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Episode 35 – The Power of Testimonials

October 13, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Let’s face it we all have been influenced by feedback or testimonials offered by credible individuals who must know the benefits of using a product or service. You see celebrities and athletes endorse products and services so they must be great right? You figure in their putting their reputation on the line. Learn how you can use the power of testimonials or in other terms references to get more clients and stir up interest in what you have to offer. You can do this by using the stories from past and current clients.

What do testimonials do?

Testimonials build trust and credibility. If people are putting their name to a product or service, you start to believe that the person who’s endorsing is credible so the product or service must be credible too.

Testimonials help people relate to that outcome and results. People want to see themselves in the story. They want to see growth, an increase in the # of clients, any increase in money gained, and the solution to their challenge or problem. They want to experience similar success.

Testimonials offer social proof and often address objections about whether or not a product may work for them or not. When people see that others have benefited from a product or service, they start to believe that it might be possible for them as well.

Testimonials make your product or service come alive. If people haven’t had a chance to meet you or have been exposed to your product or service. .A testimonial could be very powerful in building that know- like and trust factor.

Many individuals do not use testimonials enough to promote their business. Testimonials are a free and powerful marketing tool that can be pivotal in your business.

What does the great testimonial look like?

Testimonials are stories of a person’s experience with you. A great testimonial is relatable and specific to the problem being solved. It addresses objections or skepticism that a person may have in using your product or service. It explains how you helped overcome someone’s challenge or hurdle to be successful.

The best way to get a great testimonial is to tell people what you need specifically. Think about some of the objections that customers have happened or one’s that you believe people may have in the future.

A great testimonial will:

Describe the benefits and results of working with you or your products and service,
Address obstacles or objections that have been overcome and how you were the solution to the problem.
Persuade others with the reasons why someone should use your product or service.
Draw an emotional connection.
Increase engagement and social media efforts.
Focus on why the person chose your product or service and what they liked the most.
Focus on the timeliness and the impact of working with you, your product, or service.

Testimonials need to be believable before people can see themselves in the story. Some people make claims that are so outrageous that this will just add to the skepticism of whether or not your product or service will work for the person reading it. Position your powerful testimonials on your website, in your newsletter, and on your social media. Get testimonials on a regular basis and have them rotate in your marketing.

Are you just getting started? No problem. Provide the prospect or customer with a sample of your product or services either for free or discounted rate in exchange for a testimonial. Make sure your client or customer is aware that you will be sharing this testimonial for marketing purposes. Ask people to write, record audio, or video testimonial to be used on your website and other marketing materials. Audio and video have a big impact in creating engagement and credibility. If you get a written testimonial, ask if you can use a picture beside it. People like to identify with where the positive feedback is coming from.

Start leveraging the power of the testimonial in your marketing materials. Start positioning yourself and stepping into your own power.

We would love to have you subscribed to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get us free MP3 download 10 Surefire Strategies to Power Up Your Productivity and Performance. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time: 10:00 min

Keywords: endorsements, power of testimonials, testify, review, rating, reference, word of mouth, credibility, testimony, recommendations

Episode 34: What About the Competition

October 11, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Competition is one of those driving forces that can either serve you or stall you. In First of all with getting straight, there are 7 billion people on this planet you alone cannot serve all of them and nor do you want to because some people are just not the right fit for what you’re doing. You want to be really clear on what you were focused on and what you want to accomplish.

Competition can be a good thing. What happens when people start competing or looking at their competition? Competition keeps you on your toes figure always looking for ways to improve and innovate and be cutting-edge. Competition pushes you to see how well you’ll do under pressure. Your performance gets fine-tuned and productivity can skyrocket. The value that comes out of competition is the ability to step back and learn from the competitors. Take time to learn what they’re doing well and also learn what they’re not doing well. What do you need to be doing differently to get similar results in your style?

“Anytime you find someone more successful than you are, especially when you’re both engaged in the same business – you know they’re doing something that you aren’t.”
― Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

When you have competition it forces you to step outside your comfort zone to you don’t get too comfortable to point that you get complacent. Complacency leads to decreased efforts and motivation. When there’s competition this could mean that you’re truly on to something and there is a demand to the marketplace. Why not you? What will you do to stand out from the crowd and create a memorable experience for your customer?

