The More Clients Blog

If You're Fearing the Economy...

Today I received a link to an article in the New York Times by neuroeconomist, Dr. Gregory Berns, that hits the nail on the head about what people are going through in this economic downturn:

"Everyone I know is scared. Workers' fear has generalized to their workplace and everything associated with work and money. We are caught in a spiral in which we are so scared of losing our jobs, or our savings, that fear overtakes our brains. And while fear is a deep-seated and adaptive evolutionary drive for self-preservation, it makes it impossible to concentrate on anything."

He goes on to discuss the neurlogical roots of fear and what we can do to avoid getting sucked into this fear mentality:

"This means not being a fearmonger. It means avoiding people who are overly pessimistic about the economy. It means tuning out media that fan emotional flames. Unless you are a day-trader, it means closing the Web page with the market ticker. It does mean being prepared, but not being a hypervigilant, everyone-in-the-bunker type."

I found it an interesting article but not really much help, in that it failed to address the source of our fears. It's not the economy. That's just an external circumstance that triggers the fear. It's our thoughts about the economy. And that's really the only thing we have any control over.

Several weeks ago when the bad news on the economy started spewing out of the evening news, Internet and newspapers, I found myself thinking fearful thoughts: "We might go broke; nobody will buy my products in this economy; times are going to be bad for my business, etc."

And feelings of fear, insecurity and scarcity followed the thoughts. This was about a week after the September 29 stock market crash of 778 points in one day. Things didn't look good and I was worried, along with millions of other people.

But I had an ace up my sleeve.

No, I didn't have millions of dollars stashed in a foreign bank, waiting for a rainy day. I had something better.

I had The Work (of Byron Katie).

I pulled out a worksheet I call the "Getting Unstuck Worksheet" and spent fifteen or twenty minutes examining my thoughts, "Is it true we'll go broke? How do I react when I think that thought? Who would I be without that thought?"

Pretty soon I discovered that I didn't even have fear to fear! That was just another story, another thought. It was just all thoughts triggered by the external events in the economy. I was fine. I was completely OK. I would do well as I always had in my 24 years of being in business.

But the great thing is that in this simple realization, and with the release of the negative thoughts and feelings, I was flooded with very positive, uplifting feelings. I suddenly felt that I could do anything. I had nothing to lose.

Dr. Berns confirmed this: "The most concrete thing that neuroscience tells us is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off." But when fear is not present, the exploratory system of the brain is active, free to discover, invent, create, and risk.

My usual creative drive went into hyper-drive!

In less than a month I launched the Action Plan Marketing Club, my best work ever, and enrolled over 300 new members in only a couple weeks. I also launched the Marketing Mastery Program (the most expensive program I've ever offered) which is now half full.

I don't think about the economy much these days. At least I don't worry about it. I observe it dispassionately and then get back to my work of making a contribution.

It's certainly a better way to live.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Gary White of Pacific Crest Marketing who forwarded me this article. It got it one minute before starting to write the eZine (with no idea what I was going to write about.) I call that synchronicity!

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The More Clients Bottom Line: The economy will do what it will do. It will go up and it will go down. Are you going to let these external circumstances completely control your life and the way you feel? Use The Work (or whatever technique works for you), to get past the fear and take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that are sitting right in front of your nose.

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Are you ready to stop blaming the economy for your fear and start examining the real cause: your thoughts? Please share your insights on the More Clients Blog.

Yes You Can!

On Thanksgiving day I saw one of the most inspiring and moving TV shows of my life. It was called "CNN Heroes" (on CNN, of course), and it featured ten ordinary but extraordinary people who had done some amazing things to help people in need.

Here are four of the ten:

Marie Da Silva has lost 14 family members to AIDS. Today, the Los Angeles nanny funds a school in her native Malawi -- where half a million children have been orphaned by the disease.

Anne Mahlum used to run by homeless men each morning. Today, she's running with them, and others, (and transforming their lives in the process) as part of her "Back On My Feet" program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

David Puckett started PIPO Missions to bring ongoing prosthetic and orthotic care (replacing missing limbs) to those in need. Since November 2000, he has helped more than 420 people in southeastern Mexico, free of charge.

Liz McCartney is dedicated to helping Hurricane Katrina survivors in St. Bernard Parish, a community just outside New Orleans. Her nonprofit St. Bernard Project has rebuilt the homes of more than 120 families. Liz was named "CNN Hero of the Year."

As I watched, my mind started racing, trying to think of something I could do to give back to my community. These inspiring heroes made me realize that just giving money wasn't enough.

I wanted to do more. But what?

About fifteen minutes into the program, the "perfect idea" flashed through my mind. It was obvious, clear, and I knew it would work. I'd like to share this idea with you in today's More Clients.

Making it Happen

Over the 24 years of working with Independent Professionals, I've focused on two areas: 1. The how-tos and ins-and outs of how to attract more clients. 2. The internal work of making it happen and making goals and dreams real.

The how-tos are the simple part. Making it happen is the hard part. I was inspired by these CNN Heroes because they not only made it happen, but they all did things that were profoundly generous and that made a lasting contribution.

What is the contribution I could make?

I decided that it would be in the form of a Free Workshop that I'll offer in the San Francisco Bay Area called "YES I CAN! - Going Beyond Limits in Your Life and Business."

The only catch is that a contribution of $10 to $1000 is required (your choice how much) that will be going to my favorite local charity - The Second Harvest Food Bank.

The workshop is for anyone who is looking for a way to get past their limitations -- to growing their business and to producing results in their lives. The workshop is based on the "The Work of Byron Katie" as I've adapted it over the years for my clients, and participants in workshops and other programs.

This work makes a profound difference, but I've never felt I could dedicate enough time to it. This workshop is an opportunity to spend a full day breaking through those limitations while giving back to the community at the same time.

I plan to do the workshop at least two times a year in the Bay Area with 100 or more people. But first I will be doing a "Pilot Workshop" (to fine tune the program) in January.

Here are the details:

One Day Workshop - From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Date: Saturday, January 17
Spaces open in Pilot: 20
Held at hotel: (TBA) in the Peninsula area of SF
Tuition: Free (I don't get paid a dime)
Contribution: From $10 to $1000
Recipient: Second Harvest Food Bank

If you would like to be one of the pioneers of the Pilot Workshop, let me know by email. Also, let me know how much you'd like to contribute to Second Harvest. I'd love to get the contributions *before* Christmas. They need it now! I'll personally be contributing $500.

I expect to get a big response, so I will choose the twenty people who pledge the most for Second Harvest. In future workshops it will be first come, first served, even if you can only contribute $10.

To reserve your space, please respond to this email: sendto:[email protected]

I look forward to seeing you at the workshop!

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Making a contribution can be the most enlivening thing you can do it your life. It makes your personal problems and challenges seem small in comparison. You could see from the faces of the CNN Heros that in helping to transform the lives of others, they were also transformed.

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Please share some ways you'd like to make a big contribution next year. Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Selling High-End Programs

Last week, I told you that listening was the biggest secret to marketing success. Sadly, most won't pay attention to this as they are out there looking for the "silver bullet of marketing."

A marketing silver bullet is a strategy that takes very little time or effort, and every single time you use it, prospects flood you with calls and emails begging you to work with them, willing to pay any price you ask.

Over my 24 years in business I've seen a lot of pretty good strategies, but never one that good! And every time I see something like this promised in an email (I get a ton of them), I roll my eyes, thinking, "There they go again."

The problem with most of these schemes is that they only work for certain kinds of businesses in certain conditions. And most of the time it's impossible to duplicate those conditions.

Today I would like to share a strategy with you that I've been using for years. It's not a silver bullet, but it can work for a wide variety of professional service businesses. It's not for beginners in business, but if you have substantial experience it can definitely work for you as well.

This is the approach and strategy I teach in my Marketing Mastery Program and the strategy I've used to fill my Marketing Action Groups and Certification Programs over the past several years. I've never talked about this up to this point.

I call it "High-End, Outcome Based" programs, or HEOB for short.

An HEOB Program is a turn-key program, system or service that provides a total solution for a client. This is what you'd offer clients if they really wanted to achieve outstanding results.

The funny thing is, very few professional service businesses offer HEOB programs. Instead, they offer what might be called "generalized services" where they sell their expertise by the hour or the day. They don't sell a solution, but time and materials.

An HEOB Program is like selling a car. It's already designed, has certain components and comes at a fixed price. It's designed to produce reliable results. It comes with a guarantee. Of course you can do a little customization, as needed.

Consultants, coaches, trainers, speakers and many other professional service businesses have successfully developed, marketed, and sold HEOB programs. It's not that hard to do, so why isn't it more common? Good question...

Because HEOB programs are actually easier to market and sell.

I think you don't see this much because most independent professionals aren't using "marketing campaigns" to sell their services. They are networking, talking to people, seeing who needs some help, etc. But this is nothing like an organized, focused campaign. And that's what you need.

An HEOB Marketing Campaign looks something like this:

1. Develop the program or service. It needs to be comprehensive and deliver very high value. It can be anything that will increase results and improve outcomes for your clients. It might be a multi-day intensive training or a full-year immersion program.

2. Develop your sales process. Yes, this is next, and it needs to work like a well-oiled machine. When you find a prospect for your service, you offer them a complimentary session where you discover their needs and challenges, present your services and invite them to participate.

3. Develop your marketing materials. These days this is usually on your web site in the form of a detailed description of the HEOB Program. No price is listed. If they want to know more they need to fill out a form indicating their interest. You follow up with them by email and phone and set up the complimentary session.

4. Develop your marketing strategies. This will usually be several strategies, from networking to speaking, to announcements in your eZine, to mailings to those you joint venture with. The whole purpose of all of these activities is to point them towards your marketing materials online.

There you have it. Using this basic strategy over the past few years I've generated hundreds of thousands in program revenues. When I discovered this approach, I was amazed at how relatively easy it was. And it was a lot less work that signing up clients one at a time for individual coaching services.

Again, it's no silver bullet, there's no such thing, but it sure does work!

Maybe it's time to develop your own HEOB marketing program?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: A High-End, Outcome-Based Program can be the very best approach to marketing and selling your services. If you have a high level of skill in your field and can be counted on to produce the very best outcomes for your clients, this is something you can do.

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Have you offered some version of an HEOB Program? How did it work for you? Please share on the More Clients Blog.