Entries Tagged 'Marketing' ↓

Never fear - the recordings are now available! Here are a few rave reviews from members of the class…

“I wanted a business makeover - a fresh start for the fall. I want to attract higher-paying clients but was fuzzy on the how. Elizabeth’s Client Magnets class package was just what I needed!

Elizabeth walked us through all the steps and her worksheets made the process easy. Now I’m focused on a niche that can pay my fees and know exactly what I need to write in my marketing materials to get them to come to ME. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect marketing angel.

Thank you Elizabeth! Watch out world - here I come!”
-Sasha Graham, Tarot consultant, NY NY

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“Elizabeth’s Client Magnet classes were fantastic; they are exactly what I needed to take the next step in my business!

The best thing about the classes is how clear they are, step-by-step she leads you through what to do to create the results you wish. I’ve worked with marketing professionals before, and she is by far the best…the process is very personal and leaves you with a plan that fits your practice, not just some vague generic ideas.

If you are interested in creating the practice of your dreams and serving a clientele you enjoy, I believe these classes are a necessity!”
Valentina Burton, Dallas TX

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“Elizabeth gave us a step by step process for attracting more clients — the right kind of clients — to our practices. And she gives fabulous handouts! I finished the class with a sound marketing plan in place for both my web design business and my Tarot business. Excellent!”
Joanna Powell Colbert, artist, web designer & creator of The Gaian Tarot

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“I signed up for the class because I wanted to learn how to write marketing materials like websites that actually get clients. Elizabeth definitely taught us that, but that wasn’t even the best part. The best part is all those extra techniques and strategies that Elizabeth throws in when she teaches - I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it!

I knew nothing about marketing before I started, and it’s clear it’s all going to be useful to me. And I really like the convenience of listening in from my own home, too.”
Barbara Paulson

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“I just listened to your class, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU for three great sessions, Elizabeth. I’ll be putting a lot of the techniques to work.”
Maribeth Pittman

To learn more and get instant access to your copy of the recordings, just click on the button below:

You may have stumbled upon a blog post that made the rounds a few months ago: 1000 True Fans. For those who missed it, here’s the gist:

“A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.”

So is it possible to make a living with 1000 true fans? One reader asked me to comment.

I can’t help but think of marketing genius Jay Abraham, and a marketing truth. (I don’t know if he said it first or just said it best, but it’s commonly attributed to him.)

There are 3 - and only 3 - ways to grow a business. That’s any business, be it creative or not. Here they are:

1. Increase your number of clients.
2. Increase the average size of the sale per client.
3. Increase the number of times clients return and buy again.

Some of you have heard me say that marketing is a numbers game. Well, there are your numbers. (Note that these 3 are a variation of the two numbers I often talk about: how many people see your message and how many take you up on it.)

Is it possible to make a living with 1000 true fans? Absolutely! It’s possible to become rich with 1000 true fans. It’s also just as likely to just scrape by. It’s all in the numbers.

Whether 1000 true fans is your goal or just a starting point, here’s the real question. Ask yourself, “How can I offer more value to my clients and customers?”

Note I did not say “sell more stuff.” By all means, increase your offers! But if you’re thinking in terms of “selling stuff,” you’re grossly shortchanging both your clients AND yourself. Making more offers, and increasing your prices, are both about value - and value is all about your client, not you.

Find ways to add value, and you will have no problem not just making a living, but living the life of your dreams.

This week I’m sharing with you just some of the dozens of takeaways from my trip to The System Seminar.  (The System was founded by Ken McCarthy and is widely regarded as the best-of-the-best in internet marketing events.)

Ken opened the seminar by sharing his top “big picture” principles.  “These are the 7 things I’d tell you about marketing and business if I could never tell you anything else again,” he said.  His best advice, in other words.  And his first words were:

“Do NOT be an internet marketer.”

OK, so, the dude who (more or less) invented internet marketing tells us NOT to be internet marketers, while at the top internet marketing conference that he founded.  What’s going on here?

“Do NOT be an internet marketer,” Ken said.  “Be a business owner.”

In other words, build a business.  Your long term results matter much more than the short term successes and failures.  The foundation you build is what will support you over that long term.

Internet marketing is full of short-term temptations.  A new “blueprint” or “formula” comes along practically every day, promising to be “the missing link” to business success.  That’s not really a huge problem in the metaphysical community, but we have distractions all the same.

And the question is still worth pondering:  are you a reader, or a business owner?  It’s perfectly OK to reserve your skills for your family and friends, or just do readings on the side.  Nothing wrong with that.  But there’s a world of difference between readings on the side and making a full-time living as a reader.

