Why They’re Not Buying From You (And What To Do About It)

There’s probably nothing more frustrating than pouring your heart and soul into creating a program, putting it out there into the world and… nobody buys. It’s like planning an incredible party and then nobody comes. Not fresh!

The great news is, the reason why nobody’s buying usually comes down to one of just a few things. Once you get a feel for what makes an offer fizzle or fly-off-the-shelves, you can design your programs and offerings to be irresistible.

Here are 4 questions to ask yourself the next time you’ve made a great offer and are still wondering, “Why won’t they buy?”

1. Is there a demand for what you’re offering? (In other words, do they really want it?)

I often hear my clients say they need to “drum up interest” in their latest product or program. Straight up: drumming up interest is not only exhausting, it’s a losing battle. It’s much, much easier to find a demand and fill it.

Now before you start groaning or pulling your hair out in frustration here… this is easier than you think! I’m willing to bet that at least one of your offerings provides an outcome that your clients already want. What do they say they want solved, in their own words? Which of your products or programs provides that outcome?

Your job is to position that offering so that it meets your clients where they are. Which leads me to…

2. Are the benefits and outcomes stated clearly?

We transformation pros loooove our process. For example, I heart coaching. However, nobody really pays me for coaching. People invest with me to build their business, to create fabulous income for the work they’re meant to do, and to create freedom in their lives.

Your clients are not paying you for your process, either. They want a very specific transformation… and they must value that transformation enough to invest in it. When you show them that what you do will provide what they want, they’ll happily invest.

Bonus tip: One tool to powerfully communicate the value of your work is a Signature System. Packaging your process into a step-by-step system positions you as the go-to expert and makes it easy for clients to “get” what you do.

3. Do you have payment plans to make it easy?

One of my mentors loves to say, “Don’t make it hard for people to give you money!”

Payment plans are a great way to support your clients in saying yes to your offerings AND they help even out your cash flow. Always offer a full pay option and at least one other payment plan. (Important tip: make sure to structure your plan so that you’re NOT giving away a ton of service before your program is complete!)

4. How’s your energy?

Whatever your doubts, fears and insecurities around your offerings are, they’ll be mirrored back to you in your clients – guaranteed. So if you’re wondering, “Will they pay for that?” don’t be surprised when you attract a lot of people who can’t – or won’t – invest in your program.

Make sure you’re crystal-clear-certain on the value of what you’re offering first. Also, remember that you don’t have the right to decide what people will or will not pay. (This is a biggie!)

While there will always be people who truly can’t pay, 99% of the time “I can’t afford it” is an excuse. When you’re passionate about helping your clients, design your offer to be a no-brainer AND refuse to accept excuses, the clients you attract will match your energy with their energy… and their commitment and their money.

5 Planning Steps To Guarantee Your Cash Flow

I see it all the time… a Divine Feminine Entrepreneur sets an intention at the beginning of the year to create a certain amount of 1ncome. In January, she’s excited for her money breakthrough; by March she’s stressed out, flying by the seat of her pants, looking for clients (instead of attracting them) and feeling slightly desperate. What’s going on?

Visioning, setting intentions and goals are all important to the creation process, but without a plan, your chances of success are slim. Problem is, many women get overwhelmed by the planning process and confused by all the seemingly endless detail that goes into creating a marketing calendar.

The solution? Let go of perfection, trust that you’ll be taken care of without having to know every detail (you can’t know them all anyway) and stick to my simple, streamlined process that helps you fill your programs and practically guarantees your cash flow.

Step 1: Choose your Bold Money Goal for the year

First things first: decide how much mo.ney you want to make! Seems obvious, right? Yet so many spiritual entrepreneurs skip this step. Don’t leave your 1ncome to chance, dear Goddess! Consciously choosing puts YOU in the driver’s seat.

Your Bold Money Goal should be a stretch and something you can believe in. To truly set yourself up for success in 2011 and the years to come, choose a goal that stretches you outside of your comfort zone and requires you to step into a new way of thinking and being in your business.

Bonus tip: Also decide on a Bold Circle-building (list building) goal. Remember that your list represents your future impact and 1ncome, so it’s important to give lots of attention to growing your list every year.

