The More Clients Blog

Intangible Services or Tangible Programs?

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Imagine walking into a car dealership looking for a new car. As usual, a bunch of salespeople are standing around and one of them comes up to you and asks if they can help you.

You say you're looking for a new car.

And they respond as follows: "What we sell here is transportation. We provide an enclosed metal vehicle which is powered by an internal combustion engine. This technology was developed in the early 1900's and now has advanced considerably. How much transportation are you looking at getting today?

You: Well, I'm just looking for a car. Can I take a look at some?

Salesperson: First we'll need to talk to you about all your needs, the specifications for ideal transportation and then put together a proposal that would meet your needs. We'll have that within a week and then help you choose the best transportation options.

You: Er... let me think about it. (to self: get me outta here!)

I know this is ridiculous. You'd never sell cars like that. But if you really think about it, this is very much how professional services are are marketed and sold.

What was missing in our example was an actual, tangible car that you could see and touch and test drive.

And what's missing in marketing and selling services is something tangible, measurable, and even test drive-able.

One of the things you should strive to do in marketing and selling your services is to make your services more tangible. When they are tangible you'll tend to see the following results:

1. Clients and customers will make decisions more quickly. They will know what they are getting, and it will be less confusing to them. You can more easily demonstrate what they'll get.

2. You will sell more of whatever service you are offering. A tangible service usually sells faster because it feels simpler. You'll also increase your word-of-mouth.

3. You will save a lot of time because you don't have to keep re-inventing the wheel. Sure, you can still customize services (as you can a car) but there is always a base package.

4. You can sell at higher prices in many cases. A tangible services is seen as a more valuable service. In addition, you can get longer commitments from clients to work with you.

5. Your overall cash flow and success will increase. Because you are packaging and offering high-end services, your business will become more stable and predictable.

I'm sure that this is exactly what you want in your business. But how do you go about making it happen? Here are the basic steps:

1. Commit to packaging at least one of your services. Work at developing that package or program. Who are the ideal clients, what are the main outcomes, what is the structure and process and price? This could be anything from a 2-day workshop to a one-year program, or anything in-between. What will give your clients the results they are looking for?

2. Write a detailed description or sales letter for that program. Tell your prospects exactly what this program is, why they need it, what they get, and how it works. When you go through the process of writing about your program, your focus, clarity and excitement about the program will increase.

3. Develop a step-by-step marketing plan to get the word out about this program. This can include everything from networking and speaking, to PR and publishing. But remember, when you have a specific program to promote, your marketing is both easier and more effective. You can launch focused marketing campaigns to sell that particular program.

Yes, all of this takes some time and serious effort.

What follows next is implementing some of the zillion marketing ideas I've presented in this eZine for years. But those ideas are useless if you don't have something valuable and tangible to sell.

What program or package of services will you design, develop and market? When will you start? How about NOW!

Please Note: I am doing a TeleClass on this topic on Thursday, July 9. The title is "Three Keys to Increasing Your Income in a Down Economy." You can make a reservation at this link:

http://www.actionplan.com/tc_increase.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If you think you're in the business of selling coaching or consulting or financial planning etc., it's like being in the transportation business. That's not a business. It's not real or tangible to your clients. Be in the business of offering a particular package of services or a program that is designed to produced a measurable outcome.

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What intangible service will you package into a tangible program? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments link below.

Who Are Your True Heroes?

By Robert Middleton, Action Plan Marketing

With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, all the media hysteria and hype, it kind of makes you wonder who our heroes are.

Jackson was certainly a talented and creative performer. Apparently he was a very kind and giving person as well. And yet we've all been witness to his self-destructive tendencies and over-the-top behavior over the past few years.

But a hero? Well, not to me.

Yesterday, I went to a memorial service, a celebration of life, for someone I didn't know very well. My wife and I had spent some time with him and his wife socially over the past year. He passed away after battling cancer for seven years.

His name was Larry Dandridge. As his family, co-workers and neighbors shared about Larry's life, I realized that it's ordinary (but extraordinary) people like him who are the true heros.

Born in South Africa, raised in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), he moved to the U.S. about 30 years ago. He got a degree in electrical engineering and moved to the Bay Area.

His first boss liked him so much that he invited Larry to become his roommate. Then he introduced Larry to his sister, Mary, whom he eventually married. He spoke of a long and warm relationship with Larry and how much he appreciated his kindness.

