Let’s examine a number of defenses you can use to establish yourself as the TRUE Market Leader in Pricing – the company with the wherewithal to LEAD with your price and watch the competition scramble to find their place in the leftover space….

The first is COMMITMENT. People are much more committed to applying and doing what’s necessary to achieve a result if they’ve invested significantly. So you’re always going to get a much better result if your clients invest at the top end of the pricing scale.

Second, COMMUNICATION. One of the most demanding requirements of any business, and a true value of their clients’ satisfaction levels is the money that they’ve invested in communication. If you perfect the art of the post-sale followup you will have raving fans, no matter what they paid. If your follow up after the sale isn’t consistent with their buying experience, your satisfaction level will suffer. Charge fees that allow you to invest the BEST in follow up systems.

Finally, CONTINUITY. Who wants to invest and begin a program that isn’t available for as long as you want to be a part of it? Or one who isn’t able to consistently innovate and remain at the cutting edge. You OWE it to your clients to continue to offer products that allow them to grow along with you…

If you’re ready to begin charging 200% – 1,000% more than your currently billing AND having more satisfied clients, implement the above strategies and watch your profits grow accordingly.

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What are some of the immediate advantages to pricing your services at a premium? Doesn’t the market really want to be served at the lowest possible cost? NOT AT ALL! What they want is to be continuously educated as to WHY they are paying the premium and the specific benefit that they receive for choosing to pay additional fees for your service.

If you plan to be in business for the long haul (and you’d BETTER be or you’ll be devoured by hungrier competition), you owe it to yourself to raise your fees to the highest level possible! Then EARN those fees. Build your fees based on the cost of your clients NOT doing business with you, not from the efforts you put into the process. The net difference in those two numbers is your Value Leverage.

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One of the greatest quotes I have ever seen is by Donald Trump.  He says:  “I like thinking big. I always have,” says Trump. “If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”

Trump considers his ability to think in larger than life terms one of his greatest strengths and a major reason for his significant success. “Most people think small because most people are afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning,” he says. “And that gives people like me a great advantage.” Trump is not afraid to go after what he wants, nor is he afraid of the consequences of his decisions.

He is not the only leader who believes this.  If you read any book on success or achievement, the leaders credit their ability to think big, make decisions quickly and take strategic action as the primary reason for their success.

Thinking That Big Takes Courage

The reason it is so scary to people is because it is about risking your ‘identity’ – your sense of who you are and who those around you think you are. Being prepared to change the received ‘definition’ of who you are and what you are capable of, overcoming the fear of “what if I fall on my face.” You need courage in a very real sense to take such a leap.

And where do you get courage to carry you through?

Well, it’s like everything else in life. You practice.

Successful People Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Eleanor Roosevelt had this to say about it: We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot. (Emphasis added)

And that brave lady (she’s the one who also said: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent) stands in a long line which stretches all the way back to the Greek philosophers. Aristotle himself said: Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. (Emphasis added)

I have personally faced this challenge.  But this year, I had a good friend of mine say to me…”How much longer are you going to play small?”  And when she said that, my stomach landed in my throat.   Now for many of you out there who have followed my career, you might be thinking “Kelly doesn’t play small”.  Well, it is all relative.

And she reminded me of the famous quote by Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I had a profound shift of consciousness in that moment because I realized something.  With the world in the state that it is in and our economy in the place that it is in…”Who am I to deny people my light?”

My playing small doesn’t just affect my life and my bank account, my playing small affects every entrepreneur out there and every one of their families.  Because I have a gift to share and if I don’t do everything in my power to share that gift, I am not being of service in the way it was intended.

It no longer mattered how afraid I was.  It no longer mattered what the little gremlins in my head said “Who do you think you are?  What if you fail?  What if you embarrass yourself?  What will your family think?’

I made a decision at that point that the only thing worse than stepping out in a big way and risking failing was not attempting to step out at all.

Do you have a gift to share?  Are you playing smaller that you could be?

Now is your time to shine your light on the world.

Thanks and let us know your thoughts. I encourage you to leave your comments or questions below.

Be Sure to sign up for the Marketing to Millionaires Retreat this October, to learn more on Marketing to the Affluent

Article by Kelly K. O’Neil, Million Dollar Marketing to the Affluent Coach and Creator of the Marketing to Millionaires™ Programs

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We have all heard the saying, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?”  If you are sharing your expertise and no one hears it or reads it, does it make a difference?

The affluent want to work with experts because it validates their choices and provides them with the bragging rights they desire.  You can build your reputation just by writing about what you know best in a regularly published eZine.

Newsletters and electronic newsletters (eZines) are one of the most profitable ways to build your credibility to establish yourself as an expert. They let you offer helpful advice, market to a global audience, communicate easily with thousands of people as often as you wish, and promote what you’re selling. In order to keep readership high, you must provide a valuable level of useful content as well as sales materials.  Consider adding another stream of revenue by letting other non-competing sellers advertise in your mailer as well.

Your industry will dictate whether an eZine or traditional print newsletter is better for you readers.  The benefit of an eZine is that they are less expensive to produce and distribute.

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Have you heard America is in a recession?  I have a question for you….Are you having a personal recession?  That may sound like a silly question, but think about it for a minute.   No matter your situation, it’s up to you if your “Personal Economy” has a recession.

Invest in Innovation & Ways to Improve

An innovative business is one that continually adapts and evolves to meet changing market conditions.  Given that everyone else is cutting back, for every dollar invested in innovation, you get a larger return than you would have in the past. Regardless, the economy will rebound. Innovation is more like a marathon than a sprint. If you are not prepared, when market conditions improve, you will be behind the curve.

You should be constantly re-evaluating not just your marketing plan, but all of your business strategies including policies, pricing, and employee performance. The idea is to eventually be as efficient and effective as possible so your company runs smoothly and profitably. Look closely at your competitors. Talk to business leaders you respect and your coaches.  Read business management books and attend seminars. Experiment. Solicit feedback from your team members, mastermind group and customers. By doing several of these things you will accumulate a wealth of knowledge and experience crucial to the survival of your business.

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