You need to be paid well. But, when it comes to raising your rates, you may get resistance from clients who have a hard time justifying paying as much as you’re charging. You’re experiencing what I call price resistance. In today’s video I’m going to walk you through just how to position what you offer so that clients can see the real value they’re receiving. They need to know the Return on Investment from working with you. So tune in and I’ll show you how to position your marketing and what exactly to say to do just that.
I see this with my Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond clients and even clients in the Gold level of my Winner’s Academy. The minute you raise your prices, you’re met with resistance so here’s what your rationale needs to be.

It all comes down to believing in personal investment. When you do and when you live it yourself—by working with a high level mentor or being part of a mastermind group that will stretch and pull you into your future—then you will be able to receive high level rates and be paid well for the work you do.

From there you will have the words and the rationale to talk to your clients about Return on Investment (ROI). When you take the focus away from ‘cost’ and instead put it on ‘ROI’, clients and prospects will be able to see the true value of what you have to offer.

Your Video Assignment
1. Paint a picture of what your clients receive as a result of working with you. How will working with you make a difference in their life?
2. Position your marketing in a way that focuses on ROI. Use wording that can clearly express what they’ll get out of working with you.
3. Practice positioning what you offer in terms of ROI. Remember ROI doesn’t always mean money. It could be health, increased energy—think of it in terms of how will your client’s life be changed.

You’ll find that clients will happily pay you with future money that they earn back from working with you.

How to follow up on prospects is one of the most common questions I get and there are as many experts with an answer to this as there are ways to do it. I take a cue from a good friend of mine who happens to be my life insurance agent.

One day, Rob was celebrating a big new account he’d just signed on and I asked him how he got such a great client. Rob told me that it was persistence and “Just Checking In” on a regular basis that landed him the sizable account. The story goes like this: One day, my friend was given a referral for this potential client, let’s call him Joe. But Joe wasn’t ready to buy life insurance from Rob quite yet, so without thinking that this meant “I don’t want to do business with you, ever” as many of us think when someone doesn’t bite right away, Rob kept Joe on the equivalent of HIS warm prospects list and followed up with a phone call, once a quarter.

And each time, he’d called and say, “Hi Joe, this is Rob from XX Financial, just checking in to see how you are and see where you are in your process of changing your life insurance coverage…. OK, not quite ready yet. No problem! I’ll be back in touch.” And Rob did this every quarter or so, until lo and behold, a couple of years later (yes, sometimes it takes THAT long for someone to come around), Rob was doing his routine “Just Checking In” with Joe, and Joe handed him the account, for over $10 million.

As he was handing over his business to Rob, Joe told him that the reason he chose Rob as opposed to the half dozen other people he knew in the insurance business was that 1) Rob never pushed him or became aggressive, 2) he felt he could trust Rob because of his reliability in following through, and 3) he liked being “checked in with” without being pressured. He liked the consistency and felt that if Rob was this consistent before he even became a client, that he’d be even better once they worked together. Awesome story.

What I get out of that is: 1) “Not right now” doesn’t mean “NO”; 2) pressuring doesn’t work; 3) a friendly approach does work; 4) consistency builds trust; and most important, 5) following up gets you clients.

That said, I now use this “Just checking in” method with people on my Low-Hanging Fruit list because it feels comfortable and I hate to push myself on others. This is just a friendly way of seeing where the person is in their process and has helped me convert lots of clients into paying clients, even years after they initially expressed interest.

Which brings me to something else: never take someone off your Low-Hanging Fruit list unless they tell you to stop contacting you. A prospect is a prospect is a prospect until they become a client, no matter how long it takes. So, just keep checking in with them until they do.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Go through your Low-Hanging Fruit list and “Just Check in” with people to see where they are in their process of wanting to work with you. The objective is to get them into a one-on-one conversation in person or over the phone, where you can then see if it makes sense to start working together.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Most people don’t follow up on prospects because of the following reasons:

• They’re afraid of appearing too pushy

• They’re afraid of being turned down or rejected

• Their negative self-talk (that gremlin) gets in the way

• They’re afraid to have to talk about money (dreaded subject)

• They have a fear of success

• And simultaneously, a fear of failure too

Problem is, following up on leads is often 90% of the game. You spend all this time networking, marketing yourself, making calls, looking for the right client, but what’s it worth if you don’t follow up on the leads you DO have?

