Having a successful year is not about waiting for motivation and inspiration to strike. It’s about creating systems and environments that cultivate momentum and accountability. – Alexis C Giostra @MissTrenchcoat
Hello my Charmed Ones and welcome back to my channel for the first video of 2023! My 2023 Annual Reset Routine.
If you are watching this video around the time it goes live, we are at the start of a new year and nothing says fresh start inspiration and motivation like resetting your planning system. Your planner can be an amazing tool for your success and quality of life this year if you treat it like a system that helps you manage your focus and effort.
So, there is a brief routine I recommend you follow to get your planner reset for the new year that follows along with the Yearly Functional Planning Routine that you can find inside my bookThe Functional Planning Handbook.
Here is a recap of the routine for your reference:
◼ CHOOSE AND SETUP YOUR FUNCTIONAL PLANNER
◼ SET ANNUAL GOALS
◼ BREAK LONGER TERM GOALS INTO QUARTERLYMILESTONES
◼ DEFINE OBJECTIVES TO REACH EACH GOAL
◼ POPULATE YOUR PLANNER WITH KNOWN TASKS,EVENTS AND DUE DATES
Q1 PLANNING ITEMS
◼ POPULATE PROJECT PLANS FOR OBJECTIVES
◼ ALLOCATE TASKS FROM PROJECT PLANS TO MONTHLY MASTER TASK LISTS
Grab a coffee and your planner, and let’s get started with the 2023 Reset.
STOP BUYING PRE-PRINTED PLANNER INSERTS AND DO THIS INSTEAD TO SAVE MONEY AND TIME IN 2023!
It’s nearly 2023 planner people! Make use of advances in planner technology and start using Print On Demand Planner Inserts (aka Print at Home or Printables) to create your perfect Functional Planning System!
Here are 4 Major Reasons Why You Should Be Using Printables:
1 | Instant Delivery: No waiting for delivery and no shipping fees! You get your files immediately and can begin printing and planning with them before you could ever hope to see a shipping confirmation hit your email from any shop. Plus you can shop and assemble your planner from the comfort of your own home, no need to burn gas hopping from store to store searching for inserts.
2 | Choose Your Paper Quality: You get to choose the quality of paper you use for your inserts. So, if you have a specific preference of paper weight, texture and color, that works for you or your favorite pen and ink, you can use it to print your inserts and get exactly what you like.
3 | Use Any Binding Method: Printable inserts are a blank slate for you to use with any binding method you prefer, and if you decide to switch methods, for instance from rings to discs, you can simply print and punch new copies of the inserts. No needing to buy your inserts again because the holes don’t match.
4 | Unlimited Printing: Print on demand means you print as much as you need and can print multiples to your hearts content. So, the next time you spill coffee on your planner, or otherwise ruin your inserts (they are paper after all and easily damaged) you can simply reprint the inserts you need without having to purchase more.
Yes, print at home means you need to have a printer, punch and paper trimmer for best results- but those upfront costs are mitigated over time and you may have most of these tools at home already.
So, if you are a planner at heart and enjoy using a customizable planning system that you can adjust to fit your needs, print at home inserts are the way to go for the best value, experience and reliability in your planning routine!
Don’t know where to start with Print At Home Inserts? Not all printables are created equally!
The BEST Place to start on your printable planner insert journey is THECHARMEDSHOP.COM!
My printables are designed using professional grade print design software that optimize inserts for printing with less ink waste and are based on research backed productivity and time management strategy.
Stop wasting money on pre-printed inserts that are poorly designed and overpriced, and make the switch to Print On Demand inserts from The Charmed Shop as part of your 2023 New Year’s Resolutions!
Any questions?
Leave me a comment and I’d be glad to help you find your next favorite planning insert or tool!
It’s that time of year again!! The holiday season is approaching and it’s time to shop for gifts for the special people in your life. I love giving gifts- it’s one of my love languages and so I love creating gift guides with new and creative ideas to help you find something unique and functional for the people on your list.
