Today I’m joined by my wife Chelsea, and we’re coming to you from the big island of Hawaii to share our 7 strategies for achieving better self-care. Why is this so important (especially for entrepreneurs)? Stay tuned!
In this episode you’ll learn:
In this episode, we’re exploring the true meaning of the word, “Ego.” Ego is something I hear about all the time in the world of personal and spiritual development, but maybe we have it all wrong and should be looking at it in a different way?
In this episode you’ll learn:
Today Phoebe and I are talking all about how you can focus on working on the right things - and avoid wasting time. As you’ll hear, learning to become more productive really isn’t the answer to beating overwhelm!
In this episode you’ll learn:
On today’s show I’m talking about why you need to stop caring so much, and how to start letting go by detaching from outcomes. I also give examples of how doing this has led to some of the greatest breakthroughs in my own life!
In this episode you’ll learn:
Today’s a very special episode; not only is it our 100th episode of The Mind Your Business Podcast, but I have the honor of speaking with a fellow member of my mastermind group, Mastin Kipp. Mastin is an author, entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and founder of The Daily Love. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on purpose and reveals how you can live a life and business that aligns with it.
In this episode you’ll learn:
I’m very excited for this episode, as I’m chatting with my friend Sunny Lenarduzzi about a very powerful book that we’re both reading at the moment – Eckhart Tolle’s, The Power of Now. We discuss the biggest lessons and takeaways we’ve gotten from it, and how we can use it as entrepreneurs in our daily lives. Ready to quiet your mind and find more peace and joy by living in the present? You’re going to get a lot out of this book and our conversation around it.
In this episode, I’m on the road in Toronto, Canada and speaking with my good friend Stu McLaren. Stu’s been in this industry for a long time, but he’s just getting started. You’ll hear how he’s launched and built his new business venture from zero to over $5 million in just 8 months! He’s adopted an extremely abundant mindset over the years and he shares how this has contributed to his amazing success. You’ll hear how it’s really just about getting clear on what’s important to you and aligning your life and business with those people and things. Do this and you’ll not only make more money, but you’ll make a much greater impact on the lives of others.
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On this episode, I’m speaking with my good friend Laura Hames Franklin. You’ll discover why I’ve always referred to Laura as my “secret weapon”, and today she reveals fascinating details on how we can all think like Albert Einstein. Keep an open mind because we’re talking about how you can improve your own mind body connection in order to access your full potential!
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If you really think about it, are you 100% committed to do what it takes to succeed in your business? In this episode, we discuss the fears and limiting beliefs that online entrepreneurs have around self-promotion, and we give you four actions that you can take right away to convey that you’re ALL IN!
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Today we’re talking about the dreaded “F” Word: Failure. Failure is inevitable (especially if you’re in business!) which means if you’re trying to avoid it, that’s going to be tricky. We’ll be exploring what failure really is, how to deal with it and how you can reframe it so you can get back into action quickly!
In this episode you’ll learn:
Today I’m speaking with Annette Stepanian, a lawyer for entrepreneurs and creatives. The topics we’re talking about aren’t sexy or flashy, but they are absolutely essential for business owners to think about NOW, before something happens. This is about protecting you, and your business, and about how to be smart as you grow. Have no worries, Annette is breaking it all down on this episode of The Mind Your Business Podcast!
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On today’s episode, we’re going to help you figure out if your idea has legs! People tend to overcomplicate things when considering new products or services to offer, but we’re going to look at this topic from a few different angles that will help you gain the clarity and answers that you’ve been looking for.
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Today I’m joined by a listener of the podcast, and student of Business by Design, Kelli Wise. Kelli discusses her journey of how she got to where she is today in her business, and opens up about the tough times she’s had and how she was able to turn things around. She is a great example of how you don’t necessarily need to have a huge email list to have a successful launch, if you have the right mindset and take the right action steps.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Today I’m coming to you with a very special bonus episode, and sharing three things you can do to craft your perfect day. Not every day is going to go exactly to plan, but it all starts by setting the intention and getting clarity on what your perfect day looks like to you.
