How to we make a success and a living from doing the work we love and do well? How do we take the work we love, and do well, be it writing, bodywork, art work, furniture making, car repair, editing, etc., and decode the path to making it accessible in the right way in the right places ...for people who want to purchase it?
I know so many gifted individuals. With one thing in common. They forget, they really DO, that what they do is a business.
And business skills pay off. Its simply hard work that many choose NOT to do, which is fine.
BUT..if you want what you do to succeed, it pays to figure out how to present it, where, and when. It no longer is simply a matter of sharing the information here and there.
Times have changed. Consumers require more. There are two resources I have used that have been helpful, though the amount of work I was willing to do to take advantage had its limits, which I take responsibility for. But if what I figured out didn't pay off, I would have gone ahead and studied and done the leg work to see what was possible.
For myself, after the war began, I realized I had to somehow communicate the ESSENTIAL nature of my work, so that people had a very concrete idea of what they would get out of it, and WHY they should part with their hard earned money. Exactly what it did. How long it took. What things they could take that would make them need to see me less. And I moved, at the time, to half hours, really tough deal to do, but very accessible to people.
My practice exploded with the new name "Essential Healthcare", half hours, and a new brochure that put prices front and center, and gave exact information about what I was offering.
Now, people know exactly what I offer. Their friends tell them. They call and we talk and they ask.
The funny human thing is, the less accessible I am, the more demand there is. Funny humans: as if that's the measure of excellence!
Possibly, like yourself, I had over the years bought perfectly good, all exciting books that promised they would help me accomplish this goal. Nope, I didn't follow through. But instead of feeling badly about myself, I realized I was a 'herd animal' and needed someone present, an appointment at a specific time and place I had to show up to. And....it really would help if it was free. SO,
The Free Resources I Utilized Were:
1. Here in our fair city, and possibly yours too, The Chamber of Commerce has a person who comes out every other week and sees people by appointment for an hour, to problem solve what work you do, what your goals are, and ways they know that usually consist of the legwork necessary to treat your business.....like a (surprise) business. You do your homework, make another appointment, fine tune things, and proceed. You get all cranky, nervous, wail to yourself (why why is this stuff necessary???) And then, instead of waiting for something magic to come knocking at your door, you fine tune your approach and take the responsibility for treating your business....like a business. No charge. You get to be polite and thankful, and figure out what steps really are not to the point (me creating gatherings to try out my Magic Oil? Not necessary.) And which steps you might want to pretend you don't need, but in actuality, you need to find the support to step UP and do them. If you want this goal, of course. Yup.
2. The second cool and also free, initially, resource is the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, in Greenfield, which often has FREE three hour workshops on the initial aspects of looking into what your business is, and how you go about breaking down treating it like a business. No stroll on the beach. But the whole point, all you talented people, is that you DO have a business. And if it's having a tough time getting where you want it to go, you now get to CHOOSE whether you want to be a grownup and get all down and dirty doing stuff that is not fun or easy...to see what you can do to turn it into a success.
They also offer series of classes to really hold your hand and support you and give you that 'I paid for it and they're expecting me day after tomorrow, so , wow, crap, I'd better get my homework done." thing.
One of the things you do when you want to build your business, is you think about who you know who does something similar (or not) and is successful in a manner you would like to be successful. Go online, or check out how local people do things.
I keep watching how many people don't really purchase things in person, when it comes to art and other products, unless they're in a store! Why? I'm not sure. But go talk to people you run into, who are doing well, and they've often learned exactly how to post things regularly in a way that makes people enjoy checking in...and sell their things on etsy and pintrest and other places. There's an art to figuring out how to position what you do so people are drawn to it and want to pay for it.
I've watched my own herbal products really not sell if I'm on a leave of absence, despite the clients being my clients for years. I don't push anything, ever. But I am very well informed, articulate at conveying how things work to clients, and I guess when I'm there, they remember why they want to buy that Lymphatic Formula for their gluggy lymph that keeps helping them get sick over and over. So just putting things places really does not seem to work anymore.
So many times, artists have put things in my waiting room or hallway, done the correct artist thing of having the proper list on the wall of numbered items and prices. At my office. At other places. I'm not sure if anything ever sells that way. You DO get name recognition....So the question is, how does YOUR product sell? And how can you position it so there is more than appreciation for it, but people making that final step forward to purchase it.
When I was training Apprentices a few years back, I would offer very very affordable sessions, and supervise three trainees in three rooms with clients, hour after hour. It was a great deal. So much was attended to. In the beginning, people streamed to the sessions. But after a few months, no so much. So many bodyworkers will give 'deal's, or think that if they have a website and brochure, suddenly the phone will be ringing off the hook. NO. Yeah, those things are nice and helpful. But, NO, that doesn't do the trick.
Leading people to your blog or FB page or putting up flyers that provide information that is vital and they can use right NOW that gives them an idea of what else you may have to offer...does. Word of mouth does for sure. Name recognition combined with a friend who had the same problem and you were amazing for it does.
But so many of us kind of get things set up, like the Lemonade stand, really amazing lemonade and all, and then we stand there. And wonder why noone is really pulling over and stopping. If we really want to get somewhere, we need to get a handle on what we are selling, and how, these days, people are buying things like that. And then go out and , as a hobby, begin to track down like minded people who have done the leg work and whose gig is now working, and well. And analyze what it is they are doing, as a great model, to adapt to yourself.
And then not copy it, but use it to create the model that both attends to how people are spending money, and what you in particular have to offer.
For myself, I've learned over the years that, for some reason, people are drawn to the package I am.
They ask me why there are no new photo montages of my latest adventures on the office walls (trying to find the time!), or why there's no new photo of mine with some adventure written up in the bathroom. They don't seem to care that on this page, I'm all over the place. In fact, they seem to like it more.
One day blahdeblah about a walk with the sun and wind. Next, day, 25,000 posts about a certain vitamin. The next, some writer I like.
On these pages, you get to secretly see how many people come open the post and read it. Fancy, huh?
So maybe there are one or two likes, but 50 or 150 or 550 people have come by for some mysterious reason to check things out. The article I decided to write about Marijuana, because not only do bunches of people use it , but many are waiting with some great hopes and desperation to use it medically. I know something about offsetting medications with important supplements and how bodies work. So I thought I'd write about the top 5 things I'd really like to suggest people consider taking/doing if they are going to use Marijuana in any form. 500 people opened it up and read it.
And whether we adore the pros and cons of FB or not, having a tool like this, that enables us to see that 789 read the story about visiting the farm in the snow storm, but only 54 read about how artificial sweeteners really seem to do a good job putting people at risk for cancers...is helpful information. Because what you really want to learn is....how things work these days. What people want to look at , read, and then....buy.
Does having hundreds of people quietly looking at what you share translate into income? Who knows. But it does provide name recognition. And they kind of get to know you. And sometimes call to see if you'll ever have a cancellation so they can have one session to set up a plan of supplements to cover bases, and how will they tell it's working?
They message you on FB and ask you to explain something you wrote, or ask you to do a post about a certain subject, showing that they have come to trust your perspective and references.
Just one example. But I did do all that studying and reformulated my work and my approach and tonified it. And I continue to study people who have created very effective attractive models, not that I always choose to do that, versus have a nice time, posting things I think are either beautiful or interesting or important for our health.
There are so many gifted people out there, and there IS a path to making your work accessible to people. It just takes more than setting up your Lemonade STand, and waiting for something to happen.
I know so many gifted individuals. With one thing in common. They forget, they really DO, that what they do is a business.
And business skills pay off. Its simply hard work that many choose NOT to do, which is fine.
BUT..if you want what you do to succeed, it pays to figure out how to present it, where, and when. It no longer is simply a matter of sharing the information here and there.
Times have changed. Consumers require more. There are two resources I have used that have been helpful, though the amount of work I was willing to do to take advantage had its limits, which I take responsibility for. But if what I figured out didn't pay off, I would have gone ahead and studied and done the leg work to see what was possible.
For myself, after the war began, I realized I had to somehow communicate the ESSENTIAL nature of my work, so that people had a very concrete idea of what they would get out of it, and WHY they should part with their hard earned money. Exactly what it did. How long it took. What things they could take that would make them need to see me less. And I moved, at the time, to half hours, really tough deal to do, but very accessible to people.
My practice exploded with the new name "Essential Healthcare", half hours, and a new brochure that put prices front and center, and gave exact information about what I was offering.
Now, people know exactly what I offer. Their friends tell them. They call and we talk and they ask.
The funny human thing is, the less accessible I am, the more demand there is. Funny humans: as if that's the measure of excellence!
Possibly, like yourself, I had over the years bought perfectly good, all exciting books that promised they would help me accomplish this goal. Nope, I didn't follow through. But instead of feeling badly about myself, I realized I was a 'herd animal' and needed someone present, an appointment at a specific time and place I had to show up to. And....it really would help if it was free. SO,
The Free Resources I Utilized Were:
1. Here in our fair city, and possibly yours too, The Chamber of Commerce has a person who comes out every other week and sees people by appointment for an hour, to problem solve what work you do, what your goals are, and ways they know that usually consist of the legwork necessary to treat your business.....like a (surprise) business. You do your homework, make another appointment, fine tune things, and proceed. You get all cranky, nervous, wail to yourself (why why is this stuff necessary???) And then, instead of waiting for something magic to come knocking at your door, you fine tune your approach and take the responsibility for treating your business....like a business. No charge. You get to be polite and thankful, and figure out what steps really are not to the point (me creating gatherings to try out my Magic Oil? Not necessary.) And which steps you might want to pretend you don't need, but in actuality, you need to find the support to step UP and do them. If you want this goal, of course. Yup.
2. The second cool and also free, initially, resource is the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, in Greenfield, which often has FREE three hour workshops on the initial aspects of looking into what your business is, and how you go about breaking down treating it like a business. No stroll on the beach. But the whole point, all you talented people, is that you DO have a business. And if it's having a tough time getting where you want it to go, you now get to CHOOSE whether you want to be a grownup and get all down and dirty doing stuff that is not fun or easy...to see what you can do to turn it into a success.
They also offer series of classes to really hold your hand and support you and give you that 'I paid for it and they're expecting me day after tomorrow, so , wow, crap, I'd better get my homework done." thing.
One of the things you do when you want to build your business, is you think about who you know who does something similar (or not) and is successful in a manner you would like to be successful. Go online, or check out how local people do things.
I keep watching how many people don't really purchase things in person, when it comes to art and other products, unless they're in a store! Why? I'm not sure. But go talk to people you run into, who are doing well, and they've often learned exactly how to post things regularly in a way that makes people enjoy checking in...and sell their things on etsy and pintrest and other places. There's an art to figuring out how to position what you do so people are drawn to it and want to pay for it.
I've watched my own herbal products really not sell if I'm on a leave of absence, despite the clients being my clients for years. I don't push anything, ever. But I am very well informed, articulate at conveying how things work to clients, and I guess when I'm there, they remember why they want to buy that Lymphatic Formula for their gluggy lymph that keeps helping them get sick over and over. So just putting things places really does not seem to work anymore.
So many times, artists have put things in my waiting room or hallway, done the correct artist thing of having the proper list on the wall of numbered items and prices. At my office. At other places. I'm not sure if anything ever sells that way. You DO get name recognition....So the question is, how does YOUR product sell? And how can you position it so there is more than appreciation for it, but people making that final step forward to purchase it.
When I was training Apprentices a few years back, I would offer very very affordable sessions, and supervise three trainees in three rooms with clients, hour after hour. It was a great deal. So much was attended to. In the beginning, people streamed to the sessions. But after a few months, no so much. So many bodyworkers will give 'deal's, or think that if they have a website and brochure, suddenly the phone will be ringing off the hook. NO. Yeah, those things are nice and helpful. But, NO, that doesn't do the trick.
Leading people to your blog or FB page or putting up flyers that provide information that is vital and they can use right NOW that gives them an idea of what else you may have to offer...does. Word of mouth does for sure. Name recognition combined with a friend who had the same problem and you were amazing for it does.
But so many of us kind of get things set up, like the Lemonade stand, really amazing lemonade and all, and then we stand there. And wonder why noone is really pulling over and stopping. If we really want to get somewhere, we need to get a handle on what we are selling, and how, these days, people are buying things like that. And then go out and , as a hobby, begin to track down like minded people who have done the leg work and whose gig is now working, and well. And analyze what it is they are doing, as a great model, to adapt to yourself.
And then not copy it, but use it to create the model that both attends to how people are spending money, and what you in particular have to offer.
For myself, I've learned over the years that, for some reason, people are drawn to the package I am.
They ask me why there are no new photo montages of my latest adventures on the office walls (trying to find the time!), or why there's no new photo of mine with some adventure written up in the bathroom. They don't seem to care that on this page, I'm all over the place. In fact, they seem to like it more.
One day blahdeblah about a walk with the sun and wind. Next, day, 25,000 posts about a certain vitamin. The next, some writer I like.
On these pages, you get to secretly see how many people come open the post and read it. Fancy, huh?
So maybe there are one or two likes, but 50 or 150 or 550 people have come by for some mysterious reason to check things out. The article I decided to write about Marijuana, because not only do bunches of people use it , but many are waiting with some great hopes and desperation to use it medically. I know something about offsetting medications with important supplements and how bodies work. So I thought I'd write about the top 5 things I'd really like to suggest people consider taking/doing if they are going to use Marijuana in any form. 500 people opened it up and read it.
And whether we adore the pros and cons of FB or not, having a tool like this, that enables us to see that 789 read the story about visiting the farm in the snow storm, but only 54 read about how artificial sweeteners really seem to do a good job putting people at risk for cancers...is helpful information. Because what you really want to learn is....how things work these days. What people want to look at , read, and then....buy.
Does having hundreds of people quietly looking at what you share translate into income? Who knows. But it does provide name recognition. And they kind of get to know you. And sometimes call to see if you'll ever have a cancellation so they can have one session to set up a plan of supplements to cover bases, and how will they tell it's working?
They message you on FB and ask you to explain something you wrote, or ask you to do a post about a certain subject, showing that they have come to trust your perspective and references.
Just one example. But I did do all that studying and reformulated my work and my approach and tonified it. And I continue to study people who have created very effective attractive models, not that I always choose to do that, versus have a nice time, posting things I think are either beautiful or interesting or important for our health.
There are so many gifted people out there, and there IS a path to making your work accessible to people. It just takes more than setting up your Lemonade STand, and waiting for something to happen.
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