So here is the super intense part 2 of the 22 Ways to Grow Your Business NOW, post. Click here if you haven’t read part 1. Ok, deep breaths, then dig into part 2 below…..

 

13. Start getting speaking engagements under your belt. Creating momentum around your platform will get the attention of media, of other organizations and meeting planners who are looking for speakers. As soon as I started posting my speaking engagements online, whether free or paid, other meeting planners started calling. Speaking is going to be one of the most powerful ways to grow your business and your brand, and you’re seen as an instant expert and credible person by speaking. Don’t wait for perfection. Go out and start getting speaking engagements now which will build your brand, your database and possibly gain you clients very quickly. Here is an entire guide on speaking and presenting yourself as an expert NOW!

 

14. Learn how to negotiate. Don’t leave any money on the table and learn how to ask for what you want and need. But also, when you work for yourself, you can be creative. When I’m reminiscing in private or out aloud, I’m surprised at my clients when they say…. “ You can do that”…. I always ask, why can’t I? Who’s the boss? Who’s stopping me? Today, stop asking questions about what you can do. I mean, really, who do you expect to give you permission to do it? Some us assume we don’t have permission to do something as an excuse not to move forward, then, there are those of us who truly have not recognized our own power nor decided to start, grow and truly lead an organization or business. You must be ethical. You must not screw people. Everything else, is creativity, innovation, logistics, and GUTS. Just do it! Ask for money for your service. Create a proposal for something that you’ve never seen a proposal for, and make your case on why you should get it. Absolutely one of the most exciting things for me, is to read and learn about entrepreneurs who figured out how to make money with their minds, mouth and computers. You be the next one. 

15. Be honest with yourself and make a list of the things that are pulling at your time other than work, what you should be focusing on, then make a concerted effort to not let these things keep pulling you away. BE HONEST. When I made my list it went something like this…

1. 1. Shopping

   2. Surfing the net to shop

   3. On the phone ( I hate to talk on the phone but have a few people that I don’t say no to…. that’s another post)

   4. Taking unplanned requests for lunch, outings, travel….

Anyway, you see the point. So making and having that list was eye opening for me. Now, when I find myself surfing the web, I stop, seriously, just making the list made me aware of where some of my time was going. When you are running a business, and especially if you have a job at the same time, your time is VERY valuable and must be accounted for. I made a video here on when I had supreme focus while working a job. But understanding and knowing where your time is going is the first step in focusing on what is important and using the time that you do have, wisely.

16. Create angles and levels. Our next eGuide will be ALL about Strategy, Collaboration, Innovation and how to create angles and levels in your business. But quick tip…. If you create a product for your audience now, think like this, what other market could benefit from this same product? I make a product for women entrepreneurs, but could it also service attorneys ( they are entrepreneurs) or realtors?  What quick modifications could be made to the product that would also fit them. Still focusing on your core message and knowledge platform but reaching out to different audiences. Another type of angle,  if you are a florist… ok you have a store, but can you contact 10 clothing stores, hotels, attorney offices, oil and gas offices and get a contract to provide them flowers weekly? You still have your florist shop, but now you also have clients that you have a standing contract with ( steady money) and you can pick up leads from their offices as well from creating your best arrangements possible for that office and leaving them with a stack of your business cards ( with a coupon code on the back to track how many referrals you get from this office AND giving them a discount on their first purchase) This next eGuide will be nothing short of POWERFUL, but for now, try thinking in angles, and strategically.

 

17. Pick the BEST, most ideal company that you’d like to work with and find out how you can become a volunteer, get on their board or get into a leadership position. I know of 2 companies who have VERY successfully used this strategy. For both of them, they don’t do much marketing. They are very involved in their 1 organization and wear it out. One is in a leadership position, the other is on the board now of his organization. They pull constant referrals from doing this and were able to scale back on their marketing. Whichever organization that you chose, get very involved and plan to put in some time equity before you expect to reap rewards or to rise up into a position of authority.

18. Determine a particular goal, then set mini goals to get there, then pick 3-5 metrics that you will measure regularly.

We are really just paddling in the tub when we are working, working, working with no goal in sight. BUT, so many of us do this. When I get to the specifics part of the consultation session with a client and I ask:

• Why are you on social media? What is the goal? To grow your community? Grow it to what? What number did you start with before you started adding new marketing measures?

