Even increasing your income in each of these three areas by just 10% you’ll actually increase your total income by 33%. Knowing where to focus your energy will help you grow your business and attract more clients.

But many entrepreneurs and small business owners get hug up trying to come up with their marketing message. It’s easy to get lost describing the PROCESS of what you do, but that’s not what sells. Your prospects really don’t care. They want to know the RESULTS of what you offer.

In this video I share with you two key questions that will reveal the heart of your marketing message.

My wife calls it “contraction”. It’s when you just want to shut off, not work and do something mindless. Maybe you’ve worked hard to finish a project, or you’ve finished a packed day. But as entrepreneur’s we need to turn off and reboot our brain.

My wife’s relaxation secret is to watch episode after episode of Grey’s Anatomy. AGHHH! That would drive me crazy! But she loves it. It refreshes her.

So here’s my little relaxation secret…

There’s not much I love more than working a jigsaw puzzle while listening to past episodes of the NPR program with Ira Glass called “This American Life” on my iPhone app.

I got back from a long trip in Scottsdale, AZ, where I spoke on stage with Ali Brown for 3 days. It took a lot of energy. So when I got home I was thrilled to NOT open my computer and just work a jigsaw puzzle for a day. The next day I was ready to get back in the swing of things.

So what’s your favorite activity for “down time”? How do you refresh and reboot your inner system after a time of focused work?
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1. Lottery Ticket Surprise

Anytime someone refers you a client send them back a hand-written thank you note with a lottery ticket enclosed. Your people will never forget that. How fun would it be to get a nice card with a lottery ticket in the mail!

2. Give a Free Session

My wife used this strategy in her energy healing practice and went from 7 clients to 14 in less than 30 days. Simply tell your clients and friends, “For everyone you send me who signs up for just one session, I’ll give you a free session.” It works especially well if you tend to keep your clients for a long, long time. If a client stays with you for months or years then that free session you gave away to attract that client is negligible.

3. Give Referrals

So simple. Just be known as a person who generously gives referrals yourself and soon enough you’ll receive them, too. You don’t need to keep score. If someone you send business to never send you business back even after you ask them, don’t worry about it. Just give. It’s more about surrounding yourself with the energy of someone who helps others succeed.

4. Give a Referral Finders Fee

Money motivates. When you offer a finders fee people will more easily bring you people. They already love your service but now they have that extra little push to tell others about you. A finders fee could be a percentage of the sale you make or a flat rate.

5. ______ Bucks

This one is a fun variation of the last strategy. Put your name in the blank. So I would give “James Bucks”. A _____ Buck is a gift certificate that people can trade in for the exact dollar amount towards any of your product or services. You can create a referral system where people receive “_____ Bucks” for everyone they send you. You can even make up fun fake money with your picture in the oval in the center of the buck.

6. Ask

When you’re out and about meeting people you can always simply ask, “Who do you know who is struggling with ________ problem?” Also, while working with your current clients (or even in the first session) tell them that your business is based on referrals and that you expect referrals from them, too.

7. Get Your Money Back

As you work with a client tell them, “Would you like to know how to have a free session?” Of course they will want to know! Then explain, “For every referral you send me I’ll give you ___% off your next session.” You can put in any percentage you like. Maybe 20%, 50% or even 100%.

Bottom line, you just have to put into place a simple referral system that suites your style. People are referring all sots of things all the time. You do it, too. When was the last time you told a friend about a movie they had to see or a book they had to read? We like sharing useful information. So leverage this human desire to help by setting you your own referral system so you can attract more clients the easy and inexpensive way.

Entrepreneurs thrive with a little discipline and structure. And this is especially true with time management. By following this simple time management secret, you’ll free up more time in your schedule and enjoy more freedom in your life.

The secret is to batch your time into three main categories…

Entrepreneur Time Management Category #1 – Focus Time

Focus time is the most important time in your week. Virtually all millionaires have large sections of their week devoted to focus time. This is time devoted to long-term money making projects and opportunities for your business. Anything that will bring you long-term money is done in your focus time.

Projects and tasks done in focus time are very important, but not urgent. This is time working on your business not in it.

Some activities to do in your focus time include: creating products and programs, planning, marketing, copywriting, research, networking, etc.

The trick to focus time is to turn off your phone, email and any other possible distractions. You might even want to set a timer. Work only on predetermined, specific projects that will bring you money in the future.

Entrepreneur Time Management Category #2 – Flex Time

This is flexible time where you’re actively engaged in making money for your business. This is time spent taking care of the day-to-day, necessary operations   to run your business. Here you’re working directly in your business making money today.

Some activities to do in your flex time include: answering the phone, doing email, working with clients, meeting with team members, doing administration, etc.

Entrepreneur Time Management Category #3 – Open Time

Open time is for everything else. This includes: vacations, time with family, self-care, working out, running personal errands, etc.

What we as entrepreneurs often forget is we need time to contract – time to retreat from the daily grind. Open time is your time to relax and recharge. Often the best ideas come during open time because you’re not thinking of work.

One of my personal favorite activities to do during open time is work on jigsaw puzzles while listening to stories from the show “This American Life.” I’m not thinking of work, I’m in the zone and time flies by. But afterwards, I’m so rested, invigorated and motivated that getting back to growing my business is much easier.

You want to put blocks of focus, flex and open time into your calendar. I even color code those blocks of time: focus time = red (important), flex time = green (making money) and open time = blue (relax).

Enjoy this very simple time management secret for entrepreneurs. I know it’ll help you grow your business, make more money and enjoy the free time you’ll open up in your week.

(c) 2010, James Roche