Thursday 24 August 2017

Li Tip # 103 - It's not all about me!!!

A phone call came to me today asking me if I had decided to represent a new company. I was a little taken aback to say the least!

Why is it that people jump to conclusions so quickly?

I believe that marketing online is not all about me. Too many people can only think about themselves and getting business for themselves. They have a challenge getting their minds around perhaps thinking of helping someone else with their business.

If we are in business, we are in sales and marketing. If we want people to come to us for business, we need to be open to referring possible clients/customers to our competition on occasion.

If I cannot give my clients all the things they need, I refer them to someone I know who can provide that and do a great job for them.

So, as the Marketing Mentress, I help lots of other businesses market themselves and sell their products. I share the great messages that come through my home feed if I think that they are something that can help someone in my network.

It can be toothpaste or senior care products...whatever will help my fellow connections. If I cannot provide it, I will refer, or if it is someone I know, I will share their products or service with my network. After all, I have a fair sized network and am happy to help in any way I can.

I learned a long time ago that being online is not all about me and my own business.

The more people I can help get what they want, the more I will have come back to me in the long run. This principle has been proven time and time again through history. Every time customers were referred to the competition, the customers came back to the original company because they were so pleased that they were referred to someone who could help them.

As the Marketing Mentress, I help businesses in any way I can because it is not all about me.

How may I help you in some way, either myself or through my network?

For example, here is a company that is targeting the boomers with products and services that will save lives.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress


© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 24th, 2017






Wednesday 23 August 2017

LI Tip #102 - Why are you using LinkedIn anyway?

Do you have your profile set up and looking great, but have turned off the ability for people to send you an InMail or to call you for business?

Why have your profile on LinkedIn if you are not open to networking? DUH!

Here's the scoop:

People on LinkedIn are there to do business...everyone on LinkedIn is there to do business, whether they are looking for work or to find possible clients. It is the most professional platform on the internet, bar none!

My question to you is, why do you even have your profile set up on the platform if you are not allowing people to connect with you through messaging and a phone number?

When you have a store front, you don't lock your door, so customers cannot come in and ask you questions, do you? NO! You want to invite people to come into your store, so they can look around and if they need help with something, you want to be able to communicate with them.

All too often I see profiles that are set up and the only way you can reach out to them is to invite them to connect. But you do not want to invite people to connect with you if you do not know them in some way! All you need is for 5 people to say they don't know you and you will have your LinkedIn profile sent to "LinkedIn jail!" I know this because I have had clients not listen to me on this point, and sure enough, a few weeks later, their profile gets frozen...sent to LinkedIn jail.

It is important to make ourselves available for business, if we want business.

It is like inviting people to look at your business through the front window, and then locking your door, so they cannot get in.

Think about it. Do you want business, or don't you?

For a chance to learn how to get more business using LinkedIn, check out this webinar coming up soon.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress



© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 23th, 2017

Friday 18 August 2017

Are you feeling like you are ready to give up?

So you quit your job in order to work your own business did you?

The lure of owning your own business is huge and always looks rosy in the beginning. But what you saw your "boss" doing was only part of all the work he/she does. Plus, if there are employees in the business, that business has been around a while and the owner has learned to delegate to staff many of the things he/she once did.

You were probably one of the employees that facilitated this delegation.

When you start your own business, for the first while, you need to do EVERYTHING! I mean EVERYTHING! There is nobody to delegate to. You need a plan and to follow that plan every day no matter what. You need to do the hard things and the easy things. Remember that "when you do the hard things, your life will become easy; when you do the easy things, your life will become hard."

Many small business owners start their own business as a result of seeing their boss reaping the rewards of the employee's hard work. They get tired of putting fur coats on the back of the boss's wife, so to speak.

Then off the employee goes to start a business, not realizing that now they will not only do the work that they are good at, but they will also need to do the bookkeeping,  administration, shipping and handling, sales, etc.

Sound familiar?

Most small business owners start their business flying by the seat of their plans...no business or marketing plan. In fact, these small business owners probably don't even know that there is such a thing as a business plan necessary.

