Allison Marlowe

Motivation for Womenpreneurs

2010-07-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

M - Make your priority 'to take action'

O - Observe what is happening around you

T - Toss aside toxic people in your life

I - Indulge in your own ideas

V - Vote for yourself, learn to love yourself and be happy

A - Amaze yourself, develop your talents

T - Trust in your own ideas, be in charge

I - Independance means business on your terms

O - Only you can Make It Happen

N - Never give up!

The 1st Hampshire Winning Women Business Awards

2010-07-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday 24th June 2010 saw the first Hampshire Winning Women Business Awards unfold.

The Awards brought together women behind Hampshire’s most innovative businesses to celebrate their achievements.

See how one woman is already leveraging her win here

Bouncing Back

2010-06-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Its day Day 29 of ‘I’m not taking NO for an answer’ challenge and I’m bouncing back, (slowly) just as my 30 day challenge draws to a close. I’m not a quiter and like to see things through to the end, so today I want to share with you my top 3 ways for creating resilience, the ability to bounce back with ease.

1. Be your own best friend – you wouldn’t push your best friend so don’t be so hard on yourself. Be proud of who you are and learn to accept your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Spend some time doing things you enjoy, like listening to your favourite music, reading a book or magazine and take good care of yourself, eat well and rest.

2. Be Realistic – anyone who has ever set themselves a goal will be familiar with the acronym SMART and how it relates to goal setting. Learn from your current situation or mistakes and pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, maintain a positive frame of mind and do what seems right for you.

3. Have gratitude - years ago I would have called it ‘writing a diary’ but these days I place my focus on being thankful for my life, I now call it journaling, jotting down a few lines on who and what I am truly grateful for, the people I meet, the events and experiences I encounter, the caring and supportive relationships I have, my friends, family, pets, the weather, the sheets on my bed in fact anything that springs to mind as I make an entry. Giving thanks for those little things is a great way to remind yourself that there is good in just about everything. All things work for the greater good no matter how seemingly difficult things may appear at the time.

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got ~ Janis Joplin

Being Your Best Self Not A Perfect Self

2010-06-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Day 21

Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

How Frequently Do You Stop And Smell The Roses

2010-06-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

I didn’t manage to post last evening. I arrived home tired but happy after a fun filled day at Epsom Ladies Day with members of my ‘Winning Women’ networking group.

My perception wasn’t of ‘falling off the 30 day challenge wagon’ as my fellow challenger described, to me it was about knowing my limits, my priorities and when it is time to ‘stop and smell the roses’.

I wanted to spend some precious time with my girls before they went off to bed and hear about the adventures of their day, number one priority. Number two was to complete some last minute preparation for my VIP clients day that took place today.
When I was thinking about this I remembered the story below which illustrates the point perfectly.

“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats average $100.00 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”

Do You See What I See?

2010-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

We all have blind spots. As my coach says, sometimes we can’t see our own face.

I’m often surprised how I react to others perception of me. Today 3 different people in three different situations told me I was inspirational. I was taken aback.

Three years ago as preparation for a workshop I was attending we were asked to contact a minimum of 10 friends, colleagues or members of our family and ask them to list what they saw as our unique abilities. An exercise that I believe originated from Dan Sullivan.

Dan believes we spend our time moving from one to another of these four areas.

Incompetent
Competent
Excellence
Unique Ability

At the time of the exercise I was surprised by the results, see below. Dan Sullivan says your own unique ability is effortless, It just happens naturally because it’s what you love to do. My biggest learning from the exercise was that I was spending too much time focusing on my weaknesses. If these are my strengths then I need to nurture them. And nurture them I now do, only sometimes more easily than others!

Supportive of others ,Honest , Listens, Calm, Energy/ get up and go /Get on and do/ Go the extra mile ,Hardworking / give 100% ,Empathises with others concerns issues problems , Approachable, family orientated, Passion for business is inspiring, Reliable, Focussed, Determined ,Sincere, Welcoming, Genuine, Courageous , Loving ,Dependable, Good fun , Kind, Consistent/ constant Interested , Valuing others , Let people be themselves/ people relax in my company/ non judgemental Passionate, Trustworthy, Warm, Attention to detail, creatively minded, Super organised, Anticipate what might happen in a situation, Look after self, Sensitive to other peoples personalities, Help people talk through and resolve complex stuff, Active, Involved, Quick to see patterns, Hands on, Pushes self out of comfort zone, Encouraging, Friendly, Sincere, Spiritual, Caring, Helpful, Loyal, Easy to talk to, Guidance, Sees the positive, Helps others identify their strengths, Mentor, Confident,Good sense of humour, Excellent communication, reflective, Professional, Neat, Intelligent, Cheerful, Safe, Curious, Calculated risk taker, Responsible, Efficient, Motivating, Giving, Generous with time, connecter, Challenges others

It's Your Choice

2010-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Day 17

“Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” Said Charles R Swindoll

There is no getting away from it, we all face setbacks, mishaps, challenges and obstacles strategically placed along the road of life. How you deal with them ultimately determines the quality of your life.  

This morning I had an appointment for a blood test at my local doctor’s surgery. A place, thankfully I rarely frequent. I was unsure of the procedure, was a few minutes late for my appointment and was spoken to in a very rude manner by the phlebotomist. So much so I was on the verge of tears.

Driving home I was processing the situation and came to the conclusion that it wasn't so much the sarcastic way I was spoken to - but my reaction to what she had said. I had a choice, to feel hurt and angry and let it eat me up all day or I could simply let it go.

How you react to situations is a choice that you make every single day. Next time something similar happens to you, remember you choose, you can have a more positive or a more negative reaction.

I know which I choose every time. When it comes to other people
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Is Your Door Of Opportunity Open?

2010-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Day 16 I'm Not Taking NO For A Answer

This morning my two youngest daughters aged 6 and 8 started a 3 day tennis course. I dropped them off at 9 am at the local tennis club, full of excitement and I guess some anticipation as neither daughter has played tennis before.

One hour later they came home beaming, great big smiles spreading across their little faces, ‘We love tennis, we love tennis’ they shouted in unison. What really astonished me was their openness and willingness to grasp an opportunity full on without knowing the outcome and ‘going for it’ with such gusto.

Mark Twain said “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

I believe opportunities are waiting around every corner. You never quite know when that door of opportunity is going to open wide. I'm also a great believer in the Law of Attraction, one of the fundamental laws of the universe, which states, we bring into our lives a reflection of what we are attracting, be it negative or positive.

My girls on average have 630,000 hours ahead of them to do with what they will, sleeping, working, playing, living, being, doing and having.

I've learned so much from observing my children. How about you will you be ready to reach out and grab opportunty when it next knocks, to throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harboor, Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover?

Turn Up Your Confidence Control

2010-05-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Day 15

Generally I’m quite meagre when it comes to spending money on clothes for myself, especially when I also have three growing daughters to buy for. Today though I did something quite out of character and splashed the cash on not one designer dress but three. Yes three!

One of the reasons I rarely splash out, is simply because I rarely find good fitting clothes that I feel good wearing. According to my colour and shape analysis I am a slight, slim pear. For everyday wear I get by but when buying an outfit for a special occasion that’s when I tend to become unstuck.

There have been numerous shopping trips in the past where after a few hours traipsing the shops I have just given up and gone home disheartened – it's not so easy to admit defeat when you are reinforcing the matter of not taking NO for an answer. I persevered and started browse through the costlier ranges, not that I hadn’t looked at these previously. The difference before was not feeling I deserved to spend that money on myself.

So I have been extravagant and I know that when the opportunity arises to wear these gorgeous dresses I will feel fabulous both inside and out – a little tip I often share for turning up the confidence control.

Just hope my colour and shape advisor approves!

The Right Way, Wrong Way And Your Way

2010-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Day 13 and 14

‘Fell off the 30 day challenge Wagon yesterday so hope to catch up’ wrote one of my fellow 30 day challengers.

I understand exactly what was being implied but why do we have to be so hard on ourselves sometimes?

My first reaction to reading this was ‘How can you fall off the wagon when you set your own rules?’ Who set the criteria? Who said you had to blog every day?

I guess what was happening here was that like all situations we encounter our minds search for a point of reference. Some familiar link, but if it’s a new situation, a new pattern which isn’t yet habitual then your mind will try hard to link past experiences to the new experience. The result typically is old thoughts, beliefs and patterns of behaviour continue to show up. In this instance I would hazard a guess that ‘shoulds’, ‘musts’ and ‘oughts’ were showing up.

If we want to grow and develop though the words of Albert Einstein are worth remembering, "We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them."

By staying true to yourself and listening to your intuition you are far less likely to sabotage yourself.

You, and only you, can determine what works best for you, as Michael Neill so eloquently put it, 'There’s a right way a wrong way and YOUR way'.

What’s Your Why?

2010-05-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Day 12
Driving to the hairdressers this morning I caught myself thinking negatively about a task I need to complete in the next few days. If I didn’t have my current level of focus (thanks to this challenge) then I could very easily have started to slide off track, procrastinated and used every excuse under the sun as to why I should avoid carrying out the task.

Luckily, I know where I am heading and this task is just one of the steps that make up my journey to attain one of my current goals.

It’s only natural when we first set goals to feel excited and motivated, that feeling can carry us along for several days, or even weeks. But then, what happens? That little internal voice in your head starts harping on about the past, trying in vain to persuade you to keep those limiting beliefs and that’s one of the challenges people face when they set goals. They cannot stay focused on attaining the goal consistently and momentum dwindles.

Probably the most important approach to maintaining focus is to know your ‘why’ - the reasoning behind the goal. When the reason is strong or convincing enough, motivation to act will follow naturally.

It’s to be expected that those nagging doubts will creep in, I think that’s the universes way of ‘testing’ us. Testing us to see how much we truly want something and to see if we are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve it.

One Small Consistent Action = Big Results

2010-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Day 11
Over one third of the way through this 30 day challenge and I must say I have really enjoyed putting my thoughts out there, it’s a great way to become super focused and spend some time totally focused on me! Any other mum’s out there will know exactly what I mean and any of you who have ever worked with me will know often I stress the importance of taking time out foryourself. Be nice to ‘me ‘ days.

Now I’ve reached this milestone I thought I’d reflect on my journey so far. As I already said there has been much learning along the way, beliefs to eradicate, fears to face etc but one thing I wrote about on day 2, Are you an amateur or a professional, sent my mind into a whizz and got me thinking once again about taking consistent action. Constantly taking a step in the right direction.

We don’t always need to take great big leaps, sometimes we need to remember the importance of all the baby steps that help us consistently move us towards our end goal. I ‘m a great believer in breaking things down into small manageable steps. That means by the end of this challenge I will be 30% better than I was when I started.

Imagine where you could be in one year if you took just one small step forward each day. 365% better than you are today! Now that’s something to aim for.

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

2010-05-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Day 10

They say that when you are a coach your clients often bring you your own issues. Funny that, for the last two days I have worked with my VIP clients and there was definite common thread running through the sessions.

That thread being a feeling of overwhelm. A topic which I wrote about on day 5 of this challenge. I’d even go as far to say it is one of the biggest challenges women in business face.

The trouble is the more overwhelmed we feel the less responsive we become to finding solutions. Overwhelm also shows up in many ways, too much to do, indecisiveness, lack of prioritisation, fear, stress, focusing on the negatives and so on.

Let us not forget though that we all have choices, we choose our response to any given situation.

This poem is a great reminder that we are in control of our lives rather than our lives controlling us.

Overcoming Overwhelm

Too much to do, so little time.
When will it all end, beyond my prime?

It’s hard to believe, we have the power,
To shift our thoughts, and soon encounter,
A different outcome to our repetitive day,
A different feeling, a different way.

It takes some rigor, and consistent action,
To see the change and get some traction.
When you imagine and believe it is true,
Then the possibilities are endless for you!

Are You Hiding From Yourself?

2010-05-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Day 9 and today is the first day of my 30 day challenge where no obvious topic staring me in the face that I could write about. But me being me, my persistence paid off when I asked myself the simple question, ‘What will you not take NO for answer for today’? Admittedly I had to ask the question a few times before anything significant surfaced but when it did it hit me hard.

The point is we need to be brutally honest with ourselves, take stock and a look at where you‘re at.

After family, honesty and integrity sit high on my list of values. My realisation today has been that I am not always honest with myself. Along with that insincerity comes a diminished self worth. Confidence on the other hand comes with knowing who you are and accepting your imperfections.

Physically I could be taking more care of my body. Why I have chosen at some level to repress or deny issues regarding my health before now I’m not yet sure. Maybe because I believe that you get what you focus on and therefore avoid the issue.

I remember reading an article where a young girl became pregnant at just 13 and literally ignored the pregnancy until she could not hide it anymore. I recall feeling sad that she didn’t feel able to confide in anyone else but also I understood her fear.

So back to my health – perhaps I have been foolish to take it for granted up until now. Being healthy, feeling healthy is important to me – time to reprioritise my values maybe!

Are You Over Complicating Things?

2010-05-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

In case you missed my blog last Monday, I wrote about my self imposed 30 day challenge that i'm under taking, just for a bit of fun! Today we reach day 8.

What I wasn’t expecting was the huge amount of personal learning that this has thrown up, simply by focusing on one small aspect of my reactions to the statement ‘I’m not taking No for an answer’. Feel free to read through the earlier posts and see if anything resonates with you. I’d love to have you join me on this challenge.

This morning as I was walking my dog Boddington, along the seafront my thoughts turned to a presentation I need to make in a couple of weeks. The words fail to plan, plan to fail were swimming in my mind as I pondered over what subject to present on.

Interestingly, I caught myself thinking ‘I must make a good impression’. Why? Well of course I want to do well, but surely thoughts like this lead to putting a significant amount of unnecessary pressure on myself.

I continued on my walk and mulled this over some more and came to the conclusion that not only am I being harsh I’m also over complicating things.
Why do we do that? We can so easily over think the simplest of tasks, making them more complicated and more stressful than they need to be.

A couple of weeks ago my husband sat down with my six year old daughter to play a ‘maths’ game she had brought home from school. He set it up with her help and proceeded to read the instructions – but he just couldn’t get it. He’d fallen into the trap of expecting it to be harder than it actually was.

And here was I do exactly the same. I expect there are times when you do to. The anecdote is to KISS. Keep it Simple, Stupid.

Aha, I think I've found the topic for my presentation!

Are you valuing yourself highly?

2010-05-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Day 6/7 I'm Not Taking No for An Answer

The other day my mentor made a passing comment whist discussing our value in the market place, what we charge, our hourly or daily rates and how that equates to the value we place on ourselves.

Then last evening whilst flicking through a book on wealth creation I stumbled across a tool I’m very familiar with, a simple but highly effective tool that many of my coaching colleagues use to help people find balance in their lives, the Wheel of Life.

This got me thinking about what areas of my life I perhaps don’t place enough value on myself and I started to question why I’m not fully living my values in those areas. After all if I don’t value myself how can I expect anyone else to?

You see the level of think you currently have has got you to where you are today. I’ve done a lot of personal development over the years and I’m doing well, I’m very happy in my life but like everyone else I still have habitual thinking patterns that can hold me back. They are patterns that run unconsciously in our minds. So to grow, or make changes, you need to regularly evaluate where you are and challenge your current level of thinking. It’s one of the contributing factors to being successful.

I know what areas I need to work on, how about you? Where could you be making improvements, what thoughts do you have that are holding you back? What’s that internal voice saying to you?

By the way, if you want to get paid more, you have to work harder – on yourself.

There Has To Be Another Way

2010-05-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

It’s only natural in the early days of setting up and running your own business that you may feel that there is far too much to do and not enough time to do it all.

Four years on and I still find the demands on my time and energy to be overwhelming at times despite a fair amount of outsourcing that goes to my wonderful VA, Tracy.

But there are only 24 hours in a day and there is only one of me!

Something I accepted about myself today was that I actually put a lot of pressure upon myself unnecessarily. I have a tendency to try and do too much and please everyone bar myself.

So enough is enough, it’s time to up the ante and rise to a higher level. ‘There has to be another way’ as Jason Vale ‘The Juice Master’ would say.

After all top earners outsource just about everything they possibly can in order to focus 100% on the things that they excel at.

If you aren’t familiar with the 80/20 rule or The Pareto’s Principle as its otherwise known then it’s a general rule that states 20% of your effort will produce 80% of your results.

Therefore I’ve been mulling over which of the daily business tasks and activities will either generate the most revenue or tasks that only I can do – the 20%. The rest can be eliminated, outsourced or automated.

