The Art & Science Of Conscious Success
The Big Shift is a podcast, a community, and a movement. It is our aim to help those who want to make a difference, have success in carrying out their mission. The goal of our podcast is to inspire heart-centered entrepreneurs to create their dream business, do what they love, and make the world a better place in the process.
We will help you get there by sharing with you the best marketing, sales/enrollment and mindset practices known to humankind today… All of these practices are tested and come from the people who are the very best at utilizing and teaching them. These will be some of the most extraordinary people on this planet. Get ready for your Big Shift!
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The more you appreciate the clients you do have, the more
clients you’ll attract into your world.
And speaking of appreciation, here’s the third and final
installment in my client appreciation series. Alicia came
into my world less than a year ago with a truly unique
calling. In the short time I’ve known her I’ve gotten to see
her step further and further into her power. She has an
answered the calling inside her in a huge way.
Meet Alicia Dattner…
The Client Appreciation Series continues today with Jonathan
Bender. He has accomplished so much in the last few years…
I have had the privilege of watching him develop, step into
his own power and create a business that most business would
only dream of. I think you’ll enjoy his story.
Meet Jonathan Bender…
When was the last time you asked for a discount?
Last week I lead a 4-day Big Shift Retreat with 70 of my most amazing clients. These are the business owners who decided to step up in a big way to invest in themselves and their businesses. A few of them literally did not have the money to join my program. Yet they said ‘yes’ and did whatever it took to come up with the investment.
…not one person asked for a discount.
I want to break down why no one ever asks me for a discount and what I recommend you do when someone does.
The first thing you do happens way before a potential client asks you if you would be willing to discount your services.
It actually starts with you not asking for discounts yourself when you are paying for stuff.
I used to be a master haggler. In fact, friends would take me shopping with them because I could always get a discount. I loved the process of paying less than what people were asking for in a product or service. I was playing a zero sum game. When I got the discount, I was literally taking $ out of someone else’s pocket and putting it into mine. And I loved it.
As I became more committed to living a conscious life, it became harder and harder for me to ask for discounts. And then, one day, I consciously decided that haggling was no
longer going to be part of my life.
My new path was to only buy and hire people that I thought were a great investment at the price level they set. I am a free man and I have the power of choice. And I will decide if it’s a YES for me. I will respect the people and companies which I am investing in.
And with this new respect I found for service-providers and artisan product makers, a magical thing happened – I began to respect myself more as a service provider and the value I provide.
I began to stand in the power of my prices – knowing that I feel good about the exchange of services for money and knowing that it is simply an even exchange of energy between two consenting parties.
I began to see that the ‘discount mindset’ is one of scarcity, fear and contraction. It discounts the value you place on things. And it discounts the talents of the people and products you are investing into.
When you believe in the value of what you are getting, it is your belief that sets in motion your access to that value.
So when someone asked me for a discount, I tell them that I believe in the service I provide. I believe in the results they will get from working with me. And I invite them to invest in themselves in a way that honors them and honors me.
One time, someone told me that another coach they spoke to offered them a discount and asked me to match it. And I said, “Whose service would you trust more – one that gives you a discount because you asked or one that knows its value and will stand firm on their prices? Who would you like to stand in your corner?”
Who do you think got that client?
So next time you want to ask for a discount – think again.
And the next time, someone asks you for a discount – stand firm and resist the urge, knowing that you are not helping anyone in discounting your value and the value of their investment.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this here.
Warmly,
~Bill
I want to share with you a great resource on how to practically read the minds of your clients, so you can design exactly the kind of offerings they are craving.
The way to become a mind reader is first to stop wanting to read their minds and actually ask them what they’re thinking.
How easy is that? Ask your ideal clients what they want and then simply give it to them.
Yet, most business owners don’t do this. And if you could just do one thing to improve your earnings and impact with your clients, it would be to ask your clients what they want.
The specific resource I am talking about here is the one-question survey.
You will notice that I chose a broad and open-ended question because posing a question in this way gives the person answering an opportunity to give you their most current top-of-mind answer. This will provide you with some incredible intel on what they want help with now around your area of expertise.
If you ever wonder what to write about in your newsletter, or what the topic of your teleseminar should be, or what your signature speech should be about – wonder no more! Just do a one question survey by duplicating what I do using Survey Monkey.
And if you don’t have a list, don’t worry, take your one question survey to a networking event and simply ask live.
Here’s my assignment to you:
So let’s get started right now.
What would be a question you’d like to know from your audience? Post it here on my blog.
Warmly,
~Bill
I was listening to tracks from one of my favorite albums – Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix this morning.
I can only guess what he meant by this trippy title, but it got me thinking about one of my favorite topics…
The Customer Experience
In software and in the on-line world, creating an incredible customer experience is a huge trend. Internet companies have whole departments devoted to these questions:
The amazing experience people have using Apple products is what makes that company legendary.
The experience that you create for your clients is the difference between a commodity service and a highly sought-after service.
Yet I can see that WE, the service-based business owners, pay so very little attention to the experience our clients are having with us.
I don’t mean just paying attention to your service or your expertise. I mean paying attention to EVERY little interaction they have with you:
Your email communications, your initial consultations, customer service calls, the message they hear on your voice mail, your email address, your invoices, what your office looks like, thank you cards, the extra perks you give.
I know I pay attention to the experience of my clients, but providing the experience still takes a back seat to my content or to my coaching.
What would happen if I sat down and designed the experience from the first email my clients get from me, to how a welcome phone call is delivered, to what kind of gift I will send my clients for participating and even to learning what experience they are really wanting with me.
If I did that –
I would have clients for life!
And that is precisely what I want. And I am hoping you want that, too.
I invite you to explore this topic and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Have you told your clients how much you appreciate them lately?
I just got off the phone with an amazing client from my Client Mastery Blueprint program. At the end of the conversation, I told her how much of a joy she is to me. I meant it because it’s true. It felt great to say it and I know it felt good for her to receive it.
Your clients like working with you, not just because you have a great service. They like working with you because of how they feel when working with you. The experience is just as important as the results they get.
But do they also know how much you like working with them?
You feeling and communicating gratitude for the gift of being able to work with your client is an essential piece of what can make the experience of working with you just that much better.
Here’s what you can do:
This will make a difference. Because what you appreciate appreciates.
The fact that I take the time daily to connect to what and to whom I appreciate is the difference maker in my business.
It’s my secret sauce.
Here’s what I am appreciating in my business
Thank YOU again for taking the time to read what I’m grateful for, for your never-ending support and inspiring me and my business everyday.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
What are you thankful for?
Kindly,
~Bill
