Marketing, Money & Soul Teleseminar with Kendall SummerHawk

My good friend, Kendall SummerHawk, is offering a complimentary teleseminar where she will reveal the secrets to her own success that helped her TRIPLE HER INCOME LAST YEAR!

Here is an excerpt from Kendall herself: (I am one of the “V.I.P colleagues” she mentions)

***
Remember, this call is by *special invitation only* JUST for friends and colleagues of my V.I.P. list and I am personally THRILLED to have you on the call!

Click here for all the call-in details to get
access to this ground-breaking information:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008

Time: NOON Eastern
(that’s 9:00AM Pacific/10:00AM Mountain/11:00AM Central)

Please be on time (-:

(Can’t make the live call? I’ll send you the mp3 link later the same day.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here’s why you don’t want to miss this ONE-TIME ONLY call:

You’ll hear my 6 BEST strategies for:

* How I stopped offering a “hodgepodge” of services that were chewing up all of my time and how I now make nearly 3 TIMES MORE offering a simple selection of services

* Real-life lessons about turning your 1-on-1 services into high-end programs and information products (and what ONE THING you MUST do now to guarantee a successful
launch)

* What you need to know NOW, BEFORE you start creating info products, coaching groups or programs

* My top NEW strategies for breaking through money habits that could be severely limiting your income

* My 2 best strategies that will help you get a handle–once and for all–on your time so you’re not stressed out trying to grow your business (this information alone is priceless!)

* and more!

Be sure to dial in a few minutes early so you don’t get locked out — the bridge line only holds 100 people and we have HUNDREDS of people registered!

“See” you on the call!

Love and brilliance,

Kendall

P.S. Not to worry, this FREE call is NOT a “pitch fest.”

I’m sharing detailed information you can use right now to make big shifts in your business success…just like I have (I TRIPLED my in-come last year using the strategies I’m sharing with you.)

(My marketing buddies always get on my case that I give too much away in my calls but generosity is authentic for me so I happily ignore their protests!)

Business Success Tips: Having the money conversation

Rhonda usually offers business success tips for coaches, but this topic is definitely one everyone in business can use! She shares 3 tips on changing your mindset and your approach to money. Please add your own tips on “having the money conversation!”

read more | digg story

Schedule for Social Media Telesummit

http://www.queenofmarketing.com/socialmediatelesummit

Schedule of Event/topics for the Telesummit

Wed, Feb 20

12:00 – 12:30pm
Telesummit Welcome
Leesa Barnes

12:30 – 1:30pm
Opening Keynote
Ramon Williamson

1:30 – 3:00pm
Future Trends in Social Media
Panel Discussion

8:00 – 9:00pm
Using the Power and Simplicity of Video Marketing to Attract Tons of Awesome Clients
Travis Greenlee

********************
Thursday, Feb 21
12:00 – 1:00pm
Using Social Media and Premium Content to Create New Profits Centers for Your Business
Jason Van Orden

1:00 – 2:00pm
Branding and Blogging: The “New” Success Secret for Attracting More Clients and More Money
The Blog Squad

2:00 – 3:00pm
5 Ways to Use Social Media to Find & Create Your Next Joint Venture
Michele Kavanagh & Michele PW

8:00 – 9:00pm
Second Life: How to Build your Business Through Virtual World Participation
Kate Trgovac

*****************************
Friday, Feb 22
12:00 – 1:00pm
How Any Time-Starved Person Can Produce a Quality Podcast Using the Power of Automation
Karin Hoegh

1:00 – 2:00pm
How to Create and Profit from Your Own Niche Focused Directory
Penny Haynes

2:00 – 3:00pm
How to Get Sponsors, Keep Sponsors, Report to Sponsors, and Make Money with Your Blog and Podcast
Paul Vogelzang

8:00 – 9:00pm
Time, Money, Sex (and Salvation): How to Turbo Charge Your Blog Posts, Podcasts and Sales Copy for Maximum Traffic & Greater Impact
Andy Wibbels

***********************
Monday, February 25

12:00 – 1:00pm
7 Reasons to Use WordPress Blogs And Not Traditional Websites to Publish Content, Podcasts and Videos For Passion and Profits
Sherman Hu

