Debra Kasowski

How to Gain Control Over Your Fears

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I think each one of us has a fear of something that we work toward overcoming. Some people try to hide from their fears whereas others tiptoe around them. I am not a big fan of speed but I challenged myself to try the West Coast Slide. It is a sled on a track that has a joystick allowing you to accelerate or brake. The whole slide time is under 30 seconds. I had mentioned how I thought this ride was pretty amazing! The attendant said it was because I had control! How very true. Your fears dissipate when you feel that you have control. Think about an area in your life where you would like to feel that you are in control rather than living in fear.

Here are 3 Ways to Gain Control Over Your Fears:

  • Evaluate the Odds. Learn what you need to learn in order to feel more comfortable with taking action. This is often refered to as, due diligence. Investigate the risks and what you need to do in order to mitigate them – then take action.
  • Practice, Practice, Practice. The more prepared you are for what you want to do, the more natural it will feel. You will be able to go through the motions with confidence and get the results that you want.
  • Mind Over Matter. Many of the fears you have are perceived and probably would never occur. Sometimes, you just need to ask yourself – What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it that this could occur? Do I know 100% that what I fear will come true? Chances are you do not know. Prepare your mind for victory. Shift your mindset by asking yourself – What will it feel like to conquer that fear and achieve what you want?

Do not let your fears hold you back from truly experiencing what life has to offer! Live fully and be rich from the inside out!

Please share how you overcome some of your fears!

 

Why You Need a Piece of the Marketing Pie?

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Are you wanting to grow your business and taste how sweet success can be? You will definitely want to know how to learn about marketing pie! Marketing is an important part of your business operations. Your marketing strategy is the part of your business that attracts clients to you and your products and services – it is how they get to hear about you and get to know you. Marketing helps you build your list or database and then key in your follow-up.

The marketing pie is a tool that I use to help me focus on my business and plan for my day, month, and year. To help you understand the marketing pie, I want you to get a piece of paper and pen. Draw out a circle and draw a line through the middle horizontally and then vertically. Draw a few more lines dissecting the centre of the circle just like you would be slicing a pie. Let’s start with 8 slices. You can keep adding slices to the pie. Each slice of the pie is a marketing tool that you use to attract more customers by serving them with valuable content to boost their business’s bottom line.

Here are eight ways you can build your list and share your expertise with your potential customer:

  1. Opt-In Box on your website offer a free report, ebook, teleclass, video series, or podcast. If you do not have an opt-in box, you must get one as soon as possible and offer the guests to your site something of value. A way in which they get to know you and what you do.
  2. Ezine – An electronic newsletter keeps your clients and prospects in the know about what you are up to. They again have another way to get to know you and what you currently up to. You can share articles, blog posts, testimonials, and tips and techniques to help transform their businesses. If you do not know what one is or need some ideas about you should include, I invite you to sign up for mine. Ezines can be sent out every week,  biweekly, or monthly. I find biweekly is the best way to stay top of mind.
  3. Articles – You can create high value content for potential clients that has a bio that send them to your website to learn more.
  4. Blog – You can blog and showcase your expertise. This a great way for people to learn about your business.
  5. Video – Create videos that a less than 2 minutes offering 3-5 business tips related to what your offer your clients. This is a very powerful tool!
  6. Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are the top venues for sharing yours events, articles, blogs, and other valuable content with others. Not only can people like or comment on your postings, they can share your posts with their followers.
  7. Direct Mail – You can utilize postcard marketing to get the word out about your business and provide a free offering to a special report, ebook, or download.
  8. Teleseminars – Offer a 30- 60 minute teleseminar teaching your clients and prospects about something that they can be doing in their business or their life. This a great way for them to also get to hear your voice and get to know you.

There are several more pieces to the marketing pie that can help build your list, expand your reach, and ultimately grow your business. I challenge you to utilize at least 3 of these marketing tools to launch your business to a whole new level. Learn one piece well before venture onto yoru next piece. Now what piece of the pie would you like? I hear they are pretty delicious!

How to Shift Your Mindset and Grow Your Business

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Are you wondering  why you have not been growing your business to the level you want? The problem often lies in a person’s mindset. The way you think about your talents, abilities, and skills have a great deal with the results you get. There are often words, phrases, or personal mantras that people say or think about themselves.

Do any of these questions resonate with you?

  • “I am not enough.”
  • “I am not deserving.”
  • “I am need to be more like them.”
  • “I cannot do that.”
  • “I have nothing to share.”
  • “I do not have enough time.”

Let cut to the chase and get the meaning of the statements into a new context. Negativity has no place in success! You are enough. You deserve the best life has to offer. Why? Because you are worth it. Just be yourself – that’s who the world is waiting for and there is only one of you. You have plenty to share – your experiences help others, your knowledge helps others, and your skills, abilities, and talents help others – share them. You can set aside time for the things you really want. Set your priorities and go after it is what you want.

