Video can be a great way to market your products and services, but it can also be a huge waste of time.

I would love to get your feedback on video for marketing and learning.

Watch this short video to find out the pros and cons, how to do video for free and then leave your comments below.

Comments encouraged!

What’s my purpose? What’s my calling? Why can’t I be more spiritual in my business?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

If you have, you are not alone. For a long time I asked myself these types of questions. The harder I searched for the answer the more elusive it became.

Then it all changed.

Today, I know what it feels like to be on the path; to answer the calling.

When you answer the calling you are able to use your unique talents and passion for a bigger purpose, to reach and help more people.

You ARE meant to do more and be more. It’s time to stop playing small. You owe it to yourself and to your customers and clients to play BIG!

If you’re not sure how to do this, read on. My friend and colleague, Melanie Benson Strick, is hosting a virtual series called Answering the Call Today.

Melanie, America’s Leading Authority on Optimum Performance and a Big Idea Catalyst has handpicked twelve conscious entrepreneurs who will show you how to tap into your calling.

This is a unique tele-summit…

Melanie has gone beyond the traditional “tell me how to make money” and has asked each guest to share how they help people navigate through the evolution of who they are – and make good money and a big impact on the world in the process.

Join me now as my free guest: Click here to access.

Here’s a quick snapshot of who is in the summit:

** Marcia Wieder, Founder of Dream University covering “A Dream for Your Soul”

** Barbara Stanny, author of Overcoming Under Earning, on “Sacred Success – The Journey to Affluence”

** Adam Urbanski, The Marketing Mentor on the “Overnight Guru Formula”

** Cynthia Kersey, best-selling author of Unstoppable on “Becoming an Unstoppable Force for Good”

** Robin Fisher Roffer of Big Fish Marketing on “How to Reinvent Yourself in 30 Days

Grab your free seat now.

Click here to register

** Liora Mendeloff, founder of the Women Speakers Association on “Being At The Forefront Of Creating A New Paradigm”

** Elyse Hope Killoran, founder of The Prosperity Game on “How to Unplug from the Old Paradigm Thinking to Access the New Game of Wealth”

** Drew Gerber, co-founder of PitchRate on “Passions into Profits: The Key to Writing The Book That Puts YOU on The Map”

** Lissa Boeles, the Soul-Mapper on “Way-Seeing For New Business Leadership”

** Arielle Ford, best-selling author of SoulMates on “Answering the Call to YOUR Soul Mate”

** Wendy Yellen, The Tsunami Maker on “How to Get Off Your Back and Out of Your Own Way….Now!!

** and the host of the series, Melanie Benson Strick, on “Thriving in The New Era: How to Create Ultimate Entrepreneurial Success On Your Terms”

What’s being revealed is not just fluff or teasers – this is powerful, life-changing information that will help you profitably, and enthusiastically, bring your calling to the world – without wasted time, money and energy.

Click here to register for FREE

Grab your free seat today – especially since it starts on Tuesday, February 7th!

“See you” there…

P.S.  If you are concerned that you’ll miss one of the calls or know that you don’t have time to sit through all the expert’s sessions right now, then rest assured once you enroll Melanie has promised she’ll show you how to get access to the recordings.

P.P.S. I also just learned that 5% of any sales generated will be going to the Unstoppable Foundation to help sponsor a village of clean water and education for children in Africa. How cool is that!!!

If you were starting from scratch, and you wanted to make a million dollars offering your advice and how-to content to the world, what 10 things should you focus on?

In other words, if you wanted to become a highly-paid expert in a matter of months, how would you? How are all these authors, speakers, coaches, seminar leaders, and online info marketers monetizing their life’s story, advice, and experience?

This incredible video from Brendon Burchard has the answers:

Click here to view

You’ll learn:

– 10 essentials that will help you build an “expert” brand

– 3 ways to position yourself as a high-value, highly-paid expert

– 4 products that add to a million-dollars in 12 months

This all sounds high-strung, but the video nails it.

