Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Year's Resolutions

It is that time of year again :)

These are some of the things I'd like to focus on and accomplish in 2009 --

1 - Finish final editing for Book Promo 201 -- currently with my publisher for layout
2 - Finish and start to promote - ebook about utilizing Amazon more completely
3 - Finish and start to promote - ebook about selling books on Ebay
4 - Continue to promote my virtual tour and Web 2.0 promotional business
5 - Write the second book in my Cape Hatteras mystery series
6 - Compile class lessons and begin to promote and teach promotional classes based on my two author promotion books
7 - Find time to go to the beach for at least a week :)
8 - After my next mystery is complete - write my next historic suspense or a contemporary suspense
9 - Possibly write a restaurant promotional book that I have in mind

10 - And, of course, I want to lose weight, but the other things are more possible :)

My biggest personal hope for 2009 is to be able to have some time for myself in the next year - the 80+ hour work weeks need to go :)

Nikki Leigh

Book Promo 201 - Coming Soon (Web 2.0 Promotion)
Book Promo 101 - http://www.nikkileigh.com
Follow Me on Twitter - www.twitter.com/litekepr
Promotional Services www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Win A FREE Copy of How Obama Won

You are invited to enter a drawing for a free print copy of How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson. Simply go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/How-Obama-Won-by-Earl-Ofari-Hutchinson/40633748914 and become a "fan" to be entered in the drawing. If you are interested in sharing information about this exciting new book with your site visitors, contact us for more details - howobamawon@gmail.com

Nikki Leigh

Monday, December 29, 2008

More online shoppers take the word of anonymous product reviewers

As authors we face reviews on Amazon and other book buying sites. Do consumers believe anonymous reviews? Do they make purchasing decisions based on reviews? Do you make decisions based on reviews? I guess another part of the question is, how useful or harmful are these online reviews?

Nikki Leigh


More online shoppers take the word of anonymous product reviewers

By ANDREA JAMES
P-I REPORTER

As online shopping grows more popular, consumers are increasingly relying on the opinions of people they've never met.

These opinions, offered by names such as "Anonymous," or "Skater" or "Crazy Cat Lady," cover all kinds of products, no matter how expensive, cheap, big or small. (Twelve people have reviewed a lint roller refill on Drugstore.com.)

In the Internet's ever-growing social community, people trust one another more than advertisers. And retailers are increasingly figuring that out. Businesses are incorporating customer reviews into their marketing campaigns, providing links to top-ranked products and in some cases, flirting with the idea of making the reviews accessible via cell phone in brick-and-mortar stores.

"Online reviews have changed everything. It sounds so perfect. Anyone and everyone can share their experience with a product or service," said Michal Ann Strahilevitz, marketing professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. "It is as if all online shoppers have an instant community of friends, recommending the good and warning about the bad."

But the system isn't perfect, she said. Some people rate everything they try; others never rate anything. Also, merchants and competitors can disguise ulterior motives behind fake names.

"Generally, the greater the number of reviews, the more likely the average is to be accurate. Comments also help. If extensive comments are made, and the writing style varies, that is a good sign," Strahilevitz said.

The next frontier in user reviews will come as luxury retailers adopt them and as ratings systems become more elaborate, experts say.

Seattle-based Amazon.com, a pioneer that allowed reviews when it launched in 1995, lets users rank each other for credibility. The company also uses tags to distinguish top reviewers and people who use their real names.

"When we first did it, we got letters from publishers saying, 'Maybe you don't understand your business. You make money when you sell things,' " Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos told BusinessWeek four years ago. "Our point of view is, no, we make money when we help customers make purchase decisions."

This holiday season, Amazon assembled a team of six real customers to give advice on goods and dubbed them the "tell-it-like-it-is consumer advocates." The reviewers received free products as part of Amazon Vine, a company program that gives products to select Amazon customers in return for their opinions.

Increasingly, retailers are realizing what Amazon knew early on: When consumers make smart decisions, retailers benefit, said Patti Freeman Evans, a vice president and research director for Forrester Research.

"Consumers who actually read these reviews and find them valuable are more likely to be more loyal to that store, shop more frequently with that store and are less likely to return the item," Evans said.

All retailers aren't necessarily comfortable with negative reviews, but they are learning to get over it.

"What they've found is there's a lot of value in that negative review," Evans said. "Wouldn't you as a retailer want to know if there's a problem with the product?"

David Lonczak, chief marketing officer of Bellevue-based Drugstore.com Inc., said reviews have helped his company to better communicate with suppliers. In one case, a manufacturer added an inner seal to a product because reviewers complained about leaks, he said.

"The user-generated content, whether written or video or otherwise, has become more and more dispersed and more and more available and it has started to prove to be quite valuable," Lonczak said. "Shoppers are looking for, 'What is real, what can I believe? I can't touch the product or feel it or smell it, how can I be sure what is right for me?' "

Drugstore.com, which has a sister site, Beauty.com, has allowed user reviews since 2003. Since they upgraded their system earlier this year by partnering with PowerReviews, daily input is up 250 percent, Lonczak said.

