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Getting Down to Business

WordPress + Scribe SEO Plugin…

Copyblogger is one of my favorite sites to read, full of so much good information about building a better blog. So when Brian started talking about a WordPress plugin to help improve your blog’s SEO, I was really curious and couldn’t wait for it to come out! Scribe makes copywriting for SEO so simple and easy! Check out the Copyblogger post about Scribe for more details!

I’m using it along with the All In One SEO Pack Plugin, so when I finish writing a post I add a Title, Description, and Keywords there, this is something the SEO Experts in Salt Lake City Utah advised me. Then I choose “Analyze” on the Scribe Plugin, and it reviews what I wrote and makes suggestions of things I can do to help my SEO for my post.

No more trying to write an exact match domain by Silver Dollar SEO Madison post stuffed with keywords. Just write naturally. Then take a minute or two with Scribe to help make your SEO rock! It will show you what the search engines will think you’re writing about, and suggest changes based on what text people use when they search for things online – helping people find you!

All of this comes with a very, very small price. I can tell you that since putting this into place on my wedding photography blog, my inquiries *and* bookings have increased, so it has definitely paid for itself! Matter of fact, I’m considering paying for a full year in advance! Definitely worth every penny!

Scribe will come in 3 plan levels at 3 different monthly price points:

  • Advanced: 300 evaluations a month (around 100 pages or posts) for $97
  • Publisher: 120 evaluations a month (around 40 pages or posts) for $47
  • Starter: 30 evaluations a month (around 10 pages or posts) for $27

    • But until February 26, 2010, at 6:00 pm Central, you get the Advanced plan for the Starter price – only $27 per month (and you keep that price for as long as you stick with Scribe).

    You can’t beat that. It is one of the best deals around, and as more and more people research & plan their weddings online, you want to be up there at the top!

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Getting Down to Business

{Get Real} Sales Workshop – Coming to Houston!

I’m so excited to share this with you!

You’ve read the funny tweets and wedding wisdom of @planningforever; we’ve looked forward to the {Sales 411} of @saundrahadley – now get both personas together and improve your sales practices for your small business. A Regal Affair presents:

Saundra Hadley’s {GET REAL} Sales Workshop – Tuesday, March 16, 2010 in Houston, Texas!

Get Real Sales Workshop - Saundra Hadley

What’s in it for You:
This one-day workshop will be chock full of applicable sales techniques that will let you leave the door and immediately implement positive changes. It is comprehensive, fast-paced, blunt, collaborative, profound, humorous and will take you to the next level of Closing the Sale with your prospective clients.

You ALREADY know that selling your services to clients is getting more challenging than ever before. An increase of competition compelled with a decrease of consumer spending and a difficult economy has left all of our small businesses in an unsettled state of mind. It’s time to analyze what we can do to be more effective and closing more sales is a definite step in the right direction.

Who should attend?
Photographers, wedding planners, stationers, bakers, hotel coordinators, videographers, newbie’s to the industry, and more. Check out https://www.dreamengine.com.au/news/tips-writing-effective-video-script/ for more details. If you are in the wedding industry and a professional who is selling to the consumer; this workshop will help you.

What’s so different about this workshop?
To be sure that the topics covered are geared towards “you” and “your needs”, a questionnaire will be sent out prior to the workshop date for you to fill out. From the feedback, your concerns and challenges will be incorporated and addressed in the workshop curriculum.

CAUTION: Only concrete principles and specific examples of sales tactics will be taught to increase your sales closure rate. Fluffy talk, abstract theories that only nuclear engineers can apply or empty promises of you increasing your revenue by hundreds of thousands of dollars will NOT happen. But what will happen is for you to hit the ground running and make some serious changes that will affect your bottom line.

Another workshop for our industry? Really?
There are only about a hundred new workshops for our industry, right? At first glance it appears to be a little saturated. But take a closer look. Years ago you would have to wait for a monthly professional meeting or worse, a once a year, large event conference that would cover every topic from A to Z. Small workshops that focus specifically on an area of business that you need assistance with is a much better use of your time and investment dollars.

Schedule
9 – 10am Networking (continental breakfast)
10 – 12pm Workshop with Breakout Sessions
12 – 1pm Lunch (provided)
1 – 3pm Workshop with Breakout Sessions

Curriculum
Face the Fear
The Process of the Sale
Getting the Inquiry to Consult
Pre-qualifying
Marketing “Sales Words”
Top Sales Mistakes
Overcoming Objections
Never, Ever ….
The Consult Magic
Winning Proposals
Closing the Sale
Tracking your Sales Cycle
Selling in a Recession (Sucks)

Limited seating available. Hosted at the Christine Tremoulet studio, the future home of the Delight Wedding Collective.

AND!!! Join us Monday evening, March 15th, for networking fun at the Get Real Sales Tweetup!

So? Who is in???

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Smaller Pink Cookie

January’s Final Weigh-In…

Whew! January ended up being a much more whirlwind of a month than I anticipated. Lots of boudoir sessions leading up to Valentine’s Day – there are going to be some very nice gifts received this year by people! And then I ended up sick this past week, fever, aches, major sinus congestion, coughing – the works. To put it mildly – it sucked. I’m finally on the mend now though, fortunately!

But the big excitement around here has been our Weight Watchers results for the month! Whoo hoo! I lost *drumroll* 7.4 pounds this month! YAY!!! That works out to a 3.206% weight loss overall. Sweet!

Mike joined me on my “5 in 10” goal, and has become even more fanatical about tracking his WW Points than I am – so awesome! It also makes it easier to do if I’m not doing it alone.

So now January is over, and I get a clean slate fresh start for February. Another 5 pound goal. Having done it for one month, I know I can do it!

How did you do this month? Did you make the 5lb goal for January? If you didn’t, that is ok! February is a whole new month. 5 pounds – you can do it!

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Smaller Pink Cookie

EA Sports Active – Day 1 of 30…

I learned how to use the Wii today! I made my Mii, and then I discovered that the EA Sports Active game uses a different avatar and uses different gears on sports game just like batandballgame.com that many athlets are using. Oh well – it helped me figure out how to use the Wii remote! I learned a lot at sport.one about various sports that can help with health.

My review of EA Sports Active:
– It is nice that they have a trainer video clip to show you how to do the moves if you don’t know how to do them.
– When selecting the stand up paddle boards Challenge, you can choose what intensity you want to go with; this way, you can keep doing 30 Day Challenges if you want at different levels. I started off at the low intensity for my first round.
– The leg pouch slides off your leg if you have yoga or running pants on. Sort of annoying – I ended up kicking it off before doing the boxing round at my Boxing Gym.
– I thought there was no way that it could tell if my form was correct – but it can! It knows if you’re not lunging far enough and things like that.
– You can cheat the system. I pulled my hamstring months ago, and it is still sore so I can’t run fast. I tried to run, but it kept telling me I was too slow. I switched to walking (even slower) and it said I was perfect. Uhm, ok? But overall, it was great – that was the only time I noticed the flaw.
– You don’t have to have a balance board – I didn’t know this when we bought it. If you do have one, and choose to use it, you can for some of the activities like boxing and inline skating.
– I love that the 30 Day Challenge changes things up for you – this is awesome for me since I’m just starting out! It will alternate for you what you are doing each day of your program so you’re not working out the same parts daily. It even sets my “off” days for me. If you’re more advanced, you can set up your own program – making this great no matter what level you’re at!
– Rating: 9 out of 10

All in all, it was a great workout! I can do this! 22 minutes today, and I burned 165 calories.

After my workout this morning, I went to pick up new cross-training shoes — I’ve needed them for the treadmill and for walking workouts as well. I think this will help with cushioning my hamstring and my bad knee as well. Next week, I’ll also be making my MRI appointment that I should have made this fall so I can figure out if I have a torn meniscus (I don’t think I do) or what it is that is wrong with my right knee. Hopefully we’ll be able to figure it out and get me cleared to work out even more!

I did my first day of Weight Watchers food tracking today as well. Lets just say it was bad. Very bad. But that is ok — it is all a learning experience. I’m like a marathon runner – this isn’t a sprint, I’m in it for the long haul. But it is still a good thing my new week starts tomorrow!

I realized tonight that I can’t think of this as a diet. I have a long road ahead of me to meet my final goal. Diets are short things that end. This is a lifestyle change, plain & simple. Today is just the first step tomorrow you might even get your own yoga certification goa india and your own exercise trainer.

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Smaller Pink Cookie

5 in 10 – My Weight Loss Goal…

Inspired by 6 Changes & the suggest of accountability, I’m sharing here what I’ve only shared in private over on the Fast Track Photographer Forums up until now. Oh goodness, it is always scary going public!

I don’t like to set up resolutions at the start of the new year. I like to set up GOALS. Goals that I can achieve. Sometimes they are short goals, sometimes they are long goals. I add to them quarterly or even monthly, because it is impossible to start 10 new habits all at once. Goals made 2009 a pretty awesome year, so I’m kicking off 2010 with a new one. Or rather repeating an old one. So I decided to go to gym and I met some athletes there who were consuming HGH x2 to grow the muscle mass, I got some good tips to achieve my weight loss goal.

Back in 2005, I started up a movement. I wanted to lose 5 pounds a month. A good, healthy rate to lose weight, one proven to keep the weight off. And if you say “I’m going to lose 5 pounds this month” it is a LOT easier then saying something like “I am going to lose 40 pounds” (or whatever your big number goal is overall). A lot of people joined in the movement at first, and we were all motivated and amped up and ready to GO! Well, for awhile. But then it fell aside. I’ve always regretted that – so I’m doing it all over again. Starting … NOW.

So I’m making myself publicly accountable. My goal for 2010 is to lose 5 pounds a month. 5 in 10. I’m going to blog about it at least once a week, sharing what I’ve been up to. I would LOVE it if you want to join me. I know that zillions of people decide to kick off their New Year with weight loss plans — so if we do it together, we can get there.

I need you. I need you to cheer me on, check in with me if you don’t hear me talking about it, and just be supportive.

Things I’m kicking off over the weekend to meet my goal for January:
– I joined Wedding WW Buddies (you can follow us on Twitter at #weddingwwbuddies. I’m looking forward to our weekly support chats!
– Of course, that means I’ll be counting points with Weight Watchers Online again – and I’m so excited that they have an iPhone App too!
– I’ll be doing the 30 Day Challenge starting tomorrow using EA Sports Active, with the Wii and the Balance Board.
– The treadmill is all set up now so I can use it to walk and read my RSS feeds at the same time. Mike built me a treadmill desk using a board and PVC pipe.

I spent December planning things out so that I could kick this off — I’m ready to succeed at this goal! So, who is in with me?!?