Where competition gets bad is when you start comparing with a viewpoint of lack of what you have to offer. If you start thinking and believing your competition is better than you, you will lose motivation and not put in the effort required. When you start thinking this way you will create imaginary obstacles and roadblocks that will stand in your way from moving forward and actually stall you. This is where you may self-sabotage your own success.

“If we can keep our competitors focused on us while we stay focused on the customer, ultimately we’ll turn out all right.”
―Jeff Bezos

You’ll start focusing too much on your competition on ways you can improve in the fact of beating someone versus focusing on your own business or whatever you’re working on. This could be detrimental because you’re not in line with your why. What also happens when some people get into a competitive state is that they feel that if they can’t win or be the best they don’t put in the effort because they feel there’s no point. These people tend to focus on the prize rather than focusing on improvement to become their personal best.

Don’t let the competition get you down. What I want you to do is use this to fuel you?

Get to know your competition. What are they doing well? What are they not doing well? What makes them currently stand out? The more you learn about your competition the more you can learn about yourself and how to better position yourself.

Know your avatar. Know who your ideal client is and how you can best serve them. The more you know about them, the more you can serve their needs.

Increase your marketing efforts. You want more people to know about you, you need to increase your marketing efforts to get more exposure. No matter what the economic climate when people have seen marketing materials or have heard testimonials about a company they are more likely to work with someone based on a referral. Ensure that you have testimonials available on your website and marketing materials. Testimonials build trust.

Collaborate with others to be stronger. Look for ways to collaborate with others. You do not have to grow your business all alone. Look for people who complement your services and how you can join forces in marketing and promotion.

Show up at your best. First impressions are long-lasting. Look for ways to update your image. You are your brand. What you want people to remember about you?

Sometimes to be on the cutting edge in your industry, you need to put your blinders on. You need to stop focusing and comparing yourself to the competition attempting to learn from them. If you think you’ve been beaten you already are. It is time to build an unstoppable mindset in which you believe strongly in personal mastery and being on top of your game. Use competition to fuel you. Focusing on competition entirely is not sustainable. Focus on improving yourself. As the saying goes, be so good that they can’t ignore you.

Email me at Debra@debrakasowski.com and let us know what you would like to be featured on the show. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating! Sign up for our Newsletter www.debrakasowski.com

Time 10:22 minutes

Keywords: competition, achieve your personal best, personal best, self-improvement, work well under pressure, looking for ways to improve and innovate, competition is good, competition is bad, why competition is good, why competition is bad, mindset, focused on the prize, step out of your comfort zone, avoid getting too complacent

Episode 33 – Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

October 6, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it would be most valuable to talk about developing an “attitude of gratitude”. Being grateful does the need to only occur Thanksgiving. When you start to recognize what you are grateful for the more you will discover to be grateful for. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” In today’s world, if you get caught up in the media hype of wars, accidents, and bombing, you may find it difficult to find things to be grateful for. However, what you focus on expands.

Developing an attitude of gratitude is not a one-time meditation, prayer, or mindfulness practice. It is about how you think and feel about life. Research studies show that people who develop a gratitude mindset have a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, and sleep better as well as feel more rested. These individuals tend to be more compassionate, more forgiving, and are less isolated because they are more outgoing. They tend to have a more optimistic view of life and find joy and pleasure in everything that they do.

Gratitude shifts your focus. People who are problem focus tend to complain and blame others for faults in results rather than being the solution focused. When you are solution focused, you are able to come up with new ideas and solutions to challenging situations. During times of adversity, gratitude helps you realize that you would not be who you are without the situations and circumstances that have occurred both good and not so good. You are better able to bounce back and become more resilient in situations. When you develop a shift in focus and mindset, you also shift away from the victim mentality to one of the victor. You will shift from “I have to” do something versus “I get to” or “I choose to” do something. Gratitude is not a chore it’s a privilege.

Think about all the things you “get to” do that many others do not.

Small thank yous can make a big impact. You can make a big difference by acknowledging someone and thanking them for what they have done for you. The smallest thank you can be the most memorable. When people are recognized for the things that they do their confidence grows and they are more apt to believe in their abilities and stretch beyond the current capabilities. Their work takes on a greater purpose and they feel that they are making a difference. When people hear that their work is appreciated, they tend to be motivated to work harder to hear more praise and appreciation.

Keep a journal and write down what you are grateful for. By writing down what you are grateful for you can start paying attention to the thoughts that you have been having and take note of any patterns in your thoughts. Your thoughts and feelings impact the actions you will take. Epicurus stated, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you have you only hoped for.” Start by writing down three things every day that you are grateful for and encourage others to do the same. Gratitude is contagious.

Write a letter and reach out to others who you are grateful for. By doing this you can change someone’s world. Several years ago I sent a card to a schoolteacher that I had, she sent me a thank you card back because the card had brought her to tears is no one in her years of teaching at centre thank you for the impact that she had made the difference.

It’s important to give gratitude but also important to learn how to accept it. When someone gives you a gift of a compliment or helps you in some way, acknowledge and thank them for it. Don’t brush it off by just saying oh it’s nothing because to them it was something.

At the end of the day, like attracts like, and people who are grateful are fun to be around and tend to be happier. Why not choose to be more grateful at home, in the workplace, in your business, or organization today? You never know whose life you can change it may be your own.

Time: 10:14 min

Keywords: develop an attitude of gratitude, attitude of gratitude, mindset, gratitude, grateful heart, accepting compliments, accept thank you, accept gratitude, journaling, gratitude journal, gratitude expands

EPISODE 32: Help Yourself First

October 4, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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When a person travels their view of the world expands. This past weekend I watched the movie “Sully” where Tom Hanks played the lead pilot. It was about the “Miracle on the Hudson” where a plane lands in the river versus heading back to it nearby airport runway.

44088939 - moscow - may 28, 2011: air hostess yulia of aeroflot shows how to use an oxygen mask on board. aeroflot operates the youngest fleet in the world among major airlines, numbering 150 airliners.

As I was watching the movie, I was reminded by the safety messages that many of us take for granted at the beginning of the flight. It is routine; however, these checklists are important in ensuring our safety. These routine checklists remind us that we need to put our own oxygen masks on first. We need to look after ourselves before we can serve others.

Are you looking after yourself first? It is so easy to over commit and put others’ needs above our own but at the end of the day who truly suffers? Who you want to show up as in the world? What do your actions say about who you are?

Helping yourself shows up in many ways.

1) Take 100% responsibility for your contribution in making a difference in the world around you.

All too often in businesses and in organizations people tend to think that someone owes them. They believe that others are responsible for the delivery of what they would want to happen. Businesses and organizations are only one piece of the puzzle. When you cast blame or complain than another person or group of people owes you, you give away your power. This power is yours. You have the ability to make a difference by contributing in your own way. Your contribution may be as simple as having a one-on-one conversation or more complex like creating a movement through social media.

How are you promoting your business, your organization, or even your profession? Why do others want to join you?

As my colleague, multi- Emmy Award Winner and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Dr. Shawne Duperon, would say, “What are you broadcasting?”

2) Examine your habits.

35166340_s What habits are helping you move forward? What habits are holding you back?

Get at least eight hours of sleep a night.

Exercise 30 to 60 min. a day.

Eat healthy foods.

Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.

Prepare in advance for your meetings.

Commit to reading 20 min. a day.

Plan out your week in advance with the flexibility to adjust where is needed.

Reward yourself for meeting your goals.

Follow-up with new prospects within 24 hours of meeting them.

Review your profit and losses weekly.

Balance your check book and review bank statements.

Avoid eating out too frequently.

All of these activities are ways in which you are helping yourself.

3) Learn To Say “No” To Others So You Can Take Care Of Yourself

It is way too easy to dismiss the commitment that we had with ourselves to go to the gym or spend time cleaning up the clutter in order to help another person. Over time you may see results from when you didn’t take care of yourself. These can show up in forms of being overweight, exhausted, illness, or even anxiety because you couldn’t find what you needed to.

Setting boundaries and understanding what you will tolerate and not tolerate is important. You must clearly communicate your wants and needs to others. If you spend more time pleasing others, you will neglect your own wants and needs. You may get frustrated or irritated.

By saying “no” to others, you are actually saying “yes” to yourself! By taking care of yourself first, you will then be replenished so that you can serve others in the way that you want and are able to do. Ensure that you’re taking time to reward yourself for your accomplishments and acknowledge how far you’ve come.

