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One of the things that I tell my clients on a regular basis is, “If you want a full practice in six months or if you want to have clients in six months you need to be marketing today.” Sometimes it actually takes more than six months to turn a cold lead into a warm prospect, then into a prospect who’s hot and ready to buy. That process doesn’t always happen overnight.

If you want clients in six months you need to be marketing today—every day. Creating a structure around your marketing and creating a calendar and a system to keep you on track is massively important. Now, you may think, “Oh, I don’t want to be boxed in. I don’t want to be structured,” but allow me to share this with you. If you are waking up in the middle of the night wondering, “Where is my next client going to come from?” That can be completely eliminated when you put together a marketing calendar and a marketing structure.

Here’s my advice to you—my recommendation for you this week. Map out what you’re going to do on a daily basis to get clients. Map out what you’re going to do on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis, on a quarterly basis and perhaps, even on a yearly basis. You’re going to create your own marketing pie, where every single slice of your pie is either something that you do to find your ideal clients, gathered for you in large numbers and inexpensively or ways to pull your ideal clients in. Every slice of your marketing pie is something that goes on your calendar.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

My recommendation is that you get a year-at-a-glance wall calendar. (Laminated works great so you can write erase.) Start listing out what you’re going to do on a daily basis. Maybe you do one thing every day and map it out. Then, what are you going to do on a weekly basis? What are you going to do on a monthly basis, etc? Now, you’ll have some structure. Now you can pop this into your calendar—whether it’s your year-at-a-glance or outlook or google, whatever you use is fine.

Once you’ve mapped it out and scheduled it on your calendar, not only do you have a system and structure, but you also start marketing so much more than when you were flying by the seat of your pants and doing ad hoc marketing. The added benefit is that you no longer have these 3:00 AM sweats worrying where your next client is coming from because now you know you’re doing something every day, every week, every month.

Having a system in place gives you a great amount of confidence and confidence touches every single part of your client attraction. It’s really important that you keep your confidence up. Get that calendar. Map it all out and then begin to do it. Just follow the calendar. I even color code mine and so can you. It’s going to be so helpful for you and you’re going to get so many more clients because of it.

Here in my own business, we’ve got the whole year mapped out—the entire year of everything that we’re doing. We map it out in December and then we’re set for the year. No more flying by the seat of the pants.

It’s not always easy for solo-entrepreneurs and small business owners to attract more clients, quickly and consistently. These tips will help.

Some you’re doing, some you’re not, but they all work. The key is to slowly and systematically add these to the way you market yourself and you’ll get results. Start today, and do one at a time.

• Come from a Full Practice Mentality
• Follow up with all prospects in less than 48 hours
• Define your ideal client very specifically
• Write out your Unique Selling Propositions
• Write out what separates you from competition
• Craft and memorize an elevator speech
• Join a breakfast networking group
• Start doing your own workshops
• Get hired for speaking engagements
• Have a Client Attractive business card that gets you business
• Create a website that excites prospects
• Create a one-sheet flyer or brochure
• Referrals – educate, nurture, ask, reward
• Give clients birthday gifts
• Always add extra value
• Niche your practice
• Master the “money conversation”
• Have a rate sheet
• Offer several programs
• Figure out the hours you want to work
• Cluster your client appointments to make time for your marketing
• Get clear on where your best clients have come from
• Don’t be a secret; get out there
• Focus on your top 5 or 10 clients for referrals
• Don’t ever discount
• Take the edge off by offering a guarantee
• Use technology to get clients while you sleep
• Keep a Warm Prospects List for easy follow up
• Don’t be needy for clients (keep your day job if you need to)
• Educate your environment with an introduction letter
• Ask personal advocates for referrals
• Communicate what a GOOD lead for you is
• Communicate what a BAD lead for you is
• Talk about benefits and results, not features!
• Set up incentives for referrals
• Get testimonials from your raving fans
• Raise your rates
• Have a success partner
• Get a really good marketing and business coach
• Don’t sell: show how you solve problems and add value
• FOCUS: a strong focus now creates different future later
• Ask clients for measurable and tangible results in their goals
• Make a list of centers of influence
• Tell everyone what you do
• Create strategic alliances
• Make clients feel special
• Strive for 100% referral based practice
• Reward people for sending referrals
• Do regular mailings/postcards
• Set up your office for efficiency
• Believe in yourself – write down why you’re really good at this
• Get a personal board of directors
• Have options for prospective clients to sample your product or services free of charge
• Put your expertise on paper and sell it (people love information)
• Strengthen your strengths by delegating
• Use buzz words instead of long sentences
• Set up scripts that work and memorize them
• Bookend your follow up calls
• Don’t make a prospect wrong if they don’t sign up
• Write a book
• Have open office hours one morning a week
• Get on boards, get involved in community, be visible
• Create a signature talk you’re known for
• Collect names religiously
• Use a database management system
• Create an idea book so you can focus on 2 or 3 things max
• Create a Power Partners wheel
• Walk your talk – make sure you’re using your own info or product
• Use client case studies in sales conversations
• Surround yourself with supporters, not nay-sayers
• Priorities – work only on things that make money during 9a-5p
• Celebrate your Wins – don’t take them for granted
• Teach teleclasses
• Ask for feedback, suggestions from top clients
• Create an R&D team
• Work with groups for more income
• Do research on new targets and their critical needs
• Become an expert in your field
• Position yourself as a problem solver
• Be a “bridger” – bridge people together
• Reduce your fees if need be
• Come up with clever 800 #
• Brand yourself big time
• Host a club or association in your industry
• Write a newspaper column
• Use your email signature as a Client Attraction tool
• Host a special interest group
• Spend extra time with your best clients
• Have a marketing plan in place vs. doing things ad hoc
• Get a professional logo
• Seek out and get to know good networkers
• Accept credit cards
• Host brainstorming sessions with clients
• Write 3 handwritten thank you notes per day
• Do 5 lunches, breakfasts, coffees per week to spread the word
• Have all the necessary business equipment
• Make a list of organizations that need speakers
• Launch a party for your business
• Create programs rather than one-time sessions
• Keep your materials simple – less is more
• Set up 3 short term goals per month
• Figure out how much to charge
• Give 5-10% upfront discount for paying in advance for programs
• Communicate what you do as if they’re 6 years old
• Create a list of your credibility factors
• List the best ways to easily and inexpensively reach ideal clients
• Figure out what image you must have to make your target audience want to work with you
• Write newsletters for associations of which you are a member
• Have a list of speech topics ready to go
• Be known for one thing
• Create a call-to-action to make prospects eager to contact you
• Describe your services in a way that prospects will say, “That’s exactly what I need!”
• Make your services seem like an exclusive club; cherry-pick clients
• Estimate with clients how long they would need to work with you
• In the initial conversation, identify and eliminate obstacles – do this up front
• Say your name slowly and distinctly
• Use a tagline – make it easy for them to repeat
• Practice closing the sale
• Offer flat fee packages
• Fake it ‘til you make it – don’t let perfection stop you
• Break through a crowded market with something unusual
• Continually check in with past clients or prospects
• Check local newspaper for groups that meet on regular basis (city business journal)
• Ask members of your current group what other groups they belong to
• Create a vision for your business that really pulls you forward
• Increase your confidence in networking by doing it more often
• Give simple information/don’t inundate prospects
• Create regular systems for Client Attraction – so you don’t have to think about it
• Establish with clients that they are responsible for their results
• Know when to gracefully say goodbye to a client
• Set up Policies and Procedures
• Set boundaries around missed appointments and uphold them
• Define what’s holding your back from going forward and act on it
• ‘Dollarize’ what it’s costing them not to move forward with you
• Package what you know
• Package what you offer
• Package what you charge
• Schedule important marketing tasks in your day planner
• When speaking – be so passionate that you forget to be nervous
• When speaking – give your very best material
• Write conversationally
• Create an ezine (e-newsletter)
• Sit down with people one on one, friends, acquaintance, etc. This is where the sale happens
• In networking, focus on building relationships, not getting clients
• Become a referral partner for someone who shares your client
• Make your voicemail outgoing message a Client Attractive one
• Deal with procrastination (now, not later!)
• Ask! Ask! Ask!
• Write 5 articles on your expertise
• Have a varied marketing plan
• Be authentic in everything you do

Do you know ‘what’ to do but not ‘how’ to do it fast?  Go to www. AttractClients.com today to order your FREE Audio CD entitled “How To Attract All The Clients You Need”

Do you see clients in person to provide your services? Some people are comfortable meeting clients in their home. Others find this awkward or inappropriate for a variety of reasons:

• Children at home
• Pets at home
• Stress of housekeeping perfection
• Decorating needs updating
• Noisy neighborhood
• Not the right space
• Not professional looking
• Invades your privacy
• Inconvenient location
• Parking issues

So where can you meet your clients if you aren’t ready to officially rent space or use your home? There are several alternatives worth investigating.

Free Public Options

• Many public libraries have small rooms with doors where you can meet clients
• Starbucks and other coffee shops are great public spaces depending on the service you provide
• Some Barnes and Noble bookstores have coffee shops too (usually a version of Starbucks)
• Panera Bread shops are also great meeting places and there are other more upscale fast food places where you can conduct meetings
• If you are a Chamber of Commerce member, sometimes they have rooms available – for free (or a fee)

Friends/Colleagues

• People you know may have conference rooms that are often empty. They might allow you to use the space on an “as-needed” basis when available at no charge. These could be within corporations or small businesses like law offices, accountants, etc.
• Think of the professionals you know who might have unused office space they would be willing to offer you on a temporary basis until you build up a clientele.

Part Time Office Options

• Depending on your business, you may know other professionals who have extra space in their office. For example, if you are a health-related practitioner, you might ask your chiropractor, acupuncturist, nutritionist, even day spas, if they have a space you could use temporarily. Often you can pay by the hour or share a portion of your fee with them.
• Office co-ops are springing up all over as they become more popular. They provide office space and conference rooms on a part time basis. You can usually get space whenever you need it or pay a regular but small fee to have a space always available.

Switch to “Phone-Only” Service

In addition to all of these options, you can also just decide to begin doing your sessions completely over the phone. There was a point I was doing everything in-person and had a big fear that switching over to the phone would make my clients not want to work with me. I did not find that to be the case at all. This is especially true for new clients who didn’t know that I’d ever offered in-person sessions.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Are you looking for office space on a tight or non-existent budget? If so, think about all the professionals you know who might have a conference room or extra office space not currently being used who you can approach.

In addition, this is a great request for your BNI group. Be sure to leverage your networking to find a solution. You will likely be very surprised at how many options you turn up when you reach out to people.

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 your business is expanding and you have started to offer additional services, some business owners feel their current company name will not be sufficient to communicate what they do. This makes them want to change the company name so it better reflects the new services too and not just the original offerings.

I myself have done this several times in my career, bringing me to the current brand name -Client Attraction. Shifting your branding may become necessary at some point in your business’s development. The key is not to confuse your current clients with this change since you don’t want to lose or alienate them.

You can completely change the name or modify it depending on the direction your company takes. Either way you go, I want to share three steps that will help you make your name change smoothly.

1. The Simple Solution

Choose a new URL and direct all traffic from this new web address to your old website. Or if they type in the old name it can redirect to the new site. This is a common practice and it’s your choice. To help visitors understand what has happened, you position your new name at the top and then underneath you can write “formerly” with the old name. This way, your current clients can see both the old and new names so they don’t feel like they made a mistake ending up at the wrong website.

2. Video Explanation

If you have added services or modified your offerings, a video can be useful for describing the changes. Say something like, “We used to offer this, and now we’re doing this because the demand has been there. So don’t be alarmed if you’re looking for our old name. we’re still the same people, just doing even bigger and better things.” That positive spin and explanation will help to assure clients that everything is fine and even better than what they know from before.

3. Ezine Announcement

You can give everyone on your list a preview of what is to come to help people get used to the idea of your new company name in your ezine. This keeps your current clients and contacts informed about the changes your company is going through.

4. Snail Mail Announcement

In addition, you may have certain important clients that you’ll want to inform in a more personal manner. Writing a letter or sending a card can help ensure that these VIPs know ahead of time about the changes and that they will not be negatively impacted by them. This not only can help to avoid confusion later, but also lets your VIPs know how much you value them by being the “first to know”.

Name changes can be tricky, but if you follow these four steps, your current client base and contacts will be comforted for a smooth transition.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Are you thinking of a name change? Be sure to make a plan for how you will implement the change with the least amount of disruption, while notifying your contacts and clients.

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.

There are so many differing opinions on how to set your pricing you could drive yourself crazy if you listened to everyone. But, I want to tell you how I did it so you can use this simple method to see how it will work for you.

When I was first starting out, I didn’t know what to charge. I decided to look around and do a bit of research to see what other similar services were charging. After I collected enough information, I picked a price that was basically in the middle of all the fees I learned about. Really scientific right?

I picked something in the middle because I wanted to fill my practice quickly. I purposely didn’t choose a high price point so I wouldn’t have what they call a “barrier to entry”. A barrier to entry is a price point that is higher than what the marketplace will bear. You don’t want to set the bar too high when first starting out because too many people will find the price unaffordable.

How do you know if you have selected the right pricing? Here’s how it worked for me. I could gauge if I was overcharging or undercharging by how quickly I filled my practice. If I was getting 80 percent of people to say, “Yes”, then I kept going until I nearly filled my practice. Only then, did I raise my rates because I could afford to have people say, “No” at that point and be more selective since I had lots of clients and money coming in. For me, I raised my fees frequently, sometimes almost every three months, but at least a couple of times a year.

This is my philosophy: If you are not well-known and you have more time than money, it’s simply better to work with more clients. As soon as you fill your practice, then you can afford to up your rates and increase your marketing. As you gain experience, you will better understand what marketing works for you and who you can serve best. As you refine your target audience and how to talk to them, you will be able to charge more.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Have you done research on pricing and what your competitors are charging? If you are a new business, this is an important step to making sure you are not under or over charging. I recommend finding that middle spot and holding there until your practice is nearly full. Then, you can feel free to raise your rates as you and your business continue to evolve.

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://youtu.be/k7_gPl9Ywhk?hd=1[/youtube]

[youtube width=”600″ height=”352″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ARUP39zDc[/youtube]

Do you get referrals from people or services? I sure hope you do! Yet, you may find that your initial conversations with these referred prospects are taking too long. It can be a very time consuming process. That’s why it helps to set up a system and put everything into your marketing materials, making the conversation so much quicker.

This is a list of what you need to shorten these calls:

• Written interview with yourself which includes answers to frequently asked questions and explains your packages and/or programs.
• A list of testimonials covering the results clients get by working with you
• A list of questions for the caller to answer and send back prior to the “Get Acquainted Call”

Then you book the session, but never on the same day as your first contact, of course. Here’s what you say to explain what the prospect needs to do to be prepared for the session:

“I want to spend the whole session hearing about you and talking less about me. So I’m going to send you some materials. Please read the Interview with (your name) in its entirety, then look over the Testimonials so you can see what kind of results my clients get. And please send me the answers to these questions before the call. I will review them in-depth so that by the time we talk on the phone, we can spend the whole time talking about you.”

If you follow this system, you can end up having a 15-20 minute phone call. You’ll find out a lot about the person ahead of time so that you’re not on the phone for hours, And they’ve already learned everything they need to know about you. Plus, they’ve reviewed information about your programs before the call so they know which one is right for them.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Is it time to review your new prospect marketing materials? Make sure to include your program or package levels in your Interview to help prospects pre-qualify themselves. The more you cover prior to the call, the shorter the conversation will be.

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=6_9Y7x-0zMY[/youtube]

Hi everyone! I’ve got a BIG secret that I’m SO excited to share with you!

You see, I’ve been swimming in this small fish bowl for some time… And, now I’m about to get out there into the big ocean – and I want to take YOU with me!

I’m creating something for you about playing a bigger game and here’s the catch:

THERE IS NO CATCH!

There’s no opt in, no pitch. Only high content, high value and some really cool stuff.

I wanted to share my excitement with you so I made this brand new video. Watch it now and head over to my BRAND-NEW announcement that’s all about Playing a Bigger Game!

What’s great about having a proprietary system is that it becomes what I call an “Accordion Talk” where you could deliver a 25-minute talk or two hours or a full day. It all depends on how much time you have for the presentation.

The key is to provide a lot of content and value so the audience feels like they want to work with you, but – not give away the “how”. Follow this template and you can stretch it to fill as much time as you have for the workshop.

• Tell your compelling story which can take 2-minutes or you can stretch it to 10 or 15-minutes if you have plenty of time. Throw in some juicy details to make it very engaging and set yourself up as an expert.
• Talk about their struggles and go through the different reasons why this happens. Spend time describing why people in the audience are not getting the results they want.
• Paired Shares give people a chance to relate the information to themselves by sharing the reasons why they are not succeeding. You give them  3-5 minutes to share with the person next to them.
• Breakthrough Sharing allows a few individuals to share their breakthroughs – this can take another 10-minutes or so.
• Present your system one section at a time. Go through the steps of your system section by section. Be sure to focus on the “what” vs. the “how” so you leave them wanting to know more.
• Add client examples of how your clients used the information to be successful, which helps the audience understand how they too will benefit. It helps make your steps real and applicable to those listening. And some people learn better with success stories since they demonstrate how it all works.
• Make It Personal and have them journal. Ask the audience how what you have just covered pertains to them. Have them journal for three to five minutes on how it impacts them.
• Conduct “Hot Seats” with a volunteer from the audience after you’ve gone over a chunk of the presentation. This showcases what you do in front of the crowd, coaching the individual on the spot. This adds a lot of excitement and can take another 15-minutes – each time you do it.

Each one of these elements gives the audience the opportunity to work through the material so they don’t have to do it later. Plus, it provides real value as people think about what you are saying and how it applies to them. This anchors the information, reinforcing and deepening the learning which is extremely valuable.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Have you offered workshops yet? This is a great marketing tool because it gives people a sample of what you do, showcases your skill and knowledge, and provides people with real value at a low cost. Develop your own two-hour workshop, then market it and present it to attract new clients.

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.