Have you ever wished you could sit down with a successful businesswoman and ask her to share the benefit of her experience and her most effective business-building techniques? Well now you can with this article. Below are 3 of my 5 favorite hard-learned effective marketing methods. You can shave years off your learning curve and bring measurable immediate results with these activities.
How did I come to learn these methods? As a personal and business coach, speaker, and trainer, I have studied and learned from some of the best marketers, lecturers, webinars, and teleseminars. Over the years, I have invested thousands of dollars in great business coaches. This is the end product of what I have distilled from the experts in simple actionable steps. I've tested, refined and used these methods and, guess what, they work!
As a new, highly motivated, passionate coach, it took me awhile to really comprehend that "doing" my business was quite different than marketing it. It took getting into the minds of my target market, my future clients, to know how they think and what helps them buy from me.
TECHNIQUE #1. Define and refine your WHO and WHAT.
That is WHO you serve and WHAT you do for them. Who is your ideal client? What sub-population do they belong to? Are your ideal clients in specific industries, companies of a certain size, individuals in a certain age range, gender, life stage? Consider what problems your audience shares in common. What keeps them up at night?
For example, as a coach or consultant you might describe your target audience as business executives. That's very broad. Compare that to saying you specialize in helping mid-life executives who secretly want to escape the corporate world and start their own business. Where would you find these people? Can you name someone you know who fits this description? For a realtor you might say you specialize in helping new parents or first-time homebuyers or seniors who are down-sizing their homes instead of just anyone who wants to buy a home. You can actually feel the difference. Each of these populations has different needs and concerns.
The value of declaring a specific audience is huge. It helps you know how your target market thinks, their problems and complaints, where they hang out and what they need. You increase your credibility and create a perceived expertise. Your audience will say "she gets me!" Once you know who your target market is, you then know where to go speak, network and write, etc. This one action has led to my getting invited to be a speaker to rooms filled with my target audience and has increased my referrals.
After you define your WHO, you are now well on your way to identifying your WHAT. What issues do you help your clients with? What might former clients say in a testimonial about how their life is different after spending 3 months working with you? Besides clients being happier, what measurable, tangible results and outcomes do you deliver?
Let's revisit our realtor example. Imagine if they say, "I help first-time home buyers by making the process and decision-making less fearful and more fun by offering you a ton of patience and information, and I am good at explaining the details in plain English." That is specific and meets the needs of this target market. Be sure to use the language of YOUR target audience and keep it conversational, not stiff.
TAKE ACTION! Put your WHO and WHAT into a 1-line elevator speech. Here's mine as an example. "I teach solopreneur women how to love marketing obstacles and overcome them with greater ease, less stress and more bottom-line success." Start testing this statement as an email tagline and in networking or casual conversations and see what happens.
TECHNIQUE #2. Complimentary Consultations.
This can be your primary marketing method. The complimentary consultation is a structured conversation to which you invite prospects. This is great as an offer when you are doing public speaking, while networking, or even in an email invitation. This is a visioning session that has you demonstrating how you would work with the prospect if they were already your client and service provider.
This might be a 40-60 minute telephone or in-person meeting where prospects experience who you are, what it's like to work with you and get clear on what you offer. You get to find out where they are now, where they'd like to be, what stands in the way and see how and if you can help them to reach their goals. This is a sales conversation without the sales feeling.
Here are a few keys to having a successful conversation that leads to prospects hiring you. Make it clear who your ideal clients are and the issues you address when you invite people to this meeting. Say that you want people who are serious about making changes. Have an outlined general agenda on paper and get your prospect's agreement to it in advance. It is very important to say up front, "If we both feel there is a good fit, then I'll ask you to be my client." That way the money question is on the table instead of lurking in the background. This provides an easy transition into the sales "talk" without it feeling like selling. Saying yes to working with you is a natural conclusion.
TAKE ACTION! Create an agenda that is prospect-focused as described here and then invite and book 3 complimentary consultations. Notice what works and what doesn't and go get 1 new client!
TECHNIQUE #3. Public Speaking.
This is the primary way I get new individual clients combined with an invitation to a complimentary consultation. By making it known WHO I work with and WHAT results I deliver, I receive invitations to speak to rooms filled with my target audience. What could be better! This really increases the odds of attracting new clients that are a great fit. And the easy thing is your topic comes from your WHAT; the outcomes you deliver.
A key to overcoming the fear about public speaking that so many typically feel (second for some to the fear of death) is to find your natural speaking style, which for many is more like teaching. Make it interactive and informal. Consider my definition of speaking; it's any time you open your mouth and speak, whether it's to an audience of 1 or 1000. I encourage you to speak on a topic you know in your sleep. Also, leverage what you do well 1:1 with clients and simply do it in front of a group.
Speaking lets people experience you, learn to like you and trust you and lets them know what to expect if they work with you. This marketing method lets you reach more people with less effort.
Don't forget to make an offer to your audience and give them a call to action before they leave the room. A clipboard with a sign up for 4-6 complimentary consultations is my favorite.
TAKE ACTION! Think of an upcoming meeting, by phone or in person, where you will be talking about one of the outcomes you deliver or helping someone solve a problem. Make it a point to treat this person as if they are already a client. During the conversation, make an offer and engage them in taking a next step with you.
Learn 2 more of Gail's 5 most effective marketing techniques and an opportunity to learn all her marketing success methods in an ongoing virtual weekly tele-group for women solopreneurs at www.inspiredwomenbizbuilders.com.
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