Tag: attracting clients

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Sales & Marketing

Where’s the Beef? Getting Clients with Email Marketing

Each quarter, I do my market research. A few things I look for are the trends, language and messaging the folks in my industry are using. The goal is to shed some light on what my industry thinks is hot and to decide what topics are becoming overused. I also look at programs being offered, both in subject and delivery.

I have a folder in my Outlook where the emails I subscribe to (for market research) pile up until I sit down to look for trends. When I did my market research the other day, I was pretty surprised. This folder, packed with over 500 emails, was 85% sales material. That’s right-85% of what should have been interesting, educational, relevant information that was of service to those subscribed to the list (and helped the sender highlight their expertise while creating preeminence) was instead trying to sell something. Ugh, I thought. This doesn’t say good things about the direction the business-growth industry took this quarter.

That brings me to the rule I always remind my clients about: the 80/20 rule. When you reach out to your list, 80% of your contact with them (emails, letters, etc.) and 80% of your content should be educational (aka the “beef”). Discuss what readers should think about and why it is important (but not how to do it). And 20% of your content is the “take”, which is the place for your call to action. Your call is a specific problem (a source of pain) they are having and a specific result they want to achieve, and the action is what you want them to do—hence a “call to action.”

Keeping your 80% of your content informative, educational and of interest to your readers allows you to build a relationship with potential clients instead of trying to shove something down their throats while telling them to buy it.

Whatever you’re selling, remember to manage your clients’ expectations. Be clear-there is no magic bullet. When clients sign up for a live event, webinar or coaching, or when they buy a book, a video, a program or a service, they still have to do the work required to be successful. Products sit on the shelves and gather dust very easily. Success from any program involves the client doing the work. There is no magic about it.

In other words, just listening to materials or getting on a coaching call is not going to bring success. In order to create a successful business, the client has to do the work. That’s the biggest challenge-getting clients to consume what you sell. And if there is any magic involved, it’s the magic in your clients, not in a system, program or book. In order to create success, your clients must be willing to do what’s necessary to achieve it.

Want More Clients? Grab a free copy of my Report “What You Need to Know to Be Successful at Getting Clients”.

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Using YouTube to Promote Your Business

Even if you don’t use YouTube every day, you probably have a general sense of how it works. Put simply, it’s a website that lets people upload self-produced videos and display them either on YouTube or embedded on their own websites and blogs. But beyond being just a place to store videos, YouTube also has a variety of tools that let people get social with their videos and use them for all sorts of purposes. And for business owners, it can be a great resource.

Making introductions

In many fields of business, clients want to feel a personal connection with the people they work with. When you’re working with people long-distance, phone and email can go a long way toward forging that connection, but what about potential clients who arrive at your website and have not reached out to you yet?

By creating a short video introducing yourself and discussing what you do and embedding it on your website, you can make these potential clients feel as if they have met you. Your video lets them know you’re not some faceless entity somewhere on the other side of the world, but an actual person. This makes them feel secure in reaching out to you for your services.

Offsite promotional videos

Not too many people are going to be interested in videos that are simply about promoting your business. But one thing that web users love is a well-made how-to video that enlightens them on a subject or teaches them a tool they didn’t know about. In your area of expertise, you no doubt have much wisdom to share with the world. YouTube gives you a chance to use it.

Of course, many of my clients are initially uncomfortable giving out for free what they usually charge for. For instance, if you’re a web-design consultant and your job involves sharing your expertise with paying clients, you might be reluctant to put this expertise out there for all to see.

But there’s an easy solution to this: Don’t share everything. Just teach people enough to raise their interest and establish yourself as an authority. It’s similar to writing informative articles or blog posts. Give a quick summary of the topic, and encourage people to get in touch with you for more information and one-on-one help.

If you include a good title and description with your videos and make them searchable, then you should get at least few hits from people searching Google and YouTube with their questions. And if you get lucky, one of your videos might even go viral.

Production values

Keep in mind that, just as a poorly designed website causes people to instantly click the back button in their browsers, a poorly produced video causes people to click stop and move on. So for your videos to be effective in promoting your site, make sure the lighting is good and the sound is clear. If you can afford to hire a professional videographer, consider doing so. Otherwise, make some practice videos before uploading anything. Show them to a few trusted friends or colleagues for their feedback, and upload them only when you feel the product is worthy of your business.

Categories
Customer Service

How to Deal with Difficult Clients

For self-employed professionals and small businesses, difficult clients are a fact of life. Even if you rarely make mistakes and treat all your clients with appropriate professionalism, sooner or later you’re going to make an error or a client’s expectations won’t be met. And of course, there are always going to be a few clients who are having a bad day, who have an unclear understanding of what you do, or who are simply hard to please. These can be difficult situations, but it’s important not to let it get you down. When you’re in the midst of an uncomfortable client interaction, always remember the vast majority of your clients who are happy with what you do.

Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with difficult clients.

1. Listen: If your client is dissatisfied, listen to their concerns (do not interrupt them) if you need to take notes, do it. Your goal is to become clear on WHY they are upset. When it’s your turn to talk, start by recapping what they said. This lets the client know you have understood what they said and makes them feel heard. At the same time, however, keep in mind that you are not obligated to continue the interaction if a client becomes abusive in any way.

2. Take time: If you are communicating with the client primarily through email or another online platform, don’t respond immediately. Take some time to absorb what’s going on and to take the edge off your initial feelings. Give yourself at least an hour or two. If you can wait until the next day, even better.

3. De-escalate: If the client takes an angry, annoyed, or short tone with you, don’t respond in kind. Doing so will only make things worse. Be the level-headed one in the situation, and maintain an air of total professionalism throughout the interaction.

4. Find the kernel of truth: When a client responds to your work with harsh criticism, your natural impulse may be to deny that you did anything wrong and to dismiss the client’s concerns as unreasonable. Try to resist this impulse, and use this as an opportunity for a little reflection. Was there a breakdown in communication, and if so, where did it occur? Were you cutting corners or not working to your highest standards? What should you do in the future to prevent these situations? It could be that the client is indeed being unreasonable, but a little self-reflection never hurts.

5. Consider taking the loss: There’s no use getting into a drawn-out, tense situation over a relatively small amount of money. Dealing with difficult clients can be emotionally taxing, not to mention time-consuming. At some point, it’s just not worth it anymore. So if you can afford to give a refund and end the relationship, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, consider doing so.

Of course, you may also run into situations where the client is not necessarily angry but perhaps difficult in other ways. For example, dealing with scope creep (the phenomenon where a project that has already been agreed to continues to grow little by little) requires a special type of tact, especially when it becomes necessary to ask for more money. And then there are difficult situations such as when you need to extend a deadline or turn down a project from a regular client.

In each case, try to see things from the client’s perspective, and meet your client’s needs as best you can while looking out for yourself and your business. Be as honest as you can without getting too personal. Make sure your clients know that you value their business even if you cannot fully meet their needs at this time. Keep all your interactions professional and polite, and your clients will usually understand.

 

Categories
Customer Service

Attract Clients – Narrow Your Focus to Get Clients

A fisherman who casts a wide net may catch more fish, but the one who throws out a single line with a special lure will catch the prized barracuda.

Potential Clients are constantly searching for experts to solve their problems. When a rash breaks out you go to a dermatologist. When the car needs an oil change you head to Jiffy Lube. When the New York Yankees are leading by 1 run in the last inning they call out their “closer.” Expertise sells because expertise works.

Becoming an expert in a specific niche will accelerate your business in several areas. It allows you to focus on specific clientele and not waste energy in the search for consumers. Specific expertise gives the opportunity for name recognition within that community. A niche also permits you to expand your knowledge with ease.

Now it’s time to convey your expertise to the marketplace.

Put yourself into the public eye as an expert. There are several ways to do this through website marketing, business cards, and stationery. People believe what they see. Make it easier for them by putting it on your correspondence.

Always hone your ability. New technology, teachings, and techniques are a constant in today’s world. Be current on your knowledge and be able to offer new solutions to clients. Make sure to let everyone know your past and present education. Customers want to know their “expert” is current on things. They’ll even brag about it to their friends.

Put your thoughts down on paper. With today’s technology it’s easy to get ideas out. Write a blog, newsletter, or ebook to spread thoughts and cement your reputation as an expert.

Take a personal interest in every client. Everyone has differing needs. What works for one person may not work for another. Take the time to get familiar with clients so you can explain why your service is the best choice for them.

Make your past work accessible with a portfolio. People buy based on past work. A good piece of work speaks louder than any sales pitch. Make sure to use past client testimonials with your portfolio. This is a double whammy that will show quality of work and client service.