The Success Magnets with Cara Lumen

Digging the Ditch before the Water Comes

What do you need to put in place to prepare for growth? How deep a ditch do you have to dig right now to prepare for the wonderful flood of prosperity that is coming?

In Ideas of Power, Ernest Holmes says, “We measure things with too small a measure; the infinite ocean is beside us, and we dip it up with a thimble.”

How big is the vessel you are holding up to be filled?

Team Building

One thing you will want to do is build your team, even if it only means to locate them. Find the perfect web designer, get a great content strategy coach, identify your proofreader, list the resources you will need and where to find them, find your audio engineer, figure out who you could hire to post articles for you, see who you would like as a virtual assistant. You may need several VA’s with different specialties.

Equipment

What equipment do you need? My investment in editing software gave me the freedom to record and edit my podcasts and my audio-books. My upgrade in my drawing program helps me design my own covers and audio jacket covers. The set up in my office supports my productivity.

Training

What training do you need for your next step? This year I’ve taken classes in podcasting and radio publicity. Last year it was blogs and screen capturing software. Now I’m exploring video.

Organization

What organizational systems do you need to set up? What contacts do you need to establish? What skills do you need to hone? Write them down and start doing them. If there is a momentary lull, even better, get busy and build your foundation.

Throw away what no longer serves and make room for more of what does. Set yourself up for an explosion of business. That’s digging the ditch before the water comes.

What do you need to do to be ready for your BIG VISION to fall into place?

Raising Your Value

People will pay you what you think you’re worth.

Hummm…..

As we get better at what we do, we organically offer more and more value to our clients and customers. How long has it been since you raised your prices?

Every bit of new learning you add to your repertoire is yet another level of value you offer. Every new insight that you can pass forward adds value.

One of the major ways to determine value is to list what your service or product does for the other person and put a value on it.

For instance, if I provide a client with five new ways to leverage an idea, what is the final value of that one idea? How much will the client earn from the implementation of those additional products or features? Put a value on that.

You may coach someone who is having a difficult relationship. A shift is made, the person returns to the relationship with new insights and the results change. Put a value on that.

Your home study course may offer a new awareness to the person reading it and stop them from making a poor career decision and guide them to a satisfying, profitable one. Put a value on that.

You get the picture.

Don’t go by what the market says is out there because the majority of people undervalue themselves. And don’t go by what you think your clients can afford. That’s the quickest way to undersell yourself. Focus on attracting the clients and customers you want—those who value your service and are willing and able to pay for it.

Did you know people are only as rich as the five closest people they hang out with? Start hanging out with go-getter clients, Attract the ones who grow you as you grow them. Ask your clients what they value in your interaction. Ask your clients what they would like more of or less of. And give it to them.

If you’ve written a good sales page for your services you have listed the benefits. Put a monitory value on those benefits and see how your current pricing holds up in the comparison.

Look beyond the surface for the value you give and the value you receive. I know that each of my coaching clients comes bearing gifts for me as we solve their problems and set their strategies.

How long has it been since you raised your fees? I’m certain you are offering more value than you were even six months ago. You can usually charge 20% more than you think. Put that in your calculator and think about it. That’s because so many people undercharge that even the industry standard is under priced.

One approach to raising your fees is to add more value. For instance, when I offer a teleclass, I would much rather add bonuses than offer a discount. Then I get the money I want and the participants get added value in the form of e-books and MP3’s or added service. You might charge more for your coaching but add a once a month 15 minute check in or some other bonus service. You get the idea.

Think about how much you know. Look over the acknowledgments people have given you for your work. Notice how you have improved your services or your products. Put a price tag on the benefits you offer.

Then use this knowledge of your added value to raise your prices. 

Social Marketing

One of the most important books I read a long time ago was Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends and Influence People.” It gave me the tools to approach all social situations with a degree of comfort that I had not felt before. The bottom line was, “People love to talk about themselves.” So all you really have to do is ask an open question that will get them started. Then you simple listen.

Listening is the key

And that’s what marketing is all about. Listening to others to determine their needs and if you have a service or product that could meet that need, you share that information with them.

We are actually “marketing” all the time. Whenever we show up, we are representing ourselves and our values. Whatever we say to others reflects our philosophy and degree of compassion. The extent to which we give a person our full attention lets them know how deeply we care about what it going on in their life.

Keep your business card handy

We can take it a step further. Never leave home without your business card. A business card is not a brochure; it is a simple reminder. You will have already had the conversation that leads to the card exchange so having your contact information and a meaningful tag line is all it needs. You do want there to be an exchange of contact information. If, through your social conversation, you feel there is a fit in interests or services, ask for that person’s card and offer them yours. The social situation is not the place to make a sale. It is a place to make a contact, to begin a relationship, which you will then nurture and expand through a follow up call or the forwarding of materials that might have been discussed in the conversation.

Look for “Referral Partners”

Not everyone is your potential client. In fact, if you start looking at the people you meet as a potential “referral partner,” the conversation structure will change. It becomes “How can I help you build your business?” not “Here’s what I have to offer you.” Which would you rather hear? The offer of collaboration, not sales, I imagine. There is a subtle shift in the relationship when you are speaking to someone as a business peer rather than someone in need of what you have to offer. It’s empowering for both of you.

Build On What You Have Been Given

Cherish the opening the social conversation offers. People come into our lives as a gift. Sometimes we like the gift, sometimes we don’t, but there is always a gift of reflection—reflection of what we are sending forth and what we are attracting. Social interaction is a thermometer to show you what vibrations you are sending out. It offers you the opportunity to attract more of what is working and less of what is not.

“Do unto others” is a primary principle in marketing. Who do you buy from? The person that makes you feel good. The person who remembers who you are. The person who listens and understands your needs. That’s who. So treat others as you would like to be treated—with respect, compassion, and support.

We’re taught to do things in marketing to “build relationship” like opt-ins, e-magazines, free conference calls, post cards and special discounts. How you follow through on the connection you have made in a social situation is key to your successful marketing.

Social Marketing

Think of a social situation as an opportunity to simple connect with others, find new people who share your interests, and identify those who can give you insights into a new possibility for your endeavors. Don’t work at it, BE it. Just be who you are. Reach out to others and take care of them when you connect. Then let the Law of Attraction bring to you exactly who you need to learn from and share with in your life and business endeavors.

Is Your Ideal Client Big Enough For Your Vision?

You know what an ideal client is—the made-up description of the perfect person who would be drawn to your services and products. We write this description down with such thoroughness that we know where she lives, what her income is, what her level of education is, and what her problems are. We understand her needs and address them with our services, our products, and our approach. We write every word of copy to her. We create every product for her.

However, what if the ideal client you are focusing on is not big enough for your vision?

Part of what I am doing now is letting people know about a whole mangosteen beverage that is making a huge difference in health and wellness. It is recommended that you drink three ounces a day, which turns out to be one bottle a week. We recommend people buy two cases a month so they don’t run out.

Now I recognize this as an investment in my health and my quality of life. For me it’s a personal health insurance. Someone recently pointed out that a lifetime on this product would not cost as much as a day in intensive care. I’d much rather drink fruit juice than go to intensive care.

But if you’re thinking small, if your vision of your ideal client is not big enough you might find yourself focusing on the person who you think might not be able to afford it. Your approach might be “why don’t you buy one bottle and try it” when in reality, the best thing for them is to buy two cases and stay on it for at least eight to twelve months. You’ll be looking for a person who cannot or will not be willing to purchase your product or service. You have the wrong ideal client—at least the wrong ideal client for success.

But if you’re thinking big, your ideal client will be someone who immediately recognizes the value of your product or service, has the money available, and is willing to invest in the benefits you offer.

My ideal client in this venue is a 50 year old woman who is health conscious, prefers natural products, may be feeling some of the aging process in her body, wants to change that and sees her health as such a priority she immediately goes on the two-case program and plans on staying with it all her life! And as a bonus, my ideal client is a healer at heart, loves her freedom, and wants to become financially independent. She is smart, business savvy, loves people, and is excited about both the product and the business opportunity.

See how detailed I got? Have I left anything out? Notice that she has the money. Notice that she is drawn easily to what I offer. Notice that she has the skills and ability to take advantage of the business opportunity. This is my target audience, these are the people I look for and write to and recognize when I come across them.

Then all I have to do is sort. I go looking for this person. If a person doesn’t fit these criteria, they are not a good match. I don’t pursue them. I move on. I keep looking for the people who match what I have defined as those who can receive the most benefit from what I have to offer. When I do, I’ll find the attraction is mutual and the partnership instantaneous!

This is about defining your niche market. You have choice with your ideal client. Because the product I’m working with is about health and well-being I could target people who are sick. I’m not going to rule those out because the testimonials of great physical results are amazing. However, I’m a metaphysician and I want to focus on wholeness, so rather than adding “has health issues” to my ideal client, I am focusing on improved over-all quality of life. That will influence the words I use in conversation and copy and will also set up the Law of Attraction to attract health conscious people.

Make your ideal client description big enough to fit your vision. Give him/her money to buy what you offer, the ability to immediately see the value of what you offer, and the easy decision to purchase.

Think Big! Think big for your ideal client! Focus on finding them and you will soon be surrounded by the perfect clientele!

c 2006 Cara Lumen www.caralumen.com

The Sales vs Education Marketing Approach

As you begin to formulate and execute your individualized marketing plan, it becomes important to acknowledge and identify the two styles of marketing—Sales and Education.

I found that personally I was very turned off by what felt to me like hard sell, yellow-boxed, bonus laded, you-can’t-live-without-it sales pages while other people responded well to them. I also know they make money. However, I knew that was not my personal style and I wasn’t certain if that were the only way, that I could do it. I was attracted to a more gentle approach. Fortunately, a friend pointed out that there were two distinct approaches to marketing. Once was sales the other was education. Both are valued, both are successful. It helps to know which one you are.

In any team-building or coaching environment where people are learning to market their own business, we have to honor both approaches. Training for success must allow for both types of presentation. As I gather my MLM team, my job is to help each person be successful. I offer a 1:1 coaching session to every new business builder to identify their marketing style so we can tailor their marketing approach to match their values and intention.

Many of my Internet Marketing Coaching clients are coaches in service to others. My job becomes to help them incorporate the known sales technique of using benefit-laden copy that appeals to the emotion, with their core purpose, which is education and attraction.

Knowing that I am an educator takes the “selling” out of my contact with others. I still go through discover steps. I still look for their need. I still share my solution and I still close with a request for action, but I’m more comfortable feeling that I am simply sharing enough information for them to make an informed choice. I am less attached to the outcome. It has made a huge difference in my ability to approach people verbally and it reflects in the copy I use on my sales pages.

Give some thought to the style that appeals to you. Are you a sales person? Are you an educator? Look for sales copy that you like and add it to your Swipe File. Include some you don’t like so you can understand why it doesn’t appeal to you.

Be true to your values. You will attract clients and customers to you through the vibration of your being-ness. Don’t go against that grain. Don’t try to be something you are not. Reach out from your heart and let people know what you can do for them and show them how much you love doing it.

Whether you choose the sales approach or the education approach, it will reflect who you are and draw the perfect people to you.

Warmly,
Cara

www.caralumen.com

Are You Commited Enough?

Periodically, in my business, I stop to see where I am and choose where I want to be. Each time I have to answer these questions for myself: What is my level of commitment? “How big am I willing to play? What do I really want? How willing am I to step into the unknown?

Are you answering your call?

You can’t escape what you are good at. What you are good at is a gift. It calls to you, it nudges you, it demands your attention. Each time I pause for a “reality check,” I have to identify the parts of my life and activity that make me happy, the tasks that use all my skills and talents, the actions that touch my heart and nourish my soul.

The rest I can release and let fall away.

Is your dream big enough?

Once I define what I am willing to attract and what I am willing to release, my tasks begin to emerge. I can begin to vision my success at the level I have imagined. I can feel how it will feel when I have accomplished my goal, completed my task, or won my competition. I can “try it on for size” in my visioning and because I am the designer of my experience, I can adjust the design to make it a most comfortable fit.

Visioning the end result is a powerful step in manifesting your hearts desire.

(Note: My e-book Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, Visioning for Positive Change can help you with this step.)

Are you willing to step up to the plate?

If I don’t play, I don’t win. Quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit. When I commit, when I say “yes,” the divine mind says, “yes,” also and begins to line up everything I need to bring my vision into fruition. It’s like waving a magic wand to make the pumpkin turn into a coach. Commitment is a power word. It is a power action. It makes the changes happen.

Are you focused on your vision?

One foot at a time is all it takes to keep moving forward. One action, one goal, one effort. I must hold my intention at the forefront of my mind so it guides every action, every choice. I must step into my vision every day and feel its completion.

“When the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image.” —Meister Eckhart.

How committed are you to your success?

When I align myself with the universal flow, when I honor my gifts, when I choose for my highest good, when I commit to my vision, the universe does too. It provides miracle after miracle and clears the path before me. Commitment leads me higher than I have yet imagined.

What is your level of commitment?

© Cara Lumen 2005