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As expert entrepreneurs, one of the biggest decisions we make is choosing our monetization model, which I define as the mechanism by which we turn our magic into money . The reason is that our model largely determines how we spend our time, the quality of our life, how big the business can grow, and the impact it can make (not to mention the obvious – how we generate revenues!) Watch the video below, or keep reading for the "Cliff's Notes" version. Here are 4 things to look at when evaluating your existing model, or considering a new one: How well does this model suit YOU? Does it align with who you are, what you enjoy, what you are trying to accomplish, your passions, your gifts? This is key! Are you monetizing your magic, or are you monetizing your time and effort? When you monetize your "magic" – AKA: what you're best at, what comes easily to you, and what doesn't require a ton of hustle and effort – everything flows more easily. Stability –  Does your model provide stable recurring revenue or is it a rollercoaster of up and down revenue? This is where what I call the "Big Back End" comes in, which is what I call a model in which all roads lead to some sort of long-lasting client relationship. I recommend this model not only for the financial benefits to you financially but also for the tremendous value it creates for those you serve and lead. Scalability – Ask yourself, "can this model grow"? What makes a model scalable is having established internal business processes and structures. Think automations, systems and SOPs. Simplify what you can for efficiency, which makes growth easier (and less expensive!) Saleability –  Whether you want to be in it for the long haul or you plan to one day sell your business, saleabilty is a key element to consider. Having the ability for your business to eventually be sold and run by another entity or person, means that the business has value on its own,  and can be run successfully even if you take a step back. Please check out my full video to learn a bit more about this topic! ***

When it comes to being a professional coach there are definitely some “dos’” and “dont's” which can make or break your coaching business. First, I think it's so important to understand some of the biggest challenges most coaches run into, which will set up the 7 “dos” and “don'ts” I'll be sharing further down. For the full content, watch the video above!  Biggest Challenges:   #1 Time for Money – One of the biggest problems is the time for money business model. This means selling your time, selling your sessions. Exchanging your time for money will eventually lead to ZERO time left.  #2 Retention – Very often coaches either enroll clients in too short of a program, so they constantly need to either reenroll or let clients go, meaning they're having to continuously generate new business to repalce the loss.  #3 Burnout – When you're selling your time, you have to always be working to be earning, not to mention always having to generate new clients if you're struggling to retain them. likely will end up in the dreaded “hamster wheel”   of getting new clients and marketing and selling over and over again and again.  All of this is a recipe for disaster. The good news is that these are all very common challenges and below are some solutions to these problems.  #1 Inner Alignment In short, this means that you are not looking at your business and your personal life and livelihood as two separate pieces but as a whole, and making sure that what you DO is an authentic and aligned expression of who you ARE.  When I work with clients on this foundational piece, here are some of the questions we dig into: Who are you really ? This is your passion, your strengths, your talents, and even your weaknesses. This is YOU. Why are you here? This is your connection to a higher power, a greater purpose. What are you called to do?  How do you cultivate Life Force? What do you need to feel energy-rich? This can be your self-care, the food you consume, the hours of sleep you need, the activities you engage in, etc. Your Values. What matters most in the world to you, what do you believe in?  Your Past. This is your story, this is any healing you may need to do from old betrayals, hurts, and trauma. Your Vision. This is your new vision. What do you want your future to look like and what do you want to create in this world? #2 Lifestyle The key focus really gets into what you need to sustain and fulfill the lifestyle that you want to have.  Ask yourself how much time do you want to work? How much money do you want or need to make? What do you want your work day to look like? What important ongoing personal committments MUST be honored?  #3 Monetize Your Magic   Your business model is the mechanism by which you turn your “magic” into money. Your magic is your gifts, talents, and those offerings that come easily to you. All too often people monetize their time and effort , instead of their magic, in many cases because they have a deep-seated belief that you must sacrifice to succeed.  How do you deliver your value for money? There are many different business models out there and the key is to find what works in alignment with your particular constellation of talents.  #4 Your Brand Your brand is your identity expressed – expressed as a message, a value proposition, a logo, a website, a name, and all the other tangible and intangible representations of you out in the world. You have the opportunity to intentionally package that identity and cultivate it. But most people leave it up to others to decide and figure out.   I'm a big believer in brand authenticity – the clearer and more transparent about who you really are, the easier it becomes to brand and market in a sustainable way.  #5 Marketing   This is the consistent process of putting your brand out into the world in ways that your audience can find and consume.   Some commonly used marketing tools include Podcasting, YouTube (my fave), Facebook ads, and social media, etc. These can all be great ways to get your brand out in the world – as long as #1 is in play, and these strategies are energy-rich and sustainable.  Side note: I'm a big believer in Email Marketing to support all of the above. # 6 Sales Whatever your preferred sales methodology, turning all of your marketing and branding into sales is what business is always working towards. I mostly have meaningful conversations with people, a term I learned from one of my mentors, Mark Leblanc. Mastering sales is one of the biggest “musts” for any coach.  #7 Delivery Being a successful coach means that you can deliver results and you can provide real outcomes for your clients.  I look at this in 2 big ways: 1) Skills / Operations – how you deliver and manage the coaching itself to create valuable outcomes with clients, and 2) Personal Development – doing the work yourself so that you're constantly upleveling and can work with your clients for the long haul. *** If you're looking to become a more successful coach, maybe I can help. Let's connect and have a conversation. You can find me at superstaractivator.com/go and you can book a call on my calendar by going to that landing page.

Contrary to popular opinion. Your brand isn't what you think it is, or even what you want it to be. Your brand is what everyone else thinks it is; what people say when you're not around.  That's your brand. If you want to take charge or your brand, and craft something that is authentic to you, and attracts clients and opportunities, here are some essential strategies to do it. Following these steps will help you take control of your brand, positioning you as the master of your brand rather than waiting for the world to decide what it is for you. Branding is essentially the process of moving from being a commodity to being a celebrity.  While a commodity faces tremendous competition, there’s no substitution for a celebrity, which means being less accessible and more of a “premium” brand. Commodities are common, readily available, easily exchanged. For example, in the medical industry, a general practitioner is a commodity. No matter your location or income you can usually find a general practitioner for your needs. Then there are “celebrity” doctors.  Those who are sought after for their expertise and who can charge much more for their services due to their knowledge and distinction. So, what does it take to go from a commodity to a celebrity in your brand and area of focus? It takes two MAJOR elements: Specialization and Differentiation. Specialization – This is where you are specializing in one main area of focus. You have narrowed down your expertise to one specific niche and you excel at it.  The challenge that I find a lot of entrepreneurs face if they sometimes become fearful in specializing. They shrink from the idea of focusing on one one area with the thought if they do, they will end up closing other doors.  However, when you specialize you generally make it easier for someone to find you, and it’s easier to be “top of mind” for something in particular than for something general.   Changing your focus and making the decision to specialize can be the shift that makes YOU be the first person people call to solve a specific issue, or generate a specific outcome. Especially with the internet and online marketing, it can make it much easier for your to be found for your special niche. Differentiation  is very about alignment, and about asking yourself questions such as: “What are my CORE values?”, “What am I committed to delivering to the market?” and “How do I want to be in this space?” By defining your core values and what outcome your service provides, you can find what sets you apart and what differentiates you from the rest. When people start to pay attention and they start to see your unique contributions and expertise, THIS is where you start to move out of the commodity and into the celebrity  and become a brand that people talk about and refer others to. For specific examples of this, watch the video where I share some celebrity vs. commodity case studies. Enjoy!! ***

If you ask me what is the number ONE skill that must be mastered to grow a successful speaking, coaching, or consulting business (besides delivering spectacular results) I would say it is conducting an effective Discovery Call. So what exactly is a Discovery Call and how can you master it? Watch the video below, or keep reading! By my definition, a Discovery Call is an introductory call that consultants, coaches, speakers, and other “experts” who sell their services offer to prospects to initiate the sales process. It's often the very first interaction you'll have with a potential client, and is an opportunity to ensure that you are a right fit for them – and they for you. I have, through my learning and personal experiences, cultivated a few strategies that will help you maximize that first interaction and lay the foundation for a great client relationship. Step 1 The first step is actually a pre-call step, and it's about getting into a good “state” – a service-driven state, where you are focused on providing insight, perspective, and value.  Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself, “I  am in service to this person. I'm here to lead this  person and guide them to the next best decision – whether that's to work together, or not, and either way is fine.”  The goal here is to simultaneously commit fully to leading and supporting the person towards a “yes” (if it's a right fit) while at the same time detaching from the outcome. Because if you're attached to the outcome, you're not in true service, and that's where we can seem pushy or manipulative to a potential client. Step 2 Get into rapport, then take charge by providing a “frame” for the call.  Start with a little rapport-building in the form of chit chat or pleasantries for a minute or so, and then move pretty quickly move into the “pre-frame.” The pre-frame establishes you as the leader of the call, and the rules of engagement for the call, so to speak. For example, you might let the prospect know that you're going to ask a lot of questions, take some notes, and poke around to get a sense of what's going on with them.  One thing I highly recommend doing on the pre-frame is to establish that at the end of the call, a decision will be made about whether you both would like to move forward and work together – or not, and that either way is fine, there's no pressure. Believe it or not, I've found that establishing such rules of the game from the get-go, gives clients a sense of ease and structure. Most of the time, if someone is hopping on a call like this with you, it's because they're looking to be led. Also, by establishing up from that at the end you'll decide if you want to work together, they can relax and focus on the conversation, instead of “when is the sales pitch coming?”. Step 3 Diagnose. Now it's time to dive in.  This is where you do the actual discovery.  It's where you ask ALL the questions, where to take the notes, where you really identify what it is that is standing in this person's way of success. Here's where you'll also start to get ideas about what they need to remove the obstacles and get where they want to go. This is generally the longest part of the call — and the part that you can usually “accordion” longer or shorter, depending on how long your calls are.  Once you have a good sense of 1) what they want, 2) what's in the way, and 3) if this is a person you can truly help, that's a good time to move into the next step. Step 4 Share insight. You've asked the questions and really listened to the answers. Now you can share your perspective. Be careful on the time you spend here, as you are not providing leadership or solutions at this time, just insight on what you see a far as possibilities and problems that require solutions. Check to see if what you're saying is resonating with them, and check in about whether this is something they are ready to solve sooner rather than later.  My recommendation here is if you're feeling the vibe (and can sense that they are too), let them know!! Tell them that you believe you can help, and ask them if they want to find out how you could help them. Don't just launch into a sales pitch!! Let them ask you for it, and say YES they want to know more.  I also recommend at this juncture asking about their timing and level of commitment to achieving what they want. Is this a “I must do this now” kind of situation, or a “maybe someday, it would be nice type of thing?”  If they are committed and ready to move forward then move on to the next step. If the timing is not right then set a timeline to talk in the future when the timing might be better.  Step 5 The Offer. If you have determined that this is a good sales opportunity and if you're feeling you have what you need to move into the offer, I recommend making the invitation, gaining agreement, and taking payment right then. However, if your Discovery Call is only 15-20 minutes, it can be beneficial to move them into what I call a full-blown “Strategy Session” so you have plenty of time and not feel pressured. It is important to be able to gauge that by listening deeply and feeling into what is most appropriate.  Step 6 Collecting Payment. So, the client is a fit and the timing is right, now how do you have clients pay on a Discovery Call? If you've done a really good job and effectively gone through all of the steps, chances are the payment step won't be very difficult. A lot of times coaches, consultants, and other expert service providers shy away from taking a payment because they don't want to be pushy. In my humble opinion, that's a mistake. I've found that people are rarely as committed and engaged as they are at the end of a Discovery Call or a Strategy Session, when you've just walked them through the above conversation (or a more in-depth version of it).   This is the time when they are at their peak of commitment and that is absolutely the best time to gain that commitment and secure it with a payment.  At the very least, you can take a deposit as a token of commitment.  A big “no-no” is telling someone who is “hot” and ready to make a commitment, that you will send them a proposal, a brochure, or even worse, a recap and proposal. I've found that those sales often go cold.  If you run into a potential client that is interested in a recap, my response is always, “Tell me what you're concerned about. Tell me what I can support you with because we're here now and no brochure is going to answer your question better than I can.”  Ultimately if you do a good job walking people through this structure, asking for the sale won't feel pushy and won't feel difficult.  Remember, at the beginning of the call if you did it right with the pre-frame, you've set up that at the end of the call there will be a decision.  So, I'm a big believer that you'll never seem pushy if you go through these steps naturally.  *** If you are a consultant, coach, speaker, or other “expert” and you want to grow your business in a way that's aliged, authentic and energy rich, I can help! Want to see how I do it? Book a discovery call with me and you can discover what it's like.  You can do that at superstaractivator.com/go .

Are you firing on all cylinders? Are you maximizing your fullest potential as a human? Would you like to accomplish more — AND feel more joy and empowerment as you do it? This week’s video and article are about how to uplevel in the 5 key areas (which I call “layers”) of Personal Development. This topic is near and dear to my heart, because I’ve learned that when I’M emotionally, physically, and spiritually aligned, everything ELSE in my life improves in lockstep. DISCLAIMER: What I'm sharing here today is my personal conceptualizarían of personal development, not a scientific construct or psychological theory, it's simply how I view personal development in a practical way so I can help myself (and my clients) evolve and transform. First off, I see personal development in 5 "layers," and each layer is critically important to our “success” — and by “success” I mean full activation of your potential. If one area is lacking, then all areas of your personal development are affected. The reason I call the 5 areas “layers” is because they stack upon each other and are all connected. I see them in my mind’s eye as starting from the inner layers and moving outward. The 1st layer is the physical layer, your body. This first layer is our life force energy and now we feel physically. What creates this energy is how we fuel ourselves: the food that we eat, how well we sleep, the air we breathe, the water we drink, how we move our bodies, and everything else related to our physical self-care. The 2nd layer is the emotional layer, which some call your "emotional body." This layer is closely related to the physical layer, as how we feel in our bodies can influence our emotional state Our emotional center is the heart. Science has discovered that our heart pumps out a wave of energy -- energy that can be measured. That wave that the heart pumps out is encoded with our emotional state. Put simply: we are projecting our emotions out of our body and other people can feel that! The 3rd layer is our mental self, or our intellectual mind. We project our thoughts out into the world through our actions, our words, and our creations, and it is the mind that “organizes” such efforts and initiatives. That third layer is also closely tied into our emotions because our emotions are what cause us to take action towards some creation or action. Emotion = energy in motion The 4th layer is social-relational. The social or relational layer is the one that reflects our relationships and interactions with others, including our relationships with families, friends, clients, and others in the world. This layer requires optimal communication and agreement-making (like boundaries) and is closely tied to the mind, which helps us to formulate, express, and uphold these agreements. The 5th layer is your spiritual self. This last layer is the spiritual realm and is related to our relationship with that which is beyond us. When you study different religions, and even quantum physics, you see that we're not separate from each other at all. We're actually entangled and  intertwined with each other and so that layer of spirituality is what is bigger than us, what is beyond us and what connects us all to each other. The important element of this is to understand that all of these layers interact, work and rely on each other. The key to personal development is to have all of your layers in a positive space, and to be self aware enough to notice when one or more are not optimal Think of it like this, if we're feeling tired, unfueled, sick (our physical layer) that's going to directly impact our emotional state which might impact our mental state and we might have anxiety, we might be less inclined to create something in the world, which might impact how we relate to other people and also the relationship we have with the divine. So, these layers are not distinct, they're not separate from each other. They operate together and so when you want to develop yourself, when you want to improve your life, you want to look at all of the layers, and most importantly where are you strongest. Here are a few questions to consider: - Which of the 5 areas are really dialed in - In which area or areas are you weak? Where are you struggling? Chances are the areas in which you are struggling are affecting other areas of your personal development. When you really focus on the integration of all 5 of these areas, then everything   uplevels and uplifts.  *** If you're interested in  personal development and especially if you're a personal development coach or expert looking to build and grow your business, let's connect. You can find me and  schedule time with me to see about my programs and services at superstaractivator.com/go . Michelle