In this episode you’ll learn:
In this episode I’m talking about something that’s on a lot of people’s minds: How can you get to 6-figures in your business? Phoebe and I break this down from different angles and provide you with a framework and structure that you can apply to any financial goal that you want to achieve, regardless of the dollar value.
In this episode you’ll learn:
In this special bonus episode of The Mind Your Business Podcast, I’m showing you a better way for creating a vision for your life and business. My goal here is to prove that it is indeed possible to truly live your life and then make time for your business, and not the other way around.
In this episode you’ll learn:
In this episode, James and Phoebe are going to show you the first steps to working less, and making more. Is this really possible? You’re going to find out today!
James feels there’s something plaguing the industry today, and not only are people burning out, but they are completely overwhelmed. This is due to them having more on their to-do list than allows for the allotted time.
Ironically, we’ve given ourselves self-imposed deadlines, which is actually causing our own overwhelm. The key is being able to realize when this is happening, and knowing the path out of it.
A lot of people get into business because they like the idea of business, but their way of being isn’t as the business owner, but rather the employee. They believe the way to succeed is to work longer, and harder, which will eventually lead to more money.
Phoebe recommends staying in your own power and truth, and to do what feels right, instead of just being busy and always hustling.
James says the 5% of activities that are going to yield 95% of your results are the scariest things to do, but they can also be the lightest and easiest if you choose so.
The chance of rejection is what makes things scary to do. You can flip this around and seek as many opportunities for rejection as possible, because on the other side of rejection you’ll see more results and what you’re after.
The chance of failure is what makes life exhilarating in the first place and taking more opportunities can only guarantee more success.
There are two roles you could fall into: intern and architect. The intern is working inside the business and doing everything his or herself. The architect is building a true machine with systems and working on the business, instead of inside of it.
Transitioning from intern to architect doesn’t happen overnight, but you can start at the level you’re at right now!
3 simple steps to take you from intern to architect of your company
1. Identify where you’re at now in your current role
Be honest when assessing where you’re at right now. To do this, you can take the quiz (see link at the bottom of this post, it’ll only take a few minutes)!
2. Look at what you do and define the low-value, and high-value activities
There are several different ways to do this but you need to distinguish what activities are having the most impact on your business, and which do not.
For Phoebe, setting up Facebook ads is a low-value activity, but creating the content behind the ad is high-value. To James, creating the content for his podcast is one example of a high-value activity that he needs to do himself at this time.
One distinction to be made is that functions like customer support, although high-value and important to your business, don’t have to be done by you and is something that your team could handle.
3. Let go of low-value activities
Create a process and procedures that will allow someone else to take over these tasks. You’ll find that creating these processes and procedures actually becomes high-value in itself.
Take these steps today and begin to look at your business through the lens of the architect, not intern. Doing this will move you in the right direction to working less, and making more!
LINKS:
Episode 048: How to Overcome Overwhelm
Episode 071: The Power Of Your Story
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters
In this special bonus episode, James talks about how you can take your goal and actually turn it into a tangible result – like cash in the bank! He shares why it’s so important to not just set big goals, and how you can create the specific action steps to get there.
It’s necessary to blend things such as manifestation and spirituality with the action steps and the right plan. For James, the more he balances and integrates these things together, the better the results.
For a long time, his goal number seemed so far off and he just didn’t know how he was going to actually accomplish it. However, when you do know how to accomplish your goals the right way, you can literally create money on demand.
Being in the right environment is critical for achieving the results you’re after. To accommodate his growing team, James just moved his team to a bigger office, complete with a deck and view of the ocean. The importance of your environment can’t be underestimated!
After moving to New York in 2012 and almost burning out, James returned to Laguna Beach and he now has a much deeper appreciation for his hometown and where he chooses to live and operate his business.
It’s also key to find your “sweet spot.” For him, video creation has always been a fun and inspiring way to grow his business. You too should be infusing your creativity into your daily life, both personally and professionally.
Remember that a goal is not something that defines you or something you should identify your self-worth with. You are not measured by the levels at which you accomplish your goals, because you are the one that created the goal in the first place!
