Thomas Edison once remarked that “genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” Genius that Edison was, his statement encourages leaders to seriously undervalue inspiration’s importance to business outcomes. Recent research into the science and psychology of inspiration reveals it’s a critical component of creative and productive output.

Yet, inspiration is notoriously difficult to come by. Inspiration is evoked, rather than willed into existence. We’re all familiar with the trope of an anguished artist searching for his muse.

And, to a certain extent, the tendency to be swept away by inspiration seems to be written into our DNA. Those of us who can regularly reach dizzying heights of inspiration are more productive. Inventors holding multiple patents tend to score higher on the inspiration scale.

So, with inspiration being the sought-after, productivity-boosting commodity that it is, how can you inspire your team? In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 6 things to say through words or actions to inspire your team.

“Your contributions are important to our success.”

An important characteristic of inspiration is that it brings a sense of clarity. You can help facilitate this clarity by reminding your team of your company’s vision and mission. Then relate their work to the success of the company’s mission.

“We’ve achieved some important milestones.”

Progress towards goals helps evoke inspiration. Your team needs to know they’re making progress even if the finish line seems far away. Try using a visual tool to mark the team’s progress.

“Your happiness at work matters.”

Researchers have found that positive emotions elicit inspiration. There are many ways you can communicate during your meeting that your team’s happiness matters. Start by always seeking solutions to concerns your employees bring to your attention.

“You’re doing a great job.”

Work mastery helps us feel inspired. Always recognize achievements of your team and its members. And if anyone struggles, find a way to help through a mentoring program, additional training or simply aligning employees’ roles with their strengths. Also, note that creating competitiveness among your team members can hinder inspiration.

“What do you think?”

Research indicates that extraversion contributes to inspiration. You can help even your most introverted team members be more creative when you encourage the sharing of ideas through discussion.

“Mistakes are okay.”

Edison was spot on when he famously quipped, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

A key to inspiration is silencing the inner critic. In matters of creativity, leaders should let their team know that mistakes are okay. Without fear of reprisal, your team will be inspired to follow new ideas.

Inspire Your Team to Greater Productivity

As an entrepreneur, you’re passionate about your business. But it can be difficult to transfer that motivation to your team. Unfortunately, research indicates that external rewards aren’t as inspiring as we would like.

But you can use the science of inspiration to help your team reach new heights of productivity. Communicating the above statements through words and actions can help your employees feel almost as passionate about your business as you are.

The post 6 Things to Say in Your Meeting to Inspire Your Team appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

Home runs are a baseball player’s dream. Without it, the long slog to home base is a spasmodic campaign of leading off and dodging base players before rushing to home plate, sliding in just under the catcher’s mitt. But hit a home run, and all those ordinary hurdles vanish. It’s a guaranteed score.

Nudging prospects through the sales funnel can feel a lot like rounding bases through a line-up of no-hitters. You’re left hoping to make the sale before the prospects fall off and the game ends. Building a home run sales funnel means getting more prospects to the sale more quickly.

In this article, we share top tips to building a sales funnel that draws in quality leads and propels them skillfully to the sale.

Know Your Ideal Client

Examine your recent leads and sales. Analyze everything you know about them and look for the traits buyers have in common that are absent from the prospects who fell away. You’ve just identified the traits of your ideal customers.

Create a Strong Brand

Now that you know your ideal client, it’s time to create a strong brand they’ll find attractive. Remember, selling is an emotional experience. That’s why this Diet Coke ad features a customer breaking into a dance on an empty street. Nothing about Diet Coke would make a person suddenly able to keep a beat. But Coke knows that’s how their customers want to feel.   

Share and Create Stirring Content

Share and create content that speaks to how your ideal clients want to feel and be. Have you ever noticed that SUV commercials always show drivers enjoying the view from the mountaintop they just drove to? Most SUV owners never kick it into 4-wheel drive much less drive along an empty ocean beach. But they all want to.  

Develop Relationships

Just like with other relationships, building a connection takes one-on-one time. That’s where your website comes in. When prospects get to your landing page, it’s just you and them. Make the most of this quality time by building trust.

The trait common to all successful relationships is trust. You can earn the trust of your audience when you create authoritative content that helps them solve their problems. Your goal is to be the website your prospects visit repeatedly to get answers. That takes a lot of great content.

There are well over a billion websites on the internet. Yet content marketing with a one-in-a-billion website is still a top marketing strategy. Of those who use content marketing, 91 percent saw a positive impact.

Trigger the Deal

You’ve zeroed in on your ideal client, spoke to their desires and developed their trust. Now it’s time to close the sale.