Back in the day when my Father was in business as a veterinarian, people could decide to start a business by just walking into the bank and asking for a loan. The bank would ask for collateral, the papers would be signed, and voila, the loan would magically appear!

Today, if you are looking for financial backing from a bank, you need a business plan, or you will not get very far.

With the Canadian statistics showing that 80% of businesses fail in the first two years of business, no wonder banks are being more cautious.

Also, if you want to be successful with your business, you need a plan to help keep you on track. It is pretty safe to say that without a plan, you doom your business to failure with certainty.

Oh! I might also add that once you acquire that business loan, it does not mean that you can do with the money what you will. You will have business expenses and you need to be able to cover your expenses for at least 6 months before you will start to turn any kind of a profit.
Owning your own business requires work.

Yes, your old boss looked like he/she spent much of their time on the golf course or at luncheon meetings. What you did not realize is that they were working building the relationships they needed and wanted for business. If they didn't have you, they would have had to be doing your job at the end of the day, after hours, or in the wee hours of the morning.

No matter what you do, work is required...consistent effort must be applied to your business for it to succeed.

By now, you might be thinking that you were an idiot for starting your own business, because you have never worked so hard in your entire life before. You have laid everything on the line, your house, your cottage at the lake and your family. You are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You want to quit.

Am I right? Or am I right?

Believe me, you are not alone. Hang in there and keep doing the hard things. Your life will become easier.

If you are looking for some guidance to help you get through and make your business a success, connect with Shauna Madsen.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress





How to be successful with your weight loss plan?

Did you invest in a weight management program hoping to find the secret sauce to an easy way of releasing those unwanted pounds you're carrying around?

With the obesity rate in Canada being at 36% of people over 18 years of age, over one third of the Canadian population is obese! Can you believe it?!

More Canadians than ever before are looking for the "secret sauce" to weight reduction and retention. They invest in a program with awesome products that they hope will help them achieve their goal. They think it will be easy and the weight will come off...bling! It is all in finding the right program right?

Think again!

No matter what weight loss program you use, it will not happen on its own. You need to put in the work in order for the plan to work.

The program probably has the best products in the world, but the products will not beat human nature. You need to stick to the plan. Once you embark on a weight management program of any kind, you need to make the decision that this is what you will do for the rest of your life.

There will be no turning back from this point.

Have you seen people get on a program and then a year later when you see them again, they have gained the weight back, plus some? What do you think when you see this result?

Right! You think the program is no good, because it didn't work...obviously! 
No! It was not the program that didn't work. It was the person who didn't work.

No matter what weight management program you choose, it takes hard work and dedication.

You cannot just take the products and expect to have huge results and stay there. You need to keep on the program, and that means that you need to exercise along with the program. If you want the results, you need to combine the eating program with exercise.

So get off the couch and out of your chair and start moving!

I am surprised at how many people purchase weight reduction plans and expect huge results. Rightly so! But they forget that it is a partnership that they are entering into.

When you embark on a weight management program, you are partnering with the plan as well as yourself. You are the key to making your program work.

You got yourself to where you are today. It is you that is going to get you out of that rut and on your way to great health and weight management.

To be successful, you've got to make a jump, a big jump into eating better and exercising 3-4 times a week minimum...and not just walking to the fridge and back.

Do you want to maintain that weight release? Then once you achieve your goal, you need to set new goals for yourself and your health. You need to keep exercising for the rest of your life.

There is no stopping once you achieve your success of weight reduction. That is where the real work begins. It is when the hard work begins because this is a commitment for the rest of your life.

Personally, I have been on my program since February 15th, 2017. I have achieved my weight release goal of 27.5 pounds and 44 inches. This has resulted in 275 pounds of pressure being released on my knees!

I have advanced Arthritis, so to release 275 pounds of pressure on my knees is 'humungus'! My knees have not felt this great since I was 30 years old!

My weight management program did not do it alone. I have had to work for it. Now that I have achieved my goal, the real work begins.

I will be on this weight management program of eating healthy and exercise for the rest of my life!

What about you? Are you ready to make the jump?


Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress





Wednesday 16 August 2017

How Can You Tell A Fake Profile Online?

