Tag Archives: Technical Virtual Assistant

Why Marketing and Tech are Better Together: The Role of a Tech & Marketing Manager

In today’s digital age, technology has become an integral part of marketing efforts. As such, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to have a Tech & Marketing Manager on their team. This is because a Tech & Marketing Manager possesses a unique set of skills that can help businesses to leverage technology to enhance their marketing efforts and drive growth. In this blog, we’ll explore why a Tech & Marketing Manager is what a company needs and why.

What is a Tech & Marketing Manager?

A Tech & Marketing Manager is a marketing professional with a strong technical background. They possess both marketing and technical skills, which allows them to develop and execute marketing strategies that incorporate digital technologies. They specialize in leveraging technology to enhance marketing efforts and create more effective campaigns. This can include managing website content, developing email marketing campaigns, and utilizing social media platforms. A Tech & Marketing Manager is responsible for driving brand awareness, generating leads, and increasing sales revenue through digital channels.

Why does a company need a Tech & Marketing Manager?

Technical expertise

One of the primary reasons why a company needs a Tech & Marketing Manager is for their technical expertise. A Tech & Marketing Manager possesses a deep understanding of technology and how it can be used to enhance marketing efforts. They are knowledgeable about various digital tools, such as marketing automation platforms, email marketing software, and social media management tools. With this expertise, they can effectively use these tools to streamline marketing processes, optimize campaigns, and generate higher returns on investment.

Improved efficiency

Another reason why a company needs a Tech & Marketing Manager is for improved efficiency. With their technical skills, a Tech & Marketing Manager can automate various marketing processes, such as email marketing campaigns, social media posting, and lead nurturing. This automation allows for greater efficiency and saves time and resources, enabling the marketing team to focus on other critical tasks, such as content creation and campaign analysis.

Targeted audience reach

Ah, the Tech & Marketing Manager – the elusive unicorn of the marketing world. With their unique blend of marketing and tech skills, they are the magical beings that can bring a company’s marketing efforts to the next level. So, why do you need one? Well, let me break it down for you.

A Tech & Marketing Manager can also help a company to reach its target audience more effectively. They are skilled in using digital tools to identify and segment audiences based on demographics, behaviors, and interests. This enables the marketing team to create targeted campaigns that resonate with specific groups of people. By using digital tools to understand the behavior of the target audience, Tech & Marketing Managers can craft campaigns that are more likely to convert prospects into customers.

Greater ROI

In addition to improved efficiency and targeted audience reach, a Tech & Marketing Manager can also help a company to generate a greater return on investment (ROI). They are able to measure and analyze marketing metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, and conversion rates, to determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. With this information, they can adjust marketing efforts accordingly to optimize results and increase ROI.

In today’s digital landscape, businesses need to embrace technology to enhance their marketing efforts and drive growth. A Tech & Marketing Manager possesses the technical expertise, efficiency, audience reach, ROI, and innovation that a company needs to stay ahead of the competition. By leveraging digital tools and insights, a Tech & Marketing Manager can help businesses to optimize their marketing efforts, engage with target audiences more effectively, and generate higher returns on investment. Therefore, it’s clear that a Tech & Marketing Manager is an essential asset for any company that wants to succeed in the modern business landscape.

Innovation

Finally, a Tech & Marketing Manager can bring innovation to a company’s marketing efforts. By staying up-to-date with the latest technology and marketing trends, they can introduce new and creative strategies that can set a company apart from its competitors. This can include new methods for engaging with customers, innovative campaign ideas, and creative uses of data and analytics to inform marketing decisions.

Why Hire a Tech and Marketing Manager?

First and foremost, a Tech & Marketing Manager can help your company navigate the ever-changing landscape of marketing technology. Let’s face it, the marketing tech world is a bit of a circus. There are so many tools, platforms, and apps out there that it can make your head spin. But fear not, a Tech & Marketing Manager can help you cut through the noise and find the tools that will make the biggest impact on your marketing efforts.

In addition to helping you find the right tools, a Tech & Marketing Manager can also help you use them effectively. I mean, what good is a shiny new marketing tool if you don’t know how to use it? A Tech & Marketing Manager can train your team on how to use the tools properly, so you can get the most out of them. Plus, they can help you integrate the tools into your existing workflows and processes, so you can work smarter, not harder.

But wait, there’s more! A Tech & Marketing Manager can also help you measure the impact of your marketing efforts. You know that old saying, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure”? Well, it’s true. And a Tech & Marketing Manager can help you measure everything. From website traffic to social media engagement to email open rates, they can help you track it all. And not only that, but they can also help you interpret the data and make informed decisions about how to optimize your marketing efforts.