Drugstore.com sends e-mail reminders to customers, asking them to submit reviews. The site labels reviewers who have bought products as a "verified buyer."

"We know that customers are depending upon their peers to help them figure out what works and what doesn't work," Lonczak said. But, "we don't want the ability of anybody to come to the site and write a review, or a manufacturer dissing another manufacturer's product."

San Francisco-based PowerReviews helps Web sites with their online customer review platform in exchange for the right to put those reviews on Buzzillions.com. Its clientele has reached 550 and is growing.

PowerReviews co-founder and CEO Andy Chen says the turning point came three years ago when even brick-and-mortar retailers began to realize that a bad review isn't the end of the world.

The most frequent question that company executives still ask him is, "What do I do with negative reviews?" He tells them that negative reviews add credibility.

If a company deletes a negative review, the consumer who wrote it will notice and get a bad impression. Also, four-star rated products sell better than five-star ones, Chen said he's found by studying data sets provided by clients.

"If they see no one who's unhappy, they immediately think they can't trust the entire set of reviews," Chen said.

PowerReviews moderates reviews and deletes less than 4 percent, Chen said. The goal is to encourage constructive debate, not verify accuracy.

Thus, if someone loves a product but hates the customer service, that review is deleted because it's not about the product. Or, if someone posts where to find the same product cheaper elsewhere, it is deleted, Chen said.

Other than that, the reviews stay.

"We love misspellings because misspellings mean it's a real person that wrote it, not a marketer," Chen said. "You wouldn't believe how many ways people spell comfortable. ... Grammar mistakes, funny punctuation, misspellings, typos -- that's how people speak."

Profanity and hate speech are not allowed, he added.

Multibranded retailers, such as REI, have learned that bad reviews do not drive away sales but shift them to a similar product on the site, said Chen, whose company works with Seattle-based Recreational Equipment Inc.

Despite widespread adoption, anonymous reviews still draw criticism, especially from bad review victims. At its worst, anonymity encourages vicious lying. But at its best, it is self-correcting and frees people to be honest.

Former New York Times book critic Richard Bernstein wrote a letter to Bezos to tell him that Amazon's reader review system encourages cowardice.

"It's the anonymity that Amazon grants to its reader-reviewers that I objected to, on the grounds that anybody who wants to say something nasty about somebody else's work ought to have the little bit of bravery needed to say it under his or her name," Bernstein said in an August letter that ran in the International Herald Tribune.

Indianapolis-based Angie's List, which compiles user reviews on contractors, service companies and health care providers, does not allow anonymous reviews. Consumers pay a membership fee to join.

"We work really hard to not let folks game our system," spokeswoman Cheryl Reed said. "We think it's a distinction that makes a huge difference. ... Companies can't put themselves on the list, nor can they report on themselves. We do allow them -- free of charge -- to respond to reports, though, and we display the responses next to the report in question."

But anonymous review are the norm, and seem here to stay.

Four-year-old Yelp.com, based in San Francisco, boasts about 4 million reviews of restaurants, bars and businesses that draws about 15 million visitors a month. Yelp even lets people rate itself. "You suck ... but I still love you," one wrote.

Seattle-based Onlineshoes.com has embraced user reviews. For CEO Dan Gerler, a shoe industry veteran, the reason is simple: He relies on the reviews himself. "Consumers have the greatest faith in other consumers."

P-I reporter Andrea James can be reached at 206-448-8124 or andreajames@seattlepi.com. Read more about online retail at blog.seattlepi.com/amazon.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/393131_userreviews22.html

Sunday, December 28, 2008

New Posts on My Promotional Blogs

This is post #300. Who would've thought it :)

I have quite a few promotional blogs where I created interviews for authors to help them promote their books. The full list is at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/04/free-promomtional-options-for-author.html. If you would like to use these to promote any of your books - feel free to read this post for a full list of the links and for instructions.

This week I posted the following interviews and chapters -- enjoy :)

http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2008/12/starquest-by-hywela-lyn.html

http://startwithfacts.blogspot.com/2008/12/kindred-spirits-by-marilyn-meredith.html

http://shareyourheroine.blogspot.com/2008/12/meet-marilyn-merediths-heroine-from.html

http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/2008/12/promotional-interview-with-lisa-burke.html

http://detailwithnikkileigh.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-detail-with-russell-vassallo.html

http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/2008/12/katana-duet-samurais-forbidden-love-by.html

http://badguysandvillains.blogspot.com/2008/12/witch-hunts-on-internet-by-yvonne-walus.html

I'm starting to run out of interviews to post -- hint, hint :)

Nikki Leigh

How Do You Think Obama Won?


