But why do I have to pick just one thing?

Wow! What a great option…you can plan your marriage and learn how to battle with your bride in the same locale!

This may seem like a silly example…but I think you see my point – that when you try to meet too many needs in the same location, either virtual or physical, you only end up confusing (or amusing) your prospects.

Has this been a challenge for you?

But Carrie…

I have so many ideas!
I am so good at lots of things!
I know people NEED these things!
This helps me be a one-stop-shop!

And yes, that’s all true.

True…we entrepreneur types are never at a loss for ideas.
True…we are often jack of all trades.
True…there will always be prospects that need what you provide.
True…Wal-Mart sells batteries, bras and buttermilk in the same store and it seems to work for them.

But – you don’t have the marketing dollars, the real estate, the team support or the brand power that Wal-Mart does.

But – Wal-Mart is a discounter and that’s how they get you in the door. (That thinking will kill a solopreneur or small business.)

I know it’s hard to focus. I know it’s hard to reign it in. I know, because this is a challenge I face too.

But you need to CHOOSE.

Choose what you ROCK at.
Choose what solves a consumer problem.
Choose what is marketable.
Choose where to laser focus your energies & avoid the ‘spray & pray’ method.

It’s difficult to wrap our minds around sometimes.

I choose to train, educate and encourage men and women who are building and growing a business from home.
I choose to work virtually with my clients, primarily via e-coaching and mentoring.
I choose to mass train via webinars, teleclasses, my blog and video.
I choose to help you grow in impact and profitability while keeping your priorities intact and your integrity steadfast.
I choose you.

What do YOU choose? Let’s talk below about the ‘challenges of choosing’ or some affirmations in your choices!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, List Buiding & Prospecting, Marketing, Systems

Can there be TOO many choices?

By Carrie Wilkerson 47 Comments

This is a dry goods candy store in the Fort Worth Stockyards historical district. The kids and I love going down there to watch the cattle drive, wander through the shops and just ‘cowgirl’ up in general.

I wanted to treat them to a little something while we waited on lunch, which brought us here…

The problem? They couldn’t decide! They literally wandered back and forth from barrel to barrel, afraid to choose because they might miss the ‘best’ choice!

It took us 30 minutes for each of them to choose 4 candies. Wow. (For a decisive person, that’s me, it was driving me insane!)

You might think this is an oversimplistic example…but I think it’s very accurate!

In a society that is demanding “half caff, no whip, less sweet, 1 pump of mint, add soy” lattes – the truth is – I believe consumers are overwhelmed with choices.

I think prospects are more encouraged to buy, to invest and to trust – when things are simplified. This goes beautifully with ‘the box’ example from a previous post.

When you can clearly communicate to your prospect:

What is the result for you?
What is the promise from me?
What is your cost?
What are your choices?

Then you can move it to ‘yes or a no’ and move on with business.

The ‘let me decides’ and the ‘wandering from barrel to barrel’ are killing your confidence, your conversions & your cash flow.

And that doesn’t leave a very sweet taste in a business owner’s mouth.

Let me know below when you have experienced this either in the candy store, the coffee shop OR in your business!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing

Maybe we should be in the box after all…

By Carrie Wilkerson 36 Comments

Wait! Maybe small businesses are doing it wrong!

After years of being told to think ‘outside of the box’ and embrace non-conformity…I am ready to challenge that thinking!

Perhaps the box is where we should be focusing!

Seen this??

Or maybe this??

Yep, thought so!

Yum Brands, Inc. happens to encompass Taco Bell & Pizza Hut chains and reports a ‘sharp 30% growth in overseas and US markets.’ – A striking 10% of that came from a ‘rebound’ in Pizza Hut on domestic soil alone! They are thinking deep inside the box!

What does this mean?

This means our consumers, our buyers, our prospects – the folks that are making buying decisions – are shopping for ‘the box.’

Now, this might not apply to you if you are a ’boutique’ or ‘high end’ service for the affluent…but then again, it might. So get your nose out of the air and be open to another opinion

But, why the box?

The reasons this (likely) works are:

You are keeping choices simple! (A confused mind does nothing, so too many choices decreases sales)
You are exposing the client to a variety of your product line (they came in for a taco or pizza & got a variety of tastiness).
You are rewarding buyers with a slight discount or an extra bonus.

How does ‘the box’ apply to you?