At some point, every “guru” or expert decides they want to use their life’s story or their how-to advice for helping other people to earn a real income and make a real difference. This video exemplifies that.

Btw, if you haven’t met Brendon Burchard, the guy who did the video, I think you’ll find his story inspiring.

Brendon went from bankruptcy to $4.6 million in the how-to space in just 18 months. He really get results:

– #1 New York Times Best-selling author with books in 20 languages and over 200k ebooks downloaded

– Spoken onstage with Tony Robbins, Sir Richard Branson, Dalia Lama, Wayne Dyer, Paula Abdul, Frank Kern, Jeff Walker

– Seminars pulling 800 people at $2000-$10,000/ticket from 42+ countries

– 100+ coaching clients paying $10,000-$35,000 a year

– $4 million-plus online product launches and brilliant continuity programs

– #1, #2 and #3 ranked affiliate for some of the largest online marketing campaigns in the last 12 months

You might have also seen Brendon recently on Anderson Cooper and ABC News.

What’s WAY more impressive is the results he gets for his STUDENTS.

You can see why in his video. The guy cares, he does it himself, and he really breaks it down for you.

Click here to view

Enjoy the video.

And take notes. Trust me, it’s worth the optin.

Ps. Brendon says he’s taking questions on the blog, so watch and comment. Here’s what people are saying:

– Tony Robbins thinks Brendon is “smarter than hell”

– Brian Tracy says Brendon is the “smartest, nicest, most creative marketers I’ve ever met”

– Paula Abdul says he’s “captivating, present, magnetic and awesome”

– NY-Times best-seller Dr. Daniel Amen “wishes I would have met him 20 years ago; it would have put my business and myself as an expert in hyperspeed”

Pss. I have been studying Brendon Burchard’s material for nearly a year. With one idea I generated over $50,000. Does his information work? Absolutely

Today’s question: Is it truly possible to create an on line training business that is financially viable and successful?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Find out my answer with today’s Cinch Tip.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog by filling in your email address in the box to the right.

Is the Vacuum Law Working Against You?
by Marnie L. Pehrson of www.MarniePehrson.com

Are you finding that your time is getting filled with things that aren’t moving you forward in your business?  Do you often attract people who want you to work on their projects, but you’re not sure that those projects are an ideal fit? If so, the Vacuum Law could be working against you.

The vacuum law basically states that if you want something new to come into your life, you need to make room for it first. Knowing this law is a great way to bring good things into your life, but it can also attract a lot of clutter.

Let me explain with an example. A client called me for a consult the other day, and I believe her situation is typical of those with a message to share with the world. This client has a partially finished book and workbook around her core message. She’s also developed a couple signature speeches to go with them. She’s a busy mom of several children and put her goals on the shelf for the summer.

Lately, she’s been opening up several stretches of time in her daily schedule where she can work on her business. She called me because she was wrestling with what to do with the people who kept coming to her wanting her to create web sites for them. Should she take on these projects? She has a desire to help people and knows how to build sites, but the thought of setting up and maintaining web sites feels lackluster.

Create the Space
As she explained her situation, she commented that she feels like she’s lost her focus, that she’s not sure what she’s doing anymore or whether her message could even make a difference in the world. The more I listened, it became crystal clear that this talented lady had become a victim of the Vacuum Law.

This law works great for you when you’re very clear about what you want. But it can work against you when you’re fuzzy about your objectives. In my client’s case, she had cleared time in her schedule, but wasn’t certain what she would do with the available time.  She’d lost her focus and lost vision of her dream. Because she was unclear, people in her circle of influence sensed she had time and began trying to fill it with their stuff.

I had a good talk with her about her big dreams. We discussed whether she even wanted to build web sites for people. She didn’t. Deep down, when the dust was cleared away, she wanted to finish her books and start getting her message out to the world so lives could be impacted for good.

