Tag Archives: achieving your goals

5 Keys to Setting the Right Rates for Your Products and Services

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Darnyelle Jervey

If I were to survey 100 entrepreneurs about their biggest challenges, more than half of them would say, knowing what to charge. You see, it’s different when YOU are calling the shots. You could work for someone who has the courage to charge $500/hour and while you may think it’s too much, when asked about the company’s rates, you’ll confidently reply “we charge $500/hour.” But, when asked that same question in your own business, doubts and fears that you may be not worth it start to creep up to the surface.

Trust me, I get it. I experienced the same thing when I first started my business. I bought into the popular misconception that you have to “pay your dues” by charging lower rates or working for free. I say this is a myth, especially in my case because I hold the advanced degree, have the certifications, etc. I had already paid my dues when I invested in my education to serve my clients in excellence, but the truth of the matter was that I wasn’t confident that people would actually pay me what I wanted to be paid.

And that leads me to you. Perhaps you feel the same way. Perhaps you have the degree or certification or experience getting big results for the people you serve BUT you’re afraid that people won’t pay you what you want or worse, you’re unclear about what you must be paid to earn a profit. Either way, setting the right rates for your products and services comes down to these five considerations. Take heed before you tell another person what your rates are.

What will your market bear? Based on the ideal client that you’ve chosen to serve, what will they pay for your service? While I am of the mindset that you can charge more when you have social proof or results substantiating the value you add, you don’t want to price yourself too low or too high based on your market. You must, dare I say it, do some research. You need to ask yourself, “what are people who buy products and services similar to mine paying for those products and services?” My recommendation is that you start by asking those who would buy your products and services instead of just looking at a colleagues website and determining that is the right price. Just because their price is listed doesn’t mean people are buying it. If you can prove your results that can lead to you charging a little more in your market. While research is important, do not look at another’s prices, set yours and move on. You don’t know how they priced themselves, and again you have no clue if anyone is even buying.
What is your overhead in producing the product or service? Do you have to bring in a subcontractor to help you complete the work? If so, how much will that cost you? Have you added that into your price? Do you have to set aside a massive amount of hours when you can’t be earning other money to complete the work? Being clear on your numbers is essential to setting your fees. Many people pull a number out of their behinds but can’t back it up and as a result they end up undervaluing their products and services. So be clear on what it will take for you to produce the product or service, as well as how many you’d need to sell to break even and ultimately to create profit in your business.
How much time will it take to deliver the product or service? In general, you should charge more when you must be active to provide the service. If you have created a passive or leveraged way to get what you need to your clients, you can charge a little less. But you need to be clear on what your time is worth and how much you must make in order for it to be profitable for you.
What is your overall revenue goal? Again, knowing your numbers is essential. Let’s say your goal is $100,000 but you charge $250 a month for your services with a 12 month commitment. That’s $3,000 per client. To achieve your goal with no other revenue streams, you’d need 33.3 clients for the year to hit your income goal. Now, if that’s doable for you, great. But that means you have to work with 33 clients each and every month to make $250 per client each and every month. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a lot of work to me.
Will charging that rate make you feel good? It’s no secret that when we feel good, we do better work. So, if looking at the number makes your stomach hurt, it is probably too low. You want to feel good about the contribution you’re making and ultimately getting paid for. So while some would tell you how you “feel” has nothing to do with your prices, I believe it has everything to do with your prices. If you are excited, grateful, appreciative and passionate about your work and prices, you’ll be in a positive energy space. When you send positive energy into your work, you attract more people who want what you have to offer. It’s all about attracting more of what you’re passionate about.

So, before you settle on a price for any product or service, get clear on these 5 considerations. Have a comment? Share it below. I’d love to hear your opinion on this pressing matter.

©2012 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio download “How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients” visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com

Posted in Blog, Darnyelle Speaks | Tagged achieving your goals, attracting ideal clients, Building a six figure business, Business coach Delaware, business goals, business success, Charging what you're worth, darnyelle a. jervey, growing your business, Incredible One Enterprises, Marketing systems |

Getting Your Next Paying Client in 5 Simple Steps–Darnyelle A. Jervey

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Darnyelle Jervey

I think we can all agree that nothing happens until somebody sells something. Regardless of what is being sold – the next restaurant where you and your special person will have dinner, a new television or one of your products or services – the sell predicates everything that happens from then on out. So what happens when you can’t sell? What happens when you have been working tirelessly for months and months doing what you believe will yield a successful selling situation and yet you still sell nothing?

Many entrepreneurs find themselves in this predicament as they endeavor to grow their businesses and as you might guess, it is utterly frustrating. While we can all agree that this is not the energy you want surrounding your business, if you happen to be one of those who’ve yet to master selling conversations, this may be exactly what you experience on a consistent basis.

I happen to be of the opinion that your next client is closer than you think. In fact, I think that if you follow the five simple steps outlined in this article, your next paying client will materialize in days. Don’t believe me? Give these steps a try:

Find out what they’d pay anything to fix – the universal law of business corroborates the statement that nothing happens until somebody sells something. But it suggests that the sale is predicated by a problem that needs to be solved. If people only buy to fill a need or solve a problem, what need or problem would your ideal clients pay anything to fill or solve? Knowing their problem is the key to creating Client Magnetic Marketing. Brainstorm all of the problems that you solve, and then find the one that is there top of mind, tossing and turning at 3 am problem and build a solution around THAT.
Focus on the transformation – most business people are so focused on the steps and jargon and technical step by step processes that solve the problem of their client that they fail to show the result, outcome or transformation that one who buys their product or service will get. If you begin to focus on the problem they have and transformation you provide when you speak to prospects, they will start to pay attention and eventually they will even open their wallets. You see, the problem is so big to them that they can’t think only in terms of the solution so your marketing has to include both if you want them to take note of what you’re offering.
Go to where they’re already hanging out – if you go to where your ideal clients are and focus on the problem they have and transformation you solve, the law of averages say that someone will buy. I’m just saying, it is sometimes the simplest things that go undeveloped. So, where are your ideal clients gathering right now? Are they in a group or association? Do they frequent a particular type of event?
Give them multiple options – when you only have one option for them to work with you, you create a “take it or leave it” scenario and most will leave it. If you present several opportunities to get great results from working with you and those options represent multiple budgets, you will usually get them to take you up on one of them, which will allow you to close more clients.
Ask for the sale – I know this seems like a no-brainer, but many people go through the trouble of sharing the value and blah blah blah, only to never ask for the sale. They assume that people are just going to tell you that they want to work with you every time. While I believe that sometimes people will just come right out and tell you they’re ready, especially when you learn how to create compelling selling conversations, more often than not, you will have to ask them if they’re ready to work with you. You can only get a yes if you ask….

Posted in Blog, Darnyelle Speaks | Tagged achieving your goals, attracting ideal clients, Building a six figure business, Business coach Delaware, Charging what you're worth, darnyelle a. jervey, growing your business, Incredible One Enterprises, Marketing systems |

5 Strategies for Handling Business Detours

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Darnyelle Jervey

When you become an entrepreneur, part of you knows that it’s going to be a long journey toward achieving your business goals. You start the journey by conducting some market research and write your business plan, which includes taking the time to get clear on your ideal client, which helps you to start making some money and before you know it, things are going according to plan. You’re feeling good, cruising along, and making strides towards your journey, slow and steady. And then all of a sudden you hit construction and the orange and black signs get closer and closer and before you know it, you’re taking a road you weren’t expecting and it’s got you a little fearful.

Sound familiar?

As an entrepreneur, trust me I have been there and I know exactly how you feel. What I learned four years ago as I was starting my business is that sometimes the detour is for your good. In my case, an opportunity presented itself that would supplement my business, while giving me some great experience and allowing me to exercise my expertise to prefabricated audiences. Now, at first when the opportunity showed up, my ego was bruised and concerned that it would take me too far off my path. But quite the opposite happened. I realize today, four years later, that the detour is actually a big part of the reason that my business is widely successful. You see, along my detour, I met some strategic partners who now help to support Incredible One by referring clients, suggesting me for speaking engagements and hiring me consistently.

You see, while a detour is designed to provide an alternate route, you still get to arrive at your original destination usually a little bit more relaxed and better prepared for what’s waiting for you. Perhaps you’ve experienced or are currently on a detour. If so, be grateful for the detour and look for all that you are to gain as you take a fresh approach to achieving your goals. At this time, I recommend that you assess your situation by asking yourself:

What is this detour sparing me from?

What would have happened if I stayed on the original course?

What can I learn to grow my business during this detour?

As you prepare to maximize your detour, here are five strategies to aid your journey:

1. Believe that the detour is for your good. In faith, believe that the detour has arisen because you need to avoid some congestion or better still some confusion that would prevent you from unleashing your Incredible Factor in the best way for your message.

2. Reflect on what about your journey needed modification. Take the time to steal away from the day to day and focus on what you must modify so that you arrive on time to your business growth.

3. Revisit the map (your business plan) while you are driving along the new route. IS your initial vision still the same? Have you shifted your ideal client? Are you offering the same or different products and services? What in your business plan needs to be updated to reflect your current operations?

4. Do you have an operations manual? If so, this is a great time to update it to reflect new processes and procedures followed by your company to offer amazing customer service to your clients. Don’t have one? Now is the time to start one. Once you get back on the main road, traffic will be moving fast and you will need to bring on assistants to help you finish the journey. Having an operations manual will make it easy for them to get up to speed.

5. Need a pit stop? Perhaps this is a good time to stop for a few minutes and reenergize your business’s most precious resource…you. When was the last time you took a vacation? Even when your business is not yielding the finances to allow you to go away, you can get away from your business for a few days and tend to your needs so that you will be fit to continue the rest of the drive.

What do you think is necessary to do when you’re on a business detour? Share your thoughts here.

Happy travelling the best part of your journey is yet to come

Posted in Darnyelle Speaks | Tagged achieving your goals, attracting more clients, Building a six figure business, Business coach Delaware, Charging what you're worth, darnyelle a. jervey, entrepreneurs, goals, growing your business, Incredible One Enterprises, Marketing systems |

Do You See What I See? — Darnyelle A. Jervey

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Darnyelle Jervey

Although this song makes me think quickly about the Christmas favorite, it also helps to bring home the point I want to empower you with today and everyday.

“Until you can see with clarity and in living color the fulfillment of your dream, it will not begin to manifest in your life.” Darnyelle A. Jervey

Vision is so important, it is so important in fact that the Bible in Proverbs says “without vision, the people will perish.” When empowering people I talk a lot about walking based on what you believe and not what you see…I know this sounds contradictory based on the thought of “vision”, but vision is an encapsulation of an intensely held belief transformed into a picture that tells the story of what one is expecting in their life. (Darnyelle’s definition)

As I begin each day, it is the vision (what I believe) that solidifies in my heart the work I must do the manifest my dreams.

So let me encourage you this today to begin to see the vision you have for your life. Twenty days into a new year and a new decade, this is the time to transform your life and move from mediocre to magnificent. With a few strategic steps, you can begin to encounter unexplained favor in your life, like that I’ve encountered since I started my company in 2007.

When you look over the goals you set for yourself this year…do you see what I see?
When you look at yourself in the mirror…do you see what I see?
When you are daydreaming at work…do you see what I see?

Here’s what I see:

Men and women who can do anything to which they put their mind.
People using their favor and influence on behalf of YOUR vision.
Words and actions of power that match the vision that you have for your life.
People are ready to make significant change and experience a quantum leap in their life in business.
People in full expectation that the vision in their heart will manifest with hard work, honesty and integrity.

If for some reason you do not see what I see, here’s a few tips that may help you:

Get clear – clarity for the vision that you have will only come when you get in touch with your spirit in a quiet place without distractions and begin to visualize what it is you really want for your life.
FOCUS – there are a lot of distractions and people (the peanut gallery) that want to interject their thoughts into your vision. Put on blinders and look not to the left or right but FOCUS on YOUR vision.
Write it down – a vision in your head is not nearly as powerful as a vision on paper. We know that what gets attended to gets done….writing it down shows a commitment to the vision and helps to solidify the non-negotiable decision to work everyday in honor of the fulfillment of the vision.

When you see what I see, you will see yourself achieving your goals and manifesting your vision. Let’s get eye to eye and connect.

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio download “How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients” visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com

Posted in Blog, Darnyelle Speaks | Tagged achieving your goals, business coach, darnyelle a. jervey, goal setting, goals, growing your business |

5 Simple Steps for Getting Your Next Paying Client –Darnyelle A. Jervey Simple

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Darnyelle Jervey

Many entrepreneurs find themselves in this predicament as they endeavor to grow their businesses and as you might guess, it is utter frustration. While we can all agree that this is not the energy you want surrounding your business, if you happen to be one of those who’ve yet to master selling conversations, this may be exactly what you experience on a consistent basis.

I happen to be of the opinion that your next client is closer than you think. In fact, I think that if you follow the five simple strategies outlined in this article, your next paying client will materialize in days. Don’t believe me? Give these strategies a try:

1. Find out what they’d pay anything to fix – the universal law of business corroborates the statement that nothing happens until somebody sells something. But it suggests that the sale is predicated by a problem that needs to be solved. If people only buy to fill a need or solve a problem, what would your ideal clients pay anything to fill or solve?

2. Focus on the transformation – most business people are so focused on the steps and jargon and technical step-by-step processes that solve the problem of their client that they fail to show the result, outcome or transformation that one who buys their product or service will get. If you begin to focus on the transformation you provide when you speak to prospects, they will start to pay attention and eventually they will even open their wallets.

3. Go to where they’re already hanging out – if you go to where your ideal clients are and focus on the transformation you provide, the law of averages say that someone will buy. I’m just saying, it is sometimes the simplest things that go undeveloped.

4. Give them multiple options – when you only have one option for them to work with you, you create a “take it or leave it” scenario and most will leave it. If you present several opportunities to get great results from working with you and those options represent multiple budgets, you will usually get them to take you up on one of them, which will allow you to close more clients.

5. Ask for the sale - I know this seems like a no brainer, but many people go through the trouble of sharing the value and blah blah blah, only to never ask for the sale. They assume that people are just going to tell you that they want to work with you every time. While I believe that sometimes people will just come right out and tell you they’re ready, especially when you learn how to create compelling selling conversations, more often than not, you will have to ask them if they’re ready to work with you. You can only get a yes if you ask….

©2012 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD “How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients” visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.