This is a major obstacle for many of my clients and a shift gets created when I share the Low-Hanging List with them.

If you think about low-hanging fruit on a tree, it’s usually the fruit that is the ripest and therefore the lowest and most accessible on the tree as it is the heaviest. But mostly, I use this analogy to show you that low-hanging fruit is the easiest to pick. You don’t have to tug at it to get it off the stem or branch. And when you think about warm prospects in terms of how ready they are to work with you (cold, warm and hot – hot being they’re already signing on the dotted line) you can easily equate the “warm” prospects as being similar to the low-hanging fruit.

Warm prospects are people who’ve expressed interest in working with you, in one form or another, over the past year or more. This could have been either in passing (“Oh, I should work with you one day” to “I want to work with you, but I’m not quite ready yet”) or with more intention (“Let’s set up a time to talk about working together”) via e-mail, verbally or third party referral.

Go through your mental Rolodex, sticky notes on your desk, day planner and past potential-client folder to see who in your network has expressed interest in working with you over the last 6 months to a year and more. It’s usually many more than you immediately think of, especially if you’ve been in business for awhile but have no tracking system for warm prospects.

Then it’s time to follow up with these people with the objective of setting up a conversation about working together. (We’ll discuss this further in the following step.) You can also use this list to send invitations to your upcoming events, to send articles on relevant topics, invite to a golf outing, etc.

The bottom line is, when I use my Low-Hanging Fruit list, I sign on a lot more clients than when I don’t use it. And many of my clients have said the same thing when they’ve used it religiously.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Have a chart on your desk with several columns: 1) name, 2) phone number, 3) e-mail address, 4) referral source, 5) that client’s particular concern and 6) status/when to contact next.

Please list all of these “low-hanging fruit” on the chart. This can also include those you met with previously but who never signed up, for whatever reason. Fill it out in pencil and keep it on your desk at ALL times.

This will be one of your more important documents to use for signing on new clients.

It’s about prioritizing and focusing on the “low-hanging fruit” rather than starting the process from scratch with cold prospects who’ve never heard of you before. It’s somewhat deceptive because it’s so simple, but the good things usually are…

Leave this sheet on your desk at all times. It’s the only paper on my desk and, yes, I do use pencil when I fill it out, as things change constantly and having it hidden in my laptop’s hard drive would take it out of my sight.

And you know what they say, out of sight, out of mind…

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”367″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_idflHwy0[/youtube]

My video tip for you today is all about the importance of creating your signature system – and how to get started today. Your signature system is really key to multiplying your business over and over. It becomes the basis for your bootcamp, three-day workshop, even the book you’ve always wanted to write. I’ve done this with my own Client Attraction signature system and I teach my Platinum and private level clients to do the same in order to leverage their business. So, where do you even start? Come on, overcome your analysis paralysis with me – watch this short video for this important strategy for growing your business.

Your signature system is actually rather easy to put together. You want to start by getting everything you know about your system down on paper. Document your unique process from start to finish – and don’t worry so much if you’re leaving something out. Your signature system brings your clients in so you can always give them more later.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

1. Write down all the key components. Use bullet points. Include everything you know for sure about your system. Brainstorm.
2. Group all your bullet points into categories. Then give each category a label.
3. Put your categories in logical, chronological order. You want them to follow a step-by-step order that makes sense to the user.
4. Lastly, give your system a results-focused title. And Voila! You’ve got your Signature System.

An effective signature system is the basis for multiplying your business in so many ways. It’s an essential tool for multiplying your business to that next BIG level. Have some fun with it – the key is to just get it done.

© 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

If you enjoyed this video, please post your comment or question below and share it with your friends and colleagues who would find it beneficial.

The mistake that most self-employed people in private practice looking for clients make is that they tell people about what they think they do, instead of the results the client wants to receive. The problem is, people don’t necessarily want a journey; they want a direct route to a solution. Essentially, they want RESULTS, first and foremost.

You see, everyone (including you and me) walks around thinking, “What’s In It For ME?” So, when you describe what you do in terms of a boring process or describe what you do using a label (“I’m an acupuncturist” or “I do financial plans”) you immediately tune out the other person because you’re talking about yourself, not them. And that’s not very Client Attractive.

The key is, it’s got to be about THEM, and that’s what draws people to you. The more you can talk about them, their problems and what solutions are out there for them, the more you’ll start really getting attention from prospects. Better yet, the more clients you’ll sign on.

To take this “focusing on what they really get from you” to a higher level, let’s refer to a list of the top 10 reasons, motivators, results or benefits that make people buy, according to Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel in their ebook entitled “Ebook Secrets Exposed” www.EbookSecretsExposed.com:

Here, according to them, are the most powerful motivators:

1. Make money

2. Save money

3. Save time

4. Avoid effort

5. Get more comfort

6. Achieve greater cleanliness

7. Attain fuller health

8. Escape physical pain

9. Gain praise

10. Be popular

Now, not every one of these fits your business, and most likely, yours fall into the top 4 motivators, unless you’re in healthcare or image, then it usually falls within the last 6. Either way, it’s time for you to narrow them down into motivators from the Top Ten list above.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Circle the motivators from the list above that fit your business and then list an example of how this has already happened using real client examples.

Which of these does your service provide? Write down the “Motivators” that fit your business.

Now provide concrete client examples that apply to past clients, for each. (“I helped Client A make money when…,” “I helped Client B save money when…”)

 

When talking about what they do for clients, most people end up talking about the PROCESS of what they do, not what they really DO for clients, both in speaking to them and in written communication to them, i.e. their marketing materials. There’s a huge distinction there, and that distinction is costing them (and perhaps even you) lots of potential new clients.

When talking about their business, many professionals make the mistake of describing exactly what they do, in boring detail. “My company has been in business for X number of years and we use the newest technology systems. We use a complicated series of… blah blah blah.”

Hate to say this, but… SO WHAT! Nobody cares!

When I hear someone talk to prospects this way, it sends up a big red flag for me: these people don’t really know what they DO for clients and they’re losing potential clients every time they open their mouths and every time someone reads their materials! The problem is that they’re clearly not connected enough to their client base to see what honest-togoodness benefits they bring their clients.

There’s a saying that goes “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” And until you can tell someone what’s in it for THEM to work with you, they won’t pay attention to you or what you’re saying.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve been doing this wrong, but it’s something that you’ll want to work on quickly so you don’t let any more prospective clients slip through your fingers. It just takes asking yourself what you really DO for clients, what results and benefits you get for them and then to articulate that so that a prospective client looking for that particular problem will want to work with you.

Real client attraction is based on creating client-centered marketing and messages. You may have heard of the phrase “features vs. benefits” but have never really known what they mean or how to apply them to you business to get clients. We’ll do this now.

An example of a product’s FEATURE is its color, shape, size, usage or capacity, etc.

An example of a BENEFIT or a RESULT is what it does for you—its solution. It helps you lose weight, makes you more money, saves you more money, makes you happier, helps you attract clients, helps you grow your hair back, solves your particular frustration or ends that chronic health concern you’ve been dealing with. This is what you want to focus on when describing what you really DO for clients, not what you think you do.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Write out the specific and numerous benefits, results and solutions clients receive when using your services. At the end of the day, what do you really DO for your clients? What are the results and benefits you bring to them? What do they walk away with? Make a list of all the tangible results and measurable benefits people get from working with you.

Think: “What do I really do for them in the end?” and “What’s REALLY in it for them?” If you don’t know what that is, ask your current and former clients, “What have I done for you? What specific and tangible results have you gotten from our work?” They’ll tell you, in a language that OTHER prospective clients will understand.

Then create a series of statements from these benefits and solutions simple enough for a 6-year old child to understand and repeat.

Then combine them into a captivating 3 or 4-sentence statement that you’ll use in all your marketing communications and every time you meet someone new.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”367″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqY2Qw5v5kE[/youtube]
My video tip for you today involves learning How to implement more. Did you know that most entrepreneurs aren’t wired to see things all the way through to successful completion, as much as we are to START things. That’s right, it’s very likely that you’re not wired to get things done – so give yourself a break already and STOP struggling.

I admit it, I’m not a finisher. The word ‘entrepreneur’ comes from the French word, ‘entreprendre’ – which means to undertake, to launch, to begin. I’m a true entrepreneur through and through. I’m great at starting things, but not finishing them. And guess what? If your ideas aren’t being implemented – if someone isn’t seeing them through to completion – then you won’t get the results you’re looking for in your business! It’s as simple as that.

