Entries from May 2008 ↓

Did you catch that link in the last post?

No, not the link that will leave you breathless, though that one is not to be missed, savored and clicked through. I’m taking about this one:

http://www.thesystemblog.com

Ken McCarthy, founder of The System, does something quite remarkable. Every year, he gives away instructional preview calls with each and every member of the System faculty - over 25 hours of internet marketing coaching, all free.

The idea is to give away “a seminar’s worth of content” every year for free - actionable strategies to implement in your business right now.

Ken has one of the most pristine reputations in the entire IM community… and a strict “no pitchfest” policy at his events AND in these preview calls. The preview calls are promotional, but I can assure you after listening to almost all of them this year, they are 95% content. (He’s an over-delivering kind of guy.)

Now, straight up: these calls probably won’t be all that useful to most folks reading this - many of you are beginners. But a good number of you are also at least somewhat internet marketing savvy already - more than I would have guessed.

So if you’re already hip to internet marketing and want some good stuff - check out these calls before Ken takes ‘em down. If you’re curious and want to learn more without spending, well, anything, you can’t do any better than Ken.

Enjoy!

So those on the BYMB mailing list should have received their newsletters - sent ‘em out today. On schedule! (Go, me!)

I am, however, rather swamped. I’m getting ready for The System (the world’s first, best and longest running Internet Marketing conference, founded by superdude Ken McCarthy) and typing as fast as I can on… a certain copywriting project many readers of this blog are anxiously awaiting. :)  Plus, it was Memorial Day weekend.  (Yeah, ok, some of you caught me working…)

And working on my next comics script on top of that. Yes, really!

So we might be a little short on posts here this week, but I promise I’ll get some good info up for y’alls before I leave on Friday.

In the meantime, Anya writes:

“PS: Did I ask you already if an avid Build Your Metaphysical Business reader could be called a BYMBo? (Heh.)”

(At first, I didn’t get it. Now, it’s quarter-til-2 in the morning. I get it! I get it!)

I’ll leave you with a link that will leave you BREATHLESS…

http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com

The next issue of the Build Your Metaphysical Business email newsletter is going out on TUESDAY, May 27. If you’re on the list, you’ll get it free in your mailbox. If you’re not, you won’t.  Sign up now so you won’t miss a thing…

Here’s what you’ll find in this issue:

• All the marketing know-how you’ll ever need is already all around you and you can tap into it for FREE.  Am I nuts?  Have I gone off the deep end?  Nope, and nope - I’ll show you how.

• Your Questions Answered: “How do I get people to see Tarot AS a business?” - help for when you’re not being taken seriously

• Mindset Insights: Need a confidence boost?  A simple technique to shake off insecurity and get strong in an instant - any time, any place.

• Elizabeth Recommends: A book that will teach you how to free up hours of your time each week (think 10 or more) WITHOUT effort - yes, really; the next great Tarot novel

• Videos of my cats, Arty & Merle! (C’mon, you know you wanna!)

I’m tellin’ ya, you don’t want to miss it.  Think of THE CATS!  Sign up now if you’re not already on the list (sign-up boxes are in the upper right hand corner).

We talked about the importance of positioning a few days ago.  I promised to share some proven strategies for positioning yourself as an expert.

1. Give away free information, such as a free report.  Free reports are an easy way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise.  You can also use them to start building a list of potential clients.  When someone requests your free report, they’re saying, “yep, I’m raising my hand, I’m interested in what you have to offer.”

2. Write articles.  One of my favorite strategies.  Consider flipping through a magazine.  What kind of attention do you give the articles?  What kind of attention do you give the ads?  Like free reports, articles demonstrate your expertise.  Your articles in a print publication with an editorial staff also convey endorsement - i.e., someone else made the decision to print it!

3. Write a book. Nothing, and I mean nothing, positions you as an expert like writing a book.  The authority of the book is so strong in our culture that even self-published books “work” for positioning of service professionals.  Many top experts use their books as their business cards.  It’s the ultimate lead generation tool.

4. Teach.  Teaching gives you lots of visibility and credibility.  You’re also adding value for your students and getting value from them (ask just about any teacher and they’ll tell you they learn just as much from their students).

5. Speak.  Another visibility and credibility booster.  You’ll also find clients at speaking engagements.

6. Go to the important events.  Owning your expert status is a conscious choice.  If you’re an expert, do what the experts do and take part in events and seminars for the experts.  Not only are you investing in yourself and your training, you’re claiming your expert-ness.  You’re sending a message to your peers, too.

7. Make media appearances.  After writing books, media appearances are the ultimate positioning tool.  Media endorsement as an expert sends a powerful message to your potential clients.

Think you can’t get a newspaper gig, a media appearance, or land some articles in a magazine?  Think again!  Newspapers, radio shows, TV shows, magazines… what do they all need?  Fresh content!  Metaphysical shops need experts to teach classes.  The opportunities are there for the asking.

As you’re working on your positioning, don’t forget to take credit for it in your marketing!  If you’ve written for a national magazine, taught classes or appeared on a radio show, mention it in your bio.  If you have a website, put your press clippings or articles online (if your contract allows it - if not, be sure to mention who you’ve written for).

[Want a step-by-step system for attracting your perfect clients consistently?  Join me for the next BYMB teleseminar series!  Info and registration here: http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com] 

… for the Painless Metaphysical Marketing teleseminar series:

http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com

Any questions or problems, don’t hesitate to email me!

