Client Magnets Official Blog

Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category

Do you realize just how much your knowledge is worth? You are the first and most important part of your business. Do you realize just how unique you are? If we were to sit down to chat and I asked you about your life and business experience I doubt it will be a carbon copy of what someone else has shared with me. You are absolutely unique, I’m certain of that. Perhaps the issue is not whether you can charge a certain amount for your services or products. It is rather just how much faith do you have in your uniqueness?

A while back, on one of my teleseminar calls, I invited some clients to share their stories.  They had attended my information empire workshop and had implemented specific strategies as a result.  If you were on that call, you would have heard me speak with one of my clients, Gail.  During the interview, Gail revealed something very interesting. She said that it was some of the little things that actually highlighted how she valued herself (or under-valued herself).

Gail is a life coach who works with professional and amateur golfers. She helps them to improve their mental game. One of the things Gail realised in coming on the workshop was how many little things she was doing to please clients and other people. She wouldn’t think twice of driving out to clients or travelling to a seminar. It wasn’t that those were bad things. But when she heard me talking about doing business on my terms, that I ran the workshop in my home town because it was convenient for me, she wondered why she’d never considered that for her business. Gail realised that she had personal beliefs that were undervaluing her business as a result.  She realised it was possible for her to work on her terms. She just needed to value her uniqueness and what she was offering her clients.

I love the tag line in the Loreal adverts that say ‘Because I’m worth it!’ That’s what you need to be saying to yourself. Have more faith in your uniqueness.

Developing Faith in your Uniqueness

•    Are you pricing your products low because you think that will attract more clients? Is that their true value? Or should they really be at a much higher price level?
•    Do you find yourself bending over backwards to accommodate clients? Is that really beneficial to your business or could you be doing things some other way?
•    Do you question why people would want to pay to listen to you or buy your products? If that is the case it’s a sure sign that you don’t have much faith in your uniqueness.
•    Do your personal beliefs sometimes make you hesitate to take a step forward in business?
•    Is there a mentor or coach you could work with that can help you find your true value as part of your business? Sometimes changing the small things can make a big impact on the way you do business.

You are the first essential element in building your business to greater heights. Your knowledge is unique to you and because of that it has a value. If you question what to charge or if you can really set certain systems in place then maybe it’s your beliefs that need changing. Have more faith in your uniqueness. It is on that that you will build the value of your business.

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Tweet

I’m a working mom with two kids and a million dollar business who works just three days a week. You may be in a completely different place in your life. You might be thinking that the dreams, strategies and tactics that I am talking about don’t really apply to you. The things that I am talking about achieving just seem so far removed from you current reality that you may be wondering is it even possible to get there?

I firmly believe that the only difference between where you are now and where you want to be is that at some point you have stopped yourself. Perhaps you stopped dreaming. Perhaps you stopped working at it.  It may be because of circumstances or because you had no support. It may be because of fear or because you feel that you don’t have the knowledge or the skills to reach your dreams. The point is still that you have stopped. If you have a dream, no matter how big it is: It is there to inspire you. To make you reach up to something that is bigger than yourself or your circumstances. There is a quote by Doreen Virtue that says: “God doesn’t give us our dreams without the ability to make them happen.” Somewhere inside of you a part of you that believes that the dream is possible. Otherwise you wouldn’t be dreaming about it. Sometimes all it takes is a step forward in the right direction, to step up and take on the challenge and discover what awaits you.

Some Ways to Find Inspiration

• Listen to that voice inside of you that is dreaming the big dreams. Dwell on the dreams, let them evolve and breathe life into them.

•  Ask yourself what may be stopping you from following your dreams. Often this can highlight areas in your life where you need to implement some changes.

• When you have highlighted areas in your life that are holding you back, do something about it. Make the changes or face up to the fears and get on the road to following your dreams.

•  Once you decide on a direction, don’t stop. You may pause to think through strategies but don’t stop or give up on the dream.

•  Find a mentor, coach or group that you can work with to help inspire you to go after your dreams.

Your dreams can become your reality. It really is as simple as that. You need to start believing in them. Don’t waste time sitting around wondering why you haven’t gotten there yet and all the reasons why you can’t get to where you want to be. Rather add fuel to the fire and get those dreams on the boil. Your dreams can be your inspiration and the things that lead you to discover a whole realm of amazing talents and capabilities that you may not even know you have. Step up and go after something that is bigger than your current reality. Start developing those dreams.

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients.  Register FREE for instant access to her teleseminar series on How to Get New Clients.

Tweet

Loving your job?  Loving your business?  OR does it feel like you’re still having to suffer through the more undesirable aspects of your work?  I once believed as long as you generally enjoyed your profession, and was rewarded for it, you would still need to take care of those elements and some tasks that you dislike doing.  Well, things have changed and this no longer has to be true.

In order to create the type of magnetism that attracts prospective clients to you, you must find that one thing that you’re inherently intended to do and eliminate the rest.  With so many resources available to every one of us, there really is no excuse to continue to do OR continue procrastinate on those things we hate to do. But, you might ask, “How can I find that one thing I’m meant to do?”  You can start with your current business.  Here’s how:

•    Make a list of all of the tasks that you’re responsible for in your business.  Often, it can be hard to call up every duty, so it can be helpful to keep a daily log.

•    Assign a love factor to each task.  Is it your favorite?  Do you want to do it first every day because it makes you feel fulfilled?  Or is it the one you detest?  The one you try to avoid?

•    Isolate the tasks that you detest and ask yourself if those tasks can be eliminated.  Can you redesign your business’ purpose to cut them from your routine?

•    If the detested duties are necessary duties, start, right away, to find another way to get them done.  Hire someone.  Automate them.  Anything that will eliminate the negative energy from your daily repertoire.

If this process has been completed efficiently, you will be left with one main task…the one that you’re absolutely wild about.

The laws of positive energy dictate that you’ll be paid more for those tasks which you enjoy the most. Once you can figure out what you’re good at, and do that thing exclusively, you’ll realize more success than you had when you were bogged down doing all of the other false necessities.

Another point to remember is though many of us would like to believe that our business lives and our personal lives can be maintained separately, with a definitive line dividing the two, it’s nearly impossible to isolate them.  If there are things in your personal life that drag you down (laundry, cooking, cleaning), then do what you can to justify hiring someone to do them for you.  The positive energy that you’ll create in your personal life will spill over into your professional life, multiplying the magnetism that you create.

Just loving your general profession or business is never enough to warrant truthfulness from the statement, “I love my work.”   In order for your magnetism to be IRRESISTIBLE to potential clients, you must love every aspect of your business, even if that means whittling it down to one, exclusive task.

Do what you love, and only what you love…and others will love the idea of becoming part of your magnetic field of success.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up for her free weekly e-zine at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Tweet

Have you noticed when someone receives an award for an achievement, they usually thank someone else without whom that achievement would not have been possible?  When an actor receives an Oscar, they often say something like, “I owe it all to my wife (or whomever).” They thank their parents, spouses, and anyone who has given them the support and encouragement they needed to reach their goal.

When you set big goals that require you to stretch and grow, you owe it to yourself to have a good support system in place.

Finding a mentor is one of the best ways to get that support.

So, how do you find the right mentor? The person who will really make that positive impact on your business and life?  Ideally, your mentor should be someone who is experienced and has already produced the results you want. Look for someone who has been through and understands the process of change you’re going through because they are making constant positive changes in their own life. This is your best choice for a mentor.

What can your mentor do for you? Your mentor (if selected carefully) will help keep you on target as you step up to change. He or she can show you how to deal with distractions so you aren’t sidetracked on your path to reaching your goals.

A mentor who is on a fast track of growth can teach you the strategies that will help you during periods of massive change. Your mentor will be able to help you decide not only what you need to be doing, but what you need to stop doing as well.

When you undertake a massive change, what you have to stop doing is as important as what you need to start doing. A strong mentor can help in this area. For example, your mentor can help you to clearly see which things are not going to fit with the new you, and which projects will help you to achieve your goals. This means that you have to decide which projects to pursue and, even more importantly, which to ditch.

A good mentor has the ability to see you, and the you that you’re stepping into; their belief in you is stronger than their belief in the obstacles that challenge you. A mentor will guide you through the process of change as you take the steps to your new reality.

That’s exactly what happened for me.  Deciding to work with a mentor was one of the best decisions I ever made.  And I continue to invest in myself and work with a number of amazing mentors.  When I first took that step, I really took a leap forward and upwards in my business.  It made such a powerful difference in my life – how I viewed myself and how I viewed my business.

Most successful business people have had help throughout their careers, and most are willing to offer the same to others. Think about successful business owners you admire. Consider people you’ve met through your networking or training groups or other professional affiliations.

You deserve to have a mentor. Make the decision – take that step forward.  The right person is waiting to give you the support you need to achieve your goals.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up for her free weekly e-zine at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Tweet

One of the biggest things that most often holds us back from achieving our full potential is permission to succeed, or the feeling that we’re somehow not fully qualified to offer our advice and expertise to others. Have you ever felt that way?

Whether you’re thinking of starting a high-end coaching program, marketing a new product or putting together a conference, the most valuable thing you can do for yourself is to give yourself permission to succeed. The people who achieve the most in life aren’t stronger than you, or smarter than you; they succeed because they give themselves permission to try.

Self-Doubt is Common, and Deadly To Your Success
Self-doubt isn’t an unusual problem to face when we begin new projects, or undertake new endeavors. When we try something for the first time, there’s always the question of failure. Sometimes people even wonder if they have a right to try what they’re trying, as though only other people can undertake massive projects.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is give yourself permission to try the big things you want to try. Most people know a lot more than they think they know, and have a great position from which to strike forth and begin a new endeavor.

For example, if you’ve been in your business for ten years and have built your business from the ground up, you’re absolutely qualified to talk to people about how to build a business like yours, or how to operate in your niche. The accumulated experience of those years is your qualification. You don’t have to be a coach or a guru to offer something valuable; in many cases, your personal experience is the most valuable thing you can share.

Successful People are Ordinary People Too
It’s important to understand that successful people aren’t magical, or special in some way that you’re not. Successful people are ordinary people, too. Successful people typically have talent and know-how, but the key factor that sets them apart is a willingness to actually do the things they do; not a unique qualification or special asset that other people don’t possess.

For me, joining Yanik Silver’s mastermind group was extremely valuable, because it quickly became clear that Yanik, one of the most successful people in his field, is just an ordinary person. He’s got a lot of talent and know-how, but he’s still a flesh-and-blood human like the rest of us. Getting to know Yanik was the key to realizing that an ordinary person can do wildly successful things, such as starting a high-end coaching program or organizing huge events.

Don’t make excuses to avoid starting your new projects. Don’t wait until tomorrow, or next week; don’t wait until you’ve taken that class or landed that big client.

These are all excuses that self-doubt uses to prevent you from succeeding. Do yourself the biggest favor of all: give yourself permission to try the important things. It doesn’t matter if you’re just an ‘ordinary person.’ We’re all ordinary people. It’s time for you to really start creating your own success!

Tweet

There are no stupid questions. The only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked. Whether you’re just starting out or trying to grow your business to even greater heights, I’m sure you have many questions about your next steps.  Usually, the questions that come into your mind are more concrete in nature: Who is my audience? Where should I open my business? How should I advertise?

Good questions, but there are others that you may not think to ask – of yourself and about yourself. These questions revolve around the person you need to be in order to achieve the success you want.  These questions are so important in your journey of success.  This week I invite you to get personal.  Look within yourself by considering these 7 questions.

