Tweet

Get More Clients by Being Remarkable and Different

Guest post by: Jackie Mckay

Article Overview: Have you noticed how quickly we went from Halloween to Christmas? I was at a networking event one week and there were Halloween decorations everywhere. The next week I went to the same venue only to notice we had a Christmas tree in our meeting room.

Get More Clients by Being Remarkable and Different

Have you noticed how quickly we went from Halloween to Christmas? I was at a networking event one week and there were Halloween decorations everywhere. The next week I went to the same venue only to notice we had a Christmas tree in our meeting room. That same evening, I was watching The Nature of Things with David Suzuki (I just love this show- I have a crush on David.) and Walmart had an ad for a lay away program for their customers – smart!

This got me thinking how clever big organizations are with their marketing activities and how they snatch up the opportunity to take advantage of positioning themselves throughout the year to get more clients; by doing things a little bit differently than their niche mates. It got me thinking that holistic practitioners could learn a few things from them to make themselves stand apart from the crowd and help them get known.

Think about the big name hardware stores. In my neck of the woods, the big ones that come to mind are Canadian Tire, Lowes and Home Depot. Have you been there? What did you notice? I’ve noticed that the Home Depot has a “Do It Yourself” feel to them. They offer a ton of workshops on different “Do It Yourself” projects and they promote themselves as the place to shop for supplies and to save money. When I think of Home Depot the color orange comes to mind instantly.

Lowes seems to be focusing on upping the ante with their customer service. They seem to be targeting women more than the other chains and from what I can see, they also have a stand apart service by showcasing their services to businesses. They offer more appliances and they have more household amenities. When I think of Lowes I think of blue.

Canadian Tire has their flavor to. They capitalize on their name and use the Canada flag in their logo. They sell more of a variety of merchandise including bikes, camping gear, kitchen gear and electronics. They also have an automotive dpt. When I think of Canadian Tire I think of Red and White.

See my point yet? All three of these stores are all on some level a “hardware” type store but they have all found a way to attract clients by coming up with different ideas that would appeal to their community of clients and that would have them stand apart. They each have their own special colors and have found a way to be different from the other stores.

Definitely clever.

Your Turn:

Think about this for your own business and for this holiday season…

1.) What could you become known for that is different than what others are doing?

2.) What are some strengths that you could “play” on to enhance your practice?

3.) What could you do differently for this season that would increase your client’s experience with working with you?

4.) Everyone gives out Christmas cards and chocolates (**I don’t mind the chocolate! **). What will you do differently?

There are so many different ways you could maximize your experience for your clients and truly create a remarkable practice. Take sometime this week to think about your own strengths and consider from your client’s perspective what they would truly appreciate. Get creative. Then, implement it! And have fun with your ideas. Stretch yourself and consider doing something that your niche mates in your industry may have NEVER have considered.

Related Articles
  How to be remarkable
  Be Remarkable!
  Are You Remarkable Enough?
  Leadership fails without management
  How to be a millionaire
  Being remarkable - how to have an extraordinary business
  Google US Search Share Reaches 63.2% in May 2009
  Innovation – the successful implementation of an idea
  Keeping it R.E.A.L. when it comes to branding.
  A Morning With Seth Godin
  Spin and Story, two different things entirely
  You're boring
  What Everybody Should Know About Starting a Unique Business Opportunity
  Values, Valued, and Value
  Book Recommendations
  Balance the art of leadership with the science of management and watch your profits soar
  Googles Preference For Older Domains
  3 Biz/Marketing Lessons to Learn From Attending an NFL Game
  To Arbonne Or Not To Arbonne : Effective Techniques Guaranteed To Help You Attract Dozens Into Your Arbonne Business
  Bees, Nesting and Markets

Article Tags: Christmas cards, clients perspective, customer service



Related Forum Posts
Re: Who Did You Learn Most From and Why? - Hi Martin, You missed out on the most essential community that helps you grow - Your Clients. Well, I believe that my Initial Clients have been the ones who have given me the moments of 'aha' in my business. They have stood by me even when I was a starter and that has helped me shape and build my stand. They have helped me grow as an entrepreneur, learn to have loads of patience and make the most of what comes across. They have also helped me to strengthen me as a person. btw, personally speaking, my Grandfather always kept me on track and lent me emotional support when I was down in any matter - be it business or otherwise.
Coaching Women vs. Males - Tami, Do you have any clients from Eastern Canada? I was wondering if Coaching Clients from either Coast was any different. Also is it different coaching women entrepreneurs vs. males?
Internet Marketing is the best business in the world - I have 7 reasons for saying this 1. You develop it once an sell it many times 2. You have no inventory. 3. Clients pay you before they download your product 4. You earn money 24/7 5. No face to face selling 6. You can outsource the production 7. You can do it in your room
Re: Email Etiquette - [quote="jvprosperity":24jznj58] The P.S. suggestion is good but it depends on the type of communication (e.g. Autoresponder series verses one off emails to Clients or Prospects)[/quote:24jznj58] Andy, You are right. I was mainly referring to Auto Responder emails. To end a normal email, I attach signatures. Takuya
Re: What are your January Goals? - Here's a quick update on mine: Goal #1: Hire New Writer = done - Post job description on oDesk - Set up trial job - Pick top candidate Goal #2: Follow up with Clients = done - Create and send quarterly report - Touch base with last year's clients - Follow up with 4 connectors Goal #3: PERSONAL = about 70% done on the month - Do something nice for my wife each week - Exercise 4 times per week - Daily stretch - want to touch my toes


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Executives and Elevators Perfecting That Pitch

Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Sales Staff

Intro to Search Engine Optimization

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.