Claire was a “best-kept secret.”

When she worked her magic on her client’s marketing materials… they began to make tens of thousands,
sometimes several hundred thousand, in extra income.

“So why don’t I have a bigger business?” she sighed.

“I make money for everyone but me!”

Claire was ignoring two big holes in her own business.

1. She wasn’t making clear offers.
2. She wasn’t packaging her offers.

Claire offered teleseminars, workshops, she took personal clients for 8 sessions. She even spoke frequently.

But no one really “got” Claire’s gifts until they worked with her.

And no one “got” that Claire had more than a workshop or a teleseminar to offer.

So why was Claire hiding in the “Offer Closet”?

1. She did not take the time to write an exact, sexy, tantalizing offer for her market.
   (How much time does it take? About an HOUR.)
2. She did not offer packages so that people knew WHAT and HOW to buy from her.
   (How much time does it take to create a package? About an HOUR.)
3. Deep down, Claire did not feel as if she had much more to offer.
4. Deep down, Claire loved what she did so much she would have done it for free, and often did.
5. Deep down, Claire had no idea where she’d find clients who’d pay her what she was worth.

Finally one of her clients told her outright:

“I’d have paid you a thousand a month for a year if you’d only offered a program after your teleseminar.”

The restaurant was open, but Claire wasn’t on the menu.

Here’s what happened when she decided to go for it:

Claire Before:
“I help professionals redefine their marketing so they attract up to twice the business.”

Claire After:
“Before I worked with Jack, he and his team were doing $2 Million in sales at a Fortune 100. Six months later, they made $10 Million.”

Next, Claire sat down and sketched out 3 programs in which she redesigned her client’s marketing top to bottom.

It took her an hour.

Later that week a prospect called and said, “How do I work with you?”

Claire said, “I have a 3-month program for $11,000, a 6-month program for 17,000, and a 12-month program for $27,000.”

And she described the results he would get in each one – in tantalizing detail.

The man replied, “Wow, I didn’t know it was that much. I want the $27,000 program. I’ll have to take out a loan. When do we start?”

This is a true story.

Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Are you hiding in the Offer Closet?

• Is it crystal clear what amazing results people get when they work with you?
• Have you clearly designed programs for each level of participation?
• Is there a huge program you “could” offer but you think it’s impossible to fill?

What’s stopping you?

Create the offer, create the programs, GET PREPARED, and they will find you.

Why?

Because the whole energy of your business will change.

People will feel it.

And “Luck” happens when Preparation meets Opportunity.

Try it. It works!

Jo was the answer to an entrepreneur’s prayer.

Her business systems demolished the clutter and produced million-dollar profits for grateful CEO’s.

So why was she hurting for clients?

“It’s one thing to market what you want to sell,” she said with a resigned grin.

Sell them what they want. Deliver what they need.

Some might call this manipulative.

Have you every tried to make a 4-year-old take a bath when she didn’t want to?

What did you finally do to get her in the tub?

• Coaxing
• Teasing
• Wheedling
• Telling her how much fun baths are
• Offering chewing-gum bubble bath
• Threatening her with only one bedtime story
• Threatening her with no bedtime story
• Declaring time-outs
• Plea-bargaining…

Would you call those efforts manipulative? Or would you call them parenting?

You sell your 4-year-old what she wants. (finger-painting the tub)

While you deliver what she needs. (A bath)

Jo wanted to market her incredible series of systems. But no one wants a system.

The trap she fell into was

1) Jo fell in love with her service.
2) Then she tried to market what she loved.

And tearing her hair out because “No one got it.”

It finally dawned on Jo that she was not respecting her clients. 

They didn’t want incredible systems.

They wanted more money, freedom, fun, and time.

Drilling down, they wanted:

To make more money without more people
To leave work at 6 instead of 10
To have happier repeat customers
To take long weekends
To (gasp!) enjoy their workday

She used a silver bullet:

“Give me 60 minutes and I can tell you how to make more money with less people.”

“When I met Mark, he was working 12-hour days, struggling to meet payroll, and too busy to grow.  Six months later he brought in over half a million, worked 8-hour days, and took his family to Italy for 2 weeks.”

She spoke only to their desires: money, freedom, time, and fun.

She realized her systems were just the bus that got them there.

She began to enjoy marketing, because clients were coming out of the woodwork.

In two months, Jo had a waiting list.

And very happy clients – because she delivered what they needed most.

Are you in love with your service or your market?

Marketing what you want to sell might leave you very frustrated.

Marketing what they want to buy might make you more money.

