Testosterone-Free Selling - Why Women Make the Best “Salesmen”!

August 10, 2009

I want to share with you a post that I hope you’ll enjoy. Having been in sales and marketing for 20 years, I’ve always been fascinated by how good women are at the art of selling (because good selling is truly replacing the word selling by the word helping - and women are phenomenal at helping people). But, by the same token, I am often painfully reminded of the fact that so many women are uncomfortable promoting themselves without feeling like they are selling their soul. Don’t let it be you! You have something to offer that the world needs. Go out there and promote it daringly, proudly and boldly.

Testosterone-Free Selling - Why Women Make the Best “Salesmen”!

They say, “if you build it, they will come.”

Raise your hand if you once thought that opening the doors, offering a new service or announcing a free teleseminar would bring you new customers. Yeah, we all do.

Whether you know it or not, you’re selling something. Fundamentally, you’re selling yourself. By and large, people like people. People want to have a relationship with someone they like, respect and trust. It’s as much about a good laugh as a good deal.

Behind every successful business, project, venture and dream is a dynamic, passionate captain steering the ship. You can assert yourself and your business testosterone-free. Build relationships as you boost your business. Sell yourself and soar!

This does not mean every word should be “I” or “me.” You are a piece in the puzzle your customer needs to solve. Cast yourself as the solution to their puzzle.

Women are nurturers and helpers. The key to great and confident selling is helping. Accentuate your naturally helpful side and create a win-win.

Women can often make referrals and they enjoy sharing their contacts. Establish yourself as a trusted advisor. Become a “doctor of selling.” Diagnose before you prescribe and, if you do not have the prescription and you know someone who could deliver the solution, then act as a referral source. The client is most likely to come back to you every time he or she has a problem and you will get the first right of refusal.

Women understand that negotiation is not a contest or a wrestling match. It is a communication between two parties to bring out a mutually acceptable result.

Women know how to dress the part. When selling, follow the rule of the three Cs: dress for comfort, compatibility and confidence.

Women are most likely to choose a business, product or service that aligns with their personality, lifestyle and values. We seldom do something for the sake of money alone.

We have what it takes simply by virtue of our gender. Our strengths, nurturing style, passion and intuition, once discounted in the business world, have now taken hold. We need to use these very special attributes as a means to ignite our self-confidence and enthusiasm and let it shine through.

And remember, you miss 100 percent of the sales you do not ask for!

Have a DARING Selling Day!

Posted by Francine | Filed Under Blog, Featured Article, Francine Shares | Leave a Comment

DARE TO BE VISIBLE - 7 Must Use Social Media Avenues

May 5, 2009

Before you read on, allow me to make a disclaimer. I invite you to relax when it comes to using Social Media. It is a process, don’t let it overwhelm you.

One type of Internet marketing that you must be taking advantage of is social media. The truth is your Internet business will not survive unless you are involved in various forms of social media. The only exception to that would be is if you do paid advertising such as Google Adwords or Yahoo Marketing.

Perhaps you do not understand the various ways you can utilize these many types of social media to brand yourself and expand your business. Here are 7 types of Internet social media you should be doing everyday.

1. Blogging

Your competition has a blog and so should you. Blogs can serve many purposes. A couple of key points are host your own blog and consistently add fresh content. Never let your blog go stale.

If money is tight, you can install a free blog software and start publishing at least one article in your blog. Provide an easy bookmarking feature to social bookmarking sites like delicious. This is done by providing an action button for each article in your site. The action button takes users to the submission page of the bookmarking site.

2. Social Networking

My Space and Facebook are 2 of the largest. Building relationships online are a big part of having a successful Internet business. Social networking allows you to hang out with people that have similar interests to you. Remember that the same social etiquette and good manners apply online as they do offline. Think about building relationships first, business second.

3. Micro Blogging

Twitter.com is a combination of social networking and blogging. Building a large list of followers is a great way to meet people and increase traffic to your blog and websites. Plus it is fun to Tweet! I’m a big fan of Twitter.

4. Social Bookmarking

Directories such as Digg and Technorati serve as search engine bait for your blog posts and for new traffic from people who read your blog articles. Bookmarking a blog post is very easy to do and the rewards can pay off for years to come.

5. Discussion Forums

This really was one of the first forms of social media and still is a great way to learn about the niche of your business and to drive traffic to it. Hanging out in discussion forums can be addictive so be careful to use them the right way and not waste time. There is an art to forum marketing and you must learn to do it correctly, but the benefits are many.

