February 2014 - Small Business Coach, Women Business Coaching - Client Attraction

BlogPostTo the average person, Google+ may look similar to Facebook or Twitter, but as entrepreneurs, we’ve struck a pot of gold. Google+ is much more than just a social network—it’s a platform that incorporates all of Google’s services, putting them all together in a way that’s invaluable for any business owner.

Why do you need to get started on Google+? Like most things that come out from Google, it should not be overlooked. Google+’s integration with Google Search makes it a necessary tool for anyone looking to boost their SEO, or search engine optimization. To put it simply, Google+ will help your Internet search rankings rise.

What happens on Google+ doesn’t stay on Google+. Complete your profile to boost your #SEO. (Click here to tweet this.)

Let me let you in on a little secret… what happens on Google+ doesn’t stay on Google+.  Meaning, all your Google+ content takes the fast-track to prime search results…your photos, links and content are more accessible to your ideal clients and prospects who use the Google search to find out about your services.

So let’s get started! Here in this video below is everything you need to know to create an awesome Google+ profile for your business.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/3rBiJ5mxLME[/youtube]

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Start implementing now! If you haven’t created your Google+ profile yet, what are you waiting for? Work on the basics I discussed in the video, and once you’ve mastered these steps, you’ll be able to take advantage of some of the more advanced features of Google+. You’re one step away from attracting more clients, making more money and making a bigger difference in the world. Until next time, Happy Client Attraction!

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.netWhen I was just starting out as a holistic health counselor, I needed to attract clients and fill my practice. Once I learned about BNI (Business Networking International), I joined a chapter. My first practice filled up quickly through this remarkable networking group. To find clients, I offered people a free health assessment which worked really well.

If I was going to start all over today, I would do the same thing again. The great thing about BNI is they offer exclusivity based on your business type. So, for me, there was only one holistic health counselor. Or for business types with many specific areas like the law, there might be a few attorneys with different niches like divorce, trust, real estate, etc. This way, every member is without competition within your own group.

5 Steps to Choose the Right BNI Group
So how do you know which chapter will be right for you? Being a member of this internationally known business group requires a significant commitment of your time and money. That’s why you want to pick a good group to attract clients. To make this important decision, here’s what I recommend:

1. Look up the BNI chapters near you. Some cities have more than one group, which is great.

2. Go visit several groups – there is no charge until you make the commitment. See which group feels right to you, who is friendly and welcoming. Each group has its own personality.

3. Find out how long the chapter has been around and if it is well run. You don’t want to pick a chapter that might be struggling.

4. Determine if there are a few people who serve the same target group as you do since they’d be good referral sources. For example, I looked for other health-related professionals such as chiropractors, fitness trainers, and acupuncturists.

5. Check with your local group to see if you can visit the groups you like for a second time. Several groups allow this to help you choose the best group for you. You may be available to visit a group twice before joining.

Another great aspect of BNI is that once you become a member, you can still visit other chapters. They encourage this because the more people you know, the more potential referral sources you can have. If you find other groups without someone in your profession, you can become a substitute there, which allows you to sit in occasionally for a member who can’t make a meeting. Just be careful not to step on any toes or compete directly with someone in the same business.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Are you ready to fill your practice? BNI is one great networking resource. Check out which chapter feels right and join. Then work on your 30-second pitch so you can get referrals from members and attract clients.

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 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.

Image courtesy of creativedoxfoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.netAre you ready to take your business to the next level? Maybe you have private clients and started a few groups. Now you want to expand further and kick it up a notch. One way to do this is connect with others who can help you.

Joint Venture (JV) partners can help you attract clients and grow at a more rapid pace than you might be able to do on your own. This is true for a few reasons:
• JV partners help expand your marketing reach by announcing programs or opportunities to their list
• JV partners know and can refer you to other business people who might be helpful as well
• Sometimes JV partners know a faster, better way for you to accomplish something once you tell them your objective and might share their knowledge and experience with you

How Do You Find JV Partners Who Can Help?

1. Know what you want in a partner. Most importantly, you need to know what kind of partner you want and what you hope to achieve together. You want partners who share the same target audience and work with the same kind of clients, but aren’t competitive so you can more freely share your list and ideas.

2. Start talking to people. Tell the people you already know what you want to accomplish and who you are looking to work with. Make a list of 15-20 “centers of influence” as I call them and invite them to have a cup of coffee if they are local. You’ll be surprised at who your own contacts know and can turn up for you.

3. Search the web for partners. Once you know the type of partner, search the Internet to find prospects. Some business people are seeking partners and have a contact form for this purpose.

4. Use LinkedIn to find connections. When you find a few potential partners, go to LinkedIn to see if you are connected to them. A warm introduction can make a big difference when approaching a partner.

