Because what I want to do inside that pretty little head of yours is to go into your brain and help you STOP making those comparisons!

You know the ones.  Where you look at your stuff and notice how EVERYONE ELSE is doing it better.  Or where you sit back and feel like you can’t possibly be where Ali Brown or the other superstars are.

After working with loads and loads and loads of businesses over the last 5 years, I can tell you that there are distinct stages of business growth, and usually the nasty comparisons start when we are in one stage looking at someone in another stage, so of course we fall short.

It’s like the toddler who beats herself up for not being able to drive.  Do you think she stops trying to walk/run because everyone else around her has car keys?  No, toddlers are focused on mastering their developmental task, so that’s my hope for you over these next three blog posts.  You will learn where you are, come to acceptance of that stage, and understand what you need to get mastery in before you can move on.

Stage One – Service Mastery

I guess I should preface this with the fact that I’m talking about service providers.  If you have a vending machine company, this probably isn’t gonna inspire you like it will if you are a coach, speaker, consultant, therapist, doctor, CPA, etc.

In this stage you want to learn how to get really good at what your service is.  This is where you are first opening the doors of your biz – aka entreprenurial freedom – and you are mastering your craft.  When I first started coaching I was lucky enough to be able to be involved with Thomas Leonard, who many consider the Father of Coaching.  He used to say, “After you coach the first 100, it all makes sense.”  His idea back then was to give away as much coaching as possible, just to gain experience and to work toward feeling masterful.

I remember feeling very unsure of myself because I was new in the field.  And truthfully, I was driving myself nuts!  Nuts because I couldn’t charge what I was worth, and didn’t have the confidence I did as a psychotherapist which was the career I had just come from.  So I did the work of analyzing what it would take for me to feel just as masterful doing coaching as I did being in the therapy world.  Would it take more clients, more income, or more time doing it?  While those answers may work for some, for me it turned out that what was necessary was the feeling of mastery.  Because I could set the benchmark for myself, I could also notice then when I had passed it!

Mastery for me came when I learned how to perfect my coaching and then also how to enroll clients.  What would it be for you in your business if you are in the start up stage?

Now if you are at this stage, you may be thinking, “GIVE IT AWAY?” I know, that sounds crazy.  So maybe don’t give all of it away, but give enough away or discount  your prices a bit to get people who will validate your work and give you testimonials.

There is nothing sweeter than the confidence that comes when a client shares with you the changes/success they have had as a result of their work with you.  When I got my first “OMG I can’t believe this happened” testimonial all those years ago, it felt like a thing I could put in my pocket and pull out whenever I was talking to a new and prospective client.  It boosted my confidence ten fold when that client told me that she was five years ahead of any other business that would have started on the same day because I accelerated her results and blasted past the learning curve of starting a business.  (And you want to know the funniest thing????  I had no idea I was doing that- that’s why you need to be asking for the results you are getting from your clients.)

Let’s summarize – in this stage it’s all about becoming the best _________ you can be.  You need to discover places where you can improve and find ways to beef them up.  And while I usually preach to keep your rates high, at this stage I will tell you to assign a portion of your time to no or low cost work, in exchange for a testimonial or feedback.  And for goodness sake, don’t compare yourself with folks who have been marketing for years.  It doesn’t serve you at all.

What’s next?  After you get really really good at what you do, there comes a moment where you say, “Oh crap!  I’m doing all of this myself and have no time.”  That overwhelm is usually sign you are on your way to Stage Two which is business mastery…but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to read about that!

One of my favorite shows is The Biggest Loser. Why? Because it’s one of the most inspiring things you can see on the tube. In this article I’m going to parallel the contestants and what they go through with you – my entrepreneur tribe. As you watch their journey, I’ll show you how you can be reenergized in business.

Let’s start at the beginning. The Biggest Loser contestants have it tough. So much tougher than we “normal sized” folks do. Why? Because they can’t hide. If you look at them with 100 extra pounds on their frames, you could assume that there is something not working in their lives.

That’s the good and the bad news for them. The good is that it doesn’t allow for slipping into denial because their pain or dysfunction is publicly visible. And maybe that makes them just a bit luckier in some ways.

Luckier? You are probably well aware that if you pull the curtain on some of the success teachers, actors or athletes, they are hiding many, many things. Maybe they are hiding the fact that they aren’t really making the money they claim. Or perhaps it’s that they are having personal or relationship issues themselves.

I think that when we are in the public eye – and as an entrepreneur you are in the public eye – the tendency is to want to put just a bit of ‘spin’ on the less-than-great elements in your life. It’s hard to step up and be authentic about the challenges you have gone through or the things that haven’t worked when you have the ability to put the nice suit on, crank out a few more happy tweets, and just go about the business of not dealing with what’s real.

But not my Biggest Losers…nope. They bare it all, and on national TV. As the saying goes, “The only way around is through.” These folks work through their issues to get to the healthier, happier, and beautiful person underneath. Week after week they face their fears, get pushed past their limits, and find strength in themselves that they never dreamed existed.

Isn’t that what the entrepreneurial journey is about? That’s how I have experienced it this last year, and I want to share my formula with you, so you too may have the business that brings you joy.

It’s about having D.A.T.E.S with your destiny –

D – Decide to change – The contestants first have to come to a place where they decide that they can no longer continue to keep living in this way. What do you need to decide? How about that you will have more fun in your business? Maybe it’s that you will finally give yourself permission to put yourself more fully into the work you do. Or perhaps that 2010 will finally be the year that you bite the bullet and get the team support you need so that you can devote yourself more to doing the work you love. Whatever it is for you…DECIDE! Repeat that to yourself over and over and over…”I am deciding to ______________, or I have decided ________________.” There’s power in that!

A – Assess what’s true – within the first week on the ranch where the Biggest Losers stay for the duration, they are giving a full battery of tests to determine their level of health and fitness. This is where many of the final shreds of denial fall away for these courageous souls. Last season a woman who was 49 years old tested out at about 61 which shocked the heck out of her. Some times we want to run from the parts of our business (and life) that are a bit messy. We don’t want to see that maybe our books aren’t in order, or that we haven’t been charging what we should, but by not looking at that, it still has power over you. How about this….”You can’t grow what you don’t know.”

Here are a few things you should be assessing for the health of your business –

Your marketing: how frequent and how effective is it?
Your follow up: is it automated?
Your billing: is it done on time?
Your books: are you getting up to date P & L’s and reviewing them regularly.
Your wealth plan: is it growing?
Your networking: are you making new connections and building powerful relationships?
Your offerings: does your market want something new for this year?

Have the courage to make a list of all the things you want to assess and have courage to tell yourself the truth.

T – Train with the Best. If you have seen the show, there are two very different strength trainers who work out the contestants. One is a very open-hearted guy named Bob, who clearly loves the contestants and shows that. The other is a kick-butt gal named Jillian, who is also very much there for them, but does it in a ‘boot camp’ way that calls them out when they are giving up on themselves. She screams and doesn’t let them off the hook, and while I’d probably be a mess of tears, her “in your face” style does the trick of helping the contestants to remember why they are there.

So let’s replicate their success. Who do you train with? Who calls out your brilliance, even when you can’t see it for yourself or are too tired to go on? Who loves you, supports you, designs exercises for your growth, and is there cheering you on? Every great athlete has multiple coaches. You just cannot expect to grow your business without training with the best, so in 2010, make it your #1 priority to find the best coach or mentor out there and let them get their hands on your business the way Bob and Jillian do for the contestants. You’ll love the results!

E – Enhance Your Environment – The contestants live on “The Ranch” which provides an environment for success. Thomas Leonard, the Father of Coaching used to say, “Environment is stronger than will” which means that a well constructed environment can pull you forward, while will is something you have to push and work at. An example of a powerful environment could be a mastermind group. You just show up, plug in and get new inspiration. Another one would be to design your office so that you feel energized just being there versus dragged down by clutter. There are environments in what sort of things you are reading and taking in. Are you surrounded by thoughts and ideas that enliven you and bring out your best? If not, change it.

