Wed, 31 December 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Greg Hickman who is an entrepreneur, mobile marketing consultant, and creator of the Mobile Mixed podcast. If you want to know how to build your email list, increase webinar conversion, and drive sales with text messaging then this is an absolute must listen!
Main Questions Asked: - Why is SMS marketing so powerful for podcasters? - How does SMS marketing work, and how do you get people to opt in? - What is your take on high downloads versus people who listen to every episode? - What should lead magnets be? - What are examples that will get people to opt in? - Talk about your video training series and all the different ways you are putting out content. - What is your business relationships philosophy?
Key Lessons Learned: - If you are a podcaster and don’t blog, there is little reason for listeners to visit your site. - Connect with listeners where they are (on their mobile device). - Podcasts are great for authority, getting yourself on other shows, and creating relationships with people, but blog posts, such as tutorials, are what gets shared. - It is much more difficult to create a viral podcast episode, as sharing is not as easy as blog content.
Two Types of Shows: - 1) Passive listeners - E.g 20,000 passive listeners who are not going to show notes or opting in - 2) Active listeners – E.g 500 active listeners who download every episode and offer a high conversion rate
SMS Marketing: - 65% of podcasts are listened to on a smart phone. - If you can’t get people to your show notes, then the odds of getting someone on your email list is low. - Listening to a podcast is something people do while they are doing other things. - The odds of people listening to your podcast from in front of their computer are low. - You need a solid call to action and reason for listeners to participate, such as registering for a webinar, free content, or event registration. - Text message marketing software is available, such as Call Loop. - Only a few software platforms have two-way interaction that allows you to capture email addresses. - Example – Podcaster announces “text ‘lead pages’ to 38470.” The listener will receive a bounce back text “to confirm your registration, reply with your email address.” - Once you have the email address, the listener is on your list and you can add to platforms, such as Mailchimp or Infusionsoft. - By offering this text opt-in option, you are giving the people who want to take action the ability to join your email list no matter where they are listening. - Look at SMS marketing as a new opportunity to capture people that might be audio-only listeners by enabling text call to action.
Downloads Versus Loyal Listeners: - As a podcaster, you have to ask yourself “what is my goal?” - Is the goal to get a high number of downloads in order to gain sponsorship, or is the goal to use the podcast as a lead generation tool? - Most podcasters aren’t going to make a living from sponsorship so it is best to use the podcast as a lead generation tool. - Focus on repeat listeners and people who are going to join your list.
Lead Magnets & Content Upgrades: - Lead Magnets - webinars and free courses work well, and is something that provides the listener a lot of value. - Content upgrades – creating a unique piece of content that is pulled from each episode, e.g screenshots, checklist, or process flows. - Content upgrades are something you will want to download, and is heavily promoted. This helps increase your opt-in and conversion rate. - Most podcasters and bloggers constantly promote the same lead magnet; however, if someone isn’t interested, then they will never opt in. - By having unique lead magnets for every piece of content, you are giving yourself an opportunity for people to opt in.
Business Relationships: - As long as you put yourself out there, engage with people, and try to deliver value, then it will come back to you. - Often, you may not find people in your area who are also entrepreneurs, so you may want to create opportunities to find them. - Meeting face-to-face is important. Going to conferences and live events is a great way to engage. - Once you create relationships with people, you need to actively stay in touch and continue to deliver value.
Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
Text ‘convert’ to 38470 to get started with Greg’s free video training |
Wed, 24 December 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Steven Daar who is the founder of the Conversion For Good marketing agency that serves businesses and non-profit organizations with a mission. As an entrepreneur, Steven started his first business at age twenty-two before working in the corporate world of advertising and marketing for Fortune 500 businesses. He is also the author of Profit Hacking, so if you want to know how to double your business, then this is the podcast for you!
Main Questions Asked: - Talk about what kind of coaching and training you invested in, and why that was crucial for you to now have a successful business? - What do you mean by ‘investing in your network?’ - What are some of the things you have advised people to do differently? - What are common mistakes that are bringing people’s conversion rates down? - How does improving client retention lead to higher profits? - What are other ways business owners can double their profits? - What is the secret to getting more traffic to your website? - Why did you decide to write a book so early on in your business?
Key Lessons Learned: - You can invest in your network by following up with people and giving. - Make your call to action specific to what the audience is going to get, and a reinforcement of what you are giving them as opposed as to what they are giving you. - Nobody wants to ‘submit,’ but an option to ‘get the video that will change your business’ is far more compelling. - When anyone visits your website, they are subconsciously thinking ‘what’s in it for me? What can I do here? What is the value of this page/ website to me?’ - If the value or ‘what’s in it for me’ isn’t obvious within seconds, the odds of a person bouncing from your site are high. - Remember your website exists to serve the audience/customers and to be of value to them. - Your copy, design, layout, and images should be oriented around the benefit the audience is going to get so they know the value of them taking the next step in the process. - It is more profitable to keep a client than it is to find a new one.
There are three types of investments you won’t regret: 1. Investment in yourself (growing your skills and knowledge) 2. Investments in top performers (someone at the top of their craft), e.g designer, marketer, editing/ copywriting 3. Investment in your network
Three Ways to Double Your Business: 1. Increase your traffic 2. Convert that traffic into leads, subscribers, customers, or clients 3. Increase the lifetime customer value, average order value, or how often people buy - This is the power or ‘what else do we do?’ - If you are not offering a premium version of your product or service, then you are missing out. - There is a percentage in every market of customers who are premium buyers, where price is not their number one deciding factor. They may want prestige or ease, and are willing to pay for it. - One change or split test has the potential to increase profits by at least 20%. - Traffic is the lowest leverage way to double your business.
