<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Marketing techniques for results driven entrepreneurs &#187; Time management and productivity</title>
	<atom:link href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/category/time-management-and-productivity/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com</link>
	<description>Simple marketing strategies for entrepreneurs and small business owners.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:50:17 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Want a Steady Flow of Business Without Selling? Read This …</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/want-a-steady-flow-of-business-without-selling-read-this-%e2%80%a6/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/want-a-steady-flow-of-business-without-selling-read-this-%e2%80%a6/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:28:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leads Generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Main Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canadian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1738</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the BIGGEST roadblock to success  that I see most Canadian small business owners and independent professionals have – and that  holds them back from getting wealthy in business. If you are frustrated with having to compete on price, “sell” yourself all the time to make the sale, cold call  to make sales, and then and have your customers and  prospects ‘price-shop’&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/want-a-steady-flow-of-business-without-selling-read-this-%e2%80%a6/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is the BIGGEST roadblock to success  that I see most Canadian small business owners and independent professionals have – and that  holds them back from getting wealthy in business.</p>
<p>If you are frustrated with having to compete on price, “sell” yourself all the time to make the sale, cold call  to make sales, and then and have your customers and  prospects ‘price-shop’ before they buy from you, then I would urge you to…..</p>
<p>Read This FREE Book &#8211; <a href="http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com">http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com</a></p>
<p>I think he’s a little nuts, but I had to let you know</p>
<p><strong>No Cost Book, Money-Making Marketing for Canadians</strong></p>
<p>If you want to make a lot more money, a lot easier from your business or professional practice, then you need to grab a copy  of the book my good friend Dave Dubeau and I wrote,  called <strong> “Money Making Marketing for Canadians” </strong>ASAP…</p>
<p>Right now Dave is actually giving our book away…  and if you grab one of the complimentary copies he is actually  going to donate $2 to the Make-A-Wish foundation or Habitat for  Humanity- you even get to choose the charity!</p>
<blockquote><p>You already know about me, but in case you forgot…  I am a self-professed Corporate World Flunky that left a six-figure-a-year career in the computer industry 10 years ago to start my own thing.</p>
<p>&#8230;Since then I have been privileged to live and work on my own terms, while helping entrepreneurs from all over the world build their own dream life as well.</p>
<p>I have been writing for Dave&#8217;s private paid newsletter membership for a number of years now and can speak to Dave&#8217;s ability to over deliver on everything that he does.</p>
<p>&#8230;and here is what <strong>“Canadian Rich Dad” </strong> <strong>Darren Weeks</strong> has to say about Dave Dubeau:</p>
<p>“I’ve know Dave for years. Dave is a friend and a business partner of mine, and with his marketing know-how we have <strong> grown my Fast Track Group of companies from 4</strong> <strong>employees in 2005 to over 100 employees with over $100M a</strong> <strong>year in gross  sales</strong> and a ranking in the prestigious “Profit 100” list of fastest  growing companies in Canada.”</p>
<p>He continues to say…</p>
<p>“Quite frankly, I would not have been able to grow this big, this  fast without Dave’s amazing marketing skills and knowledge.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Pretty high praise from a very sharp business owner… and I agree.</p>
<p>And, modesty aside, I have to say that this book is outstanding.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com">http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com</a><img src="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bookcover-150x150.jpg" alt="Dave Dubeau, Troy White" title="Money making Marketing for Canadians" width="150" height="150" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-1744" /></p>
<p>In it Dave, myself and the 9 other Canadian expert marketers and  business growth experts involved do what no other book I have seen does… take you by the hand and show you exactly how to start from  wherever you are in business and grow it FAST, even with a very small budget.</p>
<p>And what I like the BEST is that everything we talk about in  this book is proven to work here in Canada! None of the usual re-hashed stuff that “doesn’t quite work” here at home.</p>
<p>Get this complimentary book and…</p>
<p>* You’ll discover the &#8220;ONLY&#8221; 3 ways to grow your business (simplifies it doesn&#8217;t it?)</p>
<p>* You’ll learn how to double your profits in 90 days&#8230;or less.</p>
<p>* You will be able to quickly tell if your friendly advertising rep  is ripping you off.</p>
<p>* You’ll find out the #1 way to make more money FAST from  your existing customers.</p>
<p>* Never throw money away on wasted marketing again!</p>
<p>* Radically Reduce (or even Eliminate) Cold Calling Forever!</p>
<p>* Discover Dave&#8217;s #1 Money making marketing strategy, and  how to put it to<br />
use and much more….</p>
<p>So if you have been frustrated with the growth of your business, sick of having to compete on price, or worried about making ends meet, I  highly recommend that you grab a copy of the book now – and you  can’t beat the price (GRATIS)…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com">http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com</a></p>
<p>But don’t wait or think about it because Dave only has 83 copies  available to give away and there are over six thousand three hundred  business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals  who will hear about this. (If you wait, your book will have to be on back-order for 2-3 months).</p>
<p>To Your Success, Profits and Ideal Lifestyle,</p>
<p>Troy White</p>
<p>PS: An important note on this book: The title says Money Making Marketing for Canadians&#8230; but the information applies to EVERYONE.  There is no difference in how we grow businesses in Canada over the US, or Australia, or {insert your country here}.  In the past 10 years I have written marketing campaigns for entrepreneurs all over the world &#8211; the EXACT same principles of marketing work everywhere.</p>