• Why are you speaking at different organizations? Are you trying to increase your brand? How will you measure if your brand is increasing? Are you trying to grow your database? Ok, what number did your database start with before you started this new speaking strategy?

• Why are you creating a blog? Are you trying to add people to your community? How many are in your community now? What is the path for them to join your community after they read your posts? What’s in it for them once they join your community?

See the trend? Know what your goals are, why you are reaching for them, then you can make a plan to reach them and know what tasks you are doing daily, weekly and monthly. Knowing and understanding a goal, is the quickest and surest way to reach the goal.

 

19. Find out where your revenue comes from and do more of that. Novel idea eh? People ignore this all the time and are always searching for what’s next, the new platform or new clients. That’s cool,  but know where the money is currently coming from. Know what works and what’s been working and find a way to do more of that. If I know that most of our eGuide sales come from using Facebook and Twitter, then dangit, we need to continue to use Facebook and Twitter and make sure we are up on any changes with these platforms, because they are definitely working and we want them to continue to work. We would need to make sure we are using Facebook to the best of our abilities in our company before we jumped on a new trend or platform. Another example, creating our own events and platforms pulls in a massive audience for us and new eyes to our content. We have been watching the numbers daily and have seen the growth from just stepping out and creating. Sooooo that means, we need to continue to do this in Women CEO Project community. Create, produce and share. Rinse, repeat.

 

20. ALWAYS have a high-level goal that you are diligently and consistently breaking down daily. Make sure you are moving forward in the goal incrementally. Whether it is 20 minutes or 2 hours spent, make sure that you are working on it AND most importantly, that you have a deadline in mind for this goal. Some of us totally ignore having high-level goals. We never leave the analysis stage. But you CAN do it, you CAN accomplish it. You can write a book. You can create your own conference. You can create a product. You can write that 200,000 proposal. You CAN be in London entertaining business. You just have to break it down into the mini tasks and work on it daily. You can eat an elephant. Just not all in one bite.

 

21. Think outside of your own backyard. Are you thinking only about gaining business in your City? Your state. Your country? Do you know that people in other countries have some of the sames needs as your customers here? Consider developing a plan to reach and service clients in other countries. But do keep these things in mind. The counties that you are interested in expanding to:

• Is your company running smoothly and systematically where you live now?

• does the income of the average citizen afford them to buy your product or service?

• do your contracts need to be translated? ( try this to do that) 

• can your website be changed to fit their national language? Is their national language English?

• How will you get paid?

• What is the conversion rate? Are you charging enough to cover the conversion and any fees you may incur?

• Can you fly to this country if need be? This would be for products and services that need a personal touch or meeting. I know of a company that went out of business, because they actually needed to be in the country more than they could financially afford to do at the time. So ask yourself this question if you have the type of product that needs you to touch it.

22. Get really clear on the tangible benefits that your business offers. And no, not this bullcrap vague, empty nothingness that fills the Facebook timelines, but actual benefits to your ideal client. Get uber focused on what those benefits are and:

• be able to call them out by name

• make sure they sound powerful, begin with an action word, and each benefits speaks in the language that your ideal client speaks in

• make sure it is a clear benefit to your client and not just something you want to create or sell

Once you have gotten clear about what the true benefits of your business, product or service is, then market the hell out of it. Marketing is not my main platform but I do LOVE to study it and have been known to create some powerful and strategic plans. If you are interested in working with me for a packed 90 minute strategy session to create a plan for you. click here Today, I can tell these quick tips:

 

How to do a simple marketing plan: 

1. Determine your objectives of your project

2. Determine who your project will benefit

3. Determine where the people it would benefit hang out

4. Figure out how you can get there and what you can share to make your project/info be useful, current, available and accessible to this person.

5. Schedule to be consistent in whatever platforms your choose. Make a plan to touch your potential market 5-7 times before you expect them to make a move in your direction.

6. Start to become known through consistency for the subject/info/product that you are sharing.

7. Add in different platforms, monitor your audience’s response to your info, make changes where necessary.

8. Rinse, and repeat.

Brain fried yet? How are you planning to grow your business in the next 6 months? Drop us some feedback in the comments below and make sure to check out the first 12 tips here and get to growing CEOs!