Tough economic times aren’t real until they impact you personally, but when they do … watch out!

It was clear after the Impact Event, that many of my friends aren’t feeling the pinch at all while others are experiencing intense pain that first stuns, then cripples and HOPEFULLY eventually moves them into massive action all the way to completion.

If they don’t get through the stages, they die an economic and many times very personal death.

So what are the stages of change?

What’s It Going To Take For You To Change?

Lots of people have heard of the five stages of grief, but did you know there are five stages of change?

Psychologists Carlo DiClemente, PhD, and James O. Prochaska, PhD, identified five stages of change, in a study on smoking habits. The stages that they identified include precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

Guess what! The same stages are involved when you try to move your impact to the next level.

In precontemplation you aren’t even thinking about changing so let’s ignore that stage for now.

Once you get to the contemplation stage,  you are most likely to respond to feedback and education as sources of information about growing your impact.  Then in the preparation stage you commit yourself to changing and seeking a plan of action.

If you are in the action or maintenance stages you are actively changing your behaviors and environments.

That’s where the researchers found that social reinforcers were most important.

Then there are the relapsers who cycle back into earlier stages.  Yes, it’s true we DON’T always move forward in a straight line climb to the top!

So where are you and what can you do to really change the results of your business, your actions and your life?

1. If you are unaware. Wake up! Start reading, looking and learning.
2. If you are contemplating making a change, continue your education and start moving into action. Meet people who are doing what you are doing and start with a first step.
3. If you are taking action.  Keep it going! Small steps that are COMPLETED make a huge difference at this stage!Also remember the importance of social reinforcers to your success.  Everyone needs support.  That’s why live events like jvAlert Live are so important to your success!
4. If you are actively moving and taking massive action all the way to completion, this reinforcement becomes even more important, so that you don’t lose the momentum that you have built up.  It’s easy to be distracted or discouraged, so use other people to keep you on track and moving forward at full speed. Other people can be INSPIRING!
5. If you backslide, regroup and start where you are.  Don’t get discouraged when you fall back a stage.  It’s a natural part of the growth curves that we all face. Perspective can be a very useful thing, so look around you and discover who else has experienced what you are going through right now.

If things aren’t working out for you now, then NOW is the time for change.

Things aren’t going to get any better any earlier than today and the sooner you start the sooner the payoff comes.

I’m taking my own medicine

Standing up and preaching about other people making changes is easy, but actually doing it is another thing.

Most of us ALREADY know what we need to do!

We just aren’t doing it.

Six Steps to Success In Tough Economic Times

• Consolidate
• Focus
• Innovate
• Expand
• Make Offers
• Market Actively

Let’s take them one by one.  I’ll use my own business as an example to get your ideas flowing …

Step One: Consolidate

When times get tough, there is no room for dead wood.

Time is short.  Money is short and you can’t waste either on things that aren’t producing solid results.

In the boom times, it’s easy to waste time and money and it really doesn’t matter all that much.  As long as your needs are being met it’s not that big a deal to waste a little time and money because there is plenty to go around.  But, when times are tough, you need to focus on activities that produce quickly with the least amount of time and money investment.

That means cutting loose projects that are eating resources and not producing results.

So …

It’s time to consolidate my server operations and high speed lines.

I have 11 servers in my basement with a T-1 that’s costing me about $1,100.00 a month just for the line.

My basement data center is a legacy of all of the projects that I’ve created over the years and most of it is outdated, poorly maintained and under utilized.

Bottom-line, a bunch of money that is going out without results.

It’s been too much effort in the past to make the changes to move everything off site and into managed servers in state-of-the-art new data centers, but NOW is the time to do it.

Every month, I lose money by not doing it, so investing money in tough times to get it done makes sense.

Over the next month or two, I will be moving all of my servers off-site, closing some websites and programs and consolidating others.

If it’s not working …. It’s gone …

because I clearly need to …

Step Two: Focus

If things are going well, feel free to try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, but when the going gets rough, it’s time to focus on your key strengths and key projects.

We are all good at doing many things and most of us THINK we are great multi-taskers, but those can both be handicaps when money gets tight.

In the past, I’ve built world-class software systems, launched membership sites into the top 2,000 sites on the Internet, written a best-selling book and that’s all well and good, but if I want to succeed NOW then right now I need to focus on the key skills that can produce quickly with a high probability of success.

And …  I need to just focus on a few key projects.

How many unfinished projects do you have?

If you are anything like me it’s in the dozens if not hundreds.

