TOP 12 Must Read Books For Women In Business

1. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway – Susan Jeffers

2. Time To Think – Nancy Kline

3. Who moved my Cheese - Spencer Johnson

4.Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life - Barbara Stanny

5.Bags to Riches: 7 Success Secrets for Women in Business - Linda Hollander

6. Boom – Emma Wimhurst

7. Succesful Womenpreneurs – Sue Stockdale

8. The E-myth Revisited – Michael E Gerber

9. The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

10. Influence the Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini

11. The Attractor Factor – Joe Vitalie

12. Promoting Your Business - Antonia Chitty

Are You 'Selling' Or Allowing People To Buy?

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!

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?

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?

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?!?

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

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”