I had a wonderful epiphany out among the saguaro cactus and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Join me for more non-salesy sales tips on Wed., Nov. 18.
Click here for details. . .

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As part of the registration sequence for an upcoming free teleseminar I’m doing, I’ve been asking people to tell me about their biggest obstacle when it comes to the one-on-one “selling conversation.”

One lament that particularly caught my eye (and that I hear from clients repeatedly) is a confession to feeling afraid to talk about fees. And based on past experience, I can tell you that means each of these passionate business owners is undercharging.

Here’s my motto: You get what you pay for, and you DO what you pay for.

What that means is when you undervalue your offerings, you’re doing your clients a serious disservice. (Not to mention cheating yourself.)

I can see that it’s time we had a frank talk about the value of what you do.

And to really get my point across, I decided it would be more fun (for me, at least!) to do this as a video. . .

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WARNING: This video series is ONLY for those of you who have a love/hate (or maybe just plain old “hate”) relationship with selling. (Oh, the horror!) The rest of you can go stop reading and go walk the dog or something ‘cuz you wouldn’t understand. (It’s a sales-shy thang, ya know?)

Today’s installment explains why –despite being the intelligent, compassionate person you are- trying to have this type of conversation on the fly is a grievous and financially costly mistake.

Enjoy!

Go here to learn more about my upcoming FREE call where I’ll be sharing lots of great ideas and information about how to develop a “sales style” that’s a fit for you.

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I’m putting together a series of video tips for you on the topic of “What to Say If You Hate to Sell.”

I know it’s a pretty hot topic for many heart-centered business owners and I feel I’ve got a lot of credibility in this area because I know exactly what it’s like to hate to sell!

I used to refer to myself as a “selling coward.”

Fortunately, I figured out a way to have those all important “selling conversations” and I’d like to share some of what I’ve discovered in these video tips. 

Here’s Tip #4 – The One Attitude Shift That Makes ALL the Difference
(they’re being posted in random order, just to make things a little more exciting!)

Click here to get in on my upcoming free call with more ideas and information about What to Say If You Hate to Sell.

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For loads of small business owners in helping/healing professions, selling is a HUGE obstacle in growing their businesses. (“I just want to be of service. I don’t want to market or sell!”)

The problem is they see sales and marketing as separate from the transformation they provide. Which means they constantly struggle with what to say to potential clients that won’t conflict with their values of service, compassion and authenticity.

Take my client, Ritamarie, for example. She’s a nutrition practitioner and had a strong aversion to coming off as “salesy.” It just didn’t fit her style or her audience. Even when she tried to “make the sale,” it often didn’t pan out because there was a disconnect between her passion for what she does and her dispassion for selling.

Unfortunately, the end result was people weren’t hiring her in the numbers she wanted.

We spent a private day working together virtually, constructing a “conversation template” that was comfortable for her and conveyed the value she had to offer. Since then, she’s reported a record number of “yes!” responses (and at a much higher dollar figure than before). Happy day!

Because I know many other heart-centered entrepreneurs struggle with what to say (like Ritamarie used to), I want to give you 3 ultra-simple tips for how to confidently “talk turkey” with clients in a way that’s comfortable – and always in alignment with your values.

1) Reframe the meaning of “selling”
The idea of selling has been given a bad rap by those who’ve used it only as a means to put money in their own pockets, customer be damned. The truth is, selling isn’t about forcing something down another person’s throat (unless you choose to view it that way). Selling, at its essence, is a transaction between two people, for the mutual benefit of both.

And if you know in your heart that your special brand of transformation is exactly what the person you’re speaking with needs, presenting your offer is the first step in being of service.

2) Clarify your offer so you can present it clearly and easily
The simplest way to get a yes answer is to create a compelling picture in your prospective client’s mind. A picture that makes them say, “I gotta have that!” Take some time before you begin a “selling conversation” to get really clear about the specific details of your product, program or service, as well as the specific results your client can expect. Once you’ve got those on the tip of your tongue, painting that enticing picture is a piece of cake.

3) Integrate your values into the conversation
Don’t leave your values back in the car when you talk with someone about what you can do for them. In a service-based business like yours (and mine), your clients are buying you, not some impersonal product. Asking about their beliefs and values, and sharing your own, is an excellent way to build rapport and know that what you’re offering is a match for what they need.

You Can’t Help Them Until They Say ‘YES’

Marketing, at its heart, is about connecting with others so you can create your special brand of transformation in their lives. And the final step in the marketing sequence is asking for the sale. Without that, you can’t work your magic. Knowing how to speak about your services in a way that blends your marketing message with your values means both you and your potential client come out winners!

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When I first got serious about filling my marketing programs, I knew it was going to require me to (gasp) talk to people, live and in person, or at least on the phone.

(You out-going types may not see the problem, but my fellow-traveling introverts understand what I’m saying. And truth be told, even the most sociable business owner can suddenly become tongue-tied when faced with a “selling conversation.”)

Well, I knew that playing it by ear wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to create a template to follow so I could be certain to touch on all the important points that would lead a prospective client to see the value of my offer.

Template, blueprint, guide, model – whatever you call them, I’m a big believer that templates are the smart entrepreneur’s solution to leapfrogging your way to your business goals.

There’s a mistaken belief floating around that using a template is cheating or will come off as “canned.” But think about it this way – is it cheating for an architect to use a blueprint, or for a chef to use a recipe, or for a tailor to use a dress pattern?

Hardly! It’s just common sense.

Templates are truly an essential tool for doing business well. Just like with the architect, chef and dressmaker, they make your work easier by:
            Giving you a ready-made starting point
            Providing a framework for personal creativity
            Offering predictable results

Here are my top three ways to use templates most profitably. . .

#1 – Don’t prove your creativity by reinventing the wheel
Since they’re naturally creative, many heart-centered entrepreneurs resist the idea of using templates because they want to do everything from scratch - thereby creating a whole passel of extra work for themselves!

But let me tell you, reinventing the wheel is never a good use of an entrepreneur’s time. I began offering the Passion for Profit Intensive (a step-by-step blueprint for how to get your programs developed and filled) precisely because I saw so many well-intended business owners spinning their wheels, trying to figure out all the steps on their own. There’s no dishonor (or lack of creativity) in building your car around someone else’s wheel.

#2 – Understand the framework well enough to improvise
When I teach clients how to put together their online marketing campaigns we talk about specific actions and exact wording. But even more importantly, I make sure they understand the structure of a successful launch campaign so they can duplicate their results time and time again, even when the offer, the timing and the price have changed.

Whether it’s a promotional email, a preview teleseminar or a one-on-one selling conversation, having a solid grasp of how the whole thing fits together means you can get as creative as you want with the content and still follow the outline.

#3 – Make sure it leads to your desired outcome
A template isn’t an end in itself. It’s only useful to you if it supports the accomplishment of your goal. For example, there are lots of great templates out there for how to have a warm and fuzzy conversation with prospective clients. But unless your business goal is to have lots of friendly conversations, that kind of template does you no good because it’s not leading the client to ‘yes.’ That’s why I made sure to incorporate friendly persuasion into my What to Say If You Hate to Sell template.

So any blueprint, template or model you follow has to not only fit your style and values, it has to effectively get all the results you’re after.

Templates Give You Freedom and Security At the Same Time

I’ve developed an assortment of templates to help me with the selling conversation, marketing campaigns, promo emails, sales letters, teleseminars, even developing program content. In fact, following a business mentor (something I advocate to all serious entrepreneurs) is an example of a “live” template for success.

The savvy business owner recognizes that using templates is a time-saving path to accomplishing your tasks, creatively, reliably and easily. Here’s my coach’s request: Pick one area of your marketing where you’re either not getting consistent results or you’re avoiding it altogether, and find or create a template. Then you can simply follow it to great results.

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In Deepak Chopra’s wonderful little book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he talks about the Law of Least Effort.

Nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease . . . with carefreeness, harmony and love.

And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease.

In a nutshell, this law is saying that Divine Intelligence expresses itself spontaneously and without effort.  A blade of grass doesn’t try to grow, it just grows.  A goldfish doesn’t struggle to swim, it just swims.  A pansy doesn’t attempt to bloom, it just blooms.  It’s their nature to do so.

And it is our nature as human beings to make our dreams manifest by expressing our True Self, easily and effortlessly.  When you’re in harmony with your nature, and taking action from the knowledge of your True Self, you naturally end up “doing less and accomplishing more.”

Now, what the heck does this have to do with marketing your business, you may ask.

Lots of creative, service-centered business owners see marketing as a burden, as something that requires a bunch of hard work, and certainly not a place where they can express their True Self.  Client work is seen as a place of joy and authenticity, but not their marketing.

By not understanding that they can “harness the forces of harmony, joy and love. . . to create success and good fortune with effortless ease” in their marketing, they’re not making use of the Law of Least Effort.

Let’s look at the three components of this Law as it applies to your marketing mindset so you can put the principle of “do less and accomplish more” into action. . .

#1 - Acceptance
This is really about setting an intention to stop resisting marketing. Resistance requires a lot of energy. Successful business owners embrace the fact that they have TWO businesses – one is delivering their services, the other is marketing their services. The first can’t happen without the second.

When that energy of resistance is freed up, it can be redirected into creativity.

#2 - Responsibility
What does “responsibility” mean in this case? Well, having accepted that marketing is a necessary fact of running a business, it means the ability to have a creative response to the situation.