So it’s my anniversary today.  Second, third, fourth or forever-th, depending on how you look at it.  I’m a little distracted.  Leland and I are going to bag the whole “working for a living” thing and head off into the sunset for the afternoon.

Coming soon: the registration page for the upcoming BYMB teleseminar.  I’m going to try to have it live before the night is through.  If not, tomorrow.

That’s it!

What’s your position in the marketplace?  Have you ever thought about it?

Simply put, positioning is how your clients and customers defines you in relation to your competitors.

“That sounds a lot like a USP, your unique service position,” you might be saying.

Yes and no.  USP is part of what makes up your positioning, to be sure.  Ultimately, positioning transcends USP.  Positioning is not just what makes you different, but where you stand relative to everyone else.

Easy (though extreme) example: are you in the slush pile, or are you Stephen King?

Another: Are you a novice, or an expert?

Why is positioning important?  Simple: the better you position yourself, the easier it will be to find clients, raise your fees, increase your income, and grow your business.  Stephen King can buy more cookies than the guy in the slush pile.  Experts make more than novices.

Quite simply, positioning = power.  Where do you fall on the continuum?

It might be a scary question to think about, because it can push those “am I good enough?” buttons.  But positioning also equals perception.  And that’s where it gets pretty darn cool.

You may not be Stephen King, but you CAN take steps to position yourself how you choose.  Remember: your marketing is under your control.  You get to paint your own picture.

Notice, too, that visibility is inherent in positioning.  How easy are you to find?  How visible are you in the marketplace?  Again, your visibility is, to a great extent, under your control.

Next time, I’ll share some proven strategies you can use to position yourself as an expert.  These are the same used by the big guys.

And remember: send me your questions or leave them in the comments!

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]

Yes, I had so many people tell me they either loved the class at the RS, or were so bummed that they missed the class, I can’t NOT offer another. No time like the present! So I’m pleased to announce…

“Painless Metaphysical Marketing: Attract Your Perfect Clients and Build Your Business with Ease” with Elizabeth Genco

Don’t have all the clients you want, let alone the money you need? Hate marketing your services and “selling yourself”? Yes, you can consistently fill up your dance card without compromising your identity, your integrity, or feeling like you’re selling your soul. I’ll share 7 easy steps to painlessly and effectively marketing your Tarot services based on your most important selling point — you! Learn how to tap into free advertising, write ads that attract a flood of new clients and work your referral network, all while staying firmly in your comfort zone.

Yes, this is AN EXPANDED VERSION of the workshop I offered at the Readers Studio.  It’ll be longer and nobody will have trouble hearing me. I’ll have the time and space to go deeper into the 7 steps, and I plan to tailor the class to the feedback I get from the registrants. I’ll have more notes and (because you asked for it!) samples of brochure copy. You’ll also get MP3 recordings of the class.

NOTE: If you attended the RS workshop and want to come back for a refresher (and get the new stuff, too), you do NOT have to pay the full fee! Your RS workshop fee will be deducted from the price.

I’m not quite ready to take registrations, but I wanted to let you know NOW so you can mark the dates on your calendar: June 10 and June 17 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Each session will last 90 minutes and will include Q+A. Cost for the entire class (both sessions) will be $97. (If you attended my RS class, the cost is $62.)

I’ll have more details on the class very soon, but for now, mark your calendars!

That’s my fill-in name for the BYMB newsletter! I am such a dork!

That’s the dorky news. The real news is that I just sent out the first issue. Woo!

Given that this is my maiden voyage and all, there will be some kinks to work out. Do me a favor? PLEASE let me know if it looks wonky on your screen. Aweber, the company that manages BYMB’s email list, has this really cool option where you can send a text version AND an HTML version. Supposedly, it’s smart enough to know which addresses require the text version and which are good with HTML. I have no idea how this works in practice, however.

Gmail is more or less readable, but did a few stupid things, like got rid of all the whitespace between my text and the borders of the table. A new template with CSS is on the to-do list, which will help.

Anyway, bear with me! Also, check your spam and trash folders to make sure it arrived, and be sure to whitelist “elizabeth@buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com” to make sure you get it in your inbox.

Not on the list? Sign up for the next one, which will be out in two weeks.

The first issue of the Build Your Metaphysical Business email newsletter is going out on TUESDAY, May 13! If you’re on the list, you’ll get it free in your mailbox. If you’re not, you won’t. If haven’t yet signed up for the newsletter, sign up now so you won’t miss it!

Here’s what you’ll find in the kick-off issue:

• Your “back to basics” marketing checklist: Whether you’ve just stepped on the path or the road is long behind you, EVERYONE should be using at LEAST these 7 tools, bare minimum. 5 are free, the other 2 are low cost. All are easy. If you don’t know where to start, start here.

• Your Questions Answered: One or Many? How to market yourself when you do more than one thing. Also: a blogging conundrum solved!

• Mindset Insights: The “dark side” to being an entrepreneur, and the unique advantage metaphysical business owners have over it

• Elizabeth Recommends: A couple of my favorite favorites (not all business-related - hey, I love the books and decks as much as anyone!)

• Lastly, I’ve got a very special announcement to, well, announce!

Remember, you’ll only get the newsletter if you subscribe. Don’t miss out!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Look for the newsletter on Tuesday.