The most interesting part so far of developing the non-icky self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion course has been the outpouring (okay, more like an in-pouring) of questions.

Questions, what-ifs and semi-anxious expressions of worry or doubt.

Of course I respond to everyone who shows up in my inbox with these “oh no!” kinds of things, but I thought it might be interesting to talk about this stuff here on the blog.

For a couple of reasons:

1. Maybe you also have some of these questions and aren’t asking them.

2. Maybe you also have those “Yeah, I would totally benefit from taking this course, but …” feelings — and some of your fears and doubts and old self-sabotage patterns are actually preventing you from doing the thing that would help you most right now.

3. Maybe you also lead courses or workshops of your own (or plan to in the future) and you’d like to learn a little about meeting people and their objections in a compassionate and understanding way.

You’re allowed to have any objections you like, of course.

Seriously … if you are on the fence, there’s probably a good reason for it. I’m not going to try and convince you that this is the thing for you. I’ll like you just as much even if you don’t take this course. And persuasion isn’t really my style, not to mention that it’s pretty irrelevant.

I mean, we have no shortage of participants, and anyway we really want the people who get how cool this is and are thrilled to be in it.

But I do think it’s useful to take an honest look at what-iffery and objections as they show up, because sometimes they contain interesting and useful information that can help you in your own self-work process.

If there’s “stuff” coming up that’s holding you back from living your mission, whatever it is, it’s good to know about it.

And if that old-pattern stuff isn’t what’s going on, that’s cool too. Maybe it’s still helpful to have some answers to someone else’s questions.

Here we go. Six perfectly logical objections and what-ifs of the “Oh no!” variety. And another way of looking at them.

Oh No #1. I won’t be able to make it to the classes.

This is a big one. Mostly from people who work at the kind of jobs where you have to actually be in an office. (Though not for long, right? That’s why you’re drawn to this course.)

But also from people who are moving apartments, have to take their kid to swim practice, or have something else already booked in that slot.

I get how uncomfortable it could feel to sign up for classes where you won’t or might not be able to actually be present. It probably feels awkward and maybe a little nerve-wracking because you need to know that you can really squeeze all the benefits from this thing.

Here’s the thing — you definitely don’t have to be there for the classes. You will want to listen to the recordings if you want it to work, but you can do that whenever you like.

And we’re going to be answering ALL the questions that people in this course throw at us. So once you’re in, it’s in your interest to email us questions about any aspect of the stuff we talk about (questions -at- HaviAndNaomi -dot- com) so we can make sure that they get answered. We’ll either address them specifically in the classes or email you directly.

You know what? I often take courses where I won’t be able to make the class. I just listen to the recordings at a time that makes more sense to me, and then email in my questions.

I actually prefer it that way because it’s nicer to listen in the evenings when I’m more relaxed. Plus I’m a total introvert, so sometimes get nervous that people will put me on the spot by “making me” talk, as sometimes happens (not in our course, though, yuck).

Anyway, there’s a woman in the course from Singapore. Singapore! She’s not going to be calling in at four in the morning because that would be insane. And I’m going to guess that the people in Spain and Austria taking this course will probably be listening to the recordings too.

If you ask anyone who knows me and/or Naomi, they’ll tell you that we over-deliver like crazy. So if you’re in the class we’ll probably end up answering way more of your questions (and way more in-depth) than you ever bargained for.

(Also, if you’re still not clear on how a teleclass works, this page is for you.)

Oh No #2. There’s too many people. I won’t get enough attention.

Some people kinda freaked the heck out because we set the upper limit at 180 people. I admit that 180 people sounds like a lot. It’s really not, but let me explain how this works.

We’d actually originally planned to have 75 people in the class. Then a couple of people got really anxious. They apparently think we’re even more internet-famous than we are, because they were sure all 75 seats would be gone in an hour so they didn’t even want to bother trying.

Which would be sad, you know? Because we totally want people to feel safe and comfortable and welcome, and not be caught up in the “I’m not biggified enough to send Havi and Naomi an email” stuff. Which is a pattern. Which you can work on in this course if you want.

Anyway, we wanted people to feel like they had a good chance of getting in, and debated about what too many people would look like. And then I remembered the Rule of Teleclass Weirdness.

Teleclass weirdness has to do with the fact that it’s not just me who doesn’t call in. I took a course once — lead by some seriously biggified people — with over 150 people in it. And usually only about fifteen to twenty people would show up on the calls.

I’ve been on teleclasses (and facilitated calls) where eighty people sign up and only four actually call in. This also holds true for classes which people pay a lot of money for, not just the freebies.

We seriously, seriously doubt that even a third of the people who take this class will actually be present for the calls.

Should you be present? Yes please, if you can. It’s a great way to make sure we know who you are, which means that your chances of us helping you out at some point in your biggification process are way higher. But you don’t have to be there.

It’s not about the attention thing. If you’re in the course, you’ll get our attention. You’re allowed to send in as many email questions as you like, which is already practically like having your own super-cheap consultant.