How Do You Approach Partners?
Keep it really simple. Figure out exactly what you want when you call a potential JV partner. Do your homework regarding what they do so you look knowledgeable. Then be straight forward and try either of these simple scripts:

A. “Here’s how you can help me. I’m looking to…Thanks for helping me, now what can I do for you?”
B. “What are you working on now and how can I help you? Now here’s how you can help me…”

Partnerships are not about just taking. They are a yummy exchange where you both have opportunities to benefit.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
If JV partnerships are your next step, take time this week to research. Surf the web to find potential partners who work with the same target and who might be help to attract more clients. Then start to explore the opportunities. Even if you don’t find a partner right away, at the very least, you are networking which is always good for business.

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 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.

BlogPostWhat’s the best way to follow up with prospects? This 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.

One day, my friend Rob was celebrating a big new account he’d just signed on. 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.

Check in with prospects and remember that “not right now” doesn’t mean “no.” (Click here to tweet this.)

Let me tell you Rob’s story and my five rules for success when it comes to checking in with prospects. Watch this week’s video strategy below to master the art of “just checking in.”

[youtube]http://youtu.be/HQsbe_AwNQ4[/youtube]

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Do you have a list of prospects you haven’t checked in with lately? Reach out to them this week, using the method I described in this week’s video strategy. Remember, “not right now” doesn’t mean “no.” Be persistent without being aggressive and your prospects will convert to clients before you know it.

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.netHaving a video on your homepage brings your connection with visitors to another level so you can attract clients more easily. When prospects come to your site and click on the video, they get to see who you are, which is huge. As you know people do business with people they know, like and trust. Video facilitates the start of a relationship.

To get the most from your video, here are my recommendations:

1. Hire a Professional Videographer. You might think this is too expensive, but you only get one chance to make a first impression. To ensure a quality presentation, working with a videographer makes a big difference because he knows about:

  • Lighting
  • Sound
  • Editing
  • Teleprompters

All of this creates a far more professional looking production to attract clients. The teleprompter makes things so much easier because you don’t have to memorize your script. You can read from the teleprompter in a conversational manner with a little practice, so it won’t be distracting to your viewers and will still allow you to come from a place of authenticity. This investment is worth every penny.

2. Focus on Your Irresistible Free Offer. Keep in mind what you want the viewers to do. I call this your Most Wanted Response and their Most Wanted Action. For my homepage video, I simply wanted viewers to request my free CD. This is what my video is still all about. You want to drive people to whatever your irresistible free offer is to attract clients.

3. Keep the Length Only 60-90 Seconds. Shorter is better when it comes to video. If you can edit your script down to a minute or so, you have the best chance for people to watch the entire video. This is a place where less is definitely more.

4. Infuse Your Presentation with Personality. If you want people to get to know you, make sure you allow them to see who you are. Show off your personality to differentiate yourself from others who offer the same or similar products and services. Again, this relates back to people doing business with those they know, like and trust. Let viewers see your warmth and desire to help, so they connect with you quickly.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Thinking about making a video? One thing that can really help is to see what your competition has done with video. After viewing several, you’ll get a better idea of what you want to say and what you want to avoid as well. Then, get started! Don’t put this off because today, more than ever, video helps you market more effectively and attract clients.

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 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.

Image courtesy of zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.netWhen I first started doing teleseminars to attract clients, I would do live calls with everyone on the line being able to ask me questions. My first boot camps were structured the same way as well. This worked fine when the groups were relatively small.

Background Noise is Disruptive
What I noticed over time was, inevitably, there would be noise in the background that was very distracting. You’d hear a dog barking, a baby crying, someone washing dishes or watching TV. On occasion, one person who didn’t realize they were live on the call would answer a cell phone and you would hear the entire conversation. People didn’t realize that everyone on the call could hear everything going on.

The level of frustration as a presenter when this happens is very high. After all, you want to share all your knowledge and wisdom which is why you set up the teleseminar in the first place right? So when there are six people on the call, it’s not such a problem. But when you have 120 or 1200 and you cannot control the noise, it becomes frustrating and unworkable for everyone.

Logistically, an Open Call Is Hard to Manage
So, even though in my heart I would love to open up the calls and have everyone join the discussion, logistically it just doesn’t work. Earlier on I would ask people to please mute themselves but surprisingly, people just don’t seem to follow these instructions and requests.

That’s why I shifted to lecture mode where the line is muted for the callers and everyone can hear me. And that’s what I recommend to my students as well. It’s just easier to put everyone on mute yourself with lecture mode to make sure all the information gets delivered clearly and without interruptions.