As long as you deliver what they really need.

p.s. Disclaimer: I am not a parent, just an aunt. If I have offended anyone’s parenting style, I sincerely apologize.

Barbara was a top executive and small-business coach who could double the success of her clients.

But Barb confessed she had a painful secret.

She was great at having enrolling conversations where people were interested in what she did.

But then she ran out of gas.

“I really bond with people, and after I’ve talked to them for an hour I don’t know how to gently say, ‘This is what I can do for you…' without feeling like if I’m selling them too soon.”

Barbara is like many of us who value our authenticity, or who love our conversations with people and feel like we’ve almost made a friend.

And how do you “sell” a friend?

“I feel as if it erases all my authenticity to offer my services without giving them something first,” she said. “But I know I’m leaving money on the table!”

This is a case of “the more you market, the less you have to sell.”

Barbara had two options, both of which she now uses to great success.

1. THE REPORT

The next time Barbara talked to a prospective client, she said,

“By the way, since we’ve been talking about success traits, I have the ‘20 Executive Flaws That Prevent You From Making More Money’ in a 7-page report. May I send it over to you?”

And then she added, “Would you rather listen to it or read it?”

No one refused.

Barbara made sure her report rocked.

It was so provocative that when she followed up, she got a 90% response rate.

Everyone wanted to know how to get rid of their flaws – (work with Barb!)

2. THE QUIZ

For those people who said to Barbara,

“This has been so interesting, I’d love to call you and chat some more.”

Well, maybe…

Barbara needed something to separate the people who would hang on the phone for two hours and those who were prospective clients.

So she said, “Great! Call my assistant Carrie and set up a time that’s good for you.”

And if you don’t mind, Carrie will send you my Smart Bomb Quiz so we can get the most out of our call.

What’s the hidden value of a quiz?

1. It uncovers the weak spots in the person who’s reading it, without you having to do it.
2. It raises a healthy anxiety about those weak spots, so the prospect naturally wants to know how to solve the problem. Even better is a quiz that grades your prospect into one of three categories.
3. People love to know more about themselves, and a quiz with categories tells them what group they belong to, and where they are on the success/leadership/ (whatever your topic is) scale.
4. A quiz gives you a pin-point idea of who you’re talking to, and what they need from you.

Barbara’s quiz was a stunning tool to convert casual prospects to hot leads.

Now Barbara has more clients, and she never worries about being authentic in casual conversations.

Try it. It works!

Elizabeth was an expert teacher and healer.

Potential clients saw her as a great help.

But clients often don’t see you as essential unless you directly impact the bottom line.

“How can I stop being seen as the “help” – as in “I help men and women heal from cancer and chronic illness?” Elizabeth sighed. “People just don’t get what I do!”

If you provide a service where money is not the bottom line,how do you position yourself as a Trusted Advisor?

Or maybe even… the answer to their prayers?

You let your future clients know within the first two minutes that you impact their emotional or physical bottom line.

Their what?!

We all have several bottom lines.

If you need to lose weight, you’re very clear on your physical bottom line – it’s about 20 lbs lighter.

If you want to find your soul mate, you’re very clear on your emotional bottom line – it’s called “Happily Ever After.”

If you are critically or chronically ill, you’re very clear on your health bottom line – it’s pain-free long life.

The closer you are to your client’s personal bottom line, the more valuable you are to them.

Here’s how Susan, Jackie, and Jeff, all experts in their field, were presenting themselves:

SUSAN SAYS: “I help my clients lose weight and get in the best shape of their lives.”
YOU THINK:     “Go away so I can sneak another Danish.”

JACKIE SAYS: “I help women find the relationship of their dreams.”
YOU THINK:     “Gosh, I’ve never heard that one before.”

JEFF SAYS:      “I help my clients heal from cancer and chronic illness.”
YOU THINK :   “Great. You’re probably too ‘New Age’ for me.”

The problem for Susan, Jackie and Jeff was…

1. Potential clients didn’t see their expertise as critical to their lives.
2. They gave their audience no clue that they were the answer to a client’s prayer.
3. They were therefore perceived as “Helpful” service providers.
4. All three experts even used the verb - “I help.”

Here’s how Susan, Jackie and Jeff repositioned themselves as Trusted Advisors, or, the answer to a client’s prayer.

Susan:  “I just worked with Jennifer, who went from a size 10 to a 4. The new man in her life asked her if she was a model. 95% of my clients achieve their ideal weight in 6 to 18 months.”

