Farming is a marketing concept taught to residential real estate agents that I have personally used while both a real estate agent in South Africa and as a Financial Advisor in the USA that works.
Farming means working a geographic region to harvest clients and customers in that particular region. It can also mean farming a particular group of people in a particular field. For instance, when I was a Financial Advisor I worked with teachers only and for several years worked in ten schools only in a particular are of Dallas. I quickly became known in my schools as “The Financial Advisor’’ for teachers in those schools because I was always there.
This saved me on gas, time and it increased my referrals because of the visibility I had by working in a smaller number of schools. I put on workshops for the teachers. I presented at their faculty meetings. I tutored in their schools. Soon I became “one of them.’’ I also wrote a lot more business because I was only working in 10 schools not 100!
When you work anywhere with anyone you dilute the results you can get because you spread yourself too thin. When you farm a particular region or group you want to become very well known in that particular region or group. Whom do you want to sell your home? The real estate agent that has the most For Sale signs in your neighborhood right? This means that this agent knows your neighborhood inside and out and is more likely to sell your house faster.
As a Financial Advisor I never actively tried to get business from other sources such as non teachers because it would have pulled me out of my specialty area. It’s not that I couldn’t help anyone else. It’s just that it was silly to waste time outside my area when I had so much right in front of me.
I know of other Financial Advisors who actively work a five mile radius from their office or only work with say, Doctors. Take a look at your current business and see where the majority of it is coming from. See what areas you can concentrate on to harvest even more business from those areas.
In whatever area you are farming maximize visibility for yourself by using newsletters, ezines, seminars, workshops and advertising in a tightly defined geographic region or defined occupational field for the best results. Be very careful to not farm too big of a region with too little resources to support your farming efforts. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin. This is the beauty of working a self imposed area deeply.
Working smarter not harder by farming is a strategy you can’t afford to ignore.
If you aren’t collecting testimonials in your high-achieving entrepreneurial or sales business you want to start right away. Collecting testimonials is actually the MOST important marketing strategy you can implement for the BEST results to your businesses bottom line.
Testimonials are called “Social Proof’’—meaning real people out there use your products and services and are happy with you and what you deliver and other people take note of what they say about you. When people know that others are already using your products and services it makes it much easier for them to do business with you. This is why “Word of Mouth’’ advertising is best and produces the best results for businesses. Collecting testimonials and using them on your website and elsewhere is just another way for “Word of Mouth’’ advertising to work for you.
Ask your satisfied clients what results they’ve gotten from working with you or using one of your products. Most people are very happy to share the great results they’ve had. Ask them to be as SPECIFIC as possible. It’s fantastic to get a testimonial that says “Working with Sue was the best thing I’ve ever done, etc….” BUT that really won’t inspire anyone else to do business with you. Get specific results from your clients and then ask permission to share them.
Ask your clients to write the testimonial in a Before/After format. For instance, “Before working with Sharon my business was ____________________and I was very frustrated. After working with Sharon clients are flocking to me and I’ve increased my fees by 30%!” You get the picture. Just be sure and use specific results for the greatest impact.
It takes diligence and persistence to ask and to finally receive testimonials from your clients. If a client is really busy I will ask them about the specific results they’ve had since working with me and I’ll ask “I know you’re really busy right now and your testimonial is really important to me. Would you mind if I write it for you and then have you tweak or change it as you see fit?’’ Most people are thrilled to have you write it for them and for them to o.k. it. Of course, you never fake or write a false testimonial. The reasons are obvious!
Always ask for a head shot of your clients (professional is best if possible) and permission to use it and their website when you post their testimonial on your website or elsewhere. People like to see who has written the testimonial and it helps them bond to you more.
Finally, use the testimonials you receive in everything you do!
Website
Articles
E-books
Brochures
Free Report Giveaway
Individual Prospective Client Meetings
In your group Presentations.
Aim to collect at least two to three testimonials a week. Start using them and watch your business explode.
In order for your clients and potential clients to want to do business with you there are several basic principles that will help you explode your marketing results. In your advertising and sales letters and web copy there are certain key questions that you must put out to your clients so they will WANT to only do business with you and understand why they MUST do business with you and only YOU.
Unfortunately most entrepreneurs tend to think that potential clients should do business with them just because they ARE open for business. It’s a bad way to think if you’re a high-achieving entrepreneur who wants to be the top of your field. You’ve got to do more than just have your door open (or your home office open).
Do your clients really KNOW what your business is ABOUT? Do they really know what you DO? Is it clear from your Branding about who you are and what customer or client experience you deliver? Everyone knows what Fed EX is about because of their slogan “When it absolutely has to be there overnight.” Your clients and potential clients need to know this from your Brand Promise/Tag Line.
Do your clients really understand WHY they must do business with YOU above EVERY ONE of your competitors out there? You must learn to position yourself to your clients and potential clients that you are the ONLY option out there that is perfect for them. And of course you must position yourself as expert, no, THE expert in your field—even if you only know a narrow portion in your field—be an expert in it!
Do your clients understand from your branding, tagline and message what you are about and how you are different from others out there? If not, you will want to work on this so it’s clear what your clients are getting from working with you.
Do your clients know who you are and WHY they should work with you in the first place? Do you use testimonials as social proof to help them realize you do indeed know what you’re doing and you have many happy clients and customers? Do you have your photos taken with celebrities whenever possible—even LOCAL celebrities will work for this—and put on your website, in your e-zine and on direct mail pieces? Do you work on creating a strong, authoritative image to help your clients want to do business with you?
Do your clients understand your Value Proposition? Do you clearly state in your advertising and collateral that you are the cheapest, biggest, highest quality, most expensive, or the best value for money? Your potential clients want to know what you deliver—exactly and how much.
Do your clients know EVERYTHING you offer? Your clients are busy and they’ll forget about ALL your products and services unless you tell them. So tell them. This is where having at least a 2x a month newsletter is key. Start one if you’re not doing one already.
Whatever you do make sure your clients and prospective clients can answer all these questions and quickly after a sales meeting with you, a visit to your website or receiving your newsletter.
One of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is to start sending out a bi-monthly e-zine. An e-zine is an electronic newsletter. You are missing out on building relationships with your existing clients and your potential clients if you aren’t sending one out.
It now takes 7 to 12 “touches’’ now before a potential client or customer will buy or invest with you.Several years ago it only took 3 to 5 touches. Make it easier on yourself and let your e-zine do some of your “touches’’ for you.
It doesn’t matter what business you are in you will benefit from sending out a bi-monthly e-zine. You could be a Real Estate Agent working for a big firm and still brand your newsletter as YOU. Remember clients and customers buy because of YOU not what company you are with.
Give your clients and potential clients excellent information in each issue. Make sure you are giving them information they can use in their business now. If you constantly provide your clients and potential clients with great information for fre* they will understand your commitment to them. They will then be more likely to purchase or invest in one of your programs in the future.
Put yourself and your wonderful personality into your e-zine. Your clients, customers and potential clients want to know more about YOU. In this age of craziness and hurriedness people want more than ever to connect with people whom they are doing business with. By putting pictures of yourself, your family, your clients and what you’re up to in your e-zine you are authentically showing who you are and what you’re about. I have a client who owns a furniture store and does an excellent job with this. Her clients phone her up if she is late with an issue they enjoy it so much.
Finally, don’t be scared to put yourself “Out There” by publishing your own e-zine. Don’t forget you are in business to help your clients, customers and potential clients by doing what you do and if you aren’t educating them with good information you can’t be of service to them. Publishing your own e-zine is just another way for you to be of service to your tribe!
In today’s business climate you absolutely must make your clients and prospective clients offers they can’t refuse in order to get their business. You are wasting your time putting any weak or wimpy offers out there. I mean really, is 10% off really going to get you to invest in that product or service? It’s not going to work on me for sure.
Here are some basic guidelines you must follow whenever you are making offers to your clients and prospective clients:
Make sure your offer has a very clear CALL TO ACTION. Yes, you need to instruct your clients and potential clients as to what action you WANT them to take whenever they are reading an ad, your website, a sales page, a brochure, you name it. Don’t just put your company name and a general blurb and your phone number. Be Specific. Instruct your clients to call in, sign up, invest, etc. Be very specific or you’re wasting your advertising dollars and time.
Make sure your offer is appealing so your clients and potential clients will want to take you up on it quickly! Most offers out there are boring, bland and basically blah. A strong offer will cause your potential client to rush to do business with you as soon as possible.
Make sure you list a deadline for your offer. An offer isn’t really a proper offer unless it has a deadline. Where’s yours?
Whenever possible make your supply limited and tie it into the deadline. For example……only the first 20 customers get “x, y, z” so invest now!
Give a reasonable reason for your deadline and or limited supply. Maybe you want to keep it exclusive for only a few, maybe it’s a promotion tied to a national or international or even local holiday. Maybe it’s tied into a story about a celebrity. You can even make a reason if it’s funny or clever.
Entice your potential clients to do business with you using premiums and bonus gifts. You can give a gift (even an e-book or a fr*e mp3 with great information on it), for purchasing early. You can offer multiple gifts or a choice of gifts.
We’re living in a very different age from even two years ago. Our client’s buying habits have changed for good. What are you doing to make sure your clients and potential clients will take advantage of the wonderful services and products you have to give to them? You’ve got to be Big, Bold and a little Out There these days and create irresistible offers or your potential clients will pass you by for someone who is offering them something they can’t refuse.
Here are a few top secrets to help you experience more clients and cash flow abundance in your business. They are simple yet powerful strategies to help you pull in more money and clients immediately.
START MARKETING! This sounds so obvious, I know. BUT, there are plenty of High-Achieving Entrepreneurs who don’t market their businesses, products or themselves at all. They wait for the phone to ring or for the customer to walk in the door. Passivity and inaction will not work in our new economic reality.
“Always keep your pipeline (or marketing funnel) FULL of potential prospects and customers.”This tip comes from my Dad, Sledge Killion, who is a Master Sales Genius.
He’s been in sales or sales management for 46 years now–by choice. I don’t think he’ll ever retire. He enjoys helping people too much. The best sales advice my dad ever gave me as a raw rookie in sales is to always keep my pipeline overflowing. No matter what. Period. You may love what you do, but your number one job now is to market yourself and your business.
Take time out of your business every day to market your products, services and even yourself to help you keep your pipeline full. This means blocking out time each day to promote your products, services or yourself. Don’t neglect marketing and promoting yourself in your efforts because, remember, clients and customers buy YOU first.
Spend time writing by hand — yes, by hand — notes to clients. Send clients and prospective clients relevant or interesting articles in the mail with a note you think this might be of interest to them.
Use this time to call at least 5 prospective clients a day. Send follow up emails to current clients and customers as well as potential clients. Use this time to plan your next email or snail mail campaign. Use it to write your newsletter. Use it to plan your marketing plan for the next 3, 6, or 12 months.
Make sure you do some type of activity to promote your products, services or yourself every day no matter what.
Systemize your marketing. Begin by systemizing your marketing time by scheduling marketing time in your diary or in Outlook every day–and stick to it!
Schedule follow up calls to clients and potential clients and keep the marketing appointments you make. Invest in an auto-responder system either through your shopping cart or on its own such as aweber or icontact. Auto-responders are a great way to stay in touch with your “list.”
INVEST in marketing your business. No one says it better than the brilliant Direct Marketer, DanKennedy:
“If you are spending on marketing; you’re doing it all wrong; you need to be investing in the acquisition, nurturing, retaining, upgrading and multiplying of customers as assets.”
Personally, I believe there is no better place for me to invest my money than in the marketing and growth of my own business. I hope you will too. In our new world economy investing in your business by growing it through Smart Marketing & Soft Selling™ is a smart decision.
that works. 
If you aren’t collecting testimonials in your high-achieving entrepreneurial or sales business you want to start right away. Collecting testimonials is actually the MOST important marketing strategy you can implement for the BEST results to your businesses bottom line.
In order for your clients and potential clients to want to do business with you there are several basic principles that will help you explode your marketing results. In your advertising and sales letters and web copy there are certain key questions that you must put out to your clients so they will WANT to only do business with you and understand why they MUST do business with you and only YOU.
One of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is to start sending out a bi-monthly e-zine. An e-zine is an electronic newsletter. You are missing out on building relationships with your existing clients and your potential clients if you aren’t sending one out.
In today’s business climate you absolutely must make your clients and prospective clients offers they can’t refuse in order to get their business. You are wasting your time putting any weak or wimpy offers out there. I mean really, is 10% off really going to get you to invest in that product or service? It’s not going to work on me for sure.
Here are a few top secrets to help you experience more clients and cash flow abundance in your business. They are simple yet powerful strategies to help you pull in more money and clients immediately.