6. Email Marketing

There has always been money in having a list. The trick is to build relationships with your list and then sell to it after you have done that. For that reason we include it in social media. Today you can add video, audio, graphics, and other things to make your email more interactive.

7. Video Marketing

When Google bought YouTube everyone was put on notice that video marketing was going to be important. Today internet marketers can drive traffic and build credibility by adding videos to their blog and website.

Create short how-to or new product videos and post these videos in social video sharing sites like YouTube, Google video. Provide a few start and end frames in these videos to introduce your site with your site url. Post these videos using catchy titles, teasing descriptions, and appropriate tags to make them discoverable

This is 7 forms of social media you must be using to build your Internet business. The most successful Internet marketers already are!

The social media is not a fad. It is here to stay and bring in profound changes to web surfers’ experiences. It is the right time for implementing features that will make your site social media friendly. Also, using marketing techniques that utilize popular social media sites, you will be able to bring traffic to your site.

Posted by Francine | Filed Under Blog, Dare to Soar in Business, Featured Article | Leave a Comment

8 Ways to Gain Expert Recognition

April 28, 2009

Dare to be Magnificent - 8 Ways to Gain Expert Recognition

No matter what business you are in, it always helps to be seen as an expert. If you were calling someone to fix a drain or sell your house, you would definitely approach the person you believed to be the most credible and reputable in that field. Why? Because to become an expert takes hard work and experience. It involves study and possessing great skills. It demands high standards of work and ethics.

So are YOU seen as an expert in your field? Are you ready to put in the hard work to get there? And even after all this effort, are you sure you will you be perceived as an expert by others? If you feel you’ve earned the mantle of expert but are not recognized as one - or if you are sure you have the right stuff, but don’t know where to begin, here are eight ways to start establishing your reputation.

1. Publish a series of reports or articles or an ebook
The internet has made publishing much easier. You can now create an ebook that can be downloaded without having to involve a publisher; or you can publish hard copies of your books yourself on self-publishing systems, like LULU (http://www.lulu.com/). A faster way to get your name out there is to publish online articles. There are countless ezine owners always looking for good quality articles and reports for their ezines. Publishing these on shared servers, such as http://www.ezinearticles.com/ or http://www.goarticles.com/ is a great venue for any budding expert. A well-written book or series of articles will quickly establish your reputation as a sought-after expert in your field and will go far to increase your searchability as well!

2. Publish a newsletter
It is very easy to set up a monthly or weekly newsletter on the web and distribute it to your customers. This is an excellent way to regularly keep your name in front of your prospects as an authority on your subject. You can get a free trial of newsletter softwares at http://www.icontact.com/ and http://www.constantcontact.com/ - as well as http://www.aweber.com/ and countless others. Try them all! Have fun! But remember, with newsletters, sometimes less is more. Be sure to have valuable, Daring content! Mention The Daring in your own ezine, let us know and we’ll be happy to send you a small gift!

3. Write press releases
Used correctly these can gain you a lot of positive publicity. Make sure the press release looks like newsworthy information and not like an advertisement. There are countless avenues for free press release distribution online, but don’t forget the value of good old print media! Choose three or four publications and find out their editor - after sending a few PR’s, don’t be surprised if you strike up unexpected relationships with the editorial staff of your favorite newspapers and magazines.

4. Create a website
No one in today’s world should be without a website. You can set up a user-friendly site that will appeal to customers and expand the reach of both your reputation and your services. Keep it timely and informative and people will continue to return to your site - you can also increase traffic by writing a cost-free blog on http://www.blogger.com/. Remember to mention your site in your email signature AND all of your online publications and articles as well. If you don’t know how to set up a website, there are plenty of web designers who do. You can find some inexpensive female entrepreneurs who do this for a living at http://www.ivaa.org/. Alternatively, enquire at a college that teaches web design. Some students there might want to build a portfolio.

5. Join associations
If you are a member of an association it will enhance your credibility. But don’t just be a member; be an active member. This will build your reputation among your peers and lead to useful introductions. Membership can have many benefits, and it will certainly keep you up to date in your field. Remember, introducing yourself to the membership is VITAL. Don’t miss that rare opportunity as a newbie to shake a few hands and say hello to all involved.

6. Networking

You can boost your reputation and influence by speaking to the right people. This can be done in person, in your community, or “virtually” anywhere. Online social networks are everywhere. Use these to keep your name in front of your prospects. You can also organize mutually beneficial ventures. You cannot predict what may come from a contact so make as many as you can.