Secret to More Traffic: - It has everything to do with conversion and economics. - Every visitor has a cost, whether it be cost per click or cost per visitor. - You also have a figure such as earnings or revenue per visitor. - Revenue per visitor is the function of conversion times economics, e.g $100 per conversion/customer and you convert 5% of your customers, then you are making $5. - As long as your revenue per click is higher than your cost per click, you have a green light to buy as much traffic from that source as possible. - If you are earing $1.50 and you are paying $1.00, then you want to make that trade as many times as you can. - The higher your earnings per visitor are, the easier it will be to get traffic.
Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned GKIC (conference)
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Wed, 17 December 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Gary George from Blazin Multi Media. Gary has worked with numerous high profile clients including Virgin Records, United Nations, Panasonic, Rockafella Records, and Jay Z. As a consultant, Gary has generated more than $48 million for his clients within the past 5 years by identifying and reversing limiting patterns in their marketing strategy. If you want to know more about apps, Facebook ads, LinkedIn, YouTube, SEO, and pay per click then this is a great podcast for you!
Main Questions Asked: - Talk to us about apps and why everyone should have an app for their business. - What kind of investment does it take to get an app built? - Why should we like LinkedIn and what kind of power is there on the platform? - What are your thoughts on LinkedIn groups with regards to owning versus being interactive in other groups? - How can you leverage the power of LinkedIn? Would you suggest outsourcing? - Should I pay for the advanced membership on LinkedIn or is it not worth my investment? - What should people be focusing on when they have a YouTube channel? - Should a podcaster who is not doing videos post on YouTube with a still image and podcast audio only? - Who are some of the biggest celebrities you’ve worked with? - What are some of the things you learned from musicians in their marketing?
Key Lessons Learned: - The bread and butter of online marketing is keyword research, e.g Google keyword planner. - You can reverse engineer based on CPC (cost per click) and know what to optimize in other places. - Consumers don’t care what format media comes in, they simply care that it’s convenient. - Brand is important, but you have to show results first and have the goods to back it up.
Apps: - If you don’t have a mobile application (app), now is the time to beat your competition. - Apps are untapped ways of exposure for brands. - A huge benefit of an app is that it sends push notifications. - Push notifications act like a text message and ring your phone. - 96% of people read their text messages within in the first 60 seconds of receipt. - People don’t have to open your app and can still receive push notifications. - The iTunes app store has become the third largest search engine (after Google and YouTube). - What would take you eight months to rank on Google would take you about 8 days in the app store.
LinkedIn: - If you sell to another business in any capacity, you should be on LinkedIn. - You will win at LinkedIn by doing organic marketing, and targeting people on specific criteria. - LinkedIn allows you to pinpoint and solicit people, such as C level executives. - LinkedIn has groups, which is a great weapon to become a thought leader. - If you are looking to target someone on LinkedIn, then you should join a group they are in and communicate. - If you have the capability, an established following, and a niche that isn’t over saturated, then it is a good idea to create your own group. - Creating your own group is a way to have the power to message group members all at once. - When you are looking at groups, don’t just focus on the number of members, but rather the date of recent activity and level of interaction. - Investing in a paid membership on LinkedIn is not worth it unless you are ready to go ‘heavy’ with prospecting.
YouTube: - YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. - The #1 thing to focus on in YouTube is to rank your videos for specific search keywords. - YouTube users are more likely to type searches in first person, e.g “How do I make a podcast?” - Make sure to position yourself for people actively searching for a product or service. - Title your videos as above to match that behavior. - YouTube has its own keyword tool so you can see the best search terms. - People expose their intent to buy more frequently through YouTube searches. - You should be asking yourself “How can I title this better so more people find it?”
Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
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Wed, 10 December 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Brad Szollose, the international bestselling author of Liquid Leadership. Brad is a serial entrepreneur, former C level executive of a public company, business advisor, and a millennial expert. If you have any interest in becoming a speaker then this episode is definitely for you!
Main Questions Asked - What has made you a millennial expert? - What are some of the steps entrepreneurs can take to becoming a keynote speaker? - Talk about how comedy, improv, and storytelling help you to be a better speaker? - Can you give us tips on how to start the actual presentation? - Talk more about switching from ‘I’ language to ‘you’ language
Key Lessons Learned - No one is going to know about your brand, who you are, and what you do unless you are going to stand up and be a ‘celebrity.’ - If you are going to increase the amount of money you can make or attract people to your product or service, you have to learn to stand up on stage and deliver the goods. - If you are an interesting and a dynamic presenter then people will flock to you because they like what you are doing. - In the 21st century people have to know, like, and trust you before they buy from you (speaking gets you there faster.) - Toastmasters is great if you want to become good at giving the perfect speech. - Be careful not to be trapped in the mode of being a ‘lecturer.’ - As a keynote speaker, your job is to give the audience three memorable experiences that they can take home and use as a tool or strategy to solve a problem. - Start out with the stories you want to tell. What is the point you want to make? - When you start a keynote speech don’t begin with “I am x and today we are taking about x.” The trick is to get straight into a story. - The beginning point of your keynote speech should be the same as the end point but worded a little differently. - If you are overwhelmed by having to prepare for a long speaking engagement then just start with 10 minutes at time. The structure should be a point, a story, and an end point. - Switch from ‘I’ language to ‘you’ language then everyone can place your story in their imagination. - ‘I’ language is simply you are telling a story, however, ‘you’ language engages the listener.
Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned Liquid Leadership (website) Liquid Leadership (book)
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Wed, 3 December 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I share the recording of a live interview I did in St. Louis with James Malinchak of Big Money Speaker. James is a business coach who runs live events twice a year and trains people on how to have a successful speaking career. In this episode, you’ll find out how James’ appearance on the ABC hit TV show Secret Millionaire came about through a relationship.
Main Questions Asked: - Talk about the importance of building and maintaining relationships. - Do you see any mistakes made by attendees at your live events?
Key Lessons Learned: - Content marketing is about getting content made. - If you wait for everything, you create to be perfect you won’t be creating much content. - Content marketing is about being consistent, persistent and getting content out. - Everyone likes to consume their content differently, so think about how you can repurpose your content. - Networking means you are trying to make connections, but it’s not about connections, it’s about relationships. - Instead of thinking what you can ‘take,’ think ‘what can I do for this person?’ - Sending a thank you note and showing gratitude is still being a ‘giver’. - Building relationships is all about positioning and how people think of you, as well as how people talk about you. - Its not about ‘who’ you say you know, but rather about who knows you, how they think about you, and how they talk to others about you. - Being a ‘server’ or ‘giver’ positions you totally different to everybody else who approaches people as a ‘taker’. - Some of the worst advice you can get is to go to an event and take hundreds of business cards. - Nobody cares unless you show you care about them first. - “When you meet someone new, they don’t want to talk about you.” - One of the human secondary needs is the need to talk about yourself. - Start living in other people’s worlds and talk about them.
- Always approach people with the following in mind: 1) ‘what interests this person?’ 2) What’s important to this person? 3) What inspires me about him/her?
Links to Resources Mentioned |
Wed, 26 November 2014
Summary: On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Josh Elledge who is a syndicated columnist and ‘go-to expert’ in building relationships with the media. Josh is a dynamic and entertaining consumer expert who focuses on the day-to-day spending habits of Americans, with a focus on showing people how to get more lifestyle on a fixed income. If you’ve ever wanted to be the go-to TV expert in your field, then this is the episode for you.
Main Questions Asked: - Why should entrepreneurs and bloggers bother with traditional media when they have the power of social media and podcasting? - Do you think traditional media will go into new media? - How do we connect with the journalists and make ourselves known as the go-to entrepreneur in our niche? - What do you mean by ‘checking out’ online? - How do you get good at interviews? - What are some actionable tips and steps people can take to start building relationships with media?
Key Lessons Learned: - In order to be ‘discovered’, you need to be able to speak the language and have the systems down so that you can be presentable and get in front of large audiences with your message and tell your story in an effective way. - Eventually you will get your one shot, but the goal is to be invited back and be the ‘go-to’ expert and part of their team in their database. - Ensure that you are presentable and have the means to reach out and build relationships.
Traditional Media: - Traditional media adds to your credibility. - Over the past 5 years, newsrooms have been shrinking and adjusting to a new media world. - Traditional media, on its own in print form, will not survive which is why they are investing heavily in online presence. - If you are a podcaster, blogger or internet entrepreneur, you are extremely attractive to traditional media organizations as you represent their future.
‘Checking Out’: - Journalists and producers do not like taking risks, so if you are an unknown they will try and build a picture about you before they even respond back. - If you don’t ‘check out’ online, then you aren’t going to get calls back. - You will be ‘checked out’ based on online credibility, including your website and social media profiles. - Producers will be looking to see if you have you been on TV before. - Producers will research if you have been quoted before. - The press kit on your website should have video of you, list of places you’ve appeared, bio, example questions, story and segment ideas. - Establish yourself as someone who is easy to work with.
Interview Skills: - The average sound bite for television is 7 seconds. - Learn how to communicate in sound bites or ‘pull out points’ and rehearse your talking points prior to the interview. - Summarize your point of view and be able to state it in two sentences. - Be able to have a series of points that are interesting.
Podcast: - People love valuable and actionable content. - As a podcaster, you need to engage the listener immediately or they are unlikely to return and give you a second chance. - Podcast guests who aren’t great talent will reflect poorly on the host’s and show’s reputation. - Invite as much feedback as you can get.
Building Media Relationships: - Get to know who’s who in your industry. - Find reporters who are interested in your subject and get to know them via Twitter. - Create a separate Twitter list to follow local media. - Make sure you know what availability media outlets need to fill each day. - Make your contacts aware of the content you are creating. - Take your relationship offline and ask to direct email rather than Twitter exchanges. - Be ready and available for your chance to be interviewed. - Keep an eye on the daily news for opportunities where your expertise could be used in the media.
Links to Resources Mentioned
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Tue, 25 November 2014
Summary: On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview the National Coordinator for Fair Trade Campaigns at Fair Trade USA, Billy Linstead Goldsmith. During this podcast, you will learn about canvasing and communication skills that go into door-to-door sales and fundraising, as well as Fair Trade USA and entrepreneurship in developing countries. If you’ve ever wondered what Fair Trade is all about, how it works and how you can get involved as a small business owner or entrepreneur, then you absolutely must listen to this podcast.
