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Infographic: Social MarketingMediaTrendsfor2022 Facing Fear InspiringConqueringandAdversity:HeatherMonahan’sStory 7 OpenedThatCampaignsMarketingofTypesEmailGet5WaystoImproveWorkplaceCommunicationEmailEngagement:FiveKeyMetricsEverySmallBusinessShouldMonitorClosely AugustMotivationandSuccess.com2022 FREE Key Factors thatThetoCustomersMotivateBuyYourProductsMythsofSuccess

2 INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Marketing Calendar- pg. 3 Key Factors that Motivate Customers to Buy Your Products - pg. 4 Email Engagement: Five Key Metrics Every Small Business Should Monitor Closely - pg. Facing8 Fear and Conquering Adversity: Heather Monahan’s Inspiring Story - pg. 13 5 Ways to Improve Workplace Communication - pg. 21 7 Types of Email Marketing Campaigns That Get Opened- pg. 25 The Myths of Success - pg. 29 Fun Facts- pg. 30 Infographic: Social Media Marketing Trends for 2022 - pg. 31

7th - Beer Lovers Day 7th - Google’s Birthday 10th - World Suicide Prevention Day 11th - Grandparents Day 12th - Video Games Day 12th - Chocolate Milkshake Day 13th - Peanut Day 14th - Eat a Hoagie Day 15th - Double Cheeseburger Day 16th - Guacamole Day 17th - Batman Day 17th - Citizenship Day 17th - Apple Dumpling Day 17th - Cleanup Day 17th - Puppy Mill Awareness Day 17th - Thank a Police Officer Day 18th - Wife Appreciation Day 21st - World’s Alzheimer’s Day 22nd - Autumnal Equinox 22nd - Ice Cream Cone Day 25th - One Hit Wonder Day 27th - Chocolate Milk Day 27th - Good Neighbor Day 28th - Sons Day 29th - World Heart Day

3 v Plan your marketing messages around these upcoming holidays and proclamations. Marketing Calendar Childrens Eye Health & Safety Month Month Black Business Month Eye Exam ImmunizationMonthAwareness Month Traffic Awareness Month Sandwich Month 1st - World Lung Cancer Day 1st - Girlfriend’s Day 1st - Spider-Man Day 3rd - Watermelon Day 4th - Chocolate Chip Cookie Day 4th - Founder’s Day 4th - IPA Day 5th - Oyster Day 5th - International Beer Day 7th - Sister’s Day 8th - International Cat Day 9th - National Book Lovers Day 10th - S’mores Day 10th - Spoil Your Dog Day 11th - National Son and Daughter Day 13th - International Lefthander’s Day 13th - Bowling Day 14th - Financial Awareness Day 15th - Relaxation Day 16th - Roller Coaster Day 18th - Serendipity Day 18th - World Breast Cancer Research Day 19th - World Photo Day 20th - Radio Day 20th - World Honey Bee Day 21st - Senior Citizen’s Day 24th - Kobe Bryant Day 24th - Waffle Day 26th - Dog Day 26th - Women’s Equality Day 28th - National Bow Tie Day 30th - Beach Day 30th - Frankenstein Day 31st - Eat Outside Day August National Service Dog Month Hispanic Heritage Month Baby Safety Month Self Improvement Month Shameless Promotion Month Blood Cancer Awareness Month National Organic Month Sucide Prevention Month Sep 5 - Labor Day (U.S.) Sep 11 - Patriot Day (U.S.) 3rd - Bacon Day 3rd - World Beard Day 4th - Wildlife Day 5th - Cheese Pizza Day

September

Key Factors that Motivate Customers to Buy Your Products Wouldn’t you like a glimpse into the minds of your customers and know what they’re thinking when they look at your products? The more you know about what motivates your buyer, the more effectively you can create products that speak to them and their needs. It can help with marketing too. For example, if you know your buyer is interested in finding a solution for their problem, you can write an article about how to solve that problem.

Now, let’s look at some reasons customers buy your product, so you will know how to market them more effectively. They like your product One reason customers buy is simple. They like your product. If the customer has no idea what the product is or why it would be useful, you need to help them understand how it fits into their lifestyle and how it can make their life better. For example, if your product is an app designed to help people keep track of their finances, show them how much time and money you’ve personally saved since using it yourself. If your product is a recipe book full of healthy recipes that you’ve tested yourself, show off pictures of delicious-looking meals while telling people why these meals are so good for them. It’s your job to inspire potential buyers and show them how they can benefit from your product. Don’t talk about features but rather, talk about benefits -- the good things that will happen to them if they use it. Give concrete examples of how their life will change if they invest in your product. They feel comfortable with your brand People feel comfortablemorebuying from a brand they know, like, and trust. When you believe a brand is trustworthy, it’s easier to trust them with your hard-earned money. There are many ways to make customers feel comfortable with your brand, but one of the most important is to ensure your website has a friendly

Some of the most popular examples of companies that have created a strong emotional bond with their customers are Apple,

Providing this kind of content helps build trust between you and the customer because they know that you care about their needs.

They feel an emotional connection to your brand or product Customers are more likely to buy your product or service if they feel an emotional connection to your brand or product. When a customer feels an emotional connection with a company, they’re more likely to spend more money and spend it faster.

Yourtone.website should be welcoming, accessible, and easy to navigate. You want your visitors to find what they need quickly, without having to hunt for it or get frustrated. Another way to make customers feel comfortable with your brand is by providing them with valuable content. This can include information about your products and services, but also helpful tips and advice related to their industry or life in general.

