Welcome to Episode 70 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing
I’m coming up on three years of hosting this podcast show. I record episodes twice a month and discuss various aspects of excellence in marketing. Thank you in advance for subscribing to this podcast and for leaving me an honest review. In episode 70 the topic is “Working Smarter, Not Harder” in terms of your life and business.
Recently, I was consulting with someone who has been working exclusively online for longer than I’ve been an entrepreneur. At some point she made the comment that her goal and intention was to work smarter, not harder in her business going forward into the new year. I quickly agreed with her and we did not discuss the topic any further. It wasn’t until our webinar had ended that I began to think about what is meant by this phrase that is common to people in all walks of life.
When I began my business in 2006, I realized very quickly that I would need to start writing in order to achieve my financial goals, as well as to build my credibility and gain massive visibility on the internet. Though I’d wanted to be a writer since I was very young, I hadn’t actually spent much time writing. Even during the twenty years I worked as a classroom teacher, teaching writing and working closely with students of all ages on improving and editing their writing, I did almost no writing of my own.
So I began writing every day, with the goal of completing a 250 word article. I would first publish this as a blog post on one of my dozen blogs I was hosting at that time, and then submit the same writing to the article directories for additional views and traffic back to my sites.
It was a difficult process for me every day. I couldn’t even think about how to work smarter with my writing because I hadn’t yet worked hard in this area. But I was consistent and persevered and it didn’t take long before the writing was not only an easier process for me, but also the writing itself had improved. This is the blog post I published long ago on how to write using the five (5) paragraph model.
I used these concepts and principles to become a bestselling author, to create information products, courses, and other programs, and to become a respected international speaker.
No matter what goals you have for yourself, you must first be willing to put in the hard work to then transition into being able to work smarter. You’ll be glad you did, I promise.
Leadership…
Accountability – Not only do you need to understand how to take responsibility when needed, but you also, as a leader, need to understand how to hold others accountable too ethically and fairly.
Assertiveness – You must learn how to say no, or yes when it’s the right thing to do and express your fact-based opinions confidently. Part of being a leader is other people’s perception of you as a leader. If the people around you believe you and know you’ll stand up for them and your causes, the perception is you’re a good leader.
Communication – Knowing how to talk, listen, and when to do both is a skill a good leader processes and a skill you can learn. The more you learn about the process of communication, the more you can add to your leadership skill set.
Ethical – Doing the right thing, regardless of what others think, is what a strong leader does. They have a strong awareness of their morals, values, and principles and make decisions that demonstrate them.
Focused – A good leader knows when and how to get things done. They pay close attention to details and don’t allow distractions to lower the quality of their work or slow them down.
Honesty – Despite how it sometimes seems in the media, a good leader knows how to be truthful and doesn’t try to hide the truth from their audience.
Open-Mindedness – A good leader knows that they don’t know what they don’t know and may not even know what questions to ask about what they don’t know. Therefore, they keep an open mind and pay close attention to facts as they reveal themselves to change course if needed.
Organized – Don’t worry. Even if you aren’t naturally organized, you really can learn to improve your organizational skills. But even if you can’t keep your home uncluttered, you can learn how to manage all your work using the tools of the trade.
Relationship Builder – Due to their understanding of themselves, human nature, and conflict resolution, a good leader is an effective relationship builder both at work and personally.
Reliable – If a good leader tells you they will do something, they always do. You can trust them at their word. But this is also why they are not afraid to say no because they’re not saying yes to things they don’t want to do or don’t need to do.
Result-Oriented – A good leader knows that intentions are not worth much if the impact is not what you were shooting for. Measuring impact and results will always be a superior measure to success.
Self-Awareness – Practicing introspection to allow you to improve your life is a great skill of a leader. If you are willing to learn who you are and why you are the way you are and how to build yourself into the person you want to become while loving who you are, you’re a great leader in the making.
Self-Belief – A good leader must believe in themselves, but part of self-belief is the ability to believe in others too. Studies show that folks who have low self-belief tend to have a lack of belief in others too.
Strategic Thinking – An effective leader can analyze current information and use it to make choices that help them create the long-term success they seek to position themselves to win the future essentially.
To become a well-respected leader is to embark on a path of self-education to assess what you need to improve on to become the leader you desire to be and where you shine so you can focus on what you are naturally good at doing as you improve yourself.
I began to do some research to find out what others had presented on this topic that I could incorporate into my eCourse. A few names popped up, and I decided to include their books around leadership within my eCourse lessons. Next, I searched my two main blogs to see what I’d written about leadership. There were nine articles in all, and I’ve included these as resources to those who go through the eCourse. Finally, I searched for private label rights (PLR) content to see what I could purchase and download to use as my own within the eCourse. It turns out there is quite a bit of this content available, and from people who I know, respect, and am already doing business with on the internet.
I went back to my outline I’d begun writing as a Word document and fleshed out my outline. Then I used two of the private label articles to publish a new blog post called Can Anyone Become a Leader? Of course, I added this new article to my list of resources and continued to work on my eCourse lessons.
