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Your First Client Is Yourself
Written by: James ChanArticle Overview: Finding new customers is like kissing thousands of frogs. Doing all that kissing is a royal pain in the behind but no entrepreneur can afford to stop doing it.
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Free Download - The "C-H-I-N-A" formula for selling services or products to China By James Chan |
Your First Client Is Yourself
Not until quite recently, perhaps only a year or two ago, did I actually sit down and write a marketing plan for myself. I~{!/~}d been planning to do it for years, more than a decade actually. But something~{!*~}anything~{!*~}else always seemed to be more urgent.
Independents are reluctant to work for themselves: doing the kind of planning, marketing, training, financial analysis and other internal tasks that are essential to the survival of any business. That~{!/~}s because we get paid to work for others. We don~{!/~}t get paid to work for ourselves.
Besides, many people go on their own in order to indulge their creativity~{!*~}as a chef, a writer, an artisan or even an international trade consultant. Have you ever wondered, while scanning the obituaries, whether you will be remembered for something you have done? I remember reading once about the first man who ever sold popcorn in cinemas. He was a truly obscure man, but he had affected the lives of millions, and he changed the economics of the movie theater business along the way. Most of us would like to be remembered not as a bank balance, but as someone who made a difference in the world.
Writing a marketing or a financial plan is not such an act. These are routine tasks that generate more routines: researching potential clients, creating mailing lists, addressing envelopes, poring over spreadsheets. They can be tedious activities, especially when you know that nobody~{!/~}s paying you to do them. Many of us will put off such tasks until business slows down. By then, the trend lines are already going in the wrong direction. Tasks which are, under better circumstances, merely dreary now become fraught with anxiety. You start to tell yourself that this promotional mailing has to work, because you can~{!/~}t afford it if it fails.
After all these years of being on my own, I have finally lived through enough ups and downs to realize that I have to work for my own business, indeed that I am my most demanding and time-consuming client. The future of my business depends on my continuing to market my services even when times are good. My marketing plan is not a philosophical document; it~{!/~}s more like a ~{!0~}to do~{!1~} list. It establishes a routine. Even now, I still must force myself to follow it and stick to the plan, even when there seems to be no time or energy left.
I~{!/~}m reluctant to hire others to do these tasks because they don~{!/~}t have an immediate payoff. Maybe in a few more years, I~{!/~}ll decide that I can afford to. Even if I do, there are still some parts of this job~{!*~}showing up at public events, keeping in touch with former clients and other business associates, deciding how to market your products or services~{!*~}that only the proprietor can do. I~{!/~}ve found that one of the most powerful actions I can take is to be out and about, reminding people I~{!/~}m still in business.
Finding new customers means we have to kiss thousands of frogs~{!*~}and just as many next month. We can never be sure which ones will turn out to be a princess or a prince. Two things are certain: Doing all that kissing is a royal pain in the behind. And no entrepreneur can afford to stop doing it.
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Article Tags: addressing envelopes, anxiety, artisan, bank balance, creativity, decade, first man, independents, international trade consultant, marketing plan, marketing training, movie theater, own business, routine tasks, spreadsheets, theater business, trend lines, ups, ups and downs, wrong direction
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What I did learn is that I need to avoid opening up the Leadership term beyond what I described above. I'm also wondering if there is a misunderstanding with the general public as to what Leadership Coaching really is.
Leadership Coaching is all about developing your leadership skills, both as a people manager and in more effectively running and growing the business. There is ALWAYS room for growth in some way. As well, sometimes, we just need a sounding board to clarify what our next BEST step is.
In fact, if a woman thinks she has nothing to work on, then we aren't a good Client/Coach fit anyway. How can she grow if she doesn't see the value of expressing ALL of the great ability within her? How can her company grow if she doesn't see the value of strategic planning for the next best level?
Thanks again to you all! I will go back to my website and really question whether I am conveying the right message.
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Re: Promotion Pack / Prize Pack
- [quote="Evan":3tuiine7]Thanks for setting it up Kevin![/quote:3tuiine7]
Hi Evan,
We're still trying to work something out as Andy explained that his website is not something that is created by himself. He pays to have it and it serves is to capture leads for his Client Relationship management system with SendOutCards.
Even if we do critique it, Andy will not be able to make any modifications to it.
Would you have any suggestions?
I've offered the following options:
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sink = lose money and go out of business
swim = help Andy make a living
soar = help Andy make millions or more!
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Simple way to avoid Cold Calling
- Gary,
A chiropractor I work with hates cold calling (me too!) and he uses a technique to warm people up to using his services - it's so simple!
In Sales your dealing with 3 pools of people:
1. Strangers
2. Prospects
3. Returning Customers
You need to move people from one pool to the next. We'll concentrate on #1 and #2 as it's most relevant to your question.
My Clients does the following (you just have to tailor it to your situation - be creative).
My Client (we'll call him Bob) Bob leverages his time and resources to only get people that need his offer (pain relief) to put their hand up. Dealing with Strangers can get expensive and they don't like to be told what to do as they have no trust or relationship built with him.
So to get Strangers to put their hands up he writes up an offer with a free report on a particular pain relief - let's say lower back pain (note: he can simply just change lower back pain to neck pain and have a new report). and uses multiple marketing vehicles to promote the Free report - magazines, newspaper, forums, postcards, private clinics etc.
The only people picking up this information are the very people Bob would like as customers as they have Lower back pain. Bob's Free report ends with him stating his services and includes a Free in-house Consultation with no obligation.
You'd be surprised at how easily Bob converts Strangers into Prospects. Note: They become prospects when they ask for the Free Guide and in exchange provide their contact details. This gives Bob unlimited opportunity to contact them for the Free in-house consultation with no obligation to continue using him.
At this stage Bob's ability to close the sale lies in his office providing good customer service, Bob's ability to help the prospect and provide value at the free in-house consultation.
Notice, he hasn't had to pick up the phone to COLD-CALL his Stranger pool or his Prospect pool.
Hope that example helps to increase your prospecting!
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