Mindset

I Only Need One Million

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“I’m not greedy. I only need one million dollars and I’ll be satisfied.”

I can’t tell you how many times I heard my mother recite this exact refrain.

The underlying psychology/philosophy set a course for my life…

And based on a number of conversations I’ve had recently, I feel like it’s really important for me to talk about this today.

Because maybe you’ve experienced something similar.

I want you to be EMPOWERED. Hopefully this can give you at least a little boost.

Before I talk about the distant past, though, let me share a recent development.

This month, I gave away my car.

It’s not as generous as it sounds, and it wasn’t a marketing gimmick.

Not many people know this yet, but one of my teenaged nephews came to live with us in June. His parents kicked him out with little more than the clothes on his back.

We’ve gone to work getting him right. The boy needs a car to get to school and work.

I’m not saying this for applause. I’m trying to tell you a story.

Thank God we’ve been able to help my nephew.

And thank God my mother’s “I only need a million” mindset didn’t sabotage our ability to get to this point.

Mom had a (relatively) pure heart and the best intentions…

But take a look beneath the surface of that mentality.

It’s deceiving. It sounds humble and altruistic.

In truth, it’s packed with passivity – and it’s actually a little selfish.

Read it one more time: “All I need is one million dollars and I’ll be satisfied.”

Yes, one million dollars could have afforded us a lifestyle I could only dream of as a kid, and we could have helped a few people.

But there would have been a limit to the good we could have done in the world.

Here’s the point:

Your success isn’t just for you.

Contentment is a great thing. And you can surely be “satisfied” (in many ways) with one million dollars or less.

But what if you had ten million? Who else would you help? What other benefits could your generosity produce?

I encourage you to think bigger about your own success today. You never know who will need you.

You’ll be glad you did.

P.S. I’m obviously not saying you have to have a million dollars to be generous. I encourage you to be as giving as you can be, no matter how much money you have.

You can give a little like the poor woman in the Gospel of Luke who gave two mites. You can also give in ways that have nothing to do with money.

Point is, be generous!

Responsibilities of a Large Human

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A couple years ago, a good friend of mine named Mark and I were standing at a crosswalk in downtown Chicago.

We’d just left a great workshop and we were still energized.

But while we stood there, a nearby conversation invaded our bubble of positivity.

It was a man and woman arguing.

Have you ever heard a conversation and thought, “ooh, someone’s about to get body slammed”?

This was one of those convos.

Everyone around seemed to be trying to mind their own business. Last thing anyone wants to do was get pulled into a boxing match between bickering lovers.

But my buddy Mark handled it differently. He kept a close eye on the situation… just in case it looked like the dude was getting ready to hit the woman.

Fortunately for everyone, the argument calmed down quickly… right on time for the light to turn so we could cross the street.

The timing was so perfect, it almost felt like a scene from a TV show.

As we started walking, Mark explained himself to me like this:

“As a large human being, I have a responsibility . If someone smaller is getting bullied, I consider it my job to step in and help.”

(And Mark IS large. He used to be a competitive bodybuilder.)

Now, Mark didn’t mean this as a lesson.

He was just sharing his personal philosophy.

But today, I want to encourage you to think more like Mark in your business.

Because…

YOU Are A Large Human Being, Too

You have skills, knowledge and experience that’s insanely valuable to others.

You have a product or service that changes other people’s lives in a unique way — even if it’s just for a moment.

Whether you know it or not, you are LARGE, my friend.

You have a responsibility to step in and help people who need what you have to offer.

You have a responsibility to promote yourself in a way that tells should-be customers exactly how to get your solution to their problems.

And you have a responsibility to understand and expand your largeness… to keep building those muscles so you can be even more helpful to the people you work with.

Does that sound like a lot of work? Maybe it is.

But you’re on this planet for a purpose. Operating in that purpose is the most rewarding life you can ask for.

Now, in the cleaned up words of C.T. Fletcher, “It’s your set!”

Marketing Mindset Traps: Internet Marketing for Coaches Pt. 2

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Don’t miss Part 1>>

Coaches have a moral obligation to market their services and products.

That’s a strong statement to make, but it is 100% true.

If a doctor discovered the cure for cancer, wouldn’t she be morally obligated to share her discovery with as many people as possible? Not doing so would be irresponsible and harmful. No matter what trepidation she may feel, she shouldn’t hold back.

As a coach, you have special gifts that are meant to be shared with people in need. Marketing yourself is the way you get the word out so you can help as many people as you possibly can.

Here’s an excerpt from a comment I recently made in a group discussion on LinkedIn:

“Coaches are by nature focused on others, so self-promotion sometimes feels out of place. Also, when developing coaching skills, marketing is rarely among the top priorities.

“…You can be the most amazing coach, but no one will ever benefit from what you have to offer without good marketing.

“In that way, you OWE it to the people you can help to learn how to market your services.”

Marketing is essential for the business aspect of your coaching. If you’re reluctant to do it, you’ll need to get over it.

The fact that coaches are others-focused is what makes you uniquely suited to be a good marketer. In a day when everyone is a vendor, it can feel like the only reason anyone exists online is to sell something.

You’re different.

Sure, you’re selling your services and/or products, but your sole purpose is not to separate people from their money. You are providing value. You use your skills, experience, etc., to improve the lives of those you come in contact with. (For that, you deserve to be compensated.)

What seems to be working in internet marketing is not as effective as you might think. “Squeeze pages” with miracle cures and pie-in-the-sky promises are so common because most marketers are just copying what they’ve seen others done. But hype-filled hardselling is not what’s working these days. Education is.

Like anything else in life, successful online marketing is largely dependent on your mindset. That being said, let’s briefly examine 5 myths that can sabotage your efforts if you buy into them.

1) Marketing = Manipulation

You may have heard the saying that “all marketers are liars.” That is not the case. Many individuals and businesses have abused their platforms to deceive customers and rip them off. But that is not what marketing is about.

Marketing is giving people reasons to buy or do something that will give them something they want but don’t have or get rid of a problem they have but don’t want. There may be a thousand solutions available. Marketing is demonstrating why yours is the best option.

2) “Build it and they will come”

There’s a reason the title of the movie was Field of Dreams. It would never happen in real life.

If you’ve spent any time at all online, you’ve noticed that it can be incredibly difficult to get noticed. There are literally billions of websites, services and products. Setting up shop on the internet is no guarantee that anyone will ever see you – no matter how awesome your website is.

You may build it and visitors never come. You need to drive traffic to that site by marketing. There are many methods to do this.

3) Quantity vs. Quality

Many teachers of internet marketing will tell you that it’s important to get as much material on the web to increase your visibility. More content on your site makes it more attractive to search engines. More articles on directories put your name in front of more potential clients.

While those statements are true, you should spend more time and energy producing high-quality content rather than focusing on sheer quantity. You want every article, blog post, podcast, whatever, to be so compelling that the reader/listener wants to know more about you. Being “everywhere” will not help if you are unremarkable.

Quality trumps quantity every day of the week.

4) Under-promise and Over-deliver

Never promise more than you can deliver, but why promise less?

Don’t be scared to make big claims, as long as you can back them up.

The idea of under-promising seems to make sense, but it will hurt you. People are searching for the best answers to their questions, the best solutions to their problems. If you promise less than what you can deliver, you’re not telling potential clients all the benefits they’ll receive from working with you. Again, being unremarkable is not helpful.

Over-delivery is great. Under-promising can be suicidal, especially these days, with so many sales messages begging for our attention. What can you say that will stand out?

Be all that you can be, and don’t downplay your greatness in your messaging.

5) Selling Without Selling

Most coaches don’t like “selling.” Believe me, I get it. If you fit that description, you may be interested in the increasingly common idea of “selling without selling.”

Here’s the fact: selling can’t be done without selling. But selling doesn’t have to come out of the used car salesman guidebook. In fact, you should never sell or market in that stereotypical way.

When I’m talking about selling, I’m speaking of the ability to make your offering attractive. That doesn’t require high-pressure tactics, deception, or any kind of sneakiness.

If you tell a prospect all the ways past clients came enjoy their lives better after hiring you, you’re selling, even though it doesn’t feel like it.

When you tell stories that engage, instruct and entertain, you’re selling!

The issue is not how to sell without selling. It’s getting beyond sales tricks and becoming a master attractor. You can sell without being obnoxious. That’s the key.

When your honest intentions are to lead others into success in life and business, and you have the know-how and tools to help them do it, you’ve got the perfect foundation to build a great internet marketing base for your coaching practice.

Read Part 3 of this series>>

Get a free copy of the special report “4 Trends that Will Challenge Ability of Coaches to Sustain and Grow Their Practices in 2012.”