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My topic for today is about something that most people who teach marketing and client attraction don’t ever speak about. It is about getting your spouse on board to believe in you. I work with hundreds and hundreds of entrepreneurs. Most of them are women in my Client Attraction Winners Academy. Invariably throughout the course of the year or just as someone is wanting to work with me they’ll express, “I really want to do this, but I wonder if my husband or my spouse or my partner will let me.”

I always find that fascinating—the  “let me” part. Now, for you it could be your family or business partner who isn’t “letting you”. I’m always fascinated by that and say, “Well, this is your business. Why are you letting other people make decisions?” But, I also see it from the spouse’s point of view because often entrepreneurs are married to non-entrepreneurs and I don’t just mean that “they have a job and you have a business.”
(Click here to tweet this.)

There’s more to it because it’s also in the wiring. As an entrepreneur you are somebody who begins things. Entrepreneur comes from the French word entreprendre, which means to start things, to begin something brand new. You’re an entrepreneur, while others are follow-through people, who like to do things in a different way. Usually, the entrepreneur is wired in a different way than their spouse. There are plenty of assessment tests that show that.

In a relationship, sometimes the spouse is the person who is more calculated and less of a risk taker. So anything that you do in your business is looked at as new and might be judged by your partner as, “Oh, no.  Here she/he goes again, starting something new. Why can’t you do something safe?”  Well, we as entrepreneurs are natural risk takers. It could be calculated risks, but we’re still taking risks. It’s all in the wiring.

If you want to get your partner or spouse to believe in you, there are a few things that I recommend:

1. Involve them in your learning. If you are learning how to get more clients, involve your spouse or your partner in the learning with you. If you’re learning from me, watch these videos together. Again, if you’re learning from me and if you’ve invested in one of my programs then go through the program with them. If a live meeting or if there’s a live component, it’s especially important that you do whatever you can to involve your spouse.

Many years ago I would say to my husband, Derek, “I don’t understand why you don’t pay attention? You don’t really put a lot of effort into finding out more about my business.” He was supportive in all of the right ways. He just didn’t really have any interest. I’d say, “I need you to know about my business.” His response was, “I don’t feel like I need to tell you about fixed income technology and what I do at work at the end of each day.” I always responded that it’s different because when it’s your own business it’s like a part of you. It’s like a limb or a child.

But, the minute that I involved Derek in the learning by taking him to a marketing seminar and then a mindset seminar he became very, very involved.

2. Show your spouse or partner how hard you are working at implementing what you’re learning. Your partner probably wonders if this is just another thing that you’re into, “Oh, here you go again.”  So, if you attend a seminar, make sure that you implement everything and share how you’re doing this with them.

If you are learning from a mentor or coach like my clients work with me, show your partner how much you’ve implemented because obviously you don’t get results from things you don’t implement.  They want to see the return on investment, so show them that!  Show them that the proof is in the pudding. Show them the money because if they see that they can be more supportive of you.

3. Reassure them. They might not be supportive because they feel threatened a little bit. Maybe they’re threatened that you have this great business and you’re getting such satisfaction and meaning and fulfillment out of it.  They could also feel threatened that you will move on.  Once you get famous in your business there may be this subconscious, underlying thought that says, “Oh, what if he or she gets so successful that they’ll leave me behind.” I know this is something that most people don’t talk about, but we see it on a daily basis and I’ve experienced it myself.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

If you do all of these things—you reassure your partner that you’re staying there and you’re getting great results and you’re getting a return on investment and you involve them, you will begin as I did, to get above and beyond the support that you’ve been getting so far in your business. Try it.  It really works.

We’ve done this with hundreds of clients at this point.  Sometimes the spouse or the partner quits their job like mine did and comes full time into the business.  This may not be what you’re looking for, but sometimes it happens too. Good luck!

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Charles Ogwyn of MyInternetMarketingPartner.com shares his experience as a Gold Mastermind client in the Client Attraction Winners Academy.

“A year ago I had a nice corporate job that was extremely stressful. But, it wasn’t what I wanted and I needed a way out. The prospect of starting a business from scratch and at the same time having the responsibility of a wife and children to provide for – it was totally overwhelming. I didn’t know exactly where to go forward.

Well, here I am a year later from having quit my corporate job – and I just finished my biggest week ever in my business. The whole experience of entrepreneurial freedom has been life changing. I love being able to see my girls and have breakfast, lunch and dinner with them. Clients send me testimonials that touch me deeply when I hear the impact my contribution has made in their lives.

The Gold Mastermind helped me implement and the accountability is absolutely crucial for keeping me moving forward. The program propels me to implement and move forward faster.

Looking back, I had all the cliché reasons not to join, “I can’t afford this. People will think I’m crazy.” After meeting Fabienne at my first meeting I was absolutely 100% convinced that she is authentic, the real deal. I’m so glad that I stepped out of my own way to join.”

If you are just starting your practice, you may feel like you are stuck in a vortex of confusion about your marketing and what comes first. For example, so many clients have asked me, “How can I get out there when I don’t have my website yet? Not having a finished website can keep people from establishing a brand, getting a logo designed, printing up business cards, and more. When everything hinges on a completed and working website, it seems like nothing else can move forward.

But, this is a big fallacy for people and I say this lovingly – it is total nonsense.

“Here is the truth – a website by itself doesn’t fill a business.” (Click here to tweet this.)

As I have said many times, in the beginning there are only three things you need for Client Attraction:
1. Network to meet lots of people
2. Speak to build awareness of what you do and give people a taste of your expertise
3. Have a “stay-in-touch” marketing vehicle like the warm letter or an ezine

Notice I did not say “website” as one of these three essential marketing elements. Most people hide behind a website instead of getting out there to meet people and add value. At the start of things you don’t even need the ezine. You can hold off a bit while you start building your list.

While a website is a crucial marketing vehicle today, you don’t need that to start. So, don’t allow this to be your excuse not to get out there.

To start, you can print a simple business card. Then focus on networking and speaking, so you can set up those important “get acquainted” calls to close new clients. Then as your practice begins to fill, you can work on your branding which will be used for designing your logo, your website, your business card, and other printed materials.

Business cards are inexpensive so don’t worry about having to reprint them. If you do the networking correctly, you’ll need to reprint them anyway. Branding and websites both continue to evolve as your business grows and matures. This is to be expected and a normal part of the business cycle. I’ve changed my business name and branding several times over the past 12 years.

So, no more procrastinating with client attraction because of your website’s status. Get out and meet some new people and build your practice today.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Do you know what networking events are in your area? Check out the business section of your local paper and search the web as well. Make a list of everything that is available and seems like a good fit for you. Then pick the ones you want to attend first and mark them in your calendar. Be sure to practice your elevator pitch before attending and you will be on your way to attracting clients!

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.