Open the Line for Questions
If you really want the interaction and feel it’s essential to the learning experience, here’s another option. Mute the line while you are presenting information, then open the line for a brief question period before going back on mute. You can do this periodically throughout the teleseminar or hold all questions until the end of the call.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
If you are holding open calls to attract clients, consider the benefits of lecture mode. It makes for a better learning experience and a better quality recording that you can sell later. To take questions, let people know when that will be possible during the call and then open the line. This way, you maintain control. Sometimes you may need to mute the call again as you answer a question because the noise level makes it too difficult to be heard otherwise.

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 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.

BlogPost-2502No matter what industry or market you’re in, it’s important to stay on the pulse of what’s happening in your niche around the globe. These days, news and information comes to us in so many ways… Sometimes I find that overwhelming and I like to cut to the chase. If I want news fast, I’ll head to Twitter.

So many of us are on Twitter, talking to friends and colleagues and clients. We follow companies and brands and receive instantaneous news updates, status updates, content and so much more. But are you using Twitter effectively for your business networking?

Use Twitter to make meaningful connections around trends in your company, brand, message or industry. (Click here to tweet this.)

Twitter is all about the conversation. All social media thrives on two-way communication and Twitter is one of the best formats for that. It’s not necessarily a platform to broadcast, but rather to engage and find out what’s going on in your space right now.

Before social media, networking was a whole different ball game. If you were looking to connect with like-minded people, you had to literally get out there. I mean, you had to physically step out there into the world and engage in face-to-face interactions. While these interactions are priceless, we don’t always have the time for them as busy entrepreneurs. We also don’t want to be limited by time or geography; we want to get out there and reach the people that matter to us no matter whey they are.

Where can we do that? On Twitter. Watch this week’s video strategy to learn all about how you can share your message and connect effectively with the right people using Twitter.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Ce38Ydb2rT0[/youtube]

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Get out there and start interacting with others on Twitter. Find out what’s trending in relation to your company, brand, message or industry and start making those important connections. If you take five minutes to do this every day, your network and email subscriber list will grow, allowing you to attract more partners and more clients.

I’m thrilled to welcome back one of our standout students of The Client Attraction Business School™, Love and Passion Coach Stacey Martino. Enjoy Stacey’s words of wisdom and please post your comments and questions below. ~ Fabienne. Connect with Stacey on Facebook here.

Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.netAs a love and passion expert, who primarily serves entrepreneurs and coaches, I get asked the following question a lot. “Stacey, I want to grow my business, but my partner isn’t on board! What can I do to get him/her to support me in my business?”

My answer is always the same, “Without coaching or training, no human on earth will 100% support something they are also competing with for your time, attention and priority.”

No one will 100% support something they are also competing with for your time, attention and priority. (Click here to tweet this.)

So here’s my advice; it starts with you.  At Love and Passion Coach, I empower people to transform their intimate relationships without their partner needing to participate.  The same can be done when it comes to getting your partner’s support with you business. It begins with a raw and vulnerable conversation that you have not been willing to have yet.

It goes something like this…

“You are the most important thing in my world, not my business, not this program (or whatever you want to do), not my parents, not even the kids; only you.  Everything begins and ends with you. And whatever you want, is what I want.  Your dreams are my dreams too.  And I’m scared and I need you.  Right now this is what I really need (to grow my business) and I want to talk to you about it.  But I absolutely want you to know that no matter what, it will never change the fact that you come first for me, always. My intention is that no matter what we decide to do together, you are my number one.  And whatever we decide to do together, that’s what I will do, because you are first for me!”

When you speak these words from your heart and really mean them and when your partner truly feels what you’re saying, it shifts everything.  You may think it could take months for them to feel that but it can actually happen in a moment!

When you truly come from this space, your partner will no longer feel that they are COMPETING with your business for your time, attention and priority. That’s when they will give you the support you desire.

Once you experience your partner’s support in your business, you will see that the greatest gift of having their support is NOT actually that you get to DO whatever it is that you want to DO in your business.  The greatest gift of your partner’s support in your business, is that you get to lean on them, confide in them, celebrate with them, cry to them, collaborate with them and experience your business with them!

The purpose of relationships is to magnify the human experience and live as the best version of yourself.  If you have not been able to SHARE your business with your partner, not only have you been taking everything on yourself, which is exhausting, but you are missing out on sharing the experience of your business with the most important person in your life!

You are an entrepreneur. Your business is not exactly “separate” from you.  If you have been operating your business separately from your partner, you are creating separation between the two of you that is too risky…for both your relationship and your business!

I’m not saying that your partner has to work IN your business with you.  You can include your partner in your business simply by sharing it with them authentically.

