Inside Out
Business Edition
"You can't change the direction of the wind. . .
but you can adjust your sails!"
--Jimmy Dean

Kim Olver, MS, NCC, LPC

www.Coachingforexcellence.biz
Kim@Coachingforexcellence.biz

To read our blog click here or go to www.coachingforexcellence.biz and click on "Blog" on the left hand navigation bar. Read some of Kim's musings and add some of your own!

A Message from Kim

Hi, everyone. This is such an exciting month for us! Our book goes to print on May 24th and will be first available for sale at the July International Conference of Reality Therapy in Jersey City, NJ. This will mark the culmination of many hours of very hard work and we are feeling a strong urge to celebrate in a big way. We are putting together a spectacular bestseller campaign and are looking for complimentary products to offer anyone who purchases our book on the designated day. These products must have an actual value, be available on the web and be attractive to businesses that are focusing on diversity issues. If you have ideas of anyone who may wish to donate a product to our cause in exchange for adding many email addresses to their list or you simply would like to learn more about it, then please contact me at 708-957-6047 or email me at kim@coachingforexcellence.biz. I am also looking for business owners who have email lists of people who have mid to large businesses and would be willing to send out email notification to their email list of our book campaign. Anyone who actually comes up with a product idea for us or an appropriate list owner will receive either a f-r-e-e autographed copy of our book or a $50 off coupon for any Coaching for Excellence product. Your Choice! Don’t miss this opportunity to help us and to benefit yourself at the same time.

Also new this month is our De-Escalation Skills Ecourse. Many of you have already purchased our De-Escalation Skills Tip Sheet. Well, the eCourse takes that information and expands upon it. You will receive ten weekly lessons delivered right to your email inbox each week. You will learn about the origin and purpose of anger. You will learn techniques to reduce your own anger and get closer to the important people in your life. You will learn questions to ask yourself to determine your readiness to intervene with an angry person and you will learn incredibly effective de-escalation techniques for taking the wind out of an angry person’s sails. Each week will have exercises for you to do to increase your understanding of the material and you will be provided with email support with me once per week between lessons to ask any questions or make any comments you like regarding the material. For more information or to purchase the eCourse go to http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz/angermgmtecourse.htm. Pease don’t waste one more day! Act now—you won’t be sorry.

In This Issue

Feature Article
Creating an Effective Online Presence Part One

Upcoming Events
Teleclasses
Chat Room

Quote of the Week
“My definition of marketing is setting up automatic, repeatable systems that create the environment where people want to buy from you instead of you having to sell them.”--Jeff Paul

Book Review
Multiple Streams of Internet Income
by Robert G. Allen

Tip of the Week

Business Q&A

Reports & eBooks

CLICK HERE
for Fr.ee Teleclass Offer

About Kim Olver

Feature Article

Creating an Effective Online Presence Part One
by Kim Olver

I have learned so much over the past year about creating an online presence. There is so very much to know and most people who start their own businesses really don’t know how to create, maximize and leverage their online presence.

I will give you just a summary of what I’ve learned over the past year from reading, masterminding and coaching. I know I have only scratched the surface but if I can in any way cut down on your learning curve by sharing the things I’ve already learned, then that’s what I want to do.

Niche Marketing

This is the first thing you learn when creating an online presence. It’s about narrowing your focus. It is not possible to be all things to all people and when you try, you end up watering down your message and in essence, being nothing to no one. This probably was the hardest lesson I learned. I fought the whole niche marketing idea because I believed that my niche was choice theory and I know choice theory applied to every possible life situation. While I still believe that this is true, I need to focus my marketing efforts on a much more specific and targeted niche. While I am still refining this, I have decided to market to two basic niches. The first is small to midsize companies who are interested in creating, inspiring and leveraging diversity in the workforce and the second is managers interested in learning Empowered Leadership to increase production, improve quality and reduce employee turnover.

What is your niche? You know you have a good one if you can identify how to find them. You need to know what they read, what entertainment they gravitate toward, and what groups they belong to. It is your goal to ultimately obtain a mailing list or email list to be able to market to your niche. If you can obtain a list, then you have a well-narrowed niche.

Creating a List

This is perhaps the most important asset to an online business—the email list of potential customers and prospects. When doing business online, it is critically important to capture prospects' email opt-in addresses so you can begin to market to them. The best way to get people to give you their email address is to offer them something compelling. This is intricately tied to your niche. Find out something they are looking for—create a giveaway product in exchange for getting their email address. You can see how critical it is to have correctly identified your niche market because if you offer a list of cat owner’s information on how to train their dogs, you can see how that might not entice them to provide you with their email address. It must be information they are hungry for.

The opt-in part is also important. You can’t just go add people’s email addresses to your mailing list. That is considered spamming. They must have the opportunity to opt-in, as well as the opportunity to remove their address from your database. Don’t ruin your business before it gets started by tainting your reputation unnecessarily.

