When you first start out in business, you may feel you don’t have all the answers. That’s more common than you can imagine. However, that is no reason not to start sharing what you know with clients and recognizing the unique angle you bring that no one else can.

You are ahead of others
No matter how short a time you’ve been in business, chances are you already know a lot just by getting started. That means you are further ahead than many who could use your help. You can say, “When I first started my business, I didn’t have a full practice, but I was a couple of steps ahead of people who had zero clients. So I am able to share what worked so far to build my business.”

You are still in the trenches, learning
I did this when I started Client Attraction. Part of the appeal of working with me was that I was still growing my education as well. I talked about that and promised to share what I learned as I grew. I was not speaking from some pedestal; people could relate to me because I was like them, only a few steps ahead.

You add value without having a multi-million dollar business
In your compelling story, you tell people about your “before” and then share the defining moment in your life. The point changed everything is so compelling for client attraction. That is your story and it doesn’t need to be a multi-million dollar one. You do not need to reach some outrageous pinnacle to inspire other people to take the steps you took to get where you are today.

Your simple decision can be compelling
Even if you don’t have a defining moment, you can remember a day when you decided to change. Sometimes it can be as simple as, “I’m not doing that anymore” or, “from this point forward, I’m doing things differently.” Your ideal clients want to make that same important decision. Potential clients don’t always need some earth-shattering moment. For a lot of people, this is more believable.

You don’t need a revolutionary method
Let me tell you something: so many of my students have this rampant fear that they don’t have something amazingly special about how they do business. Some believe that if what they do isn’t revolutionary or a patent-pending process, then it’s not good enough. The truth is (and I want you to really hear me on this) that you don’t need that.

You are unique and special, so be confident
Even if there others are serving in the exact same way you are, so what? You have your own system and have learned things personally which makes your process specific to you. Certain aspects of what you do will appeal to some prospects and not to others. Your life experience and natural gifts make your offering unique to you. It’s time to feel confident in what you know, what you have learned and what you have to share.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Take time every day to review how far you have come and what you have accomplished. Keep a running list of your achievements and update it regularly. Make this a daily practice to build your confidence and recognize how it makes what you do unique and valuable. This confidence will help a lot with client attraction.

This is just one of the many best practices we dive deep into with the students of The Client Attraction Business School, the premier training school for growth-minded entrepreneurs looking to quickly attract more clients and make more money. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.ClientAttractionBusinessSchool.com for more details. To speak to an enrollment coach, click here.

In an effort to build your business, joint ventures can make a tremendous impact. Working with other like-minded people can open doors, build your list and help you get clients faster than you ever could on your own.

With that said, sometimes you do meet people who make you wonder about working with them. The truth is, not everyone will be a good fit for creating valuable partnerships.

Choosing Your Partners Wisely
1. Serve the Same Target – A good partnership is one where you both work with the same target audience, but offer different products or services.

2. Similar Size List – Working with people who are doing as well as you are, with a similarly sized list or slightly bigger, makes good sense when it comes to picking a partner.

3. Aligned Values – When interviewing potential partners, find out how they do business and what their underlying values are. You’ll work better with someone who is like-minded and shares you values and integrity level.

4. Good Reputation – If you are thinking about someone local, you have the advantage of asking people you know about the person. Should questionable reports come back, that is something to take into consideration. Your partner’s reputation will impact you, so consider carefully.

5. Trust Your Gut – I always advise students to listen to and trust their gut. Often your instincts are right on target, so do not ignore any inklings you may have.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
When seeking joint venture partners, one thing that can make the process easier is to create a checklist for yourself. What do you need to know about a person and their business to help you decide who is a good fit? Then you can assess each potential partner with the same criteria, to make your efforts more efficient. You may need to talk to many business owners to find that right match who can help you get clients.

