Psst … have you been thinking about getting a newsletter started? Maybe you want to look like a pro when you zap your new blog posts to your email subscribers. Or maybe you attend a lot of trade shows and want to figure out a way to gather emails from would-be clients {cuz having them write really tiny on that pad of paper is so passe}. Watch the videos below for some instant answers on how things work and ideas on how to get your groove started.

{if you’re reading this anywhere other than on the site, click through for the sign up form + to view the videos}

HAWT TIP:

Aweber wants you to try them out … for free – cancel anytime if you hate it. Email me if you can’t figure it out. Easy as pie!

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If you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you may have missed a whole whack of things I’ve been doing away from Monday Morning VA. Don’t worry, this is your chance to catch up.

MOGUL MOM
::The Pricing Mistake you Won’t Recover From
::Do you Really Need to be on Facebook and Twitter?
::Facebook Ads 101
::7.5 Tips to a Better Testimonial

BUSINESS DARLINGS

::Uh-oh, Is Your Blog Your Homepage?
::The Million Dollar Side Bar
::Are You Making This Fatal Mistake With Your Website?
::Weekly Roundup: Website Tutorials
::Here Twitter, Twitter
::2 Easy To Use WordPress Hacks
::Building Your Website: Smart Add Ons You Should Use
::Drowning in Choices

This week over on The Mogul Mom, I tackled Facebook Ads. This is one of my favourite ways to advertise because it {can be} cheap and it’s always effective if you do it right. There were a few folks from my Fan Page that asked some questions of their own, and there’s a featured case study with an actual Facebook Ad that didn’t convert as well as the business owner had hoped.

So whether you’re looking for some sage advice on getting started with Facebook ads, or you’re looking for some dirty little secrets to score higher results head over to Facebook Ads 101 and stake your claim on the Facebook train.

……………………………………………………….

HAWT STUFF TODAY:

DO YOU:

:: want to turn your website from sucky to cash cow?
:: need a killer communication plan?
:: want to sell BUCKETS of your products?
:: need to know the insiders “secrets” to marketing that you can use in ANY business at any time?
:: want a stack of DONE FOR YOU templates, plugins, graphics, swipe files and resources?

There’s nothing to lose : test drive Bschool for 30 DAYS and if you don’t see the results, you’ll get a full 100% refund. Register before May 16th!

There’s been some special things brewing ’round these parts – least of which is my appearance over at The Mogul Mom. Twice a month you’ll find my tips on how to rock social media, become a marketing maven and become more productive.

First up are my top 7 tips on how to get super testimonials. Have you REALLY ever thought about your testimonials before? Have you thought about what the testimonials on your page say to your website visitors? That’s right … so head on over there and check it out. Forget plain Jane testimonial pages. Rock over and check it out: 7.5 tips to a better testimonial. Poke around the site, read my article and leave some comments. {I have an ego to protect y’know}

…this just in. Literally. Soon, you’ll be able to stalk me on Business Darlings a site dedicated to all the new virtual entrepreneurs in the world.

+ + + + + + +

Check it out. Pace and Kyeli are bounding in with their 2nd World Changing Writing Workshop. They’re so mondo cool you’ll get these freebies before you even open your cheque book.

:: The recording and transcript of our session from 2010′s workshop (Session #7, How to Make Your World-Changing Writing Practice Sustainable)

:: Free access to Session #1 of this year’s workshop, to be held on May 12th, 2011. The World-Changing Writing Workshop will be an 8-week tele-course, and if you sign up for the list, you can join us for Session 1 with no cost and no commitment. We’re not talking about a promotional or sales call here, we’re talking about the honest-to-goodness first session of the workshop.

Long before I opened my virtual assistant company, I was looking for freelance positions and stumbled upon sites such as Elance. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I’d never be able to eat if I continued to bid on jobs there, but I did realize that just because many freelancers worked for a fraction of what I did didn’t mean they weren’t top notch in their field.

