There was a teenage boy on the corner near my favorite grocery store.  He had a sign that asked for money so he could go to his prom. Now, my head told me he should really try getting a minimum-wage job at that grocery store right around the corner instead of asking for handouts. My gut told me otherwise. When I asked him why he was doing this he said that he was already working two jobs and that his parents were both laid off and he had taken his money he had saved and put it toward his SATs.   I have to tell you; I gave him $20.  Is it possible he was making it up..yes, but my gut told me otherwise.  And frankly, I thought it was brilliant that he had the courage to go out and ask for what he wanted.    I appreciate that he was “working” toward an end goal and his story had emotionality to it, which appealed to me.  You’ll see a lot of the panhandlers who communicate their story in a similar such way.  It’s these folks that you may be able to relate to because their story touches you in some way.  Importantly, you’ll notice that their story ISN’T based on price.

In business, this story is your brand and in order to relate to your potential clients, you need a compelling and relatable hook with emotionality that connects them to you. Just like in the story above, the brand of your company should reflect the personality and character of the product or service it provides, both physically and emotionally. The image you are aiming for makes your product or service more desirable than your competitors’.  Your brand image should be trying to meet your affluent target customer’s expectations, needs and aspirations, it is important to try and reflect exactly what they are looking for.

Now is the time to take these lessons to heart.  Do NOT settle for less than what you want and deserve. Decide now to create the results you desire, design your plan accordingly and then focus your passion and aspirations on success!

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Would you believe it if I told you that many clients come to me earning incomes less than $50K?  Here is what baffles me…passionate and brilliant entrepreneurs who are putting everything they have into their businesses are choosing to settle for earnings less than a panhandler.

As I previously mentioned, a recent article* indicates that an active panhandler in the city can earn $50,000 on average (tax-free). Here is an important take-away we might all want to consider in our business and in our lives:  You must ask for money.

Do you think the people on the street are embarrassed or scared to ask for money?  Well maybe they were the first few times they did it.  But now they clearly understand that the only to get what they desire is to ask for it.  So, why would clients pay you premium prices for your services unless you felt you DESERVED and ASKED for it?

In fact, asking the RIGHT price for you services is key, especially for the affluent. When your work costs more, people value it more highly. There are many “bottom feeders” scurrying around to get the cheapest work. If your work costs more (and you deliver more value) it will be worth more to the buyer.

Research shows that many times the affluent buy on prestige.   Prestigious products and services are bought for the image as much as the product itself — and a key component of the image is the price. They are too expensive for most people, ergo the one who can buy them is rich, successful, upper class, elite — or all of the above.

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Would you believe it if I told you that many clients come to me earning incomes less than $50K?  Here is what baffles me…passionate and brilliant entrepreneurs who are putting everything they have into their businesses are choosing to settle for earnings less than a panhandler. According to a recent article*, an active panhandler in the city can earn $50,000 on average (tax-free). It was calculated using survey results which gauged how much and how often the population gives to panhandlers projected across the known panhandling population in the city. Now, I’ll admit, this number may be soft.  Most researchers will agree that respondents often exaggerate how much they contribute to charity. That aside, confidential interviews with panhandlers even back up this number indicating that they make between $35,000 and $100,000 tax free per year and view panhandling as the equivalent of a job or a profession. Clearly, there is something to be learned from results-oriented panhandlers.

The folks earning a sizeable amount of money in this article are consistent in their actions.  They get out there day-in and day-out.  If a location isn’t working, they adjust.  Similarly, you must dedicate yourself to consistent marketing and sales efforts. Jay Conrad Levinson once told me, “It is unfortunate but true that bad marketing done consistently is better than good marketing done inconsistently.” Create consistency in your marketing program and you will create over time, a steady stream of incoming leads, as well as stabilize your revenue generation.

*”Brother Can You Spare $4.6 Million?” by Dave Navelle as published on the BC, Blogcrtics.com

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