Sometimes it Pays to Let go of a Client, Project or Program

Learn More from Nicole at her blogl! → www.NicoleontheNet.com Expert Briefs: Nicole Dean Asks Successful Marketers the Questions You Wish you Could “How do you know when to cut a project, client, or program…even if it’s a profitable one?” By Nicole Dean of www.NicoleontheNet.com© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 1 of 9

Spread the Love. Share this With a Friend or Post it on your Blog! NOTICE: THIS REPORT COMES WITH GIVEAWAY & MASTER RESALE RIGHTS INCLUDED. You MAY sell it, AND give it away. However, this report may NOT be altered in any way! What CAN You Do With This Awesome Report? − Tweet about it. − Blog about it. − Post on Facebook about it. − Add it to a Membership Site. − Include it as a surprise bonus with your own products. − Send it to your list.© Copyright Nicole DeanALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic,or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without expresswritten, dated and signed permission from the author.AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER. Theshort,direct versionisthis:Some of the links in this report may be affiliate links which meansthat I earn money if you choose to buy from that vendor at some point in the near future. Yes, I am proud that I feed myfamily by finding the *best* learning resources on the net and sharing them with you and I am humbled and thankful thatyou trust me to do so. I do not choose which products and services to promote based upon which pay me the most, Ichoose based upon my decision of which I would recommend to a dear friend. You will never pay more for an item byclicking through my affiliate link, and, in fact, may pay less since I negotiate special offers for my readers that are notavailable elsewhere.DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES:The information presented herein represents the view of the author as of the date of publication. Because of the rate withwhich conditions change, the author reserves the right to alter and update his opinion based on the new conditions. Thereport is for informational purposes only. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in thisreport, neither the author nor his affiliates/partners assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Anyslights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed, the services ofa fully qualified professional should be sought. This report is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice.You should be aware of any laws which govern business transactions or other business practices in your country andstate. Any reference to any person or business whether living or dead is purely coincidental.© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 2 of 9

Learn More from Nicole at her blogl! → www.NicoleontheNet.comAbout Nicole Nicole Dean is the Mostly-Sane Marketer. (Ask anyone who knows her and they’ll say that the “mostly” part is up for debate!) Nicole loves to help online business owners to earn more money AND have more fun! She is an expert in Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Management, “Lazy Marketing” for passive profits, Outsourcing Effectively, and Marketing with Content. But, she’s got a secret. She uses a LOT of shortcuts.Nicole juggles a lot of things, but she does it all without working every day or giving out her cell phonenumber. The reason she works from home is to have the freedom when and where she wishes towork.She enjoys work very much, but lives to spend time with her much-adored husband, her two sillychildren – and also her two slightly neurotic puppies, Einstein & Luke. Please stop by Nicoles blog and sign up for updates to receive all the latest fun and learning for free! Http://www.NicoleontheNet.com Also check out her podcast for inspirational audio with successful marketers: http://www.nicoleonthenet.com/category/podcast/© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 3 of 9

Spread the Love. Share this With a Friend or Post it on your Blog!Resources from Nicole...Learn the Secret of the Pros.Learn the secret shortcut that many niche bloggers use to stop working so darned hard whileproducing great content for their readers: http://www.EasyPLR.comIs your Blog Lifeless? Give it CPR!If you struggle to come up with new Blog posts, you know it can be draining. Sometimes in ourfrustration, we let our blogs get pretty lifeless. Breathe life back into your blog – withoutwriting your fingers to the bone. Http://www.BlogCPR.comNeed More Traffic to Your Blog? Steal It!Find out how Nicole has gotten a waiting list of people who want her to steal their web traffic:http://www.ebookprofitscoach.com/how-to-blog-world-tour.phpSell your Product on Clickbank.For infoproduct marketers, Clickbank is a hands-free way of selling online. Are you ready toget your infoproduct out of your computer and into the Internet — where it can start makingmoolah for you? Check it out here: http://busymarketersguides.com/selling-on-clickbankOutsource your Business.Jimmy D. Brown called her Wonder Woman when she was his Affiliate Manager. Why? Shegot more done in a day than he thought shed accomplish in a month.Check it out here: http://www.OutsourceWeekly.comProtect Your Online Business BEFORE Disaster StrikesYoure One Cup of Coffee Away from Disaster. Youve probably thought “I sure hope that Idon’t spill this coffee into my laptop.” Wow. Scary to think about, isn’t it? What would theramifications be if you did? And, how long would it take you to recover from that?And, that’s just from a cup of coffee. Heck, that’s an accident. What about intentional malice?Hackers, viruses, identity theft — eek! Learn how to protect yourself now, before its too late:http://busymarketersguides.com/protect-your-online-business© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 4 of 9

Learn More from Nicole at her blogl! → www.NicoleontheNet.comIt’s another Expert Briefs, where I ask really smart business owners toanswer your burning questions.If you’ve missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see themall –>This week I asked our panel of experts … How do you know when to cut a project, client, or program… even if it’s a profitable one?Lynn Terry says:My answer is going to be very short:When it’s no longer fun.Or – when it becomes stressful.Period.When this happens I take a serious look at my options. I never (ever, ever!) let a site/product/projectjust die or disappear.My options are to1) sell it to someone who WILL enjoy it, or2) outsource all the tasks involved with the project.The latter is only an option if I can manage the project hands-off, still turn a profit, and be totally freeof any stress related to the project.Otherwise… to auction it goes!I no longer have clients, but back when I did I always made it a point to connect them with someonewho could take over when I chose to step out. It’s important to maintain your reputation and your© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 5 of 9

Spread the Love. Share this With a Friend or Post it on your Blog!relationship, even if you no longer want to work with that client personally. My competitors alwaysenjoyed the profitable referrals, which kept me in good with them too!Shannon Cherry says:A few years ago, I ran a successful membership program, which had been inexistence for a few years.For more than 8 months, I debated whether or not I should get rid of it. I askedmy husband, and colleagues, and all of them said no because it was soprofitable.So I didn’t. But it kept nagging at me. And what I realized was I had lost myloving feeling about the project, which had been going on consistently for 4years. Frankly, I was bored with it. I was evolving and this program was keepingone foot in the past, making it difficult to transition from just being known as a publicity and publicrelations pro to a business and marketing pro.So I ditched it. And as soon as the decision was made, I felt a weight had been lifted. And here’s thefun part… I still profit from the content I created from that program. It’s become blog posts andarticles, and I’ve resold the ebooks I create too. So by quitting, both the content and me got a newlease on life!Lain Ehmann says:As entrepreneurs, we often start out saying “yes” to everything. We want toserve every customer, answer every email, and participate in every JV thatcomes our way. However, what got us to where we are now is not sustainable.We have to learn how to say “no,” and even to sometimes say, “no longer.”There are some guidelines I use to make this decision:1. Do I enjoy it?© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 6 of 9

Learn More from Nicole at her blogl! → www.NicoleontheNet.comIf I don’t like doing it, or don’t enjoy working with the people involved, I need to say “no.” Sometimesa great working relationship can devolve, or you can outgrow a project or person. I went into businessfor myself so I could love my work. If I don’t love what I’m doing, there’s no point in it.2. How else could I use the resources I’m dedicating to this project/person?Sometimes, something is profitable, but I could be investing in something MORE profitable. Forinstance, if I’m holding on to something because I’ve always done it, what would I do instead? Doesthat have a higher payoff?3. Am I holding on out of fear?This can be really common with a money-making project, particularly as you transition to spendingmore time on your own business and less on freelance tasks or your day job. Are you only holding onto a client because you’re scared nothing better will come along, or you’re afraid what would happenif you let go? If fear is the only thing connecting me to something or someone, it needs to go.I’ve found that rare is the time I regret cutting a client or project loose. In fact, I usually wish I’d doneit sooner.Take bold action, even if it scares the heck out of you!Nicole Dean says:It’s funny. I asked this question because I was feeling overwhelmed. Sowhat did I do about it? I am thinking about buying and taking overanother business. ((Rolling eyes at self.))Over the years, I’ve had bunches of clients and numerous projects. Ofcourse, since there are only 24 hours in a day, those projects have hadto be narrowed down and streamlined more so that I have time for what’s important in my life – mykids, my husband, my family, my health.While I’m about to share how I’ve decided what to keep and what to let go, please don’t read into thisthat any past projects and/or clients were not valuable to me, nor great learning experiences. Theywere.© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 7 of 9

Spread the Love. Share this With a Friend or Post it on your Blog!This is a good time to bring back and talk about my R.E.A.D. system – which you’ve probably heard metalk about before. It’s the first topic that I cover in my www.OutsourceWeekly.com course.When I need clarity, these are the steps I go through…R-RuminateE-EliminateA-AutomateD-DelegateObviously this post and this week’s question is about the “E – eliminate” aspect of the formula.However, the decision really can’t be made unless you know yourself and your know your numbers.That part comes down to the ever-helpful Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 rule).If 90% of your stress is coming from one client, ditch him or her.If 80% of your profits are coming from your mailing list, focus time on that.If 5% of your income is coming from a website where you’re investing hours of your time every day,then that’s probably one to sell or walk away from.ok. But how do you figure out your numbers? There are a few ways, but this is one that I use and I’lltalk about it in my upcoming Productivity course. Watch for that.In deciding what to keep and what to trash, I like to make a spreadsheet where I estimate my timespent verses my profits for the year.If you can figure out approximately how many hours per year you’ll be spending on a project and howmuch total income you’ll make (after subtracting expenses) – then you can figure out how much yourtime is worth on that project.For instance, let’s say I have a blog about baking and I spend about 100 hours per month on it andmake about $100/month. That would mean my income was $1/hour. Yes, it’s a business and thatincome will hopefully grow BUT…© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 8 of 9

Learn More from Nicole at her blogl! → www.NicoleontheNet.comIf I also have a blog about dog training that I spend 100 hours per month and I make $1500/month onit, then that blog needs to be the one that gets more love – while the baking one should be reassessedand maybe let go.It’s a matter of knowing your numbers and prioritizing based upon that.I know that math isn’t sexy, but it is important if you want to make money and also still have time tolive your life. (Both good things.)Please remember, we only get so many breaths on this earth.CHOOSE where you want to focus your time and energy.CHOOSE where and how you want to make your impact on the world.CHOOSE who you want to spend time with.CHOOSE happiness.So that’s my two cents on that question. I would LOVE to hear how you personally make decisions andprioritize your projects, too.I hope youve enjoyed this report.Warmly,Nicolewww.NicoleontheNet.comPS. Check out my www.OutsourceWeekly.com course if you need help outsourcing. Dont miss a single thing! Sign up to get blog updates from Nicole: http://nicoleonthenet.com/dont-miss-a-thing/ And, yes, you may certainly share this document with a friend!© - Nicole Dean, Groovy Slug, LLC page 9 of 9

Sometimes it Pays to Let go of a Client, Project or Program

by Nicole Dean

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