Interviews, New Economy
When Tara Mohr asked her community of brilliant women what they were frustrated with in their lives, the answer was loud & clear: playing small.
They were tired of second guessing themselves, their ideas, and their callings. They were ready to step into something… bigger.
And so, Playing Big, Tara’s signature program for cultivating a bigger life on your own terms, was born. She’s now empowered hundreds of women to channel their brilliance into bigger self-expression & actualization. As you’ll hear Tara say:
Playing big is a whole life strategy. Click to tweet!
Tara’s story is important to the You Economy because it’s a double whammy. Playing Big leveraged the one-to-one work Tara had been doing all along, allowing her to scale her vision, grow her community, and get on the national stage. But the idea of playing big and the skills it requires are also an inherently important part of realizing your own power in the You Economy.
In this interview you’ll learn:
- What does “playing big” mean?
- “When women don’t hold back, they will naturally play huge.
- How did women learn to play small in the first place?
- What are some of the different ways women are playing big in this economic landscape?
- Isn’t playing big exhausting?
To find out more about Playing Big, click here. Or visit Tara’s site and grab her 10 Rules for Brilliant Women — as seen on the Today Show.
Business Brainstorm, New Economy
There are few businesses I work with today that don’t have as one of their goals, “challenge the customer’s comfort zone.”
Consider your own business for a minute: is it more beneficial to you for your customer to remain in her comfort zone? or to be pushed beyond her comfort zone?
Then consider your customer and the results you desire for him: is it more benefit to your customers for him to remain in his comfort zone? or to push beyond his comfort zone?
If your customer is comfortable buying from chain stores and you sell handmade bath & body products, you need to make them a little uncomfortable to change her behavior for both your benefit & hers. If your customer is comfortable with his daily routines but desires a big lifestyle change and you’re his life coach, you need to make him uncomfortable to change his routines thereby achieving his desires for both your benefit & his. If your customer is comfortable communicating with her friends using the phone but you want to disrupt & improve her communication with a brand new technology, you need to make her uncomfortable with the limitations of her current MO for both your benefit & hers.
Yet given the current media & marketing trends, you probably spend more time placating potential customers than confronting their comfort zones.
You are trying to build bridges when burning them may be the best strategy.
Your customers are, by nature, explorers. They’re seeking something. It might have started with a Google search. It might have been an interesting Facebook thread. It might have been a personal conversation over coffee. But they have sought out… something. They’re looking for transformation — even a tiny one.
They may not be able to identify their most pressing needs. They may not know what they’re looking for. But they have that nagging desire to learn more. And that’s where you come in.
Customers trust business owners that have something to teach. When you can give your customer a new way of seeing even the tiniest corner of her world, you are immediately trustworthy. But new ways of seeing don’t come from being comfortable, they come from confrontation.
Today’s most powerful sales people are challengers:
“They’ve got a provocative point of view that can upend a customer’s current practices, and they’re not afraid to push customers outside their comfort zone.” — Matt Dixon, The End of Solution Sales
Now, there are two things I know about you:
1) You got into business to challenge the status quo (your own, your customer’s, the world’s, etc…)
2) You are adverse to the over-the-top, in-your-face sales & marketing techniques of yesteryear.
So I also know that the idea of “confronting” your customer both resonates and feels a little, well, dangerous. Ya wanna push them… just not too hard.
Okay, okay. I get that.
Here’s the problem: your customers are on to your “not gonna push ’em too hard” ways.
Your relationship building techniques – questions, conversations, endless free teleclasses, etc… – aren’t mysterious anymore. People know you’re buttering them up. Sure, they’ll participate. Sure, they’ll engage. But are you really setting them up for a sale or allowing them more time to stew on the inevitable “no, thanks?”
The best salespeople are still empathic, clued into needs, and sensitive to individual perspectives but, instead of following the customer’s lead, they take the reins and deliver an insight that moves the customer to action.
What do you know about your audience – their habits, their failures, their opportunities – that even they don’t know? Supplying that information creates instant fans and eager customers.
Here’s the framework for creating a challenging sales process:
1. Identify a core belief or operating principle that your customer has and challenge it.
Example: Tara Mohr knew women weren’t reaching their full potential in life & business because they were “playing small.” They were excusing themselves from big opportunities or failing to take risks. So that’s how she framed her coaching program, Playing Big. Tara used her intimate knowledge of the differences between women who play small & women who play big to challenge the operating principles of the former.
2. Use your insight as an outsider or expert to demonstrate a new idea.
Example: When I talk to makers about their frustrations with pricing, I make sure to point out that I’m not a maker. No, I’m a customer. I’m one of the people happy to pay twice as much as what they’re charging. That fosters trust & credibility for my ideas.
3. Bring in data or case studies that prove your position.
Example: Copyblogger Media shares multiple insights into well-designed sales pages on the Premise landing page. Instead of just sharing features, the sales page actually tells customers things they may not know about constructing a sales page that works. Take this to the next level by sharing real results from your clients or customers in their own words.
4. Coach your customers on how to buy.
Example: LKR Social Media Marketer explains why – right on the sales page – it’s better to buy a monthly subscription to a community than it is to buy individual solutions to problems that will quickly go out of date. Knowing the solution might be intimidating to customers, Laura cut straight through why her plan is the best.
5. Tailor that position to the person you’re talking with.
Example: Writer extraordinaire, Kelly Diels, creates a separate landing page on her site for every guest post she writes. She understands that different audiences, different types of customers, have different needs, points of reference, and interests. Hone in on exactly what’s important to who you’re talking to.
Your customers can see right through your efforts to build relationships with them – genuine though they might be. We are all in some sort of business and your tactics for creating buy-in are becoming tired.
Instead of trying to make the sale feel warm & fuzzy, allow your customers to trust in the fact that you’re confident & in control. Take the lead with new insights and fresh perspectives.
Will you accept the challenge?
Interviews, New Economy
Today’s conversation is with Jennifer Louden, a bestselling author, creator of the Savor & Serve project, and co-creator of TeachNow. Jen believes, as I do, that teaching – and businesses based on teaching – is an integral part of the You Economy.
Teaching really combines all three touch points of You Economy commerce. There’s the connection you create with fellow students & your teacher. Then there’s the experience you have of learning and having your new knowledge shift your worldview. And then there’s the deep meaning we associate with fresh wisdom.
Jen and I tackle these questions:
- Why is teaching an integral part of the You Economy?
- How is teaching as a business different than teaching in traditional schools?
- What are the psychological barriers those who feel a calling to teach face?
- What keeps teachers from earning what they’re worth?
If teaching is a part of your business model, I invite you to check out Jen’s free call on April 3 on dissolving the obstacles to teaching joyfully & effectively.
New Economy
Allow me, for a moment, to speak for my generation.
President Obama, Governor Romney, members of Congress:
We don’t want your economic recovery.
We want a real change. We want to embrace the recession for what it is: an opportunity to recreate this economy from the ground up.
We want to redefine the American Dream. We want to reinvent our values system.
We don’t want your manufacturing jobs, your easy credit, your handouts, your false sense of security.
We’re seeking true freedom. We’re making our own choices. We’ll do what it takes to live a fulfilling life on our own terms.
We’ve watched our parents & Gen X friends suffer through debilitating credit card debt, underwater mortgages, and forced productivity at jobs they hate. We’re tired of unsustainable consumer spending, work habits, and family lives. Frankly, we want something more. And we’re willing to try and try again until we figure out what that is.
We’re not alone. We Millennials don’t want your economic recovery but neither do the countless Boomers and Gen Xers who have been waking up to new possibilities for decades. All of us, we’re ready to make different choices. But those choices won’t create your economic recovery.
We refuse to be bullied back into the past. We’re here to claim the future.
We’d like your help. But you’ll have to talk with us, listen to us, collaborate with us. We don’t things any other way. But if we don’t get your help. We’ll build it ourselves.
Would you, could you, consider a new strategy? Would you, could you, listen to the countless individuals who are speaking up against your status quo politico-economic pandering and choose a different path?
Would you, could you, help us create the future we want to live in?
President Obama, Governor Romney, members of Congress: what say you?
New Economy
In the You Economy, you are not only empowered as a producer but as a consumer. You have access to methods of consumption we could only dream about 5 years ago.
Hello, AirBnB, Etsy, Kayak, the rapid expansion of Amazon, etc…
An un/welcomed side effect of the diversity of consumptive choice is a movement towards “vendor relationship management.” In many ways, consumers want to have less to do with the businesses that serve them. They want to extract the most value for their money in relation to the least hassle from the company. They want to break free from producers & providers that see them only as targets and not people with choice.
…big business continues to believe that a free market is one in which customers get to choose their captors. Choosing among AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon for your new smartphone is like choosing where you’d like to live under house arrest. It’s why marketers still talk about customers as “targets” they can “acquire,” “control,” “manage” and “lock in,” as if they were cattle.
— Doc Searls, The Wall Street Journal (emphasis added)
In this system of commerce, customer choice is the holy grail for consumers. No contract phone? Sign me up. Pay as you go internet? Done. A la carte menus? Order away! Comparison shopping right from your phone? Don’t mind if I do!
The commercial culture emerging now makes it easier & easier for a customer to only do business with you when you’re the one with the best deal or the most convenient offering. The ease with which you can satisfy your every whim makes it that much more difficult for a business to make inroads in customer loyalty.
Microbusinesses, on the other hand, tend to enjoy a great deal of customer loyalty. Microbusinesses have an easier time delivering personalized service, adjusting to trends, and communicating a great vision. They can connect personally with their customers because personal tends to be the only thing they know.
But it would be foolish for microbusinesses to dismiss the customer empowerment trend as only applying to big business. Already, flash sales, group discount buying, and freelancer sales sites like Fiverr.com are making it easier for people to buy from microbusinesses without establishing any kind of relationship.
Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I’ve spoken out in favor of introducing mass media customers to the diversity of microbusiness through leveraged buying before.
But this new era of commerce means that micro businesses can’t take their customer loyalty for granted.
To loyalty-proof your business, consider these opportunities for development:
Mutual Respect
Customers deserve to be empowered. And so do you. It’s hard to create a mutually respectful relationship between consumer & producer when you, as a business owner, don’t respect yourself.
Too often I see business owners allowing themselves to be trampled over in the name of fostering loyalty & positive relationships with their customers. If your prices, policies, and customer expectations don’t create an environment that fosters respect, you’ll feel taken advantage of and your customers still won’t feel any loyalty to you.
On the flip side, remember that customer service doesn’t stop at serving customers well. Your marketing, product offerings, and principles should also be signs of respect for the customers you serve.
Quality & Value
Microbusiness owners must give customers a reason to talk about their products and use them on a regular basis. You might choose to serve customers who want the highest quality money can buy… or you might choose to serve customers with the highest quality they can afford.
But delivering on quality & value is not a place to skimp when it comes to fostering loyalty. Think that’s obvious? Think again. I see many business owners trying to cut corners – not to defraud their customers – but just to make the business work. Delivering quality & value, relative to the expectations of your customers, needs to be the starting place for your business, not the variable.
Do you think that a customer who hears “This call brought to you by Free Conference Call” is thinking brand loyalty? And do you think that the customer who receives her purchase in a plastic grocery bag is thinking “return purchase?”
Microbusiness owners have a huge advantage here. The measure of quality & value varies between customer segments. Big businesses can’t account for this variety – but you can. Consider your customer – and your customer alone – when discerning how you can hit the quality & value ball out of the park.
Need & Desire Anticipation
The baseline for business is responding to customer needs. Businesses that develop real loyalty over time anticipate customer needs.
Think critically about where each of your products or offerings leaves your customers. What’s next? What questions would a customer have after using your product or service? What else might they like to buy from you? How can you complement their experience of their first purchase?
Those questions apply as equally to a life coach as they do a master cookie baker. If your customers love your chocolate chip hazelnut cookie, maybe they would love that lavender rosemary morsel you’ve been experimenting with. Part of your job as an entrepreneur is anticipating what your customers would love next.
When your customers feel like you’re reading their minds, they’re much more likely to come back for more.
This is actually where the greatest customer-brand relationships are forged. If you, as a business, are anticipating my needs and meeting them before I express them, I will feel like I have a relationship with you – whether you are an individual or a Fortune 50 company.
Brand loyalty is the exception now, not the rule. Customer empowerment will only become a greater & greater part of the way people do business – on either side of the transaction.
Make your business exceptional.
What would it take to have the most loyal customers in your niche? Figure that out & go do that.
Big Thinking, New Economy
You’re an individual.
You do your own thing. Your way.
Having a me-myself-and-I business makes sense to you: no committees, no compromise, no commitment, ultimate control.
But could you be short-changing your purpose & greater ambition to ignore the power of a team?
Solo entrepreneurship is all the rage. Its romantic notion of location independence, sky-high profit margins, and ultimate flexibility is alluring. Solo entrepreneurship might even look like your only option if you’re bootstrapping a brand new business: if you can’t even pay yourself, how are you going to share profit with someone else?
At World Domination Summit last weekend, Chris Brogan issued a challenge:
If we are this powerful as individuals, how much more powerful might be we be together?
Chris wasn’t just spouting platitudes. This was a legitimate world domination strategy.
If your purpose is bigger than you (as it should be) and aimed at serving your customers (as it must be), then doesn’t it stand to reason that building a business that’s limited in scope by its very makeup is a problem?
Yes, small can be beautiful. Yes, flexibility is liberating.
I’m not suggesting that your goal should be to create the next Google or Apple. Although, if it is, that’s great! Your goal should be to build the business that makes your purpose a reality.
The question isn’t whether being a “solopreneur” is the right way to go. Is anyone else sick of that word? The question is…
What does the business that will make my purpose a reality look like?
It might be a small, long distance team. It might be a group of friend huddled around a kitchen table. It might be an office or studio at a co-working space. It might be a store front.
Your business might require employees. It might require a team of contractors. It might even require a business partner or a team of co-founders.
But thinking you’re in this alone – and, even worse, romanticizing this notion – is the wrong way to go.
The people who are doing the great things with their businesses are harnessing their networks, the power of paid team members, and the beauty of outside expertise. They may look like a solo act but I guarantee, almost without exception, that they are not alone.
My business has been a small team for 2 years now. This Fall, I’m launching a larger business with a bigger team. Oh, the suspense…
The possibilities are what you make them. There are opportunities for collaboration, expansion, and profit all around you.
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PS I’ve got room for 3 more Insight Intensives in August. Get 3-6 months of strategy, ideas, and insight on your business straight from my brain. Click here to learn more & apply.
“This was by far the most important investment I have made in myself and my business so far!”
— Meg Ward, Be More Fear Less
