Maybe what you do is so fantastic that you could help everyone. Whether it’s true or not, for a moment, let’s assume that it is.

Even if your product or service could help everyone, there’s some bad news.

Only certain people are willing to be helped by you. Many who have the problem you solve are not yet willing to admit that it’s really a problem. Of those who have acknowledged this problem, only a handful are disturbed enough for the problem to be a priority. And of the handful that are going to do something, only a select few are actively looking for you to help them.

They are your ideal clients.

They know they have the problem you solve. It’s painful enough for them to take action. And they are looking for you.

If they’re looking for you, they’re probably also prepared to pay you for the solutions to their problems.

Who are they? This is the part that most small business owners miss. They don’t clearly define who their ideal clients are.

List everything that you know about them. What types of professions are they in? What age group? Do they represent one gender or both? What are their priorities, values, and beliefs?

Next, determine where you are most likely to find them. Remember, they are actively looking for you. Where are they looking?

Finally, go to where they are looking and start talking about the problem and what their lives will be like when the problem is gone. Don’t lead the conversation talking about your products, services or credentials. Remember that if they’re looking for you they’re in a problem solving mode and that problem is consuming their attention. That’s what they want to talk about. So. . .

Explain their problem better than they can, THEN paint a vivid picture of how wonderful their life without the problem. Once they feel that you understand where they are and where they’re going, they will be very interested in your solution.

This will get you a lot more customers than trying to convince people who don’t even know they have a problem or who aren’t frustrated enough to do something about it.

“If your current endeavor is not the best you have ever done, stop and consider what it would take to make it so.” – Alan Cohen

My first thought was, “That’s a great way of evaluating what I’m doing.” And within just a few seconds I was ready to discard it into the waste bin of ‘great concepts that I’m too busy for’. That’s because it’s so BIG and it requires such a high level of personal integrity that it’s intimidating.

Well, I decided it’s time to get over small thoughts about who I am and what I’m capable of. I really do have something brewing that’s bigger and bolder than I’ve ever done. A select few people know about it so far and it scares the crap out of me to reveal it to the world, but I know that announcing it will do two really big things for me.

First, it will require me to hold myself accountable to myself at a higher level because avoiding looking like a fool motivates me more than than staying within the velvet lined confines of my shoe box sized comfort zone. Second, the cause is so noble and worthy that I know I’ll get a level of support that I can’t yet imagine.

Stay tuned in – it’s coming soon. Meanwhile, what can you do to make your current work or play your best ever?

On Friday 5/29 at the Lisa Nichols – No Matter What book event in Minneapolis, I made a request without being fully prepared for the next step and missed out on a great opportunity. It looked like I was ready when I arrived with my new Flip video camera and a plan to ask Lisa for an interview, but I wasn’t.

Before Lisa’s talk, Bill Harris of Centerpointe Research, told the story of starting his company at his kitchen table with borrowed recording equipment. Now he’s pulling in $1.5 million PER MONTH.

Bill was answering questions in the hallway after Lisa’s talk. I needed great new website material. I decided on the spot I would ask him for an interview about the lessons he’s learned in his journey From Invisible to In Demand.

With Flip in hand, I waited for my opening and I asked.

“Do you mean right now?” he asked. “Uh, yeah,” I said.

He started talking, so I turned the camera on, pressed the record button, and handed it to one of the other people gathered around Bill. My new helper pointed the camera our way and I was getting my interview, just like that.

Bill went into detail about making customer preferences much more important than what you like. He shared how Centerpointe uses the influence principle of RECIPROCITY by giving away great bonus materials to their customers. And I WAS GETTING IT ALL ON VIDEO.

That’s what I thought until my helper handed the Flip back to me with a blank screen. It shut off during the interview.

The problem was that I never really started recording and I didn’t realize it. Since the camera was unfamiliar, I was not aware there would have been a red light on the front while recording. The red light wasn’t on, but I didn’t even know to look for it.

No interview. Nothing new to post on my website.

I thanked Bill for his time and went to get Lisa Nichols to sign my copy of her book.

After this screw-up, did I have the courage to ask for the interview I really wanted to get that night? If you’ve seen my home page, you already know the answer. By the way, she was gracious enough to give that interview after signing books for 2 ½ hours. What a wonderful person!

Get ready for ‘YES’ in advance – you’ll be glad you did,
Jim

What do you do when you’re in a position of advantage? You know, one of those times when someone wants something you have more than you want what they have. It sounds like the perfect time to do business, right? This happened to me yesterday.

I received a phone message from a woman named Nancy Solomon. She stated that we had not yet met and she left a number for me to call. She didn’t give a reason and she didn’t sound like she was trying to sell me anything. I decided to call her back.

When she answered she told me about her book titled: “Impact! – What every woman needs to know to go from Invisible to Invincible ”. So what, I’m not a woman. Did I sound feminine on my voice recording?

Nancy contacted me because she is starting her marketing campaign for her book. I happen to be the owner of the url www.FromInvisibletoInvincible.com and she wanted it. Even though I haven’t used it, my initial reaction was, “It’s mine. I got it first. You’re out of luck lady.” Of course I didn’t tell her that, but I was thinking it.

I’m not proud of my first thoughts when we got off the phone. It went something like this, “Her book’s on Amazon and it’s being published by Wiley. I wonder how much she’ll pay for the url. After all, I did spend 5 minutes and $8.99 to buy it.”

Then I started thinking about just giving it to her and I got mad at myself for being “too nice”. How will I achieve my goals without maximizing every position of advantage I have?

I resolved this conflict by sitting quietly to get in touch with who I really am and what I strive to represent in the world. Within 10 minutes my decision was clear. This url was not for sale and I wasn’t going to trade it. She’s getting it for free, with no strings attached.

I am transferring it to Nancy because I love what she’s doing and I want to participate in her success. Be sure to check out www.FromInvisibletoInvincible.com soon to see what she’s up to. Also, check back here to find out what’s happening with From Invisible to In Demand , where 12 business and marketing experts share their most powerful tools, strategies, and mindsets with you.

You don’t have to take advantage just because you can,

Jim

P.S. – Even though this was a small decision in many ways, it’s already changed how I see myself. In the end – that might be all that really matters.

You’ve probably heard this hundreds of times – "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." This is true if you’re ‘doing the same thing’ in a static or unchanging environment. However, the last time I checked that’s no longer the world we live in. Old rules and old methods are becoming obsolete at breakneck speed. How different are your business’ operating conditions than they were just one short year ago? Are you doing enough to keep up with those changes? Many people are not.

It might be time to adopt a new definition of insanity – "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, in a changing environment, expecting the same results." By this yardstick, what are you doing that’s insane? Are you marketing in an insane manner, trying harder with the same old methods, with continuously deteriorating results? The world of marketing, especially for small businesses, has changed. Trying to ‘get your name out there’ isn’t an effective strategy any more. This blog is dedicated to sharing what is effective.

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