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Published by Living the Dream Magazines, 2022-05-01 10:49:54

Living the Dream May June 2022

Premier publication for entrepreneurs. Tips, tools, stories, profiles, features from others who have experience and expertise to share.

Keywords: entrepreneur,grow business,business tips

Living the Dream Debbie Saviano…
Magazine
Connect & Communicate
through Social Media

Manifest Your Dreams
Says Denise Banks

Dona M. Deane on
Becoming an

UNSTOPPABLE
Entrepreneur

May June 2022

If you want to conquer fear,
don’t sit home and think
about it.

Go out and get busy!

Dale Carnegie

7 Tips to Get the Issues Out of Your Tissues

by MarVeena Meek

Need some ideas to help you process your past disappointments, pain or anger?
Try these Tips!
1. Massage is a great way of getting some of the issues out of our tissues. When we are holding on
to pain, frustration, drama, sadness, negative emotions, toxins or metals we create havoc in the
physical, mental and emotional bodies.
2. Meditations- You may need to do a lot of this to get into a better place with your past. It is well
worth it though.
3. Reiki is awesome. Find a practitioner in your area, get ready for a powerful treat! By raising your
vibration, we can connect to our higher self and source of life energy. This is a place to make a
turning point in our healing.
4. Cranial Sacral- One of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Love this! Take a nice sea salt
bath afterward to help clear out any toxins you let go of during the process.
5. Sweat Lodge- If you are feeling brave, it is very hot but so powerful and transformational! Sweat
out the pain and the toxins, you will look ten years younger when you come out. Research and get
referrals before you go!
6. Pray- the power of prayer is awesome! Make it a daily habit.
7. Hypnosis- Let your un-conscious mind help your conscious mind with your goals. All hypnosis is
self -hypnosis. A guide can be very helpful in making suggestions.
Namaste'

MarVeena Meek, Psychic Medium
www.marveena.com

Living the Dream
in 2021

PUBLISHER
Melinda Cooper

MANAGING EDITOR
Robin Roberson

MARKETING
Living the Dream Business

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Roberson Squared

Thanks to all the fantastic, knowledgeable and PHOTOGRAPHY
engaging contributing writers.
Pixabay
Hispanic Pro

Google

Denise Banks • Ashley Berges • Melinda Cooper • Sherry Darden
Dona M. Deane • Kim Garst • MarVeena Meek • Michele Mere

Anne Miner • Anthony McCarthy • Robin Roberson

ON THE COVER:

Debbie Saviano,
Social Media, Digital Space &

Entrepreneurial Influencer

Build Your Business
Faster

150with

Fresh Leads

Join Us Now!

Leads4U

IN THIS ISSUE

Features
10

Business Mindset
16

Profiles
29

Business Prep
38

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REGISTRATION ON OR USE OF THE MAGAZINE
CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THE LIVING THE DREAM MAGAZINE’S USER
AGREEMENT AND PRIVACY POLICY. THE MATERIALS ON THIS SITE MAY NOT
BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE
USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM LIVING THE
DREAM MAGAZINE.

LTDB BizMarketing SMARTER FRAMEWORK Target critical areas of strategic development
to best position your business for greater
SUCCESS!

• Defining a niche
• claiming your authority
• building lead magnets
• laser messaging
• email sequencing
• Developing lists to nurture

your best audience(s).

PROGRAM ELEMENTS

Strategically set up lead generators to keep your business working 24/7 while
reducing your overall level of effort (i.e., more time for you to do other things).

Optimize your marketing operations using technology and services already in the
public domain (e.g., software automation, scheduled workflows, etc.).

Follow ‘Step-by-Step’ procedures to refine/enhance your best business to match
your best audience.

Expand your visibility and presence within industry and online using search
engine optimization (SEO) techniques.

Grow your pipeline and opportunities, turn your prospects into customers, and
then into Referrals.

Weekly coach-guided, small group calls with LTDB CEO, and course
coach, Melinda Cooper.

24/7 individual Web-Portal access to all course materials. LTDB Membership,
which includes access to social media and email campaign templates, forms, and
other "freemiums."

INTERESTED IN LTDB BIZMARKETING’S THE SMARTER FRAMEWork

DETAILS: ltdbsmarterframework.com

The Signs are Talking. Are You Listening?
By Melinda Cooper

I speak to a lot of entrepreneurs constantly eager to hear their ideas, their thoughts, and
learn what they believe is changing the “entrepreneurial” journey. I love to hear when one
will say, “the signs are telling us . . .”

Have you taken a look at the “signs” that are directly in front of you? Perhaps you hear
what others are saying in reference to what is happening to entrepreneurs. The other day
I read the same words I have heard many times over, 90% of the daily actions you take are

merely busywork. Go ahead read that one again.

Is your business telling you things have to change? Are
the signs showing you that your business hasn’t or isn’t
growing as fast as you want it to grow? Yes, it’s true,
there are signs that are speaking to you. They may not
be exact words. They may not even be bold directly to
your face yet when you take a different point of view,
you know they are speaking to you.

I was speaking to a dear friend I hadn’t spoken to in awhile and I heard the words coming
out of my own mouth. I knew it was time to make a completely different change inside
my business. I was grateful I was listening and paying attention to what was in front of
me.

It is not enough to say, I know I need to make something change. You are the only one
who can make the right changes. Have you taken a look at your own “google analytics”?
Do you know what needs to be changed in order to keep moving your business forward?
Are your clients beginning to look for your next step forward?

8

What is it the “kids say, I double dare you” to take a moment and answer those questions?
Consider if you are ready to go forward or is your business telling you it is time to move
forward.

Once you begin to do your homework and review everything you are learning about your
business, it becomes easier to recognize what is talking to you. Just as it is easier to stay in
your comfort zone and simply “blame” the economy for the pace your company is growing.

Another way of knowing from deep within what your business is telling you is to keep an
eye on the circle you have surrounding you. As you are taking these steps to find out if
your business is ready to grow start looking at your circle of supportive entrepreneurs.
Create a list of people you want to work with and those who you are already working with.
Which group of entrepreneurs on your list are “READY & SET” to jump into a
collaboration opportunity with you.

There is no doubt some are ready to go and are eager to jump into action. Others will need
a little time to get ready to jump into action. Be honest with you and those who are around
you. Be certain you are listening to what is being said directly to you.

Your business is a living breathing opportunity to live the dreams you want to live. It is a
small pulse of dreaming bigger as you continue to achieve the goals you set out in front of
yourself.

As part of knowing your audience, knowing what they need, and recognizing some do not
know what they need there are plenty of signs speaking to you. Today I give you this gift,
“Leveraging Your Analytics” in hopes you will download and start listening. I know you
and your business deserves to create, grow, and build a legacy to Living the Dream you
want to live now.

Melinda Cooper, author, speaker, coach and publisher of Living the Dream Magazine.
www.livingthedreambusiness.com

9

Connect & Communicate through Social Media

By Debbie Saviano

Many who are reading this article are either Living the Dream OR are making plans to do just
that! Congratulations on realizing that life is too short to not Live Your Dream! There is no doubt
that our world AND our opportunities have expanded thanks to technology. One of the most
relevant is Social Media.

Thanks to Social Media and Digital Space in general you are able to Connect & Communicate
across the globe. There are no longer #gatekeepers in that you can reach out directly via LinkedIn.
If you’re Living the Dream involves a business, then maximizing a professional Social Media
platform; LinkedIn is your “Golden Rolodex”.

The most obvious question might be Why LinkedIn?
➢ 740M + Professionals
➢ Business Mindset
➢ Access 24 / 7 / 365 Days a Year

10

➢ Decision Makers

One of the most important things to ask is – “What Do I Want to Accomplish?” in my Business
on LINKEDIN?

1. Increase my Sales
2. Expand my Brand
3. Establish Credibility
4. Be the Go-to Person in my Industry
5. Recognized as a Thought Leader
6. Have a robust On-Line Presence
7. Expand my Network by converting Connections into Relationships
8. Other……

Now that you see the value of LinkedIn and know What you want to accomplish it’s time to
talk about 5 Tips - Best Practices!

