Cara Lumen | Sing a Deeper Song

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How We Bring Ideas Into Form

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It’s really rather a miracle. Out of the invisible nothingness, an idea appeared in my mind. It was just a one-stop idea that I noticed and then went on my merry way.

Then another version of the idea appeared, and I absentmindedly paired them into a larger idea.

That idea niggled and jiggled in the back of my mind until I took a small action to explore the idea further and found there was a need for it.

In an afternoon, the idea had taken shape. The form was clear, the content was clear, the way it was to be delivered was clear. It was written down. It had been born.

It was a miracle.

It’s as if a small spark lights the kindling of our mind and when we blow on it even a little, it bursts into flame. Amazing!

How does this happen? What takes place that allows the idea to appear in the first place?

Each of us has a specific purpose in this world. We have been given the skills and talents and yes, the desire, to put our passion to work. I see the ideas as coming from the Master Builder. And each of us is considered a necessary part of the whole construction, the Grand Plan.

The Master Builder gives us nudges in the form of ideas. Sometimes we need two nudges. Sometimes more. Sometimes we take the Master Builder up on the idea and run with it. That’s part of the Grand Plan. Sometimes we fumble the idea; we let it slid by us, and someone else picks it up and runs with it. That too is part of the Grand Plan.

But when it is our idea, ours to birth, ours to bring into view, how beautiful and miraculous is the process.

I keep a list of ideas on my computer desktop. Every idea I get I put down on that list. Some ideas have been there a long time and have not yet risen to the top. Others barely make the list before they take shape and form. But always, I write them down, for they are gifts. They come from that part of me that is creative, deeply in service, enthusiastic, and passionate. They are my Soul’s gift to my life experience.

I think of an idea as a pinpoint of light that gathers strength until it floods the stage. It is a spark that flies out to hearts all over the world. It is a gift that is mine to birth, to give life to, and to share with others.

Ideas are the whispering of Spirit in my ear. I love the way it speaks.

Go ahead, I’m listening.

© Cara Lumen 2006

A Measuring Stick for New Projects

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One of the reason we are entrepreneurs is because we have tons and tons of ideas. And fortunately or unfortunately, we are enthusiastic about every one of them. So how do we focus ourselves? How do we pick the projects we would undertake next?

What kind of a measuring stick can we build to help us make a decision?

Everyone’s measuring stick will be different. You are the only one that can pick the qualities that define value for you. After you choose your list of qualities, you will need to assign a value to each of them in order to create your own personal Payback Measuring Stick. Here are some ideas:

What is the payback I get for this project in terms of:

  • My time (How long will it take to implement? Can I do it or do I need to hire some/all of it done?)
  • Money invested. (How does this project fit into my over all business budget?)
  • How it feeds my passion (Is this on target with my innermost goal?)
  • Creativity
  • Pleasure/enjoyment in creating/doing it
  • Potential joint venture possibilities
  • Leveraging capabilites
  • Is it scalable in that it can get bigger?
  •  Is it scalable in that it can be built so I do not have to work all the time?
  • Will it hold more customers/clients?
  • Will I run out of customers for it? Is there a burning need for it?
  • What is its current worth? (If it’s a project in place now that you are considering expanding)
  • What am I personally up for right now in my life—a big undertaking, or a small but valuable tweaking?

What weight you give the aspects of this Pay Back Measuring stick depends on your goals.

Are you trying to create passive income that will keep rolling in for the future? Then you are going to care about the leveraging and joint venture aspects of the project. Leveraging is a key component to growth. Can this one idea become many other things? Can this e-book become a teleclass and an audio book and a packaged information product? Can you create a retreat based on its content? Is it the basis for a radio show or a podcast? Who else can you join with to strengthen the idea and make a profit for you both? What other lives can this project idea have?

Scarcity may be a deciding factor. Do you have the time and/or money at your disposal to do it yourself or can you be a team leader and get someone else to do it for you?

Is being creative a core value for you? Then you are going to give more weight to creativity and your pleasure and enjoyment in doing the project.

What size do you want your business to be? Are you limited by 1:1 delivery methods or is this new project a way to leverage your knowledge base into a group target market? Is there a genuine need for this idea or should it be modified and adjusted?

If you are in a hurry to create a product to accompany your next speaking engagement, or if you want something up on line and for sale in a week, the time it’s going to take to create it will carry more weight.

Every decision must be weighed heavily against your core passion. I see lots of moneymaking ideas floating past me, but many of them do not represent my values, or the needs of my client base, or my basic purpose for being in service. Some I can adjust to my business, some I cannot. Choose a project because it honors your heart’s calling.

Once you determine the value of each possible project, you have your own unique Pay Back Measuring Stick to help guide your choices.

 

Is Your Ideal Client Big Enough For Your Vision?

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You know what an ideal client is—the made-up description of the perfect person who would be drawn to your services and products. We write this description down with such thoroughness that we know where she lives, what her income is, what her level of education is, and what her problems are. We understand her needs and address them with our services, our products, and our approach. We write every word of copy to her. We create every product for her.

However, what if the ideal client you are focusing on is not big enough for your vision?

Part of what I am doing now is letting people know about a whole mangosteen beverage that is making a huge difference in health and wellness. It is recommended that you drink three ounces a day, which turns out to be one bottle a week. We recommend people buy two cases a month so they don’t run out.

Now I recognize this as an investment in my health and my quality of life. For me it’s a personal health insurance. Someone recently pointed out that a lifetime on this product would not cost as much as a day in intensive care. I’d much rather drink fruit juice than go to intensive care.

But if you’re thinking small, if your vision of your ideal client is not big enough you might find yourself focusing on the person who you think might not be able to afford it. Your approach might be “why don’t you buy one bottle and try it” when in reality, the best thing for them is to buy two cases and stay on it for at least eight to twelve months. You’ll be looking for a person who cannot or will not be willing to purchase your product or service. You have the wrong ideal client—at least the wrong ideal client for success.

But if you’re thinking big, your ideal client will be someone who immediately recognizes the value of your product or service, has the money available, and is willing to invest in the benefits you offer.

My ideal client in this venue is a 50 year old woman who is health conscious, prefers natural products, may be feeling some of the aging process in her body, wants to change that and sees her health as such a priority she immediately goes on the two-case program and plans on staying with it all her life! And as a bonus, my ideal client is a healer at heart, loves her freedom, and wants to become financially independent. She is smart, business savvy, loves people, and is excited about both the product and the business opportunity.

See how detailed I got? Have I left anything out? Notice that she has the money. Notice that she is drawn easily to what I offer. Notice that she has the skills and ability to take advantage of the business opportunity. This is my target audience, these are the people I look for and write to and recognize when I come across them.

Then all I have to do is sort. I go looking for this person. If a person doesn’t fit these criteria, they are not a good match. I don’t pursue them. I move on. I keep looking for the people who match what I have defined as those who can receive the most benefit from what I have to offer. When I do, I’ll find the attraction is mutual and the partnership instantaneous!

This is about defining your niche market. You have choice with your ideal client. Because the product I’m working with is about health and well-being I could target people who are sick. I’m not going to rule those out because the testimonials of great physical results are amazing. However, I’m a metaphysician and I want to focus on wholeness, so rather than adding “has health issues” to my ideal client, I am focusing on improved over-all quality of life. That will influence the words I use in conversation and copy and will also set up the Law of Attraction to attract health conscious people.

Make your ideal client description big enough to fit your vision. Give him/her money to buy what you offer, the ability to immediately see the value of what you offer, and the easy decision to purchase.

Think Big! Think big for your ideal client! Focus on finding them and you will soon be surrounded by the perfect clientele!

c 2006 Cara Lumen www.caralumen.com

The Sales vs Education Marketing Approach

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As you begin to formulate and execute your individualized marketing plan, it becomes important to acknowledge and identify the two styles of marketing—Sales and Education.

I found that personally I was very turned off by what felt to me like hard sell, yellow-boxed, bonus laded, you-can’t-live-without-it sales pages while other people responded well to them. I also know they make money. However, I knew that was not my personal style and I wasn’t certain if that were the only way, that I could do it. I was attracted to a more gentle approach. Fortunately, a friend pointed out that there were two distinct approaches to marketing. Once was sales the other was education. Both are valued, both are successful. It helps to know which one you are.

In any team-building or coaching environment where people are learning to market their own business, we have to honor both approaches. Training for success must allow for both types of presentation. As I gather my MLM team, my job is to help each person be successful. I offer a 1:1 coaching session to every new business builder to identify their marketing style so we can tailor their marketing approach to match their values and intention.

Many of my Internet Marketing Coaching clients are coaches in service to others. My job becomes to help them incorporate the known sales technique of using benefit-laden copy that appeals to the emotion, with their core purpose, which is education and attraction.

Knowing that I am an educator takes the “selling” out of my contact with others. I still go through discover steps. I still look for their need. I still share my solution and I still close with a request for action, but I’m more comfortable feeling that I am simply sharing enough information for them to make an informed choice. I am less attached to the outcome. It has made a huge difference in my ability to approach people verbally and it reflects in the copy I use on my sales pages.

Give some thought to the style that appeals to you. Are you a sales person? Are you an educator? Look for sales copy that you like and add it to your Swipe File. Include some you don’t like so you can understand why it doesn’t appeal to you.

Be true to your values. You will attract clients and customers to you through the vibration of your being-ness. Don’t go against that grain. Don’t try to be something you are not. Reach out from your heart and let people know what you can do for them and show them how much you love doing it.

Whether you choose the sales approach or the education approach, it will reflect who you are and draw the perfect people to you.

The Cosmic Hug

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I don’t know the head count for people living alone, but we all have the same problem—we have no one to hug us, to touch us, to give us an encouraging and comforting pat on the back.

Babies die from lack of touch. What about grown-ups? What do we need? How do we feel love when we seem to be alone?

We learn to give ourselves a Cosmic Hug!

Here’s how it works. Simply wrap your arms around yourself and allow yourself to feel held, comforted, loved, cared for, supported, and cherished.

Experiment with which arm should be on top. See what feels better, you hands on your shoulders or you hand on your upper arms. But most of all, feel from the inside, accept the embrace, allow it to nourish you. Let it soak in and replenish you.

Another thing I like to do is hold my own hand. It may be a woman thing, I’ve been doing my strong woman number a long time, but for me when I take the outer part of my left hand in the grasp of the right hand I can imagine someone encouraging and loving me.

You have to put yourself in the mindset of the recipient, not the giver.

The left hand is the receiving hand. The left shoulder is the quelling shoulder. If you feel upset, hold your left shoulder. It calms you down. This works on other people too.

A long time ago, in a group of fellow Reiki Master Teachers, I learned to really hug. We embraced another, then stood silently in that embrace until we could both feel our energy merge and there was only one of us. Next time you hug someone, take your time and feel the mingling of your energies.

Are you a hugger? Do you offer to hug friends when you see them? Even a friendly arm around the shoulder feels good to both give and receive. Or take their hand in both of yours and spend a moment sending and receiving love.

You can consciously improve your hugability by being a hugger yourself.

We are never alone. We are an integrated aspect of a universal, all-encompassing infinite energy. It’s only when we forget that, that we feel alone, lonely, depressed, forgotten, or any number of untrue emotions.

Next time you start to falter, hold your own hand, or give yourself a big Cosmic Hug. And allow yourself to feel the serenity that infuses you. You are never alone.

c 2006 Cara Lumen, www.caralumen.com