Story Definition and Structure

Businesses continue to learn how crazy important it is to draw in audiences with the power of story. For most of us this can be pretty daunting. This video is part 2 in my series on Selling with Storytelling. In this, I share how I like to define story, the difference between sharing an experience vs. sharing a story, and I give you a really simple structure to use as you begin to fashion your experiences into stories. You'll hear an example of how to use this structure through a story of my adventures with quiche. I would also love to know what you think of this video and formula in the comments below. Also, were you able to create a story using the structure this week? In my previous video in this series, I shared why story matters. If you haven't had a chance to watch that yet, check it out.

In today's vlog find out how the ingredients for quiche and storytelling bring out la dolce vita (the sweet life)!

Why Story Matters

Storytelling is a skill all business owners need to learn and grow. For some, this is easy. For others - like me - it can seem a bit daunting. Regardless, if you take the time to understand and learn this vital skill, it will make the sales process faster and draw your audience to you.

A story provides vulnerability, a moment that your audience can relive with you, a connection to you, and a desire for whatever you’re offering because they can see themselves, or a desired version of themselves, in you in the story you’re sharing.

From a scientific perspective, it is the way our brains are hard-wired to learn, remember, and connect with others. If this portion interests you, please let me know in the comments below.

Also, please let me know what you think in the comments and subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking on the red subscribe button in the bottom right corner of the video.

I hope you enjoy the first in my series teaching storytelling to business owners. Thanks for watching!!

How to Create an Action Plan that Works

You don’t have to be an action superhero to be a person of action in your business. Phew! Aren’t you glad that doesn’t involve crazy mutations from a massive radiation exposure? Ok, maybe that didn’t apply to Superman since he was already an alien, but for many of the others…you get what I mean. This the last blog of the marketing strategies series and this is where the rubber meets the road. You can have the best goals, strategy and core messaging in the world but if you’re not out there doing the action steps each day, it’s all for naught.

So you’ve determined how and where you want to grow and succeed and now is the time to put it into action. How do you get through the daily grind, you ask?

It’s really quite simple. Here are my steps to nailing your action plan.

How to Plan for Ridiculous Amounts of Success

What Are Your Strategies? Today’s topic is marketing strategies. Things are about to get seriously exciting up in here!!

What’s the Difference Between Goals, Strategies, and Action Items? To start, let’s distinguish the difference between strategies and goals. Goals are what you want to achieve. Strategies are the methods and channels you will use to accomplish your goals.

A word of caution for all of you who want to run to the finish line before you finish tying your shoes. Slow down a second. Strategies are not actions. That comes next. Strategies are the big, overarching tools/methods you will use. Since my mind automatically gravitates toward marketing, if one of your goals is to increase exposure and expand your audience by XX% in XX days, think of strategies as: social media, email marketing, research on a specific topic, networking, writing on a topic, speaking on particular topics or to particular audiences (aka the channels you will use to achieve these goals).

How Many Strategies Should I Implement at One Time? I wouldn’t recommend implementing all of these at once – especially if you’re a lone ranger solopreneur like I am. Pick 1,2, or 3 strategies where you will laser-focus your time that you set aside to dedicate to reaching this particular goal. Otherwise, you’ll be spread too thin and will end up spinning your wheels and/or getting burned out. Not a recommended goal. Don’t go there, please!! There are several problems when you approach it this way. For one, you will get burned out because no one has time to do everything. For another reason, you won’t stand out if you’re only doing a little of this and a little of that. You want to go big in a few places.

Ideally, you want to identify a few methods where you can dive deep. Base these on your strengths, personality, and the type of business you have. I recommend implementing 2-3 strategies at a time.

Make sense? Ok, then. Moving on…

What are some examples of marketing strategies? I love to help my clients plan their success and focus on specific strategies to help them get there. We create a map together based on what makes the most sense for them and their business.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of marketing strategy examples, just a few to get the juices flowing in your brain to determine what is right for you. Here goes: social media channels, video, free giveaways, freebies/freemiums, blogs, guest blogs, networking groups, networking on social media, public speaking, writing a book, creating a book tour, email marketing, Facebook/Google/other social media ads, webinars, courses, podcasts. Phew! That’s a bunch. Write these down and start doing some brainstorming. Which are right for you? You might want to link a few of these together. What you choose will depend on your personality, business, and target audience.

How to Have Ridiculous Amounts of Success with Your Marketing Strategies. I recommend implementing a strategy for a minimum of 3-6 months before determining whether or not it will work for you. How many of you know someone who tries something once or 2-3 times and then decides it’s not right for them?

Everyone I know who has become truly successful says that it takes persistence and consistency. These are keys to your strategies. Once you determine what you will do, you repeat the process over and over. Humans like routine and consistency. I’m sure you’ve heard that when it comes to marketing and advertising, it takes 6-7 touches for someone to decide they trust you enough to work with you. If you only make 2-3 attempts, you’re never going to achieve the success you want – the success you see others have and it seems to come to them so easily.

Whether you realize it or not, people are watching you. They are watching the way you conduct yourself, the way you run your business, and the way you develop it. I can’t tell you how often people tell me that they notice I’m consistent with my blogs, my videos, my social media. This consistency translates to trust. They know that I’m not going anywhere, that I stay in one place long enough to dig deep. So, they trust me as an authority and someone they can trust. This is what I recommend to any business owner. Find your sweet spot and plant yourself.

This doesn’t mean that you should never try anything new or that you can’t experiment with new strategies to see if they work for you. I’m merely saying that once you try something new and decide that you want to jump on that band wagon, stick with it!

If you have any questions at all on strategies, please let me know in the comments below.

The Smarter Approach to Goal Setting

If you've been reading my blogs lately, you know I'm writing on the theme of marketing strategy and you've probably been wondering when I'm going to bring up goal setting. For some of you that means today is your lucky day and others of you are quietly moaning as you read this.

Goal setting might sound time consuming, intimidating, or like a way to bring disappointment into your life when you don't achieve your goals. Cheer up, Sugarplum! Goal setting can and should be a fun process that brings you hope, laser-sharp focus, with a path and a plan, not dread. If you stick with me, I will show you a smarter way to go about it that will make you excited, inspired and ready to get after it!

I have some gems that will help you think smarter about the way you set goals and make sure that you're setting the right goals for where you and your business are at right now. I could go on and on about the importance of goals but I bet you're here because you already know all that. So without further ado, here are my smart, strategic gems as you prepare to create your goals.

First, I want you to think about who you look up to in your industry? Who do you aspire to be like? Identify 2-3 individuals who are killing it doing whatever it is that you do or want to do. Google them, check out their websites, see how they market and sell themselves. What are they doing differently? What are they doing consistently? If you had to describe them in 3 words, what would those be? Ok, if I'm getting a little too excited here by giving you too much homework, just pick one of the above 3 questions to answer.

Second, think about what sets you apart from the others on the playground. What do you do differently? If you want to make it easier, or maybe harder, think of what 3 words describe you? Maybe it has to do with your passion, your background, the reason you got into this business in the first place?

If you are reeling off differentiators you thought of 4 years ago, check 'em to see if they're still accurate and relevant. What are you doing right now, today, that distinguishes you from others? Think about your strengths and the ways that you feel comfortable getting yourself in front of your target audience.

If you’re stuck here, I recommend doing some journaling or talking with a trusted friend, colleague, or coach who can listen to you, question you, and give you trusted feedback as your brainstorm. This is the fuel you will need as you create goals that will grow your business and help you differentiate yourself in the marketplace based on your strengths.

Now, if you’re working with me on your Marketing Strategy Roadmap where we get into both your core messaging and your goal setting (see the bottom for more info on this), then we’ve already discussed this before getting to this point. If you are doing this on your own, feel free to jump into this thought process right now or reach out to me for some help.

Third, you’re ready to create some amazing SMART goals tailored just for you, and yes I mean SMART as in (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound). Don’t go overboard creating too many. You will want to focus on just a few (3-5 to be exact) that you can laser-focus to achieve in the next 60-90 days.

These should each hone in on one specific outcome you want to achieve. Here are some examples of what a goal isn't: posting a blog a certain number of times each month, starting a podcast, attending two networking events a week. These are strategies used to achieve goals and we'll get into these next time.

Examples of goals are:  increasing online sales by 10%, adding 2,000 more names to my email list, selling $5,000/month from speaking gigs. Your goals should be a stretch and a challenge but definitely doable to accomplish in the next 2-3 months.

Bonus tip: I cannot stress enough the help that having an accountability partner will do to help you accomplish these goals in your given timeframe. If you don't have one, find one or come to me and I'll help you.

Extra Bonus tip: First, when you're choosing an accountability partner, make sure they they won't let you off the hook easily when you aren't taking the needed steps to move your toward your goals. Second, make sure that they are both someone you trust and someone who you consider to have valuable insights to help you. Third, make sure they're a good listener and will draw out the reasons behind fears, distractions, or anything else getting in the way of accomplishing your goals. Soooo, you need to feel comfortable being vulnerable with this person.

What to do next: If this has been helpful and you would like to know more about how you can quickly develop your core messaging (mission, vision, values) and goal planning (goal setting, strategies, and action plans) then we really should connect. Surprisingly, when we work together, we can create all of this in only three sessions! I know, crazy, right?!

If you have questions or want to publicly declare your goals right here, I would love to hear all of it in the comments section. Thanks again for stopping by!