What is Your Gift to the World?
Once she was clear on what she wanted, it became obvious that she could refer these people to web designers. With a little encouragement, she remembered that other people can build web sites, but her gift to the world is her story and her message. Only she can deliver it with power and influence.

I see this happen a lot with people. In our busy lives, we lose sight of our vision. When we do come around to having time to move forward on it, we are no longer clear about where we are going. It’s then that the vacuum law kicks in. Nature hates a void. It wants to fill it, and so our tendency is to become busy with unimportant tasks or let other people fill our time.

If you think the vacuum law could be working against you instead of for you, ask yourself a few questions:

•  Am I clear on my vision for my business?
• Have I thought through the path to take me toward my dream?
• What is the next step I should take toward it?

With this information in hand, you can plan your days and your schedule with a governing focus that will propel you forward toward your dream. Remember, always get clear on your direction before you create spaces in your schedule!

What about you? Have you had something similar happen to you? How did you (or are you) dealing with it?

About Marnie
Marnie Pehrson is a best-selling author, speaker, certified SimplyHealed^TM practitioner, and online publicist who helps spiritually-minded entrepreneurs find their place in the world and deliver their messages online. She is the creator of the longest running content directory, IdeaMarketers.com, where you can promote your articles, press releases, information products, videos, audios and expertise. Marnie is also a wife and mother of 6 and the author of 21 fiction and nonfiction titles. If there’s truth or talent to be highlighted, Marnie’s your girl. Her mission is to help you live yours in practical effective ways.

Awards Are Free Publicity Gold

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
author of the multi award-winning book,
The Frugal Book Promoter, now in its second edition

It is award season once again. It’s exciting to see many of my author friends’ books win, place, or show. I hope they remember that I told them their book doesn’t have to be a top winner for the news to be newsworthy in my first book in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers.

Media editors see awards as anything from a sure-fire feature story to a filler. But I fear that many authors still don’t utilize their awards to their fullest potential. A list of things authors should do with their awards appeared in the first edition of The Frugal Book Promoter and, because it’s so important, appears in the second edition now in release.

Add your new honor to the Awards page of your media kit. If it’s your first award, center it on a page of its own. Oh! And celebrate!

• Write your media release announcing this coup. (See Chapter Eleven of the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter to learn to build a targeted media list and Chapter Twelve to learn to write a professional media release.)
• Post your news on media release distribution sites. Find a list of these sites at howtodoitfrugally.com/mediareleasedisseminators1.htm.
• Notify your professional organizations.
• Notify bookstores where you hope to have a signing and those where you have had a signing.
• Notify your college and high school. Some have press offices. Most publish magazines for alumni and their current students.
• Add this information to the signature feature (see Chapter Twenty) of your e-mail program.
• Add this honor to the biography template you use in future media releases—the part that gives an editor background information on you.
• Use this information when you pitch TV or radio producers, editors of newsletters and newspapers. and bloggers. It sets you apart from others and defines you as an expert.
• If your book wins an award, order embossed gold labels from a company like http://labels-usa.com/embossed-labels.htm. You or your distributor can apply them to your books’ covers. If you win an important award, ask your publisher to redesign your bookcover or dustcover to feature it a la the Caldecott medal given for beautifully illustrated children’s books. If you don’t know this medal, visit your local bookstore and ask to see books given this award. It’s one of the most famous and most beautifully designed.
• If your book is published as an e-book only, ask for the contest’s official badge or banner to use. If they don’t have one, make one of your own using http://bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php.
• Be sure your award is front and center on your blog, your Web site, your Twitter wallpaper, and your social network pages.
• Your award should be evident on everything from your business card to your checks and invoices. I use the footer of my stationery to tout my major awards.
• Don’t forget to put your award in your e-mail signature.
• Frame your award certificate and hang it in your office to impress visitors and to inspire yourself to soar even higher!

