All of us are bombarded with “buy this!” messages, and as
business owners, I think we can sometimes drown in the
self-doubt these messages activate. “I should be doing that?!
I didn’t know that!” Furthermore, “inspired entrepreneurs”
—those wanting to change the world—can easily drown in
the constant quest to do it “right” because they feel a bit out
of sorts in the business arena, and so grab at countless promises,
praying they’ll be a life-line.

In other words, there’s a lot of fear that passes through the
hearts of coaches, wellness practitioners, authors and
speakers when it comes to business. And fear, as we know,
is entirely corrosive. It eats the healthy parts of us and all
too often kills our businesses all together.

Today, I’d like to make a suggestion: Get your heart on
straight. Take your head, in fact, and set it aside for a while
as you re-acquaint yourself with the meaning of your life.
Your mission. Your mission. You. You have one. One that
is independent of your business. Ask yourself, “What am I
here for? What am I very clear I am not here for? What is my
highest purpose on this earth?”

And put it on paper.

And ask yourself, “Am I living this?”

If you’re not, it is absolutely time to get your heart on straight.

Then, step your thoughts back into your business. What is its
highest purpose on earth? What is it to accomplish that will
move humanity forward? At the very pinnacle of its success,
what will it have achieved…that is important to our evolution?

Be called by something bigger than yourself and the marketing
messages you receive constantly will fall into two categories:
those that do not match your personal and business missions,
and those that do. This will be clear to you and you will be
far better equipped to say no to the wrong ones and yes to the
right. The fear and self-doubt these messages can invoke will also
fade as purpose–far greater than your little self and your little
business (not to be condescending, but just factual)–fills your
heart and transcends the minutiae of daily marketing messages.

Something must both anchor and emancipate you as you move
through the busy-ness of your business. Otherwise, you will be
swallowed up by the latest fads, trends and concepts—in the hope
that one will be your savior.

Your “savior” is connecting back to what you are here for. And
then ensuring that every action you take aligns with that–including
the business you offer and the way you offer it.

So, get back to the basics and get your heart on straight. Putting your
personal mission and your business mission into words—and then
sharing it with others—will ground you when you get unfocused,
and free you when you get tangled in fear and self-doubt. You are
here for a reason. When you do business from that realization,
nothing will stop you, and you will pull to you the right and perfect
guidance.

This is the first “Strategic Inquiry” we address in my upcoming 12
Sentences Business Creation & Articulation Course. More on that
soon.

I surveyed two websites today to see if they could pass the
Brain-Sticky Litmus Test: a coach’s and a nutritionist’s.

They each did some things “right”:  they had opt-ins
“above the fold” (viewable before one scrolls down).
One had the option to “like” her Facebook fanpage on
the right, above the fold, too, and the ability to subscribe
to her RSS feed. Very good.

Another opened her copy by asking questions of the
reader right away–excellent form. And she listed some
of the concerns that she treats.

But there were problems, too.

I noticed that neither of them had a definable target market.
As such, their copy was broad, vague and, well, not Brain-
Sticky. It was, in fact, Brain-Antagonistic–it shut off the
brain’s natural tendency to be alert to something new. I
had to read their copy because it was my job today; but
would others?

So, I urged them both to settle on a sliver-population target
market. Why? For 3 reasons: 1. It streamlines your efforts.
You know where to go to find them. But I’m a communications
expert, so I’m concerned with reasons 2 and 3: 

2. Your marketing messages become very intimate because
you are speaking to a specific group whose problems you
know intimately; whose desires you can articulate better than
they can. This is the key to selling effectively! Intimate copy.

3. Knowing the problems and desires of this narrow market,
you can create your programs around them. In fact, you
MUST create your programs and info-products around your
(sliver-population) market.

We’ll see if they take my advice on this. 95% of students and
clients do the “target market squirm”–where they fight to the
death to keep their wide audience because they’d “get bored”
with a narrow market, or they’re afraid of losing business with
a smaller market. I know. I’ve heard it hundreds of times. The
most successful get a narrow market.

