If you can't read this,
select
here.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It's April, and Spring is in the air!
For many of you, that means you're entering your fourth quarter... the home
stretch!
Now is the time to take a look at your numbers for the year. Are they
where you want them to be?
Are you trying for the Incentive Trip or another award? Are your numbers
on track to achieve that?
It's important to know the answers to these questions now, because if it turns
out your numbers aren't where they should be, there's still plenty of time to
make adjustments!
If you wait much longer, though, it'll be a lot more difficult to make those
corrections, and your chance for success greatly diminish.
As always, if I can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Enjoy this month's newsletter!
Warmest
regards,

In this issue |
 |
|
|
 |
The Four D's That Hold Your
Business
Back |
 |

I recently read a fantastic article in Newsweek magazine
about the obstacles to successful dieting. As I
read the article, it occurred to me these are the same
obstacles that often stand between you and a truly
successful stamping business.
So, I've adapted the article to present to you:
The Four D's That Hold Your Business Back
1. DENIAL. I see quite a bit of this in my
Coaching. People who don't think they're losing
THAT much money, and are able to continue denying the
numbers because they choose not to keep track of them.
They know, if they start to keep track and see what's
REALLY happening, they'll have to make some tough
decisions and difficult changes. Rather than do
that, they choose denial.
2. DELAYING. "I'm going to start making phone calls next
week." "I'm going to work more consistently soon,
but it's not a good time right now." "My other
obligations keep me too busy right now, but maybe next
month..."
3. DISCOURAGEMENT. The hard truth is that running your
stamping business takes work and time. And the results
aren't always immediate. It can be very
discouraging to put in the effort and not see the fruits
of your labors right away. From there, it's easy
to tell yourself, "this isn't worth it."
4. DIFFICULTY. For many people, there are real obstacles
out there. Some of you DO have other jobs.
Many of you DO have other obligations that you can't
easily dismiss. Even under the best of
circumstances, running a business isn't easy... and, for
most of you, the "best" of circumstances isn't anywhere
in sight.
So, what do you do to overcome the four D's?
1. Stop the denial. A good businessperson knows
their strengths AND their weaknesses. With that
knowledge, you can take steps to maximize one and
minimize the other. Be honest with yourself in
order to move forward.
2. Start NOW! Bottom line is... you'll always find
reasons why now is a bad time. The trick is to
tell yourself why now is a GREAT time to get moving!
3. Accept the fact that the road is long and bumpy.
As I said, running a business is not easy, and the true
rewards only come with a sustained, consistent effort.
If it was easy, everybody would run their own business.
Allow yourself to get annoyed once in a while, but don't
let it stop you. Persevere... and you WILL
succeed!
|
 |
The 2010 Blogger's
Boot Camp Starts In
One Week! |
 |

I'm really excited about the upcoming Blogger's Boot
Camp! We're going to be covering LOTS of
new stuff, including:
-
TypePad, Blogger AND (new) WordPress
-
content automation
-
Heather Wright-Porto (of Blogs By Heather) is going to
do a presentation on 'Blog Designs That Work.'
AND, of course, we're going to pack the usual, amazing
amount of content into the Boot Camp to help you set
up, maintain AND MONETIZE your TypePad, Blogger or
WordPress blogs.
If you want your blog to be a revenue-generating
vehicle for your stamping business, I strongly
encourage you to take this Boot Camp. You have to
sign up by Tuesday, April 13th.
For more info, or to register,
select here.
|
 |
Should I Charge
For Workshops? |
 |

For those of you who have been following me on my
YouTube Channel or
blog, you know I've been on a tear
lately about making sure you get paid!
Well, this new video is all about getting paid!
A lot of stamping business owners are wondering whether
or not they should charge for workshops, with the
promise of returning the fee if a minimum product order
is placed.
Is it a good idea? Does it get you paid? I
try to answer those questions in the above video.
|
 |
Quicken Tutorial DVD
Now Available! |
 |

I'm happy to report that the Quicken Tutorial DVD - How
To Establish A Financial Management System For Your
Stamping Business is now available!
This 55-minute DVD will
take you through the step-by-step process of setting up
Quicken for your stamping business.
The topics we cover
include:
- Installation, Set-up
and Navigation
- Income & Expense
Categories You'll Need and How To Set Them Up
- Entering Income and
Expenses
- How To Enter Your
Numbers for Stamping-Specific Situations
- The Reports You'll
Need For Your Stamping Business and How To Run Them
- How To Incorporate
and Maintain This System
- ...and more!
After watching this
DVD, you'll know exactly what you need to do to get a
handle on your numbers and run a more profitable
business!
The DVD is just $29.99,
plus shipping (far less than you would pay an accountant
to do the same thing for you).
Use this link to order
your Quicken Tutorial DVD.
|
 |
Book of the Month
|
 |
Influence:
The Psychology of Persuasion
By Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.
One of the most important books on any marketer's shelf,
Influence talks about the different ways your words and
actions can move you closer... or farther away from... a
sale.
Looking a persuasion as a science, rather than an art,
Cialdini details the Six Principles of Ethical
Persuasion, going into detail in each with examples and
case studies.
Reading this book may well change the way you write, or
even speak to your customers and prospects. Very
useful for those of you interested in being more
successful discussing the business opportunity, as well!
Select here for more information
from Amazon.com.
|
|
Stamping
Business Q&A
Can I Still Recruit In This Economy?
Absolutely!
Not only should you continue to recruit, you should
actually increase your recruiting efforts!
Believe it or not, a bad economy is actually good for
recruiting. Lots of people are concerned about
their financial security, and your company's business
opportunity may be just the thing they need to provide
them with a little comfort.
Think about it... here's a chance for them to take a
little control back over their financial futures.
Even if it's just a part-time gig and they make a just a
few hundred dollars a month, that financial buffer could
be all they need!
Honestly, there has never been a better time to discuss
your business opportunity with everyone you know!
(If
there's a question you'd like answered, or a topic you'd
like me to cover, feel free
to send
me an e-mail
|
 |
 |
Testimonials...
|
"The resources and tools that the
Business Stampers Coaching Group
is giving me to take my business in the direction I want it to go is
incredible!
In addition to the professional guidance John gives us, the support
and positive attitude of the other members is awesome!
This is the best business-building and career-mined group I've
belonged to in the 9 years of my stamping career!"
-
Glenda Trexler, NC
|
 |
 |
Companies I Use
People
always ask me what companies I use to run my home-based
business. The links below are all companies I work with
and recommend:



 |
|