How to Outwit the Devil, Your Fear and Other Obstacles to Your Success
January 21, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
A new book titled Outwitting the Devil is the long-awaited sequel to bestselling phenomenon Think and Grow Rich.
Written by Napoleon Hill in the 1930s, the book was too controversial to release in its time. Bestselling author Sharon Lechter has recently had the daunting task of annotating the book (given to her exactly as the author had left the manuscript 80+years ago) and working to make the important messages relevant to today.
And, she’s done a stellar job. The book is timely, easy to follow and contains poignant messages.
I read Outwitting the Devil in preparation for an interview with Sharon for the Australian Businesswomen’s Networks podcast series, herBusiness.
The interview, and the book, examine the greatest obstacles we face in reaching potential goals: fear, procrastination, anger and jealousy, as tools of the Devil (which is the way the author described them).
herBusiness podcast interview
Over 30 minutes, you can listen to Sharon tell us first hand:
- How fear, worry, doubt and indecision work against us
- Why victory goes to the people who know what they want and are determined to have it
- What the author discovered in his darkest moments that he turned around to achieve great success
I really enjoyed interviewing Sharon for this podcast. Take a listen in one of two ways:
Listen to this episode on our website.
Listen to this on your MP3 player, by downloading it from iTunes.
Purchase the Book
If you’d like to get a copy of the book, you can order it from Booktopia.
I’m a bit of a podcast addict. I love to listen to them while I drive or while I’m doing things around the house. It’s a great way to learn on the go.
Building a Personal Brand for Increased Exposure
January 20, 2012
By Kerry McDuling, McDuling PR
A lot has changed as far as the way we do business, and as a result, the way we promote ourselves. While brand-building of companies used to be very much the focus of publicity and public relations efforts, nowadays the trend has moved more toward building a personal identity or personal brand, based entirely around individuals.
The reason for this is that, while technology has made doing business or making purchases so much easier and quicker, it has also made the process so much more impersonal. People prefer to do business with people, and those businesses that incorporate a personal touch to the transition are reaping the results.
An example of someone who has done it really well is Richard Branson.
Here is someone who has put himself at the forefront of the Virgin brand. He has created an identity of fun, adventure, creativity, courage, possibility. He is someone many of us can relate to. He is human. Therefore, no matter what industry he decides to launch into, he has immediate support. We can trust that new company because it is Virgin – because it is a creation of the incredible Richard Branson.
New media and technology lends perfectly to the idea of creating a personal brand. CEOs and Directors have created Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles and blogs for themselves where they share their business and personal viewpoint on the world around them. Suddenly we have direct access to the head of a large firm we are spending money with.
We feel important as a consumer because we can more easily be acknowledged by the person at the top, instead of having to be passed on from one department to another. We also feel that the business is more transparent because the top dog is putting himself/herself out there, and opening himself/herself up to public scrutiny. But perhaps most importantly, we feel we can relate to these people who used to be hidden in glass offices at the tops of very tall towers.
With this in mind, I would encourage business owners to create a personal profile for themselves at every available opportunity.
Here are some handy tips:
- Make sure your business’ webpage has an About Me page, with a short bio and a photo of yourself.
- When engaging in social media, such as Twitter or facebook, do so under your own name, rather than a business name. By all means, have a business page, but try making the content more personal.
- Be the media spokesperson for your business. Build your profile as the face and brand of the company.
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Kerry McDuling – McDuling PRKerry McDuling is a publicist and Director of her own public relations and publicity consultancy McDuling PR and exposure speciality business, Stratosphere Me – building brands and developing profitable business opportunities for companies, authors, speakers and entrepreneurs.
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Taking Action in 2012: 12 Pointers for Marketing Your Website More Effectively
January 19, 2012
By Bianca Board, Web123
What’s one thing you’re going to do better in 2012? I hope it’s taking action to improve your website! It’s a huge untapped resource for most of us small businesses as we can sometimes fail to see it as an investment. Like any investment, it should be showing you a profit.
Marketing your website and ensuring it is converting leads and getting you more sales should be at the top of your priorities for 2012. I have 12 pointers to help you get started on this… but trust me; they won’t work unless YOU take ACTION!
Pointer 1: Set your goals.
If you don’t have a clear direction or a set goal to target, then how do you know you’re improving? You don’t! Setting special goals can allow you to plan each step of the way and measure how far away you are from reaching the end goal.
