How does an online business owner target customers that purchase regularly, want to be advocates of a businesses to people they know within their network. A customer that chooses your products/services regardless of how price competitive you actual are to your competitors? Is customer loyalty just a myth?

Consumers are spoilt for options and this makes a purchasing choice more complicated then ever before. Think of how much time it takes to decide on purchasing a new mobile phone or even just a humble tooth brush. There’s lots of businesses out there making advertising noise to grab your attention. It comes from all angles 24-7. The plus for the consumer is there is so much choice why would you even bother being loyal to any business? The problem with all these gimmicks, a discount etc is the customer doesn’t feel any sort of emotional connection. At any minute if this customer only concerned with price for example finds a better deal they are out of here…. So what creates the magically carrot at the end of a stick that a customer can’t ignore and will be drawn to constantly?
Through any advertisement or branding of a business a potential customers gets a sense of what the business does, how they do it and why they do what they do.
The problem is a lot of businesses lead with the what and the how and not with the why.

The best example of this concept I can share with you is Apple Inc. Part of Apple’s worldwide appeal is they lead with their ‘why’. You may of not even noticed it before, ultimately its when a brand and consumer have the same values that will inspire the consumer to use that product/service because it reflects the type of person they want to show to the world. Picture a person you would consider an Apple user.

I pictured a person who questions the status quo, a creative person, someone who likes to think outside the box and is innovative.

How different was my description to your description? Here is how Apple Inc like to show how different they are to their competitors.

I think the first ad in these series of ads really speaks volumes, check it out…it only runs for one minute.

I have not even started to uncover the surface of this topic, I highly recommend you read, “Start with Why” by Simon Sineck. Not only can it help you with what’s important for your business it will help you amp up your passion and help you feel more inspired and focused online business owner.

What is your businesses why? Not just your businesses story about how you started but why your business exits? How do you convey this in your dealings with your potential customers?

Let me know if your feedback about Simon’s book if you have read it.

Regards,
Ally

P.S. I am not an affiliate of Simon’s products, I have met him and he is an inspirational leader.

Hi,

It’s been a long time but I’m back!!

Are you thinking of owning your own web based business and not sure what to do or where to start?

What is the best product to sell?

Should I have my own website?

And most of all, your not sure who to trust?

I was compelled to write my first ebook because I wanted to share with you a powerful piece of advice that highlights what I believe a true leader should sharing with people they care about who want a different level of success in their life.

Here is your exclusive free copy of Live Beyond Nine To Five’s ebook entitled
The Closet Entrepreneur by Alison Bova
‘What is the secret to becoming a successful entrepreneur?’

I would love to hear your feedback.

Dedicated to your success,

Ally

Hi,

If there is one thing I would like you to take away from my blog posts and articles is…you need to be the leader who naturally draws people to you and your business. You lead by inspiring others, allowing them to choose to work with you. This creates an intense loyalty amongst your customers, a loyalty that won’t be swayed by other products, people or services like a devoted fan who only listens to their favourite music groups and travels far and wide to see all their gigs.

I created a blog post at betternetworker.com for you called Why Is Leadership Skills Important For Your Online Business?

Let me know if you relate to leadership and owning your own online business in the same way as I do? If you don’t, how to do relate leadership to owning your own business?

Dedicated to your success,
Ally

Personal branding for any online business is really important to help your business stand out from the rest. How do online entrepreneurs add a new dynamic and keep your readers interested and inspired to learn more about you as time goes by?
There is crazy amount of hype around celebrities. As an online entrepreneur this is the same type of hype you need in your business. You want raving reviews, customers to share how great you are with their friends and family.People always wanting to learn what your up to.
Watching ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ has helped me notice how many doors of opportunities have opened for the individual members. Khloe and Kourtney have their clothes store in Miami which is constantly on the show, Kourtney has worked on a late night radio show, Kimberley has her own jewellery line (not sure if the other sisters are involved) and her modelling contracts etc and through this reality show we get to know them, which has lead me to their website several times. Kourtney and Kim’s have over 5 million followers on Twitter alone.

I don’t know about you but I am keen to get this type of spotlight on my business. What are the next steps?
This is what I think you can do to help build your own brand to superstar status;
Do you have key style in the way you dress, or accessories that represent yourself in a more memorable way?
Fake it before you make it, ensure you always have good posture, look in peoples eyes when you speak to them, listen to understand not to reply and always smile.
Is there a celebrity or someone from your own industry who’s brand really appeals to you? What are they doing that you like and attracts you to them? Write this down and start implementing this in your own business.
Is there any aspects of your personality that you have held back? Consider how appropriate they would be for your business and incorporate them in.

Well I am off to cover the same points… please leave your comments if you have any other actions that you would add to the above list for an online entrepreneur to build star quality?
Be bold, take action…

Ally

Have you heard about the English chef Heston Blumenthal? This is how wikipedia explains Heston’s cooking style..”Heston is famous for his scientific approach and has been described as a culinary alchemist for his innovative style of cooking.