Sales Letters

Sales letters are very important. If there is one thing I’d like to outsource, it would be sales letters. They are not fun for me to do but they may be fun for you. There are several things to be considered in a sales letter. First of all, research shows that the longer a sales letter is the better. It must have a captivating title. It must be filled with information about WIIFM—What’s In It For Me, meaning your readers or potential customers. This is again tied to the first point about niche marketing. Your sales letter will be most effective when you can write as if you know the mind of the reader. You must understand their pain or speak to a goal they have. How can you be specific enough if you haven’t narrowed your niche? You can’t.

The letter should be crafted with both the skimming reader and the detail reader in mind. This means making main points subheadings so the person who skims can get the general idea of what you are talking about just by skimming the headings. However, include sufficient detail to convince the person who is interested in lots of facts and statistics. You don’t want to write your letter with only one group in mind because then you will lose out on the possibility of selling to the group you omitted.

Create products and services your niche is hungry for and then tell them why they must have your product to either solve their problem or help them become more successful.

Sales letters must have an urgent call to action. Create some type of advantage for those who act NOW. Research shows that even if a person is interested in what you are offering, if they don’t act as they are reading your letter and decide to wait for another day, they never come back to it. Get them to act now by making it worth their while. You can even offer an extra incentive for the first 20 people who respond. It’s up to you.

Articles

Writing articles is a tremendous way to get your name out there to the general public. I write at least two articles each month. I used to have my virtual assistant submit each one to online article banks individually. Now, for $100, I submit my article to I-Snare and they do the submitting for me. They will submit 100 articles for my $100 which is much more cost-effective than having to pay my assistant to do it.

The purpose of writing is to help readers get to know you and what you have to offer. When you write, you are not necessarily trying to sell something—you are basically providing useful information, just like this article does. And you get to include a bio box at the end with a link back to your website home page, a product page or a sales letter. This will help increase the traffic to your website and it will be a targeted audience, meaning those who are already interested in what you have to say.

These are just some of the things you want to give attention to as you develop your presence on the World Wide Web. My next article will focus on writing press releases, generating search engine traffic and getting listed in various online directories. Then, we will discuss writing a blog, producing an online newsletter, creating a sales funnel and embarking on joint ventures.

Copyright © May 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved

*Click Here or to read some of Kim's other articles*

Upcoming Events

Teleclasses
(Times in EST)

All teleclasses are one (1) hour in length and all you need is a telephone. When you register we will send you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of your teleclass. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available.

Problem Solving
May 24, 2006 -- 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Do you find yourself having to make quick decisions? Are you often unsure about the decisions you make? Do you try to keep everyone happy with your decisions? If any of thisdescribes you, then you will benefit from this teleclass. Learn how to make decisions based on universal principles and not the trend or keeping others happy. Learn how to make decisions on the spot when necessary, how to take the time you need to make other decisions and the difference between the two. Critical decision-making is a skill they don’t teach in college and you really can’t function at a top level without it.

Clarifying Expectations
June 6, 2006 -- 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Do you find yourself getting frustrated by the others at your job because they just don’t do things the way they are supposed to be done? Feel like you’ve told them the same thing over and over again? This teleclass will help you broach those difficult subjects in a way that will maximize cooperation.

Goal Setting & Attainment
June 15, 2006 -- 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Come on now; are you serious this time about keeping those New Year's resolutions? Let's really get serious about setting those goals for next year. Neural reconditioning is a step that is rarely discussed but is critical to your long term success. This teleclass will give you a time-proven system for setting and actually attaining those New Year's resolutions. No More excuses.

Chat Room

Kim will be available in her chat room for questions
and dialog on the following dates and times:

May 17, 2006 -- 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
May 26, 2006 -- 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
May 30, 2006 -- 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
June 7, 2006 -- 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
June 16, 2006 -- 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
June 20, 2006 -- 9:00 - 10:00 p.m.
June 30, 2006 -- 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Quote of the Week

Book Review

Multiple Streams of Internet Income
by Robert G. Allen

This book catalogues the way Robert G. Allen made $24,000 on the Internet in 24 hours. This is great if your name is Robert G. Allen, however, I believe that most average people would not be able to experience the same success. Robert G. Allen has a well-known name that people have come to trust.

That having been said, the book still contains a lot of useful information for those starting or attempting to expand their internet business, however, the book was written in 2001, making some of the information obsolete.

If you are looking to start your own internet business, this book will provide you with the basics but you may want to find a more current book such as Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid.

Click here to order this book

Tip of the Week

The most important thing a new business owner can do to promote the success of his or her business is to cultivate the relationships that already exist and be willing to go above and beyond to cultivate more. People tend to buy from people they like. People want to feel special and important. The more a business person can make others feel that way, the most likely the buyer will be to invest with them. Relationships are the most important thing in a business.

I believe it is about helping buyers feel safe with you. Provide them a guarantee. Stand behind your product or service’s quality.

