I heard a quote from Charles “Tremendous” Jones that says something like, “Who you will be in 5 years is a direct result of the people you learn from and spend time with, as well as the books you read.” That basically sums up my personal preference to continually learn new growth concepts and then applying them to my business, as well as the importance of spending time with other highly successful people who love growth. My private high-level clients love that I pass on to them the concepts that work so they can grow in massive leaps. That’s why I would never be without at least one mentor making at the very least 10x what I’m making, and neither should you. So, that’s why Derek and I are in Toronto for a couple of days, learning from those making at least 10x what we are and reading the books they do.

Being successfully self-employed is about living an extraordinary lifestyle and you know me, it’s never all work… you’ve got to live life to the fullest. So we joined some good friends for drinks and stunning 360 views of Toronto’s skyline and Lake Ontario at a chic and exclusive rooftop lounge, before heading to dinner at Scarpetta’s. I rarely eat pasta anymore, but the orecchiette with fava beans and fresh mint was unbelievably delicious. I take a no-excuses approach to living well!

Speaking of, this week’s Client Attraction article is all about eliminating excuses. And because I want you to take a No Excuses Approach to your business, I’m making sure you know about my brand new Get More Clients Blueprint. It helps you get several new clients in a matter of days or weeks. If you’ve been searching for answers to growing your business, they’re right here in the form of this step-by-step Blueprint, where I hold your hand throughout the ENTIRE process and at a steal of a deal. If you don’t take action, you risk staying in the exact same place you’re in now, wondering when it will be your turn to make good-money. Instead, turn it all around and join me in the top 5% of business owners. Here’s the way to do it: www.JoinTheTop5Now.com.

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).

Want to know more about attracting all the clients you’ll ever need? As you know, I just launched my BRAND NEW Get More Clients Blueprint DVD/CD Homestudy System (based on the SOLD-OUT live event). You’ll discover all of my best Client Attraction strategies while I take you by the hand and walk you step-by-step through the process of earning way more in your small business. Take a moment to watch this high content video that explains it all at www.JoinTheTop5Now.com. But keep in mind the Early Bird discount expires TODAY, Friday May 27th. (You’ll save $500.) Don’t miss out!

© 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?

No problem! But here is what you MUST include:

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the
Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.clientattraction.com.

 

Professionals don’t discount. Period. Your lawyer doesn’t. Neither does your doctor. A set rate is a set rate. At least for them.

But what about you? Having a sale on products you sell to generate interest or say ‘thanks’ is fine, once in a while. It even makes people excited to test out your stuff. But have you ever felt the temptation to discount your services to sign on more clients? Come on, be honest.

Worse, you may be someone who has a “sliding scale,” meaning you determine what to charge once you get that prospective client in front of you. You’ve got to stop doing that! It’s about the worse thing you can do for your reputation, Client Attraction, and practice building.

Now, many people feel the pull to offer discounts to friends and people who can’t seem to afford their services. Here’s my thought about that: it devalues your services dramatically and shows others you’ve given them permission (as well as yourself) to think your services are not worth what you charge for them.

While you’re at it, you’re also giving them a signal to keep taking advantage of you over and over again. I remember when I was doing nutrition counseling, back many years ago, I was “pressured” by a client to give a discount. I was in a place where I “needed” clients, so I gave in, thinking that this person would not have signed up if I hadn’t knocked off those last $200 or $300.

I found I resented that client the entire time we worked together. Somehow, I was a little angry that I was forced into this and I found myself giving less of myself in our sessions. I didn’t like what I was doing. I just felt used. (Has that ever happened to you?)

It became clear that when someone takes an inch (asking for a discount and getting it), they’ll then try to take a mile (not believing the policies and procedures apply to them). I had to set up a whole bunch of boundaries in the relationship. Needless to say, the whole thing was a disaster and if I’d stuck to my original rate the first time (my boundaries around my rates) I wouldn’t have had this problem throughout.

Discounting is not necessarily good news for you and your reputation. Here’s what you can do instead. Offer different options, and different programs to fit all different budget levels. Let there be something for everyone’s budget, that way, you don’t HAVE to discount.

Your assignment:

Make a pact with yourself now that you will never discount. Yes, right now. Trust me on this one.

If the person still cannot afford your services, that’s OK. Avoid the temptation to reduce your rates, even “just this one time, because I like you.” (This is especially important for those who don’t have a full practice and really NEED the money.)

Let them know you’ll be here to help them whenever they’re able to. Most times, people come back to sign up for one of your programs when they can afford it a few weeks later. It’s worth the wait.

Instead, create different offerings at different price points to have something there for different types of clients and different budget levels. Wanna see how I set up different packages and programs with different price points, so there’s something for everyone? It’s easy and it’s all in the Client Attraction Home Study System™, the “bible” for attracting all the clients you need with proven, systematic processes that will help you fill your practice quickly and consistently, guaranteed. Here’s where you can get a copy: TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

*********************

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?

No problem! But here’s what you MUST include:

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com .

“To reach that next bigger level of greatness (and professional success), you MUST be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and be willing to make the changes that seem to threaten your ‘safe’ way of being, knowing that you are always safe anyway. There is no other way.”

Join Fabienne Fredrickson for one of the most
important FREE teleseminars you’ll attend this year:
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009, 8 pm Eastern

“The Client Attraction Shortcut: What It REALLY Takes To Be A Winner In Your Solo-Business And Make More Than You’ve Made In The Next 12 Months Than in The Last 12 Years COMBINED”

Dear Solo-entrepreneur,

Do you ever wonder what makes SOME people succeed, wildly succeed, while others are just scraping by, trying to make 5-figures or barely break 6-figures?

If you really want to know what’s going to get you from where you are in your business now to a TOTALLY different level, here’s the secret…

The secret is actually a COMBINATION of several key techniques (like a combination lock) that, when applied in a particular order, create phenomenal results in your business AND in what you make. In fact, these techniques can help you make more in the next 12 months than you’ve made in the last 12 years COMBINED.

And I’m ready to reveal it ALL to you, step-by-step, without holding anything back, on a FREE Teleseminar happening Wednesday, July 1st. Sign up NOW at www.clientattraction.com/winner

If marketing is one slice of the pie, Manifesting is another. And by manifesting, I mean the Law of Attraction, what you focus on with great feeling, you attract into your existence. At its most basic, here’s how it can be described: If you’re continually focusing on having a full practice of yummy clients who pay you what you’re worth, then you will start to attract that. If you’re focusing rather on the LACK of clients and you’re ticked off that people aren’t paying you what you’re worth, then you will attract that also (meaning, not having those clients or not making enough money). Simple, yet very powerful.