This is a question I am asked a lot: Is there a market for what I want to do? If you are in the business of transformation or you support those that are in the business of transformation, meaning if you are a coach, consultant, speaker, author, designer, organiser or virtual assistant, then you want to watch this video as it may provide some answers or at least some insights for you.
I believe that the time is right for us, the passion-driven Solo-Entrepreneurs.

Learn not only the trends but also a systematic way to identify exactly who your ideal client tribe is.

Watch this first high content video in a series of four I want to give you over the coming week as I am getting ready to launch:

What do you think? Please let me know, lets start a conversation here on my blog. What are your burning questions regarding building a successful business? I will be shooting more videos for you, want to share specific strategies and would love your questions.

I will reveal my Blueprint for a Six Figure Coaching Business on a Webinar on the 30th June 8pm East Coast Australia Time. You can register for it already now below.

You can listen to this blog post here (4min 39sec)

Years of coaching Entrepreneurs through mindset challenges has not meant that I don’t have any myself but it does mean that I am finding it easier these days to recognise my own patterns and stop them.

Here is one that I have personally experienced, have a look and see can you relate:

Imagine having three business opportunities lined up. They all have the potential for a huge payoff. You get excited, you work hard to make them happen. Then one doesn’t eventuate, one shrinks disappointingly and one works successfully but doesn’t get the results you had expected. And suddenly you feel like your business is a house of cards that is so fragile that it can fall down any time.

Has this ever happened to you? It has happened more than once for me, let me tell you. It takes me a bit of courage to talk about this so openly but I think it’s important.

It’s those times that my inner critic comes out to play and tells me this isn’t going to work, I’m wasting my time, I’ve missed the bus when it comes to opportunities, and maybe I wasn’t cut out to run a big business in the end anyway. See, I know my pattern, this is it.

What don’t see in these moments are the other opportunities that came seemingly out of nowhere. That were completely unexpected, are a perfect fit and while not as huge as the others I feel I just lost (and even that’s debatable), they quickly add up to something really solid. So in other words, my perspective on what is going on is heavily skewed and it’s really not serving me.

The truth is, this is the kind of dance that happens for me every time I take a significant step to grow my business and I feel out of my comfort zone.

Luckily I have ways to recover from this very quickly these days. The three tips I’ll share with you here are my safety net. These things keep me sane, get me focused again and have kept me from quitting more than once.

Get a reality check

The voice that comes through in these times is your inner critic who is NOT rational, often not caring and wants to drag you back to the safest path (which is certainly not running a business). This voice is often very dominant and loud. What you need is a reality check. I use my mastermind network and my mentor to do this for me. Whenever I feel this kind of stressful state come on I reach out to them and ask them for their perspective. I don’t know how many times I have blessed my Mentor for finding just the right words or my mastermind network for just being there, giving me a new perspective or cheering me on when I needed it most. Make sure you have a support network of like minded people preferably those that have walked the path before you.

Change your state

It’s almost impossible to find a new perspective or a sensible solution when in an unresourceful state, when you feel down, depressed or stressed. My way out of it is to put my favourite pieces of uplifting music on before I even attempt to shift my perspective. And it works wonders. I feel better, and I see new options. I know this sounds so simple but doing this takes some discipline as it often is tempting to wallow in your depressed mood. So the important thing is to nip this in the butt as soon as possible.

Commit to a bigger game

When you stress about things it is often because you are playing too small. If you fret about losing a client then what does that say about your prospect pipeline? And what does it say about your efforts you put into growing your business to a certain level? What if: What if instead of three big opportunities I had six lined up? How big a deal would it be if one or two didn’t turn out? Not as big. I think one of the biggest dangers is that people underestimate what it takes to get the results they want. So commit to playing big and stop sweating the small things.
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What do you think? What do you do to get yourself back on track? And how is that working for you? Please leave me a note I’d love to know your view.

You can listen to this blog post here (5min 30sec)

Do you love what you do but crumble when it comes to selling yourself? Asking for a good bunch of money for your valuable services and promoting in adequate terms the amazing work you do?
I hear it so often from clients – I used to be so good at sales while I was employed but it’s all different now that I am selling myself. I just can’t ask for what I really want, I don’t know how to sell myself, somehow it’s awkward to ask for money for what I do.
I know, I’ve been there. Because we sell the invisible its far less easy to put a price tag on what we do. And on top of that, while we totally believe in our work, it comes so easily to us that it’s easy to fall into the old employee mindset trap and think that because it’s easy it mustn’t be worth a lot.
Were you also brought up to not blow your own horn and to never exaggerate what it is you do?
While obviously we never want to lie or mislead anyone with our statements about the results people can get from our work, it is essential that we are disclosing the full potential our service has and help our clients make an informed decision about whether to hire us or not.

And here is the real mindset shift that you must make as you leave behind the old employee way of thinking and fully embrace your entrepreneurial spirit:

Creating and attracting money to you is just as much part of the creative process as is helping somebody let go of fear, set a new goal etc. If you don’t pay attention and do the best job possible during the sales conversation, your potential client will always miss out more than you do.
Seeing sales as something separate from providing a service is wrong. That’s the old paradigm that we are led to believe as employees. The sales process is the first act of service that you provide your clients. Start on a good note by doing as thorough a job as you will once they are your clients.
Why is it that we created this funny separation between money and everything else? We are entrepreneurs, to me that means we create value – for our clients and ourselves.
Here are three ways to shift your perspective so you can make asking for money a natural part of the creative process you propose to clients:

1. You are not asking for money you are creating value for your client
Whenever you sell your services/programs to anyone, if they are the right client for you, they will gain more from it than they pay you. That’s the idea. And it’s up to you to show them and educate them on exactly how they will gain so much more than they pay. Because we sell the invisible, we the gain can often be unconscious, far in the future etc. And as consumers we are trained to only notice the immediate visible, so we have to do some more educating so people realise how much they really gain.

2. You must help your potential clients make the right decision for themselves.
What you can give your clients might be exactly what they are looking for. But if you don’t take the time and make the effort to give them what they really need to come to that realisation (or to help them move on if it’s not a good fit) then they might miss out on something that could truly change their life forever. Do you want to carry that burden? I don’t. I’d rather do a proper job even though it might mean help my clients feel their own pain so they know it’s important to do something about it.

3. You don’t want to be attached to the decision they make but you do want to be committed to helping them make the best possible decision
This is going to be the clincher for many people. This is how you get out of the “I don’t want to be pushy” mindset and into the mindset of a true servant to your tribe. You know so much more than they do. You have an obligation to do whatever it takes to help them make the right decision for themselves. One that helps them improve the quality of their life. No matter whether they buy from you or not, do them this service of giving them all they need to know in order for them to make the right choice.
People are often amazed at how easily selling comes to me and it’s because I believe what I share here 100%. Any sales conversation I have in the true spirit of service knowing it’s the beginning of every relationship where I can enrich others’ lives.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this, please leave me a note here on the blog.

A few weeks ago I attended a great conference with awesome speakers. They were passionate, polished and very knowledgeable. There was just one thing that struck me as very odd. So many of them crumbled when it came to the end where they were going to make an offer. I heard things said such as “I am not trying to sell you anything, this is not a sales pitch,…”. Why not??? Why do we need to even excuse ourselves for a sales pitch?

Sales is not a dirty word and I think it’s important we get over our resistance to it because none of us would even have a business if we were not actively selling something. As you can see from my newsletter I always have an offer for you out there even if it’s a free one.

I do understand that there is some backlash to events that are simply pitch fests and people being over that. AND, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The reason why there are so many fantastic free offers out there is because they inspire a certain percentage of everyone enjoying the free stuff to actually take action and invest in taking the next step. And it’s when they take the next step that they really see the big benefits. Because even though the free stuff is extremely useful, it is always only part of the picture.

Nobody can put years worth of study and experience into a one hour free teleseminar/webinar and the like. The purpose of the free offer is to showcase your expertise and to give the audience the inspiration and the confidence to take take the next step and commit to achieving their goal using your material, teaching, systems.That is a really important step as when you sell information/coaching/consulting you are always selling a result.

So the better you are at building people’s confidence that they can do what you recommend in order to get the results they want, the more people will invest with you. That’s what you want to achieve in your promo free give aways. So don’t be afraid to be generous when you give information for free and at the same time don’t be afraid to make your offer and invite people to take the next step. Your speech/free give away earns you the right to make that offer.

And believe me, there are  people who want to hear it, who are waiting for you to show them how they can find out more, so don’t rob them of the opportunity to invest in themselves!

Ok, I”m going to get off my soap box now, what do you think of this? I’d love your comments on this here on the blog, I promise I read every one of them, even if I don’t always get to answer everybody!

So drop me a line ok?

“If  you build it they will come” is probably one of the biggest myths ever published and believed when it comes to business.

“Once you build something extraordinary  and you tell everybody why they should come they may” is probably closer to the truth, I’d say.

So how many people find out about you and what you do every day?

As you know you could have the most extraordinary offer but unless  people know about it, you will stay the best kept secret in your industry. And it’s exactly here that most Solopreneurs think too small and simply underestimate how much exposure they really need in order to fill their pipeline.

“But I am already working so hard”  I can almost hear you say.

I know. And that’s why the strategies that really take your business to the next level need to leverage everything you already have: Relationships, technology and online media.

Here are three strategies that  I am using and that are working for me right now to increase my reach:

1. Form Joint Ventures

The upcoming Massive Client Attraction Telesummit is a great example of a joint venture that I have formed with seven other experts in my industry.  Teaming up with who you could regard as your competitors to create a triple win situation (you, your JV partner and your clients/subscribers) is a great way to increase your reach.

Seek out the big players in your industry, set up events where you interview them or present alongside them not only positions you as the expert in YOUR field but also exposes all of you to a wider audience as each contributor promote s the event to their following.  This strategy has been instrumental in my business success to date probably more than any others.

During the Massive Client Attraction Week Telesummit I will be interviewing Janet Beckers who built her entire business in record time based on boldly putting this strategy in place.

2. Drive traffic to your website with a purpose

It is imperative that your website is structured to generate leads for you. Giving a valuable piece of information away in return for them providing their name and email address  is the most effective lead generating strategy that you can virtually put on auto pilot.  Using paid ads such as Google Adwords or Facebook ads or your ad on other resource sites can lead a steady stream of potential prospects to your site without you having to do anything else (except monitoring your Return on Investment).

During the telesummit I will be interviewing Alicia Forest who built a huge list of loyal subscribers using a variety of such ‘list building’ strategies.  As a mum of two little kids Alicia is a master of systemising things as she has to – there’s no time to waste when you have kids to look after.

3. Use Social Media to engage

Social media is all the rage at the moment and I have had success in getting clients through social media sites such as linkedin, facebook and twitter. You can too, but beware it is easy to get sucked in  and waste your time doing this. They key again is to use leverage.  It is possible to link the different applications and connect them with other media such as your blog so that one update gives you exposure in many different places.

And yes we will have an expert covering this area at the Massive Client Attraction Week Telesummit which is  a really important one as there are so many variables in this field, you really want to know what you’re doing here. Wendy Moore will shed some light on this, I for one am really looking forward to this session.

There are other strategies that are highly effective and the key is to leverage what you have got in as many ways as possible. I suggest you focus on one strategy, implement it to an extend that you can clearly see it working, then move on to the next one.  Making it perfect before you move on will mean you are wasting time.

What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to know what you want to know more about, so I can ‘grill’ my experts during Massive Client Attraction Week and get you answers.

Please leave me a note!

Click here to listen to this blog post (4min 12sec play time)

Have you ever met somebody, you were interested in what they do, you were considering doing business with them, ready to learn more about them and the first thing they do is send you a blatant advertising of their services asking you to buy? It’s rather off putting isn’t it. This approach just doesn’t work anymore in the age of abundance, especially for coaches and consultants. There is a three step process that you must go through in order to turn people who are effectively strangers into long term appreciative clients. Each step has it’s own purpose and wanting to achieve more than one step with whatever action you take can spoil all your efforts.

I know, I am impatient too and it’s obvious that what I do helps my ideal clients get what they want, but they don’t know that yet, so you and I need to be patient and stick to the three step formula always knowing what action we take for which purpose when it comes to client attraction. So look at what the three steps are and what actions are appropriate for each step, ok?

1. Lead Generation

Before we can even talk to anyone about our services, we must get in front of the people who could be interested in what we have to offer. Our goal here is to raise their interest enough for them to want to find out more and enter a conversation with us. This is the lead generation stage, they are still stangers. Getting the message out and having people who are interested in what we have to say, wanting to find out more, is the only thing we want to achieve here. This is where we might get people to download a free report from our website, attend a teleseminar or a live speech. We get the word out through social media, direct mail or other an introductory speech at a networking function. All we want at this stage is their permission to continue the conversation. Don’t try to sell here or you’ll kill the relationship.

2. Build the Relationship and Good Will

Once we have permission for the conversation to continue, we want to make deposits into their Good Will account. Here is where we educate what are now our prospects, give them value with no expectation of any return (in other words, still no selling!), delight them and impress them. And allow them to get to know us as a person so we can build a real connection with them (hint: the articles I am sending you every week will hopefully score me points in your Good Will account). While we do this, we also create awareness of what it is that they need more of in order to reach their goals. And of course we want to be the person of choice they go to in order to fulfill that need.

3. Invite them to invest

Ok now you can sell. And I deliberately phrase it as invite them to invest because that’s closer to the truth. If you have done step one and two and your valued prospects are ready to act to fulfill their need, what you offer them hits the mark for them and they trust you now, it’ll be easy for them to say ‘yes’ and invest in your program. You can see the power is always with your prospect. So what you put out there has to be pretty darn good, so it stands out and you become the obvious choice for them to go to. Because they don’t have to. Always remember, they can end the conversation with one mouse click, whenever they want to. Don’t give them reason to do that, but at the same time be sure to communicate enough so they can truly appreciate the offer you are making. It’s a balancing act you need to learn to master.

I am interested in your thoughts and questions. I am planning a huge initiative, I’m organising Massive Client Attraction Week (May 17-21). I’ll be teaming up with Australian and International Client Attraction Experts to bring you the most valuable up to date info on all three of these steps.

So what do you want to know about ??? Please leave me a note with your question and comments so we can make this a really great event that you will love/strong>

How often do you hear “I’d love to work with you but I can’t afford it” from your clients? If you think it’s too often then chances are you are not marketing your services to the right people, those that can actually afford it and those that are affluent enough not to have to be out shopping for the lowest prices.
Marketing to affluent clients has many advantages: It’s easier to raise your fees, you don’t get bargain shoppers but people who value quality and people who will rave about your services to their (also affluent) friends. So how do you position yourself as attractive to this group?

1. Be clear about your ideal client

How clear are you about your ideal client profile? Is your marketing material designed to speak to those people who have the funds to pay your fees? What are their demographics? What affluent means is relative and it all depends on what kind of a fee you are planning it charge. But you want to make sure that your client is in life circumstances where they have enough disposable income to pay what you are asking. For example, a singe stay at home mum with two little kids with an income of $50,000 a year is not very likely to invest $20,000 in a premium image makeover session. While this is an obvious example, I suggest you look at your ideal client profile and just check that you are being realistic with your target audience.

2. Create a strong premium brand

A strong premium brand creates a sense of quality you can trust and it truly sets you apart in the market place. Affluent clients are more likely to buy from you if you have created a strong brand personality. A brand that stands for a clear message of premium, quality, innovative, glamorous or other attributes that are associated with being superior will be favoured by clients who have sufficient disposable income to spend. While budget conscious clients can’t afford to think this way, affluent people can and LIKE that they can ( I know that whenever there’s a premium option available, I’m likely to take it, because I can and I like the preferential treatment).

3. Don’t be a bargain

Affluent clients will not buy from you just because you are offering bargain prices. In fact, they may even be skeptical about the value of your service if you don’t charge enough. That’s right, you can lose sales if you undercharge. Affluent clients equate a premium price with premium service (you need to back it up and actually deliver of course). So if you are wanting to attract affluent clients, position yourself as a premium provider and have your fees be aligned with that.

I realise that doing this (especially the last one about raising your fees) takes some courage to do because whenever you select a specific group to target you are also deselecting another. It shows once again that you can’t be all things to all people. I do know though that if you consistently do the right thing with your marketing, attracting affluent clients to you is a much smarter strategy than being a bargain provider. And as for the middle ground, well, that’s a pretty wishy washy place to be. I suggest you make a decision and stand by it.

What are your thoughts? Would love your comments on this. Please leave me a note!

Clarity and Focus have been a big focus for my platinum group. They wanted to walk away having a clear plan that would add big dollars to their bottom line THIS YEAR, and they did (some of them have a plan for generating more than $100,000).
Listen to some of them here describing their breakthroughs.

June Kitto from www.careerfit.com.au on her breakthroughs on niche, standards and masterminding

Diane Gatto, Heart to Mind, finding the key to really have her business stake off…

Jenny Marshall from www.kidsweightmatters.com sharing numerous breakthroughs

Rosie Hirst www.alignedbusiness.com on her new business approach that will prevent burnout

Tisiola Lear, Coach, watch this space…

Learn how to dissolve the resistance and get yourself out of procrastination www.essentialnlptoolkit.com

still a few seats left! Book by the end of the week and still get the early bird price.

Would love your comments and questions. Please leave me a comment here!

Love and Prosperity

Yvonne

There’s so much to do, build your list, write articles, get your website up, write invoices, make sales, create new content…you get my drift. How is one supposed to get it all done in those meager 24 hours in one day???
And then when you have generated a lot of activity you have created even more work for yourself in servicing your clients. Sure your business grows but what about having a life?? I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done. I have been at that place a few times. These days its good
How do successful six figure income solopreneurs do it? Are they superhuman?

The answer is no, they are not superhuman. But they have a smart system in place that helps them to get everything done that really needs to get done. Let me share with you how I juggle all my projects and still have a life (while you are reading this I am in a beautiful beachside holiday house at the South Coast).

Let me share with you four insights that have helped me to manage my business growth and still have a great life.

1. It’s all about your priorities
As an entrepreneur your To-Do list is never empty. There are always more things to do then there are hours in the day to do them. That’s just a fact and the sooner you get comfortable with that the better. The key is to prioritise the things that will make you money. That’s making sales, marketing every day, servicing your clients, creating new programs and content. Do these things first and everything else after these things are done. That will mean you will make the money you need to make to outsource the rest.

2. Outsource everything someone else can do
That’s the goal. And if you do what I suggest in point one you will quickly get to a point where this is easily possible. How do you know whether it’s time? If your days are filled with income producing activities and you are not getting the bookwork, admin etc. done or your burning the midnight oil doing it, it’s time to hire an assistant.
I suggest you start by outsourcing the lowest value activities first, I started with my book keeping and then I got a cleaner. If you want to justify the expense, invest the extra hours you free up into smart marketing, eg. ring some past clients, get a speaking gig, be active in social media etc.

3. Hire experts
When I talk about hiring assistants I am talking about people that are experts in their field (yes that includes the cleaner ). Hire people you don’t need to train and that are eager to serve you rather than being a drag on your time. And of course, you don’t need to employ them. I work with virtual assistants who are great at what they do and work from their own home or office. Set your standards high and watch your life getting easier as they take on more of your work.

4. Learn to let go
This is a big one for most entrepreneurs. If you seriously want to build a six figure income business, you need to let go of needing to do everything yourself and thinking nobody else can do it as well as you can. That’s not true for most things (except your unique brilliance). Letting go of wanting to control everything is essential for your success. You need to take a leadership role and start to delegate, delegate and delegate some more.

Put these four things into action and watch your results soar. Every time you let go of more, your income will go up! Would love your take on this. What’s your biggest challenge with getting it all done? Please leave me a note!