In one corner of the hotel, a group of people came together.  It was a largish group and a bit on the noisy side.  There were the usual guys.  Some in untucked dress shirts and others in garish t-shirts.  There were little guys talking loud about this or that recent achievement, with a listener or two looking to escape.

They were drawn to this corner because of the handful of “big names” at the nucleus.  If this group had a banner it would read “The Wannabes.”

Far away on the other side of the large hotel was another informal gathering.  This one was smaller and quieter. If they had a banner it would read “The Becomings.”

The Wannabes are drawn to stories of sudden riches.  Of brilliant product launches.  Of overnight success.  Of flashy cars and volleyball on the beach.  On their banner would be a picture of the hare.

The Becomings tell stories of slow but steady.  Of real human beings overcoming life’s everyday obstacles to become someone.  On their banner we’d see a smiling, winking – and yes perspiring – tortoise.

The Wannabes look to their “big names” to know what to do.  Their guru shows his latest trick and they all go off to copy his performance.

The Wannabe looks for shortcuts.  The Becoming seeks mastery.

The Wannabe’s model is a plagiarist.  The Becoming’s model is an apprentice.

So the Becoming seeks out the best mentors he can find.  He works to understand principle, not just practice.  He then implements what he learns, assimilates and before long, he’s the master.

The Wannabe is driven by fear.  He’s scared, but he puts on a macho face.  He fools only himself, mostly.

The Becoming is driven by a deep knowing that he was put in this world to make an impact.

The Wannabe has a sharp eye for quick tricks.   Something he can just deploy and it’ll work.  Push-button simple.

The Becoming has a psychological aversion to mindless immitation.  The mere thought of it hurts his  pride. What’s it all worth if he doesn’t add his own soul and spirit to his work?

The Wannabe looks down on the Becoming.  ”You Becomings aren’t cool.  You’re not on the inside with the Big Names like I am.”  He still believes that flash equals cash and that money rubs off by  association.

The Becoming doesn’t care.  He looks at the Wannabes and knows that few will ever amount to anything.  And the few who do will probably follow the Angry Bird Arc – up with a glorious squack and down with a colorful crash.

The Wannabe friendship is built on expedience.

The Becoming friendship is built on mutual respect.  It’s a brotherhood of two fellows couragiously covering for each other in one of life’s many battles.

The Wannabe leader, the “Big Name,” holds a secret disdain for his followers.

The Becoming leader has a deep respect for his.  Often, he sees and cultivates a power in his apprentice that the apprentice didn’t know was there.

The Wannabe wants to be comfortable and taken care of.

The Becoming wants more and more responsibility.

The Wannabe wants to arrive already.

The Becoming wants to master the journey.

It’s five years on.  What stories are the members of each group telling today?

I’m proud that here in The Alchemist Entrepreneur’s Oasis we are a certified haven for Becomings.

We’re like a five-star restaurant with a plain facade and a simple sign.  Those in the know come by and come in.  The others walk by without a second glance.

—

If you liked this, your friends on Facebook and Twitter will like it too.  So will you pleasse share it with them?

And then please leave your thoughts below.

]]> http://dovgordon.net/the-wannabes-and-the-becomings-at-a-marketing-conference/feed/ 16 http://dovgordon.net/john-steinbeck-new-york-and-the-one-question-that-brings-clients/ http://dovgordon.net/john-steinbeck-new-york-and-the-one-question-that-brings-clients/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 07:57:46 +0000 Dov Gordon http://dovgordon.net/?p=1769 When John Steinbeck took his famous trip across the US he occasionally met someone who noticed his New York license plates. The dialogue, he reported in Travels with Charlie, usually went something like this:

Local man:  ”New York, huh.”

JS: “Yep.”

Local man: “I was there in nineteen thirty-eight– or was it thirty-nine? Alice, was it thirty-eight or thirty-nine we went to New York?”

Alice:  ”It was thirty-six. I remember because it was the year Alfred died.”

Local man: “Anyway, I hated it.  Wouldn’t live there if you paid me.”

Well, I love New York.  Manhattan, that is.  The energy.  The architecture and the buildings. The parks, large and small.  And yes, even the subways.  (Maybe because I don’t need to take them every day.)

As you may know, I just came back from a week + in New York during which I got to meet some clients, customers and subscribers for the first time.

I organized a handful of 1-1 and small group meetings at Barnes and Noble Union Square, my old favorite hideout, Starbucks, Nat Sherman and various cafes and restaurants.

Some of the wonderful people I got to meet included:

Brij Singh, a former global manager of technology for Pepsi, and his wife Jesse.

