From the Wisdom Vault…

One of the great things about owning your own business is that you can learn from others who have succeeded before you. Believe me — as valuable as it is to learn what to do — learning what not to do can sometimes save a lot of heartache, time and money.

I’m more than happy to pass on my faux pas in marketing. After all, my mission is to see more and more coaches be financially successful much sooner than I was.

So here’s a classic mistake made by me and countless other coaches:

Trying to sell prospects what we think they need instead of what we know they want.

You see, we’re big-hearted people who genuinely want to help others. How often have you gotten an idea for a teleclass, article, or product inspired by what works for you? That’s what most entrepreneurs do. But here’s the bad news — more than 50% of those endeavors fail outright.

Your ideas are gold — so don’t toss them out! But before you go to all the trouble of developing and marketing that new idea, check to see if it’s likely your niche market will buy it by doing some market research. And then make sure that your marketing language speaks to their top challenges and desires.

So how do you distinguish between your client’s wants and needs?

This can seem like a subtle distinction so I’ll start with an example most everyone can relate to:

A kid at mealtime.
What she wants = dessert.
What she needs = vegetables.

What happens when her parents keep pushing the vegetables? She wants the dessert even more. And when the lunch money goes in her hand it’s likely she’ll buy sweets instead of a garden salad. 

Now, apply that distinction to your adult prospects. More examples:

A corporate CEO.
What she wants = to please the shareholders and keep control.
What she needs = better leadership and management skills.

An entrepreneur.
What he wants = freedom and profitability.
What he needs = structure, boundaries and an ace support team.

A lawyer.
What she wants = achievement and recognition.
What she needs = a life outside of work. 

When you really begin to look at it you’ll see that what they need is often the means to getting more of what they want. But if you market what they need they may not connect the dots. So the rule for marketers is don’t lead with the need.

Now, here’s a secret: You can still give them what they need, just sell them what they want first. 

Sue’s Success Secrets
Have burning questions about coaching or practice building?
Ask Prosperous Coach Mentor, Sue Brundege. 

To your prosperity!

Rhonda Hess
Founder, Prosperous Coach

From the Wisdom Vault…

Every year I set intentions to improve my inner game — shift to a mindset that is both more successful and peaceful. This year I set a goal to instantly notice my knee-jerk reactions and release them before they get a hold on me.

I was tired of wasting precious energy on petty irritations. For example, whenever the neighbor’s dog would go on an unchecked barking spree, I’d find myself fuming, thinking my neighbor was irresponsible and sometimes going so far as to judge the dog!

These days, while I still feel the knee-jerk response, I’ll respond by closing the window, turning on some music and releasing my judgments. Before I know it the dog has calmed down and so have I. Now, I’m working on eliminating the reaction itself.

Do you ever have knee jerk responses that waste your energy and may even get you into trouble?

Sometimes it seems like the smarter and more discerning we humans become the more hair trigger our moods are. And, I wonder… if we didn’t waste energy on things like this, how much more successful and happy could we be?

The Tao of Pooh 

Remember “Winnie the Pooh”? With zen-like detachment, Pooh pursues the next pot of honey. He isn’t put off his goal by discomfort and he takes his mistakes in stride. Everything is a great adventure leading to inevitable pleasure. Pooh is an imperturbable optimist!

Whereas Eeyore lives certain of impending disaster, suspicious and critical of everything. He feels victimized by what he fears might happen. Everything ends well, but he never adjusts his outlook.

Upgrading Our Emotional Intelligence

We’ve all experienced how positive belief systems can change outcomes. Look at how starkly the results of these two studies, outlined in Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence, illustrate this point:

Insurance salesmen, who were tested and found to be optimists, sold 37% more insurance policies than those that tested as pessimists.

76% of heart attack survivors, who tested as optimists, survived 8 years without another heart attack. While 84% of the tested pessimists in the group had a second (and fatal) heart attack and died within the same period.Positive beliefs directly influence our success in business and life. But limiting beliefs undermine desired outcomes over and over in a circular trap:- Limiting beliefs generate fear and anxiety.- Valuable inner resources deplete.- Less energy is available to cultivate success.

- Therefore confidence decreases.

- Which may fortify limiting beliefs.Are you ready to cultivate successful beliefs and put your mind in service of what you want?One way to start that process right now is to set up a Jump Start Session with Sue Brundege, the Prosperous Coach Mentor, and see how a shift in belief and habits will dramatically influence your coaching success. 

Coaching with Sue moved me past some stumbling blocks in the way of my coaching business and life. Within a short period of time I was able to set goals and get things moving. I have paying clients and am giving talks in my community. She really heard me and helped me accomplish my goals. - Terri McDonald

Sue’s Success Secrets
Have burning questions about coaching or practice building?
Ask Prosperous Coach Mentor, Sue Brundege. 

To your prosperity!

Rhonda Hess
Founder, Prosperous Coach

Sue’s Success Secrets
This week’s question is:
Creating a website is overwhelming
when you don’t know where to start.
Can you recommend programs
that will help me?
Hear Sue’s Answer Now.

From the Wisdom Vault…

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for simple, easy and inexpensive ways to connect with prospects and clients, and share valuable information too. While writing is a very effective way to do that, when an audio clip is included, the messages come alive.

Since I came across AudioAcrobat, a simple on-line recording service, I’ve been using audio in every way I can think of and it’s definitely had an impact on sales. I’m not surprised. After all the human voice conveys so much more than written words alone, bringing more energy, warmth and a greater sense of human contact.

There are three ways to record by telephone on AudioAcrobat:

1. Record one voice.

- Deliver your own important message by audio. Post the recording on your website. Broadcast the link in your ezine or autoresponder. Convert it to a podcast.

- Have your clients call in to record their testimonials about your products and services. See this in action here.

- Ask an expert to record their key points on a topic of interest to your clients. That’s how Sue Brundege, the Prosperous Coach Mentor, delivers Sue’s Success Secrets to you each week.

These next two ways to use AudioAcrobat require that you have a bridgeline. Fre’e Conference Call works nicely.

2. Record two voices

- Do interviews and post them on your website or transfer them to CD.

- Record your sessions with clients to assist you in becoming a more masterful coach. Or, send a copy to your clients as a gift.

- Capture coaching sessions with your own coach so you can listen back later and be re-inspired.

3. Record conference calls.

-  Your own teleclasses, tele-workshops or mastermind groups can be recorded. It’s a great way to re-purpose those meetings into fee-based products or bonus CDs later.

After recording, you can go online to AudioAcrobat 24/7 to publish your clip. It’s incredibly easy to name it, link it to your website or download it and put it on a CD. If you like, you can use a free-ware program called Audacity to edit your recording before you make it public.

For $19.95/mo, AudioAcrobat can be leveraged in so many ways to make you a greater financial success in your coaching business while you reach out to prospects and clients. And, AudioAcrobat has high touch customer support.

Add audio to your marketing now and see how fun it is!

To your growing prosperity!

Rhonda Hess
Founder, Prosperous Coach

From the Wisdom Vault…

What’s your reaction to the idea of marketing yourself?

For many coaches, marketing is a distasteful cocktail full of sour trepidation and biting frustration. Maybe for you, just thinking about marketing makes you feel numb. Or maybe you put it off, opting to stay busy with anything else rather than implement a marketing plan.

That’s where I was. I read all the marketing books, took lots of seminars about how to get clients and book myself solid… but, even when I did attract a few more clients, I still looked on marketing as a bitter pill I had to swallow for my own good.

Then I realized that as long as I had my own business (and I’d already decided I’d never go back to working for someone else), I’d be marketing! Why consign myself to constant misery?

It was time to change my way of thinking about marketing.

How about you? Would you like to learn to market authentically, ethically and effectively, and have a winning mindset about it?

After all, why not truly enjoy the journey to success rather than waiting until you reach your goal to be happy?

To successfully market your coaching services, start by making these Four Simple Shifts in your mindset:

     1. Shift from thinking like an altruistic caregiver

         to thinking like a caring business owner.

     2. Shift from the mantra “I need clients“

         to “What do my clients want most?”

     3. Shift from talking about abstract concepts

         to detailing tangible results.

     4. Shift from trying to convince prospects

         to being detached from outcome.

More than any single marketing technique or campaign, getting your mind in the right gear sets you up for success. The way we think about something is more than half the game.

Most coaches try to market by thinking and talking like a coach and their marketing falls on deaf ears. Why not make marketing a friendly tool? Learn how to think like a marketer and speak the language your clients understand while letting your authentic voice shine.

It’s Really True…
Making These Four Simple Shifts
Will Turn You into a
Successful Marketer

Unless you already love marketing and everything you do brings you more ideal clients than you can possibly coach, you won’t want to miss this teleclass:

Not a Prosperous Coach member yet? That’s easy. Become a member today. Once you’re a member you have 24/7 access to so much more.

To your growing prosperity!

Rhonda Hess
Founder, Prosperous Coach