Now that I have my business running, I could definitely find a few uses for these PHP Developers. The landing page is all about helping employers or entrepreneurs find ‘PHP programmers’ . This is a unique way to find programmers on the internet, quickly, and at great value. You’ll also find their information, skills, and then on the bottom you’ll find an obscure set of numbers and ratings. The first number is their Elance Level and the number is relative to their activity on elance. The star rating is their average job rating followed by the number of jobs they’ve done in the past 12 months and their location.

This isn’t JUST for people looking to hire someone though … if you’re looking for a contract, you may want to check out their PHP programming jobs as well.

let’s talk ninja moves. okay, so they’re more common sense moves, but they need to be discussed nonetheless.

Ninja Move #1: if you’re listing a job, be specific. you know, Murphy’s Law and all that. List everything you want the person to do, and list all your expectations. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. List the rates you’re willing to pay. There’s nothing worse than expecting to pay no more than $500 for the job and every bid comes in at double that price. Not only are you wasting your time, but you’re wasting the time of the freelancer too.

Ninja Move #2: determine the bare minimum of anything you’ll accept so you can perform a quick screening of all the incoming applicants. you’re going to see a lot of proposals so you’d better be prepared. You’ll want to wade through the garbage quickly so that you can pull out the gem.

Ninja Move #3: decide if you could use someone long term. it may be beneficial for you to find a PHP programmer, for example, and keep them on your team long term to use for your own clients as well as your own site. This can definitely save you money in the long run because you won’t have to go through the same process every time you need some work done and you can train your new team member to work in exactly the way you want them to.

Here’s what I need from you:

1. Have you ever used elance before?
2. Would you use elance now?

In another life, I ran a very successful Avon business. One thing that really pushed my business was when I attended in-person events :: we called them AOL’s in the business (Avon on Location!) :: because it not only allowed me to grab retail clients but also helped me to find people who really wanted to learn how to do the types of things I was doing in my own business. Of course, tradeshows (or in person events like AOLs) and the like aren’t going to be a big fit for every business – or every business model but they are a tried and true method of finding new business and are even great at making great business connections too.

So let’s talk about what it’s going to take to make your show a hit. First, know that there is a fine line between getting your information into the hands of your customers and being the idiot that everyone avoids eye contact with because you’re in everyone’s face.

The best way to get attention from the right people is to ensure that your set up is solid. From what’s on the table to what’s behind it is going to make a huge impact on everyone walking past your booth. When I worked an event, I was usually able to grab some vinyl banners from the district manager which made a huge impact on the display. The images stood tall behind the tables and really worked to grab the attention of passerby’s and it would probably be the one place I would sink a good chunk of change if I still did these types of shows with my current business.

If you’ve never looked into trade show displays, you may want to do some online research because with today’s options, the sky is the limit when it comes to getting banners, signs and even table cloths printed for your business. There’s a company that has a myriad of trade show products called Post Up Stand. What made this company stand out was that you could get a wide range of products for a DECENT rate. Forget spending thousands of dollars on one banner. Heck, you’re not even stuck with the same old banner as everyone else :: horizontal banners {hot}, hanging banners {no floor space – no problem}, and even 12′ teardrop banners {love them}.

They also do more than just your typical trade show display banner. One stop shop, baby. They do table top displays, table throws (everything from plain coloured table cloths to custom runners and custom table cloths), wall decor (I’m considering these for my house actually. Seriously. Easily removable and easy to reposition!), and pens.

Before I tell you how you can market the shit out of yourself without being a complete idiot, I want to tell you about a secret weapon that no event should be without. Ready? The box.

Get a little Rubbermaid bin that you can pack and keep on hand for any show you do. This will save you a million times over, I promise. Fill that little sucker with the stuff you’re going to need “behind the scenes” at any show:

• pens, markers, highlighters
• tape
• elastics
• zip ties
• scissors
• paper clips
• stapler and staples
• extension cord
• electric bar
• Tylenol
• trade show business cards (these should be generic if you have more than one person working the show)
• tools: hammer, screwdriver, all-in-one-tool, wrench

THE RULES

Rule #1: Don’t pitch. Your display is a hit, you have great take-aways, don’t ruin it by a sleazy pitch. Ask some questions and find out what they’re looking for. Have a conversation with them and you’ll be much more memorable. Here’s a pet peeve of mine from when I managed a retail clothing store: don’t ask them how they’re doing, don’t ask them if they’re interested in {whatever they’re looking at} and definitely don’t ask if you can help them find something. Talk. Ask questions. Find their problem, then give them your solution.

