My friend Maria Gudelis has put together an Offline Money Mindmap and a system to set you up to take advantage of this hot business model. You’ll get the mindmap you can use in your presentation with offline business owners, video instructions on how to present (to double your close!), a training webinar and more.

This system is normally $197, but Maria has extended a generous special offer for ClickNewz readers to get it all for only 17 bucks! Keep reading to find out how…

Maria Gudelis Offline Money Mindmap Coupon Code: clicknewz

In the video above, Maria outlines the 2 things you need to be successful in this business model – and how easy it is to earn money just doing what you already know. You’ve spent the time to learn things like social media, blogging, search engine optimization, video marketing, branding, content development, etc. This is exactly what local business owners need in order to compete in the current & future landscape!

Huge Market, Huge Demand

Offline business owners are struggling with high advertising rates and low return. They may be running pay-per-click advertising online with poor results due to lack of keyword targeting & ad writing skills – if they even know about the opportunity at all! Many of them are completely lost as to where to even begin making use of the social media tools. And there are many out there who aren’t even online at all…

This is where you can step in and put your skills to good use, help them achieve awesome results, and earn a great income all at the same time.

Just one of my clients Lynn, who paid me $5,000 upfront and $2,000 a month for SEO and branding has realized a return over one year of an increase in their sales of over $600,000 (that is right from the clients CFO)

Maria Gudelis’ Offline Money Mindmap course provides you with a ‘magical piece of paper ‘ that will get you hired. It presents a simple step by step system that they can easily understand, and that you can use as your service model.

Maria says: I’ve had many clients say to me that I’m the first marketing company that has demonstrated such a clear and concise plan for their business – and that is exactly why they hired me.

There are a lot of courses and guides out there about the Offline Consulting model. Many of them are high priced, and some of them are offered by people who are not even consulting offline themselves. Maria has offered to share the exact system that she is using herself – and she is practically giving it to you for only $17!

Hey – my special coupon code for you to get that $17 deal is “clicknewz” (that is a 87.8% discount!) Go to www.offlinemoneymindmap.com

With all of the time you’ve invested to learn Internet Marketing, if you’re not already making a consistent monthly income at it… this may just be the perfect business model for you.

Best,

disclosure: this blog post was sponsored by Maria Gudelis

This is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work.

Nicole Johnson wants to get babies and their moms some much-needed rest. She’s packed napping plans, schedules, and strategies into her $37 ebook/consultation package. She’s tried different pricing, Google Adwords, different offers, freemiums, and more to pop conversion, but her results still ping between a snoozy 0.5 to 3%.

She has good traffic, but needs more help getting those tired, sleepy moms to buy. Let’s see if we can’t help Nicole give her sales a much-needed wakey-wakey.

• The Goal: Increase conversion (currently below 4%).
• The Problem: Nearly 3,000 visitors monthly, who show an interest in the free information but don’t ultimately translate to sales.
• Content Marketing Strategies: Various. Nicole’s free Baby Nap Guide is one piece she uses to get users into her email funnel
• The Current Landing Page: www.babynapswell.com (home page)
• Value: $24.95 to $37

Click image for larger view

The Maven’s 10-Point Critique

#1 – Your first screen has to answer the question — Why do moms want their babies to nap?

Because they’re exhausted! They want a relaxed, rested child and a chance for themselves to rest and recharge for a few hours. They’re desperate for RELIEF and they want it now.

What’s the deep, realized benefit to your ebook? Your ebook helps break the vicious no nap/irregular nap cycle, makes mom feel more competent and secure as a parent, and makes it easier to enjoy her baby.

So here’s the problem — you’ve got 2-3 seconds from the first screen to get your reader involved in your message. Perhaps they’ve already reviewed the free nap info, perhaps not. In either case, you don’t present them with a rich, emotionally resonant headline. You’ve basically repeated the banner head as if it was a headline. It’s not. At first glance, I also have no idea you’re selling anything at all. It isn’t clear to me.

So be clear. Develop and test your headlines that speak directly to the mom’s emotional environment — Too tired to enjoy your baby? Dread the nap-time power struggles day after day? In just XX days, you CAN turn your pint-sized nap-fighter into a sweet-smiling, nap-lover. All you need are the right strategies and tools . . . and so forth.

#2 — Get personal. Get emotional. Talk to your readers, Mom-to-Mom, in a letter format.

Dear Cranky Mom,

A few years ago, I was just like you. I was a new mom with a new baby that no matter what I did wouldn’t nap or when she did, it was short and fitful. When this kind of stuff goes on too long, even the most confident mom in the world begins to think she stinks at this mom thing. I was sure I was doing something wrong but I didn’t know what to do instead.

Your current copy is factual, but a little bloodless. It doesn’t speak to the heart and the desperation that I know I felt when my kids were little and wouldn’t sleep. If ever there was a problem/solution fraught with anxiety and a deep need for help, this is it. Make sure your copy reaches the frazzled mom with solace and hope that she will, once again, get a chance of closing her own eyes for an hour or two in the afternoon.

Get personal with video. I think this could be very effective for you, especially if done professionally. (I don’t think a simple chat to the webcam would support your value or credibility.) Imagine how wonderful it would feel to “Tired Mom” to have someone talk right to her and tell her that relief is in sight.

#3 — Make the case why napping issues need a $37 solution.

There are a ton of books, sites, products, and even support groups devoted to sleeping issues. I wondered why I needed a special book about napping as opposed to a broader sleep solution. That’s probably the biggest challenge you have to overcome. You’ll want to make sure your copy continues to underscore how the daytime napping problems are different and need a different set of strategies to solve them.

#4 — Show and tell the product you’re selling. Put your first call to action in the first screen.

If you want people to know you’re selling a book, you gotta show them the book and YOU’VE GOT TO SHOW THEM THE TITLE. I didn’t even realize your ebook was called “Mastering Naps and Schedules” until I saw it mentioned in a testimonial at the end of the second screen.

Your cover is very appealing so I’d definitely give it above-the-fold prominence, perhaps working it into the banner art. You also need to give your prospects the opportunity to order at several points in the copy, starting with the first screen. You want one button, text link or other call-to-action (CTA) device per screen scroll. (Right now, it takes me 3 screens to locate the order buttons.)

Click image for larger view

I prepared a heatmap so you can see what people look at and what they look at first. Too much attention to elements that don’t promote your message means lost sales opportunities for you. (Free heatmap courtesy of the technology at Feng-GUI.com.)

#5 — Tell me precisely what I will get and learn from your ebook.

Give your readers a bulleted list or two of goodies, and be specific.

• 28 proven strategies that will . . .
• 3 easy-to-use tools that make . . .
• 12 ways to get well-meaning grandma off your back . . .

Etcetera. Nothing strengthens copy more than specificity. You already do some of this. Do more.

Also, take the feature and expand it into its core benefit. For example, “How to get LONGER naps” becomes “10 ways to get longer naps from your baby and more couch-time for you.”

#6 — Emphasize that your system works for nearly all babies and parents.

Everyone, including me, thinks their baby and parenting situation is unique. That’s why you’ll want to make sure your copy reinforces that your system works for nearly all young children — preemies, internationally adopted toddlers, twins, and also that it works for all sorts of moms and dads. Use your testimonials as a way of underscoring this.

Think about personas representing your customer types. Who is this ebook really for? Write out 3-5 ’stories,’ each representing a key member of your core parenting market, and make sure your copy delivers the message, “Yes, this ebook is perfect for someone like me,” for each one of them.

#7 — Establish and reinforce your expertise on the subject. Add a headshot.

Who are you and why are you qualified? That’s another one of the big challenges your copy needs to address. Unless I missed it, I don’t see anything about you. If you want me to spend $XX, I want to know enough about you to think I’m spending my money wisely. You don’t have to have an alphabet soup of degrees following your name, but you do need to reveal something of yourself and background within the context of your offering.

#8 — Edit, edit and edit some more.

Click image for larger view

Your moms are tired. Their eyes are glazing over looking at dense, forbidding text in super long paragraphs.

Think shorter, 2-5 line paragraphs. Use lots of subheads and bulleted lists to hook the eye and make scanning and scrolling less like a chore. People only need the science/other background about napping to support your ebook’s information. Don’t give more background than is necessary to help folks make a decision to purchase.

#9 — Test a 2-column format. Load your sidebar with testimonials.

Get the bulk of your “Mom-and-Baby-Tested” testimonials here. Again, edit these judiciously. You want each of these to amplify and illustrate your ebook’s core strengths. I’d also get some pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, daycare center directors, home daycare moms, etc. to weigh-in with their big thumbs-up. Run these short, punchy kudos adjacent to your main copy.

#10 — Simplify the offer.

Click image for larger view

You need to differentiate your offers more emphatically with titling– “The Deluxe Complete BabyNapsWell System with Personal Consultation” and the “Standard BabyNapsWell System” — and with better design. I might box these and play them side by side. Perhaps add your headshot into the Deluxe box as a reminder of the relief AND personal attention your prospect is about to purchase.

BONUS:

I’d think about giving your ebook a new title. This is a huge topic for so many parents living in the fog of “my baby never sleeps.”

“Mastering Naps and Schedules” lacks the emotional juice of “No More Naptime Tears: Get Your Baby to Love Naptime So You Can Love Yours” — or something like that. You want a title that clearly, perhaps cleverly gets the point across fast. You want your title to spell RELIEF IS AT HAND.

My thanks to Nicole Johnson for her patience and support of Heifer International. Look for my next makeover in approximately 3 to 4 weeks.

Want to get a future Copywriting Maven landing page makeover?

Got a landing page that’s more poop than pop? Willing to share with Copyblogger readers? Prepared to put a little of your own “skin in the game” for a Maven Makeover? Then follow your click to Maven’s Landing Page Makeover page for all the details. I’m booked for gratis “Heifer” critiques until 05/15/10.) If you’re interested in a private critique/makeover, site audit, or other services, please email me directly.)

About the Author: Roberta Rosenberg is The Copywriting Maven at MGP Direct, Inc. Find her @CopywriterMaven on Twitter.

When you write a post for your blog, your headline is the last thing you should be thinking about.

OK, I realize this is Copyblogger heresy.

There’s a lot of emphasis on writing a good headline. Hell, I’ve written posts about how to write an eye-grabbing title myself. Brian wrote an entire series on headlines (including a post on why you should always write your headline first), and he’s been known to come up with some pretty catchy ones.

But while crafting a good headline is critical to getting people to read a blog post, open the email, or get past the headline to the copy, it’s actually the last thing you should be thinking about when you first sit down to write.

Who’s your audience?

Get this wrong and you can mess up a lot of potentially awesome headlines.

Your headline could fit the perfection checklist to a T. It could be a list with a number. It could have action words. It could be creative, intriguing, ask a question, be a little crazy, hint at a secret. But if it isn’t written for the right audience, you’re screwed.

5 Powerful Headlines that Get You All the Chicks — and How to Write Them

That’s a pretty decent headline right there. But if the majority of your audience is work-from-home mothers, that headline isn’t going to get you as far as it would if you were writing for an audience of straight single men.

Know who your audience is, and know what kind of language appeals to them. Lexi Rodrigo wrote a post not too long ago about feminine words that sell. There were plenty of responses to that post in the comment section, some of them from women saying which words wouldn’t necessarily appeal to them, and why.

You have to get in the brain of your audience, and you have to know the words that work for them.

There are no short cuts. It’s not just about appealing to women or men — the question is, which women or men. You have to figure out your precise audience, and you have to write directly to the way those specific people are feeling when they read your post.

What do you want them to do?

If your blog attracts new customers and enthusiasts, then every single post you write should let your audience know what you want from them.

Now hang on there — before you run away because you run a strictly informational, no-sales blog, we’re talking to you too.

Even if you have no intention of getting sales from your blog, you still want your readers to do something.

You want them to think about what you’ve written. You want them to feel something. You want them to take some sort of action. You want them to comment. You want them to get into conversations with other people. You want them to follow you on Twitter or friend you on Facebook.

You want all kinds of stuff. And yeah, sometimes you even want sales. But before you scribble down that headline and start writing, you need to know what you want. Then you need to leverage your headline to make sure you get it.

What are you going to give them?

Brian recommends writing your blog title before you write the post, and I agree with that as a general rule. Writing down your headline reminds you of what the focus of your post is supposed to be.

But even if you haven’t written the post yet, you still need to know what you’re going to be writing about. This makes logical sense — and oddly, a lot of people don’t seem to think about it.

They say they’re going to offer you “10 Secrets of Copywriting” and they write that headline down, but what they end up writing about is common knowledge on every marketing blog out there.

If your title is going to be about secrets, you need to be prepared to write about secrets. If you’re only prepared to write about what someone already knows, then you’re not going to be able to deliver on the promise of your title.

Before you write your headline, you need to know you’ll back up the promise it’s making.

All right, then. Have you thought about all that? Good. Now you’re ready to tackle the last thing you need to think about:

What’s your headline going to be?

Your headline might need to be last on your task list, but last doesn’t mean least important. Often, it means just the opposite.

How about you? What else do you think people need to do before they get to their headlines?

About the Author: James Chartrand is the copywriter setting your business priorities in the right order. Check out Men with Pens for more tips, tricks and techniques on how to write better blog posts, or better yet, sign up for the Men with Pens RSS feed right here.

While my desk space is actually clean, well – after I went through the stack of mail at least, I was a bit overwhelmed at the number of Firefox windows and tabs I left open. Everything from PDF files to blog posts to things I was in the middle of when I left last week. I must be truly ADD to have so many things going at once!

I thought it would be fun to give you a super-quick sneak peek at the content of all those tabs & windows…

Here goes, in no particular order:

Aweber’s Improved Broadcast Archive
You can now add an opt-in box to your email archive pages, which is cool!

One of my 4 Gmail accounts

SSWT Discussion Forum
I was actually in the middle of a reply, even!

ThirdTribe Community
The topic this month is “Email Marketing Strategies That Work”

How to Launch Your Ebook (PDF)
A product launch guide by Dave Navarro I am currently reviewing

Using Surveys & Polls for Publicity, Part One and Two
Blog posts by Shannon Cherry

Highlights from a 2-hour interview Jack Born and Bryan Todd did with PJ Eby
With interest in the links to Perry Marshall’s Renaissance Club

Members Area for Guest Posting (by Chris Garrett)
Open to a list of sources for guest blogging opps & guest bloggers

Random Thoughts on Being An Entrepreneur
Funny! – on GapingVoid.com

Optimizing for Rich “Jump To” Snippets
an SEO article

WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool
open to a set of keyword search results I’m analyzing for an upcoming series

Business Strategy Smackdown: Membership Sites Vs. Virtual One-Offs
by Jonathan Fields

3 Tabs for an Affiliate Program I just joined
affiliate login, sales page, affiliate tools

How To Create Amazing Side-By-Side Interviews Using Skype
…with plans to do this

James Schramko’s Blog
because I think he’s cool and I keep running into him all over the world!

Affiliate Sign-up Page for the new Transcription Cash Course
I’ve previewed it – it’s good!

Twitter Advertising Business Model Coming Soon
on Tech Cocktail

Craigslist – where I’m searching for cars, real estate, great danes up for adoption and other random stuff…

Apple Downloads: Screenflow
Need to download that on my Macbook Pro

Elance Made Easy by Susan Hill (PDF)
I just opened this one this morning to print & review

And of course Facebook, Twitter and the Comments tab in the backend of ClickNewz. So there you have it – all the stuff that is currently spread across my desktop. My mission today is to read it, print it, review it, delegate it, or whatever it takes to get back to some sort of manageable workspace!

Best,

p.s. It’s really great to be back in my office. I can’t wait to dig in, catch up on the discussions at my forum, and start implementing all the cool action points I picked up at Underground 6!

Things were going pretty well until I bit into my hamburger.

Ow.

Something was really wrong.

“Are you okay?” asked my date.

My eyes started watering. I was so confused, but I nodded.

I bit down harder and suddenly the hamburger flew out of my hands. I’ve never been so bewildered in my life. Only when I held my hand up did the sorry truth stare us in the face.

Somehow, my left ring finger had slipped inside the bun of that burger. I bit down on it. And when it hurt, the cause wasn’t immediately obvious, so I bit down harder . . . so hard I forced myself to drop the hamburger.

When I realized what had happened, I laughed really hard. She didn’t.

