Meeting my long-time hero for the first time in 2009. What an honor.

Flashback to 7th grade…such an awkward time for many, and I was no exception. And then I met the man with the funny voice and the funnier name…Zig Ziglar.

Well, I didn’t really MEET him, but my middle school class was being a ‘guinea pig’ for his ‘I Can Kids’ curriculum. THIS is where I learned about goal setting and the power of my own personal attitude. I can safely say, no cliche intended…that Zig changed the course of my attitude and therefore, my life.

You must read this book. I’m not suggesting. I’m not hinting. I’m saying – go get ‘Born to Win’ and read it.

Now, I’m proud to call Zig a mentor and friend and I love his family dearly.  I don’t review books for other ‘influencers’ when I am asked. And trust me, I’m asked a dozen times a week. But this book – you need.

“America’s Motivator” and bestselling author, has written what is sure to become a beloved classic, Born to Win. Zig gathers his 40+ years of teaching about success, what it really is and how to get it, and puts it all in one easy-to-understand book.

In Born to Win you will learn how:

• You can begin to win right away
• Two driving forces fuel action
• To stop worrying about results
• Being born to win can drive your business to new levels of success

Zig believes you were born to win, but you must plan to win and prepare to win. Then and only then can you expect to win. Zig shares the exact steps you can take to be the winner you are meant to be!  With his humorous writing style and real-life examples, you will find yourself going back to this book again and again.

Purchase the book today and receive over $2184 worth of bonuses FREE!

Order now!

Carrie & Zig sharing the stage in Dallas, 2011. Judging from the look on my face, his humor is still as sharp as ever!

In a world where there are so many ‘doing social media wrong’ — I had to share this story…

My girls and I watch Dancing With the Stars.

My daughters are all very musical and dance driven, so we watch, we critique and we get vested in our favorites.

Last week, my 7 year old was distraught over the news that one of her top picks Maria Menounos was suffering from fractures in her feet, along with her previously broken ribs…and STILL dancing!

So my girls and I talked about dreams, goals and perseverance and we also talked about using wisdom regarding your health. Then, we left it at that.

Maybe you can imagine my surprise…when at bedtime, my sweet daughter prayed for Maria. I was so touched that I tweeted her the next morning!

Now…here is where I expected it to stop. I mean, really – the woman is an entertainment reporter, a New York Times best-selling author (her book is excellent, by the way) and is devoting a chunk of her life to Dancing With The Stars…I did NOT expect her to be monitoring her tweet stream.

But she does.

Not only did she ‘retweet’ it to all of her followers, she responded.

At this point…I was shocked. Really. Call me jaded in social media – but I’m very used to the ‘type’ of folks that amass lots of numbers and then don’t attempt to engage. We’ve got divas, snobs and even those that are outsourcing their ‘social activity’ – and let me say that Maria is not any one of those things. I, of course, had to respond.

My daughter was squealing because she was ‘tweeted’ by a celeb!! So I thanked her! After all, Momma taught me to be gracious. (Maria might laud being Greek – but I am Southern through and through — we both have our strengths

At this point…I was thrilled. Maria had restored my faith in non-diva celebs…she had convinced all my girls that SHE was going to be the mirrored ball winner and our other previous top pick was now discarded along the wayside of Maria’s REAL-ness.

But what was interesting…is that it seemed MY family was not alone in being affected by this exchange. Maria was as well.

Maria kept thanking us and retweeting the prayer and note all over. Even @TeamMenounos got into the fun and started circulating this little random act of sweetness by my little girl.

And then…the icing on a fabulous cake…

This injured celeb, who was touched by my anonymous ‘could-be-anybody’ little girl praying for her, asked if she could send her a ‘Team Menough’ hoodie buddie. What she didn’t know is that my daughter is studying the performing arts, dancing, theatre, music and more. PLUS, it was her birthday!! She was OVER the moon.

Oh…and guess who she is cheering for, talking about and finding NO fault with? Yup. Maria!

I don’t share this story just to tell you about my little girl’s exciting week, but because I still firmly believe that social media can be a powerful way:

• to be heard (as in my daughter’s case)
• to render influence and genuine-ness (as in Maria’s case) and
• to show hundreds of thousands of others (as in all the watchers of DWTS) that Maria is real, she is listening and she still cares…even about the littlest fans.

