Meaningful Connections – What’s Your ONE THING?

August 28, 2009 By Gina Bell 3 Comments

handshakeHave you ever had a conversation like this?

THEM: [Insert your first name], thank you SO much!

YOU: Oh, it was my pleasure. I’m so happy I could help.

THEM: Seriously, I really appreciate this. If there’s ever anything I can do to help you please let me know?

YOU: um, er, oh sure, thanks, I will.

Okay… stop! Reality shift time…

How often does this dialogue occur? Probably pretty darned often – and more than you realize.

And, how often do entrepreneurs make the most of it? Rarely (which is such a shame!). The good news… you’re not alone. The bad news… this is a HUGE missed opportunity.

Now, let’s flip this around. What if the next time this dialogue unfolds you were prepared with a relevant response, a specific way that they could help you if they are able?

Wow! right?

So… what is your one thing?

What kind of “help” do you need right now? What challenges are you facing? What one thing can others do to help you?

  • Can they connect you to someone in their network?
  • Make an introduction? Provide a testimonial or endorsement?
  • Take you as a guest to their networking group?
  • Provide advice or feedback on something specific?
  • Teach you how to do something?
  • Recommend a resource?
  • Help you spread the word about something exciting?
  • What exactly can others do to help you?

The possibilities are endless!

Okay, now it’s your turn…

ACTION STEPS:

1) Think about this and set a goal to be able to answer specifically and relevantly the next time someone offers to help you… Make sure it is clear and specific.

2) Go the extra mile by sharing exactly how others can help you here by posting a comment to this blog.  And, if you have a story or example of how you asked for help and got it – that would be great to showcase here too! {Oh and who knows… you may discover ways that you can help others too!}


Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles Tagged With asking for help, entrepreneurship, Gina Bell, meaningful connections, Networking, sharing goals, Soulful Networking, success secrets

Conscious Networking… Are You Paying Attention?

August 20, 2009 By Gina Bell 1 Comment

soulful networkingToday, more than ever before, it’s essential that entrepreneurs develop and really leverage their networking skills so they can make meaningful connections and build strong and profitable relationships.

Here’s why…

When the economy thrives the focus tends to be on financial capital, financial equity, physical assets, etc… it’s a lot easier to access funding through a bank or investors right.

During times of economic uncertainty… purse strings are tightened, access to financial support is limited or non-existent. All of a sudden the same assets and equity no longer have the same degree of leverage.

What entrepreneurs often don’t realize is that relationships and the social equity developed as a result have a direct reflection on financial capital.

Surrounding yourself with a network of people who really care about your success is like having an insurance policy for success – regardless of the “state of the economy”. This network, your community, will provide strategic introductions, referrals, information, advice and more… all of which can have a dramatic financial result.

So, have you started paying closer attention to YOUR network yet? Do you have a follow up keep in touch plan? Are you staying visible? Are you memorable? Are you adding value and increase to the lives and businesses in your community? (this applies to your online networks too).

Action Tip: Spend some time thinking about this today and take it one step further… identify two people that you know who should meet based on mutual interest or mutual goals. Introduce them. Tell them why you think they should connect – who knows, you may have set the stage for their “million dollar connection”

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles Tagged With Conscious Networking, Get Your Networking Working, Gina Bell, Networking, Networking Skills, Relationship Marketing, Soulful Networking

Gain Marketing Wisdom From This ’80’s Vintage Commercial

August 19, 2009 By Gina Bell 4 Comments

calgonDo you remember the “Calgon, Take Me Away!” commercials from the 80’s?

They were awesome (giggle) and are a great example of a company that totally understands the emotional hot buttons of their target market.

When a busy, overwhelmed woman watched these commercials they could literally picture themselves in it! I did! And I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve said (or thought) “Calgon take me away!” in a moment of overwhelm or frustration! My mom used to do it too! LOL

It’s been over 25 years and I still remember and relate to this commercial.

I think that’s freakin’ BRILLIANT!!

As Peter F. Drucker says:  “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him/her and sells itself.”

The question to ask yourself is… do your products/services sell themselves? If not, how can you relate so well to your audience that they believe you understand them better than they know themselves?

Sounds like a challenge doesn’t it? But, the end results is *SO* worth it. Just think, your target audience could be talking about your products and services 25+ years from now. That would be wicked cool don’t you think?!

Oh, and in case you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, I’ve shared one of the commercials below.  (And, for those who do… enjoy! tee hee!)

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles, Quotes to ponder Tagged With emotional hot buttons, Gina Bell, marketing, marketing focus, marketing goals, niche, target market

Ideas are great but ACTION (inspired action) is where the party’s at!

August 18, 2009 By Gina Bell 2 Comments

I’m so proud of one of my coaching clients that I just have to share this with you!

kimberly1Kimberly Englot possesses a success quality that most creative entrepreneurs have to work really hard to develop and strengthen…

She is an implementer!

Rather than let herself get derailed by being “camera-ready” Kimberly made the decision to add video to her blog and she took inspired action! And because of this quality it is incredible what she has accomplished in a very short amount of time! (More about that coming soon).

Here’s the link to her video blog post where she shares the premise of her “Discover Your Authentic Life” philosophy.

Kimberly is an Authentic Life Coach who teaches strategies to boost your confidence, focus on your priorities and attract the life you deserve.

Kimberly’s work is very inspiring! Be sure to check it out!

~ Gina xo

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell Tagged With authentic life, authenticity, get unstuck, getting ready for success, Gina Bell, inspired action, Kimberly Englot

Do You Need A Believability Makeover? Your Ability To Ask For Help May Be A Clue!

August 12, 2009 By Gina Bell 5 Comments

“You’ve got to ask. Asking is in my opinion, the world’s most powerful and neglected secret to success and happiness.” ~ Self-made Multimillionaire and Philanthropist, Percy Ross

Young Business WomanA big challenge faced by many entrepreneurs is feeling alone and isolated. And often, the isolation stems from the limiting belief that we should be able to figure out the challenges we face – on our own.

Not knowing the answers is frustrating, it makes us feel inadequate, like a failure. The new question I want you to consider is… are these feelings & thoughts based in reality? Are these thoughts true?

Some years ago I listened to a tele-class with Stephanie Franks, author of The Accidental Millionaire where she talked about this limiting belief that we should be able to figure it out on our own.

If you remember being in school, during exam time, students were required to complete the exam alone, in silence. The expectation was that we should know the answers or be able to figure them out – on our own.

If we dared to ask a fellow student anything concerning the exam it was a no-no and viewed as cheating. Our teachers didn’t encourage us to work in groups or “mastermind” with students who were top of the class.

These experiences impact our belief systems and as entrepreneurs a belief that once served us well and kept us out of the Principals office no longer supports our success.

And here’s another example I was reminded of just tonight by Billionaire business owner, speaker, coach & mentor Anne McKevitt… (google her she’s amazing!).

The average person… okay, 99.9% of people are aiming for middle ground, taking baby steps and playing it safe. Think of your childhood and how often parents and adult role models told you to “be careful”. That advice may have served you as a child (key word = may) but, as an adult and moreover an entrepreneur, playing it safe is keeping you small!

Your belief system has years of background stories just like these ones. Sculpted and molded through experiences, our culture, influential people and more.

If you’ve caught yourself doing things that sabotage your success or, not doing things to support your success and you can’t figure out why, start to listen to your inner voice.

Our beliefs influence our thoughts, dictate our habits, affect our decisions and ultimately create our results/reality.

Are you living a reality that you love?

If not… it may be time for your believability makeover ;)

~ Gina xo

P.S. My Believability Makeover Program is getting a makeover of its own! The easiest way to ensure you are notified the moment it becomes available is to subscribe to my “Fun Fame and Fortune e-Mentorship” by entering your name and email in the box at the top right of this page.

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles, Polls and Surveys, Quotes to ponder Tagged With beliefs, believability, believability makeover, Gina Bell, limiting beliefs

How Old Is Your Comfort Zone? The Older The Better I Say!

August 12, 2009 By Gina Bell 2 Comments

rings-of-treeOne of my favorite coaching analogies is to compare our comfort zone to the age rings found on a cross section of tree trunk.

Think of it this way… every time we stretch our comfort zone it’s like we have a new age ring, we have a new level of awareness, we have greater self-esteem, we have more confidence, we are more experienced, we have more wisdom, we make different decisions because of that and we’re open to new opportunities too (often ones that were always there we just couldn’t see them yet!)

At the same level, we are faced with new obstacles. For example, along with our new level of awareness, limiting beliefs that were once invisible rise to the surface.

This can be good or bad depending on our ability to identify them quickly and regain momentum in spite of them. This is a skill that is essential for long term success.

So, how do you identify limiting beliefs?

The best strategy I’ve found is to create “CONTRAST”.

First, you have to be crystal clear about your definition of success. This gets your inner voice chattering and providing commentary that becomes the contrast you need to weed out your limiting beliefs.

Next, you have to pay close attention to your self-talk, best known as your inner critic (statistics say 80% of our self-talk is negative – yikes!). The self-talk and mind commentary leaves clues to our belief systems.

bmcovers_combinedFinally, you have to choose which beliefs you’ll keep and which ones you’ll let go. Yup, I said “choose”. We can choose our beliefs. If a belief doesn’t support your success… let it go or replace it with one that does.

Your beliefs determine your thoughts, dictate your habits and influence your decisions. Does your belief system support your success or could there be some invisible saboteurs lurking?

Consider these two questions to test if limiting beliefs may be keeping you stuck.

1. Are you NOT doing things that you know you should be doing to support your success and are frustrated to feel stuck this way?

2. Are you doing things you know you shouldn’t be doing that sabotage your success and wonder why you keep doing them?

If limiting beliefs and negative self-talk are keeping you stuck or derailing your momentum, stay tuned for my next Believability Makeover Program… coming soon!

The easiest way to ensure you are notified is to subscribe to my “Fun Fame and Fortune e-Mentorship” by entering your  name and email in the box at the top right of this page :)


Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles

A Success Principle From… Alice in Wonderland

August 12, 2009 By Gina Bell 6 Comments

alicewonderlandAlice laughed “there’s no use trying” she said. “One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice” said The Queen. “When I was younger I always did it for half an hour a day. Why sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. “

I absolutely love this quote. I love this quote because it so perfectly demonstrates how perception, opinion, beliefs and perspective impact an individual’s outlook.

If you look at the difference between Alice and the Queen, every single decision, every action that is taken would be entirely different.

Alice doesn’t believe in impossible things and the Queen believes in possibilities after possibilities.

So, here’s some food for thought. It’s obvious who is living in a bigger world… how about you? When’s the last time you challenged the impossible?

By the way, did you hear about Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland coming soon? I CAN’T WAIT! (Here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiPR6kA4_iU)

Alice in Wonderland is filled with gems, nuggets of wisdom that apply as much to adults (if not more!). Do you have any favorite children’s books that have offered life or business lessons?

I’d love to hear about them.

~ Gina xo

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, Quotes to ponder

Fun Fame Fortune Quote to Ponder

August 6, 2009 By Gina Bell 3 Comments

“At the time, I did what I knew to do, and when I knew better, I did better.” ~ Maya Angelou

istock_000009382439xsmallSo often we get down on ourselves for not doing it better initially… but, often it takes the experience of doing to discover what the right steps are. Without initially taking what may be imperfect action, we cannot learn and grow and do better.

Action Step: Give yourself a pat on the back for the steps you’ve taking thus far. I’m not sure who said this but “Imperfect action trumps perfect inaction every time!”. How true.

To a life filled with all the fun fame and fortune you can handle :)

~ Gina xo

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, Quotes to ponder Tagged With confidence, learning from the past, taking action

“Niche to be Rich” Revisited: A breath of fresh air for the multi-passionate entrepreneur

August 6, 2009 By Gina Bell 2 Comments

istock_000004375181xsmallWe’ve all heard this advice at one time in our entrepreneurial journey… “You must niche to be rich”.

The problem is, this wise and foundational marketing advice, any advice for that matter, can only support you if the definition supports your authentic vision for your life.

Many of my clients fall victim to misinformed definitions… niche to be rich is a big one that keeps multi-passionate entrepreneurs stuck or worse… wondering why they aren’t able to “conform” to a concept that seems to work so well for everyone else. Does this feel familiar?

Here’s the problem…

Often the “Niche to be Rich” concept is looked upon as a governing rule for success, in that you have to choose one thing to focus on overall in business.

Here’s the formal definition of “niche”:
Niche: a position or activity that particularly suits somebody’s talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own (i.e. “She carved out her own niche in the industry”); Commerce specialized market: an area of the market specializing in a particular type of product.

Notice that it does not say “a position or activity that particularly suits somebody’s ONE talent and personality…”

And this is where a lot of the confusion comes from, that idea that you have to choose only one of your talents or passions to move forward with.

As my mastermind friend Helen Herman said just today… “Let’s face it: most of the traditionally employed world is stuck thinking that if you aren’t passionate about only ONE thing, you’re… I don’t know – ‘unfocused‘.”

As a multi-passionate entrepreneur I can tell you this is a sure-fire way to guarantee your life will feel unfulfilled, like you’re missing a limb, off balance. I know because I tried for a long time to fit myself into just one niche. It was not a lot of fun and I was not happy.

As a multi-passionate entrepreneur you can still leverage this solid and proven marketing wisdom. Each one of your passions represents a niche… as a multi-passionate entrepreneur you simply have more than one.

I hope you’re beginning to see that the concept doesn’t have to be complicated or limiting.

There’s another lesson here…

“Niche to be rich” is a concept, like other concepts, principles and strategies, we must look at the underlying principles and how it relates to our authentic vision for success.

Have you been stuck or frustrated based on a definition that doesn’t support you? Are you having fun? Are you getting noticed? Are you creating good fortune (beyond just money)?

One of the greatest skills I’ve developed is the ability to apply success and marketing principles to my business and life authentically – without copying, comparing or competing with others.

So I encourage you to revisit your definition of success and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place. Have you been creating and making decisions that support this vision? Or, have you strayed off course perhaps due to a definition – like an interpretation of niche to be rich – that doesn’t support you? Take a close look. There’s never a better time than now to correct your course.

If you have a moment, please share your comments and experiences below. I’d love to know if this is something that you’ve had to overcome or if perhaps a light bulb came on for you after reading this.

My Best,

Gina xo

Filed Under Desk of Gina Bell, FREE Articles Tagged With authenticity, Gina Bell, model success, multi-passionate, multipreneur, niche, niche to be rich