NEXT…I suggested to both of them that they switch the way
they position their opt-in–the offer that invites someone
to sign in for their newsletter. As I said on the call, giving out
email addresses these days is akin to purchasing something–it
carries that kind of weight. So, what you’re giving them had
better be VALUABLE. Here’s what’s NOT valuable:

“Sign in for my monthly newsletter“; or “Sign in to get
weekly updates from us,”etc. What’s valuable is a PRODUCT.
One person today had a product–a tip-sheet of some sort.
BUT she was seducing people with “a free newsletter” instead
of with the tip sheet. The other website didn’t have any product
at all–not an ebook, or special report, or audio program. So, I
told her to get one–and then to highlight THAT as the reason to
opt-in…rather than a free newsletter. You must always
*mention* that subscribers will be put on your newsletter list,
but that can and should be in the smaller print. The big print
should highlight the GIFT you’re giving them, and a newsletter
is NOT a gift–not anymore.

I was pleased to see that the nutritionist had gathered her
services into “programs,” with beginning and endings. But
her “identity” was scattered. She did a lot of things. The brain
needs to grasp a new concept quickly, or it quickly moves on.
I didn’t know clearly what she did–what single problem she 
solved, for instance, and urged her to carve out a single-identity
and present it boldly.  

Today, Wednesday, I’m critiquing 2 more businesses. I have
openings for an additional two, to be critiqued next week. If
you’d like to see how your business passes the Brain-Sticky
Litmus Test, be sure to sign up at
www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/15min.

And register there if you just want to listen in, too. Send
friends and colleagues here who may want to take
advantage of this opportunity. This is valuable information
–and it’s free!

I had a (looong) lunch with a business colleague on Friday,
and she was telling me about several seminars she’s been
to in the last 6 months by some of the top internet marketers.

Now, neither she nor I is squeamish about a back-of-the-
room sale (heck, I teach it!) but there is a point where enough
is enough. At these seminars, she experienced three (and
sometimes more) selling sprees. But here’s the rub, in my
opinion: there was little to no content.  These Big Names 
are ostensibly experts, making millions of dollars a year,
yet they display little of that expertise by providing a
valuable teaching experience.  Furthermore, one of these
Big Names positions him/herself in marketing materials as a
particularly ethical, genuine, even spiritual person. Hmm.

My colleague never did write the blistering letter she was
forming in her mind as she sat through one of the seminars,
but she told me of a rather famous blogger who attended a
similar seminar from *another* Big Name and did pen an
indignant post, blasting him/her for charging $1,000 +
for virtually no valuable content and lots of selling.

If you’ve been on my list for a while, you may remember
my email newsletter last summer, when I attended a 3-day
seminar in Las Vegas with a Big-Name Internet Marketer
and came back with all the same complaints and actually
“outed” him in the email, as a buyer-beware notice.

And yet, a few weeks ago, on June 16th, I wrote a blog post
about a woman who attended my public speaking seminar
and, after the one and only back-of-the-room sale of the
week-end, asked me if there would be any more “sales stuff.”
I had an opinion about that then, which you can read about,
that clearly illustrates my belief that selling can be perfectly
acceptable.  

But I am very curious to hear what all of you think about
selling at a paid event.

What I think is imperative to consider, in replying to this
question, is one’s own issues around money, as well as
one’s own fear of and belief in “lack.” I have, as I wrote in
that 6/19 post, come to understand the connection between
hating to be sold to and the belief in not having enough
money in general…and the belief in not having the power
to make it OR lose it…and how all of that mixes in to con-
taminate one’s ability to then sell themselves in business.

So, it’s a complex issue, where the wires of unconscious
fear need to be pulled apart from the wires of objective
insight.

Your own stuff aside, I’d love to hear your experience
of 1) a time when someone’s selling at a paid seminar felt
acceptable. You had little to no discomfort with it. What
did they do to make it easy and okay? and 2) another time
when you felt angry about the selling. What were they 
doing or not doing? 3) And, in looking at the two, what do
you conclude?

On my next blog telecall–this Thursday–we will be
talking about this. It’s free and easy to get on. Just register
for it by clicking the link at the very top of this page entitled,
Telecalls. (If you’ve already done so, no need to do it again.)

But don’t wait until the call to give your opinion!

Thank you for contributing. I fully believe that these answers
will give great insight into the future of selling services. Have
a great week!