Selling is about solving customer problems, whether they are problems customers are currently facing, or problems they will face as their marketplace evolves and their needs change.  My clients call me a change agent.  They do so because when they answer my question on how I can help them solve a problem, I already have a tool in my tool box that I apply to remedy their issue.  One of those tools is a  holon. I use the Maslow Hirearchy of Needs and Human Development Holon as my reference tools.

I  describe the problem from the customer’s point of view once they answer my question. Make sure the problem is  one the customer sees value in solving.  Find out what benefits your customer feels she/he will reap if you resolve it.  Ask the right questions and listen before acting.    Below is an example of a tool I use with every customer and, that I teach my coaching clients to use.  It’s an example of a holon.  A holon is a system of systems.  Just like the body has a limbic system, circulatory system, nervous system, etc.  We also have an innate psychological system that sends messages to us constantly on how we are doing, how we are feeling and how we want to respond if at all, to a message.  The tools are below.

These holons can apply to both B2C and B2B clients.   Determine where your customer/client is on the hirearchies above and then go to work to identify the Achille’s heel  or the hot button your client needs to fulfill.  Stay tuned to this blog for continuing information on this subject and how to use these tools.

I’m probably preaching to the choir when I ask “What’s important to your target audience?”  But if I follow it with this question, “What’s important to you?” I bet you have to pause and think about that and how the two are related.   Without knowing and communicating a value proposition to both you and your audience, networking and building a brand becomes a chore.  Let’s make it easy.  The example below should give you an idea about the point I’m trying to make.   Try it yourself.  Next time I will talk about how to take this information and create the script for your branding.

I saw this in The Vancouver Sun blog and feel the more of us that pass this along, the more voices we will gather:

Amina is an 11-year-old girl from Afghanistan who was married off to an older cousin: essentially, sold by her family for $5,000. They used the money to buy a car for their son.

Yasmin is a 12-year-old Egyptian girl who was raped by a stranger. When her mother took her to the police station, the most the authorities could do was to offer to get her some money from the man.

Wadley is a seven-year-old Haitian girl with a wide smile who loves school. After the 2010 earthquake, the school closed, but she wouldn’t give up on trying to attend the new school, even though her mother couldn’t pay for it.

These are three of the nine children from nine countries whose stories are told in Girl Rising, an unusual documentary that looks at the problem of educating girls in the developing world. Director Richard Robbins paired each girl with a woman author from her country, who wrote a version of her story. Each was then re-created as a short film, and narrated by an actress — the voice cast includes Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett and Alicia Keys.  Go to rest of story…

Pixels & Dots, LLC is a 12 year, certified woman owned design agency located in the Mount Lookout neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH.  Angela Davis is its President and CEO.  The     Agency helps their clients successfully compete in an evolving marketing and advertising landscape by achieving measurable results.  Their passion for creativity and quality allows them to provide innovative solutions for organizations who expect the best.  Clents of Pixels and Dots, LLC include:  Procter & Gamble, Hamilton County, Perfetti van Melle, Xavier University and Pure Romance.  To learn more about their business and capabilities please visit Pixels & Dots. LLC.

I hope all of you have Tuesday, February 5, 2013 marked on your calendars.  Why?  Because Dames Bond in Columbus, Ohio  is bringing together a unique program for a day with a very interesting key note address.  Let me ask you these questions:

1. I have the knowledge.  I have the skill.  I have the market.  Then why doesn’t my bottom line grow?
2. I’m good at what I do.  I try to communicate that to all.  Then why do I feel like I don’t get the respect I’m looking for?
3. I want the order.  When it comes right down to asking for it, I falter and lose my confidence.  How do I fix that?

Ever felt that way?  If you have, then the Conference DAMES PROSPER! had better be on your calendar to attend.

Keynote speaker, Suzanne Roberts is a Somatic Coach and will teach you what you have to do to get the answers to the questions above.  Suzanne is a Master in this field of coaching and works with business women regularly helping them through the internal obstacles that all of us face at one time or another.  She will share tools that  you can use daily to when you are confronted with self doubt, less confidence and question yourself if you followed through correctly.

Somatic Coaching explores what we may need to shift at the mental, emotional and spiritual levels in order to live our lives to their fullest capacities.  Finding clarity as to who we want to be and what we want to achieve in this life is the part of the concept.  It helps us recognize and shift our shape, body language and behaviors that no longer serve us anymore and to embrace new practices that support us in what we have to offer to the world.

