Be Somewhere, Be Somebody and Do Something. 

I have been cleaning out my garage, my office and going through old notes to finish my marketing strategy session for the year and I noticed a great note written after the Advanced Coaching and Consulting Workshop given by Dan Kennedy last year and he said, Be Somewhere, Be Somebody and Do Something.

At first when I realized that it cost over $11,800 to be there and it’s this simple, I started to say – Hey Wait a Minute…  but after Dan finished I was convinced.

Let me share some of his suggestions…

1.  Be Somewhere!

If you want to make 2009 your best year yet, you have to be somewhere.  You can’t sit in the office hoping and wishing your business to be better.  You must be out networking, speaking, donating time, making connections, helping other business or organizations and just being out in the thick of things, you will be able to notice more and more opportunities.

2.  Be Somebody!

Basically, its time that you stop hiding and become the Expert in your industry.  How to do that, by speaking, writing articles, writing books, being quoted by your industry journal, providing expert information for case studies.  But, you can’t be an expert in your office to just your employees.  The world needs to know that you are important.

3.  Do Something!

Well, Creating plans, journals, thinking, dreaming, hoping, waiting for the Secret to attract the right kinds of clients, just won’t cut it.  Implementation makes an ordinary business into an extraordinary business but it is up to you to do something.

If you are waiting until you are ready – Guess What???  Ready never comes.

If you are waiting for the project, the ad, the sales letter, the thank you note to be PERFECT?  Guess What???  Perfect never comes.  Just get it done!

If we have learned any lesson for 2008, it is USING WHAT YOU GOT.  Making the most out of every opportunity and never ever giving up!

Remember, Be somewhere, be somebody and do something!

Well, I am enjoying my Sunday afternoon of football and rooting for my new favorite team the New York Jets. I have always been a Southern California girl who went to UCLA but when it came to professional teams, I like to root for the underdog.

Just a little bit of background for those of you that are not football fans. Brett Favre is considered old in the NFL. He has won a couple of SuperBowls and played his entire career in Green Bay, Wisconsin where you could not buy a season ticket until 2030. Brett, decided to retire early in the off season, but later changed his mind when he realized that he is a man getting paid to play a boy’s game and if he still could throw the ball as good as he did, why not keep playing? He has also been through a lot in the last couple of year, his mother being lost during Hurricane Katrina, the death of his father before a playoff game (where he still played) and his wife fighting cancer. This man, deserves to play as long as wants.

The Green Bay Packers decided that they did not want him to return and decided to invest their time and money into their new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. A good kid full of talent, and one who could use a few more “ice cream seasons” as my Dad would say. But they decided to let Brett go. So he did, and landed with the New York Jets.

Now I love Brett Favre. Always have but this year more than ever. I am writing this article after I watched him lead his team ( or rather the defense) to victory. But, as I was watching the scores scroll by, I secretly hoped that the Green Bay Packers lose. Why? For one simple reason. I think the Powers that be at the Green Bay Packers were following the Shiny Object Syndrome most business owners follow, and lost sight of the fact that last year Brett Favre had one of his best years in the NFL with a young team. His leadership helped take them to the playoffs. Now the Jets are leading their division with a 9-5 record. The Green Bay Packers have a 5-9 record. Ooops….

Here’s my take on the situation. Don’t act like the Green Bay Packers’ Management. Don’t get me wrong, I always want you to focus on What’s Next in your business but don’t lose sight of successful strategies right now in your business.

I watch as my coaching clients get all excited about blogging, using Twitter, how many friends that they have using social media but I ask, what other numbers are you watching? How often should a customer return? How quickly can you turn the tables in your restaurant? Did you beat last year’s numbers?

This economy requires that you look closely at what is going on right now in your business and implementing those things that are working, not scrap everything for a new quarterback when you old one was doing just fine.

Oh yeah, by the way, the Green Bay Packers lost today. After last week’s loss, they were no longer eligible for the playoffs. Today the Jets won with the old man, Brett Favre and are slated to go to the playoffs.

It can be the same with your business right now. Don’t switch strategies, just add on to the existing ones that work. The only reason why I was able to buy the telephone company in the year 2000, was because my boss thought long distance was dead. $20million dollars later, it still has life. Just like Brett Favre.

Will I see you this week at the chapter meeting? Our members only chapter meeting will be FRIDAY – December 19, at 11:30am Lots of Cake and goodies to celebrate the season and celebrating all of the great things that happened this year in your business with your old strategies.

Because of the holidays, we had to rearrange lots, especially my schedule so our next MEMBERS ONLY chapter meeting will be Friday, December 19th, 2008 from 11:30a - 1:00p.
Remember no food will be served, just cake and coffee for the holiday.

Here is the address:

Nevada Microenterprise Initiative
1600 E. Desert Inn Road, Suite 203
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 734-3555

MEMBERS Only - if you are not a member but have come to at least one chapter meeting, you will need to sign up for the Most Incredible Free Gift Ever by clicking here http://www.nobsfreegift.com/shaw
Once you do, your subsequent chapter meeting is FREE!
If you currently subscribe to the No B.S. Marketing Newsletter and you have not attended a chapter meeting before, you may come as my guest. Simply reply to this email, to let me know that you are coming.
For all other members, don’t wait to pay at the door, that sucks and there is a stiff $20 penalty! So click this link and pay now to reserve your spot.
https://freshstart.infusionsoft.com/saleform/nishnat

See you Friday at 11:30am
Happy Holidays!

Richelle

P.S. No need to RSVP if you have not paid for the chapter meeting. Click here to take care of this now
https://freshstart.infusionsoft.com/saleform/nishnat

P.P.S. If you want me to review your marketing pieces like I did last month for Gold Member Mac Sansone , you must bring 25 so that everyone can see and make notes.

P.P.P.S. Those of you on auto-pay, I have adjusted your rate to reflect the RECESSION Discount to $25 per month instead of $35!

P.P.P.P.S. Those of you that are subscribed to the Marketing to the Affluent Newsletter you may still attend free.

P.P.P.P.P.S. All Mastermind Members may attend the chapter meeting for free too!

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. All of your guests may attend their first meeting FREE too!

GKIC Las Vegas
P.O. Box 42832
Las Vegas, NV 89116
888-241-1410
fax 888-241-1410
richellegkic@gmail.com

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Check it out here:
http://www.holidaysforeveryday.com/caldec08.shtml

As an official business plan on a napkin girl, I hear the whiners now. If you do nothing else in December, why not prepare a Marketing Calendar for 2009. I’ve used one since 2002 and it was instrumental in re-building my million dollar business. The calendar took all of the guess work out of my business. Each month, we had an action plan to implement. So much better than, what should we do this month? Or, oh no, sales are down 30% from last year, what can we do to increase sales? Be proactive for 2009!

What needs to be included in your marketing plan for 2009? Over the next 30 days in honor of National Write A Business Plan Month, daily I will provide my Email Marketing Plan Course to help with the planning. At any time if you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE to this e-course, please see the link at the bottom of the email.

Good Luck

Essential Item #1

Retention Strategies:

In this economy it is most important to hold on to what ya got! You have heard me say many times that there are only 3 ways to grow a business and the most expensive way is new client acquisition. So, one of the most important components of my marketing plan for 2009 is RETENTION of my existing clients.

How do I keep them from leaving my service? How do I put an iron fence around them so that my client feels obligated to continue using my product or service. My favorite and old stand by – the Newsletter!

I finally did what Richelle told me and made my newsletter more personal, with action items and tons of information. Within 10 days, my schedule was full of tax planning clients – normally, they wait until after the New Year, plus this newsletter added a significant amount of unexpected December cashflow. Kelly Welter, CPA www.kklw.com

TIP: A print newsletter is the best and optimum way to stay in contact with your existing customers. It can be as simple as an in office designed postcard printed at Staples or a 28 page full color professionally printed newsletter. NO whiners. This must be done monthly. Not quarterly! Or Random. Monthly is BEST. For every month that you do not keep in touch with your clients, you lose up to 10% of them and the relationship. AND this economy calls for a relationship with your customers to make money.

Much Success!

Richelle Shaw
Author, How to Build A Million Dollar Business in Las Vegas – Without the Casinos
Leading expert in business building for women of color
www.RichelleShaw.com
Subscribe to my blog at www.RichelleShawMarketing.com

Follow me on www.twitter.com/richelleshaw

RTS Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 42832
Las Vegas, NV 89116
888-241-1410

Read it here too!

Is the economy getting you down? What about your business? If you are feeling the pinch with your company revenues, you may not be following the 20% rules.

Richelle Shaw, the only female African American public utility owner in the nation, gives her advice for bolstering your business against the ups and downs of the economy. She says she found herself giving the following advice to clients and colleagues in recent days.

Richelle owns FreshStart Telephone. She is a multi-millionaire mompreneur who also wrote the book, How To Build A Million Dollar Business in Las Vegas – Without the Casinos. She is now a business coach. You can read more about her work at www.richelleshaw.com.

Richelle says…

Often, business owners forget that diversity leads to stability. Having one of anything is dangerous. Check out this list to uncover where your problems may lie:

Review your business to see if you have more than 20% of any one thing.

1. 20% of revenue from one customer: Do you have a large customer that represents more than 20% of your revenue. Debbi Somers of Somers Furniture used to provide services to (her local) convention authority and the majority of her business came from that contract. The contract was not renewed, and she was left with 35 employees without work. She had to scramble to replace the revenue. Six years later, she vows never to let that happen again.

2. 20% from one sector: Cindy Throm from Employers Benefit Design owns a multi-million dollar insurance practice primarily focused on the construction industry. (Today) the industry is down and revenue is off for the first time in 18 years. She has now branched out to maximize other industries but it was a shock originally. Review your customers for trends. It is good to have a target market, however once it reaches 20% look for ways to diversify.

3. 20% from one product or service: Kelly Welter from KKW LLC is a CPA and only provides tax preparation services. She used to live in a feast or famine environment. She added a new service with monthly payments to change her business and manage (during) the other months of the year.

4. 20% from one marketing medium: For years, I only advertised on the radio for customers of my telephone company, FreshStart Telephone. The conversion was fantastic, and I understood the medium. My largest competitor who had more money than I did, placed ads on the same stations, selling an irresistible offer to block any prospects from choosing my service. It worked. My new customers went from 400 per month to 40. Now, I use more than 6 different media to bring in new customers to my business.

Are you following the 20% rules? What makes up the greatest percentage of YOUR business?

The only thing about Sarah Palin that helped John McCain during this election was her celebrity - the same thing that he accused President Elect Barack Obama of using. But what the McCain campaign discovered is that the use of celebrity works very well.

This is why no matter if I voted RED or BLUE, I decided that attending a lunch with Bette Midler (Small Business for Obama) was the best use of my time and energy. See picture with me and Bette!

Clients, customers, patients, prospects are all tuning into Access Hollywood, Extra and Entertainment Tonight. Added in the last few years, E News Daily, The Daily 10 and TMZ. All of the shows feature celebrity news. Even CNN, has a nightly segment dedicated all to celebrity news. If you are not using that phenomenon in your business you are missing out.

Lesson: You should have a celebrity representing your business. It can be you or your partner. If you are too shy, get a cartoon made of yourself so that you can be another person. Create a mascot that can be the celebrity or “rent” a local newscaster to represent your company. People buy People not products or things.

For years, I stayed in the background at FreshStart Telephone, no one knew me. Then, I started our newsletter full of pictures, as well as making our customers celebrities. Showing pictures of them winning the prizes, paying their bills and happy to have our service. It changed our business. Use of celebrity, increased our referrals by 32%. Everyone wanted to come in and meet T.T. and Shameka from the radio commercials, plus see if their picture made the Winners Wall or newsletter.

Even better - my little celebrity, daughter Devyn, I get more questions about what is going on with her than anything. Using a celebrity works!

Everybody is trying to steal recession proof your business but they are not giving you concrete things to do right now.

Here is the list.

1. Don’t stop marketing!
2. When you do buy advertising, make sure that you are using direct response techniques.

A brief example:

My new coaching client Stephanie participated in a “combo” special marketing program. First, Stephanie’s company sells beautiful high end handbags, in multiple colors and textures. A women’s dream! Check out her website at http://www.micis-boutique.com/.

Stephanie is really excited about what can happen with this program. It includes, an email blast to over 80,000, a full page ad on a digital magazine and a full page ad in the print magazine. Sounds like lots of exposure and she is waiting for her website to start sending orders!

So here is the prescription to make sure that this is going to work for her. Breaking the questions into 2 different categories.

Maximizing Sales

1. Designing your site appropriately for fast loading.
2. Monitoring things – making sure that the website has your best deals ready for buyers
3. Adding a special urgency message to the website so that the people visiting will buy immediately
4. Capturing the data from those that are not ready to buy just yet, but want to come back and browse. Getting their information so that we can follow up with them.
5. Adding upsells to the check out and thank you pages to take advantage of the shoppers in a buying mode
6. Making sure the shipping package includes coupons and discounts for other services especially for the holidays

Knowing your numbers
7. Proper tracking codes on each media so that we know which media – the email, print magazine or the digital magazine worked the best
8. Knowing the numbers! How many bags do you need to sell to make your money back?

Advertising again? During these economic times, only proven strategies should be used. Only media that you have used before and experienced a high ROI – return on investment should be used. Most entrepreneurs are not using this method. They like to hear the phone ring, or they are looking at the increased traffic to their website. Look – you can not deposit the good feelings, the hunches or the traffic. Only money is allowed.

Well, Stephanie is a fast learner but had not considered the info above. Especially not how many bags you need to sell to make your investment back. This number is KEY.

When deciding advertising to purchase, run these numbers first. Advertising is only expensive when it does not work. As long as it works, it is the best way to get new lifelong customers. But if you don’t know the numbers, it is like running through the house with a butcher knife… very very dangerous.

Just when I think she is crazy - she was supposed to be potty training but look she decided to close the lid and use her imagination and call the potty a stage. She is warming up for the first 30 seconds but then the television kicks in and voila - a Star is Born!
P.S. Make sure you catch the high note at the end!
P.P.S. Hmm, we still can not get her to use the potty with the pull up on - only if she runs around naked… Great business lesson - Progress is good as long as it is moving in the right direction. Enjoy