Think about them before answering them, and be sure to answer them honestly.  These are the same personal questions I continue to ask myself.  These are the questions that help me to propel my business higher and higher every year.  I promise you, spending a little focused time here, will reap you great rewards …

Q1. Are you setting your goals according to what you truly want or what you think you should get? If your perspective is based on what you think you can do or have to do, you’re limiting your business potential. Set your goals based on what you truly want to achieve.

Q2. Do you have a burning desire? When you set out to do something you’ve never done, you are bound to encounter obstacles and hurdles. A burning desire will motivate you to overcome them rather than quitting because the going gets tough.

Q3. Where do you want to be? Design your business on your terms. The lifestyle you want to live, how much vacation you want to take, how many hours you want to work are totally up to you. Map these things out in advance so you can determine how to get there.

Q4. Are you setting the right goals? Setting goals that excite and challenge you will keep you from becoming lazy or complacent. Be careful not to set goals that are so overwhelming that they paralyze you with fear.  Keep a balance.

Q5. What do you need to let go of? When you move from one level to another, in life and in business, you have to leave some things behind. It could be a habit, a former acquaintance or a work pattern, but the more old things you carry with you, the harder it is to climb. Let go of the things that hold you back.

Q6. Who do you need to be in order to do this? How you act and react is just as, perhaps even more important, than what you do. Take notice of your habits and your surroundings. Ask yourself if the person you need to be to achieve your goals would live and act this way.

Q7. What is the one critical skill you need? Learning to sell is the most critical skill in any business. The most important investment you can make in yourself is learning to sell one-to-one. Make the conscious commitment to making yourself the best salesperson your business could have.

Asking yourself these personal questions and revealing your personal, honest answers will give you insight on what you need to learn and do to achieve your goals.

Never stop asking yourself questions. Every answer will take you further and further on the road to your success.

Tweet

How does it make you feel when you receive a thank-you note, penned in your friend’s own hand?  Or how revealing is it for you to study someone’s signature, or to appreciate the time that they invested in writing a unique, personalized message with good, old-fashioned ink?

Handwriting has become a bit of a novelty.  We communicate with texts, IMs, emails, and spoken words.  The handwritten, post-marked letter has virtually gone the way of handlebar mustaches and hoop skirts.  So when you see your name and address in script on the front of an envelope, your curiosity is piqued, right?

In marketing, it can be helpful to put yourself in the shoes of your prospects.  If you’d like to receive a handwritten note, most of them probably would, too.

The handwritten note theory has been tested by direct mail experts and copyrighters, and the results have been overwhelming:  it works.

Here are some arguments for hand-lettered script on envelopes and in correspondence:

• Since the early 1990s, even before email was the overwhelming choice for correspondence, handwritten notes were endorsed by professional marketers.  If hand-crafted script was a welcome addition to mailboxes back them, imagine how novel it will seem now that we’re fully immersed in the Information Age.

• “Pen and ink” catches a mail sorter’s eye.  Think of how you sort your own mail.  If you’re like most, you separate it into two piles:  the “I need to read that later” pile and the “ditch it, it’s junk” pile.  Handwriting gives your correspondence a better chance of landing in the more favorable stack.

• A note, card, or letter with a personalized feel will always feel more valuable.  It flatters its recipient, and makes him or her curious to know who would spend so much time on the thought of them.

• If you use handwriting to communicate, at least a portion of the time, your communication will be among the minority, making it unique and worthy of a second glance.  Many marketers have heard of the advantages of handwritten notes, but few will make the effort to do it.  This gives your effort a “noted” advantage.

Now maybe you’re thinking, “Geez.  I’m already buried under a mountain of work.  Where in the world am I going to find the time to sit down and write out notes to prospects?”  Here’s the beauty of this approach:  it’s so simple, anyone can do it.

Your niece or nephew can do it.  The neighbor kid can do it.  Your grandma can do it.  A student or intern can do it.  The handwriting doesn’t have to be yours, it simply has to be handcrafted.

Actually, adding one more demand to your growing business isn’t advisable.  Instead, think “automated.”  A good idea or good fortune shouldn’t equate to more work.  But it should call for a system to handle it.  Even if you’re only writing 30 cards per month, and you have no problem fitting that task into your schedule, you must have a plan on the back burner…for when a big idea, or a big success, hits.

