When I say “expert”, I am talking directly to the coaches, consultants, and speakers… those of us who make our living – or hope to – based on our expertise. In the past 18 months, this is where I have lived… rolling up my sleeves and helping EXPERTS navigate a quickly changing economy and begin (finally!) charging what they are worth and seeing their bottom-line line up with the depth of their experience and expertise.
If you’re sick of the “NO BUDGET” language you’re hearing, if you’re tired of being asked to give your expertise for FREE, if you’re disgusted by the “insta-experts” who are peddling their “book report” expertise as true, experience-based expertise, if you are READY to have your INCOME line up with your POTENTIAL, I hope you’ll give me your name, email address and website below… so I can send you the BEST (F*R*E*E) GIFT ever – specifically for Coaches, Speakers and Experts: FOR YOU! =)
What will I get?
First, you WON’T be added to our mass mailing list. (You can do that yourself at the top right of this page.) Right now, I am putting the finishing touches on a “white paper” entitled, “The Proper Care and Feeding of a Prosperous Coaching Practice”. You’ll love it… and you’ll get it for FREE…. You’ll also get a certificate for a complimentary coaching session with me – to take place during my “Serving Hours” planned for May of 2011. (NO “thinly veiled sales session” here… I give you my word. Just you and I. Laser-focused on your bottom line… and how to grow it. Nothing SOLD or OFFERED during our time together. Pinky- promise.)
**Only the first forty coaches to respond to this offer will get that extended coaching session with me. If you sign up AFTER those slots are filled, I’ll give you a personalized marketing audit instead.**
This is my gift to you… and as an extension of the twice – yearly “Serving Hours” I’ve offered coaches and experts for four years now. I hope by now, you’ve signed up for YOUR “BEST GIFT EVER!”. If not, I hope you’ll keep reading… There’s lots for you here… just on THIS page.
A mentor once told me that “Business is a LOGICAL process. The only problem with it is that it has to be carried out by EMOTIONAL beings”.
How True. Isn’t it logical that if we “properly care for” our businesses, they will grow? If we “PROPERLY care” for anything, it will grow and flourish. So, why does “business” seem so hard?
Well, for one… we listen to the wrong people who give us FAULTY information about HOW to care for a business in the first place. If our paid mentors (or free “mentors” who are way too easily accessible on the internet and overly anxious to dole out advice) convinced us that our cars ran on WATER, we would not get very far. Soon, we would be complaining about how our car wouldn’t work, wouldn’t start, was a bad idea, a lemon. All that time, all we needed was the TRUTH about our car. It runs on gas. Oh, okay… well now we can get moving.
The same scenario is true for our businesses. Business is logical… There are hard and fast rules that will allow you to put some fuel on your business goals. When you know what it TRULY takes to care for and nourish your business, you can get moving in the right direction.
CAUTION: (If you are an excuse-maker… if you are unwilling to be honest with yourself and with others… if your week consists of more “waiting” than action… if you are unwilling to do something different to get a different result, be fore-warned: you’ll be more disgusted by me than by any organization, business or individual requesting you work for them for free…. so – well, it’s just a warning.)
Here are some basic facts we need to know in order to START making money as a coach or expert! I’ve learned that reality is always gentle to us if we will only acknowledge it, so let’s start there.
- There are FAR LESS organizations looking to hire coaches, consultants and speakers than in times past. FAR LESS. However, every organization, individual and corporation are in fact searching for SOLUTIONS to what causes them pain (or pause) and will pay good money to have that solution presented to and / or carried out for them. (Secret ONE: When you stop selling “coaching” or “keynotes” or “consulting” and start selling your expertise as a solution, you’ll see an (uncanny and quick) increase in income!)
- Your expertise will hardly ever sell itself, no matter how impressive you are. So, secret two is this: Figure out YOUR “red spoon” or what you will do for FREE. (Learn more about the red spoon concept here: http://womenforhire.com/advice/magazine/free_red_spoon/) And then, do only that which is within those boundaries. How can people get a TASTE of what you do, without you having to give away the farm for free? (P.S. If you want the boundaries I give experts for developing this red spoon, let me know. I’ll be happy to email it over to you!)
- You LOSE BIG when you allow your fee to be attached to your time. Secret three: Your income will soar when you begin to charge for the difference you make rather than the time it takes. Learning how to package and price your expertise is critical to your success. In fact, pricing and packaging can make or break your practice. How much time, thought, energy have you given the pricing and packaging aspect of YOUR business? Are you doing/ offering / charging what you see other coaches / consultants do / offer / charge? If so, keep reading.
- MOST “experts” – no matter how impressive their site, no matter how large their “numbers” on twitter or facebook, no matter how many books they’ve written – are FAR less successful financially than they would like you to believe. FAR LESS. Secret four: Before we look to anyone in our industry as a “gold standard”, we need to carefully research (ASK!!) how successful they actually are – rather than how successful they “appear”. The truth will shock you – but it will also leave you FREE to carve your own niche, path and place in our emerging new economy. (For a list of what I call THE REAL DEAL EXPERTS, email me and I’ll shoot it over to you!)
- MOST experts – specifically coaches – are far TOO ‘networked’ and accessible to be profitable. Think about it. Your business depends on people PAYING MONEY to have access to you, your thinking, your mind, your words, your guidance, your advice…. If your market can always find you, reach you, talk to you, or (my favorite) “pick your brain”, they will keep you as an “always available” option and will NOT be willing to pay for the access you are granting them for free. Network FAR LESS. (And network DIFFERENTLY.) Secret five: Learning to network as an EXPERT is a pre-requisite to being PAID like an expert. Are you networking as a PEER? or as an Expert?
I guess that’s enough of an introduction to what you’ll get as part of the BEST GIFT EVER for you: the coach / expert!
More information on building a profitable coaching / expert business can be found here:
Thinking of starting a continuity program or live event to boost your presence, profit and reach? You’ve got to read THIS.
