Be Willing To Do What Others Aren't: Take Action, In Spite Of

Sometimes, you just KNOW there's something you need to take action on to take your business forward. However, if you're anything like me, you've gotten stopped in the past, even when it's something you KNOW will create big results. You procrastinate, you tidy up your office, get another cup of coffee, ANYTHING to not get it done. Ever have that happen to you?

There are different reasons why you may be stalling from taking action. It could be that you don't know the next steps, that you're not sure how to move forward. That happens, but that's not what we're talking about today. Most likely, it's something deeper.

For me, the procrastination in moving forward is directly tied to the outcome, especially when the outcome really means a lot to me. When it's something meaningful, something BIG, it's a combination of, "Wow, I hope I don't screw this up" and simultaneously, "What will happen if I succeed? Can I really handle the success and the abundance that will come my way? Am I really cut out for this much good stuff coming into my life?" (Just writing that seems ridiculous, but that's what sometimes comes up, and I KNOW I'm not the only one.)

That's what I call your INNER game of Client Attraction (mindset) dictating your OUTER game of Client Attraction (marketing.)

Although I'm usually focused and take a no-excuses approach to getting things done, it happened again recently. I had set aside the time to finalize a big project and instead, I found myself doing things I "used" to do: going to eat something instead of sitting down to write it, cleaning out my office, even wiping down the desk, shopping for shoes online, and then I realized what was really happening.

I was momentarily being stretched past my comfort zone.

You see, this project is something I've wanted to do for a long time. It's everything I'm passionate about. It's about giving people the real-life tools they need to market their business, while getting them out of their OWN way, so they can actually succeed. It's my passion, it's my dream, and it's my calling (just reading that gets me choked up.) So, as you can see, this isn't a light thing for me. There's a lot at stake, both professionally and personally. And actually DOING it has me feeling a little uncomfortable. Thoughts keep creeping up: "Will they want it? Will they pay for it? Will they come?"

That creepy gremlin of self-doubt reared its ugly head once again. I thought I'd clobbered him, but he was back. Thing is, I wasn't going to let him win once again. So this time, I decided to take ACTION, in spite of the fear, in spite of the uncomfortable feelings of self-doubt.

The key was to recognize WHAT was stopping me from taking action. What was at the core? What was this all about? Once that was clear, I chose an action that would move me forward, in spite of any negative feelings, or what my inner critic or gremlins were telling me.

Then, I wrote down the action I wanted to get done THAT DAY. Just ONE action step. Admittedly, it FELT massive, but it was just one thing to do. Next, I asked myself how it would feel at the end of the day, having accomplished that one goal, that one action. I envisioned being really proud of myself, happy inside, and knowing that I had done something really good today. The day had not been wasted. Once that was done, I got to work on the task I'd been pushing off.

Well, every time this happens, the result is always the same. YES, the first few minutes are uncomfortable. I'm fidgety, a little anxious, I dread it. But once the flow gets going, once I'm committed to the project, it all just glides from there. When I'm in the flow, ideas start to surface that I hadn't thought about, concepts start to come together, and the whole thing just takes shape, making it easier than I thought it would have been.

After a while, you get a rush. That uninterrupted flow of creativity starts to take over and it's like you're riding a wave. At the end of the day, you're feeling a high, a pride, and a real sense of accomplishment. Not just because you took a step FORWARD for your business, but because you took that step IN SPITE OF.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

So, I ask you today. What is it that you've been putting off? What is it that has great importance to you that you've been procrastinating on? What's one thing that, if you got it done today, would move your business forward immeasurably? What could you take action on, in spite of any feelings of discomfort, knowing that once it's done, you'll feel AMAZING?

Write down the action you will take, then the FEELING you will have after accomplishing it at the end of the day (or preferably, by 11am?) Focus on that feeling and just begin it.

Remember, successful people are simply people who are willing to do what others aren't. Are you willing to do that? It's a new way of looking at your life and your business: the no-excuses approach. Once you do, Client Attraction becomes big time easy.

I don't get out of bed in the morning to be average, to do what everyone else does. How about you? Try it.

OK, now you're ready to take action, but what if you aren't sure what to do to get clients? Then get a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™. I've outlined every Client Attraction technique in detail, and it's all there so you can start using it right away to get similar results. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. SO easy. That's why my clients have gotten such great results from it. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get yours at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. Why struggle when you can just model a system that already works? (Reminder, it's going up from $247 to $697 soon, so act now.)

