Results We've Helped Our Clients Achieve

We just don't work with our clients; we consider ourselves their partners, and they consider us their trusted advisor.

Creative Designer

A client introduced me to a graphic designer who had moved from another state after graduating from school.

At our first meeting she showed me her portfolio (I was impressed) and she was very concerned that she was charging too much. Her business was about six months old and she didn't have much in the bank to show for it; although she had done quite a bit of non-profit work and school projects. She told me what she was charging. I said you're not charging enough - all the while looking at her portfolio with amazement.

I left the meeting telling her that I thought she needed to raise her rates (actually quadruple them), get better clients, and create an intake and planning process.

We started working together originally for 3 hours a month and then went down to 2. After a year we were at 1 hour a month. Using our Business Checkup Assessment she explored all aspects of her business. Completing our Client Intake Profile she assesses all that she'd done, what things she knew might be stopping her, and where she wanted the business and her life to go.

While I usually work with clients on a business or life plan, the first thing I recommended to her was that she at least double her rates. Why? My clients have to do the comparison and value work regarding how they price their services. Based on my estimation, her services were worth at least 3x more what she was getting. But if the client isn't ready to raise their rates, well it's time for other work to build their confidence.

And as issues arose, like problems with clients, new marketing materials, personal stuff, etc., we worked on those.

Next we started on her business plan with the creation of a one-sentence vision, using the One Page Business Plan® process. You can't complete a vision plan unless you know everything about your ideal clients; so she listened to the audios and did the exercises in my Stop Working With Jerks CD.

With her vision and mission complete, we worked on her elevator pitch since she was soon to attend a convention. After that convention, she told me that she'd have a talk with a 20 year business owner who couldn't believe that she was new to business and thanked me for the work we'd done that helped her get really clear about her business as well as brought business words into her vocabulary.

Next she went onto a marketing plan, SWOT, and a few other business foundation items.

As part of her strategies, she cut her intake process in 1/2 by designing new intake forms and a questionnaire. Additionally, by creating a marketing funnel she now had well thought-out packages that became part of her marketing funnel, and they helped her create a master proposal, parts of which she could use over and over again.

She started visiting meetings -- networking, women's, social, etc. in an effort to develop a core networking strategy. She rebranded her company, created her first website, newsletter, and a few products.

As all this was taking place, her confidence increased along with her rates and portfolio. And yes, a year after we started working together, she updated her business plan, and she started asking for that higher rate, and got it!

We continued to work together, for one hour a month and she continued to do the exercises in our proprietary program -- Corporate Secrets Marketing Suite as -- well as worked on executing her business and marketing plan.

The time has flown by and she's done very well for herself with clients coming back for more and she's built her credibility in the process winning quite a few awards. You can be next!

Note From Maria: The one thing about newer business owners is that even though they took a BIG risk going into business, they are less likely to take risks when it comes to raising their rates, leaving networking groups that aren't serving them, going to better networking groups, etc. . IF this client had been willing to do those things sooner, her income would have risen much quicker then it did. However, having said that, she's started her business with a very strong foundation; one that will be easy to update and will serve her well for a very long time.

Accountant

I met her at a speaking engagement and she hired me for an initial hour consultation. At the consultation, she told me that her company had over 250K in sales before a family emergency and now she was a few months away from going back to work -- something she really didn't want to do.

We worked together for a year, she created a business and marketing plan, ideal client profile, updated her prices and systems, designed a tag line and elevator speech, created a marketing funnel, created a hiring process, hired staff and consultants so she could manage the bookkeeping which she didn't enjoy doing. Instead she worked primarily on fixing her companies' accounting process, doing taxes, getting clients online with software, and the marketing and networking areas of the business.

She learned how to set "time" boundaries with her clients, hired an assistant and technology person, attend an association full of potential clients, and started creating forms and procedures. Although she was technology aversive, one of her staff created a website for her.

At year's end, she had quadrupled her sales and was only doing the parts of her business she enjoyed doing. Everything else was being handled efficiently by her staff.

Entertainment Boutique Owner

A potential client, making 8M with 19 employees, found their way to our website. He had previously doubled his company's income but was now stuck because he knew it could at least double again. And he wanted to go from working long hours to 1 day a month!

At our first meeting (which I thought would be our last) he asked us what we thought was wrong with his business and why he wasn't able to do more. I told the truth, that he was not running a business, and that instead his hobby has grown into a company that had no organization. I recommended that he read a business book my clients read. I thought I'd never hear from him.

Two weeks later, he called and stated that he was ready to turn his hobby into a business. He wanted to double his income in the next year or so and of course, work 1 day a month so he could spend his time pursuing philanthropic opportunities.

Being very creative, this client did not want to complete most of the assessments which he felt would limit his progress and options. So I worked around this (something I no longer do), and eventually, "I - we" created a company business and marketing plan. But instead of him using our software to create a draft of a plan -- the plan was created at our sessions -- over the phone. I asked questions, clarified everything that was said, questioned each answer, and after each session, I emailed him what I'd created for his review, additions, and a review of the appropriate staff. He was more than satisfied with the results -- so much so that he asked me to create additional plans for his staff.

Fast forward 9 months. He was communicating better with his staff and with the new Business Development Manager. The employees, many who were located all over the USA, had improved communication, cross-selling was taking place, and each had a job description with objectives to reach. The business plans that were created were shared among the employees, too. This company had increased their hourly and project rates, added new services and products, and their sales were now at 14M and on their way to doubling. And the boss was working 1 day a month and was taking training needed to acquire another hobby and this time turn it into the non-profit he wanted to start. Mission accomplished.

Business Associates

A group of 7 associates, all members of a networking organization and all making 1M+, hired me to conduct a day-long, interactive one-page business and marketing plan program on a retreat in Las Vegas.

The group was comprised of companies who sold services and others who sold products from a variety of industries with incomes up to 25M. Members attended to support their peers, because they were tired of putting out fires all the time, wanted to open two more offices, wanted to open another business, or wanted to expand their business and sell more on the Internet, etc.

By the end of the day, one owner called their office to request something be changed, and another wanted something looked into. We talked about a system they could use to determine when the company needed its own marketing or sales employee vs. hiring a consultant part time. Together we worked on some major challenges, including a few that were personal but getting in the way of the business expanding.

Today, two of the testimonials on my Recommendations page come from those owners. And because of another's recommendation, I qualify to have my speaking information on the main organization's Speaking Bureau.



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© 1998-2012 Elevating Your Business.com    We are a business and executive management, planning, coaching, and training company focused on helping financial sector leaders earn more, serve more people, and not sacrifice themselves in the process!


Disclaimer: The user experiences displayed on this site are a small sample of the hundreds sent to us through emails or letters by people who have been the customers of Elevating Your Business. However, in compliance with FTC rulings, we cannot guarantee that these results are typical. Our best recommendation is that you try our program for yourself.