The More Clients Blog

Live LIfe Fully

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

On the day after Christmas, my mom passed away in Victoria, Canada. She was 90 years old. She lived an extraordinarily full life and, without a doubt, is responsible for all that is good in me.

She was a tireless fighter for social causes, most notably the indigenous people of Canada. And throughout her life she exemplified this saying from G.I. Gurdjieff:

"To be outwardly courteous to all without distinction, whether they be rich or poor, friends or enemies, power-possessors or slaves, and to whatever religion or race they may belong, but inwardly to remain free and never to put much trust in anyone or anything."

This eZine really isn't a place to talk in depth about my mother, but I felt it appropriate to share a few quotes about living life fully, knowing death is around the corner for all of us. Interestingly, these are all from Steve Jobs.

"Almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Next week I'll continue with practical marketing applications on the "Law of Appreciation."

 

 

 

The Law of Appreciation

By Robert Middleotn - Action Plan Marketing

Years ago, I passed on a tip to a client that she took to heart. I told her to send thank-you notes to her clients. I met her several years afterwards and she told me, "You know that tip you gave me to send thank-you notes? Well, that's the secret that filled my practice. I keep doing it and, as a result, get a constant stream of referrals."

In today's More Clients I'm going to explain exactly why this works. Sit back and enjoy reading, as it's the most important marketing lesson I will ever teach.

In the movie and the book, "The Secret," the secret is simple, powerful and true - but incomplete. The secret is, "The Law of Attraction" which asserts that we attract what we think about.

In the 1920's Napoleon Hill published "The Law of Success" and in 1937, "Think and Grow Rich." He also focused on the Law of Attraction, but on so much more.

Some of his principles included: A definite aim, the mastermind, self-confidence, imagination, enthusiasm, the habit of doing more than paid for, concentration, cooperation, tolerance and several other traits essential for success.

He emphasized that ALL of these were important, not just having a clear and definite aim, which is the essence of the law of attraction.

But if you read Think and Grow Rich, in the preface he talks about another secret principle that he asserts is more important than all the others and is the key to all the others working. He didn't write a specific chapter for this, but let the reader know that this secret could be found in every chapter of the book if they spent the time to search.

So not only did Hill lay out the laws and principles of success, he presented a mystery to the reader. What was this other principle and why was it so important?

Well, that's what today's eZine is about.

I did some research about this recently and upon discovering it, so many things fell into place. This principle wasn't new to me, it's just that I never quite saw it as THE key to everything else as far as success (and fulfillment and happiness) is concerned.

The secret is none other than "The Golden Rule," often stated as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Most of us see this as a simple moral code that we tend to agree with, but few of us understand how it can help us achieve success. When you understand the depth of this secret it can pave the way to a level of success beyond anything you can currently imagine.

A little history.

The Golden Rule is thought of by many as a Christian precept, but it actually goes back over 4,000 years. I did a little research on Wikipedia and discovered that all the well-known prophets and teachers of wisdom emphasized this as the key to life and success.

They include Confusious, Socrates and Buddah. It's found in the Qu'ran, the Bhagavad-Gita and throughout the Bible. It has been expressed in subtly different ways, yet all saying essentially the same thing.

Naploeon Hill points out that there is a law behind the Golden Rule called "the law of reciprocity" or "you reap what you sow." This has also been expressed in many different ways over the years. Some call it the "Law of Karma" or "What you put out, positive or negative, ultimately comes back to you."

OK, all of this makes sense; this is certainly a good principle, but if we only go this far we still don't understand enough for this law to have a major impact on our lives. Perhaps the simplest way to express this law is, "treat others as you would like to be treated" or perhaps even better, "treat others as they would like to be treated."

But how exactly do people want to be treated? Well, that's not so hard; people want to be treated fairly, with respect, understanding and kindness.

But even that doesn't go deeply enough. Something is still missing. What treatment do people want more than anything else?

