This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur show earn 3 ways to increase revenue, retention, and referrals with current leads and customers.

Did you know it costs 5Xs the amount of money to get a new customer vs. selling to a customer you already have?

And that a current customer is 50-70% more likely to buy?

This week on the show discover three ways to pan your current leads and customers for gold so that you increase revenue, and referrals and retain more clients without spending more on lead generation.

Leap off the lead generation hamster wheel and instead dive deep with the people who have already said yes to you and your business and who trust you enough to say yes again.

One of the first times your new leads really get to know you is in your welcome emails series.

Did you know that welcome emails get opened 8 times more often and clicked on 10 times more than other emails?

Yet, so many welcome series are struggling.

This is why I created a step-by-step guide to help you knock this email sequence out of the park.

Get your free welcome series guide here:

https://alisaconner.com/emailguide

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneurship Show tune in to discover ways to use LinkedIn as a sales-generating machine as well as diving into topics like recession, entrepreneurship, and the life of a real marketer.

My guest Tracey Burnett is best known for perfecting the art of taking something as ordinary as your LinkedIn account and turning it into a valuable client-nurturing, lead-generating machine. She has a tried and tested, proven process that consistently generates the levels of conversations businesses need to turn into clients and cash. Tracey is a wealth of marketing and business information. This is an episode you won't want to miss.

One of the best opportunities to build rapport with your audience is with your welcome email series. This first email series is a great way to ensure that you show up in the inbox of a new subscriber 5-7 times.

Yet that pesky sequence can sometimes feel overwhelming to create.

You’re not alone if you feel that way.

So many entrepreneurs struggle with creating a powerful welcome sequence.

If you have blank screen syndrome, struggle with what to include, and rush through sales phrasing just to put something out into the inbox.

If you are ready to have them at hello, download your free copy of the Welcome Sequence Guide and get the step-by-step system to write a compelling email sequence that not only gets emails opened but also builds rapport and trust which will lead you to more revenue and raving fans.

Download your free copy here.

Tune in to this week's show here to up-level your LinkedIn game as well as define the key indicators you need to be successful in turning strangers into connections and then clients.

Learn More About Tracey Here: LinkedIn

TraceyBurnett.com

If you enjoyed this episode would you please share it with someone who could benefit? Also if you haven't left us a review, we would love yours on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks in advance!

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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If you struggle with gaining traction in the inbox and having your audience excited to hear from you in the inbox, you won't want to miss this week's episode.

Discover 5 proven ways to entice your audience to not only read and click on your emails but look forward to seeing your name in their inbox.

Yet that pesky sequence can sometimes feel overwhelming to create.

You’re not alone if you feel that way.

So many entrepreneurs struggle with creating a powerful welcome sequence.

If you have blank screen syndrome, struggle with what to include, and rush through sales phrasing just to put something out into the inbox.

Download your free copy here.

Now, let's WOW them past hello by diving into this week's show.

There are several things you can focus on to get your audience looking forward to your emails, but the first and most obvious one is:

Get to know your audience. This goes deeper than some of the typical gender, education, lifestyle, and generic ideal avatar exercises you've been through. In the episode learn some specific ways to engage with, bond, and create conversations so that you can know your audience as well as you know your own business. When you initiate interest in your audience and what they are going through you create market differentiation and connection.

There are several examples in the episode of what not to do as well as some tips on what to do instead. Listen here.

Give your audience what they want, not what YOU THINK they need. It's a natural human instinct to naval gaze and look and talk about ourselves. But because our audience is also focused on themselves, their struggles, and what is going on in their lives, when we start to spout out what we think/know will save them they ignore us.

Why? Because they don't want our solution, they want someone to understand their pain and frankly make it go away. NOW!

So often marketing is focused on solutions when really our audience just wants someone to hear them and give them a glimpse of what is possible on the other side. When you focus on what your audience says they want and speak to that, then and only then do they start to listen.

When you connect the dots between what you do and where they aspire to be that's where the magic starts to happen. Tune into the show for more details.

Show up consistently. Consistency is the #1 thing you as a business owner can do to increase sales. So simple, but not always easy. The opportunity to succeed between people who show up consistently and those who don't is monumental.

When you commit to showing up regularly, once a week, once a day, once a month, whatever it is for your business you start to create momentum. That momentum is what sparks success. This one tip if put into action will transform your business faster than anything else you can do.

Commit.

Show up.

Serve.

Those three things will grow your revenue faster than anything else you do, guaranteed.

Make your content about your audience and serve always. There is nothing worse than self-serving content disguised as a benefit. In the episode, hear about specific tactics that people can see through and will put you in the spam, trash, or ignore pile faster than pumpkin pie consumption on Thanksgiving.

It may be a hard pill to swallow, but people are not waiting to buy your stuff, sign up for your next training, or refer you to people they know. It's your job to make it interesting enough for them to care. When you take the time to provide value to them, then and only then will they tune in when you ask for a favor which includes signing up for training, purchasing, leaving a review, and more.

Tune into the episode for the bonus tip and much much more Let me know which of these you are going to implement this week by sending me a DM on LinkedIn or commenting on this post.

Have a great Thanksgiving next week if you're in the United States.

Until next time, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur show we dive into 5 ways to avoid the spam filter with your email marketing. Some are based on tech and some are simple tweaks you can make to your email marketing practice that will ensure you get more eyeballs on your emails.

Be sure to stay tuned until the end because you won't want to miss the bonus tip toward the end of the episode. Consistently showing up in the inbox is a great way to build rapport with your new email subscribers. But did you know that it is also a GREAT way to ensure you stay out of the SPAM filter too?

1 - Listen more than you talk.

This may seem counterintuitive as a business owner, because shouldn’t you be talking about what you do and what you sell?

The short answer is no. People want what they want and no matter how excited you are about what you do if they aren’t ready to hear what you have to offer, they will simply tune you out because you sound like an infomercial for the latest quick business fix.

Don’t believe me just scroll through the ads on Facebook. Almost every single one is an automatic pitch for their latest “one size fixes all” solution.

I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve worked with coaches and consultants who pour hours, weeks, days, months, and even years into creating online programs that they haven’t sold yet.

Nothing is more frustrating than creating a program that no one wants or will ever see. Been there, done that - more than once.

All that work and time lost could have been avoided if I would have just listened instead of deciding for my customers without their input.

Listen to the show for some examples here.

2 - Give what you want to receive.

COVID made people aware, but it also made people less tolerant of BS. This is why a lot of marketing that used to work is failing miserably.

People can see through your thinly disguised veil of inauthenticity like mosquito netting. Which is why the direct message or random comments aren’t working anymore.

Your audience is craving connection. Authentic connection, not drive-by conversation. COVID and social media have dramatically increased loneliness. Look at the current mental health crisis for all the evidence you need.

Humans were meant to congregate, be together, share ideas, and have conversations. COVID all but eliminated that and now we are out of practice.

But what we can spot is people who want something from us. Faster than the Road Runner in Looney Tunes.

Meaning it’s even MORE important to start off a new relationship on the right foot. Business or otherwise.

Tune into the show for all the details and examples here.

3 - Pretend You Are Together In Real Life.

The internet is a funny thing. It’s given us permission. Sometimes to do things that aren’t only not acceptable, but that we would normally never do if it were a real-life situation.

We will say and do things that are brazen, sometimes rude, and sometimes even unlawful.

Instead of standing on bravado imagine if you were face to face with the person you want to turn into a customer. Would you immediately:

1 - push your newest offer or lead magnet in their direction? or

2 - would you instead take time to learn about them and what they need?

If you answered #1 - we should talk about your networking skills and you should get out into the real world again and network with real people.

No one wants to be sold to and they definitely don’t want to buy from someone who isn’t interested in their needs. Treat the people you want to work with like people. They are individuals going through individual circumstances. The better you get with people the faster your business will grow.

Get all the details and examples here.

Get the three Bonus tips to get you started with creating deeper connections and conversations with future and current customers by listening to the entire episode.

If you enjoyed this episode would you please share it with someone who could benefit? Also if you haven't left us a review, we would love yours on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks in advance!

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur show join me and my guest Jason Jurado to discover how reprogramming your brain and your self-talk can help you reach your goals and success quicker.

Best of all, you'll have less stress and more energy to do the things you want and need to do.

💦 💦 💦 Speaking of stress - leave the stress about showing up in your audience's inbox behind with my new 365 Email Prompts Guide. You can get your copy here:

https://alisaconner.com/emailprompts 💦 💦 💦

Jason Jurado has studied neurolinguistic programming (NLP) for over 12 years and is certified as a master practitioner in NLP. When he asked for a definition of NLP he simplified it as:

"Using the language of your mind to get what you want."

He went on to say that your subconscious mind is always listening and it doesn't know the difference between what is real or what is not real.

But it will always listen to what you focus on because it believes that is what you want.

This can be detrimental to getting what you want especially if you are focused on the negative possibilities or activities. Your brain will think that's what you want because it's consuming your focus and energy.

For example, if you focus on not having enough money to pay a large bill - your unconscious mind will think "oh they don't want to pay that bill so I will be sure that no money comes into our sphere so that we won't be able to pay the bill."

Can you see how not having control of your subconscious thoughts could keep you stuck in your business and not growing at the level you want?

Your conscious mind can only focus on 50 bits of information at a time yet we are bombarded by 11 million bits of information a minute.

In order to not go insane and survive we set up filters to manage the information that comes our way. Those filters determine what gets our focus and what we don't.

But, most of those filters were created subconsciously by the age of 10.

Filters are created by modeling the adults in our lives, their beliefs, and the experiences we had during our formative years.

But if our filters are outdated and unaligned with our current goals and beliefs, our focus will be as well. Because our focus determines our experience, this impacts our lives now.

Updating our filters is something Jason discusses during this week's show.

The subconscious mind speaks in symbols, not words.

So if you create a clear picture in your mind of what you want and then align that image with your goal, you are speaking the language of your subconscious mind. The more specific you get with imagery, the faster you will arrive at your goal.

This is why Jason also discusses the importance of defining values, goals, and actions as business owners in order to get to where we want to be. During the show he discusses:

How to define your values. Including identifying what is important to you and why it's important. Then how to organize your values by importance.
Do your defined business values align with your personal values? Do they also align with how you want your life to look?
Align your values with your goals and get specific about the goals you want to achieve and why you want to achieve them.
Define specific action steps in order to reach your goal.

Jason is also an expert on hypnosis. When I asked him to describe how it helps his clients excel he defined hypnosis as hyper-focused attention that when combined with specificity and clarity you are able to get to where you want to be at hyper-speed.

The episode also dives into the areas of the benefits of having a coach, your money mindset, the difference between meditation and hypnosis, and how to overcome your monkey mind.

You won't want to miss this week's jam-packed episode. Tune into the entire show here: https://alisaconner.com/151.

Resources Mentioned:

NLP

Building Your Ideal Private Practice

Where to connect with Jason:

One Path Coaching

Instagram

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show Scott Perry joins me to talk about how to hone in on your purpose prior to building your business.

Before we dive in, are you struggling with planning your marketing? The free marketing strategy guide will walk you through a step-by-step plan to create a map for your marketing. Download your free copy here.

Aligning with why you're here on the planet and plugging into the legacy you want to live makes the BIG difference between those who keep taking steps forward toward their goals and reaching them and those that give up and have regrets at the end of their lives.

Scott is an Encore Life Coach who helps entrepreneurs find fulfillment, forge meaning, and make a difference (and a living) during their life's third act.

He is passionate about helping clients serve their purpose and leave a legacy.

While living a life that they love.

Oftentimes it can be difficult to remember what it is that we love, and what our purpose is and we spend a lot of time comparing. Scott provides some amazing insights and resources to guide us in uncovering our inner purpose. Tune in here to hear more.

The first half of life is the time you are forging your identity and validating yourself to external expectations.

The second half of life is brought about by experiencing something profound. Those moments can either break you or you can be broken open.

Being broken up empowers you to open your heart and experience why you are here and what impact you can make.

As Scott says, what has chasing society's carrots gotten you? Chances are unhappiness and despair.

Instead, Scott implores you to plug into happiness, joy, and things that light you up before you meet the end of this life.

By taking small steps every day you will forge a new identity and be aligned with your purpose.

As a bonus, be sure to catch the meaning behind Scott's unusual daily runs during this episode. Tune in here to listen.

There are so many value bombs Scott drops and such sound wisdom and advice for people starting their second career and living their second act.

If you've ever asked yourself the question, what if it's too late, you won't want to miss Scott's answer at the end of the episode.

Don't miss the deep wisdom Scott shares during this episode.

Watch this week's episode here.

Resources Mentioned:

David Brooks The Second Mountain

Bhagavad Gita

Meditations Marcus Aurelius

Learn more about Scott Perry here:

Creative On Purpose

Facebook

Struggling with planning your marketing? Download the free marketing strategy guide that will walk you through a step-by-step plan to create a map for your marketing. Get your copy here.

The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show discover what to do and not do when it comes to adding people to your email list.

On a new LIVE LinkedIn Segment Anke Herrmann, from Taming The Tech Monster and Alisa Conner, Email Marketing Avenger tackle marketing questions that they have been asked or encountered with previous clients.

Speaking of email marketing success if you struggle with what to write, suffer from blank screen syndrome, or are inconsistent with your email marketing head on over to alisaconner.com/emailprompts and grab the resource 365 Email Prompts For Coaches & Course Creators. This guide is jam-packed with email prompts for an entire year and beyond. Learn more about these email prompts at: alisaconner.com/emailprompts.

This week on the This Not That segment, we answer the question - "Should you add current clients to your email list?"

Get the answer by listening to the entire episode here.

Other topics covered in this episode include:

Best practices for adding people to your email list
Why are you adding people to your list and what's in it for them
GDPR requirements and repercussions for violating terms by not asking permission
Different ways to get active permission from subscribers
Buying cycle length and opportunity to stay top of mind.

Tune into the entire episode here.

Don't forget to meet your new email marketing bestie, 365 Email Prompts For Coaches & Course Creators to inspire you, keep you in front of your audience, and increase sales.

Until next week,

Be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show learn 10 ways to create resiliency in your business. Empowering you to harbor any changes in the market, as well as a possible global recession.

One of the best ways to harbor any type of change is through consistent relationship building. One of the best ways to do that is through your weekly emails.

If you struggle with coming up with new ideas, finding inspiration about what to write, or blank screen syndrome - I have a brand new resource coming your way on Monday.

365 Days of Email Prompts gives you inspiration, a prompt for every day of the year, and a video training to help you navigate the guide and stay consistent with your email. It will be available starting Monday, August 1st at alisaconner.com/emailprompts.

Let's dive into the show and how to build recession resilience.

1 - Work on your mindset.

Focusing on the one thing you can control during uncertain times will monumentally affect how and when you reach your goals. Focusing on gratitude awareness will increase the likelihood that you will see the bright side of things even when things seem the darkest. Focus on reigning in your mindset now so you are prepared no matter what comes your way.

2 - Look for opportunities to help rather than focusing on fear and negativity.

During most uncertain times the best businesses are built by those who looked at problems that weren't being addressed and creating a solution. Does that mean you need to upend your business? No, but when you're focused on helping and creativity, there is less time on focusing on things you can't control.

3 - Meet your customers and potential customers where they are not where you think they should be.

Oftentimes we create products, offers, and services for our clients based on what we think they need rather than what they actually need. If instead, you focus that effort on researching where your potential customers are right now and what they need you will be much more successful at increasing sales.

4 - Give your customers pricing options.

Look at your current service offers and see if there is a way that you can offer multiple tiers to work with you that get clients results. If you can give someone results the likelihood that they will move to the next tier of your services significantly increases. Making them lifetime customers and not just one transaction.

5 - Get really good at what you do.

Even better than you are now. When you become the expert for a specific group of people you stand out and become known in the industry. Resist the urge to go general and instead focus on how you can get specific and provide specific results to your clients.

6 - Inventory your expenses.

Expenses can creep up without us even paying attention. We may scroll buy something on Amazon and not give it a second thought. Or we may invest in something for our business, use it a few times and then forget until it renews again. Grab a few months' worth of credit card statements, see where you are spending money and if that investment is creating ROI in some way.

7 - Get scrappy with organic marketing.

What content can you create that you can repurpose and grow your brand organically (for free)? Who can you collaborate with? Whose podcast or live show can you be a guest on? Who can you reach out to that you've been meaning to but haven't yet?

8 - Continue or ramp up marketing while everyone freezes.

It's a natural inclination to stop paying for things that aren't paying you. But this can be a huge mistake when it comes to marketing before, during, and after a recession. Why? Because everyone else is cutting back too. When you stay consistent or even ramp up your marketing you will have a higher likelihood of standing out and being seen.

9 - Feed your brain.

Continue learning about your field, and feed your brain something useful and positive every day. Turn off and tune out the news and the negativity and instead focus on something that will help you grow, evolve, and shift your business so that you continue to grow while everyone else panics.

10 - Work on self-development every single day.

When you work on yourself every single day the universe can't help but respond. It will also increase your resilience to respond to things and build your fortitude for not only surviving but thriving.

Want all the tips and examples? Tune into the entire episode here: https://alisaconner.com/148

Don't forget one of the best ways to fortify and build your client relationships is through email.

Coming Monday, August 1st you can get your hand on my newest resource:

365 Days of Email Prompts. Giving you inspiration, a prompt for every day of the year, and a video training to help you navigate the guide and stay consistent with your email.

Buy your copy here: alisaconner.com/emailprompts.

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show discover ways to move your social media followers off of Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn and onto your email list. Social media seems like a safe bet. You can promote your business, gain access to new followers, and potentially gain new customers.

But what happens when your account disappears?

This is exactly what happened to me on Facebook last week.

After several mild heart attacks the issue was ultimately fixed.

But I couldn't help but think, that this could have been bad. Really bad. Especially if I wasn't continually moving people to my email list.

Just to be sure I was on the right track, I polled the people.

A good majority said they use social media exclusively to get business leads. With so many changes in how social media operates and works, and not knowing exactly what the future holds, I want you to have the tools to control your business.

This week's show breaks down three major platforms - Facebook (pages and Groups), Instagram, and LinkedIn and shares how to grow your email list on each of those platforms.

++ Plus there is a bonus if you stay until the end.

If you struggle to write a welcome email series that keeps people reading to the end and preps them to buy from you, grab my latest free guide "Writing A Welcome Sequence That Works" here.

Before we dive into the tactics for each platform, be aware that you are your best promoter. Sometimes we may convince ourselves that we don't need to talk about our business so much.

You don't want to be too promotional.

First, that's not a thing (especially when you own your own business).

Second, that's a bunch of horse poo.

The more places you advertise ways to get your lead magnet, the more opportunities to grow your email list.

Facebook Pages There are seven places you can promote your lead magnet on your Facebook Business page. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you get one stat and optimize it for your business name and what you do.

Here is the breakdown:

Your header image. Instead of blasting people with your services give them an opportunity for hands-on getting to know you by directing them to your lead magnet. This is prime real estate and the first thing potential clients will see when they snoop you out. Oh, they are snooping you out you can count on it.
Customize your Facebook button. You can send people directly to the landing page for your lead magnet instead of your website home page. Do this.
Promote your lead magnet in your Facebook stories.
Use your reels to talk about the benefits of the lead magnet you have and promote it there as well.
If you do weekly Facebook lives this is a great way to introduce your audience to a problem and then serve them up a solution with your lead magnet
Last but not least, include your lead magnet link on your About page in lieu of your website home page.

Facebook Groups Facebook groups are a little different. You don't have access to reels or stories, but you can go live and promote your lead magnet. You can also change up your cover image, but you won't have access to the customizable button option.

However, you can ask three questions to people requesting group access. One of these questions can be something like "Have you downloaded my free Strategy Guide to uplevel your marketing game yet? If not, enter your email address here and I'll send it right over.

This is a powerful way to grow your list.

There are a couple of other ways to grow your email list on Facebook as well, but I didn't go into them in the episode. They are messenger bots and paid ads. If you are interested in those, leave a comment or send me a direct message and I'll look at covering them in a future episode.

Instagram Instagram offers some similar opportunities as Facebook, but you don't have the option to include much in your bio. However, including a Call To Action that directs them to your free download is important.

You can use an app like LinkTree to add additional URLs to your profile, but Instagram only allows you to use one link. So using a tool like LinkTree is important if you have multiple places you reference in your posts.

You can however use your Instagram Posts, Stories, and Reels to promote your lead magnet, just be sure to reference the link in your bio because no Instagram posts have clickable links. Subject to change of course.

I did make mention of the Swipe Up feature which allows you to link but you must have a minimum of 10,000 followers to get access to this feature.

LinkedIn Linkedin affords you many opportunities to promote your lead magnet and I'm shocked people aren't taking full advantage.

Your header image here can be changed as well and send people to your lead magnet.
You can change the contact section to include multiple links and can add your lead magnet as a link (highly recommend).
LinkedIn just added a new customized link feature underneath your profile information, this can be changed to add your lead magnet link.
When posting or sending a newsletter, reference your free resource and grow your list within these tools.
Within the about me section, you have the opportunity to talk about the value you bring or give people the option to get started by adding your lead magnet link within the content. LinkedIn links are clickable so this is a great benefit.
Set up a company page and change both the header image and the company about page to refer to your lead magnet.

There is also a bonus section with 5 places additional places to include your lead magnet to grow your email list. Tune in to the entire show to catch that bonus here.

Thanks for tuning in this week, if you found this episode helpful share it with a friend. If you found value I would love your review over on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

Resources mentioned: Write A Welcome Sequence That Works Email Guide

LinkTree

Canva

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This week’s 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show gives you 3 tips to write compelling emails that make people want to buy from your follow-up email series.

In case you're new, let’s backtrack for a minute and talk about the importance of using email marketing to grow your business. Before we dive in, I have a juicy bonus tip for you toward the end of this episode so be sure to stay tuned for that.

I also created a free guide to help you write your welcome series so that you don’t have to be stressed out about what to say, how many emails to send, and how often you should send them. It’s all in this handy dandy guide that you can go download at alisaconner.com/emailguide.

Now, let’s dive into why use email marketing at all? In 2020 an estimated 306.4 billion emails were sent and received every day. (according to this study by FinancesOnline)

And, according to OptinMonster 58% of users check email when they go online before conducting a search (20%), social media (14%), or the news (5%).

If that hasn’t convinced you in 2021 4 out of 5 marketers said that they would rather give up social media as a marketing tactic than email marketing. (Litmus, 2020)

There is a 4200% return on investment when it comes to email marketing. The highest ROI for any marketing tactic out there.

Why? Because it enables you to stay top of mind and in front of your potential and current customers so that when they are ready to buy they think of you.

This leads us to how to use email marketing effectively to create a relationship with your future and current clients.

First and foremost, welcome your new lead. Truly - throughout the welcome mat and show them some love.

How many times have you signed up for a free resource and either: 1. Received a single email with the resource and then crickets until they had something to sell or realized they needed to be emailing you or 2. Received a barrage of sales emails after signing up for the “free” resource and then ended up unsubscribing.

If that’s you, you’re not alone and how did that make you feel? Chances are it felt slimy like forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge slimy.

Here are some ways to build that relationship so that they begin to know, like, and trust you.

First and foremost is consistency. 90% of the world's troubles could be solved by just being consistent.

Regardless if you’re trying to lose weight and you need to be consistent with exercise and eating healthy.

Or if you’re trying to grow your business and you need to be consistent with marketing, sales calls, or in this case building a relationship with your leads.

Consistency in your email does two things. First, it reminds people who are and how you can help, and second, that you have something that they may need now or in the future.

The third thing that makes our hearts sing like little angels in the choirs of heaven is when they remember the first two and then tell someone else about us.

Second, don’t wing your email marketing. Just like everything else with marketing your business, creating a plan will keep you on task, help you over the procrastination hump and most importantly enable you to measure your progress and success. It’s much easier to pump out marketing emails when you know who you are talking to and what they are struggling with.

When you have the power to “read their minds” because you know them so well and you consistently show up in their inbox, that is pure gold.

And it’s a HUGE differentiator between you and the competition.

Third, write headlines that make people stop the scroll. I get so many questions about headlines from my audience that I have covered just headlines in multiple pieces of training, podcast episodes, and events.

Headlines can be tricky. The best advice I have is to just start writing.

It isn’t unheard of that I will write 30-45 headlines for an email before I send it.

Truly practice makes perfect when it comes to headlines.

Plus testing. You won’t know what will work if you don’t test it first.

The bonus about testing your headlines is that you get to show up in your audience's inbox more often (which leads us back to #1.)

Here are some specific things you can do to test your headlines:

Ask questions. Our brains can’t not answer the question. It is like a dog with a bone. If you ask a question relevant to your audience, they will not stop until they find the answer. So questions in your headlines work well.
Use emojis and characters. Pull up your email inbox. Scroll through the emails you received just today. Which ones pop out without you even searching them out? My guess is any email that has something different in the headline naturally grabs your attention. That’s the power of emojis and characters. Just don’t go wild because the SPAM filter will eat you alive.
Count your characters. Think about it, if your headline is too long our distracted brains will either tune out or, the inbox will cut off the most important part. (because that’s what happens, Murphy’s Law)

Luckily, many email service providers like ActiveCampaign, Convertkit, or Drip have built-in headline character counters. If you go over, it will send you a message that says - “hold up there cowgirl, that headline is a little long.” (Okay so maybe that’s what it sounds like in my head.)

If you’re unsure, use a character counter like WordCounter.net. The best performing headlines have 11 words and 65 characters according to Hubspot.

Before we dive into the bonus and end this episode, just a reminder I created a free guide to help you write your welcome series (the first series your new subscriber gets from you) so that you don’t have to be stressed out about what to say, how many emails to send and how often you should send them. It’s all in this handy dandy guide that you can go download at https://alisaconner.com/emailguide.

Ready for that bonus tip? Tune in to the entire episode here.

That’s a wrap for this episode on three tips to create compelling follow-up emails.

Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you next week.

Now, go write some kick a#* emails, ~ Alisa

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What if you could use a crystal ball to avoid some of the more costly mistakes when starting your business? I work with a lot of REALLY smart entrepreneurs. Most of them have come out of corporate, or have worked in a specific industry for more than 20 years.

They have experience and are considered experts.

But what they didn't plan for when starting their own small business, was all of the roles they would have to step into that someone in their previous organization did.

It's always quite a shock to realize, oh crap there isn't a marketing or sales department, that's me now.

Unfortunately, without marketing or sales, it's going to be really hard to get new clients.

What's even worse is diving into a marketing tactic that everyone "swears by" only to find you've wasted time, money and still have no new leads to show for all your hard work.

This is exactly why this week's 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show outlines the 3 biggest mistakes that second-career entrepreneurs make in their business.

++ Plus you will learn what to do instead. Let's get to it then, shall we?

The first big marketing mistake I see second-act entrepreneurs make is that they don't build an audience. This week's episode breaks this down into two different areas.

The first piece of this mistake is not building an audience at all.

More often than not I see this happen with online course creators.

Typically course creators will spend weeks, months, and even years creating and perfecting their courses.

Once they finally convince themselves it's time to sell the darn thing, they set up a sales page, and then . . . crickets.

What do you mean no one is buying? Unfortunately, this is where they should have started.

Because without an audience interested in your course there is little to no guarantee that anyone will want what you have to offer.

That is SO frustrating. All the time wasted in perfecting a course that no one will ever see because they either don't know about it or can't find it (or you).

Instead, do this: Build a relationship with your audience while you create your offer. Give people behind-the-scenes sneak peeks in your emails. Share your progress, excitement, and even frustration.

While showcasing your authenticity you become relatable and trustworthy and we all know that people buy from those that they know, like, and trust.

The second piece of this mistake is building an audience on social media and not moving them off the platform ASAP.

It's almost worse to have spent all the time and energy building an audience on social media only to realize you are at the mercy of the social media platform changes, algorithms, and tyranny.

Don't get me wrong, social media is a great place to attract new leads but moving them off of the platform is not optional, it is critical.

With the frequent changes in rules, the ever-increasing expansion of paid ads, and the inability to control when, where and how people see your content - it is in your best interest to move those social media peeps to your email list as soon as you can.

Instead, do this: Give people a reason to want to join your email list. If you need some ideas on how to create a great lead magnet check out episode #141 How to Grow Your Email List Quickly and Effectively

The 2nd biggest marketing mistake second-act entrepreneurs make is not nurturing their audience before they start selling. How many times have you joined someone's newsletter, anticipating the amazing resource you just signed up for, only to be bombarded with a sales pitch that goes on for days?

This is not the way to build trust or relationships. In fact, it will achieve the exact opposite.

Instead, do this: Provide them the resource with an extra helping of expertise and value around that resource. You will be perceived as going the extra mile to be sure they know how to apply it to solve their problem and gain their trust.

Then you can send a sequence of emails to continue building that relationship focused on issues people typically run into when solving the same problem, case studies of how the problem was solved, and a testimonial or two featuring people who have solved that exact problem.

When you share your expertise, knowledge, and experience over several emails you build the anticipation and leave them wanting to know what else you can do. Then when you present your offer, guess who is ready to buy?

The 3rd biggest marketing mistake second-act entrepreneurs make is not being clear about what they are selling prior to selling. It's really difficult to move people toward buying what you have when you aren't clear about what you are offering. Including what each party can expect to be delivered, the financial and time investment expected, and most importantly the expected results.

If one of these three pieces is missing, people won't buy, simple as that.

There is no shame in not knowing how to set any of this up. You're new to business, there is no possible way to know everything.

But, you are also not alone. If you need a 2nd set of eyes on your marketing, your offer, or your lead magnet, schedule a free call with me here.

Need a step-by-step guide to map out your marketing strategy, you can download that resource here.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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What should you name your online course? That’s the question I received on LinkedIn this week.

I thought it would be a great question to answer on the show, but the answer might surprise you.

Stay tuned to discover what to consider before naming your online course, product, or even lead magnet.

Let’s dive into this week’s show.

Clever confuses. Everyone wants a clever name for their course. They want to stand out. But it is the #1 reason people tune out and stop paying attention. Here’s why: It takes too much concentration and brain power to figure out what the heck you are trying to say. People are distracted, they are busy and if you force them to not only stop what they are doing but then try to figure out what you want from them - they will move on.

Let’s look at it from a caveman's point of view. Cavemen were programmed to do two things - hunt and survive. As evolved as we are, our brain still has one big priority - to keep us alive. The rest is gravy.

The prefrontal cortex of your brain makes snap decisions on whether or not something is worth paying attention to and whether or not it will keep you alive.

It will then decide if it needs to involve the amygdala in the decision, which controls your emotions.

So what does that have to do with naming your course? People you want to work with have a problem. They are only looking to solve that problem on a very basic level. If you make it complicated - read clever - for them to understand how you can help them with that problem, they will just move on. But if you can grab their attention with something that says hey I know you want this - and then engage their emotions with I bet it will make you feel like this to have that thing taken care of, then and only then will you engage them to continue on the journey with you.

Keep it clear. The problem, where they want to be, how they get there.

Example #1: The Myrna Method - first this says all we need to know about this person’s ego and absolutely nothing about what this course can do for someone. If we dive deeper into the copy (see the video for screenshots) we can see it says this: “I help people live their lives at their leanest and healthiest weight through my dietary meal formulas that regulate the appetite and metabolism.” That’s a mouthful. Do you even understand half of that? How long did it take you to read through it? This person is likely struggling with sales because nobody knows

What she does and
How it can help them

Here’s a free rewrite for Myrna (who I don’t know except that she is hiring someone on Upwork - yep my stalking has no bounds) Get Back Into That Sexy Red Dress In 90 Days (clear specific, you know who she is talking to and it’s an end result). Instead of gasping for breath as you climb the stairs, outrun co-workers half your age and have them whisper about how great you look in the breakroom.

Example #2: Special Advanced LinkedIn Training. Why is it special? What makes it advanced? Why do I want to come? How about this instead - Magnetize Your LinkedIn Profile To Attract Paying Clients 7 Days Or Less

2: Focus less on the name and more on the problem you solve.

People don’t buy products, they buy solutions.

Example #1: Let’s look at a donut for example. People don’t buy donuts because they need a donut. Let’s face it, most of us don’t “NEED” a donut. But the sugar rush and the dopamine hit we get from the donut will keep us heading to our favorite shop every single time. This is why it’s so hard to resist donuts when we are trying to lose weight. Many of us will do anything to feel better about ourselves, our lives, the problems we can’t see to solve - and food like donuts make us feel better if only for a few minutes. When you use a phrase like “they will make your mouth water in anticipation of the next bite” on their site - who is with me? I’m driving to the donut shop. Not to mention the use of color, smell, and sound that they use once you get there to reel you into buying more donuts, coffee, and probably just one for the road.

Example #2: Isagenix Sign Up To Be A Rep (I had to hunt that part out, it took me a good two minutes to try and figure out what this person does)

Quality of Life Assurance

Because you deserve to truly live before you die

Ok, now that’s depressing. Who wants to be depressed when they are solving a problem? Uh, no one. I have the quality of life already - but maybe I want it to be a little better. But it’s not so detrimental that I’m worried about dying. No one wants to feel worse, they want to feel better. If I came across this page I would run, run for the hills to somewhere happier.

Instead - how about this: Establish security, create impact and build a bright future with Isagenix.

Specificity matters. People want a solution that is catered to them. The internet is crowded. If you aren’t seeing results, it’s probably because your course title, lead magnet, etc. are too general. Get specific until it hurts and scares the beejesus out of you.

Example #1: 7 Strategies To Immediately Calm Angry Veterinary Clients

Problem? Patients at the vet office are mad.

What’s the solution? 7 strategies that they can use diffuse anger in the office.

How long will it take? Immediate results.

Example #2: 5 Days to Shift Your Career Into High Gear Challenge

What is it? A challenge

Who is it for? People wanting to uplevel their career?

How long will it take? 5 days

What are the results? I will get the tools to shift my career in a better direction.

Recap:

Clever confuses.
Focus on the problem, not the solution.
Specificity matters.

Need some help with naming your course, lead magnet or product? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me at alisaconner.com and click the "schedule now" button.

If you would take 20 seconds to leave me a review I would greatly appreciate it. It helps me reach and help more people. If you loved this episode, share it with someone else who could use help growing their business.

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneurs Show learn how to choose the best lead magnet for your business to grow your email list and also increase sales.

In case you are new, thanks for joining me today. I’m Alisa Conner, and I help 2nd Act Entrepreneurs grow their businesses using the power of email marketing.

Before we dive into this week’s show, be sure to stay with me until the end, because I’ve included a bonus for you.

📧📧📧 Need some help with your email marketing so that you see sales from your efforts? The Email Breakthrough Academy gives you the step-by-step solution to supercharge your email marketing. Enrollment is open for a limited time here. 📧📧📧

The first question most small businesses ask themselves when they are ready to start growing their email list is what kind of lead magnet should I create? Then they typically go to work and create a lead magnet they think would be best for their audience.

They put hours into perfecting their lead magnet idea, struggling with tech, or spending thousands of dollars to get someone to get it up and running for them.

When in reality they could save themselves a TON of time and money by doing one simple thing.

Before we dive into that answer, let me give you a few examples.

Recently a new Mexican restaurant opened near my home. I received some glowing recommendations and even tips on what to order.

Being the foodie that I am I couldn’t wait to try it out.

I usually prep by checking out the menu online, briefly selecting a few things I might like to try, and then putting a pin in them so I can keep them top of mind when I get to the restaurant.

Imagine with me for a minute - I get to the restaurant, and they seat me right away without asking how many people are with me. Outside, even though it’s 90 degrees and I’m already roasting and then delivering a selection of items that I didn’t order. How do you think that would go over?

Yeah, like a lead balloon.

They don’t know what I want, they didn’t ask if I was hot and wanted to sit outside and they sat me by myself and I had friends joining me.

If this is how they ran their business, how long do you think they would stay in business? Not very long.

But, this is exactly what we do as entrepreneurs.

We create a lead magnet that we think will help our customers.
We create services that we know are in their best interest.
We sell them what we think they need.

Do you see the common problem here? We aren’t asking them what their problem is, what would help them out the most or what no one else is providing them in regards to their problem.

Let me give you another example. I was lucky enough to work with a few hundred entrepreneurs as a copywriter in the capacity of promoting their coaching programs, book, or services on stages.

The problem is most of the people going through this program had created their business model without doing the research to see if anyone would be interested in purchasing what they were offering.

In essence, they just spent thousands of dollars to promote something that wasn’t even a proven concept yet. I would nearly cringe when they came to me for help in writing their lead magnet, email series, or sales page copy and they couldn’t articulate in a couple of sentences who they helped and how they helped them. People buy solutions not suggestions.

One of the business owners that sticks in my mind to this day from that program was a positivity coach.

His experience was he pulled himself out of a negative mindset and he wanted to share his story.

Bravo and good work, but let’s be real for a minute - nobody is going to pay you to be more positive.

The internet is full of positive quotes, videos, books and audiobooks you can buy, free meditations, etc. If they really wanted to be more positive in their lives, they would just tune in to one of those resources.

But even those resources cannot force someone to be more positive. Why? Because it’s an inside job.

People will not buy the result of positivity for the simple reason that they can do it on their own.

That’s a harsh truth.

Now could you incorporate positivity into a different program that resolved a problem like mental health, weight loss, or entrepreneurship?

Abso-freaking-lutely.

But on its own, positivity is a recipe for failure.

The same goes for your lead magnet. If you gave someone a list of 12 positive words to repeat every day but didn’t connect those words to why they are single and feeling alone and disconnected, then what good does it do?

Nobody wants a list of words when they are single. They want a date, or an idea of how to get a date, or better yet, how to improve themselves so that they are ready to date.

So instead of guessing about what to create, promote or sell - do one simple thing:

1 - Ask people that would be your potential customer’s what they are struggling with and what they want to fix that struggle.

Then create something that helps with that.

2 - Understand who you are talking to.

Don’t guess, but truly take the time to understand where they are, what their current situation is, and where they want to be.

If you create a 30-page e-book for your customer who is in sales, but they can’t even find time to read their emails, what are the odds they will have time to dig into that e-book? Slim to none.

If you create a record a meditation but no one in your audience meditates regularly, or they have no interest in your meditation topic - what are the odds they will download your free offer? Again, slim to none.

Give them a way to get some type of result. Even if it’s small. For example, if your audience struggles with a regular task and you create a checklist to ensure that task can be completed easily and quickly - they will gain trust in you.

Even better, brand the checklist, and every time they use it they will be reminded of you.

If you’ve stuck with me this long - thank you. I promised you a bonus at the end of this and we’ve reached that point.

Tune into the episode to listen to that bonus now!

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This episode is for 2nd Act Entrepreneurs who know they should be growing their email list but may be stuck somewhere along the way with getting people on their list.

But maybe you’ve forgotten why you want to grow your email list when what you’re really trying to do is get more customers. Let’s take a look at buying behavior. Less than 3% of people are actually ready to make a purchase when they come across your business.

That leaves 97% of people who either:

Don’t know they need to fix the problem you solve (probably because the pain isn’t big enough yet) or
They have just started searching for solutions and aren’t ready to make a decision yet.

Both of these audiences are who to focus your email marketing efforts toward. Because if you can stay in front of those people who are researching or haven’t been gobsmacked in the face with the problem yet - you have a HUGE opportunity to not only get more sales leads but also improve conversion rates for those that are in your email funnel.

Most people will stop at the first 3%. But most sales transactions take at least 8 times of getting in front of someone before they even pay attention to you and another 4 follow-ups before they make a purchasing decision.

According to Brevet Email marketing is almost 40 times better at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter.

40 TIMES.

One of the best ways to increase the number of people on your email list is by having an irresistible free download.

If you have no idea what to create or have a lead magnet created and it just isn’t working join me for my upcoming LIVE training Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet That Works. Walk away with the tools to create a lead magnet that grows your email list and your business. Register at alisaconner.com/leads.

So how do we increase the number of people who grab our free download? I’m glad you asked, let’s dive into 3 proven ways you can implement today to start increasing conversions.

Have a plan. You’ve likely heard that you need a marketing strategy. But I recently read a statistic that 70% or more of marketers don’t have a marketing strategy. And they are in the business.

This is good news. Because if you take the time to create a plan for your marketing, including growing your email list you will be further ahead than most marketers and you will more than likely also leave your competitors in the dust.

Instead of winging your marketing and trying to chase every tactic out there, create a logical path for your subscribers to follow so that they become customers. Having a plan will increase your conversion rates and make your sales process more efficient and run smoothly.

Know your audience. As the internet becomes more crowded and information becomes more robust - specifically targeting your people is not optional. Clarity cuts through the crowds and the noise and attracts the attention of your people like a lighthouse beacon in the dark. Gaining clarity about your audience and their behaviors will not only help you stand out from others in your industry but it will also start to build trust between you and your potential customers.

Over 90% of buying decisions are emotional.

Think about the last time you bought a car. Did you go into the dealership knowing you wouldn’t buy and a car that didn’t have a sunroof? Or did you go to the store with an idea of what you wanted, a list of features that you would like, and a price you were willing to pay?

More than likely you had some ideas of what you wanted and then you walked into the dealership and were sucked in by the shimmering new cars, you sat in the car and smelled the new car smell, and then you got behind the wheel and started to imagine what it would feel like if you drove this car everyday. Ultimately the buying decision came down to how you felt in the car. The emotions you conjured, the image you would have, what your friends and family would think, etc. The key word there is FEEL.

Knowing your audience, you know how they feel, what they think, the image they want to reflect and ultimately how they want to be portrayed to the world.

These things will get you more leads and sales and improve your conversion rate for the simple reason that most people won’t take the time to get to know the people they want as customers at that level. It’s the same reason that Ford, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes and the lot spend so much money on customer research, branding, advertising, and marketing. There are big stakes in the automotive industry.

Give them something that they want. Most business owners do one of two things when it comes to creating a lead magnet to grow their email list.
They create a lead magnet based on their experience and what they think their audience needs, not what they want - or
They choose the easy and also the most ineffective way to gather email addresses and names, “sign up for my newsletter”. Newsflash - nobody wants your newsletter. They want their problem solved.

People don’t even want more emails in their inbox, what they want is guidance, help, and assistance in getting to the end of the pain they are experiencing because of their problem.

So many people entrepreneurs with creating an irresistible lead magnet, so if this is you - you are not alone. This is the exact reason why I created my upcoming training program - Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet That Works.

This LIVE session is coming up next week (at the time of this recording) and will teach you how to start growing your email list and your business by creating a lead magnet that attracts eyeballs and collects names and email addresses.

Bonus Tip:

Don’t add people to your email list without permission. Even if they are previous clients. People are inundated with emails they don’t want. You don’t want to be added to the list of people sent immediately to the trash or spam filter simply because your potential clients never asked to get emails from you. There are other legal reasons to not do this, but the big one is - don’t bug people who didn’t ask to hear from you. It’s slimy, poor business practice and you don’t want to be categorized with the slimy salespeople who buy email lists and then spam people.

During the episode, I also mentioned Kajabi as a resource for creating your online program or membership. If you want to check out Kajabi for your business's home base, you can get a free trial here.

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During this week's show learn how to effectively grow your email list quickly and why building a solid email list is important and is more critical now than ever.

Listen or watch the entire show here: https://alisaconner.com/141

Register for my upcoming free training Creating An Irresistible Lead Magnet That Works Here: https://alisaconner.com/leads

Recently the opening words from Adam Mosseri's (the Head of Instagram) recent TED talk were:

"Power is shifting. History has taught us that technology will take power from the establishment and give it to individuals."

He went on to say:

"People should own their data rather than having it harvested and monetized by big tech companies."

But how does this translate to growing an email list?

Your email list is one of the only marketing assets in your business that you control. You get to decide when to send, and what to send and your audience becomes captive to your marketing.

When you grow your email list you hold the power, not Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any other social media platform.

Not to mention that recently social media accounts are being shut down for infractions some of which seem very minor, i.e. using too many emojis in a post. Making it more critical than ever to ensure you are capturing email addresses and names of your followers. In the episode, I give you a HUGE tip to protect yourself in case you do lose access to your account on Facebook or Instagram. Check it out here.

And then we have to consider the latest Twitter purchase including reports coming out that Elon Musk plans to charge some users. (think content creators) for their accounts. If Twitter implements charging for content creation then you can quickly expect Facebook, IG, LinkedIn, and other platforms to follow suit.

It's important to remember that these companies are not in business to promote your business, they are in business to make money.

Somewhere along the way people have forgotten this.

All of these reasons are why growing your email list will become the differentiator between those who succeed and those who do not. I want you to succeed which is why this episode dives into how to think about growing your email list throughout your entire marketing strategy.

Is growing your email list EVEN more important than your website? The answer is yes. Here's why:

You can’t control how often people visit your website, nor can you control how many pages they click on. You are playing the odds that they will keep coming back and ultimately buy from you. But people are distracted, interrupted, and often never make it back to your website.

Meaning their ability to focus on your website, offer and services is in a state of constant interruption.

Yes by all means you should have a website. But the #1 goal of your website should be to move your visitors to your email list.

When you create a planned email marketing strategy, you hold the power to show up to your audience when you have new information to share, have a new product to announce, or are announcing your current promotion. Best of all, it empowers you with the ability to remind them they forgot to push “check out” on their cart when they are pulled in a different direction. This leads to you converting them into a customer. Cha-ching.

Different Ways to Increase Your Email List Tip #1:

In order to add contacts to your email marketing campaign and grow your email list, you MUST have a magnetizing lead magnet. Something

that is so tempting that your ideal audience just can’t say “no”. If people are saying no, then your lead magnet isn't enticing enough. If they

aren't sharing it with others, then you probably have some work to do.

When you create something so good that people can’t wait to get it in their hot little hands, then and only then will they become a subscriber to

your email list.

Better yet, they will tell their friends, who tell their friends, and so on.

If you're like many 2nd Act Entrepreneurs, you probably struggle with creating your lead magnet. Or you created a lead magnet that just isn’t working or you may not know if it's working.

If this is you, I’d like to invite you to join me for my upcoming training - “Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet That Works” where you will learn:

How to choose a topic for your lead magnet that excites your audience and gets them to opt-in
How to pick the best lead magnet to grow your email list
Where to promote your lead magnet so more people see it
Which software to use to automate your lead generation funnel
What to measure and how to tweak your lead magnet to get even bigger results

Tip #2 - Use social media to add subscribers to your email list. We started this conversation with the negative aspects of social media. But used effectively social media is a GREAT place to grow your audience and advertise your lead magnet. But, it is in your best interest to move your social media following off of social as quickly as possible by adding them to your email list.

Use your favorite platform to shout it to the world the goodness you created, but then gather your flock and their email addresses so that they are on your list.

Tip #3 - Always go into any promotion or advertising opportunity with a plan. As a coach, you likely are speaking on stages, podcasts, or other promotional platforms. Before you even get into the room have a plan for how you will move that audience to the next step.

The same goes for promoting your book.

Most marketing fails because there isn’t a strategy to move people to the next step. The most effective and logical next step for someone getting to know you and your business is joining your email list. The best way to do that is to create a kick-ass lead magnet that people can’t say no to. That brings us back to Tip #1 - you're getting the idea.

Here is a recap of this week's takeaways: 1. Always be growing your email list.

Move your followers from social media to your email list as quickly as possible
Create an irresistible lead magnet they can’t say no to

🔥🔥 Register for the Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet That Works training at https://alisaconner.com/leads 🔥🔥

Use social media to add subscribers to your email list.
Always have a plan.

What's the first tip you're going to implement this week. No action = no results. Share your action plan in the comments.

Until next week,

Be well! ~Alisa

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I recently posted on LinkedIn asking for your biggest challenges when it comes to creating an online sales funnel. You asked and in this week's episode of the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show, I answer your questions and concerns.

Before diving into the questions, if you're struggling with connecting the dots of all your marketing tactics and goals, grab my free 5-Step Marketing Strategy Guide to map out an easy-to-follow plan. This guide will help you clarify your marketing message, align your marketing activities with your goals and metrics and most importantly track sales to ensure your efforts are actually converting into cash. Grab your copy here.

If you're ready, let's dive into the questions:

1 - Should you use a different sales funnel or approach to reach different audiences?

In this week's episode, I refer to our good old friend ice cream to answer this question.

Tune in to the show to discover that analogy.

The short answer is yes. In order to avoid audience confusion, a separate funnel should be set up for each lead magnet, audience, problem, and solution in your business.

But as a busy business owner, if you want to keep it simple - stick to one sales funnel, test it, and then when it is reaping results and you know it can stand on its own you can create another sales funnel option to bring new people into the fold.

Discover more about creating for a specific audience, as well as standing out in the crowd during this week's show.

2 - How should you nurture your list?

During the live broadcast, I give a few specific examples of nurturing your list. Tune in to the show to listen for all the details.

List nurturing mistakes usually fall into two categories:

Someone signs up for your lead magnet and they get one email with the freebie and then nothing else until you are ready to sell them on your next product launch or offer.
An initial email is sent and then the subsequent emails are pushing a sale that your new subscriber isn't ready for.

Neither of these scenarios is ideal. A nurture sequence is meant to do just that, nurture the relationship so that your lead is enticed to learn more, trusts you, and ultimately buy from you.

In most cases, if the relationship building is rushed, the sale is jeopardized.

Just as if a prospect is ignored until the next product launch, the likelihood of converting them into a client is slim to none.

Each sales funnel needs a separate email sequence. As does each marketing goal.

When a one-size-fits-all marketing approach is adopted, the results won't' be there.

For example, you wouldn't send someone a bunch of emails promoting Mother's Day in October. The same is true for marketing your products and services.

Your marketing must be adapted to your audience, their specific problem, and the solution that solves that problem in order to be successful.

3 - How do you move someone from social media to your email list?

This is definitely a question that comes up a lot in marketing conversations and is addressed at length in this week's show.

The biggest mistakes I see around the move from social to your email list are these:

The lead magnet isn't solving a problem or helping people get some sort of result.
The lead magnet created is too general and tries to help everyone but ends up helping no one.
No promotion is being done around the lead magnet, so no one is signing up, hence not joining your list.
A lead magnet and funnel haven't been created.
You're giving away all your content for free to compete.

For more details on each of these problems and how to circumvent them tune into this week's show.

#4 - Is your website or your email list a more important asset to your business? Yes, your website is an important asset to your business. But, it is far more important to grow your email list for one simple reason. You can't control when or if someone shows up on your website.

You can control when and how often you show up in someone's inbox.

The most important thing you can have on your website is a way to capture leads. This gives you back the power of your marketing.

It empowers you to keep your audience captive on your terms and your timeframe.

No other marketing tactic will give you this power. On every other platform, you are at the mercy of someone else, including your possible lead.

At the end of the episode, I dive into the #1 reason you should be building your email list now even if you haven't before. Be sure to tune into the entire show to catch this important information.

If you need help establishing a strategy for your marketing, be sure to grab my free 5-step Marketing Strategy Guide here.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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Does the term "sales funnel" give you the heebie-jeebies or make you cringe? If so, then today's show was created for you.

During this week's show find out what a sales funnel is the three must-have components of any sales funnel, and the marketing strategy that will help you increase sales and get the most out of your marketing time and budget.

1 - Introduction: What is a Sales Funnel?

A sales funnel is simply put the journey your customer takes to find you, get to know you and ultimately decide if they will purchase from you.

2. -How to Create A Marketing Strategy for Your Business

I recently did an entire episode on the ABC’s of setting up your marketing strategy. You can find that here.

Here is a quick recap of that episode. The first step in your marketing funnel is:

A for attract a specific audience with your messaging and create a lead magnet they want to download.

If you’re struggling with this I have a training coming up in June to help you create a Magnetic Lead Magnetic. You can get on the waitlist here to get notified of the training details closer to the date of the training

When someone signs up for your lead magnet this is called a conversion. This leads to the next step of the sales funnel process:

B - Building a relationship with your new lead.

This is where many people go wrong. They go from “hi here’s your freebie now buy my stuff”

95% of purchases are made at an emotional level. How does it feel when someone does this to you? To make things even more complicated, those purchasing decisions are happening at a subconscious level.

So the saying KLT is based on statistics not just hearsay. The “B” portion of your sales funnel is critical to getting people to say yes to purchasing from you

The last step of the ABC sales funnel methodology is to Convert A Customer

Everyone thinks the funnel ends here, they’ve bought - celebrate good times, but in reality, this is your opportunity to put in the effort to create lifetime customers.

This is a very basic guideline for planning your marketing. Everyone’s business is different and diving into specific tactics would depend entirely on your offerings.

3 - What Makes a Successful Sales Funnel?

A simple sales funnel includes these 3 specific things:

First, you have to have a lead magnet. Maybe you have one, but if people aren’t opting in then your lead magnet probably isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. (if you're struggling with this, run, don't walk, to sign up for my upcoming create a magnetic lead magnet training here.)
A landing page where people can give you their information and get your lead magnet. There will be an opt-in form on this page that will collect a name and email address and will then fingers crossed kick off your automated email sequence.
You guessed it you need an email sequence. This is 5-7 emails that build the relationship so that people can begin to know like and trust you (see where we are going here). A tool like Convertkit, Drip, or Activecampaign helps you create not only this sequence but the form from Step #2 and integrates all of the pieces of your sales funnel together for you.

4 - The Goal of a Sale Funnel & How it Relates to Marketing Strategy

The goal of your sales funnel is to bring attention to your brand, gather information from your potential customers, and build a relationship with them so that they will ultimately purchase your product or service.

It is the step-by-step journey that your customer takes in doing business with you. This is why it is so important to know who your customers are. Otherwise, you are shooting arrows in the dark.

5 -How to optimize your sales funnel?

Gather intel
Test and Evaluate
Segment and Target
Provide Value and Exceptional Customer Service

Conclusion and Takeaways Creating a sales funnel doesn’t have to be complicated. But, it does have to be strategic. Otherwise, you will find yourself wasting time, feeling frustrated, and not getting results.

Every step of your funnel must lead to another step otherwise there is a breakdown and your customer will get lost in the shuffle and you won’t get the sale.

Remember the ABC system from above and you won’t go wrong.

If you need help with your lead magnet, save your spot for the upcoming Create A Magnetic Lead Magnet That Works coming up soon here.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This morning I headed to the ATM to deposit some money after taking my middle twin to an orthodontist appointment. I pulled up and wouldn't you know it, I could not for the life of me remember my pin number.

I've used that number a zillion times, yet there was a giant blank space in my head for what the number should be.

Does this happen to you too? (please say yes, I don't want the only one who has a garbage disposal in my mind just munching away on pertinent information.)

The whole experience gave me empathy toward my clients. Almost everyone is UBER distracted right now.

Between the news, social media, phone distractions, and even email - everyone is struggling for focus and especially downtime.

This includes your audience. Add to that distraction, a group of potential customers who may not even be ready to solve their problem aka buy from you - it's no wonder your marketing is causing you headaches.

This week's episode shares three proven ways for you to stay top of mind with your potential customers so that when they are ready to buy - they think of you and already trust you. Making the sales process seamless and easy. Dive into this week's jam-packed episode here.

The most important part of getting traction from your marketing is having a marketing strategy. This is the exact reason I created the 5-Step Marketing Strategy Guide. Download your copy here to set up a plan for your marketing instead of wondering if something will work.

If you've been tuning into the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show for a bit, you know I'm slightly obsessed with a recent sales study I came across which revealed that only 3 percent of people are actually ready to buy when they come across a brand (like yours).

Meaning 97% of people need more interaction and knowledge before making a purchasing decision.

But most entrepreneurs give up after only 1-2 contact points (including emails). That means 97% of possible sales are being left on the table before they ever have the chance to get off the ground.

Let's stop that stat - well stat!

Let's dive into three proven ways to stay top of mind even in today's busy world:

1 - My personal favorite is email marketing.

But even with a powerful tool like email marketing, oftentimes things go askew. Here are some things to avoid like the plague.

Avoid only emailing your list when you have something to sell
Remember to pitch your offer. Sometimes people get so caught up in relationship building they never give someone a way to buy or work with them.
Show up consistently so that people remember who you are and how you can help them.
Avoid writing boring templated emails or plagiarizing someone else's writing. They aren't engaging, won't get read and it's just bad juju. For more details tune in to this week's show.

2 - Effectively use social media.

- First, and foremost - show up consistently on the right social platform. Lack of consistency will kill your vibe
- Figure out where your audience is hanging out. More details on this in the episode.
- Yes, you will have to do the work. You will have to create engaging content and no there is no magic marketing pill that will build your audience for you.
- Be sure that you are connecting the dots to move people off social media sooner than later because it's critical to move people to purchase

3 - Get in front of your people using the media

Figure out where your people go find information on solving their problem and show up there. Examples given in the episode include:

- Television Interviews
- Publication Articles
- Podcasts
- Video Shows
- Speaking at events

That's a wrap for this week. Don't forget to grab the 5-Step Marketing Strategy Guide. This guide is your ally in easily creating a plan for your marketing. Helping you avoid frustration, manic posting on social and ultimately saves you time and money on marketing that doesn't work.

Download your copy here and I just bet you will get your marketing plan set up this afternoon.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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Marketing strategy doesn't need to be complicated. But it is the one critical component to turning your new leads into customers (and repeat customers).

GRAB THE ACCOMPANYING GUIDE

To help you take action on today’s episode, download the Marketing Strategy Guide here: https://alisaconner.com/strategy-guide

This week’s 2nd Act Entrepreneurs show teaches you a simple method to create a marketing plan that works to attract new eyeballs to your business, build trust, and ultimately turn those people into customers.

Learn:

The best ways to attract your audience
The number of times potential customers need to see your brand before they notice you
How to save time when creating marketing content
The #1 way to stay top of mind so that you are remembered when people are ready to purchase
The best way to build trust and relationships with your audience
The key ingredient that many entrepreneurs forget when they are marketing their business
The #1 thing most entrepreneurs and small business owners forget to add to their marketing plan

DON’T FORGET TO GRAB THE ACCOMPANYING GUIDE

To help you take action on today’s episode, download the free Strategy Guide here: https://alisaconner.com/strategy-guide. It will help you create your plan, write it down and empower you by taking action. And, the best part is, you can use it again and again as you launch new products, services, and promotions.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Sales Strategy Guide

Top Branding Statistics

IRC Sales Solutions Sales Survey

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A 2nd Act Entrepreneur is someone who is taking a gamble on themselves. By taking their experience and expertise and turning it into a new venture. That could be a coaching or consulting business, or an online program.

But, as entrepreneurs, it can be SO easy to talk ourselves out of taking risks.

As we get older we can become complacent. There is more at stake than when we were adolescents or teens.

We have mortgages and 401Ks and college tuition to pay for.

Our parents are aging and there are emotional and time commitments required that most times we haven’t planned for.

But, entrepreneurship is anything but complacent. In fact, it is one of the biggest risks you will ever take in your life. So if you have thrown your hat into the ring, bravo - you have already broken the first barrier of complacency.

This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Show learn how to kick your complacency to the curb by activating part of your anatomy.

Yep, we are going to take a slight dive into the science behind taking risks and sticking with the norm. Listen or watch the entire episode here.

Even after you take that initial step of becoming an entrepreneur, your comfort zone can put up a giant stop sign that keeps you from chasing your dream and fulfilling your purpose.

Recently there has been a reoccurring niggle in my life around people taking ice-cold showers, diving into cold dunk tanks, and people diving into ice-cold frigid waters. I kept seeing it in the newsfeed, in articles I would stumble across, and even in a video ad.

Usually, when something comes across my line of vision more than once, I perk up and pay attention because more often than not the universe is trying to talk to get my attention.

But first, a quick anatomy lesson on the vagus nerves in case you aren’t familiar with what it is or what it does (I 100% wasn’t).

Your vagus nerves run from your brain to your large intestine and control the parasympathetic nervous system which controls your “rest and digest” functions.

When this is out of balance we feel stressed out (hello 2020), have raised blood pressure, are in a bad mood, and may have digestion problems. You get the idea.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I wondered how does one shock the vagus nerve and resets the parasympathetic nervous system?

You guessed it, cold showers. And other things like deep breathing, yoga, tuning forks (another favorite of mine) massage, gargling, singing, and a whole list of other things that you can find here.

But the one thing that rang true with most of the vagus nerve stimulation options is that they all require you to get out of your comfort zone. As we age, we get comfortable. In our own skin, in our homes (the world becomes too peoply) with our routines. But, entrepreneurship REQUIRES us to regularly leap out of our comfort zone.

Because I almost never take anything at face value, I decided to do an experiment.

The first thing to know is I LOVE hot showers. The hotter the better.

To venture outside of my comfort zone I decided to take my regular balmy shower and then turn the water to ice-cold for one minute.

You can bet that I counted down every second.

The first few times it was torturous, I’m not going to lie.

But then I got out of my head and realized, the fear wasn’t around the sensation, it was around not being comfortable.

The prefrontal cortex of our brain wants to keep us safe. It runs the fight or flight response.

Staying comfortable keeps that part of our brain happy and it will do ANYTHING to ensure our safety.

Even if it’s not in our best interest.

So when I flipped that water to ice cold my brain started to freak the “F” out. Yep, any excuse to shut off the water and get back to normal popped up. Some of the thoughts in my head bordered on ridiculous.

But I was having none of it.

After a few weeks, what were the results of this cold shower experiment? They were nothing short of remarkable considering all I did was turn the water to ice cold.

I have had more energy, more ideas, and have spent less time being stuck in my own dang head.

I’ve meditated more and done more yoga.

I’ve finally felt aligned again and am ready to move forward.

All of that from some cold water? Yes and no.

The water was the first step.

But challenging the status quo and our own inner dialogue, that’s where the real magic starts to happen. Where have you been complacent or sticking to what’s comfortable?

What do you need to do instead to reach outside of your comfort zone so that you can reach your goals?

Tell me in the comments below.

Until next week,

Be well and take care.

~ Alisa

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Setting up a sales funnel can feel intimidating. But it doesn't have to be.

On this week's show learn the 3 key components of setting up a sales funnel that works for you, and your potential customers and also helps you keep your sanity.

This week's episode was inspired by a recent conversation.

She had done all the right things.

She had multiple funnel options set up.

She had different levels where people could enter and join in, but the gaping hole I saw was that it was taking a REALLY long time for people to actually buy from her.

This can definitely hinder people from buying. Especially if they don't know what you are selling.

Discover three specific things to consider when setting up and maintaining your sales funnel and also the secret weapon question to ask to ensure you are meeting your potential customers no matter where they enter in.

Included in this episode: * How to create a flexible sales funnel * Preparing your sales funnel for your customer * Creating a customer journey map * Analyzing and tweaking your customer journey and sales funnel * Simplifying your sales funnel for your business and your potential customers

Links mentioned: The Critical Parts of A Sales Funnel Podcast Episode

Sales Funnels Equal Small Business Survival Podcast Episode

The #1 Thing Your Email Sales Funnel Is Missing Podcast Episode

Mapping Your Customer Journey Tools"

Mind Meister

Canva

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This week's episode includes a double feature live training all about using email as a powerful tool in your marketing strategy toolbelt.

If you've asked the question why should I use email when there is social media, then this episode is for you.

Here's what's inside:

💌 Who really owns your space on social media

💌 Why relying on social media to build your small business is detrimental

💌 How email marketing can help you stand out in a saturated market

💌 How to stay in front of your audience and get them to remember who you are

💌 Why ad costs are going up and what you can do to keep your ad costs lower

PLUS:

💌 The #1 reason no one is clicking on your email links.

💌 How to gain more traction with your sales funnels by increasing email clicks

💌 How to ensure your hard work at email marketing is paying off

Are you ready to supercharge your email marketing? My signature program Email Breakthrough Academy is now open for a very limited time. Grab the step-by-step system to get your emails opened, clicked on, and generate more sales without the tech overwhelm or frustration of not knowing what to say. Learn more about the program and enroll at coursebreakthroughacademy.com/eba.

Losing touch with new subscribers before they can ever become customers? Send a kick a** welcome email series. Grab this quick guide to help you blast out those emails in an afternoon. Download your free Email Guide here: alisaconner.com/emailguide

Did this episode make you think about marketing differently? If so take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories and tag me, @alisamconner

In case you haven’t heard, my new favorite online hangout is LinkedIn - connect with me here.

For all the show notes and links, head on over to alisaconner.com/134.

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When was the last time you had an ad or email sent from some random person that you had absolutely no interest in? My guess is, probably today.

This happened to me recently as I was being courted via snail mail by an organization that obviously didn't do their research.

I was actually a bit offended.

During this week's show find out who the company is and dive into 3 ways to effectively use email marketing to court your ideal customer (just like when you met your significant other).

++ Plus there is a bonus if you stay until the end.

You may be wondering if email marketing is worth all that and a bag of chips, it is. (but you already knew that.). With a 4200% return on investment, you can even buy the name-brand chips.

On this week's show discover 2 not-to-follow examples when it comes to your email marketing.

The first (mentioned above) is a well-known international brand and the second is a realtor.

I won't dive into all the things they did that you shouldn't, you can catch those and all the antics and hilarity of this week's episode here.

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44% of people give up after one contact attempt when reaching out to a lead. That's almost half of the people out there.

Nearly half of your competitors are stopping before they even get a foot in the door.

In fact, it can take up to 8 touchpoints to even get the first call with a potential customer.

That my friends is what we call GOOD news. Why?

Because this is the EXACT reason email marketing is your ally when it comes to increasing sales in your business.

It is the perfect tool to keep you top of mind with your potential customers in a value-added way.

Yet, people steer away and aim toward the more inviting options like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok.

I'm not saying social media isn't important - but what is more important is people off of platforms you don't have any control over and into something you do, like your email list.

This week's podcast episode breaks down three steps to ensure you remain top of mind with your hottest prospects, as well as though who don't even know they need you yet.

Tune in to catch the entire show and find all the show notes here.

2ndActEntrepreneur

EmailMarketingSuccess

OnlineMarketing

EmailMarketingTips

SalesFunnelSuccess

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16% of emails sent automatically end up in the SPAM filter. Writing an email takes time. Sometimes time that you don't necessarily have.

If your emails are ending up in the SPAM filter you have wasted your time.

The last thing you want is to spend time on something that isn't going to increase sales or grow your business.

This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur Podcast we are finishing up our two-part series as we dive into the techie components that could be responsible for sending your emails to SPAM.

Hold up! I hear you saying "Tech + me = No good"! Don't panic. Take a deep breath and say it with me "I can do it!"

This week's episode breaks down the tech in layman's terms so that you can be sure that more eyeballs are seeing your emails.

Tune into and listen to or watch the entire episode to get the 3 important tech steps you need to take to ensure you are avoiding the SPAM filter at the get-go.

Be sure to stay tuned until the end because I have a bonus for you that you can only get if you tune in here.

Let's dive in.

Be sure you are sending emails from a hosted domain. A hosted domain is simply a web address that you own so for example www.yourbusiness.com. (You would put your business name in for your business). Your email would look like sally@yourbusiness.com.

Why do you need to send emails from a business domain? Unfortunately, marketers have ruined marketing (yep that just came out of my mouth). Not all marketers, but the spammy kind.

Because the spammers spend their hours creating useless email addresses just to send out spam, the spam gods have become wise and they target emails (specifically business emails) that aren't coming from a hosted domain.

So if you are using Gmail, Yahoo, or any other free email service to send emails for your business - the likelihood that they will go to the spam, junk, or trash folder significantly increases.

I recommend using Google workspace to get a hosted domain if you are familiar with or like Gmail.

The second part of this tech checklist is to be sure to use a real name for whom the emails are being sent.

Don't use something clever and don't use your business name. Research has shown that those will trigger the SPAM filter more often.

Follow GDPR and CAN-Spam Act Guidelines.

That was a lot of acronyms. Both of those laws simple mean three things,

People must explicitly agree to join your email list to be in alignment with privacy laws.
Don't add people to your list without their permission (this includes buying email lists).
Don't email people who have not signed up for your email list. (in other words, don't be a douche bag)

Both GDPR and CAN Spam Act Guidelines require that your subscriber agree to be on your list for you to collect their private information (including their email address). This is accomplished with a double-opt-in email or checkbox on your form. If they agree, then go to town emailing them.

Listen to this episode to learn more about GDPR.

Last but not least, if someone unsubscribed, wish them well and move on. DO NOT continue to email the. It is in violation of privacy laws and it's simply not worth putting your email reputation at risk.

Clean your email list regularly.

Taking people off your list through cleaning may seem counterintuitive because you're trying to grow your list. But, if you continue to send to people. who don't open your emails or read them, it hurts your email reputation. Meaning, the people who DO want to get your emails won't get them.

Also when people receive your emails but don't open or click on them it lowers your overall click-through and open rates which can also damage your overall email reputation.

I recommend choosing a regular schedule to clean up your email list and make room for new subscribers. Either a 30, 60, or 90-day schedule depending on the health and size of your email list.

The added benefit, you also don't have to pay for subscribers that aren't interested in hearing from you.

List cleaning is covered step by step in the Email Breakthrough Academy program. Want to be the first to know when it opens. Join the waitlist here.

Check out this week's episode to get the bonus tips and also the details for all of the key tactics above.

See you next week!

~Alisa

Links Discussed in this episode: GDPR Podcast Episode

CAN Spam Act

Email Breakthrough Academy Waitlist

Google Workspace

Omnisend

Email Subject Line Grader

Coschedule

Mail-tester

IsNotSpam.com

Unspam.email

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If your emails are landing in the SPAM folder (like 16% of emails do) Houston, you've got a problem.

Because, if your emails are in SPAM your future customers aren't going to go hunting for them.

But did you know that your headlines could be a major culprit to why they are ending up there in the first place?

This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur show we are talking SPAM (and not the kind that comes in a can) but the kind that can ruin your email marketing before you even have a chance to get started.

1 - Avoid using SPAM trigger words.

Say what? There are actually words that trigger the SPAM filter? Yep and because some of them are slippery like ice in a windstorm, I've put together an alphabetical resource that you can grab for free at alisaconner.com/350words. Google is the absolute worst when it comes to sending stuff to SPAM, so avoiding the words on this list will help you a WHOLE lot.

2 - Train your subscribers.

During this week's show, I share some specific pointers on training your subscribers the minute after they have completed your opt-in form. Major hint --->>> it's your thank you page. There are some specific things you can add to your thank you page to build trust and communicate with your new email besties. You may be saying, I don't have a thank you page Alisa, now what? No worries, I've got you covered. Tune into this week's show for the scoop on how to make this happen.

3 - Deliver REALLY good content.

You may have noticed that there are a lot more people on the interwebs these days. Some are even creating content. But most are creating crappy content. Just to put it out there. Unfortunately, this still crowds up the internet and can make it harder to stand out. But, when you create REALLY good content, just like a banana split, people can't wait to devour it. In fact, they are actually looking for your latest post. In the episode, I give you a few examples of what not to do. I also share quite a few examples over on LinkedIn. If we haven't connected there, send me a note with your connection request. You can find me here.

There's a bonus tip you can only grab if you tune into the episode. Give it a listen here or watch the video here.

To power up your SPAM superpowers dive into this week's entire episode. Catch all the show notes and links at alisaconner.com/130

Wondering which words to avoid in your email headlines?

Staying out of the SPAM folder can be a slippery slope!

This is the exact reason I created the 350 SPAM words to avoid cheatsheet.

This free resource gives you a scalable list of words to avoid like Sun-In on a Brunette (read orange hair-blech!)

Download your free copy of the SPAM Word Guide here: alisaconner.com/350 words.

See you next week!

~Alisa

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This week on the 2nd Act Entrepreneur show we are talking about marketing and football (sort of) and welcoming a 2nd Act Entrepreneur to the club.

Tom Brady has had one hell of a career in professional football. Earning him the title of GOAT (Greatest of All-Time).

But, something not as widely heralded is the phenomenal job of harnessing his media attention and pointing it toward his second-act endeavors.

Hearts broke as Brady announced his retirement, but even that announcement are marketing lessons we can harness.

Tune into this week's episode as we dive into three simple but effective marketing strategies you can steal straight from the GOAT's marketing playbook. Earning you BIG time results in your business quickly. Like Super Bowl big!

Be prepared.

The boy scouts were onto something here. If you don't have a plan, it's hard to get results. But well-planned out marketing can be seen for miles. In fact, most large companies have their marketing plans years in advance. Having a plan that's even quarterly will put you miles ahead of most of our competition (including other marketers). According to Search Engine Journal, half of small businesses don't have a marketing plan. Success takes preparation. Tom utilized every press opportunity in recent days to talk about his future plans that include his TB12 brand and all the facets that are part of that company. Smart marketing.

Speaking of smart marketing, one of the best ways to move new leads toward purchasing is with your welcome series. Have you grabbed my new guide, Welcome Emails That Work? Download your free copy here and learn the 5 proven emails to send that nurture new leads, create conversations and build your brand's trust factor.

Build anticipation.

Even in retirement, the press couldn't stop flapping their gums about Tom and his plans. Tune into this week's show to learn the #1 thing you can do to build anticipation and also learn how the GOAT used even his retirement as an opportunity to keep the attention on him, his future plans, and his multiple businesses.

Share the win.

Building authority is one of the top ways to overcome buyers' objections. After nearly every Super Bowl win, you could hear Tom boast about the team effort it took to get to and win the championship. He never took full credit, he gave credit where credit was due. By taking the focus off of your solution and instead focusing on the results you've gotten for clients, you open the door for future customers to have their doubts and concerns silenced. Testimonials, reviews, and case studies are great ways to share the win with your current and future customers.

I don't think we've seen the last of Tom Brady - especially when it comes to business. Are you looking forward to watching what he does next? Staying consistent is a game-changer for increasing sales. A great way to stay consistent is writing a killer welcome email series.

Get all the notes and links for this episode at alisaconner.com/129.

Get a jump start on your email welcome series with the Welcome Emails That Work Guide and write 5-7 emails that entice your new subscribers to learn more.

Download your free copy here.

Until next week, be well and take care!

~Alisa

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Reviewing websites is sort of a hobby of mine. I know, random hobby. But when you're in marketing you are curious about what people are doing, especially if they are entrepreneurs.

I remember back in the day creating my first website, it took days - weeks maybe even months. I can't quite remember - but what I do remember after crawling up from sleeping under my desk, is that my business felt official in some way.

Websites have come a long way since then, but one thing remains true. Your website is your marketing hub.

As well as your opportunity to open up a sales loop with potential customers.

But so many people are doing it WRONG!

85% or more of websites that I review have a form somewhere (usually hidden toward the bottom) that says "Join My Newsletter".

HARD TRUTH --->>>NOBODY WANTS YOUR NEWSLETTER!

Yes, I typed that in all caps, because it makes me want to scream every time I see that form.

Consumers are smart and are getting smarter by the day.

The last study I read stated the average person has around 192 emails in their inbox every day.

That means you are competing with at least that many emails, maybe more with your newsletter.

This weeks episode dives into the 3 big reasons newsletters are hitting the SPAM and trash can and what to do instead

Listen to the entire episode for all the details. Or watch the video here.

Why don't newsletters typically work? People are busy. They don't have time to peruse a lengthy email newsletter. They value their time and are going to spend it consuming information that entertains, educates, or inspires them. Most newsletters don't fit the bill.

What is the issue with newsletters? Most newsletters go out once a month. This means that most business owners take that time to throw out everything that is happening or has happened in their business in that one shot. Typically they focus on you, your services, your latest news, etc.

You might want to take a seat for this . . . people don't care.

Do you know what they care about? Solving the issues that are keeping them up at might. If you aren't addressing that in your newsletter in a timely manner, they aren't tuning in. Lastly, most newsletters are lengthy and contain way too much information. Most people tune out after the first two sentences and then the author wonders why no one showed up to their event or bought from their promotion. They never got that far, and you gave them too many things to contemplate - so they just tuned out.

What can you do instead?

1 - Create a unique piece of content that gets them thinking.

This piece of content solves a piece of their problem. Piques their interest and entices them to want more. Set this up as a lead magnet on your website.

2 - Segment your email list by interest area and then deliver unique content based on their interests.

For example, if you own a craft store like my client Liz, you would segment your email list by categories like knitting, quilting, cardmaking, scrapbooking, etc. So when you are having a sale on fabric, you could send that information to your quilting tags. If you're a coach you could segment by areas of leadership, mindset, business foundation, etc. The power of segmenting is you look like a mind reader to your email subscribers and you can also test whether or not the content you are creating is resonating with the intended audience.

3 - Follow up with your subscribers.

That sounds like a no-brainer doesn't it? But in a sales study by IRC Sales Solutions, most people only make 1 contact with a prospect. Yet we know that it takes upward of 8-15 touchpoints for people to buy. Most people will only send 1-3 emails as well.

The study also said only 2% of people are actually ready to purchase, 58% are not ready to buy at all, and 40% are ready to start the buying process. By making email your ally - you have the opportunity to nurture 98% of all new leads. Staying top of mind and becoming the person they remember when they are ready to purchase.

If you want some more details and specifics, tune into the entire episode here or watch the video show here.

Your email nurture sequence is one of the BEST introductions to your business, yet most people don't set up an email sequence to welcome new subscribers. I meet so many Entrepreneurs who struggle with what to say, staring for hours at a blank screen, and then, they just give up. Or they have created a sequence but nobody is reading it, people are falling off after the first few emails and NOBODY is buying. (THE worst!)

I feel your frustration which is why I created my brand new guide:

Writing An Email Welcome Series That Works

This resource gives you the copywriting method beyond writing an email sequence that works. The same system I've used for years to help clients get more eyeballs on their emails and more sales of their services. Best of all it's yours free. And, it's a great way to implement right away some of the things discussed in this week's episode. Grab your copy here.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This week's show dives into how to create meaningful conversations with your online marketing. Conversation is an art, but it is also a spiritual connection with your audience.

One of the biggest problems entrepreneurs face with their online marketing is grabbing attention and getting their audience to come back again and again when they release new content or begin promoting their products and services.

But more often than not, online marketing talks at the audience instead of talking to them.

No one likes being talked at - they do however love to talk about themselves and share their problems.

Don't believe me, just spend 5 minutes on Facebook. 😂😂😂

But, there is a solution, and creating conversation is more than an art form in 2021, it is a spiritual connection and journey with your audience.

Discover six different ways to start a conversation with your audience so that they stick around and can't wait to talk with you again soon.

Sort of like that NO MISS coffee date you schedule with your best friend.

Tune into this week's show to learn the six ways you can increase conversation in your online marketing.

Speaking of conversation, email conversations are one of the BEST ways to get your audience to engage with you. Even better, it has the best return on investment for both your budget and your time.

But, I know often times email hits the back burner because other things take priority. This is why I'm running a brand new email challenge in early 2022. To help you get some emails in the queue that will welcome your new subscribers and start building that relationship.

Join the waitlist now to be the first to know when the challenge is happening. You can join the waitlist here: https://alisaconner.com/emailchallengewaitlist

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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This week we wrap up our 2 part series on reigniting your business mojo and planning for success in 2021. If you missed the guide for this series, download it here: https://alisaconner.com/2022.

Last week you learned 3+ ways to jump-start your business mojo after a few tumultuous years. This week take that newfound energy and plug it into a plan for 2022. You got this! :D

In this week's episode we cover 4 steps to planning success in the coming year, and what you learn might surprise you.

But the 4 simple steps you learn in this week's episode will set you up to have your best year ever.

It will give you the opportunity to tune into your internal success meter. Because success is literally an inside job.

If you don't have your head, heart, and gut aligned - you will constantly struggle (take it from someone who has and is learning this the hard way!) Yes - you are not alone in this journey.

Listen to this week's show to learn the 4 steps you can take now to prep your badass self for the BEST year in your business and your life. Because while everyone else is trying to figure out what the heck they are doing in January, you will be kicking butt and taking names.

To make it easy for you to take action, download the free guide that accompanies this and the previous episode because I can cheer for you all day long every day, but I can't do the work for you. You can get your copy here: https://alisaconner.com/2022.

Until next week,

Be well, take care and stay safe! ~Alisa

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2021 has been another year for the record books. If you're like most of the world, you probably convinced yourself at the end of 2020 that 2021 would get us back to "normal" (whatever that is anymore).

Alas, 2021 has been another year of ups, downs, and turbulence that would give even the bumpiest airline flight a run for their money.

Shifts in the economy, in politics, in the job market with COVID - nothing seems certain anymore.

Alas, all of that uncertainty can lead to stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion. When entrepreneurs are exhausted, their mojo is in serious jeopardy of crashing.

I've been struggling with my mojo for the past few months, and in this week's episode, I share three things that have helped get things back on track.

There is a bonus, so be sure to stay tuned until the end because it's a MUST hear suggestion that will surely impact how you show up in your business in 2022.

Grab the guide that accompanies this episode and the one releasing next week. It will provide you space to reconnect with your mojo as well as lay out a success plan for 2022. You can download your free copy at alisaconner.com/2022

I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

So kick back, relax and tune into this week's show so you can reignite your mojo and set yourself up for a GREAT 2022.

Until next week,

Be well, stay safe and take care.

~Alisa

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This week's episode gives you the latest stats on email marketing open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and more.

With all of the changes to online business in the last year, email marketing is STILL the best return on investment for your marketing dollars. For every $1 you spend on average you get a return of $42.

This week's episode also shares 3 big reasons emails are being ignored and why it's only getting more and more competitive in the inbox. But don't worry, you won't be left hanging, you will also learn how to be seen in the inbox, stand out from the vast number of other emails received, and most importantly how to turn those hot email leads into sales.

Jump into this week's episode to learn how to power up your email marketing so that you can start getting more sales with an audience who already wants to know more from you. Email is powerful - put it to work in your business today.

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The state of marketing has been forever altered.

Yes! That's a bold statement, but the state of our world has also been forever altered.

This is one of the reasons it is getting so darn hard to get people's attention.

In this week's podcast and video gain an understanding of why COVID is having a ripple effect on things like attention span, anxiety, overwhelm, and tangible things like the cost of advertising.

Also, learn three ways to circumvent the mainstream crowd so that your message gains traction, you get noticed and you pull the right people (read potential buyers) into your sales funnel.

Listen to the entire episode for all the details. Or watch the video here.

Looking for a way to stay in front of your audience on your terms? Join me for my upcoming training Own Your Audience and learn the 5 step system that keeps you in front of your audience, creates conversation, and gets people purchasing your stuff at 4 times the rate of any other marketing tactic. Register for this free training here.

Until next week, be well, stay safe and take care!

~Alisa

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Unless you live under a rock, you are probably well aware that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp all shut down a few weeks ago. And, the saga continues with Facebook sitting in some pretty hot water for some of their business practices. But, you may be wondering - eek what would happen if social media shut down for more than a few hours. Then what?

One of the most often questions Second Act Entrepreneurs ask is “what should I be posting on social media?”

In this week’s episode discover that answer and more.

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while - the best answer to a question usually comes in the form of another question. In this case, I would typically ask “where do you want people to go next after they’ve interacted with you on social media?” Most of the time that question leads to a lot of hemming and hawing and a deer in the headlights look.

But, you don’t know what you don’t know - here are the facts.

Social media is a business. Owned by business owners who only want one thing - to make money.

They don’t really care if you’ve built a channel of a bazillion youtube subscribers - what they care about is how that makes them money. So they change the rules to ensure that they are making as much as possible at all times. Because, I repeat, they own a business.

It’s very similar to people who start blogs and deliver free information again and again and again and then realize one day, “hey this is a lot of work and I’m not getting paid for it.” Ultimately, they either give up or figure out a way to make money. You can only leave the open sign of a store open for so long without charging before you have nothing left to sell.

As social media aligns its priorities with profitability you will see ad prices increase, rules change, and monetization policies shift. All in the name of what you and I would do similarly in our businesses. You aren’t going to run a business on popularity - or if you do - you won’t be in business long.

Here are two tried and true rules to follow to ensure that you have profitability at the center of your business:

Don’t build your business on social media. Move people offline and onto your email list as soon as possible. Especially with all of the privacy rule changes that are happening, this puts the ball in your court to find out what more about your audience, stay in front of them in their inbox and move forward with solving their problems with your stuff sooner.
Don’t put your financial fate in the hands of other people. I was checking out different YouTube channels the other day, and so many of these channels don’t have a way to move subscribers to an offline platform. Many of them are running their entire business from that platform. What happens when YouTube starts charging you to use their platform? What happens if YouTube goes down permanently? What happens to your business when they change the rules to benefit them without any concern about your channel or your business?

Instead, wouldn’t it be better to focus your energy and intention on moving your audience in a new direction and off the platform, so you aren’t surprised by businesses making business decisions?

One of the best ways to do that and to take control of your audience is through email marketing. Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in front of and sell to your audience. But so many people struggle with how. This is why I’ve created my upcoming free training Own Your Audience - so you know exactly what to do to harness your audience through the power email. Enabling you to stay in front of your ideal people, create conversations, and swiftly turn more subscribers into sales.

Registration for this free event is open now. Visit alisaconner.com/ownyouraudience and join me as I share my proven step-by-step system to take control of your marketing, time, and energy and forget what Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, or Instagram are doing today, tomorrow, or next week.

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The marketing gurus would love to have you believe that you just snap this, post that and people will come running to buy your stuff - but the reality (if it hasn’t soaked in yet) is that it takes work, strategy, and consistency to get people to the finish line of pressing “pay now”.

In this week’s episode, learn the three-step system to simplify your marketing creation process that will ultimately save your sanity so that you can move people more quickly toward buying while you take your time back.

Start at the end of your sales funnel. This may sound counterintuitive, most 2nd Act entrepreneurs are smart, driven, and able to create content in their sleep.

But just creating content without intention will quickly lead you to burnout. Worse, all that effort rarely leads to results.

However, if you start with the end first, you naturally will lead people down a specific path to purchasing.

Just a quick reminder to at the end of the episode I’ve included a bonus tip. You won’t want to miss this game-changing tip, so be sure to catch it in this week’s podcast or video.

Plan your content and topics quarterly. Choose 4 topics related to your business and write them down. These become your quarterly topics and the time frame in which you will talk about each. One per quarter. Once you have your topic areas you can outline the 12 pieces of content you will create for each quarter. Keep in mind that each quarter relates back to step #1 (your sales funnel).
Repurpose your content after you create it. This is the sneaky trick that all of the “big wig” marketers use to stay in front of your eyeballs all the time. You start to feel like you are seeing them everywhere. Because you are. You or someone on your team can then take the content you created for your blog, videos, podcast, etc., and turn them into social media posts, downloadable content, paid ads, emails, etc. Creating more time for you to focus on your business - and not worrying about your marketing.

It’s time for this week’s bonus tip. Tune in to the entire episode to get this DON’T want to miss tip.

Now you’re ready to batch your content and take your time back. But, there is still one little piece that many 2nd Act Entrepreneurs leave to chance. That’s assuming that their audience will follow them from social media, or even their blog to their checkout page.

Instead of leaving your sales to chance, wouldn’t it be easier to have your audience watching out for you?

Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in front of and sell to your audience. But so many people struggle with how. This is why I’ve created my upcoming free training Own Your Audience - so you know exactly what to do to harness your audience through the power email. Enabling you to stay in front of your ideal people, create conversations, and swiftly turn more subscribers into sales.

Coming up November 17th, registration for this free event is open now. Register here to learn the step-by-step system to take control of your marketing, time, and energy and forget what Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, or Instagram are doing today, tomorrow, or next week.

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One of the biggest struggles I hear from new entrepreneurs is why isn’t anyone paying attention to my social posts? How do I get people to buy from Facebook?

The reality is - you don’t. Facebook and the lot are in business to make money. Which means they make and change the rules on a dime. The recent Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp outage only proves my point. You have no control over what happens on social media.

The gurus will all tell you to build your email list - and I 100% agree.

But what they don’t tell you is building your email list is only one piece of the conversion funnel that gets people to buy.

Once you have that email list built, you’ve got to get people reading your emails and moving forward to buy - otherwise, all your hard work is in vain.

In this week’s episode, learn the top 5 reasons people aren’t opening your emails and discover the #1 thing you can do to get more people buying your stuff.

So, why aren’t people opening your emails?

A business model change has occurred. Either theirs or yours. We live in one of the fastest-moving societies in history. Business is constantly evolving. Most entrepreneurs are finding that narrowing down their expertise and audience is critical to expediting success. With this evolution comes a narrowing of the information we take in.
People on your list no longer need what you got. We all know that 2020 caused a massive disruption in the way the world works. More people are moving online, people are changing jobs at a record pace and they just may not need what you’re selling and have forgotten to unsubscribe.
This is a biggie - you haven’t been consistently emailing and they don’t know who you are. How many times have you signed up for an email list only to have the person on the other end drop off the face of the earth for 6 months or more? Then they show up one day and you don’t remember who they are or what they do? Consistency in your email is the best way to keep people up to date on changes and shifts in your products, services, or business.
The people on your list have already bought what you are selling. Now before you freak out - you’re not for everyone and that’s ok. Sometimes, people need to try out different options before making a decision. They found the right fit for where they were, and if one of the above is true - they weren’t meant for you.
This leads to the last key reason people aren’t opening your emails, they are just not a good fit for you. This could be a variety of reasons including they aren’t ready for you or your service yet, you have a mismatch in energy and just don’t jive on the same level, or any of the reasons listed above.

The #1 thing that will help you keep your sanity is to not take it personally.

Years ago I heard the Q-Tip analogy. Quit Taking It Personally. People make buying decisions based on many factors - we can’t get inside people’s heads - so all you can do is show up and be the best version of yourself to serve those who do need you. The rest, let it go, and Q-Tip it.

So, what is the #1 way to increase your email conversion rates?

Clean your email list, regularly. Inside my signature program that is opening up in November, I have a step-by-step breakup process that makes this step much easier. Including templates. Because sometimes breaking up is LITERALLY hard to do. You don’t know what to say, how to say C-Ya, or let those people go. You worked hard to get them on your list after all. But if they aren’t reading, opening, or buying from your email - it’s time to let them go.

Why does cleaning your email list increase your conversions?

You’re not sending out to a bunch of people who aren’t opening your emails or that are sending them to spam. This will automatically lower your conversion rates. If people aren’t even opening your emails - you’re going to have a REALLY hard time selling to them via email. So boot them off, they can resubscribe when they are interested again.
Cleaning your email list also improves your spam rating. When your emails end up inadvertently in the SPAM or Promotions tab - people may miss them. This can affect your future email sends and it’s also harder to retrain people to find your emails if they are not in their inbox.
You are only sending to people who REALLY want to hear from you and naturally, this increases engagement. They are more likely to open and click on the links in your emails as well as buy when you send a sales email.

There you have it, the top 5 reasons people aren’t opening your emails and the #1 way to increase your conversion.

Tune into the entire podcast or video to hear extra stories, examples, and more.

As you may know, email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in front of and sell to your audience. But so many people struggle with how. This is why I’ve created my upcoming free training Own Your Audience - so you know exactly what to do to harness your audience through the power email. Enabling you to stay in front of your ideal people, create conversations, and swiftly turn more subscribers into sales.

Coming up November 17th, registration for this free event is open now. Visit alisaconner.com/ownyouraudience and join me as I share my proven step-by-step system to take control of your marketing, time, and energy and forget what Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, or Instagram are doing today, tomorrow, or next week.

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Standing out in today's marketplace doesn't have to be as difficult as you might be imagining. There is one little tweak you can make to your marketing efforts that will immediately separate you from all the other coaches and consultants out there. You can get the entire scoop by tuning into this week's podcast episode or video.

Why do online entrepreneurs seem to lose all their social skills as soon as they hop online? Because they have been misinformed, or simply just don't know any better. But the #1 way to increase your leads and ultimately your sales is to start talking to people, not at people.

During this week's show, I share the three ways that you can add conversations to your marketing efforts. These may seem simple, but I challenge you to look at your most recent marketing efforts to see how many you have implemented. Even better, try on on the list below and share your results with me over on LinkedIn. Send me a DM, I love to make new friends.

Meanwhile, let's dive into those three tips:

Ask open-ended questions. Most people naturally ask yes or no or one answer questions. If you practice asking open-ended questions instead, you will find people respond naturally with more words. The more words, the more the algorithm takes notice - the more likely you will show up in more people's newsfeeds. I share two specific examples during the podcast episode and video. Tune in to hear some client success stories using this method.
Listen, listen, listen and then talk. Listening is hard. No one tells you it's hard, but let's be real - you are busy, distracted, and most likely interrupted regularly. So is your customer! But when you actively listen to others, you will hear exactly what they are saying and then you have the opportunity to deliver the answer they are hoping and praying for. When you do this, you then become the go-to person for future issues and solutions.
Consistency, consistency, consistency. Yes, you've heard it before. Are we always perfect at being consistent? No. But does it matter if we are? YES! Tune into this week's episode or video to learn the most important reasons showing up consistently - especially now is critical to online success.

Want a bonus tip? Catch the whole episode including the bonus by listening here or watching here.

If you enjoy the episode, please share it with a friend - it's you and your support that help spread the word.

Until next week, be well and take care!

~Alisa

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One of the biggest struggles I see Second Act Entrepreneurs make is to try and sell to everyone. It is a battle that is hard fought to narrow your niche, but it is also the fastest way to the promise land and selling your services. This week's episode unpacks the three reasons why. Listen to the entire episode.

Why do Second Act Entrepreneurs struggle with narrowing down their audience?

There are two main reasons people don't narrow their niche:

They want to serve everyone. Their product/service works for everyone. It makes sense to market to everyone if you aren't familiar with the current marketing landscape. But, between the influx of businesses hopping online in 2020 and the number of people ignoring marketing because they are frankly "over it" - marketing must resonate with people at a deeper level if it's going to grab their attention.
They are afraid to narrow down their audience. It can be scary to narrow down to a specific person and create marketing that speaks to that person. But the more poignant the message, the more likely you are going to grab attention.

In the episode I talk about the big "a-ha" that I realized recently when trying to convince a client to narrow their marketing. We have to spread our marketing message wide, but ensure that our messaging is very very narrowly speaking to a specific market.

There are three key reasons why specific messaging increases sales quicker.

Narrowing your message affords you the opportunity to create conversations. There is a misnomer out there that you need millions of followers to make a lot of money. The reality is - online businesses are still successful because conversations are happening between two people. Relationships are built, trust is earned. People crave connection, more now than ever and by creating an environment that nurtures connection, you are building both trust and conversation.
Narrow messaging helps people self-identify when you are speaking to them. Automatically causing them to stop the scroll, listen a little more intently and want to know more and most importantly helping you to stand out from all the other "noise" on the internet. When you can get people to stop and pay attention, but you have the opportunity to continue the conversation - if they scroll on by, there goes your chance.
When your people self-identify with what you are saying, you are building an emotional connection. You become relatable, trustworthy and it becomes easier to move them toward purchasing and working with you. 95% of buying decision are based on emotion. When you can connect with someone on an emotional level, it increases the speed of getting to "yes".

Want a few more examples or ready to dig a little deeper? Watch listen to the entire episode.

If you enjoy the episode, please share it with a friend - it's you and your support that help spread the word.

Until next week, be well and take care!

~Alisa

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I had a client ask me the other day, should I just go ahead and add all of my previous clients to my email list?

This is a question that comes up more often than not because they are customers after all - I'm sure they want to be on the list.

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One of the #1 mistakes 2nd Act Entrepreneurs make is to make assumptions with their marketing and their product offers. Making assumptions cost you time and money and ultimately sales.

If you have had a successful career but want to increase your impact, revenue and leave a legacy using your education and expertise with an online program - you are a 2nd Act Entrepreneur. I partner with 2nd Act Entrepreneurs to create strategic marketing that builds relationships and sells their programs and turns them into Thriving Digital Impactors.

On today's show, I share the biggest mistakes I see business owners make when trying to create and market their services.

You know what they say if you ASSUME you make an A** out of U and ME. Nothing could be more true than when you are promoting a program that has no input from the people you want to serve.

When assumptions are made in marketing it costs more time and money because:

People don't know they need what you are selling.
People don't want what you are selling.
People feel rushed into your sales funnel before they are ready and it just feels wrong (and a little bit sleazy).

Instead before creating a program offer or your marketing ask yourself some specific questions:

Question #1:

When was the last time someone asked you for ________________ (insert the product you want to create)

If the answer is all the time, recently, or anything in that area then dig a little deeper because you're likely onto something.

If the answer is deer in the headlights or "uh no" then dig deeper - because you're likely about to spend a whole lot of time, energy, and money creating something that nobody wants or understands. Instead, ask people what they want instead of what you think (read know) they need. People buy what they want, not what they need. Sell them what they want, serve them what they need.

Questions #2:

Many 2nd Act Entrepreneurs make the assumptions that people know that they have a problem and that they know how to solve it.

-If they knew how to solve the problem, wouldn't they have already solved it?

-If they have a pressing awareness of the problem, wouldn't they be taking action to find a solution?

Chances are very high that they either don't know where to start or they are embarrassed to ask someone for help. If you present them a confusing solution to their problem or something so high level they feel dumb - they not only won't buy they will likely tune you out forever because they will be searching for someone else to solve the problem.

This isn't because they aren't smart. It's because they are busy, they are distracted and they just want an easy-to-understand solution that will make their current pain stop. If you give them a clear, easy solution - they will buy.

The last assumption 2nd Act Entrepreneurs often make regarding their business is assuming their customers mirror their money beliefs. This week's episode dives into the dangers and frustrations that money blocks can have on your business. Tune in to hear all the details as well as examples, stories, and antics for the other questions discussed in this episode.

Enjoy this episode? Share it with a friend and leave us a 5 star review on your favorite streaming platform.

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Entrepreneurs especially in light of COVID are plain out exhausted. It's easy to give your all to your:

Clients
Family
Friends
Team
Students

You name it, but at the end of the day if you are feeling bone-tired - you my friend are headed toward exhaustion and ultimately burnout.

In this week's episode learn my personal journey with entrepreneurship and exhaustion and what I did to turn it around.

Discover 5 tips that will empower you to take back your energy, time, and reign in your business so that you can build your business around your life instead of the other way around.

Listen to the entire episode here.

COVID has and is still wreaking havoc on all of us.

But as an entrepreneur, it may be affecting you even more than you realize.

You are likely accustomed to working from home - as I am. But the added stress of having everyone there, feeling like you can't ever get away and just plan or think or even trying to find 2 minutes of quiet to focus is enough to make even the calmest person twitch.

I found myself in this VERY situation - which is why in this episode I bring light to the warning signs so you can check your mental health as well.

Learn the top 5 ways to solve the exhaustion dilemma and give yourself permission to take care of yourself. Self-care is NOT an indulgence or luxury, it's a necessity.

You don't have to pick up and just keep going.

Listen to the entire episode here and give yourself permission to create a business around your life and not the other way around.

Need a little more entrepreneur love? Head on over to the Small Business Builders Facebook group - and introduce yourself.

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You've spent time creating a fabulous lead magnet and yet . . . No one is joining your email list.

Alas, you are not alone in the battle to win new subscribers.

We are in a VERY competitive landscape since COVID, especially in online business. With every corner you turn, someone is hanging up their "I'm in business" sign. Meaning you've got to put on your game face and stand out among the masses if you're going to win the favor of the email exchange.

Tune into this week's episode to learn the five reasons most course creators, consultants and coaches struggle to grow their email lists. Hint, hint - it's probably your lead magnet.

Learn the top mistake that most business owners make when creating their lead magnet and what will entice people like hot fudge on ice cream to grab yours.

You will also hear some tips on how to fix the hiccups in your lead generation funnel and start attracting new leads that you can turn into customers.

Stay tuned until the end!

