As a business owner working towards reaching the six-figure mark, you may run the risk of working yourself into the ground. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs as you revamp and tweak things to get to the next level. The problem is that when you work so hard that you start to burn out and deplete your energy, you actually can become “client unattractive” instead of “client attractive.”
Speaking for myself, when this happens I become cranky, resentful and sort of snappy… This is not the right energy or mindset for client attraction.
Here is the number one most important thing for you to realize as a self-employed individual:
There is no such thing as a completed to-do list.
Maybe this is possible in the corporate world, but it’s not for business owners. We always have more ideas about how to grow the company. That’s why it makes sense to follow these strategies to avoid overdoing things.
1. Set boundaries. When it’s getting late in the day and you are at the end of your rope, ask yourself, “Will anyone be harmed if I don’t complete this today?” This may sound like I’m going against my “no excuses” approach, but it’s different really…
Of course I want you to be willing to do what others are not willing to do and take the no excuses approach. The question is, “At what price?” You have a life, and you may have a spouse and children. Overtaxing yourself is not fair to anybody, especially you.
That’s why you must draw the line in the sand and have an end time to your day. At 5:30 or 6 or 7 P.M., you are done. Anything beyond this time will not be nearly as productive as you could be if you approached the task the next day after some rest. Make this end time non-negotiable and stick to it relentlessly.
2. Carve out time for business development. Sometimes the problem has to do with working in your business vs. working on it. That’s why I would rather carve out a day to focus on business development then try cramming it in late at night. In the end, overworking limits your ability to listen for the divine guidance you need. When you are too busy, you start ignoring the signs and gentle guidance. Set aside time to work on your business and separate this from your daily activities.
3. Understand your to-do list is never done. Sometimes you have to let yourself off the hook and the hardest boundary is often with yourself. Your to-do list will not get finished today – and that’s OK. If you rest and keep yourself energized, you’ll stay healthy and enthusiastic to tackle that list tomorrow. Your quality of life is very important. On occasion you may choose to work late, but not on a regular basis, so as to enjoy other aspects of life as well.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Create a list of standards and terms of what you will accept for your life. Set boundaries and rules for yourself around these things and then stick to them to avoid burnout. It really is just as simple as that, and it will make all the difference in your quality of life.
This is just one of the many best practices we dive deep into with the students of The Client Attraction Business School, the premier training school for growth-minded entrepreneurs looking to quickly attract more clients and make more money. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.ClientAttractionBusinessSchool.com for more details. To speak to an enrollment coach, click here.
I’m thrilled to introduce you to one of our standout students of The Client Attraction Business School™, Soul Wise Living Mentor Laura Clark. Please welcome Laura as a guest contributor to the Client Attraction blog. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please post your comments and questions below. ~ Fabienne. Connect with Laura on Facebook here.
A deep understanding of your ideal client will guide you to always do your best work. Focusing on your ideal client, their pain points and the fact that you are their best solution allows positive energy to flow into your work. This knowledge will enhance your marketing efforts and attract ideal clients to you in greater numbers, all while allowing you to step forward with your true purpose and succeed as an entrepreneur.
The Law of Attraction states that a focus on positive energy brings positive energy, and this mindset will help you in your business. One of the best practices for gaining a deep understanding of your ideal client while incorporating the Law of Attraction is to create an Ideal Client Vision Board.
Create An Ideal Client Vision Board
Making an Ideal Client Vision Board is a fun and engaging way to keep the energy flowing, fuel your growth and expand your business.
In case you aren’t familiar with this sacred tool, a Vision Board is a collage of images, pictures and affirmations of your dreams. (It is also known as a dream board, a treasure map, a vision map or Soul Collage™.) A vision board allows you to focus on your desires and works in harmony with the Law Of Attraction. The more you see the vision, the more it is attracted to you. It is a powerful tool to your dreams.
However, the Ideal Client Vision Board is different. This Vision Board is designed specifically to attract your Ideal Client and to keep you focused on how you can be of service to them in your business. It is a pleasant reminder of you your Ideal Client Profile, designed to focus on their pain points, challenges and hopes for change. Keeping your ideal client in mind is vital as an entrepreneur. Knowing that you are the best resource for their challenges allows you to bring positive energy into the work you do.