S – Step up and Play Big – The final contestants of the Biggest Loser all get a makeover and then their families (who have not seen them in months) get to see the new person that has emerged. The metamorphosis is unbelievable. That’s what I want for you. To step up. Do the thing you have been afraid to do. What part of your business could you make over? Maybe that website that has been languishing could use a revamp. How about adding some teleclasses to your offerings to showcase your brilliance. Or let’s get crazy here….why not write that book you have been talking about for years?

It doesn’t have to be a complete business overhaul, but you have to start somewhere. Ask yourself these questions…

What are three things I could do that would energize my business and my spirit?
What help/support would I need to pull that off?
What results would I like to see as a result?
When will I get started?

There you go. My thoughts on how you can be The Biggest Winner!

Be sure to leave a comment on what you are going to do on the blog, and know I’m here to support you. (Not like Jillian, but I’ll for sure hold your greatness ’til you can see it.)

But what if you made it a conscious decision to try to help someone else advance.  Don’t know about you, but as a marketer, I have trained my brain to look for visibility and opportunity.  We look for how to promote, how to partner, what to sell, and ways to get out there bigger and bigger and bigger.  And of course its to help people.  But it also has a lot to do with US.   

So my challenge for you this day is to find ways to promote/support/encourage  other people.  I’ll share with  you a few of my favorites -

www.Mr.Tweet.com – Here you can recommend people on Twitter that you like and follow.  It sends them a notice that you recommended them and in your status feed, alerts everyone to the nice words you just wrote.

#FF or #FollowFriday -A bit of ‘geek-speak’ but if you are on Twitter you have probably seen these.  This is again a public way to give a shout out to someone who you think folks should follow.  Just type in your recommendation with either the hash tag #FF or #FollowFriday and your message will be delivered.

Commenting on Facebook status feeds – I have hired two people because they kept commenting on what I’d post.  I checked them out, and gave them work when I could.  Not only does commenting get you noticed, but it also gives attention to who you are commenting on.  Tell them what you appreciate, or better yet, write a wall post sharing with everyone why you think they are awesome.

Retweeting from Twitter – If someone says something you like, hitting the RT “Retweet” button will let you share their wisdom with your friends.  And whenever anyone RT’s you, make sure you message them and thank them for doing that.  I’ve created very nice relationships just from connecting with people who tweet my stuff, so this is a powerful way to network.

LinkedIn recommendations – These are great to give because it really helps boost people’s credibility.  Here’s an idea…make a commitment of going into your connections list on LinkedIn and recommending at least five people.  Just get in the habit of doing this regularly, and you’ll be delighted with the results.  (And a nice ‘bennie’ from this is that they will likely recommend you back!)

Refer business - Last week I sent 3 people business.  There’s nothing more important than that very cool ‘feel good feeling that comes from being able to give business to someone.  Who do you know that you could brag about and refer someone to?  Be on the lookout for this.  Remember, networking isn’t just an event…it’s a way of life.

Tithe - Yes, tithe.  If someone feeds you spiritually, feel free to send them some money.  When I think about what feeds me spiritually, it’s when someone helps me remember the truth of who I am, and I don’t hesitate to share that one of my spiritual practices is to tithe where I am fed.

Guest blog posts -Ask folks you trust to write blog posts for you.  That way you get a break from writing, and they get some visibility!  And your readers  gets a new perspective.

Mentions in your blog -Anther great way to give some props to folks.  Quote them and add a hyperlink to their site.  I did this recently for a gal and then posted on her wall on FB thanking her for inspiring an article.  Of course, I added the link to the blog, so people who visit her site will see that as well.

Joint Ventures – Be on the lookout for where you can put something together.  For example….Shannon Cherry and I will be putting something together for next year.  She was sharing what problems her target market has, and we quickly realized that my market needs what she brings, and hers needs what I bring.  So…a product is created!  I’ll promote her to my list and she’ll promote me to hers.  Win-win-win.