Heston has a regular TV show airing in Australia called Heston’s Feast. In this regular show he creates a banquet of meals for a group of people, usually a mix of journalist, actors and actresses.

Heston doesn’t just make a meal, he creates something so unique its amazing. He blends science, history and food to create something totally unique.

I have grouped some of the memorial meals he has created on the show, there is either a link or a pic for you to check it out;

Curry Ice Cream,

Edible Wall paper

Absinthe Jelly that glows in the dark

Totally Edible Victorian Garden

I could seriously go on, every show I have watched has left me in awe of this chef. I admire how he does his due diligence and explores historical recipes or travels around the world for particular ingredients for a new receipt.

How does Heston’s extraordinary cooking relate to an online entrepreneur?

After every serving of food for his dinner guests on the show he watches his guests reactions on a TV in the kitchen. He watches his guest reactions and their feedback on the taste of each meal he has created. It doesn’t matter how long it took him to research the meal, where he had to travel to collect the ingredients, he waits with baited breath on his guests reactions to gauge how successful the meal was. That’s what I admire about Heston, with all his expertise he brings it back to the basics, he is cooking for a group of people and its their enjoyment that matters over everything else.

When marketing your products on line, sometimes it feels like you have run a marathon but every piece of content you create,each post on Twitter or Facebook is all a test. You are only deemed a success when you provide substantial value to others. Anything else short of this is curried ice cream going wrong!!

Be bold, take action.

Ally

P.S. How about a sip of a drink from Alice in Wonderland…Heston created individual layers of the following flavours; toffee, hot buttered toast, custard, cherry tart, and turkey. )

There is no easy way to say this…. working for yourself needs commitment, discipline and passion, that’s why it’s so rewarding. It’s easy to get conditioned when working a normal nine to five job.

An Entrepreneur needs to be super focused on your goals yet balance this with making strategic plans about your direction moving forward. Do you progress forward in your business with purpose in your steps or are you hesitant?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed sometimes and fall into a heap. When you get to the stage of understanding how much you don’t know the little you have learnt feels really small in comparison.

I have created an article for you called How to Create Leadership Qualities For an Entrepreneur

The aim of this article is to help you identify where your JOB mindset is holding you back and where you new Entrepreneurial mindset needs to allow room for you evolve.

The article brings some key factors to your attention, if you feel you understand the key factors that is great, prove to yourself that you do. Share this article with your team, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on how your leadership skills are shaping up.

Be bold, take action.

Ally

P.S. I am not an affiliate but here is a link to Jim Rohn website. (Why am I the last to find the great stuff!!) If your seeking further goal setting reference material or leadership training, check out this site for anything that’s appealing.
Jim’s quotes are a stand out. I think the Jim Rohn quotes I post on my Facebook pages are always the most popular.

When reflecting on the week just past, what did you learn? What insights did you allow yourself to be open to? Did the penny drop on a certain subject you may have been struggling with, did you get a ‘aha’ moment?
I’m really grateful that I had a lot of aha moments this week. By starting to read more and seeking wisdom I’ve not had just a aha moment I have had a wooow dude moment….( it means your totally stunned within the aha moment..)

There will be lots of new articles I will be releasing in the next couple of weeks that I can’t wait to share with you. It’s a win/win situation, writing about new subjects helps me to reinforce what I know about a subject while sharing it with you. When the subject is on leadership and self-development you and I both benefit hopefully we will both get the wooow dude moment )

Here is a list of my woow dude moments from this week;
A leader works to a plan. Continual focus needs to be made on your goals on a daily basis, this is why its so powerful;
Your belief determines what you think.
What you think determines what you do
and what you do determines your life.

Kick your past to the curb. Entrepreneurs need to be open to new possibilities. Approaching any new possibility and making reference to your past is a HUGE no no….How can your past best serve you into becoming the person you have always wanted to become? Exactly…. It can’t, end of story. Making a decision on negative past experiences is not going to help you succeed so don’t do it!! (I’ll know and you will be in trouble ;o)

Rattle the cage!! To be an entrepreneur you need to put yourself in the spotlight and forever be challenging the status quo. Face it, wanting to be an entrepreneur makes you different from the 97% of population out there, so really become that person. It’s not about being arrogant and over confident. You represent your brand. Be authentic, be yourself and have fun. I have so many ideas this week I have decided I am going to create an idea book so I can write them down.

What was your ‘aha’ moment this week? What books could you recommend that have helped you on your journey?

Look forward to hearing your answers..now go rattle that cage…

Be bold, take action.

Ally

Sitting around waiting patiently for leads after spending hours and hours of time creating articles, blog posts, Facebook and Twitter updates can feel like your on a bike pedaling fast but going nowhere. To be honest, I now recall at how I would look at my email inbox waiting for that magically moment when my consistent leads would enter to let me know that I finally got something that works. It one lesson I would like to share with you so you don’t get to make the same mistakes as I did.

You may not know, in my previous role I was a Project Manager. Key metrics are an important indicator for any business to help monitor performance against objectives. For a solo entrepreneur I needed to find a way to get my own that related to keywords and traffic to my site.

With my understanding of data analysis I realised I didn’t have sufficient measures in my business to help me gauge how well my website and keywords combined performance was actually tracking. Sure, I was getting no results so that means – no leads equals no good but for my own sanity I needed to be able to test things out and measure how well they perform and drop the stuff that wasn’t working. I felt I was running blind without some sort of key metrics. In other words, there are thousands of website on the net, I wanted to know where my piece of real estate ranked and to be able to monitor the progress of my site as it increased to world domination status yeah. (Did the world domination thing concern you? Don’t worry, I can share, we can dominate the world together )

With a strict marketing budget (zero budget), I had to find some sort of way that was cost effective and was easy to use. I was on a training call and Mike Koeings (Video Marketing Expert and Guru) mentioned he used a keyword tool called Market Samurai, it was described as a Keyword Analysis Research Tool and if it was good enough for Mike, it was good enough for me. )

So I have been busy learning as much as I can about it and after a few months of using Market Samurai I believe it can help with my website ranking and a whole lot more. I will be sharing lots more about Market Samurai so stay tuned.

Keywords are like buying hotels in a monopoly game. You don’t win the game by just buying one. You need to buy more than one in small groups. What I realised was I was selecting keywords but just using the same ones sparingly, or I was using over competitive keywords that had strong competition that I was never going be able to compete with. Its no wonder my site was not ranked where I wanted it to be my keyword selection well to be honest..crap.

So I made up my mind, I looked at all the keywords I had used on my website and also my videos and articles and decided on a set of keywords I was going to focus on. This prompts me when thinking of new topics to create content and I can load every new URL I create and the Market Samurai Keyword Analysis Research Tool helps me monitor my rankings for Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Check it out for yourself, I was so impressed I become an affiliate for Market Samurai, don’t take my word for it, there is free access for a limited time so you can try it for yourself.

http://www.marketsamurai.com/c/Livebeyond925

The right keywords are critical to a marketers success, traffic on the roads when your in the car is annoying but its great when you’re an online entrepreneur )

What tools have you used that have helped you select your keywords and monitor your websites ranking?

Be bold take action.

Ally

Compare an entrepreneur to a 16th century explorer.What do they have in common? Both are risk takers, are passionate on their desires, have challenges they have to face to achieve their goals and inspire others on their journey.

Attraction Marketing requires an entrepreneur requires to put their brand first,for their brand to stand out in the spotlight, to be unique and provide value to others. This is really easy when your super confident in your writing skills, video skills etc. At what point does it all start to come undone? When does the confidence starts to waiver? For an entrepreneur it could be after a month without sales, or for an 16th century explorer the fears of your close colleagues dampening their enthusiasm.

I would like to share with you a story I read in The Travelers Gift from Andy Andrews that I feel is quite relevant to this scenario. I’ve summarize the first part of the story and when working through to the main point have quoted from the book.

The story was about a conqueror, his name was Hernando Cortez. It doesn’t sound pleasant in the 21st century terms but in 1519, being a conqueror was a job description.
Hernando Cortez was determined to claim treasure that had never been claimed before. He gathered an army. He actually took the time to interview each solider, helped them to visualize the goal to the point where they were inspired to join him. Hernando Cortez set sail on the final leg of a voyage from Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula. There were eleven ships, five hundred soldiers, one hundred sailors and 16 horses.
Halfway through the voyage, Cortez had a problem, many of the soldiers and sailors started to change their mind. Their enthusiasm starts to wane.
“When they arrived at the Yucatan Peninsula, Cortez gathered everybody on the beach. They grew quiet, waiting for Cortez to say, “You go here, we’ll go there. If the arrows start flying, meet me at this coconut stump..we’re out of here.”
Instead, he leaned in and said, “Burn the boats.”
“Excuse me?!” they replied incredulously.
Cortez repeated, “Burn the boats”, Torch the boats.”
“If we go home,” he added, “we’re going home in their boats.”
And on their leader’s orders, they burned their own boats!
And an amazing thing happened. They fought really well. For the first time in six hundred years the treasure was taken!
Why? Because they had two options, the treasure or death!”

What boats are holding you back? What limiting beliefs, concerns or fears are limiting you from your goals and building a successful business? What haven’t you let go to allow you to accomplish the things you set out to accomplish?

Its time to let go of those boats, burn them so you have no choice but to succeed.

Creating a daily ritual and focus on your goal. Write your story out like a story, with emotions, specific people, places and maybe a particular event in your life and you read over it every day. (I like to do this twice, once in the morning and once before bed).

What helps you stay super focus on your goals? Leave your comments, I would love to hear from you.

Be bold, take action.
Ally

P.S. This link will take you to the specific extract from Andy Andrews book mention in this post.

P.S. This blog post is all called How to engage your subconscious mind in goal setting