April 2008 – Breakthrough To Success Blog

3 Ways to Position Yourself When There’s Already a Big Guru In Your Topic

I agreed with the comment posted on my last post by Steve Pohlit so I thought I’d hop over to his blog and comment.

Once I was there I decided I had more to say on this and wanted to share it with you.
My post on Steve’s blog:

You commented, “I know I have side stepped topics in the past because of ‘this has already been addressed’ only to see someone else recycle the topic in a new package.”

I wanted to share with you that this is incredibly common. So many times a person feels that there is already a guru at the top of that topic and they are not at that person’s level. And what happens is they abandon that topic altogether, when there are several ways to position yourself as an expert in that situation.

In fact, you’ve just inspired me to write a blog post about that right now so I can tell my readers as well how to do that.

Thanks Steve!

Ok, so there are 3 ways you can enter a market that in your mind already has a huge guru that you don’t want to compete with or don’t believe you can-see, there are those beliefs again.

1. What does this guru say that you disagree with?

2. Where is there a gap in this guru’s system or where do you see a step missing?

3. What new information do you have to add to this topic that would make a difference to your audience?

Let me give you an example. I had a client who came to into my process thinking that her topic was gardening. In her mind she had a passion for it and thought she could write an ebook. That in itself is a small, very easily attainable goal.

But once we started going through the process, what showed up was that she was extremely passionate about helping blue collar people, like herself, build huge financial reserves and move toward financial independence on a very low salary. She had a gift she didn’t recognize.

Why? Because to her it was just something she did! She’d not only done this for herself, she’d done it for relatives, co-workers and countless people at church and never thought it was anything to get paid for or a possible business.

It’s the same story over and over with so many clients. It takes a mentor who knows the right questions to ask to pull out what’s already inside you and show you the magnificence of the knowledge and talent that you’ve either ignored or discounted. The world needs what you have to share, they’re waiting for you. And yes, I’m talking to YOU!

That big guru isn’t the be all and end all for every person. You have your own perspective on the topic that will draw a different segment of the market to you. You may have a style of speaking or a simplicity to the way you present the material that makes you you more understandable than any other guru who’s ever taught on this topic.

My client said, “You mean everybody doesn’t know this?”, as she glanced around the table at the other mentees with their mouths hanging open. She couldn’t believe this was something she could get paid for and the rest of the table couldn’t understand how she didn’t know what a gift she had. And yet they were soon to discover, neither did they.

That’s what I do. I see these gifts in people. It’s very easy for me to have a conversation with you, have you do some exercises and I can see what’s inside of you that you can’t access by yourself. I also can see the whole product line unfolding in my head as we talk. I don’t question it, I just pay attention and tell you what I see and then help you create it. And yes there was a time that I just did it for free-I did a lot of this for free…because I didn’t think it was any big deal, it came so easily to me.

I have never found anyone that didn’t have a topic they were passionate about that was also profitable that could be turned into product.

So don’t discount yourself because you’re not the big cheese. When the gurus started out neither were they. And yet they believed in themselves enough to take a chance, take a stand, step into their power and go for it.

Look at what’s holding you back from throwing your hat in the ring. It’s not because someone bigger is already there. That’s an excuse.

If you need help, I’m here.

P.S. If you’re reading this anywhere besides my actual blog, please go to http://YourBreakthroughToSuccess.com/blog to post your comments so everyone can benefit from your thoughts.

Lynn Pierce, the Success Architect, has taught people how to combine
business and personal development to reach the pinnacle of success
and live the life of their dreams for over 25 years. In addition, she is also
the founder of one of the most exciting annual events for women entrepreneurs,
“Women’s Business Empowerment Summit”. Now she shares her keys to
success and life mastery with you. You can get the first five lessons of
“Change One Thing, Change Your Life: A Personal Transformation System”
at http://www.yourbreakthroughtosuccess.com

Why Is There So Much Confusion About Getting Your Message Out?

There’s been a recurring theme to conversations and emails I’ve received the last few days and it’s keeping me awake at night because I can’t stop thinking about it. The worst part is that it’s an old theme that just doesn’t go away.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an experienced speaker making the transition from fee based & keynote speaking to public speaking or if it’s someone just starting out who wants to be a speaker, author or Internet Marketer, they all seem to be struggling with the same key issues.

The worst part is, they’re the same issues I was hearing from my peers when I was just getting started in this business and after hearing them over and over again, I guess it’s just starting to make me a little angry that solutions aren’t easier to find.

So I figured I’d rant a little, get your opinion or give you a place to voice your frustrations and because I know there are thousands of other people who are in a similar situation. If I’ve had any of these conversations with you in the last week or you think I’m referring to you, rest assured I have had the exact same conversation many times over which is why I’ve decided to say something.

It’s not your fault. You may think you are doing everything right, but if you don’t have the correct system to follow, you will never end up where you want to go.

One thing is that the new people just getting into this industry of information marketing are spending thousands of dollars learning how to build a list or how to blog & podcast or they’ve gone to speaker training, or learn how to do teleseminars or how to drive traffic and they still don’t know what their topic is. I was right there with you. I bought courses 7 years ago that I may or may not ever have needed. I was just starting out and it sounded good and yet I didn’t even know what I was going to do except having a vague concept of writing a book for women.

So looking back I can tell you that you will have an opportunity to use all those things you’ve bought at some point, once you know the right order to use them in, but wouldn’t you get a lot further faster if you knew what the focus of your list was going to be or what the topic of your blog or podcasts was or what kind of traffic you need to attract?

There are people that started in the same mentoring group that I did in 2001 that still are going to seminars and buying products and joining expensive mentoring groups, only to do nothing with the information because they aren’t clear on their topic. And they can’t blame their mentors.

You know they don’t want to just pick a hot keyword (good for them!); they want to build a long term business, but they haven’t discovered their passion and they don’t know how to do it. I was in this same place and it is possible to make it out the other side.

Another way this shows up is the keynote speaker who sees all the money being made by public speakers selling product at big events and they want to make the transition. Well, sadly it’s not as easy as turning your keynote into a product. Not all topics can simply be moved into home study courses, coaching programs or live events. You need someone who knows how to structure a product, and more importantly for longevity, a product line that fits the kind of business you want to create.

On the other side, there are some keynote speakers I’ve spoken to about Women’s Business Empowerment Summit and they love what I’ve created, this is their target market, and they’d be happy to get a whole lot less money for a speaking fee than what they could make selling product because they don’t know how to make the shift or they can’t picture how they would do it in their mind. I’m talking about some huge people that I would love to have at the event, but not to just give a keynote and tell stories. I demand content and also a way for women to get more training from them if that’s what they choose. So, you miss the big picture of how they can help more people and make more money.

And then there is the third group of people that are just getting started and don’t want to spend ten’s or hundred’s of thousand of dollars and years of their time going around in circles trying to pick the right information in the right order from the right teachers to put them on the path to success, they just want to get it done-NOW!.

I feel for you because I know it’s not easy without the right person showing you the way. If you’ve been to the website for the summit, you’ve read my story. I spent 2 years, full time and over $100,000 figuring this stuff out and still had to fill in the gaps myself. And with new technology coming out every minute it seems like, who’s going to tell you what’s the real deal and who’s just trying to make a quick buck? I’m happy to be on the inside now so I know who the real players are that are really making things happen.

When it comes to discovering your passion, there are books and courses and workshops and I even met a guy that has a very expensive process people go through that sounded interesting. So I’ll admit, I’m certainly not the only person that can help you to discover your passion, but I have yet to work with one person that we couldn’t distill exactly what their passion was in a matter of a couple hours. I know shrinks, I’m sorry, therapists that work with patients for years and don’t get there. I know this because they’ve asked me how I do it.

And even more importantly if you want to be an author, speaker or Internet Marketer, is that you find a way to turn that passion into a marketable skill-something you can write about, talk about or teach in classes to other people, that they’re willing to pay money for!

Another thing that’s been driving me crazy lately is all the websites I go to for potential speakers who have been referred to me, who from reading their web copy, all look like they do the same thing, and yet when I have a conversation with them they actually do something quite different. How is anyone going to know they want to do business with you if they can’t figure out what you do? Before you start throwing rocks at me-I will confess, I’m in the process of redoing my site because I hadn’t been paying attention to this detail myself. Hey, I never said I was perfect.

So, if you…

are experiencing the frustration of not being able to figure out what you’re passion is that’s also profitable
want to make big bucks in the back of the room but haven’t had any success reconfiguring your keynote to a profitable product, or you’re not even sure you can
are tired of being lumped in the same category as 10 other people when you know what you do is unique
spent a lot of money and a lot of time on tools you frankly weren’t ready for yet and you still need to build your core product

Let’s have a conversation here. I’m here to help, so let me know what you want to talk about. We can keep this conversation going over the next couple weeks as I get ready for my move to Maui. I’m living the life of my dreams and I want to help you do the same.

P.S. If you’re reading this anywhere besides my actual blog, please go to http://YourBreakthroughToSuccess.com/blog to post your comments so everyone can benefit from your thoughts.

Personal Growth Quiz: Test Your Level of Self-Esteem

A few days ago I wrote a comment on Kevin Nation’s Big Ticket Mastermind site. At the end of my comment on the topic of marketers ability to communicate their true value I said, “The other part of this that comes up over and over with my clients is their lack of belief in their level of expertise, or feeling undeserving of getting paid big bucks for what they do.”

Over the weekend I kept thinking about what I had posted about beliefs which led me to think about how your beliefs impact your self esteem.

So I wanted to give you the opportunity to take this self-esteem quiz that you’ll find in my book, “Breakthrough to Success; 19 Keys To Mastering Every Area of Your Life“. Please share your thoughts by commenting on this post.

Every day I hear people from all walks of life saying things that literally cut them off from their own personal growth and total abundance. Things like, “I just can’t seem to get ahead,” or “I can’t believe I always do such stupid things.” Hearing those things is such a shame because it’s so unnecessary.

If you were fully aware of how you talk to yourself and talk to the world about who you are, you’d be shocked. We’re all guilty of this to some small degree, but for many their self-talk is debilitating.

Take a minute to answer these questions:

Are you talking yourself out of living your fullest life with the self-concept you’ve created?
Who do you tell yourself you are with your self-talk?
Which of the following scenarios is closest to your self-talk?

Maybe you are saying to yourself, “This is the year I’m going straight to the top,”
“This is the year I become a superstar”
“I’ve got everything going for me and this is my year”
“Things don’t look like they’re going to be much better this year; in fact it might be a little worse than last year,”
“Maybe it’s time for some belt tightening; I don’t want to take any chances”
“You never know what could happen, better to be safe than sorry.”

Is there any doubt in your mind which of these examples shows the confidence that will build self-esteem, and which are the ones that demonstrate low self-esteem?

Here are a couple more personal development questions in follow-up:

•    Which type of self-talk creates a better atmosphere for personal success and living an abundant life?
•    What do you think is the difference in income and professional development between people with these two types of self-talk?
•    What goals do you think each of these people possesses?
•    Who is having more fun and excitement?
•    Who do you want to be?

Your level of self-esteem sets the personal success bar for everything about you. Every decision you make is filtered through your self-concept. Your self-concept is the out-picturing of your self-esteem.

Take a look at just eight reflections of your level of self-esteem:

1.    Your career choice
2.    Your friends
3.    Your primary relationship with another
4.    Your level of income
5.    Your home
6.    Your car
7.    Your free time and hobby choices
8.    Your vacations

Changing what you believe about yourself will change your life in an instant.

Build self-esteem and you will build your self-concept. But, your self-concept requires attention and care to be maintained. It’s not as simple as saying you feel good about yourself and that’s the end of it.

Do you know that your self-talk comes at the rate of a magazine page of text every single minute of the day? That’s a lot of talking to yourself! If you fill your mind with positive input, it’s a pretty good bet that most of your self-talk will also be positive and foster personal and professional growth.

Use this personal growth quiz to become aware of your self-talk. By changing what you say to yourself and transforming what you believe about your personal success, you will automatically build self-esteem.

You can use this article by included this author information:
Lynn Pierce, the Success Architect, has taught people how to combine business and personal development to reach the pinnacle of success and live the life of their dreams for over 25 years. In addition, she is also the founder of one of the most exciting annual events for women entrepreneurs, “Women’s Business Empowerment Summit”. Now she shares her keys to success and life mastery with you. You can get the first five lessons of “Change One Thing, Change Your Life: A Personal Transformation System” at www.yourbreakthroughtosuccess.com.

What Are the People In Your Life Mirroring For You?

In the last month I have met a lot of new people, online and at live events. I have also reconnected with some who I have not seen in years. It’s been a heartwarming experience all the way around. I’m energized by all the wonderful people I’m connecting with.

I’ve been officially divorced for almost 3 weeks now and I’ve been doing more than my usual amount of introspection, looking at my beliefs. Those of you who know me, know I tend to be a little reserved; well, I’m coming out of my shell and I’m having a blast.

I’ve been doing some healing around relationships, and by the way, don’t think that there is a line between your personal and professional relationships, because there isn’t.

The great things is that what I’m noticing as I work on myself and being open to people is that the people who are showing up in my life are changing. If I had to put it into one word, I would say they are sweet! I find myself saying that word to describe people all the time now. I have connected with some amazing people lately who I really enjoy spending time with.

And it all goes back to the people in your life being a mirror for what you are putting out.

So I invite you to look at what kind of mirror people in your life are holding up for you. What are you putting out into the world?

In the spirit of beginnings, I decided the perfect topic this week would be Day 14 of “Change One Thing, Change Your Life; A Personal Transformation System”.

If you are not already using this system, let me give you a tip on how to get the most out of doing Day 14. I would suggest you meditate for a few minutes on the statement after reading the explanation below it. This will make it very easy for you to do the Personal Observations section next.

Answer the Personal Observation section in writing and in as much vivid detail as possible. The more detail you use to create your vision of your life, the more real it will become in your mind each time you review it. The more real it is to you, the quicker you will manifest it.

Allow at least 20 minutes to concentrate on the Day 14, rather than the usual 10-15 minutes. This visioning process is worth the extra time in what you will create.

Day 14: I have the perfect people in my life to mirror what I need to learn

Your life mirrors what you think about yourself in the people you associate with. Your relationships mirror how you think you should be treated. Your job mirrors what you feel is your level of contribution to the world. Your pay mirrors what you feel you deserve financially. Your choice of friends mirrors what you expect from life. The people that are drawn into your life reinforce what you hold as a picture of who you are and how you live. It mirrors what life means to you.

When you are open to changing the quality of your life you will see new people showing up. People you need to create new opportunities appear at just the right time. You will notice a difference in the kind of people you attract. You will also notice all the beliefs you are trying to change will show up to challenge you. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed or sidetracked. This is a battle with your ego and possibly some of the people in your life who don’t want to see you change and grow.

Personal Observations Day 14

Decide what you want your life to look like and stick to your plan. The teacher always shows up when the student is ready. Be open to some very pleasant surprises as what you need to create the life you want begins to appear. Don’t be judgmental about the unexpected source.

Hold a vision in your mind of who you are growing to be and what you are growing to do. Picture yourself 5 years from now. What is in your life? Who are you in relationships with? What is the quality of these relationships? What kind of work do you do? How much money do you earn? What do you do for fun? What do you do to give back to the world? What contributions have you made to other people’s lives? What kind of house do you live in? Where is it? How do you feel about yourself? What do you see in your future? What do you still want to do that you haven’t done yet?

I’d love for you to share your thoughts here.

Also, this is the first product I created seven years ago and I still do the 40 day cycle of lessons every day. You can find out more at www.LynnPierce.com/products.html

It’s that profound. If you do it your life will change.

How do you juggle all the different projects in your life?

Things are very busy for me right now. How about you? Spring is a time for cleaning out the old and welcoming in the new.

In the next couple weeks I have a lot going on. I’m doing an event at my home, 2 book signings, my birthday and moving to Maui. Did I mention I have a lot of packing to do?

I’m turning 52 and every year I wonder if this will be the last year I’m happy about how old I am. I know a lot of women my age don’t like to broadcast their age, but I look at each year as gained wisdom and a rite of passage so I like to announce it.

I feel great, I’m happy with the way I look, the way my life is unfolding and I’m excited to see what the next year will bring. Speaking of looks, this may sound really strange, but ever since I made the decision to move to Maui, I swear lines on my face are going away. Could it be stress relief?

I’ll let you know the locations of book signings next week so you can come and see me if you’re in AZ.

I’m holding a small closed door intensive at my house teaching people turn their passion into cash by first discovering what that is, then consciously designing the blueprint for the life of their dreams and looking at how their business fits into that plan.

If you ever wondered how I do so many things at the same time with very little help, and keep my sanity, come and join us. I can fit a couple more people. There’s no sales page for this because I decided to do it during a special bonus call for people who had ordered my Turning Passion Into Cash CD and I wanted it to be strictly on the basis of it resonating with you, not a sales pitch.

You can listen and then email if you’re interested:

http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=2263872

The bonus of working one on one with me on your business for free when you register for “Women’s Business Empowerment Summit” ends Friday.

Click on the link in the side bar to register.

I know you’re thinking it’s only April and you have plenty of time, but pricing goes up and bonuses are eliminated, so grab your seat now-and your hotel room, before they’re sold out.

You Have 3 Seconds to Make a Good First Impression

Did you know your client is sub-consciously either raising or lowering their defenses based on their 3-second appraisal of who you are? What can you do to make sure their impression of you is of a professional who is open and caring? Instinctively they will decide if you are successful, confident, cocky or being fake friendly just to sell them something.

Your client will sub-consciously be reading your body language. Greet your client by clearly giving the impression you are happy to meet them. If this is difficult for you, say to yourself, “I care about who you are.” This means having a genuine smile on your face, full eye contact and a warm handshake for everyone who is in front of you, including children. Don’t forget to thank them for their time.

Salespeople talk to clients in one of three ways. Most salespeople talk to clients like they would talk to a stranger, keeping them at a distance. Some talk to a client as family, which is too casual and familiar. One major key to your success is learning to talk to your clients as if you are talking to a friend.

At the same time you are paying careful attention to their body language and their personality style, using the Getting To YES Without Selling personality matrix. If your client is a couple or a group of people, the personality matrix will help you quickly discover what the power structure is.

Small talk creates rapport by establishing friendly common ground and allows your client to become increasingly comfortable with you. This is when they will decide if they like and trust you and want to do business with you.

Continue small talk until you feel their defenses are lowered to a point where they aren’t afraid to listen to what you have to say about your product, at least five minutes. Gain their trust by sharing about yourself.

For more information on this topic, go to www.LynnPierce.com

Lynn Pierce, The Success Architect ,has been helping entrepreneurs and sales organizations take their business to the next level for over 25 years. She is the creator of the program “Getting to YES Without Selling, The YES System”.

Build Self-Esteem: Your Key to Success Part 2

As I ended part 1 of this article on March 26th, I said that high self-esteem is a gift you can only give to yourself. It’s a very valuable gift.

I’ve had some time to reflect on how this is showing up in my life lately and I realize that I have very little negativity in my life at all. That’s a conscious decision I’ve made and the way I’ve structured my life. I’ve instituted a zero tolerance policy of negative people, which does not mean I’m not allowed to whine, and so are my friends. We all get a little cranky once in a while.

On the other hand, any little compliment that has to do with the core of who I am just lifts me right up. It’s not in a needing validation kind of way, but in the appreciation that someone else is reconginzes me at a soul level.

That’s how I choose to connect with people and trivial compliments about how I look or what I’m wearing don’t mean as much as they did when I was younger. Although I still like to hear it, so feel free to compliment away. Seriously,I’m at an age or maybe it’s a point in my own personal development where I’d much rather have someone attracted to my brain or my soul than my face or my body.

I’d like you to share your feelings on what you like to be acknowledged for. Also, what are the best ways you’ve found to keep yourself at a high level of self-esteem?

People who build self-esteem are in charge of their world, have work/life balance the way they want it to look, and refrain from blaming past or present outside circumstances. They know it is up to them to take what happens in life and give it as much or little meaning as they choose.

Raise your self-esteem by becoming a master of a particular area of your life. Master one aspect of your job or a hobby. For example, start small by taking one aspect of your job that could use improvement, or develop a skill that would get you a raise or recognition.

Just making the commitment to master something will raise your self-confidence in that area. How do you feel about yourself when you do something really well?

The more things you can learn to do well, the higher your self-esteem. Take this key to success and start to build your self-esteem now.

If you have a challenge with any part of raising your self-esteem share that and we’ll give you some feedback.

The Day My Life Changed

I don’t quite know where to begin this one, especially to keep it
short enough that you’ll read it. And I think this is important to read.

So here we go:

It was a day much like today, warm and sunny. Just another
beautiful day like all the others in Cabo San Lucas. I’d been
living there for almost 6 years and today I was going for my
first mammogram.

Because I thought it would be no big deal, hey I was only 43,
I decided to go to a local doctor rather than my regular one
two and a half hours away.

Well, it did turn out to be a big deal as I was diagnosed with
breast cancer. But as I quickly realized I didn’t react in the
way that the majority of women I’ve known in the same situation
have.

I didn’t cry, I panicked just a little bit, mostly about how I was going
to break the news to my husband.

But for me, the moment that’s burned into my mind isn’t the one
where they said those dreaded words, it’s the one where I came
out into the light of day into a completely different world than I
had left a little over an hour before.

It was surreal to say the least, but the most important point that
I wanted to clearly get across to my husband was that I was pretty
sure this was an awakening, not a death sentence. There was
something big that had been building inside me for quite a while.

I knew there was a shift coming. A spiritual friend of mine told me
months before that she saw a big test coming for me. I figured this
must be it and I was going to do whatever I needed to do to get the
message I was being sent and do what I was to do as quickly as
possible.

How I become cancer free in a short period of time without surgery
is a whole other story. But what made me think of this experience on
this particular morning was that I have that feeling again.

I have that feeling of being on the brink of a major shift in my life.
For some people who don’t embrace change, it’s terrifying. For me
it’s electrifying.

When this happened 9 years ago it meant ending a 25 year career,
leaving the place I thought I was going to stay forever and moving to
a city in the desert when I’m an ocean resort person.

But I went on faith where I felt directed to go. And this life that I
have now being able to communicate like this with you and helping
thousands of others to change their lives came out of that moment
when I walked out of the doctors office and chose a different path.

It makes me want to cry just thinking of the magnificence of how life
unfolds in ways that are wonderful and yet unpredictable.

That shifted every part of my life. And it was all good. No I didn’t have
a clue what I was going to be doing for a living. I didn’t have any idea
what any part of my life was going to look like, and thank God I had a
husband at the time that trusted my intuition and didn’t fight me on this
ambiguous picture.

And now it’s happening again. Not the cancer, the feeling. So watch
over the next few weeks, because I’m sure I’ll be sharing things with
you as they show up. I’m excited to see where my life will go.

But today, I really want you to look at your life and ask yourself if there’s
something that could shift for you that potentially could make a huge
positive difference, but you’re too afraid to take the chance. And why?

You have to take the leap of faith because if you wait to see for sure,
most likely the opportunity will have already gone to someone who
wasn’t afraid to act.