All that time you’re spending learning sales techniques, rehearsing what you’re going to say during sales conversations and tweaking elevator pitches isn’t going to help you get better at selling.

Want to increase sales?  All you have to do is learn to listen more carefully.

Look, I’ll be honest.  I used to hate sales conversations.

I’d get flushed, sweat profusely and speak inaudibly.  Then, I’d majorly undercharge for my services because it seemed the people with whom I was speaking couldn’t afford them.

Part of the problem was that I was trying to sell to less-than-ideal clients.

But not listening attentively enough to my ideal prospective clients was also playing a major role in my inability to increase sales.

You don’t have to go through what I went through!

 4 Secret Ingredients for Increasing Sales

After I realized what was going on, I spent a great deal of time creating the right recipes for more successful sales conversations and then systematizing the underlying process.

The fact of the matter is that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for selling.

Selling is a lot like cooking.

You’ve got to have the necessary ingredients and be willing to adapt them to the needs—the appetites—of your potential clients.

I’m sharing these key ingredients so you can increase your sales—the easy way!

1.  Listen Closely

You know the benefits clients get when teaming up with you, but to tip sales conversations in your favor, make sure you listen carefully to how prospects describe their needs and goals.   Use their language when describing how you can satisfy these needs and achieve their objectives.

For instance, if you’re a copywriter, listen to how potential clients explain why they need help creating their sales pages.  Then, when you’re closing the sale, incorporate some of these key words into your description of your services.

The great thing about this approach is that you don’t have to rely on formulaic scripts that make everyone feel awkward.

The conversation will flow—and your services will sound even more appealing—because you’re helping potential clients feel aligned with you and your expertise.

 2.  Demonstrate Value

One of the easiest ways to get people to say “yes” is to demonstrate how the value you create for them exceeds the cost of your services.

My best advice?

Focus on providing a solution—on being of service—instead of on selling yourself and your products.

Showing prospective clients how working with you helps them meet important business objectives makes it much easier for them to say “yes.”

Unfortunately, clients aren’t always clear what problems they want to be solved or what their objectives are.  Your job is to help them get this clarity and understand the benefits of resolving these challenges and meeting these goals.

Only when you start asking questions and listening for bigger goals and objectives, can you see the bigger picture and demonstrate the value of your contribution.

Let’s say that a potential client told you that she wants to generate $10,000 from an online course and needs you to write a sales page for it.

Snap up this new customer by helping her see how investing just $1,000 in your copywriting services can quickly help her achieve this goal.

Have stats from previous clients?  Share them!

 3.  Establish Trust 

Listening also builds the trust necessary for closing sales.

Before they see you in action delivering the results you promised, all that new prospects have to rely on is your word.  They buy your confidence and certainty that you are the one person who can help them.

To demonstrate your expertise, ask insightful questions. 

 Good questions make prospects feel that you know what you are talking about, show you’re interested in understanding their unique problems, and reveal your ability to design solutions to these exact challenges.

Listen attentively to the answers prospects give you and make perceptive observations to build trust and reassure them you are the one they need.

Share relevant client success stories to provide social proof of your expertise.

If, for example, a prospect tells you that brand consistency is important to her, show her how you will ensure that the language on the sales page is consistent with the language of the entire site.  Then, give an example of a former client who couldn’t tell the difference between the pieces she had written herself and the ones you created.

 4.  Tap Into Your Desire to Serve

Before entering into any sales conversation, allow yourself to make a subtle shift from selling to service.

Going into the situation with the desire to serve your prospects allows you to express more compassion about the challenges they’re facing, opens you up to listening even more attentively to their needs, helps you explain your services and benefits in terms of what’s most valuable to them and makes it easier to recommend approaches that will help them quickly reach their goals.

Maybe you can create 2 versions of the sales page, so the client can do a split test to see which page converts better.  Perhaps you can recommend that she format testimonials in such a way that they address every possible objection and minimize the number of questions people will have.  Once the content is approved, you could even suggest that you collaborate with the web person to work on the layout of the sales page and thus save the client time.

As you can see, listening can turn any service or product recipe into an irresistible signature dish on your menu.

 BACK TO YOU

Are your sales conversations missing any of the above ingredients?   What’s your biggest challenge?

