Come Sing a Deeper Song

New Vision = New Direction = New Action

December 5, 2008 By Cara Lumen

My business has made a 90 degree turn in the last two months and I’m looking over my foundation again to realign it with my new vision. I was very happily helping people develop web content and create information products until I became a Book Yourself Solid Coach and found the system and the structure that allowed me to take people from vision to venue. It was like being shot out of a cannon. My vision expanded, my expectations increased and my target market sharpened. All because I added a certification to my credentials and positioned myself differently in my business. Now I have to match my actions to my vision so I can make it happen.

The "Why I Do It" Statement

At the core of your business must be an understanding of why you do it. And why you do it must be filled with passion. Why do you get up every morning and joyously go about doing whatever is necessary to make your business grow? If you are not happy, not excited, not eager to get to work you are not in the right place doing the work you were meant to do. You might want to do something about that.

My core reason for being and doing is to learn and teach but I get more excited about learning and teaching some things more than others. Does my new vision make me even more excited than my old one? It sure does. It expands my thinking, changes my target audience and opens up new opportunities.

The "Who and Do What" Statement

Your who-and-do-what statement takes time to develop and it often changes as you change. You have to keep an eye on it to be certain it reflects your passion and will take your business where it needs to go. This new vision changed my target market. Not a lot, I just upgraded my expectations about who would come play with me and what we could do together. It got me very excited and made it necessary for me to reexamine everything – my web words, the structure of my offerings, my tag line even the bundling and pricing of my offerings.

I had to have a coach to help me do it. I knew I wanted to change my target audience but I couldn’t do it for myself. I was standing in my own way. So I got help from my coach and was propelled into greater expectations and infinitely more possibilities. If you need help making the leap, ask for it.

What’s working?

Every quarter I examine my measurable results to see what is working and what is not. I examine how the needs of my target market might have changed, how I have changed, what new skills I have learned, what new friends I have made that are potential joint ventures.

I reexamined the goal I had set myself for the year to see if it still is the perfect goal or if it should be shifted or expanded. Then I looked to see if everything I am doing helps make that goal a reality. If it does, it stays, if not, it goes.

How does your new vision make you feel?

Every once in a while I feel like I’m spinning in place there are so many interesting choices. Taking time to evaluate where you are, how you got there and where you want to go should include how you want to feel. Do you want to learn more or are you full up of information? Do you want to get involved with a community service so you can get out of your home office? What new hobby would you like to undertake that would offer a change of pace and rhythm?

What is your body telling you? What needs adjusting on your emotional level? How are you nourishing yourself spiritually? A new vision means making new choices.

How can I expand my vision?

My vision seems to expand with everything I learn. There are always so many possibilities that present themselves. Check out your excitement level. Hold up the new vision with your core passion and see how it expands your thinking. Let your vision expand. Tweak it. Let it fly. Let it show you the new direction you can go and then design the new action steps to get yourself there.

How to Identify the Red Flag Client

November 15, 2008 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

She was abusive, disrespectful, and bad-mouthed the person she had worked with before. How on earth did she get through the Red Velvet Rope Policy and how can you identify a red flag client before you start?

Define Your Red Velvet Rope Policy

You know those soft red velvet ropes that are lowered to let certain people in and keep others out. We each get to create our own red velvet rope policy to be certain we work with people we are meant to serve.

The client I described was not mine, it was a client of a friend of mine and my friend was in knots because even when she said she wanted to end the client relationship the woman cried which made my kind friend have a hard time sticking by her decision. And it was an example of how manipulative the woman was.

We talked about how she was not serving in the role of friend to this needy person. She needed to place herself in the role of a professional keeping a professional relationship with her clients. She needed to define and set boundaries for herself. She gets to make choices about how she wants to work with people and who she wants to work with.

Why you must do the choosing

Think of a client that you do not like to work with. Are you resentful? Do you drag your heels a bit when it’s time for her call? Will you be glad when the time agreement has expired? That’s not a good match. That’s certainly not your ideal client.

Now remember how great you feel when you love the client you are working with – the great work you do – the satisfaction you feel at your clients’ success. That’s why you must choose your clients carefully. So you can do your best work.

How you can spot the red flag clients

What intake structure can you put in place that will help you recognize a potentially poor relationship and never undertake it? Well, you need to have a really clear picture of your ideal client – particularly the qualities you want to attract. Do you want to work with people just beginning in business, ones that have established themselves and are ready for a big next step, or a high end client that needs someone to help them keep a larger company on track? Do you want a person who is decisive or one who prefers to ask five of their friends for an opinion before making up their mind? Does your ideal client keep her agreements and exhibit innovative entrepreneurialism to solve their problems? Is your client capable of achieving success? Do they want it? Do they expect it? Will they accept success?

You need to create a few questions that you can ask in your initial conversation with a potential client that will let you know that this is a person you are meant to serve.

How much business/marketing knowledge do they have?

This is important because if a client is new to business they need to be very clear why they are in business and who they want to serve. They need to have a business plan and a marketing plan. If they haven’t done that you will need to help them through those steps. This is foundational work that needs to be in place and be continually reviewed. It is the holder of their vision and the design of their path. .

What do they have in place and what is working and what is not?

When I work with people on web page development I need to know what they have in place – opt in, shopping cart, web host, merchant account, blog, etc.

I need to know their vision.

And they need to know what is working and want is not. When they know where their strengths are it shows me they have set up measurable guidelines and continually monitor their progress.

How pro active are they?

Will this person do their homework, follow up on their agreements, and think up new ideas and possibilities? Those people are wonderfully exciting to work with. If they are really full of ideas will they allow you to help them focus and accomplish one step/project at a time? Will they take direction and do they value what you have to offer?

Listen to what they don’t say

It’s trickier to discover what their personality is like to work with. Ask them about their relationships with other professionals and listen to what they do and don’t say. Are they kind, respectful, honest? Or disgruntled, and complaining? Ask some open questions and then just listen and you’ll get some good clues that will alert you to any potential red flags.

Make it ok to say “no”

Expect the best from everyone but listen to your intuition. Don’t take a client because they have a pulse and a pocketbook. If it doesn’t feel right see who else you can recommend, or simply say, “This isn’t something I can help you with.” If you are their last chance or they are under a last minute deadline that is a major red flag. That means no one else wants to work with them and they wait till the last minute to get things done. Don’t fall for their story. Your life and business is yours to design. You are the director who casts the play and directs the action. Cast the players in your business thoughtfully.

You are not meant to work with everyone. There are certain people that you are meant to serve and when you do you can help them achieve amazing results.

How Green is Your Office?

November 7, 2008 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

You know the saying “pretty is as pretty does”? Well, “green is as green does.” The planet is cared for one person at a time. So I looked around my office to see if it was a green as I could get it.

Print on both sides of paper

This is such a simply one and I really fussed about doing it. “How can I tell which side is which when it’s all my stuff?” “It confuses me. I want things to be neat.” I gave that one up. I use binders a lot and so if I punch the holes in the right side I’m always looking at the side of the page I need to see.

Don’t print a lot

There are so few things I really need to print out. I have three pieces of paper I continually update and keep printed out by my desk – my family phone numbers (which I could program into my phone or look up on my computer) my most frequently used passwords (again, they are on my printer but I use this paper a lot), a calendar of my own making upon which I color my scheduled events. The only other things I print out are sometimes teleclass scripts (although I usually read those off the monitor) or notes for a radio interview (which actually go better if I don’t look at my notes). I take notes on my computer while I am coaching my clients or listening to a teleclass, and my “to do” list is always open on my computer. There is no need to print. Besides, when it’s on my computer I can edit it, underline it bold it color it, move it forward– whatever it takes to call it to my attention in the future. Next time you start to print something ask yourself if it is really necessary.

Get email fax

We don’t need to print out those faxes, we just need to have them as record and since email faxes come as a PDF we can print them out if we do want to. This eliminates paper usage and the need for a separate machine cluttering up your office and using electricity.

Buy recycled paper

It may be a bit more expensive but I’m also not using very much paper any more so recycled works for me. And since I print on both sides I get even more value from each sheet.

Turn off electronics not in use

Anything that is plugged in, whether it is turned on or not, is pulling electricity. I have two surge protectors. One I willing turn off at night because it holds my lamp and speaker system and printers. The other has my modem and computer so I have a choice about whether to turn that off or not.

Keep temperatures down and wear warm clothes

Let’s face it, sitting at a computer doesn’t keep the blood flowing and your feet warm from natural activity. I have a colorful shawl I put around my shoulders if I get cold sitting at my computer and a soft blanket for my knees. And I now have a wonderful collection of colored thermal shirts for the winter and I live in California! Wearing layered clothes allows you to adjust to your own body temperature.