1. Establish Credibility
a. Complete a fully Professional LinkedIn Profile
i. Banner that reflects your Business
ii. Professional Headshot
iii. Headline that speaks to HOW you provide Solutions
iv. Complete all Sections and Features with Skills & Expertise
b. Be specific in WHY YOU!

2. Build Your Brand
a. 1st Impressions Matter!
b. Consistent with Colors | Messaging | Values | Ethics | Intentions
c. Speak DIRECTLY to the Ideal Client
d. Create Interest by showing your Personality!
e. Include a CTA - Call To Action • (See Image below)

Message Me –
Let’s Talk”

11

Speaking at HSN • American Dreams • Ohio

3. Convert Connections into Relationships
f. Begin reaching out to Professionals you already know by connecting with them
g. Research Companies, Schools, Cities, etc. and send an Invite (with a message as to
why you want to connect)
h. Set a Goal of specific # to increase your connections every week

4. Engage and Expand Your Reach
a. Make a list of 5-10 Individuals or Companies you want to “Know You” and
comment and engage on their posts
b. Comment and Share with those who show up in your feed
c. If you see a post and it is reflective | relatable to you and your business, comment
and then reach out to them to connect (with personal message)
d. Engaging is an opportunity to amplify your knowledge, while also building
relationships.
e. When applicable, tag the Individual, Company, Magazine (hint hint). To tag you
type in @______ (followed by the name) and when it turns blue you know they
will be notified. (see below)

12

5. PUBLISH and there is no better way to build and maintain relationships then creating
Content! It can be as simple as an Image all the way to creating a Newsletter. In all cases,
it provides the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge.
a. Images
b. Quotes
c. Videos

d. Articles
e. Newsletter (see below) • Latest Newsletter.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-two-worlds-meet-guide-connecting-
your-teenage-saviano-/

When completing

your LinkedIn Profile | Posting | Engaging - view it all from your Ideal Client’s vantage point. How

does your Product or Service best serve others? How is it beneficial? Again, WHY YOU? There is

no more important question to answer as this is exactly what your ideal Client is wondering.

If you are new to LinkedIn OR if you are in search of a way to not only learn more about how to
best utilize LinkedIn but also be part of a supportive community, I invite you to connect with me
on LinkedIn.

Send me an invite along with a message that you saw this article in
Living the Dream Magazine and I look forward to staying in touch.

Debbie Saviano • Let’s Connect and Talk!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiesaviano/
https://www.instagram.com/debbiesaviano/

https://twitter.com/DebbieSaviano
https://www.facebook.com/DebbieSaviano/

13

Know Your Why! Be Exceptional!

The Must-Haves to Entrepreneur Life!

By Sherry Darden

There are so many reasons why people start a

business. My first "why" is I wanted a

lifestyle that isn't bound to nine to five. My

second "why" was to be responsible for my cash

flow. My third "why" was to care for my mom

without having to ask for time off. So, when she

needed me, I jumped in the car and headed

north! My fourth “why”, but certainly not

last is to make a positive difference with

whatever I do exceptionally well! When times are tough or you encounter “shiny” moment that

distract you from your goal, your whys are crucial.

I’d like to share my journey with you. I recall that I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner as a
sophomore in high school. I remember having that talk with my mom one evening. She was sitting
on a stool to keep me company. So, the conversation I am referring to is…" what do you want to
be?". I love to cook. I am a great cook. I shared with her that I wished to own and operate a small
bistro. She listened patiently. She agreed that I was a great cook, made things pretty, and had a
heart of hospitality. I expected an endorsement, but as the youngest of 4, I had to be a lawyer
(had one in the family), a doctor (had an aspiring one already), or an accountant (there was an
opening for that position for that). So, enter… the accounting major.

So fast forward to my career as an accountant. As such, I know one plus one equals two. Not
three. Not one and three quarters. It is two! So back in 1998, I saw the numbers on the wall of
the mortgage company I worked for. The numbers reported to the lenders were different from
mine. Back then, the famous movie was Titanic. How ironic, huh? I felt the sinking of that ship! I
had bills, like actual bills. I had just purchased a home, so I needed constant cash flow. I quickly
found yet another position. The company president got wind of my planned departure before I
could put in my resignation. He admitted that the business would be liquidated and offered an
excellent compensation package to stay to help the processes. So, he "gave me an offer, I couldn't
refuse"! I found myself exhausted from the "downsizing" or "out of business" rollercoaster in

14

employment through the bankruptcy process. It was then that I bit the bullet and decided to start
my own business in 1999. My “why” was escaping the 9 to 5.

Let me say that everything did not go smoothly. I jumped in with a financial life vest but little
else. I thought about what I knew. I knew accounting and taxes, so that is where I started. Things
were great because it was tax season, so the first quarter of my journey was incredible! I had
worked for H&R Block for years and decided to start my practice. How was I able to launch
successfully as a solopreneur? I promoted what was exceptional about my business. I let my client
base know my experience and tied it to H&R Block work and training. Because I was a home-
based business, I did not want to offer walk-in sessions with my client. Instead, I provided pick
up and delivery for my tax service. That exceptional offering afforded me more business than I
could handle. My “why” was to create control of my own cash flow and care for my mom!

My business model and industry have changed over the decades. I am now a leadership growth
strategist. My offerings are different, but the strategy remains the same. I determined what was
exceptional about me and my business and promoted that. Success requires that you let your
audience (client or employer) know “why” it should be you. One of my clients calls me the "one-
liner" coach. I have the gift of creating analogies or phrases that they get, use, and succeed in the
goal(s) set. This part of my business is just one example of my exceptional deliveries in my
coaching field. My “whys” were the aforementioned and to make a difference.

We are in a new year. If you want something that you've
never had before (business or job), determine what is
exceptional about you. We ALL have something exceptional
about who we are and what we do. It is up to you to
determine that and let the world know.

If you need help with this, I can help! I created a course Putting Your
Exceptional YOU Forward. I have taught this course successfully for one
of the top accounting firms to help their staff create a career strategy to excel within the organization. It works. It
works so well, that I have used it in positioning my business. Simply go to www.SherryDarden.com/Exceptional. For
more information about working with Sherry, visit www.SherryDarden.com

15

How to Overcome Price Objections in a Sales Conversation

By Michele Mere

Price objections are the most common objection that salespeople will face when they are
trying to sell their products. However, price objections are not always about money.
A lot of people think that the only way to overcome a price objection is by cutting prices
or using persuasive tactics. However, there is a better way to overcome this type of
objection – understanding what the customer's real objection is and addressing it
accordingly.
Why Do Price Objections Occur?
When we buy anything, we do not pay with money alone. We pay with our time and
energy as well. As a result of this, price objections are the most common issue that occurs
in any sales conversation.
This section is about explaining why the price objection issue is such a prevalent issue in
any sales conversation. To understand this, we need to understand how human beings
react to prices and their implications on our time and energy.
We have more trust in people who are similar to us or those who share a common interest
with us over those who are different from us or those with whom we do not share an
interest. This psychological phenomenon can be used by salespeople as leverage for
winning over customers who have objections against prices on their list of worries when
considering a purchase decision
In this video, I share with you step by step how to overcome money objections.

Michele Mere, Business Consultant, International
Speaker & Best Selling Author at

Decisive Minds, Success Strategies for Business
Owners

16

Becoming an
Unstoppable
Entrepreneur

By Dona M. Deane

As an entrepreneur with a big vision, I remember how defeated I felt when I was waking up early,
staying up late, and stealing time away from my family...

BUT I still wasn't getting the results that I knew deep down that I was capable of achieving!

I came to the online space with extensive knowledge, experiences, and skills that I’d acquired
while working in various roles for startups and multi-million-dollar corporations, as well as in my
businesses (including one that I’d started from zero and grew to a high multi-six-figure business),
yet I struggled big time!

I was implementing a lot of the things that the “experts” were telling me to do if I wanted to build
a thriving business.

So, among many other things…

I’d spend a lot of time creating and posting content, and all I’d hear were crickets!

There were times when I’d hop on calls, after calls, after calls…

Only to hear:

“Your program sounds great, but I’ll think about it”, or
“I can’t afford to invest right now”, or
“I have to wait until the next go-around before I can invest”, or
“I have to talk to my partner”

It was exhausting and frustrating!