For each project that you add to the pile, you lose focus and immediate CASH FLOW.

Let’s say a project takes 30 days to complete and start generating money and let’s assume that there is ZERO time lost by running three projects at once. (Not true, but some people are convinced that they can run three projects as quickly and effeciently as one.)

That means that if you do one project, complete it and generate cash in 30 days then you have …

Cash in 30 days.

Yes!

Now try starting three projects, complete them all in 90 days then you have to …

Wait 90 days before you have any cash.

If you do them serially you have cash in 30 days, double that in 60 days, triple in 90 days.

So … FOCUS!

My current focus is jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. June 12th, 13th and 14th and I’m making HUGE changes in the event that you really want to take notice of — I’ll tell you about all that in just a minute.

Maybe this is you …

• Feeling like you just can’t get started?
• Need something to get you off your “behind” and  into action?
• Feeling like you need some big-time help?
• Want some inside techniques that really work?
• Want a clear handle on the basics?
• Need some joint venture partners to kick you up to the next level?
• Need to get out of your basement and meet real people that are already doing what you want to do?
• Need answers to a few technical questions?
• Need help putting everything together?
• Need some feedback on your next project?
• Feel like you just can’t break into the “big-time” success that you see others having?

You will meet at least two major roadblocks when you first try to create and sell products or services on the Internet.

1. Creating your first product and the tools that you need to sell it.  (web site, graphics, packaging, etc.
2. Getting the first sale.

jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. can you help remove both roadblocks with one comprehensive system, great tools  and some giving and talented people to help you move past the roadblocks that are holding you back.

Don’t kid yourself.  Internet marketing requires some expertise and reading it in a book is just not the same thing as actually doing it.

It’s not rocket science, but it is an art.

Luckily, jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. has the people with the experience and knowledge that you need.  They have done it before, pushed down the roadblocks one-by-one, and come out smiling on the other side.  They can show you how to do it too.

I see the insides of “real life” projects every day.  I have an amazing viewpoint at the center of a group of people that work together in a regular “idea factory” of a place called jvAlert.

You would be amazed at the people that are in this group.

At jvAlert I  actually arrange for these top-level people to work with you on YOUR projects and then they turn around and promote your products too.

Imagine working on your project with people like Ken McArthur, Anik Singal, James Malinchak, Stephanie Frank, David Preston, Milana Leshinsky, Ron Davies, Susan Preston, Frank Sousa, Bob Yeager, Shannon Cherry, Trever Toecracker” Crook,Doug Champigny, Jane Mark, Phil Basten, Holly Cotter and more, more, more!

They are ALL going to be at jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. and a pile of other experts too!

So where does YOUR project come into this?

I developed a very unique “Hot Seat” that is perfectly designed to get you feedback and even more crucial, exposure to people that can really make a difference for your project.

Here’s the way it works …

When you register for jvAlert Live Washington, D.C., you are given the opportunity to apply to be on the “Hot Seat.”

My Inner Circle Team selects the best ideas and those ideas are assigned a spot on the “Hot Seat” schedule.

The presenter of the idea prepares a 15 minute presentation to pitch their idea to the “Hot Seat” panel of experts and all of the people who attend the event.

Then the fun begins …

You get to listen in as our panel grills the person on the “hot seat” and picks their project to bits.

Then we turn right around and build it back up with ideas from the best minds in the business.

You KNOW you are going to pick-up some great ideas from this series whether you are in the “Hot Seat” or comfortably watching someone else squirm a little as these top-level professionals show you exactly (and specifically) how to take a starting idea and turn it into REAL money.

But, even more important than that, you and I can spend some quality time together one on one.  I know that we can come up with ways to work together that will make this year great for both of us.

Which brings us to the next key step for business success in tough economic times.  You definitely need to …

Step Three: Innovate

At jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. we are taking the “Hot Seat” to a whole new level of innovation.

In the past we have put together amazing people in a warm family that supported them and remarkable things happened.

Now we are going PROACTIVE and INNOVATIVE while we RAISE THE BAR on success.

If you have an existing company with a project idea that is currently making $20K - $30K per month and think that you are ready to create a start-up that will take you straight to the top, we have a team in place to get you there.

