Do you have too many demands and too few resources?

You get to decide how you spend your time!

My Breakthrough Strategy Sessions are getting increasingly popular, and my clients are having really great results learning to create empowering MAPs (Motivated Action Plans). In many of these sessions, the conversation keeps coming up that clients can’t get as much done as they would like; they seem to be bouncing off the walls and are concerned (or even convinced) they might have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

I get really uncomfortable when I see someone so easily claim a label and just settle into the dynamics of what that conveys rather than challenging the situation and looking at how they can empower themselves over/through it.  I have to ask if that is why my clients have so much excitement after just a little discussion.  I am confident the answer lies in bringing about the clarity necessary to know WHAT is the most important task they would like to accomplish.  Once you know what you want to achieve, it is much easier to answer a few other really important questions. For example:

“What exactly would have to happen to complete this particular project?”

Productivity and Life Balance

A few minutes of brainstorming around this one question alone brings forth a myriad of small steps that can/must be taken to accomplish a particular objective.  Once the goal/project is broken down into the smaller tasks, it seems not to be so overwhelming – converting to a compelling series of attainable goals that ultimately lead to the desired acheivement – without stress or that burdening sense of overwhelm. 

Most people tend not to take the time to do this brainstorming.  Their heads are filled with so many commitments – ranging from answering an increasing influx of emails for work to daily support required for family and friends.  Some of these items are significantly important in reality; others only in our minds because of the increasing sense of overwhelm.  Life just tends to lose all sense of balance, and we too easily buy into the “possibility” that we are just not capable, and probably because we have something wrong with us, like ADD.  Awrggggg!

I would like to challenge you that there is not much wrong with you other than the fact that as life has changed, the parameters of what we are to accomplish has become blurred.  When I was a kid, there were specific chores to be done that pretty much consumed the day, but there was no “chasing around in my head” trying to figure out what they were!  Today, many of our jobs are a lot less “task” engagement – shifting to a lot more “knowledge based” requirements that call for us to think things through before we act on that one thing that should really be our priority.  All this thinking can leave a ton of open loops blocking our ability to focus and immobilizing us.

I can remember a very wise friend telling me that 20% more planning provided 80% more productivity… now I know why!  Living in this state of continual overwhelm, we tend to react to life rather than controling our activities.  Another wise mentor, an acting president of American Express, also shared his secret to success and life balance as writing everything down so nothing got lost in the cracks and leaving his mind free for making strategic, calculated decisions.  If I may share the outcome of those two thoughts… it becomes easy to create a 3-step process that will keep you out of overwhelm and into productive balance.

1.  Capture all the things that need your attention in a system that is simple enough that you will use it consistently.  Some people keep a journal that is merely a log including the day the item is listed, the task itself, and whether there is a deadline.  Each day they glance through the items on the list, deciding which 3-5 of them need immediate action and plan their day around those tasks.  At the end of each day they mark off the successfully completed items, and take a few minutes to list what new responsibilities need to be added for future reference.

Some people are overwhelmed looking at that big long list every day – many of them tend to like having index cards to write their tasks on, feeling this allows them to sort and categorize the items, and make decisions based on area of importance.  Once the task is complete, they either save the card to add to a visibly growing stack as an indicator of successful completion, or discard it so their mind is forever free of thinking about it!

Some people like to use online calendars and task pads to prevent having to write the same task over and over again; others find discipline in making that conscious decision to post to their calendars.

The important key is finding what works for you – and developing a good habit around doing it consistently.  You may have to try a couple of methods before you create what uniquely supports your best actions.

Decide, brainstorm, act...

2. Each day – at a time set aside specifically for planning, quickly look through your list and determine at least one primary obective you want to accomplish that day.  Spend time “brainstorming” about the different steps required to complete your project, keeping in mind that when you are making this assessment, it might be larger than you imagined, and that it is perfectly ok to deal with only one of those sub-tasks, and schedule the others for another day. 

