[E-VOLVE] Steve Harvey Gets It! Do You? Vicki Irvin

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Vicki Irvin

I was speaking to my good friend Lance London yesterday, he is a super successful restaurateur who will be speaking at my Extreme Women Entrepreneur’s Event this year!  Lance is a self-made multi-millionaire and he got that way by following some key success principles that EVERY person I know doing well lives by (he’s going to share them with you at the event, so don’t worry).

My conversation with Lance got me to thinking about just how on time the theme of my event is this year, we will be spending some time on proper Branding!

You see, last year Lance won Steve Harvey’s Hoodie Award for having the best restaurant.  Lance was telling me how he didn’t t even want to go the award event because he was always turned off by the NAME of the award  and he had formed his own opinion about it just based on what it was called.

Some friends finally convinced him to go and he was SHOCKED! He said it was one of the classiest and best events he had ever been to, and he runs in some pretty top notch circles. He saw celebrities, met great people and made some amazing connections.  Not to mention he ended up winning which he NEVER in a million years thought he would! Icing on the cake, right?

Well the point of me telling you this story is that Branding and how you put yourself out there REALLY does matter.  I myself had never given the Hoodie Awards much attention either, simply because of the name, it quite honestly seemed “ghetto” to me. I was glad to hear Lance felt the same way and it wasn’t just me!  And I am sure there are many others who shared our “perception.”

But the reality is that Steve Harvey’s Hoodie Award is a HUGE successful affair that brings out THOUSANDS of classy, well- respected and accomplished people.  Bu there still exist people like Lance and I that were turned off by the Brand and name!  And I can imagine the name affected his sponsorship as well.

Well THIS year Steve Harvey and the Hoodie awards have reinvented themselves and are now called the  “Neighborhood Awards.”

The cool part is they “get” that they were alienating some people from coming just based on the negative perception of their name, and they finally did something about it!

Your brand and how people perceive you (right or wrong) is important to your bottom line.  If people don’t get what you do or are confused, then they will walk away.

If people are constantly asking you to explain what you do over and over it means they don’t get it and its time for you to reinvent yourself!!

Ironically Lance is up for the award AGAIN this year and I will definitely be voting for him!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

 

 

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DECEPTION at it’s finest! Vicki Irvin

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Vicki Irvin

One major theme at my event this year is showing you how profitable the RIGHT branding and positioning efforts can be!  Every person you will see speak has expanded their brand and reinvented themselves for longevity! THAT is a formula for profit.

Although my 4 pay plan has expired, you still have a chance to lock in your seat by using my 3 Pay Plan! However this too will be expiring, so jump on it now so you have no regrets later! I am making it EZ for anyone who is serious about their business to join us this year!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE EVENT

It’s one thing for others to deceive you, but the worst deception ever is the ones we do to OURSELF! Comfort zones and what is familiar is crippling so many women in business.  On one hand you have this burning passion to be an entrepreneur because you are good at what you do.  But on the other hand, you won’t do the things to make the business REALLY work.

Successful entrepreneurs invest in themselves and their education. They attend events, they work with coaches and mentors and they stay plugged into what is working and what is not.

Where the deception comes into play is the “hope” that somehow you can figure it all out on your own. The thought that you don’t have to do the things that other successful and profitable business owners are doing.  The notion that it will just “happen” for you and turn out well. Good luck with that!

Many women in business start off this way. And unfortunately they look up and realize that they are not prospering.  They are starving for clients and customers and the business they were once passionate and excited about is turning into more of a pain in the butt than anything else.  It’s frustrating and it’s disappointing.

Having worked with so many people for several years now, I know this story all too well.

Here is the best advice I can give….

  • Don’t waste another minute working on things that aren’t yielding results.
  • Instead invest in learning how to market yourself and your biz.
  • Build a following of people interested in YOU and your brand.
  • Create products and services your market is craving.
  • Become a MASTER implementer, meaning you actually put into action what you have learned!

If you are NOT doing these things, then today is the day to STOP! Don’t let things get to the point you want to give up, simply because you need to redirect your efforts and invest in your most important asset which is YOU!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

 

 

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[E-VOLVE] Leave the hobby phase! Vicki Irvin

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Vicki Irvin

The THREE day Extreme Women Entrepreneur’s Event is in full swing! Great speakers, great entertainment and REAL strategy designed for PROFIT!

My generous 4 pay plan to lock in your seat is expiring TOMORROW, April 30th so you have LIMITED time to take advantage before it goes away!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE EVENT

Have you been avoiding doing the things in your business that make you uncomfortable? Most likely the answer is yes simply because that is human nature. Most entrepreneurs get in business to share a passion or gift they have to help others.  And that is the part of business that they love.

However, in order to make your business a REAL business, you can’t operate it like a hobby.  And for many women, that is a HUGE challenge.

Sales and marketing scare a lot of people. And instead of diving in to learn how to do it properly, most avoid it, yet wonder why they aren’t profiting in their business.

It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you are working hard in your business, by doing busy work and avoiding the stuff that REALLY needs to be done.