IMPACT STRATEGIC JOINT VENTURE INITIATIVE

We are Matching People and Resources to Create Multi-Million Dollar Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations

• Individuals and groups with million dollar ideas
• People who need funding for existing projects.
• Businesses actively looking for joint venture partners
• Companies that need key partners to market and promote their business
• Organizations that want a broader reach
• People who want to get their ideas, products and services out to millions instead of thousands

OUR BUSINESS INCUBATOR PROGRAM CAN HELP

The Impact Strategic Joint Venture Initiative is a business incubation program designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by The Impact Advisory Board and offered directly through the Impact Inner Circle and its network of contacts.

According to the University of Michigan, “Successful completion of a business incubation program increases the likelihood that a start-up company will stay in business for the long term: Historically, 87% of incubator graduates stay in business.”

The Impact Strategic Joint Venture Initiative is dedicated to start-up and early-stage companies and offers creative and innovative business assistance services, which are the hallmark of this unique program.

In 2005 alone, North American incubation programs assisted more than 27,000 companies that provided employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenues of $17 billion.

Entrepreneurs who wish to enter the Impact Strategic Joint Venture Program must apply for admission.

Each applicant must compete a detailed questionnaire and be personally interviewed by a member of our Impact Inner Circle Team.

Projects selected for this program will be evaluated by our Inner Circle and select projects will be presented to the entire Impact Advisory Board who will identify key projects that the Board is interested in supporting and accepting into the program for comprehensive support.

Accepted projects will be actively and individually analyzed for the purpose of generating a management team, business plans, start-up funding, key joint venture partners and strategic resources to create your own multi-million dollar organization.

KEY ELEMENTS OF THIS PROGRAM

• Evaluation
• Education and Mentoring
• Team Building
• Proactive Business Creation and Funding
• Marketing, Business Building and Strategic Partnering Support

If you are interested in this program or putting your project on the “Hot Seat” at jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. please let me know immediately.  Time is very short on this project.

Of course not everyone can be at jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. so in order to make sure that as many people as possible can participate in our solutions in tough economic times we definitely need to ….

Step Four: Expand

You don’t need to build your business by yourself!

You can use our team to turn your ideas, products and services into a top-level business working together as a member of a brand new group because …

We Can Do So Much More When We Work Together Than When We Work Alone

You can get started right now for FREE - Because I have a gift for you …

FREE Beginning Joint Venture Success WEEKLY Teleconferences

• Weekly Collaborative Webcasts with Clear Action Steps  to Build Your Financial and Business Success, using the combined resources, skills, knowledge base, relationships and experience of the entire group
• Introductions to other potential JV partners
• Group coaching

EVERY TUESDAY AT:

• 11 AM Eastern Time( GMT-5)
• 10 AM Central Time
• 9 AM Mountain Time
• 8 AM Pacific Time

Just call on our conference line:

1-308-344-6400 and when prompted enter the PIN 660711#

Which takes us to …

Step Five: Make Offers

So many people, plan, create, build, talk and never make any kind of an offer.

You won’t make any money if you don’t offer your products and services to the public.

In hard economic times, you should be constantly making offers to see what people are looking for.

In an economic downturn most individuals and companies FREEZE their activities when they see that there is uncertainty.  The typical attitude is to wait and see what happens before committing resources for unknown results.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for the long-term.

People can’t do nothing forever or they just go down the tubes.

If you are out there making active offers on a regular basis, when things start to kick back in, YOUR offers will be the first ones that the prospects see.

Step Six: Market Actively

Companies and individuals who actively market their products and services during a recession experience on average a 109 percent increase in sales when the economy recovers as compared to companies that stop marketing during an economic downturn.

However you may want to adjust your messaging to:

• Emphasize value and savings
• Be very specific about benefits
• Highlight customer results and testimonials

During an economic downturn, INCREASE contact with your customer base is crucial.

It may take longer to close the sale, so right now is the time to start.

All the best,

Ken McArthur
SpeakUpSaveLives.org
TheImpactFactor.com
KenMcArthur.com
jvAlertLive.com
And many more …

P.S.  jvAlert Live Washington, D.C. is June 12th, 13th and 14th.  The Early-Bird Special is almost GONE!

Click here to see who is coming!

Also, Here’s the addresses to find me on Twitter and Facebook …

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/KenMcArthur

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ken-McArthur/20103565427

P.P.S. Latest posts to my blogs at:

Ken McArthur’s Marketing Thoughts Blog
http://learningfolder.net/blog/

Ken McArthur’s The Impact Factor Blog
http://TheImpactFactor.com/blog/

P.P.P.S. Hint, hint …

Want to learn everything I know for less than $15?

Click here to get my latest hardcover book!