~This is just a blog-size excerpt from a complete chapter on awards in The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) , including information on how to improve your chances of getting one. Carolyn brings her experience as a journalist, publicist, retailer and author of her own books to the how-to books she writes for authors. Kathleen is helping her celebrate the release of the 2nd edition of this USA Book News and Irwin award-winning book. Learn more about the whole series at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

Guest Expert Blog Post from Ellen Britt

As an online entrepreneur, how many times have you heard the advice to step out of your comfort zone? On the surface, this sounds good, but what does this really mean? And how, exactly do you do it?

Stepping out of your comfort zone into unfamiliar business territory can be a good thing. But if you’re not careful, you could be stepping right into trouble. As a business owner, you know you need to take action, but if a particular action is going to be detrimental to your business, then it’s better to do nothing.

So how do you know which actions are the correct ones? A Buddhist precept states that only “right actions” that have value. I have a whole set of business decision-making criteria, but for right now let’s focus on five of the most critical. Whenever you are considering implementing a new idea in your business, subject it to the following 5 questions by asking yourself:

• One – Will this idea leverage my strengths?
• Two – Is this idea aligned with my business vision and mission?
• Three – Will this idea generate fast cashflow?
• Four – Is this idea is repeatable?
• Five – Will this idea will help me progress toward my goals?

Let’s briefly look at each one of these criteria in a bit more detail:

1 – Leverages your strengths – Most entrepreneurs have no idea about what their true strengths are. They mistakenly think that strengths mean being good in a particular subject or having a specific skill, such as the ability to write good copy.

While specific skills can be important, they can also get in your way, as you believe you can do everything yourself. As a result, you are slow to get help and your business cannot grow as fast as you would like.

By strengths, I mean those qualities that come from a combination of your background, experience and personality. For example, one of my strengths is the ability to systhesize complex information from a variety of sources and simplify it for my clients and students.

One good way to get started on finding your strengths would be to get a copy of the book, Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, which also has an online strengths-finder component. Caution: if you purchase the book used or get it from your local library, the unique one-time code you need to take the online assessment many have already been used.

(Another book on finding your strengths is Tom Rath’s Strengths Finder 2.0 but be warned: When you take the online component, you only get your top 5 strengths, while the other 29 remain hidden. This book is a sales hook for your complete strengths list ranked in order for a whopping $550!)

2. Aligned with your business vision and mission – An idea can be good…great in fact, but if it’s not aligned with the vision and mission of your business, you should have serious reservations about implementing it.

3. Generate fast cashflow – This one depends on where you are in your business. If you are just starting, and need to generate immediate cashflow, then this would be a priority. If you are in need of more stable, long-term income, then you might change the question to read “Will this idea generate long-term income?”

4. Repeatable - Listen, you are going to put in a certain amount of time, effort and perhaps money into any idea you choose to implement. Why not pick ideas that are repeatable instead of “one-shot wonders.” A idea that is repeatable is very likely to be easier to implement the second time around.

5. Progress toward your goals – If an idea, no matter how appealing, is going to sidetrack you on your way to your business goals, you should gently but firmly let it go. Sometimes this means saying “no” and disappointing colleagues who want you to become involved in a project.

Let’s face it: Ideas are seductive, especially when they are your own. Running your ideas through each of these five questions will help you keep on track and not get lost in chasing something that will ultimately prove unprofitable and time consuming.

And that, my friend, is definitely a good idea!

Award-winning Online Marketing Strategist and Amazon best-selling author Dr. Ellen Britt is the co-founder of Marketing Qi, helping savvy women entrepreneurs (and a few cool men!) develop the business strategies they need to get the success they want. Ellen specializes in mentoring her clients to see their businesses strategically and then guides them to combine the results with a custom, highly leveraged business model designed to produce immediate cash flow and continued profits. Grab her highly acclaimed “digital conversation” Zen and the Art of Email List Building, free for the asking at http://www.MarketingQi.com

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