Hmmm – this is where you need to get creative! My coaching clients will tell you that I love to ‘bundle’ and group things together! You can get the consumer to consumer more of ‘you’ and also reward them with an extra bonus or discount. (Pssst, if pricing is an issue with you, make sure to revisit yesterday’s post on your worth!)

But…I have a service business…

In my virtual service business, I used to offer “buy 3 get 1 free” for paying up front. In other words, they paid for 3 months of service and got their 4th free. This is great for generating cash flow up front as well as getting vested clients.
I got a proposal from a vendor the other day and a bonus with their bundle was a free 20 point website evaluation & conversion testing, something they normally charge $1,500 for. Nice ‘bundling’

But…I have an info product business?

I have (and have advised clients to) bundle related products together for a ‘whole enchilada’ or ‘get it done’ type package. This works beautifully, especially with an urgency of time.

But…I have a coaching business?

I still bundle my group coaching into annual programs and my private e-Coaching into 3 month programs. This makes sure I am not dealing with month-to-month wishy washy clients (not you, those other folks and they know I’m committed too! This allows me to charge less than what my typical hourly would’ve been and it’s a win-win.

But…I have a merchandise business?

Then offer a quantity discount, a bonus with purchase or add in something ‘else’ of use. Look back at the pizza box example…there is more than just pizza there! If I walk in the door, I’m likely there JUST for pizza…but look at how they are introducing the rest of their product line to me! Genius!

Listen…there are few things I know for certain – but I can speculate, I can test the market and I can draw some conclusions.

And today, I am saying – 10% in rebound growth for Pizza Hut is strong. Taco Bell tested it first, last year. And now they’re transferring it across the brands.

That is compelling. That is telling and that is reason enough for me to consider climbing back INTO the box!

Meanwhile…I’ve just opened the box on the Spring Success E-Coaching Program…I’m working with just 15 folks on this, so head over there & check out that ‘box’

I’d love to hear some of your ideas below on ‘boxing’ up your products, services or self!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing

What are you worth?

By Carrie Wilkerson 102 Comments

(my delightful best gal pal reminded me of this story today…thanks Jenny!)

A woman in Paris spots Picasso in a cafe. She begs and pleads him to sketch her…he finally relents, whips out his pad and draws a sketch of her.

She’s delighted. “How much do I owe you?” she asks.

“$5,000,” he replies.

“$5,000!” she exclaims. “But it only took you 2 minutes!”

“No madam,” he replies. “It took me my life”.

>>>This is what your clients are paying you for…not your time, not your ‘effort’ – rather, your WEALTH of experience, knowledge, information and networks which you have built up over YEARS of study, practice, failures, successes and experience.

You are valuable.
I am valuable.
We are worth the price tag.

Have you been tempted to undercharge? Have you had to apologize for price structures? I’d love to hear from you below if you have and how you have beat that mental block.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing, Motivation & Persistence

Tis the season…for marketing your business

By Carrie Wilkerson 9 Comments

My friend Chris Brogan wrote about December being his ‘secret’ work month. He noted how he gets so far ahead because the mentality of everyone else is to ‘be off’ and get ‘back to business’ in January.

I recognized in my own clients and friends a similar mentality…that in October and November, they were already ‘setting next year’s goals’ and basically wrapping up the year 3 months early! I resisted that and decided that Q4 would be my most powerful quarter each year while everyone else ‘relaxed!’

Now, this doesn’t mean I’m a workaholic – but it does mean that I can leverage seasonal marketing into my strategy – as can YOU! This week, I’ll be focused on this with strategies, tools and tips to carry you into changing holidays, changing seasons and perhaps even changing your mind…

Seasonal Marketing is more than holidays

When you think of seasonal marketing the first ideas that probably pops into your mind are the typical holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the other holidays on your calendar, but seasonal marketing is much more than that. Seasonal marketing can involve the four seasons in a year, the typical holidays mentioned above, various causes that are important to you, as well as client anniversaries. Seasons can also mean your particular product cycle.

When you consider all the opportunities open to you when planning your marketing strategy, your content strategy, and your promotions you can quickly realize that you will not run out of ideas very fast. Thinking about the “seasons” as a cycle rather than just dates on a calendar will help you plan for more since there are many cycles besides holidays.

The Container Store has their ELFA ‘get organized’ event in January. They heavily discount their ELFA shelving and modules each & every year. This is a great example of THEIR product season.

As mentioned above you have the cycle of yearly holidays in which you can use to motivate buying, and you also have your product cycle. A product cycle or season depends upon what your product is, and who your target market is. If you are marketing to tax professionals, your seasonal marketing opportunities are dictated by your market’s tax responsibilities.

If your niche is work at home, home-schooling moms, then your seasons are dictated by what is important to your target market.

By offering discounts, buy one get one free offers, and other encouragement to purchase at the times your target market wants to buy or needs to buy you will quickly see an increase in sales.

If appropriate for your market you can promote products and information on the typical holidays by having special sales and promotions for the calendar holidays but you can also choose to celebrate special customers on their anniversary dates or the date they bought a certain product from you. You can create a brand new season for each client based on their purchasing anniversary. Your client will feel special, and you will encourage retention. (We’ll discuss that more in detail later this week.)

You can also tie your promotions into a cause. For instance, if you have a special cause that is important to you such as breast cancer awareness, you can simply offer to donate a portion of your customers’ purchases to that cause during breast cancer awareness month only.

I am a big giver to orphanages and trafficking rescue through http://100xmissions.org so I sometimes have a ‘redeem a child’ seasonal offer. I typically do this in October in conjunction with my live event.

The important thing to remember is that your promotions, regardless of season, should be focused and targeted on your ideal client and his or her needs. If your website promotes WordPress Themes, it would not be appropriate to now offer Christmas Decorations for sale, just because it is Christmas. It would, however, be appropriate to offer two for one custom themes as a gift to your customers. Always stay focused, and do not become scattered in your offerings just because the calendar specifies a popular holiday.

Leave a comment below if you’d like to share a seasonal idea that you do without fail or something you’ve seen work with clients or places you SHOP! We’d like to know!

==> To check out the complete Seasonal Marketing System I use (including 50% off this week), go here <==

Tomorrow: How to leverage the shopping patterns of your market…

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing, Offer or Seasonal

How Contests Can Grow Your Business

By Carrie Wilkerson 9 Comments

Contests to grow your business are not a new idea. I grew up with the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, didn’t you? I still have burned into my brain the commercials of unsuspecting homeowners answering a knock at the door and being surprised by balloon-carrying, giant check-bearing strangers in suits followed by loud, high-pitched screaming.

But why are contests effective?
Doesn’t that just work for BIG companies?
Can small businesses like us afford contests?

I’ve been curious as I’ve seen more and more small businesses (like you) implement these strategies and I wanted to dissect it a bit and see what we could find out (and how you might use in YOUR business!)

1. Use contests to increase engagement & encourage audience members to reach YOUR conclusion! In this example, Jane Button does a great job on pre-selling her mastermind program by asking her audience ‘If someone offered you $10k to grow your business, how would you spend it?’

Readers were invited to email in their answer (I’d suggest using a Facebook fan page or blog for more public answers and viral engagement) The WINNER would get $10,000 discounted off of Jane’s Mentoring Program!

The goals of this exercise are to educate about the program, increase thinking about the program and lead audience members to understand that a mentor and group program can grow their business much more than $10k in advertising, homestudies or gadgets. After all, investing the experience of someone who has blazed the trail before you is priceless!

(The reason the blog or Facebook page would be powerful is that as folks suggest why the group program or mentoring is valuable and valid – they are providing valuable social proof for others that are considering investing in the program.)

2. Use contests to increase social media sharing & ‘sale’ awareness. Leanne Ely does a great job with contests at her Facebook fan page.

The Saving Dinner audience was tempted with a full-size freezer appliance, Omaha Steaks gift certificates and even a grand prize of Leanne coming to your kitchen to cook! Entries were awarded for purchases of her freezer bundle, Facebook shares, tweeting and more! (Use a contest app like Contest Burner or Wildfire if you attempt a social media contest. Also be aware of the terms & conditions of the social media network you are leveraging.)

The goals here are to increase sales of the freezer menus and to encourage viral sharing by rewarding social media activity with ‘entries’ into the contest! You have to really know your numbers here, so that your sales and increased list size offset the cost of your prize. Better yet, get your prize donated by a company that would love to ‘sponsor’ the contest and get exposure to your audience!

3. Prove that the ‘solution’ you offer your audience works with a transformation contest! This is one of my favorites! Why? Because it’s the same as offering PROOF that your solution or method for __________ works! You see this most commonly in the fitness/weight loss market. I’ll use Tom Venuto and his ‘Go to Hawaii Free’ contest for example.

Tom’s model is great because he can (in the states that allow it) require that you purchase either his Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program as an entry or require entry into the Inner Circle Forums to participate. This makes total sense, because if you’re going to have results with his program, you need to be aware of what the program IS.

It’s a short period of time (49 days) to show that the process of 1) his program 2) a set time frame 3) extreme motivation and 4) group support make a huge difference in you changing your physique! I’m participating in this myself, and I have to say that the prizes and trips combined with the short time frame were a huge draw for me.

There’s also a ‘shoot for the moon and land among the stars’ element here as well. What I mean by that is – if I participate and adhere to the program, I may NOT get an all expense trip to Maui, iPad or Kindle Fire — but I will lose fat, build muscle and gain some amazing momentum in the meantime! That is attractive to contest participants as well!

This is my favorite model because you are proving your expertise in a compressed time frame, increasing sales, increasing engagement in a BIG way in your community and seeing REAL results for your clients. Tom is a friend and I shot him a few questions about the effectiveness of this in his business:

Carrie, this contest has done more to promote our business, specifically build our ‘social community’ than ANYTHING I’ve ever done in my entire career.

It’s huge, absolutely real & life-changing and anyone can see that who gets into our inner circle, reads our Facebook page or sees the 1,032 comments on my blog from the last few days alone!

Ok — so there you have it — 3 examples of small business owners (like us) that are using contests to reach different goals & motivations in their business!

How can you implement one of these into YOUR business?

And for the record…I’m entering Tom’s 49 Day Transformation and will be keeping tabs on my progress on the blog — if you wanna join me, we’ve got nothing to lose but our love handles!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Goal Setting, Marketing, Motivation & Persistence

I Dare You to Give More Away

By Carrie Wilkerson 34 Comments

“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” Tony Robbins

Now, I’ll usually be the first to tell you that you need to value what you do and what you bring to the community. I agree with the expertise that you offer, and encourage you that you are worth charging for. Yes, yes, and yes. You know I believe that, it’s in my book, it’s in almost every course I teach.

However, I believe the way that Baskin Robbins, Costco and so many others get you to fall in love with their product and be comfortable with them to the point of purchase is through sampling.

Sometimes – there is a case to be made for giving away your best stuff. (Gasp)

Baskin Robbins does not keep a special carton of sub-standard ice cream under the counter for sample seekers, they serve you the premium stuff. Why? Because they want you to like what you taste and then buy more!

Recently, I received a lovely package of handmade fresh truffles from England as a gift. Sarah at Chocadores sent me a lovely sampler box. She knows I travel there. She knows I do business there and she also knows I blog (smart lady.) But still – why would she risk the cost, the shipping, the trouble of giving away some of her best stuff? You tell me!

Incidentally, they were phenomenal. I’m a chocolate lover and I was head-over-heels for these! I’ve tweeted about them and you can be sure when I need gifts in England and even for business meetings there, I’m going to let Sarah know! The lemon and raspberry were my favorite. The ale was the family’s least favorite – so we’ll just stick with the fruity ones – YUM! It took me almost a month to get through the box because I was so STINGY with them! (And I was really surprised at how beautifully they shipped all the way to Texas!)

A personal example was my recent teaching about making sure you have endless prospects, leads and potential clients – I call this ‘Fill Your Stadium’ and have trained thousands of people free with an audio and downloadable handout. Why? In hopes that we could build trust and a relationship so that when they were needing a trainer or coach like me, it would be an easy decision.

So, then when I offer free things for a name and an email address, free articles, free audios, or reports, or ebooks, or whatever it is that I choose in my business, maybe it’s samples, or consultations, or strategy sessions, or treatments, why would I offer less than my best?

The truth of the matter is we get a little scarcity minded and we say, “If I give them my best then they won’t need what I’m selling, they won’t have any need to give me their money.” The truth is if you give them your best they learn to know you, to like you, to trust you, then to pay you.

So, when I teach a free class, when I do a webinar and I open it to the public, when I write an article, when I do a podcast or shoot my TV episodes, I pour my guts out. I don’t hold anything back. You may think that’s not wise, but I have a great income and lifestyle that says differently. Plus, my audience trusts me.

I mean it. Don’t hold back. It makes your audience cynical and skeptical. Teach them what they want to know. Don’t hold secrets, don’t keep the veil on. Don’t say, “Oh and WHEN you buy then I’ll show you the real stuff.” What kind of trust is that building?

Yes, there will be people that take advantage. Yes, there will be people that sample your stuff and can figure it out from there. Great! Look at the people you’ve served, awesome. Has that taken anything away from you? Has your business gone backwards because of that? I don’t think so.

So, I challenge you today to give away some of your best stuff! A candle never became ‘less lit’ by sharing it’s light with another candle.

What are your thoughts?

Filed Under: Blog Posts, List Buiding & Prospecting, Marketing, Systems

You must think like a STAR in your business

By Carrie Wilkerson 29 Comments

Meet Catie. She’s 7 and I call her Broadway Barefoot when I’m writing about her online.

She’s a star. She sings. She dances. She acts. Quite frankly, she SHINES. Her entire world is a stage and she revels in it. She doesn’t just ‘play’ with her friends…she is always ‘producing.’

Last night we went to Casa Manana in Fort Worth to watch her in ‘Sounds of the 60′s.’ She had a solo (again) and performed without one single ounce of anxiety in front of about 750 people. She has been singing solos onstage in front of 400+ crowds since she was 3. Yep – 3. Crazy, I know. (I cannot deny – she comes by that genetically & environmentally.)

My 13 yr old daughter is also a star. She is an artist, a flutist and a vocalist. But she prefers her stage time to be in ensembles. She competes musically & artistically on a state level.

My youngest is another star. Her performances come in the form of acrobatics, trampoline, anything with a ball and climbing. She’s 3, no awards yet

And while I love seeing them all shine…I can’t help but think that we are all STARS, especially in business.

I already hear you saying this, “But Carrie, I don’t want to be well-known like you. I’m not cut out for all that attention.”

Well – being a STAR doesn’t mean you are a celebrity. It doesn’t mean you are a household name and it doesn’t mean you are untouchable. Being a STAR simply means you SHINE at what you do. Let me break it down for you like I did for Tory Johnson’s Spark & Hustle Crowd recently.

S ~ Serve & Solve: How can you serve others? How are you solving their problems? Don’t get hung up on the sales, get hung up on Serving & Solving & the Sales will come!

T ~ Target Audience: Who is your real core market? Who are you serving? (Hint: the answer cannot be ‘anyone’) You have to know who you are passionate about ‘solving’ for (see above) before you can be effective.

A ~ Attitude Adjustment: Why do you want to serve your target? What is your motive? How do you feel about them? Are you simply dollar-sign-driven? If so, your market will see that. Adjust your attitude. Are you driven to help them? They will see that too.

R ~ Repeat: You know what the shampoo bottle says, right? Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Simple. When you are clear that you are serving & solving for, when you are crystal on who your target audience is and when you have the right attitude…much like the stars in the sky, your audience will look up to you. You will shine. You will be their provider of choice (no matter what your market is).

I want to challenge you to SHINE in your business. It’s not about attention. It’s about being a STAR to those looking up at you!

Let’s talk – what are some thoughts you have about this today?

Filed Under: Blog Posts, List Buiding & Prospecting, Marketing

Why they aren’t buying (from you)

By Carrie Wilkerson 58 Comments

You are good at what you do.

You have an excellent (fill in the blank here) __________________

Your website is done

Your shopping cart or paypal is hooked up and you sent an email to your list pointing to your beautiful sales page (that you’ve been laboring over)

You’ve emailed your list, you’ve tweeted and updated and shared and even youtubed your offer.

Then you made yourself a frosty drink and kicked up your feet, prepared to listen to the ka-ching of your shopping cart go off all day while your sales rolled in and the herd of eager buyers stampeded your site.

Right? Well, in the words of the philosopher Dr. Phil — ‘how’s that workin for ya?’

It happens. It’s not uncommon. It’s discouraging and…it’s fixable.

I don’t proclaim to be the ‘most high’ marketing expert. I’m not at expert at conversions and diagnostics. But I do have a theory and some quick-fixes that tend to work for my clients and I.

I believe your offer probably lacks one or all of the following:

Urgency
Scarcity
Awareness

Urgency ==> As humans, we are wired to want to make the right decision. Translation: we have a fear of making the wrong decision. Which means quite simply, we will put off the decision as long as possible in the hopes that we don’t have to make it at all.

So deadlines on offers, expiring bonuses, payment plans that lapse and pricing that escalates are all ways to communicate urgency. Why your prospect needs to make a decision. The truth is — I just want a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’

To buy or not to buy, that is the question… the death of your offer is the NON-decision. The ‘I’ll think about it later’ factor. Ackkkk…recheck your offer and make sure you have SOME type of Urgency.

Scarcity ==> Do you have limited space in the room? Are there limited lines on the call? Is the webinar access limited? Do you have bandwidth to just coach xx amount of clients? Do you have a physical bonus and only xx copies?

As humans, we’re often more motivated by what we’re afraid we’ll miss out on that the really cool thing we’re going to get (ie your product).

So, how can you add scarcity? Again, we’re not manipulating your prospects, we’re giving them reasons to make a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision.

Awareness ==> So, you put up a sales page. Yippee, you blogged. Hooray for you tweeting your offer. Kudos to you for emailing your list. So what? How many messages and emails and incomings do you get per day?

It’s NOT your prospect’s job to remember you are in business. It’s YOUR job to remind them. It’s YOUR task to keep them aware of the 1) scarcity and 2) urgency and 3) you

Email them again with new content or a reminder. Make your subject line super-clear [Expires today] or [1 day left] Friendly Reminder. The lifespan of a tweet (depending on # of followers) is about an hour. If I tweet ONCE about a killer offer…very few of my audience sees it! Facebook it again and ask your network to ‘share.’

Is it good? Are you proud of it? Are you convinced you’re solving a problem in the market of (insert your niche here) _________________.

If so – then you need to evaluate your offerings through a lens of:

Urgency
Scarcity
Awareness

And make SURE that you are empowering your audience to make a decision. Otherwise…they will decide to decide later and that’s really no decision at all.

I’d love to hear below what some of your favorite decision triggers are: Deadlines? Bonuses? Limited Slots? Exclusivity? Let’s talk below!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing, Systems

3 Core Principles That Make You and Your Business Unique

By Carrie Wilkerson 112 Comments

Whatever your business model I think there are three core principles that help your business be uniquely you.

I don’t get really worked up about competition in the marketplace and I’m in some very crowded niches! Why? Because others can copy my content, my teaching points and even my methods, but I don’t stress out about it because they can’t BE me!

There are three things of mine (& yours) that no one else has!

Your Story
Your Skill Set
Your Style

Now, when you embrace your story you utilize your skill set and you maximize your style. I believe that you will be uniquely branded and no one can take that away from you or even model it effectively.

Your audience really has a good radar for authenticity…so you just keep being you, embracing your story.

What do I mean by story? What I mean is you have been through experiences, and life, and years, and travels, and things that are just YOURS.

For instance, many of you already know:

I’ve lost over 100 pounds
I have overcome six figures of credit card debt without bankruptcy or consolidation
I battled infertility & have the blessing of 2 adopted children as well as two homemade.
I’ve dealt with depression, job loss and much, much more…

This is all part of my story…also

I have a husband that was in corporate America and traveled a lot, I have parents who were on the mission field in the military, I was a military kid and also a preacher’s kid, that’s part of my story. I weave that into a lot of what I do. You hear me tell stories about it, you hear me use examples from my life, my experiences.

Is it because I want it to be all about me? No. But, who I am is because of my story. My story has shaped me, my story has defined me. You can use your story to shape you positively or negatively, you can use it to burn you into ashes or refine you.

Your skill set. What have you trained to do? What have you studied to do? What are you credentialed to do? What have you been paid to do in the past? That’s your skill set.

You have a unique skill set that other people don’t have. Embrace your really rocking skill sets that you’ve acquired. You have them for a reason and you can monetize them, be true to that.

Then last let’s talk about your style. Now, my brand is kind of a funny name, the Barefoot Executive. Well, I decided that I was going to throw off convention and be a CEO on my terms. I would not be defined by convention, so I am the Barefoot Executive, that’s part of my style.

My style is also very southern, maternal and feminine. My family and my faith are very important to me. That’s the fabric of who I am.

So, I want you to be true to your story, your skill set, and your style. Then competition falls by the wayside and doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Tactics are one thing, strategies are another thing. But, focus on your story, skill set, and style, and I guarantee you that you’ll have better results in your business. Your audience will know you, like you, and trust you and YOU can never be duplicated!

A favorite quote of mine… You have to be YOU – because everyone else is already taken!

Tell me a little about your story, skills or style below. Let’s ROCK THAT instead of trying to ‘catch up’ to everyone else!

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Marketing