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 »

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 »

Improve Your Capacity To Receive

March 16th, 2010

How good are you at receiving? How much experience do you have with receiving money? Logic dictates that the more experiences you have, the better a receiver you will be.   Your current financial circumstances are merely a reflection of how much you’ve been allowing yourself to receive up until now. To increase your income by becomming a better receiver, you need to create continuous opportunities for people to give you money.   It’s up to you to create those opportunities.

One way to create those opportunities is to put structures in place that allow you to receive money 24/7.  Set systems in place that allow you to make money while you sleep.  For example, by offering products and programs on a web site, you are increasing your ability to receive.  You are giving your prospects and clients the means to give you money.

If you don’t have simple and continuous methods for people to give you money, your capacity to receive is only as big as a pinhole!   You need to turn your receiving pinhole into a wide open chasm and watch your income soar …

Here are a few things to consider:

•    Do you have an ecommerce website yet?

•    Are you in a position where someone can come to your website and find out about you?

•    Can a potential client book a session with you and pay for it on your website?

•    Can potential clients buy something on your website, right then and there?

•    Do you have a way for clients to automatically pay you for your product or service?

By implementing these elements in your business you will increase your capacity to receive, and in turn increase your income.

I’ve often talked about mindset and how it is so important to work on yourself from the inside – to analyze why you are limiting yourself and your capacity to receive.

Well, today I’m asking you to also work it on the outside? How about putting that external structure in place to be the metaphor for you becoming a better receiver?”

Think about how much you have been allowing yourself to receive, but don’t stop at the thinking. You need to act on it. Take the next step to implement the necessary structures in your business. Don’t just analyze.  Thinking and talking about receiving and how you can improve, won’t be as effective as doing something externally. You may hit obstacles along the way but with persistence, the right support, coaching and advice you will succeed!

Yes, work on the inside but also work on the outside.

Continue to step up through those obstacles until the elements for you to receive are in place. Get the advice and expertise you need to make it happen!

Improve Your Capacity To Receive

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Cash Flow, Marketing, Motivation, Personal Productivity, Sales Motivation, Small Business Ideas, Success Secrets, Systems, Website sales | 4 Comments »

Create Your Winning Team

March 15th, 2010

When planning how you’re going to outsource, it’s helpful to draw an analogy from personal relationships. If you’ve got a life partner, it’s unlikely that that life partner meets all of your social needs.

Perhaps your partner doesn’t have the same interest in art that you do, or prefers to stay indoors while you go hiking. You probably still have friends that you go to the cinema with, or to art galleries or the museum. It’s almost like you build up a team of friends to fulfil the different needs of your life.

Just as we have different people in our life that resonate with different parts of us, it’s the same with business. It’s unrealistic to expect that just one person will be able to fix everything. You’re going to get frustrated because you’ll end up with a person who is good at some things but weak in other areas.

When I started my business, I had a list of tasks that either I didn’t want to do, or that were not cost-effective for me to do. But one of the things that I did wrong was to try to find one person who could take over all of the tasks. Instead, what I should have focused on was to build a team of people around me who could assist my business.

You need to remember that business is a team sport. You should think about the tasks you want to outsource, and match them to the right people. You need to build up a team of assistants to look after the many aspects of your business. This is what I call my “virtual team”.

Outsourcing to teams allows me to be more flexible. I used to outsource transcription of my teleseminars to an individual, but whenever she got a backlog of work or whenever she was on holiday, I had a delay in getting transcripts back. I like to get transcripts of teleseminars up ideally within a week of the teleseminar, so I decided that would work better if I could hand it over to a team of assistants, rather than one person.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t have one person with whom you work more than any other, or who helps run your team of virtual assistants. You just need to make sure that they don’t become indispensible for your business.

Right now, I have a team of virtual assistants around the world who work for me without me having to do it myself. The beauty of it is that even if my key person were to leave, I wouldn’t be left high and dry. We have a manual that I can hand over to the next person that explains how my business operates.

The other important message is not to think that a “virtual team” only applies to a small business. Eben Pagan runs workshops around building virtual teams, and has built a large business around the idea. The interesting thing is that while he has a virtual team of 80 people and his turnover is $20 million, he doesn’t have a company office. So he has the benefit of 80 people working for him, but his business doesn’t have the huge overhead that comes with providing office space for them all.

