Are you a coach? Then this article by Client Attraction specialist, Fabienne Fredrickson, is a MUST-READ:

When talking about their business, most solo-preneurs make the mistake of describing exactly what they do, in boring detail. “My company has been in business for X number of years and we use the newest technology systems. We use a complicated series of… blah blah blah.” Many coaches and consultants talk about coaching ad nauseam, “What is coaching, are you coachable, what is your coachability index, who is the coach, blah blah blah”.

I know, because I did it too in the beginning and it didn’t work.

Hate to say this, but… SO WHAT! Nobody cares!When I hear someone talk to their prospects this way, it sends up a big red flag for me: these people don’t really KNOW what they DO for clients and they’re losing potential clients every time they open their mouths and every time someone reads their materials! The problem is that they’re clearly not connected enough to their client base to see what real benefits they bring their clients.

There’s a saying that goes “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” And until you can tell someone what’s in it for THEM to work with you, they won’t pay attention to you or what you’re saying.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve been doing this, but it’s something that you’ll want to work on quickly so you don’t let any more ideal prospects slip through your fingers. It just takes asking yourself what you really DO for clients, what results and benefits you get for them and then to articulate that so that a prospective client looking for that solution will want to work with YOU.

Let’s look at exactly what your ideal prospects are motivated by: The Motivators. Below is a list of the top 10 reasons, results or benefits that make people buy, according to Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel in the ebook entitled “Ebook Secrets Exposed” www.EbookSecretsExposed.com that I read a bazillion years ago:

Here, according to them, are the most powerful motivators:

1. Make money

2. Save money

3. Save time

4. Avoid effort

5. Get more comfort

6. Achieve greater cleanliness

7. Attain fuller health

8. Escape physical pain

9. Gain praise

10. Be popular

Now, not every one of these fits your business, and most likely, yours fall into the top 4 motivators, unless you’re in healthcare or image, then it usually falls within the last 6. Either way, it’s time for you to narrow yours down into motivators from the Top Ten list above.

What’s so powerful about using “motivators” in your marketing is that you position yourself as their ultimate SOLUTION, the one they would do anything and pay relatively anything to get. When you can show prospects how you can help them achieve one of them, they’ll immediately pay more attention to you.

They’ll want more. You’ll PULL them in. They’ll call YOU, as opposed to you chasing THEM. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch when that begins happening in your business.

Your Assignment:

Circle the motivators that fit your business from the list above and then list an example of how this has already happened using real client examples. Then, sprinkle this throughout all your marketing materials, your elevator speech, your website, your signature talk, etc. You’ll have people coming out of the woodwork wanting to work with you and your 1ncome will increase dramatically, in a very short time.

You may not be sure where to start with your elevator speech, signature talk, website, and everything else you need to do, and that’s OK. I was there once too. The step-by-step Client Attraction Home Study SystemTM will show you everything you need to know. Not only do you get clear on what clients you should be targeting, how to create the marketing message that will have them WANT to work with you and seek you out, but exactly WHAT to do with your marketing time and HOW. It’s everything you need to know to fill your practice quickly; no matter how long you’ve been in business. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. That’s why my customers have gotten such great results from it. You can get yours at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

Sheri McConnell is a successful entrepreneur I admire greatly. Here I share with you her latest article:

Create a Timeless and Focused Marketing Plan for Your Business
As you probably have heard by now—you aren’t in the business of (fill in the blank here). You are in the business of marketing. Your marketing must be automated and systemized. Period.

Ali’s newest blog post talks about our childhood hobbies, what we were good at as a kid and how that could actually help us today in our business life. I have to agree. I used to be the child that was sitting till late through the night writing stories and drawing pictures. I had a collection of about 200 horse postcards and used to sit down to plan out my equestrian center where people could learn to ride. I had maps and drawings of the whole equestrian complex with riding arena areas, wash bays, stables, guest accommodation units and paddocks. Every day I would add or change something about the big masterplan.

When I was about 10, I also sent a lot of inquiry letters to hotels and farms catering to horse riders to receive in return a brochure of their business. I would wait every day at the mail box to see if more brochures had arrived. It made my day when one arrived and I would sit there for hours analyzing the brochure, seeing what they offered that I didn’t (in my fictional equestrian center) and what ideas I could incorporate in my business planning process. I was totally absorbed in this.

I also wrote ‘books’ on horses and my mum used to hide them somewhere to safe keep, unfortunately often never finding them again as they were so well hidden. As my parents still live in the same house I guess that one day we may find them.  

Ali  says:

“When you reflect on your childhood hobbies, you probably feel a bit of nostalgia for those carefree days spent putting on plays, kicking around a soccer ball, or creating fridge-worthy artwork. But have you ever considered how those hobbies now impact your business success? Even if you’re no longer involved in those hobbies, the skills you learned on the softball field or the stage helped mold you into the professional you are today. And if you’re still figuring out what direction to take your business, your hobbies also offer insights into the types of activities that you’re truly passionate about. Read on to see what your hobby says about you.

1. Sports team.

Whether you were involved in swimming, soccer, softball, or some other sport, being part of a team taught you how to work with different personalities towards a common goal. You also learned how to challenge yourself and developed a healthy sense of competition, which translates nicely from the basketball court to the boardroom. Your ideal business model probably involves collaborating with others. If you’ve lost touch with this skill, go back in your mind to your old school days.

2. Arts and crafts.

If you were one of those artistic types who spent hours painting, sculpting, or drawing, then you probably still have a strong aesthetic sense. This can help you create an interesting and eye-catching visual identity for your business, whether through a website, display window, brochure, PowerPoint presentation, or other means. Because you had creative control over your art as a kid, you may be the type of businesswoman who prefers to work independently. And if you’re still figuring out where to take your business, consider creative fields like interior design, visual merchandising, or web design.

3. Debate team or drama club.

Debate teaches kids how to craft a compelling argument and deliver it with confidence, while drama lowers inhibitions and encourages teamwork and creativity. Women who were involved in debate team or drama club tend to be confident in front of a crowd, which can help them network and market themselves effectively. If that’s you, then consider adding speaking engagements or instructional videos to your business model, as these can generate revenue and create buzz.

4. Music group.

Practice makes perfect, and few people know this better than former choir, band, or orchestra members. Participating in a music group teaches teamwork and self-discipline. Several studies show that studying music increases cognitive function, particularly in math and spatial learning. Playing music has also been found to reduce stress and boost memory in adults, which offers plenty of incentive to pick it up again. It may be time to rediscover your love of music.

5. Collecting.

Most kids have some kind collection, whether it includes Barbie dolls, stickers, stamps, coins, or some other item. If you were a collector as a kid, then you probably developed a strong sense of organization, which benefits all types of businesses. If you’re still deciding on a business model, then you might consider something that allows you to buy or sell goods to help recapture the joy of collecting you felt as a kid.

Rediscovering the activities you enjoyed as a child can help you find joy in your adult life – and succeed in your business, too.”

Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500 CEO Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com Ali Brown’s blog

I met Kirk and Donny from The Missingthread.com at my recent ERS workshop with David Neagle and was greatly impressed by these two kind and knowledgeable people. So I thought, with Christmas so close, an article from Donny about taking care of yourself and being your own best friend is just the right story to read:

“If you have ever been in an Intensive with us, you may find this scene all too familiar:  you find yourself in the middle of a “story” that has been blocking you for years.  Maybe it is the one about how one of your siblings treated you, which now affects your ability to ask for money.  You want to know how to take the sting out of the story.  Kirk or I will tell you to first breathe and then to find compassion with yourself.  The first instruction is clear enough; you already know how to breathe.  However, the second, finding compassion with yourself is a bit more challenging. “That’s easy for them to say,” you may think, “but how do I do that?”

I recall an incident some years ago that impressed me so much that I began seeing a therapist on a regular basis.   I had just had a rocky break-up with a boyfriend after a yearlong relationship.  Mutual friends of ours, who knew what had happened, invited me to their home for a party.   After being there for a little while, my new ex showed up.  These mutual friends had invited him as well, but didn’t think it was necessary to tell me my ex was also invited.   Did I just get up and leave when he came through the door?  No, I felt I had to stay and “be strong.”  I felt I had to “take care of the hosts” and “be polite” by not leaving.  I thought I should try to “make nice” even though I still was very angry with my ex. 

During my first sessions with my therapist, as I went through this incident over and over again (along with similar incidences in my life where I did not take care of myself) the following occurred to me:  what if I were my own best friend and I was at the party with “myself.”  What would I do and say?  Without a doubt, I would have grabbed my best friend by the arm and conducted him out of the party tout de suite and would have accepted no excuses from him to have it any other way. I would not have even bothered to say goodbye to the hosts. I would have taken him out to a local diner and fed him a nice meal of comfort foods.  Afterwards, I would have taken him home and rubbed his feet and put him to bed with his favorite stuffed bunny! I would have checked in on him the next morning.” 
“Dr. Kirk Prine and Donny Lobree, Body Story Experts, are founders of The Missing Thread. They are healers and entrepreneurs who help other entrepreneurs tap into the wisdom of their bodies to achieve greater abundance.  “Mindset is not just in the mind, but in the Body as well.”  To learn more, visit http://www.themissingthread.com to get your complimentary subscription to the Body Stories ezine.”

There are two types of quitting:

1) Giving up

2) Walking away from something harmful or hurtful

I will be the first to tell you that business is messy and it can sting.  I mean really sting sometimes, especially if you are sensitive like I am.  Underneath this whip cracker exterior is someone who cares too much at times, so I often take things personally- someone leaves, someone doesn’t value your program or work and the really interesting part is… the more you serve the more that quit or complain.  Phew.  Breathe.  It can be overwhelming.  I am working on taking things less personal as it does not serve me or my clients, but it is a daily practice.

I get a bird’s eye view of – THE QUITTERS.  I know some would say we should talk about the winners, but I must say I probably learn more from the quitters.  The winners show up, suck up, cry, stomp, celebrate, and then rinse and repeat over and over.  Every successful entrepreneur I have EVER worked with, mentored with, or been a colleague to has had the exact same formula. 

The quitters are a bit more interesting.  They are very creative and it is interesting where and how “quitting” shows up.  Now remember the #1 reason businesses fail is people stop- yep-stop.  I am thinking of writing a book on the quitters cycle because I have been watching when it starts to creep up on people and kick in.  I think it would be useful for people to see a lineage of how it starts and how they might stop themselves, as well as see the difference between something needing to come to an end and just quitting.

It usually appears like this…

Second guessing ~ fear ~ blame ~ projecting ~ overwhelm ~ blame ~ action ~ (the quitting) ~ relief ~ second guessing ~ fear and over again

Fascinating, right?  I am using it as a paradigm for myself to catch me and where I am falling into the cycle – you can honestly use it for anything- the gym, your business, a relationship, etc.  So, I don’t want you to be a quitter…frankly, seeing people give up on their dreams daily can sometimes overwhelm me and blind me to the people actually living theirs, but I know you are out there.  I know you are striving and working and living your gifts.

Here are a few tips to stay in the game, even when you would rather throw in the towel:

1) Have a clear vision of exactly what you want – relationship, money, freedom, environment, and spiritual.  If you have a clear vision in writing and in your view, it is harder to let that vision go or the dream die.

2) Get real.  One of my mentors says… “It is simple, but it is not easy.”  Success is hard work.  No one ever won the Oscar, Gold Medal, Nobel Peace Prize, or Fortune 500 by half ass showing up.  And don’t fool yourself….are you thinking you are working hard or are you spending a lot of time around thinking about succeeding and processing your next step.

3) Get good advice.  The people around me won’t let me quit.  I have surrounded myself with a circle of influence. I have a tribe of tough and loving go-getters.  A friend and coach emailed me last week and said- “hold fast- we need your confidence.  Don’t stop.”  That made me cry as I was reminded people were depending on me.

4) Care.  I know you have gifts to share.  Your life experience has value and people are meant to be transformed by your connection and your talent.  Care enough to keep going.  Care enough to share and keep going.

If you do what you love and you love people while you do it there is no reason to quit.  Stopping is not an option.  See you at the finish line!

