A powerful and often overlooked strategy you can use to help cause your clients and customers to take action NOW and invest with you is to use deadlines.
Most people won’t take action to part with money from their wallet without significant incentive. Deadlines are a great way to help your clients and customers invest with you. Sometimes this is called creating a sense of urgency because it stimulates an immediate response.
Here are some quick ways to use deadlines for the best results:
1. Use a deadline with a definite end date and time. For example, this price is good until such and such date and time.
2. Use a deadline with a certain number of days. For example, this offer is good only for the next three days.
3. Use a deadline with an “Instead of or an In Addition To’’ date. For example “Offer is good only until April 1st, 2011 or when the first 10 spots are taken, whichever comes first.’’
4. Use a deadline tied to incentives. Offer bonuses to your clients and customers for investing with you NOW such as a physical product or a bonus coaching call with you.
5. Use a deadline tied to penalties. Remove the discount(s) and/or bonuses, gifts with purchased if the client or customer does not invest with you by a particular time.
When I sold off-plan condos on the Indian Ocean in South Africa I used deadlines with great success. I convinced the developer to offer all the appliances fre* for a certain number of buyers. Another time I convinced the developer to let me drop the price by a key amount for a certain number of buyers. And it worked. I ended up selling over 55 condos in 10 months worth over $10,000,000 USD.
Using deadlines will work for you, too, in your business. Choose one and start using it today.
You need to find out the age, sex, interests, geographical location, language, culture, religion, ethnicity, marital status, whether they have children, and other personal information, of your prospective market. If you happen to attract a certain segment of a particular market do not fight it.
Other focal points could include whether they have their own businesses, where they go on vacation and other factors. This will affect how you find them and how you can reach out to them. You would be wise to find out if a secretary or personal assistant will be screening your email communication with the decision maker. Knowing what car the prospective or client drives, the restaurants they frequent and similar information is invaluable.
You could even go as far as giving your ideal client a “name’’ for visualization and setting intention purposes. My ideal clients tend to be women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. They are at a stage where their children or older or out of the house.
Look at your own clients and determine these demographics. Look at the clients you attract the most of, that are easy to work with you and take action on your recommendations. These are dream clients.
Smart marketers are marketing to the niches they have chosen and they are doing a targeted marketing message to that niche. An example I came across is a small bank in Ohio that opened a division that gives medical doctors low interest loans. They chose this market because there are a lot of hospitals and universities in the area. They are –obviously– looking at the 80/20 rule. They identified they did not need to be all things to all people and that’s something you can apply to your own business.
If you specialize in a particular area more deeply or service a more narrow nice, you can charge more because of the specialization aspect you bring to the mix. Remember people will ALWAYS invest more in products and services which are specialized and not general. Finally, remember that it’s critical that you focus effort on identifying and nurturing your niche.
To find out more about the secrets to creating a magnetic money mindset and capturing a constant stream of ideal, high paying clients sign up for Sharon’s free offering at: http://bit.ly/hreehm
Sharon Killion of Brilliant Success Marketing is passionate about mentoring high achieving entrepreneurs in smart marketing and soft selling so they experience clients, cash and abundance
Attending live events is critical if you wish to grow your business. In my business I have seemingly hundreds to choose from as do you so it’s critical you choose to attend events that fit your specific criteria for your particular business. I chose to attend James Malinchak’s Speaker Boot Camp event in Los Angeles last December for several reasons.
First, I knew over 650 like minded entrepreneurs would be there. On top of that I knew I’d pick up some good tips on how to grow my speaking business and of course I went to meet potential JV (Joint Venture) partners. I would say I went to go to California but since we never left the hotel that didn’t matter—unfortunately!
Here are some take aways I got from attending James’event:
1. Have your picture made with a celebrity or celebrity in your field whenever possible. I had my photo made with one of my oldest mentors at James’ event. This was a dream come true to me because I first listened to Brian Tracy back in the 80’s when I was in sales and management for USA TODAY. He is an amazing man and very gracious in person. I encourage you to do the same whenever you are at an event. Get your photo made with one of the main presenters whenever possible. It’s a great positioning tool for you with your audience. I always have my camera with me for this very thing.
2. It’s all about how you package, market and sell yourself. James reiterated what I already knew but sometimes forget as I’m sure you do, too. You probably love what you are doing and tend to look over this important fact. You’ve got to step out there and make yourself known in your market every way possible. Most people find this uncomfortable but it’s absolutely critical to stay in front of your clients and potential clients.
