I recall someone approaching me at a networking event, we got talking about her business and she explained she was feeling fed up because she consistently seemed to attract difficult clients – late payers, cancelled appointments, quibbling with fees, lack of commitment etc. So I asked a simple question, “Who is your ideal client?”

“Anyone really” was her reply.

Immediately I knew there was an opportunity for us to work together – she was my ideal client.

How did I know? Because I know exactly the kind of client I want to work with.

If you feel you are spending a lot of time marketing and networking but not attracting the ‘right’ clients then it’s either down to one of two things. Your selling skills or more probably you aren’t clear on who you are ideally selling too.

So now is a good time to get clear. Go on grab a piece of paper and do this exercise right now as you are reading this article. I know you’ve got good intentions but unless you pick up that pen and take action now, you will probably become distracted by something else.

Ok got that pen and paper? Then let’s meet your ideal client.

Here are a few prompts to stimulate your thoughts. Write down whatever comes to mind, your first thoughts are usually right and you can always make alterations later on.

Ideal age/generation, gender, location, home ownership, marital status, education, career, hobbies or interests, values, lifestyle -are they active in community events, clubs or professional groups? health status, where they shop, books/magazines they buy, where they socialise, where they typically turn when they need help. Are they computer literate? What online activities do they participate in? What makes them tick? Are they willing to invest? Are they open to new ideas? Describe your ideal client – how do they dress, what do they say, what are their attributes?

Don’t you think carrying out this simple exercise will make it more easy for you to start building relationships with the right clients?

For a start communicating with them will be more effective as you will be able to use their language. It will improve your conversion rate, because you will no longer be trying to sell meat to a vegetarian and you will also increase the lifetime value of your clients and develop lasting relationships rather than having lots of one time sales.

One last tip to leave you with, why not use your profile in your marketing material, in your bio or FAQ’s. e.g The clients who receive the maximum benefits from working with me are……………

Now go and pin your ideal client profile somewhere you can see it on a regular basis to ensure you no longer work with difficult clients.

“The ideal client is the wealthy man in great trouble”

- John Sterling

From time to time I will be sharing articles from guest bloggers, if you enjoy writing and have an article you think would be of interest please contact my VA at myva@allisonmarlowe.com

This post was written by Shuri Morgan – Radford

THE WORLD NEEDS TO CHANGE

I think just about everyone would agree with that statement. We can all feel it, can’t we? The world is stretched like an elastic band which is threatening to snap. Many people are suffering from an inordinate amount of stress; we are under a cloak of fear from politicians and the media and we are being held to ransom by a list of rules and regulations which no-one can keep up with, even the people making them! Society is generally showing all of the signs of breaking down whether it is our monetary system, education, health or everyday way of life.

LOCKED INTO OLD WAYS

One of the main reasons that all of this is happening is because we are locked into old ideas and old ways of doing things. Mankind has moved on but our structures have not. Those who hold the power have not yet caught up with this undercurrent of energy for change and live in fear of losing everything. As a result there is a culture of ‘dressing the same man in different clothes’ rather than changing the man entirely. So we remain stuck in out-moded ideas such as work and pleasure being totally unconnected; of education being the accumulation of external knowledge rather than the development of internal wisdom; of money as being the driving energy of the world rather than people’s basic needs and so on.

AMAZING NEW DISCOVERIES

The accepted understanding of the effect our minds have on the world around us has now been largely discredited. Science and quantum physics are making new discoveries about how we interact with our world, every day. Research is showing over and over again that many of the most basic ideas that we have about consciousness and our relationship to things around us are wrong! In fact, out of ignorance in the first instance, we have been led to believe all sorts of things which aren’t actually true!

ROCKING THE STATUS QUO

The challenge for us now is to integrate these new ideas; to make them part of our everyday way of being. However, despite knowing these new findings, those in power are afraid of what might happen if we rock the status quo so rather than moving into the new ideas everything is kept in cobwebs much like Miss Haversham in Great Expectations! But remember, at one time everyone believed the world was flat! And I I’m pretty sure that you don’t believe that now do you?

TURNING OUR IDEAS UPSIDE-DOWN

More and more people recognize the need for change but many feel utterly impotent. Changing a life-time of rigid structures of consciousness is difficult but the irony is that the more that we learn, the easier the changes will be. Turning some basic concepts about the world upside-down is now vital. It might seem strange at first but the benefit is extraordinary!

A NEW TIME

A new era is emerging and it is becoming tangible to many people. Those who already have a deeper awareness are starting to create groups and societies to address how best to move humanity into this new way of being. The realization is dawning that we now need to change the very way in which we think. For example, we can no longer separate our thoughts and feelings from our bodies; we can no longer treat our bodies as a machine which can simply be ‘fixed’ with some drug. There is a need now to reverse some of the most basic concepts that we hold dear and there is also the awareness that this cannot remain a cerebral activity. Committed actions must follow if the change is to have any power.

SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU?

We can no longer depend on governments to make the required changes. It is now up to us as individuals to step up to the mark and I have created HARMONIC CONSCIOUSNESS as a means of giving people access to these new ideas. By adopting more creative ways of thinking, you will live a more authentic life. Your personal everyday existence will be happier, stronger, more confident and less stressful. The new ways of thinking will also automatically bring you greater peace of mind. But the most amazing thing is that the more people that step into this new consciousness, the better the world will become. Your personal movement forward will affect not just you and those close to you but the whole of humanity. How great is that? With this new understanding each of us has the chance to make the world a better place. Wouldn’t you love to make that happen?

MY PASSION

I have a deep passion to help people to understand that there is a different way of living and to show them how it can be done. I believe that the world can be a better place and that if each individual learns how to live in a greater sense of contentment and in an authentic way, a better world can be achieved. By adopting a new and exciting way of thinking each one of us can make the vital changes which will lead to a better way of living both for us as individuals and for the world in general. It is to that end that I invite you to attend the launch of HARMONIC CONSCIOUSNESS, a creative new way of thinking in an old world.

The launch of HARMONIC CONSCIOUSNESS

(A creative new way of thinking in an old world)

 Shuri Morgan-Radford, The Consciousness Architect and Author of ‘Authentically Yours’ invites you to share her enthusiasm for a new way of being. Join her for a gathering of INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER AND SONG at The launch of HARMONIC CONSCIOUSNESS

An intriguing and compelling talk from Shuri which will challenge your views on the way the mind works and what we all need to do NOW to bring about changes to significantly improve the quality of our own lives and the world around us.

Also:- Bucks Fizz on arrival, Guest speakers, A Goody bag for each person, Buffet and bar and singing from the fabulous voice of professional vocalist Rachel Hawnt!

7-10pm 24 March 2012 at the Hilton Hotel, Farlington, Portsmouth (Car parking free)

Tickets £25.00 through Eventbrite

I’ve just had a big purge and unsubscribed to quite a few e-newsletters. It’s part of my twice yearly de-cluttering and space clearing regime to allow for new and exciting opportunities to come my way.

And you know what?  – It feels so liberating.

I’m always amazed by just how many ‘lists’ I manage to subscribe to. No wonder my inbox was becoming disordered and slowing me down.

What about you – do you get ‘hooked’ to subscribing to copious amounts of newsletters? Do you spend hours poring over facebook,  (sorry Sam Russell), Google + or other social media sites, or constantly checking emails?

It seems to me, that there is an ever increasing obsession we have created for ourselves exacerbated by technology.  Fear Of Missing Out, (FOMO).

What if I miss an interesting article that will propel my business forward?

If I don’t check my face book account I may miss an exciting opportunity or event.

FOMO  can be a dangerous addiction,  here’s why:

• It  encourages you to look outside of yourself for answers
• Can lead to feelings of inadequacy  or ‘the grass is always greener’ syndrome
• Prevents us from making decisions
• Keeps us in procrastination
• Prevents us from committing
• Puts unnecessary pressure on our most valuable asset time

Not great then if we are want to feel more successful in our lives.

I’m not suggesting for one moment you go cold turkey, like all things in life there is a positive aspect to FOMO.  It can be a great motivator, IF respected and taken in moderate doses.

But for those of you who are recognising FOMO as a bit of an addiction here are two quick antidotes.

Instead of spending time on your lap top, mobile phone etc take a screen break and

• Spend 5 minutes every day enjoying the here and now, experience the moment and really appreciate what it offers
• Get out of your head and spent some quiet time tuning into and learning to trust your intuition.

Do this and you will be sure to bring some harmony back into your life.

Wherever you look at the moment from blog posts to newsletters from social media to promotions people are talking about ‘Making 2012 Your Best Year Yet!

Of course it’s January and customarily this is where our attention lies, but why oh why can’t we start to appreciate that we are okay as we are? Don’t get me wrong – I love that people want to improve themselves, BUT where does this longing for ‘better’ end?

Over time I’ve observed many women setting themselves unrealistic expectations and then wondering why they feel totally exhausted, drained and in some cases burnt out and unable to enjoy the fun aspects of life because they are simply just too tired. Believe me I’ve fallen foul to this on numerous occasions and still learning the lesson, so if you resonate with this you are not alone! J As children we are taught to  ‘do your best’, that we must improve, and so … we always feel a little inadequate.

So we have been long conditioned to keep striving, improving, perfecting. However I believe there are a couple of detrimental flaws with this.

• If everyone is striving for excellence then excellence becomes the norm – we all have to up our game and push ourselves harder and harder until it becomes difficult to feel truly proud of our achievements because we are continually expecting more and more and more…..
• When we ‘feel’ we aren’t up to scratch, or aren’t able to achieve perfection, we have a tendency to do nothing at all. Eeek!

 With this kind of behaviour, at what point does anyone ever become content with who they are?

Alternatively, at the beginning of this new calendar year how would it be if you were to centre your thoughts and decide to believe you are good enough- exactly as you are?

If we allowed ourselves to be content just as we are and didn’t need to ‘better’ ourselves every minute of every week – would that be such a terrible thing?

My wish for you in 2012 is to stop trying to be everything to everyone, stop beating yourself up for weakening and appreciate yourself for what you already are. You will find you are a lot kinder to those around you and more gentle to yourself.

This is the question I am asking myself today.

I don’t know about you but for the last few years I’ve identified a theme meandering its way through both my life and business.

‘Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable’ is just one that I recall from recent years and for 2012 I’ll be focusing on the theme of simplicity.

The holiday period has provided me with a super opportunity to get out of autopilot and become really clear on what simplicity means to me – it could well signify something quite different for you, but for me, this means finding a more effective way of doing things, a better way or an easier way where I can eliminate all but the essentials and spend more time doing what’s vitally important to me, my family and my business. It means living in alignment with my values – ( side note – do you know I didn’t even have ‘fun’ as one of my top 5 values until a couple of years ago!).

It’s not as easy as it seems though. It often feels like there is too much going on – believe me there is never a dull moment when you have four children, I can tell you and that’s just in my personal life!  On the other hand, life is short and there is so much I want to do and experience and it all takes up our most precious commodity, time.

So I’ve decided that instead of wanting more I first need to ask is there a better or easier way to do what I’m already doing.

Imagine if you were to ask yourself that question prior to each action you take. I wonder how much more free time you could create for yourself if you were to simplify your life and business?

I’m so excited right now! You probably have seen the buzz on face book but in case you haven’t seen or heard, I wanted to share my wonderful news with you.

On Sunday evening I won ‘Woman’s Coach of the Year’ at the Association of Professional Coaches, Trainers and Consultants Awards Dinner in London. An amazing personal feat (I’m usually the one presenting the awards) and a stupendous end to what I can only describe as the most remarkable year.

But……

I couldn’t have achieved this without you, so please accept my heartfelt thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to nominate me and /or place your vote.

You know, 2012 is going to see many big changes in the ways women manage and run their businesses. I’m predicting that we will see many women creating massive results and taking their business and life from mediocre to absolutely magnificent.

My wish for you is that you will allow yourself to be one of those women

When we were tiny babies no one had to teach us how to live in the moment. We just did so, naturally.

Time was magical, with toes to discover and rattles to play with. As long as our basic human needs were met, only the present moment mattered, only the present moment existed.

Then we began to grow up and many of started to forgot how to stay fully present. We started remembering experiences from our past and rehearsing for our future.
I wonder how much of your life is spent thinking about some goal or event in the future-worrying about things that need to be done next week or fantasising about how great life will be when….?

It’s these very thoughts that continually lean toward your future that can rob you of your present moment – YOUR life.

Remember the saying ‘enjoy the journey’, or as Zig Ziglar would say ‘Success is not the destination.’

Your life is created by how you feel in the moment. The feelings that you have NOW attract the building blocks for your future.

So, if you aren’t at ease with who you are now or how your life or business is going, you are going to attract experiences that are a reflection of those feelings, and it will be difficult to ever reach a state of contentment or satisfaction.

It’s easy to lose touch with just how amazing life really is when you continually think about the future and what you’re going to gain, do or accomplish down further down the road.

A simple way to live in the moment and enjoy the journey of life is to find everything and anything that you can be grateful for and to give thanks.

There’s a wonderful Zen passage, “Success is not found in what you have achieved, but rather in who you have become.”

“Who you have become” is directly related to the growth that happens along the way to your future.

Stay on course in the direction of your dreams but keep your mind and heart in the present moment, because that’s where the richness of life lies and where transformation happens.

So don’t worry about what you could’ve or should’ve achieved last week or what you might do tomorrow. The only time you can effect is NOW, the present moment.

You read that correctly!

Having an online presence in the form of a website is absolutely a waste of time.

IF….

You believe that having  a website is going to be your answer to finding clients and doing more business.

I hear it time and time again from women who go to great lengths and expense to have a pretty looking website built for them and then can’t understand why they still aren’t finding clients.

Why do we get so hung up about the websites?

In fact why do so many people become hung up about having business cards and promotional material printed BEFORE they feel ready to do business?

One of life’s little mysteries perhaps.  Or maybe not.

Agreed it’s fabulous to have these resources BUT,  and here’s the thing……..

Whilst you are spending time right now, writing copy, selecting pretty little images from istockphotos  you could be out there doing what you do best, serving other people and benefiting financially.

Let me tell you something.  You are the front window of your business. You are the equivalent of your online presence, so why not start from where you are, use the wonderful resources you’ve got and stop procrastinating behind your desk.

We haven’t always had websites – people prospered in business for 100’s of years before the web became a marketing tool. Not only that, it is becoming increasingly challenging to make yourself visible online by website alone.

You don’t need to send people to your website before they will buy from you

So take a deep breath, stop focusing on your website and go out and look for the people who need your help.

Today’s post is inspired by my eight year old. She was playing with my iphone the other evening and unbeknown to me at the time, this short video is what she captured of herself.

1. Do what you enjoy
2. Grab Attention
3. Use Video!
4. Communicate your message clearly without fear of rejection
5. Don’t let the fear of failure, judgement or criticism hold you back
6. Be your authentic self
7. Be creative and innovative
8. Get out of your comfort zone

From time to time I will be sharing articles from guest bloggers, if you enjoy writing and have an article you think would be of interest please contact my VA at myva@allisonmarlowe.com

Are You Living In Your Own Skin?

By Shuri Morgan-Radford –

The Consciousness Architect

I don’t want to do this!

How often do you say to yourself I really don’t want to be here or I don’t want to be doing this? How often do you find yourself saying ‘yes’ to someone when actually you mean ‘no’? How many times do you find yourself crossing your own bottom line? Do you even have a bottom line? If you recognise these things going on in your life, it may well be because you are not being your Authentic self. Being Authentic means being unique. It means living your life your own way and not following another person’s way of doing things. It means being confident and self-assured enough to do what makes you happy and fulfilled so that you get the maximum out of life’s experiences.

Square peg in a round hole!

If you aren’t living in your own skin and in a way that is natural to you, you will constantly feel like a stretched elastic band. You may feel that you are a ‘square peg in a round hole’ or ‘stuck in the mud.’ You may feel as though you don’t ‘fit’ anywhere. You may find yourself spending a lot of hours in the day doing things which don’t feel natural to you, or make you sad or unhappy or just plain annoy you. Whatever you feel, it won’t be pleasant. You will struggle on but will never really feel ‘right.’ You may even get ill, drink too much, find it difficult to relax and generally find life tough.

 I feel great!

So why is it important to be your Authentic self? Well, living in your own skin means that you are doing what is right for you. You are being driven by your own values and desires and therefore your life will have more meaning and be much more fulfilling. Communication becomes easier as you stop feeling as though you are pretending to be someone else. You make your own decisions on what you know to be right or wrong for you. You will be happy to listen to someone’s advice but ultimately will make your own informed decisions. You will feel more confident and have more self-esteem. You will know your worth and you will feel altogether more secure. Although it is about pleasing yourself, it isn’t about being selfish. Think of the analogy of the plane crash. We are told that in the event of the air masks coming down, we must put on our own before our children’s.  Authenticity is like that. When we know that we are secure then we are in a good position to help others.

Feel the fear and …..!

Some people say to me ‘but I’m too scared to go out there and do what I really want to do.’ My answer is always that there are times when there is fear attached to doing something but your Authentic self will say ‘I’m scared but I really want to do this.’ The more that you can ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ as the author Susan Hay says, the more fulfilled and strong your Authentic self will become. Practice makes perfect in this case! And sometimes you may find that what you thought you wanted to do or be isn’t actually what you wanted at all! But that’s ok. – at least you are one step closer to knowing your real self by knowing one more thing that isn’t Authentic to you! This is when the really good changes begin to take place.

Weird man!

Being unique and Authentic for some people means not running with the herd; it means being different than the norm and that’s ok. Other people may find it strange that you are behaving differently at first (particularly those close to you) but soon they will begin to respect that you are making your own choices. Some people may even think that your ideas and ways are odd, but you will unconsciously be giving other people the message that we don’t all have to be clones. By your actions you will be giving others the permission to live Authentically. Also your contentment will be their evidence that you are making good choices in your life.

The power of it all!

Being your Authentic self is a powerful thing. By your authenticity you are connecting to your Higher Self and life inevitably becomes much more rewarding. When you understand and start acting in an Authentic way you are able to let go of jealously, envy, fear, insecurity and all of those other negative emotions because you are doing what you want to do with your life. Living in and appreciating the moment becomes more important than dwelling in the past or the future. Real contentment, love, compassion and understanding enter your life. If we all committed to living authentically what would happen to the world then…..? That’s a powerful thing, isn’t it…..! So – could you choose to find your Authentic self today – right now? Could you give your true opinion, dress in a particular way, take up a hobby, do something that you’ve been dying to do for years? Start to create your own future. Whatever it is, do it in the knowledge that each time you make a personal choice and act on it, it will feel more and more natural because it is already part of you. Go forth in Authenticity!