Can your lunch scraps go in with the yard waste?

They can in my city. So the leftovers from your lunch (if you don’t have a dog) can go in with the yard waste to decompose. I keep a special lidded container on my kitchen counter and use it instead of the disposal. It is for organic waste, not meat products. Check with your local waste management company and if they don’t do it, suggest it!

Make one shopping trip a week

This isn’t for everyone but working out of a home office means I don’t have to go out much. But when I do I make certain I get everything done that needs doing. Bank, groceries, etc. all in one trip. And I keep my car tuned and its tires inflated. It happens to be a 95 Honda Civic which has gotten 30 mpg all its life and for my purposes has only reached a healthy middle age.

Green is in the small things

I don’t know if buying a refillable pen counts but it eliminates my throwing away a used up stick pen. I’m using pencils a lot and like them for my calendar and for note taking. I have a lot of left over index cards that I will never use so I now keep them on my desk in an easy-to-grab place to take notes on. Once one side is handled I mark a line through it and turn it over ready for more notes. I cleaned out my office and emptied a lot of binders. All of that paper is waiting to be recycled. I have at least 18 inches waiting its turn. I keep plants in my office – for my health and for my pleasure. My recycle waste basket is within arm’s reach and makes a regular trip out to the curb in my paper recycle container. On the one day a week I water my flowers, I catch the water that is lost as I wait for my shower to warm up and use it for that purpose. I’m not yet willing to haul water from upstairs to down in order to recycle water on the rest of the week but I’m aware of it as a possibility. What are you willing to do? What one or two things can you do in your office today that will make it a shade greener?

7 Ways to Energize Your Business

October 27, 2008 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

The great thing about being an entrepreneur is that we are responsible for our own success.

The scary thing about being an entrepreneur is that we are responsible for our own success.

I am so far removed from where I started my business that I make it a policy to rethink my business every year. It often happens organically. Things slow down and I have time to think about how I’m doing. I love those times. Every time I take time to realign my business to my vision, good things start to happen. There are seven elements I examine and the first is always my business plan.

#1. Rework your Business Plan

Every time I rework my business plan I uncover another layer that brings me clarity and a new sense of purpose. It gives me an opportunity to drop what’s not working and expand on what is. I use my business plan to expand my vision based on the new skills I have developed and the new possibilities I see. I look carefully to see that my passion is still high or if I’ve developed a new area of interest that needs following. And then I set new objectives and make the changes I have discovered that will take my business to a new level.

#2 Keep on marketing

Start marketing smarter. Find creative, innovate, inexpensive ways to uplevel your marketing plan. Find new ways to get free publicity. Interview and be interviewed, have a podcast, add another specific subject blog to attract people to one particular aspect of your business. Offer free introductory calls to stimulate interest. Survey your clients. What do they need? How have their needs changed since you started marketing to them. Are you supplying them with what they want? Rethink your product positioning and bundles.

#3 Cut Expenses

This may be a bit tricky if you are a solopreneur. But look closely. Reexamine your phone bill, shop for better long distant rates, cell phone deals. Shop your internet provider for combo offers. Sometimes you pay less when you pay for an entire year of a service like your shopping cart or web host rather than monthly. Get creative. What service can you share with another entrepreneur?

#4 Add new money-making services

It’s usually easier to add new services than new products because there is only the investment of time. For instance, group coaching allows more people access to your services at a lower rate. There is the potential they will become private clients. Bundle your services to encourage larger sales. Change your services packages to encourage people to sign up for longer periods of time. Once I found my copy writing services were needed, I added that as a service. I can do that on the days I don’t schedule coaching clients. Ask your clients what they need that you might provide and see if that is something you can add.

#5 Keep the cash flowing

I have a friend who hates to put out invoices. Her cash flow would improve if she would set up a monthly payment plan. Think of the time the money is not in her account earning interest. My coaching clients are on monthly automatic payments through my shopping cart. My invoices are updated every time I finish a task. If I’m doing a copy writing job I send them invoices in increments of $500 so the amount is manageable. Offer a discount to people who pay you within 30 days. Add a penalty to slow payees. Put a percentage into savings for those one a year renewals.

#6 Stay close to the money

Your time is your most valuable asset. Be certain you are using it wisely. Don’t spend your time doing things that other people could do for you even if you do them well. You are the brains, the creative fire that fuels your business. Your time and focus should be directed at ways to make more money.

#7 Keep high expectations

Expect the best. Do not settle for second best. Expect to attract people who value what you do and easily have the money to pay you. Keep an eye for the unexpected joint venture possibility that suddenly appears. Keep a list of your ideas and periodically check them out to see what you should do next. Then take action. When I decided to offer my Magnetic Business Plan teleclass I wrote the sales page in one evening and the class in the next two days. Let your passion create your next service and product.

Remember, the great thing about being an entrepreneur is that we are responsible for our own success. And we can have a great time doing it!

Does Your Business Need a Bigger Frame?

October 19, 2008 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I was holding my business back. I was staying comfortably within the framework I had designed. Sure, my business had grown from my original idea but my original idea wasn’t very big. And then someone handed me a larger frame and I had to think bigger….

I added a certification to my credentials – a certification that allows me to think bigger and play bigger. Actually, it demands that I do. And I m now fitting what I have been offering into the bigger business and expanding the service I offer.

I Started Out Too Small

I started from a very small place – both inside and outside. My web designer complained that her clients didn’t know what copy they wanted on their web pages and I said, "I can help with that." So I started positioning my business as a content developer – someone who helps focus services, clarifies navigation, and develops compelling copy for a web page. In the course of that I found myself continually coaching people in the foundational steps of marketing – helping them discover their target market, defining their benefits and features, creating tag lines, etc.

My next marketing step was to expand and offer the clients additional services. So I started coaching people in other marketing strategies and information product development.

And then it all changed. A new frame was offered and I jumped at it.

I’m now playing in a bigger vision – and it’s someone else’s. And oh, how that has made me grow!

You see, I’m now part of a bigger group and the founder of that group is really thinking big. And now I am too.

Thinking Big Widens Your Stance

What I was doing is now just a piece of what I now offer. You see, I’ve recently been certified by Michael Port to be one of his first Book Yourself Solid Coaches. And Michael is known for Thinking Big. So what happened is that all I was doing in the form of content and web development, and information product development is now a small piece of a coaching a system that helps people get booked solid. See how different that feels?

Expand Your Vision by Joining in Another’s Vision

My vision has been freed to expand because I am now a part of someone else’s bigger vision. Coaching the BYS system gives me a powerful method that has already been proven successful. I’m not saying you have to go out and get certified in anything. I am saying that you might want to consider looking around at the bigger players in your field and see how you might add to what you already offer. Place your business in a bigger frame.

My framework changed. I started thinking bigger.

My target market expanded. I raised my red velvet rope policy and upleveled the description of my ideal client

My web site got more focused. I was no longer promoting all the bits and pieces of the many things I do, it all came under one umbrella – the steps it takes to get yourself booked solid.

My pricing and packaging changed. I thought in terms of a 15 week program rather than the shorter segments I had been offering.

My branding changed. I could add credentials that identified me with a very large brand.

My expectations changed. I was coaching a system that was proven to bring success. I now expect even greater results with my clients.

My possibilities expanded. Having certified coaches is only part of Michael’s big vision but because I’m in on this next step, I have new opportunities I wouldn’t have had by myself. We’re offering online interactive coaching services that allows easy financial entry to the BYS program by adding levels of self-coaching, and e-mail coaching to 1:1 coaching. That opens up Michal’s work to everyone because the self-coaching can be done online very inexpensively. I will be able to serve people I couldn’t before.

My leveraged opportunities expanded. I want to train to teach the BYS program as a teleclass. I have the potential to expand into doing workshops with this work.

All of this is because I widened the framework that was holding my business.

What Else Can You Offer to Your Clients that Places You in a Larger Frame?

I had already been looking for how I could engage my clients longer. I looked at what services I could offer before they were ready for a web site. I looked for ways to continue helping them after they had received my web content development services. But it was the addition of this new skill set that exploded my vision into a new framework that took me way, way further than anything I had ever conceived of before.

Look outside the box. Look at what others are doing. See how what you are now offering fits into a bigger picture.

Vision from a larger framework and see what doors open. Think bigger, grow bigger be bigger. That’s what happens when you place your business in a bigger frame.