Case Studies of Inspiring Business | marketingforhippies.com

how to write a lovable homepage

By: Tad | Published: August 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment

You might have alreadry met my friend Carrie Klassen (pictured here). She’s released her very first product I want to tell you about.

A while ago, I released my first product. It’s all about a simple thing you can do to your homepage which can have way more people opting in to be on your email list.

But quite frankly, it’s of little use if a certain part of your website itself isn’t working. So, I want to talk to you about your website.

More specifically, it’s about a particular part of your website.

It’s a part of your website that is absolutely, no questions, no debating it – the most vital part of your website. It’s the first thing people see and it makes or breaks you website. Full stop. Period. End of discussion.

Any marketing consultant would agree with me on this.

What is it? Well, as the blog post title suggests, it’s . . .

Your homepage.

And I want to be lovingly blunt here: I would give a failing grade to most homepages I see. And I’ve looked at a lot of them trying to find examples of homepages that kicked ass. I can count on two hands the number of kick ass homepages I’ve seen.

But I think most people think that their homepage is ‘good enough’.

This could be true, but the vast majority of homepages I’ve seen are either: boring as hell, all about the business and how great it is, full of jargon, confusing or arrogant.

And, of course, you don’t want any of those.

Because you’ve got about three seconds to win them over. Three seconds before they decide ‘this isn’t relevant to me’ or before they break out in a huge smile because they finally found something just perfect for them.

You want a homepage that is clear, loveable, honest, warm and compelling.

You want a homepage that you love and are so excited to share with the people you meet.

You want a homepage that your ideal clients land on and it’s as if they walked up to your home and you opened the door and said, ‘It’s you! Welcome!’ and gave them a hot cup of their favourite drink as they smell the wafts of their favourite meal coming from your beautifully crafted, oak wood front door.

You want a homepage that your ideal clients will love.

And, I mean this with so much love and understanding of how overwhelming business can be . . . your homepage probably isn’t there right now.

Tough love (but I love you!)

So, what can you do?

There’s a simple, 15 question diagnostic quiz you can take to find out for sure (and workbook you can use to make it just perfect). If your website is the happy exception then you’ll only need to spend five minutes at the most and have something to brag about all week.

I always speak about the importance of having a great homepage at my workshops, but I’ve never considered myself an expert. And, for years, I’ve been craving a resource that I could whole-heartedly recommend on this topic.

Finally, it’s here.

It’s called the ‘ How to Write a Lovable Homepage ‘ workbook.

I can’t rave about it enough.

And, once you get it, you’ll be raving too.

It is charming, easy, fun, affordable and will help you create a homepage that has zero grossness, hype, arrogance or dullness.

Carrie has an incredible gift of helping her clients creative marketing that is so clear, irresistible and lovely all at once. It’s candle lit marketing – not neon lights. It’s piping hot, organic tea – not coca cola. It’s warm sweaters on cold days. She’s got a gift for helping people find their own unique voice.

When I heard she was writing this ebook I couldn’t have been more excited.

I promise it will be worth every penny you spend.

To give you a bit of a teaser and some good direction – I did a little interview with Carrie I’d like to share here.

why are you writing an ebook about website homepages?

Every day I hear from amazing entrepreneurs doing such important, good work. And they’re struggling to attract enough clients, to pay their bills, to really enjoy their businesses. And they’re not helping as many people as they could. (Lots of “my people” are holistic practitioners so their reach is really important for more reasons than money.) When I’d look at their websites, it would be clear to me that a huge part of why they’re not reaching enough clients or the right clients was an ineffective homepage, or, worse, one that was harmful.

I ached to re-write these homepages for them. (Running your own business is hard enough, but if your website is working against you, well that just makes my stomach hurt.) But many entrepreneurs don’t feel confident or able to invest in their businesses when their income is unpredictable (which I totally get). For those in that situation, I didn’t want them to feel on their own, rudderless. If they’re in a position where do-it-yourself marketing makes most sense, then I wanted them to have really good support.

why do you feel credible to write an ebook on this topic?

I’m an award-winning copywriter whose been writing for the web for 11 years, so there’s that.

I’m also an award-winning marketing strategist, so while I love beautiful words, I want them to be smart too. I poured my own professional experience into this workbook, but I also researched best practices for website content and engagement from other perspectives. I learned from other writing instructors (like my own cherished writing coach, Chris Kay Fraser at Firefly Creative Writing). I ran live workshops with the same exercises as in the workbook so I could see which were easy to follow and which weren’t. I conducted focus groups for the workbook and then revised it based on the feedback.

I knew that I knew my stuff but a couple weeks ago, when I attended a talk by online strategist and researcher Brian Cugelman, PhD, a fellow who happened to write his dissertation on persuasive websites (among other things), I left feeling giddy. He quoted study after study, outlining the essential components of an effective landing page and while he used bigger words, he was essentially describing my little-workbook-that-could.

why do homepages matter? what are the stats and reality that you can give us?

Homepages are so so so so important.

I just read a Razorfish study that said 64% of consumers have made a first purchase with a business because of a website experience.

That’s crazy!

No other marketing medium has ever had that kind of effect. But it’s what we do now – we consume information online. Your homepage is the top entrance point for your site. It’s the place where critical decisions are being made by your visitors – Do they trust you? Do they like you? Do you have what they’re looking for? If your homepage content is properly structured, you’ll engage the right clients and they’ll continue through other parts of your site right on to whatever your call to action is (buy a product, book an appointment, call for a consultation, etc).

If you mess up with that first page, they’re gone.

Word of mouth is the absolute most important contributor to business growth. We know from research that over 70% of buying decisions are made because someone we know made a recommendation. 70% of those recommendations happen online. These are important numbers when it comes to homepages for two reasons:

If your homepage is well-structured, I will understand it and be able to articulate what you do to my friends. (Women, in particular, are continually considering “who can this help?” while they take in information. So even if your service or product isn’t right for me, I am thinking about whether my sister could use it.)
If I like your business and your site is decent, I will share it with my friends and colleagues directly and on social media sites. The power of that is magnificent! By changing your homepage alone, you can supercharge word of mouth marketing – the most effective influence – in your favour.

what are the three biggest blunders you see people making on their homepages?

The top one has to be starting off with “At [Business Name], we offer…” It’s like marching over to a stranger at a quiet cocktail party and announcing “I’m going to tell you about myself right now”.

Websites need social graces too.

Start with what I call “The Inviting Proclamation” – that’s a headline that tells your reader what becomes possible for them when they work with you. It’s about them, not you. It’s nice. Same with the first section, which I call “The Current Troubling Situation (and How it Feels)”. Empathize with your reader. Acknowledge the challenge they’re having that led them to you.

Another mistake is having too little content. If you have fewer than 250 words on your homepage, you have some writing to do. There are lots of different opinions on the subject but many search engine optimization (SEO) experts suggest 500 words is a good number. Having Google find you would be a bonus. I just want you to be genuinely compelling, and you need more than a few sentences to do that.

The third most common mistake I see would be a lack of any clear “call to action”. I read the page and then it’s fuzzy what I should do next. Should I call you? Or read your testimonials? If there’s no discernible flow, that, however subtly, stresses people out. Be kind and be helpful… add that one-line instruction at the bottom of your text.

What’s are the three/four/five? things that a homepage must do to be a successful homepage? what are the goals of a homepage in your mind?

A homepage must sincerely engage the right reader (you don’t want to appeal to everyone, just the folks who are most likely to love you and want what you’ve got). It must reflect the tone of your business. (Professional? Playful?) It must simply and memorably articulate what you do. It must inspire readers to connect with you (either through an immediate purchase or a newsletter sign-up… some form of relationship must begin).

What are the key elements behind a great homepage?

For content: an inviting headline, an assessment of your reader’s “problem” and “hopes”, a short introduction to the real people behind the business, a clear list of services (that hyperlink to other pages within the site) and a direct call to action.

For design: simple navigation, proper treatment of headings and subheadings (this is important for SEO too), real photography of you and your business (not stock photography).

Can you give three examples of homepages you love and maybe tell us why you love them so much?

Three entrepreneurs I’ve seen who have made great homepages for themselves are Danette Relic, Tami Smith and you, Mr. Hargrave.

Danette’s Radical Creative Sanctuary: http://www.danetterelic.com/

So, Danette had me right at her business name (so awesome!) but I also love her headline so much: Your life is meant to be beautiful and meaningful. Don’t you just feel that right in your stomach? She goes on to write a homepage that feels like we’re having a conversation in a cafe. I already feel safe with her. That is profound for a coach. I like how she’s structured all her content, and I also like the richness and earthiness of the colours she’s chosen. They’re kind of lusty, and that’s very “Danette”.

Tami’s Targeted Traffic Strategies: http://www.targetedtrafficstrategies.com/

Tami’s homepage feels like a fresh, spring day to me. All the windows are open and the curtains are billowing. It is so clean. That’s gracious design, because it allows the reader’s eye some peace and it gives the reader psychological space to insert herself. I also love what Tami’s written. Her voice is so welcoming. “I’m Tami Smith and I’m a searchologist. That means I make it my business to know how search works, what makes Google love you and how to show up when someone is looking for your solution. I guess you could say I’m a match-maker; I match you to your perfect people when they are searching.” SEO is complicated and Tami could impress you with lots of buzz words and jargon and the fact that she used to work at Google (Tami’s a pretty big deal), but instead, she keeps it friendly, setting a positive tone. You can do this.

Tad’s Marketing for Hippies: http://marketingforhippies.com/

Tad, I like your headline so much, I use it as an example in How to Write a Lovable Homepage: “Conscious Business Folk: Are you struggling to attract enough clients?” It isn’t doom and gloom. You don’t use fear as a motivator (that goes against everything I believe, despite what many “marketing experts will say”) but you do, gently, hit that nerve. And if I am a conscious entrepreneur struggling to attract enough clients, right from the very first line you’ve made me feel like I’m in the right place and you’re going to help me. That is so kind. You’ve offered me a post-marathon glass of water and foot rub.

Beautiful!

Our homepages aren’t just marketing tools or faces for our business – they’re our arms and mouths in the world too. They can be used for good. We can write things that inspire, that reassure, that inform, that help, that heal. That doesn’t mean you don’t ask, too. But make buying your book or signing up for your newsletter – your ask – make it an invitation to continue a relationship. We’re all hungry for connection and what you do, Tad, is give that so generously.

Can you tell us a bit about your workbook?

It’s a labour of love and a gazillion hours worth of Carrie. I’m so excited about it. It really feels important. It isn’t just an e-book that you sit back and read and then have to figure out how to apply what you’ve learned to your own situation – it’s a workbook. You’ll roll up your sleeves and I’ll take you through a series of very short (a few minutes each) writing exercises. At the end, I tell you how to put them together and – voila! – you have a new homepage, in about two hours’ time. I don’t know of anything else like it.

And the thing I really love about it is that even if you only get one new client because of the workbook, you’ve made back your investment. Just like that. That makes me feel amazing.

To take the Lovable Homepage Quiz go here (you’ll have to sign up for Carrie’s newsletter – but it’s one of those you will thank me for. They come out rarely and each one is a gem – plus you can unsubscribe whenever you like. Also – you get a lovely little ebook that I adore).

To get Carrie’s ebook ‘How to Write a Lovable Homepage‘ go here .

If you'd like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you'll also get a free copy of my

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| Categories: becoming a hub, Branding, Case Studies of Inspiring Business - Tags: becoming a hub, building trust, online marketing, real, safety

case study: release your dragon spirit

By: Tad | Published: August 8, 2011 · 2 Comments

A few months ago, I attended the Spiritual Marketing Quest. It’s one of the best marketing workshops I’ve ever been to – as this story will attest to.

At a certain point, a woman named Holly Tse (pictured below) stood up and shared an idea that gave everyone goosebumps. It was a project idea that tied both into her most personal wounds but also the cultural wounds she’d inherited and allowed her to transform those wounds into her gift for the world. Such a perfect example of authentic niching and becoming a hub.

I asked her if she’d be okay talking about where it’s at right now – even though she’s just starting and she was kind enough to say yes.

What is the name of your project?

The Lotus Blossoming Telesummit

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

In May 2011, I attended a conference called the Spiritual Marketing Quest. It was about finding your core audience and developing your message. Basically I wanted to know who am I here to help? I knew I had a burning desire to make an impact and to help uplift others, but I just didn’t know exactly how or who.

I went on the Quest to gain insights for my reflexology practice and instead left with an epiphany that I was meant to lead a movement to empower Asian women. Growing up Asian, I always felt like I had to squelch my own voice in order to fit in and do the right thing. I realized that this experience was shared by many Asians, especially women and I felt a burning passion to help others find their inner voice, or as I call it, to release their inner Dragon Spirit.

At the Quest, my inner voice urged me to create an online telesummit that would feature Asian women who own their power as speakers. That was on May 15th. In less than 6 weeks, I organized the entire event from scratch–everything from recruiting speakers to building the website.

As a full-time mom to a toddler, I had just two hours each evening to work on the event (and do laundry, wash dishes, prep meals, spend time with her husband and friends, and find some “me time” too). As my son would say, “Wow!”

I felt like I was being guided by a force greater than myself to create the Lotus Blossoming Telesummit. I followed my heart and it allowed me to make this event happen in such a short time with ease and grace.

what does the term ‘dragon spirit’ mean to you and where does it come from culturally?

Dragon Spirit is the inner voice inside that loves adventure, exploration and learning. It also happens to be the part of you that is all knowing and uber-wise .

There is not a cultural reference for it. I went to the Quest and as we were filling out the worksheets, I had a block on one of the questions, which was, “What is the name of your product or service?” That evening, I meditated and channelled my Higher Self and was surprised when I felt compelled to speak out loud. In an ethereal other-world voice, I answered myself and said, “Release your Dragon Spirit”. As soon as I said it, I knew I had found my voice.

what was it about growing up asian that had you feeling like your voice was squelched? in your community what was ‘the right thing’ to do? and what had you realized it might be a cultural wound vs. just a personal one?

When I was six years old, my teacher asked the class to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. While all the other kids wrote things like “fireman” and “princess”, I wrote that I wanted to be a “l-o-y-e-r”. When the teacher handed me back my paper and corrected the spelling, I totally thought she had it wrong. There was no way that loyer could be spelled, “lawyer”.

