Blogging – Business and Personal

Posted on 04 April 2012 by

Blogging!Blogging for business doesn’t have to be boring, but it does have to be you!

If you are a business, coaching or not, and you have found your way to the internet then you have no doubt also found your way to your very own blog. Consciously we know that using blogs to advertise our products and services makes a dent in our business. If you are like many others when you start to focus solely on the business you start losing the personality that you bring to the party. No matter what you blog for, it’s important that you retain the best part of your organization – YOU!

So let’s talk about using the blogs for business. True, it is about blogging to talk about your company and give your clients (current and future) the facts about what you do. It’s also true that making an impression is and defining your place in THEIR success story. Make your blog not just one that meets their business needs, but one that introduces you as a coach and as someone that they need in their lives. Insert your product or service into their dreams of attaining whatever goal is at the forefront of their minds and let them know YOU understand what they are going through because you have:

  • Been there.
  • Shared similar experiences.
  • Can relate because you’ve helped others in similar situations.

Use the blog to give them the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why they need YOU specifically. Don’t drown those clients in the “OMG MUST BUY NOW”, be an effective marketer by connecting and the convincing. Remember, whatever you promise make sure that you can commit to and provide. Give the outside world an in-road into your expertise so that you become the only expert they turn to when they need an infusion of the possibilities that exist to them.

You are the catalyst of change in the lives of those that find you. Show them the light that you provide.

Our Invitation to You – Special Featured Edition

Posted on 28 March 2012 by

Become an affiliateSo this week’s featured article is personal because it talks about something I love – JigsawBox!

For me, who is an affiliate chowhound (yes, I did just actually type that) I love, love, love when an affiliate program is active, relevant, and encouraging of the affiliates.
And at JigsawBox, that’s US.

Being able to work with the affiliates hand in hand gives me a unique perspective in that I see each of you making an active effort to make JigsawBox a full on experience. With your promotion you are generating revenue for yourself that will continue to pay as you sit back and enjoy it all!

For those of you out there that have not yet begun the process of becoming a JSB affiliate, it’s simple as can be and in fact we’ve done the work for you. All that you need to do is take a minute and sign up via our fast web form.

In return, here is what you are going to get..

  • A massive 30% of every single monthly subscription fee paid by any new JigsawBox owner referred by you to JigsawBox Solo
  • An equally massive 30% to any JigsawBoxer referred by you that uses our Team, Pro or Max accounts.
  • A 5% second tier commission as so if you refer someone to JigsawBox who then refers other coaches to us, you’ll receive 5% of the monthly subscriptions of their referrals too!
  • And that’s not just a one-time deal. It’s EVERY month. Every month that person that you’ve referred remains a JigsawBox owner you continue to gain revenue.
  • You get your affiliate payment every 30 days via PayPal with a low $50 Minimum in Commission.

So what do you need to do?

Just click here – the whole team at JigsawBox is waiting to work with you.

Preparing to Launch

Posted on 21 March 2012 by

Prepare, Plan, PracticeAs I continue to work alongside passionate and devoted coaches that do inspiring things, I learn from each of them. I’ve learned that preparing for a launch is absolutely no joke, taking serious amounts of effort, the investment of time, and the comprehension of how to bring their message to the people who need it the most. It is because of this I wanted to examine what it takes to prepare for that one, great launch.

However, not only do I want to discuss it, but I want feedback from you! So don’t hold back – tell me your thoughts, your opinions, and what you do to get ready for a launch.

So here is what I’ve learned…

More than anything else, the most important investment in preparation that can be made is in the form of time. Is it the one thing that all of us have and most of us want more of, however when preparing for the launch of a new program it always seems in short supply?
So what can we do to eliminate the “shortness of time” that is experienced?

We can take the preparation seriously.

From the start, realize that nothing about a launch is “easy” – especially if it is a major launch. The pieces we need to have in place before we begin include having that strong presence via the sales page, having content and that call to action needed which draws the person to want to buy, and to make it all easy to access.

It includes creating and maintaining those JV and Affiliate partnerships that build on itself by constant communication and mutual promotion. It also means having the affiliate program in place to be able to issue out those commissions and incentives that make the JV and Affiliate partners want to buddy up.

I have also learned that the devil is truly in the details with a launch. That though you shouldn’t always sweat the small stuff, you have to know the who, how, what, when, and why of what the launch is all about. That sweating the small stuff means preparing for and eliminating the possibilities of the “big stuff” going wrong.

How do you prepare for your launch? Do you sweat the small stuff? Do you have all your launch ducks in a row?

Affiliates – Contacting Your Peers

Posted on 15 March 2012 by

We Talk. He Talks. She Talks. We all talk - Affiliate ContactsOver the last few weeks we have touched on a lot of the finer points of what makes an affiliate program run. We have explored the JV and Affiliate partnership, we have looked at the reasons why these relationships are so beneficial to how our businesses grow, and we have even explored what content we need to provide to our affiliate databases to make it a true success.

In this final “final” section on affiliates I want to talk about one more area of affiliation that I feel we don’t open up enough about – the affiliate contact.

When I first began dabbling in any kind of affiliate management, it was very low grade and it was mainly passing along e-mails from one side to another with personal contact at a minimum. Transitioning into managing affiliate programs meant a very treacherous road dealing with the various rules and regulations that one side or another had, keeping the contact personal and engaging, and hoping beyond hope that other affiliate managers would respond. These are fond memories for me because they keep me on my toes and ready to rock – regardless of the obstacles.

Making and maintaining that affiliate contact can be difficult – but it doesn’t have to be insurmountable. Here are the tips you need to remember to just step forward and start walking the affiliate “walk”. The same tips can be applied to your JV Partnerships as well.

Strategize – Look through your affiliate database and look for the affiliates that are actively promoting your organization. Make a spreadsheet or a list and include the contact name, position, company name, e-mail address, and the product you would like them to mail out for.

Prioritize – Don’t tackle it all at once – you could quickly lose track and thus lose any focus you may have had when delving into contacting your affiliates. Pick two or three per month and focus on what they can do for you, what you want them to promote, and what you can offer to them in terms of negotiable rates or cross promotion that would make them WANT to promote for you.

Gather your nerves – This is especially for the new Affiliate and JV Managers out there. All of us were and in some cases are in your shoes. It’s harrowing – taking those first initial steps and contacting affiliates or assistants however you have to realize – it needs to get done so take a deep breath and take ON the task. Be prepared by making a short list of the message you want to get across, be personal, don’t be wordy, be efficient, and most of all be YOU. The best step is the first step. It gets you out there, it gets you moving, and it gets you the experience you need.

Wishing all of you so much success!