But what really inspires me about them is their attitude towards life.  It’s simple, it’s genuine and if you carefully listen you always walk away with a seed of wisdom that when nurtured can transform your life.

This visit was no different.  In fact, it was not only the parents who inspired me but also their 5-year old daughter.

Both the girls were excited to show me and Karina (my wife) their rooms.  So we went upstairs and one by one they showed us their little palaces.  In the older daughter’s room was a brace.  She was telling Karina all about it and how it was for her back and she had to wear it to sleep at night.  She was also excited to tell her how she got to select the colors and the design.

We came back down and when talking to the parents and they told us the brace was because she had scoliosis.  It was the two statements that followed which have been stuck in our minds.

First, the mother was telling us that when she found out she was mortified.  Which is a normal reaction for any parent.  But her husband’s reaction was a bit different, he turned to his wife and said, “Well, I guess that’s her cross to bear.”

Now at first that statement seems quite callous, or at minimum, dismissive.  But think about it for just a minute.  Imagine the effect it has on him, his wife and his daughter.  It’s pure acceptance.  There’s no tragedy.  It’s simply one of life’s obstacles.  Accept, do the best you can with what you have and carry on.

We’re all dealt a certain hand in life.  We have the choice to accept it or eternally resent the hand that we’ve been dealt.

But it was what their daughter said that truly put things in perspective.  Apparently there is another girl in her school who also has scoliosis who has to wear a brace all day.

“I’m lucky, I only have to wear my brace at night!”

Perspective is often a difficult thing to keep at the forefront.  But luckily it’s an easy thing to bring to the forefront.

Next time things are tough . . . pause . . . breathe . . . look around . . . chances are everything will suddenly be a lot better.

Treat marketing the same way as you would getting fit.  You have to do it even when it hurts.  The simplest way you can think of marketing is doing whatever is necessary to bring in the cash . . . everyday!

If you spend your day answering calls, returning emails, designing websites (unless your a web designer of course), creating logos, or my favorite, planning to plan your planning, then you might as well be sitting on the couch in front of the TV with your hand in a bucket of ice cream with a side of hot wings.

So now I’ve equated marketing to dieting.  Yuck!  Sounds quite arduous and painful.  Guess what, at the very start . . . it is.  You are changing a long-standing pattern of doing nothing.  But once your butt is in motion (yes, figuratively and literally) magic begins to happen!

After a month of working out and eating right you’ve lost 5 pounds, your pants fit better, people are screaming, “Damn you look sexy!”

The same happens with marketing.  In a month you’ll have 5 more clients, after 2 months they refer another 10 clients to you, you’ll suddenly have a steady flow of business coming in the door, you’ll be making more money, and yes, you’ll probably hear people saying, “Damn you look sexy!”

But in actuality it was great.  Less to worry about, less to maintain and you can pretty much up and go whenever you like.  Simplifying living space . . . check!

The next was the cars.  More specifically two SUVs.  No clue why we had them to begin with but this was where I thought the true test would come in.  How do you go from driving all your life to no vehicles.  In fact, if you’ve read this entry in Zen Habits (phenomenal blog by the way) then you know that Leo Babauta went completely car-free and that dude has 6 kids!!!!

Well, I figured that if he can do it then so can I.  But we didn’t go cold turkey (or tofurkey for the vegetarians trying to ween themselves off of cars).  We got rid of one first and then tested the waters.  Interestingly enough, I can only recall one time when my wife and I both needed a vehicle at the same time (clearly we worked around it).

But then what about the 2nd car?  Now that we were in the city we probably only used it once or twice a month but man was it simple to have right there whenever you wanted it.  Yet I knew that if I really wanted to simplify my life, it’d have to let it go.  So as of last week, we are completely car-free and it feels amazing.

Sure it takes a little getting used to but it’s not nearly as off-setting as I would have thought.  In fact, it’s quite liberating (Leo says it best here).

Simplifying transportation . . . check!

Now remember, the title of this post is “A Simple Life Really is More Fun” and it wouldn’t be fair for me to share my life simplification without sharing the fun.

So check out my new wheels below . . .

Well this story has to do with something my wife told me and for the first time in recorded history, I actually listened to her.  I’m quite proud of myself. 

It’s was about the power of stories but more importantly about my own story of struggle.

A few years ago I had been giving a seminar with my buddy, and business partner at the time, Mike. Between the two of us we were like marketing on crack. I would get an idea, he’d feed off that idea, then I’d feed of his idea and before you know it we’ve created some some insane marketing strategy that blows your socks off.

So we’re giving this seminar but the problem was that we were giving it from the perspective of where we are today. It was all about the latest and greatest and the most cutting edge information we could bring to our audience.

Our intentions were noble . . . to give our audience the absolute best of what we had.

Yet we walked out of that seminar wondering, “Hmm, I’m wonder why we didn’t close more people in that room? We gave them some amazing information and a kick-ass deal. What happened?”

Later that night I was sitting with my wife still wondering why we didn’t close more of the room that day. So she turns to me and says, “You really want to know?” That means, “If I tell you are you going to shut-up and listen?”

“Yes, I really want to know.”

Well, I listened, and I listened and I listened because the advice she gave me was something, that although I’d heard before, never really sunk in until I heard it from her.

She said, “You are standing up there teaching people to make hundreds of thousands of dollars and teaching these cutting edge strategies but no one is connecting with you! Half the audience is struggling to make $30K, $40K or $50K a year. How can they picture earning the numbers you’re talking about?”

I was all ears.

“People want to know about when you had no money, when you couldn’t make ends meet, when you had no idea how to run a business or market or all that other stuff you teach. They want to know what changed the way you thought or the way you worked. They want to know where you started and THEN how you got to where you are today. They want to know your story of struggle!”

She was spot on. It made complete sense. How many seminars have I been to where I just couldn’t relate to the dude or dudette on stage because I felt that they’ve never been where I am?

So ever since that day I make sure that my story and more particularly, my story of struggle, is what my audiences get to know.

Are you telling your prospects, clients and audiences your story of struggle? Do they understand that you’ve been where they are? Do they understand that you went through the same pains and hardships that they are going through now? Do they realize that the solution that worked for you (and for your other clients) can work for them as well?

Or are you thinking, “I don’t have a story!”

Maybe you’re thinking, “Hey, I’m a doctor, I never went through the illnesses and pains my clients are going through.” Or maybe you’re a personal trainer and think, “I was never overweight. I’ve always been in great shape.” Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ve never been through what my clients are going through so how in the world will my story resonate with them?”

Here’s the great part about being an entrepreneur. It’s not just about your story. All your clients’ stories are also yours.

I have an immigration law practice but I’ve never had to get a visa, a green card or citizenship. But my clients have. Some members of my family have. Some of my friends have.

Their stories are also mine. I can turn to my audience and say, “I’ve had clients who have gone through the same thing you’re going through. I understand where you’re coming from. I can show you what’s worked for them and how it’ll work for you.”

On the flip side, if we’re talking about Hardball Business, if an entrepreneur comes through the door and says, “Sameer, I don’t know how to get clients. I know nothing about marketing. What do I do?”

I can genuinely turn to them and say, “I understand where you’re coming from, I’ve been where you are and here’s how I got to where I am today. I know it’ll work for you as well.”

Now what happened is quite incredible. My audience started responding to me in a way I’ve never seen or heard. Everything became intimate. They shared with me pains and struggles I’ve never heard. I saw emotion on their faces I’d never before experienced. As if by magic, we truly connected in a way that was deep and meaningful. They got to know, like and trust me but equally important, I got to know, like and trust them. When you get to that point, business has a whole new meaning and is a lot more fun and rewarding.

So the next time a prospect walks through the door, calls your business or checks out your website make sure they get to know your story of struggle and take the time to get to know theirs.

My father had been working with this lawn care company for over 10 years.  That meant every spring they’d come and fertilize, then care for the lawn over the summer and then do some pre-winter stuff in the fall.  So besides just showing you I know nothing about lawn care, the point is that for 10 years they had a fixed monthly income for 6 months out of the year (probably more).

Then last year Dad decides that he no longer needs their services and just doesn’t call them for the following season.  Apparently they showed up anyway, did some work and then when they didn’t get a check, filed a claim in small claims court.

Let me say this again . . . 10 freaking years my father worked with this guy and he goes and files a claim in court for an unpaid $90.  No mail, no phone call, no nothing.

So Dad calls his brilliant lawyer son (ahem) and says can you handle this.   My first thought is, “Really, this went through the effort to file a claim for a lousy ninety bucks?”  My second thought was, “Shit, this has to the stupidest business owner I’ve ever heard of.”  In one swoop he managed to piss off a loyal client, obliterate the chances of any future business or referrals and get a blog entry written about them which shows him in such a fond, fond light.

But regardless of my personal opinions, I make the call.  The bill is $90.  I tell him my father no longer wants the service but after 10 years I can’t really blame you for assuming he might.  Let’s split the bill and call it a done deal.  Now you’d think that was the end of it.

Nope, here’s where the real stupidity begins.  They get a check for $45 and I get a call.  “Sir, you still owe us $15.”  Why?  “Because we paid $30 to file the claim in court and half of $120 is $60.”

Really?

Well, at that point I hit my tolerance for stupidity and said, “You have two choices, deposit the $45 check or go to court, your call.”

Guess what the genius did?  Yup, he went to court.

Now I knew full well that we’d get a judgement against us if we didn’t show but it was about the principle.  My solace came in knowing he had to drive through the season’s worst snow storm for a whopping $75.

So what in the world does this story have to do with a one-night stand.  Well, it illustrates the point that your business is not about the transaction.  For this guy, it was all about this one invoice . . . this one transaction.  He treated it as a one-night stand where he wanted one thing and one thing only with total disregard for any consequences.

A business has gotta be treated like a marriage.  A client isn’t a transaction.  He’s a relationship.  What happens when a client has a relationship with you?  He works with you . . . he works with you again . . . and again . . . and tells his friends about you . . . and they work with you . . . again . . . and again . . . and you get the idea.

Now you don’t need to be a mathematician to realize that a relationship is a lot more lucrative than a transaction.

But that’s not all.  When you treat a client like a transaction (or worse, as you saw in the story above) you create ill will.  People talk a lot more about assholes than they do about superstars.  Which title do your clients give you?

Did you pull some abracadabra nonsense, get them into “bed” and then smile at the $90 in your hand or . . . Did you court them, woo them, care for them and get them to Know, Like & Trust you for years to come?

Okay, cool.  I asked her how business was, what she was doing for marketing and what kinds of exciting stuff she was working on?

“Well, I’m not really revealing my secrets right now.”

“What the hell does that mean?  Are you running a business practicing this stuff?”

“Yeah, but I only reveal it to my clients because I don’t want anyone to steal my techniques.”

“Well then can you get some type of official protection for your method of pain relief?”

The answer was no.

So my question was, “Why are you keeping it a secret then?”  It fell into the realm of “if nobody knows about you then it doesn’t matter how good you are.”

If your system is in fact proprietary but you can’t get protection for it them you better sure as hell be the first to market otherwise someone else WILL come up with it and put it out there plus if your system is as good as you claim it is, then you’ll inevitably have copycats who mimic what you’ve already done.  So why not be the first to get out there and stake your claim?

The other part of the discussion set off the BS meter was when I asked her if she was making the type of income she wanted to be making?  Her response was that money was not her objective.

Cute, but also a load of crap.  Make a lot of money and give it away if that’s what you want to do but staying poor does nothing for you or the people out there you want to help.  She quickly acknowledged that it was complete BS so no need to belabor that point.

The moral of this story is that when we operate out of a place of fear we hold on to little.  When we work from a vision of abundance not only do we benefit but so does the world.  Share your knowledge, your expertise and as a buddy of mine says, pretend you’re standing on one side of a long brick wall and you have to race the person standing on the other side.  How fast do you run?  You run as fast as you possibly can because you simply don’t know (and can’t know) what’s happening on the other side.

Be the same way with your business.  Run as fast as you can without worrying about what everyone else is doing (or not doing).

As far as Linda goes, she gave me her word that she’d share the wealth and get out there.  Good luck Linda.  I wish you nothing but great success!!!

Keep life simple & always remember to play!

Alright, the thing that truly wastes our time and money is when we are abundantly aware that we are allocating our time to tasks that do not generate income, do not create goodwill or are simply unnecessary.  Note that I said “aware.”  If you don’t know you don’t know.  But a little business-introspection will help.

What I’ve always read, and often preached, was that as a business owners, we should determine what our hourly rate is and make sure we don’t spend time on tasks that are below our hourly rate.

I’m abandoning that philosophy in the hope of abundance.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “You gave yourself another job, not a business!”  Well, allocating an hourly rate to our time doesn’t do much to exonerate us from the job-trap.

So let’s take a fresh look at this approach and how it applies to our businesses.

First, what are the tasks that you do every day?  Establish the baseline of where you stand.

Second, out of your daily tasks what are the most enjoyable, lucrative and effective in terms of getting clients to know, like and trust you and your business, both now and will be in the future?

How much of your time do you allocate to those tasks?  What are you doing the rest of the time?  Are those other tasks best handled by you or someone else?  Do you enjoy those tasks?  Are those tasks even necessary to the successful operation and success of your business?

All good questions (if I do say so myself) but I don’t have the answers for you.  But I’ll share with you a tool that I use myself to assess my day-to-day time allocation.  But first a quick story.

Years ago I experimented with becoming a personal trainer and the first thing I’d do with any new client was instruct them to write down exactly what they ate, when they ate it and how much of it they ate.  That was their only assignment for the 1st week.

Without fail, almost every client would have one day completely missing from their “What I Ate This Week” journal.

I’d ask, “What happened to Wednesday?”

“Oh, well, you know, I really didn’t watch my diet that day and, well, you know . . . “

Yeah, I know!

And that’s exactly what we do as business owners.  I’m talking about the days when we come in and sit on email all day or rearrange our desks.  Possibly we do something more productive but it’s still not what we should be doing.  Whether it’s paying the bills, scheduling appointments, etc.  It’s all stuff that we either don’t do well, don’t enjoy doing and is usually not the best use of our time.

Yes, we need to play and be “unproductive” (in a work-sense) but let’s make sure it’s planned.  Whether it’s hitting the golf course or deciding to take a 3-hour lunch with a friend, make sure it’s planned and make sure you actually make plans to do so (a blog for another day but play time is essential for any business owner).

So now as I’m writing this blog entry I’m thinking, “Is this the best use of MY time?”  So I ran it through my Decision-Making & Implementation Flowchart and here’s what I came up with:

•    There is a long term benefit (I’m an optimist who believes that 1000s of business owners will benefit)
•    It increases my sanity (it keeps me focused)
•    Improves the quality of my life (I love to teach and share)
•    Does it make me money?  Yeah, in a long-term, intangible way, absolutely.
•    I thoroughly enjoy writing, and
•    I do it best (sure, there are better writers but nobody else can inject MY personality)

Blogging is clearly something that I should be doing (along with a few others that I love and I’m good at).  The rest should be either outsourced or eliminated.

Run your day’s task through the flowchart and let me know what you discover you should do (or do more of), what you should outsource and what you should eliminate?

This story was something I needed to share and I hope you find it as enlightening to read as it was for me to write.

This is about vacuums, passions & fears . . . and how these three things brought me to this story today.

It starts back in 2006 when I had been running my own law practice for 5 years and got an itching to do something more, something else. I loved running a business, I loved my clients, I was a great lawyer but the law itself wasn’t something I was fascinated with. What I didn’t realize until much later, was that it wasn’t the law but my passion for running a business that kept me cranking for all those years.

But I brushed that feeling off as a momentary lull and continued cranking with the law practice. But that nagging feeling continued and it continued to grow. Was I really sick of being a lawyer? I’d spent 3 years in law school, took the bar (twice for that matter) and built my own thriving practice. I couldn’t really be sick of it, could I?

Now if you’ve read my story you know that my business partnership was slowing falling apart at that time and that acted as a foundation of what came next.

In 2007, after all was wrapped up with the demise of my partnership and the consolidation of my practice, I took a class on a topic I’d never heard about but had piqued my interest . . . it was about “information marketing.” It was a 4-hour class at the Learning Annex in New York and I remember that I was already 15 minutes late getting there and still couldn’t find parking (not being able to find parking, especially in New York, drives me crazy).

I was minutes away from saying “screw this” and heading home but thank God I decided to not be a cheap-ass Indian. I paid $60 for 4-hours of parking and as fate would have it, it was during that seminar that I discovered my true passion!

Within 8 months of that seminar I had written and published my first book and had come out with a CD program about starting your own law practice. Wow, that was cool. And guess what, the book and program actually sold. Even more amazing.

It’s true what they say about success breeding success. I was a man on a mission. My thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Anything and everything I could learn about marketing to make more money, automation to free up time, and outsourcing to get others to do the stuff that I just didn’t do well, was fair game.

One of the coolest things I learned was “marketing psychology” and it’s probably the most important element in running a business today. I even experimented with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for a bit, which is incredibly cool and a little freaky .

Now all this while I was still running my law practice and with all this new-found knowledge being applied to the the law practice, it kept growing and requiring more and more of my time. Soon enough the imbalance was evident.

I was making a ton of money in the law practice but I was missing two very important things. The first was quality of life. Make money, spend money, make money, spend money, keep up with him, her and the next person and I lost myself.

If you’ve read any of my recent stuff (which you probably haven’t because I’ve been MIA) then you’ll know that nothing floats my boat more than an evening out (or in) enjoying good drinks, great food and most importantly, amazing conversation & laughs with good friends. NOTHING beats that for me. And guess what, it doesn’t matter what I drive, how big of a house I live in or whether I wear a Casio or a Rolex, to accomplish that.

And yes, I got really off track for a while. Now don’t get me wrong . . . I’m not saying money is bad. Money is fantastic and it nicely greases the wheels of life. All I’m saying is that I lost focus of what truly made me happy.

So for the past few years I’ve been in retro-mode. What does that mean? It means getting back to the stuff in life that I truly love and enjoy. I carry this list in my wallet in case I ever forget. Here it is and it’s simply called . . .

What Makes Me Happy

1) Spending Time with Friends and Family
2) Teaching & Mentoring
3) Learning (books, seminars, etc.)
4) Working Out, Biking, Running, Golfing, etc.
5) Cooking & Eating Amazing Food
6) Masterminding
7) Making Money

I refer to this list whenever I feel myself getting off-track.

Now remember, I said I was missing TWO important things in my life. The second was passion. I was spending 90% of my time practicing law and only about 10% pursuing my passions. That wasn’t cool in my personal life and it wasn’t cool at a metaphysical level. But it was fear-induced. I was sitting in the all-to-well-known “comfort zone.” What would happen if I made this move? Will I make as much money? What if I don’t do as well?

Well, the world would not collapse, that was for sure. But what about me? Would I be okay?

But guess what? It wasn’t about me?

I’ve always been perturbed by people who have an expertise and/or passion but they do something else with their lives, or worse, they do nothing at all. They probably have the same fears I did but looking in from the outside, it’s not about them! They’re depriving the rest of the world from benefiting from what they know. Could I have been doing the exact same thing? Sure as hell seems like it.

Yes, it took me a few years to get to this point but after a few minutes, weeks, month, years of introspection, and more importantly, looking at my life from an outward-in perspective, I realized that I’m here to share what I know. If I don’t, then I may as well accept a purposeless existence.

Now that may seem a bit melodramatic but think about your own life, especially if you’re not doing what you know you were put on this earth to do. Doesn’t it all seem a bit purposeless? So maybe, just maybe, I’m not being a “mama-drama” and neither are you.

When it comes to marketing, automation and outsourcing, I’m smart, really smart. I’m not saying that to sound like some type of arrogant ass . . . I’m simply confident about my expertise.

Why? Because when you know your true passion and you begin to follow-it you grow in leaps and bounds. You absorb expertise like nothing you’ve ever done before and you’re happier than you’ve ever been. And I know you know what I’m talking about!

I love entrepreneurs and I love being one. Nothing gets me more excited than when I can teach business-owners how to make more money to make his/her life more comfortable. Or more importantly, when I can teach him/her how to make more money while still having more time to play with his kids, spend time with his spouse or simply spend more time enjoying the things in life that truly matter. What’s your list of what truly matters?

The fact is that life was meant to be enjoyed. Who made up this ridiculous rule that we’re supposed to work 5 or 6 days a week and use the 7th for rest so we can do it all over again in 24 hours? Or the rule that we only need to take 2 weeks off a year to be rewarded for other 50 weeks of hard work? Or the one that really gets me, how EVERY job in the world requires 8 hours a day and must be from 9am to 5pm (or in our new ever-connected world, 24/7)?

It just doesn’t make sense. Now one of the ways to break away from this inane way of thinking happens to be to design your own business so it supports the life that you create. Let me say that again, design your business so it supports the life you create (or want to create)!

But that takes fortitude and clarity. You must know where you want to go and you must have the guts to follow through.

In my own life, and the point that I got to, the clarity was great, but my fortitude was lacking . . . and that brings me to why I’m sharing this story with you.

The time has come for my fortitude to catch up with my clarity!

It’s time that I dedicate 100% of my efforts to doing what I love and what I owe to you, him, her and the next person.

That also means it’s time to create (and fill) a vacuum. I’ve made a bold decision to shift my law practice out of my hands and into the hands of someone whose passion and purpose it is to be a lawyer. This is going to create a massive vacuum which is incredibly scary . . . but it’s also incredibly exciting & liberating!

So What’s Next?

The RIGHT WAY to do this is to always start, and continue, by giving and educating (the same as I teach my clients to do). Before anything happens there must be value and trust. You must know, like and trust me before anything else. That onus falls on my shoulders.

So that’s exactly where this is going to start. Step 1 is making right whatever I’ve failed to follow-through on. I have a few clients who I have made promises to and not delivered. They are my priority and those promises are going to be filled (you know who you are and I will be making it right).

Next is everyone who I have not remained in touch with (even after promising I would). So going forward you are going to receive massive value from me. I need to build or regain your trust and the way to do that is provide the value you deserve.

There’s no better time than now to get started. So first, I’d like to share with you some of the most lucrative strategies I’ve used in my own business and I know they will help you in your business as well.

It starts by clicking here to collect a copy of my “6-Figure Marketing Checklist”

Second, I know that in running your marketing campaigns you write letters, create marketing pieces, online sales pages, etc. These are the most valuable strategies I’ve used to write effective sales copy for my own products and services and I’d like to share them with you so to create copy that sells and videos that convert . . .

Here’s copy of my “Top 5 Sales Copywriting Strategies”

Plus I’ll always be adding free stuff to this Free Stuff Page that’s available for you to swap, steal & apply in your own business!

Third, one of the things that I truly love is connecting with people at a personal level. It takes time and effort but in my humble opinion, it adds to the quality of life. So I’d personally love it if you took advantage of this offer below.

If you need help marketing, automating or outsourcing your business I’d like to offer you a FREE Business Jam Session. You get 30-minutes to ask me anything about your business. Nothing is off-limits and I promise to not hold anything back. I will give you as much input, as many strategies and resources as I possibly can during our chat. That’s my promise to you.

Now since I’m an optimist, and often delusional, as I believe most entrepreneurs are otherwise we wouldn’t be entrepreneurs, I’m confident that 1000′s of you rush to take advantage of this offer.

But that would be around 30,000 hours or 1250 days and that’s a long, long time to be on the phone so I’m going to open this up to the first 25 entrepreneurs who respond by clicking on this link below & filling out their information.

Click HERE to Schedule Your FREE “30-Minute Business Jam Session” (only 25 spots available)

Finally, one key component is always to provide valuable education & content to the very people that support you. This has been long overdue but I have started blogging regularly at www.MarketingBriefs.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments and input.

Thank you for listening to my story and I hope I’ve in some way inspired you to follow your passion. We owe it to the world!

Keep life simple & always remember to play.

Here’s to your success!

Sameer

Starting, owning and building a small business can carry with it a lot of stress and may at times be utterly overwhelming, right?  Well, no, not really.  Sure there will be stressful times but if you’re reading this then you’re not a typical business owner and I certainly do not expect you to carry the stress that typical business owners do.  Why?  Because it causes illness, anxiety, depression, divorce and eventual burnout.  Who the hell wants that?  Oh wait, I forgot one thing . . . you actually make LESS money when you are stressed and overwhelmed.

Alright, alright, yeah I know, I’ve established that the stress of starting your own business sucks.  Here’s how you avoid it.   I want you to make a list, a real simple list, of the things that truly make you happy in life.  You will have to spend some serious time figuring this out.  Go back over the years and pick out the times when you’d walk back in the house and say, “Holy Crap!  That was the best time ever!”

Then write out what your ideal day would look like?  When would you wake up?  Would you exercise?  What would you eat?  Who would you talk to?  Would you do some charity work?  How many hours would you work?  What types of people would you work with?  Etc.  Seriously, lay all this stuff out.  It’s worth investing a few hours to sort this out.

Finally, go back to back to when you started your business (or if you’re starting now then do this now) and figure out how much it would cost you to live that ideal life (day to day, week to week, and so on).  Once you’ve got a number you’ve got THE number.  What the hell does that mean?

I remember meeting this dude at a seminar that was all about making money.  The guy was all hyped-up by the speaker and was ready to make his millions.  Over lunch I was chatting with him and we’re discussing goals and he’s telling me that he’s gotta hit a million bucks this year.  Alright, cool so I asked him where he was now and WHY he needed a million bucks.  The guy had been unemployed for over 2 years, moved back in with his parents (he was in his mid 40’s) and been borrowing money from his friends to survive.

All I could think was, “Brother, you need $250 to pay the electric bill right now!”  When I asked him WHY he wanted/needed a million bucks he had no answer for me other than it was a cool number to accomplish.   I felt sorry for the dude.  Well, I felt worse when he dropped another $15K to sign up for the next level of the seminar.  I talked to him a few months later and not much had changed except that he had an extra $15K in debt and was just recovering from a heart attack (ouch).

Alright, I get it, you started your business to make money.  I’m all for capitalism.  Go for it but have a clear path about what you want to achieve but more importantly WHY you want to achieve it.  I’ve been there and done that.  I’ve made a ton of money without having any purpose behind it other than to hit a number.  Was it cool, yeah.  Was it fulfilling, umm, not really.  Focus on the numbers that come from purpose, not numbers for the sake of numbers.

So here’s what I want to know, what’s number 1 on your “makes me happy” list?

Mine is a good meal with old friends (every single time)!

As much of a hard-ass I am when it comes to marketing my business I do my absolute best to be a sweetheart to my clients.  That’s why I’m utterly shocked by the lack of customer service by so many business owners.  This has nothing to do with marketing skill nor does it require you to give in to every whim and desire of your clients.  I’m talking about professionals who treat their clients (the very people who feed them) like a nuisance – an unnecessary headache.  I don’t get it?

Now this applies to your business regardless of what industry your in but since I’m a lawyer by profession and well, we’re not necessarily known to be “loveable” I figure there’s no better example.

Don’t get me wrong, when I say the best marketing for your business is customer service I don’t mean that you should keep nuisance clients or those who become particularly overbearing and obnoxious (which is probably only about 1-2% of your clients – if it’s more we need to talk about your screening process).  But what about the good clients who, in the legal world, simply want a return phone call to know what’s going on with their case, not be sitting in your waiting room for 30 minutes waiting for God, oh wait, no, lawyers are not gods, we just sometimes think we are.

These clients are coming to us are looking for that peace of mind that we provide?  For lawyers, we’re not in the legal business, we’re in the “peace of mind” business.  What business are you in?  If you’re a baker your in the “feel-good-through-food” business.  If you’re a mechanic, guess what, you’re also in the peace of mind business.  If you’re in the Social Media business you are in the “help-me-understand-and-make-more-money” business.

On the same note, I’ve seen lawyers, who truly know how to market their law firms, use this to their advantage.  They actually advertise as the “Lawyers Who Call You Back.”  I’m not sure if that’s brilliant marketing or a sign of how pathetic the level of care in the legal industry has become.   But think about it . . . if all lawyers need to do is call their clients back to achieve amazing customer service, how easy might it be in your industry?

Here are some things ANY business owner can do to create that over-the-top experience:

• Listen to your customers
  
• Offer them a cup of coffee on a cold day
• Make sure they know what’s going on and what part they must play (if any) in the process
  
• Don’t lie to your clients (I wish this was as obvious as it seems)
• Don’t tell them something went wrong because of your staff.  You ARE your staff.
• Make sure all their questions and concerns are answered
  
• And here’s the biggie – APOLOGIZE WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE.  I’m am so bloody sick and tired of business owners coming up with every excuse in the book about why something went wrong or didn’t happen in a timely manner when any idiot can see that it was YOU who screwed up.  Hey, we’re human, it does and WILL happen.  For the love of God say you’re sorry.  There are several potential benefits to doing so with the biggest probably being MORE business.  You’d be surprised how many clients will not tell their friends about you if everything goes well but they’ll tell the world if you make a mistake, apologize and then fix it – what better referral can you ask for (now don’t go out there screwing up on purpose just to get referrals – it’s not a strategy I’d recommend.

Marketing your business with basic customer service is not rocket science (and I’m not even talking about the over-the-top customer service I teach).  I know that when we started our own businesses we began with the noblest of intentions.  Then many of us slowly deteriorated or became disgruntled with the profession, with our clients, with our staff, etc.  Don’t let that happen.  When it starts getting tough revisit the businessman or businesswoman you wanted to be and continue to hold yourself to those high standards.  You will attract what you put out and people will want to work with you.