I had a preview call today for my new workshop program called “Authorize Yourself” 6 Week Book Writing Workshop and if you missed the call here is what some people had to say. You can click on the link below to listen to the recording.

“After completing the 30-day miracle circle the desire to write my book was strong. However, I had a little concern about how this would work into my current cycle of life. God directed me to listen and wait for honest guidance. After participating in the “Authorize Yourself Preview Call” I was assured this was the direction that God was shining light on. The call was loaded with information and I am looking forward to being assisted by God’s adventurous successful servants. Thank you for allowing us to expand with you during your second book. May you continue to be blessed and I will see you on September 7, 2010.”  Lorene Elliott

“I just listened to the preview call for the Authorize Yourself Telesummit hosted by Ms. Lucinda Cross. The call was powerful and packed with great content about the 6 week authors summit which is designed to coach aspiring authors launch their book.” Carol Sankar, Millionaire Mindset Entrepreneur Coach

” Thank you so much for this evenings preview call, you are definitely an inspiration and I have something to think about over these next few days….” Satara

” Thank you for an awesome call!!!, it was so motivating and informative, you gave me so much food for thought and covered things I’ve never heard before. WOW!!!” Milayo Robinson

If you are ready to act now on becoming the next Author, listen to the recording and take advantage of having access to experts and an accountability partner and not one but 6 coaches who will take you from idea to conception to birthing your book.

Here is the link for the call: http://budurl.com/yrft

Here is the link to sign up: http://authorizeyourself.eventbrite.com/

Everyone who signs up will receive the Book In A Bag Starter Kit.

Get Paid More – Right Now!

By Barb Wade, M.A.
Do you dread hearing the words, “So, what do you charge?” Knowing how much to charge and confidently standing behind those fees is the Achilles Heel of many entrepreneurs.

In fact, some service providers feel so much discomfort when stating their fees that they squirm, buckle, stutter, or even apologize when doing so!

But those of us who are also moms have it even tougher because we tend to be self-sacrificing. Moms are so used to giving to everyone else – our children, our spouses, the church, the PTA – that it can feel odd or even “wrong” to give to ourselves by being well paid.

Here’s a fact: a significant number of coaches, consultants, and service-based entrepreneurs charge way too little – especially if they are also moms. They undervalue their worth and are quick to discount their already low rates when asked. And many feel that making real money and “being of service” are somehow incompatible. But nothing could be further from the truth.

You deserve to be richly paid for the valuable gifts you share with the world!
Your specific expertise, knowledge, and know-how, and its ability to enhance and transform your clients’ lives and/or businesses is highly valuable. Your clients desperately need the information and instruction that you have to offer in order to solve their biggest, most challenging problems.
So why is it so hard to charge appropriately for the tremendous benefits that you bring your clients?

There are many factors that make this a problem area, including “money barriers” — both internal (in your mind) and external (real, practical issues) — that block the flow of abundance. Here are some tips to help you master your response to that dreaded question, “so, what do you charge?”

First of all, answer this question only after you have laid the right groundwork for your prospect to understand the real value of what your are offering. Some people are “bottom line” types and want to get right to the price. You can gracefully redirect them by saying “I’m happy to talk about that with you, but first I’d like to get a little bit more information about you and your needs…”

In order to command higher fees, your clients must understand the incredible results that your coaching, consulting, or service provides for them, and the impact of those results! You are not selling your “time,” you are selling the tangible and measurable outcomes that your clients will enjoy, and that will solve their biggest problems. What are those results worth to them?

Explore where your prospective client is now, and what the cost is of their current situation. Hint: That “cost” is not just monetary, but can include lost time, poor health, bad debt, missed opportunities, broken relationships, or whatever pertains to their circumstances. Then, paint a vivid picture of what is possible for them with your assistance. What will they be able to do, have, or experience at that point that they don’t now?

It’s incredibly important to have “social proof” that allows your clients to trust that you can, in fact, get them to the results that they so desperately crave. One particularly strong form of social proof is to provide testimonials from “raving fan” clients who are thrilled with your services and the results they achieved from working with you.

Another form of social proof that is equally strong is your own personal story. Were you once in the situation that you find most of your clients in, and did you overcome the obstacles you faced to achieve a significant level of fulfillment and success? Tell your story! People want to work with those that they can relate to, and who are living examples of the success that they want for themselves.

Also, cite any official credentials that you may have – degrees, training programs, certifications, etc. Anything that adds credibility will assist you in charging higher fees.

Finally, when it is time to answer the question, speak with authority and confidence. Tell them what you charge and use the word “investment” instead of cost, because no matter what the price, working with you is an investment in themselves or their business. Then be quiet! Let them think about it for a moment. It’s easy to want to start explaining or backpedaling in order to break the tension. Don’t. Wait for them to respond, then deal with any objections they may have.

Perhaps the most important factor in commanding the high fees you desire is how you, personally, feel about yourself and your “right” to be paid such amounts! For whatever reason, many women entrepreneurs in particular tend to discount what they know, and the value of that information. This is a terrible hindrance to your success!

A good strategy is to make a list of all of the contributions you have made to your clients’ lives and the results they have attained. If needed, ask your clients, friends, colleagues, mentors, business partners, and anyone else that you have worked with to tell you what you helped them experience, achieve or create.

You must also remind yourself that what comes so easily to you – either naturally, or because of years of study and experience, or from a combination – is neither obvious nor comes easily to those in your target market. Do not undermine their interest by being self-deprecating about your skills and talents – if you do, so will they!

So, in order to charge what you’re worth (and get it!), take the time to truly embrace the value of your personal skills and expertise. And then practice stating your fees with confidence and conviction.

For more information on our featured Corporate Mom Dropout visit www.barbwade.com

This is a no excuse zone, we can no longer blame others for our slack or lack or getting, doing or being something. Today we will be held accountable for our actions towards our success. In my experiences having an accountability partner helped me complete many of my goals. Pick and connect with our accountability partner over the course of the weekend.

The goal of having an accountability partner (A.P) is to have someone help you reach your goal, help motivate you to stay focused and to help you grow. I would like for you to connect with someone other than your BFF over the weekend. When you connect make sure they are goal minded, serious about their personal and or professional growth.

Once you connect do the following:

*come up with a confidentiality and non judgmental verbal agreement
*connect via phone, email, or in person once a week or during the weekend
*write in your journals about your progress and your next steps
*write down your (A.P) progress and next steps
*commit to meeting consistently once a week or more if you choose

As an (A.P) accountability partner your responsible for putting the fire under your partners butt. Remember this is a No excuse zone.

Share the following:

Ask your (A.P) to hold you accountable to the “BEING as opposed to DOING” part. For example, I am Ms. Impactful, as Ms. Impactful I should be impactful everyday throughout the day, spreading my attribute like a disease, infecting others with my inspiration. People should see nothing but impactfulness, because that is who i am. How can I be impactful? by encouraging others, supporting others, making sure I give people I encounter a wow experience through my conversation or through my actions.

Back to my goal: My A.P partner knows that I am on a media campaign and working towards getting visibility on T.V and Radio. I have to send my media kit out to 5 media outlets a week, and she is holding me accountable to that task for the rest of the month.

Featured Article by Janice Clark of BizMSolutions.com

One of the first things I do when I speak with a client about their social media strategy is to ask what their goal is. I try to determine early on what they are hoping to accomplish by using social media so I can ensure their activities are in line with their goals.

The first thing people always say is, “I want to get clients”. That’s certainly an excellent goal to have and, in all honesty, everyone needs more clients. No one ever says, “I’d like to make some friends” or “I’d like to donate my time to others”. Most of us aren’t using these networking sites strictly for personal reasons. We mean business! Before you jump into social media and begin looking for clients, consider this. Getting new clients isn’t the only way to get results! You must take consistent action that is designed to produce ongoing and long term results for your business!

All of our professional activities get results. Those activities may include developing mutually beneficial relationships with others or submitting content on a regular basis in order to gain visibility and/or recognition from target market influencers. The results those activities achieve come in the form of web/blog traffic, press, comments, emails, friends, etc. These activities don’t always have a direct financial impact but if we plan those activities correctly then the non-financial impact they do have should result in a positive financial impact.

Participating in groups, having conversations online and answering questions for others all make an impact. Creating strategic partnerships and gaining visibility among your target market definitely makes an impact. If your actions are meaningful and positive then the impact comes in the form of more visits to your website, more members on your Facebook page and more subscribers to your mailing list. All of that translates into more opportunities for you to promote your products and services and it should translate into sales at some point.

When someone’s only goal is to get more clients, they very often get disappointed early on. Clients don’t just appear when you set up a profile. It takes time to find your audience, determine what they are looking for, build relationships, gain trust and provide them with the solution that will help make a financial impact on their business. It takes time to gain visibility among your target market, build relationships with reputable influencers in the industry and reap the benefits of regular referral business.

Are you so focused on your main goal of getting clients that you forget to get out there and participate in other strategic activities? Are you creating relationships and taking action that will impact your business financially in the long term?

As a business owner I’m always looking for conversations and strategic relationships. In addition, I love helping other business owners find the same! What actions do you need to take in order to make an impact on your business? What types of relationships are you looking for? I invite you to post your Facebook page link here (LinkedIn and Twitter as well if you’d like), introduce yourself and share your business with us. Take the first step towards creating relationships and taking action that produces results!

More information on Janice Clark, President of BizMSolutions.

At BizMSolutions we cater to the small business owner. In fact the majority of our clients are mompreneurs who own their own business and are facing challenges with juggling a business, home and family. It’s that type of schedule that BizMSolutions can help with!

We assess your needs, create an action plan designed just for you and show you how to leverage tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in order to build more profitable relationships around your brand.

http://www.bizmsolutions.com

We always hear the word “Expert” which gets thrown around in conversations, presentations and branding seminars.  It’s hard to understand what that word Expert means to you and even more complicated on the word “Position”.  Let’s take a closer look at the definitions. According to the Webster dictionary, the word Expert means: having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience. The word Position means:  relative place, situation, or standing <is now in a position to make decisions on his own> b: social or official rank or status.

Combine the words and you have a platform and a foundation that you can build on. The first step to positioning yourself is:

1.         Claim it

Whoever you are claiming to be, whatever experience or skill you possess, let’s claim it and believe it.  If you do not believe in yourself, people will smell the uncertainty and the mixed messages you are sending out.  If you are a speaker, you should figure out what kind of speaker, what topic you speak about it and the people you touch with your unique message.  Believing in you, feeling worthy and confident in the level and status you are at right now is the key to claiming it.  You must walk the walk and talk the talk.  People sense a fraud so don’t be a hypocrite to your calling.  Avoid claiming to be the Profit coach, and you complain to your friends about how hard times are and how this recession has stopped your business growth.

2.         Write it

Position your expertise in words, whether it’s your words or someone else’s. Start to provide free content to your audience. Visualization is important for those who like to read, who like to reference and like to research your topic of discussion.  If you like to bake, why not write about ingredients, exotic spices, seasonings that can be used in multiple ways. You can discuss how people can cook great meals for a family of four or five on a budget.  If you are not a writer, grab someone else’s recipes and post it up as the recipe of the day (make sure you reference the source), get contributing writers that will write an article for your blog weekly or monthly.

3.         Speak it

Start to record one minute segments or infomercial and place them on your blog or connect the link to your social media sites. You can use systems such as www.audacity.com which is free recording software.

Connect with Toastmasters to practice speaking in front of groups, you will find that this will help you with your online video recordings and will help to boost your on air confidence and presence.

Following these three steps is a start. It will help build a platform and a foundation in your expertise and your industry…  people are waiting for you to step out and do something. Let’s start with claiming it, writing about it and speaking about it to everyone we know.

Start today the universe is waiting!

This is a public service announcement…

Attention my Serious Women, Moms, Service Providers, Creators, and Biz Woman:

“Authorize Yourself” with your own B.E.D. (Brand it, Expose it and Design it) Time Story is a 6 week book writing intensive action shop. This is for those who have a book in them and ready to get it out. Ready to become the authority, ready to be the expert, ready to step into their greatness.

There is power waiting to pull forth through you. There is a road that power wants you to walk, a book that you are supposed to write, a business that is waiting for you to open up. The time is now.

• Are you ready to tell your story, maybe it’s someone else’s story, maybe it’s his story or her story or just a story?
• Do you have something to say?
• Are you ready to get the exposure you need?
• Are you ready to brand yourself as THE expert or authority?
• Are you going to let another year go by with your ideas in your head?
• Do you have articles that you would like to gather together?
• Are you ready?

If so, you’re in for a treat….

“Authorize Yourself” 6 Week Book

Writing Intensive Workshop:

How To Brand, Expose and Design your

biz by Building a Powerful Platform

with a Book!

(Yes, B.E.D Time Stories)

In this 6 week book writing intensive workshop you will learn:

• How to turn your passion, expertise and industry know-how into a book.
• How to bust through procrastination and distractions to write your book.

• How to market your book to establish you as an industry expert.
• How to turn your book into a business.

• How to use your book to monetize relationships and create joint ventures.
• How to come up with a winning title that speaks volumes.
• How to turn your book concept from a Good Idea into a God idea!

In this 6 week book writing intensive,  you will have access to top notch publishers, editors, distributors and book writing experts to assist you  in getting ” your book done” using the (B.E.D. Time Story) techniques that will attract media attention and clients.  Here’s the program breakdown: (Be prepared to write your book by simply spending three hours a week for six weeks)

• Monday August 23, 2010 – Pajama Jam- We are going to go right into the process with creating an outline, Writing out our goal, Choosing a subtitle (not a title) & Completing Part 1 workbook, Guest Expert

• August 30, 2010 -  Tea and Coffee Night – Identifying target audience, Guest Expert, Gathering Resources, Writing Workshop.

• September 6, 2010 – Burn the midnight oil- Putting all the pieces together: The process, The planning and the writing.

• September 13, 2010– Pump it up- Guest Expert, Writing workshop, Media Outlets.

• September 20, 2010- Insomnia- Writing workshop, Domains, ISBN’s, Copywriting, Marketing.

• September 27, 2010- Work it out-Guest Expert, Writing Workshop, Layout, Formats

2 Bonus calls (Guest Speakers, wrap up and writing workshop)

Using the B.E.D Time Story Method You Will Have Everything You Need To Get Into Action Quickly… Regardless Of Whether You Want to Publish a Physical Book, eBook or take your Self-Published Book to a Traditional Publisher.

Here’s what you’ll get in your “Authorize Yourself” 6 week book writing intensive workshop…

• Live trainings via webinar. This class will be as interactive and will provide you with the visuals.
• Fill-in-the-Blank Book Template
• How to get Book Testimonials guideline
• Proposal Guideline
• Access to Experts who charge thousands for no additional cost
• Group Q&A Calls where I will help you troubleshoot and provide feedback
• ‘Me Time” Coaching Calls where I will work with you personally
• A Press Release and Media Alert Template
• Additional unadvertised Goodies from our Guest Experts to help keep you on track and create the results you want

You’ll be on the road to making money and gaining visibility from your book and expertise. Here are the products you will be able to create during this intensive and here is an estimate of how much you will be able to charge for them:

1.      Ebook – $20 or more

2.      Physical Book-$15 or more

3.      Journal – $15 or more

4.      Audio books – $47 or more

5.      Seminar/Workshop – $297 or more

Grab your spot in my book writing intensive workshop now and have your book in your hands in less than 90 days

Picture this – You are all dressed up, you step out your car, walk towards your venue, you have paparazzi outside your venue taking pictures, you have media inside the venue waiting to write an article on you, the lights are dim, the stage lights are bright, and there are balloons and flowers everywhere, you have a big poster board image of your book on the stage and everyone is clapping and they have money to give you for signing their book….yes, you are attending your very own Book Signing Launch Party.

There is NOTHING and I mean nothing like opening up your first box of books and holding your finished book in your hands, knowing you now have a tool to make a difference, to change lives, take your business to a new level, with your name on it.

