Conscious Business Playground 2010

I’m coming from the most extraordinary weekend. My coach friend Bill Baren (perhaps the top client enrollment coach in the world, certainly one of the best) invited me and around 27 other coaches to fly to San Francisco for a two day gathering he called the “Conscious Business Playground.”
Now let me tell me what was so remarkable about this event…

1) It was free (to the coaches invited). Bill swallowed the costs for the room rental and the out-of-this-world delicious food, and the hours and hours of logistics and support staff and the entertainment. He wasn’t doing this to make a buck. He wasn’t even doing it to break even.

2) I got to spend the weekend with the creme de la creme of the coaching world–some of the most established, respected, influential, and successful coaches in the biz.

3) We all came together as colleagues and peers.

4) It was all about heart. It wasn’t just another “how do we get clients and make more money seminar” (not that I have anything wrong with these seminars–I attend them all the time). We asked questions like, “What are new and innovative ways to provide value to our clients?” “What does it mean to build a Conscious Partnership?” “What’s the difference between authentic enrollment and hard selling?” “What’s our own personal edge?”

I’ve been looking at blogposts by some of the other coaches from the weekend, reading their recollections and summaries. Check out Nancy Jeutten’s notes at http://tinyurl.com/nancy-cbp, and Robert Middleton’s post at http://actionplan.blogs.com to get a really CLEAR rundown of what we discussed and some of the most popular ideas of the day.

Here are a couple of really interesting thoughts that I’m taking away…

Sales coach (with a heart of gold) Brian Whetten said, “The more value in the offer, the more resistance comes up in the buyer.” What an idea! Loading on more value and transformation may NOT be the way to overcome a frightened client’s objections. This is totally counter-intuitive, but I think he’s right.

Marketing coach Robert Middleton (and I may be paraphrasing badly) said something along the lines of being a bigger container for your goals. Instead of putting your giant goal OUT THERE on the outside, see yourself as big enough to contain your biggest goal inside you. Try this out. It feels very different, doesn’t it?

Prosperity coach Elyse Hope Kiloren talked about addressing the causal energy that needs to go behind strategies and tactics.

Tad Hargrave, (the cute hippie marketing coach from Canada) pointed out that in some cases all the good energy in the world isn’t enough, and clients are just plain incompetent with sales and marketing. (I’m sorry but this last note makes me laugh. It’s so NOT politically correct, but it’s true!) That’s why we need NICE coaches with integrity to teach us how to sell without being sleazy.

I feel like I need to give a shout out to my old and new friends (and extraordinary coaches) Melanie Benson Strick, Jacqueline Hadden, Bill Baren, Patrick Dominguez, Keith Hanna (thanks for the coaching!), David and Darlene Steele, John Dulworth, Jane Deuber, Nancy Juetten, Max Simon (my coach), Erika Watson, Phillip Mountrose, Kim Clausen, Linda Puig, Patrick Combs (thanks for the comb!), Gary Henson, Mark Joyner, Michelle Schubnel, John Eggen, Jeffrey Van Dyk.

Andrea J. Lee and Christine Kloser couldn’t make this one. I hope to see you next time!

I’d share more, but frankly, after all that excitement, I need to take a nap.

Namaste y’all,
Morgana

P.S. Did you pick me out in the photo?

More pics:

Morgana And David Steele

with Patrick Domguez & Elyse Kiloran

Me and Keith Hanna

Me and Nancy Juetten

Morgana and Brian Whetten

with Robert Middleton

Morgana with Patrick Combs

with Melanie Benson Strick, Elyse Kiloran, Erika Watson, Jacqueline Hadden

Morgana's Man Sandwich!

I spent this last weekend in the middle of the California desert for a seminar with my coach Max Simon. In August. Air conditioning was spotty. The water was “unpottable” (code for poisonous). The speaker had laryngitis and couldn’t speak.

And the class totally rocked! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so much specific, detailed, easy to follow instruction at a single event. Information that I think could TRIPLE my income in the next year.

What does that have to do with my EMBARRASSING STORY?

Given the location and the group of people attending, I knew the event would be pretty casual. So I packed casual.

I didn’t expect to be on camera. It wasn’t my event, after all.

Silly me. I packed a pair of very fashionable “distressed” Rock and Republic jeans. My favorites.

Even though I’ve only been coaching with Max for a couple of months, he called me out onto his “expert panel” and introduced me as a “rock star” client. (I’m blushing and preening as I write this.)

When I climbed to the stage the whole audience (and camera) got a rare rear view!

And the videos of the event will be repackaged as an info-product. Place your orders now, lads!

Here’s the life lesson, besides always be camera ready and get the seat of your jeans patched before leaving the house…

It didn’t matter. All people talked about afterward was my authenticity, presence on stage, and message. I heard again and again how people appreciated my vulnerability, honesty, and sense of humor.

In fact I left the event with some supercharged business alliances, a couple of high profile interview requests, and some new clients too.

I’m sharing this because I really want you to embrace that inner freak/weirdo/klutz we all try to hide from the world, and then find the community that will LOVE you for it! People are STARVING for authenticity more than perfection.

Have you ever had an experience like that? When something that could have been a total disaster or humiliation taught you something good instead? Please share your comments.

Here’s the full question:

“I came from a background that doesn’t value the gifts that I have developed. How can I learn to value my spiritual, creative and emotional gifts enough to feel that they are worth being paid for? If I don’t value them and see them as marketable, who will?”

Great question!

Here’s what I say a thousand times to my clients: how you vote on your value from one minute to the next is not reliable or even useful.

You don’t want to set your fees based on your mood or self esteem on a particular day. When in doubt look at yourself and your gifts through your Money Honey’s eyes. He (or she) will ALWAYS see your best, and that’s how to value yourself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Great question!

Here are a few scenarios and solutions.

1) You didn’t really get rid of your Money Monster in the first place, or

2) Something came up that distressed you, so you ditched your Money Honey and went back to seeing your old money monster on the sly (cause he’s familiar) , or

3) You’ve been taking your Money Honey for granted, or coasting along in the relationship, and money wants to get your attention, or

4) You’re in the process of growing bigger, and you’re Money Honey wants to evolve too.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not all Money Honey’s are created equal…