Change Your Business, Change Your Life: 5 Questions to Transform Your Bottom Line

Dear Friends,

On the way to Philadelphia for the holiday I met a stewardess who made my day, and inspired me to reflect on what I wanted to bring to bear for the new year. First, she soothed the ruffled feathers of my sweetie. We were flying first class and were a bit late to the gate for boarding so all the space in the overhead bin was taken. In a few minutes she re-organized the stuff in the bins quietly and efficiently so she could fit our carry-ons close to where we were seated. Calm restored.

That was just the beginning. I noticed that she did her job with extreme attentiveness and made each of us feel like we were privileged passengers. She gave us her full attention and noticed instantly if we needed another refreshment. Every once in a while, just in-time, she came by with treats and told us which ones were the tastiest.

Then something else happened. When I got up to stretch we got into a conversation about our cats. Hers had just passed away and she teared up as she told me the story. I teared up along with her and told her about one of our cat's death and we shared Kleenex and sorrow. When we landed we hugged and she took my head in her hands and told me I was an angel. At that moment I was thinking that very same thought of her.

So much of what happens in the world is a reflection of how we think. I'm constantly reminded of Albert Einstein's question "Do you believe that the universe is friendly?" Of course rotten stuff happens, that's just a part of life. But while I have many fears, tremendous anxiety, nervous tension, a busy mind and an active imagination for worst case scenarios, at the core I believe that people are good, that I'm lucky, and that the world is a beautiful place.

My experience with the stewardess was a reflections of many of my beliefs. That if you give people full attention, try and make things right, share your vulnerabilities and deeply connect that happiness and fulfillment follow. To that end I wanted to start the year with a woman who is similar in many ways to the stewardess, Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert. Jeanne started out as a client, then became a colleague and a friend. She sends me pecan pies, and spa gifts.

Of course I love food and pampering. I'm not one to put "no gifts" on a birthday invitation, but Jeanne's pampering goes beyond the physical. Like the stewardess helped make my trip an easy and pleasant one, Jeanne has helped me make my business better. With her help I've been able to attend more closely to the needs of my clients. She was able to anticipate their wants to develop products that what would make me more effective and, consequently, their business lives more fruitful, a circle of give and receive.

Behind the scenes Jeanne crafted a survey to assess what people really wanted in the Oprah Kit. In addition, she found an intern to do research for projects of mine that needed to be done quickly and accurately. She anticipated some of the problems I'd run into in the social networking realm, found solutions, and paved the way for smooth traveling in this rocky terrain.

To start the year off living Gandhi's words, "My life is my message" I've invited Jeanne to do a Free teleseminar and webinar for us on January 26. The focus will be about how to serve your clients and customers to grow your business and yourself simultaneously with methods she's used successfully behind the scenes for companies like The Tony Robbins Companies.

You'll be able to access high-level strategies that Jeanne has adapted from her corporate clients specifically for entrepreneurs, small businesses, independent contractors, authors, speakers and Internet marketers. With her guidance you'll be able to be in meaningful conversation with your clients year round with little effort so you can give them what they are looking for so you both prosper.

Join us for an hour of revelations that will help you shift yourself and your business into top gear for the New Year here.

Warmly,

Susan

P.S. This is both a webinar and teleseminar so you can attend in the way that's most comfortable for you. Join us now here.

Three Steps To Building Community, and Your Business, With Surveys
By Guest and Teleseminar Expert Dr. Jeanne S. Hurlbert

When I show businesspeople what surveys can do, the result is always the same.

Suddenly, they see that this “scientific tool” they thought was about as cuddly as a stethoscope can connect them with their customers, building the bond and trust they so desperately seek.

Suddenly, they see that if they ask questions the RIGHT way, they can have a road map for creating products and services to order, products and services their customers BEG to buy.

Suddenly, they have irrefutable proof that their products work and their services change lives, proof that will skyrocket the conversion rates of their prospects and keep their customers buying, over and over—AND let them comply with the FTC ruling that everyone is talking about.

And invariably, the litany begins: “Why wasn’t I using surveys all along?” “I never knew surveys could do THAT!” “Think of the money I COULD have been making, if I had done this years ago.” “I never knew that’s what my customers really wanted—it’s so clear now!” “So THAT’S where I need to take my business!”

I’ve shown a client, whose business focused on an industry that was dying rapidly, how to find a new path by giving her customers what they were clamoring for. I’ve shown people how to get hundreds of testimonials for their businesses, quickly and easily. I’ve shown a multi-million dollar entrepreneur that she was missing the boat by missing HUGE opportunities to get proof that her methods and strategies worked for her followers. And I’ve shown them how to use the art of surveys to connect with their customers, so the science can get them the results they need.

And I can show you how to get these results, too, with 3 simple steps.

Step #I: Give to get.

To put it crudely, each time you do a survey, you ask your customers to give you the information you need to make more money. The LEAST you can do is to give them something in return. So offer them an incentive: Either give everyone who completes your survey something tangible (such as a special report) or give everyone who completes the survey the chance to win something cool (such as a camera or an iPhone). Bottom line, the # 1 rule of surveys is, “It’s all about them!” Make it about them, from the invitation forward, and you’ll get far better results.

Step #2: Ask good questions.

Obviously, surveys are all about asking questions but it’s HOW you ask the questions that make the difference between building community—and a business—or destroying it.

Social media has taught us one thing very clearly: Hierarchy is over. Bury it. It doesn’t work.

Despite that fact, most people’s surveys continue to be “command and control,” virtually screaming “Give me the information I need to make more money, now.”

That’s what happens when you don’t give incentives, when you don’t “give to get.” It’s also what happens when you forget that a survey is a CONVERSATION with your customers, a social exchange. Most surveys miss that point entirely and that’s why they fail.

To succeed, your survey should “feel” very much like the conversation you’d have at the Chamber of Commerce or in a friendly social media discussion. To work well, your survey must remain consistent with your brand, your message, the nature of your community.

Here are some specifics:

• Start with an introduction that engages your customers, following that with questions that interest them (Here’s a tip: DON’T start with demographics!  They’re boring, personal, and intrusive—so always put them at the end, AFTER you’ve had a good conversation with your customer).

• Organize your surveys into consistent sections, sections that make sense.  For example, focus each section on a specific topic, moving from more general to more specific sections, with transitions between them.

• Don’t write bad questions—don’t pile two questions into one, don’t use language that’s too technical or over their heads, don’t write questions that are long and boring, and don’t ask for information you don’t need.

Step #3: Listen.

If you do steps 1 and 2 well, you’ll get people to take your survey—and you’ll get the information you need to make more money. But once you get that information, you have to DO something with it.

If you do your job well, you’ll have a veritable gold mine of information that will let you transform your business. Done right, your survey should let you build community—you’ll know who your customers and prospects are, how to talk with them, where their problems and pain lie, what products and services they want and how they want them delivered, how often they want to hear from you. As a bonus, you should be able to build buzz in social media and the press, to expand the size of your community.

But if you want to KEEP getting this valuable information, you have to SHOW them that you’re listening. And you do that in two ways.

First, once the survey results are complete, send them a brief report, to show them what you learned. (Here’s a tip: You don’t have to give away all your secrets—just hit the high points!)

Second, SHOW them you’re using the information they gave you: “You told me that you wanted X, so I’ve created that for you—and here’s my new product!” In this way, you’re creating a connection to your community and to the products that you’re creating. They’ll feel invested in your new product or service. And they’ll be much more likely to buy it.

Remember, ANY business can do a survey now, thanks to the technology. It used to be that only the “big guys,” the Fortune 500 companies could conduct surveys. But the advent of online survey software programs changed all that, placing the power of surveys within the reach of even the most fledgling entrepreneur.

That doesn’t mean it’s just “add Survey Monkey and stir,” though. The technology is just the means to deliver your survey. If you deliver a bad survey, the technology won’t help you at all. Bad questions alienate customers, whether they’re delivered with a sophisticated online program or a pencil-and-paper questionnaire.

To succeed, to build your community and your business, your survey must be crafted well. Follow the 3 steps we’ve given you, and you’ll have a great start toward building the community that will let your business thrive.

If you want to learn more about how to be in better connection with your current customers and clients and attract the right new ones, click here to discover everything we'll cover during the the Free Webinar & Telseminar and to reserve your place now.

Change Your Business, Change Your Life: 5 Questions to Transform Your Bottom Line Free Webinar & Telseminar

Join me as I interview Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert, a sociologist and a foremost expert on social networks, social media, and surveys. She's done surveys for such government agencies as the US Army Corps of Engineers and for such companies as The Tony Robbins Companies, Ali International, and Joe Polish's Piranha Marketing. She's been featured or quoted in such media as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Oprah and Friends, smSmallBiz.com, Forbes.com, Monster.com, Juneau.com, US News and World Report, Radio-TV Interview Report, Health, Smart Money, The Christian Science Monitor, CNN, National Public Radio, The History Channel, ABC News Now, and Business Talk This Morning.

Here's what we'll cover.

• The 5 questions you should be asking your customers, to change your business and your life.

• How these questions generate 3 forms of "social proof" that convert prospects and keep customers buying, over and over.

• How and why this social proof will let you comply with the new FTC ruling on testimonials.

• The ONE thing that can turn a run-of-the-mill survey into a testimonial generator.

• Why social media can be a COSTLY TRAP for your business and how you can use the 5 questions to avoid that trap and turn a potential pitfall into profits.

• Why you're taking risks with your business if you aren't asking these questions on an ongoing basis.

• How these 5 questions can let you produce original research that can generate buzz in traditional media and social media.

• Why there's a data gap in PR and publicity and how YOU can profit from it.

• How to use OTHER PEOPLE's DATA to generate PR for YOUR business.

• The 5 biggest mistakes businesses make in surveys and how to avoid them.

Click here to reserve your seat now!

Jeanne is a client of mine and I'm an affiliate of hers as she does top quality work. Jeanne has taken her corporate and government experience and made it accessible for anyone who does Internet marketing. No one else in the Internet Marketing world does this kind of methodical, time-tested, statistically valid marketing research that brings you accurate results. This is the first time she's offering this new information to an audience.

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, January 26, at 11am Pacific/1 PM Central/2pm Eastern
PLACE: The comfort of your own home or office--by computer or telephone

Click here to reserve your seat now!

How to Cut through the Clutter, Chatter and Noise at Social Media Sites Free Webinar & Telseminar

If you've been participating at social media sites for awhile, I'll bet you've encountered one or more of these problems:

• You don't think you're doing it right and sometimes try to bluff your way through it

• You aren't seeing results and don't even know how to measure success

• You're tying up half your life on sites like Twitter and Facebook

• You're spending precious time slogging through hundreds of promotional messages you don't care about.

• Or maybe you're scared to dip your toes into the social media waters because you don't know which of the more than 1 million social media sites are best for you.

For months, Jeanne Hurlbert, PhD, and Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, faced many of the same problems you've encountered.

They wasted months just learning how to navigate their way through choppy waters without capsizing or looking like goofs. And they want to make sure you don't make the same silly mistakes they made.

I'm hosting a webinar with them on Thursday, January 14, that will demystify social media and give you dozens of tips on how to shave hours off your time at these sites and generate a greater return on investment.

Join us here.

In this content-packed 70 minutes, you will learn:

• 5 reasons why you must participate in social media if you want to grow your business

• Why Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook might not be the very best sites for you

• 6 huge roadblocks that keep most people from participating

• 3 common mistakes that can derail your efforts

• The biggest, boo-boos Jeanne and Joan made when they started

• An extraordinary tip that will help you establish your expertise and enhance your credibility quickly, with very little time and effort on your part

• How to know exactly how you should be spending your time and exactly what you should be discussing

• Why generating thousands of friends and followers on sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a major mistake

• A system they've created that uses never-before-released software that drastically shortens your learning curve and gives you a customized report and a formula you can use to participate--and prosper--at social media sites.

You can even ask questions during the webinar and if they can't answer you during our 70 minutes together, they'll email the answer afterward.

Sign up here for the free webinar.

Full disclosure: I'm an affiliate, and I earn a commission on sales.

Regardless, I've done business with them both of them many times and I know they always under-promise and over-deliver.

Joan is a former newspaper editor, reporter and writing coach whose two decades in a newsroom were spent teaching reporters how to deliver complicated information in bite-size chunks. I've watched her practice the "give first" philosophy she preaches to her publicity and social media clients. Over the years, she has produced mountains of free content such as articles, tip sheets and tutorials that have helped her build a huge and loyal following online. And she answers her own phone!

As for Jeanne, I've already told you about her in my letter and explanation of the webinar we're going together.

In other words, they rock. And I stand behind them 100 percent.

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, January 14 at 11am Pacific/1 PM Central/2pm Eastern
PLACE: The comfort of your own home or office--by computer or telephone

Free Publicity Leads

Start the year off by beginning your publicity campaign in the easiest way possible: answering queries from reporters and producers on the topics for which they are seeking experts, comments, sources, tips, and ideas.

With Bill & Steve Harrison's new Reporter Connection you'll get free publicity leads every business day.

This is an email service that tells you about opportunities to get publicity in top magazines, newspapers, radio/TV shows, blogs and other outlets.

PR for People in the San Francisco Bay Area
15 Minutes Of Fame PR Group

Publicist, journalist and author Karen Leland has placed over 500 articles in
newspapers and magazines and booked hundreds of radio and TV interviews in national media. She's presenting a series of publicity courses and I'll be a guest, discussing using sound bites.

Join us here.

Hot recording: Write a Book Fast that Makes Up to $150,000 Before Its Published

Did you hear me interview John Eggen about how to 'Write a Client-Attracting Book Fast that Makes Up to $150,000 Before It's Published' (and more thereafter)?

It was an exceptionally content-rich interview.

I received many, many thank you emails afterwards from attendees, all expressing how much they benefited from it. Among other things, they loved learning how to publish a book of this caliber in as little as 90 days.

If you've ever dreamed of writing and publishing a book -- or are doing it now -- I recommend you download an MP3 replay (available for a limited time only).

Go to: http://bit.ly/aW76GW

You will discover:

• Why now (more than ever) a book can bring you more and better clients who will gladly pay you the fees you deserve

• Top 5 ways to attract new clients from a book BEFORE it's even written

• Why traditional publishing works against an independent professional and how insiders really use a book to attract clients and build a business

• How to write and publish this caliber of book in as few as 90 days

Robert Middleton, the well-known marketing expert and friend of mine, introduced John Eggen to me. 233 of Robert's clients have benefited significantly from John's programs already. Robert endorsed John very highly to me. Listen to this replay and you'll see why.

To get your copy, go to: http://bit.ly/aW76GW.

But the recording will only be posted for a limited time. So please get it right away by going to http://bit.ly/aW76GW.

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*Special Offer Rules: This is an introductory offer for new members only. Eligibility and membership benefits are only available to new PR Newswire members. As part of this offer, PR Newswire will waive your annual membership fee (normally $195) and provide you access to more than $2,000 in free and discounted services. The $69 Web Release is a special rate and only available to new members (limited to a single purchase per new member).

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