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding, “but this is kind of how it is. And this stuff can’t be taught.” Then I finished the hamburger in dainty bites, making sure that no other errant appendages strayed between the bread.

“It must be kind of liberating to know that,” she said.

In a non-glorious footnote, the rest of that date went exactly nowhere.

But authentically idiotic is still authentic, which brings us to the point today:

There are things that bloggers can and can’t be taught

As my traffic climbed from modest to less-modest, other bloggers began asking me if I could help them build their own blog traffic. At first, I wasn’t sure I could, even if I wanted to. But I decided I’d try.

Before I was willing to work with someone, I asked one question:

Why do you think I can help you?

Their answers told me a lot. Not just about their expectations and thought processes, but about a lot of what’s wrong with the blogging mindset in general.

A few answers I’ve gotten

• You love what you do and can help me love what I do
• You know where you’re going and I want to go to the same place
• You’re passionate and I think that might rub off on me

What I didn’t hear from them was:

• I love what I do and think you could help me do it better
• Here’s where I want to go and I’m not sure how to get there
• I’m passionate about this idea and I want to bounce some ideas off another passionate person

Maybe that’s silly of me, but those are questions I could have approached more easily.

By the way, I’ve decided I’m not a very good coach and I doubt I’ll do this again. In fact, I think I suck. Don’t hire me.

(OK — I’m actually really good at some things. But I’m writing this post as a snapshot of this experience, not a sales pitch.)

Let’s take a look at those answers I received.

“You love what you do”

I do, but you cannot pay someone else to help you love something in the way they love it.

I love blogging, but I write my blog, not anyone else’s. And I don’t play for stakes, I play for fun. I would not love another project as much.

How do I know? Because I didn’t pick another project.

If you are seeking help with your blog, there is nothing wrong with trying to take the steps of someone who has achieved what you want. Why else would you be reading Copyblogger today?

But do not assume that their goals resemble your goals, even if they have numbers you would like to have.

“You know where you’re going”

No I don’t, other than up.

I know that I will publish a post every day and I will try to do lots of guest posts. I will be nice and helpful to everyone I can, lift a bunch of heavy stuff, and try to laugh a lot.

That’s what I know, that’s what I’ve done, that’s what I’ll do until it’s not fun anymore.

Whenever someone has had some success, many of us — me included — assume that the success is the result of a plan. That’s not always true. Dumb luck can play its role in anyone’s good fortune. Just keep an open mind. There are a lot of variables that go into whatever we decide “success” is.

“You’re passionate”

Once I took a mambo class taught by a guy whose passion nearly melted us all. He was like a combination of Beto from the Zumba commercials and Pepe Le Pew. He was amorous, passionate, and all swiveling hips. I love dancing, but I didn’t leave the class with that guy’s passion for mambo. But he tried!

The secret ingredient to a great blog

We like to give authority and credibility to other people. We want other people to have the answers.

Sometimes this creates brilliant coaches who are worth every penny. I have no doubt that if I hired Naomi Dunford and I had a plan, she could help me execute it.

But sometimes our need for answers spawns “gurus” who are freaking travesties of ethics and exploitation.

So what should you do to make your blog better?

Now that I’m done writing this post, here’s how I’m feeling:

First: If a consultant out there says “I can help you love writing,” or “I can help you write like me,” or “I can teach you passion,” the quickest way to escape their clutches is with a perfectly timed throat-strike.

(Don’t bother aiming for the groin — cowards and exploiters have no feelings down there).

It’s great to get help and advice if you need it. But don’t expect anyone to do all the thinking for you. And don’t trust anyone who tells you he can or will.

Second: However much advice you may get along the way, there is one secret ingredient to the great blog recipe. And that secret ingredient is you.

Finally: There’s only one test that really matters, and that can be solved over lunch:

Can your consultant eat a hamburger without harming himself?

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.

The entertainment and CGI world has been fawning over the movie Avatar for months, and it seems you can’t watch any entertainment news program without hearing about James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3D epic.

And even if Cameron went home last week without the armful of Oscars he expected, directing the highest-grossing movie of all time probably takes the sting out.

But despite the movie’s brilliant effects and the unique world it creates, you’ll likely feel as if you’ve heard its underlying story before. In fact, you may very well predict the ending about an hour into the film.

