Stamping Is My Business!

Last Day of NaBloPoMo Contest! How Did You Do?

Today is the last day of November... and the last day of National Blog Posting Month! 

It's also the last day of our National Blog Posting Month Contest, in which I challenged you to post every day from November 4th through today.  Whoever did would be entered into a drawing to win a $50 SIMB Gift Certificate!

So, if you posted every day, including today, send me an e-mail with your name and blog address.  I'll validate your entry and enter you into the drawing.  The winner will be annouced on December 8th.

And remember, even if you don't win this particular contest, you're still a winner.  Why?  Because frequent posting has several benefits:

1. The more you update your content, the higher you're ranked in search engines.  This brings you more "organic" traffic from new customers.

2. The more frequently you post, the more often your readers will visit.

3. The combination of new organic traffic and increased repeat visits means more business for you!

Finally, by posting every day for the last month, you've been training yourself to find content more easily and become a more frequent poster.  This makes your blogging easier and more effective.

Please feel free to share your experiences and how you think they have or will benefit you in the Comments section of this post!

So... how are you doing?  Have you been able to post every day?  If so, great!  If not, don't let it stop you from picking up the challenge! 

Remember, the more frequently you post to your blog, the more repeat traffic you'll receive, the higher you'll rank in search engines and the more new traffic you'll receive.  All of that increased traffic means... increased profits! 

So, even if you don't win the contest, you still win in the long run!

Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing!

PERSONAL FINANCE SATURDAY - Run Your Personal Finances Like A Business

Have you ever noticed how many of the skills you learned and practiced in the workplace end up not being practiced in your stamping business?

I recently read a great article from Investopeida that discusses the same phenomenon, except this article talks about financially savvy and successful small business owners who don't manage their personal finances anywhere near as well.

The author suggests that if you apply the same principles you use to manage your business' finances to your personal ones, you're going to be in much better shape!

Click here to read the full article.

And don't forget to check back every Saturday for another article on Personal Finance!

FREE SHIPPING On All SIMB Merchandise! The Annual SIMB Thanksgiving Sale!

To kick off the holiday shopping season, now through December 2nd, all Stamping Is My Business! merchandise orders will receive FREE SHIPPING!  (U.S. and Canadian orders only)

Just enter and apply the code FREESHIP at checkout.

In addition, now through December 15th, ALL merchandise orders will receive 10% OFF!  This discount applies to stamping business owners worldwide! 

The 10% Discount will be automatically applied at checkout.  To receive Free Shipping, just enter the code FREESHIP in the copuon box at checkout. 

To place your order, click here to visit the SIMB Holiday Catalog:

And don't forget, the Free Shipping Special expires December 2nd!

Finally, if you're an upline who would like to purhcase a large quantity of business-building gifts for your downline, you can receive even deeper discounts!  E-mail me at [email protected] for more info.

Happy holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to check back first thing tomorrow morning to see exactly what we'll be offering in the Annual SIMB Thanksgiving Weekend Sale!

Or... just for my blog readers, if you want to get a jump on your shopping, you can just go to our Holiday Catalog and take advantage of the Weekend Special right now!

IN DEPTH - Guidelines for Entrepreneurs Explained, pt. 6

This is the sixth in a series of In Depth articles examining Norm Brodsky's 'Top Ten Guidelines for Entrepreneurs.'

• You have no friends in business.  Only associates.

This is a big one for stamping business owners, since so many SBO's are encouraged to share what they know, as well as what's been successful for them, for free.

While this is a nice sentiment, its important to remember that no matter what your relationship, each of you is each other's competition.  Especially since the advent of online ordering.  The reality is any one of you reading this can market and generate revenue from any other SBO's customers, regardless of location, and vice-versa.

SBO's always react with shock and indignation when they hear that their customers were approached by another Demo or Consultant.  But that's business.  And your fellow SBO's... in some cases, your friends, are your competition, and have every right... even, obligation... to approach your customers.

