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Suffering From SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome)?

January 21 Dawn

I have suffered from SOS.

When running a business it’s one of the worst illnesses that will kill your mindset, productivity, sanity and ability to move forward and get stuff done. What’s sad is I see time and time again other solo biz owners being floored by it’s virus.

Back in 2008, I had it bad. Real bad. I wanted to bring my business online (successfully) and I didn’t know how to, so I went searching. I went looking for the person who had the holy grail of getting more clients. What I found was there are plenty peeps who say they have overflowing cup of marketing gold, but after following them, reading them and buying their crap (not all of it was), I realised I had been conned by a slick, hit-me-where-it’s really-painful sales messages.

Because my business was not where I wanted it to be, because I felt I was missing massive chunks of information, and because other people told me they had the solutions to all my client, marketing, attraction and mindset problems .. I would buy. I would buy every single Shiny Object.

We need clients. That’s the bottom line.

To survive even us authentic and ethical biz owners need people coming into our businesses on a regular basis.

We need to work out the best strategy to lead people in a heart-centred way to our products and services. We need systems in place where the people already looking for us are met with you coming from a place of trust saying ‘I’m here, I can help’.

Why am I telling you this?

Fooling:

Have you ever read anything like this: 7 Secrets To … The Fastest Way to Cash … How to Attract All the Clients … More Money, More Clients, More Sales the Easy and Instant Way, Your Competition is Doing This Right, Are You?

Many of them are playing to your worst nightmares and fears. Slick (and effective, but maybe not ethical) copywriting and marketing sales pages based on buying psychology, tapping into your pains and offering you easy, instant, affordable solutions.

Think about this, if it were THAT easy would you not already be doing it?

If you’re lacking in clients please don’t make my mistake and try and implement everything you have been feared into thinking you’re missing all at once. It’s not doable. And you may find you end up being out of sync for what you really stand for. Not all tactics have this effect may I add, some do work.

We (you and I) can learn every tactic and buy every shiny object, however we can’t implement ANY of them until we have a strategy.

And I’ll say this, when you are being feared by lack sales messages, you may find that don’t have all the technical knowledge and skills needed to implement these so called easy to use tactics. Example: it takes me two minutes to install a blog today and add all the bits needed to make it work, my first one took me two months and it was an ugly baby. I can add a mail form to a website (all pretty with bells on) in five mins perfectly coded. My first? About two weeks.

Learning all the techie stuff takes time, don’t be fooled by anyone who says it’s easy, it needs to be learned.

What to do once you have all the techie parts in place, takes even longer, and many little biz owners don’t even get to this part . They use the shiny object but not the strategy behind using the shiny object.

Example: adding a form to your website is the easiest part, having a system in place of what happens next, then next, then next, then next takes a heck of a lot of working out (of course you could buy pre made emails but don’t please, don’t, where is the authenticity in that?) Adding a blog? Simple. It’s how to build a successful, a client attraction blog that will take a while to learn. Thousands of pieces that need to be fired out all at once.

Shut down the noise.

I have no right really to say to you don’t buy tactics, your business is not my business. But if you’re buying because you’re scared your business is flunking, don’t buy shiny objects because you are in emergency mode. Don’t buy tactics. If you can afford it, buy someone who can help you see what you’re missing and help you focus on a strategy.

From one who knows it’s cheaper, less painful and a lot quicker than being disappointed when the Shiny Objects no longer sparkle.

So, You Want to Make a Difference

January 16 Dawn

Dear Moxieologists, a story first…

Between 1993-2002 I volunteered for a children’s charity.

The charity was small and provided residential breaks to young people at risk. The word risk pretty much says it all really, it needs no further explanation.

I loved it.

It was tiring. Fun. Inspiring. Eye opening. Exhausting. Scary. Exasperating. Hysterical, either though laughter or through tears. It was pretty emotional whacking love work. Some days I was great at it, on others I sucked.

In my first year, I put my name down to work a wintry break in October, the group was aged 8-10 years.

Long story short, a child disclosed abuse taking place at home.

Now, if you work in this area you know how this goes. If you don’t there are strict rules of what you can say, what you can’t say, what you legally have to do with the information, what you must explain to a child and so on.