© 2008 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System™ and www.ClientAttraction.com, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, make more m’oney being self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all. To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

It's Not Procrastination, It's Fear of Rejection (Get Past It and Get Marketing)

Have you ever been stopped in your marketing tracks because of procrastination and didn't know where it was coming from? This happened a few times with some of my private clients recently, and we noticed that every time, it wasn't really procrastination, it was a fear of some sort that was holding them back.

Perhaps you've experienced it too? The fear of reaching out to people, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of not doing something right, and the kicker, fear of REJECTION? I don't think I know anyone who's not experienced some form of fear of rejection when marketing themselves. I think it's innate for many of us. Problem is, it holds us back from doing what it takes to get clients. And it's got to stop.

Fear of rejection keeps people from marketing, from networking, from asking for the sale, reaching out, from getting help, from public speaking, from asking for referrals, and from collaborating with strategic alliances. You've heard me say this a thousand times: if you don't market today, you won't have clients in six months.

So, understanding that there's some sort of fear stopping you, what do you do about it? I've done a lot of research on this, for my clients, and for myself over the years. I've read books, special reports, and anything that was available on the subject. Problem is that most people just GLOSS OVER what you should do.

The "experts" talk about changing your mindset, thinking positively, and all that good stuff. OK, but that's not practical enough for me. I wanted to know EXACTLY what to do to eliminate the fears and limiting beliefs that have held me back in the past, and that I continually see my clients struggling with.

I've discovered there's more to getting clients than just the OUTER game of Client Attraction (marketing). There's also an INNER game of Client Attraction (your mindset and beliefs) and if you don't deal with the inner part, then you'll keep doing the same things (and making the same money) you've been making for years to come. I don't know about you, but I prefer to continue to grow and make more.

So, I went on an internal search for what the answer was and I found it. I've worked (and continue to work) on my personal growth and development, and I've broken it down into a series of steps that, when done in sequence, help eliminate the limiting beliefs and fears that hold us back from marketing (and shining, personally) in a big way.

Here's what you do:

1. Establish the root fear or limiting belief that's holding you back from marketing. (Fear of success, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of overwhelm, fear of what others will think of you, fear of doing it wrong, fear of asking for what you want, fear of saying no to someone, etc.) Let's pick fear of rejection, just for argument's sake, since it's such a biggie with my clients.
2. Think back to your childhood. What is the earliest memory you have of being rejected? Write it down. (I'm serious, don't just read this assignment, write it down. That's how you get results.) If you get stuck, then go back to what the original thought that popped up when you read the assignment. That's usually the big one that needs to be addressed first, even if you don't think it is.
3. Write down ALL the events in life in which you can remember feeling rejected (your parents, kids in grade school, high school, the dating years, cheerleading or sports tryouts, the working world, and of course, since being self-employed).
4. Now, think about what MEANING you created about yourself as a result of each of those incidents. ("I'm not good enough," "I'm dumb," "I'll never be good at marketing," "When I reach out, I get rejected," "I'm not cut out to make a lot of money," etc. Really spend some time on this, because that's where the healing begins. Be a hard grader.
5. Then, make a separate list of how these MEANINGS you created have stopped you in life. Did you stop reaching out? Did you stop taking chances? Did you retreat into a hole? Did you hold back from taking advantage of opportunities that could have advanced you? Write them all down.
6. Now, go back to the list of meanings you created and ask yourself, "What if what I THINK happened wasn't actually the case?" Here's what I mean: If you were rejected by your "crush" in high school after telling this person you liked him, imagine other scenarios other than "I'm unattractive" or "I'm not lovable." Could they have secretly been dating someone else? Could they have been shy and not known what to say? Could they even have been interested in someone their own gender? Write it ALL down.
7. This is a list of ALTERNATIVE reasons why they wouldn't have done the ‘right' thing by you, rather than thinking you were unattractive or unlovable. Now, look at this list and pick one, because I'll guarantee you, what you THINK happened is probably not what happened. Each person has their own writing on the wall and even if they said or did something unacceptable, we don't REALLY know what that reason was (we might never know what was going on for them at that time).
8. Reevaluate the limiting belief or your fear. Is it REALLY true that you were rejected? Could there have been another reason for what happened? Is it really WORTH your still being affected by this and having lost out on opportunities your whole life because of what one (dumb) person said or did? Is that event really WORTH you being stopped in your marketing now?
9. Decide to select the ALTERNATIVE reason for what happened and move past the fear. You deserve to not be stuck in your tracks any more. You deserve to be free from what others said or did to you in the past. You deserve to be successful and that's what I want for you.
10. If you can't seem to let the fear go, then just FEEL the fear, and do what it takes anyway. You've heard the saying: "Successful people feel the fear too and they do what it takes anyway." That's been my experience. When I feel myself getting stopped, I often use the process above, and then I just push through and get things done. Funny thing is, it's never as bad as what I had feared. Best of all, every time you push through a fear that stops you, you exercise that muscle. After a while, limiting fears or beliefs don't have a chance against you.

YOUR CLIENT ATTRACTION ASSIGNMENT:

Make a point to do the exercise above. Take an afternoon or an hour, and really work through what's stopping you. It can seem scary at first, but I assure you, when you actually do it, it becomes easy. And it feels so FREEING at the end.

You'll notice that you will start DOING more than before, taking advantage of opportunities, and getting better results in marketing. That immediately equals more paying clients, more results, and in my experience, financial freedom and being able to live the life you really want. I once read that the view from the other side of fear is SUCCESS. Are you game?

Now, if you clear the fears and still are not sure what to do to get clients in a way that feels easy and authentic to you, it's time to start doing things differently. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids the "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome" and instead gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid marketing systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Reminder, it's going up from $247 to $697 in January, so act now.)

© 2008 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System™ and www.ClientAttraction.com, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, make more m’oney being self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all. To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

Did You Get Lazy In Marketing? (If You Want More Clients, Do What You USED To Do)

It's a phenomenon that happens to most people in business for themselves after a few years. When solo-entrepreneurs first get started in marketing their business, they have gusto, they have energy, and many take a no-excuses approach to getting clients. They're WILLING to do what it takes, and they do it often (most of them).

But after a few years, they begin to rest on their laurels, they get lazy, and after a while, they stop doing what they used to do to get clients. Some stop networking; some stop doing free intro classes, either in person or over the phone; some no longer do as much speaking as they used to. They've slowed down their marketing, and then they wonder what's happened to their pipeline: it's empty.

Oh, and I hear a whole bunch of excuses as to why they're no longer doing these things, too. There's always a YEAH-BUT… "I don't FEEL like doing that anymore," or "I've already done that, it won't work again," or even "I'm tired, I don't want to work that hard." Some even begin to wonder if they should stay self-employed, ready to give up.

As a result of the excuses, the well continues to dry up and they find themselves digging the well when they're thirsty (Not fun: it creates sleepless nights and financial troubles.) Then, the fear sets in and they scramble for NEW things to do. Ever done that?

It seems they want to reinvent the wheel. They're looking for new ways of doing things and this creates a sometimes frenetic, frantic approach to getting clients. I believe this ties into the "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome" we talked about recently, always looking for something new to do, something exciting, while leaving behind the proven stuff.

However, what I've learned over the years is, doing something new doesn't always create results as quickly. The systems aren't as easy to put in place and there's always a learning curve for new stuff. What clients are surprised to hear is that, instead of creating BRAND new strategies, sometimes, we begin by going back to doing the tried-and-true, proven things that worked very well for us in the past. We go back to the basics: Marketing Pie 101.

Why reinvent the wheel when you can go back and do the simple things that are proven to work?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

My thoughts on this: You either have EXCUSES or you have RESULTS.

So, my questions for you are:

• What have you been UNWILLING to do recently to get clients that USED to work for you?
• Have you stopped doing something that you did regularly in the beginning?
• Where have you gotten lazy?
• What used to work for you in the early days?
• Are you doing this now?
• Are you WILLING to do this now?

If now's the time for you to ramp up your client load, then stop everything and take a look at your Marketing Pie. Which slices of the pie are you implementing regularly? Are you not being consistent with your marketing?

It's time to go back to the basics. And, it's time to recommit. The funny thing is, when you recommit and you start doing these things again, they WORK. And what happens is, you start getting clients, more mo'ney starts pouring in, and you begin to LIKE doing these things again. Marketing becomes FUN again. Your whole demeanor changes. And, you instantly become more Client Attractive as a result. THEN, once the foundation is in, you can start adding in all the new stuff. Try it. It always works for me and my clients.

Now, if you're stuck with what to do to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids the "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome" and instead gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Reminder, it's going up from $247 to $697 in January, so act now.)

© 2008 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System™ and www.ClientAttraction.com, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, make more m’oney being self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all. To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

Plan Out Your 3-Year Vision for Attracting Clients (and The Life You Really Want)

In practice building (and getting clients) it seems to be that most self-employed people just hope for the best. They simply keep doing what they've been doing and don't have a strategy for creating the practice they'd be truly and deeply happy with. This is a big mistake in my opinion.

I used to write down my goals each year, but it never really worked for me. I just didn't feel really excited about my new goals. They didn't seem to propel me in motion and so I kind of viewed them as being useless. I never really looked at them, probably because they seemed like "shoulds" rather than "really-meaningful-wants."

Then I came across the concept of creating 3-year visions instead of just a list of goals for the upcoming year. This visioning wasn't just about business goals, but also family, financial, spiritual, and relationship goals. It became a "holistic" way of looking at what you wanted in your life. All the pieces looked like they would work together, but only because you were compelled to make it all work together, which was the first time I'd done that in such depth.

The coolest thing about visioning 3 years out came to me after I started doing this regularly. I noticed that ONE year goals were never too much of a stretch. They seemed like timid goals, goals that didn't really get me excited. But having to create a vision of what 3 years down the line would look like allowed me to REALLY think BIG.

Inhibitions dropped. My creative side started going and I really took time to see, "Hey, what WOULD I want my life to look like in 3 years, if I could have time to create it?" SHAZAM! I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.

The 3-year vision was a way for me to create something to strive for that REALLY spoke to me. Something that made my heart beat a little faster after I read it, excited to get going, and just a little bit scared of the thought of me reaching it. Now THAT would propel me into motion the way a yearly list of goals wouldn't be able to do. (By the way, my deep down secret is that I strive to reach these in 1 or 2 years, not 3, and that's usually what happens.)

So, each year, around this time, I create a 3-year vision of what I want my practice to look like. I write it in the present tense, as if it were 3 years later, that same day. For example, this past year I wrote mine on January 4, 2007 as if it was January 4, 2010, and I talked about all the things that had happened since 2007. All the things I'd accomplished in my business, with my finances, my investments, my family, and myself over the "last 3 years," which obviously hadn't actually happened yet.

Such a cool exercise and it really gets the blood flowing when you read it back to yourself, now and over the year.

"When you can clearly see yourself being there, you can see much more clearly how to get there. You can imagine the path to your dreams, and then start to actually walk it. Play an active role in your own future. Imagine with passion and detail how you'd most like it to be." —Ralph Marston, http://greatday.com

You see, I've figured out that it's not just about goals. Yes, goals are important, but the way I look at it, it's about focusing on what you REALLY want for your life, not the "shoulds." It's also about putting into effect the Law of Attraction in a big way. When you know what you want for your life, when you can imagine it with passion and feel what it feels like to have it, it's almost guaranteed to come to you.
So, this weekend, I'll be taking a couple of hours to work on my own 3-year vision. I wouldn't dream of not doing it. My success depends on it and it does for you too.

YOUR CLIENT ATTRACTION ASSIGNMENT:

Your turn. Sometime this week, create a 3-year vision dated January 4, 2011. Your 3-year vision must be one that will literally PULL you into your future, will scare you just a little bit, and make your heart beat a little faster than normal whenever you read this.

Make your 3-year vision very specific, realistic, and a big STRETCH (that's what's going to move you forward quicker than you would if you didn't have it). If you're right brained, use bullet points for categories such as business, finances, personal, family, spiritual, fun, health, etc. If you're left-brained, then write freely, and remember to keep it all grounded in the specific, with lots of MEASURABLES and TANGIBLES thrown in there so you can keep track of your progress over the next 3 years (that's what I do).

Be sure to write in the present tense as if it were 3 years from now… If it doesn't scare you just a little bit or get your mind racing, then it's probably not enough of a stretch. By the way, I just looked back to last year's 3-year vision and I was SHOCKED to see how many of the goals in my 3-year vision I'd already achieved in just a little over a year. This stuff really works!!

Once you've done your 3-year vision and are ready to get marketing in a big way for 2008, invest in your success by getting yourself the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to find your niche, get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Reminder, it's going up from $247 to $697 in January, so act now.)

© 2008 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System™ and http://www.clientattraction.com/, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, make more m’oney being self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all. To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit http://www.clientattraction.com/.