If it works for Warren Buffett, the richest man in the world then I’m not opposed to taking a leaf out of his book.

How Often Do You Upset The Apple Cart?

2010-05-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Day 4 Not Taking No For An Answer Challenge

Have you ever attended a meeting with the full intention of sharing your views only to leave an hour or so later, kicking yourself for not speaking up?

Mmm, I can recall many a meeting in my previous career where I felt my opinions would be of little interest or of value. I would choose to remain quiet or neutral in debates for fear of upsetting the apple cart because of my desire to be liked.
A desire we all have, we all want others to think highly of us. We all want to feel important. I laugh when I look back now, but there are still occasions when I could easily slip back into those old behaviours.

Take today for example, a meeting with the other Hampshire Winning Women Business Award judges to finalise the arrangements for the award ceremony on June 24th. We’re a great team (of course,I handpicked them) and even when there was a difference of opinion I stuck by my guns. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t being stubborn or selfish,
I listened carefully, view the situation from all points of view and we reached a flexible compromise based on what was fair and acceptable to us all. We have a positive way forward and no one thinks any the less of me.

What I’ve learned along the way is that we are liked because others appreciate what we bring to their lives, what we do, how we act and if we allow fear to get in the way and fail to speak up and voice our opinions then we will never let anyone see who we really are. And if they cannot see us as our true selves then they will never get to know us or like us.

By the way, the buffet for the ceremony sounds delicious, the awards look fabulous and we now have some super sponsors. Nominations are open until June 3rd make your nomination here

What Do You Have To Lose? - Facing Your Fears.

2010-05-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Surrounding yourself with positive people and connecting with other likeminded women is vital for the survival of your business.

I don’t know about you but have you ever found spending time with so called ‘friends’ leaves you drained of energy and feeling lethargic? I know I have.

Nowadays those ‘friends’ receive less and less of my time. I’m far busier of course, but alongside that busyness a conscious decision was made to move away from these ‘friends’ and spend more time with people who inspire me, energise me, make me laugh , people who are dynamic, vibrant and just great company.

Just this morning as I walked the dog along the seafront I met one such wonderful woman. Let’s call her Chris, after all that’s her name. We’d only chatted for a short time but I already knew we are going to be great friends and I’m looking forward to meeting up with her again.

Another such person is Shuri, one of my coaches who’s working with me on developing my presentation skills. I have a deep rooted fear of public speaking but I also know that when I overcome this my life and business will be far greater. Even though I was challenged today to step out of my comfort zone and it felt uncomfortable at times I have immense determination to face this head on. This is one area of my life where I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

As Les Brown says,“When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation / it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams.”

What are you resolving to face up to today?

As a final note, the childcare problem is resolved and I’ve even found a wonderful person to walk the dog – Warwick here I come. Although I haven’t relished the idea of asking for support I have been pleasantly surprised by the willingness of others to help. Saying that I’m not keen to make a habit of it!
How grateful I am to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Are You An Amateur Or Professional

2010-05-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

The difference that really makes the difference between those women who run their businesses successfully and those who have intermittent success is their business mindset.

It’s their attitude or approach to running their business that is significantly different. Let me explain.

It must be about four years ago when my then mentor described the difference between those who ‘play at having a business’ and those who go out there and really make it happen. It was the bit about those who ‘play’ at business that struck a chord. Ouch I resonated with that!
I wasn’t taking things as seriously as I could have. I was terribly naïve and had foolishly hoped that by coaching a few friends, they would refer me and the business would take off, I’d do a little bit of advertising (in all the wrong places I might add) and that would be sufficient. So when my mentor talked about investing time, effort and money right from the start I knew I had to go back to basics, review my plans, rewrite my goals and start afresh like a ‘professional’ rather than the amateur I had been.

In this context I'm referring to an amateur as someone who probably wakes up in the morning and thinks ‘Oh I’m not feeling particularly motivated, it’s a warm sunny day. I don’t think I’ll make those follow up calls today, I’ll do them tomorrow instead.’
A professional on the other hand will do the things they need to do whether they feel like it or not. A professional will adopt an attitude that says ‘I’m going to do one thing, one task or activity every single day to grow my business.’

Bear in mind that if that is the case, then over the course of one year, 365 days, just imagine what a difference one small tiny step would impact on your business development.
If your mindset isn’t right then you are only going to achieve limited success. It’s so vital to get your mindset, your attitude right.

So, why then knowing this, did I wake up this morning thinking like an amateur?

Maybe because the childcare issue from yesterday was still not resolved and I’d subconsciously attached those feelings to the day ahead? Possibly, here’s the thing, having a heightened awareness of my thoughts I was quickly able to change them. As soon as I noticed this thought pattern I turned my focus towards all the exciting things that were planned to happen today and happen they did.

Firstly, two friends are happy to look after the girls for me on Friday afternoon. Asking wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined, it was all in my mind. Secondly, today was one of my monthly optional ‘call in days’ for my VIP and Make it Happen clients to pick up the phone and ask questions, sound out ideas, have laser coaching etc. Wow, 12 calls and what wonderful achievements and breakthroughs taking place. Well done to all of you, you certainly aren’t taking ‘No’ for an answer.

Will you be brave enough to join me and take the challenge?

2010-05-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was set a challenge by my coach and business mentor. The context of which, was set around ‘sales’. Good timing - as one of the most challenging aspects for me running my business is closing a sale. Sound familiar? Mmm thought so.

Anyway, our challenge was to face our fear and not take no for an answer. I pondered this on the way home and decided to widen the remit, after all if I am going to face up to something that challenges me , then what other fears do I need to break through? What other areas of my life and/or my business could I apply the ‘I’m not taking no for an answer’ mantra to? I realised there were quite a few.

So just for fun I’ve decided to make ‘I’m not taking No for an answer’ my focus for the next 30 days. I’ll be diarising my thoughts, fears, challenges and successes in my blog and I’d like to invite you to join me.

Why? Because when you become aware, truly aware of your patterns of behaviour you can change them. If you are letting those patterns of behaviour hold you back and allowing them to run your life instead of you running it, then you aint gonna get very far. They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit or pattern and I believe that life changes when you change.

So if you want more clients, more me time, more fun, more sales, more productivity, more leisure time, more anything then let’s face the fears head on and do it together. Let’s make it happen.

Day 1

1. Why can’t I upload this photograph to my laptop?

So here’s my first challenge. I’ve done it before so in my book that means I can do it again. There’s a positive! But I feel myself getting increasingly frustrated as time ticks away. “I should be working, this isn’t being very productive” I keep telling myself. So why do I persist? Because I know that by shouting out my plan to the world (uploading the photograph relevant to this post) I’m more likely to take the necessary actions to achieve it. Just by telling people alone will motivate me into taking action. So I persist. “Give up this is too hard” I hear again, but then I hit the right button and hey presto! Persistence paid off. Photo uploaded. I didn’t take no for an answer.

2. My childcare arrangements for Friday have just fallen through.

For those of you who don’t yet know, my hubby is away and the consistent, trustworthy support I’d previously relied upon is no more. I’m supposed to be spending the day thrashing out ideas with my coach and business mentor. This opportunity only comes up once in every two months and I really want to go. But who wants to look after three extra children on a Friday afternoon? Perhaps I won’t go. It would be much easier to stay at home. I can’t do the full day as it is, because I’d need to drop the girls at school first before driving 3 hours, I’d only be able to stay for a maximum two hours before jumping in the car again and driving the 3 hours home again. But it is worth it. I get so much out of these meetings.

There has got to be a way. Don’t take no for an answer, who can I ask to have the girls for a couple of hours? Who? Ah I know. I have a couple of ideas, will make a call and see if they would mind. I’m not taking no for an answer.

Will keep you posted on the outcome of this one!

So are you brave enough to accept the challenge? Or are you going to look back regretfuly when you see your friends and colleagues around you leaping forward, taking big strides as they break through the fears and challenges that once held them back?

How To Customize Your Facebook Fan Page URL

2010-05-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Whether for business or personal use there's no doubt about it Social Media is big news and its here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Email is no longer the most obvious way of communicating - facebook is. How often do you write on friends/fans walls whe you want to send a note or message?

So what happens when you want to share your link? Facebook links tend to be long, particualrly if you have a fan page, or official page as they are now called.

I stumbled across this You Tube video, that shows you how to create a shorter and more memorable facebook url.

Putting Hampshire Business Women In The Spotlight

2010-04-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

We are all probably guilty of leading busy lives these days that it becomes routine to keep on going. Many of us forget to stand still occasionally and take a look over our shoulders to see just how far we have come.

Over the last four or five years I’ve had the privilege of working and networking with some amazing and enterprising women. Many of which aren’t receiving the recognition they deserve for the constant hard work, determination and oodles of self belief required to get their business up and running and to keep that momentum strong enough to overcome the inevitable challenges that occur as business evolves.

It’s high time these women in were recognised not only for their success but also for their contribution to the community and local economy. That’s why I launched the all new Hampshire Winning Women Business awards last week – which will take place at the Langstone Hotel on Thursday 24th June.

In celebrating these inspiring women we aim to encourage even more women to follow their dreams and start a business that is run on their own terms.
To find out more about the benefits of entering the awards and to make your nominations visit the website here.

Is Your Diary Alway Crammed full?

2010-04-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Is your diary always crammed full?
When did you last spent some quality time alone
doing the things you choose with just yourself for
company?

In this day and age of constant and instant
communications, it can be quite difficult to literally
switch off. You know the feeling, 'I must just check my
emails' or, 'I'll just text to see if', this internal language
and the demands on our time could be far better
spent on our own individual needs rather than those
of someone else.

I recently read an article that states ' if you
are continually in a process of reviewing yourself and
changing how you approach things, you get more of
what you want'.

What more of an excuse do you need? Drop the
guilt,
its a fruitless exercise anyway, instead turn off your
mobile, switch off your pc and take some well
deserved time out to re-connect with yourself, to
reflect upon your days activities, consider your actions
and make new plans.

How you choose to go about this is up to you, I
personally enjoy getting out on my bike or going for a
run and if the weather isn't good I write in my journal.
What really matters is that you allow yourself some
time to just simply get in touch with your thoughts and
emotions. So if you aren't taking the time for you just
now I challenge you to book some time in your diary.

Book it in today and do let me know how you
get on. After all, if you can't look after yourself what use
are you to anybody else?

Go on you deserve it!

Who Is Your Ideal Client?

2010-04-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

If You enjoy this article why not check out The Secrets To Making It Happen - Free Teleclass on Wednesday 7th April

A couple of weeks ago someone approached me at a networking event, we got talking about her business and she explained she was feeling fed up because she consistently seemed to attract difficult clients - late payers, cancelled appointments, quibbling with fees, lack of committment etc. So I asked a simple question, "Who is your ideal client?"

"Anyone really" was her reply.

Immediately I knew there was an opportunity for us to work together - she was my ideal client.

How did I know? Because I know exactly the kind of client I want to work with.
If you feel you are spending a lot of time marketing and networking but not attracting the 'right' clients then it's either down to one of two things. Your selling skills or more probably you aren't clear on who you are ideally selling too.
So now is a good time to get clear. Go on grab a piece of paper and do this exercise right now as you are reading this article. I know you've got good intentions but unless you pick up that pen and take action now, you will probably become distracted by something else.

Ok got that pen and paper? Then let's meet your ideal client.

Here are a few prompts to stimulate your thoughts. Write down whatever comes to mind, your first thoughts are usually right and you can always make alterations later on.

Ideal age/generation, gender, location, home ownership, marital status, education, career, hobbies or interests, values, lifestyle -are they active in community events, clubs or professional groups? health status, where they shop, books/magazines they buy, where they socialise, where they typically turn when they need help. Are they computer literate? What online activities do they participate in? What makes them tick? Are they willing to invest? Are they open to new ideas? Describe your ideal client - how do they dress, what do they say, what are their attributes?

Don't you think carrying out this simple exercise will make it more easy for you to start building relationships with the right clients?

For a start communicating with them will be more effective as you will be able to use their language. It will improve your conversion rate, because you will no longer be trying to sell meat to a vegetarian and you will also increase the lifetime value of your clients and develop lasting relationships rather than having lots of one time sales.

One last tip to leave you with, why not use your profile in your marketing material, in your bio or FAQ's. e.g The clients who receive the maximum benefits from working with me are...............
Now go and pin your ideal client profile somewhere you can see it on a regular basis to ensure you no longer work with difficult clients.

"The ideal client is the wealthy man in great trouble" - John Sterling

Are You 'Selling' Or Allowing People To Buy?

2010-03-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

What happens when two women meet up for lunch is that they inevitably end up doing a spot of girly shopping.

Tracy and I met up just for fun yesterday, no talk of business just a good girly catch up which predictably led to a quick scout around the shoe shops.

Walking through the door of one designer boutique we were immediately accosted by the sales lady. With a big smile on her face she asked if she could help? What were we looking for? Anything in particular? What size? What colour? She followed us around the store with her questions. We were only browsing we told her but her constant questions took away the pleasure of the experience and we quickly left the store.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m all for a sales assistant to be attentive but this was just a tad OTT. All I wanted was an enjoyable experience to look at and feel the beautiful garments and shoes.

As i said we didn’t stick around long, instead we wandered along until we came across a shoe shop. We stopped and looked in the window, staring big eyed like two young children peeping into the window of a sweet shop.

We couldn’t resist stepping inside. Row upon row of amazing,glitzy,glamorous, dressy, colourful and casual shoes for us to peruse. We wandered around the store for some time picking up some rather way –out pairs with ridiculously high heels, wondering precisely on which occasion they could be worn.

And then Tracy spotted them, they were calling to her, she was smitten, she just had to try this particular pair on. At which point, the sales assistant then wandered over, made eye contact, smiled and asked Tracy if she would like to try the other shoe. No demand, no hassle. Tracy couldn’t resist, she had to have this pair of shoes.

We walked over to pay at the till and as the sales assistant joined us she showed Tracy the matching handbag. On this occasion Tracy declined the upsell. She was more than happy with her shoe purchase.

If you have a product or service to sell, are you being too pushy like the first sales assistant? I hope not, as this approach tends to turn prospective clients/customers away.

Or are you more like sales assistant number two, who quietly observed the situation, allowed to us browse and enjoy the experience before cleverly remembering to include an upsell?

If you are struggling to find clients or convert them into paying customers, keep your eyes peeled for details of my ‘Make It Happen’ Programme launching very soon, or if you really can’t wait then email me at allison@allisonmarlowe.com and I will personally add you to my priority waiting list.

Coming Very Soon!

2010-03-09T04:24:00.000-08:00

After several months of ploughing through survey responses, gathering feedback and listening to your suggestions the all new Make It Happen Programme is very nearly ready to go.

Guess what I discovered ?

That you are some of the most action orientated, capable, competent and resourceful women I know. You really are, you are make it happen people.

BUT many of you are frustrated that things aren't happening fast enough, be it more visibility, more clients, more money or the difference you are passionate about making.

And that is exactly where I was not that long ago. I could totally resonate with those feelings.

So may I share one of the secrets of my success?

You may have heard that knowledge is power. Knowledge is power IF you are willing to implement and apply that knowledge quickly.

If you are sitting on the fence waiting for your website to go live, or perfecting the content of your leaflet, waiting to attend yet another training course then you will never get off the starting blocks.

Believe me, the perfect time will never come, the perfect time to make it happen is now.

So based on what you have told me, I have carefully crafted the Make it Happen programme that will give you the insights, tools, resources and a guiding hand to help you implement your ideas quickly so that you can get your brilliance out there, raise your visibility, find those clients and make money.

This affordable programme is the answer to what many of you have been asking for and will include teleclasses, CD recordings, transcripts and call-in-days with me.
Keep an eye on your inbox for more details and member benefits, but if you really want to guarantee your place on this programme email me at allison@allisonmarlowe.com NOW and I will personally ensure you are added to my priority list.

Maybe you have already seen the short video on my website that my 13 year old daughter and I created a couple of weeks ago - if not click here to watch it.

How Does She Do It?

2010-03-03T01:04:00.001-08:00

International Women's Day is just around the corner and to celebrate the success of Women in Business here is an interview I carried out with Hampshire Business woman Lisa Carpenter who shares with us the secrets of her success.

Has running your own business been something you always wanted to do?
Yes I'm very motivated and always setting myself goals, if anything I think I can be too critical of myself & my goals!!!