Make sure you have SMART goals; in other words, they need to be: Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic and Timely. Here are some examples:
- Increase sales by XX% during the next financial year
- Grow my subscriber list by XX by June 2012
- Generate XX leads on a weekly basis
- Grow my Facebook fan base to XX fans by June 2012
- Grow online sales by XX% over the next 2 months without increasing my advertising spend
As you can see from these examples, they provide a specific target that’s measurable, accurate, isn’t unrealistic and provides a time frame in which it needs achieving. Make yourself accountable.
So, how can you carry out achieving these goals? Through the use of Tactics!
Pointer 2: Define tactics for achieving your goals.
Put simply, tactics are what you’ll use to carry out your strategies in order to accomplish your goals. Once you identify the reasons for creating and investing in your website, you’ll find it easy to put strategies and tactics in place.
So really you need to work backwards. Define your goals first and then work out how you’ll achieve them. Here are some examples of tactics you could implement:
- Build a database of email prospects
- Promote my business through email marketing
- Sell my products 24/7 using a shopping cart
- Share my expertise through a blog
- Get a guest blogging gig on XYZ blog
- Create one webinar per month on specific topics
These tactics will help you ensure your goals are SMART and can be accurately undertaken without being unrealistic for your business.
Pointer 3: Are you telling your customers where to go?
If your website doesn’t clearly state what the next step is for a customer or where they should go to purchase a product or download a report, how will the customer know where to go? They won’t and this means they’ll either wander your site aimlessly or leave your site as it’s ‘too hard to find’ what they’re looking for.
Therefore, ‘Calls to Action’, known as CTAs, need to be placed on your site in order to clearly direct your visitors to do what you want them to do. The customer came to your website to hopefully buy, so place a CTA on your homepage that clearly points to your products, and ideally at least one CTA on every single page to encourage secondary actions like add to cart, join your newsletter, download your eBook, book a consultation, etc.
The use of catchy headlines and compelling copy is what can also be used as a CTA. If your headline doesn’t catch your reader’s attention straight away, then you risk losing that customer.
Pointer 4: Lead Capturing – What ‘FREE’ can really mean for your business.
People love getting things for free – if they feel there’s value. Putting a small hurdle in the way of someone getting something of value and then seeing whether they jump over it is a great way to filter qualified leads from casual browsers. Lead capture is the capturing of details (name and email as a minimum) for this qualification process. On the flip side, you could always offer free content without a barrier to encourage your content to spread more virally.
Lead capture, properly implemented, helps a visitor get to know you, like you and trust you.
Give them something of value, offer them ongoing information and freebies – and once they’re ready to buy, you’ll be front of mind.
When you’re planning out how to do it, it’s best to think of it as a sale where the customer is paying with information. You’ll want to use all the sales techniques you’d normally use to try to convert visitors into leads as you would converting a prospect into a customer. Use eBooks, reports, whitepapers, webinars, calculators, templates, checklists or ongoing advice as your “product”. Keep in mind all the profiling you’ve done of your ideal clients and use their hot buttons. Create content that helps solve their problems and you’ll have them eating out of your hands!
Pointer 5: Ditch the generic stock photo!
Stop relying on the same old stock photos for your website. Hire a professional photographer or, even better, hire a student photographer who will only charge a small fee!
Nothing beats authenticity and originality.
People like to see exactly what they’re getting and they want to know it’s of good quality. Even with service-based business, having photographs of your staff and what they do will add that personal touch and feel to your website. Real is better. As Ali G would say… “Keep it real.”
I’m not saying don’t use stock photos because, in some cases, they are needed, but consider for your 2012 website marketing to include new and original photos of you and your team.
Pointer 6: How to get more email subscribers.
If you want to increase subscriptions to your newsletter, try changing the copy and making it more about your prospects’ problems, fears and concerns. Instead of saying ‘Join our Newsletter’, try ‘Free Expert Tips & Success Strategies to Make You More Profitable’.
Offering them something of value is the trick!
People’s inboxes are overcrowded with newsletters these days – what would entice them to join yours? A gift voucher? A Free report or eBook? Regular Free Advice? The list is endless.
We did this with ours and got a whopping 3600% increase in newsletter subscriptions!
What are you going to include in yours to convert them later on too? Free accounting advice? Industry updates? Expert webinars? Always send good quality content that will interest your subscribers. Continuous blast-outs of product announcements just doesn’t cut it these days.
Pointer 7: Accelerate your conversions via landing pages.
Landing pages are simplified pages on your website dedicated to capturing leads or sales for one specific offer or product. I’m sure you’ve come across these before – a page with a sales pitch, lead capture form and one button – one way in, and only one way out.
