In all of my research, education and experience, it boils down to this.   Customers love consistency.  They need it.  We often think they like change such as flyers that look new and fresh each time.  The truth is – they don’t.  Think about major companies like Northwest and Delta who merge.  These two companies took months to make the transition and Northwest just recently took the Delta name and logo.  They let their customers know for months that they would be making changes long before they actually made them.  If they hadn’t, they ran the risk of losing many customers.

It doesn’t matter what field you are in, customers don’t like change and any change must be implemented gradually to be effective.  Having the same look to your brochures, flyers,  website, etc.  creates branding and customers begin to identify with that brand.  Even a color change can cause confusion.

When you develop your marketing plan,  come up with a look you are comfortable sticking with.  Include design elements such as where your logo shows up and the colors that you use  every time in everything you print.  One of the things I did when I worked at Elk River Parks and Recreation was have templates created so all flyers were consistent in their appearance.  I highly recommend this, not just for marketing, but also because it saves time in the creation process and fewer details are overlooked.  To be honest, it’s one thing I haven’t done in my current business that I will be implementing here soon.   I’m not sure why I haven’t because I know how much easier it makes everything.

Additionally, take a look at the next several months or even the next year.  What advertising opportunities do you have that you can always do?  Do you have a calendar of events on your website that you keep current?  Do you take out an ad, not once in a while, but on a regular basis in the local paper?  Do you send out a newsletter regularly?  Whatever you include in your marketing plan, include it without fail.  People will come to expect it and watch for it.  Partnered with consistent looking materials, they will begin to recognize your brand and take notice every time they see you somewhere.  Over time, you’ll be able to watch your numbers improve in all your opportunities.

Have you ever felt down after chatting with a friend or coworker? You may have felt fine before the conversation, but now, after hearing them complain about the weather, the economy, and a demanding neighbor or mother-in-law, you’re starting to feel kind of cranky yourself, as if their negativity were somehow contagious.

Actually, you can catch a negative (or positive) attitude from the people around you. According to the well-known psychiatrist and energy guru Dr. Judith Orloff, who wrote the bestseller Positive Energy, our bodies are made of flesh and blood, but they’re also composed of energy fields. Negative energy like fear, anger, and hopelessness drags us down and drain our energy, but positive energy, like compassion, courage, and forgiveness, improves our mood and our well-being.

The law of attraction states that people either sense our positive energy and gravitate towards us, or they feel our negative energy and shy away from us. Those around us influence how we feel and can even impact the direction our lives take. Positive people can improve your life, while negative people (also called “energy vampires”) just drag you down.

* “Energy vampires” suck the life out of you. Spending time with people who constantly complain or make negative remarks only makes us feel listless and despondent. These “energy vampires” tell us we’ll never get our business off the ground or that our dreams are unrealistic (possibly because they can’t bear to see others succeed where they have failed). Spend too much time with a complainer and you’ll start to believe what they tell you.

* Positive people energize you. The more time you spend surrounded by positive people, the more you’ll internalize their cheerful, upbeat attitude and start spreading it around. Positive people make your goals seem attainable and give you a boost of energy when you need it. They don’t dwell on small setbacks or waste time complaining about things that are within their power to change. With an open heart, an open mind, and a willingness to try new things, they can handle virtually anything.

While we sometimes have to deal with negative coworkers or relatives, it’s up to us to choose the other people in our lives. Ask yourself how you feel after spending time with someone. Do you feel energized and inspired? Or does lunch with a certain “friend” leave you feeling restless and unfulfilled?

If the latter, then it’s time to develop friendships with people who support your goals and spread positive energy. These people will provide wisdom in times of trouble and inspire you to reach greater heights in moments on self-doubt. Seek our people and organizations that promote action and service to the community, because there is nothing more uplifting than helping others.

As you spend more time with positive people and distance yourself from negative ones, you’ll feel your spirits lift and your goals coming into focus. You, in turn, will become a more positive person – someone others want to spend their time with.

© 2009 Ali International, LLC

Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com

For someone to truly heal, they need to feel safe with you.  One way to accomplish this is to provide a consistent experience each time they come in.  This allows them to move right into healing mode rather than having to get familiar with their surroundings all over again.

Compassion.  It is about having compassion for ourselves as healers.  It’s about having compassion for those we work with.  I mention ourselves first because we cannot give something we don’t have and it begins here.  You must have compassion for yourself.  Know that you are doing the best you can and coming from the right place.  Know that you are not the one providing the healing and can only facilitate what someone else is ready to receive.   And then begin…

Once you have compassion for yourself, you can begin to have it for others.  Look at everything you do from their perspective.  What is their experience like?  What would make it better?  What are all the ways you can show them how much you care?

Collaboration means to work with another to achieve something.  This relates to what I mentioned above.  We cannot heal someone.  Each individual is responsible for their own healing.  We, as healers, are just the conduit for it to occur.  It is important that someone be invested in their own healing to truly heal.  You need to work as a team. 

And finally, Change.  I think this one goes without saying.  People see a healer because something isn’t right in their life.  They want something to be different.  By consistently delivering compassion and by collaborating with your client, you can support them in bringing about the change they desire.

If you are a practitioner, I invite you today to take a look at your experience from your client’s perspective and see what they see.  Find something simple to change that will make a big difference.

If you are someone in need of healing (as most of us are), I invite you to decide what you are willing to invest (emotionally, physically, mentally, financially) in your own healing.  Being an responsible participant in your own care will speed the rate of your healing and save you in the long run.

It’s time to live the life you desire – each and everyone one of you!  Let’s all work together to create a world full of healing, full of joy, full of laughter.  Go out today and make a difference.

This book shares my 2 cents on various attributes I feel are important for success as an entrepreneur.  It was a joy to write and I loved finding just the right photos and quotes to go along with my content.  I hope you’ll check it out!

So how do you build a strong list?  Have sign up shees at events, expos, meetings and classes you are at.  Invite people you talk to to sign up (we’ll talk about incentives later). 

Your signature line is another great place to advertise your mailing list.  If you have a website, they recommend having a sign up on every page.  I know it seems like overkill but it really isn’t.  It doesn’t have to a big sign up and if you take care to place it in a good spot – some place where it flows well with the other things on the page.

Although there are many great ways to build your list, the last one I want to mention here is joint ventures.  Working on an event or program – anything really – with someone else allows each of you to share with a larger client base because you are all promoting for each other. 

So once you start building that list, how do you contact them and what do you send them?  The first contact is ideally made within 24 hours.  Send them a welcome and begin to build that relationship.  Is there something you would like to know about them as it relates to your business?  A tip you’d like to share?  The most important thing to remember at this time is that this is not an opportunity to sell something.  it is an opportunity to build a relationship.

Continuing focusing on building a relationship as you continue to send out emails.  Offer tips, share stories ask what you can do for them.  You can also highlight upcoming events or services – just don’t make it a focus of your email.

For more tips to growing your business, visit our website and consider membership in our networking group.  It’s a great way to get ongoing support both professionally and personally.