The post Surprising Secrets for How to Increase Sales appeared first on SystemsRock.

This might seem crazy and counterintuitive, but it’s true!

Let me explain by referring back to a common saying:  ‘Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.”

Growing up, my parents were always telling me this. It’s so true.

The friends we choose reflect who we are and who we want to be.

Now that I run my own business, that saying makes even more sense to me.

We’ve got to be very protective of our environment and carefully examine every new person who comes into our lives.

Why?

Because our success depends on the type of people we surround ourselves with on a day-to-day basis.  We need rich networks of individuals who believe in—and support—our mission.

We all get this point.

But. . .

When it comes to clients, we often just accept whoever walks through our doors or wants to purchase our services online.

We allow ourselves to work with clients who aren’t always quite right for us.

4 MYTHS WE HIDE BEHIND WHEN TAKING ON A LESS-THAN-IDEAL CLIENT

Myth: What’s the big deal?  A client is a client.

Fact: Not all clients are created equal.

When you start working with less-than-ideal clients, you block business with the ideal ones.

As small business owners, you can’t accept an unlimited amount of clients. When you accept someone who’s not a perfect fit, you’re letting that person take the spot of someone who would energize and inspire you.

Myth: I need the money.

Fact: You lose money working with less-than-ideal clients.  They drain you of energy and cause you to drag your feet.

You might be giving them your best, but they might not be ready to do the work necessary for getting the best possible results.  Or you might not be fully motivated to work on their projects, which, in turn, can lead to dissatisfaction and requests for refunds!

Myth: I don’t have a choice, because a friend or family member asked me to help them.

Fact: You always have a choice.  Does making some choices—like saying “no” to someone—require uncomfortable conversations?  Absolutely.

It’s better to feel awkward for a few minutes than it is to work with someone whose needs you can’t—or don’t want to—fulfill.

Myth: I’m just starting out and cannot afford to be picky.

Fact: Being picky is the only way to build a winning client roster.

As a client, you find it perfectly okay to be choosy about what service providers you select, especially when it comes to premium services.

The same should be true about how you choose your clients.

You are in the business of producing the best results for your clients.  It’s your responsibility to choose the ones you know you can help get these amazing results.

So how do you ensure that you work only with your ideal clients?

CREATE YOUR OWN RED VELVET ROPE POLICY

1. DEFINE your ideal clients.

Go beyond their demographics and psychographics.  Think about the qualities they possess.

For example, my ideal clients are:

• Optimists who are easy to work with because they feel responsible for their own success.
• Action takers who can implement tasks right away and make things happen when they set goals.
• Collaborators who work well with others, seek out support and follow instructions.
• Humorous and not afraid to make fools out of themselves.
• Eager to learn new things and love discovering optimal ways of accomplishing goals.
• Passionate about striving to become organized and in control of their businesses.

2.  Create a FILTERING SYSTEM

This system can be as simple as a questionnaire that you have your prospects fill out before scheduling a meeting with you or a set of questions you ask your prospects when you have your discovery session.

Use the session to figure out whether or not you will be able to help them achieve their goals and to see if you’re a good fit for each other in terms of your personalities.

I always have a diagnostic session with my prospects.  For long-term packages, I have a 2-week trial period for both of us.  At the end of it, we can voice our concerns and even end our collaboration if we feel like it’s not working out.

3.  SAY “NO”

If you don’t find the idea of working on this person’s project inspiring, turn it down.

If you’re like me, you rely on your intuition when it comes to new people.

I’ve learned to surrender to my instinct when making decisions about working with someone.  It may not be the most sophisticated tool, but it rarely lets me down.

Gracefully communicate your decision to your prospect or existing client.

Give your reasons without getting personal.  Here are two good things to say: “I don’t think we’d be a good fit” or “I’m not the best person to serve you.”  If possible, provide them with recommendations of someone who might be able to help them.

Don’t burn bridges, but be strong.

Remember that when something feels “off’ to you, the other person can feel it too.

You’re not doing anyone favors by keeping a less-than-ideal client.

Let them go so that you can work with the people you are truly meant to serve.

Your clients are an expression and an extension of you.   Select them as carefully as you select your friends.

Just like with great friends, time with your ideal clients will be flying by.  You will be enjoying every moment of working with them.  And so will they.  They’ll be bragging about you to everyone they know.