4) Invest in Your Personal Growth

Taking time and money to invest in yourself leads to an unlimited return on investment. You may advance academically or work with a personal trainer. Maybe you decided to learn from a Yogi in India or take a watercolours class. No matter what you choose to do in the process you learn more about yourself and how you interact in the world. You may get a job promotion, develop meaningful relationships, or become a famous artist. A world of possibilities opens up when you invest in yourself. Personal investment equals to personal fulfillment.

5) Allow for Another Person’s Growth

As someone who enjoys helping others, I sometimes forget that if I jump in and do for someone they are unable to learn and grow. You can’t help people by doing everything for people. Let them take responsibility for their actions and also learn from consequences – unless they are in danger of course. Instead, ask questions and be there for support when and as needed. Many learn from taking action and adjusting their course as they move forward.

By helping yourself first, you will be better able to help others when your needs are met first. Remember to put your oxygen mask on first. Live on purpose!

Time: 08:10 min

Keywords: help yourself first, setting boundaries, return on investment, invest in yourself, oxygen complex, put yourself first, help yourself before you help others, love yourself, start putting yourself first, put your oxygen on first, putting yourself first is not selfish, learn to say no

EPISODE 31: The Knowing and Doing Gap

September 29, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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EPISODE 31: The Knowing and Doing Gap

Many of us know what to do but fall short on doing what we know we need to do. The difference between knowing and doing is that in knowing-what you believe to be true and is based on the knowledge and experience you have. Whereas, doing is about the actions you take based on the knowledge and experiences you have.

The gap between knowing and doing can be small as dime or as large as the universe. We filter the world through what we believe-what we know. Our perception is our reality. It does not mean it is always correct. Have you ever made an assumption and realized that you are totally wrong?

id-10087374 Doing means taking action – it means taking a risk. Why is it that so many of us know what to do but do not do it? You are operating from a place of fear. You’re scared to take risks because you scared to step out of that comfort zone. The comfort that you believe will protect and keep you from harm. It is a human need to feel safe and secure. You can take calculated risks. Calculated risks are where you have done your homework and decreased the risk, and lessened the uncertainty. And most of all minimized your fears.

Conduct Research– Get more information by surfing the web or reading articles or magazines or books in the area that you need more information.
Ask Questions. Interview someone who has been where you want to be or has the knowledge that you are seeking.
Challenge Assumptions. Challenge others assumptions because the best way is not always the way things have been done. Encourage people to look for better ways of doing things and exploring more perspectives and options.
Learn Best by Doing. Take small actions. Learn and adjust as you go. Learn from mistakes and experiences.

33059352 - if you never do you will never know !

Knowing is one thing. Talking the talk. Walking the talk means that you are acting based on what you know. Talking is not the same as taking action. Talking may make you make you look smart; however, acting and doing will give you the results that demonstrate you are truly smart.

The biggest gap between knowing and doing is procrastination. As you may know what to do, this means not hesitate on taking actions. The reason for this is sometimes you don’t realize the impact on your results by not taking those actions. You could be self-sabotaging yourself from getting the success you say that you want. If you’re not willing to do and take the actions necessary, it really means that you’re not really concerned about it all. Some people just believe that they’re entitled to the results they want. Taking action means that you must put in effort and the work required getting the results you desire. Some people procrastinate because they don’t believe in themselves or they don’t have a clear vision of what they’re trying to achieve. Whereas, others are in search for perfection and they hold themselves back from taking action. By wasting time you’re wasting money, resources, and the only time you’ve got. Time is not replaceable.

It is time to do the things we know we should be doing. If you haven’t listened to the Episode 28: Committed to Lifelong Learning take a listen as soon as possible after this podcast. Start scheduling what is important to you and stay focused on your course of action. It is one thing to know what to do and how to do it and another to actually take the steps required to make it become reality. Remember nothing happens without action.

What is the between what you know and what you know you must do?

What action steps are you ready to take?

We would love to have you subscribed to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get us free MP3 download 10 Surefire Strategies to Power Up Your Productivity and Performance. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

Time: 7:17 min

Keywords: Taking action, belief, challenge assumptions, knowing and doing gap, conduct research, step out of your comfort zone, questioning, leadership, engagement, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of rejection