Jackie: “85% of my clients are in a committed relationship in 12 months. I’m invited to so many weddings I can’t go to them all.”

Jeff:  “When I met Joan, the doctors had given up on her. She was too weak to get out of bed. 1 month later she was walking. 12 months later she opened her own business, and now she’s training for her first marathon.”

When your clients look at you… do they see a Helper? Or the answer to their prayers?

You either add to their personal bottom line, or you don’t.

So if you want to be seen as a Trusted Advisor… (and I’ve never met a professional who didn’t) let your potential clients know within the first two minutes how you add to their personal bottom line.

Kathy was a crackerjack sales expert who could teach anyone to sell.

When people asked her what she did, she told them:

“I show entrepreneurs how to start making money to the tune of an extra 4-5 figures each month.”

So why weren’t people signing up in droves?

Kathy loved sales so much, that she forgot…

nearly everyone she talked to hated sales…

and secretly hoped their marketing efforts would bring in the business…
so they wouldn’t have to “sell” - ugh.

Kathy was ignoring the Elephant Under the Rug, or the Big Objection.

We all have one.

It’s the Big Objection that your prospects are afraid of, and that keeps them away from you.

Because no one ever talks about it.

Here are some Big Objections:

THEY SAY: I show entrepreneurs how boost sales by 4-10K a month.
YOU THINK: Oh sure!  Easy for you to say!  I hate sales!

THEY SAY:  I increase my client’s business with mobile marketing.
YOU THINK: Your service would never work for me.  I don’t even know what it is.

THEY SAY: We show overwhelmed professionals how to simplify their portfolios.
YOU THINK:   What makes you any better than my investment guy?

THEY SAY: I sell a skin care cream that takes 8 years off your face in 12 weeks.
YOU THINK:  MLM!  (Gasp!)  You want me to pester my family and friends!

THEY SAY:  We increased visitors to a healthcare site from 3.6M to 6M a month.
YOU THINK:  I couldn’t possibly afford that. 

What’s the solution?

1. Find the top 3 Secret Objections all your prospects have.
2. Mention each one casually as you talk to people.
3. This lowers their anxiety, since you brought up the bogeyman first.
4. Handle the objection before they have a chance to turn you off.

Kathy realized that if she talked out loud about how people dreaded sales, they paid much closer attention.

She began throwing in stories like these:

“When I met Julie she was afraid of those sleazy sales tricks she’d heard other people use.

“Now Julie has a whole new outlook on what selling really is. And she quadrupled her sales in 5 months.”

By deliberately mentioning “sleazy sales tricks,” Kathy…

1. Acknowledges that she knows what her prospects are thinking.
2. Demonstrates that it’s possible to quadruple sales without sleazy tricks.
3. Neutralizes the fear that her prospects have of sales.
4. Opens a much wider door to working with her.

What’s the Elephant under Rug in your Business? 

What’s the biggest secret objection people have to working with you?

Mention the objection, neutralize it, and you will have far more engaged listeners…

who will be much closer to working with you.

Because they trust you a lot more.

Try it!  It works!

Joan was struggling in her month-to-month coaching business.

She was an excellent coach, but it was like pulling teeth to get people to sign up.

And when they dropped out – ouch!

Then she discovered 3 little secrets, and increased her business by well over 100% in 7 months.

1. Joan found out that 20% of every market – including hers – would pay a very high price for the right solution. This shocked her. Where were her Big Spenders hiding?

Joan’s Big Spenders were hiding out, because she wasn’t offering them anything that seemed like a sure-fire solution to their problems.

2. Many folks don’t want month-to-month coaching these days. They prefer to buy complete systems that are a solution to their problem.

And the secret that really turned it around for Joan was…

3. There is unconscious pain, deep in the Old Brain, when we spend a lot of money. The pain is not at the actual price, it’s the value we think we’re getting.

Here is how Joan turned around her business:

First, she did a client survey to find out what her people really wanted

Then Joan realized that she could offer a 6-month system instead of month-to-month coaching.

Joan targeted her system to exactly what her clients said they most wanted.

Not only did Joan name her system (remember people like to buy systems that are solutions), she put the transformation that her clients would experience into the name: Turnaround: 12 Months to 6 Figures.

(Even if her clients did not make 6 figures in 12 months, they were solidly on their way with her coaching.)

Next, Joan named each step of her system, because naming every step makes people see your package as more valuable.   “Who Are Your Big Fish?” was her first step, where she taught people how to tease out that 20% of their market that would pay for high-ticket products.

How did she get her own Heavy Spenders to come out of hiding?

Joan packaged her system so that it was full of bonuses and hands-on material. 

These days, people like workbooks, cheat sheets, and stuff they can hold in their hands. Joan made sure they got a lot of material to work with.

And Joan’s bonuses were irresistible – such as 1 private call a month with her, two 4-day Mastermind retreats, and a 3 Marketing Miracle Makeovers.

And last, how did she take away the pain of buying?

She priced her 12-month Turnaround Mastermind at $25,000, and sold it for $18,000 if they signed up within 24 hours.

The Old Brain does not feel pain at the actual price, but at the value. 

So Joan made the price relative – this is very important.

She made sure that her clients knew that the steps to her program, such as the retreats, priced separately, would come to much more than $18,000.  

She told them what other similar programs cost.

She asked them to write down the income and time they were losing by not investing.

She positioned her system as the best possible value for the investment.

And – she made the buying experience fun. Another highly important point – for another article.

Joan promoted her system for 6 months, and signed up 22 people, or just under 20% of her market.   Her Heavy Spenders came out “out of nowhere” and bought!

Did you know 20% of your market will spend for a well-positioned system?

Are your clients Healer Magicians? Wise Rulers? Revolutionary Jesters? Creative Leaders?

Ever had a high-maintenance, stubborn client who hates change and complains about your fees?

Did you know… you can “tweak” your client profile until you have a full load of eager do-ers who love your work and can easily afford you.

I huddled with Rosey Dow of TheProspectProfiler.com last week and she gave me the freedom to pass on the details. I teach people to use numbers, word pictures, and Old Brain rules. 

Rosey teaches people which words sing to their ideal clients. 

If your current “ideal clients” are not high-ticket, eager achievers, you can start to market to the ones who are.

One of Rosey’s students was about to close up shop last January. Today she deliberately markets only to high-paying prospects who are low-maintenance, willing, and open to change.

She has a full client load, an eager waiting list, and a full mastermind.

Want to try it?   Can you find yourself and your ideal clients in here?

• His/Her days will be easier
• He will set his own work hours
• Be his own boss and have more time for the beach than ever before. 
• He will be looking for less structure and more freedom.  
• If you use words like “control” and “organization,” he will head the other way.

• The feeling of fulfillment, because they are living their calling
• They want the satisfaction of seeing lives transformed for the better
• Their What’s-In-It-For-Me is transforming more lives
• A day at the beach has no attraction for them – they are here to help other people.

• “teaching, education, mastery, specialize, being certain,” and “finding answers.” 
• “3 steps to finding the answer for your followers or your market” is perfect. 
• Numbers are especially effective with Sages.
• They also like validation, facts and proof. 
• Unlike Jesters, they like “control” and “organization.” 

• “family and safety,” which are very important to them. 
• They want rest (they are extremely tired) they are on duty 24/7. 
• Talk about “de-stressing, take care of yourself for a change”– because responsibility lies heavily upon them. 
• They need to feel appreciated. 
• Forget more time at the beach – that is not in their game plan.

Where do you start? Figure out which type you are, and then interview 3 of your best clients.

1. It’s essential to know who you are, so you have an authentic brand. Don’t try to be all things to all people (that’s a short route to broke.)
2. The data from your client interviews will help you understand who you resonate with. Resonating with people you really want is essential. From there, you can create a personality profile, that shows you who your current ideal client is.
3. Each type has words that speak only to their group. You can then begin to play around with these words, to attract more of your truly perfect clients. 

So, if at first your ideal client is a fun-loving Jester who can barely afford you, you can begin to tweak their profile to fun-loving clients who can easily afford you. 

Next time we’ll talk more about the specific words that draw them to you.

For now, know that the power to create your ideal client lies with you.

There are as many ways of selling as there are people.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW:

1. Are you new to selling on the phone?
2. New to selling in person?
3. Do you have a script you've used but you'd like improvement?
4. Where would you like improvement?
5. Do you think you hang back from offering your service/product?
6. Do you think you hang back from asking for the money?

Please post your answers.

Elvis, Lady Gaga, American Idol, Glee, Steve Jobs and Apple, Nike, Starbucks…

What do they have in common?  They arouse a massive emotional response in their audience.

If you’re marketing, you’re engaging the emotions of your audience.  Why?

1. If you do it right, they will hang on your every word and doing exactly what you want them to do.
2. 90-95% of marketing messages are lost in the first 5 seconds.

Yikes!