The answer is in the "contribution koan" that states: "What people want more than anything else is to make a contribution, to make a difference. If we take that statement as true, then what is the greatest contribution a person can possibly make?"

Read this over and see if you come up with an answer. You may see that the answer is not hidden, it's right there.

The answer:

"The greatest contribution one can possibly make is to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution that others make."

And this is the greatest secret to success that virtually nobody knows or practices. Those who truly understand this and do implement it, will have success, fulfillment and happiness beyond their wildest dreams.

Perhaps the best name for this law is "The Law of Appreciation" which could be expressed as:

"As I would want my contributions to be recognized, acknowledged, validated and appreciated, I would recognize, acknowledge, validate and appreciate the contributions of others."

Why does this work so powerfully? Consider...

- Who do we enjoy working for and with the most? Those who genuinely appreciate us.

- What teachers did we love the most? Those who paid attention to us, validated us and encouraged us to do better.

- What marriages work the best? The ones where partners acknowledge, validate and appreciate each other continuously.

- What business associates help us the most? The ones that we pay attention to, appreciate and acknowledge.

- What clients give us the most business? The ones we understand the best and who we appreciate the most.

Another even simpler way to put it:

"A genuine, heartfelt, appreciative "thank-you" makes people like us, help us, want to work with us and to refer us."

And that takes us back to the thank-you notes and how they transformed my client's business. I didn't even realize it at the time, but this strategy was simply "The Law of Appreciation" in action.

Give some serious thought to this law. I believe, without a shred of doubt, that this law can transform your business, your marketing and your life.

Next week, I'll share some practical applications of the "Law of Appreciation."

Thank you for reading this eZine, thank you for passing it along, but especially, thank for for applying its ideas to realize more success and fulfillment in your business and marketing.

All the best, and Happy Holidays!

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The More Clients Bottom Line: The Law of Attraction is important, but it is overshadowed by the Law of Appreciation. Those people which you appreciate the most will tend to return the favor. Make a definite plan to find ways to appreciate your clients, your associates, your prospects, and everyone else in your business and life, and I promise you'll see some amazing results.

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How are you applying the Law of Appreciation in your business? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Three High-End Marketing Models

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

For many people, the idea of "high-end marketing" or "high-end clients" simply means setting the prices for your current services higher. In fact that's what people always used to tell me: "Robert, you've got to raise your prices."

But for some reason, I just couldn't get it. I couldn't make that work for me.

Over the years I've discovered that high-end marketing is much more complex, and today I'd like to make some of that complexity a little simpler so that attracting high-end clients becomes more approachable for you as well.

I use an acronym that I think is useful: "HEOB" - High-End, Outcome-Based services and programs. This means that you focus on developing services and programs that are higher-end and that also deliver a tangible outcome. You've got to have both.

Another way of looking at it is that you shift your focus from pricing to value. You work at developing new services and programs that have substantially more value than the services and programs you've been offering up to now.

There are many ways to package such services but I'd like to focus on three that I've worked with the most and have seen the best results with my clients.

I call them the Patrick Summar, Kendalll Summerhawk and Alan Weiss models. They are all very different except that they are all versions of HEOBs, that is programs and services that deliver very high value.

Patrick Summar is a close friend of mine whom I've helped with his business and marketing over the years. Patrick is a business coach who primarily works with business owners who want to take their business to the next level while still having a life.

Here are some of the elements of Patrick's model:

1. He works with clients who can justify a much higher fee. Patrick charges his clients about $2500 per month (for weekly meetings) and at any time is only working with six to eight clients.

2. He puts a big premium on service. For every hour he works with a client he puts in an hour of preparation. Part of that time is studying the client's "pre-call report" that the client sends in before every session with Patrick.

3. The pre-call report is central to the success of Patrick's clients. It forces them to look at what's working and not working, issues they need to focus on and opportunities they want to pursue. It also provides data for Patrick about how his clients are progressing.

4. Patrick does a quarterly review of his clients' progress to see how they are doing overall and to validate the value of the coaching. By pointing out where the client was three months ago and where they are now, the client sees how far they have come and almost always wants to continue working with Patrick.

5. Patrick doesn't require long-term contracts. He only ask that they make a three-month commitment at a time (and he doesn't even enforce this). Patrick's clients want to stay with him because he is helping them produce the results that justify his fee.

6. Patrick's marketing activity is mostly networking. He is currently working on other marketing approaches but I've been impressed that he can generate a multiple six-figure income mostly by referrals.

The next Model was inspired by Kendall Sumerhawk. Kendall offers a variety of high-end programs for small business owners. Her big focus is on group programs. This is the model closest to how I work and the Marketing Mastery Program is very close to her model.

Here are some of the elements of Kendall's and my model.

1. The key concept is to offer a "high-level group program" that really immerses the clients in your work. This means a long-term program (often a year) that includes workshops, conference calls, study materials, individual coaching and email feedback.

2. The aim of all these programs is for the business owner to master a certain body of knowledge and set of skills that will make a measurable impact on their life and business.

3. It's important to point out that individual workshops are neither a viable business model nor an effective medium for instilling long-term change. It takes time and work to change. This kind of program is very successful in producing the ultimate results a client is looking for.

4. Reporting, tracking and other systems, such as Patrick uses, are also key elements in high-end group programs. Individual attention, coaching, and feedback are essential. Programs that are "information only" simply don't get the job done.

5. Leveraging the contribution of others is also highly recommended. Creating a Google Group or other interactive communication system is key. Putting people into small mastermind groups, setting up sub-groups to work on projects and doing everything possible to encourage "cross-pollination" makes a big difference in increasing participant commitment.

6. In my experience, online marketing, teleclasses and live presentations are the most effective marketing vehicles for high-end group programs. One of my most effective practices is to have people apply from my programs. I only want participants who have very big goals and a willingness to play 100%.

The next model, inspired by Alan Weiss and outlined in his book "Million Dollar Consulting," is best for offering in-house services and programs to small, medium, and large companies. No matter what model you use, I highly recommend his book.

Here are some elements of Alan's model:

1. Above all, you need to remember that you are offering a solution, not a process. Processes (such as training, coaching and consulting) become commodities and push the price down. Solutions, on the other hand, deliver measurable results and command a premium price.

2. HEOB services and programs, can include many modalities. Several of the participants in the Marketing Mastery Program, for instance, offer a combination of assessments, training, consulting and coaching. The synergy of utilizing several of them together will accelerate client results.

3. You want to design an HEOB program or programs, with the understanding that some customization will also be required. Companies want programs that are made for them exclusively. However by assembling various existing modalities one can create high-impact programs with relative ease.

4. The challenge in offering such programs is getting past a company's request to "just do a two-day leadership program" or offer "a couple months of management coaching" to an executive who is underperforming. The question is, will such an approach really produce a result or merely "fit their current budget"?

5. It pays to be picky about the companies you work with. You may need to spend considerable time in selling conversations. One best practice is to partner with the client to build the proposal so that you stay on the same page. Only add a price tag when you are in complete alignment.

6. Marketing to companies usually requires networking, publishing articles and perhaps books (Alan has written over 25!), and my personal favorite, speaking engagements. All of these marketing activities highlight you as an infoguru or expert in your field.

In the Marketing Mastery Program we work with self-employed professionals on the model appropriate to their business. No one size fits all and we work on developing unique HEOB programs and marketing plans that consistently attracts their ideal clients.

To learn more about these High-End Marketing Models please attend my TeleClass on Thursday the 16th titled: "What's Working to Attract High-End Clients Right Now"

You can make your reservation at this link:

http://actionplan.com/apmmm.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: There is more than one kind of high-end program, however, almost all professionals can succeed at developing an HEOB that is a good fit for their experience, skills and preferred clients. But yes, it takes a fair amount of work and guidance. However, if you want to make or exceed a six-figure income, this is the path you need to follow.

