Are you embarrassed to ask for money?

I know that sounds silly. Why would a consultant be embarrassed to ask for money for their services or advice? Well, many people have this exact struggle. Sometimes it comes from friends asking for some advice over lunch and expect it to be free. Others may not feel they are too new to the field to ask for money or at least ask for very much. It is all about their self value. Learn some more tips on how to build your business and ask for what you are worth: Click Here!

clipped from www.howtostartconsulting.com All clients love free advice and they will take as much as they can from you. However, you must know when it is time to start the billing clock. It is important to establish these items when you bring a new client in. In most cases you must give some free time to show the client what you can do and what you bring to the table. That's OK, everyone wants to try things before they buy. However, don't be afraid that when you mention billing that you will scare the prospect away. If you do, then they were not serious about paying you in the first place! Don't be embarrassed to ask for money. Your client needs your knowledge and expertise. If you explained to them your costs and you are providing value, they will be happy to pay for the services!

How linked in on Linkedin are you?

Image via CrunchBase

There are some simple strategies that will help you build your linkedin list of contacts. I have used these ideas to get over 1000 contacts and 8 great recommendations. You can start doing them today as well:

clipped from thirstyfishinfo.amplify.com Amplify'd frompassivecashmentors.com Let’s Run a Test: Go to Google.com and run a search on your name. If you currently have a LinkedIn profile, it will show up on the 1st page. This demonstrates the ranking authority of LinkedIn on Google. There are 3 areas to add website links to your LinkedIn profile. Instead of displaying “My Blog” & “My Website”, click on edit and then click on “Other”.  Type in a keyword phrase that describes how people can search to find your business. It is also possible to import your Wordpress blog feed to your profile by searching for the Wordpress application. This is a fast and quick way for others to scan your blog content. #1 Import Your Email Contact List #2 Use Groups To Connect With People STARTING a group is a great way to have access to email your group as it grows. #3 Get Recommendations To Attract More Clients How can you obtain recommendations? The best way is to give recommendations to your peers and they will return the favor.

How to REALLY use LinkedIn
LinkedIn For DummiesI'm on LinkedIn--Now What??? (Second Edition): A Guide to Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn

Noble Goals

Do you have noble goals for your marketing efforts? If not, listen in as I share some of my thoughts on how you can start them today.




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Think with your body, not your head

Contrary to popular thought, thinking occurs below the neck as well as between the ears. For example, much of the nervous system is focused around the gut. Hence, our language about "gut reactions" or "gut instinct." This accounts for many peoples stomach ailments when upset or nervous. That may be why we often have "butterflies" in our stomach to describe out anxiety. Read more about embodied cognition and how you can use the wisdom of your body to be a new you!

Tweet us your thoughts @thirstyfishinfo and leave a comment...

clipped from westallen.typepad.com We think with more than just our minds: Conflict reaches clear down to our toes The cold shoulder. A heavy topic. A heroic white knight. We regularly use concrete, sensory-rich metaphors like these to express abstract ideas and complicated emotions. But a growing body of research is suggesting that these metaphors are more than just colorful literary devices — there may be an underlying neural basis that literally embodies these metaphors. Psychological scientists are giving us more insight into embodied cognition — the notion that the brain circuits responsible for abstract thinking are closely tied to those circuits that analyze and process sensory experiences— and its role in how we think and feel about our world. The authors take a look at several research studies on various effects of embodied cognition. The studies are not in the least boring. I invite you to read the article, and bet many of you will find the studies intriguing.

How Starbucks Does Social Media...

Who says social media can't be monetized and help you build a brand? If they do say this, they haven't checked out Starbucks recently...

clipped from thenextweb.com Starbucks has over 705,000 followers on twitter and over 5,428,000 fans on Facebook. You could say that they’re doing something right on the Web. What is it about Starbucks’s social media strategy that makes it so successful? 1) Starbucks on twitter - Starbucks engages with customers on twitter, answerING questions, retweets, what people are saying about the brand and creates an open communication channel to speak with the public. 2) Starbucks on Facebook – Starbucks uploads content to their Facebook page such as: Videos, blog posts, photos. The company also invites people to events. Fans have a place to open discussions and comment as many of them do. 4) My Starbucks Idea – Starbucks’ own version of a social network where customers are asked to share their ideas on anything related to Starbucks. 5) Starbucks Blog entitled “Ideas in Action” - This blog is written by various Starbucks employees and talks about what Starbucks is doing

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What kind of twitterer are you anyway? 6 Types...