Sales and marketing is essential for your business to work. Letting people know how you can help them and attracting a steady flow of new clients should be the number one thing you work on every day.

Without clients and customers your business is staying within the hobby category and that leads to frustration.

Instead of avoiding self-promotion, embrace it. If you honestly believe that you have a product or service that helps people, then why aren’t you shouting it from the mountain tops? If you want to help more people and provide them with a solution to their problems, then letting them know that you exist is the only way you can achieve that mission!

People need you and your solutions! Be proud of what you do, be authentic and most importantly make the decision to devote 98% of your time to marketing your business using systems that are proven to work!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

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3 Simple steps you may not have! Vicki Irvin

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Vicki Irvin

I am STUMPED! I have 2 major photo shoots this week for a new product I am launching along with a celebrity and I am responsible for the creative vision. Problem is, sometimes your creative juices just aren’t working and now is one of those times for me!  Cross your fingers I get it together and quickly! LOL.  Oh, and I created this product with women entrepreneurs and those aspiring in mind, so I think you are going to love it!

I am also working on the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event 2013 in July, it takes a lot of lead time to have a successful event so it’s never too early to begin your preparations.  In case you are not on the pre-notification list to get event updates, make sure you sign up here:

www.EweEvent.com

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Let’s face it, many people are petrified when it comes to marketing their products and services! Marketing means you have to talk about yourself and how great you are and for some people they equate that to bragging.

Bragging to me means “look at me, I am better than you because of XYZ…”  But Marketing for me means, “look at me and how I can help you solve your problem.”  Big difference!

The truth is that if you do not get comfy selling yourself, your bank account is not going to grow.  People WANT to know how you can help them because they desperately need help!  What do YOU do whenever you need something? You buy it right? Of course you do, so what makes you think nobody else is satisfying their needs?

No matter what people say, the formula does not change. In order to attract the RIGHT clients and customers you must have a few things line up:

  1. You must know exactly WHO your target market is
  2. A way to capture your target market’s contact info (list building and systems)
  3. A marketing message that is a MATCH for your market!

If any of those things is off, your business will reflect it.  Here is why…marketing to the WRONG people is a waste of time no matter how good your message is. The wrong people include those who can’t afford you and no matter how bad they may want you, if they can’t afford your rates, they are not your target market (those of you stuck reducing your prices all the time, know what I mean).

Talking to people who have no interest in what you are offering is another waste of time,  that means your message is not a match. (this includes trying to make your friends and family your customers, good luck with that.)  Instead, you must have systems to attract the right people to YOU, rather than you trying to turn the wrong people into your client base. That is definitely a lose/lose situation.

So stop what you are doing today and ask yourself if you have this simple formula down. If you are having problems, chances are one of them is off base.

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

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Silver or Gold? Vicki Irvin

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Vicki Irvin

Have you ever heard that phrase, “make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold?”

I remember learning that song when I was in elementary school, my friends and I used to sing it all the time.  And like many people, I mistakenly thought that the longer your relationships were in terms in length, that means they were stronger than any new ones you would ever make as you grew older.

I was speaking with a client the other day who was letting me know she was distracted from her work because she had a HUGE fall out with her girlfriend of over 15 years.  The way she was talking about the whole debacle made it seem as if they were married!  LOL

As women, we value our friendships very much. We love and bond with our hair stylists and use them for therapy, right? If we go to another hairdresser we feel like we are cheating on them!

After listening to my client’s devastation it all boiled down to her feeling as if her friend was disloyal. She went on and on about how much she had done for her and how she was there for her when nobody else in the world was. And now, this person turned on her, betrayed her and showed her “true colors” as she put it.

I felt her pain, I really did. But as much as I felt her pain, as her coach I needed to put things into perspective for her based on my own experiences in life and how I have drastically changed my views on friendships and relationships in general.

First off, life is life. If you believe for ONE minute that you will never face tough times or devastation you are kidding yourself. NOBODY sails through life without challenges, heart breaks and major let downs.  So you had better be prepared!

Second, although loyalty is GREAT and indeed an admirable quality…I’m sorry, but the amount of people who will ever TRULY be loyal to you, you can count on one hand.

Being loyal requires a few things.  It requires a person to have conviction. It requires a person to blindly trust and believe in you when others will not. It requires people to have stances that most will be against. It requires a person to go with their gut versus what is popular. And it requires a person who is prepared to suffer consequences with you when nobody else will.

So my point is that no matter how LONG you have been friends or even in a great romantic OR business relationship with someone, you will NEVER know who is loyal to you until that person is tested. Unfortunately for my client, her friendship was tested 15 years in.  THAT is why she is devastated. She believed the longevity of the friendship automatically meant something more than what it really does.

Have you ever had someone come into your life who is practically a stranger that ended up holding you down beyond your wildest dreams? Or perhaps they did something for you that your own family would have never done?  There is your proof that it is not about the length of the relationship, but rather the heart and soul of the person.

So the next time you put your EVERYTHING into your relationships, remember that you will NEVER know who is really silver and who is really gold until they pass the test!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

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