And if you show up on the calls, you’ll probably get a chance to have your questions answered there too. Because it’s not going to feel like 180 people. It’s going to feel like hanging out with me and Naomi.

And if it doesn’t? We’ll find a way to take care of that and make sure you’re taken care of too. Not a likely scenario, but if it happens, we’ll deal with it.

Plus you get to impress 180 people with how cool you are. That huge class I took? I got clients from that class. I made some of the best connections in my business from that class. Plus those seriously biggified people who were teaching it now know who I am and think I’m cool.

Chew on that.

Oh No #3. It’s just going to be stuff I know already.

“I know all this stuff already, I just haven’t implemented it. It’s not like I need you to give me a pep talk.”

That’s cool. That’s great that you already know where you’re going and how to get there. Sounds like you also know why you haven’t implemented it.

That’s the stuck part we’re planning on working on.

We weren’t actually planning on giving pep talks. This is not going to be the same old motivational stuff or the typical “think positive” stuff. Meh. Gross.

It’s about zapping you (gently but firmly) with some breakthroughs.

Actually, this is the only program I know of that really works on the emotional stuff behind your biggification challenges and backs it up in the practical. We’re going to be using some unconventional stuff to release some old patterning and we’re going to be giving you tools to apply the stuff you think you know.

Maybe you know it in your brain but it hasn’t taken hold in your body and consciousness. Or maybe you think you know it, but it hasn’t really sunk in.

But you probably don’t know what we’re going to be working with. Because we’re going to be talking about stuff that we have never discussed on our blogs …. stuff that we’ve never seen taught anywhere else.

Of all the reasons not to take this course, this one is not the one to listen to. Maybe the next one is. Maybe.

Oh No #4. It’s too expensive.

Okay, this one might actually be a reason to not take the course. One of my readers said that it’s about half of what he earns a month. That is a legitimate Oh, no! He should not be taking this course.

Naomi and I get that. We get it because we’ve both been poor. And I don’t mean poor like those irritating “man, I should cut down on that latte habit” scenarios you read about on personal finance blogs.

I mean out of work and out of a place to stay. I mean counting pennies and wondering where your next meal is coming from. I mean depending on the kindness of strangers. It sucks.

So if you’re there, don’t take this course.

On the other hand, if the money issue is one of your big life themes, which (welcome to being human) it probably is, then this tangled stuckification is keeping you back. And if you can work through even a small chunk of your deep, dark money and success fears during our course, it will pay for itself pretty quickly.

Also, just for some perspective, there are comparable courses (some that we don’t think are remotely as good) that cost easily three to four times as much.

We made a conscious effort to make this as do-able as possible for the people who need it.

Oh No #5. It’s too cheap. Now I doubt that it’s actually worth it.

See above. See our blogs. See everything on the internet. This is just not worth explaining. If you don’t get how ridiculously loving we’re being by making this available to the people who need it most, we probably don’t want you in our course.

Oh No #6. I don’t know what I want to do yet.

Okay, that’s legit too, and we will probably do a course at some point that will help people figure out what their awesome mission is, but you know what?

One of the main reasons you’re not figuring it out right now (or even working on figuring it out) is that you’re paralyzed by the big, scary, overwhelming what-ifs. If you don’t resolve some of those fear patterns, you’re not likely to get to the figuring it out point very quickly.

Heal a big, crazy chunk of the “Oh no, what if I fail horribly?” and the “Oh no, what if everything goes right and I still don’t like myself?” and all that will change. You’ll be enthused to start working on it, insights will come pouring in, and when you do start biggifying your super cool thing, you won’t be tripping all over your emotional stucknesses.

If you need this course, you probably already know you need it. Talking yourself out of it is the fear talking.

If you don’t need this course or now just isn’t the right time, we’ll love you just the same.

The point of this very, very long post.

So figure out what it would feel like to step out of the guilt and the shoulds for a minute and into the “how can I take care of my stuff in an intelligent, compassionate way” mindset.

And if you’re promoting a course, product or whatever (or planning on doing something like that eventually), make sure you know what’s scaring the hell out of people so you can talk to them.

And don’t forget the most important part which is: their fears — even the ones that make no sense to you at first — are always legitimate, because look, there they are. If it’s real for the person feeling it, it’s real. Period.

Anyway, major destuckification coming up.

Non-icky self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion.

First class starts WEDNESDAY (day after tomorrow) … here’s where you sign up if you’re not in yet.

Coupon code havi still gets you $30 off, FYI.

Got more questions? Bring it on!

p.s. Don’t forget the best part of learning by teleclass: you don’t have to get dressed! Naomi will probably be topless — it’s practically her brand. I will most assuredly be modestly clothed … but barefoot. And Selma (my duck) will likely be completely nekkid. Though please don’t draw attention to that, she’s a sensitive flower.

Point is: show up shirtless if you like! This might even be the only topless marketing program around.