Larry's brother and sister also spoke. They related stories of a man who was full of life fun, and intelligence. The stories brought both laugher and tears (such as when he brewed cherry wine as a young teenager that was as thick as syrup).

Here was a man, only 59, who had lived a very full and complete life. His family and friends were were the recipients of much joy and kindness. His neighbors in Boulder Creek loved him for his community spirit and his yearly "End of Summer" parties.

In the time I knew Larry he was in the final year of terminal cancer yet he didn't complain once. He always had a warm smile and sly sense of humor.

One of his co-workers, emphasized that Larry was, above all, a "class act." It seems everyone he had touched in his life was a better person because of it. I only wish I had known him better.

This celebration of Larry's life was a reminder that true heros are ordinary people who make the very best of life and do their best to make life better for others.

Larry will remain an inspiration to me. He will remind me to be kinder and more patient, to be more creative and involved with my family. Larry's example will even impact my business.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Do you have a hero, a Larry, in your life? What have you learned from him or her? What can they teach you? How can their contribution impact the contribution you make?

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Who are your heroes and how have they impacted your life? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments link.

Are You Swamped?

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

In a conversation today with one of my Marketing Mastery participants, she noted that the predominant experience of a majority of her clients was "being swamped."

What we are swamped or overwhelmed with is information and choices.

For instance, like me, you probably get dozens, if not hundreds of emails a day. Just looking at them in your email box makes you feel swamped. And then you are swamped by choices: "Which ones should I read and respond to?" and "Where do I file this so I don't lose it?"

I just returned from a one week vacation and to an email box with over 1700 messages! But I wasn't swamped. Not because I've learned a secret mental technique that allows me to be calm in overwhelming situations!

It's because I have a system.

In my email program, I have created a series of mailboxes or folders that filter all the email that comes in. All my eZines go into separate folders; all the email from my virtual assistant goes into another; all my online sales notices into another, etc.

This way, I can just glance at the folder, decide if I need to take action or not and then close the folder. Nothing gets lost. It's the ultimate filing system. No more swamped.

I have systems for all my technical stuff as well, because I'm not a technical person. When I have a system, I don't have to think about it anymore; it just gets done.

I have systems for the following:

• Email management (as mentioned above)

• Elist management (how I send this email out weekly)

• Updating my web site

• Uploading files to my web server, like mp3s and pdfs

• Setting Up TeleConfernce services

• Recording calls and teleconferences

• Choosing the best Payment Programs

It would take 8 separate eZines to give you all this detailed information, so instead, I've put this together into my "Action Plan Technology Guide."

It's only 13 pages long but it will save you dozens of hours you'd spend on learning all of this on your own, and hundreds of hours you're now wasting on being swamped.

You can get this Technology Guide for FREE when you join the Action Plan Marketing Club. You can join at this link.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Don't be swamped, use systems. Just the time and hassle you'll save from organizing your email system can change your whole business. Learn and put other simple systems in place and you'll have the leverage to get a lot more done in the limited time you have.

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What systems do you use to save time in your business? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments link below.

Putting Something at Stake

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Last week I talked about "betting your car" when you are procrastinating about a marketing project and need to prod yourself to take action.

Putting something at stake is the key here.

The problem with the "bet your car" technique is that it only works for a limited time. It may put something immediately at stake and get you moving. But if you are procrastinating, or resisting or fearful, what's at stake has to be bigger than your car.

No, I'm not talking about putting your house at stake.

You really need to put your whole life at stake. And I'm not talking about human sacrifice here! I'm talking about what's most important to you, what's at your very heart.

If you are doing your business just to get by, or even just to be successful, you really don't have a lot at stake. After all, what's the big deal if your businesses isn't that successful? You can let things slip by for a week or a month. New work will come to you; it always does.

You can really have two things at stake. One is external (like the car) and the other is internal. Let's talk about external first.

If you have a mortgage to pay, kids to support and a "nut" to make every month, that's what you have at stake externally. And this isn't trivial.

I noticed that when I got married in 1994, I had a lot more at stake. My whole future was before me and I wanted to do the best I could to provide. I wanted to have a secure financial future and I wanted to live comfortably, not hand-to-mouth as I had for so many years.

Soon after this I launched my web site, this weekly eZine, and created online products to sell. I started to make more money than I could have previously imagined.

But even this has its limitations.

After all, it can soon feel like you're in the rat race, keeping up with the Jones's and never feeling you're making quite enough. Sure, you have something at stake, but it's easy to wonder if all the hard work is really worth it.

There are limitations to this game; doing more, earning more, and being increasingly successful can only take you so far.