An Ideal Client Vision Board does not have to be difficult to create and won’t take much of your precious time. The following is a quick guideline to creating a simple vision board:
1) Choose the size of your Ideal Client Vision Board. I suggest no larger than 8 x 10, so it’s easily accessible and you can keep it nearby at all times.
2) Focus on your Ideal Client: who they are, their pain points and the results you offer them.
3) Find images in magazines or online, cut them out and arrange them on the board. Once you’re happy with the placement, use glue to set your images in place.
4) Keep this Ideal Client Vision Board by your computer and in sight, especially during times you are writing to or speaking with prospective
Another easier method is to simply cut out a photo or two of your Best Client Ever and use that as your vision board. In fact, this is what I have now. On my desk, I have before and after photos of my Best Client Ever, prior to working with me and after having worked with me. Being reminded of her transformation brings me joy and fuels my purpose.
A deep understanding of your ideal client will guide you to always do your best work. (Click here to tweet this.)
Being an entrepreneur is a full contact sport. You must continually fuel yourself with positive energy to step through the challenges. By using an Ideal Client Vision Board, you keep positive energy flowing around you and your clients, engage the Law of Attraction and spearhead your business forward.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you created an Ideal Client Vision Board? Take time now to grab a few images and get started! See how it energizes your work over the next few days. Don’t forget to post below and share your Ideal Client Vision Board and results with us. 🙂
Laura Clark is known as the Soul Wise Living Mentor and teaches a unique blend of spiritual awakening tools to quickly create breakthroughs for people to achieve their goals and aspirations. These tools allow her clients to quiet down the chaotic chatter within, calm their emotions and find their own inner compass. By using these tools, her clients easily re-align to see their own brilliance to live in joy – no matter the challenges they face. Learn more about Laura at SoulwiseLiving.com.
This is just one of the many best practices we dive deep into with the students of The Client Attraction Business School, the premier training school for growth-minded entrepreneurs looking to quickly attract more clients and make more money. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.ClientAttractionBusinessSchool.com for more details. To speak to an enrollment coach, click here.
This (very) personal note was not something I expected to write you today, and at the risk of sounding overly emotional or sentimental, I will admit to you that my eyes are welled up in tears as I write this. Today, this special day, is one that means the world to me…
free·dom
ˈfrēdəm/
noun
1.the power or right to act, speak, [do business] or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Today happens to be the day that most people celebrate as Independence Day in the US. Yes, it’s meant to mark the holiday in the United States commemorating the declaration of independence from the United Kingdom. And yes, there are the requisite barbeques, fireworks and the red, white and blue everywhere (you should actually see how my house is decorated, inside and out! I’ll post pictures today on Facebook, for you to see…)
But for me this is a very personal holiday, one that brings tears to my eyes because it’s so meaningful.
You see, back in 1999, the week of the 4th of July was when I walked away from Corporate America for good, from collecting a paycheck from someone else, from doing mindless things I didn’t like doing and that weren’t actually making a difference, from being someone other than who I really was and from apparent “security.”
It was the week that I took the great leap of faith, against the advice of many people who loved me and wanted the “best” for me. It was the week that I started my own business, a nutrition business out of my 300 square foot apartment in midtown Manhattan, even though I knew nothing about being self-employed.
It may have been hot and muggy that week in the city, I may have had some doubts before making my decision, but I now felt light as air, giddy from the all-encompassing sense of freedom that came from drawing a line in the sand and declaring my own independence. It felt like I’d been released from a prison sentence.
Yes, I went through some turbulent times in the beginning. Naively, I started my own business not knowing how to market or get clients. I didn’t realize that doing marketing and sales in corporate is soooooo completely different from selling yourself, and that you actually need to follow a proven system. And yes, I felt lost, without a plan, and I had to figure out my own Client Attraction System without anyone’s help. Yes, I went about it through blood, sweat and tears. Sadly, The Client Attraction Business School™ didn’t exist back then…
But through hell and high water, alone and clueless, I made it. Yes, the gamble and the sleepless nights paid off after all. And you know what?
I wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Yes, entrepreneurship IS a full contact sport. Yes, it’s not for the faint at heart.
It’s for people with a big heart, a big vision and for those who want to make a difference and who are willing to do whatever it takes.
Entrepreneurship is a private club that I am incredibly proud to belong to, one that I will never, ever leave.
