Market My Holistic Biz

The Key to a Holistic Way to Sell with Integrity

I can't think of anyone I know who likes to be sold to.  Can you?  And yet, most everyone I know wants to find solutions to their problems.

Think about something that you've paid for that has had a major impact on your life then consider what your life would be like without it.  Here's an example from my life.

Last year, I moved to New Hampshire and "enjoyed" my first encounter with black fly season.  I quickly learned that these puppies take biting seriously!  They actually remove a chunk of skin!  Shocking but something I could have managed to live with were it not for the unrelenting itch that would wake me from a sound sleep at 4 am demanding the attention of all 10 finger nails!  Two nights of that and I most definitely was in possession of a problem in need of a solution.

I had two choices.  Stay indoors til the end of black fly season or find a repellent that would make me less palatable.  My preference was for the latter.  So I began to search for something that would keep me safe from these teeth with wings and would do so in a natural, non-toxic way.

It took some internet scouring but I did find something called Shoe Fly Soap that worked amazingly well.  To say I would suffer dramatic negative impact without this product is not an understatement.

Now, suppose the company that developed Shoe Fly Soap didn't bother to tell anyone about it and simply hoped that some how, some way people will find out.  Sounds kooky but that is the precise sales method too many holistic hearted entrepreneurs employ.  In fact, you may be one of them.

If you are being held back because you don't want to seem pushy, have a fear of rejection, suffer from extreme introvert-itis or something else along those lines, I want you to know that  it is possible to be exactly who you are and still sell your products or services with gusto and predictability.  Which is a very good thing since it leads to stuff like:

• paying your bills on time and without developing an ulcer
• investing in business or personal development without agonizing over the decision
• taking a vacation without feeling guilty about the money your spending or won't be making while you do

All of these mean less stress and less stress means a happier, healthier, more-fun-to-be-around you!  Which makes you a better partner, parent, provider and an all-around joyful soul!

If you are thinking something like, "Sounds great but I have serious doubts that it's possible to get those kind of results
without being pushy and I'd rather be poor than become a pushy salesperson!" I hear ya.  I felt the same way until I learned a very simple method called The Heartsell Conversation. 

The secret lies in learning how to lead people to a place where they can make empowering choices that solve their problem.  Specifically the problems that you know how to solve.

I was honestly amazed at how simple the process was, how well it worked and how comfortable I was using it.  I felt empowered too!  I can't teach you how to do it but I can tell you where you can learn how.  There is a Free Training Call about it this Wednesday called The Art of the Heartsell Conversation.  If the time of the call doesn't fit with your schedule, sign up anyway and the recording of the call will be emailed to you.

Since it's free, you've got nothing to lose and it might just change the way you think about sales forever - I know it did for me.

The Top 3 Ways to Deliver A Free Taste That Gets You Hired

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button!

This is the last in a serise of three articles about pink spooning - which is marketing lingo for the delicious sample you offer to prospective clients that makes hiring you irresistible! (Click here to read the 1st and here for the 2nd.)

Sometimes it works like a magic wand and you get hired immediately.  Other times it takes longer for the credit card to  appear.  Either way, it's the first way for folks to get a 'taste' of what you are an expert at delivering.  

Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, I'm sure you can see why developing your free taste - or pink spoon - deserves some careful thought.

There are tons of ways to deliver your free taste but mostly they fall into three main categories (especially when the delivery method is utilizing the internet):

1. Something to read.  This could be valuable written information in the form of a Special Report or checklist.  IMPORTANT: whatever form you choose, the information needs to be perceived as valuable by your potential client.  Keep in mind, that what you know they need may not be the same thing they want.  Be sure to deliver what they want here so they'll eventually be hungry for what they need to!

2. Something to listen to.  This works well if you need your sample to be experiential - like a guided meditation, visualization or breathing exercise.  Or if you hate to write!  Just make sure that when you deliver an audio message, you practice so you can get really good at filtering the "um"s and "ya know"s our of your speech pattern.

3. Something to watch.  Video is hot and getting hotter and is a super powerful marketing tool.  Because it lets people "read" your body language and get a "feel" for your energy while your delivering useful information to them, it can shave scads of time off the usual relationship building process.  People do business with folks they know, like and trust.  Video can slice through the "know, like, trust" barrier like butter through a hot knife!

If you aren't comfortable with it yet, you are going to want to do whatever it takes to become comfortable with it because eventually it will cost you clients if you don't.

A word about the "free" part

I know I've been calling it a free taste but it isn't reeeeeally free.  In keeping with the spirit of maintaining the energetic balance between giving and receiving, if you are giving something of value, the receiving party ought to do the same in return.  And the thing you want to receive in exchange for your valuble information is contact information - an email address at the bare minimum  - so that you can continue the conversation.

Wrapping it all up

In these 3 articles, I've covered a lot about creating an irresistible free taste that will entice clients to hire you fast.  You can see an example of two different ways to implement the pink spoon method when you:

a. glance at the upper right hand corner of this page or

b. visit my website

If you're still feeling a bit overwhelmed about the best way to put the pink spoon into effect for your business, I'm just a phone call or email away.  All you have to do is ask to receive my help.

How to Over Deliver without Overwhelming

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button!

As promised in the previous post, today I'll tell you how to take the pink spoon concept and use it effectively in your business - because there is a difference between using it and using it well.  A good pink spoon (a.k.a. a sample of your brand of brilliance) will do the following:

1. Showcase your knowledge and expertise, thereby positioning you as the "go to" gal for results in your field
2. Provide valuable information that can have an immediate impact on the recipient BUT
3. Limit that valuable information to the "what to do" category, steering clear of the "how to do it" realm

 Now let's disect these. 

1.  Showcasing your knowledge and expertise is not the same as being boastful or egotistical (unless you happen to be an arrogant bugger in general, in which case, I doubt you'd be reading this because I just don't attract such folks!)  This is about educating.  Everyone knows stuff.  But none of us knows everything.  If you know stuff that I don't know but could help me solve a problem, then I want to know that cuz I want my problems solved ASAP! 

Even if I'm not currently suffering from the kind of problem that you solve, I may be someday.  How will I know to call you when that happens unless you've made it clear to me that you are the expert?  Don't make me call someone else!

2. Provide valuable information that delivers immediate impact, just like I'm doing here.  I'm explaining an important marketing concept, why it is important and the parts that make it work.  If you apply what you are learning, it can have an immediate impact on getting new clients and making more money.

3. Confine your free taste to "what to do" and leave out the specifics of "how to do it."   The idea is to whet the appetite for more.  I know you reeeeeeally want to help people.  We all do.  But it took you a long time to become the expert that you are.  It doesn't help to overwhelm people.  Please refrain from unloading everything you know in the first encounter! 

Applying the performing arts philosopy of always leave your audience wanting more works well here.  That's why they created encores - known in entrepreneur speak as repeat business!

It is possible to over deliver with a well-crafted free taste without overwhelming.  Next time I'll talk to you about the different forms you can choose for your free taste and how to know which one is right for your business.

 

Do you inspire the desire to hire?

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button!

Just back from a 3-day business conference with an audience that ran the gamut from multi-million dollar solopreneurs to folks who hadn't yet landed a client.  I learned a lot including this - much work remains on my quest to enlighten folks about how to easily and effectively market online so the world can benefit from your unique brilliance!

In the interest of not adding to the bottomless pit of too-much-freakin'-information-to sift-through-to-know-where-to- begin, I'll keep it simple (hmmm, sound familiar?) and turn your attention to a key concept every business owner ought to strive to embrace with the gusto of a returning beloved pal thought to have been lost at sea for a decade.  And here it is:  If you are trying to sell milk, it's in your best interest to stop handing out free cows!

If you're familiar with the pink spoon concept, feel free to skip this paragraph and move on to the next; otherwise, keep
reading. 

The pink spoon concept was pioneered by Baskin-Robbins ice cream shops.  Whereby you, the customer, could ask the ice cream scooper behind the counter for a free sample of any of their 31 flavors and have it cheerfully handed to you on a puny pink plastic spoon.  A brilliant method for increasing sales by removing risk from the purchase process.  No more ice cream-buyers remorse!

The pink spoon strategy can work in any business provided you actually use a puny pink spoon and not a pink u-haul for your give-aways!

Continuing with the milk and cow business model.  Your pink spoon freebie could be:

• a cold, fresh shot glass sized sample of the white beverage
• or a slice of cheese made from your delicious milk
• or how 'bout something as crazy as a puny pink spoon full of ice cream!

Too many well-intentioned, heart-centered business owners with tremendous gifts that help and heal hand over the reins of the cow, complete with do-it-yourself instructions on how to milk it and make cheese and ice cream. 

At first glance that seems mighty generous but is it really? 

If you are the expert at milking your cow and converting all that it has to offer into a multitude of delicious, nutritious treats that can feed the souls of hundreds or thousands, giving away your cow to one person may make a big impact on them but it does so at the expense of the impact you could have on countless others.  Not so generous after all, eh?

Now you're probably wondering exactly how to apply this silly cow analogy to your business.  This post is already long enough so, I'll tell ya what.  How 'bout I do a series for you on using the pink spoon method in a way that will actually inspire the desire to hire you in your favorite peeps? 

Check back next week or better yet click here and secure a complimentary subscription to my newsletter, Going Soul-o, and get the inside scoop delivered directly to your email door!

A Brief Lesson in Safely Accepting Credit Cards

 

 

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button!

If you are doing business online in any form -- meaning, if you have a website! -- then you have, no doubt, wrestled with whether or not to accept credit cards and how to process them.

When you finish reading this you are going to feel confident about accepting credit cards in your biz, but first, a quick technical lesson.  Now stop that crying!  I promise it will be painless and you’ll feel really empowered afterwards.

A brief lesson on the difference between http:// and https://

The last thing you want as a business owner is to have someone tell you their account was hacked into as a result of doing business with you!  It is actually safer for your customers to give you their credit card online than it is for them to hand it to a waiter in a restaurant!…as long as you are using a secure server to gather their information.

What is a secure server?

Good question, I'm so glad you asked.  A secure server is one that uses elaborate encryption coding that turns information into a multi-layered goulash of gobbeldy-gook that is the cyber equivalent of Humpty Dumpty-esque smithereens - minus the eggshell.

It’s easy to know when you are on a website that is secure.  Just look at the address bar (that's where you type in "www.blah blah blah.com") There is always an http:// or https:// in front of the www (Often the www disappears after the page has loaded, so don’t panic if you can’t see it.)

• You are on a secure site if it says https:// 
• You are not on a secure site if it only says http://

You only want to enter - or have your customers enter - credit card, bank account or other personal information like date of birth or social security number on sites that start with an https://  Otherwise it is possible for someone to eavesdrop on their computer's conversation when filling out a forms or simply typing information.

• If you are using Paypal or some other well known online vendor, such as some version of 1ShoppingCart (like this one), you are covered.

• If you take people’s information over the phone you are covered -- it is possible, yet not common, for cell signals to be eavesdropped upon.  Using a land line is the most secure way to do this.

• Do not ask people to email you credit card information!  In fact, you should never exchange private information via email – like passwords, log in, date of birth, social security, bank account info etc.  Email is a great tool but not a secure means of transferring private info.

So ends your first lesson on accepting credit cards online.  Feeling powerful?  Stay tuned for the sequel - Merchant Account Madness: Venturing Beyond Paypal coming to your inbox soon, if you are subscribed to my ezine, Going Soul-o.

But Seriously Folks!

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button!

You’ve heard me prattle on about being authentic in your marketing before.  I prattle because it matters – a lot.

The single most important factor in creating a relationship that turns into a client or customer relationship is trust.  There is no better, faster or easier way to build trust than through authenticity. 

A discussion about being authentic in your business sounds serious.  Which brings me to the focus of this particular prattle:  you can be serious about what you do without taking yourself too seriously.  (A perfect theme for an April Fool’s post, don’t ya think?) 

I can hear what you’re thinking, “But wait a minute, Lisa.  Business is serious: it’s no joke.  People won’t take me seriously if I’m not serious.” 

Here’s my response to that.  Let your playful part poke its head out now and then and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the positive response it elicits from the playful parts in others. 

What people really want to know about your business ability is:

• That you know what you know
• That you are a confident expert in your field 
• That you can deliver the results you promise

Building trust is serious business but the way you do it doesn’t need to play out like a courtroom drama. 

It starts with knowing yourself and your nature at its core.  If you asked 10 people, who know you fairly well, to choose the top three words that best describe you, what would you hear repeatedly?

I’d hear knowledgeable, loving and funny.  I’ll be honest with you: I cringed a bit when I typed that - for two reasons:

1. It seems un-humble to talk about my good stuff.
2. It awakens the internal critic who wants to chime in and say, “Yeah, but don’t forget about the less than lovely parts of Lisa.”

The fact is that there is good and less than good in all of us.  And I wonder if a person exists who doesn’t struggle at some time with keeping the critic at bay.

I’m encouraging you to embrace the top three and let them shine through in all that you do in your marketing.  Because the easier it becomes for you to do that, the more effortless your marketing will become and the less heckling you’ll hear from that internal critic. 

You will become like a magnet attracting the perfect people to you. 

There is a chance that I’m completely wrong (but I know I’m not :) ).  If you doubt my theory, I suggest you test it out for yourself and please don’t be shy about sharing the results!

Trigger Wasn't Just a Famous Horse!

I'm reading a great book about the psychology of persuasion and it triggered (pun intended) me to create this video for you.

The words I read probably struck home so hard because of the 2-part teleclass I'm leading beginning this Saturday and how the ideas about automatic reactions tie into the subject matter of the teleclass.

I don't want to spoil the video for you so I won't say anymore, but in case your curiosity has been piqued, here's the link to learn more about the teleclass - only 3 spots left!

The Most Overlooked “How-to” of Marketing

It’s easy to allow hours and hours to get gobbled up by things like formulating the precise wording for the tagline on your website, picking the right font for your newsletter or figuring out how to create an event listing on Facebook.

Having the tools of marketing like websites, newsletters and social networking in place is important - REALLY important; but they are not enough to bring you the results you crave.

The hidden danger in focusing solely on the “how-to” of these things is that they can act as a smokescreen to keep you from focusing on the most overlooked “how-to” of your marketing and the one that holds the secret to making more money from your marketing.

That secret is mindset – and you may be surprised to learn that it’s not a marketing mindset, but a money mindset.

Wondering how the heck money mindset ties into your marketing?  Stick with me and I think you’ll see.

In order to have all of your marketing efforts truly pay off in the form of more clients paying you more money, it is critical to have the right money mindset in place.

No matter how hard you try, you just can’t will your way out of a mindset that is keeping you financially stuck – logic just won’t work.  I mean, think about it.  If it did, wouldn’t you have all the clients you dream of, investing with you right now?

In case you’re not sure, walk with me through this little exercise:
 

Do you agree that people deserve to be fairly compensated for the goods and services that they provide?  I’m not talking about getting a bargain from time to time.  Everyone enjoys that.

What I mean is this.  Do you think it is fair for a trained expert like a doctor or lawyer or a skilled professional like a carpenter or plumber to receive compensation equal to the results they provide?

If you said yes, it’s because one of the things you value is positive contributions to the lives of others.  Because this is something you value, you are able to recognize it in others and value them when they positively contribute to your life.

Okay.  So, here’s the logic part: according to your belief that it is right for people to be fairly compensated for making a positive contribution to others, LOGICALLY you should be able to raise your fees or structure your services in a way that pays YOU well for your time and expertise.  And yet I suspect you struggle with doing so.

• Do you ever feel compelled to discount your prices just because someone asks you to?

• Do you get a sinking feeling in your stomach when you think about raising your fees?

• When you are creating a package or program, do you feel compelled to pack practically everything you know into it?

Can you see how logically recognizing the inconsistency in your money mindset doesn’t help you get past the blocks around it?

GOOD NEWS!  This double standard in your thinking about money is not your fault!
 
The mindset that has you trapped in this way of thinking was almost certainly implanted externally, usually from your family of origin or some cultural influence.  These beliefs are being reflected or mirrored in your business every day.

As long as you remain unaware of what you are mirroring, for just that long will you remain a slave to it.

MORE GOOD NEWS!  You can break free!  There are many things that can help you get total freedom from a money mindset that no longer serves you; and if you joined me on my most recent teleclass, you learned one of them. 

Don’t fret if you missed it because you have another opportunity to learn how to unlock an even more powerful piece of your personal money mindset puzzle in a 2-part teleclass called Money Mirror Makeover.
 
You can learn what some of your underlying beliefs about money are, how you’ve been unconsciously mirroring them in your life and in your business and how to put them to use for, rather than against, you!

I know how powerfully this has impacted my life and would love to see you enjoy the same breakthroughs.  I do hope you’ll join me.

The 3 "C"s of Successful Online Marketing

The skyscrapers of Manhattan are found at the lower end of the island for an important reason - one that is not visible to the naked eye.  Deep below the surface of the soil lies the bedrock needed to support the superstructures.  The same bedrock is not part of the geological make-up of the entire island.

Even with state of the art engineering, were it not for the solid bedrock able to support the structures, they would collapse.  A similar bedrock is needed to successfully market you business both online and off.  Find out what the three "c"s that make up that rock are this 4 minute video clip.

Share on Facebook

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button or the "Share on Facebook" link!

How to Build a Better Black Friday

Share on Facebook

Want to share this with your friends?
Just click the "retweet" button or the "Share on Facebook" link!

What do Black Friday and Mother’s Day have in common?  On the surface, not much.  But look a little deeper and you’ll see the connection lies in marketing ingenuity.  These invented events turn an otherwise ordinary day into an opportunity for consumers to purchase with purpose. 

When you think about it, the only things people actually need to purchase are food, clothing and shelter.  Pretty much everything else falls into the “want” category.  This dovetails nicely with the eternal human drive to attain a higher quality of life, providing plenty of ways for you to deliver the goods through your business.

And the really great news is that if you don’t like any of the current man-made marketing opportunities on the calendar, you’re free to invent your own.  One of the most recent examples of this is the invention of Cyber Monday (the online equivalent of Black Friday). 

So, what could you create?  The sky’s the limit. Here’s one of those places where being really clear about your niche and ideal client comes in super handy.  If you want to create your own Black Friday, start by answering questions like these:

• What is the biggest common problem your tribe seeks to solve? 
• What question do you most often get asked by prospects and clients? 
• What objection do they most often toss out as to why they aren’t taking action with you now?

Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees a problem in every opportunity and an optimist sees an opportunity in every problem.”

Your client’s problems are ripe with opportunities for your business.  The more creative you are at finding a way to serve them while solving their problems, the more commas you’ll have in your bank balance.