Wake Up Goddess - Ancient Arts Blog

3 Key Ingredients in a Client-Rich Website By Michele McGrew & Sharon Desjarlais

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:08:58 -0800

Candace spent 2 months crafting the perfect website for her healing practice. She chose soothing colors. Serene photos. Inspiring quotes.
Then she spent 6 months wondering why she didn't get any new clients from it.

Have you invested time, energy and money in a website that's not attracting more clients?

Take heart. With a few simple tweaks, you can change your website into a compelling source of hope that attracts new clients who call you.

Ingredient #1: A Transformational Home Page That Clearly Shows the Before and After

As a holistic or spiritual practitioner, you do what you do because you feel a deep inner call to transform lives in a profound way. You get a real sense of fulfillment when you guide your clients out of the pain and frustration they're in, into the beauty, wonder and wholeness of who they really are. That's a compelling vision. And one you need to show your visitors right away. After all, if the promise of your work isn't right there on your home page, your visitors may never click any deeper into the site.

Ingredient #2: A Gift That Gives Visitors Real Value, and Gives You Permission to Stay In Touch

When it comes to creating a relationship with new clients, your website is like a first date. Even if they're intrigued, unless you give them a reason to stick around, most visitors will leave your site and never return. That's why you want to give them a gift in exchange for giving you permission to stay in touch. Try a simple checklist, a guided meditation, a helpful report. Or one of our favorites: A how-to e-mail course delivered over time. As long as your free gift helps your visitors solve one of the pain points that brought them to you, they'll trust you to supply the rest. And they'll willingly wait to hear more.

Ingredient #3: A Personal Peek at the Real You

Your visitors don't want a relationship with your website. Or even your expert credentials. What they want is a relationship with YOU. So if your website lacks passion and soul, the experience will feel cold. And your visitors will turn away.
To form an energetic bond with your visitors, be willing to share something true about you. For instance:

Why do you love what your do?
What makes you so passionate about healing the particular challenges your clients are coming to you for?
In what way have you walked the same path as your clients?

Your open-hearted vulnerability will feel safe to your visitors. And they'll open their hearts to yo

Put Your Referral Process on Autopilot: 4 Ways to Systematically Nurture New Client Referrals By Sharon Desjarlais & Michele McGrew

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:10:25 -0800

Your clients are getting great results, right? They're overcoming their pain and obstacles by leaps and bounds and they're over the moon with the outcomes.

But for some reason they're not sending family, friends or neighbors your way in the form of referrals. So what's the deal?

First of all, don't take it personally. If you're not getting referrals from your happiest clients on a regular basis, you may simply need to put a strategy into place to Systematically Nurture new referrals in your practice.

Why is this so important? Because if you're nurturing referrals in your business you could be missing out on up to 25% of new clients. (Just think... What would you do with 25% more income in your practice this month?)

To help you out, here are our 4 favorite ways to Systematically Nurture clients to send you high-quality referrals on a consistent basis.

Systematic Nurturing Strategy We Love #1: 
Include a Referral Template in Every New-Client Welcome Kit

One of our favorite mentors has a saying we love: "An ounce of pre-framing is worth a pound of re-framing." And when you automatically include a referral template in all your new-client kits, you let your clients know right off the bat that you love getting new referrals.

Hot Tip: Keep these letters super simply by including one paragraph on each of the following:

How referrals work in your practice.
Who you love working with.
What your clients can do when they meet someone who would be perfect for your services.

Systematic Nurturing Strategy We Love #2:
Send Out Client-Appreciation Letters

This is a beautiful way to express your appreciation to those clients you really enjoy working with.

Start each letter with a personalize note telling your client how much you enjoy working with them. When you start your letter with a sincere expression of gratitude, your client feels valued and they want to reciprocate.

In the letter you should explain exactly what type of clients you're looking for (probably people just like them), the problems you help your clients overcome, and the benefits they receive when they work with you.

Then simple ask them if they know of anyone in their circle of family, friends, colleagues, etc. who could benefit from the work you do.

Hot Tip: Don't assume that just because someone is a client that they know how to explain what you do to others. Be proactive and include a short "script" they can use when introducing your services to others.

Systematic Nurturing Strategy We Love #3: 
Use Complementary Colleague Referral Letters

Once you know who you love working with, you can easily find other professionals in your community who serve those same people. When you identify colleague's whose skills complement your own, you can send them a Complementary Colleague Referral Letter.

Like the Client-Appreciation Letter, this letter contains information about the clients you serve, the problems you help them solve and the solutions you offer. But it also holds an invitation create a mutually beneficial referral relationship.

You can say something like: "Our work is so complementary, I'd love to see how we can become helpful resources for each other - and even more valuable resources for our clients."

Hot Tip: Don't just send a letter and hope for the best. Follow up! In the letter always let the recipient know that you will call them in a few days to discuss how you may be able to work together.

Systematic Nurturing Strategy We Love #4:
Create a Resource Guide for Your Clients to Use

When you're in the holistic and spiritual arts, there are other services you love to recommend that will support your clients in ways that you don't. You can do that effectively by creating a Resource Guide of trusted complementary practitioners for your clients to choose from.

When you refer other practitioners who complement your services, you create a network of sharing and a community of support. This is a gesture of good will that is a valuable asset to your clients AND activates the energy of cooperation (instead of competition) with your colleagues.

Hot Tip: If you want referrals, you've got to give them. When you send clients to other practitioners, this opens the door for them to do the same with you. This is the Law of Reciprocity in action. Do this and watch as a community of support forms around the needs of your Divine Right Client ~ creating more opportunities for everyone.

Money Secrets Revealed

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:46:17 -0800

Here are my top 3 take-aways from Kendall SummerHawk's "Secret Energy of Money" conference. Enjoy!

Take Away #1:
How You Do Money Is How You Do Everything

At first glance this may seem like a broad, sweeping statement. But when you pull off your blinders and look closely, you'll see just how true it is.

On one level, money represents what you get to do and have in the world. But in a much deeper way, it represents something about who you are and what you feel capable of receiving.

When you have difficulty receiving and keeping money in your business, chances are this energy pattern is showing up in other areas of your life as well.

If this is the case for you, ask yourself honestly, "What else am I not allowing myself to receive? What other good things am I letting slip through my fingers?" Love... help... relationships... acknowledgement... time...

How you do money is how you do everything. When you heal your relationship with money, that energy of worthiness and receptivity can't help but carry over into other areas of you life as well.

Take Away #2:
Spirituality & Success Are NOT Mutually Exclusive

This is not a new concept, but, sadly, it's one I see so many holistic and spiritual practitioners struggle with time after time.

The simple truth is, success and money do not make you less spiritual. In fact, if you are a kind, generous and giving person, money will give you the capacity to be even more of who you already are.

Making fabulous money allows you to move past your basic survival needs and into the energy spiritual abundance and sharing. Think about this... Have you ever wanted to help out a friend or family member, support a charity or give a beautiful gift for someone you love, only to look at your bank account and feel your energy contract?

When you look at what you truly want money for, you'll also see a hint of what you value in this world. And you'll begin to get an idea of what you can do and who you can BE when you're accepting and circulating abundance through your life.

Take Away #3:
The Power To Decide & Take Action Is Your Most Valuable Business Asset

We all like to have choices... what to wear, what to eat, how to spend our time and our money. Yet far too often we allow our fears and anxieties to strip us of our power to act on those choices. The result is inertia.

Instead of taking positive action, we stay stuck. We feel trapped by our circumstances and we're rendered powerless by our indecision.

No matter how much we say we want change, the ego mind tricks us into believing that we're not ready for it. Instead of making powerful decisions, we sit back and wait for the perfect time to take action ~ that golden moment when the stars align and we have all the time, money and resource we think we need to move forward.

But the truth is, if you do nothing, nothing will change. Conversely, once you make a decision to move toward your goals through inspired action, Universe will bend over backwards to help you make your decision a reality.

So what are you waiting for? Seize the day!

3 Keys to Identifying Your Divine Right Client

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The other day I was chatting with my new business co-creator, Sharon Desjarlais, about what she calls your "Divine Right Client."

  This concept of the Divine Right Clients (DRC) transcends the idea of a "niche," or "target market" by recognizing that you and your DRC aren't just a good business fit, but an energetic match made in heaven!  

From this perspective you can see that you have a karmic agreement with your Divine Right Client to bring them the exact message, healing, counseling or wisdom that they need at the perfect moment in their lives when they are ready to receive it.  

 Wow! Just let that sink in for a minute.

But just knowing that your Divine Right Clients are out there isn't enough. You have to know how to identify your DRC and to align yourself with their needs so that you can unlock the door to their desires with your programs or services.  

Fortunately, we've got the 3 Keys to help you identify your DRC today!

The 1st Key:
Your Divine Right Client Has To Have a Problem & They Have to KNOW They Have a Problem

Don't assume that your potential clients see things the same way you do. What you may perceive as a problem, they may simply accept as an inevitable part of life, business, relationships, culture, etc.  

And if they don't really see the problem, chances are they're not looking for a solution. That puts you in the exhausting position of trying to convince potential clients that they need your help.  

Unfortunately, this often leads to a lot of wasted time, money and energy that you could channel into other areas of your business and your life.

Bottom line: You can't fix what they don't know is broken.

The 2nd Key:
Your Divine Right Client Has to WANT a Solution

Not only must your DRC be aware that they have a problem, but they must be in enough pain as a result of their problem that they would do anything to solve it.   

The more painful the problem, the more dire the need for a solution becomes, and the easier it is to connect people with the value of what you do.

  Your goal is to provide your DRC with a solution that makes them breathe a sigh of relief. If they don't, chances are there's a disconnect between what you're offering and what you're clients really want.   

Bottom line: It's easy to get people to invest in solutions they want.

The 3rd Key:
You Have to WANT to Work with Your Divine Right Client (Otherwise They're Not Really Your DRC, They're Someone Else's)

Believe it or not, a big part of attracting your DRC is to simply decide whom you want to work with.   

Working with clients who drain your energy, push your boundaries or test your limits is a sure fire recipe for disaster. Nothing will lead to burn out and apathy faster than working with people you don't enjoy serving. So don't do it!  

Instead, focus on attracting clients you can't wait to wake up in the morning to work with. When you do this, your practice is filled with joy and purpose ~ for you and your Divine Right Client.

  Bottom Line: Your Divine Right Client is someone you LOVE working with!

Happy Harvest Everyone!

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:50:37 -0800

Today is the Autumn Equinox. In my faith, this day is known as Mabon.

Mabon is a harvest festival. It is a magical and symbolic time of year when the seeds we planted in the Spring reach their full potential.

With the harvest, life is affirmed. The crops we planted in the ground received nourishment from the Earth and will now nourish our bodies in return for having planted them. It is part of an endless cycle that has sustained human life on this planet for centuries.

Likewise, the seeds you planted in the fertile soil of your consciousness are ready for harvest as well. The crops you nourished with your intention and attention are ripe and ready to be enjoyed. And with the harvest comes the celebration.

Celebrate your harvest by making time to laugh and play with friends and family. Take pleasure in the simple things… a cold dog nose on your cheek, the heavy footsteps of a growing child on the stairs, the familiar feel of your partner’s hand in your own.

Take nothing for granted, even your problems. Your problems are also part of your harvest. They teach you valuable lessons about life and about your karmic lessons and contracts. Honor your problems as the gifts they are.

Allow yourself to take in the fullness of the harvest. Let it sustain you and help you grow stronger, wiser and happier than ever. Blessed Mabon!

10 Tips To Get Out of Overwhelm & Activate Your Divine Feminine

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0800

One of the biggest concerns I hear from my spiritual business owners is that they're just stretched too thin.

Trying to juggle business, family and your personal and spiritual needs can be a challenge, especially if you're trying to play therole of Super Woman.
 
Yes ladies, we can HAVE it all, but that doesn't mean we have to DO it all!

  The energy of the Divine Feminine is RECEPTIVE in nature.

When you reach out and ask for help, and allow yourself to
receive it, you free up tons of time, space and energy to
focus on high-payoff activities in your business and your life.
 
Here are 10 areas of your personal life that you can hire someone to help you with today...                         
•    Cleaning Your Home or Office
•    Lawn Maintenance & Yard Work
•    Laundry Service
•    Home Repairs
•    Vehicle Detailing & Maintenance
•    Personal Bill Paying & Bookkeeping
•    Running Basic Errands for You (Post Office, Bank, Grocery Shopping, Etc.)
•    Assisting with Child Care
•    Pet Sitting or Dog Walking
•    Meal Preparation
 
Coach's Request
Take a look at this list and tally up all the time that you spend each month on these tasks. Then, select one activity that you can let go of right away.

  When you do this, it's like depositing money into your time bank. That time can then be spent on the areas of your business or your life that truly need and deserve your attention!

Watch Your Income Soar By Activating These 2 Energetic Principles Today

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Today I am celebrating. Why? Because it's payday here at Wake Up Goddess and I just cut myself a healthy check in recognition of all of the hard work, passion and dedication I've put into my business.

  So... when's the last time you paid yourself?   

Paying yourself is an important key in honoring the divine feminine business leader you're becoming. So don't skip out on this rewarding and affirming act of writing yourself a check each week.  

When You Pay Yourself Regularly 2 Energetic Principles Are Activated:

  Energetic Principle #1   

When you pay yourself regularly you activate the Law of Circulation in your business.   

Energetic Principle #2

  When you pay yourself regularly you activate the Energy of Receiving in your life.

  Your Next Money Move

With this energy in mind, I'm going to boldly ask you to do 2 things in your business, starting right now:  

Step #1 ~ Pay Yourself Every Single Week Without Fail  

Choose one day each week to write yourself a check out of your business account to allow yourself to connect with the energy of receiving on a consistent basis.

  Even if you're only able to write yourself a $100 (or $10) check, the simple act of writing and cashing it activates these two vital energy forces in your business and begins to instantly improve your relationship with money.  

So pay yourself every week and remember to treat your paydays as a sacred part of your energetic business plan.

  Step #2 ~ Add An Energetic "0"

  Every time you write yourself a check, add an energetic "0" to the amount. So if you write yourself a check for $100, imagine receiving $1,000, if the check is for $500, imagine receiving $5,000 and so on.  

Make sure to connect with the FEELING of receiving this larger amount. Let it resonate within the cells of your body and awaken your prosperity gene. Then watch as your check grows and grows over time.   

Remember, your goal as a successful spiritual business owner is to create a business that supports you. By activating the Law of Circulation and the Energy of Receiving you're on your way to powerfully doing just that.

The What, Why & How To Building Your Business Platform With Joy & Ease

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Lots of marketing experts and business gurus talk about building a strong platform, but what does that really mean, why is it so important and how the heck do you do it?

  Here's the WHAT...

Basically, from the perspective of the spiritual business owner, your platform is your unique message that you share with the world in your unique way. It's your personal expression of divine truth presented as a topic or area of expertise that you align your business energy with.

Building a platform is beneficial to your business because it gives you a specialty that you can become well known for. The desired result is that when people think about the topic or idea you choose as your business platform, they will automatically think of YOU.

And the WHY...

Here are just a few of the benefits of building a strong platform:

Platforms can be built upon with your spiritual tools, services and programs through various delivery methods (i.e. speaking, writing, teaching, hosting workshops, etc.).  

Platforms attract your ideal clients to your business. By continuing to build your platform you continue to nurture your relationship with these clients.  

Building a spiritual tribe or community around your platform allows you to grow your business more effectively with the enthusiastic help of potential clients and joint venture partners.

 And, of course, the HOW...

In order to build your platform it's not enough just to identify a topic or area of interest. You must be willing to spread the word about it.   

One of the coolest, most enjoyable ways I know of to spread the word about your business is by hosting live spiritual workshops in your community.   

Workshops are an extremely effective way to spread your message and let people know exactly what you stand for, and they're a heck of a lot of fun too!   

Hosting your own workshops will allow you to share your experiences, knowledge and wisdom with people who are interested in your message and the platform that you're building ~ which also makes them the perfect clients for your spiritual business.

The Gift of Dysfunction

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:51:05 -0800

I come from a dysfunctional family. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Big deal, we all come from dysfunctional families Michele.”

True, but I don’t think you understand... I’m come from one of those fist fights in the front yard, broken beer bottles, Jerry Spring type of dysfunctional families.

I come from one of those families so seeped in their own fears that they breed mistrust in each other because they see everyone around them as reflections of their own fragmented selves.

And from those fears my family creates all manner of myths about each other. Myths about other people’s intentions, myths about their own victimization, myths that allow them to hold harmful grudges masquerading as self-righteousness for years or even decades.

For a long time I believed it was my responsibility to “fix” them, to heal them all in some way, to make them understand the importance of loving each other despite our many flaws.

But lately I’ve come to the conclusion that my only responsibility ~ to them, to myself and to our children ~ is to forgive them. Nothing more and nothing less.

This week my family has again reminded me of the value of forgiveness by again giving me an opportunity to forgive. And for that I choose to be grateful because I recognize this as their gift to me... the gift of forgiveness.

Goodbye Good Girl...

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:53:02 -0800

Yesterday I said goodbye to my best friend. For 11 1/2 years, Rowan stood by my side, kept me warm in bed, pre-rinsed all my dishes, nudged me into taking breaks on busy days and loved me unconditionally even when I was a bitch.

I have never been loved by any soul so completely. My home and my heart feel empty without her. And yes, I know she is still with me, I know she is out of pain, and I know that I did all I could and I made the best possible decision when I chose to let her go. But honestly, I don't give a shit about any of that right now.

Right now I am raw, I am hurt and I miss my friend. And at the same time, I'm grateful for the time we had together and humbled by the sweetness of a soul so loving and so pure. She taught me so much. I can only hope that one day I'll be as good a person as my dog was.