No matter how logical a customer seems, making a purchase is largely an emotional decision. And whether the next step is signing on the dotted line or clicking “Place Your Order,” every customer will likely feel at least a twinge of the same emotion: fear.

To close the sale, you have to help the client overcome their fear. To do that, you have to identify what they’re afraid of. Then offer a way to ease that fear.

Score More Sales with a Home Run Sales Funnel

Using data about your existing customers can help you create a brand that will attract your ideal client. Your content marketing strategy can speak to your ideal client’s emotions and earn their trust. With a strong relationship in place, you can score more sales without wasting time on prospects who aren’t a great fit.

The post How to Build a Home Run Sales Funnel appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

Hey, you knew running your own business would be tough.

You’re under enough pressure to sweat diamonds. You’re taking on more roles than Nicholas Cage. And the weighty decisions you’re faced with can make you feel like that Greek guy holding up the world.

And although you knew being an entrepreneur is a stressful gig, you were ready because you also knew you have what it takes.

But now it’s 2022 and entrepreneurs are saddled with a whole new set of challenges. Read on to see if you have the 5 traits of a successful entrepreneur in 2022.

Resilience Brings Entrepreneur’s Success in 2022

McKinsey & Company defines resilience in business as “the ability to withstand an unpredictable threat or change and then to emerge stronger”

Resilient entrepreneurs see challenges as opportunities for growth. They don’t just weather short-term problems. They look for the in-house weaknesses that made them vulnerable to the current crisis. Then they develop long-term solutions to make themselves better.

Successful Entrepreneurs Are Optimistic

If all you ever read were headlines, you may think the world has a one-way ticket in a handbasket. Covid-19, supply issues, fuel prices and climate change all seem like reasons to worry.

But successful entrepreneurs see the silver lining.

According to Deloitte, 53% of private companies say the pandemic has improved their business’s profitability outlook for the future. These companies are adapting by implementing strategies that make the most of the “new normal.”

Instead of worrying, these optimistic companies are being proactive. They’re implementing strategies such as boosting productivity, beefing up technological infrastructure, and capturing market shares lost by their less nimble competitors to create their best future.

Profitable Entrepreneurs Have Strong Sense of Purpose

Purpose is the reason for your company’s existence. A strong purpose withstands challenges, inspires employees and earns your customers’ loyalty. And more and more businesses are turning to purpose to light their path in an increasingly unpredictable world.

In 2022, purpose will help your business grow. One study found that consumers are four to six times more likely to purchase from companies that have a strong purpose.

Successful Entrepreneurs in 2022 Love Technology

Maybe back in the day you never got around to learning how to program your TiVo. But if you want to be a successful entrepreneur in 2022, you better know how technology can make your business better.

The pandemic accelerated our adoption of technology. Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and remote platforms are just some of the emerging tech that has gone mainstream. And the ways these technologies can help your business are multiplying.

Entrepreneurs need to love and embrace technology.

Smart Entrepreneurs Are Environmentally-Minded

Climate change is already impacting business. Natural disasters cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion between 2010 and 2019, an increase of more than $1 trillion the previous decade. Insurance costs, supply chain issues, and overall operating costs are all impacted by these natural disasters.

Smart entrepreneurs understand how climate change will affect their business and develop a strategy to minimize its impact.

Smart entrepreneurs will also incorporate green practices into their business operations. Most green practices will save money and implementing them now will help you stay ahead of the government regulations that are almost certain to come.

Going green will also increase consumer loyalty to your brand. One study found that about 70% of consumers think sustainability is an important factor in their purchasing decisions. And that number is likely to increase.

What It Takes for Entrepreneurial Success in 2022

Do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in 2022? Of course, you do.

Entrepreneurs love challenges, and these past few years have delivered them in spades. If you’re running your own business in 2022, you’ve already demonstrated the resilience, optimism, and strong sense of purpose to succeed. And while technology may be a learning curve, embracing it is half the battle. And sustainability? You already know what’s it’s like to have the world on your shoulders. So give Atlas a helping hand and give your business a boost in the process.

The post 5 Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur in 2022 appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

Feeling stressed? You’re not alone.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Americans’ stress levels have steadily risen since the beginning of the pandemic.

About a fifth of Americans said their mental health was worse in 2020 than the previous year. By 2021, a third were feeling more stressed just making day-to-day decisions. And here we are, in 2022, and stress statistics gathered by the APA indicate our stress levels are at “alarming levels.”

Clearly, Americans could use some strategies for relieving all that stress. In this article, we zero-in on the unique ways entrepreneurs feel stress and offer up some stress-relieving tips tailor-made for enterprising spirits like yours.