(c) 2009 Suzanne Evans

About the author:  Suzanne Evans is best known as the ‘action expert’ and has coached hundreds of solopreneurs to model her multiple six figure business. Learn how you can help more people, make more money and have more fun doing what you love by signing up for your free copy of the 5-Part Mini-Course ‘Awakening Your Authentic Entrepreneur’ at http://www.helpmorepeople.com

Thoughts Are Powerful Things

I’ve started learing about the Law of Attraction a few years ago and I must admit it takes time to grasp the whole concept. I’ve had already considerable success in some areas of my life with this principle and am currently a student of David Neagle’s Recession Rescue with Rapid Results, where David laser coaches two businesses every week.

I realize that so often it’s the mindset that gives us success. We do need to create the strategy, the online marketing and the good content, but the most important part is that your mind also believes into your mission and that you can achieve, truly achieve, what you want to achieve. Very often we say we do or we wish or hope for something, but this doesn’t quite cut it. It’s “believing” that we will achieve and adding this already to our lives.

The mind is a powerful tool and we can make use of this by being focused on what we want in our lives. There’s no room for doubt, though. I’ve recently purchased the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill at the airport and find it a good source, but it’s actually somehow a bit hard to read. Knowing of the importance of this book, I’m making my way through it, but with David’s help the book’s intentions and instructions are much clearer and easier to understand.

Here’s what David Neagle says about the power of thoughts:

“In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, “Truly, thoughts are things, and powerful things at that when they’re mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence and the burning desire for their translation into riches and other material objects.”

Definiteness of Purpose

Hill is not just talking about the desire for riches, although it might appear so. You have to look deeper. All the Laws of the Universe are summed up in those sentences. Let’s start with: thoughts are powerful things when combined with definiteness of purpose.

That means you are singular in your purpose. There’s no conflict between what you say you want and a subconscious purpose that is trying to manifest itself in a different way. You are unified; there’s no ambivalence.

How do you know if you’re a unified force? As I wrote last week, look at your results. If they’re disappointing, that’s a clue that something within you has a different agenda.

Persistence

The best illustration of persistence is an old story about a student who goes a master and says, “Teach me success. I want to know the wisdom of the master.”

The master says, “No, you don’t. Go away.” The student goes away. Later he returns and says, “No, I really want to know these insights.” The master, again, sends him away. When the student returns once more, the master takes him to the river and holds his head underwater.

The student gasps for air, fighting the master with all his might. When he finally breaks free, the master says, “When you want success, when you want true life as much as you wanted to live in that moment, then you are ready. Until then, don’t bother me.”

True purpose, like life itself, demands to be expressed through you. When you tap into that purpose, you feel the same kind of persistence that student did while trying to save his own life.

Burning Desire

About burning desire, Hill wrote, “I have learned from years of experience with people that when a person really desires a thing so deeply that he’s willing to stake his entire future on the single turn of a wheel in order to get it, he’s sure to win.”

If you think to yourself, “I don’t have anything that I would be willing to stake on the single turn of a wheel,” then you haven’t found your true desire. When you get to the core of that true desire, you are willing to stake and risk everything to make that manifest, because making that manifest is the purpose of your life. That’s why you’re here.

Your purpose is not to play it safe all the way to the grave while you save enough money for retirement, make sure the kids go to a great school, live in a nice neighborhood, take two vacations a year.

It’s not that you can’t have those things. You can have all of those things and more, but not by working for them. If you work for them, then that becomes the dominating purpose of your life.

Your true purpose also isn’t about what you’ve done. It’s about who you become, the awareness and enlightenment you bring to your soul in this lifetime.

The burning desire that lets you know you have tapped into your divine purpose is always for the greater good and further expansion and expression. It always causes you to grow and encourages others to grow as well.

Bringing this back to the quote: when you tap into your true purpose, when you’re a unified force that’s willing to do whatever it takes to manifest your desire, and when all of that fuels your thoughts, goals and intentions — there is nothing that you can’t achieve.”

David Neagle, Million Dollar Income Acceleration Coach, mentors entrepreneurs to quantum leap their current businesses past the 7-Figure income level in just 12 months. David invites you to download—as his GIFT to you—his legendary “Art of Success” 4-hour audio program. This audio series is a tremendously compelling and comprehensive program that demonstrates—once and for all—that Success has nothing to do with “getting” or “achieving”, and everything to do with WHO we must BE to manifest our hearts’ true desires. For an additional bonus, Text: success to the number: 85800

As you’re growing your business, your own personal level of confidence and passion comes into play on a number of levels. When you’re confident in your business and you’re working on a project you love, your clients can tell. In fact, they feed from your positive energy and learn to trust you as a resource. That’s why choosing the right path and taking the right steps along the way can tremendously improve your business – and your bottom line.

Here’s how.

Match your business to your personality. Passion is a broad, often abstract concept, but personality is a bit easier to define. Both are important considerations as you’re deciding on a business model. You might be passionate about writing, but if your personality craves social interaction, then sitting alone at your computer for hours probably won’t bring you happiness.

You might decide to join forces with other creative professionals and offer a full slate of marketing and creative services, or you could incorporate teaching and speaking into your business model. On the other hand, if you dread being in the spotlight, then an online business might be a perfect fit for your personality.

Build your skill set. Many career coaches will advise you to “follow your passion,” but you also need a strategy for monetizing it. If your beloved hobby isn’t profitable, then think about related interests or search for something else that ignites that feeling of passion. If you’re passionate about an area where you already have in-depth knowledge and a money-making idea, then you’re in great shape already! If not, then buckle down and start building your expertise.

Regardless of what your business does, many business-owners benefit from taking classes in negotiation and public speaking. You never know when you might have the chance to appear on camera or on a panel, and you’ll want to be ready!

Offer solutions. Meeting the needs of your customers is a huge confidence booster! When you satisfy someone else and solve their problems, you feel better about yourself, too. Think about what products, services, or other ideas will make your customer’s lives easier and better. What problems do they face? What frustrates them or prevents them from achieving their full potential? How you can alleviate those issues? This is a great way to capitalize on your passion and make money in the process.

Do it better than the competition. Knowing you are the best at what you do serves the needs of your clients and gives you a competitive edge. You don’t need to be the most innovative or famous if you know that your company can deliver its products or services better than any of its competitors. Friendly, prompt customer service goes a long way in edging out the competition, because so few companies make it a priority. 

Entrepreneurial confidence comes from many sources. Remember, you are “designing your business to create an extraordinary life,” so let no part of you suffer to succeed, and success will surely be yours!

Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500 CEO Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com

Wherever you are located at the moment, you see the same thing when you switch on the TV, listen to the radio or read the newspaper. It’s all about the recession – and how we all will go down sooner or later.

Even fairly successful people, stable in their career or business, are starting to doubt life, reality and safety. You see people crumbling under the weight of the dark and gloomy messages, even when these people personally are not affected by the recession yet – or may never be.

But the media is relentless. Every bad news item needs to be sent out immediately, giving out more pain, fear and suffering to the world. You may be playing with the thought of “everything is too hard, soon I might be losing everything anyway” although this thought might be far from the truth.
 
Your life may never be much affected other than the higher cost of living and the fact you have to be more careful with your spending. But this itself is not a tragedy, it could actually have a positive spin off and teach you a thing or two about budgeting and saving.

If you are starting to doubt your ability to “make it” or “make it through this recession” you need to consider what message you are sending out to others. People are watching you; your family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors, the shop owners, your business network, the teachers at your kids’ school, your partner’s family and friends… Your field of influence is enormous.

If you give up and let it all go you will affect a lot of people. These people also include your son or your daughter. What do you teach them about resilience in life? What do you teach them about staying positive for the future? What do you teach them about making dreams come true?

You giving up doesn’t serve anybody, the opposite is the case. You giving up will pull many other people down. When you cease to have hope and give up being innovative, creative, happy and forward moving, chances are many around you stop as well. And the circles around these people will do the same.

If you fail others will fail with you because they lose their hope and their optimism. They lose their ability to pull through and make things work. They lose their courage. They see you giving up and think they should give up, too. There’s no way to win.

But if you decide today you will make it and you will pull through all of this and swear you will be staying positive and being on top of the bad news, your circle of networks will see what you are doing. And the circles around these networks will hear about it as well. They will be starting to pull their weight again. They will stay positive, learn more, apply more, budget wisely, encourage their kids to chase their dreams and work on making their dreams happen.

And they will pull through the recession.

Whatever happens to your circle of family and friends and your networks starts with one person: you.

How we all get through this depends on you.