Your response and conversion rates can be drastically improved by directing campaigns to landing pages – it keeps your message and your sales pitch crystal clear and ensures they’re not distracted by any other of your messages. Landing pages for campaigns targeting different markets can push the hot buttons of different types of ideal clients.
How can you utilise this tactic? Simple:
- Create a landing page that includes all the information about the campaign you’re running. For example, if you’re offering a free eBook for the purpose of lead capture and you’re advertising it through online ads, ensure the landing page has all the information required for the prospect to download the eBook. Include the benefits they’ll receive by downloading the book and of course include your lead capture form. Don’t get greedy with the fields you make them complete either. Keep it simple at this first stage.
- All your advertisements should link to this one landing page. The one-click to the landing page allows the customer to qualify the product instantly and quickly download what they want.
- Ensure you keep your leads and add them to your database for further nurturing!
Landing pages are also great for promoting workshops, special product packages, eBooks or whitepapers and other valuable insider content you want to market.
Pointer 8: Become an Educator.
Building a higher presence within your industry comes down to how much credibility the viewers of that industry perceive you have. A blog is a great way to position yourself and your business as experts in your field – as well as generate quality traffic for your website. Think of it as a personal journal, explaining something related to your industry (and your ideal clients) without being sales-focused. And consider getting controversial too. Make a real statement with your opinion and you could gain more traction and comments on your blog.
This integrates closely with the building of trust – for the kind of reader who goes into depth on your website, they’ll see that you’re knowledgeable, trustworthy and not going for the hard sell.
A blog, like your website, is a living, breathing asset. Google loves recent content.
Google loves newsworthy content. Treat it with love and care to keep your customers and prospects coming back!
Other tools that show you are an educator within your field include:
- eBooks
- Whitepapers
- Reports
- Email Newsletters with tips and advice
- Tutorials
Test each type of tool and see which one your audience prefers the most!
Pointer 9: Go Video in 2012.
Video is the new way to improve your Google ranking. Utilising video on your site can improve your rankings in Google 50 times better than a page of text!
Not only does video improve your ranking, it also allows you to explain what you do easier and will give you a better chance to build trust with your customers rather than using text on its own.
You don’t need a film crew or expensive camera to do it either. There are heaps of free tools that allow you to edit video. Search your computer – it’s bound to have one!
Pointer 10: Slow and steady wins the race.
Search Engine Optimisation is a set of tactics and practices you can implement or outsource to drive your website up the natural rankings in search engines for the keywords you want to be found on.
The best way to handle SEO is to outsource it – make sure you go with a reputable provider, but know that the hours of work required to do a good job with SEO can be substantial.
However, there are a number of things you can do to improve your SEO performance without spending a cent or investing too much time:
- Think about what your ideal client is going to type into Google to find you. Do your keyword research.
- Update all your online listings. To find out where they are, type your domain name into Google with inverted commas like this: “www.mydomain.com.au” and hit search.
- Build additional external links. e.g., get your suppliers to link to your site, write guest blog posts, write articles and submit them to online directories for publishing.
- Set yourself up a Google Places Account – for help with this, you can see this post Listing with Google Places in 3 Easy Steps.
- And use video where you can.
It’s a known fact that 90% of search engine users won’t go past the first 3 pages.
In fact, about 42% of people click on the number 1 result. That’s almost half! Therefore, you need to get your business ahead of competitors. If you’re on a tight budget or the DIY type, you could even try a 30 day DIY program to improve your rank >>
Pointer 11: Social Media – Just do it really well.
As we all know by now, social media is where people (and your customers) are hanging out at. This means that your business should be there as well, utilising it to communicate with customers in a more personal way.
However, the point of social media tools like Facebook and YouTube isn’t about just being present. If you really want to make an impact and gain higher conversions from using social media, then you need to do it really well!
This is easier than you think if you have a good strategy behind you. Ensure you communicate on a regular basis if you’re on Facebook and encouraging participation in your posts from your ‘likers’. If you utilise YouTube, ensure you are regularly updating content and pushing links through to Facebook. Keeping active on social media will keep your audience aware of you and will eventually convert them.
Remember, only spend time where you know your audience does. Don’t waste time on Twitter if your audience isn’t using it yet. Research first then approach it from a strategic standpoint and you’ll succeed.
Pointer 12: How to implement and action for 2012.
Your brain has probably just overloaded and you’re now thinking, “How do I go about implementing things like this for 2012?” Don’t stress! It’s all about planning and setting out what you want to achieve… remember Pointers 1 & 2? They are your first steps. Then you need to sort out what tactics (pointers 3-11) you will use to achieve your goals.