There were many days when I thought about throwing in the towel and going back to corporate,
but thankfully I didn’t because now I'm on track to building a multi-six-figure business, and I have
learned a lot along the way.

17

What I’ve realized since coming online in 2019 is that doing business online is quite different from
doing business locally.

In the online space, the know, like, and TRUST factor is real for many different reasons, and this
is even more crucial since the pandemic started.

When you’re offline, you have the opportunity to build strong connections quicker, and as you
may know, connections are strong currencies in the online space.

At the core of everything, what many entrepreneurs are seeking is to create more freedom, not
only in their lives, but also in their team members' lives, their communities, and the world.

Successful entrepreneurs will share their struggles, but if asked whether they regret leaving the
comfort and security of their jobs, many will tell you that their sacrifices were worth the growing
pain because...

While money is important, it’s usually not what drives many entrepreneurs the most.

The thing that drives many entrepreneurs is their big vision and the desire to serve their people
on a deeper level.

So, I’d like to share a few things that have helped me along my business-building journey (I usually
see the transformation that can occur when we can shine a light and fix the ones that require
some improvement):

1. Ensure that you have an amazing offer, and you can clearly articulate the
transformation of your work. It doesn't matter how advanced you are in your business,
whether you’re looking to create your first offer or your next offer. I believe that there's
always room for improvement, especially during changing times.

2. Ensure that you have a unique methodology (system, blueprint, process, etc.) that will
help you to deliver the promises that you say that you can deliver because not only
will your methodology help your people to understand what you'll do for them, but it
will also help your team to do their work better!

3. Ensure that your marketing messaging and positioning are on point because your
message will help you to attract the right people to your offer and how you position
yourself will help you to stand out from the others in your space uniquely and
powerfully.

4. Get visible! This is where you’ll need a powerful visibility and content mix strategy!
This is key in the online space because this is where you'll build know, like, and trust.
People usually buy from people whom they trust; and remember that marketing and
sales are the biggest lifelines in your business!

18

5. Create meaningful connections while you are getting visible! This is where you’ll need
to develop a process that will help you to follow through and follow up. Remember that
there are real people on the other side with real problems and feelings.

The mistake I see is that far too many people in the online space are treating their leads like big
dollar signs and not people!

I believe that to create deeper connections, we must look at connection as a three-way system,
first with Source (God, Spirit, the universe, or whatever you choose to call that higher power),
then with Self (the higher version of who you are), and then with others (the people whom you’re
meant to serve).

When we can connect with Source and Self, then, we’ll be able to connect with our people and
them better, and we’ll become unstoppable entrepreneurs!

These are some of the things that will help you to gain and keep the momentum going so that you
can take your life and business in the direction that you desire to take them!

Anything is possible if you keep believing, stay focused, be consistent, and have the courage to

keep moving, no matter what!

Dona M. Deane is an author, marketing and business growth strategist,
and the founder of Strike Network Group Inc.

www.strikenetworkgroup.com or [email protected]

19

Waiting to be thanked?

By Anne Miner

I recently overheard Anne's brother asking if she had heard from someone he knew she
had helped. When Anne said she had not heard from her, and didn't expect to, her brother
was surprised.

Anne explained:

"Adalynn did not ask me to do that for her, I did it because I wanted to. So she is
not obliged to thank me."

While Anne herself is quite meticulous about sending thank you notes, in the past, I know
she has felt hurt and disappointed when she was not thanked for her ‘good deeds.’

After some mindful consideration, Anne created a list of four questions to ask herself
when she is feeling unappreciated. She has these questions written on her desk blotter as
a reminder:

1. Did they ask me for help?
If yes, it is reasonable to
expect to be thanked. If no,
read on ...

2. Did I ask them if they
would like me to help? If
yes and they said yes (i.e.,

20

gave you permission to help), it is reasonable to expect to be thanked. If no, read
on ...
3. Did I help them in the way that they asked me to? (or did I do something else
probably because I thought knew better?) If you did as they asked, then yes you
should be thanked. If no, read on ...
4. Did I take this action to please myself? (e.g., I would want someone to do this
for me in a similar situation?) If yes, there is no obligation for thanks.

Based on these four questions, we may NOT be entitled to appreciation, recognition, or
thanks when we have:

• Not been asked to help.
• Not been given permission to help.
• Helped in a way that is not wanted.
• Helped others because it pleased us to do so.

That all made sense to me, but I did have one question for Anne, “What about when you
send gifts for birthdays or other special occasions?”

Anne replied, “I do that because I want to because I think it is a nice thing to do.

"Remember, there are only two ways for others to let you know that they do not
want you to do something: a – they can ask you not to, or b – neglect to thank you.
And, in the case of gifts, there is also the option of returning them to you."

“When people do not thank me for gifts, I decide whether it pleases me to continue and if
it doesn’t, then I stop. The only exception I make is for children whose mothers may have
forgotten to mail me their thank you notes!”

We both laughed remembering the time when Anne received an oversized envelope in
the mail; inside was a note of apology from her sister who had neglected to mail the
children's thank you notes for several years!

I would love to know what you think about when and whether thank you notes are to be
sent.

Anne Minor; Author, Consultant, Speaker
www.thursdayswithanne.com

21

Is It Possible to Turn Your Hobby into a Business?

By Ashley Berges & Guadelupe James
Isn’t it everyone’s dream to turn the thing they love into a profitable venture? In our free time,
we often engage in hobbies. Hobbies can be virtually anything – sport, fishing, gardening,
knitting, gaming, fitness, cooking.
Many people would love to take their hobbies and turn them into a business venture to escape
the generic jobs they may be currently working. The issue is that most people think this isn’t
possible. Moreover, they may simply not know how! But it is possible – the internet has allowed
millions of people to share their hobbies with the world and make a business from doing what
they love! We look at how this is possible below.

Step 1 – Identifying if your hobby can be turned into a business venture?
First, you must look if it is possible to turn your hobby into a business. While most hobbies can
be monetized in some way, some are better suited for business ventures than others.
Think about your hobby. What is it? What industry is it part of? How would your hobby translate
to a business? For example, would you create an online store and sell the things you create? Or

22

would you create a blog to share your hobby knowledge with others? This is the starting point,
and it is vital to understand HOW you will turn your hobby into a business.

Step 2 – Choosing a platform to start your business – blog, website, YouTube channel?

Next, you must consider what platform(s) you will use to create your hobby business. One of the
most common methods is to create a blog and monetize it with advertising and affiliate links.
Alternatively, you could create a website dedicated to your hobby, or an online store.

Many website builders like Wix, Weebly, and Shopify have tools for blog creation, and for creating
online stores. Alternatively, you may decide to great vlogs or video content for your hobby. If so,
a YouTube channel could be the way forward.

Step 3 – Creating branding for your new hobby business

Once you have chosen a platform, you can create cool branding for your business. Even though
you are promoting your hobby, you can still create a brand so that your business stands out and
has an identity.

There are many free tools online for branding. For example, LogoCreator is an online logo building
platform. You can use this to make a professional logo for your business in minutes! Alternatively,
platforms like Adobe Spark are great for choosing color schemes for your branding and creating
marketing media that you can use to promote your new business.

Make sure that the branding is exciting, but also reflects the hobby, and reflects your personality.

Step 4 – Creating content for your new business using your insider knowledge

You have chosen a platform, and your branding is on point. Now you must actually create content
and start building your hobby business! This depends entirely on the platform you have chosen,
and the type of business.

For example, you could start writing and publishing blog posts. Alternatively, you could start
adding product listings to your online store. Moreover, you may want to start recording vlogs or
hobby tutorials to help others.

The key is to make the content interesting, exciting, and engaging. It is also important to pour
your knowledge and love for the hobby into your content. That will help make your business
more useful to others. If you pour your personality and passion into your business, this will also
help boost your reputation and show that you are a hobbyist that customers can trust!