What inspired you to set up Bright Sparkles?
I felt there was a gap in the market for reasonably priced smaller gifts on the party plan level that catered for a whole range of people

What previous knowledge were you able to draw on while getting started and running your business?
The launching of my husbands business 8 months earlier – Mobile Car Solutions and previously to that I have always worked in Tele or Field Sales.

How long did it take for you to build from idea to launch?

I have had ideas melting away for many years but it really sped up when my little boy started preschool and then we had all the party invites and presents that needed buying….I didn’t know what characters they liked or toys they played with and I didn’t want to spend £8+ on a present that may be wrong. So Bright Sparkles was born catering for the fact that you can buy 2/3 presents for £5/6 which are suitable!

What would you say was the hardest part of getting started?

Ive always been very organized & methodical but when its your own business you have to stay focused and not let your ideas, excitement and products run away with you. I stick to my strapline…”Funky but different, reasonably priced but retaining quality”

What challenges have you faced?

Which stock to buy that will sell to a spectrum of people
Training of party planners
Standardising documents
Creating my website

And your greatest challenge?

It was making the decision to Party Plan the business, it takes a lot more time & energy to stay on top of stock needed, ordering levels & accounts! Now its running and im in control of it, I feel very proud of my ladies!

What have you learned about business during the process?

You realize who your friends are, they understand the constraints of your time but are always there to listen and let you brainstorm your ideas with them, whilst giving honest & constructive feedback!

What qualities would you say women need to succeed in business?

Determination
Strength
Focus
Sense of humour
Smile
And of course the credit card at the start!!!

What goals do you have for Bright Sparkles & Mobile Car Solutions that you'd like to reach over the next year?
For Bright Sparkles I would like to increase my number of party planners from 4 to 10

For Mobile Car Solutions, increase no of cold calls I currently make and do more networking events to continue its promotion and awareness in its market within the Hampshire & West Sussex area.

Do You Stand Out From The Crowd?

2010-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

How do you stand out from the crowd?

I don’t mean dying your hair purple or anything quite so dramatic, what I do mean is how you differentiate yourself in the market place. What makes you special and different from everyone else out there?

If you are like many of the women I know who struggle with differentiating themselves from their competitors then here are some ideas to encourage you to think about and determine your USP- Unique Selling Proposition.

Let’s start off with you.
Growing up we are often told to not be selfish and stop thinking about ourselves all the time, but today I want you to do the very opposite. I want you to take time to focus on you, to consider your strengths and natural talents the gifts that you were born with.

These assets are what make you unique. Your unique abilities that make you who you are today.
If you find this tricky, call in a few friends for help. Send them an email and ask them what they think is your unique ability. Believe me this can be an empowering exercise to do , its exercise I use with my clients with great success.

Your ideal client.

What are their beliefs and desires? What keeps them awake at night? Where will you find them?

Now let’s start looking at the product or service you provide. Begin by listing all the benefits you offer. What are the benefits that speak most directly to your ideal clients? in other words why should someone buy from you? is it that you offering the best service? Or have you got the highest success rate?

Look back at your client’s feedback and testimonials as this can often reveals the answers. Why did past customers choose to work with you? What did you do that made them become a client?

Shall I tell you? They chose you because there was something that you communicated to them which was unique, something that separated you from any other competitors. Whether you knew it or not, you probably communicated your 'USP'.

It’s this USP that convinces your customers of the value of your service/product. Don’t confuse this with cost, I’m referring to the value your service offers as perceived by the customer. That’s why I urge you to define yours as soon as possible.

Now let’s look at your competition.

What is it that they offer that you don’t? What do you offer that is different or better? What is it that distinguishes you from them?

By now you should have some good idea as to what makes you stand out from the crowd.
All you need to do now is start telling your ideal clients what you can do for them and why you are the unique person to do it. Share your USP in your marketing materials, at networking events, on your business cards, on your website and any other time when given the opportunity.

Can you say 'No' this February?!?

2010-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Wendy Wyatt is an expert in helping other people to reorganise their lives. Wendy says "To be effective you need to create good-habits, good procedures and be motivated to stick to them. It’s not just about being good at something it’s also about having a motivating plan that moves you towards your goal and creates success."

I'm always on the look out for topics affecting women in business, I loved what Wendy had to say in her latest newsletter that I want to share it with you today.

Kim McMillan says,
"When I loved myself enough
I began to say ‘no’
when I wanted to
and ‘yes’ when I wanted to"

Do you love yourself enough? Do you love yourself as your neighbour/friend? Do you find you are more able to do something for someone else than do something for yourself? - Not sure? You can learn to love yourself but what is ‘loving yourself’? ...Are you kind to yourself? Do you treat yourself as a precious child or do you ‘rant in your head’ at your mistakes? Are you able to do nice things for yourself? For a quick solution to loving your self more read the pointers below.

Do you say ‘no’ when you want to? If you always do more for others than for yourself then you ‘are not’ loving yourself. You need to say ‘no’ when you mean ‘no’ or risk overstretching yourself. You could be draining your vital energy on things you don’t want to do and then have none left for the things you do want to do.

Do you say ‘yes’ when you want to? Or do you find yourself saying yes to others first and not considering yourself? It is great to give and to care, however if you don’t take care of your needs first then how will you be able to take care of others? Remember in the airplane they always say to mothers ‘put your oxygen mask on before you do your children’s mask’.

Why is love the answer? Take a moment and imagine your first ever ‘flush of love’. How good did it feel? Now think about yourself, do you feel the same way about you? Do you put your needs first? You need to learn to love yourself to enable you to love other people, if you don't love yourself then who will? It is not enough to just be in love with someone else because you need to respond to your own needs and values to be true to you. To love yourself means to respect 'your' needs and values, but if you don’t take the time to know your needs and values how will you convey them to your loved ones? Could you imagine working/being with someone who didn't treat you with respect? Get to know your self and to respect your self.

How do you love yourself and keep yourself on the map? Love moves mountains. You’ve heard the stories… about how a father who lifted a car to save his trapped toddler. Love is powerful stuff but do you move mountains for what you want? Want to harness that power in you…? Then next time someone asks you to do something take a moment and ask yourself whether you want to say 'yes' or whether you want to say 'no'! By simply taking a moment to assess your 'self' you can know your true answer and then move closer to keeping your needs met. This way your inner guidance system may get the vital information it needs to steer your life in the direction you want.

Harness your power below; assess your true answer. If you say 'yes' when you mean ‘no’ you could miss an opportunity to do something in your life that could be important to you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harness your power! Today…

1. Take a moment before you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
2. Say ‘NO’ or risk overstretching yourself.
3. Say ‘YES’ to what you want!
4. Be kind to yourself.
5. Love yourself, if you don't love yourself then who will
6. Do something nice for yourself.
7. Move mountains for what 'you' want
8. Practise loving yourself as you would love someone else
9. Assess what direction are you sending your life in by your responses

Wendy Wyatt www.inspireyourlifecoaching.co.uk

Time Management and Beyond

2010-02-10T02:40:00.000-08:00

Last evening I had the great pleasure of interviewing Debbie Hayes, from www.lifecoach2you.com on the ever popular topic of time management, or self management of time as I’d prefer to describe it.

By that I simply mean, managing yourself more effectively so that you spend your time doing what is most important and rewarding for you.

Let me illustrate the point by sharing with you a story I shared on the call.

An executive on holiday in a small greek seacoast village, was strolling by the docks and taking in the local beauty. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch.
“ How long did it take you to catch all those fish? He asked.
“ Not very long” answered the Greek, “ An hour or two”
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”

Shrugging the greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs, and those of his family.

The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife, in the evening I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki and sing songs. I have a full life.”

The executive said, “I have an MBA from Harvard, I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”

“ How long would that take?” asked the Greek

“Twenty, perhaps twenty five years,” replied the executive.

“And after that?”

“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with zeal.

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend evenings singing, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends”

Top 10 Tips For Attracting Clients

2010-02-08T01:10:00.000-08:00

1. Know Your tarket audience
2. Niche - become a specialist in your field
3. Get out there, get known
4. Dont let fear get in the way
5. Research,find out what your market wants and give it to them
6. Be supported - find a coach or mentor and learn from them
7. Create a strategy - stick to it
8. Always follow up
9. Be consistent in your marketing
10.Treat your clients as you would your friends.

5 Reasons To Get Out and Network Tonight

2010-01-28T02:58:00.000-08:00

Yes I know its cold and you'd probably be happy to curl up this evening in front of the fire but let me just share with you 5 reasons why I think you should make the effort to come along to Winning Women tonight.

1. You never know who you might meet - All opportunities come from people.

2. Maintain your visibility - If you aren't getting out there, and getting known how will other people get to know you?

3. Its a cost effective marketing strategy - Okay the recession is officially over, that doesn't mean we can all suddenly splash the cash on marketing. Word of mouth is highly powerful.

4. If your not networking then I'm sure your competitors are - you need to be consistently at the fore of your customers minds.

5. Learn something new - even if the topic doesnt link directly to you or your business, it could be useful for your customers and clients which will add value to the relationship.

Oh and another very important reason - we have Rosie Hamilton McGinty as our guest speaker A winning Woman with a winning attitude.

See you there!

Is Time Ruling Your Life?

2010-01-26T03:22:00.000-08:00

Do you often wish you had more time to do all the things you want to do?

Do you spend your day in a frenzy of activity but never seem to accomplish much?

Do you want to find more balance instead of feeling like the different parts of your
life are always competing against each other for your time?

Do you sometimes find yourself focusing on the smaller, less important tasks
instead of what you know needs to get done?

Click here to find out more

If you said YES to any of these questions then make an appointment with yourself on Tuesday 9th February at 8pm when I will be talking to Debbie Hayes who knows a thing or two about making more effective use of your time. On this call Debbie has promised to share with you her 4 Step Process that will make your life more manageable, leaving you time to do the things you really wnat to be doing.

You know you it makes sense. Take the first step and register here right now.

12 Reasons Your Clients Don’t Buy

2010-01-22T04:59:00.000-08:00

Do any of these resonate with you or your business? Ponder on these for awhile and see where you can improve relationships with your prospects.

# They don’t know about you
# They don’t understand you
# You offer what you think they need instead of what they really want
# Your offer isn’t compelling enough
# They don’t believe in you
# You gave up too soon
# You don’t have a clear or specific offer
# You didn’t make it easy for them to say ‘Yes’
# You have exhausted your list of contacts
# They don’t trust you
# They aren’t paying attention to you
# You haven’t given them a big enough reason to act NOW.

Is Marketing An Uphill Struggle?

2010-01-18T05:39:00.000-08:00

Do you find marketing your business a struggle?
On Thursday 21st January, I will be co-hosting a half day workshop with Emma James
(owner of Tasty Marketing) where we will be revealing the 12 Reasons Why Clients Do and Don’t Buy.

When you really understand what influences a clients buying decision you will be able to promote yourself in a far more efective way.

Want to know what those 12 reasons are?

Then come along and join us between 9.00am - 12.30pm at the beautiful Moorhill House Hotel,on the edge of the New Forest Please RSVP to:

allison@allisonmarlowe.com or rsvp@dwib.co.uk

Lok forward to seeing you there.

What Planet Are You On?

2010-01-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite all time books has to be 'How To Win Friends And Influence People' by Dale Carnegie. Wouldn't you agree that having the ability to get on with other people is key for success?

When I came across this video by Wendy Dashwood-Quick I knew I had to share it, because too many of us waste too much time blaming and comparing ourselves to others with little or no return.

How would it be to accept yourself for who you are and accept others too, try it for a day or two, see what happens when you think differently.

Watch Wendy's video now.

Ten Small Business Trends for 2010

2010-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

These trends are based on my observations and what I believe to be relevant for 2010.

1. Social Media exploded in 2009 and in 2010 it will become even more popular. This is a must have for the small business owner as an easy and effective method to grow your business and develop relationships with prospects and clients alike. Reach more people, more quickly, more often. Get the ball rolling and connect with me on www.facebook.com/allisonmarlowe and www.twitter.com/allisonmarlowe

2. Multiple streams of income, not entirely new however there are definitely more and more small business owners realising they are unable to continue trading time for money. More business owners will be pursuing multiple paths and feel less afraid of changing direction.

3. Text messaging will become a mainstream marketing tool. In a time where we expect instant results, text messaging will become like email. Instead of collecting email address we will start to collect mobile numbers. Think about it, I am sure you already use your mobile more often than you do a landline. Recent research suggests that texting gets 7 times the response rate versus email. Get used to text reminders, notifications and special offers. Its here to stay.

4. There will be a big focus on Customer Service. The reputation of your business will become even more important. It’s a known fact in marketing that it is easier to ‘sell’ to existing clients than it is to acquire new ones. Look after your existing clients make sure you have something else to upsell to them, and then under promise and over deliver.

5. More women continue to start their own business and taking up leadership roles. In a recent government survey 86 % of women would set up a business again, 75% of respondents said work life balance is better when you run your own business, 78 % gained greater independence once they became an entrepreneur and 66% have enjoyed increased confidence.

6. Video is the most powerful personal branding medium. The use of video builds trust and connection far quicker than any other marketing tool. Remember, people buy from people they like know and trust. Video closes the gap between knowing someone and meeting someone. Are you using it yet?

7. There is a great social demographic trend towards Small Local Business. This can benefit you as there is a greater community focus and more local marketing opportunities are created to help you get out there and get known.

8. Think Web 2.0. again not a new phenomenon, but are you actively using applications that encourage collaboration and interaction with your clients? Interactive websites like wordpress or Blogging for instance? In 2010 we will be using the blog as an effective tool for keeping in touch with you. Make sure you are following us here or miss out.

9. Brand realisation not many women have created a clear brand for their business. Here’s a tool I think you will love to discover what your brand is and to get some great feedback on what your target audience are saying about you. mustexist.com

10. Keeping on top of what’s new in your industry. As a business owner you have a duty to keep up to date on latest developments in your specific niche area. The world of business is moving at an incredibly fast rate so you really do need to keep up with all that is going on.

15-Year-Old Boy Starts Own Chocolate Making Factory

2009-12-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

When one of my colleagues told me about 15 year old Louis Barnett I could hardly believe the story, its true read on and be ready to be amazed.

Visit his website http://www.chokolit.co.uk/

15-Year-Old Boy Starts Own Chocolate Making Factory

Whats Your Twenty Ten Strategy?

2009-12-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

Have you planned your strategy for 2010? Well it’s not too late to set some time aside and sit down and get totally clear about where you are taking your business in the next twelve months.
Most people don’t even consider their goals until December the 31st, but experience tells me that during the holiday period our energy changes so I suggest you put a process in place now before the holidays kick in. So go on, put your positive attitude to work, write your future to fulfil your dreams. This way your momentum will already be building, and you will be ahead of the game when you return to work in January.

Here are some questions to get you started.

What do you want to achieve in for your business in 2010? Now I don’t know what your personal/business goals are but I do know you need to be crystal clear about what it is that you want to achieve and why it’s important to you. If you were to continue using your current business model, how likely are you to reach those goals?

You need to be completely honest with yourself I know that unless I am prepared to step out of my comfort zone and do something different in the coming months then I am not going to make a significant difference.
On my recent business breakthrough workshop, I reminded everyone that ‘the level of thinking that got you to where you are today will prevent you from reaching the next level.

If you could achieve your goals with your current strategies you would probably already have done so. So if you aren’t there already, maybe it’s because you are thinking too small or not implementing the right tools or resources that you already have. May be its time to raise your game.

So what projects will you be working on in 2010? Which will give you the best ROI? After all you are in business to make a profit!

How can you utilise what you have grown already? What can you leverage? How did you generate most of your income in 2009?

What marketing strategies will you be replicating? What marketing strategies will you be implementing? Are you delivering the right message to the right people using the right medium?
Maybe you will choose to focus more on inbound marketing – for example writing interesting blog content, offering informative free reports, instructive e-courses, creating helpful videos, teleclassess and webinars, that naturally pull people towards you so they can discover more about what you do and how you can help them.

And as a final thought let me just leave you with a quote from St. Francis of Assisi,
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Small Business Fish Story

2009-12-11T04:20:00.001-08:00

Are you willing to raise your Game? How far are you prepared to stretch? Are you going to grow bigger?

Small Business Fish Story

View more presentations from guest78dfe7.

Thank You Jim

2009-12-09T10:31:00.001-08:00

Thank You Jim

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Let's Take Stock.