3. It’s not your IQ it’s your “I will.’’ This was a great statement by James and so true. So many times we get caught up in thinking we’re not smart enough or knowledgeable enough when the bottom line is “What are you willing to do to get out there?’’ If you’ve been following me for any length of time you KNOW I’m into learning and improving my skills in my toolbox and recommend the same to my clients and audience BUT not at the expense of not taking action and being determined to get out there.
4. You can live your mission while being poor. You can live your mission while being wealthy. Wealthy is better. I can’t remember if this came from James or one of the other speakers but it’s a good thing to remember. Remember when you are delivering MORE of your products and services you are creating jobs, causing money to FLOW and you have more available cash to help groups and causes and churches and charities that need your help. Why not live your mission and be wealthy?
5. We need 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance and 12 hugs a day for growth. This came from Jack Canfield, the co-author of the wildly popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series and one of the stars of movie, The Secret. This tip is pretty self explanatory so don’t forget to get your daily hug quota for growth today!
So there you have it. 5 simple event take aways that I hope will help you as you go throughout your week.
Is the economy stressing you out? You do not need to be part of the increasing number of people facing a downwardly spiraling crisis. Employ some simple steps in your business and you will be free of whatever the economy is doing.
A good starting point to becoming independent from the economy is to find out who your ideal client is. You cannot find them if you do not know who they are. Perhaps you decide you would like to work only with women or only with men. I tend to work with a lot of women, and I work with a few men who are comfortable working with a woman. Perhaps this is because I’m an only child and my father raised me as the son he never had!
Knowing who your client is to the nth degree is going to be one of the single most important things you ever do. Because of the current economic crisis, we will never go back to the heydays of past. There is quite honestly too much excess in the market of everything, whether it is businesses or products.
When working with your database of prospects and clients, the 80/20 Prado Rule applies. This means that you apply the rule whereby 80% of your business income comes from 20% of your prospects or clients. Interestingly, I personally find that the lowest paying clients are often the most difficult and/or demanding clients.
What market do you want to attract? The right answer should be: “People who are motivated and who will pay”. When looking at your database you want to have more of the ideal clients.
In the States I presented seminars for retiring teachers to show how they could best invest their money. Most of these clients were women which was terrific. If any of their spouses happened to be an Engineer or a Doctor these particular men did not resonate with me as most were what we called ‘do it yourselfers’ and they didn’t want or need my help. I learned quickly to politely cut my time with them short and encouraged them to continue investing on their own. Saying “No’’ to a potential client who does not your Ideal Client profile gives you power and strength while at the same time it is incredibly freeing.
If you are in a service industry and run across potential clients who really don’t seem to want your services, kindly tell them that you truly believe they will be served better elsewhere. You will never regret it. Learn quickly to identify certain types of clients who are energy drainers and who aren’t fun to deal with. Many times it’s easy to want to say ‘’yes’’ to because you need the money. Try not taking clients that aren’t truly your ideal clients because you’ll leave space in your life to attract your ideal clients who WILL love you and pay your fees promptly and quickly.
I’ve been doing this for 16 years now and now only attract my ideal clients. Try it and see what happens for you.
To find out more about the secrets to creating a magnetic money mindset and capturing a constant stream of ideal, high paying clients sign up for Sharon’s free offering at: http://bit.ly/hreehm
Sharon Killion of Brilliant Success Marketing is passionate about mentoring high achieving entrepreneurs in smart marketing and soft selling so they experience clients, cash and abundance.
If you haven’t already got an ezine (electronic newsletter), you are missing out on a simple, cost effective, yet incredibly powerful marketing tool. A good way to generate a mailing list for your ezine is to make use of a free offering on your website which provides potential and existing clients with valuable free information and which offers the promise of regular, update information in your ezine.
By asking people to sign up to your newsletter the element of coercion that is evidenced in spam mail, is effectively removed and you are able to build up a credible database of truly interested readers.
Other benefits to sending out a regular ezine (monthly at least) are:
1) It positions you as an expert to your ideal client.
2) It’s an easy way to stay in touch with your clients.
3) You can build a list of clients that you can repeatedly market to.
4) It helps you capture email addresses of your web visitors.
5) It is extremely cost effective as there are no postage or delivery costs. The only cost involved is the time invested by you.
6) It builds the “like, know and trust” factor. In today’s tough economic climate, it’s a known fact that it takes seven to 12 touches (client contacts) to get someone to buy from us. These touches could be in the form of personal visits, ezines or phone call. By sending relevant information in your ezine you can effectively reduce the number of touches needed.
