The focus of this unit is to help you to take all of this information and generate income by using it as an added value to your current business structure or build a thriving business with this program at the center. I want to make clear that I am not a business coach. However, I have worked with some amazing coaches and I will share skills that I have gained by working with them, as well as my own experience in this unit.
I will go over some business basics and give you resources to access that will help you build your business and generate revenue. Keep in mind that you MUST take into consideration what YOUR brain quadrant dominance is. Be careful not to spend too much time working outside of your gifted area. If you do not already have a team, you need to consider building one now. In order to build a thriving business you need to be able to focus on your gifts and outsource the rest. Later in this unit I will discuss this more. For now let’s start with the basics.
Building Your Brand
If you already have your brand established, look for ways that you can incorporate your new status as a Brain Personality Connection Specialist into your existing brand. Upon completion of this program and certification you will receive the official certificated consultant graphic that you can add to your website, business card, and collateral, if you so desire. Just the term “certified” will increase your credibility. Be proud of it! Inform your existing client base of your new status. Add it to your bio. If you speak, you now have an additional list of speaking topics to add to your list. It will open a whole new market for you and give you topics that you can go back to places where you have spoken previously with your new list.
If you are planning on using this certification program as a business in a box, all of the products and tools are already in place for you. You will have access to all of the products at a 50% discount so, right from the start, you can begin generating income based on product sales. If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to listen to, read, or watch all of the products in the Your Best Mind store. This way you will be fully prepared and excited about sharing them with others.
Remember, too, that you must build your brand. It must be authentically connected to you and your journey through life. It has to reflect YOUR brain personality connection. While you are representing Your Best Mind and have to follow the guidelines for accurate representation of the company, it is your story and your passion that will create your brand. This, then, partners with the branding of Your Best Mind.
Think about the all-important “why” you are doing this. What attracted you to the message that we present? How has this information changed your life for the better? Why did you decide to become a certified representative? What is YOUR story? Literally write down in a notebook or journal the answer to these questions. Then begin to craft your unique way of bringing the Your Best Mind message to the world.
As long as you maintain your certified status, you also have access and full use of any of the power point presentations. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all of them. Remember that you can adjust the main order and flow of each power point presentation to better fit your style. However, you cannot alter the actual slides themselves except, of course, for the last one, which is using your personal contact information instead of mine.
By your request, we can have our designer replace the contact information on the products and handouts (designer charges apply). Make sure that it is ALWAYS pre-approved by my office.
Now, begin to promote your new certification to the world. I will discuss various ways to do this, as well as tools to facilitate the delivery of your message.
Social Media
What a monster social media has turned out to be. It really has become a way to freely or cheaply advertise your business. Personally, I feel that people put a little too much attention on this avenue. However, I also feel it does have its place and in order to compete in the current business climate a social media presence is a must. If anything, it will keep you “top of mind” with your current and potential clients. I feel you should look at it as an advertisement source and not a revenue building source. Let me explain.
If you feel that spending large amounts of time on social media sites will turn into instant revenue you are sadly mistaken. Think of your time spent here as networking or advertising time. If you are keeping posts out there regularly you will get exposure to individuals that you may not have connected with any other way. For example: I am fairly active in my posts on Facebook. One evening when I was at a speaker’s networking event I was introduced to a man who said to me, “Yes, Julie; you are that Facebook celebrity.” While I would not put myself in that category, the name recognition in this case was as a direct result of my activity on this site. Time will tell if he will ever convert into a client but this well illustrates how your activity will cause more people to notice you than if you were not on it at all.
It is really important that you limit the time that you spend on these sites simply for quality business time management. I suggest that you try not to spend more than 30 min a day on the combined sites. Set a timer and have it next to your computer so that time doesn’t fly away. Take a larger amount of time once a week and use a posting scheduling site so that you can preprogram your main posts all at one time. Facebook now has a scheduling component built in and you can use something like Hootsuite.com to schedule the other sites. Then you simply need to check the sites you are active on briefly once or twice a day to interact with people who have made comments on your posts or messaged you.
While activities on these sites may not improve the SEO for your business website it will definitely make it easier for people to find you. For example: if you type in Brain Lady Julie in to the Google search bar my Facebook profile will pop up several times on the first page because of my constant activity.
Some of the main sites that are being used a fair amount in the business world, as of the writing of this manual are:
This tends to be a business/social type platform. You can and should set up a personal page and a business page. I have several pages on Facebook. There is my personal page: facebook.com/BrainLadyJulie: this was the first page I set up and where I have at this point made the majority of my connections. Because Facebook limits the number of “friends” you can have, I set up a public figure page: facebook.com/purplebrainlady: this is where I am directing new business contacts and where I post a variety of business related posts. I also have my business pages. First, there is my YBM page: facebook.com/YourBestMindOnline; I use this page to promote events, post cool brain information, and brain puzzles. I also have my homeschool support page: facebook.com/QuickestWaytoInsanity: here is where I post anything related to homeschooling support and brain friendly teaching. Keep things on your personal page authentically you. Then use your business page to create excitement and exposure for your business. You can also start groups that are connected to your target audience. For example, I have set up a group called Women’s Entrepreneurs Extraordinaire where I post events, business advice, and show my products to that target audience.
The current information is that on this platform videos and pictures are the best and most shared and liked posts. You should use them as often as you can to encourage interaction with people. The key with any page or group that you set up is that you strategically plan what you are doing. If you don’t, then this is not a good use of your time.
I have heard experts say that in order to really be seen here three or more posts per day is good. Posts can include your thoughts, videos, etc. Or they can be sharing other people’s posts or posting links to your current newsletter or blogs.
You can also join groups that would help create greater exposure for your business as well. My suggestion is chose a few not many than become very interactive with those groups. Not just in making posts yourself but liking, sharing, and commenting on posts that others make. Always bring value to the group and avoid being “spam-like” in what you post.
Facebook also has a function where you can set up and invite people to events. For the most part in my experience, the people who say that they are going through an RSVP on a Facebook event most of the time do not show up. I use this as more of an advertising tool and have an offsite registration page for money transaction and an accurate count.
This is a more professional platform. You will not find too many funny videos and inspirational photos on this site. Mostly professional groups and people looking to make serious professional connections. I have found that when I do an event and invite my connections on this site I get more serious commitments. This is where you list your professional skills and experience. Great way to set up a profile page to send people to for reference.
On LinkedIn you do not need to post a lot. A few times a week is good but it is even better here if you start discussions in the groups you belong to. These discussions will lead to interactions between you and potential clients or partners.
Twitter is your 140 character tweet platform. Great way to get exposure by brief short-lived posts. I have heard so many different coaches say a variety of things about how often to post here. Anywhere from 2 times a day to 20 times a day. I have to admit that this is not my favorite and I tend to not use this as much, even though I have somehow generated over 500 followers.
Lots of fun this one. You share pictures and it links in with Facebook. The pictures can be of really anything, but you can use it strategically. For example, they can also be a flyer for an upcoming event or promotional product type picture. Play around with this one. Be sure that if you are posting pictures with quotes, on them embed your website at the bottom of the picture so that when others share the picture it will give your business exposure.
Similar to Pinterest, only the posts are not connected to Facebook.
YouTube
It is almost a must now to have a YouTube channel. Here is where you can post educational, motivational, inspirational, or just plain fun videos. There is an advertising sponsor component to this site. I have not investigated this too much but I know of several people who are generating income from this site. Videos that you create here can be embedded in your website and promoted on all of the social media sites. Make most of these videos UNDER 5 min in length. You can have longer videos with more meaty content on your channel but the ones that will capture the most views are going to be the short ones. Again, you want to make sure that your content information is listed at the beginning and end of each video. You can even place a banner at the bottom of the video with your contact info on it. ALWAYS make it easy for a potential client to reach you.
Hootsuite.com
A great resource site. You can set up a dashboard and preprogram up to 4 sites with posts and promotions months in advance for free. If you want to manage more sites there is a fee. Either way it is a great time saver. You can even outsource the pre-posting work. Have an admin read through and listen to all of your material then set up the posts using your information. The admin can take the time to create the posts and preprogram them. Then you just need to read over them to make sure they are accurate and they are good to go.