Even if you need to have a referral conversation it will be as easy as: “I’m looking to pick up another client.  Do you know anyone like you?”

And lastly, ideal clients get the value of your services and follow the processes of working with you.  Clear processes make it easy to scale your work.  So, you’ll be able to physically service more clients in the same amount of time.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, being exclusive will get you booked solid much faster than keeping your doors open for whoever walks into them. 

BACK TO YOU

Do you have a red velvet rope policy for your clients?  How do you ensure that you work only with the right people?

The post How to Get Clients by Being More Exclusive appeared first on SystemsRock.

When I first launched SystemsRock, I never would have believed it if someone told me that being a business owner was going to bring up the same issues I was facing in my personal life.

Running my company was going to be an amazing experience that I enjoyed from the comfort of my home.

Yes, I’d have to be more disciplined now that I was in control.

But I never expected that I’d have to engage in so much personal introspection in order to resolve business issues.

WHAT HAPPENED. . . .

I wasn’t seeing significant results even though I was creating great content and services.

I struggled to find clients, there was no interaction on my blog, my relationships were superficial, and I didn’t feel I fit into the groups I belonged to.

One day I was so frustrated that I had no choice but to step back and contemplate what was going on.

It turns out that my personal life was affecting my business. . .and not in a good way.  The way I was approaching my business was mirroring the offline behavior I adopted every time I moved to a new country.

Moving to a new country means adjusting to new cultures, adopting new norms of behaviors, making new friends, and learning what makes their jokes funny. It’s exhausting.

When I moved with my family to Belgium, I didn’t want to go through that again.

Starting an online business seemed like the perfect idea.

After all, I could just do my thing wherever I was in the world.  There was no need to worry about bonding with people or trying to constantly align myself with the needs and norms of others.

I WAS SO WRONG!

Online business is all about relationships.

It quickly became clear to me that I was never going to gain a following if I didn’t pour my heart and soul into them.

It was heartbreaking to leave behind my friends every time I moved, which was one of the big reasons I wanted to keep things in my business impersonal.

But I realized that my online company actually makes it easier for me to maintain connections with clients, potential customers, and colleagues.

Plus, my multicultural experiences make it easier for me to create rapport with anyone, regardless of their nationality.

Without Anne Samoilov’s guidance, I couldn’t have turned things around.  And I wouldn’t have progressed this fast without Michael Port’s system.

LESSONS FROM MICHAEL PORT

Michael lifted a huge burden from my shoulders.

His philosophy is that there are certain people we’re meant to serve and others we’re not.

This perspective liberated me from obsessing about being liked by everyone and empowered me to cultivate the right business relationships.

That’s what pushed me to dig into his Book Yourself Solid System.  I went on to become a Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach, which made me embrace relationship building even further.

MY NOT-SO-SECRET SYSTEM OF GROWING MY BUSINESS THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS

1.   PLAN

a.  Identify the individuals you’re going to reach out to:

• Potential clients
• Acquaintances you’ve already established rapport with
• Influencers (industry leaders)

b.  Do your homework:

•  Think of the types of people or professions that aren’t represented in your current network: prospective clients, industry leaders
• Find where they hang out (online groups, offline events) and note avenues to use to get in touch with them (social media, events, introductions through mutual connections)
• Research something of theirs that could help you start a conversation: an inspiring interview, an article, or a cool product

2.  IMPLEMENT

a.  Introduce Yourself to New People

Be strategic about who you add to your network.  Now that you’ve done your homework and know who to talk to, reach out and start a conversation.  Over time, these new relationships will pay off.

b.  Nurture Existing Relationships

Hang out on social media.  Mention what you’re working on—you might find an influencer to test or review your program.  Ask for introductions or referrals when appropriate, like when you come across a conversation where someone mentions their friend is struggling with a problem you help people with.

 c. Show You Care

At least once per week, send a card or e-mail to someone in your network just to show you care.  Maybe they’re going through a difficult time or have reached an important milestone?

