Bust The Ceiling On Your Pricing Boundaries

March 20th, 2010

Do you believe that there’s no ceiling, or limit, to your earning potential?  You might expect me to say that the sky’s the limit, and it really is, but you have to be willing to bust the ceiling out of what you consider to be your current price boundaries.

It probably goes against the ethics that you’ve learned to embrace, but your earning potential rests primarily upon the highest priced item or service that you offer.

What’s the highest priced package I could order from you right now?  How many times can you sell that item or complete that service in one year?  Do the multiplication, and there you’ll have the ceiling to your earning potential.  You will never earn more than that unless you come up with a new, higher priced offering.

Want to increase your yearly earnings?  Then devise a more expensive service, or offer a higher-end product.

• Look for a way to expand an existing service, to make it more inclusive, or more productive – and most importantly, more expensive.

• Enlarge your largest package to include the newest, hottest, and most in-demand products – the products that you know your prospects will embrace as part of a previously-accepted package.

• Add a totally new product or service to your family of offerings – something that will still hold massive appeal for your audience, but is bigger and better than anything you may have previously considered.

• Or, appeal to a more affluent audience. Shift the direction of a portion of your marketing toward those who have the budgets, and the discriminating tastes, to pay for your new, pricey, option.

Yes, it’s really that simple.

It seems so obvious, but often, this principle eludes a great number of entrepreneurs.  Frequently, they’re fearful of being able to satisfy a high-paying client, or of scaring away prospects with pricey ticket items.  In truth, high-ticket items have a unique ability to bring many of the things that we savor to our businesses:

• Quality clients. High paying clients are almost always the best ones.  There’s less fuss, more expertise, and higher levels of good reference.

• More time. When each transaction yields higher financial benefit, you’ll have more time to devote not only to each customer, but to the other important things in your life.

• Raised bottom lines. Just because the bottom line is at the bottom of the page, doesn’t mean it can’t grow in an upward fashion.

• Good reputations. When you give yourself the permission, and the opportunity, to serve high end clients, you reap the benefits of the good reputation that comes with those relationships.

There is, without doubt, hidden potential for creating bigger ticket items in your existing business.  There is always an area that masks hidden profits, or an aspect with the potential to grow and become more lucrative.  When you open your mind about your own potential, you open the avenues through which money can flow into your bank account.

There will always be an earning ceiling, but you can make the sky the limit if you take the steps to raise your ceiling into the clouds.

Bernadette Doyle is a small business marketing expert. Get more tips and advice at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Bust The Ceiling On Your Pricing Boundaries

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Plans, Cash Flow, Marketing, Motivation, pricing | No Comments »

Adapt Your Language To Close More Sales

March 19th, 2010

You probably don’t talk to children in the same manner as you talk with adults. Your conversations with close personal friends are likely more intimate than those you have with professional colleagues.

Well, the same holds true for the language you would use to speak with corporate executives as opposed to their employees.

You need to identify the audience you’re working with and the environment you are working in, and then adapt your language and approach accordingly. The areas you focus on and the phrasing you use with end users won’t be the same as those you use with the decision-makers.

You need to understand who your client is and be very clear on what your message to that client is.

The words you use to attract the buyer – the company or the corporation – may be precisely the right words to persuade them to sign on for your services. You may offer them statistics about how poor feedback costs companies a lot of money, how aspects like ineffective meetings waste company time, or how poor communication and personal issues lead to low employee retention rates.

But, these are not the same words you would use when delivering your service to the end user. You don’t want to portray them in a bad light. Essentially, you’ve got two clients. The language that you use to sell your service at one level should be different from the outline of the training that you distribute to the staff.

It’s very important to have that awareness. What is going to motivate and excite the end user – the staff member – does not have the same value or criteria as what inspires the person who is signing the checks. You need to have the flexibility to understand what’s important to both groups and then separately speak to each group in way that motivates them.

The end result is the same for both. Ultimately your objective, and obligation, is to help to improve the company. And you are making life better for the person that attends your course or workshop.

If, for example, you know you can help companies improve the effectiveness of their staff meetings, you would present this to them in a different manner than you would to the employees who conduct and attend those meetings. Everybody wants to participate in more effective meetings, but everybody also wants to blame the ineffectiveness of their meetings on someone else.

In the language to promote the course to the company, you might cite statistics about how ineffective meetings waste X amount of money. You can even evaluate the cost of meetings. One unnecessary meeting could cost an organization thousands of pounds. Then you would sell the specifics of what’s covered in your course.

During the course, your focus wouldn’t be on the cost of meetings to the company, it would be on how employees can make sure meetings stay on track, how to handle confrontational situations or deal with difficult people. The focus would be on making the best use of staff members’ time and talents.

So you are, in essence, presenting the same thing – in this example, a course or workshop – to two different audiences. But, you can certainly structure your language and approach so that it meets with everybody’s approval.

Bernadette Doyle is a small business marketing expert. Get more tips and advice at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Adapt Your Language To Close More Sales

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Networking, Direct Marketing, Law Of Attraction, Niche Marketing, Sales Motivation, Strategies To Keep Good Customers, target audience | No Comments »

Your Million Dollar Idea Can Come True

March 18th, 2010

If you’ve got what you think is a million dollar idea, then that million dollars is already there waiting for you to receive it. If you have a need or a desire for a specific amount of money, that amount of money is already there for you.

Does that sound too good to be true?
Are you programmed to see the money and opportunity in front of you?
Do your beliefs allow you to perceive what is possible?

The universal law of polarity essentially states that everything in the universe, tangible and intangible, has an opposite side to it. So, it logically follows that if you have a need or a desire for a specific amount of money, that amount of money must already be there for you.

Once you have a profound understanding of the law of polarity, the door will crack open and allow you to accept a truth that was previously inconceivable to your mind. You will be able to see and achieve things that were once invisible and inconceivable to you.

You don’t have to think in terms of a million. Put whatever number on this that you want to put on it. But if you want it, that money is already there.

Your belief system may not be allowing you to accept this principle right now. If your initial reaction is skepticism and disbelief, that’s not unusual. Your beliefs control your perceptions. Once you alter those beliefs, you can take better control of your physical perceptions. Then you will see that the money is, indeed, already there.

Let’s use an everyday real-life situation as an example. You have a bill that needs to be paid, but not enough money in the bank. You need to find the money to cover the bill.

The first order of business is to be clear on what that amount of money actually is. There is generally a difference between what you need and what you think you need. Break down exactly what you need. This eliminates some of the fear of the unknown. Write down the exact amount of money that you need.

Then apply the law of polarity. The money must be there because you have a need for it. But, how is it going to get to you? Write down every idea you can come up with as to where this money could possibly be.

It could come from a bank loan. It could be from some business opportunity. The money could come from something that you’re going to sell. A friend or family member could loan it to you.

It really doesn’t matter where the money comes from. What does matter is that you write the ideas down and act on each and every one of them, all the way through to the end.

You will discover that the money is indeed there. Just be careful not to trip yourself up. You might consider applying for a bank loan and simultaneously think that you don’t have enough credit for the bank to give you a loan. You might be reluctant to ask a family member. In an instant you could literally talk yourself out of the universe bringing you that money.

Your mind can do powerful things that can work both for and against you. Use its powers to your advantage.

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. She publishes a free, weekly newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Your Million Dollar Idea Can Come True

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Plans, Business Success, Cash Flow, Law of Polarity, Marketing, Motivation | 1 Comment »

Authentic Selling Secrets

March 16th, 2010

How to be yourself, have fun and sell a ton on stages and teleseminars!


I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Lisa Sasevich, also known as the Queen of Sales Conversion.  She’s about to rock the “speak to sell” industry AGAIN with her BRAND NEW teleclass!

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
9pm UK * 2pm Pac * 5 PM East

Lisa is going to reveal a BIG AH-HA she recently had about what she REALLY did to sell over 7-figures speaking last year (and it’s the OPPOSITE of what you’ve likely been taught!)

Here’s what you’re going to learn on this revealing free call:

• Discover the ONE THING Lisa did differently than everybody else that caused her to not only have a 7-figure year but ALSO enjoy the most amazing clients. (She did the opposite of what you’ve likely been taught to do when you speak-to-sell…and it worked!)

• EXACTLY what you need to have in place to putting together a life-altering talk that feels GREAT to share without giving away the store! (AND has your ideal clients WANTING to invest with you.)

• How to instantly create hunger and desire for your products and services without being “salesy”

• Lisa’s BIG secret to attracting 100% of EXACTLY the perfect clients and none of the, well, not-so-perfect ones

• A simple technique that Hollywood uses to capture attention and sell tickets all the time that will work for you too!

And much more….

Here’s the link to reserve your spot in this complimentary teleclass…

http://bit.ly/sellingsecrets

Best Wishes,

Bernadette Doyle
www.clientmagnets.com

Authentic Selling Secrets

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Plans, Business Success, Cash Flow, Presenting, Sales Motivation, Success Secrets, Teleseminars, teleclass | No Comments »

Create Packages Instead of Customizing

March 3rd, 2010

When a potential buyer makes an inquiry, have you found yourself responding with an answer similar to this:

“Well, our process is that first, we find out about your needs. Next, we’ll put together a proposal and then we’ll let you know how much it costs. And then, you can take it from there.”

Why is this a mistake? The problem here is that you’re doing an alot of work – work that you’re not getting paid for – without even ensuring a sale. In addition to not closing the deal, this type of business practice also makes the sales process very labor-intensive for you. You have to take the time to find out the client’s specific needs. You have to write a proposal and you have to work up a cost for them. Then, they’ll decide if they want your product or services.

By customizing your approach for that client’s individual needs, you could conceivably put in a day’s work or more, and have nothing to show for it in the end.

So, the first thing you need to do is stop customizing. Instead, start creating packages of your services and/or products – packages that people can see and buy, right off the shelf.

This is a practice that can work really well for you. By creating a package, you are specifying what your product or service is, setting specific prices, and actually quantifying the benefits of your offer. It forces you to make your intangibles tangible. Customers are more apt to purchase when they can see, touch, taste and smell what they’re getting.

You can also create a variety of packages at a range of levels. Begin with a starter package. You might even consider creating a budget package, to make your services even more accessible.  In addition to your base packages, I encourage you to develop a first class program or product – call it The Rolls Royce program – for those people that want the absolute best.

You don’t have to develop hundreds of packages. Two or three range levels are enough to begin with. By offering a range, you’re creating the illusion of customizing. People can basically ascertain their needs, look at your different packages and say, “Yes, that’s the one that’s right for me.”

When you develop your packages, design them so that your solutions match the client’s ideal end results. You want to highlight the benefits, not the features. Your clients don’t care so much about your process as they do about achieving their desired solution. If you’re a coach, for example, you probably focus on the coaching process, but your clients are interested in what that process will do for them.

Maybe they want to simplify their life. Maybe they want to find the confidence to apply for a promotion or find the support to start a new business. Or, maybe they want to find a new relationship or get through a difficult divorce.

There are many different things and many different end results. The important thing is to keep your client’s desired end result in clear focus when you create and describe your packages. Your packages need to clearly show clients how what you’re offering is so closely aimed at that desired end result.

You can still deliver the same quality results you would by customizing, but by turning your expertise into packaged information, you can spend a lot less time, get a lot more clients, and help a lot more people at the same time.

Create Packages Instead of Customizing

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Posted in Advertising, Business & Money, Business Networking, Business Plans, Business Success, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Small Business Ideas, Small Business Marketing | No Comments »

Instant Credibility, Contacts & Cash!

March 2nd, 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

It’s my special one-time

“BONUS STEPPING UP! CALL”

Instant Credibility, Contacts & Cash!

Wednesday, 3rd March, 2010,

8:00pm UK Time (3pm EASTERN, 12 noon PACIFIC)

http://bit.ly/9vBVEn

This call is a special BONUS for my new Stepping UP! members.  Members, also get a ton of other benefits including …

• Fast Start Webinar, where I walk you through my planning process for the year ahead (I don’t know anyone else who teaches this)

• Portable digital player which has 20 masterclasses – so you get to immerse yourself in my best marketing strategies (and get the year off to a flying start)

• Ticket to the 3 day live event worth £1500/$2400 – we’ll be doing these events in the USA as well as the UK/Ireland

• Access to the Stepping UP! area of the forum which is exclusively for Stepping UP! members

• Private strategy consultation

Not a member?  Then join the “Stepping UP!” programme today so you can take advantage of this call and all the other member goodies each and every month. http://www.clientmagnets.com/steppingup2010

I look forward to “meeting” you on our call.

Bernadette

Instant Credibility, Contacts & Cash!

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Networking, Business Plans, Business Success, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Mastermind, Motivation, Niche Marketing, Online Marketing, Systems, Teleseminars | No Comments »

How to Make Your Pitch To Corporate Clients

March 2nd, 2010

If you could put a figure on the net results your programmes, coaching services or training would have on a company, when implemented,  what would that price be?

How much money can what you are offering save or make your client? This is what larger companies and corporations want to know.

When you are pitching your product or services in a corporate environment, always emphasize and focus on what the net benefit to the company will be. Will your offering increase their overall sales? Reduce expenses and costs? Will it make their staff more efficient and productive, thus saving the company valuable time – and money?

It’s relatively easy to calculate straightway the cost that lost sales have on a company. However, there are other factors by which companies need to measure net results.

Maybe your business specializes in softer skills, such as leadership, management and employee development. To quantify that, you need to zero in on the tangible results the company will receive from your skills. Show corporations how they will be able to conduct more effective meetings because of your trainings; how they will receive more productive feedback because your workshops will teach staff to communicate more clearly.

Highlight the long-term implications that services similar to the ones you offer have on other companies. Gather statistics and give examples of how retention rates in companies improve because of the type of workshops you present and the skills you teach.

Statistics for all sorts of elements come into play here. Lost sales, sick leave, lack of focus, clique problems. You can gather research on many different challenges and problems that big companies face, then use that as a starting point and connect the dots to the cost savings for the company.

You can start gathering your statistics online.  Search relevant phrases and you’re sure to find that someone, somewhere did a survey and quantified the results that can be achieved.  Obviously, you should quote your source.

Here’s an example to demonstrate …

“This survey from _____showed that 45% of employees who leave an organization reported poor management as the main reason for leaving. When asked to clarify “poor management” it turns out that one of the things identified was poor feedback.”

After you state the facts, you then share the conclusion that poor feedback is costing their organization X amount of dollars.

Though you may deliver your product or service to a different end user than the head management of a company, in the end, your corporate clients will make the decision to go with you based on the impact your services will have on their bottom line.

That’s why when pitching your service or product in a corporate environment you need to spell out the net results that will be achieved.  Back it up with the data and statistics that support your offering. Show your prospect how they will benefit – bottom line -  and watch the sales flow in!

Bernadette Doyle is a small business marketing expert. Get more tips and advice at http://www.clientmagnets.com

How to Make Your Pitch To Corporate Clients

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Posted in Advertising, Business & Money, Direct Marketing, Guerilla Marketing, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Sales Motivation | 2 Comments »

The Key To Setting and Getting The Right Price

February 20th, 2010

If you want to have a successful business that serves clients, sooner or later money has to change hands. And that means sooner or later you’re going to have to say, “This is what I’m offering you and this is the price.”

If you have a problem with that, you’re not alone. I see a lot of people missing this step when they map out their business plan. You shouldn’t misstep here though, because it is an obvious and necessary detail. Without it, you are not going to be putting any money in your bank account.

The only thing that will put money into your bank account is you showing up and saying to that customer, “Here it is. Here is what it costs. Here is how to pay.”

This can be a difficult thing for people to do sometimes. But, really, there is no reason that you should be afraid to ask for the money. Maybe you’re frightened of the possible rejection. Maybe you’re frightened of negotiation and the possibility that you’ll have to say no. Maybe you’re afraid to actually set the price in stone.

If you set up your price before you even begin taking on clients, there isn’t anything to be concerned about.

Approach this detail from its end point. Design your total client-getting system so that it takes you all the way through to collecting the money. In fact, what I really want you to do is start with collecting the money and then work backward – detailing all of the steps that need to happen in order to get to that point.

You simply cannot deliver outstanding results for your clients if you’re worried about money.

So, it’s important that you begin with the end in mind. Be focused on your end point.  What type of clients do you ultimately want to attract? From there you can begin to develop lead generation systems that will attract the right type of people. People who will be raising their hands, wanting in on your offerings. They won’t be haggling with you about price because you’ve done your research. You know that your services are valuable to them.

This pricing determination has to start before you generate a single lead. By the time you begin your lead generating, you should know how you are going to convert clients and how much you are going to charge them.

So, in essence, you are making decisions from your destination, not from your starting point. This is something that I’ve learned in my own business. When I’m evaluating anything now, I make my decision based on where I want to be 12 months from now.

Something might look like a huge investment to me today. But I know that I’m growing and stepping into something bigger and that I’m going to be in a completely different place 12 months from now.

I know this because I’ve doubled or tripled my income every year for the past three years. When I view something from that destination, something that might look like a huge investment now is actually quite miniscule.

So, make decisions from your destination. Know how much you will charge for your services. Know how you will bill your clients. Get good at asking for money. It is in your best interest and theirs. You can’t treat your clients as well if you’re constantly worried about money.

Start with the details of collecting the money and you will no longer wonder, “How can I ask for this much money from a client?”

The Key To Setting and Getting The Right Price

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Plans, Business Success, Cash Flow, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Success Secrets | 2 Comments »

How To Win Big Business

February 19th, 2010

You can compete with the big name players in your market. You can attract corporate clients to buy your services, whether they involve negotiation skills, presentation skills, sales skills, or dealing with difficult clients and colleagues.

Sometimes, the idea that you’re at a disadvantage to the big companies is more in your own head than it is in your potential buyer’s eyes.

Here’s a simple formula to follow when competing for big business:

Be confident in your ability to deliver your product or service  +
Distinguish yourself from the competition =
Clients will jump on your offering rather than you having to compete for their business.

Don’t be intimidated by the larger businesses who offer services similar to yours. Don’t let the heavy hitters in your area give you an inferiority complex.

Your business actually has a massive advantage over these bigger players…

•    Many of these larger structures tend to offer fixed programs and fixed courses. There’s usually not a lot a room for customized, pick-and-choose type training. You’re not restricted in a way that a larger company would be. That actually means you can have a lot more flexibility for your client. You’re much more able to be responsive to their needs.

•    Big companies tend to send in a very charming and persuasive sales person to close the sale. They go in with all the glitz, pretty brochures, maybe they even take the client out to lunch. Then they outsource to the most inexpensive person they can find to deliver the service, still charging the client a premium rate. Clients soon discover that the person who is actually put in front of them to deliver the training, do the consulting, or whatever the service is, doesn’t have that experience, that credibility or that authority.

Make it obvious, in your marketing material and also in your sales meetings, that the person the client meets going in, is going to be the same person that their end users meet. Without actually saying anything negative about the bigger company vying for their business, you’re planting a seed of doubt. You’re not badmouthing the competition, but you are giving the client something to think about that they may not have before. Where possible, you always want to sell yourself on your strengths as opposed to just going in and knocking the competition.

•    When your business card is basically your name, you can sometimes feel, “I haven’t got the weight. I haven’t got this huge impressive organization behind me.” But, you have to start seeing that as a real advantage. Don’t underestimate a client’s ability to appreciate the fact that your business success hinges on your delivering the very best. You’re not just following some automated process. You’re really engaging with them and really getting to understand their business, so you can make recommendations based on your expertise and what you’ve uncovered as their real need. You’re literally staking your reputation on your service.

So, just because you’re not as big or as famous as some of the others, doesn’t mean you’re at a disadvantage. You’ve got to start to think about, “What do I have that these guys don’t have?”

Bernadette Doyle is a small business marketing expert. Get more tips and advice at http://www.clientmagnets.com

How To Win Big Business

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Posted in Advertising, Business & Money, Business Plans, Business Success, Cash Flow, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Presenting, Sales Leads, Sales Motivation | No Comments »

SYSTEM Stands for Save Yourself Time Energy And Money

February 18th, 2010

“System Secrets” – How to run a million dollar business while working just 3 days per week

If there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all you want to do, you NEED systems that make things happen automatically. Over the past 12 months, we’ve been SERIOUSLY investing in systems and I want to introduce you to my ’systems’ guru – Beth Schneider. Beth has played a key part in enabling me to run a million dollar plus business while working just 3 days a week.

*MARKETING* MASTERMIND Call…
Tuesday, 23rd February, 2010,
8:00pm UK Time (3pm EASTERN, 12 noon PACIFIC)

If you want to discover one or two simple processes that put much of your repetitive work on auto-pilot and have your business running like a well oiled machine tune into this call.

This call is FREE for my hundreds of Marketing Mastermind and Stepping UP! members. They also get the CD and transcript of this call at no extra charge, plus a ton of other member benefits – such as access to our online members forum.

Not a member?  Then join the Marketing Mastermind Group today, so you can take advantage of this call and all the other member goodies each and every month.

I look forward to “meeting” you on our call.

——

Bernadette’s Marketing Mastermind is a special members’ group set up to provide ongoing information, support and motivation to people who want to attract more clients and build a successful business. Already over 450 members strong – and growing – we want YOU to join us and have more success, money and fun in your business. You can read about the Mastermind group here: http://clientmagnets.com/marketingmastermind

SYSTEM Stands for Save Yourself Time Energy And Money

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Posted in Business & Money, Business Networking, Business Plans, Business Success, Closing The Sale, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Forum, Marketing, Marketing Mastermind, Systems, Teleseminars | 1 Comment »

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