She has my vote. And because you are reading this…whether you watch DWTS or not — I’m going to ask you to vote for Maria too! Vote for her dancing through pain, for her juggling all of her jobs, for her involvement with real people and for her caring about the prayers of a 7 year old fan…who can’t even vote without permission.

I’m not going to open comments up for this post – I’m going to ask, instead of a comment…that you go vote. Really…click on the image above or dial the phone. For Catie’s friend…Maria.

And then she asked her daughter….

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

** Note from Carrie: I don’t know that I need to add anything to this – but would love to know some things in the comment section below that help you when you are up against obstacles & adversity.  And as always, please share with your social networks if you found this helpful at all.

As I published my book and decided to grow my speaking platform for bigger impact…I thought an important key might be national TV… but I wasn’t sure how to make that happen.

I suspected that a single appearance as a guest on a major TV show or network like the Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, Fox News, CNN, or CNBC would allow me to receive millions of viewers with my message.

Last fall, that was my reality when I appeared on CNN to promote my book The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide to Being Your Own Boss and Achieving
Financial Freedom.

CNN invited me for a 4 ½ minute segment to talk about on the three biggest mistakes to avoid when starting a business. It was such a thrill when they put the cover of my book on the screen in front of millions of people!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Within minutes of my CNN appearance, I started hearing from my friends via text and social media that they’d just seen me on TV! I had friends send me photos from Denny’s, where they were having breakfast and the airport where they were waiting for flights. They saw me on CNN – crazy!

Within 24 hours, I also got over 500 fresh opt-ins to my email list – hot leads from people I’d never find any other way. Beyond the immediate exposure and sales leads, I’ve also found there’s a tremendous benefit and credibility from being able to put on my site “As seen on CNN!”

A lot of people have asked how it all happened and what I learned, so thought I’d share the story and lessons.

How’d I get my foot in the door with CNN?

First, last fall I attended the National Publicity Summit, a twice-yearly conference in New York put on by my friends Bill & Steve Harrison, where you get to meet over 100 top producers and journalists who do shows and stories for really big magazines, newspapers and TV shows. (this is no exaggeration, this place is crawling with media folks.)

Because of my own scheduling conflict, I was only able to attend ONE of the three days at the Summit, but still got the media contact directory they give their attendees.

We contacted one of the CNN producers listed and tell her about my book. The next thing I knew, I was at the movies seeing The Smurfs with my kids when my cell phone rang. It was the CNN producer and she wanted me to book me as a guest that same week!

My blog helped. When the CNN producer called, I was surprised how few questions she had for me. It turns out she’d already been to my blog, had read my bio and bunch of my posts, in addition to checking out some of my videos.

**If you want media coverage and/or speaking engagements, I definitely recommend having a blog. (keeping my blog current with photos, video and articles was recommended by the media panel at the Summit)

What it was like being on TV? 

Truthfully – it was the same as shooting a video in my home office except I had someone asking questions in my ear. It was so much easier than you might imagine!

How I leveraged the publicity.

I put the CNN clip on YouTube so now whenever a prospective client Googles my name, one of the first things they see is me on national TV. I also added ‘As seen on CNN’ to all my promotional materials, websites and introductions when I teach or speak.

Mistakes I made.

• My biggest mistake was only attending one day of the Summit! I cannot imagine the results I’d have with even more contacts!
• Another mistake was that I only followed up with a small portion of the leads I got. Truthfully, I got a huge notebook of media contacts and met with dozens in person…I should have been more diligent with each and every contact. You can bet I won’t make that same mistake this time!

Want publicity for your book or business? Because of my success as a result of the last National Publicity Summit, I’m going to be attending the next one, April 25-28th in New York, this time as a speaker who’ll be sharing some of my social media strategies for increased exposure and follow up.

Are you ready to take your message to a bigger audience?

• Join me in NYC later this month…I’ve just made dinner reservations and bought tickets to Wicked (yes again, this is my 10th time and I’d love for you to be my dinner & theatre guest when you register as a Summit attendee through this link! (Bill & Steve will let me know when you register)
• We can even do some chatting about your business, your backend streams of income plan and maybe I can give you some informal coaching while we’re there if that interests you

Go check out the details here and at the very least, if you are looking for publicity, exposure, media and clarity on your message, optin to Bill & Steve’s list – these guys know what they’re talking about!

