In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Mcayla, who is a licensed psychotherapist, Brain Training and MindSet Expert as well as an EMDR specialist. We’re talking all about our core beliefs – what they are and how to change them!
In this episode you’ll learn:
On today’s episode, James talks with Online Business Strategist Zach Spuckler about the major mindset shifts he has made over the last year that’s enabled him to grow his business exponentially. Zach also shares an effective alternative to doing a really big launch, which you won’t want to miss!
When Zach first joined James’ Inner Circle Mastermind a year ago, he worked by himself and had just hit the 6-figure mark in his business. He now has a team made up of multiple people, but notes that it was the inner work he did that allowed him to expand to this.
Zach admits that he used to be a workaholic, and that his health started to suffer because of this. He had to step back and ask himself why he originally wanted to start the business, which was to have freedom. Here are just a few of his major breakthroughs:
Hire a team
Hiring his first VA helped give Zach the systems, and space to grow. During his last launch, he realized that hiring was never an external issue, but he was so busy working that he didn’t know internally what he really wanted.
He says that it’s not difficult to find exactly what you want when looking for someone to help; be clear about what you want and need, and put it out to your online community!
James believes it’s important to ask yourself what it’s costing you to not hire someone. How could you fill that time and space by doing something else that focuses on the big vision of your company and drives revenue?
The internal struggle may get quieter at the level you’re at, but it will start back up again at the next level and will always be there in some form or another. When you think that you’re ready to hire somebody, Zach recommends you trust yourself to take the risk and to handle the fallout if it doesn’t work out, or find people to support you if this should happen.
James feels it’s important to know that a lot of people have an illusion that they have to get rid of the fear around hiring or investing in themselves before doing it, but this just isn’t the case.
Entrepreneurs are rewarded for taking the risks
Remember that other people will love doing the tasks that you assign them, and you don’t have to feel guilty for giving them work. Zach says it was important for him to understand that his team wouldn’t resent him for this and they respect him for giving them work and paying them for their time. As an entrepreneur, you can actually enjoy your life and business, while at the same time empowering your team to grow with you! James likes to remind others that part of the “work” is actually resting so that you can recharge yourself.
Charge more money
As Zach has “levelled up,” he charges more so that he can create intimacy with his higher-level clients. By charging more, he also attracts the right clients. If you don’t increase your prices, he says that the only thing you’re doing is de-valuing yourself in the process.
James adds that so often people base their pricing on what people will pay for the product or service, which can be a mistake as there will always be people that can, or can’t afford it at every level.
Zach realizes that as his business grows, everything he does has an opportunity cost and his time is limited. He is careful not to undercharge so that he can continue to serve others through his business.
Pricing really comes down to valuing yourself and it’s important to have a logical conversation with yourself and know the true value of what you can offer.
There’s an easier (and lighter) way to launch
Zach notes that so many people get paralyzed by the thought of launching. Webinars can take many months to perfect, and video series can be expensive and time consuming. You don’t have to get overwhelmed though; by doing a challenge (or a “week long event” as Zach likes to call it), you don’t even have to charge people money for them to have the opportunity to see what it’s like to work with you.
When doing a challenge, you just have to show up, give them simple step-by-step tasks and let them prove to themselves, and you, that transformation is possible.
Remember, people want to be sold to on the last day of the event, just because you’ve shown them what’s possible. Show your audience what you can do for them and let them decide if you’re a great fit or not!
LINKS:
Are you marketing yourself online and feel like your message is falling flat? Maybe people aren’t getting your offer and you’re looking for a way to connect with your audience? On today’s show, James looks at how using surveys (the right way!) can lead to more effective messaging and more sales. He shares the right questions to ask, how to ask them so you’ll get people to actually fill out your survey, the software he recommends and most importantly, how to properly interpret the answers you receive.
Your online niche is most likely always evolving, and surveys are a powerful way to stay in touch with your marketplace.
When it comes to strategies to use with your surveys, Ryan Levesque has an excellent book, Ask. In his book, he talks about the “one question” survey, which simply proposes the following question:
When it comes to _________, what is the number one biggest struggle or frustration you have right now?
Your job is to get really specific on the topic when you ask this question. The more specific the phrasing is, the more specific answers you will receive.
When you give your audience specific instructions for completing the survey question, ask them to be as detailed as possible and try to deter one-word answers such as “time” or “money.”
By having this question by itself on a page, it’ll have the full attention of the reader. There are follow-up questions that James notes can be used effectively as well. If you ask for the person’s name, email and phone number, but make this optional. The people who do give you this information will be your more qualified prospects!
James’ six-question survey:
1. Have you ever tried _________? If no, why not?
Asking this will qualify the prospect, and the “why not” part gives you a list of the person’s objections.
2. What is the biggest obstacle or struggle that you are currently facing?
Here you are looking for the problem, or source of pain for him or her.
3. What are the negative consequences of this struggle?
By digging deeper, you will discover why it’s such a problem for them and what they are afraid will happen.
4. What is your ideal solution to this problem?
When this question is answered, they actually tell you what they’re looking for which is extremely valuable information for you to have!
5. What are the positive consequences and results of solving this problem?
This will tell you where they are heading, or what they are moving towards, in their own words.
6. If you had the chance to ask me one question, what would it be?
Towards the end of this podcast episode, James actually gives the one question that people ask him most often, as well as his answer…
You can use either the one-question survey, the six-question one or a combination of the both. It’s important though to only send whatever you decide to use to your own list or community. Asking another group of people to complete your survey might not lead to answers from your ideal client.
There are multiple software platforms you can use to create your surveys, including Google Forms, which is free. However, James’ recommends looking at Survey Monkey or Survey Funnel, which have more features and functions, as well as the ability to ask just one question per page.
How do you interpret all of the survey results? First, read them all. It helps to print them out and read the question each time out loud, followed by the answer. Better yet, you can have someone else read them to you. The important thing is not to judge the responses, and to just be present with the words. Someone might not be able to fully communicate what he or she is trying to say with just words, but you can still feel the energy or emotion behind the response.
It is helpful to tally the answers to see what’s the most popular problem that others are facing. James created a big poster board and explains how he used it to analyze the problems and possible solutions. Interpreting this information could lead you to your next offer, course, podcast episode, blog or email to your list!
Ultimately it’s not about the quantity of completed surveys received, it’s all about the quality of your interpretation and how you are able to use the information in your business.
LINKS:
Getting Started With Surveys – James’ Free PDF or text “survey” to 5202177548
Ask. by Ryan Levesque