By Michael Port

In the early part of this decade I offered a weekly teleconference for big thinkers called The Think Big Revolution. It was big.

Well, it’s back… and bigger then ever.

This time, it’s via video and/or tele-conference. It’s still free. Always will be. No one owns big ideas. I don’t have anything to sell expect the idea that…

You can think bigger about who you are and what you offer the world.

Each week I will bring a relevant and inspirational topic… sometimes about doing big things in business, sometimes about eradicating small thoughts from your brain and sometimes about something else entirely.

You’ll be able to ask questions, offer opinions and inspire others to think big about who they are and what they offer the world.

The meeting used to be on Mondays. It’s now on Tuesdays at 12pm ET. Why? Because I’m often on a plane on Mondays returning from speaking gigs.

No sign up required.

Just go to this page every Tuesday at 12pm ET.

(Here’s the url: http://www.thinkbigrevolution.com/page/weekly-think-big-meeting)

You can also always get there by going to www.ThinkBigRevolution.com and clicking on “Think Big Weekly Meeting.”

Bookmark this page now and add a recurring event to your calendar.

If you’re a member of The Think Big Revolution you’ll get an email on Mondays outlining the topic for the week. If not, you can just show up. If you want to be a member of the Revolution, you can do that too. Simple.

This Tuesday’s meeting will be on…

The Secret Behind Thinking Big and Getting Things Done!

See you on Tuesday. I love you very much (and not in a weird way) but for being the big thinker that you are.

Think big (no bigger than that)…

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By Michael Port

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By Michael Port

Seth rants against the deliberately uninformed. And I quote…

Many people in the United States purchase one or fewer books every year.

Many of those people have seen every single episode of American Idol. There is clearly a correlation here.

Access to knowledge, for the first time in history, is largely unimpeded for the middle class. Without effort or expense, it’s possible to become informed if you choose. For less than your cable TV bill, you can buy and read an important book every week. Share the buying with six friends and it costs far less than coffee.

Or you can watch TV.

The thing is, watching TV has its benefits. It excuses you from the responsibility of having an informed opinion about things that matter. It gives you shallow opinions or false ‘facts’ that you can easily parrot to others that watch what you watch. It rarely unsettles our carefully self-induced calm and isolation from the world.

I got a note from someone the other day, in which she made it clear that she doesn’t read non-fiction books or blogs related to her industry. And she seemed proud of this. There’s more.

I agree with Seth. The future belongs to the learner and readers are leaders. However, among the educated class, I see another problem. Too much learning and not enough doing. Just one more conference and then I’ll take action. Just one more coaching program and then I’ll be ready. Just one more book and then I’ll know what to do.

If you want to do big things in the in the world, your learning should be coupled with action. What you learn today you can put into action tomorrow so you get real-time, real-world feedback. Then, what you know, becomes field tested. That’s when knowledge becomes powerful.

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By Michael Port

Trying to promote more than one product or service at a time can be very difficult, if not downright maddening.

Generally, I suggest focusing on selling one product or service at a time. This is how you do it successfully:

1. Choose which of the Book Yourself Solid 7 Core Self-Promotion Strategies you’re going to use to create awareness for the service you offer and then execute them daily.
2. When promoting yourself, instead of trying to sell, invite potential clients to your always-have-something-to-invite-people-to offer so that you can begin to build trust and earn credibility.
3. Over time, make sales offers that are proportionate to the amount of trust that you’ve earned.
4. Potential clients will raise their hands and ask to have the sales conversations with you. Using the 4-part Book Yourself Solid Simple Sales System, you’ll have successful sales conversations and you’ll book the business. (AKA: do the Book Yourself Solid happy dance.)

As your business develops, and your slate of product and service offerings grows, you can make multiple offers at the same time.

It’s tricky, though, because, as psychologists will tell you, more is often less. Offer too many options and the buyer gets overwhelmed and, as a result, can’t make a choice. So, how do you promote more than one thing at a time?

By segmenting your base of potential clients according to:

• Their needs.
• The amount of trust you’ve earned with them.

Of course, it’s hard to know the exact need of every potential client (unless they tell you). And, it’s also difficult to know exactly how much they trust you (even if they tell you).

To help segment potential clients by their needs make sure you set up multiple “lists” in your contact management database so that you can communicate with people based on their needs. You can also set up various lists or groups of potential buyers by how long they’ve been getting your marketing messages and how many times they’ve responded to your communication by clicking on links, sharing your messages, etc.

Make sure your offers serve different needs at different stages of your sales cycle.

To my mind, it doesn’t make much sense to offer four products or services at the same price point with same delivery system and similar content to the same group of people.

Each subsequent offer should serve a different population of potential clients and also create an opportunity for people to move from one offer to another. For example, I offer four different group-coaching programs (and three of them are starting within weeks of each other!) Note the price points and the dates.

1. Book Yourself Solid 2-Day Webinar ($99) (next one is months away so I don’t have to worry about it yet)
2. Book Yourself Solid 7-Week Get-It-Done Daily Marketing Accountability Program ($299) (starts Nov. 1. Early Bird Deadline is Oct. 22)
3. 2-day workshops at my house for 8 people only ($1999) (Dec. 2-3 and Jan. 27-28)
4. Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach Program ($4995) (Nov. 10-Dec. 3)

Each offer must to be compelling to different potential clients at different stages of the sales cycle.

The Book Yourself Solid 2-Day Webinar is compelling to new readers of Book Yourself Solid or first time clients. It helps that the price is super low and the time commitment is minimal.

The Book Yourself Solid 7-Week Get-It-Done Daily Marketing Accountability Program is compelling to people who believe in the Book Yourself Solid system and want daily accountability and focused attention to get their marketing done. Again, very low price-point.

The 2-day workshops at my house for a small group of only eight people is compelling to people who want more personal attention from me because in 2 days, at my house, I can design an entire business model for them. Price goes up but time commitment is minimal for big return on investment.

The Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach Program is obviously for people that feel a deep connection to the Book Yourself Solid system and want to start their own Booked Solid business or add Book Yourself Solid coaching to their current business. Price is higher than other offers but, I might add, still very low for a lifetime license to coach the Book Yourself Solid System.

If you make, or are planning to make, a number of offers at the same time, I suggest that you:

1. Start a marketing calendar now and plan out the next 12-months of promotion for your various services. It’ll take a little work up front but it’ll be much easer (and more effective) down the road.
2. Segment your potential clients according to their needs.
3. Segment your potential clients according to the amount of trust you have earned.

Or, just keep it simple and make one great, scalable, profitable and remarkable offer.

Think big,

mp

Michael Port
NY Times Bestselling Author of 4 books.

P.S. I don’t charge extra for typos. They’re just my gift to you.

Questions? Call 877-279-5220 or email questions@michaelport.com.

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By Michael Port

There may be two simple reasons why you don’t have as many clients as you’d like:

1. Either you don’t know what to do to attract and secure more clients; or
2. You know what to do but you’re not actually doing it.

For most people, #2 is the big problem.

New method offers solution.

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By Michael Feeley

This is a guest post by Michael Feeley.

I first began reading Book Yourself Solid and doing the exercises in November of 2009. It revolutionized  the way I see clients and do business. Now I only work with the clients I want to. Here are the words that made the difference –  “Why have clients, or anyone for that matter, in your life who zap your energy and leave you feeling empty…If you are working with people with whom you do not do your best work, you are out of integrity.” (Book Yourself Solid pp. 5 – 6)

For me – nothing is more important than your own personal integrity.

On June 2, 2010 I received an email newsletter from Michael Port –  “The Book Yourself Solid List of 20″! It was brilliant! I sent it to lots of other people and began to draw up my own list to develop a new professional working relationships; people who eventually would know what I do –  see the value of what I have to offer  – and refer clients to me. I took and created every opportunity I could in media and business and did it with sincerity. Being authentic is key as well as giving top level customer service. I sent e-mails, left voice mails, wrote letters to my top 20 and kept it on a rotating basis just as Michael suggested…one each day, move them to the bottom of the list and start at the top the next day. The list is right on my desk. It is an excellent and very satisfying process and the results are moving and so profitable. I  made some great new relationships with people that I just treasure and feel tremendously grateful to.

One huge success is this – on August 26, a story about me and my career as a Professional Life Coach was published in two (2) Long Island, NY newspapers – The Suffolk Times and The Riverhead Review. The interview came out of my genuine desire to have other peoples know about the modality of life coaching; to give people hope in their lives, something positive when the newspapers and TV are reporting tough stuff on the economy, war, unemployment, debt… which can really bury and discourage you.

I built a relationship with the reporter that matters to me. I  researched her articles and truly wanted to know who she was and what mattered to her. I have been steady with my wish list and the process and the strategy work! Be creative – be honest – be patient and be ready for surprising results!

How did it happen? By following Michael Port’s advice and creating a BYS List of 20. I’m still shocked by the amazing success I’m having implementing Michael’s, Book Yourself Solid List of 20.

I have 20 + years of business experience to back this up and as far as I am concerned – Michael Port has written THE best book I have ever read on building your own business, developing your “ideal” clients, sales, and service. He is not only the authority but a Champion!

From beginning to end of Book Yourself Solid, I was completely engaged, challenged, motivated, stimulated, supported and educated about the process of selecting your ideal client; gaining their trust and building the kind of solid, profitable and successful business you have always dreamed about.

Michael Port’s book and weekly e-mails have had a powerful and good affect on my life and business. I love this process and thank him with unlimited gratitude for the value he offers all serious business people. You’ll also have fun!   As Michael always says, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be of service.” If you’d like to contact me you can do so via email or phone: 646 387 2280.

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By Michael Port

Price is what you pay; value is what you get.

What is the value, for example, of having the talent and skills to create a compelling web presence for a small business owner or maybe a training manual for a corporation?

Is it the length of time is takes for you to produce it, or the number of pages created, or, how about the number of images used?

The answer is… D, none of the above.

How long it takes you to write something, or design something, or think up an idea, or even the amount of time you spend with a client, is irrelevant. What (should) matter to the client is the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual return on investment your product or service offers.

When people ask me how they should price their offers I always suggest two things:

1. Offer services at various price points (low to high) so so you can make offers that are proportinoate to the amount of trust you’ve earned — so that clients can enter your sales cycle with ease.

And…

2. Think about the value you provide rather than just the stuff you sell.

Take these two offers that help you grow your business as an example.

1. We can either work together in a large group (over the phone and Internet) in the Book Yourself Solid Video Webinar Series for as little as $99.

Or…

2. We can work together in a very small group (at my house) focusing on any part of your business in my Personal Mentoring Program for $1999.

How do I describe the difference and value (AKA: benefits) so clients know which to choose?

As follows…

If you’re just starting out and are having trouble marketing your services, the webinar is for you because we focus on the fundamentals of building a marketing system for your business so you can get booked solid.

If you’ve been in business for a while and have hit a platou and are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, the small group workshop is for you because we focus on how to build a bigger, scalable, more leveraged, and profitable business that makes more money while you work less.

Focus on the solution and the benefits the solution provides.

You see in each description I focus on the problem that exists along with some of the benefits that each offer will produce. Not a laundry list. Just a key point or two.

I’ll also mention that, whether you choose the webinar or the workshop at my house, you’ll accomplish more in two days then you might have thought possible.

Offer incentives that encourage people to take action.

You can also create urgency through pricing incentives and time-limited, space-limited discounts. (As long as it’s all true.)

For example…

The video webinar series (recordings will be available) has an unlimited number of spots available but only 100 are offered at the discounted priced of $99. 84 of those spots are taken. Only 16 are left.

The workshop at my house, is only open to 8 people. 6 spots are taken. Only 2 are left.

Always, always, always make it easy for your potential clients to reach you.

Like this…

Call (877-279-5220) or write with any questions.

Simple.

Free options for those net yet ready.

And, finally, remember to give potential clients free options from which they can get value if they’re not ready to work with you. Like this…

Of course, you might not need the help. In that case, pass on your success to someone else by finding a way to pay it forward. In the meantime, you can still get value from reading some of my recent blog posts:

The Difference Between Target Market and Niche
Newspapers are a Joke But They Can Teach You Marketing
The Booked Solid Video Marketing Strategy

That’s all for today. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be of service to you.

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By Michael Port

It’s important to understand the difference between your target market and your niche. And, yes, there is a difference. Which is exactly my point.

You may have heard both of these terms before, and you may have heard them used interchangeably. However, in the Book Yourself Solid system, they are not synonymous.

There’s an important distinction between the two:

• Your target market is the group of people you serve.
• Your niche is the service you specialize in offering to your target market.

For example, you and I may both serve the same target market, say, service professionals, but offer them different services. I might specialize in getting clients and you might help them create systems for their business.

A simple but important distinction, nonetheless. What do you think?

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By Michael Port

Most marketing educators offer instruction on how to execute marketing tactics. This is fine, of course. But it’s not enough. In fact, it may be too much. Too much marketing that is. Think about it. For business owners like you and me, here’s how the client generating process works:

1. You execute a few of the 7 Core Self-Promotion strategies, which create awareness for what you have to offer.
2. When a potential client becomes aware of your services they’ll take a look at your foundation. If it looks secure, if they feel comfortable stepping onto it, they’ll give you the opportunity to earn their trust–but only the opportunity. They’re not necessarily going to hire you right then and there. They need some time before they will actually trust you.
3. That’s when your plan to build trust and credibility comes into play. As a potential client moves through your sales cycle, they will come  to like you, trust you and find you credible.
4. When their circumstances dictate that they need the kind of help you provide, they’ll raise their hand and ask you to have a sales conversation. You have a sales conversation and book the business.

The process is simple. The process is sound. It can turn your business life around. And, most importantly, the process is a complete, repetitive, and self-perpetuating system. It’s what I’m going to teach you in the $99, two-day Book Yourself Solid video webinar program.

Notice how there isn’t actually that much marketing in the system? Instead, most of your efforts are spent on engagement.

I believe that if you have something to say, if you have a message to deliver, and if there are people you want to serve, then there are people in this world whom you are meant to serve. Not kinda, sorta, because they’re in your target market… but meant to – that’s the way the universe is set up if you’re in the business of serving others.

If you don’t understand this now, you will when you enroll in the video webinar program.

Marketing and sales aren’t about trying to convince, coerce, or manipulate people into buying your services. It’s about putting yourself out in front of, and offering your services to, those whom you are meant to serve – people who already need and are looking for your services.

In the 2-day Book Yourself Solid Webinar….

• We’ll begin by building a foundation for your service business that is unshakable. If you are truly serious about becoming a super-successful  service professional, you must have a steadfast foundation on which to stand.

• You will then be ready to create and implement a strategy for building trust and credibility. You’ll be considered a credible expert in your field and you’ll start to earn the trust of the people you’d like to serve.

• You’ll price your offerings in the sweet spot of the customer’s desires and you’ll know how to have sales conversations of the highest integrity that work.

• Then, and only then, will you execute the seven core self-promotion strategies, thereby creating awareness for the valuable services you offer by using promotional strategies that are based on your talents–strategies that feel authentic and honest.

To help you design a service business overflowing with clients who inspire and energize you, during the video webinar, I’ll give you exercises and action steps that will support you in thinking bigger about your business. Step-by-step I walk you through the actions you need to complete on the path to serving as many clients as your heart desires.

Click here to learn more.

Let me know if you have any questions, ok? Email: questions@michaelport.com. Phone: 877-279-5220.

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By Michael Port

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don’t really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn’t mind running the country — if they could find the time — and if they didn’t have to leave Southern California to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a poor job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren’t too sure who’s running the country and don’t really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don’t care who is running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren’t sure if there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country, or galaxy.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
12. The Minneapolis Star Tribune is read by people who have recently caught a walleye ice fishing and need something in which to wrap it.

Think about it. Each paper speaks to the world view of a particular “group” of people. If you are part of the group that reads that Wall Street Journal and you see someone else reading The Journal you feel connected to them. You are part of the same group, or as Seth Godin would say, tribe.

This is the job of the marketer – to make you feel like you’re part of something, that your world view is right and is shared by others who are also right.

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