1:00 – 2:00pm
TBD
Darren Barefoot & Julie Szabo

2:00 – 3:00pm
Ways to Engage Customers, Vendors and Suppliers Through Social Media For Greater Profits
Anna Farmery

8:00 – 9:00pm
How to Get Social Media Buy-In from Your Boss, Company Management Team, Business Partner & Other Stakeholders
Kylie Johnson

******************************
Tuesday, Feb 26

12:00 – 1:00pm
Podcasting Riches: How to Make an Extra $75,000 to $360,000 a Year Using a Podcast
Scott Paton

1:00 – 2:00pm
5 Ways To Sell The Content You Once Gave Away For Free
Paul Colligan

2:00 – 3:00pm
Why RSS Is Not Enough: How to Automate Your Business & Deliver Your Message Using Autoresponders
Christina Hills

8:00 – 9:00pm
Blog Profits Blueprint: How To Turn Your Blog Into A Six-Figure Income
Yaro Starak

******************************
Wednesday, Feb 27

12:00 – 1:00pm
TBD
Terry Green

1:00 – 2:00pm
Building Your Online Personal Brand Beyond Social Networks, Websites or Blogs
Paul Copcutt

2:00 – 3:00pm
The Inner Secrets of Outrageous Marketing: How to Dominate Your Market Niche
Ron Rosenberg

8:00 – 9:00pm
Pricing, Positioning and Promoting Your Social Media Services
Scott Allen

***********************************
Thursday, Feb 28

12:00 – 1:00pm
7 Steps to Creating a Killer Virtual Book Tour that Will Explode Your Book Sales and Turn Your Book into a Bestseller
Tynisha Thompson

1:00 – 2:00pm
The 12 Biggest Blogging and Podcasting Blunders to Avoid When Nurturing Your Personal Brand Online
Krishna De

2:00 – 3:00pm
How to Use Celebrity Interviews and High Profile Guests to Attract New Clients to Your Business
Jody Colvard

8:00 – 9:00pm
Telesummit Secrets: How to Position Yourself as the #1 Expert, Increase Your Product Sales, and Create a Community of Raving Fans Using a Multi-Day Virtual Event
Milana Leshinsky

*****************************
Friday, February 29

12:00 – 1:00pm
Closing Keynote
Jan Janzen

1:00 – 1:30pm
Telesummit
Wrap Up
Leesa Barnes

1:30 – 3:00pm
Live Q&A Session
Telesummit Attendees

http://www.queenofmarketing.com/socialmediatelesummit

Finding Peace in a Stressful Life

“We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.” Epictetus

 Imagine you have decided there is no way out of your current life situation.  You will keep earning the amount of money that keeps you just over broke, you will continue to have the same relationships that don’t support your dreams, you will not be able to organize your life, your family life will not improve, the weight you have been trying to lose for years will keep coming back and your success will continue to start and stop over and over again. 

You know the stinking thinking that got you into this mess will keep you right where you are.  You have come to the conclusion that you will have to change your thinking on the inside in order to see life differently on the outside. 

 You have been asking the question, “What has to happen for me to get what I really want out of life?” and all of a sudden, you have an epiphany!  You decide today is the day that you will take a meditative voyage inward.  You remember the quote from Einstein: “All I want to know are the thoughts of God.”  You wonder, “What are those thoughts” and ask, “How will I know when I hear one”? 

So you decide to close the blinds, light a candle, put on some soft music and sit in a comfortable position.  For a couple of minutes you tense and relax every body part. Now you are ready to quiet the constant chatter of the mind and lose yourself in the deeper, simpler reality within.  It’s a journey that you know, at some level, you have been waiting to take all your life. 

As you start to let go and relax into this stream of peace, the material world around you recedes like a fading dream.  A new thought has crossed your mind and you wonder, is it true?  The thought that has abruptly awakened you from your peaceful encounter is, “What if I am not my thoughts? I just have thoughts and I can observe the thoughts I have.”  Hmm!  The mind questions, “Is this me wondering or is it I who is observing me wondering”?