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Are you currently offering some kind of HEOB program? What's your model? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.

Fooled by Randomness

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

In 2001 Nassim Nicholas Taleb wrote a book called "Fooled by Randomness" that explored how random occurrences (in finances, politics, climate, etc.), that were unpredictable, could have more of an impact on us than all the predictable occurrences.

Examples are 9/11, Katrina and the Mortgage crises of 2008.

Everything is perking along just fine and you're conducting your life as if nothing could go wrong and - POW! - you're hit by a random, extreme occurrence that throws everything off course.

But maybe up to that time you were succeeding just by dumb luck or favorable circumstances that you really don't have much control over, such as native intelligence, education, your parents, and where you were brought up.

I've seen this over and over again with Independent Professionals. Their businesses are succeeding despite themselves. Perhaps this is familiar to you:

You've worked for some time in your business and it's grown mostly by word-of-mouth. You focus a lot on doing great work for your current clients and depend mainly on referrals to gain new clients. You haven't put much time and effort into your marketing because you haven't seen a need for it.

But then something happens that is unforeseen. A big client leaves, the economy hits another blip, the technology changes, and before you know it, your business is reduced by half and you don't know where your next client is going to come from.

This is called the "Wake-Up-Call."

"Ohmygod, what am I going to do? I did well in good times but everything is changing and I'm not getting as many referrals anymore. My clients are disappearing and I have no idea what to do or how to attract more clients."

It's often hard to get that it was your fault.

You were succeeding because the circumstances favored success. Remember the famous dot com bubble from 1995 to 2000? If you were investing in technology stocks then, you were making a killing. But on March 10, 2000 the market dropped like a rock and didn't start to recover until October 2002.

Were you a genius when you were investing during the bubble? No, you were just lucky - for a short time. Same with the mortgage crisis of 2008. Things were on a big upswing for a few years until it all came crashing down.

The equivalent of that for self-employed professionals is called "The Roller Coaster Syndrome." When you have a lot of business you're paying no attention to marketing. After all, you're doing great. But when things crash, as they inevitably do, you scramble around frantically trying to drum up new business.

Repeat this over and over, year-by-year and you have an approximate picture of what your business and marketing look like. And the costs are significant:

- Very little long-term momentum in your business
- Generally unable to consistently meet financial goals
- Frustration with your overall marketing ineffectiveness
- Reliance on "magic strategy" marketing that rarely works

And mind you, this is for Independent Professionals who would generally be considered successful! If this fits you, at least you are doing high quality work and you do generate a certain amount of word-of-mouth business and referrals from satisfied clients.

I won't even mention the unsuccessful ones (who happen to be the majority). Most of them don't even earn a living at their chosen profession, or take years to do so.

So now, being aware of this, what do you do?

Understand that up to now ongoing success in your business is largely due to hard work and favorable circumstances. But what can you do to overcome randomness and be successful in your business, good times or bad?

Well, you know what I'm going to say: Work on developing your marketing knowledge, skills and plans and direct your focus, as Tony Robbins says:

"One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular."

If you make the decision to put your focus on mastering marketing for your business, you will still work hard, but you'll be less subject to the ups and downs of the economy and other external events that you have no control over.

Marketing becomes your ultimate success tool.

To learn more about what successful marketers are doing to attract clients consistently I'd like to invite you to a special teleclass called: "What's Working to Attract High-End Clients Right Now." My guests will be several members of my current Marketing Mastery Program who will share what they are learning about marketing and how they are applying it to their businesses with impressive results.

Make your reservation here:

http://actionplan.com/apmmm.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Don't be fooled by randomness. If you don't take on marketing seriously, you will be subject to the ebb and flow of external events you have no control over. Master marketing and you'll have the skills and the tools to keep attracting the ideal clients year in and year out.

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What unexpected events have blindsided your business? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.