There are many theories from the media, the pundits, blogger and regular people about How Obama Won. Would you like to share your thoughts? Feel free to post your comments here and tell us what you think made the difference. What helped Obama win?

Nikki Leigh

PS - Are you on the waiting list to be notified when How Obama Won arrives? Are you interested in signing up for our affiliate program? Complete information is posted in the right hand column of the blog at www.learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Getting A Lot Done Over the Holidays

Just had to drop in for a minute to let you know what I've been doing :) I'm getting so many things done that I wanted to do - but couldn't find the time.

I have a blog that was created just to promote my novel - Lilah and the Locket (http://outerbankslilah.blogspot.com) and it generates hits on my website every month. But I wanted a blog where I could blog about the next book in the series - you're welcome to take a look and get a sneak peak at my next novel - http://capehatterasseries.blogspot.com

I also have wanted to move the author promotional interviews to a new blog and since I learned how to export and import blog content on Blogger -- its very easy and quick -- that gave me the perfect tool to move those interviews - http://authorpromotion.blogspot.com/

Then, I've noticed that there will be many things that I want to add to Book Promo 201 - but that would hold up the release of the book forever - so what about creating a blog where I can post new things as I discover them. The blog will be a great follow up resource for people who buy either of my books and could entice people to buy the books in the future :) This blog will contain my promotional articles, some announcements and follow up promotional tips and articles -- http://promo101articles.blogspot.com/

Next - I need a blog to promote the Misty Cove Series -- will keep you posted about that one.

Nikki Leigh

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Sequel to Lilah and the Locket


For a year and a half, I've been thinking about a sequel to Lilah and the Locket. For people who are familiar with the book - the three main characters, a man, a woman and a dog - are all based on real people and a dog :) So, to write a sequel, I needed their approval to include them in a story. February 2008, Kristie and Nathan (the real Kristie and Nathan) became the proud parents of Walker.

A couple of months before Walker was born, I was speaking with Kristie on the phone - her parents were in town and wanted to get copies of Lilah and the Locket from me. During the call Nathan mentioned in the background, that we need a book that includes Walker. That was the opening I needed - so I emailed a release to Kristie and in the back of my mind I was thinking about possibilities for the book.

But, first I had to finish a book I started in November 2007. That book - Book Promo 201: Learn to Promote on the Internet and With Web 2.0 - is finished and in the hands of my publisher. Now, I can start working on the next Lilah book - the tentative title is Footprints in the Sand and take place around the time of the Ash Wednesday Storm on the Outer Banks.



Footprints in the Sand will be a crime novel set on the Outer Banks and Kristie will be pregnant. I'm not ready to divulge any more details at the moment, but to get a very real sense of the storm that will be in this book - I highly recommend The Ash Wednesday Storm by David Stick.

This picture is in the specific area where I plan to focus a good amount of the book - you will learn more about that later :)

These pictures are from the book - which shows pictures during the storm and 25 years later. The pictures that were taken in the same locations 25 years later show how much the area changed and in some cases - how little has changed. These pictures are also featured on this website - http://www.gresham-photography.com/book.html

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Honest Scrap Award

I received the Honest Scrap Award today from L Diane Wolfe! It seemed like a great opportunity to do something fun and frivolous on a rainy, cold, dreary day.

http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/honest-scrap-award.html


Below are the guidelines when winning the Honest Scrap award:


1. List 10 honest things about yourself (make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!)

2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers who will be brutally honest with their answers


So let's start with the 10 honest things about myself:

1. Chick flicks usually make me cry, but I really prefer a good drama or thriller

2. When I sit down to watch a movie - I'm usually doing at least 3-5 other things

3. Anyone who knows me now would never believe I was a very quiet and shy child - really :)

4. People who belittle others to make themselves look good - drive me nuts

5. People labeling every thing as a "condition" and using that as an excuse to do nothing - drives me nuts.

6. I can spell out loud, but have to start at the beginning of the word. Maybe twice :)

7. As a kid I wanted to be an author and a teacher - so teaching others to write and promote would be the final step in reaching those early goals :) Done one, need to do the other.

8. The fact that friends, family and neighbors assume I do nothing all day is irritating - but there is a reason we are warned not to assume things :)

9. There are very few things I can eat or drink that don't make me physically ill - makes meal time a nightmare - but there's always water and crackers :)

10. I'd love to help people realize that sons aren't more important or valued than daughters, but even in the 21st century there are too many people who feel this way, even in the US and even in my immediate area.


