Client Magnets Official Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Words Of Inspiration’

If you are a solo entrepreneur, so often the only people you have to bounce ideas off are your family or close friends. Do they really understand what your business is about? Can they give you with the right type of advice or encouragement when you need it? Or do you have to try figure out everything on your own? Would they be interested in attending a workshop with you and would it be worth it?

Here are some thoughts and real life scenarios on the subject.  See what you think …

Your family members are often the people who provide you with encouragement when you need it, so it’s useful for them to understand more about the business model you are working towards.

That way when you ask for input or are debating about whether to implement a certain strategy in a certain way, you have someone who understands the principles of what you are trying to do giving you feedback.

I often encourage my clients, that if they have a partner they want to bring along to my workshops, they should do so. So many of my clients are solo entrepreneurs and it can be difficult always trying to figure out stuff on your own. If your partner or member of your family understands something about your business model, they can help you to brainstorm ideas and remind you about some of the principles if you are unsure of your next step.

They may get so excited your business that they may choose to get more involved and help you with aspects of your business. This was the case for two of my clients.

Firstly,  let’s talk about Jane.  Jane brought her 15 year old son to one of my workshops. He was the youngest participant of the group. Like most teenagers he is highly computer literate and enjoys creative design work. But the benefit to Jane is now when she talks about her business strategies he knows exactly what she is talking about. He has also helped her design the cover for her first product and a banner to place on her web page.  Then there was Gail.  She also brought her partner along to a workshop. Gail reflects that it is so great that he now understands more about her business. He’s quite technically minded so has been able to help her with the technical aspects of running her websites. Because he understands the principles of her growing information empire, he is often the voice of reason for Gail. He is the one encouraging her to price her programs at their true value and to think bigger.

So as you can see from these examples, there can be some great reasons to get family involved in your business:

Reason #1: When they understand the business model you are working towards and why you are doing what you are doing, it is like getting them onboard as a partner.

Reason #2: Understanding the business principles means that they can be a sounding board for ideas and strategies that you want to implement.

Reason #3: They may have talents or skills that you can use in your business and they may want to get more involved in it because they want to see it succeed.

Reason #4: As a solo entrepreneur you need encouragement from time to time. A partner or family member who understands your business will be able to provide the right kind of encouragement.

It makes running your own business so much easier when your family or partner is on board with you. Their encouragement and input can prove to be invaluable when you need a sounding board for implementing ideas and strategies.

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

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Do you sometimes feel that if you work one less hour your business might fail? Do you feel that putting in long hours is essential to succeed? I used to believe that. In fact that’s how I used to work. But I don’t believe that anymore. I found a better way to work, one that brings me more revenue and allows me more free time. If you can adapt this model to your business you will soon see that you also don’t need to be working 80-hour weeks in order to be successful.

A Smarter Way to Work

There are many successful business people who will tell you that success demands sacrifice. They tell you to sacrifice your time, energy and knowledge if your want to build a successful business. You need to sacrifice time with your family or time for recreation. They also tell you that the sacrifice is worth it.  Yet as many people know and have experienced, this isn’t always the case. Business people that put in the long hours often end up with strained family relationships, simply because they were never around. Now if your family and friends are important to you (as they are for me).  If you value your leisure time and want to enjoy a more balanced lifestyle then you need to take a different approach to business. Building a business around the “information empire model” is one way in which your business can really start to work for you.

I believe that you have unique talents, knowledge and expertise. I believe that if we hone in on those skills we will find gold nuggets of such incredible value. You can then use that value to grow your business with far less effort than what the long hour strategy demands. One of my clients Mary is a coach who specializes in working with creative people to grow their businesses. When I asked her why she wanted to attend my workshop on building an information empire she had an interesting answer. She said that she was coaching, but she never had enough clients or enough revenue. She was barely covering her costs yet it felt like pure hard work. She had taken on a house mortgage and she knew that she had to get serious about making money. She had to find a smarter way to generate revenue that wasn’t such a slog. Mary attended the workshop and implemented some strategies. A short while later her business started to turn. Now it is working for her and instead of Mary having to put in all the hard work and long hours.

Why Long Hours aren’t always best:

•    80 hour weeks do not guarantee success. You can be putting in all the hard work and still not be getting the results you want.
•    Working long hours takes you away from your family and isolates you from social circles. This can have a negative impact on your emotional health.
•    Working long hours usually cuts into your leisure time when you should be exercising or doing things to maintain a good level of physical fitness and health.
•    Hard work is an admirable work ethic, but it is only effective if it is coupled with working smart at the same time.

There is a common belief that long hours and hard work are the only way to be successful in business. Yet I believe that there is a better model for success. When you start to learn the value you bring to your business and create an information empire, you can get your business to do the hard work for you instead.

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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

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Many entrepreneurs start their businesses with great excitement. They pour all their energy and effort into the business and make all kinds of sacrifices. But one day they realize that it just isn’t fun anymore. Somewhere along the line all the passion and excitement about getting in new business has been snuffed out by all the work that is involved with it. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe if you are reading this, that’s exactly how you feel right now. Maybe more than anything you just want to start to enjoy your business once again.

What went wrong?

My guess, if that’s what you are feeling right now, is that you are spending your days doing tasks that you don’t really enjoy. Perhaps you feel you are not very good at them. Perhaps you just find them tedious. Either way work has become a daily grind. The sad thing is that most business literature will tell you that sacrifice is part of being successful. That you can’t always do the things you love or are good at. So you simply accept that that is the way things have to be. Before you know it your business is grinding to a halt because you have become so bogged down in accepting the suffering part of your job and there really isn’t any enjoyment in it anymore.

I honestly don’t believe that has to be the case. Why can’t you spend your days doing what you love? Why shouldn’t you enjoy your business for many years to come?  If you are serious about wanting to enjoy your business once again you need to take some critical views of what you are doing. Analyze what you are doing on a daily basis. Write down a list of all the tasks. Then next to each one rank how good you are at it and how much you enjoy it. What it will probably show is that you are spending most of your time doing things you don’t enjoy. Now you need to look at which of those tasks could be outsourced. When you start to get rid of the things that bog down your day you may feel that spring in your step returning. As you start to focus your time on doing the things you love what you are really doing is building on your strengths. When you do this, you can start to enjoy your business once again.

Why enjoying your Business is Important

•    When you enjoy what you do you feel positive and energized. This energy is often contagious and attracts clients to you.
•    When you are doing things that you are good at, you are building on your strengths. Your work is more rewarding and ultimately more enjoyable.
•    When you enjoy your business your mind is more open to opportunities to learn and develop your business.
•    A business should be about more than just making money. It should serve your lifestyle as well.

Don’t think that because you run a business that it can’t be fun. If you are investing so much time and effort into your business then you should be enjoying it.  You give incredible value to your business. So in return it should serve you. Your business should give you the financial and lifestyle rewards that you dream of. Believe that business should be enjoyed.

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

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Have you ever been in a position in your business where an opportunity comes up and you know it will benefit your business to take it, but it’s going to cost. It may cost a lot financially and maybe you don’t have the cash in hand. Maybe it requires you to put your reputation on the line. Maybe it requires you to do something that you don’t quite feel equipped for.  When faced with these type of decisions ask yourself the question: “If I manage to get this right, how much will I have learned in the process?”

Taking Risks helps you to Grow and Expand your Capabilities

I have worked with many clients who hesitate and say to me: “But I have never done that before!” Fortunately most of them don’t allow that to hold them back. I have one client who had some expertise but he didn’t know how to package and sell it. I helped him to put it together and price it at a much higher level. I helped him to realize that his initial price point for the level of expertise that he was offering was far too low. The product sold for $5000 and it was my recommendation to sell the product from the stage. The idea terrified him as he had never presented on stage before and he certainly had no experience as a sales person.  The great thing is that he took on the challenge. He knew he would be risking his reputation and breaking new ground, but he didn’t let it stop him. When I followed up with him a short while later he had already sold 25 products and he was so excited about it. He learned that he could do something new. He just needed to be willing to take the risk and step up to the challenge.

The benefits of Taking Risks

•    Taking risks is a big part of being a business owner. Not everything can be carefully calculated. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut and risk it.

•    In taking risks you open yourself up to new opportunities. You can learn new skills or discover some that you didn’t know you had.

•    Taking risks is a way of expanding your capacity and your way of thinking. When you are willing to take on risks you tend to have a broader view on things and this can create many opportunities for you.

•    Taking risks helps you to gain momentum in your business. Because you have risked something it spurs you on to make a success of it.

•    In the same way taking risks can energize you to think more creatively and find solutions to the challenges that you face.

•    The more accustomed you get to taking risks the more courageous you will get. With each risk that you take that pays off you learn the value in it, and this encourages you to look for other similar opportunities.

Many people shy away from taking risks preferring to take the safe and secure path to success. However, any person that has achieved a great level of success will tell you that they would never have got there if they hadn’t been willing to take risks. Taking risks can teach you so much about yourself and your business. Being willing to take risks will also open up many more opportunities for you to grow 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

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Have you set yourself a series of goals to achieve this year?  How are you going with them?   Generally, when you set a goal for yourself, the first thing that goes through your mind is, “What do I need to do in order to achieve this?”  Is that what you did, when you set your goals for this year?

That’s automatically where your mind goes.   Most people, are focused on what needs to be done.  And while the “doing” IS important, there’s actually something more important that needs to come first….

Before you ask yourself  … what do I need to DO, Ask yourself “Who do I need to BE in order to achieve this?”

Think about that before you think about what you’re doing, because how you’re being is so much more important than what you are doing.   And here’s why ….

Abraham Hicks, who writes a lot on the subject of law of attraction, says that there is no amount of action in the world that can compensate for negative thinking. So if you’re being someone who is skeptical, cynical, pessimistic and focused on worrying, no amount of goals and action in the world can compensate for that.

If you are busy with all the “doings” yet hanging on to negative thinking, you can end up being caught up and driven by fear. A successful business will not emerge from a place of fear.   If you’re holding on to negative thinking and fear, you’re basically sharing fear, exuding fear, and passing on fear. And people don’t want to be around fear, so they intuitively back off.  They will back away from you and your business.

On the other hand.  If you focus your attention and energy on shifting that fear. That is the first step toward who you need to be to accomplish your goal.

Then spend your energy changing your behavior. Think about who you need to be in order to congruently step into the goals you set for yourself.

Would the new you do this? Would the new you keep your desk like this? Would the new you live in a house like this? Would the new you drive a car like this?

I’m pretty certain that one of the reasons I’ve been traveling first class since 2006 is because I decided to be someone who travels first class. I did it because I wanted the comfort of traveling this way. And I once ended up doing a $60,000 project with someone I met in the first class cabin, so I guess being a person who travels first class paid off!

Once you realize the difference between who you need to be versus what you need to do, you’ll attain your goals much faster.  And start traveling First Class!

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients www.clientmagnets.com.

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What truly scares you about your business?

What obstacles are you afraid will interfere with your goals?

If you aren’t making the money you want, there is some type of fear that is coming into play. That fear factor is the one thing that can stand between you and your ultimate success. Until you face and overcome that fear and those obstacles once and for all, they will keep your vision from becoming reality.

First, figure out what you are afraid of.

Have you ever experienced any of these feelings:

Do you question whether you are enough of an expert in your area?

Do you panic at the prospect of speaking in front of an audience or conducting an interview over the telephone?

Are you terrified by the reality of marketing yourself?

All of these questions undermine your confidence in yourself. You need to address the underlying causes of your fears in order to move past them.

The answer to overcoming many of your fears lies with education. It’s common to fear the unknown, but as you educate yourself in those areas you aren’t familiar with, the unknown becomes far less mysterious. And much less scary.

Start by considering whether you have invested enough in yourself, in your education and training, to feel confident. If you can’t justify your expertise with education and experience, it’s time to get more of both. When you put the effort and energy into yourself, it will reflect in your confidence level, and help you to overcome that fear for good.

You may need to learn more about how to promote yourself, which is very different from promoting a company with a brand name. Investing in courses and training programs that offer strategies and techniques geared specifically toward small business owners will help to put that fear of rejection to rest. The same holds true for public speaking. The more you know about your subject and the more you learn how to do an effective presentation, the less you will fear public speaking.

This is all about you believing what you’re worth. You’ve earned the right to market your skills and abilities. Once you get out there and see the impact you can have on your clients, your fear will slowly evaporate.

Addressing your fears is both exciting and scary. You just have to face it – whatever it is. Whatever that thing is that makes you uncomfortable, that gives you pause and makes your heart and your head pound – just do it.

That’s how you’ll step up into the next phase of your business success. Once you do something that you were previously afraid to do, you can put it behind you. You can consider it part of your comfort zone because you did it and you survived it.

Getting over fear is one of the best feelings you can ever experience.

Step up to something, look it in the eye, learn what it takes to overcome it and then just take it on.

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients. www.clientmagnets.com. Register FREE for instant access to her Stepping Up teleseminar series

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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.

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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.

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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!

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