I have created a new gift guide specifically geared towards planning and productivity presents that you can give to a planner lover, co-worker, or female entrepreneur you are buying for this year. Or of course, you could forward this gift guide on to the people who are buying for you this year if you see some things you like and resonate with.
These gifts are priced across the board- some are more of a splurge and some are stocking stuffer price. Most of them are $50 or less so they are pretty reasonable gifts.
I love a good facial roller tool and this five in one option is a great way to make the most of multiple tools to help de-puff, sculpt and sooth your face. Use this massager to relax your muscles, apply serums and tone your face through lymphatic drainage massage. This is a great tool to use morning or night, or anytime you want to relax and pamper yourself.
Stop drinking your daily coffee or tea from clunky old mugs and elevate your daily experience with this set of 6 cups with saucers and stirrers. It’s a beautiful set with classic and luxurious lines that will bring some extra elegance and refinement to your workday. Just add your favorite biscotti or croissant!
This chic leather cover can be used to protect your choice of planner or notebook in a compact and secure housing. I love the way a zip cover keeps it’s contents protected, especially on the go and I am particularly enamored with this dark green teal color. This is a gift that makes a major impact on your style, planning and productivity.
An acrylic dry erase board is a perfect accessory for your kitchen, home organization station or office. Use it for notes, announcements, meal planning or reminders.
This adorable cube desk timer is the perfect productivity tool to help keep you on track and working in short bursts or blocks of time. Set the timer before you start a task to track how long it takes for planning purposes, and use the timer to set aside time to get started on a project or task you’ve been putting off.
These Beats Fit Pro Wireless Bluetooth EarPods have been my go to for both work and play. The noise cancelation technology helps me to stay productive while I work and listen to my favorite lo-fi jams. They are wonderful for working out and physical activities, and I love to wear them while I listen to a meditation or relax in the bathtub. Plus the color palette on the Beats x Kim Kardashian collection are gorgeous!
I think my number one most used planning and note taking accessory, aside from a pen, has to be dual tip highlighters. I use them to highlight dates and information, to create check boxes for tasks and to block off time in my daily schedule. I love this set of neural and pastel highlighters because they create a relaxing tone inside your planner as opposed to traditional neon highlighters that look like strobe lighting and often give me a headache looking at it for too long.
If you are looking for an affordable and chic notebook or bullet journal, the CEO Journal has everything you need to organize and plan in one simple bound book. The undated pages allow you to select the date and organize information with the help of a square grid. The pages are numbered for you to keep an index if you’d like to track important spreads or information. And yes, it does fit nicely into the Pebbled Leather Zip cover linked above!
If you are an iced coffee or tea fan and have not heard about the HyperChiller yet, I am about to blow your mind. Fill the dual chambers of this unit with water, let it freeze in your freezer and then whatever hot or boiling liquid you pour into the chiller will cool down in one to two minutes. No more watering down hot beverages to get them cool. This is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, no wires, no batteries or electricity needed. Just water, your freezer and a hot beverage to chill down.
I love this marble desk pad- I don’t think I could work at a desk without one of these desk pads anymore because they act as decoration, a mousepad and a soft place to rest your hands. I have a few of these desk pads with different patterns on them and I switch them out for the seasons to give my home office and desk a new vibe.
As someone who works from home, I have a lot of productivity tools that I tote around the house with me whenever I decide to work from outside my office. I love these little jelly baskets because the large size fits my laptop, planner, notebook, phone, headphones, pens, highlighters and more so I can take my home office into any room of my house. I call it my mobile office basket and if you work from home, either full time or even part time, you will love having a simple tote like this to use to corral your things securely instead of trying to carry everything by hand yourself.
If you are looking to get the most from your planner system, you absolutely need to learn the Functional Planning Methodology and this book is the official handbook that covers everything you need to know to set up, organize and use your planner to manage your life, plus tips on how to stay motivated and productive through the day.
I love filling my home with candles, but as a pet owner, it isn’t always the safest to have candles burning throughout my home. So, using a candle warmer is a must and these warmer lamps are the perfect blend of style and function to give you some extra home decor, and a safe way to use your candles without lighting them.
