Resources, Tools, & Mindsets to Integrate Your Purpose With Your Prosperity
"I am a mouth for a process that many of us are going though. The more intimately I deal with how it is for me, the more intimately I am sharing how it is for you." -Ram Dass
Some have asked about my updates. The are sexual/primal. And then emotive [poetry shares] and then cognitive/political and then spiritual/ethereal/transcendent. Huh. Yeah. Weird, huh?
What's up with this guy? Where is The.McClain comin' from?
As I have written before, it is not transcend and deny, it is not transcend and suppress. Rather transcend and *include*.
I assert being fully alive is to be sexual and primal. To be emotive and love. To be cognitive and mentally sharp and discerning AND yes, of course to be Spiritual/transcendent/ethereal. ALL of it. ALL fully flowing ::: ALL channels open. All channels awake. All channels channeling.
I have created a new blog category for you called "semi-weekly tips" and it will be just that.
We'll cover topics ranging from self-esteem to email marketing. From best practices in business to practices for maintaining a healthy ego.
They will be 2-minute vignettes. We will release one approximately every 10 days.
They are not meant to be exhaustive or thorough lessons, but rather just a quick hit or some insight, and for some of you, simply reminders of the best of what you may have forgotten, but would love to be reminded of.
These are primarily created with coaches and holistic practitioners in mind, however, if you are in business for yourself, or if you are an independent commission-based employee, you will also be able to benefit from them.
...
Register for the ultimate on-line course for coaches and practitioners here.
Update for the next (and final) call in this series:
Monday, March 12th, 2012 @ 7:30pm Pacific
Talks and Technology ::: How "Free" Leads to Money And Fulfillment
It is no secret you need to give away content in today's marketplace.
Not just because people need to be able to get a deeper sense of you and your approach to life, work, and the services you provide, but also as a result of the amount and degree of choice in the marketplace. They need to understand and "get" at a deeper level the difference between you and the other service providers out there.
It is your opportunity to distinguish yourself from others, demonstrate competence, and also provide value to those who may or may not be able to afford you.
In the times we face today, it has never been more challenging or more urgent that we integrate our purpose and our spiritual sensibilities with our wealth acquisition strategies.
And ... it is tough. We've all faced some degree of the belief that our spirit and our wealth is in conflict. Sadly, in the last few years, this has come into even higher relief; even greater contrast.
Not only can we integrate our purpose and our prosperity, but we must.
In this evening introduction, we will cover:
What else will we cover?
RSVP Required. See below for details.
In the times we face today, it has never been more challenging or more urgent that we integrate our purpose and our spiritual sensibilities with our wealth acquisition strategies.
And ... it is tough. We've all faced some degree of the belief that our spirit and our wealth is in conflict. Sadly, in the last few years, this has come into even higher relief; even greater contrast.
Not only can we integrate our purpose and our prosperity, but we must.
In this evening introduction, we will over:
What else will we cover?
...
For many, many months, I have re-posted this note on my facebook wall. Given the positive feedback I have recieved, I thought I would post i there for your benefit.
--
"I am a mouth for a process that many of us are going though. The more intimately I deal with how it is for me, the more intimately I am sharing how it is for you." -Ram Dass
...
RSVP Required. See below for details.
Right now is the time for the Evolutionary Professional™. The emergent agent of change integrating purpose and wealth; doing well as a result of doing good-- integrating universal spiritual principles and free market economics. I understand that the more of you I empowers to be successful, and have a full-time practice that is thriving, the better off the world will be.
"I doubled my business in the first two months of the program [Coaching the Life Coach] by Jason McClain!" -Boston Blake
...
A student of my material sent an email with some very good questions for client management including how to handle contract extensions, referrals, testimonials and general end-of-contract dynamics and structures.
I have re-posted relevant portions of the email exchange below for you.
I've listened to your recordings from previous coaching programs and have found them to be insanely valuable. I've signed 8 clients and raised my rates already in the first few months of the program, and I attribute it to following your sales process to a "T".
A HUGE thank you.
...
Thoughts + Action + Will = Your Dream/Vision Becoming a Reality
'
There is much discussion about what it takes to be successful—and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. What it takes to succeed at owning your own business. Or stated differently, what it takes to “manifest” your vision in the world.
...
[update: listen to this call below. Register for the remaining call in the series here
]
Take a moment to consider ...
