You are going to LOVE this interview, loyal readers. I enjoyed conducting it and was moved by Michelle’s story. Be prepared to hear some heartbreak mixed in with victories as Michelle takes us from her earliest beginnings organizing ski trips for money at 12 years old to the vicious attack that changed the course of her life. She used her personal strength to get on the other side of her experience where she shares her skill inspiring others to design the life they desire.

To listen to the interview now:

To download to listen later:

Michelle is a published author and accomplished coach and in this interesting 35 minute conversation, you will easily understand why.

Michelle’s latest book, From the Kitchen to the Corner Office: Mom’s Wisdom on Leadership, is out in stores and she’s doing something very exciting to help promote it. She’s going to help promote you!

Here’s a video where she talks about her book so you can learn more about it:

Here’s how to get involved: Go to Michelle’s website and read about Lipstick Leadership week. There is still time to tell your story of how your mother’s advice or example helps you in your work. Whether you work in a cubicle or a spare bedroom converted to your office, you have a story to share and Michelle wants to hear them all. The official dates are July 14th through July 18th but you can go now and start posting.

Michelle shared with me that this latest book is just one in a series and she intends to take the best kitchen table wisdom stories and feature them in other book releases. It could be a fantastic and powerful way for your business to get exposure.

When you share your story, be sure to include your link to your website so you can get visitors from Michelle’s site who read your story and want to get to know you. What better way to get to meet like-minded women, support each other, and promote your business all at the same time, right? I’m posting a story, that’s for sure!

Enjoy the interview and enjoy Michelle’s video. And, go buy her book. You’ll love it.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

As we delve more deeply into making your website effective, let’s talk domain names.

As tempting as it is to pick something cute or maybe automatically pick your business name, please consider this. To get the most bang for the buck, your domain name needs to be highly correlated to what you do.

Say you own a high end boutique flower shop. Even if your business name is Sally Schmitz Inc., do you think anyone looks for a high end boutique flower shop using the search words Sally or Schmitz? Not probably. The people who do know your actual name also are likely to know how to find you already, so that’s not really our focus. Our focus should be coming up on a google or yahoo search when people who buy what you sell are looking to buy.

But, maybe you’ve had your business name forever and you already have a website in that name. Let’s say that the name isn’t that reflective of what you do–for example, Sally Schmitz Inc rather than Sally’s Flower Boutique. Even if you don’t want to change it, I would still encourage you to purchase and develop a web name that does reflect specifically what you do also. You can redirect the less searchable website name to the better one without losing any traffic. We will discuss how to do that later in the week.

I purchase the majority of my site names through GoDaddy. I have been extremely happy with their service and tools and pricing. You can often get a domain name for as little as $1.99 per year if you purchase hosting at the same time, which is a screaming deal since you need hosting too. That’s usually what I do.

Here’s how to reach them:

There are many software tools available to discover the best name, and we will further the discussion more tomorrow, but today we are going to use our intution. For the sake of developing your mindset, let’s have a little fun with it. We’re going on a fishing expedition!

Enter the words you would type into google if you were looking to find your business, one phrase at a time. See what comes up. Try a bunch of different ways that you think your customer might look for you.

For our Sally’s Flower Boutique example, we might type in flowers, gifts, wedding flowers, flower shops, luxury flowers, flower arrangements, flower delivery, birthday flowers, high end bouquets, floral designers, roses, graduation presents, corsages. Get creative and attempt to exhaust as many possibilities as you can.

Go visit the top 10 or 20 sites you see when you type in these phrases. Look and learn. Does your current site show up? Where is it ranked relative to other shops? Notice which sites come up for multiple phrases. See how they rate to your business offerings. Do they serve the same clientele as you? Make note of sites where you could potentially add your link and cross promote. Begin thinking in terms of connecting with your client and broadening your network.

Not only notice what your competition is doing, but also see if you actually find what you were looking to find. Assuming you are intuitively on track with what words your clients use to find you, you are now looking at the landscape in which you will be competing and succeeding. You are looking at not only your competition but also potential partners and referral friends.

Tomorrow, I will list some software tools you can use to continue moving forward with developing an effective website for your new business. Thanks for dropping by.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

For our monthly theme of generating and converting web traffic, here is a short checklist to help you do a health check for your blog or website. If you don’t have these items, your business is missing out on sales.

1.  Do you have a web presence (blog, website, sales page)?

Some new entrepreneurs don’t believe it’s important to get this done immediately. They think they should build up their business a bit before they pay the expense to develop a website. They think that they need to make sure their idea is going to work before they get that “serious” about it all. This couldn’t be more off base. You need to have a web presence now, before the day is over. I know it’s Sunday, but I don’t care. Today. Sooner rather than later.