Starbucks, Amazon, and HowDisney.do you create an emotional connection with your customers? Create content that shows them who you are as a company. Make sure everything you post on social media is relevant to your business and makes sense for your audience. Engage with customers and show them there are real humans behind your company. You’re not just a logo and a sales spiel. Your products inspire and speak to them Share photos with captions or video clips that show off the little details that make your product unique -- the texture of the fabric, or how light reflects off glassware, or even how delicious something looks when it’s cooked up in a fancy kitchen. Images convey that Whenmessage.people see photos of your product being used in real life, they’ll feel an emotional connection with it. They’ll want to buy it because it looks cool and makes them feel good. The same goes for videos showing your product or service in action. It’s a great way to demonstrate what makes it unique, which is important for building trust among potential customers who may not know much about what you have going on behind the scenes. The product is relevant to your target audience For a customer to be motivated to buy a product, the product must be relevant to them. If you’re selling something that has little to do with your customer’s life or situation, they won’t care about it. If you have ever tried to sell something irrelevant to the customer’s lifestyle, you’ve probably learned this lesson firsthand. This can apply at any stage of the sales process, from designing your marketing strategy to closing the sale yourself. You must remember the value your product provides for your customers. What problem does it solve? Most importantly, does your target audience need it? There’s buzz and social proof Another reason people buy is the fear of missing out. You’ll get more sales if people talk about your brand or product on social media and/or in TV commercials

foraboutIfthatimportantSocialtheyproduct,whogroup.theylikelyorsaypeopleproofTheconversions.increaseIt’sofopinionsareoccursphenomenonprooffromreviews/recommendations(e.g.,influencers).Socialisapsychologicalthatwhenpeopleinfluencedbytheandbehaviorsothersaroundthem.apowerfultooltosalesandimproveideabehindsocialisthatifyoucangettoseewhatothersaboutyourproductservice,they’llbemoretobuyitbecausefeelpartofalargerThemorepeopleuseortalkaboutathemorelikelyaretowantit,too.proofisespeciallyforbusinessesarenewonthescene.peopledon’tknowyourbrand,it’shardthemtotrustyouand 6

7 buy from you. The best way to use social proof in your marketing strategy is by using testimonials from real customers who have purchased your product or service. You can also use customer reviews on Amazon and other online stores, as well as display ratings on Google Plus Local or Yelp pages for restaurants and other small businesses. Your price is competitive Your price needs to be competitive with other businesses in your industry or niche. If it’s not competitive, customers will go elsewhere to find what they need from another source. If your pricing isn’t competitive, then no matter how much education, promotion, or advertising you do, it won’t matter because no one will buy from you if it’s too expensive for them. But if your prices are competitive and affordable for most people who want what you sell, there is a stronger chance that people will buy from you than someone else with higher-priced options

Ifavailable.youoffer a similar product as competitoryourbut charge more, you can make your offer more attractive by adding something else of value, for example, training, a warranty, or free instructional materials and videos on how to get the most out of the product. The increased value you offer makes the product more appealing. It’s important to understand customer motivation, so you can relate to them on their terms and make your products or services appeal to them. If you know what motivates buyers, you can build a marketing strategy around it and better meet their needs. (800) 277-7398

Email Engagement: Five Key Metrics Every Small Business Should Monitor Closely

For any small business, email marketing is still one of the best ways to build longterm customer relationships and accelerate growth. Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t pay enough attention to email engagement metrics, which ultimately undermines results. Keeping track of engagement metrics is key to understanding what works for your specific audience. Every business has ever-changing marketing goals but monitoring a few core metrics will help you develop more effective email campaigns going

Thisforward.guide looks at the importance of tracking engagement data, describes which key metrics you should be paying attention to and how they’re calculated, and offers various tips on how to improve each metric to boost email marketing results.

• Write shorter, more compelling subject lines. About 41 characters or seven words is ideal.

• Test different send times. Experiment with different days of the week and times of the day.

The Importance of Tracking EngagementEmailMetrics Put simply, engagementemailmetrics tell you how people interact with your emails. Are your subscribers opening your emails? Are they clicking on the links? Do your emails even reach recipients’ inboxes? If you don’t have an accurate picture of how emails are performing, you may miss crucial opportunities to engage Essentially,prospects.whenyou track engagement metrics, you get to know your audience better. You’ll discover what different segments of your audience prefer, uncover the best delivery times, and be in a stronger position to build on what works. You can also avoid wasting time and money on leads that aren’t really interested in your Keepingbusiness.an eye on the data also enables you to measure your progress over time. You’ll have a set of benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of each email campaign, meaning you can make more informed decisions to optimize results in the future.

• Direct subscribers to an email preference center page, where they can choose which types of email they want, and their preferred email

• Segment your contact list in order to send more relevant content to each group.

Email Engagement: The Top Five Metrics to Track As a general rule for small businesses using email marketing, here are the five most reliable and useful email engagement metrics to monitor closely: 1. Open Rate The simplest definition of open rate is the percentage of recipients that open an email out of the total number of emails sent. For example, if you send 1,000 emails and 200 subscribers open the email, the open rate would be 20 percent. For a more accurate measurement, you should take away the number of emails that bounce from the total number of emails sent. Bear in mind that the open rate is calculated based on unique opens; it doesn’t count multiple opens from a single subscriber. Open rates tell you if your subscribers are actually interested in your email content, how effective your subject lines are, and how relevant your content is for different audience segments. According to data published in February 2022, the average email open rate across all industries was 16.97 percent. Tips to improve your email open rates:

• Offer strong incentives to capture the attention of subscribers.

• Get subscribers to double opt into your list. This is when you ask users to confirm their subscription after they opt in.

The bounce rate refers to the percentage of emails sent that fail to reach recipients. It’s calculated by dividing the number of bounced emails by the number of emails delivered and multiplying it by 100. There are two types of bounces:

3. Click-Through Rate The click-through rate measures the percentage of people who clicked a link within an email. Basically, it’s calculated by dividing the number of clicks on a link in an email by the number of emails delivered and multiplying it by 100. For example, if the total number of clicks is 80 for 1000 emails delivered, then the clickthrough rate would be eight percent. The click-through rate reveals whether or not subscribers are interested in your content and offers. It’s also closely linked to conversion rate, which makes this metric an important one to watch. According to recent research, the average email click-through rate across all industries is 2.69 percent. If your email clickthrough rate is at least this high, you’re on the right track. Tips to improve your clickthrough rates:

• Let subscribers choose the types of email they receive.

2. Bounce Rate

• Avoid sending emails that look like spam.

• Soft bounce. This refers to an email that couldn’t be delivered due to temporarypotentiallyissues. For example, the email was too large, the recipient’s inbox was full, or the recipient’s email server was down or offline.

• Regularly subscribers.emailsconsistentlyandsendtoyour

For example, the email address no longer exists, or the email address contains a typo. A bounce rate of two percent or lower is generally accepted as a good value. By reducing your bounce rates, more of your emails will go where they need to. Tips to reduce your email bounce rates:

10 frequency.

• Ensure your offers are compelling and competitive.

• Remove all of the email addresses that hard bounce from your list.

• Verify your email address through your email provider.

• Improve your call-toaction buttons with more compelling copy and better design.

• Ask inactive subscribers if they still want to receive your emails.

• Try using just one call to action per email.

• Hard bounce. This refers to an email that couldn’t be delivered due to permanentpotentiallyissues.

• Don’t send emails from a free platform such as Gmail or Yahoo.

• Avoid spam trigger words.

• Don’t send promotional emails without getting permission first, even if a recipient is already your customer.

• Send relevant content to the right people at the right time.

• Use double opt-ins from the outset.

• Your leads don’t find value in your email content.

• Your subject lines are misleading.

• Subscribers are no longer interested in your brand.

5. Conversion Rate The conversion rate refers to the percentage of people who click on a link in an email and then take a specific action, such as using a discount code on your website, writing a review, or downloading an eBook. It’s calculated by dividing the number of recipients that complete a desired action by the number of emails delivered and multiplying it by 100. For example, if you send 1,000 emails encouraging recipients to make a purchase on your sales page and 40 recipients complete a purchase, the conversion rate would be four Conversionpercent. goals differ depending on the type of business you run and your specific marketing goals but conversiontrackingrateswill help you set benchmarks for somewhereconversionInimprovement.general,a“good”rateisbetween two and five percent, but it depends on your industry and the type of email you send. For example, abandoned cart emails typically achieve higher conversion rates. The best course of action is to use your current conversion rates as a benchmark and continually aim to make them higher.

• Don’t send too many emails.

• Include your physical address in emails.

The spam rate, or spam report rate, is the percentage of delivered emails that are reported as spam by the recipient. It’s calculated by dividing the number of users who marked your email as spam by the total number of emails delivered and multiplying it by 100. For instance, if you send 1,000 emails and three people mark it as spam, the spam rate would be 0.3 percent. An acceptable spam report rate is around 0.1 percent. A high spam rate can damage your sender’s reputation and reduce deliverability rates, so if your spam rate is higher than 0.1 percent, you should look at the way you’re collecting data and the content you’re sending. High spam rates can indicate a number of potential issues:

4. Spam Rate

• Make sure your subject lines accurately reflect the email content.

• Include a unsubscribeclearlink.

• Ask subscribers to whitelist your emails. This means simply asking people to tell their email service providers that you’re not spam.

• You’re using spam trigger words in subject lines. Tips to improve your spam report rates:

• A/B test your emails.

Tips to improve your email conversion rates: • Use more dynamic language in call-toaction links. • Explain the benefits of taking action in the copy around a call to action. • Include reviews.testimonialscustomerand • Test different offers on different segments of your list. • Use one clear call to action per email. • Keep it brief. Use short sentences and paragraphs to make emails easier to scan. Regardless of your business’s size and industry, email marketing continues to be one of the best ways to contact and engage your target audience. By tracking the engagement metrics outlined in this guide, you can gain valuable insights into what your audience is interested in, allowing you to make any necessary changes to boost withComparingengagement.yourdatathebenchmarks and industry averages referenced here is a great place to start, but it only tells a part of the story. What qualifies as success will vary depending on your business’s unique goals, the types of emails you send, and various factors including email send However,times.by testing different types of emails, looking at your own data, and measuring email performance over time, you can find ways to improve your metrics and ultimately achieve more of your business goals. (800) 277-7398

Facing Fear and Conquering Adversity: Heather Monahan’s Inspiring Story 13 This month, we spoke to Heather Monahan about breaking out of toxic work environments. Heather is a TEDx speaker, one of Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World 2022, a podcaster, and author of the bestselling books, YourCreator”“Confidenceand“OvercomeVillains.”

Heather Monahan: To give some color for those who aren’t familiar with me: I grew up poor. I did not have an easy, beautiful life. I was a hustler. I had a paper route, I bussed tables, I worked in fastfood restaurants. I refined my sales skills from the age of nine until about eighteen to twenty, when I graduated from college. I became the number one sales rep at a winery where I was sexually harassed, so I left. That’s when I jumped into the radio industry. I had no idea what I was doing, but eventually, I became the number one salesperson there too. My boyfriend cheated on me, and when I went to work upset, my boss— who was a mentor to me—said, “Hey, hop on a plane with me. Don’t ask where we’re going. I’m going to drop you off somewhere, and I’m going to make you a very rich young lady.” What he meant was that he was going to drop me off somewhere, and I was going to make him an even richer man, but that’s okay. I became his equity partner and moved to Saginaw, Michigan, where we bought a $25 million company. My team and I turned it into a $55 million company in under three years. We sold that company, and I moved to Florida and got into a bigger, publicly traded radio company. I pitched myself for a job that didn’t exist: Vice President of Sales. I was awarded the position and later promoted to Executive Vice President and then to Chief Revenue Officer. During my tenure there, we more than doubled the company’s revenues in a declining marketplace. I was named one of the most influential women in radio, and I won a number of other awards while working there. It wasn’t easy. I worked hard my whole life. My whole career I was told I could never make it to the C-suite, that it was for white men and blue pant suits. In a really scrappy, committed way, I got to the top and then was fired at the end of 2017.

Dennis Postema: In 2017, you were named the most influential woman in radio, then all of a sudden, you were fired. What led to that?

Dennis: It sounds like you faced a lot of adversity in the past five years. Heather: The way I see it, the day that woman thought she fired me, I actually fired my number one villain from my life, and it really set me up to take off. If you have a negative person in your life, or you’re working in a negative environment, or you’re around people who don’t really have your back—the more you allow those people to be in your life, the more you block out the positive people that will help stretch you and propel you to grow.

The day that I fired that woman from my life, amazing people started showing up in my life and set me off down a completely different path that I would’ve never fathomed. It took that pivotal moment of getting fired and walking away from signing off.risk,thatagreementnondisparagementtheirandgettingmoney.Itwasabigbutitdefinitelypaid

Dennis: What is the difference, for you, from your first book, “Confidence Creator,” to your second book, “Overcome Your Villains”? What were the intentions for each book? Heather: The first book’s cover is completely black, almost like I’m in the shadows. The second cover is Thiswhite—it’scompletelyinthelight.wasn’tintentional, but I think it was subconscious or Whensubliminal.Iwenton the Elvis Duran show after being fired, he said to me, “Heather, you’re writing a book,” and he spoke this conviction into me that I just had to accept. I felt compelled to write a book, even though I’d never thought of it. I looked up how to write a book online, and the search results said, “Write.” I was like, “Oh, okay, I’ll do Itthat.”didn’t take too long. People say it’s hard to write a book, and maybe it is for them, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s hard for you. I knocked it out quickly, found an editor, and we published the book within five months of me getting Whenfired. that book first came out, it was the scariest thing I had ever done in my professional career. I remember thinking that I wanted to hide and that I was so scared. What if everyone hates it? What if nobody buys it? These fears were crippling. Again, I go back to that dark cover, being in the shadows. I was starting to come out of a horrible, toxic environment that I’d been working in for fourteen years. I finally saw this wasn’t the way to live, and I said to myself, “I’m going to start stepping into my own light and leading my own path and reinventing my own path, reinventing myself,” but I wasn’t there yet. “Confidence Creator” is a compilation of my lowest moments of my life, and it details how I leverage those moments to create confidence. But now that I look back and can connect the dots, it was my first big leap into becoming who I actually am, rather than who I was told I should be.

Dennis: How do you overcome the fear of online critics? What advice do you give to people dealing with negativity online? Heather: I typically don’t notice it anymore. Recently, one of my fans sent me a screenshot of a nasty comment someone made about me. My fan argued with the commenter, defending me. I thanked him but also told him not to feel compelled to do that. It is so rare that I would engage with a hater. There are people out there that might not like something I did, and if they know me and they have something to say, then they’re welcome to share their opinions. But when it’s someone online and I have no idea who they are,

I don’t waste my time on that. Dennis: Can you share the three-step process described in “Overcome Your Villains”? Heather: I call it the BAK system: Belief, Action and TheKnowledge.firststep is belief. The day I was fired, I walked out of that woman’s office saying, “I’ve lost everything. I have nothing.” I didn’t have any money coming in, and I freaked out. I went to the most negative place possible, so the first step is all about distilling whatever belief you hold down to the simplest shred of fact, if there is any. Typically, there isn’t. At that time, the only shred of fact was that I’d lost a paycheck. I didn’t lose my network, my talent, my business acumen, my contacts, my personality or my integrity. I only lost a paycheck. Once I boiled it down to that, I felt a lot better. I thought, “Okay, I’ve gotten paychecks from other places, I can do that Stepagain.”two is to take action immediately. Don’t wait. This is a big problem, especially for women. After being fired, I immediately wrote a post online that said, “I’ve just been fired. If I’ve ever done anything to help you, I need to hear from you today.” That post went viral, landed me on the Elvis Duran show, which leads us to step number three: Beknowledge.intentional and curate the people that you learn from. Only seek advice and knowledge from people who have been where you want to go. Elvis Duran was light years ahead of me in media and success. His personal brand was massive, with millions of people listening to him. He’s a good guy to go to if I’m looking for advice in the business world and how I can get to the next level. When he told me, “You’re writing a book, Heather,” I took that advice and ran with it. I was really intentional about who I sought advice from. I didn’t go to my mother for business advice, because she’d been a stay-at-home mom for years and had been out of the workforce, so she wasn’t the right person to seek advice from in that Knowledgeinstance. is found in Heather talks about the benefit of having to struggle for success: Growing up having this inner drive to want to succeed, to not want to struggle, is so incredibly powerful. I used to feel bad for myself. I would think, “Oh, there are these rich, successful people out there, and they have it so easy,” but as I grew older, I realized I’m the lucky one, because I know what it’s like to struggle, and I know I’m not going back to it. I’m willing to put the work in. It really gives you a leg up in business.

Dennis: In one of your talks, you mentioned dealing with mean girls. How would you suggest people in the workplace deal with especiallybullies,whenone is in a position of power?

Dennis: What steps would you suggest to someone who confrontation?hates Heather: You have to get over it. People say, “I’m not good at that, it’s not for me,” but the more you say that, the more it’s not going to be for you. If you’re not happy with the way your life is, you have to start saying, “I’m great at handling challenging situations. I’m getting really good at this,” and start dealing with small ones. Go to Starbucks, and if someone tries to cut you in line, tap them on the shoulder and say, “Excuse me, I’m sure you didn’t see me, but I’m actually in front of you.” It doesn’t mean you have to have a drop-down fight everywhere you go. Just let people know, “Hi, I’m over here, and it’s my chance to be heard.” Start with baby steps. Practice in the mirror. Every moment, you’re either creating confidence

movies, takebuildcanoverjackingbesadsay,havebutstartpeoplefrom.processingandItmagazines,newspapers,friends,family.canbefoundinanyoneanythingthatyou’reinformationAlotoftimes,willgetdownandwatchingsadmovies,inlowmoments,youtobeintentionaland“I’mnotwatchingamovie.I’mgoingtoreallyintentionalaboutmyselfuptogetthishurdlesothatIstartmovingfaster,momentumandoffagain.”

Heather: My mean girl became my boss. For a long time, she was a peer, and I always thought to myself, “Just ignore her. She obviously doesn’t like me, she’s jealous— whatever it is, that’s her problem.” That was the wrong answer. You teach people how to treat you. I was teaching her that it’s okay to treat me like crap, that I’m going to look the other way and ignore it. Work on yourself first. Work on your confidence and owning your voice. Realize that you have the power to respond, not react, to Whensomeone.she fired me, she was smiling and excited. She couldn’t wait to have me beg her for the check. I didn’t react. I wanted to cry and yell at her and knock her out, but I didn’t do any of those things. I sat in my own power quietly and asked myself, “What do you want to do here? What is the right answer for you?” As she spoke, I realized this woman was getting joy out of hurting another human being. I was done with her treating me poorly, and I was done with her bullying. I thought, “I don’t know if I’m ever going to see this lady again. Maybe I’m going to help somebody coming in after me, but this stops here.” That’s when I stood up and told her I wasn’t going to sign her deals. I walked out with all the class and all the power in that room, because when you respond instead of react, you shift dynamics, not by yelling and screaming and crying, but by being thoughtful and true to yourself. You don’t have to start fights with bad people or bullies, but you do need to clearly communicate your needs, wants and boundaries, and stand firm in them.

within yourself or Takeyou.decisionwastoyou’reOverconfidence.awayarepoorly,tosomebodyIfdon’tyoutheawaychippingatitwithchoicesmakeormake.youallowtreatyouyouchippingatyourtime,goingrealizethatthewrongforthechance,

start speaking up, start creating confidence within yourself, and watch the dynamics around you change. Dennis: Do you have any tips for maintaining confidence on a daily basis? Heather: Move into fear, try new things and go bigger. Never get complacent. Always innovate and do different things and grow. That’s why we’re here in life: to reach our potential, do good things in the world, reach people and help people. That’s my challenge and battle every day. The more I do scary things, the more I’m creating confidence. I remind myself, “Hey, you’re going bigger, you’re getting good at this. Okay, you fell back and made a mistake? Good for you, you know what that looks like too. Pick yourself back up and move forward Foragain.”anyone starting out, I recommend starting every day with gratitude. Figure out what you can be grateful for in your life and be really clear about your goals—write them down and revisit them daily. Maybe you want your confidence to be at a ten. Start believing that’s possible for you. Take a vision or a picture of someone who looks confident and put that everywhere. When I want to diet, I look at a photo of me in a thatnotremindsbecausebikiniitmetoeatburgerif I want to fit into that bikini. This is no different. Be clear on what step“WhatIstepsstartvisionthatisandtakingdaily.askmyself,actionhave

I taken to create more confidence?” If I haven’t done anything yet, then I do something to scare myself, like calling that person who told me no last week and seeing if I can revisit the topic and turn it into a yes. Whatever it may be, it’s all about our beliefs, the actions that we’re taking, and the knowledge that we’re surrounding ourselves with. You can always access a new TED Talk, listen to a new podcast or watch a show, take action, revisit your beliefs and straighten them out, boil them down to the simplest shred of fact and start speaking truth and positive light into yourself.

Beingvalidation.humble and confident means you’re willing to acknowledge your flaws. I’ve been arrested, I’ve been fired, I’ve made bad choices in my life. I choose to share them with other people because I want them to know I’m far from perfect. So are you, and so is everybody else. There’s nothing wrong with that. We live in this world of fake everything. People fake where they went to school and what car they drive. I choose to say, “You know what? I’ve got a lot of flaws, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, I’m going to rock them and own them all.”

Dennis: How do you stay humble and confident at the same time? Heather: People confuse confidence and arrogance. I was arrogant in the past, and when someone’s arrogant, it’s because they’re insecure and they’re covering up for Isomething.remember when I wanted to be the loudest in the room, and I wanted to jump on top of a table and tell people what to do because I felt terrible about who I was. People say, “Oh, there’s a fine line between being confident and arrogant,” but that couldn’t be less true. It’s a valley. When you’re really confident, that’s when you can be still and quiet. You don’t have to yell and scream to get everyone’s attention, because you have all that power within you, and you don’t need external

I truly believe that’s why I’m successful in this business, because yes, I could have written my first book about the strategies I learned in business and making it to the C-suite and how great I am, but how is that going to help somebody? I can give you strategies and techniques, but people connect and relate to my work because of the flaws, not because of the accolades. What I share is that you can be flawed just like me or in different ways than me, and you, too, can succeed. I believe that you aren’t confident unless you’re able to be humble. It’s all connected. To learn more about Heather, visit her website at @HeatherMonahanInstagram:comwww.heathermonahan.orreachouttoheron

Dennis: Did you have mentors throughout your life? Heather: Memory’s a funny thing. We forget so much. When I went back to my high school to speak to the student population, my old softball coach was there, and I’d forgotten about the part she played in my teen years. She calls me her captain, her MVP, and she has always been a champion and cheerleader for me. She has my back. Several decades after high school, she’s still cheering me on. People like her planted those seeds of confidence and potential in me. I’m sure we all have moments that we forget, but there are so many people along the way that, if you stop and dig into the past, you’ll remember those who have helped you. There are three big mentors I’ve had throughout my career, but there are countless others that I’ve forgotten about as well. I may not have gotten to this point in my career had it not been for those people.

Heather describes how she created the three-step BAK system: When I was starting out in this entrepreneurial journey, there was a speaker I’d met at an event who would check in on me from time to time and ask how things were Igoing.would always say to him, “I don’t know, I’m missing something. Something’s not connecting. What do you think it is?” He said I hadn’t distilled anything down to a simplistic, repeatable approach to teach and share with my audiences. He told me to figure out what I do to overcome difficult situations and then teach it to others. I pulled out a big white board and wrote down issues and ideas. I thought, “Okay, let’s go back to actual Inmoments.”2008–2009, I led a company through the recession. It was a really awful time. So I asked myself, “How did I get out of that? How did I turn that around?”

When I got divorced, that was really hard. Again, “How did I get out of that?” I mapped out all of these challenges in my life and my career, and wrote down the steps I took to overcome them. I looked for patterns and eventually formed the BAK system: Belief, Action, and Knowledge.

5 Ways to CommunicationWorkplaceImprove 21

22 communicationWorkplace is crucial to the success of any company or organization.abestmotivatethanpartthemknowyouryoupeopleCommunicationcommunication?toWhyandaboutkeepbusinessinknowEmployeesagainstcompetetimesthatandcommunicationwhothatResearchorganization.showscompaniesemphasizehaveprogramsfosteritare3.5morelikelytofavorablycompetitors.needtowhat’shappeningtheircompany,andownersneedtoemployeesinformedwhat’shappeningwhat’sonthehorizon.isitsoimportantprioritizegoodhelpsfeelvalued.Whencommunicatewithemployees,theythatyoucareaboutandthattheyareofsomethingbiggerthemselves.Thiscanthemtodotheirworkandgivethemsenseofpurposeinthe Here are more reasons why workplace communication is so important: • It keeps thatinformedemployeesaboutchangesaffectthemortheir work. • It lets employees know if there are problems they might help with. • It makes it easier for workers to talk about their ideas and suggestions. • It helps company’sfeelbyemployeeimprovemoralemakingthemincludedintheactivities and plans. • It reduces the risk betweenmisunderstandingsofmanagers and footmotivatedthemselves,somethingfeelemployees.ofalsoGoodemployees.communicationcreatesasensebelongingamongWhenpeoplelikethey’repartofbiggerthanthey’remoretoputtheirbestforward. Everyone wants to feel important and part of the team! If you have happy employees who feel valued and thecommunicationtakestepscompany.andthey’llappreciated,goabovebeyondfortheButwhatcanyourteamtoimproveinworkplace? Create a Culture of Communication The first step in improving workplace communication is to create a culture of communication -- one that encourages open dialogue among employees. A culture that improvingifwork--importantwhenopportunityGiveEncourageyourself.anawayfortheircomfortablewherecreatescommunicationemphasizesanenvironmentemployeesfeeltalkingaboutconcernsandideasimprovement.Thebesttodothisisbysettinggoodexampleandbeingopencommunicatoropendialogue.employeesthetospeakuptheyhavesomethingontheirmindswhetherit’srelatedtoornot.Forexample,someonehasanideaforefficiencyin