Charlie Green, co-author with David Maister of “The Trusted Advisor,” and his friend Mark Hurwich, a talented coach and consultant.

Pat Lefler, a former marine and now a pricing strategist whose manifesto is currently featured on ChangeThis.com

Ray Schmitz, founder of LeadPlace an interesting startup in the real estate industry.

Tom Dawson, a real estate agent operating in Manhattan rental market – an unusually tricky market, as I learned.

Eugene Farber, a content marketing expert and recent arrival to NY from… somwhere else.

Matthew Stillman, a fascinating guy.  Every Friday he sets up a card table and two chairs in Union Square with a sign that says “Creative Approaches to What You Have Been Thinking About – Pay What You Like or Take What You Need.”  As you can imagine, he’s got lots of good stories.

Bill Silverman, a talented business coach from New Jersey.

Will Schatz, who’s running his family’s 50 year old real estate business over in Westchester..

Joe Carvelli from Retail Ingenuity, who helps retailers earn more with less inventory.

Eugene Nayvelt, smart and ambitious, from the GiveMeService small business network in New Jersey.

Tom Zeeb, who teaches people how to replace their income with real estate investing.  Tom and I met after more than a year of working over Skype. We each expected the other to be taller.

From the many conversations, I noticed again and again that there’s one question you must answer – or you’ll never have a simple marketing system that brings you a consistent flow of great clients.

Those who had the answer clear, were doing better.  The others, more of a struggle.  Because this question is so fundamental, that it influences and guides everything else you do.

If your answer is clear, your tactical steps will draw your ideal clients towards you.  If murky, you’ll be stuck, frustrated and going in circles.

What is that question?  It’s this:

What problem do you help solve?

A deceptively simple question.  Easy to ask, hard to answer.

In my two main coaching programs “12 Weeks to A Consistent Flow of Clients” and the “Plenty of Customers” group program, we spend a lot of time to answer this question – and a few others – very clearly.

If you already have some clients, but you know you should be doing much better; you know you should be able to add $100,000 or more to your income in the coming 12 months, then apply now for one of the free “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy sessions I’ll be giving away this month.

Apply here:  http://dovgordon.net/freesession

Looking forward,

Dov

I know that’s not what you hear from many, but here at the Alchemist Entrepreneur we’ve learned that the herd is usually wrong. And every now and then they run themselves off a cliff.

Also, we’re practical. And big goals don’t work. Even when clothed in charming corpora-babble and called a BHAG – big goals keep you where you are.

For years I followed the classic advice and set big goals. And it was during those same years that I found myself spinning my wheels. And whenever someone shares their really big goal with enthusiasm and faith – I know the wine in their cask has some maturation to go through.

What does help you move fast in the direction you want is a little secret prescription called “Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed.”

Sounds sinister, I know. But that’s because most people assume that greed is evil.

But is it?

The ancient Jewish sages observed that “He who has 100 wants 200.”

That’s brilliant because in one simple statement they’ve described the reality of human nature and also prescribed a process for growth.

They didn’t say “He who has 100 wants 1,000,000.”   That would simply be stating the obvious: People want more.

They also didn’t say “He who has 100 wants 110.” That would have lacked the powerful prescription I’m about to spell out for you.

We humans are wired to want more. To be more. To create more. Wanting more is neither good nor bad. It is what you make of it.

Who doesn’t want to win the lottery? Instant riches. The ability to do what you want. When you want. With people you love and care about.

We imagine that more is always better. But the statistics of lottery winners and those who inherit sudden wealth are pretty grim.

More money is only better when anchored to more maturity.

Why big goals don’t work.

Big goals don’t work because you don’t really believe you can achieve them. And so our Tragic Hero says “I’m going to earn a million dollars this year.”  But it is so far out, that he doesn’t have a clue how to make it happen.

A goal without a simple, clear-cut plan, a process, for its achievement is a mere fantasy.

And “fantasy goals” take a very tangible toll.

Since he doesn’t really know what to do, and lacks the true belief that he can achieve it, he’s afraid to act. This non-action (busyness is not action) erodes his self confidence. Which further increases his fear. So he doesn’t invest in himself and in his ideas. He says “When I get results, then I’ll invest.” But the way of the world is “When you sow, you’ll have something to reap.”

Without the guidance of a mentor and without the requisite tools, nor a clear plan for how to get to the 1,000,000, our Tragic Hero stays stuck.

He starts with 100. And he remains with 100. Such is the fate of “He who has 100 and wants 1,000,000.”

The secret prescription for Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed:

Now let’s look at our Triumphant Hero – the person who has 100. And all he wants is 200.

