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Add You - 5 Steps to Ideal Client Relationships
A great small business marketing strategy includes a mix of tactics. Advertising and PR are two very important tools that all small business owners need to be using regularly. Many small businesses I talk to do one of the other, but don't commit to doing both. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and are complimentary to each other.Small Business Advertising Strengths:-The biggest advantage with small business advertising is your complete control over the message. You get to focus on whatever you want, write the text, and choose the visuals. You ensure that your marketing message is delivered.
In my humble opinion, the number one issue a company should be paying attention to is customer service. But it seems more and more that getting the sale is taking priority over making the customer happy. Below are several examples of poor service – how would your company handled each of these circumstances?I ordered file cabinets from Staples through their on-line store and was given a specific delivery date that their trucking company would deliver. The promised day came and went with no phone call to me to let me know there was a delay. The trucking company had very specific directions to my place of
It was through these experiences that I began to empower myself to find ideal clients. I learned to discern the types of individuals who were a good fit for me, to clearly define and communicate my boundaries, and to take charge of how I wanted to run my business. Soon, I began to attract clients whose personalities meshed with mine, who respected my time and appreciated my work.
There are 5 main steps to finding ideal clients and fostering these relationships.
1. Let go of fear. Once I became unhappy with some of my clients, it didn’t take long for me to realize that the only thing that kept me hanging on to them was fear. I was afraid that by giving up a client, I would be putting myself at risk for financial disaster. I was afraid of transitioning -- entering the unknown -- uncertain that I could fill the vacant space on my client roster. Once I let go of the fear, and started letting go of clients who weren't ideal - I began to attract clients that were a great fit.
2. Truly utilize the initial consultation. Get to know your potential client by asking the right questions. Listen to the client, and ask questions that will be helpful in determining whether a potential client is a good fit. You might ask: What qualities are you looking for in a professional service provider? Are you a very ‘hands on’ person, or are you comfortable letting me run with a project or a new idea? How do you spend downtime? Do you have a systematic work style, or do you need an organizer? Take the time to assess whether the answers
The well publicised plight of manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom has led to an ever increasing demand for reduction of internal costs and now, more than ever, the focus has been on the cost of supply chains. The nature of supply chains and their structure is however often overlooked, and many of the internal costs can be eliminated by examining the overall supply chain strategy. By developing a supply chain that reflects the needs of the internal customers, many of the previously unidentified inefficiencies can be eliminated and subsequent performance improved.There are three categories of prod
It was through these experiences that I began to empower myself to find ideal clients. I learned to discern the types of individuals who were a good fit for me, to clearly define and communicate my boundaries, and to take charge of how I wanted to run my business. Soon, I began to attract clients whose personalities meshed with mine, who respected my time and appreciated my work.
There are 5 main steps to finding ideal clients and fostering these relationships.
1. Let go of fear. Once I became unhappy with some of my clients, it didn’t take long for me to realize that the only thing that kept me hanging on to them was fear. I was afraid that by giving up a client, I would be putting myself at risk for financial disaster. I was afraid of transitioning -- entering the unknown -- uncertain that I could fill the vacant space on my client roster. Once I let go of the fear, and started letting go of clients who weren't ideal - I began to attract clients that were a great fit.
2. Truly utilize the initial consultation. Get to know your potential client by asking the right questions. Listen to the client, and ask questions that will be helpful in determining whether a potential client is a good fit. You might ask: What qualities are you looking for in a professional service provider? Are you a very ‘hands on’ person, or are you comfortable letting me run with a project or a new idea? How do you spend downtime? Do you have a systematic work style, or do you need an organizer? Take the time to assess whether the answer
Turning an idea into a businessIdeas are like sparks -they fly off in thin air. The challenge would be to convert the idea into a full-fledged project and commercializing it into a revenue generating business. When Google started off, they had an idea - one to make it easier for an internet surfer to find precise information in the least possible time. Until the Search engine had a lot many users, the company didn't know how it was going to generate the revenue to earn profits. Let alone profits, there was no business model in place to recover the costs! The idea struck to disp
There are 5 main steps to finding ideal clients and fostering these relationships.
1. Let go of fear. Once I became unhappy with some of my clients, it didn’t take long for me to realize that the only thing that kept me hanging on to them was fear. I was afraid that by giving up a client, I would be putting myself at risk for financial disaster. I was afraid of transitioning -- entering the unknown -- uncertain that I could fill the vacant space on my client roster. Once I let go of the fear, and started letting go of clients who weren't ideal - I began to attract clients that were a great fit.
2. Truly utilize the initial consultation. Get to know your potential client by asking the right questions. Listen to the client, and ask questions that will be helpful in determining whether a potential client is a good fit. You might ask: What qualities are you looking for in a professional service provider? Are you a very ‘hands on’ person, or are you comfortable letting me run with a project or a new idea? How do you spend downtime? Do you have a systematic work style, or do you need an organizer? Take the time to assess whether the answer
“Right, People. Let’s blast out that mail campaign we’ve been planning for so long.”It’s time to put your trusty CRM software to work; to let it earn its keep. You run a search of people and companies you want to target.You soon realize something’s wrong when your list is far smaller than anticipated. A quick check reveals many profiles/categories have not been filled in, impacting your search results. Further inspection shows numerous records are incorrect; others are riddled with typos. And that’s just for starters.With a sinking feeling, you realize that last push isn’t going to happen in a
2. Truly utilize the initial consultation. Get to know your potential client by asking the right questions. Listen to the client, and ask questions that will be helpful in determining whether a potential client is a good fit. You might ask: What qualities are you looking for in a professional service provider? Are you a very ‘hands on’ person, or are you comfortable letting me run with a project or a new idea? How do you spend downtime? Do you have a systematic work style, or do you need an organizer? Take the time to assess whether the answer
People today are bombarded by so much information that they have become numb to what feels like advertising or, during political cycles like we are in today, out and out fabrication.Small business owners should resist the temptation to copy what passes for advertising today and focus on telling the truth. I don’t really mean to imply that companies are lying about what their product or service can do, I just mean that they aren’t giving us any reason to believe in or trust what they have to say.So how do you do tell the truth? Tell me a story. Speak to me honestly about why you got into business, tel
Trust your intuition. Do you feel excited about the possibility of working with this person? Do you feel nervous? Do you like this person? Be selective as you take on new clients – don’t just take someone on for the money, even if you think you need to. Landing the right client is a great investment. She or he will not only be a pleasure to work with, but may even become a referral source to other like-minded clients. The right client will be an easy fit.
3. Be clear about your business standards. Let the potential client know about your business boundaries and standards from the start, and stick to them. Communicate to your client what your general time-frame is for returning calls and responding to e-mails. Be especially clear about how you handle last-minute client emergencies. If you can’t, or don’t wish to respond to eleventh-hour pleadings for help, don’t take on a client who you sense could be a procrastinator.
Ask your clients to respect your free time. Stick to set working hours, and try not to deviate unless it is absolutely necessary – especially if you work at home. Otherwise, that computer in the corner will beckon in the middle of dinner, or family time, or 2 am. It’s too easy to let an at-home business become a 24-hour job. It’s not healthy for you, or for your client relationships.
4. Show appreciation and build personal relationships. Once you've attracted your new ideal client, tell them you appreciate them, often. Remember holidays and birthdays. Send thank you notes for their continued business and referrals. Hav
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