Bill Baren Blog

I don’t about you, but I often wonder what happens to the results when someone asks me to take a survey.  I’ll let you in on what we did with ours.  Before I get to that, I want to thank you for taking the time to take our survey.

I know how valuable your  time is and I am thankful that you lent a few minutes of it to give us your opinions.
I thought it might be useful to you to actually see the survey results.  I found it interesting how many of you have similar concerns.

One of the things that struck me was the *variety* of business topics that you have questions about.
And certain topics clearly stood out as being important for you.  For example, our survey respondents had a strong interest in having a marketing plan for their business and having web sites that capture clients better. As for personal mastery, there was a clear desire to be more focused and practicing better time management.
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**If you have any observations about the survey results, please share in the comments below.**

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Question 1: It’s not enough to develop your business. Your own personal development (your “personal mastery”) is critical too. Which aspects of personal mastery would you be interested in working on? Which would have the most impact for you? [Please choose ALL that apply.]

I just read a statistic that less than 10% of all coaches earn six figures of income in a year.
I find this statistic frustrating!

I’ve talked to many struggling coaches who could be bringing their gifts and talents to a lot more people than they are now.

And I know the one main thing that stops them in business - they are using the wrong strategies to grow their practice. Conversely, successful coaches use the right strategies to make their business successful.

It’s that simple.

So I want to take a minute to share some of my top strategies that I’ve used over the years to fill my practice, create new programs, and go beyond six figures.

And if there was one specific strategy virtually any coach, consultant, speaker, etc. could use to quickly get new clients and generate new sales - even in this economy - would you want to know about it? Read on…

1. Invest into being a better businessperson, not just being a better coach

If you have gifts and talents - then it’s your moral obligation to use them to serve others. Building a successful business and practice is how you do this. The key thing is to work on your business, not just in your business (to paraphrase Michael Gerber).

2. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel yourself

It has always been strange to me that many coaches will invest thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into learning how to be a great coach from experts (a good strategy).

But then try to figure out how to create a successful business from scratch on their own (a very difficult and time-consuming way to go, as you may have noticed).

I want you to answer two simple questions:

(a) how much money and time have you invested into your coaching training?

(b) how much money and time have you invested into your business training?
(training = learning from an expert who has already been tremendously successful in their area of training)

The answer will be reflected in your bank account. (Yes, this is a tough love email.)

I’ve given up trying to figure it all out on my own. Instead, I make a point of learning what I don’t know from those who are a proven success.

For example, I’ve learned a lot about Internet Marketing from people like Eben Pagan, whom I shared with you in my last email. And now, I get all of my clients from the internet. I never do networking or other similar strategies that are taught to new coaches. Instead, I’m using more “advanced” business strategies I’ve learned from very successful coaches.

3. Get trained by others who have been successful

Every once in a while I receive an email from someone on my newsletter list complaining that I frequently “promote” the knowledge of other experts. “Bill, why are you always promoting somebody?”

Here’s what they are missing: most of the key strategies I’ve used to grow my business and to grow as a person, I’ve learned from someone else!

I’m not at all ashamed to admit it. To the contrary, it’s typical that successful business people give credit to other people for contributing to their success.

I’m going to get real here. I want to share with you the knowledge of people who have made a radical difference in my business and life. And if someone prefers to stay in their comfort zone, I would ask them to unsubscribe from my list. If you stay on my list, we’ll have fun, learn from each other, and so forth. But it’s not my intention to provide a comfort zone experience.

I don’t want to see entrepreneurs continue to struggle because they stick to using business strategies that don’t work!

4. Adopt proven business strategies that work better than what you are doing now

If your practice - or your bank account - isn’t where you want it to be, then your current business growth strategies need to shift. Makes sense, right?

Over the next several months, I’m going share “advanced” business strategies to take your practice to the next level. Some are mine, some are from other experts. By the way, I call them advanced not because they are difficult, but because 95% of coaches aren’t using them, mainly because they don’t know how to put these strategies into place successfully.

This month, I want to share to with you the strategy of *group coaching*. I’ve recruited Mary Allen (who many of you may know as “Life Coach Mary”) and Eva Gregory, who are experts on this topic. I’ve admired their work for a while and we first became “friends” on Facebook. Now I’m excited to be sharing their expertise with you.

On Tuesday June 2, I want to invite you to a special telecall with Mary and Eva as my guests.  We’re going to delve deep into the topic of earning more as a professional coach. Mary and Eva will share their own personal secrets and success strategies on how they have both created an income beyond six figures as a life coach. And specifically, they are going to give you the inside scoop on group coaching.

Sign up for the telecall here:

http://www.billbaren.com/interview/maryandeva.html

Especially in these times, you need to learn new ideas and try better strategies to make your coaching business profitable so you not only make more money - but have a much bigger impact.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to make 3-6 times your hourly rate, have MORE coaching clients, and make over six figures while working only 3 days a week!
• How Mary went from $30K in debt to $20K in savings in just 9 months.
• How Eva Gregory, Mary’s partner in this project, “accidentally” became an expert in hosting group coaching programs.
• The 3 Big Reasons why most coaches aren’t offering group coaching programs.
• 7 Indisputable FACTS why every coach should be leading their own group coaching programs.
• Bill is going to “grill” Mary on her insider secrets (and share a few of his own).
• And, a surprise insight that you’re only going to hear on this call!

If that’s not enough, I’m going to be their guinea pig for part of the call, as they coach me on applying their advanced business strategies. I’m going to get grilled, and we’re all going to learn a lot. You won’t want to miss this part!

Ready to hear these breakthrough strategies from a true insider? (I’m eager to hear more myself!)

Sign up here:

http://www.billbaren.com/interview/maryandeva.html

It will not cost you anything to participate.

This ONE-TIME FREE Telecall takes place on Tuesday, June 2nd at 5:00 PM Pacific Time/8:00 PM Eastern Time.

I hope you can make it live on the call. If not, we’ll be sending out the recording to all who registered.

Warmly,
~Bill

Have you ever thought, “I wish there were more hours in a day?” or “I wish I had more time for the things I want to do!”

In my extensive work coaching business owners and CEOs, and in the research we’ve conducted, I have found that TIME is the #1 challenge my clients face. This has led me to create the TIME EXPERTS TELESUMMIT where we’ve gathered a DREAM TEAM of the 10 of the most popular thought leaders and brilliant minds in the field of time management and productivity. Have the FREE opportunity to get into the minds of these time experts!!

Check out my video that introduces this event:

Sign-up and find more information about this once-in-a-lifetime event at: www.timeexpertstelesummit.com

No matter how hard we prepare, plan and create systems - sometimes our customers are not happy with us.

It makes no difference if it is our fault or not, the experience of our customers is sacred and as business owners we have to take responsibility for that. Below is an example of full responsibility done in a powerful and creative way. This is the way to turn a potentially a negative situation into a positive one that converts customers into loyal passionate users.

How can you do that in your business and with you most important-yet-dissatisfied customers?

Dear JetBlue Customers, We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.

Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue’s seven year history. Following the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, we subjected our customers to unacceptable delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, and other major inconveniences. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly, disrupted the movement of JetBlue’s pilot and inflight crewmembers who were depending on those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. With the busy President’s Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and hold times at 1-800-JETBLUE were unacceptably long or not even available, further hindering our recovery efforts.

Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week.

We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties in the future. We are confident, as a result of these actions, that JetBlue will emerge as a more reliable and even more customer responsive airline than ever before.

Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights on our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward including details of compensation. I have a video message to share with you about this industry leading action.

You deserved better a lot better from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you onboard again soon and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.

Sincerely,
David Neeleman Founder and CEO JetBlue Airways

One of my wonderful clients has quit her job. She is delighted at the prospect of devoting herself full-time to her business and her life’s work. She was arriving at the last big staff meeting, at her now past-employer’s, with the intention of breaking the news of her departure to most of her colleagues. How will they react? Will they be supportive of her pursuing her dream?

She was pleasantly surprised to find that the staff meeting was actually a farewell party for her. Everyone was supportive and encouraging. She was touched. Yes, she is taking a risk. Yes, working for yourself is a scary unknown. Goodbyes have never been easy for her. She now saw that this was less of a goodbye and more of a hello to a new beginning.

Most people make changes in their lives when the pain of their current situation becomes greater then the fear of making a change. People go as far as to sabotage their circumstances in order to create more a compelling excuse to finally make a move. What my client did was extraordinary. She followed her heart and intuition to make a significant change. She did that, rather then wait and then need to escape the increasingly intolerable situation. She went towards the life awaiting her rather then running away from a life that wasn’t working. As a result, she now has all the tools, a great network and plenty of energy for her new venture.

Her colleagues saw that she is leaving from a place of integrity. Her co-workers sensed that she is leaving towards the bright light of possibility. They now have that bit of that hope of something bigger in them, too. When we take courageous bold steps towards the life that is calling us, we empower ourselves to create success on our terms and we empower others to follow in our footsteps.

Our calling can be a subtle whisper. Our calling is sometimes a tap on the shoulder that appears out of nowhere. Our calling is a nagging dissatisfaction with our present situation. Why is it a calling? Perhaps it is a calling because we are supposed to answer.

• What do you often dream about, but haven’t even shared it with others?
• What’s too scary to even contemplate?
• What’s your calling?

It’s a typical Tuesday evening. Sylvia is running a little late to meet her boyfriend for dinner at great out of the way bistro on the Lower East Side. She is lucky to have gotten a seat on this rush-hour NYC subway cart. She is struggling to read Wired magazine, as the ride is especially bumpy today.

It’s amazing that on such a crowded train, she feels completely invisible. But if anyone is paying attention to her, they are noticing that she is beginning to be visibly excited by what she is reading. In fact, she is so excited that she is dying to tap the shoulder of the man sitting next to her and tell him about what she is reading. This stranger is startled out of his subway stupor and is soon engaged by what she is sharing. He learns how taken she is by her new discovery. He is now a believer, too.

She is reading a story about your business!

• Is your product or service remarkable enough?
• Is the story of your product engaging enough to a stranger?
• How easy is it to spread your story?

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