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Does this sound in any way familiar?
Last year you declared that it was THE year to grow your business. You may even have made a to-do list that included things like "Make more money," "Find new clients," etc.
But despite creating your trusty list, life got in the way, as it is wont to do, so you're no closer to meeting your goal now than you were this time last year.
In fact, just thinking about what you (gulp!) didn't accomplish makes you a little uncomfortable and disappointed. You might even have talked yourself into thinking that you simply can't find the time to start working on your goals, what with all the last-minute client challenges, employee issues and hurried attempts to do any sort of marketing at all.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be so difficult to reach your goals. If you know my work and/or subscribe to my newsletter, you know that I'm a planner at heart. It's the very best way to ensure that you will actually reach the goals you want to achieve this year ... and beyond.
Here is a simple, yet helpful method to plan for your own success. Just grab a pen and paper, and you're ready to roll!
1. Think about where you would like to be in 3 years. I pick 3 years because it is a reasonable amount of time in which to expect fairly large changes to take place -- such as achieving nationally known status as an expert in your field, a substantial increase in your net earnings or simply finding a better clientele that doesn't stress you out. Many of your goals may take a while to achieve, above and beyond a mere 12 months. (We all know how quickly a month can pass us by!)
So think long and hard about what you would like to achieve, first and foremost.
2. Why do you want to achieve those goals? What is your motivation? Because you really want to make them happen, or because you think you *should* achieve them?
Now is not the time to play "should'ves." Instead, ensure that every goal on your list is motivated by the right goals, namely that you want to see them come true because they are ideal for your skill set and key strengths.
What's key here is to rule out goals that you have set for yourself that actually aren't in line with your value system and dreams. It's time to concentrate on what YOU want! This will save you many hours of time and frustration.
3. Make sure you're aiming for goals that are high enough! Many of my clients initially have a tendency to sell themselves short; only after discussing their potential do they see what they can truly achieve.
It's also important to ask yourself very seriously if you are simply planning not to fail. No, you don't want to take risks that will majorly undermine you if they fail, but you do need to take calculated risks that stretch you to new heights.
4. What will it take to get you there? You want to consider the steps that will get you to each of your goals.
If, for example, you are currently making $45,000 a year and hope to achieve more than $1 million in business in 3 years, you have to determine the changes you will make in your business model as a whole that will allow you to do so.
You might need to:
Spell out the broad steps that you will need to make in order to move ahead, along with the amount of time it will take for you to achieve them.
5. Which skills do you need to gain in order to achieve those goals? If you want to make more money with your business with a minimum of expense, I highly recommend that you do the following:
Make sure to list all skills that you need to improve upon.
6. Assess which goals are realistic to achieve. What is viable? What isn't? If you need to learn a lot of new skills, how much time can you realistically plan to dedicate to doing so? Do you have the financial ability to afford the training?
Secondly, are any of your goals contradictory? For example, if you wish to raise your income by selling more personal services and want to make 6 figures, will you be able to raise your rate enough in your market to realistically accomplish this?
Then, and only then, you'll be ready to ...
7. Create a 1-year plan. I started with the longer-term plan because it helps you visualize the things that you truly with to achieve -- and allows you to see the significant gains you can make with concerted effort. However, you need to build some interim steps in the process, 1 year at a time. At this point you want to outline the goals that you would like to achieve in that 1-year period.
8. Map out the steps that would allow you to achieve those goals. For instance, if your goal is to gain 12 new clients this year, what will it take to reach them?
Be very specific about what you plan to do at what point during the year -- along with how you plan to find the time to achieve them. It might mean hiring a virtual assistant, getting help from a marketing professional like yours truly and/or sending out mailings to clients and prospects on a monthly basis.
Oftentimes each goal has a number of subgoals, such as gathering names of prospects, getting design work done, joining local organizations and attending meetings, hiring a consultant and so forth.
9. Add the steps in your 1-year plan to your calendar. I use Microsoft Outlook solely for the calendar function, which allows me to set up reminders and manage my time more effectively. You can also use a paper calendar or Daytimer organizer -- it's not the medium that counts, but what works best for you!
Make sure to add an appointment to your calendar for each of the major milestones in your plan, and then commit to keeping them. If you let one slide, immediately reschedule it. If you're not committed to your own success, you can't expect to make progress.
