If you are like most service professionals and small business owners
one of your primary concerns lead generation.
And that may be your biggest mistake, resulting in wasting time on unqualified
prospects and working with to many clients you wish you didn't have to.
Bill is a financial advisor looking for clients. Working from his stack of leads
he picks up the phone and starts making calls. The first person he gets on the
phone has lots of questions and it turns out is just looking for free advice.
After a half hour Bill finally gets him off the phone. Bill's next call finds
a highly interested prospect. After forty-five minutes, he's ready to sign her
up, when he discovers she only has a couple of hundred dollars to invest.
At the end of the day, Bill has spent eight hours on the phone and still hasn't
signed up any new clients.
Do you ever spend time chasing leads that are just a waste of time?
Martha is a graphic designer who has plenty of clients but her profits have been
shrinking instead of growing lately. One of her long-term clients calls her daily
with a question or a complaint. Just when Martha thinks a project is done, this
one client changes her mind and wants it redone. And while the customer is always
right, this customer's lack of respect and professionalism is starting to get
under Martha's skin.
Have you ever had to deal with clients who waste your time or are unrealistic
in their demands?
A common mistake is to try to appeal to everyone, with the result that you attract
to many people who don't want to pay for your services and clients you'd rather
not work with. A more profitable marketing strategy is to position yourself and
your firm to attract just those clients that want to work with you and who you'd
enjoy sharing your expertise.
Imagine that every lead you pursued turned into a client, one who you could be
honest and direct with, a client who you looked forward to working with. You'd
make more money and have more fun.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could pick and choose your clients?
While you can't completely control who contacts you, you can use your
marketing to position yourself to attract promising lead generation prospects and people
who would make good clients. Here's how.
Define Your Ideal Client
If you want to attract the perfect client, you need to know who they
are. Take out a piece of paper and write a couple of paragraphs describing
their characteristics.
- What business is your ideal client in?
- What’s their role in the organization?
- Where are they located?
- What type of person are they?
- What’s their situation?
- What are the problems they want solved?
- What are other characteristics that are important to you?
Use Your Small Business Marketing Message
People are far more likely to contact you whey they have a clear idea
of who you help and how. Increase the number of qualified prospects who
contact you with an effective marketing message and you'll reduce the
number of "tire kickers" who waste your time.
Use Articles
Write and distribute an article and/or provide it on your web site, to
help people understand your approach, who you help and how you can
help them. Prospects who like and agree with your thinking will want
to contact you and work with you.
Use Questions to Qualify Prospects
You can't be everything to everybody and it's a waste of time to try.
Create a short list of questions to qualify prospects. Use these questions
when you call them on the phone and in the service inquiry forms you
provide on your web site. If prospects don't meet your criteria, you
can keep them on your mailing list, but avoid wasting your time by calling
them.
If you've called one of them and they don't seem like a good prospect,
get off the phone in 3 minutes or less and move on to a more promising
prospect.
Clarify Expectations
It is tempting to want to sign up every prospect that wants to work with
you. This is particularly true when you are just starting up your business
or when business is slow. But before you close a deal or sign an agreement,
make sure they clearly understand what you will do and when. You don't
want them emailing you every five minutes or expecting you'll answer
their phone calls at two in the morning or provide additional services
for free.
Make a short list of questions to ask that will help clients define what
they are looking for. When you talk with clients use these questions
to clarify their expectations. If you can meet these requests, use their
answers to provide a summary of services. That way you will both be working
from the same script.
Get Rid of Problem Clients
With only a limited number of hours a day and years in your life, you'll
be happier and more profitable if you focus your small business marketing
on clients that understand and appreciate your expertise. They'll be
far more likely to return and refer you to others. If you have clients
who are unpleasant to work with or are taking up too much of your time,
find a way to tactfully get them to look elsewhere.
Use these small business marketing strategies to position your firm to
attract the prospects you want so you can pick and choose your clients.
You'll have more fun, increase your profits and be more successful.
Email Charlie Cook Helping you attract more clients
and be more successful