He honestly knows it’s attainable. He also may not know exactly how. But he knows that if he commits to it fully, eventually, he’ll figure it out.

He’ll seek out and hire mentor. He’ll invest in training. He’ll make sure he has the tools – the ingredients to bake a 200 cake.

Sure, he is afraid. But fear is part of growth. And it’s a different fear. He acts in the face of this fear. He builds a real plan. And every step he implements builds his confidence.

Pretty soon he’s at 200. He’s grown. He’s more mature, too.

And here’s the magic – now he wants 400!

Our Triumphant Hero repeats the process. And before long, he’s at 1,000,000.

And that’s the Secret Prescription for Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed.

Be careful who you share this with. Most won’t understand. They’re looking for something flashy and this sure ain’t flashy.

But if you ‘got’ what I’m sharing, hold it tight and live it. And as you ascend from 200 to 400, and from 1600 to 3600, you’ll attract other Triumphant Heros who are earlier in their journey. And they’ll be grateful for your wisdom.

—-

So, what do you think?  Please share below.

Ever feel that way after a week? A month?

Ain’t a good feeling. I used to feel it all the time.

Comment below and tell me if you disagree, but it seems to me that for small business folks, the single biggest time waster is… all the little decisions you need to make each and every day.

Should I go to that networking event? What should it say on my business cards? Do I need a new website? Is it important for me to be active on Facebook? Where should I invest in my personal development? Is this prospect worth my time? Should I place this ad? Oh, I need to make that call. I’ll make it as soon as I answer this email…

Flit from one thing to the next, and pretty soon the day, week and then the month is gone. And you feel that ache because you’re working hard, but it’s not adding up.

And you know what’s worse? When you treat that ache with a time management rub-down. That’s like madly pressing reset, when the darn thing ain’t plugged in. Time management only helps if you’re priorities are clear. If you’re flitting, you’re priorities are confused.

If this is your problem, the only real answer is your very own marketing and selling system. A process you build that brings you a consistent, predictable flow of new clients.

I don’t know if you ever thought about it, but consider this: As you build a system, you’re deciding what your priorities will be. And since your system is something you’ll be doing again and again, you make that decision ONCE and it serves you for YEARS.

The best part about this is that you no longer feel dragooned by the marketing plumbers and colorful but hollow method-specific experts, all telling you to do something else.  Because you’re own system will be proving them wrong every day.

It’s nice to be one of the knowing.  You roll your eyes – and get back to what actually works.  Sadly, you can’t convince the marketing plumbers and their rabid fans.  You can only serve as an example, and those who’ve been seeking will soon come to learn what you’ve learned.

But I digress…

And so, let’s face it.  If you’re working hard and it’s not adding up, then:

you owe it to yourself to take get a copy of

“How to Systematically and Consistently Attract First-Rate Customers.”

Today – and through Thursday, April 19th, you can save $50 when you purchase the Platinum option and use this coupon code: AprilSave50

I’m so confident that this Manual will open your eyes and bring you clients like nothing you’ve seen before, that if you buy it and do the exercises, and you’re disappointed, I’ll not only refund your money – I’ll add an extra $100.   Read the details here.

Plus – when you order today, email me and request the following two additional bonuses:

Get your copy of Platinum version and I’ll send you the following two recordings – free:

Bonus # 1: ”How to Elegantly Control Your Next Sales Conversation”

This was a teleseminar I did near the end of 2011. You can’t buy it.  But you get it free when you get a copy of the Manual.  But only today and through April 19th.

Bonus # 2: Advanced Training on the sales conversation. This is a recording of a private coaching session I did with a 1-1 client. It turned out to be an advanced training on the sales conversation. And my client gave me permission to share it with my other clients and customers.

Order now and I’ll send you these two recordings as well. In addition to everything you’ll read about here on the sales page.

This bonus package expires with the coupon code on April 19th, 2012.

Not 1 in 100 understand what I just said. So pay close attention to this story:

A $20,000,000 manufacturing company needed a new strategy. They coughed up many tens of thousands of dollars to an international consulting firm and waited.

The Consultants rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They interviewed suppliers, employees and customers. They watched. Asked questions. And scribbled notes.

After three months, the big day had arrived. Time to deliver their “strategy.” And this they did, in the form of a 52 page book.

The CEO looked at it and shook his head. “We can’t use this,” he concluded. “All they did was take all the ideas we already had and put them in a book!”

(It’s almost certainly the corporate consultants – not the street-smart solo guys – who are responsible for that famous joke about a consultant taking your watch to tell you the time.)

