Is Your Customer Taking "Too Long" to Buy?

By Kim Duke

My 2 cutie-pie nieces definitely have some Diva DNA. (They have my IMPATIENCE gene!)

If we're shopping, walking, getting ready to go on an adventure....and if I'm "dawdling", looking around, basically moving at MY speed and NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH FOR THEM...they say:


"Auntie - you're taking too longggggggggggggggggggg!!"

Hmm - I'd bet one of my Chanel lipsticks that you're experiencing this with some of your customers too.


Do You Feel Like Your Customer Is Taking Too Long To Buy?

Hey - I've been there. We all have potential customers or customers who we think are ON THE EDGE of buying from us and yet...

THEY DON'T.

They 've expressed interest, they're excited about your product/service, they've even told you they want to buy.


So Why Is Your Customer Being So Pokey??

Well - here are a few reasons:

1. There's No Sense of Urgency. They don't NEED to buy you now. They know you're out there and they'll buy from you if they remember. There's nothing that is motivating them to move faster or to choose YOU over someone else.
2. They're Not Sold. They've thought about it, came close to buying...but something is holding them back. They're not convinced that you're the best choice for their money or time.
3. They're Not Ready To Buy. Hate to tell you this - but 99% of your target audience doesn't need you or think that they need you TODAY. Yet - you've probably dropped out of sight because you feel rejected that they didn't buy. (did I hit a nerve there???)
4. They're Annoyed With You. This happens so easily! If you keep calling and leaving messages "You absolutely have to be using this product" or e-mailing and saying "I'm just checking to see..." Boring. You're not bringing any added value to the table and you've ticked them off.
   
   

What Should You Be Doing Instead -Oh Impatient One?

Position yourself EARLY ON as someone who is offering them a special rate/offer/opportunity. Show them WHY they should buy now instead of 2 years from now.

Don't Be Desperate. Truly - desperation stinks. Confidence attracts people whereas a pushy salesperson is a turn-off.

Make Sure You're Talking To The Right People. Are you selling something that there isn't a large enough customer base for?

Create A Proper Follow-up Strategy. Let the customer advise you of the contact they want - instead of the other way around.

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket. Small customer base= Big problems. Make sure you 're growing your customers through a variety of methods and then keeping in touch with them consistently (with value of course!)

Remember - there are MANY different types of buyers out there. AND - we usually have different purchasing behaviour based on HOW BADLY we want something! I've jumped on decisions to make large purchases in 30 seconds and waited forever for others. (I'm sure you've been there too!)

What Have My Nieces Learned?

As for my 2 cutie-pie nieces (who try to boss their Auntie around sometimes??)

You can't make a woman in stilettos move faster than she wants to.

----------------------------------
About The Author:
Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report "The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make" at ww.salesdivas.com

The "Penny Pushover" Startling Sales Warning

By Kim Duke, The Sales Diva

Have you ever heard the saying..

"Watch your pennies and the dollars will grow by themselves?"

What a load of KAFLOOIE that was!

Last month I met with a potential client who was micro-managing the smallest and insignificant areas of her business. (and completely ignoring all of the major revenue generating activities)

Why?

She thought the pennies would magically turn into dollars. (PLUS- pennies are less scarier than dollars)

Caught ya - I just saw you bite your lip with guilt.

Diva News Flash!

Pennies don't turn into dollars when you're running a business in THE BLACK.

4 Startling Signs You're A "Penny Push-over":

1. You're Struggling. Yes lady- everything on the outside looks fine - but you feel like you're pushing a rope uphill (try it - it isn't much fun!)
2. You're "Busy". I bet you're busy all right - but AT WHAT??? You're keeping yourself busy in all the wrong areas so you don't have to ACT on the SALES TOUGH STUFF.
3. You're Doing Everything Yourself. Yep - along with being an expert at your own service or product, you have also deemed yourself the Queen of accounting, data entry, marketing, web design, business card design, direct mail - plus you're delivering stuff to clients as if you work for Federal Express!!
4. You're Pretending That You Don't Know What To Do. You know what to do - you're just not doing it. Need more clients? Well - people can't buy from you if they don't know you exist.

Some Sales Diva Words of Advice:

SNAP OUT OF IT!!

Your Sales Diva Dollar - Building Action Plan!

Grab some paper and a pen right now.

I mean it. I'm being your bossy sales manager.

Write down what you sold this year.

No fudging.

Now write that same number down - DOUBLE IT and break it into $10,000 blocks. ie/ $60,000 divided by 10 = 6 project/client categories that can generate $10,000 each.

Why $10,000?

Because I want you to THINK BIGGER than pennies and I want you to stretch yourself.

(P.S.If you're someone selling millions - then you guessed it lady - add a 0 to the formula I gave above)

Pinch Your Pennies But NOT Your Potential

Of course you should be prudent with your money - that's a given.

But you had better not be THINKING in PENNIES or that is exactly what you will get.

If you're flopping around, looking for a lucky gold coins to drop from the sky - get a grip and CREATE A SALES STRATEGY INSTEAD.

(Are you selling the right product/service? Is there a demand/desire for what you have? What is your marketing strategy? Your pricing? and more!)

And there is no better time than NOW to start thinking how you want the rest of your year and NEXT YEAR to turn-out.

So there.

-------------------

About The Author:

Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report "The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make" at ww.salesdivas.com

Break Down Their 5 Most Common Objections

By Fabienne Fredrickson

You'll always get objections. Let's face it. You may have the world's best service, the best product available in your category or industry, but no matter what you do, no matter how good you are, you're always going to have to deal with objections.


What's the nature of objections, anyway? I believe most people simply have limiting beliefs of some sort; old conditioning that often keeps them from succeeding. It may be fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being ripped off, fear of overwhelm, etc. Problem is that these objections keep them from finding the solutions that solve their most pressing problems. Their self-doubt gets in the way of their success.

Objections are actually a good sign that you're close to the sale. I didn't believe this at first, but over the years of talking to prospects and having to answer their questions (i.e., objections), I see how true this is today. Here's why. If someone were completely NOT interested in what you have to offer, they wouldn't even BE on your website, much less talking to you. They wouldn't waste their time.

If they're asking you questions and offering up objections, there's a large part of them that's interested. And that means, all you have to do is answer the questions, reassure them, and you're on your way to a sale. Better yet, by hiring you, the prospect is FINALLY on their way to a solution that's probably been plaguing them for a long time.

Objections are a way for the prospect to acknowledge the self-doubt or limiting beliefs that stop them in their tracks. It's actually YOUR job to help get them out of their own way so they can experience success. You do this by ANTICIPATING and then BREAKING DOWN the objections.

Knowing the 5 most common objections people have allows you to be prepared when they come up. You'll certainly have more (dozens and dozens more, trust me) but it's key to start with at least the ones that come up most often. These are the predictable ones, not in any particular order:

1. It costs too much.
2. It won't work.
3. I'm different; it won't work for me.
4. I can wait; my situation's not that bad.
5. It's going to be hard.
   

Chances are, you've thought about these too when someone tried to sell you a service or a product before. But think about it. Each time you HAVE purchased the service or product and gotten great results, you kick yourself for not doing it sooner!

Since you're not in the business of selling, but rather, problem solving, it's your DUTY to break down these objections so a prospect doesn't wait a minute longer to work with you, so not too much time passes that they'll regret being without your solution to their problem. As a problem solver, it's your most important task. Makes sense?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Go back through your notes and list the objections people have given you in the past. Note the ones that come up most often.
2. Create a short rationale paragraph for why each objection is not valid or any other ways to overcome these objections.
3. Practice saying these out loud so you come off confident next time you talk to a prospect with objections.
4. Sprinkle your marketing materials with these rationales.
   
   

Do this and I guarantee you will attract more clients and make more money.

--------------------
About The Author:

Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.

Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.

Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled “How to attract ALL the clients you need” and “The Secrets of Networkers™”, both available on the ClientAttraction.com Online Store.

Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.

Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.

She is a well known and respected expert on marketing for small businesses and coaches clients internationally to attract more clients, in record time, every time.

Aim To OVER-FILL Your Client Pipeline

By Fabienne Fredrickson

Too many people ride the 'feast or famine' rollercoaster of clients, especially SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs. Some months they have almost too many clients and are WAY too busy, and other months, they're feeling the pinch. The well is dry and they're digging their well when they're thirsty. I've been there in the past, and there's nothing worse than experiencing those two extremes on a regular basis. It'll make you want to go back to Corporate for good! (NOT ME!)

You've heard me talk about my NO EXCUSES approach to getting clients. That means that the number one rule I have is that I do SOMETHING to bring clients or client referrals towards me every single day. Otherwise, you'll find that no matter how good you are, your pipeline will eventually dry up.