And so it was, that while my mom was nowhere near the Tiger Mom of recent lore, she did believe in guiding her children to professions that she thought would lead them to happiness and success in life. Personal interests and passions were to be set aside in order to “put food on the table”.

There’s a Japanese saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. And while I’m a second generation Chinese-Canadian (currently living in California), I often felt that this proverb applied to me while growing up, especially when it came to expressing my emotions and desires. It’s very important to save face, not show the world your problems and to fit in with the community rather than stand out as an individual.

Ironically, I grew up in a predominantly WASP neighbourhood so there was no way that I could possibly fit in since we stuck out as the only Chinese family around.

What’s the response been to this so far?

I’ll be flat out honest. There are just over 50 people registered right now from around the world. I need help getting the word out. Because I chose to manifest this so quickly, I did not give my speakers enough time to promote the event. The “power-hitters” are speaking towards the end of the telesummit and are mailing in the next week or two.

When I share the event with people, the response is magical. They light up and want to be a part of it. It has led me to new friendships that I know will last a lifetime. And it also created a new business model for me where I learned that I am here to guide women to find the next steps for their businesses. I create a space where they can connect with their own Dragon Spirits to learn, know feel and experience what it is they should do next in order to expand their businesses with ease and grace and fast.

I just got a download that there are two more things I should write you. Will do my best to do so w/ my 2 yr old in my lap now.

Since you position your blogs with the voice of sharing lessons that others can learn from, here is the key lesson:

Even though you may have a judgment beforehand of what success is supposed to look like when you embark on a new venture, the universe may deliver it to you in a completely different form. Follow through on the course and the next step in your path will illuminate naturally for you. I did not know what would come of the Telesummit. I heard of others who added thousands of people to their lists and I *thought* that’s what my goal should be, even though I had no clue what I would do with a list of thousands of people.

Fortunately, my Dragon Spirit prevailed and told me that this was just one step along my path and that if I continued following the path, it would lead me to where I wanted to go. And so it did. While speaking with one of the speakers for the telesummit, I shared with her how I had experienced past lives. She said she had tried to do so herself it in the past, but hadn’t been able to do so. My Dragon Spirit (DS) told me to tell her that I was supposed to help her do this even though I’d never done this before. Spontaneously, we began to explore our past life connection and she did experience a past life and received a message about the next evolution of her business.

After our conversation, I felt such love and light. My DS told me that this was what I was meant to do and that I should offer Dragon Spirit guided sessions to 5 people for free. Each session brought clarity to me and the person I was working with. A pattern started to emerge. On my 4th session, everything aligned perfectly. Both parties had amazing breakthroughs and not only that, my client told me she had 6 friends who would love a session. I felt a tremendous connection with Source Energy when she said this because two days prior, my DS had told me that I would lead monthly Dragon Spirit group “pods” and that each pod would have exactly 6 people. I just got my first pod!

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

1. Identify the energy that you want to share when you are marketing as opposed to sales or marketing numbers. When you reach out with an authentic energy to uplift others, they respond.

2. Be open and vulnerable in your communications. Writing with your authentic voice is much more effective and easier to do than coming up with the “right” headline or marketing lingo.

3. Ask your inner Dragon Spirit! Meditate and then ask yourself out loud what to do next.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

1. Follow and TRUST your heart.

2. Have a personal goal in mind that is not about what you can do for others, but what you are doing for yourself. For me, I wanted to make new friends who shared similar passions and interests as me. (And I did!)

3. Only act when you are in a space of feeling good.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

During the creation of the Lotus Blossoming Telesummit, I discovered that not only could I channel my Dragon Spirit for myself, I could create a space for others to do the same and that we could do this over the phone. I’m excited that this creates a whole new way for me to be of service to others. An online “Release Your Dragon Spirit” workshop is in the works and I now offer personal Dragon Spirit guided sessions.

For more information on this telesummit just go to:

http://www.lotusblossoming.com

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, event promotion, Niche Marketing - Tags: authenticity, becoming a hub, building trust, niche, relevance

50 real life examples of point of view in action

By: Tad | Published: August 3, 2011 · 14 Comments

The other day I wrote a post about why point of view mattered (and even gave a bunch of questions you can ask to hone in on yours) so much in marketing and I gave a few examples.

But I thought a few more might help really drive home how pervasive and effective a clear perspective is in life and business.

Here’s fifty of ‘em . . .

Joanna Macey, author of The Great Turning, believes that we are in a time of The Great Turning and that there are three core types of work needed. Holding Actions (e.g. lock downs, sit ins, tree sits, direct action, letters to the editor etc), Creating Alternatives (e.g. strawbale, permaculture, solar power, wind power, non violent communication) and Shifting Consciousness (e.g. deep ecology work, yoga, shamanic work, writing books or making movies on our relationship to the planet etc). Moreover, she believes that all three of these types of work need to work together instead of criticizing the others as being ‘less real’.

Non Violent Communication comes from the belief that there are two ways to live. The first is to come from the place of ‘how do i get what i want?’ and the other is, ‘how do we all get our needs met’. They believe that if we come from the second place we’re all much more likely to get our needs met and live happier and healthier lives.

Many people follow the 10 commandments which are a point of view of how to live a good life.

Freud did not believe in the collective unconscious, but Carl Jung did. They had a difference of point of view and ultimately divided over it.

Similarly, there are many different schools of thought in yoga, branches of the church and Buddhism that all come from the same root. What divides them now? Differences in point of view.

The five elements in traditional Chinese medicine are a map and point of view on what is needed to have in balance to live a healthy and happy life.

The four directions are an indigenous perspective on what is needed to have in balance to live a healthy and happy life in harmony with nature and the seasons.

The seven chakras come from the point of view that our well being starts from an energetic basis before the physiological one and are a map and model of the seven core energetic centers.

George Lakoff wrote a book called ‘Don’t Think of An Elephant’ and he believes that the best way to understand the worldviews of liberals vs. conservatives is to look at it as a family model. His point of view is that the conservatives fundamentally have a Strict Father model and that liberals have a Nurturing Parent model. And that both models have a very different worldview underneath them.

David Deida believes that the ‘zing’ in sexual relationships comes from polarized sexual energies – when one partner steps in the masculine energy and the other partner lets themselves open to the feminine energy.

The people who work for restorative justice believe that the point of justice should be about restoring wholeness in a community – not just punishing people.

The zodiac is not only a map of the sky but a point of view about why we are the way we are and are born with the qualities we’re born with.

Derrick Jensen lays out twenty very clear premises about why we need to act now to create change starting with a premise that western civilization is not and will never be sustainable.

Feminism is rooted in the belief that men hold power, anarchism – that the state holds power, racism – that white people hold power. And they all work to confront and shift that power.

A participant in a recent Vancouver workshop was going to lead a workshop for men with anger issues. His belief was that, underneath the anger, they were really just afraid.

Thomas Leonard wrote his book The 28 Laws of Attraction to articulate a point of view that said all this striving and personal growthing was actually unnecessary – that you could set up your lifestyle to bring you what you were wanting much more easily.

My core take in marketing is summed up in the metaphor of the journey from Island A to Island B that I illustrate in this video.

The four food groups is a point of view. As are the food pyramids. The Zone. The Blood Type diets. The vegan diet, raw vegan diets, primal diets, traditional foods etc. They’re all points of view of what we should eat and why.

The famous doctor Jack Nicklaus had crippling knee pain. The doctors diagnosis was that his knee was irreparably damaged and that he needed surgery. Then he saw Pete Egoscue who thought it was his hip rotated forwarded. So he worked on the hip and the knee pain went away. In the end, Pete’s map matched the territory better than the doctors.

Jon Stewart took over The Daily Show years ago. He believed that this mock news show should be about making fun of the MEDIA and their bias towards sensationalism and conflict not about pranking people (which the show had been). This point of view became the heart of the show as he gradually replaced everyone on the staff and built a team around that understanding.

Marketing guru Jay Abraham believed that the single most potent thing you could do to increase sales was to take on the risk of the transaction rather than expecting the customer to.

The book ‘Men Are Great’ says it’s point of view right in its title.

The anti oppression movement comes from the understanding that power and privilege are not evenly divided in society – and that the lines of power tend to run along lines of race, class, gender and other forms of privilege.

Two of my favourite shows growing up, MacGyver & Doctor Who are both rooted in the idea that problems can be solved with smarts and not guns.

Debbie Ford is a recent proponent of the ancient idea of ‘the shadow’. The idea that our greatest gifts and authenticity will be found in our darkest shadows and that the things we repress end up controlling us.

8tracks.com is an online community based on the idea that mix tapes are cool and people should be able to share and listen to music freely.

Byron Katie, author of Loving What Is bases her work in the understanding that our suffering is caused by our thinking and fighting with reality.

Contrarian Australian dentist, Paddi Lund once believed that the purpose of a business was about generating money but after years of deep depression he came to understand that the purpose of business was about generating happiness.

Tiina Veer of Toronto believes that yoga should be accessible to people with round bodies.

The movie Lemonade, about people who used being fired as a chance to reinvent their lives, sums up their point of view in it’s tagline: “It’s not a pink slip. It’s a blank page.”

Patch Adams holds the belief that health care should be free and that we can care for each other.

My new friend Aumatma believes that health care can be offered on a gift economy basis. Meaning people don’t have to pay anything other than what they want.

Kris Ward of Abundant Yogi has her point of view nestled in her company name – the idea that economic abundance and yogic philosophy are not mutually exclusive.

My old pal Joey Hundert created Sustainival out of the notion that the best way to reach the unconverted with a message of sustainability is through fun – so he’s created a sustainable carnival of sorts where he powers rides (e.g. the gravitron or ferris wheels) with vegetable oil.

Winnipeg’s brilliant Beth Martens began to offer yoga classes to care givers (e.g. taking care of eldery parents, sick spouses or children etc.) because, from her own life experience, she could see that they needed extra support.

TED Talks! Every single TED Talk is based around a liberating idea. Every single TED Talk expresses a point of view.

The Orgasmic Birth movement comes from the idea that birth doesn’t always need to be painful. That sometimes it can even be pleasurable. Radical notion!

Christianity holds the idea that the only way to eternal life (which is itself a point of view) is through Jesus Christ.

Former Anglican minister Tom Harpur wrote the Pagan Christ based on this idea: there was no Jesus of Nazareth – that the bulk of the new testament were simply egyptian myths that had been redressed in the clothing of a new age and time. The website www.jesusneverexisted.com is based on the same notion.

Author Michael Tsarion believes that civilization started in the west (Ireland) and migrated East. His entire two volume set The Irish Origins of Civilization works to back that up.

The amazing project Post Secrets is based on the idea that people would like to share their secrets and read the anonymous secrets of others.

San Francisco’s restaurant Millennium is based on the idea that vegan food can be world class and taste amazing (not just tofu and salads).

The Mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel is a big believer in the book, The Creative Class which talks about how important the Arts are to local economic development.

The Kinsey Scale suggests that human sexuality is not a cut and dry line of heterosexual and homosexual – but more of a scale or spectrum that we all find ourselves in.

Louis Pasteur created the germ theory to suggest that germs were the cause of disease. His colleague Antoine Bechamps believed that ‘the microbe was nothing – the terrain was everything.’ That germs were the result of a polluted and toxic blood stream not the cause of it. On his deathbed, Louis Pasteur confessed that Bechamps was right. But Louis Pasteur had sold his point of view better.

Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla both promoted different forms of power. Thomas Edison won. But many people would disagree that his form of energy was, indeed, better than Tesla’s. But the best point of view doesn’t always win. The best articulated one does.

Before his career destroying affair was exposed, John Edwards shared the belief that there wasn’t just ‘one America’ there were ‘two Americas’. There was an America where you could afford to feed your kids and an America where you couldn’t. An America where you could afford health insurance and one where you couldn’t. His analogy rang true for many.

My friend Jeff Golfman started his blog, www.thecoolvegetarian.com based on the idea that there were already enough recipes out there. There was already enough research to suggest that a plant based diet was better for people and the planet – what he saw missing was any conversation about lifestyle and how to live a rocking and fun life as a vegetarian or vegan, how to deal with the social aspects of it.

My friend and colleague Alex Baisley offered up the liberating idea for entrepreneurs that we should design our ideal lifestyle and then back our business into that – not the other ways around. The idea that you can live your dream lifestyle right now; that you don’t need to wait until you retire.

John Gray had the novel notion that it’s like men and women are from different planets – Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. A lot of people resonated with it. The idea was that if we could honour our differences we might actually come to celebrate and enjoy them rather than seeing them as sources of frustration.

The documentary The Corporation came from the point of view that if we were going to consider corporations people (as they legally are) then we should be honest about their personality profiles: psychopaths.

The documentary The Economics of Happiness explores the idea that we need to shift from global corporate economics to local economics – and that this shift would create deeper community, happiness and well being.

My colleague Carrie Klassen‘s tagline is ‘guilt free marketing for nice people.’ There’s a whole worldview in there. That marketing can be done by nice people without guilt. What an idea!

The website http://makelovenotporn.com (extremely adult content) comes from the notion that pornography has skewed people’s understanding of what sex is and could be and has created a world of assumptions (points of view) on how it’s supposed to look. And her website is about directly challenging those.

Do you have any more examples? Please leave them below . . .

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, marketing philosophy - Tags: authenticity, point of view

three marketing lessons from a three day juice fast

By: Tad | Published: June 13, 2011 · 1 Comment

I just successfully completed a three day juice fast and it reminded me about a really important marketing thing.

The fast came about out of the blue. I hadn’t been planning on doing one at all but . . . a few days ago, I got an email from a colleague in Calgary.

She wanted to know if I wanted to do a new, three day juice fast she was involved in.

I’d been thinking about doing a cleanse anyway – so I said sure! Why not.

It turns out she’d helped found a company called Bava Juice that’s all about helping people do juice cleanses.

Here’s what I think they’re doing right – and what you can learn from it.

Bottom line: They made my success so easy.

LESSON #1 – Make it Easy: They sent me a box of 12 bottles of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice. One for the morning, one for the afternoon and one for the evening (with a couple of delicious extras for other things).

It felt like I was getting a big Christmas present.

I promptly put all the bottles in my fridge and began the juice fast. I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier it was for me to just pull out a bottle and drink than to go to the grocery store, get my juice supplies, juice a litre of them and then clean the juicer. So easy to avoid doing.

They made it HARD to avoid doing the thing I wanted to do.

Can you do that in your business? How can you set up your offer so that, by engaging with you, it’s really hard to avoid succeeding?

I was tempted to quit so many times. To cheat. But having those bottles there made it not only easy but . . . I would have felt super lame to bail on it so early. Having the bottles felt like a physical sign of my commitment – but also a fun way to keep score and actually see the progress of the empty and cleaned bottles sitting on my counter.

Can you help your clients measure and keep score of their progress in fun ways?

LESSON #2 – Make it an Event: So many programs and offers fall down because they ask way too much of people. They ask people to totally change their lifestyle. Is that what people need? Sure. But if you want the credibility to help them take those steps – you’ve got to win their trust early with immediate results. Give them a win. Help them feel successful and build up their confidence. When you look at the ultimate place you want to take people – what’s a smaller version of that you could offer people.

Examples of this are the 30 Day Yoga Challenge that so many studios run. They’re brilliant. Because a lot of people think, ‘okay. i can do thirty days.’ or a four day meditation retreat. Pick a length of time, or number of sessions that feels like a challenge but also doable.

Make the thing an ‘event’. Make it a ‘happening’. If they’d just shipped me a bunch of bottles to drink it wouldn’t have been as exciting as knowing that they were hosting a ‘cleanse’ on certain dates and did I want to get in on that particular cleanse? And then having my pal Jackie message me on facebook saying, ‘i hear you’re a part of this cleanse? want to be my accountability buddy?’. The fact that we all shared a start and stop date felt exciting.

It also encourages word of mouth – there’s a natural urgency to it. ‘Do you want to do this juice fast with me??’ says the spontaneous text to a friend.

LESSON #3 – Encourage Them on the Way: Every day there was an email from them laying out what that particular day of the fast was about and encouraging people. What can you do to build in systems that help people stay motivated and on track? Could you have emails like this? Send personalized texts? Group calls? In person classes? Create a buddy system? Get creative. People are so much more likely to ‘stick to it’ if they’re not doing it alone.

So many companies focus on GIVING value.

Don’t do that. Focus on how to help your client GET value. How can you set things up in your offer so that their success is actually inevitable if they do their part (and make their part simple).

Make it easy for them to get a small win and they’ll thank you. And send you their friends.

For more info on them: check out their site – www.bavajuice.com

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, The Irresistible Offer - Tags: irresistible offers

oakland’s pay what you want holistic clinic

By: Tad | Published: June 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Imagine a holistic health clinic where you didn’t have to pay.

Last August, I was emailed a link to a video about just such a clinic in Oakland, California. Since people know I do most of my workshops on a Pay What You Can basis – they tend to send me lots of stories and examples. I watched the video and was so moved and posted it onto my blog.

And then, just a month ago I was in Oakland leading a marketing workshop with my pal Alex Baisley called, ‘Marketing for Hippies and Gyspies’ (myself being the hippie and alex being the gyspie). As we did the introduction circle at the start of the day – a woman, Aumatma Binal Shah (pictured right), introduced herself and the amazing, gift economy holistic health clinic she ran.

Levers and gears clicked in my head. I burst out in the biggest smile and blurted out, ‘You’re on my blog!!!’. I was so excited. I think you will be too when you read about it and watch the video below.

Aumatma’s project – The Karma Clinic – is special, brave and generous. I want to see it get every scrap of support it can. Spread the word.

Below is my interview with her.

What is the name of your project?

Karma Clinic

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

I had a vision when I was 18 that I would be doctor running a ‘free’ clinic.

At the time, I wanted nothing to do with either- medicine or free! Fast forward 4 years of pre-med undergrad and at the end not having a clue what to do with my life since I really did not want to go to medical school, I was discouraged and confused.

At that time, I got a piece of “junk mail” at my parents’ home from a Naturopathic College. I took one look at the curriculum and knew that I was meant to become a Naturopathic Doctor and that I was being called to be of service. Through school, I volunteered at numerous free clinics and noticed that something was missing- people mostly took us for granted, and did not follow the suggestions/ recommendations given to them.

After graduation from Naturopathic school with a Doctorate in Naturopathy and Master’s in Nutrition, I felt the need for an inward journey for discovery and deepening of understanding the world from a wholistic perspective.

That desire led me to a monastery where I spent a year, living mostly in silence, without any contact with money, and lots of time to connect with myself and nature while living harmoniously & sustainably with community and the earth. After a year, I felt called to re-start my service to the world on a broader scale so I left the monastery to join a naturopathic office, with my mentor.

Within a few months, I started to notice a repeated uneasiness in the pit of my stomach after each session, upon walking out of the office and telling the client they now owed us a large sum of money (usually between $300-500). I did not like the equation of this connection and relationship with another person with cash or transaction.

In complete synchro-destiny, I received an email from a dear friend who runs an organization/ hub for gift-economy projects, saying that there was some talk of a ‘karma hospital’- similar to Karma Kitchen, but instead of serving food, the intention was to serve health. Very excited by the possibility, I moved across the country 3 months later, to converse and create with others that were inspired by the same vision.

This closed a loop for me of the vision I had in meditation 10 years prior, and I knew that I was following my path, my truth.

Can you share a few examples of how your project works?

The way it works is: a client contacts me (or some other practitioner within the network) for an appointment. They get sent an extensive questionnaire which they fill out and send back. Then, they make an appointment to come into the office. We have our first session, generally about 2 hours.

At the end of our time together, I say something like (it changes to what’s most authentic in the moment): “Thank you for this opportunity to be of service, and a small conduit for your healing process. I offer this to you as a gift, because there’s no price tag that is enough- and any price is too much! Your session was made possible by someone that came before you and if you wish to pay it forward, so that someone else may have this experience, you can do so- now or at any point in the future.” At that point, the client may have questions, or an offering, or a ‘thank you’ and a hug! All are received with trust and generous heart.

Who do you find it’s working best for?

In terms of the gift-economy component, it works best for those that are wishing to grow in their generosity, don’t have access to medical care and are in need of it, and are willing to make a shift in their life for the better.

In terms of my own specialties, I work with a variety of issues but focus on: anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress-induced chronic illness. The reason that I focus on these is that they often get ignored and eventually result in greater imbalances and diseases in the body. So, its the way I feel I can be of the most service to those that need it the most!

how do you deal with the ‘guilt’ that can come up when people are afraid they won’t pay enough – i get this all the time.

The ‘guilt’ is a feeling that’s an internal measure that can actually be used as an indicator light for internal truth, rather than intellectualized truth. However, that feeling of guilt is internal- understanding that it is not coming from the gift-economy practitioner because there’s no pressure to give back in the gift-economy. The “right” amount should feel light and joyous. So, when giving a gift, one should give the amount that feels good- its a different place for everyone, but each individual has that place that feels “light and right” to them! It’s not too much, not too little.

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

I haven’t marketed at all! My clients spread the word all on their own. So, the best thing I have found to do is to be present with the person immediately in front of me.

do you have any fancy marketing and promotion ideas coming up?

No. Just moving with the flow of what the universe brings in.

what advice would you give to someone wanting to try a gift economy approach?

Put on your gear (of compassion and trust) and dive in! It does help to have a mentor though- because inevitably, things arise which need to be talked through. In the beginning, it’s also helpful to have some period of time that your basic needs are met to start out (I say 6 months is a good period of time), to allow yourself to really dive into the gift-economy, without expecting anything in return. Last but not least, connect with community that inspires you and connect with your own gratitude regularly.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

TRUST. TRUST. TRUST. I have deepened (and continue to deepen) my trust in the universe- that all my needs will be met if I just allow my gifts to flow through me.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

Excited about the growing network of gift-based healers across the country! I am going to be on tour June 5th-July 15th, doing funshops on “Money & Media for healers”. These workshops are also offered on a gift basis and am looking forward to having conversations with other healers around money, sharing gift-economy model for healthcare with them, and inspiring them to try new ways of practicing their art/ service/ gift.

Go watch this little video about the Karma Clinic:

If people want to find out more about your project, support it or get involved – what should they do?

Come visit our site at:

http://www.karmaclinic.org

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, Political Context for Marketing, PWYC - Tags: authenticity, building trust, generosity based business, holistic practitioners, irresistible offers, safety

super effective promo video from bee keeping organization

By: Tad | Published: May 22, 2011 · Leave a Comment

When we look at online marketing, video is becoming huge.

Consider this video from Eliese Watson (pictured right) of Backyard Bees from Calgary. It’s 90 seconds long but tells you the basic info about the organization and why it exists.

Video has so many benefits – but the central one is that, unlike text, video can combine rich visuals and music and audio for a much stronger visceral impact.

It can get across the vibe and quirk of your organization and you as a person far better than text often can.

Enjoy watching this video . . .

And then go and check out their website:

http://www.backyardbees.ca

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business - Tags: becoming a hub, building trust, online marketing, stories

part time entrepreneurs rejoice!

By: Tad | Published: April 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I just came across a very cool business network called IAMPTE that’s coming from a very different point of view in business – ‘it’s okay to be a part time entrepreneur!‘

As I learned about it from Calgary based founder Kim Page Gluckie (pictured right), it struck me the immense pressure most entrepreneurs feel to make it big, build their empire and go full time. As if to not do that would be to fail.

The main things I want you to focus on here is the text book example she’s giving you about niche marketing, becoming a hub.

We did a little interview and I think what she has to share has a lot of important things to say about quality of life for entrepreneurs.

What is IAMPTE?

IAMPTE is the world’s first (well, actually only) organization that champions, advocates and supports motivated part-time entrepreneurs. It is a hub that connects the right people and information suited specifically to those with limited time and limited funds because of their part-time status, but recognizing they are limited in their enthusiasm or opportunity.

How did it start? What was the need you saw in the world that spurned this?

It started as I recognized that work from home dads, soon-to-retire employees and students creating their own businesses had all the same challenges as mom entrepreneurs, but without a support system that really resonated.

It also came from many conversations with clients over how much time they wasted or money they wasted making really poor business decisions because they just didn’t know who to trust and they didn’t know who to ask – the need I saw was evident in the tears shed in these conversations and more times than I can count hearing the words “I didn’t know what to do until I met you, I was going to quit trying”.

They do trust me to give sensible, affordable advice. I attract other trustworthy experts and felt I needed to take a leap to bring the right information together with the right people into a hub of knowledge and information sharing that makes sense for people who are really motivated to succeed, even if they are growing their business “on the side” of the rest of their life.

The real clincher for me though was when I went to pay $700 to renew my annual membership in the recognized international association for my marketing communications discipline and just couldn’t do it. It was far too expensive for how little it resonated with my actual business life. At that moment I realized there is no structured, information based organization available to me at all. So I created one. At a price I could afford.

What’s your vision for your members? What is it you’re working to help them achieve?

My vision for members to help them create a realistic view of what success looks like for them individually based on a blend of what they want to achieve in their business and the reason they are choosing to be part-time – which is usually a values decision (other commitments they won’t give up). And then, my vision is to give them access to a very specific set of tools, information and practical steps to act on that make sense to the part-time entrepreneur who really has little time or money to make mistakes. I want them to stop wasting their money on programs and strategies suited to entrepreneurs who have committed full time to their pursuit, and to understand that profitability comes from not what they spend, but rather what they do that fits them and nobody else.

What makes this different from other business networks?

This is different from other networks because its core premise is teaching over networking – and I’ve spent time finding exactly the right experts with the exact right knowledge that PTEs need who are donating customized articles and information because they believe in this mission as much as I do. Networking and supporting each other is an organic side effect of IAMPTE that is already truly amazing… it is literally changing people’s business lives. But it stems from access to trusted advice that can be acted on immediately in any realm of online or traditional marketing.

How are you marketing this right now? What have you been finding works best?

While I am the founder and owner of IAMPTE, there are 16 other experts in the community donating their expertise with exclusive content and their time to promote the organization through their networks. Most of the sharing about our organization has been through social media, with equal response on Facebook (www.facebook.com/iampte) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/iampte).

We just launched in February so there are many marketing plans not yet rolled out, and evaluation that hasn’t happened yet. Part of our ongoing strategy will be traditional and grassroots. We will be launching chapters and holding live workshop-style meetings yet this Spring in three cities. I anticipate that our core membership will grow from the live communities, and those relationships will be nurtured in the online communities.

How do you make money at this? Or what’s the plan?

IAMPTE is a paid membership organization at an affordable $199, with an affiliate program of 5% for anyone who signs up and posts an attractive badge claiming to BE or SUPPORT PTEs on their website.

While this organization is part of my business, and it is intended to generate revenue for me personally, it is also an opportunity for me to align with charitable causes that have similar values such as Kiva.org, to which we’ve already topped up two loans, and Calgary’s Making Changes to which we are donating a special gift at YYCTwestival.

The plan is also to invite community leaders with business knowledge to become chapter leaders – those leaders have opportunity to earn 80% profits from events they run in their own cities. It’s a very sharing model. IAMPTE complements my core business at MPowered Marketing. As an expert, like the other experts, it is a platform to showcase my small business marketing talents to support my marketing training, speaking and consulting business.

What’s your take on why so many part-time entrepreneurs fail?

I’m not convinced more part-time entrepreneurs fail than full time.

In fact, when factoring the direct selling industries (I consider home party consultants who are earning a living to be entrepreneurial in their own success-driven ways), part-time entrepreneurs may be more successful as a category.

But I do have some ideas on where any entrepreneurial “failure” stems from.

First, they have a clever idea but didn’t realize they had to become sensible business people and smart marketers themselves in order to actually succeed.

Second, they compare themselves endlessly to the success of others or how successful they think they should be – without pausing to define what success actually looks like and the steps to get there.

Third, they waste so much money making poor decisions based on the wrong advice or by “winging it” that they end up heartbroken – and often scared to keep going because they used the grocery money as startup cash and can’t afford more mistakes. And finally, not unique to part-time entrepreneurs, they aren’t passionate enough about what they are doing to see it through.

It seems like a lot of people feel like they either need to be a FULL time entrepreneur or nothing. Like being part time = failure – what’s your take on that?

Nobody can define what failure is or success is but the person in their own shoes.

There are “business experts” who would say if you don’t go all in, you can’t win.

I started my first company the day after a female, childless media mogul who I’d previously admired told me in answer to a question “women running businesses while raising families cannot succeed”. It made me so angry I was shaking. I have been proving her wrong personally every day since then, and have found myself surrounded by men and women who are succeeding part-time like me. But again… define fail?

IAMPTE has a wholistic view of what success is. Making profit while also being a good employee, parent, volunteer or student is success. Part-time success simply takes longer for most… which actually has business advantages… if someone can envision their success on a 3 year or 5 year roadmap, it helps overlook the small ‘f’ failures or mistakes and build on them. Part-time in business = whole life success in my opinion. Also in my experience.

9) What are top three keys to success for part-time entrepreneurs?

First: Spending money with a trusted expert to create a professional presence. Even $500 on a great logo plus a Facebook page creates a professional presence over a DIY Blogger page. Ideally, spending $2500-$5000 on a brand development process + logo + web design is enough to look like the professional they intend to be. Often, that is all they need to spend for an entire year if they are savvy about building their business beyond that.

Second: Defining what success actually means in order to avoid becoming defeated by comparisons to full time entrepreneurs doing the same thing, and to be able to recognize success from a whole life point of view. Success for most part-time entrepreneurs has to have a monetary goal with it, but more so, it’s aligned with values – making a difference, role modeling, educating, having personal freedom, feeling joy in their work. Really taking time to review this frequently helps stay passionate and committed when business gets hard – and it does often when you are a PTE in the first 3 to 5 years.

Third: Becoming a business/marketing expert for their own business is essential. They must become confident in their ability to make good decisions for their business so they can be responsive to the right opportunities, create/seek out the right opportunities, and save money for when expert help is actually required. This is why I teach marketing, even while consulting. PTEs cannot and should not take every course available nor should they hire every recommended expert. Even if they have the cash flow to afford it, they don’t have the time. There is a time and a place for hiring expert help, and they need to be pragmatic about when and who that is (like professional visual brand)… but even when hiring help, they must approach it as if they are learning it to do the work themselves.

For more information on IAMPTE – check out their website at: http://iampte.com/

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, Niche Marketing, quality of life - Tags: becoming a hub, niche, real, relevance, trusted advisor

patch adams on community

By: Tad | Published: April 24, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In this 16 minute video, Patch Adams shares his provocative views on the business of health care.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, Money, Political Context for Marketing, word of mouth

abundant yogi – not an oxymoron. an option

By: Tad | Published: April 21, 2011 · 9 Comments

Last year at some point, I came across a lady named Kris Ward who runs a business called Abundant Yogi. Maybe I felt an affinity because my own business name is one of apparent contradictions too. “Marketing and hippies?? What?”

I’ve been following her stuff for a bit and thought it might be nice to share it with you all.

So many conscious entrepreneurs really struggle with making their business more than just an expensive hobby for them. Kris was in that place and in this blog interview she shares where she is now and some ideas on how you can turn your expensive hobby into a really wonderful, sustainable business you’re thrilled with. And to do it in a way that also creates a wonderful quality of life.

What is abundant yogi? What’s the story of how it started?

Abundant Yogi is a reaction to all the “yogier than thou” tendencies I saw in the yoga and holistic wellness community, where teachers and service providers within the industry were afraid to promote themselves and their services for fear of looking greedy, too “corporate-y”, or un-yogi-like. I knew this was going on because I played into it for YEARS before I sat myself down one day for a serious BIG-SELF on little-self INTERVENTION.

I got really honest with myself about the lifestyle I wanted and the dreams I had, and I basically just made the decision that I was going to defy the norm and become an “Abundant Yogi” (a phrase that, up until that point, had pretty much been an oxymoron––at least for me and the other yogis I knew).

This decision was a no-brainer for me. I’d been wired like a true entrepreneur since I was a scrawny little 7th grader selling Blow-Pops and Airheads at school for 50 cents a pop and counting my wad of babysitting money over and over in a very joyful yet OCD fashion. My dad always told me I’d have to marry a rich guy or become a business owner because I had such expensive taste. I actually LOVED participating in the exchange of value.

To deny that I loved the game of business as much as I loved being a yogi and wellness coach just so I could be accepted by my ‘spiritual’ community was a big fat lie and super uncomfortable for me. It wasn’t authentic.

So I stopped pretending, relaxed into my desires, and started trusting them a lot more. I sought out and mentored under some really amazing people––entrepreneurs, leaders and coaches who were running multi-million dollar businesses built on integrity and real value. I began modeling them and learned everything I could from them, applying all the parts that felt right to me.

It took a few years but eventually I found my groove and got to the point where I actually felt free from the good opinions of others. At least enough to be myself (potty mouth and all) and “let it all hang out” on my blog and in my videos, courses and newsletters. And once I found that sweet spot, everything just started to flow.

Clients, speaking gigs, money in my bank account, better relationships, more confidence and creativity, the support team I wanted and needed… it all went from being ONE HUGE STRUGGLE (or nonexistent) to being quite fun, exciting, and easily accessible.

And you know how we humans are. The second we have a breakthrough and we discover the “magic formula” to anything, all we want to do is share the good news and bring other people into the same good fortune. So that’s how Abundant Yogi came to be.

I figured surely there were others out there like me (in the yoga community and beyond) who actually LIKED the idea of getting paid to be the real them, truly leaning into their pleasure, passions, and callings, and giving themselves permission to live the lifestyle they choose––for no other reason than that they choose to. That’s what the creative life force within them is called towards. And they choose to answer that calling in an honest way, through doing work that they LOVE that utilizes the best of their unique passions, talents and skills. That, to me, is the essence of lifestyle design.

Who do you work with?

Yoga teachers, Massage Therapists, Coaches, Healers, Wellness Professionals, Artists, Writers…. creative people with a passion to serve and a hankering for the good life.

What are the big three blunders that you see them making in their businesses?

Well they all have to do with Monkey Mind (stinkin’ thinkin’ that keeps them stuck instead of taking crucial action) and we go into ALL of these in my free training videos on the Abundant Yogi PhD site:

1) Thinking they’re not ready yet. They still need more training, more credentials, more experience, more testimonials, more fill-in-the-blank in order to really get started and charge what they’re worth (BS! They’re ready. They just have to own their brilliance, take action, focus on serving others instead of protecting themselves from “too much risk”. They’ve got to take responsibility and start being a PRO.)

a2) Thinking it’s all been said before. They have nothing original to add. How are they ever going to compete with all the others in their field? It’s all so saturated! (More BS! There is no such thing a competition when you’re just trying to be the best YOU you can be.)

3) Thinking that marketing sucks or doesn’t “work” in their field or with their market. Their market is “different”. Marketing “backfires” with yogis / spiritual folk / hippies / health nuts / holistic minded peeps. (Triple BS! Marketing is simply good leadership. It helps people who are looking for what you have to offer to actually FIND you and take full advantage of what you have, so they can get the relief / results they want.)

What’s your understanding of what’s underneath those challenges for you?

Fear. We think we have to wait until it’s gone before we move. Actually we have to act in spite of it.

It’s when we take risks, step outside of our comfort zone, and courageously focus on helping others get their needs met that we actually realize how powerful we are and how much value we have to share. It’s in seeing ourselves take this action that the confidence comes, the rewards come, and the fear falls away.

What are the three most important marketing tools or tactics that you would give to any practitioner looking to grow their business?

1) Be unabashedly, unreasonably, unapologetically YOU. If you try to be anyone/anything other than the real you (in your marketing, your communications, classes, sessions, services, etc.), you’ll attract people that want more of the fake you. And you’ll always have to do that song and dance in order to keep them happy. That’s no fun at all. They’ll make you miserable and you’ll resent them for it, so everyone will pay for it in the long run.

2) Don’t be afraid to go narrow and strong in your niche. Boil what you do down to a kernel. (Ex: I just helped one of my clients narrow her “What do you do?” speech down to: “I’m a bedroom joyologist. I help women feel sexy and empowered in and out of the bedroom no matter what.” It was more tough than you probably realize for her to whittle it down to that very precise statement because she was afraid of being too narrow or excluding too many people. But you really can’t be too narrow. What is the saying?? “She who chases two rabbits catches none.”

Your market wants to feel like you know them, get them, understand their problems, irrational passions, fears and dreams. How can you speak their unique language and describe every aspect of their experience to them if you try to go too broad and speak to everyone? Zoom in on ONE tiny group and spoil them ROTTEN with super valuable content on a regular basis to create bonding, trust and even a sense of reciprocity. They’ll want to give you more business because you’ve helped them so much!

3) We often hear so much about how we should “show our expertise, but also show our vulnerability”. And this is true. People want to know that you’ve been where they are, you understand what they’re going through. So for sure, don’t be afraid to reveal some of your own struggles. BUT, for heaven’s sake, never reveal them if you’re right in the middle of them!! People have enough problems. They don’t need the weight of having YOURS dumped on them too. Wait until you’ve found resolution before you share your challenges so you can teach from a new place of clarity and even offer some insights as to how to avoid or get out of a similar sticky situation.

If you could sit a practitioner down and say, ‘look, do these three things every week and your business will double in a year’, what would they be?

Each week:

1) Create a valuable piece of content that offers relevant tips, tools and insights that will help your people get results in advance, even before they ever pay you a penny. Include at the end of that piece of content a simple and clear call to action that allows people to get on your mailing list for more helpful goodies.

2) Share each piece of content on your own blog, on other people’s blogs, via social media, etc. Turn a written piece into an audio piece, a video, a little handout, a tweet, a Facebook post, a nugget you can share with your clients/classes/students. Repurpose your content however you can and spread it around generously.

3) As your list of potential clients/customers/students grows, offer them opportunities to get more of your help/products/services so they can get the results they’re looking for. Create packages and programs that will move them further down the path they want to go. Over time, create an entire curriculum or family of products/services that they can choose from so that they’re always progressing forward and taking the next step into their own growth/freedom/transformation via YOUR offerings.

*BONUS: Take the time to write out testimonials for your satisfied customers and clients. Tell them you’ve taken the liberty of writing one for them and ask them to please edit it so that it feels true and authentic to them. These will provide valuable social proof and peace of mind for those who want what you have, but may be holding back or stuck on the fence because of their own skepticism or limiting beliefs.

Why does it feels so scary and gross for most practitioners when they think about growing their business, getting their name out there etc?

It’s just resistance. It’s our thoughts spinning out. We don’t have to believe them or even pay attention to them.

The more passionate we are about something the more we’ll tend to bump up against resistance, most of which is self-created and self-perpetuated. It’s a defense mechanism that paralyzes us and keeps us from taking too much risk and going for what we really really want.

So why don’t we WANT to go after what we really really want with 100% passion, commitment and gusto? Because what happens when we eff it up? What do we have LEFT when we’ve put everything we’ve got into what is MOST important to us and it just FLOPS?? We have nothing!

This is how Monkey Mind works. It’s at work ’round the clock clinging to approval, control and security. But it’s not even focused on what is REAL. It’s projecting into the future about what may or may not happen. Either way, it’s so scary to even fathom that it would rather choose to play small and just half-ass things instead. “At least if I don’t commit 100%, I won’t have to lose everything. I’ll just lose a little bit.”

But that’s just not living.

I guess that’s okay for some people but I’d rather be a dog and live fat, lazy and happy than do that.

If I’m going to be a human and have a mind, body and spirit like this, I’m going to uncover what’s possible for me because I have to answer that call from within.

For others who want that, bring it. You know where to find us.

Can you share three success stories from some of your clients? I’m curious to hear about what it’s like to work with you.

1) Well I already told you about one––my ‘bedroom joyologist’. She coaches women, live and over the phone, on how to feel sexy and confident in and out of the bedroom. She was a former model. When she moved on from that she didn’t know what to do next. For months she just took naps because she was lacking direction. She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. So we did some work on lifestyle design to get her honest with herself again on what really made her tick. Today, just a few months later, she’s rocking and rolling with her own personal brand, getting testimonials left and right, spicing up many a sex lives and giving women all over the US and Canada the tools they need to feel sexy and confident in their own skin. That’s priceless. And my client is happier than ever.

2) Then I have another client who is the mama of two darling twin babies. Like me, she works with yogis who need serious help in the business and marketing arena. When she came to me she was stuck. She didn’t know how to be a mom AND make any money in business. It was pretty much one or the other. Once again, in just a few short months, she’s up and running, doing big launches, enrolling new clients every week, attracting sometimes 80+ new leads/potential clients to her website per day… and all of this without giving up any mommy time. She put herself and her own lifestyle needs first, then we redesigned her business to SUPPORT and uphold that lifestyle––not take away from it. All of my courses teach this to some degree.

We just upgraded her systems and tweaked her pricing, packages, coaching methods and schedule so it would be possible to juggle being a mom of twin babies AND a rockin’ business coach for yoga teachers.

3) Third, I’ll tell you about my client in Alaska who trains and certifies yoga teachers and also uses yoga as a healing platform for women who have suffered through sexual abuse and other trauma. She’s a character! She’s always been quite the taskmaster so getting things done wasn’t a problem. However getting them done with joy and ease, while attracting ONLY those clients who she adored working with, rather than clients who drained her energy, THAT didn’t come so easily. After working with me privately as well as going through my virtual programs, she’s a completely different woman. I see her in action now and she’s just graceful. There’s no more forcing, only allowing. She trusts herself so much more and she’s more in her feminine. She gives herself what she needs, without guilt or drama and get’s twice as much done with less stress. But above all that, the biggest change I’ve seen in her so far, is going from operating in what I’d call a FOG (albeit a very optimistic one), to operating from a place of extreme clarity of desire, grounded in who she is and what she’s here to do, and moving into momentum now with very clear priorities and intentions. Again, I think that’s priceless.

What would you say is the core focus of your work?

The focus isn’t so much on giving these women NEW businesses.

We just needed to tweak their businesses so that their preferred LIFESTYLE came first, and so that the clients they worked with and the work they do could be an absolute JOY, not a drag. We had them STOP doing what wasn’t fun and profitable, and start charging more for the work that they DID love doing; coaching, teaching, etc. And we repackaged their programs and upgraded their offers to make them irresistible to their ideal clients. My Alaska client is still a yoga teacher trainer and a yoga therapist for survivors of sexual abuse, but now she’s doing national launches instead of just working within the teeniny close-knit community where she lives.

I’m so proud of all of these women. Each of them is doing the work that they needed to do to finally get out of their own way and start living life by design.

Thanks, Tad, for the opportunity to share. I appreciate you spreading the word and sharing the Monkey Mind Makeover and Lifestyle Design Plan with everyone here. This is seriously transformational material and it’s my intention for many people’s lives and businesses to be upgraded and liberated as a result finding it.

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| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners - Tags: authenticity, holistic practitioners, Yoga