2009-11-29T13:30:00.000-08:00

We are literally only a few weeks away from the New Year and I can guarantee that when January does arrive you will be inundated with a whole bunch of email newsletters telling you how to make your life better, richer, healthier, how to make more money and letting 2010 be your best year yet.

However, if you wait until January, like the majority of people do, it will be too late to make a significant difference to your results in 2010.

I believe the secret is to start building momentum right now, Today. So that when January 1st arrives you will already know where you are heading, you will know precisely what it is you want to achieve and you will know specifically what steps you need to take and the actions that will get you there.

But before you rush off and madly setting new goals for 2010, STOP.
Let’s evaluate what you have achieved this year first.

A mind map could be a useful tool for this as it encourages both left and right brain thinking Carolyn Barber, who runs www.wayfinderassociates.co.uk was our guest speaker at Winning Women this month and she demonstrated how mind maps could be used to track success.

Just as you would a normal mind map, start in the centre with either an image or word that describes your success and then use the branches to focus on how you achieved this.
Your main branches will probably be include, events, preparation, actions, review, feedback and future planning. Sub branches can then be connected to second and third level branches if required.

Of course the mind mapping tool can also be used to set goals for the coming year, but what if you didn’t quite achieve what you set out to?

Here are some questions to ponder

What progress have I made to achieving my goals?

How much on a scale of 1-10?

What inspired me to make the action I’ve taken?

Have I allowed enough time to do all the things I want/need to do?

What got in the way of me taking further action?

Has my goal changed?

What adjustments can I make to increase my effectiveness in 2010?

What have I ultimately learned about myself this year?

I’d love to hear your stories, leave a comment below to tell me your biggest achievement in 2009 or if you'd prefer send me an email allison@allisonmarlowe.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Finding Your Ultimate Business Confidence

2009-11-23T03:09:00.000-08:00

Finding Your Ultimate Business Confidence

‘How to get Sky High Confidence to Soar into 2010’

Event: Special Teleseminar with Allison Marlowe and Karen Williams

Time: 8:00pm

Date: Tuesday, 24th November 2009

Number to Dial: Simply follow the registrations details below and you'll get all the details to join us

Nobody ever said running a business would be easy …….. It’s not always simple to juggle responsibilities, meet deadlines, achieve your goals AND feel like a confident business woman.

But, your level of success is closely determined by your self confidence.
Maybe you find that your level of self confidence tends to go up and down like the tide?

Maybe you find a lack of confidence holds you back from being your best self?

Maybe you worry about what others think about you?

It doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine if you could feel great about yourself everyday.

Believe it or not we are all born with total confidence. Just think for a moment about a baby learning to feed himself. He wouldn’t give up each time he lacked co-ordination to put the spoon directly into his mouth. He would persevere – and continually keep going until he mastered the skill.

Join me on this EXCLUSIVE teleclass where I will be talking to Karen Williams who will reveal some of her superb strategies that when implemented will make you feel great about yourself everyday.

Imagine the impact that will have on your business?

This is a FREE Teleseminar please make sure you join the call on time with a pad of paper ready to take plenty of useful notes.

To register simply click here.

Check out “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged” E-book

2009-11-16T13:50:00.001-08:00

If you are running a small micro business then you are going to want to read this e-book written by my good freind and colleague Wendy Dashwood -Quick

Wendy has carried out some detailed research in to the minds of Ultrapreneurs. Find out what she discovered by downloading your free copy here: “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged” E-book

Are You An LLL ?

2009-11-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

If you want to be successful you need to be a LLL. Life Long Learner.

Some one once said to me that you are never a failure until the day you stop learning.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" said "The only way to fail is to quit!"

Learning doesn’t have to be confined to the class room. In fact I am not a great fan of formal education, trying to force square pegs into round holes just doesn’t work. As a student I was very middle of the road with average marks which reflected my attitude to learning.

What I love about Life long learning is that it encapsulates everything. Change is happening all around us, technology is growing at such a furious pace, there is always something to learn. Which is why yesterday I attended a workshop with Anne Durward Brown www.justreferrals.co.uk

So why, when I teach marketing am I going along to a referrals workshop? Surely I know all this stuff?

Well yes I do, but I don’t know everything, and pretty much of what I do know needed to be reinforced again. Knowledge is value. You are only as good as what you know, therefore as I see it I owe it to my clients to continuously learn, expand, update and refresh my skills, so that I can be more valuable to them.

I believe Life Long Leanring is the only sure way to improve your knowledge and skills, so that you can achieve success.

Where are you on your learning path?

How Often Do You Review Your Business Plan?

2009-11-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, a high majority of women who enrol on the Business Accelerator Programme don’t have a business plan.

However, I would argue that a business plan acts as an essential tool, a road map to steer you to your future success - you need to have some kind of written plan.

Okay, maybe a formal document that you would present to your bank manager isn’t necessary, but if you haven’t recorded specifically what it is you are wanting to achieve (your vision) with a clearly defined strategy of how to achieve it, how will you know which route to take, which way to go – because you won’t even know where you are heading.

A plan will give you a sense of direction, it will really help you to focus your thoughts and get specific about WHAT it is you want and WHY that important to you. You need to know in advance what projects you are going to work on, the projects will give you the best ROI, the opportunities that are available to you.

My challenge to you today is to sit down and outline a basic structure of how you intend to operate and
develop your business in a realistic and measurable way for the next 12 months.

If you already have a plan in place, congratulations. But I am not going to let you get off lightly, now is an ideal time to review your plan and update it – get clear on the goals, objectives and results you want to achieve in 2010 and you will be ahead of the game, ready to hit the ground running when the New Year comes.

Trust Your Instincts

2009-11-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I took time for one of my ‘be nice to me days’ and used the occasion to treat myself to a make up lesson. I needed an absolute beginners crash course as I’ve never been very adventurous when it comes to wearing make-up, I’m a mascara, lipstick, done kinda girl.

Interestingly, I learned a few unexpected things from the experience - apart from how to apply my makeup that is.

The first is that we really do have the answers within us. Our instinct and intuition are very strong. Wendy showed me a beautiful palette of colours divided into warms and cools, my eyes were instantly drawn to the warm shades and I instinctively knew which shades were right for me.

Secondly, despite feeling rather cack handed in actually applying the makeup I realised I knew more than I thought, take applying blusher for example. It felt very natural applying the colour to my face and instinctively I used the correct strokes in the correct places.

So how does this experience relate to running a small business?

When you hone your intuition you have the ability to be your very own best resource,

Now I am all for mentorship and collaboration, it’s wonderful to have a team of trusted advisors, coaches and accountants for example but when it comes down to it, nobody understands your business quite like the person who’s running it - You.
Listen to the advice of others but at the end of the day you have to trust your own instincts.

As You Sow So Shall You Reap

2009-11-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure where I originally came across this little ditty by personal development author Chuck Gallozzi but I want to share it with you because I think you will love it too!

Plant your garden of success today:

First, plant 3 rows of peas;

Patience
Positive thinking
Persistence

Next, plant 3 rows of squash;

Squash excuses
Squash blame
Squash criticism

Then, plant 3 rows of lettuce;

Let us be responsible
Let us be trustworthy
Let us be ambitious

Finish, with 3 rows of turnip;

Turn up when needed
Turn up with a smile
Turn up with confidence
Chuck Gallozzi

It's Not What You Do Its The Way That You Do It - And Thats What Gets Results

2009-10-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a prospective new client towards the end of last week about how the Business Accelerator Programme could specifically help her get off the starting blocks with her business idea and propel her to the position of business owner as opposed to where she currently is as a dreamer.

Quite rightly she had a lot of questions: How does the programme work? Can you guarantee it will be successful? What are the precise steps I need to take to get a good return on my investment?

All valid and very important questions that any prospective client should be asking and I totally understand the concerns. Over the years I have invested in many coaching, marketing and mentoring programmes but not all of them have delivered the results I'd hoped to achieve.

Was it the coach? Were they not knowledgeable enough? Was I attending the wrong seminars? Was I learning the 'wrong' approaches to marketing?

No not at all, every single seminar, conference I have attended has been full of high quality content, every book I have read has given me at least one or two new ideas or insights. So why in the past wasn't I getting the results I desired?

Neil Fellowes explains all in his article If they're not buying what you offer...

What's going on you might ask... you seem to be telling lots of people about what you do and how you can help them, but still they're not buying? You need people to buy from you because you can make a big difference to them personally or to their business.

Marketing methods that fail

Have you ever been to a networking meeting, not felt comfortable and not picked up any business? When this happens it's easy to say "I went, I met 20 business owners and not one of them bought". And you can be forgiven for thinking: "Networking doesn't work."

You could also try advertising. Spend a few hundred (or thousand), get little or no interest and say that doesn't work either.

You might not like writing, but because you hear articles or newsletters work, you try writing a half dozen. But still you have no interest and you conclude that doesn't work.

You could try direct mail and have that bomb too. You could try flyers, telesales or a hundred other marketing methods and still get the same response.

Why?

It's not the marketing method that doesn't work, it's something else.

Marketing Methods that work

Not so long ago I was chatting with a guy who makes a very nice six-figure income and his only marketing method is networking. One of my peers tells me one advert she runs generates a 38% response. I can tell you one writing method we use builds confidence and awareness which in turn creates sales for us.

So how come these marketing activities are no different from the ones people claim don't work? What makes the difference?

Using the strategy of Olympic Medallists

Olympic medallists are not just born, they dedicate time to making minor adjustments that give them an edge - sometimes a fraction of an inch that makes that difference between being a champion everyone remembers or the competitor who got forgotten.

It's most often about small improvements, made over time, and sometimes you need outside expertise on these things.

We made a change on one of our web pages recently that changed the take up by just 3%. That doesn't sound much, right? But 1000 people hit that web page and that product has a value of £1200, it's a worthwhile adjustment.

So, when people are not buying what you offer, it's not necessarily that the strategy doesn't work, it's likely to be the way you're currently using the strategy that hasn't worked... yet.

With marketing you have to keep refining things until you get results you want. It's all testing.

Neil Fellowes publishes his fortnightly CommunitySoul newsletter for businesses that take an ethical, sustainable or holistic approach to be strong thriving businesses and practices. If you want to make a big difference through your work and make a big profit, then join in our free tele-seminar www.communitysoulbusiness.com

Are you Attracting Enough of What You Want In Your Life?

2009-10-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Many years ago during a challenging period of my life I decided to explore the possibility of becoming an interior designer and signed up for an introduction course. I've always loved colour and shapes so I was in my element collecting samples and swatches offabric for my mood boards.

I spent many weeks dreaming up fantasy rooms sourcing ideas and drawing designs based around my own personal tastes to create my portfolio. Money was particularly tight at this point in my life so my designs and plans were based totally on dreams.

Life then took a new turn and I found myself training to become a teacher, that’s a story for another time, however, a decade later we moved to a new house. As I unpacked I was drawn to a particular packing box that contained the portfolio from that interior design class. Sentimentally I flicked through the pages and was amazed to see that the carpet I’d once desired and could only dream of in my portfolio was the very flooring I was standing on in my new house. It didn’t stop there, there were several other coincidences appertaining to that portfolio like the bathroom fittings and the splash back behind the oven.

You may call it coincidence but I believe it was something much more powerful at work, the Law of Attraction states that what you think about most you ultimately attract and believe me I spent endless hours working on, thinking and dreaming about the designs in my portfolio.

The Law of Attraction was our topic for Winning Women networking group
last evening, I wasn’t surprised by how many of us have experienced the law of attraction at play. My thanks go to our guest speaker Roberta Jerram for the wonderful insights she shared.

It’s so true that you get what you focus on, so as you go through your daily life running your business I urge you to focus on what it is you want and why you really want it. Get clear, get specific, write it down and believe it can be yours.

Want to learn more about this fascinating universal law?
Here are few resources to check out.

Books
The Secret: by Rhonda Byrne

Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't: Michael J. Losier

The Missing Secret :Dr Joe Vitale. Activate the full power of the Law of Attraction

The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or Anything Else) From the Inside Out: Joe Vitale

Websites

http://www.rebeccahanson.com/
www.michaellosier.com
www.mrfire.com

If You Aren't Getting The Results You Want Then Ask Yourself Better Questions

2009-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

If you’ve read any of my previous posts you will already know that I tend to come up with many a good idea when taking a shower. Our minds constantly search for the answers to the internal questions we pose.

It’s a well known fact that if you can ask yourself better questions, you’re going to come up with better answers, but are you putting this to the test?

Just a few weeks ago I was stuck in a time trap unable to see a way clear that would free up some extra time in my hectic schedule to work on creating and developing some of our new programmes planned for the New Year.

So why wasn’t I asking better questions? I’d allowed myself to fall into the trap of lack, focusing on the lack of time I had rather than asking myself ‘what do I need to do to find an extra 30 minutes each day to concentrate on this activity ’. Immediately I made the decision to ask myself better questions I began to receive better results.

Asking better questions expands your thinking and your experiences too, remember this the next time you think you can’t have something you really want like an expensive new outfit, an expensive training course, or a foreign holiday. It’s only your perception of your current thinking holding you back. By simply asking better questions and getting your mind thinking on a different path can be wonderfully illuminating.

Test it yourself and see.

Escaping Russia: A Harrowing Law of Attraction Lesson

2009-10-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

Escaping Russia: A Harrowing Law of Attraction Lesson

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Do You Want To Get Ahead In Business?

2009-10-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

I know I do. I have high expectations and want to deliver great value to my clients.
But, I need to be honest here, for the past nine or ten months http://www.allisonmarlowe.com/ has been ticking over nicely but growth has been inconsistent. Don’t mis-understand me, we are doing very well, we are currently at full capacity client wise and feedback is always highly positive.

At the same time there has been this uncomfortable niggling feeling that I need to be doing far more in terms of growth and development to step up to the next level. My ideas are plentiful, I know what I need to do, but I've been lacking direction which commonly results in lack of action.

I'm a great believer in learning from others, people who have already trod where I dare to tread and for that reason I have several mentors supporting me and holding me accountable at any one time. When a recent opportunity arose to spend a half day exclusively on developing my business with business coach and mentor Rob Cuesta I jumped at the chance. You just can’t let opportunities like that pass you by.

During the course of the morning something major shifted, suddenly I could see a way forward and by lunchtime the pieces of the jigsaw began to fall slowly into place.

By late afternoon a clear step by step detailed action plan was shaped and formed. The plan felt comfortable and I know I can realistically achieve the targets set. Having a plan, a way forward was its self tremendous value but that’s not all, I also learned huge amounts about myself, I gained an insight into the reasons my beliefs have been holding me back, new tools and strategies, but the icing on the cake was unearthing a potential £20,000 of additional revenue that I'd previously overseen.

So what about you - are you going to wait for the ‘business fairy’ to come along and wave her magic wand or are you going to take responsibility and find a mentor for yourself – TODAY.

Find out more about Rob Cruesta here

Shut the BUT up!

2009-10-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever caught yourself saying things like this before?

‘………but I’ll never have the confidence to do that’

………..but that’s probably wishful thinking’

‘I’d love to ……..but ’

It would be great if I could just…………but ’

I know I certainly have. We all make excuses, some of us more than others.

When we insert a tiny word like ‘BUT’ into a sentence it moves your focus to whatever follows the ‘but’.

‘but’ can lead us to procrastination, it becomes all to easy to fall into the trap of believing our own excuses and that points to inaction.

Think about this for a moment, -The quality of your excuses determines the quality of your life.

So stop making excuses, nobody else is listening anyway, instead take responsibility for your life, no complaining, no blaming, no whining.

Winston Churchill said 'Responsibility is the price of greatness'.

Its your choice.

Do you really want to look back at your life and say ‘I nearly did……………but’

Or
'
I was going to become………… but’

Shut the BUT up!

You’ve Got To Be In It To Win It!

2009-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

You’ve Got to be in it to win it!

Wow! What an awesome weekend. I was at Heathrow at the NLP and Coaching conference and I just did something that has really scared me, and I mean really scared me.

Do you want to know what I did? I’m sure you do. I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Yeah I know we’ve all step out of our comfort zone from time to time, so what's the big deal? Why was this occasion so different?

Because it wasn’t just a baby step. I took a huge stride, I stepped miles out of my comfort zone, I’ve stepped (leaped) into another league, now that is really scary.

What made me do it? There are several reasons

1. I want more than I have currently – my business isn’t where I want it to be
2. I want to reach out to more and more female business owners
3. I have high expectations of myself
4. My families financial future
5. I believe in myself

But, do you know what? Taking this HUGE leap of faith is going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. In fact it is going to be an amazing. How can I be so certain? Because it always is.

