Jeanette, Author at Jeanette Cates

Dec
21

Less Stress During Christmas Week

by Jeanette

The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time for families. But between the last minute shopping, the gift wrapping, the planning and the cooking, the week of Christmas can get insanely stressful.

Here are some tips to help you keep stress to a minimum so you can enjoy Christmas to the fullest.

Keep meals as simple as possible. Using a meal plan and preparing ingredients ahead of time can help you keep meals healthy with less stress. But if things are getting too hectic to cook, remember that tossing a frozen pizza in the oven one night won’t cause irreparable harm.

Keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand. This will help eliminate worries about the kids getting the nutrition they need each day. Popular grab-and-go options include seedless grapes, baby carrots, trail mix and wheat crackers.

Enlist some help from the kids. Ask teens to take over cooking duties from time to time, and give younger kids step by step instructions for making one dish while you work on another. Even preschoolers can be surprisingly helpful – ask them to fetch ingredients and help with the measuring.

Keep your to-do list doable. It’s far too easy to overschedule around Christmastime. Planning ahead is key. Sit down and make a list of everything that needs to be done by the 25^th a couple of weeks ahead of time, then spread it out. That way you won’t be rushing around at the last minute.

Make time for yourself. Schedule some time for exercise each day, and make sure you have at least a half hour or so to just relax in the evening. By making sure your own needs are met, you’ll be better able to attend to everyone else’s.

Be prepared for the unexpected. Not everything will go as planned, so it’s important to be flexible. Simple measures such as tidying up the guest room and keeping extra food on hand for unexpected guests can save you some worries.

And most of all, remember you don’t have to be a superhero. The best memories you’ll create at Christmas is the time you spend together…so do lots of that and let the other worries slide off your back.

Overload Isn’t Just A Holiday Thing! It’s Year ‘Round.

Information abounds in the Online Business arena. If it’s all just Too Much – get control with Overcome Information Overload.

0 Categories : Online Success

Dec
17

Shopping Cart Abandonment In Information Products

by Jeanette

During heavy shopping seasons like Christmas and back to school, you hear a lot about the problems of shopping cart abandonment. In fact, many studies put it at over 60%!

So do you need to worry about shopping cart abandonment in your information products business? Let’s examine the evidence:

1. One of the main reasons that buyers say they abandon their shopping cart is high shipping fees. Irritatingly enough, most vendors don’t show you the shipping fee until you are in the process of checking out. By then your only choice is to buy or abandon your cart.

But in your information products business you are generally shipping electrons – because your products are digital. So there is no shipping costs to surprise the buyer on their way to check out.

2. A second reason often cited for abandonment of the shopping cart is that most sites do not provide a way to put things into your cart – in case you want to buy them later. Essentially there’s no way to say “I’m thinking about this. Maybe I’ll buy it in the future.”

Instead, your only choice is to add it to the cart – and then when you need to leave the site (with the idea that you might return later to buy what you marked), they count it as “abandoned” and clean out your cart.

As a digital marketer you don’t have this problem. Generally you are selling one product from one site. They can buy it now – or buy it later. It’s just a matter of revisiting the site.

Of course, it’s in your best interest to close the sale on their first visit. But common wisdom (and a lot of research) tell us that most people take several exposures to an idea or product before they buy. So ideally you want to get an email address so that you can follow up. In fact, that’s the reason most information marketers use Optin pages – so they can follow up on potential sales.

3. Finally many customers rebel at ecommerce sites that require you to create an account before you check out. If it’s a site that you use regularly, it makes sense. But many times you’re buying a one-time gift. And the last thing you need is one more password to remember and one more site sending email. The solution? Don’t check out – and now you’ve just become a shopping cart abandonment statistic.

Of course, as a digital marketer you will need the buyer’s information. But that is only gathered as part of the check out process, not in the form of creating an account before they checkout. Timing is everything!

So based on those three primary reasons that people give for abandoning a shopping cart full of great stuff, it appears that you have nothing to worry about when you sell digital products.

Shopping cart abandonment is not an issue for digital sellers. In fact, unless you have a multiple-step checkout process (most likely the result of multiple upsells), your shopping cart abandonment rate is probably very low.

And just to be sure you keep that shopping cart abandonment rate at nearly zero, go ahead and put the price of your product on the sales page and tell them there is no shipping. Naturally you also want to provide full details on your product, so that the potential buyer doesn’t feel like they need more information before making the decision to buy.

Finally, make it easy for them to decide whether or not they want the upsell – before they start the checkout process.

With just a few simple steps, you’ll be able to brag on a very low shopping cart abandonment rate.

Dr. Jeanette Cates in an Internet strategist who helps authors and coaches leverage their expertise into Online Success. She provides a step-by-step process for succeeding online in the Online Success Incubator.

0 Categories : Shopping Cart

Dec
11

Recipe for a holiday funk

by Jeanette

Jeanette’s Note:
I’ve known Catherine Jewell for more than 15 years and always enjoy her presentations and writing. I thought this was a particularly appropriate article for the holidays. I’m sure you’ll find it helpful!

Holidays often put me in a funk. I am missing my Mom who passed some 15 years ago. As I prepare for family events, I wish I could just forget the turkey and side dishes, and go home to Mom to receive and enjoy the feast that she prepared.

If you are like me, you would rather forget the recipes and be served. Instead, the world contrives to serve up this recipe for Holiday Funk:

Start with 6 cups Christmas gift-giving and concerns like “Is she 1X or extra-large?” “Does he really like blue?” and “Is that shirt too blue?”
Add in 4 cups of Unemployment Benefits about to expire. Or, substitute Job Dissatisfaction.
Stir in some 5 cups of financial pressure.
Topping: A New Year that’s a blank page. Lots of potential, but no real plan.

Are you feeling the pain yet? If this recipe puts you in a funk, here are a few ideas to help:

Take up meditation, NOW. You know you’ve heard it from all your meditating friends: “It really makes a difference in peace of mind, calmness and even in day-to-day feelings of health.” All it takes is 10 minutes of quiet time each morning. Google meditation and buy a simple tape to get you started. You can even gift this to men, women and teenagers–there’s a gift-giving suggestion that’s truly one-size-fits-all!

Thank all the people who made this past year a success for you. Instead of just signing holiday cards, write what you appreciate about that person. The happiness you spread will come right back to you. You will be amazed how much it lifts your spirits to acknowledge people who have contributed to your life. In the process, you’ll also remember you are not alone. We are all connected.

Plan, plan, plan your gift-giving. Make a list. Start organizing and create a budget so that you don’t overspend because you are worried about “getting the perfect thing.” The perfect gift is an illusion. A nice gesture is easy to achieve.

Set your limits. Four hours of dinner-plus-gift-opening is almost too much stimulation for those grandkids–and their grandparents! I know my limit is about 3.5 hours. Have a great time, but know when to close the party down. If you can’t leave, say goodnight and go to bed. Your guests will know what to do.

Sleep as much as you can. There’s a lot of extra work with the holidays. Give your body a chance to recuperate from those extra hours of tree-trimming, house decorating, shopping, baking or wrapping. If you feel tired at 8:00 PM, go down for a “long winter’s nap.”

Spend extra time alone. Think about what you want for the New Year. Write a Vision for your life next year. Then pull out three to five main goals to focus on. I like to choose one for each of these areas: health, finances, relationships and business.

If you’d like a copy of my Vision for 2013, plus some sample goals, visit my website. Once you see the format, you’ll see it’s easy to plan your way out of the Holiday Funk.

Catherine Jewell Is The Career Passion® Coach

For more than 14 years Catherine has helped people identify and go after their dream job. Whether already employed, looking for their initial work, or needing to replace a job that disappeared, her work has helped many land that ideal placement – even if it’s working for themselves! Catherine offers a variety of tools and options on her website at CareerPassionCoach.com

0 Categories : Online Success

Dec
6

Overcome The Fear Of Online Presentations

by Jeanette

There is no doubt that today’s marketplace is attracted to visual images. Just look at the rise of Pinterest and YouTube – both visual mediums. Time and again people choose to watch a video, rather than read the manual.

That’s why you need to use visuals if you want to attract your market’s attention online. One of the easiest ways to add visual interest to your marketing is to use video-based presentations. These presentations may be in the form of a live webinar or a recorded presentation.

When using a live webinar you have the added excitement of a live event. For most people presenting “live” in front of an audience carries a level of risk, particularly when you first start. But when you create your presentation slides in advance you can rehearse until you are comfortable with the presentation.

Likewise when you record a presentation to be offered at a later time you again can get comfortable with the content and the way in which you’ve chosen to present it – long before you hit the record button.

And one of the easiest ways to plan and create your presentation to use a slide program like Powerpoint.

While Powerpoint receives a lot of criticsm as “boring”, the level of interest is actually created by you, the author of the presentation. Powerpoint, and the other slide programs, such as free ones by Open Office and Google, include several tools that make creating a good presentation a lot easier.

First you’ll want to use the Outline view to outline your content. Too many people start with the Design view which puts the emphasis on how a presentation looks, rather than what it says. Reverse that thinking and start with your content first.

Once you have your content into the program, you’ll want to do your first practice of your content. Yes, it’s still on a plain white screen. But that lets you focus on the content and presentation flow, rather than on which graphic you need to change.

Finally, once you have your content arranged as you want, in the order you prefer, you are ready to start dressing up the presentation. By this time you’ve already gone through your presentation multiple times, essentially rehearsing each time through.

When you approach your presentation in this logical, content first manner, you’ll find that not only will you have confidence in your online presentation, but others will get your message – not just your fancy graphics. And everyone knows that Content is King online!

Dr. Jeanette Cates has taught online presentation skills for more than 15 years. She shares her unique approach to creating Powerpoint presentations quickly and easily in One Hour Powerpoint.

0 Categories : Online Presentations, Powerpoint, Teleseminars, Webinars

Nov
29

15 Years Ago

by Jeanette

Here’s an interesting note: In order to see the hyperlinks in my blog posts, you have to click on the title of the post. So go ahead and click on it now – then you can read and click.

Just as I celebrated my 15 years online this year, many others are doing the same. I found this article interesting – and memorable. Enjoy!

How 10 Big Websites Looked in 1997

And in case you missed some of my stories from around that same time, here are my articles on 15 Years Online.

0 Categories : Online Success

Nov
27

Teleseminars and Webinars for Physical Products

by Jeanette

Online presentations in the form of teleseminars and webinars are commonly used in presenting and selling digital products. But are they useful for selling physical products?

Absolutely! In fact, let’s look at a couple of scenarios for using a teleseminar or webinar to sell a physical product.

Scenario One: You sell a consumable product, such as a food supplement.

Your first job is to highlight the value of using a product like yours. Your second job is to show why your specific brand is the best choice.

So in this case you may offer a free presentation, extolling the value of taking supplements in general and your supplement in particular. Then give them 3 tips for choosing the right supplement (yours, of course!). If it’s a recurring order, then explain the value of a continuity program, instead of taking the chance of running out.

The format is the same as you would use for selling a digital product – educate, then sell.

Talking To Success

If you’re ready to reap the rewards of your expertise just by using a telephone, then you need Teleseminar Basics. From the decisions you need to make to set up your first call to the logistics and marketing to the follow-up products you can create, this is the indispensable Getting Started program for you. Teleseminar Basics.

Scenario Two: You sell a high-end physical product, such as an appliance.

The formula is the same as for the less expensive, consumable product – educate, then sell.

In this case you would focus on the problem(s) that your appliance solves and the dangers of not solving these issues. Then you present your appliance as the solution to these problems.

In both of these cases, we used the standard format for any sales presentation – educate, then sell. You can easily list a dozen different topics on which your potential customer needs to be educated. Then just offer a monthly seminar on each topic.

Webinars Made Simple

The most effective presentation mode is a webinar. It provides both the audio and the visual elements that are so important to the understanding and retention of information. Whether you’re offering a sales presentation or a training course, you’ll love doing webinars – especially with the results you get! This dual-format webinar gives you the training you need to do your first webinar.

So which format should you choose for your presentation – a teleseminar or webinar? That is actually determined by your audience and your product.

First, consider your audience. If they are a tech savvy crowd that is used to watching online presentations in their professional lives, then a webinar is an easy technology for them to handle. On the other hand, if they only use a computer to send email or visit Facebook, they may find a webinar too complex for comfort and turn to teleseminars as your presentation tool.

The second consideration is your product. If it is something that can be easily “demonstrated” over the telephone, then a teleseminar is certainly the fastest and easiest way to educate your audience. However, if it needs to be “shown” then you will want to offer a webinar, with rich visuals. In some cases you may even want to offer a “live demo” while on the webinar, using a webcam technology or a pre-recorded video.

Regardless of the format for your presentation, keep these three things in mind:

1. Educate your audience on how best to take advantage of the presentation. Give them full instructions on how to join the presentation as soon as they register. Tell them what will happen on the live presentation. Assure them you will offer a replay for those who can’t be on the live call, if that is an option.

2. Plan a series of presentations. With anything new it may take time for it to “catch on”, particularly if you are the first person in your industry to use online presentations. By offering a series of regular presentations, you let people get comfortable with the technology and educate them about your product over time.

3. Promote your presentation as a new education and information format for their convenience. Go all out on this, particularly if you are the first one in your niche to offer online presentations. Sell them on the value of getting information in this “new” format. Sell them on the convenience of learning from the comfort of their home or office. Explain how easy it is to download the audio information to their digital player and even listen in the car. This is your chance to be an industry leader, so use that to your advantage.

Teleseminars and webinars provide a rich presentation environment for any product. Start using them for your business today!

Dr. Jeanette Cates is a long-time veteran of online presentations, having taught her first online course in 2001. She is the author of Teleseminar Basics and Webinars Made Simple – both geared to first-time presenters of online presentations. Choose your course, then make your first presentation this week!

0 Categories : Teleseminars, Webinars

Nov
21

Black Friday Deals

by Jeanette

By now your inbox is already filling up with one holiday deal after another. It feels like “everyone” is offering some sort of special!

So should you take advantage of them? How do you know which ones to take? How do you get the most out of the ones you DO take advantage of?

Here are three simple steps that will keep you “in control” and actually profiting from all these deals:

1. Track what you “buy” – whether it’s free or priced at a “super low” price.

For each product you buy or download you want to list

What you bought
How much you paid for it
WHERE you put it on your hard drive (or login details)

Webinars. Teleseminars. Home Study Courses. Ebooks. Hot Tactics. Oh My!

Information abounds in the Online Business arena. If it’s all just Too Much – get control with Overcome Information Overload.

2. Document what you “buy”.

Before you hit the buy button, create a folder for the item on your hard drive. Save the sales letter into that folder. (Just use Save As in your browser. It saves the full web page and all of the supporting files.)

That makes it easy to come back and see WHAT you bought and more importantly, WHY you bought it!

Adapt The Proven Systems That Run My Business To Run YOUR Online Business!

Get a copy of my famous Product Tracker – and more! From passwords to products to checklists and more – take control with Organize Your Online Business.

3. Track your use of each item.

It’s easy to get carried away with the great deals. But they are only valuable to you if you USE them.

So each time you use the item – or at least the first time you use it – come back and put a check next to the item on your tracking sheet. You’ll soon get a feel for your consumption habits.

Ready for my Black Friday deal? Here you go! Just use the coupon code FRIDAY when you buy ANY of my products – and you’ll get an immediate $10 off. Coupon is good through Monday, November 26th.

Let the shopping begin!

3 Categories : Online Business

Connie Ragen Green: So much excellent and actionable information here, Jeanette! Thank you for sharing.
admin: Stacy I understand. It’s always easier to write in the way you are comfortable. So I would recommend...
Stacy: I am writing book which is my autobiography. My daughter think it would be better to write on my first...
Darrell Williams: What formatting company do you use for your ebooks? I love your books and the way it’s...
Janet Wahl: Hi Jeanette, Thanks for your response. My books are “textbooks” or books that will be used...

Author Archive for Jeanette – Page 10

Less Stress During Christmas Week

Shopping Cart Abandonment In Information Products

Recipe for a holiday funk

Overcome The Fear Of Online Presentations

15 Years Ago

Teleseminars and Webinars for Physical Products

Black Friday Deals

Look Who's Talking

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