The “strategy” was a collection of good ideas. Things they could do. But listen carefully. The company didn’t need any more good ideas. They needed help choosing a very few of good ideas to implement!

It worked out OK in the end. The CEO found me and for tens of thousands more, I walked them through a process that actually helped them make a decision.

Notice the difference: I walked them through a PROCESS that helped them make a few important DECISIONS. They then knew exactly what to DO without being distracted by second guessing and shiny objects.

And all this was etched out in just seven pages.

Yes, a simple seven page process was far more valuable than 52 pages of good ideas.

If you’re good at what you do, but struggle to create a consistent flow of clients, then I bet your problem is the same.

Too many good ideas, no simple process.

It’s all them marketing plumbers out there waving their favorite shiny object at you. Each uses up more of your time and takes you in another direction. And many are actually good ideas.

BUT too many good ideas keep you going in circles. You don’t need more good ideas. You need a process. A process that helps you decide what few things you really should be doing.  So you can get to work and do them well.

Now, if you really ‘get’ what I’m saying here, that’s excellent.

But if you’re even a little unclear, go listen (or relisten) to my most popular free teleseminar: “The 5 Steps to A Consistent Flow of Clients.”

You can get it here for free.

After you’ve listened you’ll understand what a marketing process really is. And how to start building yours.

After you’ve listened, post a comment below and tell me what you think.

Dov Gordon

From April 24th – May 1st I’ll be in New York City and if you’re close enough to come into Brooklyn or Manhattan, let me know.

I’ll be setting aside a few block of hours for meeting with colleagues, clients and subscribers. Maybe at a Starbucks. Or my old favorite hideaway – Barnes & Noble at Union Square. Maybe somewhere else.

Depending on what kind of response I get, we can meet 1-1 or in small groups. Oh, and there’s no charge. I appreciate   that you read my emails. And I want to get to know you better.

So, if you’re in the NYC area, or you can be, go here and tell me who you are and how to reach you.    And I’ll get back to you shortly.

Looking forward,
Dov Gordon

The first who we’ll call “Sue” recently emailed me saying “As anticipated, not only have I not completed the exercises in your Manual, but also I have not managed to find time to go into the Oasis Forums at all…”

From previous conversations, I know she’s busy with admin, inventory, bookkeeping and shot-in-the-dark marketing tactics.  Too busy to make ten minutes to look around the Oasis and learn from the great discussions there.  Too busy to make ten minutes to write some quick answers to the first exercise the The Manual.

The second woman is Rifka Lebowitz, a financial planner.  A year ago she bought “How to Systematically…” and made time to read it, do the exercises and post her work to the Oasis Forums for feedback and help.  She joined the live bonus Q&A calls I do for Oasis members.  And then she had a baby and disappeared.  From time to time I wondered what ever happened to her.

Last week I saw her at the bank.

“I really need to thank you,” she said.  ”Because of your Manual, my business has completely turned around.”

“Really?  Tell me more!”

“I implemented some – not everything in  your book.  And I would have done better if I had implemented everything.  But even the few things I did implement made a huge difference.  And my business has really taken off to a point where I am where I want to be!

“In the Oasis you said to me ‘Well, if you help people with money, why don’t you help businesses?’  And I said ‘I don’t know…’  I didn’t think I wanted to.  But then I decided to go with businesses.  And as soon as I made the decision, a few of them literally fell in my lap.  But I had done all the work from the Manual focused around businesses…”

“My conversion rate of prospects to clients is much higher than it was because of what I learned about how to lead the sales conversation.  And the business clients can afford to pay me what I want to be paid.”

“As a mother, I’m working very part time, not even half time, and it’s going really, really well.”

*

“Sue,” on the other hand, is waiting for clients to fall into her lap.  Then she expects to have time to do the work.  Rifka made a few minutes to do the work, and now she has clients “falling into her lap.”

What about you?

Look around.  There are millions and millions of people who are essentially saying “I’m too busy.  When my clients come, then I’ll have time to build a marketing and selling system.”  Laughable.

But then there are a few who really want the Lifestyle of Options, as Tom Zeeb calls it.  Rifka is one of them.  People like her jump at the opportunity to get the help they need to build their consistent flow of clients.  And then the clients “fall into their laps.”

If you’re like Rifka – and willing to put in a bit of work to get what you want – go today and get your copy of “How to Systematically and Consistently Attract First-Rate Customers.”

Use this coupon code to take $50 off.  Expires April 19th, 2012.   Code:   AprilSave50

Special Bonus if you order today: 

Get your copy of Platinum version and I’ll send you the following two recordings – free:

Bonus # 1:  ”How to Elegantly Control Your Next Sales Conversation”  

This was a teleseminar I did near the end of 2011.  You can’t buy it.  But you get it free when you get a copy of  the Manual.  It’s material that I share in this seminar that helped Rifka enroll more of her prospects as clients.

Bonus # 2:  Advanced Training on the sales conversation.  This is a recording of a private coaching session I did with a 1-1 client.  It turned out to be an advanced training on the sales conversation.  And my client gave me permission to share it with my other clients and customers.

Order now and I’ll send you these two recordings as well.  In addition to everything you’ll read about on the sales page.

Here’s an overview of what you’ll get.  Click to read and order.

Two reasons that I can see:

1. Fear that you’ll pick the wrong niche and lose out on clients you could have had.
2. Marketing experts make the process of picking a niche waaaaay more complicated than it actually is.  So even if you’re ready to do it, you probably got stuck.

The first thing all my new coaching clients do is read through my home study course called “How to Systematically and Consistently Attract First-Rate Customers.”  Here, we simply call it “The Manual.”

Will Schatz, a new client, read through the Manual a few days ago.  When we had our first coaching call yesterday, he shared some of what he likes about The Manual and why it’s so different from the other marketing programs out there.

I record coaching calls and Will generously allowed me to share excerpts from our conversation as we talked about overcoming both of these problems.

2 min 37 seconds

Are you stuck when it comes to choosing a niche?  Until you’re focused on a niche, nothing else you do will add up.  You’ll continue to waste and scatter your energy and money instead of focus like a laser.

Around here we strike at the root, while everyone hacks at the leaves.  You can spend $1,000 – $2,000 on a fancy shmancy home study course and still not get what you need to make a decision.  Why?  Because most programs are a collection of good ideas.  They’re filled with fluff to give you the feeling that you’re getting a lot.  But at the end of the day, what’s more valuable  for the discerning entrepreneur – hundreds of pages, audios and DVDs that leave you still unable to make the most basic marketing decision – or a program that simplifies it for you and helps you cross that bridge fast?

If you’re ready to finally get real help with this and then build a consistent flow of clients, go get your copy of “How to Systematically and Consistently Attract First-Rate Customers right now.

Through April 19th, save $50 on the Platinum version

by using this coupon code during checkout:  AprilSave50

Choose the Platinum option on that page and you’ll get my help – free – via my private Oasis Forums.  Simply answer questions from the Manual and post them in the Oasis Forums and I’ll give you feedback.

You’ll no longer fear picking a niche because (1) you’ll finally see how simple it really is and (2) you’ll see how doing so is part of an integrated system.  And when you see how to build that system, you’ll no longer worry about missing out on clients who fall outside your niche.

There’s a 5-Part guarantee.  Go have a look because you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.  If you like my way of teaching, and if you know you should be attracting more clients, this program will be a life changer.

Dov Gordon

That’s what happened to “Matt” in 2008 when his business was hit hard by the financial meltdown.

Ouch.

So Matt resolved to never be caught unprepared again. Security was important to him and being too dependent on any one business just wasn’t very secure. Or so he concluded…

While rebuilding the first business, he entered a second, unrelated business.

All would be fine, except that from the two businesses Matt is currently in, he’s earning less than half of what he earned pre-2008.

And it’s taking him 12 – 14 hours a day to do it!

“Why did you go into business # 2?” I asked.

“Because I don’t ever want to have all my eggs in one basket again,” he said.

In Business # 2, Matt offers two services. One he loves and the other he hates. The one he loves, is a small part of the business. The one he hates takes up most of his time and energy. And has him working with clients he doesn’t really want.

“Why don’t you get more of the clients you love and drop the service you don’t really want to offer?” I asked.

“Because I don’t know if there are more of them out there. And if they are, I don’t know how to find them.”

And so Matt finds himself overworked, stressed and frustrated. He knows he’s capable of much more. He’s stuck.

“Matt,” I said, “Take this as the tough love I mean it to be, please. In 2008 you learned the wrong lesson. You came away believing that the way to have security is to have more than one business.

“But the truth is, before the crash, you were doing well because everyone was doing well. And when everything crashed, you were stuck because you hadn’t developed the most important of all business skills: The ability to attract your ideal clients in a consistent, predictable, systematic way.

“If you can’t build a consistent flow of clients in one business, you’re not going to be able to build it in two businesses. And that’s why today you’re working so hard – and have so little to show for it.”

Until you’ve built a consistent flow of customers for one product or service, you shouldn’t diversify to another. Why not? Because the process is the same, no matter your business. And if you don’t have the skill to do it here, you don’t have the skill to do it there.

Does this ring true? Share your experiences below.