Archive for the ‘Tooting My Own Horn’ Category

Final Hours: Opportunity Knocks

By Danielle Keister | April 30th, 2017

COURTESY REMINDER:

Today is the last day to get 25% off everything in the ACA Success Store. After midnight tonight, there won’t be another chance.

I’ll be launching something brand new soon, and it’s pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself.

This will be a getting back to basics of sorts and it’s going to fit the needs of both new and already started administrative support business owners.

And don’t worry. What it will NOT be is yet another huge program that is going to cost a small fortune. In fact, a large part of it is going to be completely free.

BUT (and this is the important thing), you are going to need all the pieces of my administrative support business system in order to participate. As with any education, there are required school supplies and materials you need to get. Same idea.

So, toward that effort, I’d like to give you a little leg up in the meantime:

From now until midnight tonight, take 25% off all Success Store products with this code: opportunityknocks

Simply paste that code into the discount field when you checkout and it will give you 25% off your purchase price.

If you’ve followed me long, you know that I don’t do sales and discounts. These are top-level professional-quality business materials and information. So, this is rare opportunity you don’t want to miss out on because it won’t be offered again.

Plus, we have hundreds of reviews from colleagues like you who love the products they’ve purchased and are so happy they chose the ACA to support them in their business journey.

Head over to the Success Store and place your purchase now.

I hope you’ll avail yourself of this chance so you’ll be ready to partake in something amazing!

Opportunity Knocks (Time Sensitive Offer)

By Danielle Keister | April 27th, 2017

1 Comment

I received the loveliest review from my colleague Mary Culbertson the other day and wanted to share with you:

I’m always so thankful and appreciative to hear from my colleagues who have purchased my administrative support business products because I know we all lead busy lives.

So, when someone takes time out of their own busy day to let me know how I’ve been able to help them in their business journey, well, it’s just the best feeling in the world and makes my heart so happy.

Starting a business, any business, can be very daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. It’s not just the practical stuff that you have to figure out, but there’s all this mental chatter and self-doubt that goes on in our heads.

The one thing that I know for a fact helps people get over those nagging self-doubts and feeling unsure of themselves is having a plan, a template, a system to guide our efforts all along the way. This is what each and every business guide, template and tool in the ACA Success Store gives you.

I’m going to be launching something soon and it’s pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself.

I’m working on the finishing touches and if you’re on my mailing list, you’ll get the announcement (if you’re not on my mailing list, simply subscribe to this blog and you’ll be added).

This will be a getting back to basics of sorts and it’s going to fit the needs of both new and already started administrative support business owners.

And don’t worry. What it will NOT be is yet another huge program that is going to cost a small fortune. In fact, a large part of it is going to be completely free.

However, you are going to need the pieces to the system that I offer in the ACA Success Store to be able to participate.

So, toward that effort, I’d like to give you a little leg up in the meantime:

From now until midnight, Sunday (April 30), take 25% off all Success Store products with this code: opportunityknocks

Simply paste that code into the discount field when you checkout and it will give you 25% off your purchase price.

If you’ve followed me long, you know that I quit doing sales and discounts a long time ago, so this is a rare opportunity that would be foolish to waste. I won’t be offering it again.

Head over to the Success Store and place your purchase now.

I hope you’ll avail yourself of this chance. It’s going to be amazing!

I Am Replaceable

By Danielle Keister | March 21st, 2017

0 Comments

I was watching a video one recent morning and it reminded me of something that I wanted to share with you:

I am replaceable… and that’s a good thing.

What I mean is this:

I am not indispensable because I keep my clients dependent on me.

I’m indispensable because I empower them to run their own businesses without me if, when and where they need to or should they ever choose to.

Any of them could walk away from me tomorrow and be okay and not lost as to what or where anything is.

If I got sick or anything happened to me (god forbid), they are all in great shape to be able to take over and run with things themselves.

I don’t withhold their own information from them (e.g., think web designers who withhold passwords or sign up for client domains and hosting in their own names instead of the client’s).

I don’t make them have to go through me to get access to their own documents, administration and services.

I specifically use certain tools and work with clients in ways that they always have access to everything they need.

They stay with me by choice, not because they’re stuck and it would be too much trouble to extricate themselves.

