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MaxLife News
Volume 11, Issue 3
February 17, 2011
In This Issue

The Simple Way to Get Everything You Want from Online Marketing

What Will Make the Biggest Difference this Year?

Gary Barnes

Gary Barnes is a global premier business, money and relationship coach; an author, and an international speaker. He is the founder of Gary Barnes International, dedicated to helping people create wealth in all areas of life. 

Gary believes anyone can lead an empowered life, no matter what their circumstances are. He has built three successful businesses from the ground up. To do this, he developed principles and tools that helped him increase his business 2000% over a three-year period.
 
He also understands dealing with adversity - he has fought life- threatening illness and won. He believes that your worst day is the day you meet the man or woman you could have been.  It's a choice.  That's why he's dedicated his life to helping people maximize their lives and their businesses through workshops, teleconferences and individual coaching. His mission in life is to make a difference and to empower everyone he connects with.
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Greetings!


Hello and welcome to this issue of Maxlife News. My guest article contributors are Sonia Simone, founder of Remarkable Communication, and Karen Schatz my virtual assistant and owner of Virtually With You.

 

February is an interesting month for business. It's short - 28 days. The weather may not cooperate, and the newness of New Year has started to wear off. All of those reasons can also give great results in February because they spur us to have a greater focus of our goals. By focusing clearly, February could be one of your most profitable months in 2011!

 

To Your Success,


  

The Simple Way to Get Everything You Want from Online Marketing

Sonia Simoneby Sonia Simone, Remarkable Communication

 

I want to tell you a story about two women.

 

One is my hairdresser and the other is my massage therapist.

 

Of the two, I have a stronger connection with my massage therapist. I see her more often, she's closer to my age, and well, there's just a certain bond that develops when you get naked that often with a person.

 

A month or two ago, my hairdresser asked me to recommend her for a "best of" list our local TV station was running.

 

She didn't cajole, bribe, beg, threaten, or promise me a free haircut. She just said, "Hey, if you think about it, would you mind logging into this site and giving me a review?

 

I like her, so I went home and did it. Took me about three minutes.

 

A few weeks later, I noticed that my massage therapist had a banner over her business saying that she was mentioned in the same program.

 

And I felt really bad.

 

I would have been very happy to give her a review as well. I'd love to support her business. And I'd love to do something nice for her.

 

But like a dummy, it never even occurred to me to check the other categories. The contest was finished and the votes were all counted.

 

And she didn't ask.

 

You don't get, if you don't ask

 

We don't ask for referrals. We don't ask for the order. We don't ask for a guest post. We don't ask for advice. We don't ask our readers to buy high-quality stuff that would help them out.

 

We even get uptight telling them to click here.

 

It sounds so salesy! I feel like an infomercial!

 

We think that by asking we're being pushy.

 

(And some people do push it a little too far. It's probably contact with the pushy ones that makes us so nervous.)

 

The two most common mistakes in online marketing

 

Online marketers seem to fall into two camps.

 

Click here to read the full article.

 

What Will Make the Biggest Difference this Year?

Karen Schatzby Karen Schatz, Virtually With You

A couple of months ago, I wrote an article on the value of face-to-face networking.  Every time I attend our Chamber of Commerce networking meeting, I come away with something valuable.  Either I've met someone new to connect with or I've learned something new about business practices.  Today's meeting?  I did both.  The piece that was especially thought-provoking was the question we had to ask the person next to us ... "What would make the biggest difference in your business this year?" 

Given that many of us business owners start off the new year with goal setting and possible reorganization so that we can position ourselves from a fresher place, this was a great question to ask.

For me, my answer came to me right away.  Something I've been struggling with for months suddenly became very clear to me today - a new direction for me to pursue.  Not just a new direction but one that is even more defined than before.  I believe that the more narrow we can define our target market and our niche, the easier it becomes to create the very business we desire. 

When I first started my Virtual Assistance business back in 2006, I didn't have a defined target market or niche.  As a result, I floundered around for a while working with any client who showed an interest in working with me.  Then in 2008, I decided that I wanted to work with coaches and consultants, specializing in the 1ShoppingCart.com e-commerce system and internet marketing support.  Since I narrowed down the parameters of my business, I attracted many coaching and consultant clients to me that were looking for shopping cart and internet marketing support.  It was an awesome turning point for my business.

And today, I have taken my business to a new level by defining it even more.  My ultimate desire is to work more hours with fewer clients.  In short, I want to become an Online Business Manager and develop a team of VAs who can be an extension of me providing high quality support to my clients. This role is not a new role in the VA industry but it's not as popular yet as the Virtual Assistant role has become.  However, more and more business owners are looking for someone to be their online business manager and manage all the operations of their company.  And that's what I want to do too!

Amazing how one little question could cause such stimulating thoughts for this business owner.

So, how about you?  How would you answer the question, "What would make the biggest difference in your business this year?"  You might just find that question as thought-provoking and stimulating as I did.