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Five Easy Steps to Revitalize Your Business

February 18, 2010 By Cara Lumen

A long time ago, I used to temp and every time I did not have an assignment I taught myself another software program. It felt like I was “working” even if there was no immediate pay for what I was doing. The “pay” was that I was increasing my skill set and making myself more valuable to others. So if by any chance you’re in a “down time” right now, here are five easy ways to revitalize your business starting right now.

1- Get clear on who you serve

I know, this is a Marketing 101 concept but lest we forget who we serve, give your target audience some serious thought this week. Times change; life changes. What has changed for them, what is keeping them awake at night and what can you do for them? It may be that you keep doing what you’ve been doing. But it also may be that you can see something new to add, or some way to bundle what you already do. For instance, I know how vital signature products are to establishing your expert status so I created targeted Signature Product Development coaching packages that focus on one information product at a time – an ebook, teleclass, or article and blog posting campaign, plus a special coaching package for writing magnetic landing pages. And besides these coaching packages the templates I use in these coaching sessions are turning into a book! What can offer your target market that you are not offering right now?

2-Increase your skill set

I just pulled two business books off the shelf that I have started but not finished. And I know there are two more by my reading chair. And I just ordered Seth Godin’s Lynchpin and Mike Dooley’s infinite Possibilities both of which I’m eager to read. And I’ve subscribed to some great new blogs and every day I learn something new from them. Brian Clark’s fabulous copy writing advice on CopyBlogger, Icon Seth Godin, Chris Brogin, Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger, 20-year old Glen on viral marketing at ViperChill and I always read Mike Dooley’s Notes from the Universe for inspiration.

Consciously schedule time to read for business. I spend a half hour every morning reading these new blogs and often taking action on their suggestion right then and there. Read one new business book or trade magazine a week. I get so excited every time I read Entrepreneur Magazine that I come away with a whole fistful of ideas either to write about or do.

There is so much information on the internet- blogs, free calls, groups to join like Third Tribe Marketing. Decide what resources you want to use to keep up with trends and current events so you can keep your business flexible and responsive. Check out Mashable for updates on new things coming through in social media or The Daily Beast for current events Find the places that give you the information you need to better understand your target audience. Learn a new skill set for your business or get a better handle on how to get the most benefit from FaceBook or Twitter or Linkedin.

3-Increase your value

I’ve got eight blog posts sitting here that I’ve written in the past two days. Posting them would be a good move. I posted an article in a new place for me www.selfgrowth.com and did all the backend profile page stuff that included listing my web page and my blog. I took four of those un-posted posts and put them into the idea bank for a radio show “How to Stay True To Yourself in the face of Negative Feedback” on Blog Talk Radio

And I created a new Magnetic Idea Tracking System to track my blogs, article posts and radio show topics so I can leverage my ideas from one to another. And I have an idea for a new information product that in one sense already exists but just not in one place yet.

And I’m still sitting in my home office making my business more attractive for the people I am meant to serve.

4-Reach out to others

Here’s where the majority of us need help – we need to find ways to consistently reach out to others to build a relationship of trust – to build a community if you will. I just joined FriendFeed www.friendfeed.com and connected with someone I haven’t talked to in a long time. I will take time today to write her in greater depth. I joined The Third Tribe and it has such great information and support in there all ready that I have literally scheduled specific times every week to go on and meet people. I also want to go find blogs I like and post on them. My list of opportunities grows longer.

5- Leverage Your Ideas

One idea can wear many costumes. This blog post sprang up from my response to something Chris Brogan wrote on his blog that I subscribe to. Let the news trigger ideas, let your own personal experiences and insights trigger ideas. Then offer those ideas in different packages. Forward a link to something you’ve read to a person you want to reach out to, add it to your next emagazine, and include it in a blog post. Write your version of an existing idea. Write a book review of the book you just read and post it and send it to the author. That’s why my Magnetic Idea Tracking Worksheet came into being so I can track and leverage ideas as well as the shape those ideas took.

The wonderful thing about blogging is that within each post you get to link to other articles and posts you have written or products and services you have to offer. One blog becomes a much greater resource as you add links to references and opportunities.

To take advantage of these five easy ways to attract more people to my business my week could include

Write and post one blog post every day (you can schedule these to go out on specific dates you know)
Read the blogs of the people I have chosen to follow every time a post arrives. And allow myself time to cultivate any ideas that may spring from them. (That’s important – act on what you learn)
Read one business book of my choice every day for at least a half hour
Write one personal note to someone somewhere to strengthen our relationship every day
Spend one hour every day developing a new information product. This could include my radio show concepts, my article and blog ideas, my overall Magnetic Idea Tracking Worksheet
Submit at least one article a week to a major submission site. Start with www.ezinearticle.com

You need to work ON your business as well as IN your business. Pick one of these ideas that appeals to you and work it till you own it. Then pick another one. You don’t have to do them all at once. One step at a time will do nicely. But do take that one step – today. There are people out there who need what you have to offer. Help them find you!

How to Keep Learning Even if You Think You’re Too Old

February 8, 2010 By Cara Lumen

Passionately On Purpose Radio with Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer, who keeps you passionately on purpose while you make a difference in your world. As a Business Coach, Content Developer and Educator she talks about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, she’ll help you believe you can!!! Join her Mondays on www.blogtalkradio.com/passionatelyonpurpose

The Show

Sometimes, in order to move ahead, we really do have to master a new skill. Let’s talk about how to tackle what you don’t know and have a great time learning it.

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How to Learn More When You Feel Full Up

January 30, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I’ve had it. I’ve been discovering wonderful new information all day and I’m mentally shutting down. I’m writing a new course which I love to do, and every time I research a new aspect of it I get excited about what I learn. But I’m just plain full up. So I sat down to give myself some advice about what to do when you’d like to learn more but are just plain full up.

Take a Break

This is obvious, and I’m going to do that as soon as I sort out my own ideas on what to do next by writing this post. And it doesn’t need to be a food break – it needs to be a tension-breaking break – a change of pace break. Whether you have to take deep breaths, do a few yoga stretches, look out the window or go for a walk, change your position and give your mind a break.

Be selective

That’s the major decision I have reached for the action to take when I’m feeling full up of information. I simply can’t absorb any more so I get to choose what I want to learn and more importantly for what I’m doing today – what I want to teach. I have come across three new blogs to subscribe to. And I already subscribe to quite a few. So I’m going to start unsubscribing to those that I don’t read. The ones I want to read are surfacing.

You’ll learn it when you are ready

I’m putting a lot of great material in this course I am creating and people who take the course may not be ready for all of it this first time around, but it will be there for them to review when they are ready for another pass through the material. I went through Product Factory five times, three times as a team leader and each time I either learned something new or was ready to take another step in my own work. Be kind to yourself and learn what you can. Then go back for more at a later date.

Honor your goals

I have gotten so many ideas of things I can do in my own business while writing this course. My list is growing and my head is spinning. But I can’t do them all right this minute so I have to look at what my goals are and use those to help me select what I need to learn and put in place next.

It helps me that I’m gathering all this information for a specific course so I don’t wander too far afield. What I’m learning is going to make this blog better. So I’ll put in place what I can, and do another layer later. And most of all, I’ll tell the students in my new course to go through the steps they are asked to take to get set up, do what they can and then review the content of how to do it at several points in the coming year. They’ll learn it as they should – one step at a time.

Do You Really Need a Blog?

January 25, 2010 By Cara Lumen

This Show:

Blogging is not for everyone, but if you’ve been thinking about it, let’s talk about the amazing things a blog can do for your business.

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How to Organize Your Ideas so People Get What You Say

January 17, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I’m writing a new teleclass, “Ready, Set, Blog – 30 days to a Magnetic Web Presence” and as I watch my creative process as I create a four week course I thought I’d share some of my organizational tips with you.

Tip #1 Keep it a Manageable Size

I’ve certainly taken my share of three month long courses, but for my creative temperament, I prefer to teach in shorter segments. One three month class I just completed covered just about everything there was no know about the topic but it could have easily been broken up into smaller, more focused experiences and I might have felt like I achieved results faster.

So if you have an idea, first look to see if you have to have a beginner’s class and then follow that with an intermediate class. Teaching in leveled segments is a good model to keep in mind as you plan.

For every class write down the answer to this statement: Students leave with an understanding of… If you find yourself with a long list cut your course into even shorter segments. Be certain you can clearly teach the points you choose to make.

Tip #2 Think with a Beginners Mind

I’m teaming this new course with Adam Sayler, who knows a TON about WordPress. I know the Marketing Part, he knows the technical part. I have only recently learned to work in Word Press so I am a perfect one to see the material he will teach with a beginner’s mind. What do I need to know first? What do I need to do early on so I can get started producing results and thus feel encouraged? I began with writing down what I needed to know and in what order I needed to learn it in. And I built the class structure on that need to know.

I’ve been helping a friend organize a book she is writing. She has the wonderful gift of being able to see everything as connected, but you can’t teach connection until you teach each part that needs connecting. Think with a beginner’s mind – the mind of the people you want to teach. Are they raw beginners, or intermediate? You choose who you are aiming for. But you still have to give them a clear foundation upon which you build your premise.

Tip #3 Watch out for Jargon

Particularly when we are well trained in a field we will be unaware of our jargon and will use it unconsciously. However, jargon is meaningless to the people you are trying to teach. Even if you explain it they may not get it. Use simple, every-day words so that your meaning cannot be misconstrued.

Tip #4 Think in Terms of Segments

To organize my courses I make a table of four columns.

1.   Segment topic
2.   Major Points
3.   Handouts, Exercises And Stories
4.   Homework

For instance, this article on “How to Organize Your Thoughts” could be a book and I actually have one started. It may end up being a radio show or a talk, but I have set some parameters for this writing because this is an article of a certain size. We’re only going to talk about some basic concepts you can put into place that will allow you to organize your thoughts more easily.

So Column #1 would read 7 Tips to Organize your Ideas

Column #2, the major point column will contain a list of the seven tips.

If this were a segment in a telecourse I would build on column #3. What exercises can I create to help people find their beginners mind, or determine how much content to use? Are there stories I can tell about how people organized their ideas? Well yes, I know of someone who wrote each idea on a sticky note and put them all over the wall where she could prioritize them. I happen to make tables in Word with these columns to organize my ideas.

And again, if I were preparing a course there would be homework in Column #4– things for the participants to do in order to begin getting results.

Whether you use sticky notes or columns in Word, think in terms of segments.

Tip #5 Learn to Time Your Content

I’m getting better at this as I do my radio show Passionately on Purpose on Blog Talk Radio. But I do write out a script so I can be certain I don’t wander off my point and that I get in all the points I have chosen to make. Again I work in tables and use a colored line to mark where I should be time-wise after each segment. Now I can visually judge how much time a segment will take when I’m writing it but I still use the colored time lines to keep my delivery on target. I definitely do a table template when creating a teleclass because I want to be certain I also have times clearly marked off for interaction with the participants placed at regular intervals throughout the course. When I’m interviewed on other people’s shows I have a list of talking points so we can make the conversation flow back and forth. But that’s just me being well prepared.

Tip #6 Make Your Point

Get really clear about what you want to teach or tell and be certain you focus all the content toward making that major point clear. If it’s not relevant, if it does not move the reader forward toward a greater understanding, if it is too detailed for a beginning reader, exclude it. Make you point clearly and they will get it.

Tip #7 Don’t Expand until your Outline is Clear

This is a major tip. It’s much easier to look at the relationship of your points on a single piece of paper than it is to scroll through written pages to see the relationship. When you create a strong outline, clearly focused toward your particular target audience, they will get it when you expand it. A strong outline – a lean outline – a relevant outline – will organize your ideas into a powerful communication.

And always write from your heart, then edit from your head. Make your communication meaningful, insightful, interesting, and relevant to the needs of your community. Then they will get your message!