It’s funny because as I write these, I notice how in the long run it ends up benefiting ME when I do this.  Clients and speaking gigs come, reputations are strengthened and the giving first model makes for very good business.  It’s not my intention to be self serving in any of this,  but when we shift from “How Can I Get” to “How Can I Serve,”  we will be much more supported!

Hopefully that will give you some great ideas for how to really begin to serve.  What do you use?  I’d love you to share your best practices here with all of us.

Thanks tons!

Therese

It seems like there are endless things that need to be in place in order to get that business of yours to move from being like the middle school kid who has loads of potential (but a little disorganized and wacky at times) to the Ivy League graduate who is self sufficient and bringing home the dough.

What does it take? I’m asked all the time where to start. Is the key in putting more time, energy or money into marketing? Or will getting a great virtual assistant (VA) finally unlock all the pieces? There are so many possibilities.

But here’s the deal – you need a formula. Actually, you need my formula. Thanks to some great coaching from my friend and mastermind partner, Shawn Driscoll, I now have a formula that encompasses the work I do, and makes tons of sense. I call it the B.O.L.D formula for getting you and your business out there in a much bigger way.

The first place we start in the formula is in the area of beliefs, blocks and barriers.

What I know is that this is the secret sauce to make any coaching or marketing program get results. So many people have limiting beliefs that completely derail them, yet have no idea that this is why they see only marginal success. When you blast those limiting beliefs away, and then do the work to install ones that support your vision, you can begin to create the foundation that becomes a really strong container for you to put your dreams and goals in.

How do we do this? I have loads of techniques, but part of it starts with muscle testing. If you are interested, I’d be happy to send you the “how to use muscle testing” video I did as part of the Inner Guru Experience where we teach this in much more detail. Just shoot me an email by clicking here and you can start working with one of the most powerful tools I know. This can be eye opening for you to learn which beliefs you resonate with or not. (Be warned…it might surprise you!)

Next we have you own it!

You first own your vision. Is it yours, or is it someone else’s for you? Have you checked that this vision fits with your values and priorities? If not, there will be a part of you that will sabotage it, so make sure you do that work.

After you own your vision, you own your expertise. Yes, you MUST be positioning yourself as an expert. Some people balk at that word, but look at it this way. Who makes more, a pediatric cardiologist, or a family doc? Who is perceived as more knowledgeable – the generalist, or the specialist? Too many people undervalue themselves, and that’s one of the main things that I love to hammer away on with my clients.

And finally, you own your unique style. This is where marketing gets fun. If you are trying to do it like everyone else, you risk being invisible. If you are trying to ‘be professional’ your audience won’t resonate with you. I can’t say it enough…put your personality into everything you do with your marketing and your business. This way, the perfect clients will be really drawn to you.

The first two steps are the Inner Game work, and now we move to the Outer Game pieces.

After you understand what you want to do and put your unique spin on it, we look at ways you leverage your time, energy and money. This is where we make the assessment of what tasks you should be doing, and what things you should outsource. Remember – just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should! If you are a chiropractor and you are sitting around on the weekend putting up web pages or trying to do your own bookkeeping, you are missing the boat. Let someone who loves to do that stuff take it, and apply your time to what you can uniquely do that either no one else can, or is a revenue generator.

Here’s my coaching challenge to you…look at your business to try to find where you could gain 5 hours a week for yourself. What tasks would you have to peel off in order for that to happen? Outsource those, and in that extra 5 hours, do something that is either marketing related, or is bringing in more money for you. That could mean you spend more time writing, or possibly networking. Answer this question for yourself – “If I had more hours in the week, what three things would I work on to grow my business?”

And finally, we work on designing a business that you will love. This is where we also factor in your values, mission, goals, and dreams. This is where your legacy comes in, and where you put your stamp in the world. What kind of business model would you like? Is it a service biz, or an info-marketing biz, or perhaps a brick and mortar biz?

Designing a business that serves YOU is the most rewarding thing…but it takes courage! First, you have to know what you want, and next you have to be fiercely committed to seeing that through. This is where the dreaming happens. The crazy, out-of-the-box “what could I have if anything were possible” types of questions. Doesn’t that get you excited? I hope so! Because the world needs what you have to offer.

Where did I get such lunacy?  From hanging out with my sales trainer friends.  Ya see, being a psychotherapist and life coach gave me zero preparation on how to sell my services.  So a few years ago when I entered the wonderful world of entrepreneurs, I had one steep learning curve!  I was blessed to study with Eric Lofholm, but it was my time spent with Michael Goodman of AZ Sales Pros that really drove this point home for me.

This is where we come to the concept that your clients aren’t buying what you are selling.  Most of us get so addicted to ’selling our services’ that we forget to look at it from the consumer’s end.  Let me give you some examples…

If you are an acupuncturist, is your client buying acupuncture?  No, what they are really buying is relief from pain or whatever their symptom is that brought them in.  Does a chiropractor sell chiropractic care?  No, their patients buy health, longevity, relief from stress/pain/fatigue, and a whole host of other benefits.

And we coaches DO NOT sell coaching!  We sell business acceleration, revenue generation, results amplification, marketing plans, fulfillment, freedom, etc.

Get the drift?

Now it’s your turn.  Make a list and write all the thing you sell (like your products or services) on one half a sheet of paper.

Next, ask yourself, “As a result of consuming this, what exactly is it that these clients are ‘buying?’  Put this on the other half of the paper.

If you can answer that, you are on your way to being able to use the correct marketing language to attract your ideal buyers.

Oh, and if you aren’t sure?  ASK your market!  There is nothing more powerful than asking your clients what they have gotten as a result of working with you.  Those are the golden nuggets that will help you understand exactly what you are ’sellling and what they have been buying.’

My story?  A few years ago I asked a client of mine this very question.  She was one that came to me and didn’t even have a concept for a business, but she said that as a result of working with me she felt like she was five years ahead of any business owner who would have started on that same day.  She pointed out that I shortened her learning curve, and helped her accelerate her results.  The funny thing…I had no idea I was doing that!  I knew the tangible aspects like helping her in the start up phase and all the mindset stuff we did to get her to own the role she was now taking on, but accelerating her results?  Who knew!  It was really powerful for me to have that tangible deliverable, so you bet I always ask my clients that magical question these days.

I encourage you to do the same so you can discover what a rock star you really are.

In the beginning it was going that way, but by the end it all made sense to the client.

She was referred to me by the owners of the Big Blend Magazine where I am the Small Business Guru.  (A huge plug for them because it’s a been great way to advertise and get visibility!)

Her focus for buying the strategy session was to have help in creating a membership site.  So I began to ask her questions.  Loads and loads and loads of questions.  I could tell that she was getting a bit frustrated because she wanted to get instruction on how to build the site, but I needed to get the big picture.    That’s how my brain works….

You see, all that she thought of was adding a site onto her existing offerings.  It hadn’t occurred to her that maybe clients would enter at different levels of expertise or want a “do-it-yourself” vs. “done-for-you” option.  She didn’t get that there has to be a way to interlock all the parts in the client journey.

In the end, we came up with a beautiful FULL funnel of how a client could enter, what the special report would be to capture data, different levels the clients could get to, how to market to them, and how to get a whole lot more cash than she had thought of.  Oh, and of course all the mindset stuff that she’d need to pull it off.

As we were processing the session she did admit that in the beginning she was getting really frustrated because she didn’t see how all the pieces fit together as she was so focused on what the thing that she thought needed to be in place should have been.   But she was delighted with how it turned out!

Now for you….are you fixated on that one offering at the expense of the bigger picture?  Ask yourself the same questions I asked this now happy client -

Where do people enter when they work with you?

What skill level do they come with and what can you teach/offer in each level?

Have you surveyed them to see what they want and what they are willing to pay?

Who would you have to become to have a grander vision like this?

What can you outsource – cuz most likely you are the bottle neck?

What is your vision for your business in a year?

Answering those questions will help you take the big view and not get stuck making the mistake of trying to piece things together.

I guess sometimes its a good thing when your coach uses intuition!  Giving someone what they NEED versus what they WANT is often times much more kind in the long run.

Blessings!

p.s.  Feel free to leave a comment about how you take the long view.

Reading a bag of epsom salts (don’t ask!) I was surprised from a marketing perspective at what it said -

Epsom Salt – Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P – Natural Mineral

(And here’s where it gets interesting….)

A soaking aid for minor sprains and bruises

A saline laxative for the short term relief of constipation

A plant nutrient for vigorous lawns, flowers, plants, vegetables and trees.

Now I don’t know about you, but I doubt even brilliant marketers like my friend Michele PW or the famous Dan Kennedy could come up with copy for a product that helps with bruises, constipation, and gardening! All the marketing messages I teach about having to have a unified message just get thrown out the window with this thing.

As I re-read this bag of Epsom salts, I had the fantasy that a bunch of marketers were sitting around brainstorming, and finally they said, “What the heck, let’s just throw it all in.  We can’t figure out what to say, so we’ll just list the uses and let it go from there.”

With epsom salts, you pretty much know what you use it for.  And unlike coaching or whatever business you are in, there’s only one variety.  There’s not mint flavored, low fat, west coast, designer salts.  You get one thing.  Where you put it is your own business!  But it makes it easy because there’s only ONE way it’s delivered.

But in your business you don’t have the ability to have a crappy marketing message because you can’t figure out if you work with business owners, or mom’s, or teens, or people in transition.

That’s what this article is about.  Just because Walgreen’s can get away with having a generic product with bad packaging, as a small business owner, you can’t.  Your only choice is to narrow your focus, get crystal clear about who you serve, and what they get, and then go about creating compelling language around that.

So where do you start?

The things you need to be able to clearly articulate are what you do (as in your unique expertise) who you do it for (target market) and what problems you solve for them.  Most people start out as generalists, but the goal is to refine your market, offering and services even tighter as you get more and more sophisticated.  If you are stuck here, grab a mastermind partner or survey some old clients to get more information about how they benefited from working with you.

Why is this important?  Success is about being seen as the foremost expert in your industry.  Because unlike Epsom salts, there’s no one else like you!

Now go out an SHINE!!!!

Blessings!

If you read this blog from a couple of days ago, you will remember that I am conducting a survey, asking for people’s opinions about what they would like to see in a marking makeover program.   (The survey is http://bit.ly/8gkwb here by the way if you want to add your two cents)

It’s been really awesome to see the answers as they roll in.  I’m so grateful to all who have participated, but the last response that came in is the one that really struck a cord with me.

This person talked about taking another coaches very high end program.  They got great content, but after it was all over, the person was left feeling like, “Now what?”  The foundation was in place, ideas were generated, but there was no follow system or next steps in place, so after spending tons of money, the writer doesn’t feel like they are moving forward because they need more support.

It got me thinking.  As I work to design my program, what happens three months after the program ends?  What do my clients get if they have a questions down the road?  Am I going to avail myself to them, or will they have to wait till the next program rolls out?  It really is a discussion about what our role as information marketers or service providers is.  When people entrust us with their confidence and make investments in themselves through working with us, how much do we owe them?  I know myself and the folks that I like to hang out with tend to ‘give away the farm’ a bit, but then there are those who you can only get some face time if you are paying BIG BUCKS to.

It’s a tricky question, that’s for sure.  Is there a way to do a 90 day program but then offer three more months of some kind of additional support?  Is that for free, or for a fee?  (Maybe its kinda like the warranty on your car – “six months, six product launches, or 6 sales pages later….here’s what you get…” )

The question becomes when is a program enough?  And when should clients pay to keep getting more of you?

Probably more questions than answers, but I’d love your ideas to how you have handled this situation.

And thanks so much for the writer who shared (anonymously) with me on the survey.  May your words inspire us all to do a better job serving the people we are blessed to serve.

Blessings!

I was recently talking to one of my mastermind buddies, Natasha Allrich, about this very concept.  We were sharing the programs we were providing, and I told her about one I had done earlier in the year that truthfully, didn’t get the results I wanted.

Natasha asked one powerful question….

“Did you ask your market what THEY wanted, or did you just create a program based on what YOU wanted?”

OK, she busted me!  That is exactly where I went wrong.  I loved my concept, wrote killer copy, threw in loads of value….but never did the research to see if the offering and price point were what my fun lovin’ business owner types would want.

Have you ever made this mistake?  More than likely, yes.  We all do.

The secret is to go to your ideal clients and have them tell you what they would pay for.

I want to give you some tips on how to survey your audience.

1.  Online Survey – I use www.SurveyMonkey.com – Super easy and very low tech!  Make it short, but ask a few questions about price, content, and how to best deliver the program.  Example, would they like a day time workshop live or an evening virtual teleseminar?

2.  Pick up the darn phone – Calling your old (and ideal) clients about what they would want is a great strategy.  You have to stay away from folks who aren’t your market.  Example, your brother the plumber doesn’t get to tell you that you are charging too much….unless you are serving plumbers, that is!

3.  The power of social media – using Twitter or LinkedIn polls to get answers is another effective way.  You are getting access to way more people that you probably have in your neighborhood, so this is a no cost and easy way to gain some valuable information.

4.  Offer an incentive – you can add something to your newsletter or survey that if folks take a few minutes of their time, you will gift them with xyz.  It could be a free report, a $25 off coupon, entered into a drawing for a session with you, etc.

5.  Make sure you keep it short – no one is going to answer 47 questions.  But if you can come up with 3-5 questions that will get you the info you need, you are probably going to be able to get some good answers.

And finally…I’m gonna ask, because I’m not making the same mistake again!

Can I get your two cents?  I have a quick 3 question survey that I’d love you to answer to help me better design my 90 Day Marketing Makeover Program.  You can grab that here:

http://bit.ly/8gkwb

If you fill it out and email me telling me that you read this on the blog, I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a strategy session which is valued at $297 – cuz I REALLY appreciate you taking the time!

Now go out there and start asking your market what THEY want.

Blessings!

“Can you review the new sales page that I wrote,” she said.

That’s where it started.  And fifty minutes later she had a completely different business model, had a plan to quadruple her income, and added a membership site for more leveraged revenue.

What a rewarding time!  Doing Strategy Sessions is one of my most favorite things because I can take the persons business, understand what motivates them, find what they desire, rip the heck out of their current model, then spin something really amazing out of all the pieces.

In this case we went from a business owner who sold only a $19 ebook, and turned it into a $97 Toolkit.  We then added a 90 day free membership for everyone who buys her  product so she moved from a one time purchase to monthly income.  How cool is that?!?  Let’s do the numbers – if she had 50 sales at $19 she’d be making $950/mo.  50 sales at the new price is over $4800!  Just one tweak and she’s rolling in the dough.

It got me thinking of how many creative entrepreneurs spend so much time energy and money, yet don’t have a business model that has the maximum revenue potential.

A couple of years ago I coached a woman who had a list of 22,000.  (Imagine that!)  She sold one thing – a $247 info product that she was getting ready to sink loads of money in to create videos and promotion for.  The problem was that this was a one time use.  So she had a huge list, worked her butt off to market, but once she made a sale, there was no other offering for those purchasers to get.

The solution?  We also created a funnel for her and added different levels of membership, and a higher end coaching program.   Finally, she could leverage that huge list and get loyal fans who kept coming back for more.

Now I want you to look at your business.  Is there a way to add more offerings?  Can you sell a upgraded version of your product?  Do you have a mechanism to have your customers return, or do they buy once and leave you?

An hour spent brainstorming these three questions can make your life (and revenue) a lot sweeter!  Think outside the box my friends……

And if you need some more support, get a hold of me and we’ll work some magic on your biz.

Blessings,