It should be so simple……

We know what to do.

It’s not rocket science.

There is a ton of free information about how to do it.

But very often we don’t, or can’t…at least not effectively.

I’m talking about Marketing here. But not the tactical parts….the “I can own my stuff” or mindset part. I call that the Inner Marketing piece.

Because our mindset interferes with our marketing. It’s as simple as that.

Let me share a story with you. This is a true story of a friend of mine who for the sake of anonymity is a service provider. She’s got a heart of gold, is super talented, very spiritual, and makes almost 6 figures. She has big goals for herself and her business. But she also works seven days a week, very often Christmas and every holiday, and has a business model that if she doesn’t work, won’t get paid.

While she loves her business she’s working at trading dollars-for-hours, scrambles to get clients, and is at risk of major burn out.

Because I love my friend and want to help her get past this stuck place, I said to her: “Hey…let me help you. Why not first raise your rates?”

“I couldn’t do that, what if my existing clients got mad? And in this economy no new ones will pay a higher fee.”

OK I say, “Well then how about you create a boot camp because there’s a huge need and you could serve a large number of people quickly.”

“No, that won’t work because other people in my industry are already doing that.”

I know (still working the idea machine for my seemingly stubborn friend) “how about if you created DVD’s because you are so good at what you do and this way your time will be leveraged.”

“What, me get in front of the camera? I’m not comfortable with that.”

So my suggestions of owning your value and leveraging your time and talent got shot down because this very driven professional had mindset blocks that basically kick her butt and keep her hostage to staying in the box she’s in. And it breaks my heart because I see it every day.

We all have these to some degree. I know I have wrestled with these demons in my business and if you are like most people and haven’t yet gotten the success or money that you desire, it would behoove you to shift your focus AWAY from “I just need to do more marketing” and move it to “I absolutely am willing to commit to doing the work on ME to discover and release any blocks that would prevent me from moving forward.”

Here’s the thing….marketing and the concept of this is SEXY! Every day entrepreneurs are waking up planning on how to market better. But how many of those people then take it to the next level of questioning where they ask themselves, “Who do I have to become to make this marketing work?” The numbers drop significantly at this point! Doing the mindset work isn’t necessarily like getting a root canal, but it can be hard at times. Liberating yes, but it takes courage.

So if you have ever felt discouraged because you have bought the blueprints, paid for the mentoring, purchased more than your share of info-products and still can’t seem to make it work, my goal is to show you that there is a way to make all the pieces fit together. But you have to be willing to do the work on the INSIDE to have your business become one you’d love….and be profitable.

Yes, maybe it’s not just that you are marketing incorrectly….maybe it’s your mindset that is causing the breakdowns. I shouldn’t use the word ‘maybe’ because it’s more likely than not that if you are not having the results you desire, that’s a huge part of the problem.

So how do you know you have some mindset blocks? Answer the questions below to see if even some things you never would have connected as being related to your business may be part of why you are not seeing the level of success you desire.

Undercharging

Do you feel guilty for charging the fees you do?
Would you like to raise your rates but can’t?
Are your clients shocked at how low your rates are?
Do you sometimes resent your clients because you know you should be getting more $ for the work you are doing?
Are your expenses climbing but your income declining?

Chronic over-giving

Do you feel you have to give more than you receive?
Are you always the one jumping in to help?
Is letting others help you a bit of a challenge?
Do you feel guilty if you get something first, before you give?

Undervaluing your skills or worth

Do you have a hard time thinking of yourself as an expert?
Do you feel like asking others for support is “bothering” them?
Are there people in your life who see your brilliance more than you do?
Do you take for granted the work you do because it comes so easy?
Do you ever doubt if you aren’t quite ‘good enough’ in some ways?

Sabotaging patterns

Do you find yourself procrastinating at times?
Are opportunities falling through the cracks?
Is there clutter and chaos in your life that slows you down?
Do you experience high and lows?
When a really good thing happens, do you then experience a breakdown sometimes?

So you see yourself in some of these items?

The place to start is to be committed to doing whatever it takes to become the person your business needs you to be. Imagine that your little business is just sitting there waiting for you to step into your greatness so it can grow and flourish. It’s like its job is to call forth in you more of your powerful self. (Crazy? I think not!)

The places where we break down are really the opportunities we have to grow and transcend the limitations that hold us back. But our tendency is to run from these cuz they are not pretty and sure don’t feel good at times!

Step 1 is to decide to face whatever you need to.
Step 2 is to make an honest assessment of what’s the block.
Step 3 is to be fearless about seeing where it comes up and why.
Step 4 is to see the gift in this.
Step 5 is to begin to lean in to dissolve the hold it has on you.
Step 6 is to make new choices and take different actions.
Step 7 is to repeat over and over and over!

But the biggest step of all? Probably would be to get a trusted guide who can walk you through the process because frankly most of us don’t want to and subsequently can’t see these things in ourselves. That’s why my clients are willing to fly in to Phoenix for a VIP day with me because they are sick of the holes in their lives and business that the mindset blocks cause.

My hope is that you’ll be all about changing from the inside out. If you are ready to partner with me for more support, let’s set up a time to chat about it because I hold a high vision for you and your business and want to see you get there.

Imagine you have a gorgeous new Lexus siting in your drive way….but it has no gas in it. Or that Santa brings one of the new Mac books….but it’s missing the vowel keys.

The point here is that these things are great, but without some of the missing pieces (like gas and the right keys) they are almost useless.

Sadly, that’s just how some folks run their business. Lots of great things and loads of possibility, but some fundamental pieces not firmly put in place. So the result can be less than desirable, and frustrate the heck out of you!

This is why you can feel like you are working and working and working, and may not have gotten where you want to be.

When you read the rest of this article, I’ll show you the three key pieces you need to have an integrated business and what it looks like if these are missing for you.

It started by noticing trends. I was seeing client after client with the same challenges. It was either they had great ideas and lacked the proper mindset to pull them off, or the opposite was true. Maybe they didn’t have the right idea of what to do next or know what was possible in getting their business out in the world in a big, bold way.

Here were wonderful people with great visions for themselves and the clients they were to help, and yet they were not being as effective as they could be.

Why? Because their business didn’t have the 3 key ingredients to make it integrated.

I guess I should start with what I consider the definition to mean. The dictionary says this:

in·te·grat·ed

adjective
combining or coordinating separate elements so as to providea harmonious, interrelated whole.

In order to support my clients and help them put more of the right pieces into their businesses, I created my 3 step model/paradigm that weaves into the business all the parts necessary.

Here’s the pyramid that depicts the formula.

Let me describe what each of the pieces are and why you need them to be solidly in place.

Structure – This is represented in two places…business and personal.

Business structure = we look at what you are selling, how money comes in, how things are leveraged, how you spend your time, etc. It’s like an architect laying down the proper foundation before the house it built.

Personal structure = this is where your identity come in. Where we work out and release any fears/doubts, or blocks in your way. You can’t have one without the other if you want a business that works.

Spirituality – This is the spirituality of your own understanding, and not meant in a religious sense. If your business is to have a heart, you’ll need to grow your ‘center.’ And that center (in my opinion) is to connect more deeply to what your source is. You may have heard me say that the entrepreneurial journey is like a spiritual path. I say this because when you step up and say yes to running that mission-driven business, you will need to become more of a leader, more bold, more self-aware, and more able to weather the sometimes stormy patches that you encounter. And the best way to navigate through these is to have a strong spiritual connection.

Strategy – After we build the right foundation, get you and your business connected spiritually, then we add the strategy which is like the gas in the car! Good strategy is the gold. It’s the thing that takes the confused, overwhelmed entrepreneur and allows them to settle in, get into action, and uplevel their results.

Are you seeing where you may need some tweaks? What I discovered is that most of us have one or two working well, but need that third one integrated.

Let me share with you what happens when you have just two in place and are lacking the third critical piece.

Structure + spirituality only = Missing strategy means you will feel scattered; marketing and sales are inconsistent, thus you won’t be charging or may not be making enough.

Strategy + structure only = Missing spirituality will show up as you or your business feeling empty and your customers feeling like your business has no heart.

Spirituality + strategy only = Missing structure means that you are not grounded. The risk here is that you are likely to get off track and follow others’ blueprints or bright-shiny-objects, and your clients may not know how to work with you. Missing personal structure means that your emotions may be running you and you don’t have the way to settle down with them.

What’s the solution? The first step is awareness. I’d suggest that you take an honest look at what’s working and not working. Best yet, get an outside perspective on your business. Ask your clients or mastermind partners to share with you what they see your strengths are and where you could use a bit more support in. And feel free to visit my Go Bold Mastermind program because in 9 months we’ll work on strengthening these so you can have a fabulous, integrated business you will just love!