Why? Because…
I realize now that I’m completely unemployable (and unapologetic about it.)
I am a passionate rebel who is proud to shake up the status quo and be of service to other entrepreneurs around the world, with all the gifts that were divinely given to me.
And because I get to change lives every day, and no amount of “security” from an outside job could ever give me that feeling of being here on purpose, for a purpose, with a purpose.
I am proud, immensely proud, to call myself an entrepreneur, because I know in every cell of my body that entrepreneurs are some of the most courageous people on the planet, with the biggest hearts, the most determination and ultimately, are the ones who change the world.
And that means you too.
Whether or not we’ve ever met in person, please know that I champion you, I respect you, I admire you for bucking the status quo and doing your own thing, and I love you from afar.
Wherever you may be in the world, and whatever your own “independence day” was from working for someone else, even if that day is still ahead of you – TODAY, I celebrate your courage, your passion and your stick-to-it-ness.
Thank you for being on this journey with me.
Here’s to our freedom…
With love (and wiping tears from my cheeks),
Fabienne
p.s. Would you please take a moment to add a comment below? I’d like to hear from you about this. 1) Tell me what it means to YOU to be an entrepreneur, and 2) Why did you start your own business? I started my own business because I wanted to be free and to make a bigger difference in people’s lives than what I was doing in corporate. What about you? (I’d love to know!)
If you have an office or store front location, running an open house event is a powerful way to attract new clients. This gives prospects a chance to meet you and that helps them to get to know and like you to build trust. People do business with those they know and like.
The question is how do you spread the word and get people to attend? You want the room to be full for this event to be most effective. My favorite strategies are below to help you pack the house.
1. Create a powerful reason to attend. Put yourself in your ideal clients’ shoes and ask “What would compel me to attend this event?” Everyone is kind of skeptical, so you need a big draw to get people interested. You could hand out prizes, but make them connected to your business. Or run a networking event. There’s got to be a “What’s in it for me?” reason to get people to attend in big numbers.
2. Choose a day mid-week for the best response. Most people would rather not spend a night they usually go out to attend an open house. That’s why earlier in the week, Tuesday and Wednesday night, work better. Thursday and Friday nights, people rather spend with their partners, friends, or family.
3. Create a flyer. Communicating all your event details in a flyer makes sharing the event easy. Keep it simple, but do include all the details.
4. Hand out your flyer everywhere you network. Having a flyer makes your life easier because all the details are in one place. You can pass them out at your BNI meeting and any where you plan to network.
5. Email the flyer or announcement to your list. Email marketing is still a powerful way to communicate details. Use a catchy subject line to improve the open rate so more people learn about the event.
6. Post your event on Social Media. Let your fans know about the event so they can attend. Ask fans to share the event with their friends to spread the word beyond your reach.
7. Send a press release to the local paper. If your event is free, newspapers will often publish your event in the calendar section. You can also post to your town’s Patch.com which is your local news source online.
8. Ask your clients to bring friends to the event. Enlist your friends, family and colleagues for help to fill the room.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
If you haven’t tried an open house event, try one soon. Spend time brainstorming a strong program title. Come up with the compelling reason to attend – the prizes, networking or what will draw people to the event. Then implement the program to meet lots of new prospects interested in what you do.
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 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.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”352″]http://youtu.be/VrWALz6JiVg?hd=1[/youtube]
Today’s video strategy is how to hire effectively. I want to be really transparent with you on this topic. We hired our first full time, in-person employee three years ago and she’s still with us, which is so great. However, a lot of the people that we hired afterward are no longer working for our company. That’s because we hired very ineffectively. They were all lovely people, they just weren’t the right people.
If you want to leverage your business and multiply, you have got to get some help. You cannot do it on your own anymore. We all have that ICF, the Inner Control Freak. Yes, you have to have it to be an entrepreneur, otherwise you wouldn’t get stuff done, but there gets to be a point at which you can’t do everything by yourself. Instead, you must delegate so you can make more money and serve more clients and do more good work in the world.
“The key to a fantastic team is hiring people who are naturally good at what you’re not.” (Click here to tweet this.)
At Client Attraction, we’ve become so much better in our hiring effectiveness. Whether you’re thinking about hiring your very first virtual assistant (at one point, I had nine virtual assistants) or your very first in-person employee, I’ve got 4 important tips to share with you in this week’s video.
1. Identify everything you’re still doing yourself that is outside of your genius work—your unique brilliance. Write it all down. Are you still doing your own scheduling or order processing? Are you still doing your own filing and making copies? Identify everything that you’re still doing in your business that really doesn’t generate revenue for your business.
2. Identify what type of person you need to do those things. Let me explain what I mean by that. This has happened to me and then it happened to one of my clients very recently. She was growing her business with our help, pretty rapidly. She decided she needed an administrative assistant. So she wrote an ad—but here’s the mistake. The ad she wrote sounded like she was looking for another one of her. We all make that mistake. You are not looking to hire another you. Instead, you are looking to hire somebody who complements you—someone who is good at what you’re not necessarily good at.
Let’s say you are somebody who’s really into working with clients. You’re enthusiastic and outgoing and you come up with lots of new ideas, some of which you don’t always finish. You’re somebody who likes to start things, but not necessarily finish them. You get pulled in different directions by bright shiny objects. You do NOT want to hire someone like that—someone who’s just like you.
The key to hiring and having a fantastic team is to hire people who are good at the stuff you are not good at. If you look at your list and it’s a lot of stuff that’s routine, follow-through stuff where you have to do research or lots of minutiae you don’t want to hire somebody who’s like you—great at starting things but not finishing things.
I work with lots and lots of people, clients who are leveraging their business and this is where they make a mistake. They hire another one of themselves. The key is to figure out what kind of person you need and it’s usually not another you.
3. Create an ad. You’re growing to create an ad that you’ll post on Craigslist or other favorite job posting site but you’re going to use words that that type of person would respond to. You might respond to, “This is an exciting opportunity. We’re looking for enthusiastic, outgoing people.” But you will then attract just more people like you.
On the other hand, if you’re writing an ad for somebody who’s going to help you with operations or systems, then the ad should say something like, “You are an organized, systematic person who likes processes and checklists and you love everything to be in its place,” because that wording is going to excite them in a way that it would never excite you and me. The people inclined to respond to that ad will be the right type of person.
4. Once you have hired the right person, have them do some assessments. Our entire team here at ClientAttraction.com has taken two or three assessments that let’s us find out exactly how they’re wired. Right now, we’re in the process of transitioning somebody so that she does even more of what she’s wired to do. She’s loving it and we’re loving it and it’s great.
When you have assessments, (choose one of the many that will work for you), you get to learn how everybody on your team is wired as opposed to how you’re wired and then you can complement each other. Do them, not just on yourself, but on the team so that you create a team that works really well together and you all get stuff done as opposed to two people talking about great ideas and nothing gets done.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Start putting these tips into place right away because it doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out, or looking to leverage or really creating a legacy empire, you need to hire effectively.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”367″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_idflHwy0[/youtube]
My video tip for you today is all about the importance of creating your signature system – and how to get started today. Your signature system is really key to multiplying your business over and over. It becomes the basis for your bootcamp, three-day workshop, even the book you’ve always wanted to write. I’ve done this with my own Client Attraction signature system and I teach my Platinum and private level clients to do the same in order to leverage their business. So, where do you even start? Come on, overcome your analysis paralysis with me – watch this short video for this important strategy for growing your business.
Your signature system is actually rather easy to put together. You want to start by getting everything you know about your system down on paper. Document your unique process from start to finish – and don’t worry so much if you’re leaving something out. Your signature system brings your clients in so you can always give them more later.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
- Write down all the key components. Use bullet points. Include everything you know for sure about your system. Brainstorm.
- Group all your bullet points into categories. Then give each category a label.
- Put your categories in logical, chronological order. You want them to follow a step-by-step order that makes sense to the user.
- Lastly, give your system a results-focused title. And Voila! You’ve got your Signature System.
An effective signature system is the basis for multiplying your business in so many ways. It’s an essential tool for multiplying your business to that next BIG level. Have some fun with it – the key is to just get it done.
© 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
If you enjoyed this video, please post your comment or question below and share it with your friends and colleagues who would find it beneficial.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”367″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwJfD7abZMc[/youtube]
Today’s video is about how to stop doing everything yourself in your business. No matter what level of business you’re in, you need the right resources and systems to grow your business to the next level.
