Totke Remedies: Business

Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts

Monday, May 20, 2013

***Reading Tarot as a Business, the Sensitive Entrepreneur's Daily Practices

Levels of skill in reading Tarot, or skill in other types of psychic insight, seldom lead to successful business ownership. In the first sister article to this one, the steps in developing the skill of reading Tarot are described, and some reasons that skilled professionals don't go into business for themselves are explained. (That article is 'Reading Tarot as a Business—Levels of Skill Seldom Lead to Successful Business Ownership.')

A second sister article, 'Reading Tarot as a Business, the Sensitive Entrepreneur—Marketing' details how to determine what you (the Tarot reader or psychic in question) should say in your advertising. This series is designed to be a handbook on some things that are prerequisites to being the entrepreneurial psychic, the sole practitioner who owns his own successful psychic business. Service professionals can apply some of this information to their enterprises as well.

The goal is to attract and keep good solid clients, people whom you are comfortable with. Putting in long hours, these are the people you 'can live with.' These are the people for whom you will deliver a good experience, people who will bond with you and call you when they have more issues. Your ad or web site or blog should have that calm sane tone to it to attract this type of client. In order to be calm and sane for each caller, avoid clients who annoy you for whatever cause. Remember, your butt is by that phone for hours and hours at a time.

Buy a toll-free telephone number that is easy to remember. It spells your company name or your name, or its numbers repeat in a pattern. Having the same toll free number since 1988 is a big advantage for me.

This is crucial to the success of your company: Be at that phone at least Eastern Time 5 p. m. until Eastern Time 2 a. m. Want to be successful quickly? Be at that phone 12 or more hours a day, including the five-to-two span, including weekends.

If your voice is not attractive, see a voice trainer. Answer that phone personably with some signature chirp of your own. "Hel-lo, it's Emily; who's THIS?"--that type of thing. Rapport is necessary in this business! Rapport IS this business.

Pay attention to the tone of voice on the other end. If it is a person who is already your client for a while, "What are we doing today; what is our project?" is a good lead-in. If you are hurting, try not to express it. (A good part of your clients are also sensitives, they will pick up your mood.)

If the caller is a new prospect, "What do you want to know about?" is usually a good beginning. I like it because crank callers will invariably say "You're the psychic, you tell me." I consider it good business practice to get wiseacres, cranks and people who say 'A psychic ripped me off' off the line and out of my hair very fast. This last remark almost ALWAYS comes from someone who is going to do...guess what? 'Are you for real?' or 'Are you a fake?', same story. I have been known to reassure those 'You're a fake' people, when their voice is very sarcastic, that, 'Yes, I am indeed f.o.s., and you should call someone else.'

While chatting with the new prospect, find out diplomatically whether he or she has a credit card, and suggest a prepaid card or other alternative if not. Find out what the questions are, if the prospect knows, and what the budget is. (Do not ever do a session for someone who is 'gonna send a check' unless you feel charitable.)
Tell what you can do for that amount of money.

Say what your special expertise is. Admit what you don't do so well. Let a person call another worker if they choose: You will be left with a stable of people who made an INFORMED choice to speak with you. Always try to get your first answer to them in the session to be the thing you do the best: Start off on your best foot.

I do not do free questions. I learned not to: They usually ask that question and slam the phone down; and freebie-seekers in the psychic business are, as a group, not a fine customer base.

Next, announce that you will verify the card, and how. I have a strong system that discourages people whose card it is not. "You and I are going to call the number on the back of your card for the bank, and together we will verify your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, the card number and expiration as well as what type of card it is (meaning debit, prepaid or credit), and whether you have the $45 you plan to spend here. Verifying it does not spend the money, only tells us it is available if you do spend that much. Would you like to do that?" (Also verify whether the client is the primary or sole holder of the card.)

Solid people are delighted that you care that much, that you are that kind of businessperson. You will lose some prospects if you do this. After you have been in business for a while, you will be happy you lost them. And, yes, most banks will verify most of this information if you call with the mutual customer on the line, announce that "We are doing this together. Would you prefer to speak with (John Client) or with me?" Within the same bank, you will find operators who refuse and operators who cooperate. Life is like that.

Have a trans-machine that verifies the address number, the ZIP number and the 'security' number. This stands you in good stead as a telephone merchant when you are defending a chargeback.

You get your merchant credit card account through banks and other companies. Be careful: I was solicited by a bank in Texas that I had to sue to get some of my money back from! Go to the bank you do business with first. You do not have to have good credit, but you will not get a connection if you have any kind of fraud allegation. If you limit yourself to Western Union, you will not have the same stature you would have as a credit card merchant.

Use a land line telephone that has excellent sound. A quality wireless headset is worth its light weight in gold because you can answer the telephone from outdoors, from the bathroom, etc.

Keep a daybook with all phone numbers (even wrong numbers) that called you, on every telephone line you use for business, and all the numbers you called that day. This is a record to defend chargebacks. Keep your phone bills/records near that book for the same reason.

Announce the time the session starts and the time it ends, how many minutes that is, and how much they will be billed. (I am assuming you are charging by the minute, which I find to be best.) Tell the caller when the time they wanted to pay for is up. "Would you like to ask anything else, or is this all for today?" is a good thing to say about that.

"You can always call back. My hours are [their time zone] __to___." And make sure you are there when you say you will be. And make sure there are little or no distracting sounds at your end. (I run a ranch; I sometimes fail at this. Hollering peacocks sound like wailing cats! People learn to live with it.)

When you are done with the person's session, remind him or her of your catchy memorable toll free number. Some people don't call a second time because they forget the number. Remind them you are sending a calendar if you are.

Sending full-sized calendars with a monthly illustration to clients is a good idea. If your company name is obviously psychic, put the name of the company where it does not show when displayed. My phone number spells the company name, so my calendars just have the company name—no address and no phone number—on them.

I put a post-it note with the phone number and my personal name, to jog the memory of people who called only once a year ago. Why do this counter-intuitive thing with your advertising?--because hardly anyone wants just anybody to know they call a psychic, much less which psychic they call. More people will take the calendar if you reassure them of this.

Sending snail-mail letters to clients is also excellent. Everyone is thrilled to receive a real letter these days. Snail-mail is received so much more warmly than yet another cussed email to deal with. People have those recipes and articles for months on their tables! Yes, you do send email as well once in a while. Social Media is also welcome to certain people: Make sure you honor their preference in this!

Do not call clients hoping they want to buy another session! People call you when their psyche is in the mood. Quite often, if they fall asleep, they do not want a session the next day, even.

When an unidentified voice (especially with no Caller ID) wants to know who you are and what you do, be vague and discourage that individual: It is probably a nosy relative or lover snooping on your client's called numbers. This is another good reason not to have a company name that sounds psychic. The fact your company name shows on clients' credit card statements is yet another reason: Snoops go there too. You want your client to feel comfortable calling you, in every way.

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***Reading Tarot as a Business—Levels of Skill Seldom Lead to Successful Business Ownership

*Reading Tarot for yourself is one skill.
The first phase, of course, is simply discovering cards' meanings. There are a number of ways to do this. Learning is between yourself and the deck, and is at your own leisure. You don't have to be correct. This is a fun activity, and you can do it with friends too.

*Reading Tarot for friends and people you know is another skill.
Reading for friends is once again at your leisure. Even though now you are expected to know meanings, you can fumble around, not know, even be wrong.

*Reading Tarot for strangers or regarding third parties is yet another.
Strangers expect more performance, and are probably going to give you some reward. They are often friends of friends, or neighbors. You can take your time, you can fumble around a little. Up to this level, you know some things about your querants: You are looking at them, you know something about their lives. You know their social level, and it is probably close enough to your own. Their culture and values are close to your own, probably. Your best next step is to do psychic fairs: face-to-face readings for strangers who spend a little something. Here you may be exposed to people of a different class from yourself. That would be a good thing.

*Reading Tarot over the phone for someone else's customers is another skill level.
You are in for a shock if you next decide to make a little money being a phone psychic for one of those 'hot lines.' Now people expect you to produce, be correct, and be quick about it. Some of these clients are rude. Many of them live in a different world from you, a different lifestyle. They are only a voice to you: No body language, no checking out their clothes, etc. Some of them are eating, drinking or tending to screaming toddlers. Some of these lines sell two-minute 'readings,' and you are supposed to perform! The employer has dumb rules, like 'you must not mention death, disease or divorce.' And you are being paid 25 cents per talk minute...around minimum wage, since there are not that many calls in an hour. A sense of humor, nerves of steel and a thick skin are job requirements, but of course they don't tell you that! Nevertheless, if you plan to be in business for yourself, this 'exposure' is valuable, since you can discover your own weaknesses at Hotline's expense. A year here could be five years' experience.

*Reading Tarot as a self-employed businesswoman is another WORLD, not another level. Many competent phone psychics never dream of having their own business. Lack of knowledge about how to start a business and lack of confidence are factors. Not wanting to sacrifice money to start a business is another. Banks aren't going to lend any 'unknown' money to be Mama Swami. Another common factor, believe it or not, is guilt!--guilt over charging money for services! Fear of not making enough money is very real and is justified. You won't, probably, in the beginning, these days. Many workers also are from humble circumstances, so owning a business itself feels scary.

Psychics with real talent are seldom entrepreneurial. What is THAT all about? Predatory entrepreneurs who pretend to be psychics invariably have little or no psychic ability. There are few successful self-employed business owners among psychics. People who own psychic lines are often not psychics themselves. The psychology of 'sensitives' does not include that drive, usually.

Nevertheless, I will present, in a sister article to this one, a handbook on what is required to be the entrepreneurial psychic, the sole practitioner who owns his own successful psychic business.

Look for 'Reading Tarot as a Business, the Sensitive Entrepreneur,' a series of articles.

***Reading Tarot as a Business, the Sensitive Entrepreneur—Marketing

This is the second article in a series designed to be a handbook on what is required to be the entrepreneurial psychic, the sole practitioner who owns his own successful psychic business. Service professionals can apply most of this information to their enterprises as well.

Levels of skill in reading Tarot, or skill in other types of psychic insight, seldom lead to successful business ownership. In a sister article to this one, the steps in developing the skill of reading Tarot are described, and some reasons that skilled psychic or tarot professionals don't go into business for themselves are explained. (That article is 'Reading Tarot as a Business—Levels of Skill Seldom Lead to Successful Business Ownership.')

Success in the ownership of any business is determined more by marketing than by the product. An entrepreneurial talent for marketing is especially a must if you yourself are the product you are selling, if you are a 'service professional.' The first thing you must know if you are marketing your own services is exactly what the product is: exactly what you can do for the client. How many times have you seen a 'life coach' professional say 'change your life'? How many times have you seen a psychic say 'psychic to the stars' or 'amazing gifts'? So who cares: 'What specifically can you do for ME?'

So, go market yourself. Find out what your clients feel you do; you may not know some of that. You may think you analyze their situation brilliantly for them, and they may think they feel better now, they can sleep. You may emphasize your brilliant analysis and they may feel, and say "You didn't tell me anything I didn't know, but now I put it together and I feel so much better." These two concepts (yours and theirs) probably refer to the same actions on your part, but the selling point is what the BUYER experiences. ASK them. Watch for phrases they all say. That is what you do, from the client's perspective. That is what you are selling. Analyze yourself as you work: Ask yourself what it is you are doing for this person, really. It is my clients who told me I pick up word for word what the person they deal with will say, and that I am 100% every time on describing the type of person he is inside. ("That's HIM, all right!) It is I who realized, from what clients said, that I am 'dead on' about how the person clients deal with views the client--about his motives, intentions and attitudes toward the client. Voila! This is MY selling point. Another point regarding my talent that I learned from clients is that it is a "big deal" to them that I don't need a name or a birthday to answer questions about their person of interest. I may do LOTS of other things well, but here is the product I reliably deliver from the market point of view. Here is my ad, my slogan, my selling point that I can use to promote myself.

Why is discovering your market's view of what you do so important? Because you want to find the people who are looking for exactly what you do because those are the clients who will call you many times! You seldom make a profit on your advertising from just the people who answer that ad; your income is from steady users, and the reason they are steady users is, they have a use for what you actually do for them. The art of the deal is TWO satisfied people.

When you advertise exactly what you do, first-time clients go away happy. Not only may they come back, they may tell friends. When they mention you to other psychics they call, you will get a reputation in the industry. If they are on a budget, you will be worth a little sacrifice.

The next step on the way to being the professional business owner is advertising. Trial and error will develop where it is best for you to advertise and what is the best wording of the ad. For 15 years, I found Cosmopolitan magazine my best source of good customers. Now I am trying a web site and social media: a new adventure for me.

***Reading Tarot as a Business, Choosing Clients, Client Relations for the Sensitive Entrepreneur

Accepting whatever client happens when beginning a service business as an entrepreneur is normal. It can be a ruinous detour as a regular practice, though; and you may not be aware of the illfated turn at the time it happens. Example: I opened a court reporting office without directly soliciting any clients first. One of my first clients was a very busy law office run by an unethical man and his unethical wife. He had more than enough business to keep me busy without any other clients. I did not know having this man as a client would mean I would get no others; but I did know the way he was trying to not pay me what I was due was creepy. It was instinct and my quirky personality that led me to refer each and every job this man sent me to some court reporters in his building who were also beginning a business, who gave me the same bad vibes this client guy gave me. He said he did not like them, to not give his jobs to them, but I did anyway, and they got married. Those two guys (the reporters) were never grateful for the referrals, and they never got any other clients to speak of. The lawyer succeeded in making them work for far less than the standard rate. That uninformed rude maneuver on my part was one of the smartest things I ever did even though I went back to having no clients (to speak of) when I did that. Later, I was told that other lawyers would not use the same court reporter this lawyer did: that having him as a client was the 'kiss of death.'

Clients are the foundation of any business, especially a service business. Choosing clients will lay a deliberate foundation for the business. Choosing begins with who you are: That partially determines who you will attract as clients. Deliberately, consistently, project who you are in your ads, in the way you answer your phone, in the way you get paid, in your tone of voice and what you say (and don't say), even in your level of literacy. Everyone has a natural constituency; that is why I voted for John and you voted for Jim. That is why the vice president is a different type from the president. You want to attract your natural constituency because these are the people who also feel comfortable with you, people who will come back and do business regularly with you rather than someone else. You are 'their type.' When you deal with individuals like these, you are comfortable, you are having a good day, you project confidence. When you are dealing with people who are 'difficult' or people you are less comfortable with or are very uneasy with, you potentially project a lesser you for the balance of the day. Invariably, those you find discomforting will be your 'problem children' as clients.

Your ad should reflect who you are and, exactly in detail, what you can do for a first-time client right now. Nothing vague. No 'change your life,' no 'amazing.' People don't do business with you because you are wonderful or talented or respectable or well dressed; they do business with you because you comfortably supply a need or want they have. It is up to you in your ad to demonstrate that you do have what they want for a reasonable price; and when you do, you have a solid offer that gets a solid acceptance: People open their wallets.

You should be consistent in your image, in your presentation. If you are a precise but casual person, then the way you write and speak on the business telephone should reflect 'precise but casual.' If you are a crazy person in the wrestling promotion business, be prepared to be a crazy person all the time. If you are shy, warm and fuzzy, speak in a soft Marcus Welby voice sweetly all the time. There is no one right way to be because there are all kinds of potential clients to attract. Being an actor to some extent is necessary, really, but it is easier to act a character you actually are.

You can do everything wrong and succeed just as you can do everything right and fail. In the South Florida building boom, contractors would say 'Even drunks have steady work.' In hard times, the best people are hurting. But chances are good that anyone will do better in the professional services who states clearly what I need done, shows me he can do it, states clearly how much of my money I will be parting with, and is 'the kind of guy I would like to do business with.' We all have that formula in our gut, don't we? Be there.