Not for the first time, this week I found myself off-the-cuff coaching someone who genuinely believed nobody had money to spend.

I wish I could get everyone to stop installing all the doom and gloom newspaper headlines – and parliamentary BS – and open their eyes.

Take yourself off to a shopping centre on a busy Saturday afternoon, park yourself on a bench and watch. Do you see people doing nothing more than window shopping? Wistfully gazing at those shiny objects and then leaving the stores empty-handed?

OR…

Do you see people bustling around, hands filled with shopping bags, zipping from one store to the next?

That’s just one clue of many.

People ARE still spending money.

Some might be a little more cautious about where they spend, but trust me on this: there’s still plenty of money out there.

People are still eating out, regularly ordering from Uber Eats and Deliveroo, buying new clothes, going on holiday and, yes, investing in coaching, training and business services.

Earlier this week, I was keynoting a business breakfast event and, after my talk, the event organisers held an auction to raise money for a local hospice.

I offered a 30-minute coaching session as one of the auction prizes. There was quite a bidding war! In the end, 30 minutes with me went for £300. What’s more, when I asked the ‘losing’ bidder if her £275 offer was still good, she said YES, so I donated an extra 30 minutes on the spot.

That’s £575 for charity in no time at all, for 60 minutes of my time. For the record, my standard hourly rate is £455 plus VAT.

Before you roll your eyes, cite corporate budgets, or assume these people were wealthy entrepreneurs, let me tell you these were just ordinary business people, like you and I. And no, they weren’t doing it just because it was for charity… it was because they wanted my coaching; the charitable aspect was a bonus.

Back to the point…

I meet so many coaches, sole traders and small business owners who are convinced they’re struggling because nobody has any money. In the majority of these cases, they simply need to be fishing in a different pond.

If you’re looking for people to spend money on your products and services, you need to be targeting your offerings towards people who actually have money to spend (or, in some cases, those who can access funding to pay for you).

Before you decide nobody has any money, have a long hard look at the demographic you’re aiming your services at. Do the people you’re targeting have money? If not, which other audiences might be interested in your offerings?

In short, don’t keep hanging out in Greggs if the clients you’re looking for dine at The Ivy.

Need help working it out? Hit reply, and let’s see if I can give you a few lightbulb moments.

Until next time,

#UnleashYourAwesome

Taz X