Step 2: Choose your time off

Most entrepreneurs “barrel through” the year, allowing for little or no time off. But a packed schedule will squelch your Divine Feminine Gift of Creativity and leave you feeling drained and exhausted. Remember, you’re designing your business to fit your life… so put your life first by scheduling the time off you need to relax and recharge.

Here’s another reason why putting your time off first will pull you forward: like a Bold Money Goal, making the commitment to honoring your time off will mean acting and being in your business from a whole different place – one that allows for business success and honors your needs as a Divine Feminine entrepreneur.

Step 3: Plan your high ticket offers

This is it – the secret to guaranteeing your cash flow and ending the cycle of chasing after the next client. Start by creating a high-end program and plan on filling a number of spots all at once. Using this strategy will boost your confidence and create some much-needed “breathing room” for other projects, so you’re not constantly worried about where your cash is coming from.

Step 4: Fill in the gaps to set yourself up for high-end success

Once you have your high-ticket offers set, you’ll have some gaps to fill. Here’s where you schedule lower price point programs such as information products and teleseminars. Choose offers that support your big paydays, such as a teleseminar series that would make a good “lead in” to your private coaching, or a listbuilding campaign.

Step 5: Include systematic listbuilding

Listbuilding may not be as exciting as filling a program with new clients, but systematically building your list throughout the year will ensure your future cash flow. Be sure to include 2-4 listbuilding activities every year, such as a free teleseminar, a new free gift giveaway, or speaking engagements where you can collect new leads.

How To Get Clear On Your Perfect Profitable Niche

If you’ve ever struggled to get clients to invest in your services, or if you’re hearing a lot of “I can’t afford it,” you’ve likely stumbled on a key problem that holds spirit-driven entrepreneurs back from making the money they deserve: an unclear (or unprofitable) niche.

Your niche is the combination of the people you serve, and the situation-specific problem you solve for them.  While you don’t need to have the “perfect” niche to start getting clients (and indeed, you don’t want to wait!), it’s no secret that to create a 6-figure business, your niche has to be compelling.

When it comes to niche, spiritual entrepreneurs are often in a tailspin of over thinking.  But getting clear on your niche is almost always about your mindset than anything else!   Before you spend one more minute trying to “figure it out” in your head, use these tips to uncover what you’ve been missing… and gain the clarity you seek!

1. Look to your life experiences.

One of the biggest questions I hear is, “What do I have that they will PAY for?”  My answer: first, look to your life!

Spiritual entrepreneurs – especially women – are notorious for discounting and undervaluing their life experiences and keeping their personal stories under wraps in their marketing.  Goddess, it’s these things that your clients want the most!

Clients want to work with someone who has walked in their shoes.  What challenges have you personally overcome in your life?  What big problems were you struggling with, and came out the other side? When you find yourself saying, “Nobody wants to hear about that,” take that as a sign – you might be looking at a very profitable niche opportunity.

2. Think outside of the box.

One of the biggest things that keeps entrepreneurs stuck in the “niche loop” is getting attached to what they THINK it’s going to look like.  Truth is, your magic (the deep work) can be applied to dozens of different scenarios you likely haven’t even thought of yet.   What groups of people are already investing to solve a specific challenge you could specialize in?

3. Go with the flow.

Are your ideas/services already present within the culture of the group of people you are considering?  Are they already investing money in what you’re offering?   Changing minds in your marketing is a major uphill battle.  You want to be “in the flow” of the mindset that already exists.

4. Get into action.

The only way to know if you have a profitable niche (one that you love) is to TEST – i.e., get out there and get a client or two!

You don’t need a website or a big list.  You DO need to create a short program on your topic and tap into an opportunity to connect with your ideal potential clients, such as a networking meeting, speaking opportunity or small local workshop.  (Hint: you don’t “find” the opportunity as much as you become aware of it and say yes.)

Outlining your program, connecting with potential clients and having conversations will tell you so much more about the potential of your niche than you could ever figure out on your own, churning in front of the computer.

Above All, Get Support

It can be very difficult to pinpoint your perfect niche opportunities, especially if you’ve been struggling with it for a while.  Enlist the support of a coach, mentor or mastermind partner who can be your “fresh eyes.”  (This is especially important when considering your life experiences.)

With the help of your support team and a commitment to move forward, you’ll quickly move through the discomfort of choosing your niche and finally get to the fun part – working your magic for people who love you and will pay you richly for it!

Ready to discover your perfect 6-figure niche?  We kick off the Income Acceleration Academy with a brand new “Discover Your Perfect Niche” virtual intensive, then you’ll put your new (or refined!) niche to the test so you can get paid to figure out your niche, once and for all!  But hurry – you’ll need to register by DECEMBER 23 at midnight Pacific for a generous $500 savings off the program investment.  Get all the details and register here: http://www.incomeaccelerationacademy.com

7 Essential Business Systems To Make 6-Figures Without Burning Out

Running your own business involves a zillion details and moving parts.  If you’re relying on yourself to remember all of these, you WILL get burned out.  Things WILL fall through the cracks.   Make no mistake: you need systems.

A system is simply a series of steps for a particular task or project.   The cool part?  You shouldn’t be the one executing the system.  Once you have systems documented, you can hand them off to key team members – this is how you begin to create a business that runs without you.

The first step to getting your systems house in order is creating an operations manual. This can be a simple Word document (shared online in a program like Google Docs) or I like to use Basecamp (from 37signals.com).  Your manual is a collection of systems, or lists that detail the key steps involved in running and growing your business.

If you’ve never systematized anything in your business before, take heart – if you take the same steps to achieve particular tasks in your business more than once, you already have the makings of a system for that task.  The key is to hone, refine and ultimately delegate the RIGHT systems that are going to grow your business.

Which systems should you implement FIRST?  Below are my top 7 systems that I used to create over $500k in revenue in just two years:

1. A system to attract new clients.

Your business growth depends on your ability to attract new, highly qualified, highly awesome ideal peeps into your world, month in and month out.  (The easiest way to get started?  A signature system, a signature talk, and local speaking gigs.  Simple, streamlined and proven.)

2. A system to turn interested clients into invested clients.

Pop quiz: what happens when a potential new client contacts you or your team out of the blue?   When you invest time, energy and attention to attract new clients, it only makes sense to have a system that kicks in to turn these interested potential clients into invested new clients.

3. A system to follow up with potential clients (after events, networking, or in-person meetings).

Nothing closes the “know-like-trust” gap faster than face-to-face connection, which means that every event you attend can mean thousands of dollars in business for you – if you follow up.  Next time you find a stack of business cards in your purse, ask yourself, “How can I systematize follow-up within 48 hours of the event?”  (Hint: get your assistant involved! )

4. A system for “keep in touch” follow-up (such as a newsletter).

There is no way that you can expect to fill your programs easily if you’re not doing SOME kind of follow-up.   Period.   (I don’t make the rules, Goddess, I just profit from them. )

Whether it’s a newsletter, a video newsletter, an evergreen autoresponder, or a blog (used in conjunction with email), you’ve got to do something and do it consistently.  Which means… you need a system.

5. A system to welcome new clients.

When a new client signs up, there’s excitement… and terror.  She’s thinking a zillion things, not the least of which is, “Did I really make the right move, giving $5000 to this person?”  And, “I just gave $5000 to this person… what happens now?”  Systematize the love to reassure them, get them in motion (to create results faster) and minimize the chances of them backing out of their commitment to themselves.

6. A system to serve clients in your programs.

Every program you offer needs to have a system behind it for scheduling the calls, delivering the calls, recording calls, distributing the calls, communicating with your peeps and whatever else you do to deliver the goods.  Your clients DO notice these details, which, when done well, leads to better results and repeat business.

7. A system to manage your cash.

Your cash flow system should include “buckets” for incoming money (X for taxes, Y for expenses, Z for your salary, and so on).  And always pay yourself, even if it’s just one dollar – the action matters more than the amount when you’re just getting started.

3 More Systems To Automate Your Business Growth:

8. A system to fill your programs.

Whether you’re just getting started or an empire builder in the making, your revenue comes from filling your programs – i.e., launching.  Without launching, your income will dwindle.  Without systems, launches can quickly take over your life.

9. A system to generate referrals.

The best clients come from your awesome current clients.  Awesome current clients love to refer, so make it easy on them.  (Which makes your business growth easy on you – win!)