Perhaps then you discover that you need to put something internal at stake. Now this can be a dead end, too. Chasing happiness and fulfillment can be elusive. After all, how happy is happy?

My discovery, the thing that ultimately gets me up in the morning, is making a difference, making a contribution. When you put this at stake, everything seems to change. When your focus is the welfare of others, you win every single time.

If I write an article or an eZine, if I give a talk, or help a client, if I share a realization or a strategy, it's all about making a difference.

For some reason, humans are built to get ultimate fulfillment by making a contribution. The timeless golden rule is based on this principle. If you do unto others as you would have them do unto you, you're automatically making a contribution.

Businesses based on this principle thrive. Businesses that don't, ultimately implode. We've seen that a lot recently. "Do for yourself first, (and screw the other guy)" has serious drawbacks!

So the thing to put at stake every day is the contribution you make. "Today I'll run my business, my marketing, my life to make a contribution. What's wanted and needed right now where can I best make that contribution?"

If you get to that place, then procrastination, delay, fears and worries won't have such a big part in your life. You'll write that article; you'll get your eZine done; you'll give that talk; you'll go the extra mile for a client.

What are you going to put at stake?

By the way, it's also important to make a contribution to yourself as well. Perhaps I'll talk about that in next week's More Clients.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: When you put something at stake much bigger than yourself (usually others who mean something to you), motivation won't be a big issue. You'll just find yourself getting the job done.

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What's something bigger than yourself that you'll put at stake? Please share on the More Clients Blog, Just click on the comments link below.

Bet Your Car Marketing

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

The prevailing marketing attitude amongst a large percentage of Independent Professionals is what I call "Silver Bullet Marketing."

It's exemplified by this story:

A few years ago a subscriber purchased my InfoGuru Marketing Manual. Only a few hours after downloading it I received an email from him that said, "I'd like a refund on the manual. I couldn't find any silver bullets." (I kid you not!)

A silver bullet is a magical, all-in-one solution that will cure all your marketing ills in one deft stroke. It's what we all want and hope we'll find one lucky day.

Well, sorry to disappoint you, but there ain't no silver bullet!

However there is a marketing approach that is more powerful, more certain, and more reliable than any silver bullet. It's something that we all have the power to implement immediately and it almost always produces favorable results.

I call it "Bet Your Car Marketing."

Most human activities are based on trying. That is, we *try* to produce results. We make an effort. We struggle. We give it our best shot. You know the drill:

"I tried to get that article written, but I'm just not a very good writer." or "I tried to do speaking engagements but nobody returned my call." or "I tried to get my eZine started but the technical part is just too complicated."

Trying includes a degree of effort accompanied by an excuse.

Imagine this scenario instead. You are talking to a friend or perhaps your business coach. (Feel free to substitute any marketing project you are procrastinating about.)

"I'm going to try to get that article written this week."

"Will you bet your car?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been futzing over that article for weeks. Will you bet your car that you'll complete it?"

"Well, like I said, I'll try my very best. It isn't easy you know, and besides, I have a lot of other priorities I'm juggling."

"Fine, but either you do it or you don't do it. If you're going to commit to writing it, I suggest you make it real and bet your car."

"What exactly does that mean!?"

"It means that you commit to completing the article, and if you don't complete it you forfeit your car. You can give it to a local charity."

"Are you crazy!?#"

"I'm not crazy. At a certain point it takes putting something at stake to get something done. You could agonize over that article for another several weeks or you could just write it. And if you don't, you lose your car. Let me tell you, if you put your car at stake, don't you think the article would get done?"

"I guess it would, I hadn't thought of it that way."

"No, because you're reasonable. And when you're reasonable, you always have an excuse that undermines your goals. Everyone buys into those excuses. But can you honestly say that the excuses are as fulfilling as actually completing the article?"

"No, I guess not. But what if I make the bet and I don't succeed? What if I lose the car?"

"Well, that's the game you've been playing for years. You always hedge your bets; you never commit; you play it safe. And look at your results. It's time to change the game. Will you bet your car or keep making excuses?"

"OK, I'll do it!"

"Now you're talking!"

I've actually had similar conversations with clients. A couple weeks ago I put the pressure on with a group I'm working with. In that case, they didn't bet their cars, but they agreed to write checks to certain unsavory political organizations if they didn't complete the projects they were procrastinating about.

Guess what? Everyone got their projects done.

