A Rumi New Year Greeting

May you touch the sky
with your heart-felt message
in 2011, and beyond.

Love

Julia

How to Develop a Habit of Conscious Attraction

Law of Attraction says what we experience in life is largely due to how we think about life.  As Success Mentor Zig Ziglar put it,

"It's not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you."

And Wayne Dyer said, ""The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind."


If you have noticed that bad things keep happening to you, or that good things keep not happening to you, the culprit is your attitude of thought.  These days it's easy to blame the economy, the radical changes in technology, and other issues facing the world, for our personal challenges. 

But the fact is that some will thrive during challenging times, and some will not. Why is that?

The difference between the two groups is one will think about what they want and the other will think about what they don't want.  Both are using the power of attraction, but one is using it consciously toward their betterment and the other is unconsciously focusing on what's wrong.


The key to attracting what you want no matter what is happening to the economy or the world is focusing on what you want with positive expectation.  And I would add, stubbornly focusing on what you want despite the latest bad news or hard times hitting others in your line of sight. Get Help Here

Can we stop focusing on the problem and still solve it? The challenge is that we have developed a habit of thinking about, talking about, commiserating over, and trying to fix our problems; and that will only cause our problems to grow. 

We need to develop a habit of conscious attraction, one that is focused on our goals, dreams and aspirations.  When something challenging occurs in our circumstance (we are after all humans on the planet Earth... stuff happens) we need to habitually focus on the solution, the upside, the silver lining, and remain centered in our belief in well-being. This will bring all manner of positive people, opportunities, and ideas to us that will continually help us move forward rather than being sucked down into the morass of self-pity, suffering, and failure.


So how can we develop a habit of conscious attraction? Many say that it takes 40 days to create a new habit.  If we do something every day for 40 days, it will become an integral part of our lives. Therefore, I recommend creating your Attraction Plan and refining it for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night every day for 40 days. The key is to notice where your mind takes you down a dark path, and then create an opposite scenario for your Attraction Plan that allows you to think of your problem in a new way.





This is challenging to do on your own, which is why I have created the 40 day program, "Client Attraction Breakthrough: How to Attract Clients Fast in Any Economy" starts when you register, and I've slashed the price on this program by more than 1/2 since I offered it last year, only $101 instead of $249 which was the price for last year's group.


TESTIMONIALS
Here are some of the comments from my previous Client Attraction Breakthrough Groups about the success they attracted through this program:


"Delightful Success is my experience from the continunation of reviewing my Client Attraction Breakthrough Plan. I add to my understanding Daily and feel inspired with the direction I am guided to with this practice. This brings me new joy in my business!" Laura Mathieson


"My wonderful new client who adores me is paying me another month in advance, so two months total! Thank you & mille grazie, Julia & my SAP!" Christine Heuber


"This message is to let you all know that I will not be able to attend next week's Attraction class. On Friday, I was offered an opportunity which I believe supports and aligns with my personal desires at least for the next few years! Thanks for your support." Cynthia Isaac


"Part of taking my life to another level involves my personal growth in the arena of integrating this new marketing paradigm with the principles of the attraction plan. Again, thank you Julia, and thank you all in the group for being such wonderful catalysts for my growth. It is empowering and encouraging to know I am not ALONE on the journey." Lynette Streeter


If you would like to join us and receive support for developing a habit of conscious attraction, CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER.  Client Attraction Breakthrough is offered as part one of my Magical Marketing Series.

Go forth and attract!


Love
Julia


PS: Did you miss my landmark webinar with Iyanla Vanzant last week? You can still access that video free of charge on my website for a limited time only.  GO HERE:
http://www.graphicgirlz.com/teleconference.html

Will They Recognize You When They Find You?

The world is filled with hypey marketing messages that have nothing to do with the truth. in fact, most marketing mentors will tell you to market in ways that are 'traditional', 'professional' and frankly, boring! So it's no wonder that when Conscious Entrepreneurs head out to market their businesses, they often make the mistake of following tradition and including hype in their marketing because they were told that's the way to attract customers. And the problem with this approach is that their perfect customers will never recognize them this way.

The Law of Attraction says, "Like Attracts Like." So your perfect customers are like you, and they want the real you to shine through.  When you shine your true authentic beauty to the world, you give your perfect customers the permission to do the same, and they will invite you to help them.  But when you use traditional marketing methods, you appear like a robot, blending in to the crowd, never standing out.

What exactly is hype? 

• Hype is what we say when we're trying to put a smiley face over the truth.
• Hype is what we do when we're afraid our authentic selves are not good enough.
• Hype is what we write when we are copying someone else's sales letters.
• Hype is what we wear when we think we have to fit in with the crowd.
• Hype is salesy, smarmy and fake!

How can your perfect customers ever recognize you as the one they're seeking if you are faking it in any way? 

Imagine your most perfect customer right now.  Get a good picture of them in your mind.  These are folks who really get you, your uniqueness, your inner beauty and magic.  These people want only you because you are the only one with your special gift, your own approach to solving the problems your customer has.

Now imagine if you are copying someone else's sales letter, or using a design scheme that doesn't reflect your personality at all.  Can you see your perfect customers getting confused and passing you by?  Can you see how exactly the wrong people will be attracted to you?


So how to avoid hype and market authentically?

First, when you are writing your sales copy, blog posts, newsletters and other marketing pieces, write from the heart about what is most important to you and your business.  Share authentically about your true purpose in life and direct your sharing to your perfect customers.  Don't try to attract everyone, only those who will really get you and appreciate your special approach.

Secondly, use imagery that feels resonant to you, that reflects your personality.  Pictures can be the most powerful magnet that draws the perfect people to you.  When you choose imagery that opens your heart and gives you happy shivers, you know you have found the right ones. When your perfect customers see that, they will be intuitively drawn to you.

Third, be yourself.  Don't try to 'act professionally' if that means holding in who you really are.  Speak frankly, say what's on your mind, distinguish yourself from the crowd.  Blending in is not helping your brand.  A good brand stands out.

I'll Guide You Through The Steps to Creating Your Authentic Marketing Plan

Need help creating your authentic marketing plan? Check out my upcoming webinar series "Magical Marketing Mastery."  I will guide you through the steps to creating your attraction plan, your heart-felt brand, and an online marketing plan that is fun, fulfilling and wildly attractive.  Visit http://www.MagicalMarketingMastery.com

Book Review: Peace from Broken Pieces by Iyanla Vanzant

The first thing I said after finishing "Peace from Broken Pieces" was, "I will never complain about my life again!" Iyanla Vanzant survived poverty, the death of her mother and abandonment by her father, beatings, denigration, rape and denial by her 'care-givers', and pregnancy all by the time she was 16, and still become a powerful adult able to inspire the lives of millions. In her latest book Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through, Ms. Vanzant spares no detail in taking us through the experiences of her life which reveal the pathologies of our culture.

Though Ms. Vanzant refers specifically to her culture as an Black woman, the experiences she endures and rises up from are not limited to African-Americans. Women of all cultures will recognize the alienated man/woman relationships described by Ms. Vanzant, and will benefit from her brilliant insights into how to rise above cultural pathologies.

Imagine having this kind of childhood and struggling through being a single mother in the projects, to come out a best-selling author and part of Oprah's TV faculty, only to lose it all and more. Iyanla invested 3/4 of a million dollars in health-care services when her daughter became ill with cancer. Her daughter died, her husband left her, her bank took back her home, and she was left penniless.  And yet she rises again, and brings all of us who face difficult times up with her!

I have been a fan of Iyanla Vanzant since I read "In the Meantime" in 1998 which helped me heal my broken heart after the end of an important relationship. Peace from Broken Pieces comes to me at a perfect time.

At times my own struggles seem insurmountable and overwhelming. Reading Ms. Vanzant's book helps me to see that no matter what difficulties I face (or imagine I'm facing) and no matter how many generations old my challenges are, I can rise above and shine my authentic light to the world, and achieve peace and fulfillment.

I recommend this book for anyone who is facing challenges in these changing times and who is seeking a renewed relationship to peace, faith, and hope.

I invite you to attend a live interactive webinar with Iyanla Vanzant on Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at noon Pacific Time.  The webinar is called "How to Get Through What You're Going Through: Healing the Barriers to Personal and Business Success." Visit http://www.graphicgirlz.com/teleconference.html to learn more and register.

The Cost of Serving Not-So-Perfect Customers

by Julia D. Stege, MFA

The other day I had a melt down.

In hind-sight what happened was that my mind convinced me I had to do something for a client that didn't feel right in the moment with the hopes it would help me build my business.

Do you ever do that, overspend your time and energy trying to help someone who ultimately is not a match for you and your business?

If I dissect what happened into small pieces, I can easily see where my intuition was giving me warnings that I ignored in favor of what my mind was telling me about the potential boost for my business.  This client was full of promises that I heard time and again over a period of several weeks. But they never materialized because the client ultimately refused to take any of my advice.

That's a good sign this person is not a perfect customer right? But I didn't see it. (Or I chose not to see what was staring me in the face)

My business coach, Cynthia Riggs The Biz Diva, has pointed out to me on a number of occasions that I tend to go for the "Shiny Bright Object" which is usually an illusion.  So after giving me a bear hug and helping me wipe away a few tears , she asked me, "In what way is this person a match for your Ideal Client?"

Deer in headlights. The only thing I could think of was, "He has money." 

Now as someone who teaches the Attraction Plan and advises my customers to specify who is perfect for them, it's ironic that I didn't see it.  Unfortunately the cost of ignoring my intuition was rather dear.  I wasted about 10 hours that I could have used on other marketing and/or product development activities and the emotional cost was pretty high.  It feels bad to be disrespected that way.  Perfect customers just don't do that!

I cannot get back that 10 hours of my life, that's for sure. But I can move forward with new conviction to recognize and serve my perfect customers, and to refer the others to service providers who might be a better match for them.  I have taken the time to clarify the qualities, characteristics and attributese of my perfect customers again, and one of the qualities I'm emphasizing now is that my perfect customers really get me, they value my time and advice, and they make decisions quickly.

If you have noticed yourself serving some not-so-perfect customers or prospects lately, I suggest you get out your attraction plan or create a new one.

Make sure to enter the opposite qualities to the person who is not a fit.  It may take some effort, but after focusing on what you want for even a little while, you'll start feeling better, moving back toward your center, and attracting the customers who are a perfect match for you!

Ready to Build Your Online Stage? Here's How

by Julia D. Stege, MFA

Have you been feeling the urge to get your message out to a larger audience, yet feeling resistence to using computers and the Internet to create your online stage?  Last week when I was travelling home from Santa Fe, I met a woman on the plane who is in this same predicament.  She has a successful healing practice in Europe and when I asked her what her big dream is, she said to teach to a wider audience and to be able to travel the world and not be chained to her office.

When I told her that I'm an internet marketing specialist who trains leaders how to do webinars she smiled, looked up at the sky and said, "I didn't ask for this!"

But of course she had!  And so have you! That's why you were drawn to read this article in the first place. You have an important message to get out to the world.  You were born to provide your own unique perspective on the issues facing us and our planet today. And the Internet provides the perfect stage for you, if you would only use it!

I know, it's alienating to most sensitive folks who haven't yet found a way to happily integrate computers into their lives. I'm here to make the transition easier.  It's part of the reason that synchronicity led me to become one of the first designers to use desktop publishing and then the Internet. I've been doing it a long time and I have learned how to use these tools to create a public stage for my creativity and my life purpose, and I've helped my clients to do the same.

So how do you do build your online stage?

One thing I've learned is that trying to do to many things at once doesn't really work.  You have to start with just a couple of new activities, get that rolling, and then add another and another, building your online stage one step at a time.  Move at the pace that feels good to you and you will start to see results.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to build an online stage.

FREE WEBINARS provide a global stage for you to share your message, your gifts, your tips and strategies designed to help your perfect peeps get rolling (or proceed further) on their path.  You have a specific offering, a particular way to share that will attract those people who are a perfect match to you.  Offering webinars allows you to present your work in an international interactive container with multi-media capabilities.  You can share all kinds of pictures, slides, imagery, charts, photos, even live video if you want.  Any kind of visual and/or auditory presentation can be displayed to your live audience, and recorded for download or replay later.

THE FACEBOOK PROFILE is still the most powerful tool you have for attracting a large audience of simpatico peeps.  You can connect with up to 5,000 people and businesses and message every single one directly or collectively through lists.  You can share any kind of media (pictures, videos, audios, links, blogs, websites...) with your people.  Take it from someone who has taken 12 years to build an e-list of 2,000 - and in only 3 years topped out my Facebook - Facebook can be built fast!  Now that I have topped out my facebook, I can go through my network and weed out any who are not a true match for me and my message.  Soon I will have an emensely powerful network of completely aligned souls.  And all it takes is a bit of time each day to connect with people you relate to.

LINKED IN ANSWERS is a wonderful way to share your expertise with others who are seeking answers.  I have only recently begun to use this tool and have already attracted inquiries in to my services.  What you do is go to LinkedIn and click "More" in the navigation bar, then "Answers"  You will see all sorts of questions in a variety of categories.  Select the categories appropriate for you and see how many questions you can answer there.  I immediately attracted some "Best Answer" accolades which helps me build my leadership within LinkedIn.  The more I answer, the more likely I am to attract people seeking answers.  It's a wonderful way to help others, too.

Step Into Your Greatness and Shine!

I spent the weekend in Santa Fe with the folks who brought us the BEE-ing Attraction Plan (also known as the Strategic Attraction Plan) that I use in all my classes and services.  It was called the BEE-ing Attraction Wizard Retreat and the topic for the weekend was "Stepping In To Your Greatness."

In their typical laid-back, authentic style, leaders Jan Stringer and Alan Hickman guided us through the Attraction Plan and toward a clear statement about what makes us tick and who we're being in life.

The crux of the weekend was really taking a transformational journey into what is perfect for us, and shedding any resistance we had to getting our purpose, our true light. As our work dove deeper and deeper into what is most important to us, it became clear that stepping into our greatness is simply about first getting what makes us tick and then sharing that with others.  What comes naturally as a result are those attractive actions which create the pathway to realizing that purpose.

As each of us shared what makes us tick, we experienced a profound relatedness to each other.

Even though most of us had just met for the first time, we felt like old friends sharing a common path.  And who knows, perhaps we have met even multiple times on the cosmic journey through lifetimes.

And this would not have been possible if we hadn't all shared our purpose, so raw and vulnerable in the early stages of coming to the light.  By the end of the weekend we all declared our purpose and intentions with the group and we said to one another, "I see your greatness."

What a blessing to be so totally seen, gotten, and supported.

It made me want to keep going with it, to extend our retreat online and share our greatness with the world.  Of course it's what I do for a living: helping people share their purpose online in a way that attracts perfect customers.  And I was seeing my vocation in a whole new light, in the light of my tick.

What makes me tick is expressing the magic and beauty of Creation and being a loving presence in the world.

I see that what I love to do is discover the unique magic and beauty of a person and help them express that visually and verbally online, through their brand, their website, their social networking and their whole marketing plan.

That's what my gifted webinar series "Attracting Perfect Customers Online: The Basics" has been about, really sharing your authentic self online to attract the perfect people to you, the ones who truly see and value your greatness.  It has been my aim that those who participate fully in the series feel empowered to shine online and thrive through living their purpose large out in the world.

The magical Internet marketing steps revealed in the series are as follows:

1) Create your attraction plan and balance your energy so you are ready to receive.

2) Clarify your Tick Statement and define your brand message by sharing what's most important to you.

3) Write from the heart, share your gifts, talents and passions on your own blog.

4) Use Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the message out to the most people and attract customers to you.

You may access the webinar video replays for this series by registering at http://www.graphicgirlz.com/teleconference.html

Here's to shining your greatness online!

Julia D. Stege, MFA
www.GraphicGirlz.com
What you seek is seeking you!
707-823-3316

PS: If you know you want to start building your authentic presence online and need help, feel free to give me a call and we'll discuss the possibilities and explore ways I can help you shine your greatness online!

Getting Good Google Ranking is as Easy as 1, 2, 3

photo credit: Suat Eman

Getting to page one of Google used to be hard.  Back in the early days, you would have to hire an SEO expert to do their tricks on your site, and then you would be lucky to have one listing on page one.  Now with the advent of Social Media, getting to page one of Google has become easy as 1, 2 , 3.  Here are the 3 keys to getting great ranking.

Step 1:  Choose your Magical Keywords

Start by making a list of words that resonate with you, that mean something, that sing to your soul.  These are your "Tick Words" - They reflect what makes you tick.  Then make a list of words that represent your products and services, and the outcomes of your offerings.  These are your "Offering Words".  Visit the Google Keyword Tool (Search "Keyword Tool" at Google.com) and enter your words to see how often these words are being searched and note the most popular ones.  Then  create your keyword phrases with a combination of Tick and Offering Words, using the ones most commonly searched. These are your "Magical Keywords" that will attract your perfect customers.  Create "long tail" phrases of 5 to 7 words for which we will optimize your site and social networks.

Step 2:  Optimize Your Website

Optimizing your site is not as mysterious as it may seem at first blush.  All you have to do is make sure your Choose your favorite 5 - 7 Keyword Phrase and populate your site with this phrase. If you don't have a site, create a blogsite on Wordpress.com to get started. Include your phrase in the following places on your site.  Always remember: Google ranks pages, not websites. Each individual page needs to rank and stand on its own, so make sure each page is optimized for your keyword phrase/s.

URL or 'web address' ie http://www.yourkeywordphrase.com/
Page Name ie yourkeywordphrase.html
Page Title Tag
Headline and Subheads (H1, H2, etc in your CSS Style Sheet)
Links
Image Alt Tags
META Tags in the page coding
Labels and/or Tags on your blog posts

Step 3: Create Powerful Back Links

 The secret ingredient to great Google ranking made easy are Social networks: The most powerful way to get to page one of Google is to create pages on high-ranking social networks and bookmarking sites that link back to your site using your keyword phrase.  Make sure to sprinkle your keywords and keyword variations throughout the title, description, web address, headlines, and content of your pages.  The best sites I use for this are:

Squidoo.com
HubPages.com
Digg.com
Delicious.com
Facebook.com (fan page)
Wordpress.com (new one page blog per key word phrase)
Blogspot.com (new one page blog per key word phrase)

Once you have gotten several properties to page one for your keyword phrase, then create new keyword phrases and new properties to link back to your site.   Finally, if this seems either too complicated or too time-consuming to do yourself, hiring someone to do it for you is a good idea.  Usually, one good new customer attracted online can pay for having these services done for you, so get optimizing!

Graphic Girlz provides all the services listed above.  For a complimentary Search Engine Optimization Assessment, please contact Julia Stege at (707) 823-3316 to schedule.

SEO Strategies for Conscious Entrepreneurs

Blogs are known as a wonderful tool for sharing your passion, engaging potential clients, attracting media attention, and building a compelling online presence.  It is also said that certain blogs are good for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or "Site Ranking" but the standard practice is limited to integrating a blog into your website and updating it as frequently as possible.  Hardly anyone talks about the power of creating one page blogs that are specifically designed to get you to page one of Google.  

I learned about this strategy about 3 years ago when attending a couple of free online courses offered by a group called Conversation Domination. Google really loves blogs and Web 2.0 pages (i.e. social networks) and hardly anyone in the SEO world uses these to get good ranking, so often you can be the first one to grab the main keywords from your industry. It's pretty much a 2 step process.  

Step 1: Choose Your Keywords

I encourage you to select a 5-word phrase that includes a combination of practical words referencing your offerings and words that convey the feeling of your offering.  You can use the Google "Keyword Tool" (just do a search for it at google.com) to see which words you're considering rank better.  Combine those words with those from part 2 of your Attraction Plan called your "Tick Words" to come up with your Magical Keyword Phrase.

Step 2: Set Up One Page Blogs Using your Keywords

Though most people set up one blog and update it often, this strategy invites you to set up multiple one page blogs that you don't have to update.  Use your keyword phrase as your blog title, blog URL, and headline. Also include these words in links that point back to your site to improve your site ranking for these words. Most of these platforms allow for a Twitter widget that feeds your Twitter news stream onto the page, thus updating it automatically whenever you update your Twitter.

Use the following high-ranking blog sites and Web 2.0 properties. These will let you duplicate your own content so you can copy and paste from one source document:

http://www.wordpress.com

http://www.blogspot.com

http://www.squidoo.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages

Another great one is http://www.hubpages.com but this one won't allow you to publish duplicate content, even if you wrote it.  Write unique text for this one and limit links back to your site (max 2 links per site) or Hubpages will not let you publish.

Learn more about the benefits of blogging at my complimentary webinar, "What the Bleep to Blog About, and Why and Where, Too"  Register at http://bit.ly/wtbtba

How Authentic Should Authentic Marketing Be?

People have been asking me this question for a long while, "How authentic should authentic marketing be?" And I always come up with the same answer, "As authentic as possible." But what does that really mean?

There are a lot of reasons to be authentic in your marketing, mostly because being any other way is torture and doesn't attract the right customers. But people often want to know:

• Do I share everything about my private life?
• Should I reveal my business mistakes?
• Is it ever appropriate to reveal my political or spiritual beliefs?

These are pertinent questions, and there is no one right answer. It really does depend on you, your personality, your business, your audience... such a number of things.

That's why I emphasize that by having the right attitude toward your marketing, your authentic self will shine through and you'll easily answer these questions for yourself.

Here are 3 key attitudes to adopt when creating your authentic marketing.

Attitude #1: I trust my true self is attractive to my perfect customers.

The first attitude is all about understanding how the Law of Attraction works and relaxing into your true power. When we understand that like attracts like, and that what makes us and our perfect customers tick is aligned, then being ourselves becomes the practical solution to attracting the right people.

Attitude #2: When I feel good, I'm more attractive (and I feel good!)
The second attitude is all about feeling good. The better we feel the more attractive we are to others, especially others who also feel good. When we understand this

Attitude #3: I know what's right for my business.
The third attitude is trusting your own knowledge and intuition about your business. When you have this attitude, you can listen to the advice of others without being pulled off your center and thrown into confusion and procrastination. Then you can implement what makes sense to you and leave the rest.

When you feel good, trust in your attractive true self, and are confident about your business, then making decisions about what to share and what to keep private comes naturally and easily.

PS: My answers to the 3 questions above would be No (be selective about what to share - use your intuition), Yes (show yourself as a real human being like Bush refused to!) and Yes (see answer to #2)

Don't Leave Out LinkedIn

Though I've been 'on' LinkedIn for over 2 years, I've mostly used it as a professional profile rather than a networking tool. But last Fall I took a free class on LinkedIn and found out that the average income level there is $110,000/year, which means there are a lot of affluent business people on LinkedIn! That's when I started thinking about using LinkedIn more.

The thing is, I didn't jump into checking into LinkedIn daily until last week! Why? Because I had attitude about LinkedIn being only for managers, conservatives, and folks who frankly are not spiritually driven. Though this attitude has a grain of truth to it, with over 75 million active users, there are all kinds of professionals on LinkedIn, including the more magically oriented who are my perfect customers! It was when I shifted my attitude toward LinkedIn with the intention of paying more attention to my connections there that I received a "Sign of Land," ie a potential client called requesting a conversation about working together. I know that when I actually spend more time there, I'll be attracting even more potential clients and perfect customers!

Here are some tips on how to make the most of the time you spend on Linked In to attract your perfect customers.

1) Make Your Profile Shine! Your profile is the most important component of your LinkedIn activities. Make sure to include all your education and professional experience, all the jobs you held, the skills you have, the services you offer, links to your website, blog and other networks, as well as your interests. Upload a professional, attractive and recent photo of you that puts your best face forward.

2) Ask for Recommendations. "Recommendation" are a feature of LinkedIn that allows people to give you professional testimonials about your offerings, thus building your trust factor with the public. Make sure to connect with any clients who are on the network and request a recommendation from them. If you know anything about their work you can return the favor, even if you've never hired them. It's a great way to repay the favor.

3) Answer Questions. "Answers" is another powerful feature of LinkedIn. People ask questions on a variety of topics and you have the opportunity to answer, thus expressing your interests and expertise while directly connecting with others on the network in a helpful way. This is the key strategy I'm implementing now, going on LinkedIn to answer at least one question per day, and I'm already making some great business connections.

If we're not already connected on LinkedIn, visit my profile request a connection. It will ask you for my email, which is julia@lifeismagic. Looking forward to connecting with you there. And if you have any questions about LinkedIn, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer!

Free Webinar: What the Bleep to Blog About and Where and Why

Register for Webinar Here

What Is Your Big Crazy Dream?

by Julia D. Stege

This weekend I went to Vacaville to the Be Love Farm to have a conversation at a long dinner table among folks committed to organic foods, personal expression, and global transformation. We talked and ate good food outide among the warm breezes coming off the grassy hillside. We heard from people who have created conscious businesses, cured themselves of illness with natural means, invented new methods and new products designed to forward human kind.

Being among people who have accomplished amazing things inspired me. But it was also painful.

It was painful because I was acutely aware of my desire to have a postitive impact, to reach millions of people and help them be uplifted and inspired to do their good works in the world, and the contrast between that and the reality of my current limited realm of influence and contribution. When I spoke to the group, I admitted I had no clue how to accomplish what I really desire without having a boat-load of money to do it. The response I got helped me to wake up to the resources I already have, and to start there and move toward my goal one step at a time.

I know, I want to leap, but that is not how change happens (most of the time.)

Being around people who play big makes me want to play big. So when I got home that night, buzzed on coffee and possibility, I lay in the dark pondering how I can get my Big Crazy Dream rolling.

I came up with an idea at about 3am (a good time for inspiration.) It will be an ongoing series of no-cost or by donation webinars where I have conversations with Thought Leaders and Big Players who are impacting the world in positive ways.

I could see how this project could really take off and attract thousands if not tens of thousands of conscious people across the globe. So instead of procrastinating, I reserved the domain and invited my first guest. I'll keep you posted when the series begins.

So what is your Big Crazy Dream? Are you holding back because you think you don't have the resources to get started? Share here what step you could take now to start realizing your dream. Of course, sharing is the first step!

Attracting Perfect Customers Online The Basics Invite

Announcing Special Presenters for Branding from the Heart

3 Keys to Making Marketing FUN!

One thing my peeps tell me time and again is that they hate marketing, it's a drag, they feel overwhelmed, and it's not at all fun! Since part of my business mission is to help conscious entrepreneurs to create a marketing plan that is fun, fulfilling and sustainable, it hurts to see so many of you suffering over your marketing. So in effort to aleviate your pain, here are some essential keys to making marketing fun.

First Key: Share What's Most Important to You in Your Marketing!
One reason marketing is such a drag to many people is that they are using outdated marketing techniques that feel alienating, embarrassing, and hypey, including using scripts written by others (ie mentors), competitive language, and fear mongering. Authentic marketing is more effective for attracting perfect customers, so you want to dive into your soul and discover what's most important to you. Write blog posts, ezine letters, or website copy that reflects your passion.


Second Key: Connect with Perfect Peeps that You Love!
Marketing is a hassle when you don't like the people you are marketing to. It seems obvious but I remember a time when I was so nervous to go to networking events because I didn't like anyone there! Finally it dawned on me I should network with people I like. Then I'm much more bubbly, happy, smiley, and attractive! To attract more folks I like, I use the Attraction Plan and clarify who I want to attract

Third Key: Do What Brings You Joy!
I am always looking for ways to integrate what I love to do with marketing. One of my favorite things is to wander around Sebastopol placing my post cards, brochures and/or fliers arond in cafe's and on bulletin boards around town. I also meet and greet with local conscious entrepreneurs to expand my local network, and I love attending business breakfasts with other local entrepreneurs (ones I like!) When I am happy and uplifted, I am a magnet for what I want in my life.

When I'm having fun, I'm more likely to attract my perfect customers! Please share what you love to by commenting to this post and if you have questions about how to market yourself while you're doing it, I'll answer!

Julia Stege is called The Magical Marketer because she helps conscious entrepreneurs to attract their most perfect customers with a unique combination of intuitive branding, wildly attractive websites, law of attraction principles and social networking strategies. Download Julia's free Attraction report and instructional videos at http:://www.MagicalMarketingToolkit.com.

What's Your Online Marketing Vibe?

"You can control your vibration. And when you control your vibration, you've controlled everything that has anything to do with you." ~ Abraham-Hicks

A lot of conscious entrepreneurs don't like computers, or going online at all. If you feel this way, you're not unusual. In fact there appears to be a trend toward thinking of going online or working on computers as 'anti-spiritual.' It's almost seen as a virtue to avoid electronics as much as possible.

Many of you only go online to do your 'due diligence' in getting the word out about your business. But did you ever stop to think about how your resistence to computers and the Internet effects your marketing efforts? If you've got bad vibes around computers, those bad vibes will impact the effectiveness of your marketing.

If like attracts like, then when you're being resistent, either folks will resist you, or you will attract resistent folks! To attract our perfect peeps online, we must make the effort to raise our vibrations before we go out to attract potential customers and spread the word about our offerings.

Here are some Vibe Raising Tips for Internet Marketers:

Tip #1) Check in to how you're feeling before you go online. Take note of any negative thoughts you are having about the computer or your ability to use it effectively and let them go. Take a deep breath and center yourself.

Tip #2) Focus on what results you want from your activities. Close your eyes and imagine some perfect interactions that may result from your internet activities. Picture your perfect customers finding you and contacting you. Feel what it's like to have a perfect customer call you ready to get started.

Tip #3) Limit your online activity to short periods with a specific focus. For instance take 15 minutes to expand your network, or 1/2 hour to schedule several days of Tweets. This way you can avoid burn-out and be more productive in the time you do allot to online marketing.
When you take the time to be conscious of your own vibration and how you are feeling as you market, your marketing efforts will become more attractive and you'll be a lot happier with the results!

Learn how to become a magical magnet for everything you want in Julia's upcoming workshop with energy balancing expert Deborah S. Myers, "Magic At Your Fingertips: Clearing the Blocks to Attracting What You Want in Your Business and Your Life" in Santa Rosa, CA on Mon. Sept. 27th. Learn more at http://www.magicatyourfingertips.info/

Julia Stege is called The Magical Marketer because she helps conscious entrepreneurs to attract their most perfect customers with a unique combination of intuitive branding, wildly attractive websites, law of attraction principles and social networking strategies. Download Julia's free Attraction report and instructional videos at http:://www.MagicalMarketingToolkit.com.

Does Your Marketing Look Like (Pardon the French) Crap?

Today I received a letter from one of my favorite multi-millionaire sales gurus and one of her mentees inviting me to a teleclass celebrating the end of "info-crap" style marketing and the beginning of a more authentic passionate approach to promotion.

I thought this was right up my alley, so I clicked the link right away.

Do you think I was surprised when I visited the sales page to find it used every "info-crap" design technique in the book to get us to opt in?

Yup, there was the red 24 point Helvetica headline with the cheesy clip art image next to it, brightly colored arrows pointing at the opt in box, no compelling brand image, not even a logo to distinguish this thought leader from the rest. And to be fair to this guru, I've seen a multitude of other really smart and helpful business advisors using these same design techniques on their sales pages.. Why is that?

In fact, I have heard several marketing gurus specifically say that good design doesn't matter, that compelling graphics are more expensive than they're worth.

Yet these same gurus will pay 10s of thousands of dollars to get their sales copy right. Where is the disconnect?

What I have found is that more and more of us regular business owners are just as tired of "info-crap" designs as we are of "info-crap" verbiage and offers. Many of us refuse to opt in to sales pages that use these design tactics based on our intuitive hit that these folks couldn't be a good match for us due to their 'push marketing' visual aids.

I understand that folks on a limited budget have a hard time affording a good designer, but these thought leaders definitely have the resources at hand, but obviously believe design doesn't matter.

So this begs the question: Why does design matter?

It's a difficult question to answer in brief, but I'll give it a try.

When talking about the importance of design, I like to give the analogy of a networking event, because most of us can relate to that. You would never consider wearing really garish clothing to go networking, and stand at the center of the room shouting at people. When we use bold, boxy, red fonts and flashing arrows, that's exactly what we're doing: shouting at our visitors to, "enter your email address here!"

Usually when going out to attract our perfect customers live, we consider our clothing, hair, makeup and accessories. We want to communicate something about ourselves by how we show up. We always do our best to select clothing that we like, that looks good on us, and that reflects our personality. Translating that to our marketing, we want our sales pages to feel like us, to reflect our unique personality and mission, and to compel people to take actions like giving us their email, because the idea feels right to them.

The bottom line is that visuals communicate on an emotional level. The design of a web page is often called the "look and feel," for this reason.

Here are three tips I have developed for creating sales pages with design integrity.

Tip #1) Choose your color palette to reflect your own aesthetic. Don't use red headlines just because all the sales gurus say they're more effective. Use colors that make you feel good and they will likely attract your perfect customers as well.

Tip #2) Use images that communicate your personality and purpose. I like to tap into my message deeply and then go on sites like www.dreamstime.com that offer free or cheap stock photography and search for images that feel good to me in that state. I am looking for images that reflect what's most important to me, that inspire thoughts that are in alignment to my purpose, and that are beautiful. I stay away from anything too cliche or sales-y.

Tip #3) Use minimalism whenever possible. One common complaint about web pages is that they are too busy, too wordy, too ugly, and too confusing. Using white space and keeping elements to a minimum allows the viewer to consume your content without overwhelm, thus retaining a connection to their own intuition. Since your perfect customers are intuitively drawn to you when you are authentic, portraying your personal style in your sales pages will magnetize them to you.

These tips will help you communicate who you are authentically rather than with strategies designed to brainwash, coerce, or even scare viewers into buying. You'll find that using these techniques, those attracted to you will be a much better match for you and your business.

Are you ready for marketing designs that truly reflect your personality and purpose? Julia D. Stege and her Graphic Girlz team offer one-stop marketing shopping, featuring Branding from the Heart, Wildly Attractive Websites, Law of Attraction Marketing and Social Networking Services. Visit http://www.graphicgirlz.com for more information, or call Julia at (707) 823-3316 to ask for a complimentary marketing strategy session.

Why Would They Listen to You?

One challenge that many conscious entrepreneurs have when they start creating authentic marketing is lack of self confidence. They often wonder, "Why would they listen to me?" Maybe you can relate to this feeling. It's really a fear that what you know so well is not valuable to your potential audience.

This is one of the saddest things I hear. It's sad because your passion, your purpose, and your unique knowledge is what is so compelling about you. It's what attracts your most perfect customers to you.

Sometimes we know this, but we still have the fear. Then what?

My suggestion is this: Sit quietly and close your eyes. Imagine the best customer you have ever attracted, the one who really gets you, values your advice and services, refers you to all their colleagues, and happily pays your fees. Really get a picture of them in your mind.

Now imagine sharing your true passion, your authentic self, and your most powerful offering with them. Imagine their delight! How does that vision feel?

Now let me tell you that I know from experience that all of your business relationships can be like this. When you market from the heart and confidently share your authentic self, your perfect customers are magnetically drawn to you. When you are delivering your valuable gifts to your perfect customers, the experience is uplifting, fulfilling and can be very lucrative too!

So go forth and attract by sharing your true passion with the world!

Have you downloaded your free Magical Marketing Toolkit yet?
Start attracting your perfect customers here.

What Do You Love About Yourself?

by Julia D. Stege, MFA

Last week I attended the Sonoma Big Ideas dinner featuring Terces Engelhart, an old workshop buddy and branding client of mine. Terces spoke about how love has transformed her business Cafe Gratitude over and over again.

One of the cards in the game we designed together asks the question, "What do you love about yourself?"(The Worth Card from the Abounding River Game is depicted to the left.) This, Terces tells us, has become a question each of their employees gets to answer every day at work. This is a key to the success Cafe Gratitude is experiencing, even in a changing economy.

We all know that self love is the first step to attracting what we desire,
we just don't always practice it!

When I work with clients on their branding, we do a process called "Branding from the Heart" which is designed to help them tap into what they love most about themselves and about live in general. This true heart's passion becomes the grounding for the creation of their business brand. When my clients succeed at communicating what they love most about themselves in a way that their perfect customers can identify with, business explodes.

Cafe Gratitude is an expression of the founders' fondness for contribution. When Terces and her hubby Matthew first came to me with their business idea, I could tell they were truly passionate about the impact they were about to make, and that they loved this about themselves. Working with them was inspiring because it reminded me to focus on what I love about myself and my life, and to integrate that into my business.

So, what do you love most about yourself?

Take some time to reflect on this today and give yourself the space to receive your own self-love. This will uplift you and make you immediately more attractive to what you desire.