Here are 7 blogs (in no particular order) I believe deserve this award now. Remember, this award is given to those who have the gut to say it as it is, to tell the Honest Scrap:


Dyan Garris
http://blog.voiceoftheangels.com

Gurutej
http://www.theenergyguru.blogspot.com

Kathleen Gage
http://themarketingmindset.com

Donna Sundblad
http://pymprompts.blogspot.com

Terry L White
http://terrylwhitesblog.blogspot.com

Susan Wingate
www.susanwingate.blogspot.com

Joyce Anthony
http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog


Possible Help in a Struggling Economy

Every aspect of our daily lives are affected by sales, even though we may not think in those terms. When you buy any product or service, various sales people are involved in the background. Even your utilities are affected by the sales process. Sales people have gotten a bad “rep” for years, but that isn’t necessary. We all know people in the sales industry that are superstars. The question is – how do you become a sales superstar? Mark Tewart is a definite expert who has the answer to this question and he is sharing his thoughts and tips in his new book “How to be a Sales Superstar”.

Read my review here - http://www.evancarmichael.com/Book-Reviews/2820/How-to-be-a-Sales-Superstar-Break-All-the-Rules-and-Succeed-While-Doing-It-by-Mark-Tewart.html

On Monday December 22nd, I'll interview Mark Tewart on my internet radio show. I'm going to try to do something different this week. When we look at the current economic situation in the US and the world - we know that many businesses are in precarious positions. So, I'm asking people to send me their questions. I can ask my own questions, but I'm willing to ask your questions during the show. Mark Tewart has a wealth of great information to share and I'm glad to have the opportunity to share it with my listeners.

For people who aren't in business - think about the unemployment numbers. They are higher than they have been in many years. If you had tips to help you do better in your current job - even if you aren't in sales - wouldn't that make you worth more to your current employer?

Feel free to send me your questions and for people who cannot listen to the show live, you can visit the site www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh and download the show. We will be on air Monday December 22, 2008 at 3 pm EST. If you have questions, please forward them to nikki@nikkileigh.com


Nikki Leigh - Award Winning Fiction and Non Fiction Author
Promotional Services - http://www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm
FREE Insiders Guide to Virtual Tours - www.nikkileigh.com/insiders_guide.htm
Follow Me on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/litekepr

Sunday, December 14, 2008

How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting

I read this on the Evan Carmichael entrepreneur forums the other day and asked if I could share it here --

How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting

Many of our clients ask us this question time and time again. “How do I promote my blog?” We are glad that they ask because we have a blog of our own and we have become very successful at driving huge loads of traffic to it.

If you always wanted to know how to promote your blog, this article is exactly what you are looking for.

Write quality content
It might sound obvious to most of us that your blog’s content has to be excellent. In many cases, however, bloggers write mediocre posts and spend most of their time trying to drive traffic to their blogs. Granted, they get a fair amount of visits, but those people will never come back. Converting one-time visitors into subscribers is by far the most important thing you need to do to keep a steady flow of traffic visiting your blog.

There is another excellent reason to write quality articles. The better your content is the more people will link to your blog. And as we all know, quality incoming links are the key to high search engine rankings.

Let your readers subscribe
There are two major ways people can subscribe to your blog: email and RSS. Give them both options. RSS is a great technology but a huge percentage of your readers are not very familiar with it.

Submit your feeds
Every time you write a new post, submit its RSS/Atom feed to the major feed directories: FeedAge, FeedRaider, FeedAgg, FeedFury, GoldenFeed, and BlogDigger. Also submit your blog’s main RSS if you haven’t done so yet.

Ping your posts
When you ping your posts, the search engines are more likely to index them faster. These are the ping services that I use:
http://rpc.pingomatic.com/, http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2, http://bblog.com/ping.php, http://blog.goo.ne.jp/XMLRPC, http://bulkfeeds.net/rpc, http://coreblog.org/ping/, http://ping.cocolog-nifty.com/xmlrpc, http://ping.rootblog.com/rpc.php, http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php, http://rcs.datashed.net/RPC2, http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/, http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping, http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2, http://xmlrpc.blogg.de/, http://xping.pubsub.com/ping/, http://api.moreover.com/RPC2, http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2, http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php, http://www.weblogues.com/RPC/, http://ping.bloggers.jp/rpc/, http://ping.feedburner.com/, http://api.feedster.com/ping, http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php, http://ping.rootblog.com/rpc.php, and http://www.lasermemory.com/lsrpc/.

Social bookmark your own posts
Create an account with the top social bookmarking services and bookmark each new post that you write. These are some of the ones I use: Digg, Delicious, Propeller, Technorati, Reddit, Google Bookmarks, Yahoo Bookmarks, MSN Bookmarks, Blinklist, Linkagogo, Wists, Kaboodle, Furl, Faves, and StumbleUpon.

Add social bookmarking capabilities to your blog
Give people the opportunity to bookmark your posts. There are several plugins that work for most blogging platforms. My favorites are ShareThis and Sociable.

Send a press release
I use PRWeb Premium service only when I launch a new blog for a client. It costs $360 so you can understand why I don’t recommend doing this for every new post you write. For new posts I use the free option of PR.com. You don’t get maximum exposure but it’s free and it only takes a couple of minutes to send a release using their service.

