Are you a coach, consultant, expert author, service professional, or niche advisor who is NOT earning what you’re truly worth?
- Imagine being able to charge 2 or 3 or even 5 times more than you do right now...without doing an extra lick of work.
- Imagine being perceived as the PREMIER provider of elite level services in your niche, or industry or area of expertise….and PRICING yourself accordingly. (and having people line UP to pay you for the privilege..:-)
- Imagine truly being able to parlay the POWER of your authentic life’s purpose, your PASSION……into perpetual piles of profit.
If you understand the power of pricelessness……which I’m going to share with you below, you won’t have to imagine for long.
But first….Let’s look at some super simple definitions, and distinctions:
What Do I MEAN by the power of Pricelessness in the first place?
In my parlance, It’s the REAL value that your passion, purpose and expertise……your BEST efforts, your greatest protection and unique advantage are worth to a prospective client.
And it’s the limitless and unending value that your prospect PERCEIVES availing themselves of your offer is really worth!
How do you decide what is the perception of PRICELESS in your marketplace…..or inherent in your audience – or your offer, and how do you MINE that……market it, and then ILLUSTRATE it to boot?
Let’s do a Very Simple Exercise to illuminate the PERCEPTION of Pricelessness:
Write down the top 3 or 5 or 7 life changing, amazing transformations that will actualize in your clients life, once your highest and best promised results are achieved.
BUT….Be liberal, be engaged and be GENEROUS with yourself.
Imagine YOURSELF at YOUR best. Doing what you love most. On your very best day…..when you are in a zone and everything falls….and feels just right.
And then…..
Translate your BEST service on your very best day into benefits that have enormous value to your prospect. Write them down. Touch them – describe them and feel their power.
BUT don’t stop there…….
LAYER them.
Dimensionlize them.
Give each benefit depth and meaning. KEEP building this out until the benefit of the benefit…..OF the benefit is truly beyond the pale of price.
And Don’t stop writing. KEEP going until it starts to get silly…or sappy…..or sounds SO over the top, or stops being believable, or relevant. (EVENTUALLY IT WILL)
If you’ve done this exercise properly…..what you have when you’re done is a pretty PRETTY picture.
And that picture of your highest and best – actualized and implemented in the life of your perfect prospect – is the power of priceless.
Ready to look a bit closer?
Want to know the BIGGEST mistake I see most coaches, consultants and service providers make?
In my humble experience….LIFE coaches who sell their services for example, many of whom are on my list, BADLY miss the mark when it comes to adding dimension – vibrancy – and ultimately VALUE to the service they sell.
People don’t buy life coaching to have more free time…even though they may feel like they do.
They buy coaching to have the free time to travel the globe, to explore, to grow, to see sights you’ve only seen in magazines, to spend quality time with their children and grandchildren, to be happy, fun and free….. and to embrace life like only a lucky few ever will.
You have to sell the ULTIMATE benefit – the one that we each feel at our core…to be priceless.
Do you think the difference between a 100,000 a year life coach….and a 97 dollar a month mentor is 1000% BETTER results?
Of course it’s not.
That’s SILLY…….and really not even REALISTIC. At some point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in….and probably ALOT lower down on the totem pole of ROI than 1000 fold.
The power of priceless is about posture.
It’s positioning.
And psychology….and YOUR ability to ignite the imagination of your prospect with the full kaleidoscopic effect of your offer in action.
Because HERE is the Truth…..
Any coach, consultant, or expert advisor who is truly PASSIONATE about what they do, has a strong sense of PURPOSE and meaning about what they offer and is worth being PRICELESS to their prospect, genuinely wants to RADICALLY change peoples lives.
You really have to love people to be priceless….and truly believe in making your message…and your mantra meaningful.
An easy example i see all the time?
An average raw food coach may THINK they are selling a healthier life style, or lower body fat or clearer skin and more energy….and they’ll sell some of that for sure.
They’ll put out an ebook, or a blog, or a low priced series of audios, and eek out a modest living doing something they truly love and settle for a smaller life and only a SLIVER of the impact, contribution and service that they are capable of.
But the PRICELESS raw food coach sells a radical re-invention. A re-birth. A renewal.
In your body, your mind and your spirit.
She sells me A world that wakes up looking wonderfully different once she’s in it because I’ve INVITED her in.
And the truth is….the 2 types of coaches?
They are often selling the same stuff..:-)
They share the same passion.
They feel the same purpose.
YET one moves mountains, and makes an enduring and meaningful difference in the lives of many ……while the other builds sand castles in the summer sand that ebb away when the tide comes in….and need to be built anew after each season disappears with the setting sun.
Which one are you?
I say….you CAN be the one you choose, and you can start right now.
Simply get hyper clear about what you truly believe you can do for people.
And Stop settling.
You may have to take a SMALL step backward and re-craft, re-calibrate and re-frame your offer, but it will be well worth it, I promise.
Strive at being the absolute BEST at what your craft……and in the meantime, simply CARE more about your client until you are. (because that alone is worth it’s weight in gold)
And then Future Pace your PERFECT prospect to the point in their lives where your greatest benefits are beginning to bear fruit in their lives.
Picture their smiling faces.
Picture their supreme satisfaction – their elation, enthusiasm and good fortune to have found you.
And work BACKWARDS from that point to position your PRICE to be representative of who you are now.
Not only will you MAKE much more money……you will naturally have greater impact on the lives of those you touch. (people who PAY more for a priceless change are FAR more likely to act on, and be engaged in making the EFFORT to implement your expertise and authentic advice)
And of course….ultimately you will constantly be challenging yourself to improve to meet the expectations you’ve set – which means that by positioning and PRICING yourself as the best, you’ll ultimately continue to strive and rise and improvise and IMPROVE who you are and what you do…until you are. 3 Critical Components to Priceless Positioning:
Belief
The biology of belief. You have to feel it in your bones. You have to KNOW that what you have is worth what you’re asking for it. You have to feel it’s what you’re here to do. If you don’t believe you can deliver that which you promise…..you’ve got to double back, double dip and dive back in until you can! (important!)
To offer services that truly have a value beyond the pale of price, you’ve got to be willing to BELIEVE you are the very BEST, otherwise you’ll never convince anyone else you’re worth being paid like it.
Imagination:
You have to be able to inspire, illuminate and ENGAGE the imagination of your audience.
If they can’t imagine a better, brighter and more beautiful world with you in it, you’ll never have an offer much better than mediocre.
Empathy:
If you can’t authentically empathize with your audience, you are in the wrong niche. (and business)
Empathizing with others is the one thing you can do BETTER than anyone else….it requires no training, no special skill, and as a coach, consultant or expert advisor, i know of NO other attribute that will get your FARTHER, faster than this. (and it feels pretty good, too)
A Quick Footnote On Empathy and creating KILLER content that converts like CRAZY
In my view, it’s the MOST overlooked aspect of creating compelling copy…and the #1 thing MOST people miss, when building relationships with their list<>
When I was 20 or 21 and in college, I screwed my credit up really badly. I constantly bought stuff I couldn’t afford….and figured as long as I charged them, I was smart….and I could figure it all out later. (not so smart)
Suffice it to say, my credit was so bad….I couldn’t even open a bank account. And when I got a really good freelance marketing job a year or two later…and a 5,000 retainer to start working. I literally couldn’t open a bank account at the time to deposit the check. (not great)
I eventually had to sign the check over to my girlfriend, and we went to HER bank to open a mutual bank account to deposit it.
I remember the kid at the bank looking at me funny while we sat as his desk and he ran our information…and suddenly, without warning……he gave me a stern lecture about credit….and responsibility and being smart….and then, he turned his attention to HER….and whether SHE wanted to risk being responsible if my history were to repeat itself.
And he was my age.
And I felt humiliated.
And I literally shrank in the seat…hoping that no one else around us could hear what he was saying.
And I felt undeserving of the check. Of the job. And of my girlfriend. I truly felt like a degenerate disappointment of a human being.
I was ashamed.
Later that day, I beat him to death with a foam FICO wiffle ball bat as he walked to his car and made it look like an accident.
Okay….that part’s not really true..:-)
But what DID happen, is when later in life, in the life I NOW know as my own, when I had to write a credit repair sales letter for an affiliate campaign, my copy, i humbly submit – outperformed the actual VENDOR’S by a margin of 2 or 3 or even 4 to 1.
Why?
Empathy.
I understood what it felt like to be ashamed of my credit report.
Of cringing when I heard the insurance agent – or the apartment manager – or the department store clerk say – let me just run a quick credit report and we’ll get you signed up.
I also understood – later – what new beginnings felt like – and that redemption – and how a second chance could feel so phenomenally free that NO cost would be too great to bear.
For me…..the feeling was PRICELESS.
Today? Every time I fall - every time I fail, slip, screw up or strike out, I look at it as one more opportunity to empathize, to identify and to relate to people just like me who can learn from my mistakes…and somehow, by sharing it all – by connecting, it makes be a better marketer to boot..:-)
And from THAT place, I can literally write copy, and craft offers…..that sell themselves. And if you’re human like me…so too can you..:-)
A couple final points….and a very special, limited time opportunity for some of you reading this.
My content, and my direction is going to be moving more and more to helping radically re-invent the marketing of coaches, consultants, experts, advisors and entrepreneurs who truly want to make a difference in the world, and the communities they live in….both online and off.
People who are passionate about doing SOMETHING good…….and want to parlay that passion into profit.
Why?
The beauty of what I do every day…..is that it’s easy.
And it works.
It’s about rapport. And relationships.
And using simple tools, tips, techniques and technologies to TRANSFORM your marketing mojo and radically re-invent your online marketing experience.
The REALLY Good news?
If you want to STEAL my system, and apply it to YOUR business – for a very SHORT 48 hours (from TOMMOROW night……until MIDNIGHT, Saturday – JULY 10) I am going to give SOME of you a PERSONALIZED, Power of PRICELESS, radical re-invention for your business model – your niche – your area of expertise – your PASSION…your area of interest….so that you can start APPLYING this stuff in your own life and work, …AND see the magic of a mind set shift up close and personal…and have the MAP and momentum to make it happen in a hurry.
Want to know more?
Keep your eyes PEELED on your inbox Thursday night..:-) .
Is article marketing always effective?
Is FREE traffic always the best strategy? When do I personally find article marketing to be a waste of time, energy, effort and even income?
Let’s take a quick look at one of the more common questions I get about launching a traffic strategy for a new site, service or offer, and how I personally parse out whether or not article marketing is a good choice for the market as well.
(remember….as with everything i reveal, recommend or review, i encourage you to try all of this out for YOURSELF, get inspired, get imaginative, get your face muddy, make mistakes and get going. My experiences are my own…and while hopefully enlightening – these statements have not been reviewed by the FDA, FBI, KGB or NBA)
First Question: Is Focusing on FREE Traffic being PENNY Wise….but POUND Foolish? Or said differently……is PAYING for traffic actually an easier and more expeditious path to profit?
It can be…..YES.
How do you determine that?
KEYWORD Research.
Are your ‘MONEY KEYWORDS’ expensive, yes or no? How much competition is there on the ad spend side of the street? How much volume is there…and how many of those eyeballs could you INSTANTLY own with a well managed, well thought out PAID advertising campaign.
Because while article marketing is "FREE" on it’s face, the time you’ve got to spend to create the content surely has real value.
LET ME GIVE YOU A REAL WORLD, RECENT EXAMPLE…….
I recently launched a project, within a new business, with a very skilled, world class PPC marketer who has forgotten more about pay per click than I’ll ever learn.
The gist of the project is a ‘MARRIAGE of marketing methodologies" – my side focusing on the "Free" traffic sort of stuff I discuss here and the relationships that emanate from that – and his managing the ppc promotions and ad spend – and some hardworking help who are holding the whole thing together behind the scenes.
The idea was….and remains a great one. Between the two of us and our divergent approaches to generating traffic, ultimately creating oodles and oodles of readers that feel a genuine rapport, relationship and connectivity to your content is a recipe for rich rewards.
However, one thing became pretty damn apparent, pretty early on.
The PPC research and optimization was done SO well……and the clicks SO cheap as a result, that the work I was doing to generate traffic in comparison, was a bit embarrassing.
And not quite neccessary.
And……NOT the best use of our time, energy and effort.
And ultimately not serving the best interests of the project overall.
Why?
Because, we were getting the traffic SO cheap…..and because our primary focus was simple list building, to spend 4 or 5 hours a day creating content for the purpose of augmenting the seemingly endless stream of available PAID clicks seemed silly.
