Archive for the 'mentoring and coaching' Category
Posted on February 11, 2010
What are “extras”?
Extras are embellishments that can either support or detract from your core offer. (Program, product, service, etc.)
What extras look like:
Here’s an example: You’re putting together a new group coaching program that consists of taking clients through your step-by-step inspired w e i g h t loss program. As you’re putting your program together you think of ALL the things your clients might want from you so you start adding them. The core message of your program: allow yourself to be guided to your perfect w e i g h t loss plan. The extras you add: nutrition, exercise, calorie counting, etc.
Why we’re tempted to add them:
Sometimes we add the extras because we really see that our clients will have questions on various topics and we want to serve them.
However, and I think this is the case most of the time, we add the extras because we think we NEED to. Or that we SHOULD.
See where I’m going with this? Is it really true that you need to or should add those extras?
For a lot of us we have a hard time really believing our CORE offer is strong enough to stand on its own two feet. And this belief plays right into a deeper question: Are we really ENOUGH?
How to know if you’re carrying “extra w e i g h t” around:
Ask two great questions:
What can I do all day long with my clients and feel energized as result?
What work do I do with my clients that drain my energy?
The extras will always lead to you feeling drained because it’s not the work you really want to do, and more than likely it’s not the work you’re really meant to do.
Now, here’s the key: I know you want to serve your clients the best way you know possible so sometimes you’ll want to add some extras. Go for it! BUT, keep it in balance.
The impact extras have on your business:
The biggest impact extras will have on your business is muddying it down. Instead of clearly stating how you help your clients and offering simple solutions to their problems your offers will start feeling overly complicated.
The solutions you provide your clients should never be overly complicated. Simplicity is best for you, them, teaching your material and sharing your message.
What can you do to avoid adding too many extras?
As you’re putting together a new product or service, from time to time take a step back and see if there is anything you can whittle away from your core offer. The only way to identify the extras is to be conscious of the fact you might be adding them. Don’t be afraid of taking things out, especially when doing so could leave you with a very succinct, power-filled offer that is the exact thing your clients need and want from you!
(c) 2010 Cari Vollmer Life On Track, LLC
Posted on January 22, 2010
As you’re developing your business you’re going to have a lot of ideas for new products and services. Perhaps you already have.
It’s likely that some of those offers will resonate far and wide and you’ll attract a lot of customers/clients with them. And others perhaps not so many!
Of course, there are many reasons why some offers sell and other don’t but instead of dissecting all the reasons WHY one offer does better than others I want to get straight to the heart of the matter.
The truth is every THING you create - product or service - starts in the same place…with YOU. YOU are the starting place for all your creations.
And there are many ways to start a new creation. You might get a download of inspired ideas! You might feel inspired by something you see or read. Maybe you even see something somebody else created and that leads you to create something similar. Sometimes maybe you create something because somebody requested it or told you to.
Remembering your own creation process, how did you choose what to include in each of your creations?
Why did you add this thing and that thing? Why did you choose to do it one way over another? Why did you choose to create it in the first place? And in the end, how did you ultimately feel about your creation?
What I’m getting to is this: many, many times our creations are embellished with EXTRAS. Sometimes these extras might serve to make our creations stronger and sometimes the opposite is true.
Adding “the extras” is something we each need to watch out for. It’s tempting to add “more”, but you know as well as I that more isn’t always better. In fact, I think most of us like things quite simple! We like simple solutions to our problems. Simple answers to our questions. After all, our lives are quite complicated so anything that makes life simpler is attractive!
Identifying the extras in your business will help you see what can be whittled away, leaving you with a very clear offer that is a powerful reflection of the gift you are sharing.
Next week we’ll continue this conversation with tips on how to identify the extras and how to avoid them.
(c) 2010 Cari Vollmer Life On Track, LLC
Posted on January 22, 2010
Often when I’m working with new clients they are confused over what they should be doing in their business to create the results they want.
They are frustrated because there is so much they could do and they can’t clearly see what they should be focusing right now.
I’ve always believed “less is more”, in all areas of life, including business. I also believe in building a strong foundation for your business. A foundation made up of a simple marketing and product/service focus will help you to powerfully position yourself as an expert, while also allowing you to work less and make more.
To get started there are 5 choices - or decisions - you need to make regarding your foundation. Once these decisions have been made and you know they’re working for you your job is to keep adding to the strong foundation you’ve already started.
1. Choose Your Specialty: This is the work you want to become known as an expert in. What one thing are you great at that helps solve a big problem or problems for…
2. Choose Your Target Market: This is the group of people you feel called to serve. This is a group of people that have a problem or challenge your specialty can help solve.
3. Choose A Way to Share Your Gift: Now, how do you want to share your specialty, or gift with your target market? Examples could be: one-on-one services, workshops, writing a book, hosting a live event, teleclasses and boot camps.
4. Choose A Way to Share Yourself: How will you stay connected with your target market - the group you feel called to serve? Marketing is all about clear communication and connection. People buy from those they know, like and trust. What can you do to build the know, like and trust factor with your target market? Examples include: publishing a regular email newsletter, face-to-face networking, using a keep in touch marketing vehicle like Send Out Cards, or utilizing social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.
5. Choose Three Ways You Can Add Value: OK, so once you choose your specialty now you can figure out different ways you have of adding value. Adding value is a core ingredient in attracting more and more clients to your practice. But remember the value you add has to be something YOUR CLIENT really wants and needs. You might be able to think of a lot of things you could do for them but it really only counts if they find it useful. Examples include: writing articles for your ezine you know your target market is interested in, creating add-on programs that support your client’s “next steps”, being easily accessible to answer questions they have.
(c) 2010 Cari Vollmer Life On Track, LLC
Posted on January 9, 2010
As soul-inspired business owners we have a burning desire to spread our messages to those we feel most called to serve. We can feel, in our bones, how doing so would make our lives feel very on purpose and meaningful.
Many of us have dreamt of helping clients get what they want and we know we hold the key that could help many, many people do just that.
So we strike out on our own with courage and passion. We step INTO our passion and purpose to make a difference.
We also step into what is a new role for many of us and that is role of business owner. Even though we feel prepared and ready to go when it comes to helping our clients, we feel less prepared when it comes to positioning ourselves as experts, marketing our business, and making mo’ney.
The truth is in order to help a lot of people, to make the impact you want to make, you’ve got to learn how to run, position and market your business for maximum impact. This is something most of us have to learn how to do and if we’re serious about building a business that serves not only our client’s lives but also our own lives there will come a point in time when it’s time to invest in our business growth.
You know right now if this day has come for you. Here are a few of the signs: 1) you’re attracted to products and programs that will teach you what you need to learn; 2) you’re ready to make a leap in your business and realize you can’t get there on your own; 3) you realize you really don’t understand how to make mo’ney doing what you want to do; 4) you suspect a mentor could help shorten the learning curve, therefore shortening your journey to success and that is very attractive!
The good news is there are LOTS of ways you could invest in yourself. So, where are the best places to get started? Here are my three favorite ways of investing in myself and my business.
1) Choose a mentor and model her. If you find someone that does what you’d like to do watch how she does things and then model yourself after her. That doesn’t mean you should copy her. Look at it this way, if you find someone that does what you’d like to do and you know she’s doing it well and making mo’ney doing what she loves, why wouldn’t you follow her? Studying someone that is a master at her craft is a strategy you can use long term and the only thing it will cost is your time. Pay attention to how successful people do things and do them too. Read the books they read. Follow the experts they follow. Invest your time in studying them. It’s time well spent.
2) Invest money in a personal growth mentor. I’ve done this for years. I’ve worked with intuitive development teachers, taken meditation courses, listened to radio shows and podcasts, as well as read hundreds of books, all for the sake of helping me SEE myself and my gifts more clearly. Some of the programs I’ve taken have been easily affordable and others have been more of a stretch. In all cases I trust my instincts on who the right teacher is for me. I have to resonate with the teacher and their style. I adore personal growth work and learning from a gifted teacher is my favorite way to absorb myself in personal growth work. I like group formats but I also like one-on-one consultations for more private issues.
3) Invest money in a business mentor. OK, I know I said above to chose a mentor and model her. Now I will add if that mentor offers programs, products, and events spend money on them! I’m not telling you to do this blindly…only do it if it is truly a good fit for you. Here’s why: NOTHING beats learning directly from someone who’s “been there, done that”…nothing. To have the ear of a mentor who will help you strategize your next steps is absolutely priceless. It’s also amazing to have someone you admire believe in you! If following her from afar has been a good thing, learning from her directly is double the pleasure!
A few years ago I heard this wisdom: the hole you invest in yourself through is the hole you receive through. In my experience that is exactly the case. The more energy (meaning time and money) I’ve spent on building my business the more I’ve received as a result. Honestly, I’m not sure why this is the case except to say that with each investment of time and money I make the more committed I feel to making my dreams come true.
I know it’s not always easy making these investments. I’ve been there too. I’ve had to scrounge together what I’ve needed to invest in some programs. In the end, because I’ve trusted my heart, I’ve never regretted my decision.
2010 can be a breakthrough year for you but you’ve got to be willing to invest your time and maybe even your mo’ney to make it happen. Think about and implement your own personal and business development investment strategy. You and your dream are worth it!
(c) 2010 Cari Vollmer Life On Track, LLC
Posted on December 2, 2009
Soul-Inspired Business Owners: As we bring 2009 to a close I’d like you to do one thing… take time to acknowledge all of the growth you’ve experienced this year. Acknowledge yourself for a job well done. Even if you’ve struggled and had your share of challenges take time now to pat yourself on the back. It’s so important that you do because when you do you honor yourSELF, your BRILLIANCE and your POWER.
Today I’m celebrating alongside you because I’m so thrilled to announce the launch of my 2010 Passion Into Profit Mastermind, beginning January 1, 2010! In my personal experience NOTHING has catapulted me and my business faster than participating in a mastermind. I’ve also had the profound pleasure of witnessing how much my clients have grown as a result of participating in my 2009 mastermind.
Here’s what I’ve learned: Your dream is sacred and it deserves all the support, love and encouragement you can give it. Surrounding yourself with other remarkable individuals that are up to BIG things will inspire you like nothing else can.
Now you have a chance to give you and your dreams a sacred environment to THRIVE!
Today, through December 31, I will be accepting applications for my 2010 Passion Into Profit Mastermind Program. It’s my intention and commitment to put together a remarkable group of up to 12 soul-inspired women business owners that are ready to play big, get their messages out to the world, as well as support others in doing the same.
During this year long program you will be supported to Build Your Business Around Your Brilliance ™ so you can finally get your soul-inspired message out to the clients you are most called to serve. You will be supported in developing a plan of action that is simple, power-filled and gets results! You’ll also be encouraged to listen to and trust your own intuition! We’ll powerfully hold a space for you to step into your power-filled SELF like you never have before! And we’ll do all of this with love, support, oodles of encouragement, as well as provide you with practical marketing and business strategies that have been proven to work!
Does this feel like something your soul has been searching for?
Then I would be honored to speak to you! All you need to do to get started is visit this page: www.LifeOnTrack.com/mastermind.html and fill out the short form. Once you do we’ll set up a time to talk. I know you’ll have a lot of questions! I also want to be sure this program is the right fit for you!
Before I go I need to ask you a very important question. If you FEEL this program is something you’ve been looking for, what happens if you don’t do it? I know what it’s like; it’s easy to talk yourself out of something you really want. I’ve been there too! But you know what? Doing so has never made me happier or more successful. Taking action on what I want has.
That’s all I ask you to do now. Trust your instincts. Listen to your heart.
I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see who’s ready to take action and make 2010 one of their most inspired and best years yet! Seriously, we’re going to have a ball!
Bye for now…
Love and hugs,
– Cari
PS. This quote from Caroline Myss sums up what we’ll be creating together in the 2010 Passion Into Profit Mastermind:
“Creativity is essential to your spiritual health. Supporting someone else’s creative ideas or efforts is the same thing as supporting her spiritual journey in this lifetime. No one can manifest her creative gifts alone; we need each other… We are sent into the lives of people who need creative support just as people are sent into our lives. Sometimes all we need to do is provide invisible psychological support. “You can do it” or “Hang in there” can be a source of renewed faith. — Caroline Myss
That’s what we’re going to do together: we’re going to spiritually ignite your passions, purpose, and brilliance so you can share your creative gifts with the clients you are most called to serve.
How amazing is that!
PPS. When you visit the sign up page be sure to watch both videos on that page! Deb and Liz will tell you what masterminding with me has done for them!
www.LifeOnTrack.com/mastermind.html