Here are some quick tips of getting started on implementing:
- Set Your Goals – what do you want to achieve and by when?
- Create a Content Calendar – what are you going to market and when? Think of what you’re going to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis, then plan it out in your calendar.
- Measure using Google Analytics and Your Website Statistics – Measuring is important to ensure you are on track to achieving your goals. Don’t miss this crucial step.
- Review your progress on a monthly basis – if you aren’t on track, then you should refine your processes or refine your goals to be SMART. If one medium isn’t bring any sales, maybe it’s time to ditch it and put your energy into something that will.
As you can see, when you break it down, it can be a lot easier to take action for marketing your website for 2012. By taking action, and being patient, I guarantee you’ll see positive results and you won’t look back!
What have you got planned for 2012? Share your ideas below. Leave a comment now.
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Bianca Board – Web123Bianca Board is a self-confessed perfectionist, but that’s a good thing, because as Web123′s chief designer and web strategist, she’s expert at helping small business achieve something that makes money and looks incredible without the designer price tag. With a creative streak that extends to sales, organic gardening, painting, decorating and generally making the world a more beautiful place, Bianca’s the person who will make sure that, along with functioning just as it should, your company’s website will look nothing short of amazing.
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5 Career Resolutions to Banish Your Workplace Woes in 2012
January 17, 2012
By Susan Wareham McGrath
Along with your personal New Year’s resolutions, did you make any career resolutions for 2012? If you’re suffering from workplace woes, here are five resolutions to help you make your career work for you this year!
1. Give your Career a Health Check
Just as you need to look after your own health, you need to look after your career’s health to make it work for you. The start of the year is a great time to review your progress towards your career goals and make plans for the rest of the year.
Consider setting aside some time to think about:
- where you are now
- where you would like to be
- what you need to do to get there
and write a simple career management plan to help you keep on track over the next twelve months.
Remember to include SMART goals and milestones; and don’t be afraid to change the plan as your circumstances change – just like strategic plans, career management plans should be living documents with built-in flexibility to be adaptable to changing circumstances.
2. Update your Résumé
Have you ever missed out on a job opportunity because you didn’t have a current résumé at the ready? Don’t let that happen again – spend some time this weekend getting your résumé up to date!
Some tips for a competitive résumé:
- Make it achievement focused, rather than a list of duties taken directly from your job description
- Consider carefully whether including a career objective is adding value – even résumé writing professionals disagree on this issue
- Try and keep it to 3 or 4 pages
- Use keywords liberally throughout your résumé
- Keep the format clean, simple and professional (no funny or suggestive email addresses please!) and
- Proofread and check it carefully
Also, remember that résumés need to be targeted to specific jobs, so always review your résumé from the employer’s perspective before submitting it, to ensure its content is specific to the job in question – recent research has found that employers take less than 20 seconds to decide whether a résumé is worth consideration, so it’s important that you showcase your suitability for the role from the start.
3. Review your Social Media Profiles
Be very careful how you present yourself on social media. It can be your best friend or your worst foe in terms of career branding, as increasing numbers of employers check candidates’ social media profiles when considering their employment application.
How would your social media profiles shape up against employer scrutiny?
When you’re engaged in a job search, it’s well worth looking through the eyes of a prospective employer at the image you present to the online world. Does your Facebook page contain content that might work against you in a job search? If so, you could consider making it private (at least temporarily).
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date and keyword rich so it comes up in searches for people in your industry? Have you used LinkedIn to connect strategically, join groups and build up your profile as an expert in your field?
Do you have an online CV?
If not, it’s never too late to start – even spending a little time on developing a professional social media profile will provide you with a very positive return.
4. Access the Hidden Job Market
It’s been estimated that up to 85% of Australian jobs are not advertised publicly; constituting Australia’s “hidden job market”. And these jobs come with an added bonus. Industry estimates indicate that only 5% – 10% of candidates know of them, so there is much less competition for them – a real bonus for savvy jobseekers!
So how do you break into the hidden job market?
There are a number of strategies you can use.
One of the most effective strategies is networking – making connections with people who can advise you of potential or current job opportunities, or who can introduce you to people who are aware of those opportunities. Personal and online networking are both very effective ways of gaining leads and introductions. In the online space, LinkedIn in particular is a great networking resource for people who are looking for a new job, especially when you approach your LinkedIn job search campaign in a focused and strategic way.
A second strategy to break into the hidden job market is to undertake industry research to identify organisations you would like to work for; then either cold call the HR department, or if you find cold calling daunting, introduce yourself in writing, advising you’ll follow up with a phone call. Prepare what you’re going to say in advance, ensuring you highlight the ways in which you can add value to the organisation. Follow up by sending a short letter or email to the person you spoke to, thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in working for the organisation – a small gesture that has a lot of impact!
Registering with recruitment agencies is another effective strategy to access the hidden job market. Not only do professional recruitment consultants often know of jobs that aren’t advertised elsewhere, but they are skilled at promoting their candidates and can give you invaluable advice about presentation, branding and interview skills to assist you through the job application process.
5. Define and Promote your Personal Brand
In career terms, your personal brand is the way you present yourself and your unique value proposition to everyone you come into contact with who has the potential to impact on your career. This includes work colleagues, your employer, clients, recruiters, professional networks, friends and people you meet through your professional social media networks.
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression
… so it’s important that you promote your personal brand professionally from the start. When you’re applying for a job, you start building your brand with your résumé and application letter and your performance at interview is also part of your branding – whether you dress appropriately, your body language, your confidence and mannerisms.
As an employee, having a good, strong brand that clearly and consistently indicates your value to an employer in the ways they need the most will ensure you stand out from the crowd and have a head start in the competition to move up the career ladder.
A final note – value congruence is an important part of branding, so don’t force yourself to apply for a position that offends your values, or in an organisation that clashes with your ethics – it won’t work – you’ll feel fake, make yourself unhappy and your brand will eventually fall apart.
So there you have them – your career management plan, a targeted, updated résumé , a great social media presence, the hidden job market and personal branding – five career tools you can use this year to banish your workplace woes for good!
MORE GREAT POSTS BY SUSAN WAREHAM MCGRATH:
- Is it time to ditch the pitch? ‘Elevator speeches’ in a world of social media.
- Serving on non-profit boards – good for you, good for the community!
- How to write a winning application letter
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Susan Wareham McGrathSusan Wareham McGrath is an experienced Australian immigration consultant; jobsearch strategist and career management consultant. She holds a degree in psychology, an advanced diploma in human resource management, a post graduate qualification in public policy development, a national training accreditation and registration as an Australian migration agent with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Susan is a strong advocate for the personal and professional advancement of women, has served as an Advisory Board Member of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network since 2007 and leads the ABN’s herCareer initiative.
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Top Tips to Set Your Team Up for New Year Success!
January 16, 2012
By Kristy-Lee Johnston, Footprint Recruitment
As everyone returns from their holidays and the workplace starts to look a little more like normal, everyone, including management, can sometimes suffer from a little bit of ‘return to work itis’.
The first thing many staff do when returning from leave is to start planning their next holiday! So how can you make sure those grand plans and challenging goals you’ve set for the business will be met and achieved in the year ahead?
In my mind, the best way to get everyone back on track and focused on the year ahead is by dragging them out of their normal day to day mindset and excite them with some leadership, direction, challenges and opportunity.
Here are my top tips for setting your team, and ultimately your business, up for a super start to a successful new year:
- Communicate with them: without your communication and leadership, your team ultimately lack direction. This time of year is an ideal opportunity to communicate with the team, whether 1 or 1000, the plans for the year ahead, the achievements and milestones you are wanting each individual, team, department or division to make and the obstacles they may face in getting there.
- Engage them in your vision: We all know that when your people are not engaged in the bigger picture and your overall vision, they are typically less inclined to do what it takes to achieve this goal. Engaging them in your vision means more than just communicating it to them. You really need to get their ‘buy in’ so they are committed to achieving the vision and are passionate about getting there. There are many ways to do this, but ultimately it’s about making sure you have the right people in place, with common values and a passion about what they do, combined with an interest in the business and industry they work within.
- Challenge them: Individuals love to be challenged, in one way or another. For some people it’s about challenging goals and targets, for others it’s about precision work and accuracy. Knowing your team well, at an individual level, really helps to make this possible. With challenges, many individuals love to see rewards, but this doesn’t always have to be financially driven – don’t be afraid to think outside the square.
- Give them opportunity: No matter what generation your people are associated with, they all want opportunity. Opportunity to progress, opportunity to learn, opportunity to gain benefits, opportunity to prove themselves or purely opportunity to do a better job. The sense of achieving and doing something that they are driven towards can be one of the greatest motivators, so knowing what your people want to achieve, and providing them with the opportunity to do this can be critical to overall success for both them individually and the organisation as a whole.