Stress Impacts Entrepreneurs’ Health

You already know entrepreneurs are wired differently. According to an article published in the Journal of Managerial Issues, entrepreneurs tend to have one of two personality types, Type A and Type B. Each of these types is suited to running a business. Stress also impacts each of these personality types differently.

Psychologists already know that people with a Type A personality tend to feel more stress and experience stress-related health problems. Their competitiveness, high level of motivation, and tendency to overwork make those with a Type A personality prone to coronary heart disease, regardless of their profession.

Type B personalities tend to feel less stress than their Type A counterparts. That doesn’t mean you’re out of the cross hairs when it comes to stress-induced health problems if you’re an entrepreneur with a Type B personality. As it turns out, Type B’s running their own business are prone to a particular type of stress.

Stressors Unique to Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are in a league of their own when it comes to the variety of stress they experience.

• The pressure of responsibility is a big deal for entrepreneurs. You have to make difficult, risky decisions that can impact your business, your family, and your employees.
• Entrepreneurs fulfill many roles. Salesperson, manager, recruiter, job creator, financial forecaster—just to name a few. If you literally wore all those hats, you’d only be missing the unicycle for a great circus act.
• Roles tend to conflict. The sheer number of a business owner’s roles is one thing. But a whole new level of stress occurs when those roles collide, especially when work roles collide with family roles. As it turns out, Type B entrepreneurs find the tension between work responsibilities and home roles the most stressful.

Ways Entrepreneurs Can Relieve Stress

Obviously, being among the 16% of the American workforce hustling to build a successful business means you have more than your fair share of stress. Here, we’ve got you covered with the best stress-relieving tips for entrepreneurs as you wind your day down.

• Write it down. Stress tends to create looping thoughts in our heads. These loops make the solution difficult to see. When you write the sources of your stress down in an entrepreneurial journal, your brain switches into high-level, problem-solving mode.
• Make a plan for the following day. Even after you pin those worries down in your journal, you still have your to-do tasks orbiting around like an asteroid belt in your mind. Make like Bruce Willis and blow them out of the sky by writing them down as part of a plan for the following day.
• Review your roles. Revisit Stephen Covey’s seminal book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In it, Covey talks about the concepts of roles and making sure you’re paying attention to your most important roles. When you feel like your work life is bulldozing your home life, plan small ways to refocus on the people closest to you.
• Meditate. That means you, too, Type As. Meditation isn’t just for the granola-types. Research shows meditating thickens your pre-frontal cortex. Not only will you be reducing stress, you’ll be super-charging your powers of concentration and decision-making. And that sounds like a pretty good way to avoid stress altogether.

There’s a gazillion tips out there to destress at the end of the day. To find the best stress-relieving tips for entrepreneurs, it’s important to recognize all the unique ways running your own business creates stress. Then, figure out what—specifically—is responsible for the flash flood of all those stress hormones. And if all else fails, clear your mind the way Bill Gates does—by washing the dishes every night.

The post 4 Incredible Ways to Destress at the End of the Day appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

LinkedIn marketing may not seem important at first glance. The platform has fewer than half the users of Facebook. And far fewer of LinkedIn users are active when compared to Facebook’s users, who post an excessive 350 million photos per day.

LinkedIn is decidedly austere when compared to its social media siblings. You won’t find wedding photos or birthday memes. And thanks to LinkedIn users’ professional restraint, you won’t find provocative political posts either.

Compared to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, LinkedIn marketing can seem stuffy and basic. So why bother?

Because LinkedIn is a recruiting, marketing, and branding heavy hitter for small businesses that know how to use it.

LinkedIn Is Social Media for Professionals

Rather than trying to fill every social media niche and win by sheer numbers, LinkedIn does one thing and does it well. LinkedIn is a social media platform for professionals and their companies.

LinkedIn has about 800 million users, and just about half of them log in monthly. Half of LinkedIn users are college-educated and earn over $75,000 per year. About 10% of them have a significant amount of decision power in their organizations. At least 10 million LinkedIn users are corporate executives and they overwhelmingly trust content they find on LinkedIn.

If yours is a B2B company, LinkedIn offers the most effective social media marketing. More than half of social media traffic for B2B sites was thanks to LinkedIn. And once those users have engaged with you, they’re 50% more likely to make a purchase.

Tapping Into the Power of LinkedIn Marketing

Realizing all the benefits of LinkedIn marketing takes a strategy that utilizes the platform’s many tools.

Optimize Your Company’s LinkedIn Profile

• Include your logo as a profile picture.
• Choose a cover photo that enhances your brand.
• Include keywords throughout your company’s profile.