2 different sets of actions for 2 very different goals.  Are you a full-time metaphysical consultant?  Congrats!  You’re also a business owner.

It can be a little weird to wrap your head around, but thinking of yourself as a business owner is absolutely critical to your success.  Why?

Simple: the choice you make in your mind (i.e., how you think) will determine how you act.  And action truly is everything.

[If you’re a business owner, smart marketing is not an option!  In my upcoming teleseminars on June 10 & 17, I’m going to share an easy step-by-step marketing plan for metaphysical consultants.  Details here: http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com.]

Just got back from this year’s round of the mother of all internet marketing conferences, The System.

When I say “the mother of all internet marketing conferences,” I mean it. Ken McCarthy, The System’s founder, was the first person to ever host an Internet marketing conference, back in 1994. (His guest, by the by? Marc Andreessen of Netscape. Ken also invented the banner ad.)

I got home this afternoon, but I’m still reeling. I’m also exhausted, having given into the temptation to spend my last evening tooling around Chicago with my pals and fellow copywriters, Chris Haddad and Julie Eason. I couldn’t resist, but we did stay up ’til past 1, which was rather sub-optimal when catching a plane at 9:30 the next morning.

I have to say: being at The System reminded me of being at The Readers Studio. The caliber of presenters, the warmth of the attendees, the fabulous networking, the generosity of our hosts, and so much more. And the content! Ken’s breakout sessions run on FIVE tracks. I got to sit in on 5, which leaves 20 to go. (Hint: if you ever go to The System, be sure to order the recordings so you don’t miss anything).

What I learned at just those 5 sessions, plus the general sessions, will keep me busy for a while. Through it all, one theme kept coming up again and again. You probably already know what I’m going to say…

Implementation. The best information in the world does you no good unless you USE it.

Lloyd Irvin has a reputation as one of the marketing world’s fastest implementors. When he first came to The System in 2003, he’d never made a cent with online marketing. On the first day, he went back to his room and began implementing what he’d learned - yes, well before the seminar was over. Five years later, the online arm of his business makes… $10 million.

$10 million can seem a little surreal and weird, I realize. The exact number isn’t important. What IS important is that he had a goal and just got started. Ask him, and he’ll tell you the big difference between him and others is action.

In his presentation, Lloyd made another important point with regards to action. It can be hard to wrap your head around, as it tends to go against what most of us have been taught and conditioned NOT to do: get it out there, clean it up later.

So your USP isn’t perfect. So what? So your brochure isn’t perfect. So what?

Wait for perfection and you’ll be waiting the rest of your life. Just get going. (An old boss of mine had a saying that always made me laugh: “equipment that has been ordered will always arrive before equipment that hasn’t been ordered.” Same idea.)

Implementation is what grows your business. Nothing else.

I’ll have more System seminar takeaways for you all this week on the blog, so check back.

Quick reminder: if you haven’t yet registered for the Painless Metaphysical Marketing teleseminar, don’t forget! You can sign up here:

http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com

Did you catch that link in the last post?

No, not the link that will leave you breathless, though that one is not to be missed, savored and clicked through. I’m taking about this one:

http://www.thesystemblog.com

Ken McCarthy, founder of The System, does something quite remarkable. Every year, he gives away instructional preview calls with each and every member of the System faculty - over 25 hours of internet marketing coaching, all free.

The idea is to give away “a seminar’s worth of content” every year for free - actionable strategies to implement in your business right now.

Ken has one of the most pristine reputations in the entire IM community… and a strict “no pitchfest” policy at his events AND in these preview calls. The preview calls are promotional, but I can assure you after listening to almost all of them this year, they are 95% content. (He’s an over-delivering kind of guy.)

Now, straight up: these calls probably won’t be all that useful to most folks reading this - many of you are beginners. But a good number of you are also at least somewhat internet marketing savvy already - more than I would have guessed.

So if you’re already hip to internet marketing and want some good stuff - check out these calls before Ken takes ‘em down. If you’re curious and want to learn more without spending, well, anything, you can’t do any better than Ken.

Enjoy!

We talked about the importance of positioning a few days ago.  I promised to share some proven strategies for positioning yourself as an expert.

1. Give away free information, such as a free report.  Free reports are an easy way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise.  You can also use them to start building a list of potential clients.  When someone requests your free report, they’re saying, “yep, I’m raising my hand, I’m interested in what you have to offer.”

2. Write articles.  One of my favorite strategies.  Consider flipping through a magazine.  What kind of attention do you give the articles?  What kind of attention do you give the ads?  Like free reports, articles demonstrate your expertise.  Your articles in a print publication with an editorial staff also convey endorsement - i.e., someone else made the decision to print it!