Get connected with them. Find something personal you can connect on. It might be family, where you grew up, favorite TV show, sporting event, or the kind of car you drive. Find something you can share and then go out of your way to cultivate that connection.

Customers need to feel as if you are listening to them. They want to feel important and respected. Always give them your undivided attention. Do things to let them know they are special to you.

Make sure your client has some choices. No one like to feel boxed into certain things. Always provide at least three options. There’s always good, better and best, for example.

Attempt to create some fun in your relationship, but never at the expense of the other person.

When you are able to provide all these things to your customers, your business will grow by leaps and bounds. You will far surpass your competition. Remember, relationship is the root of all influence!

Business Q&A

Question: On my website, how important is it to keep updating the information?

Answer: This question enters into the world of search engines. While I don’t completely understand how they work and what they are looking for (mostly because it is constantly changing), I do know that they like new and recent content. A website that is updated on a regular basis will receive a higher search engine ranking than one that stays static. The more you update and change your information, the better it will be.

Reports & eBooks

Diversity at Work - Do you believe you maintain a diverse workforce in your company?  Do all your employees come together in critical situations or are there cultural divisions?  This chapter from my book, "Leveraging Diversity at Work: How to Hire, Retain and Inspire a Diverse Workplace for Peak Performance and Profit" discusses diversity issues in the workplace and how maintaining a diverse workforce can create a satisfying work environment for your employees and ultimately contribute to the growth and bottom line of your company. If you would like more information about my book click here or click on the "books" link in the left navigation bar. Receive "Diversity at Work" FREE when you purchase a Coaching Package. Click here or on the "Coaching Services " link in the left navigation bar to view our packages. To purchase this ebook alone, simply click on the title above, Diversity at Work.

De-Escalation Skills Tip Sheet
Are you someone who is confronted with angry people in the course of your job? Angry co-workers, angry managers, angry customers, angry clients, angry suppliers, angry subordinates? Want to learn ways to take the wind out their sails and have them communicating more cooperatively?

In this special tip sheet, gain some insight into your own anger and methods for getting it under control before attempting to intervene with someone else expressing anger. Also, learn the five proven techniques to de-escalate an angry person that greatly increase your odds for success.

Your staff will be more confident---they will know how to handle difficult situations. Problems will be solved on the front line without the need to pass “situations” on to supervisors. These skills will help you and your employees handle customers and clients with ease. Customer satisfaction will improve, thus helping you increase sales or referrals. You will stand out above your competition.

If you work with residential clients, you can significantly decrease any physical restraints. Don’t let this information pass you by! There is nothing to lose. If you are not satisfied with the information presented, just send me an email and I’ll return the money you paid and you can keep the report.

Choice Theory Report
Choice Theory, a concept developed by William Glasser, is an explanation of human behavior.  Choice Theory has five basic components —the basic human needs, the quality world, the perceived world, the comparing place and total behavior. This report gives a more detailed explanation of these five components.
To learn more about Choice Theory click here or to purchase the report click on the title above.

About Kim Olver

Kim Olver is a professional coach, specializing in the field of interpersonal skills, empowerment and leadership development. She has functioned in the role of supervisor and administrator for over 20 years. This column is for readers to submit their questions for Kim to answer. It could be a question about supervision skills, maximizing teamwork, customer service, interpersonal skills or client satisfaction and empowerment. No interpersonal question in the field of work is off limits. To ask your question, simply send it by email to Kim@CoachingforExcellence.biz and look for her response in future issues.

F-R-E-E Teleclass

How would you like to take one of my teleclasses for f.ree? All you have to do is get two (2) people to subscribe to either of my e-zines and send me their e-mail addresses for confirmation with the name of the teleclass you would like to attend. If you do not wish to attend one of the teleclasses, you can give your f.ree teleclass to a friend or family member. It’s that simple! Send either one or both of the following links to all your friends and family and ask them to subscribe to the e-zine. For the personal edition of "Inside Out", go to The Relationship Center and for the business/school edition go to Coaching for Excellence and have them type their name and email address in the boxes on the right-hand side of the web page where it says, “Subscribe to Receive 'Inside Out', our Fr.ee EZine". Only two people actually have to subscribe for you to be eligible for a f.ree teleclass. Once their subscription has been confirmed you will receive an e-mail giving you the bridge line and access code for the teleclass of your choosing. A listing of teleclasses being offered can be found in both my weekly e-zine or on my calendar page at either web site. There is no limit to the amount of f.ree teleclasses you can earn---you get one f.ree teleclass for every two referrals that sign up for one of my e-zines. Within the next year I am planning on adding many new teleclasses on several topics including the following:

How to Do More in Less Time
Coaching for Peak Performance
Effective Communication
Goal Setting and Attainment
Diffusing Anger
Problem Solving
…….and many more.

Please continue to check this eZine and my website calendar for these new and exciting teleclasses. Don’t wait, take advantage of this offer and experience the new technology of teleclasses, learning and growing from home or office.

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Copyright © May 16, 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved.