Lisa J. Lehr

by Lisa J. Lehr

On Saturday, October 23, my friend and fellow Toastmaster Jolen Punches and I will be presenting the workshop “Discover and Conquer Your Obstacles and Get Your Life Back on Track” at Sierra Commons in Nevada City.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

·         Shift your thinking in order to create the life you desire;

·         Discover clarity on what you want in any area of your life…career, relationship, financial, or health;

·         Uncover hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your ability to make changes with ease;

·         Release the hurts and pains that keep you trapped in repeating patterns;

·         Transform those stuck patterns of limiting beliefs, fear, and self-sabotage into confidence, clarity, and happiness.

Jolen is a Certified Life Coach and founder of The Lighter Signature System. She holds a Behavioral Therapist degree from California Institute of the Healing Arts and Sciences, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and has been studying the mind-body-spirit connection since 1980. A highly sought-after consultant, award-winning speaker, and soon-to-be published author, Jolen believes we all have the answers within ourselves and guides us toward finding them.

I earned my degree in biology a couple decades before the surge in research on the human brain. Now that the human brain is a “hot topic,” I find that my educational background provides a solid foundation for my interest in the subject. I’ll be teaching workshop attendees about how our brains are wired to make us repeat past errors, and how we can re-train them for successful behavior.

The workshop will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door; lunch is included. Sierra Commons is upstairs at the Stonehouse in Nevada City, 107 Sacramento Street, suite #300.

For more information, see http://sierracommons.org; to reserve your spot, contact Jolen at (530) 263-7549 or Jolen@lighterwithin.com.

Transform your life and start living the life you are meant to live!

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.

Lisa J. Lehr

by Lisa J. Lehr

Coupons are an especially effective strategy for brick-and-mortar, local-clientele businesses. They can work for online businesses as well, but too many potential buyers will decide not to print the coupon because it requires too much ink, because too many clicks are involved and they bail out along the way, or for any of a number of reasons associated with the short attention span Internet use is so famous for.

But coupons that are already printed and right in front of the customer’s face are tempting. So how do you leverage the power of coupons? Here are a few ideas.

Have a stack of them on your counter or in some high-traffic, prominent location at your business. You can mail them, but that can be costly, and without doing some market research, you’ll be mailing them to everyone rather than just your target market.

Swap coupons with another, complementary business. By complementary, we mean businesses that attract the same type of clientele. Pizza and ice cream go well together, as do pizza and video rentals; massage and fitness go together, as do massage and manicure; fitness and fast food aren’t as good a fit, and pairing pizza with manicure isn’t particularly obvious either. Choose your partner business carefully.

Here’s another strategy: a “50-50″ coupon offering. Because of the time constraints of the deal, it works best if you have a website with an opt-in and a list of subscribers so you can send the offer to a large number of people at once. This is done as a broadcast, as explained in an earlier article: “Have you heard about the tool that can bring in 90% of your sales?”

So you send a limited offer to your list, say once a week or once a month. Depending on the size of your list, let’s say 100 coupons are available, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. People hurry to your website and those lucky 100 download the coupon. Yes, they will have to print it—but they will be motivated to do so.

The coupon is worth double its face value. For example, the coupon costs $25, and they can purchase $50 worth of goods or services with it. The catch is that they must pay for it immediately–they don’t simply print it and risk losing it or forgetting about it.

You get your $25 right away. The customer is motivated to make a purchase with you because he or she has essentially put down a $25 deposit. Depending on what your product or service is, the average customer may very well spend above and beyond the $50. If you’re a restaurant, for example, where a group of four will spend $100 on a nice dinner, they’re getting a bargain because they’ve saved $25. You’ve made a profit, and you’ve gained four loyal customers. Everybody wins!

The small business owner who capitalizes on simple strategies like these will be the one who survives in any economy.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

Shelby McClelland accepts a master showmanship award from Tom Browning, a member of the Nevada County Fairgrounds Board of Directors, and Wanda Mertens

Shelby McClelland receives two prestigious awards

On Saturday evening, Shelby McClelland, a senior at Nevada Union High School, took home two master showmanship awards – one in the small animal division and another in the large animal division. This is the “best of the best,” the highest showmanship award granted by the Nevada County Fair, and to receive two master showmanship awards at the same time is an honor bestowed upon very few in the agricultural community.

To receive a master showmanship award at the Nevada County Fair, an individual must have won showmanship for a particular specie of animal in the master showmanship division; and then go on to be able to show every specie of animal in that particular division. In the small animal division, master showmanship includes showing rabbits, poultry, cavies (guinea pigs), pygmy goat and dog.  In the large animal division, master showmanship includes showing beef cattle, dairy cattle, dairy goat, meat goat, sheep and swine.  Judges score participants on how well they show each animal.

In small animals, Shelby qualified for master showmanship by winning dog showmanship.  In the large animals, she qualified by winning for dairy goat showmanship.

Shelby is a 16-year-old senior at Nevada Union High School, and a member of Nevada Union FFA. She has been showing at the Nevada County Fair for 10 years. She is a 4H All-Star, and this past year she won Reserve Best Wether at the State Fair for pygmy goats.  She is currently serving as Regional Reporter for the Superior Region FFA.  This year, she has been chosen as a delegate to represent California at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“I was shocked to receive this honor,” said McClelland. “All those I was competing against are so good at what they do, competitive, and truly know their stuff. All I could do was stay focused, work hard and try my best. I’m so excited, and now I can relax and enjoy the Fair.”

“This is such a prestigious honor to receive both small animal and large animal master showmanship awards at one Fair,” said Robin Hauck, Deputy Manager of the Nevada County Fair. “It is very rare, and, to our knowledge, the only time that this has happened at the Nevada County Fair.”

Visit NevadaCountyFair.com for information about the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

Source: Wendy Oaks
Publicist Nevada County Fair

By: Lisa J.  Lehr

Everyone knows by now (or should) that if you have a business, you must have a website. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar building and a strictly local clientele, you need a website to stay competitive. Many people toss their phone books into the recycle bin as soon as they get them, so they’ll never know you exist unless you have an Internet presence. Potential customers check out your location, your hours, and what makes you stand out from your competitors before they consider showing up in person.

Okay, so you have a website. Can you cross that off your list now?

In a word, no. Because the reality is that your website probably—statistically speaking—sucks.

If people are bored, confused, or turned off by what they see, or if you just haven’t given them the information they were seeking, they leave and do not become buying customers. It’s that simple! So how do you get your website to “not suck”?

I’m so glad you asked.

Here’s a basic checklist of what your website must do, be, and say in order to be effective:

• Does it clearly tell your site visitors what you do?

• Is the look-and-feel consistent across all pages?

• Is your unique selling proposition clear?

• Is it focused on the customer, not on you?

• Does it tell your site visitors what you want them to do?

Chances are, you’re not even sure of the answers to all these questions. You may not even understand what the questions mean! That’s normal, because effective web copy writing is probably not your business.

Does your website suck? If so, run, don’t walk, and get help with it before it “sucks” your business right down the drain.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.

By Lisa J. Lehr

Perhaps you’ve just bought your first home, and for the first time ever you have an opportunity to adopt a pet. Or perhaps you’ve had a dog or a cat and are wondering if the other kind of pet would work for you. So which is better: dog or cat?

Consider the following questions.

How much space do you have?

Big dogs need space. Except for very senior dogs, they need a yard to run around in, or to be walked regularly. An under-exercised dog is likely to have behavioral problems, and you’re likely to be looking for a new home for him soon. Cats do just fine indoors (in fact they are much safer there), although several cats in a small apartment may feel crowded.

How close are your neighbors?

This question has to do with how much your pets are going to bother your neighbors. Barking dogs quickly make their owners unpopular. True, so do cats who dig and hunt in other people’s yards, but you can (and should) keep your cats indoors except under supervision. A barking dog can be heard over a significant distance.

How much maintenance do you want to do?

Dogs need to be walked, groomed, and usually fed on a schedule. Cats normally don’t. You may enjoy these jobs or be happy to pay someone else to do them. Just make sure you have a plan.

Which kind of “bathroom duty” do you prefer?

If your dog “goes” in your yard, you need to shovel it up before someone steps in it. If he “goes” while you’re out for a walk, you’ll need to bag it and bring it home to your garbage can. If your cat uses a litterbox, you’ll have to change it. (Some cats can be taught to use the toilet, but letting your cats roam freely outdoors just to avoid litter box detail is not responsible pet ownership.) So which one of these jobs is the least distasteful to you?

Do you want to be tied to a feeding schedule?

Cats are much more amenable to having a food bowl left out twenty-four-seven. Dogs are likely to either eat it all at once, or, if you leave for the day (or more), hoard it (not eat it at all), not knowing when you’re going to return to put out more food. Some dogs, however, are good at self-feeding, so if you’e adopting an adult dog, you may be able to select one who is.

Are you prepared to teach your dog to respect your property?

Yes, cats do claw the furniture and bite things. But the amount of damage a cat is likely to do is not in the same league with what dogs often do. We hear stories of dogs who shred the couch, dig a hole in the carpet, break a window to get out, chew up an entire wardrobe of shoes, etc. Cats are rarely guilty of these things.

Finally, lots of pets are in need of homes with puppy and kitten season. In addition, due to the poor economy, many people are abandoning their pets which often end up in shelters.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter as well as animal lover living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for a message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

by Lisa J. Lehr

Business owners can easily get stuck in a vicious cycle: Business isn’t so good. They can’t afford to outsource their marketing. They do it themselves, results remain poor, and business remains not-so-good.

How do business owners get out of this vicious cycle? It’s not easy, but it’s simple: they make a decision to get serious about their marketing before they lose their business altogether. If you’re a business owner finding yourself in this rut, here are some ideas to get you started:

1.      Define your audience. If you try to market to everyone, you end up marketing to no one. Who’s your target market? Once you’ve figured this out, you may discover you don’t have to spend as much money on marketing as you have been.

2.      Find a copywriter. Ask other local business people or do an online search. You can work with someone locally or long-distance, as you prefer. Fee structures vary. After you’ve interviewed a few, it’s best to choose one in the mid-range. Highly paid copywriters are the best, but a lot of their cost is simply their fame. Don’t choose the lowest bidder—you’ll get what you pay for.

3.      Get a website! It’s mind-boggling that some business owners still don’t “get it” that a website is absolutely essential. Many potential customers want to “check you out” before they call you or come into your place of business. If they can’t, they may well go to your competitor instead. It’s really not a highly technical task anymore, but if you don’t have the skills or the time to do it yourself, outsource it.

4.      Put an opt-in box on your website. Collect names and e-mail addresses. Keep a list. Then keep in touch with your list. It’s that simple.

5.      Have a call to action. This can work in harmony with the opt-in, such as “download your free report,” or separately, such as “call for a free consultation.” But be sure to tell your website visitors what you want them to do.

6.      Give them free information. It may seem counter-intuitive, but giving away information accomplishes two things: it establishes you as an expert, and it makes people feel indebted to you. Free information can take many forms. Ask your copywriter about it.

7.      Take advantage of free publicity. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and several other social media tools are free. Learn how to use them.

8.      Leverage testimonials. The first thing you need to know is that you (almost) never use a testimonial word-for-word. That would be akin to recording a real-life conversation and transcribing it as-is for dialog in a novel. (It really doesn’t sound very good.) If you don’t have testimonials (maybe you’re a new business), your copywriter can help you work around this.

9.      Leverage customer complaints. Complaints are not all bad! Among other things, they tell you what you need to improve. While an unhappy customer spreads the “bad” word much farther and wider than a happy one spreads the “good” word, you can turn an unhappy customer into a happy one.

10.  As a local business, you can create a “coupon swap” program with another local business and double your potential customer base.

11.  Ask your copywriter what kinds of marketing collateral would benefit your business. White papers, news releases, fliers, brochures, postcards, and many others are all in the repertoire of any good copywriter.

These are all ideas I thought of in just a few minutes. If any of them sound mysterious to you, it’s probably because you don’t have the marketing expertise that a copywriter has. And that’s fine; you’re not expected to. That’s what copywriters are for.

Get serious about your marketing. Talk to your colleagues, log on to Google, do whatever you need to do to find a copywriter who will make your marketing work…before your business becomes another victim of the vicious cycle.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.

By Jeff Toff

This is Logan who was born on St. Patrick’s day!  5 years ago.  He was a champion show dog, winning every show he entered except one.  He retired from the ring and became my hiking buddy. Logan is the gentlest giant around.  When other dogs–big or small–growl at Logan, he just wags his tail and gets excited.  When another dog tries to bite Logan, he merely jumps out of the way and comes back for more.  Despite the fact that Logan is still “intact,” has never growled or shown any male dominance or aggressive behavior.  As a matter of fact, he ran at full speed away from two “attack” cats and one kitten.  He chases anything that runs, but then again, doesn’t know what to do when he catches up with his prey.  When another dog comes into Logan’s dog room, Logan watches patiently as the other dog eats all of Logan’s food.

Logan sleeps on a full size mattress.  To create a dogie door, we had to remove the entire bottom of the door, up to the door knob.  Even though he is unfenced at home in the woods, he never leaves the house unless I am there to take him for a walk.  On hikes in the high country, he runs around and explores the sites and sounds but never ventures too far from me.

He is quite shy with strangers.  When riding in the car down to San Diego, an 11 hour trip, Logan never makes a sound or becomes anxious.  He watches the view from the back of the van, drools on my shoulder when it gets too warm and generally relaxes during the trip.  He loves to hike as long as there is a lake or stream in which he can cool down.  He prefers water not more than 2½ feet deep so that he can lie down and keep his head out of the water.

When playing with other dogs or people, he lopes like a big lion.  However, at times, when he decides to chase something, he gallops on those long legs like a gazelle.  It has been reported that Irish Wolfhounds, part of the greyhound family, can run up to 30 MPH–when they want to.  When he goes to a dog park in San Diego, he gets intimidated because immediately, almost every other dog in the park run over to Logan and begin sniffing and nuzzling him like he is royalty.

He eats about 6 cups of dry food per day but drinks gallons of water.  Many times he won’t eat his food or dog bones unless someone is next to him while he eats.  A string or ribbon tied across the hall keeps him from exploring the rest of the house.  When it snows, you would think he was just served ice cream.  He runs and jumps and rolls in the snow.  Many times he would prefer to lie in the snow rather than come into the house.  He almost never barks.  He thinks he is a small, lap dog.  He is the perfect companion.

Jeff Toff
Jeff is a local attorney in Grass Valley, CA

by Lisa J. Lehr

It’s been a long, cool spring, but it’s bound to get hot one of these days. And when it does, human bodies will be heading for water bodies in droves.

There’s no question that swimming cools you off, provided the water temperature is lower than your body temperature—which it is, unless we’re talking about a hot tub or a hot spring. But is swimming the equivalent of a glass of lemonade: cools you off, but has no real health benefits? Or is it really good for you?

Well…it depends.

First, the pluses of swimming as exercise:

1.      It uses all your major muscle groups.

2.      It can provide a good workout for your heart and lungs.

3.      It’s easy on your joints.

4.      The buoyancy factor (you weigh about one-tenth as much in water as you do on land) makes it a good exercise for people who are pregnant, have injuries, or need to avoid high-impact types of exercise.

5.      It’s appropriate for people of all ages and ability levels.

Now the minuses:

1.      In order to count swimming as exercise, you’ll need to swim a good number of brisk laps (floating and splashing won’t do it), and some people find that monotonous.

2.      Swimming puts no stress on your bones, and weight-bearing exercise is essential for maintaining bone mass and strength.

3.      Swimming makes you hungry, so the calories you consume after a swim may exceed those you burned during the swim.

4.      Unlike with other types of exercise, your body does not continue burning calories at an increased rate after your workout. This is because you don’t heat up as much exercising in water as on land; you lose body heat faster to water than to air because water is denser, so your body doesn’t have to work to cool you down post-workout.

5.      Finally, if swimming is to be your workout of choice, you need convenient access to a pool. The “inconvenience factor” may become a convenient excuse not to exercise.

So if you like swimming, find that it meets your exercise needs, and is convenient and not too boring, go for it. But if you’ve been swimming for a while and wondering why you’re not seeing the results you expected, now you know why! You may want to explore some other type of exercise.

And if you’re heading for a natural water body, especially the fast-moving, snowmelt-fed rivers of Nevada County, remember that humans (and other land creatures) and cold, white water are a dangerous and often deadly combination. Especially when alcohol is involved.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer, copywriter, and fitness enthusiast living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for a message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.

Lisa J. Lehr

by Lisa J. Lehr

In an earlier post, I talked about the importance of autoresponders: those little automated messages that your website visitors get when they opt in to (i.e., put their name and e-mail address in the boxes) your website. In doing some outreach to local businesses recently, however, I discovered that not only does the average local business not have an autoresponder series…they don’t even have a website!

Grass Valley-area businesses, the 21^st century is calling: you need a website.

These days, getting a website up and running is not a major project that you need to budget thousands of dollars for. You have many options with a range of prices and skill requirements. Check out XSitePro, FrontPage, Dreamweaver, and Godaddy’s Website Tonight. You can even set up your website as a blog using WordPress and choosing from their many free themes; you also have the choice of installing the blog directly on the domain name and forgoing the “/wordpress” extension. If you can’t (or don’t have time to) do this yourself, hire a teenager or someone from Elance.com.

Once you decide which way to go, the important thing is not flashy graphics or the latest technological bells and whistles, but good content. You’ll need plenty of informative material that establishes you as an expert in your niche. Besides making you look like a genius, free content has the desirable effect of making people feel indebted to you. End result: when they need your product or service, they come to you, not your competition.

Articles, downloadable free reports…free content takes many forms. And don’t forget the opt-in—that’s how you stay in touch with your prospective customers and maintain that top-of-mind awareness.    Skyrocket Your Sales

Now, how many Grass Valley-area business owners reading this will decide that this is the final piece of convincing evidence they needed to put up a website? And how many of them are your competition?

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.
–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com Visit my website and sign up for my free marketing tips.
New! No cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.

Lisa J. Lehr is one of the local contributors to this website. I’ll have more about our travels in Italy tomorrow. By the way, I really appreciate Lisa’s contributions and welcome anyone else who would like to contribute to this site.

by Lisa J. Lehr

Have you heard about the tool that can bring in 90% of your sales?

If you have a website to promote your business, product, or service, there’s one tool that could literally bring you 90% of your sales. If you’re using this tool, you’re in a good position to capture the lion’s share of your market niche; if you’re not, you may be getting only 10% of the sales that could be yours. And if you’re not—and your competitors are—well, good luck!

This powerful tool is an auto responder series.

You may have heard the saying that it takes “seven touches” to turn a prospect into a client. Auto responders are the perfect way to accomplish those seven touches. Here’s why:

1.      They’re automatic. Once you’ve placed the opt-in form on your web page, and composed and queued your series of seven (or more) messages, those messages go out to your list with no further thought on your part.

2.      You create top-of-mind awareness. When your potential clients need the product or service you offer, you’ll be the first one they think of.

3.      The system is flexible. You can add, delete, or edit your messages, and/or broadcast to your entire list at once if you need to announce a special offer or news item.

4.      No one gets angry with you. Part of the automated system is an opt-out link at the end of each message. If someone is tired of hearing from you, one click and they’re removed from the list.

5.      You can up sell. You may be able to split your list into those who’ve bought from you and those who haven’t, and offer things like higher-end products and services, continuity programs, and affiliate products to your satisfied customers.

6.      You can partner with other local businesses. You send your subscribers coupons for your partners’ businesses, they do the same for you, and you multiply your list of prospects!

Auto responders are particularly useful if your product is a one-time type of purchase, or a seasonal or big-ticket item that people buy only occasionally. You don’t want your prospects to forget about you between that first “curiosity” visit to your site and when they actually need what you offer.

An auto responder series is an important part of a complete marketing program; the other parts must be in place in order for them to be effective. You need good web copy, for example, so your site visitors will stick around long enough to fill out the opt-in form. A news release may lead to a feature story about your business, which could bring in a flood of website visitors.

Your auto responders must be written well too, and can be created around any of a variety of themes: based on case studies or testimonials; focused on particular products or services you offer; or written like informative articles, establishing you as an authority in your niche.

Auto responders can truly mean capturing 90% of your potential business—or letting your competitors have it!

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.
–
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my free marketing tips.
New! No cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.