The important thing is that you learn to assess, plan, decide and act – all with the intention of making progress and maintaining balance.  It makes NO sense to turn your whole world upside down, focusing on one thing to the detriment of other areas of your life that would suffer should you do so.  It is the forward progress, even if somewhat slower, that will get you to the finish line without burning out.

3.  Once you have created your individual MAP (Motivated Action Plan) move those tasks and sub-tasks to your calendar – assign a specific time to complete each of them and keep your commitment to do so.  I encourage my clients to post these items in their calendars with the thoughts that they are “dates with destiny!”  Your future depends on giving these items priority.

I would like to leave you with one important assessment tool.  When you are trying to decide WHAT is most important in a day so that you might focus on the appopriate task, think about the amount of “heat” that might be attached to a particular thing not getting done.  Your life will be more balanced when you manage those things that will in the short term create a crisis in your life.

If your list doesn’t contain any critical commitments, take a minute to think about what really distracts you or in some manner seems to consume huge amounts of your thinking.  Once you have identified that, take a few minutes and creatively write down what you would do to modify that – what WOULD your solution be IF you could make a change?  Then… write down what the very next action you could take to make this change.  If you had absolutely nothing else to do in the day, what would you be willing – and able – to do?

Creative thinking... YOU at your BEST!

This is creative thinking at its best, and far too few people allow themselves the privilege of designing their life by engaging in the process.  In just a few minutes, by allowing your creative energies to participate in your planning, you will be more inspired, motivated and empowered than you can imagine.  If nothing else happens from this exercise, you will acquire a clear definition of an outcome you actually desire and will have personally decided what your next step can/will be.  How empowering is that!

I hope this planted a few seeds in your mind, and that you will sign up for the RSS feed so that you don’t miss more discussion about productivity and life balance!

Anna Weber

4-Dimensional Success

Always… encouraging you to engage in positive, life-altering actions that will provide you with long-term, sustainable benefit.

Need help creating your MAP?  Check my site for how I may assist you with that!

 

Procrastination and Low Motivation – What Does it COST You?

What Does Procrastination and Low Motivation Cost You?

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself exactly what procrastination and low motivation costs you? It may be money, friends, social relationships, job promotions… travel to exotic places, writing a novel, or simply the rich feeling of living a life by your design.

Do you intuitively understand that absolutely nothing is going to change… until you do?

Successful people will tell you that they devote anywhere from ten minutes to an hour each and every day – engaged in something that inspires, motivates and encourages them! The tools may be different – books, CDs or videos, quotes, journaling, prayer and meditation – but the results remain the same… positive change is undeniable.

Procrastination becomes a vicious cycle of feeling inadequate, guilty, depressed and lacking in self esteem… while achieving nothing notable in your life.

Whenever you avoid completing important tasks, you are setting yourself up to experience that cycle… you are simply more inclined to:

1. manage your time poorly,
2. fail to clearly identify primary objectives,
3. become overwhelmed by too many tasks,
4. find it difficult to concentrate,
5. be easily distracted or influenced by casual things around you, and
6. waste time on meaningless activities.

How to Break the Chain of Self-Defeating Behavior…

The first step is to admit that you have a problem with time management, focus, concentration, and prioritizing; the next is to take corrective action to modify those behaviors.

A part of the process includes a personal assessment, keying into every single one of your skills, assets, positive habits, experience, education and expertise. Armed with embracing what you have to share with the world, you are better able to develop a “can do” attitude. Confidence is not something that can be found simply by reading self-help books that explain the concept; confidence is developed by doing! It is the little successes in life that prepare us for the larger ones.

Personal discipline is one of the most powerful “tools” you can draw on! Many people fight it with an uncanny ferocity – feeling someone has told them what to do for the better part of their lives and they are going to do what feels right for them, now.

It is all a mindset! You do get to make choices… you do get to draw the boundaries and you do get to choose what you will do and when. The important thing to remember, however, is that who you are and what you will have achieved in the next 3-5 years will be the result of those choices! Make them from a place of wisdom rather than torn emotions.

