But like any other consumer purchasing decision, buyers of professional services need to be savvy and aware.

Let me give you one recent example. I was speaking with a business owner who I’ve come to know. Although he has never been a client of mine, I’ve had the opportunity to watch his new business develop from an idea to a reality and I enjoy speaking with him from time to time.

He did all of the right things before he started his business. He researched his market well, and he took steps to develop services for the market based on what he learned, and not on what he thought they needed.

He was also willing to invest in hiring a business consultant. He had met this consultant through a university, and this person had credentials.

One of the consultant’s recommendations was to lease office space, so that potential clients would take him seriously.

Well, it didn’t take very long to realize that despite getting good response, the high overhead was really limiting his ability to get his business started off on the right foot.  This expensive detour set him temporarily off course and tied up money that could have been used to grow other areas of the business.

You see, the business owner in this example was dealing with a consultant who was very familiar with traditional business models, but not versed in the world of online marketing, membership and event based programs. So his advice might have been sound for someone else’s business, but not this particular one.

I’ve seen other examples of business owners spending a fortune on various marketing materials, and others who have used up their last available credit or savings to join the “hot ticket” program that they think will change their lives and businesses forever.

I hear stories like this all too often. The truth is, there is a real range of business and marketing advice to be had out there. Some are highly qualified, and some aren’t. Even a well respected business advisor can steer you in the wrong direction, if you haven’t chosen the right one for you.

Other entrepreneurs simply find themselves have been disappointed when their results did not add up to their expectations.  So what’s at the bottom of this? How do you know you’re making the right choice? Here are some tips.

Invest at the right time. Don’t spend randomly. Invest only in those services or programs that will help you get further in the area you need help with the most right now or in the next short while.

Be very clear about what you need before you go looking for it. All of your decisions should be based on your strategy and where you want to be. Make decisions that are in 100 per cent alignment with your goals. So if you know you’re weak in one area, for example, how to price and package your services, and that is your immediate priority, then don’t sign up just yet for that top notch speaking coach. All of the speaking and marketing in the world won’t generate sales for you if you don’t have the business foundation in place.

Perform your due diligence check. Before you sign the contract or whip out your credit card, check out the business. Is it credible? Does the provider have demonstrated expertise? Can they supply references beyond testimonials published on their web site? Are they well respected within their industry? Have they taken the time to speak with you and get to know you to be sure there is a good match on both sides? A reputable advisor will want to work with the right kind of client, and will want to be sure that they will be able to work successfully together, rather than simply make the sale. An advisor who turns you away and refers you to someone else views this as adding integrity rather than losing business.

Check your expectations. Before you commit, be sure you are very clear what your intentions and expectations are and that this service is the right match. Sometimes disappointment is the result of unrealistic expectations or simply a premature or mismatched investment.

And most of all? Remember that in the end, it’s your business. Seek trusted advisors, but never abdicate your seat as the CEO of your business and your life.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

Many entrepreneurs have the typical Type A personality. This served us well in our careers. However, most of us decide to start businesses because we say we want more flexibility and purpose in our lives. Unfortunately, too much Type A may build you a business that makes money, but will probably find you working in an 80-hour a week job of your own creation!

A friend of mine who left a six figure career and made dramatic changes to her life jokes that her Type A was so intense, she was a Triple A (You’ll meet her soon). That got me to thinking – what if we reframed that? What if Triple A meant something completely different? So here’s my Triple A Approach to business: Align, Act, Allow. Watch the video below to get the full explanation.

Align – To build a business you’ll love, it has to align with what you really want. Instead of building a business you think you need, to get what you want, build the business that you want without feeling you need to pay your dues and work your way up to the eventual dream destination Make sure your services express who you are, and that you are matched with your ideal client.

Act – There are two elements to this. Make sure you’re taking the right actions that are consistent and strategic, based on your goals. And act as if you already have what it is you say you want, without feeling you need to qualify yourself or wait for expert status. Believe that you have what you need already and embrace the feeling of being the CEO of your life and business (watch the video for my take on the phrase “self employed” – I think we should ban that phrase).

