I wrote the article on which this post is based a month after having a lumpectomy. My physical recovery was rapid and easy, and I’m happy to report that there were no signs of cancer or pre-cancerous tissue. At the same time, the experience shook up my priorities, and I chose to postpone a number [...]
Praise for the Faculty
Kudos for Shannon Cherry
If Shannon can get me - a nail technician from Upstate NY - a feature story in the New York Times, imagine what her strategies and tactics can do for you! That one article got my phone ringing off the hook! Listen to Shannon and get unlimited visibility!
Erin Ruffing, owner of Nails by Erin, www.nailsbyerin.com
Just one tip Shannon shared got my organization in BusinessWeek magazine. And her other ideas are easy to do, making me feel I can get more publicity than I ever dreamed.
Ja-Nae Duane, founder & president of Wild Women Entrepreneurs, www.thewildwe.com
Shannon has amazing insights! She has helped me to position and leverage my business in ways I had never anticipated. I have been interviewed by reporters all over the country – something that had never happened before Shannon. I can’t believe the exposure I’ve gotten. It’s simply amazing!
Kelle Sparta, owner and author of Sparta Success Systems, www.spartasuccess.com
With Shannon's advice, my product was featured in several media outfits during the lucrative holiday season. Her detailed instructions and checklists made it easy. I wouldn't be on the right path today without her wonderful information!
Carla Vaughn Mead, co-founder & designer of Black Mountain Jewelry Company, www.blackmountainjewelry.com
Shannon has made me rethink the avenues I was using to get the word out about my business. With the ideas and information she shares, I am excited about building Got Clicks? into the leading resource for entrepreneurs who need a website.
Sarah Spencer, owner of Got Clicks? www.gotclicks.biz
Kudos for Nancy Marmolejo
"Nancy's tips helped me increase my QUALITY contacts by over 80%!"
Social networking is THE way to be seen online and Nancy is definitely an expert on the topic. Within the first 90 days of seriously following Nancy's tips, I saw my social networking contacts increase by over 80%! The best part is, the contacts I make are real people who want to do business with me, not just random names populating my friends list. Nancy's approach is both creative and strategic, with excellent advice on using this tool to boost your visibility, name recognition, and business!
Michele Pariza-Wacek, Ka-Ching! Marketing Strategist, www.MichelePW.com
Nancy knows how to teach quality relationship building for BIG payoffs!"
Nancy Marmolejo and I are kindred spirits in the world of social networking. We share the belief (and hold the experience) that quality relationship building results in big payoffs! It's not just about the numbers- the people who make up those numbers are what counts. Thanks Nancy for advocating social networking that can change people's businesses and their lives.
Mari Smith, Social Media Coach, Speaker, www.MariSmith.com
With the tips I learned from Nancy, I landed my biggest client to date, more than DOUBLED my list size, and INCREASED my revenue each month!
Nancy is a gem. Before I tried her social networking program I was using social media but really ineffectively. I didn't have a plan and I was implementing strategies sporadically. I was overwhelmed by all of the information and just couldn't piece it together in a way that created more traffic and consistent visibility for me and my business.
Now all of that has changed. As a result of working with Nancy I learned how to use social networking strategies to create relationships and produce significant results. With the tips I learned from this program, I have attracted 2 joint venture partners with whom I am creating programs and products now, landed my biggest and most amazing client to date, have more than , have connected with brilliant and talented people, and have increased my revenue each month.
–Melani Ward, Business Numerologist, www.MelaniWard.com
Kudos for Mark Silver
"This is just what I need to set up my new website." I’ve found some other good products that teach how to do copywriting, or how to do landing pages, but they often seem a bit to hypey and manipulative for my values. Also, they teach only that one piece. It’s not easy to find a product that teaches how all the pages fit together and help the visitor flow through the process in a holistic way.
This is just what I need to set up my new website — I hope to have it ready to go in a week or so. Thanks for putting together a terrific product!"
Liz Tufte, www.folio-bookworks.com
I thought it would be something relating to coming more deeply from my heart."
"The material IS about coming deeply from your heart, but the big added difference for me is that the background of wisdom and practices that Mark shares removes almost all the guess work. I ended up feeling that I KNEW what I was doing regarding my websites. This was quite a revelation.
Stuart Baker, West Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA, www.consciouscooperation.com
"I realized that my resistance to writing was not about any 'lack of confidence' or limiting belief on my part."
Frankly, I felt inadequate in writing my website. Oh, I knew I could write a good informative email. And I could write a letter of appreciation from my heart. Yet when it came to writing copy for my website, the words would not flow.
I looked at sales pages that were written by expensive copywriters, and they left me cold. I checked out the well-known copywriter's websites, and most of the writing seemed hyped and inauthentic to me. I looked around for examples of compelling and engaging writing on websites, and I truly could not find any that really drew me in.
Over the next 48 hours, I read your two books I had purchased and downloaded from the site (Unveiling the Heart of Your Business, and Creating Heart-Centered Websites), and the next day I wrote 8 pages for my new website in 12 hours! And what is even more amazing: I liked what I wrote!!! I had a breakthrough on my writing.
Karen A. Cappello, PCC, CLC, www.karencappello
Kudos for Isabel Parlett
I almost cried with relief when I discovered Isabel's Vibrant Language program.
Finally, there was understanding for what I have struggled with for years. Isabel's clear step-by-step process for articulating my life's passion is heaven sent. I was so stuck I couldn't even make business cards! She has connected me to myself, to my courage, to my work purpose...to what excites me about being alive. I now connect with and inspire my ideal clients on a soul level.
What I continue to learn from Isabel is ever-expanding. It forces me to grow in clarity and connection skills and the more I use it, the more I gain. "The Power to Express Your Passion"....how does it get better than that?
–Laura Frisbie, M.Ed.
For over a year, I've been seeking to discover the language that would uphold the integrity of a passionate message and yet, click with the audience - to step out of the marketing box of manipulative copy-writing and traditional pain point self-promotion of the prevailing marketplace. For any maverick, soul-driven enterprise - THIS is it! This is the necessary step before designing an authentic brand that will stand out from the crowd and click with your ideal audience. Parlance Training offers a way to access the language that we can truly embody in order to make an inspiring connection."
Thank you for the spirit of your work Isabel.
Janice Mark, www.design-oracle.com
Kudos for Jennifer Hofmann
I've never had an organizing experience like this in my life! I cleaned out an entire drawer of my filing cabinet - I mean we're talking auto insurance declarations that go back to like '97.
I wasn't so sure how much organizing I was even into doing today - so for me to have blasted through the stuff I did was totally amazing.
It made the project (which felt like a big messy, boggy, icky thing) into something that I could do. I accomplished the first thing in that project within the first three minutes!
Jenni Green - Salem, OR - Caduceus Strategies
I had hoped by taking Jen's Office Spa Day that I might make a small dent on a very large mess.
Boy, was I amazed. Jen gave me some tools to use in working through my piles, gave me some great tips on how to manage a pesky project that was taking over my desk, and suggested a new way to think about my to-do list. I was so inspired that I just kept on working until it was done.
I love how organized my desk is now. I found some forgotten gift certificates and a document that I thought I would have to pay to replace. The class ended up paying for itself!
Karen DeBolt - Portland, OR - CounselingForMoms.com
Whoever thought something having to do with clutter could make me feel good? When I saw the package, I felt like a princess getting a really beautiful gift! It came with these pretty envelopes and everything is hand-made with Jen's loving care. I felt instantly nurtured and special. On top of that, the wisdom is practical, helps me run my business and applies to my every day life.
Lisa Hunter, Extraordinary Women Thrive, Boulder, CO
The work you are doing makes so much sense, I think we all need support to accomplish our goals.
I know I want to get organized but so many things call at my attention. Every time I read a newsletter from you, it is a positive nudge in the right direction.
Thank you, your words make sense on a very personal level. I feel it!
Casey Chalem Anderson, caseyart.com
Kudos for Sean D'Souza
I really like when you give actual examples from your own business. I often suspect information I get about "success" in various forms is theoretical. To hear you have actually done it, makes it feel "do-able".
Lola Scobey, Colorado Springs, CO
Believe it! Sean's methods work! I'm thrilled and astounded!By using Sean's methods for just ONE article to get more business, we got 62 responses!
We are well on our way to meeting our revenue goals. Thanks Sean!
Diane Winder, Marketing Manager, Educational Consulting
I've been in the training business for 25 years and did 500,000 air miles last year alone but I have never seen concepts as elegant as Psychotactics.
Simple is not the word for it. It's easy to follow and apply but extremely sophisticated. It's compelling, powerful and straightforward all at once. If you want to get in the brain of the customer and understand exactly why they do what they do, Psychotactics is exactly what you need.
Diane Hendrickson, Trainer of trainers
(Including 4 CEOs from Fortune 500 Companies)I have discovered the secret of creativity. It is theft.
All you really have to do is show up at a workshop or consulting session and steal every single concept that Sean teaches you. As a result of what I learned in PsychoTactics, I was able to open doors with clients that I thought were permanently shut.
I'm telling you, this PsychoTactics stuff really works!
Wayne Roycroft, Burnard International -Freight Management
A wake-up call for relentless positive thinkers with chronically negative bank accounts. If you're wondering why your benefit-driven marketing isn't hitting the mark, Sean knows why and he'll tell you. Then he'll show you what you can do about it so you can be a lot richer, and your customers will be a lot happier!
I know what I just said may sound like a contradiction to you, but, I assure you, it's an ongoing reality. I had to learn the hard way what Sean will teach you easily in this ebook.
David Garfinkel Copywriting Genius and Author
Really thought provoking stuff! I don't think I've ever learned so much in 48 hours!
Michael Smyth, Buddle Findlay-Lawyers
PsychoTactics is superb! It got the pieces of the puzzle all together and put me on track! I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
Rob Wildman, Sales Manager-Bedpost Franchise
Kudos for Erin Ferree
I thought I needed a new logo. What I got was a new business!
When I first approached Erin to help me with my rebranding, I had some concerns about her ability to capture the inherent contradiction of my business. My principal concern was the balance between having a predominantly conservative target market and the desire to "stand out." I shouldn't have worried.
The branding exercise she took me through forced me to reassess the fundamentals of the business and gave me a logo and other material that I now hand out with pleasure. The logo is simply the end of the journey, not the reason for it.
Stephen Hay, Director, People and Process Limited
If given the choice, rather than hearing, "What a gorgeous outfit!" we women would prefer to hear, "You look wonderful."
Similarly, I prefer that the design of my business promotions motivate people to buy, rather than to simply comment on the beauty of the typefaces I've selected. That's why I'm a huge fan of elf design's newsletter.
Kare Anderson, Newsletter subscriber
A big thanks to you for your web site and the information you offer to others. It is most helpful to me. Thanks for caring enough to share yourself and your knowledge.
I am an executive coach and trainer in Homewood AL who has had difficulty deciding what and how to create a website. Your designs were very clear and specific. Because they are, I was able to 'inscribe my thoughts' inside a 'web box' (that's my name for it, anyway).
In addition, I was able to 'see' how to compose the home page while limiting my more lengthy discourse to specific described pages.
Kyle DeLoach, Newsletter subscriber
Bravo! to Erin L. Ferree of elf design. She has proven that excellent customer service and a job well done are alive and well! Her artistic eye is superb, her follow-up second to none, and her commitment to her customers impeccable. It was a pleasure working with Erin, and I am thrilled at the final product: on time, on budget, and everything looks fantastic! Thank you, Erin!
Erin provided me the ultimate in advertising services for a small start-up. From logo design, to letterhead, to t-shirts, to website design to a customized wheel cover for my Honda CR-V, Erin did it all! And, she always gave me top-notch quality at a very fair price.
Thank you elf design for providing me with everything I needed to get my small business going and for making me look as good as the 'big guys' !