Chopra reminds us that all problems contain the seeds of opportunity. This awareness lets you take the situation of marketing and transform it into something positive. Now every promotional email, press release or sales letter you write can be a communication that supports the expression of your True Self (instead of denying it).

#3 - Defenselessness
I’ve found that often the conflict heart-centered entrepreneurs feel about selling comes about because they think they have to convince the other person of their point of view.

Ugh! That sounds hard and unpleasant. When you let go of needing to defend your services and products, you’ll immediately feel a lightness and increased energy around the situation. You’ll be able to speak from the heart about what’s possible for someone when they work with you, and you’ll know without any doubt that just the right people will be attracted to your offerings.

When You Separate Marketing from Client Work, You Restrict the Flow of Energy to You

The Universe is held together by the energy of love. When you approach your marketing activities with love, your energy multiplies and accumulates. And that surplus energy can be channeled to create anything you want, including an abundantly prosperous business.

So, go love your marketing and see how you easily can “do less and accomplish more.”

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]]> http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/do-less-and-accomplish-more-with-your-marketing/feed http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/how-to-make-2009-your-best-year-ever http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/how-to-make-2009-your-best-year-ever#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:57:09 +0000 Helen Graves http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/?p=157 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How to Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever", url: "http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/how-to-make-2009-your-best-year-ever" });]]> I saw a Tweet the other day saying there was only 108 days left in the year, and asking what I wanted to commit to accomplishing in the time remaining for 2009.

Holy #%$*, Batman! How did that happen? Just yesterday we were awaiting the demise of civilization when the new century rolled in. And now we’re on the doorstep of 2010.

(Have you noticed it really is true that time speeds up the older you get? Or am I a party of one here?)

Anyhow, it seemed like a good idea to regroup before year’s end. So let me ask you – what goal do you want to accomplish between now and December 31st that will have you saying 2009 was your best year yet in business.

The easy thing would be to say, “Well, what with the economy and all, it’d be silly to expect 2009 to be my best year ever.”

But I wouldn’t be the playfully-holding-your-feet-to-the-fire coach you expect me to be if I let you get away with that kind of small thinking. Your mother and I expect great things from you – and we have absolute faith in your ability to achieve them.

Success is ALWAYS an inside job, not dependent on external forces. And like I mentioned in an email tip last week, purposeful action is the shortest distance between two successes.

So decide on your goal for the last 106 days and what action you’re committed to taking to make it happen. Then leave a comment so I can support your commitment. (That’s what coaches are for, after all.)

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]]> http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/how-to-make-2009-your-best-year-ever/feed http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/why-you-must-claim-your-expertise http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/why-you-must-claim-your-expertise#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:49:11 +0000 Helen Graves http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/?p=156

I’ve got news for you.

You’re not doing your business or your clients any favors by being bashful about staking claim to your patch of expertise - that special brand of transformation you offer. When you’ve got that kind of single-minded focus, it makes it a breeze to talk about what you do clearly and compellingly (which, by the way, is very attractive to potential clients).

Plus, when concentrated in one or two areas, your expertise grows on itself, expanding your skill and knowledge, and your confidence.

Would you like to bridge that gap between savvy marketing and arrogance? Fabulous. I’m going to share 3 ideas for connecting those dots. . .

Click here to continue reading "Why You MUST Claim Your Expertise"...

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I’ve got news for you. 

You’re not doing your business or your clients any favors by being bashful about staking claim to your patch of expertise - that special brand of transformation you offer.  When you’ve got that kind of single-minded focus, it makes it a breeze to talk about what you do clearly and compellingly (which, by the way, is very attractive to potential clients). 

Plus, when concentrated in one or two areas, your expertise grows on itself, expanding your skill and knowledge, and your confidence.

Would you like to bridge that gap between savvy marketing and arrogance?  Fabulous.  I’m going to share 3 ideas for connecting those dots.

First, let’s deal with that pesky fear that keeps you from claiming your inner expert as part of the family.

The word expert comes from the Latin expertus, which means to try or experience.  So as an expert, you not claiming to be The World Authority.  You’re merely acknowledging that you’ve experimented with something and want to pass on your experience.  Pretty generous of you, actually.

Next, we’ve got to have some frank words about HOW to be viewed as a legitimate expert.  One thing’s for sure, you don’t do it by trying to be all things to all clients.  You’ve got to pick a niche. 

No, don’t let me hear you say, “But my services can help anyone!”  That’s as may be.  But holding on to “everyone” as your Core Audience is a huge obstacle to developing expert status.  No one is an expert at everything.

Last, don’t keep your expertise a secret.  Get the word out –and generate income at the same time- by creating information products like e-books, audio programs or podcasts ballyhooing all you know in your chosen specialty.

The great thing about being considered an expert is that experts:

ü  Are highly sought after,

ü  Earn larger fees,

ü  Become very good at what they do.

What’s not to love about that?

 

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]]> http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/why-you-must-claim-your-expertise/feed http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/simple-dos-to-make-your-next-product-program-or-event-wildly-profitable http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/simple-dos-to-make-your-next-product-program-or-event-wildly-profitable#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:34:36 +0000 Helen Graves http://crackerjackonlinemarketing.com/blog/?p=155

Got a hankering to increase your income but feeling a little off balance because of the constant negative predictions about the economy? Dire economic forecasts have certainly caused consumers to hold on to their money more tightly than they were even 2 or 3 years ago. The good news is that actually presents a wonderful opportunity for creative, forward-thinking entrepreneurs. You see, people are still spending. The big BUT is they want to be shown clear value before they’ll part with their dollars. And that’s where the silver lining is. Because even in a boom time (which is sure to come again, have no fear), the business owner who knows how to inject value in her program and product offerings will always come out ahead. And just like any chef worth her salt will tell you, the key to enhancing the value and flavor of any dish lies in the preparation. Let me share some juicy tidbits to make your offerings even more tempting to your audience. To continue reading Simple “Do’s” to Make Your Next Product, Program or Event Wildly Profitable click here...

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Got a hankering to increase your income but feeling a little off balance because of the constant negative predictions about the economy?

Dire economic forecasts have certainly caused consumers to hold on to their money more tightly than they were even 2 or 3 years ago.  The good news is that actually presents a wonderful opportunity for creative, forward-thinking entrepreneurs.

You see, people are still spending.  The big BUT is they want to be shown clear value before they’ll part with their dollars.  And that’s where the silver lining is.  Because even in a boom time (which is sure to come again, have no fear), the business owner who knows how to inject value in her program and product offerings will always come out ahead.

And just like any chef worth her salt will tell you, the key to enhancing the value and flavor of any dish lies in the preparation.  Let me share some juicy tidbits to make your offerings even more tempting to your audience.

Tidbit #1 - Get Crystal Clear on Your “Deliverable”

It’s ultra-important is to clearly define the particular outcome your client will achieve – in other words, what will they know or be able to do as a result of your information. Here’s a bonus tip: you want to make sure you’re focusing on an outcome they want (not just one you think they need).

The secret here is to keep your end result tightly focused. Working with a client recently, she was thrilled when we transformed her teleseminar series from an overview of how to build a lucrative physical therapy practice (kinda hard to cover in 3 or 4 sessions) into “How to Increase Rapport with Your Clients and Increase Your Income at the Same Time.”

Tidbit #2 - Give It a Snappy Title

Just about any program can be made more appealing by giving it an exciting or curiosity-provoking name. Notice the difference in desirability when we adjusted my client’s program title from “Perception: The Key to Being Understood” to “The Secret to Making the Law of Attraction Work for YOU!” (Which one would you rather sign up for?)

Be specific. It increases credibility because specific details are more believable than broad declarations. And specificity also reveals the precise value to the potential client, which makes it more magnetic. Here’s another example from one of my clients-
Before: What to Say: Words to Use When Your Daughter Is Hurting from Painful Friendships
After: When Girls Hurt Girls: 13 Effective Ways to Guide Your Daughter Through Hurtful Friendships

Tidbit #3 - Plan Your Promotion BEFORE the Product Is Completed

Boy, if I had a nickel for every well-intentioned entrepreneur who’s created a program or product, certain that it was so fantastic it would “market itself” and then was rudely surprised when the sales didn’t match their projections, well, I’d have a whole lot of nickels.

Nothing markets itself. (Sorry to burst some bubbles here but I gotta be honest.) And even if something did market itself, if it’s that fabulous, imagine how much more income it would generate with the proper promotion! So begin mapping out your marketing strategy almost as soon as you have the idea for your product or program. This gives you ample time to prepare your audience to buy. One client reported that after we’d worked on her launch strategy, she could already tell it was going to increase sales by at least 50%.

Tidbit #4 - Don’t Create in a Vacuum

Some things are best done alone (flossing your teeth comes to mind) but all three of the previous suggestions can be enhanced when you brainstorm with the right people. Each of the clients I mentioned in these examples is a successful, intelligent business owner. And each one benefitted immensely by giving herself permission to ask for professional guidance. Two heads, and two hearts, are better than one when it comes to marketing your special brand of transformation.

(Looking for that expert heart and head to give your marketing a boost? I’d be delighted to support you with a private in-person or virtual Marketing Momentum Retreat. Click here to ask for details.)

The Money Lies In the Fine Tuning

You’ll be surprised and delighted at how these simple “flavor enhancers” will dramatically increase the profitability of your offerings. So I guess you can thank your lucky stars “this economy” is giving you the incentive to become adept at increasing the success of your marketing activities.

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