Why I Recommend Investing In Yourself to Grow Your Business--Darnyelle A. Jervey

If I had a dime for every solo-preneur that has told me that they can’t afford to invest in themselves, I’d be a millionaire without ever selling a product. Sadly, many believe that making an investment in themselves is a liability when their business is not yielding a profit. On the contrary, I hold the belief that investing in yourself is what unblocks the client pipeline and sends a surge of ideal client prospects who are ready to buy at your virtual door. It is at those moments where your faith is activated and the result is growth that to many may seem unexplained.

I stood in the spot where you are standing and I can tell you that even as I wrote out that first check, I was scared. After all, there’s no guarantee that the return on my investment will be profit, right? While that is true, it is seldom the case. Why? Because of the law of circulation, also known as sowing and reaping. When you sow – by investing in yourself through the work of another, you’re telling God [Universe] that you want to experience the abundance that He has reserved for you. And, He brings it forth.

Think of the farming analogy. You want to raise a new crop, so you plant a seed. Before you plant the seed, you make sure the ground is fertile. Then you plant the seed, cover the seed with the fertile ground, water it and when you’re not watching, it sprouts and leads to a field full of your new crop.

Now, let’s transfer this analogy to your business. First you check the ground to make sure it is free of weeds and rocks – the ground is your mindset, your money consciousness and your desire to stop letting fear keep you from moving ahead as you would like. You do some personal work to break up the foul ground and prepare it to receive the good seed, so that the seed immediately takes root. So you get your ground right, and then you plant the seed. The seed is the person you hire – a coach, mentor, consultant, etc – who knows what you need to know and commits to helping you get it. And then you water the seed – you pay attention and implement what they give you to do because your mindset is one that is focused on productive, positive thoughts. And as you implement and take consistent action on the tasks outlined, you see the seed sprout and ultimately create a new crop – an increase in your business which comes in the form of new clients, new strategic partnerships, products, signature talks, etc. Why is investing a good way to grow your business?

1. You are your best asset. When you sharpen your iron, it makes you more potent in the market. You will be able to withstand those who aren’t being sharpened and grow your business.
2. School is never out for the pro. Successful entrepreneurs are constantly learning a new skill and improving the products and services and results they offer their clients.
3. It’s an activation of faith. Nothing says faith more than investing when money is not plentiful. It also helps to ensure that you are going to do what is necessary to yield the results. When you don’t have money to waste, you don’t waste it.
4. You tell God that you are ready for more. It’s almost like tithing – when you tithe to the people, places and organizations that inspire you and add value to your life, you naturally experience an increase. Investing is inviting more into your experience
5. No investment, no increase or as I’ve also heard it said – no risk, no reward. You can’t win the game if you don’t play in it.

I personally recommend that you make investing in yourself and your business a budget line item. As a rule of thumb, I encourage you to invest at least 10% in yourself over the course of the year. Those investments can be attending events, working privately with a coach or consultant, joining a mastermind, joining an organization or association or anything that could get you closer to your ideal clients. Once you invest, create a plan and implement what you learn. When you implement, you will be sure to reap a harvest that allows you to live a life that is in line with your desires.

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.

5 Simple Strategies to Getting Your Next Paying Client--Darnyelle A. Jervey

I think we can all agree that nothing happens until somebody sells something. Regardless of what is being sold – the next restaurant where you and your special person will have dinner, a new television or one of your products or services – the sell predicates everything that happens from then on out. So what happens when you can’t sell? What happens when you have been working tirelessly for months and months doing what you believe will yield a successful selling situation and yet you still sell nothing?

Many entrepreneurs find themselves in this predicament as they endeavor to grow their businesses and as you might guess, it is utter frustration. While we can all agree that this is not the energy you want surrounding your business, if you happen to be one of those who’ve yet to master selling conversations, this may be exactly what you experience on a consistent basis.

I happen to be of the opinion that your next client is closer than you think. In fact, I think that if you follow the five simple strategies outlined in this article, your next paying client will materialize in days. Don’t believe me? Give these strategies a try:

1. Find out what they’d pay anything to fix – the universal law of business corroborates the statement that nothing happens until somebody sells something. But it suggests that the sale is predicated by a problem that needs to be solved. If people only buy to fill a need or solve a problem, what would your ideal clients pay anything to fill or solve?

2. Focus on the transformation – most business people are so focused on the steps and jargon and technical step-by-step processes that solve the problem of their client that they fail to show the result, outcome or transformation that one who buys their product or service will get. If you begin to focus on the transformation you provide when you speak to prospects, they will start to pay attention and eventually they will even open their wallets.

3. Go to where they’re already hanging out – if you go to where your ideal clients are and focus on the transformation you provide, the law of averages say that someone will buy. I’m just saying, it is sometimes the simplest things that go undeveloped.

4. Give them multiple options – when you only have one option for them to work with you, you create a “take it or leave it” scenario and most will leave it. If you present several opportunities to get great results from working with you and those options represent multiple budgets, you will usually get them to take you up on one of them, which will allow you to close more clients.

5. Ask for the sale - I know this seems like a no brainer, but many people go through the trouble of sharing the value and blah blah blah, only to never ask for the sale. They assume that people are just going to tell you that they want to work with you every time. While I believe that sometimes people will just come right out and tell you they’re ready, especially when you learn how to create compelling selling conversations, more often than not, you will have to ask them if they’re ready to work with you. You can only get a yes if you ask….

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.