Focused Business Action

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For more strategies just like these along with the support to implement them, click to find out about the FBA Circle.

Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes

Where does all this “stuff” come from anyway, and why is it so hard to get rid of?

As business owners, we lead busy lives. If you’re like me and many of my clients, in your busy-ness you don’t take the time to put away items you’ve taken out. It just seems to pile up. You generally know where things are, but often you have to spend time looking for stuff in the pile. Whether you have a neat 4 foot tall pile or a number of small piles all around your office, it is draining your energy.

It’s time to turn your pile into a file. Imagine how good you will feel when you have a clear space. But, where do you start?

I suggest you think of the process for dealing with your clutter as having 2 parts:

1. Handle the current clutter that has piled up.
2. Create and implement a system for keeping your space clear so that the clutter doesn’t get out of hand again.

Both parts of this process must be included in your plan. Otherwise, you will continue to add more clutter at the same time as you are clearing the old stuff. Or you never deal with the old clutter even though you are not adding more to it.

FBA members have the opportunity to learn more about clutter clearing and clutter control on this month’s Lunch ‘n Learn call. For those who’d like to listen to the recording, here’s a link for a free 2 week trial. Check it out. It will change the way you do business.

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

After sending out a recent offering for the FBA Circle, I received the following question from a potential member:

Can you stand over me with a whip and magically chain me to each task?

I imagine that might be true for many of you. It’s certainly true for me. (By the way, I’m not into whips and chains, but I’m certainly open to the occasional use of magic.)

I want the freedom that comes with being a home-based business owner (in my case it’s RV-based). Yet that brings with it a special set of challenges:

• You don’t have a boss telling you what to do. Without any external deadlines, it’s easy to let things go. And you soon find yourself off track from what you planned for yourself and your business.

• Generally, you have to make business decisions by yourself. It’s all on your shoulders which can paralyze you from making any decisions for fear it will be the wrong one.

• It’s totally up to you to make things happen. If things aren’t going in the right direction, you have to turn the ship pointing the right way. Nobody else is going to do it.

• Often you are so caught up in day-to-day activities that you do not take the time to plan, organize or evaluate.

• Being on your own much of the time, you can feel isolated and bored leading very quickly to distractions that aren’t important for the running of the business.

Does that sound familiar? I have struggled with this ever since I went out on my own as a coach. And, that’s why I created the FBA Circle to help others who have the same struggles.

Here’s how I responded to the potential client:

No, I can’t make you do it.

What I can do is support you with tools, tips and an occasional positive kick in the seat to get into action on those tasks that will move you forward. It’s an emotional muscle; one that I can help you strengthen over time until you are able to make the choices on your own that bring you success and freedom.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think?

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

A goal without a plan is just a wish. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French writer (1900 – 1944)

How often do your goals turn out to be only a wish? Here’s a great way to stay on top of your desired outcomes.

Start each work day with a quick 2 minute structured check-in.

First, create a list of 5-10 questions to ask yourself during the check-in. These questions should reflect your desired outcomes for the day. Your checklist might look like this:

• What is most important for me to accomplish today?
• What is urgent that must be completed today?
• Have I given myself time for meals and two 15 minute breaks?
• Am I using a timer regularly?
• What else should I add here?

One last thing: Think of this checklist as a work in progress. When the last questions triggers you to become aware of another item for your daily desired outcomes, add a new question to the list to support you in remembering the new item.

Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes

Each month the Focused Business Action program offers a teleseminar in which you learn about one aspect of marketing and begin work on the material presented as part of the call. The next Marketing Action Seminar is this Tuesday and our guest expert will be Cathy Goodwin from Copy Cat Copywriting speaking on Copywriting to Hook Your Clients Online. For more information and to register for this free conference call, click here.

Guest post by Cathy Goodwin

Recently a reader asked me: “Do I use the same copywriting for ebooks, websites and sales letters?”

At first, it’s tempting to say, “No way.” After all, when you buy an ebook, you don’t want to read sales copy.

But you can use copywriting ingredients to add spark and zest to just about anything you write for clients and prospects.

Think of adding spices to different dishes as you cook. You might have a dozen spices on your rack, but you can use them in hundreds of dishes.

Here are a few ways to use copywriting tools:

• Assemble your benefits and features before starting to write.

Good cooks assemble ingredients before they begin to fix a meal. (At least that’s what I’m told. Cooking has never been my talent.) You can assemble a big list of benefits and features.

What will your prospects gain from what you write? Will they achieve a measurable outcome that’s important to them? What features in your writing will help them achieve this outcome?

• Sprinkle bullets liberally in your content.

Bullet points are the heart of copywriting. They’re short phrases like, “How 3 easy copywriting techniques will increase your conversion ratios.” Actually, copywriters use several dozen forms of bullets and seek variety.

Bullet points also can add life to your article or blog post. As you write paragraphs, you begin to ask, “Would these points be easier to comprehend in bullet format? Would readers be more likely to read them?” You can also use bullets to create chapter headings and sub-headings.

• Top with a hook that grabs the reader and finish with a powerful call to action.

Whether you write an ebook, post, article or sales letter, you have to grab the reader at the outset. And you want to leave the reader with an answer to the question, “What next?”

When you include a strong, motivating call to action in an ebook, your readers may be more likely to implement your ideas instead of just reading passively. They’ll be more satisfied and, hopefully, closer to finding solutions to their problems.

Of course, you have to be careful with spices. Hopefully, even I suspect that you don’t use cinnamon in a meat loaf (although I’ve been advised to use brown sugar with salmon). However, a more advanced cook knows whether it’s okay to add oregano and bay leaf to omelets, fish and/or hamburger.

Don’t ask me. I just throw things in and hope for the best. Sometimes the result is…interesting. Next time you read website, landing page or ebook content that doesn’t quite work, you might notice that the writer got a list of techniques but wasn’t quite sure how to combine them so the effect is “creatively delicious” instead of “well intentioned but not inviting.”