subdomains so it should be an easy solution for you to implement.

So there you have it, three easy tips to make your site mobile friendly.  Of course, you could always wait until the technology catches up on its own.  Mobile devices and web publishing platforms get more and more advanced almost daily and soon it won’t be necessary to take any extra steps to make your site mobile compliant or mobile ready.  But if you want to be ahead of the curve and give your potential and current customers the best mobile experience of your brand, product or service, then take a few minutes to go through the steps listed above to optimize your websites for mobile devices.

Are you looking for real, targeted traffic from the hot social media sites?

Then you’ll want to pay attention to the video below where you’ll discover how to find targeted leads using only Facebook…

I haven’t taken this specific course but I have taken another of Brian’s courses and the content is fantastic!  Brian really knows his stuff, too.  In order to have success with Facebook, you’ll need to understand how to find customers & make more sales using these new traffic strategies, not just build “fans”!

I tried one of the strategies explained in the video when the system was first released back in June and it really made a difference in the amount of traffic that came to both my Facebook page and my own website.  And I even made a few sales as a direct result.

Click here to see this strategy in action and try it out for yourself!

I have been doing a fair bit of video editing for clients lately.  Seems more and more of them are starting to understand the power of online video and I’m super excited to help them polish up their message so that it can get out to their audience and really showcase their expertise.  If you’re considering online video, one of the first things you’ll need to do is invest in a video camera which means you’ll need to determine what kind of video camera you need.  Note: I said what kind of camera you need, not the camera you want.

I recently moved and one of the things that I lost in the transition (meaning I didn’t pack it and haven’t yet picked it up from my old office space) is my Flip Camera.  I loved my little flip as it made doing video really easy and I’m a little sad that now that I have a new office space that lends itself to better video, I don’t have my camera.  So I’ve been thinking about investing in a new camera.  Here are the factors I will consider when making my decision:

Budget

Budget is often at the top of my list when making a decision for my business.  How much is it going to cost?  What will it enable me to do?  How much will my revenue stream increase as a result?  These are typically the questions I ask myself when evaluating different solutions and more often than not, I don’t pick the lowest price offering but the offering that has the greatest impact on my revenue stream.

How Will The Video Camera Be Used

Seems like a simple question that doesn’t deserve a lot of thought but it really is an important factor to consider.  Make a list of every possible scenario in which you’d use your camera.  Will you use it to film personal as well as business videos?  Will you need to travel with the camera?  Do you want professional quality video or do you prefer more homegrown type video?  Will you be streaming the video online or releasing physical DVD products?  Will you be interviewing others, etc., etc.  Write down every single use you can think of for your camera.

Determine Your Equipment Requirements

Now that you have a list of how you’d like to use your camera, turn your attention to the software and equipment you’ll need to have for those uses.  If you plan to record your video and upload straight to YouTube without editing or even connecting to a computer, then what type of camera will meet that need?  If you plan to edit, what kind of software will you be using?  If you want to produce professional quality video, what kind of audio will you need (microphone, boom, etc.) and what kind of lighting will you need?  Will you need any other special equipment or software?  Write it all down.

Determine Your Output Requirements

I have a client who needs to send me a video for his membership site every time he wants to release a new video as the format that he outputs from is too large for online video streaming and needs to be compressed and converted into a better format for online streaming.  Go back to your software list and write down all of the supported video formats.  Go back to your list of uses and write down the best video formats for each use.  You’ll also need to take note of how you will connect your camera to your computer (if applicable) and what inputs are available to you for connecting your camera to all the equipment you need, including your computer.

Now that you’ve done all that prep work, the fun part of shopping begins.  With your list in hand, start shopping.  Take your time and refer to your list before you make your final purchase decision.  Finding the right video camera for your needs is more important than finding the one with the best reviews.

I have been working with a client based in the UK who hosts a series of regular webinars where he answered the most Burning Business questions that entrepreneurs and small business owners have about growing or managing a business.  In a recent webinar, he was asked what he best resources were for conducting market research and his answer was pretty similar to the advice I give clients when they ask me how they can generate fresh product ideas or ideas for articles for their eZine or blog on a consistent basis.

Great ideas don’t have to be terribly complicated to generate.  Ultimately, they boil down to three basic skills: watch, listen, ask.

Watch: Be on the lookout for ideas

Chances are if you’ve ever purchased an information product online, you were looking for a solution to a specific problem you were having.  Most great product ideas arise from frustration.  You need to keep your eyes and ears open to spot the people struggling to complete a task or accomplish something.  It’s usually fairly obvious that someone is struggling with something.  There’s usually a fair bit of visible (and sometimes audible) frustration.  If you spot a common irritant that’s affecting the people you want to serve, you’ll have an idea for a product that eases that frustration.