When you set out to do something that initially makes you anxious or worried and then you ‘do it’ or accomplish it, it will never be as difficult the next time.

I used to believe in taking small baby steps and they have been invaluable along the way, but if you want to realise true success you too will have to get out of your own way and expand your comfort zone. You need to set some big hairy audacious goals.

And when you do you will probably never want to stop – believe me your business will appreciate you for it.

Take the plunge today.

Oh I almost forgot – here’s a picture taken last evening.

Along with 24 other inspirational entrepreneurs I am in the running to own this Jag this time next year. I stepped up and invested in the UK’s Top business mentoring programme.

You have to be in it to Win it.

The Recipe For Success

2009-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

We've been doing some serious baking in our household this weekend and what a fun
(and messy) time we had.

I was reminded of the 'Recipe for Success' that someone once sent to me. I don't know the origin of this recipe or who to credit but try it out it's rather tasty.

1. Take the strengths you already have
2. Add adose of empowerment
3. Sprinkle generously with creative thinking
4. Stir in accountability, networking and commitment
5. Allow to simmer and watch as a powerful, successful business women emerges

Are You A Fraud?

2009-09-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Mary has officially been running her beauty consultancy business for the past six months ‘….but I feel such a fraud at times – on the surface I appear to be coping well, but under the exterior I often wonder how long I can keep this front up……….everyone else seems to know exactly what they are doing.’

Mary, although an expert in the beauty industry is experiencing a fairly common feeling , when she is working directly with her clients she feels very confident but a lot of her time is spent doing unfamiliar tasks and she often feels outside her comfort zone.

I pointed out to Mary that this was a fairly common experience in the early days of trading and this kind of self talk can quickly lead us to placing self - imposed limits upon on ourselves, it can stop us dead in our tracks if we aren’t quick to identify it.

I invite you to read the article below by Personal Development coach Karen Williams who describes how you can overcome just about anything that is holding you back and shares 20 top tips that will help you celebrate the good you are doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you ever think that "I'm no good at this" and expect to be "found out"?

Do you dismiss your accomplishments or successes as a "fluke" or that you were "in the right place at the right time"?

Do you believe that other people think you are more intelligent than you believe you actually are?

Are you waiting for people to reveal that you are a phoney or exposed as a sham?

Do you think that any success you have is due to contacts, luck, good timing, or perseverance?

If you agree with any or all of these statements; don't worry, you're not alone. Studies indicate that up to 70% of people fear that they will be labelled as a phoney. Perhaps you don't feel that you are good enough, or something has happened to you that makes you put a downer on yourself.

Whatever your achievements and how good about something you feel, do you find it difficult to celebrate your successes and go out and shout about what you have achieved or done?

In today's society we are pressurised to do more with less, have higher expectations, and fit more and more into our days. It is no wonder that we feel angst and disappointment rather than euphoria and excitement. Sometimes it can link from the messages and expectations you received as a child and even during your adult life, but often we forget to celebrate our successes.

So, how can you celebrate every small thing that you achieve and have the belief and faith in your own abilities?

1. Don't set yourself impossible standards
2. Learn from your mistakes, brush yourself down and move on
3. Reward yourself for the effort you take to get things done not just for the outcome
4. Keep a success journal outlining all of your achievements and add to it every week, no matter how small you think it is
5. Recognise the times that you doubt yourself and remind yourself that you are good enough
6. Remember that you don't have to be superwoman or superman
7. When you receive a compliment, thank the person giving it to you rather than just brushing it off
8. If you want to appear more confident than you actually are in a situation, 'act as if'. You're not being a phoney, you are promoting yourself in the way you wish to be received
9. Give yourself permission to achieve your greatest potential
10. Take a risk and learn from it - good and bad
11. Recognise your negative inner voice which may tell you that you are not good enough. Acknowledge it, then ignore it or challenge it
12. Remind yourself daily that you are good enough
13. Never undervalue yourself
14. Do one thing each day that you don't want to do to move you closer to your dreams or goals
15. Don't compare yourself with others and remember that you are a unique person
16. Trust your instincts and listen to what your heart is telling you
17. Accept that there will be days when you want to stay under your duvet
18. Do something every day that you love to do
19. Acknowledge your strengths and make them stronger
20. Do a good deed, help someone else or make someone's day

Karen Williams is a personal development coach who helps people to re-find direction in their career. If you want to achieve greater success in your career, download your free tips now at www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk.Karen can also help you on your journey to career success. Register today at http://www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk/onlinecareerprogramme.html.

Maintaining Your Business Mindset

2009-09-07T04:21:00.000-07:00

Recently I was interviewed by Karen Williams of Self Discovery coaching, during which we spent considerable time discussing success and how it correlates to ones mindset.
Mindset intrigues me, Earl Nightingale said “We become what we think about”. So understanding how to adopt and maintain a positive business mindset is critical to our success- why? Because its one of the biggest factors that prevents many business women from marketing themselves effectively.

It was about three years ago that I first heard the term ‘business mindset’, mentioned by one of my mentors - it really made me sit up and listen as I heard her explain,
“The difference that really makes the difference between women who run their businesses successfully and those who have some intermittent success is their business mindset……….”
“……..It’s their attitude or approach to running their business that really makes the significant difference.”
She continued to describe this as the difference between those who ‘play at having a business’ and those who go out there and really make it happen. It was the bit about those who ‘play’ at business that struck a chord with me. I was guilty, I hadn’t taken things a seriously as I could’ve up until then, coming from a back ground in education I had little business knowledge and I had hoped that I would meet a few contacts thorough networking, they would refer me to friends and colleagues and my business would take off, I’d do a little bit of advertising (in all the wrong places I might add) and that would be sufficient.

So when my mentor talked about investing time, effort and money right from the start I knew I had to go back to basics, review my business plans, at least I had them! And start over like a professional not an amateur.
Every business decision you make today will affect your business tomorrow, with this in mind let me share with you my top 3 tips for creating a business mindset.

1. Start with the end in mind. You have to know where you are going if you are ever going to get there and to do this you need to think strategically and plan, plan, plan. Ask yourself, what specifically you are trying to create. Yes, you might have a great vision for your business but something I find that frequently gets overlooked is that you are ultimately in business to make a profit. Are you choosing to ‘play’ at being in business and just making a little extra pocket money or are you taking this venture seriously? Jot down your thoughts.

2. Act strategically. Why are you doing precisely what you do? Are you going with the flow just because everyone else appears to be? Or are you deciding what actions to take to bring you the best results? Every action you take needs to be focused.
You need to clearly define the results you are aiming for and question the choices are you making. Don’t just go along to the next networking event because you feel you ‘should’ or ‘ought’ to. Instead go along with a clear objection in mind, think of your actions strategically, otherwise you could be leaving money on the table. Ask yourself these questions.
Is this action good use of my time?
Are the actions I am taking leading to new clients or a financial reward?
Will this activity lead to where I ultimately want to go?

3) Learn from your mistakes. We all make them, take Thomas Edison and his famous experiments to invent the electric light bulb as an example. He didn’t perceive his copious attempts as failures but as advancements towards his ultimate goal.
What a powerful mindset to have?
Model Edison's approach and you will achieve so much more. So make new mistakes, but refrain from making the same mistakes and celebrate your successes.

Take Your First Step

2009-08-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever dreamed about what you would do if you won the lottery?

It's nice to dream but in reality we have a higher chance of being struck by lightning!

So how about this? Have a think about what you would do differently with your life if there were absolutely no limitations of any kind, what you would do if you could not possibly fail and if you didn't have to answer to anyone else?

Write down your answers, because within your thoughts are seeds of ideas that you will certainly offer an awareness of a new sense of direction. When you know where you want to go, you can then create and take the first steps towards that ideal destination.

An Autobiography in five short chapters

CHAPTER 1
I walk down the street and there is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost,
I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.

CHAPTER 2
I walk down the same street; there is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place.

CHAPTER 3
I walk down the same street; there is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in, it's a habit, but my eyes are open. I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

CHAPTER 4
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

CHAPTER 5
I walk down another street

Author unknown

What is your Keep in Touch Strategy?

2009-07-20T05:12:00.001-07:00

How are you going to stay in regular contact with your prospects?

Picture this:

You have just spent the past week preparing for a speaking engagement at a large trade event, you made a good impression. Following the event you have a pocket full of business cards - contact details of people who are already interested in your product or service or in other words, warm leads.

What do you do next? Be honest – what do you do?

I know for sure that many of the women I work with make great efforts to keep in touch, sadly what is often lacking is strategy. Often their attempts are random, unpredictable and unplanned. They haven’t clearly defined or thought through a series of steps or a process which will deliver a specific message to their contacts. The trick is to create a natural blend of messages that gradually move your prospects closer to becoming paying clients.

Nurturing the relationships you already have I believe, is crucial to growing and sustaining your business. If you don’t these warm leads will quickly become cold again.

What does caring for a new puppy have to do with marketing?

2009-07-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we brought home our adorable new addition to the family, an 8 week old Tibeten Terrier puppy, Bodington, or Bodders for short. He really is adorable and my daughters simply can’t wait to come home from school to play with him in the garden.

So why am I telling you this? Surely this can’t be pertinent to running your own business?

Well, it is and let me tell you why.

When Bodders left his mother and 7 siblings to start his life living with us there was a lot of adjusting he had to accustom himself to. The first night he slept soundly until 6am. Well wouldn’t you if you had to contend with your first car journey, a ferry ride across The Solent and a completely new environment, with strange people, oh and a cat. Pretty tiring all in all.

The second night, he initially settled well but then woke at 1am, making a noise which has since developed into a full blown bark. We’d been advised to leave him, to see if he would settle but after 20 minutes I must admit, I gave in, threw back the bed covers and went down stairs to reassure him.

This happened several times each night for the following four nights, each time I went downstairs and settled him and then he was fine.

I had to keep reminding him I was there, just like you need to consistently remind your prospects that you are there too. After all customers and clients can’t walk through your door if they don’t know you are there.

Keeping in touch with your prospects is such an important strategy that enables you to develop strong relationships with your prospective clients so they gradually get to know you, like you, trust and remember you before until they become ready to buy.

So what is your strategy? How do you keep in touch? how do you follow up and strengthen the relationships between yourself and your prospects?

How To Increase Your Fees And Still Get MORE Clients?

2009-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

There’s so much talk about tightening purse strings but don’t be tempted to cut your prices. Many business owners believe that if they cut their prices they will gain more customers – not so.

It doesn’t necessarily follow that your sales volumes will increase. Putting up your fees is actually doing your clients a favour.

This is just one of the topics that marketing expert and author Hannah McNamara will be covering on her FREE Teleseminar event ‘ How to increase your fees and still get more clients’ on Thursday 9th July 2009.

You can claim your free place on this very special tele-seminar here:

Hannah McNamara will be covering so much material including:

* Why you could easily earn an extra £26,000 ($42,000) per year from your
coaching sessions alone - it won't happen overnight, but if you apply what
Hannah tells you, the results are guaranteed

* Which niche markets you should focus on and which you should avoid like the
plague if you want to be successful

* 3 ways that you are sabotaging your clients' successes - many coaches are
stopping their clients achieving their goals without even realising it

Hannah will also be previewing material from her new tell-all marketing training programme on this call.

Until now she has only revealed this information to a select number of people on her one-to-one coaching programme.

Fancy a sneak preview?

Claim your free place on this tele-seminar here:

Top tips on how Twitter can help women in business

2009-06-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Last evening I had the pleasure in interviewing Sam Russell on Building Your Business Using Facebook and Twitter. As it happens Sam and I have both been inspired and guided by Mark Shaw, Mark has built a reputation on helping clients effectively Twitter.

Mark recently published a great article and I am pleased to be able to share it with you here.

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Women face many particular challenges in the business environment, from juggling work and family commitments, to establishing authority in a world that is often still male-dominated.

Online social networking technology can be a great way to overcome many of these challenges, and probably the most important network at the moment is Twitter.

Twitter allows you to stay in touch with your customers while you're on the run, connect with industry leaders, gather accurate market information in real time, and much more besides. I'm convinced it's one of the most powerful new tools available to help people in business, from struggling small business owners to busy executives.

Why do I need Twitter?

There's been a lot of coverage of Twitter in the media recently, so it's natural to be a little skeptical. This is one case where you should believe the hype, however. Twitter is a simple but great idea that has been picked up by millions of people, and in the process has become a highly versatile, very cost effective business tool.

You probably already know that Twitter allows you to build a network of contacts, then communicate with them via messages of 140 characters or less. Typically, people use Twitter messages (tweets) to describe what they are doing, or to link to interesting online content.

The really exciting thing about Twitter, though, is that it allows you to do your marketing, networking, and business research much better, and on a lower budget, that you ever could before.

Once you're set up (which takes a minute and costs nothing), you can target your particular business niche very accurately, while getting global reach. In your marketing, for instance, you might choose to focus on reaching customers in your home town, or alternately you might reach out to users all over the world who have expressed an interest in your product.

You can speak directly to your customers to get feedback on new product ideas. You can track trends in your market as they happen.

And if you're running your own businesses, on those days when you're feeling a little isolated Twitter allows you to connect with collaborators, experts, and investors around the world, without leaving the office.

Making the most of Twitter for your business

In any new community, it pays to know a few ground rules so you get the maximum benefit (and don't make a fool of yourself!). Here are a few tips that will give you a head start on the rest of the pack:

1. Your profile page is very important. Use a high quality photo of yourself, and give enough information to give a sense of who you are, what your business is, and what you're hoping to achieve on Twitter.

2. Try tweeting about ten times per day, and make sure you share useful information and links as well as posting the 'I'm walking down the street' style of tweet.

3. You'll find the Twitter website is very limited, so try downloading a third party application Tweetdeck helps you manage your contacts and messaging, and Tweepsearch will help you find users who share similar interests to your own.

4. Try to convey your true personality and don't always be talking about your business. Users will be turned off quickly if you try too hard to sell to them, but by being honest and transparent you'll connect with people who can help you.

Like anything new, you'll need to spend a bit of time listening in, while you get the hang of it. Soon you'll see how the Twitter community can help you in every aspect of your business. Have fun! So why not get started today twitter.com/

About Mark Mark has been twittering for over a year and has made it his business to help others effectively use Twitter to help their business. He has amassed a wealth of knowledge and techniques on how to make Twitter work and how to get the most out of it. He currently advises clients on how to establish themselves on Twitter, how to grow their following, how to become recognised as an expert in their field, and how to generate leads from the medium.For more information go to www.markshaw.biz/

Using Twitter and Facebook to Build your Business 'How to create Social Networking Success’

2009-06-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Every networking group or business related function I attend at the moment the topic of conversation sooner or later turns to that of Twitter or Facebook.

The extraordinary growth in Social Media has led to a huge amount of public attention so it is probably inevitable that it is constantly at the fore of many peoples minds.

Facebook and Twitter have also become prominent marketing tools for business. Marketing strategies have certainly changed in the last five years since I started out in business and any wise business owner knows it is important to keep up with the latest trends if they wnat to stay ahead. I’m not saying every business owner should have a Facebook or Twitter account to generate business but both applications do open you up to wider social network that will help you make powerful connections, forge strong relationships and an opportunity to share information.

To find out why you need to be participating in social networking NOW and to hear Success stories from small and big businesses that have used Social media as a platform to market from click here

How Are You treating your Clients?

2009-06-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

If you want happy satisfied customers, treat them well!

I spent the best part of yesterday inviting complete strangers in to my home to quote for some pressing plumbing work, I had two experiences that were poles apart.

One of the guys briskly pushed passed me, climbed the stairs to the bathroom where he took no more than a second glance at the job in question and abruptly told me that he would have to knock down part of a wall to do the job, that it would be very difficult for him as there was little space, he tutted, he sighed and his general negativity towards the job made me feel very uncomfortable.

In stark contrast I was met with a smile and an extended hand as I opened the door to the other tradesman. He asked my permission to go and look at the job, he was courteous and allowed me to lead the way. He enquired about the job in hand and gave me the impression he was genuinely keen to help.

First impressions count! Whatever your business.

It’s simple really - Happy customers will buy from you and tell more people about you.

What Is the difference That Makes The difference?

