July 2008 Update

Some miscellaneous updates and news to share…

Twitter

My Twitter trial is going well. There are 600+ people following me on Twitter so far (my blog obviously bestows an advantage there). I’ve shared some links as well as various minor updates.

I’m grateful for the helpful advice from fellow Twitterers (Tweeters? Twits?). For example, one person told me about Twitterfeed, so I’m using that service as well. Now whenever I make a new blog post, it will automatically be Twittered (Tweeted? Twitterized?) to my Twitter account with a link to the post. Erin’s blog posts will show up there too (in my Twitter account since she doesn’t have one).

Apparently a good way to expandify your vocabulary is to use more online services.

TimeSvr

One service I mentioned in a Twitter update was TimeSvr.com. This is basically on online concierge service where you can assign basic tasks (like 20 minutes each) to a virtual assistant. During their current beta test period, you can try this service for free (no stated limit on how much work you can assign to them). I have no connection with them, so I gain nothing if you sign up. I’m just testing the service myself. I can’t give it a thumbs up or down yet, but it looks interesting so far.

PhotoReading discount expires July 31st

The 59% PhotoReading discount for StevePavlina.com readers expires July 31st, so if you want to take advantage of it, this is your last opportunity to do so. These offers have sometimes been extended for a few more weeks, but that isn’t happening this time. It’s only for July.

Los Angeles and Carlsbad trip

Erin and I will be in Los Angeles this weekend and then Carlsbad for most of next week. As Erin announced in her blog, she’ll be doing a limited number of in-person readings on this trip. If you live in the L.A. or Carlsbad areas (Southern California) and want to book an in-person reading with her during this time, please let her know right away. I think she only has a few spots left.

On this trip I’ll be visiting the headquarters of my book publisher, Hay House, since they’re located in Carlsbad. That wasn’t the main reason for this trip, but since our hotel is just down the street from them, it’s a nice opportunity to meet the people I’ve been working with. I’m especially looking forward to meeting my editor, Jessica Kelley, who did a fantastic job massaging Personal Development for Smart People into something we’re both proud of.

Erin’s intuitive readings

Ever since Erin and I recorded Podcast #21: Being Psychic, there’s been a significant increase in bookings for her readings. That podcast was never meant as a promotional piece — we simply talked about Erin’s experiences and offered tips for developing your own intuitive abilities. But now Erin is booking new phone appointments a month in advance, so her clients are having to wait longer than usual to get a reading.

We raised Erin’s prices on May 1st because she was starting to lose clients who didn’t want to wait so long for a reading. Now we’re back to that same situation. If this pattern continues, we’ll either have to raise her prices again or continue to maintain a longer wait time. I’m not sure what the best solution is. We’ve already raised her prices several times in the past two years. When she first started doing readings professionally in 2006, a 30-minute phone reading with her was $55. Today it’s $295 ($395 for 60 minutes).

Erin’s skills have increased a great deal since she started doing readings (she’s done more than 1100 so far). With the continued growth of her client base, she’s getting more repeat clients and more referrals too.

The higher we raise Erin’s prices, the more we price people out; a lot of people who’d love to get a reading with her simply can’t afford one. However, higher prices also reduces her wait time, so her clients don’t have to wait as long for an appointment. For many people (especially her repeat clients), the wait time is more important than the price.

I know that many people would see this as a good problem to have. Obviously it’s nice that Erin’s talents are in such high demand that she’s earning five figures a month from doing readings; this makes it easy for her to keep her website ad-free while continuing to post new articles in her blog. She took the risk of following her passion, and it’s clearly working out well. We just didn’t expect that she’d end up catering mainly to clients who are more time-sensitive than price-sensitive.

Erin regrets that many people can no longer afford a reading with her. That situation is unlikely to change though. If she were to offer free or discounted readings so more people could afford them, that would simply increase her wait time even more, which would be unfair to her existing clients. Given the pattern we’ve seen during the past two years, it’s likely her rates will climb even higher.

It’s amazing how far Erin has come in her personal growth. When we first met in 1994, she was working as a secretary for $9/hour. I’m glad she was able to recognize that typing 90 words per minute wasn’t her greatest strength and that there were better ways she could help people.

Pre-order Steve's NEW book Personal Development for Smart People with a discount at Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com (shipping Oct 15, 2008)

© 2008 by Steve Pavlina.

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