Happy Birthday son.

That's a great thing to here from your dad.  Especially on your birthday.  That is what he said yesterday when he called and chatted with me.  Then he went on to ask me, "what are you doing for you?  For fun? Amid all the writing and marketing and trying to get more clients, what are you doing for YOU?"

Sad part was, I couldn't say.  I wanted to say that the writing and the thinking were for me.  I enjoy it, but it is still work.  I love to weld, sew, SCUBA, and cook in dutch ovens but I have been so driven by the quest to help others through my writing and my speaking that I have totally lost touch with what I love to do. This is a real problem for many entrepreneurs and business owners.

Rejuvenation is the key to generation.

Taking time to distance ourselves from work and recreate is a fast and simple way to increase our productivity.  I love the old saying, "all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy".  Dull as in mental processes as well and fun.  What are you doing to rejuvenate yourself?

In the quest for greatness comes the important task of personal care.

Get out, walk around the block, play a game of basketball, or do anything, but daily we need to put down the work, and pick up the play. 

Wishing you a SteadyTIDE of customer and profits,

Brett M. Judd MSW
www.BrettMJuddMSW.com
www.SteadyTIDE.com

A Tale Of Two Vehicles.  Which one are you?

For many years I drove a 1982 Jeep Scrambler CJ8.  I love it.  It is fun, stable, semi-reliable, useful, incredibly diverse in its ability, and it had a personality that had jointly become mine.  Many people still see me and ask "Do you still have that old Jeep?"  

The Jeep was a reflection of who I felt I was/am.  Stable, dependable, and a distinct image.  The Jeep has a very purposeful place in life, and I have used it for trail rides, hunting, daily commutes, and just fun.  It is the Get 'er Done vehicle that always seemed to do just that.

A year ago, I had the chance to buy a car that I have wanted since it was introduced.  When we were first married, Gina and I drove a 1972 Fiat Spider. Impractical, finicky, fun, and single purpose, that car was a joy to have.  When BMW introduced the Z3, I was in love again.  Stylish, eye-catching, sporty, and just plain fun.  The near polar opposite of the Jeep.

Both turn heads,  Each are effective at moving me from one place to another, but the BMW will never take me places the Jeep can, and the Jeep will never move as nimble and crisp as the BMW.

As business owners and entrepreneurs, we have to realize which one are we, the nimble, fast, quick reflexed sport car, or the powerful, low geared, dig in and get the work done workhorse of the Jeep.  They are both invaluable, and each needs its own special care.

I noticed after a while the the BMW was sluggish, unresponsive in lower RPMs. and had dropped in its fuel economy.  It was almost hard to drive and frustrating when I wanted that pop and sprint.  The high performance engine requires high grade fuel, the filters and spark plugs must be fresh if I want it to be responsive.  Not unlike the mind of the person running the daily oporations and developing the vision for your company.  When the slightest contaminant comes into your world, i.e.. stress, illness, anxiety, depression, failure it can send the entire emotional and mental focus out of balance and tune.  

The Jeep on the other hand had not near as finicky a system as the BMW.  I few turns of a screwdriver and a couple hours of tightening every now and again seemed to keep that thing moving for another week.  By no means high performance, but a true faithful workhorse for sure.  

The entrepreneur often finds themselves in the mixed experience of having to be a cross over between the two, of more like jumping from one to the other in a fast and furious pit stop.  There are some things that you can do to increase your effectiveness. They are -

1. Just like the BMW, you body and brain need high octane, clean fuel.  The Jeep could almost run on pond water.  Your brain and abilities to run the business need you to feed it like a high performance sport car.  Only the best. Discover what works best for you and stick with it. Don't forget that the brain (the key to your success) is 66% saturated fat and the covering over the neurons is cholesterol.  If you neglect the eggs and the butter, you are headed for depression, brain fog, and stress.  

2. Remain strong and flexible.  One thing that dramatically serrates these two vehicles is their suspension.  The BMW is tight, rough on poor surfaces, and can corner with ease.  The Jeep is bouncy, and while it does not corner at high speeds well at all, it can stretch over boulders and twist and flex to the shape of the terrain it is on like it was made of putty.  Be like the Jeep, Flexible, strong, with powerful grip to focus energy. Yoga, running, lifting weights all add to your agility.  Neglect it and you will find yourself upside down in a gully.  

3. Keep you Oil Changed.  This one is true for each of these.  If the oil breaks down the whole system is in danger of collapse. Keeping a fresh supply of lubricant in the engine will ensure that it has the power to perform whenever you ask.  Sleep, reading,meditation, and relaxation are all ways to change the oil.  We use neurofeedback as a way to deeply tune and focus the brain.  It is similar to hooking the BMW to a diagnostic computer and tweaking it in order to keep the engine running it top condition. The Jeep had no such tool and had to be slowly finessed into tune. NeuroSpa session maintain a bright, stress free, responsive mind to handle the many boulders and washouts you will face as an entrepreneur.

Dedicated to ensuring a SteadyTIDE of customers and profits,

Brett 

P.S.  If you are ready to step up the BMW/Jeep crossover of business management and marketing, you are ready for SteadyTIDE. More nimble and flexible than other CRM's and more flexible and powerful, SteadyTIDE is the high performance workhorse for any business.  Use the code strategies and get 3 onths at 15% off the regular price. Do it HERE, today. 

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Being an Entrepreneur should not feel like begging.

Lets get real.  To make money as an entrpereneur, you are going to have to ask for money.  Two hallmark professions stand out as I considered this topic.  Both involve enterprising individuals standing or sitting on the street corner asking for money.  It is arguable which is truly the worlds oldest profession.

The fear of picking up the phone and asking a prospect to give you their money is the end to many very good businesses.  It does not have to and should not be the end of yours.  This 3 step guide to asking for money will end the chaos you feel when you apporach you prospects and customers.

1. You must beleive 100% in your product.

If you odo not fully beleive that the product you are selling is effective then you will never be able to honestly sale it to the prospects.  Sure we all know the crafty use car salesman, but most of us are not him.  We must convey a "spirit behind the word".  If we have any doubt, we will send that doubt in every sales approach.  Your prospects will sniff it out. You must believe 100% in the product you are providing.

2. You must have a price point that is both realistic and sustainable.

We had a product in our coaching and peak performance center that was powerful and effective.  I believed in it, but it was too expensive and too time consuming to adequately sale in the model we were presenting it.  There was no price point possible that would sustain our business and be apealing to the prospect.  Even though I loved the product, it had to go.  

3. You must beleive that you are not begging or "hooking" .

You are in business.  Your prospects are hopefully looking for your services or product.  You have a legitimate and worthwhile service and your community and niche need you.  To approach the prospect as a panhandler will put them off witha sense of neediness and deperation.  To be over bearing and pushy will seem a bit to forward.  In every business transaction you prospects will be expecting you to ask them for their money.  They new that when the called the office, entered your store, or clicked to your website.  You are not begging, but meeting their need.  You are not selling yourself, but providing a valuable and desired product that will benefit the prospects life.

When you, the entrepreneur overcomes these hurdles and embraces these truths, you are ready to step up and become the marketer. Great resource that will further expand on the power of relationship in increasing your bottom line is the free down load, 3 Rules TO Better Relationships.  It is availble at www.steadytide.com/relationships.

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

I was chatting with a friend over the weekend who has a very good weight loss product and was seeing success with the business.  Now less than a year in, he is dumping everything.  What had been wholesaling for $11 a bottle is now out the door at 100 for $100.  He has 9000 left.  I was amazed when I asked if he was interested in staying in if he could get someone to market the product for him.  He had stated he was too busy and too tired.  To the marketing inquiry he said. "I just want out. Too much on my hands."

How many times have you seen yourself with the potential to make a significant living with the freedom you long for but then find that you just don't want it enough. The true mark of success it not measured in the bank account or the number of sales you make, although those make it easier. The true measure of success is if you have held on through the roughest times and worked the hardest you could.  Anything short is failure. Failure to keep your word to your self, your family, your customers, and to your future.

If my friend had taken the bait, I was willing to put the  marketing and information distribution power of SteadyTIDE to work and take over the distribution and manage the marketing of this product.  I believe that it is a good product with real potential in a market that is always looking for the next great thing.  My friend illustrated what I think is the greatest folly of most failed entrepreneurial endeavors.  He was unwilling to go the next round when the going gets tough and the real work begins. Starting out on a wave of excitement and hope is easy, but lasting through the next phase of building and developing a profitable business takes serious commitment.

Recently, I listened to a presentation given by the founder of Travelocity and Kayak.  He said that in every business there are three teams that will need to be leveraged.  

First is the creation team.  The bright minds and energetic players who can manage the details and get the plan laid out.

Second are the muscle.  This team takes the plans laid out by the creators and powers it forward into a viable and working product.

Third are the runners.  These are the folks who are in it for the long haul.  They have the legs and energy to take the business into the future.

One thing that was really laid out is the fact that a good business entrepreneur will recognize the teams for who they are and when they are needed and not get sentimental as they transition.  To know what you are good at and play that role well is vital to the success of the business.  I friend of mine posted today, "get a paper pusher to do the books.  You need to make it rain - be the rainmaker.'  That is exactly what every business owner needs to do.  Make it rain.

What are you good at and are you in it for the long haul, or the short run?  Knowing your strength in the business will help you define who needs to be on your team.  Then you can do what you are good at, while the team does the rest.

Brett

P.S. Another great thought credited to the founder of Amazon. "Never have a committee so large you can not feed them with two pizzas."  

P.P.S. Download the eBook 3 Rules To Better Relationships at www.steadytide.com/relationships and you will get a 50% off for 3 months code to use when you sign up for the single most comprehensive marketing and management tool available.  

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Is Neurofeedback the New Smart Weapon for Business Productivity?

Todays post is a re post of a blog from Zengar Institute.  AS business owners, the need to be at you absolute peak mental performance can not be understated.  Neurofeedback is quite possibly the best way to acheive it. 

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Gregory Farquarson

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

This should come as no real shock, business is stressful and can take it's toll on you.  Emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding pressures of running a business make the entrepreneur dull and foggy very fast.  Unless you are regularly engaging in activity to strengthen your mind, it will soon lose sharpness and execution.

So how do you do it?  Crosswords, books, meditation?  All helpful, but there is one form of mental sharpening that many do not know about or even think about - neurofeedback.  

Using ever advancing computer technology and small sensors to the scalp, neurofeedback actually reads the brain activity through EEG and then using sound, sends signals back to the brain to balance and train the mental process.  We know, it sounds crazy and far out, but it is so every day that the PGA, NBA, and NFL have all started using it.  The PGA has utilized neurofeedback to help golfers increase their mind body connection and mental focus.  

"High performance professional and athletes find their enhanced ability to both relax and focus means they can “be in the moment” without stressing about what happened in the past, or what could happen in the future. In addition, the release of tension means athletes suffer fewer sore muscles and recover from injuries more quickly.  This same lack of tension allows business professionals to remain focused and driven in times of stress. “Gio Valiante, a sports psychologist to a number of top golfers including Justin Leonard and Chris Dimarco, says neurofeedback will one day be the norm for PGA Tour pros.” according to a Wall Street Journal article." (Adams, R. From the World Cup to youth tennis, a training fad emerges: the science of finding the one. Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2006, P1.)

High performance entrepreneurs are no different than golfers in their need for sharp mental focus and execution of decision making.  I will often get asked, "what throws the brain out of balance? Isn't it just there doing its job?"  Yes it is and its job is the monitor and regulate every system in the body every minute of every day without a stop.  Can you imaging driving your car non stop and never getting a tune up, or how about a long washboard road with potholes and never checking your alignment?  That is what daily life and stress are like to the brain.  Throw in a few potholes and see what happens.  The brain has to constantly shift, adapt, adjust to the stressors we subject ourselves to.  Unless you have learned a good way to re=balance and hone the mental pathways, it is bound to get knocked out of alignment.

What about physical trauma, like a mild concussion or hit to the head playing racquetball or a game of basketball.  Listed below are some of the symptoms that are most commonly associated with a mild head injury. Of course you do not need to have all of the symptoms that are listed for a diagnosis of MTBI. Symptoms vary depending on the severity of injury and the parts of the brain that are injured. You will want to determine, has there been an increase in symptoms like these following a whiplash, concussion, or mild head injury?

Common Symptoms Associated With MTBI

• Difficulty figuring out how to do new things.
• Being disorganized in your approach to problems.
• Having difficulty completing activities in a reasonable amount of time.
• Being slow to learn new things.
• Becoming easily frustrated, irritable, and having outbursts of anger or rage.
• Problems with word finding (remembering the right word to say).
• Hypersensitivity to light or sound.
• Problems with concentration and being easily distracted.
• Spacing out and losing your train of thought.
• Problems with short-term memory.
• Becoming more forgetful.
• Increased frequency of headaches.
• Increased impulsiveness, impatience, risk taking, rudeness, or social impropriety.
• Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia type symptoms: mental fogginess, difficulties getting restorative sleep, diverse pain.
• Problems with physical balance, dizziness, tremor, clumsiness, or incontinence.
• Having difficulty in being able to be flexible in changing plans or switching from one activity to another.
• Problems reading letters and words.
• Difficulty in understanding what others are saying.
• Confusion in telling right from left, or with puzzles.
• Getting lost easily.
• Being fidgety and having difficulty remaining seated.
• Going from one activity to another without finishing tasks or projects.
• Decreased libido.
• Difficulty with speech, language, or math skills.
• Seizures.
• Sensory problems with: vision, hearing, taste, smell, sensation.
• Emotional difficulties (depression, fear, nightmares).

Following a concussion or head injury, emergency room physicians commonly order CAT scans or MRI's to rule out serious injuries. Unfortunately, these scans usually don't reveal mild to moderate damage because they are examining only the structure of the brain and not how the brain is functioning. Therefore, as we have indicated, the subsequent MTBI symptoms may not be taken seriously or be attributed to the head injury. (http://www.isnr.org/neurofeedback-info/mtbi.cfm)

Finding a reputable center to provide brain training is easy.  Zengar.com has a list of trainers around the world at their website.  We use and recommend www.anopenmindnb.com in Pocatello Idaho.  

Regardless of the trainer, staying in peak mental performance is crucial to navigate the chaos of managing your own business. 

Just like SteadyTide has honed and sharpened the business management and CRM needs of your business, neurofeedback can hona and sharpen your mental agility to maximize every possible niche of your market. 

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Working to ensure a Steady Tide of Profits and Success.

Mistakes Are The Gateway To Your Midas Touch

I have been reading The Midas Touch by Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump. It was recommended to me by my coach and mentor.

Kiyosaki addresses what I believe to be one of the greatest fallacies in the American education process, and one the stifles the success of millions yearly.  The fallacy - "It is not okay to fail."  Fail your math test, you are stupid, fail to win the game, you are a looser.  This notion that failure is weakness and a sign of your overall success is a plague to ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit. It may be the one driving factor that is crippling America. We are so clouded by the notion that we are number one that we have lost sight of the reality that failure makes us grow and become stronger IF it is used properly.

How can failure be leveraged for growth?  I believe there are 3 things that every entrepreneur must accept and o in the face of failure. Do these things and your will immerge stronger.

1. Learn from the mistake and analyze your critical thinking flaws or the flaws in your attack.

It may be that the goal was great but the execution was wrong.  This does not mean you scrap the whole thing, just pull back assess, regroup, and try again.

2. Honestly assess your own incompetence.

Failure is a great exposer of weakness and lack.  When it is seen as a gift, it can strengthen.  Take that feedback, get educated and start over.  

I am a passionate believer that to take the easy, safe route is failure.  TO take the hard road and struggle is success.  I stress this with my children.  Do not take regular classes.  Take the honors and advanced placement.  To receive a B or even a C in an AP class is better than an A in a regular.  You will be farther ahead in the long run.

3. Get a mentor or coach!  

Kiyosaki stresses this. No great athlete, musician, or even therapists (my profession by schooling) succeed without a mentor.  We all need someone who can correct us, cheer for us.  Scold us.  And at times console us.  Find a mentor that has already done what you want to do.  Pay them if you have to.  Learn from them and be their best student.  Failure to do this, could be the greatest failure.

I have heard it said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  To see the teacher is to recognize that we are incompetent and need additional support and education that will not come through hard work alone.  Look for failure, Be open to potential, assess your own weakness, and be ready to take the hard road.  You will be better for it.

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Working to ensure a Steady Tide of Profits and Success.

For most of my life I have had a coach.  Whether it was my Cub Scout leaders, Boy Scout leaders, wrestling coaches, choir and band leaders, little league baseball coach, or now my business coaches.  Who we flock with is as vital to our success as what we do and the product we offer.  We learn from sage mentors who have gone before us.  I good coach will direct us and correct us while keeping our head just above water while we learn to swim.  A really good coach will do it in such a way that we will respect and seek them out and desire to enulate them. 

Several years ago, I heard the story of geese included below.  Why they are always in a flock, rarely alone.  It makes a lot of sense to me now that I look at my own path and the coaching we do at SteadyTide.  We will only rise to the heights of those with whom we associate.  Look at your friends and companions, to ones you do lunch with.  What are their goals and aspirations?  How much did they gross last year or what vacations did they take?  How about your own aspirations and drive?

Just as important as a coach is the team that the coach brings together and the interactions they have with one another.  A good team can really be more powerful together than the single parts. Synergy they call it.  How synergistic is your team?  How effective is your coach?

I invite you to join me, Thursday March 27, 2014 from 11:30 - 1:00 for a lunch time networking meet-up and training. SteadyTide Business Solutions is holding this no host event at Perkins Restaurant on Pocatello Creek Road.  

The topic of the training - 3 Things (or more) Every Card Should Have But Most Don't. Maximizing Your Business Card For Greatest Effect -   Come enjoy a lunch time break from the normal grind of the work day and learn valuable no cost tools that will transform your business in as little as one week! 

To register for this event go to March Marketing Meet-up  or click on the orange button

The Goose Story
 
by Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes 
ARCS NEWS, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 1992 
Next 
fall, when 
you see Geese 
heading South for 
the Winter, flying along 
in V formation, you might 
consider what science has dis‐ 
covered as to why they fly that way: 
as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an 
uplift for the bird immediately following. By 
flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 
71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 
People who share a common direction and sense of community 
can get where they are going more quickly and easily 
because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. 
When 
a goose falls 
out of formation, 
it suddenly feels the drag 
and resistance of trying to go it alone 
and quickly gets back into formation to take 
advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 
If we have as much sense as a goose, 
we will stay in formation 
with those who are headed the same way we are. 
When 
the Head Goose 
gets tired, it rotates back 
in the wing and another goose flies point. 
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs 
with people or with geese flying South. Geese 
honk frombehind to
encourage those up front to keep up their speed. 
What do we say when we honk from behind? 
Finally, 
and this is important, 
when a goose gets sick, or is 
wounded by gunshots and falls out 
of formation, two other geese fall out with that 
goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. 
They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until 
it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation 
to catch up with their group. 
IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, 
WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER 
LIKE THAT

By Brett M. Judd MSW Follow him at Google + at Google

I will not make resolutions  -  and here is why.

Statistians tell us that on average a resolution lasts about 2 weeks.  It really does not take a group of scientists to figure this out.  Just go to any gym or yoga class in January.  You know your hard core regulars are looking for anyother loation until February when the Resolutions fade away.  Listen to any radio station and you will instantly know when "Black Friday" is for the weightloss and workout industry.

Resolutions fail because they are designed to fail.

Really?  We design our resolutions with the wrong aim.  Because of this we never acheive the success and change that we had hoped to.

Earl Nigthingale said it brilliantly "We move toward that which we think about most" and resolutions are focused on the wrong thing. The lack or the fear.

Most resolutions are about a specific target or end.  Take weight.  When the goal weight is not coming in the designated or desired time, the inner perception is failure.  The resolution is thrown out, and the whole process is a bust.  The desire was not the problem the goal was.

Remember - What you think about most is where you will move toward and ultimately what you will receive.

To Look Better Naked - Affirming the true desire

Ask anyone desiring to loos weight and they will ultimately tell you that they want to be thinner, healthier, or look better naked.  This is what the resolution should say. Not - "I will weigh x by x!" you have no control over that.  What we are in total control over though is our true desire.

If I set my sights on a great beach body for an upcoming vacation then that is what I need to look for. If I focus on the lack of speed or the image infront of me now, I will never have the energy. Can you imaging getting on a plane in which the pilot kept his focus on the current location or worse the departure and not the destination.  You cannot achieve success looking at today or the past.

What have you locked onto or believe?

There is no way that we will ever acheive success if we are still holding onto old beliefs and attitudes.  If I am so focused on a desired scale reading, like 200 pounds for me and I am working out, lifting weights, and the scale wont budge, I may be locked onlt faulty beliefs.  Maybe I am not supposed to weight 200 pounds.  We must rethink what we believe to be true and make the end result our cheif aim.

Knowing that muscle weigh more than fat in less space can really make stepping on the scale apealing when I have not lost any pounds but I am down 3 pant sizes.  What you believe you acheive

Do not limit yourself with specifics.  

Make your resolutions about outcomes and desires, not specifics.   What if I set my finacial goals to earn $150,000 dollars this year and by August I had acheived it, or each month I knew that I only needed to earn $12,500.  My inner motivation and self talk will stop the minute I reach that target mount no matter that it is the 1st or the 3rd week of the month.  I will only be motivated to acheive what i have set my aim to acheive.

Set your desire to be about the feeling or the outcome.  "I resolve to be able to do anyactivity I desire without loosing my breath." ""I resolve to earn enough money to live freely, debt free, and content."  These resolutions are easily measurable and attainable but have no limiting factors and no barriers.  

Whatever you resolve for the coming year may it be the greatest year possible.

When I was a kid I was taught the phrase, "it is better to aim at the sun and miss than a pile of manure and hit it." What are you locked onto?

Remeber - Mindset matters. What you set your mind to you receive.  Make it great.

By Brett M. Judd LMSW Follow him at Google + at Google

New Years Resolutions have a success rate of less than 2 weeks.  

No major lasting lifelong change can be achieved by writing down a few desires - wishes - and launching in with vigore.  In the end, the majority of all resolutions go unfulfilled and the writers become resolute to complacency and failure.  A true change must come from inner change and a daily focused mindset.

Here is my sure fire success plan for 2014.  

I Will Not Write Another Resolution Ever!!  And neither should you.  

I can hear it now, "But Brett, how can that be and how will I ever succeed?"  

Simple.  Steven Covey talked about Sharpening the Saw.  Napoleon Hill is often heard discussing identifying your "Cheif Aim" and creating a Master Mind effect.  Earl Nightingale popularly made the quote "We move toward and become like (and receive) that which we think about most."  Unless you are sharpening your mental saw, identifying your cheif aim, and assessing what it is that you think about most on a daily basis you will never succeed.

