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While there are some very specific things which each of us must learn in order to succeed in business, the truth is that being really successful has very little to do with gaining business specific skills. Heck, if this were not the case, the number of people who were successful would be rather tiny. So, what is it that sets the winners apart?

I’ve learned over the years that it has more to do with one’s mindset than almost anything else.  Mindset in combination with using keen intuition and facing fears are the foundation for the success of most accomplished entrepreneurs.

Now, just to be clear, mindset is more than just reading some affirmations every day.  Your mindset is those deep rooted beliefs that you hold near and dear to you and would take an atomic bomb for you to let go of.  These beliefs help you through all of your challenges both business and personal.  Ultimately, your mindset helps you to make the decisions that change your life.

So here’s a list of mindset secrets to help you succeed in business and become that accomplished entrepreneur!

• Face your fears; never let fear influence your decision making ability
• Use challenges to spark your creativity and solve problems
• Never tolerate excuses from others or yourself
• Believe “Where there’s a will there’s a way”
• Understand there’s real power in asking for help
• Know that obstacles are a reason to strengthen your commitment to your bigger why
• Graciously welcome new learning opportunities from teachers, mentors and coaches
• Know you can do, be and have anything you want
• Never, ever play the victim
• Hold firm to boundaries and stand solid in your personal power
• Know that “NOW” is the right time
• Understand that fear and doubt are not truth
• Let’s go to grow
• Appreciate the growing and learning process and see the results in the transformation of your business
• Practice the attitude of gratitude
• Invest in the best mentoring and coaching

Without a doubt you’re going to face challenges, obstacles and make a ton of mistakes.  Learning from your mistakes is crucial to overcoming the problems you will encounter, inevitably leading to the success you desire.

But by understanding and implementing the mindset secrets you will take years off the process because you will have the “mind tools” you need to be at the top of your game.

Are you wracking your brain for exciting, unique content for your blog or website? With each passing moment are you feeling more and more dreadful because you think it’s so tough?

Here are 6 tips to keep that unique content flowing and ensure it’s always top-notch:

Target Your Market: Who visits your website or blog? Whoever it is, your articles need to capture and hold their interest.  Unique content needs to educate and inform your readers, and keep them coming back for more articles.

Define Your Niche: Don’t be general.  You need to hit your niche with your content.  For example, if you’re a chiropractor don’t write an article about the benefits of chiropractic care.  First, it’s a real snooze but most importantly, it’s way too broad.  You need to discover a unique perspective such as how regular chiropractic care aids in restful sleep.  Angle your article to fit your specific niche.

Keep Up With Industry Trends and News: Be “in the know.”  Read daily industry news for fresh and timely content.  Doing so makes you look like an expert in the eyes of your readers and will definitely keep them coming back for more.

Write On A Regular Basis: If you write occasionally, your writing may become stale or boring.  So, in order to keep those creative juices flowing write on a regular basis.  If you write a blog, write consistently (at least three times a week) and keep a journal or notebook on hand to jot down notes and ideas for future articles and blog posts.

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others: Every writer and blogger has their own unique style of writing.  Comparing yourself to others does nothing for your self-confidence and even worse, it will hurt your creative process. It’s helpful to research blogs, ezines and websites for ideas, but don’t copy another writer’s style.  The key to branding yourself as a content writer is to find your own style and stick with it.

Keep It Simple: Help out your readers and keep it simple by not confusing them with jargon and complicated language.  It’s okay to bend some of the rigid grammar rules when you write Web content; however, it’s still recommended to edit and use spell check.  Implement this editing trick I learned from a professional copywriter: print out your article and circle mistakes with a red pen.  It’s apparently much easier to find errors.

Remember to use these 6 strategies when writing content for your website or blog and watch how these simple strategies can transform your business. 

If you’re like most people you started out 2010 with lofty goals for your business.  They were probably full of passion and you were totally motivated to accomplish them. But before you knew it, the energy and enthusiasm started to fade.  So, here is my question:  Have you lost track of your goals and gone back to your old ways?

Don’t fret!  The good news is you can get back on track by following these simple steps.

Review

Review your goals and their purpose. What’s the bigger why?  Once the excitement dwindles, most people forget why they set the goal in the first place.

Ask yourself:  Are these goals still important to me or did I set them with because of someone else’s expectation?

If truth be told, the reason most goals fall off the map is because the goals were not fully evaluated and the why not fully explored.  Make sure the goals you set are tied to your bigger why and really benefit you and your business and business strategy.  If not, get rid of them.

Take Action

First off, get real and know that your goals will NOT be achieved overnight.  It takes time, that’s the plain truth.

I once wrote an article about wanting, willing and committing.  The same principle applies here.  Do you want to achieve your goals or are you committed to achieving your goals? When you want to achieve goals you typically work on the easy stuff to make it happen – the stuff that take minimal effort on your part.  When you are committed, you are investing the time and effort that it requires to achieve your goals – you’re willing to work on the hard stuff to make it happen.

Take action and stick to that commitment.

Accountability

Get an accountability partner.  This can be a friend, trusted advisor, mentor, or business coach. No matter who it is having an accountability partner will help put you in the proper mindset and ensure you meet your goals.

The beauty of the accountability partner is they will help you stay on track when you just don’t feel like it. They will push you past those rough patches and help keep you focused on the bigger outcome.

Celebrate

When you reach those important 90 day milestones go ahead and celebrate!  You deserve it!  Better yet celebrate with your accountability partner.

Every goal reached is just one step closer to your overall success.

From a confidence perspective there is nothing like hearing from a client that you did a great job. Not only do you feel terrific but you feel awesome for the client because you realize just how much their life, business or world has been transformed by working with you.

So why use testimonials?

Here’s 3 reasons to use testimonials to grow your business starting today!

Reason #1:  Creates Social Proof and Credibility

From a business perspective what you’re doing when you use testimonials is creating social proof and credibility. Social proof is just the opinion of others.

For example, you put a testimonial on your website and a prospective client sees it.  You have just provided that prospect with almost instant reassurance that you can be trusted – that you have the goods!

When your prospects know you have the goods, they will see you as someone that can be trusted, will deliver what you say you will deliver, and has credibility.  All extremely important characteristics to have if you want to leap into 6-figures!

Reason #2:  Creates Desire

When you read a great testimonial filled with the kind of results that you ache for, what does it do to you? If you’re like most people it makes you want what other people have!  You stop and say to yourself, “Hey, I want that too!  If they can do it, I can too.”

Not only does the testimonial help to create a picture of what’s possible but it also creates a gap between where they are right now and where they want to be. This gap creates a tension that can only be released by working with you.

Reason # 3:  Creates Longing

Testimonials when used correctly help to create a feeling of longing for the prospect.  They long to be part of this tribe of people who seem to have it all.

You read the testimonial and begin to think, “I want to be just like them.  I want to be part of this elite group of people who are successful.” That’s the tribe.

Pretty cool, right?

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget About The FTC

Make sure to stay current regarding the rules of testimonials for your industry, including the new FTC regulations… but do NOT let this stop you from going out there and getting testimonials.

Testimonials are an important tool in your overall 6-figure strategy.  Proper use of testimonials can help you be seen as the credible business person that you are and help you gain more clients.

I love when someone pays attention to me, don’t you?  Well, money is the same way.  Money likes to be shown the attention and respect it deserves.

So what happens when you ignore money? Not sure what I mean? Jot down the answer to these couple of questions and keep them in mind as you keep reading:

• Do you pay your bills on time?
• Do you allow clients to waffle on agreements and pay you late?
• Have you developed a budget and stuck to it?

Well, unless you answered positively to all of the above questions you’re more than likely ignoring money and asking it to leave you alone.

Here are two quick tips for paying attention to money so that it doesn’t find a negative way of getting your attention.

1.  Stick To A Budget and Pay Your Bills On Time

When you develop a clear budget you give money the attention it deserves.  First, you have a clear understanding of your current financial situation and second you now are in a position to establish a saving and spending plan based on a full and complete awareness of what you make.

Once you can see the big picture it is vital that you pay your bills on time every month.

Paying your bills late or inconsistently is scarcity behavior and does nothing except to perpetuate that feeling.  Instead, pay each bill on time, at the same time every month.

2.  Always Focus on Value

People love to say the economy is the reason their business isn’t thriving.  But the fact is, your clients will buy from you IF you provide them with valuable information, services and programs that meet the needs that effect them most.

There are a limitless, ok maybe not limitless, but there are at least 10 ways that you can provide new value to your clients and when you do they will be happy to purchase from you.

It’s your job be creative and introduce these new innovative programs, products or services to them.

So, get your thinking caps on!

You’ve dreamed up a great idea for a new program or service, written all the content and copy, sent an email and…nothing! Ugh, no new business is coming in.

What went wrong?

You’re disappointed and probably slightly embarrassed, right?

Here’s what I’ve learned to help you make your next launch a success:

Launch Tip 1: A Step-by-Step Launch Plan

Most people haven’t got a clue how to create a successful launch. They mistakenly think they can send out one or two emails and poof, their next program is filled and that product is flying off the shelves.

The truth is it doesn’t happen that way at all.

A successful launch starts with a series of sequenced events that creates momentum and sales and keeps them rolling in.

And, you don’t need a ton of time to make it happen. Contrary to popular belief, you can create this momentum in as little as two weeks. Remember, the shorter the time frame the better.

Your launch plan should include a launch calendar where every email, post and important deadline is clearly mapped out. You won’t miss any deadlines and will know exactly when the campaign ends and when special bonuses go bye-bye.

Launch Tip 2: Speed it Up

Have you ever waited so long to launch a new program, product or service that you finally gave up and NEVER launched it at all?

This is one of the biggest reasons most launches fail. You just take too long to plan the event!

You don’t need to have the program completely designed before you launch it. Heck, you don’t even need the entire product finished before you launch it.

Simply make an outline and develop your sales page content based on this outline. You can write the detailed content later as the program fills up.

Launch Tip 3: Plant the Seeds

Planting those seeds or “seeding” is simply the process of dropping little hints about what’s to come.

If you’re listening to your clients, then you’ve no doubt developed a new product, program or service that is going to solve a problem they have. Seeding is your way to let them know the solution is on the way.