7) You can list your other services and products in your ezine. You could choose to focus on one specific product/service one week and another the next week.
Your ezine also allows your readers to create a two-way flow of communication. They will hopefully tell you what they want and you can react (or not) to these suggestions and requests.
To find out more about the secrets to successfully marketing your business and capturing a constant stream of ideal, high paying clients sign up for Sharon’s free offering at:http://bit.ly/i5moxZ
Sharon Killion of Brilliant Success Marketing is passionate about mentoring high achieving entrepreneurs in smart marketing and soft selling so they experience clients, cash and abundance.
One of the biggest challenges that my clients face is feeling confident enough to SELL their services and products. Is this you? Most coaches don’t even like to use the word “sell.’’ They will use words like “Enroll’’ or any other word they can think of except for the word SELL. It’s become a dirty word in our society. Guess what? NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS WORLD UNTIL OR UNLESS SOMETHING IS SOLD. Period.
Think of something you’ve sold recently in your everyday life. You know, maybe you had to sell your kids on the idea of going to bed earlier or to do their homework or to eat their veggies. Maybe you had to sell your spouse/partner on the idea of going out on Saturday night to a new restaurant or to visit friends they didn’t really want to see. In all these cases you are “selling’’ whether you like it or not. It’s a fact of life.
So why not sell your amazing products and services to help your prospective clients solve a problem or fill a need that you know they have and make some cash while you’re at it? When you look at how many great benefits result from your selling a.k.a. solving a problem, meeting a need it makes it much easier to do. Here are a few:
You authentically help your clients solve their problem and/or fill their need
You KNOW your service is outstanding and will help your clients get results faster.
Your client will be happy because their problem is or will be solved by using your products and or service (s).
You actually earn INCOME and this is always good.
Money starts to flow—all throughout the economy and it impacts the world in more positive ways than you can imagine—remember jobs are created whenever money is invested!
Selling is always about solving a problem or filling a need. Isn’t it always great when you solve a problem? Well, the same is true for your clients, too. They are thrilled when you help them solve their problem. AND they are willing to pay you for your help. Don’t ever forget this. THERE ARE ALWAYS POTENTIAL CLIENTS OUT THERE WHO WANT AND WILL PAY YOU FOR YOUR HELP. Because you desire it they exist and are out there!
Try to remember this the next time you are speaking to a prospective client or current client and you have an offer that will help them. Stay in a place of deep desire and authenticity in your next exchange and see what happens.
An USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is that distinct and appealing message that sets you and your business or practice favorably apart from every other generic competitor. Examples of really good USPs are: FedEx – “When it absolutely has to be there overnight.” Their mission is very clear. Another is Domino’s Pizza: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door within 30 minutes, or it’s free”. They don’t tell you the pizza will be delicious-just fresh and hot.
You need to focus on one point when you choose an USP. KFC’s “Finger licking good” clearly identifies the taste for us, with no mention made of speed of service or its high fat content. You must create a clear message. Raid does this with its USP: “Kills bugs dead”.
Think of the one thing that sets you apart from your competition. Is it price, quality, selection, customer service, strongest guarantee, performance, reliability? You really, really, really need to think of the one thing that distinguishes you. What is different about your business? Look at your competition and see how your business differs from theirs. You need to look at your business as if you were your own client. You must put yourself in their shoes – what are they looking for when they buy?
If you are trying to attract a certain income bracket sector, then it will make sense to target your marketing accordingly. Look at exactly how your customers will benefit from doing business with you. What will they get – fast service, lowest cost? The USP therefore needs to be tangible and measurable.
Your USP needs to be so compelling that it could be the headline of an ad. You need to work on distilling your USP into one sentence. When you are writing your USP you need to think about what pain you are solving for your client. Make sure you can deliver on what you promise in your USP. Once you have tied down your USP, make sure you use it in all your marketing efforts.
It’s also important to think about a USP for yourself personally. This then ties you into what you are doing in your business.
I must caution you that you need to know that your USP is not going to appeal to everybody. Perhaps the lower price you are offering is not the purchase decision making factor for certain clients. Perhaps higher quality levels are the swing factor. You cannot be all things to all people. Remember this when drafting or tweaking your USP
To find out more about the secrets to successfully marketing your business and capturing a constant stream of ideal, high paying clients sign up for Sharon’s free offering at: http://www.brilliantsuccessmarketing.com/smart_marketing_signup.php
Sharon Killion of Brilliant Success Marketing is passionate about mentoring high achieving entrepreneurs in smart marketing and soft selling so they experience clients, cash and abundance.
Blog 2:
Seven reasons to start an ezine
If you haven’t already got an ezine (electronic newsletter), you are missing out on a simple, cost effective, yet incredibly powerful marketing tool. A good way to generate a mailing list for your ezine is to make use of a free offering on your website which provides potential and existing clients with valuable free information and which offers the promise of regular, update information in your ezine.
By asking people to sign up to your newsletter the element of coercion that is evidenced in spam mail, is effectively removed and you are able to build up a credible database of truly interested readers.
Other benefits to sending out a regular ezine (monthly at least) are:
1) It positions you as an expert to your ideal client.
2) It’s an easy way to stay in touch with your clients.
3) You can build a list of clients that you can repeatedly market to.
4) It helps you capture email addresses of your web visitors.
5) It is extremely cost effective as there are no postage or delivery costs. The only cost involved is the time invested by you.
6) It builds the “like, know and trust” factor. In today’s tough economic climate, it’s a known fact that it takes seven to 12 touches (client contacts) to get someone to buy from us. These touches could be in the form of personal visits, ezines or phone call. By sending relevant information in your ezine you can effectively reduce the number of touches needed.
7) You can list your other services and products in your ezine. You could choose to focus on one specific product/service one week and another the next week.
Your ezine also allows your readers to create a two-way flow of communication. They will hopefully tell you what they want and you can react (or not) to these suggestions and requests.
To find out more about the secrets to successfully marketing your business and capturing a constant stream of ideal, high paying clients sign up for Sharon’s free offering at: http://www. (whatever the landing page is for this Freebie in a bitly or whatever format you prefer for shortening URLS)
Sharon Killion of Brilliant Success Marketing is passionate about mentoring high achieving entrepreneurs in smart marketing and soft selling so they experience clients, cash and abundance.
Positioning yourself as an expert or specialist in your field is easy once you start doing it. You may feel uncomfortable with it at first and that’s o.k. If you do, just keep in mind the payoff for doing it-more clients, cash and abundance. Remaining in the background and “hiding out” will not help you help more clients one bit.
1. Begin using the term Expert or Specialist on your business cards, E-Signature, Proposals, Brochures, Hand-Outs, Website-everywhere you possibly can so your audience will know you know what you’re doing.
2. Study in your field at least 30 minutes a day. Read a book in your field, attend seminars and workshops in your field whenever possible, listen to mp3′s or CD’s while driving around town or on the road for a long time. Learn everything you can about your industry. Soon you will be seen as a recognized expert in your field-if you do this for 30 minutes a day it’ll be impossible for you not to do become one.
3. Write an E-book. These are books you write on a particular subject after some research where you discuss your subject but with your slant and experience. There’s really nothing new under the sun so YOUR slant on the topic is what will make it appealing. These can be put on your website for sale from $27.00 to $97.00 and more.
4. Begin Speaking. Start booking yourself to speak before groups and organizations to build up credibility and to generate leads. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again now…………..you don’t have to be the world’s greatest speaker to present talks before groups and organizations. You just need to be authentic and want to help your audience by sharing your information with them. You build credibility with your clients when you are a speaker, too.
5. Present Seminars on your Topic. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet with a few talks go to the next level and look for opportunities to present a 2 or 3 one hour or a day long workshops on your subject. There’s always a certain percentage of any population who want to learn more and will pay to learn more. It’s a great way to introduce potential clients to what you do and help them right away.
6. Have your photo made with famous people whenever possible-this can even be the local weatherman! I carry a camera (separate from my iPhone) for this very purpose. I’ve been fortunate to have my photos taken with some really cool people like Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson (PGA Golfers) and John Smit (Captain of South Africa’s Rugby Team).
7. Make sure you have a very professional looking website and e-zine (electronic newsletter). These days it’s absolutely imperative to have your own website. The more information you can put on it about you, your services and products the better. It’s a great place to showcase your “expert” status in your field so visitors know you know what you’re doing. And of course it must look professional.
So there you have it 7 ways to position yourself as an expert to your clients and potential clients. Now go do it!
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.
A powerful and often overlooked strategy you can use to help cause your clients and customers to take action NOW and invest with you is to use deadlines.
Positioning yourself as an expert or specialist in your field is easy once you start doing it. You may feel uncomfortable with it at first and that’s o.k. If you do, just keep in mind the payoff for doing it-more clients, cash and abundance. Remaining in the background and “hiding out” will not help you help more clients one bit.
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.