To assist myself this year and to make your coming year even greater, I have created a very focused yet simple Daily Success Performance Evanluation.  It will only take a few minutes to complete. When you make the personal committment to sacrifice what ever you must to achieve your cheif aim this will become the most important few minutes you take everyday. You can download the Performance Eveluation HERE.  Below is a sample of the content.  

6. Place a checkmark next to these key success indicators that you achieved today:

a.Planned or completed Date Night for this week.                                              ___

b.Wrote a daily Success Note for your customer/clients.                                    ___

c.Sent random motivational text messages throughout the day.                          ___

d.Made a mid day call to key clients.                                                               ___

e.Planned for or completed a quarterly success retreat.                                     ___

f.Held a daily “Success Council” meeting with key partners.                               ___

g.Had at least 15 minutes of “Personal Reflection” last night.                             ___

Even if you completed just these Key Indicators every day it is likely that your success in life and bussiness your rise exponentioally.  When you answer the complete Performace Evaluation you will see rapid growth in all eares of life.

May this coming year be the greatest year yet.  When I was a kid I was taught a simple little phrase.  It is as true today than it ever was then. "The 10 two letter words to live by - If it is to be, it is up to me"

Success is up to you.  How successful will you be?

By Brett M. Judd LMSW Follow him at Google + at Google

It’s better that you’re not always happy. You need to have something to strive for and look forward to.

A few years ago, I was working with a couple who were having marriage trouble.  As we came to the end of the sessions I asked them to rate the current state of the marriage and the where they would scale it in the beginning.  0 was terrible - we need a divorce not a counselor and 5 was amazing - we need a honeymoon not a counselor.  Either way I was out of their life.

I think we will never be perfect.

When the time came to share the scores he was a bit apprehensive.  She rated things at first a .5-1, he had rated it a 1.  But the current score was not a close.  Excitedly she showed me her 4.5 to 5. She was thrilled to say that things had really turned around and that they were better than ever.  

His current score card had a very timid 3.5 - 4.  When he showed it, I thought he was preparing to be hit by the recoiled body language.  She was a bit taken back and gasped at the low score, but then he explained.

Every day is a new 5 

He said that there were times when the relationship hit what he felt was a 5.  it was wonderful and then after few days it seemed to slide back to a 3.  At first he was upset by this, worried that the marriage was not fixable.  Then he stumbled into the greatest truth I have ever heard and something that we can apply to every aspect of life.

He said that "you can never maintain a 5 and to try is futile and frustrating." He continued "after a few days at the new level, the new 5, I realized that I was becoming complacent and that it was not as bright anymore. That is when I needed to work hard to reach the new 5."

Have you settled and are no longer reaching for 5's

As the new week begins and you head out into the world, look at your 3's and 4's.  Were they once 5's and you need to set new, higher goals.  Never let one summit keep you from achieving even greater heights.

By Brett M. Judd LMSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Monday Mindset - it is only as rough as you make it out to be.

Sorry for the late post.  It has been a whirlwind day.  Keys to the office left home and I'm standing on the porch as a client shows up.  Then I get a text and find out that I had ignored that little voice, you know the one, and I had not asked my son to leave the key to the car my wife needed this morning.  As my second morning client is coming in I am rushing out to get my son to school since I have the only keys.  And, as if that was not enough, a critical piece of equipment is in a town north of us in our second office and as I am rushing down the interstate there is this shudder, a stall, a very loud and jolting breaking of something, and I am on the shoulder.  Turns out the front drive in the All Wheel Drive Van had decided to end its life. 

Here is where the Monday lesson comes in.  This is the 4th one of these I will have replaced in this van in 5 years.  The van is getting on in years, but it still runs and I do not believe in getting an auto loan just because.  The cost to repair and to insure is less on this serviceable vehicle than to by a newer one.  But that is not the message.  Here it is.  You see, I could have gotten upset and been all bent out of shape by this.  I could have counted the dollars, the hours, the lost trip and the missing equipment and had a real come-apart right there, but why?  What would it have profited me?  

That question, What will it profit me is a powerful life mantra that can alter your very course of prosperity.  When asked in regards to every emotion and relationship or interaction, "What will it profit me? becomes a behavior changing phrase.  And profits no one and focusing on the lack only moves you to the lack.  What would it have profited me to have a fit there on the side of the road or stew on it as I limped it all home?  Nothing.

By staying focused and channeling the positive flow of energy allowed to us all, I stayed calm, realized that since I had changed this 3 times previously, I know the procedure well (I also still do some of the mechanic work, because I can) and saw that as it turned out i was stopped directly across from an emergency vehicle turnaround in the interstate median.  I know, "Emergency vehicles only". Well, I was in a vehicle and this was an emergency.  The traffic on the interstate broke and I was able to cross over to the southbound lanes.  Going 15 miles per hour, i made the 20 mile trip to my home, parked the van and then realized that the key to the only vehicle at the house was now with my wife, at the office.

Well, there is always an adventure when you let life be one.  Never let your focus be on the lack.  No one wants to be there.

By Brett M. Judd LMSW Follow him at Google + at Google

Steadytide's Top 5 LinkedIn Tips - Become a LinkedIn Master

We always hear about Facebook and Twitter, but what about LinkedIn? LinkedIn is where the real party is, especially for B2B companies and executives. So, what’s the one thing that separates LinkedIn from the rest? It’s the mindset that people have when they login to LinkedIn. Both Twitter and Facebook are more for entertainment and fun, while LinkedIn was made by and for professionals looking to expand their networks.

When a person logs in to LinkedIn they expect to see professional updates, industry news, and thought leadership, rather than pictures of adorable puppies and silly business memes. Regardless of how much we love seeing cute puppies, they are not going to sell your professional services.

Because LinkedIn serves as such a valuable resource for professionals everywhere, we wanted to share a couple of tips that we have learned to help you in your LinkedIn endeavors.

1. Make your profile shine. Your LinkedIn profile is your online business card. Complete your profile, and don’t leave anything out that you think is going to differentiate yourself. You know that little meter up at the top letting you know how complete your profile is? Well, you want it to be at 100%. This is who you are on the web, and your LinkedIn page usually pops up within the top 5 search results when Googled.

2. Connect, connect, connect. Many people will say to only connect with those that you know. We disagree. Connect with everyone! This is what LinkedIn is all about, networking. Connect with those that you know, and those you want to know. Of course, do not go in for the sell right away. Instead, make new friends, help others connect, and accept invitations to connect from those you don’t know. You never know what opportunities may come when you treat LinkedIn as an online, real-time networking event.

3. Be personable and resourceful. There are over 200 million LinkedIn profiles, and many of them are pretty boring to go through. Think about your updates, discussions, and descriptions of what you do. If you can make that interesting, your value as a connection and potential opportunity increases exponentially. Stick a great story in there, something that people enjoy reading rather than just a run of the mill resume.

4. Join Industry specific groups. LinkedIn groups are an amazing opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader and expert in your field. Chiming in on discussions, as well as sharing your blog posts, interesting articles, and asking the group questions encourages others to interact and engage with you. More often than not, if you have something interesting and valuable to say, people will end up checking out your profile.  LinkedIn groups can be a great place to generate leads as well as position you and your company as a leader in your field.

5. Endorse others! Recommend and endorse those that you know and people that you know have certain skills. Just like a letter of recommendation can be a very powerful thing, so can a LinkedIn recommendation or endorsement. This also gets people who may not have noticed before, to notice who you are. Believe me, most of the time they will return the favor. You will also give a positive first impression, and we all know how important that is, as you never get a second chance.

LinkedIn is a very powerful social network, and we often recommend that if you only have time for one social network, LinkedIn is key. So, start today by making your profile shine and taking advantage of the many features that LinkedIn has to offer.

Stay tuned for another blog post all about LinkedIn Company pages! 

Brett Judd, who saw the need to make running a small to mid-sized business easier and more efficient, founded StreadyTIDe after being tired of the incomplete and over priced CRM and marketing options in the marketplace. SteadyTIDE’s mission is to resolve the challenges of managing business operations by providing cloud-based integrated software that is effective, affordable, and user friendly. SteadyTIDE streamlines key operations, including e-commerce, accounting, CRM, email marketing, mobile marketing, calendaring, websites, social media and more into one easy-to-use platform. By using SteadyTIDE, companies can reduce their marketing and CRM software expenses by an estimated 80%. SteadyTIDE’s affordable pricing plans start as low as $99/month. Visit www.SteadYTIDE.com for more information.

By Brett M. Judd LMSW Follow him at Google + at Google

There Will Be Calls - Always!!

You have to follow up, and you must make the call.

This is the very reason that I am driving the car in the picture and not the one I test drove 4 months prior.  You see, I never got a call back.  Here's the story,

In August of 2012 I was ready to get back into the sports car world.  It had been ages since my wife and I sold our last Fiat 1800 Spider.  There came a point when a 2+2 sports car with a roll bar taking up the majority of the back seat was just unrealistic with one car seat already and another about to be added.  Fast forward 20 years and the time was right for a renewed investment into the fantastic world of two seater sports cars.  I was finally having to transport only one child to school, and the majority of the time it was only me.  The van and the Lincoln were just too much. And really a VAN?  Needless to say,I had been bitten. I was wasting time on the internet classifieds, and looking at spect sheets.  As the time went by, I was quickly experiencing what Napolean Hill taught, I was moving toward that which I think about most.  

In 1996, when the BMW Z3 was introduced as the new James Bond car, I fell in love.  The smooth lines, the classic look, and a 2.8 litre engine in a less than 2000lb car is amazing. So really, there was no option. I started looking in the online classifieds and I new my price.  Then there it was.  A racing green, tan top, 2.8 litre, Z3 right on a lot here in my town.  I took it for a test drive.  Oh that was amazing.  The acceleration, the handling on a mountain road I looped and all without the salesman since he let me take the car alone.  When I rolled back into the lot, I was ready to buy.  In my mind I was finding the money in any pocket I could.  I could not believe how amazing the feeling was to have the top down, the stereo up, and the looks.  There really is something about it when the driver of the car next to you turns and looks at you with that "Oh, WOW!" look.  I wanted that everyday.  I needed that shaped leather bucket seat and the responsive transmission, not to mention that hidden little button that lights up the engine and transmission into a performance mode that I hope my kids never find.  

So why is my car silver and not green?  Simple.  The salesman never called me back.  I stopped in 2 times.  I gave him my card with private phone number and email.  I wanted him to check on a noise I heard.  HE NEVER CALLED ME BACK!  I got tired of waiting. The car sat there.  I am sure the price dwindled as the months went on, but I was not the destined owner.  Instead, I continued to watch the regional classifieds and then it happened.  This silver 2.8 for half as much as the one I test drove was posted a day before. In less then 2 hours I was picking up my son at high school and we were on our way.  Three hours later, he was negotiating to be the one to drive it home.   

By Brett M. Judd   SteadyTIDE Marketing and Success Coaching

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P.S.  Did you get your Copy of my book 5 Success Strategies to Increase Profits by 25% in Just one Week ?  This simple 5 day plan will teach you everything you need to close the holes in your buseiness that are costing you money.  Get it free dy completing this form below.  It will be delivered to you email.

Are You Attracting All You Can?

I have been listening to a lot on attraction and Mindset lately and I came to a realization the other day picking pears. Vision, dream, thought are all good, but not without action.

Napoleon Hill's great quote from Think and Grow Rich has a very compelling secret in it often overlooked by readers of the book or folks wanting to believe in the Law of Attraction.  Hill states, "We move toward, and become like that which we think about most."  How profound and true these words are but yet how misunderstood by many who want to achieve greatness.

The though came as I was working Saturday in the orchard.  I have often referred to our orchard for points of motivation and change, but this was a time of clarity unlike others.  While I was picking the 4-5 bushels of pears from our two tress, I realized that in the spring when I pruned those tress, and all summer as I watered I was actively participating in the Law of Attraction and manifesting my harvest.  Every time I went out to the orchard and I looked at the blossoms and I pulled out dead or sick branches i was manifesting the outcome of the harvest.  I was moving toward the outcome I wanted most - a nice crop to store away and feed my family.  What I realized is that while I had envisioned as nice crop and I had put out my desire and intention into the universe in the Spring by pruning the trees, I also set in motion through my action a series of outcomes that never would have happened if I had only looked at the orchard and waited for the harvest.

What I learned about this universal law is that no amount of attraction would happen if all I do is vision and dream.  Even if nature had produced a nice pear crop, those pears were not going to pick and bottle themselves.  They had to have action taken on them to manifest the full outcome.

I believe that to fully realize the Law of Attraction we must do as Hill states and that is MOVE.  We MOVE toward.  We BECOME.  These are powerful action and change words.  In order to fully move and become I must also release and leave.  To fully attract the greatness that we seek, we must drop all past belief and fear that is contrary to our desire.  We must move toward the type of person we wish to become.  If there is any questioning, any doubt, then there will not be the ability to fully manifest.  If there are chains binding to a past belief or fear, we can not move.  These must be released and sometimes relationships severed that are holding us back from achieving our full potential.

So, as you start your new week, I challenge you.  What have you attracted to yourself, and what do you really want?  If you truly desire that thing, than what have you let go of to achieve it.  What have you sacrificed that will now free you to attract the thing you most desire?  Have a great week and may it bring you the success and mastery you most desire.

Redefining CRM: Traditional vs. Complete

CRM is such an overplayed word these days, yet so many people still do not understand what it actually is. CRM is more than just an online Rolodex. It is more than a place to organize and manage your contacts. It is a place to develop and build relationships with both existing and potential clients/ customers.

The relationship between a brand and its customers is a two-way street, and since customers are savvier than ever, they often control the flow of traffic. The buying landscape has evolved so much over the past 20 years that the rules that once applied no longer exist. Leads enter into our sales funnel from a multitude of different directions. There are countless ways they engage with your brand making, and it’s harder than ever to keep up. This is one of the BIG reasons why traditional CRM is presently incomplete, and ultimately ineffective at accomplishing what it was meant to do when initially implemented.

This is more complicated than a situation where you’re just looking at ‘this software over that software’. It is more about the underlying culture of your company. As consumer behaviors change, doesn’t your company need to evolve as well? We live in an ever-changing world, where in order to compete, you’ve got to shape-up or ship-out.

Just like our highways and power lines have increasingly become connected to one another, so does our information. If you want to drive across the country, there are highways that will take you there. The same goes for what we refer to as the“Network Economy.” Much like the Industrial Revolution, we are in an Information Revolution that is changing the nature of business and its structure as a whole.

Information is now shared so freely and inexpensively on such a universal scale that the days of centralized bureaucracy and the pyramid structure of control and power are gone. Technology moves quickly and this sudden transition shocks and even scares some people, as the need for change is now.

So, what does this mean for businesses and how they are structured? According to a theory prepared by Joseph and Jimmie Boyett, in ‘The Guru Guide to the Knowledge Economy’, an interactive or open network is far more beneficial than a closed or compartmentalized system, because value stems from connectivity. As the lines between your brand the consumer blur, the more information you share the more powerful you become vs. keeping the information in alienated, disjointed nodes.

This is where the idea of a ‘complete’ CRM comes into play. Traditionally, CRM tracks your activities and workflows associated with each contact. This, however, is only a single part of your relationship. Just like dating, you want to know more than just what you guys do together, and what you talk about. You want to know what they enjoy doing outside of when you two are together. Did they go for a hike? Perhaps, they participated in an event that you would like to know more about.

A ‘complete’ CRM allows you to track more than just your phone calls, emails, and meetings. It enables the business to see what website pages they visited, what webinars they attended, the emails they opened, and links they clicked on. You can view if they had any issues and submitted a support ticket or inquiry in another department. All of this information and more makes you a pretty informed business, doesn’t it? Won’t that lead or customer appreciate the fact you know and, most importantly, understand what they are going through or interested in? I think so.

It is great to have the software, and the software definitely facilitates this type of open communication; however, it is crucial to note that this belief must be embedded into your culture. Software alone cannot completely change the way you do business.

When a business adopts a networked structure, they become more informed, closer to their customers, and therefore provide more value and an overall better customer experience. A better customer experience = loyal customers = more revenue. It’s a win-win, as we see it.

Brett Judd, who saw the need to make running a small to mid-sized business easier and more efficient, founded StreadyTIDe after being tired of the incomplete and over priced CRM and marketing options in the marketplace. SteadyTIDE’s mission is to resolve the challenges of managing business operations by providing cloud-based integrated software that is effective, affordable, and user friendly. SteadyTIDE streamlines key operations, including e-commerce, accounting, CRM, email marketing, mobile marketing, calendaring, websites, social media and more into one easy-to-use platform. By using SteadyTIDE, companies can reduce their marketing and CRM software expenses by an estimated 80%. SteadyTIDE’s affordable pricing plans start as low as $99/month. Visit www.SteadYTIDE.com for more information.

I heard back from my post yesterday about making an extra $3000 a month, every month.  The first was "but my business is different. I do not sell tacos".  "I'm a Dr., I'm a counselor, I'm a .... " I get it.  Your special, but your customers and clients are no different than any other business.  As business owners we all need to get people in the door. We must get them to give us their money, and we must get them to do it again and again.

So who can use the $3000 monthly increase in their income?  All of us in business.  And here is a really simple way to adjust the model to your customers.

I have several friends who are "in business" for themselves.  I will discuss a few of these.

1.  Pool and spa supply service.  I have a hot tub.  I love it, but I hate maintaining it.  I forget it.  If this business were to offer me a $20-30 a month hot tub maintenance program I would likely take it.  They could come to the house for a just a few minutes a month, check my chemical levels, adjust as needed and leave.  If I need chemicals, they let me know and I buy the needed chemicals from their online store.  They bring it the next time they come to check my spa.  The real benefit to me is that I can now use my tub without having to worry, and I know that the professionals will keep it where it needs to be.

2.  Another friend does an amazing job installing and finishing hard wood floors.  He did an amazing job on my office floor. I noticed a few days ago that the floor is looking used.  It does not have that incredible shine that it did when he finished it.  Under the area where my chair is, it looks like maybe it could use a new coat of shiny stuff he applied.  That is the technical term for the non technical.  So what if my friend were to offer a $25-30 a month floor maintenance package.  I could have him (or a worker) come in and spend a few minutes each month touching up the areas of heavy use.  These areas would never look dull, and I would not have to think about it.  This simple up-sale at the time of resurfacing or install would guarantee a residual income and a regular supply of referral as people gaze at the shining floors in all of his customers homes.

 3.  Lastly, I have a friend who is a massage therapist.  He is amazing.  I would love to have him in my office, but he has his own.  So, what if he were to offer a $30-40 45 minute massage a month or even a weekly package at a prepay, automatically debited cycle.  I buy 1 a month or 1 a week depending on my budget and desire.  He knows that he is booked for the month with those pre sold appointments and I have to remember to go in.  For a simple $30 a month commitment, I know that he is going to reserve a space for me, and I can benefit from the relaxation and health benefits of massage every month.  Throw in referral bonuses and special offers to any of these and you just established a steady and regular stream of income that is predictable, growable, and constant.  

I encourage you to look at your business.  We all have a service or product that we can automate and build this simple service.  How would your business benefit from such a system? I can only guess that it is an increase of better than 25% for many. Imaging what an extra $40,000 at the end of the year would do to Christmas at your home.

Until June 1, we have set the subscription rate to www.SteadyTIDE.com very low and we have made it incredibly accessible for any business.  Too low really.  But I want to see my friends succeed. To get a system that will do everything that I have shown here would less than $50 a month depending on your list size.  Is there a marketing or advertizing platform you use now that can automatically turn a $3000+ profit for your business for as little as $50 a month.  Not likely.  Not only is this affordable, but your customers will thank you for the convenience and ease of getting their needs met.

Go to www.SteadyTIDE.com/success and get a special bonus.  But act quickly as that site will be coming down on June 1.  

Dedicated to maximizing your success,

Brett

What would an extra $3000 boost do to your business each month?  For some it is the difference between staying open or closing.  And the reality is that most businesses are leaving it sitting in the pockets of customers who would gladly hand it over.

With the automated systems of SteadyTIDE.com, such a boost in income is not only possible, but automatic.  Want to know how?

Look at your customer base.  How many of your regular customers do you see at least 1 time a week, maybe more?  Now consider how many more would come in if they had an incentive.  And is what I am discussing.  An incentive and rewards program that encourages participation and guarantees you a boost in you top line income every month - BEFORE you ever deliver your product.

I was in a  friends restaurant  yesterday, and I realized that if you added up the visits either me or my wife makes to his store, we likely average 3 visits a month.  He is a perfect candidate for a rewards system that would guarantee he had my money and I came in.  Likely with a friend.

Here is how you can create this boost in your business next month.

In the www.SteadyTIDE.com store the business owner creates a monthly purchasing club.  For my friend, he would make a lunch a week club.  Sell it for just under the cost of four lunches from the menu.  Maybe 10%.  In this case, the most expensive small combo is around $7.  To increase to a large combo would be extra.  He charges me $25 a month for the prepaid meal plan, and I get one of those lunches, up to a certain value, each week.  So he gets $25 of my dollars on the first of every month and I get an I.O.U. that I can redeem if i remember to go in.  The automated email system can send me reminders, but it is up to me to cash in. But, he really wants me to come in.  

It is also not likely that I will dine alone everytime, so my friend can assume that there will likely be a 25% increase when I come in with a friend.  My friends meal, my upsizing to a large drink, etc.  Now if he were to add random email specials like a free upsizing, or 2:00p.m. half price tacos to clear out the end of lunch, fill the space in the dead afternoon, and bump the income in the afternoon when everyone is tired and hungry, and the $3000 goes up. Not only does it go up, but it goes up predictably. Add a birthday freebie bonus and you have just automated yourself into regular and predictable income.  In both of these special offers you will sale a drink at least if not a whole meal to the friends that come in as well.

The real beauty of this system www.SteadyTIDE.com is that the entire thing is run automatically from one single platform.  Once the system is built, you never have to think about it again except to add a special coupon here and there to boost profits.  All of the income is coming from regular loyal customers who want to give you their money anyway.  You are just making it easier.  So why $3000?

If you have just 100-150 regular customers commit to give you the $25 at the first of each month that is a minimum of $2500.  Then there are the upsales and the friends.  Add that to the pre paid plan and you are now well over the $3000.  When you then add the special offers and surprise coupons you just tipped the scale to close to $5000 if those same 100 customer came back for a meal on the coupon.  It did not cost you anything but the subscription rate of www.SteadyTIDE.com and for a list as small as 150 customers the monthly rate is less than $50. Where will you be able to get $5000 in guaranteed sales in an automated system for less than $50 a month?

To get started with SteadyTIDE go to www.SteadyTIDE.com/succwww.SteadyTIDE.com/success and get in for 15% off the regular prices to start out.  

15% off the automated system and a $3000-5000 boost in your monthly revenue.  What a steal.  

Social "NOT"working, are you serious?  Yes, I am serious. As serious as those insane chocolate eclairs popping up on everyone's walls, or as the various memes about Obama and Hitler being the same person.  If your time at "work" includes cruising social media with your marketing message at the ready, searching for opportunities to strike, you are likely NOT working instead of NET working. In the words of Marketing and Sales guru Brian Tracy - "is what your doing RIGHT NOW, making you money?" If not, your NOT working instead of NET working.

I subscribe to and follow A LOT of social media bloggers and entrepreneurs for 2 reasons.

1. I like what they provide

2. I like to learn from what they are doing.

And in reading their posts, one thing stands out very clear to me: there are those who are selling and those who are not.  Many have a clear and distinct message. "I am here to give you usable information in the expectation that you will buy the rest of my product."  The others also are clearly there to spread their message, but they are missing 3 distinct components that could help them utilize Social Media to it's fullest.

1. Does the message you post make the reader ask "WHY?" and "HOW?" with such urgency that they search the page to find where to click for the offer?

2. Is there an offer? (Yes, there must be an offer. Because if you are not asking for money, you are not really doing business.  Ultimatley, social media marketers are in it for the same thing: we must pay the bills, and when possible, go on vacation!)

3. Is your message crafted such that it is hitting the right reader? I have seen Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN posts that are all exactly the same, and I have been folly to doing this myself. The truth is your message must be crafted in such a way that it reaches the reader.  The message that arrests the attention of the professional on LinkedIN likely is different than message that will appeal to a casual Facebook reader, so you MUSR CRAFT YOUR MESSAGE TO EACH SPECIFIC READER. 

One of the great things about SteadyTIDE.com is that you are able to easily craft a message and post it to all of your social networks without ever leaving the SteadyTIDE environment.  Not only post, but get real useable analytics of the effectiveness of your message.  Google and Facebook do not offer the same tracking. 

In the end, all messages must deliver a clear call to action and a request for something in return for the the informatiopn you provide. Below is your opportunity.  If you haven't yet taken my offer for a copy of the Success Strategies work book, here's your chance!  And if you get it now, you will receive a link to 15% off SteadyTIDE.com for 3 months.  Not bad. A free resource to increase business todday, plus a time-limited chance to take 15% off the current (and very low) rates to get the most powerful business application available! The 15% ends the end of this month and all rates will rise June 1, 2013. Don't wait.

P.S. Beginning June 2013, Brett will start his SteadyTIDE Marketing Strategies Webinar series for subscribers of SteadyTIDE.com. If you join now, at the-pre June pricing, you still receive all the benefits of the webinars and the "Load and Launch" marketing tools. 

P.P.S.  Did you know that we are so confident that you will see growth and success that it is even gauraneed.  We do not want you to risk. Try it. Use apply it.  You have 60 days to see results or we will pay you back. See the details at www.SteadyTIDE.com/gaurantee                                             

Have you ever heard that.  Me too.  I remeber working as a kid and thinking "I'll just take a little break, it's hot out." and then came the call from mom, grandma, or whomever happened to be in charge. Now, I can add to the statement "I get to work!!"  and I am excited for it.

Running my own business with my amazing business partner (and wife) has been a real challenge, and what I have found is that I spend more time doing the mundane, tedious tasks that don't bring in the money that my training and expertise can.  Accounting, note entry, feedback and follow up are all vital parts of a thriving business but as a mental health therapist and Licensed Master Social Worker, my real expertise is in buiding relationships, helping folks over come mental illness, writing about and working with families, and generally helping people thrive.  No one taught me about lead generation, conversion, and continuity in grad school.  I've had to gain an entirly new "masters" in marketing and business.  Talking with my sister who runs a salon in town, the same is true for her and other entrepreneurs I know.  At one point or another, the running of the business was taking them away from the ability to run the business that they wanted to do and are expert at.

SteadyTIDE.com is the answer that Gina and I were searching for and I believe it is the answer Gina was lead to for us, and for you as well.  Finally we have all the neccessary systems in place to make running the business a breeze and we are able to get back to what we know best.  SteadyTIDE.com has allowed us to establish several automated communication systems and lead capture/conversion mechanisms that take the headache out of runnin the business.  And it is now allowing me to assist other entreprenuers to thrive in their own market and enjoy working again.

Because it is all managed from one unified system, my client data is more secure and their privacy is protected.  Having one system for accounting, another for email, and yet another for marketing and mailing left us open and vulnerable.  Now, I can easily control the activity and the data in my network and control access as needed for those helpinng run the business.  We have implemented the strategies disccussed in my Success Strategies workbook and that has made a huge impact.  I'm giving it free here www.steadytide.com/success  Those who download the report are also given a bonus code for a great deal on a SteadyTIDE/com membership.

This morning, I found myself tired from a late night, but also saying to myself "I GET to go to work!"  We have clients coming and a waiting list, I am doing what I love the most, and the system is quietly working in the background as a personal assistant.  To hear more about SteadyTIDE.com you can call 208-881-5131. The recorded message explores more of the features and there is no obligation to speak to anyone.

SteadtyTIDE.com has not only been a great resouce for us, but it is beginning to turn the businesses around for many in our circle of contacts.  Isn't it time you took advantage of the power a unified integrated business management and marketing vehicle can provide.  There has never been a more demanding time to run a business and you need every advantage you can have to enjoy it.  Learn more or just say "I'm ReadyTo Get Back To Work (doing what I love)" at SteadyTIDE.com . Early adoptors of the sytem will be getting special pricing that ends June one.  You will get all the same benefits but at a better price.  Do not delay as this is a great opportunity to participate in the monthly success strategies webinars and the monthly "Load and Launch" marketing email package that will give you a ready to customize to your business and send out to your market and see the profits come in. Get SteadyTIDE now and beat the competition to the mark.

P.S. Don't forget there is a 60 day money back gaurantee.  See www.steadyTIDE.com/gaurantee for details.

P.P.S. That bonus I mentioned.  15% off your first 3 months with the code included in the Success Strategies workbook.

Helping you enjoy your work with a SteadyTIDE of customers and profits.

Brett

If you are not getting rejected in your marketing, you are not trying hard enough.

Success in business is more often the ability to overcome our own fear that we will be rejected.  Most often, leads and customers are not rejecting US, they are rejecting the message or the product.  It is imperative that message and self are separated if you want to succeed in business and marketing.  

In a good marketing campaign you are going to make some angry that you bothered them, others annoyed but curious, and fewer interested in your message.  A well crafted campaign is going to entice more than it annoys but none are going to draw 100% response.  Even a 25% response would be incredible.  So the notion of being safe or cautious in your message is really only a buffer to your own fear of rejection.

1. Get a message that speaks directly to your target market,

2. Be, sure you are aware of the target market.  Who are you trying to get to come in?

3. Be interesting.  The "noise" of marketing and message is so loud that you must somehow break through it.

4. Be consistent.  We often refer to one off, inconsistent marketing as "stab and Grab".  Just sticking it out there and hoping to get something.

Good marketing is like fly fishing not chumming.

Anyone who has ever fly fished will understand that success comes from using the right fly, in the right water,s and for the right fish.  Just like our marketing messages, we must have the right message, to the right target audience.  If I was unconcerned about what i caught, I could easily put any old bait on a hook and hope for the best.  In effective and cost efficient marketing, you want to be sure that your fishing in the right waters with the right fly.  Even with the best fly, I have been skunked.  Just meant the fish did not want what I was offering THAT DAY.  

Just because our message was unheard on the first stab, does not mean it was unheard.

I'll explain. I was fly fishing in a beautiful clear mountain lake many years ago and had an old and wise trout teasing my fly.  That fish would follow the bait to within feet of me before it flicked away and disappeared.  The old fish had seen many a fly and fisherman and was interested but leery.  If my message was not enticing enough, it would not have bothered to rise out of it's hole and follow.  I just needed to persevere and continue to shift my message.  After numerous casts and repeated changing of my fly, I finally landed that fish.  If that had been a business prospect, it would have been a very successful landing and to get a lead to convert to customer takes the same amount of work as that fish did.  

