Seeking New Clients?

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A common desire of small business owners and solopreneurs is to find new clients. This is a noble and essential goal. But it’s more likely a symptomatic result of doing some other things first.

Specifically, I would urge anyone seeking to find and develop new clients to be very clear about three things:

  1. Ideal client / Target Market
  2. Value Proposition
  3. Competitive Position

Ideal Client / Target Market
A man once offered $50,000 to the first worker who could go out and return with a Rippitz. All the workers were excited at the prospect of making $50,000 and ran out of the office.  Suddenly, one asked, “Hey, what IS a ‘Rippitz’, anyway?”

The problem with not being crystal clear about WHO you want as a client is that your marketing will only be as effective as your profile of an ideal client or target market is accurate.  Clarity is key.  And muddle is trouble!

Value Proposition
What is it that you do FOR your prospective client?  What’s the ‘beneficial difference’ you can create in the life of your client?  Is that what they say they’re seeking . . . but haven’t found?

If you’re not conveying the benefit you offer a qualified individual, why would someone respond to you and your marketing?  They won’t!  And here’s a secret . . . your value is not described in terms of how you do what you do.  It’s all about what you do for someone that they want, don’t have and haven’t a clue how to get.  Get focused on that and you’ll really have something valuable.

Competitive Position
Most professionals and other service providers are not truly different in terms of their professional abilities.  True, there are variations but they’re effectively irrelevant. Afterall, earning your CPA or JD or MD or DC, etc. and being licensed by the jurisdiction in which you practice is viewed by most consumers (prospects) as evidence of your ‘acceptable competency’.

So how do you ‘stand out’ from a crowd of ‘equally good’ options or alternatives?  THAT . . . is what a good ‘position’ will do for you!

Years ago, AVIS rental cars said, “We’re #2.  We (have to) try harder”.  Their main competitor was Hertz.  Hertz was #1 in terms of everything.  Avis had to position itself relative to its main competitor (Hertz) to help prospects see them as a viable alternative.  Did Avis become #1?  No.  But by positioning itself as an underdog (#2), Avis gave prospects a way to see it as both beneficial (they try harder) and distinctive (they’re not the biggest rental car company but they’ve got a scrappy attitude).   Sometimes, that’s all you need . . . a way to help your ideal clients (prospects!) to see you in a way that gives you an edge, however slight, in a competitive situation.

SUMMARY IDEA:

These three elements . . .

  1. a clearly defined Ideal Client / Target Market,
  2. a potent Value Proposition, and
  3. a competitive Position

form the foundation for what your marketing is supposed to be . . . effective!

For more information on developing your ‘Foundation’ . . . check out The Marketing Club™ . . . a simple, effective and affordable way to gain the skills and support you want to make your marketing . . . and you . . . very successful.

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Following Up is Key

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Marketing is commonly associated with finding and generating new clients. That’s important. But an equally important marketing opportunity is to keep-in-touch with prospects, clients and centers-of-influence after you initially connect with people of interest to you and your business.

Keeping-in-touch is powerful. It’s also a challenge. Two factors will make it easier for you.

First, get permission to do this. Having permission means having the attention of someone. That’s key. Without attention to your message, your marketing will fail.

Second, automate your ‘touches’. Use some kind of email autoresponder to regularly ‘drip’ information of relevance to qualified individuals who have so kindly invited you to keep-in-touch.

Together, permission and automation make keeping-in-touch a SYSTEM . . . and a system will bring you much greater success in marketing your services than if you don’t use one.

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Facebook and Your Privacy

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There’s a new wrinkle in the Facebook world.

And it portends some interesting changes you may want to know about.  Facebook is going to be creating the way you see the internet based on your interests.  LinkedIn has already been doing this.  Providing users with links to ‘outside’ sites but through the LinkedIn interface — the ‘wrapper’ is LinkedIn but the site is ‘inside’ the LinkedIn wrapper.

Facebook will now be doing this, too.  But the Facebook approach will cause information (i.e. advertising and other ‘relevant’ information) to be shown to you based upon your interests and favorites that are part of your Facebook profile.

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For advertisers, this means a huge base of people with increasingly relevant targeting should equal one of the best media for promoting a business on in a long time.  Now, if only the ‘privacy police’ will get on board with this . . . wait and see.