- Listen to what they want and where possible show them you are acting on it: Communicating and listening ironically often need to be treated separately. Listen to what your people want from their work, and where possible demonstrate that you have heard what they have to say, and are taking action towards helping them achieve this. It doesn’t have to be the end solution that they see, but rather that you have heard, listened and started taking steps towards making this happen is often just what they need to keep the motivation to move forward.
Of course, how all of this is discussed and delivered can vary. A Year Ahead Focus Meeting which everyone is involved in, a team lunch, or at an individual level. Whatever works best for you and your business, but don’t miss this opportunity to use this time of year to set you and your team up for success!
MORE GREAT POSTS BY KRISTY-LEE JOHNSTON:
- New Year. New Career?
- Thinking Outside the Box: How to Prosper in a Candidate-Short Market
- Desperate Times and Desperate Measures
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Kristy-Lee Johnston - Footprint RecruitmentKristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment, a Central Coast based Recruitment and HR agency which is run by locals, for locals. Kristy’s background includes 10 years in Recruitment, as well as 10+ years in a broad range of other customer facing sectors. She possesses Post Graduate qualifications in Psychology, as well as a Masters in Human Resource Management. Kristy is passionate about bringing something unique to the recruitment sector in her local area and wants to see all businesses make the most successful staffing decisions they can.
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Eleni Mitakos and Galmatic – Member of the Week
January 16, 2012
Australian Businesswomen’s Network Members Making it!
Member of the Week
Eleni Mitakos with daughters Zoe, 6 and Ava, 3
Eleni Mitakos and her company Galmatic were recently featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and on The Sydney Weekender!
Galmatic runs fun and interactive Car Care Workshops for women.
Congrats on all the great press Eleni!
Eleni on The Sydney Weekender
Galmatic Feature in The Sydney Morning Herald
Galmatic Catalogue in Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
BOOKED for Lunch – The Power of foursquare
January 13, 2012
How to use location-based foursquare to reward customers and build loyalty
What if you could reward your customers, build their loyalty and let them help market your business?
Location-based marketing lets you provide targeted offers and develop more meaningful interactions between your customers and your products and services.
Millions of times a day, people use the mobile networking application foursquare to check in and share where they are. Whether checking out a new restaurant, meeting up with friends or visiting a favourite store, they are recording and sharing their experiences.
As a business or brand on foursquare, you can be a big part of that experience.
Join us on 8 February when Carmine Gallo, author of new book The Power of foursquare is our guest on BOOKED for Lunch – Webinars with the world’s leading business book authors.
Register for this complimentary webinar today.
BOOKED for Lunch Details:
The Power of foursquare: How to use location-based foursquare to reward customers and build loyalty – National Webinar
| Date: | Wednesday, 8 February 2012 |    |
| Time: | 12.00pm to 1.00pm AEDT (Check your timezone.) | |
| Venue: | Webinar, from your home or office | |
| Price: | FREE
Not able to attend? Confirm your registration and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you after the live event. Note: You will need internet access to participate in this GoToWebinar. Call costs may apply if you do not use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) |
About the Author:
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Carmine Gallo, Communications CoachCarmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired global brands. A former anchor and correspondent for CNN and CBS, Gallo has addressed executives at Intel, Cisco, Google, Medtronic, Pfizer, and many others. Gallo writes My Communications Coach, a regular column for Forbes.com. He has written several internationally bestselling and award-winning books, including The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. |
About the Book:
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The Power of foursquare:
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Here’s what people are saying:
| “The power to reach buyers at the exact time and the exact place they’re looking for what you offer has massive implications for all kinds of businesses worldwide. Carmine Gallo expertly shows you how to tap into the foursquare revolution, and he does it with a practical approach you can put to work in your business right now. There’s an epic swarm and it’s time for you to check in!”
— David Meerman Scott, author of Real-Time Marketing & PR |
| “In real estate, it’s always been about ‘location, location, location.’ This book will show you why now it’s important for everyone.”
— Matthew Shadbolt, Director of Interactive Product & Marketing, The Corcoran Group |
| “Gallo gets it. By using case studies from around the world, he captures the fun and the opportunity of using foursquare. I greatly enjoy Gallo’s stories of the amazing people and businesses that I know are doing it right!”
— Nathan Bonilla-Warford, Tampa eye doctor, founder, Foursquare Day |
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About the BOOKED for Lunch Webinar SeriesThe BOOKED for Lunch webinar series are free lunch-time webinars that feature bestselling business authors and thinkers. Presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and GoToWebinar these events are open to men and women who seek to expand their business education and to be inspired by thought leaders who will present new trends, big ideas and pose thoughtful questions. To participate all you need is access to the internet. So, book yourself in for the next Booked for Lunch series and get ready for some powerful food for thought. Read more about the BOOKED for Lunch webinar series. Follow news and updates on our dedicated BOOKED for Lunch Twitter page. |
What is a webinar?