Let’s get started now and you’ll have your book done in less than 90 days, in your hands, with your name on it.

It doesn’t take much success to

get a return on your investment

For only $297 and I realize that $297 may not be in your budget at this time. But lets do the math here to figure how much money can come your way once your book is complete.

For example…just ONE huge media connection will get you exposure that is priceless, TV, Blog, Online and Syndicated Radio, Magazine or Newspapers.

… One paid speaking engagement for $500 – $1000 each

…just One contract who agree to pay you $300

…just 15 copies of the ebook version for $20.00

NOW THAT WAS EASY

Sign up NOW !!!

Enough TALK, the time is NOW

Guest Speakers Include:

Andrew Morrison is the President of Small Business Camp. The company provides high-impact marketing strategies for entrepreneurs, executives and non-profit leaders. Andrew has as trained thousands of entrepreneurs from Hawaii to Nigeria and appeared on Oprah. He is here to help you get your book done.

Mike Michalowicz (pronounced mi-CAL-o-witz) started his first business at the age of 24, moving his young family to the only safe place he could afford – a retirement village. With limited resources and no experience, he systematically bootstrapped a multi-million dollar technology business, sleeping in conference rooms to avoid hotel costs. After selling his first company, Mike launched a new business the very next day, and in less than three years, sold it to a Fortune 500. With his newest multi-million dollar venture, Obsidian Launch, he grows authors and experts into industry superstars.

Sophfronia Scott has nearly twenty years of experience as a professional writer. She honed her craft working with some of the best (and toughest) editors in the world during her career at “Time” and “People” magazines.

Sophfronia holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard. In her current position as executive editor of The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company, Sophfronia helps entrepreneurs and speakers to write and publish books to promote their businesses. Her latest work is the bestselling book, Doing Business By the Book: How to Craft a Crowd-Pleasing Book and Attract More Clients and Speaking Engagements Than You Ever Thought Possible.

Kamy Wicoff is an author and literary salonierre.  Her first book, I Do But I Don’t: Why The Way We Marry Matters (Da Capo, 2006), was an LA Times Bestseller and was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR’s “On Point,” The CBS Early Show, The Christian Science Monitor, The San Jose Mercury News and in other major media outlets.  She currently hosts The New York Salon of Women Writers with the author, editor and critic Nancy K. Miller.  Founded in London in 2003 by Kamy and the late biographer Diane Middlebrook, the salon brings women writers together to discuss the craft and business of writing.  The salon also has branches in London and San Francisco.

Having a plain-Jane blog with a few scattered keywords nowadays isn’t enough to
grab any search engine’s attention. The home-based working mom must choose her
categories and keywords carefully so her important pages will move to the head of
search engine’s list.

What categories does she choose? It depends on what her blog is about. For instance,
if she’s a life coach, and she posts affirmations often, she can use affirmations as a
category. The main thing is to make the categories reflect the subjects she posts about
most often.

Also, there should be no more than five categories, all of which must be short (two
to four words), to the point and keyword rich. Those categories have to be general
enough to have a lot of entries, however. Each category can reflect a different part of
the business. She mustn’t be whimsical about the categories; changing them means
anyone who has earmarked category will lose it. It’s better to add another category, but
not too many.

If the mom is having difficulty finding the right categories, she can go to http://
www.blumenthals.com/index.php?Google_LBC_Categories , which is a Beta site right
now, but has a search engine that offers a multiple choice of category names. Also,
http://google.com/analytics examines the Web site’s traffic so postings can be refined
to boost viewings. Warning: Google Analytics requires putting HTML code into the site,
so the working mom can have a knowledgeable person do it for her or give it a whirl
herself.

Keywords, also only two to four words, should appear in the title of the blog and in the
first sentence. They can also appear in other parts of the blog. The minimum number of
words for a blog is 250.

Remember, search engines look for pages not Web sites, so the categories and
keywords have to be so full of information that once visitors click on the search entry,
they’ll click through other parts of the site. Any mom from life coach to retailer can
maximize outreach and potential income with targeted blog categories and keywords.

