Mande White | Business Strategist for Independent Professionals | Social Media Marketing Expert for Independent Professionals | Internet Marketing Strategist | Keynote Speaker

#1 (and Only) Reason to Use TweetDeck

mande — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:48:20 +0000

2 Reasons You Should Hangout with ME Rather Than Conan O’Brien

mande — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:13:16 +0000

On May 8th at 10:30 p.m. EST Conan O’Brien will be taking live questions via Google Hangout and that’s great if you want a laugh or two but if you’d like to have FUN AND LEARN HOW TO MAKE MONEY you should join me Wednesday, May 9th at 3 p.m. EST.

I’ll will be taking your questions during a live hangout on Google +. Just add Mande White to your circles and tag your video questions with #AskMande. If you ask the right questions you might find out how one of my clients generated $36K from Twitter or $30K from Linkedin.

April 2012 Road Trip Pics

mande — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:24:31 +0000

3 Reasons Why Bootstrapping Will Keep You Broke

mande — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:58:10 +0000

Are you bootstrapping your business and feeling stuck, overwhelmed and frustrated?

Many of you have heard how I started my own business 4 years ago on my unemployment check. For a while, I prided myself in my frugality. I didn’t go into debt, in the beginning, to build my business but I worked my butt off-nights, weekends, and holidays. I did very well but not as good as, I wanted. After all the point of the business was to work less and make more!

Then one moment it all changed.

I was trying to teach a client how they could build their own website and save $1,000 (or more). After 3 hours of coaching them through what to do, they finally gave up in desperation and said “I’d rather pay someone $1,000 to do this type of work-I only want to do what I’m good at- I hate this technical stuff and it takes so long.”

They valued their time more than money.

What a valuable lesson I was just given. I was building this business so I could have more freedom and make more money but because I wasn’t valuing MY time and talents, I was trading MY precious time for money, ultimately keeping myself in a perpetual cycle of insanity.

So, I calculated things out. If I wanted my business to bring in $250K for the year and I wanted to work 20 hours per week, I needed to value myself at $240/hour. Anything that I could get help doing for less than $240/hour was a better value of my time.

Over the last few months, I’ve started taking a different approach to my money philosophy when it came to building my business and wanted to share these 3 insights with you.

Like Attracts Like – If you find yourself faced with prospect after prospect who only wants to hear about the price and makes no acknowledgement of value, it might be time to look in the mirror and see how you’re creating this situation in your own life with those that you buy from. You can’t expect to build your business on a shoestring if you want to attract clients who aren’t trying to do the same.
Shortcuts Keep You Stalling Out Inches From the Finish Line – At the beginning of my business, I would buy whatever information product I could find that solved the problem I was having at the moment. I quickly found myself with a lot of great ideas, but no real plan to follow to get me from where I was to where I wanted to go. I thought that I could piece together what I needed myself. Only after I hired my own coach did I realize that having a strategic plan was far more valuable than any bright shiny new info product I could buy.
Hoarding Doesn’t Serve-Another ‘ah-ha’ I got from learning to focus on what I do best and hiring others to do the rest, was that I really was helping more people. My graphic designer, Morgan just got married and the work she did for me allowed her to pay for the flowers at her wedding. I had a lot of fun imagining what I was helping pay for. Now we’re working on keeping her marriage strong with lots of fun weekend get-a-ways! Besides Morgan, there is my programmer, my administrative assistant, my printer, my accountant, my copywriter and many more. Whom are you helping have a better life? What tasks can you take off your plate so that you have time to do what you do best?

Bootstrapping can work for a little bit but as the saying goes “what got you here won’t get you to where you want to go.” The real question is, are you really ready to take your business to the next level, step out of your comfort zone just a little and see what can really happen?

If there is one thing that this article can do for you today, it’s to help you value your time and talents more.

