Get Your Business Ready for Summer

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Summer is almost here! Yay!

Time for vacations and to slow it down a little.  But hey, don’t slow it down too much. This is the time to build your pipeline so that you can finish strong in 2019.  Time to think about what you will offer and sell for the holidays.

So how do you build a pipeline?

Below are some quick tips on building your pipeline to create momentum in your business for the rest of the year.

1.) Focus on a Few.  You may have been doing mass marketing all year – social media, watts marketing challengespublic speaking, etc.  Who stood out during your efforts?  Were some potential clients more engaged than others?  If so, focus on those people for the rest of the year.  What do they need?  What services can you provide?

2.) Create Your Bag of Tricks.  What are those things of VALUE that you can offer to your customers or potential customers that don’t require a lot for you to create?  Perhaps its an audit or a top ten list.  Create 3-5 “trick” or value adds that you use to create more relationships with your current or new audience.

3.) Use Your Referrals.  Referrals are sooo important in growing your business.  Using your referrals is a brilliant marketing strategy.  Be sure to take time to put your referrals on your mailing list, check on them, talk to them, engage with them.  The more they trust you, the more they will talk about you.

Don’t let the summer pass you by!  If business is slow, that is the time to focus on marketing and growing your pipeline.

Podcast: How to Show Up for Yourself in Marketing and Branding

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On today’s podcast, I offer three ways you can show up for yourself when marketing your brand. Marketing can be vulnerable. But there are ways to conquer it and do img_7842marketing with CONFIDENCE.   Check out today’s podcast and SHOW UP for yourself.

 

Get Refocused on Those Goals

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So here we are… at the end of the first quarter?

How did you do? I’m sure many of us started the year off with high hopes and admirable goals. Were you able to accomplish some of those goals? Were you able to follow-through on your to-do lists and make some great things happen for your brand and business?

If you did – congratulations! Great job… keep going and stay focused.Lee office

If you did not do move the needle in your business for the first quarter of 2019, no need to fret! Don’t get discouraged. There is still time to make amazing leaps in 2019. Some seasons are just for dreaming and planning.

Below are 5 tips for revisiting those goals and plans and jump starting your marketing for the second quarter of 2019:

1.) Get moving: I know… this doesn’t sound like marketing and branding advice, right? But its true!! Body movement forces your brain to gain clarity and get creative. If you are dragging and feeling uninspired, try getting some exercise in your life (cardio, yoga, strength training). Find the right exercise and body movement for you. It will instantly give you a boost and clear your mind.

2.) Photo Shoot: Yes, new photos are always a great way to get you refocused and alerts your audience that some thing new may be coming from your brand. If you can’t afford a professional photo shoot right now, grab a friend with some great photography skills and do your own photo shoot. Share the photos on social media and your email marketing to get generate some energy around your marketing.

3.) Live Video: Don’t be afraid! Just do it. Doing live video on Facebook or Instagram is a great way to get engagement from your audience, which is always a great boost for your brand and business. Decide what you will talk about and move forward with launching a video

4.) Network: Find an organization or event to attend the second quarter of the year. Networking and meeting other like-minded individuals can instantly get you re-focused and ready to take your band to the next level. If you don’t have an accountability group or a business bestie – find one!! Attend networking events together and share books and thoughts on growing your business.

5.) Hit the books: Is there an area or skill you need to work on? Grab a book or take an online class or course! Or it may be something simple by listening to new podcasts that challenge you. Learn something new and put it to practice. This will help you feel re-energized and ready to conquer some new areas in your business.

6.) Revisit those goals: Some times our best laid plans go astray due to unforeseen circumstances. There will be things that come up that you didn’t anticipate. It is perfectly acceptable to revisit and rewrite those goals. Don’t feel stuck with the goals you wrote 3, 6 or 9 months ago. Building a business is about being flexible.

If you need any assistance with gaining clarity and setting your next quarter goals, check out my goal-setting clarity session!

Podcast: Saving Marketing Dollars when Starting a Business

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On today’s podcast, I discuss how to save marketing dollars, especially if you have a start-up or launching a new business, organization or even if you are an author.  Marketing find-work-online-fbudgets can spin out of control quickly, however, if you are strategic and focused, you can grow organically and save marketing dollars.

 

Getting Clear on Brand Clarity

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Are you clear on your company, organization or personal brand?  Brand clarity is critical to growth, efficiency and budgeting.