Steps to Accomplish Your Goals
Redefine the word, “Goal”
A goal is simply the indicator for the game that you are going to create, and it just identifies the level at which you need to show up. It allows you to determine what you need to do to play that game. For example, a 7-figure launch will require more stepping up than would a $10,000 launch.
For James it wouldn’t matter if he hit his goal, but what would really matter is if he stepped up and did what he said he was going to do for the launch.
Make three goals
For your next launch or promotion, set three goals: an audacious one that will stretch you (and literally cause others to think you were insane!), a safe goal or minimum you’d need in order to still be happy, and finally, a goal that lands somewhere in the middle of the other two.
Identify what it’ll take
Who do you need to be, and what is it going to take, in order for you to show up and align with your goals? Consider what it would look like if you were unstoppable!
You can still do you manifestations and set your intentions, but you absolutely must have a plan because no result is possible without inspired action.
Whatever platform or strategy you are using for your launch, you’re going to need a launch plan. There is no one “right way,” but the problem is most people choose parts of multiple plans and then they don’t execute fully on any of them.
Begin with the end in mind and work backwards. You should start with the last steps, as these are the ones that are the 5% of activities which generate 95% of the results.
Before taking action you will need indicators of performance, as every phase or step has mini-goals within the plan that correlate the main goal.
A lot of times we just need to be shown exactly what to do and then focus on the right things to put us back in the driver’s seat of goal setting. As the CEO or visionary of your business, you need to not just set big goals, but also to create a plan from that goal on how you’ll get there. Identify the right action items to get you the results and don’t forget that goal setting is just about setting up the game that you are about to play. Don’t be afraid to fail and as you play bigger games, you’ll learn some big lessons!
LINKS:
On today’s episode, James and Phoebe show you how to filter out overwhelm so you know what to do, and when to do it!
James has become good at filtering out what isn’t essential. He doesn’t like to waste time and for him, it’s all about how to do things more efficiently.
You should keep your brain like you would your home: clean, open and clutter free. Many days you’ll find that you’re crossing off less items on your to-do list than you are adding to it. By doing this, you are constantly in a “to-do list deficit.”
He doesn’t experience overwhelm now, but he does experience himself growing and taking on more than he use to be able to. He’s been able to do this with the support of a team and the systems that he now has in place in the business.
Phoebe feels that once you get out of overwhelm once and do it more often, you’ll be in a better position to handle it the next time.
Not much gets done with you’re in a state of overwhelm, and it’s probably when you are your least productive self.
There’s a natural learning curve you need to expect when starting to use something new, such as a software program. If you try to be an early adopter of every new thing out there, you’ll constantly be chasing what’s next and dealing the bugs that exist, along with the limited features.
A guiding filtering process you can use is to consider what is that one thing that by doing it will make everything else easier, or unnecessary.
How to Filter Out Overwhelm
1.Have clarity around your goal
It’s important for you to focus on one “bridge” at a time and determine if you are on, or off, target.
2. Begin with the end in mind
Determine what your end goal is, and then immediately set out to define the 5% of activities that will get you 95% of the results you’re looking for. You’ll need to filter out those activities that are causing the overwhelm, but most people do these non-essential tasks first because they tend to be easier to complete. If the thing you are doing isn’t scary, then it’s probably not in the 5% of what you should be doing!
3. Have a plan
Map out a short series of action items you will be completing as you work backwards from your goal. While you do this, look at the list and identify the opportunity costs associated with each. How much time, money, effort and/or stress is it going to cost you? Is the payoff bigger than the cost?
4. Ask yourself a series of questions
Some examples of questions to ask are: Does this really need to get down in order to hit my goal? Does it need to be done right now? Do I need to be the one doing it, and if not, who else can do this for me?
A lot of what you’re looking to do, you’ve done before, so don’t forget that you are able to recycle or repurpose your content so you’re not starting from scratch!