What if you could count on a prospective client signing an extended package with you when you see them in person? When I say, "count on" I mean with 90% certainty?
As a holistic practitioner, you are sensitive to dynamics that do not feel right and you truly want to be of service to your prospective clients. You want to make sure they never feel pressured.
And they never should feel that--they do not to.
Discover how to have the best of all worlds ::: how to serve your potential client fully; how to convert more prospective clients into clients, and ultimately ... friends.
And do it by having a sales system that is in service of the actualization of the life they have always dreamed of ... and deserve.
Discover how on this tele-seminar. Details about the series here and registration here.
Update: The audio for this call is now avaialble here:
[The next call in the series is Monday, October 18th. See details for registration at the bottom of this post and details on the entire series HERE.]
It is no secret that a primary component of building a 6-figure practice is to offer prospective clients a comprehensive package and path to step into.
Not only does having a comprehensive offering allow you to guide a client to more sustainable and stable change that takes hold--change that actually sticks--serving them more comprehensively--it also allows you, as the practitioner, to relax into serving them--allowing you to focus all of your energies on the clients outcomes--rather than concern for whether they will be back next week--or not.
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must incorporate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
Not just the “how” but “how specifically”.
In this free evening discover:
This from a former student :::
...
Are you tired of tinkering around with your "holistic hobby"? Your first step to turning your practice into a viable and sustainable business is to register for this series of free tele-seminars.
You must register to be on the call (s). You only need to register once. You will then have a spot on all four calls.
of the 3 Components to Build and Maintain a 6-figure Practice.---
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must integrate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
Not just the “how” but “how specifically”.
...
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must incorporate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
Not just the “how” but “how specifically”.
In this free evening discover:
This from a former student :::
...
Are you tired of tinkering around with your "holistic hobby"? Your first step to turning your practice into a viable and sustainable business is to register for this series of free teleseminars.
You must register to be on the call (s):
of the 3 components to build and maintain a 6-figure practice.---
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must incorporate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
...
.
The audio for this call is now available below [click play] :::
...
UPDATE ::: You can now hear the call by clicking play below. You can also see the links mentioned in the call here:
.
And if you are interested in the course we are about to release, sign up to be notified HERE.
...
UPDATE ::: This call is over. The audio from the call is now available here:
---
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must incorporate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
Not just the “how” but “how specifically”.
...
One of the main challenges that small business people face—particularly solo practitioners or “solo-preneurs” in general--is the problem and the art of motivating oneself.
You are your own boss. If you have employees, then the game may be a little different for you as you have people depending on you. However, if it is just you, there are often no external forces telling you that you must do any particular “thing”. There are certainly exceptions to this—client deliverables, purchases that have been made, the general inertia of your business pulling you along at some point, but really, especially at first, it is an uphill battle for many on their own.
There are so many aspects to this problem of motivation that some never figure it out—or worse, they find solutions that compound the problem in the long-term because the “solutions” are ill-suited approaches. Ill-suited to them as individuals.
To really add fuel to the fire [or baking soda to the lack thereof] we have distractions, overwhelm, time management, prioritization, and the list goes on, and on, and on.
What works for one person in terms of motivation may or may not—and often does not—work for another. So it is with time management, goals, and the like. There is no one-size-fits-all or even a one-size-fits-most solution. Particularly for those who are more sensitive both emotionally and kinesthetically/energetically, many of the “take massive action” or “get present to the consequences if you do not” approaches create more internal dissonance, and if the tasks or milestones the individual is accountable for are not accomplished, this can lead to a build-up of that same internal dissonance, or worse, feelings of guilt or worse still, even shame, and with the principle of compound interest on the “debt” you have with yourself…well, we can see where it may and often does lead: overwhelm rather than accomplishment.
...
Part 1 can be found HERE. Part 3 Can be found HERE.
Part II ::: Action
We covered the first variable in your equation for success ::: thoughts. And the third ::: Will.
...
There are only a few components successful coaches and practitioners must incorporate into their practice to turn it into a business. At the same time, you can be “doing” these things, and still be unsuccessful unless you have the necessary techniques and ethical tactics incorporated into the components.
Not just the “how” but “how specifically”.
In this free evening talk discover:
This from a former student :::
...
Part 1 can be found HERE. Part 2 can be found HERE.
The final variable in your personal equation for success is Will. The Will To Carry It Through.