Emily is a 14 year old sophomore. She skipped 2nd grade. (she was an achiever and ‘rebel’ early on) She is ranked #4 in her class of 256 graduates. She studies hard. She is very competitive, attractive, funny, stylish and driven. She has been getting ‘the friendliest’ award since pre-K and has a tender heart for the underdog. She is musical, a voracious reader, a class officer and artistic. As an adopted child, she has a precious heart for orphans. She loves to travel, rebels against unfairness and she knows there is ‘something big’ she is called to do.

See what I mean? In many ways, she is like you.

But what does this have to do with business, Carrie??

You want to have a profitable business. Yes?

And so next comes the barrage of questions:

• What can I do?
• Is that marketable?
• How do I start?
• Who wants what I have?
• What do I know?
• Is that too saturated?
• and on and on and on…

But I think there is an even more important FIRST question!

How do you create?

When Emily created this image below, she was 9. The assignment was to create something from scenery you’d imagined in a book or a song.

Being a Texas gal, I really love this. I’m not sure what the scene was she is trying to create…but the fact is – she was happy with it. It achieved HER objectives.

Maybe you are a ‘creator’ or business owner that likes to focus on ideas. Someone who likes to create from free thought and needs in the market. Something from your imagination, using your own palette, medium, shapes and sizes. You don’t want a pattern or need an outline. Just let me create, you say!

This might be your style of business if:

• You rebel against ‘how others are doing it’
• You are wildly passionate about something and cannot rest until it’s done.
• You see the big picture clearly & don’t want anyone else smudging it.
• You like to read, listen to ideas, etc and then add your OWN style or spin to it
• You are not easily frustrated
• You work really well alone
• You are okay if it isn’t perfect, it’s is YOURS after all
• You are comfortable with risk-taking.
• You are not overly concerned with the opinion of others.
• Steve Jobs was this kind of creator. These are the innovators.

Doesn’t sound like you yet? Keep reading!

When Emily created this image of Taylor Swift, she was 12. The assignment was to take a ‘pattern’ or a ‘likeness’ and complete it. To mirror it using your skills. She chose Taylor, because her younger sister is a big fan.

She did a great job, right?

Maybe you are a ‘creator’ or business owner that likes to have a pattern. Someone who likes to see other peoples’ businesses and ‘model’ after them, using your own skills, talents and whatever flavor of crayon you prefer.

This probably means:

• You are an independent learner & worker
• You can receive an ‘overview’ and run with the idea from there
• You can connect dots on your own & don’t need hand-holding
• You see ‘the big picture’ and know what steps it takes for you to fashion it into your own
• You don’t get frustrated easily
• You don’t require perfection or over-analysis, but allow yourself some ‘flow’ and expression
• You like the comfort zone of being able to refer back to the ‘original’ pattern
• You like puzzles and systems and knowing how things will fit to completion (with some trial & error)
• Working with a coach or mentor is a good fit for you. You really like a sounding board.
• You like proven methods, BUT want the freedom to blur the lines a bit.

Any of this resonating with you yet? Keep reading!

As the ‘biggest sister’ with two younger sisters…you can imagine that Emily also spends some time doing ‘art’ with them. Emily created this image of Rapunzel from Disney’s “Tangled” during a Saturday morning pj session. The assignment was to complete the picture by coloring in the lines, Right?

This is still art. This is still her creation. This is still work

Maybe you are a ‘creator’ or business owner that likes to have a proven, turn-key, fill in the lines type business model. Someone who likes to know without a doubt that ‘this will work.’ This business owner likes to step into a system or process and be the ‘agent’ of the business.

This might be your ideal model if:

• Trial and error make you insane.
• You have failed before and have fear about ‘creating’ something new
• You really crave the support system of others just like you
• You like having a company backing you and doing your marketing
• Ideas are not your best thing…you just want to ‘do’
• You have limited time to ‘figure’ something out
• You want to ‘hit the ground running’ right now

This is all art business. Right?

You are like Emily:

• Talented
• Intelligent
• Driven
• Creative
• Knowing you having something ‘big’ in you

But before you grab the brushes, pencils and easel and get ready to prep your business canvas…ask yourself, ‘How do I create?’