There will always be marketing trends to follow.  There will always be the next big thing, onto which you’ll want to pounce before your competition gets the chance.  But, putting all of that aside, some things simply never go out of style, and handwriting is one of them.

In marketing, your handwriting grade isn’t earned with sweeping curves, crossed Ts, and dotted Is, but rather, it’s earned with the regular use of this versatile tool that simply never seems to go out of style.

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets Ltd to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Tweet

How many things do you have to do today?  Or this week?  How many of those things are springboards for the bigger and better things that are waiting on the other end of your procrastination?  The things that are going to lead you and your business to satisfying success!

Often, many of us feel overwhelmed with all of the things we need to do by allowing the end results of a virtual to-do list mill around in our heads.  Maybe your current brain-contained list sounds a little like this:

• build a website
• schedule a teleseminar
• research trade magazines
• start outsourcing – find a VA

How many times have these items (or similar items) drifted around the outside of your brain, bouncing off the inside of your skull, clouding your view of current events, and dampening your motivation?

If these words in any way resonate with you, let me share with you my prescription for de-cluttering your head and getting things done.

In order for any grand task to be accomplished, it must first be dissected into small, manageable task chunks.  For instance, building a website might involve defining your website budget, asking business associates for webmaster recommendations, interviewing copywriters, and choosing styles for the individual pages.  And the best way to break that large task into smaller tasks, without further cluttering your brain?  On paper.

To-do lists are the ultimate back-patters.  Think about it.  How good do you feel when you accomplish something that you’ve been putting off?  When you can check an item off of a list, no matter how small, you’ll experience that feeling, and will, in turn, feel motivated to do it again and again…ultimately accomplishing the large task.

Here are some tips for making a list that will work for you:

• Keep the end in mind, and only include tasks that will contribute to that end.  For instance, don’t commit to writing a free report just because it sounds intriguing to write a free report, or because you’re proficient at writing reports.  Everything on your list should contribute to your desired result.

• Remember to delegate, wherever you can.  And mark that delegation on your paper!

• Start with the items that you feel most confident in completing. If you’re most proficient in research, hit the internet and get to know some webmasters.  The quicker you can get that first checkmark, the quicker you’ll fuel your own motivation to tackle the tasks that aren’t as simple.

• View your list-making as a brain dump. Give your tasks to the paper, and envision space clearing in your head.

• Understand that the writing of the list is a checkable item. Simply making the list brings you one step further to accomplishing your grand tasks.

• Don’t stress over every little detail. As you conquer the notable tasks on your list, small details will fall into place.  For instance, if you’re planning a workshop, you’ll need to establish a date, a time, a method of advertisement, and you’ll have to know its main benefit (the problem it will solve).  You’re not going to have to figure out how coffee will be served or whether lunch will be chicken salad or turkey.  Once your motivation is in full swing, the details will fall into place as you move along.

• Commit to your list. Feel the momentum that’s generated when you accomplish even the smallest of tasks and use that to propel you forward…but remember, you can’t experience that momentum unless you keep the check marks coming.

Some of us are natural list-makers.  Others manage our busy lives in our heads…or at least we like to think we do.  No matter our natural or learned tendencies, there is a wealth of potential just waiting to be realized…on a blank page.

Building your list of potential clients is necessary for landing deals, filling seminars, and realizing the revenue that you desire.  But in order to build your list of interested parties, you must first organize your thoughts into manageable pieces of doable tasks.  There’s no better method for accomplishing this than a list.

You want a list of for-sure, ready-to-buy prospects and clients, right?  Then get your pen, grab your paper and prepare to clean your brain’s RAM with your new list!

Tweet

When you meet someone for the first time, you have a chance to make a real connection, or you can just pass on your name and be forgotten. Successful relationship-building requires more than just handing out business cards. To build long-lasting, solid and mutually-beneficial relationships, a little homework and a little thoughtfulness goes a long way. Here are my tips for making an impression that brings lasting results …

Research the People You’re Meeting

If you’re meeting someone in particular, research the person or people you’re meeting. Lots of resources exist that can give you both professional and personal reference material. The Web is a source of myriad information, with things like company websites, personal bios, work histories, resumes, portfolios; depending on who you’re meeting, you may be able to find a wide range of information about your contact.

If the Web doesn’t yield any useful information, you could check with the company where your contact works, to see if they have any marketing information containing professional info about your contact. You could also check periodicals, such as magazine stories, newspaper articles or professional interviews. Depending on how public the person is that you’re meeting, you may be able to find everything from the name of a spouse to the first place he or she worked out of college.

Use the information you find when you meet your contact. Talk about common interests, such as being dog owners, adoptive parents, yachters; whatever common bond you can form with your contact can help you form a good relationship. Ask about things near and dear to the person’s heart – not just business talk – and you’re well on your way to forming a real connection.

Ask Questions and Show Genuine Interest

Get to know people to form real connections. Ask questions about everything; not just their professional life, but their personal interests and family life, too. The more you can show that you understand, know and really “get” the person, the better your relationship will be, and the more business opportunities you’re likely to gain. Be a real person to your connections, too – if your new business partner volunteers information about his wife, talk about your wife. The more personal you can make your relationships with people, the better your long-term success with those relationships will be.

Have Fun Making Connections With All People

Everyone can have fun building good relationships – all you have to do is be genuinely interested in people. Enjoy getting to know your business colleagues, or even that woman you met on the street the other day. Forming connections with people can help in all aspects of your life, and even random connections can help your business in unexpected ways. You never know when someone will refer a key contact; an affiliate who may have great products for your prospects, or a business or distributor that could make your product a high-demand success!

Don’t just see people as stepping stones to a better business. Form real, legitimate connections by getting to know people, and I promise good business will naturally follow.

Tweet

The thank you page is one of the most overlooked places of real estate on the web.

That quote, from one of my mentors, Yanik Silver, speaks volumes. There is so much opportunity to promote more business and further your relationship with a new client on your thank-you page.

That client has just indicated that they trust you by opting in to your offer. Signing up to your list is a sign that they want to hear more from you.   Don’t let them leave wanting; offer them even more before they click off your thank-you page.

When developing your thank you page, think about what you can do to increase your client’s involvement. Marketing research has shown that the more people are involved, the more likely they are to buy – again.

That’s one reason companies hand out scratch-off cards with prizes or discounts hidden beneath the ink. It’s called an involvement device. When someone physically has to do something, it increases their involvement, which increases response and increases conversion.

The content on your thank you page needs to be relevant to your target market. Think about what you want them to do next, where you want them redirected to, and if there’s an opportunity to make them another offer.

There are several key ways you can accomplish this.

•    Make another offer. While letting the client know you’re glad they signed up, also let them know about another offering. Make a special offer. Offer a special prize or a special bonus that new clients will receive, but only if they sign up there and then.   Remember to use language that encourages action.  For example, “This is the only time you will see this offer. It’s for new subscribers only and you won’t have access to it again.”

•    Ask for more information. Once a new prospect joins your list, ask them to describe their biggest problem. You can then direct them to other offers you may have to help with the problem, or develop that new offering if you don’t have one.

•     Create a “tell a friend” campaign. Invite people to tell three friends about your offering in exchange for a special bonus. “Congratulations. Your place on the call is reserved. But just before we continue I would like to offer you this free gift……..”

Everyone who opts in helps you spread the word to other people. This will make a massive difference to your opt-ins and really help to increase your list. You can automate this process using Viral Friend Generator software.

When saying “thank you”, the key is to include only one of these options on your page. Either attempt an additional sale by making another offer, ask new clients for more information, or create a tell-a-friend page.

Any one of these options added to your thank-you page will start increasing your sales immediately.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up for her free weekly e-zine at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Tweet