Want to produce breakthrough results in your marketing? Want to accomplish things you thought were impossible? Want to step outside your comfort zone and make something happen?

Don't wait for a silver bullet. Bet your car instead.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: The big key to getting anything done is by putting something at stake. The exercise of betting your car is a start. But ultimately you need to tap into a deep commitment to your business and to yourself and then you'll always have something at stake. How else do you think I get this eZine written every week?

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What's the marketing project you'll bet your car on? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments section below. 

Shifting Your Marketing Paradigm

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

In today's economy, everyone is starting to realize how important marketing is if we're going to maintain, let alone grow our businesses. For many, it's much harder to bring in new business.

For instance, one of my clients mentioned a statistic he had just read: Now, instead of three sales meetings on average to get one client, it's taking four and a half meetings. So the business is still out there, but it takes a 50% increase in marketing and sales efforts to get the same results.

The conclusion most of us make in the face of these realities is that we all need to buckle down and work harder if we are going to make it to the other side of the recession with our businesses intact.

A New Paradigm is Needed

However, I believe it's much more important to make a complete paradigm shift in our businesses.

The old paradigm is to market and sell the same services to the same clients, work harder at closing the business, and if you're persistent (and lucky), your business will do OK.

I want to suggest that this old paradigm may not work anymore.

Changing the paradigm may mean marketing and selling different services to different clients. In my business, I changed this paradigm twice in the past year and am actually making more money with less work, while producing better results for my clients.

Before I explain these new paradigms, let's look more closely at the old ones.

Are You Stuck in These Old Paradigms?

One old paradigm is related to scarcity and hard work: "Clients are difficult to attract and you've got to work hard to get them." I've seen this for years in my clients; it's an amazingly persistent one that's hard to shake off.

Another old paradigm is about the fees for your services: "This is what I do in my business and I charge $X per hour for those services. I really can't charge any more. In fact, I may have to charge less in this economy."

One more old paradigm is about how we market and sell: "If I'm going to be successful, I can't be pushy or aggressive. If people want my services, they'll call me." Most of us are beginning to realize how well that one works!

Paradigms Limit Possibilities

Now the thing about paradigms (also called belief systems) is that they tend to limit our possibilities to the pre-set parameters of the paradigm. Everything inside the paradigm makes sense and seems right. Anything outside the paradigm seems wrong, or at least, very uncomfortable.

It's not unusual for business people to get stuck inside very limiting paradigms. After all, it's comfortable there! We found something that works and we stick to it, thinking it will work forever. And then the economy or something else changes and the old paradigm doesn't work anymore.

New Paradigm: More Value, Lower Cost

One paradigm shift I made late last year was in how I sold information products. The old paradigm was simple: I had created a number of marketing information products for professional service businesses and sold them successfully on my web site for several years.

When the economy slowed down, I sold fewer of these products. The natural thing to do might have been to lower prices and send more emails to my list to try to sell more. But I realized that this was simply more of the same old paradigm.

Instead, I shifted the paradigm. I created a membership site (The Action Plan Marketing Club) where I offered a lot of information products all in one place. I posted new products and services every month worth about $250, and then I offered a club membership for only $29 per month and free for the first month.

With this paradigm change I offered massive value at a very low price. What I hoped would happened did: People signed up in droves and a good percentage of them stayed and took advantage of everything I offered. I now have about 500 members.

New Paradigm: Sell the Outcome, Not the Service

For many years I'd been offering group marketing programs at a medium price point. The groups were very effective and helped the participants successfully grow their business. But as the economy changed, it was harder to get people to sign up.

Again, the old paradigm would have been to lower the price, and push the programs even harder. But I just couldn't imagine doing that anymore, after all, I'm not getting any younger!

Instead of selling a "process" I started selling an "outcome" and instead of offering it to all comers, I limited my market to Independent Professionals who were making $100K or more.

I realized that in the old paradigm I put too much of a focus on the process of the program - what was covered, what participants would learn and how it was structured.

The new paradigm was to promise an outcome: "This program is designed to help you increase your income by $100K or more in one year or less." And then I structured the program so that I could accomplish that objective.

The net result is that I filled my Marketing Mastery Program in two months with less effort than before. Fifty percent of those I talked to about the Mastery Program signed up for it.

What's Your New Paradigm?

Note that the paradigms for these two services, the Marketing Club and the Marketing Mastery Program are very different. One is based on a low price and a high volume, the other is based on a high price and low volume.

I am now earning all my income from completely different products and services than I was a year ago. And it all started by looking for ways to change my paradigms of doing business.

I can't say that these ways will necessarily be right for your business, but I will say that if you don't change your paradigm or the way you're playing your business game, you will continue to get similar (or worse) results than you're getting now.

Some Rules for Changing Paradigms

1. Notice your current limiting business paradigms. Write down your assumptions and beliefs about your business and then start to question them:

Is it true I have to lower my prices and work harder? It is true that I can't target new markets? Is it true that people won't pay higher fees? Is it true that I can't offer more value for a lower price to more people? Question everything!

2. Look at what you're already offering. Are you selling a process or are you selling an outcome? If you made changes in your service could you start to sell an outcome? What could you promise that people really wanted and that you've never offered before?

3. Are you willing to risk and step outside your comfort zone? If you had no limits, no restrictions, no old paradigms, what would you do? What would be fun, exciting, bold and make an even bigger contribution to your clients and the world?

4. What do you need to learn that you don't know now? What information, strategies, techniques and skills do you need to have in order to shift paradigms? Remember, you can't do things the same old way you've always done before. Are you ready to invest in yourself to learn these new things?

5. What is a new paradigm for your business and life? That is, how do you want to live and what kind of business will give you that lifestyle? You need to spend some time in visioning, brainstorming and creating the future if you're ever going to attract it to yourself.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: You might say that the most important business skill of all is the skill of changing paradigms. To do this, you need to work on all of the five rules above, and more. One thing's for sure, we can no longer be content with the old paradigms; the world is moving too fast and we are in danger of being left far behind.

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What's your new business and marketing paradigm? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments section below.

Mixing Up Marketing and Selling Conversations

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

A question I've gotten a lot over the years is, "What's the difference between marketing and selling?"

The simple answer is that marketing prepares the ground for selling. Everything you do before an actual Selling Conversation is marketing.

Marketing includes targeting your market, preparing your message and materials, and undertaking various marketing activities such as networking and speaking.

Marketing ends when you get to the Selling Conversation.

The selling Conversation happens when the prospect is ready to explore working with you. The Selling Conversation consists of learning about the prospect's situation, goals, and challenges and then presenting the service that will help them reach those goals and overcome those challenges.

The Biggest Mistake in Selling

When people are having trouble converting prospects into clients, they are usually doing one thing wrong - they are selling before they are actually in the Selling Conversation. They are selling when they should actually still be marketing.

It's necessary to be clear about the distinction between marketing and selling or you'll continue to make this mistake.

Here's what most often happens:

You're talking to a prospect about your business. It may be at a networking meeting or over the phone. The prospect is interested in your services. And then, pow, out of nowhere you start the Selling Conversation. You start explaining about your services. You stop listening and you say too much.

Often when you do this, you blow the opportunity to ever have a real Selling Conversation because you've told the prospect all about your services and they've already made a decision. "Well, this sounds interesting but it's not what I need right now."

What you need to learn to do is have "Marketing Conversations" or "Pre-selling Conversations." These are very different from "Selling Conversations."

Let's look at the elements of a Marketing Conversation.

1. Someone asks what you do, and you respond with your problem-oriented Audio Logo: "I work with people who have trouble getting major projects done on time."

2. They follow up with, "Oh, how does that work?" and you respond with your Ultimate Outcome: "The clients I've worked with typically double the speed in getting major products done and as a result end up getting promotions and raises."

If you can do those first two steps, you're doing better than about 90% of Independent Professionals. But what you say next, or more accurately what you don't say is the key to keeping this a Marketing Conversation, not a Selling Conversation.

3. You now have their attention and they want to know more. "How do you accomplish those results?" And here's where most make the mistake of explaining the "process" of how you do what you do.

Don't do that!!!

Instead, you want to tell a story. "A client I worked with recently kept getting bogged down on projects and his job was on the line. We worked together and he became the most productive person in his department. Ultimately he got a big promotion and a raise."

4. Now the prospect is even more interested. "Can you tell me what you did to increase his productivity?" Don't tell him. You're saving that for the Selling Conversation. "Well, I wrote an article about that called 'Ten Mistakes Managers Make That Kill Productivity.' Can I send you a copy?"

By providing more information (not on the process of what you do, but on the issues your clients deal with), you are setting up the right conditions for the selling conversation.

5. Next you would send the article, then follow up by phone to learn more about their situation. You'd focus on them and what productivity issues were impacting them. You'd tell more stories, but still, you'd say little about your process. You're informing, not selling. All of this is a continuation of the Marketing Conversation.