This is just one of the many best practices we dive deep into with the students of The Client Attraction Business School, the premier training school for growth-minded entrepreneurs looking to quickly attract more clients and make more money. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.ClientAttractionBusinessSchool.com for more details. To speak to an enrollment advisor, click here.

Most small busines owners start feeling stretched and get to the point where they can no longer do it all alone. You realize you need another pair of hands to complete everything that’s on your plate. So you decide to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) and think this is a way to help you get more done faster. You may not know right away what tasks your VA should handle, but you would love for this service to somehow pay for itself.

I had this idea myself when I first thought about hiring a VA. At the time, I could only afford 10 hours per month so I wanted to be really careful about how we used those hours. My goal was to have her tasks pay for themselves. I realized that with my time free, I could focus on money making activities. In fact, if you choose wisely, your VA can actually help you close more deals and get more clients.

Carefully consider the jobs you want to hand over to and establish your criteria for doing this. For me, tasks to give my VA fell into two categories:

• Tasks I wasn’t competent at, like technology
• Simple projects that kept me from generating more money

For example, I handed off projects requiring technical knowledge because that is not my strong point:
1. Technical projects, html, web stuff

The other jobs involved administrative duties like:
2. Sending out my newsletter
3. Scheduling clients
4. Sending out cards
5. Mailing warm letters

This second group of activities can actually bring in new clients. You will need to craft the communication and write the letters of course, but your VA can do the busy work of sending everything out.

Look at your list of low-hanging fruit: prospects who expressed an interest in working with you but aren’t paying clients yet. Ask your VA to help you think of ways to close these people to get more clients. Your VA can help you stay in touch, mail cards and letters, send them interesting articles, etc. These activities are perfect for your VA because they can bring in new clients, which helps fund your VA’s services.

As you get to know each other and gain experience working together, you will discover more ways your VA can help. When you work well as a team, so much more can be accomplished.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Thinking about hiring a VA yourself? Do a time study this week noting everything you do throughout the day. At the end of the week, look over the details to discover what can fit into the two categories that’s perfect for a VA. The sooner you figure out which projects you can hand off, the sooner you are ready to get started.

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 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.

When you are looking to get new clients, one of the best ways is to have a phone call with prospects to get to know them a bit and tell them about your services. Some people offer a free consultation, but I tell my students that this is not the best positioning for what the call is really about.

Instead I recommend offering a “Get Acquainted Call.” Here are three reasons why this is a much better approach to get clients:

1. People Love Free Stuff. There can be a lot of confusion around this first call and what it really involves. When people show up, they expect you to consult with them like a free session. They tend to take the information and go off with it, but don’t hire you.

2. You Must Set the Expectation. When you call this initial session a Get Acquainted Call, you are not offering any free service. You will be talking about the person’s needs and struggles and how you can help. This sets a completely different expectation, one that is far better for converting prospects into clients.

3. No Problem Solving. A Get Acquainted Call allows you to learn about the prospect’s situation. You can simply start by saying, “I want to hear about your situation and see if I can help.” This gives you lots of information to understand what the person’s struggles and needs are.

Using this language prevents prospects from assuming you are going to start helping them improve anything immediately. You are just having a conversation to discover how you can help and engaging in a process to determine if you are a good fit. Once you figure this out, then you can share your programs to see if the prospect wants to become a client.

If you feel there is good potential to work with the person, make sure you follow up with, “Yes I can help you with that.” You may want to add a few happy client examples of people who got good results with similar issues. This way prospects know you have done this before and feel confident you can help them too.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
If you’ve been offering free consultations, rewrite your script for discussing this initial conversation. Get comfortable talk about the “Get Acquainted” call and be clear you will be getting to know the person. This will make a difference in your ability to close and get clients and will tend to attract fewer tire-kickers who waste your time.

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 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.

Have you increased your prices lately? If you answered yes, let me congratulate you! Sometimes business owners fear raising their rates, believing they won’t get clients and will lose out on prospects. I went through this as well in my earlier years.

Yet, you can stay with your pricing structure so long before you need to change things, especially if your calendar is getting full. That’s a sure sign it’s time for a fee hike. When I started to really fill my practice, I raised my prices as frequently as every couple of months.

Sometimes, after an increase you may notice a bit of resistance. Perhaps you’ll get calls from several prospects, run through the get acquainted information and then they don’t sign up. People might tell you “that doesn’t fit in my budget,” or say they’ll get back to you but you never hear from them. Even if you use the bookend method of scheduling a follow up call, they still don’t say yes. This can make you question if your price is too high and wonder if you should reconsider. However, that is usually not the case.

More often, the resistance is within you and can be a mindset problem. To address this, there are two vital steps to take to ensure you stay in the flow and still get new clients.

1. Add Value. You want the value of your offering to be so yummy that people find it a no brainer to sign up. So, you have to add value when you take your prices up. Add any of the following:

• Brief chats by telephone
• A VIP half or full day in person
• Extra programs on audio or ebooks
• Making your entire library available

2. Align Your Energy with Your Pricing. This is a mindset matter. You need to check in with yourself to make sure you are aligned with the relationship between the value you provide and the price you want to charge. Do you have thoughts about not being fair or that other people charge less? Some prospects will think your fees are too high while others will see tremendous value. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what other people think; it only matters what YOU think.

Check in with yourself and ask, “Do I feel I’m giving clients and prospects everything that justifies this fee? Will get the results they desire?” You want to give even more value so that you have a strong conviction around the program fee to get clients. You need to feel this in every cell of your body and every fiber of your being – that’s how you know your energy is aligned with the program’s value and pricing.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
How do you feel about the value you offer clients? Maybe it’s time to check in with clients to discover what else they might need or really want from working with you. It’s so much easier to get clients when you don’t have to struggle to point out the incredible value they get from working with you.

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 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.

As your business starts to build, responding to email inquiries can become a problem. There are just so many of them! You might think this is a good thing, and to an extent it is because emails are part of client attraction. But you need to learn how to efficiently handle, sort, and respond to numerous emails.

Now, some emails are inquiries from prospects who are seriously interested in working with you. Others are tire kickers or are asking for free advice. At some point, you won’t have time to answer them all on your own. Remember, there are only two types of activity you want to spend your time on when building your business:

1. Working with clients and providing your service
2. Marketing your service to fill your pipeline and get clients

This is why answering emails can be an incredible time drain. I experienced the problem myself as my business started to take off. After a while, I figured out that I needed to maintain strong boundaries to guard against situations that can take up loads of time, but don’t fall under the two essential categories above.

Here’s what I did to handle email inquiries, which can work for you too:

1. Stop answering emails to your personal address. This is a very big first step and a powerful one, although I’ll admit it’s not an easy step to take. I had to let go of answering all emails that came into fabienne@clientattraction.com. I passed this task along to my virtual assistant so she could sort through them and forward the ones requiring my attention. The others she responded to herself. We worked out a system so she knew how I wanted different questions answered. This eliminated a ton of busy work for me and freed me to focus on more marketing and money-making activities.

2. Stop giving away free advice. Establishing boundaries is not only a smart business practice, but a valuable skill for life in general. If you let them, people will take advantage of you – not necessarily because they mean any harm, but because people are curious, have a genuine need and don’t necessarily realize the impact of a request.

When requests for free advice got to be overwhelming, I came up with a response that educated people about their interactions with me. You can say, “The answer to your question depends on many variables. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of answer. If you are interested in working with me, I would be happy to explore that with you, create a strategy and help you determine which method could work best for you.”

A lot of the people who email will not be ready to work with you, which is to be expected. Some people will be upset with you. Just state your boundaries in a yummy way that is warm and positive, but firm, to safeguard your time available for client attraction.

You Client Attraction Assignment
Which emails tend to waste your time? Figure out your standard answer and save it as a word document. You can even cut and paste your response if you aren’t ready yet to hand your email off to a VA.

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 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.

As your small business grows beyond the start up phase, you become very busy. You calendar is close to being full or is jammed. This may lead to thoughts like, “How long can I keep doing this?” You look into the future and realize you probably won’t be able to grow beyond the hours in a day, feeling stretched into the next three to five years. Yet, you still want to grow your business and work on client attraction. How do you make a shift in business growth like this?

Having these thoughts is how you know you are ready to begin the leverage phase. It’s time to think about how you can shift to the next level of business to help and work with more people than you can on an individual basis. Your one-on-one model will start to hinder your business potential. It’s time to put on your leverage hat. You are ready to discover the answers for getting to the next level of client attraction.

Here’s how you do that. You actually make time to figure this out. When you are looking for change and growth in your business, yet are mired in the daily details, you cannot figure anything out. You need to carve time out to be quiet. What is required is to sit and think, journal and plan out what your evolution is going to look like.

The number one step I recommend is to set up at least one day per quarter (if not once a month) where you don’t go to the office at all. You need a separate place to foster your creativity and problem solving abilities. Then, get out a white board or flip chart and start to brainstorm so you map out how you want your business to evolve.

You have to create this essential time in your life to download and get divine inspiration. This is the only way to flush out the ideas you already have and to allow new ones to come to mind. The process requires empty space set aside specifically for this purpose without the day-to-day business and interruptions that will prevent your creative flow.

I do this with Derek on a regular basis. It can help to have another person to bounce ideas around with (but you can also do this alone, so not to worry). It’s always an expansive day where we explore all sorts of crazy possibilities. Let yourself go and don’t worry about being totally realistic at the start. That’s where amazing ideas can come to life.

Later, bring things back down to earth. Your next step is to see which ideas you could actually use and execute. Think about how you could put the concepts to work in your business now and plan for the roll-out.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Right now, take out your calendar and plan your first brainstorming day. Then mark down other dates for the balance of the year. Set this time aside today and stick with your plan for future client attraction ideas. This is how you honor the possibilities of what your business can grow into and become.

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 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’ve been in business for awhile, you have a number of clients who completed your initial program. You may wonder, “What can I do with these clients next?” They are a valuable group since they have already invested in working with you.

Of course, you could create a whole new program or a more advanced level of your work. But another valid and smart option to get repeat clients is to simply ask them if they would like to continue the program they are in.

I was part of a coaching program with somebody for four years. This year, I renewed for the second year of the coaching program I was in last year. Why did I do this? I got great value! The first year was more foundational, but the second year is where you can really start to soar.

As a big believer in sticking with what works, I say it’s just smart to keep going. Otherwise, your clients who stop are likely to stagnate and their results will slow too. If they keep working with you, they will create compound results based on the success they achieved in the first series.

In reality, you are actually doing your clients a disservice if you don’t invite them to continue working with you for a second year or series.

To get more clients, you may also want to create a maintenance program. Let’s say you had three or four sessions a month in the original program; the maintenance series could be once a month. You can say, “You know, I also have a maintenance program to keep your toes in the water. It’s a six month (or whatever time frame you offer) and it includes…” then provide some details.

During this conversation, follow up your suggestion of continuing the work by reviewing their accomplishments. Looking at the first round and the great impact it had on their business can be very motivating. Have them share their goals for the next 12 months so they can start to see how your support would continue to be invaluable.

The best solution to get repeat clients is to invite them to continue the program they’ve been in or try the maintenance idea. This is what I’ve discovered with my own programs.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
To get clients to sign up again, make sure to suggest it as a standard part of your series wrap up. Plan to review what they learned and achieved and how it’s smart to keep going while business is growing.

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 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 business owners have experienced this common situation. You get an email inquiry asking about your fees as the first or only question. If you have responded with your pricing, you probably never heard from the person again, right? This is not the best way to reel in a potential client.

People may be interested in working with you but fear they cannot afford you. When you send your pricing right off the bat, you prevent the sales conversation and you haven’t built in any value. That’s why I recommend you should not send out your prices when requested.

Instead, the best way to handle this is to let the person know you have many packages and programs. Say something like, “Most likely you can afford working with me because I have different packages to fit any level.” Then, suggest you have a phone conversation to better understand their situation and discuss the different programs to find out which one fits best.

This is the way to open a conversation that allows you to build rapport and trust, which helps prospects start to feel comfortable. Your prospect will let down some of his or her defenses so you can really connect and help. Once they figure out how you can help and understand that there is an affordable option, closing the deal to get new clients becomes much easier.

In addition, if you are familiar with my methods, you know I also recommend a written interview with you in which you directly answer many of the expected objections potential clients may have. These include:

• Will this work?
• Will this work for me?
• Is it expensive?
• Will I get results?
• How fast will I get results?
• Can you prove your system works?

Be sure to answer each of these common objections in your written interview so prospects can find answers before they even contact you or while waiting for your ‘Get Acquainted” call.

One last point – it helps to get comfortable with the idea that it takes time to describe all the different packages. If you have fear about this and fumble, that gives people the feeling you are not comfortable and erodes trust. Tell people who email asking for prices that discussing your packages and prices takes more than a quick answer by email. This encourages them to get on the phone with you for 15 minutes so you can learn about their situation, talk about your programs, describe how they work and explain the fees. It’s simply not something that can be answered in one minute.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you written and posted your “Interview with…” on your site yet? This is a valuable tool that you share with a potential client before the Get Acquainted call. Ask the person to read the interview so that many of the potential objections are handled before you even speak. This can work wonders and help you get clients for sure.

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  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 familiar with my methods, then you know I always recommend networking groups, and BNI in particular. This powerful international group helped me learn how to network and fill my practice quickly by meeting lots of new people and gaining referrals.

However, many students have shared their concerns about the referral process. This is particularly true if you are just starting out as a new business owner. Often new business owners worry about their ability to provide referrals and the expectations around this. I have frequently mentioned that the strength of the referral network you create is usually based on the number of referrals you provide. Truth is, I had this same concern when I started out years ago.

Let me share three reasons why you can let go of the fear and take the pressure off yourself as you learn how to network:

1. You’ll Be Making Friends
As you take time to get to know people in your BNI chapter, they will become your friends. You are going to sit down and have coffee with the individuals and really get to know them. That alone makes the process a lot easier and less pressurized. Building your business connections expands your reach and increases your opportunities for success.

2. You’ll Learn Who Networkers Are Seeking
As you get to know group members, you’ll ask each person who they are looking for. Ask questions like, “So, tell me about the kind of clients you’re looking for. What’s the thing you want me to say or listen for that is a buzz word that would put me in a position to give you a referral? What is the best thing I can say to people to interest them in your products or services?”

Many members will have specific words you can use which will make the referral process go much more smoothly.

3. You’ll Find Giving Referrals Becomes Natural
Talking about referrals with other members gets your mental rolodex flipping as you think about who you may know that could benefit from their service or product. But running into these possible referrals – whether they are people you already know or new people you will meet – doesn’t happen instantly. It takes time and everyone involved knows this.

You aren’t expected to start dishing out referrals straight out of the gate. But, the more you network, the more people you meet. As you talk to them, their needs will naturally come out in conversation. So your job is really to listen for those natural opportunities and connect people looking for each other.

Also, keep in mind there maybe people in the group whose services you will want to take advantage of yourself. Having a personal experience of working with them makes it easier to refer others.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
When it comes to receiving referrals, you need to have a strong elevator pitch, know who your ideal client is and how to relate to them. The easier you make it for others to recognize your ideal clients, the more referrals you will get. Spend time figuring out who your ideal client is and how to relay that to others as you learn how to network and give referrals.

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  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.