Applying the technical steps needed to grow our businesses is easy for most of us, but when our internal voices say something different preventing us from taking the needed action, Suzanne can help us figure it out so we can move forward in our leadership and business decision making.

With all this great information sharing going on, “WOW!”, come and have fun at this unique “not a conference” event.

Dames Prosper! from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Feb. 5, 2013 at Shadowbox Live, 503 S. Front Street. Register Now!

Our 2012 Blaze Your Own Trail women business enterprise conference received so many wonderful kudos from all of  you who  attended.  Your feedback helped us lay out the 2013 topics.  Save the date:  Saturday, August 10, 2013!   We watched.  We listened, and now, we are giving you what you want.  Watch this blog for continual updates of what is coming this year.

Definitely there will be inspirational workshops. It’s guaranteed there will be networking opportunities. And I promise you will  leave the event more inspired than you were last year.

Keep checking our website and reading our newsletters for updated information.  Continue to communicate  your success stories.  You might see yours in one of our blogs in the future.

Boomer Women Seeking WBE Certification

Over the past five years women between the ages of 55-64 are transitioning into business ownership more than ever before. That was made evident to me at our most recent conference and by the phone calls and emails received in our office.

Many callers were transitioning from a job to retirement, or have been single moms and now their nest is empty. They want more in life and have the  talent and skills to go after it.  More than that, they have wisdom through experience and not afraid to voice that wisdom.  It’s the goal of Women Educating  Women, Inc. to provide as many resources as possible to help each of you find your target market.  Branding your goods and services comes first.  A visibility strategy is your first step.  We will talk about that in another blog.   For now, the following information provides resources for you to market to the affluent women baby boomers.

I found the following information while researching stats on baby boomer women.  AIO is a firm that designs websites to attract affluent women buyers.

Women over 50 make 80% of buying decisions for households that have 80% of the nation’s money.  (Sources: Boom and Why She Buys).  So doesn’t it make sense that boomer women are saturating the small business arena?  Our Facebook stats are telling us this as well.  Other researchers tell us that the baby boomer generation is online in force. At 56.7 million users, baby boomers make up the largest group of the US internet population, notes a December 2008 eMarketer report, and AARP research director Mark Bradbury reports that 76% of boomers are online. (Another bonus? Bradbury mentions that online boomers are significantly wealthier than the norm, at $84,700 in median household income compared to $60,200 for all US adults.)

Marketing to women baby boomers: resources

Want to learn more about marketing to boomer women? Check out AIO’s list  of the marketing to women books they recommend. They also highly recommend the respected Engage:Boomers blog published by MediaPost, authored and read by a myriad of experts, and the Boomer Project, an e-newsletter with thousands of subscribers.

Respond to this blog and tell us about the audience you plan to target or are targeting.  We have lots of resources to share and I bet many of  you out there do as well.   We want to hear about them.

Subscribe to our RSS feed on your left to receive notifications on new resource information for your audience.

Don’t forget that Women Educating Women, Inc. would like to hear about the connections you made and the commerce created between all of you as a result of the networking that went on at the event.  Keep us informed by email, Facebook entries, or just sign up for our blog through our RSS feed and receive our education information automatically through your email.

I had so much fun meeting each and everyone of  you and I am so looking forward to expanding our outreach and providing you with even more opportunities to brand your company,  yourself and drive revenue to your business.

Sign up for our blog posts to get follow up info on this conference including pictures and videos.  Also, don’t forget to LIKE our Facebook page.

We’d love to have your comments and suggestions, so don’t feel shy if you have never blogged.  Start by commenting on ours.

Would this not be a captive audience for you as an internet marketing expert?  All you need to do is let your networking skills take over and show attendees of these events that not only can you help them get started but that you have a very affordable package to make that happen.   What?  You don’t have an offer to get your foot in the door?  OK, we have lots of work to do.

Right now, however, all I want you to do is mark your calendars for Saturday, September 29, 2012 for BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAIL.  An event for not only learning but for procuring new business clients for your business.

More Information and to Register CLICK HERE!

Sponsored by the Ohio Department of Development &

The Small Business Development Center

at Columbus State Community College

Women Educating Women, Inc. has the  answer.  Register for our upcoming WBE conference to get the “HOW TO”  for a change: http://womeneducatingwomen2day.org/conferences/wbe-conference-blaze-your-own-trail.