‘Success is not an accident; it’s something
we have to create on purpose.’
CARRIE GREEN
The reason I’m so passionate about helping women make more money is independence. Making money for yourself will change your life and start a ripple effect throughout your world.
Nobody is responsible for making money in your business except you. It sounds obvious, but to make more money, you have to ask for it. You need something for people to buy and an easy way for them to give you money. But I’ll admit that asking for money (especially in exchange for something that you love) is going to feel scary, and this is when your money blocks will probably have to be revisited.
Even if you feel you’ve cleared your money blocks, there are times when they (or entirely new ones) will come up. When people tell me they don’t have any money blocks, I often say, ‘Oh, you don’t? Then launch something in your business. You’ll see them soon enough!’ But don’t worry. Like everything in this book, this is about finding the path of least resistance and making it easy for your customers to buy from you. Don’t overcomplicate it. You don’t need everyone in the world to be your client – just some people!
‘People don’t buy for logical reasons.
They buy for emotional reasons.’
ZIG ZIGLAR
I’m with Zig on that one. Think of some of your biggest purchases – were they logical, or emotional? Heck, I’ve bought entire houses for emotional reasons (and once because I was nine months pregnant and nesting). And I bought an unrenovated 1974 VW Kombi van because it was pretty.
What if your business isn’t the ‘impulse purchase’ kind? What makes people buy things for their business or themselves when they don’t ‘need’ them? People are motivated by a very clear answer to the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ For your customers to see the value in what you do, your offer has to tap into specific universal desires. Otherwise, you’ll get frustrated when people keep saying no to you. It’s not you (or your product) that’s the problem: you just haven’t shown them the value.
I see way too much wishy-washy marketing because women feel uncomfortable tapping into these universal desires. I get it. I’ve prided myself on very chill, non-pushy marketing techniques over the years, but I can’t deny the power of knowing what customers want (and giving it to them). Even the words ‘marketing strategy’ might make you feel like there’s an ulterior motive, and asking for the sale might feel pushy. But when you tap into specific desires ethically, you’re just telling people exactly how you can help them. Give them what they want!
Many women feel it’s unethical or exploitative to ‘trigger’ other people with sales techniques. But there’s a difference between negative and positive triggering. I hate marketing that preys on people’s fears or desperation. Tapping into people’s desires is the opposite: it reminds them of their goals and gets them excited and optimistic about changing their lives. It’s important to use your power of persuasion for good. I see so many entrepreneurs get frustrated when a client doesn’t see the value of what they offer. But, unless you really believe in your results, you probably won’t believe people will pay for them either.
Think about what most people want in life; they want to:
Now, don’t freak out if your business doesn’t immediately fit into an obvious category in the list above: you don’t have to change your marketing completely. But you’ll see how, by tapping into some of these desires, you can help your clients justify working with you, and it will immeasurably improve your offer. Here’s my biggest tip:
You don’t have to be a financial advisor, accountant, or bookkeeper to help people make more money, and you don’t have to be richer than all of your clients to be able to tap into that desire. Does your business help people make or save money, even in an indirect way? You might not think so, but lots of different businesses can be tweaked to become more explicitly linked to money. See if you can answer this question:
‘I help people …………………………………………, so they can make more money.’
You never have to put this on your sales pages if you don’t want to, but if you can put any monetary figure on your results, you’ll feel much better charging money for what you do because you can see a direct return on your customers’ investment.
Here are a few examples:
You might feel adamant that your business is decidedly not about helping people make money. But does it save people time? Remember, ‘time is money,’ and for some customers, time is actually more valuable than money. How do you save people stress, time, or energy? Even if your business doesn’t feel connected to money, you can still use money language to express the value of what you do. For example, cost, spend, invest, and save: ‘I help you save time and energy, so you can spend more priceless time with your family.’
If your business is about the business of transformation, either in a wellness sense (health coach, weight loss), medical-based healing, or beauty, you can still use this language. Look at L’Oreal: they’ve used variations on ‘I’m worth it’ for years.
You get the idea, right? What’s the payoff for them working with you? What is it costing them not to work with you (in terms of time, energy, money, or peace of mind)?
Money language is powerful. It helps you and
your customers see the value in what you do.
What if you help people with their relationships – anything from dating advice, marriage counseling, and parenting advice to matchmaking and networking services.
You can use this money language in subtle ways, or you can be explicit about how you can help people in any of these areas. This is especially important if you want to charge premium prices: your clients need to see the value in working with you.
In your journal, or in a conversation with an entrepreneurial friend, answer these questions:
If I see people I like or read an article about them that resonates with me, I often look for the next step to take with them, like buying their book or scheduling a private consultation. But most of the time, I find that there is no next step. There’s no offer and no obvious way to give that person money, so I forget about it. Some entrepreneurs will do anything to avoid asking for the sale, including getting awkward at the very idea of money changing hands.
My best sales technique has been to say, ‘I have this thing that could help. Here’s how you can get this thing.’ For example, ‘I have a Money Bootcamp that could help you with your money blocks; here’s where you sign up.’ It’s chill, it’s straightforward, and it’s non-sleazy.
Tell people what to do. I often use the words ‘next step’ in my marketing. I freely give information, and then I say, ‘If you want to take this further, the next step is to sign up for my Money Bootcamp,’ and I point them to the website. Easy. It’s totally okay for you to make an offer, and it’s okay for people to say no. But some people want and need exactly what you have, right now. Stop hoarding your talents. Help them give you money!
Business mentor Fabienne Fredrickson calls this ‘sharing your brownies.’ Imagine yourself hosting an informal dinner party for friends and spending the whole evening talking about the delicious brownies you just made. After dinner, you head off to the kitchen to get them but never return. Or you come back empty-handed and never mention them again. This awkward behavior is precisely what happens when entrepreneurs chicken out of asking for the sale. They build up all this anticipation for what they can do, and then they ghost! They don’t follow through with the goods, and don’t share their brownies! It’s selfish.
Now, imagine that you do offer the brownies to your guests. Most people will love them. But, inevitably, there will be guests who are too full, on a diet, or just don’t like brownies. Would you be offended (maybe) or cry (doubtful)? Would you be so disappointed that you refuse ever to hold a dinner party again? Probably not. Why? It’s just brownies – some people like them, and some don’t.
Someone once asked me, ‘Denise, how do I buy your Money Bootcamp? Is there a special hidden password or something?’ I thought, What is she talking about? It’s right there on my website! But it wasn’t. It was hidden behind pages of digital breadcrumbs. I thought it was obvious, but it required detective work to find. I was actively hiding my brownies! All the marketing techniques in the world aren’t enough if you make your customers work to give you money. Make it an easy yes for them. Have an obvious ‘Work with me’ or ‘Hire me’ button on your website. At the bottom of every page, have a ‘next step’ call to action.
A comedian I follow has a plug for his book at the bottom of every single blog post. Eventually, I bought it because he kept reminding me! I see lots of entrepreneurs put out amazing content every week, but they don’t give concrete solutions as a follow-up. They write thoughtful, useful newsletters and always provide value. Yet they ask nothing in return. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Even toddlers know this. It’s okay to say, ‘Here’s some free info, and if you want to take this further, here’s how you can work with me.’ Or ‘Here’s how you do XYZ, but if you want to outsource it, I can do it for you! Book here.’ It honestly doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
Here are some examples:
If you have a solution, why not just give it to people who need it, and just assume that people who want your help are willing to pay you for it. To those who write back and say, ‘Oh, I was hoping you’d help me for free’ (and they will), you can simply say, ‘I can’t help with that. Good luck with your search,’ or just repeat the message, ‘That’s exactly what I do for my paying clients. Here’s the link again.’ If you have free or low-cost offerings, you could point people who are looking for free services to those.
You don’t have to work with people for free. Offering them a different solution is okay. (There’s advice on how to deal with persistent brain-pickers in Part III: Money.)
When in doubt about which products or services you should create first, offer your time. It can take months to write a book, create a course, or develop a product, but you can start making money right away through coaching, mentoring, consulting, training, or offering personal support.
When I started out as a life coach, all I had to sell was coaching sessions with me. I didn’t have any books, courses, or events for people to buy. It was basic: an hour with me cost $75. I didn’t even really specify what they’d get for that – I just promised an hour of ‘coaching.’ I didn’t have a sales page or testimonials – just a payment link at the end of every blog post that basically went like this: ‘Here’s how to make a dream board. If you need help setting and achieving your goals, book a coaching session with me here.’
In a world of carefully curated social media accounts, it’s easy to forget that some people have a business at all! I often see ‘empowering’ posts with no indication whatsoever of what the poster actually does. Don’t forget to tell people how you can help them. Making their day a bit brighter isn’t enough (if there’s nothing for them to buy, you’ve got a hobby, not a business). Remember this affirmation: I serve, I deserve.
It’s okay to give to your audience, and it’s okay to receive money in return. Making offers is just telling people how you can help them; it’s the next logical step. And people will thank you for it!
Go through your website, blog posts, and social media accounts (or get someone else to) and evaluate the following:
I go to a local nail salon that never turns away a potential customer. Even if they’re busy, they’ll put your feet in warm water and give you a magazine. At that point, you’re committed. Even if you sit there for 20 minutes, you feel like you’re a customer, so you’re not going to dry off your own feet and leave.
Contrast this to another salon I went to recently. I just needed a quick pedicure but they turned me away, even though the place was totally empty. They offered to fit me in, in three days’ time; but if they had asked me what I wanted, I could have been out of there in 10 minutes.
As a family, the same thing often happens to us at restaurants. With young kids, you eat early and quickly; you’re not lingering over dessert! But we get turned away all the time, even when the place is completely empty. We’ve since learned to say, ‘We promise we’ll be quick!’ Or they could hand us a take-out menu and some free breadsticks while we wait. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!
I’m a huge fan of any restaurant that gives free food while I’m waiting, because I get hangry. Giving waiting customers a few nuts, olives, or chips and salsa (my favorite) is equivalent to putting my feet in warm water and bringing me a magazine. It inspires commitment, generates loyalty, and costs very little. I’ve walked out of restaurants after being ignored for ages, but had I been given free food, I would have happily waited for service. This has huge applications for any business. Do you see the theme? Micro-commitments! When you have available clients, ask them to commit to you in very small ways.
This is exactly what I did with ‘mini-dates’ when I conducted my internet dating research. What’s the marketing equivalent of a mini-date? An offer to work with you. Most marketing gurus advocate giving a low-cost, low-commitment offer, like an e-book, a cheap course, or an inexpensive taster of your work, with the idea that this will be the ‘gateway drug’ to working with your further. You might have also heard this called a ‘tripwire.’ Basically, it’s a tasty little snack that people can enjoy while they decide if they want to continue working with you.
The mini-date might be a free consultation to see if there’s a fit on both sides – a casual ‘try before you buy.’ Your best customers are the ones who have already made a commitment to you, so give them the opportunity to buy more.
Don’t be afraid to upsell. For example, one of my most popular freebies is my Manifesting Formula Workshop – there’s no commitment other than providing an email address. At the end, I offer my Advanced Manifesting Course for $197, and if someone buys that, I casually suggest they join my Money Bootcamp; if they do that, I credit them for their Manifesting Course purchase. Not everyone takes me up on this offer, but enough people do to make it worthwhile. If you’re interested in the statistics, the normal 1 percent of people buy the Manifesting Course, but a whopping 20 percent of those people upgrade to the Money Bootcamp at $2,000. Trust me: it’s worth making the offer!
Get people to commit to you – even in small ways.
It’s obvious to say, but you don’t have a client until they’ve paid you some money.
When I was a teenager, I was a children’s performer at a summer fair. Every day, I noticed that the most popular food stall was the corncob-on-a-stick. When the queue got out of control, the owners of the business did the most genius thing: they walked the length of it and collected everyone’s money in advance. It was a pretty simple set-up: each corncob was $4, and you could pick any flavoring you wanted once you got to the counter. So, they collected the right amount of money and gave each person a ticket for pre-purchased corncobs. After a customer had paid, they were not going to leave that queue: they were committed.
I’ve had ‘discovery’ calls with potential suppliers who go round and round about their service until I finally say, ‘Okay, how can we work together? Tell me the options.’ I often have to sell myself to them! Then, even when they tell me the price, I have to say, ‘Okay, how do you want me to pay? Do you take credit cards?’ because they never ask! I’m very reluctant to get on the phone with anyone unless I’m interested in their service. Assume the same is true for your customers. Let them pay you money!
When I was offering coaching packages, I’d often give potential clients a free ‘taster’ session to see if there was a fit. At the end of the session, I’d pitch my services, and if a client was interested, I’d be ready to take a deposit over the phone to ‘secure their spot,’ otherwise they would inevitably chicken out or feel scared about taking action. Remember the corn stand? People who pay a deposit are committed.
Your fear of sales might come from watching movies like Wall Street or experiencing a pushy salesperson in real life. You might even have sat through an excruciating sales pitch and vowed never to be a sleazy salesperson ever. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. You’re just making people an offer to work with you – not asking for a kidney!
If you practice your closing technique, you’ll naturally find the best fit, won’t sound like a robot, and won’t forget to ask for the sale. With practice, you can be relaxed about asking for it without sounding vague or chickening out. Write your favorite closing technique on a Post-it and put it where you can see it while you’re on sales calls. Here are some examples:
Be prepared to get that money! Don’t make people wait for the invoice – have payment options ready to go (especially over the phone), and don’t chicken out of receiving that money, honey!
I love offering incentives for people to work with me, mainly because I know it works for me as a customer! I like an extra nudge to get off the fence, and if I get a sweet deal out of it, even better (especially if I was ready to buy anyway). For phone or webinar sales pitches, I often give a special price that’s only valid for 24 hours or, if I’m selling on stage, it’s for ‘today only.’ Your sales incentive could be a limited-time discount or an added bonus that’s valid only for the first few customers. (There are some extra tips on incentives in Part III: Money.)
Again, this doesn’t have to be pushy or salesy. There’s a way to do it that’s open, transparent, and kind. I openly tell customers that the reason I offer an incentive is that I know some people need a nudge to do something they want to anyway. And I remind them that, if they sign up later, they’ll just have to pay full price, so no big deal either way. I’m giving them an option and a choice to take it. I’ve seen this done in sleazy ways, like, ‘Run to the back of the room now and sign up or you’re a loser!’ but it’s all in the delivery. Make it a reward, rather than a penalty.
People won’t have an opportunity to
work with you unless you ask.
Let’s reframe ‘selling’ into ‘service.’ You’re not taking people’s money: you’re making a fair exchange. They’re investing in themselves, and you’re providing a valuable service in return.
The idea of hearing no might be terrifying to you, but you’re going to hear it a lot more than you’ll hear yes. Remember the 1 percent conversion rule. If you focus on the fact that 99 percent of people will say no, you might never get started, so you have to focus on the yesses. Sometimes no means a ‘not now.’ Sometimes what you’re offering isn’t a good fit for a prospective client (or you). Sometimes customers would genuinely work with you if they had the money. It’s tough when you know they need you, but their inability to afford you is honestly none of your business. Move on to the next person you can help.
You might even have had old clients stop working with you. It will happen, and you’ll want to grab their ankles as they walk away and scream: Why are you leaving meeeeeeee?’ But the best thing for you (and your dignity) is to let them go. It’s not personal. There are many reasons why someone says no (that have nothing to do with your talent), for example:
Either way, it’s none of your business. It’s okay for someone to say no, and there are plenty more fish in the sea. Not everyone has to be your client. Here’s the truth: if you can’t handle even the tiniest bit of rejection, you’re going to struggle in business. If you’re too scared to ask for the sale because people might say no (and they will), then you won’t have the opportunity to serve the people who want to work with you.
That’s not to say rejection is fun. I’m not like, ‘Bye, bitch!’ every time someone says no. I’ve never been rude back or said: ‘Well, you’re doomed to fail, then.’ I try to be gracious about it. It’s not personal and I just move on. Sometimes those ‘no’ clients are ready to work with you in the future, so don’t burn those bridges. Your business won’t be successful in a day. Your community won’t be built in a week. It’s going to take time, so show up and be consistent. Every no will get you closer to yes.
The original Chicken Soup for the Soul book was rejected 144 times; today, that series has sold more than 100 million books. The novel The Help received 60 rejections, but eventually it was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 100 weeks and was made into a movie that received more than 40 awards.1 Author Kathryn Stockett says ‘… letter number 61 was the one that accepted me. What if I had given up at 15? Or 40? Or even 60?’2
I’ve been rejected so many times on the path to a million-dollar business. But I don’t focus on that. Rejection is just inevitable, and I’m not willing to let it stand in the way of my dream life. Neither should you.
If you never ask, the answer is always no.
At some point during the sales process, you’ll realize that you can’t, don’t want to, or shouldn’t work with some potential clients. Maybe you’re seeing red flags about their temperament; perhaps they’re at the wrong stage of life and business for your expertise, or they see you as a silver-bullet solution to their problems. Pretty much every entrepreneur I know has taken clients when they should have known better, but you’ll learn that through trial and error (and it’s a rite of passage anyway!)
Some businesses even use rejection in their marketing, like the canned seafood brand John West. Their slogan ‘It’s what John West rejects that makes John West the best’ recently got changed to a simple ‘It’s a No from John West.’ Are you exclusive? Do people have to jump through hoops to work with you? Make that really clear in your marketing – not only to pre-screen clients but to get them excited about working with you.
I once asked my friend for a recommendation for an accountant, and before she gave me a name, she said, ‘He doesn’t work with everyone. He only works with people he really believes in.’ I was nervous and went into the introductory meeting trying to sell myself to him! Like, ‘Please sir, can I give you some money?’