3. Write a book. Nothing, and I mean nothing, positions you as an expert like writing a book.  The authority of the book is so strong in our culture that even self-published books “work” for positioning of service professionals.  Many top experts use their books as their business cards.  It’s the ultimate lead generation tool.

4. Teach.  Teaching gives you lots of visibility and credibility.  You’re also adding value for your students and getting value from them (ask just about any teacher and they’ll tell you they learn just as much from their students).

5. Speak.  Another visibility and credibility booster.  You’ll also find clients at speaking engagements.

6. Go to the important events.  Owning your expert status is a conscious choice.  If you’re an expert, do what the experts do and take part in events and seminars for the experts.  Not only are you investing in yourself and your training, you’re claiming your expert-ness.  You’re sending a message to your peers, too.

7. Make media appearances.  After writing books, media appearances are the ultimate positioning tool.  Media endorsement as an expert sends a powerful message to your potential clients.

Think you can’t get a newspaper gig, a media appearance, or land some articles in a magazine?  Think again!  Newspapers, radio shows, TV shows, magazines… what do they all need?  Fresh content!  Metaphysical shops need experts to teach classes.  The opportunities are there for the asking.

As you’re working on your positioning, don’t forget to take credit for it in your marketing!  If you’ve written for a national magazine, taught classes or appeared on a radio show, mention it in your bio.  If you have a website, put your press clippings or articles online (if your contract allows it - if not, be sure to mention who you’ve written for).

[Want a step-by-step system for attracting your perfect clients consistently?  Join me for the next BYMB teleseminar series!  Info and registration here: http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com] 

What’s your position in the marketplace?  Have you ever thought about it?

Simply put, positioning is how your clients and customers defines you in relation to your competitors.

“That sounds a lot like a USP, your unique service position,” you might be saying.

Yes and no.  USP is part of what makes up your positioning, to be sure.  Ultimately, positioning transcends USP.  Positioning is not just what makes you different, but where you stand relative to everyone else.

Easy (though extreme) example: are you in the slush pile, or are you Stephen King?

Another: Are you a novice, or an expert?

Why is positioning important?  Simple: the better you position yourself, the easier it will be to find clients, raise your fees, increase your income, and grow your business.  Stephen King can buy more cookies than the guy in the slush pile.  Experts make more than novices.

Quite simply, positioning = power.  Where do you fall on the continuum?

It might be a scary question to think about, because it can push those “am I good enough?” buttons.  But positioning also equals perception.  And that’s where it gets pretty darn cool.

You may not be Stephen King, but you CAN take steps to position yourself how you choose.  Remember: your marketing is under your control.  You get to paint your own picture.

Notice, too, that visibility is inherent in positioning.  How easy are you to find?  How visible are you in the marketplace?  Again, your visibility is, to a great extent, under your control.

Next time, I’ll share some proven strategies you can use to position yourself as an expert.  These are the same used by the big guys.

And remember: send me your questions or leave them in the comments!

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]

A couple of weeks ago (waaay back when I started this blog - don’t know if you guys remember ) I talked about how NOT to be a commodity. That was my first mention of USP, one of the fundamentals of marketing.

USP stands for “unique selling position.” It’s the thing that sets YOU apart - the thing that answers the question, “Why should I do business with you, or have a consultation with you, as opposed to the squillion other readers out there?”

Finding your USP is the first step to reaching more people, increasing your income in a major way and yes, having more fun in your business too. So we’ll be looking at it a lot in the BYMBiverse. (I.e., the universe of BYMB - except I can’t figure out how to pronounce “BYMBiverse” - if anyone can figure it out, definitely let me know!)

I’ve never liked the term USP as it relates to metaphysical consultants. Yes, we are selling - I think we know that, and most of us are okay with that. But it doesn’t really capture the essence of what we do, does it?

Still, I hadn’t been able to think of anything better. Luckily, I didn’t have to. At the workshop, Anastasia of TarotPathways.com came up with something really cool. Check this out: Unique Service Position.

Yeah, that’s more like it.

(At least, I think that was Anastasia - someone correct me if I’m wrong!)

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]

Yes, they’re out there! And one of the coolest things about marketing is that you get to pick ‘em.

We could talk about this all day, and then another day, but my goal with this post is to not ramble. So I’m just going to list a few strategies to get you thinking… and writing. (Get a pen and paper handy - you’ll want to jot down a few things as you go through this list.)