Main Questions Asked: - What kind of fear did you have to get over to work door-to-door? - How do you think having a high level autonomy helps us professionally and personally? - Talk about what is happening in developing countries that we should know about. - Are there products, other than coffee, that can be Fair Trade? - What is the entrepreneurial spirit like in these Fair Trade areas? - Do you sense there is more of an entrepreneurial spirit in these countries and less of a sense of entitlement [like in the USA]? - Are larger corporations starting to understand The Fair Trade movement and becoming more accepting of those products? - How do people know if a product is Fair Trade?
Key Lessons Learned:
Going Door-to-Door - Everyone has an innate fear of rejection. - When it comes to door-to-door interaction, the worst thing someone can do is say no. - If you are starting out, you have to be able to look someone in the face for what you want and not be afraid of someone saying no. - When it comes to sales, you have to take the tools you are presented with and find your own voice. - There is a difference between following a script and a structure - Sample structure: Introduction, icebreaker, what you are asking for, close with an ask. - Entrepreneurship is all about an ability to make a quick rapport with whomever they are talking to. - As an entrepreneur, it’s important to invest in our businesses, ourselves and our world.
Fair Trade - Small business and social entrepreneurs can do things to impact the larger market (and have done with regards to Fair Trade). - Fair Trade provides an opportunity for consumers to examine value and be able to buy products they know are making a difference in communities developing countries. - Farmers, workers, and artisans are empowered to build their own businesses and work together to take more control over their business and future. - Fair Trade is about putting the needed tools in business owners’ hands so they can grow their businesses and stop labor exploitation in their community. - Fair Trade certification started with coffee. This is the most widely available and most well-known Fair Trade product. - Other Fair Trade products include tea, chocolate, beans, grains, body care products, packaged foods and clothing. - Every ingredient that can be Fair Trade certified in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is. - Fair Trade products are certified and you can check the label on the Fair Trade website. - The majority of companies in the USA that sell Fair Trade products are small local businesses started by social entrepreneurs. -
Fair Trade Entrepreneurs - The universal element is that the entrepreneurs work incredibly hard and are driven. - There is a real understanding of the strength of community and collaboration and the tireless drive to succeed. - By participating in Fair Trade, this has allowed many families to send their children to high school (often the first generation to be able to do so). - The harder you work, the less entitled your kids feel. - When kids see adults working really hard to improve their station (whatever that is), there is less of a feeling of entitlement and more of an understanding of what it takes to build a business and be successful. - When you see your parents laboring hard, it instills an understanding of what it takes to be successful and a sense of wanting to give back. - Many of the next generation (who are now in their twenties) are working in cooperatives and areas to improve the capacity of the business, sales, supply chain management, new understanding of agriculture techniques and training farmers.
Links to Resources Mentioned Social Entrepreneurs Challenge
Direct download: BONUS_EPISODE_Door_to_Door_Canvassing_the_Fair_Trade_Movement_26_Social_Entrepreneurs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:25am EDT |
Wed, 19 November 2014
Summary On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Joleene Moody who is an expert in breaking into the world of paid speaking and entrepreneurship. Joleene is a former TV reporter and anchor turned transformational speaker, author, and business consultant. If you’ve ever been interested in booking paid speaking gigs and landing high paid clients then this podcast is the perfect place to start!
Main Questions Asked - What is your opinion on women in business being afraid of hurting people’s feelings? - How do you describe profitable relationships?
Key Lessons Learned - Building relationships is all about providing value to other people and thus attracting the right relationships to you - When you are growing your business ask yourself ‘who can I help and who can I bring value to?’ Doing this will attract people to you - The more authentic you are and less you care about people’s feelings the more people will want to be connected to you
Business Relationships vs Friendships - Often people want to build business relationships but care more about being liked and not hurting anyone’s feelings - As women in business, there is a problem with defining business relationships and friendships - Sometimes women are afraid to engage in conversation as a professional - Business isn’t personal. Remember to be professional not focus on becoming BFFs - Women have a fear of ‘rubbing someone the wrong way’ and not becoming BFFs this brings up fear that others could speak negatively of you - Building profitable relationships isn’t about building friendships
Business Communication - You can’t read someone’s tone through an e-mail message - Maturity is a piece of business evolution everyone needs to move through - If it doesn’t matter and its not going to keep you up at night hitting delete on an email is fine - Being cognizant of someone’s feelings is different to absorbing them
Profitable Relationships - Focus on what will be best for you not on who you want to connect with - Be part of a network where people want each other to genuinely succeed - If you are in a place where the success is just about you then you won’t make it (this is the space of manipulation) - The relationships you build are at the core of a passion that ignited what you are moving through to bring you to a higher place - If you want to be successful and profitable in your business then working for free is not going to get you there
Links to Resources Mentioned
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Wed, 12 November 2014