23 the office kitchen, invite them to share it with the team during an upcoming meeting. This gives others the opportunity to weigh in on the idea, as well as identify other things.theyhaveimprovementspotentialtheymayoverlookedbecausewerefocusedonother Make Communication a Priority To improve concerns.multiplequestions.anonymouslywhereboxanonymousyoucomfortablequestionsteamYouthatarewithadoinformationensurebymanagersitcommunication,workplacemakeapriority.It’seasyfortogetdistractedtasksandforgettoemployeeshavethetheyneedtotheirjobswell.Makeithabittocheckregularlystafftoseeiftherequestionsorconcernsneedattention.canalsoencouragememberstoaskiftheydon’tfeelapproachingdirectly.CreateansuggestionorvirtualhelpdeskemployeescansubmittheirGiveemployeeswaystosharetheir

Be a Better Listener

Communication involves more than speaking. It’s easy to talk more than you listen, but if you want to be heard, learn how to truly listen. Look people in the eye when they’re talking and ask questions so they know their message is getting through. Use body language that shows you’re engaged. Don’t turn your body away or work on other things when someone speaks. Listen before speaking up. Be sure not to interrupt others’ points or cut them off when they’re explaining their ideas or experiences. Even if it seems they’ve misinterpreted something or are off topic, let them finish before responding with questions or comments of your own. If someone stops talking while you’re still thinking about what you want to say next, give them time to finish before saying anything yourself. Listening is an important part of any conversation, whether it’s a one-on-one meeting or a large group meeting. Buff up on your listening skills! Be Clear About What You Want from People Make sure everyone has access to the same information. Have a place where your team stores all information, such as an intranet site or shared drive folder. This will help avoid confusion about who does what and when it’s due. People should know what you expect from them and how they can achieve it. Hold regular meetings with your staff members, so they can update you

on their progress and ask questions about anything related to their jobs. This will keep them focused and engaged in their work and help them develop good habits that will make them more productive in the long run. Let each employee know where they fit into the bigger picture, not only from a strategic perspective but also from a tactical standpoint (e.g., how their individual efforts directly contribute to organizational goals). They’ll work harder if they know how what they do affects the organization as a whole. Sure

Make

UnderstandEmployees“Why”

Once

Employees need context for their work activities, so they can see how what they do affects the company’s bottom line. If not, they won’t be motivated to perform well and may even cause problems by doing things that don’t align with the organization’s broader objectives. Why is the task they’re doing so important? Convey this to Thethem!best way to do this is to ensure that everyone understands the “why” behind what they do. They need to know how their actions are tied to the company’s mission, vision, and values. This is especially true when it comes to employee training and onboarding. You want new hires to understand why they’re being asked to do certain things -- even if those things are difficult or unpleasant. satisfied.healthier,thebytheirpeoplecommunicationanandbettserultimatelyandemployeesworkplace.essentialCommunicationshouldchecktheytheirandmoreThisresponsibilitiesnavigatepicture,understandemployeesthebiggertheycanbettertheirrolesandwithinit.willhelpthemfeelfulfilledemotionallymoreengagedwithworkphysically(e.g.,willbelesslikelytoFacebookwhiletheyfocusontheirtasks).isanpartofanyIthelpsshareideasthoughts,whichleadstocollaborationproductivity.Witheffectiveworkplacestrategy,canimproverelationships,leadexample,andleaveworkplacehappier,andmore (800) 277-7398

25 7 Types of Email Marketing Campaigns That Get Opened

1. CampaignsAnnouncement campaignsAnnouncementshare news or updates with your subscribers. This could be anything from a new product launch to a change in your company’s policies, a new team member, or a revamped website. However, the key to the success of an announcement campaign is to keep it relevant. Why is your new product or redesigned website good for your subscribers? Will it save them time or money? Is it more convenient, or easier to use? Make sure that you’re letting your subscribers know not only what your announcement is, but why they should Whatevercare. announcement,the be sure to keep your email concise and clear. Include a call to action so that your subscribers know what to do next, whether it’s visiting your website or calling your business.

3. CampaignsEducational Educational campaigns show your subscribers that you’re an expert in your field, giving you the credibility many would-be customers are looking for before making a purchase. These types of emails can be anything, so long as it’s educational and useful, from a tips and tricks guide to an instructional video. Whatever the format, be sure to keep your content informative, helpful, and

Ready to shake up your email marketing, boost your open rates, and get more conversions? Email marketing is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. In fact, email is the most popular form of content marketing for businesses, ahead of social media, blog posts, videos, and more, offering some of the highest returns on investment. But email marketing is only effective when done right. It’s not as simple as just firing off an email to your subscribers. In order to get those essential opens and clicks, you need to find out which types of campaigns will give you the highest returns. Here are seven of the most successful types of email campaigns for businesses, with some tips and tricks on how to create a campaign that blows your old open rates out of the water.

2. Contest or Giveaway Campaigns Who doesn’t love a freebie? Running a contest or giveaway is an excellent way to engage your audience, get some allimportant open rates, and boost brand awareness. Contest and giveaway email campaigns are 5% more likely to be opened than other campaigns, and have a 3% higher conversion rate. To run a successful contest or giveaway campaign, be sure to promote it heavily on social media and other channels. Make sure it’s easy to enter, with a clear call to action and a prize that is relevant to your target audience. Don’t skimp on the prize; it needs to be desirable enough to tempt as many people into signing up for your campaign as possible. The real point of a contest or giveaway campaign is to get more subscribers and sign-ups to your email campaigns, which is why promoting it on cross channels is so important. While people will sign up for the prize, they will stay for your emails, so make sure your next email is a good one.