For example, this past weekend I had coffee with an old high school friend and his daughter.  He ordered a bagel for her to nibble on (she’s 21 months old).  Before he gave her a piece of bagel, he whipped out a bib with sleeves.  I’d never seen such a thing.  But as an aunt who has cleaned up more than her fair share of mystery goop off the arms and elbows of the children in my life, I thought the bib was sheer genius!  Someone was obviously paying attention to the pain point of parents with small children and developed a product to ease the pain.

Watching doesn’t have to be strictly offline.  You can learn a lot by visiting sites like Yahoo Answers or even following certain keywords or phrases on your favorite social media site.  I can’t tell you how many tweets I see daily where someone shares their frustration about something.  People share their frustrations on hundreds of topics every day.  They want help.  They need solutions.  They can’t find the answer so they post their problems on a question site like Yahoo Answers or even just fire off a tweet in frustration and hope that someone shows them the way out of their frustration.

Listen: Become an active listener

I have a girlfriend who loves to complain.  She will go on and on about every single little thing that annoys her: customer service when she’s trying to order a laptop for her son, the nurse at her doctor’s office when she’s trying to get some test results, the checkout girl at the grocery store when she’s trying to shop quickly…. you name it, chances are she’s complained about it.  Do you know anyone like this?  People don’t just complain within your physical earshot.  These same people often visit online forums or Facebook or Twitter to voice their complaints.  And they often don’t even ask for a fix or a solution because they likely don’t think that there is one.  You can also listen for ideas in any webinars or teleseminars that you listen to or attend or even at live events and live networking meetings.  There’s usually an informal meetup after the main event is over.  If you pay attention to what people are concerned about, you’ll likely be able to develop a product or service that eases their frustration (assuming that their particular pain point is an area in which you are an expert).

Ask: Direct questions solicit fresh ideas

If you’re not an “idea guy” and struggle with coming up with creative solutions to ease people’s frustrations, you can ask friends and colleagues what frustrates them.  Ask your Tweeps or Facebook friends.  Poll your mailing list.  Ask your site visitors how you can help them.  There are several online survey sites, like SurveyMonkey, that will enable you to create a questionnaire that asks your customers what products they need, what products they want, and what their biggest problems are.  Then you take all their answers and create new products to fill the need.

Lou Bortone is my Go-To Guy when I want to learn anything related to online video.  He’s worked with a few of my clients to help them craft some fantastic online videos.  I’m sharing a recent article he wrote debunking the myths of online video.  Enjoy!

The 5 Biggest Myths of Online Video

Despite the explosion of video marketing, there are plenty of lame excuses why some entrepreneurs still aren’t embracing video as a promotional resource. Let’s debunk the five biggest video myths right now.

Myth #1: Video is too damn technical.

The Real Deal: Video has never been easier, and it’s surprisingly low-tech. Unlike “back in the day” when I worked at E! Entertainment Television, you do not need an editing suite full of fancy equipment. A $40 webcam or a $100 pocket video camera is more than enough to get started. Need editing software? Forget it!  Just log on to YouTube and use their editing tools for free. It’s not too techie anymore. If you can do PowerPoint, you can do video.

Myth #2: Video is too expensive/I need to buy equipment.

The Real Deal: Continuing on our earlier theme, you don’t have to invest anything to get started with video. If you have a webcam, great. If not, you don’t even need a camera to create video!  Check out the free websites like Animoto.com or Stupeflix.com to create easy videos on the fly with just photos and some music.   And remember, video hosting sites like YouTube are completely free and easy to use. Online Video has truly become “low-hanging fruit” for marketers.

Myth #3: I need to look like Brad or Angelina to be on camera.

The Real Deal: YouTube has taken video to the masses, and allows us to be ourselves on camera, bad hair day or not! The truth is no one is watching your video to see “who you’re wearing.” They are watching to get ideas and information from you. In the world of online video, content always wins out over quality. Deliver value and don’t worry about your wardrobe.

Myth #4: I don’t have anything important to say/I don’t know what to say.

The Real Deal: Seriously? You’re an entrepreneur with a product or service to sell and you don’t know what to say? There has never been an easier way to get YOUR message out to the masses than with video, so gather your thoughts and say your piece. If you’re still camera shy and prefer to deliver your message another way, let’s not forget those fast, fun and free online resources like Slidemotion.com or OneTrueMedia.com Just add photos and your text and you’re on your way

Myth #5: Video is just for the Internet Gurus and “big-time” online marketers.