But perhaps the most valuable thing a Tech & Marketing Manager can bring to the table is their ability to speak both marketing and tech fluently. Let’s face it, marketing folks and tech folks don’t always speak the same language. Marketing folks are all about the creative, while tech folks are all about the data. But a Tech & Marketing Manager can bridge that gap and help everyone get on the same page. They can translate marketing-speak into tech-speak and vice versa, so everyone can understand what’s going on.

And let’s not forget about the innovation factor. A Tech & Marketing Manager is like a mad scientist, always tinkering with new ideas and ways to make your marketing efforts more effective. They’re always on the lookout for the next big thing, whether it’s a new platform or a new way of doing things. And they’re not afraid to experiment and take risks. After all, that’s where innovation comes from – taking risks and trying new things.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – “Wow, a Tech & Marketing Manager sounds too good to be true. Do they really exist?” Yes, they do! But like all unicorns, they’re a rare breed. They’re not just marketers who know a little bit about tech or tech folks who know a little bit about marketing. They’re a special breed that combines the best of both worlds.

So, why should you invest in a Tech & Marketing Manager? Well, they can help you cut through the marketing tech circus, use your tools effectively, measure your impact, bridge the marketing-tech language barrier, and drive innovation. They’re like a one-stop-shop for all things marketing and tech. Plus, they’re just really cool people to have on your team.

In conclusion, if you want to take your marketing efforts to the next level, you need a Tech & Marketing Manager. They’re like the missing puzzle piece that makes everything fit together perfectly. So go ahead, take the leap, and invest in a Tech & Marketing Manager. Your marketing efforts.

If this is something you are interested in learning more about, we would be happy to chat. We have limited spots available, but go ahead and book a free no strings attached strategy call with us today while spots are still available

3 Crucial Hurdles Before You See Your First Client

Congratulations! You have decided to become an entrepreneur. It is a big step and if you are unfamiliar with the process, it can be very daunting. We are going to look
at the steps of starting a virtual assistant business, but these guidelines can apply to any other field. Making sure you have cleared these hurdles will help you plan, prepare, and manage your business more effectively.

Game Plan

If you are serious about starting a business you have to have a plan, specifically a business plan. Even if you don’t need outside funding to get going, you will want to have a plan to get your focus on what your business is and know what you are really going after. Your business plan should have an executive summary, a business description, a market analysis, a competitor analysis, a design plan, a management plan, and a financial summary. Your game plan is your focus. This is your map and directions to achieve your dream.

Legal

Every business requires legal paperwork to get started and legal considerations in operations. A virtual business carries an even heavier burden when it comes to privacy, security, copyright, and taxation. There are many things you must do before you can ever even call yourself a business and this can vary depending on where you live, so make sure you are paying attention to the details and get everything you need. Here is a quick list of the type of legal documentation that must be in place. This is not exhaustive by any means make sure you check with your local governments about all requirements.

Decide on a legal structure: Is your business sole-proprietorship, partnership, or LLC, etc.? If you are not a sole-proprietorship, everything other structure needs additional legal formation.
Register your business name with the local state government.
Register for state and local taxes, including getting a tax identification number if necessary.
Apply for your business license and any permits needed in your location.

Your First Client

Now things are really exciting! You are all set up and you are ready to take on your first client. Here’s the kicker. How exactly do you do that? A virtual assistant is likely contacted by the potential client via email or maybe a phone call, and you will want to have all you ducks in a row when that first client contacts you. There are a few more things you will want to have ready.

Pricing structure: You will need to know what you charge for what services. Do you work hourly or by package? Do you charge different rates for different projects? Have this set and formatted where you can provide it for any potential client.
Hours: If you ask any entrepreneur, they work all the time! And so will you. Your unbillable hours will likely be more than your billable hours as you get your business going. But even though you are up working until midnight, you don’t want clients contacting you at all hours. Set a schedule where you will be available to your clients and make them respect that.
Account and business management: For your own sanity, you will want to set up some form of business management software. Use something to take care of the business end of things, accounting and bookkeeping, but you should also implement something that will be your project manager. This will help you track hours, due dates, and statuses of all your projects. You don’t want to let anything slip through the cracks.
Legal contract: You need something to help protect you. You need to have your contracted hours, tasks, wages, and length of contract described and include subjects such as copyright, privacy, time off, payment options, etc. This would be something good to have a lawyer look over, as you will want to implement it with every client.
Get to know you: As a virtual assistant it is harder to get to know you clients. You are not working with them daily or face-to-face. You will also work with many businesses that may not be in a field that you are familiar with. Make a questionnaire that you can have clients fill out about themselves and their business to help you understand them and their goals to better help their business.

Make sure you do your research. You don’t want to just jump in over your head. If you have everything lined out early, you will have less headache and stress down the road. After you clear the planning, legal, and your first client hurdle, you will have the confidence you need to make your virtual assistant business a roaring success.

14 Opportunities and Ideas to Help Add Additional Income During the Pandemic

Hello loves! I wanted to share some information that may be helpful for those that recently were laid off and/or you are looking to supplement your income during and beyond the Convid-19 Pandemic. Like many online business owners, I have a unique birdseye view because of the work that I do and the business I run. None of it is a secret or a ninja trick, and much of it you already have likely heard about, so most of it is just a re-iteration.

I have compiled a list of 14 opportunities and ideas to help add additional income during the pandemic for yourself and your family in these times of uncertainty.

As we start to do more and more delivery and curbside shopping, eating and etc… we will see that we simply do not have the force to support it. Here are places that you can look into if you are looking for work.

1) Grocery stores are hiring and their services are in high demand. Check into Clicklist and Instacart shoppers particularly

2) Doordash and Uber Eat Drivers – Even Pizza Delivery as well

3) Talk to your local marijuana dispensers and liquor stores – See about helping them with their curbside services…and in some cases delivery options

4) Amazon warehouses are hiring as well as drivers and customer service agents. Amazon alone is providing over 100k jobs

5) Become a secret shopper. I know that times are different right now, but there are many online secret shopping opportunities, for instance, customer service secret shopping with Expedia. The restaurant and retail store options won’t be available (unless they pivot) is my guess, but there are other opportunities. Let me preface that this is NOT a huge moneymaker, but it is great for supplemental income. https://www.bestmark.com/ I always had fun with secret shopping and I think you could too.

If you are looking at making some extra money in the online sphere here are some pretty great options.

6) For online work look into https://jobs.sykes.com/ , these are customer service jobs that you can do from home. You must have a dedicated phone line (not a cell phone) and highspeed internet.

7) Working Solutions is another home-based customer service opportunity as well – www.workingsolutions.com/

8) United Health Care for those that work in more of a medical field, they are hiring to help with the influx of calls that are coming in.

9) If you have a special craft, like content writing, graphic design, etc… you can look into www.upwork.com or www.guru.com and if you make and sell your own goods, look at facebook market place, www.etsy.com and www.ebay.com.

10) I realize that the stock market is a pretty scary place right now, but it also offers a lot of opportunities. Stocks are at a record low right now. The market will not be this unstable forever and it is guaranteed that there will be a boom (just don’t know when). The beauty of that is if you can get in at a cheap buy-in, like now, it could provide a huge return in 6-months. Only look into this if you feel empowered to do so. You can start up through Robinhood, which is a free platform for buying and selling stocks in the stock market. It is pretty intuitive and if you use this link you can earn free stock to start your journey with. Truly investing in stock (if you have the means) now might set you up for life. It could be like buying Amazon in 1997 if you get my drift! For Robinhood, though, it doesn’t require any investment right now, just sign up, get your free stock and start dabbling. Use this link to get your free stock >>> https://bit.ly/freerobinhoodstock-jg

11) For those that are toying with taking their business or ideas to Facebook, I have a free mini-training “8 Ways to Revive your Facebook Business Page Organic Reach” that you can take. It is a tiny bit outdated, but the content is still very relevant. www.va.alpinesbsolutions.com

12) If you are looking to take your vision into an online setting and getting serious about taking this time to pivot instead of panic, I would like to offer up some of my time to help you brainstorm. While I do have limited time, I still would like to offer up my own time as a resource. I am offering free 30 minute consults for a limited amount of folks (no strings attached, just value, value, value) the rest of the month. Private message me if you are interested.

13) I am also working on some additional free training and webinars to help people with making supplemental income online or to finally start your own online business journey. If you have a topic you would like me to touch on or have someone in the community talk about, please private message me or put your request below.

14) Lastly (for now), I would love to create a container for those interested to network together and join in on the opportunity to join think tanks, masterminds, engagement circles, and other self-promotion threads so we can all build each other up, stay connected, and love one another.

Do you have things to share or add to my list, please do? The more the merrier. The more information we can put out there the better. I will continue to harvest more ideas around this as the days and weeks unfold.

For those that are in a position to help, please help people, offer your time and what resources you can. This is a time to band together, practice impeccable hygiene, be compassionate and remember we are all in this together. Do not lead in fear…keep being amazing and I am rooting for those that are having a hard time. Please share with someone that you think might benefit from this information as well. I love you!

Facebook Chatbots: What Are They and Why You Need Them

Customer service is a crucial component of your business. Quality customer service can generate new sales (after all, it’s cheaper to maintain current clients than to obtain new ones). Plus, an unhappy customer can take to Yelp and other online services to destroy your reputation among your target audience.

The customer service industry was recently revolutionized with the introduction of Chatbots. More specifically, the Facebook Chatbot.

What the Facebook Chatbot Is

The Facebook Chatbot allows you to essentially outsource your customer service interaction to a personalized-to-your-business technological tool. Your company can interact with numerous customers around the world without paying a cent of a customer service representative’s salary. Save big bucks. Make lots of happy customers. It’s a great set-up.

The Facebook Chatbot allows companies to create responses with video, audio, GIFs, files, and text. This variety allows for a high amount of personalization to your company’s brand. The bot can be built by you or by Facebook’s bot creating partners. The bots are designed to learn as they go. The more they are used, the smarter they become.

The Prevalence of Chatbots

In today’s digital world, more customers are turning online to seek help. We saw this rise with Twitter and Facebook. Customers didn’t want to be put on hold when they called the customer help line.

So, instead they turned to social media, where their requests were public and companies had an increased incentive to reply quickly and effectively. Companies who dropped the ball in customer service replies were ridiculed online. Companies who excelled were praised (and often gained new followers and customers).

Customers adapted to this quick reply system, turning less and less to calling in and instead typing in their requests. This set the stage for Chatbots to take off. Customers already turn to the web for assistance. What’s changed is the company’s ability to reply with intelligent, pre-crafted responses.

The Chatbot world is growing, with over 11,500 bots developed and many more in the works. More and more big-name companies are jumping on board and using Facebook Chatbots to revolutionize their customer service. It might be time for your company to get on board too!

Using the Facebook Chatbot for Your Business

The Facebook Chatbot is pretty versatile with the right programing. Take advantage of the many features they offer.

Let customers make a purchase. Customers can place orders within the bot itself, which is especially great for highly mobile target audiences. Pizza Hut, for example, allows customers to place orders through the bot (and reminds them of current promotions).
Let customers get updated information. Send out updates on your business or your industry. The Wall Street Journal, for example, gives users live stock quotes when they text a set code.
Connect customers to your products. Some industries, like tech industries, lend themselves well to this integration. HP allows people to print through messenger to an HP printer.
Help customers make appointments. If you provide a service, the bot can handle appointment times. Sephora noticed an 11% increase in bookings through the bot compared to their other booking methods.
Provide personalized content. The bot can help customers find relevant articles and information on your site. The Whole Foods bot helps customers find a great recipe by typing in words like “lunch” and “turkey dish”
Let customers keep a record of the information. The beauty of bot conversations is they are recorded. Some customers can benefit from keeping this information handy. No more frustrating calling a company for assistance, writing down the instructions, then losing the instructions a few days later. Now customers can just pull up the app to refresh their memory.
Conduct customer analysis. These bots provide a wealth of information and insight into your customers. Go over frequently asked questions. See what customers are struggling with. Find out what they are curious about. It’s like market analysis for much, much cheaper.

The Facebook bot will take time (and, in turn, money) to create and implement. But for many businesses, it can be a valuable investment. Maybe your customer service department is overflowing with the same types of questions. Maybe you want to offer more convenient ways to order products or make appointments. Maybe your target demographic is often online. These are a few reasons to jump on board the Facebook Bot train. If you want assistance with developing a solid Facebook bot marketing strategy, Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! Give us a call or shoot us an email today for more information.

6 Tools To Boost Your Business’s Efficiency

Entrepreneurs from all walks of life are all asking the same question, “How can we, the business (or as individuals), be more efficient at what we do?” With modern technology there is a wide variety of tools that has made previously tedious and daunting tasks a breeze! So many tools, in fact, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed figuring out which ones best suit your business. Unfortunately, not all tools are made equal so it’s important to evaluate the features of each. I have outlined a few of my personal favorites that have worked incredibly well for me and my business and I hope they do the same for you. The tools mentioned below range from free to costing a fair sum of money. As previously stated, not all tools are made equal and in the past, I have found myself getting “stuck” in that place of free, but sometimes it isn’t always the best.

1.Asana

I have tried many task/project manager tools and Asana is hands down THE BEST. They have a free basic plan that works well for small teams, but depending on the features you are after and the tasks you encounter daily, one of the upgraded plan options may work better for your team.

Asana is fast, intuitive, and easy to manipulate. Asana’s arrangement features, and user interface make it easy to navigate, prioritize, and organize. My favorite part is that it takes the form of a check list and you can mark tasks completed as you go. You can also schedule reoccurring tasks on any given interval whether that be every x amount of days, weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.

Asana also makes it easy to communicate with your team on projects since there are notes and comment sections for each project.

2.WorkflowMax

How does having 626 hours of your time back sound? AMAZING? That’s what I thought. On average, that’s how much time WorkflowMax saves its clients — along with $22,000 per year. This tool is perfect for businesses and freelancers whose services are very much dependent on time. Without much effort at all, businesses can track time spent on various tasks and remain accountable for their work.

WorkflowMax allows users to create professional, instant quotes for potential clients, then invoice them later with equally professional-looking forms. Users can even build timelines for special projects and view productivity analytics within the program. You can even integrate add-ons such as Xero to completely customize it to your needs.

3.Slack

Ever come up with an idea, but everyone’s’ calendars are already packed for the day? Plus, haven’t we established how much we all hate meetings? Slack is an amazing tool to help you stay in touch with your team, it’s a simple app without a lot of pizazz, but packs a punch in the productivity timeline.

Another one of my favorite tools—Slack is the most popular and best tools for communicating with your team by giving your team members a workspace with organized and accessible conversations. Slack also includes a searchable archive of teams conversations so everyone has access to the answers they need.

3.Active Campaign

My new favorite tool is ActiveCampaign. It is a hidden gem in the marketing automation world! They’re one of the most affordable providers for small businesses and their software is exceptionally well-designed. What’s surprising is the fact very few people have heard of them! Unlike other marketing automation tools, I have used, I have yet to have an idea that ActiveCampaign won’t allow me to build. It may not be free, but the pricing is incredibly generous for the quality product you receive. Active Campaign for email marketing with its robust marketing automation and multi-dimensional segmentation, makes it super simple for building funnels—love, love, love it!

4.Leadpages

Running a special? Offering a new product or service? Whatever it may be, you can easily create targeted lead pages and track their results without redesigning your website. With over 160 plus free mobile-responsive templates, you can easily create multiple versions of pages to optimize your landing page success rate. Another great thing about Leadpages is that you can easily integrate it with over 40 tools and platforms!

5.Google Docs

If Google Docs isn’t already part of your everyday workflow then it definitely needs to be! It’s free, easy, allows for easy collaborations and file sharing and it has it’s own version of Word, Excel and Powerpoint all with cloud storage.

6.Groove

Groove is a great option to quickly and easily set up all the customer service options you’d want in one place. It focuses on helping small business grow and makes it easy for teams to work out of internally. If more extensive programs like Zendesk are too much for your business, this is a great option to keep your customer service simple and effective.

If you haven’t tried these already, I hope you give some of these a go and see what they can do for your business! Feel free to let me know what your favorite tools are!

The 5 Barriers of Delegation and How to Overcome Them

As a leader and entrepreneur, you will find one of the biggest challenges to be delegating tasks. In 2013, Stanford University conducted a survey which exposed the fact that 37% of chief executives struggle and are working to improve on delegation skills. Outlined are five disadvantages that might be keeping you from reaching your delegation goals. To overcome these barriers, we must first identify them.

It Takes Time & Mentoring

We all know that time is money, and we are always looking for ways to save time and be more efficient in what we do. Those voices in your head are telling you that you don’t have the time to adequately explain or teach the skills for the task at hand to your team member. The good news is, delegating task actually saves time. It might take holding their hand and teaching them all the nitty gritty at first, but once they have it down, that is one less task on your plate in which you can focus your efforts on more important business goals.

Loss of Control

Admit it, we can all be a bit of a control freak at times. Many business owners have a long history of making things happen with their own skill and determination. Even though business owners think they can do the task better, your business will not be successful if there’s a leader micromanaging everything. A way to overcome this is by providing planned accountability amongst your team members, which will calm your anxiety. Besides, you may find out that one of your team members discovers a new, more efficient method of completing the task at hand!

Delegating Yourself Out of a Job or Losing Tasks You Enjoy

Another barrier business owners may come across is the fear that you are going to train yourself out of a job. Or maybe there’s a reoccurring task that you enjoy but you offloaded it to a team member. This is a great problem to have! Now that you have less on your plate you can move to a higher position, take on more challenging tasks, or focus on those business development plans you never had the time for. You will also be rewarded by seeing others succeed because of your coaching.

Lack of Confidence/Faith in Your Team

Leaders may be hesitant to delegate tasks because they don’t have confidence or faith in their team members. It’s okay to feel this way, but it’s something you must overcome for successful delegation. Start small, take small risks and set your team up for success. Successes early on will give you the courage to delegate more and more in which you can gradually increase the complexity of tasks assigned. Be sure to thoroughly prep your team because the more prepared they are, the less worried you will be! Additionally, your team may lack the confidence in themselves, or they are worried they won’t do well. By starting small together, you can inspire confidence and trust side by side.

Asking for Help is a Sign of Weakness

Asking for help sucks, and you might feel like it’s a sign of weakness, when really it is a sign of strength and trust. We are only human, and we can’t do everything by ourselves. Often it is fear that fuels this anxiety: Fear of over-stepping. Fear of appearing too needy. Fear of imposing. Fear of revealing our struggle and having people realize we don’t have it all together after all. When we support other people to be more successful, we discover opportunities for collaboration that ultimately enable us to be more successful ourselves. Besides, didn’t you hire a team of talented people? Leverage their capabilities, you will be surprised!

To tackle the fear and uncertainty associated with delegation, you need to lay the groundwork for success. Clarify the work that needs to be delegated. Which tasks can realistically be handled by other team members? Also determine the tasks that must be done by you, and only you. Be sure to communicate with your team the objectives and goals of each task so they know what is expected of them and how it fits in with the larger picture. Be sure to set deadlines and milestones and/or the frequency of checking up on their work. Be open with communication and make sure that your team understands they can turn to you and that it is ok to ask questions and further guidance.

Have some tasks you need to delegate-Let’s talk!

Comfort Zone-Where Dreams Go To Die

We have seen the inspirational quotes encouraging us to get out and do something different—something we wouldn’t normally do. One of my favorites is, “Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone,” by Neale Donald Walsch.

We know it’s important to push the boundaries of our comfort zone, and that when we do, it’s kind of a big deal. But what is the “comfort zone” exactly? Why is it that we tend to get comfortable with the familiar and our routines? What benefit do we obtain from breaking out of our comfort zone?

There’s actually a lot of science that explains why it’s so hard to break out of our comfort zone, and why it’s good for us when we do it. With a little understanding and a few adjustments, we can break away from our routines and do great things. Let’s get started!

Optimal Anxiety

The idea of the comfort zone dates back to 1908, with a classic psychology experiment by Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson. They found that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance.

If you’re a go-getter like me, looking to make the magic happen, you are looking to maximize performance. We need a state of relative anxiety—a space where our stress levels are slightly higher than normal. This space is called “Optimal Anxiety,” and it’s just outside our comfort zone. Can you think of a time when you operated within “optimal anxiety?”

However, too much anxiety and our performance drops off sharply! Anyone who has ever pushed themselves to get to the next level, knows that when you really challenge yourself, you can turn out amazing results. More than a few studies support this idea. However, pushing too hard can actually cause a negative effect. Reinforcing our natural tendency to return to an anxiety neutral state, the “comfort zone.” This fine line between optimal anxiety and too much anxiety is why it’s so hard to kick our brains out of the comfort zone.

Breaking Free

So we learned that optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak. What’s the incentive to pushing ourselves to that next level? Here is what you get once you’re able to step outside of your comfort zone:

Productivity

Comfort kills productivity because without the sense of unease that comes with deadlines and expectations, we tend to do the minimum required to get by. We lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things. Pushing personal boundaries helps you hit your stride sooner, get more done, and find smarter ways to work.

Flexibility

You’ll have an easier time dealing with new and unexpected changes. By taking risks in a controlled fashion and challenging yourself to things you normally wouldn’t do, you experience uncertainty in a controlled, manageable environment. Choosing to live outside your comfort zone better prepares you for when life changes force you out of it.

Creativity

Seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and opening the door to new ideas inspire us and educate us in a way that nothing else can. Trying new things can make us reflect on our old ideas and where they clash with our new knowledge, and inspire us to learn more and challenge our biases, our tendency to only seek out information we already agree with. A positive, uncomfortable experience can help us brainstorm, see old problems in a new light, and tackle the challenges we face with new energy.

The benefits you get after stepping outside of your comfort zone have a domino effect throughout your personal and professional life. There’s an overall self-improvement you get through broadening your horizons: the skills you’re learning, the new foods you’re trying and the new avenues you’re exploring.

Once you begin stepping out of your comfort zone, it does get easier. You become accustomed to that state of optimal anxiety. It becomes normal to you, and you’re willing to push farther before your performance falls off. As you challenge yourself, your comfort zone adjusts so what was difficult, and anxiety-inducing becomes easier as you repeat it.