To see results, you must figure out how you’re wired. When I coach my Platinum (and higher level) clients, one of the first things we do together is figure out how they’re wired. If you don’t figure this out, you’ll continue to struggle.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

1. Understand how you’re wired. Are you someone who starts things, or are you someone who completes things? If you’re a starter, you need to surround yourself with people who are finishers. Even if it’s part time or a virtual person a few hours a week, you’ll need someone to take care of the things that you’ve started.
   Discipline and willpower are not going to work if you’re not wired to finish projects. Surround yourself with people who will finish things for you.
2. Create time in your day. You need uninterrupted time where you can work on things that need to be finished because there will be things that you cannot delegate. Set it in your calendar, like a client appointment, then those things will get done.
3. Set up accountability measures.  When you have people holding you accountable for implementing, it will help you focus. My best advice is to get a high level mentor or join a mastermind group that focuses on accountability and implementation. If you don’t have that, you’ll get distracted and you won’t get as much done. You want to talk to someone daily who will help you finish the things that you start.

Use these 3 tips to bypass discipline and go straight to implementation. Remember, when you implement, that’s when you make more money. When you focus on implementing money-generating activities and money-generating implementation, you will multiply your income dramatically.

© 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

If you enjoyed this video, please post your comment or question below and share it with your friends and colleagues who would find it beneficial.

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
– Bill Cosby

No one likes a generalist (do you want a generalist performing a quadruple bypass on you, or do you want the best coronary surgeon in the country doing that?) so it’s time for you to get really specific on what makes you an expert in your field.

A niche doesn’t always have to do with a particular type of client. Rather, it sometimes has to do with a particular situation you solve or some THING or RESULT at which you are considered an expert.

An example: perhaps you are known within the telecom industry for lowering phone bills up to 90%. Maybe you have a knack for turning around graphic design projects in one day. Whatever it is, it needs to be one of the things that sets you apart in the marketplace and gives you an advantage over your colleagues.

And the clearer you are about this niche or expertise, the more clients will seek you out, the more referrals you will receive and the more business you will close.

I’ll give you myself as an example. Not only do I have a Client Niche (highly successful self-employed professionals who want to be shown exactly how to get more clients quickly and consistently) but I also have an expertise/niche in Client Attraction. That means that, I don’t coach, write or speak on ANYTHING that doesn’t help YOU get more clients. And because of that, my reputation as a real problem solver continues to grow rapidly.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:
1. Niching based on “thinking small” rather than “thinking wide” will help you get a lot more attention right away. Experts are more sought after than generalists, they get paid more by the hour, attract more media attention and get better results for their clients (meaning more referrals too). What’s your expertise?

2. It’s very hard to be all things to all people and to succeed. But being the expert on something gives you HUGE returns. Using your compelling story and your personal experience so far, if you had a niche or could be known for solving just one type of problem, what would it be?

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

How much time per day should you really allocate for marketing? I recommend that my clients spend up to 4 hours of marketing per day the first 6 months to a year in business or whenever they need a new boost of clients. Many people gasp at that number when I first share it with them, because they usually spend no more than 4 hours per week, if that. No wonder they’re having trouble attracting new clients!

First-time clients tell me they just don’t have the time to devote that many hours to marketing. Well, since I’m always trying to find solutions to problems, we have to look at what’s taking up your time now, and there are usually several non-essential things that are eating up your time. I call these the “leaks” in your day. Here’s what I mean: if you’re spending your valuable time working on non-business items during the day, then you may want to consider putting a “pause” button on these for the first 6 months of working on this System.

It might mean stepping down from that Board of Directors position, taking a leave of absence from that time-consuming project that isn’t giving you a return on your time investment, not going to the grocery store during the day and just deciding that you will go to the gym before 9 A.M. or after 5 P.M. every day, instead of during your workday.

Remember, it’s much more difficult to attract new clients when you’re not out there sharing with people what you do, networking, writing newsletters, articles, following up with potential clients, asking current clients for referrals or working on presentations or seminars.