Your ultimate goal should be creating a team around you that would allow you to action today’s ideas tomorrow.

So create your team and start scoring some goals!

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

Create Your Winning Team

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Motivation, Personal Productivity, Success Secrets, Systems, outsourcing | No Comments »

True Personal Value Increases True Market Value

March 11th, 2010

What’s the one thing that you excel in, but you never had to go to school for, attend a seminar for, or sweat your way through testing for?  Do you have a talent that you can’t remember learning, and that was never a struggle for you?  Something you would do for free, just because you enjoy being good at it?  That’s your true value.

Often, it’s easy to believe that if something is easy for you to do, then surely, no one else can benefit from it, or would want it.  We’ve been conditioned to believe that we can only use the things that we’ve worked for, or paid for, for profit.

What’s important to remember here is that what comes easily for you might be highly valuable to, and worthy of payment from, other people.

My friend Veronica is a good example.  Before I had assistants to help me with administrative tasks, my desk was a paperwork wasteland.  When Veronica called on me, early in my career, she found my desk buried beneath a clutter of papers.

Veronica tackled my messy office, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was transformed from a disaster zone to a well-organized, functioning space.  My wonderful friend had offered her true value, her talent, to me in a way that not only helped me, but left me awestruck with her ability.

Organization is not impossible for me, but it’s not easy, either.  Tears of gratitude filled my eyes when Veronica had finished with my office space.  The value that she presented me with was immeasurable.

As I explained earlier, sometimes it’s difficult for the giver of true value to understand the impact they can have.  Veronica seemed taken aback with my pouring out of emotion.  She looked at me, as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”  She had difficulty accepting my thanks.

You can help yourself to market your true value when you:

• Identify your inborn gifts and talents; the things that come easily to you.

• Combine those true values into a package that you can offer to the world – something unique that offers significant benefit.

• Identify a genuine need that can be fulfilled with your true value.

Now, this might seem like a speech you got back in grammar school or high school, but it’s still important to remember:  don’t choose paths because they’re “cool,” or because they’ve been successful for others.  You’ve got to stay true to you.

Don’t think that your abilities are insignificant just because they come easily to you.  In fact, your thinking should be moving in the opposite direction.  You were given your talents by God for a reason.  When you use them purely and fully, you automatically offer something that cannot be duplicated by another.

Because you are unlike any other person on Earth, your unique abilities can be combined to equal a unique contribution.  Everyone’s looking for the next big thing.  Seems to me that if you want to find something unique and valuable, you need only to look inside yourself.

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 with invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease – register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

True Personal Value Increases True Market Value

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Marketing, Motivation, Personal Productivity, Small Business Marketing, Success Secrets, Systems | 2 Comments »

It’s Time To Step Up!

March 10th, 2010

Do you ever get that “I’m almost there” feeling? You only have a couple of things left to figure out and then you can take that first step toward starting, growing or building your business.

It’s an exciting feeling, but almost isn’t quite good enough, is it? If you wait to figure out exactly how your business is all going to map out, if you’re waiting for that perfect time, if you’re waiting to have everything in place to take that next step – think again!  If you’re waiting you may never take that first step. While it’s certainly good to have a rough idea, the chances are your carefully laid plans are going to change. They will be influenced and shaped by a number of things.

Give yourself the confidence to just get started by knowing you’ve addressed the most important aspects crucial to the success of any business.

•  Make sure that you’re delivering something that the market really wants. No amount of promotion in the world can compensate for a dud product or idea that the market does not want. Focus on the product, service or program that’s guaranteed to succeed before you even think to start to promote it. If you’re almost ready to take that step, you should have already done this research and exploring to make sure that you’re delivering something that is sought after, wanted, and demanded in the marketplace.

•  Spend the budget you have wisely. You should not have to invest £5,000 in a product that’s sitting in your warehouse. You should not have to invest £5,000 in a website or in an ad in a newspaper or in a magazine to get going.   The best way to spend your budget wisely is to focus on a group of people who have a problem that you can solve, and then offer to solve that problem at a price. With the right training, mentoring and research you’ll learn to spend your budget with a marketplace that you’ve got an affinity with.

•  Knowing your market is another crucial component to your success. Who are your customers? You need to know who will be fueling your business.  Are they a group of people that you enjoy helping and enjoy spending time with? You’re going to be spending a lot of time with these people, so it makes sense to pick a group that you enjoy working with and you’ve got an affinity with.

•  Think like the unique, one-of-a-kind original you are. The world is crying out for your know-how. Your unique combination of expertise, experience and talents are badly needed and wanted by some group of people somewhere in the world.

•  Be what you say you are. Demonstrate credibility. Don’t set out to be a weight loss coach if you’re a stone overweight. Would you entrust your business to a financial adviser who has credit problems or a marketing coach or business growth coach who can’t market their own business? Of course not.  So be sure you’ve thoroughly explored your abilities, and even ask opinion from those who know you. Often people can see in you things that you can’t see in yourself.

•  Have your entry-level products or services ready to go. These are the things most demanded, most needed and easily recognized by the people that you’re targeting. They will help you to fulfill a promise and give customers a chance to sample you.

•  Plan out your premium product, program or service. This is the offering for those who want only the best; where money is no object.  Without it, you’re putting a cap on your income. People normally price at what they think other people are willing to pay, and then they figure out what they need to include in their package to justify that price. Think about planning your products as if money was no object. It’s so much more effective and it better serves your clients.

•  Promoting your offering involves knowing how much it is going to cost and how can you sell it. Know where the people are who are willing and able to pay for what you’re offering and know how you can reach them.

Take that first step toward building your business with complete confidence.  You already have what you need and now is the perfect time for you to take action.

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

It’s Time To Step Up!

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Motivation, Personal Productivity | 3 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 »

Tips for Using Articles to Build Your List

February 28th, 2010

Writing articles relevant to your target audience is a great way to build your list. By providing potential clients with content they can use, you’ll give them a reason to visit your sign-up page. Here are three tips for effectively using articles to build your list.

Tip #1: Survey Your Target Audience First
Fusing the needs and wants of your target audience into the titles of your articles will ensure what you’re writing is relevant. Take time to find out what they really want to know, what kind of information you can offer that will have them turning to you for more.

An effective way to find out what they want is surveying, and there are some great tools available. Two popular, easy to use tools are AskDatabase.com and SurveyMonkey.com. Ask the people in your target audience what issues they struggle with, and then tailor your titles and content accordingly.

Tip #2: Create Your Article
As you write your articles use key words and content that will demand the attention of your target audience.  Some of us enjoy writing our own articles, but if you don’t, you can still create great content. Buy a digital recorder and record yourself answering the questions your target audience is asking.

You can also record yourself whenever you give a talk to a group. Once you have some recordings made, hire a transcriber to transcribe your audio. At that point, you can either edit the transcript into separate articles yourself, or hire a copy editor to create the articles for you.   By recording yourself and then having a good copy editor create articles from your transcripts, you’re more likely to meet the requirements of the editors on article directories.

Tip #3: Submit Your Articles
Once you have articles ready to submit to article sites, take advantage of article submission services to do that for you quickly and easily. Submitting articles yourself is time-consuming and distracts you from doing things only you can do for your business.   Be sure to provide a link back to your sign-up page.  As people read your articles, they should be directed back to your site.

Put Your Article Strategy in Motion. Writing and submitting well-written articles filled with useful content relevant to your target audience is an effective way to build your list. Consistently creating and submitting articles won’t build your list overnight, but great articles can definitely drive traffic to your sign-up page. If you haven’t tried article submission, it’s time to add it to your overall marketing strategy.

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

Tips for Using Articles to Build Your List

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Posted in Advertising, Business Networking, Business Success, List building, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Motivation, Niche Marketing, Personal Productivity, target audience | 2 Comments »

Buy Back Precious Time

February 27th, 2010

In any typical working day, most people have only two to three really productive hours. So, why not just cut out the other four to five hours and focus on the two to three that are really getting results?

You may be thinking that you need to work all the hours you do to get everything done. It may seem impossible for you to cut your working hours down. But it is possible!

Understand that the way you work comes from years of habit. It comes from having once been an employee, where you might have been able to get the work done quickly, but you still had to be present at the office because the boss would be upset if you went home at 10:30 am.

