Archive for September, 2008

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Is your BRAND … Bland?
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Today’s message from Ben Fewtrell gives advice on boosting your marketing power.

Is your BRAND… Bland?

    Have you ever run a marketing campaign and then wondered why the phone didn’t ring?
    Or why hundreds of customers didn’t come rushing to bash down your doors to buy from you?

Reality is, the response rate to ‘direct response’ marketing is lower than any of us would care to know. We are optimistic by nature, and when we place an ad, do a flyer drop or run a radio campaign we spend the week leading up to the campaign working out how we are going to handle all the extra business it will create, only to be disappointed when the phone only rings two or three times…

So should you even bother spending your money on marketing?

The short answer is a resounding YES!

The key is to understand how to make it work for your business.

Have a think about the last time you got so excited about an ad, flyer or radio/TV commercial that you dropped everything in a mad panic to get to the phone and buy whatever it was they were advertising. However, I am sure you could sing a jingle or two of your favorite brands.

Now, I’m not saying that direct marketing doesn’t work, what I am saying is it rarely works as well as we expect.

For this reason, it is a trap for any business and to maximize your return on investment there are some important factors to consider before launching any campaign.

There are two very different types of advertising, Brand Building and Direct Response. I’ll kick off by saying that ‘Direct Response’ marketing needs to make you enough profit from the campaign to pay for itself, and also add some profit to your bottom line to be considered a ‘success’.

This type of ad is ‘salesmanship in print’ and needs to compel the reader to take action NOW. Don’t expect a high response rate unless you are willing to offer a deal too good to miss. I am sure you’ll remember the classic “but wait, there’s more” ad campaigns, offering a set of steak knives, along with money back guarantees and 2 for 1 deals. Your offer has to compel your market to act NOW!

Now let’s take a look at the latter, Brand Building. Brand building is all about ‘Trust’ and ‘Credibility’. You will always feel comfortable buying from someone that you trust and has credibility, no matter how good a deal is, if you do not ‘trust’ the seller then you won’t buy. Marketing guru Seth Godin says it’s about being a “purple cow”. It’s about being the one purple cow in a paddock of brown cows. Also known as your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). If you are not different from your competitors then you’re destined to compete only on price.

Having a strong brand can make the phone ring, can make customers walk into your store, can create loyal customers and can get people to buy from you. Many of the ‘big’ players have proven this time and time again. So how do you go about building your brand?

Make it unique

You need to be truly unique to position your brand for success. ‘Satisfaction guaranteed’ and ‘friendly service’ are far from unique, and if that’s all you can come up with to clearly define your difference then you’re wasting your time.

Support a cause

Sometimes building your brand can be as simple as supporting a cause, the rock band Midnight Oil did it, as did the ‘Body Shop’ with their policy of ‘no animal testing’ and their ‘save the whales with Greenpeace’ campaign. Studies have shown that people will switch to your brand if you support a good cause.

Create a ‘WOW’ factor

Remember the last really good movie you watched, how many people did you tell about it? Make your business an ‘experience’ your customers will rave about.

Have a clear vision

Your vision needs to enroll and inspire you, your team and your customers. Get everyone excited about your brand.

Know your customer

Make sure you are clear about WHO your ideal customer is. Using a ‘blanket approach’ will cost time and money. Once you have clarity about your ideal client you will be able to send a clear message directly to your market.

________________________________________

Ben Fewtrell is a leading Business Coach with ActionCOACH and can be contacted on 0418 407351.

Filed under: Marketing — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 7:59 am
Whatever It Takes - The Keys to Unlocking a Can-Do Attitude
Monday, September 29th, 2008

The power of a positive attitude in creating your very own success mindset.

Today’s message comes from Dr John C. Maxwell, leading Business Coach from Create One and offers great advice to move you forward. Creating your positive, can-do attitude will be the beginning of your onward and upward journey to success.

You may be tricked into believing that talents, titles, or resources draw the line between the doers and dreamers. However, if you spent a significant length of time with a group of leaders, the line splitting the achievers from the dreamers would become crystal clear.

What makes the difference? Attitude. Achievers have a can-do attitude that sets them apart from mere dreamers. Achievers are sold out to success—no matter the obstacles—and they are willing to put forth the effort and pay the price of success.

In my days observing leaders, I have identified four main groups.

Cop-outs

These people set no goals and make no decisions.

Holdouts

These people have beautiful dreams, but they are afraid to respond to challenges because they lack the self-confidence to overcome difficulties.

Dropouts

These individuals clearly define their goals, and, in the beginning, they work hard to make their dreams come true. However, when the going gets tough, they quit.

All-Outs

These are the stars. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. Once all-outs have set their goals, they never quit. Even when the price gets high and the challenges mount, they’re dedicated. Their can-do attitudes carry them to greatness.

Here are 4 keys to cultivating a can-do attitude.

Key #1: Disown Your Helplessness

Can-do people aggressively pursue solutions, and, in the process, uncover creative solutions others never even try to find. Can-do leaders take responsibility for the future, whereas lesser leaders blame circumstances or other people when facing roadblocks. Rather than wallowing in helplessness, can-do leaders search diligently to overcome the obstacles in front of them.

Key #2: Take the Bull By the Horns.

Can-do people are fearless. They go straight to the source of their solution. Their very effort commands attention as they wrestle a problem to the ground with expediency. I have discovered that people with a can-do attitude have an aggressiveness about them. They take the bull by the horns. When they enter into the arena of action, they don’t wait, they initiate.

Key #3: Enter the No Whining Zone.

Can-do people abstain from complaining. They recognize its futility and guard their minds and mouths against indulging in this time-wasting activity. As George Washington Carver observed, “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”

Key #4: Put On Another’s Pair of Shoes.

Can-do people empathize with others. They attempt to see any predicament from the other person’s perspective in order to make the best decisions. In my book Winning with People, one the 25 People Principles is the Exchange Principle, which says that instead of putting others in their place, we must put ourselves in their place.

© Copyright CreateOne Pty Ltd. 2008

www.createone.com.au

Use your own Power of Positive Attitude to move forward to creating your success mindset.

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Filed under: Pers. Empowerment — Tags: , , — Danette Hibberd @ 9:59 am
Women Connect Visit WA
Thursday, September 25th, 2008

By Danette Hibberd

The past week has been a rollercoaster as I visited Western Australia.

Presenting to groups of women north of Perth in Ellenbrook, Joondalup and Quinns Rock, then east in Midland, central Perth at the State Library, to south of Perth at Bunbury we had an absolutely amazing time inspiring and motivating women to create the life they love.

Frances Mercer, Glenda Howes and myself presented to groups at all the above venues on this whirlwind promotional tour, and although hectic, we had the absolute time of our lives.

Keep your eyes open for an event coming near you soon. Women Connect events are being held around the nation, and so very soon, one will be near you.

Women Connect events not only educate, but inspire and motivate and show you that you have inside you the resources necessary to create and live the life of your dreams.

To be happy, successful and fulfilled. And you want that, don’t you?

By Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Welcome, Women Connect — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 7:14 pm
I’m Coming to WA
Monday, September 15th, 2008

By Danette Hibberd

I am pleased to announce that I am coming to WA on Wednesday September 17th for one week.

For all the members in the Western State, I would love to be able to catch up with you.

At this stage, I am not sure of the arrangements that have been made for my appearances (thanks to two wonderful women who have filled my week’s agenda) but keep your eyes on this space.

As soon as I have some details, I will post them here.

I can’t wait to meet you in person,
Only a few more sleeps!
Cheers

Filed under: Announcements — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 10:14 pm
A Success Mindset Succeeds Everytime
Friday, September 12th, 2008

It’s true! A Success Mindset Wins Everytime

By Danette Hibberd

You’ve heard it before. “Success is a state of mind”. Some may argue that success is a result of luck, while others profess it to be the result of the careful planning, preparation and of course, focused action. Yes, the latter is somewhat true but you will also see that there are some exceptions to this rule.

How often have you heard of two people attempting the same objective only to have one of them succeed? Have you ever wondered why this is so? Perhaps it is luck, or timing or even tenacity. Possibly, but in more cases than not, it is the person’s mindset that is the determining factor in whether the result is failure or success.

So, what is a mindset?

In most cases, this refers to the predominant state of mind on a daily basis. It is what one thinks about, focuses on and expects from their daily experiences. When one typically thinks negative thoughts, expects the worse or is pessimistic about life, then that is exactly what will be attracted into their life. Conversely, with positive thoughts and a success mindset, you will expect only the best and focus on a successful outcome, and yes, you will win most if not every time.

This seems to make sense. But then you may wonder how it works, or why a success mindset is so important.

A success mindset is crucial if we are to achieve the life we desire for many reasons, but here are three crucial ones.

1) A success mind-set boosts your self-confidence and self-belief.

When you hold a lack of belief in yourself a sense of powerlessness and futility usually comes along with it, and this is the exact opposite of a holding a success mind-set. Lack of confidence means you see no point in even attempting to be successful because it just doesn’t happen to or for you. Obviously, this type of mind-set is a recipe for failure in any endeavour.

Having a true success mind-set, on the other hand, means you totally believe in yourself and in your capabilities. You believe you can be successful at almost everything you try, and you’re willing to give it your best shot. And as you strive more and more, the more confidence and self-belief you build in yourself - until you’re virtually unstoppable!

2) A success mind-set strengthens your determination.

When you do not hold a success mind-set, one failure is enough to convince you that pursuing your goal is a waste of time. Tenacity and determination are not present in your world. When you don’t become a raging success on your first attempt, you surmise that it simply wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, few things worth having are obtained so easily!

A success mind-set, however, strengthens your awareness that a failure is not the end of the story - the feedback you receive is telling you that it’s just one more way that didn’t work out the way you planned. In fact, a true success mind-set makes it obvious that the only true failure occurs when you stop trying.

3) A success mind-set encourages fruitful actions.

Have you ever found yourself either confused or wandering round in circles because you didn’t know the best way to approach a specific goal? Perhaps you had an idea of the best course of action but you felt intimidated by some of the action steps required. As a result, you may have kept sabotaging your efforts as you searched in vain for an easier or less frightening way to your goal.

With a true success mind-set, you will always know the most effective course of action that will lead directly to achieving your goal. You will also have the inner confidence and determination to pursue them - which is a sure recipe for . . . you guessed it; success!

To develop a success mind-set you need to:

- Reach for your dreams
- Think positively
- Believe in yourself
- Believe you can do better
- Learn, grow and develop constantly
- Be willing to take chances
- Give it your all
- Expect the best in every situation
- Be willing to fail
- When you fall down, pick yourself up and try again

By following the above strategies, you will not only feel more successful from the inside, but your results will be more in line with those of a person with a true success mindset.

Why wait when you can take action today? Develop YOUR SUCCESS MINDSET.

By Danette Hibberd

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Filed under: Pers. Empowerment — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 8:41 am
Successfully Dealing With Goals
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

By Danette Hibberd

Successfully Dealing With Goals

Goals – for some of us we moan and groan, for others we experience delight! We’ve all been told that we must list our goals. That’s easy. Write them down and feel committed. That was yesterday. But it’s now a new day.

So you’ve made that list of goals – again. Once more you’ve written down your hopes and dreams. So what? You’ve done it a hundred times before, and what good did it do you? Now what?

Setting goals is like placing your order at a restaurant. Not achieving those goals means you’re still sitting there waiting (whether patiently or otherwise) or you’ve gotten up and walked out of the restaurant before your order could be delivered.

The restaurant analogy ends here, however, because there are conscious, proactive steps you can take to speed up the delivery of those things you ordered; you have the power to postpone it and refuse it. You likewise have the power to aid in its attainment.

Here are several methods to successfully dealing with goals :

• Take any one of your goals and ask yourself why you want it? Write down the answer. Then ask yourself why you want that? Continue this way until you feel you’ve come to a fundamental desire that you simply cannot break down further. A desire for a new car may be backed by a desire for status which may be backed by a desire to be loved which can be attained in a slew of other ways than just a car. Desire, in this instance, to be loved.

Then, in a creative reversal of this deconstructive method, ask yourself what it would look like if you were loved (or put more succinctly – what it will look like when you are loved). What will you have, feel, and experience when you have that love you want? Do you have any of those things already? If so, you’re already there, receiving your order, and all that’s left is to continue receiving. If not, no matter, it’s now on its way.

• Each day, pick one of your goals and take one simple action towards its achievement. Too often we become paralysed into inaction by the apparent “size” of our goals, really a resistance to the stark contrast between our goals and our current condition. So break it down into bite-sized chunks, one bite at a time. You need only emanate the energy of alignment with the attainment of your desires to receive it. By wanting it, you have already called it to you. You don’t have to work your tail off to get it. You just have to give it conscious daily attention concentrated through the performance of a simple and realisable act.

• Enroll other people in your goals. It can be frightening at first to be so vulnerable as to share your desires with another person, but it’s equally potent in its effects. People who love you will always love to put their energy towards your happiness and fulfillment, even if that energy comes in no other form than as “moral support”. In many cases, your goals align perfectly with another’s goals and suddenly you both have found a partner in fulfillment. In extreme cases (more frequent than you may think) a circumstance you couldn’t possibly have imagined will “coincidentally” touch another person’s life that they could put towards your goal’s attainment if they had only known they could have helped. People love to help each other. Give them a chance. Share you goals. Tell other people what you want and let them help you have it.

Another thing you can do in successfully dealing with goals is to make sure to regularly revisit your list of goals, review them, update them. You may find some goals from your past that you no longer desire today. You may replace old goals with new ones and refine persistent goals. You may even be pleasantly surprised to discover some goals have been achieved since the last time you glanced at your list, and you hadn’t even realised it!

With this process, you will be successfully dealing with goals.

By Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Coaching/Mentoring, Pers. Empowerment — Tags: , — Danette Hibberd @ 7:22 pm
Women - A Word of Warning
Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Women - A Word of Warning

By Danette Hibberd

The following was sent to me today via email. Many of you have probably already seen it, but I was compelled to upload it to my blog to spread the word.

Read this article, and tomorrow I will add why it was so important to me that all women be warned!

‘Know what money you are carrying! You will see why as you read!’

Be sure every lady is aware of this. Share it with your wife and
daughters. Know what money you are carrying. This was the first I have
heard of a scheme like this.. I wanted to pass it along. Be safe! It
is something very serious to pay attention to.

‘Criminals are coming up with craftier, less threatening methods of
attack, so we have to be extra cautious. Read on.

I live near the Blue Mountains but I often work at North Ryde , staying
with friends when I’m there. As you know from Australia ’s Most Wanted
TV program, as well as the new media, there is a serial killer in the
area. I just want to let you know about an ‘incident ‘ that happened
to me a few weeks ago, and could have been deadly.

At first I didn’t go to the police or anyone with it because I didn’t
realize how serious this encounter was. But since I work in a jail and I
told a few people about it, it wasn’t long before I was paraded into
Internal Affairs to tell them my story.

It was proximately 5:15 a.m. I had stayed with a friend there and was
on my way to work. I stopped at the Caltex Station to get petrol. I got
$10 petrol and a Diet Coke. I took into the store two
$5 bills and one $1 coin (just enough to get my stuff).

As I pulled away from the store, a man approached my truck from the back
side of the store (an unlit area). He was an approachable-looking’ man
(clean cut, clean shaven, dressed well, etc.). He walked up to my window
and knocked. Since I’m very paranoid and ‘always looking for the rapist
or killer,’ I didn’t open the window I just asked what he wanted. He
raised a $5 bill to my window and said, ‘You dropped this.’ Since I
knew I had gone into the store with a certain amount of money, I knew
I didn’t drop it.

‘When I told him it wasn’t mine, he began hitting the window and door,
screaming at me to open my door, and insisting that I had dropped the
money!

At that point, I just drove away as fast as I could. After talking to
the Internal Affairs Department and describing the man I saw, and the
way he escalated from calm and polite to angry and volatile….it was
determined that I could have possibly encountered the serial killer
myself.

Up to this point, it had been unclear as to how he had gained access to
his victims, since there has been no evidence of forced entry into
victim’s homes, cars, etc. And the fact that he has been attacking in
the daytime, when women are less likely to have their guard up, means
he is pretty BOLD.

‘So think about it…what gesture is nicer than returning money to
someone that dropped it?????

‘How many times would you have opened your window (or door) to get your
money and say thank you…. because if the person is kind enough to
return something to you, then he can’t really be a threat….can he????

Please be cautious! This might not have been the serial killer… but
anyone that gets that angry over someone not accepting money from them,
can’t have honourable intentions. The most important thing to note is
his reaction was! NOT WHAT I EXPECTED! A total surprise! But what
might have happened if I had opened my door? I shudder to think!

Forward this to everyone you know…maybe they can be as fortunate as
I was!

P.S . Ladies, really DO forward this to EVERYONE you know Even if this
wasn’t a serial killer, he looked nice, he seemed polite, he was
apparently doing an act of kindness, but HE WAS NOT A NICE PERSON!!!
Men send it to all the women in your life. What you do today is
important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. Make
it a good one!

Stay tuned - Tomorrow I’ll reveal why this article is so important to me to share.

By Danette Hibberd

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Filed under: Announcements — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 10:30 pm
Change For The Better
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

By Danette Hibberd

CHANGE

“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

Charles Du Bos takes full aim at the infamous “comfort zone”, wherein we may not like where we Are, and we might even complain about it, but we choose to hold on to what we know rather than take a leap forward into uncertainty. Yet it is only in letting go of what we have that we can grab hold of what we might become. Better. Kinder. More successful. Healthier. More self-confident.

Whatever transformation we wish to make, we must first leave behind the old before becoming the new.

What would you like to change? Think about it.

By Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Pers. Empowerment — Tags: — Danette Hibberd @ 5:53 pm
The Amazing Power of The Brain
Monday, September 1st, 2008

The Amazing Power of The Brain
Are you fascinated with the power of the brain?

Quickly scan through the text below and you will see what I mean. It amazes me every time i see this

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdenaig. The phonemneal pweor of the human mnid!

Aodccrnig to rserceah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dnsoe’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the hmuan mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azmanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuoht slpeling was ipmrtnoat.

Hvae a fbaluuos day!

By Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Fun — Tags: , — Danette Hibberd @ 10:52 am
The Opus - The First Few Minutes
Monday, September 1st, 2008

By Danette Hibberd

The Opus - The First Few Minutes

Wow, You WILL want to keep watching … I know I did.

You do want to know more, don’t you?

For only $34.95 plus $5.95 p&h
You can order your copy right here, today of THE OPUS

In Australia - Get your copy right here today for $34.95 plus $5.95 p&h.

By Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Law of Attraction, The Opus — Tags: , — Danette Hibberd @ 9:01 am
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