Start seeding several weeks before your official “launch”. This way they will be super ready and eager to sign up for your offer when it is revealed.

Which brings me to my final point:

The Best Laid Plans Can Be A Failure If You Are Promoting Something That Nobody Finds Interesting

Do you know what interests your prospective and current clients? It’s easy to find out — just ask them. Share the title and a two sentence description with a few of your clients. Ask them if they would sign up for the program. Assure them that you are looking for honest input. Most people will tell you the truth and from there you will know whether or not you need to start over with a new idea or go forward with the one you have.

Today, they all ended up on the front page of the New York Post.

For the last two years, Janet Powers, Owner and Founder of the Diva Toolbox has been diligently building her business, spreading her mission to empower and inspire women everywhere!

I had listened to Janet proclaim many,  many times she would interview Helen Reddy and she did!  And what did the dream do for her?

Today, she ended up on the front page of the New York Post referenced in the same article with Helen Reddy and Madonna.

Several months ago Janet contacted  Reddy and requested an interview.  Although, Reddy hadn’t done many, if any interviews in the US  she agreed.

In the interview, Reddy makes some interesting comments about Madonna and appears to blame her for not being able to find a decent bra.

In terms of the article in the New York Post, Madonna’s rep was quick to respond. You can see the full article here:  http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/helen_bra_vado_over_madge_2PaPLEKfpcUM2yyjzvm9PL

This article has put Diva Toolbox out in the spotlight.  The View, Huffington Post, Madonna herself and many, many others have been tweeting all day about this story.  In the end, this has created invaluable exposure for the Diva Toolbox and The Diva Toolbox Network.

It also means the hundreds of radio hosts that are part of the Diva Toolbox community gain valuable exposure as well.

Are you  interested in having your own radio show on Diva Toolbox Radio Network with me and hundreds of others? To find out more details, head to http://www.DivaToolbox.com.  Call Janet today and find out what having a show can do for you.  Make sure you mention my name for an extra special gift.

When your starting it out in business it can be really frustrating if you don’t know what marketing activities you should be focused on.

Here are four simple ways to market yourself:

1.  Speak

Find as many speaking engagements as you can. Speak for free if you must, but get out there regularly and speak at places where your ideal clients would be.

There are plenty of organizations out there that are always looking for people to speak at one of their meetings.

When you do speaking engagements make sure that you get the biggest bang for your effort by ensuring you:

• Record it
• Collect the names of the attendees
• Provide a handout
• Mingle about before and after your talk or speech

2.  Network

…like crazy.

When I say network I don’t mean just going around and collecting business cards.  It does mean spending time at networking events where you’re  going to meet your ideal clients and critical buyers.

3.  Publish

Don’t have a blog?  Start one.

Write for your local community newspaper or on line magazine where you’re clients would be looking for information.

If you’re a women entrepreneur there are some great free on line communities where you can post your articles for free and gain valuable exposure.  The Diva Toolbox is one that comes to mind.

Get out there by spreading your message.

4.  Internet

Again start a blog.  Blogs are great because they add valuable content to your website regularly and the search engines love them.

Start a newsletter so that you can stay in touch with your clients and potential clients.

Check out HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to search for queries by reporters who are looking for people to be interviewed or other opportunities to expose yourself to the masses.

One of these marketing efforts is good, but use all of them as part of a comprehensive marketing plan and your efforts will really pay off.

Why do so many people play it small?

Because of fear — simple as that.

Fear of what? Fear of failure or even the fear of success. But most people fail because they feel unworthy, not good enough, small or just not important.

Unfortunately, our culture has made us believe for many years that it is all about us as individuals. That is absolutely not true!

Feelings of self worth can best be cultivated when we are in service of others. When we focus on the greater good and begin to add to the value of other people’s lives are self worth increases.

You have gifts and talents and those gifts were given to you so that you could share them with others. Sharing those talents means you must begin to start playing it big, to start stepping into your greatness.

When you start playing it big you will begin to see and immediate shift not only in your own self worth but your bank account will begin to reflect your greatness as well.

Playing it small usually means a small bank account. If you want more money then I suggest you start using those gifts and talents to impact others. When you do, the money will follow.

We all know what the process of manifestation looks like — thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions, and actions lead to results. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

If you have a poor person’s mindset, then you probably “think” about being rich. Maybe you even wish about having more money.

Possibly, you sit and meditate about money, visualize it and say countless affirmations that sound something like, “Money is flying at me in all directions!”

I don’t know about you but money hasn’t flown into me lately…instead I have had to actually do something for the money to appear.

Which brings me to the point: affirmations, visualizations and meditations are all wonderful tools, but if you want to change your financial circumstances you are going to have to take action!

Actions are what help to bridge the inner world, where all the meditations and stuff go on, with the outer world, the world where you need to actually do something.

So what stops us from taking the action?

Fear, doubt and worry are the top contenders and are the roadblocks to our success and happiness. But here’s the difference — people who have accumulated wealth do not let fear stand in their way. In fact, they act in spite of that fear. Poor people let fear stand in their way.

Which one are you?