mindset – Michele Christensen

How To Find Coaching Clients

Ask Me Anything, Segment 12

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In this segment of Ask Me Anything, I give the first of several tips on attracting coaching clients. This video explains how to view your coaching services from the point of view of your potential clients. Link mentioned in video: www.michelechristensen.com

Summary here:

In this video, I give the first of several tips on how to find coaching clients. The very first thing to understand is how to view your coaching services from the perspective of a potential client.
Nobody lays awake at night thinking “If only I had a coach….” What keeps people awake at night are the problems and concerns you help them with. People probably lay awake thinking things like “If only I could lose this 20 pounds,” or “If only I didn’t fight so much with my spouse,” etc.
So, in order to find coaching clients it’s important to think less about the fact that you provide coaching, and focus more on the fact that you solve problems that people suffer from.
It’s also very important to focus on who you help. Even if you do work with everybody, if you try to write or speak in a way that appeals to everybody then nobody will feel like you get them and their exact situation. Ideally, someone who would benefit from working with you will hear or read your words and say “Oh my gosh, how does he or she know exactly what I am thinking?”
In the next few Ask Me Anything segments, I’ll be giving you specific examples of how you can use this information to find coaching clients.
Takeaway: The very first step to finding coaching clients is to think about your service from the point of view of your potential client.
If you liked this tip, please go to www.michelechristensen.com and enter your name and email address, and I’ll send tips and strategies like this for solopreneurs right to your inbox!
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How to handle tasks that tend to expand (To Do List Tip #2)

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Some tasks can take up as much time as you are willing to give them. This video tip is on how to handle those creeping tasks. Link mentioned in video: www.michelechristensen.com/daily

Summary here:

As a solopreneur, you have to be an excellent time manager and this means not letting your day get eaten up by tasks that take as long as you give them.
For example, it may take a lot of time to keep up with your social media posting and email, or it can take hours to write a script for a short video.
People who work on the internet seem especially vulnerable because so many expanding tasks are right in front of you.
Today’s tip is to put edges on expanding tasks so you will know when they are done.
Some examples you can use right away: Use a timer or checklist for social media, empty your inbox completely on a regular basis, and set a limit on how much time you’ll spend on your writing.
Bonus tip: Don’t use your email inbox as a place to store emails. It’s a holding place for emails you haven’t processed yet.
Takeaway: Keep an eye on tasks that tend to creep or expand and put some edges on them so you know when they are done.
If you like this tip, go to www.michelechristensen.com/daily and download my free report “5 Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To Do List and How to Avoid Them.”
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Bright, Shiny Object Syndrome

Ask Me Anything, Segment 10

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It’s really easy to get sidetracked by the next big thing or the next bright, shiny object. It’s critical to stay focused and finish projects before moving on to the next one. You can find the entire Ask Me Anything series on my blog or YouTube channel under Ask Me Anything.

If you prefer to read instead of watch, here are the notes for this video:

Bright, shiny object syndrome is a funny name for a very real problem faced by entrepreneurs. We can get distracted by the next new idea before we take time to finish what we are working on.
New ideas are especially tempting to entrepreneurs because we love new ideas and like to take action and try new things.
One of the things that separates the superstars from the middle of the pack is the ability to persevere and finish projects even when they get boring.
Learning can be a huge bright, shiny object. Make sure to take the time to implement what you learn before moving on to learning something else.
One of the things I can help you with is finishing what you start. I can help you to know exactly what to be working on. I would love to be one of the people you learn from. Click on the green “Send Me More” button below the video, enter your name and email address, and I’ll send you tips and strategies just for solopreneurs.

How to handle your infinite to do list (To Do List Tip #1)

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As a one-person business, your to do list is literally infinite. There is an unlimited number of things you could be doing to build your business. This video teaches you how to know what to work on. Link mentioned in video: https://www.michelechristensen.com/daily

Summary here:

As a solopreneur, your to do list is infinite – there is literally always more you could be doing to build and promote your business.
It’s no surprise that so many solopreneurs feel overwhelmed!
Having a solid strategy for your business will help you know what to work on.
With a strategy, you know exactly how to find new prospects and convert them to clients.
You can confidently say yes or no to any opportunity depending on whether it fits into your strategy or not.
Takeaway: Don’t even try to do everything you hear about. Have a strategy so you know exactly what to work on.
If you liked this tip, go to www.michelechristensen.com/daily and get a copy of my free report “The 5 Biggest Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To-Do List and How to Avoid Them.”
Please use the social sharing buttons below this video to share the video with your friends and colleagues who would find it valuable.

Learning new stuff is way more fun than working!

Ask Me Anything, Segment 9

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In this video, I talk about the trap of avoiding work you find unpleasant by spending too much time learning. This is Segment 9 in the Ask Me Anything series. You can find the entire series on my blog or YouTube Channel under Ask Me Anything. www.michelechristensen.com

If you prefer to read instead of watch, here are the notes for this video:

It’s easy to get sidetracked when you are learning too many different things from too many different people.
Learning can be used to procrastinate the work you really need to be doing to create income.
It’s important to always be investing in yourself by learning new things about your business, but balance this with the need to implement what you learn.
I help people to have a streamlined, efficient business and to know exactly what to be working on and what not to be working on. Click on the “Send Me More” button below the video player so I can send you more great tips and strategies for running your solopreneur business.

Learning without implementation accomplishes nothing

Ask Me Anything, Segment 8

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Earlier this year, I gave my email subscribers the chance to ask me anything they wanted to about their business. In this video, I talk about the trap of learning too much and not implementing enough. Learning new skills to build your business is a great thing to do, but you have to implement what you learn for it to help your business grow. Learning without implementation does not help your business. This is Segment #8 in the Ask Me Anything series. You can find the entire series on my blog or YouTube Channel under Ask Me Anything. www.michelechristensen.com

(Note the event link I mentioned around the [2:00] minute mark does not show up on some views of this blog post. Here is the link: www.michelechristensen.com/blbp)

If you prefer to read instead of watch, here are the notes for this video:

Learning is fun, and implementing can be long, hard work so there is a big temptation to just keep learning and not take the time to implement.
The fun of doing new things begins when you finish them and they begin to work. If you want to be successful, you have to buckle down and implement what you are learning and not just jump to the next thing.
I attended a live weekend event last year and it took me 5 months to get everything from that event implemented. Make sure your time and money investment pays off when you attend a live event by implementing what you learn. For more information on the Big List, Big Profits event, click here.
The one thing to take from this video: implement what you learn or you are just wasting time.
If you like this tip, please go to www.michelechristensen.com and enter your name and email address so you can receive ongoing tips and strategies just for solopreneurs!

Fear of Missing Out (#fomo)

Ask Me Anything, Segment 7

Earlier this year, I gave my email subscribers the chance to ask me anything they wanted to about their business. This video explains how “Fear of Missing Out” or #fomo can drive you to spend way too much time trying to learn new things instead of growing your business.

Smile and laugh to de-stress, calm down and boost your mood

It’s easy to let stress accumulate when you work from home and work mostly alone. Today, I have a guest post from Certified Nutritionist Trudy Scott on using smiling and laughter to feel better.

From Trudy:

My biggest stress-relief and mood-boosting tip is to smile and laugh! It is one of the many things I encourage my clients to do! And I personally love a good comedy and opportunity to smile and laugh! I almost feel like I need my “fix” of laughter by the end of the day. It really relaxes me, boosts my mood and helps me sleep better.

I was further inspired to make a commitment to laugh each day when I read all the research supporting the many and varied health benefits. Many days I’ll just take a break and engage in spontaneous laughter for no reason at all – just the act of laughing leaves me feeling SO good. I do food-mood presentations around the country and typically end my talks with a laugher session with the audience! It’s a great hit and they leave my talk feeling great!

A 2012 research paper in Physiological Science actually showed that if you smile, you feel less stressed. Also in a 1999 study, “Personality traits such as warmth, calmness, extroversion, and low anxiety were closely related to an attractive smile.”

Laughter falls into a similar category as smiling and is wonderful for improving mood and reducing anxiety and stress and pain. This 2012 paper. showed that laughter “is associated with feelings of wellbeing” and improved mood, likely related to “the release of endorphins.” The release of endorphins also reduced pain levels.

Recent research also shows that the “combination of a laughter and exercise program might have physiological and psychological health benefits for the elderly”. Laughter may also “be an effective strategy to motivate the elderly to participate in physical activity.”

Laughter is actually good for the heart as indicated by the title of a 2009 paper: “The effect of mirthful laughter on the human cardiovascular system.”

Here are some things to make you chuckle: a fun post I did awhile ago about a wonderfully funny and romantic blog called The Musings of a Romantic Comedy Girl and a video of a laughing baby. Enjoy!

And of course, the added bonus: if you eat foods that raise serotonin (like grass-fed read meat and wild fish like salmon), you’ll be happier and more inclined to smile too – and feel even less anxious and less stressed. Tryptophan or 5-HTP will help boost your serotonin levels and are wonderful if you do have low serotonin. You can check for low serotonin levels using this Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Trudy Scott (CN), Certified Nutritionist is the founder of www.everywomanover29.com, a thriving nutrition practice with a focus on food, mood and women’s health. Trudy educates women about the amazing healing powers of food and nutrients and helps them find natural solutions for anxiety and other mood problems. Trudy’s goal for all her clients (and all women): “You can be your healthiest, look your best and feel on-top-of-the-world emotionally!

How Many Experts to Follow?

Ask Me Anything, Segment 3

Earlier this year, I gave my email subscribers the chance to ask me anything about their business. In this video, I answer a question about how many experts to be following. I’ll be answering more questions over the coming weeks and months.

“How big is your list?” is the wrong question

I’m a big believer in the power of email marketing and listbuilding. Whenever this topic comes up, the topic of list size also comes up. Some people have list size envy or even list size shame. Many times, when you first attempt to partner with someone list size is one of the first topics on the agenda.

The problem is that “How big is your list?” is the wrong question to ask, especially if it’s the only one you ask. Why is this the wrong question to ask?

It’s the wrong question because it doesn’t give you the information you really want, which is “How many people are likely to see an email you send?” What you really want to know is “How many people typically open your emails?” That’s what will tell you how many potential customers could be reached.

Here’s an example:

A person with a list of 10,000 and an average 20% open rate will give you an average of 2,000 people opening and potentially reading an email. A person with a list of 20,000 but an 8% open rate will only have an average of about 1,600 people opening their emails. If you stopped at “How big is your list?” you would probably choose the person with the bigger list to partner with. It’s not until you explore how many people actually open emails that you realize that the person with the smaller list has a better chance of getting more people to open an email.

So, stop obsessing over list size! It’s the number of people who read the email that matters. Start paying as much attention to how many people open your emails as you do to how big your list is. When it’s time to work with someone else, make sure to ask the right questions of them as well.

Want more great information on listbuilding and email marketing? Sign up for a free video training at Get Your List Growing.