Sandra Hare, MA, Ms. Clutter Buster, Organizing
I love reading the elf design Newsletter because its useful and plentiful information always has the audience at heart. It's clear from the genuine tone of the newsletter and the copy on Erin's web site that she truly wants her clients to succeed. And to go that extra personable mile, she ends it with a fabulous recipe. It adds the human touch — something missing from most e-newsletters I receive.
I bought your Standout eBook and thought it was terrific. In fact, it made my realize how much I disliked my own logo and needed to differentiate myself from other designers. So, I discovered my most important differentiator -- that I was "versatile" and redesigned it! Can't tell you how much better I feel...
Thanks, you're a great role model for designers around the world.
Julie Nardone, Newsletter subscriber
I wanted to thank you for the outstanding work you've done for me in the past year. I think we're up to a total of 5 web sites and 3 logos now, since we've redone the Expansion Consulting web site twice.
I've been very happy with the logos you developed for me. They definitely reflect the image I've tried to give to each company — and the companies are very different from each other.
I also am very happy with the web sites we've put together. They are functional, quick to load and nice to look at, and I regularly receive compliments from visitors on their professionalism and ease of use.
Carol Woods, Expansion Consulting
I have been really impressed with your site ever since I first found it a couple of months ago. You seem to really know what you're talking about and have a genuine desire to help people in their businesses.
Allison Chambers, Newsletter subscriber
I highly recommend Erin. She is highly versed in her craft; and her many creative suggestions come from the angle of using graphics to interpret a person's brand identity.
Carol Iverson
Just letting you know I really like your website and your work. Plus I like how you use "elf" (a nick of mine).
Just a note to say "well done"... and, don't ask how, 'cause I'm not even sure which part did it, but your site fills me with hope and a renewed invigoration.
Lorac Black
Over the last 3 years I have worked with several graphic designers and never been completely satisfied. It isn't often that you can find someone who is technically and artistically talented AND can work efficiently and reliably. I can honestly say that Erin met all of the criteria.
Jen Fray, Sonic Recruit
I just wanted to thank you for the really excellent work you did on our logo recently. Transitioning from one corporate identity to another in a short period of time was a stressful event for us, but your handling of the logo made that aspect of it a complete breeze.
I was extremely impressed by the speed with which you were able to come up with such a wide variety of designs, even after we took one design all the way to finishing and then asked for a whole second round of designs as well.
The high level of professionalism with which you handled all stages of the process, and your thorough understanding of all the elements in those stages, gave us terrific security in relying on your suggestions and output. I think your finished product stands for itself, as it simply, elegantly, and boldly conveys all the elements of our identity that we hoped to express. Thanks again for a job well done!
Jonathan Michaelson, Equilar Technologies Corp.
Kudos for Mikelann Valterra
"Mikelann Valterra’s seminar on earning what you are worth, is the real thing. She deals with issues that confront women daily in life and in the workplace. She does it with compassion, marvelous humor and an insight that helps one to believe in themselves. She has a gift, and I look forward to doing more seminars with her!
–Talltree Marshall
The talk lit the fire under me that I’ve needed. It’s helped me clarify my goals and take more seriously my financial fate. I’m so grateful!!!Thanks for helping me become more aware and conscious of my underlying thought processes! Now what I’ll do differently is ask… more powerfully, more completely and more effectively!
Wow — your talk was amazing! It gave me the courage to affirm my worth with someone right away yesterday. Mikelann is an excellent and inspirational speaker. She gave me hope and reassurance about my future’s earning power. Thanks a Million!
I especially enjoyed the “Earn Your Worth” seminar. No matter how confident I feel, it’s amazing how I still undervalue myself. As a self-employed woman, it’s vital that I feel good about the fees I charge for my services. Mikelann’s techniques helped me open my mind up to new possibilities.
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Our 2009 Twitter Grader Report Card
Molly Gordon
elf design
Sean D'Souza
Pam Slim
Sonia Simone
Mark Silver
Isabel Parlett
Shannon Cherry
Nancy Marmolejo
Dawud Miracle
Mikelann Valterra
Jennifer Hofmann
Self Employment Telesummit
