Why Customer Avatars Can Block Your Creative Muse

Digital marketing friends! We need to chat.

It seems every person in the digital marketing space asks me this question. “Who is your customer avatar?” “What do they like?” “Where do they hang out virtually?”

They go on to talk about the magic bullet when it comes to knowing who your customer avatar is. Even the “manifestation-style” online marketers will say you need one.

“If you picture them reading your book, loving your product, oh then EVERYONE will come and you will be rich, rich, rich!” they say.

Ugh… Just Ugh…

I say this because if you are an Intuitive Content Creator, this is NOT natural.

What is a Customer Avatar?

A customer avatar represents your ,ideal client, aka a “marketing persona” or customer profile. It’s used to help you narrow down who your ideal buyer is and how to reach them. You could also look at it as the information you get from your market research and even from years of selling and recognizing who is a “raving fan” and who is not.

My problem is not using a customer avatar or conducting marketing research, it’s that the Creative Muse (Intuitive Information) doesn’t fit nicely into a box.

It comes TO you.

And it comes to you because you are the closest person to the person that information wants to reach (see: On The Map: How Do Spirits Find Their Mediums?).

The thing that bothers me about the customer avatar question is that it can shift your focus from “Who needs this information and how do I reach them?” to “My ideal customer is…”

And shifting the focus of the message can seal the energy off from those who it is meant for.

The Creative Muse is a form of “open channeling” and then suddenly you’re trying to fit it into a box because you enter the online marketing world.

How Intuitive Writing and the Creative Muse ACTUALLY Works

Let me tell you something about Intuitive Writing because unfortunately, it does NOT work that way and I’m truly feeling if one more person asks me this question I’m going to SCREAM!!!!

Yes, that would be great, I guess if I knew exactly who my target market was and I marketed directly to them.

Maybe it would’ve saved me 10 years of confusion and struggle and I’d be in Bali right now in my dream villa and private pool from all the passive income.

But that isn’t what happened.

And I believe, a big part of why that didn’t happen is because I kept TRYING to answer the customer avatar question and think like a “traditional” online marketer!

Honestly, not knowing WHO helped me turn inward and figure out who I AM instead of who THEY were.

Why I stopped thinking about avatars and how it helped.

It wasn’t until one day I decided “I don’t know who my customer avatar is and I don’t care!”

So far it’s people who feel a call to write (scribes who don’t yet know they’re scribes) and they show up as male, female, younger, older, and somewhere in the middle. Sometimes it could be a mom, a single person, someone married without kids, therapists, midwives, PR people, marketing firms, and podcasters.

You see how there seems to be no pattern or rhyme or reason to the people who show up as my clients and say “You kept popping in my head for some reason”?

Well… that’s because I do soul mate client meditations! And then apparently, my soul mate clients get a thought in their head and find me somehow.

Which is pretty amazing if you think about it.

Let me explain what I mean.

The Creative Muse and Marketing

I want to talk for a minute about the Creative Muse as it relates to marketing.

First, when you are “open channeling” or an Intuitive Channel for your creative endeavors it will feel as if it COMES to you.

You don’t say, “What does my customer avatar want to hear today?” No.

You are likely doing something else entirely. Taking a walk, sitting at the beach, taking your shower, waking up in the morning.

You usually aren’t asking! That’s a big key, it’s coming to you.

It feels like a calling. A quest even. A message that needs to be delivered and you have no idea what or to who.

Like those fun posts you see on Facebook that say “I don’t know who needs to hear this right now. But if you’re going through a rough time… don’t cut your bangs”.

And we all laugh because who DOESN’T need to hear that?

Here’s what I’ve learned and that I want you to know if you’re still with me here.

Don’t worry about who your customer avatar is! Someday, as your business is established and you have figured out how to niche down, and niche again, you will know.

Until then, trust that the universe knows.

The universe already knows. They know who they are writing to and you are that closest point.

When I do the soul mate client meditation, for example, I’m just saying “I’m open to receiving a new client”. Then that person’s higher self is saying to them “We’ve found the person who can help you”.