10. Assess where you are once a month, and adjust your schedule accordingly. There's no sense beating yourself up if you suffer a minor setback; just find a way to get back on schedule the following month.
We all have professional and personal challenges that get in the way of progress from time to time -- illness, family matters, etc. Forgive yourself for serious matters that you cannot plan for; it happens to the best of us. If you suffer serious setbacks, it might be time to reassess what is feasible to accomplish in the near future.
If you do end up reworking your set of goals, go through these steps once again to ensure that you aren't setting yourself up for failure. Every successful business owner I've ever known (and frankly, every successful person I've ever known) has understood the value of putting yourself in a position to succeed!
Want to turn your small business into a brand-name success? Jennifer McCay, author of The High-Concept Brand Bible, helps small business owners like you find more clients more easily using big-business tactics that really work. Sign up for her free Avenues to Marketing Success Newsletter today at http://AvenueEast.com Jennifer McCay may be contacted at http://AvenueEast.com
by Jeff Baas
At one point in college I studied to be a teacher. And I had a professor who knew education theory like most of us know our names. And I learned an incredibly valuable lesson from him that I've found holds true in just about every area of life.
Unfortunately, the lesson wasn't something he tried to teach me. It was, though, one of the most important lessons I've ever learned and one that guides everything I do in Internet marketing. And that's why, with both apologies and thanks to him, I've given the principle his name: the Kuske Principle.
As I say, Professor Kuske was an encyclopedia of information about education. But he wasn't all that successful at practicing it.
You always knew when Professor Kuske was about to impart a particularly important point. He would lean way back in his chair, put his fingertips together in a steeple and start tapping them. A smug expression would creep over his face. He would let loose with the vaguest, most obscure question you could imagine, then sit back and wait for us to answer.
We never had any idea what he was getting at. The first couple of days, some of us made fumbling attempts to answer. But nobody ever answered his questions right. No matter how close you got, it was never quite what he wanted. And his expression would grow more and more smug until he finally answered it himself.
Now, I know he was following good educational principles, trying to get us to think through the questions and figure out the answers for ourselves. But his questions were so vague that there was no way in the world ANYONE had a ghost of a chance of getting them right.
Eventually, we gave up even trying to answer. Every time he asked a question, everyone quickly stared down at their notes until he proudly revealed the answer.
The great life lesson I learned from him came when I ventured out to teach my first practice class. I quickly grew frustrated with my students. They didn't even try to answer my questions. They just stared down at their desks.
And then I noticed.
I was leaning way back in my chair. My fingers were tapping together in a steeple. And I realized I was asking questions every bit as bewildering as Professor Kuske's best mind-muddlers.
Without intending to, I was patterning myself after Professor Kuske.
What I realized is that when people learn a new skill, they subconsciously pattern themselves after bad examples rather than good. I've seen this at work in just about every field I've been in since then. And Internet marketing is no exception.
Why is it that new business owners write copy for their site that is either terminally dull and lifeless or drowning in hype? It's the Kuske Principle at work. Why do new web designers cram every distracting animation and do-dad they can into their site? Again, it's the Kuske Principle.
Good writing, good design, and good marketing come across to us as so natural and, well, so right that we're simply caught up in it. We lose sight of all the techniques and craftsmanship that made it so effective.
Bad writing, bad design, and bad marketing, on the other hand, are so blatant in their attempts to manipulate that we are painfully aware of all the awkward pieces that are badly cobbled into them.
Sure, we're turned off by bad examples, but when called upon to write copy or design a site or market a product, what techniques for doing so come to our mind? Of course! Those wretched techniques that were so obvious are ingrained in our minds as the way that task is supposed to be done.
So how can we avoid falling victim to the Kuske Principle in our businesses?
The moment I realized what I was doing in the classroom, I started searching my memory for classes I enjoyed and learned the most in. And I started to consciously watch those teachers who made classes a joy and an adventure. I consciously studied the ways they taught.
It takes that kind of conscious effort to discard the bad examples and learn from the good. But consciously studying those examples of good marketing that you come across - the ones that we would otherwise simply get caught up in - is an education you can't buy at any price.
