by Luci McMonagle | women entrepreneurs
Most women entrepreneurs are passionate about their small businesses but the idea of selling their service terrifies the living day lights out of them. The lack of sales and profits make them despair about the future of their business and contemplate upon quitting. If you are one of these women, then you are certainly not alone. Women are brilliant in conceptualizing, creating, executing, marketing their service even but when it comes to selling it, they get the cold feet. They find it difficult to name a price and convince a client to buy their service. They feel awkward and self-conscious. They hope that their service would sell itself. They often end up making fatal sales moves that hurt their bottom line and eventually run their business into the ground. Contemplate up on the following commonly made sales mistakes and see which ones you are making:
Treating Sales Call as a Formality and Not as a Conversation
Sales calls have a lot riding on them so it’s not uncommon for introvert business women to feel uncomfortable in making these calls. However, the minute you shift your mindset and begin to see sales calls as real conversations, an exploration of your prospective client’s needs and your offerings, and the aim to find the right fit between them, you will feel relaxed. You will feel confident that you have something of value for your client and have the potential to make a difference in his or her life.
Speaking But Not Asking the Right Questions
When you are unable to understand the purpose and dynamics of a sales call and place it in the right context, you make the mistake of using it as a one-way street i.e., bombarding a new person with your service intro and features. Since a sales call is a conversation, so it should be warm, friendly, two-way, and empathetic, where you should be encouraging your prospective client to speak more and where you should be listening attentively and actively. Another mistake that you make during a sales call is that you don’t ask the person enough important insightful questions because you don’t want to get on his or her nerves or look naive. However, actively listening and asking insightful questions will enable you to learn the pain points and aspirations of your clients and place your product in the context of their needs and desires.
Selling Features and Not the Benefits
Don’t fill up the precious space in your calls, website, presentation, and emails with the innumerable features of your service. Your client is not interested in knowing the features of your service but rather how these features are beneficial for him or her. Many a times, customers are struggling to see the real benefit of your service in their life and business. So if you are able to do a better job of convincing them of the real benefit, then you would also be able to sell them the service. So go right into the heart of the matter and tell your clients all the ways your service can be beneficial for them.
Attempting to Sell Without Solving a Problem and Giving a Solution
If you keep seeing yourself as a person selling a service, you would be unable to discover the deeper meaning in the sales process and keeping demeaning your work. Instead of being someone trying to sell as service, try to see yourself as a person trying to help a customer solve the most critical problems in his business or life. For this purpose, you firstly have to understand the problems and pain points of your client.
Under pricing Your Service
If you price your service unreasonably low in order to establish your market and attract more customers, or keep offering them discounts you can’t afford to give in the first place, you will set a negative pattern. You will depreciate the value of your own brand and end up hitting rock bottom sooner or later. For many customers, low price means low quality and not just affordability. On the other hand, if they see the value in something, they would be willing to pay the price. But using discounts and free trials selectively and tactfully with the right customers and at the right time can help you earn his or her long term loyalty and referrals. The key is to distinguish which prospective customer is worth this chance. So try to use your sales conversation to gauge this.
Stop fantasizing that your product is so perfect that it would sell itself or that the perfect client would cross your door on his own. You have to go out there and catch the attention of your clients by hearing them out deeply; understanding their real needs and pain points, situating your service in the realm of their needs, and making them realize that your service can solve their pressing problems.
I am Luci McMonagle, a Miracles and Abundance coach. My true passion in life is helping aspiring women entrepreneurs overcome their biggest fears and obstacles and get the best out of their businesses and lives. There are a myriad of ways I can help you: tips, personalized readings, counseling, referrals, resources, and much much more. Check out my training calendar and be on it to learn the ways to make your sales soar and earn the income you deserve. Click here.
by Luci McMonagle | women entrepreneurs
According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, self-actualization is “what a man can be, he must be…It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.” I find Maslow’s definition particularly inspiring for women entrepreneurs. Self-actualization is all about the fulfillment of one’s life purpose and highest needs, such as self-respect, self-growth, fulfillment of one’s true potential, and achievement of financial security. For successful women entrepreneurs, their small businesses help them achieve just that.
