<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Monika Mundell</title>
	<atom:link href="http://monikamundell.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://monikamundell.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 01:08:51 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>How to Become a Pro Negotiator</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/how-to-become-a-pro-negotiator?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=how-to-become-a-pro-negotiator</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/how-to-become-a-pro-negotiator#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:44:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[female negotiation skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to negotiate like a pro and keep your feminine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to negotiate rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negotiation skills for female business owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negotiation skills for female entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pro negotiation skills for women in business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1493</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Successful negotiating is a question of perceived value. When the perception about the value of your services goes up, your client pays more” ~ Monika Mundell The first thing you need to understand about negotiating is that’s it’s not a battle to certain death. Successful negotiating creates a win/win situation for both the client and [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1494" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 306px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/takingtimeout.jpg" target="_blank"><img class=" wp-image-1494" title="beach" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/takingtimeout.jpg" alt="negotiation skills for female entrepreneurs" width="296" height="198" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Your time is better spent on the beach, than chasing clients who don&#39;t want to play ball</p></div>
<p><em>“Successful negotiating is a question of perceived value. When the perception about the value of your services goes up, your client pays more”</em></p>
<p><strong>~ Monika Mundell</strong></p>
<p>The first thing you need to understand about negotiating is that’s it’s not a battle to certain death. Successful negotiating creates a win/win situation for both the client and you.</p>
<p>Everything we do in life is based on the exchange of value we place on things.</p>
<p>So if you want to fetch higher fees… you need to give clients more perceived value. It’s really as easy as that.</p>
<p>Some of my students have asked me how they can do that without losing their whole client database.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing… you do it step-by-step.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">How to add value to your services in record time.</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>The more popular you are, the more value you can bring to the market</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Relevant experience is key if you want to be perceived as an expert. Unless you can demonstrate that ability to a potential client your perceived value will decrease in their eyes</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Create your own market and become unique – it’s the fastest way to 6-figures</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s your style? Are you a cool cucumber or a hot head? Trust me… one closes sales with ease while the other tends to lose out</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Do you practice “indifference?”</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">The customer is NOT always right!</span></h2>
<p>Look… as an expert in your niche you can set your own rules.</p>
<p>And just to be the devil&#8217;s advocate, the customer isn’t always right!</p>
<p>So stop rolling around in the dirt to service people who don’t value you or your time. The sooner you do this… the more money you stand to make.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">What are your value principles?</span></h2>
<p>Your MOO (Method of Operation) – Or quality standards are better set ahead of the game.</p>
<ul>
<li>Set clear boundaries of how you work…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What will you tolerate and what not?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What deadlines work for you?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will you work on the weekend or not?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Can you walk away from a low value client?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Do you value your time?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How will you demonstrate this to your clients?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How will you charge for projects – by the hour, by the day or per project? Note: I always charge by the project…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How will you treat people who miss appointments?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will you consult for free or actually value your knowledge and expertise? Don’t become the unpaid consultant…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will you do coffee shop meetings?</li>
</ul>
<p>Get clear on your non-negotiables and the actual negotiation process will be much smoother.</p>
<p>Over to you.</p>
<p>Do you have some <a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">negotiation tips for women entrepreneurs</a>?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/how-to-become-a-pro-negotiator/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>4 Ways To Negotiate Like A Seasoned Pro</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/4-ways-to-negotiate-like-a-seasoned-pro?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=4-ways-to-negotiate-like-a-seasoned-pro</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/4-ways-to-negotiate-like-a-seasoned-pro#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:26:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriter on the gold coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting mentor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gold coast copywriter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to best negotiate a good deal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to negotiate like a pro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negotiate like a seasoned pro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negotiating 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pro negotiation for SMEs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1488</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Your lack of planning doesn’t mean that I have to be responsible for your urgency.” ~ Monika Mundell The first rule of engagement in negotiating rates is to stand strong. You are the expert. So you already KNOW just how awesome you are. You&#8217;ve paid for the mentoring&#8230; completed your apprenticeship, and spent years refining [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1489" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/feelingaffluent.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1489" title="feelingaffluent" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/feelingaffluent-300x199.jpg" alt="negotiate like a pro" width="300" height="199" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Good negotiators get paid more...</p></div>
<p><em>“Your lack of planning doesn’t mean that I have to be responsible for your urgency.”</em> <strong>~ Monika Mundell</strong></p>
<p>The first rule of engagement in negotiating rates is to stand strong. You are the expert. So you already KNOW just how awesome you are. You&#8217;ve paid for the mentoring&#8230; completed your <em>apprenticeship</em>, and spent years refining your skills.</p>
<p>So it&#8217;s about time you got paid well. But if you fail to authentically demonstrate your expertise, then your prospects will fail to recognise it. And so you both lose.</p>
<p>With the following negotiation skills you&#8217;ll be off to a great start. Use them.</p>
<p><strong>#1 Deadlines:</strong> if you negotiate by deadlines then prepare to charge extra for urgent work.</p>
<p>Don’t fall prey to wanting to manage their urgency – it’s not your responsibility.</p>
<p><strong>Urgency is a sign of low value! So don’t fall into the “urgency” trap.</strong></p>
<p><strong>#2 Price:</strong> I love the price negotiation. It’s one of my favorite strategies these days because I have learnt to walk away from deals that “just don’t cut it for me or my team.”</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Here’s some valuable info that will save you a lot of headaches and time…</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Never take on a project with the promise of more work if you give them a better deal…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Unless the client changes their project avoid discounting like the pest…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Never reduce your fees just because the client asks you to…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If they object with “you are too expensive” then they have already failed to see your value…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Never ask for their budget before you quote the price. It will come across as insincere…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Have the power to walk away if the client fails to pay you what you ask for.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you discount your prices once, you’ll always be expected to meet the client’s terms. It also tells the customer that the original rate you gave them wasn’t real.</p>
<p>So stick to your price points. This doesn’t mean you can’t give them a package price for larger orders (I’ve done that quite successfully in my business).</p>
<p>Tell them straight that you’re prepared to walk away from this opportunity.</p>
<p><strong>If a business owner is not prepared to invest in your expert services – they are <em>cheating</em> their own customers out of getting the best possible value.</strong></p>
<p>Another strategy is to ask them what they were expecting to pay for your services if they bail at the price – NEVER try and justify your prices if a potential client bails out. In fact… recommend other platforms, providers that offer cheap(er) value – it may snap them out of their mindset.</p>
<p>… And you’ll soon see whether they are genuinely concerned about cost or if they’re playing the discounting game with you.</p>
<p><strong>Term:</strong> Seasoned pros negotiate on terms. For example… I never start work on a project unless the client pays me upfront.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">So don’t make the mistake of assumption. Unless money changes hands there is NO DEAL!</span></h2>
<p>Here is an example of how you can communicate this to the prospect.</p>
<p><em>“As soon as _______ gets taken care of we’ll get started.”</em></p>
<p>Having said this… it’s possible to work with long-term clients on a delayed payment system. If a client gives you regular work he or she may well ask to pay you at the end of each week or month.</p>
<p>It’s your choice to agree.</p>
<ul>
<li>Always insist on milestones – this of course becomes unnecessary if you get paid in full upfront…</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Feel free to renegotiate deadlines if the client fails to pay his milestones, or if they take longer than agreed to review your work – especially if you have an agreement.</li>
</ul>
<p>Doing so is key to preserving your cash flow, so you can pay your bills.</p>
<p>So if your client fails to review your work in the agreed timeframe request payment as was agreed upon in your initial agreement.</p>
<p>It’s important to keep everything in writing. I NEVER accept project scopes over the phone, unless I have the means to record our conversation.</p>
<p>If I speak with a hot lead, and he or she decides to move forward after our call I always ask them to put what was said in writing – in a short, but descriptive email.</p>
<p>This sums up this week’s lesson…</p>
<p>I hope you gained some value from this post. Please share your thoughts, feedback and comments below.</p>
<p>And don&#8217;t forget to share this with your Facebook and Twitter friends. Like away baby!</p>
<p>Rock on!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/4-ways-to-negotiate-like-a-seasoned-pro/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Conversion Rates Demystified!</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/conversion-rates-demystified?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=conversion-rates-demystified</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/conversion-rates-demystified#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:25:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[average conversion rates for online marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversion rates demystified]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting conversion rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[great copywriting conversion rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online marketing conversion rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what is the average conversion rate]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1478</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Conversion rates can make or break your marketing campaign. If they suck, so will your profits – or lack of it to be exact. Fact is trying to give a specific answer to a question that cannot be pressed into a single mould is like telling people there’s only one road to the city of [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1480" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Fotolia_12239226_XS.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1480" title="Discount" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Fotolia_12239226_XS-300x225.jpg" alt="conversion rates demystified" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Want more profits? Optimise your conversion rates!</p></div>
<p>Conversion rates can make or break your marketing campaign. If they suck, so will your profits – or lack of it to be exact.</p>
<p>Fact is trying to give a specific answer to a question that cannot be pressed into a single mould is like telling people there’s only one road to the city of Rome. Of course there isn’t.</p>
<p>The thing is&#8230;</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">You can’t put a label on conversion rates!</span></h2>
<p>How good a landing page, sales letter, email, ad or article of yours performs depends entirely on the message&#8230; the market&#8230; and the quality of your prospect or lead.</p>
<p>Hence if you drive hot qualified leads to a sales letter via a JV partner deal for example, chances are your conversion rates will be higher than if you’d pay for a FB ad campaign and drive cold traffic.</p>
<p>Last year <a href="http://www.invesp.com/shopping-cart-abandonment.jpg" target="_blank">Invesp published an infographic</a> that states the average conversion rate for e-commerce sites is 2.13%. <em>(See screenshot of average conversion rate by traffic channel below).</em></p>
<p>This basically means out of every 100 visitors you get to your e-commerce web page 2.13 of them buy from you.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">How to turn an average conversion rate into a sexy lifestyle business&#8230;</span></h2>
<p>So let’s assume you’re selling a $1,000 product (for simplicity’s sake). And your web page receives 10,000 unique hits every month.</p>
<p>10,000/100 x 2.13 = 213 x $1,000 = $213,000 sexy <em>moolas</em> every month!</p>
<p>Not bad for a month’s work hey!</p>
<p>Do you think it would be worth investing some of your time in driving traffic to your site? Or pay for it?</p>
<p><strong>HELL YEAH!</strong></p>
<p>Even if you were to spend $20K on marketing to get those numbers to your site you’d still be making a sexy profit. And if you continuously split test your copy, then those profits are only standing to increase over time.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">As you can see, the money is in the numbers.</span></h2>
<p><strong>If you’re currently not making sales, then you need to:</strong></p>
<p>a)   Ramp up traffic numbers</p>
<p>b)   Send better qualified traffic to your page</p>
<p>c)   Split test your copy</p>
<p>I think you’re slowly getting the drift – at least I hope you do.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Screen-shot-2013-04-10-at-8.15.41-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1479" title="Screen shot 2013-04-10 at 8.15.41 PM" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Screen-shot-2013-04-10-at-8.15.41-PM-300x240.png" alt="conversion rates demystified" width="300" height="240" /></a></p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Your conversion rate is affected by the&#8230;</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Quality of the prospect</li>
<li>The referral source</li>
<li>The lead gen method</li>
<li>CPC value for paid advertising (the more you bid, the higher the visibility of your ad)</li>
<li>Your offer</li>
<li>The price</li>
<li>The design</li>
<li>The industry (niche)</li>
<li>The mood of the prospect</li>
<li>And even down to the colours of your headlines</li>
</ul>
<p>But really, there are literally dozens of reasons why someone buys from you. And just as equally there are dozens of reasons why they don’t buy from you.</p>
<p>And the ONLY way to get clear on what drives sales and boosts profits is to make sure you get 3 things right:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get crystal clear on your <a href="http://www.chartyourparagon.com" target="_blank">perfect ideal client</a></li>
<li>Get your copy written by <a href="http://www.monikamundell.com/contact-me" target="_blank">someone with an outstanding track record</a>, or learn to <a href="http://effortlessempresseloquence.com/" target="_blank">do it yourself</a></li>
<li><a href="http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/" target="_blank">Split test</a> until the cows come home, seriously!</li>
</ul>
<p>So rather than worrying about the actual figure at first, you should focus on writing great copy (or <a href="http://monikamundell.com/about-monika" target="_blank">have it written for you</a>), and make sure your marketing is actually reaching the right prospects.</p>
<p>Then you want to test your copy and marketing channels, so you can optimise your campaigns over time. A little word of advice&#8230; <strong>Testing. Never. Stops!</strong></p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Great copy makes your investment irrelevant!</span></h2>
<p>Since great copy is essential for boosting profits your focus should be on asking, “<em>How can I best invest my money to get optimum performance?”</em></p>
<p>And not, <em>“How much do you charge?”</em></p>
<p>Comparing the fees of an expert copywriter to that of a measly article writer who doesn’t have a track record, results, and the experience needed to write compelling copy&#8230; is like comparing the clothes you buy at a high-end couture designer with those from K-mart.</p>
<p>Frankly it&#8217;s an insult!</p>
<p>You do want results, and more profits don’t you?</p>
<p>You should also know that the number ONE reason people buy from you is because they TRUST you. If you fail to facilitate this with your words, then your communication and marketing will fail!</p>
<p>Fact is if you trust your copy into the hands of an expert copywriter you increase your chances of results tremendously! But no expert worth his or her salt will promise you certain results because we simply can’t.</p>
<p>To check out my impressive sales conversions for my clients <a href="http://monikamundell.com/client-testimonials" target="_blank">click here</a>. I dare say myself, my track record is outstanding in the industry. And if we decide to work together then I’ll do my absolute best to make sure your project turns into another success story too.</p>
<p>However&#8230;</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Once the copy leaves my hand it’s outside my control.</span></h2>
<p><strong>For all I know you could be:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Hacking it to death, thinking you know better (BIG mistake because every single word in your copy has a specific purpose. And the moment you start hacking my copy apart you lose. BOOM!) Told you so. And frankly, why hire me in the first place when you seem to be the expert on writing copy that sells!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Publishing in to your site&#8230; and then do nothing. Trust me; more people than you care to believe actually do this. Remember, you need TRAFFIC baby cakes. Of course, if you DON’T want to make sales, then just look at it every now and then&#8230; wonder, amazed, why you haven’t made a single sale!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Sending unqualified traffic to your page (e.g. send 14-year old girls to a racing car sales letter, send 80-year old grandmothers to an eCourse on making money online, etc.).</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">How to split test your sales letters, web pages, and ads.</span></h2>