Plant this little thought in the middle of your mind: “Discipline equals personal freedom.” Once you have control over personally taking a strategic approach to your life rather than a reactive one, you will have freedom beyond measure; freedom experienced only through disciplined actions.

That personal discipline calls for time management, prioritizing tasks, and creating an environment of productivity. You may well have heard it said that we don’t “manage” time – we manage how we utilize it. That is an important thing to remember because it puts the accountability back on us. It requires that we:

1. set priorities and perform each task accordingly;
2. block out time for important activities and stay focused and on task;
3. look at large projects and determine how to break them down into smaller, less overwhelming ones, so that we remain actively engaged in completing them rather than getting immobilized by their enormity;
4. pace ourselves – taking periodic breaks where we energize our bodies and revitalize our brains; and
5. create a work environment that does not encourage distractions, and provides for important information and supplies be close at hand.

Over a very short period of time, minor changes in your attitude and work habits will reflect a dramatic increase in your performance; and subsequently diminishing or eliminating your need to procrastinate over things that are frightening or overwhelming.

ACTION STEP:

Read this a second time and take time to answer the following questions:

1. What is procrastination costing you?
2. Consider one act where you know without a doubt that you are procrastinating. Why do you feel you are not moving forward?
3. What would be your greatest fear about completing the task you are running away from?
4. What is that costing you right now?
5. What will it continue to cost you in the future?
6. What are the skills and/or talents you have that could help you complete your task?
7. If you are lacking in skills, are they something you could learn?
8. If not, is there a “part” of the project you could outsource so you can keep moving forward with the remainder of it?
9. What are you willing to do today that will move you away from procrastinating?

In parting, remember… nothing happens without change. It is the questions in life you actually take time to answer that make the greatest difference in how you resolve any problem you may face. It is in taking time to face those problems and responding to them intellectually, emotionally and mentally that changes who you are and who you can become during that process.

Anna Weber

4-Dimensional Success

AnnaWeber@4-Dsuccess.com

Desire is What Fuels Success

Propelled Forward by Desire

Desire is one of the greatest predictors of success! Not a mere romantic inclination, it is defined as: “the natural longing that is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of any good, and impels to action or effort its continuance or possession.”

We cannot propel ourselves forward without it. Envision being in pursuit of an important goal – running full tilt right up to the edge of an imaginary cliff with every intention of taking that next big leap. At the last moment, assessing how large that leap will be, you come to a sliding halt, looking fearfully at what lies before you! You lose the power that would compel you forward with the action necessary to achieve. Once that disconnect occurs, you are driven by less empowering forces, such as need or obligation, and you simply will not experience the same compelling motion.

Desire is distinctly different from just wanting something. Consider that you may want to generate more revenue, but what do you really desire? You probably desire what the money will provide – time, freedom, or security. Look around and watch people who set goals, year after year, month after month, yet continue to fail to achieve them. What do you think is really the difference between this person and one who always gets exactly what they want in life? Desire! If you fall short of achieving your goals, be honest with your self, and question how your desire runs short of taking you the full course!

Liken the power of intense desire to that of a rocket fuel – so powerful it provides a release of energy that simply boggles the human mind. When you have that truly intense desire you are connected to your goal 24/7… you are up early and awake far into the night, being compelled to move yourself from point A to point B. What do you think inspired Whoopi Goldberg to move beyond ugly, impossible life circumstances and become an accomplished actress? She allowed her intense desire to dominate her every conversation, thought and action. What desire for something larger than the pain they know they will experience do you think compels sports figures to get in the ring and let someone knock them around?

How do you tap into that power? Know that it begins in the mind, and then controls the patterns formed in your thinking processes. Also know that in consistently thinking the same thought over and over again, the habit forms a track in your mind; thoughts which only occasionally pass through your mind are easily forgotten. Once desire takes over, there is simply no getting the idea out of your mind! You become filled with passion and conviction.

Strong desire also breeds persistence. It does not matter how many times you have failed – when your intention is clear enough, your desire drives you to try again and again. Witness how quickly those that simply wish for success give up in the face of adversity, whereas those who are hungry and thirsty for success will persevere in spite of obstacles. They possess the intensity of desire that fuels an internal, unstoppable drive.