5. Understand the fundamentals
The Internet business has really been around for 100 years, but in a different form as direct mail campaigns. These campaigns arrived direct to someone’s physical mailbox, but still contained sales letters with headlines, copy, testimonials and bonuses. By going back to the fundamentals of marketing, it’ll help you make the right decisions!
James looks at things through the lens of three things, which he refers to as the “TLC” method: traffics, leads and conversions. Every transaction online happens in this order, but you need a specific strategy for each.
Overwhelm is a big deal and you’re not alone in feeling it. Today we’re told that we need to be doing everything and be everywhere or our business will die, but this simply isn’t the case. Be clear on your goal and understand the fundamentals, and by doing this, you’ll be on your way to filtering out all of the things that are overwhelming you.
LINKS:
Episode 048: How to Overcome Overwhelm
Episode 082: Effortless Launching
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Today, James’ wife Chelsea visits The Mind Your Business Podcast to share her thoughts on what it really takes to create a winning team. To be a successful entrepreneur mindset is important, but having the right people on board is absolutely critical for your success. Here’s how they did it!
Both James and Chelsea are very passionate about the topic of team building, and her involvement in the company has been instrumental in the growth and day-to-day management of the business.
Part of Chelsea’s role in the business is to improve the efficiency of all of the processes. Before this experience she had never been an entrepreneur, but a big part of all of her previous careers was to structure and organize.
The first thing she did in the business was to redecorate the office, which created a space that fostered ideas and motivated people.
A typical day in the office is a dynamic experience for everyone on the team. Chelsea notices that people want structure, but they also want to have freedom within that structure to execute what works best for them.
A lot of time is spent brainstorming as a team, and considerable effort has been made to have all the team members feel as though their voices and opinions are heard and valued. When she asks them what they like about working there, Chelsea usually hears that they’re happy because they are encouraged to find their own strengths, and to move in that direction.
When hiring, every applicant is looked at through the lens of how he or she will fit into the company culture. However, James and Chelsea note that they are 100% responsible for ensuring their employees are in an environment in which they can grow.
Phoebe wants to emulate the model that James and Chelsea have created when she builds out her own team.
Chelsea is a big believer of hiring locally, when possible, over virtual. She has seen the excitement generated during launches when everyone is together in person, and her first hire Jilly showed her what is possible in terms of how much work can get done in a day with in-office personnel.
There’s a tempo in the office when rhythms align, and when everyone is together the processes reveal themselves a lot more readily as well. This allows you to refine processes in real time, as things happen, and to make corrections.
Chelsea looks at the team as a family, which is why they are really deliberate and specific about whom they are hiring.
When hiring for their second role after Jilly, they brought Rose as a customer support representative. Rose was hired for her special skills and personality type, and she quickly progressed to running the customer service team. She has created systems and processes that has made things easier for Chelsea and have also enhanced the entire operational capacity for the rest of the business.
Steven was also brought on initially to run James’ Facebook ads and is a terrific team player and support for the team, as well as being Chelsea’s “biggest cheerleader!”
Deena was originally hired as Chelsea’s personal assistant and quickly become her “clone.” She has proven herself able to step in and complete any task asked of her. She’s valued as a person, and team member, and even had a significant role in planning Chelsea and James’ recent wedding.
Jilly’s husband Josh joined the team and effectively handled all tasks assigned to him, becoming invaluable in the process. He now runs all of the live events and is moving into more of a production manager role.
Jasmine has an impressive social media following and strategy and was hired to handle duties associated with the social media accounts, and Megan is a new customer service representative that believes so strongly in integrity that she even has the word tattooed on her arm! Both bring individual strengths but they also jive with the rest of the team dynamic very well.
James notes that a team is something you grow into, and you don’t need to start out with multiple people working with you. He realizes though that having the team in place allows them to raise the caliber of what they’re doing, and to do more of it.
Phoebe says that recognizing a new hire’s strengths is important, but it’s also key to understand what his or her true passions are. When she came onboard James realized that Phoebe was an entrepreneur, but a project-based role was created to allowed her to contribute significantly to the team while also having the flexibility to pursue the passions for her own business.
Although there are many horror stories around hiring employees and contractors, the team that James and Chelsea has built shows that it is possible to get the right people in place and have the entire process be light, fun and easy!
