Do you know what you want to accomplish in business and in life? Can you visualize your success? If you have been stuck up to now on what your goals are, how you see success and where you want to be in 1, 2 5 years and beyond, time to get busy!  All it takes is piece of foam board, scissors, markers, old magazines,  access to the internet and a printer. Oh, and a strong vision of what you want for your life.

You may have read about Jon Assaraf in the SECRET and how he manifested a mansion using vision boards. It’s the law of attraction in action.

When you see something that matches your vision, cut it out, print it out and glue it to your board. You can do this in a few hours or days.  I have found the best way to create a vision board is to take a few hours to really focus on what it is you want, write it down and start looking for a pictoral representation of your vision.

Do you want to drive a new car?  Be specific.  Pick out the exact car you want, the color, make and model - find a picture with as much detail as you can and find, cut it out, glue it to your vision board and do the same with all your goals.  Want a new home? Grab a copy of the latest magazine on new homes (House and Garden, Architects Digest, Home Magazine and more).

When my daughter wanted a new coach purse, she found exactly what she wanted, cut it out and put it in the portfolio she carried with her. Every day when she opened that portfolio up, she saw that purse.  In less than a month the purse came in the mail ~ a gift from her father!

Baby need a new pair of shoes?  If you want a pair of Manolo Balonik strappy sandles with 4 inch heels in shimmery silver find them in Vogue magazine or online and print out the picture. And paste it into your Vision Board.

I see you are getting the idea. Your vision board should include all your hopes, wishes and dreams.  It could include the ideal client, the perfect mate, money in the bank and whatever you would like that money can buy.

You could make one board for each aspect of your life, FAMILY, CAREER,  VACATIONS, SPIRITUAL… ETC. Or you could make just one board and include everything. It’s up to you.

This is a fun and insightful activity you can do alone or with yourco-workers, friends and family as well.

Be sure to hang your VISION BOARD in a place where you will see it often! And watch the Laws of Attraction in action!

“Position yourself as a center of influence - the one who knows the movers and shakers. People will respond to that, and you’ll soon become what you project.” Bob Burg

Too often people participate in what I call “drive-by networking.” In fact many people approach it from the “What can I get out of this conversation, contact, person, etc.?” You know them when you see them. They introduce themselves to you during an event, hand you their card (before you even have the chance to ask for it) they ask a favor, ask for a referral, ask you to pass around their resume, ask for free advice and then once the meeting is over they become a royal pain in the harass – because they call you to try and “sell you” what they have, even when you aren’t really interested. The business of networking is an art – it requires skill, forethought and what my mother used to call “class.”

Networking is about relationships and building those relationships takes time and effort. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel in a day and it is unlikely you will establish a trusting, sharing relationship in a day either!

There are ways to work smart and enjoy the process of building those relationships. And you can learn to NETWORK SO NO ONE KNOWS YOU’RE DOING IT.

Here are four tips to make sure your networking is working for you:

1. Add to your collage. The follow-through is like a piece of clay being molded into the form you envision. Follow up and follow through. If you meet someone, be sure to send a handwritten note, the article you promised them, or the contact name of someone who might be of benefit to them. Do it in a timely fashion. People will soon learn that you are someone they can count on. And will want to be a part of your own collage of friends.  I recently discovered SendOutCards and have been using them to stay in touch and follow up with people I meet. It is one of the greatest time-saving devices I have found to stay connected with people.  And they love it!  I became a distributor for the company because I can save money and make money by sharing this opportunity with others.  If you are interested, go to SendOutCards.com/Heidi.  First card is FREE on me!

2. Appreciate others as you would a beautiful painting. Make each person you meet feel as though he or she is the most important person in the world. Great networkers like people and it shows. It’s not just about what they can do for you, it’s about who they are. When you open your mind and your heart to people, you will be amazed at what opportunities are out there, just waiting for you.

3. Be the Masterpiece that you are. Confident people are like great works of art. People want to see them, be around them, even admire and emulate them. Confidence is the key to successful networking. If you are unsure about yourself or your product/service it will show. People like doing business with successful, confident people. That’s why the gal or guy with charisma makes the sale even when the product may be inferior. Keep in mind you’re part in the networking relationship. You too, have a lot to offer – your own gallery of friends and associates (contacts), your expertise and knowledge and your willingness to contribute to the relationship by sharing your circle and your knowledge.

4. Color outside the lines. Art comes in many forms. If everyone else is a painting, be sculpture. Find ways to stand out in the crowd. Be creative. If you feel you are just one of those people who doesn’t have any distinctive physical attributes, then do something about it! Be known as the woman (or guy) who wears a flower on her lapel, or the guy with the Stand-out ties. Wear a button that has a provocative saying (not risqué) so people can ask you about it. Create a style that’s memorable – people will start looking for you.

When you learn the Art of Networking you will meet interesting people, establish exceptional business contacts and walk in when new doors for you. Like any art, the contacts you make when you learn the art of networking increases in value over time.

Happy Networking!

Ps.  Every time I attend a networking meeting, something great happens. I attended a Florida Direct Marketing Association meeting and had the good fortune to sit with one of the guest speakers.  Of course, we had a great conversation and later that week she blogged about it.  She is the founder of Catalogs.com and her circle of influence is huge.  Here’s the post she wrote: http://www.catalogs.com/blog/2008/07/flower_power.html

Has this ever happened to you? You are out shopping or something and and idea comes to you. Something you think is marketable and that people can use. The next thing you know, someone has magically invented it.  That’s how the universe works, more than one person will get an idea for a solution to a proble, a product or system or service that can make life easier for others. But not everyone will do something with the idea. Its the ones that actually take action that become famous, rich and heros. 

Perhaps you Have you been out somewhere and had a brilliant idea and didn’t want to trust your mind to remember it later? If you are like most people you grabbed the first thing that you could write on.  And if you were having drinks or eating out, that thing was likely a napkin.

Many people have had ideas they jotted down on the back of a napkin, stuck in their pocket or purse and then even forgot about it.  Maybe you were even so excited, you wrote on more than one napkin.

Brainstorms have been conducted on napkins. Business ideas have been written down on napkins to later be incredible successes. 

Inventions have been designed on napkins. Read about Terry Campbell’s million dollar idea for a seatbelt adjuster for short drivers, and how he wrote it down on a napkin after pulling off to the side of the road here: http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/17243.cfm

Fashions have been designed on napkins. Take designer Missy DeGroots high-end handbags  In an interview with Cincy Chic, Missy shares how she comes up with her designs. She says,  “The brain takes in a lot of subconscious items on a daily basis and then it does something (sometimes at crazy hours of the day and night) where it decides to pop out visions and ideas, that come out when they’re ready, then I have to sketch. Some of the best ideas have made their way from sketches on cocktail napkins and airplane boarding passes to my Sample Makers table!” You can read the rest of the interview here: http://cincychic.com/content/view/1317/1/

Book ideas have been written down on napkins to later become best-sellers.  In fact there have even been books written about the topic of writing down ideas on napkins. Check out The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions by Mike Collins at http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Idea-Everyone-Interests-Inventions/dp/0470193360

In fact, I am sure napkins have been used for ideas since napkins were first invented.

Napkins are perfect for writing down ideas because they have limited space. Which means you have to be succinct in describing your thoughts. Some people write a few words, others draw and still others mind map.  You may do a combination of all 3.  With a napkin, your drawing or words don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to be an artist, you just need include enough information to trigger your thought processes when you go back to read it.

In fact, Esquire magazine sought to raise napkin writing to an art so they asked writers around the country to be creative and write a story on a cocktail napkin. They received nearly 100 responses and shared them with Weekend America.   You can read about it here: http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/10/napkin_fiction/

Some really wacked out ideas end up on napkins. The kind of ideas that may not make it to market in our lifetime, but somewhere beyond may become a reality.  Gizmodo asked readers to send in their napkin sketch ideas. They showcased 3 “winners” including the creator of the Pizza Fax. Read the story, “Napkin Sketches Prove There’s a Little Inventor in All of Us” at http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/30_napkin_sketches_prove_theres_a_little_inventor_in_all_of_us-2.html

Here’s a great eguide called Napkin Sketches 101 to check out http://www.steelcase.com/Files/eef28f3f464146199441e14c1ed69111.pdf

If you do your best work on the back (or front of) a napkin, you might want to view this great new product called the Napkin Notebook at: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/11/napkin_notebook_an_idea_so_goo.html
So, next time you get an idea, don’t just shrug it off or decide that you will do something with the idea later. Grab a napkin and write it down. Then let it simmer a while, allow your creative mind to find ways to act on the idea, to develop it.  Then grab another napkin and GET TO WORK! 

And if you have a million dollar napkin idea that you’d like to share, be sure to leave a comment. I may even want to interview you for our radio show ~ 1st Fridayz™

According to a report published by onPhilanthropy, Cause Marketing sponsorship by American businesses has been steadily rising over the years.

The potential benefits of cause marketing for nonprofit organizations include a wider audience in which to promote the nonprofit organization’s cause, increased accessibility of potential donors and supporters through a company’s customer base.

The potential benefits of cause marketing for businesses big or small include promoting your company in a positive way, improving your relationships with your current customer base, and attracting your target audience.   Cause-related marketing can make your company stand out from your competitors and expand your company’s reputation within your target market.

In the book Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands by Hamish Pringle and Marjorie Thompson the authors say:  “Nothing builds brand loyalty among today’s increasingly skeptical, hard-to-please consumers like a proven commitment to a worthy cause on the part of a company.”

Some ways you can implement a cause marketing campaign include giving a portion of the profits of sales of a product to the cause. Companies have created programs to donate a percentage of their sales to a nonprofit organization through the use of auctions. You can align your company with a cause to brand your business as the official (name of industry) of (name of cause).  You can adopt a program and get your staff involved to help implement your marketing efforts such as participating in an event hosted by the cause as a TEAM effort, donating time to mentor youth in the schools or community, giving blood, to name a few.

Think BIG ~ The Let’s say Thanks Campaign by Zerox created a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through the LetsSayThanks website you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.

Arrow, The Authentic American Brand created the “We are Ellis Island” campaign which ito raise money to restore dilapidated buildings on the south side of Ellis Island.  Through association with Save Ellis Island, the Arrow brand is committed to preserving Ellis Island with the help of the National Park Service.  Arrow launched the website www.WeAreEllisIsland.com for visitors to post their family stories, share inspiring stories of hope, courage and perseverance, all in the name of living out the great American dream.  When you visit We Are Ellis Island you can read these stories and donate money to the causes Arrow has committed to donate 1% of its 2008 wholesale sales to the project. To learn more about Arrow, visit www.arrowshirts.com.

Start small ~ You don’t have to be a BIG company to adopt a cause.  Just look around your community to see what the needs are, what is missing, lacking or could use a little (or big) boost in support. Check with non-profits you believe in, with local chambers of commerce, business groups, niche groups, your trade associations, ask your vendors and customers for ideas. Find out who your target audience supports and see if it meshes with your values and your company’s mission. If so, you are on your way to getting out and doing good. And it is a great way to raise your profile in the eyes of the media. A local retailer could run a promotion donating a portion of the sales to support a local school project that is underfunded or donating your products to bring joy to less fortunate families in your communities during the holiday season.

One success leads to others and you can build upon those to get more creative and grandiose in your ideas and strategies. After all, America’s economy is fueled by small business and the companies we keep.

“Who do you know?” 

A question many professionals forget to ask during the sales cycle.  Sometimes it’s because they don’t remember to do it and sometimes its because they don’t feel comfortable asking, most often it is because they have not made asking for a referral a habit. A referral from a friend or business associate is a powerful way to introduce yourself to a prospective customer. 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a WomanCertified™ Seminar presented by Delia Passi, President of Medelia Communications and the founder of the Woman Certified™ program.  To say it was wonderful would be an understatement.  For many reasons, two of which were getting certified and meeting other business owners and professionals who also had the desire to do so.

During her program, Delia talked about asking for referrals and raised the question of how many of us ask for the referral DURING the sales process.  A few of us raised our hands. Then she asked “how many of you ask for referrals once the transaction was complete?” And more hands were raised.  There were, however about a third of the room who did not make it a habit.  I thought, WOW, they are really missing out on a huge chunk of business. After all, my business is built on referrals and I learned how important it was to ask my current customers “who they know who could use my products, who has a special event coming up, anyone they know getting married that I should contact?” And so forth.  All good questions to ask. 