Going the extra mile will keep you on their mind and make them feel better about themselves.

 d.  Share Valuable Information

 Each day, send articles to three people in your network. Share relevant, interesting, and valuable information:

• Industry information
• Strategies, tips, and techniques
• Content from other sources (experts)
• Product and service offerings
• Special announcements

Add a simple note like: “I saw this and thought of you” or “Thought you’d find it interesting…”

 e. Make An Introduction 

Connect the people in your network with each other.  Connecting people with similar interests or who need a referral is beneficial to them—and you.  You “get points” for kindness and care.  And once you start doing it for others, they’ll reciprocate.

 3.  PUT AUTOPILOT ON    

Keep track of all your activities:

• Set aside time for them in your calendar
• Use a client relationship management system (CRM).  Here are my CRM recommendations.

In the beginning, you might feel uncomfortable reaching out to people you’ve never talked to or people who seem out of your league.  It’ll take time and money to nurture your existing relationships.

But it will enrich your life and build a supportive network that will help you when you need them.

BACK TO YOU

I’d love to hear from you.  How important are relationships in online business?  Do you find it easy to maintain relationships online?

The post My Not-So-Secret System to Building Prosperous Relationships appeared first on SystemsRock.

Through her 14+ years of combined experience in international sales and marketing — training and development for a family-run electronics company in Russia, luxury car manufacturer BMW in the UK, pretty laungiree Triumph, language gurus at Berlitz and Inlingua in Germany — she’s lived and worked in 3 countries and received cross-cultural, educational, and technical training. She’s also worked with international clients on a daily basis as a university lecturer in organizational behavior, as entrepreneur, coach, and consultant.

Now, Katya is on a mission to share her ultimate road map to going global.

Learn more about the Foreignation course here, a 6-week online adventure, that will teach you how to seize control of your business, skillfully reach out to foreign clients, and truly become globally recognized as the world leader in your industry.

The post Interview with Katya Barry appeared first on SystemsRock.

Well, not entirely.

Honestly, I never thought this was going to be the key.  I had no idea!

In fact, when I started SystemsRock, I believed all I had to do was become the very best in my field and master the art of getting people to my site.

A steady stream of clients would be coming my way once everyone understood my expertise and visited my website, which clearly communicated the benefits of my services. 

Were you also trained to believe these are the two keys to success?

Let me save you some time by sharing my reality check.

Seven months and three versions of sales pages later, I still wasn’t making enough to cover the costs of the online programs I was constantly buying.

The realization of what was missing didn’t come over night.  But I kept inquiring.

Here’s what I discovered by carefully studying the successful entrepreneurs I admired.

Rocking the art of building relationships was the single thing that propelled the success of my role models.

Discovering this secret key was both exhilarating and depressing.

I was thrilled to finally “get it” but worried because I wasn’t good at nurturing relationships.

Let me explain.

I’ve move around a lot.   Over the past 18 years, I’ve lived and worked on 3 continents and in 5 countries.

With every move, I left behind people who were near and dear to me. No matter how close I was with them, our fast-paced lifestyles would eventually cause our relationships to fade.  And it would break my heart every single time.  So, I stopped building relationships meant to last.

Breaking this habit and establishing a new one was excruciating.

Anne Samoilov was the one who helped me break through my fear of building lasting relationships, and Michael Port showed me how to do it in a systematic manner.

LESSONS FROM ANNE SAMOILOV

When I started working with Anne, she was Director of Operations at LKR and creator of Fearless Launching, her own course.

I discovered her almost accidentally.  I listened to her webinar and registered for her course, despite the fact that launching was not in my plans.

Anne’s candid examples of her own experiences echoed what I was feeling, and Fearless Launching provided the solution I needed.

It was a life-changing experience to be in Anne’s group.

Anne’s thorough guidance and heart-warming support enveloped us.  There was also plenty of room for goofing around and celebrating our nerdy sides.

The fact that the course participants were scattered all over the world never mattered.

Long after the course ended, whenever one of us needed something, everybody jumped in to help.

I didn’t launch anything during that round of program, but what I took away from it was priceless.

You CAN develop and sustain professional friendships online.  But you can’t treat them the same as offline friends, which was why I was failing at them.

Anne helped me realize that to be successful at online relationships you have to:

1.  Check in more often.  One of the most common remarks I hear from online business owners is that it gets lonely, especially if your family and friends don’t really get what you’re doing.  Wouldn’t you want to hear from someone who truly understands what you are dealing with?  So would they. Reaching out to them will make a world of a difference.