The key is to shoot for OVERFILLING your prospect pipeline. Most people just shoot for having SOME people in it. That's not enough. If you aim for something WAY bigger than what you've already gotten so far, you're more likely to reach even a medium level, than if you were to aim low.

When I talk to my clients about this, the number one answer that comes back is, "But what if I get TOO many prospects? What do I do then?" I've even heard, "What if I get TOO big? Then what?" That's when I usually laugh out loud and say, "GOOD! That's a good problem to have!"

There are at least 2 solutions for having too many people wanting to work with you at the same time:

1. Put them on a waiting list. It's OK to do this. What you'll actually notice is the opposite of what you might think would happen. Instead of leaving and saying, "I don't want to wait," most prospects will chomp at the bit to find out how high up on the waiting list they are and will want to see if they can do anything to start earlier. It's actually VERY Client Attractive.

2. Leverage your time and efforts by creating group programs and charging less than your regular one-on-one fee. You'll end up being able to work with MORE people at once AND make more money per hour or project than you would with a single person. Leverage is one of the best things ever "invented" and having too many prospects is one way to set yourself up for this.

So, how do you get to this point? Discipline. I've often said that I wasn't born a very disciplined person (or organized for that matter) but as a result of having a full practice and wanting to keep it that way, I've taken the NO EXCUSES approach to marketing. So, I've worked on setting up systems, being organized (or getting help with it) and learning to master the discipline thing.

That means doing some marketing every single day, no matter how bogged down you are with work and existing clients. Get that newsletter out the door, rip out the newspaper article and send it to an existing client or prospect, send that quick email to the association asking if they accept outside speakers or write a thank you note. Whatever! Just make the time for it and do it.

The key is to do SOMETHING that stimulates future business and referrals because the reason that most entrepreneurs have financial problems is THAT, nothing else, especially the seemingly successful ones. They go to work and only do the work, while everything else gets backed up, especially the marketing.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Make a list of the little things you can start doing DAILY for OVERFILLING your pipeline. Then, make the time for it. Yeah, yeah, I know you're busy, but maybe it's first thing in the morning, before you even open up Outlook to check your emails. Maybe it's right before you turn off the office light and close down your computer. Again, it doesn't matter, as long as you make a commitment to doing this for the rest of your career. Catch my drift?

It's actually easy once you get going. You'll find that you'll never experience that feast and famine again. Guaranteed.

Now, if you need ideas for what to do DAILY to overfill that pipeline, get a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It's everything you need to know to create a marketing message that will appeal to the best clients for you. You'll learn how to decipher what makes your business remarkable, how to create Raving Fans so you get clients to call YOU, and lots of other crucial techniques to help you fill your practice quickly, including how to put together a simple marketing plan that gets you clients and then putting it on autopilot so you can have fun again. You can read more about it and get a copy at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Why struggle when you can just attract clients easily?)

---------------------------
About The Author :

Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.

Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.

Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need" and "The Secrets of Networkers™", both available on the ClientAttraction.com Online Store.

Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.

Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.

She is a well known and respected expert on marketing for small businesses and coaches clients internationally to attract more clients, in record time, every time.

The 7 Surefire Signs of Clients to Avoid

By Fabienne Fredrickson

You've heard me get on my soapbox several times about needing to really hone in on your target audience BEFORE you go out there and market yourself extensively. One of the major reasons is that most people try to market to EVERYBODY, fearing that if they niche themselves too much, they'll narrow down their prospective client pool too much.

We now know that this is actually not true, quite the contrary, because experts make more per hour than generalists, the media is ONLY looking for experts and not jacks-of-all-trades, experts stand out in the marketplace and it's much easier to market to a specific group than it is to a whole mess of people. Otherwise, our message isn't compelling enough and we don't catch anyone's attention.

Today, I want to take you on a different spin of your "ideal client." I want to talk to you about the surefire signs of clients to AVOID; at least in my point of view. Some of you may have read on my website ClientAttraction.com that I am very selective about whom I work with privately. I cherry-pick my clients and go so far as to state exactly who I work with (personality-wise) and whom I don't on my website.

I talk about working best with "high achieving go-getters who are super-ready to get going and just want to know exactly what steps to take to get clients" and that "I don't enjoy working with whiners or skeptics or people who make excuses because the results aren't the same."

I know it's a little bold, and I'm certain it ticks off some people (usually though, it's the people who recognize themselves as bad cases of whiners, skeptics, and people with a general bad or negative attitude about everything). The funny thing is; my ideal clients say they LOVE that part of my website and it strengthens their conviction that they want to work with me. Many say they have a "Go girl!" feeling when they read what I wrote. :)

So, if it's a little bit controversial to some, why do I have this on my site? Because, probably like you, in the beginning, I took on ANY client that was breathing, had some cash, and was remotely interested in working with me, despite sometimes having a strong feeling in my gut that I was doing the wrong thing and might regret it. I was that desperate for clients. (Ever been there? It's not a good feeling.)

Lo and behold, every single time I took on one of these non-ideal clients, I regretted it. I ignored all the signs, shunned my intuition, and later wished I hadn't taken on that client. It was always a disaster. Either their attitude made me think "why is this person SO negative!?" or their credit cards declined, or perhaps they stopped working with me after just one month, blaming me for the fact they weren't getting their work done.

These were the same people who became what I now call "heart-sink" appointments. You know the ones. They're the people you see on your client appointment schedule for that day and your heart sinks. Instead of being psyched for your call, you dread it, drag your feet on preparing for their stuff and generally get in a bad mood knowing you'll have to talk to them.

With an average of 10 clients a day, back-to-back, I can't afford to have my energy brought down by ONE client who's a chronic crankypants. It's just not fair to the other clients whom I'm psyched to speak to and work with, those I get off the phone with saying "YESSS! She is doing sooooo well." (By the way, my practice is full of these people now.)

If you're not having that "YESSS!!!" feeling with every client, you may need to listen to your intuition more and better yet, make a list of your own surefire signs NOT to pursue a working relationship with someone, no matter how much you want the money.

Here's what I noticed as surefire signs, in my own experience, of non-ideal clients:

1. People who don't show up for the call and make up not-so-believable excuses for why they didn't show up. (I take a no-excuses approach to getting clients and to life in general. I expect the same from my clients.)
2. People who don't fill out the paperwork or follow instructions sent to them prior to our first call. (I give a lot of useful paperwork during my coaching and if someone's not going to do it in the beginning, they'll probably not do it later either.)
3. People who aren't nice to my client relationship manager, Naomi. (That is a HUGE no-no for me. If someone treats my business partner like less than equal from the get-go, they'll have ZERO chance of working with me.)
4. People who are rude to me too. ('nuf said?)
5. People who whine, complain, or resist everything, make excuses, or sometimes even lie. (I prefer to hang out with really fun, upbeat people, and people who are "up" to good things.)
6. People who ask me if I offer a money-back guarantee. (If they're already thinking it won't work for them, they're right; it probably won't work for them.)
7. People who try to negotiate my fees, despite the fact that I offer different programs at different affordable price points, one for every budget level. (I don't believe in de-valuing my services. It's been my experience that people who take an inch will always try to take a mile down the road.)
   
   

Have you ever experienced people doing one or more of these things? Perhaps not yet. But it may happen over the years, and after a while, you'll start recognizing the signs and their consequences.

How go I deal with these situations? If they're a prospective client, I just don't go further in the relationship, or explain to them that I'm probably not the right coach for them. If they're a new client and I didn't spot this behavior at the beginning, then I find a graceful way to end the relationship. It happens only rarely, but when it needs to happen, I do what it takes.

Let's face it. Non-ideal clients will never give you referrals (and if they do, those referrals will also be non-ideal), will never write you glowing testimonials, and might even start spreading the word in the marketplace that you're not that good at what you do. Stay away from them!

At this point in my practice, being that it's virtually always full and that I have standards for how I want to work, I have no room for people to run their stuff on me anymore. It may sound a little harsh, but whenever I talk about this in seminars, I see a lot of people nodding their heads, who know EXACTLY what I mean, and who wish they didn't have heart-sink clients either. So, that being said, I'm probably not too far off base talking about this.


YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

-- Make a list of common denominators among your non-ideal clients (not every client has all of these, sometimes just one or two).

-- Set standards in your practice about whom you'll work with and whom you'll turn away.

--Then, follow those standards like your practice depends on it (it does).

--Even consider putting it down on your website, for all to see, as I do on mine.

You deserve a practice FULL of "A" clients, not "D" clients. The only one that can let them into your practice is you. You're the gatekeeper. Besides, when your practice is filled with "D" clients, you become so cranky that you're not going to BE client attractive. That's not good for business. So take action on this and don't break your own standards. You have the ultimate choice, so use it. :)

To find out more about ways to attract only "A" clients in your practice using proven, tried-and-true marketing techniques, get yourself a copy of the proven TheClientAttractionSystem.com Client Attraction self-success manual.