A positive mindset that is focused on opportunity and possibilities is the solution to people’s problems. People will want to be around you because you set an example of hope and possibility of a better life. Growing your business has to do with changing habits and shifting your mindset to “I can do. I am enough. I am worth it. I will make the time to do what is important to me. I can learn a new skill. I can start sharing my talents with others.”

Take action toward what it is you want to achieve. Each step you take create a momentum that motivates you to continue.

Learn from any mistakes you make and you will be one step closer to learning what works and what doesn’t. Redefine your strategy along the way. Look for the opportunities that lie within.

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Your attitude towards life events and challenges is what inspires others. Be grateful for what makes your life great.

Get out there and let others know what you do. Your confidence is magnetic. People will want to know your secrets to success. Action takers get noticed and often look like overnight successes! You may be the next one!

How Will Changing Your Habits Change Your Life?

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You have heard the saying, “Old habits die hard.” Habits can be hard to change. Many people fear change. They are quite comfortable and happy with keeping things the way they have always been. When even the slightest change is suggested you  may have heard, “We tried that once it never worked.” or “This is the way things have always been.” That’s all fine and dandy but the question I would say to you or anyone who makes these statements, “Are you happy with the RESULTS or OUTCOME you are currently getting?”

Are you happy with the:

  • state of your relationships?
  • the amount of people you are serving?
  • your marketing methods?
  • your Google analytics of your website?
  • amount of free time you currently have?
  • state of your health?
  • amount of money you are making?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, what would it mean to you to be happy in those areas? What is one habit you could change to start moving towards the outcome you want? Map out a calendar and track the change over a minimum of 21 days. Experts suggest it takes 21 days to change a habit, however, my theory is the longer you can continue it the more likely you will make it a more permanent part of your daily life. Go for one month! Pick one area of your life and change a habit for one month and watch the results compound!

Do you need to:

  • track your finances
  • eliminate time wasters
  • complete your taxes
  • book a vacation
  • follow-up with a client
  • go the gym
  • mend a relationship
  • carve out some “me”time
  • go for a long afternoon lunch with girlfriends
  • write a business proposal
  • write a press release
  • the list could be endless!

Remember if you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get the same results. If you want to change the results, you need to change the one thing you know you must do. In Nike fashion, “Just do it!”

Are You Sowing the Seeds of Success?

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I realize the topic of sowing seeds of success may seem like a gardener, farmer, or Johnny Appleseed to do but it is so revealing to one’s success. You may think, “How does sowing seeds actually apply to me?” In business, the more you build the relationships you have and create and the more people who learn or know of your business (your list), the greater your revenue stream eventually will be. Your networth is directly proportional to your network. People need to get to know, like, and trust you in order to do business with you. Sowing the “Seeds of Success” is not a overnight process. Have you ever planted a seed in a garden or watched a crop being put in the ground?Neither the gardener nor the farmer come out in the morning preparing for harvest. The seed requires the nutrients from the soil, water, and the glorious sunshine in order to grow and stretch to the sky. You, too, need to grow and nurture the relationships you build and during the process you also learn and grow into the person you were meant to be.

What is seeding and how does a person seed? The Free Online Dictionary defines a seed as a source or beginning. The same is true in your business, you are creating and nurturing new beginnings and relationships with others. Some relationships will develop and flourish and some with not grow at all and that’s okay. Some relationships need to be re-seeded as you may have had a misunderstanding or you may have lost touch with the other person. Seeding is about letting others know about your business and how you can help them.  They want to know about the results you create. You, in turn, will also grow your business.

Here are several ways to sow the seeds of your success:

  • Take a genuine interest in people and learn about them. What makes the tick? What is their “why” for doing what they do? Look for the common thread between you and them. People appreciate that you take time to care about them as a person not as a commodity.
  • Follow-up with a phone call (preferred) or email to connect with people following a meeting within 24-48 hours of meeting.
  • Send a card of appreciation to your current client base.
  • Utilize direct mail marketing with postcards or brochures – not as common any more but it has greater impact due its novelty.
  • Create articles or blogs that provide content with tips, strategies, and techniques that would benefit your followers.
  • Speak at conferences, trade shows, or associations to get yourself out there. The more your name and brand are out there – people will start to learn about you.
  • Collaborate with others in cross promotion of each other’s businesses. Word of Mouth Marketing is continually one of the most powerful marketing methods.

You cannot sow just a few seeds, stop, and suddenly start to reap the rewards of growth. You must plant seeds regularly and consistently so you can grow connections and opportunities. Ensure you are sowing the seeds of success intentionally by connecting with people who are aligned with your values and you will start to see the seeds grow. The seed you plant today could be the treasure you reap tomorrow.

How do you seed the marketing in your business? How do people learn about you or your products or services? What have you discovered during the process of building connections?