Submit your blog to the major blog directories
These are my favorite free blog directories. List your blog in all of them!

http://www.blog-search.com/, http://www.blogarama.com/, http://www.blogbunch.com/, http://www.blogcatalog.com/, http://www.blogcode.com/, http://www.blogexplosion.com/, http://www.blogflux.com/, http://www.bloggernity.com/, http://www.bloghop.com/, http://www.bloghub.com/, http://www.bloglisting.net/, http://www.blogrankings.com/, http://www.blogtoplist.com/, http://www.britblog.com/, http://findingblog.com/, http://www.geekyspeaky.com/links/, http://www.getblogs.com/, http://www.globeofblogs.com/, http://www.iblogbusiness.com/, http://www.lsblogs.com/, http://myblog2u.com/, http://www.quickblogdirectory.com/, http://sportsblogs.org/, http://www.theweblogreview.com/index.php, http://www.weblogalot.com/, and http://www.dmoz.org.

There are also some really good paid options, if budget allows:

http://www.joeant.com/, http://www.alivedirectory.com/, http://www.avivadirectory.com/, http://blogs.botw.org/, http://www.bloggeries.com/, http://www.bloguniverse.com/, http://www.business.com/, http://www.site-sift.com/, http://www.umdum.com/, http://www.uncoverthenet.com/, and http://dir.yahoo.com/.

Web 2.0 social networks
Submitting your articles to the most popular Web 2.0 social networks can seriously boost your traffic. For a comprehensive list of these networks check out this link: http://www.theoutsourcingcompany.com/bl ... -articles/

Forums and blogs
Interact with your community, provide useful tips, and answer their questions. Become an authority in the field and invite them to visit your blog. Don’t spam them, though. Make sure that you are helping them, not just posting your blog’s link everywhere.

Use viral marketing
I think that all blogs should have an option to “Tell your friends” about it. Sure, your visitors can copy your link, open their email clients, and send your blog’s link to their friends. But if you don’t make it easy for them, chances are that they won’t.

If you liked this article, check out my blog: www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com/blog.

Zeke Camusio
The Outsourcing Company - Professional Web Design
Blog: www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com/blog
www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com
info@TheOutsourcingCompany.com
(1)877-581-3921 (Available 24/7)

originally posted at - http://www.evancarmichael.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?p=16900#p16900

The Kindness Cure - Week Five




I'll post videos about CJ's latest acts of kindness from time to time. Check back often for more details. I also highly recommend that you join her social network to share in the Kindness Cure - kindness can be contagious... Have you joined the Kindness Cure yet? You should join today

http://www.thekindnesscure.org

http://www.thekindnesscure.org/profile/NikkiLeigh - Drop by and send me a friend invitation :)

Join the network and let us know what act of kindness you've done lately.

Nikki Leigh

The Kindness Cure - Week Four

I'll post videos about CJ's latest acts of kindness from time to time. Check back often for more details. I also highly recommend that you join her social network to share in the Kindness Cure - kindness can be contagious... Have you joined the Kindness Cure yet? You should join today

http://www.thekindnesscure.org

http://www.thekindnesscure.org/profile/NikkiLeigh - Drop by and send me a friend invitation :)

Join the network and let us know what act of kindness you've done lately.

Nikki Leigh


Thursday, December 11, 2008



The Freedom Formula has repeatedly been an Amazon best seller and this is your chance to get your own copy - or a copy for a friend who needs to find the freedom formula to improve their life. She offers her book to help you learn how to create and grow a conscious business. In addition, she is now offer the Freedom Formula Experience in January -- more information about that below.

Download your own copy of the Freedom Formula Sampler which contains endorsements, the full table of contents and the first chapter. This is a great way to sample the book and its contents. Download here http://www.loveyourlife.com/documentFiles/182.pdf



How to Shift into Abundance

In times like these, when the external world is absorbed in "lack, lack, lack", it's more important than ever for you to shift into abundance... and stay there. Yet, when I analyzed the responses to my recent survey (on the challenges you face in your business), the majority said they were having trouble getting out of fear and living in abundance.

So, in this article I'll be sharing one of the most powerful tools I use to shift into abundance... no matter what's happening around me. This is a process I use practically every single day to keep myself in the energy of abundance. Not only is this process simple, energizing and fun; it works!
Energize Your Vision

Step 1: Find a vision partner. In order for your vision to have the biggest impact on your life, it's best to energetically speak your vision out loud to a vision partner. Your partner needs to be someone who "gets" you and who believes in an abundant world. Create a partnership with someone who support you in your dreams, doesn't call you "crazy" for thinking BIG, and understands the power of a held intention.

Step 2: Set up a time to talk with your partner. Once you've found a visioning partner, make an appointment to talk on the phone for at least fifteen minutes every week. The first time you have your call, you may want to schedule a bit longer so you can talk about the process after you're done and check-in with each other to see if you have any suggestions or feedback for future sessions.

