By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

The Five Things to Check When An Offer Doesn’t Sell

When you run a micro business you’re often on the edge of your seat with each offer. Will the class fill? Will clients come in? Will we make enough sales?

When it works, it feels fantastic! And when it doesn’t, it’s scary and sometimes puzzling. What happened? Where are those clients?

In those less-abundant times, there are five things to look at. Of course it helps to look at these five things before you make your offer, but show yourself some compassion! We, yes me included, all make miss-steps and miss even really obvious things. Even if it’s afterward, you can learn a ton to make the next offer even better.

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By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

Walking With Justice

Maybe fifteen or twenty years ago I remember someone asking me who my hero was. And I didn’t have an answer. There were people I admired, or learned from, but no one who, in my mind, qualified as a “hero.”

The idea of a hero seems almost quaint in these sophisticated, over-informed times. Everyone has a flaw, everyone is morally questionable. Everyone in the public eye wilts under the burning glare of the always-on information stream and unrealistic expectations.

Walking with Justice, by Dr. Mollie Marti, stares into the sarcastic glare and outshines it.

In brief, Mollie served as clerk to Federal Judge Max Rosenn (1910-2006), and Judge, as she and countless others called him, became more than just a legal mentor to her. The book uses Mollie’s own stories from her time with Judge to illustrate how he carried compassion and justice not just on the bench, but throughout his personal life.

This book gave me hope. It gave me hope that there are indeed heroes in this world. It gave me hope that there are people of deep love, compassion, caring and integrity serving in many areas of our society.

The stories told, the lessons drawn from those stories, and the profound sense of love, devotion and integrity is transformational.

You can get the book here: Walking with Justice.


By Posted in Mistakes.

Is Your Business Problem Technical or Spiritual?

I recently received a call from someone I respect highly who was asking about some challenges they were facing in their business. They came to me because they wondered if there was a “lack” mentality operating and keeping them from succeeding.

After asking a few questions, and listening to the answers, I pointed out some marketing issues in their business. I also said, “I feel pretty darn confident there’s not a lack mentality operating here. I think it’s just a marketing issue.”

It can be very, very painful to you as a business owner. I’ve seen people spend a tremendous amount of time, money and energy working on their beliefs, only to see their business still struggle because some very simple fixes were needed in the marketing or in the business model.

However, I’ve also seen folks work exhaustively on the technical aspects of their business, and yet their beliefs, mindset, and heart-attitude kept sabotaging their efforts. (more…)


By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

The Search for Acceptance

“Which is bigger, your fear of not making it, or your need for acceptance?”

My client had been struggling to shift her business away from seeing individual clients as a therapist to a more expanded business model, with groups, learning products, and coaching.

She had been rightfully nervous as she shifted her attention away from her weekly client load to building up new, and as-yet unproven for her, revenue streams. We planned it carefully, so she wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks, but still, I can understand how nervousness kept coming up.

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By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

So You Fired Your First Assistant

A client wrote me this recently.

“Do you have a heart-centered guide for finding an assistant? I need it! My intention is to find someone who can support me and the business as we grow; start with a bit of work and take on more as needed.”

“I’ve already had one assistant and had to let her go, so I’m feeling overwhelmed at starting the process again and needing guidance.”

Let me tell you, I have been through a LOT of learning in this area the past five years. Hockey-stick learning curve with many painful and some good experiences and few really good experiences.

I had written The Two Hiring Help Freak-Outs That Stop Momentum. Looks like my client took that advice, but it ended up not working out. So let’s take it a step further.

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By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

Kicking Self Care to the Curb

Now that we’ve gotten through the winter holidays, it is apparent to everyone, or maybe it’s just me, that how you eat affects you profoundly. When the food is that good and also that unhealthy, it’s really hard to make choices that feel good and serve you.

Since I’m on retreat this week and next, it’s especially timely for you to see this short interview I did with Meg Worden about eating, the creative process, and kicking self-care to the curb. Yes, to the curb. And watercress. And then we’re interrupted by my cat coughing up a hairball. Yes, it’s worth watching. :)

Meg is the author of Salad Alchemy. Here’s what I have to say about it: go get it. And here’s what I have to say about Meg: if you resonate with what she’s saying, talk to her.

Why put your self care off any longer?

How do you handle food, eating and self-care in your self-employed life? Tell us on the blog.

 


By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

The 2011 12-Link Round-Up

Like many people, I always find this final week of the year to be a reflective time. In that vein, I offer the year in reflection from Heart of Business.

As a business lesson, notice that if you start writing content for your business, that from time to time that content can give you some time off. For instance, I didn’t have to write an article this week.

Nice…

I hope you are having a peaceful, nourishing, love-filled end of the year, celebrating in whatever way you do. In our family, we’ve been lighting the Chanukah candles each night, and working hard to convince the boys that they aren’t birthday candles to be blown out. :) So far, it’s working.

And now, for the retrospective, including the most commented on and the most spiritual.

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By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

Raising Your Prices Without Breaking Your Heart

As 2011 comes to an end, business owners everywhere start thinking the same thought… “Should I raise my prices for 2012?”

It can be an agonizing question. You want to be paid an amount that feels good and supports you well, but you also don’t want to alienate people or shut down your business.

And it’s not an idle question. You can raise your prices too much and see “die off” from your active customer list. By the same token, you can continue to underprice yourself, and that keeps people away, too, and may keep the wolf at your door.

What to do? What to do?

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By Posted in 3 Journeys of Marketing.

Give Coaching to More Than the 1%

This is a guest post by Sarah Yost and is a part of the Do No Financial Harm discussion.

Life coaching is expensive. And it changes lives. I’ve seen people lose weight peacefully, resolve decades old resentments, become better parents, partners, creators. My clients have finished important projects, learned to trust their own wisdom, became sovereign in their own lives. People live better and love brighter because they got coached.

Therapy has its place for many, but coaching is often faster and more powerful. I’ve been told that 1 hour with me was better than 1 year in therapy.

Some coaching programs cost 6 figures for a year. Most coaches charge between $100-$300/hour, myself included. I don’t think those prices are unfair in relation to the value, but for most people that’s a lot of money. Coaching is inaccessible for most people.

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