2.  Ask specific questions. You might start with “How are you?” and “What are you working on?” But as your relationship deepens, go with something more personal like: “How is that book proposal coming along?” or “Do you need help with any aspects of the e-course you’re creating?”

3.  Ask for help.  It’s funny how we tend to fall out of communication when things don’t go well.  We don’t want to burden people.  We *have* to be strong.  Yet, that’s the very time when others love to contribute to us.  Don’t spare them that pleasure.

4.  Share your mistakes.  It’s very uncomfortable to do this, no doubt about it.  But being open about not having everything figured out gives people permission to be okay with not being perfect themselves.  There is so much freedom in being who we are and accepting our imperfections. You need to lead by example.

5.  Initiate face-to-face meet ups.  There is still nothing greater than having live interactions.   Ask for a 15-minute Skype chat, invite them to Google Hangout, visit with them when you are passing through their country .

My offline relationships have always been based on intuition—I *feel* how the other person is and that guides my actions.  That’s not possible online given the distance and lack of physical interactions.

But the Internet offers its own ways of building strong professional relationships.

You’ve got to find your sweet spot.  You might build your best relationships through social media or through a combination of events and online follow-up sessions or vice versa.  But you’ve got to experiment.

MY SECRET KEY FOR MAINTAINING PROSPEROUS PROFESSIONAL FRIENDSHIPS

I’m a 1-on-1 kind of gal.  What works incredibly well for me is reaching out to people directly.

Through a dozen of Facebook groups (thanks to all those online courses I bought) I’ve met a lot of passionate and driven entrepreneurs.  But, until recently, most of my connections were occasional and superficial.

Determined to turn things around, I went back and created a list of people I had a nice connection with and whom I wanted to get to know better.  Now, I am methodically going through the list reaching out and asking for 15-30 minutes of their time.  

Once we meet, I ask them what they are working on and if I they need any support around that.  I clarify who are their ideal clients so that I can send them referrals.  I find out what posts and news catches their eye, so I can be on a lookout for them as well.  I inquire who they’d love to add to their network in case I can make an introduction.

It’s amazingly rewarding to make a referral.  It is incredibly gratifying to send a link to an article with a subject line “Thought of you when I saw this.”  It’s really powerful to make an introduction the other person was dreaming about.

The results of my new strategy have been astounding.  I’ve never felt more connected and fulfilled.  My professional life has never been richer and rewarding.  It’s been a blast!

Running an online business doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.  Reach out.  Be seen.

I’D LOVE TO CONNECT

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, but haven’t commented yet, or if you’ve just stumbled upon this article, but it spoke to you, I’d love to connect.  Let’s jump on Skype.  You can use this scheduler to book our meeting and pick a “getting acquainted session.”

Tune in next week for my lessons from Michael Port and a system to make relationship building run smoothly and effectively.

The post My Secret Key to Building a Prosperous Business appeared first on SystemsRock.

I met with Anne to ask a few burning questions on launching as well as to discuss her own launch of her flagship program Fearless Launching*.

Here are some questions you can find answers to in this interview:

1. I have a new offering (course, e-book, new service, website, etc.) that I want to launch.  Where do I start?
2. When do I need to start planning my launch?  Is there a checklist to work with to make sure I take care of the all moving parts of my launch?
3. I am a solopreneur and I don’t have much of a budget for my launch.  How do I ensure that I don’t over overextend myself physically or financially during a launch?

Curios about Anne’s program?

Here is my earlier review of Fearless Launching.  I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions if you want to find out the inside scoop.

You may also head over to this FAQ page and get your answers directly from Anne.

Don’t leave without your Launch Toolkit to help you launch your next idea without an ounce of fear and with 100% confidence and class.

It gives you tools and templates you need to create a launch that will wow your audience and bring in the profits and exposure your brand deserves.

Here is what you get in this free toolkit:

• The First 10 Steps To Plan Your Launch: a workbook-slash-guide to help you plan the first 10 steps of your launch.
• Project Breakdown Template: an easy-to-use but extremely effective template to help plot out every single task that has to happen during launch.
• How To Build Your Launch Team: A kickass video presentation taken directly from Anne’s premium Fearless Launching program and teaches you about the different teams you may need to put together for your launch.
• How To Use Swipe Files The Right Way: Another great video that shows you how to use swipe files the right way.
• 20 Simple Actions To Organize Your Business: A .PDF guide to help you streamline your business with systems that power up your launch.