So what makes “Avatar” so special? Why did it create such a fanatic following, and what can it teach you about creating a following with your own blog and marketing content?

What’s old is new again

The basic premise of Avatar involves the protagonist learning the ways of the “enemy” but ultimately gaining a deeper understanding of what’s at stake and siding with them to destroy the hero’s original allies.

Avatar’s storyline has been likened to science fiction stories from Edgar Rice Burroughs and dozens of popular movies, such as 1990s blockbuster Dances with Wolves.

Avatar’s plot has been done before, clearly. But audiences still made it a box office leader.

Instead of being bored to death by the same plot told over and over, we’re all suckers for a good story — even if we can guess what’s going to happen at the end.

Just because you might be a little tired of your tried-and-true message doesn’t mean your audience is. Put their needs first.

Put your old content back to work

Take a look at your older content — even things you’ve written which haven’t been published online.

And you don’t have to stop there. The public domain is practically bursting at the seams with sage advice and workable suggestions from well before the Internet, television, or even radio existed.

Or, like I’ve done here with Avatar, you can take something people are thinking about and imagine a new slant on it.

Ask yourself — Is there a way you could put a fresh new slant on any of these and make them relevant for today’s audience?

Walt Disney made a fortune repurposing old fables and fairy tales into animated stories. He added a few tweaks to make them more memorable and interesting for a new generation of children, but the core plots remain unchanged, even hundreds of years later.

Here are some great ways to rework your content:

• Rewrite your headline. You’ve come a long way with your writing (you’re reading Copyblogger, right?). It’s time to see if that great old post with a boring headline from the early days could use some magic.
• Create a bulleted list. Lists are easier for your readers to scan and get workable ideas from. Lists seem to talk to your readers, rather than at them, the way some paragraphs can.
• Turn it into a series. If you find that what you have to say about a particular older post becomes a little longer, why not rework it into a weeklong series? These can make for some of your most valuable cornerstone content.

Making the connection

In Avatar the native inhabitants of the planet can connect with other plants and animals so that connections can be shared at the speed of thought.

When it comes to reworking your existing content, don’t hesitate to make your own connections by tapping into social media networks and getting ideas and feedback from your target audience.

Create your own version of a social media digital campfire and start looking for exciting ways to stir up the enthusiasm in your readers. No matter how many ways they’ve heard the information before, you might just hit upon that “light bulb moment” that makes it all click!

About the Author: Sherice Jacob is an author, copywriter, and designer who makes it her life’s mission to improve websites. For more writing insights, follow @sherice on Twitter.

This is definitely an event I would recommend if you’re looking to take your online business to the next level. Both for the content and the networking.

That’s actually what I’m here for myself…

One of the key points that I’ve been getting out of this event is the structure of systems and processes. How a successful 7-figure business operates. And by the way, from the poll that was taken prior to the event- more than 40% of the attendees are already earning more than $100k/year with their online business.

Earlier today I tweeted a quote from one of the panels, that sums up my focus here this weekend:

“fire yourself… and hire someone that can take your business to the next level”

Tomorrow we’re going to hear from Susan Hill, deemed “The Outsource Enforcer” here at UG6. I am looking forward to her presentation, which is about outsourcing and also how to dominate a niche. I just looked her up on Google and found her guide titled Elance Made Easy -which I am ordering and downloading as we speak. (expect a full review from me on that soon )

I’m interested in strategic outsourcing, but also in finding those few special people to work with as I take my business to the next level. I am starting to get a very clear picture of what they look like and what role they play.

So that’s my objective this weekend, but I’ve also been jotting down a lot of cool notes from various speakers and conversations. I thought I’d share some of those notes with you. And I haven’t had a chance to organize them yet, so I’ll just give them to you as I have them:

• The number of Twitter followers you have will never bring in as much revenue as the same number of email subscribers.

• Where/How are you spending most of your working hours?

• For project management: Basecamp or Central Desktop

• Recommended by several speakers & attendees for higher level business coaching: www.StrategicCoach.com

• Use Twitter search to do keyword searches in a specific area. Go to http://search.twitter.com and use the search syntax “near:zipcode keyword” (without quotes, and where “zipcode” is the actual zipcode of the preferred location.

• Consultants/Service Professionals: Never back down from your strategy or specific offer. It weakens your brand and your reputation to give the client what they think they want, at the expense of results. Don’t give your clients what they want. Educate them on what they need.

• Ask yourself: What does a 6/7 figure business look like? How does it operate, what am I doing? Now ask yourself: What am I not doing now to not be at 6/7 figures?

• Leverage Your Time. Make a list of everything it takes to run your business. Then create a plan to delegate about 95% of it.

• There’s 3 times to sell (a business/website): too early, too late, or the right time.

I’ll work on getting my notes organized, and share some of these points with you in more detail in upcoming posts.

I’ll close now, as I am heading into the next session. I am really glad I attended this Underground Seminar. I’m getting a lot out of it, and I’m having a fabulous time hanging out with @KristenArnold…

Best,

p.s. I enjoyed hearing Gary Vaynerchuk speak this weekend. He definitely crushed it I ordered 10 copies of his book Crush It! just last week, one of which I have with me. I’ll have my review up soon – where I’ll be giving away the other 9 copies. You can sign up below to get notified of new posts so you don’t miss the giveaway:

The most popular advice is to “do what you love”, or go with a niche you are passionate about. This most likely includes a hobby or lifestyle choice.

This is a great idea because you are already knowledgeable and experienced on the topic. You’re also less likely to get bored with it than niches where you don’t have a personal interest.

The second suggestion is to choose a niche where you have professional experience or expertise. Another great approach, except that most people are already burned out on their chosen profession, or still doing it as a day job, and can’t get excited about spending their nights and weekends at it as well…

The third way to select a niche, and one that I recommend a lot, is to choose something you’d like to start doing. A new hobby or lifestyle, or something you’d like to collect or get into.

Since you are just getting started at it yourself, you actually are your target market. This puts you in an ideal position, and gives you insight and empathy with your market – you can easily connect with them on their level.

You’re in research phase, finding resources and discovering what works and what doesn’t – or the best way to do this or that. Sharing all of that information becomes your “content”. And it’s very easy to generate since you’re already actively collecting information on the topic.

Of those top 3 ways to choose a niche, the last one would be my favorite. I have often started a new online business based on new personal interests. I find that it makes work fun, and that fresh enthusiasm for a topic will take you a long way.

With all 3 of these viable niche-selection methods, you are limited to choosing from what you already know or feel comfortable with…

4: What would you do if there were no limits?

Life is full of limits: physical, financial, situations & circumstances, you name it. Often we’ll dream big only to remind ourselves of all the reasons those dreams can never become a reality.

But just for a moment, let’s imagine that there are no limits. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of spending your winters in New Zealand, owning a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, going on an Alaskan Cruise, or backpacking across Europe.

This is what they mean when they say “think outside the box”.

They are talking about your box.

Your box is your current frame of reference. It includes your personal experience, things you’ve experienced by association, and all of the elements you draw from to make choices and decisions.

Your box is not the same as mine, or anyone else. It’s also not real. We are all drawing from a unique combination of circumstances and experiences. So it’s basically just perception. And perception is not reality.

Let’s do a quick exercise…

Step outside of your frame of reference for a second, and consider everything that the world has to offer. What appeals to you most?

Dismiss any negative thoughts that appear, and allow yourself to just imagine your ideal life. How would you spend your time? How would you spend money if you had an unlimited amount at your disposal? Jot down everything that comes to mind.

(don’t think or hesitate, just jot it down)

Your next step is keyword and market research. Find out if there is interest in that niche, and whether it is a buying market.

This exercise will open up a lot of new options for you, new niches you may not have considered before. And just imagine getting to wake up every day to work on something you can really get excited about!

You may just be amazed at the things that present themselves along the way when you start thinking and working outside of your current frame of reference. Things that were once outside your reach may quickly become real possibilities – and even options.

We’ll go back to the example of New Zealand vacations. You may be a single mother that lives in a small town in Tennessee. You have a work schedule, your children have a school schedule, and New Zealand is just a fantasy place in your mind that you realize you’ll probably only ever see on tv or on the internet…

You do this exercise, your market research, and you start an online business around New Zealand Travel and Vacations (over 57,000 combined searches each month). You see that it’s sort of competitive, hesitate for a second, and then decide to just go for it. This is what you want, and you’re willing to put in the work to grow this business into an online authority.

And you do.

Now you’re in a position to take that trip to New Zealand, and it’s no longer a personal expense. It’s a tax deductible business trip. You meet people, take photos and videos, blog about your experiences. And before you know it, you’re getting VIP invites from airlines, hotels, restaurants etc that would love to be reviewed and featured on your popular travel & vacation website…

See how that works?

Dream big. Choose your niche… and make it happen!

Best,

About 80% of your blog’s success comes from “ass in chair” time. That’s the time you spend writing posts, editing posts, finding the perfect image, connecting with fellow bloggers, answering comments, shaping up your SEO, and all the other tasks we teach you about here on Copyblogger.

You’ve got to get that stuff right. But great blogs are not built by “ass in chair” time alone.

There’s actually a significant element to your success that you may be neglecting with all that work and focus.

Every once in awhile, you might consider getting out of the chair and physically setting eyes on a fellow human being. I realize this is a bizarre, arcane practice, but bear with me.

Social networking 1.0

Have you ever noticed that you don’t really know what a post is going to be about until you start writing? You throw something out there, and next thing you know, it’s gone in whatever direction naturally follows.

Believe it or not, you can actually replicate this phenomenon by physically locating yourself in close proximity to another person, with each of you taking turns speaking. This is called a conversation.

I know, you know all about conversation already. It’s answering blog comments, writing on your ex-girlfriend’s Facebook wall, and tweeting how cranky you are in line at the Genius Bar. But here’s something you might not know — “conversations” actually predate the internet.

Spend enough time in these “real world” conversations, and you actually trigger the growth of new neural connections. You come up with new ideas. You challenge your existing ideas and take them in new directions. You learn.

This phenomenon is improved by another old-school technique, called listening. It’s like lurking, except the other person can see you standing there, so at some point you should probably say something.

Conversation and listening can, if you let them, become awe-inspiring weapons in your blogging arsenal. They’ll give you a virtually endless supply of post ideas, angles for content, and insights into human psychology.

And they’ll improve the quality of your thinking, getting you out of the same stale perceptions and approaches to your writing.

Do enough of this and you will make friends. These are similar to Facebook friends, except a) you actually like them, and b) if they poke you, you get to smack them in the head and tell them to quit being a jackass.

Advanced stuff

Once you’ve mastered these fundamental tools, you may be ready to move forward to a more advanced practice.

You can practice conversing and listening with more than one person at once.

One place you can try this is an entrepreneur’s group in your local community. Generally the way it works is that you show up, pay something, they serve you a really bad lunch, and the real estate guy hits you up for business within the first 2 minutes.

Once you’ve detached the real estate guy, these can be quite fun. You can engage in listening and conversations with other people who are facing the same issues you are. Some stuff you’ll know a lot about, and you can teach them. Some stuff they’re going to be a lot smarter about than you are, which is when you want to shut up and take a few notes.

You can also go to parties. These are gatherings of people in one place for multiple real-time instances of conversing, listening, and friending, often accompanied by beer, tequila, and possibly pretzels.

These “parties” often include music, dancing, and laughter. Things may even liven up thanks to the noisy presence of one or more highly intoxicated people, who provide entertainment and a comforting sense of moral superiority.

What do I know?

I’m writing this post based on a dim memory of these old-school practices, since I haven’t done them for months. (OK, I did a warmup and had coffee this week with Grandma Mary, which was delightful.)

I’ve developed quite an impressive blogger’s tan. In other words, I’m about the same color as the surface of the moon. I’ve developed it by holing up in my basement office recording and writing content, editing posts, coordinating transcripts, and other 80% activities.

So I thought I’d try something radical. I’m going to work on my 20% and fly out to Austin today to hang out with Brian and lots of other friends for a few days at the South by Southwest Interactive conference.

Maybe you’ll bump into me having a margarita with a pal, crashing a party or two, or just wandering around the streets of Austin enjoying some unobstructed solar radiation.

We’ll be back next week. Maybe.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and a co-founder of Inside the Third Tribe. She solemnly promises this is the last “funny” post you will see on Copyblogger for at least one month.