Summary On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Michelle Fetsch who is the creator of Women Enough and the Bare Campaign. Women Enough is an organization that supports women in having a healthy body image and self esteem through nude photo shoots. In this podcast Michelle will bring you amazing tips on how to connect with your audience and build relationships that move your business forward and have an impact (even if you don’t need your audience to take their clothes off!) Main Questions Asked - Share your background and history that led you to starting Women Enough - How did you decide to do nude photo shoots? - Tell us about the first time you asked another woman to take her clothes off and be photographed as part of your campaign - What did you do that helped these women be comfortable in your campaign? - Give us a blueprint of the campaign and how you are using the photographs - Is there a way for women to be part of the campaign but not do a nude photo shoot? - Talk about your relationships with the media - What is your pitch and what do your tweets to celebrities say? - What is the behind the scenes process? Do you have a spreadsheet of who you want to reach out to and when you’re following up if they haven’t responded? - Have you used Contact Any Celebrity.com, IMDB Pro or anything similar? - What are the steps you’ve taken to build media relationships? - What are some of the areas you wish you were further along in but aren’t? Key Lessons Learned - Many girls grow up with their role models being the women in beauty magazines - The goal of Women Enough is to create realistic media campaigns that support women in having a healthy body image and self esteem - Many women are having children and haven’t addressed their own issues with themselves and are giving their problems to the next generation - So many women have a perception that another person’s life is better than theirs - We often ‘go things alone’ because we think no one else is going through what we are - The story element in the Women Enough campaign is what helps to bridge the gap between perception and reality - Getting women to represent diversity in the photo shoot was difficult due to women’s insecurity around their bodies - Regardless of whether you are overweight or underweight everyone has issues with how they look - Everyone deals with the same issues but it’s their own version of it - The educational aspect of the campaign is for people to take care of themselves regardless of what they look like - The campaign is about women being able to look at themselves - Michelle found that sharing her story disarmed others and gave them permission to do the same - The most successful entrepreneurs and business owners are those who are comfortable being vulnerable and sharing openly about their struggle and journey The Bare Campaign - The campaign is a way for women to have a place and space in the world - The website was created on Square Space - There was more than 200K organic visits to the website in the first week - The Bare Campaign photos are on the website and social media, however, the goal is to have a billboard campaign that features women and their stories - Women can chose their level of involvement in the campaign - Some women do a Bare Photo Shoot to go through the experience but don’t publish their images - The photo shoots are a way for women to address what’s inside of them that is holding them back Media Relationships and Reaching Out - Scout Willis (Demi Moore’s daughter) responded to tweets and is going to join the campaign - Michelle admits she is relentless when it comes to reaching out to the media and celebrities - The ‘ask’ is to be part of the #BareCampaign - Often people won’t respond the first time so you’ll need to continue reaching out in order to get a response - Michelle has a spreadsheet of magazines and blogs that have the target demographic as well as women who she would like to be part of the campaign - There is a lot of groundwork in getting an outreach spreadsheet started - If someone engages on Twitter it is great to follow up within 24 hours - Many celebrities have agents that you need to contact in order to have a conversation - We all want to be further along than we are, however, we still need to give ourselves the acknowledgement of how much has been accomplished - If you have narrowed down your audience it is possible for your pitch to multiple outlets to be the same
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
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Wed, 5 November 2014
Summary On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Diane Gardner who is the founder of Adept Business Solutions and Tax Pro Solutions. She is known widely as ‘The Tax Coach’ and is the bestselling co-author of Why Didn’t My CPA Tell Me That? Obamacare Survival Guide, and the Ten Most Expensive Tax Mistakes That Cost You Thousands amongst numerous other publications. Diane helps entrepreneurs nationwide pay the least amount of taxes they can legally pay.
Main Questions Asked - What is a tax coach and why should we find one for ourselves? - What do you mean by a co-author book and what is the process? - What is ‘lumpy mail’? - What is the process for writing your book and tips on getting content written? - Share about the relationship behind the scenes with your co-author - What is your advice as a tax coach? - What is the biggest tax mistakes people make?
Key Lessons Learned
Tax Coaches & Tax Mistakes - Tax coaches are your strategists and planners who come up with a proactive 3-5 year plan that factors in personal goals and expected business growth - A mistake is not deducting your home office expenses and mileage - 2014 tax deduction for mileage is $0.56c a mile - Being in the wrong tax entity can cost you thousands of dollars
Co-Authored books - Being an author is a great way to become an authority in your industry - Figure out what your ‘prime writing time’ is and stick to that schedule - Since your name is on the product you have to be careful who you partner with (make sure you’ve known them a while and trust them) - Do your research on your co-author to find out what their work ethic is and the quality of work they are producing - Always make clear on who is doing what work when in a partnership - Split the content with your co-author and commit to having chapters done by agreed upon dates
Lumpy Mail - Lumpy mail is odd shaped mail that won’t stay in the pile and is moved to the top of the pile. - It has a better chance it will be opened due to its size and shape - Lumpy mail is a marketing strategy
Deadlines - When you are launching a podcast or a book you need to give yourself a launch date or it will never happen - When choosing a launch date make sure to look at the time of year; day, month, and week. What is going on in your industry at that time? - Find something that draws people to urgency when they are buying
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio! The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
Interview Requests |
Wed, 29 October 2014
Summary
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Greg S. Reid who is a bestselling author, acclaimed speaker and filmmaker. Greg has motivated millions of people and is published in more than 45 books including 28 bestsellers, 5 movies, and is featured in countless magazines. In this podcast learn how to seize those ‘ah ha’ moments and seek counsel over opinion.
Main Questions Asked - Can you talk about how we can still harvest gold from the minds of successful people when we go a long time without being face-to-face with other entrepreneurs? - What gave you the confidence to go on your journey? - Talk about running from people with negative attitudes and breaking ties with people who aren’t going to move you forward - What is your take on entrepreneurs creating distance between themselves and their audience?
Key Lessons Learned - A good author writes about what he or she needs help with the most - We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with - Run from people with negative attitudes - Its difficult to cut negative people from your life when they are friends, family and colleagues
Ideas - Many people have great ideas but a lot don’t have initiative to do things with the great idea - How many times have you had an ‘ah ha’ moment and let it go away only years later to see someone else has made a success of it? Don’t let it be you! - The best thing to do is to harness that great idea the moment it strikes you - Its not about what information you get its about the application of that knowledge - All the energy and information is in the airwaves so you just need to tap that source
Relationship Marketing - Relationship marketing is all about building relationships with successful people in order to build your business - Remember don’t give up before the finish line and quit before the miracle happens - LOR – leveraging our relationships - Successful people know how to move the fulcrum so they can leverage their relationships at the highest rate possible
Accessibility - When entrepreneurs become well known some start outsourcing their email, social media and make the decision to create distance between themselves and their audience - The most successful people are the most accessible and available people - You have to have responsibility and accountability for your actions even if you outsource your brand representation for things such as social media
Counsel and Opinion - There is a big difference between counsel and opinion - Opinion is based in ignorance, lack of knowledge and someone who has never done it - Counsel is based on wisdom, knowledge and mentorship - Successful people seek counsel where failures listen to opinion - If we spend our daily lives only seeking counsel and ignoring people’s opinion then that is the day your life will change - The line between successful relationships, mentorships and friendships is often blurred. People often fall into the trap of seeking opinion instead of mentorship - It is possible to have multiple mentors in your life so surround yourself with the right people who can get you the information you want
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
Napoleon Hill: The Road to Riches
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Wed, 22 October 2014
Summary
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Steven Essa who is known internationally as the “make money with webinars expert.” Steven gives business owners the flexibility to create additional streams of reveneu using the power of webinars. If you’ve ever wanted to monetize your podcast through webinars this is the best start you can give yourself!
Main Questions Asked - What is a webinar? - How professional does your Powerpoint presentation need to be and do you suggest outsourcing? - Can you break down the webinar format? - How can podcasters monetize their show with webinars?
Key Lessons Learned
Webinars Explained - A webinar is a web seminar where you present a Powerpoint with voice, or video image - Webinars are much like lectures but with the opportunity to sell at end - The difference between a webinar and a teleseminar is that teleseminars only use the phone - Webinars are usually presented on one particular topic - Popular webinar platforms are Go To Webinar and Google Hangouts - Webinars are automatable. You can place on YouTube and continue to make you sales after the live webinar
Webinar Effectiveness - Webinars produce higher conversions than any other form of online marketing - There is no better way to convert a prospect into a customer or an existing customer that’s bought a low end product into a higher paying customer - The idea of a webinar is to deliver as much valuable information as you can and at the end offer a natural solution to the next step
Powerpoint - Black and white slides are just as effective as color branded slides and sometimes work better as they are less distracting and seem less ‘salesy’ - The less you put on the actual slides the better - Simply listing a number on the slide is often enough visually - People will want to write down everything on your slides so the less visual information, the more they will listen
Webinar Formula
Introduction - Choose a target market - Come up with a killer marketing hook - Put that hook on slide #1 - Immediately outline the benefit for the listener (rather that talk about yourself) - On slide #2 outline who the webinar is for (list all the types of your prospects and their needs) the goal is for everyone in the audience to identify and say ‘that’s me’ - In a 60 minute webinar your introduction should be 10 minutes - 15 min introductions are best for 90 minute webinars - On slide #3 show proof, case studies and statistics. - People want to know why they should listen to you and that you are a credible source - The introduction should include “what led me to this webinar and why I’m talking to you today” this really isn’t about you but you need to relate back to your audience
Content - Always show 3, 5 (60 mins) or 7 steps (90 mins) - Webinar content should be 40 mins for a 60 minute - For a a 90 minute webinar content should be 60 minutes - You need to have multiple ‘ah ha’ moments in your webinar - Webinars need to have practical actionable steps people can take away - Webinars for Podcasters - Follow intro and content steps from webinar formula above - Don’t sell on your podcast (do it on your webinar) - Create a name for your product such as Podcast Mastery Program e.g 8 webinars delivered one per week over an 8 week period - People aren’t interested in the actual pitch is, they are interested in working with you (tell them what they will get out of it) - Focus on 30% features 70% benefits - Reveal the value of the package (if you are not sure multiply your hourly rate by 8 webinars) - Offer some one-on-one support or group sessions - Find out why customers bought and where your program is strong and weak - Make sure to get testimonials from your one-on-one clients - Offer email support (another opportunity for feedback and to sell other products) - People buy because of bonuses (interviews, e-book, mastermind session, and workshops etc) - When giving a special or reduced price you have to give a reasoning - The word ‘because’ automatically makes people think there is a ‘reason’ - Offering an unconditional guarantee shows confidence in your product - Keep repeating the link to buy at the end
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
Direct download: Rhodes_To_Success_Episode_006_Steven_Essa.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT |
Wed, 15 October 2014
Summary
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Lyndsay Phillips, founder and CEO of Smooth Sailing Online Support. Lyndsay’s goal is to serve and help businesses grow and run efficiently using her Virtual Assistant team and account managers. If you want to scale your business and grow, then hiring a virtual assistant is what you need to do! This episode of Rhodes to Success answers all Virtual Assistant questions!
