Posts Tagged ‘attracting new customers’

“To Get the Gold Go Bold”
By Ileana Kane

I’ve been reflecting on the hundreds of clients I’ve
personally  helped in growing their business and
accelerating their cash flow. Each client had
such impactful changes in their business and 
there was one thing the most successful client
did that made a big difference.  
   

This one thing is within all of us if we will give
way to our natural brilliance.  Each of these clients
put their stake in the ground to take a BOLD pathway.

Let me give you three tips to taking a BOLD pathway:

Tip 1: Make a bold money goal.   
You want to choose a short time frame such as 30-90 days so you
can stretch your thinking.  Pick a ‘just right amount’ for you. I found
somewhere between 30-50% more than what you are currently
bringing in works well for most.  I’ve actually tripled my business
by using this simple action.  

Tip 2: Make a bold claim.
Your bold claim challenges you to step up while you stand out with
your programs.  This is not something your money is riding on it’s 
something your integrity is riding on.  Your bold claim states the results
you deliver for your clients.  One of my clients, a coach,  who works
with women in transition from divorce state: “You will have a plan that 
you can cheerfully and confidently follow that brings harmony back into 
your life in 90 days or less.“ 

In my new program Charging What You’re Worth and Getting the Fees 
You Deserve: “By the time you complete each of the 7 steps you will 
know what to do so you can charge 20%-50% more than you do right 
now.“  

A bold claim will call forth the best in you and will sweep your client up
in your passion for what you do. 

Tip 3: Take bold action. 
Be open to new approaches for achieving your goal.
The power of  a bold money goal coupled with taking bold action isn’t
to bring home the bucks.  This is to help you take the leap forward to
expand what’s possible for you and your business.  So, look at doing
something in a new way, a whole new approach and a bigger way. 

The power of bold action is for you to step out of the ordinary into the
extraordinary and making ‘what if’ into ‘what is.’  And the rewards?
Your business continues to grow in an authentic and organic way.  

© 2010 Ileana Kane   All Rights Reserved  

Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following
blurb along with the reprint of the article: 

Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, teaches Enterprising Entrepreneurs how 
to express their true value and get paid what they are worth. Her products 
and services show you how to make more money, save more time while 
enjoying the freedom in your business.    

Get your FREE audio: www.ileanakane.com

Whether you’re selling a product or service, the 5 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades… to get results! These guidelines can apply to Web copy, e-mail, sales letters, brochures, direct mail, and more. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you’ve come to the right place.

Tip 1. Tune into that well known radio station WIIFM.

Many entrepreneurs talk endlessly on and on about how great their business is and what great their products they have. Hello? Client, anyone? What’s your prospect or client thinking, “So, what? What’s in it for me?” Start being client centered. If you can, talk with some of your current clients and ask them:
1) why they chose you, and
2) what they get out of your product or service.

Tip 2. Put your focus on the benefits.

Way too many small biz owners get so into the fact that their product or service offers a lot of neat features is great, but what do they DO for your customer? Do they cover the BIG 4? 1) Do make her money? Save her money? Save time? Avoid effort? Think about what your clients are REALLY looking for.

Now, what does a life insurance agent sell? Policies?

Nope — peace of mind. (You’ve got it NOW.)

Tip 3. Draw them in with interest.

The first thing your prospect or client hears can mean the difference between success and failure. have an interest (your clients interest) based conversation. Forget the jargon because most offend those conversations aren’t effective. There are many ways to have an attention holding conversation. REMEMBER to make it the conversation client centered — no one gives a hoot about your company. So if you are a financial adviser don’t talk with a prospect about what a new amazing financial program you have. Instead talk with them about turning their finances around in 30 days! Make sense?

Tip 4. Nix the buzzwords.

Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords — stick to the benefits. An easy way to weed out buzzwords is to think of dear old Grandma listening to your conversation. Would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. (Unless your target audience is a business audience then you’d want to upscale your conversational style and upscale your words.)

Tip 5. Use client’s stories as OFTEN as you can.

Let your prospects know they won’t be the first to try you. Give results-oriented stories from your clients who have benefited from your product or service. Give your clients names (as long as you have permission to use their name). Your prospects and clients want to know they’re not the only one. HINT: Use this magical sentence. “I have a client just like you” and go on and tell the story).

© 2008-2010 Ileana Kane All Rights Reserved.

**If you would like personalized coaching to assist you in overcoming your obstacles, email Ileana at ileana@ileanakane.com for further details. © 2010 Ileana Kane   All Rights Reserved

 Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following blurb along with the reprint of the article:

 Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, teaches Enterprising Entrepreneurs how to express their true value and get paid what they are worth. Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your business. 

Get your FREE audio: www.ileanakane.com

If you desire to get more clients and make more sales (and break into your 6-figures) and you’re frustrated and struggling, you might be challenged with fear and self-sabotage that keeps you from propelling yourself into the success you crave.

The good new is once you become aware of the top 3 self sabotaging mistakes, you can make the changes you need to eliminate them and quickly turn your situation around.  Once you take the steps to improve this area, you’ll be amazed at how quickly other areas of your business and your life will transform.

Let me give you three steps to make the ‘turn around.’

Over the years, I’ve coached and helped thousands of people make changes in their business and the biggest thing you can do right now is stop telling yourself selling is hard, getting clients is hard and making money is hard.

The problem is, once you tell yourself ‘it’s hard’, then you turn around and find the evidence that feeds what you’ve told yourself is true.

The golden key to open up to more possibility is to have the willingness to have it be easy.  Once you can be open to possibility, you’ll be able to find the right resources to help advance your passion and achieve your dream.

Step # 2  Make Peace With Your Past

Trying to create from a place of not being at peace with your past only creates more of what you already have. If you take the steps to forgive yourself and others, you’ll clean up your inner world and be able to create the outer world that is fulfilling and feeds you. Now you’re at a place where you can let go of all the old beliefs around money that keep you stuck.

Step # 3  Set A New Stage

Look at what you’re saying yes to.  Take a moment and look at your money goal at the end of the year.  Make decisions from that new place. Only say yes to those clients and opportunities that will match your level of energy and are in alignment with your values.

In order to grow you’ve got to let go. By taking these steps you’re clearing the path to quickly leap forward with your income your six and seven figure success.. 

Pam had been excited when she first started her small business she had her marketing planned out and working her marketing plan.  Somehow her passion wained and her motivation was at an all time low.  She was losing sleep at night.

When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was doing so much marketing to promote her business and there wasn’t enough time in the day to get it all done.  By the end of  the day she was tired and her phone wasn’t ringing like it used to.  I found Pam committing the forbidden 6 marketing sins.

For many entrepreneurs, we have difficulty doing a lot of marketing without getting the return on investment with our time.  Listed below are the seven sins of marketing.  They’re so simple I’m afraid that you might dismiss it at a first glance. So give it a read. I’m sure you will get ideas how to tune-up your own marketing system.

MARKETING SIN  #1- No marketing plan.

Let me ask would you go on vacation with out  a plan?  It’s no different in marketing. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are “doers.” There is nothing wrong with that – that is why they work for themselves and get things done! But often they get so busy they lose sight of where they are going and how they want to get there.

Just by giving the name of marketing plan sounds UGH and boring just the thought of those two words are less than motivating. The fact is creating a simple marketing plan can be so easy.  Hung up on the naming your  marketing plan still?  Call it your money map!

Let me give you the first three steps of creating your money map:

MARKETING SIN #2 – You’re like everyone else.

Most small business owners just name their selves by the profession.  For an example: I’m a mortgage broker, I’m a therapist, I make jewelry.  YAWN.  It’s like looking at a herd of zebras.  There is absolutely nothing to differentiate you from the herd. But if you were the color-striped zebra; you would stand out in everyone’s mind.

Take a long look and ask yourself these top two questions.  What makes your business different?  What makes you, your services or products unique? With the explosion of  new businesses, it should be your top concern – to set yourself apart from the pack.

If you are providing an ordinary product or service it may be hard to set yourself apart based on what or how you do it. But there is one thing in your business that no one else can duplicate – YOU!

MARKETING SIN #3 – No Visibility

If no one knows who you are or what you do you will always struggle to get enough business. Networking, public speaking, publishing articles are just a few no cost ways of getting the word out.

One BIG caution.  Do NOT do what one of my clients did before they came to me. They had a meeting with a television advertising salesperson who promised them everything and of course the delivery was way less than promised.  In fact this small business owner did not receive one lead from all his efforts and money spent. (If you
do approach the radio and television advertising arena, make SURE you are working with someone who KNOWS the business.)

 Passionpreneurs ® love creating and the idea of “having a business plan” and more often than not they struggle with how to design one.  Why?  They are so passionate about what they do they have a steady stream of ideas swimming around in their brain. The designing and planning process can feel complicated and overwhelming.  And if they do start a plan they wonder what do I do and what order do I do it in.

Does this sound familiar? Well as a creative and passionate entrepreneur I’ve figure out how to honor the balance of my divine feminine and still meet my implementation and financial goals in an authentic, graceful and elegant way.

Because I cam from a strong corporate background (with all the reports, spread sheets, charts and graphs), I had to find a different way because that just didn’t work for me any more. Imagine putting your design plan on just one or two sheets and away you go  As I realized it’s not the amount of sheets that’s important it’s what really goes on the 2 sheets that counts! 

Here are 5  simple steps to keep your energy, passion and life in balance when you design your business plan:

Step #1 Ditch the extra baggage and let go of the old goals you really don’t want anymore.  

Too many times passionate entrepreneurs (I call these people Passionpreneurs®) hold onto dreams, goals or visions they once had and they really don’t want that goal anymore. And if we hold onto something that  is not in harmony with who we are now and our gifts we’re bringing to the world, it brings up a lot of guilt and we end up wasting our energy resources on hanging onto old dreams. Be conscious of all the old dreams, goals or vision you really don’t want to bring to fruition anymore. By doing this you’ll end up not having to give focus and energy on what you don’t want in your life and will be successful in creating more energy and room for what your really want in your business and your life.  To create a new you need to create from the new you! 

One of my early mentors had me write a list of all the goals I didn’t achieve the year before and cross off of my list what I didn’t want to carry forward into the new year.  

Step #2 Create a new vision and design your plan focused on your gifts and calling.

I hear too many times Passionpreneurs ® don’t think they can make money from what they know now.  Because something that comes so easy and nature to us we don’t realize that there are a lot of people who would pay dearly to learn from us.  The secret to ‘living your true wealth’^(TM) is hidden in your gifts and calling.

Step #3  Your new business design needs to be dynamically in balance.

It’s easy to create a business plan that is so packed with all of the to do’s there is no room for the real creation of the Divine Feminine spirit which is rich with ideas, creativity and inspiration to complement the plan. But if not properly directed the energy this part of you provides can easily get diluted, with nothing concrete to show for it. You need the strength of the masculine, which loves to implement, on your side to put your brilliant creative ideas into action

Step #4  Put time aside to reflect, review and assess the actions you’ve been taking

I’ve seen way too many entrepreneurs leave out this very valuable step and end up suffering by getting off track and being disappointed in the outcomes they’ve produced. Every Friday set aside some time to look at what you’ve completed, your gross revenues and what’s working really well.  Then look forward to the next week and see if you need to make any adjustments in your plan.  Also, set aside times to look at where you are in relationship to your quarterly goals and revenues (trust me you’ll be glad you did!).  Your numbers hold keys to what to do next.  This time is about having your vision come to reality and serving all the people you really want to serve.  At the end of the month set aside more time, you want to do the same exercise as above and in addition to looking at your gross receipts look at your how profitable you’ve been.

If you start to not feeling good about your numbers, that is not what this is about.  This is about looking at what’s working and what’s not working.  Stay neutral with this exercise because the numbers are there to inform you.

One of the best things I ever did for my business is find a mentor and a mastermind group. 

Step #5  Look to see where you are with your mindset.

As entrepreneurs we work alone most of the time and it’s easy to get into a fearful and scarcity mode.  When you are looking at your business gross receipts for step #4 if you are making the same money you made last year your creating form your old thinking and beliefs.  So, look at adopting one new mindset or belief into your work and into your life.

Keep Your Business Design Simple and Celebrate OFTEN!

By keeping your business design simple and celebrating often, you allow all your energy to focus on creating the outcomes and results.  That translates into serving and helping more people in a much bigger way than you would normally do and you get to allow the rewards to flow right back to you.

To really have a Fun, Fabulous and Rich ^(TM) Business you must practice the KISS (Keep It Simple Sexy) formula

 © 2008-2010 Ileana Kane
All Rights Reserved  
Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following blurb along with the reprint of the article:  

 Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, helps Enterprising Entrepreneurs express their true value and get paid what they are worth while moving away from trading  ‘dollars for hours work.’  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your business.  For your FREE audio: www.milliondollarmuse.com

The real key to a thriving business is sharing the value we offer in our products and     services to our customers.  Knowing the value of what we offer will lead to getting paid
what you are worth.

Charging what you are worth is a simple two-step process.  The first step is to know the value of the results you deliver and the second step is to know that your are absolutely worth it. The value of what you offer is perceived by your clients and your pricing is perceived by you.  

The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is they try to describe what they do. 
       
Describing what you do leads you down the path of using features. Trust me, your clients do not care about the features.  

Let me give you an example of features.  Let’s say you are a coach.  When coaches are  new to growing their business, they normally tell you how many sessions you will get with them and how long the sessions last.  Yes, at some time, your client will need to know this but not at the beginning of your conversation.  Just remember in the above example this is not a benefit or a result of what you do for them. 

What you want to do, is let them know the results they will get. 

Let’s take the same example of the transition coach. What you want to talk about is how, at the end of 60 days, your client has a clear plan describing what they want to do and how they will make their transition.  

See the difference between the features (the number and time of sessions) rather than the end result?  

Keep focused on the remarkable results and you will start seeing a big difference in getting more clients (and higher paying clients).

Your business in action: 

Think about what you really do for your clients in the end and what’s in it for them.  
   
Then write out a long list of benefits and results.

© Ileana Kane All Rights Reserved 

Do you want to use this article? Of course, you can. Just use the following     blurb along with the reprint of the article:

 Ileana Kane, CEO of Ileana Intl, helps Enterprising Entrepreneurs express their true value and get paid what they are worth while moving away from trading  ‘dollars for hours work.’  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your business.  For your FREE audio: www.milliondollarmuse.com

 

It’s really challenging to offer only one way to work with you because it’s an all or nothing proposition to the prospect.  Prospects want to be able to choose what program(s) fit their needs.  I had Jo Ann offer service packages to her clients.  Then we looked at creating a packaged product for prospects and clients. This gave her passive income.  Next, we looked at offering a full day with her for her high end clients. The next thing I’m having her put into place is to get a bigger presence on the internet.

This was a great start for Jo Ann and it gave her a way to enroll prospects in here services more often And a way to have prospects that didn’t have the money right now to still work with her .  Once we put those systems into place Jo Ann’s business turned around fast!
 
Having more than one income stream will get you to your 6 figure income (and beyond). You’ll have more fun, joy and satisfaction in your business.

What every solo-prenur and small business owner needs to know about attracting all the clients they’d ever want. Here’s how to do it with EASE while having FUN and being AUTHENTIC (how good can it get).

I was taught to work hard and take one step at a time and I’d get to my goal. For awhile that did serve me and it’s only one way. What I’m talking about is day to day, striving and struggling to make incremental gains in business. It’s the path of conventional growth. What I call ladder-climbing instead of leap-frogging. What I’m asking of you is to be open to stop accepting present circumstances and being content with incremental growth in your business.

Take a risk on going for unconventional success by going the route of unconventional approaches.

Go for a breakthrough! A quantum leap!

Focus On The End Result

Start first with a crystal clear vision (dream) of the outcome you want. Create a strong

focal point for yourself and your business. Go ahead and visualize your arrival – just as

if you were a runner reading yourself for a race. Forget the how! The answers will come to you like simple and streamlined solutions. No forcing necessary – stay out of your own way and let it occur. Now for you perfectionists, forget making the perfect plan, forget getting everything neatly organized and eliminating the risks. Be willing to be with ambiguity, confusion or chaos. All that you’re doing is what Columbus did. He sailed into uncharted territory. Just keep your focal point of where you’re going to land!

Light The Fire In Your Heart

Passion is the single element that will energize the soul, fill the spirit and put fire in your heart. Go with your burning desire of the fire in your heart and you will never be let down. In order to allow this to happen, shift the limits on your thinking and give yourself the permission to carry you past the point of wishful thinking and halfhearted effort.

Employ New Behavior

If you want unconventional success, be willing for the unconventional approaches.

Accelerate your achievement, rapidly employ the new behaviors. Otherwise, more of the same gives more of the same. So, if you lean on the dependable behaviors from the past they turn into major obstacles to your future success. To have a business without boundaries your must think without boundaries. Trying harder will take you down the path to burnout. Hint more effort isn’t the answer. Get uncomfortable and go for it!

Ditch the Doubt!

Imagine a new definition of rational thinking. What if rational thinking is the same as skepticism. The truth is doubts are the product of habitual thinking not accurate thinking.

Put the old inhibiting ideas aside (just in case you may want to pick them up again at some other time. Try on accurate thinking. Imagine for a moment you could double your income or even triple your income in less than a year. Suspend your disbelief from what’s probable to believing in what’s possible.

Ready Fire Aim

In the ready, fire, aim strategy getting ready is the con game you’re playing with yourself.

If you wait to get all prepared, organized and perfect – you’ll never get there. Taking action is an act of faith. Once you take a step, the next step will appear. Your dreams will begin to crystallize into your reality when pursued – how cool is that!

Breakthroughs In Action

Ready to take a shortcut? Have you ever felt resistance to something that you want to take action on? Then you don’t take action and you resist the resistance. Ready to change? Make a list of all that you are resisting. The next thing to do is to take action on each one. Go ahead try it…you’ll be pleased