Jeanette, Author at Jeanette Cates

Nov
19

The Power Of Decisions

by Jeanette

You’ve heard the old adage “He who hesitates is lost” or the more modern translation “You Snooze. You lose.” But you may not have applied that philosophy in your online business. After all, that’s just something we use in sales letters, right?

As it turns out, it is applicable to multiple areas of your business. Here are the top three areas impacted by hesitation.

Purchases

When you work online there are a multitude of opportunities presented every day to buy for your business. Naturally each of them tells you that you need it and you need it now! But your ability to sort through those options and make a wise and timely buying decision makes the difference between paying too much and buying more than you need.

Here are simple questions you can ask yourself in order to buy what you need without hesitation.

1. Will this fix a problem I have in my business right now?

1a. What is the cost of not fixing this problem?

1b. Will I save at least that much by buying now?

2. If this is not a pressing need, is this something I can use long term?

3. Do I need to buy it now – or will it be available later?

3a. If it will be available will I save enough buying now that I can justify the current expense for future use?

3b. How soon will I be ready to use this?

When you use those simple questions, you can decide whether it’s better to take action now – or hesitate for longer term profit.

Read more on the topic of Should I Buy This Product?

Content Creation

Another adage you have heard is “Content is king.” That means that if you are in business online you need to be in the business of creating content.

Content comes in the form of articles, podcasts, videos, books, social media posts, blog comments, quote graphics, infographics – an endless chain of information creation.

But one of the biggest tripping points on creating content is fear of criticism. You want it to be perfect so that there is not a chance anyone will criticize you.

Here’s the bad news: regardless of how perfect you think it is, someone will always find a way to disagree with your idea of perfection.

Here’s the great news: when you follow through and produce just 10% more content than you are right now, you will be a long way ahead of your competitors. While they are still hesitating, waiting for the Perfection stamp to be applied to their work, you are cranking out content that is good enough.

Business Direction

One of the exciting aspects of building a business online is the multitude of choices. Virtually anything you can think of can be turned into an online business.

But while that is a blessing it is also a curse. It means that you have limitless ideas with unlimited choices. For many people that turns into a nightmare as they bounce from one idea to another. As soon as they hit a little resistance on idea one, they are off to idea two. Within a few months they have bounced from one idea to another with no success to show and they are now declaring that “this online stuff doesn’t work.”

If you are still in the hobby stage of your business, it is fine to change your mind. But once you get serious about making a profit, then you need to settle on one direction. Write it down. Commit to it for at least six months before you make any changes in direction.

Only after you have made the decision as to what type of business you are building and who you are serving can you start the clock for success. Until then you cannot count the false starts and trials you made. It’s only after you make the decision – and stop hesitating – that you can say you have started an online business.

And once you know the direction you are headed, all of the decisions become much easier!

Trust Yourself

When it comes to the bottom line, all hesitation is caused by your lack of trust in yourself and your judgment. How do you overcome this? By building confidence in your ability to make good decisions.

How do you learn to make good and quick decisions? By
1) Knowing where you’re going and having a plan to get there. (business direction)
2) Having a track record for producing quality content (content creation)
3) Practicing your decision-making skills (purchases)

When you combine these three elements, you start trusting yourself and recognize the power of decisions.

Need help setting your business direction? Have questions you need answered? You’ll find a host of solutions to help you make good decisions right here.

0 Categories : Online Business

Nov
15

15 Ways To Recycle Your Content

by Jeanette

As we celebrate America Recycles Day, it seems appropriate to talk about recycling in your business. In this case, we’re talking about recycling your content.

When I first came up with the idea to write an article on how to recycle your content, I outlined several methods. But then, my good friend Jim Edwards came out with a video that lists 15 ways to recycle your content. And I decided that instead of creating an article from scratch, I would share (aka recycle) his video!

So how do YOU recycle your content? Share your ideas in the comments below.

0 Categories : Content Marketing

Nov
11

Veterans Day 2013

by Jeanette

As we honor our Veterans for Veterans Day 2013, I want to say a special thank you to my parents.

My father, who died 50 years ago this year,was a quiet man, as were many of his generation. Born at the end of World War I, he never knew a world without conflict.

He did what needed to be done without complaint. As a young boy growing up during the depression, he threw papers to help support his family. He took an extra job as an assistant at the local drug store, helping deliver prescriptions so that his sister could take dance lessons.

When recruiting started in preparation for World War II, he enlisted in 1941 at a grand $21 per month. In spite of the salary, Mother still married him in 1942 and moved to Arkansas where he was stationed so that both of them could live on $21 a month.

When the war started, they knew he would be leaving, but not when. At that time, government secrets like troop movements were actually secrets! So Mother was not surprised when one day he just didn’t come home from work at the post. She waited 24 hours as he had instructed, then went to the post to see it had been disserted. He had shipped out to Europe. No voicemail. No letters. No video. Just gone.

Over time she found out he was in England. As a medical supply officer, there was little chance he would actually be part of the invasion, but then she didn’t really know what he was doing or where he was in England. I have many of their letters back and forth, with lines and words redacted by the sensors. Certainly there was never a hint about where he was in England or what his duties were.

Meanwhile on the home front, Mother moved back home to live with her parents and contribute to the war effort. Working alongside her father, she serviced the vending machines in the factories in their area, where war goods were being manufactured.

I remember her talking about “The War Effort” and the rationing, but it wasn’t until we visited the World War II Museum recently that I truly appreciated the full effort put in by those on the Home Front.

Imagine saving the grease from cooking – because it could be recycled and used to oil guns and machinery. Did you know that it took 30 lipstick tubes to make one bullet? Or that each tin can used in cooking was then recycled into war machinery? It was truly awe-inspiring to see how everyone helped in the effort to equip and win World War II.

I could go on for hours, talking about the rich military history of which I am so proud. I grew up as an Army brat and married an Army man, who is himself an Air Force brat. I loved being a part of the military world.

And those are just a few of the reasons I give a particularly heartfelt “Thank You” to all of our Veterans here and abroad on Veterans’ Day. It is an honor to know you and truly a privilege that you serve our cause for peace. Thank you!

Author’s Note: If you are in New Orleans, I highly recommend a day at the World War II Museum. Download the app ahead of time so you can get an idea of the breadth of the exhibits. Then buy the ticket that includes both the movie narrated by Tom Hanks and the submarine simulation experience. Both are very powerful. Spend 20 minutes just sitting in the lobby of the Boeing exhibit, appreciating what our country achieved in production from our factories. Talk to the docents around the museum, many of whom are World War II veterans. Incredible stories!

7 Categories : Online Success

Sep
27

Internet Down? 7 Things You Can Do

by Jeanette

I’m having withdrawal! The Internet is down! I’ve been without the Internet for nearly 24 hours at this point.

This isn’t one of those unplugged vacations that I encourage you to take. It’s a totally unplanned, in the middle of my work week, period of disconnection!

And to make it worse, we have no idea how long this will last. It’s very disconcerting to not know how long your sentence is when you’re being held as a prisoner offline.

So after several meditation and tapping (EFT) sessions, trying to remain calm, here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Write an article.

Okay, it may seem obvious when you’re not stressing about being disconnected, but it wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. After all, I often look for references while I’m writing – and that takes an Internet connection.

But I’m here now and you are the lucky recipient of this disconnected article!

2. Use your smartphone.

Again, not the first thing that came to mind, since my phone and ipad generally use our wifi network. So after thinking “duh” I turned off wifi and am able to pick up email with those devices.

I even sent a broadcast since I’m hosting a webinar in a few hours and they haven’t heard from me in the past 48 hours.

What made that possible is that I run Roboform on my computers and all devices. So I could log into automatically to broadcast the message.

Why not just use the phone and ipad to get work done online? For one thing, it’s not nearly as convenient as a computer. For another, we’re at the end of the usage month and I’ve already had the “75% of your minutes have been used” message.

Could I pay for overage? Well of course I could – but where’s the challenge in that?

3. Convert a book.

I’m in the process of converting all of my Kindle books into a print format in preparation for the new Matchbook program from Amazon. The first one is already being mailed to me, so I have the process down pat at this point.

Since it means you have to take your Kindle version, reformat for a print version with page numbers, headers, redo the table of contents, then deal with creating a back cover, it takes some time. Plus you have to convert all of the graphics into 300 dpi.

That could easily take several hours for each of the books.

4. Record a video.

While I couldn’t demonstrate anything online, I could easily put together a Powerpoint presentation and record it. I won’t need the Internet until it’s time to upload it.

But as I was thinking about putting this article into a video I realized – all of the graphics I want to use in the presentation are online! So it would have to be a plain words slide show.

5. Write a book.

There is always another book in the works. So the quiet time with no email and no Internet provides the ideal work environment.

I’ve already outlined my next book and finished the first chapter, which I think is always the hardest. So I could easily crank out 5 or 6 chapters this afternoon.

6. Plan and reflect.

We always talk about there never being enough time to take a look at what we’re doing, then plan our next step. So this might be a good time for looking at what’s working, as well as planning strategic moves on the calendar.

The holdup for this? All of my tracking statistics are online! So while I could plan, it would be off the top of my head, rather than based on facts.

7. Host a webinar.

This one is iffy. While the GotoMeeting software “says” you can host a webinar from your ipad, I’ve never actually DONE it. So you can imagine the level of stress associated with that task!

However, since I AM hosting a webinar this afternoon, I’ve already contacted the guest and explained that I’ll be telephone only. Whew! That removes some pressure.

But then I realized that the way GotoWebinar is set up, you have to have an audio pin to be heard – and you only get that after you log in! More research to do on that.

Whew! Seven seems a good number to stop with. And you can see from this list, that there are things I have to do. So I’ll check off the first one on the list. I’ve already done the second. Now moving on to the third. I’m off to format a book!

Inquiring minds want to know – what would YOU do with no Internet in the middle of your work week, with deadlines and expectations looming?

3 Categories : Productivity

Sep
23

Stuck For Ideas: Where To Look

by Jeanette

We all get to that point where we are stuck for ideas. When I first started publishing information products online, I thought that certain people had a crystal ball they gazed into to find their next great idea. Or some top-secret contact who was providing them with inside information.

Over time, I realized that it wasn’t magic that allowed these people to come up with red-hot ideas on demand. It was simply that they knew where to look.

I soon discovered many places where ideas seemed to always be found. I call these places “idea hangouts”. Here are three of my favorites where you can find ideas for your next article, blog post, or book anytime you want. Almost like a genie granting you three wishes…

1. GOOGLE.COM

Google is the ultimate “idea hangout”. There are so many ways to mine the gold in Google’s amazing search database that it would take another article to graze the surface of this enormous iceberg.

However, here are three quick ways to find ideas by searching Google.

– Watch While You Search

Google provides a “suggestion tool” that is ideal for finding the right keywords and the phrases commonly used. Just start typing your search phrase into the box and you’ll start seeing the most popular ideas right there!

You can take these very listings and create an article that answers the question, using the search phrase as the title. You can also incorporate these into a book as chapter titles or keywords in the book listing.

– Identify Listings.

Search for a broad topic related to your area of interest or expertise. (I.E. “Tennis”, “Weight loss”, “Homeschooling”.) Look at all of the web sites listed in the index of returned results. You’ll likely find some ideas for information products right there in the first couple of pages.

– Identify Advertisers.

You’ll probably notice small ads either at the top of the page or to the right of the page (or both!). These advertisers represent your competition. They also represent your thermometer for taking the temperature of your market and gauging interest in specific topics. Chances are, what they’re selling you should be selling.

In both of these examples, you can click through to the web pages of the sites listed and study their respective sales pages. Look specifically at the “bullet points”. Each of these represents a potential idea for your next content piece.

These are also ripe for affiliate marketing. If it’s something that appeals to you, it will appeal to your audience as well. So keep a running list of these sites as potential products to recommend.

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2. AMAZON.COM.

From the world’s largest search engine we move to the world’s largest bookstore. At Amazon.com you’ll really get your creative juices fired up.

Again, you’ll want to search the listings by entering a keyword or keyphrase into the search box on the main page at Amazon.com.

You’ll get a returned listing of numerous books, courses and other periodicals. Search these listed items for ideas for your own ebook.

— Example —

If you were to search for “Homeschooling”, you’d find a variety of ideas just waiting in the listing of books available, including: homeschooling for special needs children, getting starting in homeschooling, choosing curriculum, homeschooling field trips, homeschooling support groups, homeschooling for various ages (I.E. Pre-K, Elementary, Junior High, High School, etc.), homeschooling for Christians, etc.

Any of these listings (and the dozens of others listed) would be great ideas for the topic of your next book or product.

Pay particular attention to the first page of the listing. Amazon ranks their listings based on popularity of actual sales volume. In other words, #1 is a better seller than #50. This is a ready-made indicator of demand!

3. MAGAZINES.COM

After visiting the world’s largest search engine and the world’s largest bookstore, it’s time to take a quick stop at the world’s largest periodical store, Magazines.com.

You’ll find every imaginable magazine listed at this site. The interesting part (and useful to you as a research tool) is this: you’ll also find the COVER of a recent copy of each magazine.

For example, you can search for “Parenting” and the engine will return a listing of magazines related to that topic. You can then click on the image of the magazine cover and you’ll be shown a larger copy of that cover where you can read the contents. (I.E. “How To Raise A Stubborn Child”, “27 Ways Discipline In Public” and “The Real Key To Your Child Getting Better Grades”.)

Each of these “cover stories” represents an idea for your next article or book.

The best part about it is this: the publishers of these magazines have done the research for you! It’s like using the custom dissertation writing service for a student. They’ve measured the level of interest for these ideas and found it high enough to warrant not only writing content about them, but referencing that content on the cover of the magazine!

That’s your hint. People want this information.

So, there you have it, 3 “idea hangouts” where you can find ready-made, in-demand, red-hot topics for your next content creation. Regardless of what you are trying to create you’ll find good ideas on three websites.

0 Categories : Content Marketing

Sep
17

Amazon Kindle Matchbook For Authors: Prepare Now

by Jeanette

There is a lot of excitement in the marketplace about the Amazon Kindle Matchbook program. Here is what it means to you as an Amazon author and how you can prepare for the launch of the program.

What Is The Matchbook Program?

The Amazon Matchbook program offers a special opportunity for book buyers. Instead of having to decide whether to buy the print or Kindle version of a book, they can buy both with a significant discount on the Kindle version.

That means they can immediately download the Kindle version and start reading it on their Kindle, tablet, phone or computer, while their print version is being shipped to them. Since most readers want their book as soon as possible, it is predicted that this will be a popular choice among book buyers.

What The Matchbook Program Means To Authors

While some of the large publishers reportedly see the program as a threat to their book revenue, independent authors view it as a means to additional sales. Even if only half of the print buyers opt for the Match, an author can earn an additional stream of revenue with no extra effort.

Naturally you will need both a print version and a Kindle version of your book. Once you have enrolled in the Matchbook program, Amazon requires that you offer your Kindle version for less than half of its normal price. They also restrict you to charging one of four price points: $2.99, $1.99, 99 cents or free.

For example, if you are currently selling your Kindle book for $9.99, you can continue to sell it at that price. But when bought with the print version, the Kindle version could not exceed $2.99. Of course, since you are probably selling your print version for $14.99 and up, the $2.99 is just add-on profits.

On the other hand, if your Kindle book is currently $2.99 you will need to price it at 99 cents or make it free in order to follow the guidelines. In all cases, the customer must buy the print version of your book in order to take advantage of the special Kindle pricing.

An extra benefit for many authors is that you can participate in the Matchbook program without offering your books exclusively through Amazon. That means that regardless of how many outlets you sell through, you can still participate in the Matchbook program, as long as you sell both your print book and Kindle book through Amazon.

One other advantage to note is the opportunity for a sales boost when the Matchbook program launches. Book buyers who have purchased print copies of books will be offered the opportunity to add the Kindle version for any print book they have ever bought from Amazon. So if you have an older book this could mean an immediate influx of additional funds – if you are enrolled in the Matchbook program.

How To Prepare For Matchbook

Although the Kindle Matchbook program is voluntary, it is in your best interest to be prepared to participate.

Obviously you need to have a book for sale on Amazon. Because this is a “match” program, you need to offer both the print and Kindle versions of the book. That means that if you been procrastinating, now is the time to finish your book!

Regardless of which version you already offer on Amazon, you will need both versions.

You can easily create the print version of your book with CreateSpace, Amazon’s printing division. All you need in order to create a print book is the digital file of your book contents, plus a front and back cover.

Regardless of the number of pages in your book, you can print it on CreateSpace. You can even use the built-in cover creator if you need to, although you would be better served paying a cover designer to create a more professional cover for you.

For the Kindle version of your book, use the same front cover and the same digital contents file. Using the same cover will make it easy to identify in the marketplace.

Keep in mind that there is a difference in formatting your book for Kindle versus CreateSpace. On Kindle, the contents need to be adaptable for varying sizes of fonts and margins whereas on the print version you can use page numbers, special formatting, and graphics. So take some time to modify the contents file for each version of the book.

Once the two versions of your book have been published, you will need to enroll in the Matchbook program. Do that in the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program. As you join the Matchbook program you will be asked to specify the price of your Kindle book when sold under the Matchbook program, so be prepared to make that choice.

The Early Mover Advantage

Amazon has traditionally brought out new programs with a bang. Those who are poised for success will be able to take advantage of additional promotions and possible bonuses offered.

Follow the guidelines in this article and you will be ready when the program goes live. While at this writing the program launch date is not yet set, the sooner you get ready the more likely you are to profit from the Matchbook program’s early success.

~.~.~.~

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet Strategist who works with experts and small business owners to leverage their expertise into Online Success. As a Best-Selling Amazon author, she has written multiple books. See her books at BooksByJeanette.com

4 Categories : Book Publishing

Aug
16

Learn To Earn

by Jeanette

Are you learning just for the sake of accumulating knowledge – or are you trying to earn from what you know? The difference is huge, especially in your wallet.

One of the most frequent comments you’ll hear when discussing internet marketing is “I’ve spent a fortune on products – but I’m still not earning any money.” Yet in the same breath they’ll say “But ole Larry – he found the secret – and he’s raking it in!”

So what’s the difference? Why do some people “get it” and others continue to search for the Magic Button?

The secret lies in the way they use the information. As you know there is a lot of information available on how to make money online. You can buy reports, audios, videos and full blown home study courses. You can use the free information or $7 reports. The possibilities for finding great information products is endless.

The difference is what you do after you have the information. Those who earn a living online consume the information then immediately apply it in their business.

Those who are still struggling consume the information, say “that’s good to know” then move on to the next piece of information. They are constantly in the “search and consume” mode. They never get to the Take Action step.

And that’s the difference – Action. You cannot expect to make money just from what you know. That’s like putting your textbooks under your pillow expecting to pass the test! You know people who tried it – and it didn’t work then either!

Instead, pledge to learn one tactic that you can apply immediately to your business. Then actually use it. For best success, use it more than once, so you can perfect it for your purposes.

Only when you’ve mastered that tactic – or determined that it’s not applicable to your business – should you go on to learn something new.

Will this slow down your learning? Yes, but it will increase your earning. And that’s really why you’re learning about internet marketing in the first place. Pledge today to commit to “Learn to Earn.”

8 Categories : Productivity

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 5

The Power Of Decisions

15 Ways To Recycle Your Content

Veterans Day 2013

Internet Down? 7 Things You Can Do

Stuck For Ideas: Where To Look

Amazon Kindle Matchbook For Authors: Prepare Now

Learn To Earn

Look Who's Talking

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