If you want to be a more productive and successful person, you absolutely need to start a journaling practice. I think getting your thoughts out of your head and into paper is so important, and especially keeping track of your thoughts and self-talk are a major factor in what you manifest and bring to fruition in your life. This journal will help you manifest more money and abundance into your life through a daily journaling practice where you get clear on what you want, your own value and your plan for making things happen in your life.
These remote controlled flameless LED candles are the perfect addition to your bedroom, home office or bathroom. They are a safe way to create mood lighting and help you get cozy at home, helping you to relax and destress from a busy day.
If you are a planner and productivity lover I know you have a thing for pretty pens. This set of neutral matte gel pens is very aesthetic and certain to help you create a planning or journaling routine that fits your energy and vibe. Why use ugly pens when you can use a chic option like these?
I don’t personally use a desktop computer with a separate monitor, but I have seen so many videos and examples of people using these monitor memo boards and I think they make an awesome accessory for your home or office. You can attach this set of memo boards to the side of your monitor to organize sticky notes or to use as a dry erase. And I bet you could use these on other surfaces besides your monitor. You could affix these to the sides of a mirror in your bathroom, your refrigerator or cabinets in your kitchen- anywhere you need to organize notes and some information- these adhesive memo boards would work!
I know these self-adhesive business card pockets seem so random for a gift guide, but they are actually one of my new favorite planner supplies. My planner cover doesn’t have a ton of business card holders built in, and so I have been sticking these pockets onto dashboards on my planner to organize business cards. I don’t use mine for business cards, instead I use them for planning/journaling cards to decorate my planner and to add a little more inspiration.
As someone who is more into using my planner for function than decoration, I don’t use very many accessories in my planner. However, another one of my planner must haves are this set of neural transparent tabs. I use these to mark pages in my planner for reference and also to write out a note or reminder for my planner before it is set in stone. I love the colors in this set and that it includes pointed and squared edge options. I also use these tabs when reading in physical books or to notate documents I am reviewing or editing.
I know it might seem odd to see an acrylic makeup and skincare organizer on this gift guide, but there are a few reasons I wanted to include this. First of all, getting ready in the morning or getting un-ready at the end of the day is an essential part of your daily routine and having your necessities organized and visible like this helps you to remember to do this important self care each day. Also- I think this organizer would also be awesome to use in your office to store stationery and planner supplies. Think of this as a beautiful display case for your office with all your favorite stationery organized inside.
I hope you have enjoyed this gift guide and that it gave you some great inspiration for this holiday season!
Today, I have something very exciting to share with you!
As we are about to step into the Holiday Season, this is the time of year we often see Advent Calendars making their way around the internet and into our local shops.
For many people, Advent Calendars are a really fun and festive way to enjoy the season leading up to Christmas, and I myself have bought a few in the past to celebrate the season, and of course to relive that childlike wonder of opening a little door or a little box each day with a lovely little surprise inside.
And for a few years now, it has been on my to-do list to figure out a way to create my own Advent Calendar for my community… a Productivity Advent Calendar.
I’m pleased to announce that this year I have finally done it!
This is a first of it’s kind Productivity + Planning Advent Calendar that you can open virtually online. It includes 24 PDF downloads that you can print and then add to your 2023 Planner Setup!
The downloads included with the Advent Calendar are a mix of inserts and other printable productivity and planning tools intended for you to use to create your own custom planner for the New Year.
What You’ll Find Inside:
A mix of 2023 dated and undated inserts
Decorative and functional dashboards
Planner organization tools
Inspirational lists and decor items
Functional and beautiful planner accessories
A set of print instructions for the items in the calendar
Print these files at home as much as you’d like (or take them to a local print shop if you prefer)
The insert designs are half letter sized, however, they can be printed at Half Letter, A5, US Letter or A4 with an included set of print instructions you will find on the Advent Calendar Page. There are also some PDFs included in this bundle that are meant to be printed at Full Letter or A4 specifically- this will be explained in the print instructions. I also recommend to make the most of this bundle you have a paper trimmer, hole punch compatible with your planner binding system of choice, card stock, full sheet label paper and 3”x3” sticky notes.