Jeff Baas is a long-time student of the steps to success required in a wide variety of disciplines. He's found the same principles lead to success in virtually every field, and failure comes when people try to skip around them. See these principles applied to Internet marketing in the Seven Steps to Starting a Small Business Online in the articles, product reviews and free marketing strategies newsletter at http://www.onestopwebsupport.com
Jeff Baas may be contacted at http://www.onestopwebsupport.com
1. When you make your first sale, follow-up with the customer. You could follow-up with a "thank you" email and include an advertisement for other products you sell. You could follow-up every few months.
2. You could upsell to your customers. When they're at your order page, tell them about a few extra related products you have for sale. They could just add it to their original order.
3. Tell your customers if they refer four customers to your web site, they will receive a full rebate of their purchase price. This will turn one sale into three sales.
4. When you sell a product, give your customers the option of joining an affiliate program so they can make commissions selling your product. This will multiply the sale you just made.
5. Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to your products. You could include an ad on or with the product for other products you sell. You could make sales for the reproduction rights and sales on the back end product.
6. You could cross promote your product with other businesses' products in a package deal. You can include an ad or flyer for other products you sell and have other businesses selling for you.
7. When you ship out or deliver your product, include a coupon for other related products you sell in the package. This will attract them to buy more products from you.
8. Send your customers a catalog of add-on products for the original product they purchased. This could be upgrades, special services, attachments, etc. If they enjoy your product they will buy the extra add-ons.
9. Sell gift certificates for your products. You'll make sales from the purchase of the gift certificate, when the recipient cashes it in. They could also buy other items from your web site.
10. Send your customers free products with their product package. The freebies should have your ad printed on them. It could be bumper stickers, ball caps, t-shirts etc. This will allow other people to see your ad and order.
Richard Averell is an internet marketing entrepreneur and established TheNetApex.com which strives to provide the most effective, current, efficient and proven methods to start an online business and prosper with it. To educate yourself about it please visit: http://www.TheNetApex.com or http://www.thenetapex.com/pips.html or http://www.myauctionpage.com/thenetapex today and take your business to the Apex.
Richard Averell may be contacted at http://www.thenetapex.com or admin@thenetapex.com
Amateurs vs. Pros: The Difference That Counts
by Rivky Shimon
Running a workshop is a solid lucrative business most speakers are taking advantage of these days. But when amateurs get involved, they tend to miss out on the many things that make the difference between a successful workshop and a flop. Here are a few things to think about that separate the amateurs from the pros.
Of course, you are not really trying to be a pro. You are only trying to establish yourself as a competent person worthy of other people’s time and money. But modeling some of the steps the professionals take helps you to establish a successful workshop no matter what level you are.
Have a Book
This particular step is not as hard as you might think. There are scores of websites where writers are offering their services. Some are in writing communities like guru.com and ideamarketers.com while some are individuals offering services by themselves. So, if you have no idea how to write, having a book written for you is not very expensive at all. Plus, books sales will soon pay for the writing of the book itself.
Ghostwriters are writers who are willing to write a book for you and give you the complete copyright. That means that you have full rights to resale and they can never dispute that with you. Nor can they dispute who you name as the author. They are also bound by an ethical agreement that they can’t discuss writing your book with anyone unless they have your prior approval.
All you need to do is consider a topic. Make it a small portion of information that you can handle within a few hundred pages. In fact, plenty of speakers are offering books as little as 50 pages. But, a book with your name on it adds prestige to your workshop and establishes you as a competent speaker. Generally, your audience will never know nor ever care how you came about writing your book. With only a few extra dollars, plenty of publishing houses will be willing to put your book to print. No lengthy contracts. No business hassles. Just your book in print delivered to your door to do with as you wish. Lulu.com is one such publishing house that makes that step easy for you.
Offer a Newsletter
Your audience might be live. But, they all get information from the internet. At least you know that they are interested in getting your newsletter. Every time you have a workshop, offer your audience a chance to sign in with their name and email address.
Provide your audience with a hot topic on a regular basis. There are literally millions of ways you can go with any topic. You can talk about social issues, political issues, job related issues, funny tidbits and tips for people to follow. Once again, return to a ghostwriter who has a knack for exploring different angles to write about.
Gain Testimonials
One thing that really works with gaining credibility is the fact that various people are willing to say that you run a great workshop or that you have a great book. There are ways to get any person in your audience to give a testimonial about you. You can engage certain audience members in conversation about your workshop and then ask them if you can quote the good things they say. Simply ask people what they think and then use what they say.
