Don't Give Up Too Easily (Clients Are Just Around the Corner)

"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about." —Unknown

Have you ever given your all to something, experienced some delays, encountered disappointments, and then given up? What about when it comes to marketing your business? Do you sometimes get frustrated because the results you want aren't coming to you as quickly as you'd like, despite the fact that you bust your butt to see results? Do you then start to doubt yourself, your skills and talent, your ability to succeed?

You're not the only one. I know I've been there more than once since being self-employed. I have been tempted to quit on projects or promotions that weren't going strong on more than one occasion. And I've even contemplated giving up on self-employment when the chips were down and times were tough.

I remember being in my own practice less than a few years, and for a few weeks, things got really tough financially. It seemed like no one was signing up for my program all of a sudden, two (non-ideal) clients had decided to back out and money got really tight.

Was it a funk or was it a sign that I shouldn't be self-employed? I couldn't tell. I went into fear mode, wondering if I would have to go back to working in the corporate world, something I just couldn't bear to think about, but I just didn't see the alternative. I was THIS close to giving up and shutting down my business.

And then something happened. I was walking across Union Square in New York City, headphones on, listening to the radio and a song by Aaliyah came on the radio. The lyrics really spoke to me:

And if at first you don't succeed
Then dust yourself off and try again
You can dust it off and try again (Try again)
'Cause if at first you don't succeed
You can dust it off and try again
Dust yourself off and try again (Try Again)

It was a good song and came at a good time.

When the song was over, I flipped to another channel on my Walkman. The SAME song came on. I listened to it and got chills up my spine. I thought, "OK, perhaps I shouldn't give up so easily. Maybe there is a way."

Not sure if you'll believe this, because I didn't at first. But I flipped to yet another channel. And yes, there it was. The song was playing again. The SAME song about not giving up, about dusting myself off and trying again. I got more than chills. My eyes welled up in tears and I stopped in my tracks. I stood there silently and made a commitment to myself: I was never going to give up. I was going to do what it took to succeed at this thing. And the rest is history…

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Don't give up. If the going gets though, if marketing becomes a challenge or you're not seeing results, keep persisting. Try a different approach. Look at what successful people are doing and do something similar (don't copy—just get inspired). Finish what you've been procrastinating, just don't give up. Success is right around the corner and most people give up JUST before they reach the top.
2. Look for support, a mentor, or a marketing coach. Learn only from people who are already successful or have achieved what you want to achieve. Mentor with people who live the life you want to live. Join programs or mastermind groups with others going through their own processes, so you know you're not alone (Try my new Inner Circle: www.ClientAttractionInnerCircle.com.)
3. Print up the following quotes on persistence and stick them on the wall next to your computer, tape them on your bathroom mirror and your refrigerator, whatever it takes to read them over and over again, to give you the strength to keep going. I'm rooting for you and I know you can do it. :)

Quotes to keep you in Client Attraction Mode, even when things get tough:

"Never, never, never give up!" —Winston Churchill

"Never Quit. Don't ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn't quitting. If you quit you'll regret it forever." —Rudy Ruettiger

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance."—Samuel Johnson

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." —William Feather

"Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries."—James A. Michener

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." —Dale Carnegie

"A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't."—Jack Dempsey

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up."—Vince Lombardi

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." —Louis Pasteur

"If you are going through hell, keep going." —Winston Churchill

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."—Thomas Jefferson

"I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right." —Albert Einstein

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit—
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit."
—Unknown

The key to persisting is to set up SYSTEMS for all your marketing efforts, so you don't have to think about it too much. If you want to copy MY own systems, I spell it all out in the Client Attraction Home Study System™. I've outlined every 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, 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 customers 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 www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

© 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.

In Client Attraction, Focus on Service, Not Accumulation

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." —Albert Schweitzer

I've mentored a few already-successful solopreneurs recently who walk the line between 'high-achiever' and 'overachiever' and let me tell you, there IS a difference. You've heard me say many times that I work best with high-achieving go getters who know exactly what they want (usually it's more clients, more in-come, with more time off to enjoy it all) and who say to me, "Fabienne, show me how to do it and I'll do exactly what you say." That's the kind of person who sees results.

But sometimes, there's a different breed of person. The person who takes on too much, too fast, and seems to always be RACING towards the next level. (I know firsthand about this, I used to be one.) The 'high-achiever' sets high goals and then does what it takes to make those goals happen. The 'overachiever' seems to want to accumulate just for the sake of accumulating. (I know, because again, I used to think like that.)

A few years ago, a coaching colleague asked me, "Hey, I notice that you move at a very fast pace. What's the deal? Why do you feel the need to accomplish so much in such a short period of time?" I was stunned actually. Didn't quite know how to answer. So I said, "It's a game for me. Seeing how much I can accomplish is fun." But it took me a while to "get" what he was trying to say.

I think that I was focused on accumulation rather than service. It was about amassing clients and in-come, probably having to do with proving something to someone from a bazillion years ago. Yes, it was a game, a competition against self, but was there a point to it all? Probably mo-ney, but even that is just a number sometimes. It began to feel like a hamster wheel, an empty process. There seemed to be no meaning to accomplishment at a fast pace.

It's when I stepped back and looked into the REASON for why I started this business that it stopped being a race. I got focused on SERVICE again, on my purpose and skills, and why I got into this in the first place. I think I'd lost that along the way. The minute I realized this, Client Attraction became less about filling a void, and more about being of service. Less about accumulation, and more about really making a serious difference in people's lives and businesses.

Being focused on service, I started being happier, clients got even better results, our friendship was deeper and even more satisfying, and the best part was, it stopped feeling like WORK. I started getting a feeling that I couldn't believe I was being paid (well) for doing something so gratifying. And then I noticed something…

Ironically, when I tapped back into SERVICE, that's when my in-come began growing much more rapidly. That's when the referrals started pouring in again. That's when my numbers started really increasing dramatically. That's when bigger and bigger opportunities began coming my way.

"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." —Confucius

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Notice how you approach your business. Does it feel like a race for the mo-ney, rather than being of service to others in a BIG way? Has the MEANING of what you're doing gotten lost along the way? Is it more about accumulation now? If so, take a step back and reconnect to the reason you got into this in the first place: service and the DIFFERENCE you can make in people's lives. That's what's going to make you happy.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not even close to suggesting that you should stop marketing and setting up systems for everything in your business. What I am saying is, couple this with consistently working on implementing your marketing and Client Attraction strategies, and attracting clients will become big time easy (then the in-come will naturally
follow).

Not sure on where to start creating these marketing systems, even if you're already successful? I recommend getting a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It 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.

© 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.

Think BIGGER About What's Possible For You and Get Out of Your OWN Way!

I once asked a few people to be part of my Research and Development team to find out what stopped them from getting out there in a BIG way to get clients. I also asked them to tell me the MOST they could see themselves making being self-employed. Honestly, I was saddened by the answers that rolled in, and their answers were right in line with the people I talk to on a daily basis.

You see, most people have very LOW expectations on what can be made in self-employment. The average from my polling was between $50,000 and $75,000, and the highest amount I heard was about $150,000. Using SYSTEMS and LEVERAGE techniques, we can totally change that to create an income that is FAR beyond what you've ever thought attainable for yourself. (I know it may not seem possible as you read this, but I promise you, it IS possible for you too. I've done it for myself and I've done it for countless clients.)

To help you change your mindset around that, I wanted to share a paragraph in Louise Hay's book 'You Can Heal Your Life,' which has stayed with me since the very first time I read it years ago. Here's what she writes:

"I love the visualization of standing at the seashore looking out at the vast ocean and knowing that this ocean is the abundance that is available to me. Look down at your hands and see what sort of container you are holding. Is it a teaspoon, a thimble with a hole in it, a paper cup, a glass, a tumbler, a pitcher, a bucket, a wash tub, or perhaps you have a pipeline connected to this ocean of abundance? Look around you and notice that no matter how many people there are and no matter what kind of container they have, there is plenty for everyone. You cannot rob another, and they cannot rob you. And in no way can you drain the ocean dry. Your container is your consciousness, and it can always be exchanged for a larger container."

I was totally floored when I first read this. I remember "looking down at my hands" and seeing a very large bucket, one bigger than I could carry, thinking that was a LOT. But when I read about the possibility of having a PIPELINE connected to this ocean of abundance, I was struck by the very small thinking I was doing. And frankly, I was mad at myself for having thought so small before.

It hit me like a ton of bricks that I wasn't asking the Universe for nearly as much as I could. So, I started "asking" for a bigger income, little by little, every year by adding about $50,000 to the previous year's revenue goals, believing that I COULD achieve it. And at the end of every year, I did achieve it, sometimes by a lot more. Now, I'm simply asking for triple what I made last year (and on my way to achieving that.) What are YOU asking for?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing on the sand, toes in the water, looking out into the vast ocean of abundance. Yes, even if it feels corny or goofy, just DO it, no one's watching you! Besides, how you do anything is how you do everything, in business and in life. If you're not willing to do this, then you're probably not willing to do much to change your mindset or what it takes to grow your business.

Imagine that you cannot ask for too much because you can never exhaust the supply that is available to you and everyone else. No matter what you've thought up to now, know this (while you're at it, go ahead and print it up so you can put it up on a wall where you can see it everyday):

• There will never be a shortage of clients you can attract.
• There will always be enough people who will pay you what you want to be paid.
• There will never be a cap on how many clients you can help.
• There will never be a cap on how many e-books you can sell.
• There will never be a cap on how many attendees will attend your workshop or teleclass.
• There is an inexhaustible supply of ways you can offer what you offer that your competitors don't offer.

The only person who sets that limit is you. The good news is that you can break the current paradigm at any time you choose. You can find a way to innovate and break the mold. You do not need to be tied down to what you have thought up to now. The opportunities you seek are already out there for what you want (this is what I'm noticing is true for myself.) You just have to make the decision that you want it and these opportunities will make themselves available to you.

If you're gonna dream, well darn it, dream BIG! Look back at your list of wants. Were you playing small? Were you playing too safe? Were you afraid to ask for a lot more? Now, tweak the list to think BIGGER. You deserve it and once you believe it is possible for yourself, you can indeed have it.

That being said, you might be having trouble imagining yourself achieving a BIGGER goal in your business. It's probably a fear of overwhelm, fear of success, or fear of failure, a fear of rejection, or perhaps a question of whether you DESERVE that much abundance and success. Not sure if you'll be able to actually HANDLE it? Then make it a point to join us at the workshop in 2 weeks. Enough of this 'playing small'. We're going to totally change that limiting mindset of yours, once and for all.

Together, we'll examine the limiting beliefs, the self-doubt, and the self-imposed sabotaging behavior or procrastination that are currently keeping you from having what you want. You'll walk away with everything you need (including the SYSTEMS and LEVERAGE techniques I talked about earlier), so that you FINALLY have more clients, make the money you deserve, and have a lot more time off to enjoy it all. Why stay small when you can have it all? Do this for yourself now: www.ClientAttractionWorkshop.com.

© 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