by Darlene Gudrie Butts | Apr 10, 2019
Is your website working for you or hurting you?
Let’s face it. Your website stands in for you 24/7. When people go to your url and check it out, they are checking YOU out. Do you think it is a fair comparison? Is your website doing a good job impersonating you?
Here are three quick ways to determine if your website is the wingman you want:
1. Look at the first thing people see. Does your graphic, banner, or picture let people know in 5 seconds or less whether they are in the right place? Or, is it confusing, inconsistent or just makes a really bad first impression?
2. On your home page, read the first three sentences. Do they clearly convey what you do specifically and for whom? If they don’t, people will bounce. Nobody has endless time anymore to scroll through your perfect, industry-based, highly intelligent prose until they decipher what exactly you have to offer. See what I mean???
3. Do the graphics look good? If they are low-rez, poorly lit photos or mismatched and inconsistent, visitors will think you are low-rate and unprofessional. Instead of showing them the competent, have-it-all-together, best-choice-in-the-world professional version of you…you have shown them the Saturday morning, hung-over, ready-to-quit-because-your-client-bailed, soiled PJ’s you. They are both you and they both have their place. You would never show up to a meeting like that so why show up on your website like that.
We have all seen bad Las Vegas impersonators that make you feel all squirmy and awkward, as well as ones that make you wonder if they are the real deal. Make your website make people feel like they are interacting with the real deal.
Have consistent, high-quality, very clear messaging and graphics so you make the best first impression no matter where you are!
by Darlene Gudrie Butts | Jul 11, 2018
In the past, I struggled with achieving big goals. I became overwhelmed or distracted and then lost hope.
After researching mindset for almost ten years, I have finally figured out a system that works, regardless if the goal is small or HUGE! I have manifested money in minutes and I have met the perfect person in the most unusual circumstances who has helped me achieve a goal.
To me it is magic!
So, if you are ready to make things happen, here is what you need to do:
- Get clear about what you want to happen. If you do not have clarity, your focus shifts from option to option and you never get close to achieving your goals. If you want more money, decide exactly the amount. If you want a particular job, write down every detail including location, salary, company culture, hours, flexibility, responsibility and benefits. If you want to lose weight, decide the weight you want to be.
- Decide that you are going to achieve this no matter what. It amazes me the number of people who set a goal without any real intention. I want to lose 10 pounds is clarity. I am going to lose 10 pounds this year is a decision.
- Hold a vision of your success. Whether mentally or on a vision board, create a vision of you succeeding. Hold that vision and trust it over reality. Until you can see success, you will not achieve it. Create a detailed picture that feels authentic, real, and yours.
- Believe. Fall madly in love with your vision and have faith it is yours. No matter what is happening, believe it is coming and be grateful it is yours. Faith is the most powerful force for achieving a dream.
- Take action. Take relentless, consistent, I-will-succeed-or-die-trying kind of action to make it happen. You don’t need to know all of the steps to take. You just need to take the next logical step. Do all you can in this moment and miracles will start to occur.
These steps will help you achieve your goals and create the life you have dreamed of. Each step is important and must be taken to achieve results.
Try it and make your dreams come true!
by Darlene Gudrie Butts | May 24, 2018
One of the biggest mistakes companies and business owners make is they think people are buying their product or service.
That is wrong!
People are buying what those goods and services do for them and how they make them feel.
They are buying a story, not a thing.
People remember stories long after they remember facts. That is why Lincoln is selling the cool, everyone wants to be like him Matthew McConaughey lifestyle instead of leather seats and horse power.
It is also why I only remember what Brendon Burchard said at an event in 2009 when he was still relatively unknown and shared the stage with some pretty big heavyweight personalities including Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken soup for the Soul. He told the most compelling story of a student of his. I laughed and cried all within his twenty minute presentation. In that story, I learned of his passion to help others, his ability to provide a strategy for someone struggling, and his ability to craft an amazing message. I wanted to work with him!
Whether it is on your website, in a commercial, in a Facebook Live or a blog, tell people a story they will remember. Show them who you are and let them feel the transformation your product or service will bring to them. The deeper you can connect with them on an emotional level, the more successful you will be.
If you have difficulty crafting a story-based message for your business or mission, book a Clarity Call here and let me help you! It is the key to success!
by Darlene Gudrie Butts | Mar 30, 2018
I shared the Fearless Women Summit stage in Toronto and Barrie (you can see links to my talk on my speaker page) with women who had incredible stories. Listening to them, I realized that I had the definition of fearless wrong.
I thought fearless meant that you never felt nervous, anxious, or nauseous about ANYTHING! I had never really thought about it but, as one of the speakers pointed out, to be fearless, that definition of fearless, you are dead!
What does fearless mean then?
These women shared stories about overcoming illness, death of a loved one, poverty, oppression, and injury. They were hit by some of life’s biggest challenges. Yet, they persevered without any guarantee that things would get better.
