Lisa Cherney | The Juicy Marketing Expert

The View from Part-Time Profit Path™ Mastery Mountain

Lisa Cherney — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:29:59 +0000

As every successful climber knows, the journey to any new summit begins way before you ever take a step up the mountain. In order to make it all the way to the top, you have to train to be sure you’re in peak condition. You have to acquire the tools and equipment you’ll need for the trip and you have to map the trail you’re going to take.

The exact same holds true for entrepreneurs who want to reach the apex of success in business – what I call Part-Time Profit Path Mastery Mountain. I call it that because when I look back on my own journey from making 70K per year to creating a 7-figure biz, working just 3 days a week, it often felt like an uphill battle.

Much like scaling a mountain, the path to building my successful 6 then 7-figure biz was sometimes rocky and at times it’s been exhausting. Truthfully, I worked my ass off to make it to the top and believe me; it’s well worth it. The view is absolutely spectacular.

When you make your way to the peak of Part-Time Profit Path Mastery Mountain, you get to:

Add time to your day and take back control of your life
Only do work that makes you happy and that you love
Increase the value of your work – in your clients’ eyes and your own
Raise your fees to make what you’re worth
Attain the vision of freedom you want for your life
Finally realize your dream of making a ton more money for a lot less effort

The thing is, even for the best mountaineers, climbing is seriously hard work. That’s why you want to map out a clear trail and make sure you have everything you need to make the trip as effortless and successful as possible.

One of the most important parts of getting ready for your journey up Part-Time Profit Path Mastery Mountain is making sure that you have the training and conditioning you need to get all the way to the top. Just like a mountain climber, if you have not spent months taking steps to make sure you’re in the ideal shape mentally, physically and otherwise… you’re never going to see that view from the summit.

On my own climb, I identified the 5 key foundational skills you need to make your way to the summit of Part-Time Profit Path Mastery Mountain in record time. They are:

1. Marketing
2. Selling
3. Group Programs
4. Speaking & Lead Generation
5. Online Implementation

Without these fundamental areas covered for your business, you are going to struggle and strain to find any marked degree of success, much less make your way to a 6 or more-figure business working part-time hours.

So, before you strap on your boots and head for the foothills, take time to make sure you’ve got your bases covered. Assess any skill gaps you might have and then take action to close them. You can outsource assistance in certain areas, or invest in more personal training to uplevel your skills to match your plan to uplevel your business.

Either way you make it happen, be sure that your business is in top condition in all 5 of these areas: marketing, selling, group programs, speaking & lead generation, and online implementation. That way you’ll know everything’s in place and you’re as prepared as possible for your exciting ascent to the top!

If you find you want more training in any (or all) of these 5 areas, I invite you to check out our 6-Figure University and our Part-Time Profit Path Mastery™ programs. We’ve carefully designed each course to provide you with the exact strategy, support and encouragement you need to build your business your own way. Learn more at www.6FigureUniversity.com

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 13 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working
part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.lisacherney.com or call 42-I-AM-JUICE (424-265-8423).

The Power of Attending Live Events

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:20:43 +0000

By Jane Garee, 6 Figure University Coach

Have you ever been so fascinated by a TV show that you wished you could jump through the screen and actually be a part of the cast? All those characters with their rich story lines and crazy antics just make you want to be a part of the fun. You’ve probably noticed there are some powerful life nuggets in there. Your favorite show isn’t just entertaining, it teaches you something along the way. Have you noticed that the best business mentoring and coaching is the same way? It’s fun and informative, which are the two greatest take-aways on earth.

I recently returned from a live event hosted by Lisa Cherney for her 6 Figure University students. Yes, we laughed, we cried and we learned. Not only are we emotionally and spiritually richer for the experience, our bank accounts are reflecting our ever increasing literal riches! Live events tend to boost your biz in a big way. So, what makes them so powerful?

It’s laser-focused – Getting out of the office and working on your business instead of in it is liberating and extremely important. As a business owner, I know that one of the most important things I can do is to step away from my business and look at it from a higher vantage point, get strategic, get specific and get busy. Live events move you from reactively participating to joining the cast and being an active member. At a live event, you get to write the script, pick the players and direct your own show (aka your business). Live events cause you to interact with your business in a more intense, comprehensive way and that’s what business owners need more of.