A webinar is a web-based seminar. To participate you need internet access. Instructions will be sent to you on receipt of your registration. This webinar is brought to you by GoToMeeting.
GoToMeeting allows you to host an online meeting with up to 25 people – so you can do more and travel less. Using our web conferencing tool, you can share any application on your computer in real time. Attendees join meetings in seconds. For a free trial or to learn more about GoToMeeting, please phone 1800 451 485 (in Australia) 0800 42 4874 in New Zealand or visit www.gotomeeting.com.au.
IMPORTANT – LIMITED SPACES ON THE DAY
Your registration today indicates your intention to attend. This event is a free event. We therefore expect a percentage of those that register to not attend on the day. With this in mind, the ABN/Citrix GotoMeeting will oversell the event. We recommend you login early on the day (lines will open approximately 15 minutes before the webinar commences) for the best chance of securing your place. In the event that you arrive at a time when the capacity has been reached you will not be able to attend the live session. You will however be sent a link to the recording of the webinar.
It’s Rising Time: Reach Your Financial Dreams
January 13, 2012
What does it really take to reach your financial dreams?
Some people will say you can do it it quickly, with little pain and effort. But few will tell you the real story of how their built their own wealth over time and what it took.
It’s Rising Time! is a new book for women who have a vision for what they want in life and who are willing to do what it takes to turn that vision into a reality.
Join us on 22 February when Kim Kiyosaki is our guest on a special webinar.
Kiyosaki’s own unique style has won her friends and fans the world over. In this webinar, she’ll explain what it really takes to go from wherever you are financially today to where you want to be.
This webinar will look at:
- Why money doesn’t make you rich and what does
- Where to start on your way to reaching your financial goals
- Two life-changing words that can shape the course of your financial future
- When debt is a good thing
- The pros and cons of owning your own business
- … and a lot more!
We’ll share candid stories from women who have been through the good, the bad and the ridiculous — and the lessons they learned.
Click here to register for this special webinar. Remember to login for your member discounts.
Event Details:
It’s Rising Time: Reach Your Financial Dreams – National Webinar
| Date: | Wednesday, 22 February 2012 |  |
| Time: | 10.15am for 10.30am – 11.30am AEDT | |
| Venue: | Webinar, from your home or office | |
| Price: | Growth Members: FREE | |
| StartUp Members: FREE | ||
| CommunityPlus Members: $35 | ||
| Community Members: $39 | ||
| Non-Members: $39 |
Members – Login to get your discount. Not a member? Join today and save over $390 in webinars each year!
Not able to attend? Complete your registration and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you after the live event.
Note: You will need internet access to participate in this Webinar. Call costs may apply if you do not use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
Guest Speaker:
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Kim Kiyosaki, authorKim Kiyosaki, author of the international bestseller Rich Woman continues to inspire, educate and empower women around the world with It’s Rising Time! She is a successful entrepreneur and seasoned investor with a lifetime of experience in business, real estate and investing. Kim is a self-made millionaire and sought-after speaker who is passionate about providing a positive learning environment for financial education for women. |
About the Book:
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It’s Rising Time!
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What is a webinar?
A webinar is a web-based seminar. To participate you will need high-speed internet and a USB headset (with microphone). Instructions will be sent to you on receipt of your registration.
Not a member?
Join today and you save hundreds of dollars each year on workshops designed to help you be more successful as a businesswoman. Membership is less than $1 a day! Learn More about Membership Now.
Is this event right for you?
This event is suitable for women in all stages of business.
The StartUp Success Webinar Series
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This event is part of the StartUp Success series of webinars which are free to all members of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. For details on the benefits of Membership take a look at our Membership Comparison Chart. For details on other webinars – see the Events section on our website. |
What’s Next?
Register below through our secure online shopping system. Upon registration, you’ll receive confirmation of your attendance. If you have any questions you can send us an email or, call 1300 720 120. If you are a member, remember to login to get free entry.
Is this Social Media Myth Hindering Your Business Results?
January 13, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
I often speak with small business owners about the value in using social media and some of them respond with social media myths, stories that are just not true. These myths are an unnecessary obstruction that prevents them from implementing the power of social media in their business.
The common myths I hear are that social media is too time-consuming, that it’s just a distraction from doing business.
The myth that I hear most often, and which I want to address today – is that it’s hard to justify the ROI.
How to get a good ROI from your social media activity
Social media use in business should always be tied to specific targets and objectives.
Doing good business means getting a good return on your investment of time and energy.
If you’re spending time on social media sites without a clear goal, then you may very well be wasting time and creating a distraction.
Some people seem to have a hard time justifying the use of social media, just as some people found it difficult to justify having a business website ten years ago.
But you CAN set goals and measure results to justify the ROI.
Let’s start here:
What is your goal? Do you want to increase your number of follows? Increase sales for a particular item? Increase the number of comments left on your blog?
You can measure and quantify how your social media activity impacts those goals.
Put in place some measures, take some action using social media and see what happens. If nothing happens, it’s probably not ‘social media’ at fault. Perhaps there’s more for you to learn about how to use it effectively.
Two more social media myths
Here are two more myths I often hear.
MYTH: Social media is time consuming.
Social media doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It’s wonderful to offer free, valuable content to your audience, but you don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel. You can save time by repurposing your existing content and disseminating it through different channels.
For example, we repost our top newsletter articles on our blog and link to them from social media sites. Our newsletter is like the backbone of our social media activity for the week. Once the newsletter is complete, our blog posts and tweets for the rest of the week are already scheduled.
Because we’re organised and efficient in repurposing content, we don’t have to spend a lot of time creating fresh content for social media.
MYTH: Social media is a distraction from doing real business.
If your social media activity is tied to specific business goals, it makes sense to spend the time required to get the results. You don’t have use every social media tool. You may be able to use just one tool and create all the results you want.
But FIRST you need to know what the tool does so that you know if it will get you the result you need.
If you come to see social media as the way you interface with customers and prospects, you’ll never see it as a distraction – you’ll see it as the never-before-available-and-wonderfully-effective opportunity that it is.
Of course, all of these myths could be true – but not if you’re using social media wisely.
Social media is the way people communicate. If your business is not using social media, then you’re missing out on the conversation, and you’re missing out on multiple opportunities to engage customers.
Are there other myths that you hear about that you think should be debunked? Let us know by adding a comment.
If you’re looking to improve your social media prowess, you may find our Social Media for Small Business podcast series helpful. Each 30-minute episode gives you tips and tricks for using social media. Available on our website and also on iTunes so that you can enjoy it anytime, anywhere.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- Does your website make you look out dated? 5 tell-tale signs.
- The business books that rocked my year, in a good way
- The three words that will shape my 2012 goals
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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Michael Stelzner’s Launch Webinar creates a Flurry of Inspired Customers
January 12, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
When was the last time you let someone know how much you appreciated what they did? When doing business with other businesses, it’s often easier to complain about what you’re not happy with then to give credit. At the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, we are extremely fortunate to have customers who tell us what we’re doing well.
You may have heard about Michael Stelzner’s book Launch — How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition. We’ve been recommending the book for about two months and just recently had the author on the popular BOOKED for Lunch webinar series. 600 people registered to listen in while we interviewed Michael about the rich nuggets of information in his book.
The book is terrific (in fact our whole advisory board is currently reading it) and, I feel, essential reading for business owners.
Here are some of their comments about the webinar, which you’ll find in our online store. It’s still available free (for a few weeks before it goes behind the premium-members-only wall).
So, I encourage you to take a listen.
More comments about Relevance
- The presentation mostly reinforced a lot of what I already practice/believe as a marketer. All good content.
- Fantastic webinar, so much relevant information
- Simplicity, good relevant information, direct and more importantly…..showing how a
business can truly benefit by being generous. - Old ideas but represented in a new way with new relevance
More comments about the speaker – Michael Stelzner
- Enjoyed Everything. So many takeaways from Mike I don’t know where to begin!
- Michael’s content was very valuable, the webinar was well facilitated, technology worked well.
- Michael using such creative and visual language to put his excellent points across.We definitely
try to use the techniques he has outlined so it was a great way to re-energise us at the tail
end of the year when we are all looking forward to a holiday. - Great clear, concise ad generous information offered.
- Michael is very generous with his knowledge, great tips about focusing on content &
customers rather than $$ - Useful and insightful tips shared by Mike.
More comments about the information
- ‘De-mything’ the sell, sell, sell mentality that is being FORCED down your throat when you’re looking at going online. THANK YOU. That is inspiring!
- Great content, awesome interview style.
- New ideas about how to go about launches, particularly around marketing and the ‘not sell’ idea
- Clear to listen to; interesting content
Thanks to everyone that listened in. We hope you’ll join us for the 2012 series of BOOKED for Lunch when it kicks off in February.
