This week I want to talk to you about what it means to take a stand for your prospects, your clients and your customers. Taking a stand means to publicly express an opinion about something—even if it’s not very popular. Think of it as putting out a manifesto or getting up on your soapbox and telling the world what you think about the situation at hand.

Now, how does this apply to client attraction and business building? Well, here’s how I personally take a stand for my prospects and clients in my business. Every day I work with many, many entrepreneurs with really big hearts and a great message. These are people who can really add value and perhaps even change the world yet they don’t have any clients. Sometimes, I just don’t understand! (Click here to tweet this.)

I think what’s happening is that some entrepreneurs just get confused and overwhelmed about what it really takes to attract a lot of clients consistently. I think that’s because there are many misconceptions out there and lots of different people telling you different things that are inauthentic and simply don’t work. No wonder it’s confusing.

These same people stay in paralysis mode and they don’t always do something about it—which is exactly what makes me upset. Why? Because I care so deeply about the entrepreneurs I serve—whether they’re a client, customer, an ezine reader, someone who watches my videos online or follows me on facebook or twitter. Even if I’ve never met them in person it doesn’t matter.

I believe the power of entrepreneurs to change the world is huge. When I show them exactly how easy it is to always have a full practice they become really, really successful doing what they love. It’s easy to get clients if you know what to do and then take action. Sometimes, I just cannot let people stay in their comfort zone of not having enough clients for too long. That’s when I feel called to take a stand for them. I do this by getting up on my soapbox and delivering the hard truth that no one is talking about, which in my case is the real truth about attracting clients.

I don’t sugarcoat the information I deliver. I tell them what they’re doing wrong and I tell them what to do about it. Of course I’m extremely gentle and loving about it, but I approach it like a mom giving tough love to her kids when they need it.

Why would I do this? Because when you take a true stand for your clients, you are coming from a place of service. By focusing on giving more and truly wanting the best for those you serve, they take action for their own good that they wouldn’t otherwise take for themselves.

Now, maybe that means they end up working with you or they just take action on their own or they work with somebody else. Regardless, you’re serving the greater whole by taking a stand for them and then the universe rewards you with a business and a life that overflows with abundance. Your generosity and authentic concern for these prospects and clients creates an energy shift that results in a win/win for all.People feel that. They feel that you care when you take a stand for them.

What about you? How can you take a stand for your prospects in your own business? Is there something they need that they’re just not getting? Something that they need to know that they just don’t know about? I want you to take some time this week to think about these questions. What do you see over and over again in your industry that holds your prospects and clients back? What is it that frustrates you when you see the same clients facing the same problems over and over again?

Your Client Attraction Assignment

I invite you to answer the questions above and decide how you can use your frustration or concern or caring to take a stand for those same people. What can you give them in order to make it better? How can you deliver the hard truth in a way that they’ve never heard it before, but in a yummy, loving way. What will get them to take some sort of action, which might include working with you?

Look at it this way. There comes a time when your prospects reach a fork in the road. If they go one way they create one type of future. If they go another, it’s a totally different story. When you, as the expert, take a stand for your prospective clients, you are shining a light on the best road to choose. You’re showing them the road to a bigger future and you are fulfilling your own divine purpose at the same time.

It’s a win/win/win all around and most likely, they’re going to end up working with you because they feel that you care. Pretty cool right? Now go make it happen.

As entrepreneurs and business owners, what duty do we have to our customers, clients and to the public in general when tragedy strikes? Here at ClientAttraction.com we’ve been faced with this question twice in just the last two months. We haven’t always done everything right but we’re learning. Based on both recent events and all the feedback from the Client Attraction community asking me for advice on what to do, I wrote this new article on Doing Business in Times of Crisis—an important topic that not enough people are talking about right now. (Click here to tweet this.)

Your Client Attraction assignment is to please read it. But then I ask you to take one extra step and share it with other entrepreneurs and business owners in your tribe. As entrepreneurs we’re all catalysts for positive change in the world. We’re all in this together. Pass it on and pay it forward. Thank you.

Many entrepreneurs are drawn to open their business because of a defining moment or series of events that changed everything in their lives. Because of that moment, some of us dropped everything and decided to dedicate the rest of our professional lives to doing what we now do. What I’d like to talk to you today is about not underestimating that.

You can actually use your story to attract ideal clients. (Click here to tweet this.)

As you may know, my compelling story is how I went from leaving my corporate job to opening up my own nutrition practice. And even though I had clients right away, I didn’t have enough clients to pay my midtown Manhattan rent and all of my bills. I made a decision one day to figure out what it would take to get clients. I learned everything that I could and ended up filling my practice to full capacity within 8 months. I eventually created the Client Attraction System™ and went on to fill my second practice.

Whenever I talk about my story I talk about my “3 AM-I-don’t-have-enough-clients-sweats” and how I was able to overcome all that and fill my practice very quickly. That is my compelling story and it’s something I tell to establish instant credibility with new prospects, in front of an audience or at the beginning of all of my programs.

Your own compelling story may be that you overcame a serious challenge in business, in your health or in life that caused you to change your course. Some people call it the hero’s journey.

You can use your compelling story several ways to attract new clients:

1. First and foremost, it helps the prospect bond with you. Often your prospects are in the “before” of your “before and after” story. If you’re in a business like mine, working with individual clients, your compelling story helps establish that know-like-and-trust factor. People aren’t buying a “business.” They’re buying a solution first and a relationship second.

2. It can be the beginning of your signature talk or your teleclasses, helping you to “earn the right” to be up there speaking to an audience that doesn’t know you yet.

3. If you don’t have a lot of credentials, your personal story can give you instant credibility. You’ve been through what they’ve been through too, you’ve experienced success, and now you’re back to tell them how to solve their problems.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:
What is YOUR compelling story around your business? What brought you to do what you’re doing today with such passion? What is your before-and-after story and how did you overcome your situation?

Sprinkle this in your marketing materials and in conversation. Creating your compelling story to share with others can be a catalyst and one of the most powerful ways for you to attract clients through the know-like-and-trust factor.

Today we’re going to talk about how to always have clients—not just clients once in awhile, but to always have clients consistently.

A few years ago someone asked me, “Fabienne, what is the difference between salad and garbage?”  I had never been asked that before.  The only difference between salad and garbage is time.  When you’re looking at a fresh green salad and you don’t eat it right away, in a few days it becomes garbage and unappetizing.  You’ve also heard the idea of striking while the iron is hot—hot leads turn into cold leads if you don’t take action on them right away. (Click here to tweet this.)

In business, timing is everything.  A client of mine always used to say to me, “Fabienne, it’s really difficult for me as a real estate attorney to attract clients because I can never anticipate when they’re going to need me.  It’s not something that they need very often, so how do I know when to market to them?  I don’t know how to market to them.  I don’t know when to market to them.  It’s just all so arbitrary.”

Well, what I said to him is and what I want to say to you as well is with stay in touch marketing vehicles you solve that problem of trying to anticipate when somebody needs you.  The idea is that you always want to be on the radar screen of your prospective clients.  You always want to be top of mind so that when they need you they think of you.

What is an example of a stay in touch marketing vehicle?  Well, it could be your weekly Ezine.  It could be a direct mail campaign.  It could be a quirky postcard campaign.  Really just a way to communicate proactively with your prospects so that you can actually anticipate any current or urgent needs that they may have.  If you are consistently being in touch with them, you are essentially establishing a Know-Like-Trust relationship in advance of the need.

You will be on their radar screen when that need arrives, which means they’ll say, “Hey, you’re exactly what I need.  I can’t believe you’re right there, right under my nose.”  This is when they happily pay you for your services and you don’t have to go chasing any ambulances.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Be consistent with stay in touch marketing vehicles and when you do you will always have plenty of clients because you will have built that relationship and anticipated the need well before they know they need you.

Today’s topic is where to find clients.  You’ve opened up your business.  Perhaps, you’ve been in business a few years and your practice is still not full yet or you’re just looking to fill your programs even more.  The big question you may have is where do I find clients?

These are my four best tips for how to find your ideal client and how to get in front of them in large numbers and inexpensively. (That’s the ultimate shortcut!) (Click here to tweet this.)

1. Get clear on who that ideal client is.  You may be thinking, “Yeah, yeah I know this.  I know this already,” but most people that I talk to aren’t actually very clear about who their ideal clients are.  You want to get clear on who is it that will get great results from working with you.  Who is it that you love working with that sees value in what you have to offer because they get great results from working with you and they’re going to tell others.

Get really clear about the following: are they a particular gender, a particular company, a particular age group or do they have a particular problem?  Whatever it is, figure out who that person is first.  It is basic, but so, so important.

2. Once you know who that is, you want to look to see who is already speaking to that person.  Perhaps, it’s an individual like a strategic alliance or a joint-venture partner who is in a particular industry and is already speaking to that person, or who already has a list of these people. Or perhaps it’s an organization, networking group or an association who is already speaking to large numbers of your idea client. They’ve already gathered them for themselves, but really they’ve gathered them for you too. Once you’ve identified these people or groups, you’ll want to reach out to them and offer to add value to their people, to their list.

3. Contact them and ask, “How can I help?  This is what I do.  Can I offer some free content?  Would you like me to come and speak?”  Whatever it is that you do you are making sure that it’s not all about you, that you’re not here to just take from them because they’ve really put a lot of time and effort and probably money in gathering these people so you want to make sure that what you’re offering benefits that strategic alliance or that joint-venture partner as well.

4. Make an offer. The idea is to give such good content and such value, whether you’re speaking or giving them something free, that you will impress them so much that they’re going to come over to your list.  This is when you want to offer these people something that they can’t refuse.  Maybe it’s your free checklist, your free audio, your free DVD, or a free ticket to an event that you’re doing.  Bring them over and then give them high content and high value on your own list until they raise their hand and say, “I’m ready.  I want to work with you.”

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Us this formula to find your ideal clients.  Just put it into place.  Do the work and watch your practice grow.

Join Fabienne and Amy Porterfield for this conversation about inspiration and courage, while you discover “best practices” on how to play bigger in your work and in your life. Enjoy!

With 12+ years marketing experience, Amy has worked with mega brands like Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, along with Tony Robbins International where she oversaw his content marketing team and collaborated on multiple online marketing campaigns.

She currently creates online programs to teach entrepreneurs and small businesses how to leverage social media to gain greater exposure, attract quality leads and turn their fans and followers into loyal customers. To learn more about Facebook and social media for your business, check out Amy’s site: http://www.amyporterfield.com

See all the classes here.

It’s Fabienne and Derek sending you warm wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving.

We want to take this moment to tell you that we’re just so grateful to have you in our lives.

We were reflecting back on what a wonderful year it’s been, giving deep thanks for all the abundance in our lives and really taking the time to appreciate our family, our children, our friends, our team, our yummy clients and customers and of course, you too! (Click here to tweet this.)

We’re so incredibly proud of the work that you’re doing. Whether you’re just getting your very first client or you’re passing the million dollar mark in your business, we’re truly honored to have you in our lives and to be part of your process–so thank you.

Take a moment to watch our video message because we have a special Client Attraction assignment for you for today. It has to do with gratitude and this one simple assignment is going to give you a lot of momentum as you continue to attract more clients and grow your business.

Remember, we love you, we believe in you and we’re sending you big hugs from all of us here on the Client Attraction Team.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Fabienne and Derek

[youtube width=”600″ height=”350″ ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4K6NZMOWFI[/youtube]

Today’s video strategy is about how to transition into a new business. Whether you’re transitioning from a corporate job into a new business or if you are transitioning from one business to another, it can feel like a bit of an identity crisis. I know because I’ve done this twice. I’ve jumped from my corporate job into my first business, which was a holistic nutrition business, and then I transitioned from my holistic nutrition business into ClientAttraction.com.

The identity crisis and the angst comes from the fact that you don’t want to lose income from the first business or job, but you also need to let others know about what you’re doing. I have several tips for you today about how to transition from one into the other. (Click here to tweet this.)

The very first thing I want to share with you is do not quit your day job just yet! For many years, I worked with clients who would let me know after the fact that they quit their day job, and they said, “Oh, I’m free and now I have all this time to spend on my new business.” But they took their eye off the ball, if you will, in terms of what their bread and butter was. After a while, their income very quickly spiraled, which puts people into a fear place. I do not want that for you. Do not quit your day job. Instead, focus your attention on what is bringing in the money. Even if you’re transitioning from one business to another, you don’t want to put your full attention into the second business and forget what’s bringing in the money.

Continue to give attention to job #1 or business #1, and then create extra time for your second venture. Perhaps you start working on your second business during the evenings and weekends. This is what I did in my transitions, both from corporate to my first business and from my first business to my second business.

The idea is that while you’re still collecting a paycheck from either your first business or corporate, you create all of the marketing you need. This is where you start focusing on who is your ideal client, what is it that they need most, what is it that they are struggling with the most? Create a compelling message around this new business. Create your marketing materials. Create a marketing plan and decide how you will get out there in a big way while you’re still collecting a paycheck.

Once you have those things in place, then it’s time to begin networking your new business in a new group. Here’s what I did in the beginning. I would go to a networking group at 7:30 in the morning, even though I was still working in corporate. I would market my new business and be at work by 9:00. If you’re in your existing business, you keep networking for your existing business and then you find a different networking group and market your second business.

The idea is that you’re riding two horses at the same time. That can be tiring, but it’s less confusing and again, you want to continue getting that paycheck. Sometimes people ask me, “I’m carrying around two different business cards. Do I hand out two business cards or just one?” I believe that you hand out just one business card—whichever is more appropriate for that person. You don’t want to confuse people.

Then once you’re making enough income from your second business, that is the one that you start marketing full-time. Once you get at least enough to cover your basic expenses, then you shift your entire focus onto that one. Don’t stop taking clients from the first one if you don’t have to and then build the second one. That is how I’ve been able to transition twice and my clients have been able to do the same without losing any income and without sleepless nights.

Make the transition peacefully and easily.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

If you’re thinking of transitioning into a new business, take these tips into consideration. Continue to get clients, continue to make money, and to be able to transition peacefully and easily.

Join Fabienne and Shama Kabani for this conversation about inspiration and courage, while you discover “best practices” on how to play big. Enjoy!

See all the classes here.