Today I am hosting our 2nd blog-a-thon for the members of www.helpdeskforcoaches.com. The participants of the 1st blog-a-thon got a lot out of it, including me.
We begin by getting on a call where the participants can ask me any blogging question they have. Then we share our ideas of what we are going to blog about and commit to writing at least one blog post in the hour that follows. We hang up and call back in an hour to let eachother know how we did and commit to another blog post for the following hour. Then we do it all over again.
Here’s what Nonprofit coach Alex Carter wrote about the blogathon: http://alexcarter.com/productivity/my-first-blog-a-thon/
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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September 12th, 2008
Join a virtual get-together September 10th, brought to you by www.CoachingCommons.org
Abby’s virtual get-together for coaches is a series of virtual get-togethers where we’ll explore (as a group) the subject of building and nurturing the Coaching Commons community (and our own virtual communities as well).
It’s time to explore virtual communities! On the call we will discuss….
- What does virtual community look/feel like?
- How does it expand the more traditional concepts of community, and what are its unique gifts?
- How does face-to-face community meet important needs, and can we meet those needs in the virtual environment?
- What communication/relationship skills are particularly useful in the virtual environment?
- How can we, as coaches, help to foster greater human connection through our virtual (and face-to-face) communities?
Register at : http://www.coachingcommons.org/featured/beginning-september-10-youre-invited-to-the-coaching-club/
I will also be on the call and I will be bringing virtual kool-aid for everyone! 
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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September 9th, 2008
Last week client, Sital Ruparelia, 6 Figure Career Management Coach, sent me this email:
I answered a question on how to increase traffic on blog and just ‘won’ the ‘best answer’. Take a look and see how far the student of the blog coach, is now a teacher himself!
I am already so proud of him for consistently blogging and getting his blogsites to the top of Google’s lists asap! But the article he wrote put smile on my face that made my cheeks hurt! 
Here it is for you to read and enjoy:
Question: How are you taking advantage of your blog?
I’m a fairly new blogger so by no means an expert - but here are some things I do to promote my blog
I use the word ‘promote’ loosely as the emphasis is on offering value and building relationships rather than ‘promoting’ as such.
1. Write interesting, relevant content that is of value (the obvious one).
2. Adding comments of value on other blogs read by my target audience.
3. Answering questions on LinkedIn and other sites similar sites.
4. Writing guest articles and blog posts for other sites and publications.
5. Guest speaking.
6. Post articles with links to relevant articles on other blogs (Google likes this and rewards you with more traffic).
7. Use Word Press as a playtform (Again very google friendly - my content is on Google as soon as I publish a blog post).
8. Review stats to see where traffic comes from, key words used etc.
9. Use some of these key words on future blog posts.
10. Use numbers on titles of articles “10 Tips, 5 steps, 3 ways” etc to encourage people to read.
How are you taking advantage of your blog?
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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August 25th, 2008
Listen in tomorrow as I will be interviewed by Simon Allard of Business Building For Coaches. The topic is: “Utilizing The Power Of The Internet To Build A Thriving Coaching Business…Even If You’re A ‘Technophobe’!”
In this call we will cover:
- The big mistakes to avoid when building your coaching business …
- The top 5 things your website needs if it’s going to do more for you than look pretty …
- The technology essentials every coaching business needs …
- Internet tools and some tricks to help you work more efficiently …
- What you don’t know about the internet that can hurt your business and your wallet! …
- Technology Anger Management tips for technophobes and even the technogeeks! …
- And much much more …
Obviously it’s not a call you want to miss. So how can you sign up? Take 10 seconds and fill in the registration form on http://businessbuildingforcoaches.com/sdfbbfc200808/
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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Does this Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat?"
August 19th, 2008
Welcome to the sixth stop of the official blog tour for Linda Dessau’s new book, The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write. Linda not only edited my book Does This Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat? she gave me guidance and fabulous suggestions for my book that were both spot on and funny!
Linda and I have had numerous conversataions about writing and encouraging other coaches to write and write well. I like to encourage coaches to write because I know first hand that coaches who write do attract more clients, make more money and attract more speaking assignments.
Why you should make room for this book beside your computer:
I wasn’t always a big fan of writing. Back in 2004 when I started to build my coaching business, I attended a business building workshop specifically for coaches. We were encouraged to write newsletters as a way to keep in touch and build a trusting relationship with those who were interested in what we offered and what we had to say. I remember thinking to myself “Well that’s a good idea for those who like to write. I hate writing that’s why I studied math and computer science!”
A few months later, I hired that coach and he said to me “Sandra your first step in starting a coaching business is to start a newsletter.” I stubbornly replied “No, I don’t think you know me well enough to say that. English was one of my weakest subjects in high school. I am not a writer.” “Sandra, if you trust me you will send me a draft of your newsletter by Friday.” I trusted him and I never looked back. I’ve been writing my newsletter for over 3 years now. I’ve also written a few blogs, magazine articles, e-books and had a book published. So if I, the anti-writer, have changed my ways, then anyone can. Thanks to Linda’s style guide your writing process will not be as painful or filled with resistance as my journey was.
How this book makes your life easier as a coach:
In Linda’s book she covers six main benefits of using a style guide. They are:
- Confidence.
- Consistency
- Credibility
- Speed
- Readability
- Efficiency
A style guide will increase your confidence so that you keep writing. Keep your writing style and formatting consistent so you don’t hurt the eyes of your readers, (this has happened to me!) It will build your credibility as a coach and an expert in your area of expertise. As with any guide, a style guide will also speed up your writing and increase your efficiency. What good would an article for your target market be if it was too difficult to read or written for a 7-year-old? A style guide will gear your writing to the audience who will read it.
I’m a big fan of resources and tools. Give me a website were I can look something up quickly and move on with my work and I’m a happy writer! Linda has done a fabulous job researching a number of fabulous tools and giving us her top picks in this book.
What made me smile from ear to ear when I read this book:
There are two chapters in this book that I think will make a huge difference for any coach who uses the internet to promote their business (I’m a bit biased, but the internet is the best tool to promote your business and usually for free!). These two chapters are “Writing for the Web” and “Writing Emails”. You will thank Linda for including these chapters!
How to make your life easier:
This book is not just a style guide, it includes business tips, inspiration and some virtual hand holding. Buy this book and keep it by your computer, but only if you like to make your life easier!
More on this book:
Learn more great things about Linda’s cool new book by visiting her site ForCoachesWhoWrite.com or follow the other bloggers on her blog book tour. Tomorrow the blog tour continues with Laura West at her blog Cafe Entrepreneur.
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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August 11th, 2008
You may be finding it a little tiring to schedule a client appointment via email or even over the phone. Not only is it difficult to schedule around meetings, kids and other appointments but throw in time zones and you just might have a nightmare on your hands. Ok so it’s not that bad 
But you may want a solution that takes you and your time out of the equation. You want your clients to schedule appointments with you while you are working with other clients, while you are creating new products and services, etc. Afterall, you have other things to do with your time.
Here’s what I’ve been using to book appointments with clients, members of my www.HelpDeskForCoaches.com and pote
ntial clients, www.web-appointments.com.
It allows you to set your schedule, your appointment types (ie. 30 min coaching call, 60 min coaching call, etc) and your days or times off.
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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July 22nd, 2008
I used to take it personally when someone would unsubscribe from my newsletter. I would think:
- Am I not good enough?
- Am I not providing them with valuable information?
- Why are they so mean?
- Did I offend them?
- Did I promote products and services too much?
Luckily my coach would describe this as “marketing”. Marketing is the process in which you filter out who will buy from you and who won’t ever purchase from you.
He’s right. If they unsubscribe, let them unsubscribe. If they aren’t going to read your newsletter they are certainly not going to pull out their credit card to purchase a product or service from you. So let them go. Focus on those who are on your list and continuing to build your list. When they unsubscribe they are doing you a favour and although it hurts it’s just an icicle through the heart. It hurts at first but then the pain just melts away.
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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Does this Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat?"
July 17th, 2008
You know which word I’m talking about “recession” blah! It seems everywhere I turn people are talking about the “R” word. “Is there a recession?”, “Are you feeling the affects of the recession?”, “Do you find you are making less these days?”, “Are people buying less?”, “What are we going to do as entrepreneurs when the recession officially hits?”…the list of questions goes on and on.
