Work Hard, Play Hard

Here is how you can balance work/personal life.  From Thriving Business feed

 l.  Contest for your customers and non customers

2.  Reward yourself.

3.  Use humor

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Thriving Business <newsletter@thrivingbusiness.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 3:20 AM
Subject: [BTS] Work Hard, Play Hard
To: Jorge <jorge.saguinsin@gmail.com>

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Issue # 148 - December 18, 2012 Dear Jorge, Have you ever regretted starting your own business because you are working longer hours than ever before, missing family commitments, or you don't enjoy it anymore? It's just not fun. Many business owners have experienced this exact feeling, and if this is you, please know that you are not alone. However, the good news is that you can do something about this challenge and make your life enjoyable again. In today's Main Essay, you will learn three strategies that will allow you to add some fun back into your business, while making it more successful at the same time. In today's Check It Out section, I share information about some shortcuts you can use to create winning marketing promotions that send you avalanches of customers and prospects.   We hope you enjoy this issue of the Thriving Business Newsletter. Cheers, Jynell Berkshire Associate Publisher ThrivingBusiness.com Inc.    Work Hard, Play Hard By Jynell Berkshire Most people start a business because they want control over their destiny and financial independence, while doing what they enjoy at the same time. However, often times the feeling of control fades away when you have to work long hours and miss family functions to meet deadlines. Before you know it, you begin to regret ever starting the business in the first place. Does this sound like you? Sure, you can escape and take a much long overdue vacation for a week or two.  But the fact remains that you probably haven't fixed the underlying issue. You are simply not happy in your business. The excitement of being a business owner has left and you find yourself not having fun anymore. The daily grind of operating your business has taken over. Operating your business can be serious, but it doesn't mean that you can't have fun while doing it. You have heard that ole saying "work hard, play hard". This generally means that you can work hard and long hours during a business day and then balance this out with intense leisure activities once the business day has concluded. So, wouldn't it be nice if you could ease up a little and enjoy life while you're actually at work? Many people think that work and fun are opposite activities and that you can't combine the two. But in reality, your life is better when you have fun at what you do, including fun at work. It is a common fact that people who are happier usually have a tendency to be more successful and healthier in their lives. So, let's look at three strategies on how you can add some fun into your business, while making it more successful at the same time. Strategy 1: Create A Contest For Customers And Potential Customers One way to increase sales for your business while having fun at the same time is to create a contest for your customers and potential customers. Contests are fun and an inexpensive way to build a buzz for your business. After all, everyone loves to win free stuff. The beauty with a contest is that you can take a potential customer who may not know much about your business and turn them into a customer or reinforce the loyalty of an existing customer. Just make sure that every person who enters your contest understands the rules. For example, let's say you own a printing company and your contest is the "Ugliest Business Card Contest". The contest rules are simple. Any person who visits your store that month is eligible to receive the opportunity for your business to redesign the look and layout of their business card. All they have to do is to drop their ugly business card in a container located next to your cash register in your store.   Then, if their business card is selected as the ugliest business card, your company will redesign the card for them. You will also then give them 500 business cards for free with the new design and a coupon for 25% off any additional purchases. Do you see what just happened here? Not only did you give them an incentive to enter your contest, but you also potentially just increased your sales. By offering 25% off any additional purchases, who wouldn't want to order letterhead, envelopes or other products to match the new design on their business card that you just created, right? Plus, wouldn't it be fun to see what some of the ugliest business cards look like? I am sure it would be a smile to your face and make you laugh. Do you ever struggle to come up with fresh new ideas for marketing your business? Have you ever been frustrated by the disappointing results of a marketing promotion – especially when you had invested a lot of time and money? Have you ever wished there were shortcuts for quickly creating winning marketing promotions that attract customers and prospects like the Pied Piper? If you answered "YES," to any of these questions, then you really NEED to see these… Shortcuts for Creating Winning Marketing Promotions These shortcuts (from Marketing Geniuses, BILL GLAZER and DAN KENNEDY no less) really blew me away. Check them out and let me know what you think. Strategy 2: Reward Yourself For Completing Tasks Another way to add some fun to your business and to make it more successful is to reward yourself when you accomplish certain task-oriented projects. A really simple way to do this is using an egg timer or another type of timer. For example, you can set the timer for a specific period of time to work on a task, and then work on that specific task for that entire time. This is a very effective strategy, because when you see the timer counting down and you have committed to yourself that you are going to get the specific task done within the specified period of time, you end up accomplishing amazing things during that dedicated focus period. This not only makes you more productive, but it also enables you to turn the task into a fun activity. So, reward yourself for this accomplishment. For example, if your goal was to the complete the task within the specified period of time so you can leave the office early to go and play golf, then do so. Don't make excuses as to why you can't leave the office early to enjoy yourself. After all, you have earned it. Strategy 3:  Use Humor To Interact With Customers A third strategy is to interact with your customers through humor. Not only will you make them laugh but you will also laugh right along with them. Using humor to interact with customers can be a marketing gold. The key is to let your customers know that you just don't want their money but that you are a "real person" that they would enjoy doing business with. By being a little silly, weird, or even clever, you can quickly build a rapport with your customer. Humor though can be a double-edged sword. For example, if you use it well, customers will be yours, but if you use it poorly if can be offensive; thus discouraging your target audience from wanting to do business with you. Humor should fit your personality and product. A perfect example of this is how Bill Glazer has incorporated outrageous advertising in his business through his marketing materials. Bill is known for his masterful blend of humor and powerful, innovative advertising methods that have earned him a worldwide reputation as being a leader in advertising copywriting. Bill definitely likes to make people laugh by poking fun at himself. His advertising methods are shear genius. If you want to learn how Bill has created winning marketing promotions that you too can incorporate into your business, then click here. So, there you have it, three strategies on how you can add some fun into your business, while making it more successful at the same time. Here's to you having fun! 1.  Create a contest for your customers or potential customers that offer a product or service of your business for free. This will not only increase the buzz about your business and make things more fun, but can also increase your sales.  For example, you can include a special discount or coupon that the customer or potential customers can take advantage of. 2.  Reward yourself for completing tasks within a specified period of time.  Consider using an egg timer (or other timer) to help with this. 3.  Use humor in your business to interact with your customers or potential customers. A perfect example of this is to incorporate humor into your marketing materials or promotions. Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Post your comments here.   Forward this email to a friend! ThrivingBusiness.com Inc. 10412 Allisonville Road Suite 201 Fishers, IN 46038 USA Toll Free: 888-579-9922 Fax: 877-579-9933 Contact Us By Email: support@thrivingbusiness.com © Copyright 2012 ThrivingBusiness.com Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contacting Us:  Please note that this newsletter email account is not monitored.  If you need assistance or have feedback for us, please contact us at support@thrivingbusiness.com or by clicking the link in the Share Your Comments Section above. Note about URLs:  If URLs do not appear as live links in your e-mail program, please cut and paste the full URL into the location or address field of your browser. Disclaimer:  ThrivingBusiness.com Inc. only recommends products that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come from people we know and trust. For doing so, we may receive a commission. We will never recommend any product that does not have a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee. Nothing in this email should be considered as providing legal, financial, accounting or estate planning advice. While some of the authors may be attorneys who have discussed various legal, business and other concepts herein, nothing herein can be construed to constitute specific legal advice or recommendations. No communication by our company or employees to you should be deemed as personalized legal, financial, or estate planning advice. The social media icons contained in this newsletter were obtained from IconDock.

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