Stop Drinking the "Leverage" Kool-Aid - "Trading Hours For Dollars" Can Be a Good Thing

Stop Drinking the "Leverage" Kool-Aid - "Trading Hours For Dollars" Can Be a Good Thing
By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ling_B_Wong/1390413]Ling B Wong

When I talk to coaches or experts, a lot of them give me the sound byte "I want to stop trading hours for dollars."

They want to "leverage." They want to do "6-figure launches" and then sit on their hands.

Here's the thing with "leverage" - you need input. You need to do the work upfront, you need to first create something.

You need the experience. It's not the same as regurgitated information. A good online course or info product is more than a bunch of facts. It's the combination of knowledge with your experience to reflect your values, convictions, and point-of-view.

You need the market. A successful launch is preceded by the legwork of building an audience and cultivating relationships with your fans and following.

You need the product. Duh... but remember, everything has an opportunity cost. If you're investing the time and resources to create a product you'd better be sure there's an ROI.

You need the assets for launch. If you build it they won't come. You have to create marketing materials, define the right messaging, invest in marketing, set up the promotion materials... the videos, the landing page, the sales page, the emails... again, think opportunity cost.

It's not to say "leveraging" is stupid. It's not - if you're (1) getting the ROI for the time and resources you have invested in and (2) doing it because it's tapping into your strength and helping you deliver the most value in the most meaningful way.

"Leveraging," in fact, the right way to think about "business" - because you want to be able to create income without you working all the time.

But here's my pet peeve...

Folks in the "guru industry" have been fed the "leverage kool-aid."

Their narrow definition is derailing a lot of people... I can't recall how many times I spoke to those who feel stuck because they thoughts that's the only way to "make it big" in this industry...

If they don't have an info product, an online course or a group program they're not doing it right. If they aren't spending half a year posting "cocktail by the pool" pictures on Facebook they're losers.

Yet they weren't able put anything out there because they thought they need the landing page, the email series, the sales page, the videos and oh, the mother of all online courses that takes everyone from A all the way to Z and back.

So they're stuck.

They're not putting their work out there into the real world.

You see, putting your stuff out there into the real world to real people is the only way find out if it works or not.

It's freeing. It takes you out of your head and into reality. Whether it works or not, you get an answer. Then you can move on.

Selling info products or doing online courses is not the only way to leverage your time and expertise.

Maybe, just maybe... the shortest path to "leveraging" is tapping into what's right here under your nose if you just stop fighting the whole "trading hours for dollars" thing:

Leverage your experience - raise your rate because you have spent years working with clients and you can diagnose the issue right away... without wasting 4 weeks just to figure out what's wrong.

Leverage your strengths - charge more because the unique combination of your superpowers gives you the one-of-a-kind positioning that allows you to be that unicorn in the market.

Leverage your past - your life experiences allow you to bring a unique combo of skills and perspective to your current expertise, giving you an edge over your competition.

If doing big launches and getting 997 people to join your online course is not your cup of tea; if working with a small clients 1:1 allows you to create the biggest impact - then make it your thing.

Be known for your bespoke services. Be known for your exclusivity. Be known for standing up for the quality of your work and the best interest of your clients.

Do honest good work in a way that reflects your personality, align with your truth and tap into your strength. Create a body of work. Build a reputation. Then the opportunities to leverage the hell out of it will follow.

Ling Wong:: Intuitive Brainiac | Creativity Mentor | Copywriting Alchemist. Author of�Copywriting Alchemy: Secrets to Turning a Powerful Personal Brand Into Content that Sells.

Through her unique blend of marketing coaching, Content Experience Design and copywriting process, she�helps the maverick-preneurs uncover, articulate & transform their WHY into content that connects, resonates and converts - by way of an intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 15 years experience in the online marketing industry.

Ling is�Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing, and Email Marketing certified. Through her writing engagements with various SaaS and marketing companies with the goals of driving organic traffic, building readership and increasing�conversion, she's well-versed in topics including online marketing, content marketing, eCommerce, conversion, UX, social media marketing, and more.

She helps coaches, consultants, service professionals, solopreneurs and small businesses apply these best practices to their specific business models and circumstances.

More resources on content marketing and copywriting at http://business-soulwork.com/blog

Join her upcoming Content Marketing in Plain English webinar series�at [http://business-soulwork.com/content-marketing-webinar/]http://business-soulwork.com/content-marketing-webinar/.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Stop-Drinking-the-Leverage-Kool-Aid---Trading-Hours-For-Dollars-Can-Be-a-Good-Thing&id=9712344] Stop Drinking the "Leverage" Kool-Aid - "Trading Hours For Dollars" Can Be a Good Thing