Contact Alpine Small Business Solutions to discuss what we can take off your plate to help you reach your level of optimal anxiety.

Mindset Impacts Everything

Mindset impacts everything. Our thoughts, energy and most of all, the actions we take.

More than 30 years ago, Carol Dweck and her colleagues became interested in people’s attitudes about failure. After studying the behavior of thousands of students, Dr. Dweck coined the terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. What is a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset? Glad you asked!

Growth Mindset: Intelligence can be developed
Fixed Mindset: Intelligence is static; “fixed trait.”

Growth Mindset

Embrace challenges
Persist in the face of setbacks
See effort as the path to mastery
Learn from criticism
Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others

Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others.) As a result, they achieve more success because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.

Fixed Mindset

Avoid challenges
Give up easily
See effort as fruitless
Ignore useful negative feedback
Feel threatened by the success of others

Those with a fixed mindset spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. Excessive concern with looking smart keeps you from making bold, visionary moves. If you’re afraid of making mistakes, you’ll never learn on the job and your whole approach becomes defensive.

-H3-

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you keep a running account of what’s happening, what it means, and what you should so. Our minds are constantly monitoring and interpreting. That’s just how we stay on track. Mindset frames the running account of what is taking place. It guides the whole interpretation process.

The fixed mindset creates an internal dialogue that is focused on judging. And people react with feelings of anxiety, depression, or anger. Or superiority. “This means I’m a loser.” “This means I’m a better person than they are.” “This means I’m a bad wife.” “This means my partner is selfish.”

An internal monologue of a growth mindset person is not about judging themselves or others. They listen for learning and constructive action: “What can I learn from this?” “How can I improve?” “How can I help my partner do this better?”

Change Your Mindset

Changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset is not like surgery; you can’t remove a fixed mindset and replace it with a growth mindset. You must work on nurturing a positive, growth mindset. These are tips from Dr. Dweck, herself:

Learn to hear your fixed mindset, “voice.”

As you face criticism, you might feel yourself getting angry at the person giving you feedback. The other person might be giving constructive feedback, but you hear “I’m really disappointed in you. I thought you were capable but now I see you’re not.”

Recognize that you have a choice.

How you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism is your choice. You can choose to interpret them as signs to ramp up your strategies, stretch yourself and expand your abilities.

Take the growth mindset action.

As you approach a challenge, choose to say: “I think I can learn to with time and effort.” “If I don’t try, I automatically fail.” “If I don’t take responsibility, I can’t fix it. Let me listen and learn what I can.”

Practice hearing both voices, and practice acting on a growth mindset. Nurturing a positive, growth mindset creates profound changes in your personal life and determines your ceiling of success. Your Mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds.

Need help nurturing that mindset contact me today!

3 Ways a Tripwire and a Marketing Funnel Work Together for Optimal Conversion

A marketing funnel is great. A tripwire is great. Using them together, however, will supercharge your conversion rates.

Ready? Let’s get started.

What a Marketing Funnel Is

A marketing funnel is the process where people go from just discovering your brand to buying your goods and services. The stages are

Gaining awareness of your brand
Gaining interest in your brand
Gaining desire for what your brand offers
Taking action (buying a product/service)

Marketers use tools to nurture leads along each stage of the funnel. Visitors to your site can give their email in exchange for a free downloadable guide (gaining awareness). A follow-up email gives them a curated list of relevant blog articles on the site (gaining interest). A follow-up email to that gives them a case study showing the benefits of your products/services (gaining desire). A follow-up email to that gives them a coupon to buy your products/services (taking action).

Marketing efforts should be done to coax people along this funnel. After all, if you aren’t driving sales eventually what is the purpose of your marketing?

What a Tripwire Is

A tripwire is a strategic way to get people to enter into your funnel. You present a potential customer with an appealing low-risk and low-cost offer. Think of those e-books sold for $1 or a marketing course sold for $10. The deal is too good to pass up!

Tripwires play off of human psychology. We have an inherent need to view our behavior as consistent. If we agree to a small request, we are much more likely to agree to a larger similar request (think about when you find yourself agreeing to help a friend move after agreeing to give him a ride the other day).

When customers make a small purchase with us, they become significantly more likely to make a larger purchase with us. In fact, many companies actually offer tripwires where they lose money initially. They know they will gain it back soon with larger purchases.

Using a Tripwire and Marketing Funnel Together

These two marketing tactics work hand-in-hand in a circular relationship.

A marketing funnel directs to the tripwire. Before a customer can act on the trip wire, they need to know it exists. Insert the marketing funnel! You can use the marketing funnel to direct people to the end action: acting on the trip wire. Social media, blog posts, emails can all give that push towards buying the trip wire. Not everyone will make it from gaining awareness to making that purchase. But strategic marketing can help get more people to that purchasing point.
A tripwire directs people to the marketing funnel. It’s like there are two marketing funnels. A small one designed to get the tripwire bought. Then a larger one designed to get those big purchases where your income comes from. A tripwire can be the first stage of the marketing funnel: awareness. Maybe the customer knew nothing of your brand. But they say your discount Udemy course (the tripwire). After purchasing the course, they became aware of your brand. Then they received targeted emails providing valuable content (generating that interest). Then they received more targeted emails describing your products/services (generating that desire) before being prompted to act (generating that action). This customer went through your marketing funnel because of your tripwire.
A tripwire increases the chances of purchases. Remember the main benefit of a tripwire? It increases the chances of people making larger purchases with your organization. A tripwire does more than guide people to your marketing funnel. It increases the chances they make it to the final stage of the funnel!

Creating tripwires and marketing funnels are an important part of your sales strategy. But they can be a bit tricky for novices to create. That’s where Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! We provide sales funnel services using the tripwire and marketing funnel to effectively increase your conversion rates. Give us a call or shoot us an email to chat about your options today!

The Power of an Automated Marketing and Sales Funnel

Wouldn’t it be great if your marketing and sales could run on autopilot?

Well with an automated sales funnel, they can! After an initial set-up, you can sit back, relax, and focus your attention on other marketing tasks.

An automated marketing and sales funnel allows you to work smarter, not harder. It can skyrocket your efficiency and effectiveness. If you aren’t using one already, it’s about time you hop aboard this train to growth!

The Sales Funnel

You’ve probably heard this phrase before. Many, many, many times I imagine. Let’s quickly debrief anyway.

A sales funnel is the journey people go through from first discovering your company to paying money for your goods/services. The stages go:

People become aware of your brand
People become interested in your brand
People have desire for what your brand offers
People take action (buying a product/service)

Not everyone makes it through every stage. That is why it’s a funnel – it’s largest at the top and becomes narrower as it goes down. As a marketer, your goal is to move as many people as possible through the funnel.

Automating the Funnel

Automation, when done well, can be a marketer’s best friend. First of all, it saves you an immense amount of time. Instead of you sitting down to individually send an email to people at each stage of the funnel, these emails can be sent automatically.

Second of all, it can improve your targeting efforts without any extra efforts on your end. For example, someone who opts-in to your social media newsletter gets a follow-up email offering them a discount for your social media services. Someone who opts-in to your business management newsletter gets a follow-up email offering them a discount for your upcoming leadership webinar. These targeted pitches can happen automatically.

How to Create Your Automated Email Funnel

The most common way to automate your marketing and sales funnel is with your email.

Creating awareness: Here you are hoping to stir up awareness of your brand. Many marketers will offer a free downloadable piece of content in exchange for someone’s email. Think case studies, guides, and other similar substantial pieces of content. The focus here is to get your company name in their memory and associate yourself within the industry. Nothing sales-y at all, yet!
Creating interest: Now you’ve gotten their email. Here you are hoping to keep their attention (since that “unsubscribe button” is all too easy to press). Send a follow-up email to those who subscribed giving them more helpful information. Nothing sales-y here either! The goal is to intrigue your audience about your brand by showing you know your stuff. Send an email with a round-up of useful articles on the given topic. Share valuable resources. Prove that your emails (and your company) offer value.
Creating desire: Now you’ve got a group of people who stayed on your email list. By now, you’ve sent a few useful emails. They are still intrigued by your company. Now you can start slipping in the sales-y content. Show off what your brand can do. Maybe it’s an email with testimonials of a product. Maybe it’s case studies of how companies benefited from your service. Draw a connection between your customer’s problem and your product/service as a solution.
Creating action. Now that you got your customers desiring your product/service, you can prompt action. Send an email that provides a discount for first time customers. Direct them to the sales page. Funnel those potential customers into becoming purchasing customers.

This process can be a highly effective one at generating more leads and more sales. You will need specialized tools to accomplish this (MailChimp is a common one). Look through different service options to find the best ones for your company. The key here is finding something that offers effective automation. You want a service allowing for targeted funnel creation (such as one path for first time customers and another path for repeat customers).

It’ll take some time at first to situate your funnel. But once you do, you can reap the rewards of automation! If you want help setting up your funnel, Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! We specialize in sales funnel services that can get your marketing thriving. Contact us today to find out more!