LINKS:
We often hear about the upsides of business, but what about the down times? On today's show, James and Phoebe share their experiences with burn out and give the steps you can take to get out of it - and to not go back!
James went through a burn out shortly after his first big win in 2007, where he successful released on online program, Bartend-4-Profit. He admits that he spent the following four years enduring frustration while pushing for the next big thing in his business.
Everything finally came together for James when he sold over $400,000 worth of a $97 online course, Video Traffic Academy, in 30 days.
This success gave him name recognition and more opportunities opened up for him as a result, but despite the success, he fell into the darkest period of his life. He says this happened once he realized that he had achieved the big launch he had been struggling so hard for, and then he lost all motivation.
Things turned around for James when he was given success recordings featuring Kevin Trudeau, which inspired him to really think about all of the stuff that he wanted to accomplish.
This material focused on manifestation and The Law of Attraction, and for the first time, James saw an example of someone getting tangible results from these concepts. Knowing what was possible made life and business become a new game for him.
He’s learned that happiness moves and it isn’t always found in the same place, so you always have to be asking yourself what it is that makes you happy today. You also don’t need to have a 5, 10 or 20-year plan in place, but it’s important to pull back and see the bigger picture of the direction that you’re heading in.
James had distinct phases that he went through. At first his motivation in business was for money, but then he moved into a more customer-centric phase where he focused on the transformation and impact he was having on his students and customers.
Phoebe had a different reaction after listening to the same success recordings that James did. They made her question where she was in her life and business and this sparked a downwards spiral as she ended up focusing on the negatives, or what she didn’t have.
Eventually she had a pivot, which led to her partnering with James on the podcast as well as a mastermind and other projects. To make this possible, she re-evaluated what she really did want in life, in addition to what she didn’t want.
Through his transition, James also changed his business model by looking at ways to generate revenue without having to do a launch every month. This resulted in the creation of Reel Marketing Insider, a membership site that generates about a half a million dollars annually for James with only two small launches each year.
Phoebe believes that people just need permission to decide how to fit their businesses into their lives, and not the other way around. James says you can ask your clients or audience who they aspire to be, and then simply step into that answer and live that.
After being motivated by money, and then his customers, James transitioned into a new phase where he focused on building and developing his team. He has a feeling of gratitude and fulfillment seeing the impact his business has on their lives and how everyone interacts and achieves together. He adds that remembering what we’re doing is bigger than us will keep us inspired!
Steps to avoid a burn out
Accept it - You are not alone and it’s a very common thing to face a burn out. You will have an easier time getting out of it if you accept this, rather than trying to solve it using willpower. Relax into it and be grateful for the experience, as you will be able to see the red flags in the future and have more tools to handle a burn out.
Follow your bliss – Do the play and not the work, as the work will just put you back into the burn out! James recommends making a list of 30 to 50 things that make you happy and just start doing them. Stay there for a while; sometimes we just need to recharge.
Choose what you want – Once you know what you do, and don’t want, build your ideal business around this. What are the rules that you will create for your life?
Don’t forget that more money isn’t the answer; it’s about getting clarity about your real desires and making the new game about getting that!
LINKS:
Episode 037: How to Develop a CEO Mindset
Tony Robbins, I Am Not Your Guru
Chris von der Mehden is a transformational speaker and the founder of Zero to Zen Meditation, as well as a returning guest of The Mind Your Business Podcast. Today, Chris shares his knowledge about crystals: their purpose, specific exercises on how to use them and how they can help you with your own mindset!
Phoebe has gotten into crystals as of late and has purchased many of them recently. James got interested when he starting doing energy healing work, and after being sceptical of the power of crystals at first, he now has multiple ones throughout his home and office.
James says that using crystals in your life is a great tool, and a way of “stacking the deck.”
Chris studied with remarkable spiritual teachers for over 15 years, but he still had a block holding him back when it came to crystals. Years later in a metaphysical shop, he bought one recommended by the owner and the first time he held it, Chris felt a surge of energy travel up his arm and throughout his body.
He now sees that the block he had of not wanting to believe in crystals was holding him back from experiencing their energy. He adds that understanding and using crystals is a skill that anyone can begin to develop.
To get a basic understanding of crystals, you need to first understand that you are not just your body, and there is more to you. You are also not your thoughts, because in meditation you can get to a place where you have no thoughts and you are still you. You are also not your emotions, because they are always changing.
To Chris, the essence of self is spiritual, or energetic, which is the same with crystals. They can resonate with us and cause significant changes as they have information, or a message, that they are sending out.
There are thousands of types of crystals, and each one is very different in terms of their use. Crystals can help get rid of the things in your life that you don’t want, like stress, fear and worry, by clearing them out so that you can create a reality that you do prefer.
A crystal grid can enhance the energy of the crystals, and can be made with two or more of them arranged with some kind of intention. Chris shares that it was through a gridding experience that his journey with crystals truly began.
Crystals can also be correlated with the 7 main chakras, each with their own realm of energy.
He recommends that someone interested in crystals first get some kind of grounding stone, like smoky quartz, which will aid you in letting go of things that no longer serve you. In James’ experience, this type of crystal is also a very good absorber of negative energy.
Chris explains that there are four ways of working with the stones: passive, active, resonating and projecting. With passive, you’re getting some residual benefits by just having the crystal near you. Active work involves putting your attention or focus on it and resonating happens when you start sending the energy back to the stone. After you’ve maxed out resonating work, everything is cleared out and you simply are the energy of the stone, which is what he calls “projecting.”
Like everything, crystals can store information and pick up energy, which means you may want to clear it first. This can be done by leaving them in the sun for a short period of time, or use something like sage to do it. Chris says that you can also make the intention of blessing the crystal and visualize it as being purified to clear it out.
Chris uses crystals because there is always that next level we can get to, and they can accelerate this process.
Any kind of grounding stone, like smoky quartz, obsidian and black tourmaline can be used to decrease stress. To increase abundance in your life, heliodor and peridot crystals are effective and to manifest love, a new business partner or clients, rose quartz and morganite is common. For health and vitality, carnelian and vitalite crystals gets the energy of the body moving.
Crystals have allowed Chris to step up to his own self-expression and power. Use them in your life and they could do the same for you!
LINKS:
Episode 023: Zero to Zen: How to Mediate the Easy Way
Episode 018: The Art of Feng Shui in Business with Karen Carter
On today’s episode, James and Phoebe look at launching. When introducing a new product or service, do you really have to “go big”, or can it really be done with minimal stress and effort?
You might feel stuck because you don’t have a support team in place and launching something live adds a certain level of pressure, but if you set the right intention from the start, an “effortless launch” can happen for you.
James’ team had a successful promotion last summer using only emails to sell a $49/month membership product. This generated about $40,000 in revenue, so it was not only effortless, but also lucrative.
He notes that big launches aren’t sustainable or something that can be done every month, or every quarter, as that would lead to a certain level of burnout.
First step, you need to define what a launch means to you. What ingredients, or pieces go into a launch? Giving your customers a free experience with value, content and information will set the stage and create the desire. When doing this you need to identify that problem and address what the possible solution is. Once the offer is presented and objections are addressed, a deadline has to be set. By offering the right offer to the right audience, you are giving them the opportunity, or reason, to take action now!
Most people online are sharing their top-level sales numbers, which often leads to comparison. It’s easy to fall into this trap, but are we really comparing the same things? It’s important to know all of your numbers when launching, including such items as refunds, affiliate payouts, advertising costs and more. Knowing how to minimize your costs will make your next launch more efficient and improve your bottom-line.
Launches can take a lot of time to manage and then build rapport with your community after the promotion, which is why Phoebe says you need to consider the opportunity cost of everything involved.
Give yourself permission to do less! It’s easy to keep adding more elements to your launch, but what is the minimal amount of components needed to generate the desired results? This known as the “MVP”, or minimal viable product/promotion).
At the end of the day, the offer is 99% of it. Marketers may have a great product, but they can struggle with communicating how it will solve the problem for someone.
There are three P’s to an offer: the promise, price and the process. The promise is the transformation, results or way out of the problem they are experiencing. Price is the actual cost of the offer, and the process is how you are fulfilling your promise and delivering (via online courses with modules, bonuses, video training, resources, etc.).
James feels that if you actually listen to what your people want, putting together an offer becomes really easy. A great offer isn’t just great because the customer gets what he or she wants, but because you’ve communicated it effectively to the person. This is why knowing your audience is so crucial!
One of his highest converting launches had no sales page and people were directed to a checkout page with no sales script, after having been directed there from a webinar. He likes to use this classic framework, of “here’s what I’ve got, here’s what I’ll do for you and here’s how you get it.”
An important component to add to this is irresistible urgency by setting a deadline. However, you don’t want to cheapen your brand by discounting your offer. Instead, add to the offer by stacking it with content and items that make it unbelievable to those that are buying it.
All ready to launch your product? Consider what’s the least amount of work and elements needed to still see maximum results – and give your audience the reason to take action now!
LINKS:
On today’s show, James and Phoebe are joined by Ray Edwards, a sought-after copywriter, author, speaker and communications strategist (and true legend!) who has worked with some of the most recognizable names in the industry. Ray discusses the conflict we often have about wanting to be of service to others while making money at the same time, the distinction between manipulating and persuading your audience, and so much more.
James feels that everything comes down to copy, and to improve any aspect of your life, communication has to be involved in some way.
Ray started his journey by entering the radio business at the age of 14. He realized from the beginning that it was the salespeople, and not the on-air personalities, driving the nice vehicles. He befriended the sales staff and their clients and began coming up with promotional ideas and writing ad copy for them.
After 30 years in the radio business, Ray recognized that technology and the Internet were changing the way content was being consumed. He knew he had a talent to create copy that motivated people to buy, and he transferred this skill to the online world.
Ray missed being on radio and got into podcasting, by hosting his own weekly show. He shares that the medium has had an enormous impact on his business, and that it allows him to get in his audience’s ears, without censoring his content.
He’s an introvert, which has been both a struggle and a gift, and he’s had to manage how much time he’s in and out of the spotlight.
Ray believes that copywriting is like any skill; there are people that are born with an innate talent for it, and there are others that have to work to get good at the art. Someone can get good at copywriting with enough desire and practice, but he feels that to get to the level of being great, it takes a special gift.
James wrote his own copy for 9 years and hired out for it during his last launch. He was always resistant to doing this, but admits that he could really see the difference in the quality of work done by a professional copywriter versus his own.
To Ray, copywriting is simply constructing language in a way that persuades people to either believe something you want them to believe, or do something that you want to do.
He stresses that you must learn to sell; if you don’t, you’ll no longer be in business. However, it’s important to do this in a humane and heart-centered way while coming from a place of service. The most effective selling happens when you actually care about the people that you’re selling to!
Ray adds that it’s good to want more money and to succeed in business. This means that you’re really helping people over the long-term as they keep wanting to give you money for what you do.
James says that people don’t value what’s for free and there’s something magical that happens when someone steps up to invest in something, and his or herself. In fact, most of his testimonials come from his paying clients, not someone that got the product for free.
Ray does put quality content in his sales copy though to give to his audience something for free, as a way of compensating them for their time to read his material.
There is a line that is fairly visible between ethical and “salesy.” To Ray, it comes down to the intent of the seller, and also his or her ability to accurately assess how helpful the product is to the purchaser.
There is a difference between manipulation and persuasion. Manipulation uses external pressure, such as embarrassment, to get someone to do something. With persuasion, internal pressure is used and it highlights the true inner need that the person has
Ray realized early on that as an individual providing services, he could only work with so many people. For that reason, he started offering products to help multiple people, starting with group phone calls and leading to courses that people could purchase to learn from him.
Storytelling is one of Ray’s favourite topics and he says that you absolutely must use it because it’s the most powerful way of communicating with, and persuading, others.
He learned from Donald Miller of StoryBrand that a good story has a character with a problem, who meets a guide that offers a solution and a plan. The character can either follow the plan and enjoy the success, or not do this and meet failure.
Ray says to make sure the story relates to the listener you’re selling to; you’re not the hero of the story, they are. Also, the story you should tell is the one you’re most afraid to!
If you try to “squeeze” your brain for a story, it will refuse to co-operate in these moments. Every time a new story happens to him, Ray writes it down to refer to later, and he uses bullet points and tags the themes to remind him of what the story is about, or what lesson it is trying to teach.
It’s the seemingly small or insignificant stories that people will really relate to. Ray suggests people “bath” in their stories, and he uses the following acronym for coming up with your own stories: Make them Brave, Authentic, Transformative and Healing!
LINKS:
Episode 071: The Power Of Your Story
To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell
In this episode, James and Phoebe are joined by Dr. Mcayla, a licensed psychotherapist, Brain Training and MindSet Expert and an EMDR specialist. Her online programs and guided courses help people to change their brains, to remove negative core beliefs and to draw abundance into their lives. Today she shares all about self-states, what to do when you get triggered and ultimately, how to gain a deeper sense of awareness.
Like most clinicians and therapists, Dr. Mcayla shares that she grew up with dysfunction but didn’t really know what her story was until she was asked to speak about it at an event.
She realized that she grew up with certain lies in her head about herself. Not wanting to ignore it, she was curious to understand herself, while helping others. This led to the study of the brain and neuroscience.
Dr. Mcayla didn’t just want to train people to manage their lives, but rather to start real change with them. She wanted to find a specific modality to specialize in, which led to EMDR, or “eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.” This modality focuses specifically on core beliefs, and how we can actually change them.
Although the brain is often talked about, she notes that the mind isn’t and there is still a lot to learn about the psyche.
She shares that as we grow up, we’re constantly defining ourselves, especially during deep sleeps or when in REM mode. This is done so that our brain comes up with some sort of solution of what it says about ourselves. However, as a child, the brain doesn’t have much logic and we end up filling in the gaps. We often do this with distorted truths that become our core beliefs. This is an issue because as we get older, we don’t go back and re-assess these beliefs to determine if they are in fact true.
95% of our actions, feelings and behaviors come from the subconscious mind, but not many of us know what we actually have there. Dr. Mcayla stresses that there’s a difference between what we know to be true, and what we feel to be true, and she says that a core belief is anything that feels true to us.
Our core beliefs create a guideline to what’s possible, but our egos will resist anything that challenges us to grow as it’s programmed to help us survive. This is why most people have learned how to survive, but few have learned how to really live.
James survived by being invisible when he was younger, which is a big contradiction of the personal brand that he is today. He admits that it’s taken a lot of mindset work for him to get to the point where he is today.
Dr. Mcayla’s work also focuses on self-states, or the bundles of information that are living in our subconscious minds and make up a memory. When we are resistant or fearful, usually it’s because of these self-states.
The role of the subconscious mind is to look and appear normal in society, at all times. For that reason, it will push back memories that don’t make us look good. However, these thoughts are still very much active in our minds.
She explains that we can’t lose our self-worth, but when things happen in life we feel like we have, and we’ve suddenly become “not good enough.” We then spend the rest of our lives trying to become worthy again, which becomes a cycle.
Society doesn’t define our truths; what defines us is the kind of person we are. We can’t trust our perceptions as they are often not based in logic and can be distorted. Dr. Mcayla notes adds that if we don’t gain self-awareness, then we’ll simply accept our present circumstances because we are looking at them through a distorted lens of the past.
EMDR allows us to reprocess a memory associated with a belief by using bi-lateral movements. The ultimate goal of EMDR is to open up communication between the conscious and subconscious minds and James found that it gave him a deeper appreciation of how much importance he was giving the opinions of others.
Dr. Mcayla reminds others not to take their perceptions to be real. Never stop wondering and asking questions; stay on your journey as we can be either in survival mode, or be truly living!
LINKS:
Episode 071: The Power Of Your Story
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson