About Me: Buzz From Clients

What Others Have to Say About Me…

“Stephanie Ward has been my business and career coach for the past three years. She is my conscience, my voice of reason, and my courage. She constantly inspires me to be the best I can be: she cajoles, she motivates, she cares.

Stephanie brings something to the table as a coach that money just can’t buy — understanding. Somehow she is able to strip through all of your carefully-built layers of self-defense and deflection and tell you who you really are — and what you can really do. Would I have been as good at my work without Stephanie? I certainly wouldn’t want to have had to try.” – Mary van der Boon, http://www.globaltmc.com

 

“Stephanie simply can’t help herself. If you ever have the good fortune to cross her path then you will witness they way she constantly thinks of solutions, ideas and connections for you.

Great ideas with great results, I love working with her. This is why I recommend her to all my clients as the best person I know to make your business grow. Just ten minutes with Stephanie and her innate wisdom and I made a small change to my business model that tripled my turnover in just three months!” - Jo Parfitt, helping people to write their books at http://www.joparfitt.com

 

“When I started it felt for me that I was in a kind of a repetitive rut… you know, doing the same things over and over again, and I thought it was time to go to a higher level. I was mostly having individual sessions and my rates for these group lessons were still quite low.

Since working with Stephanie I have created a new e-book and I have 1750 subscribers now. I raised my fees and my webpage really stands out if you compare it to other language schools.” - Albert Both, http://www.talencoach.nl

 

“Before I started coaching with Stephanie I was very confused, out of focus, no niche market at all.

As a result of working together with Stephanie I reached these specific results:

-          I finalized my special report

-          I got a couple of free speaking engagements

-          I was able to increase my coaching fees

-          I got the first “real” customers

-          I launched my website

-          I started the systematization of my business

Blanca Vergara, http://www.blancavergara.com

 

“When I first began working with Stephanie I had just set up my own business. I wasn’t sure how to approach the dreaded “cold calling”. Stephanie helped me with setting goals for making new business contacts, without ever making cold calls. I would highly recommend Stephanie to anyone in need of a professional coach.” – Melissa Crijns, Managing Director Xcel Recruitment, http://www.xcel.nl

 

“This is such a great report, Stephanie, I have it on my desk and I use it a LOT! It gives me all the marketing ideas that I can use every time and any time, over and over and over again! It keeps inspiring me, because what you say in there is SO valuable, I follow all the steps you show. It makes marketing so much more fun now!” – Trix Vertogen, http://www.newzone.nl

 

“Stephanie has given me good insights for setting up my own company in a professional way. She talked me out of preoccupations about what could go wrong. She helped me and supported me whenever was needed. She is a great and dedicated coach!” – Jessica de Rooij, http://www.dutchtraining.nl

 

“I realised that I didn’t know enough about the business side of my business and how to promote my business forward.

I now feel I have been given new challenges and have gained a little more confidence in tackling them.” – Nina du Pré, Interior Solutions, http://ninadupre.com

  

“I found this wonderful quote by Mark Twain and it really reflects how I feel about what Stephanie helped me to do and to become: ‘Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.’ ” - Jeanne Heinzer, http://www.bestlifeabroad.com  

 

“I just listened to your special report audio file online. Several points appealed to me. In particular the reminder about asking for referrals and the reminder to identify good strategic partners that do not compete but complement your service.  The reassurance to focus narrowly is also well-taken.” - Bill Monsour, Director, http://www.trainingartsinternational.com    

 

“If you’re stuck with marketing your business and want more clients, you need to meet Stephanie.  She can help you get really clear about your business and stay focused on the right path.   She accompanies you on that path with her vast marketing knowledge support.

Stephanie is a master in connecting people and generous in sharing her many contacts. She is abundant, enthusiastic, and totally committed. Her free special report and newsletter provide practical, hands-on information to improve your business.  With Stephanie as your coach you will get results. Very highly recommended!” - Joke Botman, SINGLE-na-Samen, http://www.single-na-samen.nl

 

“Stephanie, you’re already raining marketing genius on me and we just met!” - Toma Haines, The Antiques Diva, http://antiquesdiva.blogspot.com

 

“When starting the coaching, I was a bit skeptical, and heard a great deal of negative feedback from colleagues about their experiences with other coaches. I had a lower self-esteem and couldn’t bring all my ideas together to put them in action. It was a bit of scattered energy without focus.

Coaching kept me on course and forced me to think about my business and to work on my business instead of always in it.

My self-confidence grew and I found a pace that works for me. I also found balance through coaching, not only in business but also in my personal life.

Thank you Stephanie, you’re a firefly in my life.” - Lizelle van Antwerpen, Precisio, http://www.precisio.nl

  

“Stephanie, the chat I had with you a couple of months ago was so useful that now I am overloaded with work!”  - Juliana Nino, El Nino Business Consulting

 

“Stephanie helped me to focus better on my business and on the things that really matter. She also gave me tons of new ideas and inspiration for growing my business. My self confidence has increased, I know my strengths better and I know now how to use them efficiently.

Stephanie’s professionalism and knowledge are really amazing, for almost every problem she knows solutions or where to find them. I love her positive, proactive approach and her enthusiasm is infectious! Thanks Stephanie!” - Trix Vertogen, Owner of PR consultancy, http://www.newzone.nl

  

“Before I started coaching I was open and ready and felt Stephanie was a perfect fit about 3 minutes into our first phone call. I know about coaching and the value of getting support when faced with a challenging goal. I was thrilled that I found Stephanie so quickly, she was exactly what I was hoping for.

Because of the coaching I feel supported and as a result of feeling so informed with the impressive information Stephanie brought to me I felt able to move forward through the rather paralyzing fear that I had been unable to break through on my own.

I was able to benefit from an unexpected amount of valuable research that Stephanie had done. What a gold mine of information! I was able to make informed decisions and choices as a result. I felt like I had a clear map and set of instructions on how to follow through with my business dream. I love Stephanie’s clarity and ability to process large amounts of information. She is a powerhouse of networking skills!” - Tara Shannon, http://www.tarashannon.com

  

“I was confused about the direction I should go, torn between taking a leap to follow my heart and the opinions of other people (and the fear in my head) questioning my choice.

One of the most helpful things you said to me was also one of the very first things you said to me: Try it and find out for yourself whether it is a success before you let someone tell you it’s not a good idea. It’s the kind of thing you know already, but sometimes you just need someone to ‘remind’ you that you know it.” - Darla van de Riet, http://www.rietconsulting.com

  

“In my search for a new career I got lost in this enormous forest and all I could see where the same trees everywhere…..I had no idea where to go.

Now I have a much better idea of getting out of the forest now that I am equipped with a clear road map and directions! We have made a wonderful resume and a great cover letter. And now that I know which type of job I would love to have, I am sure that I will have it soon!” – Judith Dieleman

“I was at the beginning of my planning. I had an idea, but did’nt have plan. I knew what I wanted, but didn’t really know how to approach it.

Now I think about certain things from different perspective. Stephanie made it much easier to think about. I know that if I am on my own I would get lost in planning and eventually get too confused and frustrated, even might loose the motivation and let go.” – Zuzana Bubalova

 

“Your gift is your ability, being the intelligent mirror, to bring me from revelation mode into action mode.” – Basjan Mol, http://www.commercial-relief.biz

 

“Stephanie provided a warm and friendly approach to my questions and offered very valid advice and routes; I would highly recommend her to anyone needing to further their business prospects.”  - Jane Jordan, http://www.syrinxphotographicdesign.com

Ezine Reader Success Stories

DARLA VAN DE RIET

‘One to Many’ success with Darla van de Riet 

Darla’s success story refers to the article, How One Message Can Reach Loads of People http://bit.ly/87Ebmg.

“After reading Stephanie’s article on reaching loads of people with one message, and specifically her message about e-zines and social media, I decided it was about time I discovered what it was that everyone was talking about.

It took me a little while to figure out what the fuss was all about, but I can now say that I am becoming an enthusiastic blogger and user of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook!

I had been e-mailing a traditional newsletter to a small, but steadily growing mailing list. It took about six months before I got spontaneous feedback from readers. After a while, I stopped doing it because it was too much work and I couldn’t tell if anyone was really reading it.

About a month ago, I decided to replace it with a weekly blog. The big advantages are that I can reach a wider audience online, people can interact immediately and I can use the statistics to see how many people read it.

And it works! When I wrote my first article, I had the first comment within 10 minutes – from someone I didn’t even know – and about 60% of my newsletter mailing list read it within a half-hour of posting!

I had been using LinkedIn for a while already, so my next step was to explore Twitter and Facebook. The beauty of these two for me is that I can send out quick tips and ideas and whatever is on my mind (without constantly having to update or change my website) and I can interact with loads more people than I ever imagined were out there.

I’ve just started and only have a handful of friends and followers so far, but some of those are already connections of connections of contacts – people I might possibly never meet otherwise.

So now my goal is to keep adding more valuable content and get my message out to more and more people.  Thanks for the article, Stephanie!”

Check out what Darla’s up to here:
Blog: http://rbcdiscerning.wordpress.com
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/rbcfocus
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/riet-business-consulting/246580660956

TRIX VERTOGEN

Trix Vertogen is creating success for her PR business by publishing an ezine.  The article that inspired her is, 7 Reasons to Offer a Value Packed Ezine, read it here: http://tinyurl.com/59ubur 

“I read your report, ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time,’ to get back to the basics of my business and to see where I was at that time. The first step already hit me: understand how my thoughts and feelings affect my marketing. Once I had this put into place, I found that my marketing went much easier and smoother.

The three things Be confident, Be Willing, and Don’t take things personally are important to take seriously. If sometimes I think I’m getting off track again, I read these first steps again and they put me back on track, into the direction I’m going.

For the matter of strategies, after reading your article, 7 Reasons to Offer a Value Packed Ezine, one of the things I’ve done is (re)starting with an ezine and it was successful from the start.

I’ve received so many great reactions (still do) and also sales. Now every day I get new subscribers to my ezine and this makes me really enthusiastic to go on with what I’ve started.”

Check out what Trix is up to (some of it is in Dutch):
http://www.newzone.nl
http://www.twitter.com/newzonePR
http://newzonepr.blogspot.com

JO PARFITT

Jo Parfitt (author of 26 books)

“After reading Stephanie’s articles on ‘If You Can’t Answer this Question Your Business is Doomed’ (http://bit.ly/9hv8C0) and ‘Got Niche?’ (http://bit.ly/c2bWag) it reminded me of the time, when, about 8 years ago our family finances were stretched to the limit.

I needed to up my earnings and fast. Back then I had done just as Stephanie suggested: I had looked at all my income streams (in my case, journalism, teaching, keynote  speaking and writing books) and calculated which ones made me the most money  in the least time with the least effort. It had leapt out at me in a flash – journalism was my best moneymaker. So I focused on that and went for it and cranked up my income to the level I needed to pay for the school fees and the family holidays.

But that was 8 years ago, and since then I had got sick of journalism, moved to the Netherlands and fallen into bad ways. When the motivation of needing the money had slipped towards wanting the money, I had forgotten those wise words and begun, once again, to have multiple income streams, putting my eggs in many baskets as they say.

Then, last year, we had a financial catastrophe owing to the Iceland bank disaster. Basically, this time last year we had lost our entire life savings. Again, I needed to earn money, and fast only I had clean forgotten about my earlier success and began to race around, saying yes to every opportunity that came my way. I was frazzled to the core and oddly, I still was not making a profit.

Then I read Stephanie’s articles. Of course! I think I must have slapped myself on the forehead at this point. I needed to focus on what made the most money for not only the least effort, but with the least spent on marketing.

And that was when I remembered Stephanie’s article about needing a niche. That was where I was going wrong! When you have multiple income streams and answer the question: “What do you do?” with a long list of answers you make yourself hard to define in one sentence. And when you are hard to define, you become impossible to refer.

Back then I realised my niche was mentoring writers to plan, write, edit and publish books that raised their profile and their profit. It had been on my list of services for more than five years by that time, but I had failed to recognise that having just one niche with a defined target market would make my life easier.  And so I began to answer the: ”What do you do?” question, with “I help people to write their books.” Simple as that.

Soon after I attended the Families in Global Transition conference (www.figt.org) in Houston for the fifth time. In all those previous years I had only ever had signed up one client as a result. This time it was different. I had made new brochures that focused on that single service, redesigned my website and promised myself that I would only talk about my book mentoring service.

Within days, literally, the referrals started to come in. Within three months my turnover doubled, within six months it had tripled.

After those first three months I wrote a list of every mentoring client I had had in the last 5 years.  I was stunned! An amazing 95% of them had all come from referral.

Having a defined niche, that I had proved to be a moneymaker, had made me easy to refer and that had tripled my turnover. Today, a year since that aha moment I am proud to announce that this week alone I have sent four client books to the printer. One client came from that conference, two had been referred to me by that same client and a fourth had been referred to me by a different contact at that same conference.

Defining your niche is vital. But ensuring that niche will make you money is another. Thank you Stephanie for reminding me of the importance of both.”

Check out what Jo is up to here:
http://www.joparfitt.com
http://twitter.com/JoParfitt

ALBERT BOTH

Albert Both’s success story was inspired by the section in my free special report ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ about writing as a marketing strategy.  If you don’t have your copy of the report handy, here is direct link to the report http://bit.ly/cdoOov.

“I have my own company, Talencoach, that helps people learn Dutch much faster and in a way that’s fun. The truth is that there are hundreds of language schools, so standing out is not always that easy. 

Therefore, two years ago I read Stephanie’s report 7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time. Out of the eight marketing strategies outlined in the report, I felt most attracted to the option of writing a free e-book in combination with regular newsletters. I also decided to work with Stephanie to make sure that I could get results much faster and yes, thanks to her great suggestions I was able to write my first e-book: Why You Hate Learning Dutch and 7 Secrets to Change It.

All I can say is that it has had a very positive impact on my business. First of all, I do not have to sell, I just share something I feel very excited about. On top of that, once people like it, they come to me. I have to admit that makes it much easier to have a conversation! People already know me and they see me as an expert!

Within two years I’ve attracted more than 2600 subscribers to my report and newsletter. The beauty is that it brings many surprises to my life as well. People read it all over the world. Sometimes I get e-mails from China and one of my favourite American coaching authors wants to work with me.  

Another good thing about sending out a regular newsletter is that it also promotes self management.  It gently forces me to think ahead and to inform everyone about my plans and activities. This is good, because sometimes I tend to be totally absorbed in my work, and now I consistently communicate with the rest of the world.

Sure, I could say so much more about it… However I am really glad that thanks to Stephanie I could take this essential step. It definitely took my business to a next level!”

You can find out more about what Albert’s up to here:
http://www.talencoach.nl
http://nl.linkedin.com/in/albertboth
http://twitter.com/Talencoach

REBECCA GRAPPO

Rebecca Grappo, M.Ed. a Certified Educational Planner and owner of RNG International Educational Consultants, was inspired by my article: ‘5 Changes for Your Website to Attract More Clients’ http://bit.ly/94foZb and shares her success story here.

Stephanie Ward of Firefly Coaching is a font of great information and inspiration, and best of all, she’s generous with it! After talking to Stephanie about my website, I took a long hard look at it and realized that although it looked great, there was even more that I could do with it.

1) VERY VISIBLE & CLEAR INVITATION TO TAKE ACTION

What? Take action? You mean visitors to my site don’t automatically know that they are supposed to take action? I thought of all those TV infomercials that used to come on late at night that demanded that we order before midnight tonight. However, I didn’t want to be a high-pressured salesperson like them. But was it really so bad to put on my website how my company could help solve a problem and how to contact us? Nope. It was simple and I could even do the web edits myself! After all, finding help or information was the reason why people must have come to my website in the first place!

2) GIVE AWAY SOMETHING VALUABLE

Stephanie is always giving away something valuable – herself and her professional expertise. So I could do that, too, right? I already produce two newsletters, one called “Educating Global Nomads”, and one called “The College Advisor.” I could give that away for free! And so I asked my web designer to please add the sign up boxes to every page of my website. I have plans for more “free downloads” that I want to add!

3) ABILITY TO STAY IN TOUCH

In addition to the newsletters I produce, I also want to share information, cool things I find, photos from my travels to visit schools, and through my blogs, opinions I have about issues in education. Thus I try to keep in touch with students and families without expecting anything in return except for the occasional (very welcome) comment on something I post! I use a variety of methods such as a Facebook fan page, WordPress blog, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I’m not out to turn every one of these followers into paying clients some day – I am just happy that they are interested enough in the same things I am interested in that they want to stay in touch! And who knows – they all have friends and family, and maybe one day I’ll be able to help them.

4) LET THEM SEE YOU

I do have some pictures of myself on the website and on my blog. In addition to the standard photo I use for most occasions, I also have photos of me taken with students as well as photos of boarding schools, college campuses, and therapeutic programs that I have taken during my travels. I also think that clients should be able to “see me” from the inside out. Since my profession involves working with young hearts and minds, parents understandably want to know who I am and what my values are. I’ve actually had parents ask me that. Therefore, I have an extensive FAQ section so that parents and students can see me for who I really am. And all the website copy? That’s 100% me!

5) KNOW WHO IS VISITING

I am always curious to know who is visiting my website and how they find me, so I subscribe to Google Analytics. It has given me a lot of valuable information, and I am also working to improve my SEO (search engine optimization) by tweaking my site and the keywords people use to find me.

One thing I have learned is that a website is never finished – it will always be a work in progress! But thanks to people like Stephanie, who can break things down into small, manageable, understandable chunks of information that even someone like me can understand and work with, I know that I can keep up with the times!

You can find out more about what Becky is up to here:
Website: http://www.rebeccagrappo.com/
Blog: http://www.rebeccagrappo.com/blog/
Facebook: RNG International Educational Consultants http://tinyurl.com/y5yqq8s
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RebeccaGrappo
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/beckygrappo

BLANCA VERGARA

Blanca Vergara’s success story and results come from step five of my special report about choosing your marketing strategies http://bit.ly/cdoOov.  Blanca picked writing and starting an ezine!

“The most powerful and the greatest inspiration Stephanie constantly gives to me: consistency.

In her free special report “7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time” she gave me a wonderful menu of powerful marketing tools. She also mentions that the best is to choose a combination of them that feels good to you.

It doesn’t matter which combination of marketing tools you choose, what matters is that it feels so authentic to you that you can actually keep it up! Yes, in the keeping it up is where the whole secret of Stephanie is. AND she’s right!

I particularly admire how quick she replies to e-mails, how consistently she sends here newsletter on time, how consistently she updates her YouTube videos, how consistently she networks… Her marketing mix is consistent and transparent to her audience and that talks about her professionalism. Do you want to express your professionalism? Be consistent!

One of my first choices I made in my business was to implement a monthly newsletter. I send it every 2nd Friday of each month. I have consistently sent it every month. I’ve added and eliminated some sections, but the general philosophy of it has always remained constant.

I can assure you, starting was challenging. My inner critic said loads of useless stuff: who do you think you are, what you’re saying is obvious, so many other famous authors are already saying that, this has been said before… To step above that and keep loyal to my message has become easier and easier, one month at a time.

My newsletter consistency has generated diverse positive benefits for my business. The most important ones are:

- Improved Sales Conversion. The best business result of this is that every single time I launch a promotion, the best sales conversion always comes from my very own list subscribers. In other words, the largest number of invested customers always comes directly from the readers of my newsletter. This is a fantastic blessing, as this makes my consistency my greatest free sales agent.

- My own Mastermind. There is nothing more powerful than a group of people with similar views. The consistency of my newsletter has granted me that. My readers are not only my customers, they are also my partners: Joint Ventures, Affiliates, Suppliers and even friends. The financial and inspirational power of this is paramount! They remind me why I’m in my business. They keep me going. They are the wind beneath my wings.

- Build my Expert Status. The currency of the future is reputation. When you are not consistent, it is impossible to have a reputation. Simply put, no one knows what you’re all about! Conversely when you are consistent you are structuring your expertise: you (and the rest of the world) become conscious of all that you actually do know. Knowing is not enough, having a structure to your knowledge, makes your story useful and unforgettable. So, you become an expert! You don’t need to do everything, nor to be unauthentic. Stretch yourself, while remaining yourself. What will speak the best about you and your business is consistency!”

You can check out what Blanca’s up to here:
Website and blog: http://blancavergara.com/page/Home
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Blanca-Vergara-Moving-Beyond-Achievement/325910985938?ref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlancaVergara

DEIRDRE BUDD

Deirdre Budd, owner of Dream Angus, shares a success story that was inspired by my video about what to do before, during, and after a networking event, you can check it out here: http://bit.ly/a6sMyU

“I come from a background of working within a national organisation so setting up my own business was a very steep learning curve for me. I had some ideas about how I was going to market my business but was, and still am keenly aware that I have a great deal to learn.

I heard Stephanie give a talk at the EPWN when she was introducing a speed networking event. She sounded friendly and approachable and gave some useful tips. I then joined her email list to receive newsletters. There was so much valuable information there. Some things I had already done and a great deal more that I obviously needed to do.

Stephanie’s tips about that networking event have stayed with me and before each networking event, particularly after a holiday or a break from attending such events, I revisit these tips.

Looking at the suggestions Stephanie made for preparation and follow up have been incredibly helpful. I’m quite a shy person and occasionally have difficulty setting myself up to attend networking events. Now I go with purpose. I know what I want to achieve and have a game plan on how I intend to meet these goals.

I find that I am urging other new entrepreneurs to follow Stephanie. I am starting to forge relationships from these events which are now bringing me referrals. This is what it is all about, growing my network and my business. So I too can refer on to relevant people whom I’ve met and find I have some confidence in. Thank you Stephanie, you are inspirational! Keep up the good work.”

Find out more about what Deirdre is up to here:
Website: http://www.Dream-Angus.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/c7T3EE
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DreamAngus
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/bN3BXt