------------------
About The Author:

Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.

Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.

Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need" and "The Secrets of Networkers™", both available on the ClientAttraction.com Online Store.

Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.

Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.

She is a well known and respected expert on marketing for small businesses and coaches clients internationally to attract more clients, in record time, every time.

Determine the Viability of Your Target Audience BEFORE You Begin Marketing

By Fabienne Fredrickson

You've heard a hundred times before how important it is to have a plan for who to market to, an ideal client profile or target audience. In my book, it's one of the most crucial things to put in place for attracting clients like crazy, because if you don't know who you're talking to, you won't know what to say.

The question you now have to ask yourself is, "Have I chosen a viable target audience?" meaning, is it actually worthwhile to market to these people?

You can have all the focus, drive, good intentions to market to a group of people, but if they're not easily reached in large numbers and inexpensively, if they don't congregate often or they're too difficult to locate, it's going to make your Client Attraction attempts much more difficult.

Here are some questions to ask yourself (be a hard grader):

* Can you find them easily?

* Is there a "list" of these people somewhere—an association of them, support groups, alliances, for example?

* Are there enough of them? Even if your target audience is small in the grand scheme of the population, there still needs to be a massive number of these people for you to stay in business.

* Do they have a problem worth solving?

*Does this problem hurt enough?

* Do they have the ability to pay for your services?


YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Once you've gotten clear on a target audience or a niche, it's important to ask yourself the hard questions listed above. Take out a sheet of paper and really answer these. If the answers are repeatedly "no," then consider looking for another niche. It'll make the whole Client Attraction process much easier in the long run.

---------------
About The Author:

Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.

Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.

Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need" and "The Secrets of Networkers™", both available on the ClientAttraction.com Online Store.

Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.

Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.

How You FEEL Dictates How Many Clients You'll Attract

By Fabienne Fredrickson

As entrepreneurs looking to grow our businesses, we mostly tend to focus on the marketing of our businesses (and I applaud this, of course). I'm known to get on my soap box and say, "If you don't market today, you won't have clients in 6 months. And if you don't market consistently, you won't have clients consistently." Obviously, marketing is crucial to staying in business.

One thing that's become clearer and clearer to me over the years is that there's also an INNER game to Client Attraction. Our mindset, our thoughts, our beliefs and how we FEEL, have a lot to do with what shows up in our lives and our business. What we think about, and how good or bad we feel, literally dictates the number of clients and the level of revenues we pull in.

Client Attraction is just that, PULLING in what we want.

I've been studying the Law of Attraction for many years and have been working on my own limiting beliefs for just as long. We all have these limiting beliefs. Stuff we heard when we were young, experiences that have shaped us and events we witnessed that created a deep impression on us.

It's hard to escape, it's even rampant in one's family. Here's what I heard (and still hear) in mine:

----- If you eavesdropped on my family's conversations when I was young, you would commonly hear the phrase "La vie est difficile" (Life is Difficult). This was just an accepted fact. And for a large part of my early life, it seemed like that was indeed true. I experienced many hardships and emotional setbacks. It seems indeed that life wasn't easy, until I started working on my mindset and realized that it didn't have to be that way.

----I was reflecting on how lucky and grateful I felt the other day as I was showing someone around my new house at the beach (and the boat and everything). This person looked at me quizzically and said, "Don't forget, Fabienne, you have what you have not just because you're lucky, but because you worked really hard for it. That's the ONLY way to get what you want in life." Well, I was startled, because I now know that that's only partly true.


I see both of these comments and thought patterns as being limiting. The truth is, I've asked for these things, believed I could have them, and invited them into my life, while taking action to get them. I essentially changed my inner game of attraction by changing my thoughts.

Want to know what I did to switch my INNER game of attraction, including Client Attraction? I've done much personal growth and development work, read a ton of books, but these are some things I've done recently that really stand out:

1. I stopped thinking and saying that ‘life is difficult.' Instead, I started saying ‘Life is Good' over and over again to myself. I even went as far as getting ‘Life is Good' hats, t-shirts and bumper stickers for our cars and our boat at www.lifeisgood.com. Not only do I want people around me to recognize that life CAN be good, but I want to remind myself of this every time I look around.
2. I started building a book library that would help me change my mindset about what it takes to attract more money, clients, love, or anything into my life. And it's all worked. My favorites are "Ask and It Is Given" by Esther Hicks, "Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting" by Lynn Grabhorn and "The Attractor Factor" by Joe Vitale.
3. I've watched the movie The Secret ($4.95 at thesecret.tv) about 5 times in the last few weeks and will continue to watch it, over and over again, as I pick up something new each time.
   