Having a quote from Susan Q. of Oklahoma may not seem too credible. But, sometimes that’s all a person will be willing to allow you to report about them. And many people understand this for the most part. They wonder if it’s a made up name. But then they consider how private they might be if they were asked for their quote something. Of course, getting a full name, city and state are preferred if you can obtain that.
These little tricks of the trade will really start to bump up your status in the workshop world. Nothing says more competent than having your own book. Nothing says you care more than having an ongoing newsletter. And nothing says people care about you more than positive testimonials. When used with the right amount of tact and taste, you can put your workshop right on the map.
An internationally known artist as well as a mother of six, Rivky Shimon founded Rivky’s Art Workshop in New York. Rivky’s step-by-step method for teaching children how to create and enjoy art has earned high praise from students, teachers and parents alike. Through her new training series, Rivky plans to teach artists from across the country how to duplicate her success. Not only to ensure that art education remains a vital part of every child’s life, but also to enforce the reality that "The Rivky Method" tm works the same magic for adults as well.Rivky Shimon may be contacted at http://www.rivkysart.com/
by Florante Cay
Large posters are indeed among the most efficient business materials. They can effectively be used for advertising or promotional campaigns because they are noticeable, even if you put them in busy places. But how do you make sure wonderful documents? What are the things you need to consider in order to make sure that your posters are efficient?
Poster printing is not as simple as it sounds; it involves the use of printing machineries and methods. It is imperative to use high quality machines for printing posters. Without these printing machines, poster printing will never be possible. These printing machines are usually classified as impact and non-impact. They are usually used to perform different printing methodologies.
Now what are the different methods used for printing posters?
There are many types of methods that can be used to produce posters. First is a process, called offset printing. This process is considered to be traditional because it has been used for many years and has provided convincing results. Offset printing is often used for wholesale printing services or for printing large numbers of poster prints. This printing process can be used for services that require thousands of copies.
The second type of processes used for poster printing is called digital printing, which is a new printing method. This printing process can provide accurate and detailed copies of posters. Digital printing can print posters that contain clearer and sharper images. Among the other advantages that you can get from this printing method is fast turnarounds. This can print posters much faster than offset printing can.
Another printing process used for producing poster is called custom printing. This process is able to provide many different options to a user in terms of size, colors, design and many other details that a user wants to put in his posters. Custom printing provides enough versatility or flexibility to help users create unique posters.
The fourth printing method is called large format printing. This can offer 27x39 poster printing up to 60â€x100†posters printing services. Large format printing often uses inkjet printers because these types of printers are the ones specifically built for printing such large posters.
The last type of poster printing process is called color printing. This printing process usually has two types. The first type is called 4 color process, which produces quality colored posters by using 4 different colors; cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The second type of color process is called 6 color printing process, which uses CMYK but with two additional colors, orange and green.
There are still a lot of printing processes that are being introduced these days. Most of them are created in order to create much better and more perfect prints.
He is a simple person who loves to write ever since he was a child. Most of his works were informative but he has also written a couple of poems. None of his early writings was published because he usually keeps them for himself. He also loves sports, reading books and watching television. Florante Cay may be contacted at or cay_florante_chok@yahoo.com
by Graham Burt
There is one thing for sure in Internet Marketing as far as generating income for your website is concerned: A steady flow of website traffic is a must. If no one goes to your website, it seldom has a hope of generating revenue. Numerous sites have tried and failed in doing so, and the results from the sites cease. It takes an input of cash to sustain a profit-generating website.
However, it doesn't need a bank robbery to get lots of readies to pay for website traffic for your site. Have you ever wondered how major sites attract visitors to their site? The majority of them are splashing loads of money to induce the visitors to their sites, investing in numerous marketing campaigns and diverse forms of traffic generating schemes. It is easy for them because they can afford it. As a new business owner, costs have to be controlled. You don't really need to spend large amounts of cash. There are many ways to attract low cost website visitors without having to shell out what you don't have or can't manage. Many new but sometimes unwise business owners have relied on expensive marketing campaigns and then ended up in debt up to their eyeballs. . In this article I want to show you ways on how to attract low cost website traffic that perhaps will help your business a great deal. Even if you just get a small proportion of responsive visitors converted in to customer status it still is worth doing, particularly if you get a reasonably good number of website visitors.
Join Online Communities and Forums This just requires your time and so it saves money and you can fit it in to your schedule as you please. You can exchange or share your know-how and expertness with a number of online communities as well as your website. In addition you can get zero cost advertising if you go to forums that share the same subject or market associated to your site. Give your two cents worth and let them see how informed you are about the topic. As you develop your stature, you also raise the stature of your site, thus making it a respectable and trustworthy business model that could very well be frequented and supported by numerous people.
Reciprocate Links This is a steadfast and very much proven system. Seldom would you see a site where there are no links to other sites. A high number of webmasters are happy to trade links with one another so that they create more awareness for their sites. You'll shortly see and experience the unexpected flood of the traffic visiting in to your website from many other sites by using this method. It can be time consuming; however there is software available to make life a bit easier, SEO Elite by Brad Callen is one of the best known because of its user friendly interface. A noteworthy proviso in swapping links with other sites is having the same market or subject as the exchange site. Both ought to share a common theme so that there is consistency in the provision of assistance and content to what interests your targeted traffic. The exchange of links has an added benefit because it boosts your likelihood of obtaining a high listing in search engine results. It is well known that search engines reward sites that possess inbound and outbound subject-related links. By having a healthy ranking place in the search engines, you normally experience additional traffic in your website yet safe from the high outlay of paid advertising.
Traffic Exchange This is comparable to exchanging links but on a distinctly better level. This may cost a bit more extra than swapping or trading links but can be made much cheaper, often no cost because you get to qualify for credits. You can earn those credits when viewing others advertisements for a set time, the downside of which is the time consumption. Some Traffic Exchange sites offer paid memberships which qualifies the member for a set number of monthly credits. This is useful for business owners who can afford to pay and or do not have the time to surf for credits. A useful tip if building up credits by viewing other sites is to have four or five different Traffic Exchange sites open at the same time, this saves having to wait for the minimum time spent at each viewing.
Pen and Submit Articles There are numerous e-zines and Article Submission services on the internet which provide no cost advertising space for articles to be submitted to. If you need to cut expenditure, you can do the articles yourself. Sure there are innumerable freelance writers who are eager to write for you for a reasonable fee, but to cut costs, it is advisable to do those articles yourself. It is better to create articles that are related to the subject of your site. Write something that you are knowledgeable on so that when readers review it, they can experience your understanding about the subject and may be stimulated to go to your site. Write articles that provide tips and guidelines instead of heavy promotional material, many article submission editors will refuse your article if it is highly promotional, keep the promotion to the Resource Box or Bio as it is sometimes known. Incorporate a resource box at the end of your article that can show them a link them to your site. Write a small but interesting story about yourself and your site. If you give a light, good advice-laden and absorbing article, they are more than likely to go to your site for additional information.
Produce a Newsletter. This may sound like it is difficult to do because of all the articles you may want to use to assemble a newsletter but on the contrary, this is not so. There are numerous writers and sites that are delighted to supply zero cost articles as long as they can get their name and link included in your newsletter. This will in addition give free advertising for them as well. As your newsletter gets broadcast everywhere, this increases your public stature and this enables the opportunity to build an opt-in database list that can frequently be informed about your business..
Graham Burt is a very experienced Internet Marketer and learned from the best in the business, Internet Millionaires It is well known that 95% of new online business entrepreneurs fail due to a lack of knowledge. This website: http://www.roadmap-to-millions.com has ample content provided by Internet Millionaires to get anyone wishing to be successful at Internet Marketing an advantage over most. SEO Elite http://www.linkshield.com/c/892_2 Graham Burt may be contacted at http://www.roadmap-to-millions.com/ or weeburty@spamarrest.com
NEW YORK, April 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Dream big. Do good. Live well. That's the vision behind the BBMG It's How We Live(sm) Grant, a $100,000 package of in-kind communications services to create and launch a breakthrough cause marketing campaign for a visionary nonprofit and its corporate partner.
BBMG is joining forces with a prestigious team of communications partners to bring the campaign to life, including Global Strategy Group (research), Medialink (broadcast/broadband media services), Network for Good (online donations, email and database management), Peppercom (PR), Quality Letter Service (printing and direct marketing), Slam! Media Group (audio/video production) and U.S. Newswire (newswire distribution).
"We believe that actions speak louder than words and smart cause marketing can improve a company's bottom line while inspiring people to promote social change," says Raphael Bemporad, principal and co-founder of Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group (BBMG), a New York-based branding agency dedicated to nonprofits and socially responsible businesses. "When we align our values with our actions, great things can happen."
The BBMG It's How We Live Grant comes at a time when cause marketing in the United States is reaching record levels. According to IEG, a Chicago-based market research firm, U.S. companies will spend $1.3 billion on cause marketing initiatives in 2006, up 20 percent from 2005. Consumers are also responding to cause-centered campaigns. Eight in 10 Americans say that corporate support of causes wins their trust, and 86 percent say they are likely to switch to brands associated with good causes, if products are the same price and quality, according to the Cone Corporate Citizenship Study (2004).
"At a time when Americans are turned off by corporate scandals and see politicians as increasingly disconnected from their daily lives, consumers are looking for organizations that back their values with action," said Edward Moed, managing partner and co- founder of Peppercom, a strategic communications firm. "We see a new wave of conscious consumers who use using their purchasing power to promote a fairer marketplace and a more sustainable environment. Cause marketing is about more than a one-off event or seasonal promotion, it's about living your values in all you do."
By assembling a team of eight communications partners to implement the campaign, BBMG seeks to get beyond the 'pro bono trap' -- the all-too-common challenge when in-kind creative sits on the shelf because the nonprofit lacks the resources to realize an actionable communications plan.
To ensure the campaign finds, inspires and motivates the grant
winner's target audiences, BBMG and its partners will develop
the campaign strategy, message and materials and oversee implementation
of publicity, broadcast and broadband media distribution, interactive
and direct marketing. BBMG will also work with the grant winner
to integrate the campaign into existing communications channels
-- from internal communications and publications to retail signage
and events -- to maximize impact without the need for an additional
marketing budget.
The winner will be selected by BBMG, its partners and a prestigious
panel of marketing industry experts including Andy Goodman, author
of "Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes"; Bob Bloom, former
U.S. chairman of the Publicis Groupe; Katya Andresen, vice president
of marketing at Network for Good and author of "Robin Hood
Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes";
and Rich D'Amato, vice president of community investment at AOL.
BBMG is looking for applicants who are enthusiastic about leveraging creative cause marketing to make a difference. Applicants do not need a huge team or marketing budget -- just a big vision and a dedicated partnership. Criteria include potential for impact on the targeted cause and business goals, commitment level of the applicant team, availability of existing (no cost) applicant communications channels to support the campaign, cultural relevance of the cause and alignment with BBMG values and experience.
"Bold ideas need passionate champions," says Mitch Baranowski, principal and co-founder of BBMG. "We want nonprofits and their corporate partners to bring us their dreams, goals and ideas and we will bring their campaign to life. We're ready not just to move messages -- we're ready to move mountains."
"'It's How We Live' is an approach to marketing that prizes authenticity and action and an approach to life that connects our work with our values," says Bemporad. "The grant is based on a simple, powerful idea: who you are is what you do."
To learn more about the grant and to download an application, visit http://www.ItsHowWeLive.com or call 212-473-4902 x206. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2006. The grant winner will be selected by August 31, 2006.
BBMG is joining forces with an extraordinary team of veteran marketers to help bring the cause marketing campaign to life:
Global Strategy Group is a leading strategic research firm specializing in identifying the underlying factors that impact consumer and voter attitudes and behavior. Global Strategy Group believes that all marketing and communications strategies should be based on an in-depth understanding of the target constituency, and they devise real-time decision roadmaps to help corporations, associations, governments and political candidates realize their goals. Web: http://www.globalstrategygroup.com
Medialink is a global leader in providing unique news and marketing media strategies and solutions that enable corporations and organizations to inform and educate their target audiences with maximum impact on television, radio, print, and the Internet. The company offers creative services and multimedia distribution programs including video and audio news and short- form programming, press release newswire distribution, and photography production and digital distribution. Web: http://www.medialink.com
Network for Good, powered by Groundspring, is a nonprofit organization that helps nonprofit organizations improve their effectiveness through online technologies that seamlessly manage and integrate online donations, email messaging and donor databases. Web: http://www.networkforgood.org
Peppercom, Inc. is a strategic communications firm headquartered in New York, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago and London. Its business approach to strategic communications drives new opportunities for clients. In addition to innovative public relations, Peppercom offers PeppercomDigital(SM), which helps clients integrate emerging media tools with traditional communications programs. Peppercom is the recipient of the "Small Agency of the Year - 2006" award from PR Week and was named "Innovative Agency of the Year - 2006" by the Holmes Report. Web: http://www.peppercom.com
A leading provider of direct mail marketing and fundraising services including print, database management, personalization and fulfillment, Quality Letter Service helps organizations achieve their goals with confidence. From simple self-mailers to complex multi-segment, highly-personalized packages, Quality Letter Service manages the process with no stress, no surprises. Be it fundraising appeal programs, special events invitations, brochures and journals or business-to-business or business-to- consumer marketing campaigns, their detail-oriented approach delivers results. 212-268-3400; Web: http://www.qletter.com
Slam! Media Group is a full-service production company specializing in electronic media for the music and entertainment industries. From advertising to VNRs to promotional videos, Slam! delivers high-impact production tailored to the living room or the boardroom. Web: http://www.slammediagroup.com
U.S. Newswire is a national news release wire service that provides a direct communications system between the world's leading public interest news sources and the news media that cover them. Since 1986, organizations large and small have called on U.S. Newswire's unique resources to provide distribution of press releases and related materials to the news media via USN's electronic wire service feed, broadcast fax, email, satellite and a broad range of Internet-based news delivery services. Web: http://www.usnewswire.com
BBMG is a New York-based marketing agency dedicated to helping nonprofits and socially responsible businesses harness the laws of branding to stand out, build relationships, win loyalty and inspire action. With experience in political campaigns, consumer marketing and corporate communications, BBMG specializes in creating branding programs that align breakthrough ideas with how we live. By tracking conscious consumers from all walks of life, BBMG crafts the unique message, image and experience that inspires audiences to think, feel, dream and take action. Recent clients include the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Institute of Medicine, Center for a New American Dream, the Foundation Center and Echoing Green, among others. Web: http://www.bbmg.com
What: BBMG It's How We LiveSM Grant: $100,000 worth of in-kind marketing services to create and launch a cause marketing campaign for a visionary nonprofit and its corporate partner.
Who: Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group (BBMG) and a team of communications partners, including Global Strategy Group (research), Medialink (broadcast/broadband media services), Network for Good (online donations, email and database management), Peppercom (PR), Quality Letter Service (printing and direct marketing), Slam! Media Group (audio/video production) and U.S. Newswire (newswire distribution).
Why: A marketing agency dedicated to nonprofits and socially responsible businesses, BBMG believes that actions speak louder than words and smart cause marketing can move a company's bottom line while inspiring people to do great things.
Who is Eligible? To ensure that each application represents a viable cause marketing partnership, the grant requires that a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a U.S. company apply as a team. Applicants do not need to have worked together in the past, but both applicants must commit to the partnership for the life of the campaign.
How to Apply: Visit http://www.itshowwelive.com , call 212- 473-4902 ext. 206 or email Naomi@bbmg.com.
Deadline: Applications must be mailed to BBMG (200 Park Avenue South, Suite 1516, New York, NY 10003) postmarked by July 31, 2006. The grant winner will be selected by August 31, 2006.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
by Jennifer McCay
Does this sound in any way familiar?
Last year you declared that it was THE year to grow your business. You may even have made a to-do list that included things like "Make more money," "Find new clients," etc.
But despite creating your trusty list, life got in the way, as it is wont to do, so you're no closer to meeting your goal now than you were this time last year.
In fact, just thinking about what you (gulp!) didn't accomplish makes you a little uncomfortable and disappointed. You might even have talked yourself into thinking that you simply can't find the time to start working on your goals, what with all the last-minute client challenges, employee issues and hurried attempts to do any sort of marketing at all.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be so difficult to reach your goals. If you know my work and/or subscribe to my newsletter, you know that I'm a planner at heart. It's the very best way to ensure that you will actually reach the goals you want to achieve this year ... and beyond.
Here is a simple, yet helpful method to plan for your own success. Just grab a pen and paper, and you're ready to roll!
1. Think about where you would like to be in 3 years. I pick 3 years because it is a reasonable amount of time in which to expect fairly large changes to take place -- such as achieving nationally known status as an expert in your field, a substantial increase in your net earnings or simply finding a better clientele that doesn't stress you out. Many of your goals may take a while to achieve, above and beyond a mere 12 months. (We all know how quickly a month can pass us by!)
So think long and hard about what you would like to achieve, first and foremost.
2. Why do you want to achieve those goals? What is your motivation? Because you really want to make them happen, or because you think you *should* achieve them?
Now is not the time to play "should'ves." Instead, ensure that every goal on your list is motivated by the right goals, namely that you want to see them come true because they are ideal for your skill set and key strengths.
What's key here is to rule out goals that you have set for yourself that actually aren't in line with your value system and dreams. It's time to concentrate on what YOU want! This will save you many hours of time and frustration.
3. Make sure you're aiming for goals that are high enough! Many of my clients initially have a tendency to sell themselves short; only after discussing their potential do they see what they can truly achieve.
It's also important to ask yourself very seriously if you are simply planning not to fail. No, you don't want to take risks that will majorly undermine you if they fail, but you do need to take calculated risks that stretch you to new heights.
4. What will it take to get you there? You want to consider the steps that will get you to each of your goals.
If, for example, you are currently making $45,000 a year and hope to achieve more than $1 million in business in 3 years, you have to determine the changes you will make in your business model as a whole that will allow you to do so.
You might need to:
Spell out the broad steps that you will need to make in order to move ahead, along with the amount of time it will take for you to achieve them.
5. Which skills do you need to gain in order to achieve those goals? If you want to make more money with your business with a minimum of expense, I highly recommend that you do the following:
Make sure to list all skills that you need to improve upon.
6. Assess which goals are realistic to achieve. What is viable? What isn't? If you need to learn a lot of new skills, how much time can you realistically plan to dedicate to doing so? Do you have the financial ability to afford the training?
Secondly, are any of your goals contradictory? For example, if you wish to raise your income by selling more personal services and want to make 6 figures, will you be able to raise your rate enough in your market to realistically accomplish this?
Then, and only then, you'll be ready to ...
7. Create a 1-year plan. I started with the longer-term plan because it helps you visualize the things that you truly with to achieve -- and allows you to see the significant gains you can make with concerted effort. However, you need to build some interim steps in the process, 1 year at a time. At this point you want to outline the goals that you would like to achieve in that 1-year period.
8. Map out the steps that would allow you to achieve those goals. For instance, if your goal is to gain 12 new clients this year, what will it take to reach them?
Be very specific about what you plan to do at what point during the year -- along with how you plan to find the time to achieve them. It might mean hiring a virtual assistant, getting help from a marketing professional like yours truly and/or sending out mailings to clients and prospects on a monthly basis.
Oftentimes each goal has a number of subgoals, such as gathering names of prospects, getting design work done, joining local organizations and attending meetings, hiring a consultant and so forth.
9. Add the steps in your 1-year plan to your calendar. I use Microsoft Outlook solely for the calendar function, which allows me to set up reminders and manage my time more effectively. You can also use a paper calendar or Daytimer organizer -- it's not the medium that counts, but what works best for you!
Make sure to add an appointment to your calendar for each of the major milestones in your plan, and then commit to keeping them. If you let one slide, immediately reschedule it. If you're not committed to your own success, you can't expect to make progress.
10. Assess where you are once a month, and adjust your schedule accordingly. There's no sense beating yourself up if you suffer a minor setback; just find a way to get back on schedule the following month.
We all have professional and personal challenges that get in the way of progress from time to time -- illness, family matters, etc. Forgive yourself for serious matters that you cannot plan for; it happens to the best of us. If you suffer serious setbacks, it might be time to reassess what is feasible to accomplish in the near future.
If you do end up reworking your set of goals, go through these steps once again to ensure that you aren't setting yourself up for failure. Every successful business owner I've ever known (and frankly, every successful person I've ever known) has understood the value of putting yourself in a position to succeed!
Want to turn your small business into a brand-name success? Jennifer McCay, author of The High-Concept Brand Bible, helps small business owners like you find more clients more easily using big-business tactics that really work. Sign up for her free Avenues to Marketing Success Newsletter today at http://AvenueEast.com
Jennifer McCay may be contacted at http://AvenueEast.com
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