Again, I strongly suggest that you use your time here carefully. Make sure that if you are posting for business it is with a plan in mind. While you need to be genuine and authentic in all you do, too many personal posts will detract from the business message. If you want to connect with friends and family personally I would suggest doing that outside or on different pages than your business pages and groups.
At present all of these sites have a free membership as well as paid upgrades and advertising components. In the beginning, I really feel that the free memberships are more than sufficient to get your message out. If you are trying to build a following for greater exposure then paying for advertising through these sites may be effective; but always carefully consider your ROI (return on investment) to make sure the cost is worth the benefit.
Websites
I will be the first one to admit that I know NOTHING about how to set up or maintain a website. However, I do know that it is imperative that you have a site where you can direct traffic for information and product sales.
I do not feel that they have to be overly complicated or fancy. The point is that they are functional. For this I do suggest that, if you already have one, you add a few pages where you can incorporate the status you have as a Brain Personality Connection Specialist. If you do not already have a site, I suggest you set one up as soon as possible. If you enjoy design and it fits with you brain personality connection there are several build your own websites that can incorporate a product sales page in them. They provide predesigned templates and you simply add content. Some of these sites are:
- www.wix.com
- www.web.com
- www.moonfruit.com
- www.weebly.com
- www.godaddy.com
- www.easysite.com
Costs will vary based on what level you chose and what hosting package you want. Please be sure that you have the legal right to use any of the graphics that you have. I have listed in the back of the manual some sites where you can purchase graphics and pictures to use legally. You will also need to come up with a domain name. This, of course, is what you want your website to be called. Be sure it is consistent with your brand and easy to remember. Beware of having too many dashes in the name. For example your-best-mind.com. People tend to forget the dashes and then can never seem to find you.
Remember that these are for very basic sites. More complicated ones will need a web designer. May I just add from my personal experience try not to cut the costs here too much. In the end it is best to just bite the bullet and pay to have a really nice, brand consistent, SEO researched website. You will also want to have a shopping cart incorporated into your site. This way you can sell products, services, and event registrations directly from your site; this part gets a little confusing so I want you to get correct information from your web designer. It is equally important that you have an information capture place on each page of your site. These are the “opt in” boxes or “free information” boxes that people fill out. It can be an opt-in for your newsletter or a “fill this out for my complementary report” box. This then captures their information and you can have a follow-up system in place to generate revenue.
If you do not want to create a complicated website we will be incorporating consultant pages into the Your Best Mind main site. As soon as yours is set up you can direct people straight there. Your people can order from my website through your link and we will process through our system, then you will automatically get your commission.
Getting the Word Out
In addition to social media, there are many other ways to increase your exposure, create new connections, and build revenue. Below I will list some that I use quite regularly and some that most business coaches say are a must.
Speaking to increase your revenue is probably the very best way to get your name out there. When someone hears you speak, and they like (or at least are interested in) your message, they will visit your website, follow you on social media, like your Youtube channel, and follow your blog and so on. Speaking is also the best way to fill your live events, teleclasses, and webinars. It is how most people get exposure to you and you can clearly show that you are an expert in your field. For most amazing entrepreneurs these are the best kept secret that no one knows about. In order to let your light shine and truly step into the power of your unique gifts you have to get out there.
If you are already a speaker then the new certified position you hold will increase your desirability in the marketplace. Simply add into your existing speeches your new information however it fits best. As I mentioned in the beginning of this unit, go back to places you have presented to before with new talks that incorporate the science behind psychology. You will find that you attract a whole new set of customers. You, of course, can just use any of the already existing speeches and PowerPoint presentations that I have developed, if you so desire.
If the idea of speaking is new to you, here is an outline of how to get started and make a name for yourself in the speaking arena.
- Create your message. This has to be the first step. Even though you may be building your business around your new certification you still have to craft YOUR unique message and design into what and how you present. This means you need to tell your story. Refer back to the questions that I had you ask yourself earlier about how this information changed or effected your life and relationships for the better. This story will become part of your presentations even if you are using my PowerPoint or speech outlines. For example: when I give the “Step Into Your Power” presentation I share my story of how being raised in a highly dysfunctional family with an abusive alcoholic father caused me to suppress my natural gifts. When you are giving this presentation you have to insert YOUR story. You can use mine but the personal connection (this is what will motivate people to buy from YOU) of sharing your story is what you want to have with your listeners.
- Refine your message. Once you have crafted your story you need to refine it. The best way to do this is to practice. I feel that authentic presentations always have an “off the cuff” feel to them. So do not memorize your presentations word for word. Do, however, become very comfortable in sharing it. This may mean presenting to an invisible audience over and over again in your office or home. Do several practice runs and video record yourself. As awful as this sounds, trust me, it will help you to pick up on negative habits and body language you didn’t even know you had. You would rather correct those word whiskers or body language ticks before you present to a live audience.
- Start your outreach. You can begin to get bookings fairly simply. In the average city there are plenty of speaking opportunities. The thing is that not all are your target audience; that is okay. Groups like Rotary, Lion’s Club, Elk’s Lodge, the list is huge. In the beginning it is fine to present several times where your target audience ISN’T. Why? Because you would rather make mistakes in front of non-potential clients than in front of potential ones. These are great places to “cut your speaking teeth” on. It is also where you can begin to collect testimonials that are always beneficial to have. As you are doing these initial speeches be networking with speaking clubs and start your outreach to your ideal market. Most organized groups will be filling their calendars months, sometimes even years, in advance. So you can be practicing while you are booking for future events.
- Have the upsell or soft-offer incorporated in your presentation. I feel that there are four main reasons to give a speech. First is a paid speech. This is when you are straight out paid to come present. Most of the time when you do this you are not allowed to sell from the stage or even have products available for purchase. These gigs are the hardest to get and most of the time come after you have “paid you dues” so to speak and are an in- demand speaker. I have made a good income from this model it just takes time to build a reputation to achieve this and a while to make REALLY good money at it where you are bringing in 5 digit speaking fees. Second is a “speak to sell” model. This takes a little bit more finesse in your speaking. You will need to “seed” the reason why the audience needs to work with you more or buy in to the next event or service you have to offer. This style of presentation can get really over abused very easy. It has become so popular that speakers will spend half their time trying to sell you. I hope that you develop the skill to bring high value, this I know you have, with a soft offer at the end. As you are speaking share experiences or scenarios of how getting more of this information will improve their life or business. That way when you take a few minutes, and I mean a few, at the end of your presentation to make your offer they already have a clear picture of why working with you more is a good idea. Be sure that the cost of the offer matches the length of the speech. This is a great point that I learned from Caterina Rando a business coach. If you are only speaking for 20 minutes to make a $500 offer at the end you most likely will not get any one to bite. A good rule of thumb is as follows: Under 30 min make the offer under $100. I find the best pick up at under $50. Between 45 min to an hour make the offer between $100 and $200. If you have the opportunity to speak for 90 min or longer that you can make a couple of offers. One in the $50 range and one for $400 to $1000 depending on how well the audience matches your offer. It is also very important that your offer matches your speech topic. For example: if I am presenting the Step Into Your Power speech, I would not want my upsell or soft offer to be the 5 Steps to Successful and Profitable Networking workshop. Instead I would offer the full day Mind Blowing, Life Transforming event. Third is a speech that you do just to build a greater following or gain more connections for follow up and later client conversion. These can be a great source of income down the road but you have to be sure that you have a way to collect the contact info of the attendees. This means a complementary give away or something similar. This way you can do your follow up and work to convert them into clients. Fourth is just a pro-bono type presentation. These are often times given to groups that are simply close to your heart and you have no goal of financial gain now or in the future from them. Needless to say until you are in a good financial position these should be on the back burner, or few and far between.
If you decide to speak to promote, which I highly encourage, make sure that you develop a criteria to follow as to where you will and will not speak. Again, in the beginning while you are polishing your presentations, the criteria may be pretty lax. But, once you are ready you will have to have certain requirements, which you formulate, so that you are not just wasting time. Believe me, there have been many a place that I have traveled to speak and left asking myself why did I do that? It is a valuable and expensive learning curve that I want for you to not have to repeat. Here are some very important things to consider when booking your speeches.
- Make sure it is your target audience! As I mentioned before, in the beginning it is fine to speak where your people are not, but you can’t do that for long or you will never generate income. Ask your contact person (or have your admin that is on your team do it) what is the demographic of the attendees? Do they match with those who will best receive your message?