Main Questions Asked - What is a virtual assistant? - What are some things a virtual assistant can do for an entrepreneur? - Talk about the perception of virtual assistants and how they are viewed - How does a virtual assistant having multiple clients bring more value to your clients? - How do your clients find you and what advice do you have for entrepreneurs who want to hire a virtual assistant? - How did you grow relationships so they resulted in paying clients? - Talk about trading hours for dollars and moving toward being a business owner
Key Lessons Learned
What is a Virtual Assistant? - A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an executive assistant, a secretary, a receptionist, an administrative assistant and many roles beyond - A VA doesn’t work in your office but is available remotely (electronically )e.g email, text or phone - Tasks a VA can complete include email, contracts, letters, scheduling, customer service, event management, promotions, and marketing - A VA can encompass anything in regards to the operation of your business such as client management, payments, customer support and marketing
The Value of A Virtual Assistant - Having a VA means you can focus on the revenue generating activities and doing the things that you love - Remember a VA is a business owner who has other clients so they are an entrepreneur in their own right - VAs are not employees so you don’t have to pay tax or vacation or sick days - Many VAs work on retainer or an as needed basis so you don’t need to hire a full time employee (saves you money)
Finding A Virtual Assistant - Two great ways to hear about VAs for hire is via word of mouth from other business owners and networking - Make sure you interview your VA before committing to ensure there is synergy and that they meet your needs - When searching for a VA think about what you value most in a business owner (complete tasks on time or communication in a timely manner etc) - Make sure your VA is familiar with the software you use or that they are trainable
Be A Virtual Assistant - Starting by offering services for an hourly rate is a great way to start as a VA - When building your business ask yourself “what revenue generating things can I do and have my support staff take on?”
Links to Resources Mentioned
Info@ ssonlinesupport.com 484-284-0933
Direct download: Rhodes_To_Success_Episode_005_Lindsay_Phillips_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT |
Wed, 8 October 2014
Summary
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Jonny Andrews who is a bestselling author, publishing expert, entrepreneur, international speaker and business strategies consultant. Jonny is known as the go-to-guy for author entrepreneurs when it comes to launching a successful business or book by leveraging the power of audience and Amazon. If you ever wanted to know how to hack the publishing industry then this is podcast is a must!
Main Questions Asked - What is an audience hacker? - How do you focus on building a large audience while still bringing in revenue? - What is your opinion on self-publishing versus traditional publishing? - What is the secret to a successful book launch? - What is your opinion on writing for Kindle?
Key Lessons Learned
Audience Hackers - An audience hacker is someone who builds their business by the power of audience - Building an audience is all about going to where they live online, hang out with them and bring them to your platform so you can communicate with them - Learn how to properly leverage your platform so you can build a sustainable audience driven business
Building Audiences - Build your audience of people who are more than likely going to buy from you - If you can leverage 5-10K of people you can have a million dollar business - Aim for a focused audience who are your ideal customers not just people who are your fans - You can turn your customers into fans and your fans into customers
Publishing - Traditional publishers are more credible and can offer more distribution which potentially get you in front of more eyeballs - If you don’t have an audience you won’t get a major publisher - A book is a method of growing your audience - You can’t make money off books if you are only getting 7-15% (what a publisher will give you) - Amazon takes 30% so you will get to keep more money
Book Launch - Get pre-release copies to book bloggers in your niche (Make sure they are a book reviewer) - If pitching to a podcast host make sure to pitch the content and not the book itself (sell the benefit and not the book)
Pre-Selling - Book Scan tracks all of the book sales on Monday-Sunday basis across platforms - If you want to get on the New York Times Bestseller list be in pre-sale 30-60 days before you go live - The day your book goes live sales count toward Book Scan
Links to Resources Mentioned The Red Podcast (David Hooper)
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Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Direct download: Rhodes_To_Success_Episode_004_Jonny_Andrews.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:11am EDT |
Tue, 30 September 2014
Summary
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar social media blog called Social Media Examiner. Michael also hosts one of iTunes most popular business podcasts and was once known as the King of White Papers. Listen to this episode to learn how Michael propelled his way to success using the power of relationship building!
Main Questions Asked - Why is it so important early on to build relationships? - How did building relationships help you grow Social Media Examiner so fast? - What is your take on why it is important to leverage multiple content platforms? - Do you think that using your personal brand hurts or helps people when trying to get noticed? - How frequently should you post on Facebook and Twitter and what is the etiquette?
Key Lessons Learned
Relationship Building - People like to work with people they know, like, and trust - Build relationships with the right people way in advance - We all have something of value to other people. If we can figure out what they need and help with that, that can become a profitable relationship for both parties - Just asking someone for an interview (or favor) doesn’t always work. Sometimes you need to offer value first without asking for anything in return.