7. Public Speaking
Even speaking to a local group of people can establish you as an expert in your field and get you referrals that will lead to a wider audience. If you’re not sure you can speak in public, preparation and rehearsal are the keys to success. You can also attend a few meetings at your neighborhood Toastmasters association (see http://www.toastmasters.com/ for local schedules and contacts). This organization exists for the sole purpose of teaching and inspiring public speaking in ALL people, no matter what your skill level is. Finally, wherever you make your speeches, be sure that your presentation is aimed at the right level, follows a sensible sequence and will not sound like a dry monologue. Write your main points on small cards so you are not relying solely on your memory and start in front of a small audience.

8. Teach workshops or seminars
Last but not least, if you have knowledge that people would like to tap into, you can pass on your expertise to peers, not just clients. If your presentation is well planned, you will be seen as an authority in your subject. You will also meet people who are likely to recommend you to others. If you are teaching a hot topic you will also be gaining a useful income stream.

Any of these methods will start building your reputation as an expert. Use them all correctly, and you will gain the sort of reputation that will have potential clients approaching you without having to seek them out.

Dare to Promote Yourself - Promoting Yourself is a State of Mind!

Posted by Francine | Filed Under Blog, Featured Article | 1 Comment

DARE to TAKE RISKS

April 19, 2009

Feature Article - Dare to Take Risks

Taking Smart Risks, even small ones, can lead to surprisingly big results.

Do you get up every morning excited because you’re riding the wave of your dream? Is your life a kaleidoscope or have you been living in black and white? Have you been holding back or settling for just a little less (or far less) than you deserve… a little less money, fun, freedom and laughter? Is your true life waiting for you to show up so that it can begin? Don’t let it be You!

Why Take Chances?

Self-confidence and resilience are the invisible rewards of being willing to step out of our comfort zone.

Women are less likely than man to take some risks. While playing it safe can be a good thing sometimes, like not driving too fast, taking some risks - particularly those scary emotional ones can be a critical factor in living a happy, fulfilled life. DARE yourself, and you could start the business you’ve been dreaming about, get the degree you’ve always wanted, learn to become an eloquent public speaker without fear, or enhance your social life by meeting new friends.

What Daring Women have come to know for sure is that life begins at the end of their comfort zone and that there is no reward and pleasure in playing safe and small.

Getting Over Your Fears

The first thing is to realize that everyone has fears.

The second thing is to change your perspective and realize that playing it safe is also a risk (and it might turn out to be your biggest gamble of all). Not taking any chances is as much a decision as taking that first step toward a change.

Once you are willing to confront your fears and manage your emotions, you can begin to embrace the change as a chance to move forward, to grow and learn, to achieve a goal or a dream. From that place, you will start making choices based on your desires and wants, not based on your fears, limited beliefs about yourself and others and you feel uplifted and empowered as a result.

Dare to break free from old patterns, limiting beliefs, habits and bad experiences. Create new ways, form new empowering habits and a new paradigm for your life. Just get started! Begin seeing yourself as a born risk-taker and start telling yourself you are one. Scary sometimes, yes, but much more empowering than scary.

How Do I Dare to Take RISKS?

When a situation arises, or when you are plagued with fear, ask yourself, what would a bold, daring and confident woman do in this case? How would she handle this situation? Would she be paralyzed by fears or would she let herself soar in her vision and start moving in the direction of her dream?
Remember to boldly take action daily on what matters most to you. I wonder how much time is spent daily on stuff that doesn’t make a difference. What if you made a commitment to yourself right now to spend time daily taking action and becoming 100% absorbed in activities that make a positive impact on others, your business, and your life?
Dream Big. If your dream is big enough and you want it badly enough, the problems don’t really matter, they are simply inconveniences. When you know exactly what you are shooting for, you will turn any setback into comeback and you will overcome any obstacles or challenges you’ll encounter along the way. Remember that it takes the same amount of time and energy to dream small than it does to dream big. Don’t settle for small dream. Dream Big and be Bold!
If life is a game then play the life game to win. Is your primary concern one of survival and security instead of focusing on creating and attracting wealth and abundance in your life? Remember how you do one thing is how you do everything! The secret to success is not to try to avoid, get rid of or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem, obstacle or challenge.

DARE YOURSELF YOUR LIFE IS WORTH IT!

Posted by Francine | Filed Under Blog, Featured Article | Leave a Comment