Ashley Berges is a Dallas-based life coach, family therapist, and syndicated
radio talk show host of Perspectives with Ashley Berges, which can be heard

on 570 AM KLIF and 660AM KKSY. She has written three books; her
most recent The 10-Day Challenge to Live Your True Life.
Visit her website at www.ashleyberges.com

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1. Have a solid business plan

Planning plays a crucial role in any business success. A business plan is a good place to start –
defining your skills and weaknesses, what you offer, how it’s unique and how you plan on growing
your offering. What’s more, try to prepare yourself mentally and practically for anything that
could go wrong and how you would deal with it. For example, what happens if you get injured?
What if clients pay you a month late? What if a weather disaster affects you? Or a trusted supplier
goes bankrupt?

2. Prepare for financial challenges

Most of the 600+ small businesses say that cash flow was by far their biggest challenge. Deal
with cash flow blows by saving for a month’s worth of expenses or by getting creative with how
you lower your overheads. You could offer clients a discount if they pay a deposit or the full
amount upfront, or even an incentive – e.g. pay 10% less if you deliver your product or service a
week earlier. Whatever you do, be extremely careful of debt – this is one of the biggest killers
of small business success.

3. Be frugal – remember you’re a start-up

Resist the temptation to splash out on fancy offices, expensive equipment and over-the-top
marketing. Your company’s livelihood depends on what’s in your wallet so every cent must be
triple-checked. Maintain a low overhead and manage your cash flow effectively.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

There are loads of resources out there for networking, knowledge sharing and advice.
Networking is not just for new business opportunities; it can be a wonderful source of support
and fresh ideas.

5. Put your faith in a trusted mentor

It can be a family member, former boss or colleague or even a trusted online source or blog. A
mentor is an invaluable sounding board – someone who’s been where you are; someone with
whom you can have regular, non-judgmental check-ins.

6. Marketing on a shoestring budget

Marketing your new business is extremely important but doesn’t have to cost the earth. Social
media is your friend – creating your business page on Facebook is free and will help your online
search ranking. So is submitting your website URL to search engines like Google and Bing – it’s
completely free.

Also keep an eye out for community Facebook groups – some will require a small advertising
fee while others allow you to advertise your business on certain days of the week. The bottom
line with marketing is to try anything and everything. You won’t know what will work for you
until you try it.

7. Look after number one

Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle – the days of 9-to-5 are over. That’s not say that you must work
yourself into the ground. Exercise regularly, eat healthily and find the time to relax or you’ll end
up being less productive.

8. Build a team that shares your vision

It’s simple: great people make a great company. As your business grows, you might need to hire
staff. Firstly, take the time to interview people thoroughly to ensure that they fit your culture
and share your values. Secondly, it can be hard to let go but it’s important to learn how to
delegate tasks. Finally, don’t expect people to be your clones. Be open to new opinions and
suggestions. It’s always good to get fresh perspectives on old ways of working.

9. Never stop learning

Starting your own business is a constant process of growth and learning. It’s important to
enrich yourself with both practical and emotional skills. Take a look at free or low-cost e-
learning resources such as the Hubspot Academy, Udemy and Inc.edu.

Sharpen your project or time management skills, learn a new software program or teach
yourself how to run your own social media campaigns. You can also work on your management,
presentation and motivational skills. If you travel a lot, podcasts and things like TED talks are
great ways to inspire and educate yourself.

10. Safeguard your venture

The best entrepreneurs don’t seek risk, they seek to mitigate risk. Small business insurance is
one of the best ways to look after your livelihood, and it’s more affordable than you think.
Make sure that your precious stock and premises are covered in an emergency such as a fire or
theft.

MANIFESTING YOUR DREAMS
By Denise Banks

Recalibrate your mindset and belief system

I first learned about the law of attraction when I learned about the law of attraction. After
mastering how powerful the mind is in manifesting what I desired, I published my first
book, Gladiator in a skirt 60-day transformational gratitude journal.

Manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief.
essentially, manifesting is making everything you want to feel and experience a reality. For
me I manifested my dream home. I believe that gratitude is one of the greatest keys to
manifestation.

The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. If you focus on your fears, what you
don't have, and the negative feelings that go with it, you'll continue to attract lack and
negativity, instead, you must focus on the gratitude you feel for the things you know are
coming, as though they are already in your grasp, and you will attract them more quickly,
as well as find even more reasons to be grateful. There is a special energy that comes to us
when we believe something, and when we celebrate it, that energy brings what we ask for.
Try taking a few minutes to be grateful, not only for what you have, but also for what you
will have - as if you already have it, this create an expression of gratitude...I am so happy
and grateful now that I've purchased my dream home.

The secret to attracting your innermost desires really starts in the way you think. It’s our
belief system that simply revolves around our thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs, therefore
creating our external and internal reality. Our thoughts have a huge impact on our lives and

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whether we realize it or not, where we currently are is in fact an accumulation of the thought
patterns.

My secret to manifesting dreams

I had to recalibrate my mindset. The secret to turning my dreams into reality and living out
my manifestations started in my mindset and belief system. I ultimately had to change my
thinking and eliminate limiting beliefs that told me I wasn’t worthy or deserving of the life
I dreamed about. I believe mindset is everything, and everything is mindset. Your mind
was created to serve you, but most people allow the mind to control them instead.

Napoleon Hill said whatever the mind of a man can believe and conceive, it can achieve.
Believe with certainty and leave no doubt, that you deserve to live the quality of life you
dream about, because it only takes 1% to cancel you out.

Clarity is also key to manifesting your dreams, because without clarity there is no vision,
without vision there is no understanding, without understanding, there is no focus, without
focus there is no execution, and without execution there is no action, which means no
results, and without results there is no manifestation.

Clarity is the key to having the ultimate result in manifestation. In order for me to
Successful manifest my dream home, I had to have a clear concise picture of exactly what
I wanted, why I wanted it, and what it would take to get it!

Once I changed my thinking habits, I had clarity to see what I wanted which caused a shift
in my life personal, spiritual, and economically. You see once you have clarity you can
take your vision, concept or dream and turn it into reality.

Whatever degree of clarity you’re experiencing right now is what you’ve decided to create.
Not deciding still counts as a decision The word decide comes from the Latin decidere,
which means “to cut off from.” In order to manifest, you must cut away or change old
habits.

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MY TOP 4 TIPS TO MANIFESTING YOUR RREAMS
Gratitude -Visualization-Focus-Mindset. What I think and feel, I manifest. Thoughts
become things.

Gratitude-
contributes to more gratitude and happiness. Be grateful for all you have now.

Visualization-
When you visualize what you want to achieve, you are consciously deciding to look
for information about a situation that will improve your performance outcomes.

Focus-
the concentration of attention or energy on something. When you focus with
intention on that which you want to manifest, focus allows you to maximize clarity.

Mindset-
Your mindset influences how you think, believe, feel, and behave in any given
situation. It's a set of beliefs that shape our mindset.

Denise Banks, Founder Women Building Wealth Globally
and Gladiator Professional Development
www.womenbuildingwealthglobally.com

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Anthony Mc Carthy, The Irish Marketer
A Conversation with Neil Napier

Today's conversation chat is with Neil Napier. And I know we got some stuff torn up the screen there
probably what you can see technology you can see I'm not in my office today, because technology has
absolutely beaten the crap automate this morning. And that's what happens. Some things online just have
to keep going. So, Neil, why don't you tell everybody how long you've been online?

Neil: I'm sure. So, I've been around for quite some time. Now by that I mean, about eight years or so I've
been actively, you know, so things online as a product creator. But initially, I started as a freelancer before
that doing writing and then copyrighted work.
Anthony: Cool, cool. And do you remember making your first dollar?
Neil: I do actually I do. So, I'm thinking back to the moment. And back in 2013, actually was and I'll talk
about the first dollar I made by selling a product. Back in 2013, I came out, I had been making a little bit
of cash on AdSense by using sort of a trick. I mean, it's not a hack, it's not a bad thing. It was just a different
thing I was doing with AdSense. So, I thought, hey, if it's working for me, it could work for other people as
well. So, I wrote and basically packaged it at $17. And I just told people about it. And the thing was that
back then, you know, I didn't have any design skills. So, I didn't have money to hire anyone. So, I just create
something really simple put it up on Warrior Forum back in the day. And I had some a lot of affiliates
jumping in. And within a week that that particular launch with no upsells, and I give away 75%
Commission's that launched at about $17,000. And I walked away with $4,000 in my pocket. And I have
to tell you, that's the most amount of money I had made, you know, just in a short period of time. So, I
was I was amazed. So yeah, I think that that's been the turning point for me, in this online business.
Anthony: So, you did that in 2013, you've now got a multiple million-dollar software business. How did
you go from that to where you are now? In kind of synopsis?