 Then it happens: you become an observer of the mind and you notice the mind only does two things.  It asks questions and makes statements.  You hear the mind chatter.  First it asks a question, then another, and another.  Then you hear a statement, then another question, then a statement.  You start to notice how the mind works and you wonder – can you actually redirect your thoughts about everything?  You get the answer back immediately; yes, you can!  Where did that thought come from?  Have you tapped into something new?  

So goes the process.  The mind has one job – to find the truth to any question asked.  The problem that gets in the way of finding the answers to every challenge in life is twofold.  First, most people have been programmed to find the answers outside of themselves by asking teachers, family and friends for advice; and second, much energy is wasted on trying to prove the perception of what the mind perceives is true.  Your mind will try to overlook anything that will prove it wrong. 

 Let’s take the latter challenge first.  If a thought crosses your mind that your partner doesn’t love you and you dwell on that thought, then the mind will start looking for proof.   It will try to prove that the statement is true and search for answers that justify the statement.  Then, your partner walks into the room.  Unbeknownst to you, she has just received some news about a friend who has lied to her.  You look at your partner’s face and think, “She can’t stand the sight of me.”  Now you have your proof.  Since thoughts beget feelings and feelings beget actions, you are now feeling angry, so you react to your partner by storming out of the room (action) to justify your thoughts that she does not love you.  Your mind uses this to enforce the original thought and so justifies its righteousness.  If at this point you call a friend and tell them how right you have been about your partner not loving you and your friend agrees, then you have more proof to justify your thoughts.  But this thought is an illusion.

If you use the mind properly and search for the real truth within yourself, you will soon come up with a truth that will replace whatever you have made up.  You can retrain the brain quickly by quieting the mind and asking powerful questions that will stir you to seek the truth.  You can find these powerful questions in the book “Ask and You Will Succeed.”  www.ask-succeed.com

 An easy one to ask is, “Is this really true?”  If you keep asking the question you will eventually get to a new understanding of truth, in which case the mind will override and replace the original thought.  You will know when you have the right answer because you will have lasting peace around the issue. 

 After answering the questions in “Ask and You Will Succeed,” many people experience immediate relief from thoughts that have troubled them for years.  What is noteworthy is that people who have redirected the mind continue to broaden and expand their life.  Many have had breakthroughs in the area of finance, where money is no longer a struggle.  Some find the career of their dreams.  Some experience more joy and fun in their lives than they have had in years.  Some who have been searching for life partners for years find them; others find their health improves dramatically; and many experience a newfound peace. 

 What is exciting is that the inquiry can be fun.  The questions in “Ask and You will Succeed www.ask-succeed.com are designed to work on both simple challenges and earth-shattering problems.  The questions are an education and they will bring light on every area of your life to put an end to ignorance and bring in joy.  The gift is that you will change the conversations in your life … and your life will never be the same again. 

 The right questions will change perceptions and shift reality.  They will free your spirit from the prison of self-defeating thoughts.  To pick up your copy go to www.asksucceed.com.  

The Success Formula of Life

When Steven asked me to contribute to this book, I asked myself, “what do I know that would help others create new levels of success?” It quickly came to me! Over the years working with thousands of business owners and coaching clients, I have found that those who are most successful apply certain principals time and time again. In fact, there is a formula that when used, will help anyone achieve quantum breakthroughs in any area of life. Sound like a large claim? It is, because it works!

So if you are in a place where you are ready to step into your Greatness, then follow the formula exactly and you will win. First is to dream big. Create a vision where many others can participate with you. If the dream is too small you will end up doing what most unsuccessful people do and that is you will doing it alone. Second is to turn your dreams into goals. Establish daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Without goals most dreams will remain dreams. Third is to know what is really important to you about accomplishing your goals. Without a strong purpose for accomplishing your goals you will be stopped when the going gets tough and it will get tough. Fourth is to decide what you are willing to give or give up to accomplish your dream. Fifth is to design the action steps necessary to fulfill your dreams. Don’t fret over how you will get to your dream only take daily action toward your vision. Commitment is of paramount importance here! When you take daily action toward your dreams your dreams will take daily action toward you.

Now these actions alone will not accomplish what you desire. There are a few more pieces to manifesting a life. You must find a mentor who has traveled the road before you. Maybe a business coach or mentor! This person will be your guide and knows what lies ahead. Next you must have a network of like minded individuals or master mind group to share your vision and support you in accomplishing what you have set in motion. And finally you must release it to God, for everything comes from this one source and this is the true source of your power. Without a daily connection to the infinite struggle will be the common theme of your life.

Ken Foster is CEO of Shared Vision Network – www.sharedvisionnetwork.com and CEO of Premier Coaching.com – www.premiercoaching.com. His latest book “Ask and You Will Succeed can be found at www.ask-succeed.com.

10 Steps to Attract Your Ideal Strategic Allies

If you’re like most entrepreneurs and business owners, doing business alone poses one of your biggest challenges.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all you have to do? Do you work more hours than you would like to? Are you stressed out? Do you sometimes wish you had a different life? These are all signs that it is time for you to leverage what you are doing by putting together a team to support you.

Strategic alliances provide invaluable support for business owners. When allies work as a team, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. You win. Your allies win, and your company wins. Because when people work together toward a common goal, magic happens.

Attract and choose your allies carefully. In any relationship, it’s not who shows up, but to whom we say “yes” to. Ignoring red flags ensures disappointment and distress down the road.

Creating strategic alliances is like anything else – it’s an inside job. When you are clear with what you want to attract into your life, you will find it quickly. Start by asking yourself these key questions:

v What do I love to do and what would I like to delegate?

v What are the values, qualities and skill sets of your ideal partner?

v What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

v Where are 5 places I can find my ideal strategic alliance?

To find out more about asking the right questions check out www.asksucceed.com.

Once you’re clear on the answers to these questions, you’re ready to move on to forming your ideal strategic alliances by taking these 10 steps:

1) Look at the different areas of your business – sales, administration, accounting, operations, marketing and publicity.

2) Look in the areas where you need support. What do you enjoy doing? What would you rather hand off to others, if you felt you could trust them?

3) Prioritize areas where you need help and support on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 as “it would be great if …” to 10 as “I need a lifeline now!”

4) Determine your highest values. What MUST you have in a partner? Do you want someone who’s trustworthy, creative, intuitive, or system-oriented? What MUST you avoid in a partner – lateness, dishonesty, a lax sense of ethics?

5) Determine the outcome you want. What result do you want from your alliance – more customers, higher profit margin, or more time off?

6) Create a big vision for your company. Small aspirations lack the charisma to attract desirable strategic allies. Think about how your company can be a force for good in the world – and how much more powerful that force could be if you formed the right strategic alliances.

7) What are you willing to give to make your strategic alliance work? It’s good policy to give first, and it always comes back to you in some form. Think about what you can do for your allies to lighten their load. Get clear on why it’s important to you to form a strategic alliance.

Think about where you need to go to find the type of person or company you want for a strategic ally. Ask yourself, where do I go to find these people? Who do I know who knows people like this?

9) Make a list of those people and where you’re going to go. Then set up a specific timeline of when and where your will meet your new alliances.

10) Take immediate actions. Do what it takes to find the strategic alliances you want: check with friends, go to networking groups (like www.sharedvisionnetwork.com/join and ask business associations to find the type of person you’re looking for; talk to potential allies; check their references; pitch them on the idea of forming a strategic alliance. Be proactive and choose your allies. Don’t wait for someone to choose you.

Once you’ve found prospective allies, ask them the same questions you’ve asked yourself:

v What do I love to do and what would I like to delegate?

v What are the values, qualities and skill sets of your ideal partner?

v What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

v Where are 5 places I can find my ideal strategic alliance?

Their answers will tell you all you need to know about whether you’re meant for each other. When you find the right alliance you’re on your way to increasing success and creating a super life.