   

What's the common element to all of these books, movies, and sayings? That FEELING GOOD is the key to getting what you want, including clients. Here's my formula for attracting clients.

1. First, you have to get clear how many clients you need, and what type you want (only the good ones).
2. Get in a good-feeling place and ask for the number and types of clients you want.
3. Release your intention, feeling good about it, knowing that you deserve it, and that it's on its way to you.
4. Notice the happy coincidences that start to pop up around you.
5. Take immediate action on these happy coincidences.
6. Be grateful and continue to feel good.
   
   

Notice how FEELING GOOD comes up throughout? In my opinion, it's the key to attracting all the clients and all the money you want (or anything, for that matter).


YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Start changing what you say and think about your life or your Client Attraction situation. You can even say to yourself, "I attract clients easily and in large numbers."
2. Read the books outlined above, and put them into practice. These are the Crème de la Crème.
3. Watch the movie thesecret.tv as many times as you can.
4. Get yourself in a good-feeling place and follow my INNER GAME of Client Attraction formula above.
5. Never stop marketing and do what it takes to succeed (hey, you still gotta take action, but it doesn't have to be a struggle).

Stick with this program, don't give up. Sometimes it happens right away, sometimes in a few weeks. The key is persistence. Once you do this, notice how many more clients come into your life. Notice your bank account. Then, write me an email at info@clientattraction.com to tell me about your success stories, OK?

By the way, if action marketing is the missing piece for you, there are dozens of worksheets in the Client Attraction Home Study System™ that will help you create a marketing message that will appeal to the right types of clients for you. You'll also learn how to decipher what makes your business remarkable enough for others to talk about, how to create Raving Fans so you get clients to call YOU, and lots of other crucial stuff to help you fill your practice really quickly. You can read more about it and get a copy at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Why struggle when you can just attract clients easily?)

----------------------
About the Author:

Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.

Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.

Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need" and "The Secrets of Networkers™", both available on the ClientAttraction.com Online Store.

Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.

Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.

She is a well known and respected expert on marketing for small businesses and coaches clients internationally to attract more clients, in record time, every time.

Recycle Your Articles to Gain Tons of Traffic and New Subscribers

By Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen,"

While there are many effective ways to get more traffic and build your ezine list, the one I've had the MOST success with is to submit articles for use on other people's websites and in their ezines.

"But wait a minute," you say. "Aren't I supposed to be creating great articles for MY OWN e-zine?"

Yes, you are! And after your article appears in your OWN e-zine, you should then submit it to others. Over the past few years, I've found this to be the best way to get traffic, build my list, and increase my sales, for five reasons:

1. You can quickly gain FREE exposure to TENS OF THOUSANDS (or even HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS) of untapped prospects at a time. There are many high-traffic sites and ezines with high readerships that are looking for content from people like YOU.
2. Articles let you educate and share good information with your prospects. They also position you as an expert in their eyes, so they'll think of YOU as the most respected resource in your field. (Traditional ads don't do that for you.)
3. You have the right to promote yourself, your business, and whatever else you want at the end of every article. And anyone using your article must keep this information intact. (More on that in a minute.)
4. This is a tried-and-true method that will NEVER stop working, unlike the latest and greatest gimmicks to spoof the search engines. (Try one of those and see how quickly your traffic halts once the bottom drops out.) Search engines love real content and will always love real content.
5. It's EASY, and anyone can do it!

HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED...

1. PICK A WINNER Browse through your archives and pick an insightful article that really showcases your expertise. Or, if this is new to you, write a basic article on your subject of expertise. (Not a good writer, or need help? Hire a writer from Elance.com.)
2. POLISH IT 'TIL IT SHINES Publishers will not be interested in your article if it contains typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, or inactive Web links -- these goofs would compromise the integrity of their publications. So make sure it's Kosher!
3. ADD A COPYRIGHT NOTICE At the end of the article, insert a copyright notice, dated when you first published the article. Example: © 2005 Alexandria K. Brown
4. WRITE A JAZZY "RESOURCE BOX" In exchange for your letting other publishers reprint your article, it's customary to require they include the contact information you provide. This is usually called the "resource box" and it should come RIGHT after your copyright notice. Here's where you can ham it up.
   