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Neil: Yeah, I mean, you know, kind of like, if I look back, now it feels like it just suddenly happened. But of
course, there were a lot of different steps leading up to it. So initially, as I mentioned, we did we sold a
PDF, I sold a PDF, then we got into launching software products initially was WordPress plugins, because
they were easy to create, you could pay someone literally three, four or $500, get a decent plugin creator,
and you could sell that and you know, make a few 1000 back. So that's what we did in the beginning. And
then we moved into creating actual web-based software as a service, when that became more common.
And that was actually as early as 2014. Those were quite expensive to create back then. But then the ROI
was good as well. And you because you kept doing this over time, because we had a very, very active list
of customers that we were engaging to marketing with, or marketing to engaging with, it meant that we
were able to stack up a lot of offers stack up a lot of products. And we were able to make decent money.
And actually, I think it was 2015 when we had our first million dollars in gross revenue. We almost came
close the year before that. That was the year when everything kind of came together. And we did a million
dollar plus in sales.

Anthony: Wow. So, what's the one thing know that you do every day to make money? Is it you know,
sending emails? Is it content? Is it social media? Is it creating software? What's your one coffee, that one
core thing that you do?

Neil: Oh, it is absolutely email marketing. I mean, we do have a lot of emails set up an automation. But
the day we don't send an email is a day, we don't make much money, like we make a little bit because of
automation, but we don't make a lot of money. So, I have realized over time that of course, there's a lot
of things that keep on happening, for example, software development, copywriting, and all those things
happen in the background with my team working on it. But if you don't press that send button or an email,
you know, money's not going to come in today, for the most part. That's how it goes.

Anthony: I agree 1,000,000%. Same for me, it's for most people. So, if we were to do a back to the future
moment and take you back in time to when you were starting out even before you made that first money,
and we could sit you know in the room with yourself. What advice would you give?

Neil: You see if that was the case, if I had to start from scratch now and basically just to everything all over
again, I would focus on creating a product and building a buyer list. I think having an opt in list is great. It
definitely helps because you can sell something to those people. But your best buyers obviously are going
to people that have just bought something from you minutes ago or days before weeks before. So, if you
can, even if it's a simple information product or live training webinar, whatever you can do, even if you
can only charge $1 for it. It's something I would advise everyone to do so even with me when people come
to me and say hey, I want to make money like right now, what can I do I say, for example, just do a live
webinar charge, you know, 10 2040 $50 for entrance, and that's it, you're on your way you have a product,
then you have a list as well, you basically good to go. That's what I'll do.

Anthony: Sweet, great voice. And what's the biggest lesson you've learned in your business so far?

Neil: I think the biggest lesson so I've had a rough few years between 2016 to 2019. I mean, mostly 2017
to 2019. And what I realized at that time was that I became a little bit also word for that. In other words
gives me but I just don't, you know, I can do it. Like I can do my screws. I don't have to worry. I don't have
to think I can just, I can just complacent. Yeah, that's it. So, I complacent. I became complacent. And I
thought I could just, you know, it'll happen anyway. Like, I don't have to do much. I don't have to promote
other people. I don't have to talk to people I can, it'll just come and ask the problem. So that does tend to

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happen. Once you become really comfortable in something you feel like, you know, your own success.
And I think that's, that's the biggest thing that I've learned over time is that I'm not on anything. You know,
the day we stopped innovating the day we stopped putting offers out there or sending out emails or
engaging with our customers is the day when the market forgets about us. And that's only fair because
there's so much competition, you know, why should someone listen to me if I'm not kind of at on top of
their attention span right now. So, to me, that's been the biggest thing like not to get complacent not to,
to kind of just assume that success will come to you, you have to fight for it no matter what.

Anthony: Yeah, I agree with older adults, you sometimes you believe your own stuff. And as I say, I call it
the Jesus syndrome, not taking anybody's religion into question, are you following Jesus, but you found
him in the mirror? It does happen to all of us. So, if I had a chance to ask you one question, and there was
a question, which would be the most important one to ask you? What question would you recommend?
I asked you, then of course, I won't ask you to answer it.

Neil: That's a tough one. And look, it's like, I guess you could ask me like, what's more important money,
or, you know, the quality of life. And the thing is the answer to that, typically, people would say, Well, of
course, if I have more money, I have a better quality of life. But it's something that I've learned over time,
that until a certain point, you know, your quality of life will improve, but then it will hit a ceiling, because
at the end of the day, you don't want to pay like for me, for example, I feel weird about paying 300 $400
a night for a hotel room, you know, that just seems unfathomable to me, it's not something I want to do
ever. So even if I was to make a lot of money, it's not something I'd be very comfortable spending money
on still. So, from my point of view, you don't need a lot of money to be happy, you need some money, you
know, that's important. But after that, you have to remember why you started all this. And I think we get
really about it, like, you know, once we hit, let's say $1,000, monthly and profitable, okay, and let you
know, to me 10 2050 $100,000. And that's okay, but just remember why you started all this I've seen. And
again, the reason I say this, Anthony, you will know this, too. I've seen a lot of people kind of get into this
journey, make a lot of money lose their head. I mean, they lose connection with their family with advice,
their husband, their kids. And I think you have to remember again, why you're getting into all of this and
not, you know, your family or other things on the back burner because of making money online. Sure.

Anthony: Yeah, no, I agree. 1,000,000%, because it was the reason I went online, is I was an offline
business, I was making an awful lot of money. And until I got wiped out. And one of the things the goals
when I actually when I got completely obliterated, I pass zero so fast, it wasn't funny. And it was I went
back and I found a book where a red note my goal is about three years already. And the first one was, I
need to spend more time with family. Right? So, for me, it's very much No, as you were talking before, we
started with my grandkids, you know, and going off to today and rest of it and I can take time off to do it,
and I have time to spend with them. And that to me was the important thing. And I need to know, for me,
I need enough money to balance at least you know enough money for that. And for the money put away
for when I'm bored or something happens. And that's it. Do I want to make 2050 60 million a year like
some of the guys are doing? No do I want 900 staff? No. For me, and as I'm doing as I'm saying this folks,
when you're reading this or watching this, it's that like, you've got to figure out and everybody's gonna
say what's right for you, you know and what you want. So, I know that you, because I'm one of the legends
who became a dead weight legends, was I don't remember that vividly. You know, which is great
experience. That was your first choice. It's fantastic. So, somebody starting out in 2020 to beginner who
has was looking into window of this internet world, you know, they may think it's over swamped. There's
too much competition. There's no opportunity out They don't know where to start. Give me three tips.

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What would you say to someone if they were sitting with, you know, and said, look, I'm thinking going
into this into that marketing word, right? What should I do?

Neil: Look, I'll tell you this right now as it stands, unemployment is at a quite a high level in the world. And
you know, people have realized that they don't want to work in crappy jobs or crappy pay. So, what they're
starting to do is they're trying to look online for ways to just make money on the side, like literally, that is
how it starts. For most of us, you know, you do a quick Google search, how to make money from home.
And I think as long as there is this, this, you know, swathe of people coming in, that are looking to basically
make extra money, if you are getting into the market to kind of help them it's going to help you, if you are
getting into the market to help people lose weight, there's always going to be someone waiting to come
in, same relationship. So those are three key markets, like build relationships, and losing weight number
one, so three tips. Number one, as long as you pick one of these three markets, you'll be okay, you have
to drill down a bit more, you have to find a specific kind of person type to help with a specific problem
and solution. But as long as you drill down into that, you'd be okay, number one. Number two, the money
you make is always done to an exchange. Again, like I said, before, no one owed me anything, because I
existed, as long as you're not positively improving someone's life, they're not going to pay you for it. So,
you have to really measurably quantifiably add something to someone's life. So, they feel happy to pay
you whatever price you ask for. So, I mean, that is, you know, a lot of people sort of internalize and say,
Well, yeah, I am helping that person. So, they owe me their money. Again, if they don't feel it, if they don't
see it, they're not going to pay you, they'll feel weird about it. So that's the second thing is make sure you
are impacting someone, I think that's very important. The third thing that I would advise anyone to do is
to build an asset that you can leverage again, and again, for example, I think we can take this call, as an
example, I think this would be maybe it could be posted on YouTube, it could be shared turned into an e
book, it could be turned into a chapter in a book, you could take parts of it and use it on social media. So,
when you build something once, find ways to reuse it over and over again. And that's going to help you
go further, with a little bit of effort that you put in and you know, things like this, you can always systemize
and pass over to a virtual assistant, for example.