<p>Master it once and use it anywhere!</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s how&#8230; <a href="http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com">http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/want-a-steady-flow-of-business-without-selling-read-this-%e2%80%a6/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>No email, internet or cell phone access… it was heaven</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/no-email-internet-or-cell-phone-access%e2%80%a6-it-was-heaven/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/no-email-internet-or-cell-phone-access%e2%80%a6-it-was-heaven/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:33:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wacky marketing ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unplugging from technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1587</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We just returned from an incredible 2 week trip to Mabel Lake in British Columbia. Nestled away deep on the north side of the lake is a hidden gem we luckily heard about through our neighbor. The only way you would EVER know this place existed would be through word of mouth, or by accidental&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/no-email-internet-or-cell-phone-access%e2%80%a6-it-was-heaven/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We just returned from an incredible 2 week trip to Mabel Lake in British Columbia.</p>
<p>Nestled away deep on the north side of the lake is a hidden gem we luckily heard about through our neighbor.  The only way you would EVER know this place existed would be through word of mouth, or by accidental discovery.</p>
<p>You won’t find it on a map (other than google maps which shows the beach, but you can’t see any possible way to get there by road). Even the name of the place we stayed is miraculously missing from a Google search.</p>
<p>It’s one of those places that ‘those in the know’ keep secret… <div id="attachment_1588" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 583px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/noisy-view.png" alt="unplugging from the noise" title="noisy-view" width="573" height="420" class="size-full wp-image-1588" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My own view of heaven...</p></div><br />
 for a good reason!</p>
<p>We went with some friends who also have kids about the same age as our 10 yr old twins, so fun was had by young and old alike.  We also had other friends visiting here and there for a few days at a time  &#8211; so we had a fantastic trip (our 5th or 6th annual summer visit to this little gem).</p>
<p>This was not a luxury trip by any means: we actually tented it the entire time this year.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_1589" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/noisy-kariandi-300x230.png" alt="Troy and Kari" title="noisy-kariandi" width="300" height="230" class="size-medium wp-image-1589" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Deep in the woods and she is still happy <img src='http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif' alt=':o' class='wp-smiley' /> )</p></div>My wonderful wife Kari is NOT a camping girl (much preferring the Hilton, over tenting and tarps), but she had more fun there than she could of at any Hilton (ok, maybe a bit of a stretch there).</p>
<p>My daughters could care less where we stayed – as long as there was sand, water, and our ski boat (which they have affectionately named “Sparkles”).</p>
<p>We ate GREAT the whole time.  Remember, no power, no running water… but we still ate: East Indian food, Turkey, Prime Rib, Steaks, Beef Dip, and a whole bunch of other incredible meals that were whipped up over the Coleman or camp fire.</p>
<p>It all started off miserably, waking up the first morning at 5 am with the sound of 40 mile an hour winds and huge waves crashing to the shore 50 feet from where we slept.</p>
<p>As soon as I looked out at the storm, I knew this was not a good start. I could see the waves crashing over the back of the boat, which was tied up on the beach.  As I got closer, I could see the water was a foot deep in the boat, and getting deeper every second. The bilge pump was useless as the water that was crashing into the boat was filled with sand and lake debris and it had plugged up the pump.</p>
<p>So… I got my trusty bucket and got busy.</p>
<p>400, maybe 500 bucketfuls and I FINALLY won the battle against Mother Nature.</p>
<p>The waves were crashing over my head while I was bailing water (as I was scooping water out, two TIMES as much was crashing over top of my head into the boat!). I knew it HAD to stop eventually, but I was very tempted to just wait it out and see…. but I didn’t.</p>
<p>If I had waited the water would have been deeper and even more work to get out… so I chose the more difficult path and battled it out.</p>
<p>From then on, the weather only got better and fun was had by all. </p>
<p>There were some incredible things I saw during my trip that taught me some lessons about marketing done right… and marketing done wrong.</p>
<p>First was the marina we picked up our supplies from. The Mabel Lake RV and Airpark is the closest place to pick up food, ice, cold beverages and ice cream for the kids… and it is a gold mine for the owners.</p>
<p>Thousands of people pass through their gates every summer.  Some come to stay in their overnight campground. Some rent their cabins on the lake.  Some own property in the resort area, with some incredible ‘cabins’ they spend their summers enjoying.  Others fly their private planes in and land on the private airstrip right next to their cabins. Others use the marina for fuel and supplies.</p>
<p>Needless to say, it is a very busy place!</p>
<p>Which is what amazes me.</p>
<p>With all these people here, and nowhere else you can go without a 60 minute drive, you’d think the owners of the resort would find ways to leverage that and make money with it.</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>Their store has very little to sell other than beer, wine, liquor and ice cream (all necessities of summer camping, of course).  But they<br />
don’t offer any decent foods, they don’t offer kids toys, they don’t offer a million other things they should be offering.</p>
<p>So people pack up the car and drive into town to spend all their money.</p>
<p>Money that could have, and should have, stayed right there in the resort.</p>
<p>Not only that… their docks are pitiful. </p>
<p>95% of the people who spend their summers their have to dock their boats at another marina down the lake.  Considering that many boat slips go for hundreds, even thousands of dollars per month… this is a HUGE mistake and costs them a fortune in lost revenues.</p>
<p>People like me have to find a spot to beach the boat while we run in and pick up supplies… there is zero space on the docks to tie up (I would easily pay money to dock the boat for 30-60 minutes… but it just wasn’t an opportunity).</p>
<p>Last, they have a small place in the basement area you can order burgers and fries.  Nothing fancy… but what a LINE UP!</p>
<p>People line up and wait for 30 minutes for burgers and fries… because there is no where else to go.</p>
<p>Get this: They only open at noon. And they close at 5.</p>
<p>If they opened at 9am and closed at 8 pm… expanded to bacon and eggs in the morning and a few other items on their menu, they would make a killing.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong… I would LOVE to own a place like this.</p>
<p>•       A HUGE starving crowd.<br />
•       A crowd with money to burn (when you take a family vacation, isn’t it fair to say that a lot of money is spent in a short period of time… and you love every minute of it?)<br />
•       Few other options for people to spend their money on.<br />
•       Hundreds of different ways you could use our type of marketing to get these people back, spending more, more often, bringing more friends each time they come.</p>
<p>The downside to this type of business is the short season.  Up here in this area, we have a 3-4 month summer season… after that the water gets colder and people don’t go camping like this.</p>
<p>Which is EVEN MORE REASON they should be doing everything in their power to offer more services, more products, more deals, more of everything to their clients.</p>
<blockquote><p>Some great lessons learned at this marina alone…</p>
<p>1)      When you have a unique position (or location) with little to no competitors, make sure you do everything in your power to give your customers every chance possible to spend their money with you over others.</p>
<p>2)      When you don’t have the luxury of being that unique in your marketplace, make sure you create unforgettable experiences that keep them buying more and more.  They have a food stand for hot food (nothing unique about it), that they could easily expand into a breakfast, lunch, dinner selection.  Adding on a few more hours a day with an expanded selection, their revenues from this stand would triple. People get tired of cooking their own food and are always open and willing to spend a few dollars to get someone else to cook!</p>
<p>3)      If people are willing to pay big dollars for additional services (like boat slips), FIND A WAY to give it to them. If you don’t someone else will. Every single one of us has an opportunity to add on more products, more services, higher prices, greater bundles… and there are a percentage of your clients that WILL pay it.</p>
<p>4)      If you are seasonal like this business… your downtime should be spent communicating with your clients and finding ways to get them to pre-book (and pre-pay) for the next busy season. Keep them excited about you and your business… always be telling them what is new and improved… or they will find someone who does have a new and improved offer for them.</p>
<p>5)      Always be on the lookout for additional products and services you can offer that aren’t available.  They didn’t offer water ski or wake board lessons – which could be a HUGE revenue stream for them.  They could be selling maps for the HOT fishing spots.  They could be offering guided fishing tours for mega money (a friend of mine owns a fishing camp in Northern British Columbia and they charge $2500 for 3 days of fishing… and are booked solid through the season).</p></blockquote>
<p>There are so many opportunities out there for you and I to expand our offerings and build our businesses faster.</p>
<p>Even though the lessons shared here may be basic to you and I, chances are VERY good you aren’t doing everything possible to maximize cash flow and client relationships. </p>
<p>I challenge you to try implementing one idea from here into your business.</p>
<p>If summer is slower for you, get busy and be prepared for the busy season with more products, services and bundles for your clients.</p>
<p>If summer is your busy season, NOW is the time to survey your clients and ask THEM what they would like to see from you.  Then give it to them.</p>
<p>My last word of advice for you… find some time this summer and escape from email, cell phones, internet and Twitter.  It was just incredible to be completely unplugged from the grid for that long.</p>
<p>You couldn’t get cell, email, or internet if you tried… and it was the best part of the trip for me.  </p>
<p>Not only that&#8230; I asked all the kids near the end what their favorite part of the trip was.  Their answer?  Getting away from texting, internet and gaming!  ALL OF THEM SAID THIS.</p>
<p>An important lesson there &#8211; even the MOST plugged in generation in history quickly realizes how enjoyable life can be without all the electronic tools.</p>
<p>UNPLUG.<br />
MORE OFTEN.</p>
<p>Funny thing was&#8230; as soon as we got back to Calgary, all the kids were instantly wired back in and back where they were!</p>
<p>Unplugging from technology for at least 10 days is guaranteed to give you a completely new outlook on life and on business.</p>
<p>Always love to hear from you… and if you want any specific small business marketing subject covered, please let me know!</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>To your success,</p>
<p>Troy </p>
<div id="attachment_1590" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 575px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/island.png" alt="The Island of Fun" title="island" width="565" height="274" class="size-full wp-image-1590" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ever day we booted the kids off the island for &quot;adult time&quot; - more like marguerita time on the beach!</p></div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/no-email-internet-or-cell-phone-access%e2%80%a6-it-was-heaven/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Focus</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 18:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Direct Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing on the web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1534</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am going through what is one of the busiest times of my life right now. All a good busy&#8230; but something I have struggled with&#8230; as do many entrepreneurs I know. How do you focus when new opportunities come rushing at you at break-neck speed? So how do I, and anyone else who all&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am going through what is one of the busiest times of my life right now.</p>
<p>All a good busy&#8230; but something I have struggled with&#8230; as do many entrepreneurs I know.</p>
<p>How do you focus when new opportunities come rushing at you at break-neck speed?</p>
<p>So how do I, and anyone else who all of a sudden becomes swamped with new work, handle this?</p>
<p>Focus.</p>
<blockquote><p>First thing is first&#8230; you need a plan.</p>
<p>1.	Write down all of the projects you have to work on.<br />
2.	Estimate how much time per week each project will take<br />
3.	Add 50% to each of those numbers – reality shows that it almost always takes longer than we initially think<br />
4.	Now add up all the numbers – and divide by 5 or 6 days -you now have the number of hours a week you will have to work to keep on top of it all</p>
<p>&#8230;scared yet?</p>
<p>5.	Next, start looking at what other distractions are on your plate – email, phone calls, distractions, newsletters -and start saying NO to things.  You MUST stop doing the things that won&#8217;t help you be productive on your big projects.</p></blockquote>
<p>With 4 new companies needing 4 new marketing campaigns – I have a ton of work to do&#8230;</p>
<p>     And reading 100 ezines a week won&#8217;t help me get things done.</p>
<p>     Answering silly emails is another time waster</p>
<p>     Surfing the net – got to go</p>
<p>     Answering the phone every time it rings is a serious distraction</p>
<p>     Sleep – ah, who needs it? (Kidding)</p>
<p>     Need to factor in family time – make quality time for it</p>
<p>Not an easy task for anyone – but we are all faced with it. The question is – how will you deal with it?</p>
<p>Create your plan, then stick to your guns. Get used to saying no, and get used to firing troublesome clients.</p>
<p>And get to work!</p>
<p>Troy</p>
<p>PS: One way to get more done is to outsource more.</p>
<p>Join me this Thursday night for a fantastic teleseminar with Heather<br />
Stevens.</p>
<p>Heather has just brought out the KING and QUEEN of personalized<br />
follow up systems.</p>
<p>NOTHING else beats this that I have ever seen&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;and it is designed to scale from the one-person operation&#8230; right<br />
up to the $50 million a year company.</p>
<p>Join us here: Hands Off Marketing Systems -<br />
<a href="http://www.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/handsoffmarketing.htm">http://www.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/handsoffmarketing.htm</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Squeezing some spring cheer out of Calgary&#8217;s wacky weather</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/squeezing-some-spring-cheer-out-of-calgarys-wacky-weather/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/squeezing-some-spring-cheer-out-of-calgarys-wacky-weather/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:52:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[calgary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Calgary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1228</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How to go from 94 degrees in the sun, to 30 degrees and a foot of snow&#8230; in 24 hours or less. I love it when the teacher becomes the student. July of 2008 I hosted my Wild West Wealth Summit in Calgary. We had a great time, provided ample valuable advice for the astute,&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/squeezing-some-spring-cheer-out-of-calgarys-wacky-weather/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>How to go from 94 degrees in the sun, to 30 degrees and a foot of snow&#8230; in 24 hours or less.</strong></p>
<p>I love it when the teacher becomes the student.</p>
<p>July of 2008 I hosted my Wild West Wealth Summit in Calgary.  We had a great time, provided ample valuable advice for the astute, and some attendees made a boatload of money since.</p>
<p>Like Chris.</p>
<p>In 2008 he had a business that he enjoyed, but it wasn&#8217;t his passion.</p>
<p>So he did what any astute entrepreneur does&#8230; he went home after the Wild West Wealth Summit, sold his main business, and started over with something he was highly passionate about.</p>
<p>He took a &#8216;hobby&#8217; of his, combined it with all the tools he discover at Wild West, and created the ultimate business model for his new vision.</p>
<p>2.5 years later he has made over $2 million dollars.</p>
<p>He is still in his 20s.  With a young family.  And he just paid cash for his dream home on the beach.</p>
<p>I take great pride in hosting the event that inspired him to do this.</p>
<p>And I also take great pride in something he taught me, that I am thoroughly enjoying.</p>
<p>Chris made a comment to me a year or so ago that I took to heart.</p>
<p><strong>He said that he loves to work really hard for 4-6 weeks, then take a week off.  </strong></p>
<p><em>Religiously. </em></p>
<p>Every 4-6 weeks, another week off for R&#038;R.</p>
<p>Not a bad idea &#8211; hey?</p>
<p>Well, I am proud to say that I am on a roll this year.<br />
<div id="attachment_1234" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bucerius-sayulita-stafford-troy-150x150.jpg" alt="bucerius-sayulita-stafford-troy" title="bucerius-sayulita-stafford-troy" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1234" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Sun and Cervesas... gotta love it</p></div><br />
7 days in Mexico early Feb&#8230; soaking up the sun and helping a good friend heal from a devastating loss.</p>
<p>Then back to the snow in Calgary.<br />
<div id="attachment_1231" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/styling-150x150.jpg" alt="Katrina and Hailey styling in the sun" title="styling" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1231" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Katrina and Hailey styling in the sun</p></div><br />
Last week I was back in the sun, this time in Phoenix with my family, parents and inlaws.</p>
<p>My daughters had an absolute blast!  We hiked, we swam, we shopped.  We had a fantastic break and I came back to Calgary this weekend feeling relaxed and raring to go next week.<br />
<div id="attachment_1232" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hiking-150x150.jpg" alt="Hiking in Superstition Mountain" title="hiking" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1232" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Hiking in Superstition Mountain</p></div><br />
Until this morning&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;and the snow storm hit.</p>
<p>Uhg.</p>
<p>April 2nd and a foot of snow predicted.</p>
<p>Double uhg.<div id="attachment_1233" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/snow-150x150.jpg" alt="Snow in Calgary... Again" title="snow" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1233" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snow in Calgary... Again</p></div></p>
<p>But, rather than getting depressed and angry about it (like many of my fellow Calgarians), I am happy.</p>
<p>Not about the weather&#8230;but about the week ahead.</p>
<p>You see, Chris gave me an invaluable tip to aim for.</p>
<p>This regular refresher has been <strong>wonderful for my productivity and outlook.</strong></p>
<p>And I highly recommend it for you as well.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to go to Mexico or Phoenix.  </p>
<p>You don&#8217;t even need a full week off.</p>
<p><em>..but you do need an escape.<br />
</em><br />
Something that gets you away from it all.</p>
<p>Something that you love to do.</p>
<p>Something that lets you rest and relax.</p>
<p>It will do wonders for your clarity of thought.</p>
<p>Which means better marketing, better sales, and much more creative outlook on your business focus and direction.</p>
<p>Thanks Chris!</p>
<p>And to all of my fellow Calgarians&#8230; it sucks&#8230; but there is nothing we can do about it&#8230; except for build a snowman.</p>
<p>When summer does hit Calgary, ENJOY every second of it.</p>
<p>Get outside. Go for walks. Find some water and swim.  Get lots of fresh air&#8230; and enjoy what we do have.</p>
<p>This monthly R&#038;R exercise is something I highly recommend to everyone, whether you are in  snow storm or not!</p>
<p>Off to shovel all this snow, again.</p>
<p>Troy  </p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/squeezing-some-spring-cheer-out-of-calgarys-wacky-weather/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My top time vampires</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/my-top-time-vampires/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/my-top-time-vampires/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:30:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[producivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1224</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We live in an exciting time. From the technology tools at our disposal, to the incredible ability to be connected to anyone, anywhere. Change is rampant. But with the type of change we have, brings with it many challenges that can ruin your work day. For example&#8230; much of my business is focused on writing.&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/my-top-time-vampires/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We live in an exciting time.  From the technology tools at our disposal, to the incredible ability to be connected to anyone, anywhere.  Change is rampant.  But with the type of change we have, brings with it many challenges that can ruin your work day.</p>
<p>For example&#8230; much of my business is focused on writing.  Articles. Reports. Sales copy. Emails. Direct mail.  Scripts, etc.  My clients rely on me for the copy, and my own business relies on me to keep providing content.</p>
<p><strong>So I need to write at least 4 hours a day.</strong></p>
<p>Which sounds easy, but I find it challenging many times.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Meetings.<br />
Phone calls.<br />
Emails.<br />
Conference calls.</p>
<p>I haven&#8217;t been able to find ways to get rid of these things or outsource them to competent people. I have tried&#8230; but lost the battle.  </p>
<p>It&#8217;s interesting to watch peoples reactions when they try to book meetings with me and I battle back. It is also just as interesting to watch how much time is wasted in <strong>meetings</strong>.  I don&#8217;t understand why &#8211; but many people think a one hour meeting is necessary.  </p>
<p>Makes no sense to me since much of the content discussed in these meetings could easily be shortened up to 15 minutes&#8230; easily. </p>
<p>Much of it is small talk, wishy-washy chatter, and ramblings about things that could have been much easily said in a fraction of the time.</p>
<p>Half the time in these meeting, I have no choice but to mute the phone and get real work done in the background while someone is going on about something.</p>
<p><em>3 one hour meetings a day is a HUGE drain on the day.</em></p>
<p>Every day of the work week like that and you have just sucked up 2 FULL WORKING DAYS in meetings.  Time that probably accomplished little that couldn&#8217;t have been done over email in far less time&#8230; or in a much more focused and productive meeting.</p>
<p>Dan Kennedy always talks about how he keeps all of his meetings to 15 minutes. At first I was amazed, and dumbfounded on how this could be.  Now I get it.  If every party is prepared before the call with questions and answers &#8211; and KNOWS they have 15 minutes ONLY&#8230; stuff gets done much faster.</p>
<p><strong>Start tracking where your time goes in an average day. </strong>Keep a little piece of paper by your desk with 15 minute blocks of time. Each time you check and answer emails, block off a 15 minute square.  Reach time you have an hour meeting &#8211; block off 4 squares.  Lunch out of the office?  block of 5 or 6 squares.  You very quickly start to see why your days go so fast and you feel like nothing productive got done that day&#8230; because it DIDN&#8217;T!</p>
<p>You need to take control of your time&#8230; or others will GLADLY use it up for you.</p>
<p>Troy</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/my-top-time-vampires/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>40 veteran in entrepreneurship reveals his system</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/40-year-veteran-in-entrepreneurship/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/40-year-veteran-in-entrepreneurship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurial Spirits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1222</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I heard about it, I couldn&#8217;t wait to send you this email. Recently I met a multi-millionaire entrepreneur named Steve Little. After speaking with him for only a few minutes, I knew that his message would change entrepreneurship forever. He has created a fantastic video training program that helps wanna-be, early-stage and veteran entrepreneurs&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/40-year-veteran-in-entrepreneurship/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I heard about it, I couldn&#8217;t wait to send you this email.</p>
<p>Recently I met a multi-millionaire entrepreneur named Steve Little. After speaking with him for only a few minutes, I knew that his message would change entrepreneurship forever.</p>
<p>He has created a fantastic video training program that helps wanna-be, early-stage and veteran entrepreneurs generate big-time success results FAST!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com">http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com</a></p>
<p>You&#8217;ll learn how to design your business so it really delivers the personal fulfillment and financial rewards you want.</p>
<p>You&#8217;ll learn the powerful techniques and methods used by legendary super-successful entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>And he&#8217;s made it all available to you for free</p>
<p><a href="http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com">http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com</a></p>
<p>Go check it out.  It only takes a minute to enroll and the insights you get are truly invaluable (downright amazing actually).</p>
<p>Let me know what you think.</p>
<p>Troy White</p>
<p>PS. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you&#8217;re looking to start a business right now or not, you&#8217;ve got to hear what Steve has to say about creating a powerful advantage-making success mindset.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/40-year-veteran-in-entrepreneurship/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are you saying NO enough?</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/are-you-saying-no-enough/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/are-you-saying-no-enough/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:43:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Calendar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=1056</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gulp – one month down. 1/12th the year is near gone&#8230; are you 1/12th the way to reaching all your goals? The days and weeks fly by so fast, it sometimes feels like you are moving faster backwards than forward. That said, there are still 11 months left, and some fantastic opportunities out there for&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/are-you-saying-no-enough/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gulp – one month down.<a href="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/are-you-saying-no-enough/no/" rel="attachment wp-att-1064"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/no-300x195.png" alt="" title="no" width="300" height="195" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1064" /></a></p>
<p>1/12th the year is near gone&#8230; are you 1/12th the way to reaching all your goals?</p>
<p>The days and weeks fly by so fast, it sometimes feels like you are moving faster backwards than forward.</p>
<p>That said, there are still 11 months left, and some fantastic opportunities out there for entrepreneurs and small business owners.</p>
<p>Some rules of engagement for 2011:</p>
<p><strong>Rule #1 &#8211; Focus. </strong> Take a long hard look at all of your projects that you have on your plate.  Write them down.  Each. One.  This is difficult to commit to – and the results will SHOCK you if you are honest.  Write down every single project you have on the go right now. Honesty will set you free here.</p>
<p>a) Get rid of those that have no residual or ongoing revenue.  Is this a one-hit-wonder project?  Or is there something here that you can repurpose and leverage for years to come?  A winning promotion can easily be run again next month – or next year.  As long as you have new, fresh leads coming in, your promotion will continue to work for you.</p>
<p>b) take a look at the remaining projects.  If they are niche or narrow in reach then sell them or close them down.  Only look at projects that have a broad reach (can affect many).</p>
<p><strong>Rule #2 – Get your priorities straight.</strong> Your main goal this year is&#8230;?  Number one priority is YOU, then your family, then your business.  You cannot run a successful business for the long term if your health is falling apart, you are stressed out, and an insomniac.  And if you aren’t looking after yourself, you won’t be looking after your family properly.  And if you aren’t looking after yourself or them, your customers certainly won’t be ‘feeling the love’.  And if they aren’t feeling it&#8230; your main goal doesn’t have a chance! </p>
<p>a)	Take daily time for you (rest + play).  Make sure you are getting a decent sleep, are eating properly, and getting in some daily exercise (if you are in Calgary, and looking for a like-minded workout partner, I would love to have you join me in my M/W/F Tae Kwon Do Classes (12-1) – let me know if interested). You need to be fully exploiting your downtime, and you need to start doing fun stuff with fun people on a regular basis.  <div id="attachment_990" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 287px"><a href="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/my-tae-kwon-do-black-belt-and-the-zen-of-success/olympus-digital-camera/" rel="attachment wp-att-990"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tkd-blackbelttest2-277x300.jpg" alt="Me and my daughters waiting for the &#039;old guy&#039; to finish the Black Belt Test" title="Me and my daughters waiting for the &#039;old guy&#039; to finish the Black Belt Test" width="277" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-990" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Me and my daughters waiting for the 'old guy' to finish the Black Belt Test</p></div></p>
<p><strong>Full disclosure: </strong> For far too long I have avoided going out to local networking events in Calgary.  I had a good reason – 3 years ago there was nothing really solid in the entrepreneurial space here for meetings.  That was 3 years ago.  Just last week I went to a fantastic event with over 100 entrepreneurs.  Great people – a great event – and a realization that things HAVE changed in the past 3 years.  Resources like meetup.com have changed this space. It is now easier than EVER to find like-minded people to talk to&#8230; use this service for finding others&#8230; and setting up your own meetups.</p>
<p>b)	Appreciate your spouse and children.  If your home life is a mess, your business life won’t be any better. Give them time, and a FOCUSED you.  Not you with nose buried in a crackberry or iphone.  You.  Just you. No technology.  </p>
<p>My daughters LOVE going for walks with me and the dog – no ipods or phones allowed.  We talk. We laugh. We solve all of the world’s problems.  Create a one hour rule.<br />
<div id="attachment_971" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/quintessentially-canadian/photo9/" rel="attachment wp-att-971"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/photo9-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="spoiled husky" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-971" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">My Assistant, 'Casino'</p></div><br />
One hour of family focus time a day on weekdays – and MUCH more than that on weekends.  Again&#8230; if your home life is a mess, your business life won’t be any better.</p>
<p>c)	Are you working harder for others or for you?  Stop running on adrenaline.  This is an exhausting treadmill to be on.  Constantly pushing to help others, do good, be more, connect more, etc.  All sounds good in theory – but if you aren’t worrying about your own good (and ability to pay the bills), the rest doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Serving and helping more people is a great thing&#8230; but change things if it isn’t paying the bills.  Now is NOT the time to get deeper in the hole, while you wait for the miracles to happen. Get busy helping others, as long as it is helping yourself as well!</p>
<p><strong>Rule #3 – Say NO! Lots.</strong>  For many entrepreneurs, this is one of the toughest things to ask of them.  We all LOVE new ideas.  New ventures.  New possibilities.  But that love for ‘new’ costs us all dearly. You know it. I know it.</p>
<p>a)	Decide what you want in 2011 and don&#8217;t want.  Are you going to launch a new venture? Then launch A new venture – not 5.  Are you re-focusing your marketing on your top 3 products?  Then narrow it down to ONLY 3 products and create new marketing campaigns for ONLY those 3.  Get rid of everything else – not an easy thing to do – but a necessity!  </p>
<p>By far the most empowering thing you can do in 2011 is to start saying no every single day to new distractions.  Keep track of how many times you say no a day.  How can you double that?</p>
<p>b)	Manage your time and STOP letting others manage your time.  Emails. Facebook. Twitter. Phone calls. Instant messages. Texting.  I get exhausted just thinking about it all.  The biggest lesson?  You have NO control over your life and business if these so-called ‘tools’ run your life.  </p>
<p>If you can’t go to the bathroom without a phone in your hand&#8230;or you can’t eat dinner without checking email&#8230;or you can’t sit and enjoy dinner without the phone ringing&#8230; you AREN’T the one in control of your life.  Electronics and clients are&#8230; and something needs to change.</p>
<p>c)	Think BIG.  Successful CEOs don’t tackle it all at once, or on their own.  They quickly figure out if the project s leading them in the right direction or not.  Either turfing the idea overall, or delegating it to someone else who can implement the idea.  Implementation is the nemesis of most entrepreneurs&#8230; taking on too much and not picking up the pieces after. CHANGE THAT THIS YEAR.  If you are always saying yes and trying to do it yourself, then you are in the mud all the time and someone else is making the money off of your hard work.</p>
<p><strong>Rule # 4 &#8211; Must take action on a daily basis. </strong> Sounds easy&#8230; but most of us don’t take the proper actions on a daily basis.  We start the day with email&#8230; then fight fires answering emails and letting them direct the rest of our day.<br />
Eugene Schwartz gave us one of his greatest secrets – a timer set to 33 minutes and 33 seconds. Let that little electronic device determine the direction of your day.  </p>
<p>Start blocking off your day with the help of that timer and you will get more done in 5 of those 33 minute blocks than you normally do in an entire day, maybe WEEK!</p>
<p> All it</p>
<blockquote><p> takes is one thing a day…</p>
<p>* Write an email to your clients<br />
* Send 1 card to 1 prospect<br />
* Write one press release and submit online<br />
* Ask one person for a referral<br />
* Write one blog entry<br />
* Ask one person to endorse me to their list<br />
* Write one article for your newsletter<br />
* Compliment one person who has helped you<br />
* Add one page of content to your website<br />
* Send one monthly promotion to your clients<br />
* Test one new upsell offer today<br />
* Bundle 3 products into one and create a new name<br />
* Ask one customer for their feedback<br />
* Ask one customer what else they would like to buy<br />
* Create a customer survey to find out what they want<br />
* Offer one free bonus “just as my way of saying thanks”<br />
* Find out what your clients fear the most<br />
* Offer your clients a teleseminar – ask them for content<br />
* Offer your clients a live seminar – bring in guest speakers<br />
* Visualize your perfect business and life for 5 minutes<br />
* Ask 5 clients if you can take them for a brainstorming lunch
</p></blockquote>
<p>Simple… right?</p>
<p>That is exactly what you need to do to make the most of 2011.</p>
<p>One.<br />
Simple.<br />
Thing.<br />
A Day.</p>
<p>Real success is NOT about shiny objects and miracle pills.  It is all about systematically doing the right things that pull you one step closer to your goals.  It doesn’t happen overnight&#8230; rather one simple step at a time.</p>
<p>Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!</p>
<p>I would love to hear YOUR additions to this list!</p>
<p>What is your greatest tip to getting more done in less time?</p>
<p>To your success,</p>
<p>Troy White</p>
<p>PS: If you are ready to rock and roll the rest of the year &#8211; get your Cash Flow Calendar and have me help you create the perfect marketing plan for 2011.  All the details are at <strong><a href="http://www.cashflowcalendars.com">Cash Flow Calendars&#8230; The Ultimate Marketing Plan </a> </strong>(also very much underpriced &#8211; according to many, many buyers who used it and got 20:1 returns on their investment the FIRST time they used it.</p>
<div id="attachment_1004" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 242px"><a href="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/marketing-plan-and-calendar/2011cover_small/" rel="attachment wp-att-1004"><img src="http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2011cover_small-232x300.jpg" alt="2011 Marketing Calendar, Marketing and promotional plan for small businesses." title="2011MarketingCalendar" width="232" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1004" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Wacky marketing ideas galore! Over 1,200 marketing prompts, templates and blueprints</p></div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/are-you-saying-no-enough/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Focus and productivity for entrepreneurs</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus-and-productivity-for-entrepreneurs/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus-and-productivity-for-entrepreneurs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:44:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Main Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Story Selling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autoresponders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Email Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Imagine just for a second you were hyper focused over the next month. &#8230;and you wrote 31 different articles &#8230;that could be used as blog posts, articles, video scripts, autoresponders &#8230;or could be compiled into a few different special reports &#8230;even giving you the material you need to compile a winning sales letter or follow&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus-and-productivity-for-entrepreneurs/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Imagine just for a second you were hyper focused over the next month.</p>
<p>&#8230;and you wrote 31 different articles<br />
&#8230;that could be used as blog posts, articles, video scripts, autoresponders<br />
&#8230;or could be compiled into a few different special reports<br />
&#8230;even giving you the material you need to compile a winning sales letter or follow up sequence</p>
<p>You did all of this in a half hour a day of focus time.</p>
<p>And it became a new habit that propels you further and faster in 2011.</p>
<p>Focus has a way of changing lives.</p>
<p>Yours. Mine.  Anyone who commits to it.</p>
<p>I have one of the leading trainers in the world on focus waiting to show you how.</p>
<p>Les Hewitt is the best selling author behind The Power of Focus and I have his 3 hour Focus and Productivity workshop waiting for you. <a href="http://www.31kclub.com">http://www.31kclub.com</a></p>
<p>&#8230;as a side bonus with Les&#8217; bootcamp&#8230; I will put you in the 31 k club free.</p>
<p>And I will personally guide you to get in massive content creation mode over the next 31 days.</p>
<p>Each day I will give you training tips and tools to help you become a prolific writer.</p>
<p>To get more sales campaigns done.</p>
<p>To write more articles.</p>
<p>And to develop your &#8216;personality in print&#8217;.</p>
<p>That is just a small snippet of what is available in the 31k Club Special at <a href="http://www.31kclub.com">http://www.31kclub.com</a></p>
<p>We are starting the club today &#8211; and I would love to see a new hyper-focused you in the club.</p>
<p>Troy</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/focus-and-productivity-for-entrepreneurs/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Feeling Stuck or Confused In Your Business?</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/feeling-stuck-or-confused-in-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/feeling-stuck-or-confused-in-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:48:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wacky marketing ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[confused]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overwhelm]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=758</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most times the answer is right in front of you You ever felt lost, dazed and confused? Can&#8217;t see the answer to that nagging business problem? It happens to all of us. To me quite recently. I was struggling with an idea and what to do with it. So I tossed and turned. Mindmapped it.&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/feeling-stuck-or-confused-in-your-business/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most times the answer is right in front of you</p>
<p>You ever felt lost, dazed and confused?</p>
<p>Can&#8217;t see the answer to that nagging business problem?</p>
<p>It happens to all of us.</p>
<p>To me quite recently.</p>
<p>I was struggling with an idea and what to do with it.</p>
<p>So I tossed and turned.</p>
<p><em>Mindmapped it.</p>
<p>Lost sleep over it.</em></p>
<p>and then&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;lo and behold&#8230; the phone message I got pried open the door I was looking for.</p>
<p>I returned the call &#8211; and got some seriously GREAT additions to my idea.</p>
<p>Additions that will help my clients and help me build my own business.</p>
<p>All because I was overlooking <strong>my most important asset</strong> &#8211; the people I know.</p>
<p>If you are lost or confused and need help, have you gone out to your network of people?</p>
<p>Not with an email.</p>
<p>With a real live <em>(gasp) </em>phone call.</p>
<p>Something amazing happens when ear meets phone &#8211; a connection is made and big things start to stir.</p>
<p>Sometimes minds and melded and breakthrough ideas come forward.</p>
<p>Other times the person on the other end sees something (good or bad) in your problem or idea.</p>
<p>Many times they know exactly who you should next talk to.</p>
<p>&#8230;or, in my case, where I could find the exact model to do what I wanted to do.</p>
<p>As I have shared before, I can be a major recluse.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s easy.</p>
<p>Keyboard and computer can be my communication tools&#8230; and the phone gets neglected.</p>
<p>Which means I am neglecting my contacts, my friends, my family.</p>
<p><strong>What about you?</strong></p>
<p>Are you stuck?</p>
<p>Then pick up the phone and make that call.</p>
<p>Get in touch with the person you know that might have insight for you.</p>
<p>See where it takes you.</p>
<p>Yes, phone calls take much longer than blasting out an email.</p>
<p>But the connection is deeper and amazing things happen when person-to-person communication over the phone takes place.</p>
<p>&#8230;a <strong>CHALLENGE </strong>for you.</p>
<p>Over the next week, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call someone you never call.</p>
<p>Someone that might be able to help you through any business challenge you might have.</p>
<p>One call.</p>
<p>30 minutes of your week.</p>
<p>Who knows where it will take you!</p>
<p>In my case, it gave me the clarity I wanted and the plan of attack I needed to follow.</p>
<p>All in 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Compared to the hours I had wasted stewing about it.</p>
<p>One call.</p>
<p>That might be all it takes.<br />
<strong><br />
I DOUBLE DARE YOU!</strong><em></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/feeling-stuck-or-confused-in-your-business/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is it getting more difficult to get sales?</title>
		<link>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/get-sales-and-leads/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/get-sales-and-leads/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:26:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Affluent buyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct Mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leads Generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing on the web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neighborhood Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management and productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wacky marketing ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales letter swipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Troy White]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/?p=754</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing about today&#8217;s economy&#8230; you had better be tough to make it out better off than you went in. The media makes sure you hear all the disturbing trends. That&#8217;s how they make their money. But their fear mongering won&#8217;t help you build your business or live a better quality of life. You have&#8230;<br /><span class="more-link-wrapper"><a href="http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/get-sales-and-leads/" class="more-link">Read More</a></span>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One thing about today&#8217;s economy&#8230; you had better be tough to make it out better off than you went in.</p>
<p>The media makes sure you hear all the disturbing trends.  </p>
<p>That&#8217;s how they make their money.</p>
<p>But their fear mongering won&#8217;t help you build your business or live a better quality of life.</p>
<p>You have to take responsibility for that.</p>
<p><strong>So what do you do?</strong></p>
<p>People aren&#8217;t spending like they used to.</p>
<p>They are spending less than they used to  (only the top 5% income earners are growing their personal expenditures by any significant amount).</p>
<p>They are making buying decisions based on a new criteria that they have set.</p>
<p>They aren&#8217;t reading the yellow pages in print.</p>
<p>They aren&#8217;t responding like they used to when they saw newspaper and magazine ads.  </p>
<p>Now it&#8217;s summer and people are paying less attention to all the online commotion.</p>
<p><strong>
<p>Again, what do you do?</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p>If you are looking for new ways to grow your business in turbulent times like this, you must start looking at unusual ideas.</p>
<p>Completely different marketing ideas.</p>
<p>New media to place lead generation ads in.</p>
<p>One of the best places to start?</p>
<p>Go FAR outside of your industry&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;to a land far far away.</p>
<p><em>
<p>If you sell computers, look to the restaurant business.</p>
<p>If you run a restaurant, look to the clothing industry.</p>
<p>You sell life insurance?  Well, stop looking inside your field, and look to the publishing industry.</p>
<p></em></p>
<p>The point is that you need to, right now, STOP thinking about you being a computer tech, or a restaurant owner, or a life insurance specialist.</p>
<p>And you need to start thinking like a marketer.</p>
<p>Marketers look for opportunity in the weirdest of places.</p>
<p>When they see something working elsewhere, they don&#8217;t say (in a whiny voice): &#8220;that won&#8217;t work in myyyyyyyyy industry&#8230; my buyers are different&#8221;.</p>
<p>Yes, your buyers are unique people&#8230; but they are people and people buy based on similar patterns and habits.</p>
<p>And if they are buying over there in a wacky promotion going on, you had BETTER get testing ways to take that wacky promotion and make it work for you.</p>
<p>So get busy looking at what promotions catch your eye &#8211; online, offline, it doesn&#8217;t matter.</p>
<p>Things that stand out to you in the newspaper or magazines you read.</p>
<p>Success stories you read about.</p>
<p>People you talk to who are doing well in business.</p>
<p>Figure out what they are doing, how they are promoting it, and then FIND WAYS to make it fit your offerings.</p>
<p><strong>
<p>Tools needed?</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p>Pen.<br />
Paper.<br />
Phone.<br />
Ambition.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s it.</p>
<p>Now get busy.</p>
<p>I took a simple little 2 pager that was written for a completely different industry.</p>
<p>I modified it to fit my client.</p>
<p>We got over <strong>15% response.</strong></p>
<p>I modified it again for another client and we saw a <strong>20:1 return</strong> on their marketing investment to mail the letter out.</p>
<p>(how many times would you be investing $1 if you knew you would roughly get $20 back?  as many as freaking possible, I would hope!)</p>
<p>The letter came from an industry I do not like.</p>
<p>One few people like.</p>
<p>But it worked.</p>
<p>And I modified it to make it work in multiple industries.</p>
<p>It didn&#8217;t work every time the first time, but through testing was made to.</p>
<p><strong>
<p>If you are interested in a copyright free version of this letter that you can use for your own business&#8230; let me know how to get ahold of you and we can talk.</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p>I have to charge you for it &#8211; everyone else paid for it.</p>
<p>BUT, I promise it will be a minuscule investment compared to the results it can give you back.</p>
<p>The best ideas come from places you would never think of.</p>
<p>This might be one.</p>
<p>I am offering 10 copies of this letter, one per industry.</p>
<p>Email me at troy@smallbusinesscopywriter.com if you want to find out more.</p>
<p>And keep your eyes open for those wacky marketing promotions that catch YOUR attention.  If they work on you&#8230; the odds are good they are working on others!</p>
<p>To your success. Troy</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/get-sales-and-leads/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