Likely that client has been thinking “I could really use help with my writing…I feel I should be writing and I don’t know why.”

The universe, or our higher selves more likely, connect us.

It works in the case if I’m also looking to outsource something. I will think “I can use help with x, who is the best person for me?” And I pay attention to what thoughts pop into my mind or when someone will “randomly” tell me about someone who does that exact same thing.

With one caveat.

I do think you can be a niche without knowing your customer avatar. If you are Boss-Moms and you target men in your advertising – good luck with that.

Or in my case, if one isn’t open to talking about awakening to your gifts, I’m not your gal either. So I do choose people who would like Hay House, Manifestation Babe, or Intuition in my marketing because they are more likely to be more open to my style of being.

It’s not my calling to convince someone they are meant to write if they hate writing. Instead I want to support them as they discover it, the same way I needed support as I was figuring it out.

We DO need to wave our “freak flag” in the places our soul mate clients are most likely to see it.

While you’re figuring it out, show up!

But what I’ve found is that if I show up, fully myself, express my feelings without hiding them or pretending that I’m not an Intuitive Channel, people connect to me who I NEVER would’ve in a million years thought of as my ideal client. Often not even in this country and I can’t figure out how they find me!

So create and avatar if you want to, but if it isn’t creating miracles in your work LET IT GO.

Just go on the quest like the Knight or Knightess that you are.

Questions you can ask instead

If you don’t know who you customer avatar is or how to do market research yet, try asking questions like “What would you like me to share today”? and then write it down. Or “How do I reach them?” And write it down.

“What should I write about in this moment?”

“What does someone need to hear today that I can help them with?”

“What skill do I have that I can share and someone out there will find it beneficial?”

Letting go can be more POWERFUL than honing in on your imaginary person.

And even if you LOVE this whole “customer avatar” thing, just stop asking me about mine!!!

No matter what, as I heard Dana Malstaff say “Marketing is a bit of a mysterious fig” no matter how you look at it.

Attracting customers with your strong energy to the point where they want to know more, is also a good strategy. And who wouldn’t want to hear what you have to say?

Look at WHO is showing Up

One other thing I’d like to mention. There are clues for your marketing that support your creative muse in the feedback you receive.

I get emails that say “I booked an appointment with you and I just started writing again”. They will tell me how they used to write and stopped and how just booking a session with me they found themselves typing away and emailing me about it (amazing, right?!). I’ve even received pictures of writing in other languages from ferry trips where she was inspired to write again and sent it to me.

Pure Gold receiving feedback to help you understand how this channeled content is helping those it reaches – if you just ALLOW IT.

I want to make sure you don’t misunderstand me and think that I don’t believe in passive income, digital marketing, or creating a living online.

I just want this notion that everyone NEEDS to know their customer avatar to get out of my conversations because it doesn’t allow for us to experiment, grow, and get there when we get there.

IT CAN BLOCK YOU FROM MOVING FORWARD!

If your customer avatar is working for you…

If this idea of a customer avatar is working for you and you are getting great results knowing all about them and who they are – then keep doing it!

If ANYTHING works for you then you should be doing it, no questions asked.

I’m mostly speaking to online marketers who have this as their stock question for anything you are working on. “So who’s your customer avatar? Where do they hang out? How old are they and what do they do?”

I’ve heard it so many times I could cry.😭

I just don’t think we’re all supposed to spend time figuring this out on the front end, instead of just letting our SOUL SPEAK AND SEEING WHERE IT TAKES US. Good old fashioned trial and error.

What would we write and share if we didn’t think we would be criticized or ostracized? If we had all the money in the world, what would we write then? How would we share it?

There’s more than one way to do business my friends.

Think of someone who has a physical product, something like the Elf on the Shelf. It started with an idea to write a book about a family tradition she had growing up.

Here’s what Christ Pitts, the co-creator of Elf on the Shelf said about it:

“It was during that time at home that I looked up and I saw our elf that we grew up with sitting on a shelf,” said Bell. “I was like, ‘Mom, why don’t we write a story about the elf on the shelf?’ I can tell you honestly, at that time, there was no ― and I do mean zero ― intention of starting a business or really doing much of anything other than a fun project for mom and I to work on together.”

This has grown like wildfire and I can’t say for sure, but I doubt she was wondering who her customer avatar was when she developed it. Likely, she had a passion for her product and wanted it out there for KIDS. Not only for one little girl, ages 3-10, who likes to do x, y, and z.

There are many ways to be in business and to create quality digital and physical products. Once they catch on and start selling, THEN you can begin to figure out who your customer avatar is by looking at the demographics of people who are responding to your offer and clicking on your links.

Without your demographics, it’s the cart before the horse.

You need to be passionate about your offer, get out there and market it, and THEN figure out who is buying it and how you can reach more people like the ones who love it (scale it).

I’m telling you, if someone says they don’t know who their avatar is, just leave them be to go forward and figure it out their own style of digital marketing.

Not everything in business is all neat and tidy or one-size-fits-all.

Online business is hard, messy, and exciting all at once!

Plus, the universe will hook you up if you show up consistently like my clients who say I pop into their head. If you think about it too long that will seem impossible and yet, it happens! All the way from sunny California to Australia and Norway.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been able to create an online business WITHOUT using a customer avatar? Or, if you have felt stuck when trying to come up with one? Let me know in the comments if you too if you are sick of people asking you this!

XOXO,

The Best Ways to Clear the “Icky” Energy from Your Desk in an Office or at Home

Wherever you are working, your energy is in there, and that of your co-workers, family members, or anyone who walks in the room. Our spaces hold the happy, the frustration, the stress of resolving complaints, and other people entering your space and venting.

It is an area that many people don’t think about the need to cleanse.

Most of us accept our work space is our work space and leave it as such. We may adjust our keyboards, worry about carpal tunnel or monitor size and height, but neglect the important aspect of a clear, cleansed, and high vibe work space in order work efficiently and hopefully happily.

Why do we neglect it? Well, it takes extra effort. It takes believing that there can be good or bad “ju ju” in your surroundings. It takes the belief that we can affect it, and we can!

If you are an Intuitive Writer or a highly sensitive person – it’s SUPER important to energetically clear you space on a regular basis.

We can High Vibe up our work space and even ourselves (see How to Manage Your Energy Like a Boss in your Workspace).

Here are some ideas for your work space, whether you work from home or in an office, which will help you bring in the high vibes, release any energy that has been left behind or accumulated over time that is no longer serving you.

The basic idea is to first cleanse and clear your space of any lower or negative energies. Then put in resources that lift the area and keep it cleansed.

I recommend doing these steps frequently, especially if people come in and out of your space a lot. It’s especially helpful to cleanse your space and lift it if you are working on a big project, or something very detailed. It keeps out the energetic clutter!Save

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Cleanse Your Work Space.Save

smudge

First of all, similar to the recommendations for your own body, it’s a good idea to cleanse your space. How you do this will depend if you work in an office building where you can’t open a window or if you work from home where you can.

You may see the term “smudging” for this practice of cleansing your space with smoke or essential oils. Smudging is historically a term used for the Native American practice of using white sage to cleanse negative feelings and emotions from a space or person in sacred ceremony. Over time, this practice has become a favorite of energy healers and people all over to create a space that is peaceful and harmonious – your work space is no different!

To Cleanse your workspace:

First, clear the clutter! Energy clings to mess and the things-you-don’t-know-what-to-do-with piles. Take a minute to clear any clutter and organize your space before smudging.

After clearing the paper clutter, open up all the windows and take a few calming breaths. Choose your “tool” of choice to light. My favorite way to cleanse a space is Frankincense and Myrrh with THIS incense . (Some people prefer Palo Santo or Sage, but it’s a matter of preference).

Let the smoke reach every nook and cranny all the while thinking “This is a sacred space. All lower vibrations are released into the light.”

NOTE: You don’t need a lot of smoke to make this effective. A small amount will do!

As you are smudging, it’s a bonus to visualize the room filling with white light. If you have particularly stagnant feeling places you can also picture a magenta fire burning away the negative energy and it being carried up and out of the room.

If you can’t open a window:

If you are in a work space where you can’t light incense or open a window, don’t worry. You can make your own “smudge” spray or buy it at a metaphysical or new age store and you can find it online like THIS ONE. As long as your coworkers don’t have any allergies to oils, you can spray your space and enjoy some energetic peace.

You can also make your own spray by using a glass spray bottle (the oils can dissolve plastic), filling it with water and using something like DoTerra’s “Purify” essential oil or Young Living’s “White Angelica.” I also use this in the home in some areas because we have birds that may be sensitive to smoke and it works well there too.

CAUTION: Please do some research online if you have pets! Tea Tree oil and a few others can irritate and/or potentially harm our furry family members.

Rather use prayer or intention?

For places like hotels where I’m not sure if lighting incense will set off a smoke alarm and I don’t want to travel with a glass spray bottle, I say an intention within a few minutes of entering the room (just think how much energy is left behind in a hotel room!).

Melanie Beckler has this great prayer you can say to cleanse any space if the spray and the incense aren’t an option, or if you want to really increase the clarification do both! It can be said in your head, your coworkers will have no idea that you aren’t reading something else on your screen, and your work space will be lifted.

Here’s is a handy list of the options for cleansing the energy of your work space by “smudging” and where you can find them:

Frankincense & Myrhh Incense

Frankincense, Myrhh and Sage Incense

Palo Santo

White Sage

Smudge Spray

Glass Spray Bottles to make your own spray

Space Clearing Prayer

Once your work space is cleansed, how can you keep it lifted? Essentially, you’ll want to increase the positive energy and decrease the negative. Here’s are some ways to maintain the high vibe energy between “smudges”:

Save

Crystals.Save

crystals Save

First of all, I want to tell you that initially I was skeptical about crystals. I thought they were nice to look at but really never considered that there may be more to them. However, I’ve since learned that there is considerable science behind crystals and their ability carry higher vibrations. The science is showing that crystals help the energy around them because they maintain a higher vibration and our bodies adapt to it. This is a great post on why/how crystals are being looked at much more seriously by medicine and science.

I have many crystals in my work space but the main three that I recommend for “High Vibing” up your space are Selenite, Black Tourmaline, and Fluorite.

SELENITE – Increases positive vibrations (white light essentially).

BLACK TOURMALINE – Absorbs negative energy.

FLUORITE – Is said to help neutralize the EMF’s that are emitted from electronics. I personally keep several fluorite near my computer.

SHUNGITE – Shungite is making a strong appearance in the metaphysical communities for it’s ability to reduce exposure to negative or lower vibrations, including EMF’s. You can read more about Shungite is THIS book.

WARNING: be certain not to have any strongly magnetic stones near your laptop or other devices because it has been said to cause LAPTOP DEATH due to hard-drive being erased.

I haven’t tested fluorite with an EMF detector yet (someday I will!), but when I’ve moved my computer to other spaces without the bringing the fluorite I have noticed I tend to get more of those headaches that feel like eye strain. I’m not a doctor to explain it, but fluorite is relatively inexpensive so it’s worth placing near your computer and wireless router to see if you notice anything.

Here’s a more comprehensive post on other crystals that reduce EMF exposure and why it’s an issue.

Having black tourmaline and selenite near your door space is an excellent tip I picked up from a crystal class. It essentially acts as an energetic wash as you enter your space. You can tuck them on the sides of your door, under your desk on either side of you, or anywhere you feel comfortable putting them.

The thing to remember about crystals is that because they are absorbing negative energy for you, they have to be cleansed and recharged. You can do that with moonlight, by rubbing them with frankincense oil, or a number of other ways. THIS is a great post about taking care of your crystals.

You will know they need to be charged when they start to feel “low energy.” I’ll feel like I almost don’t want to touch the black tourmaline or find I stop wearing the jewelry. That’s when I know they need to be cleared but at least once a month is a good plan.

If you don’t want to have them out on your desk, wearing black tourmaline in your bra or carrying it your pocket will also work too. Black tourmaline absorbs negative energy so you’ll want to cleanse it frequently.

You can find many of these on Amazon, and I’ve listed links for you below, but if you can attend a gem-faire in your area, it’s a great way to get good quality, raw chunks of crystals for your space, or beautifully shaped crystals for your desk area. The prices are generally wholesale prices and anyone can go. Find a gem faire near you HERE.

UPSave

Here’s is a handy list of the positive energy and negative-energy-absorbing crystals and where you can find them:

Sellenite

Green Fluorite Small Hearts

Black Tourmaline Rod

Shungite Pyramid EMF Protector

Salt lamps

salt lamp

Himalayan salt lamps are not only pretty, they are said to absorb negative energy and filter debris. It will depend on your workspace as to whether or not you are allowed one, but if you are, they are easy to find and even can be found at stores like Home Goods.

I personally use this one with the basket of loose rocks which is also very elegant to look at.

My fav Salt Lamp:

Himalayan Salt Lamp

Essential Oils.Save

essential oils Save

Diffusing oils is another great way to keep your space lifted. When I write or work with clients I always clear my space first with the pure resin incense, have my salt lamp turned on, and diffuse an oil.

I most frequently choose oils that lift like Joy and Purify. Frankincense is good when the room feels especially low energy, but for the most part I like what I think of as “the happy vibe” oils.

You may need to ask your coworkers or HR before you diffuse oils if you are in a shared work space, but for the most part I haven’t heard of anyone having any reaction to diffusing oils. People can be sensitive to using them topically so you may want to keep that in mind and make sure.

I do try to keep the mist from the diffuser from getting to close to the electronics since it may be emitting some moisture.

Save

Music!Save

Save

music

Save

Lastly, music is a great way to lift the vibration. From calm sounds of nature to Beyonce, music can change the energy quickly.

I like to write to this Tibetan gong music. It helps me stay focused and hold my energetic space, but you may also the various Solfeggio frequencies you can find on YouTube. They are said to be set at frequencies that can lift and heal by bringing energy into harmony.

Try putting it on even when you are not at your desk and see if you can feel a difference. It doesn’t have to be loud to have an effect! This 432 Hz – Deep Healing Music for The Body & Soul is my favorite to play either at my work space or in headphones when I need a little something…Save

Earth’s Elements

water element

Last summer I took Jean Haner’s retreat “The Spiritual Side of Chinese Medicine”. Every day we focused on one of the elements of Chinese medicine and how when we understand where we feel out of balance, we can use the elements to bring our energy back into balance.

Ever since, I’ve been more deliberate about incorporating the elements purposefully into my life, including my work space.

I’ve already shared that I have a Himalayan salt lamp which brings the element of fire and purification into my space, but this year I’ve added a small water fountain for the element of water.

I feel the movement of the water cleanses the area where I work and keeps the energy flowing.

Reminding me of water and tranquility too!

This is the fountain I chose and I love the earthy and sleek look of it!

See it on Amazon:

This fountain running plus burning Dragon’s Blood incense… I don’t know if it gets any better!

To sum up the best ways to clear lower vibrational energy from your workspace:

1. Cleanse the air with sage, palo santo, essential oils or intention.

2. Use crystals to keep the energy good and also help purify your space.

3. A Himalayan Salt Lamp brings in a purification element and also the element of fire.

4. Music and tone can clear energy.

5. Water, especially moving water, can move stagnant energy.

I’d love to hear from you if you try some or many of these ideas in the comments. Do you have any additional ways you high vibe up your work space?

With these tips in mind, you can cleanse and clear any work space!

P.S. Once your work space is your happy place, take a few extra minutes to care for you body with THIS video!

help reduce repetitive motion injuries

PSave

Save

The Best Ways to Clear the “Icky” Energy from Your Desk in an Office or at Home

Nicole is the founder of The Awakened Professional™ and the Awakened Workplace™. You can find her hosting The Awakened Professional podcast and sharing tips to integrate spirituality with your life’s work as well as writing Intuitive Copy for Spiritual Entrepreneurs to help them align & be magnetic to their soul clients. Get the FREE Guide to Attract Soul Clients.. Read more...

How to Use Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls to Help Prevent Text Claw, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, Texting Thumb and Cell Phone Elbow

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.

If you’ve sat at a desk, then you probably already know that typing, or any other repetitive motion, can be such a challenge for you physically. You see people trying every position from sitting down to standing up to type, or you’ll notice a graveyard of different keyboard trays and monitors where they’re trying to get relief. But what you may not know, is all the repetitive motion effects we are starting to see from our cell phone usage and other beloved hand-held devices.*

help reduce repetitive motion injuries

Our love for our smartphones and smart devices is leading to repetitive motion injuries and strange ailments in record numbers. “Text Claw,” “Cubital Tunnel Syndrome,” “Texting Thumb” (possibly leading to thumb arthritis), “Cell Phone Elbow” – these are real things people!

Now I know, you aren’t about to give up your smartphone, or if you have a job that requires typing you’re obviously going to continue. This is why I invited Elyssa Strutton of Maha Movement to demonstrate how we can use Yoga Tune Up® therapy balls to relieve the pressure and break up the fascia for our hands, wrists and forearms.

If you aren’t familiar with fascia, it’s the connective tissue that runs throughout our body. When fascia is tight and constricted it can cause a whole host of problems (see 10 Ways to Keep Your Fascia Healthy So Your Body Moves Pain-Free). The general idea when you are trying to loosen your fascia is that when you break up the fascia in one area, it benefits your whole body.

I first learned about the benefits of using Yoga Tune Up® Therapy balls on fascia by taking Elyssa’s classes. She had us use the therapy ball on one foot and then stand with our eyes closed to feel the difference in our bodies. To my surprise, the shoulder on the side I had “foot rolled” was more relaxed and felt lower than the side that hadn’t been done yet. I was shocked to discover that taking care of your foot would relieve tension in your neck and shoulders!

So why not get rolling and see what benefits you find in other areas of your body too?

This step-by-step video will show you how to give your hands, wrists and forearms some much needed love, and after you’ve seen it you’ll notice there is a cheat sheet on this page that you can use as a reference when you need to “roll” a little quicker instead of along with us – although we’d love to roll with you every time but we know it’s hard to fit it all in.

The therapy balls we use in the video are Yoga Tune Up® therapy balls and you can find them HERE.

So grab some balls and LET’S ROLL!

Our disclaimer: We are not physicians! Always contact a physician if you feel you are experiencing pain or uncertain as to whether or not you should use Yoga Tune Up® therapy balls, or anytime you start a new exercise routine.

There are many videos on YouTube if you feel inspired to keep rolling on other body parts too! Elissa recommends keeping the therapy balls in a drawer and out of the light when not in use as it prolongs the life of them. You can find out more about Elissa and the amazing things she’s doing for workplaces everywhere at ElissaDawnYoga.

Be the Boss of Your Biz!

Rolling Cheat Sheet

help reduce repetitive motion injuries

*https://www.greenbot.com/article/3106502/mobile/8-smartphone-injuries-that-can-seriously-affect-your-future.html, https://www.toi-health.com/physician-articles/effects-smartphones-fingers-hands-elbows/

Nicole is the founder of The Awakened Professional™ and the Awakened Workplace™. You can find her hosting The Awakened Professional podcast and sharing tips to integrate spirituality with your life’s work as well as writing Intuitive Copy for Spiritual Entrepreneurs to help them align & be magnetic to their soul clients. Get the FREE Guide to Attract Soul Clients.. Read more...

Is Email Marketing a Lot like the Guy Who Called 19 Times After Our First Date?

I was once set up on a blind date by a friend of mine and it went pretty well. I wasn’t sure yet if I liked him or if we were more in the “friend zone.”

But then something happened that made it so I never wanted to see him again! He called 19 times while I was at work the next day. Apparently he didn’t want to leave a message on the answering machine (old school, I know!) so caller id showed he’d called and hung up 19 times in six hours. It felt desperate and creepy!

Needless to say we did not have a second date.

Cue swingers famous awkward phone call where Nikki says “Don’t ever call me again” (except mine was just hang ups).

This is how I’m feeling about these drip marketing campaigns and sales funnel strategies. I decide to follow someone because they seem interesting or have a great freebie and I want to find out more. Next thing I know I’m getting an email EVERY. SINGLE. DAY from them. Everyday! Some even more than once a day.

Is this marketing working or is everyone doing it because it’s what they think they should do?

I’m really asking. I unsubscribe if I get more than one email per day and more than three per week, even if I previously liked the person. Even if I really like that person. It’s just too much clutter in my inbox and I can’t keep up as is.

If you receive three emails in one day does it inspire you to take action and buy what they are selling or does it get you to make the effort to click unsubscribe?

It also feels kind of invasive if you ask me and maybe a little desperate. Like “Here I am! Over here. Don’t miss me. Here I am again!”

I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Creepy guy that calls 19 times or good strategy? Are you annoyed by the number of emails that come with a freebie to the point where you are signing up for less of them as a whole?

Let me know in the comments.

XOXO,

nicole strychaz

How Uber’s Surge Pricing Drove Their Business to Lyft

I personally witnessed Uber hand over their business to Lyft with their surge pricing strategy. They were priced $77 higher than Lyft for the same distance!

Last Saturday night we met a group of friends for a birthday celebration at their local tavern. We had a great time, a few drinks, and closed down the bar.

As the night was winding down, my friends did the responsible thing and began the process of requesting an Uber. They were already irritated that their 15-minute Uber ride to the Tavern had seemed extremely high, at $58, but the way home was quoted even higher at $77

Now this is the first time I’d heard of Uber’s “surge pricing,” which means you pay more at busier times. So when many people are doing the responsible thing at the end of the night, you are going to pay significantly more than you would at times when the drivers are less busy. Their business strategy seems to be to make the person who REALLY wants a ride pay more than the person who can wait or go elsewhere (according to their own site – Read it here!).

I don’t know when businesses are going to finally understand that they are operating in an era of total transparency when it comes to pricing. I mean seriously people, you can stand in a store and quote prices on the Internet!

Businesses really need to understand that prices that feel exploitative will have a short-term financial gain, but long-term consequences to their bottom line and their brand quality. I predict Uber will learn this lesson very soon.

Here is what I wish businesses who implement these strategies would understand:

Stupid business decisions will haunt you eventually, especially if it seems shady to the consumer.

I’m talking about the business decisions that make no sense. The beauty of Uber was that they were less expensive than cabs and you didn’t have to tip. When you remove those differentiators (now they have tipping), there is no reason to use Uber, in my opinion. Especially now that some cab companies have added apps to pay and track the cab.

My friends sitting there with the absurd price quote from Uber had 12 people with them who have cell phones and have used other options telling them “$77 is insane!!!”

As we finished up our conversations, our friends were considering whether or not they should call a good old fashioned cab or take a minute to set up Lyft.
Let me know in the comments what you would’ve done. Good old fashioned cab or set up Lyft?

They set up Lyft. It was uber easy (pun intended).

It cost $22 to get home. That’s $55 less that Uber quoted!

It’s also $36 less than the $58 Uber charged to bring them there.

uber surge pricing

In my friend’s words “I am a convert to Lyft.”

If the price had been $5 more than Lyft, Uber probably would’ve kept our friends’ business because of the convenience (the app already on their phone), and brand loyalty (Uber is a “known” for them).

But for $55 I’m pretty sure everyone reading this would take a minute to set up Lyft!

Uberx I guess is going to stand for “xtra expensive!” (I could keep going with these uber jokes but I won’t, lol).

I’ll say it again – Stupid business decisions will haunt you.

Not only did our friend make a change to Lyft, I haven’t felt like setting up a new account with Lyft until I witnessed this. So in addition to them discovering Lyft was more affordable (and just as good an experience), so did 12 of their friends, who will in turn tell all of their friends.

I mean a $55 difference in price, with no differentiator in quality, is not going to fly!

On a socially conscious level this bothered me about the Uber surge pricing because my bigger thought was seeing a price like $77 could lead to an intoxicated person to make the choice to drive home if they aren’t in a financial position to pay it. Basically, to take an Uber they would either need to pay A LOT, wait to see if prices drop as the night goes on, walk, or drive themselves. Let’s hope they just request a Lyft!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Uber’s surge pricing and how you think it will affect their business in the long-term? Have you been a victim of Uber’s price gouging surging? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

XOXO,

P.S. I’m not an affiliate for Lyft. Just a shocked consumer who wanted to share this story!

Nicole is the founder of The Awakened Professional™ and the Awakened Workplace™. You can find her hosting The Awakened Professional podcast and sharing tips to integrate spirituality with your life’s work as well as writing Intuitive Copy for Spiritual Entrepreneurs to help them align & be magnetic to their soul clients. Get the FREE Guide to Attract Soul Clients.. Read more...

Salary Negotiation Backlash for Women in the Workplace

It’s time to stop the social backlash for women negotiating their salaries, don’t you think? Here’s a real life example of how it happens and one reason I think it occurs.

Men! I want to hear from you in the comments if you’ve ever experienced backlash or if it’s truly a female issue. Women let me know your stories too!

My friend works for a large corporation and a few years ago she hired a woman for one of her open positions. This person came in very qualified, crushed it in the interview and was offered the job.

The candidate refused the first offer and negotiated a much higher salary. Well, this really angered the female Human Resources (HR) person at her company.

According to my friend, the candidate deserved the higher salary and the first offer was admittedly a “low ball offer.” The employee has been outstanding for several years now, worth every penny, but the HR person still resents her!

Even years later she holds a grudge against this employee for essentially knowing her worth and asking for it.

Why does this happen?

Well in my opinion it happens because the HR employee herself is being underpaid and she knows it. She is holding a grudge because somewhere deep down she knows she should’ve asked for more or should be paid more, she resents another woman for going after what she deserves!

I know that most employees in HR have access to payroll data so they can see what every single person is making. I also know that if you don’t take time to ensure that you are making the salary you deserve, looking at the pay rates of others can make you crazy!

When you are happy with your pay rate, looking at those numbers is just that, numbers. Like looking at your household budget or your banking account. It’s just data.

This is why you need to make sure you are in the position you want with the pay you deserve. We want to be high-fiving the woman who comes in and gets the salary she can command based on her skills, not criticize her and make her life hard every day after, right?

Plus, the HR person is not doing her job effectively because she’s holding onto that resentment and according to my friend is not really helping the employee when she needs HR support. Which is sad, isn’t it?

There are many articles on this social backlash and how to approach it. I’m going to stand firm by saying if you own it, don’t get emotional about your negotiations, you won’t have these repercussions. It’s this feeling that we are doing something wrong, apologizing or making it seem “nice” that ultimately gives off the energy that we can be treated poorly.

We can’t.

Negotiate. Get the money you want and if someone has an issue with it, it’s THEIR problem. You really don’t want to work for employers that treat you unfairly anyway, right?

Let’s stop the social backlash for women negotiating their salaries, both by not participating in it and also not accepting it!”

There’s no shame in exploring those feelings that make us uncomfortable (like negotiating) and turning them into gold. If you haven’t read this post on how to know your worth and align your energy to it, it’s a must!

I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’ve experienced this social backlash and what others reasons there are that you think this happens.

XOXO,

Nicole is the founder of The Awakened Professional™ and the Awakened Workplace™. You can find her hosting The Awakened Professional podcast and sharing tips to integrate spirituality with your life’s work as well as writing Intuitive Copy for Spiritual Entrepreneurs to help them align & be magnetic to their soul clients. Get the FREE Guide to Attract Soul Clients.. Read more...

social backlash salary negotiation