You may not have been willing to “share” your business with them before because you FELT their resistance, so you kept your business to yourself.  But their resistance isn’t that they don’t CARE or aren’t interested.  Their resistance is that they feel they are lower on your list than your business, so they don’t want “that business” getting any more attention.

Until you can proudly say, with authenticity, integrity and love, that your partner IS your number one, then you cannot expect your partner’s 100% support for your business.

I know you love your partner. Operationally, where has your partner been on your list? Day to day, how are you living? Are you living that your partner is number one? Or is it the kids? Or your business? Or your folks? If I asked your partner right now, where would THEY say they fall on your list? Number one? Number two? Number 5?

Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s very rare to organically live putting your partner first. No one ever taught us to do that.  But until your partner feels that they are number one, you will not get the support you want for your business, and your business can only grow so much without your partner’s support!  So you must start here!

Make your partner your number one and make sure they feel it!  Sometimes this can be easier said than done.  If this is a struggle for you, please watch our free video series for the tools and strategies that you need to quickly and easily create this in your intimate relationship.

Once you transform your intimate relationship so that you are putting your partner first and authentically sharing your business with them… THEN your business will truly have NO LIMITS! And as a nice side bonus, you will find that the PASSION comes back to your relationship in a BIG way!!!

cropheadshotstaceyStacey Martino helps people who feel stuck, frustrated and helpless with the challenges that intimate relationship brings. Through targeted, strategic private coaching, programs and events for her Relationship Transformation™, Relationship Rescue™ and Relationship Transition™ programs, individuals learn to use her proven strategies and tools to create an unshakable love and unleashed passion that lasts a lifetime.

Stacey firmly believes that it absolutely does NOT take two to tango, that one person can significantly shift the dynamics of the relationship. Clients have praised Stacey for helping them to see massive results in record time. Formerly known as “The Ice Princess”, Stacey is intimately aware of what it takes to transform oneself to be ready to both give and receive love and passion like you have never experienced before.

Watch Stacey’s Free Valentine’s Day Video Series, “How to Reignite Your Passion” here.

Image courtesy of samarttiw / FreeDigitalPhotos.netSome of my students have chosen a target audience or niche that is hard to reach through regular marketing methods. For example, doctors fall into this category. They are so incredibly busy and focused on patient needs, that discussing marketing with them is not easy.

So you could try any of the following traditional methods to connect individually or where they congregate in groups:
• Cold calling to speak to practice managers
• Mailings to physicians and practice managers
• Attending medical conventions
• Attending pharmaceutical conventions

While you might make some headway, this can be a hard, long road to work. Physicians are simply a tough group to break into. So how can you reach out to groups like this with a high barrier for communication?

Niches like this tend to be more open to considering new services through referrals. It’s kind of like reaching the affluent. Affluent people don’t gather that much in networking groups. Instead, they gather more socially and for charities. They are harder to reach. They have more gatekeepers.

So to reach a tougher group like physicians or the affluent, look at who you already know in this arena and create a referral program. By connecting with the people you already know and building relationships, you can often gain access to the people they know.

You want to nurture your existing contacts so you get the referrals you need to attract clients. It’s through letters and coffee dates and all that, but it’s for people you already know. Remember, people tend to do business with those they know, like and trust and this statement is even stronger in tight knit, affluent communities. This can be the fastest path for those niches that are hard to reach or have strong gatekeepers.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you made a list of all the contacts you know? Have you written your warm letter and created your own system for staying in touch? I encourage you to build strong relationships with your contact list and build on that further to attract clients and the referrals needed to help build your business.

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 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.

BlogPeople always ask me, “Fabienne, I feel like sometimes I have lots of clients and at other times, there is nothing. What’s the secret to having clients consistently?”

My answer is something I call “A.B.M.” Always Be Marketing! If you want a full roster of clients in 6 months, you must be marketing TODAY and every day. And not just once in a while, but consistently.

To have clients consistently, always be marketing. (Click here to tweet this.)

If you don’t set things up to be systematic, then you won’t stay on track. And if you don’t stay on track, you won’t market consistently. And if you don’t market consistently, then you won’t take action and get results consistently.

That means that you’re going to have a much harder time keeping your practice consistently full, UNLESS you set things up to work on their own, with a little tweak from you here and there. It’s necessary to create a system around your marketing calendar, so you always know what to do…

In this week’s video I explain a strategy that our students of The Client Attraction Business School use to “Always Be Marketing.” Check it out below…

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Nrv9XXcjDFI[/youtube]

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Get started on your Year-at-a-Glace calendar and map out the year ahead. Take a systematic approach and space out or stagger your tasks so the whole calendar is covered. You’ll never worry about where your next clients will come from, because you will consistently be marketing. Couldn’t be easier!

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