Wednesday 30 March 2011

Top 10 Mistakes New Business Owners Make

Today's video shows the Top 10 Mistakes Most Business Owners make:

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Solopreneurs: Attraction Strategies for New Clients



Pat Wiklund is our guest article writer today. Pat says:

In traditional marketing parlance, there are two primary ways of filling your professional practice.

You can push your message out to the public, or to your narrower niche market. You can send letters, announcements of your new services, or call people on the phone.

The second way, the way that is more comfortable for most of us, is to have your phone ring because of all the things you are doing that aren't really traditional marketing activities. Have what you do with your current clients, your professional network, or even the community events in which you participate as just one of the folks, not necessarily in your professional role, pull potential clients to you.

It's called pull marketing.

Potential clients see what you've done for others, or what you can do and want to engage you. Current clients are so pleased with what you have done, they want more. Word gets out about you. Your phone rings out of the blue, with a request for service from folks you don't even know you!

A couple of examples from colleagues and friends:

A colleague was 3 days out from the big all hands kick off for a series of programs for a state agency. The state legislature hadn't approved the budget yet, and all the monies for any outside services had been held back. He told the client he'd do the kick off meeting anyway, even though he wouldn't be paid. She guaranteed he'd be the first consultant back on the payroll once the budget was passed. And, she made good her promise.

A woman who's doing sub-contracted training is treating every client as if it were one of her full fee training sessions, even though she's paid a fraction of her fee.

When I announced I was automating my coaching newsletter for my consulting clients, I was asked if it weren't too much trouble, could I add a few more names to the list. Another client asked why wasn't I charging for what I was offering. She'd gladly pay for it. I told her to just subscribe all of the managers in her department.

In each of these examples, the professional was showing, not just telling, clients, and potential clients how dedicated, generous, and accommodating they could be. The focus was on "how can I best serve you, my client." It is a focus that will come back to you multiplied many times over.

Pull marketing: drawing prospects to you and developing additional business with current clients by being generous and accommodating.

How can you incorporate pull marketing activities into your strategic marketing plan?

Pat Wiklund is known as the One-Person Business Turnaround Specialist. She works with professional services business owners so they can make more money and get more personal satisfaction from their work. Start taking charge of your business and your life with her Business Tune-Up mini e-course at http://1personbusiness.com/mini-ecourse/