There are not one, but TWO bonuses for you this week to whip your lead magnet into a powerful marketing tool.

One of the biggest struggles second-season entrepreneurs have is developing an overall strategy.

When you are in your business, it's hard to take a birds-eye view and see where you are aiming and if your tactics are getting you closer.

This is why I've created a brand new 5 Step Marketing Strategy Guide and am planning live pieces of training in September to help you kick start your strategy.

Join me in September for the live training that accompanies the guide. In the meantime grab your free copy here: https://alisaconner.com/strategy.

Listen to the entire episode and dive into the BEST lead magnet strategies that get you results quicker and faster.

Are you wanting some feedback on your free download? Head on over to the Small Business Builders Facebook group - and ask for some support.

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What in the world? Golf and entrepreneurship? That seems to have come out of left field.

Recently I took up golf and I know little to nothing (after my 4 games of golf this summer about technique, swings, or even putting). But the similarities between running a business and taking on a new hobby were apparent after the first drive in the golf cart.

In today's episode, come on a journey with me as I compare my new golf hobby and lessons in entrepreneurship.

Discover the 5 different lessons that can be applied to not only your golf game but your business, and any other new venture you begin.

When was the last time you picked up something completely new and looked at it through the eyes of a beginner?

You won't want to miss this week's podcast episode and it would be worth it to pull out a pen and paper to take some notes to see which of the five lessons you could apply to build better relationships and conversations with your current and future customers.

See you inside.

-Alisa

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Help! I can’t get any traction! You may have noticed that the online marketplace is a bit more saturated now that people have been trapped at home for a year because of COVID. There are more businesses, course creators, and entrepreneurs hitting the online space than ever. Alas, that doesn’t have to be an issue for your small business.

Because you have the insider secret. In this week’s episode of ACC-TV, I teach you the 3 ways to create a personalized experience for your customers and future customers with your marketing.

Personalizing your marketing may seem overwhelming and almost impossible. But one of the easiest ways to get in front of your audience and deliver them exactly what they want is through email marketing.

When you understand your ideal clients, know what they need and then deliver it to their inbox – they are more likely to read your email and talk about it with others.

I talk a little about segmenting and tagging your list so that know how to put the right content in front of the right people. I also share several real-life examples so you can see how it would work for your business.

The quickest way to stand out is to do things other people aren’t doing. How can you get in front of our audience in a new and unique way?

I also share in the episode my upcoming LIVE training The Email Uprising. Registration is open sign up to learn:

The best expert headline hacks that get your emails open
The 4-step NO LOSE email formula that gets your emails read to the end
The 1 thing you can do that will catapult you beyond your competition
Choosing what to write in your weekly emails
The power of customizing your emails to earn your subscribers respect sooner than later

Go ahead and get registered here.

This week’s episode wouldn’t be complete without a bonus, you can find this week’s here.

I want to hear from you! What is your biggest frustration with standing out online? Join me over in the Small Business Builders Facebook group and let’s talk it out.

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We Can All Agree 2020 Has Been A Doozy But, there are some positive things that came out of this year. In this week's Feed U Podcast Episode I give you the 5 lessons I learned in 2020 in hopes that they will inspire you to reflect on what you learned this year.

I encourage you to tune in and listen to the entire episode here so you can end this year with a focus on what was positive about 2020 and what you want to leave behind as you move into 2021.

Things will never go back to "normal" and in Episode 111 I share with you how you can adapt your business to meet the new landscape that lies before us.

I give you my opinion on how things will play out, things that are irrevocably changed, and how you can adapt to fill the need in this new version of business going forward. Dive into the entire episode here.

We have to accept a new "normal" after 2020 Just like 9-11 the world (not just the United States) has irrevocably changed.

Things that we took for granted, concerts, eating out, shopping, and many other previous "luxuries" will never exist the way they did before COVID-19. Restaurants have gone under. Shopping has been done largely online this year. The post office reported processing over 300 million more packages this year than last. People have now normalized things like food delivery, online shopping, and virtual doctor visits. The early adopters were already taking advantage of these options - 2020 just added gasoline to the already ignited flame. For more on this tune into the entire episode.

The reality is the same - either adapt or die. Unfortunately, this will be the case for many of the small businesses we know and love. But let it be a lesson for you and your business to keep your eye on the horizon for market changes and adapt sooner than later.

The world is craving connection. Online connection via bantering and arguing opinions through the comments has become exhaustive. The world is tired of arguing. They are tired of being disconnected. They want real relationships, and to do business with real people. The spammers and follower buyers were on their way out before 2020 now they are no longer tolerated and I predict BIG changes in the way social media and marketing, in general, will be used in the future. The sooner you can connect with your clients in a personal way - the faster you will catapult past the competition. Niching in will no longer be optional and the quicker you can do it, the further ahead you will be. It enables you to align with influencers in your market and create one of a kind buying experiences for your people. Creating a boutique type experience for every business model. No longer will the one-size-fits-all marketing campaign be tolerated or relevant. I encourage you to brainstorm which steps will you take today to align with the people you most want to help and the influencers already helping them.

What is old is new again

People do business with people. You've heard me say it before. Today I will add they do business with people who make them feel memorable and special. This happens through nurturing relationships. If you haven't committed some time energy and marketing planning into nurturing your current and future customers, it's time to get on the bandwagon. This will be another BIG differentiator for those who excel and those who fall away. In the episode, I give you two specific examples of companies I recently did business with that are killing it when it comes to creating an experience for their customers. Tune in here to listen in.

I give you three other lessons and some homework in the episode, tune in to learn how you can align your business for success in the New Year. Wishing you the best of 2021!

If you loved this episode . . .

I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

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You followed all the guru's advice and built your sales funnel but . . . . . no one is opt-ing in. Worse, no one is buying. What the heck? You did EVERYTHING right. Why isn't this working? It takes one of two things to get a sales funnel set up:

Either a lot of time

A pretty hefty investment.

When it isn't working it can be infuriating and leave you feeling hopeless. Alas, all is not lost. There are still tweaks that you can make. In this week's episode, I share the 3 reasons most sales funnels fail. Dive into the entire episode here.

Don't give up on your funnel until you fix these three things first. 20 years of experience in marketing has taught me, everything can be fixed. That includes your sales funnel. If your emails aren't performing, no one is signing up for your freebie or you're not selling any products, then this week's episode was made for you.

You're too general. Somewhere along the way you probably bought into the story that broader is better. Well, in an ultra-competitive world (think the internet) the opposite has proven to be true. Those who try to help everyone, market to everyone, and sell to everyone, end up serving no one. Why? Because people are searching for a specific solution to their specific problem. When you are offering a basketful of generic solutions, they will just assume that you can't help them with their specific problem. Or worse, they will be confused about what you do and they won't waste time wondering if you can help them, they will just move on to someone who can. In this week's episode, I give you a couple of simple examples, you can check those out here.
You are your own best-kept secret. Oh boy! You've spent hours getting your copy right. You have just the right image. You checked and double-checked everything and now you wait. And wait. And wait. Where is everyone? Well, here's the thing - no one knows about your awesome new stuff because . . . you didn't tell them about it. So many times I have worked with clients who have created a new website, landing page, or freebie and they are astounded when the internet gods have not smiled on them and sent them a bushel full of customers. NOT SO SECRET >>> There is no internet magician. If you want people to find your awesome website, landing page, freebie, or whatever you create you have to promote it. I know it can be hard to "toot your own horn" but you're a badass business owner, get out of your own way, and get your stuff out there. The latest research shows you have to put your stuff in front of people a MINIMUM of 8 times before they ever even pay attention. So put yourself on repeat for a while.
You're not solving a problem. I alluded to this in number one, people aren't looking for your product or service. Seriously! They aren't. They are looking for someone to end their pain. Whatever the pain may be. They want a solution, they want it now and they don't want to have to work to find it. The easier you can make it for them to understand that you can help them get out of pain, the faster they will move from not knowing who you are to a customer. But, if you focus your marketing on what you do - you will lose out every time. To overcome losing out on them and their business, solve problems.

I give you an extra bonus in the episode, tune in to get the extra tip on how to ensure that your sales funnel is doing EXACTLY what you want it to.

If you loved this episode . . .

I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

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You can have the best freebie in the world, but . . . . . if no one wants it or opts-in, how good is it really? Not so good. If you are struggling with getting people to sign up for your free download, it is costing you more than just email subscribers, it's costing you money and new customers. If you wonder how all the "other people" are getting traction when you are lucky to get people to visit your website, or if you are wondering why your list isn't growing - this week's Feed U Podcast episode is for you. I break down the three reasons your freebie isn't working and tell you how to fix it so you can get some traction, increase your sales, and finally reach the people that need you. You can tune into the entire episode here.

Before you even think about running ads, you will want to fix these few things first. Running ads is a great way to increase traffic to your website and get in front of some new peeps, but if you don't have your landing page and free giveaway in spit spot shape, you might as well fogettaboutit. This week's episode is going to help you make sure that you are putting your best foot forward - let's dive in.

Your freebie is crap. It's better that you hear these things from a friend, seriously! If you are putting something out there that is not useful to your people, they simply walk away. Leaving you scratching your head wondering, what in the heck? The reality is, the internet is crowded. People are smart. Buyers are smarter. They know giving you their email address has the potential to open them up to endless sales emails. (you wouldn't do that though, would you?). Which means you have to be smarter. You have to offer something that is SO good, that they can't resist. A great measurement is to put something out there that your competitors are charging for. Before you freak out and say to yourself "I can't give away the farm for free!" Stop that thought. Here's the deal. People pay for processes. If they could do it themselves, they would have done it by now. They will pay you for the system to get it done (the less time the better). So giving away a doozie piece of that process is just the thing to get them hooked and wanting more.
You want too much info This one won't apply to everyone, but there are definitely some doozies out there. People are protective of their info. The more information you ask them to provide, the less likely they will complete the opt-in form. The easier you make it for your new lead to say yes, the greater the chance they will say yes. Adding a checkbox asking for permission to email them for example. Only asking for a name and email address. Only the first name is even better. Keep it simple, give the relationship a chance to grow. Do your due diligence in showing up, and building the relationship instead of asking for their social security number on the first date. That would not only a "no" but a "hell no!" The moral of the story, less is more. Ask for less and then as time goes on, trust builds and they will provide you with more info.
Where the heck is your CTA? I can't tell you how many emails I have looked at and wondered, what in the heck was the point of that email? If you aren't laying out breadcrumbs for your clients to follow in your emails, then don't even bother emailing them. You MUST have a call to action (CTA) in every single one. Does this mean selling them your product every time? Absolutely not! A call to action can be to gather your newest resource, listen to your latest podcast, watch your latest video, any number of things. Just keep them moving through the funnel whenever possible.

I give you an extra bonus in the episode, listen here to get the extra tip on how to increase your sales. It's a goodie too.

If you loved this episode . . .

I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

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Can I see a show of hands real quick? How many of you out there reading have set up a single email to deliver your free download and have called it an email sequence?

My guess is that more than one of your raised your hand.

But the reality is that it takes 8 times or more for the human brain to absorb information.

Meaning, if you aren't staying in front of your leads at least 8 times, they have already forgotten about you.

In this week's Feed U Podcast episode, I talk about the 3 most important email sequences you can create in your business. You can tune into the entire episode here.

Before you start to worry . . . These sequences are important, but, they don't all have to be set up right this minute. I know you have a business to run and sometimes marketing takes a back burner. In the episode, I go into detail about each sequence. I encourage you to choose which one you think will have the biggest impact on your business today and start there.

Without further ado, here's the short version of those email sequences: 1. The Nurture Sequence This is the sequence that is your "hey, good to know you" sequence. It's your opportunity to build the relationship, gain trust, and move that need subscriber into a paid product. You CANNOT do that in one email. It will take some insight into your customer and also some ingenuity. This is critical if you are growing your list and trying to convert new leads into customers. Also, leads shouldn't drop off into oblivion after this sequence, strategize where they can go next.

The Re-Engagement (break up) Sequence I talk quite in-depth about the mindset around the break-up sequence in Episode 108, but here's the dealio. If you have peeps on your list that aren't opening or engaging with your emails, you are paying for those peeps. Regardless of what you send them. If they aren't interested, let them go and make room for the people who DO want to hear from you. Holding onto subscribers for vanity is not helping your business. It is MUCH better to have a list of leads than it is to have a list of emails who never buy from you.
Cart Abandon Sequence I lay down some serious stats in this piece of the episode regarding conversion. >>>SNEAK PEAK

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Why is your marketing being ignored? Marketing can be summed up by one phrase, get the right message in front of the right people at the right time.

But, what most businesses do is create one message for everyone. If your potential client is not at that phase of their customer journey, they are going to pass you by like a wooly sweater sale in July.

In this week's podcast episode I share the three ways to stop the scroll, grab the attention of your audience, and get traction with your marketing.

I even threw in a bonus tip to help you narrow down your messaging. You can listen to the complete episode here.

Here are the cliff notes for you: The biggest mistake most business owners make is trying to create one version of their messaging that applies to everyone. I spend the first 10ish minutes of Episode 107 explaining the buyers' journey (customer journey) in very simple terms.

There are three levels, learn about those here and only the first level has buyers that are ready to pull out their credit card and buy. But . . . don't get your dancing pants on yet . . . that's only a conversion rate of 8%. Which means, you are leaving the other 91% singing in the rain. We have GOT to go get that other 81 %, otherwise, we are working too hard and constantly struggling to find new customers.

After you figure out where your new lead is on the buyers' journey. . . Then your marketing traction boils down to 3 simple things.

Delivering the right message (in their language) to the right person at the right time.
Making sure you stay top of mind, that they know who you are and how to buy your products or services.
Standing out from the crowd (read stop being a snooze fest!)

I cover each of those in-depth in this episode, plus give you a bonus tip on how to find the words your audience is looking for (in case you're stuck!). You can listen to the whole episode here.

If you loved this episode . . . I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

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Which email strategy will give you up to a 3800% return on investment? If your a frequent podcast listener and you haven't guessed yet, I will be surprised. If you've tuned into any number of Feed U Podcast episodes, you know I'm a HUGE fan of email marketing done right. Notice that last part "done right". In Episode 106 of the Feed U Podcast, I lay out some of the latest email marketing stats that will have you salivating.

If you're ready to take your marketing to task, then this is the episode for you. Email is the best return on investment marketing strategy hands down. In this week's episode, I give you the facts, stats, and tips on how to clean up your email and make it work for you and your business. Listen to the entire episode here.

First, the facts:

According to this Hubspot Study,

Every $1 spent on email marketing has a return on investment of $38. If we compare that to the average cost of a Google ad which is approximately $2 in ROI for every $1 spent (campaign monitor) there is a big difference in ROI. So, maybe $38 doesn't seem like much. Let's take a real-world example. If you were to spend $100 on your email marketing using the average ROI you could generate $3800. Now, let's compare that to Google. That same $100 would only generate $200. $200 vs. $3800, I know which I would pick.

73% of millennials prefer business communication via email. This stat surprised even me. Millennials being known for their text preferences, who knew that they actually preferred to do business via email? So what does that mean to you? If you are trying to woo the millennial generation, you better up your email game. (more tips on that in the episode)

78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement in the last 12 months. What does that mean to you? You're not a marketer (or maybe you are). Well, those marketers represent brands and businesses. They work with all types of industries and are giving their perspective based on the success of their clients. That means you. If it's working for them, it can and will work for you. Let's take note of one VERY important word in that stat. "engagement". Not only are subscribers opting in and receiving the email, but they are also in some way engaging with the email. Translation - they are opening, reading, and or clicking - or all three. Engagement is the key. If you can get in front of your audience and get them to engage, that is when profit shifts happen.

In Episode 106 several other stats are mentioned, give it a listen to get all the latest email marketing data.

I also give you my perspective on why people are more engaged now and will be in the future as well as 5 hiccups to avoid with your email marketing so that you can gain traction and not steer your subscribers away or toward your competitors. Tune in to the episode to get all the details.

What did you learn from this episode? Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

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The first day of fall brings external and internal change. But are you aware of the impact that seasonal changes bring to your business and success? We are connected to nature whether we are aware of that connection or not. In this episode, I talk about the way each season impacts us and our business.

If you are making decisions in your business without seasonal alignment and are struggling, this episode may shine some light on why. The 22nd (when the episode was recorded) was the Fall Equinox. With that comes shifts from outward work to inward connection and reflection. As we move toward winter, our goals and focus should shift as well.

In Episode 105, I discuss the different phases of planning and aligning your business with each season.

Because we are entering in fall, I began with the fall season.

FALL: During the fall, our businesses and our lives should focus on the harvest. This will make more sense as we move through the other seasons. But this, as in nature, is the time we gather our rewards for the hard work we produced. Whether that is financial or in recognition. If you notice, many of the awards shows are held in the fall season. In fact, just this past week was the Emmy Awards. I bet you didn't even realize that the alignment of rewards and recognition of the year's worth of work, happened during the fall season. If we focus our business on gratitude, resources, our wealth, and what we need to let go of - we will align with the fall season. Just as nature lets go, leaves falling from trees, gardens dying back to rejuvenate the soil for spring, we also must let go. Make space for creativity and planning and what is to come. Learn more by listening to the entire episode.

WINTER: During the winter our focus should be toward hibernation, rest, recuperation, and inward reflection. This is the time when we set our goals for the coming year. Allow new ideas to percolate and come to us. Dive into our purpose and the alignment we have with what we want to accomplish on a bigger scale, the scale of who we are as humans. As the years pass, are we in tune with what we want to leave as a legacy for future generations? Are we moving toward that legacy and the reasons we started our business in the first place? Winter gives us the space (and the darkness with shorter days) to go within, rest and reflect.

SPRING: If fall is the season of harvest, then spring is when we plant the seeds so that we will have something to harvest. This is the time of putting new ideas into action. Renewing our zest for what we do, what we want to accomplish, and the impact we want to make. It's time to begin plans to launch new products or services. To bring the ideas we have been creating focused on during the winter to the light of spring so that they can bloom forth.

SUMMER: As we come to the end of this summer we can reflect back on the power of the sun. The warmth it shines, even in offering relief (although temporary) from the Coronavirus. The sun is powerful - and with longer days and shorter nights, we are filled with power. Power to put the energy into ensuring our well-laid summer plans come to fruition. It's when we put the action fully into achieving our goals. We are fueled by connection, growth, and accomplishment. This is when the "big" growth happens for us and our business. It is the accumulation of what we planned for during the winter and spring. For the low-down on all of the seasons, be sure to tune into this week's episode.

What does this alignment truly mean for your business? When you are aligned with the seasons, you:

Become more aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you truly want out of life and your business.
You eliminate outside distractions, activities, and focus stealers so that you can truly align with what brings you joy and success. (However you choose to define it.)
You free up your time to focus on your true purpose, and the legacy you are meant to leave.

In the episode, I challenge you to look at the season your business is in and evaluate, just like nature, what you need to let go of so that you can make space for what is to come.

I encourage you to pull out a piece of paper, draw two columns, and label them simple keep and stop. Identify the pieces of your business that it is time to let go of. This could be relationships, clients, products, services, ways you are spending time, etc. Letting go of them may not mean eliminating them altogether. It could simply mean outsourcing them or setting them aside to reevaluate in the spring. The idea is, where will you make space for the new? Because without space, there is no room for the "new" to settle in and find it's way to you.

I would love for you to share what you are letting go of over in the Facebook group so that we can support one another.

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Email marketing can seem overwhelming . . . And when you aren't having the success you want, it can also be frustrating. But, you could have picked up some really bad habits along the way that are not helping you in the way of email marketing success. This week I share three email experiences, my reaction, and how to improve them in Episode 104 of the Feed U Podcast.

If you're sick of fighting with your email conversion, tune in to this week's episode and learn: The #1 thing that is causing your email marketing to fail and three important lessons to learn from, so you don't eliminate your customer connection before you even have a chance to build it. Losing your leads before they have even had the chance to get to know you and fall in love with your brand.

In the episode, I talk about the GDPR (which is legal speak for don't add people to your list without permission.) I also reference this interview Episode with Aidan Durham. She gives you the entire scoop on GDPR and what it means to your email marketing and your business.

I also give you 3 specific "no go" email experiences that you DO NOT want to repeat. This episode is short but mighty and you definitely want to tune in to get all the details. I talk about being on the receiving email end from someone who only shows up when they are ready to sell me into something and how yucky it feels to be used for sales and ignored the rest of the time.

This isn't nurturing, this is straight-up used car salesman territory and there are better ways to grow and build your audience.

I also talk about audience size and how size is MUCH less important than engagement and interest in you and what you do. You need to listen to the whole episode to get all the details on that.

The second example was from my experience of signing up for a new membership. How the onboarding system went (or in this case, didn't) and how to ensure that providing your new customers a top-notch experience will skyrocket you past the competition. There were some definite hiccups in this process, and I share them with you here.

Last but not least, I tell you the story about the email from someone I met over 5 years ago and I never asked to be on their list. (See GDPR note above). This is not only a great way to piss people off (had to be said) but it's also illegal in a LOT of places (all of Europe, CA, HI, MD, MA, NJ, NY, WA, and the list keeps growing.) Protecting personal data is A BIG DEAL. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg who had to fork out $5 Billion dollars in fines. This is a PRIME example of what not to do. Be sure to listen in as I talk you through that example.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear which email marketing "don't" you've experienced from this episode. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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If you are like most business owners . . . You have invested in some type of marketing for your business that you couldn't track results for. It's easy to be talked into investing your time and money into Facebook Ads, Google Ads, SEO, and all kinds of marketing that involves posting on numerous platforms.

But, if you are also like most business owners, you don't have any idea whether or not it's working and are too busy to track the ROI. No one is blaming you, you're busy and are trying to run a business for goodness sake. This is why in Episode 103 I talk about the 3 BIG ways you can measure what is working and what is not, as well as, share with you some of the best questions I've learned to ask before hiring anyone for your marketing. It will save you time, frustration, and money. So be sure to tune into the entire episode here.

I spend a good chunk of the beginning of the episode talking about something you may not think is very important, but it's critical to succeeding with ANY marketing you invest him. Your sales funnel MUST connect to every product and activity that you engage in, to market your business. It's definitely worth a listen if you just tune into this part because in my experience THIS single piece is what over 85% of businesses are missing when it comes to their strategy.

Here are the other 3 ways you can measure, tweak, and fine-tune your marketing activities.

Becoming aware of your email subscriber opt-ins.

If you do not have analytics set up to track your opt-ins it's going to be impossible to track whether or not something is actually converting. The beginning of your funnel is your email subscriber in nearly all cases. But, if you don't check in with your analytics to see if people are opting in, then how will you know if your list is growing? These can be found in your email service provider (ESP) (like ConvertKit-they are my favorite) or by using a 3rd party system like Lead Pages. You can also usually find this information by evaluating your opt-in form, I use a plugin called Bloom by Elegant Themes. But you can easily use the form created directly in your ESP. Regardless of how you track, it's a good idea to compare all the entry points to be sure they are consistent with your subscriber growth.

Measure traction with our ad account analytics. Add accounts, and especially analytics can seem overwhelming if you aren't familiar with the backend. But don't let the technology intimidate you. Learning even the basics can open up a wealth of information for you to understand your ideal customer, as well as, what is engaging them and what is not. Spending a little bit of time with your ad analytics will tell you the story of where to spend money on ads and where not to. For example, if all of your subscribers are on YouTube, you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on Facebook Ads, you want to spend the money on YouTube. But without analyzing and testing, you wouldn't have this information.
Google Analytics is your new best friend. There is a wealth of information available on Google Analytics if you connect it to your website. Even if you NEVER run a Google Ad. It is definitely beneficial to take a high-level look at your analytics on a regular basis (once a month-ish) to see who is visiting your site, how much time they spend, and what brings them there. I mention the WordPress Plugin Monster Insights as a good tool to use. But you don't have to have WordPress to utilize Google Analytics.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear what tool you are going to dive into to measure your marketing from this episode. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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I know underneath all your goals for your business is the one thing you TRULY want. It's what we all want. Why we got into this entrepreneurial gig, to begin with. Freedom. Sweet freedom. But, if you're like most of us - freedom is in a land far far away. Probably where Tattoo lives with Mr. Roarke.

But, what if the only thing getting in your way of sweet sweet freedom was you? In Episode 102 I share the #1 thing that you can do to scale your business this year. And, you may not like the answer. Or you may surprise yourself and realize the answer was there all along, you just couldn't see the forest through the trees. You can listen to the entire episode here.

But, in case you're in a hurry - the brief synopsis of what I talk about this week is below.

In my experience, personally and working with clients, there are three problems that are getting in the way of you scaling your business right now.

You're stuck in your head.

As an entrepreneur, this isn't an unusual place to be, but when it comes to moving forward it's more than a tad inconvenient. If you stay stuck in your thoughts, dreams, and worries - you aren't taking action. With no action, comes no movement forward. No movement forward means no change. Without changing things up, whether it's adding team members to offset your workload or more products to increase sales, there is no additional revenue. Meaning, you can't scale. Not a fun place to be (ask me I know ALL about it!) If this is you, don't panic - I have a simple solution below. You can also listen to the episode to get the entire scoopidy-doop.

You have lots of ideas, LOTS - but you aren't putting any of them into action.

Similar to #1 above, lack of action will keep you stuck. But in addition, acting on all these ideas and doing all the things, is exhausting and 1000% confusing to your audience. While you're trying to put out every fire and do every darn thing to make your customers happy, new customers are bewildered by what you actually do. Which means you stay stuck. And usually, you are stuck doing a bunch of crapola you don't even like doing. Tune in to hear all about the crazy beginnings of my business (talk about all the things, I'm tired just reminiscing!)

You think you have it all figured out, only nobody else wants what you've figured out.

There is nothing worse than spending weeks, months, or even years creating a product that you put your heart and soul into and then realizing when the cart opens - crickets. Not one single bite of interest. It is frustrating and disappointing, to say the least. But, it could have all been avoided. All the endless work, time, and energy spent creating a product you love but that no one else wants or will pay for.

The Solution

It came to me this week during a call with a friend. To survive this crazy ride of business ownership, the #1 thing you need to solve the issues above is a Business Therapist.

Seriously! Hear me out.

A business therapist (B.T. for short) is not there to tell you what to do like a coach or mastermind group would. (Although they can be a business therapist - more on that below.)

A true B.T. is there to bounce ideas off of. To give you the real truth and nothing but the truth, just like Judge Judy - even when you don't want to hear it. They are going to give you the feedback you need, the kick in the butt you deserve (so you can get a move on), and a different perspective. Something we don't have access to when we are in the thick of it in our own business.

You see, most of us walk around with blinders on (that's what we're supposed to do, kinda). But, with that determined focus, we can easily get stuck. We need that support system to pull us out of the weeds and keep us moving forward. That's where your business therapist comes in. They help you put a stop to (or at least advise you to write them down and get them out of your head) all of your ideas and encourage you to take action on just one.

Take one small step forward so you can get your groove back (just like Stella!)

Where do I find my own B.T.?

I give you a ton of tips on places to look and criteria to filter people through in the episode. I highly suggest you go over there and listen so you can get the scoop on how to find your B.T. But the shortlist is, everywhere. You can find them in masterminds, coaching programs, friends, networking groups, industry groups, online. You just have to know what to look for.

Why do I need a B.T.?

I can hear the naysayers already. I don't need no stinking business therapist. I want to encourage you to ask yourself a few questions if you're knocking it before you try it. If you have it all figured out, is your stuff selling the way you want it to? Are you working endless hours with no increase in revenue? Have you launched that new product or course you keep talking about? Do you end the day going WTH did I get done today?

If you answered yes, then you my friend, are stuck. Whether you realize it or not. I hope you'll give the episode a listen to find the best way for you to move forward, grow, scale and create the impact that your audience, customers, and the world are waiting for.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear what stood out to you about finding your own business therapist or anything else you gathered from this episode. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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You know building an audience is critical to selling your products and services. And I will bet you are looking for some magical tip, trick or technique. But the reality is, that audience building has more to do with you than it does what you do. This is why this episode is dedicated to the 5 steps you have to have under your belt in order to effectively build your audience.

Getting clear about your audience, mindset, and message will save the day. I have spent some time in the trenches building my audience and building the audiences of my clients. In Episode 101 I share all the lessons I've learned, and that they've learned to successfully connect, grow, and create raving fans. You can listen to the entire episode here.

Be you, there is only one of you.

Sometimes it's easy to convince ourselves that we need to be someone other than who we are. But, there is only one us. What would you say if I told you that there are people out there looking for you? Just you. Not Sally, Joe, or Bob. You! You were put on this planet to create impact and help others. No one can do it as you do, so embrace it, say it out loud and say it loud enough for your people to find you. There are no new ideas, just new ways of teaching and learning the ideas out there. So beat your drum and be you. Your people and your heart will thank you.

Be clear about what you offer.

Clarity sells What doesn't sell is confusion. If you aren't clear about who you serve and how you help them, your people CANNOT find you. They won't find you. There is a lot of noise out there and you can't stand out if you don't take a stand. It can be scary as shiitake to niche down and talk only to your people, but in this week's episode, I share a story a lady who did just that. She is KILLING it by the way. Tune in to hear the whole scoop.

Ask the people (your people) what they want.

There is nothing worse than guessing what people want to hear, read, or buy. Just ask them already. If you don't know where to start, this week's episode gives you some killer tips. Check-in and listen to how I helped one of my clients recently save a TON of time, energy and frustration by not creating what she wanted to create, but instead creating what her people were asking for. She loves me, and you will too. :D

Do your homework.

One of the best ways to grow your audience is to get in front of another person's audience. But, there are some right ways and some not so good ways to get in front of other audiences. I share some of the emails I get regularly from people pitching to be on the podcast (and there are some doozies) as well as, some ideas to branch out and find your people in similarly aligned niches. Listen to all the details here. Along with those details, be sure to show up and give value, be gracious to your host/hostess, and don't waste their time by pitching them your spiel without doing your homework. It's rude and the fastest way to have your email end up in the trash folder. Nobody wants that.

Check-in with your why (often).

When building your audience, it's SUPER important to check-in with why you are growing your audience. Why you want to help that specific group of people. What it will mean when you reach _______ number of subscribers or followers. What belief or meaning have you attached to that goal? And, is it in alignment with where you really want your business and life to go? Keep in mind, this shifts all the dang time. And that is OK. In fact, it's more than OK. Go with the flow, this is your life and your business. You are allowed to create them as you wish. I go through some specifics on this in the episode, give it a listen.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear what stood out to you about growing your audience from this episode. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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Today is the 100th Episode of the Feed U Podcast I thought about a giveaway or a contest, but I realized sharing the biggest takeaways of recording 100 episodes would have a BIGGER impact on helping you grow your business. In this week's episode, I give you the down and dirty on lessons learned (most of them the hard way, because that's how I roll) of recording and pushing this podcast live for almost two years. Come with me down memory lane and take notes, because this episode is jam-packed with success tips that will help you soar forward and climb higher.

If you would have told me that 100 episodes would have flown by so quickly, I DEFINITELY would not have believed you. Episode 100 was definitely a trip down memory lane and a reminder of how far I have come and how much more there is to learn. When I started this podcast it was with the intent of helping others, that hasn't changed. But lots of ups, downs, and hiccups along the way led me to narrow down the top 12 lessons I learned about podcasting, interviewing and sticking with a goal. All of which has impacted my business, my goals, and how I will show up in the future. Listen to the entire episode here.

The show notes are short and sweet this week, so be sure to tune into the entire episode to get all the behind the scenes scoop.

What did you learn from this episode? After you listen to the episode, come share in the Facebook Group your biggest takeaway and what lesson will impact your future business decisions. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

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Are you only dreaming of being interviewed by your favorite magazine, podcast host, or television star? Well, it's time to stop dreaming and instead take action toward making that dream a reality. My guest Ashley Biggers is THE go-to expert in how to get your brand in front of the media. The best part, she is dishing all her secrets in Episode 99 of the Feed U Podcast. For over 20 years Ashley as a professional journalist, Ashley has written 2,500 articles and interviewed around 12,500 sources.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! That's a ton of people.

But, it gets better! The majority of them have been creative entrepreneurs and small business owners. Her byline has appeared on CNN, USA Today, Self, and many other top digital and print publications. This week she shares with you how to break down the barriers between your business and the media and how to get your story told so you can get in front of more people.

You don't want to miss this amazing interview with Ashely, catch the entire chat here.

Here's the low-down on what we covered in the episode: 1. What is your story? Choosing what to talk about and pitch to the media.

How to promote yourself and cheat around sales.

You've got to hear this one. Tune in here to get Ashley's advice. It's a game-changer.

What are the best media outlets for you to approach?
Understanding and using a press release to approach the press.

Ashley breaks down the best way to complete, understand and use a press release in the episode, check it out here. And the difference between a press release and pitch. And why reaching out on social media or calling the press is a NO-GO.

How to stand out in the pile of pitches so that you can get the attention.
Where should you start your media search? Who should you approach?

Ashley breaks down the power of a media kit and it isn't what you might think. Listen in to get the scoop.

What's the scope of getting featured in the press and how to prepare.
Why using public relations can be more valuable than social media.
The best practices for following up with your media contacts.

And even more!

Tune in to the entire episode to learn how to get started with promoting your business in the press.

Connect with Ashley and grab your free Pitch Kit Resource here: Ashley Biggers

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Pitch Kit Resource

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear what you learned about public relations from this episode and what you're going to put into action. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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You only get one chance to make a first impression. I'm sure you've heard the saying before, but when it comes to business first impressions, you may be making one without even realizing it. Your customers are stalking you (not inappropriately - get your mind out of the gutter) long before they ever reach out to you. But if your online presence is lacking, you could be sunk in the water before you ever get the chance to show them your sails.

It's time to polish up your business online before it busts your opportunities. I have had many inquiries from potential clients as well as the opportunity to do my own bit of stalking as I look for staff. Let me tell you, I know it's a bit judgy, but I don't take the people who break these 9 unwritten rules very seriously as business owners. Episode 98 lays out the 9 original sins of branding and marketing a new business. For all the insider tips and a break down of what not to do, listen to the entire episode here.

What is your first impression?

Social media profiles are a wealth of information. As a business owner, how are you showing up? Do you have professional headshots or did you take one in your bathroom mirror? Or worse, do you have a blank avatar? What are you posting on social? Is it intentional? Did you create a strategy around it? Does it jive with your vibe or are you keeping the real you in hiding? When you are posting content is it helpful to your audience or are you just picking a pretty quote and praying that someone clicks on it? Without a plan and some professionalism, it's going to be hard for people to take you seriously. A few little polishes and you will be looking like you are in the game. Get a professional headshot (tips in the episode), think about that post twice before you post it and, for the love all things holy come up with a strategy before you invest time and energy in your social media.

Have a professional email address.

When you use your Hotmail account (please tell me you don't have Hotmail!) as your business email address, how seriously can people really take you? Put yourself in their shoes. You need to hire a tree trimmer. There are 100 tree trimmers in your area. When you narrow down candidates are you going to go with joe@WeTrimTrees.com or are you going to go with joetrippingtrees@aol.com. More than likely you are going to go with the professional. Because something as simple as having a professional email address sets you apart as "knowing what the heck you're doing" vs. I just woke up today and decided I'd try tree trimming. People want the best that they believe they can afford. So if it comes down to you and Joe at WeTrimTrees, Joe is winning the deal. Get the email address. It's $6 a month using GSuite and you get some other nifty bonuses.

Update/Create Your Google Listing.

Almost 92% of people use Google search to find whatever it is they are looking for. That means YOU. They are looking for you. If you aren't on there as a business, they CAN'T find you. It's free, it's awesome and you need to do it. Here's the link to get started. The same is true if you set up your google account and then forgot about it. It needs to be up to date and kept that way. It's the first thing that people see and you need to keep it polished up and ready to shine. Use this link to check yours out and be sure it's up to date.

Your social profile is outdated.

Did you know that your LinkedIn profile is one of the highest-ranked search items on Google? Don't believe me? Go type in your name or the name of your competitor and see if their LinkedIn profile shows up on the first page of results. Go ahead, I'll wait. It was there, wasn't it? So why in the world would you not be sure that thing is UP TO DATE? The same goes for all of your social profiles. Your future customers are soaking in everything you put out there. If they are old, outdated, or have messaging or posts that don't align with your business, you have some clean up to do. I gave more tips in the episode, check them out here.

Your connections are not intentional.

Just like promoting on social media, creating content, or building a strategy - you have to be intentional with who you are connecting with in real life and online. You wouldn't go to a dental conference if you sell dog collars. That would make zero sense. Yes, they may own dogs, but they aren't there to buy a dog collar. They are there to connect with other dentists and dental vendors. The same goes for social media. You don't need 700K subscribers if they have no interest in purchasing from you or don't need your product. Be intentional with whom you connect and create a plan around why you are connecting with them.

Your website is outdated, broken, or doesn't exist.

You may have been told that you don't need a website to succeed. Perhaps you don't, but I will argue you do need at least a home page to be taken seriously. If you are going to have a website out there for people to find make sure it is isn't broken and that your visitors don't have issues accessing pages worry about their security or that you indeed have a website for them to visit and it's not missing. Nothing screams "I don't know what I'm doing" louder than "here's my website" and they go and nothing is there or they get a 404 error. There are only 3 pages you need on a website, I'm going to cover those in a future episode.

You make it hard to do business with you.

This can be connected to #6 above, if they go to your website and they have to search and search for what you do, how to contact you or how to place an order, they just won't. I give several examples in Episode 98 that I experienced during COVID (and am still experiencing). Don't be that guy (or gal) that people really want to buy from, but you're making it too hard to do. If they call on the phone and it's busy more than twice, they are going somewhere else. If they try to place an order and it won't go through, they will buy it somewhere else. The easier you can make their experience the better. Which is why there is an entire industry built around user experience (UX for short). They study the best way for companies to create the ultimate user experience for their customers and leads. Do what you can to make it simple, easy, and move forward in working with you.

Do what you say you're going to do.

If you don't keep your word before they are clients, then what is that showing them about how you will treat them and their business once they are clients? If you say you are going to complete something, show up for something, do something, just do it. Even if it's not perfect and most of the time it won't be, what people will remember is that you showed up and did what you said you would. This just happened to me as I was writing these notes. Someone signed up for a consultation, I had a gut feeling they wouldn't show up, but I called and did my due diligence regardless. It doesn't matter that I knew in my gut they would be a know show, I still did what I set my intention to do. It's the little things that add up to the big things.

Follow up with all your leads.

This is the number one reason people don't close deals. The salespeople (and you are a salesperson even if you don't want to be) that follow up will close the deal. Because, people are busy. They don't have time to babysit your business. If you want their business, it's your job to show them that you not only want them as a customer but how you will treat them once they become customers. It takes up to 11 times for someone to interact with you before they buy. Don't believe me? Go turn the tv on and watch how many commercials repeat during a single movie or a few shows. I noticed it this weekend while I had Hallmark on (yep there was a marathon). Usually, I don't watch much tv, but I happened to have it on in the background. Within a 2 hour movie, I had seen the same 4 commercials at least 3 times. Why? Because repetition sells. People are busy, they need to be reminded of who you are and what you do. Following up with them enables you to stay top of mind.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear which of these you are taking action on so that you can beat the business busters. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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Do you ever re-examine your life and wonder what the heck have I been doing? This was my experience recently while going through old boxes. What I realized is with the MANY businesses I have had, I have made a TON of mistakes. But with every mistake, I also learned what to do and what not to do. The rollercoaster of entrepreneurship is definitely filled with learning opportunities.

In Episode 97 of the Feed U Podcast, I divulge the 10 biggest mistakes small businesses make. I confess at the beginning of the episode that this list was created based on some of the MANY mistakes I've made and learned from, but also from being able to help others navigate mistakes and turn them into lessons and opportunities. I break down all the details in this week's episode, but in the meantime, here is the skinny on those 10 mistakes so you can avoid them, commiserate with me or see them coming and stop them in their tracks.

They haven't defined or know who their audience/ideal client is.

Oh boy, did I make this mistake. More than once I might add. But getting super clear on your audience and learning everything you can about them, will not only make your marketing stronger, but it will also save you time, money, and frustration. When you figure out who you are talking to and can get in between their ears, that's when the magic happens. This is ALWAYS step one with my clients because as I share, even those who know their clients well will miss something important that throws everything into a tailspin.

They put too much time, effort, and money into being on social media.

I know so many people that jump on social media to promote their business. No plan, no strategy, and no way to track whether or not it's working. Why? Because some ding dong told them that was THE way to promote their business. Here's the scoop. Social media is crowded, it's complex, and if your audience isn't where you are you are WASTING your time. If you don't have a plan to take them off of social media and buy something from you, you are wasting your time. Social media works, but it doesn't work alone.

They spend money on the WRONG things.

I give you the full-on confession here about the MANY things I have invested in for my business that were just plain a waste of money. Unfortunately, I am not the only one who has spent money on coaches, products, software, marketing, you name it with the intention of growing and making money in my businesses. We all do it, but I give you lots of tips on how to choose the best places to put your money and not spend because you are sucked into someone's magical sales pitch, inside the episode. I also give you a hidden tip (3.5) in the episode. Check it out here.

They want a quick win or overnight success.

Let's be real. Owning a business is work. Can you love the work, absolutely. Is there a magical fairy that will come and give you a million-dollar business because you asked for one. Not likely. If you think the top entrepreneurs out there woke up one day rolling in the dough, you should probably read a few more success stories. Lots of showing up and doing the work all while learning and growing.

They try to learn and do EVERYTHING themselves.

Raising my hand, yep that's me. But, I'm reforming. Entrepreneurs are go-getters. We get shiitake done. If we didn't we wouldn't be on this train. But, it also makes us control freaks. Don't deny it, I see you trying to hide behind your shirt color. The reality is we CAN'T do everything without burning ourselves out. Ultimately, trying to do everything will burn us out, make us feel like we are working a job again, and leave us hating our business. We don't want that, which is why we have to get help and offload the things we aren't good at or that we don't enjoy.

They bring a corporate mindset to a non-corporate world.

There is NOTHING wrong with being corporate or professional. But, you left that world for a reason. I see so many people struggle with success when they leave because they have NO idea how to succeed out of corporate. They don't know how to market, sell, create an offer, do research, or all the other umpteen things YOU have to do to have a business. I've seen friends jump out and then jump right back in because they didn't know how to propel their customer base and grow. There is no business success handbook. We have to figure it out and realize we are all the corporate departments (just us) for HR, Accounting, Sales, Marketing and the list goes on. Which is why #5 is so important. (See above)

They don't create a compelling offer that people will pay money for.

So many times people (yep me included) will create fabulous wonderful products, downloads, etc. and not realize no one wants them and if they do, they won't pay you a dime because they don't' want them badly enough. We have to be smart to make it in this world. This took a LONG time to figure out (mostly because I was trying to find my people) but once I figured it out, it was like margin. Spend the time figuring out who you can help and create from there. Any other way will be a huge disappointment and waste of time.

They ignore their audience.

I get on my soapbox a little for this one during the episode, but it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Don't bother creating or building an audience if you are going to ignore them. First, it's just plain rude. Second, it's a huge waste of time because people are smart and they will realize soon enough that you don't care enough to stay in touch. Third, you will be like a good majority of other companies out there and you MUST find a way to stand out or you will be ignored. Showing up regularly is THE best way to stand out. Regardless of where choose to show up.

They sell too soon or never get to selling.

I walk through several examples in the episode of people who have done this well and people who are FAILING miserably. You should for sure check them out here. But, there is a fine line to walk. Not selling too soon and not selling at all. I've sucked at both of these one time or another. It's definitely like artistry, it takes time to perfect when and how. Just keep in mind that you don't want to be like the people who feel sleazy at the car lot nor do you want to give away everything for free and never give your people the opportunity to buy from you. Fine line.

They don't have a customer service process or policy in place.

You work too dang hard to earn your customers. Bringing them on with some pizazz, excitement and extra love takes a little time. But if you do it right, they will be raving fans and bring you more customers. Thinking outside the box and making sure you go the extra mile to let your customers know you appreciate them will pay for itself tenfold. Don't drop the ball once they've paid you. Keep the momentum going. Because as you know getting a new customer is WAY harder than selling a current customer into something else.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear if any of these failures hit too close to home. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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As business owners, we are constantly bombarded with decisions. But, we don't often make decisions because we are busy weighing the angles, procrastinate, or just plain don't know which decision to make.

But what if decision making were made simple? In this week's podcast episode I'm joined by Rico Racosky from Just2Choices. In Episode 96 he explains his simple Just 2 Choices system that will help you make even the toughest decisions quicker and easier. Because ultimately, you have Just 2 Choices.

In the episode, Rico talks about the split-second decisions required as a commercial pilot.

When flying an airplane you are constantly bombarded with decisions including things like passenger comfort, turbulence, flight patterns, and many many more. You don't have time to think about each of these decisions, they have to be made instantly. Any delay could be detrimental.

This is how the Just 2 Choices system was honed and perfected.

When you apply this simple methodology to the decisions in your life, they can be made quickly and efficiently and will easily propel your business forward. Eliminate the mindset that there are "bad" choices, instead, make a different choice.

Tune in to the entire episode to learn how to apply the Just 2 Choices methodology to your business.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear how you are going to apply the Just 2 Choices system to your business and life. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

Listen to the entire episode here:

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If you want to grow your business, then grow your email list. You've heard it once, maybe you've heard it multiple times - but without an email list, you don't have control of your marketing. If you don't have control of your marketing it's hard to generate new leads, if not impossible. If you are generating new leads, well, you aren't generating business.

But what they don't tell you is that growing an email list takes work. Here's the deal, in life, in business and anything worth having you have to put some effort and action into attaining it. Does it have to be hard? No. But it does take consistency and commitment. Episode 95 gives you 7 strategies to quickly grow your email list. I challenge you to pick just one and take action with that choice today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. Even if it's just a small step. To get all 7 tips as well as some keen examples, listen to the entire episode here.

Create an email course.

This is your opportunity to showcase some of your expertise and teach your audience one thing they are dying to know. Some people worry about giving away the farm, but, if you look at this as giving away a sample of milk so they want to join the milk club - then you're closer to the truth. I give some great examples in the episode, but thinking about one thing that would give your audience a quick win and then breaking it down into steps sent via email is a GREAT way to grow your list. I've done this one and had great results in adding qualified leads to my list.

Create a template.

You know you have that one task that you do over and over again. It's repetitive and likely second nature. Well, there is someone out there that would love to know how to do that task and doesn't know where to start. If you created a template for that task and shared it with them, they would love you forever. Or at least enough to want to see what other tips you've picked up along the way. Which they would only learn about by joining your email list. So think about those things that may make your life and someone else's easier and create a template for that task.

Build a quiz.

Alright, everyone loves quizzes. This is why everyone on Facebook uses one to suck you into watching their commercials in order to get your results. You've probably taken three already today. Okay, maybe that's just me. But regardless, quizzes are hot. People love to take them and as a marketing tool, you couldn't ask for a better data collection device and email segmentation tool. The great thing about quizzes is people don't even realize they are giving you all the data you will ever need to improve your marketing. I'm trying out some quiz tools so I'll have an update on those in a future update as well as the results from my quiz as I roll it out.

Turn your physical book into an ebook or a piece of your book.

Authors do this all the time. They will often give you the first book in a series for free to get you hooked and then you end up paying for the entire series because you want to know what happened. Also, this is a great tool to get your material in front of more eyeballs and build your authority. On the backend, you can ask for reviews and feedback and use that to create whatever it is you're going to sell them into. Because the reality is you won't likely make your fortune from book sales. Most published authors are lucky to sell about 30 books.

Create a challenge experience.

Just like quizzes, people LOVE challenges. Why? Because it forces them to take action. Especially if you are engaging, attentive, and offer tons of value. Similar to running an email campaign, a challenge focuses on one piece of the pie that you offer and helps people overcome a BIG obstacle that they haven't been able to figure out. If you help them solve that mystery, they become your greatest fans. Especially if they can measure their success in some way. To add a cherry on top, celebrate their success publicly on your Facebook Page or in your group.

Host a webinar.

You may think that webinars are yesterday's news because of COVID and everyone being zoomed out. But, the reality is people still want to learn what you have to teach. A webinar gives them the opportunity not only to absorb knowledge but to ask questions and get real-time answers. It is THE best way to grow your list and even better convert new audiences into sales. But, there is a formula to succeeding and it starts with, you probably guessed it, giving your audience value. Don't underestimate the power of a webinar, it can make all the difference between an unengaged list and success.

Create a resource list.

This is one of my favorites as it doesn't require you to create a ton of content. You can put together a list of resources regarding a specific topic and provide it to your audience. For example, if you were familiar with all the different CRMs out there but you were not an expert, you could create a roundup of articles about those CRMs and offer the roundup as your download to grow your list. This can be a little tricky because you definitely want to provide a resource around a topic that your audience is struggling with. In other words, don't create this unless there is a need for it and then be sure that what you pull together is REALLY good stuff. You see this often at the end and beginning of the year featuring the best and worst of lists.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear which of these you are committing to trying in the weeks ahead. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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So maybe you love writing email . . . ...and maybe you don't. Either way, it takes a lot of time to consistently show up in your audience's inbox. If that time isn't paying off in increased sales, Houston we have a problem! Engagement is key! If your emails aren't engaging people to take the next step in your sales funnel, you can't make sales. No engagement = no $$$ cha-ching.

This is why the 7 email engagement tips below, will make your time investment worthwhile. In Episode 94 I cover the 7 email engagement tips that I use with my clients to achieve success in increasing email engagement. You can listen to the entire episode here. Even implementing some of these tips will increase engagement, implement them all and your emails will be ON fire. 🔥 🔥 🔥

Grab and keep the reader's attention.

Congratulations! You got them to open your email. That's step one. And it's definitely something worth celebrating. Because as I mention in the episode, average open rates are around 20%. So, getting that baby opened is a victory. But, now we need them to keep reading. One of the ways to do so is through the power of story. I give lots of examples on how to do this in this week's episode, so check it out. The other key strategy is to solve their biggest problem and start creating a relationship with them. Story also helps with that piece.

Use one Call To Action (not 5, 10, or more).

I know you're excited about your goods, but a confused mind DOES NOT buy. Nor does it take action. At all. It will be paralyzed by choice and then choose to just move on down the road. You DON'T want that. This is why it's critical to give your audience one choice. Whatever it may be to propel them forward to doing business with you. You've got to figure out the funnel first, then lead them through it with breadcrumbs. Give them a solution to the problem you talk about above and then make it SUPER easy for them to make that decision. Episode 94 gives you the details.

Email length is negotiable and needs to be tested.

Nearly everyone I've ever worked with on marketing wants to know "how long should my emails be". The answer is, it depends. Email length really does relate to the objective of the email. If you don't know why you are sending the email, start there. Just as with any marketing activity, the strategy proceeds the action, otherwise you are wasting your time. There is no magic email length recipe. You simply have to understand why you are sending the email, what will engage your audience and test the crapola out of it. Because every email and every audience is different. What works sometimes, won't work other. Testing and retesting is really the best medicine for success.

Use those headings (because you've got skimmers)

"More Than 347 Billion Emails Will Be Sent and Received By 2022" according to Statista. Nobody has time to read every email that comes into their inbox. This means they are ignoring the ones that are irrelevant or don't keep their attention (see #1 on this list). This is where the power of using a header (more training on what that looks like coming on Facebook) in your copy, comes in. When you place strategic headers in your copy you own the ability to draw them in again and grab their focus on what you want them to do. Those headings stop skimmers in their tracks. They are worth GOLD. 🥇 🥇 🥇

Create traction with your images.

Adding images is a great way to grab attention. Utilizing those images to get your audience to the next step is even better. First, ensure that your image is relevant to your content, otherwise, it will just come across as slimy and untrustworthy. In marketing, they call it bait and switch. I've succumbed to it in the past, and I'm guessing you have to. It feels gross and it won't win you any awards. Instead, use the image to add depth to your story and if possible, a call to action that takes them to the next step. Images are so impactful, that if done right, they will make or break the chain of continuing to read the email. More details on this in this week's episode.

Covertkit Ninja Tip --> Resend to unopened emails.

This little trick you can actually start using today. If you go into your analytics you will see an option (a great Convertkit function and some other email service providers) called "resend to unopened". This enables you to pull up a list of people who didn't open that email broadcast and change the subject line so that you can try to get it in front of them. Should you do this every time? Probably not. But if you've got something that's hopping, it doesn't hurt to test it and see how many more people open it up and take action. Give it a try.

Use link triggers to segment your audience.

As I was trying to talk you through this component, I thought it would be MUCH easier to just show you. So look for a YouTube training in the coming weeks on how to do this. The quick answer is you can set up a link in your email that will tag someone when they click on it. With that tag, you can indicate their area of interest. I give really simple examples in the episode to explain what this looks like. The reason this increases engagement so well is it enables you to deliver customized content to those subscribers based on the links they have identified as interest areas. For example, if you had tags set up for strawberry, vanilla or chocolate ice cream and Sally your user clicked on strawberry, it's a pretty good indicator she likes strawberry. So you could then cater your content to send her all things strawberry. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry rhubarb sauce, strawberry pie, you get the idea. Instead of all things chocolate, because she didn't choose chocolate.

That's a wrap for this week. I would love to hear which of these you try and what your success looks like. Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.

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Let's be real for a minute . . . Keeping your boundaries can be at the least challenging. Especially if you aren't practiced at it. Holy shmoly people, the world can be a crazy place. Especially this year. But let down your boundaries or let people push you past those you have set and it could be like the initial scene of the Wizard of Oz.

The universe has been giving me a TON of boundary opportunities This is why I decided to focus the podcast this week on lessons learned from keeping and not keeping my boundaries. In hopes that some of my less than success opportunities will help you. Click here to listen to the entire episode. I have seven tips that I took away from recent boundary lessons to share with you, as well as some symptoms of being boundaryless at the end.

Boundaries help you realize what you do and don't want.

I give multiple examples of what this looks like in the episode, but without boundaries, you are pushed here and there with no direction and it's easy to lose track of what you were originally aiming for, making it nearly impossible to attain your goals and desires. If your boundaries are being circumvented, I found that its a great time to take stock of what is happening in your world. See the symptoms below.

Holding your boundaries helps you reestablish and reconnect with your goals.

It's easy as a business owner to just jump in and power through. But if all that effort isn't moving toward an end result, or you've lost sight of what the end result is, then reaching the finish line will be impossible. More often than not, if someone pushes your boundary it makes you aware that something is off-kilter. It is a warning shot per se to reconnect with where you are going and what you are trying to accomplish, which typically requires you to enforce a boundary. Funny how that works, eh?

Saying yes means saying no to something else. What do you REALLY want and need to say yes to?

Episode 93 has many examples of what this looks like. But, simply when you say yes to something as simple as ice cream after dinner - you are saying no to things like your diet, vegging out on the couch later, one flavor over another. A simple decision really is complex. This is why when you say yes to things in business, like working with that high-maintenance client, you can easily be tilted off-track pushing you further and further off course. When I evaluate what saying yes means, it ensures that I am empowering myself to follow that decision through. I chose to hire a cleaning lady, there are a lot of inside details about this situation in the episode. Hiring this company empowered me to say no to feeling guilty about the house being dirty, spending my time on a chore when I would rather be doing something else, and most importantly family disputes every weekend on who would be doing what.

Take 100% radical responsibility for you and only you.

That seems easy enough, but 100% responsibility requires extreme effort and practice. Notice that end piece, for only you. I talk a bit more about that below - but you are not responsible for other people. It's easy to pick up their projects (especially mental projects) which is why in the episode I share this important tip: "I'm sure you'll figure that out!" Listen here to hear the entire story and know why it works to keep you in your responsibility lane protecting your time and energy.

There is no point in trying to fix other people.

First, you can't fix them. They can only fix themselves. I shared this Julia Roberts quote, which I am seriously thinking of making my mantra. Swap out man for client, child, or whatever fits for you. Listen to the entire scoop on not "saving" others here.

"Women, you are not rehabilitation centers for badly raised men. It's not your job to fix him, change him, parent, or raise him. You want a partner not a project." - Julie Roberts

Take time to Reflect, Recharge & Reevaluate (the triple R).

When confronted with your boundaries, you are also confronted with an opportunity for choice and change. Sometimes you need to take a deep breath and reflect on what is going on. Why you are feeling the way you are. Is it because you're tired, stressed out, or something else. Taking a few minutes to connect to your gut and ask yourself what is coming up helps you recharge and then you can reevaluate what you want to do next. Helping you to act with precision and confidence as you move forward.

You only get one shot. Today.

I butchered the "today is a present" saying, but I know you've heard it. I also know that it is true. This is why I give you some important questions to ask before you answer "yes" or "no" to decisions that impact your boundaries and your sanity. Because tomorrow is a new day, you have an opportunity. But sometimes that can fluster our decision making. I came up with these simple questions to help you determine whether you say yes or no.

What will "yes" mean tomorrow?
What will "yes" mean next week?
What will "yes" mean next month?
What will "yes" mean next year?
What will "yes" mean in 5 years?

The same questions can be used for "no". You can hear some specific examples of how this scenario looks by listening to the episode here.

Last but least. You may be struggling with boundaries if you have these symptoms: * You feel worn out all the time. More than exhausted. * You feel emotionally overwhelmed. * You aren't sleeping well. * You're stressed out, all the time. * You are exhausted, frustrated, cranky, and angry and can't figure out why. * You are feeling melancholic.

If you are feeling any of these, check your boundaries. If they feel out of whack, implement one of the options from above and see how you feel afterward.

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Landing pages, opt-in forms, oh my It can be a smidge overwhelming, don't you think? Everyone is telling you to put a freebie on your website, but how exactly do you get it on your website, and which format works better? A single page or an opt-in form, a pop-up form, a combination?

I am giving you the low down This week's episode of the Feed U Podcast gives you the low down on what option of opting in works the best. Click here to listen to the entire episode. I have found that using a separate landing page, works the best. But I also give you the inside scoop of what to do when you have a broken, horribly hideous, or non-existent website, to still grow your list.

A landing page screams intent to your page visitor.

Why do you need to give your visitor a specific reason to visit your page and keep them on task? Simple. We as a society are uber distracted. If you have a potential subscriber that comes to your landing page, you know they are there for one of three reasons. To buy, to get on your list, or to learn more. Your goal for a landing page is simple, you either want to sell, add them to your list or get more information from them so you can make your emails irresistible. By removing every other attention grabber, you are able to get them to take whichever action you intend.

A landing page creates a distraction-free zone.

The #1 reason I love love love landing pages is that you have made your intention clear, there are limited distractions, hence, you get higher conversions. Whereas an opt-in form on your website opens you up to oooh, what's this pretty thing over here, wait there's a blog article on that, they're on Facebook, let me go check that out. You see the problem. They never opt-in because there is WAY too much vying for their attention. Pop-ups work fairly well, but also run the potential of being annoying. If you're going to have a pop-up make it match the opt-in you are trying to drive traffic to.

Track conversions, easily.

This is where a lot of business owners drop the ball, they don't track what is working. When I say "what is working" I mean are people downloading your freebie and continuing down your sales funnel? Or are they getting to the page and not exchanging their name and email address for your content? Or worse, are they not arriving at all? It's more difficult to track conversions (especially if you are using online advertising) if you don't have a specific page that you can track. If you are putting in the effort to grow your list and want to sell products, the best way to do that is to track that landing page. This is also a great tactic if you are testing different opt-ins to see which one performs better. Lastly, if something is broken, you know where to track what needs to be fixed.

Introduce new visitors to Y-O-U.

When people arrive at your website from the internet ethers, if you have a landing page that leads to a thank you page, you can direct them directly to another page on your site that could be of interest. Keeping them on your website builds the relationship. It is more difficult to create this experience if you have them fill out a landing page not connected to your website. More on this in just a bit.

Benefits your SEO and Search.

Google searches pages, it cannot search forms. When you set up a landing page for a specific opt-in you can then have the URL for that page be specific to the content on that page. Google loves content that matches the URL, when you can do this, it will naturally increase your ranking for those specific search terms. You also have the ability to include keywords in your description and title for the landing page and any other content you have on the page. Meaning, Google will see those terms and say "hey, they are talking about "x" and so and so is searching for "x" we should pop this into their search results. Win. Win. Win.

Easier to track advertising effectiveness.

Similar to #3, when running Facebook or Google ads, it is easier to add a pixel to a certain page or have that ad track to a certain page and calculate effectiveness. Sometimes Facebook's numbers are inflated, and the same for Google, when you have your own statistics you can compare and ensure that your ad spend is truly working the way they say it is. Reports from third parties aren't always accurate, when you have your own numbers, you can verify and know when something is truly working or it isn't.

What to do when you don't have a website. First, don't panic, you can still grow your email list even if you don't have a website. I DON'T recommend this as a long term strategy, but you can get started without a website. When you use an email service provider (highly recommend) like ConvertKit (my personal favorite) you have the ability to build a landing page within their app. Here are some of the benefits of using a landing page through Convertkit:

They have easy to use templates, making it easy to get your landing page up and running.
Typically you can personalize the page with images and sometimes video.
Usually, colors can be customized to match your brand or an upcoming brand to keep consistent.
The information on the form will automatically go into your email service provider so you can email them.
You can connect the form to Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics, and Segment Analytics.

A few pitfalls to only using a landing page with an email service provider:

No specific thank you page to track conversions for advertising.
Can't direct them to additional content to further the relationship because you aren't using a website.
Subscribers can't learn more about you and it may dampen the know, like, trust factor.
No central hub for any of your marketing.
May be seen as "not really in business" if you don't have a website or a coming soon page - hindering your authority.

I also mention LeadPages in the episode, but pitfalls 2-5 will still apply to LeadPages. Long term, you will want a website even if it's just a simple website.

What did you learn from this episode? Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join me in my Facebook Group. I talk about all things online business growth but specifically sales funnels, branding, and WordPress.

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2020 has been a doozy of a year so far, how's your self-care regime going? If you answered, what self-care regime - then this week's Feed U Podcast episode was made for you. There is a direct correlation between how you take care of yourself and success. With so much going on, I thought it critical to challenge you to put yourself first. Because putting yourself first isn't selfish. In fact, when you refuel and replenish you have more to offer and give to those who need you.

This week I share 7 tips that will keep you sane and sassy when it comes to self-care. Some of them you may have heard before (but it never hurts to be reminded, especially with everything going on). To get the entire lowdown of how to take care of you, tune in here and listen to the episode. As always, here are the cliff notes for this week's episode:

Eat well. I know McDonald's can be easy and sound delicious when you don't feel like figuring out what's for dinner. But, there is a direct correlation between stress and eating. I also talk about my realization of junk food addiction and tuning into your body to listen to what it wants. Of course, everything in moderation is my motto. You don't have to be perfect, but you do need to listen to the cues your body gives you when it comes to eating, sleeping, rest, exercise, you name it. For all the deets tune in here.
You've got to move it move it. Yes in fact in this week's episode there is a bout of brief singing. What can I say? I'm a Madagascar fan. Just something about the Zebra. Anyway . . . moving your body counts. Even if it's in short spurts. Research has shown shorts spurts over time are as effective as longer periods of exercise. Meaning you don't have to do it all at once. But, this body we are in was meant to move. When we don't move things get kinked up, clogged up, and jacked up. Yep, those are the clinical terms.) Even if you have to sit at a desk all day there are ways you can get up and move it move it move it. Listen to the ideas I share about what I'm doing to keep moving during zoom calls and computer work.
Meditation is cool. I'm not just saying that because I live near Boulder. I think by now we can agree that the meditation thing is not just a trend. It's been going on for 1000's of years - so I think we can quit calling it a "thing". When we sit, quietly and listen. Turn off our thoughts and listen. It's amazing what will start happening in our lives. I reference Insight Timer when talking about a tool to get you started. I've used it for many years now, and that free version has a TON of content. Check it, tune out and let me know what you find out.
Turn off devices, the news, and social media. Holy cow could we have more distractions? I give a great example of what happens when we tune into our device first thing in the morning during the podcast. As humans, we are problem fixers. If we jump into a problem before we have even given ourselves the chance to wake up or plan out our day - we are like Doug in the movie Up. "squirrel". We won't get done what we need to. Our goals won't get accomplished. And, we can't achieve what we want to achieve. It also makes it really hard to focus and stay neutral energetically. With so much going on and so many distractions, it's exhausting just thinking about it. No wonder we are tired. Last, I give some before bedtime tips for devices in this week's episode. Give it a listen here.
Simply sleep more. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But sleep is one of the BEST stress-busters out there and most of us don't get nearly enough. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep daily helps your brain function at it's best. Even more, even better. But many of us don't get enough sleep or can't fall asleep or stay asleep. I shared several tricks to fall asleep during this part of the episode. Below are the links to some of the tools I reference. For more detail, listen to the episode.
Yoga Nidra Meditation Julie Rader
Tuning Forks (I have the 136 and the 128)
Lavender Essential Oil
Serenity Blend Essential Oil
Take action. It is easy to get caught up in our thoughts and let our emotions propel decisions or keep us stuck. When we start to take action, things will start shifting and moving again. Sometimes it's as simple as taking that first step. Sometimes we have to take smaller steps to gain momentum and see big results over time. But overanalyzing and spinning our thoughts over and over in our mind only increases our stress. So take that first step and see what tomorrow brings.
Get creative. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we are creators. When our creativity gets blocked we don't have new ideas, we feel stuck and wonder what the heck we are going to do and how got into this mess in the first place. When we can find a constructive way to release that creative energy we are more productive, find solutions faster, and achieve our goals quicker. We have to expend the energy somehow. It doesn't matter if your creation is perfect (let perfectionism go for the love of all things holy) and just play again. I reference my addiction to crayons (learn more here about that) but choosing what fits your creative needs will be the best way to go.

Simply if you want more success then put your self-care first with these 7 tips. If you're ready to declare your self-care commitment, come tell us in the Facebook Group this week. In the meantime,

Listen to the entire episode here:

Om 136.1hz Tuning Fork by Omnivos for Alternative Health

Otto 128 hz Tuning Fork by Omnivos for Alternative Health

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If writing an email consistently is not on your "top favorite things to do" list, then this episode is for you! I know email can be drudgery and at times overwhelming, which is why it often is overlooked. But email marketing has the highest ROI of any other marketing tactic out there. Nearly 400% in fact. But, statistics don't help you write an email. This is why in Episode 90 of the Feed U Podcast, I share my 4 step email success formula.

This formula has worked for me, and my clients so I know it will work for you too. I cover the 4 easy steps of the formula on this week's podcast episode, you can listen to it in its entirety here.

Technically in the episode, I talk about #1 second and #2 first. But, it's because my outline was screwy. I just didn't want any confusion when you were listening.

Nail your headline. If you don't nail your headline and grab your audience's attention, you've lost the game. We have to compete with all the other emails in their inbox. Which means, you have to stand out and get that email opened. Otherwise, none of the other steps in this formula are worth a tic-tac. In this week's episode, I mention Episode 32 which is all about creating juicy headlines. If you need headline help, give it a listen. But writing a headline is THE most important piece of this formula - which is why I recommend practicing. Practicing comes from creating LOTS of headlines and then choosing the perfect one to include in your email.
Personalize your email. Nobody wants a "Dear Sir or Madam" email. They don't work, and they annoy people. Treat your audience like it is full of people. In fact, treating your audience like it's packed full of new friends is your best bet. The more you can personalize your interaction with your audience right off the bat, the better your long term retention and conversion will be. I talk about emotional alchemy in this week's episode and the importance it can have on your marketing and relationships. You definitely want to tune in to hear about this, it's a game-changer. I also mention how important knowing your audience is. This free tool will help you research and get clear on them and their needs. Be sure to grab it.
Call your people to action. As though you've never heard this one before (chortle chortle). If you don't call your audience to action, they won't know what to do next or worse, they will take no action at all. Meaning they fall right out of your funnel. You work too dang hard to get them into the funnel to let them just fall out. So, layout the roadmap for them. In Episode 90 I explain the 3 places people struggle with their Call To Action (CTA). They either put it into the email too soon, they have too many CTAs or they don't add one at all. UGH, right? Let's keep it really simple. Add one CTA. Keep it consistent and connect it to your content. If you want more details, listen to this week's episode for some more samples and ideas.
Add a P.S. I can't emphasize enough how important the PS is. In the episode, I give an example of unwrapping a package. It was a pretty good analogy (pats self on back) so go check it out. But, why is it so important to add a P.S. Well, here's the sweet truth that you won't likely want to hear. People will NOT read your entire email. I don't care if you are an award-winning author. We as humans have a 7-second attention span. Less than a goldfish, which means we skim and move on. When you add a P.S. at the end specifically with your call to action, you keep them in the funnel and keep their attention. Please please please if you take anything from this episode, add the P.S.

There you have it, the 4 easy steps to creating emails. Are you ready to get consistent and start loving on your audience? Come share your insights in the Facebook Group this week. In the meantime,

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You have that opt-in set up on your website, but you STILL aren't growing your email list! You've probably heard more than once how important it is to grow your email list. So, you created that download, put it up on your website, and now you hear the clock tick, tick, ticking, and yet no one is opt-ing in. Or worse, they are opt-ing in and yet still no new sales. In Episode 89 of the Feed U Podcast, I am covering the 9 reasons why your opt-in isn't working. This is a MUST listen to the episode if you are ready to grow your email list.

I can guarantee if you take this list and implement these strategies, you will start to see email list growth and more importantly, more conversion of leads into customers. I give you some extra tidbits (as always) in the episode. So head on over to your favorite podcast app and listen to the entire episode here.

I'm ready for the 9 problem areas, Alisa, lay them on me.

Nobody can find your opt-in. Unless your business is as a professional hide and seek artist, you have to make your opt-in easy to find. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a website to review it and couldn't even find their list builder. You have to make it obvious and easy to opt-in. More to come on the must have's below. But this is critical. Want more details? Tune into this week's episode here.
Let's face it, your opt-in is crap. If you just slap something together and think people will give you their precious email address for it, sorry to break it to you - but it ain't going to work. You MUST solve a problem and give your audience a quick win. Everyone has a free download (or so it seems) so yours has to be even better. The same goes for "sign up for my newsletter". Nobody needs another newsletter. Their inbox is already crammed with them. You need to give them a reason to opt-in that's so good they would pay for it. Need some more examples? check out this week's episode.
Your opt-in is a sales pitch. If you've been listening for a while you know I'm a big fan of relationship building. It's the wave of "now" and will be an even bigger wave in the future (read prediction.) Which is why selling to soon is the death of your opt-in. People want their problem solved and they want it solved now. They don't want to know every detail of how your office runs, what copy paper you use in your office, or how many people will have to look at your water cooler before it can be fixed.
You never follow up. Please don't be a drop off the face of the earth opt-in creator. How many times have you signed up for a freebie and then gotten the freebie but never heard from the provider every again? Or worse, you heard from them 6 months later and you don't remember who they are. DON'T be that person. That leads to the immediate ticking of the unsubscribe button and nobody wants that. In this week's episode, I give you some specifics on what you can do to follow up effectively and start nurturing and building that customer relationship. give it a listen here.
You never call them to action. Listen, I know you know your business better than anyone. But here's the thing - your customers don't. So if you never tell them what to do next - they won't take the step. SO many times I have worked with clients that did EVERYTHING right and then when it came to their freebie they just left their audience hanging. A hanging audience doesn't move forward. Which means they will never get to the part where they give you money to help them. You have to leave them bread crumbs to follow. I give you some examples here, go check it out.
You're not targeting your opt-in! Here's the deal - if you've created an opt-in in hopes of helping everyone, no one will want it. You have to target your opt-in, just like all of your marketing, to start a conversation with the person you want to do business with. Knowing who your ideal client avatar is will help you create something specifically for that person. If you don't know who that is or how to learn about them, grab this free ideal client worksheet and fill it out. (The second part is key). In this week's episode I talk a lot about refining your ideal client because, like many things in business, this evolves as your business evolves. Might want to keep that worksheet handy for the future as well.
You're not leading your prospect to the next step in your funnel. You have to tell your audience what you want them to do next. We are experts in our area of knowledge. But most of the people who need us, are at a kindergarten level. We have to take them on a journey to get them to the point of working with us. If we don't lead them along with bread crumbs, step by step, they won't keep walking. They will get distracted by something else (family, email, social media, our competitor) and it is REALLY hard to get their attention again. With your opt-in, you have to continue to lead them on that journey. In this week's episode, I talk about some of the clients and results we've gotten when we got this right. You can give it a listen here.
The opt-in isn't connected to your brand. Imagine a time when you printed out an awesome resource you had signed up for. Likely it got lost in a pile on your desk or filed away for a while. When you went to look at it again, did it have a logo? Website address? Were you left asking - where the heck did I get this again? If so, that's a branding problem. Don't be that person. People are at different stages of their buying journey. Those researchers will eventually want to make a decision, but if they don't know who you are or can't connect your awesome resource to you - then they will never turn into a customer. Brand it, baby.
You don't continue the conversation. In this week's episode, I relate your opt-in as a conversation starter. A first date if you will. But, if you don't continue the conversation and just start talking at your new lead instead of to them, guess what - they will tune out. Pronto! Create the conversation, nurture the lead, and think of this as step one of a long journey.

There you have it, the 9 reasons your opt-in isn't working. Did you see one spot that you're opt-in could use some polishing? Work on it and share what you did in the Facebook Group this week. In the meantime,

Listen to the entire episode here:

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It's pretty hard to stay in business if your cash register isn't ringing! It is so frustrating to put time and energy into your business and your marketing and still not see sales. More often than not, it can be something as simple as getting your offer right. This is why in Episode 88 of the Feed U Podcast I am giving you the 7 areas that I have seen my clients struggle with. Once we've fixed these areas, the cash register starts ringing.

You may be saying, what the heck does my offer have to do with anything Alisa? In most cases - EVERYTHING! You can't sell something that no one wants, and it's pretty darn hard to pay the bills if you aren't selling something. Am I right?

So let's dive into the 7 areas that most people neglect or just plain miss when it comes to creating their offer. Most of these are quick fixes that you can implement and start seeing results right away. For examples and all the details, head on over and listen to the entire episode here.

Let's dive into the 7 areas most people get stuck when it comes to creating an offer that sells.

You have to solve a problem. People aren't on Google searching out your product. They are trying to find an answer to this thorn in their side that keeps them up at night. If you jump into your doohickies and all the facets of your product. You've lost them. They are off to find someone who cares about their problem. In the episode, I give some specific examples of how this plays out in your customer's journey. Give it a listen here.
Don't be a product pusher. Similar to point number one, you don't want to dive into pushing your product right out of the gate. People buy from people who they know, like, and trust. That requires building a relationship. You have to court them, let them know you feel their pain, and that you just happen to have a solution that will help them out. If you've never tuned in to one of my favorite Ted Talk speakers, give Simon Sinek's WOW video a watch. I also give some great examples in this week's episode.
You can't sell to everyone. If you are trying to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one. We are a distracted society. Without some differentiation from all the other noise in the world, you are going to have a HUGE uphill climb to get your offer in front of people who will pay you to help them solve their problem. It also makes creating content, writing messaging, and developing ads a huge pain in the behind. When you are clear about who you help and how you help them, all of those struggles become easy. In this week's episode, I share the story of one of my clients and the struggle he has had at trying to reach multiple audiences. Give it a listen here to learn what we did to solve the issue. Luckily for you, I've also created a free download to help you map out your ideal client avatar. You can grab it here.
You're not sure what you're selling. More than once I've taken on a new client who thinks they have their offer nailed. But when it comes down to it, there are some key things that are missing. Number one being there is no clear offer presented. They do a mix of a lot of things, but people don't buy "all the things" that you do. They buy results and forward motion. Without a clear path (buyers journey) to your offer and through your offer, you will struggle to keep people in your funnel and making a decision to get out their credit card. Tune in to hear some examples of what you can do to scale your offer and keep people in your funnel here.
You have given people too many options. This goes back to number one as well. If you don't understand your ideal client (be sure to grab this free download if you need help with that) it makes it really hard to know where they are in their buying journey and how you can best help them (and get paid). You may have an overlap of services needed, but it becomes so much easier when you are the one who is directing the path. I also give an example here of what happens when you don't have a clear path to follow. Simply, people again won't buy. Which means you are now running a non-profit with no way to pay the bills. More often than not offering too many options will actually hinder you from success rather than propelling your sales forward.
It's never about the price - REALLY! If you're like me, you've heard more than once in your entrepreneurial life - "I can't afford it." Your prices are too high." "So and so will do it cheaper." The reality is that those are covert words to - you haven't built the trust needed or presented the value of what you offer clearly enough to help them move forward with their decision to invest in a working relationship with you. I share some specific examples here that will help you build your value and offer the assurance people need in order to invest in you and what you offer. Another key point that I forgot to add to the podcast is that your relationship investment time is directly correlated to your pricing model. The lower the price, the easier it is to build the relationship and move them to your cart. The opposite is also true.
You haven't cleared all their objections, so they won't move forward. There are three big objections that happen in every sale. I cover them all here. But here's the low down on the big 3 sale stickers (meaning they won't move forward if you haven't handled them all). Number one, you haven't built your authority and expertise in what you do. If you haven't given them enough confidence in what you can do, you will need to fill in the gaps with case studies, testimonials, or reviews. The second big sticking point is proof. The best proof comes from results which is why I work hard to get starting and ending numbers for my clients. It isn't' always possible, but when you can track where they started (numbers, measurements, etc.) and where they end up after working with you - that my friend is proof for your future clients. There is no time like the present to start tracking those metrics. Last but not least, you have to have some sort of guarantee. I talk a lot about online course guarantees in the episode. You may have to get creative about how you offer your guarantee. I also give you the low down on how I handled this in my business. Give it a listen here.

That's a wrap for this week. Is your sales funnel stuck? Which one of these tips will you implement first?

Come over and share your sales funnel frustration in the Facebook Group this week. I'd love to be able to support you. In the meantime,

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Being an entrepreneur sets you up for self-growth for sure! I don't know about you, but I feel like using my self-esteem as a punching bag has been a HUGE part of growing my business and getting to where I want to be. In this week's episode, I share with you an inside secret (ok maybe it's not so secret). But here's the thing - NOBODY has it all figured out. No matter how big their business is. And, if they say they do, they are lying.

I've been fortunate enough to work with some of the best of the best And what I found out, is even those with multi-million dollar companies are still literally and figuratively getting their poop into a group. Sometimes they just have different piles to push together. If you are imagining that you will someday wake up to a business that is problem-free, I hate to burst your bubble, but it ain't never gonna happen. The good news is, there are some definite things you can do to prepare yourself for business growth, scalability, and also increased customer service.

Some of the team-building tools I recommend in the episode are determining a way that you want to handle onboarding. I give several examples. The first being super easy using Loom to record your process now so that when you ready to bring on someone to help you already have a process recorded. You can take that a step further and send it to Temi for transcription and then just clean up the document, turn it into a written process. Or you can outsource the transcription clean up to your new virtual assistant. (Great minds, I Know Right?) I've started documenting my processes this way and it's a REAL eye-opener to where I am spending my time.

Then I recommend choosing a place to store those new processes that are easily accessible by your future team. Some recommendations are dropbox where you can change file permissions or Google Drive. I also mention that if you are wanting an email address @yourdomainname.com that you sign up for GSuite. The awesome thing about GSuite is that it works with nearly every hosting platform and you also get access to some shmancy features in your Google Drive. Like the ability to create templates for work that you do over and over again. The cost for GSuite per user is around $8 a month. Not too shabby for all that you get. And you don't have to have multiple users to share documents.

Toward the end of the episode, I give you three suggestions for refining and tightening your process. I also mention my favorite quote as a mantra to live by when setting up these processes (and running your business for that matter).

"Done is better than perfect."

First, get feedback from your team or your trusted friends/associates on your process so that you can refine what you are doing and ensure that it's easy to understand. This includes documenting, recording, and reviewing each process that you regularly repeat in your business. Make decisions based on the data you have now because you can always refine the process (and you will) down the road. I think keeping general with the process is helpful. This enables whomever you bring on to add their expertise and flair to the process.

Second, get feedback from your clients and previous clients. I recommend setting up a quick exit interview to gather data or a survey for people. It's great if you can have one on the front end and one on the back end because then you can measure where they were and where they have come. This is an idea that I am going to be implementing during Q2. This is also a great time to gather testimonials and celebrate results. When people recognize their results, they want to keep moving forward, meaning they want to keep working with you. Which means (yep) you increase sales and make more money. (see how I snuck sales funnels in here?)

Last, always review a project, work with a client, an event, or whatever you are doing with these two questions. What did we do right? What could we do better? Take both lists and implement them in the next version.

That's a wrap for this week. Have you documented your processes? Where do you keep getting stuck?

Come over and get some support in the Facebook Group this week. I ran out of time to do a website review last week, so I am going to do them this week. Have one you want to be reviewed? Come tell me in the Facebook Group.

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Making your small business website customer-friendly is a MUST. How many times have you gone to a website looking for a specific article, product, or answer only to get lost and wander aimlessly? Ultimately leaving you frustrated, walking away or worse spending hours searching out the very thing you CANNOT for the life of you find. This week's podcast episode is all about the 3 things you absolutely must have on your website to be effective and get more customers.

I packed a few extra bonuses in this episode at the beginning, wrestled with some teens in the middle of recording and lost my train of thought . . . But ultimately, I deliver a short and sweet episode covering the must-haves to make your website function as part of your sales funnel and also keep your customers and audience happy and returning regularly.

One of the things I mention in the beginning is the need to have an SSL on your website. One, because it makes your visitors feel secure. Two, because Google gets downright hostile with your search rankings if you don't have one. I mentioned my favorite hosting company SiteGround, which offers a free SSL with its hosting service. You can check them out here.

1 - Call to Action. You may be saying to yourself, I have a Call To Action, Alisa. It's right there and says meekly, "Learn More". Let's have a come to Jesus meeting real quick. NO ONE wants to learn MORE. They want you to solve their problem, understand their problem, talk about their problem, and ultimately fix their dang problem. I go into several examples here in the podcast episode of what not to do and ultimately what should be done instead. But don't hide your next step from your customers. They won't go looking for it, instead, they will go to your competitors. Ain't nobody got time for that, so let's buck up little campers and slap that Call To Action front and center.

2 - Connect with your audience -consistently. Consistently is relative to you and your audience. Some people will connect daily, some people once a month. It will take some trial and error on both sides of the fence to get it right. But set the parameters, communicate, and show up. Most importantly give value and build the relationship. I go into one of my not secret vices in episode 86 and share the story of one of the people I recently followed who is doing it right. I also dive into how she is doing a great job with her consistency, her creation of content and how it meets the needs of her audience and last, how it leads to her sales funnel and people buying what she's shlepping. I may have gone a bit of tangent here as well, but it's late in the day and I tend to do that when I am enjoying sharing the scoop with you all.

3 - Collect the "goods". The last must-have piece of your website is a way to collect your visitors' names and email addresses. There are about a million different ways and ideas to do this. But, it's critical because if you don't collect something, you have no way to engage with them, love on them and keep them moving through your sales funnel. Meaning, your website is a lazy teenager who isn't doing their chores and you keep paying them anyway. The point is, figure out a way to gather those email addresses and names so that you can add them and keep them moving through your sales funnel. So that ultimately they buy from you.

I will have a "Create your free download" challenge coming up in May (just a heads up for reading this far!)

That's a wrap for this week. Short and sweet, the 3 BIG things you need to make your website sales funnel friendly. These are critical now and will be in the future.

Will you be doing a few upgrades to your website? I'm doing 2 free website reviews over in the Facebook Group this week. Look for the post and add your comment to have yours reviewed for free.

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Creating an optimized sales funnel = survival for your small business. It breaks my heart seeing so many small businesses closing their doors or laying off employees because of the Covid19 pandemic. This is why in this week's podcast episode I am sharing the power that a simple sales funnel can have to help you not only overcome unforeseen obstacles in your business now but also in the future. There are 9 things to consider when setting up a sales funnel that works, in this week's episode I dive into each one.

A few weeks ago, I got chosen as a coach for the 1st StoryBrand Livestream event . . . Donald Miller, the creator, and author of StoryBrand opened a session by saying sales funnels = survival. This is why I am passionate about sharing with you the lessons, observations and what works in this week's episode. I want you thriving, not just surviving. So let's dive in!

1 - Create a strategy. Now let's be clear, strategy is a big word for plan. Just like you wouldn't hike Mount Kilimanjaro without a plan and the right equipment, you don't want to jump into marketing with no plan. This eats up your time, energy and money and in the end, you have no idea what's working and what's not. (more on how to fix that later) Throwing out marketing because you had the last minute idea will lead to frustration, overwhelm and ultimately you giving up on marketing altogether. How do I know? (raising hand) Because I've been there. I get it! So figure out a plan and for some tips, tune into this week's episode here.

2 - Solve a problem. I see SO many examples of people throwing together a business because they love to do something. For example, opening up a pottery shop because they love to make pottery. That's all fine and good, but if you don't have an audience who wants to paint pottery and will come and pay to do so, you won't make it in business very long. (Hence the 85%+ failure rate of so many small businesses.) In episode 85 I give you three reasons that solving a problem will help you thrive as a small business. As well as three reasons not solving a problem will not only keep you from growing an audience but will have them looking elsewhere to do business. Be sure to head on over and give it a listen.

3 - Don't ghost your audience. The fastest way to lose and disappoint your audience is by sending them one email and then disappear. The goal of a sales funnel is to attract and connect (nurture) with your audience so much that they can't wait to buy from you. When you disappear and then reappear after six months, they don't remember who you are, let alone what you do and then the big unsubscribe surge happens. Don't treat your audience like a transaction, treat them like people, because they ARE people. This is the FASTEST way to grow engaged fans and followers.

4 - Track what you are doing. This is the #1 thing that nearly every business owner struggles with. If you are investing in marketing, time or money, track it. Because if you don't have a way to track whether or not your emails are being opened, a coupon code is being used by whom, a purchase was made, then you will NEVER know which piece of your marketing is working. The good news, it doesn't have to be that hard to track your marketing efforts. Give this week's episode a listen for a ton of ideas on how to track what you are doing so that you know whether or not to keep doing it or let it go. Because there is NO sense in continuing to invest in marketing that isn't growing your audience or bringing you customers.

5- Get focused. When you start throwing marketing together and slinging posts up on Instagram or going live on Facebook without a strategy or funnel you look unfocused. Your audience doesn't know what you want them to do and you come across as scattered. Giving you nearly zero possibility of gaining traction with your audience or moving them toward the end goal of purchasing from you. Clarity = cash. When you are clear your audience will follow the breadcrumbs of your sales funnel. (need some clarity on the breadcrumb analogy, listen in I explain it in depth). The next cash killer is lack of consistency. If I could give you only two pieces of marketing advice they would be #1 clarity and #2 consistency. When you show up, your audience pays attention (even if they are just lurking). When you disappear and then reappear people have stopped paying attention. It can be hard to be consistent without a plan (read strategy) and easy to lose track of what you're working toward. So in order to be clear and consistent, create a plan and then follow it.

6- A free download is NOT a sales funnel. Somewhere along the way, marketers sold the idea that If you had a free download that the sales would come pouring in. Like there were some magical funnel fairy that would sprinkle new customers into your world just because you put that new download out onto the interwebs. Unfortunately, you've been lied to. If you don't have a connection between your download, you and your products and services, you will be waiting A LONG time for your cash register to ring. So ensure that you have a plan that includes that new freebie you are proud of that leads your people to where you want them to go next. Ending of course with them either purchasing or moving out of the funnel. (the latter is ok as well because when they leave they make room for someone else.)

7- Don't try to sell too soon. We have all had or heard about the experience of the used car salesman stalking you as soon as you drive into the parking lot. It feels icky. But, have you thought about how your audience could be living that same experience going through your marketing system? When we provide something of value to our audience free of charge and then try to sell them into something quickly - like within the same transaction or the next email, we haven't earned the right to have their business yet. Meaning we are being slimy even if we don't mean to be. It's important to take into consideration your customer experience and also how long your sales funnel (warm-up) should be. Typically lower-priced products have a shorter sales funnel. But if you are going from a free video series into a $2000 course with no one buying - you're asking too much too soon! This is all determined by knowing your audience and your product suite.

8- Don't forget to sell. The opposite scenario from the above is those who give everything away for free and never present an offer. Or, they make it impossible for their customers to know how to buy from them. (Guilty as charged - but I'm getting better!) Giving away everything for free is not only detrimental to paying your bills, but it is also a sure way that you are robbing your audience from results. They don't have any skin in the game when they don't invest. It's an energetic transaction to exchange money. They are invested both monetarily and emotionally when they pay you money just as you are more invested because they have paid you than you would be if you were helping them for free. Sell your stuff, stand up confidently in what you can do and change the lives of those that are waiting on you to do so. In the meantime, build a sales funnel so that you have a plan when you start to falter.

9- Build your sales funnel first. Before you start that YouTube channel, have the Facebook Live, build your audience, invest in a marketing agency or spend tons of time and energy figuring out the best way to grow an Instagram following - figure out where you want them to ultimately end up. What will they buy? Why will they buy it? And how can you make their journey to get there so easy that they can't think of saying anything besides YES YES YES all along their journey to get there? When you start with the funnel, it becomes easy to know how to promote, where to promote and what your next steps are. So start with your endpoint and work backward.

There you have it, 9 specific things you need to build an optimized sales funnel that works. Sales funnels assure success even in times of uncertainty and crisis. There are definitely specific components in your funnel that you can be and should be building right now.

Which will you be focusing on next? Head on over to the Facebook Group and tell us what piece of this episode resonated most with you.

Listen to the entire episode here:

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Small business owners take pride in being able to figure everything out. But at what cost? We are scrappy and we put our heads to the grindstone to get it done. In this week's podcast episode I encourage you to take a look at what is slowing down your growth and eating up your time and freedom along the way. I give you five questions to ask yourself to identify where you should REALLY be spending your daily hours to get the most bang for your buck and reignite your passion in your business again. I even created a free downloadable worksheet to help you out. You can grab that at the bottom of this post or by going here.

The questions in the episode and on the worksheet will help you identify tasks that are keeping you stuck where you are as well as tools to move forward and accelerate your growth. Let's jump into those burning questions (I know you can't wait!)

1 - Where do you spend most of your time now?

Are you putting out fires? Jumping from one task to the next with no rhyme or reason only to end the day wondering what the shiitake steak did I get done today? I feel you, this can make you feel disheartened, burned out and unfulfilled in your business. We need to get you out of that routine. In order to do that, we have to figure out where you are spending your time, how much time you are spending on those tasks and where you would rather be spending time. In the episode, I give you some examples of tasks that eat up your time that you could eliminate or delegate. Give it a listen here.

2 - What repetitive tasks can you create processes for?

We all have those time-sucking tasks that MUST be done. But do they need to be done by us? In the episode, I give you the following tools and ideas to easily create processes for your business so that you can then delegate to a team member or contractor. The first is Loom which enables you to record your screen as your going through a process and then you can share that recording with your new team member. I recommend using a learning portal like Kajabi to organize everything as well as ensure that your processes are private.

3 - What is always on your to-do list?

If you're like most business owners, you have a never-ending to-do list. In fact, I really don't understand the phrase "I'm bored!" I've not been bored since starting my business and probably before. Can you relate? But, it is easy to be overwhelmed by that list of tasks, especially when they never seem to reach completion. When you take a look at that list and choose 3 things that have to go, right now! As in today! How does it make you feel when you will get to let those go? Sit with that feeling and then find someone to do them. I know, I know, you can't afford it. I'll be getting to that in a minute. But remember, to grow we have to let go. And letting go means releasing the illusion that we are the only ones that can do it "right". Our pride and perfectionism keep us stuck.

4 - Saving money is costing you time which is costing you money. Is it worth it?

In episode 84 I walk you through a simple scenario that illustrates exactly how much it's costing you to keep doing everything yourself. And not just monetarily - but your happiness, passion, and freedom as well. I also go down a little bit of a rabbit hole when it comes to trading your services or not charging what you're worth. You'll have to listen in to get the scoop on that, but it's SO worth it! I promise.

5- How will you cast a vision for your business and build the team to take you there?

First, you have to know where you are going. Hence the vision. Don't get caught up in the semantics. Make it a year, three years or even five years. I don't think I would go much past that, because frankly, as we have seen recently, things can change quickly. Once you have that vision you have to come to the conclusion at your own pace that you can't get there alone. No one does. Which means you have to seriously consider who it's going to take in your corner to get you there. I recommend making a list (even if it's just a wish list right now) of those people and describe who they are, what they are like and why they would fit well with your team. Last but not least, put up a job post on indeed.com, ZipRecruiter or even Craigslist. Just because you post the job doesn't mean you have to hire someone. But getting into the practice gets you ready to put your plan into action.

These five questions will start you down the pathway to spending more time doing what you love in your business while building a support network to get you to your goals. Don't forget to grab the free worksheet so you can answer these on your own.

Head on over to the Facebook Group and share your challenges, your hopes, your vision, and your next steps.

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On average millionaires have 8 streams of revenue. I'm sure that COVID 19 has you rethinking some things in your business, including how to move forward. In this week's podcast episode I wanted to give you some food for thought on how to diversify your business revenue. I came up with 6 different options for you to consider now so that you can begin implementation before the lockdown is over and be miles ahead of your competitors, ready to serve and still meet (and hopefully exceed) those 2020 goals you set a few months ago.

Why create multiple revenue streams in the first place? You may be saying to yourself, multiple revenue streams? That sounds complicated. I assure you it's not. This is why I break it down into simple terms in Episode 83 and give you the edge on not just surviving but thriving after we all get to leave our houses and dance in the street. How many of you miss hugging? I'm not even a huge hugger, but I miss it for sure!

Here are some of the best reasons to create multiple revenue streams. First - it will help you navigate and alleviate this very circumstance we have happening right now. It will also give you the mad skills of thinking outside the box before things get out of hand, the bills pile up and you are wondering how the heck to fill out the paperwork for the small business administration. You will have a plan in hand and be cool as a cucumber. Diversification in your business will also help you avoid the recovery hump that most businesses will feel because you will be serving customers during any circumstance. Lastly, having multiple streams of income will save you time, money and ultimately help you avoid the ups and downs between selling and delivering your products and services.

Who's ready for some diversification tips? 🙋‍♀️ (yep, me too!) If you're asking what can I do check out these ideas ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

1 - Develop affiliate partnerships.

What the heck are affiliate partnerships? They are the opportunity for you to make some dough on products and services you already use by referring them to other people. I give tons of examples here in the episode, specifically for restaurants and the affiliate partnerships I have created for my business. But for your curious mind, here is an example. Say you use a specific reservation company for your restaurant. They have an affiliate program (referral program). You sign up and start to refer that company to other restaurants and businesses (think salon, dentist, orthodontist, etc.). Every time one of your referrals becomes a customer, you make extra money from that reservation company. Bada-bing bada-boom it's in your account. Just like magic. This also works the opposite way. You can pay other businesses to refer you, new customers.

2 - Add new products or services to your repertoire.

This is actually easier than you may be thinking it is. If you're saying to yourself, I don't have any extra products or services - stop right there - because this next idea will blow your mind 🤯. You can ask your customers to wave their magic wand when it comes to something you offer and get the answer of what to add. Let me give you an example. If you are a restaurant and you have a special spice blend that you use with all of your beef dishes. People constantly remark on that spice, wish they could have it at home or ask for the recipe. That is a giant clue 🔎 that your customers would pay for that spice blend. That becomes a new product for your business. I have lots of other ideas and examples in Episode 83. Be sure to head on over and give it a listen.

3 - Create merchandise to sell.

This is a great way for your customers to promote you, your brand and keep you top of mind. One of the examples I give in the episode is a winery I visited recently with a friend. They had an etched glass with the winery name that they packaged with a tasting. You got to use your own glass and then take it home as a souvenir. Now every time I use that glass I remember that outing with my friend, but all the winery. Because . . . wait for it . . . their name is on the glass. What merchandise can you add to your product line up to diversify this income stream? Come tell me in the Facebook Group.

4 - Create additional services that you can sell.

This was my favorite part of episode 83 because I go on a little riff. You never quite know what will come out when you are recording - but this part right here was gold. I used several examples of what restaurants could offer as additional services, but this is so applicable to any business. Brainstorm how you can add more value to your audience through education or training. Here is an example that wasn't even in the episode (I bet you're glad you read this aren't you?) if you own a carpet cleaning company. You could create a home maintenance video series. Packed with ideas on how to remove common stains correctly. What will happen to the carpet if you don't get to the stain quickly enough, what to do if stains reappear and how to vacuum properly. You could even partner with some stain removal companies and earn affiliate income on the stain removal products you recommend (review #1 if I lost you there.)

5- Can you change your business model to serve more people?

For example, would you be able to shift from just serving customers to also serving businesses (or vice versa)? I gave a few examples over her in the episode, but I wanted to give you one more that's happening right now. American Giant typically sells apparel to consumers, but they have recently stepped up to partner with hospitals, emergency workers and the government to sew only masks. This is stepping outside of their normal role and has a dual positive effect. First, it is helping them establish their brand with new vendors and second their current customers (and even people who didn't know about them previously) now see them as heroes. What can you do that is similiar?

6- Ask your customers what else they want to see.

Do they want your napkins to use at home? (affiliate partnership). Do they love your bathroom soap? Do they want your dishes? Do they want to make linguini alfredo just like you do? (trust me they will likely only do this once because it won't be quite right). You get the idea. Asking your customers for their input is NEVER a bad idea and will likely wield a plethora of intel you couldn't have gathered any other way.

There you have it, six different ways to diversify your revenue both during and post-crisis mode. Businesses who have the ability to spread their offerings across multiple avenues and think outside the box will be the businesses that thrive and survive.

Which of these will you be implementing first? Head on over to the Facebook Group and share what you're excited about adding to your business's revenue menu.

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Instead of panicking, it's time to pivot. Alright, we as Americans have gone into a bit of a panic over the past week with the COVID 19 virus forcing must of into a lockdown situation. If you aren't there yet, chances are, you will be relatively soon. I want to encourage you to think about how to pivot in your business, especially if you are service-based or you have a physical storefront so that you can not only survive but thrive through this change.

First, let's talk about focus. If you've been a listener of this podcast for a while, you've heard me say where you focus is what you will experience. So if you are focusing on scarcity, fear, and hysteria - that WILL be your experience. So get your brain to focus on what you want instead and you will have that experience. Don't believe me? Give it a try and report back. Turn off the news, change your thoughts, focus on abundance and what is possible for 24 hours and come tell me if things didn't change over in the Facebook Group.

In Episode 82 of the Feed U Podcast, I am sharing five MUST ask questions to keep you on track during the shutdown, and help you plan post-shutdown so that you can not only maintain but grow your small business. For a detailed account of what to do and examples of businesses that are killing it already, listen here.

Question #1 - What can you do now to quickly move your business (or part of it) online? Can you provide your services through an online application like Zoom? Perhaps you can convert your products into an online store that offers pickup, curbside service or delivery so that you can keep employees working and product heading out the door. Last week I created a video tutorial on how to set up an online store using Square. You can see it here on my brand new YouTube channel. Can you create online training that your ideal customers will pay for? Can you build a paid or free online community? I give a ton of examples for each of these here in the podcast.

Question #2 - How can your brand become or stay visible? Do you need to become more active as an asset on social media? Spend more time nurturing your existing or building a new audience? Perhaps you can start sending direct mail again, handwritten notes are always a hit. Or you could physically show up in the community as a resource, authority and go-to person like one of the local businesses did here. For all the details tune into Episode 82. This is a great time to build brand awareness by giving back.

Question #3 - What can you do now to prepare for re-opening? We all have some time on our hands. Whether you are still working and have more time at home for weekends, evenings or lunch breaks. Or you are finding yourself at home because you can't be open. Regardless, let's use that time to create some wanderlust in our business. Where do you want to go in the next 3, 9, or 12 months? What's your long-term vision? Do you need to buckle down and dig into some of those marketing projects you've been avoiding? Does your email list even remember who you are anymore? In this episode, I give you a ton of real-world examples of how to spend your time and the importance of getting clear on your goals, purpose, and vision so that you are prepared for re-opening and beyond.

Question #4 - What you can do now to bring in some revenue? This piece of the podcast segment is packed full of examples for salons, realtors, food, and beverage industry companies and even alternative medicine providers like energy healers, chiropractors, yoga instructors and more. I walk through several examples of companies that are doing it right, have already pivoted and are seeing massive success and it's only been a week. To see how they are doing it and follow their example, listen to the entire episode here. In the meantime, here are so examples:

Food Industry: Offer food delivery and curbside service. Sell ingredients as a meal kit. Sell meal kits. Hand deliver wine, beer or other cocktails (if allowed). Switch from wholesale to retail. Provide hard to attain ingredients like milk, sugar, flour, eggs, etc.

Salons: Create a product & service bundle sell now with a discount. Upload products you recommend or sell and create how-to videos to go with the product to grow your email list. Sell the products on your website or by creating an Amazon store where you can earn affiliate income. Offer gift certificates.

Realtors: Host virtual video tours, a watch party or live open house. Take questions from viewers. Become a resource to potential clients now and follow up when things settle down. Follow up with previous and current clients.

Alternative Medicine Healers: Pre-sell service packages for post lockdown when everyone will need a reboot. Offer online options for energy work. a Teledoc opportunity to get professional advice or online classes. Complete current and previous patient follow up and create an offer to get them excited about coming in again.

Questions # 5- Ask the following questions: 1. What does your ideal client need now? 2. What will they need after the lockdown is lifted? 3. How can you offer a solution to both?

What are you doing to pivot your business during this unprecedented time and how will you run your business differently in the future? Head on over to the Facebook Group and share what you're doing to thrive through the coronavirus.

Listen to the entire episode here:

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This week I bring on a small business Facebook Ads expert. Facebook advertising is still the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to promoting your small business. It enables you to get in front of your ideal client and target your ads so that you can save money, frustration and time. Join me in this special interview episode with Samantha Pilling of BiteMe Marketing.

Facebook ads to bring in sales. Facebook advertising is a great way to grow and engage your audience, bring attention to your brand and bring in more sales. In Episode 81 of the podcast, my guest Samantha Pilling provides answers to fear around getting started with Facebook Advertising, how to get started quickly and easily and why you should consider Facebook ads to grow your small business.

If you're ready to give Facebook ads a try and want to learn more about how to get started, listen here.

What are the advantages of using Facebook over other types of advertising? First, answer these questions (they should be familiar if you listen regularly):

Who are your customers?
Where are your customers hanging out?
What can I invest in time and money?

Facebook is still a big player in the market as far as social media platforms. 69% of American adults are using Facebook for over 37 minutes a day. It's a regular part of their day, meaning your customers are going to be there. If you're not there, your competitors are, so you should take a look at being there as well. Facebook also has very sophisticated audience targeting, meaning you can more easily find your customers based on the information that Facebook collects. They have the reach and the targeting and has leveled the playing field for smaller businesses to advertise as far as cost.

How can you use Facebook to research and find out more about your audience? Using Facebook Insights is a great way to research your audience more thoroughly. But, Facebook is also striving to make it even easier to get in front of your audience. Previously, you had to do a lot of research and know a lot about your audience. But if you give Facebook some leniency in finding your audience, they will do the research for you. They will go and find your customers for you. In Episode 81 Sam talks more specifically about why it works better to give Facebook some space to go and find your audience, give it a listen.

What if I'm afraid to or don't know how to create an ad? In this episode, Sam gives you the inside scoop on getting over the fear and trepidation of creating your first or next Facebook Ad. As in most sales funnels, Sam recommends setting your objective first. Pick one and then move in that direction. Understanding what your objective is and then tell Facebook that's the direction you want to go and then they will help you accomplish that goal. You can actually set up an ad, not spend a dime and just try it out and release some of the fear. For more details, listen to Sam's excellent examples of objectives here. This helps eliminate some of the fear and makes it less complicated because Facebook really does want your ads to work. They aren't trying to trick you or make you fail.

What are some things I can avoid so that my Facebook ads don't get rejected? 1. Avoid using negativity in your ads. Facebook users do not want to have a negative experience. They will always do whatever enables their users to have the best experience possible. If they deem your ad to be more negative it will either cost you more money or they will reject it. 2. Don't make claims you can't guarantee. Facebook will say that you can't guarantee that everyone will get those results so they will reject your ad 3. Too much text on your ad. Facebook wants users to have a good experience, overcrowded ads are not eye-appealing and so often will get rejected. There are text requirements for ads that you can review here. In general, the rule is no more than 20% of your ad should be text. 4. Certain industries will have a harder time with Facebook ads. You can find more details on those industries and how to create successful ads in this week's episode. 5. As a new advertiser, you may get rejected just because you're new. Don't be afraid to ask for a review. Usually, they will get approved so don't be afraid to ask for a review.

How can you analyze if your ad is working or not? Depending on your industry, it will be easier to track your return on investment. For example, if you are an e-commerce store, you will know whether or not an ad is working if people are purchasing after seeing your ad. This is done with the Facebook pixel (more on that below).

Secondly, don't give up too soon. Running one ad that didn't work, doesn't mean that Facebook ads don't work. Sam gives a really good example here, give it a listen.

What is the FB pixel and what does it do? The Facebook pixel is a tiny piece of code that lives on your website that tracks visitors that come to your website. It enables you to track who is showing up on your website based on your ad. But the real power comes from retargeting (we will get to that in just a minute.) I'll be adding a FB pixel tutorial to the Facebook Group this week so you know how to add the pixel to your website. Stay tuned for that tutorial. Not in the group? This is a great time to join us. You can do that here.

What is FB retargeting and why does it matter? Retargeting is a powerful way for you to keep showing up in front of your ideal customers to remind them of who you are and what you offer. If someone watches a video, comes to your website or sees a post - retargeting ensures that you can get in front of them again with new content or an offer. Keeping you in front of them will put you top of mind so that when they are ready to buy, they will see you and will be more likely to purchase from you.

What are the mistakes you can avoid when using FB Ads? Knowing your objective and thinking about what the next step is for them on your customer journey will help you succeed dramatically with your Facebook ads. How will you follow up? Start a conversation? Download your free offer? The good news is, if you prepare and take action, you are already ahead of your competitors. Most companies never think through a strategy, they jump in and start showing ads with no plan of tracking or objective and then have an unsuccessful experience. Listen to a few specific examples here on how to be successful and to give you a place to launch your own creativity.

Now it's your turn. Are you going to give FB ads a try? Head on over to the Facebook Group and tell us about the first ad you are going to run, or get some insight on your current ad copy or ideas.

If you want to connect with Sam Pilling, you can do that here: Website

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If you're leaving your marketing success to luck, you will find it's run out. Obviously I'm having a little fun with the play on words this week, but the reality is that successful marketing requires planning. A 5-step plan in fact (I'll get to that in a minute). Regardless if you have a local small business or are a global entrepreneur, planned marketing reaps greater rewards, costs you less money and saves you a whole lot of headaches.

Advertising costs are expensive, online and offline. Which is why it's even more critical that you plan and manage your spending. Throwing money into advertising and praying that it will lead to new clients is literally "Living on a Prayer". There is a better way and we are going to dig in deep this week in Episode 80 of the podcast.

If you're ready to set up a marketing system that will work, then this is the episode for you, check it out here.

For now, let's dive into that 5-step action plan.

1 - Define your goal, set your objective.

I'm sure you have heard the quote from Antoine De Saint-Exupery "A goal without a plan is just a wish." The same can be said for your marketing. Without a goal, it's impossible to measure success or know which direction to sail your ship. Goals and objectives are the same things in this case. What is it you are trying to accomplish with this marketing campaign? Keep in mind there can be campaigns within campaigns as well, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Objectives can be things like:

Increasing your authority
Building your email list by ___ number of subscribers
Warming up your email list
Watching a video
Reading a blog post
and more

2 - Who is your audience, ideal client?

In case you missed it, I do have a freebie you can grab to help you out on this one. You can snag it here. In Episode 80 this week, I dive even deeper into some ideal client specifics. I spell out some examples but also cover a new component of audiences, where they are in your funnel. Leads can be cold, warm or hot. Given that information, you will need to set an objective and plan of action for each sector of your ideal clients. For more details tune in here. I also cover some specifics about local vs. global marketing and how to target your specific business and client type.

3 - What do your people need?

You all know by now how important it is to be creating content. In this episode, I give you some ideas on how to cater your content to your audience so that they are eating it up. Eliminating the guesswork and the time and energy spent creating something no one wants. Lastly, I caution you to show up where your people are and don't just start a podcast because everyone else is. If your audience isn't listening to podcasts, Houston, we have a problem. Create what they need and they will come. Put it where they already are and you'll get their attention.

4 - Create a followup system.

I have to confess, I went a little deep here when talking about follow up. The reality is, you can create a follow-up system that is as intricate or simple as you can manage. If you have a team of sales reps, then yeah, your follow-up system will have more moving parts. More people, more steps. Capiche? Regardless, the fortune is in the follow-up. So you MUST have a system to continue the relationship with your new leads. Whether that is an email sequence, phone calls, personalized videos using a tool like Loom, messenger messaging or a combination of all of these, that's entirely up to you. But, put something in place and keep in mind these three factors for your audience temperatures:

Cold--->>> educate and add value ---->>> segment by interest

Warm --->>> present offer --->>> convert to purchase or opt-in

Hot --->>> retarget --->>> send to next offer

5 - Analyze your tactics to measure success.

This is the most important step of your strategy because if you aren't measuring success, you will be spinning your wheels. Examining which opt-ins are working, where they are leading as well as emails, phone calls, sales, etc. Don't leave one piece of your funnel unmeasured. It will keep you from continuing with pieces that aren't working or giving you a heads up that something is amok and needs to be fixed. It will save you a ton of time, frustration and money.

Now it's your turn. If you want all the details for these five steps, head over here and listen to the entire episode.

Which of these steps were you missing? Head on over to the Facebook Group and share what's working, not working and what you still need to do.

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Email Marketing has the highest ROI percentage. According to Oberlo businesses can expect on average a $42 return for every $1 spent on email marketing. That's insane. Compared to paid advertising which is around $1 for every $2 spent according to Browser Media. Needless to say, email is here to stay and if your list is half-baked or not engaged, we need to fix that dude ASAP. (channeling a dad-ism there!)

If you just said, holy shiitake Alisa, my email is broken. Then don't panic my friend, because I've got you covered with 10 tips to get your email strategy back on track so that you are cha-ching 💵 ringing in more sales in no time. This week in Episode 79 I am giving you the inside scoop on how to clean up your email act and start gaining conversions. You can listen to the entire scoop over here.

In the meantime, let's jump into that list:

1 - No one wants your super cute download.

But you spent so much time on it and it's pretty and branded. But, as I often tell my clients, pretty doesn't pay the bills, useful does. We get stuck in the mode of design - thinking so much about our colors and fonts - that we don't realize we aren't solving a problem and so no one is listening. If no one is paying attention, no one is giving you their email address and your list isn't growing. The other pitfalls of clever downloads are that they are copycat material of other downloads out there and don't cater to an audience. They are too broad. Narrow that sucker down like a chocolate cake on Weight Watchers points. Lastly, your opt-in could be suffering if it's not relevant or outdated. People want what's happening here, now and driving them to crazy town to be fixed pronto!

2 - Nobody know you have an opt-in.

Oh dear, do I know about this one first hand. Beautiful opt-in, check. Packed with value, check. Solves a problem, check. Promoted to all my ideal customers - crickets. Oh, shoot! Forgot to promote the darn thing.

Here's the thing - if you don't tell people about your opt-in there isn't a magical internet fairy that will tell them about it. I go into more detail during Episode 79 this week. Give it a listen here. But in the meantime, get out there and start spreading the news so you can test that baby.

3 - Your email is B-O-R-I-N-G

Think back to when you picked up your phone today. It was probably sometime this morning and if you are one of the OCD people (raising hand) who clears out their notifications each day, then you know exactly how many emails came in overnight and early this morning. On a typical day, my number is between 35-60. And that's just before 9 am. Meaning, if you don't get your reader's attention and stat, they are going to swipe you over to the big green garbage can and all that work was for naught. Ain't nobody got time for that. It's time to break out your 11th-grade Creative Writing skills and get that email read and clicked on and moving onto the next step in your funnel.

4 - You have left your list in limbo.

You've hooked 'em with your amazing download and then crickets. They don't hear from you for weeks, months or even years. By the time you draft another email, they have forgotten who you are, how you got on their list and they hit that dreaded unsubscribe button. You work to dang hard for those email addresses, don't let this be your story. Stay consistent, stay engaged and build the relationship. I give you some specific examples of what not to do here, check it out.

5 - You want too much info on your forms.

Ok, here's the real dealio. People do NOT want to give out their information, they are protective like a mama bear to her cub. If you are asking for anything beyond their name (I recommend just first name) and their email address, it's TOO much! Keep it simple, play it smart and make your opt-in form easy to fill out and move on so they can get your juicy goods. You can ask for more later, once you've gone on a few professional dates and they know and like you more.

6 - No one knows who you are.

I'm still shocked and surprised at the people who start businesses, throw up a website and then wait for the phone to ring. I know starting your business is a BIG deal, but if you don't go out and tell people you are in business, they aren't going to come. You have to be a lead horn tooter for your mad skills, products, and services if you want clients. So get on out there and network, go to trade shows, get a booth, attend a conference, speak or set up some ads. Get the word out and then get your people on your email list.

7 - You're giving away the farm.

Okay, I know you're generous and kind-hearted, but it's also a bad idea to give away everything you've got for free. This is a REALLY quick way to go broke or worse, confuse your audience and have them go to your competitors. So, keep it simple, share good stuff, but stick to the why. It's okay to share part of a process and then stick the rest behind a gate that your audience has to pay for with cold hard cash or their email address. You get to decide because in case no one has told you, this is your business. For a few more tips on what and how to stick to your guns, listen to the episode here.

8 - Stop making it so dang hard to share your free content.

Holy moly this is an easy one. Add some sharing options to your website and ensure that your social sharing settings are on all lights green so that people can hit that share button from wherever they are and send it to their friends and family. The more eyeballs on your content the better. I recommended this plugin suite by Elegant Themes, specifically Monarch, as a sharing plugin for WordPress. When you get lifetime access it also includes Bloom and Divi. It never hurts to add the link to your videos, podcast notes (see what I did there) and on social media so that it's easy peasy for people to get to what you've created.

9 - You're adding people to your list without permission.

For the love of all things holy, please do NOT add people to your email list without consent. Specific permission. Asking the question, "Can I add you to my email list?" If they say no, then don't! First, it's rude. Second, it will make them curse at you. Third, it's illegal in LOTS of places and could be in your neck of the woods sooner than later. So practice good habits. If you want to know more about GDPR percussions of adding names to your list without permission, check out this episode with my guest Attorney Aiden Durham.

10 - Stop procrastinating already!

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, "I know I need to start emailing my list but . . ." I'd have a whole lot higher profit margin. I get it, you're busy. We all are. But this is critical stuff! I wouldn't keep harping about it if it didn't work. Carve out the time so that you can start building a relationship with your potential customers and stay in front of your current clients. It is the most preferred method of communication for US adults (72%) according to Marketing Sherpa statistics. Meet your audience where they are, in their inbox.

What are you waiting for - that's the end of the list. Go open your email service provider and get cracking! If you need a little bit of love between your ears, put on your favorite headphones and head over here so we can have an intimate chat about your email.

Which of these tips will you implement today so you can start reaping part of that 400% ROI? Head on over to the Facebook Group and tell us after you've sent your email. We can't wait to cheer you on!

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Go ahead and skip the self-care . . . . . . and let's see how quickly you build your business. I swear if I hear the word hustle one more time, I'm going to go over the brink into insanity. It's like we wear action as a badge of honor, when in reality - the magic happens when we stop and rest. Did you catch that last part? In case you didn't, I'm going to repeat it. The magic happens when you stop and rest.

You only get one life. Say what? Yep! It's true. This is it. The one. The only. And you're in the middle of it. So if you are chasing the notoriety, almighty dollar or approval of others at the expense of your own sanity and happiness - you need to get your poop in a group my friend. I say that with total love and affection - but THIS IS IT! And if you aren't taking time to enjoy your life, what's the point of all of it? This is why this week in Episode 78 I break down the symptoms of not getting enough self-care and 5 simple steps to get you back on track. Check out the entire episode here.

Am I a hot mess or just need a little self-care? Great question! I thought it might be helpful to have a checklist of "watch for" symptoms, in case you've totally lost track of what's happening to you while you build this life you've been dreamin' about. If you are suffering from one or more of the following, you may be in a self-care crisis:

Confusion
Feeling stuck
Unmotivated
Tired
Burned Out
Frustrated
Overwhelmed
Anxious
Unsure
Fearful
Angry

Holy crap Alisa, I go through all of those at least once a day. I get it. I hate to break it to you, but you're an entrepreneur and part of that is considered normal. But when those feelings stick and you can't move past them, it is DEFINITELY time to take a break and recharge. That means without a phone, email and social media be damned. Because let's be real, all social media does is exasperate your self-loathing when you're already at rock bottom. In this week's episode, I get pretty real with my journey of doing vs being. They are two very different modes of Operandi. When you are busy doing doing doing you end up with a handful of hair (because you pulled it out in frustration) and a lot of "to do's" that never seem to get done. Whereas, if you spend your time being who you want to be known for and doing the things that fill you up and make you shine, it's a WHOLE different experience.

I'm picking up what you're putting down, but how do I start? Lucky for you, I've perfected a list of just how to learn to experience as the Italians say "Il Dolce Far Niente" which translates to "the art of doing nothing." Uh, do nothing Alisa, really? That seems like some hocus pocus woo-woo cuckoo-ca-choo. I know but stick with me - because I AM DEAD SERIOUS when I say this stuff REALLY works. I know, because I tested it for a month. Does that mean you can lay around everyday eating bonbons and think your biz will hit the big time? Uh, no! But, it does mean that it's ok - more than ok - to take some downtime, do some self-care and then get back to it.

So let's jump into that 5 step plan:

Rest. Entrepreneurs are driven. They don't like to stop. They don't really understand how to rest. We are constantly checking our phones, answering emails, connecting to customers on social, making phone calls, stopping in to say hello, networking, marketing, and the list goes on and on. But without the rest, we won't have any energy to do all of the things that need to be done or enjoy the freedom that started us on this entrepreneur gig in the first place. So practice, resting. I know it won't be easy - but oh baby, when you finally get into it - you are going to thank me. I do love me some chocolate, just sayin'!
Create. Never underestimate the power of creativity. Because I'm telling you what, nothing gets the brain juices flowing like a little bit of creativity. It doesn't matter what you are doing, just jump in there and paint, cook, draw, write, color, build or whatever your little creative heart desires. I give you lots of different ideas here in the episode.
Breathe. Say what? I do breathe, Alisa or I wouldn't be standing here. I get you, but the reality is we just breathe, it's what our body does to stay alive. When we consciously breathe and tune into our breath on purpose - your whole world is going to open up. Especially if you add something like yoga to the practice. Mind blown! I have had some of the biggest breakthroughs during and after yoga. I'm telling you, you can't pay enough for that kind of therapy.
Move it. You've got to move it move it. Yeah, I'm getting punchy. But in all seriousness - move your body. When you take that walk, go for a bike ride, shovel snow or do whatever is you do to move the energy around in your body miraculous things happen. (see above) Whatever you choose to do, make it a habit. I give you lots of ideas here in Episode 78 as well.
Journal. As I'm writing these notes (well after the episode has been recorded) I had an experience JUST today that shifted my entire day around simply because I started journaling. As entrepreneurs, we do a LOT of thinking. Sometimes to our own detriment. Because we need to get out of our heads. One of the greatest ways to do that is to pick up a pen (yes a pen) and start writing. There is no right way to journal. Just do what works for you. Below are a few of my favorite places to find journals and some journal prompts to get you going. I share my crazy way of journaling here in the episode, check it out.

Journals:

Amazon

2nd & Charles

Silk & Sonder has bundled a planner and journal and they are GORGEOUS

Journal Prompts

Now it's up to you! Are you going to buy into the hustle, or give yourself some downtime? Head on over to the Facebook Group and share with the group your next self-care strategy.

Listen to the entire episode here:

Siixu Colored Notebooks and Journals, Hardcover Beautiful Notebook with a Wooden Box, Personal Diary for Writers, Women and Men, No Lines Paper, Special Pattern Design

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The #1 way to get traction in your business is to get ultra-clear about who you serve. As business owners, we want to help people, specifically people that are in one way or another like us. Whether that is how we are now or similar to who we used to be. Unfortunately, our brain convinces us that we should help EVERYONE. First, course of action - stop shoulding on yourself. The second course of action, pick your favorite.

I know you've been taught not to have favorites. But when it comes to the world of marketing, it's not just recommended, it's required to gain traction, stand out and expedite your success rate. But one of the HARDEST parts of being an entrepreneur is nailing down your ideal client. This is why this week in Episode 77 I cover the top reasons why finding and aligning with your ideal client will not only save you time and money but it will help you gain traction and get out of that desperate loop of overwhelm when it comes to marketing. You can listen to the entire episode here.

Have you ever said to yourself "If I don't help everyone, there won't be anyone who hires me?" I see a few hands raised and hear a few #preach responses out there. I think if you are walking the path of creating a business, this thought enters your mind at one point or another. It makes sense to the scarcity devil that lives between our ears. But the abundance angel doesn't believe it for a minute. The reality is that if you keep trying to help everyone, you won't be able to help anyone. Simply because you will meld into the background like a landscape in a Monet painting.

When you target who you help, it's like hitting the easy button in your marketing. Because you no longer wonder what to say, who you're talking to, whether they are listening or how they will find you. Because you know where they hang out, what they're doing at lunchtime on a Tuesday and what their favorite Netflix binge show is. Most importantly, you understand what is keeping them stuck in their business and causing them to lose sleep at night. In this week's episode, I give you a huge list of what happens when you don't clarify your customer and I'm not going to lie, it's not pretty. It can add up to thousands of hours wasted and even more money thrown out the window.

I'm sold! I'm ready to find my ideal client, but where do I start? Well, I have good news and bad news. The answer starts between your ears. The good news it's not hard to access. Nine times out of ten you are your ideal client, or you have been in their shoes at some point in your business journey. The bad news, our brains don't always remember where we were and what we're struggling with once we move past that hurdle making it hard to pin down pain points. Regardless, interviewing yourself is a great place to start to define your ideal customer base. Asking questions like what has been my business journey. When I started what was the biggest struggle I faced? How did I overcome the problem? Where do I spend most of my time? Where did I spend most of my time before? You get the idea. Self-interviewing helps you create a baseline for where you were, where you have become and where you are striving to be. People connect with people. Your people are ready to connect with you - so start here to begin to understand them and create that connection. The deeper you dig the faster you will connect.

Try searching in:

Business Associations
Networking Groups
Social Media Groups, Pages and Comments
Talking To Your Customers
Google
Look At Your Competition

Take that baseline and search out more information about your customer.

If you can arm yourself with as much detail as possible it makes your marketing strategy, content creation and overall life SO MUCH EASIER. I pinky promise! Because you will stop wasting time on social media platforms that will never get you in front of your audience, at coffee meetings with people who can't afford you and most of all cut through the forest and create a pathway for the people who need you most to find you quickly and easily.

In the episode, I share two REALLY good examples of how not serving a specific customer will take you off task, have you questioning every business decision you are making and worst of all, delaying or deterring your success because your people can't find you or are confused about whether or not you are the answer to their prayers. When you are clear, people take out their credit cards. Clarity rings more cash registers than a Black Friday sale.

Now it's your turn! Where will you go on a treasure hunt to find more information about your ideal client? Head on over to the Facebook Group and share the newest detail you learned about your ideal customer.

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The marketplace is oversaturated with content - which means . . . . . . there is NO room for humdrum content anymore. If you want to stand out in today's crowded internet space, your content MUST be killer. Yeah, that's a strong word, but seriously - you need to be thinking outside the box when it comes to getting your audience's attention. And more importantly, how to keep their attention once you have it.

But, how the heck do you create killer content? In this week's episode, I share the 3 MUST have components when creating killer content that drives traffic through your sales funnel (more on that in a bit) and 7 specific tips to gain engagement and grow your email list. Want the inside scoop with examples, mayhem, and musings? Tune in to the entire episode here.

What the heck is killer content and why do I need it? First I dig into what killer content is and the #1 key factor is giving your audience a quick win. Say what? Yeah - a quick win. They don't have all day, week, year for results. They need something NOW to know you are the real deal and can help them get from point A to point B pronto monto. (That's totally a saying I stole from my mom - what the heck is a monto anyway?) So give them the win and don't make them work too hard for it - you are just wetting their whistle for more.

Answer the unanswered problem. When you can listen to the questions that aren't being asked and start answering those, you become the master of your market and also a marketing master. Tune in here to understand what everyone else is doing in your marketplace and how you can be different. It's easy to follow bandwagon trends, what isn't easy is seeing what people are really asking without asking and taking the conversation there. When you can do that, you become the trendsetter and people will wonder where you got your secret powers. The secret is simple. Do a LOT more listening than you do talking and start listening to what people aren't saying when they ask questions. Create content around that and you my friend will become the go-to person in your industry. It's just a matter of time.

No matter what you create, make sure it leads somewhere. So many times I see people pour their heart and soul into content only to say "well that's all folks" and sign off. No call to action, just information. No next step, no continuing the conversation. It's so depressing to watch. Especially when their audience is hungry for me. It's a disservice to not ask people to take the next step with you. I give examples from a very specific industry that you can listen to here. Lesson learned, make sure your content is leading to the next step of turning that audience into a customer. Otherwise, you are spending a WHOLE lot of time creating stuff that will NEVER make you money. Ain't nobody got time for that.

But what the heck do I talk about? aka What content should I create? After creating 76 podcast episodes, umpteen training videos, and various webinars, etc. I've learned a thing or two (usually the hard way) about how to create content. I've also studied a LOT of the masters. Here's the shortlist of how to know what to create:

Know your ideal client inside and out. You've heard it before, you're hearing it again. But when you know your audience, you understand them. When you understand them you know their struggles. When you know their struggles you can create a solution. That solution is what they are looking for. Create it through content.
Stalk your competitors and see what questions are being asked that they aren't answering. (see above) A quick gander at comments in a Facebook group or on an Instagram post will give you BIG insight if you are in detective mode. Research isn't easy, but it makes all the difference. Go pull up a Facebook group you know your peeps are in and see what questions are being asked. There's this cool search tool to make it easier. Hurry up, I'll wait. (insert the Jeopardy theme song) Did you find anything? I already know you did, so get to it. Create the content already.
Look everywhere for questions that are being asked. Networking groups, online forums, social media, questions asked at events you attend, questions being answered by your peers and other industry leaders. Those questions become the content for your audience. I can guarantee the people you are serving have not invested in all the areas of education and learning you have. They simply don't have the time, so become their resources simply because you are well versed in what you do.
Become a go-to resource known for the value you provide. There are a lot of people out there (who shall not be named) that just skim the surface. But when you can offer a specific solution to a specific hiccup, the clouds will part, the doors will open and the people will literally FLOOD in. Do that, and then do it again. And again. (you get the picture)
Ask more questions. This simple trick will set you light years ahead of the competition. Why? Because most of your competitors are busy talking about themselves, their products and services and could care less about the critical component of sales. The customer. If you are listening, you aren't talking. When you listen, you hear and you learn. Take that knowledge and use it to grab attention and create transformation. Win-win.
Be genuine, authentic and you. People buy from people. When it comes down to it, someone will choose you over someone else because . . . you are you. They relate to you. They get you. They are your people. But if you are busy trying to be someone else, the waters get muddied and they can't find you or relate to you - alas they go elsewhere. Because confused people don't buy. They want answers, help and they are already confused - they don't need more confusion, they need answers and they NEED them from YOU!
Relate to your audience outside of the business. So maybe you run around thinking about your business all the time. Totally acceptable and expected. This is your baby. This is your passion. (if it's not, we need to have a chat, but later.) Regardless, you may be a little obsessed with what you do. However, your people are not. This is just one little ticker in a whole line of things they have going on in their business and their lives. We as humans are naval gazers. We can't help ourselves. But if you can lift your head up and realize life is going on outside of business, you will see people are living their lives. When you can create continuity between yourself, your experiences and theirs, you start to build relationships. This is a VERY good thing.

That a wrap for this week. I would love to know what content you have been inspired to create. Head on over to the Facebook Group and tell us what piece of content you'll be creating next.

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Valentine's Day can run the gamut from rough and turbulent to joyful and celebratory. But did you know it can ultimately impact your success, growth, and profitability as a business owner? This week in Episode 75 of the Feed U Podcast, I give you the low down on "real" love. And the difference it has made in my life to focus on love's counterpart, gratitude. I share with you the real scoop on why gratitude can propel your success faster than any tactic, measurement or social post.

We get all twitterpated about V-Day, but why not enjoy the Valentine's Day love fest all year long? In this week's episode, I introduce you to some of my gratitude practices so that you can have your very own love fest any time you want. You don't even have to send flowers (unless you want to). If you're ready to deep dive into some love and gratitude practices that won't cost you a cent, listen to the entire episode here.

As any proud mom does, I speak a bit about the love of my boys and family. I realize not everyone has a typical "family". But all of those people that pick you up when you're feeling down, answer the phone when you call at 3 am or even drive to get you Baskin Robbins because they know you are in a bad way - those people ARE your family. When was the last time you sent up a little prayer of gratitude for them? Or better yet, sent them a note, text or picked up the phone and told them how blessed you are to have them in your life?

The other perspective I talk about is the people who are cheering for you to succeed that you aren't even aware of. Did you know there are lurkers watching your every move, waiting for you to WIN big, just so they can follow your example? Mind-blowing, right? 🤯 🤯 🤯

You never know who you are impacting for the better - you literally have the ability to change people's lives every minute of every day. How cool is that?

The next gratitude I cover for myself is having a home. I delve into my experience working with the homeless community in San Francisco and the little things we take for granted every day. Simple things like we don't have to think about where we are going to go to the bathroom. If you want a whole slew of reasons to be grateful that are surrounding you as you read this, tune in here. You don't have to worry about being safe when you go to sleep. You likely don't have to worry about your next meal, or whether or not you will survive the night because it's 9 degrees in Colorado. SO MUCH to be grateful for.

Next, I cover how lucky I feel to be living the entrepreneurial dream. If you've ever worked in a job with a boss from H-E-Double Hockey sticks, this one will hit home with you. If you ever think of giving up on your dream, think back to the boss that never listened to your ideas, promoted someone else who was quieter and was a behind kisser (let's face it most entrepreneurs are not) or just plain made you miserable because their energy was toilet water. When you think about giving up on this dream of having your own business - just realize all of that is still waiting out there for you and you can go back anytime. (Why would you want to do that is beyond me.) Want to hear more about this, listen to the episode here.

Sometimes being your own boss, means trusting the plan

I delve into my search for a new puppy story here and how the process is forcing me to learn the lesson of trust. Sometimes we have a plan, a goal and a desire that we THINK should look a certain way. But, what we don't see is that if we got what we wished for in the way we HAVE to have it, it wouldn't be for our best good or highest learning potential. I use the example of trying to adopt a new pupkin to drive my point home. You can hear the whole story here.

Last but not least, I end the episode with a Tweet that Bishop Karen Oliveto shared that was originally posted by Pope Francis. You can read the original quote and her response here. In an effort to create unity, it was shocking to me how many people had to comment about how "bad" someone else's opinion was. How their thoughts and beliefs are "right" and that they didn't believe that Pope Francis had even tweeted the information. I was stunned. Since when did stating an opinion become that of one-upmanship? Are we really that far gone that we can't sit, listen and be open to letting someone of differing opinions share their point of view? I'm not saying you have to agree. I am saying, that it is a human right to express and share your opinion and have others support you simply because you are a fellow human being. The divisiveness and hatred in this country are astounding. I may not agree with you, but I will hear you out.

I beckon you to listen to others with an open heart. Even if the only outcome is to just let them be heard. You don't have to change your opinion, you don't have to agree, but because you love the human race - just listen. There is so much disconnection in our world and so many people who just want to be seen - how hard is it to let them be seen and heard?

I leave you with something stolen from Stand By Me that I refer to as the "spit handshake". You're allowed to argue, back then we were even allowed to wrestle it out. But in the end, we spit and shake hands as an act of solidarity that no matter what we can still get along. This week of Valentine's Day - I encourage you to swap more spit handshakes. (You can even leave the spit part out if you want!)

I mention this article by Leila Janah. She spoke about how building your own business is like Growing Your Own Garden. It is a beautiful and true interpretation of the emotional experience of starting, building and growing a dream. As I went to find the article, I found she passed away this month from cancer. I am honored to share her beautiful article and hope it inspires you to do the same. Rest in peace Leila. Thank you for leaving the world a little more beautiful.

I'll be back next week with more marketing tips. In the meantime, if this episode resonates with you, come and share your thoughts over in the Facebook Group.

What did you think about this episode?

How will you practice love, gratitude, and connection during Valentine's Day and beyond? Come on over to the Facebook Page and share your journey.

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Knowing, living and believing in your business why is essential to staying motivated during the tough times. You know the times when you want to crawl into bed with your favorite cookie dough and just watch vampire movies all day. Hiding out hoping the world won't find you and avoiding the "What's for dinner" pleas coming from outside the bedroom door. Maybe that's just me. I was SO confident in my why when I started my business. But, what none of the experts told me and I had to find out the hard way (over the last year or so especially) is your why evolves. It has too. Everything evolves, seasons, the day into night, babies into children into adults. Nothing is constant but change. So why would your business why evolve as well?

I know it seems like a no brainer, but for some reason, I had convinced myself that mine should stay the same. BOY was I wrong.

If you're like most business owners, you had a specific reason for beginning this journey of entrepreneurship. Most likely, it was to help someone in some capacity and to gain some freedom of time, energy or the boss that stalked you to the bathroom wanting to know every move you mad.e This week I talk about my journey of entrepreneurship, my original why and how it has been evolving over time. You can listen to the entire episode here.

I also talk about the importance of evolving your why and business to adapt to market changes, your audience, and your passion. If you stay stuck in a rut, you may just stay there and find that you aren't growing, attracting new people and are flat out bored and uninspired.

This episode is more from the heart and less about specific teaching. But, nonetheless, being clear about why you are doing what you doing is no simple matter. I hope my story, the shifts I have made throughout my business and where I am going will inspire you to take a look at your own why. Perhaps encouraging you to ask yourself the hard question, of "Am I still moving in the direction that speaks to my soul?" If not, I implore you to sit with that question a little longer. Before the burnout begins. Before you find yourself longing for change from a situation you can escape from. And most of all, before you give up completely.

I'll be back next week with more marketing tips. In the meantime, if this episode resonates with you, come and share your thoughts over in the Facebook Group.

What did you think about this episode?

Can you relate to the major shift of your why? Do you have a similar story? Come on over to the Facebook Page and share your business journey. Let's make it safe to support each other during the highs and lows.

Listen to the entire episode here:

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Marketing your business today requires you to juggle dozens of balls in the air . . . Including areas like social media, your website, opt-ins, landing pages, ads on different platforms, email, local promotion, networking, speaking and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, with so many balls in the air, inevitably some of them will get dropped. Not to mention that your full-time job isn't as a marketer.

But you're stuck between a rock and a hard place . . . You have to market your business to attract new clients, but marketing is likely taking over your business, your free time and your life. Ugh! There has to be an easier way. This is why in this week's episode I share 3 tips to avoid the overwhelm in your marketing endeavors. You can listen to the entire episode here.

Here's the short version of what I shared:

Start with the end in mind. You can't get where you're going if you don't know where that is. If you are making a sandwich and you try to pile all the ingredients in your arms to avoid making multiple trips to the fridge, some salami is gonna hit the floor. You have to have a sandwich and a fridge execution plan. Know what you want, plan it out, and then create the sandwich. The same goes for marketing. So many business owners jump into the next new fad to gain followers, likes, posting and the list goes on - with no plan of what to do to get there or more importantly what to do when they reach that goal. Without a plan to get them to your shopping cart to start, that captive audience will never get there. Which means you are putting out a WHOLE lot of effort and not getting paid. For more details on how to back it up, give this week's episode a listen here.
Take an inventory of what you are already doing. Again, if you don't take control of your marketing, it will control you. If you're like me you've signed up for services, courses, consulting masterminds, you name it and think I'll get to that . . . then the next thing you know the bills keep rolling in and you have yet to see any return on that monthly payment. Step two is to take a look at what you are currently investing in and ask these four questions:
Is the marketing investment leading to a sale?
Is the marketing tactic paying for itself?
Is the investment offering you the opportunity to make more money in the long or short term?
Can you measure the results from each marketing investment tactic?

For more examples and details, listen to this week's episode here.

Are you showing up where your audience is or wants to be? Knowing your audience is the most critical brand and marketing tactic you can implore. If you are showing up on Facebook and wanting to connect with Fortune 500 CEO's you'll be in for a long wait. Whereas, connecting with that audience on LinkedIn is much more plausible. But everyone is on Facebook you may say, the answer is "yes" and "no". If you are a typical social user you are likely on Facebook to connect with family and friends and being sold to (especially in a business capacity) during your downtime, is annoying. Same if you are running a webinar or Facebook live in the middle of the day and your audience is working their 9-5. Yes, there is a replay, but that diminishes your ability for live interaction. Isn't that the point of the LIVE video after all? In the episode, I give you some other examples and you can check them out here.

Implementing these 3 plus 1 tips will help you take back control of your business and your marketing.

When you take your inventory, come tell me what you found out over in the Facebook Group.

What did you think about this episode?

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If you're like most entrepreneurs, you started your business to gain one thing . . . More freedom. Freedom of time. Freedom from others controlling your workflow. Freedom from the man. Freedom to chase your dreams and impact the world? Am I right? In this week's episode, I share with you the 3 tips I have found that help you reconnect to the reasons behind why you are working so hard.

You may not believe me when I tell you this . . . But, sometimes in order to enjoy more traction in your business, you need to do what is counterintuitive. Refocus on some of the mindset and get back in tune and alignment with your true reasons for starting this roller coaster ride called entrepreneurship. In this week's episode, which you can listen to here you will find tips, tricks and not so inside secrets to finding more joy, clients, and profit in your business. In the meantime, here's the short and sweet version:

Relax and Recharge. Let's face it, when you need new customers, it is stressful. Notice the word "need" there. This denotes a feeling of desperation, and I'm here to tell you, people can feel it. What you focus on, whether intentional or not, is what you get more of. And I have been on both ends of the spectrum, more than once. Can you relate? So you may think to yourself, I just need to hustle more, run around and "do " more. But in reality, what you likely need to do is walk away and recharge. Find that one thing that you enjoy, that recharges your batteries, and add it into your days a few times a week. I get it, we are a busy group of folks, but if we don't take the time to refill our cups in one way or another, we have nothing left to give and that leads to burnout, self-doubt and frankly a business we end up not liking very much.
Release the "I'll be happy when . . ." mentality. This is a tough one, I wholeheartedly admit. But the reality is, that if we are constantly striving for happiness in the future, we are missing the best part of our lives. The now. Which is really the only time we are guaranteed. Am I saying, don't have goals? Of course not. But, it is critical for us to find things to be happy about NOW. To celebrate those small wins (or even the big ones). Now. So that when we get to the big goals, the big kahunas, we aren't left feeling like - oh, well that's a bummer, it's not nearly as great as I thought it was going to be. It's easy to pour yourself into your dream and work, but as Mr. Miyagi would say - "Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?" Without balance, even success will feel empty. For more on finding the happy, listen to this week's episode here.
Look for opportunities to be of value and serve your clientele. When you take a look at the big reasons you started and keep going with your business, my guess is (it's more than a guess) that you got into this gig it was because underneath it all you wanted to help other people. This is critical, especially now because of the inundation of information that is out there. When you are able to connect, create a conversation, become a resource, answer questions and solve that major hangnail that other people have in their lives - the will not only pay you money, they will become your biggest fans. So many times I'll open up my Facebook page, or watch TV commercials and I just groan. No one wants to be sold to, everyone, however, wants someone looking out for their best interest. How can you do this in your business for the people you want to help? In the episode, I give you some specific examples and you can listen to them here.

I also added in a free Bonus tip. But you'll have to go over and give this week's episode to get that tip.

Implementing these 3 plus 1 tips, will reignite your passion and profit in your business.

Which of these is your biggest struggle area? Come tell me this week on the Facebook page, if nothing else, we can talk it out and give you some moral support. See you over there.

What did you think about this episode?

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To be memorable as a brand, you need 5 key components This week I break down those components on the Podcast as well as explaining the difference between branding and marketing and which you need more depending on which phase your business is in. You can hear all about those differences here in the episode.

A brand is made up of visuals and also foundational components. Let's jump into the importance of visuals and the four that specifically make up your brand. Using these four visual elements consistently creates memorability with your audience as well as helps to eliminate confusion and create cohesiveness. If you confuse your audience and those you are trying to attract, they will just find someone easier for their brain to understand, which is why having a clean and clear brand is essential for any business.

Colors. Many business owners choose their brand colors based on what they like. In the episode, I discuss why this could be prohibitive to growing your business. In reality, brand colors should appeal to buyer behavior and also be attractive to your ideal client. If the people you most want to serve are turned off by your brand aesthetics, then "Houston we have a problem." When choosing your colors, try to choose 2-3 foundational colors, a neutral or a neutral palette and a max of 3 accent colors. This gives you a big variety and also enables you to create differentiation in your marketing materials.
Logo. The biggest issue I have seen in the creation of logos is they are too complicated. When creating a logo, the more complicated, the more difficult it is to incorporate the logo into different marketing materials. When creating, keep in mind, you may need to add that logo to signage, to glass, to your website and in various other places. The more complicated, the more likely it will come across as blurred, confusing or worst of all unmemorable. Simple is better (are you seeing a trend here?). It should explain what you do, and if it isn't clear, add a tagline. Until you are as recognizable as say, Nike, you need a tagline and a clear identifier for your business.
Photos and Images. There are two different types of images that could be used in your branding and marketing. The first is any type of icon or drawing, and creating consistency in shapes, line width, etc. in relation to your logo is a must to appeal to your audience's brain. Our brains are brains often pick up on things we don't realize. But thinking through how all the elements of your brand work together in advance will keep the subconscious and conscious brain happy. I give specific examples in the episode, give it a listen here. The other visual component that should be thought through is images added to your website. You want to balance personality, relationship building and results when choosing your photos or working with a brand photographer. Each intentional image should lead your audience to the next step in your relationship and create trust.
Fonts. Designers get a little twitchy when it comes to fonts, but here's the easy breakdown. Choose 2-3 max. Think about how you want to differentiate between titles and ideas you want to bring to the forefront. Be sure to choose fonts that will be readable on all platforms. That beautiful handwritten font you have on your business card may look like a giant mess on a website. I discuss the 5 different font types in the episode but below is the easy visual break down as promised so you can get a gist of which fonts are in which families.
Messaging. I've saved the most important for last. As you probably have heard me say before, if you don't have compelling messaging, all the aesthetics in the world aren't going to do you a lick of good. People are looking for you to solve their problems. If you have a gorgeous logo but no ability to relate to their problem and offer them a solution you are dead in the water. I cover the 5 key questions in depth that need to be answered with your messaging in Episode 71. But here is a quick recap of those questions:
Who do you help (specifically)?
How do you help them?
Why do they care about your solution?
Why are you different from everyone else that has their attention?
How do they get started with you?

Add those 5 components to your brand and you will be miles ahead of your competition.

Which item are you going to tackle first? (Please tell me it's your messaging! 😁) Come join me this week on the Facebook page to get your brand and messaging questions answered. See you over there.

What did you think about this episode?

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In our busy world, it feels like we never have enough time! With the start of the new year, comes the tendency to want to become more organized. To do things in a new and different way. It comes from the clean slate of a brand new year. One of the biggest time savers I have implemented into my website was adding a calendar scheduling link to my website. It saves me from going back and forth to find a time that works for everyone. It also enables me to calendar block my time so that I am not jumping around with tasks and can instead be present for client calls when they occur. I dig into how to set this up on your website in this week's episode, get the whole scoop here.

I cover both calendars and scheduling links specifically for WordPress. If you don't have a WordPress site, I highly encourage you to look at building one for your next website. I go into all the reasons why in Episode 60, but the big two are scalability and SEO power. If you have a different website, the scheduling piece of this episode will still be relevant, but you may want to fast forward to that piece (20:45).

Let's jump into website calendars first. First, why would you want a calendar on your website? Specifically, this works for businesses that offer classes or regular events. I talk specifically about uses for restaurants and my friends over at the Craft Box who offer a multitude of classes for their audience. Get the whole scoop on how it could work for you here. These are my 3 recommendations for an integrated (lives on your website) calendar:

Modern Events Calendar. They offer a free version that you can try out first, but if you have advanced needs like adding ticketing and payment options to your events, you will need to purchase a license. For one website (which is most likely what you will need) it's currently $75. I like that this calendar:
Integrates with lots of other software (including payment options)
That you can categorize events
That you can enable reservations (super helpful!)
That you can customize the calendar to match the rest of your site
You can create recurring and custom events
They offer options for weather, maps, and location
Sugar Events Calendar. This option is less expensive, but as always, you get what you pay for. The paid version of this plugin is $29 a year and comes with quite a bit of functionality. But, if you need something with advanced features, I would go with Modern Events Calendar. The best features for this calendar are:
Simple to use
Quite a few features
Integrates with most calendar options
They claim it won't slow down your site
Events Schedule. This option is $29 a one time fee. It offers 12 style choices, but no customizing. Because this is a third party plugin offered through a vendor, support can be spotty. That is the main reason it is the third option on this list. The benefits of this option are:
It integrates with most other calendars
It includes a schedule builder
Is optimized for speed
Is easy to set up

To wrap up - here are some important questions to consider before making a calendar choice:

Will it integrate with your current calendaring option (Google, iCal, Office, etc.)?
Is it responsive so it serves your mobile audience well?
How will the integration affect your overall site experience (slow it down, etc.)?
Does it have the functionality you need in your business?

Let's hop into Schedulers next!

In the episode, I cover why you need a scheduler and the different ways an online schedule link can help you optimize your time. Here are my recommendations:

Acuity Scheduling. This is the scheduler I use and I have tried a few. I prefer this option because:
I can control my time by appointment type (some appointments require more time)
Integrates with my Google calendar
I can add teammates as I bring them on
I am able to customize the look and feel
I can create surveys for different client types
There are multiple time-saving integrations like Zoom and payment connections

This plugin is easy to connect to any website, I am going to do a live video this week over on the Facebook page to show you how to set it up in WordPress. Come check it out here.

Schedule Once. I started with this plugin and it has a lot of great features, but I moved to Acuity because:
The mobile access is terrible
No client data is stored
They don't offer recurring appointments
Personally, I didn't really like the backend, I felt it was harder to maneuver.
But, it's still worth checking out depending on your needs and they do offer online training.
Timetrade. I've not used Timetrade, but this a good starting option. As a starter, there are not a lot of the above options available. However, the price is right to get you started. Onboard pricing is $6.50 per month per user. Here are some of the reasons it doesn't work for my business:
Limited to creating one calendar.
There are no analytics available for measurement.
There is no way to break up appointment types (one link for all different appointments).
Lower pricing options don't offer integrations or advanced features.
No free trial.

That's a wrap for this week.

Overall, adding a scheduling link to your website can be a HUGE timesaver, but you will have to choose which option works best for your business model. If you are interested in that quick training on how to integrate with WordPress, join me this week on the Facebook page.

What did you think about this episode?

Come on over to the Facebook Page and let me know if you learned something new.

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The biggest mistake you can make in reaching your goals is . . . Changing the goal instead of the action plan to reach it. So many times I have been guilty of this. If at first, you don't succeed, change the goal. NO! DON'T! I promise it's not the promised land! Instead, rethink how you are going to go about reaching that goal.

In this week's episode, I give you the solution to meet all of your goals in 2020 and maybe even a few you left behind in 2019. I give you the entire scoop over here.

But in case you're trying to skinny up for the New Year - here's the drive-by: 1. 90 Day goals are just the right amount of time. Not too short, not too long - a lot like our favorite childhood character Goldilocks. 90-day goals are long enough for you to see some traction and measure success, but not so long that you lose focus and give up. They are easier to get started and chunk out your bigger goals into bite-sized pieces so you can reach the bigger goals faster.

90 Day goals make it easier to pivot and change direction. You're cruising along the goal highway when all of a sudden out of nowhere, you're thrown a curveball. A change in direction. You should definitely just stop what you're doing and give up! NOT! But, you may have to pivot. Does that always make you think of this:

yeah, me too. When you know you can pivot at any time and you are taking action so you know it's time to make a change, you can eliminate overwhelm, kick fear in the Pantalones, map out a specific direction and see if you need to do one thing before another. Pivoting is actually pretty darn coolio.

90 Day goals also give you your life back. You can more easily plan your life into your business instead of the other way around. Say what? I can have my own business and a life. YES! YOU! CAN! and you should. You should plan vacations and holidays and time off. For the love of Pete, you got into this entrepreneurship gig to have some freedom. Am I right? (I already know I am, so just nod and wave and keep moving through the list!)
90 Day goals help you plan your product promotions and launches with ease. When you have a plan, it's easier to add in new actions, products and promote your current stuff when times are slow or there is a major holiday coming up. And, it keeps you on top of the ball when everyone else is standing on it trying to balance like a circus clown. You will be cool as a cucumber because you have 90-day goals.
90 Day goals help you determine how important a goal is. We evolve as our business evolves. We see new directions we want to pursue and sometimes the goals we set in January are no longer pertinent in August. (yep it can happen that fast.) I had this experience this year when I looked back on my goals in January and said - say what, you wanted that? Why? You see I went in a different direction and was focused on the now, the little steps for each day, month, week and quarter. I met more goals and was happier with the results. Who can relate?
90 Day goals help you stay aligned with your passion and your purpose. Ok, can we be real here for a minute? In the past (somewhat recent) I have been known to set goals because other people were setting those goals and well, I'm more than a little competitive. Don't believe me, let's play Monopoly sometime. Well, how likely do you think it is that I stuck with those goals? Yeah, not at all. Because they didn't feed anything but my competitive nature, so they petered out. It's ok to have your own goals and want different things. (Not that you need my permission, but sometimes you just need to hear these things.) Learn all about how 90-day goals keep you focused and connected here.
90 Day goals make it easier for you to define your strengths and what you may need to let go of. As entrepreneurs, we all think we are superheroes. We try to do almost everything ourselves, but in reality, NO ONE can be good at everything. In fact, the people I see making the biggest strides are doing less and less. 90-day goals help you become aware of what is eating up your time and keeping you from your larger goals. When you realize where your time is spent, if it's not being spent where you soar, it's time to make some changes.

The biggest 90-day goal lesson:

Smaller steps will lead you to achieve bigger results simply because you are consistently taking action.

Which goals are you aiming for in 2020? How about Q1 of 2020? Come and tell me about it over on the facebook page here. Until next week, be well.

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Your intuition is UBER powerful, are you tuning in? In Episode 68 I share my experience of truly tuning into that little guiding voice inside and the monumental changes I have seen not only in my business but my level of joy with my business. We headway into the woo this week, but stick with me it's TOTALLY worth it.

I talked about meeting my Mastermind Group in a previous episode, but the reality of the situation is, that if I would ignored my inner voice, I would have missed out on the opportunity to connect with those ladies and it would have completely changed my experience at that event and the support network I have now. I tell the whole story over here.

I came up with a list of ways to connect to your intuition, here's my system: 1. Get clear about your intention. If you don't know what the heck you want or want to happen, how can your intuition know how to answer? Short answer, it can't. So get SUPER clear and ask.

Be quiet. As in shut yo' mouth and your mind down. If you keep trying to run the show, you will continue to run the show (that's called free will). But, that will override your intuition, the divine, God (however you want to label this.) So take a hint from the game makers and Watch Your Mouth (and Your Mind).
Pay attention and believe in serendipity. Do you know how many times a day we miss the signs of our deeper wisdom? All the dang time. Because, let's face it, we are distracted. When we are distracted, we lose focus and the signs popping up in front of us all but disappear on our radar. So, be present. Pay attention and believe in the serendipity the universe presents to is a conspiracy for your higher good and success.
Control your distractions. Yep, we are distracted, social media, email, phone calls, office visits and on and on, it's hard to focus when we have a million things pulling us in different directions. But, there are distractions you can control, monitor and set aside. Determine what those are and do something about it so that you have the ability to focus on your intuition.
Gutcheck it. I think this is probably the BIGGEST key to intuitive success. Your gut (sacral chakra for you woo woos, you know who you are) never lies. If you are contemplating following your intuition and it doesn't check out with your gut, it's probably time to check back in at #2 in this list.
Take action. Ok, so all signs are equating to a green light, why the heck are you still sitting there? This is the place where we as entrepreneurs get stuck ALL THE DANG TIME. We tend to analyze, over-analyze and continue analyzing at nausium. Get off the dang fence and take some action. We can't improve standing on the shore, we have to get in the water. Your intuition is the same. Follow it, see what happens and give in to the idea that you aren't always going to get it right. It's ok! As Nike would say, Just Do It!
Reflect and give thanks. When you listen to your inner guidance, check-in afterward and evaluate if it truly was your intuition (or your big head) that led to the results. Regardless of the outcome, always say thank you. Because lessons can often be disguised as mistakes, and when we reframe them as a lesson, we take away the benefits. Giving our intuition encourages more of the same. Meaning your intuitive skills will grow when you are grateful.

What if you feel like your intuition is wrong? I get it, this is a new gig for many of us. And sometimes, what we follow (and think is our intuition) is really our hard-headed ego running the show. But, if you really aren't sure, I've put together a list of things to check when your intuition feels "off".

Meditate. Find some time to be quiet. Ideally 15 minutes a day.
Check-in with yourself. Did you misinterpret or miss something along the way? In other words, did you examine all the clues?
Ask questions and journal them out. This will help you get out of your head and often find the answers you are seeking faster.
Did you take action? If so, document it and see if maybe you took a wrong turn or the wrong action.
Did you act quickly enough? I give a great example of this in the episode. But sometimes, we sit on the fence too long and then blame our intuition for getting it wrong.
Trust yourself. This is the most important step. Tuning into your intuition means trusting yourself. This can also be the hardest step, so be patient with yourself.

Did you tune into your intuition this past year or before? Come and tell me about it over on the facebook page here. Until next week, be well.

What did you think about this episode?

Come share your results on the Facebook Page and let me know if you learned something new.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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I'm not Barbara Walters, but this is 2020 (well almost). In Episode 67 we jump right into planning next year. Why start now? There are holiday cookies to enjoy. Parties to go to. And in between, you have to squeeze in some client work.

That is THE EXACT reason to get started now. Because you are starting to wind down and that means your creativity will start to ramp up. Meaning you will have some of your greatest ideas for next year - RIGHT NOW! Do you have to create an elaborate plan? Nah, but you do want to get a jump start by capturing those ideas. In this week's episode, I share with you the plan to get things rolling to have your best year yet in 2020. Give it a listen here.

First, a special takeaway that I didn't include in the episode. Because I love you all that much. I actually meant to include this in the episode and then forgot. Oy the holidays. So this year I didn't follow this system, but I did in previous years. It took me FOREVER to get going and start getting traction. I did manage to get some traction, but it took a LOT longer. I truly attribute it to not giving myself the time to properly plan. So, the system works. Get all the details here.

You have to look backward in order to move forward. Say what? That probably sounds a little counterintuitive, looking back in order to go forward. But you can't see what worked and more importantly what didn't if you are looking forward and don't do some reflection.

If you are like me, you may be thinking, I can't even remember what happened last month let alone all year. Well, that's where your planner comes in handy. Don't have one? Add it to the MUST HAVE list for next year. I have a couple of recommendations that are my favorites. YES, I have more than one. I'm a planner girl, what can I say? Office supplies are my love language.

Danielle Laporte's Desire Map Planner

90X Goal Planner

In the episode I recommend that you do some of the following when reviewing your year:

Document highlights in your year?
Revisit your goals if you wrote them down how did you do financially, emotionally, mentally and physically?
What did you learn along the way?
Did you take any detours?

Celebrate your wins. As entrepreneurs, we may find ourselves focusing on all the "things" we are doing "wrong". Keeping us from celebrating all the "things" that went well, what we learned and that turned out even better than we could have imagined. I share some of my big wins this year and not a single one had to do with the increase in the number of clients, money or goal crushing. Yes, those rocked too. But the other lessons I shared here were even more important to celebrate.

What's the why behind your goals for next year? The remainder of the episode I delve into some mindset shifts. I share with you a quote from a great book I'm reading called The Complete Works of Florence Shinn and how paying specific attention to where our thoughts lead us will impact our success or failure. This book will change your life (and that's a big promise!) Check out the episode to get the complete skinny on why mindset affects the outcome of your success or failure.

I wrap up the episode by encouraging you to create and follow a morning routine. I shared the following ideas and resource to get you started:

Start the day with Gratitude
Fine-tune your brain with positivity and knowledge that will improve you not just your business.
Identify 3 MUST do's for the day and make sure they light you up. Otherwise, kick them to the curb and try again.

I recommended The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. And if you like that one, you can add The Miracle Equation to your list as well. This is on my list to read at the beginning of 2020.

Lastly, give yourself the gift of time to recharge!

A toast to your continued and overwhelming success in 2020. Thanks for a great 2019, I can't wait to see what you do next year! Share with me what your #1 goal is for 2020 over on the facebook page here. Until next week, be well.

What did you think about this episode?

Come share your results on the Facebook Page and let me know how your life is shifting.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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Having the right tool for the job makes the job easier. If you've listened to this podcast long enough, you know I am a firm believer in growing your email list to grow your business. But, sometimes it's difficult to get going because you don't which tool will help you get the job done quicker and easier.

In Episode 66 I share with you all the tech tool recommendations to get your email list growing as well as the process to follow so you can succeed, quickly and easily. I have tested and tried many tools over the years, but I give you the inside scoop on my favorites in this week's episode, give it a listen here.

Start With Content If you don't have some content to increase people's curiosity and fix their hair tugging problems, they aren't going to send an invite to the magical website fairy and come visit you. You have to give them a reason to come and then you have to tell them what you made for them (more on this later). In this week's episode, which you can listen to here

I share with you the 3 MOST important questions to ask before you create your content and get your audience to connect with you. They are:

What type of content are you going to create?
How often are you going to create it consistently?
What does your audience REALLY want?

These questions are the core of how to create your content and I go into detail on each in the episode. The one warning I will give you is that if you skip this step, you will be spending a lot of time in "I hope" and "what if" land. Which is a VERY frustrating place to stay. To save you time, frustration and get you traction quicker - answer these questions first.

Create some buzz. Now that you've created some killer content, you need to tell the people about it and more importantly get them to tell other people about it. The easier you make it, the more likely they will share it and tell other peeps about it. I recommended the following social sharing/scheduling tools in the episode. I go into more detail over there, so check it out here. The last two in the list are options to add social sharing right to your WordPress website. Making it easy for them and a delightful way for you to get your content in front of others. I use Monarch right now, but I am taking a serious look at Social Snap. I'll report back my findings in another episode.

BufferApp
HootSuite
AgoraPulse
MeetEdgar
Sprout Social
Later
Social Snap
Monarch

Send them to the next step. So they've consumed your content, shared it and like what they see. How are you getting them to the next step? You need to get them to your landing page, have them fill out a form with their name and email and you then send them something tasty to keep them coming back for more. But how the heck do you easily set up a landing page? In Episode 66 I walk you through each of these but choose one of these resources to get them to take action. I also talk about the form they need to fill out and how it relates to this page (coming up in the next point below.) I also give you some tips on what to have and not have on your landing page. In my previous Episode #51, I give you all kinds of tips on how to choose a Landing Page or just a form. In the meantime, here are my landing page recommendations:

Your current email service provider (ConvertKit, Drip and Active Campaign are my 3 favorites)

Lead Pages

Opt-in Forms Next, you need a form to collect your visitor's information. This appears on the landing page as well, but I give an example of how you may just want to use a form in the episode as well as the pros and cons of each. Here are my form recommendations:

Bloom

OptinMonster

Current Email Service Provider

Connecting With Your Audience Sometimes a simple email won't do. People wanna see ya face! So I shared with you a few options for recording a personalized video to include in your email to start your conversation with your new subscribers. I recommend:

BombBomb

Loom

Your next step is to start emailing them consistently. No tips here, except to just start doing it. C'mon, you can do it. At the beginning of this episode, I give you some tips and I walk you through a really good example.

Lastly, and MOST importantly, analyze what is and isn't working. If you aren't analyzing, how will you know if your effort is paying off? You won't. So, here are some tools to get you looking at your numbers and seeing if people are opening, clicking and engaging with your email.

First one is free, use the analytics that comes with your email service provider

To kick it up a notch check out Cake Mail for additional analytics as well as their ultra-cool Spam Assassin which is supposed to keep you out of the SPAM folder. In Episode #30 I give you all kinds of tips and ideas on how to steer clear of spam and what to do if you end up there on accident. Check it out here.

That's it for this episode. I did give you a challenge in the episode to come and share with me your goal for 2020 in growing your email list. Come tell me about your email woes and wins over here. See you next week.

What did you think about this episode?

Come share your results on the Facebook Page and let me know how your life is shifting.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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The #1 Most Asked Question I Get Is About My Podcast. Selfishly, I am creating this week's podcast so that I have a reference to send people to when I get the questions again. :D But for all of you, this is a resource for starting and creating your own podcast.

Episode 65 is all about what you need to get started with your own podcast. But, in case you were thinking of opting out of this episode, it's work giving the first few minutes a listen, because they apply to any type of content creation you may have in mind. You can give it a listen here.

The biggest question that MUST be answered about starting a podcast is really my biggest tip this week. Go give the first few minutes a listen to find out what you NEED to know before starting your podcast. You can do that here.

Here's the breakdown of other resources:

Microphones: In this week's episode I give you the break down of each of these microphones, but here are the top 3 I recommend as well as the one I suggest you provide or have your interviewees attain.

ATR2500 - Around $100 with the filter and arm (I have this one)

Blue Snowball - Around $45

Blue Yeti - Around $150 without the filter and arm

Guest Mics:

Vogek, Logitech, MPow, Runmus

Software: You need a way to record, that's where software comes in. I give you the lowdown on the freebies and why I chose Screenflow, but if you listen to the entire episode you will have a better idea of what will work for you.

Audacity

GarageBand (MAC only)

Screenflow (I use this)

Adobe Audition

Zoom(interviews) (I use this)

Skype (interviews)

Royalty-Free Music For Intros & Outros: The great debate over intros and outros happens over here in Episode 65. Here are the resources you will need if you choose in favor of adding an intro or outro. As well as, whether or not you want to create it yourself or have it done for you. It's important to use only royalty-free music because just like photos or videos, the fines can be hefty for using someone's copyrighted work.

Free Music Archive

Free Music Soundtrack Archive

YouTube Audio Library

Free Sound Project

Music Radio Creative

Audio Jungle

Editing: There are really only two choices here, edit yourself (which = many many hours of YouTube tutorials) or hire someone to edit for you. I give you the entire scoop over here in Episode 65. But the software for recording mentioned above in all instances (minus Zoom and Skype) have editing abilities as well.

Choosing a hosting platform: So you won't want to host your podcast on your website because it will slow things down to a crawl. I recommend using one of these podcast hosts to keep things neat and tidy and help rank your podcast so people can find it. Keep in mind you get what you pay for and that there are also some "all in one" solutions out there. I don't have any experience with them, so I am not going to recommend one of those. They all offer different features, so do your homework and see which one will work best for you and what you want to do.

Podbean

Lybsin

Soundcloud

Blubrry

Simplecast

Last but not least, I covered transcripts and show notes:

I recommend at the minimum creating show notes to increase traffic to your website. You can get a good example of what that looks like, well, from this post. :D If you want to kick it up a notch, consider adding a transcript either download or as a separate page. Here are the two resources I recommend for that. If you want the inside scoop on the difference and the benefits, listen to this week's episode here.

Temi

Rev

The other resource I mention is Searchi which makes your audios and videos searchable. Currently invite-only, but never hurts to get on the list. The skinny on that is also in the episode.

That's the low down on all things podcast. I hope this becomes a resource for you to dive into your own podcasting adventure.

What did you think about this episode?

Come share your results on the Facebook Page and let me know how your life is shifting.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

Blue Snowball iCE Plug 'n Play USB Microphone for Recording, Streaming, Podcasting, Gaming on PC and Mac, with Cardioid Condenser Capsule, Adjustable Desktop Stand and USB cable - Black

Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone

Logitech H390 Wired Headset, Stereo Headphones with Noise-Cancelling Microphone, USB, In-Line Controls, PC/Mac/Laptop - Black

Blue Microphone Yeti USB Microphone (Slate) Bundle with Knox Shock Mount, Studio Stand and Pop Filter (4 Items)

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The vibration of gratitude is powerful. Because it's the day before Thanksgiving (when this is going live) I thought it timely to talk about gratitude. That one simple word when put into action will propel your business and your life faster than any tip, technique, trick or marketing process out there. I challenge you to create a gratitude journal and use it every day to recount new things you are grateful for and watch your life and business change. But, this is more than just well thoughts and wishes. Which is why I wanted to bring the perspective of science and hermetic teachings to the equation. Because science is definitely involved and is the reason this simple technique works when others do not.

In Episode 64 I dive into science, the Kybalion and all things energy. Because what holiday would be complete without a little talk about energy? Give it a listen here.

Here's what I have learned by studying the energy of gratitude for the last year and learning more about energy and vibration. For more details, check out the entire episode here.

Connect to the vibration of abundance.

Ask yourself, are you only grateful when good things happen to you? When you receive payment for a client? When you get a new client? Or are you grateful for all the blessings that come into your life all the time? Things like fresh water to drink, that the sun came up, that snow is watering the earth to make water for you to drink. If it is the former, the likelihood that you are tuned into the frequency of gratitude is slim.

We are all energy, and as such vibrate at a specific frequency.

99% of our bodies are made of atoms. Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and some other stuff. If we are energy, which science says we are, then we can conclude that we are constantly in motion. When studying the Hermetic principle of vibration, we learn that "Nothing rests, everything moves everything vibrates." If we take that a step further and realize we can control our vibration, can we not then also control what we attract and repel? The answer is yes. This means we have the power at any time to shift our vibration and bring in more of what we want in our lives.

That's great Alisa, but how the heck do I shift my vibration? It is so simple, but not so easy. We have to control the only thing we can control, which is our thoughts. So how does this tie back to gratitude? By focusing on what you are grateful for, you have harnessed the power of abundance. Because you cannot have a thought of lack and a thought of thankful at the same time. It's impossible. Try it. I'll wait. How did it work out? Was I right? Mind blown right? I know I know it works because I don't share things with you that I haven't already tried and tried again. Which is why I wanted to share this with all of you. This one shift, tiny little shift, will change everything for you.

But what about this literal pain in the neck that I have?

Interestingly enough, that is energy too. We don't realize that our bodies are very intelligent creatures. When we don't deal with our emotions and we just shove them down inside, they don't go away. I'll give you a personal example of grief. I've spent a good chunk of the last 6 years sort of grieving, but not really giving in to it because I was busy taking care of other people. What do you know? I've had a literal pain in my hip, leg, and side for almost that long. That energy is stuck there and will continue to be there until I fully deal with whatever is going on in my emotional state. Again, how do I know? Because when I use tools like EFT (see episode #5 with Teri Karjala to learn how to use this yourself) and other energy work like polarity, massage or chiropractic - the pain goes away. But only temporarily, because I still haven't fully dealt with the emotions.

But how do you change your thoughts?

The simplest answer is through your breath practice. This includes things like meditation, yoga and frankly just breathing and focusing on that simple act we often take for granted. It is the one thing we do constantly each day, that keeps us alive, yet we often take it for granted. Meditation, yoga and focused breathing are all practices, which means, we MUST practice them to get better. Even if it is 10-15 minutes each day.

A few more tips to get you focused on shifting your energy: Become aware of your thoughts. This doesn't mean beat yourself up, just bring awareness to them so that you can shift and change them over time.

Choose carefully what you put into and on your body. Your body is your energy vessel. If you clog it up with unhealthy food, how likely do you think it will be able to vibrate at a higher level? Not likely at all because it will be focused on removing the junk you put into it.

Notice where you focus most of your day and document it. Can you shift that focus even one time a day to gratitude or positivity? Can you walk away from conversations and people that are vibrating at a lower vibration?

Where can you be just a little bit kinder? When you focus your energy, attention, and action toward kindness and being thankful, you spread that energy to others. Creating more of it. Consequentially, bringing more of it to you.

Take the energy of this Thanksgiving holiday and bring it forward to every day and watch your life transform.

Lastly, I want to thank each of you for tuning in every week to the podcast and for supporting this little idea I had about sending more love out into the world. It truly is a gift that I get to share the musings in my head with you and that you take away ideas and actions that make your business and your life better.

Wishing you all the best of Thanksgivings, thank you for being a part of my life.

Which tip are you going to focus on for the next year?

Come share your results on the Facebook Page and let me know how your life is shifting.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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Is documenting your processes your nemesis? If you are anything like me, then TOTALLY they are likely always on your to-do list. Ever moving from week to week. But as of now, NO MORE!

I am personally challenging you in Episode 63 of this week's Feed U Podcast to tackle one process in your business. Why you may ask? Because, simply, it is THE only way you will be able to scale and grow.

That's a pretty bold statement, Alisa. Whatchya got to back that up? I could give you lots of facts and figures, but the reality is this. If you don't write down the things that you do in your business, there is NO WAY you can give them to someone else that you hire to be on your team. If you don't know what you are going to give them, then how can you hire them? It's a hamster wheel and I TOTALLY get it. Which is why I'm taking the same challenge myself.

In Episode 63 I dive into the hamster wheel a little deeper. Give it a listen.

Here's what I learned when documenting my podcast process (which is a RIDICULOUS amount of 28 steps by the way). You can get all the details by tuning in here to listen to the entire episode.

How to start Process-ize-ing your business: 1. Choose one process to focus on.

Choose the process that takes the most time and that will free up your day. Look at it and ask yourself, do I even like doing this task? If the answer is no, then you need to outsource that bad boy IMMEDIATELY. In fact, there may be components of your business that you REALLY liked in the beginning, but they don't bring you joy anymore. I totally have a little bit of that going on in my business right now. So, my answer is I need to find someone for my team that would LOVE to do those tasks. I give some other examples here. One last requirement for the process you pick, it needs to be something that you repeat regularly. So no "one-off" tasks, because seriously, how is that going to help you out long-term?

Start writing down the steps.

Yep, this is where the good times start. (Kidding) This is the NOT fun part of process-ize-ing. But it is necessary. The best way to document that process while you are completing it. Trust me, it can be difficult. Especially if the process is stretched out over a long period of time like website design and build. But, when you write it down you will realize why it is taking up so much time. You will also become aware of the possibility that it can be simplified and most importantly how quickly you can give it to someone else. I talk more about that here. Keep in mind that it doesn't have to be perfect and that you have to start somewhere.

Ask yourself which of the steps in the process are a must. Is there a way to simplify the process? If so, open up a new document and start simplifying the process. Next, you need to test your new process and make sure that you didn't eliminate something critical and that the process still works. A great way to test this is to ask someone on your team or in your circle to read through the process and question them on the ease of implementation. Keeping the process down to simple steps will work best, even if there are many steps. Complicated steps lend themselves to confusion and confusion leads to errors.
Are there steps that can be automated.

A great way to simplify a process is to take pieces and automate them. I give the example of recording an intro and an outro for the podcast that I can then edit in for each episode. I create this once for each quarter and then it's done. It eliminates a lot of extra recording and editing. Better yet, record the outro and outsource the editing to someone else. Learn more about that in the episode here. The idea is to create systems that save you time.

Lastly, I walk you through the idea of creating a thought bubble to get started in the episode, here are the steps I cover: 1. Write out an overview of the different processes in your business. I use the example of clouds

Choose one bubble (area) that you will create a process for.
Write out the process.
Implement the process making note of any of the changes you make along the way.
Test the process and changes.
Revise the process as needed.
Simplify the process to as few steps as possible.

Which process are you going to document and outsource in your business?

Come and tell me on the Facebook Page where I talk all things online business growth, specifically sales funnels, branding and WordPress.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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If you are like most entrepreneurs you work hard to attract new customers. But, you could be losing them before you even have a first phone call. But how? Your messaging.

Clear messaging will make or break your business. If people don't understand how you can help them, they will be off and distracted by the next best thing. Which is why this week in Episode 62 I share with you the best of the best messaging tips that I have used with my clients to increase their businesses up to 4xs in as little as six months. Listen to the entire episode for the full skinny on what to implement right away to attract more leads and customers here. I also mention the power of using StoryBrand in your messaging. You can grab that awesome MUST read book here.

Create compelling messaging in 5 EASY steps: 1. Focus on your customer's problem, not your solution.

My goal in this episode is to keep it real about messaging. The clearer you can make yours, the better. That clarity comes when your customer stops in their tracks to pay attention to you. How do you make that happen? You talk about their problem and you keep talking about it. People aren't looking for a laundry list of solutions, what they really want is someone to make that huge pain in their behind goes away. The minute you stop talking about their problem, you will lose their attention and they will be off to find someone who gets them. More on that here.

Don't get too wrapped in the negatives.

So this one is double-sided. If you mentally focus on the negative in a situation, you will energetically attract more of that negative (more on that in an upcoming episode). Additionally, if you focus too long on the negative results of your customer's problem, they will get stuck there and won't be able to see a solution to the problem regardless of who is providing the solution. I give a great play by play example in the episode, give it a listen here.

Spell out the results your customers get when they work with you. I swear as entrepreneurs we sometimes think people are psychic. I have visited so many websites that go on and on about products, but there are no results. No one is telling me what I will actually get if I hire them, coach with them, train with them, or buy from them. Don't be that guy/gal. Start with the results. Remember people have a problem, they need a solution, but what they want is to know if it really works. Often I will hear the phrase "they don't have the money, or they won't spend the money." I'm here to tell you it is almost NEVER about the money. It is about the trust they have that you will fix their problem. If you can show them the results, the end game, the money objection goes away. This comes from clarity.
Call them to action (for Pete's sake).

You've heard me say it before, 70% of websites have no call to action. Again, your leads are not psychic. You need to give them bread crumbs to follow to get them to the next step. What do you want them to do? Typically there is either no call to action in marketing or it is so hidden it would take a CIA agent to find it. Make it simple, spell it out and give them a call to action. You will see bigger results faster and then you can come and tell me about them over on the Facebook page.

Don't spend too much time talking about your products and solutions and every variation you offer.

Simple solutions sell especially if they address the problem. I give you a great example that I just went through my son in Episode 62, check it out here. The simpler you can make your solution the better and most importantly be the guide to help your prospect realize they need a solution and oh, by the way, I happen to have exactly what you need. You can get it here. When you become a guide instead of a pusher of sizes, colors, and other options, you will see greater success faster.

Lastly, I gave you 3 excellent questions to get you started in the episode, here they are: Grab a journal and answer these questions. They will give you a quick and detailed account of where you need to focus some research time and create some clear messaging to grab the attention of those people you most want to work with.

Who does your ideal client become after they work with you?

Think about people you have worked with, in the past. Where were they before they worked with you, where are they now? If you don't know the answer, you have some homework to do.

What do their friends say about them now (after their transformation because they worked with you)?

Asking your clients this simple question will give you volumes of insight and wording to use for your next video, blog post, website content or marketing piece.

What does success look like for your ideal client?

This is a question we don't always ask, but instead assume we already know the answer. When you ask current or potential clients this specific question the answer will be more in alignment with what they are wanting to find in all of your marketing.

If you want to work on your own StoryBrand messaging, I can help you with that as a certified guide. You can book a free 30-minute consultation here.

What did you learn from this episode?

Come and tell me on the Facebook Page where I talk all things online business growth, specifically sales funnels, branding and WordPress.

Garb the entire episode transcript here.

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I've attended conferences before, but this time was 100% different. Oh c'mon Alisa! Conferences are always the same. But seriously, this event was the bomb-diggity. For SO many reasons, most of them not having to do with my mentor at all. Which is sort of why I'm sharing the story with you. Usually, when you get to meet someone you idolize a smidge, the event becomes about meeting them and just standing in the shadow of their wonder. But this time, things were VERY different. Tune in to Episode 61 for the entire scoop, lessons learned and some homework. Are you ready?

The 5 BIG Lessons I Learned In Cali at BBD Live 1. Be open to serendipity but set an intention.

I set a pretty specific intention for this conference around who I wanted to meet and why. I share all of the details in the episode. But let me tell you, that intention showed up BIG time throughout all 3 days and when I walked away I sounded a bit like Mathew McConaughy saying "Alright, alright, alright." Instead of just going to an event to learn tactics and new processes, adopt the mentality of being serendipitous and see what shows up.

Step outside of your comfort zone.

I left this event with a group of new friends, mentors, and masterminders and it never would have happened if I hadn't stepped outside of my comfort zone to have conversations with some of the 600 people I didn't know. I went to this event not knowing a soul, which is BIG for an introvert. But, I conquered my fear, started up small talk that led to more in-depth conversations and even ventured to talk to people who have "made it" bigger than I have so far. But one pivotal conversation changed the event for me. Listen to the episode to hear the story. The next time you are tempted to cower in a corner at an event, I want to encourage you to instead start a conversation, say hello, you never know where that will lead.

Your heroes are humans too. So yes, I have sort of business crush on James Wedmore and have for about 2 years now. So going to this event I was PRETTY excited to meet him and get my picture taken with him. Alas, what did I realize instead? He's a human being too. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! Seriously though, it's true. Seeing him connect with his audience before and after the event and share so deeply really hit home his humanness. The irony, I respect him even more now. So keep in mind, your heroes are humans too. See if you can dig that out of them.
The biggest lessons and shifts come from inside of you.

Maybe that isn't a surprise to you, but when it actually happens you may be standing there with your mouth gaping open. At least I was, going WTHocky Sticks just happened. It left me asking questions, like is what you are doing lighting you up? Are you full of passion? Do you like the impact your having? Is the entire reason I'm creating this business because I want to make money? Even though I keep trying to pretend it isn't? SAY WHAT? Mindblown - seriously. You see our brains are tricky little critters, and sometimes we talk ourselves into what we think we want when in reality, we are a hot misaligned mess. When was the last time you asked those questions and really listened to the answers? More coming on that (stay tuned below).

Don't underestimate the power of journaling.

Ok, so I know people say that and I am confessing, I haven't been a great journaler in recent days. But, after this event and having SO many epiphanies after journaling it is growing on me. So much that I have added it to my daily practice and am giving you all some SUPER yummy journaling questions to kick your business in the booty! Ready? Here you go:

If you could do anything in your business right now, without failing, what would you do?
How would you have to evolve or change as a person to bring #1 to fruition? How is that different from who you are now?
What 3 action steps can you take today, this week, this month to inch closer to making #1 a reality?
Who can keep you accountable so you can succeed?
How will you know that you are successful? How will you measure it? (This is a DOOZIE by the way - especially if you think it's one thing and then it's TOTALLY not!)

Last but not least my tool takeaway: I had the pleasure of meeting Alon David at the event and was introduced to his 90X planner. Now, let me be real. I am NOT a good goal planner user. But, after talking to Alon and all of the awesome sauce he has going on inside and outside his planner, I was sold. Of course, I got the pink one. But don't you worry, I've got you taken care of and I have a challenge for you. Alon has graciously offered a 31% discount for my audience only on his planner to get you started. You can get one here and enter the coupon code "FeedU31" at checkout to get your discount.

Now, for the challenge. Beginning on December 1st in the Facebook Group, we will start our 90 Day goal challenge. All you have to do is get a planner and show up. We will start by filling it and declaring our 90-day goals. Remember how I mentioned accountability, well here you go - here's your chance to get to the goal you wrote about in journal prompt #1. So get your 90X planner and let's do this.

Last but not least, I would love to give a birthday shout out to my eldest son as he turns 18 today. I'm sure he isn't listening (because there is nothing cooler than your mom's podcast) but regardless - the last 18 years have been a blur but I wouldn't trade them for the world. Happy Birthday, Reilly!

What did you learn from this episode?

Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join me in my Facebook Group. I talk all things online business growth but specifically sales funnels, branding and WordPress.

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You've heard WordPress is Powerful, but what's the big deal? Really?!?!? Nearly 60% of all websites online are built on WordPress, but you may be wondering why is WordPress so dang special? When companies like CNN, TED, UPS, and CBS Radio use WordPress, it may pique your interest to investigate this website platform. This week I dive deep into the 11 reasons WordPress is so powerful and even share what the heck is WordPress and why you might need it. Dive into Episode 60 and listen to all 11 reasons and grab some recommendations if you are ready to dive headfirst into creating your 1st WordPress website.

The 11 Reasons for Why To Use WordPress? 1. It is ridiculously scalable.

You can literally build any type of website on WordPress. I give you some warnings in the episode around the open code concept in the episode. Totally worth the listen, but as Kevin Costner would say "If you build it, they will come." I mention that Coca Cola was built on WordPress, they have since had their site rebuilt. But other big names include The Disney Company (including the official Star Wars Blog), Time, Katy Perry and Sony Music.

WordPress Coding Is Free.

Ok, before the nay-sayers get their panties in a wad, the WordPress coding is free. Does that mean it is free to have a WordPress website? No. But the cost is not prohibitive and it will be the best investment in your business you can make. You will need hosting (where your website lives) and I recommend Siteground in the episode. For a list of reasons why check out the episode here. You will also need a domain (the name of your website) which can also get from Siteground. Lastly, you will need a theme. I recommend Divi by Elegant Themes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I have a solution for you. I'm going to do a training in the Small Business Builders Facebook Group to show you how to build a simple WordPress site in less than a day. Not in the group? No worries, come join us here.

WordPress is a stable platform that has been around for over 15 years. WordPress is a stable, responsive platform that stays aligned with the newest technology out there. There are 1000's of developers working on the platform every single day. They keep up with trends and partner with some of the best designers in the market to create beautiful yet functional website themes.
WordPress enables you to literally design anything on your website. Using either free or paid themes you can create the website your little heart desires and dreams of. Do you need to have some coding knowledge to go crazy? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. Will you need some help if you're just getting started? Probably.
Designing in WordPress is SUPER flexible. With over 22,000 plugins available you can add or create just about anything you want. A plugin is an addition you "plug into" your website. Some examples I gave in the episode include creating a calendar and selling dates to an event. Creating an online store. Building a community or course. All the details are in the episode, give it a listen here.
WordPress SEO is a force to be reckoned with. With the assistance of some excellent SEO plugins, WordPress becomes a search engine machine for your content. My favorite is Yoast which gives you the yellow, red or green light based on your search engine optimization. The free version works great, so don't panic about getting the paid version unless you want to become an SEO guru.
WordPress makes content creation a breeze. Whether you are blogging, adding videos, podcast episodes or a combination of content - WordPress is ready for you. Blogging is as easy as using Word and getting started on your content creation is THE BEST way to keep Google coming back for more.
Communities & Memberships. You can create both communities and memberships on WordPress with some additional plugins. These are likely paid options, but if you want total control of your products and the people in your membership, WordPress will help you do that.
Social Sharing Made Easy. WordPress makes it simple for your audience to share your content with other people. There are a ton of sharing plugins and the best place to put sharing is at the bottom of your blog post. Elegant themes offer their monarch plugin for sharing, you can find it here.
Open source code means anything is probable and possible. With 1000s of developers working on WordPress functionality every single day, if there is something you dream of making happen on your WordPress website, chances are it is either already in progress or you can find someone to help you create it. The website world really is your oyster. With that oyster, make sure you are installing some security so no one ruins your party. I recommend iThemes Security plugin.
WordPress can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Because WordPress offers so much functionality, it can seem overwhelming. But, keep in mind that it doesn't have to complicated. Simple WordPress sites are built every day by people who want to control the design, functionality and behind the scenes of their website. If you want some help getting started, hop on over to the Facebook Group for the free training happening this week. I'll get you started and then you can run with it.

I mentioned the following resources to help you create your first WordPress website, and you can find those here: Siteground Website Hosting

Divi Theme

Yoast SEO

Monarch Sharing Plugin

iThemes Security Plugin

What did you learn from this episode?

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Your CTA (Call to Action) can make or break your sales funnel! Literally! If you have a non-existent or uncompelling CTA, your audience just won't take action. If they don't take the next action that loop of your sales funnel is officially CLOSED. Meaning you either have to start over or worse, you have lost them forever.I

What the heck is a call to action? This week in Episode 59 of the Feed U Podcast I answer that questions, plus give you 6 power tips to increase the traction of your CTA, plus (yes there's more) I give you some insider tips that will knock your audiences boots off once you start adding them into your repertoire.

What, where and when to use a CTA. This week's episode breaks down all three of those components, so give it a listen for a place to start. But a CTA is a Call To Action. It's fairly self-explanatory, it tells your audience what you want them to do next. Of course, you being the brilliant entrepreneur you are, have already mapped all of that out in your strategy. Making it SUPER easy for you to tell them what to do, right?

If you haven't then get to it my people, because 70% of small businesses don't use a single call to action. So for no other reason than to differentiate yourself, you should be sticking those things on every piece of marketing material you create. The big guys do it and guess what, it works.

Here are some places to put that call to action: * Blog posts (and not just at the end) * Podcasts * Any ad you run * Landing Pages * Opt-in Forms * Sales Pages * Hard Copy Collateral (flyers, postcards, etc.) * Videos

But how do I make my CTA's powerful Alisa? Well, I'm glad you asked! Because there definitely some powerful things you can do to power up those Calls To Action. Here are just a few, but get the whole list in Episode 59.

Stop hiding the darn things. If you do have a call to action, you need to make it obvious. Hiding it because you don't want to seem pushy or salesy is ridiculous. You are in this business to sell something - so get used to it and make it easy for people to find a way to do that with you. When you hide it, you are essentially putting your cash register under a blanket and saying "I just bet you'd like to figure out how to pay me." Guess what, they won't. They simply won't figure it out, they are just going to move along. So make it stinking obvious.
Make your CTAs clear and concise. Don't mince words, say what you mean. Tell them how you relate to the biggest nightmare in their business, how you can solve that for them and what it will be like for them after that problem is solved. Set expectations about what that process looks like and then sit back and watch them eat it up. Because they will. Wanna know why? Because everyone else is talking about how great their widget a, b and c are and how you should buy one - but your customers don't want widgets. They want to sleep at night. So help them do that.
Have a goal and measure it. As I type this post up, I just finished a speaking engagement on opt-ins. First, no one in that room had a plan. They had a free download on their website but they had no idea if it was working. They had no idea what to do with the people after they downloaded the freebie and basically, they were leaving piles of money on the table. PILES OF MONEY. Don't be them. You are smarter than that. Know how I know? You are reading this post. So make a plan, and then measure it. Otherwise, you won't know what is or is not working.

Want the other 3 tips? Tune in to the episode here.

I mentioned the following resources to help you create some awesome copy, and you can find those here: How To Write Copy That Sells

Money Words

Building A StoryBrand

Last but not least . . . Here is the quick low down on 5 Expert Tips to SuperPower Your Call To Action:

Use action words.
Create curiosity
Focus on giving value, ALWAYS
Use social proof like testimonials, case studies or reviews.
Invite, Invite, Invite your audience to take the next step.

What did you learn from this episode?

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So you want to be a star huh? Well, there is a lot of unglamorous aspects to becoming a star, an influencer or an authority. But . . . they often don't outweigh the benefits that the attention brings to you and your business.

Why would you want to be an influencer? This week in Episode 58 of the Feed U Podcast I dive into the 5 reasons becoming an influencer and authority in your market space is critical and necessary, especially in today's hustling bustling online world. I also walk through the 10 steps to become an influencer. Are they hard? No. Are they instant? No. Are they worth it? Abso-freakin-lutely.

What are the benefits of becoming an influencer? Below is the top 5 list of why you want to become an authority in your field of specialty. You can get all the details and examples by listening to this week's episode here.

It will help you gain momentum and traction in your business, especially online.
It will enable you to make a greater impact, change more lives and leave a legacy.
It will help you build trust with your audience, customers and fans.
It will help you become an authority with prospects, industry leaders and your clients.
It will help you reach larger audiences through collaborations, which leads to you growing your own audience.

So are you in yet? Well, if you are - keep reading. I'm about to lay out the 10 steps to becoming an influencer. Again, more antics, hilarity, and information are in the actual episode which you can listen to here.

Here are the 10 authority building action steps: 1. Do things differently. This is probably a duh, Alisa factor. But it needs to be said. Take a look at the people you admire online and offline. That list of top 20 entrepreneurs. They all have one very BIG thing in common. They looked at the way things were being done and said, uh no, I'm doing it this way. And guess what? People LOVE them for it! So what makes you different, what makes you unique? Why aren't you talking about it some more? Get to it!

Be or become a leader. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "they are a born leader". I don't think leaders are born. I think people become leaders through trial, tribulation and taking a chance. Leaders take chances. They look at fear and laugh and jump in with no abandon. Becoming an authority is a one-way ticket into self-love and improvement. It is impossible to stand in front of a group of people and "influence" them if you are carrying around of bunch of self-doubt emotional garbage. So let that shiitake go for the love of Pete. People are waiting for you and they aren't going to wait forever. So, become the leader I know you are.
Value and hold yourself in integrity.

Simply put, if you promise you are going to do something, do it. Especially if it is a promise you have made to yourself. There is nothing worse than letting yourself down because you will carry around the guilt and negative nelly self-talk F-O-R-E-V-E-R. So be true to yourself and be true to your word. It goes without saying to also be true to your word with other people. There isn't enough of that going around these days, so be the exception and you will be remembered.

Know your audience/niche. You've heard it before the riches are in the niches. Did you consider there is a reason for the saying? Because it's true. Once you get clear on who you serve it becomes SO much easier to create and implement all of your marketing. When you are running around trying to figure out where to be, what to say and how to say it - stop! Because your audience already has the answers to all of those questions. If you get to know them, you will have the answers too. More importantly, you will know where to show up (think events, social media, podcasts, etc.) and when to show up there. There is nothing worse than showing up every day to an empty room hoping someone shows up.
Collaboration over competition.

This is a biggie. You see if you can really and truly embrace that there is MORE THAN enough for everyone. This amazing thing happens, the flood gates open, opportunities show up unexpectedly and the world REALLY is your oyster. Not to mention that you have met some really cool cats along the way. So look at those people that you are internally at tug-o-war with and see why they are different and then reach out to figure out a way to partner with each other. Will it work with every single one? No. Will it work with the ones that it's meant to work with? Absolutely!

Share what you know, but have it lead somewhere.

You've learned a lot of stuff along your journey as an entrepreneur. Share it. Save somebody time, energy and headache and they will forever be in your favor. Yes, that was a total Hunger Games line, but it fits so well! One of the biggest mistakes I see small businesses make is not sharing what they have learned or know, out of fear. The second biggest mistake is sharing everything they know and not having it lead into selling their product in some way. So, share - but make sure that sharing has a plan behind it. Sharing increases trust, authority, and influence. But it does you know good to have those if you haven't figured out a way to monetize them. Otherwise, you won't be in business very long.

Pick one platform and how up there.

Most business owners have a supercalifragilistic plate full of things to do. Add in marketing in multiple places and creating all kinds of content and they will be one step away from packing it up and heading to Tahiti, permanently. Besides that it is an insane way to run your business, it will only lead to one place - burnout. Instead, pick a platform that melds where your audience is and what you like and show up there. Which leads us to #8 . . .

Be consistent.

This is the most important marketing advice you will ever get. No matter what you choose to do, online or offline, do it consistently. As one of my mentors, Donald Miller would say, "marketing is an exercise in memorization". People can't memorize who you are, what you do or how you can help them if you aren't in their face. If you train them to know you will be on Facebook every Wednesday at lunchtime, they will show up there. If they get an email in their inbox every Wednesday morning, the week they don't get one, don't be surprised if you hear from them. Consistency wins the race, every. single. time.

Engage with your fans.

Imagine the phone rings. You pick it up and say "hello". It's your best friend calling to say she saw your newest blog and how great it was. You set the phone down and all she hears is crickets. How long do you think she would stay on the line? Obviously not long. And this is someone who already knows and likes you. Now imagine, that's a stranger. That person would be so outta there and more than likely would never return. This is exactly what happens when you create engaging content and then don't respond. Your audience is ready to have a conversation, but you just disappeared. So create conversations. Talk to them, not at them. And for the love of all things holy, love on them. Call them out for being fans. Say thank you. Dedicate posts to them. Sing them a song. (Ok, maybe that's a little far, but you get the idea.)

Drumroll please . . . . .

Have a plan.

Having a plan to become an authority, step by step and then taking action on those steps is THE only way to become an influencer. Period. If you don't create a plan, and you just wing it, you will either 1-get burned out or 2-give up because it's a lot of work and you don't know when, why or how you will get there. Your plan doesn't have to be a spreadsheet with every detail mapped out. Just create a list of goals and tasks to achieve those goals. Make it an outline. Pretend you're creating a college research paper (do they still write these?)

I have a surprise tip #11

But you can only find that one by listening to the episode. So head over here and give Episode 58 a listen.

What did you learn from this episode? Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join me in my Facebook Group. I talk all things online business growth but specifically sales funnels, branding and WordPress.

Download the episode transcript here.

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The problem with manifestation is . . . There are a lot of gurus out there that will tell you to just sit around and manifest what you want into your life. Unfortunately, the key ingredient they leave out, more often than not, is that you have to take intentional action that aligns with what you are trying to bring into your life. An intention is a contract between your subconscious and conscious mind, but intention will only take you so far in attaining the life you REALLY want to be living.

How the heck do I start bringing my intentions into my reality? This week we are diving into some mind work, because believe it or not, if your mind isn't aligned with you what you want in your business (think subconscious running the show) then no matter what tactic, system or method you put into place - you will find yourself right where you are now. Which is why this mind-stuff is UBER important.

Please don't tell me I'm going to have to meditate Alisa! Okay, I won't. But you do, sort of. You see your subconscious mind is already programmed. For many of us, years and years of programming in fact - back to about the time we were 8 years old. We have beliefs and thoughts that we likely don't even know we are caring around (unless we have done a lot of digging to find them out.) The other thing about your subconscious is that it really likes to run the show and to tune into your inner wisdom, which is not always aligned with your subconscious, you need to quiet the mind. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

In this week's episode, I've laid out 5 specific steps you can take to align your intention with some good old fashioned action steps. Listen to the entire episode here for all the details, but here's the lowdown on how to get started:

Take some time to be quiet, every day! (yes you read that right! EVERYDAY!) I'm not saying you have to meditate, you do you boo. What I am saying is that we live in a SUPER busy world and it is easy to start your day being inundated with notifications, alerts, and the demands of the world. You will never be able to make changes happen if you can't find a few minutes to sit, breathe and listen.
Listen for the gap between your thoughts. I once had a meditation guide say "listen to the space between your thoughts" when meditating. Isn't that wise? The blank empty space that is as short as a breath. When you can focus on that, it will get longer and longer and your mind will slow down and become quiet, and you my friend, will be a meditating guru. Because that's all it takes, to be aware of the silence and just listen. Not so hard right? Ok, it is totally hard, but that's why it's called a meditation practice. Practice makes perfect.
Set your intention and here's the key -->>>RELEASE IT. You can intend all day long, but if you try to control the outcome, you aren't giving the universe space to deliver to you what is in your best interest. Oh I know, if you are anything like me, you've already figured out what would be in your best interest. But, experience has shown me that the more you try to control a situation instead of letting it go, the more difficult things become. Learn from my pigheadedness, just let it go and let it unfold, it is SO MUCH EASIER.
Verbalize and or write out your intention.

Setting your intention is one thing. But when you put a stake in the ground by writing or saying your intention out loud, the universe will hear you loud and clear. I actually recommend doing both. It leaves no room for miscommunication or interpretation. You've said it and written it and it's what you want. It's also psychologically important because you can hear what you want and that's some powerful vibration. Does that mean you can't change your mind? Of course not. But if you do, just be sure to say it again.

Now it's time to take action.

This is the #1 thing that is forgotten or overlooked when it comes to making changes in your life. You can't just sit around on your couch eating bomb bombs and expect the universe to deliver millions of dollars to you. You have to take action. More importantly, you have to take action in faith. Plan out what you can control to get the ball rolling and here's the kicker, then let it go. Because things may not roll the way you have planned them. Be patient, do what you can do and see how things unfold. I PROMISE, the universe really does have your back. Another tip in this area is don't fret about the details. Believe in serendipity and just keep an eye out for the universe at work. It's pretty amazing stuff when you start paying attention.

I promise you the universe is conspiring for you to succeed and is always working in your favor. I've seen it in my life again and again and I share a lot of stories and details in Episode 57. Give it a listen here.

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Your website is your online marketing department! But is it really making the grade as an employee? According to WordStream user experience accounts for one of the most important factors affecting conversion. Meaning, if your visitors find it difficult to find what they want on your website, your chance of converting them into a customer is nil, nada, not happening.

But what can you do? Take a deep breath and don't panic, I've got you covered on this one. In this week's episode of the Feed U Podcast, I lay down the 6 top items you need to consider to create an optimal user experience. I've even created a checklist for you with 8 key questions to ask yourself (or your designer) before you push live on that new website or redesign your current site. You can grab that freebie here.

User Experience (UX) is a deep subject, I just want to give you what you NEED to know. There are constantly studies being done regarding the impact of User Experience. A good web designer will be knowledgable about what is current and what needs to be considered when creating your website. I don't want to overwhelm you, I just want to inform you. Which is why I'm only covering the 6 BIGGIES that you need to keep in mind. No design degree required. :D

During Episode 56, I share more details on these 6 items. Listen to the entire episode here, but here's the summation of what I talk about:

Take some time thinking about your menu (navigation) -Is it cumbersome or complicated? What does it look like on mobile?
Do you have a clear Call To Action directing your visitors to the next phase of your sales funnel? -70% of small businesses don't have a call to action, this is HUGE differentiator for you and your website. Have you optimized your landing pages? You can get more information on Landing Pages vs. Optin Forms in Episode 51.
Are you using the power of white space? -White space is critical to give your eyes the opportunity to rest. Not enough of it and your site will become overwhelming to visitors and they will just leave. (NOT what you want.) Work with your designer to ensure that white space is a priority in your design. Also take into consideration the use of headings (Google loves these).
Is your website responsive?

Meaning does it look the same or similar and is it easy to navigate regardless of which type of device (think desktop, laptop, phone, tablet) they are visiting from? If it's a HOT MESS on mobile, you definitely have some work to do. Google is penalizing you - YES RIGHT NOW because your mobile responsiveness is not optimal and approximately 83% of your website visitors are immediately clicking away. This is a PRIORITY. Get to it friend.

Are you including SEO search terms in your content?

SEO is a big deal especially if you are trying to increase traffic organically. Luckily I did a great podcast episode with Mike Michaleson to help you out in Episode 18. There is even a free guide you can get to help you get started. You can find that here.

You have to have a strategy for your website, just like any other part of your marketing.

Without a plan, you are winging it. When was the last time winging it actually worked? I'm guessing not very often, and when it did, it was a fluke. Some things to stick in your strategy include how are you adding value? How are you connecting your website to the other components of your sales funnel? Are you actually asking people to pay you money? If not, how come? Are you in the business of charity? (Even if you are a charity, you still need money to operate, so get to it already!)

Wrapping up the episode, I shared with you the 8 questions you need to answer with your web designer. I packaged those into a neat little downloadable checklist that you can grab here so you have it handy for your next design meeting.

Want all the details, give the entire episode a listen here.

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Should you watch your mouth? Insider language could be the difference between attracting that new client and losing them to the competition. Yes, you are a brilliantly shining star in your area of expertise, however, your potential clients are not. Otherwise, why would they need to hire you?

This week in Episode 55 of the Feed U Podcast, I give the break down of your brain. (Look at me being all sciency and whatnot.) As well as, sharing with you why you should leave industry language at the door and the reasons their brains will walk away if you make it too complicated to work with you.

This is your brain . . . You may remember the commercial if you're old enough - but really your brain is running the show. If you missed Episode 53 I talk about the power your subconscious has over your everyday life - and let's just say you aren't as in control as you may think you are.

About 95% of the time your brain is controlling what's happening. And, your brain really has two big jobs. First, to keep you alive and second, to conserve energy. Which is why, if you are using confusing insider language you are not only losing prospects but you are driving them to look elsewhere for answers. (Read: Running to your competitors.)

During this episode, I share 5 simple tips to increase sales (all related to messaging) I definitely go into more detail in the episode, but here's the shortlist:

Focusing on one goal per piece of content or copy that you create
Focusing on one audience at a time and the detriment to not defining your Ideal Client Avatar.
How to create a conversation to create engagement.
The 3 BIG reasons why you should leave insider language at the door.
Why less really is more.

Tune in to get all the details and listen to the entire episode.

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I'm here with a newsflash, your About Page really isn't about you! In Episode 54 of the Feed U Podcast this week I am breaking down a compelling About page that will not only drive more sales, but also more traffic to your website.

But, what's the big deal with the About Page, Alisa?

Little known fact, but the About Page of your website is the second most visited page on your website. Your Home and Contact pages round out 1st and 3rd place. Meaning that if your About Page isn't working for you, meaning getting visitors into your sales funnel, then it is just an empty page hogging up space on the internet. So let's get to it and make that About Page work for its room and board, don't you think?

5 Steps To a Compelling About Page:

Do some keyword research. Yep, Google search is alive and well, so adding some keywords into your About Page will not only help your search rankings but more than likely, if done right, that page will rank all on its own. The best thing about organic search traffic - it's FREE!
Subtly weave in your products and services and the results you have had for your customers. The key is working what you do into the story so that it appears like you are doing a favor for your audience by providing what they need and making it easily available to them.
Identify the biggest problem your audience has. (this should sound familiar) Then follow it up with a triple shot of successful results from your clients. This builds authority for you and your brand.
Add a clear Call To Action (CTA). 70% of small businesses lack a call to action on their website. So adding one here will propel you past others and grow your email list faster. If people are visiting this page, why not feed them some love and add them to your email list.
Create a design that is attractive to your Ideal Client Avatar. Make it easy for them to continue down the page and learn more. This includes adding your personality into the page, I recommend leaving the canned headshot for your LinkedIn page and instead hire a photographer to add some gumption to this page.

For all the inside scoop tune in to listen to the entire episode here.

Some additional elements to consider for your About Page

Write a compelling, attention-grabbing headline. Something WAY more interesting than About Us.
Include some interesting imagery that goes with your story.
Add in some of your favorite testimonials.
Tell your story by sharing the problem you solve, the results you have achieved for yourself, but also for your customers. Your prospects are looking for relatability.
Include that call to action so they can learn more and you can get them on your email list.
Focus on teaching and not experience. Keep asking the question - "What does my potential customer need?

General Website Tips: 1. Make sure your site is secure. 2. Test your page load speed. 3. Ask friends and family to test your site and page navigation for ease of use. 4. Think about your Ideal Customer when choosing colors and also consider color psychology. 5. Think about adding a video. 6. If you have team bios, move them to a separate page.

For all the inside scoop tune in to listen to the entire episode here.

Resources Mentioned: Uber Suggest

Easy Website Fixes

StoryBrand Resources Episodes 40, 41 and 42

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It's not all woo woo this week as we reboot! This week we are talking about tuning into your intuition and rebooting to gain your footing back in your business. Including reconnecting with your passion and your purpose. But, if you are scientifically minded, I've got some news for you as well. According to Leeds University researchers, after analyzing multiple studies, they found that "intuition is a very real process where the brain uses cues and past experiences to make split-second decisions that don't even register on a conscious level." What does that mean to business? We aren't always consciously running the show. In fact 95% of the time we aren't.

Which is why I dive into the power of rebooting

In Episode 53 of the Feed U Podcast, I walk you through the what, why and when of rebooting yourself so that you can reignite the entrepreneurial fire in your belly. I also give you four tips to help you reboot and even a quick mini-reboot pick me up for days when you can't disappear for hours or days at a time. Included in that are some affirmations and their related body parts (more inside the episode on this). I've created this handy dandy chart for you to keep nearby to help. You can grab it here.

Why and when to reboot?

When you start to feel overwhelmed, unmotivated or listless.
You feel consistent or new pain in your body. Heads up your body is talking to you and will listen when you talk back.
You keep searching for answers, but don't find any.
Your emotions are highly charged (some funny stories here, tune in to listen.)

I also mention my shmancy new sunrise alarm clock. You can find it here.

Tips on rebooting

Find and make time to sit, listen, and be quiet.
Quiet your mind
Be gentle with yourself
Embrace and recognize your thoughts and then let them go
Use an app like Insight Timer to get you started
Start trusting your gut
Start with small decisions.
Evaluate what worked and didn't. Repeat.
Make bigger decisions.
Feel your emotions and talk/listen to your body.
Ask your body why it has pain
Ask why you are reacting the way you are
Ask what you should be doing
Let out your emotion
Use EFT taught by Teri Karjala in Episode 5 (there's even a free download)
Journal
Download journal prompts (you can find free options on Pinterest)
Don't judge yourself
Speak kindly to yourself
Write until you feel done
Resist the urge to attach meaning to anything you right

The quick reboot: 1. Use tuning forks which you can learn about and purchase here. 2. Take 2 minutes and do some deep breathing 3. Listen to music that you enjoy that keeps you moving forward 4. Dance it out for 5 minutes 5. Clear and move your energy using sage, essential oils, candles, stones or gems

Don't forget to grab the free Affirmation and Chakra Guide here.

Download the episode transcript here.

Amerzam Wake Up Light Alarm Clock Lamp Alarm Clock Radio Sunrise Alarm Clock Fading Sunset with 7 Colors Sleep and Wake Up with PM Radio Light Alarm Clock Alarm Clock for Sleep Kids,Adults (White)

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C'mon Alisa, really? Social Media is Killing My Business? According to Social Pilot, the average social media user spends 2 hours and 22 minutes a day connecting, swiping, and scrolling through their favorite apps. But, how can that be bad for business? Notice I didn't say purchasing or buying in that statistic.

Which is why I'm sharing the top 5 social media business killers In Episode 52 of the Feed U Podcast, I'm laying out the 5 reasons social may not be the best use of your time or energy in growing your business. Click here to listen to the entire episode. I know most experts will scream get on social, build your brand, post post post, but if you are committing one of these social felonies, it's not only a waste of your time, but it absolutely WON'T grow your business. This is so critical that I've created a free guide for this episode that you can grab at alisaconner.com/52download.

You're distracted.

If you go to social media to be distracted (I mean who doesn't?) it's unlikely you will stay on task for what needs to be done for your business while you are there. Here are some key indicators that you're not using social as a tool. You consume more content than you create. You have a serious case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). You are downing shots of compare-schlager on a daily basis. You don't have any social media time limits in places. You aren't regularly reaching your goals. You have grown kids that were 4 and 5 an hour ago. (Half kidding with that last one).

You don't have a social media plan.

In other words, you are winging it. Posting haphazardly or not at all. Looking at friends or foes feeds and going with what they are doing. Or the worst-case scenario, you just keep posting about your promotions and products. (For the love of all things holy don't do this, it's better to just not post AT ALL.) If you can't measure success or results for your social media activity, you likely don't have a plan. A plan entails a goal, action, results, and analytics. It will be extremely difficult if not impossible to stand out on social media without one, so go work on it, STAT.

You're busy being social, EVERYWHERE.

It's no wonder you're wearing yourself ragged and are ready to rip your hair out of your head. If you are trying to be on every social platform and build a presence there, one of two things will happen. One, you will be rocking in a burnt-out coma under your desk and no one will be ringing your cash register. Or two, you will set up all your social platforms and most of them will end up like sad, lost orphans who get no attention and make you look like the evil step-mother from Cinderella because you want them to work for you with no support. The best advice I ever received was to spend 90% of your time on one platform. Build it, grow it and make it yours. One caveat, make sure your people are there before you build there, otherwise, you will end up like Mohave desert waiting for gamblers.

Your social media doesn't connect to your sales funnel.

You've seen them, the Instagram accounts with 100K followers. You probably even rolled your eyes a bit and thought, what are they doing that I'm not? Then you slyly go check out their profile and realize it says NOTHING about them. Not where they live, not what they do, and definitely no way for you to reach out to them from that platform. THIS, my friend, is called "no connection". Meaning they aren't connecting how they make money to their social media. With NO CONNECTION comes NO CUSTOMERS. See number 2 for creating a plan and raise it to add a way to track sales, sell your products and create repeat business. Add those to your social platform of choice and you will have a winner for growing your business, not just your following.

You don't know if social is working or you don't know what to post.

Haven't we all been there? You create an epic social media post, and you hit publish and then you wait. and wait. and wait. C'mon someone like the dang thing. "Is anybody out there?" If this is the norm for your social media posts, go back to 2, 3 and 4 on this list. I will add, do some research on your ideal client and see what they are interested in learning about. Those will help you generate a TON of ideas for posting. Hint number 2, solve a problem. A problem they talk about, not that you think they have. When you create content that fixes problems, you will see a swell in your social activity. Lastly, make sure you are analyzing what you are doing at least once a month and if not, as Ross from friends would say "Pivot, Pivot, Pivot".

What should you do to reign in social media and make it work? 1. Have a plan and add some way to analyze if it's working. 2. Limit your "social time" and set an intention for your social activity. 3. Focus 90% of your effort on one platform. 4. Use a clear Call To Action to inform your followers how to work with you and create conversion. 5. Consider using Facebook ads to increase your exposure and grow your reach.

Don't forget to grab the free Social Media Success Guide here.

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Landing pages, opt-in forms, oh my It can be a smidge overwhelming, don't you think? Everyone is telling you to put a freebie on your website, but how exactly do you get it on your website and which format works better? A single page or an opt-in form, a pop-up form, a combination?

A landing page screams intent to your page visitor.

Why do you need to give your visitor a specific reason to visit your page and keep them on task? Simple. We as a society are uber distracted. If you have a potential subscriber that comes to your landing page, you know they are there for one of three reasons. To buy, to get on your list or to learn more. Your goal for a landing page is simple, you either want to sell, add them to your list or get more information from them so you can make your emails irresistible. By removing every other attention grabber, you are able to get them to take whichever action you intend.

A landing page creates a distraction-free zone.

The #1 reason I love love love landing pages is because you have made your intention clear, there are limited distractions, hence, you get higher conversions. Whereas an opt-in form on your website opens you up to oooh, what's this pretty thing over here, wait there's a blog article on that, they're on Facebook, let me go check that out. You see the problem. They never opt-in because there is WAY too much vying for their attention. Pop-ups work fairly well, but also run the potential of being annoying. If you're going to have a pop-up make it match the opt-in you are trying to drive traffic to.

Track conversions, easily.

Introduce new visitors to Y-O-U.

Benefits your SEO and Search.

Google searches pages, it cannot search forms. When you set up a landing page for a specific opt-in you can then have the url for that page be specific to the content on that page. Google loves content that matches the url, when you can do this, it will naturally increase your ranking for those specific search terms. You also have the ability to include keywords in your description and title for the landing page and any other content you have on the page. Meaning, Google will see those terms and say "hey, they are talking about "x" and so and so is searching for "x" we should pop this into their search results. Win. Win. Win.

Easier to track advertising effectiveness.

Similar to #3, when running Facebook or Google ads, it is easier to add a pixel to a certain page or have that ad track to a certain page and calculate effectiveness. Sometimes Facebooks numbers are inflated, and the same for Google, when you have your own statistics you can compare and ensure that your ad spend is truly working the way they say it is. Reports from third parties aren't always accurate, when you have your own numbers, you can verify and know when something is truly working or it isn't.

They have easy to use templates, making it easy to get your landing page up and running.
Typically you can personalize the page with images and sometimes video.
Usually, colors can be customized to match your brand or an upcoming brand to keep consistent.
The information on the form will automatically go into your emails service provider so you can email them.
You can connect the form to Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics, and Segment Analytics.

A few pitfalls to only using a landing page with an email service provider:

No specific thank you page to track conversions for advertising.
Can't direct them to additional content to further the relationship because you aren't using a website.
Subscriber can't learn more about you and it may dampen the know, like, trust factor.
No central hub for any of your marketing.
May be seen as "not really in business" if you don't have a website or a coming soon page - hindering your authority.

I also mention LeadPages in the episode, but pitfalls 2-5 will still apply to LeadPages. Long term, you will want a website even if its just a simple website.

Download the entire episode transcript here.

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It's conference season, your investing, but are you getting any ROI? The reality is that conferences can be expensive, and they are an investment. Unfortunately, what I see too often (and yes I've been equally guilty) is that we are drawn into a conference with exuberance and excitement. Then we attend and we get home and we don't remember a thing except, well that was fun. I want to encourage you to make the most of your conference event.

Which is why in this week's Feed U Podcast episode, I'm giving you 7 tips to make the most of your conference attendance and investment. Click here to listen to the entire episode. For your easy reference, here are the seven tips to make your conference profitable in the long run.

Have a plan and a goal.

I know this is shocking coming from the goal preacher, lol, but it's true. You have to have a goal or else you will wander aimlessly throughout the conference and then come home feeling overwhelmed and even a little deflated. The goal doesn't have to be over the top, but by putting the intention around the goal, you will focus on that goal subconsciously and be more focused. Some goals could be focusing on who you want to meet. Why do you want to meet them? Do you want to learn a specific skill? Why? Do you want to connect with influencers or speakers? Where do you want that connection to go? Do you eventually want to present there? If so, are you connecting with organizers?

Connect with the speakers.

Why? Because first, they are likely experts in the area they are speaking on. Second, they could be awesome future resources such as interviews for your content. You could be interviewed by them to grow your audience. You could compare notes with them if you share similar areas of expertise. You are more likely to pick up some insider tips. Lastly, you can get on their radar for the future. One I forgot to mention on the podcast is you can also get some social traction with a selfie with them if they have a larger audience.

Remember what you learn.

This one probably seems obvious, however, statistics show that you only retain 30-40% of what you hear and see and unless you implement it and teach it to someone else, your percentages don't get any higher. In fact, 90% of what you learn will be gone in a month. That's not looking good for your investment. In order to keep things in your noggin, take notes. Create the best system that works for your brain and ability to remember. Is it photos? Notes? Screenshots? Audio? I also want to encourage you to just pick 3 key takeaways from each session that you can implement once you get home. Just three.

Get social.

At the end of the conference sessions, you may be exhausted, however, I want to encourage you to do everything in your power to attend social events. This is where the best connections are made, as well as, friendships. If there are vendors set up, this is another often overlooked opportunity to create partnerships and notoriety. If you can be the last to leave and also be a conversation starter (I give you a prep tip for this in the episode) you will walk away with more than just knowledge at your next conference. Connections are the best you can give your business when attending a conference.

Put your phone away.

I know I probably sound like your mom right there, but it's true. When you are connected to your phone, you aren't being present. When you aren't being present, you will miss out on something. You've invested your time and money to be at this conference, so - Be. There. You will make better connections, stay more focused and not be distracted when social media, emails and text messages are not pulling you away. Give yourself the gift of only checking your phone at designated times and see how your experience shifts.

Followup after the conference.

We are all guilty of this one. You get home, you have a stack of business cards from contacts, and then you get pulled into the task of catching up on everything that didn't get done while you were gone. A week goes by, then another week, next thing you know, it's a month. If you prep before you go to the conference, follow up can be easier. Set up an email template and just change a few lines to personalize the follow-up. Create a plan for follow up, will it be emails? Phone calls? Videos? A combination? Lastly, follow up more than once. Everyone you met is fighting the same uphill battle you are when they get home of getting through emails and workload. Sometimes, it takes more than one reminder to get their attention. Don't be the one who drops the ball.

Pay it forward.

How can you give first to the people you met? This is a great way to stay memorable and favorable with those new connections, especially if you are wanting something from them in the future. Who can you introduce them to? Is there a certain task they need help with? It sharing your experience at the event with your audience is a REALLY great way to pay it forward. There may be that one person in your audience who REALLY wanted to be at that event, but just couldn't make it happen. When you share your experience, you are giving them the opportunity to see what it was like to be there.

Did you learn something from this episode? Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join me in my Facebook Group. I talk all things online business growth but specifically sales funnels, branding and WordPress.

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Growing your email list can be SO frustrating Especially if no one is signing up for your freebie. This week on the Feed U Podcast I'm sharing with you five big problems I see with landing pages and opt-ins. Fixing these five things will nearly immediately start growing your email list.

I also recap why it's important . . . To grow your email list. I realized I don't talk about this nearly enough. In the intro of this episode, I share with you all the reasons for having a viable email list will positively impact your business. Click here to listen to the entire episode. In the meantime, here are the five big problems and some suggested fixes:

You are solving a problem.

You may think you have the BEST opt-in in the world, you poured your heart and soul into it. However, no one is paying attention to it. Why? Because they have a problem to solve and they are searching for a solution to that problem. They don't care how pretty or heartfelt your free download is if it isn't helping them get from point A to point B. This is where people get stuck. Take your blinders off and really get to know your ideal client. Complete some market research and figure out how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. Most importantly, do some detective work and see what your target market is really looking for. Give them that, even if they need something else. You can sell them what they need, later. You can get really specific with this if you start tagging or segmenting your list. You can find out more about that in Episode 31 here.

You haven't promoted your freebie.

If I had a dollar for every free download I had that I never promoted, well you know the story. But, it is a common mistake that we entrepreneurs make. We create this remarkable piece of information, system, video training, etc. but then we don't toot our own horn and tell people about it. I specifically see this with my female entrepreneurial friends. What is it with that? We need to get on board with shouting our goodies to the masses. Just because you put something (anything) on your website, it doesn't mean anyone will see it. You have to tell them about it. Be strategic about where you are promoting and say it again and again until you are sick of hearing yourself, then say it again. A great way to promote is to add share buttons to your landing pages, emails and thank you pages. I use Monarch plugin from Elegant Themes, but have also had success with SumoMe which is a complete traffic app.

You're making it too dang hard.

People are busy, they don't have a lot of time. If you make it complicated to opt-in to your freebie - they simply won't. As in hasta la vista baby, they are off to find what they need somewhere else. If you are confusing them with options, same deal. If you have too many steps to opt-in or ask for too much information, again - they are leaving your site. Probably running. Also, if you don't deliver what you say you will deliver, now they feel betrayed and you have a whole other problem. Last but not least, DO NOT hide your opt-in form. If people can't find it immediately and I mean right on the tip of their nose easy, they won't go looking for it. They have better things to do. Lesson learned, make it as easy as possible for them to get on your list.

You haven't clearly communicated the process.

So many times we have great plans, plans that include inviting our audience to something that will change their lives. However, we don't tell them how to go grab that piece of information. We may use a link that is WAY too complicated for them to find or remember. We haven't told them the steps to get the GREAT free download you have created. Or worse, you haven't told them why their life will be better after they download the freebie and put it into action.

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This week it's my 48th birthday and it's my 48th episode So I thought I would share the top 8 lessons I've learned in 48 years and in recording and putting out 48 episodes of this podcast. Join me for laughs, antics and a few business tips learned the hard way, so you can learn from me and either avoid them or get things done easier.

Also, if you're catching this episode when it's released . . . First, thank you because you are a true fan and you rock! I appreciate you tuning in. Second, I have a birthday giveaway going on right now, so be sure to head over to my Facebook Group and join the fun for all the giveaway scoop. There are some awesome things happening, including delicious birthday treats (yep, wait to you see how I pull that off) and a killer business growth builder too. Now let's hop into those 8 lessons:

Done is better than perfect. Action is better than no action.

Whether you are a closet perfectionist (raising hand) or are just making decisions out of fear, this tip is for you. I come clean about my closet perfectinism and also about how I was hiding from the reality of being entrepreneur. I also share with you why it's not only a disservice to you to not put your stuff out there, but also that the people are waiting - so git to it! If you have some brilliant idea, business saver or something burning in your soul to share - JUST DO IT! Leave perfection to someone else who has more time and less to do.

You can't do it alone.

The reality is entrepreneurship can be lonely. Most of your previous friends, acquaintances, family (anyone who is not an entrepreneur) can't relate. They imagine you sitting around eating bon bons and watching Days of Our Lives. (That show is totally still on btw, I happened to see it at the car dealer the other day.) I digress, the reality is - it can make you feel isolated, alone and sometimes just plain crazy. So . . . you need to get out there and connect. Which brings me to point two, sometimes you have to meet a LOT of coal miners before you find that diamond. Also, sometimes you meet the exact person you are supposed to meet to push you to the next level of your business. Breathe and keep on chugging. Third, networking is NOT always a place to find business. Phew, this one was a doozie for me to get. In fact, most times it is a place to find your people, connect and find someone else who can relate to your everyday solo business owner existence. Lastly, the five people you spend the most time with is who you will become. So if you want to level up in business, in your health, in your life, or in anything - look at who you are spending time with and see if you need to make some changes or level up the playing field.

Change is the only constant, so get used to it.

Everything in life changes, seasons, days, even your body. The human body sheds it's entire skin every 7 years (totally gross huh?). The lesson here, change is here to stay, so you might as well embrace it and get used to it. Keep this in mind as you grow your business. It will change as well. There will be many iterations and it's ALL OK. In fact, it's more than ok, it means your continuing to grow and learn and you are doing it right, simply because, you are doing it. Think about all those people who gave up by now, you are still trucking - so keep it up!

Everything in life offers a lesson, it's up to you to receive it.

There really is no such thing as failure, just the opportunity for you to learn from what went wrong, tweak it and then do it again and again until you get the results you desire. It's all mindset, and the only person who can control your mind, is you. You are the only one who can control your perspective, if you don't like the way your life looks, it's up to you to make a change. I haven't run into a magic "change fairy" yet, but if you do, don't give her my number, she probably is SUPER pricey. Lastly, all those do-overs are polishing you into the diamond you are meant to be. Sometimes it can hurt and can be rough and tumbly, other times you just need a good friend to help you find your shine. Those people are the keepers.

Always keep learning from people smarter than you.

I don't know about you all, but there are still a WHOLE lot of people who know more and have experienced more than I have. I make it a priority to learn something new everyday. More specifically I learn something new from someone who is ahead of me on this journey. Keep in mind, if you are the smartest person in the room (and yeah it happens) than you ARE IN THE WRONG ROOM. So move it, get to a new room - PRONTO! Your brain is a muscle, and you MUST keep feeding it. Every. Single. Day. If you stop, it won't grow, if it doesn't grow, neither do you and then you really are stuck. TV rots your brain, your mom, grandma, any elder that said this - they were right. 67% of rich people watch less than an hour of tv a day (Warren Buffet). If you want to be a millionaire, pick up a book and shut the tv off. In addition, Warren Buffet reads 500 pages a day. (A DAY!) You don't have to start there, just start somewhere. Last but not least, if you have people you admire, look at their daily habits and then mimic them. Adapting their habits does a miraculous thing, it turns them into your habits and those habits lead to success.

Meditate and move your body, EVERYDAY!

I found meditation about 6 years ago - for real. I would half-a$$ my meditation but I started to meditate for real (and do yoga) about six years ago. I liken it really finding God for the first time. Now I grew up Catholic, so it's not like God was an anomaly to me, it's just that we had never communicated. I'm not saying you have to converse with God to meditate, what I am saying, is that spiritual piece of you needs peace and quiet every single day so that you can hear what it has to say. Call it your subconscious, call it your inner wisdom, call it whatever you need to call it, but in the end shut your pie hole at least 10 minutes a day and really listen to what it has to say. I promise you, it will change your life. And, the last part of this lesson - move it - every. single. day. Your body was meant to be in motion. Go for a walk, run, play hopscotch, dance with the dog, do whatever you want - just get out into the world and move because when you don't you lose wisdom, ideas and you get stuck - literally.

Be kind, to everyone.

This is a tough one, I'm not going to lie. But I've learned the hard way - that sometimes those bridges you burn, burn you in the end. I'm not saying you have to like everyone, or agree with everyone, but just be as kind as you possibly can. You never know what someone else is going through, you aren't in their shoes, and that little bit of kindness you share today, may be the only kindness they receive. Leave people better than when you found them and you will never be at a loss.

Let go of grudges, especially against yourself.

This last really is for you. Because when you hold onto anger and grudges, the other person isn't affected. The only person still feeling the anger, hurt, resentment or negativity from that encounter, is you. How many times have you had an argument with someone or "broke up" only to realize the other person remembers things completely differently and neither one of you can remember what you are upset about to begin with? I'm not saying hide your emotions. For the love of Pete, feel them. Every single one, because that's what makes us human. Feel them and then just let them go. Everyone is doing the best they can in any given moment, and if you look at every interaction as a lesson, you can walk away knowing you did the best you could too.

What lessons did you learn from this episode? Come and tell me in the Facebook Group.

Who likes ice cream? Join me in my Facebook Group to get your free ice cream treat this week.

Share your photo of you enjoying your treat on Instagram and tag me @alisamconner. Download the transcript here

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Do you remember why you started your business? If you're like most entrepreneurs, it's because you loved some aspect of what you do and you want to help people. However, many of us once pulled into our day to day tasks, lose track of what drove us to begin to start with. We are worried about which social channel to be on, what content to create, how to get more customers, which events to attend, and the list goes on and on. Somedays it takes everything in us to just get up and start over again, because we are feeling tired, frustrated and overwhelmed.

You are not alone! Whish is why, this week I bring to the Feed U Podcast Kerry Borcherding. Kerry is passionate about helping entrepreneurs leave the chaos behind and instead, reconnect with our internal passion meter and the reason we hopped on this entrepreneur rollercoaster in the first place.

A little bit about Kerry: First, she's an awesome human. I was lucky enough to meet her about 9 months ago. She not only works with female entreprenuers to connect with their innate purpose so that they can change the world, she also runs an amazing non-profit for cancer patients called Hope Held By A Horse. Learn more about that here. Kerry is passionate about helping entrepreneurs get off the hobby horse of what "should" I be doing and reconnecting with what truly is why I am here and what will make my life full and happy.

Kerry walks us through two different alignment techniques.

To get us started, Kerry shows us the goods on how to connect with our divine purpose, recognize opportunities for the universe to deliver inspiration and information to us and also know when to follow our intuition and ignore our brains (which are typically spinning us in circles) to achieve success.

Before you start using the meditations in this episode:

Find a quiet space where you feel safe and have a few minutes to center.
It's helpful to be able to close your eyes.
Once you have found your inherit center, you can use these techniques whenever you are unsure, feel flustered or just need an answer that is right for you.

Kerry also generously provided some additional video trainings and meditations to help you keep moving forward with your passion and worry less about the "how's" and more on the "why's". This is after all why you started your business in the first place, isn't it? You can find those here.

Connect With Kerry: Website

Facebook

What did you think about this episode? Do you want more like this? Let me know over on Instagram via Direct Message.

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This week I'm giving Gary V's Jab, Jab, Jab -Right Hook a makeover If you don't know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, I fill you in on this episode as well as share when I heard first heard is "getting started" story and how he became a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. One of his most famous marketing books Jab, Jab, Jab - Right Hook is how I started to learn about his infinite marketing wisdom. But I thought the title needed a makeover, so I did it Alisa style.

So, I changed it up a bit to Nurture, Nurture, Nurture - Convert. I've seen a trend since growing my and my client's businesses. The more we love on our prospects, the more likely they are to buy. (I know what a simple concept). Unfortunately, as simple as it is, it often gets overlooked. Which is why, I've laid out a simple 3 step process for you in this episode to grow your audience and get more customers. In addition, 4 ways to implement the nurture step. Here's that quick 3 step process:

Create kick a$$ content consistently.

People want answers and they want them quickly. The best way to get known and grow a following is to create Kick A$$ content. I see people fail in this area in 2 ways. First, they put crappy content out there that no one wants. Second, they are not consistently creating content. There is a cure for both. Quit putting crap out there and instead create stuff that people need and want, that solves their problems. We live in a CRAZY competitive online world and your poopy content isn't doing you or anyone else ANY good. So as the old adage says, if you're going to do it - do it right. This means put some time into it, figure out a new take on the old and for gosh sakes, put your personality and spin on it. Next, do it regularly and tell people what to expect. If you're going to create content (and I KNOW it takes time) then tell people when they can next expect your next article, video, etc. and keep your word.

Tell people about it and attract your audience

This is another area where business owners make fail. They painstakingly create content. Pour hours into it and then they put it on their website and the finger tapping begins. Why isn't anyone coming? Why hasn't anyone read it? Why are there no comments? Well, my friend - because NO ONE IS SEEING IT! You have to be your own best advocate. Building a following and an audience is hard work, which means you have to get REALLY good at tooting your own horn again, and again, and again - until people start to see you. It takes time. You can cheat a bit with ads, but that's another conversation. Create a plan, tell people about your great stuff and keep on telling them.

Love on em, a WHOLE lot! (nurture, nurture, nurture)

Once people show up and regularly love on your content, love on them back. Create conversations. Respond to their comments. Say thank you - nurture, nurture, nurture. Treat them like they are the best thing that's ever happened to you and your business (because they are) and I guarantee that you will stand out from all the other noise out there and get more people paying attention and turning to you to fix their biggest business problems.

Try out one of these 4 nurturing tips: 1. Create a welcome email series that brings them on board with your organization. 2. Personalize every possible experience for your audience 3. Share older content that they may have missed that is relevant to them to build rapport 4. Start more conversations by asking more questions

Once you have created this rapport and started to build that relationship, conversion is a walk in the park. Which of these 3 steps are you using in your business? Which do you need to improve?

Let me know over on Instagram via Direct Message.

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I know it sometimes feels like sleep is optional as a small business owner. What if you could be available 24 hours a day? You can! With the power of a messenger chatbot. This week on the Feed U Podcast I give you the scoop on how to stand out and excel in customer service when most of the rest of the planet is truly SUCKING at it. Here are the top ways to stand out from your competitors in the arena of customer service.

You may be thinking, chatbots Alisa, that sounds complicated and overwhelming and impersonal. Let's cover each of those hiccups one at a time.

It's easier than you think! Setting up a messenger bot may seem overwhelming. But there are some great tools and teachers in the market. In this episode I tell you about both my favorite bot star, Kelly Noble Mirabella and my favorite tool ManyChat to get you started with Messenger marketing. Spending a little time to either set up your own chatbot (highly recommend) or work with an expert can help you grow your email list, start beginning conversations and help you be available 24 hours a day even when you can't be. Last but not least, a Facebook Messenger bot can alert you when someone needs help on your Facebook page.

Use Facebook Messenger Marketing to remind people. Facebook messenger messages are opened over 90% of the time. Personally I think it's because the red dot reminder is ANNOYING. But, regardless - it works. With the news feed being oversaturated and your audience likely not aware of you or your posts, messenger is a great way to communicate and remind. For example, if you are hosting a Facebook live or giving a webinar, you can set up reminders for your enrollees and audience to let them know when you are going live, again right before you go live, and lastly you can remind them of a replay.

Get more traction on your Facebook page or in your Facebook group. If you haven't taken note of the drop of Facebook engagement yet (read algorith) then let me fill you in. Facebook wants to bring back people's trust and ensure privacy. To do that, they have adjusted their algorithm (again) to show you as a user more of what you want to see. They judge this interest by how you engage with people (like, share, comment). If your Facebook Business Page or Facebook Group are not seeing engagement, you are not being seen (unless you are running ads - another episode). Using a messenger bot you can increase your engagement and increase how much traction you are getting.

Targeted ads. If you are running Facebook ads for your business, you can use your messenger bot to target your subscribers (chatbot subscribers) to decrease how much money you spend on ads and also increase how many people purchase from you. Because they are HOT HOT HOT leads. I don't want to go too much down a rabbit hole - but this is HUGE because you have already started a conversation with these folks, you know they are interested, the next step is to target them and introduce them to working with you. Messenger makes this easier and less expensive.

Last but not least, here are some ways you can use chatbots for your business: * To welcome visitors * To increase your email opt-in with comments and build your email list * To deliver quizzes (read learn more about your ideal client) * Ask questions and fun ways to answer, i.e. via gif * Ask complete this statement question * Distribute Surveys and Polls * Get opinions on industry topics * Increase engagement on popular content you've created * Boost popular posts that have opt-ins to again, grow you email list

Have I given you enough reason to check out messenger bots for your business?

Let me know how you are going to impelement chatbots in the future over on Instagram via Direct Message. Resources Mentioned: ManyChat Episode With Kelly Noble Mirabella

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In a world where customer service is a commodity, it can be your secret weapon! This week on the Feed U Podcast I give you the scoop on how to stand out and excel in customer service when most of the rest of the planet is truly SUCKING at it. Here are the top ways to stand out from your competitors in the arena of customer service.

Personalize everything! There is no better way to let your audience, prospects and customers know that you care than to personalize how you communicate with them. This includes emails, video, sales letters and advertising. Are you personalizing your messaging to your ideal clients so they feel like you are in their head?
Create and send videos. Tools like Loom and BombBomb make it easy to record and send a quick video to clients, prospects and new email subscribers. It may take a little time, but you will definitely get stuck in their heads as memorable. You can also send quick education tips, simplify complicated processes and ask questions. How will you use video? Tell me on Instagram.
Make yourself available. In our very digital world, answering a phone call, hosting a live video chat or using messenger to call or video with someone is rare. The more you can personalize your interactions with the people you want to work with, the higher conversion you will have - G-U-A-R-A-N-T-E-E-D!
Add chat to your website. You can't be available all the time, but using a chatbot or messenger marketing to answer Frequently Asked Questions and give your prospects next steps is a great way to engage and follow up with leads. "44% of customers say having their questions answered at the time of an online purchase is one of the most important features a website can offer." (Forrester Research) Easily get started with Facebook Messenger and Manychat. I did a whole episode with chatbot expert Kelly Noble Mirabella, you can listen to that here. If you want to get fancier check out Live Chat for WP, Olark and Zendesk for fancier chatbot experiences. I'll have more on chatbots next week.
Create a Siri Search friendly website. By 2020 it is predicted that over 50% of online searches will be by voice search. Here are some simple tips to help you ensure that Siri is able to find answers on your website. First, make sure you test your page speed load with GT Metrix or Google Page Speed. Second, use a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to keep google happy and secure visitors information. Third, use clear language and short sentences in your website copy. Last, answer well known search queries on your website in blog posts or page content. For more website tips, check out Episode 29 - Why Your Website Isn't Making You Money.
Use screensharing tools with clients and prospects. Tools like Zoom and Skype make it easy for you to have conversations and personalize relationships with your clients and prospects - giving them extra time with you and also showing you care enough to show up in person.
Use a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) tool. Having a tool that enables you to store information about your customers is invaluable. You can keep it as simple or make it as complicated as you would like. But sending a birthday card or a personalized gift when they least expect it, is a sure fire way to get people singing your praises. I recommend Dubsado, Insightly and Sales Force

How are you raising the customer service bar? Let me know over on Instagram via Direct Message.

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Let's be real, creating consistent content takes a LOT of time . . . and if no one is consuming it, it can make you feel hopeless, burnt out and you may be asking "what the heck is the point, already?" But, regular content on your website is a MUST to drive traffic, build your email list and keep on Google's radar. Which is why this week on the Feed U Podcast I'm teaching you 8 tips to create content your audience will consume, share and engage with.

Know who you are creating content for. Knowing your audience makes it easier to reach them and even better, makes it a breeze for you to create awesome content.
Use tools to identify content that's missing. Using tools like Google Predictive Search, Answer the Public, Pinterest and Facebook Search help you see what content has been created and even better what is missing that you can create. Bonus tip - you can reach out to those other creators and tell them about how your content compliments theirs and would they care to link to yours in their article.
Survey your audience. If you really don't know what to create or where to create your content, save yourself some time and headache and just ask them. Tools like survey monkey are a dream and can easily help you collect data from your target market.
Analyze your content. See what you have already created that is popular. Can you expand on that content, create a new updated version or create something that aligns with that content? It's sure to be a winner.
Promote, promote, promote. You may have the BEST content in the world, but if no one knows about it, it will never be seen. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn a bit.
Keep a running document with your content ideas. You never know when an idea will come to you, so create a Google Doc, Evernote doc or your favorite notebook to write down those ideas when they come to you so you aren't panicked when it's time to create your content.
Become a great listener. Most people don't listen at all, they are just waiting for a break in the conversation to relay what they are thinking. When you actually listen and ask great questions, you will see that most people are struggling with the same things. No go talk about them with your content.
Research your competitors. DO NOT COPY, research. Knowing what your competitors are up to is just good business sense. Look at what is working for them when it comes to content, what are they getting traction on? How can you put a different spin on it or your perspective? What are they missing that you can cover?
Research conferences and speakers that your target market attends. You can get some great content ideas from topics covered at recent conferences and also by researching recent speakers and their topics.

Which of these ideas will you try out? Let me know over on Instagram via DM.

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The point of marketing is to create more sales, but most marketing is a waste of time and money! Which is why this week on the Feed U Podcast I round out my series on using story in your branding and marketing. I tell you the 11 places to use story to increase your brand recognition and market awareness and convert more leads to sales.

I also give you the reasons that story will work better than any other marketing for each place. Without further ado, here is the big list of where you can use the power of story to increase your sales.

On your website: when you are clear you sell more, convert more visitors and attract higher end customers who are ready to pay you.
In your emails: you have higher open rates, more people click on your links and even better they share your email info with their friends.
In your free downloads: story helps you quickly grab the attention of a lead and gets them to take the next action you want them to take in your sales funnel, like downloading your freebie. Don't have a freebie yet? Sign up for my free training here.
In your social media posts: gain traction in a saturated market because you are telling your customers story through your social posts.
In your stories (Facebook, Instagram and soon LinkedIn): hello! story is in the name for pete's sake. Obviously use the framework here to again gain traction, get more followers and grow your list.
In your messenger marketing and chatbots: when you can't be there for your customers 24 hours a day a chatbot or messenger marketing work great. They work even better when you use the power of story to have a conversation.
In your sales pitches: selling with story becomes so easy, because your prospects brain is pulled into their story (the one you are telling them about themselves) and of course their brain wants to close the loop (learn more about that here). Closing the loop means doing business with the loop closer - YOU!
In your keynote and speaking presentations: sell more from the stage without selling. Your words will be so clear that people will meet you at the back of the room to learn more even if you don't sell anything but a free download while you are standing up there. Give it a try and report back.
During networking events: so often people stumble over what they do or trying to describe their business, story busts that scenario like Thor with his magic hammer and you become the most memorable person in the room.
In your marketing collateral: for those of you who still use marketing collateral, stand out in a crowded conference, become memorable and a brand to be reckoned with.
In your created content (think blogs, podcasts, video shows, etc.): story is best used when telling a story or teaching something. The best place to do that is with your weekly content.

Using the StoryBrand framework makes creating content for each of these marketing avenues a breeze. You will stand out from your competitors, become the go to person for your industry and be seen as an authority in your market. So what are you waiting for? Get your story straight! :D

Find out about more ways to learn the StoryBrand framework here.

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Clear communication differentiates you from your competitor immediately! Let's face it, the internet is a noisy and busy place. If you aren't able to quickly and clearly communicate to your prospects (think 6 seconds - faster than the attention of a goldfish) they are gone and off to the next thing on their agenda.

The StoryBrand framework is so powerful - I have seen clients businesses literally quadruple in less than a quarter. It enables you to tell your clients how you help them solve their biggest problem and gives them a path to reach that success. It also helps you clearly communicate what you do, especially in times of pressure like when your riding down an elevator with "the" client you would love to add to your portfolio.

Which is why, I've dedicated another entire episode talking about how using story in your business is a game changer. Once you use these 7 simple steps in all of your messaging (more on that next week) people will flock to you. It isn't about what you sell, it really isn't, it's about how clearly you communicate to your potential clients how you help them. People are busy, they need easy to follow steps to work with you. If you aren't telling them how clearly and simply - your leads are off to your competitors.

Tune in this week on the Feed U Podcast to see how StoryBrand can propel your business and leave your competitors wondering what's your secret.

Find out about more ways to learn the StoryBrand framework here.

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Everyone LOVES a good story. Which is why I am tackling the power of storytelling for the next 4 episodes of the Feed U Podcast. If you struggle with finding the right words to describe what you do and how you help, it is 100% affecting your sales.

Spending money on marketing without a good message is like going to a car wash during a rainstorm. Just don’t do it. This week’s episode I give you the low down on how long story telling has been around (think dinosaur times) and why it has stuck around and continues to make millions of dollars for millions of companies.

There is no better way to engage an audience Thank by telling a good story. Come learn how the experts do it and stay tuned for the next 3 episodes where I break down how, where and when to use storytelling to grow your business.

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It's all about the money, money, money . . . or is it? I am SUPER excited to invite Deborah Fryer to the Feed U Podcast today to talk about shifting our money mindset. I've mentioned before that research shows nearly 95% of our decisions are made by our subconscious. If that's the case, is it any wonder that you aren't making the money you deserve to make if your mindset is carrying around old money habits and beliefs?

Deborah cuts right to the chase. In the awesome conversation we talk about if you aren't reaching the goals in your business, how your money beliefs are likely holding you back. Deborah graciously gives us some success examples of her clients who conquered their money mindset and have not only prospered in their business, but also their lives. We also cover the reality, that the goal isn't the money. The goal has to be identified outside of the money, otherwise when you get there, you'll be disappointed and go back to old habits.

To round out the episode, Deborah walks you through an exercise to help you begin conquering the bad juju money voice in your head.

Connect With Deborah Here - Facebook

Website

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Does this sales funnel stuff really work Alisa? We are 3 episodes in on this sales funnel business, and you may be wondering is it all worth it? Well, the proof is in the pudding with this week's episode as we finish out the 4th episode in this series. I walk you through 4 client case studies of success.

Regardless of what type of business you have, this sales funnel stuff will work. In case you missed how the first 3 episodes let me recap. In the first of this series, Episode 35, I walk you though a simple sales funnel. In part two of the series, Episode 36, I give you 7 MUST ask questions to determine if your sales funnel might be broken, and if so, how to fix it. Last week, in Episode 37, I covered why analytics are crucial to increasing revenue and sales.

This week I pull it all together and cover these industry success stories.

Retail Store
Chiropractic Clinic
Training and Online Courses

As you can see it's a WIDE range of industries. Tune in to see the success these clients have found (some up to 4xing their income) and see what tips you can apply to your business.

Resources - In the episode I mention the FREE Sales Funnel Download, you can grab that here. I also talk about ways to get more of your emails opened from Episode 32.

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Does the word analytics make you want to curl into a ball too? If you are anything like me, the word analytics takes you back to a high school math class that makes you cringe in memory. An older teacher, with too many calculators and poor eyesight.

However, times have changed - and analytics can become your friend. In fact, I HIGHLY recommend you make friends with this past frenemy. Because analytics are the lifeblood of your marketing.

Last week I talked about identifying your broken sales funnel and how to fix it. In case you missed it, you may want to start here with Episode 36.

This week I dive into analytics. Why does she keep saying that word? Truly, it is CRITICAL that you analyze everything in your business you are spending money on, especially in the arena of marketing. If that investment isn't paying for itself, it's time to give it the old heave ho (my mom would totally say that).

Here's what I cover this week:

What are analytics (get to it already Alisa)?
Why are analytics important?
Analytics tools that are essential to keep a pulse on your spending and profit.
3 critical conclusions to make with your newfound love of analytics.

Resources - In the episode I mention how critical it is to create great emails, check out Episode 32 to learn more about that.

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If your sales funnel isn't making sales - you my friend, have a problem, This week's episode of the Feed U Podcast talks all about how to fix your funnel and turn it into a lead generating machine. Need more leads? Ready to quit working so hard? This is the episode for you.

To make things even easier, I've created a FREE guide to help you walk through your own sales funnel and ask targeted questions so that you can fix the "speed bumps" that are slowing down your sales. You can grab that guide here.

Last week we talked all about the different sales funnel phases. In case you missed it, you may want to start here with Episode 35.

This week I walk you through 7 MUST Ask Questions to figure out where your funnel is broken and give you some quick tips to fix your funnel.

Here are the questions:

Are people aware of you and your brand and are you getting engagement?
Are people actually converting through your sales funnel?
Are you focusing on the lifetime value of your customer or just one transaction?
Are people getting stuck in one phase of your funnel and why?
Is it easy for your audience to communicate with you?
Do people trust you enough to buy from you?
Is your audience specific enough? Can they hear you through all the noise?

To dive in even deeper - don't forget to grab that free guide here. You may even want to print it out and listen to the episode to take extra notes.

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Sales funnels should be simple, and you shouldn't have to wrack your brain trying to figure out what goes where and why yours isn't working.

Let's be real, you have other things to think about - like running your business. BUT this sales funnel stuff is SUPER important, especially if you want to make serious money at this business game.

Figuring out your sales funnel doesn't have to be complicated. This week on the Feed U Podcast I uncomplicated the mysterious sales funnel and broke it down into 4 Simple steps.

Awareness
Interest
Decision Making
Action

I've packed each step with ideas and suggestions on what needs to go there.

WAIT! It gets even better - because this is episode 1 of 4 to help you fine tune your own sales funnel. If you're ready to start converting customers and stop worrying about what is or isn't working with your own lead generation machine, tune into the Feed U Podcast this week.

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If you are feeling frustrated with your small business because sales are down and no one seems to be buying or your sales are inconsistent or you just aren't growing the way you think you should be - you are not alone and this week's Feed U Podcast episode is for you.

I've worked with many business owners who are selling but just not making the money they want or deserve. So much so that I decided to investigate what the heck was getting in the way of them making the money they should be making.

Some of the same things came up again and again and this week I sum up what I found with 6 tips all around perfecting your offerings to get more sales. Say what?

True! Totally true! These six things will not only clarify why your sales are stalled but they will also help you breathe a huge ol' sigh of relief - because - well wait until you get to number 5. Tune into the entire episode with an action plan to help you revisit your offerings so that you can increase your sales.

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Change as an entreprenuer is a constant. Some have even referred to it as a rollercoaster. Up on minute, down the next. This meme from Solidity Financial covers that journey pretty accurately.

Unfortunately, going through that journey is not always easy. There are a LOT of emotions that entrepreneurs experience on a daily basis. I walk you through the most common emotions of fear, worry, guilt, anger, loss regret and sadness from my own experience on this entrepreneurial rollercoaster.

I also give you some actionable tips to ease the frustration and pain that go along with those emotions so that you can keep on going and accomplish that inner purpose that drove you to be an entrepreneur in the first place. Join me this week as I share with you my entrepreneurial story and let you know you are not on this ride alone.

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If you are anything like most people - you took out your phone at some point today, pulled up your email - become overwhelmed with the number, selected a bunch of email and just sent them to the garbage pail. Sound about right?

What if that same thing is happening to your email? That email that you painstakingly wrote and spent hours writing? You would be at the very least totally bummed.

IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!

Which is why I've dedicated this week's entire Feed U Podcast episode to standing out in the stream of emails and enticing your subscribers to read your excellent content. (If you aren't writing excellent content, then that is another problem entirely.)

I include some of the newest stats like 77% of emails are opened on mobile devices" - emailmonday.com and 57% of subscribers age 18-24 purchase directly from the email on their phone. Over 35, guess what they are buying too. Getting your email opened is CRITICAL!

Tune into this week's episode to learn 8 tips to get those emails opened and read.

Resources Mentioned:

018- Finding Your Keywords and Putting Your SEO Into Action

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Okay so that title was a mouthful - segmenting vs tagging - say what?

But seriously - this stuff is SUPER important. Getting your email list delivering content that is specific to your subscriber is SERIOUS business. Even some of the big wigs aren't getting this right yet. If you can figure out to love on your subscribers differently than anyone else - they will become RAVING fans and tell EVERYONE about you.

In this episode I break it down for you. I give you the scoop on what tagging is and how to tag your subscribers vs. what segmenting is and why it is different. I also tell you how they work together and make everything A-L-R-I-G-H-T, ALRIGHT, alright (said in a Mathew McConaughey voice as only my 17-year-old can replicate).

I also give you the low down on things like link triggers, broadcasts and automation which makes your life WAY easier.

Tune in to get the most out of your email service provider and . . . become besties with your subscribers.

Resources Mentioned:

027: Choosing and Email Service Provider

ConvertKit

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You finally have the time to create an email. You've crafted something creative, informative and useful and you hit send. Then you wait.

And wait.

Pencil tapping, nervousness building. Why isn't anyone opening your email? Why isn't anyone responding?

SO FRUSTRATING, isn't it?

These days it is SO easy to end up in the SPAM filter. Sometimes by doing things you didn't even realize were delivering you there.

After all that time and energy getting your email written, proofread and finally sent - you WANT people to see it. Specifically your people. More importantly you want people to READ your email.

In this week's episode I give you the 8 reasons your email could end up in the SPAM folder and what to do to fix and prevent that situation. Join me as I give you some insider tips on getting your email seen and read.

I also created a great resource for you to help with cleaning up your email list. You can grab that download here.

Resources Mentioned:

012: GDPR With Aiden Durham

027: Choosing and Email Service Provider

Don't forget to grab the free email cleanup resource

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You have 7 seconds to grab the attention of a website visitor and potential customer. Yep 7 and that's being generous. Many of the latest studies show the reality being around 5.

So, how do you grab and hold the attention of those prospects and potential buyers? In today's episode I give you 5 key factors to grabbing and keeping your prospects attention. As you've heard me say in the past, your website needs to be the hub for everything you do. Why? Because the rules change and it is the only piece of online real estate you own.

Does that mean you need a big ol' fancy website to get people to pay attention to you? Absolutely NOT. In fact some of the most beautiful websites out there are just that - beautiful and completely unbeneficial.

This episode is packed with put into action tips that will get your website visible, generating interest and attention and most of all furthering your visitors down your sales funnel.

I've also created a freebie for you that you can grab here to take care of #1 on the list.

Resources Mentioned:

023: Website Platform Showdown

Don't forget to grab the Create Your Memorable Tagline Guide

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When you are thinking about growing bigger and building muscle, stretching doesn't naturally feel intuitive. The same is true with your business.

Stretching yourself in new directions is almost never comfortable, and moving past the blocks in your own mind can even seem impossible.

This week I'm keeping it real and giving it to you straight when I tell you the 3 tips to be a successful entrepreneur.

I put you in some pretty good company if you are feeling like you are getting started too late or that you will never get there. I even give you a tip or two to check in with your best entrepreneurial asset - and you won't even believe what that is.

Join me as I give you the real scoop on what it takes to succeed, overcome the nonsense talker in your head and reach all of your goals (even those you haven't imagined yet.)

Resources Mentioned: Dreams 123 by J.M. DeBord

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Email is THE best way to grow and scale your business and communicate with your ideal client. In fact, email generates $44 in ROI for every $1 spent (Hubspot 2016). Yet it can be daunting to choose an email service provider.

With so many features, processes and templates - it's hard to know what to choose. I mean who wouldn't be overwhelmed and confused?

In this week's episode I walk you through the 5 key elements to research prior to choosing the email service provider for your business today and as you look into the future.

I also give you the skinny on regular email (think Gmail or Outlook) and using an email service provider like ConvertKit, MailChimp or Active Campaign.

I share my Top 3 picks that I use, have used and recommend to my consulting clients. Last but not least, I share the skinny on all the current marketing stats around email and give you the #1 thing you should NEVER do to your email list.

Resources Mentioned: ConvertKit

ActiveCampaign

Mailchimp

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You know you are ready to grow your business. You also know that it is going to take more than one of you. Unless you're like Michael Keaton in Multiplicity, you can't duplicate yourself, you MUST hire a team. Today's episode is about my personal journey of working toward hiring my first team members and what I've learned along the way.

I give you the scoop on contractors vs. employees and what you need to be aware of when making hiring decisions and daily decisions in regards to your team members. I also give you the first big step to team hiring - you probably aren't going to like it, but it's a requirement to set yourself up for success.

Last but not least I touch on hiring team members who align with your values vs. hiring for experience. I go into detail about defining your business values and give you some deep questions to ask, then ask again. These are great for early morning journaling. I also briefly touch on some ideas around your hiring process and how to be successful.

I mentioned a few resources for step one, you can find them below. Tune into this week's episode so you can get that team hired, get your sanity back and focus on what you LOVE to do in your business.

Resources Mentioned: Trello

Asana

Monday

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Today I am getting real, deep and into the grit of how mental and physical health can affect you as an entrepreneur and your business. I cover four physical traits that could be affecting your health negatively as an entrepreneur and share with you how not taking care of my physical health all but halted my business in January. I also give you 3 tips to keep you on track and in tip top shape or at least aiming in that general direction. You will love #3, I promise. :D

I also take on the subject of mental health and how it can be extremely difficult as an entrepreneur to stay positive, and mentally healthy. In fact, according to a May 2018 by Michael Freeman titled"The Prevalence and Co-Occurrence of Psychiatric Conditions Among Entrepreneurs and Their Families"at least 49% of entrepreneurs are likely to experience a mental-health episode, in their lifetime. Holy cow sisters (and brothers) that is almost half. So we best be taking better care of ourselves. I give you 6 tips to stay mentally sane as an entrepreneur and spell out 6 different symptoms that most of us have all felt or experienced as an entrepreneur. Listen to this week's episode to ensure that you are staying in tip top mental and physical health so that your business can thrive and you can change this world!

Hugs!

Alisa

Resources Mentioned: Yoga Nidra

Mental Health Works

Ginger.io

Ted Talks

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It's tax time, and you may be freaking out because your books aren't in order and your ducks are DEFINITELY not in a row. It's okay - you are not alone. Today's interview with my special guest Brenda Bowen will give you some tips, tricks and new mindset around how to manage your business money to not only get your ready for tax season, but also to reduce your headache, frustration and worry for next year. Brenda's easy going personality makes the journey even easier. Tune in today to learn the ins and outs of mileage, write offs, changes that are happening this year and how to get ready and stay ready when it comes to the money side of your small business.

Find Out More About Brenda: Peace of Mind Accounting Facebook

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Today we talk website platforms and why it's critical for you to make your website the hub for your online activity. Many entreprenuers and business owners invest their time, energy and money into online social platforms with no redirect to their own website. Please for the love of all things holy, don't do this. You don't own that property - you only own your website. Without this vital piece of your sales funnel, you will end up in a heap of trouble when those platforms like Facebook, change the rules on you.

Today I walk you through 5 different website platforms and give you the scoop on price, ease of use, their best features, their disadvantages, type of customer support, SEO capability, scalability and much more. You don't want to miss this episode where I give you the low done on SquareSpace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify and WordPress.

To learn more about SEO please check out my recent episode with Mike Michaelson #018. I also mention my favorite hosting company, Siteground - I recommend the Grow Big plan and paying for 3 years instead of 1 with the promotional price. Last but not least, to make your WordPress build easier, check out my favorite theme from Elegant Themes - Divi.

Resources Mentioned: Divi

Siteground

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Today's episode explores the area of color. As humans we are naturally attracted and repelled by certain colors, but did you know that color influences over 85% of buying decisions? If your brand colors don't resonate with your ideal client, you could be losing their attention before you've even had the chance to tell them how you can help them.

The episode dives into some recent stats regarding brand aesthetics and color specifically and then I give you some tools to help identify your brand colors. I also give you a step by step process to successfully choose colors that will make you stand out, be memorable and most importantly increase your conversion and sales with customers you want to work with most.

Resources Mentioned: Adobe Spark

Adobe Color CC

Designspiration

Google Eye Dropper Extension

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In today's episode I dive into one of the biggest time saving tips you can implement for your business. Repurposing content. I know so many entreprenuers and have had many clients who are constantly in creation mode. This my friends, leads to burn out. It leads to lack of creativity and worse of all it leads to lack of accomplishment. One of the best ways I know to avoid that burnout is to reuse your existing content.

You may be saying to yourself "I don't even create content yet." but, I beg to differ. I give you 5 different tips to repurpose content you have already created so you can stop reinventing the wheel and get the most out of all of the time and effort you are putting in to create your content. I also give you the 7 reasons why repurposing your content is SO important.

Last but not least, I give you the latest stats on how much content is created and consumed every single day and why it is critical that you stand out and stay in your lane when creating your content. Tune in for today's episode so you can start saving time, energy and leave that frustration of getting content created every single week behind.

Tune in to this weeks entire episode.

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In today's episode I share with you my journey and education around money and energy. I give you the back story on when I first came into the knowledge about our role with energy and how it came to me, as well as, all of the tidbits I've learned in between on how powerful energy is in our daily lives especially when it comes to money. I share the not so pretty insights into limiting beliefs and give you 6 steps to turn your money mindset around to attract more of what you want more quickly and easily. I even pull out the stops and talk Quantum and Newtonian Physics. Yep, you read that right - this creative just went science nerd. Tune into this week's episode to get the inside scoop on how your energy is affecting your bank account and how with some simple strategies you can take more trips to the bank.

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In today's episode I talk with Amanda Bond The Ad Strategist who shares the inside scoop on how to succeed in 2019 with your Facebook Ad Strategy. Not using Facebook Ads yet because you find them intimidating? No fear, Amanda breaks down a super simple strategy of how to get started and what to consider before you run your first ad. Already running ads but not seeing success? This episode contains just the ticket for what you need to be looking at before spending another dollar on ads for your business. Hire out your Facebook Ads? This episode is still a MUST listen because you need to be sure that your team is on board with what you want to happen with your ads.

Tune in to this powerful episode as Amanda gives us the ins, outs and in betweens of Facebook Ads so you can rock it in 2019.

Resources Mentioned: Adobe Spark

Find Out More About Amanda The Ad Strategist

Facebook

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In today's episode I talk with Mike Michaelson of LegitClick Media and we are talking SEO. If you are like many people, including me, you may be cringing at the thought. But stop! This is important and I believe in your ability to understand Search Engine Optimization. Mike and I give you the inside scoop on why SEO is SUPER important even in 2019. It is THE best way for you to rank higher in google and show up in social media searches. (Yes that's totally a thing!)

You know the best place to hide a dead body right? On the second page of Google. Corny humor aside, the reality is if you are creating content, written, video or even audio if you aren't utilizing SEO in your great content, no one (or hardly anyone) is seeing it. You need some serious tips from an expert on how to rank and stay top of mind. Mike generously shares his expertise today.

In 2018, Hubspot surveyed companies about their number one marketing priority and guess what came in 1st place - you guessed it SEO. Just a heads up there are paid versions of SEO where you pay someone to help you rank higher, but we are talking about how to rank your own content organically (read free) so that more eyeballs see what you have poured your heart and soul into.

Of course these branding components apply:

Know who your audience is
Know what they are searching for - which key phrases, terms, words
Offer a unique solution to their problem once they arrive otherwise they are outta there faster than a losing super bowl team

Because I believe this is SO important, I've created a resource cheat sheet for you with some Free SEO tools to get you started. You can find that cheat sheet here.

Find Out More About Mike LegitClickMedia.com

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In today's episode I share my simple process to plan and reach your goals quicker and easier in 2019. This system takes into consideration not only the practical alignment of creating your goals (you already know all of those systems) but it also includes the evaluation of where you are currently, what went right, what went wrong and most importantly how can you get more of the good stuff in your business.

I walk you step by step through this simple process so that you can start out the New Year with a bang and set the intention for your goals so that you can get where you want to be. It will also help you eliminate some of the head trash we tend to carry around so that you can keep moving forward and leave the past in the past where it belongs.

It's nearly impossible to set your goals without a system and even harder to reach them without a process. Which is why, I've also created a FREE download for you of the entire process. You can get that download here.

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If you like the episode, I'd love for you to share it. Also, if you would like to leave a rating or review, you can do that on iTunes or Google play. (Thanks in advance! You rock!)

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In today's episode I share with you 12 tips to keep your sanity through self care in 2019. These are all tips that I have used or currently use to energize, focus and propel my business and my life. I have to forewarn you there is quite a bit of what some would label as woo woo in this episode. But, these are just suggestions to feed you when you are feeling depleted and as if you can't move forward becasue you are stuck in the muck. Take what suits you, try some that are new if you want to, but most importantly - take care of you.

You will find there is quite a resource list for this episode below. Most of the resources I list are free, but some likely have a small fee associated with them. I hope you find them useful and beneficial.

Also, in this episode I announce the creation of the Feed U Community. This is a free community I am building on Facebook where we can take the conversations, discussion, questions and more from here to a community environment. I'd love for you to join us. You can find the community here. This is a private Facebook community, but anyone can join. Just request access and answer the 3 easy questions and you will be added to the group. I look forward to seeing you inside! :D

P.S. I don't get an affiliate promos from these tools, I just really like them and hope they help you as well.

Resources Mentioned Insight Timer App

Yoga Apps

Rodney Yee Video

Doterra Essential Oils

Books To Learn About Crystals - The Book of Stones , The Crystal Bible, Love Is In The Earth

White Mountain Jigsaw Puzzles

My Favorite Journal

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In today's episode I talk about the 3 BIG tools I use to plan my day, my month and my year. I cover my top 3 tools that help me stay focused, be more productive and align with what my heart really wants, not what someone else has told me my business should be.

I've tried a lot of tools over the years, some electronic, some paper and pen. I give you the scoop on what research shows the best method of tracking, being creative and planning your day. I also walk you step by step through my planners, planning process and the success I have had since using these tools.

If you're ready to create some impact in 2019 and have the tools to make that leap, tune into today's episode and I will give you the scoop and the tools to get it done.

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P.S. I don't get an affiliate promos from these tools, I just really like them and hope they help you as well.

Resources Mentioned Danielle Laporte Planner

The Mastery Journal

The Daily Intentions Planner

Panda Planner

Episode 005 With Teri Karjala

Episode 011 Gratitude, Grounding and Growing Your Business

Focus At Will

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In today's episode I talk with Kristen Judd of Money Secrets and she gives us the inside scoop on planning your retirement, saving on taxes now and how to create an exit strategy as an entrepreneur.

If you haven't been planning your retirement since you took the leap into entrepreneurship - or maybe you haven't been stashing enough away - you don't want to miss today's episode. My friend Kristen gives us the inside scoop on how to best save for retirement as well as what to consider when you are creating an exit strategy for your business. No exit strategy? No time like the present to start thinking your way through the process.

We also talk about the importance of money mindset in reaching your financial goals and how to shift your mindset to be as abundant and profitable as possible.

Join me as Kristen talks funds, tax options and ways to invest to make the most of your post entrepreneurial future.

Find Out More About Kristen Facebook

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It's time to start thinking about 2019. All the episodes from now through January are planned to get you prepped, ready, locked and loaded to take 2019 by storm. I thought the perfect place to start, would be that area that everyone puts on their ENDLESS To Do List. Blogging and creating content consistently. This week I am talking to content expert and copywriter, Cari Twitchell of Custom Content Solutions. Cari gives us actionable tips to brainstorm blog ideas, how to create a plan to be consistent, add some SEO and get engagement with your content. She even created a SUPER special FREEBIE just for you! You can grab it with the link below.

If your content to-do list continues to taunt you, this is the episode to help you get a handle on your copywriting once and for all before the New Year arrives. Tune in for actionable tips to get your blogging, copywriting and content creation going in the right direction before 2019 arrives.

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Resources Mentioned: Answer The Public

Mike Michalowicz -The Pumpkin Plan -Profit First

Grab Carrie's FREE Download: https://alisaconner.com/013Download

Find Out More About Cari Custom Content Solutions LinkedIn

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This week's episode covers legal ease in a down to earth manner. My guest Aiden Durham talks about the intricacies of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Compliance and why it matters even if you don't have customers in the European Union. GDPR is a requirement (currently active in the European Union, but also some other states in the US-think California and Vermont. Data Protection is big business (think Facebook data breach last year) and several other states are already taking additional action on protecting consumer data. I've linked to the state laws passed in 2018.

Aiden covers the essentials for your website and your business to ensure that you are compliant, including Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and SSL for your website. Fun fact, did you know that if you don't meet Google's security requirements with an SSL your website is ranking lower. Google also isn't messing around with security measures. Tune into this week's episode to get up to speed and ahead of the curve when it comes to online security for your business.

Resources Mentioned: Data Protection Report For State Laws Passed In 2018

Write Your Own Terms and Conditions FREE Download

Find Out More About Aiden 180lawco.com

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This week's episode is in preparation for Thanksgiving Eve. I walk you through the science of becoming grounded and embracing gratitude in order to grow your business. I give you several ways to ground yourself so that you can remove the clutter, unfocused behavior and feeling of overwhelm that we often feel as entrepreneurs.

I also give you some less known ways to ground yourself throughout your day. I spend much of the end of the episode giving you the science behind embracing and using gratitude daily, as well as, some fabulously easy gratitude exercises you can implement right now.

Join me for this special episode and for a moment when I get to say thank you to you for supporting me, listening to this podcast and being a part of my life. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving! ~ Alisa

Resources Mentioned: Tree Pose Mountain Pose Insight Timer App Psychology Today, Science Behind Gratitude Doterra Essential Oils

Cyprus
Myrrh
Sandalwood
Patchouli
Frankincense
Spruce
Doterra Grounding Blend

Find Out More About Alisa alisaconner.com

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This week's episode is part of a series to get your 2019 started with a bang. My guest George Carroll talks to us about intentionally focusing on our goals and marking out our SMART plan to achieve what we want to achieve today, tomorrow and next year. George's enlightening look at how to achieve your greatest desires mixed with his humor is a great combination. Enjoy this week's episode and don't forget to grab the "The Wheel of Life Exercise" to help you get focused on what you want to achieve this year.

[18:25] "If we can consistently focus on what we desire, our brain will help us find the resources to bridge that gap from where we are to where that goal is. So if I can offer one tool that will enhance your goal achievement, a potential at least tenfold is just get clear on your goals and write them down once a day."

[26:37] It's just simply about recognizing like step one, recognizing, okay, that's my brain, just trying to keep safe, and then taking a couple of deep breaths in because when you're in a stress response, like your creativity, your genius is all shut off. So I get back into getting out of my Mengele, getting out of the stress response and getting back into my creative mindset, getting back into my genius mindset so that I can think clearly on it.

[31:16] "NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) can really help eliminate fears and phobias in a matter of a few hours if one is ready for change."

Resources Mentioned: Psycho- Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz Wheel of life Exercise Greatest Year of Your Life Event - Buy one get on free ticket until November 30th

Find Out More About George gcspeaker.com

Facebook

YouTube

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Speaking from the stage can be downright terrifying to some people. It is, in fact, the #1 fear in the world. However, if you can get in front of the right audiences and on the right stages, you can grow your audience, increase your authority and even build your business faster. This week I sit down with Phylecia Jones of Keeping Up With Mrs. Jones and she dishes the inside secrets of how she's getting on so many well-known stages and even landed a TED Talk. Tune in to get the scoop on how to feed your business through speaking.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [08:06] "You know, I think speaking chose me. I try to avoid speaking. It really is. I'm an introvert at heart. I have a degree in computer science and I was a lab rat while I worked for the navy and I was good as a lab rat in, but I did have a secret side. I was a professional cheerleader, so I'm a little oddball at times, but I went through a coaching program and one of the modules was about growing your business through marketing and speaking was one of them. And I remember I just kept flipping past that little section like, yeah, I don't want to do this."

[10:25] "I always say, just get the ovaries to ask. I'm just asked to, hey, can I get on your stage, can I, can I share my story or can I share some tips that have worked with me?"

[16:13] "my husband gave me an idea while we were walking the dog and, and he's a Gamer. He watches people playing video games on twitch and if you don't know what twitches those search it, it is like a nerd haven for all gamers. We don't adult very well in our house, but he was telling me that in order for those, those guys that he watched to grow their subscription base in there, watch your basis that they live stream from five to eight hours every day up to two years. And I was like, Whoa, you know, and my husband, he watches him. He's watching them right now. And, and I was like, I don't know if I can live stream that many hours."

[19:07] "But it really is a weird thing when you go to a conference. They were like, Hey, I've been watching you every morning. It's like, okay, that's cool and creepy at the same time. Who are you?"

Resources Mentioned: The 7 Minute Mentor Podcast

Find Out More About Phylecia www.keepupwithmrsjones.com

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Instagram

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This week's Halloween Episode has us stalking our Ideal Client Avatar on Facebook (but not in a creepy way!). In this training episode, I walk you through 10 places on Facebook to look for your Ideal Client and what to do with the information you learn about them. Facebook offers a huge amount of data, insight and almost scary knowledge of our audience and we as business owners can access that data but also use it to attract more of the people we want to work with. Tune in today for this fun Halloween episode focused on this one piece of your branding foundation.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [02:33] Even if you have never run a Facebook ad and you don't know anything about facebook ads manager or facebook business manager, I'm going to highly suggest you get in there and set up an account and start to play and I'm specifically going to recommend that you get into facebook business manager because there are some extra tools in there that gives you access to additional insights and criteria that you really want to have available.[04:16]So say your ideal client isSusiee and she's 45 and she lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and she owns a soap store and she's interested in things like Martha Stewart and a Mother Earth News and organic farming. And you get the idea, you can go in and you can select those items in those interests in facebook. And it will spit out an audience which you can then run facebook ads to, or you can see what other interests those people have. It will give you suggestions. So start there and create that custom audience so that you can see the demographics, the demographics for additional demographics for your ideal client in any similar groups or pages or information that they might be involved in or it might be connected to.[10:42] Next, you need to figure out where they are spending time on social media, so if you're doing all this research and you're going to jump into Facebook ads, but your audience doesn't live on facebook because you're a business to business company, you're more likely going to find your audience on Linkedin and so you're spending time and energy on Facebook. Well the people that you're trying to connect with, when they're on Facebook, they are there to socialize. They're not there to talk business, they're not there to be promoted to and they're not there to connect with you on a business level, so just to make sure that your audience and the people that you are trying to connect with are on the platform you're trying to engage in.[16:23] Messenger bots area great way for you to showcase your personality and gather information through a quiz about your audience and about what they're interested in and about what's going on with them. And it doesn't always have to be business. It can be fun, it can be interesting, it can be silly, but it gives you a great way to play with a chat Bot as well as make it functional and make it useful for what you're trying to achieve. So think about creating a quiz that asks about favorite movies or books or music or favorite quotes or um, popular things that are happening.[23:29] And then last but not least, being aware of this, specifically being aware of your competitors is going to get you to understand why your ideal client is either not buying from your competitor. And if they're not buying from them, that's a great place for you to fill in and create a solution that isn't being met. A lot of people will just be like, oh my competitors have it all taken care of. But if you really go and snoop on their facebook page, you'll see the complaints are in their google reviews. You're going to see the complaints that people have about that product or service and they're not in the five-star reviews and they're not in the one-star reviews or somewhere in the middle. But if you can go and check those reviews out on facebook for your competitors, you're going to see you know what's happening and what is being missed and what you can fill in as a solution that they're not providing.

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Resources Mentioned: Episode 006 - Chatbots With Kelly Noble Mirabella

Grab the FREE Stalk Your Ideal Client Checklist

Key Takeaways: 1. Facebook is the place to gather data and intel on your ideal client through researching groups, pages, and your competitors.

Using Facebook Business Manager to create custom audiences will help you delve further into the mindset and interests of your Ideal Client.
Knowing your ideal client inside and out (including what they eat for breakfast) will take you the extra mile of standing out from your competitors online and offline.

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Relationship marketing and authentic connections are a must to grow and scale your business. My guest this week Kevin Knebl, is a master of LinkedIn but more so is a master of creating long-lasting relationships and connections with those he happens to also do business with. He has been asked to speak all over the world to sales teams, entrepreneurs and others about his knowledge of using LinkedIn to further relationships and create authenticity when building your business. Tune into this week's episode to get the scoop on LinkedIn, building the know, like and trust factor in your interactions as well as some humor and hilarious antics.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [01:47] "What I used to do for a living many years ago was I used to be a piano player in the New York City area. A completely different line of work than what I do now. And what happened was I was a piano player and then I met my wife when she booked me to play the piano at her wedding to another man. Now we don't have time right now for the whole backstory on that, but she never married that loser and what happened was I got married and I figured out very quickly that late nights and smokey bars are cool when you're young and single, so cool when you're married, so I had to get a job, but back in those days there was no LinkedIn. There was no career builder. Al Gore had not invented the Internet yet, so you would buy a newspaper and you would look in the classifieds or the want ads and that's how you'd find a job. The only job I could find was 100 percent commission sales, which you can pretty much find everywhere in the world. You could find a 100 percent commission sales job. I would not be exaggerating to tell you that a sex change would have been more in my comfort zone, but I did it because I had to because my family is bad habits, like wanting to live indoors and eat warm food. "

[03:24] "So I started studying that and I ultimately became the top salesperson for four separate companies in four separate industries, including being the top salesperson in the world for an international consulting company in 15 countries. Even though I've said that countless times on stage, every time that comes out of my mouth, it still surprises me because in my heart I'm still a piano player. That's what I do. Right? But apparently, I had this really successful sales career. And then what happened was in 2003 on Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, LinkedIn was launched. I'm not a computer geek even though people think I am. They're like, oh, Kevin, you're this internationally recognized social media expert. You must know a lot about computers, and I say, Oh, you drive a car. You must know how to fix the transmission. And they go, no, I don't. I go, yeah, I'm not. I'm not really good with computers either, but I got an invitation to get on LinkedIn. Sixty days after it launched, so I got on LinkedIn and I went, oh my God, it's a Rolodex and because I had already accomplished quite a bit in sales, I understood the potential of a Rolodex, so it makes sense that if somebody understands how to use a Rolodex, whether it's online or offline, the phone or LinkedIn, a fax machine or two cans and a string, they're going to be able to do some pretty cool things with a Rolodex. So I started using LinkedIn, worked very well in my sales process and I was typically selling to small to midsize business owners and then the business owners started saying to me, Kevin, would you train my salespeople to sell like you do?."

[07:25] "LinkedIn can be a pretty dry sterile place, but any place is a dry sterile place until you bring your personality into it, now you're totally correct at LinkedIn is not facebook, it's not Twitter, it's a different animal, but Alisa is Alisa no matter where she goes. So it's funny. LinkedIn is older than facebook and twitter and. But to your point, a lot of people don't realize the potential of LinkedIn. So I've been able to help my clients generate hundreds of millions of dollars using LinkedIn, but because we're using it effectively as a tool, not as a spamming device. So people tell me that I have Kevin, I have lines that I say so I'm going to tell you one of my Kevin Isms right now, which is totally in alignment with what you just said. A communication tool is only as effective as the communication skills of the person using the tool. So you're getting spammed and harassed and stuff on LinkedIn, which is not an indictment on LinkedIn. It's an indictment on the idiots that are spanning you and harassing you. So wouldn't it make sense that if somebody sucks or as it says in the good book, sucketh. If somebody sucks at interpersonal skills, it really doesn't matter if they're on LinkedIn or Facebook or at a BNI meeting or at the Chamber of commerce or on a telephone. If you're Hannibal Lecter, before you get on LinkedIn, now you're just Hannibal Lecter on LinkedIn. Right?"

[10:41] "So what I teach people to do is improve their communication skills. People look at me and they naturally say, Kevin, you're a marketing guru or you're a social media genius, or you're a social selling Oracle. And, and these are, I know that they're complimenting. I mean, these are compliments, but then I tell people I'm really none of those things. What I really am is I'm just a guy that takes a sincere interest in people and doesn't try to shove his tongue down your throat and the first five seconds because what we've been trained to do is we've been trained in America to really walk up to strangers and try to kiss them. Now I'm going to say a couple things that are a little controversial here, but I'm okay with that. By the way, folks. I'm in no way putting down Alisa when I say these things, Alisa has a black belt in marketing and there's gonna be certain things that I'm about to say that are going to sound like I'm throwing marketing people under the bus, but I'm not. Okay. If you look at what most people do in terms of marketing, a lot of it is really just variations. How do we walk up to strangers and try to kiss them, but in reality, if you look at your own life and if you're married or if you have a significant other when you first met them, I'm predicting that you didn't try to kiss them in the first 30 seconds? You probably just started a conversation and then that blossomed into, hey, let's go have coffee or let's go see, let's go to a movie, you know, and then if it blossomed at a certain point you probably kissed and then if it blossom beyond that, maybe it got a little bit more intimate and then maybe there are children involved, you know, so. So what I'm saying is things follow a natural course."

[13:57]"The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and make sure that it clearly accurately reflects your credibility and the value that you bring to the table. Most link people's LinkedIn profiles look like crap, but they're not crappy people. They're just making a bad first impression, so you need to make sure it looks good and then you need to learn how to use LinkedIn to find the people that you would like to do business with. So I, I help individuals and organizations all day long with this. If you said to me, Kevin, what I'm looking for is I'm looking for women over 50 in Tulsa that like line dancing and they went to Rutgers University. I'm using a very weird example to prove a point. I could help you find those people in 30 seconds and I could help you put LinkedIn on autopilot so that anytime somebody else shows up that fits that parameter, LinkedIn will email you and say, Hey Alisa, while you were sleeping, we found three more people. Here they are. So when people understand how to use LinkedIn as a lead generation machine."

[16:42] "This isn't about LinkedIn. This isn't about Facebook, this isn't about Twitter. Those are just tools. This is about the art of conversation, so you're absolutely correct. We are losing to some degree, the interpersonal skills that you and I just naturally accumulated as a result of growing up in a world where we were not posting selfies every five minutes because prior to the invention of the Internet folks, you would actually have to look at somebody when you had a conversation with them, right? And, and you couldn't distract yourself by looking at cute kitten videos on facebook while you were supposed to be talking to somebody."

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Resources Mentioned: How To Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie

Key Takeaways: 1. LinkedIn is the world's largest Rolodex it just did 600 million people, 2-5 two to five new people join LinkedIn every second.

All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to people that they know, like, and trust.
Success is reliant on creating, sincere and authentic relationships. Read something every day that's positive right out of the gate to program your mind for success.

Find Out More About Kevin https://kevinknebl.com/

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Chatbots are taking the business and marketing world by storm and are "THE" way to beat the Facebook algorithm. I have invited Social Media Guru and Chatbot Expert Kelly Noble Mirabella to the show to give us the inside scoop on chatbots. In this interview, she walks you through the benefits of chatbots to your business (including growing your email list), the stats on conversion rates with chatbots and even her favorite tools to create a chatbot. You don't want to miss this episode as we take a deep dive into the chatbot pool

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [10:29] "A chatbot is a conversation that is automated or built out by a human or by artificial intelligence. It can be hosted on facebook, facebook messenger, which is exactly the topic we're going to really dive into today. It's also things like google voice on your phone or Siri. Those are voice activated chatbots, so there's a whole gambit of different types of chatbots and Chatbots have been around since the 1950s. They've just really been around with this type of technology in the past like two or three years, and we're going to talk about facebook chatbots, so facebook chatbots are all run through a Facebook business page."

[12:56] "The only way you can send a message out is if someone first engages with you and that. So basically when someone engages with your facebook messenger on your business page, they automatically become a subscriber and those are the people you can send your chatbot messages and stuff. So the question is how do I get people into this thing? Well, it's the same exact question as you would have. How do I get people on my email list? It's just a little easier to do actually, and there's so many. The answer is so many, so many ways, so you can. I'll give you a couple of examples. You could do a REF URL. This is my personal favorite. It's literally you build a URL that you connect to a chatbot flow and a chat flow is the thing that you built the messages, the kind of choose your own adventure, a flow that you can get people into, so ref url is just a type of growth tool where it's a URL that you generate. People would click into it, it would open up messenger into the flow that you've built, so you could do it very specific reasons, and I love this tool because you can post it on various social networks. You can put it in your email, you could put it on on your website as a button, so anywhere you would use a URL, you can use this and that's one of my favorite ways to do it."

[14:08] "Another really common, very popular way of getting people into your chatbot is called a comment growth tool. It's a facebook comment tools, so if you've ever seen on a post from a page that says, comment below and we'll shoot you a message with X, Y, Z, and maybe it's a lead magnet or whatever. Then that's what that is. They set it up, connect it to a post and when someone comments whether it's a special keyword are really just open commenting, it will shoot them immediately, a message in their Facebook messenger with whatever information you told him that you were going to deliver."

[16:24] "So email rates, they're all over the board, but generally speaking, most small businesses are seeing open rates between 10 and 15 percent. If you get higher than that, go you. In fact, if you're in the twenties, you're like killing it, and those are open rates. So a chatbot open rate, we're finding chat bot open rates anywhere between 80 percent and 100 percent. Most likely you're in the 90 plus because people are gonna get deemed, they're curious, they open it, especially if they know it's coming because we preempted them, they're going to open that. Now your clickthrough rates are even lower for email or like what? Five percent or something. It's like ridiculous. And for those of you don't understand clickthrough rates, that's when they click on something, a button, a call to action. And that's really what we want people to do generally is, you know, click here to buy something or click here to read something. Well, in chatbots we're seeing click-through rates of 60 plus 60 percent plus, so huge, huge difference and it's just, there's so much more powerful. And the other thing is there are more people using Messenger every day. I think the last statistic I saw was something like over a billion, I want to say it's a billion, but it might be 4 billion. I think it's a billion."

[19:33] "I would recommend no matter what platform you use to build your chatbot that you're capturing emails and stuff so I can say, hey, is this your email? And Facebook will generate the email that they use for their Facebook and all they have to do is click to confirm or type in a new email. You capture all that information and it's stored in your ManyChat. But then you can also use a tool like Zapier and you can export that real-time again into your CRM, into your email systems. So that's a safeguard. And I would recommend you do that anyway."

Listen to the entire episode here:

Resources Mentioned: ManyChat

ChatFuel

Key Takeaways: 1. Chatbots have open rates between 80-100%, email is around 10-15%

Users opt-in to the Chatbot just as they would a regular opt-in
Collect email addresses directly through chatbot builder to grow your email list

Find Out More About Kelly www.stellar247.com

Facebook

YouTube

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Wow! Are you in for a treat with oday's interview episode, where I interview Teri Karjala with Talking With Teri. Teri is an expert in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and she shows us how to use this revolutionary technique to free trapped emotions in our bodies that are keeping us stuck, broke and not where we want to be. She walks us through step by step of the technique and shares some of her amazing stories of the impact EFT has had on her life. There is also a Free Download of the Tapping Points Teri mentions in this episode that you can grab below. Tune in for this exciting episode that will literally change the way you move forward in your business and your life.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [06:11] 90% of the thoughts that we have every day or the thoughts that we've had the previous day. So if you think about that, like we're just constantly recycling our thoughts and if they're not serving us, you know, we, we know that we have 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts a day and only 2000 of those are conscious thoughts. So when we think we're running the show really nice, it's whatever the unconscious and subconscious thoughts are running the show with, and so most of those thoughts are negative.

[06:52] It's the unconscious, place where we're holding ourselves back, but we're not really sure where and what that looks like. First of all, recognizing where that is and just starting off with a couple of questions of: Am I where I'd like to be? Because a lot of people will say, no, I'm not, I'm not where I'd like to be, and if I were, where is that that you'd like to be? Some other questions that you could be asking yourself just to clarify, identify the stuff that's going on with you are, what is coming up that keeps coming up? Is there a pattern or a theme in your life that keep showing its head and you see it over here maybe in your personal life you see it here in relationships, what are those concepts, things that you're noticing and recognizing in your life. Because that will give you some clues.

[10:21] Essentially what it is (describing EFT) is acupuncture without the needles. Most people are familiar with acupuncture where they're using needles and the various Meridians and acupressure is using applied pressure to a certain point, and then EFT is using a tapping motion. So we want to stimulate those points that are on the body (with tapping).

Terri's Getting Started Story - SO SO Good! [11:38] How I got connected to this, I was actually in a class and I used to be terrified, absolutely terrified of spiders. I mean, I can't even tell you, like I was beyond terrified and I was in this class training and there was a little tiny spider that was on the floor and it comes crawling across and I found myself like pulling my legs up into my chair and then all of a sudden I start to panic. After a few minutes someone goes, are you okay? So I leaned over and I said, I don't want to alarm you, but. I think we're all going to die. And, they were like what? There's a spider in here and I think we are all gonna die and I'm like, almost in like full panic. I was just like I couldn't contain it anymore. And so they actually, the professor of the class took a 15-20 minute break just for me to calm myself down. So there's a guy sitting next to me, he's like, I see that you're really terrified of spiders, can I do this tapping thing on you? And I'm like, okay, crazy guy. I think like I've had this fear for like, I dunno probably at the time, like 23, 24 years. I'm like, sure, I'll do anything. He starts tapping and starts doing this and that and I'm looking up and looking down and humming and I'm like, this is like literally the craziest thing I've ever experienced. Like this guy is what is this guy now? So I leave that class and I was calm afterward, came back, finished up the class and that probably about two weeks later I was out on a boat dock and I was just walking on the boat dock and there was a spider web and I had walked through this spider web and I did NOT freak out, but I didn't know that I didn't freak out, which was interesting. Then probably about a month later after that, there was a little tiny spider in our bedroom, so I went over and I took a tissue and I took it off the wall and I, don't judge, but I flushed it, and my husband looked at me and goes, what'd you do? I go, what do you mean? He says - no, what did you just do? And I'm like, well, there was a spider. I took care of it, like, what's the big deal? And he's like, there was a spider and you took care of it and we didn't have to call the police, we didn't have to call the fire department, we didn't have to evacuate the building, we don't stay at a hotel for two days. What's going on? And I was like, oh my gosh, there was this guy, this crazy guy doing this tapping stuff on me.

Resources Mentioned: Be The Magic of You

Daily Intentions Planner

Get the EFT Tapping Points Download Here:

Key Takeaways: 1. Know Your Strengths, Non-Strengths and Be Aware of Strength Overuse (burnout)

Strength Awareness Creates Immediate Differentiation
Your unique contributions help you to stand confidently in your own brand

Find Out More About Teri www.talkingwithteri.com

Or On Facebook

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In today's interview episode, we are talking Brand Photography and the impact good photos can make on attracting your Ideal Client. My guest Jenn Hernandez with Jenn Hernandez Photography gives us the inside scoop on how to prep for your photo session and the tips and tricks of the trade. These tips will help you to not only look stunning in your photos but teach you how to hire a photographer that will capture the real you. Jenn grabs the personality and passion of her clients in her photos, and in this episode, she shares with us how to get those same photos for your website, social media posts, and profiles. Tune in for this brand photography training session.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [07:49] "So if you're going into getting ready to get your pictures taken and your thought is I don't like taking pictures, you know, you kind of really not setting yourself up for a very good time, right? It's something that you're dreading. So mindset work ahead of time. I know probably nobody says that for photography, but mindset work ahead of the photo session is super important and I think prep or the preparation that people go through to tell their story, having their ideal clients set their color Palettes, locations."

[08:57] "Really just kind of getting comfortable with looking at yourself and how you look, you know, make different faces, see what it looks like when you're trying to be silly. Is it silly or is it just ridiculous? And then as far as selfies and stuff like that, you really want to make sure that you know your cameras either at eye level or above to get the right angles. If I were to put my chin up in the camera, you wouldn't want somebody's chin up in the camera. And the lighting is super important, which as a photographer, I'm always seeking the right light source. Something that is really even generally, like now I'm facing a window. If I were to move away from the window, my skin would start to look different. It's just kind of one of those things where, you know, just the more prep work you can do, the better."

[11:33] "I have people that come all the time and they're like, I need brand photography, so I dig in a little bit deeper and I tried to understand their ideal client, ask them about their color palettes and stuff like that. And then come to find that they'd haven't actually established a personal brand yet. They've got colors and fonts and a basic website, but they don't know who their audiences. They don't know where their audience hangs out, they don't know what their audience likes. So that's where I would press the brakes on my process and refer them to someone like you Alisa because they need to have that figured out first."

[17:26] "So again, as you're interviewing a photographer and really trying to understand what it is that you get delivered, you would want to make sure that you understand the complete cost. So if they're just charging for a session and then you have to purchase photos, it would be a good idea to understand what that package looks like ahead of time. That way you're not surprised when you get to the end and oh, by the way, you've got, you know, x, Y, Z to add onto the price tag."

[23:43] "As you get into the process and you start thinking about how to visually tell your story and as a photographer gets to know you, I feel like that's where a little more genius happens because then you're able to, one, you're not taking as much time to warm up to the camera and things, you're already familiar with this photographer and how they work. So creating that relationship puts you at ease, and you're able to dig in quicker. And they know when they're getting you and when they're not getting you."

[25:45] "Any way that you can kind of visually tell your story and think about the details that you do for your clients that you know is specific to you. It's about capturing those details too. Like what sets you apart, what problem are you fixing, what does that solution look like for them? And how can you visually tell that story kind of along the way."

[26:44] "Consistency is important. You want to match lighting as much as possible. So if you have very bright and fun feed, you're not going to want to take a picture in a really dark room no matter how beautiful the meal looks to you at that moment. It's not good lighting. Angles are important with products and food. So it really kind of depends, you know, I just did a product shoot for a makeup line. So all of those angles are either from down or really close up on the product, you know, with food, I think generally coming down to where the plate is or generally over it, just like directly on top of it. Invest in an iPhone or a cell phone with a really good camera. And there are several tweaks that you can make kind of after the fact. So you're going to want to lower your shadows and bump your highlights a little bit. Bump the brightness, you know, just make it look as appetizing as possible and lighting is important. Lighting's a big part of that. So if you're in a restaurant and you can get near a window with your plate, that's good."

Listen to the entire episode here:

Key Takeaways: 1. Mentally prepare for your photo shoot, get your head on straight.

Plan your shoot around your personality and your brand and how to stage your photos to illustrate that.
Lighting is your best friend when it comes to selfies, product and food photos.

Find Out More About Jenn www.jennhernandezphotography.com

Or On Facebook

Or On Instagram

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In today's interview episode, I talk strengths with Alissa Daire Nelson of Daire 2 Succeed. Alissa is a powerhouse who is trained and certified in Gallup Strengths Testing. The Gallups Strength Test identifies those areas that each individual naturally excels at. Alissa has taken her knowledge one level further by helping others not only identify their strengths but teaches them the power of focusing their strengths to promote how they serve others. The information provided by Alissa can be used to write website copy, promote products and services, help differentiate from competitors and build a team of leaders who have strengths in different areas.

Don't Miss These Tidbits: [03:34] Our brain's job with our beliefs is to reinforce them not to break them. So even if we had 100 pieces of information that would, would dispel that belief, all we need is one piece of information to go see, I told you that's accurate. The Strengths Finder profile was 40 years of research and it was repeatable and reliable and all of the research terms that you need to know that it's legit. I needed that because in black and white it showed me I had things that were right with me and I needed that kind of concrete evidence in order to start chipping away at that limiting belief that everything was wrong with me.

[09:06] Here's why it's wise to focus on your strengths because we take care of two-thirds of our weaknesses by optimizing our strengths. And then don't ignore that we have weaknesses. We just go, hey, you know what, I'm much better suited over here. I get more done, I can contribute more, I have more energy. I see you are really great at this. It gives us the space to honor and edify and elevate other people in our circle who are gifted at the things that were not.

[21:15] There are 34 identified strength themes, and each of them have their own. I personify everything. So they, each of them have their own personality, right? But in your top five, uh, this was what allows you to truly be unique. So in order for somebody to have the exact same top five in the same order as you, and now we're not even talking about six through 34. Okay. This is one in 33 million. Like, you're that unique, right?

[24:43] People can't contribute like you can because they are wired differently and so these are the things that make you uniquely you and again because part of our job is to fill in the gaps of other people's non-strengths. You get to bring those contributions forward and in you're gonna you're gonna draw in your ideal client that doesn't have what you have to offer.

[25:08] You get to bring those contributions forward and in you're gonna you're gonna draw in your ideal client that doesn't have what you have to offer. And so not every client is your client and that's actually a good thing. But if you're able to articulate your unique contributions, your unique selling proposition that is going to help you to stand confidently in your own brand and be able to then not compare.

[28:38] When you physically pull out your resource guide, it gives you the emotional space to get outside of your jar. And it gives you the proverbial time for the three deep breaths or the count to 10 moments. And when you look at what your needs are, when you look at what your triggers are, all of a sudden it gives you language around how to ask for what you need or how to put up the boundaries that you need to in so that you can thrive.

[32:45] Seven billion people on this planet. Now, if you whittle it down to how many are your ideal client? Maybe you're looking at, I don't know, 100,000. If you're really niched down, you can't serve 100,000 people folks. So it's okay. It's okay that not everybody is your client, um, but, but if you are really specific about what you have to offer, um, now you don't have to worry about that. You can come from a place of abundance

Resources Mentioned: Gallup Strengths Test

Intro To Awesomeness

Daire 2 Succeed Membership

Key Takeaways: 1. Know Your Strengths, Non-Strengths and Be Aware of Strength Overuse (burnout)

Strength Awareness Creates Immediate Differentiation
Your unique contributions help you to stand confidently in your own brand

Find Out More About Alissa

www.daire2succeed.com

Or On Facebook

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Standing out in a www world can be nearly impossible, which is why you need to clarify who you serve. If you want to dial into your Ideal Client - Grab this FREE Treat Sheet

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This bonus episode includes some insight I got this summer on a mission trip to San Francisco and how that impacted my business purpose and mindset. Changing your mindset to something outside of yourself is one of the most monumental shifts you can make in your business and specifically the flow of money into your business. Aligning with your purpose gives you the drive to get through those tough days and start to work toward the legacy you want to leave behind. One of the quotes I use in the episode is something my dad used to say all the time. "I've never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse." You truly can't take it with you, but the legacy you leave behind in those you serve - that's something you can get behind. Tune into this episode and let me know how you are aligning with your mindset and the legacy you want to leave behind.

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This week we are digging a little deeper and connecting to our why we do business. Identifying your business values really can make the difference in others doing business with you or going with your competitors. Today I talk about how to identify your values, dig into those values and how and when to use those values in your marketing and business branding. Join me for Episode 1 of the Feed U Podcast.

Resources Mentioned:

Identifying Your Business Values Treat Sheet – to help you identify your corporate values and create your value statements

Simon Sinek’s Why Video (the short version)

Simon Sinek’s Why Video (the long version)

3 Key Points:

Identify and define Core Values, why you need them and how they are different from Aspirational Values.
Aspirational Values – what they are and why you need them.
Why identifying these values will increase your memorability with prospects and differentiate you from your competition immediately.

Standing out in a www world can be nearly impossible, which is why you need to clarify who you serve. If you want to dial into your Ideal Client - Grab this FREE Treat Sheet

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Hey there! Welcome to the Feed U Podcast. This episode introduces the Feed U Podcast hosted by Alisa Conner and includes:

1. Who the podcast is for - here's a hint, it's for you those creative entrepreneurs who are compelled to heal the world.

2. The logistics of the podcast - published once a week, interviews and online training to inspire, educate and inform you my listeners on how to raise your business by connecting to your higher purpose, learning the business must knows and being the best you that you can be.

3. What you will get out of the podcast.

4. A little about me and my story and why I was compelled to create it.

Tune in and don't forget to subscribe. :D

2nd Act Entrepreneur Show: Recent Episodes

Alisa Conner

1 - Listen more than you talk.

2 - Give what you want to receive.

3 - Pretend You Are Together In Real Life.

1 - push your newest offer or lead magnet in their direction? or

2 - would you instead take time to learn about them and what they need?

1 - Work on your mindset.

2 - Look for opportunities to help rather than focusing on fear and negativity.

3 - Meet your customers and potential customers where they are not where you think they should be.

4 - Give your customers pricing options.

5 - Get really good at what you do.

6 - Inventory your expenses.

7 - Get scrappy with organic marketing.

8 - Continue or ramp up marketing while everyone freezes.

9 - Feed your brain.

10 - Work on self-development every single day.

2: Focus less on the name and more on the problem you solve.

1 - Ask people that would be your potential customer’s what they are struggling with and what they want to fix that struggle.

2 - Understand who you are talking to.

1 - Should you use a different sales funnel or approach to reach different audiences?

2 - How should you nurture your list?

3 - How do you move someone from social media to your email list?

1 - Introduction: What is a Sales Funnel?

2. -How to Create A Marketing Strategy for Your Business

3 - What Makes a Successful Sales Funnel?

4 - The Goal of a Sale Funnel & How it Relates to Marketing Strategy

5 -How to optimize your sales funnel?

1 - My personal favorite is email marketing.

2 - Effectively use social media.

3 - Get in front of your people using the media

2ndActEntrepreneur

EmailMarketingSuccess

OnlineMarketing

EmailMarketingTips

SalesFunnelSuccess

1 - Avoid using SPAM trigger words.

2 - Train your subscribers.

3 - Deliver REALLY good content.

1 - Create a unique piece of content that gets them thinking.

2 - Segment your email list by interest area and then deliver unique content based on their interests.

3 - Follow up with your subscribers.

1 - Where do you spend most of your time now?

2 - What repetitive tasks can you create processes for?

3 - What is always on your to-do list?

4 - Saving money is costing you time which is costing you money. Is it worth it?

5- How will you cast a vision for your business and build the team to take you there?

1 - Develop affiliate partnerships.

2 - Add new products or services to your repertoire.

3 - Create merchandise to sell.

4 - Create additional services that you can sell.

5- Can you change your business model to serve more people?

6- Ask your customers what else they want to see.

1 - Define your goal, set your objective.

2 - Who is your audience, ideal client?

3 - What do your people need?

4 - Create a followup system.

5 - Analyze your tactics to measure success.

1 - No one wants your super cute download.

2 - Nobody know you have an opt-in.

3 - Your email is B-O-R-I-N-G

4 - You have left your list in limbo.

5 - You want too much info on your forms.

6 - No one knows who you are.

7 - You're giving away the farm.

8 - Stop making it so dang hard to share your free content.

9 - You're adding people to your list without permission.

10 - Stop procrastinating already!

018- Finding Your Keywords and Putting Your SEO Into Action

027: Choosing and Email Service Provider

012: GDPR With Aiden Durham

027: Choosing and Email Service Provider

023: Website Platform Showdown