Get your FREE Launch Toolkit here.

*Just to be totally straight with you, I am a proud affiliate of Fearless Launching.  This program has changed my life and how I relate to myself.  And that’s the reason I am such a big advocate of Anne’s work.  I hope you give it a try!

The post Interview with Anne Samoilov appeared first on SystemsRock.

It takes a lot of work to run a small business.

You’re filling every role. One minute you’re strategizing about the future of your business. The next you’re uploading blog posts and editing videos.

Pretty soon your day is filled up to the last second and you have no time for yourself or your loved ones.

There is a way out! You CAN regain control of your business and your life.

Take a moment and let yourself fantasize about what it would feel like if the burdens of processing payments, organizing your finances, scheduling, customer support and social media were lifted from your shoulders.

Now I’m going to show you how to turn these fantasies into time-saving (even personal life-saving) realities.

1.  Processing Payments

You need to get paid, and the most common tool for payment processing is PayPal, which allows you to accept single payments or set up reoccurring billing.

Did you know you can create a PayPal button that will first take your clients to the payment page and then redirect them to another page—to a questionnaire or thank-you page?

What if a client doesn’t have a PayPal account (or doesn’t want to create one) or your business requires a more robust payment solution?

Go with the e-commerce merchant account options like 1ShoppingCart, shopify, x-cart, and cubecart, which allow you to accept debit/credit cards online.

This type of software takes automation and convenience to a whole new level, but it’s also a more costly solution.

2.  Organizing Finances

Here are the top 3 signs that you’re neglecting your company’s finances and need to optimize this part of your business.

You’re. . .

• Inconsistent in terms of creating invoices. Sometimes you do them manually and sometimes you use software like PayPal.
• Unclear about which invoices got paid and which didn’t.
• Uncertain of how profitable (or not) you were last month.

Knowing where your money is going, where it is coming from, and having all the supporting documents in one place is critical.

Doing this work manually eats up enormous amounts of time.

When it’s not done, it weighs on you every day and can cause you serious problems.

Luckily, there are great inexpensive tools to automate most of our financials.

Check out FreshBooks, Outright or Xero, which each specialize in different types of services.

They’ll help you automate the process of tracking money that comes in and goes out.

An added bonus is that you’ll have your financial paperwork in one, easily accessible place and can send it off to your accountant when necessary.

3.  Scheduling

Automating the process of scheduling your meetings is also important.

You’re wasting time whenever you email back and forth with clients trying to come up with a day and time to meet. Besides, it’s not fun and it doesn’t make you look like a true professional. In fact, manual scheduling often leads to missed meetings and lost clients.

There are a plethora of great online schedulers to pick from. Many of them come with additional features like website integration, a “schedule-an-appointment” pop up and even payment processing.

Even if your scheduler doesn’t have a payment processing option, you can still automate the process by including a link to your scheduler on the “thank you” redirect page when they make a payment.

A truly hands-off process.

4.  Customer Support

Some aspects of customer support can easily be automated and save you a great deal of time.

I bet people often ask you the same questions.

Here’s what you can do if these questions are about. . . .

• Your policies = Create an FAQ page that addresses the most common issues
• How people can contribute = Ask them to follow established guidelines.
• The process of working with you = Find a creative way to present it.

Also, if you’re writing the same messages over and over, create templates and use tools like Canned Responses (for Gmail) or Text Expander (for Mac).

5.  Social Media

No, I don’t suggest completely automating social media because actively and authentically building relationships with new and existing clients is crucial to turning them into raving fans.

However, the process of getting noticed can certainly be automated.

Come up with a list of updates, pop them into a spreadsheet like this one, schedule them in bulk using Hootsuite or Buffer and reuse them every 2-3 months.

For your Facebook updates you can use a schedule like this one:

• Monday—eye-catching picture
• Tuesday—your blog post
• Wednesday—random question
• Thursday—inspirational quote
• Friday—cool tip

For Twitter, it won’t be much different:

• Monday—one of the benefits you provide with your services and link to your services page
• Tuesday—link to your blog post
• Wednesday—random question
• Thursday—inspirational quote
• Friday—cool tip

Yes, this will require some prep work, but once that’s taken care of, you won’t need more than 10 minutes a day per social media platform.

As you can see, there ARE ways to moving from doing to managing even without hiring a team.

The time you save can be spent on what you love most and do best—making your clients happy—or even taking a well-deserved break.

 TAKE ACTION NOW

In the comments below let me know what process you are going to work on automating this week. Not sure how to do it? Drop me a line and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

The post 5 Things You Must Automate appeared first on SystemsRock.

by Liz Lockard

(okay, really 15 minutes a month, but the math works out, right?)

Do you have Google Analytics setup for your business? It’s one of the best free support tools for actually knowing what’s going on with your website traffic – where your visitors are coming from and what they’re doing on your site.

If you don’t have it setup yet, feel free to check out my simple guide for installing it on any website.

If you’re already familiar with Google Analytics – at least to the point where you have it on your site (yay!) – you probably know how crazy-overwhelm it can get when you’re faced with that much data. I mean, WHAT do you do with all that? How much time do you REALLY have to spend in your account to get some value out of it?

My answer? Not that much. Maybe 15 minutes. A month. No, really.

The Super-Quick Google Analytics Routine for Your Small Business

(to be performed once a month, or more if you just can’t get away from your data)

1. Check what’s working
2. Do more of what’s working
3. Stop doing or readjust what’s not working

Sounds simple enough, but what’s involved in each step? Let’s take a look

Check What’s Working

Here I mean, what’s working for your website and your business. Where are your newsletter subscribers coming from? Where are your sales coming from? Where are your lead contact form submissions coming from? What posts are most popular? What advertising campaigns are sending in leads or sales?

You can find out where your newsletter subscribers and sales are coming from in your Conversions report in Google Analytics. As long as you have goals setup, that is.

You can find out which posts are most popular by heading to your Content report. The report auto-sorts by most pageviews.

Do More of What’s Working

Once you know what sources and content are working for your business, rinse and repeat!

Spend more money on that campaign that’s working or write a follow-up post to your most popular content.

Verifying what’s working in Google Analytics ensures you’re spending your marketing time in the most effective way for your business.

Stop Doing What’s Not Working (or Readjust)

Are you spending a LOT of time on Twitter but not seeing little to no results in your Google Analytics account? You might want to scrap the medium altogether or readjust your approach with a program like Alicia Cowan’s Twitter Brilliance.

Are you spending way too much time every week as a regular contributor to a blog that isn’t bringing in ANY leads? Consider axe-ing the relationship.

A Caveat

Only you know the story behind the data. If that regular contributor relationship is actually a stepping stone to getting in with some bigwigs in your industry, perhaps it’s worth keeping.

Not everything can be understood from the sources listed in the Conversions: Goals report. Sometimes things like Twitter are the first or second touch you have on your own audience before a blog post you wrote claims the actual conversion. Check out the Conversions: Multi-Channel Funnels report for a more rounded data view.

Your Turn

Google Analytics setup for your website? What’s your routine? How often are you in Google Analytics? Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments!

Bio:

Liz Lockard is a Google Analytics geek who loves helping small businesses uncover real marketing insights from their data and drive more of the right kind of traffic to their websites. Get free training and the insider’s scoop on her Google Analytics course here.

The post Google Analytics in 30 Seconds a Day appeared first on SystemsRock.

STOP THE MADNESS!

I know all your newsletter subscriptions, “the new module is available” e-mails and FB group member notifications are filled with great content but constantly sucking you into the black hole of the Internet universe.

They’re distracting you from what you really need to be doing.

I speak from experience.

When I started my online business, I knew nothing about the online world and was terrified of technology, so I spent months buying e-courses.  Even now, I’ve only gone through a fraction of them.

In the end, the only 2 things that helped me overcome this overpowering need to constantly buy courses, subscribe to lists, and plug into Facebook groups were FOCUS and CONFIDENCE.

1. FOCUS

It’s true.  You’ve got to be constantly learning.  Technology is always changing, new tactics come out and new gadgets help us do things easier and faster.

But, learning should not be a time suck.

Set your goals and see if there are any knowledge gaps preventing you from reaching them.