Have you been accosted by strangers on your social media platforms?

Have you wondered why people seem to think that they can use the same old line with everyone?

Pretty much every day I have someone from the male gender reach out and ask me to connect with them. They use the same old line, "My wife died "X" number of years ago and left me with my one or two children. I am lonely and am looking for a good woman to be my friend." Or the like.

They always say that they are educated, either a doctor or military colonel. Then you read what they have to say as they describe their situation.

Have you noticed how they live in the UK or the USA?

I hate to drop it to you, but these are fake profiles and the owners of them live in Africa, usually Nigeria. I know because I caught one out, so to speak. He arranged a phone call and as soon as he answered, I could tell he had an African accent.

What was he thinking? Do these men think that women over here are daft?

You do not want to make them mad at you if you happen to get connected with one, because they will send you an obscene picture before you have a chance to block and report them.

Usually I am very careful not to connect with any men who have only women in their connection list, or very few men with mostly women connections. You can bet your boots every time that these are fake profiles.

These profiles are from men in Africa who are trying to get into Canada or the USA by way of marrying a woman from here. Or they are trying to get all your information so they can clean out your bank account and credit cards.

Notice their spelling and grammar.

When they say that they are a doctor, remember that doctors have to write a lot of term papers. They also have to write a master's thesis and a doctoral thesis. In order to do all that writing, they need to be good at it.

When I read something from someone who says they are a doctor or professional, I read what they write. If it is full of grammatical errors and spelling errors, I question their validity.
Their writing will give them away every time.

To find out more about "Sifting Through the Media Noise", click to book a complimentary discovery session.

Christine Till


The Marketing Mentress

© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 16th, 2017


Friday 11 August 2017

The One Key Thing that will Change Your Life Forever!

Do you have a dream that you are not able to realize yet?

Have you wondered why that is?

What is your dream? What is it that you want more than anything in life? Do you know what that is?

Have you started a business and now feel all awash wondering how to make it profitable? Or are you looking to start your own business and wonder what you should choose?

It all begins with a vision...a dream. Until you find that dream deep down in your heart that makes you want to cry, you will never be successful at anything you try. It is the dream that is the engine that runs your outcome of your business.

Did you have a dream and then let others steal it from you?

Sometimes the people that are the closest to you can steal your dream from you. They have good intentions for you, saying things like, "That's nice, but look at all the people who have failed at that." They are just trying to protect you from being hurt...or they don't want to see you succeed, because that would make them feel uncomfortable because they are not willing to do the same things you are doing in order to succeed.

Being successful does not take a lot of hard work. It only takes making a change in one thing that you do every day.

When you focus on this one thing, you will see massive improvements in every area of your life.

Making this one change will help you achieve your dreams and goals.

Do you wake up in the morning telling yourself, "Groan, here comes another day." Or do you wake up saying, "What exciting things are waiting for me today?"

Do you plan your day the night before?

When you add this one key thing to your daily routine, you will find fulfillment, joy, and success. You will be happy with yourself and what you do and how you do it. You will find that you love yourself and your family more. You will find that you have time for yourself and your family.

Do you know what that one thing is?

Focus on high-level tasks.

Get the hard things done first every day. If it is picking up the phone and making those calls to prospective clients or to follow up with clients, do it first. If it is writing that blog that has been hanging on your mind, do it first. If it is getting on your treadmill or going to the gym, get up and do it first.

Calendar it into your day the night before.

Have you got what it takes? Really!!!

Do the hard things first and you will find what it takes to succeed!

Take action and do it now!

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress




© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 6th, 2017




Li Tip # 101 - Why isn't it Working for You?

Did you wake up this morning with a smile on your face and a spring in your step?

Did you wake up this morning with a purpose? Do you know what your purpose is?

How do you find your purpose?

How do you know what your strengths are? How do you find your strengths?

How are you going to find what your strengths are when you hit the "snooze button" every morning?

How are you going to find your purpose when you hit the "snooze button" every morning?

What will it take to propel you from bed in the morning? You know, when the room is cold and the floor is cold and it is dark, what will it take to get you out of bed in the morning?