Especially when there are so many OTHER areas that need to be tended to…..to truly launch a new project as planned.
And thankfully….early on, my business partner pointed out the very same thing.
Does that mean that writing, and distributing highly optimize articles will NOT still serve a great long term goal and overarching strategy? (like building links, building authority, building a brand and building a big ass business?)
Of course it will.
But is it the RIGHT strategy to heavy up on for this particular market?
No, it’s not.
In contrast?
There are a veritable unending amount of niches that are FAR too expensive for the average entrepreneur to spend money on PPC….EVEN if they are masterful at optimizing Adwords and ad spend overall. (and I’ve seen THIS happen up close and personal as well…..and more than once)
And unless you’ve got buckets of money……spending 5 or 6 or 10 dollars per CLICK, in a high volume competitive market, ain’t gonna lead to too many restful nights of sweet dreams and lullabies.
But if you’re attacking those markets with torrents of FREE traffic using the strategies I outline here, your REM sleep ain’t gonna be affected at all.
As an example, I personally SAVED well over $125,000.00 in ad SPEND in one market alone last year, just by targeting free traffic. (probably closer to $150,000)
HOW?
Because as an affiliate, I generated over 100,000 clicks to ONE affiliate offer that has an average cost per click of well over a dollar…and more likely closer to 2.
Every time one of the top advertisers felt that uncomfortable but all too familiar butt clench when someone clicked on their ad’s and didn’t hang around for long thereafter, I was most likely hard at work here at home, scouring the Internet for case law to argue against one of Judge Joe Brown’s many wrongheaded kangaroo court decisions on afternoon TV.
That same program STILL generates a few hundred clicks a day, almost everyday, even while the COST per click has risen to 2 bucks +…and I haven’t done a thing to promote it in a while. (see my wide awake post for why..:-)
(note: In total honesty, I would NOT have paid to run ads in those markets, and only entered them because I knew the potential they offered using my free traffic methods.
Therefore, the savings above are theoretical and not actual, much like parallel universes, Sylvia Brownes New Year’s predictions and whether I will ever become a mature responsible adult)
In many other markets……the very same thing. While it would give me night sweats to picture paying 4 or 5 dollars a click for the sort of volume I’m doing with article marketing in some very expensive niches today, the fact that the traffic is free leaves me sweat free and minty fresh and huggably happy.
So you’ve got to learn the landscape…and understand intuitively, how your effort and energy is best expended. For me to spend 4 hours a day writing articles to build a list in a market where the clicks are 10 cents or less….is a waste of MY time and talent, as it is yours as well.
But if you are fighting it out in the entrepreneurial trenches mano a mano against buttoned up bozo’s with big budgets to boot….a better friend you won’t find.
Your Homework Assignment?
Understand your marketplace…..and your competition.
Study the different ways authority and expertise are being created in YOUR market right now….today, as you read this.
And if content creation NOT your strong suit?
MAYBE your time is better served leveraging social networks for building rapport and relationships instead.
Maybe PPC is a better investment of your energy.
Maybe simply leveraging video…..and technology and turning your articles into powerhouses of perpetual promotion is a better play. (I happen to love this service….and it suprises me that more of you arent’ using it)
But the general RULE is:
The MORE expensive your niche, service, offer or industry?
The MORE powerful article marketing becomes.
The cheaper that traffic is?
The sloppier of a strategy it becomes. (especially if it’s the primary point of attack)
Get CRYSTAL clear on this before you begin….and you’ll have more time to focus on the marketing metrics that REALLY matter
(because traffic ain’t where it ends..:-)
“I FIND YOU GUILTY OF THE CRIME OF SLEEPING AT A TIME….WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN WIDE AWAKE"
What are you MOST passionate about?
What do you TRULY believe you are here to accomplish?
I can remember the night I really heard the lyric above for the first time. It was about 3am in the morning this past November, and I was listening to a bootleg live performance of the song ‘WIDE AWAKE’ by the rock band Audioslave.
I was tired…and worn down……burnt out and BORED from working on yet another affiliate marketing campaign that i fundamentaly had absolutely NO interest in other than the benjamins.
The payout. The dollars and the dough.
I had heard the song 100 times before….but I had never really heard the words.
I FIND YOU GUILTY OF THE CRIME….OF SLEEPING AT A TIME, WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN WIDE AWAKE.
In that frozen moment in time, as I looped the track back over and over and over again, it truly felt like those words were being burned into my brain with a sense of universal urgency and awakening I simply couldn’t ignore.
I know that some people find it silly….but I TRULY believe that each of us has certain innate gifts. Special qualities. Unique advantages that often go ignored and overlooked until far too late in life.
Whatever those gifts are for you, I genuinely and truly believe you are HERE to share them generously with others.
To serve something greater than yourself. To give back….and lift others up, because really…there is NOTHING that truly feels better than that.
Let me share something that you may find hard to believe.
When I write these blog posts….or emails – i picture you in my minds eye.
I picture your struggles – your obstacles – your frustrations, and your failures.
I imagine your ambition. And your effort.
Your desire to succeed….and often, the desperation that lies a slender shred underneath it all.
I don’t know what you look like, but i imagine you – and i start from that place.
If you’ve followed the advice in this blog for any length of time you probably already know a few simple truths:
I like to be a smart ass.
I enjoy pushing people’s buttons…and aggravating the envelope a bit, to boot.
I like firing up your imagination…and trying to keep you on your toes….with my prose..;-)
But the truth is, where it really matters, where it counts most – I really only want to inspire you to succeed.
Because for most of you reading this right now, I’ll never know you any better than this.
This moment – right here.
In this little space where we connect, you may not belive it – but i only want to see you succeed.
And SUCCESS doesn’t mean making lots of money…even though there is nothing wrong with that as a goal.
To me – it’s about contribution. And taking a stand. And being sure. And believing in something so strongly….that you want to shout it, and share with the world.
And ultimately, leaving an imprint that reminds the universe that you were here, and cared enough to contribute.
Honestly?
I’ve always been a searcher.
I still don’t know what i believe about god, religion, philosophy or otherwise.
I’M a very hopeful agnostic.
A seeker, a stumbler, a fumbler and ultimately, an optimist.
So while I wonder if there is truly a grand plan for my life….i do know what makes me happiest.
It’s not money. It’s not sex, drugs or rock and roll, although i tried pretty hard to see if it was.
It’s not even the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies world series win, although that’s pretty damn close.
It’s connection. And contribution. and the idea that I can in some way touch YOUR life and inspire you to touch the lives of others.
Because i know that is worthwhile.
And it feels good.
And you don’t need to really believe in anything else at all to know that it’s right.
And to believe, that with some sort of quantum soup, serendipitous touchy feely fun, i have touched those who you will touch as well.
And that’s about the most valuable "viral" marketing I’ll ever do.
What am i telling you all of this for?
I have spent much of my professional career, asleep.
I AM guilty of the crime, of a sleeping at a time, when i should have been wide awake.
For me….in many respects, my affiliate marketing career has been a waste of time.
And of talent.
And most importantly, of what i love to do most…which is this, what you are reading right now.
Only because I’ve never loved it. It’s ALWAYS felt like work. And it always has felt like a means to an end, rather than a labor of love.
Don’t sell yourself equally as short.
What you are best at, what you are MOST passionate about, what makes you feel MOST alive is a gift.
But it’s a gift meant to be shared with the world.
And every day that you waste bringing that to bear….is a day you’ll never be able to recoup.
I TRULY appreciate you being on my list, and reading my thoughts from time to time.
I hope many of the strategies I’ve shared have helped you…and i plan on sharing many more.
But You don’t need my input or advice to be successful.
You just need to be awake.
There is unequaled POWER in PASSION.
In loving what you do. In feeling inspired, energetic and grateful for the opportunity to get paid for doing what you love.
In finding your purpose and offering that up to the world…..joyfully, in humility and service. And it can be in anything. Feel it…and live it….and then make it yours. And when you are willing to share it with the world, the profits will follow in waves,i promise.
That’s the secret.
That’s what they don’t tell you….because so few of them know.
If this has resonated with you, I invite you to let me know on Facebook - share it with YOUR friends, leave me a comment below- or just say hi.
I have some really special discounts and offers coming for Facebook friends in July…but tonight, that’s really not the reason I’m asking – just connect – and share – and give me the opportunity to say thanks.
Because You’ve inspired me without even knowing it – and that’s a gift that continues to give…:-)
ian on 
Mary on 
