April 2012 - Page 2 of 3 - Small Business Coach, Women Business Coaching - Client Attraction

[youtube width=”600″ height=”352″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NRq_Y_lGe0[/youtube]

Today I want to talk to you about getting prospects to trust you.  You’ve heard this before: the Know, Like and Trust factor, the KLT factor.  Prospects don’t buy from people they don’t know, they don’t like or they don’t trust.

Can you manufacture trust?  Well, I don’t know if you can manufacture trust because you have to be a person of integrity and you have to be real and you have to have their best intentions in mind.

I’m not sure you can manufacture trust, but what you can do is you can actually shorten the timeline between the time when somebody first meets you and when they begin to trust you, know you, like you and trust you. 

What is one of those ways that you can shorten that timeline?  It’s by being vulnerable in your marketing.  Yes, being real and being vulnerable.  When you are vulnerable in your marketing, it helps take down the walls of skepticism.

Everyone’s a skeptic.  You have to be in this world to keep yourself safe, but there’s a point at which we see a marketer or we see somebody who we might want to hire, we keep our walls up.

Let’s say you begin to be a little bit more vulnerable and allow the walls to come down just a bit and you show some of the ways that you’re not perfect or you’re not trying to be slick and shiny all the time. Instead,  you’re just trying to be you. You have good content and you have good solutions and you’re a likeable person. The more vulnerable you are, the more people like you, faster.  Does that make sense?

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Your assignment today is to figure out how you can you be even more vulnerable in your content.  One of the ways that I did this many years ago was to weave in some of my own difficulties in my business.  Instead of saying, “Oh, no I’ve got it all together and nothing bad has ever happened to me in business,” I started weaving in some of the struggles that I had and then the solution became part of the teaching that I was doing.

The more I began to share what was not going well and how I turned it around, the more inspired people were, the more they saw me as being someone real and trustworthy and maybe just more likeable.  “This person’s not all slick and sheen.  I guess I can relate.”

Relatability is everything.  Rapport is everything.  If you’re looking to attract more clients or to multiply your business, I really want you to think about showing more vulnerability in your content. Show more vulnerability in your marketing.

Again, that doesn’t mean putting it all out there and showing all your flaws.  People want to aspire to be like you or have the same income or results or family or health…or whatever you teach. They want to know that you’re not just all slick.

One caveat;  there’s a difference between letting them into your life a little bit and being too personal.  There’s a difference between stuff that’s private and stuff that’s personal.  You can talk about some of the personal stuff.  Keep the private stuff private for obvious reasons, but that’s your assignment for this week.  Be a little bit more vulnerable.  What I’ve experienced is clients come out of the woodwork when that happens.

 

Ok, you’ve picked your topic for a free teleclass and you’ve written up your program notes. That’s a great start. You know you will be sharing information that your prospects and clients really want to hear.

Make sure you don’t give away the farm by focusing on “what to do”, and not giving all the details on “how to do it”. This strategy will get attendees excited to want to know even more.

After delivering your material or answering questions for an hour or so, it’s time to pitch your product or service. Create a very compelling offer so people are willing to act on it right away. I recommend offering a special bonus for making a purchase by midnight. That seems to get many fence-sitters to take the plunge and go for your offer. The idea is to make it easy for people to decide to purchase by offering something that is hard to resist.

Not sure what to offer? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

  • A bonus coaching session with you
  • An additional product to download
  • Access to another audio program you have already recorded
  • A special ebook or one of your current ebooks
  • A second Q&A call for follow up questions

Don’t feel pressured to create something new or additional for the occasion. The simplest thing is to offer something you have already developed.

You do want the bonus to be a high perceived value, so that it does encourage listeners to take immediate action. If you need more ideas, think back to teleclasses you‘ve listened to and remember what kind of offer motivated you to buy.

When you make the offer, start by talking about the main product or service you are featuring and focus on the problem it solves. Describe the benefits of having this item and how it will help them. Then talk about the bonus they get if they buy that same night by midnight.

Wrap up by thanking the listeners and reminding them the bonus offer is good only till midnight. This type of strong finish is a proven way to generate sales and encourage more listeners to step up to the plate and commit that same night. You are adding an incentive to help attendees gain access to more of your materials or services so you can share your gifts and serve them better.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

To determine your bonus offer, take a look at your current products to see what enhances the featured offer. Or think about what additional service would fit well with your main offering. If you are just starting your business, take 15-minutes right now to brainstorm what you can create that will add a high perceived value and motivate listeners to buy on the same night as the call.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

You may have a service that takes a little more explaining to help prospects and colleagues understand what you do. Not all services are immediately obvious in terms of who is being served or what the end benefits are. This can be challenging. Sometimes your marketing message needs to be refined a number of times to get it working just right. Or you may need to repeat the message several times for it to sink in.

Try these five ways to improve communication and help networkers and prospects grasp your service more quickly.

1. Remember, no one cares about your method. Focus on the end result and the benefits people who work with you can expect to receive. Keep “What’s In It for Me?“ in mind as you determine what to write or say.

2. Think about the dilemmas that keeps your ideal client awake at night. What problems are they trying to solve? What concerns and worries do they have? What would they pay anything to have access to?

3. Select a few client testimonials that spell out what they got from working with you and how things have changed for them as a result. Sprinkle these testimonials into your marketing materials for great social proof. You can also share this information in a conversation to reinforce a point you are making.

4. Consider about what would make you respond. This is particularly true when you r ideal clients resemble the person you were “before” you were transformed by the system you created.

5. When writing materials, you need snappy headlines to grab your readers’ attention. You can do some research online by visiting http://the60dayexperiment.com/Downloads/Abraham_100BestHeadlines.pdf for an explanation of what makes these headlines so powerful. Then find one that you can imitate and adjust to work for your information. Try phrases like “Never Before Revealed” or “Discover how…’

Your Client Attraction Assignment

As you begin to talk with colleagues and prospects, take note of how they react to what you say. Get feedback from people you trust about what your marketing messages. Then apply what you learn as you create a new elevator speech, new materials and programs. As your business grows, you will continue to refine your message which is perfectly normal and to be expected.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Joint venture partnerships are a great way to expand your reach and build your list. This method is becoming more and more popular helping many business owners to increase their data base rapidly. But how can you find the right partners for your business and what do you say when you contact them?

Follow this step-by-step guide to find and connect with powerful joint venture partnerships easily.

1. Start to identify possible partners. Make a list of the kind of businesses who area already talking to your ideal clients. Think about services that have something in common with what you do, but are not exactly the same. You may address a different part of the same problem or serve the same group but solve separate issue.

2. Come up with keywords that are appropriate for these potential partners. This will help you come up with search terms to find prospective partners on the web.

3. Do a Google search for these businesses and read over their websites looking for possible partners. Look for companies that offer something you don’t, provide a different angle on the same subject, or are complimentary in some way.

4. Also conduct a search on Facebook for additional partner options. This is a great opportunity to see how active their business page is and how many fans they have. Then check out their websites as well.

5. Make a list with the URLs, description of what they do, contact names and phone numbers if available.

6. Next – start contacting your JV prospects. Don’t overwhelm yourself by contacting everyone at once. Pace yourself to see what kind of reaction and response you get. You will learn how to approach potential partners better with practice and discover what works to make the connection.

Maybe at first, you reach out to invite a couple to be a guest speaker on one of your teleclasses and promote them to your list. Or ask if they want to conduct a joint call. Say something like, “I have a list of XX individuals and would like to feature you on a teleclass. We share the same type of ideal client and my subscribers would be very interested in your expertise. Or, maybe we could do a call together and we’ll both promote it to our lists.”

7. Set up your first joint venture, plan it, promote it and enjoy the results!

8. Take stock of how things went. Review any feedback that you got from your list, what you learned and apply that to future programs.

9. Stay in touch with partners and cultivate long-term relationships. Sometimes you’ll conduct a one-time program. Other times you find a partner that you can work with for years to come.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Start creating your list of potential partners. Who do you know already that might want to work with you? Ask people in your circle who they might know that could fit your criteria. Do some web research as well .

Once you have your list of partner prospects, start contacting them and brainstorming program ideas. Be realistic about what you can execute well. Begin with one program before you schedule a bunch of events. You need to learn as you go and create the proper systems to implement with excellence. The last thing you want to do is blow it with a great partner.

 

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Do you ever worry about how to keep your more difficult clients satisfied? I recommend you start by establishing boundaries and rules about working with you and putting them into a contract or agreement.

There are some people however, who tend not to read the contract or somehow forget these important details. This can be a real problem because you may end up working for free at the end of a project to make sure your clients remain happy when they finish up. Naturally happy clients are preferred because they refer other clients and spread good will.

Learning how to manage your clients is an important threshold to cross as your business grows. When I was working with private coaching clients, I had a two-page document on policies and procedures in my welcome packet that spelled everything out. All the rules were detailed which can make life so much easier for everyone.

In addition, I had a paragraph at the beginning, asking clients to read through all the way to the end, starting with a nicely phrased statement. Something like, “Just so there are no misunderstandings later.” The document ended with a simple question, “Is that fair?” Of course everything I included was fair and so clients signed up. Believe it or not, most people like to know the rules and will tend to follow them.

However, there are some people who will manage to forget what they signed. To address this, I suggest briefly going over the points with them up front so they know exactly what to expect, what’s included, what’s not and what’s going to cost extra. This helps clients hear that you are serious from the get-go, before you do any work with them. You are setting the standards and training your clients how to work with you.

This is a smart business practice and will save you time and trouble later. If your client asks for something not included, you can simply refer back to the point in the conversation where you explained how that piece works. It becomes an issue of personal responsibility for them.

Occasionally, when you have a client who just doesn’t pay attention or is extra demanding, you will want to stay in the role of “good cop”. That’s when you can have your virtual assistant address the problem and take on the role of “bad cop”. This way, the problem doesn’t touch you and if anything, the person will be upset with your VA and not you.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

If you have not already established your policies and procedures, it’s time! Training your clients on how to best work with you will make their life and yours so much easier.

Think about all the things that come up when working with clients:
1. Frequent questions
2. Specific needs you’ve had to address with others
3. Problems you’ve encountered

Write them all down and put them into some sort of order to prepare your policies and procedures document. Next, determine how you will consistently provide and/or discuss this document with clients to avoid problems later.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”352″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCuAnTJst4&amp[/youtube]

Today I want to talk to you about multiplying your business and really leveraging yourself by creating a problem-free zone in your business.  Now, you might be wondering, “How do I multiply my business and make more money by creating a problem-free zone?  What is that about?”  Well, I want you to imagine that every time there is a problem in your business, every time something falls through the cracks, that becomes a fire that you have to put out.  The more fires you have to put out in your business the more problems need to be attended to, the more distraction it creates for you, the business owner.  Those distractions pull you away from the money-generating activities that you need to be focused on, right?  The key is how do you prevent things from falling through the cracks?  How do you prevent distractions and how do you prevent the fires before they even start?

You do this by creating systems and processes for everything that you do in your business because when everything is systemized, when everything is documented, when everything has a process fewer things fall through the cracks.  That means you can be at the business of generating more money by doing more marketing, by creating more programs, by working with more clients instead of tending to details.

Let’s talk about processes for a second and creating a problem-free zone.  Processes mean that whenever something is done in your business it’s done the exact same way every time and the process is documented so that whether you’re doing it or somebody else it is always done in the exact same way.

I want you to think about the things that happens in your business, whether it’s a new client acquisition or perhaps it’s the way that you run a particular event or the way that you close the sale and what happens after that.  You want to look at what is every single, little thing that needs to happen for it to be a reliable result. We’re looking for reliable processes that equal reliable results.

Your Video Assignment

I would like for you to think about one aspect of your business right now and map out a detailed process for everything that needs to happen for that to happen successfully.  For us, let’s consider our Platinum Mastermind, where we teach people who are already successful in their business making $75,000 or more, to multiply that through leverage.  We have a very particular way that we run our four times a year live events.

Free programs, both teleclasses and live workshops, are one of the best ways I know to build your list, provide value and establish the Know, Like, and Trust Factor.

Putting together the programs is relatively simple. Yet, there are two key factors to keep your eye on:

1. How much information should you share for free?
2. Are you attracting new people to achieve your list building goals?

I encourage you to be very conscious about your free programs because I learned the hard way that you can give away the farm. When I was starting out, I offered a free teleclass monthly as well as a live workshop for a nominal fee. Each month I covered a new topic to keep prospects interested and coming back.

After a few months, these prospects got my best content but never signed up for coaching! I wasn’t sure what to do about it until one month my topic packed the room. That gave me an idea, “What would happen if I did the same program again next month?” It worked again and drew a substantial new crowd.

I continued to offer this program and tweak it as I went which ended up being, “How to Attract All the Clients You Need”. As you know I’m still using this topic years later because it continues to address a pressing need for business owners everywhere.

The essential learning for me that I want to share with you now is this:

If you keep offering new free programs, people will come back again and again. But they will not be as likely to work with you and step up to the next level.

Remember, you do offer additional free content in your ezine, so prospects are still getting value. But for your monthly talk, see if you can come up with one great talk and run it over and over to attract new prospects. Focus on the “what and why” without saying too much of the ‘how” so attendees will feel compelled to want more from you. You may need to test a few topics to see which one attracts the most people. Then put your efforts into promoting that program like crazy.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Have you figured out what is the one thing your ideal clients want more than anything else? This is like answering pull marketing questions, which will help you pull in the prospects you need to fill your pipeline. Find the juiciest subject matter that focuses on the problem’s end results your prospects want the most.

Then come up with a few ideas for talks around this one central topic and test them out to see how well they attract the crowds. Be sure not to talk about “how” to do what you are suggesting so you don’t eliminate the need to hire you.

If you are already doing talks and teleclasses, review them to see how you can improve your titles or offering to bring in more prospects or encourage more people to work with you.

That said, you may be wondering WHERE to begin finding people to outsource to so you can make Client Attraction a priority and market your business in a way that’ll give you the most returns with little effort on your part. Follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Most people in networking groups want to help you, knowing that you will help them too. Here’s how to make it easy for them.

Start by coming up with answers to your pull marketing questions from the Client Attraction system.

Think about:

  • What problems do your ideal clients have?
  • What issues do they need to solve to get to the next level?
  • What blocks do they encounter in trying to achieve their goals?
  • What makes them unhappy?

Write all your answers down.

Sometimes people tend to gloss over what is really happening for their ideal clients and the problems they face. But spelling this out is what helps you connect with people who have these issues.

Your goal is to come up with lots of specifics about their issues and the emotions and mental states that go along with the problems. When you get detailed with what is going on for your target audience, it will be easier to jog your networking colleagues’ mental rolodexes. Something will trigger a person, making him or her say, “Oh my, that’s just what my friend Suzie was talking about!” And that’s how you get a referral.

When you can tap into your ideal clients’ problems and feelings, it can go a long way to help others think of who might need your services. This is also true of being detailed regarding the particular industry you serve and the specific professionals within that area.

Now, to create the elevator speech, remember you’ll want to talk about the solutions and not your actual methods. Your network and prospects don’t actually care about your techniques. They just want to know you can help fix the problems. Finish with the end benefits that people get when they work with you and you’ll have a hard-working elevator speech.

Being as definitive as possible is the key to helping your fellow networkers think of leads for you. You want to give them something to hang onto and think about. That will also help you stand out from others in the group who may be talking in generalities. Make it easy for your networking partners and you will generate more referrals and better results.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

  1. Look back to review your pull marketing questions and answers. Or if you haven’t done this exercise yet, this is a good time to get started.
  2. Make a list of the problems you solve and the emotional states you address.
  3. Write another list of the end benefits your clients can expect from working with you.
  4. Craft or revise your elevator speech to help your networking contacts and colleagues think of referrals and prospects who could benefit from working with you.

That said, you may be wondering WHERE to begin finding people to outsource to so you can make Client Attraction a priority and market your business in a way that’ll give you the most returns with little effort on your part. Follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

It’s easy to see why video can be a powerful tool to help you sell more programs, products or services. The medium is very engaging and offers a fun way to share your marketing message.  It also makes it easy for viewers to get to know you, leveraging the important Know, Like, Trust factor.

To make the most of it, here are nine suggestions to create videos that sell:

  1. Keep it short. Most video should be only a couple of minutes, which is enough to connect and get your message across.
  2. Be strategic with what you have to say. Write a script that clearly conveys only one main message. Simplicity helps ensure your message will be heard.
  3. When writing your script, briefly set up the problem you’ll be solving and use some of the emotional language that taps into your prospects’ struggles. Then share the benefits of whatever program you are selling as the solution for them.
  4. Practice your script many times so you seem natural in your delivery and add some emotion to make your point, create rapport and make it more enjoyable to watch.
  5. Use good lighting – this is a place where more is better. Also, consciously choose the background to set up the image you want.
  6. Solid color clothing looks best rather than busy patterns, which can create a distraction. Try different colors in front of the camera so you know what looks good on you.
  7. Insert text to reinforce your point. Use as few words as possible to make it quick and easy to read and remember.
  8. Wrap up with a “call to action” suggesting viewers take a specific action. This might be to download your Irresistible Free  Offer, subscribe to your newsletter or click the ”like button” for your video.
  9. Overlay your website and company name at the end for those who find your video on YouTube vs. your own website.

Want to see some video examples you can model? Head on over to my YouTube channel to see hundreds of my videos…

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Do some research on YouTube to see what other people in your industry have created. This will stimulate your own ideas and also give you examples of what to avoid. Then start thinking about how you can use video to connect with prospects and market your offerings.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

If you are starting a business, speaking is an amazing marketing tool. When I started out, I spoke anywhere and everywhere I could for free during the first few years. I knew that this was a great way to gain exposure, build my name and my list. It’s an easy way to meet lots of people and give them a personal experience of you which helps with the Know, Like, Trust Factor for gaining clients. I also did free workshops and free teleclasses.

As I continued, I started charging $25 per person for the workshops. Then the fee went to $35. At that time I was still paying for all the flyers, handouts and the room. So, if I were doing this today, I would do it a bit differently, charging more like $95 for a three-hour workshop because of all the content and value I share.

Another powerful aspect of filling a room is that when I gathered a group of 25, 45 or 65 people with my standard talk, I knew I was going to close 3-5 new clients. People would actually rush the stage saying, “I definitely want to work with you.” I didn’t worry about the fee initially because I was building my list and getting plenty of new clients.

Then at one point, people starting asking me, “What are your fees for speaking?” That was a good sign helping me make the shift to establish a speaking fee and start charging.

If you are just starting out or in the first couple of years of your business, speak for free as often as you can to get the exposure your need, build your list and get new clients. As you progress, paid speaking might become an option.

To learn about the speaking business, you might want to check out The National Speakers Association www.NSASpeaker.org which is an organization for professional speakers with local chapters around the US and the world. They have lots of information on how to build a speaking business.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

If you want to start charging for your signature talk and have gained experience with presenting it , then it’s time to do some research.

To package yourself for paid speaking gigs, here’s what you need to think about:

  • Who is the target audience you want to reach?
  • What conferences and events appeal to your target?
  • Make a list of event planners that run these selected conferences and events.
  • Check the websites for these conferences or events – they often have a speaker application on the site.
  • Create a speaker sheet with your bio and a description of your talk to include with your application.
  • Establish your fee. A lot of events have a set fee they will pay, but you need to know what you want in case they ask you how much you charge.

Then apply, get out there and enjoy the stage!

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

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