By the way, if you would like to receive a complimentary copy of an ‘10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know’ . . . click here.

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The Referral Engine

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Why do some companies seem to get customers or clients or patients who are referred IN to them as opposed to other firms who have to seek OUT their sources of revenues using direct marketing, cold-calling and the like?

The answer? Simple. Some businesses are just more refer-able. They operate in a manner that invites and even demands their customers and clients to become evangelists for the company’s brand.

In a few weeks, Duct Tape Marketing’s founder, John Jantsch will be releasing a new book — The Referral Engine.

I have an advance copy for a review I’m writing and I am most impressed. Rather than being a book of ‘How To’ (although that is present) this book is more about how to be a business that operates in a manner that generates such exquisite experiences for people that they become the ‘raving fans’ and the ‘brand evangelists’ that drive new customers and clients into contact with the firm.
referralengine
You can get a complimentary download of Chapter 1 of John’s wonderful new book: The Referral Engine

Just click on the cover and you’ll be reading some great new insights in no time!

Enjoy!

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Attracting Clients With Your Message

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I have recently ‘discovered’ a most talented individual — Christian Mickelson.

He’s the founder of Coaches With Clients — a San Diego, CA based firm that helps coaches develop the skills and systems for growing their clientele.

In this video, Christian shares a lot of wisdom on the topic of “How To Respond” when someone asks, “What Do You Do?”

It’s always a challenge . . . until you learn the secret of saying the right words to help you become more attractive to prospective clients.

Check out his video . . . he’s a coach himself and, more important (to me) he’s successful because he practices what he preaches . . . he walks his own talk . . . rather remarkable.

You will a lot from Christian. I sincerely hope you do, too!

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Maximizing LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is a wonderful social network for business.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a ‘User Handbook’ full of ideas on how to get the most value you can from being a part of it.

Here are some quick and easy ways can get more out of being on LinkedIn.

Drop Your Title!

For example, I used to use my title “CCO”. Now, my profile ‘title’ reads: “Helping small business owners attract clients and grow revenues”.

This allows you to inform people how you can help them rather than what you are — which may be lost on them, anyway.

Key Idea

Show your tagline instead of your title

Integrate with Twitter

The new Twitter integration functionality allows you to tweet a message and have it display in your status . . . automatically!.

You can edit your settings to show “ALL” your Tweets or, selective Tweets which you can set up with the hashtag (#) function on Twitter. Very cool!

Key Idea

Use the Twitter integration function on your LinkedIn profile.

Leverage Your Group Memberships

I’ve been writing a monthly article for The National Networker for about two years helping others leverage their marketing and networking to build relationships and revenues. After an article is published, my publisher, Adam Kovitz suggested I post it as a “news article” to the various groups that I belong to on LinkedIn. You can do the same thing with any blog post you write just as easily.

This one simple activity can drive tons of traffic to your blog!

In time, getting people to know of you (brand awareness), like you (brand preference) and trust you (brand value) because they’ve come to appreciate the value in your advice is . . . priceless!

Key Idea

Join the LinkedIn groups where your blog posts or articles will be relevant and post your “news articles” whenever you can.

Join The Conversations

LinkedIn has ‘Discussions’. Are you starting them? Are you commenting on them? If not, you’re missing a huge opportunity to leverage your membership and the value LinkedIn holds for you.

Contributing to LinkedIn Discussions is a great way to position yourself as an authority and showcase your expertise.

Always provide a link to a relevant page on your blog or landing page on your website. For example, if you comment on how to ‘generate referrals’, you should create a landing page where a Special Report on ‘Referrals’ can be downloaded. Remember, you’re offering relevant information in a meaningful context. So don’t just say, “Hey, I’m here!”. Offer value and . . . an easy way to get it!

Key Idea

Participate in the discussions on any LinkedIn group where your ideal clients are likely to be found and post questions to stimulate some discussions of your own.

Respond To Questions

Questions allow you to demonstrate your expertise and build up the “know / Like / Trust” factor you know is so important to your marketing success.

Both the questions you answer for others (and, ask) will be seen by visitors to your profile. Often, what you have to say may be more interesting than anything else a visitor will notice on your profile page.

Key Idea

Seek out questions posed by others on topics you can answer. Use an RSS feed coupled to your Google Reader to show you new questions as they appear and post your answers to your profile as well.

Want To Build Revenues With Social Media?

Check out our Social Media Pro Study Group!

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Are Elevator Pitches . . . Dead?

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Andy Lopata is a fellow-columnist at The National Networker where we both write a monthly column.  Andy’s from the UK.  And, while we’re geographically far apart, we’re in close agreement about . . . Elevator Pitches.

Elevator Ptches

If you aren’t familiar with the concept, it’s based upon the 10 – 15 seconds that begins with the time you step into an elevator and the time you step out of one.  Maybe a floor or two. Inside the elevator someone asks, “What do you do?”.

Having a prepared ‘pitch’ or commercial response at the ready can turn such a moment-of-truth with a truly qualified prospect for your services . . . into a highly productive one.

Andy argues that these chance encounters, while prevalent in daily business, have deteriorated into a social convention that is often more polite than productive.  He’s got a good point. Listen to him directly:


Why Elevator Pitches May Not Really Work

If you’re honest about it, do they work for you?  Or, are they merely a social convention that prevents sincere connections from taking place between two people in business?

Lopata contends that delivering a carefully crafted ‘commercial’ has become, for many businesspeople, the sole goal of a ‘new encounter’ rather than using it as the starting point for a meaningful conversation with a stranger.  I tend to agree.

What Does Work?

In a word, ‘Listening‘ –– focusing more on what the other person is sharing with you than on what you say in response to their question: “What do you do?”.

POINT:

It’s only slightly more difficult to listen.  But it’s a lot more powerful.  And, given that it’s a common complaint about people, being a good listener may be better than being a good pitcher!

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A Beautiful Story Without Any Words

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Messaging.

Making your point.

A single, focused, right-on-the money point.

Getting a response.  That’s WHY you create a message, right?

I doubt you can do it much more elegantly and effectively than this.

In fact, I ‘triple-dog’ dare you to NOT be affected by this beautiful commercial:

POINT:

HOW you communicate your message is a key part of WHAT you communicate.

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Actually, Failure IS An Option, IF . . .

Success in your business or professional practice is prone to risk-of-failure.  It’s also prone to risk-of-success.

Which outcome — success or failure — is more likely for you? It reflects how you handle six key aspects of your business:

  1. Finances:
    Management of money — from income to payout is very important
  2. Technology:
    Relying on outdated or inadequate technology is like running in lead boots
  3. Leadership:
    Every firm needs a vision and a CEO who, like Moses, can lead the troops toward that ‘Promised Land’
  4. Employee Management:
    The difference between your people and your profits is their performance . . . think about it and invest in their skills training
  5. Experience Management:
    What separates you from any other firm is the ‘experience’ prospects have with you.  Make yours the BEST available!
    And finally . . .
  6. Marketing:
    Identify, attract, convert and retain relationships with people who want what you do or . . . you’ll be in BIG trouble!

report-cardMARKETING is what makes all the other functions relevant and your business successful.

Without cash flowing into your business or practice, it doesn’t really matter if:

  • you’re using QuickBooks or not — there won’t be anything to put through it
  • your computers, smartphones, website, autoresponders, etc. are working — no one will notice
  • you have a vision, mission, strategic and operational plan . . . you’ll never get to carry them out
  • your staff can perform effectively in the positions you’ve created for them in your business — they’ll have ‘no work’
  • you’re ready to deliver a great experience or not — no one will know about you nor will they ever get to do so!

It really starts with your marketing.  EVERYTHING starts with your marketing, doesn’t it?

Are you honoring this truth by the amount of time, energy and resources you’re putting into marketing your business or practice relative to all the other ways you can invest your time, money and energies?

Should you be making any changes in this area?  Would a marketing coach or advisor help you make better decisions and experience better results?

POINT:

Know your priorities.  In business, it’s marketing.  Marketing makes everything else possible.  Even if it doesn’t, you’ll be better able to afford to fix your technology, people, and operating systems than if you don’t!

Fail to do your marketing and you know what will hit the oscillating aerator machine faster than you’ll probably like!

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Capturing Attention of Your Prospects

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This was a broadway musical based on the early life of comedy legend, Carl Reiner

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Read more

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