At SteadyTIDE.com we offer the most comprehensive platform of message delivery and lead capture available in the CRM market.

Combining all of the following makes getting your message out easier and more efficient than ever before.  

- Direct mail

- Email

- Websites and landing pages

- Opt-in Forms

- Drip campaigns

- Tracking lines for telephone messages

- CRM reports and COMPLETE tracking of all responses

Having all of these in one easy to use location makes conversion automation easier than ever thought.  

For a 3 month 15% off start up bonus complete the form below for the code before April 1, 2013.  

I just received an email seeking my participation in a survey.  It was from the company that did the training Gina and I attended last week.  They are deeply embedded with a CRM company that does not supply them with integrated surveys in the CRM/email marketing.  I can only speculate at the subscription cost of the survey tool AND the CRM.  Had they been using SteadyTIDE.com they would have had a fully integrated survey tool embedded into the email I received, and I would not have had to leave my7 email.  It would have saved then considerable money, and the analytics of the survey, plus my email engagement would have been recorded.

Being the bigger brother does not always mean you are the smartest and the most complete.  Maybe it just means you were first.   SteadyTIDE.com provides complete business management and marketing.  Want to try it for free?  Send us a request in the "Help Me" box on the main page. Learn more about survey's here, http://www.steadytide.com/Surveys.html

One question that I have repeatedly been asked as I have worked to get SteadyTIDE ready to go is "who is it for"?

The easy answer is, ANY BUSINESS that wants to integrate all of the components of running a business in the modern world. But more specifically...

SteadyTIDE is for the business owner that understands the value of one on one personal attention and connection with their clients and understands that only through timely targeted messages can a relationship be developed.

One thing I learned quickly when we started our counseling office, and especially once we added the neuro-balancing service, is that NO ONE WANTS OUR PRODUCTS!!  That was a hard thing to learn, but the faster I learned it the faster we began to see growth.  Our clients are not interested in receiving counseling or the most advanced form of brain wave balancing neuro-feedback there is.  They could care less if Gina practiced the most validated form of couples counseling, or that I had spent six years teaching relationship and parenting as a University Faculty member.  What mattered most and continues to matter in the success of that business is the relationship.  Before they were ever going to open their wallet to our services, they had to know us. Whether through the web page, blogging, seminars and open houses the fact remained that our clients came to us once they gained a relationship with us or were referred because of the relationship we had made with someone else.

What I then began to realize about developing a steady tide of clients and profits, was that I had to have a way to nurture that relationship before during and after the sale.  Yeah, I also had to realize that even as a social worker, I was in sales.  The moment I asked for money in trade for my product - me - I had entered the noble world of a salesman.  Not something they taught in grad school.

So SteadyTIDE was created as a way to nurture and further the relationships I was spending countless hours trying to develop.  I had lost numerous leads after a sales seminar because I did not have an effective way of capturing those attendees and following up with their needs once I went back to the regular work. So there is an integrated events planning/registration/notification system built in that captures attendees information, supplies the attendee with information and materials before the event, and a drip message system that  feeds them with more information nurturing the relationship after the event.  The event planning system also allows for the taking of payments for paid events.  This was vital since I often do training events requiring the payment of fees for attendance.  Now I do not have to be a collector and presenter, I can focus on my message and the development of the relationship.

I also found that I had to have a system that allowed me to know who was reading my emails, who was going to the website, and what products were the most desired.  SteadyTIDE has a tracking and analytics systems to integrates email, web, survey, and eCommerce so that I know who is viewing what, when, and with what platform.  Knowing these things allows me to tailor my message and my media to fit the viewing/reading time of my prospects and format it to fit their device.  I can even reward repeated viewers for their interaction with instant emails containing coupons, or a redirect to a web page offering them a special offer for being a loyal follower.  

Giving your customers the ability to give feedback is also a vital component of the relationship development process.  Leads and customers need to feel that they are part of the process and not just their to pay you.  Building and distributing surveys is an easy way to let customers tell you what they want, how your doing, and what they experienced.  Surveys can be a vital information gathering process to guide your work and what you offer.  

Having all of these systems integrated into one application and having them all communicate with each other has been the greatest asset I could have ever hoped for.  We had tried merging survey systems, email marketing and lead capture apps, and analytics, but combining the several systems was 1. expensive, 2. cumbersome, and 3. just did not work.  Now I can work from one location and one application and distribute my message and get immediate feedback regarding the success and conversion of my message.

In building the SteadyTIDE platform, I decided to offer a simple deal.  You try it for two months.  Apply ALL the features and actively integrate the system into your business.  IF, and I do stress the if, you have not seen a growth in your bottom line in savings from unneeded external services or in just the simple growth that the systems will provide, I will pay you back you 2 months subscription rate.  Simple. When we dropped the subscription for surveys, email marketing, and pulled our web hosting into this one location, we saved over $150 A MONTH.  We also saw a surge in our December 2012 profits by $3000 just from a couple of the systems SteadyTIDE offers and the marketing "Load and Launch" strategies.  I am confident that even if the profit margian is not there that the convenience and ease of running a business from one central application will mare than make up for it.

Give it a try.  Go to SteadyTIDE.com and click any of the Join Now links.  You really have nothing to lose but extra bills and stress over running your business. 

In the hunt for marketing knowledge, I continually heard about "The Funnel".  What I did not hear was frustration and headache trying to figure out how to get interest into the funnel.  Then I discovered the article below and realized that the heart to good CRM and client attraction was nothing more than I had taught for years as a Professor of Social work.  The true wealth attraction is in the relationship you build with the prospect and how they feel like you want more from them than their money and that you will give them more in return than just your "product."  In the development of a new young Social Worker the same applies.  They are eager and want to conquer the world, but do not have the skills yet to develop the trusting lasting relationship that will allow a client to bare their soul to them.  That is really what we do in business.  

The reason that I developed SteadyTIDE Marketing and integrated it with the powerful business operating software at ASteadyTIDE.com is to empower growth minded businesses and consultants the ability to thrive through relationship development.  If you have not explored the benefits and features of SteadyTIDE.com I encourage you to do so so that you can easily apply the principles in the article below and finally see the growth that you desire in your own business.

Brett

The funnel is dead. The new consumer decision journey

David Edelman

Here is a graphic I use all the time to describe the consumer decision journey (CDJ). I like to say that the funnel is dead, because it’s outdated. Today’s consumer takes a much more complex iterative path thru and beyond purchase. The classic funnel shows an ever-narrowing array of decisions and choices until purchase, when in fact the channel-surfing customer today often is expanding the set of choices and decisions after consideration. Just as importantly, treats the post-purchase process with the same level of importance as the pre-purchase journey.

It’s a pretty simple concept really but clients like it because this visual highlights and isolates the most important aspects of the journey.

1. Consider: What brands/products do consumers have in mind as they contemplate a purchase?
2. Evaluate: Consumers gather information to narrow their choices.
3. Buy: Consumers decide on a brand and buy it.
4. Post-purchase: Consumers reflect on the buying experience, creating expectations/considerations that will inform a subsequent purchase
5. Advocate: Consumers tell others about the product or service they bought.

This visualization of the journey helps focus conversations on where to spend money, where the opportunities are, what sorts of people and processes you need to deliver on them, where you’re weak and your competitors strong. It’s incredible the conversations I’ve had where clients realize they’re over-spending in one stage of the journey or under-spending in another. The CDJ approach helps clarify the issues that are undermining your brand, or where your brand has an opportunity to grow. 

What part of the consumer decision journey is critical to your brand?

Go to SteadyTIDE.com/Who-Benefits and find out why your business needs the powerful tools of SteadyTIDE now more than ever.