Ever been to a restaurant and notice the number of resources they have on hand to serve you? It’s all about the “front of house” and “back of house.” Front of house means the Maitre D’ and the servers, all the beautiful tablecloths and flowers, and more, all the things that belong to the experiential part of your visit. Back of house refers to all that goes on back there in the kitchen that you never really get to see, the” administrative stuff,” if you will.
Most likely, you’re trying to do both “front of house” and “back at house” in your business, at the same time, all on your own. There are so many behind-the-scenes aspects of running your business, that at some point of your business success, you can’t actually do them ALL, however much you want to hold on to the controls. When you do so, you leave a lot of money on the table.
For you to grow your reach (and grow your income), you need more time to focus on what actually brings in more clients and income. How do you get more time in your solo business? LEVERAGE. Leverage is getting the necessary resources (people, systems, automation and delegation) to free up your time so you can focus on the money-generating activities (client work, marketing, business development, etc.).
Your assignment today is about leveraging certain aspects of your business by using systems and support. Create more time in your day so you can attract more ideal high-paying clients and make more money.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
- Make a list of ALL the tasks you’re doing during the day.
- Add a dollar amount to each item you think you can pay someone else to do that for you like errands, filing, scheduling, shipping, editing, phone calls, etc. (it’s actually more inexpensive than you think).
- Group similar tasks together by dollar-amount and then by category (website, administrative, personal, etc.).
- Identify the resources (assistu.com, craigslist.com, elance.com, odesk.com, guru.com) where you can hire someone who would be happy to take these tasks off your plate.
- Start to delegate the lowest dollar amount tasks first and focus your available time on further business development and marketing to your ideal clients (and making room for more clients).
If you enjoyed this video, please post your comment or question below and share it with your friends and colleagues who would find it beneficial.
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System®, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.attractclients.com.
From time to time I’ll be posting my Small Business Success Tips on CNN’s Headline News site and I’ll share them here with you as well.
Did you know that 95% of entrepreneurs in the United States make less than $100,000 a year? Many entrepreneurs, especially in this current economy, are simply setting their sights too low!
Now is the perfect time to set your intentions for what you want for your business this year, then to put a plan of action in place to achieve just that.
Watch my video tips on making more money (and serving more clients and customers) in your small business in 2011.
Here’s to your success!
It’s a question I get ALL the time. Fabienne, how do you do it? How do you balance running a successful business with your busy family life as well? Well, Yesterday during my segment on Lifetime TV’s The Balancing Act, I talked about just that! Tune in for some of my best tips because achieving a peaceful balance in your life can absolutely be a reality. Then, I want to hear from you! Comment below and tell me what challenges you face with balancing it all and how have you overcome those challenges?
Enjoy the segment! Oh, and I’ve started a new media page on my website. I hope you’ll stop by often to see what’s new!
What a whirlwind-y, fabulously awesome week last week! We kicked it off with our Gold Mastermind retreat, where my Gold clients flew in from all over the world (as far away as Japan, Dubai, Germany and the UK) to get strategies and mastermind about getting more clients and making a lot more this year and beyond. We topped it off with a ridiculously fun Halloween party (and Costume Contest). I have to tell you, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that they would put so much effort and creativity in the costumes. It was mind blowing! Although they were ALL fabulous, the clear winner was http://www.camposcoaching.com/Angelina Campos from Hawaii, who came as a body-painted mermaid. Yes, she hired someone who spent two hours putting BODY PAINT on her (no clothes.) She’d set the intention that she was going to win, and boy, did she ever! Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize, Angelina!
(Clearly, this will become an annual tradition for our Gold retreats. I’ll post pictures of the entire Halloween party and Gold meeting on my FaceBook page. Enjoy!)
That same day, Gold Mastermind client Dawna Brown from Germany won the Implementation Contest by sharing with us everything she’d implemented since our last live meeting in June. The highlight? Dawna made more than $79,000 in just 4 months after implementing what she learned at the last Gold retreat. Way to go, Dawna!
And Friday was moving day for the Fredrickson family! While I spent the day strategizing with my new Sapphire Elite client Pauline Fleming here at our “workhouse”, the movers were busily transferring our belongings to our new FABULOUS house. I can’t tell you how much this means to me as I’ve had my eye on this house for 5 years and have been manifesting it ever since. A dream come true!