All designs included with this Advent Calendar are unique, and are not sold separately or found in any of my other offers or programs. If sold separately, the designs would total $250 in retail value so purchasing this Advent of Productivity Calendar is a major value!
The Digital Advent Calendar itself resides on its own page of my private membership site, which you will get access to join upon checkout with your Welcome Letter PDF.
Open a “box” per day leading up to Christmas (or the seasonal holiday or date of your choice) or, feel free to open all the boxes and download all 24 of your productivity tools at once to get your planner set up for the New Year.
Take a look at the beautiful page I designed for the 2022 Advent of Productivity Calendar, with it’s 24 holiday boxes you can open to reveal your daily functional planning tool!
I am overjoyed to bring you this new and unique Advent Calendar in celebration and preparation for Christmas and the New Year!
I sincerely hope the tools inside the calendar help you to create your own sense of Planner Peace with a customized setup and unique inserts to help you manage and organize your life in a more systemized way.
THE 2022 ADVENT OF PRODUCTIVITY CALENDAR IS NOW ON SALE
The sales page includes further details about your purchase including a list and preview of the 24 Planning Tools inside Calendar- but be careful if you don’t want to spoil the surprise of what is inside for yourself!
It is said that six months of hardcore focus and alignment can put you five years ahead in life. Let’s kick off Q3 with purpose, intention and an organized planner! In this video you can follow along as I clean my leather binder, cut and punch my inserts, apply planner tab stickers, and rearrange my planner pockets!
High Vibe Garden Party Soundtrack for Relaxation, Self-Care & Your AM Routine
I have a new productivity resource I’d like to share with you!
This past weekend on Youtube, I published a lovely soundtrack of classical music with a nature ambience that is perfect for you to play if you need to relax, do some much needed self-care, perform your morning routine and do some quiet reading or journaling.
I call it the High Vibe Garden Party because that is the energy I get from the music and ambience I’ve layered together in this soundtrack. Click here to listen to the soundtrack now!
Music has such a powerful effect on our minds, our bodies and our productivity, because it can very quickly shift us into feeling a specific way. So, do yourself a favor and use this soundtrack this week as the background music to your life to start leaning into a more relaxed an intentional energy.
I’m going to be creating more of these soundtracks this month to help support the energy you need to embody at specific points in your day, so I sincerely hope you enjoy them!
> Your internal rhythm may be off after a weekend of relaxing that makes getting back into the weekday routine both a mental and physical challenge.
> Monday’s kick off the work week for many of us, and that means having to face our likely overwhelming to do list, plus having to do that job or interact with some people we may not be particularly fond of.
There are actually lots of reasons why Monday’s are hard for us, but I want to help shift that Manic Monday story in your mind into the anticipation and excitement of a potentially Magic Monday!
I’ve really come to love Monday’s over the past several years and truly get excited for the start of my week. So, I thought, it would be helpful for me to share a bit of inspiration and strategy for you to use to start shifting your mindset and organizing your week so that you too begin to look forward to Monday!
3 Questions to Ask Yourself to Set Realistic Expectations for Your Week
Let’s begin with your specific needs and expectations to determine what would make this week feel successful, productive and a little more organized.
Here are three questions to ask yourself to get clear on your own expectations for a productive week. Journal on these questions, write the answers out in your planner or simply ponder your responses as you prepare for your day- but do try to record your answers for reference and action.
Question 1: What needs to happen this week to make it feel productive and successful? Try to identify three things you can take action on that would make you feel like this week mattered.
Question 2:What drains on your time and energy do you need to watch out for and avoid this week? For each drain, think of a simple plan for preventing these obstacles or dealing with each if they arise.
Question 3:What can you do to support the best version of yourself this week? Think of a few simple habits or actions you need to take this week to make sure you are able to show up each day to the best of your ability. It may mean asking others for help, but you know what you need to show up at your full capacity, so don’t be afraid to ask.
The answers to these questions are going to give you some amazing insight into the few things you need to do to ensure your week feels successful and is supporting you in an effort to live your best and most balanced life.
