Most of what you think you know about the internet is probably wrong.

In 2011, posting quality content isn’t going to cut it. The challenge: make that quality obvious and compelling to readers in 3 seconds (and dropping). Just when you thought attention spans couldn’t get any shorter, 2010 shortened them even more.

The Information Age is dead. In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t need any more information. The challenge here is to help people find what they don’t know they’re looking for.

Google isn’t particularly good at solving these problems. Nor is anything else, yet. What’s a small business owner to do about this? Here’s where it gets simple.

Shift your communication strategy from talking-based to listening-based. This may not sound like rocket science, but there’s more to it than you might think.

For example, you might think it’s a given that collecting e-mail addresses and sending out a monthly newsletter will “keep you in front of your audience.” But what if you spend the same amount of time and energy reading other newsletters instead, making a point of responding to the good ones?

Instead of thinking of more ways to add noise to the already-cluttered information stream, think of ways to make full use of the best information that’s already out there. That doesn’t mean to stop creating content – it’s just about shifting some of your resources.

I assert that the businesses who make a priority of sharpening their listening skills will make the most money in 2011.???? ?? ???????Православни икони

Have you recently stepped onto a new life path or been drawn to what you feel is your calling? Have you taken on an entrepreneurial venture or made a transition from corporate employment to self-employment? If you answered yes to any of these, you might be experiencing a condition that is hardly ever discussed and usually completely misunderstood. It’s something I have discovered in coaching, especially with clients in the process of changing from working for someone else to working for themselves. This mysterious ‘something’ is an unexpected resistance to putting yourself out there, to really stepping fully into your new role and letting the world know you are completely capable and ready for business.

Observing resistance
How do you know if you are affected by the resistance factor? It basically exists if the level of motivation you would expect is not present. As a recent client said, “ I had no problem blowing the doors off my sales objective when I worked for someone else, but now that I’m selling my own product, going for what I really want, I have challenges staying as motivated.”. Now this doesn’t mean that he is on the wrong path. What it does mean is that he hadn’t realized how he had hidden out from truly putting himself out there in the past behind the shield of the other company that was not his own.

It seems that nothing brings up long-ignored life issues like going out on your own in business. Any unresolved issues are forced up to your consciousness to be worked out, resulting in feelings like, ‘maybe I’m not in the right field, maybe I’m not supposed to be doing this’…Of course it does not occur at the same level for everyone, and the solution is unique for each person.

Remember, this is not a fake-it-til-you-make-it method. It is the art of recreating yourself into your next role, a process I designed that takes you through the following four steps:

1. Creating a new role
Define your new direction. For example, say to yourself, “ I am taking full responsibility for my life; I am here and of value; who I am can make a difference”. Step into who you are meant to be instead of who you think you are. Remember only a prince or princess can dream of a castle.

2. Stepping into and living out of the role
This is a chance to develop a fortitude you may not have developed in your former work life. If other people speak more powerfully or enthusiastically about your business than you are able to do, that’s a sign that you have work to do to get to the level of speaking powerfully about the gifts you have to offer. There will be both an element of fear and excitement present, as well as some anxiety as you move to the next level.
3. Collecting evidence of progress in the role
Keep an accomplishment journal to record your successes. Record customer testimonials to apply in your promotional materials and to re-read when you need a boost!

4. Designing the environment to call you forward in the role
Get clarity on what motivates you and have a system to help you remember it. Realize how unstructured time many affect you, and create a new time structure that will keep you in action, with sufficient down time for effectiveness. Set up support that keeps you on track with who you say you are and what you are up to.

Building your own mentor
A client attempting to start a fashion accessory business was facing negative family members who told her she was foolish to go for what she wanted. I saw that support wasn’t going to come from her immediate environment, so I worked with her to create an imaginary mentor, created from a combination of super heroes and Oprah, to advise her in difficult times. Her turning point came when she stood up to her overbearing older sister, telling her, “This is who I am now, and if you want to keep talking to me, you have to accept that.” After that she started standing up for other things that were important—like herself—and built up her business one satisfied customer at a time.

Generating motivation
Another client who had previously done well with a large real estate group was not doing as well in the new agency he had started with a desire to offer greater customer service. We worked to build a mission for him and his partner and tightened up his work schedule. Since he was going to his office but wasn’t being productive there, I had him show up at his favorite coffee shop first thing in the morning for work. But his best motivation came from envisioning sitting down with his grown kids in the future, giving them advice on exploring their own business by telling them how he worked through his fears. Just one year later I gave a presentation to his team of employees in their new expanded office space.

Leaning into progress
People who have made progress on this describe moving from a state of mentally leaning back and occasionally moving forward to an experience that feels like steadily leaning forward into what they have to sell or offer, while realizing that if they don’t get it out there, either someone else will or the value that they have to offer people will be lost. They move from a state of diffused focus to clear focus, from disharmony to harmony.

What are you doing to lean into your goals? To create a sense of urgency?

When you put yourself out there, you will see the adventure as exhilaration.

So deeply engaged that you’re energized, you’ll feel confident that you’re absolutely in the right place.

Reprinted from Women’s Edge Magazine
by Martin Brossman - www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com
If you like this post share it and click “Follow Martin” to follow me on Twitter:

What was I just going to write? I have no- wait, now I remember. This one time, when I was blogging..eh- no, that won’t work. Ugh! Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever sat down to write something and then just ended up staring at your computer screen for about ten minutes before becoming increasingly frustrated? Even those of us who aren’t writers get a case of the good ol’ writer’s block syndrome (or as I refer to it, WBS). An example of this can be seen in something as simple as drawing a blank while you are trying to write a grocery list! So, here are a few suggestions for how you can get over the block and on with the writing.

5 Tips for Overcoming WBS

1. Cut out the distractions: Many people will claim that they can work in noisy environments, but working is different than thinking. Try to think clearly about something in the middle of a crowded, noisy room, or in a small office environment with phones ringing and people talking loudly and laughing. It’s extremely difficult for most people. There is plenty of evidence to show that most good ideas stem from a silent environment. So, if you have to, get to work a little early before the office gets noisy so that you can at least brainstorm. If you work from home, then get up a little earlier or simply plan to do some work during a time when you know your house or living space will be relatively calm.
2. Find inspiration: If you find yourself stuck, find inspiration by taking a look at other people’s work. You’re not stealing if you browse through the Internet. Quite the contrary! You can find a lot of inspiring ideas by looking at what others have written, photographed or acted out. Don’t limit yourself to the Internet though. Look around you at your everyday life, at how others around you act. Look at nature. You can find inspiration in just about everything!
3. Think of a title first: Sometimes thinking about what you are going to write can be overwhelming. Starting with a working title can often times give you the push you need to start writing. Besides this, titles can be really eye-catching, giving you the sort of creative flow that is often needed to jump start any writing piece.
4. Think out loud: Often times, if you write a sentence or two and read it back to yourself out loud, you can better hear how it sounds and pick out what needs to stay and what needs to go. Sometimes, you’ll even think of different ideas that stem off of your original idea. It’s a great way to approach writing. Just make sure you’re not disturbing your neighbors!
5. Brainstorm with friends: There’s no rule that says you can’t ask a friend or colleague what they think about what you’ve written so far. They may even have different ideas than what you originally had, giving you more to work with. If all else fails, they can function as trusty editors who can give your work a quick proofing for grammatical mistakes and the like.

For more information about Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!