Below are some signs that you may not be clear on your brand:

  • Do you struggle to articulate what your company sells?
  • Are you unsure of what makes your company/organization (or self) stand out?
  • Do you waste a lot of money on marketing?
  • Are you not sure what to say “yes” to or what to say “no” to?
  • Do you find yourself offering various products or services with no clear connection to your brand?
  • Do you struggle to know or understand your target audience?

If you answered yes to 3 or more of these statements, you may need more clarity.

Why is clarity important? 

Below are just a few reasons why everyone should focus on brand clarity and revisit it in their marketing and branding strategy regularly:

  1. Brand Clarity = Focused Messaging
    • When you are clear on your message, your audience knows what to buy and why.
  2. Brand Clarity = Attract Clients 
    • Clients and customers respond to brands that are clear on who they are and who they serve. People don’t always buy the best, they buy what is clear.
  3. Brand Clarity = Save Money  
    • When brands are not clear, they spend marketing dollars on events, technology, ideas and products that don’t fit their brand or reach their audiences.

If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to me for a strategy session!

P.S. Have you missed some of my other newsletters? To catch up on my blogs and writing, visit my website and blog by clicking here. Or if you are not following me on IG or Facebook, be sure to click the link and follow me to stay updated!

Are You REALLY Ready to Succeed?

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I recently attended a leadership luncheon for women entrepreneurs.  It was great to see so many female entrepreneurs from all different types of backgrounds and talents.

The question was posed: “Why is that so many female entrepreneurs make less money than male entrepreneurs and their businesses fail faster?”  Many hands raised with various answers.  The majority of people landed with the belief that often women don’t support each others businesses enough. Really?? That’s why we are not succeeding at the same rates?

I completely disagreed with this being the reason why we are not succeeding in our businesses.

From my experience with clients and others that I encounter, many people don’t understand the numbers for their business.  Often, women come up with a great idea or a beautiful dream, with lots of great talent.  However, they have NOT done the numbers to make sure it is a profitable business.  Many times, we don’t know our bottom line numbers, our profit margins, our items per transaction, our customer acquisition rate, or revenue percentages.

It is so important for business owners to understand the numbers of their business.

BUSINESS IS A NUMBERS GAME.

Do you know your numbers?

As we go into 2019, let that be your goal.  Let’s know our number and how that can translate into profit for our companies.

Stay tuned for seminar on January on how to learn your business numbers!

In the meantime, keep connecting those dots!

Lee

P.S.  If you are not following me on IG or Facebook, be sure to click the link and follow me to stay updated!

Tricks to Smashing Goals

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It’s that time of the year when so many of us are focused on setting goals for the end of the year and to kick off the next year with focus and rigor. We have all seen the social media posts and the encouragement to smash the goals and become a “goaldigger.” But what are some tricks and tips to setting goals? Most of us know about setting SMART Goals (Specific, Measure, Achievable, Results and Time). However, is there more? Are there other tips that can help us get to where we want to go.

Below are some of my quick “Busy, Bossy and Branded” tips on setting your goals and accomplishing them.

1.) Set goals that excite you! Yes, get excited. Of course we have things that we need to do that don’t get us very excited. For example, getting your taxes done is not very exciting, however if the goal is to “Organize my finances to increase my savings account” – that may be exciting! One of the action items for this may be: Create a buget or File Taxes.

2.) Put some action to it. Action items underneath your goals is critical. It can be somewhat easy to come up with a “dream” goal list. However, the power behind goal setting is the action list. When creating your action list, keep it simple. Keep it VERY simple. Try to limit your action items for each goal to 3-5 activities.

3.)holidays office Celebrate Your Successes. I believe in celebrating. There is something power about celebrating your successes, big and small. It creates momentum and keeps your mindset in a positive and growth mode.

4.) Embrace it Everyday. Your goals list should be a part of your everyday life. Put it in several places throughout your home, office and electronic devices. Look at it every day, several times a day to make sure you are moving in the right direction and your mindset is aligning with what you want.

5.) Repetition. I hope you are writing your goals down, however, in addition to writing them down, speak them and write them often. As stated in the fourth point, your goals should be a part of your everyday life. Record them and listen to them a few times a week. Repetition is the mother of success!

I hope these tips and tricks are helpful to you! I would love to hear about how you have smashed your goals and created new ones! Email me at lee@ashbyandwatts.com if you have any questions or want to share your goals.