27 most of all, relevant to your subscribers. Don’t be afraid to give away a few pieces of information you might usually charge for. If your subscribers actually get some value out of your tips or advice, they’re more likely to come back for more. You should also include a call to action so that your subscribers can learn more about your products or services. 4. Discount or Sale Campaigns Discount and sale campaigns are one of the most effective ways to drive conversions and boost sales, particularly if they’re only available for a limited time. Everyone loves a bargain, so sales campaigns often see relatively high open rates. However, you can boost that open rate even more by emphasizing that subscribers will miss out if they don’t act quickly. Be sure to offer a compelling discount and use an thehowyourclearDon’tlikelynumbersIndiscountthatyourclicks.numbersitattentionsubjectattention-grabbinglinedrawingtoit.Whencomestodiscounts,willgetmoreTryadvertisingthatsaleis10%off,oryou’reofferinga25%foralimitedtime.fact,subjectlineswithare57%moretobeopened.forgettoincludeacalltoactionsothatsubscribersknowtotakeadvantageofoffer. 5. Customer Satisfaction Survey Campaigns People love to give their opinion, and your subscribers are no Customerdifferent. satisfaction surveys allow you to collect feedback about your products or services, while also encouraging customer engagement. They can also help you identify areas of improvement for your Onebusiness.simple way to run customer satisfaction survey campaigns is to create an automated trigger in your email software or platform, which will send out a pre-built email after a customer has been in touch with you or made a purchase. By automating the process, you can save yourself time and make sure the email is sent right

28 away, when your customer is more likely to see it. To run a successful survey campaign, keep your questions concise and relevant. You should also offer an incentive for taking the survey, such as a discount or entry into a contest.

segment your list so that you’re only targeting inactive subscribers. You should also include a call to action to encourage your subscribers to update their preferences or unsubscribe from your list.

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your business goals. But before you start running campaigns, it’s important to choose the right type of email for your needs. By understanding the different types of email campaigns, you can create a strategy that’s tailored to your business and your audience. With these tips in mind, you can be sure to run successful campaigns that achieve your desired results.

(800) 277-7398

6. CampaignsReactivation Reactivation campaigns are a great way to engage subscribers who haven’t interacted with your emails in a while. It can also be a good way to weed out subscribers whose email addresses are out of date, clean up your subscriber list, and make sure you don’t inadvertently trigger any spam filters with your following campaigns. To run a reactivationsuccessfulcampaign,

7. CampaignsEngagement Engagement campaigns encourage your subscribers to interact with your brand and boost interactions and followers elsewhere. An engagement campaign’s purpose is just that: Thisengagement.engagement could be anything, from sharing a post on social media to following your brand’s Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn to leaving a review on your website. To make sure your engagement campaign is successful, offer an incentive for taking the desired action, like a discount or entry in a prize draw. You should also make it easy for your subscribers to take whatever action you’re asking of them, with a clear call to action and link.

You need to simply work more. We are taught from early age; more hours equal more work which will deliver results. Unfortunately, this does not ensure success. When we simply work more hours, we do not necessarily get more done and infect often get less done. By setting our schedule to create time blocks, we create deadlines for our days which trains us to use our time more wisely and get more done in less time. It’s all in the numbers. Yes, measuring and tracking the numbers is important, however it is not the only thing we want to pay attention to. What matters more than numbers are relationships, and more important quality successfulbackbonerelationshipsrelationshipstrust,relationships;valueFocusrelationships.ondeliveringandbuildingkeyvaluebuildstrustleadstostrongerandstrongaretheofalong-termbusiness.

The Myths of Success

You need to be a morning person. Studies do show that most successful people start early in the day; generally by 5:30 am. In fact, I do as well. But that doesn’t mean it is the only way. What matters more is how you use and leverage your time. If you choose to be more of a night owl, you will simply have to adjust and do things at night that morning people do earlier in the day. In the end, the person who wakes up early still needs to do the work. So as long as you commit and show up to do the actions, results will follow regardless of what time of day you work your system. Do everything. I see this all the time. People try to do too much and in doing so don’t get accomplished.anythingWhen you try to do everything, we often don’t do anything well. In fact, my mentor Robin Sharma said the secret to success is simplicity and we should strive to be world class at a few things rather than mediocre at several. You will be more productive and have a higher quality of work when you focus in doing less bit at a higher level. So, identify the few (5-9 items) that really will move the needle in your business and do those well and consistently. You just get lucky. There is no luck in business; success comes from showing up, putting in the effort and staying consistent. Even when we feel like a “deal” dropped into our lap, if we examine all that lead up to that deal, we probably uncover a history of doing the right actions and showing up to receive the business. You cannot wish for success and “luck”, you have to create it and earn it . Success does not have to be hard. Don’t buy into the myths. Show up and work your process. When you are focused on the right actions and people, the right things will happen.

August was named in honor of Augustus Caesar. It has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as Julius Caesar’s month of July had. They took that extra day from February.

August

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Peruggia.

Fans of Elvis Presley mourn each Aug. 16th, the day the famed singer died in 1977 Milestones: August 1st, 1981 - MTV network debuted on cable television, actually playing music videos 24 hours a day. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first video August 5th, 1957 - American Bandstand debuted on the ABC television network, with host Dick Clark.

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August 12th, 1981 - The IBM Personal Computer was released. August 16th, 1954 - The first issue of Sports Illustrated was published August 21st, 1911 - The Mona Lisa was stolen by a Louvre employee, Vincenzo It was returned in 1913 August 30th, 1984 - The Space Shuttle Discovery took off on its maiden voyage