Allow – Allow and accept the opportunities that come your way with grace and ease. Let yourself enjoy and experience your business. Instead of thinking that the only way to make more is to do more, allow yourself to believe that it is entirely possible to work less, love life and be financially rewarded. Go about your business peacefully and purposefully instead of aggressively. And finally, allow yourself to be yourself and not the Type A person you may feel you need to be.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

If I were to ask you, are you committed to doing things the hard way? I’m sure you’d say no. But every day I see examples of business owners making what could be simple, instead very complex. What they don’t realize is that it’s costing them a ton of money in lost profits and sales.

Of course, we don’t do this consciously. The fact is, it’s something that we’ve grown up believing. We’ve learned to equate success with sacrifice, and high value with more.  If you’re committed to doing what it takes and are prepared to work really hard until it pays off  I’d like to play Dr. Phil for a moment and ask: How’s that working for you?

Yes, you need to have faith, develop a strong strategy, and be consistently committed to sticking to it. You also need to be willing to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone, and learn the technical skills needed to run a business. But muscling your way through and doing more is not the answer.

Here are two examples of how this backfires on you.

One: Under-pricing and devaluing your worth

I see this often with entrepreneurs who feel the need to work their way up. They’re inclined to start low and aim high, when they are far better off going for the gold right from the beginning. They price extremely low, and feel the need to prove themselves by discounting, giving a lot away for free, take work that doesn’t fit them, and limit themselves in many other ways.

As a result of charging low fees, they often get clients, and lots of them. The problem soon becomes getting the work done. They can’t keep up. They are afraid to market more because they can’t take on new clients. They’re becoming known for the work they don’t really want to do for clients who are not their ideal. They’re afraid to raise their fees because they’re worried they’ll lose the clients they have. And guess what? Clients who buy the cheapest solution are often the most difficult to work with. Does that sound like fun?

Two: Setting high fees and defending your worth

Other entrepreneurs who understand the need to set their prices higher often still give too much away because they feel they need to prove their worth. Demonstrating value is fine, but doing too much out of feeling the need to defend high prices, is not. Entrepreneurs who bend over backwards and stuff their packages with so many extras often don’t realize that although they might be charging and getting a premium fee, they’re chipping away at their profitability by going overboard. And the sad thing is that most of the time, their clients actually don’t want all of the extra stuff. They’re often overwhelmed by it! Or they draw out a process longer because they’re afraid letting the clients know how quickly they did it, will make it seem less valuable. I n either case, it takes away from the elegant, efficient solution the clients are more than willing to pay a higher price for. And it becomes unsustainable.

If you watched the popular 1980s sitcom Murphy Brown, you’ll remember Eldin. He was practically a live-in at Murphy’s home. What started as a simple project grew more and more ambitious but never was completed. You may have hired contractors like this.

When it came time for us to repaint our house a few years ago, I knew it was something we couldn’t take on. I was busy with my working and having a young child at home. In the past I had tried various painters and was really frustrated. While they were not around quite as long as Eldin, each job took far longer and became more complicated (and more expensive) as it progressed. They were sure to tell me how much work it was for them, how many steps there were to take, and why it was costing more and taking longer.

I decided to try someone else I found through a referral. He quoted me a higher fee than the others. But he sold me on efficiency and guarantee.  He let me know what to expect and made it very easy for me to say yes. The morning of the appointed day, he arrived at 7:30 a.m. as promised. All I had to do the night before was move furniture a few feet away from the walls and take down hanging items.

By the time I arrived home around 5 p.m. that day, he was gone. I had a beautiful, professional quality paint job in our family room, hallway and bathroom, and it was completely done. No mess, no fuss, and delivered as promised. I felt it was almost magical. This was not something I could ever do myself. Was I willing to pay more for that? You bet I was. And I’ve referred him thousands of dollars in new clients since.

So what does this have to do with doing things the hard way?

I encourage you to look at the two examples of business owners. If you see yourself in either description, think about what your value is to your clients. Most of the time, they are paying you to solve a problem, and the faster, more gracefully and expertly you can do so, with the least amount of work and inconvenience for them, the higher the value is of what you offer. Think of ways you can make it easy and effortless for your clients to say yes, and to work with you, instead of ways to prove you’re worth it.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

The first one is Wednesday, February 24 and you can find all of the details here. (Note, check the Break Free tab on the top of this page often, this is where you’ll find this information. If you want to be sure to get information, enter your email address and name in the box on the top right corner of the page).

The fact is, I’d love to be able to work with every business owner one on one to help them design the business that is the best fit for them. I’d love to be able to teach each of you the simple, practical yet highly STRATEGIC ways you can step-by-step grow your business. I want every person who wants to or has left their corporate life behind to succeed and not have to give up their dream because they simply aren’t doing the right things. But I can’t work with every person who I’d like to be able to help, so this is my way of sharing my advice with you.  See you there!

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”

Wayne Gretzky
Canadian hockey player “The Great One”

If there’s one thing I learned early on in my career, and business too, it’s that I would never know the answer to a question if I was too afraid to ask it.

I’m the kind of person who tends not to hear “no” (just ask my husband) and this has served me well over the years. When I set my mind on something, I generally get what I want. But I can tell you that operating my own business has tested my limits and has required me to take some shots that I’d never have imagined in my corporate days. It was never required of me to step that far out of my comfort zone. Being extremely good at my technical area of expertise was enough to be successful in my career.

Over the last year, I’ve moved away from a lucrative consulting base into uncharted territory. I made a monumental decision to turn down contracts that equaled my previous corporate salary. I said no to renewals that would easily cover my living needs each month and then some, because the work did not match the vision I have for my life and my business. I also set the wheels in motion for growth that could take my breath away if I stop too long to think about it. Does this scare me? You bet!

So I am no stranger to fear. When I tell my clients that it’s ok to feel the fear, but not to let it stop them, I practice what I preach, and so do my successful business colleagues. What separates the thriving business owner from the struggling entrepreneur is not the absence of fear. We all feel it. In fact, the bigger the business, the bigger the fear! The difference is being able to continue to take action and stay focused in spite of it.

Fear can paralyze you in many ways, for example:

• Spending lots of time marketing, but no time selling
• Letting potential client leads go cold
• Being afraid to pick up the phone and call potential clients or others who could refer you business
• Not spending money on the things you need to grow your business, like getting help or professional advice
• Filling up notebooks with enough incredible ideas to make your business boom but not taking a single step to implement them
• Watching others pass you by with an idea you had months or even years ago

If you recognize any of these scenarios, you have opportunities right in front of you, at this very moment, that aren’t being acted upon. If you aren’t as successful as you’d like to be in your business, not taking action is costing you – 100 percent! There is nothing more important for your business than taking the actions that move it forward today.

I see this happen all too frequently, and what I’ve come to understand is that for many business owners who have brilliant ideas they aren’t pursuing, the overwhelm and fear they feel has hardened into a frozen ball of paralysis.

If you recognize yourself in this scenario, my goal is that you take action on the things that will get you the biggest return, the fastest. One of the ways you can do this is to get really clear on why you’re letting yourself stay stuck. You see, “stuck” isn’t a state of being that’s thrust upon you. It isn’t something that happens to you. It’s a place you got yourself into, which means with some help you can get yourself out!

Most of the time, when we’re uncomfortable with moving ahead with actions we know are good for us in growing and marketing our businesses, the source of these feelings can usually be split into one of two categories: things we avoid because we’re fearful, or things we avoid because we don’t know how to do them (and so we’re afraid of making a mistake, or appearing incompetent).

The good news is that as soon as you identify the real reason behind your discomfort, you can take steps to fix it.

Imagine the compounding effect of one snowflake being rolled down a hillside. What starts out as tiny, separately insignificant, unique snowflake gets bigger as it collects more of them. As the size of the ball grows, it also picks up speed. If you can imagine each of your challenges and fears as individual snowflakes, now you’ve got yourself a runaway snowball, chasing you down the hill! When you look at this killer snowball, it’s hard to remember that it was all started by a single snowflake!

When you feel overwhelmed, the first thing you need to do is separate the snowflakes. For example, are you really not calling a potential joint venture contact because you feel unprepared? If you feel that way, is there truth to it? Do you need to do some homework, and if so, what? Do you need advice? Do you need to learn how to do something? Is it only one little thing that you can easily solve now that you know what it is? Or are you simply nervous about it?

