Have you seen it?  The Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) has made new regulations specifically for marketing on the internet.  The new regulations take effect today, so you may want to consider paying attention if you haven’t been already.

What’s the big deal?

The BIG deal is your testimonials, claims about effectiveness, affiliate marketing and programs may not be up to snuff with the new regulations.  Now, I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t really speak to what you need to do in order to be in compliance with the new regulations.  However, I can point you in the direction of some resources that will help you get there.  You may want to contact your lawyer to be certain, but these resources will get you started.

1)  The official FTC announcement - http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

2)  Blog post by Kevin Houchin (who IS a lawyer), explaining the basics. - http://houchinlaw.com/?p=468

3)  Interview with Kevin Houchin about it. - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/askjamesholmes/2009/11/10/internet-business-blueprint-with-james-holmes

4)  FTC Toolkit, with checklists and step-by-step info. on what you need to do, created by Kevin Houchin and Joel Comm (internet marketer) - https://www.sitecompliant.com/

If you are not yet compliant, don’t panic!!

They aren’t going to go down a list alphabetically and start fining people $11,000 immediately.  They don’t have that kind of time.  There are A LOT of USA websites out there.  I read one article that predicted (not fact!) that they most likely won’t come after you unless there are certain amount of complaints against you.  So, you don’t have to fix it all right this minute!  However, I do suggest you get yourself into compliance as soon as you humanly can.  That way you aren’t at risk anymore.

I think these new regulations are a great thing for internet marketing.

They are going to hold all of us accountable for being transparent.  They will also promote honest marketing, which has been lacking in several internet arenas.  So, I’m all for these new regulations.  Like you, I need to get into compliance myself and I’ll be working on that this month.

What are your thoughts?  Are you in favor of these regulations?

I’m seeing this issue a lot lately.  Are you?  Some internet entrepreneurs have an assistant or behind the scenes person doing social networking for them.  Others swear they do it all themselves and it’s a rip off to do it any other way.  Who’s right?  I think BOTH are.

On one hand, social networks are about being social and connecting with others.  They are about getting visibility for your business and creating relationships that are profitable.  They are also a place to connect with like-minded people and have stimulating conversations about your chosen profession.

On the other hand, there is a lot of work involved with social networking.  The profile maintenance, the branding customizations and the plug-in additions.  Not to mention the actual communication that goes on.  Much of this can be handled by a skilled social networking expert who knows the technology.

So, what’s possible to outsource?  Well, that depends on how much time you have for social networking.  If you have time to communicate and run the technology without taking time away from other income-generating activities, well then have it and do it all by yourself.

If you have limited time for social networking, but it’s been a huge reason that you have been successful, then it might be time to consider outsourcing it.  Okay, so what EXACTLY can you outsource on social networks?  Let me give you a list:

• Profile changes.  Especially in Facebook, where there are so many apps and customizations you can make.
• Branding changes.  When you change your brand, your networks need to be updated.
• Friend/Follow maintenance.  Once you set up a clear criteria, this can be handled by someone else.  Give them a list of all the people you just met an event and they can add them into your mix too.
• Marketing Messages.  This is great for a Fan Page where it’s all business.  Have a great writer take what you’ve written for your marketing campaign and break it down into conversation starters, then post those on your networks.
• Affiliate posts.  If you are an affiliate, have someone pre-set your affiliate postings if possible.  Have them go in on a regular basis and post updates with affiliate links.
• Customer service issues.  If you get people coming to you through social networks asking standard questions that your customer service team can answer, have them do so.

Now, the every day responses to others will be all up to you.  Your outsource company can get the conversation started, but you need to be present to keep it going when you get a response.  You also need to put your “in the moment” thoughts out there, becuase these are most attractive to potential clients.  You don’t need to be into the technology.  If you are making money from being on social networks, then you can invest in a team to allow you more time to serve the clients you get from you social networking activities.

So, the answer is yes and no.  Yes, you can outsource if you’re business is growing from social networks.  No, you can’t outsource EVERYTHING…because no one is you and your social networks want to know YOU.  You CAN get help from professionals when it pays off.  So, are you ready to outsource yet?  What are your thoughts on this topic?  Leave a comment.  I’d love to hear from you.

I’m not sure how often I will do this, but I feel this blog is a great place to share with the community events at Coaches’ Marketing Source and with our partners.  All of which will help you with your marketing and/or business.  Over the next couple weeks there are three such events going on.  So, I’m going to share them with you now.

1)  Wednesday - Saturday if you are in the San Francisco area, you may want to consider attending the Love & Money Business Summit hosted by Katrina Sawa.  She’s going to cover huge amounts of information on how to be happy in your life and your business.  It’s a great combo!  For more information visit: http://www.theloveandmoneysummit.com.

2)  Tuesday, November 17 @ 5:00 pm EST, Scott Lewis of Focused Business Action has asked me to present the More Money Marketing Systems call.  It’s been revamped to include action steps that you will put together on the call, so you can get started right away.  This is going to be a great action-oriented call on how to earn more money with the systems you already have in place.  Oh, and it’s FREE!  Sign up at http://www.focusedbusinessaction.com/marketing-action-seminar/

3)  Thursday, November 19 @ 2:00 pm EST, I’ll personally be interviewing Milana Leshinsky about affording your dream team without breaking the bank on this months Build Your Dream Business Tele-Series call.  I’m going to pick her brain about virtual dream teams. If you are wondering how to get the right team for your business, you want to be on this call!  Register for FREE at http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com/tele-series.html.

So, what do you think?  Is posting events like this on the blog helpful to you?  Let me know.

Hey everyone!

As you may know, I was out for the last two weeks as I attended Marketing to Millionaires and did some networking on the west coast.  It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful I decided to embark on this journey.  Although, I don’t think my brain has ever been so crammed full of information to process before!

First of all, at Marketing to Millionaires I got to meet some amazing people that I had only known via the internet and had a phone call or two with.  Meeting in person really made those relationships stronger and cemented several that will be long-lasting.  Not to mention, I met a lot of new people that I am now continuing to build relationships with.

Kelly taught us a lot about marketing to the affluent.  It’s a whole different ball game from the mass marketing that we all learned when we started our businesses.  It’s a different way of thinking when communicating with this group.  It also takes a much higher level of investment in the relationship.  I am now completely rethinking how I work with my current clients and how I will attract new clients as a result of this training.  Not only that, I have new positioning for my business and I’ll be rewriting my website content soon (stay tuned for more on this!).  It’s all VERY exciting!  For once in my career, I feel like I know exactly what I need to do to achieve what I want.  It’s awesome!

After the event, I arranged some time to meet up with others who weren’t attending.  I took my Project Manager, Carrie, with me so that she could meet one of our clients that she manages and others.  It was awesome to meet all these people in person.  I think we really strengthened our relationship with the client!  As for my other friends/colleauges it was great to meet up with them in person and find out what’s up with them.  I was also introduced to some amazing new people that I will continue to keep in contact with.

Oh, and then there was the day I was able to meet with my brother.  I only get to see  him once a year usually, and this year I got to see him twice!  It was great to hike in the woods, shoot a bow and arrow, and visit with his new furry friends at the house.

Needless to say, I truly enjoyed my trip. Now, I’m beginning to implement the strategies I learned from Kelly and I’m following up with the amazing contacts I made.  I now know that these kinds of events are totally worth it from a learning and networking standpoint.  I’ve grown HUGELY over the last two weeks and I have a commitment to my business that I’ve never had before.  If for no other reason, this was worth it!

Have you been to an event like this?  How has it changed your relationships and/or business?

As you know I’ve been taking quite a bit of time away from my business office this month.  I was on vacation the first week of the month and today, I leave to attend Marketing to Millionaires.

It is kind of uncomfortable to take that much time away.  Just like so many solopreneurs, I wonder what my team will do if something they’ve never tackled before comes up.  I worry that I forgot to give them something.  This is all par for the course before I leave, but I DO leave and I DO forget about what’s going on while I’m away.  I have to trust that my team can handle whatever comes in while I’m away.  Otherwise, I’d never enjoy it!

That doesn’t mean that I just throw my hands up in the air and say “I’m outta here!”.  In order to ease my mind as much as I can, I have a lot to do in preparation for leaving.  I spent the majority of last month preparing to be out of the office all but 6 business days in October.  So, I know what it takes to get there.  I’m hoping it will help you as well.  So, I thought I’d share with you my vacation preparation strategies.

1)  Do your writing and marketing in advance - Okay, I’m going to admit that I wrote this newsletter in the middle of September (but I did reread it before it went out and edited just a little bit).  This keeps my marketing going even though I have no time to do it this month.  I always tell my clients that consistency is the key to successful marketing.  So, writing out your marketing in advance and scheduling it to go out while you’re gone can keep that consistency for you.

If you have someone helping you with your marketing, make sure you get it to them early and let them know it’s coming early.  That way they know it’s supposed to wait until the time you are away and it’s not in addition to your usual marketing.

If you don’t write it out in advance, at least let peopel know what’s up. As you see, my previous post  on this blog tells you that I may or may not be posting for the month.  It’s kind of a heads up.  That lets people know where you are, so they don’t wonder and leave really quick.

2) Have a team member in place - My Project Manager, Carrie, works very closely with me on a regular basis.  She knows what needs to get done when it comes to helping my clients with their work.  My clients are already familiar with her and have had communication with her fairly regularly.  This  makes Carrie the obvious choice to take over in my absence.

Now, as a coach, I understand you may not have someone like this in place.  I think it’s important to have someone who can handle your administrative duties though.  Someone who schedules appointments, handles follow-up with potential clients when they need more information and can handle the intake process for you once a client decides to work with you.  This team member will have already had a connection with your clients.  So when you are away, they can easily answer e-mails or phone calls as they come in for you.

3)  Schedule a meeting with your helper - Whoever you decide to have help you, make sure you speak to them before you leave.  Cover all the reasons someone would contact you and give them a process for responding.  Give them all the resources they would need to get someone started working with you, in case someone wants to move forward.  Give them any numbers for people that help you with your business in case they need it.  Give them permission to use their best judgment and allow them to make decisions if necessary.  This way you don’t come back to a line of people waiting to hear from you.  Some of them can be taken care of and on their way.

4)  Technology and e-mail - Give your helper access to the back side of your e-mail.  Either through the cpanel or a login to webmail.  Allow your helper to delete junk mail in that back end.  Give them permission to delete newsletters, advertisements, and announcements from online communities etc….  That way it never touches your inbox.  That way you come back ONLY to e-mails that are important.  This will keep you from inbox overload. You will quickly be able to jump back in and respond to people in the first day.

5)  Plan some time to get back in the groove - When you go away, you need to give yourself some time to catch up once you return.  I’m going to be away for most of October, so I’m taking the week after I return to catch up.  I have no calls scheduled.  I made sure I didn’t promise anyone I’d get them something that week.  I have absolutely nothing going on that week by design.  This will not only allow me to get caught up, but it also gives me time to start implementing all that I learn from the event I’m attending.  So, think about what you will want and need to do once you return and schedule accordingly.  Don’t get back and jump right in or you’ll be in overload so fast your head will spin.

I do these 5 things every time I step away from my business.  I have saved myself a lot of headaches by doing so.  When I come back, I know that I will be able to handle catching up.  While I’m away, I know my business is in good hands and that things are getting done.  This helps me get over any doubts I have about whether I can take time away from my business.  I hope it will also help you.

Are there other preparations you make?  What helps you know you can safely step away from your business?  What challenges do you have?