Anthony: You've got you just give away the whole marketing plan for this, thanks. And to be fair, since
we're talking about Andy, the other reason that we're doing this, and we're doing this launch at the
ridiculous value that we're doing it, right, and I'm not saying that because you've already purchased
notebooks so that this isn't sales hype. And is the fact that you know, we want you to attend to someone,
it's as simple so that we have we have the whole target the whole campaign figured out and then work
backwards, which is great. So, somebody, we bought me, not all homes, but I certainly made a lot of
people who've made some money, you know, they've made their four and that's one of the reasons I
asked you the question about making the first money. So, everybody can see that, you know, I think there
was one person didn't remember it the first money, but they've been unknown since before computers
are nearly born. And so, you can be forgiven, but 99.9% of us remember making our first money, right?
And, and so you've made the first money. There's they're still struggling, right? They don't know what to
do next. Because a lot of people change horses, a lot of people move around, a lot of people do stuff.
What advice would you give to somebody who's made some money to crush in 2020?

Neil: It's a very good question. So, I find that a lot of people get sometimes they get a bit bored by things
or making money because they're like, I don't want to do that anymore. It's boring. And I felt that to buy
launchers, for example, to the point that they are so systemized first, now that it's almost like a job. And
I feel like I don't want to do it anymore. It's kind of boring, even that makes good money. So, number one,

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if that's you, I would remind you that focus on what is good for your cash flow to begin with. And if you
maybe look past it, because you're bored, because it's become a bit of a job, then outsource it, give it to
someone else. But don't, don't forget what actually pays you, you know, it's okay to experiment on new
things and try new things. But if you are concerned about money, focus on what's actually working right
now. And continue to do that over and over again systemize it to the point that you can just give to
someone else because, you know, for example, for me, I can tell you, our launches have been systemized
to the point that every month, I'm quite confident that I'll get paid between 10 to $20,000 minimum, you
know, usually between that number and I don't have to do anything for it. My team handled everything
and that's good passive income. I mean, I you know, I talk to them once a week, but they just let me know
about the status update on how everything is coming along. And I don't have to worry about anything
else. So that's good money. I can now focus my energy on other stuff like crypto or LFTs or strategic stuff
in the business. So, I think Just even if you come across something that you become good at, but it's
become boring, just outsource it, give it to someone else. Yeah.

Anthony: The interesting thing that you said there is, and it's a common thing that's coming across is, if
something worked, keep doing it. You know, you use emails every day, everybody or send emails every
day, we meet people who say, you know, the first question I'd ask is, have you list? Yeah, have you email
them? No. Well, are you surprised? You haven't made money? Really. So, keep doing it. Because making
money a lot of the time isn't the boring stuff. Right? Because you've done it, you've had the challenge
excitement, you want to address it, but you don't understand, right? It can be in a boring stuff. And when
you have enough money, you can then pass that off to which we do I don't send my own emails anymore
was one of my sons does. And I pay him. You know, I don't do any of my traffic stuff, when I'm older sons
is that and you kick it out? So, I just keep in the family? I'll have to, they've cost me enough to start paying
back. So, what you believe is your legendary superpower?

Neil: No, we're talking about emails, right. So, for me, I think that's it now, like you I don't, I don't write
my own emails, my son's not old enough yet to actually write yet. So, you know, once he is I'll show train
up to, but we do quite well with email marketing. So, we actually have an email automation in place for
four months, so for maximum four months, so when someone comes into our list, for the next four
months, we keep selling them engaging them, keep sending all our offers to them one by one that takes
about 1011 days for one sequence to go through. So of course, if someone has all the products, they'll go
through it within 1520 days with gaps, if they don't have all the products, then there'll be in there for 120
days. And our goal is in q1 of next year to extend this to 240. And eventually to 40 days and eventually to
a whole year. So, the idea being if someone comes into our email list, for the next year, they are engaged,
and we are getting sales on autopilot. Like that's my vision. So, we already have something in place for
four months. And honestly, that gets us really good ROI. Like just in the last six months alone, we have
generated an extra $200,000 from that, which is incredible. Like that's money that we didn't happen
before, you know, that wasn't coming in before; cards left on the table.

Neil: Yeah, money left on the table. That's it. So, I think, you know, we have we've done really well with
email automation. And that's something that I teach a lot of other people about these days.

Anthony: Sweet that. So, you know, I like the automation idea. And you're actually like an even 14 with
me, you know, something I don't do and I have multiple products, and it's something I should be doing.
So absolutely, it means 100% set. So, let's talk a little bit on traffic. So, and do you do, I'm putting a petition
in to change free to unpaid, right? On paid traffic? Because you either spend time or money. That's the

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constant equation. Let's be let's be perfectly lendable. And so do you do on paid traffic? Or do you do paid
traffic? What ways you generate traffic? And how would you do it?

Neil: So, we try and do both? Because I mean that there's always some experimentation going on there,
too. So, a lot of my traffic comes from affiliate partners, for example, and I think I'll call that paid, or do
we pay them after the sale is made? So that's actually beneficial to us? Because there's no cost upfront
for it. We have done a fair bit of Facebook traffic before we are going slowly into Google ads as well. The
problem with Facebook is it can they can be a little bit iffy with approvals and whatnot. I mean, you know,
it's messy, at best of times. So, so yeah, that's something we dabble into handy. But not we're not full on
into that, we are actually going quite aggressively into free traffic, although it's organic marketing. I've
got a team of three writers, one editor, and they're working around the clock to build organic traffic for
our software as a service solution, one of our autoresponders solution. So, they're focused on that once
they do that, I'll duplicate the entire playbook to another product of ours. So, we are trying to focus more
on organic moving forward just because honestly, I've realized that okay, in the last eight years, we haven't
really built ourselves like we have passive income sources. Now. That's good. But we've never built
ourselves a passive traffic source. And that's what I'd like to build. So, I'm trying to focus you know, this
quarter on organic and really extended for the next year as well so that we have enough organic traffic
coming in without having to worry about Facebook account getting shut down.

Anthony: Yeah, no, I liked area passive traffic. You're gonna have to give me two seconds because my dog
is staring at me here to a door. Just give me one second. Not hands off. It's he's walking. So, he used to be
walking with this or this or he's waiting for his walk. Right? It's more work than the kids. And so how do
you measure your traffic success? Is it by opt ins, is it by clicks? Is it by sales? Or do you have a mix of
metrics for the different campaigns?

Neil: It's a good question for paid traffic. We mostly look at sales because you want to establishing ROI or
return on ad spend. For example, I say with affiliate traffic as well, like, we want to see how it's converting
in terms of dollar made per click, I guess you could say in simplest form. But when it comes to free traffic,
it's a lot more complex than that. Because of course, we want a lot of free traffic, like I was actually working
through our KPIs, our goals, and our main goal in that is to rank higher for sale for keywords, you know,
rank and top three for some keywords, at least, and just really grow our organic traffic 10% month on
month. So, I think it depends on the challenge that you're after with organic, it takes a little bit longer to
get that sale coming through. But until then we're going to just measure organic traffic, but for paid, it's
usually dollar per click that we look at.

Anthony: Okay, cool. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. So, somebody's doing affiliate marketing, right. And
especially in today's world, because, you know, everybody's slow to take on affiliates, because the credit
card hacks and all the rest of it, and the stuff that's going on, and also that I don't think people realize
enough, the whole, you know, somebody's coming. If you've 10 people who've got bad traffic, they can
really affect the launch effect the stats. And what that means is the good guys look at it, and they go, Oh,
I'm not doing that. Because it's not working right? Wish not may not necessarily because so somebody
starting out in affiliate marketing know what, what recommendation would you give them,

Neil: I would strongly advise you to focus on content marketing. I mean, it goes a long, long way, you'd be
surprised. So having a central blog, where you are publishing reviews, and I'm not talking about copy paste
reviews that you see, when you Google a product name, I mean, actual genuine reviews, or maybe even
you using the tool. And again, if you ask for less nicely, that lets you have a review copy that you can use

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for yourself to actually use the tool, showcase artworks, turn that into YouTube video that you can post
as well, and a blog to go with it. And that already goes a long way. I'll give you one other example, Jeff
Lennie. Now Jeff has, over time become an SEO Wizard. Like I'm not sure if he was an SEO Wizard to begin
with. But he usually promotes big ticket launches. So, launching a product price is above $2,000 or so. And
he absolutely crushes it, like he's promoted launches, where he's made as much as $50,000 for himself,
you know, and that's quite common, like easily promote something four times a month and four different
products a month, and it easily bank anywhere between 10 to $50,000 in each of them. And that's just,
again, all organic traffic. And I'm quite confident that in the beginning, he struggled with it a little bit. But
as a site became big as the domain authority went up, now, any person article, you know, it starts ranking
within a day for those keywords. So, it's a gradual thing. But again, now he's built it up to a stage where
he can, I mean, I don't want to say push button and make money, but he can literally just push an article.
And that brings in sales as soon as the card opens. So I think a lot of people don't value organic marketing
enough. It is a slow play. But it's also good to create your own content and post and basically show to the
vendors as well that you're putting in the effort. So that'd be the way I recommend anyone to go.

Anthony: Yeah, no, it's interesting, because that's how I started. Okay. And then I decided, hang on a sec,
never put an opt in page in front of it. I'll build the list. You know, so? And do you have affiliates for your
products and to take on affiliates?

Neil: We do. Yeah, we take on affiliates all the time, we actually have a dedicated affiliate manager. And
he also helps people that are new, you know, they don't know how best to promote to usually talk to
them one on one as well, which helps them as well.

Anthony: Perfect. Well, we'll put a link to that in the affiliate code. So, let's talk a small bit about list
building, because we've been taught. And, you know, it was one of the questions that I always had, like,
everybody says, when you're starting out in this, you have to build a list, you have to build a list, I
understand that. But how do I build a list recommended me for people building a list starting up.

Neil: So, I still genuinely believe that I mean, opt in pages well and good. But if you can sell something,
even for $1, that, you know, people are gonna have the wallet for that. And no one's going to refund the
chargeback for $1. So, you save there. But, if possible, try and sell something for $1 Could be an ebook. It
could be a live training, like I said, or it could be something you've done before, and you've not packaged
it up and just you just tell people like, look, you're on this page. And you know, probably because you and
I have never done business before. I'm not the kind of person who just gives you an email, opt in form and
say, subscribe, and I'll give you a newsletter. Instead, I asked you to get my most value training for just $1
like I sold this for 97. But you get it for $1 today, because it's the first time you're transacting. And I think
that's a far far better way to build an engaging email list than an email list of people that have just opted
in because you asked them to. So, to me, it does take a bit of effort to put yourself out there but even if
you were to go to your Facebook profile right now, and put out something like hey, over the last, you
know, month or two months I've been learning about x y Zed. There's You know, the rabbit hole basically
goes deeper than you can imagine that there's so much I want to share with you, I want to run a live
session where I can tell you all about it. So, I want to do it for free, because it's not the best use of my
time. But I don't want to charge you insane amount either. I'll just charge you $1. Like that's just a fee to
show up. So, I know you're serious about it. And you'd be surprised how many people are happy to pay
that dollar and also give you the email address. And again, like I said, that kind of lead that you generate
is much stronger than in my opinion, a freebie opt in lead.

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Anthony Mc Carthy The Irish Marketer 25:30 Yeah, no, I agree. Anytime you can get buyers, it's a great
time. And basically, what you're saying is, and here's a coffee tip for you guys, for less than a price of a
cup of coffee.

Neil: Yeah, perfect.

Anthony Mc Carthy The Irish Marketer 25:42 And since you are an avid product creator, and when it
comes to product creation, and somebody know, looking at this, and the thing, and I know you've covered
this a couple of things, as one whole kind of step by step of an alright, I'm sitting there, maybe I, you know,
obviously you have to know some credit product, that's a no brainer. And I'm waiting behold to send
emails, how to do affiliate marketing, it can even be anything that you're doing. So, give some of the
listening or reading this, and country tips on product creation from you how you do it.

Neil: So, I'll actually give you a process, I think there might even work better because you know, just
executed it'll bring you results. So, a lot of people tend to go by product creation the wrong way. Because
they think they know what the market wants. And they're like, Yeah, I've done my research. I've read
Reddit forums and discord. And I know what people are after. So, I'm just going to create this product,
and then I'm going to sell it. So, what they do is they go into hibernation mode for like a couple of months,
they work really hard create all the slides create the product. And when everything is done, they're like,
okay, now I'm going to go ahead and sell it. And then they do the sales pitch to do the video, the emails
and everything, and they start selling it. And it's crickets. Basically no one gives a damn, no one cares
about their product. And it's not because the product is bad. I mean, look, our product might be the best
ever product that's ever hit the market around that topic. But the challenge is that people have this ego
where they feel like I know what people want, you don't, you know, I think it was Henry Ford to actually
set this back in the day. If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. So
that's the point. So rather than asking people rather than assuming that you know what they want, let
them work with their money. So, what I tend to do is, typically, if I have an idea, I would write that idea
from four different perspectives. So, for example, let's say I want to talk about list building, you know,
three secrets for this building, or the one trick to list building that no one's ever told you, you know, those
kind of copy headlines, I would write them. And I would ask just a few people like, hey, which one grabs
your attention emerged, and they told me, this one's really good. So, then I'll turn that into Facebook
purse, I'll say, okay, I've been discussing this idea totally with my team or with my friends. And I've been
learning about list building, and I want to teach about on this topic. Now, this training is going to be $97.
But here's what I'm going to do. I want to let only 10 people and because I want to keep it close, I want to
build this for you. So, I'll let 10 people in, I will only charge you $1. If you like it, you will be charged $47
Next day automatically after the training is done. If you don't like it, you can let me know after the training,
I won't charge you that $47 You basically just pay $1. Right. And the benefit is that when you sign up, I'm
going to show you already what I'm going to cover. And if you think something is missing, you can tell me,
I'll add that to training as well. So, you get information on that too. So, you actually getting people to
advise you on what the curriculum should be like what they want to learn after they have paid. So, if you
do this, what's going to happen is that even if you were to only take in 10 people, you can run that as a
very close group session for a couple of hours, you could teach them what you know, and what they want
to know. You could then later break it up and turn it into a course. And now you have proof of concept.
10 people have paid for it, maybe five people paid for it all the way. And that's a good thing. Because not
only have you made money right now delivering something live, but then you also have something
tangible they can continue to sell to people in the future. You'll get a lot of testimonials on the session

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that you do in a day. And you will ask people like Hey, what did you think? Did you like it, they'll shout out
like that was great. That was the best session I've ever attended. So, you're going to take all this and turn
that into real world testimonials you can use on your sales page as well. So, you have done all your
marketing, essentially, after your product was created to extract all the best parts of it. Turn that into your
sales page, what your customers said, you can take the one liners and put that as headlines for emails,
subject lines for emails. And that's just how you basically build everything around the product. So again,
people do it wrong, they have an idea and they build everything around the idea. Instead, they should just
deliver the IDF, see how it goes. If it doesn't load, it's okay bear and move on to the next one. But if it goes
well then build the entire marketing around the product. That's the way to go.

Anthony: Yeah, the reason I laughing at the fact of it is what you were describing was me when I started
I want the ball five months building war and peace which was an absolute and I sold three books to which
I believe me testing the cart myself and now the interesting thing was by doing what you said I turned into
a trigger and Information Program and I was that was the interesting move to because they weren't the
content was very good It wasn't that important seven back that was it we did a lot of Adela Walkman but
it was able to move but definitely doing what you said we are do that you hear people saying you know
ask people what they want and give it to me make money but the I think the best way to doing that as
you said is ask people to pay for what they want and you're mad money because I've a very bad expression
about opinions are like buttholes everybody has one under nominee for the same substance, right?

