BE RELEVANT

Here’s a big truth in business,

If you’re not relevant… nobody will give you the time of day.

Here’s why - people care about themselves and they have short attention spans.

That means a few things -

1. You need to know and understand your ideal client really well. Know what’s important to them if you want to catch their attention.
2. Spend time where your clients spend time. And these days social media platforms are a fantastic place to make connections, share resources, and build your authority in your industry.
3. Stay top of mind. People are bombarded with so much stuff on social media - ads, articles, videos, that they may see your post once… but unless they see you repeatedly, they’ll forget about you.

Being relevant doesn’t just happen. It takes effort, planning, and consistency.

It doesn’t have to be time consuming and complex though. 

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

We laugh at the compliment that someone could "even sell
ice in Alaska", but in fact, that is rarely true. No
matter how good the ice, in some markets, it's a tough
sell.
In their enthusiasm, entrepreneurs often fail to ask hard
questions about who is going to buy their products, and
whether there are enough customers willing to buy at a
reasonable profit.
Some great products are simply no longer in demand. Buggy
whips and horse blankets come to mind. Other products are
highly prized, but are out of reach for most people -
luxury yachts and private aircraft might be examples.
As a Psychologist, I know how this impacts some of my
colleagues. No one questions that most therapists are
superbly trained, and that many people could benefit from
their skills. The problem is price, availability and
perception of value.
In a society where "talk is cheap", and there continues to
be a bias against counseling, many therapists cannot fill
their practices and making a living. Both the therapists,
and our society, suffer as a result, but from a business
standpoint, the problem is clear.
Not enough customers value the service highly enough to buy
it. Period.
As a business owner or manager, here are four questions you
should ask at least once a year, or every time you review
your business strategies:
1. Who, exactly, are my primary customers?
2. Where are they and how can I reach them?
3. Do they understand and need the benefits I provide?
4. Are there enough of them and will they buy at a price
that permits a profit?
Unless you can answer these questions, the best products
and services in the world will not be enough to make your
business successful. Focus on the customer!

THE SIZE OF YOUR MARKET

I've been thinking about narrow specialized niches, verses
"mass marketing". There are advantages and problems with
each approach and successful businesses develop strategies
for them.
I've been working with two businesses that have great
products for very narrow niches. They have followed the
popular advice to choose a specific vertical market then
"drill down deep". That is good advice, if you can reach
enough people, at the right time, with enough money, in
that narrow niche.
For these businesses, however, only a small percentage of
the population needs their product, and the obvious problem
is that they have not found an effective way to reach
enough people, at the right time, with a powerful message.
Great product for a specific audience that really needs it.
But how do you reach them?
The opposite problem is having a service that "everyone"
needs. If everyone needs it, there is probably lots of
competition - think grocery stores. Secondly, how do you
craft a marketing message to "everyone" that is going to
powerfully motivate any one, particular customer to buy?
Both problems have solutions. In narrow vertical markets,
working with associations, advertising in specialty
publications, or becoming a recognized expert can be
effective strategies. In a narrow niche, one way or
another, you must solve this problem in order to reach
enough customers!
If your service appeals to everyone and you are selling a
"commodity", consider specializing or marketing to various
segments at different times. You must find a way to
develop your unique brand and stand apart from your
competition. What is your unique marketing advantage?
Find it and focus on it!

TIPS FOR CREATING A GREAT WEEK EVERY WEEK

Millions of people started the day today "hoping" for motivation to get them through the week. They woke up waiting for some external force to inspire and light a fire under them so they could make it through the day. Not an exciting way to begin the week, do you agree?

Does it make sense to await motivation from an outside source and "hope" it arrives or does it make more sense to learn a few key strategies for motivating yourself week after week consistently? After all, we are given 52 Mondays each year. What if you could turn them into the springboard for creating a great week guaranteed every

time?

Creating a great week is not something that happens by accident, in fact, you have the power to create momentum anytime you desire. This lesson focuses on empowering ways to approach Mondays so you can create unstoppable momentum and create the best week of your life every week.

10 Steps to Creating Monday Momentum:

1. Decide in advance that you are going to have a great week. Your attitude determines your altitude and it starts right here with the decision. Expect success, expect the best, and be prepared to invest the very best of yourself in everything you do.

2. Define Success more clearly. Envision exactly what it means to have a great week. Does success mean productivity? Fun? Speed? Quality? Progress? Completion? What elements do you need to
create in order to realize your vision this week?

3. Map out your week on Sunday evening. At first this may seem challenging but after a few tries, you will be in awe of how easy it is to set yourself up for success. Here are some questions to get you started: What are your priorities for the week? What are the essentials you absolutely must accomplish and in what order of importance? What do you need to do this week to meet your Goals for the month, for the year?

4. Schedule your actions and priorities into your calendar so that you know when you will do them.

5. Create measures of accountability. Are you motivated by pain or pleasure? Does it light a fire under your posterior to know there is a fun reward at the finish line for doing what you promised or are you more motivated by the pain of having to pay for NOT doing it? Determine your own personal rewards you will enjoy for following through on your commitments and what penalties can you impose on
yourself if you don't? Bring in a friend or peers for extra reinforcement. Having someone to hold you accountable will keep you honest and give you an extra edge. There is nothing like succeeding or failing in front of an audience. You can raise the bar on this as high as you need to.

6. Go to bed early Sunday evening. Stretch or meditate prior to bedtime. You will feel more rested when you wake up and you will have energy, vigor and enthusiasm to begin your day. There's nothing as energizing and momentum building as arising with clarity, getting a jump on the day and being ahead of schedule, rather than feeling like you're behind schedule or playing catch up.

7. On Monday morning rise a little earlier, get in a quick workout, even if it's just a 15 minute walk or ride on the exercise bike. Wake up your brain and get those endorphins flowing. You will burn more fat, feel GREAT and get it out of the way so you're free to move on to other things.

8. Eat a healthy breakfast. This will provide you with the fuel to tackle your top priorities. (planning your week in advance means planning your meals in advance if you want to be super productive, energized and stay away from fast foods, which are a huge energy drain) What you put into your mouth has a direct effect on your productivity, efficiency and mental clarity.

9. Listen to one hour of an empowering audio program while you're working out and eating breakfast. This will help you
with the mental motivation and get you going with the right
attitude. I recommend The Time Commandments audio program.

10. At the end of each day and the end of each week, review
what you did or didn't do. Make adjustments where necessary
and keep building on your strengths and celebrating your
successes. Have fun and remember that small improvements
add up over time. Imagine how much more clarity, motivation and achievement you will experience after growing and improving consistently for 52 weeks! Momentum breeds momentum.

Unleashing these powerful strategies will condition you to
seize the day every day. You will condition yourself to
know where you are going, get moving and you will have all
the motivation and Momentum you need to carry you through
the week.

-by Jill Koenig