Content Marketing - Be realistic about the time you have as a business owner and what you will spend that time doing - In the beginning choosing one platform such as podcast, video or written is okay but in the long run you should diversify - Remember that there are different kinds of people that are interested in consuming different types of content - On average people spend 1-3 minutes reading a blog post and generally only skim the content (more time is spent consuming other formats) - As your business gains momentum it is worthwhile experimenting with more than one form of content marketing
Branding - There is a difference in being the spokesperson for the brand and the brand itself (personal branding vs spokesperson for the brand) - Not everybody might like ‘you’ as the person if you are the brand which means you may lose business - If you are not the ‘brand’ itself then people have the opportunity to rally around the business identity and not you - When it comes to selling, it is easier to sell a non-personal brand - As a personal brand the challenge is when you get to the point where everybody wants a piece of you and you can’t grow your business
Social Media Posting Guidelines - As an example; Social Media Examiner posts 5-7 times a day on Facebook, 20-30 times on Twitter and publishes 10 articles a week (Keep in mind that SME is a publisher) - Before posting or setting a schedule, ask yourself: What am I trying to accomplish? - Posting content is about what your audience finds interesting and what you find acceptable - Post interesting content that people find of value 2-3 times a day (non promotional.) If that works increase the frequency and monitor for negative consequences then adjust - Lists come in handy as a way to privatize your content into sub groups
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
Links to Resources Mentioned
Social Media Marketing (Podcast) Solopreneur Hour with Michael O’Neil Nuclear Chowder Marketing Podcast
Click to Tweet
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Direct download: Rhodes_To_Success_Episode_003_Michael_Stelzner.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT |
Mon, 29 September 2014
On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Adam Hommey, founder and creator or Help My Website Sell and The Business Creators Institute. Adam’s focus is on helping you emancipate the power of information by converting more social media fans and followers. His goals is to turn website visitors into prospects and customers by simplifying your internet marketing technology. In doing this, you can get more customers, make more money and make a bigger difference. If you want to know how 1 hour of content can be used in 22 ways then you need to listen to this podcast!
Main Questions Asked - How did you end up founding Help My Website Sell? - What are web conversions? - What does multi-purposing and content marketing have to do with web conversions? - What is the model where 1 hour of content can be used 22 different ways? - What kinds of entrepreneurs have you had a lot of success with?
Key Lessons Learned - When you want to take things to the next level its important to invest and implement systems to increase conversion rates
Web Conversions - When people who visit your web pages do what you want them to do - Sign up for your webinar, product for sale and buy it, register for your event, comment on your blog, listen to a podcast are some examples of actions taken - Just getting traffic to your website is not effective, you actually need visitors who are prequalified, prepped and pumped - Prequalified- addressing the right people - Prepped- when click on link they know what to expect - Pumped- they are excited to be there so they are waiting for page to load to take action - It will take an average of 9 months to a year before someone contact you after they first hear about you
One Hour of Content Used Twenty Two Ways
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
Links to Resources Mentioned
The Dream Business Coaching (Jim Palmer)
Click to Tweet
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Direct download: Rhodes_To_Success_Episode_002_Adam_Hommey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT |
Thu, 25 September 2014
On this episode of Rhode to Success I interview Jared Easley, the bestselling author of Podcasting Good to Great; How to Grow your Audience through Collaboration. Jared is the host of Starve the Doubts and the man behind America’s only national podcasting conference; Podcast Movement. If you’ve ever thought of starting your own podcast or want to know a few insider tips then this is the episode for you!
Main Questions Asked
- What is the music you use on your podcast? - How does building rapport with your listeners help build relationships with them? - What are some things you did early on in your podcast that helped you build a strong audience? - What is the podcast co-hosting strategy? - Talk about the power of mentioning people’s name on a podcast - How can speaking at attending live events grow relationships?
Key Lessons Learned
Music - You can purchase stock music for your podcast, but it will be widely used - Another alternative is to utilize local bands’ music which in turn helps promote them too
Early days of your Podcast
- Allow yourself permission to not be great when you start out podcasting - Embrace your invisibility when you are starting your new idea. This is your chance to practice and improve. - Focus on the people you are trying to serve and ask yourself “how do I get to know them and how do I develop a rapport?” - If you want to get noticed online one of the best strategies is to start noticing (sharing) other peoples’ content who are in your target. This develops a rapport and synergy. - Check in (share) on a consistent basis with several people - Over time rapport generates reciprocity - You don’t have to have the best equipment, guests, and performance straight away just start doing recording podcasts - Perception is reality so just fake it till you make it
Benefits Podcasting with a Co-host
- There are different formats of podcasts; monologues, panels, interviews, and podcasts featuring co-hosts - You can grow your network by inviting people on your podcast as a guest - Think about how you can make people feel appreciated and share their story (how do you make it about them?) - Helping other people get what they want helps you get what you want - Building relationships doesn’t have to always be affiliate marketing, you can just genuinely help others
Mentioning People in your Podcast
- An on-air mention is a simple free strategy with big impact - Ask yourself: “who are the people that would appreciate my mentioning them?” - The best people to mention are the people in the ‘trenches’ and your target audience who wouldn’t usually get a mention - A mention is a powerful way to get people excited and build rapport - You can make somebodies day just by mentioning their name in your podcast
Speaking at and Attending Live Events
- Proximity is power - When you are communication in person with someone you have a richer dynamic in your relationship connection - Find unique ways to go to events or local Meetups - Everyone loves a prize no matter what the speaking engagement
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review in iTunes!
Links to Resources Mentioned
Tankia Dakka - The Garage Party
The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic |
Monetize the Mic
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