They stay because I make their business (and life) better. I ease their burdens. They have less stress and more free time.

Because I’m good at what I do and always do what I say I will, they trust me implicitly.

Those are the best reasons for clients to stick with you.

Your Consultation Will Make You or Break You

By Danielle Keister | February 20th, 2017

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Without a proper consultation process in place, you’re going to lose more clients than you get.

A proper consultation process is one of the ways you demonstrate your competence and professionalism to clients.

When everyone else is lamely giving 15-30 minute consults, a thorough consultation system turns you into a standout and gives you competitive advantage over everyone else.

Plus, if you want more monthly retained clients (where you get paid a higher fee for your ongoing monthly support), you simply must have a much longer, deeper conversation; 15-30 minutes just doesn’t cut it.

A good consultation system helps you set the proper tone for the business relationship moving forward so that clients take you and your business seriously and understand that they’re dealing with a business, not an employee.

It’s also going to instill greater trust and confidence in them by virtue of seeing that you conduct things in a proper business manner. It shows them that you know exactly how to expertly glean from them the info you need to determine how to best help them and where to start. This reassures them that they are dealing with a competent business professional who is going to handle the relationship and work you do for them just as professionally.

A thorough consultation helps you better identify how you can help each potential client and helps you get more of your ideal clients.

So, if you don’t have a consultation system in place, if you’re not sure of yourself when it comes to conducting consultations, if you’ve been lacking confidence and want to walk potential clients more assertively through that initial conversation, be sure to check out my client consultation guide:

Breaking the Ice: Your Complete Step-by-Step System for Confidently Leading the Consultation Conversation and Turning Prospects into Well-Paying Monthly Clients Who Can’t Wait to Work with You.

This is my own proprietary system I’ve developed and honed over 20 years in this business.

In this guide, I’ve packaged my entire step-by-step process for you in an encouraging, easy to follow plan that tells you exactly how to structure the entire process — before, during and after.

My success rate with this system has been out of every 10 clients who go through my consultation process, I have my pick of 8-9 of them wanting to work with me.

And colleagues who have followed my process often tell me how impressed their prospective clients were and how it made all the difference in those clients choosing to work with them.

Knowing how to do something is half the battle. This guide will help increase your confidence ten-fold and take all those nervous jitters that come with not really knowing how to proceed with this all-important conversation.

Happy 20th Anniversary to Me!

By Danielle Keister | January 23rd, 2017

26 Comments

I just realized that this month marks my 20th year in business. Wow!

1997 was the year I officially took out a business license to formalize the work I’d been doing on the side for many years.

My husband had passed away a couple years earlier, leaving me a young widow to raise our daughter alone.

Untimely deaths like that make you acutely aware of how short life is, and I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of mine punching someone else’s clock.

I wanted to earn an honest living using my skills and talents doing good and helping others in their businesses, but I also wanted to have more control over my own life, to be more self-directed. That’s when I set my path toward business ownership.

I’ve always believed that while work can be a great source of pride, fulfillment and purpose, it shouldn’t require you to compromise your priorities or sacrifice what’s most important in life.

My motto is that your business should support and enrich your life, not suck the life from you.

I engineered my business around this standard by being selective about clients so I can be happy and appreciated in my work and setting the policies and systems that give me more breathing room and the freedom and flexibility to enjoy life while taking great care of my clients.

Since 2004, it’s also been my privilege to be a mentor-at-large to the industry, helping others start their own administrative support businesses and shape those businesses in ways that give them more time for life and joy and happiness in their work.

My daughter has now entered her 30s (what?!), around the same age that I started my business. I love that she got to grow up watching — and helping — me build the business and seeing entrepreneurial spirit in action. I’m so proud to see the values of passion, hard work and living life on your own terms instilled in her at a young age.

Happy business birthday to me! Here’s to another 20!

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Why Should I Pay that When I Can Get a Temp or Offshore VA for $5 Bucks an Hour?

By Danielle Keister | December 1st, 2016

3 Comments

Ever hear a client utter these words?

It’s probably the most grating sentence in our industry today.

But what if you knew exactly how to respond?

What if you offered your services in a way that didn’t focus whatsoever on hourly rates?

Wouldn’t that be a total game changer?

It’s not so annoying when you actually begin to love responding to that question (or when you no longer get it in the first place).

…If you frequently encounter price resistance with clients and want to know what to do about it;

…If you have trouble getting clients to commit;

…If you struggle with articulating your value to clients, talking about your fees, and feeling confident about them;

…If you find the whole topic of pricing difficult, I have the solution!

It’s my value-priced packaging and pricing guide, How to Price and Package Your Support Based on Hours & Expertise — NOT Selling Hours

This guide will show you how to:

Attract more clients, more easily;
Make more money;
Create an easier business to run;
And toss out those time sheets forever!

…all without discounting, bargaining, or justifying your fees whatsoever!

Results Colleagues Are Getting Using the ACA Business Training Products

By Danielle Keister | January 15th, 2016

0 Comments

It’s always so happy-making to hear of the great results my colleagues get after studying my business training and learning guides from the ACA Success Store.

One of my favorite colleagues, De’Lona Moultrie, who invested in The Whole Shebang, recently shared the fabulous success she has been having after following my consultation process included in that set:

As I also told Dee, I can only share my experience and expertise and what I know works. It’s YOU who makes the magic happen in your practice, and she is obviously bringing it!

Thank you for allowing me to share this, Dee. Much love and continued success to you!

It’s My Birthday (and a Special Deal for you Today Only)

By Danielle Keister | January 15th, 2015

8 Comments

It’s my birthday! I’m eating cake today and no one is going to stop me, lol.

In honor of my birthday, I have a special deal for you:

Today only, you can get my Build a Website that WORKS marketing guide for half off!

Just type this code into the discount field when you check out and you’ll get this guide for only $74.50: itsmybirthday

One of the biggest problems in our industry is a proliferation of websites all saying the same things. Here’s how this happens:

When someone is new in business, they have no idea where or how to start crafting their website and marketing message.

So what do they do?

They look around at everyone else in the industry, see what they are doing and saying, and just imitate that (or worse, straight up copy and plagiarize).

They think, “Oh, this is what everyone else in the industry is doing and saying. That must be what I’m supposed to be doing and saying on my website, too.”

And then that’s exactly what they do.

So this is a common practice, but it’s not a good one when it comes to putting together your website and crafting your marketing message in a way that gets you results–i.e., CLIENTS.

The problem with this is they are assuming the masses know something they don’t.

What they fail to realize is those people did exactly the same thing as they are doing now, without any more knowledge or understanding–or success.

It’s this crazy, self-perpetuating cycle of monkey-see, monkey-do with people copying people who aren’t doing any better than they are.

On top of that, all copying what everyone else in the industry is doing and saying does is make you and your business that much more invisible in the marketplace. You need to stand out, not blend in.

In fact, websites that all do and say the same thing is one of the top complaints I hear year after year from clients who contact me. It’s completely frustrating to them.

And when you don’t give prospective clients any reason to see you as different, they always resort to price-shopping. Because all you are to them then is another box on a shelf… a commodity (the kiss of death).

You have to keep in mind: you are not your ideal client. And our own industry is not your prospective client or target market. You can’t look at things through your eyes or the lens of our own industry.

So now you might be thinking, “Well, if I shouldn’t do that, what DO I do? How DO I figure out how to write my own marketing message in a way that differentiates me and resonates with those I’d like to be my clients?”

That is exactly what you get with my guide, Build a Website that WORKS!

You don’t even need to be a good writer (which is another myth people believe).

Not only do I share with you my own conversion system and exactly how to implement it on your own website in a way that is unique to you, I walk you step by step by step through the process of writing your own unique, compelling marketing message that speaks your target market’s language.

With my original patented, proprietary plug-n-play tool, your copy will practically write itself. There is no easier way to put together a website and craft your marketing message anywhere that I’ve seen.

So check out Build a Website that WORKS!, and if it’s for you, be sure to take advantage of this one day half-off offer. It’s gone tomorrow so act now.

(Have some cake today, too!)

It’s My Birthday (and There’s Something for You, too)

By Danielle Keister | January 15th, 2014

2 Comments

It’s my birthday today, the big 5-0. Happy birthday to me, lol!

And you know what would absolutely make my day? Letting me know how I’ve helped you in your business, how my products have helped you, and what you’re most excited about in your business from the help and guidance you’ve received from me and the ACA Success Store products.

Better yet, if you would tell others. I can’t reach others without your help and your recommendation is the best gift you could give me! I’ve got some big plans this year (plans that include traveling the country and meeting my ACA peeps all over the U.S.) and that means I have to get serious about promoting the ACA Success Store.

AND, I want to give YOU something in return. I’ve been trying to think of what I could do for you who are so supportive of me and my products, the help I give to people in growing and bettering their business and acumen, and the work I do in our industry.

What I came up with was INSTANT commissions on your referrals/recommendations! So instead of having to wait a whole month for payment of your affiliate commissions, they will be processed immediately within 24 hours.

Now, obviously, I only want you to give your endorsements and recommendations if they truly come from the heart and your own personal experience with the ACA products you’ve purchased.

Even if you haven’t purchased anything yet, you’ve surely gained valuable information and knowledge from the expertise and experience I share here on the blog, or on Facebook, or the free products you’ve downloaded. You are getting something valuable and worthwhile from my insight, otherwise, you would have left my mailing list and community a long time ago, right? And that’s value and quality that you can absolutely recommend in integrity to others.

So, if you share your praise, reviews, recommendations, testimonials (whatever you want to call it) with your friends and colleagues in the industry (on your blog, ezine, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, email, mailing list, wherever makes sense and will reach lots of people) and give them your affiliate link to the ACA Success Store, I will send you your 25% commissions on every sale that comes of it “instantly” within 24 hours.

I mean, if someone wanted to hand you a hundred dollar bill, would you turn it down? You can always use cash in your business, right? So I thought this would be an excellent way to give back to you for the all the love, support, referrals and recommendations you make.

I do need to mention, this is an experiment and right now, the instant commissions are for this week only. That’s because they have to be processed manually by a live human. We’ll have to see how it goes. If it goes well, I might just keep doing it beyond this week!

Oh, and if you’re not currently signed up for the ACA Affiliate Program, be sure and do that so you can get an affiliate link to share. Here’s the sign-up page: ACA Affiliate Program

My biggest, heartiest hugs and love to you! Thank you for letting me share in your business journey, for being part of my community and for being one of my online friends and colleagues! And thanks for making my big 5-0 day (and every day) great!

Do You Need to Earn Some Extra Money?

By Danielle Keister | September 10th, 2012

0 Comments

The other day, I was chatting with a colleague by email. She was sharing some health issues she was having related to weight so we got to talking about diet and exercise.

I told her I was huge fan of Jillian Michaels’s stuff because she’s not about fad diets and gimmicks; rather, she’s all about the science and knowing your numbers and eating healthy, nutritious, organic food.

When I recommended that she get Jillian’s books (particularly Winning by Losing), my colleague said she didn’t have money for food right now, let alone books.

Well, that just broke my heart, as I’m sure it does yours. I immediately set about mailing her my copy.

And then later, a lightbulb went off. Duh! I have an affiliate program!

She is already a follower of my advice and mentoring, trusts me, and has some of my products and thinks highly of the value, quality and integrity of the information and education I provide in them. She could totally be referring others to my Success Store and earning 25% commissions from every sale for the recommendations she gives anyway!

And it doesn’t require any extra work or time beyond her usual participation in online industry groups other than replying to posts or emailing or PMing people privately whenever those opportunities to refer arise.

And, of course, she can also upload our affiliate image graphics to her website with her referral link attached for completely passive referrals.

So I told her to be sure to register so that she could start earning some side money to help improve her situation. It was a no-brainer!

It’s these types of opportunities that feel so good, so gratifying… to have something that allows me to share in success and give back financially to those who support me in my movement to elevate our profession and help others succeed by empowering them with proper business tools and education.

I see all kinds of opportunities on LinkedIn and various other forums, listservs and online groups where you could be referring others to the ACA Success Store (such as when they are looking for contracts—we have the best!—or want to learn about things I teach on such as pricing and packaging, how to consult with clients, writing their magnetic marketing message, etc.) and earning yourself some income at the same time. There are women who are earning an extra $400-600+ a month doing this, which is nothing to sniff at.

Could you use some extra money (who couldn’t, right, lol)? Well, then, let me send you some every month! I would LOVE to! Simply sign up to start earning today.