Even if your thoughts are aligned, your actions directed appropriately, and all other factors are in alignment and in support of your desired outcomes, if you lack the will to carry it through you will fail. AND you will fail in the worst way—as a result of your lack of will; something entirely under your control and an aspect of your very own making.
...
Sustainability of Change for Your Clients | Financial Sustainability for You
"The most striking feature of the perennial philosophy/psychology is that it presents being and consciousness as a holarchy of dimensional levels, moving from the lowest, densest, and most fragmentary realms to the highest, subtlest, and most unitary ones." --Ken Wilber
I am happy to share that with you.
Sustainability of Change for Your Clients | Financial Sustainability for You
It is no secret that a primary component of building a 6-figure practice is to offer prospective clients a comprehensive package and path to step into.
Not only does it allow you to guide a client to more sustainable and stable change that takes hold--change that actually sticks--serving them more comprehensively--it also allows you, as the practitioner, to relax into serving them--allowing you to focus all of your energies on the clients outcomes--rather than concern for whether they will be back next week--or not.
That's all well and good...but :::
Often people ask me what separates a “Practitioner” from a “Master Practitioner”. Or what separates a “good” practitioner, from a “great” practitioner from an “extraordinary” practitioner. It is a good question, and one deserving of answers.
From a technical standpoint as well as a practical standpoint, there are several criteria that filter these levels, and the piece of paper upon which their certification is printed is usually not one of them.
The simple answer first ::: what separates a Practitioner from a Master Practitioner?
From a technical standpoint, a "practitioner" is effective at the lower logical levels; they can assist a client in changing behaviors, be they addictive behaviors, habits, or context or situational reactions. They can also assist a client in changing or expanding their skills and capabilities. Whether it be to speak more effectively, or creating accelerated learning strategies, or modeling some physical, athletic, or communication based set of “skills” or capabilities or capacities.
They are likely still working to integrate their work themselves–still learning to walk their talk, but they are effective at working “on” a client. They can often point to how “others who are effective at XYZ do it” as a model.
"When people are free to act, they will always act in a way that they believe will maximize their utility, i.e., will raise them to the highest possible position on their value scale. Their utility ex ante will be maximized, provided we take care to interpret “utility” in an ordinal rather than a cardinal manner. Any action, any exchange that takes place on the free market or more broadly in the free society, occurs because of the expected benefit to each party concerned.” –Murray N. Rothbard, Power and Market
"We must not be afraid to be free."--Justice Black
Human beings have an inexhaustible spirit. Through wars, pestilence, oppression, disasters, genocide and personal tragedy, human beings continue to express creativity and ingenuity to the very degree that they are allowed the liberties to do so. It is an unquenchable and inexhaustible Spirit. It is the best—the Divine—within each of us that makes it so. And while at times, we have varying degrees of access to the divine within us, and sometimes the light is dim and flickers, the fact remains that there is a god or goddess in all of us waiting to come out and play.
What if we could integrate our work and our play? Our spirit and our finances? Our economics and our purpose? Our job and our internal worship? The mundane and the divine? My assertion is that not only is this possible...it is necessary...for the conscious evolution of the planet and for our survival and thrival as a species ::: not to mention our personal happiness.
...
{readmore}
One of the CLC3 Apprentices recently asked me a very important question.
He asked about the problem of becoming attached to the outcomes of the client--in other words, “what happens if they do not achieve them? What happens if they do not hold up their end of the bargain [doing homework, reading, etc.], and what does that mean about us? How do I avoid this problem—and the discomfort of it all”.
“And what happens if--even worse, they have already paid in advance in full and it becomes clear they are not keeping up with the milestones that are necessary as sign-posts on the way to their destination we call 'goals' or 'outcomes'? What do we do?”
This is an important question and it has a several-part answer. It is important because it comes up for most coaches and practitioners; at some point you really, really want XYZ for the client. Yes, they must be outcomes the client wants [not outcomes you see they "need" but they do not resonate with] but even still, with their outcomes we get emotionally engaged--we care--and we want them to have XYZ really badly.
Part of the challenge is that we are not responsible for the lives of our clients--we can't be. They would get less out of the process if we were; at best, we would actually be inhibiting their growth if we take on that responsibility. They might blame us; they would take less responsibility for creating the life they want and deserve. It could become the coaches "fault" or for some, the coaching [or whatever you call the process] will be just another thing that did not work for them, etc.
And we created that with our attachment.
So the first part of the answer is to make clear to the client--practically--that we are not responsible for their life; that they are. How do we do this? We write it directly into the client-coach agreement that they "are responsible for the results of their life, business, relationship", etc. And given how some people can be when they are making large life-altering decisions, we review the agreement and then we further clarify and have them initial each paragraph while reviewing it with them to make sure we have done our due diligence as a practitioner in making sure they understand the nature of the relationship is one of trusted adviser--nothing more—and that they understand the agreement in full.
That is the practical aspect.
What about the interpersonal aspect? The actual coaching dynamic? Because you see, to complicate matters if you seem attached [that is you start become emotionally attached to their outcomes, you may engage them in a way that has them polarize, dig in, and resist you--and they start to resist you in ways that will not serve the process overall.
Or worse...
Or worse--they do not do their "homework"--whatever that may be or represent--and they are scared to tell you. In the worse cases they may simply go missing in action. Or they become dishonest.
This is simply another reason I am not a "coach" I am a "Guide" and that approach is something I am careful to embody in every interaction--they do not do their "homework" I communicate to them--with a compassionate smile and a shrug--that I want them to get their outcomes. That I care; and I may even ask them how they best want to be supported. How they want to be held accountable--and I have them design the dynamic.
I have found this softer approach--with nothing for them to resist or push back against--is far more effective than any hard-nosed techniques by far.
Finally [and at times most importantly] is our own development as we, as practitioners, continue our path: who we are is not the results we assist clients in achieving [both positive, amazing over-the-top goals as well as "failures". Who we are is not that.
Those are the results we assist them in producing, to be sure, and we are professionally responsible for that, but who we are is that which is experiencing it all. Who we are is that Witness; that locus of awareness. And as we come from that place, we will be even more effective, they will feel more freedom to expand and grow within that gentle, ever-present embrace. From that place, where universal beauty unfolds, we are reminded why we do what we do--for that expansion. And within that expansion a better, more joyous, more beautiful world awaits us all.
Why NOT to Use "Hypnotic Sales" Techniques :::
Often I get asked to teach someone "hypnotic sales" or some variation; anchoring, state association, etc. The idea is that if you associate someone into a positive state, then anchor yourself to that for them, this will be an effective sales technique--even if it has nearly nothing to do with your offering or the functional fit between your prospective client, and their needs with your services.
There are other ideas and approaches about this, but I am going to give just that one example. They are all of that flavor.
These techniques are thought to be very powerful, and some of the most effective techniques available. Which is partly true. They may be in the very short-term sense. They are also a nightmare strategically, in the long-term sense. Not only do I advise against it, I categorically consider them unethical in most situations.
If a prospective client cannot remember how they arrived at the decision to work with you [and as a good measure, if you can not easily remind them in writing over an email] then you are going to have blowback at some point in the future.
...
Every successful business person is a marketer and a salesperson first. If you want to be successful, you should consider that as your primary organizing principle. If you want to thrive, rather than just survive, then your primary focus needs to be on generating business and leads—and then opening those relationships.
One of the biggest mistakes a small businessperson can make is not being able to track their marketing dollars. That ad you placed—did it get any response or not? How do you know? That yellow page placement-is it increasing your business traffic? How do you know? Are your dollars well placed with the print advertising, TV spots, radio, or other form? How can you know? Did it even pay for itself? The key words you purchased on google or yahoo search—are they effective? Are they garnering traffic?
That person you are paying 10$ an hour to stand on a street corner and pass out fliers—are they even asking any questions, or just silently trying to thrust the paper into people’s hands to get rid of the fliers--bacause, you know, you pay them for how many they pass out, not how many leads you get from it.
What are you paying per lead generated with these methods? How do you track the efficacy of your advertisement and marketing and therefore make informed choices as to whether or not your dollars are well placed?
There are several ways:
...
One of the challenges I see so many coaches and solopreneurs struggle with is what they should charge for their services. Most do not know what they should charge. Many charge what they think they can get. Some charge whatever the next coach or practitioner charges. That is--"the going rate". Many charge what they would be willing to pay themselves. Most charge less than they are worth--while improving the lives of others dramatically.
But why? And what are the solutions to this travesty of value?
There are three primary reasons:
How the heck do you determine or set your rate?
What are your services and/or your offering actually worth?
...
Who or What do You Worship? The purpose of this writing is to lay out different “gods” or objects of worship as an outgrowth and/or expression of the mimetic stage [meme codes within values spheres] of individuals and groups using a rough sketch of the Spiral Dynamics model.
Be forewarned ::: this is serious personal evolution geek stuff.
I am also going to make the unusual move of saying the very premise of what I am about to lay out is inaccurate. That’s right. I am beginning by saying I am wrong in my assertion that there is an individual relationship between mimetic stage and what one “worships”. Why? Because we experience / interpret through and emotionally react from our stage of development—and an individual can therefore have an experience of a particular spirituality or spiritual expression that is the same religion and same “god” as another at a radically different stage and therefore experience it differently. However, I have noticed cultural clumps that gives us enough evidence to make these generalizations below for the purpose of engaging in this thought experiment. To understand some of what I will say in this writing, one must have an at least basic grasp of the Spiral Dynamics model. There are two summaries attached for your downloading HERE
and HERE. Source ::: LINK. Review those before reading further.
My favorite way of representing Spiral Dynamics comes from Dr. Claire Graves himself: The memes are “degrees of activation of the nervous system”. These are not types of people but rather ways of thinking that are holarchically emergent within people. Having established all of the above as our foundation...
The status of the world today is precarious.
...
Mistake #4: Having Only 1 Stream of Prospects
Mistake #5: Failure to leverage contact points and the opportunity they hold
Mistake #6: Considering Your Service a Commodity
Mistake #7: (Did I say 6?) I guess there is at least one more mistake:
"Healing" that which you need to resolve in your self and in your own life by healing others
It is amazing how many coaches, solopreneurs, massage therapists, lawyers, etc. are competent at what they do--yet suffer financially. They are doing good, but they are not doing well--that is, they are struggling financially, mentally, and emotionally.
There are reasons for this. I have identified the top 6 reasons--and their solutions-that I have found in my experience in my own business as well as observing those who still have a "practice".
The first 3 are presented to you below. The next three will be in Part 2 in a couple of weeks.
Mistake #1: Thinking "Money and Spirituality are in Conflict"
For some, "capitalism" is a bad word. Which makes sense. "Capitalism" was a phrase coined by the biggest enemy of the free market and free enterprise to ever live--Karl Marx. Yet, we keep that inaccurate and pejorative moniker. We were taught for thousands of years that to profit was bad--and then this meme was punctuated by the evils of capitalism laid out by a failed mathematician who had no foresight into the services industry--never mind respect for private property and Natural Law and was therefore essentially a thief on a grand scale. Even though with the rise of capitalism in the mid-1800s, our standard of living has more than trebled, never mind that our life expectancy has doubled in a short time as a result...it...is...bad.
...
Your Self Worth is a Settled Matter
I wrote this to a client in an email and thought it may be useful for others to read:
The mountain we climb in Personal Evolution is a bit like a mirage while hiking/climbing a mountain. You could stop now and camp for the night--or say screw it and go back down the mountainside. You can also see there is a reachable summit. So you choose to go further--yet...when you reach what you thought would be the summit, there is yet another summit that materializes out of the mist. And this goes on forever. There is no omega point except when you choose to simply stop and rest.
Each of us have that choice every day. For some, we still consciously choose to continue to deepen our depths--and plumb just behind them. There is no end or bottom to the depth, there are only unplumbed depths. For others, they have achieved a high enough peak, that there is no motivation--no real life reason--to climb the next. And there are others I will not list in the interests of time. I choose--consciously--to evolve further when I should or must--that is when my business or financial or relational results are inhibited by some aspect of myself. Otherwise, I am pretty darned content with where I am at--BUT I still need to have constant attention on where I need to be for others in the context in which I want to move with greater velocity--or frankly, sometimes, ANY velocity.
Leaving at noon today to go sit my 8th ten-day vipassana sit. Soooo looking forward to it. *exhale*
48 hours until I sit for 10 days of silence in Northfork.
“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” --W.P. Kinsella
Tonight @ 7pm in San Francisco | Coaches & Practitioners | 3 Components Your 6-figure biz Details & RSVP link here: http://t.co/dNmrFLBq
All Content © 2001-2012 Jason D McClain, All World-Wide Rights Reserved