To market and brand your business, a home-based business mom needs more than just a Facebook page, you need a fan page also. Everyone who clicks on as a fan can see whatever you include on the page. this is the beginning or a continuation of building your own tribe.

Your tribe will consist of like minded individuals and you will have the chance to flush out information, latest trends as well as have your updated blog post show up every time you add a new post. Keeping the fan page informative and entertaining will take some effort, but it’s worth it when you get queries through this page. It’s fairly easy to start a fan page.

First, it’s a click on “Advertising,” then “Pages,” and finally “Create a Page.” From there the only thing stopping the stay-at-home working mom is your imagination. There are a number of tabs already included such as “Discussion” and “Video” that can draw readers in. The wall is also customizable and can include pictures, video and blog. Include a daily or weekly update and people can leave comments just as they do on an individual’s page. You can connect your blog post your fanpage so it goes on all your fans’ news feeds. There are many applications that can enhance the page, make sure you check under the applications tab to take advantage of all the treats facebook fan page has in store.

When the page is complete, you can e-mail blast your family, friends and clients to let them know the page exists. I highly recommend you also announce the new page on your regular Facebook page. It’s a good idea to add a link on her Web site to the Facebook fan page and a link on your page to your Web site. Also, Google is very quick to put Facebook pages at the top of the list. The job is to get the page to go viral.

Even in a working mom’s busy day, it’s important to take the time to build (or have your Web designer, if your lucky enough to have one) a fan page. A fan page is the another avenue in the social media world and people are strolling along every day.

When a stay-at-home business mom wants to reach a wide audience, she can turn to a social radio network such as http://www.blogtalkradio.com or other podcast outlets (seehttp://www.podcastdirectory.com for a list of sites). These outlets offer several different ways to spread the word: as a caller to a show, as a a guest on a show or as a host.

As a caller to a show she can let the listeners know she’s out there and available, but it’s hard to let friends, family and business contacts know beforehand.

In order to be a guest she only needs to find her category, click on a host’s name to get to an About page, which will probably have contact info. Once she’s accepted for the show, she can e-mail and Facebook blast the time and place of the interview to her client list, friends and family. If the listener registers with blogtalkradio and posts a picture, it will appear on the host’s page as either a listener or fan. The show is archived and always available to future audiences.

The corporate mom dropout can check the show’s audience by noting the number of listeners and fans. If it’s a small number, maybe there’s a different site to promote her business. I’ve appeared on several shows, and a recent talk about my book, Corporate Mom Dropouts, increased my book sales by 40 percent.

Finally, if she can find the time, the business mom can host her own show. The site is easily set up for the entrepreneurial mom to get on the air. All she needs is a computer and a phone. Also, it’s another way to increase SEOs. And it’s free.

When working on a marketing plan, the home-based business mom has to wring every drop from the social media for the greatest possible exposure, and talk radio is a good way to go.

Even the most self-directed, organized stay-at-home business mom sometimes needs someone to turn to for guidance, ideas or an objective viewpoint. That person can be a trusted ally or a complete stranger, but she must be someone who can stand back and look at a business and present plans for increasing profits or to build the business, whether the business is services or selling products. Business that stagnate are out of business.

The person who provides this help is often called a coach or mentor. A coach can look at the business overall and make recommendations for improvement. For instance, if the business needs new marketing ideas, the coach can either present a plan or help the owner to develop a plan to market the business in new ways to reach new audiences. Remember the coach has different contacts for outreach, even it’s just a new store to find cheaper paper.

If the corporate mom dropout is feeling stale and just needs a boost, the coach can do that too. It’s always nice to have a cheerleader, particularly one who can do more than say, “Go, team.” This cheerleader can motivate and assign life exercises to bring back the spark and passion to a pooped mom.

If the stay-ay-home business mom knows a coach/mentor, that’s excellent. However, when choosing a coach/mentor the mom doesn’t know, it’s best to find one who is walking the walk and talking the talk and is still doing it.  If you are interested in working with a coach or mentor for Business Moms, send an email to assistant@corporatemomdropouts.com and place “I’m Ready” in the subject to be included in our new July Incubator or one on one coaching.