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Smart Women and The Art of Self-Promotion

One of the questions I'm frequently asked by women entrepreneurs is, "When I meet someone who is a potential referral source and/or ideal client, how do I mention my business without feeling pushy?" Great question! Being able to communicate your marketing message with confidence is key to attracting more clients, increasing your income and becoming known for your expertise.

The idea of "self-promotion" or "selling" leaves some women feeling like they are bragging, being pushy or not considerate of others. It can create anxiety and fear which in turn keeps you stuck and unable to reach your business goals. Women are nurturers by nature and the thought of putting their needs in front of someone else's may feel unnatural.

I understand the feeling (I've experienced it too), however if you are determined to achieve your business goals, it's essential you communicate your message about what you have to offer and how you help people. Do so often and to as many people as possible (otherwise, you will remain the best kept secret in town which in this case, won't serve you). People are super busy and can't read your mind so it's up to you to take on the responsibility of creating interest in how you support people with your product or service.

When I have an opportunity to share how I support women entrepreneurs, I use the R&R approach (Relationship + Results). It feels both authentic and comfortable for me and I think it will for you, too.

Cultivate a Relationship - Whether I meet someone at a networking event, through social media or through a mutual friend, my first desire is to build a relationship and discover how I can be of service. I'm truly interested in people and enjoy learning about others. My goal is to find a common ground with people and if I can offer some advice or perspective on their current situation, I'll share it with them right away. This is a good time to showcase your expertise and also show the other person you are genuinely listening to them.
Share Results - When it's your turn to share more about who you are and what you do (if you've truly shown an interest in the other person, this happens organically) share the results you've had with your clients through telling stories. Storytelling is engaging. People will lean in and listen intently to what you have to say. Rather than talking about the name of your company and the services you offer, concentrate on someone you've worked with that had award-winning results. Talk about where this person was when they first began to work with you and the benefits or transformation they received after working with you.

This approach takes away the "heavy" feeling of self-promotion that women sometimes experience. It has a feminine feel to it. Women create relationships better than anyone I know and sharing the results others have had when they work with you eliminates anxiety.

I invite you to get out of the office today and try the R&R approach. It's simple, easy and feels authentic to women entrepreneurs.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000's of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you're ready take your your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 now at Smart Women Smart Solutions Coaching.

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Smart Women and Their Relationship With Money

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend the day strategizing with a group of smart women entrepreneurs from different parts of the world. It was an energizing day focused on topics such as effective marketing, clear messaging to attract your ideal client, time management and money.

At one point, women were expressing the challenges they face in getting everything accomplished each day including running a business, managing a family, and hopefully time to squeeze in a little self-care.

I shared with the group that when I'm in the office, I ask myself three questions to help me stay focused and directed on making money in my business:

1. Where is the potential for new business?

2. Are my private clients and groups experiencing award-winning results?

3. Have I reached out to my referral sources this week?

Discovering new business opportunities, creating award-winning client results and focusing on my relationships with referral sources are the very best ways to build a successful company for the long-term.

I noticed one woman in the group had a rather strange look on her face and at the break, I went up to her and asked if everything was OK. Her response? "I've never heard a woman speak so freely about making money. It's liberating for me. I love this idea!"

As I travel around the country and meet women from different parts of the globe, this idea that money should not be discussed is universal. I had one woman tell me that she was raised with a belief that "Money is evil." Money is not evil. What you do with the money is what matters.

This opened the door to a freeing, thought-provoking, conversation about why women need to overcome their fear of making money or having money. If your business is not making the money you desire, could it be possible it's due to the relationship you have with money? If your business is barely "surviving" instead of "thriving" I invite you to think about creative ways you can embrace what a positive cash flow could do not only for you but the world.

To ensure that your Big Idea comes to fruition and achieves growth year after year, it's essential that you make money in your business. I'd like to share some ideas about why women and money go together and energize your thinking about why it's key to stay focused on making money:

1. Contributing to the well-being of yourself and your family - It's an empowering feeling to know that your business contributes to taking care of those you love and care about. It builds confidence, self-esteem and instills the idea in your family that you are an equal partner in every area.

2. Contributing to the economy - I'm thrilled to be able to have a small team of women support me in my business and I can help them achieve their goal of working from home. I'm adding value to the flexibility and freedom in their lives.

3. Giving back - I hear from so many women the reason they started their business is because they want to give back to the charities and organizations they feel so strongly about. This has been an emotional driver for me. My desire to give back has continued to grow over the last 3 years and my dream has finally come true. This year, Smart Women Smart Solutions® is now able to make a donation to several non-profits that support women and girls worldwide from coaching programs purchased by women entrepreneurs.

I'm going to invite you to start the process of creating a consistent, positive cash flow so you can use the money to take care of what's important to you. Stop saying, "When I have the money, I will..." and start saying, "Now that my business is experiencing a positive cash flow, I will..."

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000's of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you're ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion.

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Increase Your AdSense Revenue by Working Smart and Not Too Hard

Even if your website is informational and does not actually sell a product directly, many webmasters are earning good residual income from Google AdSense. It's very easy to add to your site. AdSense ads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the colors of the ads can even be adapted so they match your overall color scheme, you simply design, cut and paste.

Most people just cut and paste and hope for the best, and consequently never make more than a few pennies a day from AdSense, even after following the Google AdSense blog and reading everything there is to know about AdSense. After a while many give up with AdSense and try other methods to fill up those small pieces of valuable real estate, which is the space on their blogs and websites.

Unfortunately to earn the big bucks with AdSense - or indeed any type of advertising, the secret is to have lots of websites. If you normally only earn $10 a week from AdSense, then if you have 10 websites, earning $100 a week looks a lot more enticing. Trouble is, could you handle owning 10 websites? There's enough work with one or two, and if you had to outsource the writing of 10 articles every few days, is it actually worth it?

I know people that own hundreds of sites and they make a good living from affiliate ads and Google AdSense. It sounds like a nightmare, but by working smart it is possible.

Of course the secret to success is getting visitors to those sites and working on backlinks and blog commenting and article writing and, oh my - what a lot of work! Too much work for one person, or even two.

You can outsource just about everything, including link building, article writing and blog commenting. If you start making a good income from your AdSense advertising after a while you should decide which task takes you the most time and outsource it, then follow with other tasks that are time-consuming.

The key is to find what works for you. If you have dozens of sites, you can measure how much each blog or site is making by using Google's Channel feature which allows you to monitor each of your site's performance. If a site is getting good traffic but failing to make money, there is always the option to sell it. Many people buy ready-made sites that have some age and traffic.

The secret to doing anything is work smart but not too hard. Easy to say in the beginning but once you find a system that works for you, your AdSense revenue should increase exponentially.

Gabriele Cramer-Knebel is the Founder/CEO of Internet Marketing Training and is an experienced internet marketer helping new entrepreneurs to build a successful online business. You can find more out at http://gabrielesinternetmarketingtraining.com/

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