selling tips Tag

Snake Oil Selling Hurts Us All: An Online Business Call to Arms

  |   Business Tips, Classy Marketing, Reputation   |   2 Comments

Snake oil selling is setting dangerously unrealistic expectations for not only what we as online business owners can achieve, but also what we SHOULD achieve. It's time to rise up and say no to misleading sales tactics that are preventing us from growing truly sustainable, successful, and fulfilling businesses.

If it wasn't obvious by now, I’ve been reflecting quite a bit about online business. As of late, my thoughts have kept circling around this nagging question:

What is causing us to feel so overwhelmed, pressured, and, if it goes on long enough, FED UP with the whole idea of making money online?

There’s something going on here.

I mean, I know (and you know) that growing and running a business is difficult NO MATTER WHAT kind it is. There’s always going to be those long days, sleepless nights, and obsessive periods where it seems everything is about “the biz.”

Whether you’re trying to grow in the virtual space or not, that reality is the same.

Yet as I talk to more and more online-focused entrepreneurs -- who have only been doing this for about 6 months to 3 years, mind you -- I hear things I DON’T hear from my friends who own locally-based, brick-and-mortar shops, studios, offices, etc.

Things like,

“I honestly don’t know if I want to do this with my life anymore...

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Delight: The Digital Biz Owner’s Guide To Creating A Pro Client + Customer Service Plan (A Workbook)

  |   Business Tips, Customer Service, E-Books, Reputation   |   9 Comments

The complete guide to creating a customer service plan for your small business. Delight: The Digital Biz Owner's Guide To Creating A Pro Client + Customer Service Plan is for creative business owners, freelancers, Etsy shop owners, and entrepreneurs who want to get more clients + buyers + forever fans by delivering heroic service.

A long time ago (32 weeks, to be exact) in places far away (that would be Twitter, Instagram, + Facebook), I posed a question.

It went a little like this:

Screenshot 2021-10-27 14.12.34

After a lot of studious tallying by candlelight into the wee hours of the morning (not really), the answer was resoundingly clear.

"Create #2!" the masses cried.

It was a happy day, as you might imagine. (Oh, if all our future business plans could be so obvious.) But today? Oh today, my friends, is even happier.

That's because Delight: The Digital Biz Owner's Guide To Creating A Pro Client + Customer Service Plan is finally here. (And I can't wait for you to see it.)

What are the details of this one-of-a-kind workbook? Let me show you:
...

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How to Make Easy Passive Income Online With a Free Challenge or Mini-Course (The Ick-Free Upgrade Technique)

  |   Blog Income Report, Business Tips, Classy Marketing   |   65 Comments

Want a simple, no-hassle way to make passive income for your blog or business AND grow your email list? It's not as hard as you think, and you can do it without a scary launch or crazy webinars. (Perfect for introverts + beginners!) Click to read the full tutorial on Olyvia.co

Let's say you've never released a product online and you're terrified. You're terrified because not only are you scared to pull off a "big launch," the truth is -- #letsbehonest -- you don't even know HOW.

Webinars? Sales emails? Instagram parties? Excuse me, but oh. my. gosh. and WTH.

Or, maybe you have launched big before. (In which case I say, you are amazing!) But your hands are full and you're looking for a different, simple way to monetize your blog -- something that's low key, straightforward, and that will continue to bring in consistent passive income without any uncomfortable promotion OR continual sales-y fanfare on your part.

Whichever camp you fall into, this blog post is for you.

Today I'm teaching you all about The Ick-Free Upgrade technique, a monetization strategy for your blog or business that:

1. Does not require a big email list. (In fact, you don't need an email list at all to start doing this and be successful, AND it's going to help you build one at the same time -- #winning.)

2. Is extremely affordable to set up. (All that's required financially is a mass email marketing provider [I use Mailchimp - #afflink] that allows you to set up a simple automated email sequence. To do this in Mailchimp you need to use their upgraded version, which costs as little as $10/mo depending on how many subscribers you have. With ~ 1-3 sales of your product you'll recoup the cost.)

3. Demands exactly 0 promo efforts by you other than the normal promotion you would do for a blog post or email opt-in gift. (In other words, you decide how much and in what way you make people aware of it -- there's no pressure to be a pushy saleswoman or bubbly ball...

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The Epic 21 Day Brand Impressions Detox for Digital Business Owners

  |   Blogging Tips, Business Tips, Reputation, Resources   |   53 Comments

Making an A+ first impression online is so important as a small business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur! This free email course is out of this world helpful in improving your website + social media accounts so that you look credible + professional to potential clients and customers.

Hello again, friends. :) Since absence makes the heart grow fonder, I just know that right about now you consider me your greatest online love.

This month marks the Olyvia.co 1 year birthday -- wild, right?! -- and to celebrate with you I wanted to create something cool + helpful you could use to refresh your blog + social media accounts + brand reputation (and look 10x more pro online).

So, for the last 2.5 weeks I've been buried in InDesign + Illustrator + Mailchimp working (fun, but I missed you!) -- and what I came up with is this:

A 21 day free detox for your brand's online spaces.

(Henceforth known as "The 21 Day Brand Impressions Detox" -- because I like to make things sound all official like that.)

It's for new and intermediate level bloggers, freelancers, creative business owners, coaches & consultants, solopreneurs, and anyone with a personal brand online who wants to:

1. Make certain that their online presence screams "modern" and "professional" -- not "dated" or "amateur"

2. Do a serious, effective cleaning of their digital spaces so things look bright + clean, not dull or junky

3. Get a (virtual) kick in the derrière to take their brand up a notch, and have some laughs along the way (totally at my expense, I assure you)

Here's how to get started:
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Want To Know How To Delight Your Customers? 13 Savvy Business Women Share Their Best Tips!

  |   Business Tips, Customer Service, Reputation   |   40 Comments

Great small business tips from successful women on how you can impress your customers and look like a professional. A must read for the entrepreneurs, freelancers, Etsy shop owners, and other creatives.

Knowing how to delight your customers is a big deal, and something that really, truly, seriously intimidates a lot of new entrepreneurs + freelancers.

I know because when my freelance business in web and graphic design started getting serious (you know, I wasn't doing things for free-ish), the burden to make sure my clients liked me + my work was super heavy.

I felt -- and still feel -- that the entire key to my success in business was going to hinge on how my clients perceived me. And THAT would depend entirely on how well I could serve them.

This would have to be achieved not just by doing GOOD work (hellooo -- clearly a non-negotiable!), but by making sure their entire experience with me was pleasant, smooth and, well, utterly delightful.

I know back then I was hungry for any and all simple advice from people in a similar space as me on how to deliver this great customer experience , which is why I decided to pull together the collective brains of some impressive entrepreneurial women in this post today.

They have been incredibly generous to share the little, unassuming things they do that make a biiiig impact on their customer happiness, and I'm so SO excited to pass them on to you.

Here's what they had to share with me:
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16 (More) Ways To Earn People’s Trust and Look Credible Online

  |   Business Tips, Email Marketing, Online Etiquette, Reputation, Social Media Marketing   |   14 Comments

16 ways to look like an authority and build trust on the web + a free worksheet!

When you're working on increasing your online trust and authority, one thing is certain: you need to make headway with the simple things first.

Quick accomplishments are motivating. Once you see big results from small efforts, you'll be more inclined to dig in for the long haul and get the entire job done.

In the first blog post in this series, you learned 27 fairly effortless changes you could make to your website design and content in order to look credible online. Today, you're going to learn how to make your emails, sales process, and online etiquette work for you to build your online authority.

These are 16 specific things you can easily start working on TODAY. Your time is money, so let's get down to business:
...

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