Then, ask yourself:

• How much time will it actually take me to master this skill?  Will  learning it be an efficient use of my time or I should just hire someone to do it for me?
• How much time do I have available to learn this tactic?   Can I commit to devoting 2 hours a week to go through the course module and do the homework?

If you decide that learning that skill or tactic is to your advantage, create a schedule for yourself.  For instance, you could set aside January and February to learn SEO, March to master Google Analytics, and April and May to discover the ins and outs of blogging.

Know what you want to achieve and ONLY commit to things that will help you reach these goals (and at a pace that will not destroy you).

 2. CONFIDENCE

Remember this: YOU ARE ENOUGH.

You already know enough to make a few steps that will take your business to the next level.  All you have to do is to take the next step.  Just the way you are, knowing what you know, having what you have.

Back when I was buying one online program after another, I realized that I wasn’t buying the information, I was trying to buy the confidence those business owners seemed to have in themselves and their products.  I bet you can relate to this!

They made me believe that once I had their program, things would magically be handled.  But they never were.  Not without my working hard at implementing their advice.  Not without my putting a personal touch to their solution, so it would work for my business.

Stop being impatient and do the work.  Believe in yourself and the difference you make in the lives of your clients.

Trust me, you will not miss out if you unsubscribe from the newsletter of the person you admire.

The only surefire way of not getting sucked into the messages that come into your inbox is not to let them in in the first place.  You can always check out their site and visit their social media profile to see what they’re up to.   But do it at your leisure, when YOU have time for them.

When you feel that incredible urge to buy a course, just remember that there will always be another one—probably an even better one.

It’s your life— you’ve got to live it on your terms.  It is your business— you’ve got to create it to your liking.

 TELL ME

In the comments below, tell me if you’ve also experienced this e-course epidemic and how you’ve been handling it.

The post Cure for the Shiny Object Syndrome appeared first on SystemsRock.

Instead, I make sure that my inbox is processed, and there are always 10-15 e-mails lingering in there awaiting my next action.

Want to stop feeling overwhelmed by your inbox?

Here is a system to use:

For even more amazing done-for-you systems, download the free Systems Chick’s Guide to Transforming Busyness into Business.

ADOPT THESE 6 POWER PRACTICES

1.  Never open your e-mail first thing in the morning.  Having to attend to other people’s requests from the very beginning of the day will put you in a reactive mode and may take over your entire day.

 Instead, start with a morning routine that will ground you.  It can be anything from taking a few minutes to create intentions for the day to savoring a cup of coffee or tea.  Then move on to 1-2 tasks that will definitely move your business forward.

 2.  Identify when you’re most productive during the day. Where do you fall on morning-evening spectrum?  Are you an early bird or an owl?

 When your creative juices are flowing, don’t waste this precious energy sorting e-mails.

3.  Determine the amount of time you can spend on email before you open your inbox and then stick to it.  Set a timer if it makes it easier for you.  E.ggtimer is a great one.

When your mind knows it’s up against the clock, you’ll be able to get more done in much less time, especially if you are dealing with not-so-important stuff.

If you finished before the time was up, more power to you!  Get out of your inbox and move on to the next task.   If not, when the timer goes off, make a note of where you finished, close your inbox and don’t let yourself work with it open (unless you  absolutely have to).

4.  Resist the urge to return to your inbox.  As you work, you might suddenly remember that you need to follow up with a client, send a reminder to a prospect or check dates in an email invitation.  Don’t do it if it’s not urgent.

The task that you think of as a one-minute affair is likely eat up one hour (if not more) of your time as you inevitably remember other things you need to do in your inbox.

5.  Unsubscribe from anything that pollutes your inbox.  

Set up a Google Reader account and subscribe to the RSS feeds from those sites.  You’ll still get the updates, but they’ll be neatly organized.

6.  Install Boomerang for even faster and more efficient e-mail processing.  You’ll

receive reminders for the e-mails that don’t need to be answered right away (which will make your “Follow Up” folder obsolete), and it’ll help you schedule e-mails to go out at the right time.  Over time, it will train your audience to send you e-mails on certain days and times and give them a clear sense of when they’ll hear back from you.

ACTION TIME

Which one of the above practices can you commit to implementing this week? 

The post Never Start Your Day Doing This & Other E-mail Strategies appeared first on SystemsRock.