You’ll start to realize who you can and can’t help, and it’s okay to say no. You’re not rejecting abundance from the universe – you’re being really smart and discerning. No amount of money is worth accepting for a situation you know is going to cause you stress. Over time, you’ll get better at pre-screening your potential clients, but some will slip through your net, so you have to be able to skillfully say no to them. How? Make it about you, not them, but saying:
The most gracious way I’ve handled it is to say, ‘Look, I’d gladly take your money, but from my experience with this particular situation, I know I’m not the best person to help you. It just won’t be a good use of your investment.’ Then I recommend a different solution – in the form of a book, resource, course, or another provider who’s a better fit.
Ignore your gut at your peril. I’ve had friends who ignored the signs because they needed the money and ended up in ligation with disgruntled clients, turned off other customers (in retreat or group coaching settings), or just ended up in a miserable experience all round. Listen to your gut!
You don’t have to work with everyone.
Have you ever had a client who was enthusiastic to work with you and then ghosted when you sent an invoice? Or worse, paid and then, days later, asked for a refund? Yeah, me too. It sucks, but you can avoid it with a few more micro-commitments post-purchase.
Your after-sales service is incredibly important. One of my pet peeves is when you buy something online and then hear nothing. You feel like the sale was the most important thing, and now you’re an actual paying client, you’re at the bottom of their priority list. Remember, getting the sale is half the battle – now you have to deliver the goods to ensure a happy customer!
Don’t make people guess or wonder what happens next. On your online thank-you pages, tell them what to do next in really simple language. I usually make a simple video, saying something like, ‘Thanks for your purchase. Here’s exactly what to do next.’ If you need people to fill in a form or schedule time with you, make it incredibly obvious. I’ve even seen screenshots of what the email the customer will get looks like, and a reminder to check their spam folder. Show your customer service email address, so they know how and where to get help.
Embrace the keyless life philosophy and set up autoresponders and automated receipts, so you don’t have to do any of this manually. Use an online scheduling system, so you don’t have to chase people down to find a mutually convenient time to talk. Make your life and theirs as easy as possible. Good follow-up helps clients avoid buyer’s remorse and makes them feel committed. Yes, they just gave you their money, but you want them to feel safe and secure about it, even after clicking the ‘Buy now’ button. You don’t want them to worry whether they’ve made the wrong decision. Trust me: that’s when you’ll get refund requests, even from people who literally just bought from you.
On my Money Bootcamp thank-you page, I have a little video of current members giving advice about how to get the most out of the course, and even about how nervous they were to join at first. This assures new members that they’ve made the right decision. I also provide the link to the member’s group right away. Joining a group and introducing themselves is a micro-commitment that’s a lot easier than diving straight into a course. We’ve done the research, and members who join the group are way less likely to ask for a refund, especially if they had tech problems getting in or their introductory email went into spam (things that make them think they made the wrong decision).
Another way to delight your clients and inspire loyalty is to add unexpected surprises after they buy. For example, you could send them some of your favorite resources or tools to help them – something they can access right away (like a metaphorical free chips and salsa) that will solidify their commitment to working with you.
Now, a huge mistake that entrepreneurs make is over-delivering in ways that cause stress, cost money, and lead to unnecessary waste. There’s nothing wrong with being generous to your clients, but do it appropriately, and don’t create extra work for yourself unless it’s in line with what you’re offering. For example, my web designer, Ellissa Jayne, sent me a cinema gift card when I signed with her and flowers when we wrapped up the new site. It wasn’t a cheap project – it was a significant investment in my website – and Ellissa treated me like a VIP. That’s appropriate.
Doing it for someone who has bought a cheap course or e-book? No: that’s not sustainable for your business. Instead of mailing presents to every single client, consider freebies that don’t cost you much, but are valuable to them. For example, my Money Bootcamp students get free access to many of my other courses and programs, which don’t ‘cost’ me anything and are completely automated to deliver. Keep physical gifts to a minimum and save the high-end items for your high-end clients.
Go through your after-sale process and evaluate:
Remember, marketing boils down to two things: share and make offers. Your marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated. Something is better than nothing, and you’ll be surprised by how much progress you can make, even if you half-ass it. Keep it simple, tweak as you go, but above all, take action!
Below, I’ve compiled all the marketing questions in this section into a simple marketing plan that you can customize, and I’ve also included my own marketing plan. (You can download both at Chillpreneur.com/Bonus.) You don’t have to answer every question. Choose the ones that will move your business forward, and take action. If you improve just one thing a month, it will make a huge difference in your business.
Remember, for a mass-market campaign, your results will be 1 to 2 percent. If you’re selling from the stage, it could be five to 15 percent, and if you’re selling over the phone, it could be 25 to 75 percent.
If you remember nothing else from Part IV of the book, remember this: Marketing is simply manifesting the clients you need to create a successful business!