It's No Secret with Dr T.

This podcast was recorded in Powell River, which is a small mill town in British Columbia, Canada. Yesterday I spoke at their Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon and it got me thinking about looking for and creating your own opportunities.

Pretty much don’t sit back and wait for opportunities to come to you because it could be a long wait and may never come. And I must admit, I have been guilty of this in the past. BUT, about 6-months ago I was planning a family holiday to Vancouver, Powell River and Phoenix for a conference I attend every October, before heading back home.

Soon after locking in our dates, I saw an ad in our local newspaper, the Cairns Post, about an upcoming Chamber of Commerce luncheon and the guest speaker was from out of town.

When I saw at the topic I immediately thought, 'I could have spoken about about that', and I know about ten other people in Cairns that were quite capable and qualified to speak on the same subject.

Anyway, after seeing the ad I remembered something I heard a friend say once that made me laugh.

"Even Jesus had to leave his hometown for people to listen to him".

So an idea popped into my head. What if I contacted the Powell River Chamber of Commerce and asked if I could speak at their luncheon if they had one.

I sent off an email explaining I had written two marketing books and would love the opportunity to speak and shortly afterwards I received a reply email saying YES, and before too long a date was booked and a luncheon was created.

As I mentioned I did this presentation yesterday and there were about 50 people present, which was a great turnout for a small town.

I spoke about one of my favourite subjects, the Six Pillars of Marketing and the feedback from the audience and emails I received later that day were all positive, but more importantly, I learnt a big lesson.

You can’t wait for opportunities to present themselves, sometimes you have to get off your bum and create them yourself.

Now, they could have said NO, but they didn’t, and it made me realise that I should have also contacted the Chamber of Commerce in Vancouver. I didn’t need to worry about Phoenix because I was already locked in to speak.

If you enjoy public speaking, you want to get better and gain more experience and you have a message that is valuable and worth sharing with others you need to put yourself out there and see what happens.

Hiding in the shadows waiting to be invited is not going to get you anywhere.

Contact local organisations if they’re available and if you’re travelling out of town, and overseas, contact the local Chamber of Commerce and ask to speak. 

I know not everyone wants to do public speaking and if you had asked me twenty years ago I would have been one of those people as well, but once you understand the opportunities that await you once you know how to control this fear, the better off you and your business will be.

"There are two types of speakers. Those that get nervous before they speak and liars". - Mark Twain

If public speaking terrifies you, start small and talk about something you know extremely well, and build from there.

Creating your own opportunities applies too much more than public speaking. If there are no networking groups in your area or ones that you want to be part of, create your own.

If you want to get together with like-minded people maybe you need to be part of a mastermind group or create your own mastermind group.

When it comes to marketing, what are you interested in or better at than anyone else at, and can you develop this into a niche for your business and create new opportunities.

Creating opportunities is only limited by your imagination and if you feel you're lacking in this area, get together with your team, family or friends and discuss this concept further. 

Now go out there and create an opportunity for yourself. 

I hope you get something from today’s podcast and if you have any questions, please send me an email at [email protected]

You'll also like Make Hay While The Sun Shines

I've added a new event to my Events page that you may want to check out. 

Also, you can Sign up for my newsletter if you want to be kept in the loop about what I'm up to, and believe me; it's a small loop.   

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First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door. This was written to get you thinking. 

Eric Hunley is a Senior Business Systems Analyst in Virginia, USA and he openly admits his career choices have not always been overly exciting, even though he has authored three books and taught at the University of Arizona. 

On this podcast we discuss:

• Finding fulfilment outside of your daily employment
• Job security and benefits
• Difference between a job and a career
• Removing crutches
• Being open to other peoples advice
• Keeping your mind stimulated with outside interests

Monday Morning Tip:

Remove every obstacle in your path that could hinder your progress. 

For example, if you decide you're going to go for a run in the morning, at 4.30am life will suck. Therefore you need to have everything already set out. You need to get changed and go outside. If you still don't feel like running, then don't. 

Eric does have a very successful podcast called UNSTRUCTURED: DYNAMIC INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS. You can check it out at https://www.unstructuredpod.com

If you have any questions about the podcast, please email me at [email protected] and if the mood feels right, share this podcast with your friends, family and work colleagues, and even better still, leave a review on iTunes. 

You'll also like:

Episode #35: Mastering Your Mindset with Deb Johnstone

Do you want to know How To Start A Podcast? If so, I'm running an event in Cairns on the 26th and 27th of October. More details are on my Events page. Check it out or Sign up for my newsletter and be kept in the loop.  

Yes, you'll have to give me your email address but don't panic you can get the free info and unsubscribe afterwards.  

First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door.

I’ve been in Vancouver with my family for the past seven days, and I have to say that Vancouver is a pretty cool place to visit and it’s surrounded by so much natural beauty, which makes it unique.

No wonder it has been named as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

Anyway, yesterday we visited the Vancouver Police Museum, which I highly recommend if you’re in Vancouver, and as I was looking through the exhibits and photographs from the early 1900’s, it struck me that so many cities in the same era looked very similar. It’s hard to tell them apart.

So, why am I mentioning this?

It’s because regardless of how similar they all were in the early 1900’s, over the past 100 years most cities have developed a particular uniqueness or an iconic figure that separates them from each other.

When you think of Stanley Park, you think Vancouver. The Golden Gate Bridge, you think San Francisco and closer to home when you see a picture of the Opera House you immediately think Sydney, Australia.

And it’s the uniqueness of each city, which is NOW used in their tourism marketing.

This concept of creating uniqueness got me thinking about how small businesses need to be doing the same thing.

I was reading a blog article on Linkedin, written by Richard Branson and he said every airline starts with the same components, but what sets them apart is their people.

Think about that for a moment.

Most airlines have similar aeroplanes and use the same airport, so it’s their uniqueness that separates them from their competitors, or as Richard put it, it’s their people.

This blog article got me thinking about my career and a question my wife asked me many years ago, and I think her question applies to every profession, trade, and career.

“How come you can go through university, learn the same information from the same lecturers, pass the same exams, yet within a few years of leaving university you all practice so differently?”

To put this question in context, my background is podiatry and this question related to my podiatry business in Cairns, and she was comparing my podiatry business to all the other podiatry businesses in the area.

At the time my business had the latest equipment and offered services that no one else in town even considered. My podiatry business was leaps and bounds ahead of my competitors and I used this to my marketing advantage.

So here’s my question to you, and the point behind today’s podcast, what sets your business apart from your competitors? Do you have some form of uniqueness that you can use to your advantage and make it part of your marketing strategy?

If you cannot tell your ‘ideal clients’ why your business is different and what it is that sets you apart from your competitors, how on earth can your clients tell you apart?

They can’t.

And this is why the person down the road who you know provides an inferior service or has less training than you do is kicking your butt, or at a minimum taking some of your clients.

So what do you need to do?

Have a team meeting and write down all the services you offer and all the small things you do that you know your competition don’t do. Note down everything that makes your business unique.

When this list is complete, you need to convey this information in all your client communications and all your marketing. Be proud of what make you unique.

You need to be like Vancouver and shout out proudly what makes you better than every other city in the world. Don’t keep what makes you great a secret.

Did you know that Stanley Park is 10% bigger than Central Park in New York City? No. Well, you do now.

You need to find the Stanley Park in your business.

I hope you get something from today’s podcast and if you have any questions, please send me an email at [email protected]

You'll also like Learn & Profit From Their Mistakes

I've added a new event to my Events page that you may want to check out. 

Also, you can Sign up for my newsletter if you want to be kept in the loop about what I'm up to, and believe me; it's a small loop.   

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First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door. This was written to get you thinking. 

Victoria Mavis lives in Munich, Germany and is a professional Magician, speaker, author and business coach. Using her vast skills of close up magic, large stage performances, illusions and mentalism, she can help small business owners see the unseen and open their minds to new opportunities. 

She helps make the impossible possible in their businesses. 

For more detailed show notes, please visit my website https://www.tysonfranklin.com/podcast 

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]

You can connect with Victoria Mavis at https://www.victoria-mavis.com

I attended a business seminar/workshop in Cairns many years ago and during one particular exercise, we had to write down our financial goals for the upcoming year and also all the activities we would do to make it a reality. After doing this, as instructed, the presenter started messing with our heads and made us add a zero. 

Listen in to find out what happened next. 

If you have any questions, please send me an email at [email protected]  

You'll also like The Brain Book

I've added a new event to my Events page that you may want to check out. 

Also, you can Sign up for my newsletter if you want to be kept in the loop about what I'm up to, and believe me; it's a small loop.   

FREE DOWNLOADS:

First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door. This was written to get you thinking. 

Renee Hasseldine is based in Melbourne, Victoria and is the author of Share Your Passions. She helps entrepreneurs, coaches and thought leaders to unpack their thoughts and turn them into intellectual property using visual models.

Many service-based businesses have value locked in their heads, which is invisible, but if this can be unlocked using visual models, it can communicate what they do quickly and in turn boost sales. 

1. Success Model
2. Educate Model
3. Excite Model
4. The YES Model

For more detailed notes please visit my website https://www.tysonfranklin.com/podcast or email me at [email protected]

Renee Hasseldine can be found at https://www.shareyourpassion.com.au  

I'm sure you’ve all heard the saying ‘make hay while the sun shines’, which means making the most of your opportunities while you have the chance to do so or take advantage of favourable circumstances when the time is right. This phrase originated with English farmers in the 1500’s and a hundred or so years later extended into general life and quickly became a cliché.

I’ve had a few situations over the past couple months that reminded me of the importance of this saying in our day-to-day lives, regardless of what you do.

Situation #1: I was at a networking event, which was quite loud, meaning I was almost yelling for most of the night. This took its toll on my voice and the next day I was scheduled to do a podcast recording, and I couldn’t talk, so I had to reschedule the podcast for a few days later.  

Situation #2: I went to Podcast Movement in Philadelphia in July and even though I was not talking loud, I was meeting a lot of people and talked a lot over the three day period and pretty much wore my voice out. While I was there I was being interviewed and fortunately, I managed to get through it. 

Situation #3: I got the dreaded ‘Man flu’ last week, so as I record this I’m probably still not 100%, but I’ve recovered enough to do this podcast, plus I can edit out an odd cough if it occurs. 

So what does this have to do with making hay while the sun shines?

Let me explain. I produce a weekly podcast show where I interview a guest and also a short Five Minute Friday (FMF) episode each week just like this one.

So far I’ve never missed uploading an episode on time, but that’s only because I’ve made hay while the sun shined. I have guest interviews recorded at least four weeks in advance and a few FMF episodes on standby in case they are needed.

Podcasting has taught me that my voice is critical and without it, I’m buggered.

But it’s not just my voice that can prevent my podcasts being uploaded on time. It’s not uncommon to have Internet problems, computer hardware and software glitches, power outages, and last minute guest cancellations.

All these events are why I must plan ahead. In addition to this, I have to prepare for holidays and other work, social and family commitments.

In an earlier Five Minute Friday I talked about Creating A Disaster Folder, which is extremely important, but making hay while the sun shines is just as important, if not more so. If you make hay while the sun shines it can give you breathing space when the sun is not shining and covered by thick grey clouds.

When I owned my podiatry businesses, we made a lot of orthotics, and we had computerised milling machines in place that could make them quickly, which is why we offered a 24-hour fitting service.

Most patients loved our fast service, but some were in no hurry and didn’t mind waiting for two or three days for their fitting visit. And this is when problems occurred, not with the patients, but with the podiatrists.

Because the orthotics were not due the next day, the podiatrists wouldn’t do the design straight away, instead, they would put it off to tomorrow, the day after that or the day they were due.

BUT, this is why you need to make hay while the sun shines.

Instead of doing the orthotic design and having it milled out straight away, ready to be fitted (while the sun is shining and the time is perfect), they would wait. And what could go wrong?

• Computers can crash
• Software can fail 
• The milling machine can break a drill bit
• LAB TECHNICIAN CAN CALL IN SICK
• A simple power outage.

So did this happen often? No, it didn’t, but it should never have happened. 

If you have time to do a task right now…then do it, because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. And making hay while the sun shines doesn’t just apply to work; it applies at home as well.

Start timing yourself how long it takes to do specific tasks at work and home. You may be surprised it doesn’t take you as long as you think and you can fit far more in during that 40-minute time window than you thought possible. 

If you have any questions please send me an email at [email protected] or visit my website tysonfranklin.com 

Scott Ginsberg resides in New York City and he holds the world record for wearing a name tag longer than anyone else. In fact, he his name 'Scott' tattooed on his chest. He has written 38 books, produced 9 music albums, is a TedX speaker and has a game show called Steal Scott's Ideas. 

At 38 years of age, you'd have to call him an underachiever...NOT!!

I met Scott Ginsberg in Cairns in 2009...

For more detailed show notes please visit https://www.tysonfranklin.com/podcast 

And please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

I am Currently updating my Events page. Check it out now or Sign up for my newsletter and be kept in the loop.  

FREE DOWNLOADS:

First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door.

I’ve had a lot of podcasts guests over the past month, and we’ve talked a lot about Google rankings, getting on page one and improving your SEO, which when we say SEO we mean Google.

I get quite annoyed, and my guests shared my frustrations when we hear about businesses paying an SEO company $500 to $1500 per month and not knowing exactly what they are doing for them.

And when I ask, ‘So what is your SEO company doing for you each month’, I get met with the same response.

"OH, there…UM, doing some Facebook adverts and Adwords and me, and optimising my website, so it gets ranks better".

Okay, so which parts of the website are they optimising?

"The parts that were not ranking".

What the!!!

Estie Rand from Episode 54, said it best – If you’re not on page one, there’s no point, and if you're on page one for something no one is looking for, then it means nothing as well.

If you’re using an SEO company, they should be able to tell and show you exactly what they are doing and when they are doing it. And what results you're getting, from what they are doing. I've had some coaching clients tell me their SEO companies get mad when they ask what they are doing for them each month. Seriously?

Recently I was talking to someone at a networking event, and when I asked what they did, they said they did social media marketing for small businesses.

And before I could ask my next question, they told me they have only just started and don’t know what they’re doing, but they are getting better.

And right there is the problem with some social media.

Anyone can do it, with or without qualifications. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are plenty of SEO companies that are very reputable, I’m just frustrated with those that are questionable, and there seems to be more and more every day. 

Write Good Content. It is that simple.

Write content for the sort of things people are searching for in your industry or profession. You can use Google Keyword Planner, but here’s an idea I think works just as well.

What questions are friends, family and new acquaintances asking you at dinners and BBQ’s? What problems are people phoning your business about on a regular basis?

The person that answers your phone should be noting down these questions and giving them to you on a regular basis. You should be using these questions as a guideline for writing long articles, Blogs and faqs.

A blog, for example, answering a specific question is going to do far better than any Adword.

And yes, a potential client may click on the Adword first if it’s at the top of the page, BUT if the Adwords takes them to a page that does not answer the question they were searching for it will annoy them.

I know some people don’t like to write, or they don’t feel they are good at writing. If that’s you, you could outsource this process, or find a different medium.

Maybe you should be using video or audio as an alternative to writing.

When I owned my podiatry businesses, I was writing one or two blog articles per week and was also writing for the local paper every month. In addition to this, I was creating videos and audio for my website on a regular basis, so content creation was never an issue, and it still isn’t.

But I know for some it is a big issue, which is why I am developing a solution to solve this problem. I can’t talk much about it right now, but stay tuned.

Bottom line, there are multiple ways to create content, but regardless of what you choose, you need to make sure the content you’re producing is the content people are searching. If you do that, you won’t have a worry in the world.

If you have any questions please send me an email at [email protected]  

And if you liked the idea behind this episode about SEO and improving your rankings, you'll also enjoy:

Episode #55: Why Linkedin Rules Over Other Social Media with Adam Franklin

Episode #54: Marketing by Zooming Out with Estie Rand

Episode #50: Indispensable Marketing with Patrick McFadden 

I am Currently updating my Events page. Check it out now or Sign up for my newsletter and be kept in the loop.  

FREE DOWNLOADS:

First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door.

Adam Franklin is the co-author of Web Marketing That Works, an Amazon #1 Best Seller and he is an expert when it comes to Linkedin, using video and getting the most out of your social media marketing.

He is an expert in content creation, and in 2015 his blog was Australia's #1 business blog, so he knows what works and what does not. Adam also is a partner at Bluewire Media. 

Many of the social media platforms have become more significant than everyone initially anticipated, and over the past decade they have evolved and changed, and things that worked a few years ago are no longer working.  

For detailed show notes please visit https://www.tysonfranklin.com/news/podcast/1656-why-linkedin-rules-over-other-social-media

If you have any questions about this podcast or associated notes, please send me an email at [email protected]

You can visit his website: BLUEWIRE Media 

Adam's FREE GIFT:- 33 Free Marketing Templates 

Other Cool Stuff: 

Here's the link to the Cheap Lapel Mic 

Headliner - This is the program I used to create subtitles for my short videos. 

I am Currently updating my Events page. Check it out now or Sign up for my newsletter and be kept in the loop.  

FREE DOWNLOADS:

First 16 Pages of My Book – It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business.

12 Secrets to Get More People Through Your Front Door.