Don’t worry about how I create, or she creates or ‘they’ create. How. Do. You. Create?

Please, leave a comment or LIGHT BULB moment below!

I always love to continue our conversation and am honored when you share these posts!

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!

If you enjoyed this post, you will love ongoing tips and information!

Name:

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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!

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!

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.

• ‘I could get my baby weight off as fast as those celebs if I had a chef and personal trainer.’
• ‘I could get keynote fees for speaking like that if someone would offer ME a book contract.’
• ‘I would get more done if my spouse were more supportive and helpful (or made more money or _____)’
• ‘My business would be more successful if I had HER email list or HIS twitter followers or _____’
• ‘I could be happy and positive all the time if my life were perfect, like hers.’
• ‘I could ______ if ______’

We are quick to see the social media snapshot, the book cover, the CNN spot and dismiss everything that came before. We believe that online celebs (or offline, for that matter) never deal with confidence blows, insecurity, financial trouble, marriage problems (except that for movie stars this is in the job description), kids that misbehave, traffic accidents, plumbing malfunctions or illness.

• Maybe we want to believe everything is ideal for ‘them’ so we can let ourselves off the hook for the effort to get better results.
• Maybe we fuel our discontent with jealousy, anger and resentment and we’ve fooled ourselves into believing ‘they’ have ‘magic.’
• Maybe it’s just easier to chalk ‘their’ success up to ‘luck & good connections’ than to blood, sweat, tears, time in the gym, acting classes, business missteps and more.
• Maybe we’re not willing to give up who we are for who we want to be and we need someone to blame for that. ‘They’ are handy for that.

Maybe.

I can’t speak for all of ‘them’ – the folks that ‘have it easy’ – you know, those ‘overnight success stories.’ — I can only speak for me. So let me take you back a few years…let’s strip down to some truth.

Carrie at 266 lbs September 2000

This is me. At my heaviest weight. That shirt was a size 26 and those pants were begging to be retired. My shoes were stretched out on all sides from my fat feet and lack of ankles and the day of walking on this tour wore me out. My husband kept having to stop to let me rest. (no, that is not him in the photo.)

Not a pretty truth. But truth.  I am 5’4″ — that is a lot of weight. Oh, and I was just 28 here. I look alot older and felt absolutely ancient.

Furthermore, while doing fair in a part time business, I mismanaged my funds to a degree where I dug us into a crippling six figures of debt, not counting our house & car.

• I tried shortcuts for weight. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for debt. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for happiness. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for business growth. I failed.

I am just like you. I am successful when I do the right things, with the right consistency at the right times. (psssst, I suspect ‘THEY’ are too!)

• The inconvenient truth is that we dug out of debt one day at a time, one dollar at a time, one choice at a time. No bankruptcy or bailouts.
• I dug out of my weight the same way. It’s still a battle…I yo-yo like everyone else. When I quit paying attention or make unhealthy choices, the weight comes back with a vengeance. I am working on that diligently now.
• I still struggle with discouragement and confidence issues, like you. It helps when you string baby steps and small successes together.
• My ‘overnight’ success online came as a result of studying people doing it right and then taking action, quickly. It came as a result of 13 years of overnights. As a result of listening to my market, putting in the hours, sacrificing TV shows and some hobbies. It came as a result of me be willing to mess up and fall on my face.
• I didn’t ‘luck’ into my spouse. I chose him and he chose me back. We work DAILY on our marriage. We choose to stay.

The naked truth is that the ‘successful and highly visible’ people struggle, fail and fall…like you and like me.

• Maybe they string their failures closer together.
• Maybe they choose to fail bigger and fall faster.
• Maybe they put in more hours, take more classes, hang around with positive people.
• Maybe they consider gym time their ‘job time’ if image is part of their paycheck.
• Maybe they write 12 books to every 1 best-seller you hear of.
• Maybe they cry in the shower, so no one sees.
• Maybe they’re looking at you and thinking…I could sparkle & shine like her, if I only ________

Maybe.

It saddens me…to see anyone limit their amazing-ness because they continue comparing themselves to ‘them’ and falling short.

Don’t let that be you. I won’t let it be me.

Leave a comment below if this resonates with you – and please, today I’m asking that you SHARE this on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+ and anywhere you know folks need to hear it. Let them know they’re not alone.