OK, let’s get really clear on what your day should look like. During the hours of 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. (or whatever you consider your regular work hours), there are only 2 things you should be working on:

1) Client work (the stuff that makes you money)

2) Client Attraction and marketing (the stuff that gets you clients)

Everything else has to go or can wait until after 5 P.M. I know, this is pretty drastic to some, but it’s just got to be something you strive for, at least for the short term.

After 6 months or a year, when you start seeing consistent results in your Client Attraction, you’ll be able to decrease the number of hours you spend on marketing each day and reinstate some of the things you enjoyed doing beforehand but had to put on pause for awhile. (However, you might just be so happy to focus only on Client Attraction and client work during the day, that, as for many of my private clients, you’ll decide never to go back to the old way of doing things.)

Client example:

“By clearing the decks I was able to reshape my day to include uninterrupted work time and four full hours for marketing. Beforehand, I wasn’t using my time well at all. Reading the paper and answering non-business e-mail first thing in the morning ate up at least one prime hour. Meetings, lunches, trips to the library and health club took 2-3 hours out of each day, including travel time. Errands drained my energy. I barely left myself time to do my work.

I now have most meetings over the phone. Any errand I can’t handle by phone, mail, messenger delivery, or online ordering, I take care of within a one-block radius of my home. I go to my health club early mornings or evenings, and scan the paper while I’m on the treadmill. If I need to go to the library, I do as much research from home first, using online facilities. The result: In six months my client list has more than doubled, and I am in control of my workload for the first time in years.” –Judy Gitenstein, Publishing Consultant, Writing Coach, Editor

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Clear the decks. If you know that you need 4 hours of marketing per day (that’s what I scheduled per day to fill both of my private practices to capacity in less than 8 months each) then you’ve simply got to make room for it. Your business—and livelihood—depends on it.

Take a pad of paper and write down all of the different things that take up your time each and every day. Include every curricular and extracurricular activity. Be a hard grader! This is not the time to be forgiving. We’re looking for change, not excuses.

Once you’ve done that, underline or check off the things that can go, for at least the next 6 months, to give you the time and space to make your practice what you want it to be: FULL.

Then do it. Make a commitment to eliminate the things (for the short-term) that eat up major amounts of time each day and week. Now, don’t get depressed. Remember, this is not forever; it’s just for right now, a few months, until you get all the clients you need. Then you can slowly start adding things back in. I did.

This mantra kept me going for the first 6 months: “A strong focus now creates a different future later.”

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”367″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwJfD7abZMc[/youtube]

Today’s video is about how to stop doing everything yourself in your business. No matter what level of business you’re in, you need the right resources and systems to grow your business to the next level.

Ever been to a restaurant and notice the number of resources they have on hand to serve you? It’s all about the “front of house” and “back of house.” Front of house means the Maitre D’ and the servers, all the beautiful tablecloths and flowers, and more, all the things that belong to the experiential part of your visit. Back of house refers to all that goes on back there in the kitchen that you never really get to see, the” administrative stuff,” if you will.

Most likely, you’re trying to do both “front of house” and “back at house” in your business, at the same time, all on your own. There are so many behind-the-scenes aspects of running your business, that at some point of your business success, you can’t actually do them ALL, however much you want to hold on to the controls. When you do so, you leave a lot of money on the table.

For you to grow your reach (and grow your income), you need more time to focus on what actually brings in more clients and income. How do you get more time in your solo business? LEVERAGE. Leverage is getting the necessary resources (people, systems, automation and delegation) to free up your time so you can focus on the money-generating activities (client work, marketing, business development, etc.).

Your assignment today is about leveraging certain aspects of your business by using systems and support. Create more time in your day so you can attract more ideal high-paying clients and make more money.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

1. Make a list of ALL the tasks you’re doing during the day.
2. Add a dollar amount to each item you think you can pay someone else to do that for you like errands, filing, scheduling, shipping, editing, phone calls, etc. (it’s actually more inexpensive than you think).
3. Group similar tasks together by dollar-amount and then by category (website, administrative, personal, etc.).
4. Identify the resources (assistu.com, craigslist.com, elance.com, odesk.com, guru.com) where you can hire someone who would be happy to take these tasks off your plate.
5. Start to delegate the lowest dollar amount tasks first and focus your available time on further business development and marketing to your ideal clients (and making room for more clients).

If you enjoyed this video, please post your comment or question below and share it with your friends and colleagues who would find it beneficial.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System®, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.attractclients.com.