10. A system to host teleseminars with partners.

This one’s a little more advanced, but it can’t be beat for building your list, creating great relationships, and signing on clients.  Once you have a signature talk, you can turn it into a teleseminar that you host for your partners’ communities.  Follow-up and sales are easy to automate with a shopping cart or email management software like Aweber.

Are you working too hard in your spiritual business?  Do you know you’re missing out on clients, losing opportunities to serve and bleeding income because you don’t have your systems in place? Get ready to get excited because my signature 6-figure training for spirit-driven entrepreneurs, Goddess Business School, returns in January 2012!  I’ve got lots of high-value no-cost goodies planned for you as we get closer to registration this fall.  Want to be put on the priority notification list for when we open?  Email Client Care Goddess Gretchen at teamgoddess@marketinggoddess.com with “Goddess Business School priority list” in the subject line.

How To Free Up 2 Hours Of Time Each Day (In One Step)

Would you like to know the secret to freeing up literally two hours of your time, each and every day?

If you’re like 99% of the entrepreneurs out there, you can magically create up to 2 hours of time every work day with a single step.

Are you ready for the magic?  Here it is…

Let GO of email.

That’s it.  That’s the secret.

Far too many women entrepreneurs give up their power, their time and their life by being at the beck and call of email.  How do I know?  Because I hear it all the time from my clients, and… I used to be one of them.

Trust me, Goddess, it’s no coincidence that I made my first 6-figures in the same 6-month period that I finally just said NO to the email insanity.  If you want to step into being the Divine Feminine Leader of your business (and make your next big leap in income and impact), you must get a handle on your email.  Here are my 3 favorite tips for taming the email beastie:

1. Stop giving it away.

Be honest, now – how many times have you spent 45 minutes answering a client question that should have been brought to the next session?  How about agonizing to get just the right words (read: so you don’t hurt their feelings) in a response to someone else’s emergency or drama?  Or when a client asks you to “just have a quick peek at my website” and 2 hours later…

When you give away your time to answering client email – you’re doing exactly that: giving away your time.  And you know that once you open that door… your clients are going to ask for more and more.  The answer is to set a clear boundary: stop giving away email access, except for your highest level clients.

Taking this ONE action step will literally change your life.  Here’s some wording you can model, taken from the invitation to one of my programs:

Priority Email Access For Quick Questions And Feedback

As a Divine Feminine Leader member, you get Elizabeth’s “super secret” email address for burning questions and quick feedback.  (Responses within 48 hours, Monday through Thursday.)

Notice how this positioning of my email sets an expectation and a clear boundary, one that I can return to again if issues arise (they rarely do).

2. Create a “super secret” email address – and keep it secret.

Your super-secret email your next clear boundary.  By “super secret,” I mean, ONLY for your family, close friends, team and Platinum clients.  Nobody else.

You can decide if you want to receive newsletters at your super-secret address.  If you do, limit it to the top 5 that you read, and filter them into a folder so you can read them once a week or 5 minutes a day.  Decide what works for you and stick to it.  (And no Facebook notifications!)

Whenever I give my super-secret email to my clients, friends or partners, I am very clear about the rules.  When someone violates them, they’re out.  Yes, I’m ruthless about this.  You should be too!

3. Release control.

All of the mail that comes to your “public email” – whatever you use on your newsletters, website, etc –  should be sorted, handled and answered by an assistant.

(Stay with me!  Keep breathing!)

Giving up email can feel complicated, but it’s really pretty simple.  (Hint: this is a great place for your mind to create confusion and make it seem more overwhelming than it really is.)  When you break it down, your business email will fall into these categories:

• Potential clients
• Current clients
• Potential partners (invites for telesummits, speaking gigs, etc)
• Personal
• Testimonials / raving fans
• Newsletters
• Emails from programs you participate in as a client

Start by creating a simple checklist of what you want your assistant to do for each of these categories. Yes, you’ll oversee your assistant at first, but very quickly they will learn how to respond on your behalf, leaving you free to put your focus where it belongs: income-producing activities.

4. Set a time… and a timer

Respond to email at certain times each day – for example, mid-morning and late afternoon (but definitely not first thing when you wake up!).  Set a timer for how long you’ll answer.  This takes a bit of discipline at first, but stick with it and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll begin to “keep to time…” and how much time you’ll have left over for the things that really matter.

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