2009-06-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to present my ‘Secrets of Effective Marketing’ talk to the Southsea Business Networking Forum. It was well attended and I really enjoyed delivering the presentation and connecting with the other women. Women united in a common goal: professional and personal empowerment

Surrounding yourself with positive and like minded women, I beleive is vital for the survival of your business. It’s amazing what happens when a group of women come together and are encouraged to share their tales and experiences.

I’m certain that as I revealed " The Top 12 Reasons Why Clients Aren't Buying" (and no mention of the recession either) there were several lightbulbs going on.

So is knowledge King?

What are your thoughts? Let me know what you think.

When opportunity Knocks Will You Be Ready to Open the Door?

2009-06-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

The story goes that Frank Sinatra got his big break while working as a waiter. One day, as he was waiting tables, he noticed one of the biggest names in the music industry sitting in the restaurant. Old Blue Eyes did the most unbelievable thing. He cleared off the table next to the gentleman, climbed up on to it and sang! He knew he'd blown his job at the restaurant for doing so, but how many times would this door of opportunity open up? Needless to say, the rest is history.

I believe opportunities are waiting around every corner. You never quite know when that door of opportunity is going to open wide. I'm also a great believer in the Law of Attraction, one of the fundamental laws of the universe, which states, we bring into our lives a reflection of what we are attracting, be it negative or positive.

Consequently if you have a positive expectation you will likely open yourself up to more opportunities than if you just go through your days fault finding and complaining about how hard and difficult your life is. Please don't assume I live in a idealistic world, sure we all face stressful events, but sometime's what we perceive as life's ups and downs, can be seen as opportunities for us to achieve or understand something new about ourselves at a higher level.

Try this exercise. Take an A4 sheet of paper and draw a line directly down the centre. At the top of the left hand side write down a list all the opportunities you have seized, the list can include anything. Now on the right hand side, compile a list of missed opportunities that you can recall.

Now take a look at your list. Focus first on the missed opportunities and ask yourself, what stopped you from taking the opportunity? What did you have to lose? What have you learnt from not grabbing the opportunity? What would you do if the same opportunity occurred again?
Now focus on the opportunities you embraced. What was it that made it easy for you to take each opportunity? What did you gain? What have you learnt? How has it helped you? Where has it taken you? For each and every one of us who is ready to grab the next opportunity, there are thousands more who won't and don't.

The average person has 630,000 hours (72 years) to do with them what they will, watching TV, sleeping, working, playing, living, being, doing and having.

Will you be ready when opportunty next knocks?

Are You Following the Yellow Brick Road?

2009-06-04T02:13:00.000-07:00

My good friend Wendy Dashwood-Quick, (who some you met last week at Winning Women) is launching her first book and has a fantastic special offer for you all.

She has taken 2 years, acres of paper and dozens of biros getting her book into print. She has literally poured everything she knows about coaching and helping people 'get out of their own way' into 300 pages.

Her book is already receiving rave reviews and making a difference in people's lives. She wants to make a big splash with this book and has a plan to achieve this, read on... Here, she outlines the publication day celebrations!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When you buy my book, "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road", at Amazon.co.uk on Monday 8th June, you are entitled to over £500 in free bonuses including e-books, memberships and services - but you have to act on Launch Day (8th June - not before) to claim them!

I won't go into detail here but if you love a bargain, would like to get well over £500 in powerful bonuses and want to either re-evaluate your career, change directions or move on after redundancy along with a step-by-step plan to help you get there then you will find this very interesting...

So here's how you can grab these valuable free gifts....

You see I'm celebrating the official publication of my new book "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road" in a big, BIG way.

It's the birth of this book but the gifts are for you!

How's THAT for a win-win celebration? You buy one £14.25 book on 8th June 2009 and you get £500 in amazing free products, business resources, downloads and books!

Best of all "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road" is a great buy for that person who's currently at the crossroads of their career, is facing redundancy and would like some strategies to discover what they want to with their career and how they're going to get there.

Inside the book you will find out how to:-
* Identify and celebrate your own uniqueness
* Smash through the glass ceiling and aim higher
* Package yourself to magnetically attract opportunities
* Power up your self-belief and create unwavering self confidence
* Clarify and strengthen your deepest values and purpose
* Programme your intuition to guide you in the right direction
* Stop following the herd and discover what success means to you
* Develop and work on your own personal success plan* and much, much more... including some interesting case studies, personalworkshop activities and your own personal action plan

So make sure you grab yourself a copy of "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road - 7 Core Principles of Success"

But don't do it now, diarise for the 8th June! Then all you have to do to get your free gifts is just complete the form at www.7coreprinciples.co.uk and I'll send your free gifts right over to you.

The ONLY way you can grab all these free gifts is to purchase your copy of "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road - 7 Core Principles of Success" and complete the form on 8th June!

With my book and the ton of free gifts you have everything to gain when you spend just £14.25!

All the best

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

Author of "Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road - 7 Core Principles of Success"

http://tinyurl.com/Amazon-YBR

Read a Sample Chapter Here: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=7008PS:

Remember, to receive your £500+ in free bonuses you must complete the form at www.7coreprinciples.co.uk by midnight (GMT) 8th June 2009!

PPS: This book is also a perfect business gift for clients, friends, and family

PPPS: If you have received a similar invitation by email, I apologise for the duplication and congratulations on being well connected...!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a postscript from me! Don't forget to check out the bonus I'm offering as part of this promotion.

Now, can you see why I couldn't wait to spill the beans?

Allison

Winning Women Travel The Yellow Brick Road

2009-06-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday evening Hampshire Winning Women were entertained by Wendy Dashwood –Quick, Author of Discover Yourself on the Yellow Brick Road.

Wendy had a difficult start in life, she overcame more obstacles than most of us would face in a life time and then at the age of 36 Wendy’s world fell apart completely. Going through a divorce she lost her home, nearly all her friends, most of her possessions and her car. Then she was bullied out of her job.

The only thing that kept her sane was one book on Personal Development. Rather than throwing herself in the river she decided to throw herself into Personal Development. Several years later she became a Coach and now helps others gain clarity and perspective in their careers, re-build their self confidence and point themselves in the right direction.

Listening to Wendy it is clear that she is passionate about making a difference and has found her purpose. Not only a coach Wendy is also a practitioner in both EFT and NLP and has drawn upon her own personal life experiences and her professional qualifications to write Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road.

Winning Women all had such a fantastic evening with Wendy that I’d like to invite you to read a sample chapter here.

What Does Your Business Mindset Say About You?

2009-05-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

It was about three and a half years ago when I first heard my mentor use the term ‘Business Mindset’ and it really made me sit up and listen.

She explained the difference between women who run their businesses successfully and those who have some intermittent success is simply down to their business mindset.

She described this as the difference between those who ‘play at having a business’ and those who go out there and really make it happen. It was the bit about those who ‘play’ at business that struck a chord with me. I resonated with that, I hadn’t taken things a seriously as I could’ve up until then, I had hoped that by coaching a few friends, they would refer me and my business would take off, I’d do a little bit of advertising (in all the wrong places I might add) and that would be sufficient. When my mentor talked about investing time, effort and money right from the start I knew I had to go back to basics, review my business plan, (at least I had that!) And start over like a professional and not an amateur.

So, what is the difference between a Business professional and a business amateur in this context? A business amateur wakes up in morning and thinks ‘Oh, I’m not feeling motivated, it’s a glorious day outside, I can’t be bothered to make those follow up calls today’. On the other hand a business professional will go to any length to do the things they need to do whether they feel like doing it or not. A professional will say ‘I am going to do one thing every single day to grow my business’.

Bear in mind that if that is the case, then over a course of one year - 365 days, imagine what a difference one small tiny step would impact on your business development. If your mindset isn’t right then you are only going to achieve limited success.

Every business decision you make today will affect your business tomorrow, next week, next month and in the future.

It’s so vitally important to get this mindset, this attitude in place right NOW.
Stephen Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, offers this advice, ‘Begin with the end in mind’. He advocates working backwards from where you want to be in order to make the choices that will lead you there.

Having a business mindset is about becoming more strategic in your thinking and getting clear on what it is you want to achieve before you invest in any business activity.

And if your mindset isn’t quite at the right place yet, what are you going to do to change it?

Entrepreneurs who do their homework increase their chances for

2009-05-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have spent the weekend preparing for my family holiday, treating us all to some new clothes and making sure all the necessary plans are in place to ensure we set off happy and relaxed. When you add it all up it can come as quite a surprise exactly how much time we spend planning and preparing for our hols. You start off months before hand carrying out research to find the best resort, you compare prices and travel companies to find the best deal available and that’s all before you even make your reservation.

So, it makes sense that when planning something as important as
setting new goals for your continual business development you carry out research to determine if your ideas are viable.

Lack of sufficient research is one of the fundamental mistakes that many small businesses owners make in the early days of setting up and running their own business. Likewise, it is also one of the reasons many fledgling companies fail.

Let’s imagine you have created a new product or service that you are certain to be a winner. But how can you be sure?

Firstly , ask yourself, is there a demand for the product or service you will be offering?

How big is the market?

Will the product or service you plan to offer be profitable?

Who else is offering the same or similar products or services in your area?

What will differentiate you from your competitors?

How will you make your business idea stand out?

Who are your customers? How will you find them? How will they
find you?

It’s not enough to just ponder these questions, you need to set
aside some time to sit down and focus on the answers. There’s no
time like the present, so commit now to starting your research by
answering the questions above.

‘Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.’
Marston Bates

Are You making the most of Public Speaking

2009-05-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found yourself watching someone and thinking ‘I could do that’.

That happened to me when I was sat in the audience listening to some of the UK’s top business strategists and speakers presenting on internet marketing and personal development. Having the ability to speak well in public opens up a world of opportunities, So what was stopping me?

I was keen to explore this with one of my coaches and it was interesting what came up. Being shy or lacking confidence surprisingly wasn’t the issue, for me it was a real fear of forgetting my subject matter when in front of an audience. I can tell you, an audience looks quite different when you are facing it rather than part of it.

So let me share with you some of the actions I have taken that will also enable you to take your public speaking to the next level.

1.Be yourself. You are an expert on you. No-one in your audience knows your subject better than you – at least not from your perspective.
When my coach drilled down on my fear it became apparent I was concerned about being judged. It was then that I realised my perspective, my experiences my opinions were the messages I would be sharing with my audiences I suddenly realised the fear wasn’t so bad. No-one can judge my perspective!

2.Prepare and practice. Brain storm, mind map or bullet point the main points and then run through your entire presentation as often as you can. Some people suggest you practice in front of a mirror but personally that just makes me laugh!
What I prefer to do is visualise the whole presentation, from arriving in the room right through to close of the presentation, being very careful to include every little detail, from starting with a bold statement, a question to get your audience thinking or by telling an interesting personal story, to making eye contact with the participants to listening to the sound of your voice, ( is there any passion there, are you speaking from your heart?) to noting how your audience responds to you – the positive outcome you desire. Really go to town on this and note whether you are associated or disassociated from the experience, or in other words in your visualisation are you watching yourself perform or are you actually in the picture seeing things with your own eyes? Play around with this and see what happens.

3.On the day. Aside from the practicalities, prepare yourself. Have you ever been at a seminar before and turned around to see the guest speaker make a flying entrance from the back of the room? This is a popular speaker trick to get the adrenalin pumping before going on stage. Remember to stand at the front of the platform, if you stand too far back you risk demonstrating you are nervous of your audience. Try to include humour in your presentation, it reduces tension and helps you build rapport with your audience.
If you are wanting to share new information with your audience the quickest way of doing so is to begin your sentence with ‘ you probably already know ……’ before you have even finished those words your audience will be nodding and their neural pathways will be ready to accept the new information.

And lastly remember like learning any new skill it takes time to perfect, so most importantly enjoy the experience and the opportunities speaking to an audience will open up for you.

Gerald R. Ford famously said: "If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively."

2009-04-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am with Jonathon Jay, and my very good friend Wendy-Dashwood Quick.

I was thrilled to catch up with them both at Dan Bradbury's Top Gun Conference at Heathrow this weekend.

Jonathon Jay, if you don't know was the founder of the Coaching Academy. A company he grew from scratch with his last £145. He later went on to sell the company eight years later for several million pounds.

Jonathon has been a huge inspiration to me over the past 6 years. At my first ever coach training weekend, I made a radical decision not to return to work, instead I committed to retraining as a coach. It was the best decision I have ever made. That weekend quite literally changed my life, and ever since I have been on an amazing journey of self discovery and development.

There is a great saying, "When the student is ready the teacher appears", until that time information can be staring you right in the face but unless you are ready for it, you just can't see it. I've become quite greedy when it comes to learning, the more I learn the more I need to learn.

But there are two critical factors about learning, firstly, learn from the very best! If you model mediocre, you will become mediocre , I think Jonathon shared that one during one of his seminars and secondly, knowledge without action is futile.

So let me introduce you to Wendy, I met Wendy, another Coaching Academy graduate two years ago when we both travelled to Ireland to attended a fantastic three day intensive workshop led by Bernadette Doyle. That workshop really was the business, a big investment but has certainly paid off.

That workshop sparked an idea for Wendy and she has since written her own personal development book Discover Yourself on the Yellow Brick Road , the 7 Core Principles of Success, I invite you to preview it now in e-book format.

The speakers at the conference this weekend were fantastic, my mind is still buzzing with literally hundreds of new ideas, the networking was phenomenal but you know, the whole weekend without action would be wasted.

Let me leave you with a quote to ponder, " Life is too short to waste. Dreams are fulfilled only through action, not through endless planning to take action."

Your Recipe For Success

2009-04-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Just for fun!

1. Take the strengths you already have

2. Add a dose of empowerment.

3. Sprinkle generosity with creative thinking

4. Stir in accountability, networking and commitment

5. Let simmer and watch as a powerful, successful business woman emerges.

Are you Being the Very Best You Can?

2009-04-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”Jim Rohn

My mentor say’s it’s the average of the ten people you spend your time with, whether it’s five or ten people, the fact of the matter is that who you mix with has an impact on who you become.

This week I have been carrying out some coaching assessments which illustrate this point.

Coach A was coaching a highly talented senior manager. She was focused, kept her client on track and encouraged her to find solutions to overcome the obstacles that were currently preventing her from achieving her goals.

Coach B, however, had a client who was struggling to set herself a clear goal, she became caught up in the negative reality of the situation and coach B found herself agreeing with her clients predicament.

Now you may argue that coach A was far more competent than coach B. Point taken, but what was so interesting about these two assessments was that both coach A and coach B were coaching other coaches. They had ‘found’ someone similar to themselves - in both scenario’s they were feeding off each others energy.

To a degree that’s okay, if you are happy as a mediocre coach then fine, but what happens when you are ready to move out of your comfort zone, when you want to become better at what you do, when you want to grow your business, when you want to move to the next level, raise the bar? Hanging around with people who don’t share those aspirations, who are have pessimist tendencies will ultimately drag you down, even if you are initially a positive person.
Maybe today is the day that you need to take a moment to think about who you are spending your time with.

They say, success breeds success, just think how much easier it will be when you spend more time with people who share similar visions as you, those who have been there before you and already succeeded. I’m not suggesting you suddenly drop your very best friend, but maybe give consideration to how much time you give to certain relationships in the future.

I have a very good friend, let’s call her Sarah. She is a great homemaker, is very nearly self sufficient really, she’s reliable, caring, very giving and has so many qualities I admire but when I stopped to think about our friendship I realised just how drained I felt every time I saw her. You see Sarah, had a constant gripe about almost everything, her glass is seldom half –full and we certainly have very differing aspirations.

Sarah and I are still great friends, we just see less of each other, which has given me the time to find and mix with those I consider to be where I want to be. Positive, proactive, successful people, with whom I can bounce ideas, high energy people who inspire me and I can learn from.

So remember, who you spend time with has a vast influence as to who you are!

Are you really being the very best you can?

Will You Be Joining Me

2009-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to make sure that you know about my FREE teleclass that is coming up that could honestly change your life.

It's a very special one off call hosted by yours truly, on Tuesday 21st April at 8pm

Why is it so special?

You see, I've been running my own business for nearly five years now, and believe me those early years were damn hard work. When I started my business in 2004 I didn't have the right support, I didn't have a plan and I felt completely overwhelmed; in fact I didn't have a clue what I was doing!

Small Business OwnerJob Description:

Excellent multi-tasking skills, you will be required to work face to face with clients and have a high regard for customer service. Other tasks include all administration, invoicing, accounts, effective sales and marketing and accurate record keeping.

You will also be required to update the company website, blog regularly and use social networking sites on a daily basis.

