I’ve come to know that there are three big blocks that most often come up when anyone is looking at using a professional’s service or getting ready to buy a product.

1. Money.

2. Time.

3. Timing.

This is also with the understanding that everything else between the two of you is what I call an energetic match: They have a need and you can serve that need. They feel connected to you. You have established trust. And you both feel excited and the energy of possibilities is clearly in the air between you.

But then one of the major blocks pops up.

What now? How can you help?

Let’s start with first understanding the energy behind the blocks. By doing this you are able to come from a place of empathy, rather than sympathy. As a service provider it is a disaster move for you to join them in their block. That might sound something like, “I know exactly what you mean Ms. Prospect there are a lot of things that I really want, but can’t have either. I hate it, too.” This is a HUGE disservice to them and also to you (in more ways than we can fully get into in this one article).

So what you are really looking at here is fear (of the unknown, success, change, doing something positive for themselves… the fear takes different forms for different folks, but fear is fear.) Even if they really don’t have the money, have absolutely no time and are in some way not ready or able, they are making excuses to mask the fear.

People make excuses because they can’t see the difference between an outer reality and an inner belief regarding that reality. Most folks have a hard time separating the two and make them the same.

It might sound something like this:

I’m not ready now = I’ll never really be ready.

I don’t have the time now = I can’t see how to make the time.

I don’t have the money now = I don’t believe I can generate the money.

Back in the summer of 1999 I was studying in Ashland, Oregon and one weekend we found this beautiful lake to swim in and saw that across the lake people were cliff-jumping. Now, this is something I use to do a lot when I was in high school. So I swam across, climbed to the top, got to the edge and froze. I could not jump off that cliff. Every time I looked over the edge I thought, “this is a fifteen foot cliff; what if I miss and slam into the rocks, I could break my leg, I could die, I could…”

And then, as I stood there, this boy, maybe he was eleven, came up next to me and asked, “are you going to jump?” And I started to come up with all these excuses, but sighed and just told him I was really scared. And what he said to me I’ve never forgotten:”

It’s air and water. Just jump.”

As I watched him sail over the edge and then bob up to the surface just seconds later, amazingly to me, I jumped. It was exhilarating! (And, obviously, I survived.)

And this, my friend, is exactly how a prospect feels when considering working with you. They see a financial investment, an obligation of time and a challenge they’re preparing to face – a cliff to be jumped off.

So the automatic-human-fear-reaction is to make an excuse.

And, again, the worst move you can make is to join them. “Yes, this cliff is really high. You’re right; it’s impossible to jump. I understand how hard it is, so let me call you back in a few months and see if you’re ready to jump then.”

I can tell you, they will never be ready. (I know if that’s what I’d heard, I would still be standing on that cliff or worse I would have turned around and gone back the way I came.)

Again, assuming your offer is right for them and they will truly benefit from working with you, then you are NOT serving their best interests if you “just let it slide.”

And telling yourself that you are is your own excuse.

The energy of commitment is very strong. Let your prospect know that when you make a commitment the Universe begins to line up for you. Things may start slower than planned, but when you truly commit, it happens. Let them know that, together, you will take care of their concerns (money, time, doubts etc.).

My sense is when YOU commit then you’ll hear, “Let’s do it!”

Can I tell you it will ALWAYS go this way 100% of the time, no, but what I can tell you is that if YOU make the commitment to take a stand for the truth about the difference your service will make for your clients (and don’t back down when they give you excuses), you will have a client who puts themselves completely in your process and together you will produce magnificent results. And the world will be better off because of it.

So Go Ahead. Take A Stand. You Can Do It.

Your Call To Action:

When clients are afraid to move forward, they will make excuses that will keep them from going where they need to grow.

As a professional, you need to call forth the magnificence of your client to support them in activating the change they want, not join them in their fear.

Take a stand for them.

Take a stand for you.

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Ready to take a stand for yourself and your business? If yes, join the EnergyRICH® Business Boot Camp. The focused, powerful group energy begins to make things magically happen very quickly AND you’re given lots of important, practical step-by-step “how to’s” at the same time to help you systematize your business for growth and more money. Be sure to secure your spot at http://www.energyrichbootcamp.com

The importance of a “target market,” is very true because we honestly can’t serve everyone. If you feel resistance (a.k.a. fear) beginning to bristle, perhaps because you believe you’ll lose business by not being willing to work with everyone, just pause for a moment and ask yourself, “Would I really want to work with everyone?” My guess is your answer would be no because everyone is not your energetic match. Just bring to mind for a moment someone you really can’t stand. Now, imagine your whole business filled with this person-every client/customer. Kind of shifts the whole “I want to work with everyone” perspective, right?

Understanding who your energetic match is the secret to magnetizing your target market. This is what we’re going to do together today, my friend.

First, let’s look at why, if you recognize that having a target market is important, do you resist it? Well, after having coached with tons of entrepreneurs around this, I’ve come up with what’s missing in most of the traditional “target market” talk:

It only addresses the outer. (And this doesn’t get us excited, but rather has us feeling limited.)

When asked to define your target market, you may have been asked in the past to get clear about your target market’s:

-Age,

-Gender,

-Marital Status,

-Occupation,

-Problem they need solved…

Let’s pause for a second…does this really guarantee to help us get narrow and specific so our message stands out to what they need? Well, not necessarily. I bet we could get a room full of: 35 years old single female nurses…and they aren’t all going to have the same problem.

So what we’re really interested in is the situation your target market needs solved and we make YOU the situation solver. Then we tap into the energy that is the essence of attraction between you and whom you WANT to work with.

It’s this “inner part” that moves you into the excitement of creating your “Ideal Client” rather than just “Target Market.”

You can begin to better understand who your ideal client is by asking yourself: What are the qualities of my ideal client? What jazzes my ideal client? What does my ideal client expect from me?

Really, just let the answers to these questions flow and FEEL what would have you excited about working with this person. Answering these questions connects you to a situation or type of person with whom you are a natural energetic match. This way, you’re drawn together like magnets and your ideal client recognizes right away that working with you is a must. They just feel it.

Golden Nugget: Your ideal client is usually someone like you who shares your journey. However, they’re in a different, earlier phase of the journey. To understand this truly is gold: when your ideal client is looking to hire you, they’re looking for a solution to their situation or problem. They recognize you’ve been where they are and have successfully made the change. This ignites belief that they can do it too. It’s a reassurance they’re investing their time, energy, and money in the right person and process. It’s easy for you to talk to them because it’s kind of like talking to an earlier version of yourself, yes? Just think about what you would’ve wanted to hear.

So when you get clear about who your ideal client is, and can effectively share the experience of your journey (whether in person or in your marketing materials), in a way that ignites the energetic match that the two of you naturally are, then you’ve just accelerated the whole process of bringing on new clients. (This is the whole point of having a target market in the first place).

Call To Action:

Focus on the qualities of your ideal client: what jazzes them (hint: it will jazz you, too!) and what they expect from you. This sets you up to be an energetic match.

Get clear about your journey: What did it take for you to get where you are? Be willing to share it. You’ll be setting up an automatic path of connection and understanding. You’ll be confident in your work because you both recognize you’ve done it and now it’s their turn to do it, too.

Give yourself permission to work with your ideal client: Nothing good comes from working with non-ideal people out of fear. You deserve to be jazzed in your business-it’s the magic water for continuous business (and income!) growth.

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Ready to learn more techniques to magnetize your client and really boost your business growth? You can! Join the EnergyRICH® Business Boot Camp! Be sure to secure your spot at http://www.energyrichbootcamp.com (Please Know: this is the last time the EnergyRICH® Business Boot Camp will be offered this year and for sure never again at this rate.)

Deciding which small business to invest in is only part of the equation.  The first and most important step is finding a business that’s right for your personality, which has a direct effect on your entrepreneur style and how successful you will be with your business.

Determining your entrepreneur style requires that you take
an honest look at your business skills and motives for
starting your business.  For example, if you don’t like
social settings and aren’t comfortable speaking with
people, it’s not a good idea to invest in a company that
requires constant face to face interaction with the buyer.
Some companies to consider starting if you fall in this
category may be housekeeping, commercial window washing,
lawn care and even janitorial services.

If, on the other hand, you enjoy networking and speaking to
others, direct sales (business to business or business to
consumer) services may be best suited for you.  In addition
to your personality and entrepreneur style, there are
several other areas to consider before starting your own
business.

Ease of Entry – Industries and businesses vary in respect
to the ease with which new competitors can enter.  Some
barriers of entry to consider would be over-saturation of
businesses already offering the product you are looking to
offer.  Another main barrier to entry is cost.  Will you
have to save up or take out a serious loan before you know
what type of profit to expect?  What about cost of
education or licenses?  These are all serious questions to
consider.  That’s why some of the best small businesses
don’t require much capital or experience and there is still
ample growth in the industry for you and several other
business owners.  However, just because a good business
doesn’t require much capital or experience to start doesn’t
mean you will not have to eventually devote some time and
capital developing your knowledge and experience in the
field.  To continue to grow and provide the best service,
you will need to invest some of your profits back into the
business and yourself.

Start-up Capital – Many small businesses call for thousands
of dollars to get started.  Many of us want a business to
free up our time and bring in the necessary income to
support our families.  Businesses that require massive
capital take much longer for the business owner to realize
a return on income.  They also require much more devotion
of time away from family and other leisure activities.
There are several small business owners with franchised
restaurants and other business that did require a lot of
capital that are now nicely reaping the benefits of all the
hard work they put into it.  However, many will also tell
you that it came at a great price time with family,
friends and sacrifice of self-development.  What’s strange
is these are the exact reasons why individuals start their
own businesses.

Before starting your own business make sure to develop a
well thought out business plan that outlines what you
expect to gain from this business and what resources,
including time, money, etc. you plan to use or will need to
really make your business profitable and bring to you the
free time and other benefits you desire.

Ability to Make Money when not Present – In order for you
to own your business and it not own you, you must find a
way to make sure that your actions can be replicated.
Whether it’s an insurance agency, a flower shop or network
marketing company, it’s very important that you be able to
leave that business for a day or even a month and know that
it’ll still run smoothly and make money for you.

To do this, it’s imperative to have a system in place that
allows your business to continue without your presence.
You can do this by hiring employees and developing that
will enable your workers to become copy cats of what you do
and bring to the business in regards to service and
profits.  All employees, through the resources they
provide, should in some way bring value and profits to your
business.  If they do not, you should either train them or
terminate their position.

One important thing to consider in order to encourage your
employees to bring profit to the business would be to
reward them with incentives for certain behaviors, like
great customer service or specific sales results. Determine
what type of incentives will motivate your employees and
what type of actions you would like reward.  Estimate,
track and compare the cost of incentives, as well as the
other expenses associated with hiring an employee, to the
profits gained by the business from the employee.

Another option is to consider looking into a business that
has a proven system for doing business and making money
without the expense of hiring employees.  In other words,
find a business you can replicate or copy that uses an
automated, electronic email or internet marketing campaign.
Remember though that even though you may save by not
hiring employees, you will more than likely have a higher
marketing expense than other small businesses.  If you’re
not sure about the cost of this type of campaign, do a
search on the internet to compare prices of companies that
offer this type of service.  If you chose this option, it’s
good to have at least three different types of automated
leads coming into your business.  For example, take note of
the monthly cost for postcard, survey or email marketing
campaigns.  This will give you an idea of what type of
expenses to expect if you choose this route.  No matter
what you decide, make sure you have plan that will enable
you to grow your business without tying you to the office
or computer all day.

Businesses that keep giving through “Residuals”! – The very
best businesses keep rewarding you with profits by either
providing you with return business or residuals.  Residual
income is profits that keep paying you over and over at
certain intervals as a result of the customer continuing to
use your service or product.  With many businesses, nothing
further is needed by you other than a great product.  The
business keeps renewing because the customers value the
product, need the product and can’t get better service,
prices, etc. through any other company.  Even though these
business and services are definitely out there, I encourage
you to always strive to provide superior service.  If
something in the market or industry changes, this ensures
that the majority of your customers will continue to stay
with your company not only because they value the product
but also because they greatly value the service.  With
other businesses it’s a given that you’ll need to
continually service your customers to keep the business and
keep getting paid residuals.  The key is in duplicating
your work habits by either hiring an employee or having
some type of system in place that provides service and
products through an automated service.

The Product – First and foremost, the product(s) being sold
have to be good stand-alone products.  This means that the
product could sell on its own because people actually need
and desire this type of product.  There are countless of
network marketing and direct sales companies that are built
only on the compensation plan or creating downlines, and
not on the product itself.  Run very fast from these types
of companies.  If the product or service is not valuable
enough to sell on its own, you’re going to have a very
difficult time building and growing that business.

Attitude - Finally, you have to be passionate about
whatever you’re selling or doing.  If you are, you’ll be
more eager to share your business and service with others.
You can not be successful if you do not have pride in what
you’re offering.  For this reason, choose a business which
provides a service or product that helps others or brings
joy in some way to their lives.  I would personally like to
thank all the pizza shops in Indianapolis.  They bring so
much joy to my life because nothing makes me happier than a
good slice of pizza.  Do you see where I’m going?  Your
idea or business doesn’t have to change the world but if
there are people out there that you know would get value
and joy out of whatever it is you’re offering, then that’s
a big step.

To really choose a business that will be profitable, take a
close look at what you’re getting into and what you may
have to sacrifice for the business.  Sometimes, the
business you always dreamed that would free up your time
and give you the life you always wanted, can actually rob
you of the things you value most.

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Anitra Myrick is a mother, mentor and business owner.  She
provides a mentorship program to help her customers and
small business owners with self-development and spiritual
enlightenment.  She owns an Insurance Agency and is a
Business Owner with AmeriPlan.  For more information about
Anitra and her businesses, please visit
http://www.deliveringonthepromise.com/myricksbenefits and
http://www.farmersagent.com/amyrick