Start with yourself first and then you’ll start to see how people in your life show up differently than they used to and how you start to have different conversations about money and investing. I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations on the subject in the comment section below or over on my Facebook Fan Page

All You Need to Know About Connecting With People on LinkedIn

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:45:15 +0000

So many times I’m asked the “rules” about connecting with people on LinkedIn.

Should I accept EVERY connection request I get sent?

Should I keep my network closed and only accept in the people I really know?

My very simple answer to this question – utilize LinkedIn in the same manner you would

I try and view every person who comes in contact with me in life as a valuable. You never know who might know someone who knows someone.

Here is a helpful checklist though to help you put a plan together for how to reach out to people while making connections.

Colleagues: Most of you are doing this right. This is the first type of connection that people think of connecting with on LinkedIn but if it’s the ONLY type, is it any wonder you’re not getting clients from LinkedIn?
Leveraged Partners: Are you regularly reaching out to people who share the same target audience as you do so that you can find more and more ways to work together and both get in front of your perfect prospects?
Media Contacts: Are you connecting with the editors of your local paper and the publishers of national industry publications you would like to take notice of you? LinkedIn is searched by 90% of the media professionals today when looking for experts to interview. If you’re not staying top of mind then you won’t be called for that possible life changing interview.
LinkedIn Open Networkers (LIONs): These are individuals who openly connect with anyone and everyone. Connecting with them and fostering a relationship with them will open doors you never dreamed possible.
Prospects: Are you following up with people you met at local networking events and/or tradeshows? Make sure you keep the conversation going on LinkedIn after you met one another. You never know when they will need your services or might be able to refer you to someone who does.

Mastering LinkedIn Marketing to Gain More Client, More Freedom and More Fun

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:12:55 +0000

Do you ever wish there was a real “Easy” button you could push on LinkedIn that would automatically bring you a flood of new clients?

While there isn’t such a button already created there is a way you can build your own ‘Easier’ button.

Mastering LinkedIn marketing is possible. It’s not rocket science.

It’s something that with the right mentor you can learn to master much more quickly than if you try and go it alone.

Luckily there are a few key indicators of success that we can use to measure progress along the way.

I’ve created this simple 10 question survey to help you gauge which areas of your LinkedIn marketing need improvement.

Just click the link below and in less than 5 minutes you can be on your way to a clearer path to LinkedIn Marketing Success

LinkedIn Success Survey

After you complete the survey you’ll be sent to a page where you can get more information on the tools and resources available to help you.

7 Deadly LinkedIn Sins and How to Avoid Them

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:58:31 +0000

Are you getting clients on a regular (daily, weekly) basis from your presence on Linkedin?

If NO, then you are not increasing your online profitability.

Keep reading to find out how to stop flushing money down the toliet NOW!

Is YOUR profile on the first page of the results for your ideal keywords?

If NO, then you are not increasing your online visibility. Keep reading to find out how to stop hiding from your ideal clients NOW!

If you answered NO to both of the above questions then I’m probably safe to bet that you are committing 1 if not 7 of the Deadly Linkedin Sins.

Your Profile is BORING. If you’ve got your title listed as CEO, Coach, Founder then you are boring. How about an attention grabbing title like “Top Online Profit Strategist, Reveals How to Stop Wasting Money & Energy on Advertising and Branding!”. My being the CEO doesn’t tell you as the reader anything about what I can do for you.
Your Profile is NOT keyword optimized. Just like with Google, it’s important to flesh out your entire profile with the keywords your ideal prospects would be using to search and find you. If you haven’t sat down and really thought about what words people are using to find you on Linkedin (Word of Caution…they may be different than the ones they use to find you on Google!) then you’re losing visibility that ultimately leads to lost profits.
Your Profile is NOT tuned into WIIFM. Your profile on Linkedin is not the place to let your ego hang out. Of course it’s important to be fabulous-but we already know you are so tell us “What’s In It For Me” as the reader of your profile. Can you help me make more money, save time or stress less. The copy writing for your LInkedin profile is just that-an exercise in copy writing…of clearly communicating the BENEFITS your product/service provides.
You list “website” as the hyperlink for your website. This sin is a combination of #1 and #2. You’ve got prime opportunity here to key word optimize your hyperlinks and most people aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity.
You do NOT clearly tell people WHY and HOW you can help them solve their problems. If your ‘positions’ sound like they came off an old school resume then you aren’t doing a good job of telling people WHY and HOW they need you. But if your positions read like one of my private client’s “Executive Coach Increases Performance in Dysfunctional Teams in Finance, Healthcare and IT Companies” then it’s a lot more clear what problems you can solve and for whom.
You are making them think to much. Your profile should let people know exactly what the next step to take clearly is. Is it to schedule a strategy session with you or download your Client Magnet? Don’t make them think or they’ll think their way out of working with you.
You do NOT have your own Group on Linkedin. Yes it’s good form to participate in groups but if you’re looking to establish your expertise or thought leadership you MUST have your own group.