Rule #2: Split test. Yes, it’s not just for email marketing. Spend some time before the event to think about how you want to greet people coming to your booth and passing by. Write out 2-3 intro lines and practice them before the show. While you’re working, test your lines and see what elicits the best response.

Rule #3: Get moving. You don’t have to be stuck behind your booth. This doesn’t give you permission to go out into the aisles and push your flyer into the hand of every person you see. This also applies to your displays: if you can have moving images it will catch people’s attention.

Rule #4: Keep the party alive. Let’s face it, people have a limited attention span at events like this not to mention there isn’t a ton of room and it’s noisy as hell. So forget about pitching (see rule #1) at the show. Qualify people through your conversations and then invite them to the party afterward. Rent a room, offer refreshments and make your pitch. Speaking of free food, make sure you have some at your booth. People love food.

comment policy

1. what’s your #1 tip on how to make a tradeshow work for you?
2. what’s the one thing you would spend cash on for your display?

About a month ago, I left behind the teensy town of Harrow and made my way to the big city of Windsor. It’s been years since I lived in the city and if you’ve ever lived in a small hamlet, you’ll know that your choice of restaurants and pizza joints leaves something to be desired. So I treated my kid to a pizza from one of my favourite places, Pizza Hut. Aside from the fact that it took them almost double the time to arrive I was ecstatic to sit down to a delicious stuffed crust veggie lovers pizza while my kiddo chomped on a personal sized meat lovers.

I opened the box to find a pizza massacre. The toppings were nearly non-existent :: which is surprising considering how cheap you can buy the toppings :: and it was barely warm. Major disappointment considering this was my absolute favourite thing in the pizza world. A quick email to Pizza Hut resulted in a call from the area manager to apologize for the problems and a $25 credit the next time I ordered. Sweet.

Last night, I decided to give it another try. I ordered my favourite pizza and waited. It was a busy night for them so the delivery estimate was over an hour. That’s okay I said. I’ll happily wait. They showed up earlier than anticipated and I opened the box to find a steaming hot, generously topped pizza. We. were. starved. I picked up the first piece and the damn thing was so bloody thin that it sagged from the crust. By the end of the pizza, what I thought was a sagging crust because it was too hot turned out to be a barely cooked crust. The pieces were stuck :: yes, stuck :: to the box. I pulled up the last piece and half of the crust fell off. Not the toppings, the crust.

Gross.

     

This isn’t JUST a rant. I really do have something that I can teach you.

What did Pizza Hut do RIGHT?

:: first, the manager called me direct. It was personal. She not only apologized, but she tried to save me as a customer. It’s always cheaper to keep the customers you have rather than spend your dollars finding new customers.

:: she made it easy for me to try them again. She put a credit under my phone number and asked me to give them another shot free of charge.

:: the second pizza came out hot, in less time than expected and filled with toppings. This may or may not have had anything to do with my original complaint, but it sure did make me happy.

What did Pizza Hut do WRONG?

:: their second attempt was actually worse than the first. did they only worry about my initial complaints (cold pizza, no toppings and time for delivery) leaving them wide open to create new problems? maybe.

:: the first delivery driver was excruciatingly nice. the second … left a lot to be desired. he told me that the total was (and I quote) 3 something. Luckily, I had been given the total over the phone and had my money ready. He took the money and before I had even had the pizza in both hands he was off again. Hey, what if I wanted my change back? Could you manage a smile? How about a goddamn thank you? Why not just say the feeling that you left me with: fuck you lady.

What should Pizza Hut have done?

:: anytime a customer complains, they should be looking at it as free consulting. you have live feedback and if one person is thinking it, there’s probably more out there that DIDN’T bother to give you an opportunity to make a second first impression.

:: probe to find more. was there anything else that was unpleasant about your experience? what did you love about the pizza or the service (this is actually a double whammy because you can find out what you’re doing right, but it also pushes the customers mind away from all the negative about your company and focuses in on the positive.