Therefore, if you are still struggling as an entrepreneur to make it big, it’s time to change your approach and start focusing on self-actualization, because once you are able to self-actualize your truest potential, the rest of the things would naturally follow suit: success, frame, profits, and abundance. You can follow this process as an entrepreneur, in order to self-actualize your truest and highest potential:
Have a Vision
Entrepreneurs have a vision of how life should be: a personal vision and then a collective one. It gives their life and business worth, depth, and value. Elon Musk wants to make this world a better place through solar technology, and Bill Gates and Steve Jobs worked towards making technology accessible to everyone. Oprah has gone a step ahead and uses a vision board to keep herself motivated. My own vision is financial abundance for women all over the world. Therefore, I use my Abundance Breakthrough program and Make Money movement to help women break the shackles of poverty and achieve financial independence.
Be a Problem Solver
Entrepreneurs have a natural problem-solving mindset. Where average people see the problems and challenges in every situation, they see the possibilities and solutions. They want to make life easier not only for themselves, but also for those around them through the creation of products or services. They use resources, services and technology to help connect people and find solutions for their common problems. They want to make a difference in the world through small yet impactful deeds.
Nurture Creativity
Women entrepreneurs start their own thing because they want to express themselves creatively. They are not satisfied with the status quo of the 9 to 5 jobs and cubicles, and see their laptops offering them more creative and physical freedom. They catch the attention of others through doing the most ordinary things in a unique, creative, and extraordinary way. They write, design, try on new marketing strategies, sketch courses, run services and creative campaigns.
Monetize your Skills
Entrepreneurs are able to recognize a market demand and find a way to fulfill it like no one else. They build a whole business out of this by charging money for their services. They are not afraid to set a price for their skills, to market them creatively and enthusiastically, and make enough money out of it to lead their desired lifestyle. They are not motivated by profit and wealth alone, but they are proud of the money they make and use it make an impact in the world.
Seek Connection
Women entrepreneurs, working towards self-actualization, have a strong desire to connect. They interact on different social platforms and networks, and connect with a tribe of like-minded women. They like to collaborate, make connections, and ask for or readily lend a helping hand, a sympathetic ear, advice and encouragements, irrespective of the fierce competition. Whether these are women entrepreneurs on networking events, Facebook communities or forums, they rule with a sense of kinship, connectedness, purposefulness, a problem-solving attitude, and mutual learning.
I am Luci McMonagle. Through using the process mentioned above, I self-actualized my own highest potential as a Miracles and Abundance Coach. I have been helping women entrepreneurs in doing the same because I believe there is enough potential in all of us to help us create meaningful lives and businesses. Want free and personalized self-actualization advice? Great! There are still a few slots left in my coaching calendar. Hop on board and together we are going to explore the things you need (advice, resources, referrals, tips, etc.), to self-actualize your own entrepreneurial journey and have an abundance breakthrough.
by Luci McMonagle | women entrepreneurs
K. Rowling is a great icon and inspiration for heart-centered women entrepreneurs for many reasons: she started from nothing and slowly rose to become a billionaire through her creative endeavor i.e., writing. For those entrepreneurs who think that rag to riches success is a mere fiction, J. K. Rowling is a shining example: She survived an abusive marriage, lived on scarce means, raised her only daughter on State’s assistance, and experienced rejection from 12 publishers before becoming a roaring success. Today, she is considered the 12 richest and most influential women in Great Britain. Here are 4 inspirational lessons from the life and art of J. K. Rowling:
Power of a Unique Idea
At the heart of every product or service, there is a unique idea. The idea of Harry Potter came to Rowling in the unlikeliest of places i.e., on a train station during a delayed train journey. She was too shy to ask for a pen on the train from strangers daydreamt about the idea until she could get back home and work on it. Who would have thought that the idea of a boy called Harry and a school of wizardry would become so big. All of us are capable of coming up with ideas, good or bad, but we lose them in our laziness. But true entrepreneurs take ordinary, bizarre, unique ideas and create whole businesses around them.
Perfect Execution
Ideas become great and profitable only through execution. Rowling executed the idea of a wizard boy very well through building a whole parallel universe of fantasy, with painstaking and yet exquisite detailing, memorable and relatable characters, impartation of real life lessons, and simple and yet complex language. If we try to over rationalize our initial ideas, we end up losing them and eventually find them picked up and worked upon by our competitors.