It’s a community – You may not be hanging out with your BFF’s in a cool New York loft but a live event can evoke the same kind of connection and support that TV cast seems to have. What’s great about live events is you’re with a group of people who are generally like-minded and have the same level of intensity and commitment to moving their businesses forward as you do. Powerful friendships and business alliances are created during live events. If you’re into turbo-charging your business and shaving off a few years of unnecessary try and fail experiences, live events will give you the support, the vision and the connections to do just that.

There’s a measurable difference in your “before” and “after” persona – Before joining your community in a laser-focused think tank, you probably feel excited, ready and fairly clear about what your next steps are for your business. After spending a few days in the charged up atmosphere of collective brilliance and disciplined action-takers, you won’t recognize yourself. It’s like going from black and white to color and once you experience that, you won’t want to ever go back. Questions you’ve had for years will get answered in minutes; problems you’ve been unable to solve will be gone in a day. To some extent, live events can kind of be like a super-hero conference. Everyone has their own area of expertise and banded together … watch out world, or at least watch out world of business.

It’s fun – people become business owners because they want to work less, play more and have more fun. However, making sure that the daily needs of the business are actually met can create tunnel vision until work takes over and there’s no time or energy left for fun. Live events not only allow you to have fun in the moment and for several days, they remind you why you became a business owner in the first place.

So when are you going to your next live event? If you’ve been thinking it’s time to shake things up, move it to the next level and embrace some bigger fun in your life, do yourself a favor and get to a live event. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn and it will be beyond worth it. Who knows? You may even leave with your very own theme song.

How To Make The Mentorship Leap

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:47:49 +0000

Some of the sweetest words my husband ever said to me were, “I do think this is crazy, but I believe in you.”

It was 2009, Bella was 3, and I was fitting back into my normal clothes. Greg and I had just paid off a huge chunk of our debt and we had made the decision that we weren’t going to have any more children.

Our family path was decided and my road as an entrepreneur was wide open ahead of me. Inside I knew I was ready for a huge leap … and I knew it was ready for me. I just couldn’t see how to get there.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, there are basically two paths you can take. There’s either the:

Go-it-alone, trial and error, figure it out yourself route, or the
Seek support, learn the ropes, follow a proven trail way.

In 2009, I had spent 10 years on the D-I-Y path. I had learned a LOT and had made impressive progress on my own, but I knew I wasn’t meant to struggle for another decade. Inside, I had a distinct knowing that it was my time to make a big move and this feeling like, “Look out world! This is MY year.”

I had never joined a mentorship group or anything like that before, but I knew that I needed to do something radically different in order to see radical results.

When I walked in to talk to Greg about my plans, I was nervous. How was I going to tell him that I wanted to join a yearlong program? It didn’t make logical sense. We had a 3-year-old, we were finally seeing light at the end of our debt tunnel, and I wanted to invest $23K+ in my business – which was WAY beyond our financial comfort zone.

“I do think this is crazy, but I believe in you.”

What Greg saw was that this was not as much an investment in my business as it was an investment in ME, and he supported me 100% – which was a little scary in itself. At that point, I was fully in charge of my decision to move forward and jump off that cliff I had heard about for so many years.

Leap and the net will appear.

Still scarier though, was the thought of going forward in my business without the support and guidance I knew I needed to really make the changes I wanted to see. Going it alone was my comfort zone for pretty much my entire life. So, when I made the choice to get help, it was the most conscious decision of my life.

I took a flying leap off that cliff.

And you know what? When I turned around, it was gone. Turns out, when you make that big jump to get the support you need, it’s like the cliff never existed. Which is how I came up with the saying I’m now known for:

“Leap and the cliff disappears.”

Now, mentorship is not for everyone. Some prefer to stay in their comfort zone, grow little by little, and find success that way, which is great. That was not my path. I wanted to make huge progress and fast and I knew I couldn’t do it alone.

If you’re like I was 3 years ago and you are ready to make that huge leap, I want to help you find the right support for you. Over the years I’ve had several mentors and I’ve learned (the hard way sometimes) how to pick the one that works best for you.

Here are a few questions to consider when choosing on a mentor/mentorship program:

Does their system have a proven track record?
Do you trust them?
Have they been a business owner a long time?
Will they insist you do it their way?
Does their expertise fill your skill gaps?
Will they encourage you to trust yourself (and your inner guidance)?

When you look for a mentor, be sure to find someone who constantly challenges herself and stays out of her own comfort zone. That way you know you’ll have someone who will encourage you to stay out of yours.

Most importantly, you want a mentor who will not only teach you what they did right, but what they did wrong. Because even though you don’t want to suffer the same mistakes, you do need to gain the learning that comes from making them.

If you’re thinking about finding a mentor who will give you the shortcuts to stop struggling and start realizing your vision of freedom and success, stay tuned to your email so you will know when we decide to open up our 6 Figure University Mentorship Program to new members. Our program offers deep-dive training, 1:1 support masterminding, retreats, strategizing, community, constant encouragement and a whole lot more!

6 Top Lessons I Learned On My Path to 6-Figures, Part-Time

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

You started your business because you envisioned having more freedom and more financial success. You wanted to be your own boss so you could pay yourself what you’re worth, create your own hours, give yourself a kick-ass vacation package and finally achieve the goals you planned when you hung up your shingle.

Are you living your entrepreneurial dream yet?

I am (and it feels amazing!). Since 2009, Conscious Marketing has been a 6-Figure, Part-Time Business. Because I founded the company in 1999, I like to say I’m a 10-year-overnight-success.

Now, I don’t want to get too “when I was a kid” on you, but I believe my story actually started in junior high when a very clear “life is too short” seed was planted within me. One minute I was tanning for prom, and the next my dad was beside me saying my mom – the one I had been fighting with over something stupid that morning – was sick with breast cancer.

That entire summer, I watched my mom bravely battle her disease and I grew up very quickly that year. I’m glad to say that 25+ years later Mom is totally kicking butt. (She even spoke at my first ever 6 Figures on Your Terms live event and earned a standing ovation!) I changed that summer and because of it, I know without a doubt that life is too short to not be happy.

So, when I realized at 28 that corporate America was the wrong place for me, I jumped ship and set out to become an entrepreneur. Even though plenty people talk about wanting to work less and make more, few of them actually succeed. Thanks to my “life is too short” motivation, I can trust my intuition to make tough, conscious decisions to consistently move my business forward.

Don’t think I’m saying it’s always easy. I had plenty of years where I scraped to make $75K and questioned whether I should quit trying and go back to a job. The one thing I did perfectly though – the one got me where I am today – was I kept showing up for the lessons.

Today, part of my mission is to help people fast track through what I learned on my various falls along the way, so you can get the lessons without the injuries – or at least soften the blows.

Here are the 6 top lessons I learned while creating what is now a 7-figure business (OMG!), where instead of 80-hour workweeks, I enjoy 4-day weekends.

Embrace Failure. Success is not the opposite of failure. When you fall, the things you learn on the way down are what make you that much stronger once you get back up.
Invest in Yourself & Get Help. Start with the foundation: hire a bookkeeper or virtual assistant. Get specialized training to improve your skills or work with a mentor. (When I invested in my first yearlong mentorship, I tripled my income!)
Make Conscious Decisions. See the skill gaps in your business and make the conscious decision whether to get help or go it alone. Learn to recognize places where you need to make a change and consciously decide how you’re going to handle them.
Focus Gives You Freedom. Choose one product or service to focus on until you have it perfected. Although you might worry that narrowing your focus will keep you restrained, it actually keeps you from spreading yourself too thin with lots of offerings.
Stay Outside Your Comfort Zone. To grow from where you are to where you want to be, you’re going to have to challenge your beliefs about how much you need to work and what your time and expertise are worth financially.
Follow Your Intuition. At the end of the day, you need to do what feels good to you. Trust your inner guidance.

Easier said than done? Hell yeah, it is. Creating a 6-Figure, Part-Time Business can be freaking hard work. That’s why 50% of entrepreneurs fail within 4 years, and the median income for the ones in business is only $65K.

The truth is entrepreneurship is not for sissies. If you’re not prepared for a little bumping and bruising, maybe you’re not meant to be a business owner (and that’s totally okay!). You are, however, meant to be happy. That is my most important lesson of all. Trust me. Life’s far too short to spend it any other way.

If you do know you’re meant for entrepreneurship and you’re ready to start building your 6-Figure, Part-Time Business, visit www.6FigureUniversity.com. I’ll be glad to point you in the best direction … and give you a heads up on the obstacles along your path

All Roads Lead to Your Anchor Store

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:46:19 +0000

Entrepreneurs frequently have a variety of talents to offer clients in a wide array of ways. We come up with products and services and programs, each of which provides huge value. The problem, however, comes in when too many shiny objects take away the focus from creating a solid income-generating basis for your business.

That’s why you need an Anchor Store.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of an Anchor Store, think about your local mall. In big shopping complexes, there are usually big name stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom or JC Penney. These large stores attract the majority of the customers for the mall then the smaller stores benefit from the traffic they generate. That’s an Anchor Store.

When I talk about an Anchor Store for your business, I’m talking about a 1:1 mentorship, your main group program, a weekend retreat or a regular live event. In much the same way a mall owner uses Macy’s, your Anchor Store will provide the financial foundation to support and maintain your overall business, as well as help you attract clients to other programs or services you offer.

Once you decide which program or service you are going to establish as your anchor store, you’ll see that you gain a certain degree of freedom. Instead of pushing multiple workshops and programs and retreats and systems and events all at once, you can focus your efforts on just one. That way you gain clarity about what you’re offering and where you want potential clients to end up.

Choosing an Anchor Store gives you clarity with your marketing and provides answers to questions about how to promote yourself. Which then creates an “All Roads Lead to the Anchor Store” phenomenon. To better explain what I mean, allow me to provide an example.

Recently I was working with a client who offered multiple programs and services including a business systems program, an international retreat, a live event as well as private coaching. She wasn’t really getting the traction she wanted because her efforts were being diffused.

She wanted a huge bump in income so I talked to her about establishing an Anchor Store. During our conversation she decided to focus on her live event. We quickly started to identify all the possibilities for getting people to her Anchor Store such as offering bonus tickets or promoting it through a live teleclass.

Having an Anchor Store allowed her to easily identify things like what to focus her Juicy Offer Talk™ on when she speaks, how to lead her social marketing efforts and how to guide her networking conversations.

The power of having an Anchor Store is that you know exactly what you’re offering your prospects and you’re always prepared no matter what the situation because you know exactly where you want your Ideal Clients to end up.

If you’re the kind of entrepreneur who gives answers like, “Well, I do nutrition but I also do exercise,” or, “I provide 1:1 coaching, but there’s also group workshops,” but you’re not gaining any real momentum in taking your business to the level of success you want, it’s time for you to choose an Anchor Store.

Even if your Anchor Store is a no-brainer and completely obvious to you, I want you to allow yourself the space to really focus all of your efforts on that one offering.

Once your Anchor Store is healthy, where you’re able to easily fill it and maintain having multiple offerings of it one after the other, you can then start to spread out your efforts. That’s because you’ll have the comfort and security of knowing your Anchor Store will support and sustain your business no matter what.

Sometimes though, it can be really hard to choose just one product or service for your Anchor Store, or keep yourself focused on it once you’ve decided. So, if you need some advice on what to choose for your Anchor Store or some support keeping you on track, just let us know. Contact us at http://lisacherney.com/contact/. We’ll be glad to point you in the right direction!

So What Do You Do?

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:59:17 +0000

It’s 8:30 in the morning and you’ve been up since 6. You’re wearing a business suit and standing in line at a buffet. Coffee in one hand, bagel in the other, you make eye contact with the entrepreneur ahead of you.

She gestures at the solid mound of eggs in the chafing dish, “Don’t you just love these networking breakfasts?”

You laugh and brace yourself for the inevitable. Sure enough she follows up with…

“So, what do you do?”