Ken Foster is a free-lance writer and the CEO of Shared Vision Network. To find out more go to www.sharedvisionnetwork.com/join or www.asksucceed.com

Creating Wealth

A wealthy young prince was bored with his way of life and was looking for adventure. Day and night he wondered what life outside the palace was like. One day, as he ventured out the west gate, he came upon a man who promised him great adventure. The prince thought about leaving his family and his home and decided not to go. As he started walking back into the palace, the man, an unconscious criminal, kidnapped him, took him to the slums and held him captive. Poverty became the prince’s way of life. He lived there for so long that he thought he actually was poor and miserable. So he accepted his own miseries that go along with living in poverty, although every day he would wish, hope and pray to find a way out of his troubles. One day he caught a glimpse of a radiant light coming toward him from the east. As he watched, the light became brighter and brighter until it was upon him. A beautiful princess, wearing jewels of many facets sparkling with intense light as rays of sun beamed upon them, had heard of his flight and came to rescue him from his dismal situation. She offered him a horse and they rode back to the young prince’s kingdom. When the young prince returned to his palace, he reflected back on his life of poverty and realized that, except in his imagination created by his temporary experiences, he had never been poor.

It is hard to realize when one is in a state of lack or poverty that one has the resources to truly live a wealthy life. It is even more difficult to realize that the choices made over a lifetime have created the situations in which one lives. As a Life Coach, I have asked many clients, “Where have you limited the unlimited? What thoughts are you thinking? What questions are you asking? What actions are you taking on a daily basis that is limiting you dreams?” When one realizes that the choices one is making on a daily basis are the exact choices that are keeping them stuck right where they are, then the doors of change can start to open. Change starts when new questions are asked! But lasting change will not take place unless one becomes introspective on a daily basis. It is important to ask high-minded questions and explore your deep inner voice where you will find the solution to every challenge that you may have. It is in the silence that all answers come. Permanent change takes place first within and shows up outside later.

How many people do you know that, even when the truth is given, continue to look outside of themselves for the answers? Through the socialization process, they have been taught to find the answers to their greatest questions from the “experts”, indiscriminately swallowing useless ideas and parroting untested opinions instead of looking where all the answers are to be found–within.

To find the secret of wealth, one must first open up and see current reality. One must learn to dispassionately look at themselves and assess what is working or not and take immediate action to change. They must be willing with fierce determination to set daily goals to change the trend of their life. This may be easy to talk about, but takes unfettered focus and discipline to accomplish.

Through the power of focus, wealth and success are attainable in this life. Whenever you want to know something, don’t start with data and information, retire the mind, go deep within and concentrate. Seek guidance and when the mind is receptive, ask the questions and start working out the business or mental solution. Set you intention to have a great outcome and set your attitude to be focused on the positive and then follow these steps.

First, determine what your goal is and decide why it is important for you to accomplish the goal. Without a strong reason to accomplish your goal, you will most likely stop when the going gets tough–and you will be challenged! Second, go within and meditate, letting go of what you think is possible. Third, visualize your success; know that you will accomplish your goal. If for some reason you cannot know you will be successful, then fake it until you do know. Fourth, act according to the inner direction you have been given. Success in everything will come to you in a short time because the inner power you have tapped into is the power of your intuition. In this intuition lies the infinite seat of all wealth and happiness. Fifth, take immediate action. Do not wait to do tomorrow what you can start on today. Do everything with your full attention, never in a haphazard way. Sixth, create a daily plan of action that will continue to fuel your focused attention. Seventh, turn all your thoughts, beliefs and actions over to the infinite and know that this is the source of creating all wealth in your life. Awake!

Ken Foster is a successful Entrepreneur and Business Coach. He is the founder and President of Premier Coaching.com www.premiercoaching.com and CEO of Shared Vision Network www.sharedvisionnetwork.com . He is the author of “Ask and You Will Succeed” www.ask-succeed.com

The Simple Things You Take For Granted Are Costing You a Fortune

By Beth Schneider, Process Prodigy

 

Back when I was a college student, I invited my Grandparents over for dinner to see my first apartment. I made a gourmet dinner of Spaghetti and Salad using every mismatched pot I owned. I set a beautiful table with my hand-me-down silverware, poofed up my hair (it was the early 90’s after all) and waited for them to arrive.

After a lovely dinner, the show began. In what was truly just a few minutes, Grandma had cleared the table, packed the leftovers, washed all the dishes (including the pots and pans) and had desert on the table. At the time I just sat there with my mouth open, dumbfounded at how fast she’d handled everything. Looking back I realized that all her years of making dinner and doing dishes had caused her to develop a system. A process for handling the dishes and the mess. And it didn’t matter that she wasn’t in her own kitchen, she just instinctively followed her process and got the job done in record time with little effort.

Just like it had never occurred to me to create a system for basic things like handling the dishes, many people skip over creating systems for basic things like handling phone numbers and making follow up calls. But skipping over these crucial systems can be costing you thousands of dollars in lost time and money. Here’s what I mean.

Fire Fighter Training – When Bad Things Happen to Good Process

 

 

By Beth Schneider, Process Prodigy

 

One moment I’m rehearsing and preparing for a teleclass where I was the guest expert. The next minute, my computer screen goes black. The computer starts making a weird beeping noise and all I’ve got are blinking lights and characters that don’t make any sense. I frantically push buttons as I realize I’m supposed to “go on” in 10 minutes. Not only have I lost my script, but the call-in number to the teleclass and the contact number for the person running the class are locked in the depths of my now useless computer.

AAGGGGHHH.

Sometimes even the best laid plans can unexpectedly blow up in your face and birth a crisis. People make mistakes, technology breaks down, “Stuff” Happens. We’ve all been there when the panic sets in and all rationale hits the road. Trust me I know from personal experience. The key to handling a crisis or what we sometimes refer to as a fire, is to become a Fire Fighter.

Take a look at the steps I used to extinguish this fire. Then incorporate them into your routine so that you can be a Fire Fighter when bad “stuff” happens to your good process.

Step 1: It’s OK to feel

When I realized that my blinking computer wasn’t going to recover I yelled a long list of expletives at it, pounded on it one more time and then got to work. Don’t ignore your emotions. Be mad, sad, frustrated, scared, etc. The key here is to feel these emotions, not dump them on all the people around you. When the problem hits, close your office door and rant all you want, go outside, make a phone call to a sympathetic uninvolved ear, something to let out the feelings so that they can pass and you can focus. Screaming at the people around you or the person who made the mistake is NOT going to help.

Step 2: Focus on a Solution

I needed a solution, fast! My heart was pounding. I was sweating. I had 8 minutes to recreate my script and somehow get the phone numbers I needed to actually dial in to the teleclass. I took a deep breath, calmed down and started brainstorming. I had a choice. I could focus and create a solution or jump up and down and have a temper tantrum. Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani once said that his father told him the key to problem solving was to be the calmest person in the room. Yes, this is sometimes difficult, but by being calm, you can start to focus on a solution to the problem rather than the problem itself. And isn’t the goal to get a solution in place?

Step 3: Form a Plan and Get Going

With 6 minutes to go, I had a plan. As I phoned my Dad, I prayed he was home sitting in front of his computer. He was! First, I had him pull the phone number of the person facilitating the teleclass from their website. Then I had him register for the class so he would get the auto responder sign-in info. Phone numbers, yeah! While he was surfing, I opened my files and pulled a script from one of my live speaking events. Not quite the same program, but something to improvise from. My blood pressure was starting to return to normal.

Once you are able to focus, put a general plan of action into place so you know where you are going and not simply running in circles. Even though it may seem like there is “no time”, stop and think. Determine what immediate actions you have to take to keep your head above water.

Step 4: Get Help

I started thinking about who would have immediate access to a computer. My Dad was the first person I thought of. If he hadn’t been there, I would have gone to my Brother. Then to anyone else I could think of who I knew had a good chance of being in front of a computer. Get the right people working with you. Figure out an expert who might be able to help or offer advice. Find a colleague who may have already been there, done that. Pull people off other projects if you need extra hands. See if there is something you can buy that will help.

If your house was burning down, would you want a fire fighter or a plumber? Do what it takes to get the resources you need.

Step 5: Recap

I called in to the teleclass in just the nick of time. It was a huge success and no one was the wiser. Wwwwhhhheeeewwwww. Now I have a paper file of teleclass scripts, just in case. I also have a running log of teleclass call-in numbers, just in case. I have a system in place to ensure this never happens again. When the dust clears, revisit what just happened. Where did the breakdown occur? How could it be prevented in the future? If it might happen again, what should the plan be?

Fires happen all the time. It’s how you prepare and deal with those fires that make or break the amount of damage that is done. You can be your own best Fire Fighter.

C 2005 Beth Schneider. Want to reprint this article, feel free as long as you include the following: Beth Schneider, Chief Infopreneur of Process Prodigy, is a business process consultant who helps solo-entrepreneurs, small business owners and network marketers who want to systemize their business to increase profits, increase productivity and grow their business without having to give up the family oriented, flexible, balanced lifestyle they desire. Beth works one-on-one with her clients, offers home study courses, and teleclass boot camps. For more information visit www.processprodigy.com and sign up for your FREE 5-Step Process Starter Kit and FREE Process Tips.

5 Steps to Avoid Losing Your Shirt

By Beth Schneider
Process Prodigy

A couple months back I had a little plumbing problem that required turning off the water to the house. Our do-it-yourself job was great until we needed to turn the water back on and nothing happened. Several frustrating hours later the emergency plumber came to the rescue and made everything all better. Should have been a hefty bill right? Well I wouldn’t know because even through I’ve called them, they’ve never sent a bill.

Hello, how do you make money if you work for free?

It’s not on purpose but this same scenario happens over and over with small and large businesses alike. The key is to develop a billing system so that you handle money collection the same way every time you do it. Think about it once, put the process into action and then monitor it regularly. Here are 5 ways put more cash in your pocket.

#1 Get your customers to pay upfront

Put a package together or estimate what the bill will be and get your customer to pay you before you ever start working. Yes, you can do that. Think about the number of programs, seminars, networking dinners, books, CDs, etc. you have paid for before you got to have it. If you set the expectation with your clients up front many will be happy to pay you in advance. It’s the surest way to get paid for your goods or services.  Not comfortable with getting payment in full? Consider getting a deposit.

#2 Send invoices on a regular basis and make sure you get paid

Pick an invoicing day such as the 1st or 15th of the month. Set that on your (or your assistant or bookkeeper’s) calendar and do all billing at once. Make sure you have a system in place to make it easy to create invoices.  Get paid before you end up in a never-never land situation. One of my clients is a high end copywriter. She charges a deposit up front and then the balance once copy is complete.  The problem was she would deliver the final product and the client wouldn’t pay the balance. She had nothing to hold on to because they already had her words. So we changed her process, now she never releases the final product until she has been paid in full.

#3  Automate, automate, automate

Got clients on a payment plan?  Have a recurring monthly fee?  Set up automated payment through a shopping cart service such as www.1shoppingcart.com. You tell it when to charge and how much and it does it for you. The money comes flying in.

But wait; my clients pay me by check. And they are always late.

Try sending a nice reminder email or make a kind reminder phone call the week before payment is due.  Talk to your bank. See if you can have people wire you payments. Cuts down on the strenuous task of finding a stamp.  Or set a policy. Something like two late check payments means they have to pay you by credit card.

#4 Make an effort to collect

Monitor the aging of your invoices. When it gets close to the due date, start calling. Don’t just expect that others are going to make paying you a priority. Call them, fax them, and email them. Ask them to pay with a credit card. Even if you don’t have a merchant account you can always have someone send you a payment through Paypal. It’s worth the small percentage they charge if it gets you paid. You are entitled to collect your hard earned cash.  If you have to, turn your invoice over to a collection agency.

#5 Ensure your money actually gets to the bank

Is there money sitting in your Paypal account that you haven’t cashed out?  Are there checks sitting in a PO Box somewhere?  Are you reconciling to make sure your merchant account payments made it to the bank?  I was having a conversation with a client who told me her bookkeeper caught a large credit card payment that the bank “forgot” to credit to her account. As my Grandpa Lenny says, don’t assume the bank is always right.  Reconcile regularly.  Deposit regularly.  Get your money to the bank so it collects interest, not dust.

 

C 2005 Beth Schneider. Want to reprint this article, feel free as long as you include the following: Beth Schneider, Chief Infopreneur of Process Prodigy, is a business process consultant who helps solo-entrepreneurs, small business owners and network marketers who want to systemize their business to increase profits, increase productivity and grow their business without having to give up the family oriented, flexible, balanced lifestyle they desire. Beth works one-on-one with her clients, offers home study courses, and teleclass boot camps. For more information visit www.processprodigy.com and sign up for your FR*EE 5-Step Process Starter Kit and FR*EE Process Tips.