Within each lesson, there is a title, some information, resources, and an Action Steps section. At the end there is a summary. The way your eCourse is delivered is through a membership site or by using a series of autoresponder emails. I use and recommend Wishlist if you’re setting it up as a membership site. I use and recommend AWeber (start with the free version here) if you’ll deliver your eCourse through a series of messages by email.
I also co-teach an ongoing training program with Norma Allen Esler called How to Profit with eCourses that you may be interested in being a part of with us. While eCourses aren’t new, they continue to be a valuable part of your online entrepreneurial success!
Those short and simple articles written during my first few years online led to blogging on three separate sites these days, as well as to my full-length books.
Four years later I published my first book, Huge Profits with a Tiny List: 50 Ways to Use Relationship Marketing to Increase Your Bottom Line and now I’m about to publish my 25th book next week.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Are you writing? Perhaps you’re ready to set up a blog or get started using Medium to syndicate your content.
Who will help you? Are you working on strategies or tactics for your life and business? Again, what is the one thing, the single most important item on your list to accomplish as soon as possible? Keep these things in mind…
- Don’t wait to be picked or chosen… Ship!
- You already have what it takes… Step forward!
- People want and need what you have to offer… Pull back the curtain and reveal yourself!
- You are an artist and a creative… there are NO rules and you won’t be reprimanded for making a mistake.
Did you know that entrepreneurs are three times as likely to be dyslexic or have some degree of ADHD. I chose to embrace these traits in myself when I came online in 2006 and know this has helped me to achieve more goals than I ever could have imagined!
The ONLY thing holding you back is YOU! Take full responsibility for everything that occurs or has occurred in your life and watch what happens. I promise you that you will not be able to go back to who you were before, and this is a great feeling. Read the two books I mentioned above and get started with the rest of your life.
Check out my most recent articles and essays at Monday Morning Mellow.
Reinventing myself is a concept and process I know something about. Most recently, I have reinvented myself through intermittent fasting. I’m even writing a book on this topic and the working title is In Pursuit of Healthy-ness: How I Reinvented Myself with Intermittent Fasting. This book is scheduled for release during the fall of 2021.
By my willingness to reinvent myself I’ve been able to change my life significantly through the decades. I’ve written a post about this called Reinventing Myself… Version 5. We’re always moving forward when we surrender and reinvent.
What are you doing right now in your life and your business that is working? Where do you need to make some changes? How may I best serve you as you surrender to doing what it takes? As humans, we are capable of reinventing ourselves as we change and grow.
See all of my published titles at Connie Ragen Green Books and connect with me on Twitter to see what else I’m doing, personally and professionally.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I began back in 2006 with affiliate marketing. I did not have a list, and used my blog and my articles to get my name and message out to the world. I still earn an excellent income with affiliate marketing and it accounts for just over 40% of my income. You may become my affiliate at Affiliate Links and Tools.
Soon, I added local business marketing to what I had to offer. Initially, I was helping a family member who’d started a new business. After my results improved and I was able to help make his office phone ring, I began offering marketing help for small, local businesses in my community.
Other business models to consider are digital information products, coaching and consulting, niche sites and authorship. I would encourage you to pursue your interests and goals as you choose a business model that suits your lifestyle.
Please connect with me on Twitter and let me know what you are working on so I may share it with my vast and growing audience.
“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” ~ Brene Brown
Check out my most recent membership site, set up as a free and ongoing eCourse at https://ActionHabitsChallenge.com. Read this article I published on “5 Profitable Membership Models” at https://connieragengreen.com/membership-site-models/. Also, please visit my main site at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com and connect with me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ConnieGreen.
My newest book is In Pursuit of Healthy-Ness: How I Reinvented My Life with Intermittent Fasting and in it I chronicle my journey of dropping over 125 pounds with this method.
I have a new book with Ellen Finkelstein entitled Speakers! The Quick Public Speaking to Business Method: Turning Your Talk into an Ongoing Revenue Stream. Whether you are brand new to speaking or are a seasoned public speaker, this book will make a difference for you.
The first book I co-authored with Ellen is Authors! The Quick Book to Business Method: Turning Your Book into an Ongoing Revenue Stream and in it we teach and explain how you can write a book that will represent you well and create multiple streams of income for you, as it continues to do for us and many others.
I have just completed another new book titled Booster Rocket Launches: Helping Your Prospects to Find You Everywhere. I’m using my ongoing authorship as an example of why baby steps will never take you where you’d like to go in your life and business. This one you will definitely want to have in paperback, and that will be obvious when you have it in your hands and discover how powerful what I’m sharing will be to your business.
I would love to know your thoughts on these concepts. Please visit my main sites at Connie Ragen Green and Huge Profits Tiny List. Connect with me on Twitter for the latest updates and announcements.
Get started with your own eBook empire by learning how to write an eBook from the person who continues to guide me along this lucrative journey. Take a look at How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook…in as Little as 7 Days from expert and author Jim Edwards.
Thank you for this opportunity to serve you as I share my beliefs, perceptions, and experiences as an author, online entrepreneur, and marketing strategist with you. Marketing has become the joy of my life as I continue to learn, grow, and share concepts with others.
I’m bestselling author, marketing strategist, and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS