One morning last week, I was helping my 11 year-old son, Jack, get ready for a day of skiing during our family vacation. It was sunny, 55 degrees and gorgeous outside. I handed my son his face mask and he looked at me puzzled and said, “Mom, there is no way I’m going to need this today–have you looked outside?”
I replied, “Yes, I have and you always need to be prepared for a quick change in the weather when you are on the mountain.” As I prepared myself to leave for skiing that morning, I began to reflect on how being prepared for snow skiing is a lot like preparation for success as a woman entrepreneur.
When you desire a successful day of skiing, there needs to be some planning before you get on the chair lift. You need to stop and think about all of the things you will need in order to have a successful day (This is why ski clothing has so many pockets!). If you’re a woman who skis, you know that the weather can change at any given moment so you need to pack accordingly. If you choose to go skiing without thoughtful preparation, you may be in for a challenging day.
As I rode up the chair lift that morning, I thought of 5 solutions to help you have a great day of skiing and achieve success as a woman entrepreneur:
One of the questions I’m frequently asked by women entrepreneurs is, “When I meet someone who is a potential referral source and/or ideal client, how do I mention my business without feeling pushy?” Great question! Being able to communicate your marketing message with confidence is key to attracting more clients, increasing your income and becoming known for your expertise.
Recently, I had the opportunity to spend the day strategizing with a group of smart women entrepreneurs from different parts of the world. It was an energizing day focused on topics such as effective marketing, clear messaging to attract your ideal client, time management and money.
In my work with women, a frequent question is, “How important is it for me to finely niche my marketing message?” My answer is always, “Extremely important.” The reason is 3-fold:
Recently, I attended a surprise 50th birthday party for a good friend from college. I had a fantastic time reconnecting with old friends and discovering new ones as well. One of the biggest Aha’s for me during the weekend festivities was the realization that most of my time is spent with entrepreneurs—people who have made the jump to self-employment and choosing to do it their way. Many of the people I spent time with at this weekend event were employed by someone else. The topic of conversation was quite different for me yet it was illuminating to learn and see life from their perspective.
One question that I hear frequently from the women I support is “How do I find and attract more new clients?” After all, new clients are necessary for your business to survive and thrive. The good news is, “new” clients are closer than you think. What do I mean? Have you ever heard the old phrase, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?”
My 10 year-old son is studying health and nutrition at school and he’s very excited about it. He came home yesterday and asked me to sit down with him so he could explain everything he’s learning. He shared the 4 basic food groups that our family should be eating (vegetables, fruit, meat and grains) as well as some suggestions on what I might prepare for dinner so that our family becomes “balanced.” Last night after he went to bed, I was reflecting on our conversation and thinking about how Smart Women need 4 basic marketing solutions in order to realize their entrepreneurial goals.
while vacationing with my family in Park City, I injured my low back ice-skating with my daughter Jenna. It was quite painful and required me to lay low for a couple of days. I watched a few movies, did some reading and caught up on emails. Some of the email promotions really “pulled me in” and got my full attention, while I found others far less interesting, causing me to leave the promotion quickly. What was the difference? What caused me to “linger” or “leave”? This got me thinking about how Smart Women have a clear marketing message.
was sitting in the bleachers at our local park watching my children play little league baseball when I heard the weekly mantra from their coach as each child took their position at bat:
are all having the same challenge—the race against time or “time management.” Whether you are an attorney, a fitness professional or a business coach, time is the like the elusive lover—you can never get enough! Here are a few comments I heard over the last few days:
![11-05-09Article[2]](http://smartwomensolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/11-05-09Article23.jpg "11-05-09Article[2]")
in our neighborhood and it was exciting. I enjoyed watching Jack and Jenna’s faces light up when they saw a friend from school or someone dressed as their favorite character. One observation from the evening that intrigued me was watching which houses the children gravitated to most often. The houses that were adorned with lights, decorations and an irresistible “come visit me” feeling were the ones the children ran to first. They would actually skip over homes that had little or no “invitation.” They would stand in long lines at homes that had that welcome feeling, waiting for one piece of candy rather than use that time to visit two or three homes that had less of a welcome presence. This got me thinking about how Smart Women entrepreneurs could learn a lot from Halloween when it comes to attracting their ideal client.
Receive this 5-part video series as my gift when you sign up for my Weekly eZine, Reflections, and discover...