If you’re nervous about it, is it because you feel you aren’t ready? What would it take for you to feel ready? Is it technique and how-to information that would help you? Or is it simply a fear, that you can conquer once you’re confident that you’re prepared? Or that you can work through, on your own, or with help?

Being able to identify the areas that are causing you stress, or making you feel overwhelmed is really important. It allows you to control rather than feel controlled, and will help you take action on the things that will build your business.

One thing I know to be true from my experiences advising and coaching people making the shift from employee  to entrepreneur is that our entrepreneurial journey is different.

So I was delighted to read this Forbes article by executive coach Dr. Steven Berglas. His article was so spot-on that I had to get in touch with him and share my observations. We had a lovely email exchange and I expect we will cross paths in California someday. Here’s what he had to say:

“There is a swelling class of first-time entrepreneurs, and they need help…This new class–call them newpreneurs–are born of circumstance rather than ability, vision or just something to prove, and they tend to launch new ventures in a different way. That doesn’t mean they won’t succeed–it just means they need a different kind of guidance.”

Yes, Dr. Steve, they do!

Because we’re different. And the things we experience in our journey from employee to entrepreneur have nothing to do with the length of time you’ve been in business. I’ve noticed the same trends and patterns in entrepreneurs with ten years of self-employment or more, as the “newly hatched” entrepreneur.

This time last year, I launched the Entrepreneurs Unplugged Telesummit which featured interviews with small business mentors like Michael Gerber, Melanie Benson Strick, Kelly O’Neil and so many more who shared their experience and advice on leaving the corporate world.  At the beginning of that series we reviewed the most common mistakes made by corporate fugitives. One year and several more discussions later, these trends remain the same.

Here’s a recap of the most common mistakes:

Thinking that being good at what you do is the basis for a business. Some people quit, and some people turn to self employment for other reasons but many new or aspiring entrepreneurs think that their professional experience will translate to a thriving business. This is  the first big mistake alluded to by the world’s most recognizable small business guru, Michael Gerber in his classic book The E-Myth.  Second to that, being passionate and determined is a good start that will fuel you when you’re tempted to give up, but the bottom line is that you still need a foundation of marketing and commerce and a market that is looking for what you have to offer and will pay you enough for it.

Thinking you can do it all by yourself. Many of us go into business thinking we never want to have employees or have to manage anyone again. We plan on flying completely solo.  This is completely understandable – since years of bureaucracy and the ugly side of office politics is something we hope we never need to endure again. This might work for a while, but not for long – the reality of having to market yourself, do the work, fix the computer, do the bookkeeping and collecting the money… all comes into play. You quickly plateau in your income and energy. Entrepreneurs who achieve personal and financial freedom, don’t do it alone.

Thinking you can keep yourself on track. If you’re used to a structure and the workings of an organization it’s hard to cope with sudden freedom from routine and procedures. Beyond the ability to stay focused and disciplined, successful entrepreneurs build support systems around themselves to keep them accountable and on task.

Thinking you need to get people’s approval. There is a huge culture shock when you go from corporate life out on your own especially if you are working from home, by yourself. Suddenly that 20 or 30 year career as an expert can feel woefully inadequate when you’re responsible for selling yourself and running your business. There’s no one to tell you your idea is fabulous or completely sucks. There’s no one certifying you as an expert and telling you that you’re able to charge a certain amount. There is no one to approve your work before it goes to the client, and your name is on everything!  Many entrepreneurs allow this to limit their growth and feel the need to work their way up, not surprising really, when you look at our years of education and employment conditioning. However this leads to lack of boundaries with clients, and lower fees thanyou deserve, if you do not claim your expert status for yourself.

Not continuing to learn. When you’re an employee you can get by knowing just what is expected of you, or what you need to perform your job really well. The learning you need for your career is completely focused on your profession. Also, your company often pays for it. You just have to show up! In business you need to be a continuous learner – about your area of expertise, about aspects of business, about yourself. It’s very easy to get caught up working “in” your business instead of “on” your business. This is why many small business owners often fall into the isolation trap and just continue to do the same things year after year, never breaking out of their routines to learn something new. This leads to severely stunted and often under-earning businesses.

Not knowing what you really want. When you’ve spent years in a career and you now want to run your own business, it’s most common to create one around your career profession. Many new business owners slide into this without really taking the time to consider what they really want from their life, and how to design their business to get it. Often they realize later, that the business they built is not the one they really want. Wouldn’t it be easier to build a foundation based on a life plan, and  adjust it as you grow?

Waiting until it’s perfect. Corporate fugitives tend to suffer from this affliction more than any other type of business owner. They are less willing to take risks and fail, and often spend more time thinking about and crafting their perfect plan, than  getting started in the business of business. If this sounds like you, don’t wait until it’s perfect – waiting wastes time, and even makes you more fearful as your second thoughts nag at you. Spread your wings and fly – no one is there to push you forward, but you.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

This is often a stumbling block if your business is new and you haven’t had a real, paying, customer yet. Relatives, spouses and your closest friends don’t count! Fortunately there are legitimate ways to get that all-important social proof without waiting until you’ve worked with several customers.

One of the best is to gather potential customers who you think would be an ideal fit for your new service and ask them to participate in a trial or pilot project. Charge them a nominal fee in exchange for their participation. Be clear at the outset that the reason they’re getting your services at a reduced rate is so that you can test it and gain their suggestions for improvement. State that in exchange for this lower fee they will be asked to supply their input, and if they are happy with the service, you’ll invite them to provide a client testimonial. It’s really important to be transparent about this so that each side is crystal clear on the expectations. It’s also important that your test run participants understand the price they are paying is NOT your normal rate and they will not continue to get service from you at this preferred price if they want to continue with you later.

I’m not a proponent of giving your value away for free, but there are some cases where it is helpful to do so. In these circumstances, even though you may be giving something away for free, you’re not giving it away for nothing. Let me show you some examples where it can be beneficial.

• A free consultation that provides the potential client with the chance to get a sense of your value.
• A trial, no obligation offer.
• A donation of service or product. This can be a product, or even a free event ticket or spot in a program.

When you are giving away services in these cases, you’re getting value from the connection with a potential client. If you’ve done a good job of identifying who your ideal clients are, and have created a solution to a problem they have, your prospects will go from lukewarm to hot and ready to buy from you very quickly.

The double-duty strategy is that in all of these examples, you have a very natural and comfortable reason to go back to the individual to ask for feedback. You’re establishing further rapport and if they’re happy, you can then ask if they’re willing to supply you with a testimonial. Most often they say yes, especially because it means added exposure for them (tip: be sure to ask for a photo, link to their website, a written testimonial, and even video and audio formats; you never know where you might end up using them).

One point you should know about is that recently, the FTC has cracked down on the use of online testimonials. This is a good thing, because it means that the playing field will be leveled between the honest and the, shall we say, contortionists who excel at stretching the facts.  Make sure that you familiarize yourself and know your obligations. Here’s one resource. In a nutshell, don’t promise what you can’t guarantee you can deliver, and use testimonials as they are intended – to provide your customers with real-life and realistic examples of what they can expect from using your services.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

If you find yourself in this position, don’t despair. There are lots of ways to build a base that can gain you confidence as well as clients.

1. Remember that you know more than you think you do. What comes easy to you is probably the thing that your client market, if well chosen, struggles with. “Expert” status is relative.
2. Create your platform. Before you protest that you don’t have one, keep it simple. Brainstorm the topics you want to become known for – your own tips you want to share, helpful resources you want your target clients to know about, and so on. You don’t have to be 100% original, but you do need to be 100% authentic. Having something new to say is not always possible, but a fresh take, or translating concepts in a meaningful and helpful way is the basis for a platform and connection with your market. If you take the time to develop this up front, you’ll have plenty of “street cred” in a short time.
3. Create something of value you can offer potential clients that you meet in person and online. Think of this as your “free taste”. It could be a consultation, a brochure or white paper, video or audio, or take another form as long as it shares useful information with potential clients. But remember, this is not a sales piece; your goal is to give value and by association, a hint at the great work you can do.
4. Get a simple website up along with a way to collect potential clients’ emails and start communicating with them. Don’t wait months to get your website perfect before you go live with it. Your website is not the end, it is the means to the end and only one way to capture leads and get visibility. What’s more important is following up. Consistency is key here! Publish a newsletter, or send informational articles out at least 2-3 times per month to people in your new database.
5. Write articles and publish them on your website and send to your contacts.
6. Leverage everything you do by also publishing it in article directories, and breaking the content into small tips to share on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
7. Gather testimonials and publish them on your site and in your newsletter (don’t forget your LinkedIn recommendations too). If you don’t have any paying clients yet, it is legitimate to start with references you have from past employers and contacts as long as the work is related. However, there are ways you can get current testimonials without having paying clients yet – watch for an article on this subject next week.
8. Publicize yourself. Rather than wait for someone to declare you the expert, do it yourself! Write articles, publish video, hold free teleseminars or speak to groups. Whether your strength is writing or speaking, there are many ways to self-promote which will quickly lead to others inviting you as long as you have something valuable to say.
9. Get out there! Become active in the networks and market you aspire to serve. Pick up the phone or send emails to people who you feel are good matches to work with in future joint ventures, as well as people knowledgeable about the market you are seeking. Most people are quite willing to share, provided you have done your homework and are respectful of their time.
10. Have faith!

It often takes a few months to see the results of your efforts. However, by promoting your business in these strategic ways, before you even have a paying client, you will gain momentum (and confidence) faster than you think possible. Many clients tell me it begins to feel “real” as soon as they take the first steps. Taking action also signals to the world that you’re serious about this, so the sooner you begin, the faster you will see the results.

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

There’s an elusive line that many business owners never cross, and as a result, never get the see the rewards that are waiting on the other side. I think of it as the Service Spectrum.

It’s the line between being  a service provider, and an expert. Imagine a horizontal line, and at the far left is the pure Subject Expert, sought out for knowledge and unique expertise or message. This person probably spends a lot of time speaking, often doing short term consulting, perhaps is also an author or a popular media source.

At the far right is the Supreme Doer. She is the go-to person to get “it” done; the worker bee who excels at a particular skill, and works with one client at a time. This person spends most of her time on project work for clients, and often approaches her work with clients the same way she did as an employee in her career days.

There is nothing wrong with being a Supreme Doer, but here’s the rub: most Doers make less money, feel more overworked and discouraged, and enjoy less flexibility in their business, because they’re so busing doing the work, they don’t spend time on growing themselves or their businesses. These are the business owners who most often under-earn, and become disillusioned.

The biggest mistake (and recipe for heartache) is to be a Supreme Doer, and offer the complete, done-for-you service as your base, most common, and lowest priced service .  Or  worst of all, to have it be your ONLY service and have it be underpriced, to boot.

My goal for you is that you take the time to consider what you want, and how you want to work. You will know in your heart if you are a happy Doer or a dissatisfied Doer. If you are a business owner who feels stuck, take a look at where you are in the service spectrum and migrate left!

If you are like most Doers, you hesitate, even feel adamantly opposed, to seeing yourself as a Subject Expert. You don’t know enough, you haven’t been around long enough, and besides, there are already lots of them, so who do you think you are?

If you feel that way, go for the middle. There are lots of ways to add services to your business that move away from one-to-one, doing it all for each client. You will also make more money, feel more in control, and have the time to enjoy the work and your clients more.

Here’s one example of a favorite approach I like to recommend to clients.

• Create a choice of three levels of service for your clients.
• Charge the most for the complete, done-for-you solution, and have this be the most hands-on service you provide. Charging more for this allows you to take on less clients and have time to work on other areas of your business. At this end of the spectrum, you may choose to offer more than one package, and that’s ok, as long as the choices you offer have enough of a margin between them that it makes good sense from your perspective as well as your clients (tip: a great way to do this is to offer a-la-carte choices as add-ons, and let your clients custom design what they want, of course, based on the choices you give them).
• Have a mid-level solution in which clients receive a done-with-you level of service. Get creative with this. This could mean training or coaching them through while they “do” the work themselves, or it could mean you project manage them after you complete the project to a certain point. Depending on the kind of business you have, it may also mean working with clients as a group.
• Have an offering that is purely content and subject driven. For example, you could offer training classes, workshops, or do-it-yourself resources on the topics that you get the most questions about when working with your clients. Or, you could provide short term consulting like providing an audit or expert opinion (tip: this is a great follow-up to clients for which you have provided “done-for-you” services).

This is just one approach to look at ways you can offer your services, there are many others. The point is, think beyond the traditional, single transaction, single client approach we have grown up conditioned to associate with providing a service or product. Think about what your clients most value, and other ways you can share your knowledge and expertise with them. Get creative, and remember to keep left!

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

I realized it after hearing story after story from business owners how much they realized they need to be better at marketing.  But I’ve yet to meet someone who acknowledges they need to spend more time selling.  Marketing and sales are not the same thing. Many business owners learning about online marketing have bought into the idea that sales come from capturing email addresses, hanging around on Facebook and Twitter, and sending out an electronic newsletter frequently. They don’t most of the time; if you’re in a service business, you’re eventually going to have to talk with a real live person.

I have met very few business owners who like the process of selling. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those who do are highly successful.

But making a sale is the point in business, whether money is your motivator, or not. So mastering how to do it in a way that is comfortable for you is very important.

What I have found to be true is that often our discomfort is less about the “sale” and more about the meaning we associate with it.

Here are some common variations that come up for many of us:

• Selling is sleazy. I don’t want to come across like a car salesperson.
• Selling is about being forceful. That’s not my style. I don’t want to have to pressure someone. I shouldn’t have to convince someone.
• The value of what I offer is obvious. Once I present my information logically, the person who is interested will buy. I shouldn’t have to ask, they’ll tell me when they’re interested.

Selling is a skill that can be developed, and like any effective skill, has a technique and a process. There are lots of training tools and tips around. I encourage you to learn as much as you can. But to make it easier for you, I’m going to share the most valuable lesson I’ve ever learned. It didn’t come to me through business, but through the years I spent involved with the fundraising profession (I’ve been on both sides of the equation – donor and fundraiser).

Fundraising is not for the faint of heart, and I think that’s why so many ex-non profit employees and volunteer fundraisers end up being very successful in business. The fundraisers I’ve known are some of the nicest and most savvy people I’ve met. As a fundraiser, you work for months and even years to build relationships with potential donors. There is a cycle of identifying and attracting good potential donors, cultivating relationships with them, encouraging them to make bigger and longer term gifts, and encouraging  their willingness to continue making financial gifts year after year. When you think about it, it’s the ideal strategy for a business should follow.

So what do successful fundraisers do, besides have a strategy and a carefully designed process? They have two golden rules.

1. Assume the yes.
2. Ask!

This advice is probably more important than having the perfect thing to say, or beautiful sales packages.  Provided you’re clear in who you want to attract as a client, what value you provide to them, and how to explain your services in a way that is meaningful the answer should be yes most of the time. How often depends on you and your business. The answer might not be yes today, and it might not be yes to everything you offer. Your clients will not decide to buy according to when you want them to because you need the money today. You can control this to some degree by the way you design your packages and services, and this is why you do need to carefully craft options for your potential clients that also provide you with the best chance for continuous cash flow. But the point is, no mostly means not yet.

There are lots of steps you can take that would take several pages to detail. But the most important thing you need to get over, if you’re afraid the answer is going to be no, is you. Know your value, create the packages of services that your customers want, and be able to confidently explain them. Listen to their needs, respond to them in a way that is human and shows you understand and can help them, and give them examples of how you can do so. Make suggestions, and ask them if they’d like to know more about working with you. The more you approach it this way, the less like selling it will feel. Based on the discussion and what you know about them already, you’ll know without a doubt that you can help them. Making the ask (often called closing the sale) is natural, and because you’re able to then confidently quote your price and your terms, the answer will more often be yes.

When you get a no, don’t feel discouraged and rejected. Be prepared with responses to common objections, and have a consistent process to follow up again. It’s common for someone to say no several times, over a length of time, before becoming a valued customer. The problem is, if you assume the answer is no, give up to soon, and fail to ask again, you’ll never know!

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.