Being a woman in business online, one of my favorite  – and highly effective – marketing / networking strategies is social media and I was thrilled to be recently identified as one of the “Top 20 Responsive Women You Need to Follow on Twitter” – By Holly Reisem Hanna founder of The Work at Home Woman.

The recognition sparked a question from my friends, followers and fans: “Gina, how can I be viewed as a responsive on Twitter too?”

My answer begins with a question for you:

When you login to Twitter to update your status, are you looking at the mutual benefit OR do you have a more singular “what’s in it for me” focus?

Now, don’t get me wrong. We are all in business to be successful and a BIG part of that is making money. And we all want to capture people’s attention (in a good way). The problem is that when we lead from a “what’s in it for me?” intention it comes across as salesy and one-sided.

Think of any relationship in your life… If it was consistently one-sided how long would it last?

People love to buy but they don’t like to be sold to. At a consumer level you already know this so why then do you keep trying to SELL?

The key to attracting new clients and making money through Twitter without being salesy is to shift your intention.

Be interested in others first rather than trying so hard to be interesting to them.

If you are using Twitter for business, do it in a way that adds value and increase to others rather than a blatant sales pitch – Yes, there IS a difference. It may seem counter-intuitive at first but it really works.

Below are two specific things that I do consistently to be responsive.

I believe that adding value and increase to the lives of others without expecting anything in return is the key to reciprocity. What goes around comes around.

Everyone who follows me receives an automatic direct message (auto-DM). I stopped using this technology for a while when people started to abuse it but I’m using it again very effectively.

I don’t know about you but I get DM spam in my twitter inbox every day. Anything that’s similar to “Hi! Thanks for following. Check out my website here …” or “Hi! It’s great to meet you. Here’s my FREE report” gets deleted immediately.

So how do you get YOUR auto-DM to stand out from the crowd? Remember… you’ve got to shift your intention. The example DM’s above are me-focused and salesy. What can you say that shows genuine interest in others and even gets conversation started?

Here’s mine…

“Hi! Thanks for reaching out! What do you love to tweet about the most? ~ Gina”

And guess what…

People respond. People tell me every day what they love to tweet about most. And just the other day someone added that they normally don’t respond to DM’s at all but mine was self-centered at all and they liked that.

The difference between the spammy salesy DM’s and mine is that it engages conversation and builds rapport and opens a door to what really matters… real relationships with real people.

The second thing I love to do is to connect people that should meet. This one’s easy but the key is to pay attention. Read people’s Twitter bios, take notice of what others tweet about and connect like-minded people. This is a great way to make sure you’ve shifted your intention to being interested in others first.

Twitter is where I meet my best joint venture partners too. It’s really become the hub for a lot of my joint venture marketing strategies. If you’ve been wanting to develop joint venture relationships there’s still time to join me for the Ready to JV 4-week Tele-Course starting March 10th. Just one successful joint venture can dramatically up-level your business.

So now YOU can do what good tweeters do. Give it a try and keep me posted on what you experience as a result okay. I’ll share more tips on how to be more responsive on Twitter again soon.

Wait! While you’re here, I’d sure love for you to share your thoughts and experiences below okay.

~ Gina xo

I’m so excited to let you know about a zero-sales-pitch, no-fee-to-attend interview series I’m participating in this month…

It’s called The Best Business Advice Ever Series (I love that!)

When I think about all of the advice I’ve been given over the years to start and grow my business, I’ve often thought that it would have been so much easier had I only learned some of it a lot sooner!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could bypass the frustrations and go directly to what works?

This month, my colleague Sherri Garrity is continuing her free Business Advice Series with top-notch entrepreneurs who are sharing their best business advice ever in 15 minutes or less.

This is your chance to hear from each of them what’s worked, which mistakes they learned from the most, and the one piece of advice they have to share with you. The event starts March 22 with a special presentation by Sherri on Why the Typical (and traditional) Business Advice Doesn’t Work.

All you have to do is sign up for the series. It’s completely FREE.

All of the interviews are short, and to the point, so you can listen to them over a cup of coffee, or while you’re in the car or running errands.

Don’t miss this event – Sherri’s pulled together an incredible range of guests and her kickoff presentation is sure to cut to the core of what you need to do to build your business to its peak potential.

Go check it out and register for this FREE event at: http://snipurl.com/uwv9u

~ Gina xo

.
.
.
.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

How To Defeat The Top Five Challenges Women In Business Online Face

October 6, 2009 – There are several challenges typically faced by business women online:

• effective marketing
  
• consistent cashflow
  
• work-life balance
  
• navigating technology
  
• and productivity
  

When a female entrepreneur doesn’t know where to start tackling these issues, it’s only normal to look to successful peers for the answers. The problem? States Gina Bell, Founder and President of the International Association of Women in Business Online (IAWBO), “When you emulate and basically copy another business woman online, you are not being YOU. And, in the end, your authenticity and future, long-lasting success is sacrificed.”

Ms. Bell is now asking the question: “How does she do it?” in order to enable business women to model success the right way. A series of telephone calls with multi-faceted, passionate business women takes on the five challenges and busts them wide open.

Taking place on October 16th and 17th, the teleseries highlights sixteen successful women who provide their insights and favorite online and offline resources for achieving success: Marie Forleo, Carla Young, Sheri McConnell, Tina McAlister, Elena Verlee, Laura West, Andrea Constantine, Sandra Martini, Helen Herman, Debbie LaChusa, Shannon Cherry, Sherri Garrity, Kim DeYoung, MaryPat Kavanagh, Michele PW and IAWBO Founder & CEO Gina Bell.

Ms. Bell points out, “There are always those things that we wish we had known from the start, from day one. And these women mentors are able to help other entrepreneurs avoid possible stumbling blocks and hurdles, just by sharing the stories of their greatest mind shifts and breakthroughs.”

Registration for this free event on October 16-17, 2009 is available online now at http://www.how09.com Those who register will receive a FREE starter membership to IAWBO, the International Association of Women in Business Online including an audio recording and transcript of “3 Keys to Creating Fun, Fame & Good Fortune Online Quickly With Confidence & Authenticity (and why doing what you love is essential for success, but on its own is not enough).” Teleseries attendees also have a chance to win prizes after listening to the calls, by sharing their own “aha” moments from each episode.

The “How Does She Do It?” teleseries is a free event which has been organized by Gina Bell, Founder and President of the International Association of Women in Business Online (IAWBO). IAWBO is a membership site that includes monthly strategy and mastermind calls, a private social networking forum, an extensive educational audio collection and a “How To” University featuring Expert members who share their expertise through webinars, reports, videos and more. To learn more about IAWBO, visit http://iawbo.com.

Contact:
Gina Bell, President & Founder
International Association of Business Women Online (IAWBO)
PO Box 33081, Regina, SK S4T 7X2
Ph # 1-866-320-6397
Email: gina@ginabellinc.com
###

#How09 is proudly sponsored by IAWBO, International Association of Women in Business Online. Doors open Oct 16th.

I’m thrilled to be this month’s guest expert for Michele PW’s Kaching Community Calls. The Call is on Thursday October 1st at 12 PM Pacific/3 PM Eastern and it’s FREE when you register at kachingcalls.com

Call Topic: Discover How To Stop The Knee-Jerk Reaction of Comparing And Copying So You Can Create Success Online (Your Way) With Authenticity And Confidence!

Sometimes we look on with pure fascination – absolutely amazed by the seemingly effortless success the expert is creating. Other times though, we ask this question out of frustration. Watching and wondering HOW can I create that kind of success too? And all too often are left hanging without the foggiest idea where or how to even start.

Have you ever noticed or experienced what often happens next?

“How Does She Do It?” is a question we’ve all wanted the answer to at one time or another and each time we ask it, or think it we risk falling into what I call “the comparison trap!” It’s that knee-jerk reaction to compare yourself to the expert.

Find out:

• What is the comparison trap and how can you bounce back fast if you fall into it
• The “UnBlueprint Philosophy” to modeling success
• The one shift that removes struggle and makes creating success effortless and joyful
• Top 5 challenges women in business online are facing and how you can navigate them without struggle

Register at kachingcalls.com

“See” you on the call,

~ Gina xo

Have you ever had a conversation like this?

THEM: [Insert your first name], thank you SO much!

YOU: Oh, it was my pleasure. I’m so happy I could help.

THEM: Seriously, I really appreciate this. If there’s ever anything I can do to help you please let me know?

YOU: um, er, oh sure, thanks, I will.

Okay… stop! Reality shift time…

How often does this dialogue occur? Probably pretty darned often – and more than you realize.

And, how often do entrepreneurs make the most of it? Rarely (which is such a shame!). The good news… you’re not alone. The bad news… this is a HUGE missed opportunity.

Now, let’s flip this around. What if the next time this dialogue unfolds you were prepared with a relevant response, a specific way that they could help you if they are able?

Wow! right?

So… what is your one thing?

What kind of “help” do you need right now? What challenges are you facing? What one thing can others do to help you?

* Can they connect you to someone in their network?
* Make an introduction? Provide a testimonial or endorsement?
* Take you as a guest to their networking group?
* Provide advice or feedback on something specific?
* Teach you how to do something?
* Recommend a resource?
* Help you spread the word about something exciting?
* What exactly can others do to help you?

The possibilities are endless!

Okay, now it’s your turn…

ACTION STEPS:

1) Think about this and set a goal to be able to answer specifically and relevantly the next time someone offers to help you… Make sure it is clear and specific.

2) Go the extra mile by sharing exactly how others can help you here by posting a comment to this blog. And, if you have a story or example of how you asked for help and got it – that would be great to showcase here too! {Oh and who knows… you may discover ways that you can help others too!}