Make Marketing Suck Less

RU 262 | The Five Reasons You Want Your Business to be In-Demand

It's time to make the donuts, rebels.

In the last episode of the pod, we talked about an unspoken problem that happens in business. And this is the problem where you’re almost always at capacity for client work, but you never quite get there. You always have a few client spots left to fill and you're hustling to find the next client because of cash flow.

This is something we don't really talk about in business because really nothing is on fire. People don't think that this is a “pain point”, right. And if you're a business owner, who's identifying with that description of almost always being at capacity, like you're just climbing at the edge of it, you feel a little ungrateful because basically what you're saying is like, “Hey, I've got clients in the businesses fine, it's great. I'd just like a few more to have that peace of mind.” So this becomes like a quiet frustration in business. It's a quiet hustle and grind, a quiet worry, and low grade anxiety.

And after being in business for 10 years, I feel like this ‘’time to make the donuts issue’’ is a stage in business that almost all service providers and coaches, consultants go through. I mentioned on the last pod that I was stuck in the stage for 4 years. But what happens when you break through? What happens when you create demand for your work? What happens when there is more demand for your work, then you can accommodate? And that's what we're talking about on today's pod. So let’s do it.

Real quick before we dive in, I have a very exciting announcement to make. I am super excited and happy to tell you that the second edition of the 3 Word Rebellion: Create a One-of-a-Kind Message that Grows Your Business Into a Movement is now available on Amazon. And this is something that I have been quietly working on this year to really refine the argument that I'm making in the book and refine my thought process because I realized that I left out certain key pieces that I wanted to explore more in the second.

Specifically, I'm talking more about like, what is bro marketing and what is the solution to that for our industry and why messaging is so critically important to your business. Especially as the online space becomes more and more competitive. Plus we discussed the three critical jobs your message does for your business.

I also spend a little more time talking about what happens beyond the 3 Word Rebellion. Like once you have your three words, what are the supporting messages you need in order to get people to buy in, in order to take strangers from the internet and turn them into clients. I also added a section about the entry gloop, which if you are a listener to the podcast, you've heard me talk about this before, but it is the ultimate test to see if your 3 Word Rebellion has what it takes to be successful, to grow your business, to get attention.

And then finally, I added more case studies. So case studies of 3 Word Rebellions in the wild. Client stories are in this book to give you more inspiration, to find your own 3 Word Rebellion. So if you don't have the book and you want to pick up the latest edition, or if you do have the book and you're just like, yes, I want the new edition, then you can go to 3wrbook.com and get that new edition of the book. All right. So thank you for listening to that and celebrating with me. 

Let's talk about what being in demand does for your business.

Now, 2021 has been a year of refinement for me. I obviously was refining the book, I was refining the way I worked with my clients, I've been refining the way of how I speak to you, dear listener. And I've been refining the playbooks I use with my clients, I've been refining all of the things, because I've come to this point in my business where I have created demand. And so now it's just about fine tuning and tweaking, which is lovely, but there are five big benefits to having a business that is in demand. 

And the first one is creating stability. When demand happens, it creates stability in your business because now you're not always chasing the next lead, the next potential client, you're not looking for referrals all the time, you have more time to fill that next client spot.

That just creates ease in the business and it creates ease with sales as well, because now when you're on a sales call or however you sell, there's not that attachment there to sell and you can really be of service and help people make the right decision for their business. 

The lovely part is that when you have demand, there's always someone in the wings waiting to work with you. So for me, I currently book clients about a month out and when I have client openings, I can take my time finding people. And overall, there's just less worry. Now I am an Enneagram six, which means I am a loyalist. If I trust you, I will follow you to the ends of the planet. But also I am a worst case scenario planner. And now I realize like when, when I have more stability in my business, stability with the cashflow coming in, I don't plan the worst case scenario as much. I mean, I still do it. I'm a six, come on. This is what we do, but there's just more calm and peace and less worry for me.

The second big reason to build demand for your business is that your work is infinitely referrable, but you don't have to rely on referrals. The vast majority of the clients that I work with, they are relying on word of mouth marketing.

Now I'm a huge fan of word of mouth marketing, a huge fan of referrals, especially if you're listening to this and you're just starting out and you're still trying to find those first few clients. This is the easiest way to do it. And honestly, it's so great when someone refers your work. Like, it's just amazing when that happens, because that just shows the impact that you have and the level of respect they have for your work.

But as great as it is, it's not a reliable way to create demand for your work. You never know when that next referral is going to happen. There's no way that you have any control over that because referrals happen randomly. You can even ask people for referrals, but if it's not something they know someone needs right now, they're not going to have anything for you because referrals happen when you're talking with a friend over coffee and they're like, Hey, like this is something I'm struggling with, and you're like, oh, I know the perfect person to help you with that, right. That's how referrals happen. It's completely random and it's not a great way to build stability in your business.

So when demand for your services, your products increases, when it happens, you're not hoping and praying for a referral, you have this quiet confidence that the next person is excited to work with you. They're there. They're just waiting.

The third, big reason that you want to create demand for your work, and you want your demand to outweigh the supply is because it impacts your pricing. Here's the deal. When there is demand for your work, you can raise your prices and I'm not talking about any of that high ticket jazz that we talk about on Duped. I'm talking about intentionally pricing your services. 

That means you're thinking about, well, how much time does it take me to work with my clients? And what's the value I'm creating for these clients? And how are they going to be using this in their business or in their life? And then you can really start assessing. Oh yeah, and the most important question. How much do you want to pay yourself per year? How many clients can you work with and do really good work with at any point in time, we're trying to talk about in just a few minutes.

But when there is demand, you can start considering these things and then raise your prices in a very intentional way because your time and these client spots that you have are now more valuable because there are more people who want to work with you.

So I'm all about intentional pricing and when you have more clients than you can handle, it's a great time to start thinking about your pricing structure, because I know most of you are probably undercharging for your work. I'm just going to say that you're probably undercharging for your work.

All right, the fourth reason, and I think this is my favorite reason - creating demand for your work also creates demand for your experience and sharing your expertise. So you end up being more visible, more people are talking about your work and your work is getting deserved attention. Your work is being recognized, your message, and what you do as now, synonymous with your name or with your business's name, like you are known for this certain thing. And that means people are going to be reaching out for your expertise.

So this is speaking podcasts, interviews, being guests, experts in masterminds, being asked to write an article for, uh, you know, a publication. All of these things happen because people know about your work and there is demand for that experience, that expertise that only you possess. 

And finally the final benefit of demand, and this might seem a little counter intuitive, but I think it's a great growth opportunity for your business. Being in demand makes you question what you can do and what you can deliver on because there are growing pains. When all of a sudden your business is in demand, you start questioning many things. You start thinking, well, maybe I do need to hire that assistant, or maybe I need to hire somebody else who can take some of this work.

But the core questions, especially this year, I found myself answering is like, what is my capacity? Really? Like how many clients can I work with and do excellent work for? And then based on this real capacity, what should I be charging? And am I charging enough to pay myself well? Because it's not about this net revenue number. Like, oh gosh, I'm so sick of like the seven, you know, this I'm so sick of seven figures, six figures, whatever I want you to pay yourself well. I want your business to be wildly profitable so you can pay yourself really exquisitely well. And then we can also ask, like, what are the conditions that allow me to deliver excellence to my clients?

Here's the deal. Those questions are answerable and it will cause you to make changes in your business. I spent the year answering many of these questions for myself. I did a time study, so I really understood how long it takes me to work with a client. Like how long does it take me from the first session and the first playbook, all the way to the end of their implementation? What does that look like? How many hours are being spent?

But then I also asked, like, what do I need to do in order to be my best? And that for me was about putting time in my calendar to actually rest in between clients. Because during my client weeks, I will see like three clients a day, but there is at least 90 minutes to two hours between those clients so that I can rest, so I can take a nap, so I can go for a walk, listen to a podcast and recover because of the messaging work that I do with clients is so creatively demanding that I need to rest in order to be my best, to deliver my best in those sessions. 

So now you're thinking, wow, Michelle, this sounds awesome. I want my business to be in demand, so how do you create demand? Well, we are covering that in the next episode, but one foundational piece of being in demand is your messaging.

Now, if you're still struggling to get clients and your businesses newer, and you're trying to figure things out for you with your message, I'd really focus on the 3 Word Rebellion Book, because even if you don't find your3 Word Rebellion, your going to get clarity on your clients, your audience, you're going to get tons of content ideas, and you'll feel more confident putting your work out in the world. 

However, if you resonated with the description of almost always being at capacity, just like climbing your way there, but never quite getting there, and you want to create demand for your work, if you want to have people seeking you out for your expertise and always have clients waiting in the wings and you want what you do to be synonymous with your name, then you're ready for the 3 Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive. We are going to figure out how to powerfully communicate the value your business creates so that it is a sticky and memorable and can turn strangers on the internet, into fans and into clients, and so your business will be in demand. 

Now this is a great time to apply for a consultation for this one-on-one work with me, because if you book in for a consultation before December 17th, 2021, you'll lock in this year's pricing. So if you're feeling on that precipice of demand, if you're sick of relying on inconsistent word of mouth marketing, where it's random and you don't know where people are coming from and you want experiences and opportunities to share what you know, to share what you're good at, then go ahead and apply for a call. You can go to https://drmichellemazur.com/3wr-application, and apply for your call today.

And until next time remember, create demand for your work. It is such the key to feeling more calm, less worried, more stable in your business, and you'll become more recognized for your work.