Step 3: Create a sacred space. When it's time for your vision call, you'll want to do a brief centering exercise that aligns you with each other and establishes the sacred space in which you'll share together. Just taking a few deep breaths together can easily get you centered. (That's the yoga instructor in me speaking.)

Step 4: Speak your vision. After you've taken a few deep breaths and created a scared space together, the first person to go simply begins to speak their vision to their partner... as if you were experiencing it right now! Allows yourself to transcend any current situation in your life right now and truly shift into the energy of your vision ALREADY being realized. When you do this, you connect at the highest level of the Infinite Abundant Supply, to God, the Universe (or whatever you call that Source of all that is). And, your resonance with this "field" is what causes things to shift in your life.

Step 5: Listen to your partner. As important as it is for the person speaking their vision to step into the energy of having ALREADY realized their dreams, the partner (listener) also has an important responsibility. The listener must hear his/her partner's vision as if it IS already done. They must hold the vision, and see it as vividly as their partner does. Then, once the partner is complete, the listener says, "I see that vision for you." The listener can also contribute any additional words of support or any insights they received that would benefit their partner in realizing their vision.

The experience of having another person listen to you with the intention of your vision being realized is deeply powerful. It's been one of the best tools I've ever used in manifesting all that has come to me in recent years from the birth of my daughter and the purchase of a brand-new custom home, to the release of one business and the rapid expansion of another. I urge you to find a partner and get started with this today because remember.... it's not only fun, it works!

NOTE: If you cannot find a vision partner for this process, then you can simply do it on your own. Be sure to SPEAK your vision out loud, even if only to yourself. The spoken word, (and the energy) it carries is a key piece for this to work.

Copyright (c) 2008 Christine Kloser

Christine Kloser, author of The Freedom Formula, helps small businesses put soul in their business and money in the bank. If you want to enjoy a purpose-driven business and a soulful life, send for my free Conscious Business Success Kit, which includes my report, How to Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Made by Conscious Entrepreneurs and audio, 7 Strategies Entrepreneurial Authors Need to Know Before Writing a Word, at www.loveyourlife.com. Be sure to check out Christine's upcoming event The Freedom Formula Experience at www.freedomformulaexperience.com

The Freedom Formula Experience - Learn More and Get A Free Report

Discover How to Consciously Capitalize on the Biggest Trend in Business Ever

There’s a massive trend occurring in business today. Entrepreneurs who are aware of this trend (and know how to consciously capitalize on it) are making more money, experiencing more freedom and having a bigger impact on the world... no matter what’s going on around them.

My friend and colleague, Christine Kloser, award-winning author of The Freedom Formula and producer of The Freedom Formula Experience (this January), wants to help YOU make the most of this exciting trend by offering you a F-R-E-E audio of her eye-opening talk, “How to Consciously Capitalize on the Biggest Trend in Business Ever.” I’ve listened to this talk and it’s truly life-changing. Trust me, you’ll want to listen to this audio right away! It’s absolutely f-r-e-e at http://www.freedomformulaexperience.com?af=9927. And, while you’re there, you’ll also learn more about exactly how to put Christine’s Freedom Formula to work in your business so you can fully embrace this trend and experience your full potential as an entrepreneur.



Christine Kloser Bio:
Christine Kloser is the Author of The Freedom Formula®: How to Put Soul in Your Business and Money in Your Bank; and Conscious Entrepreneurs: A Radical New Approach to Purpose Passion and Profit. She is also the president of Love Your Life Publishing a division of her company, Love Your Life LLC. Christine is committed to helping entrepreneurs make money in their business... and make a difference in the world, while enjoying a lifestyle of freedom, fun and fulfillment.

Christine has been an entrepreneur since 1991, when she knew the moment she received her first check directly from a client, that an entrepreneurial lifestyle was the only option for her. Having faced the ups and downs of 17 years of business ownership (including near bankruptcy) she has come out ahead. And, now dedicates her work to helping other entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls she made by teaching them how to blend passion and purpose with bottom-line profit.

Her products and services include seminars/events, books, classes, home-study programs, coaching, consulting, speaking, and writing. Her book publishing division will be releasing at least 15 new titles in 2008... all written by her entrepreneurial clients. Her OWN writings are featured in her books, as well as her FREE bi-monthly email newsletter, the Conscious Business Connection which reaches more than 5,000 subscribers worldwide. Her insights have also been shared in nation-wide media including the Los Angeles Times, Woman’s Day, Making It! TV and several dozen other media and books.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Its Here! Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tour Gift Guide

It's here, the Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tour Gift Guide for 2008. This gift guide makes shopping easy and showcases many people I worked with in 2008. There is a wide variety of products to entertain, teach, and show you ways to improve your business and personal life. If you're looking for gifts, shop from the convenience of your computer and choose from the many great gift ideas found in the pages of this gift guide.

We are sharing:

  • Young Adult Fantasy – Conor and the Crossworlds Series, Wind walker & Beyond the Fifth Gate
  • Writing Fantasy – Pumping Your Muse
  • Historic Romantic Suspense – Bloodstone Castle, Widow’s Walk, Lady Lightkeeper
  • Contemporary Suspense - Bobby’s Diner, In the Arms of the Enemy & Lilah and the Locket
  • Business - Being A Sales Superstar
  • Promotion - Email Marketing, Book Promo 101, Book Promo 201
  • Management - Transformational Power
  • Money and Manifesting – Other Items in The Spiritual Toolbox
  • Kundalini Yoga DVD’s and Energy Rejuvenating Exercise Flip Charts
  • The Sage Age: Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom
  • Politics – How Obama Won & The Ethnic Presidency
  • True Story – My Father, My Don: A Son’s Journey From Organized Crime and Sobriety
  • True Story – Vietnam Air Rescues
  • CD’s and DVD by Dyan Garris – Relaxation Music & Automatic Chakra Balance
  • DVD’s by Gurutej – Kundalini Yoga, Energy Exercise Flip Charts and Chakra Pillows
  • Travel Through Time with Terry L White – she offers a wide variety of books

You easily download your free copy of the gift guide at www.nikkileigh.com/gift_guide_2008.htm. If you have questions, you can contact Nikki at nikki@nikkileigh.com

Top 50 Entrepreneurs

And the Top 50 Entrepreneurs of all time are… how would you promote each of these businesses?

(In no particular order)

Hugh Hefner – Obvious.

Oprah – Born to a single mother in rural Mississippi, did what she loved and never let up. Popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre.

Simon Cowell – Guy made millions off Karaoke.

Jenna Jameson – Worth $70 million using only what god gave her.

Henry Ford – Standardized efficiency.

Thomas Edison – Numerous failures on the road to success. Perseverance!

Adrian Block - 1612 establish the first known brewery in the New World on the southern tip of New Amsterdam (Manhattan). I live in a city with more than 30 breweries operating in the city limits…think these guys were onto something.

Hans Christiansen – Partners with Adrian Block.

Adam Osborne – Creator of the 1st personal computer.

Howard Hughes – Say what you want about him the man had a vision and stuck to it.

Madame C.J. Walker – 1st Female African American Millionaire…and she did it in early 1900’s. Safe to say she had a lot of obstacles, but persevered and prospered. If you think you have more working against you than Madame C.J. Walker did, think again.

Mary Kay Ash – The woman behind Mary Kay cosmetics. Redefined affiliate marketing.

Howard Schultz – Who’s gonna’ pay $4.00 for a cup of coffee? With $2.5 billion plus in total revenue the answer at Starbuck’s is a lot!

Alexander Graham Bell – Inventing the telephone in 1876 was about as wacky an idea as teleportation is today…did that stop him?

King Croesus – Minted the world’s first coin in 6th century.

Benjamin Franklin – Author, printer, inventor, businessman.

Ray Croc – Where do you go for dinner when you spent all your money on $4.00 Starbuck’s coffee? McDonald’s! Franchising and national expansion (both stores and waistlines) would never be the same.

Sam Walton – Speaking of saving money and expanding like crazy. Sam Walton found a niche and filled it, regardless of what you think of the extra traffic Wal-Mart brings to your neighborhood.

Ernest Gallo – Took what was once an exclusive product and repackaged it for the masses. I was 20 years old before I knew wine came in anything but a “jug”.

William Middlebrook – Giving William the nod for inventing the paper clip, although some debate remains. However, you have to include the inventor of the paper clip in this list since we’ve all said, at one time or another, “and whoever invented the paperclip is rich, and I’m still working in this crappy office!”

Bill Gates – Took a risk and was a first mover in a market that exploded.

Steve Jobs – Make your products easy and people will love to use them…making a dead sexy laptop doesn’t hurt either.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild – Started the world’s first international bank in the mid 1700’s. What did you do today?

Scrooge McDuck - Scrooge has emerged from being a mere supporting character to a major figure of the Duck universe. Parlayed early success into his own comic book series, television appearances, films, and video games. As big as David Hasselhoff in Europe, he seized opportunity when it arose.

Russell Simmons – Worth $325 million, and started as a teen street hustler. A hip hop pioneer and visionary who has shaped the hip-hop scene of the early 80’s, has branched off into fashion, television and film. And I don’t care if you grew up in Brooklyn or Beverly Hills you remember “Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam”.

Ron Popeil – Net worth in excess of $100 million dollars. A consummate salesman, he had us believing we NEEDED a food dehydrator and spray paint to cover our bald spot!

The Phoenicians – Inventors of the sail boat, and could be credited then with giving our early explorers the means to take over the western hemisphere.

H. Ross Perot – Used a $1,000 loan from his wife in 1962 to start Electronic Data Systems. Became a billionaire as computer systems drove the need for electronic data storage.

JP Morgan – How many people get credited with having saved or rescued the U.S. national economy in general—and the federal government in particular—on two separate occasions? Not many, and JP was a merger monger legend in his time.

Charles Schwab – Founder and CEO of the Schwab Corporation, made having a broker cool and accessible. Worth $5.5 billion for his efforts.

Larry Page – Google, need we say more?

Sergey Brin - Google, need we say more?

Philip Knight – In partnership with Bill Bowerman created Nike. What’s the reward for taking a product everyone uses and making it functional and fashionable? Try a net worth in excess of $9 billion dollars.

George Lucas – Start with a vision, add some talent, and never waiver. Stars Wars is as well known on this planet as Coca-Cola, and Lucas is worth a cool $3.6 billion.

Doctor John Pemberton – Pharmacist who in 1886 invented Coca Cola. Forced to change his formula from including wine due to prohibition his elixir with “tonic and nerve stimulant properties of the coca plant and cola nuts sweetened with sugar” became a sensation.

Eberhand Anheuser- Founder of Anheuser Busch Brewing and Budweiser beer…thank you sir for the many mornings where I regretted the night before.

Adolphus Busch - Founder of Anheuser Busch Brewing and Budweiser beer…bless you for allowing me to think I am funny, great looking, and a fabulous dancer for a few hours every Saturday night.

Jeff Bezos – Founded Amazon.com in 1994, and wrote up the business plan for his company on a cross country drive from New York to Seattle. Was a .com entrepreneur before there was even a term for it.

Thomas Kinkade - Americas most collected living artist. Marketing works people.

Erno Rubik - Invented a puzzle only .000001% of the world population could solve without cheating, and sold millions! Marketing works people.

Alex Tew - 21 year old entrepreneur made $1,000,000 off the “Million Dollar Homepage”. Adding him to the list to illustrate that great ideas are sometimes in plain sight. Didn’t we all think, “I wish I had thought of that”?

Henry Hassenfeld - Owner of a textile plant in 1923 his company struck gold when they developed a way for kids to play doctor. The first toy the plant ever produced led the way for the likes of Mr Potato Head, GI Joe, Life, Yatzee, Candyland, and just about any other game we played as kids. Partners with his brother Helal Hassenfeld.

Helal Hassenfeld - Thanks for the memories man, I still get misty eyed thinking about Cobra Comander and the words “YO Joe” will live with me forever.

Rollin King - In 1965 started a regional airline serving 3 Texas cities. 40 years later Southwest Airlines has 3500 flights a day and is the number one airline in the United States and the World by number of passengers carried.

Herb Kelleher - Partnered with Rollin King to start Southwest Airlines. The guy started an AIRLINE COMPANY for crying out loud, that’s ballsy.

Guy Laliberte - Made the circus cool again. Founder and CEO of Canda’s Cirque du Soleil, Laliberte founded Cirque in 1984, and revolutionized the idea of what a circus could be. Cirque du Soleil has toured more than 100 cities around the world.

Admiral Zheng He - Built the vaunted Treasure Fleets, comprising dozens of ships and tens of thousands of sailors, and led them in trade missions across south Asia and as far west as Africa and the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. In seven voyages from 1405 to 1433, Zheng He spread China’s goods across the world and returned with treasures for the Ming Dynasty.

Andrew Carnegie - The Scottish immigrant and weaver’s son built a steel empire whose mills churned out the railroads, ships, and structures of post-Civil War America.

Milton Hershey - In 1905 built the worlds largest chocolate factory. His name has become synonymous with chocolate, which Americans consume more than 11 pounds of each year.

Gary Dahl - A millionaire for selling rocks, pet rocks, enough said.

I found this post here -
http://smallbizbee.com/index/2008/09/10/top-50-entrepreneurs-ever/

Week Three of the Kindness Cure - Part Two

I'll post videos about CJ's latest acts of kindness from time to time. Check back often for more details. I also highly recommend that you join her social network to share in the Kindness Cure - kindness can be contagious... Have you joined the Kindness Cure yet? You should join today

http://www.thekindnesscure.org

http://www.thekindnesscure.org/profile/NikkiLeigh - Drop by and send me a friend invitation :)

Join the network and let us know what act of kindness you've done lately.

Nikki Leigh

The Kindness Cure - Week 3

I'll post videos about CJ's latest acts of kindness from time to time. Check back often for more details. I also highly recommend that you join her social network to share in the Kindness Cure - kindness can be contagious... Have you joined the Kindness Cure yet? You should join today

http://www.thekindnesscure.org

http://www.thekindnesscure.org/profile/NikkiLeigh - Drop by and send me a friend invitation :)

Join the network and let us know what act of kindness you've done lately.

Nikki Leigh

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