If you find you are committing ANY (heaven forbid ALL) of these sins then it’s an absolute No-Brainer for you to sign up for my LinkedIn Magic Bullet Program.

Triad of Success

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:18:43 +0000

Bob Burg states in his best seller “Endless Referrals” that “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.”

All social media success depends on your ability to build relationships with people.

Successful relationships are build upon these three foundations.

People Know You: Are you clearly communicating who you can help and what you stand for?
People Like You: Are you seeking first to serve or be served? Are you authentic and vulnerable at just the right times?
People Trust You: Are you holding true to your promises?

At the core of your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy should be the intention that everything you are doing is to help people get to know, like and trust you more.

Like with all success strategies it takes practice and patience to master. Watch with each status update whether or not people are commenting and taking action.

If you need a little help getting clear on your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy it might be worth checking out my LinkedIn Magic Bullet program.

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your LinkedIn Profile In Front Of Your Prospects

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:03:46 +0000

Ever heard the saying “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”?

The idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view.

When it comes to utilizing LinkedIn to get more clients it’s imperative to make sure that you are not forgotten or dismissed.

Here are 5 Simple Ways to Keep Your LinkedIn Profile In Front of Your Prospects

Update your status everyday: Share content your prospects would find interesting on the subject. It doesn’t matter if the content comes from you or other sources.
Share content via Box.net application: Did you write a great white paper or report on your subject? Share the document easily with prospects that are interested-just make sure you have a clear call to action at the end of the resource to make it easy for your prospects to take the next step.
Share content via SlideShare application: Turn that white paper into a presentation and upload to SlideShare. Then use the LinkedIn application to automatically post the content to your profile.
Share content via Google Presentations: Share the love and post some of your presentations online using Google Presentations and then integrate them into your profile.
Connect More via YouTube: Adding video to your profile will make you stand out from the competition for sure. The YouTube application makes it easy to keep LinkedIn automatically updated.

Posting content regularly to LinkedIn is the key to staying in front of your prospects and building the very critical Triad of Success. If you need help creating content that shows off your talents and results then you might want to invest in my LinkedIn Magic Bullet program and learn the tips & tricks of creating content that engages your prospects or if you’re looking for faster results you might want to hire a Marketing Mentor like myself.

7 Steps to Making Your LinkedIn Profile Attract Your Ideal Clients

mande — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:02:38 +0000

Are You Looking to Use LinkedIn to Attract Your Ideal Clients But Feel More Like Your Wasting Time and Energy?

In this video training you’ll discover:

The #1 place on your LinkedIn profile you MUST invest all your creative juices into in order to effortlessly attract your ideal clients
The 2 biggest mistakes 98% of profiles are making and how to easily make the changes you need to be BANK-able!
Why understanding keywords are just important in LinkedIn as they are in Google and the #1 way they are different
and much more

Click HERE to Download a PDF Copy of the Slides

Click HERE for more information on the LinkedIn Magic Bullet Virtual Training program

Click HERE to leave me a quick note about your thoughts on this presentation