Your primary responsibility is to keep your desires burning with passion that breathes life and vibrancy… with emotions and expressions that allow you to see and feel the details which serve to further intensify your yearning. Desire is what fuels success…at the end of the day, if you don’t have the desire to achieve a particular goal it is pretty much a given that you won’t achieve it!

Viral Marketing – Tap into its Power!

Viral Marketing. Is it something germ-infested – or is it a genius marketing concept?

If you are just a step behind the gurus, the term “viral marketing” might not have a comfortable ring for you yet; however, my intent is to open your eyes to the possibilities that it holds in exploding your marketing efforts. So that you understand the analogy… let’s have a short science refresher course about the common virus:

Recall the last time you got sick; you may have felt a little less energetic for a time, but just kept pushing through to reach goals you had set – then, all of a sudden, out of what seemed no where – something took you down for the count! What essentially happened is some nasty little virus lived in you – in secrecy, expanding to other hosts in your body and using those resources to grow exponentially until you were under his control. He didn’t have to mate or announce his visit – he just secretly kept on with his sneaky attack, replicating again and again with a geometric power – doubling with each reiteration so that after just a few generations – an entire virus population exploded throughout you.

How do I translate all that to the concept of Viral Marketing? It describes a defined strategy wherein you engage other individuals to pass on your marketing message, subtly, deftly… exponentially expanding with each reiteration in much the same way the virus does. This strategy takes advantage of the concept of rapid multiplication to literally explode your message to thousands of potential customers you would not otherwise be able to reach – in so short a period of time.

Viral Marketing in all likelihood is an Internet-coined word, but I am confident that it is the same concept that is used on a daily basis by people who market by referral or word-of-mouth. In some networking circles you will hear similar phrases, such as “creating a buzz” or “leveraging the media.” It is still the same strategy or process of leveraging the helpful participation of your friends, family and peers to more quickly explode your message to an awaiting niche market.

Another way to get your head around the math of this concept is to consider how people who use multi-level marketing programs plug along for what seems like forever, building their business in what seems like one person at a time, then all of a sudden – you talk to them and they have 500 people in their down line. How DID that happen? A new acquaintance of mine just created his own Network Marketing company and recognizes the power of working solidly with five people, teaching them to do the same, and so it goes…in just his third generation he will have already amassed 155 people!

I also remember my grandfather teaching me his rule of saving – showing me that if I started out with just a penny and doubled whatever that was each year, by the time I graduated from high school at age 16, I would have saved $131,072, and if I continued my pattern until age 21, I would then be enriched by $4,194,304. The concept is great – it reflects the potential of that viral growth; unfortunately, he didn’t show me how to do the doubling part!

When used with the right intention, Viral Marketing can be viewed as an innocuous method of sharing the message of another professional in whose product or service you believe, and passing subtle referral messages to your own database. The reverse benefit of another doing the same for you is obviously of equal benefit. Tell me… did you not at some time or another receive an email from a friend who just signed up for a Hotmail account, only to see the little add-on at the bottom “Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com?” It was new, it was fun and exciting and it was free. You sent it to five or six people who did the same and in short order – this tiny little virus of an offering had exploded across the country! Our emails were its host!

I have participated in a significant number of weekend events where a new author will ask for this kind of viral marketing support – to get his book to first place on Amazon – - it works! Everyone throws in a little bonus to enhance the purchase motivation, and passes it along to their database. Some will be takers and do the same thing and viola! before long, a new best selling author has been created in a matter of hours!

I believe that people easily learn things that come in fours so let’s take a look at some of the essential things you should consider when planning your next Viral Marketing Strategy (Attack!)

You will find that some strategies work better under different applications and campaigns, but to gain the greatest leverage and maximize the efforts you extend, give serious consideration to the following:
1. Giving away products or services
2. Performing under an effortless transfer to others
3. Taking advantage of customer motivation and behavior
4. Finding support in existing communication networks and resources

Want to know more? Check out my twice-monthly Workshops and Teleclasses.

I hope that I have planted a small seed about how you, too, can benefit from the power of Viral Marketing. Embrace it! After all – if you understand the concept, it gets easier the more you open your mind to the possibilities. If you have not implemented the process at any level in your business, you will want to try out the workshops, if you are in the Metro Phoenix area, or sit in our teleclasses if you have a more global geographic consideration.

Always, encouraging others to engage in positive, life-altering actions which will provide long-term, sustainable benefit – I challenge you to Go Viral!
Anna Weber
4-Dimensional Success
www.4-DSuccess.com

Building a Bold New Business – in a Down Economy

We are actually fortunate to be a part of the turmoil of our current economy!  Now, before you just shut me out and think I have let the stress get to me, think about how many millionaires have been created in a down economy.  Why?  Well, I can easily think of a number of reasons:
1. People get more creative in what they offer and how they do so – just to keep their doors open.
2. Ambitious Entrepreneurs look around at the new problems that need to be dealt with and seek to respond with a new product or service.
3. Sometimes, just the sheer need to survive causes business owners to take what collateral offerings the do have and modify them in a way that makes them more attractive.
4. When marketing budgets are cut, the messages are refined in such a way that they convey ideas more clearly focused to a more specific target.
5. As the workforce dwindles, businesses are forced to focus on a tighter niche, with a reduced offering.

Perhaps you have found yourself feeling unfortunate in that you have been part of a workforce reduction and after months and months of not being able to find a replacement position you are considering your Plan B… starting a company of your own.  Your greatest fear… How can you tell if your amazing new idea really is worth gambling on?

The truth is… you can never be 100% certain that any idea will sell. However, a number of things should be considered here because no matter how much you are inspired by your passion to survive and manage your financial affairs, or how supportive your friends and family are, there are factors – many of which are beyond your control – which will impact how successful you will be, and how quickly the world may or may not respond to what you are offering.  These factors, include, but may not be limited to:

1. A viable idea:  One question you really need to ask yourself is whether you will be able to actually build a company around it.  Does your idea honestly have real potential to generate both revenue and customer loyalty?
2. The right people:  If you are not able to manage the project by yourself, who do you know that can be the part of a great team?  Keep in mind that in a down economy, there are many qualified professionals who have also lost their jobs and will be willing to either partner with you in a joint venture or come on board at a lower salary level.  The support team you gather around you will make a difference in your success; choose them carefully.
3. Market demand: Assess the size of the market for your product.  Sometimes, we get inspired to create and get lost in that inspiration.  At the end of the day, however, whether or not there is a market that is large enough to sustain you for a period of time, and a market that can afford the price tag you place on your product or service requires more serious consideration.
4. Available resources: Do you have the time, the revenue, and the knowledge required to take a new product or service to market?  Do you have the necessary contacts and support?

Of the many of the hundreds of other things necessary to bring your idea to fruition, many of which can be acquired as you go, I have shortened this list to what I feel are the four most critical considerations, and should be given serious thought.  My intent is not to rain on your parade, but rather to have you take the time to give it thought and plan how you will experience the success you deserve for your efforts! 

There are mastermind groups that will be happy to work with you to gain access to everything that may be missing if your idea is viable, and there is a Universe out there willing to support you if you step up and ask.  You just have to stay level-headed and complete your due diligence before you invest too much time and money  – just be really clear from the start whether your idea is really worth gambling on!

Don’t be disheartened if your initial idea changes just a bit!  Many times after careful consideration a fresh new idea that might not have made it past first base – with additional insight will prove to be bigger and better and more potentially successful than the first filtering inspiration.  This is really what the process of strategically planning your Entrepreneurial dreams is all about – tapping into the idea at a deeper level and designing how large they can really be, and how much easier you can make the process of making it all happen. The pragmatic person that I am tells me that it makes much more sense to plan the use of limited resources up front – rather than having to expend them unnecessarily in the future only to find that you are expending valuable resources on modifications and correction which would not have been necessary with a careful 360° view in the beginning.

Go ahead… dream your biggest dream ever!  And then plan exactly how you are going to make it a reality.

Anna Weber  (4-Dimensional Success)

Always… encouraging you to engage in positive, life-altering activities which will provide long-term, sustainable benefits.


Get Email Updates





For Email Marketing you can trust

What You Provide Your Customers – 4 Tips to Discover What That Is!

How to Confidently Create a Clear Customer Connection

What would you say if I told you that one of the most important things you can do to accelerate the success of your business is to help your prospective clients experience the kind of emotional transformation that shifts them from one state of emotion or feeling (that of want or need) to another emotion or feeling (that of knowing who can fill those needs), all with the words and images you use to convey your marketing message? I like the phrase, “Clear Customer Connection” because those three words speak volumes!

• Clear – - meaning that your message should be so finely tuned there is no question as to what you are intending to convey to the listener. 
• Customer – defined as any entity that receives or consumes products (goods or services) and has the ability to choose between different products and suppliers.
• Connection – conveying the belief that if you don’t make a deep emotional connection with a prospective consumer, either they are not the right target, or your message does not adequately impact their decision making.

If you stay in business for any length of time, you will see certain transitions in your company, and as such, you may be called upon from time to time to modify your marketing message. You may offer newer, better and different products and services, or you may simply learn how to respond with marketing materials at a level that exceeds that of your competition.

No matter what stage of business you are in, it is essential that you understand how to convey a number of things to your audience – - so that you might:

• make that Clear Customer Connection,
• become the person with whom they want to conduct business.

In order to achieve this valiant effort, you must bring your message, product and or service, and your confidence to the same place. Your confidence in crafting powerful marketing messages is found in four primary areas:

1. the passion you have for your business,
2. the knowledge you have to share with your customers,\\
3. the clarity of focus on what it is you bring to the world, and
4. the experiences you provide to your customers.

Confidence Often Starts with Passion…

Although there is a lot to know and understand about the dynamics of marketing, learning how to craft and implement a strong, compelling message does not have to be something that frustrates or overwhelms you. The process you will follow here acts as a simple little formula you can use over and over again – for creating new messages, or refining the ones currently in use.

Take heart! Be confident that with a little bit of effort and personal discovery, you will be able to communicate – to a specific target – exactly why they should buy from you and not from your competitors. One of the easiest places to start is to remind yourself of the driving force, or passion if you will, that inspired you to step into the shoes of an Entrepreneur and embark on such an exciting journey!

My own story is one of having worked as a Paralegal for the State of Arizona… probating the estates of people who died in the streets – or other rather unpleasant circumstances and locations. The work was enthralling – most cases would have been candidates for a steamy novel. However, it was also so profoundly sad that I found myself at the end of most days wondering how on earth I could segue my education and skills to another career where I could be a positive impact on the front side of life rather than mopping up the mess of broken spirits, broken homes, and broken families. I wanted to use every talent I had been given to make a difference, to shake up the way people think when searching for clarity about what they could and should bring to the world… opening the doors for a future where there were stories of promise and hope, not sorrow and drama.

I am confident that for every successful, well-known businesses – they started with an interesting story, such as Colonel Sanders and the creator of the Holiday Inn, or perhaps Walt Disney and the Children’s Miracle Network. Aside from the “story”, there is probably an equally compelling emotion around the initial passion to serve. In the workbook that is available to expand on the principles in this article, you will be able to discover – at a much deeper level exactly hat inspired you to become an Entrepreneur.

There is Confidence in Knowledge…

I would ask you to take a few moments and consider how you might confidently convey your marketing message… simply from the perspective of how much knowledge and understanding you have of your industry in general! You have been personally involved – down in the trenches – and you know all the contrasting things about your industry and your competitors. It is not difficult to take this awareness… this intuition… and when coupled with your passion, craft a message that thoroughly reflects your focus. You will be amazed how your energies will shift when you are once again working from that place of focused passion, and that shift will represent itself in your bottom line in short order. How do you do this?

Take a few minutes and think about what aspect of your business really gets you excited! Not only will you begin modifying your marketing materials to convey that passion, you will find yourself spending more time engaging in your work. I know that I can consume an unbelievable number of hours researching different resources for clients that allow them to build a business on a shoe string! I would love for everyone to have coffers so full they never had to make financial sacrifices; however, that is not going to happen. So, if my passion is to help people fulfill their desires as an Entrepreneur, and if one of the biggest roadblocks is limited capital – it gets me fired up to work to remove as much of that financial roadblock as is humanly possible. Now, what about you? What gives you that passion, that excitement, that energy?

Another consideration as you are thinking your way through this line of questioning is to keep in mind that when you have this kind of an excited energy – it is reflected in your day to day attitude, and guess what? The more excited you are about what you are providing your clients – the more excited they are going to be about working with you! One of the reasons you chose the wild journey of an Entrepreneur is the freedom to make choices; this is an opportunity to exercise that freedom – by choosing to do more of what inspires you to serve others.

Confidence is Revealed in a Clear Focus…

I was involved in the construction trades at some level or another for most of my adult life. I married one of the finest finish carpenters in the state, I worked in mortgage lending and brought clients, architects, lenders and contractors together, and I had the privilege of working with a builder to construct a home of my own.

What business analogy is there in all my experiences? Bottom line, whether you are constructing a building or a business, the more clarity you have about what you want in the beginning as to your desired end result – the less time consuming and costly it will be to complete your project.

Think about it this way… if you were vague in the type of building you wanted constructed, you might end up with something that was nothing at all like your initial vision, or you would have to make many modifications along the way – as your vision became more clear. Your architect would probably confuse you and your builder would either be frustrated at the process or happy for all the added expenses he was able to charge.

I frequently have clients who are not able to clearly articulate what they want – not because they don’t really know, but because they don’t have a lot of experience in communicating their feelings about what they do want. However, once I begin taking them through a process of talking about what they don’t want, they start rattling off a list of things a mile long. When you consider the message you want to convey to your prospective consumer, you might want to take a few minutes and write down what you know you don’t want to provide as a part of your product and/or service offering.

For example: I know that what I love is the masterminding and strategic planning in which I engage my clients. I do not, however, want to get bogged down in doing any of their copywriting, because I have friends who are absolute masters at that part of business. I am confident these same people can’t touch my skills of creating the MAP (Motivated Action Plan) which keeps clients always moving toward their goal. See how easy it is to get clear on what you do and do not want to focus on when you look at it from two different perspectives?

Confidence is in the Experience You Give Your Customers…

Throughout twenty plus years of studying the psychology of marketing and sales, I have seen significant changes in certain beliefs. It is not that those who put such careful thought into the varying theories are manipulative or essentially wrong; it is more that technology has refined the manner in which accurate data may be gathered and assessed. One of the areas in which I have seen a significant shift in belief/theory is whether or not the consumer responds more quickly and naturally to rational thinking or emotional responses.

Advertisers have long held that the emotional benefits customers experience will define their purchase decisions, but those in the bank counting rooms will defy that belief, stating that after all the hype and emotion, buyers will only make significant purchases once rational thinking has been applied.

Today’s underlying theme is that if you take the time to become a master and do one thing well, and learn to communicate what that is, you will have equal opportunity to apply to both the emotional and rational considerations being made prior to any purchase commitment. Again… it comes down more to the manner in which you craft and communicate your core message! It is important to understand the dynamics of this thinking. If you lead the way with the emotional benefits, you will probably be right on key with your message. However, if you try to do the same thing by rationalizing those benefits in your message, you run the risk of actually projecting features rather than benefits.

Taking all this into consideration, a great formula for keeping in that midline area where you can appeal equally to the emotional and rational is to present your message in the experience your client will have. I noted earlier that your job is to give your customer an emotional experience that transforms them from the feelings of want and need to expectations of having them met. This is where your skill in communication serves as the prime motivator that drives sales conversions.

This may require that you package your product/service a little differently and put a more emotional spin on the expectations of the experience. For example: cultural events are not as well attended as they used to be, and I recently had a client who was dismayed about the decrease in sales for what had always been a successful annual musical event. The market for people who attended classical music concerts just for the music had thinned – something had to be changed! With a little brain-storming and creative thinking, the client opted to move the April event to February, add a fine dinner menu and marketed it as a Romantic Valentines Day extravaganza. No surprise – the event was a huge success… netting more than double the attendance as in the previous year.
Another great way to express the power of experience is to relate to the reason we are so drawn to places like Starbucks! We don’t really go there for a superior cup of coffee – we go to experience the camaraderie, the feeling of connection, and being a step above stopping in at the local corner restaurant. Again, it is that transformation from what we are lacking – to being in a space of feeling that our expectations are being met that makes a marketing message come to life.
Each one of these examples points the consumer to a moment of choice – to a moment of clear connection to whoever will be fulfilling their needs. At that moment, the product or service being purchased is secondary to the feeling or the experience it will provide.
Thank you for taking the time to explore how you can confidently transform you r marketing messages into Clear Customer Connections. If you would like to take the time to work through each section, you can request the accompanying workbook – - an exciting journey in discovering how to confidently craft marketing messages that draw from your (a) Passion, (b) Knowledge, (c) Clear Focus and (d) Client Experiences.

Always… encouraging you to engage in positive, life-altering actions which provide for long-term, sustainable benefits…

Anna Weber

4-Dimensional Success

http://www.4-DSuccess.com

Get Email Updates

For Email Marketing you can trust

Two Marketing Principles

The Tale of Two Marketing Principles

Have you ever really taken the time to monitor when you are at your most creative?

I once had a client in Australia who was struggling to get a simple monthly newsletter out… until we talked about how she always seemed to “get in her own way” and discovered that she had client sessions scheduled during the time she was actually feeling that peak creative energy. In her mind, she had selected this time frame for her clients because she wanted to be extremely present with them and could offer her best energies.

However, after some serious discussion about how much her marketing efforts were being impacted, she was willing to commit to making a slight shift to her schedule – just two hours, twice a month. Instantly, what had previously been somewhat of a noose around her neck was suddenly a consistent tool she used to skyrocket her connections with new clients!

The reason for discussing this with you is obviously two-fold. First, I would like to plant that little seed in your mind – to shake up your thinking so that when I address it in a later missive; you will have been primed with some personal assessment. And… to share that I have found my own creative flow to maximize between one and three PM each day!

What that now represents to me is that I am taking a light snack mid morning and holding my lunch until one, so that I might be more prolific with my own writing. I have a huge goals for 2010 and I need to maximize my every efficiency; this being one of them.

As I sat in the local Jack n the Box today – so that I might sit in the sun and be removed from distractions, I captured the essence of my “Lunch Time Logic” which will be shared with you in the coming months. The topic today was stimulated by Jack, himself – a genius at being effective in his advertising and marketing efforts.

We all know the funny little branding image of Jack and the messages he sends to make sure we understand the customer comes first. However, did you know that in spite of a flailing economy, people who have become accustomed to dining out haven’t really cut back in their rush and hurry life; they have simply shifted from fine dining to drive through? Jack is always full of surprises – ranging from new product lines to special pricing and from child-friendly toys to kitchen facelifts which leave the customer more comfortable about the food preparation. It is not likely we will forget the mantra, “Jack’s Back” any time soon.

A number of things came to my mind while thinking about Jack’s business marketing model that I would like to address with you – they are essential principles of a new marketing economy, including a clearly defined benefit and a specific niche target.

If you would like to have the workbook that takes you through these two principles, please use the subscribe button and I will see that it is on its way! My only request is that you engage in more than casual readiing – - do the work and experience the positive change in how you view what you bring to the world, and how you best monetize your efforts.

Anna Weber (4-Dimensional Success)

Get Email Updates

For Email Marketing you can trust