That is fearless!
Fearless isn’t feeling confident and bold, it is about feeling nervous, anxious, and nauseous and still moving forward. The confidence and boldness comes after the throwing up and then taking action.
The trick to a successful life is to take action even when you are terrified.
My new definition of fearless is not living less because of fear. It has nothing to do with not feeling fear. It has to do with not letting fear stop you from living the life you want.
Fear + Action = Success
Simple equation.
Life-changing application!
by Darlene Gudrie Butts | Mar 14, 2018
Sometimes we wonder “why.”
Why did this happen to ME?
Today’s plan: fly to San Diego via Chicago.
Reality: 3 hour mechanical delay, get off the ground finally for Chicago and they close O’Hare due to weather, we get diverted to Milwaukee for fuel, and the crew times out.
Bonus trip: Milwaukee!!!
Bright side: I am not travelling with small children, I have water and food, I do not HAVE to be in San Diego today like those who missed birthday parties, wedding rehearsals, and a funeral.
But, I wondered why me falling asleep in Milwaukee instead of San Diego.
Most times we never get an answer to a question like that.
I did.
I sat on my flight to Phoenix ( best option to get to San Diego on day two) between two good friends. They did the old “book the two outside seats because no one wants to sit in the middle” move. They were wrong as the flight was full and so I sat there. I gave them an option to sit together but they said no.
We talked about everything, as three women have a tendency to do. It came up one of them just lost her job and she was reeling from the impact and confused as to what to do.
I told her my story and told her she needs to give herself permission to live her life for her. She started to cry. She needed to hear those words and I got to deliver them because I got diverted yesterday.
I believe the Universe is constantly conspiring on our behalf. I am not sure if someone else would have sat in my seat and did the same thing. I’m not sure if there would have been anyone sitting there at all if there hadn’t been dozens of us put on the plane to Phoenix because of the grounded flight. What I know for sure is that my 36 hour travel time to San Diego was easier to take knowing I had a positive impact on a stranger sitting beside me in the airplane.
I wish I could promise never to ask “why me” in the future when things go wrong after seeing such a clear reason this time. I can’t. I do hope that this will take the sting out of it next time knowing that everything has a reason, we just sometimes don’t get to see it.
by Darlene Gudrie Butts | Mar 14, 2018
I am at the Global Influence Summit in San Diego and Brian Smith, the Founder of UGGS, just finished his talk. He as an AMAZING story!!!
Seeing every type of person wearing UGGs around the world, you only see the success. Brian Smith climbed a series of mountains and slid down into the darkest valleys, including at one point not even owning the company due to a legal snafu, on his crusade for every person in the world to want a pair of UGGs.
I would highly recommend you read his whole story in Birth of a Brand but I wanted I wanted to share my top five nuggets of wisdom (there were plenty to choose from) that I gleaned from his story.
- Never advertise the product, advertise the benefit. When you read this statement you think, of course you advertise the benefit, yet, how many people in the last week have tried to sell you a product. People want to know what is in it for them. What kind of lifestyle will they live if they use your product? Will they look and/or feel younger, more attractive, or smarter? Will life be easier? That is what you need to talk about.
- Be a benefactor, not a salesperson. Brian talked about how he didn’t just sell UGGs to the surfer stores. He helped them design their merchandising for more sales. He helped them come up with new marketing ideas that not only affected the sales of UGG’s but everything in their store. When the UGGs got into trouble, these store owners supported Brian because he was more than just a salesperson, he was a partner looking out for the best interest of the store owner.
- Your brand is what your customers think of you. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent on branding every year. In the end, how your loyal customers think of you and your product is YOUR brand. Therefore, you need to promote yourself and your products in a way that aligns with what you want your customer to think of you. A disconnect can spell disaster.
- Go looking for what you want, don’t wait for it. When Brian graduated as an accountant, he immediately started looking for business opportunities. He realized that all of the cool stuff was coming out of California so he moved there from Australia to find something to bring back home. He was a surfer and from a magazine ad for sheepskin boots he came up with the idea of starting UGGs.
- Defeat is not real until you give up. Including losing ownership of the company and suffering business losses to a copycat, Brian had several moments when it looked like failure was inevitable. But, he couldn’t give up. So, even though on paper there were a lot of defeats, he never let them become reality. He fought back every challenge doing what he could to make UGGs a global brand.
You may be like me and just assumed that UGGs went from zero to the over a $1 Billion in international sales every year in an instant and without much drama. You would be wrong. And, the story of Brian Smith and UGGs is similar to a lot of stories of companies who are international conglomerates. The road to success is not paved with gold. It is paved with blood, sweat, and tears and requires tenacity, commitment, and a belief in the business and oneself that obliterates what is seen in reality.
By following Brian’s tips, you might be the next UGGs!
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