I know it may seem counterintuitive at first, but the success and productivity of your week isn’t found in the accomplishment of many various things, but instead is found in the fulfillment of just a few strategic priorities.
So, again, record those responses and put any action items into your weekly plan or schedule so you can ensure you make your best week happen.
I hope this post has given you some insight, encouragement or inspiration to make this week amazing.
If you did enjoy it, let me know in the comments or feel free to forward this post to a friend or loved one you think could use the support this week!
How to Create an Inbox System for Busy Professionals
I talk a lot about how to create a solid plan for your workday so you have a clear focus and intention for how you’ll be spending your time, but the real challenge for most busy professionals is handling the additional new action items and tasks that accumulate throughout your workday.
It’s great to start the day with your top three tasks identified, your schedule for calls and meetings, and of course time blocks outlined to do deep work, but what should you do if you get even more new tasks and items that need to be integrated into your existing daily plan?
How do you capture, prioritize and integrate new tasks that come from the multiple different inputs in your workday like meetings, emails, messages, and calls from team members, superiors, clients, and other co-workers?
The solution is to have a well organized inbox system.
Your inbox system may actually be made up of multiple different task and information capture solutions, especially if you are someone who not only receives new tasks throughout the day, but also receives information that may pertain to specific projects, or perhaps needs to capture your own ideas or reminders for future meetings or work that isn’t currently your focus at the moment.
A Place for Everything and Everything in it’s Place
My first suggestion for creating your organized inbox system is to decide the specific places you are going to put specific types of information and the general process you intend to follow for each.
New tasks must be captured and processed in a different way than information you may need for future reference, so having a unique process for each different information type will be important.
It would be optimal to capture new tasks in one centralized location, like an inbox page of your planner, a brain dump spread, or a specific file in a notes application, so you can then determine the priority of the tasks.
I determine the priority of my new tasks using an Eisenhower Matrix that evaluates tasks for urgency and importance. Any new tasks that are urgent and important will be integrated into my plan for the day, while other tasks of less urgency or less importance may be scheduled for another day or kept on a pending list for future reference.
For example: Urgent and Important Tasks | Do Now Not Urgent and Important Tasks | Schedule Urgent and Not Important Tasks | Delegate Not Urgent and Not Important Tasks | Delete
For any information you receive during the course of your workday, I think it’s important to have a separate system for organizing notes and reminders so you can quickly locate and use the information when you need it.
I recommend using a digital notes tool to organize this type of information especially if you are receiving it in digital form most of the time through messages and emails. It’s quite easy to simply copy and paste information, where as rewriting it onto a paper notes system may take a bit more time. Of course, if you prefer to be fully analog and use a paper notes system for this part of your overall system, do what works for you.
I use Apple Notes to organize raw information and ideas, because the app syncs across my laptop, iPhone and even my iPad so that I always have access to it, and because it is digital I can use the search function to quickly find information as well.
I keep my notes app organized by folders for different categories of information, like Personal Notes, Business, Marketing, Content, etc, and then I keep individual note files inside the folders to organize specific topics for quick reference.
If using a notes app doesn’t work for you, you could also use a Google Sheets file or spreadsheet application on your computer to organize information by category and topic as well.
If you’d prefer to use a paper based system, you could divide a notebook into sections for your categories, or include pages in your planner dedicated to specific categories or projects you need to retain information on to act on later.
Turning the System into a Routine
With your Inbox System set up, the next part of the process would be to define and establish a regular routine for transferring and reviewing information.
It’s not enough to have the system set up with the defined place for each type of task or information to go, but you also need to decide how often you are going to review your various other inboxes to transfer information into their appropriate place in your system, and how often you need to review those individual places to make sure you are utilizing the information you captured.
I generally check my inboxes (email, message systems etc) about twice a day, once in the morning at the start of my work and once in the afternoon before I stop working for the day, and that is the point where I will funnel tasks and information to their appropriate spots in my organization system.
Tasks get listed and organized with the Eisenhower Matrix, and information, reminders or ideas get organized to their appropriate folder or note in my Apple Notes.
I keep active notes for each of the classes, products and pieces of content I create so I can quickly transfer or capture information that pertain to each of these individual projects quickly, as soon as it comes to my attention.
When you initially start this routine, it will be a good idea to set alerts to ensure you use the system regularly, and then after a while, it will become a natural process you do as part of your day.
I hope this information helps you create your own organized inbox system to stay on top of your tasks and do your best work, no matter what you do! Let me know how it works out and if you have any questions and I’d be glad to help!
I wanted to take a moment right now to remind you of some very important truths about your business idea!
Are you ready?
Because this information may cause a significant shift in the way you think, feel and act around your business.
Here we go:
1: Your Business is Too Legit to Quit!
Your business is a real, legitimate entity.
Your work is of value and service to a specific community of people who need what you offer very much and are willing to pay for it, if you allow them to.
Right now, the reasons you aren’t making sales is because you haven’t shown your offer to the right people, you haven’t shown it to them enough, or you haven’t been helping them connect the dots between their problem and your solution!
2: If you aren’t making sales, you have a hobby not a business.
I know this is hard for some people to digest, but if you have started a business but it’s not making sales, you are not running a business, you have a very time consuming hobby!
And I say that with all the love in the world, because I have been there before!
For years my business was a hobby making little to no money.
Until one day I decided my desire for success was greater than my fear of failure or rejection and I started creating offers to sell and telling my community about them!
3: People LOVE to buy things that help them
It doesn’t matter what the economic climate really is, the fact of the matter is that people always buy things that help them.
In fact, buying the solution to a problem is always the preferred method for people to get through life.
So, if you think people don’t want to buy what you are selling, you are so wrong.
There is a market for your work out there, I know it, so what you are selling isn’t the problem, your price isn’t the problem, your branding isn’t the problem.
The problem is that you are not selling the offers to the right people- but don’t worry, I know how to find you the right people!
4: Selling is just sharing!
I have shared this with you before but it’s important enough to reiterate that selling isn’t some complicated, tricky process- it’s just sharing your work, your offers, with the people that your work was meant to serve.
That’s it!
I know you think it has to be more complicated than that, but it isn’t.
Think about when you have a favorite new outfit, or piece of makeup or a new show you absolutely love and you are telling your friends and family about it and then they go out and get it or watch it on your recommendation.
That is selling!
You just aren’t making money in that situation (unless you also sent them an affiliate link!)
That is how simple selling can be online.
And when you take that process and pair it with an effective marketing strategy like creating sales funnels, then you have created a system for generating instant income into your business!
THAT IS THE WORK WE ARE GOING TO DO TOGETHER!
Join me inside #INSTAINCOME today before enrollment closes to master this strategy for yourself.
Again, if you have any specific questions about the course before you enroll, send me an email or leave me a comment below and I’d be glad to help you decide if this is right for you!
→ Are you struggling to find paying customers for your products or services?
Do you have a hard time selling and promoting your work because the idea of sales makes you feel uncomfortable and you wish you could focus on simply doing your work and not having to actively sell your work?
→ Are you struggling to create content and grow a following of potential customers through your platforms?
Do you believe it’s too late to gain a following online, like platforms are oversaturated and you struggle to attract your ideal customer so you don’t even bother posting or engaging much on your accounts?
→ Have you been questioning the best way to promote your products or services?
Do you believe digital marketing and online business just isn’t profitable for you and wish you had a simple, turn key strategy you could use to market your business on auto-pilot without having to spend thousands of dollars a month on ads or paid promotion?
7 Reasons Your Business Is Not Making Sales
From my 8 years of experience working full time on my business, I know there are 7 very common reasons your business isn’t making money. Let’s discuss them to identify what issues may be causing trouble for your business revenue generation.
#1: You don’t have much of an audience yet
When we are first getting started, even if you are doing everything right, there is going to be a period of time where you just don’t have enough of an audience yet to expect to see sales, or to even really learn what you are doing wrong so that you can correct it. If you are still in those beginning stages with less than a thousand followers, you may be in this grey area. It doesn’t mean you should give up, it just means that you need to let enough people see your offer before you will make sales. Think about it this way- even if you have 1,000 followers, and are creating great content marketing to sell your offer, you can’t guarantee that all 1,000 of those people have seen it, and taken the time to learn about it. I believe that is actually takes someone 3 interactions with any offer before they really truly consider it. The first time they see it, it may not register in their mind much. The second time, they may recognize they have seen it before. The third time, they may actually stop and consider the offer and make a purchase. So, if you have a smaller audience, you need to simply keep at it and let your audience grow while you continue to make the same offer over and over over time.
#2: Your audience isn’t the ideal customer for your offer
Now, let’s say you do have an audience online built up, and then you begin making offers for things they can purchase. If that audience isn’t the ideal customer for the offer, it doesn’t matter how many people are following you or seeing the offer, the wrong person is just never going to buy. I see this situation happen often with influencer type businesses who have been creating content for fun and building an audience on their specific interests, and then suddenly decide they want to start a business since they have a following. You need to be very careful of what you decide to offer because you can’t just sell your audience anything. If your platform was filled with food inspiration and shopping trips to Target, and then you turn around and start a business reselling designer handbags, there might not be much interest from your audience. There could be some overlap for sure, but it’s more likely that the audience you have built follows you because they want to see what you’re cooking and what you bought. So, you might have better luck with selling them a recipe eBook or becoming a member of an affiliate network that works with Target so you can earn a commission from the things you buy and show off to your customers.
#3: You haven’t proven yourself to your audience yet
It’s been well established through business research that customers prefer to buy from businesses they know, like and trust, so if your business hasn’t done enough of the legwork to spread the word about who you are, what you are doing and why, it’s very likely few people will want to take you up on any offer you make. This is especially true if your presence online has been inconsistent. If you are someone who doesn’t post high value content or posts infrequently, you are sending the message to your audience that you aren’t reliable or knowledgeable. No one wants to buy from a business they aren’t sure knows what it is doing or can follow through with any claims their offer makes.
#4: You aren’t selling consistently
Sales is without a doubt one of the biggest issues women face in their businesses because we have so many weird, untrue and negative stories whirling around in our minds about what it means to be salesy and self-promoting. But none of those stories are true. You are not a scammy or pushy person for sharing about your offer and your business online, and if you keep choosing to believe that and continue to feel bad about selling, it is going to stop you from talking about your offers and making sales. I know selling and marketing seems hard and time consuming, and it absolutely can be if you aren’t following a strategy. For example, did you know that using the marketing strategy of a sales funnel can bring you three to four figures of sales for your offers in a single month. And they can be put on auto-pilot so you don’t have to spend as much time actively selling. However you choose to do it, you need to sell consistently in order to make sales.
#5: Your offer is unclear, confusing or incomplete
Your business could sell a variety of different offers. Those offers could be for specific products, either digital or physical. They could be for services you perform for others. They could even be affiliate offers where you receive a commission from products you refer customers to. In order for people to really understand your offer, however, and determine if they need what it is that you are selling, the offer needs to be clear. If it’s not clear, or if people are confused about what it is, how to use it, what problem it solves and why they need it, they will not buy. Talking to your followers and ensuring they understand the offer is a great way to troubleshoot this situation. This is why you want to be consistently selling and creating content that shares your message with your audience so you have ample opportunity for feedback.
#6: Your sales page sucks
There is nothing worse than going to make a purchase from a sales page that sucks. Your sales page is the page on your e-commerce platform that shows and explains the offer. Sales pages require clear images of your products, explainations of what people can expect to receive and answer frequently asked questions. You’d be surprised at how often I visit the websites for small businesses and they have little to no information about their offer on a sales page. So, ultimately I and I’m sure others who visit that page, walk away without making a purchase. If the sales page is lacking or looks terrible, why would anyone buy that offer? It’s just an omen of the quality they can expect from the product itself and a major turn off to buyers.
