If you’ve been struggling to meet your income goals, despite a ton of marketing, or if you’ve been overwhelmed by all the moving parts and pieces to getting your business on line and it’s affecting your cash flow – then today’s episode of Living Forward TV is for you.
Are You Undercharging Without Realizing It?
Pricing.
It’s the Achilles Heel of just about every entrepreneur. Just about every entrepreneur I talk to and work with, always needs to raise their fees by at least 50%. Yes, 50%!
BUT, your actual prices are only one way that undercharging shows up. It’s certainly the most obvious, but did you know that there are many different ways that undercharging shows up, without the entrepreneur even realizing it?
Your pricing is a reflection of what you believe. And most entrepreneurs allow their fears to guide their pricing. And those same fears are what drive very specific behaviours that can result in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars!
YIKES!
I don’t want that for you. In today’s episode I dive into what I’ve noticed are the 5 sneaky ways undercharging shows up, and our freebie today is one you’ll want to grab – it’s designed to help you close the gap, and make more money!
LFTV on Location in Belize
This week I’m really excited to bring you a VERY special episode of Living Forward TV.
Last month, my husband and I spent a week at an AH-Mazing private island in Belize. The first 4 days were for a retreat with my own mentor, and then we added a couple of extra days of R&R at the end of it.
While I was there and reflecting on a few things, I was inspired to record a video. I originally recorded it for my closed Facebook Community. And as the message is so important, we decided to make it a full episode of Living Forward TV.
If you’re struggling to get your clients to say “Yes” to you, and find yourself not charging what you want to charge, or fearing that people won’t pay what you know your service is truly worth, then you’ll want to watch! It’s definitely a bit of tough love and I know some may not be comfortable with what I’m saying, however I’m COMMITTED to your success, and that means no holding back.
And if you find that YOU are the one who is uncomfortable, accept this video in the spirit of love it is given. And know, that what triggers us most, is usually exactly where we need to go to grow. And if this message gets to the heart of what’s holding you back, then it’s served you.
Why You Should Have a Tight Refund Policy
Last week, we opened up the topic of refunds!
Whether you sell products or services, helping the customer through their questions and any uncertainty BEFORE sale will drastically reduce, and at times even eliminate, refund requests all together.
But what happens when despite the best intentions and efforts, a customer STILL requests a refund after you’ve started working together?
This is when you need to stick to your policy, no matter what it is. And in today’s episode I dive into my thoughts on refund policies, and why while I do have a refund policy in place, I rarely ever give refunds, and why I feel you also need to have a VERY tight refund policy, especially when it comes to delivering your time and intellectual property.
Would You Like to Minimize or Avoid Refunds?
It’s Usually A Sales Issue, Not a Refund Issue
I don’t think anybody likes to talk about refunds, and what they really don’t want to do is to GIVE refunds.
After all, a service is not like a piece of merchandise that the client can return and that you can resell. When you provide a service that involves expenses, your time, and your intellectual property, once it’s been delivered to the client, it’s not something you can EVER get back.
That’s why in today’s episode of Living Forward TV (the first in a two part series), we’re diving deep and looking at all things refunds, and how to avoid them.
Most of the time, a potential client will reveal during the sales process if they’ll be wanting a refund. And that’s why avoiding potential refunds always starts before the sale!
How To Get The Results You Want, Every Time
I Tossed My Budget Out the Window and You Should Too
I know that probably sounds crazy, and you may be wondering if I lost my mind! But let’s be honest, most entrepreneurs don’t budget, and the ones that do, hardly even pay attention to their budgets.
So why have a system in place that you don’t use? That just makes you feel bad, and unsuccessful, and like you’re not in control of your money.
And the truth is, I honestly believe that budgets keep you broke, by keeping you small. That’s because budgets start out with what you want to spend, NOT what you want to create.
That’s why we never use a budget in our companies.
We don’t want to limit our results, or activities. Our philosophy is to do what it takes to meet our goals, without being restrained.
But we also don’t want to be reckless. And neither should you. That’s why in today’s episode I teach you how to create the exact results you want, without restriction and without putting yourself in financial jeopardy.
How to Get Testimonials When You’re New in Business
The Budding Entrepreneur’s “Catch-22”
Do you remember when you were fresh out of school, trying to get your first job? And you found yourself having trouble getting a job without experience, and you couldn’t get experience without a job?
As entrepreneurs we have our own version of this seeming “Catch – 22” – when potential clients want to see testimonials before they move forward, but if you’re new in business or launching something new, you need clients to experience working with you in order to GIVE you testimonials.
Last week on Living Forward TV, we dove into the emotional aspects of why entrepreneurs offer to work for free to get testimonials. And today, we’re looking at the practical side of this. Because it does come up where a client wants some kind of referral and you don’t have any client case studies
I’m going to help you make this perceived challenge a non-issue all together.
Don’t Work For Free Just To Get a Testimonial
Have you ever found yourself considering working for free to get a few testimonials under your belt?
Or maybe you’ve already done it.
Or maybe you know someone who has.
This is a struggle that so many entrepreneurs go through if they’re launching something new, or if they themselves are new. It’s actually pretty common to see this happen.
But, the real question is – WHY? What’s the REAL reason entrepreneurs offer to work for free?
And what do you do when you really need a testimonial, but have no client case studies?
Today’s episode of Living Forward is the first in a 2 part series all about the concept of working for free in exchange for testimonials. We dive into the emotional aspects, and examine what’s really going on, and why when you offer to work for free, instead of building your confidence, you actually strip it away.
What To Do When Client Feedback Stings
I think one of the MOST disappointing things entrepreneurs experience is negative client feedback.
Now I’m not speaking about feedback that’s unfair. Or feedback by someone who’s hard to please. Or feedback by someone who doesn’t want do their part and blames you.
Heck, who hasn’t dealt with a client from hell in their time?
But rather I’m talking about feedback that stings.
- Feedback from someone you wanted to please.
- Feedback when you thought you did an excellent job.
- Feedback that you worry may have some truth in it.
What do you do then?
Hiring Help When You Can’t Afford It
Hiring Help When You Can’t Afford It
Do you find that you are at the point in your business that there is just so much to do, and only you to do it? So much so that you wonder how you will ever have the time to actually serve your clients.
Yet as much as you need and would love to just delegate all of it, you don’t yet have the cash flow to bring on team members.
And at the same time you know that if you don’t bring them on, you will never have the time to generate the cash flow.
So what do you do?