The Real Deal: No way! The playing field has been totally leveled by online video. We all have access to the same equipment and resources. The best creative idea will always win out – not necessarily the marketer with the biggest list. Video has a low barrier to entry, so you definitely don’t need to be a marketing superstar to get in the game. Your video does not have to be a Hollywood extravaganza (unless you want to hire me!) and you just need a creative way to deliver your message. There’s no longer any need to feel intimidated or overwhelmed by video marketing.

So what’s your excuse for not using video to build your brand and boost your business?  It’s much easier than you think.  Get started today with Lou’s Brand New self-study course.

I’m back with another insight to share from Dan Kennedy on getting referrals for your business.  As I’ve mentioned before, I subscribe to Dan Kennedy’s NO BS Marketing Letter and it’s always full of ideas that I can implement in my own business as well as with my clients.  This month, he’s written an article about how being the best at what you do can easily lead to a steady stream of referrals. Happy reading!

Sales Tip: The Power of Mastery

I am about to tell you how to add $25,000.00, $50,000.00, maybe $100,00.00 a year to your yearly income – without spending even a penny more on advertising or marketing.

One of my featured guest speakers at a past SuperConference was Michael Vance.  Michael worked side-by-side with Walt Disney for a number of years.  As I was listening to Mike, I made a mental note to start talking about a Walt Disney quote about marketing that I used to use a lot.

What Walt Disney said about Marketing is:

“Do what you do so well – and so uniquely – that people can’t resist telling others about you.”

In every field, there are “masters”.  People just so darned good at what they do that people are compelled to tell others about them.

Mike Vance is that kind of speaker, and there are darned few in that category.  Actors like Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro.  The salesman I used to buy my cars from, Bill Glazner, at Sanderson Ford in Phoenix – he puts every other car guy I’ve ever seen to shame.  There are a couple chiropractors I know who put on such a great “report of findings” (their equivalent of the Printing Audit) that they enjoy 100% conversions and can easily sell large dollar “pre-pays.”  There’s a shoe-shine guy at the Atlanta Airport who still rubs wax in by hand, snaps the towel with authority, slaps the leather, makes the brush sing.  And this is important: these people are “master performers.”  They are not just masters at whatever technical thing they do, they are masters at presentation.

I Tell Two Friends, And They Tell Two Friends…

So, here’s a very simple, very practical question:  after customer buys from you for the first time, do they – without any prodding from you – rush to the phone, call an associate, and tell them about the amazing buying experience they just had?  Are the first words out of their mouth to the next person they see about you?

If it is, here’s the economic impact:  your need to invest money in acquiring new customers will diminish over time as your business converts to being 100% referral driven.  This means you can take all the money you now spend on advertising, direct mail, telemarketing, etc. and put it into your pocket instead.  This means you will have more people calling and waiting in line for you than you have time, because each client will multiply.

“Mastery” can quite easily be worth an extra $50,000.00 to $200,000.00 or even more to you each year you remain in this business.  (Bank it all at even modest interest and in just five years you can retire a cash millionaire.)

To get that good, you must dedicate yourself to doing so:  I’ve always been impressed with the late Yul Brenner, who performed the “King and I” a record number of times on Broadway – and still rehearsed his lines, gestures and facial expressions everyday, before every performance, right up until his last one.  How many times have you written out your own, complete sales script word for word?  Recorded it and listened to it on tape?  Role-played it with family or mastermind group members?  Practiced in front of a mirror?  Ever?  This month?

Get this:  I can predict your future bank balances if I know what you read, what you listen to, what educational functions you attend, who you hang out with and what you work on (practice) regularly.  Oh, and years ago, Joe Karbo wrote this wonderful ad headline:  Are You Too Busy Making A Living To Make A Fortune? Are You?

Discover how you can sneak into the closed door meeting and eavesdrop on the free-wheeling, no holds barred discussions of arguably the most elite and extraordinary group of marketing and moneymaking “masters” ever assembled in one place, at one time.

DAN S. KENNEDY is a serial, multi-millionaire entrepreneur; highly paid and sought after marketing and business strategist; advisor to countless first-generation, from-scratch multi-millionaire and 7-figure income entrepreneurs and professionals; and, in his personal practice, one of the very highest paid direct-response copywriters in America. As a speaker, he has delivered over 2,000 compensated presentations, appearing repeatedly on programs with the likes of Donald Trump, Gene Simmons (KISS), Debbi Fields (Mrs. Fields Cookies), and many other celebrity-entrepreneurs, for former U.S. Presidents and other world leaders, and other leading business speakers like Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and Tom Hopkins, often addressing audiences of 1,000 to 10,000 and up.  His popular books have been favorably recognized by Forbes, Business Week, Inc. and Entrepreneur Magazine. His NO B.S. MARKETING LETTER, one of the business newsletters published for Members of Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, is the largest paid subscription newsletter in its genre in the world.