Must have a positive mental attitude towards all aspects of business and be prepared to continuously extend your skills and knowledge.

Hours: 60 + per week, to include evenings and weekendsSalary will vary depending on how SMART you workNo sick pay or other benefits, days off are limited, but can be arranged with meticulous planning.

But that was then.

Feeling pretty overwhelmed and somewhat isolated, I learnt pretty quickly that I needed a strong supportive network around me. I needed to surround myself with people that could provide me with the necessary resources and answers. The missing link to the outside world.

With the support in place I began to set myself audacious goals that took my coaching business to the next level and away from the job description above.

As I reaped the benefits I made a promise to myself that I would inspire, inform and challenge others in a similar situation to do the very same. After all if I could do this, anyone could.

So, that's where I come in......... Whether you are just starting out or are already trading my guess is that you have plenty of questions that you would like answering that would help you move your business to the next level.

At 8pm on Tuesday 21st of April, I am going to make myself available to answer all your questions.

I want to make it really easy for you to be part of this call, so email me right NOW with
April 21st in the header along with the questions you most want answering and in return we will provide you with the call in details.

Why am I doing this - And especially at no charge?

Well, to show you how YOU too can, with the right knowledge and mindset build a sustainable business too. One of the biggest reasons small business fail is because they don't ask for help. You can read more about this in my free report, if you haven't already downloaded it yet.

And, because I believe in you and your success, so why make it difficult for yourself?

The key to remember here is....your network will provide you with far more than just resources and answers. It is the missing link between you and the outside world, it provides valuable feedback and an enormous reservoir of knowledge and expertise, just ready and waiting for you to tap into. If you miss this call you'll miss out, I am only offering this as a one off call.

If you are serious about growing or developeing your business then make sure you email me today.

I look forward to seeing you on the call.

Who Do You Turn To When You Need Help With Your Business Development?

2009-04-07T05:11:00.000-07:00

Sarah has a very busy day ahead, as a small business owner her lengthy to-do list includes, preparing invoices, picking up brochures from the printers, meeting with prospective a new client, answering telephone enquiries, responding to numerous emails, attending a networking event, updating her website and finalising arrangements for an event she is exhibiting at.

"It’s a typical day," she declares. "Each item I tick off the list, leads to another two I need to add.”
Like many female business owners Sarah often feels overwhelmed. Managing her time effectively is one of her biggest roadblocks to success.

But starting up and running your own business does require you to do many things and continually learn new skills. Its easy to see how juggling all the balls can leave you frustrated and working from home feeling isolated too.

I’ve seen many female small business owners struggle with their business. Quite often they are afraid to ask for help and end up running themselves into the ground.

This usually results in a number of things, the business either doesn’t grow very fast because they can only do so much work, they give up entirely, or their business goes backwards because they can’t physically do any more work.

So, how DO you handle the numerous challenges of running your business?
Who do you turn to?

Well, at 8pm on April 21st I am setting aside 45 minutes to reveal the answers to all your burning business building questions.

From finding referrals, to managing your time effectively, to setting business goals to writing promotional material. Whatever your questions this is your chance to get them answered for FREE.

If you really want to GET MOVING and start getting REAL results from your business you wont want to miss this call for anything.

All you need to do to take part in this one off call is to email me with April 21st in the header, along with the questions you most want answering. In return we will give you the dial in number and instructions for joining the call.

At 8pm on Tuesday 21st April, I will join you on line and for 45 minutes will answer your questions live on the call.

Be prepared to be Inspired, Informed and Challenged to take your business to the next level.

I look forward to talking to you on the call.

If you're like many entrepreneurs, the thought of marketing makes you slightly sick to your stomach. And it's more then a simple like or dislik

Social Networking - What is it and how can it help your business?

2009-04-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last week at our regular Winning Women networking meeting I initiated a discussion around Social Media Networking.

Suprisingly, the room was divided between those who were social media fans with facebook pages, and who tweet regularly and those who were green to the concept.

Winning Women networker, Sam Russell from Sardine Design, recently wrote in her newsletter on this very subject. Sam has kindly agreed for me to share her article with readers of this blog.

If you are new to the concept of Social Networking read Sam's article, here.

"Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs - we've all heard of them, but will they help or hinder your business?
Used correctly, they provide another way for potential clients to 'get' to you in addition to your website and provide your company with another platform to reach your target audience. This month I'm focusing on Blogging:
A Blog is an abbreviated version of 'weblog', it's a frequently updated, personal website featuring diary-type commentary and links to articles or other websites.
Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.

It's INTERACTIVE so people can leave comments which you, or other users of your blog, can respond to.
You can add a feed (you've all seen the orange symbol to the right). A feed is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content which means that if a user has subcribed to your feed then every time you update the content, that user's feed is automatically updated so you can distribute information quickly and effortlessly.
Blogs are also great for search engine optimisation as they are updated regularly which tells Google that the site is important and being used.
Your website is like a shop window for your business so you want to make sure you keep it interesting. Adding a blog to your site can be a great way to do this as it will be updated regularly providing new content and information to users.It's also a great way to communicate with your existing and potential clients and can be used in a number of ways. You may want to share fun stuff your company does making is less formal than a website or you may use it to publish short articles that users will find helpful."

Contact Sam today to find out how a blog and other social networking sites can benefit your business and increase traffic to your site.

Who Pays The Price When You Are Being Ineffective?

2009-03-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

We all know that there are certain attributes that all successful business owners possess. Taking action and acting on the ‘urgent’ issues are two such characteristics that really define those who do well.

I don’t know abut you but I have had days where I have felt really busy, but at the end of the day I didn’t feel like I’d really accomplished anything. These are the days when I have been ineffective working on all the ‘important’ things like, answering my emails, filing, tidying my desk, posting messages on facebook page etc - but where has it really got me?

Here are three questions to help you decipher the important tasks from the urgent.

1. “If I could only do three things today, what would I feel the most fulfilled in doing?”

2. What impact will these things have on growing or developing my business? In the short term, long term and in my overall vision?

3. What action am I going to take right NOW?

And if you are still reading, I hope the story below motivates you into action.

A Mumpreneur came home from work late again. She was tired and feeling irritated. Her 7-year old daughter was waiting for her at the door.
Daughter: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'
Mum: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the mum.
Daughter: 'Mummy, how much do you make in an hour?'
Mum: 'That's none of your business. The mum said angrily.
Daughter: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, what do you make in an hour?'
Mum: 'Fine. I make £30 an hour.'
Daughter: ' Oh’, the little girl replied, with her head down. 'Mummy, may I please borrow £15.00?'

The Mother was mad, 'If the only reason you asked me is so you can borrow some money to buy some silly toy or some other nonsense, then you can march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such selfish behaviour.' The little girl quietly went to her room and closed the door.

The mumpreneur sat down and felt even more angry about her daughters' questions. How dare she ask such questions to get some money? After about an hour or so, the mum had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something she really needed with the £15.00 and she really didn't ask for much money.

The mum went to the door of the little girl's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep?' She asked. 'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the little girl. 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the mum. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the £15 you asked for.'

The little girl sat up straight, smiling. 'Oh, thank you mummy!' she yelled. Then, reaching under her pillow she pulled out some crumpled up notes. The mum saw that the little girl already had money, she started to feel angry again. The little girl slowly counted out her money, and then looked up at her mum. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mum grumbled. Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little girl replied.

'Mummy, I have £30 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

Remember, you've got a life to live so getting your work done IS urgent otherwise you (and those you love) pay the price.

Just Who Do You Think You Are Emailing?

2009-03-23T02:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago now, I attended one of the South’s biggest business events. As with most of these events, exhibitors were out to generate leads. Each and every stand focused on attracting visitors by enticing them with a variety of incentives from competitions to prize draws. To participate all I had to do was simply drop my business card in the box provided.
I quite expected a few follow up emails or even telephone calls from any of the companies. By sharing my contact details I was basically giving my ‘permission’ to be contacted.
And indeed I did receive a few emails offering me additional services or inviting me to attend further events. This is all part of the marketing strategy and one I also use at events to further grow my database to ensure I always have a full pipeline of prospects and new leads to market to.
What wasn’t so good was receiving an email that openly showed 200+ other contacts (some of which are on my mailing list) in the cc box from a company I’d never heard of. This kind of ‘spamming’ raises suspicion, it angers and bottom line is it doesn’t work!

If you are going to use email marketing then it must be permission based. It might take longer to build your list but the quality of leads is far more important than the amount of subscribers.

Evidence shows, that permission based email lists deliver far better results, fewer unsubscribes, blocks or spam complaints.

If you are looking for better response rates and want to build trust with your prospects – be careful who you send your mailings to.

Recommended reading “Permission Marketing” Seth Godin

Winning Women Network

2009-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for fun, friendly and informal events where you can meet other like-minded business women?

Then our monthly networking group, 'Winning Women' is where you want to be.

We know that working from home can be isolating, so each month we offer a themed evening aimed at women in business where you can socialise, exchange ideas, grow and develop both personally and professionally.

We also know that networking is essential to the growth of any business.

We guarantee you will make new friends, have fun and go away feeling relaxed, refreshed, energised and super-productive!

Winning Women networking events are held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham from 7-9.30pm

Come and join us at our next WINNING WOMEN Meeting-Thursday March 26th 2009.

You and Your Business - Making A Great First Impression

With Image Consultant Penny Gregory ,

It is often said that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, yet we are all judged by our appearance. Within just a few seconds of meeting us people start to form their opinion, so we owe it to ourselves and our businesses to create a great first impression.

During this evening, you will discover ways to dress to help make a positive impact on your prospective clients, helping to boost your self confidence and win you new business.

No Membership, just turn up, £7.00 on the door.

What Shall I Post On My Blog Today? 3 Ways To Overcome Resistance To Blogging

2009-03-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most common responses I hear when I suggest that my clients set up a blog is that they don’t know what to write about.

“I haven’t got anything to write about” is a popular retort, as is “I’m not very creative, I lack ideas for content.”

Having an online presence is fast on its way to becoming the norm, like it or not the internet is here to stay. So if you aren’t already making the most of your online presence then you are soon going to be left behind. Blogging is a great way to add a personal touch to your business and helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Now really is the time to embrace the changes in marketing by launching your own blog, my three quick and easy tips below will help you overcome your resistance to joining the millions of other online bloggers.

Pay attention to what your clients are saying to you. Listen to the conversations and discover what their current problems or concerns are. Simple, you now have the topics to write about. I know you are passionate about helping your clients and blogging provides a great platform to support your clients and hit a much wider audience at the same time.

Don’t underestimate your knowledge. We all have huge amounts of great knowledge stored away in our memories. But don’t assume just because you have that knowledge that everyone else has too. Sometimes what seems obvious to you may be a completely new concept to someone else. Remember as a business owner you are a problem solver, your clients have sought you out because they regard you as an expert.

If you are still struggling for ideas why not approach your colleagues, use your contacts recycle articles, with their permission of course! It’s a win/win situation; it provides your colleague some free publicity and gives you the much needed content.

Lights, Camera, ACTION

2009-03-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

"Most people stop short of taking action; they spend more time thinking about
what they need to do and analysing it all. This wastes so much time and energy.
Time and energy that could be put to better use.”

I’ve been really busy over the last few weeks and I’m really pleased with all my achievements that are moving my business in the direction I want to go.

I’ve been working hard on my product creation and although still in early stages it’s getting very exciting. I’ve joined a new mentoring group that is sure to take my business to the next level and I am eagerly waiting to meet the other members of the group later this month. I have also been reflecting on how lucky I am.

Firstly how lucky I am to have such a great support network around me and secondly how none of this would have materialised if I hadn’t taken the necessary action.

In my world the two go hand in hand, as a mother of four I need the support network in place to ensure I have the time to take action. I am truly grateful to all those wonderful people who support me and bring so much into my life. One of the keys to making my support network really work for me is that I always ensure that I surround myself with upbeat, positive people.

The second aspect is taking action. Even if you have the best ideas in the world nothing will happen unless you are prepared to take action and sometimes that means stepping out side our comfort zones to reap the results you want.

Minimum action produces minimal results but, if you take massive action, then you will be rewarded with massive results.
Successful people know and understand that the major key to their success was taking massive action.

So are you playing around with your camera and lights or are you taking ACTION?

Why taking A Shower Is Good For Your Business

2009-03-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that when you take shower your thinking becomes crystal clear? My thoughts tend to flow so it comes as no surprise that the majority of my best ideas derive from my morning shower.

Take this morning for example, I sprung out of the shower with the answer to an issue that has been bothering me for a long time. Each time I consciously focused on this issue it appeared to magnify and I perceived it as a much bigger problem than it actually was.

So what is it that happens to our minds when we take a shower? I put this down to my ‘state’ as I freshen and revitalise myself under the constant stream of water. Typically I’m relaxed which allows my subconscious mind to meander through my thoughts. Often the result is an ‘Aha’ moment, coming out of the blue - totally surprising me, as I’m not consciously focusing on any one thing in particular.

So why does this happen? I liken taking a shower to some kind of meditative state, I’m 100% alert but relaxed at the same time - which in effect allows my thoughts to roam freely and tap into less frequently accessed neural pathways.
Just imagine what an impact it would have on our businesses if we could create this state more often, what services and products could be created, what magnetic marketing material we could write, there are no limits.

So next time you’re looking for a spot of inspiration or a solution to a nagging issue, can I suggest you take a shower!

You're Havin' A Laugh

2009-02-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

Our monthly networking group Hampshire Winning Women meets this week.

Sometimes we need encouragement, sometimes inspiration and sometimes we all need a good old laugh.

Come and join us - we're having a laugh!

On Thursday 26th February from 7- 9.30pm
at The Lysses Hotel, High Street, Fareham.

Laughter Facilitator Lisa Sturge will be inviting you to 'play' with your laughter, and learn about the benefits of laughing for your health, wellbeing and business.

You will be invited to join in with laughter exercises, experience Laughter Yoga and enjoy a group laughter meditation.

Come and discover how to incorporate more laughter in your everyday life.
We look forward to laughing with you!

"Excellent session... I was a little aprehensive at the start but as time went on I began to relax and really enjoy the whole session. Laughter meditation was the hi-light for me - I haven't laughed so much in a long time."Nikki B. (West Sussex)

No need to book just turn up on the evening

Please note new cost £7.00 on the door

Winning Women - much more than a networking group

Are You Skating on Ice or Clinging to the Edge?

2009-02-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

My friend’s 18 year old daughter, Sophie, has been staying with us and yesterday she took my 12 year old daughter to the local ice rink.

They had a great time by all accounts, Sophie was keen to share her amazement at watching 4 and 5 year olds demonstrating their intricate moves.

“It was like a mini Dancing on Ice”, she stated, “It put me to shame.”

“Put you to shame?” I enquired

“Yes, I spent most of my time on my back or clinging on to the edge – I was too scared to let go.”

Interesting I thought. These young children were skating confidently, full of self belief, showing off their spins and jumps at such a tender age.

“Did they ever fall over?” I asked Sophie, “ A couple of times but they just got straight up and carried on skating.”

“That’s their confidence shinning through,” I added, “they aren’t concerned about who is watching them and what others might think of them. All they are interested in is enjoying the moment.”

“Unlike me, I was really worried people would laugh at me as I clung to the edge of the rink.”

“Exactly,” I replied. “They’ve got great inner confidence and resilience not unlike a baby learning to walk. He takes his first tentative step and falls over, what does he do? He just picks him self up and tries again. And will keep on trying until he gets it right. You can learn a lot from watching babies and young children, they don’t give up at the first hurdle, they are very smart, they have great tenacity and determination, otherwise they would never grow and develop.”

“Mmm” said Sophie, “ A bit like me keeping on with my studies, I know where I want to get to I just have to keep working at it until I get there.

"Just like the women I work with." I said

6 Ways to help you Maintain Passion for Your Business

2009-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Do you jump out of bed in the morning enthusiastic about the day ahead?

When you started your business, you probably did. I remember having positive visions of being inundated with enquiries, masses of satisfied clients with huge brimming smiles on their faces coming back time and time again. But if we aren't careful following the same routines day in day out, complacency can set in and we may find ourselves making excuses for our lack of action.

So how can you rekindle and maintain the passion that was there at the beginning?

Friedrich Hebbel once said, "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." Or in other words - nothing great will be accomplished in your business without passion and furthermore when you love what you do success follows.

Just imagine how different your business would be if you oozed passion adn boundless enthusiasm each day? - Here are 6 ways to get you there.