While in NYC I met, Denise Hedges of www.lifeworkcoaching.com. Denise and I were part of a panel discussing “Creative Ways to Market Your Practice”. One of the questions was “What are your thoughts on the upcoming recession and what should people do to prepare for it?” Denise took this question and she said something along the lines of “If you think there is a recession you will act like there is a recession. If you act like there is a recession you will feel the affects of the recession. People who think there is a recession will not be as successful as those who ignore the media and who will continue their marketing and continue growing their businesses.” Well said Denise!
In a recent newsletter the Ezine Queen Ali Brown, noted that although people are complaining about the recession, malls are still jam packed and those complaining about the recession are the ones buying big ticket items.
So do we want to believe their is a recession so we have something to talk about other than the weather? Do we want to believe it’s true so we have excuse to sit back and not market our business? Or is it an excuse not to look deeper into our businesses to see what other products or services we can offer and maybe look at other groups of people (aka niches) we can promote our offers too?
Some solo entrepreneurs may consider lowering their fees thinking that “something is better than nothing” in a recession. Is that a good idea? Well, I’ve been reading Alan Weiss’ book “Million Dollar Consultant”. In it Alan talks about the disadvantages of lowering your fees. If you lower your fees for one client be prepared to lower it for another client. If you lower your fees for new clients is that fair for your to your loyal long term clients? If your business relies on referrals lowering your fees for a new client will mean that the client who referred you should also get that discount. It’s a viscious circle.
Keys to get “over” this.
1) Stay away from people who believe there is a recession. As an entrepreneur you cannot be poisoned by this way of thinking or it will eat you and your business for breakfast!
2) Stay away from the media. Have you every felt fabulous and fully refreshed after watching the news? Probably not! There’s a reason why they want to scare you…fear makes them money! They are running a business too you know!
3) Surround yourself with people who are successful and who are also ignoring the “R” word. These are the people who will inspire you in good times and in bad. For instance you might want to join a mastermind group or hire a coach who will keep you motivated.
4) Ask yourself “If I had to make $1,000 today, what are the different ways I could accomplish that?” As a solopreneur you have the creativity to do this! You could offer your past clients a “jump start” coaching package. Get them motivated again. You could offer “1 hour lightning round” coaching session. You could also promote that product or service that you haven’t promoted in a while. Just because a product or service is on your website doesn’t mean that everyone remembers that it’s there. Remind them gently in your newsletter or blog.
What other ways can you think of to get over the “R” word way of thinking? Post your comment here.
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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July 11th, 2008
Whether you are scheduling a client call, group coaching, a mastermind meeting or even a night out with friends, here’s a great tool to use!
It’s called “When is Good” and it’s creator has been working hard on making it easier to use and adding more functionality! (Yes, I have blogged about this tool before and it just gets better and better!)
“When is Good” helps you find what day and time works best for everyone. Here’s how it works:
- Click the calendar grid for all the days and times that are good for you - you get a link to email to your invitees.
- Your invitees see your proposed times and click on when they are free.
- You then visit your results page and see when everyone can meet and viola you have a meeting date and time choosen.
I’ve created a test event so if you’d like to check it out visit: http://whenisgood.net/test123
You can also view the results at: http://whenisgood.net/test123/results/7u1W2q
Create your own event at www.whenisgood.net
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
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Does this Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat?"
July 8th, 2008
A question from a member of my Help Desk For Coaches, a service which helps coaches get the tech help they need at an affordable cost. The question “I’m creating an e-book. How do I convert a word document to pdf?” was asked during one of our monthly “How can I help? Q&A” calls. In case you are wondering how to convert a word document into a pdf to create your e-book as well, the answer is below.
There are a number of free pdf converters on the web, but my favourite is http://convert.neevia.com. It will convert upto 25 Word pages into PDF. You can also use it to convert Excel, graphics and other files into PDF, but only 10 per day, which is more than enough.
If you’ve been thinking about creating an e-book of your own but don’t know where to start or how to get going take a look at our “e-book on e-books”, Creating E-books Easily: a step by step guide.
If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.Written by Sandra De Freitas
If you liked this tip check out our Help Desk at
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Does this Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat?"
June 9th, 2008
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