   Don't waste time promoting your actual business in the resource box. Why? Remember your #1 goal is always to get prospects on your LIST. You'll gain MORE clients and customers by FIRST getting them to subscribe to your FREE ezine or special report. THEN you've got them! You'll be in front of them regularly, and that's when they'll understand why they should hire you or buy your products.
5. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE TO ONLINE CONTENT DIRECTORIES There are hundreds of 'free content' Web sites and announcement lists where you can submit your articles for other publishers to use. Some even let you include a picture and other information about your website. One of my favorites is EzineArticles.com.
6. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE DIRECTLY TO APPROPRIATE PUBLISHERS For best results, take the bull by the horns and contact publishers directly. But not just any publishers -- ones with e-zines that accept articles AND whose readers are your ideal clients and customers. A great place to start your search and build your own list is Charlie Page's Directory of E-zines.
7. AUTOMATE THE ENTIRE PROCESS
   

I know you're probably thinking right now, "OK Ali, this sounds great, but isn't this going to be time consuming?"

The answer is most definitely YES. In the past, you'd have to spend several hours a week just to get one article out there. It's a lot of administrative work, requiring time that you probably don't have.

But my friend Jason Potash has just released his brand new "ARTICLE ANNOUNCER" software that does all this work FOR you. It blasts out your articles to hundreds of directories, publishers, and other sources to help generate a slew of web visitors to your site, month after month.

My staff and I have tested Jason's "Article Announcer" product and wholeheartedly recommend it. I urge you to see Jason's information page NOW, and grab your own copy before the price goes UP in just a few days.

Remember also that if you don't want to do any of your own article marketing yourself, it's a perfect task to pass on to an assistant, intern, or freelancer. The key is getting it down to a SYSTEM, which is what this software helps you do.

--------------------
About The Author

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is creator of the award-winning 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine' system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to ezine marketing articles and FREE audio class, visit ww.EzineQueen.com

Billionaire Leverage Techniques: 5 Tips to Accomplish Your Big Dream

by Melanie Benson Strick

Have you ever had a dream so big that you had no idea how to accomplish it? The dream is there, in the background of your mind, gnawing at you and clamoring for your attention.

For many busy entrepreneurs, you might start to feel like the dream is slowly dieing. With everything you have to do to generate financial results, you never have time to focus on the dream. You are always busy running your business, making money, taking care of your clients, etc. Who has time to chase their dreams?

When you let your dream die, it affects your passion. Without passion, running your business can start to feel like work (who wants that?). Passion is the fuel that gets you going every day, provides the stamina to overcome the challenges and obstacles, and inspires you to think bigger.

Recently I saw an Oprah special called “Building a Dream” about the launch of her Leadership Academy for young girls in South Africa. As I watched the show, I realized that Oprah has been visioning this school for a long time. She had clarity about so many details — from the uniforms to even the brick color of the building. It has been the fuel that keeps her going ever day, overcoming the big obstacles that have risen in running a billion dollar empire.

We all know that Oprah is very busy with her show and her magazine. How she brought her dream to life and fulfilled her passion was by surrounding herself with a team of people who could bring her vision to life.

If you study billionaires (which I do) you will learn a special leverage technique they all use to manifest their dreams into reality. I’ve seen this technique used by Oprah, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson. The technique: build a team to bring the vision to life.

Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. Stay focused on the vision. Michael Gerber’s In the Dreaming Room covers the power of what your REAL job is (and by the way, it’s not getting lost in the day-to-day management.) It’s all about creating a vision so big that it pulls you forward.

2. Do YOUR job. Your job is to stay focused on high payoff activities. Let others do what they do best. Bookkeeping, housecleaning, graphic design, website updates, filtering emails and phone calls are all low payoff activities for the average business owner yet you many spend thousands of billable hours a month on these tasks.

3. Surround yourself with powerful implementers. When you leverage your time and build a team of good people, then your dreams become real 100 times faster. Most entrepreneurs are really great with ideas but lose traction when it comes to details and managing projects.

4. Start sooner. In completing the Virtual Team Building Secrets interviews, one thing I found in common with all five experts is they waited too long to build their team. It cost them time, money and sanity. The billionaires I studied all took the risk to build a team immediately.

5. Let go. Once you create your power team, be sure to learn to delegate well. It doesn’t do anyone any good if you hold the reigns too tight. A golden rule of delegation is, “Commit to the outcome, let go of the path to get there.”

It’s time to start building YOUR team. It’s the fastest way to create more time, free up energy and make progress in bringing your vision to life. If you aren’t sure how to get started or need new ideas on how to really create your own team effectively, check out our new resource at virtualteambuildingsecrets.com.