Are you going to get up with a smile on your face and an attitude of "Watch out world, here I come", or are you going to wake up with a frown on your face blaming everyone else for your lot in life?

What is your lot in life? Did you know that you choose what your lot in life is? It is by those small choices you make every day that you build your tomorrows. What do you want your tomorrow to be like?

You decide today what you want your tomorrows to be like and where you want to be in life. You decide what your future is going to be.

Nobody else cares what your life is like. They are too busy with their own lives. They will not take notice of you until you surpass them with your own purpose and they realize that you are different. You are not stuck in a rut doing the same thing every day, pressing that snooze button every morning.

Pressing that snooze button will kill your future. It will kill your ambition. It will kill your dreams!

Do you have a dream? Where do you see yourself in your lifetime?

If you are not pleased with where you are in life and life has got you down big time, you have to do something about it. Yes, only you can make the changes necessary to create a better outcome for your life.

Are you depressed about your life and wish you could'a, should'a, would'a? Well, stop wishing and get out of bed in the morning with a spring in your step and a smile on your face.

Set that alarm and when it goes off tomorrow morning, you shoot out of that bed like a rocket ship and start your day with a bang!

Nobody else will do it for you. You have to do it for yourself.

So you think LinkedIn isn't working for you. Have you really worked it yet? If it isn't working for you, perhaps you need to make some changes.

All you need to do is change one thing to make a huge difference in the results you get from LinkedIn.

Get out of bed tomorrow morning and decide to work your LinkedIn consistently every day for 15 minutes. Then watch what will change in your business.

If you want your business to grow, you have to make the change. Wishing you had clients from LinkedIn will never cut it. You need to apply consistent effort for it to work in your behalf.

So, are you working it? Are you working LinkedIn like a pro? If you are feeling lost, get a coach to help you make it work for you.

Remember that it is all up to you whether you make your life better or not. It is all up to you whether you will make LinkedIn work for you.

It is all up to you. Just get in and work it! Work it for all you're worth!

Work it!

Catch my next webinar here. Get yourself on track today!

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress



© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 6th, 2017



Li Tip #100 - What are the Limitations of the FREE Platform?

Are you still using the FREE version of the LinkedIn platform?

Do you wonder if you should make the jump to a paid platform?

For the first few years I was using LinkedIn, I determined to use only the FREE version of the platform. What I discovered was that I kept running into roadblocks while using it.

When I first started with LinkedIn, you could do so much with it that you really didn't need a paid platform. You could send up to 300 or 400 InMail to members of groups you were in. It was terrific!

Then over the years LinkedIn has started "pulling in the reins".

Here are some of the limitations I began experiencing, and many of my connections using the FREE platform are still experiencing.

1. You can only view 5-10 people who have viewed your profile. On a paid platform you can view many more, depending on the platform you are using.

2. You can only scroll down to a few of the messages you have received in your InMail box. You cannot scroll down forever to view all your InMail. However, to get around this, you can do a search by name and find the InMail you are looking for.

3. When you do searches, you can only view a few results from your search. On a paid platform, you can view up to 500 or more.

4. When viewing company pages, you cannot see all the staff that work for the companies on their LinkedIn Company Pages. You are cut off at about 10-20 people.

5. Everyone on a FREE platform gets 15 FREE InMail they can use to message people without being connected to them. The caveat is that you can only use these in the groups. Hence the secrets of the groups is one of the main things I teach my clients.

6. The Advanced search has less options for the search criteria on the FREE platform.
There are work-a-rounds for the FREE platform, but I found that I was spending inordinate amounts of time "working around" the limitations that I opted to get on a paid platform. The paid platforms make life so much easier.

Besides, we are all in business really to help as many people as we can, aren't we. The way I see it, I can help way more people on the paid platform than I can on the FREE one.

Let me know if you have found more limitations for LinkedIn usage. I will blog about them to let everyone know what to expect.

To catch one of my "LinkedIn Secrets" webinars, click here.

I look forward to meeting you on the platform.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress




© Copywrite by The Marketing Mentress & Christine Till August 6th, 2017