marketing Archives - Page 5 of 11 - Small Business Coach, Women Business Coaching

If you are a small business owner who runs live events, you’re probably wondering how to get more people to attend. Obviously, the more seats that are filled, the more people you can help and the more sales you can make.

At The Client Attraction School of Business, we use a number of methods to spread the word about an upcoming program. Below are five tried and true methods for boosting your event attendance. I encourage you to try one – or be bold and try them all!

1. Email your list
We rely heavily on email marketing, as this is one of the best ways to stay in touch with both current and potential students. In order to make sure you are targeting the right people for local or regional events, you need to have your email list geographically segmented so that you’re reaching out to the people who live in or near the city where the event is being held. We typically send out a few messages for each event.

2. Post cards
People send and receive an average of 121 emails per day, meaning that many messages unfortunately go overlooked. When you send a post card by good old-fashioned snail mail, however, it’s more likely to get noticed and actually read. Showing up in this unexpected place helps you stand out from the pile of bills and coupons. Post cards have been an effective marketing tool for years and continue to deliver good results. To use them, your list needs to include physical addresses, not just email addresses. That’s why it’s a smart practice to collect both from new contacts.

3. Referral marketing
We ask our clients to share details about our events with friends and family who might be interested. Clients are encouraged to spread the word via social media, by forwarding emails, or even by picking up the phone and inviting a friend to attend. Obviously, the goal is for each existing client to bring along a potential new client. You can even add an incentive for those who bring a guest, such as extra time with you or a complimentary product.

4. Social media
Naturally, we announce our upcoming events via social media. We have friends, fans and followers on all of our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and like to share a unique message for each individual page. We’ll post multiple updates leading up to the event to reach more people. Remember, people live in different time zones and are active at various times of day, so don’t limit posts to your business day.

5. Facebook ads
Facebook advertising is great because you can adjust the targeting. You can choose age, income, gender and geography along with various other factors. We run a variety of ads on Facebook that appear in the area near the event location. This has worked really well in cities where our email list is not as strong. We’ve reached tons of new clients we ordinarily never would have met this way, so I highly encourage you to consider using targeted Facebook ads for your next event.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
If you are planning an event for your business, take time to map out all the ways you can announce it. Don’t forget about partners who might also help you promote your program. The more people who know about the program, the more seats you will fill. That’s a big part of running a fabulous event.

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.

How do you know when it’s time to raise your rates? I found the best system was to raise my rates as my business started to fill. Once your company is growing and you are in high demand, it’s easier (and feels safer) to raise your rates.

1) Test your pricing on new clients
I began letting my rates creep up with new clients who signed on. At one point, I was increasing my fees every three to four months. I would wait to see if there was any resistance from the prospect I was speaking to, and when there wasn’t, I raised the fee again. This is a great way to test your pricing rather than taking your rates up in one big jump.

2) Grandfather current clients
Another thing I did was “grandfather” my existing clients to hold their rates steady. This was important to me for clients who had been with me for a while. This just feels like the right thing to do in most cases. Generally your clients commit to working with you over a series of months at a particular price—sticking with that is fair and appropriate.

One thing you want to do is ask current clients not to discuss their rate when they make referrals, so you can freely charge new clients the higher rate. Even if someone comes to you expecting the lower rate, I still advise that you stick to your new rates to be consistent with all new clients.

3) How to increase fees with current clients
If you want to raise your rates with your current clients, I recommend giving them quite a bit of notice. With a few months’ notice, they’ll have time to adjust to the idea. Be sure to explain any new services they’ll be receiving at the new higher fee so they can easily see how they’ll benefit from the change.

4) Add value to your offering
If you do start encountering some resistance to your pricing, it can help to throw something into your new package that wasn’t available at the lower price. Try offering a bonus that doesn’t cost you more time or money. You might have home study courses or other materials you can add to create higher value without taking up a lot of your time.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

When I started my business, I decided to go with a lower rate to encourage people to sign up. That might not be the right thing for you and your business. I recommend doing a little research to see what your competitors are charging and go with the average rate offered in the market place. This is a solid pricing strategy. You can do this again when you are ready to increase your prices.

So, you have created your own proprietary system. Your clients work on one step, chapter or class at a time before progressing to the next. A system like this allows people to focus on and complete one segment, which is often needed before the next step can begin.

During your “get acquainted” calls with prospects, you might encounter questions about why someone needs to wait for weeks (or months depending on your program) to get all the steps. This is natural, because most people want to know everything as soon as possible. Yet, you know that’s not how your system works best.

My original proprietary program, The Client Attraction System, featured 10 steps. People were not be able to do step 10 until they had successfully implemented steps one, two, three, etc. all the way through nine. That’s how we now teach our curriculum of The Client Attraction Business School, So for example, you can’t put together marketing materials that pull the right people if you haven’t completed the section about identifying your ideal clients.

If I were to give students everything, all the steps upfront, they wouldn’t get the full benefit. They would get results, but not nearly as much as they would working through each section in chronological order. That’s why it’s important that I take students through this process in order.

If you have a system or long-term packages that work the same way, first describe your system and answer this objection before prospects even ask about it. Explain that you have created your step-by-step system for a reason. You found people need time to implement and see how each step builds on the one before it. Say something like, “The beauty of this program is that it provides a foundation to build on one step at a time.”

Learning one piece at a time helps people digest the material, act on it and get questions answered before moving forward. Getting ahead of yourself can make you feel confused and stressed.

People looking for a solution to a problem are in a rush to fix things. By including your description of how your system naturally builds step by step, you help prospects grasp how your program works and encourage them to get started right away. Following this formula will help you close more sales and get clients.

Do you have a new marketing idea to promote your business? One of my students came to me with a great idea to promote her adventure company. She wanted to invite influential people from the area to experience her new local adventure for free. She figured these people would talk about the experience, which would create amazing word-of-mouth buzz and send her new customers.

The most important step in developing a promotional event like this one is to be very clear about your intentions right from the beginning. I recommend you take time to set a strategy by asking yourself these five questions:

1. What is my main objective for this promotional event?
You need to know what you want to get out of running the promotion. Maybe you want new customers or to bring in revenue. Perhaps your goal is to set up a referral system. Or you might want to create buzz and get influential people to talk about your promo across social media for strong social proof.

Get very clear on the reason why you are doing this promotion and spending money on it. Once you know why you are planning the promotion, then you can move forward with greater confidence that you are doing the right thing.

2. How much will the promotion cost?
Check out all the costs of creating a spectacular promotion and add them up. Think of everything including graphic design, printing, postage, hotel or room fees, virtual assistant time, food and beverage, flowers and decor, signage, tips, travel expense, etc. Don’t forget to add in something to cover your time so you get an accurate reflection of the true costs involved.

3. How many new customers would I need to cover the cost?
Getting clear on the numbers and what you need to break even is very important to your promotion’s success. This can be the difference between making and losing money. Figure out how many new clients you need to cover costs and then make that your goal.

4. If I charged a fee to cover my costs, what would that be?
Sometimes you can’t do a promotional event for free. Another option is to charge a nominal fee and tell people you are just covering costs, but not making money. Most people understand and will likely still want to attend, especially if this is a limited or “by invitation only” event. The more exclusive it sounds, the more people will want to attend.

5. What is the likelihood you’ll get the results you want?
Often business owners have a good idea if a promotion will deliver the results they want. Be extremely honest with yourself and think about the likelihood of success and the risks of the event. Taking calculated risks are frequently a big part of achieving new levels of income.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Planning a marketing event can be a lot of fun, but don’t get lost in the creativity and excitement. First, make sure your idea is strategically sound. Answer the five questions above and check in with your accountability partner, mastermind group or a trusted colleague to be sure you’ve covered all the bases and thought of everything to create a successful sales promotion.

One of my biggest marketing strategies for people who are new in business is to send a “Warm Letter.” This is a letter that lets your contacts, family and friends know what you are up to. In this letter you explain:

• The service or products you offer
• Who your ideal client is
• Examples of customer successes with your offering
• How they can send you referrals

In the Warm Letter, you can also share testimonials for happy customers and clients, announce new offerings and share news with your list of contacts. The idea is to stay top-of-mind. Warm Letter campaigns can help you drum up business and increase your client base. These are people who already know and like you, so they feel safe referring others who could benefit from what you do.

Number one reason people don’t send Warm Letters
Surprisingly, you might think business owners don’t use this powerful referral tool for these reasons:
• They don’t feel comfortable with their writing skills
• They don’t know what to write about
• They don’t get to it on their list of to-dos
• They can’t afford the postage
• They feel the list of contacts is too small to bother with

However, these fears can be, not one is the main reason business owners don’t send a Warm Letter. The main reason business owners don’t send the letter is a fear of criticism, pushback, humiliation or rejection.

What is the opportunity cost of not sending the letters?
This fear of what other people will think and the risk of feeling humiliated can be almost crippling. It can keep you from building your business and hold you back from putting yourself out there. When you let the fear take over, you might not offer your amazing products or service to those who could really benefit.

The good news? You can get past this fear and move forward. Here are two empowering suggestions to overcome your concerns.

1. More people will like you than dislike you. Yes, a few people might not like what you have to say. I say, “So what?” Not everyone will approve of everything you do 100 percent of the time. Don’t hold back while worrying about a few naysayers who don’t get you.

2. Keep the people you can help in mind. Think about the people who will really grow and improve their situations based on what you have to offer. Don’t hold back due to fear, because you will be letting people down. They need your solution, so push yourself to share openly.

It‘s your duty to send your Warm Letter and share your brilliance with others. The more people who know about what you do, the more who will benefit. There is a point in life when you have to face the fear and do it anyway.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
It’s time to get over the fear of self-promotion. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen?” Your feelings might be hurt? Yes, that is possible. But, if you’re speaking the truth in your letter and it can help a handful of people, then you must do it.

As your business grows, you need to create programs that serve multiple clients at the same time. Doing this helps you serve a lot more people then you can with one-on-one services.

In addition, you want people to work with you over time, often six months to one year, because that is how your clients get the best results. This is called “The Continuity Model” (it’s similar to the popular “Book of the Month Club,” where you get something new every month). I used this model with my Inner Circle group, which ran for years.

The Continuity Model

The Continuity Model works on a subscription basis. Clients sign up to receive something from you every month until they decide to stop. Most companies that offer this sort of program usually have an incredible first time offer that is high-value and irresistible. If the offer is free, you still want them to pay for shipping so you have their credit card on file and can begin the subscription payments after the initial period is over.

For example, I started a program that offered a CD every month. The initial offering was for two free months, if they paid for the CD shipping. Then, a new CD would go out to every month from then on.

I sent an email to them near the end of two months, letting participants know if they liked the CDs, their account would be transferred to full membership with automatic monthly billing for each new CD. However, if at any time they no longer wanted to receive the CD, they could cancel and we’d take them off the list.

Continuity programs worked very well for us, and sometimes clients would stay for two or three years. The majority of people stayed for about three to four months. At one point we wanted to build greater longevity, so we offered an incentive for participants to stay an entire year. People need to feel like there’s a good reason to sign up for the long haul.

Continuity Incentives

Think strategically about how to motivate clients to step up to the yearly payment. After one or two months, send out an email with a really juicy bonus to lock in for one year. Here are a few incentive ideas:

Provide a price incentive that makes the full year cheaper than the 12 months added up individually.
Explain how you’ll be raising your rates, so they can lock in now at the lower price when they agree to one year.
Offer a special Q&A call for all those who make the one year commitment.
Conduct a special one-day workshop for members who subscribe for the full year.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
A continuity program, like group coaching, works great when you don’t have enough time in your business anymore for one-on-one services. However, if you’re in the start up phase, the fastest path to cash is still one-on-one services. To generate enough participants and cover your setup costs, you’ll need a good sized list and joint venture partners.

Rebranding your business is a very big step and sometimes it’s a little scary. You’ve made a name for yourself in one area and that has taken time, money and plenty of blood, sweat and tears. You’re invested in your core story and the services that fit with it.

Yet, new ideas come to you that you want to try. You are getting feedback from clients that they want help with this new area of business. What do you do? How do you know when it’s time to rebrand?

There is no question this is a difficult decision. Even if you listen to your inner guidance, you might feel uncertain about how to go about this. I’ve been in your shoes and will tell you how I handled this shift myself.

For years I focused only on Client Attraction. While I used a number of attraction techniques that improved my mindset to grow my business, I didn’t share that in my marketing materials or even at my events. Then, one of my friends challenged me and said I should tell my clients I use these methods and start incorporating them into my work.

I was very concerned, and to be really honest, terrified of how people on my list would react. Would they think I was unprofessional? Would they think I went off the deep end?

Rather than taking the plunge and just moving into this new area cold, I decided to test the waters first. I offered a teleclass to my list and said something such as, “I’m doing a teleclass for something I’ve never shared before. Please come if this makes sense to you. It’s called ‘How to Manifest All the Clients You Need’ and I’m not going to be talking about marketing.”

How surprised was I when this was the most attended teleclass I had ever held at that point? The success gave me a lot of validation and strong confirmation, because the people on my list signed up like crazy. Plus, I got great feedback from clients who told me this was the best class they had ever been too.

That’s when I knew rebranding to incorporate mindset was the right way to go. The experiment showed me that my list was not only open to the mindset and attraction material, but was actually hungry for it.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Taking the step to test the waters before rebranding is a smart business move for several reasons.

You will know if your list is interested in a new offering or direction.
You can “play” with the messaging until you get it right.
You’ll get feedback about the product or service so you can tweak that too.

There is no hurry to rebrand. Do your homework to be sure the time and money you invest in a new direction will go over well with your market so you can continue to grow your business.

When you are a business owner, saying there is “a lot to do” is an understatement. Working with clients, creating products, networking and speaking can keep you incredibly busy. So how do you stay on track so your marketing materials get out there on a regular basis?

1. Hire someone to do your writing
Some people recommend that you let go of writing and hire someone to do it for you. This frees up your time to focus on other income-producing tasks. Sometimes it’s difficult to give up this control, but you can provide your writer with notes and your materials so he or she can emulate your voice and follow your formulas.

2. Schedule a recurring appointment in your calendar
For marketing pie projects that need to be completed on a regular basis, schedule them into your calendar. For example, Thursday morning from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., you’ll write your ezine for the next week. Just book the time for the entire year and you’ll never forget to do these projects.

3. Respect your calendar
Scheduling tasks in your calendar is one thing – following through is another. You need to honor appointments with yourself for this system to work. You also need to not go past the time allotted. So, if you are on a roll and want to keep going, you need to look at what is next in your calendar to be sure you are free to do so.

As entrepreneurs, stopping when you feel like you are on a roll can be tough. Most business owners don’t want to be restricted. We like to be free and don’t want to do what anyone else tells us. That’s why you have your own business right? Yet, you’re going to have to work on projects simply because they are scheduled, even if you don’t feel like it. Otherwise, you may not find the time.

4. Systems Provide Freedom
This is about commitment, scheduling and staying within your boundaries. Your schedule needs to be systematized and non-negotiable. If you do this, you’ll discover that systems provide you with freedom.

People avoid them because they think it’s too much structure and routine, but those two things are what give you the freedom to make sure you’re not working at 1:00 a.m. Instead, you’ll get your projects done during the workday in the time you’ve scheduled.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
What are the standard marketing pie items you do weekly or monthly? Make a list of these tasks and determine what days and times are best to accomplish them. Next, schedule them into your calendar. Follow this schedule to stay on track with marketing efforts.

Here’s how it works: there are two ways to position your copy when creating your marketing message.

1. Try to inspire people invest in the solution you offer
2. Focus on the pain prospects feel about their situation

Over the years, I noticed people tend to be more motivated to take action if my marketing materials talk about pain. This is true for many people because it’s part of basic human nature to want to avoid or relieve pain.

With time, I have become more specific about who my ideal clients are. I discovered that tempering the pain message also made a difference in attracting certain people. Here’s what I’ve noticed: when you go after the “sinking ship” clients, it’s harder to close the deal with them. Instead, aim a bit higher, to work with people who are somewhat successful and have already invested in themselves or their businesses. This group is much easier close because they have money to spend and experience with paying for expert help.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying there is anything wrong with people who are in dire need. But they may not be your ideal clients since they don’t have the funds to purchase your service or product. You want to go for the person who understands the value of working with you and has the means to hire you. Remember, the better your business is doing, the more good you can do. You need to generate income in order to keep working and make a difference in the world.

How to Address Your Ideal Clients in Your Marketing Materials

One of the first steps in marketing is to identify who your ideal clients are and create a profile of them. Once you have that figured out, you actually mention some of those specific descriptors in your marketing message. For example, you might talk about “successful entrepreneurial women who need help with _____.” Fill in the blank with whatever service or product you offer.

Now, potential clients will be able to recognize themselves in your marketing message and say to themselves, “Hey, she’s talking to me! That’s what I’m going through right now.” Your marketing materials are the first opportunity to captivate prospects and encourage them to take the next step to get your irresistible free offer or contact you for a “get acquainted” call.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you created your ideal client profile yet? Being able to identify the type of person who embodies the qualities of your perfect client will help you know where to find them and then speak to them directly. Take time this week to work on this aspect of your marketing pie so your marketing message attracts your ideal client.

When your business serves other businesses, the marketing methods you need to reach your potential clients are different than for a consumer-oriented businesses.

For example, with business-to-business (B2B), you know your ideal clients are probably not hanging out on Facebook during the day. Instead, you are more likely to find prospects on LinkedIn because that social media platform is all about business.

It’s very important to look at where your people are spending time and go where they are. That’s why networking is huge for B2B marketing. I recommend these top five marketing tips to build your client base and increase revenue:

1. Use LinkedIn. Reach out to your connections and ask them to help you meet others you can serve.
2. Live Networking. Meeting people face-to-face is always a good marketing practice. After meeting new people, be sure to follow up with an email or note and connect on LinkedIn.
3. Update Your Status. Stay in front of your LinkedIn connections by updating your status, recommending articles you read or even by writing a blog post.
4. Stay in Touch. To stay top-of-mind with new prospects, use a variety of marketing tools such as your newsletter, ezine or monthly warm letter campaigns.
5. Have Coffee. Once you make a good connection, make it a regular practice to ask the person to have coffee to get to know him or her even better. Ask what you can do to help, which will make a favorable impression and build lasting and productive relationships.

Now, that’s not to say that other, traditional types of marketing won’t be of help. Of course a good website is essential, complete with a Free Irresistible Offer to build your list of prospects. But, when it comes to B2B marketing, so much can be done in person and through the five suggestions listed above.

Knowing where to reach your prospects helps you focus on the marketing tools that will be most effective. That saves you time and money. It’s OK not to do every kind of marketing, and being selective is smart. Many times, it boils down to simple common sense.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
What do you know about your ideal clients? Spend time investigating where you might find them. Ask a few trusted colleagues to brainstorm with you and make a plan. It makes sense to go where your prospects are most likely to congregate. Anything you can do to focus your efforts on reaching people likely to hire you is a wise move.

Take the Next Step!

Talk to an Enrollment Coach today ￫

Send general Inquiries to info@clientattraction.com. Client Attraction, LLC PO Box 62 | Stamford, CT 06904

Send general Inquiries to info@clientattraction.com. Client Attraction, LLC PO Box 62 | Stamford, CT 06904 Copyright ©2024 Client Attraction, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Privacy Policy

Take the Next Step!

Sign me up for my audio CD!

Get in touch with us by filling out the information below and one of our caring Enrollment Coaches will be happy to contact you to set up a time to chat and see if we can help…