Well, you’re the boss now, and you can alter your business hours to suit yourself. You will be just as, if not more productive than you are right now, and you will buy back precious time for yourself.  Time is the one thing you cannot create more of, but in this case, you can.  Here are some questions to consider in your quest to buy back more time by being more productive ….

Are you over-servicing your clients?  Start by becoming really aware of the things you’re doing that keep you working harder and longer than necessary. Then take control, rein yourself in, and stop doing them.

If you’ve set what you think is a commanding daily rate for your services, are you subconsciously working more hours to justify that rate? Do you end up essentially doing three days’ work just to rationalize the higher rate that you charge?

Take a closer look here because, you’re still not making the money you think you’re worth. You are over-servicing the client. It’s not just about the rate. It’s about how much time you put into the service you offer.

Are you offering all sorts of extras that involve a lot more follow-up and that you aren’t being paid for? If your clients are perfectly happy and satisfied with what you’ve provided, your work there is done. Your clients aren’t going to turn away your free services, particularly if they were already willing to pay for your expertise. If you think you have more to offer your client, create an upgraded package and sell it to them. Continued access to your services should not be available for free.

Are you striving for perfection?  Do you continually work on a product or presentation that is already fine because you think it could be better? This is your own need for perfectionism coming into play, particularly if you are creating products or programs.

Perfectionism stops you from moving forward. You will be more productive by creating a product that satisfies your client’s needs and getting it into their hands, rather than tweaking it over and over.

Start to take notice of where are you creating extra, unnecessary work for yourself. It’s a habit that you have to break.   Change your habits to maximize those productive hours. Then spend the time you’ve bought back however you choose.

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

Buy Back Precious Time

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Home Based Business, Marketing, Motivation, Personal Productivity, Small Business Ideas | No Comments »

The Power of Scheduling

February 24th, 2010

If you’re like many busy business owners, you likely have an outstanding project you’ve been wanting to complete.  But you just can’t find the time to finish it. Your calendar is packed and there’s no way to clear enough white space to complete the task from start to finish. There’s an easier way to complete a big project, and it doesn’t require going away on retreat.  Learn the power of scheduling to help you complete your big projects without feeling overwhelmed.

Focused Time is Powerful.  Learning to focus your attention on one thing is the key, but you must schedule in that focused time. It may seem contradictory to say you must schedule in time when you can’t clear your calendar. But scheduling becomes most powerful when you set aside regular blocks of time devoted to a single task.

Suppose you have a product in mind that will benefit your clients greatly. The problem is that you know it will take two solid weeks to create and package the product. None of us has that kind of time to devote to a single business activity.

Instead, schedule an hour each week to work on a key part of the process. Regularly scheduled time with a consultant to help clarify the project may be a good first step. Never underestimate the power of expert help to move things forward. But no matter what piece of the project you’re completing, dedicating focused, scheduled time to it is easier than clearing your entire schedule.

You may not have two weeks of uninterrupted time, but you do have an hour a week. Over time, those one hour blocks can add up to a completed product. The secret is not to get hung up on never having time for the whole project. Instead of giving up on completing the project, schedule it in blocks of time and get it done.

The power of scheduling doesn’t just apply to big projects. It can be helpful with every other aspect of your business. If your virtual assistant needs monthly input on your newsletter, have her add it to your schedule so it’s ready when she needs it. For tasks only you can do in your business, set up a system and a schedule so you’ll know when it needs to be done and when you’ll do it.

Capture your time in this way rather than scrambling to get it all done. You’ll soon see that it’s so much more effective. Focus completely on the task at hand until it’s time to do something else. Embrace this as a saner way to bring order to your days. No matter what it is you never seem to find the time to do, you can create the time by learning to schedule.

If you’re struggling to find the time to create products, meet with staff or finish large projects, try harnessing the power of scheduling to get it all done. Small blocks of time, regularly scheduled, and the added assistance of an expert when needed, will put you in control of your days and make you more productive than you ever dreamed.

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

The Power of Scheduling

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Posted in Business Plans, Business Success, Marketing, Money Making Ideas, Motivation, Personal Productivity, Systems | 1 Comment »

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