You know you need a good answer, one that explains what your business is about, tells how you to help people and opens up the potential for a new client. So… (time to brace yourself for my follow up question.)

Why haven’t you got one yet?

Call it an elevator speech, a networking pitch, or a 30-second intro, your answer to “What do you do?” can help you monetize every networking meeting, conference, event or trip to the store. That is, if you have a great response.

Think about it. If you don’t know how to explain what you do, how will anyone ever know whether they need your help, or make a choice to work with you? When you’re choosing different word combinations each time you’re asked, or always on the search for a better description of what you do, that will come through.

If you’re not sure of your answer to, “What do you do,” not only will it negatively impact your overall confidence, the person you’re speaking to will be left unsure of whether you can help them or not. That means you lose that particular potential client, as well as all the referrals you could have gotten down the road.

To avoid the frustration of not knowing how to describe your talents and the anxiety that arises each time someone asks about them, you need a 30-second intro that quickly and succinctly describes not only what you do, but also describes your Ideal Client.

Imagine how your business (and LIFE) would change if those ever-important words rolled right off your tongue and you could confidently convey your value to the people who need you most.

That’s why it’s so important to take the time and do the work to come up with the right words. Once you do, you won’t have to worry about answering that dreaded question, “So, what do you do?” ever again. Plus, your confidence in having a response ready will shine through to everyone you meet.

Don’t stress out if you struggle to explain what you do. A lot of entrepreneurs have a tough time figuring out the best way to quickly and confidently describe their business. If you are ready to once and for all find the ideal words to explain what you do for your clients, check out my free virtual workshop on March 16, “Pushing the Wrong Buttons.”

I’ll teach you how to chuck your elevator pitch to the basement and attract clients with your Juicy Introduction instead. Sign up at www.ElevatorPitchMistakes.com.

What my Zumba Instructor Can Teach You About Your Biz

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:50:26 +0000

This is a guest post from Michelle PW (Michelle Pariza Wacek), Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist

I admit it. I’m addicted to Zumba.

But it didn’t happen right away. For a year I flitted in and out of classes, not really clicking with it but since I kept hearing from my friends how much they loved it I kept trying it.

And then I ended up in a class with a woman named Tiger. And I was hooked.

Tiger was born to teach Zumba. Her passion and love for it are infectious plus she’s an excellent teacher (in fact she’s been honored at a statewide level she’s such a fabulous teacher.) Her classes are packed, and her teaching methods and style has influenced all the Zumba instructors at the YMCA.

But, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, she almost got fired after her very first class.

In that class, she started with 18 students. By the time the class was half over she had 9. But the time class ended it was down to 6. And the next day her boss asked Tiger to come to her office.

Her boss told her she had been flooded with complaints about Tiger.

Too much hips
Too Latino
Too sexy
Too loud

(I’m unclear what they actually thought Zumba was all about since that’s pretty much the definition of Zumba but whatever.)

Her boss told Tiger she couldn’t teach anymore unless she toned it down. So she went home and said to her husband “They won’t let me teach because they think I’m too sexy.”

Her husband answered “Oh they’re a bunch of old white women, they don’t get it.”

“I have to tone it down if I want to teach,” Tiger said.

“You don’t change a thing,” her husband said. “You teach it the way you want to. And if they don’t like it, we’ll find a place that does.”

So Tiger went back to her boss and begged to be given another chance. “Will you change?” her boss asked.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Tiger said, fingers crossed behind her back.

And of course she didn’t change a thing. Her next class she taught it exactly the way she had taught the first one. But this time she had younger students who loved it and told her boss. So her boss finally gave her a class of her own to teach. It was the smallest class the Y ever had — about 6 students. In 3 months it was up to 40.

And the rest, as they say, was history.

So there are a lot of things to take away from this story, but the one I want to talk about today is the idea of ideal clients.

As successful Tiger is as a Zumba instructor, in front of the wrong crowd (i.e. the opposite of her ideal clients) she was a complete failure. Once she found her ideal clients everything fell into place.

And that’s why knowing your ideal clients is so crucial to the success of your business, and why trying to market to everyone leads to spinning your wheels. Because not everyone is going to become your customer (it honestly doesn’t matter how good you are or how much they need what you’re selling, they just aren’t). And all you do is dilute your message when you try to talk to everyone instead of just to your ideal clients.

And even if you end up getting your non-ideal clients in your business, those are the ones who will be harder to please, who will be more likely to complain you’re just “too sexy.” And at the end of the day, ask yourself: Are those the people you really want to be serving in your business?

Because chances are you’ll probably be a lot happier if you have a business filled with clients who love how sexy you are.

If you wanted to get in on the LAST EVER Juicy Online Marketing Essentials Bootcamp. Here’s the link.

______________________________________________

About Michele PW, Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist

Specializing in both online and offline marketing strategies and copywriting,Michele PW. Considered one of the hottest direct response copywriters and marketing consultants in the industry today, Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek), your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist, founded Michele PW/Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC because her vision was bigger than what a one-woman copywriting shop could handle, you can learn about Michelle’s services here.

You have questions. I have answers.

Lisa Cherney — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:26:02 +0000

As you may know, I led a pretty controversial caper in 2012 that got me in a lot of trouble with the Marketing Police. I held a live training called, “The Niche Conspiracy: Why Ditching the Niche Will Get You Rich” that made a huge impact … and stirred up a lot of questions.

One question I got was from a guy named Tim. He hit on a point that I know a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with, so I wanted to share it with you.

Lisa, for me the hardest part about my business is finding something authentic for which people will pay … not an “okay that’s cool” thing but an, “OMG!-Wow-I-have-to-have-it!” thing.

When I think of markets, niches and clients, I find that I water down what it is I do. That turns my work into something different from where I started and where I wanted to be. Tell me, how can I be authentic in my marketing AND find people who will pay me what I deserve?

As I explained to Tim, the solution here is to find a way to describe how your client’s life will be different after your service/product/program that feels real and true for you. You need to be able to talk about how amazing your work is and how people and businesses are changed forever. Your message needs to be so clear and come across with such conviction that your Ideal Clients can’t see moving forward without you.

The knowing inside and the words to communicate it are your Juicy Benefits – that’s what inspires people to buy.

If you curb the urge to water down your message (which is compromising and settling) and do the work to get this piece clear, people will say, “OMG! I need that!” Plus, you will be thrilled (and highly fulfilled) when serving them. Not only that, you will be able to charge more.

In fact, this the antidote to, “I can’t afford to work with you.” Tim hadn’t identified his Juicy Benefits and he had resistance to claiming his Ideal Client group. As a result, he wasn’t able to charge what he was worth. Maybe that’s something you struggle with yourself?

If you’ve ever thought:

I’m not experienced enough to raise my prices
I can’t charge more than my mentor or trainer
Some people really don’t have the money
The economy has been hard on my industry

…then it is high time for you overcome your resistance and get clear on your Juicy Benefits.

Tell people specifically how you will make big changes in their life for the better. Find a way to communicate your true value with such conviction that all of your Ideal Clients respond with a great big, “OMG, you’re the one for me!”

Of course, it’s not easy to give up your resistance and determine your Juicy Benefits alone. If you need more help, check out my free 75-min training audio, “3 Steps to a Money-Making Connection With Your Ideal Clients,” available on my website, www.LisaCherney.com.

Who are you talking to?

Go2Girls — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:54:14 +0000

One of the most impactful lessons we teach at 6-Figure University is how to clarify your marketing message. That way you easily attract tons of Ideal Clients who can’t wait to invest themselves in you. But, before that can happen, you first need to figure out exactly who your Ideal Client is. Think about it:

How can you find the perfect words to connect with someone if you don’t know who you’re talking to?

Watching our students, I see a lot of brilliant entrepreneurs really struggle with getting specific on one Ideal Client. The problem usually stems from the fact that most businesses have diverse aspects that could appeal to different types of people, so it makes it tough to choose just one group.

What happens though is that business owners who don’t identify one specific Ideal Client end up marketing randomly to everyone and getting the attention of almost no one. Sound familiar? This is what I call “Multiple Ideal Client Personality Disorder,” and I’ve seen it undermine way too many entrepreneurs who should be thriving.

The good news is MICPD is 100% curable. Once it is diagnosed, you can start to do the necessary work to narrow your focus and expand your business.

If you believe you suffer from MICPD, here are a few tips to start the healing:

Make a list of all the different ways you work with people. Include your products, services, 1:1 work, retreats and any other programs you provide.
Then, make another list. This time write down the varied groups of people you want to help (kids, moms, execs, dentists, etc.)
Identify where they intersect.

Creating these lists is a great way to honor all the ways you want to help and get a good look at exactly who you want to serve. Where they intersect will give you a snap shot at all the groups to choose from so you can go deeper with the next step of identifying your Ideal Client in a focused manner. For many, this is the hardest step.

Of course, there’s a lot more to curing MICPD than these 3 tips, but this will definitely get you started in the right direction. Like my friend and colleague, Tad Hargrave from Marketing for Hippies always says, “Every 1 hour you spend getting clear will save you 10 hours of struggle down the road.” Take the time to do the work.

If you ever want any hand holding, support from a group or a private guide to take you the rest of the way, learn more about working with me at http://lisacherney.com/contact/

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as John Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.LisaCherney.com or call 42-I-AM-JUICE (424-265-8423)

It’s Not You, It’s Them

Lisa Cherney — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:29:42 +0000

How many times have you read on someone’s website, “Work less hours and make more money?” What about, “Get out of overwhelm?” I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of seeing the same tired phrases over and over. They certainly wouldn’t get my attention if I were shopping around online. In fact, I might even skip over a website because of it.

As an entrepreneur, it is so important for your marketing to be uniquely you so you can stand out from the crowd. The best way for you to communicate that to potential clients is through your Juicy Benefits. That’s the unique impact your products or services have on your Ideal Clients.

The fact is, no matter what service you provide, there are millions of competitors out there that “appear” to be doing what you do. Recently I did a Google search for some of the different industries that my clients work in to see how many hits I got. Check out some of the results:

Energy Healer: 2,390,000
Marketing Mentor: 4,960,000
Business Consultant: 264,000,000
Life Coach: 520,000,000

Astounding, right? That’s why it is up to you to change your marketing message so that your potential clients don’t compare apples to apples. Every life coach, for instance, provides the same general type of products and services as all other life coaches. But, once you’re able to discover what makes your life coaching unique and translate it into your marketing, your competition disappears.

Rather than focus your marketing on the product or service you give, focus on the end benefits that your clients get. Here are some questions to ask yourself to start identifying your Juicy Benefits:

How does your client’s life change after using your product?
What is the outcome of working with you?
How will your client be different after experiencing your product or service?

Effective marketing is not about you. It’s about your clients.

You are not going to attract clients by focusing on things like your title, what certifications you’ve received or the products you sell. You’re going to attract them by explaining what benefits they’re going to experience – beyond receiving a 2-CDs and 75-page workbook . Here’s an example:

After working with me, clients will:

Have less stress
Make more money
Work efficiently

These are all great benefits, but they’re still pretty bland and generic. Now, here’s how to make them stand out. Think about each of your benefits and what they would mean to your clients. For instance, what’s the benefit of having less stress or making more money? How will your client’s life change when they’re able to be more efficient at work?

Use your answers to make your benefits Juicy:

Have less stress. Be a better parent!
Make more money. Never have to say, “I can’t afford it,” ever again!
Work efficiently. Have time for planning ahead and fun!

Repeat the editing process until your benefits are so Juicy that they jump out at your Ideal Clients and scream, “I am EXACTLY what you’re looking for!”

If you are having trouble, that is very normal. We are so close to what we do that we often don’t see our greatness. On top of that, most of you are marketing yourself in some way and that adds another layer of resistance to allowing the words to come though.

Give it a try for yourself and if you decide you need help, visit www.LisaCherney.com and check out the free resources.

For more tips to get clear on your marketing, check out my See & Hear page at http://lisacherney.com/see-hear/.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as John Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.LisaCherney.com or call 42-I-AM-JUICE (424-265-8423)

And, if you’re really serious about working part-time hours while making 6-figures, you’ll want to check out her new event at www.6FiguresOnYourTerms.com.