Create a LinkedIn Marketing Content Strategy

Your LinkedIn marketing content strategy raises your profile and establishes your company as a thought leader.

• Create your own content (long articles perform better).
• Mix it up with surveys and videos.
• Share events and company news.
• Share links relevant to your industry.

Highlight Your Company’s Culture with LinkedIn Marketing

Industry-related content establishes your company’s expertise. But you’ll need content that highlights your culture to make your company likable and approachable.

• Share employee news and recognition.
• Share “behind-the-scenes” photos and content.
• Share the ways your company is making a positive impact in your community.

Explore LinkedIn Like Marco Polo

Marco Polo wasn’t the first explorer to visit China, but he was the explorer who learned the most about China.

You, too, can understand how LinkedIn can help your company grow when you explore LinkedIn’s resources for small businesses. From recruiting to advertising to connecting directly with prospects, LinkedIn can help your business succeed.

Until now, your online marketing has probably focused on search engine results and standard social media marketing on busier platforms. But none of the other social media sites can zero-in on the key decision makers that purchase your products or services. LinkedIn can calibrate your marketing efforts for higher conversions.

In other words, take a page from LinkedIn’s success. By focusing its audience, LinkedIn earned $10 billion in revenue in 2021. And when you incorporate LinkedIn marketing into your company’s wider online marketing campaign, you can target decision makers and see your company grow.

The post How Well Are You Tapping Into LinkedIn? appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

When most people hear the word “dictator,” they think of some outrageous characters. Darth Vader, Dr. Evil, certain psychopaths in the headlines. No one thinks of themselves as a dictator.

But dictators in business are a common bunch. They’re just not so easy to spot because they don’t wear a pitch-black exoskeleton. If you’re a leader in business looking to avoid the dark side, you need to know these 3 key differences between a leader and a dictator.

Leaders Inspire, Not Intimidate

Telling an employee, if they don’t get a certain task done on Friday, to not bother coming in on Monday is a classic dictator move.

Dictators use intimidation and fear to ply their employees into getting the job done. The most common fear tactic is the threat of being fired. But dictators can also threaten a demotion, lost vacation time, or a pay cut to get what they want.

The trouble with intimidation—besides the obvious—is that the dictator always has to step in and make threats. Intimidation is a drain on the dictator’s time and energy. Threatened employees will simply never care enough to do the work without the dictator’s intervention.

Inspiring leaders model the behavior and work ethic they wish to see from their team. Leaders understand that, on the whole, people want to work hard and do well. If their team falls behind on a project, leaders step in with extra effort. They show up early and stay until the job is finished, knowing their employees will follow their example.

Leaders Create a Team, Not Rivalry

Rivalries can crop up in many ways. Sometimes a seemingly benign competition can undercut the unity of your team. A sales competition in which there’s only one winner can create a rivalry that harms the whole business. Sometimes, dictators create rivalry through a kind of emotional blackmail. Playing favorites or ignoring employees when you’re unhappy with them is a subtle tactic of tyrants.

Leaders understand that creating competition between team members often backfires. Rivalries erode teamwork. And in the absence of strong teams, employees are less engaged, less creative, and less productive.

Leaders know that teamwork amplifies individual strengths and talents. They help their employees see their own strengths as well as the talents of their teammates. Teams with a strong leader know that an individual’s success boosts the entire team.

Leaders Empower Employees

Dictators, on the other hand, bulldoze their employees. They see themselves as their employees’ boss. They see their employees as tools to accomplish various tasks. The problem with managing as a “boss” is similar to managing with intimidation. Bosses always have to oversee employees to ensure they are doing the right task at the right time.

Leaders see themselves as a coach or mentor to their team members. Recognizing each employee’s strength, a leader encourages the employee to use their talents in their daily work. They give their employees space to use creative solutions in their tasks. When leaders empower their employees, they’re increasing both engagement and innovation.

Leaders Are EQ Geniuses

It’s easier than you think to slip into dictator mode. Any number of workplace stressors can have you bossing your team around like B-movie villain. And therein lies the real difference between leaders and dictators: degree of emotional intelligence. Dictators may excuse their tactics as necessary to achieve business goals. But in fact, dictators are eliciting a host of negative emotions to get their way. They rule by making their employees feel inadequate or fearful.

But when you choose to be a leader, you’re inspiring and empowering your team. Your positive leadership style will build up your employees and help them accomplish more. Not only will you avoid the tired trope of the “horrible boss,” you’ll take your team’s productivity and success to new superhuman heights.

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