I have found that a number of professionals will thank clients for referrals once they receive them, and even reward them. I do that too.  In fact, in my retail florist, whenever someone sends us a new customer, we send them Daisy Dollars. These Daisy Dollars™ can be accumulated and used toward a purchase. I designed the Daisy Dollars Rewards™ after many of the point systems merchants use to get their clients to spend more money with them.

The best way to encourage this type of referral to ASK for it! 

Of course, the best times to ask for referrals are after you’ve finalized a sale with a new client, when a potential client has decided not to use your services, but clearly respects what you have to offer, when you follow-up with a satisfied customer several weeks or a month after the sale, and anytime you talk with someone who might know another in need of your services.

There’s no time like the present

When you first interact with a potential client (or they contact you) if you don’t already know the answer, ask how they heard about you. Stress that your business is built on referrals and you want to be sure and thank the person who made the introduction.  Sharing this plants the seed in the new client’s mind for a referral down the line.

Ask for the referral during the buying process.  Once you have established trust with the client, it is appropriate to ask for a referral. Not all prospects will turn into clients. They may not need your product or service right now, but they know someone who does. In fact, the prospect may feel bad that he cannot buy from you right now, but he knows someone who could use your service.  This is a perfect time to ask.

If you do ask a new client for a referral right away, and she hesitates or feels awkward, make it easy on her by asking her for a commitment to refer someone in her circle at a later date.  This will take pressure off her to act now, when she has not had time to think about it. Be sure you follow up on the commitment by calling her at a later date. When you do follow up, make sure you reinforce the positive experience they had dealing with you as your remind them of their commitment to give you a referral(s).  You can do this by saying something like: “Jane, it has been a pleasure serving you, and I look forward to working with you again in the future.  By the way, when speaking to your friends about (the experience, my products, my service….) be sure and ask them to let me know that they were referred by you.  I want to give them the same great service you too have come to expect.”

It’s also okay to ask for multiple referrals. After someone gives you the name and contact information of one person, simply ask, “Do you know anyone else you could refer me to?” You will be amazed at how often someone will think of two or three additional referrals.  If you don’t ask, you will never know.  Sometimes that’s all a satisfied customer needs to jog her memory.

Use every meeting as your opportunity to ask for a referral. Make it a natural part of your conversation.

Make it a habit to ask for a referral the way you ask for the business! Doing so will make your business soar!

“The stronger your niche, the more successful you will be.”  Heidi Richards Mooney

You’ve probably heard it before, but it bares repeating. If you don’t have a niche for the product or service you offer, it will be much more difficult to gain momentum and be successful.  Especially for the long term.  In fact, when you build your name in a particular niche, it is much easier to start building a business in a lateral market. 

When first starting in business, many small business owners think they can and should market to anyone they can find.  But that is like throwing money from the rooftop running to the ground and trying to catch it. Most of it will be blown away by the time you get to the bottom. And if you hit the bottom, it is much more difficult to climb back up. Most experts would agree that when you try to be all things to all people, you dilute the value of your product or service and become in essence, nothing to everybody. 

So just how do you find that niche?

To find your niche, you must first ask yourself a few questions. And answer them honestly. What do you like to do? What are you good at? What can you make money doing?

I could offer virtual events such teleseminars and webinars to women and bring together top notch experts in a variety of fields to teach women how they too could make money ~ The result: The Women’s Success Series.

I could create a system for women who wanted to know more about doing business online ~ The result: The Women’s eCommerce Association, International.

I could write more articles and information products on topics I have an expertise in or sufficient knowledge of ~ The result: BLOGS!  Lots of Blogs!

I could coach others on how to market their businesses and take it to the next level ~ The result: Redhead Marketing.

So I defined and found markets to capitalize on my strengths and what I love to do. But the big question still remains. How to make money at all this???

And that’s where I’ve been stuck. Oh sure, I have made a little money with the virtual events, but really not enough to warrant the time and effort required to properly package, produce and promote the events.

We sell advertising in our magazine so we do receive revenue from that, and membership in the Women’s eCommerce Association varies from the Free Basic member to the Global Lifetime Member.  Even though we have lots of great benefits for each of our levels, most people choose the basic level. 

Blogs ~ that’s where I spend a lot of my time and effort and it has started to pay off. We have affiliate links, google adwords and also promote our other products and services via our blogs. 

The big challenge is tying it all together and creating a steady stream of income.

So now I am reevaluating everything I do. In fact, I am doing it right here before your eyes because as the thought comes to me, I am processing it and sharing it with you.

Oh, and did I mention I run a retail flower shop?  Have for 27+ years. This was once our “cash machine” and earned me a nice living, paid my children’s way through school, helped me afford a nice home, car and more.  And the economy has changed. So guess what? I have to change with it.  We are currently looking at all our operations with a magnifying glass and determining where to “cut the fat,” reduce expenses and begin to focus on our high-profit low energy products and services.  That’s where the niche comes in. You see, in my business, I have always been more of a generalist than a specialist. It worked for many years when the economy was strong, but in an uncertain economy, tightening your niche is even more important. We have begun to do just that by defining what market can afford our services. Since flowers are not a necessity, we know that most lower income people will choose food over flowers most days.  But the rich!  That’s another story. The rich are getting richer. The luxury market is wide open right now. But you have to have something they WANT. Not need. They take care of their needs, but their wants are different. They want what others cannot necessarily afford. Things that stir their passions and bring a smile to their faces.

The magazine is rather easy because we have a team of people who write for us. So I spend roughly 4 hours a week on that project and about 30 hours the 3 weeks prior to production. I do have an assistant publisher who puts the magazine together which is another 15 hours

I go to my shop every day, just to have a place to hang out. Once a week my office manager and I get together for an hour or so and create a plan for our next marketing idea.  We like quick to implement, marketing plans that produce almost immediate results. You can read about  those ideas on Redhead Marketing Blog. I also answer phones, wait on customers and even occasionally design floral arrangments.  Another hour +.  (Except during peak times when I might spend 30 hours that week working almost entirely on the floral business.

I spend at least 4 hours a day connecting with the leaders and members of WECAI, answering questions, promoting our events and writing our bi-weekly ezine.  Some of that time is also spent communicating with other women I have met online and introducing them to WECAI, asking if I can interview them or seeing how we can help them make more money on the WEB. Part of those 4 hours is also spent on social networking sites like my RYZE network, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.

And I go to at least two networking/social events a week (another 4-8 hours).  This week I am speaking at the Commonwealth Institute, meeting a good friend about a potential radio partnership and a member of WECAI to discuss Teambuilding and Leadership Training in Corporations.  My job will be to decide which ones I want to invest my time and energy pursuing.

If I add this all up, it’s close to 60 hours a week. You gotta love what you do, if you are going to spend that much time doing it!

Are you like me? Do you have your fingers in several places and wondering how to make money at them all? I guess I’ve been lucky because I have been at most of these for long enough to make them work for me.  And I spent a lot of time at the beginning focusing on each one separately in order to do them well now.  What you need to know about me is that once I have “mastered” something, I tend to look for another project to focus my energy.  For most people this will not work well in the long run.  Trust me, I know.

So that’s when I decided it was time to look at just where the money is in all this (my niche) and answer the questions “Where should I scratch?”

Here are some steps you can take to define, produce and promote to YOUR NICHE.

Make a list of 10 to 5o things you enjoy doing, you are good at, special skills you have and things you would like to learn more about.

Rank that list in terms of which ones you’d be most passionate about pursuing and would make enough money to sustain your interest.

Then look at it from the consumer’s perspective. Is there an area or market on the list that is underserved or demand is high? If so, that is the place to begin.  Because you will generate the income you need to pursue other areas once you “own that market.” 

Make sure you have some knowledge in the area you want to pursue, experience if possible and also that there is demand in the area.  For instance, if you were an event planner, you could specialize in yacht parties.  This would quickly help you build a name for yourself among other event planners and in your target market.  If you don’t know enough about the yachting industry, start finding events being help on yachts, contact the event coordinators and offer your help to market the event if its open to the public as well as volunteer the day of.  Check out a local marine industry association, or yacht club and see if there is a way to offer your services.  There are many ways to “get inside an industry.” It just takes a little imagination, passion and confidence.  Oh and chutzpah never hurts either.

Define your marketing message or USP. What makes you stand out among other professionals doing what you do or want to do. In my consulting business we focus on “helping small businesses bloom.” The USP is the promise of what you can deliver.

And you absolutely must have a website or web presence. If you sell a product, you would likely need a website with shopping cart software, if you sell information, you might be able to get by with a blog. Or a combination of the two which is what I do.  I know several great webmasters who would be willing to help in this area. And it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get online.  Feel free to email me and I will send you some recommendations.

And finally, grab a copy of this FREE eBook: “Internet Marketing Success: Your Step by Step Guide to Make Money Online.”  I paid for this book to see how they deliver the system and there is some great information and good links to resources inside. And once I bought it, the pitch was I could resell it or give it away. I chose to share it!  Grab your copy today!  It is my gift to you.

Remember that niche marketing is the key to developing a sustainable business, one where you are standing out among the competition. You will see the investment of your time, talent and treasure will payoff in BIG WAYS.

Stay tuned for part two of my Niche Story.  I am working on a system I can replicate and share with you.   

There is also a little surprise strategically placed in the center of the magazine as a BONUS.  It is a CD/DVD with enhanced articles, motivational presentations and ideas.  I love listening to it on the way to work. Over the next few posts I am going to share tips and ideas Success included in the latest issue.

Today I want to focus on 10 Actions You Can Take to Turn Your Knowledge Into Power (page 96 of the November Issue) and include some of my own tips to jump start each action.

1. Write down five ways you can improve your customer service. What can you do immediately to turn the customer service experience around or make it better?  Read the classic, The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore (pub. 1999). It goes into great detail about how the companies who create an experience for their customers and clients will stand out from the crowd in their chosen fields.
2. Write down three negative thoughts you replay in your mind over and over again.  Look at what you wrote and refocus them as positive statements. For instance “business sucks” could be “business is GREAT!”  Even if it isn’t true at this moment, by creating a positive statement you will begin to change your thoughts and open them up to possibilities of how to make things better. Our subconscious mind does not know fact from fiction, only what we “feed it.”  If we send it positive thoughts, pretty soon those positive thoughts become our reality.
3. Which leads me to this next action: List three steps you could take to stand out from the competition. What could you do differently, that the competition isn’t doing? If the competition is advertising in the local newspapers. Try Radio.  Find ways to barter with local stations to “trade air time” for what you offer.  Most stations have excess time which they “give away” to public service announcements. Propose and idea they can use to market your company while promoting their station.
4. Write down five reasons why you are the perfect age to achieve your loftiest goals.  If 17 year old kids can create social networking sites that are worth billions and an 82 year old woman can be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, “what’s stopping you from achieving your goals, right now ~ TODAY?
5. Have you heard of Focus Intensity Training? It is strength training using mind/body consciousness’. Shawn Phillips says “Focus is the spark that ignites the flame of intensity.”  to learn more about FIT check out these videos at http://in.integralinstitute.org/live/view_fit.aspx
6. Write down the three most important goals in your life today.  As you begin your day, look at that list and read it (out loud, if you can).  Reading it aloud ingrains it into your subconscious mind and your conscious mind will begin developing ways to achieve those goals.
7. Find or make a space that feeds your creativity.  Spend time in that space.  It could be a place in your home, or a corner of a room, or a spot outdoors. Whatever feeds your inner creativity to generate more ideas, go for it.  Make a date with the space and keep it.
8. Write down three ways to connect with the people in your life that are important to you. Then do it!  It could be a confidant, a mentor, a role model, a family member you look up to or whose advice you seek.  It could be a family member you love spending time with. Make that time.
9. Write down five detailed ways to make every day your best ever. Each and every day work at being the best YOU! Repeat.
10. Be accountable to number one – YOU!  Feed your passions, do what you love, get to know yourself.   

BONUS: I would add this: surround yourself with those you look up to and respect.  To paraphrase Dale Carnegie: We are who we hang out with. So if you want to be GREAT, hang out with GREAT people. Be GREAT and others will want to hang out with YOU.

This morning I was thinking about all the great opportunities for self-promotion that have come my way in the past few months. Especially with regards to being on radio.

In fact, nearly every month since May I have been interviewed by some well-known radio talk show host. 
 

It all started with Beverly Mahone when she interviewed me for her show PASSIONS at Blog Talk Radio – The topic started out as Using Blogging to promote your business and it shifted to other areas.  Unfortunately we had technical difficulties and the recording was lost. However, the live interview was great and lots of fun.  People called in to say HI, ask questions and comment. Beverly is a wonderful, experienced hostess and I so enjoyed being on her show.

After that, I was on Michelle Waters Product Sellers Radio show talking about promoting products. You can listen to the interview here: http://www.michellewatersonline.com/do-you-market-to-your-local-community.

And then Dr. Sally Witt asked to interview me on the Dr. Sally Show ~ Here’s the link to that interview:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drsallywitt/va/2008/06/26/heidi-richards-founder-of-wecai-womens-ecommerce-association

And Michelle again asked me back to participate in the Product Sellers Seminar where we talked about Promoting Your Products In a Down Economy. Here’s the link to the interview:  http://www.speakingwithspirit.com/audio/HeidiProductSellers.mp3  In addition, Michelle had some excellent guests participate in the Product Sellers Seminar, which I recommend you check out at: http://www.productsellersseminar.com/

Tomorrow Elizabeth Gordon is interviewing me about Marketing, Self promotion, the Internet and more on her Chic Perspectives Radio ~ http://www.thechicentrepreneur.com/perspectives2.html.  I will post the link when the interview has taken place.

And on October 7^th Carol Deckert and Charli Latham have invited me to be their guest on Ladies in Business Radio Show.  We will be talking about what it’s like to be a woman in business today, marketing and more.

The wonderful thing is that these women sought me out. And of course, I said YES! After all, it is a great way to spread the word about what I am doing to an audience that previously was not on my radar.

What are you doing to proactively promote your products and services to a new market?  Radio is a great way to do this without spending a lot of time or treasure. 

Here are 8 tips to keep in mind when you do get asked to be a guest.

Be prepared. One of the things I like is when the host asks me to supply questions to her. This is especially important because it helps me focus on my real message AND it also helps me be more prepared. While I do like off-the-cuff interviews I have found that there are things I could have shared that didn’t’ get mentioned because I was not as focused or prepared.  Things like resources and websites and people that could really help the audience. Those things that after the fact, are not as meaningful.  Even when the host doesn’t ask for questions, I will offer to send some questions to her or him and it is amazing how many of these questions get asked during the interview.

Learn about the audience. This will help you really hone in on a message that is relevant to them and showcase your expertise at the same time.

Listen to past shows.  You can get to know a little bit about the hostess this way, her interview style and how she interacts with her guests. Does she let her guests do all the talking, does she interject her own experiences, does she ask good follow-up questions? These are all important aspects of a successful interview process.

Help the Host stay focused. One of the things I have noticed on some of the interviews I have participated in and hosted myself, is how easy it is to take a different direction with the topic. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if the audience knows that is commonplace. However, if you are invited to be a guest talking about a specific area of expertise and the conversation doesn’t get there, then you may wish to help move the interview in the direction that would not only benefit the audience and it would also help really showcase what you came to speak about.  As a listener I find this to be a very important reason I tune into a program in the first place. If I came to learn about marketing my business and the discussion is mostly about other things I might not listen in the future. This tip is as important for the host as the guest to understand.

Omit distractions. One of the things I have learned the hard way is that distractions can be deadly when you are the guest. Believe me it has happened to me. I have booked interviews at peak times in my business and have had interruptions that have made the interview less than perfect.  And it’s not fair to the host. Be sure to isolate yourself prior to the call. Take a few minutes to focus on the key points you need to make to best get your message out there. Know your message, your mission, your ultimate goals.

Have a backup plan. If the host is experiencing technical problems, find out if it’s okay to also record the interview so there is an archive of the program which can be used to promote the show and you. I generally ask ahead of time.

Be yourself.  When you are genuine it come through loud and clear on the air. And it creates a bond between you and the listener.  Be helpful, entertaining, resourceful and authentic.  I know it sounds like a tall order, but when you are being yourself, all these other things tend to fall into place. I know because I have been someone I thought the host wanted and not myself on more than one occasion.  This does not give you the reputation you seek nor does it help your career.  when you are trying to be someone else, it is much more difficult to truly express your message in a meaningful or live-affirming way. If your only goal is self-promotion, it will backfire and noone will bother to find out more about you. When you are authentic the word gets out and more people want to help you promote what you do.

Share real-life examples. One of the things I value most listening to other talk show interviews are when the guests share real life examples.  Not theory. Not only the WHAT, but the HOW. You will find when you do these types of interviews, the more real-life application your conversations share, the more inclined the host is to refer you to others as a guest. After all, their audience is not only there to listen and be entertained, they are also there to learn. Provide real take-away value and you will find you get more invitations than you can accept.

Being a guest on radio is one of the best ways to promote your small business. Even when it’s not highly targetted, it can help you get known on a large scale, can brand your company and you and can elevate your reputation in your industry. follow these tips and you too could become a RADIO STAR!

Ps. Even though my report “Smile You’re On Candid Camera” is geared toward television interviews, I recommend you read it as there is some great interview advice – the do’s and don’ts can be very helpful.

Here was my response:

Assuming your mentor is experienced and a successful business owner, One of the first things I would  do is get to know him a bit. Find out his values, his background, who he has worked with in the past, how he plans to work with you, what his expectations of a mentee are, why he is a mentor in the first place, etc. Interview him with probing questions.

See how he reacts. Is he open and approachable?  Is he a fast talker or does he go into detail. Do you want someone who is detail minded or one who gets to the point quickly? 

Learning his communication style will help you in determining if you can indeed learn from and work with him.

If he has experience, then once you have discovered how well the two of you can communicate (or not) it will be much easier to make a decision.

Do you have the option to interview more than one before disqualifying anyone?  You may find that after listening to and interviewing a couple of potential candidates, one will jump out at you and if you must disqualify them beforehand, that would be a shame.

Finding the right mentor in any situation is key to your own success.  You will be much more open to the ideas and advice shared if you can communicate well. That does not mean you must agree with everything the mentor suggests. On the contrary! You want someone who will make you feel a little uncomfortable in order to get to your deeper truths and real issues in yrou business (and life).

There are two excellent articles on the subject in WE Magazine for Women. Women’s Ways of Mentoring (First Issue) and Women’s Ways of Mentoring Part Two (Spring 2007).  Both articles were written by Catherine Seton, Director of the Australian Women’s Mentoring Network.

I also wrote an article called Your Own Personal Wealth Mentor - Your Keys to Success which you can read at WhereWomenProsper.com.

There are also many great books on Mentoring. Two I recommend are:

The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way by Shirley Peddy 

Mentor Manager/Mentor Parent: How to Develop Responsible People and Build Successful Relationships at Work and at Home  by Linda Dowling, Cecile Culp Mielenz.

I’d be interested to know if you have a mentor and if so how did you find her/him and what process did you use to know she/he was the right mentor for you?

Wishing you all the best… and more!

Heidi Richards Mooney

Whenever someone says something nice about my company (or me) in print, on the phone or in person, I say “thank you” and then follow it with “may I quote you?” Some people don’t know that I am serious so I repeat what they said and ask if I may quote them and use in my marketing or post their comments to my website. A testimonial is an excellent and inexpensive way to get an endorsement from a satisfied client or customer.

In 25 years in business I have never had anyone say “NO” and quite often the person will expand on their quote. I also ask if I can use their full name and company or organization affiliation. If they say “no,” I don’t use the testimonial - (except when they don’t have a company affiliation). The name and company give the quote more credibility.

Most people think that quote with only initials and maybe a geographic location are made up (and some of them are). When someone goes to my website and sees a testimonial from a happy client, they feel better about their decision to do business with me. And it is amazing how many tell me that that’s the reason they chose my company.

If your clients are not offering you their words of gratitude, ask them how you are doing! If you are doing a great job, they will tell you and you can then ask them to use their testimonial. If their comments are not what you wanted or expected to hear, use their input to improve your products and services.