There are no territories.  You have no exclusive right to your customers.  Just because you have a customer, it doesn't mean they can't and won't be marketed to by other SBO's.  It also doesn't mean that your customer won't do business with that other person.

If you want to keep your customers, remember that you have competition, and act accordingly.  Make sure your offerings are better than everyone else's.  Don't make it easy for your associates... or your friends... to take business away from you.

Remember... as long as you're the best, you have nothing to worry about!

VIDEO MESSAGE - 36 Hours for Mktg. & Adv. Early Birds

 

You have 36 hours left to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount for the Marketing & Advertising Boot Camp.

To provide you with more information, I've recorded a VIDEO MESSAGE about the Boot Camp.  You can view it below:

And, if you haven't signed up already, you can do so by clicking here.

Remember, the Early Bird Discount expires Wednesday.

Hope to see you on the calls!

Get A Jump on 2009!

                      

• Are you one of those people who truly believes that 2009 can be YOUR year?   

• Are you somebody who isn't letting the negative media drumbeat of economic news slow them down?

• Have you resolved to achieve ALL of your goals next year!

AND... are you one of those people who understands that if you want to give yourself the best possible chance of success, you can't wait until January 1st to get started?

 

If so, I'd like to invite you to step into 1-on-1 or Group Coaching. 

 

We currently have JUST ONE 1-ON 1 AND TWO GROUP OPENINGS beginning in December:

Group Coaching:

- Tuesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Eastern - CLOSED
- Wednesday evenings at 10:00 p.m. Eastern - 1 space available
- Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Eastern - 1 space available
- Thursday evenings at 10:00 p.m. Eastern - CLOSED

To learn more, or sign up for Group Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/GroupCoaching.htm

1-on-1 Coaching:

For the first time in a LONG time, we have an opening for ONE bi-weekly 1-on-1 client.  If you'd like to be that client, please e-mail me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!  Anyone who e-mails me after the space is filled will be placed on a Waiting List.

To learn more, or sign up for 1-on-1 Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/OneOnOne.htm

The Groups meet via conference call once per week.  On the call, each member has time to talk about their personal business and receive personal coaching from me, as well as helpful guidance from the other Group members.  Following that, I then cover our topic of the month.

Past and future topics include: Marketing & Advertising, Downline Motivation, Getting on the Phone, Increasing Sales and Attendance at workshops and gatherings, and using technology to make your business more efficient and profitable.

1-on-1 Coaching is a more intense Coaching model.  It's for those stamping professionals who would like to see speedier progress, or feel like they would benefit more from the individual format.

All openings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.  Once a slot if full, I will start a waiting list for future openings.

To learn more, or sign up for Group Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/GroupCoaching.htm

To learn more, or sign up for 1-on-1 Coaching, you can go to http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/OneOnOne.htm

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Quote of the Week

"The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher."

 - Thomas Huxley

Using A Classic to Teach Kids About Money

The Wall Street Journal recently published a fantastic article about the lack of appreciation kids have when it comes to money.  Many parents who are looking for a way to teach fiscal responsibility to their younger children are turning to a classic game from their own childhood:

Payday!

Remember Payday?  The game board was a 31-day calendar and you had to make your money last the entire month or take out a loan to cover your debt.  Sometimes, unexpected bills would come in... just like real life!

A simple premise, maybe, but very effective for teaching money matters to kids.

Payday has definately seen a bit of a resurgance in interest and can now be purchased on Amazon.com.  

Could be a great Christmas gift for the right kid.  I'm gifting three or four copies myself!

Click on the picture or link above to take a walk down memory lane...

PERSONAL FINANCE SATURDAY - Expense Reducing Calculator

Follow the link below to be taken to a calculator that will allow you to see how much you can save by cutting back on everyday expesnes like eating out, the daily Starbucks run, etc.:

http://finance.yahoo.com/calculator/banking-budgeting/bud-11

IN DEPTH - Guidelines for Entrepreneurs Explained, pt. 5

This is the fifth in a series of In Depth articles examining Norm Brodsky's 'Top Ten Guidelines for Entrepreneurs.'

• Cash is hard to get and easy to spend.  Make it before you spend it.

One of the biggest surprises I experienced when I started working with stamping business owners was how many of them were operating with what I've come to call, "acceptable losses."  In other words, these people knew they were losing money, but the amount they were losing fell within an acceptable limit.

As a Business Coach, that's a tough one for me to swallow.  Put simply, businesses should NOT lost money, and if they are, you need to make some adjustments to change that.

One of those adjustments is very easy... don't spend money before you make it.  For stamping business owners, this is especially true when it comes to product purchases.  Many SBO's purchase product without knowing exactly how or when they're going to use it.  By simply holding off on purchasing product until you know you have a use for it (a class, event, workshop, etc.), you'll end up with a lot less wasted product in your stamp room, and a lot more money in your pocket!

Creative Memories Bankruptcy Filing - What It Means for Stamping Business Owners...

Late last week, it was announced that Creative Memories (and its parent, The Antioch Company) was filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.

I received several e-mails from concerned stamping business owners regarding this, as some of the stories cited a "downturn in the scrapbooking industry" as one of the reasons for the filing.

So, should you, as a stamping business owner, be concerned? 

Probably not. 

Most industry experts agree that the problems which caused Creative Memories to file Chapter 11 were not industry problems, but company-specific ones related to diversification and debt. 

For most stamping business owners, there is neither an upside or a downside to this.  It's just something to observe and learn from.

MARKETING & ADVERTISING BOOT CAMP - Early Birds Are Running Out of Time

 

Just a quick note to remind you there's one week left to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount for the Marketing and Advertising Boot Camp.

 

If you're looking for new customers who are willing to spend money with you AND get your existing customers to participate more, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT YOUR BUDGET, this is the Boot Camp for you!

 

The Boot Camp will take place on four consecutive Tuesdays, beginning January 13, 2009.  If you can't make the live calls, don't worry.  Recordings will be posted, as always.

 

You'll also have the opportunity to listen in on 1-on-1 Marketing Coaching Sessions AND watch Video Tutorials for some of the marketing techniques discussed.

 

For more information or to register, visit:

http://www.stampingismybusiness.com/marketboot2009.htm

Hope to see you on the calls!

Marketing Disaster! Motrin Moms Strike Back!

Motrin made a MAJOR marketing mistake over the weekend, and the fallout continues as we speak. 

They apparently began airing a commercial aimed at moms who carry their babies in slings.  You can view the commercial below, and then, read on:

As you can imagine, several moms took exception with the allegations that a) carrying your baby causes terrible back and neck pain, and b) moms who do carry their babies walk around with a "tired and crazy" look on their faces.

The backlash was fast and furious, as an anti-Motrin Twitter campaign was immediately started.  For those of you who don't know, Twitter is a site that allows users to socially network via text messaging.

So, what was the marketing mistake here?  What can you, as stamping business owners, learn from this?  The marketing mistake can probably be best summed up by the two Twitter messages (or "Tweets") below:

 

It's painfully apparent that either very little, or the wrong kind, of market research took place before this ad aired.  Proper market research, as LandofLovings states above, probably would have killed this idea long before.

Remember, its always important to identify your target market, determine their need and craft a message which addresses that need.  But, its equally important to do your due dillegance and make sure you've come to the right conclusions, as well.

As of yesterday (Monday), the ad has been pulled from all on-air and online media, although it will still appear in some print advertising.  There is also a letter of apology on the Motrin website.

To see more of the backlash, you can watch the video below.

And, if you'd like to see more case studies like this, as well as learn how to conduct proper market reserach, don't forget to sign up for the upcoming Marketing & Advertising Boot Camp.  Early-bird Discount Deadline expires November 26th.

Quote of the Week

"As every entrepreneur learns at some point, correctly reading trends in the economy can make or break a business."

 - Gene Sperling, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations