Attracting Ideal Clients

Networking Quote: Ivan Misner

"Networking is not about hunting. It is about farming. It's about cultivating relationships. Don't engage in 'premature solicitation'. You'll be a better networker if you remember that."

~Dr. Ivan Misner
NY bestselling author & founder of BNI

Work on your Goals

 "If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us."

~Jim Rohn

I love quotes. There is so much wisdom contained in them. This quote from Jim Rohn reminds us of the importance of planning and goal-setting. The simple act of making a plan or setting a goal begins a chain reaction of activities that will lead us to greater success.

Action Step: What goals can you set today that will move your business forward? Take 10 minutes to set a goal and then take one action toward that goal.

Rick Cooper
The Attraction Marketing Expert

Attraction Marketing Secrets - How to Get Publicity With a Press Release

One of the best attraction marketing strategies available is to get publicity. You can increase your visibility by getting coverage from the media. It’s not an easy task, but if you have a timely message, you can do it.

After you develop a publicity strategy and a plan, the first step to get publicity is to write a press release. This critical document is used by the media to identify trends, locate experts, and select story ideas.

1. Select a message

Getting publicity takes consistent effort and it takes a consistent message. Select a message you will communicate frequently over a period of 3-4 months. Write a series of press releases that focus on different aspects of the message. Make direct contact with the media, pitching your story and offering to be interviewed on the topic.

The press release should not be about your business. It shouldn’t be about you. It should be about a specific group of people. For example, you could write about baby boomers, small business owners or retirees. Your message should appeal to your ideal clients because that is ultimately who you want to reach.

Your press release should be newsworthy and should tap into the theme of hot topics and current trends in the news. It doesn’t have to be related to what you do as a business owner. But, that’s always a plus. Just remember not to promote. You are the expert!

2. Create a compelling title

Just like an article needs a compelling title, so does a press release. Look for examples of press release titles on PRNewswire.com. Don’t look at corporate press releases. In general, their press releases are boring are all about me, me, me. Keep your title simple and focus on the benefits of the message. You want to draw people in with the title.

Make Your Press Release Newsworthy!

3. Craft an informative opening paragraph

Keep your message focused and use the opening paragraph of a press release to communicate the who, what, when where and why. Include your city at the start of the paragraph. You can include a date or leave it off.

Grab the attention of the media and draw them into the press release. Give people a reason to read further. State the problem and explain that there is a solution.

4. Draft the press release

Draft an outline of the content and write the press release. Focus on providing value. If you want to get the media’s attention use the press release to provide tips and strategies that will be meaningful to an audience the media is trying to reach.

One of the strategies you can use in communicating with the media is to share 3 tips or strategies. If you have the opportunity to be interviewed by the media, you can’t ramble on, you need to be very focused.

Most people have a difficult time communicating a clear, consistent message. They’re all over the place. If this sounds like you, you need to invest some time in boiling your message down to its basics.

5. Quote yourself as an expert

One of the differences between an article and a press release is the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in a press release. Quote yourself in the press release 2-3 times. For example, “According to Rick Cooper, The Attraction Marketing Expert, “A press release can help you book an interview on radio or TV or be quoted in print media.””

Use words like “according to, says, said, indicates, states, stated, and shared. It might be uncomfortable in the beginning to write about yourself in the third person. Imagine someone else is writing the article for you. Do not list yourself as the media contact. Use someone else’s name.

A press release is a great tool to help you craft a compelling message for your publicity campaign. Post your press release on the internet, send it by email and include it in packages to the media. With consistent effort, you will get visibility and ultimately publicity. Read Guerrilla Publicity by Jill Lublin and Rick Frishman. Be persistent and seek out additional resources to help you learn how to get publicity.

Rick Cooper
Marketing Coach

Success Secrets: Tips to Comeback from a Loss

One of the secrets to success is to improve your ability to comeback from a loss. Business is a mix of ups and downs. Sometimes you’re rising. Sometimes you’re falling. It takes persistence, hard work and effort to stay on track and reach the level of success you want.

In the current economy, many people are struggling. On the other hand, there are some people who are having their best year ever. It’s an interesting dichotomy.

What are some of the things you can do to comeback from a loss?

Let’s first consider a few examples of losses. You can lose a friend or family member. You can lose a job. You can lose a business. You can lose physical possessions. You can lose your health. There are many other examples. or the purposes of this post, let's focus on business losses.

Find Success-Oriented Individuals to Partner With!

So, what can you do about it?

1) Get into action

First, you need to get into action. It doesn’t really matter initially what you do. If you take massive action, you will create some results.

One of my mentors, Eric Lofholm, said, “Fear, panic and worry do not manifest money.” Instead, focus on revenue producing activities.

2) Get a plan

Yes, at some point, you need to step back, set some goals and decide upon the best possible actions. If you're not getting the results you want, you need to look for some better strategies.

3) Get a coach

I believe in the value of coaches. I have worked with many coaches in the past. When you work with a coach, they can help you identify what’s holding you back. And they can also hold you accountable to focus on taking action that will generate the results you want.

4) Get positive

A positive attitude goes a long way. I am an eternal optimist. And in most cases, that works a lot better than the alternative.

Here are a few strategies that can help to improve your attitude. Use positive affirmations. I recommend you write your affirmations on index cards and carry them around with you. Read them 2-3 times per day. Internalize it.

Another great idea is to get around other like-minded, success-oriented individuals. I am fortunate to be part of a Mastermind group that has met monthly for the last 2 years. I rely on their feedback and support. We have become good friends and help each other when we’re struggling. I recommend you find a mastermind group, or a networking group or just a few good friends you can talk to.

Plan for your comeback. Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Chuch, says, “Every setback is a set up for a comeback.”

When you face challenges, realize that the challenge was not meant to tear you down, but to build you up.

Now, get out there and take action!

Rick Cooper
Marketing Coach

I have a question for you: What have you found helpful in making a comeback from a loss? What tips, strategies and techniques have you used in the past? Post your comment below.

Success Secrets: Set Monthly Revenue Goals

Are you earning the kind of money you want in your business?

If not, it could be in part because you're not clear on how much you want to earn.

Here are 2 quick steps to starting earning more in your business:

1) Identify a monthly income goal to earn from your business

Take a moment to write down a dollar amount you want to take from your business each month. Maybe it's $1,000 or $3,000 or $5,000 or $10,000. Set a goal for how much you want to earn personally each month.

2) Identify a monthly revenue goal to generate in your business

Take into account your monthly income goal as well as fixed and variable expenses. Then, set a monthly revenue goal.

Create a Spreadsheet and Add your Goals!

Once you have set the goals, create a spreadsheet and add your goals.

At the end of each month, enter the actual revenue and income you earned.

If you take these simple steps, you will begin to unlock the potential in your business. You will start looking differently at your business.

Good luck!

Rick Cooper

Success Secrets: Express Gratitude to Attract More Positive Outcomes

One of the qualities you need to possess to build a successful business is gratitude. You will benefit by being grateful for what you have in your life and in your business. It’s easy to focus on the negative. It can be hard to focus on the positive.

Make it a habit each day to express gratitude for what you have. You can do this alone and in silence or however you want. When you acknowledge what you already have that you appreciate, you are more likely to attract similar things into your life.

This practice also works with clients. Express gratitude for the clients you have. It’s also worthwhile to acknowledge your clients with thanks. Send them a thank you card. Send an ecard. Send a gift. Find some special way to say thanks for their business.

Express Gratitude to your Clients!

Take time to express gratitude and you will live a richer life. You will have riches that extend beyond wealth.

Attraction Marketing Secrets: How to Use Email to Generate Leads and Earn Sales

Email marketing is one of the most cost effective strategies to communicate your message to prospective clients. Building a permission based email list is a great strategy to leverage the internet.

You can create short text based email messages or very professional, graphic laden messages. There are benefits to each.

Here are some quick tips to make your email messages more effective:

1. Develop a communication schedule

When you first get started, you can skip this step. But, the more messages you send, the more it becomes necessary to schedule your email communications so you don’t over-market to your list.

Use a word processing file or a spreadsheet to list the days of the month, your target audience and the message. Then, make a note when you email the message.

2. Write compelling email messages

Many of the top internet marketers use short text email messages to market their products online with great results. You can use the same strategy.

Send Email Messages Consistently to your List!

You can also use an email marketing tool like Constant Contact to send professional looking email messages. Keep your messages simple and send them consistently. The more complex the email, the harder it is to maintain over time. If you create an ezine, don’t add make it too long. Keep it simple and people will be more likely to read it.

3. Include a strong call to action

The purpose of a promotional email message is to drive traffic to a web page. Don’t worry about making the sale. Just get the click. Keep the copy short and compelling and then lead your prospect to a website.

4. Schedule messages for maximum response

When you send a message may be as important as what’s in the message. Most people receive too many email messages and don’t open all the messages they receive. You need to time your message to go out when you expect people to read it. Some people think Tuesday is a great day to send messages. People are caught from their Monday email and might be more likely to open a message with a compelling subject line.

One of the most important elements for having someone open an email message is the subject line. Make the subject line interesting and enticing.

5. Track your results and make adjustments

Marketing is an art as much as it is a science. If you want to increase your results, you will need to track your results and make adjustments along the way.

Many of the top marketers in the world use email to generate sales online. You can use email marketing to grow your business. You can use it to develop trust and rapport, offer special discounts and generate sales online.

Rick Cooper
The Attraction Marketing Expert
Sales and Marketing Success Coach

Join me for a Free Teleseminar on December 30th:

How to Market your Business Online

Click here for more details:
http://bit.ly/3EhOB5

Success Secrets: Set Annual Goals

Successful people set annual goals. They set a lot of goals, but in particular, they set annual goals. New Year's Resolutions are a form of annual goals, but they have limitations. If you want to truly make progress in your life and in your business, then sit down each year and write down your goals for the next year.

What do you want to accomplish in the next year? How much revenue do you want to generate? What income do you want to earn? What major projects do you want to implement? How many followers do you want on Twitter?

Questions steer focus. When you set goals, you begin a process of asking yourself questions which will lead you to answering them.

Read your Goals Daily!

Make your goals specific and timebound. Make them achievable, believable and conceivable.It's okay to set stretch goals. Some people call them Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs).

Keep your goals in front of you. Review them often. Ask yourself how you're going to achieve your goals.

Join me for a Free Teleseminar on December 29th, 2009:

Set Powerful and Strategic Goals for 2010

Click here to sign up or learn more:
http://bit.ly/7vRNFK

Success Secrets: Set Goals to Accomplish Amazing Results

If you want to accomplish amazing results, then you need to set goals. This is one of the single best ideas to building a successful business. You get what you focus on. And goals allow you to focus on moving forward in your business.

There are few other strategies as powerful as writing down your goals for what you want to accomplish. Set goals. Remember the ABCs of goal setting. Goals should be Achievable, Believable and Conceivable.

A goal is a dream with a deadline. So, make sure goals have a deadline.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself: What are your goals? What’s your most important goal? What are you doing to accomplish it?

Where are your goals? Here’s another quick tip for you. Write your goals in your journal. This is a great place to keep your goals.

Focus on your Goals Every Day!

I have a challenge for you. I encourage you to read your goals at least once a week. And ideally, read them daily.

This will accelerate your performance and increase your results.

Leverage the Power of Intention - Part 1

The Power of Intention is a powerful force that can help you massively increase your results! Are you ready to set powerful intentions?

What do you intend to do? Do you usually accomplish what you intend to do or do you fall short? Intentions are powerful. It's a mistake to set intentions and fail to follow through. It diminishes your personal power.

So, what is an intention? An intention is a desire for things to be a certain way or for you to act in a certain way. The amazing thing is that if you believe and have faith in your intentions, they will often come true in a mysterious or magical way. This is due in Iarge part to the law of attraction.

Start Small - Set an Intention to Have a Cup of Coffee!

When should you set intentions? Intentions can be set on a daily basis. You can start small and work your way up. For instance, you could have an intention to have a cup of coffee. That will lead you through a series of steps to obtaining that cup of coffee. But, it started with the intention.

In Part 2 of this post, I'll share how to set powerful intentions!

Set an intention now to learn more. To help you get started, I'm giving away books.

Click Here to Find Out How to Win Books

Rick Cooper
Sales & Marketing Success Coach