It’s not easy and once it’s reported what happens next is out of your hands.

So it went out of mine. The child finished their holiday and on arrival home the authorities took over. I went home hoping that I had did all the right things.

That was my first experience of an abuse disclosure, sadly there were more, the training (although excellent) didn’t prepare me.

Fast forward 8 years and another holiday. This one for teenagers. After the initial welcome, all the teens who smoked wanted a cigarette.

Because they were legally allowed to smoke, the charity knew they would smoke whether it was permitted or not, so the safest way was to agree with the young person they would only smoke with supervision before they came away.

So, there I was standing outside with a 6ft young man supervising , ignoring the smoking, I started to find out who he was.

After a couple of minutes he turned and said to me, ‘Dawn, you don’t recognise me do you?’ I didn’t. I hadn’t a clue. The horrible moment when someone knows you and you don’t know them. Urgh!

See, I never read their rap sheets, I always preferred to wait and meet the person rather than meet a second hand opinion.

Here he was. The boy who disclosed abuse. The boy who sat speaking of experiences that no 8 year old should have any knowledge of.

The boy who destroyed a room, not out of malice, purely to get someone to listen.

I’ll admit, I felt really bad not recognising him and then worried because I didn’t know what he was going to say next.

He freely gave me the missing years. He went to live with another family member, told me he was really happy there and he then said, ‘Thank you’.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Making a difference is not about waiting for the right time, right project, right business, right career, right people or the right cause.

When people say to me they want to make a difference I know they mean they want to help change the world by the actions they take. They feel they have to do something of epic proportions.

Making a difference is not always about the biggest impact, it can also be the smallest impacts in a big way.

Making a difference is a way of living your entire life, I don’t believe a make a difference life is something that is switched on and off at a time that suits. It’s all the way or nothing. What do you think?

Every day difference. How?

A warm smile to a stranger.
Asking someone if they’re okay. Just kind words.
Making someone a drink without asking if they need one.
A touch on your partners hand when you have no need to do so.
When you ask a question and stay around listening to the answer.
For giving people the chance to speak their truth without any judgement on your part.
Send a card. Drop a gift.
The gifts of encouragement and saying ‘I believe in you’.
A hug at the right moment.
Saying ‘I hear you?’
And on, and on, and on, the simplicity makes it different.

Sometimes I think making a difference is about knowing the norm and doing the exact opposite.

Making a difference is about being diverse in your actions. No two people are the same, you make a difference by recognising this and acting accordingly.

The difference you make to a person at any given moment in time may be your only chance to give it, just at the point when they need it most.

I guarantee you it requires no major life overhaul. It’s a simple choice, with epic results. We don’t know when we are making a difference.

Take the words ‘making a difference’ and turn them into a daily gift. The best gifts have to be shared and passed along.

As the saying goes …

“People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel. Remember what you do echoes in eternity.”

The Massive Problem With ‘Anything’

January 15 Dawn

The problem? You’ll probably get anything. (It’s only a problem when you know you want something else!)

Anything is an unspecific everything.

Anything is also nothing.

Anything is a whatever, don’t care, not bothered.

Anything is indifferent.

Anything is no decision.

Anything is a shrug of the shoulders, couldn’t care less, it doesn’t really matter.

Here’s the thing, we sometimes say anything because we’re scared to admit we have a desire to wanting something else or the real thing.

When you settle for anything, you’re settling for any excuse not to decide.

When you settle for anything, are you confusing I can’t with I won’t?

When you live in a world of anything, does anything of meaning to you really happen?

When you accept anything is good enough for you, are you denying that you’re worthy enough of the real thing?

Anything involves a lot of but-ing and I can’t-ing and because-ing.

Examples:

I would love to do that but I don’t have the energy, time, money, support, resources, education, qualifications, experience … and so on.

That would be so amazing for me but I can’t because I don’t have the energy, time, money, support, resources, education, qualifications, experience … and so on.

Tip: Replace but with however, it helps eliminate the negative after the positive when you’re talking about what is possible for you.

To do: (Not new in shelf help land and incredibly easy) Ban the word can’t from your vocabulary for one week (build it to a lifetime if you can!), become an observer of those around you, count how many times you hear others use it. Startling.

The first decision to make is are you worthy of something?

If yes, the second decision is, make decisions.

If no, click here.

Take action on the something, do anything but accept anything.

Lessons from Jack and Jill for Your Business

January 11 Dawn

After meeting on a hill walk, Jack and Jill (from to fetch a pail of water + broke his crown fame) discovered they are in the same business, they both sell water buckets. Both of them have the same range and their prices are similar. Both of them started from scratch.

Jack has no profit and not enough paying clients.

Jill has increased profit in her business by 100% the first year, 300% the second and 500% the third and has more than enough clients.

The difference? The strategy Jill has implemented is the easiest formula to getting more business she:

Increased the number of clients.
Increased the size of sale.
She had repeat buyers.

What Happened?

When they started out Jack decided that he wanted to make his buckets available to everyone, even the people who did not want and would never want a bucket. He threw money and time trying to convince people who were not interested that they needed to buy a bucket. He advertised and promoted, but not to the people who really wanted (and were looking for him) or what he offered.

Jill though, she went looking for the people who were looking for buckets.

She searched online to find the people who were asking ‘Where Can I Buy a Bucket?’, she would provide them with information, she gave them advice and suggestions, she offered to help them out and sometimes she posted information about her buckets.

Their websites were different.

Both knew that people were searching online for buckets. Jill made her website all about the people searching for buckets; she offered free samples, bucket tasters, offers, discounts, a newsletter all about buckets, she had a blog that kept people updated about recent bucket trends.

Jack on the other hand, he wanted to make a sale. He built his website so that when people arrived they were faced with the sales process straight away. He never considered for one minute that bucket lovers would want to know more about the art of bucketing!

Jill offered a range of additional bucketing services, as well being able to buy buckets she gave people the opportunity to become part of the Bucket Club, a special place for bucket lovers, she blogged and spoke about excellent uses for buckets and she threw competitions and give-ways sometimes asking people to take pictures of their buckets in action, she created a real community for bucket lovers.

Jill knew that people would need a new bucket in time, so she set up a strategy whereby any returning clients got the best deals, offers and specials, she treated them like bucket royalty.

Jack wanted the sale. He wanted the money upfront. He wasn’t worried about building a relationship with the bucket lovers.

Because Jill had a strategy in place, and she knew her ideal client (niche) was women who loved decorative buckets everything she did in her business was for them. She became known for her love of decorative buckets. If you were a woman who wanted a bucket to suit you, Jill (her message, business, website, materials, marketing) proved she was an expert in this field.

Jill learned everything there was to know about decorative buckets for women. She hired mentors, she hired coaches, she attended seminars, read books, she read blogs and built relationships with others who were in the decorative bucket field. She was the go to gal in decorative buckets.

Jack wanted the money. He actually wasn’t that passionate about buckets.

Jill, she is different, she inspires others with her decorative buckets, she is so passionate about them it’s easy for her to talk endlessly. Her energy and passion shines.

Jill loves her clients because she took the time to really get to know them, she doesn’t concern herself trying to sell to people who will never be interested in what she offers. Because she offers a free sample and newsletter, she spends time building a relationship with those people, she knows (because they signed up on her website) that they have put their hand up to know more.

She doesn’t waste energy on convincing people that a bucket is a good purchase, she focuses her time on the people who want her services and buckets.

Jill, because of her enthusiasm and passion for buckets, has built her own bucket tribe, people love what she does because they know she has all the information they want. They feel Jill is committed to them having the best buckets and services this side of the hill.

Jill did start a list with a newsletter, all she added was a little mail sign-up form to her website. Jack didn’t do this. He didn’t think he would have the time. Jill loves her list, she spends most of her time thinking about that, she regularly asks people what they want her to give them.

Because of the effort Jill made on finding women who loved and were looking for decorative buckets she increased the number of clients. Because of the effort she made on becoming the expert in decorative buckets and continually giving people value, information, knowledge, ideas etc via emailing her list people would return to her time and time again, and because her time and effort wasn’t wasted chasing everyone she could focus on creating really special services for her clients, increasing her sale.

On a recent hill walk, Jill gave Jack these pointers to turning his business around:

Specialise in the buckets he loves to sell and that people are wanting to buy.
Find and meet (on or offline) the people looking for him. Invite them to his website, giving them a reason to visit.
Spend time looking after the people who have raised their hands to hearing more.
Create an online space that is informative, educational, fun – whatever suits the market.
Blog – it is one of the easiest ways to show credibility and expertise, and build relationships.
Offer other services to give yourself a multiple stream of income.

Is Your Time Well ‘Spent’?

December 31 Dawn

How do you feel about the number 86,400 (if anything)?

It’s an important number however many of us complain that we don’t have enough of what the number is made up of. You have already used it, reading this far, we’re talking about time.

If time were money, would you waste and fritter away as much of it?

Think about it for a minute; consider the last week of your life, how much time was spent and for no return? If you have time the chances are you are making money with it, however money will never buy you some more time.

We all have 86,400 seconds in a day, no more, no less. It doesn’t matter who you are, what shape your finances are in, whether you think you are successful or not, whether you are in or out a relationship, whether you have a brilliant career or a job that pays the bills, that’s the totally figure of all the seconds we have in a day.

You have no more or less than anyone else.

Why do we not see time as the precious commodity that it is, unlike how we place such a value on money?

Every day when we wake up, put into our ‘time bank’ are precious moments that have not yet been used, however we cannot store it up for the future, or keep it for a rainy day.

As soon as we realise this, it can make a huge shift in our motivation to fill it in the way that we want to.

Unlike money, time never has you in debt.
Unlike money, no-one can mug you for it (well, unless we give it away emotionally) and no one can steal it from you.
Unlike money, we can’t balance transfer it somewhere else and neither does it ask us to pay us back, once we have spent it, that’s it.
Unlike money we don’t receive a statement telling us what balance we have left.
Unlike money you cannot borrow it now and pay it back later.
Unlike money you also cannot waste it, because time is not yours to waste, it only belongs to you when it comes!

Out of your allotted 84,000 seconds in a day, you decide how you spend it; sleeping, eating, making money, watching television, playing with children, having conversations you want and don’t want to have.

You may spend it on pursuits that make you happy, healthy and positive.

You may on the other hand spend it on activities that make you feel you are living in debt by pessimism, unhappiness, jealousy, and feelings of lack, hate and poverty.

If in anyway you can realise quickly that this is spent time, you may shift your attention. However we look at money as being the most common thing there is, it isn’t, your happiness depends on you refocusing your expenditure of time and if life is not working for you choosing another ‘bank’ to use your time.

How do you want to spend your time? How can you ‘shop’ and buy so that you are balancing effectively ‘this is the life of my choosing’?

First, accept and think about time as something that does not cost you a penny, it’s yours, it always has been.

Up until now if you have filled your time with ‘I will do that when I have more time’, realise that you will actually never have more time, we all have the same amount.

Embrace time, place a value upon it. Time is continually being spent, and once it’s gone, you cannot return it or ask for an exchange, just because you did not spend it wisely.

As you have time now, you have been given your biggest resource. In how you spend it that is up to you, but it’s a sure guarantee that how you spend this moment will determine the type of return you have on those times yet to come.

No one has more than you; we are all equals in time.

How you cash in on time is your choice, so are you spending yours wisely?

Updated: 31/12/2012

Are You a Strong Starter or a Slow Burner?

December 26 Dawn

Which are you?

There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer.

Both can reach the finish line.

Slow starters can finish strong.

Strong starters can finish slow.

The tip is: keep moving and stay lit.

I notice this with new business owners once the excitement of start-up is over: See, in the beginning, it’s all about first times: pretty website, blog, social media, meetings, telling people. Once the initial euphoria fades – and the actual work begins – then they have to find their way to keep all those initial sparks alive.

If you feel your spark wavering:

remind yourself consistently why you started, the real reason.
reinforce your capability to get the job done.
don’t judge yourself harshly, you don’t need that nonsense, have some compassion for yourself and ask other questions of yourself to stay lit.
focus on your strengths and don’t linger too long your weaknesses.
remind yourself of the journey so far.
get real: did you set your expectations for a superhuman, do you judge yourself too harshly?
review your goals: what can you add for self-motivation and take out because it does nothing for you?
speak up and ask for help or other perspectives; sometimes we are too close to our stuff we are missing the whole picture

Dawn