-----------------------
About The Author

Most entrepreneurs are continually battling overwhelm with too many things to do, opportunities to capture and money to make! Melanie Benson Strick, Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach & Virtual Team Building Expert, teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money, more freedom and more prestige.

Get the Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon to revolutionize your results and get on the fast-track to a freedom based business. Take this free chapter from my book, The Power of The Virtual Team, as a gift from me at thepowerofthevirtualteam.com

Copyright 2007 Melanie Benson Strick and Success Connections Inc

Your 5 Step Plan to Turn Your To Do List into a Ta-Da! List

By Shawn Driscoll

You’ve got big dreams and you know you’ve got what it takes to achieve them. You’re eager to roll up your sleeves and start producing massive results. The problem is, no matter how hard you work, not much seems to get accomplished.In fact, your To-Do list is a mile long and growing. You’re constantly busy yet you get to the end of the week before you get to the end of your list. Important things fall through the cracks. And you’re starting to feel frustrated, drained and overwhelmed.You wonder how you’ll ever achieve your big goals when you can’t seem to dig yourself out from under this avalanche of tasks and ‘have to do’s’.

It’s time for a To Do list Makeover. Let’s turn that time and energy sucking list of “To Do’s” into “Ta Da’s!” you can smile about.

So what’s a Ta Da! List?

A Ta-Da! list is results focused. It’s a list of high payoff tasks, that when completed have massive impact on your level of energy, results and success. Completing items on your Ta-Da! List produces results that energizes and focuses you.

By contrast, a To Do List is a never ending list of everything you think you should be doing. Not all items are created equal—some are simple items to get done, others take major effort. A To Do list is full of busy work that feels heavy and draining.

Here is a 5 step plan to tame that To Do list:

Step #1: Focus on Your Top 3 Priorities.

Every Ta-Da! List requires a clear focus. At the top of every list you make, start with your 3 most important projects or priorities. Don’t let your high payoff tasks get buried within a mile long list of ‘this and that’. Clearly focus on the 3 priorities that must get done, no matter what else happens. Let this focus your actions.


Step #2: Start Dumping.

Filter your To Do List for things you can DUMP. Your first reaction is going to be “There’s nothing I can dump!” But take an honest look. If everything is equally important then nothing really is. What items on your list fall in the ‘great idea’ category but have very little payoff if you do them? What items have absolutely no consequence if you DON’T do them? (I ask myself: Is NOT doing this of Cosmic Significance?) What items are “shoulds” that you keep procrastinating on because they aren’t aligned with your top priorities? Cross them off and be done with it.


Step #3: Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.

Identify anything and everything that you can DELEGATE to someone else (involve a family member, hire it done, give it to a team member, ask a friend or barter with someone to get it done). Retire the superhero cape and be honest: Does this task need ME AND ONLY ME to get it done? Is this something that someone else could help me accomplish? Once you’re clear on who else can do the task, hand it off. If you’re concerned it won’t get done to your standards, set a ‘check in’ date to review progress and provide input. But commit to letting someone else handle it to completion.


Step #4: Defer anything that can wait.

Take another spin through your list. If there’s anything on your list that doesn’t have to be completed within the next 7 days, defer it. Put these tasks in your calendar for a future time. Just knowing you’ve created a time and space for them will free you up to focus on other, more important, priorities.


Step #5: Time Block the rest.

All that should be left on your list are those items that (a) must be done by you and only you, (b) are linked to a top priority item and (c) must be done within 1 to 7 days. Now block time in your calendar to complete them so that you know they will get done.

One of the biggest mistakes we make with our To Do lists is keeping them separate from our calendar. You end up with a ‘to do’ list the length of your forearm and a calendar filled up with commitments that aren’t even on the list. That leaves you with no time to complete the items, skyrocketing your level of overwhelm and stress.

That’s it. 5 simple steps to create your Ta-Da! List. I challenge you to test this process for the next 30 days. See how much more focused and productive you are. Oh, and get ready to take your bow!

---------------
About the Author:

Shawn Driscoll is a coach on the Success Connections team who brings great strengths from her Corporate background. Shawn is one of the resources for the ULTIMATE Wealth and Success Circle and one of the trainers for the Virtual Team Building Secrets.

Shawn is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Landing Your Ideal Job: Essential Strategies for Finding and Getting Work You Love and contributing author to 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, volume 2 as well as the “Ultimate Guide to Success! 80 Coaches Share their Biggest Secrets”.