#7: Your expectations are too high
The digital market place is a wonderful place to build a business, but too many new business owners approach the task from a “If you build it, they will come” mentality. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly how it works. You can set up a business online with a beautiful website showcasing your products and/or services, but that is not enough to convert sales. You need the following and the business assets working together to convert, and you need to set reasonable expectations for conversions. So many business owners get confused because they may have a few hundred followers online but not a few hundred sales. But, it’s not logical or realistic to expect that everyone who follows you is going to make a purchase. Even if you knew each of those followers have seen your offer, not everyone is ready to buy. In fact, this might come as a shock to you, but a good conversion rate online is 3%. Meaning if you make your offer to a group of 100 people, if that offer is made well and you are talking to a group of ideal customers, you can still only expect 3 people to purchase and that would be good. This is why we need to make offers continually, to share high value content consistently and ensure we are always focused on our ideal customer.
I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO YOUR MARKETING, AND IT NOT PAY OFF WITH THE SALES YOU WERE EXPECTING!
I’ve been in that situation before and it does not feel good to invest your time and energy into work that isn’t paying off.
It really sucks and is majorly discouraging.
But it doesn’t mean that you should close your business or that your offer isn’t right, in fact, most of the time, the problem is that you either aren’t marketing enough or you are marketing your offer in the wrong way.
I know for female entrepreneurs, selling is something of a sore spot. We don’t want to feel like we are being too pushy or annoying when we do our marketing, and so many of us start adopting inconsistent, low-impact sales strategies that fail to properly market our work.
You’re probably thinking that sales and marketing looks so easy and effortless for everyone else, but why doesn’t it work that way for your business?
Well, it can!
You can develop an easy, streamlined marketing funnel that attracts your perfect ideal customer right to your sales pages and puts instant income into your pocket!
You can do it without a ton of expensive, complicated technology, software, or even ads. And you can do it on any platform you prefer to use.
Consumers today are so much more savvy and they choose to buy through authentic, value-rich content and social media funnels as opposed to blatantly salesy ads, endless click funnels and hard line marketing pitches. Value rich content is the key to selling without guilt or shame. Your followers and customers will love you for it and keep coming back for more!
Let me help you build your first profitable social sales funnel that will put your marketing and income on auto-pilot!
I’m not talking about old school digital marketing click funnels, the ones that require you to use a ton of technology and spend tons of money on ads.
I am talking about sales funnels 2.0!
Funnels that rely on great high value content, not gimmicks and false promises.
Funnels that authentically grow your community and build you a following of loyal fans who can’t wait to buy your offers and keep coming back for more.
I know I do sales and my funnels a little differently than others do- it’s something that many people have commented on.
People tell me all the time that they love my sales style that is very relaxed, honest, and never pushy, and I truly appreciate that feedback because it has taken me a lot of mindset work to get myself to a place where my vibe around sales is relaxed and confident and never pushy.
And, so, I think it’s time I share my secrets with the rest of the awesome female entrepreneurs in my community.
Because this strategy and mindset that I use around sales is so aligned with the needs of the modern small business owner.
I know you need a strategy that is simple and turn-key, that you can use over and over again with success.
I know you need a strategy that integrates seamlessly with the content and platforms you are already using (or want to be using) to spread your message with the world.
I know you need a strategy that supports an elevated mindset around sales. One where we don’t need to feel ashamed about promoting our businesses because we feel good about the work we are doing and the integrity of the business we are creating.
It’s about magnetizing the right customers to us, rather than pushing, convincing or guilting our followers into buying.
I think you know what I mean!
If this is something you’d like to learn, I welcome you to join me for a new business course and group coaching experience I have recently opened for enrollment.
Join me for #INSTAINCOME Sales Funnels
It’s called #INSTAINCOME and it’s the path to easy income building online.
Build a profitable online sales funnel, start to finish, using content marketing, social media and email in just six weeks. Zero ad spend required!
INSTAINCOME is a 6-Week Live Course including six video modules, six live co-working sessions, and six weeks of group coaching support to build your first content marketing sales funnel starting June 1st!
If you are curious, or perhaps you know you really need a sales strategy that works for your business…