<p>The fastest and easiest way to get started is by signing up for <strong>Visual Website Optimizer</strong>. You can test the first 1,000 unique hits for free – it’s a great way to get familiar with the system.</p>
<p>All you really need to get started is an A/B split test to measure your conversion rate.</p>
<p>Then once you get more comfortable you can try other software such as <a href="http://www.crazyegg.com/" target="_blank">Crazy Egg</a> – heat mapping software that shows you where readers click on your page.</p>
<p>Whatever you do right now, just get started!</p>
<p>And stop wasting your time, energy and money with cheap-ass providers who simply haven’t got the experience, or those who cannot show you a proven track record.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/conversion-rates-demystified/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #28 &#8211; Oodles of GRATITUDE to You</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-28-oodles-of-gratitude-to-you?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=day-28-oodles-of-gratitude-to-you</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-28-oodles-of-gratitude-to-you#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:53:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1333</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yay! It&#8217;s day #28 of my Danielle LaPorte desire map challenge and I&#8217;ve MADE IT! 28 days of blogging&#8230; despite a schedule that is keeping me so occupied I am literally buzzing with surplus energy. I&#8217;ve blogged through 10 days of illness while working in bed, and stuck to my copywriting deadlines&#8230; and I&#8217;ve also [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1334" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/thankyou.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1334" title="thankyou" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/thankyou-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">THANK YOU from my heart</p></div>
<p>Yay! It&#8217;s day #28 of my <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/28-days-of-desire" target="_blank">Danielle LaPorte desire map challenge</a> and<strong> I&#8217;ve MADE IT!</strong> 28 days of blogging&#8230; despite a schedule that is keeping me so occupied I am literally buzzing with surplus energy.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve blogged through 10 days of illness while working in bed, and stuck to my copywriting deadlines&#8230; and I&#8217;ve also made it through launching a brand new <a href="http://diythemes.com/thesis/feature-box-conversions/" target="_blank">Super Power Solution</a>, building my list faster than in the last 3 months combined and hosting my first ever webinar.</p>
<p>Ah and did I mention that I also started not just one, but two mentoring courses this month? And spoke on stage in front of 160+ people&#8230; the list just goes on. <img src='http://monikamundell.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>Yeah I know. Self inflicted stress isn&#8217;t always a smart thing. But this time it&#8217;s on purpose because I&#8217;m planning on increasing my momentum and take my business to the next level in 2013. So in order to get massive results I need to <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-17-the-truth-about-financial-freedom" target="_blank">take massive action </a>first.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Wow! And today&#8217;s message is all about GRATITUDE.</span></h2>
<p>Because when you least expect it, great things happen.</p>
<p>So the other day I was <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/danielle-laporte-desire-map" target="_blank">ranting about blogging with little or no support</a>&#8230; that no one bothered to comment and share my posts on social media, and how it sucked to keep on pushing through with a plan when you&#8217;re doing it alone.</p>
<p>What happened next was simply astounding&#8230;</p>
<p>I got my first comment for the month (aside from my trusted and equally dedicated co-desire-map-challenge-blogging hero Lisa over at <a href="http://kewishdesigns.com/2013/02/25/day-25-transitions/" target="_blank">Caffeinated Creations</a>).</p>
<p>So Gail commented to tell me she had been following my journey all along. She also told me how she appreciated my posts. And it made my day knowing people were out there reading my ramblings. Thank you Gail. Eternal gratitude to you gorgeous lady.</p>
<p>Sometimes a little gesture like this can mean the world to someone. It may be &#8220;just a comment.&#8221; But trust me, when you&#8217;re sitting in your creative nook and looking at the big FAT ZEROS in your comment stream it can be disheartening to keep the blog going.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Then something else happened that blew me away.</span></h2>
<p>I got an email from the lovely Annika at <a href="http://www.daniellelaporte.com" target="_blank">Danielle LaPorte</a>.</p>
<p>Annika was asking my permission to share one of my <a href="http://bit.ly/11Z65wG" target="_blank">Desire Map</a> posts on Danielle&#8217;s website. WOW! Talk about a major <strong>gratitude love hug</strong> going back by email.</p>
<p>Needless to say I&#8217;m chuffed to bits and so GRATEFUL to Annika and Danielle for allowing me to share my core desired feeling with their tribe.</p>
<p>THANK YOU!</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">I&#8217;m also grateful, to you.</span></h2>
<p>I&#8217;m grateful to you even if you haven&#8217;t commented, shared or blogged about my journey.</p>
<p>Gail&#8217;s comment made me realise there&#8217;s plenty of people out there who read my stuff. And like me, you may never hear from them. So if you find yourself in a similar position, please know this: people care about you.</p>
<p>This has been an incredibly challenging month for me.</p>
<p>But despite the health challenges, the <em>mamoothian</em> work schedule, and the lack of sleep overall I managed to <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-3-my-core-desired-feelings" target="_blank">live with my core desired feelings</a>. They have now become so ingrained in my life that I couldn&#8217;t image living without them. And as time transcends through the year 2013 and beyond, I will continue to live with, listen to and adapt my CDFs to honour my highest purpose and <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/yourconsciouscrusade" target="_blank">conscious crusade</a>.</p>
<p>I hope you&#8217;ll do the same. xo</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-28-oodles-of-gratitude-to-you/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #27 &#8211; Sing the Song Inside Your Heart</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/yourconsciouscrusade?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yourconsciouscrusade</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/yourconsciouscrusade#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:03:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is your song? The message you want to share with the world because you&#8217;re so passionate about your mission. Share it. Unless you get your message out there, people won&#8217;t be able to resonate with you. Like attracts like. So when others can identify with your mission they will be able to identify with [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1331" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/yourconsciouscrusade.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1331" title="yourconsciouscrusade" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/yourconsciouscrusade-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">What is your conscious crusade?</p></div>
<p>What is your song? The message you want to share with the world because you&#8217;re so passionate about your mission. Share it. Unless you get your message out there, people won&#8217;t be able to resonate with you. Like attracts like. So when others can identify with your mission they will be able to identify with YOU.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Your purpose communicated.</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>What <em>is</em> your purpose in life?</li>
<li>What are your <strong>top</strong> values?</li>
<li><strong>Why</strong> are you in business?</li>
<li>What drives you, and gets your mojo <em>revved up</em>?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>These are the questions you need to answer</strong> so you can <strong><span style="color: #e9007b;">communicate the reasons why</span></strong> to your tribe. Give them the reasons why they should do business with you. Tell them what lights your fire. So they are empowered to light theirs.</p>
<p>The only way to cut through noise is with an authentic message.</p>
<p>If you want to be heard, understood, loved, and appreciated you need to market from the heart. One of my mentors Amber McLean calls this the <strong><a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">conscious crusade</a></strong>. I love the label because it states exactly what you&#8217;re out to achieve.</p>
<p><strong>So what is your conscious crusade?</strong></p>
<p>Chances are you want to have a business with heart. And you demonstrate this by being honest, passionate, trustworthy and dedicated &#8211; to your clients, and yourself.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">But what exactly is the BIGGER mission behind your crusade?</span></h2>
<p>What is it, that has you push through blockages, tight deadlines, on onslaught of orders and your own limiting beliefs?</p>
<p>Once you can answer this question you&#8217;ll be able to demonstrate and <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-12-5-reasons-why-im-busting-my-ass-right-now" target="_blank">communicate your conscious crusade</a> to your market.</p>
<p>You will give your ideal clients permission to trust you, like you, follow you and become your raving fan &#8211; simply because they can RELATE to your conscious crusade.</p>
<p>So what are you waiting for? Tell me about your crusade in the comments below. I want to hear from you gorgeous.</p>
<p>xo</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/yourconsciouscrusade/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #26 &#8211; Letting Go Starts With Self Compassion</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-26-letting-go-starts-with-self-compassion?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=day-26-letting-go-starts-with-self-compassion</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-26-letting-go-starts-with-self-compassion#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1313</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you ever feel like you&#8217;re being dragged into several directions at once? I&#8217;m sure you do. Women especially have this inherent believe they need to be the wearer of many hats. Between managing your home, looking after your children&#8217;s needs and building a business, there&#8217;s probably not much time left to really just BE. [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1315" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/buddha.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1315" title="buddha" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/buddha-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Buddha said, &quot;You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.&quot;</p></div>
<p><strong>Do you ever feel like you&#8217;re being dragged into <em>several</em> directions at once?</strong> I&#8217;m sure you do. Women especially have this inherent believe they need to be the wearer of many hats. Between managing your home, looking after your children&#8217;s needs and building a business, there&#8217;s probably not much time left to really just BE.</p>
<p>Maybe you&#8217;re afraid to say no because you&#8217;re afraid to hurt people.</p>
<p>Or maybe you&#8217;re thinking that if X can do all of the above, without breaking out a sweat, then you should too.</p>
<p>Well my dear&#8230; it&#8217;s all rubbish. Just because you&#8217;re a mother, wife, sassy biz owner, or the best at <em>whatever job you do</em> doesn&#8217;t make it right to self abuse.</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t give you permission to dis-honour the brilliance inside of you.</p>
<p>For your sake and the sake of people who truly love you, let go of trying to be perfect and start practising self compassion.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Self compassion starts with one word &#8211; NO! </span></h2>
<p>If you want more time&#8230; freedom&#8230; and choices in life, then you&#8217;ve got to <strong>start saying no to a lot more things.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Start by saying no to:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Being logged into your FB account from dawn till dusk</li>
<li>Answering emails at <em>all</em> hours of the day &#8211; and night (note to SELF)</li>
<li>Answering the phone when you&#8217;re in the <strong>middle of a creative project</strong></li>
<li>Saying yes <strong>when you don&#8217;t mean it</strong></li>
<li>Agreeing to hang out with people who <em>don&#8217;t</em> support you</li>
<li>Doing the school run when your children could <em>easily</em> walk to and from school</li>
<li>Trying to be perfect &#8211; perfectionism is a disease you can rid yourself of with self compassion</li>
<li>Stuff that doesn&#8217;t align with your <a href="http://bit.ly/137GYsc" target="_blank">core desired feelings</a></li>
<li>Chasing every damn opportunity that presents itself to you, BEFORE you finish what you&#8217;ve started</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Your happiness is at stake.</span></h2>
<p>It&#8217;s impossible to be truly present if you can&#8217;t enjoy the moment for what it is.</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<ul>
<li>You&#8217;re snuggling with your man in bed, and thinking about the washing on the line</li>
<li>You&#8217;re watching a movie, but your mind is ticking off the to-do list for tomorrow&#8217;s birthday party</li>
<li>You&#8217;re talking to a friend, but your eyes and attention keep wandering to the person across the room</li>
</ul>
<p>Instead of always trying to balance the increasing amount of things to do, try and delegate more work. <strong>Say no to the things that don&#8217;t matter to your heart</strong>, delegate the things you hate doing, and enjoy what&#8217;s left with more presence and appreciation.</p>