Consider this: Even if you are a complete novice, for about $20 and a few hours of your time,  you can create a blog. Better yet, with a bit more money and less time, you can have a high school student create one for you. For less than a dinner out, you can be in communication with the entire world, letting them get to know you and maybe even hire you.

Your blog is going to tell people about you, give your phone number and business location, highlight the benefits of doing business with you and collect potential clients’ names so you can keep in touch. How much would you pay an employee to do that? A lot more than $20 bucks, I bet. And, that employee would not be working 24/7. Your web presence happily does that.

Get online now. I can’t say it more directly or firmly or loudly enough. Do it, no excuses.

2. Do you have an opt-in easily visible above the fold?

Websites are a bit like newspapers. People notice the headlines and they most easily see the stories “above the fold”. In web lingo, that means the content that is visible on their computer without any scrolling down. It is the first initial shot of your site.

An opt-in is a way for people to give you their name and email address for further updates. They “opt-in” to your mailing list. It can include a special free offer to sweeten the experience, like an ebook the client can download, but even without this, you need to give them a chance to stay in touch with you. If people like what they are reading, even without a free offer, they will likely subscribe.

Your job is to make sure it’s super easy for your web visitors to opt-in. Don’t make your sign up too small to see or located at the bottom of the page so it’s hard to find. It’s not an after thought. It’s one of the primary purposes of having a web presence. If you can build a list of targeted clients and prospects, you actually build a business asset, even one that can be included in the value of your IPO someday. Without it, you are lost.

And don’t hesitate to ask directly. You can use wording that asks them to take action or even, depending upon your personality, tells them to. They won’t do it if they don’t want to (ha! we only dream we have that much power! LOL!). Remember that your goal is service and communication. You are not badgering these people to let you bother them, you are offering to continue to give them valuable information in a convenient manner. Take on the role of trusted advisor, not checkered jacket sales bozo. I know you are trustworthy. It’s important that you believe you are worthy of that trust.

3.  Do you have a clear call to action?

What do you want your web visitor to do? This is your desired call to action. This is how you will either make sales or further the relationship. It’s the one thing you want your visitor to do upon meeting you the first time. In some businesses, it’s rarely completing a sale, but it’s something. Know what that something is for your business. 

Are you a consultant who wants people to call for an initial appointment?  Do you want them to come physically to your retail location? Do you want them to pre-screen themselves so you only get emails from qualified prospects? Your website plays a major role in accomplishing these things. Get clear on your goal. Make it as singular and easy to complete as you can.

If you want clients to call, make your phone number large and easy to find, above the fold and obvious, not in tiny text buried somewhere in your “about me” page at the bottom. I can’t tell you how many people don’t do this. Same for your address. If you want them to show up, give them the address and maybe even a link to a map site that gives them step by step directions, with your operating hours nearby so they know you’ll be open when they get there. Don’t force people to be curious and investigative to connect with you. It’s your job to help them, not them to help themselves.

Please keep in mind that I am starting basic here, but if your web presence doesn’t already include these basics, you need them to. Sure, there’s work to do here, plenty of it. Don’t let overwhelm stop you. Just get going. I believe in doing one thing. Deciding to learn is one thing.

If nothing else, make the clear and decisive commitment today that you will have the basics in place by the end of the month. Commitment is an action and it shifts everything. You can do this. I know you can. You showed up to read this. You are already showing commitment. Congratulations. Now, we just have to keep going, ok?

If you aren’t sure how to do what I recommend, tune back in tomorrow. We will walk through it. In the meantime, go get and read John Cow’s ebook about building a business not a blog. It will take you step by step and get you going. We’ll visit some more about this on Monday.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

As you know, I was following the Cow vs. Conn blog contest. It’s all done but the crying at this point. The sites these two internet marketers created in only 30 days are now up for sale but lucky for you, John Cow has assembled his blog building journey into an ebook that he’s giving away for free.

I can attest this is good stuff. You get the exact steps you need to take to build a business, not just a blog, and he explains it very well. Good tool for our July goal of getting and converting traffic. A blog is simply ideal for that!

 To  get your free ebook,  go to
SmartWoman Sends Readers to John Cow

Enjoy reading and let’s get to work!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

p.s. By the way, I just launched a reading literacy site inspired by
renowned Learning Styles co-creator Dr. Rita Dunn.  Go check it out!
http://TeachingEveryChildToRead.com

Seth Godin is the king of permission based marketing. On his blog, he posted comments about whether getting lots of traffic to your website is as good as getting the right person to your website. Who versus how many. Seth says who. I say both.

To illustrate his point, Seth wrote about Fred, a kid on YouTube who has received over 45 million views of his videos. Fred has 250,000 subscribers to his video show and is the fourth most popular video show in the history of YouTube. Nice numbers if you can get it. Score one for Fred in the “how many” category.

This character Fred is crazy acting, hyper and in serious shortage of a dose of Ritalin, and his videos are definitely aimed at teenagers and tweens. I have to confess I get a chuckle too…he’s just so over the top!

Below is one of Fred’s videos. Get prepared for inappropriate silliness and insanity! If you have tweens or teenagers, show it to them and see what they think. You’ll see the power of social media marketing in just a few seconds.

Fred is sponsored by ZipIt, a handheld IM and texting device with all kinds of cool features. He’s getting written up in all the major media and has a website that promotes this affordable, innovative device that lets kids text until their thumbs fall off and not tie up the family computer. It has parental inputs with texting curfews and limits so even mom and dad can love it. You may not necessarily be focused on his audience for your product (nor might you want to act like a lunatic on internationally distributed video in front of millions), but he’s right on track for the product that he is endorsing. I’d say Fred has the “who” part down too.

Could your website handle a Fred phenomenon? Would you make any money from this mass of visitors? I have to confess that I am not ready for that. And I’d like to be.

So, for July, we are going to be discussing ways to drive targeted traffic and convert that traffic to sales. Even for the beginner entrepreneur it’s doable. And, we are going to be implementing these ideas. You can watch me as I do it and you can emulate what you learn on your website. Are you up for it? Let’s have some fun, ok? Let’s have our Fred moment, too!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

I believe that the best answers, in your business and your personal life, come from well-constructed questions. The more clear we get about our connection to the real motive behind what we do and what might really help us get there, the better off we are. The more our questions reflect that clarity, the better answers we will receive.

When we create and ask a well-constructed question, it feels like a guitar string being plucked inside our bodies. A vibration that sings “Yes, that’s it. That’s what I want to know” wells up within you. Don’t be worried you won’t know it or feel it when you hear it. You will. Just listen. And, prepare yourself for a freely given and honest answer.

Answers have to be freely accepted. “No” is an answer. “I don’t know” is an answer. And, “Yes, I could help you but I am not going to” is also answer. These aren’t necessarily the answers we want to get, but we must keep an open mind and heart about hearing real answers. Don’t ever worry that you shouldn’t have asked. It’s ok to ask. Just remember that it takes true devotion to see the silver lining in your disappointments, but you will probably find one if you look for it.

As much as hearing the answer we were looking for may sound good, if it isn’t accompanied by action and the appropriate level of attention from the person who said they would help, it doesn’t mean much at all. Badgering or shaming people into saying yes tends to generate resentment and they are likely to say anything just to get you to go away. Not exactly what you were hoping for, right?

On the flip side of the coin, it is ok to ask spontaneous questions. Don’t hold back on some seemingly wild idea to call someone famous and ask them for advice or an interview if you feel impulsed to do it. Try it! It’s pretty unlikely that anything bad will come from asking and your chances of actually getting what you asked for do increase by the mere act of asking. Begin collecting together great questions so you have them ready in the event of a chance meeting. You might be surprised at what comes of it.

Just remember that the end result is what you’re looking to accomplish. How you get there can be flexible. Ultimately, you can ask big and get big. You can ask small and get small. Is small what you had in mind? I bet not.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

I know sometimes it’s hard to keep up with a blog that gets updated nearly every day. So, I thought, being that we are kicking off a new month, that I would take a moment to reflect on the good stuff that was posted last month, all in one place, so it’s easy to look at.

New Articles Posted in June:

Copywriting Tip: Writing for the Helen Keller Moment

Mass Transit Mindset: Are You Too Sexy For The Bus?

Smart Women Give Themselves Permission

The Right Fragrance Can Give You a Lift – Anytime of the Day

Websites: Making Money Authentically

Why is Internet Marketing Important to My Business?

Don’t forget too that you can find over a dozen more articles, about internet marketing and various other topics at Qassia.

New Interviews Posted in June:

SmartWoman Exclusive: Evan Carmichael Interview

SmartWoman Interview: Joy Chudacoff of Smart Women, Smart Solutions

Books Recommended in June

2 selections in honor of the late Tim Russert

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons 

Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life

My Favorite Books About Leveraging and Outsourcing

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

To understand the different ways men and women communicate:

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex

We also enjoyed several international news updates:

SmartWoman Worldwide

We held a contest where 4 lucky women were selected to attend a 3-day Women’s Empowerment Summit. Congratulations, ladies! I am planning another contest this month, so stay tuned. For those still interested in attending the event August 1-3, find out more here:
Women’s Business Empowerment Summit

I will post soon what I have planned for July. In the meantime, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your loyalty, support, and attendance. The community would be nothing without you.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman