Go Back to the Basics AND get clients!

Today, I want to go back to the basics. Sometimes in business we tend to make things more complicated than it needs to be. Like other things in life sometimes it’s just the simple things we need in business to lay the foundation. Like in education in business you need just the basics to lay a foundation.

The entrepreneur is most easily distracted person on the planet, we jump from one idea to the next and if anything seems more exciting we have to be in on it!

You see people going from seminar to seminar buying the next big exciting thing that will help them be successful, they are on-line jumping to the next big idea, but what do you notice about these people? Quite often they are not getting anywhere in their business.
What we need is to pick plan and stick to it. You work the plan and you got results. There is no way in the world you can run around trying every strategy. Pick a model that is tried and tested. Look at those who are successful, pick a role model, and model what they are doing, get mentored or coached by them and put into action what you learn from them. Action is the key here. You can carry on learning and finding new ideas but then you have so many ideas that you just don’t do anything with them, either because you don’t know where to start or because you are still looking for the magic pill. Well I am sorry to disappoint you but the only magic pill is taking ACTION.

So, let us leave all of those bright shiny objects behind and get back to basics. These rules apply to any business whether you are selling off-line or no line, these principles will work.

1. Start with your message

Marketing is all about getting your business message in front of the people who need, or want it and that’s generally it. My message is to service based professional who want more clients in less time with less effort. It’s just that simple.

2. What is your offer

Get really clear on what your offer is. Make it simple to understand and simple to sell. Do some research before you come up with your offer, is it what people are looking for? Is there a market for what you have?

3. What is your media?

Only put your effort into the areas that your market is likely to find details of your product. Are they online or offline? Do they attend certain events? Do they read certain editorials?
This is called direct marketing. You just speak directly to the people who are most likely to need or want your services.

Now, that you have your basics in business, you can now use these basics to to market and reach infinite success. So, remember DON’T forget the BASICS! Also, still available for download YOUR FREE REPORT, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” Get your copy today!

Learn to Break the “Ice” and Success Will Pour In

So, now you know who your viable audience is, you have the easy part out the way. When talking with clients I noticed most of the time it’s not the research or knowing what they want to do and how to do, but rather actually doing it and getting started. Getting started is where they freeze up. So, do you know how to break the ice?

If you feel uncomfortable networking in a room full of people you don’t know, then it’s worth remembering that just about everybody else does too.  If you take the initiative and open the conversation with someone, they will be extremely grateful as it takes the pressure off them, and then if you focus on finding out about them, this takes the pressure back off you and builds that know, like, and trust factor.

Still nervous?  Try this, pretend you are the host of the event and introduce yourself with “Hi, I’m (name), we haven’t met before have we?”  Simple!  They will respond by asking you your name and then you ask what they do, how can you help and what would be a good referral to them.  Few people bother to find out this basic information so this will go a long way to building solid relationships.

Don’t get caught up with one person for the whole event though.  If you feel they would be a good contact with you suggest that you meet for coffee and that you will call them tomorrow to set up a date.  Then put a note on the back of their business card to remind you and suggest to them that you both carry on circulating.

Sometimes you may meet someone who is not a good match but find it difficult to “escape” without offending them.  If this is the case, just say something like, “I will keep you in mind, it was great to meet you, I wont take up anymore of your time.  Thank you for the conversation.” Then you can both carry on circulating.

Nervousness happens and always will, but it’s how you attack that nervousness that will determine your success. So, takes these simple steps to break the ice and slide into success TODAY! Also, don’t forget YOUR FREE report, To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”

How Viable is your Audience?

This weekend I attended an event and while I was networking it got me thinking about the audience around me. So, do you know who your audience is and is this audience a viable one? Why do I ask?

It is pointless marketing to someone if they are not easily found in large numbers or even when you find them, they can’t afford to pay you.  You want to make this an enjoyable experience, not a struggle.  Once you have come up with an idea of who might be your ideal client, you need to determine:-

1. Can you find these people easily?
2. Where do they “hang out”?
3. Do they belong to associations, groups or alliances?
4. Do they read certain magazines or newspapers?
5. What newsletters would they subscribe to?
6.  Are there lists of them available? For example, you can rent lists from brokers for you to mail to, fax to, phone or email, or certain businesses would have a list of your exact client.
7. What trade shows, seminars, workshops or conferences might they go to?
8. Are there enough people in this sector for you to market to?
9. Do they have a problem big enough that they would pay to solve it?
10. Do they have the ability to pay you?

If you really don’t know how to answer these questions then you need to become a detective.  Find out if your audience is viable. To find out if you have a viable audience why not start with the clients you have that you want more of by asking them to complete a survey? 

Having clients complete a survey is easy.

If you use email, you can set this up easily online.  There is a resource called Survey Monkey which I have used a lot.  You can use the free version and it really is straight forward.  You can find it at http://www.surveymonkey.com . 

Also, you can survey current clients just via a simple email. You may find it more friendly and personal to hand write a list of questions and post it to them.

Don’t forget, still available for download your free copy of the report,  “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”!!

Wow them with your elevator speech

This weekend I was talking with some colleagues over lunch and we were talking about business as usual. And somehow we got on giving clients the “elevator speech”. So, I want to know, how is your elevator speech? Not sure if it’s working or not? Read on to find out if your speech has the wow factor that it should have.

Give your elevator speech the WOW factor that has people say “Can I have your card?  I need to work with you!”

The phrase “elevator speech” comes from the idea that if your ideal client got into an elevator with you, you could tell them exactly what you so in 30 seconds.  Different events have variations on this, some are 1 minute long, others may get 2 minutes to speak about them selves, but essentially you need to get a condense message across that will tell everybody exactly what they need to know about you and your services without them switching off.

If you put together an elevator pitch based on the ideas below, you can memorise it and use elements of it whenever you speak to people about what you do.

1. Start off by looking at what exactly your offer is , who exactly is it for and what exactly you are going to do for them, i.e. what will your ideal client pay anything to solve.  This is known as your statement of results. 
2. Now think about the biggest motivators that people have, i.e. make money, save money, save time and avoid effort.
3. What is your USP?  What makes you different from your competitors.
4. What do you want them to do? If you are looking for contacts or information, be specific about what you want, e.g. this week I am looking for an introduction  to head teachers.

If you start with this formula, it will ensure that you don’t leave anything out.  You can then personalise it and make it more natural to you.

This is an example of my basic elevator speech:-

“Good morning/evening, I’m Yvonne Bleakley, a client attraction and marketing coach.  I work with solo professionals who struggle to market themselves effectively and need to attract new clients consistently without the hard sell.

What makes me different from other business coaches is that I only work with solo professionals and I only specialise in client attraction.  This means that my clients receive specific step by step information on exactly what to do to get clients which results in them getting more clients, in less time with less effort than they would on their own.”

You would then finish off with your call to action e.g.  “Today I am looking for details of meeting places for coaches who would like a speaker on marketing.  So that’s Yvonne Bleakley from Mastering the Marketing.

Now it’s your turn!

Also, don’t forget to download your free report today, To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”

Networking that gets results!

Last week I talked about building relationships through networking. This past week I expanded upon that in my coaching sessions and we talked about ways to network both face to face and online. Through my coaching sessions this is what I taught my clients. Once you have worked out who your ideal client is, then you can work out either where to find them, or where to find others that serve them, in large numbers.  There are many places you can network and many different types:-

• Speed networking – Do you remember the speed dating craze a few years ago?  Speed networking is the same concept, you half of you stay at your table and the other half move around.  You each have around 30 seconds to tell the other person what you do, and then the bell goes and you move onto the next. Even if you choose not to make these events part of your networking strategy, it is worth going along to one for the experience as it really gets you to focus on exactly what your message is.  As you will be repeating yourself several times, it is an easy way to hardwire it into your conscious too.
• Regular Breakfast Clubs – These usually meet at around 7am once a week and require you to join as a member, though you can usually go along as a guest 2 or 3 times before joining.  These are excellent for building true working relationships where everybody looks out for opportunities for others in their network.  Examples are BNI, BOB clubs, BRX.  If you don’t like the idea of getting up so early, there are new clubs springing up now that meet for lunch.
• Chamber of Commerce – Again these require you to join but offer more than just networking.  There are usually special promotions and training events for members and gives you a chance to meet bigger businesses in your local area.
• Associations – A great place to find your ideal client in droves, find out what associations they may be members of and become a member and attend their events.
• Online networking – You have your social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Then there are others specifically for business networking sites such as Linked in and Ecademy.  Again you need to think about who your ideal client is before you decide which sites fit in best with your marketing strategy.

There are many other ad-hoc events held everyday.  It’s really not hard to find where to network. Good Luck Networking!!

Also, don’t forget still available is your free copy to download. This report is a must read, find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, with this report “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” TODAY!

The First Rule of Networking…..Is To Build A Relationship

Happy Monday Marketers! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Last week during a coaching subject a client and I worked on how he can promote himself and his new business successfully. Think of business as a game and in a game there are rules. Today I would like to share with you some of the many rules of the business game. One part of the business game is to network. So, what is the first rule to networking?

People only do business with people they know, like and trust, and this goes for passing referrals too.  You need to come across as genuine and start building solid relationships.  Networking is not about getting as many business cards as possible, or pushing your card onto others.

When you are talking to people at a networking event, don’t go straight in and start talking about yourself.  People like nothing more than to talk about themselves, so if you give them the first chance, they will remember that you took an interest in them.  Listen to what they have to say and take a genuine interest in them. 

They will automatically start to ask about you which means that now you can talk about what you do without making it seem as though you are pushing yourself on them.  Be subtle though, just because they show interest doesn’t mean they want you to bombard them with information about all the products or services that you provide!  This will make you look needy and there is nothing that will repel a potential client quicker than being needy.

If you feel you have met a good contact make sure that you get their business card and arrange that you will call them to set up a coffee date (a one to one in network speak).  Unfortunately, when people say that they will ring you, they rarely do.  Life gets in the way, they meet with other networkers, they get busy, what ever the reason, it is up to you to take the lead to avoid this happening.  Don’t leave it too long before you follow-up and get the appointment booked within 48 hours.

Don’t expect too much, too soon.  It takes a while to build strong relationships so just turning up at one event really isn’t enough.  Get along to as many as you can and get your face remembered.  Soon you will get people passing you referrals.  When someone passes you a referral, send them a hand written thank you note. 

Also, don’t forget to To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, by downloading “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Happy Marketing!

Could your business benefit from a joint venture?

This weekend I was having a chat with a friend over lunch and of course with each of us owning businesses we inquired about how business was going for each us. Through chatting my friend brought up joint ventures and asked me my thoughts. I shared my thoughts with her and I thought it would also be helpfully to share my thoughts with you, my audience, as many of you might be asking yourself the very same question.

First, let us start with a definition. What is a joint venture? A joint venture is defined as a contract entered into by two or more individuals or companies to engage in a business transaction for profit without actually becoming a legally binding business partnership.

Now, that we have defined joint ventures lets talk about them. The purpose of a joint venture is to of course, is to bring in business and make money. So, is a joint venture for you? As with everything else related to your specific business, it depends. What’s right for one business might not be good for another so as always evaluate the option of joint ventures as it relates to your business.

Let’s now take a look at some of the pros of entering into a joint venture.

• Access to more resources
• They are flexible
• Opportunity to enter new markets
• More exposure in the markets

While there are many benefits to a joint venture there can also be cons.

• All party’s to the joint venture are not clear on their contribution or the rules of the venture
• Risk of joint venturing with the wrong people or companies
• Mismatch of those included in the joint venture assets, expertise, and resources
  

My thoughts? I think a joint venture with the right set of people is worth the risk. The benefits of going into a joint venture can make you and your partners greatly successful, but again it’s all about having the right mix of individuals or companies.

Remember with any partnership such as a joint venture it is a wise idea to draw up an agreement that ALL entering into the joint venture agree on and have each individual or company sign the agreement. The agreement should include all parties to the venture, each parties contribution to the venture, the benefits, and any penalties for breaking the agreement. Each party to the agreed upon joint venture should also receive a copy of the agreement. MTM readers don’t forget to download your free report, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” TODAY!!!!

But what about your sales copy?

Happy Monday all! I hope everybody had a lovely weekend. So, we talked about different outlets to market on, we’ve even talked about being clear with prospects and how you need a call to action, but what about your sales copy? A sales copy is a sales letter that you use on your website and for your email marketing as well to create sales. Being that the purpose of your sales copy is to create and get sales you definitely want to make sure that it’s effective. So, let’s make sure you got it right.

Before starting to write your sales copy, KNOW your products and/or services as well as your target market. If you don’t know these things go learn them then come back and write your sales copy. When writing your sales copy remember the idea is to connect with the readers which should be your potential clients. With that said when writing your sales copy to connect with readers you want to be sure to feel their pain. In order to connect with your audience you need to connect with them on an emotional level. Another way to connect with your audience is to find common ground. Now, since you have more than one prospect this can be a little harder as everyone is different, but remember the audience you are speaking to has at least one thing in common, THE NEED FOR YOU AND YOUR SOLUTION. You can also find common ground by treating all prospects equal.

NOW, that you know how and what to think about when writing your sales copy in order to be effective make sure your sales copy has these five elements by answering these five questions.

Are the benefits clear?

When writing your sales copy let the clients know what’s in it for them if they purchase from you and/or use your services. The benefits should be listed/stated first in your email campaigns and on your website. Also make sure the benefits stand out so be sure to put in large bold print. The reason for this is because people are busy and don’t always read things through and through at first. At first they will just scan for interesting information so you want the benefits to catch their attention.

Did you mix up your products or services features versus benefits?

When writing your sales copy be sure not to mix up your features and benefits, doing this will just confuse your prospects and result in lost sales. Remember your features are the attributes of your products and/or services, but your benefits are what your product and/or service will do for the prospects. Include both features and benefits in your sales copy.

Do you come off as trustworthy?

We’ve talked about it before and here it is again. Your prospects must trust you before they feel even half way comfortable about doing business with you. Trust isn’t something earned overnight, but it is earned. Building rapport and trust with clients is a must so begin earning their trust today with the small things. Earn their trust today by offering your full contact details (phone, email, phone, fax, and hours you can be reached), a money back guarantee on products or services, and/or a free trial for services.

Is your headline an attention getter?

Your sales copy should have a headline that gets THEIR attention. You can use keywords, attention getting words such as free and complete, big bold even colored lettering, or a combination of all of these.

Did you create a sense of urgency and a call to action?

Creating a sense of urgency can help bring in prospects & improve your sales copy performance. You can create a sense of urgency by using urgent words such as Limited Time ONLY. You can also create a sense of urgency by setting deadlines and limits. Also, be sure to end your sales copy with a call to action. A call to action basically tells your prospect what to do next. So, the prospect is interested, now what? Now what? is where your call to action comes to play. For your call to action use phrases such as Buy Now, Buy Here, Click here to purchase/buy, or Call Now, for example.

Your sales copy is going to be how your clients begin to learn about you and your solution, so make sure you give them as much information as you can. With your sales copy you want to spark curiosity and interest so get those sales with a great sales copy. And don’t forget still available for download, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Are you easy?

Happy Monday All!!

Okay so you have a great business offering the right solution to potential clients problems. Whether your perfect solution is in the form of a product or service have you made it easy for clients to attain their perfect solution? It doesn’t matter how great your solution if those that will benefit can’t obtain it. So, get those sales and have satisfied customers by making it easy with these 3 easy tips.

Make your solution easily obtainable by selling your solution not the means to the end. For example, if you are a marketing coach that help coach people about successful marketing. Instead of offering or selling them a coaching session offer and sell them a total complete marketing programme package that includes coaching sessions, follow ups, plans, and etc. The reason for this is that selling a programme package makes your services more tangible and efficient.

Make your solution easily obtainable by having clear pricing. If you sell a solution in the form of a product having clear pricing usually isn’t an issue due to price tags, but when it comes to services there can sometimes be confusion if you’re not clear. Also, since services often times don’t have clear pricing this can make clients uneasy. So, try to put your clients at ease and make it easy for them by having clear specific price points. Try having set prices for your programme packages.

Make your solution easily obtainable by magnifying the benefits of your product and/or service. When selling your solution you should magnify the benefits the client will gain from purchasing your products and/or services. Use your testimonials from clients as well to not only boost your credibility with potential clients, but also to magnify the benefits and what the potential clients can expect from doing business with you.

Remember to get the sales you desire it takes more than having and offering a great product and/or service. Get those sales by making your solution easily attainable to all clients. Also, still available for download if you want to find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, then download this FREE report “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”!

Are you keeping track?

Running a business is challenging and time consuming enough, so do yourself and don’t fix what isn’t broke. So, if you feel like you’re reinventing the wheel month after month stop reinventing and start tracking. Reinventing the wheel day after day or month after month is not only time consuming, but it’s not good for your business so instead if you have a system and marketing outlets that brings you business then track those results, study those results and stick to it.

Start tracking your customers and marketing efforts today by: Tracking where your clients are coming from. Are you getting most of your clients through word of mouth or referrals? Are you bringing in most of your clients through one of your advertising campaigns such as your magazine ads, twitter posts, or blog readers? Did they see you at show or conference? Or did they hear you speak at a conference or lecture?

To track your client source and marketing efforts try setting up a system. The system doesn’t have to be complicated, you can use software that will automatically do this for you or you can manually do this. A simple way to track your successful efforts from the non successful is by creating a simple excel worksheet with the clients name and when they make a purchase or sign a contract of services simply ask them how did they hear about you. Take the clients answer whether it be referral, saw you talk at a conference or saw your ad,and record that answer next to that clients name. An added bonus to asking this question is if the client is a referral then be sure to ask who they were referred by so that you can show that client a little extra appreciation for bringing business your way. Side Note: You also might want to think about, if the budget allows, having some sort of referral rewards program.

Once you have started your clients source and marketing spread sheet and have significant data don’t forget to review it periodically. When doing your review you’re looking for what marketing outlets are working for your business and what doesn’t. After reviewing the data and gathering the information you need to make decisions you want to of course keep what’s working and eliminate what’s not. Eliminating what doesn’t work allows you to stop wasting and free up resources as well as focus more on what is working.

Focusing too much on what hasn’t worked and not given you results is a waste of time and resources instead focus on what has worked and stick to it. So, become a more efficient and successful business just by tracking your clientele’s source and sticking with what works. Remember, To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!