Be honest and take a look at what best fits your twittering type. I would have to say I am at times the Brand and at times the Maven. Occasionally, I branch out into the Mensch...that's me. What about you? Twitter us @thirstyfishinfo or leave a comment.

clipped from www.openforum.com The Newbie. What am I doing?” The Newbie signed up for Twitter less than three months ago and thinks it’s all about lifestreaming: “Watching my cat roll over.” The Brand. “What can I get away with?” The Brand balances the tension between using Twitter as a marketing tool and socially engaging people The Smore. “What’s in it for me?” The Smore (social media whore) sees Twitter primarily as a self-promotion tool to get something from people The Bitch. “What can I complain about?” The Maven. “What’s interesting in my niche?” The Maven is an expert in a field such as recruiting, marketing, or web design. The Mensch. “How can I help?” Now comes the hard part: What kind of Twitter user are you? To make Twitter an effective tool, you need to be a Brand, Maven, or Mensch. To go even further, you need to be able to adopt the roles of Brand, Maven, Mensch, and a touch of the Smore, and that is truly an art. For all my Twitter tips in one place, go here.

How to use your blog to get a book deal

I have to confess: I haven't tried this method listed by Larry Brooks but it sounds practical. What gives you an edge over other hopeful authors? Perhaps a blog...with a following.

clipped from www.copyblogger.com First, let’s get one thing out of the way. A blog alone, no matter how popular, isn’t enough to score you a book contract. It’s not quite that simple. A book deal is made up of several moving parts First, any successful book proposal needs a credible, straight-line, value-promising connection to a hungry target audience. And because of that, you don’t need huge numbers to make it happen. What you do need is cachet within the niche you’ve defined. While teaching writing on the workshop circuit, I developed a proprietary story development model called The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling. My blog is about that well-defined niche, within the larger topic of writing. And without that angle, no matter how popular a blog I might build, there would be no book deal. Today, you need an “author platform” to successfully pitch a book to a publisher. What’s an author platform? It’s how you’ll be doing the promotion for your book. Nine times out of ten, it means your blog.

10 Tactics for Activists to Use Social Media

As someone who has always worked for nonprofits, this type of information excites me. Social media or "information into action" as the creators of the film call it, is ideal for nonprofit organizations. Read further by clicking on the links and download the tactic cards in pdf format.

clipped from beth.typepad.com Activists around the world are using social media tools to make change.  A new 50- minute documentary  film called "10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action" is a guide to how best to use take advantage of the power of these tools and avoid hidden dangers.  The site and film include inspiring info-activism stories from around the world, a set of cards with tool tips and advice.  The project comes from Tactical Technology, inspired their info-activism camp in India. incorporated tools like Twitter and Facebook to take on governments and corporations. The Ten Tactics 1. Mobilise People 2. Witness and Record 3. Visualise Your Message 4. Amplify Personal Stories 5. Just Add Humour 6. Investigate and Expose 7. How to Use Complex Data 8. Use Collective Intelligence 9. Let People Ask the Questions 10. Manage Your Contacts clipped from www.informationactivism.org

5 Ways to Build a Local Business with Social Media

clipped from www.openforum.com Below are five things any local business can do to get more business using social media tools 1) Start a Local Group Online Sites such as Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Slideshare all allow members to create and manage groups. 2) Find and Network with Local Bloggers Using tools such as Placeblogger, outside.in, Bloglines you can locate bloggers in your community 3) Hold Meetups and Tweetups 4) Find local leads Finding local prospects or potential strategic partners on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is pretty simple through the use of the powerful search interfaces built into all. Simply searching by City is a great way to find other people using social media in your community. A service such as Twellowhood or LocalTweeps may aid in your search to find other businesses in your community using Twitter. 5) Enhance Local Search Results Currently Google Maps and Bing Local add these reviews to their local profile database too.

Does your company have a blog?

If so, do they focus on corporate mission or customer trends and hot topics. According to this article, it should be the later. Share your companies blog link by leaving a comment or tweeting us @thirstyfishinfo

Join us on linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronhuxley

clipped from smartblogs.com When you’re trying to create great content for your company blog, it’s only too easy to focus on your corporate message first. But the ideas that serve your company aren’t always going to make great, shareable content that gets your fans talking. Thing about your user for a second. What do they care about? Chances are it’s not your company. But they probably care about something related to your company. You can use that interest to create engaging content that your readers will care about, will come back for and will tell their friends about — falling deeper in love with your brand at every step. Falls suggested companies need to find ways to: Be useful. Be controversial. Be insightful. Be entertaining. How are you finding ways to meet your users content needs?

What metaphors to you live by?

I am working on a presentation on dealing with grief and loss. One of the metaphors used to mange this core issue is "a journey." No one grieves in the same way at the same speed or arrives at the same end destination (if there is one). This is why "a journey" is so useful when understanding our losses.

What metaphors do you use to manage the losses in life? What general metaphors do you live by?

Comment or tweet us a reply @thirstyfishinfo

clipped from eagle.northwestu.edu Aristotle stated, “the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor” Kopp and Eckstein (2004) define metaphor by using the Greek root of the word. “Meta” means above or over; “pherein” means to carry or bear. Therefore “metaphor” means to carry meaning from one thing or place to another thing or place. various metaphors used to describe life Life can be seen as a container. For example, life can be empty for someone, an individual can be full life, one can live life to the fullest metaphors for gaining new knowledge include growth metaphor such as “the idea grew on me” or ideas as light sources such as “it was a bright idea. metaphors can be orientational In some cultures, the future is in front of people, while in other cultures it is in back of people. Health and life are up while death and sickness are down Narratives provide a way for people to refer to an event, and in addition provides a way to explore and evaluate the significance of an event important role in change in therapy

I can go for the "no drugs" idea but no television? Hmmmm. What do you do to boost your creativity? Tweet us @thirstyfishinfo

clipped from www.jpb.com 10 Steps for Boosting Creativity 1. Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach.   Brainstorm. 3. Always carry a small notebook and a pen or pencil around with you. 4. If you're stuck for an idea, open a dictionary, randomly select a word and then try to formulate ideas incorporating this word. 5. Define your problem. 6. If you can't think, go for a walk. 7. Don't watch TV. 8. Don't do drugs. 9. Read as much as you can about everything possible. 10.

What are you saying about yourself in your social profiles?

There is a lot of talk about social media and transparency. People predict that soon you won't be able to hide anything. The best choice seems to be being honest and real. Authenticity! What do you think? Can you create a false or misleading self online?

Tweet us or comment back!

clipped from smartblogs.com Does that mean you can just show up in a social space and post the first thing that comes to mind? Not exactly. Try thinking of your social presence as a job interview that never ends. You’re never going to get ahead by trying to be something you’re not — your mother was right about that. But you do get to decide which parts of yourself you’ll emphasize. Pick something that’s undeniably awesome about yourself (or your brand) and make that your cornerstone. Craft a social presence that’s all about the real you in the best possible light. What are you emphasizing about yourself on social media?

How do you get more subscribers to your email list?

I love copywriting ideas because it gives you a feeling of control over your blog/website. I am not sure I get the kind of results these "gurus" say they do but I know it has made a significant difference. What are some of your copywriting tricks? Do tell by tweeting us @thirstyfishinfo or comment below...

Join our creative writing blog at http://creativity-writer.blogspot.com/

clipped from www.copyblogger.com How did you get 6,000 subscribers in 10 months? 1. Make it easy and obvious As I’ve said before in more detail, make your subscription options prominent, offer an email alternative to RSS, and ask for the subscription, preferably at the bottom of each post. 2. Be laser focused focusing on a particular topic 3. Offer a bribe a free ebook, report, e-course or audio series. 4. Use viral ebooks 5. Dedicated subscription landing page 6. Become a guest blogger 7. Start a podcast 8. Post in forums 9. Networking 10. Cross-promotional deals Find a blogger that publishes related, but non-competitive content. Work out a deal where you both promote each other in your RSS feeds, using Feedvertising. If one blog has way more subscribers than the other, work out a ratio deal.