I’m here in beautiful San Francisco, at a seminar on marketing yourself as an expert. And someone said to me, “Why are YOU here? You’re already an expert, Fabienne!” Well, here’s one important thing you must know about people who continually succeed in business: They’re always “sharpening the saw”, meaning they keep getting better and better at their skill. And I’m one of those people. I’m always learning, signing up for new programs, going to seminars, working with the highest level mentors available and adding more learning, not just for myself and my own success, but also because it makes me infinitely more valuable to my private clients. And I believe you should too.
You see, clients want a different perspective than their own, they’re searching for big-time guidance and answers to their biggest problems. And the more value you provide in the marketplace, the more you become a client magnet, and most importantly, the more you produce results for them (which means they’ll tell more people about you). Because that’s what people want, results and solutions to their problems. And if you can provide that consistently, you too will become the pied piper in your industry and multiply your business-income over and over again.
Every time I speak in front of an audience, whether it’s 50 or 1,200 small business owners, I get the same old question. Then following my answer, I always see a roomful of dropped jaws and gaping mouths.
The question? How often do I need to reach out to my prospective clients and clients?
The answer? A minimum of 25 times a year, preferably 52 or more times a year.
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We may have a different idea of service, a product that has more benefits, a specialty or niche that we know better than anyone else… Whatever sets you and your business apart from others is crucial for you to identify and communicate. Why? Imagine one of your potential clients looking through the phone book and seeing 65 listings and ads for your category. How would you stand out? What would make them call YOU as opposed to the next listing? (more…)
OK, so you’ve figured out where your best clients have come from and where your Ideal Clients can be found in large numbers, and inexpensively. It’s time to create a marketing plan that has you focusing on “fishing where the fish are.” The more focus you have, the better the results.
When coaching clients to do this in private sessions, I ask them to draw a large circle on a blank sheet of paper, and draw 4 lines to create a pie with 8 slices.
Then I ask them to fill out each slice of the pie with what they’re currently doing to attract clients (only the things that really work) and then fill in the rest of the marketing pie with marketing tools we’ve agreed will PULL their clients in. This comes from the list of where their Ideal Clients congregate, remember?
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If you’ve been in business for a few years, you’ve probably been marketing your business for just as many years (hopefully). You’ve tried marketing tactics that worked, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve tried some that didn’t and failed miserably.
After a while, I believe everyone gets into a slump with their marketing plan. This happens with a majority of my clients at some point or other, and has happened to me too in the past. There are many reasons for this:
1. We get bored.
2. We get complacent or lazy.
3. We become greedy or simply in it for the mo-ney.