- How far will you travel for how many people? I cannot tell you how many times I have traveled hours only to arrive and find 5 or 6 in attendance. True, if this is your absolute IDEAL people and you can convert 90% of the room to a higher program then okay, but, in general, if it is a free speech, your time and fuel costs must be considered in your ROI. I have found it is a good rule of thumb that if the organizer says there will be 10 people, figure that 6-7 will show up. It is safe to say that they will tend to exaggerate and things happen. I have run networking events for years and it never fails, even people who have prepaid for the event will for whatever reason not show up. Things just happen.
- How far will you travel for what fee? If this is a paid speech, how much do you need to be paid to still make a worthwhile profit? Will you need to pay for a flight? A hotel night stay? Food? All of this needs to be considered before you accept a gig.
- Can I combine other business in the area before or after the speaking engagement? Are you trying to expand into the area that you have been asked to speak in? Can you make other business appointments while you are there? Where can those connections lead to? All of these are good questions to answer for yourself before you really start booking.
Develop the requirements ahead of time. Write them down in your business plan and stick to them. It is easy if you have them in writing them you can hand them off to an assistant to use when booking you or send them to potential groups. Value yourself first; if you don’t-then they won’t!
Another great way to get the word out is through teleclasses and webinars. The goal of these is the same as a speech or a workshop. You will basically be giving the same information as in a live presentation, only you are doing it virtually. You will then at the end do an upsell or soft offer to whatever you want. This means that every format that you do in person can be followed here. You start with the free event and get as many people on the call or webinar that you can. Promote it through your email and social media outlets. Then be ready with a sales page to send them to at the end where they can jump into your next level of service or purchase the home study program or books or whatever you are offering. This is a great way to expand your reach and client base outside of your local area. It is good, too, if you have a little bit of stage fright or are more of an introvert; these might be great tools for you. I have listed resource websites for these events. For teleclasses with small numbers and not a lot of tracking data you can join places for free. But if you are going to look at this as a regular and serious method you need to be prepared to pay a monthly fee.
Podcasts and radio shows.
These can also be a great way to share your message and create a following of people that may eventually convert into clients. Podcasts do not have to have a regular time commitment to them. Although a semi-regular presence is necessary to maintain your following. Radio shows take a little bit more commitment. If you decide to have a radio program, be prepared to do it at least twice a month-if not weekly. This means that you will need to keep your schedule open for those days unless you prerecord. You will also need to formulate the content for each one. Between all of the content that you have gained here in this program and your own existing content I am sure you will have enough. You can design the content months ahead of time and this will reduce the pressure. Match the topics with current events or what is on people’s minds for that calendar month. For example, January is goals for the year, February is love or relationships, March can be new beginnings, you get the idea. You can also get guest experts to join your show and you can book them months in advance. Be careful not to take care of all the details yourself. You will want to keep in touch with your guests and followers for promotion and so on. If you are not a posterior left you should most definitely find someone to take care of those pesky details and save your brain energy. I have, again, listed resources for where you can set up your podcasts or radio shows in the resource guide.
Blogging and article writing is yet another way to brand yourself as an expert and increase your exposure. The incoming information on this topic is truly varied depending on which expert you are talking to. You can set up a blog sight for yourself and for best results blog regularly, maybe 2-3 times a week. Then promote that blog page on all of your social media outlets and through your newsletter. Blogs do not need to be long and really shouldn’t be super long. It has been suggested that a blog be between 150-300 words. Your blogs should have words that are connected to your main message and links to expert resources and back to your website. Make sure that you give great content and not sell. This is not a sales page; that is what the back links are for. If you are too promotional and not providing enough information you will have a hard time building a following. If you have an upcoming event or special, strategically plan what you write so that it is connected to whatever you are doing. For example: if I have a “5 Steps” workshop that I am planning next month, I would make my blogs for the month before the workshop all about tips for successful networking. This way it will attract an audience that has the potential to come to my event.
Articles are a little different. They can be a little longer and more content heavy. Listing technical references is a good idea, especially if you are talking about Brain Personality Connection. Once you write an article you can then submit it to different article posting sites. They will list the author name (you) and basic contact information for you, such as your website. This can again spread the reach of your message. See the resource list for sites to submit articles to.