:: ask them what you can do to make things right. Not everyone is going to want to try your pizza again. Maybe I wanted my money back. Maybe I would have loved a free t-shirt. everyone has a different idea of what’s going to make things better so do yourself a favour and ask! your first goal is to win back the customer. if that isn’t going to happen, you want to make sure that when they tell their story (and they will) that it ends on a positive note so that everyone they tell doesn’t look at you with a scrunched up sour face.

:: almost every restaurant I go into has a comment card that I can fill out but they never come with home delivery or take-out. why the hell not? there’s a lot of things you need to know about – like whether or not the delivery person scared the shit out of you, or whether they offered your change back to you.

What’s your take away?

:: don’t be a jerk in the first place. customers are your bread and butter.
:: if you fail, make it up to them.
:: make it easy for your customers to complain. and when they do, don’t act like an ass. suck it up like you’re a straw trying to get every drop of your favourite beverage out of a cup. it’s gold.
:: if you have someone else that interact with your clients, make sure they’re top notch too. there’s nothing worse than your customer wanting to kick your front-line person in the nuts.

Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist who suffered a stroke and remembered every single detail. While the facts of the journey were amazing and captivating, what stuck with me was the end of the talk where she speaks about finding nirvana. The message is clear. There is a definitive superhighway to reaching inner peace.

Why should you care?

Dr Jill is aces. She’s captivating. And hello, she’s been on Oprah. And she knows that you can CHOOSE to be who you are in that moment.

Quick poll:

who thinks they’re a right-brain kind of creative personality?
who thinks they’re the left-brain analytical type?
who wants to be both?

“We are the life force power of the universe with manual dexterity and two cognitive minds. And we have the power to choose moment by moment who and how we want to be in the world. Right here, right now we can step into the consciousness of your right hemisphere where ‘WE ARE’, ‘I AM’ the life force power of the universe. Or I can choose to step into the consciousness of my left hemisphere where I become a single individual. A solid. Separate from the flow. Separate from you. These are the WE inside of ME.


Which would you choose? Which DO you choose? And when?



The more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner peace circuitry of our right hemispheres the more peace we will project into the world, and the more peaceful our planet will be.”

Didn’t think you could make a CHOICE to take some time from your analytical accountant career to become a supernova creative artist? Watch the video, then leave a comment and let me know what you’re going to do to reach nirvana.

{If you’re reading this via RSS, you may need to click through to view the video.}

Despite my recent upgrades to the site, I’m working on a new layout for the site that I think is going to blow you away.
But that’s not really what this post is about. It’s about the dofollow ‘movement’ that is sweeping across some of your favourite blogs.

quick SEO lesson

If a blog has a nofollow tag, then Google comes along, follows the link to your site but doesn’t give you credit for that link. (yes! backlinks are important.)
If a blog has a dofollow tag, then Google comes along, follows the link to your site and DOES give you credit for that link. (yes! that’s good.)
Are you lost? Read the DIY Common Sense SEO and this post about taking the fear out of SEO.

so why are so many blogs still nofollow?

It could be that they just don’t know better. WordPress defaults to the nofollow tag. To get it changed, you either need to install (yet another) plugin, or edit the WordPress core code (which literally scares the bejesus out of some people).

Some people are still under the assumption that nofollow will help prevent spam. Pfft. I get tons of spam every month. NoFollow=NoWork.

A very few may just not want to love up their commenters.

whatcha gonna do?

I’m going to be giving away some link love, baby! As of today – right now – this is an official dofollow blog. That’s good for you – but you gotta start commenting. If you don’t I may just resort to turning off comments. (okay, not really because {to me, anyway} there just isn’t a good enough reason to turn them off. Even if you’re one of the big guys. who loves you?

leave a comment, will ya?

Are you in the dofollow or nofollow camp? why?
Would you comment more on a blog if you knew they were dofollow?

I stumbled upon Marie’s website late last year. What really caught my eye was that she didn’t start out as an entrepreneur. Her events are one of a kind, her programs are better than top notch. Her Rich, Happy & Hot™ brand is dedicated to empowering women with tools to create financial, spiritual and emotional wealth through entrepreneurship.

What are your creative habits? What inspires you to be … well, you?

I don’t know if I have any creative habits, per se. I like to party. I love to dance. And I LOVE silly, strange and often inappropriate humor. All that rolled together gives me juice.

How did you go from aerobic dance instructor to author to kick ass entrepreneurial goddess?

I have this thing in me where it’s pretty much impossible for me not to follow my creative impulses. You can do anything you want to do – as long as you put your full heart and soul into it.

What’s the best piece of advice you could give to an entrepreneur?

BE a marketer. Be bold. Take risks.

What’s the biggest business lesson you’ve learned?

BE a marketer. Be bold. Take risks.

Every once in awhile there’s an idea that you slap yourself on the forehead and think: why the hell didn’t I think of that. Where do you wish you had beat someone to the punch?

This is going to sound really arrogant, but I feel pretty damn good about my timing. If I really stretched, I’d say the Smurfs or, the Snuggie.

Girlfriends share things, and we’re friends right? What was it like being in bed with Laura Roeder?

Laura seems all business and buttoned up in public, right? Let me tell you, she’s an animal under the covers! Seriously. It was awkward.

If you haven’t heard yet, Marie is getting ready to hit Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Center in West Village with her RHH Live event. If you’re a Sex and the City fan, you’ll recognize the area as being the same one where Carrie’s gorgeous brownstone was located.

Wondering what you’ll learn?

* The exact formula for marketing high priced products & services – even if you’re just starting out.

* How to turn your expertise into high value content…and leverage it for maximum impact.

* The paradox of highly successful women: How to be driven without driving men away. This is a hot topic we’ll be exploring throughout the weekend.

* The 2 deadly positioning mistakes most women make that drive an otherwise profitable business into the ground.

* The dangerous pricing “mindset” traps that always lead to failure (and sometimes bankruptcy) that MOST women have hardwired in. (I had a hard time with this…and I’ve never talked about this before!)

* How to eliminate the “implementation block” so you stop spinning your wheels and start creating results.

* How chaos gets started in your mind and emotional body and what to do about it.

* Two major “psychological triggers” your prospects have been subconsciously conditioned to respond to… and how you can use them NOW.

* If you worry about stuff that’s BEYOND your control to the point where you’re anxious and can’t get ANYTHING done…here’s how to permanently overcome it.
* How to manage your time, energy and passions daily to get the RIGHT things done without sacrificing your well-being, happiness or relationships.

* The secrets of authentic and highly persuasive marketing that will help you make more money and make more of a difference then you could ever imagine. (NOTE: I will be taking you through a super secret, uber powerful process that will leave you speechless and your market thinking you’re a mind-reader.)

* How to write copy that’s so damn irresistible you’ll barely keep from buying your own sh*t! (yes..I did swipe my own subtitle .)

* What “filter” you must use to write your marketing messages to guarantee you don’t come across slimy or sales-y.

* Ever worry that you mistake FEAR for INTUITION? Here’s the science behind it all and how to know whether or not you’re getting an intuitive “hit” or wisely detecting fear.

* A proprietary process that instantly dissolves fear, builds unshakeable confidence and removes blocks so you stay on track and create results. (This physical training experience is so far beyond anything else when it comes to living in the present moment and having the courage to BE you, it’s mind-blowing!)

AND! You’ll be seeing some of these great speakers too:

Danielle LaPorte: The Business of Deep Courage: How to Harness Your Sincere Ambition

Bryan Franklin: The New School of Sales: How to Sell More Than You Ever Dreamed Possible Without Being Pushy or “Salesy”

Kris Carr : Crazy Sexy Life – What Every Woman Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Health, Happiness and Success

Laura Roeder: Conquer Your Chaos: How To Create Systems for Massive Succcess

Josh Pais:Mastering Presence: A Revolutionary Approach to Dissolve Fear So You Can Move Ahead With Clarity and Confidence

leave a comment, gorgeous

Are you planning on going to RHH Live? What are you hoping to take away from the event?