Follow Your Passion
If you do something you love then you have better chances of being successful. Rowling loved being a writer and despite starting her career as a teacher, researcher, and secretary, she kept trying her hand on writing because this was what she loved best. She was rejected by 12 publishers because they found her book very long and full of fantasy, but she persisted. Bloomsbury, the small publisher, which finally agreed to publish her advised to have day job as it was unlikely to make it big being a writer. Yet all of her 7 books broke sales record. Entrepreneurs never let go of their passion.
Keeping it Simple
Entrepreneurs don’t need fancy tools and gadgets and a swanky setup to do what they like to do best. Unable to afford heating her place, Rowling found it cheaper to buy a coffee at a local café and write her book chapters there. She also used an old type writer to type out two of her books. I have found the most creative entrepreneurs to be working with nothing more than a laptop, a few productivity tools and softwares, popular social media platforms, and creating a whole small business identity around them.
I am Luci McMonagle. I find J.K. Rowling a great inspiration because I too started my entrepreneurial journey from nothing. As a Miracles Abundance Coach, I train women entrepreneurs to change their mindsets, find inspiration, seek miracles and magic in life and business, and invite abundance into their lives through simple actions. To discover how you can do the same, go through my training calendar and book a vacant slot for yourself. First session is free. Together, we can work out a way for you to tame your creative prowess and make it profitable through inspiration, tools, referrals, resources, and more.
by Luci McMonagle | women entrepreneurs
In one average day, 96% of women feel guilty about something. Women entrepreneurs end up feeling guilty about a lot more things: not having enough time, not spending time with family, not making enough money, or guilty of making money when your spouse or friends are struggling with money; spending too much money but not on the right things. Entrepreneurial guilt is very real and but why no one seems to talk about it is because entrepreneurs don’t want to acknowledge their negative feelings like fear and frustration. This guilt corrupts our sense of happiness and satisfaction; it kills us from inside, and stops us from achieving our best. Here are 4 ways you can manage your own entrepreneurial guilt and frustrations:
Do What You Love Doing
Launching your business is a lot of hard work, late night sitting, poor work and life balance, sacrifices of personal and family time, and what not. These issues can create a whole lot of stress and guilt, even the regret of never taking on or leaving behind the predictable and secure 9 to 5 job occasionally. You should also accept that there is nothing wrong with charging and accepting money for your service; from you do better than others. Women entrepreneurs need to acknowledge their frustrations and come to terms with them, we need to be proud of what we do, celebrate our accomplishments: big or small. We shouldn’t feel guilty in living the way we want to live and make a living. A laptop life style can give you the freedom to live and work on your own terms, and make good money while doing so!
Go Back in Time
Most people think that going back in the past is useless because you cannot change it, which is true if you make guilt trips to your past. But revisiting your past can be powerful, uplifting, and liberating if you remember your past struggles and also recall how you overcame them and not just your failures; remember those people with fondness and gratitude who helped you and not just those who were hurtful. Remind yourself of your past actions, hard work, sacrifices and struggles that have brought you to the place you are in currently. Instead of the feeling of pain and guilt, you will find things that are motivating. Personally speaking, I remember what it was like to grow dirt poor, survive on state welfare and 2nd hand clothes, to eat crackers so I could feed my son as a single mom. But I also remember how exceptionally hard I worked to take my business off the ground, to be able to pay for my education, afford my own car and house before I was 30.
Curb the Money Guilt
During the course of my career, I have seen innumerable women entrepreneurs trapped in their painful money stories of the past. There is a need to change this money story, re-write it, if you want to succeed in your business and life. Understand why you want more money and what this money can help you do: money is not a means of having the ability to pay the bills and afford nice designer merchandize. Having more money means having the ability and freedom to create the lifestyle you want for yourself and your family: having the means to follow your true passion: not just the $500 designer dress but learning a new hobby, pursuing a course, etc. Having more money means that you can also help others generously.
Share Your Joy
It is joy and not stress allows you to be creative and generous. Share your sense of joy and fruits of accomplishments with others: your friends, spouse, children, etc. Donate your money to those in need andgive gifts. Above all, give time to your children, share your life lessons with them, so you can create your legacy. Living in a state of joy allows you to treat others with compassion and kindness. It manifests a sense of largess that attracts even more abundance in your life.
I am Luci Mcmonagle, an Abundance Manifestation coach. I have made it my mission and work passion to help women entrepreneurs feel good about themselves and their work. I like helping those around me reach their fullest potential. Want freedom from guilt and enjoy abundance? Check my calendar and schedule a free session with me. We can explore what more you can do to manifest abundance and magic in your business and life. Get advice, resources, systems, and referrals and much more!
by Luci McMonagle | women entrepreneurs
Not all entrepreneurs are alike: they are wired in a different way; they think and work differently. Some are mind-centered entrepreneurs; some are heart-centered entrepreneurs, and others soul-centered entrepreneurs or soulprenuers. Each style demands and deserves a distinct approach and business model. Recognition of our unique thinking patterns, work styles and beliefs, helps us become more grounded, happy, purposeful, and productive as women entrepreneurs. For me, women entrepreneurs can be classified in the following paradigms:
Mind-centered Entrepreneurs
These entrepreneurs focus on their minds’ power and allow it to lead their entrepreneurial destiny. They are good at assessing pros and cons in a situation, calculating the consequences of their decisions and then taking them accordingly. They constantly plan, think, strategize, and execute. They rarely execute without a business plan, PowerPoint presentation, and data comprising figures, ratios, charts, and complicated designs. Mind-centered entrepreneurs operate in the infinite realm of ideas, information, technology, and ultimately innovation. These types of entrepreneurs are techs, investors, venture capitalists.
Tips for Success
- Invest in learning the latest technical skills, such as book keeping, accounting, coding, web development, and programming.
- Strike a balance between planning and execution.
- Don’t over-think and over-rationalize. Get going and make changes on the way.
- Test assumptions through actions.
Heart-centered Entrepreneurs
In essence and spirit, all entrepreneurs are heart-centered because they choose to follow their heart and passion, instead of sticking to a routine job. But the way I see it, heart-centered entrepreneurs as those who work in accordance with the ‘feel good factor’ in their business and actively seek bliss and not just financial independence. Also, ‘heart-centered’ is the perfect term to describe women entrepreneurs and distinguish them from their male counterparts. Those entrepreneurs who are uncomfortable with the aggressive and pushy salesman technique can identify with and feel at ease with being a heart-centered entrepreneur. Heart-centered entrepreneurs’ prime motive in being an entrepreneur is not to make money but to do good, for themselves and others. They operate from the realm of emotions instead of numbers. They are not afraid of looking vulnerable. These types of entrepreneurs are designers, writers, authors, crafters, artists, business coaches, musicians, speakers, and teachers.
Tips for Success
- Believe in making a difference in the lives of others.
- Focus on ways to add more value in life of your customers.
- Delve into your customers’ fears, struggles, desires. Then tell them ways you can help them.
- Use emotions and stories to connect with your customers.
- Balance dreaminess and creativity with productivity, focus, and results.
Soul-centered Entrepreneurs
Soul-centered entrepreneurs are spiritual and mystic in nature. They believe in becoming connected with a higher and divine purpose beyond conventional religious tags and labels. They believe in healing, inspiring, , and changing the world through one person at a time. They put meaningfulness in their work before money. They incorporate holistic techniques actively in their business, such as yoga, meditation, prayers, manifestations, feng shui to reduce stress, cultivate clarity and abundance, promote healing, joy, and happiness so as to enable their clients to achieve a breakthrough. These types of entrepreneurs are life coaches, healers, shamans, yogi, therapists, pastors, and many others.
Tips for Success
- Live and breathe your service. Be its embodiment.
- Carry on your business with the belief that your service has a soul and a function of higher value.
- Focus on your own uniqueness instead of fearing the competition or copying him/her.
- Be spiritual but in a worldly way so that everyone can connect and yet feel transcended and alleviated.
Realizing what type of an entrepreneur you are can help you set your goals successfully, tackle your individual challenges in a better way, and fulfill your destiny. The failure to recognize your entrepreneurial paradigm creates energy blocks, lack of productivity and creativity, doubt, crisis of faith, stress, confusion, even anger.
A personal coach like Luci McMonagle can help you recognize your natural entrepreneurial paradigm and strengthen it. Luci believes that all the systems in the world won’t help your business if you don’t have the heart energy and right spiritual structure in place. She is giving a free session if you want to get an insight in yourself in order to get a better insight into your small business. Book yourself a one-on-one session now.
