What is the thread of flow in your client getting system?
That thread could be anything...just a thread that goes through the process, from seed to harvest and beyond.
Mine is humour (lightness). Yours could be connection, love, joy, focus, motivation, inspiration...anything...
That thread holds together your client getting - is it a strong thread?
Love
Donna.x
Thursday 27 September 2007
Wednesday 26 September 2007
Focus on the Garden, Not the Harvest
Imagine a tomato plant. A healthy, vibrant, growing tomato plant that's just starting to flower. Now imagine that you have 2 tomatoes on that plant that are ready to harvest.
If you just look at the harvest, you might be disappointed. 2? That's not going to feed me for the rest of my life. 2? That's just not enough. 2? I might as well give up growing tomatoes, I'm obviously rubbish at it.
But if you look at the plant, you can see that there are 2 tomatoes to harvest today, another 12 tomatoes to harvest 'soon', and the plant will feed your compost heap so that next year you will have a bumper harvest!
Now look at the whole garden. 20 tomato plants, fruit trees galore, and an acre of vegetables. Enough to sustain you over a long period of time...easily.
Which way do you look at your client garden? From the point of view of the harvest? Or from the point of view of your wonderful garden, that is growing and developing and will feed you...if you take care of it?
Love
Donna.x
If you just look at the harvest, you might be disappointed. 2? That's not going to feed me for the rest of my life. 2? That's just not enough. 2? I might as well give up growing tomatoes, I'm obviously rubbish at it.
But if you look at the plant, you can see that there are 2 tomatoes to harvest today, another 12 tomatoes to harvest 'soon', and the plant will feed your compost heap so that next year you will have a bumper harvest!
Now look at the whole garden. 20 tomato plants, fruit trees galore, and an acre of vegetables. Enough to sustain you over a long period of time...easily.
Which way do you look at your client garden? From the point of view of the harvest? Or from the point of view of your wonderful garden, that is growing and developing and will feed you...if you take care of it?
Love
Donna.x
Tuesday 25 September 2007
In Service of Your Wallet
We are all 'in service of' something in the world - we all want to contribute, and those in business are lucky enough to be able to do that through the medium of their businesses. But sometimes, you are just in service of your wallet! You just want the money. (or your financial situation requires that you go after the £'s!)
How do you think this shows up when you are talking to your clients and prospects? In the past, when I've forgotten what I'm really in service of (passion, joy and love) and I've been serving my bank balance, it's meant that I am just interested in 'making the sale', not helping the person. Not connecting with them. Not doing what is right for both of us. Just getting the £.
It didn't feel good. And it didn't work! I either didn't get the business (because they saw me as a money grabbing *&^^%&*) or I got a client I wasn't connected to. In my line of work, that's an uncomfortable place to be! Since I shifted my attention from 'how may I serve my wallet' to 'how may I serve you', client getting has become easier, more fun...and has opened new doors, because now I'm not just trying to sell what I do, I am looking for ways to make a difference.
Are you serving your wallet or the world? How does that affect your business dealings? What would change if you changed your focus?
To your business' health and happiness!
Love
Donna.x
PS what can I do for you? How can I help you? How can Your Natural Way help you? I'd love to hear from you - please e-mail me.
How do you think this shows up when you are talking to your clients and prospects? In the past, when I've forgotten what I'm really in service of (passion, joy and love) and I've been serving my bank balance, it's meant that I am just interested in 'making the sale', not helping the person. Not connecting with them. Not doing what is right for both of us. Just getting the £.
It didn't feel good. And it didn't work! I either didn't get the business (because they saw me as a money grabbing *&^^%&*) or I got a client I wasn't connected to. In my line of work, that's an uncomfortable place to be! Since I shifted my attention from 'how may I serve my wallet' to 'how may I serve you', client getting has become easier, more fun...and has opened new doors, because now I'm not just trying to sell what I do, I am looking for ways to make a difference.
Are you serving your wallet or the world? How does that affect your business dealings? What would change if you changed your focus?
To your business' health and happiness!
Love
Donna.x
PS what can I do for you? How can I help you? How can Your Natural Way help you? I'd love to hear from you - please e-mail me.
Monday 24 September 2007
The Land of Small Tweaks
Many of us already have a successful formula for our business. Trouble is, we don't realise it. Do you know what is working? There is something...in fact, it could be everything if you look at it from a certain angle. Something that doesn't work gives you feedback...and that feedback is working to help you make your business better.
Most of the time we don't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, we just need to change the parameters a bit. And again. And again. Tweak, tweak, tweak. When you enter the land of small tweaks, everything gets easier, because you are just pruning your practices - keeping what works, and helping that to grow with little changes.
You know what they are too...you just need to ask yourself the right question. Not 'what am I doing wrong?', but 'what's working? and how could this work even better?'
Love
Donna.x
Most of the time we don't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, we just need to change the parameters a bit. And again. And again. Tweak, tweak, tweak. When you enter the land of small tweaks, everything gets easier, because you are just pruning your practices - keeping what works, and helping that to grow with little changes.
You know what they are too...you just need to ask yourself the right question. Not 'what am I doing wrong?', but 'what's working? and how could this work even better?'
Love
Donna.x
Friday 21 September 2007
No Now or No Never
When it comes to 'the ask' (will you work with me?), many of us are afraid of a 'no'. I was too, once upon a time. Now though, I see a no as feedback on the ripeness of the seed. See, if you're trying to pick an unripe fruit, you will get a 'no'. But is that a 'no for now' or a 'no never'? Since I've been doing 'the ask', I rarely get a 'dear god, no, get away from me you sleazy saleswoman'.
Well, actually I've never had that! But it'll be a good story if I do. Anyway, I rarely get a 'no, never'...in fact I can only think of 2 'no, nevers' in the last 2 years, and they were both delivered nicely, in a 'thanks for the invite, but it's not for me' kind of way. It isn't that scary when people say no, and you get to serve them by determining what they need from you to progress along to ripeness.
It's time to get past that anxiety about the 'no's and see them for what they really are - part of your ripeness testing kit.
Love
Donna.x
Well, actually I've never had that! But it'll be a good story if I do. Anyway, I rarely get a 'no, never'...in fact I can only think of 2 'no, nevers' in the last 2 years, and they were both delivered nicely, in a 'thanks for the invite, but it's not for me' kind of way. It isn't that scary when people say no, and you get to serve them by determining what they need from you to progress along to ripeness.
It's time to get past that anxiety about the 'no's and see them for what they really are - part of your ripeness testing kit.
Love
Donna.x
Wednesday 19 September 2007
Different Strokes for Different Plants
Each 'seed' you plant (prospect) is different - every potential client will need your considered attention. You will be finding your natural way to nurture your seeds and plants, and remember to stay flexible. You may find that some plants need less nurturing than you would naturally give, and some may need more.
Notice when you are in your garden how the attention you are giving is affecting each plant - do some of them need more water? Talking to? Less attention? The more you can learn from your garden every time you visit, the easier this process becomes.
Love
Donna.x
Notice when you are in your garden how the attention you are giving is affecting each plant - do some of them need more water? Talking to? Less attention? The more you can learn from your garden every time you visit, the easier this process becomes.
Love
Donna.x
Wednesday 12 September 2007
An Active Flower
I just wanted to expand on something I said yesterday, which was that flowers are very active. In nature, flowers have a variety of methods they employ to attract pollinators - scent, colour, texture. In the same way, people 'flowers' can use a wide array of methods to attract clients. Personally I use: a website, a blog (or two!), a newsletter, public speaking (yes, it's a flower technique! Think Chelsea Flowere Show), smiling and being friendly at networking events, wearing bright colours...and more.
The key thing to remember is that this is YOUR natural Way. Your natural way to be a flower. You can be hugely active in your attractiveness.
Love
Donna.x
The key thing to remember is that this is YOUR natural Way. Your natural way to be a flower. You can be hugely active in your attractiveness.
Love
Donna.x
Tuesday 11 September 2007
Shy Violet or Venus Flytrap?
I had the pleasure of meeting some lovely people from the Assocation for Coaching today, and they got me thinking about flowers... 'Flowers' are people who see a room full of people they don't know and think 'oh dear'! (or in my case, something slightly less polite!) Knowing that you are a flower (as opposed to a 'bee' who is perfectly happy to buzz round meeting new people) is a really useful distinction...because when you know you can plan your strategy to attract your bee/hummingbird/ladybird.
There is a huge variety of flowers in nature - and you will have your own brand of 'flowerishness'. Mine hasn't got a name (of course, I like to be individual!), but she is very colourful and cheery looking, she leans towards sunny people, and she's quite happy to be in a display garden and have lots of people looking at her! (outside the metaphorical, this means I'm friendly, smiley, cheery, I like talking in front of people, I love talking to sunny people and actively encourage them to talk to me.)
What is your flower like? (or your bee for that matter!) Make no mistake, flowers are active attractors...think of the Venus Flytrap...are you laying snares for the unwary ;-), or are you like the shy violet, quietly attracting those people who are perfect for you and not attracting the notice of those you do not wish to see?
Enjoy this metaphor...it is a lot of fun!
Love
Donna.x
There is a huge variety of flowers in nature - and you will have your own brand of 'flowerishness'. Mine hasn't got a name (of course, I like to be individual!), but she is very colourful and cheery looking, she leans towards sunny people, and she's quite happy to be in a display garden and have lots of people looking at her! (outside the metaphorical, this means I'm friendly, smiley, cheery, I like talking in front of people, I love talking to sunny people and actively encourage them to talk to me.)
What is your flower like? (or your bee for that matter!) Make no mistake, flowers are active attractors...think of the Venus Flytrap...are you laying snares for the unwary ;-), or are you like the shy violet, quietly attracting those people who are perfect for you and not attracting the notice of those you do not wish to see?
Enjoy this metaphor...it is a lot of fun!
Love
Donna.x
Friday 7 September 2007
Changing Beliefs - some tools
Here at Your Natural Way Towers, we are always experimenting with making it easier to 'get' the Your Natural Way concepts. (by the way, experimenting with making it easier is a great way to make your working life better!)
We've been exploring some tools for changing and exploring beliefs - EFT (www.emofree.com) and The Work of Byron Katie (www.thework.com). Penny Waite (http://www.pennywaite.co.uk/) is an incredible energy specialist, and the very best person I have ever found for working with EFT. And Jon Willis (www.just4questions.com) is a wonderful facilitator of The Work.
If you have beliefs you want to change or explore, I highly reccommend you check these methods and people out.
Love
Donna.x
We've been exploring some tools for changing and exploring beliefs - EFT (www.emofree.com) and The Work of Byron Katie (www.thework.com). Penny Waite (http://www.pennywaite.co.uk/) is an incredible energy specialist, and the very best person I have ever found for working with EFT. And Jon Willis (www.just4questions.com) is a wonderful facilitator of The Work.
If you have beliefs you want to change or explore, I highly reccommend you check these methods and people out.
Love
Donna.x
Thursday 6 September 2007
What are you Learning?
When we ask the question 'what's working?', often people just look at the end result they want and say 'nothing'...but they are missing a whole wealth of information. Let me give you an example...when I decided to experiment with asking for referrals (with a statistically significant sample instead of 3 people!), I asked about 40 people for a referral and got back ... nada, nothing, not a bean.
As in I got no concrete referrals, I hadn't signed up any clients directly as a result of these conversations. However, there were positives. What was working? Well, I was learning how to ask, and how not to. Who to ask, and who not to. And as I went along, I was ever drilling down into my natural way to ask for referrals, and what would feel good. Initially, it just felt HARD. I could easily have given up at that point, and dismissed it as 'not working' and 'not my Natural Way'.
But the more you do something, the better you get at it. And I noticed 3 things from this experiment - 1. there were over 40 (for the experiment continued) people who knew what and who I was looking for. 2. There were 'offshoots' of these conversations - random people signed up to my newsletter or started reading my blog. And 3. these people would ask how i was doing. Sometimes in front of other people, who would then get interested in helping me.
I know because I am in their mind, if and when they meet the sort of person I am looking for, they will think of me. That experiment worked. And continues to work now as it is still ongoing, and I have spoken to more than 40 people, and am getting ever closer to my 'perfect' referral request!
So when you are next asking yourself what is working...be prepared to look beneath the surface. Be prepared to see which parts of your experiment are working, and feeling good...even if the result isn't here yet. When you ask what is working, think 'what am I learning' - while you are learning, your experiments are working!
Love
Donna.x
As in I got no concrete referrals, I hadn't signed up any clients directly as a result of these conversations. However, there were positives. What was working? Well, I was learning how to ask, and how not to. Who to ask, and who not to. And as I went along, I was ever drilling down into my natural way to ask for referrals, and what would feel good. Initially, it just felt HARD. I could easily have given up at that point, and dismissed it as 'not working' and 'not my Natural Way'.
But the more you do something, the better you get at it. And I noticed 3 things from this experiment - 1. there were over 40 (for the experiment continued) people who knew what and who I was looking for. 2. There were 'offshoots' of these conversations - random people signed up to my newsletter or started reading my blog. And 3. these people would ask how i was doing. Sometimes in front of other people, who would then get interested in helping me.
I know because I am in their mind, if and when they meet the sort of person I am looking for, they will think of me. That experiment worked. And continues to work now as it is still ongoing, and I have spoken to more than 40 people, and am getting ever closer to my 'perfect' referral request!
So when you are next asking yourself what is working...be prepared to look beneath the surface. Be prepared to see which parts of your experiment are working, and feeling good...even if the result isn't here yet. When you ask what is working, think 'what am I learning' - while you are learning, your experiments are working!
Love
Donna.x
Wednesday 5 September 2007
A Bumper Harvest
Continuing our garden metaphor, today I want you to take a look at the harvest you will reap this September. Ok, you are probably not planting in order to reap in September, unlike the farmer's in this part of the world, but do you even know what your harvest might be?
The seeds you've planted along the way are maturing, ripening and will be ready for harvest at some point...do you know when you will need your pickers to get to work?
Love
Donna.x
The seeds you've planted along the way are maturing, ripening and will be ready for harvest at some point...do you know when you will need your pickers to get to work?
Love
Donna.x
Tuesday 4 September 2007
Frowning at Your Garden
While speaking to the magnificent Damien Churton (YNW founder, leader, and my coach) this morning, I realised something very interesting. I have been standing in my garden with my hands on my hips, frowning about what I haven't done...instead of just grabbing the tools and doing the gardening!
Metaphorically. In actuality, I had a busy week last week - I was only in the office (garden) for a day and a half, and I didn't do a lot of the things I normally do to look after my garden. So this week when I got back to it, I wasted a few hours (seriously...i only wish I were joking!) looking at what I hadn't done and what that would mean.
The garden metaphor made me realise how utterly ridiculous, pointless and downright unhelpful that particular inaction was!
No matter how messy your garden is, it won't change because you are cross with it. It will only change when you pick up a trowel, and a spade, and a fork, and get on with the gardening!
Love
Donna.x
Metaphorically. In actuality, I had a busy week last week - I was only in the office (garden) for a day and a half, and I didn't do a lot of the things I normally do to look after my garden. So this week when I got back to it, I wasted a few hours (seriously...i only wish I were joking!) looking at what I hadn't done and what that would mean.
The garden metaphor made me realise how utterly ridiculous, pointless and downright unhelpful that particular inaction was!
No matter how messy your garden is, it won't change because you are cross with it. It will only change when you pick up a trowel, and a spade, and a fork, and get on with the gardening!
Love
Donna.x
Monday 3 September 2007
Your Learning Edge
"Stay away from the edge". Ever heard that admonition? Maybe as a kid while walking by the cliffs? It's quite natural to want to stay away from a cliff edge - especially if the consequences are a 200 foot fall to a rocky beach! I've noticed that we also stay away from less physically dangerous edges.
Like your learning edge. The edge of your comfort zone if you like. The point at which you are learning most. Playing it safe might feel more comfortable, but you don't learn as much from there. When you are really at your learning edge, you will learn so much more. And it doesn't have to be hard.
Remember, we at Your Natural Way are all about EASE! We don't want you to cut yourself on your learning edge...but we do want you to notice what's happening and have fun at your learning edge. Rollercoaster scary, not life-threatening scary. Exhilarating, not paralysing. Do you know your learning edge well enough to get the adrenaline without the fear?
What could you do to experiment with this?
Love
Donna.x
Like your learning edge. The edge of your comfort zone if you like. The point at which you are learning most. Playing it safe might feel more comfortable, but you don't learn as much from there. When you are really at your learning edge, you will learn so much more. And it doesn't have to be hard.
Remember, we at Your Natural Way are all about EASE! We don't want you to cut yourself on your learning edge...but we do want you to notice what's happening and have fun at your learning edge. Rollercoaster scary, not life-threatening scary. Exhilarating, not paralysing. Do you know your learning edge well enough to get the adrenaline without the fear?
What could you do to experiment with this?
Love
Donna.x
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