Neil: Yeah.

Anthony: Everybody will give you advice everybody will tell you what you should do or you know and even
when you build your list folks you're gonna get the same you don't get emails off people send you send
me too many emails you don't send me this much emails you don't do that as this you get no you just
you're gonna everybody's gonna tell you what to do stick to what works but I love what you're saying you
know get people to vote with their wallets and if they pay for it gone and then and then create and create
the content because it's actually what I've taught my sons to do as well we create software I'm going to
be doing one shortly give myself is how we're not this one is different because we wait it's not really
because I've been doing legends for four years so thank you for you have to do that. So, it's not as far as
the research is done like and so that was fantastic again, thank you very very much for taking time out of
your busy schedule sorry for the internet is not almost gotten on kick the crap automation are the internet
and see, you know, for internet providers like for the crazier they're putting in them because we live in
Ireland again. I live in at the second biggest city now they're putting in an infrastructure of high fiber
cables. But I reckon by the time you get there Moskal humblebee. Perfect guys, one of the board needs
to see me on legends. And thanks very much for taking time out of your schedule and I'll talk to you soon.
Thanks

Anthony Mc Carthy The Irish Marketer, https://www.facebook.com/anthonymccarthy

http://anthonymccarthy.com/?fbclid=IwAR1krFDSj1-s43Zj9y-AjGkTRh6dLelonCMh5jnIfvanN8PVK1M8c4-c1bw

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In this article, I’m going to walk you through some proven marketing strategies to increase your
online course sales. Implement these strategies consistently and you’ll never have trouble
finding students again!
1. Use Testimonials in Your Course Marketing

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Via Online Course Masters

Using testimonials on your sales page, on social media, and in your emails is a GREAT way to
boost course sales. People want to know that others have taken your course and have
benefited from it. This “social proof” reduces the risk people feel in signing up for your course.

According to research done by BrightLocal, 88% of consumers trust online testimonials and
reviews as much as they do personal recommendations…this is HUGE! Use this to your
advantage by collecting and using testimonials – especially video testimonials – as often as you
can!

2. Hold a Free Challenge

Have you ever seen these free 5, 7, or even 30-day challenges being promoted online? A free
challenge can be a FANTASTIC way for business owners to gain the trust of their audience and
to promote their course in a non-spammy way.

Create content that you’ll share with your audience on each day of the challenge, and then
deliver it via a Facebook group or email. At the end, be sure to offer an exclusive discount for
anyone who wants to buy your course!

For more on creating your own challenge, check out my post, How to Prepare, Plan and Launch
a 7-Day Challenge.

3. Offer a Money-Back Guarantee

Via Milkology

Offering a 30-day money-back guarantee can be
a great way to boost course sales. When Neil
Patel implemented one, he immediately saw his
course sales jump by 21%! Unfortunately, some
people will use this as a way to get a free course
– buying it, but knowing full well they’re going to
request a refund.

To protect themselves against this, some course creators require students to prove they’ve
done all the course work before getting a refund. While not a foolproof strategy, this can
definitely reduce refund requests.

4. Offer a Free Trial of Your Course

Another proven strategy is to offer a free trial of your course so people can try it out before
buying the whole thing.

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Typically, this would involve offering access to a portion of the course for a limited time.
After a set period of time – usually 7 days – users will be automatically charged the full price of
the course (they’ll have given their credit card info at signup). Remember how Neil Patel got
such good results from his 30-day guarantee? Well, offering a free 7-day trial earned him 15%
more sales than the guarantee did!
5. Offer Tiered Pricing

Via VideoFruit
Tiered pricing is a strategy often used with digital products and services. It basically involves
offering different packages with different price points.
For example, you might offer a basic version of your course for $129 and a premium package
for $250. Typically, the premium package will include perks like one-on-one support, maybe
some live Q&As, access to a private community, etc.
See how VideoFruit used this strategy to boost course sales by 25%!
6. Create a Shorter Course on Udemy

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While Udemy isn’t the best platform if you want to sell a higher-priced course (most of their
courses sell for around $15), it IS a great way to get exposure through their extensive
marketplace.
Offer a shorter version of your course on Udemy, and then tell students how they can access
your full-length, more in-depth course.
This will give people a way to try out your stuff before they invest in the whole she-bang!
7. Get Affiliates for Your Course

Via Teach Me Interactive
Struggling to reach people in your niche? Reach out to bloggers or influencers in your field and
see if they’re interested in promoting your course as an affiliate.
This means they’ll promote your course to their audience via their website, social media and
email list, and get a portion of each sale made through their affiliate link. An affiliate program is
a great way to reach your ideal students with little to no risk on your part!
Not sure where to start? Check out affiliate networks like CJ.com or ShareASale, or consider
setting up your own affiliate program using a WordPress plugin like AffiliateWP or Affiliates
Manager.
8. Create a Marketing Funnel for Your Course
This is a strategy you can (and should!) use with all of the other strategies on this list.
Have a funnel in place to move people from social media, Udemy, your website, etc. to your
course. Through offering free products and content (e.g., a challenge, a webinar, etc.), you’ll be
able to get people onto your email list and build relationships with them over time.

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And of course, you’ll also let them
know about your course!

9. Offer a Transformation

I’m going to let you in on a secret.
People won’t buy your course in order to learn something. They may not even buy your course
in order to solve a problem.

They want a transformation. They want to know what their life will look like before and after
they take your course.

For instance, which sounds better to you? How to Lose Weight in 30 Days OR Lose Weight and
Love Your Body in 30 Days? Think about what transformation your course provides, and make
sure you articulate this in your course title and marketing content!

10. Write Blog Posts About Your Course Topic

Some course creators are afraid to create too much free content on their course topic. They
worry that people won’t buy the course if they get too much free advice or help!

However, in my experience, the opposite is actually true. Content marketing is all about
providing HUGE value through your content…so that you can show your audience that you
know what you’re talking about.

And believe it or not, this actually makes it
MORE likely that they’ll buy your course.

And since your course will obviously be much
more in-depth and involved than your blog
posts, your students will still get plenty of new
info and lots of value from your course!

Bonus: As you write more content about your
course topic, you also have a better chance of
ranking for related keywords. This means more
search traffic and more opportunities for

people to find your course!

11. Offer a Payment Plan

Via ABC Best Practices

If your course is more than about $200-$300, you may want to consider offering a monthly
payment plan. For instance, if your course sells for $399, you could offer the option to pay in 4

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monthly installments of $99. This can be a great option for students who either can’t afford to
make a lump sum payment or who simply don’t want to pay it all at once!

12. Sell a Process

With so much free content available out there, some entrepreneurs wonder WHY anyone
would pay good money for a course.

The key is the process. If people can save time and money by having all the relevant info in one
place and can learn a step-by-step process to accomplish their goals, this is worth a LOT. Make
sure when you market your course you explain the process, you’ll be taking your students
through, and how it will help them meet their goals!

13. Have a Powerful Email Sequence

I already talked about the importance of getting potential students into your marketing funnel.
A KEY piece of this funnel will be your email marketing; and in particular, your email sequence.
Typically, this will be a 5-day sequence of emails that help your audience get to know you, and
ultimately…hopefully to buy your course.

A sample sequence might look something like this:

1. Deliver a free eBook, guide or other digital product on a topic related to your course
2. Tell your story – why you do what you do, and why you serve the audience you serve
3. Share valuable tips/strategies/info
4. Share another valuable tips/strategies/info
5. Let them know about your course (and offer a limited-time discount, if you like)

Now, this is just an example of a typical
sequence…you may need to tweak it to make
it work for your audience. Once you figure out
an email sequence that works, you’ve just
created your own automated course sales
machine!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, marketing to increase sales for your online course isn’t all that different from
other types of marketing: offer value, build relationships, and be clear about what you’re
selling.

As long as you’re following these basic guidelines, you really can’t go wrong!

Kim Garst, international best-selling author, international keynote speaker, one of the world’s most retweeted
people among digital marketers and a highly sought after marketing strategist. https://kimgarst.com/

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