<p>I want to hear from you. How do you practice self compassion?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-26-letting-go-starts-with-self-compassion/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #25 &#8211; Danielle LaPorte Desire Map</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/danielle-laporte-desire-map?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=danielle-laporte-desire-map</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/danielle-laporte-desire-map#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:44:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1306</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s day #25 of my Danielle LaPorte Desire Map blog challenge. A challenge I have set myself &#8211; without prompts from anyone else, to blog my journey while working with my core desired feelings. Today calls for a progress report, because I can feel my world spinning at a massive rate of change, thanks to [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1309" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Fotolia_5870181_XS.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1309" title="Rainbow Seascape" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Fotolia_5870181_XS-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">danielle laporte desire map</p></div>
<p>It&#8217;s day #25 of my <a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">Danielle LaPorte Desire Map</a> blog challenge. A challenge I have set myself &#8211; without prompts from anyone else, to blog my journey while <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-3-my-core-desired-feelings" target="_blank">working with my core desired feelings</a>. Today calls for a progress report, because I can feel my world spinning at a massive rate of change, thanks to taking massive action.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">3 Things I&#8217;ve learned this past month.</span></h2>
<p><strong>1. Since starting my self-imposed blogging challenge I&#8217;ve come to understand what it really means to follow through with a huge task, without the anticipated support from many others.</strong></p>
<p>I can tell you right now, it&#8217;s a fucking lonely journey at times. No comments, no social media sharing, no interaction&#8230; all reasons enough to just let it all slide with an excuse of <em>&#8220;having picked a stupid idea.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>But that&#8217;s NOT who I am. I&#8217;m tough. Tenacious. Committed. And I&#8217;ve never been someone who gives up easily.</p>
<p>So the lesson I take from this challenge is two fold:</p>
<ol>
<li>I&#8217;m proud of myself and Lisa over at <a href="http://www.kewishdesigns.com/">Caffeinated Creations</a>, because we&#8217;re almost there, and we stuck with it, despite the loneliness and lack of support</li>
<li>And I also believe that while I may have not had the support I was hoping for &#8211; on this journey, I&#8217;m actually standing <em>taller&#8230; prouder&#8230; wiser</em> for having travelled thus far.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>2. I&#8217;ve also realised that an idea/ concept/ product is worth sharing for the sake of spreading the message far and wide.</strong></p>
<p>And while Danielle already has plenty of extra support to help her share her amazing work&#8230; I feel compelled to do this journey anyway.</p>
<p>So much so I&#8217;ve shared my CDFs from stage last weekend, while presenting my story and success from stage &#8211; to some 160+ people. And as a result I&#8217;ve had people come up to me to tell me how much they&#8217;ve loved that particular part of the presentation.</p>
<p>This proves that we can never have too much information about values. Hence this 28-day journey.</p>
<p><strong>3. The third lesson I&#8217;ve learned is probably the hardest of them all.</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;ve learned to stand strong, and <strong>let go</strong> of un-supporting relationships.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve always been extremely intuitive. I can &#8220;sense&#8221; someone&#8217;s mood &#8211; whether I speak to them in person, on the phone, or via social media. The label to describe this ability is called&#8230; <strong>clairsentience.</strong> I can sense whether someone hangs out with me because they&#8217;re honestly wanting to build the friendship, or just use me as a vehicle to advance their agenda.</p>
<p>Despite my inherent ability to sense people&#8217;s motives I&#8217;ve always let myself be abused - emotionally +  spiritually. And in doing so I&#8217;ve discredited my own powerful ability to see TRUTH.</p>
<p>Well. NO MORE!</p>
<p>As a matter of fact I&#8217;ve already cut the relationships strings with so called friends. People who sucked up to me (because I let them) and promptly abused the sacred friendship with selfish little stunts. In hindsight I&#8217;m grateful for these lessons. The clarity I found about my values has helped me say no to pretenders.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s been a fantastic ride&#8230; and continues to ebb and flow as I learn more valuable lessons from <a href="http://bit.ly/137GYsc" target="_blank">living with my core desired feelings</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/danielle-laporte-desire-map/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #24 &#8211; 7 Steps to Master the Art of Persuasion</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-24-7-steps-to-master-the-art-of-persuasion?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=day-24-7-steps-to-master-the-art-of-persuasion</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-24-7-steps-to-master-the-art-of-persuasion#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Copywriting 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriter in brisbane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriter on the gold coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write better copy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[persuasive writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the art of story telling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the art of storytelling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1301</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Persuasive writing is a learnt skill. Anyone can learn it, as long as you&#8217;re prepared to practice your writing skills. This is an article I wrote back in 2011 for some of my newsletter subscribers. And the information is as good as ever before. Enjoy. Step #1 – Learn to walk in their shoes: Before you [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1302" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/convert.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1302" title="Converting Prospects to Customers - Sales Doorway" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/convert-300x276.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="276" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Authenticity is the best persuasion tool of them all...</p></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">Persuasive writing</a> </strong>is a learnt skill. Anyone can learn it, as long as you&#8217;re prepared to practice your <a href="http://monikamundell.com/copywriting-101" target="_blank">writing skills</a>. This is an article I wrote back in 2011 for some of my newsletter subscribers. And the information is as good as ever before. Enjoy. <strong>Step #1 – Learn to walk in their shoes: </strong>Before you can attempt to connect with potential buyers you must learn to walk in their shoes. This means you need to enter the conversation in their head and ask yourself <strong>“what keeps them awake at night?”</strong></p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">You are NOT your client.</span></h2>
<p>Put aside your own judgment and feelings for once. Aim to get into the hearts and the heads of your market. It’s the fastest way to make that sale. Learn to speak their language and you will be heard.</p>
<p><strong>Step #2 – Talk their talk and write in the language they speak: </strong>Every niche shares common words, phrases and body language. To be able to successfully connect with your prospects on an emotional and personal level you need to become one of them. Authentically.</p>
<p>What are the common words they use when looking for answers to their problems?</p>
<ul>
<li>How do they speak?</li>
<li>How do they act?</li>
<li>Where do they hang out and with whom?</li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Zig Ziglar said, &#8220;The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity&#8221;</span></h2>
<p>Become an ally, rather than the enemy. It allows you to utilise your persuasion skills naturally, without force or pretense.</p>
<p>When you immerse yourself into the world of your prospects you choose the right words automatically &#8211; you become one and the same person.</p>
<p><strong>Step #3 – Use power words: </strong>Power words are the weapons of every successful master persuader. Words can evoke pictures and emotions. Words can trigger action.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Words can turn people on, for what you&#8217;ve got to give.</span></h2>
<p>Words, if used strategically and in the right context can make or break your sales process.</p>
<p><strong>Step #4 – Consider “what’s in it for them”: </strong>When readers digest your message they always ask themselves <strong>“what do I get from this if I buy?” </strong><strong>or “what’s in it for me?”</strong></p>
<p>Most people put their own needs first. Good on you if you do. Contrary to what some people say it&#8217;s not selfish to be concerned about your own wellbeing, before you worry about the wellbeing of others&#8217;.</p>
<p>Because you cannot help others if you can’t help yourself first!</p>
<p>It’s self-preservation and survival.</p>
<p>I had to learn this lesson in a confronting way. A couple of years back one of my mentors ask me why I&#8217;m in business. My answer, <strong>“I want to help people, that’s why </strong><strong>I’m doing what I do.” </strong>Upon closer questioning I kept repeating this statement for about 10 minutes… until I broke down in tears. My mentor just kept digging deeper and deeper until I was so confused about my reason why I broke down.</p>
<p>In hindsight, I sounded like a badly spun record. The exercise prompted me to re-evaluate my values and now I understand my reasons why &#8211; the real ones for being in business.</p>
<p>My primary goal is to attain ultimate time freedom to do what I really want to do in life… travel, teach, educate, spend time with the people and animals I love, and help others realise their potential. I want to spend time on my terms, not on the terms of my clients, a boss or tyre kickers.</p>
<p><a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/5-ways-to-feel-affluent-now" target="_blank">You have your own reasons why you’re doing what you do</a>. We all do. Think about that and don’t be afraid to claim your bubble of happiness.</p>
<p>Getting back to the WIIFM question; you can counteract it by offering value. When your prospects perceive your offer to be valuable for the exchange of their money and time, they&#8217;ll hand over their money without blinking an eye.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Master persuaders know this. </span></h2>
<p><strong>Step #5 – Paint the picture with words: </strong>Words can be used to paint a picture of any imaginary dream. By using the right words you trigger your readers’ emotions – good or bad.</p>
<p>Your painted picture helps them see what they want or don’t want.</p>
<p><strong>Step #6 – Become a great storyteller: </strong>Stories are the secret weapon of <a href="http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/5-ways-to-sex-up-your-copy" target="_blank">master persuaders</a>. Why? Because stories don’t make us question what’s being said.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Stories don’t trigger our guard.</span></h2>
<p>When you learn to tell great stories you also learn how to move the reader past their usual objections – in a fun and engaging way. Study the master storytellers and use storytelling in your promotions.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve met some amazing storytellers during the years I&#8217;ve been in business. My absolute favourite was Jim Rohn. He had this compelling presence&#8230; as soon as he spoke to a packed room of attentive listenres you were SOLD on his wisdom, jokes, charm, and lessons.</p>
<p>My copywriting mentors David Garfinkel, Pete Godfrey and Bret Thomson drilled the importance of storytelling into me tirelessly.</p>
<p>And then there are the storytellers whose stories I&#8217;ve been enjoying in print and online media, such as Dan Kennedy, Robin S. Sharma, David S. Schwartz, Napoleon Hill, Robert Collier and Gary Halbert.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll never stop trying to perfect the art of storytelling. I consider myself an eternal student of the written word. No matter how successful I am in business.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">You should know this: the money is in the stories (and in the list).</span></h2>
<p><strong>Step #7 – Make your offer irresistible: </strong>Sometimes, your prospects won’t bite, despite your best persuasion attempts.</p>
<p>There are 101 million reasons why: they could be short on cash flow; they could be in a really bad mood; they could be getting ready for work, or the boss has just caught them surfing the Net.</p>
<p>It could also be a visual thing, maybe the colour on your website is not right. Or the message fails to connect emotionally with the reader.</p>
<p>In the end, be yourself. Be your most irresistible, on-purpose SELF. Give awesome value, information, and sincerely care for your prospect. It&#8217;s the fastest way to master the art of persuasion.</p>
<p>Over to you. Has this message resonated with you in any way? Please share your comments, feedback and feelings in the comment section below.</p>
<p>Thanks xo</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-24-7-steps-to-master-the-art-of-persuasion/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #23 &#8211; Writing Challenge</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-23-of-the-desire-map-blogging-challenge?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=day-23-of-the-desire-map-blogging-challenge</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-23-of-the-desire-map-blogging-challenge#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:24:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing challenge]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1290</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ash Ambridge put out a writing challenge the other day. I believe it was a brilliant idea. To be honest, it&#8217;s been a while since I&#8217;ve participated in one of these challenges. I have to say my muse loved this creative challenge&#8230; and so did hubby. The prompt was to pick a random item from [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1291" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 283px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/writingchallenge.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1291" title="writingchallenge" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/writingchallenge.jpeg" alt="" width="273" height="184" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A creative writing challenge to cajole the muse</p></div>
<p><a href="http://www.themiddlefingerproject.org" target="_blank">Ash Ambridge</a> put out a <a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">writing challenge</a> the other day. I believe it was a brilliant idea. To be honest, it&#8217;s been a while since I&#8217;ve participated in one of these challenges. I have to say my muse loved this creative challenge&#8230; and so did hubby.</p>
<p>The prompt was to <strong>pick a random item</strong> from within the room and sell it to her.</p>
<p>So I settled on a floor lamp. The idea was to write a compelling, short narrative and weave some good copy into the letter to sell a pre-loved household item to someone else.</p>
<p>Here goes&#8230; after much cajoling, massaging, reading out loud and editing. I hope you like it.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #e9007b;">Floor Lamp</span></h2>
<p>You spent ages at the book shop choosing the next novel.</p>
<p>Outside a vicious thunderstorm was bending trees and blocking gutters.</p>
<p>Thoughts of snuggling up in your favourite armchair on a cold winter night gave you a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. Meanwhile the rain was pelting away at the bookstore windows.</p>
<p>You spent close to an hour playing a mental tug of war, trying to decide between the &#8220;Hunger Games Trilogy&#8221; and &#8220;50 Shades of Grey.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the end the shop assistant took pity on you and suggested you buy both trilogies. To his delight you did.</p>
<p>And now you&#8217;re glad because&#8230;</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>You&#8217;re looking forward to hours of reading indulgence.</strong></span></p>
<p>Your carefully planned escape into a virtual world of love, passion and war is lighting you up &#8211; from deep inside.</p>
<p>You&#8217;ve already set aside precious time every Saturday night for the next 90 days. Yours to indulge with your favourite winter drink in hand. A mug of spiced chocolate.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re looking forward to warm your heart and soul with a mug of chilli-spiced cocoa, while your mind escapes into the wonderful world of fantasy.</p>
<p>But unless you illuminate your book&#8217;s pages with a reliable source of lighting, your books will turn out to be fodder to stoke the fireplace at best.</p>
<p>In the interest of avoiding eye strain and giving you hours of unspoilt reading pleasure, we have the perfect solution, for you. Our pre-loved, flexible 400 Lumen Ikea Lersta floor lamp directs its beam of light wherever you want. So all you have to do is flick the switch.</p>
<p>Its light guiding you from start to &#8220;The End.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-23-of-the-desire-map-blogging-challenge/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day #22 &#8211; How to Write the Perfect Blog Post</title>
		<link>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-22-desire-map-blogging-challenge?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=day-22-desire-map-blogging-challenge</link>
		<comments>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-22-desire-map-blogging-challenge#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:34:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Monika Mundell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Desire Map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDFs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[core desired feelings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle laporte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blog challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire map blogging challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write the perfect blog post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monika mundell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://monikamundell.com/?p=1287</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today is day #22 of my Desire Map blogging challenge. Admittedly it&#8217;s not easy to come up with topics for a blog post every day. And I&#8217;m feeling the pressure today because I&#8217;ve had the privilege to share my story on stage in front of 190 people. So instead of just rambling about nothing I found this [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1288" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 170px"><a href="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/howtowritetheperfectblogpost.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1288" title="howtowritetheperfectblogpost" src="http://monikamundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/howtowritetheperfectblogpost.jpeg" alt="" width="160" height="152" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Now you can write awesome blog posts too</p></div>
<p>Today is day #22 of my <a href="http://monikamundell.com/" target="_blank">Desire Map blogging challenge</a>. Admittedly it&#8217;s not easy to come up with topics for a blog post every day. And I&#8217;m feeling the pressure today because I&#8217;ve had the privilege to share my story on stage in front of 190 people. So instead of just rambling about nothing I found this infographic, for you. Enjoy. xo</p>
<p>If someone knows how to write a blog that rocks, then it&#8217;s Derek Halpern of Social Triggers. This graphic seriously rocks. I hope you put it to good use. I know I will.</p>
<p><a href="http://socialtriggers.com/perfect-blog-post"><img title="PerfectBlogPost" src="http://cdn.socialtriggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/perfectblogpost1.png" alt="PerfectBlogPost" width="600" height="700" /></a><br />
Like this? Learn how to use psychology to get more traffic and sales with <a href="http://socialtriggers.com/">Social Triggers</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://monikamundell.com/lifestyle-design/day-22-desire-map-blogging-challenge/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