1. Set Realistic Goals
People who have goals and a clear vision for their future are naturally more passionate. Take the time to set goals and know your limits - we often demand more of ourselves than we would of others and quite often more than we are capable of. Passion dissolves and frustration sets in when goal setting is unrealistic, so once you have established your goals, be prepared to try different approaches to accomplishing them. If the obvious approach does not work, create a new one. Be adaptive and modify your actions to solve your problems.

2. Create the Right Mindset
Passionate people create passion in others. Passionate people are inspiring and draw others to their cause. Passionate people ooze energy and are just great fun to be around.Bearing negative thoughts will not only hamper your performance and production but will prevent you from loving your work.

3.Communicate with Passion
Whenever you have an opportunity to talk about your business communicate with enthusiasm. Tone of voice equates 38% of your communication. Therefore the way in how we talk to our clients and prospects makes a huge impact.
The words we speak account for only 7% of our communication so listen with genuine interest and I suggest that you occasionally repeat or paraphrase what your prospect says, especially picking up on the key words or phrases used.
Remember to make eye contact to maintain a good rapport. 55% of our communication comes from our body language. Become aware of your body language and what it says about you. Simple tips, keep arms unfolded, legs uncrossed, and remember to smile:)

4. Become a Problem Solver rather than a Complainer
There is no getting away from the fact that we all have problems - how we deal with the challenges we face is what really matters. Some people will see a problem, throw up their hands and give up immediately.
Problem-solvers on the other hand go the extra mile to find a solution, it also gives you a great sense of personal achievement.

5. Focus on your Strengths - Delegate the rest
Many of us feel overwhelmed by our workload from time to time. Most self employed people are in love with what they do, not, with the minutiae of running a business. Doing everything but your actual job, will impinge on your performance so focus on your strengths, and stick with what your good at - delegate the rest! Without support in running your business, you'll end up struggling to be a success, and all your passion and enthusiasm will drain away.

6. Celebrate Your Success
When you are successful it is a great feeling. Learn to recognise and celebrate your successes, however small, after all you've put in a lot of effort and time to reach this point. You deserve it.

Are your Clients VIP's

2009-02-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

Imagine if all our clients were repeat clients – wouldn’t that be great?
I believe that to keep your existing clients and turn them into raving fans is always a good investment. Not only is it cheaper to market to existing customers than to find new ones its also a lot easier.

However, there is more to it than providing a great service and exceeding your customer expectations. Like everything else in business it takes effort on your part to nurture and maintain those relationships.

Earlier this week I was totally surprised to receive an email from the company I’d commissioned last summer to design my new logo. I wasn’t surprised to receive an email as such but pleasantly surprised by their message. They had looked at my website and noticed my logo looked a little bit ‘fuzzy’ and were attaching another file that would make the logo look sharper. What a great example of exceptional service and totally unexpected too.

So what are you doing to go show your customers how much you C.A.R.E?

Follow my tips to go that extra mile and get your clients coming back for more

1) Continually keep in touch – more than a regular newsletter, send a card or note at regular intervals, complement your clients on their successes, remember birthdays and other important milestones.
2) Appreciation - Not only is it polite to say thank you to those who buys from you, let your clients know how you enjoyed working with them and how grateful you are that they chose to work with you.
3) Reminders - use a direct mail campaign, postcards work well and are a popular form of marketing right now. Alternatively send out a personal invitation offering a discount or similar incentive for new services for past clients.
4) Exceed Client Expectations - Always provide that extra value by becoming a resource to your clients by offering tools, tips, referrals and information your customers might find useful.

Remember the lifetime value of your customers. Be sure to treat each customer as a Very Important Person. They will rave about you.

Do You Enjoy a Good Movie?

2009-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Then here is one to watch out for.

A couple of years the movie 'The Secret' was released. based on the Law of Attraction, it has been viewed across the world by millions of people.

It's now time for the next movie.

It's called "The Compass" and will be very differenet to The Secret. Not only educating, it will also inspire you, point you in the right direction to have the life you may have only so far dreamed about.

Brian Tracy and Joe Vitlalie, two great inspirationsand authours also star.

You can see the trailer and pre-order the DVD here

What Does Your Business Say About You?

2009-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

They say that bad news travels fast, people just love to talk - so what are others saying about your business?
I recently read that if a person has a negative experience of your business they will tell 9 other people, but if they have a good, positive experience they will only tell 4.
Take a moment to think about your own recent experiences, either when you were out shopping or receiving a service from another business. What did you tell your friends?
Let me tell you of my experience yesterday.
I was in a well known bookstore and I clumsily left my gloves on the counter as I rushed off after making my purchase.
So first thing this morning I called the store to see if my gloves were still there.
After describing them to the assistant on the other end of the phone he assured me he had my gloves. I went on to explain that I didn’t live in the town and asked if they would mind hanging on to them until the next time I was passing in about 10 days time.
“No, we can’t do that,” was his reply, I was silenced for a moment until he added “if you give me your address I will make sure we post them on to you.”
Your customers are the best agent for positive word-of-mouth marketing, so how can you get them to talk about you?
Now, take this one step further, just think how much you could save on your marketing if you were to encourage your clients to spread the word for you.

Hampshire Winning Women Are Back!

2009-01-22T01:17:00.000-08:00

We are really excited to announce our Spring programme.

Kicking off this evening January 22nd from 7.00 9.30pm
at the Lysses Hotel, High Street, Fareham.

Personal Power:
An interactive presentation by executive coach, Helen Battersby.
Recognise it; Own it; Increase it!
Discover the direct impact of thought on performance
Discover and experience what personal power is and how to access it quickly when you most need it
Take away a tool to test and improve your own levels of personal power

Prepare to feel different leaving from when you arrive!

February 26th 2009
Lisa Sturge of Laughterlines Coaching will be joining us for a guaranteed evening of fun.
Did you know that Laughter is good for:-

Circulation, Exercising the heart and lungs, Oxygenating the blood, Cleansing the body of stale toxins, Experiencing JOY and HAPPINESS, Encouraging a positive outlook, Giving a different perspective, Expression and creativity, Linking the left and right brain, Strengthening the immune system, Breaking down barriers, Reducing stress, Improving communication
FUN!!!

March 26th 2009

Penny Gregory - Colour and Style more details coming soon

To find out more about Hampshire Winning Women click here

Are You Pricing Yourself Out Of The Market

2009-01-16T08:25:00.001-08:00

Three clients have brought issues about pricing this week.

The first wanted to sell her regular coaching service to a different target audience, at a 15% discount. Well, why not you might say. But think about it, here are a few more facts; the target audience wouldn’t be paying for the service directly an organisation would. Same service different price? I don’t think so.

The second and third questions were both posed by women who had issues around not knowing how much to charge. They had both carried out some essential research regarding what their competitors were charging and both of them felt they couldn’t charge ‘that much’. Why?

My inkling is that they aren’t 100% certain of their worth and yet these women are both experts in their field. If you aren’t feeling confident about the price you are quoting then your customers and clients will pick up on this. Comparing yourself to others isn’t favourable, my recommendation is to focus on what makes you unique, what makes you stand out from the crowd, what differentiates you from the herd and allow that message to come over in your customer conversations. After all who is making the objection here?

Of course you do have competitors but look on that as a healthy sign that your service is in demand. And if they charge less, does it necessarily follow that they are providing a better service? Of course, whilst you can create a business by offering the lowest price in your area it’s not a sustainable business model.
I think your expertise and experience governs how much you can charge. Heres a well known story to illustrate the point.An engineer gets called into a factory to mend a vital piece of machinery. The factory is loosing money because production has been stopped. Within just 10 minutes, the engineer has fixed the problem. He gave the machine a good kick and everything proceeded to run smoothly again.
The managing director was elated until he received the invoice for the engineers work. The charge was for £1000 "the engineer was only here for 10 minutes and all he did was kick the machine. How dare he charge £1,000?” The manager called the engineer and asked him to explain how he could charge such a ridiculous fee. The engineer confidently responded, "Kicking the machine: £50. Knowing where to kick the machine: £950".

Getting Started on Twitter

2009-01-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

Many of you will know that I have started to using Twitter recently and have found it a good way to keep you guys up to date and to connect with others.
Getting started was easy but then I wasn't sure what to do next - luckily I came across this download, a guide to getting started from http://www.havemoreclients.com which really helped put together the myriad of applications that twitter has spawned.

I can highly recommend the guide to you too. It's got lots of info and it's free!

Speak to you on Twitter! Soon!

Why New Years Resolutions don’t work - first published December 2007

2008-12-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

How many times have you made a New Years resolution only to give up your resolve a couple of days later?
How many times have you pledged to give up chocolate/smoking/biting your nails/go on a diet/join the gym but never got past January 31st?

Every New Year’s Eve millions of people just like you resolve to make the next year their best year yet. Every year they look back with disappointed that another year has come and gone and they haven’t kept their resolve.

Why is it then, that even though resolutions rarely succeed, we still make them year in year out?
I think the reason most resolutions fall short is because most people lack the understanding of how they work.

Here are some reasons why traditional resolution setting doesn’t work, and what you can do to overcome them.
1. Most resolutions are made at the very last minute of New Years Eve without any consideration which makes them hard to take seriously.

Give yourself enough time to define what you really want for yourself. Who said resolutions had to start on January 1st?
2. You don’t write them down
The physical act of writing will help you to commit and focus on what it is you really want to achieve.
3. You think negative thoughts
When we state that we want to stop smoking or stop eating sweets our unconscious mind filters out the word stop or lose and focuses on the smoking, eating sweets, etc.
When you write down what you want make it something you really want to run towards rather than away from.
4. You don’t set a date
Give yourself a deadline. Again it helps you focus on what you want to achieve. So, instead of saying: I want a new car, you say, I want a new car by May of 2008, or whatever year you are thinking about.
5. You try to run before you can walk
If you were going to climb Mount Everest you would make several smaller climbs first. Like wise, set yourself small achievable steps and reward yourself every step of the way.
6. You don’t take action
Change must come from within. What you believe about who you are will determine your success or failure every time. When you change your mind, you can change your actions and your future.

Did you achieve your goals for 2009

2008-12-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

Well, did you?

I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks. I decided to slow things down quite early this year because I wanted plenty of time to reflect on the past year and plan my business strategy for 2009.

On reflection I was amazed just how much I had in fact achieved whether on a personal level (to run 10 miles non stop in The Great South Race) or in my business, (rebranding and relaunching my company, doubling my client base , running my first set of teleclasses.....)

One of the reasons I achieved so much was because of my commitment to life long learning, OK I admit it I am a serial life long learner, nothing to be ashamed of. During 2008 I have attended various seminars, workshops, training courses and read endless books and I don't plan to stop now I have come so far.

One of my mentors recently said, "The day you stop learning is the day you stop earning." so true.

So with the New Year just over a week away, what commitment are you going to make to your continuous learning in 2009?

See your continuous professional and personal development as an investment, and if you really struggling to come to terms over the cost of a year long mastermind programme, just start small, seek out just a couple of local events and commit to that or set yourself a goal to read some business development books.

You will be so pleased you did this time next year.

3 Things you need befroe you start your business

2008-12-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

last week I was atttended a local business start up event and one of the participants who had been hovering at my table asked me, “What are the 3 most important things I need before I start my business?”

What a great specific question - 3 things, the answer though, I think depends on the individual. All I could do was share my experience and in my case it wasn't very easy to just give three ideas, but these are the 3 things I came up with .

1. Have clarity about what you are offering
2. Do your research, really get to know your market place
3. Make sure you are well supported – from both family and friends and someone who can
assist you in the development of your business

Don't let fear get in the way, start with the resources you’ve got from where you are today. You can always tweak things as you progress. Work on your strengths, you will need plenty of persistence, passion, and buckets of self belief. Running your business can be a great challenge and also very rewarding.

Do you agree? What would you have advised? Let me know.

Planning Your Business Strategy for 2009

2008-12-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

Okay I know we haven’t quite reached the end of the year but how much consideration have you given to your business growth and development for 2009? A lot? A little? Any?

Why not join me tomorrow evening 9th December at 8pm for a FREE teleclass that will really get you thinking about where you want to be this time next year.

On this call I’ll be sharing...

***3 tools that you can implement as you plan and prepare your business for 2009***
***the key to making your business bigger and better***
***The vital questions you need to ask yourself ***

This call is my gift to you. I really want to see you do well in 2009 and make those dreams a reality. This is my way of saying thank you for your support and help.

Make sure you don’t miss out by emailing me today allison@allisonmarlowe.com in return I will provide you with the call details.

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on the call.

Do you see problems as a negative?

2008-12-03T01:39:00.001-08:00

You may have gathered I haven’t made a blog posting recently and that’s because I have had a few technical problems. It happens to even the best of us. None of us are immune to adversity, but even then we still have a choice. We can either accept what’s happening as part of the process or become discouraged.

I know for me, without being able to rely on my trusty computer, twice within the space of a fortnight I experienced a sense of loss of control. How was I going to manage my emails? How would I be able to send out that important follow up message? How could I arrange this that and the other when all the information I needed was on that computer? Well the thing is we do survive, we do get through periods of difficulty however difficult they feel at the time.

The trick I think is to bounce back quickly, take responsibility rather than blame others and maintain your self belief. The sooner you can learn to do this and accept that problems or events in your life are actually happening to help guide us, bring us more or new opportunities to learn and adjust our thinking the sooner we will be back on track.

Norman Vincent Peale once said, “There is only one group of people that don’t have problems’ – and they are all dead.”

Allison Marlowe

Motivation for Womenpreneurs

The 1st Hampshire Winning Women Business Awards

Bouncing Back

Being Your Best Self Not A Perfect Self

How Frequently Do You Stop And Smell The Roses

Do You See What I See?

It's Your Choice

Is Your Door Of Opportunity Open?

Turn Up Your Confidence Control

The Right Way, Wrong Way And Your Way

What’s Your Why?

One Small Consistent Action = Big Results

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

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Are You Over Complicating Things?

Are you valuing yourself highly?

There Has To Be Another Way

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What Do You Have To Lose? - Facing Your Fears.

Are You An Amateur Or Professional

Will you be brave enough to join me and take the challenge?

How To Customize Your Facebook Fan Page URL

Putting Hampshire Business Women In The Spotlight

Is Your Diary Alway Crammed full?

Who Is Your Ideal Client?

TOP 12 Must Read Books For Women In Business

Are You 'Selling' Or Allowing People To Buy?

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How Does She Do It?

Do You Stand Out From The Crowd?

Can you say 'No' this February?!?

Time Management and Beyond

Top 10 Tips For Attracting Clients

5 Reasons To Get Out and Network Tonight

Is Time Ruling Your Life?

12 Reasons Your Clients Don’t Buy

Is Marketing An Uphill Struggle?

What Planet Are You On?

Ten Small Business Trends for 2010

15-Year-Old Boy Starts Own Chocolate Making Factory

Whats Your Twenty Ten Strategy?

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Thank You Jim

Let's Take Stock.

Finding Your Ultimate Business Confidence

Check out “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged” E-book

Are You An LLL ?

How Often Do You Review Your Business Plan?

Trust Your Instincts

As You Sow So Shall You Reap

It's Not What You Do Its The Way That You Do It - And Thats What Gets Results

Are you Attracting Enough of What You Want In Your Life?

If You Aren't Getting The Results You Want Then Ask Yourself Better Questions

Escaping Russia: A Harrowing Law of Attraction Lesson

Do You Want To Get Ahead In Business?

Shut the BUT up!

You’ve Got To Be In It To Win It!

The Recipe For Success

Are You A Fraud?

Maintaining Your Business Mindset

Take Your First Step

What is your Keep in Touch Strategy?

What does caring for a new puppy have to do with marketing?

How To Increase Your Fees And Still Get MORE Clients?

Top tips on how Twitter can help women in business

Using Twitter and Facebook to Build your Business 'How to create Social Networking Success’

How Are You treating your Clients?

What Is the difference That Makes The difference?

When opportunity Knocks Will You Be Ready to Open the Door?

Are You Following the Yellow Brick Road?

Winning Women Travel The Yellow Brick Road

What Does Your Business Mindset Say About You?

Entrepreneurs who do their homework increase their chances for

Are You making the most of Public Speaking

Your Recipe For Success

Are you Being the Very Best You Can?

Will You Be Joining Me

Who Do You Turn To When You Need Help With Your Business Development?

Social Networking - What is it and how can it help your business?