You’re asking the wrong question.

You shouldn’t be asking “How do I get more clients?”

You SHOULD be asking “Which clients shall I choose?”

Searching for clients is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  Forget that…

Every single person you meet is a potential client.

You’ve got to choose the ones you want.  Who can you give the most value to?  Who will you enjoy working with the most?

Let me help you understand this process. For most, this is an epiphany…THE moment of realization. When you finally open your eyes and say…

“Wow, I really have been asking the wrong question!”

Let me share a story with you…

I live in New Zealand which is a very beautiful place. We are surrounded by natural beauty and stunning scenery.

Here we have a very special butterfly called a Monarch. It’s a large orange butterfly, absolutely majestic and beautiful.  We had nothing like it back in England.

Now if you already know me you’ll know that I love using the metaphor of butterflies to describe clients.  Because throughout their life cycle butterflies are creatures capable of making profound changes given the right conditions.

The journey of going from a caterpillar to a butterfly is an incredible transformation but it’s a very natural one given the right nurturing, the right conditions.

If it’s too cold they don’t make it… if it’s too hot they don’t make it… if they haven’t got enough to eat they don’t make it.

I see my clients the same way… I see YOU that way. Capable of so much more…

People in general are wonderful, talented and complex but sometimes they just get stuck…

They create barriers… they have hurdles… life throws problems in their way.

When you change your mindset and start seeing everyone you meet as caterpillars who can become butterflies… then you realize EVERYBODY is a potential client of yours.

The truth is you can help EVERYONE!

Anyway… Monarch butterflies are very choosy.  They are really only attracted to one type of plant.  They like to eat the leaves and lay their eggs on it.  It’s their favorite.

It’s called a swan plant.

And not originating from New Zealand I didn’t know what a swan plant was.  I kept hearing about them but didn’t have a clue what one looked like.

Then we moved house and all of a sudden there were lots and lots of butterflies in the garden.  I thought this was great!

So I watched them one day and found their hangout and I said to myself, wow that must be a swan plant. Turns out I’d seen them hundreds of times before.

Suddenly I started seeing them EVERYWHERE.

I just hadn’t noticed them before because I hadn’t been looking.

It’s the same with your clients.   Until you realize anyone can be your client, you think “Oh, where are my clients… where are they hiding?”

You don’t realize they are actually all around you…wherever you go

And so my question for you today is “Which clients are you going to choose?”

Because you can’t choose them all…

But don’t get me wrong; although I don’t blindly follow instructions, I do respect and value advice from knowledgeable people. I may be rebellious but I’m not stupid or disrespectful.

I am going to offer you some heartfelt advice today. I sincerely and passionately hope that you take it. It’s the same advice I offer all of my students and clients.

and it’s as simple as this…

Change the rules so that YOU can win.

And when I say ‘win’, I’m not talking about some kind of cut-throat competition. I’m talking about having a truly happy, successful and fulfilling life…helping as many people as possible to reach their full potential and live joyous lives too.

A few years ago, I stopped seeing clients altogether. There were several practical reasons for this but one of them was that I’d simply stopped enjoying myself. It felt too ‘difficult’…A job I’d loved and cherished for so long had ceased to be as pleasurable for me as it once was.

When I returned to full time practice, I decided I’d do things my own way. No rules…no dogma…no restrictions. It was my way or the interstate highway.

I have my own style. I have my own systems. My own rules as to which clients I see and which ones I refer on.

The kind of hypnosis and coaching I utilize many wouldn’t even recognize. It doesn’t come from a book, it comes from my heart and from my imagination and soul.  I am incredibly client centered but only after I’ve told clients how things work in my practice and what I expect of them.

I have my own beliefs. They are positive and success focused and every one of them allows me to enjoy what I do and get the best for my clients.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I know you’re capable of more than you’re currently achieving.
And because I am continually heartbroken by the number of people who join and then leave our professions on a daily basis because they ‘can’t make it work’.

The truth is you need to look inside and not outside for the answers. Somewhere inside you there is a unique style, skillset, combination of strengths and, if I can be blunt, GENIUS waiting to be set free.

I was talking to one of my clients a few weeks back (lets call him ‘Jane’ because that definitely isn’t his name) who told me that he generally takes an hour or two to prepare for each client session. Then he sees the client for an hour.

Me: “Jane, I hope you’re charging that client for 3 hours work?”

Jane: “No but I was always taught to do lots of preparation. What should I do?”

Me: “Well, choice 1, you can start valuing yourself appropriately and charging your client for 3 hours work. Or choice 2, you can do the same as me…Zilch preparation…and just deal with what the client brings to you.”

A week later ‘Jane’ calls me up as excited as my 3 year old daughter was when she recently discovered her first earthworm.

‘Jane’ had ‘found himself’. Letting go of the need to prepare for client sessions had freed him to:

• avoid pre-empting what the client brings to the session
• tune into his natural creativity and spontaneity
• allow himself to be way more flexible
• preserve energy and time meaning he can see a lot more clients in a day
• enjoy himself more and cherish his work on a deeper level
• achieve profound results and have his clients pretty much worship him

So should you make this change?

Not necessarily, no…You should be looking for changes that you can make in your professional work style because this will set you free to be yourself and to reach for the sky.

Come on Luke…Feel the force! You know it’s in there.

Ed

(Please leave a comment if this has helped you or if you have had any insights from this post because doing so will help others too)

But I can tell you this…

I have a gift for you this holiday season and if you follow through on my simple instructions,  you’re going to get a BREAKTHROUGH, perhaps several of them.

My gift has probably created more breakthroughs for more people than anything else I’ve ever done…

There is one hitch. It does take a little bit of time to complete. In the past I’ve reserved this gift for my private clients but I thought this holiday season I would gift you as well. I hope you appreciate it and I hope you follow through.

About Your Personal and Professional Breakthrough

I want 2011 to be your most successful year yet, in every possible way. And I believe that the opportunity starts for you right here, right now…

After talking with literally hundreds of therapists and coaching practitioners over 2010, I know that you have untapped potential. The potential to change peoples lives…The potential to earn as much money as you want…And I think it a travesty if you’re not taking full advantage of everything you have… personally…professionally…even spiritually.

After working with people like you…people who have professional certification…people who have a caring heart…people who are committed to making a difference in this world..I want to help you. I really do…

I want to make it so that you can go out and help as many people as possible.

My holiday gift to you has transformed the lives of more professionals than I can count.  Every time I  talk to people they always mention that my gift has been a catalyst for their transformation in terms of their income generation… their wealth generation… and their ability to impact clients.  To be able to have more impact on the people around them.

I urge you to take some time and focus on this opportunity…  Fill it out…

I can guarantee you one thing.  You’ll get at least one breakthrough. That I can promise. Especially when it comes to building your practice in 2011.  It could be your desire to find new clients… it could be fulfilling the needs of existing clients… it could be increasing your personal confidence when it comes to making a difference in the lives of others.

I don’t know…

What I do know is this.  A breakthrough… A bona fide breakthough is in the offing for you.

You may be skeptical right now.  You may not know me very well.  That’s OK and that’s a fair comment. Here’s what I urge you to do.

Accept my gift this holiday season in good faith and in good heart. Do what I ask in the most simple of ways. I can guarantee you a breakthrough. But in the unlikely event that you don’t get one immediately, please contact me. Get in touch with me…You and I can have a conversation and I’ll give you the breakthrough in your practice you’re looking for. The breakthrough that you’ve been searching for.

2011 can be a banner year for you… It can be the year that you transform your practice…  And to live the life and have the lifestyle that you desire and deserve.

Go ahead! Spend a little bit of time on this opportunity and if you need to… get in touch, give me a shout and we’ll set up a time to talk.

CLICK THIS LINK TO GET STARTED NOW!

Ed

“Mindset is everything”.

It’s true of course and it sounds simple. But how on earth do you get the right mindset for success? Can you be taught it at night class or do they sell it at Wallmart?

Helping people improve their lives is a massively rewarding and valuable profession!

Make no mistake. If you are a therapist, a coach or a wellness professional of any kind then what you do is of incredible value to the public.

It really is.

All of the biggest companies and organizations in the world spend their advertising dollars and their energy trying to persuade the public that their products and services will make their lives better.

You actually can!

I mean it. You can transform people’s lives, put them back on a happier, more meaningful more rewarding path.

So why do so many of you struggle to get even a small number of regular clients?

Why do so many of you:

• Feel nervous, even anxious, before seeing clients
• Worry about whether you’ll be able to fill your work schedule
• Torture yourself over the results you get with clients. “What if it doesn’t work”? “What if they are disappointed”? “What if I’m not good enough”?

And many other worries, fears and doubts.

I have been in the privileged position of coaching and training many people to build successful practices and I know this for sure:

The things that people think are holding them back:

• Lack of marketing and business skills
• Website shortcomings
• Not enough certificates and qualifications
• Not enough skills and techniques

Are absolutely not the things that are holding them back in reality.

Sure, these issues are absolutely important and I teach and provide solutions to all of them. But in themselves they do not give people a successful business. The truth is that when I provide clients with the knowledge and resources to fix all of these issues, they are often shocked to discover that the doubts and fears are still there.

The lack of these assets and the focus on them as hurdles and barriers is false. I’ve learned this fact hundreds of times over. Almost all negative ‘symptoms’ experienced by people in our professions (old hands and newly qualified practitioners) have the same root causes:

• Lack of self belief
• Lack of confidence
• Unclear thinking and false beliefs or assumptions
• Unrealistic expectations of self
• Failure to fully ‘connect’ with clients and potential clients in the way that they are desperate for

It’s time for you to do something about it!

If you aren’t fully backing yourself, or if you are holding yourself back somehow, then you are depriving your potential clients of life transforming experiences. You’re depriving them of hope.

I’m sorry, but you are, and I’m sure you probably realize it too.

So I’ve got something for you. A gift. Call it a holiday gift! It’s given with pure intentions and an authentic wish for you to succeed to a higher level than you have so far.

But first a quick story to give it some context.

I had two friends years ago and unfortunately they both lost their jobs. The company they worked for was one of the biggest employers in my hometown and one day they laid off half of their staff, both of my friends included.

And here’s what happened.

One of my friends spent all of his time at home feeling sorry for himself. He ate unhealthily, drank and smoked and basically let himself go.  Understandable under the circumstances.

My other friend put on a suit every day, and got out there with a cheerful face and positive body language. He made a point of connecting with at least 10 new people every day. He built a powerful network of potential employers, influential contacts and incredible new friends.

He basically kept hold of a ‘success mindset’. He told himself he was successful and of course before long he was in a new job. The new job was actually better than the original one. That was during a  previous recession and I’m sure he has never looked back since.

So that’s what I’ve made for you!

In the past I had a lot of very good coaching myself. A lot of encouragement and support from the right people at the right time. And I believe it’s made all the difference in my professional work and all areas of my life.

So I’ve produced an mp3 recording that I know is going to help you to. It’s called ‘In The Zone’ and it’s a way of mentally preparing yourself in the morning (or the previous night) before working with clients. You will get yourself warmed up and to your optimum state in the same way an actor or professional performer would.

It doesn’t matter if you’re seeing one-on-one clients, working with people on the phone or even group workshops and trainings. This recording will definitely help you to center, focus and generally get yourself balanced and supremely confident.

Even if you don’t see clients yet, it will allow you to develop a success mindset in advance. (Like my friend putting on his best suit everyday in advance of finding the dream job).

I urge you to download this and listen to it regularly. It will help you to insert the habits, beliefs and behaviors of success and your clients will notice a huge difference.

Of course it would be great if you pass this resource onto friends, colleagues and students. They can come right here and grab a copy too. It was produced with life coaches, hypnotherapists and NLP professionals in mind but I think it would actually be useful for just about anyone in a therapy or coaching profession.

Also please do post your comments below. I’d love to know your thoughts on this blog post and also if you enjoy the benefits after fully utilizing this gift.

My best wishes as always,

Ed Lester

ps. Here’s the recording.

** DOWNLOAD IT NOW – All you have to do is to right click on this link and select ‘save as’ or ‘save link as’

You can then save it to your computer and transfer it to your ipod or burn it to a disc. I sincerely hope it makes a BIG difference for you.

And don’t forget to pass it around, post it on Facebook etc.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF REPORT – CLICK HERE (right click and select ‘save as’ or ‘save target as’)

I think it’s the most practical and actionable report I’ve given you and I’m convinced that if you implement some of the lessons contained therein, you’ll have some amazing and positive results – Long Term!

If you have read it, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your comments

What I’d really love is for you to share with us (after reading the report) what is your biggest current challenge in your wellness business? And when you’ve overcome that challenge what will that mean for you?

Best wishes

Ed

Understanding how social media works will improve your business effectiveness, and allow you to reach new crowds of people in need of your services.

Stop Making Everything Complicated!

I tend to see my job this way – to explain complicated things in a simple way, so that my clients can break through their barriers and obstacles and get to their goals much faster. Maybe there are areas in your business or in your life where you’re making things far more complicated than they need to be?

People love simple explanations with stories, examples and clear illustrations.

The following videos are produced by an organization called ‘Common Craft’.  They also see their job as ‘helping make things simple for people with easy explanations’. If you’ve struggled with the concepts of Twitter, Social Media, Blogs etc, these videos will give you a clear understanding.

Twitter in Plain English

Twitter Search in Plain English

Social Media in Plain English

Social Networking in Plain English

Blogs in Plain English

How can you use ‘simple’ in your business?

I think if you can communicate to your clients, colleagues, networks of friends and friends of friends in a very simple way:

• what you do
• how it works
• how it can help people
• how amazing you can help them to feel

then you are on a pathway to great success…

Please note, this doesn’t mean you have to ‘dumb down’ or trivialize what you do. It just means seeing things from your client’s perspective and speaking the language they clearly understand.

Summary

By the way, the kinds of videos above cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce – if indeed you can find someone with the right skills to make them for you.

In summary, simple expanations work and simple concepts sell! People don’t tend to buy or sign up for things they don’t understand.

So there’s your job for today.  Make things simple for your clients and everyone you communicate with.

Would love to hear your thoughts below… Ed

He had published an interesting post about leadership with a VERY funny accompanying video.

Anyway, it occurred to me that the guy ironically labeled a “dancing nutter” in this video was very similar to every successful business client I’ve ever met or worked with.

And it’s really the same for any of you who run a business seeking to help other people and improve their life quality.

Why?

Because he creates a success, not by trying to enlist hundreds of followers but by following a simple 2 step process

1. He realizes that all you have to really do is to find one or two ‘clients’ to take a chance on you.

2. You give them a fantastic experience – so good that they want to ‘give you referrals’.

The rest, as you will see, takes care of itself.

This video is fantastic if you meditate on it and understand the deeper lessons.

Enjoy!

Ed

In a close second place, is someone arriving full of positive expectations and stories of success about what you do.

When a client comes in to see you in a positive mindset, full of expectancy, half your job is done. That’s how it feels to me anyway…

The power of testimonials

This is why testimonials are so important. Think about it, when you buy a product or hire a service from someone new, don’t you feel much better if someone has recommended you to the product or service provider?

And if you haven’t had a personal recommendation, don’t you go looking for testimonials from previous clients and customers?

Now there’s an art to choosing the right testimonials to use in your marketing and in using them the right way.

One tip I can give you is to find out what the biggest concern in your prospective client’s mind is, and overcome it. For instance, if you think they might be worried that hypnosis isn’t safe, use a testimonial in which a delighted client explains how safe and comfortable the process felt.

As I suggested in a previous blog post, if you don’t have the testimonials you need from clients yet, then get them from fellow professionals and training instructors.

And the other option is to utilize the testimonials of the rich and famous…

There are plenty of websites and blogs claiming that all kinds of famous people have used hypnosis but the problem for me is that the claims are often anecdotal, very rarely verified or officially sourced.

I wanted to get something together for my coaching clients to help them in their marketing and so what I did was commission a professional researcher to find properly sourced, solid evidence of well-known figures using hypnosis successfully.

Rather than keep this material just for myself and my clients, I decided to share some of it with you today.  Use the link below to download a research document with sourced news stories about nearly 30 successful, well known people who have had positive hypnosis experiences or said positive things about the subject. They include:

• Tiger Woods
• Courtney Love
• Michael Jackson
• Ben Affleck
• Mel Brown from the Spice Girls
• Whoopie Goldberg
• Ewen McGregor
• David Beckham
• Ellen DeGeneres
• Many more from the world of professional sports and entertainment…

This is the raw research document, so feel free to represent it in any way you see fit. Use it in your marketing, on your website, whatever you want to do. I hope it helps

Download The Document Here

Warmly,

Ed Lester

PS I know that some people have an issue with the idea of practitioners using personal testimonials. I think this is completely flawed thinking and not helpful to people looking to build successful marketing campaigns. But that’s another story for another day!

Getting good search engine results for your website can take a very long time.  One way to get listed much more quickly near the top of Google’s listings is by registering with the Google Local Business Center.

You can go there right now and enter your business details easily:

Go To Google Local Business Center

Within a couple of short weeks, you should find yourself much more visible in the search engines for many of your chosen keywords.

This also adds you automatically to Google Maps so that potential clients can find your services by searching for you geographically.

Start 2010 With A Search Engine Results Boost!

The key to getting high up in the Google Local Business Center search results and getting lots of FREE traffic, is to give as much information as you can when you sign up.  Make sure you add lots of information about your practice, clinic or business, your opening hours, address, some images, logo etc.  The more information you give the better results you will get

If you haven’t already registered with this service I highly recommend that you do so straightaway. It takes a while to become visible so if you do it today you will be getting free website traffic and new clients by early 2010!

On that note, I’d just like to wish you all the very best for the festive season and for 2010. It’s been a great pleasure and a privilege to learn, share and get to know so many of you!

Go To Google Local Business Center

If this is you, then consider this a wake up call.  Missing the opportunity to have your photo on your website is the equivalent of running a convenience store and hiding behind the counter every time a customer walks in.

You must never use a website as an excuse to hide yourself.  Your face offers your site visitors all of the benefits of dealing with a real person.  It is a very powerful form of connection, and not putting into practice this basic online principle will severely impede your chances of turning web visitors into clients.

When choosing that all important image of yourself to use on your website, here are some important points to consider:

• Your photo should make a connection with potential clients.  It should be authentic and show the ‘real you’ while maintaining your own brand of professionalism.
• Think about the sorts of qualities you want to portray as someone who helps others – for example friendly, approachable, competent, intelligent, kind and happy .
• Make sure it is a recent photo.  Yes, you want to appear at your best but also need to maintain your integrity.  That photo from the 1980s might make you feel younger, but it’s not exactly an accurate portrait of who you are now.  You also don’t want to appear dated.
• The photo itself should be of good quality – not grainy, out of focus, poorly edited or proportioned.
• Consider using the services of a professional photographer.  They will be able to put you at your ease and take a range of shots, and be able to edit or tweak your photo afterwards.
• Get a third party opinion of which is the best shot to use.  It’s often really hard to be objective about your own appearance.
• Once you have your chosen image, crop it to focus mainly on your face, which is the most expressive part of you and the part that potential clients will be interested in.