There are crucial points about emotion, and how to use it to quickly build your list, your following, and your client base.  Here are 2:

No. 1 is a tip from my brilliant friend, Rob Schultz, of www.magicalmultimedia.com.

1.  Your audience has an existing pool of emotion that is untapped, just lying in wait for you.

Did you know that?

That’s how one of Rob’s students created a power-point video that took her list from 200 to 10,000 in 10 weeks.

2.  If you can tap into that pool of emotion, they will “fall in love” and follow you anywhere.

That’s how Elvis became a national sensation in a year.

Here are some tips on how to tap into the emotion that’s waiting for you.

1. Court your market as if they were a single person.  Nothing is more seductive to people that the feeling that they are desired.  (Not “sold to” – desired!)
2. Ask yourself:  Are you secretly afraid of arousing emotion in others?  Many of us are trained not to.  Yet this is at the heart of superb marketing.
3. You do not have to create visible emotion.  If you are a professional, the emotions you arouse may be invisible in your audience, but they will be there:   a burning desire for more money, safety, love, health, status or time.
4. Break down your product or service all the way back to the deepest emotion it can arouse Example:  Insurance > Protection > Safe from Harm  > Love for your family
5. Now break it down even further.  What are the secondary benefits?  What scenes do you see?
   Example:  Insurance:  Love > Your aging parents playing with their grandchildren, your baby playing in a safe and protected home, your partner or your beloved pet getting all the medical care they need
6. Use these secondary scenes that you have called up.  Use them in your ezines, web sites, videos, mailers, and speeches. 
7. These “secondary scenes” are the REAL BENEFITS that you are offering.   They are the beating heart of your service or product.  They are the benefits that call up the deep emotion that already exists in your market…

…just waiting for you to tap it.

No one buys a service or a product.  They buy better lives. 

Why not give them what they want?

When it was her turn, Julie said, “So many professionals, especially women, think they’re not ready to raise their fees, or get bigger in their business. I show them how to get the mind-set and the confidence they need to grow. You can have all the marketing tools, but if you don’t have the mind-set, it won’t be very effective.”

Great idea, but here’s the response she got:

“Julie! You’re in Service Mode! Get out of Service Mode!”

1.  Her service,
2.  The problem,
3.  And what she offered.

Julie was not talking about the Transformation – the big Jackpot that her clients paid her for.

If you don’t talk about the Jackpot – the transformation you cause in their lives…

1. They aren’t really listening (they’re pretending)
2. They don’t want what you have… because
3. The Jackpot - that transformation - is the only thing they really want.

Meanwhile you’re hanging out in Service Mode, explaining the terrible problems people have and how you solve them.

Remember people only buy what they want… not what they need – no matter how badly they need it.

And this is as true for Facebook, Twitter, and social media as it is face-to-face.

Julie laughed at how easily she was caught in Service Mode and tried again:

“After they work with me, my clients stop making excuses, they get more clients, and they raise their fees.”

But the group would not let her go without giving it her best shot.

“At my last workshop, Diana was so burned out she had tears rolling down her face.   Her business was failing because she hated to promote herself. 3 weeks later, she had 9 new clients. 3 months later, she made over $75,000.”

1. It talks only about Diana’s transformation
2. It’s a nifty emotionally-charged story that zeroes in on the Old Brain.
3. It’s personal enough to identify with. You want what Diana has.

We get caught up in explaining Our Service and the Problem and How We Solve It and zzzzzzz……

If you want to put this to work in your business right now:

1.  Think in Jackpot Mode. Don’t think “What do I do?   How can I express it so people really get it?”
2.  Instead, start telling wonderful VERY SHORT client stories.   Talk about how your clients feel after they work with you. 
   
3.  Give us the Jackpot FIRST, which is what the Old Brain wants and can make an immediate decision on. 
4.  Then, give us a second Jackpot. Save your service till later.

A multi-million dollar coach began doing this a few years ago with her speeches (you’d know her name in a heartbeat.) 

She took out the fancy technical explanations, threw away the how to’s, and began to tell wonderful stories of what happened AFTER people used her product.

Her conversion rates sky-rocketed. She out-sold the guys in the room by a long shot.

The more stories she told, the more mon^ey she made.

When you offer the Jackpot FIRST, your prospects listen with both ears. 

1. Service Mode brings you struggle, confusion, and lots of “trying.” 
2. Jackpot Mode attracts highly interested, motivated future clients, who want what you’ve got – right now.

CHALLENGE:   For the next 30 days, get out of Service Mode.

Talk and write only about the Jackpot they want, and watch what happens.