1. Start with who you know. Namely, your current perfect clients! Think for a few minutes about who is coming to see you now. Can you name three favorite clients? What is it about them that’s so awesome? Jot down specific attributes. Anything goes, from how they act in sessions to what they wear. Jot it all down… then go deeper. That handmade vintage playing card jewelry that one of them wears is probably indicative of a creative personality and that might be attractive to you.

2. Then move on to the wish list. In a perfect world, what would all of your clients look like? Nothing is too wild.

3. Don’t be afraid to monetize this exercise. Yes, it’s perfectly OK to say you want to work with people who can afford to pay you - and then some! How much would you like to earn for each reading/consultation? What kind of a person could pay you that fee?

4. Make a list, draw a picture. This one’s pretty self-explanatory: use the information you’re gathering to create a picture of your ideal client. It’s ok if it’s a work in progress - you can always add to your list or picture later.

5. Tell everyone you know. Once you’ve got a good idea of who you want, start talkin’. You might not know it, but I bet you’ve got a great network around you right now - friends, family, and service pros like the guy who changes your oil, the mailwoman, the guy at the deli, the drycleaner… people who have lots of contacts, some of whom might be interested in getting some guidance from you, if they only knew…

Ah, but I hear you saying, “Ask the mailman? Dude, are you kidding?” Many times we don’t want to ask for what we want because we’re worried, even subconsciously, what people will think about us. So turn it around by simply answering the squillion dollar question: what’s in it for them? That way, the focus is on them, not you.

6. Go where they go. Where do they hang out? If you want to work with, say, yoga teachers, you probably won’t find as many of them at night classes for auto mechanics as you will at, say, a school for yoga teachers. OK, that’s a snidge facetious, but you see what I mean I hope. The real question to ask is, “Who has access to the people I want to serve, and how can I get access to them?” One simple example: if you want to work with stay-at-home-moms, perhaps there’s a group or club or networking organization you can speak at or lead a workshop for.

7. Don’t be afraid to let go. Yep, I’m talking about firing clients. Those clients. This might seem completely off the wall if you’ve never considered it, let alone done it, but bear with me here. “Those clients” may be paying your rent… but they’re also sucking up your time, energy and brain cells. When you create a space, create an intention, and back it up with smart and supportive action, not once but consistently, the results are fairly easy to predict. But you need that energy to do it. Don’t be afraid to release problem clients “for the good of all.”

Those are just 7 quick strategies to get you started. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about more! In the meantime, I’d love to hear your ideas and strategies in the comments.

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]

In the last post, I gave you 25 things you can do in your business on a regular basis to attract more clients. I promised to follow that up with the most effective strategy I know to get a steady stream of clients and build a stable, fun, successful practice.

What I’m about to reveal truly is one of the best pieces of marketing strategy I can ever give you. I’ve used it myself - not just in marketing, but in many other projects. If you combine just this strategy with the “25 things” list (and your additions), you’ll double or triple your business - I guarantee it.

(Even though I’m giving it to you here and now for free, please don’t underestimate what this one strategy can do for you. Marketing guru Dan Kennedy used this strategy to become one of the highest paid consultants on the planet; as far as I know, he still uses it.)

I call it the “just one thing” strategy. (I don’t know what Dan calls it.) Like most things magical, its power lies in its utter simplicity:

Every single day, no matter what, do just one thing to market your practice.

Doesn’t matter how small it is. In fact, it’s good to do just a small thing more often than not - you’re more likely to do it.

Some days, you’ll do big things, like spend three hours working on your website or a brochure. Most days, you’ll do something small, like pick up the phone and say hello to a client, just because.

Size does not matter. The important thing is that you DO it. Every day.

Because next thing you know… three months have gone by, say, and you’ll have done NINETY THINGS.

Every little bit of marketing you do adds up… to increased demand for your services, increased fees, increased leverage, and a bigger business. (We’ll talk about each of these in turn on the blog and in the ezine.)

And because you’re not putting pressure on yourself to do any one particular thing on a given day, the prospect of a three hour project wonn’t freak you out. After all, you don’t have to do it today. (Oddly enough, without that pressure, the chances of you actually doing it increase significantly.)

Just one thing doesn’t seem like a lot, but 90 things really add up. (In case you ever doubt this, just take a look at your closet. Me, I look at my bookshelves and smile AND groan at at the same time. Heh!)

So I challenge you: what “one thing” can you do to market your business today? (See my last post for a few ideas.)

As the title of this post says, this is my favorite marketing strategy ever. It’s also my favorite strategy to complete any project. Why? Because it’s so painless.

You can always do just one thing.

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]