6. If the prospect is showing sufficient interest, you'd invite them to engage in a Selling Conversation: "John, it sounds like you're interested in being more productive. You're much like the clients I work with.

"I'd like to offer you a complimentary "Productivity Strategy Session" where we'd discuss your situation in more depth and talk about your goals and challenges around productivity. And I'll also give you more details about how my services work."

You have now transitioned from a Marketing Conversation into a Selling Conversation. The prospect is interested and open to exploring doing business with you. Because you've held back about your process, they are curious to know how it all works.

Now let's look at this from another angle, the mistakes you make in the Marketing Conversation that could sabotage your efforts to set up a Selling Conversation.

1. You don't use a problem-oriented Audio Logo. You use a label such as "I"m a productivity coach." That's all about you. Who cares?

2. You don't have a powerful Ultimate Outcome. Instead, you talk about your process. "I have a coaching service where I work with people on their productivity." See the difference?

3. You don't use stories, but talk to much about process: "The first thing we do is sit down and find out all the areas where you're not productive and then we work out strategies to increase your productivity." True but boring.

4. When they show more interest, you don't offer anything. Instead, you exchange cards and say something inane such as, "It was good talking to you, if you'd like to know more about my service, please give me a call." You'll be waiting a long time!

5. You don't follow up. And because you haven't set the stage for follow-up, it's pretty hard to do so. What are you going to say on the phone? The mistakes you've made have completely undermined the opportunity to set up a Selling Conversation.

Remember, all the activities of marketing, including the Marketing Conversation, are designed to get you into a Selling Conversation, but it just doesn't happen by itself. You need to have a step-by-step strategy and methodology, executed in a certain sequence if you hope to succeed.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: You must make a clear distinction between Marketing Conversations and Selling Conversations. If you don't, you end up trying to sell too soon and lose the opportunity to set up a real Selling Conversation.

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What's your process for setting up Selling Conversations? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments link below:

Recession-Proof With a Book?

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

If you think writing a book is merely an excellent long term marketing strategy, I have news for you.

Perhaps you were thinking of writing a book recently, and changed your mind, deciding to focus on marketing efforts that you felt would give you more immediate results.

You also might have been thinking that writing a book is too complicated, time consuming, and costs too much.


In a recent conversation with my friend, publishing and marketing guru John Eggen, he explained why now was actually the very best time to create a book.


He made several very valid points:


First, he reminded me that a book can be the ultimate marketing tool for Independent Professionals. It gives you instant credibility, establishes you as an authority, and helps you attract a lot more of your ideal clients a lot faster. 


And this is even more true in recessionary times. It's not a time to retreat and "play it safe" John said, but a time to be even more visible and to differentiate yourself from others in your field. And nothing does that like a book. 


Plus, a book can be written and published in as few as 90 days by using today’s methods.

And John should know. He's has helped nearly 1,000 Independent Professionals to author their own book.


But his last point was the clincher.


"Robert, the thing almost nobody understands is that the moment you make the decision to write your book you can leverage that fact to start attracting more and better clients. All you really need to start is a good working title. And you can begin to generate new business right away before you've written a word."


John reminded me he had worked with many authors who I originally referred to him and have generated from $22,000 to $150,000 in new business from their book, before even completing a first draft. He emphasized that simple news about your forthcoming book is a powerful way to attract clients and to profit now -- as well as later. 


I asked John to give me some solid examples and I'd include them in this eZine. I also asked him to lead a TeleClass to talk about how to grow one's business during this recession with a book. He agreed to both.


No-Cost Tactics - And Why they Work


First of all, John told me that most of these tactics he’s developed were free and that you could use them right away. 


Second, he said they work because 3000 years of history have made a book is the number one undisputed symbol of authority for professionals. Just mentioning that you're writing a a book gives you an immediate jump in credibility, sets you apart from others in your field, and attracts new clients even before the book is written.


Here are four ways to leverage this fact:


1. Turn Every Email You Send into a Client Magnet


The first easy technique to attract new clients is to create an email signature line that announces you are authoring a book.


To do this effectively, create a good working book title and subtitle using a time-tested formula to get the attention of your target market. 
 

Then place the title in the signature line for your emails using these exact words: "Author of the forthcoming book, "_______________________." (that simple!)


Fill in the blank with your working title and subtitle, and put them in italics. Those words are a publishing industry-standard term and they give you instant credibility. 


It takes only a few minutes to create this kind of signature line for your emails. And it works. One of my subscribers, independent professional Jeanna Pool, tried it after writing her book title. She reported, "I got two new clients and $25,000.00 in income, all within 30 days of starting my book. It took just three minutes to use one of John's simple techniques."


2.  Turn All Your Introductions into Business Magnets


Another proven way to attract new business is to simply announce the title and subtitle of your forthcoming book in all the prepared introductions about you.


This includes introductions made by others, or you, in all your public presentations, your marketing materials, on your Web site, in your bio, in your media kit, etc.
 This only takes a few minutes to do. Does it work?


A subscriber of mine, independent professional Katalin Halom, tried it while she was writing the first draft of her book. She reported, "In just the first four months, I booked an extra $48,000 in fees to me. Now I have more inquiries for my coaching programs than I can handle."

3.  Put Your Audio Logo or Elevator Speech on Steroids


You can also add news about your forthcoming book into your audio logo or elevator speech and automatically attract more business.


An audio logo and an elevator speech are statements you create to describe what you do in such a way that a genuine business prospect will ask you for more information.


It's most effective if they're short and precise -- just one or two sentences long. 


It takes only a few seconds more to mention your forthcoming book. Is it worth doing?


Another subscriber of mine, independent professional Michael Cannon, began using this method consistently with new prospects as soon as he started writing his book's first draft with John.


He reported, "I've been getting 30-40% more first meetings with CEO prospects and a 25% increase in those who closed. I've also been getting less negotiation on price, because they perceive me as an authority."


Do the math and you will see it's a geometric increase in his results.


4.  Use Two or More of these Tactics and Multiply Your Results


Another secret behind these insider techniques is that they use the power of a book to leverage your existing marketing methods... the things you are already habitually doing.


In other words, they don't require any new expenditures of your time or money. And using two or more of these simple methods can multiply your results.


One of my subscribers, Laura Cardone, took John up on this idea and reported, "I generated an additional $150,000.00 in new business just by using a few of the no-cost marketing tactics John taught me, and that was before I even finished the first draft of my book."


John emphasized that, "In today's economic climate you need every marketing advantage you can find.


"Within a few days from the moment you commit to creating your book, you can have a good working title and subtitle. You can then use them in these simple, proven ways to attract new clients and extra income immediately." 


OK, John, I get it! I guess I need to declare that I'm writing a book even though I'm not 100% sure what it will contain!


I don't know if you're considering writing a book or not, but if you are, John's proven methods are a great way to get a head-start by demonstrating that you're a credible authority.

Free TeleClass: Recession - Proof with a Book


In an eZine article we can only touch on a few of the ideas John has used successfully with his clients. In fact, a total of 213 of my subscribers and clients have worked with John in his quick-start publishing programs. 


For several years I've worked in partnership with John to offer these publishing programs. They are designed for Independent Professionals who not only want to publish a client-attracting book in as little as 90 days but to recession-proof their practice.


I asked John to offer a TeleClass that would go into more depth about how to use a book to make money immediately and thrive during this economy. We'll discuss some of the ideas covered in today's eZine and a whole lot more.


If you've even considered writing and publishing a book, I highly recommend you attend. Here are the details:


Date: Thursday, May 28


Time: 5:30 pm Pacific. (6:30 mntn, 7:30 cntrl, 8:30 estrn)


For complete details and to make a reservation, please click
on this link:


http://mypublishingopportunity.com/robertm

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The More Clients Bottom Line: For Independent Professionals, the money you make from a book is not from book sales but from attracting new clients. The good news is that you can increase your credibility immediately and start attracting more of your ideal clients, even before you've started writing that book.

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Have you written a book? How has it helped your business? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the Comments link below.

Recession Marketing - 10 Mistakes

Many people will tell you that in a recession, marketing is more important than ever. If you go into hiding when times are tough, you'll drop off the radar of your prospective clients.

People will continue to buy professional services, but the overall market may have shrunk. Therefore, being visible and offering value is more important than ever.

But even if you are determined to market your services, there's a good chance you're making some deadly marketing mistakes that will decrease the overall effectiveness of your marketing.

Here are 10 Marketing Mistakes professionals make in a recession and how you can correct them.

1. Not Having a Game Plan
Getting out there and doing marketing activities doesn't mean getting out there randomly doing anything that seems like a good idea. This will dissipate your energy and resources and make you feel even more desperate if your efforts aren't successful.

Spend some serious time crafting a plan. First know who your clients are, and what they need from you. Then develop a step-by-step plan to consistently put your message in front of them with an emphasis on setting up face-to-face meetings.

2. Buying into "Ain't It Awful"
Times are tough? Or are they? Are you being triggered by external things such as the stock market, housing prices, and troubles with the banks? When you get triggered, do you find yourself thinking stressful thoughts, feeling worried, and then being paralyzed in taking any creative action?

Identify just one limiting thought that seems to be repeating in your head over and over, such as, "Nobody can afford my services now." Now question that thought. Is it really true? Don't stop questioning that thought until you realize that it's YOU that made it up. Then make up a more empowering thought.

3. Not Refining Your Marketing Message
I've talked about improving marketing messages a thousand times. What happens when you don't have a good, attention-getting message? You waste valuable time and miss opportunities to attract clients. If your message is not clear and full of value, prospects won't pay attention and will pass you by.

Make sure your marketing message include the following four components: 1. Clear target market, 2. Problem or issue prospect is experiencing, 3. Bottom line outcome you produce for your clients, 4. story that illustrates the above: "Client had this issue, we worked with her and she got this result."

4. Not Improving Your Marketing Materials
The same goes for all your marketing materials, especially your web site. Web sites have these problems that drive away prospects: 1. Unattractive, unprofessional design, 2. Unclear, unfocused marketing message, 3. Insufficient, rambling content, 4. No clear call-to-action.

Working on improving your web site is relatively inexpensive and gives you high marketing leverage. Take the time to find a good designer, write clear, compelling copy and let your visitors know why they should do business with you. This will serve you in both good times and bad.

5. Not Offering Extra Value
In times of recession we think of scaling back and cutting costs. But the message you convey when you do this tends to backfire. You end up looking cheap. Yes, people are always looking for a great deal, but ultimately they are looking for solid value.

Work at ways you can add value without adding a lot of expense. For instance, every client appreciates more information, resources and access. As a bonus to all your clients, provide a special web page with this kind of value, then send a weekly email letting them know what's new.

6. Not Offering Programs
It's easier to buy a "program" than it is to buy a "service." A service is more open-ended and intangible. For instance, if you do management consulting, you may offer "management consulting services" by the hour or by the day. But do you see how vague this is? Where's the value?

Instead, offer programs that are more tangible. They have a beginning, middle and end and offer a specific outcome for a set price. This is perceived as a higher value overall, has less risk for the prospect, and is also much easier to sell.

7. Not Improving Your Selling Process
The selling process often ends up as a rambling, unfocused conversation about your services. It tends to be aimless and disorganized, fails to cover important points, and often leaves out the close completely.

The sales process needs to be organized into these five major parts: 1. Current situation and challenges of prospect, 2. Prospect goals and desired future, 3. Things stopping prospect from realizing those goals and future, 4. Presentation of your service/solution, 5. Call-to-action - asking for the business.

8. Not Getting Out There
It's easy to get busy and hide in your office. It always seems to be more important to answer another email or send a Twitter or Facebook message. Don't you sometimes get a sense that you're not connecting very deeply when it's only online?

Nothing against social media, but it really can't replace in-person contacts through networking, individual meetings, and attendance at seminars and conferences. Don't end up as a "ghost marketer." Be a "real marketer" who also connects in person.

9. Not Staying Regularly in Touch
Perhaps the biggest overall mistake most businesses make. Whether it's a prospect you meet at a networking event, an attendee at a presentation, or an existing client, we tend to disappear and wait for them to be in contact with us.

You need a program of "keep-in-touch marketing" where your prospects and clients hear from you regularly, get ideas and information from you, and are informed of new services and programs. The best way to do this is through an email newsletter (eZine) that goes out like clockwork.

10. Being Passive, Not Proactive
Passive marketing is lazy marketing. That is, you think you are doing something, but you're not really connecting. Another way to think of this is doing marketing activities aimlessly, going through the motions, but doing little to move things forward.

Proactive marketing is based on campaigns that get your message out there and that you follow up on. For instance, a teleclass that you hold, and then follow up with the participants to set up appointments to discuss your services. You need to take the initiative and reach out, not wait for prospects to call you.

How many of these marketing mistakes are you making? What's your plan to correct them?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If you work at correcting just one marketing mistake at a time, your marketing will go to a whole new level and you'll start seeing results, even when theres's a so-called recession going on. In fact, don't be surprised if your business does even better now than ever before.

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How are you working on your marketing during the recession? What's your plan? Please share on the More Clients Blog. Just click on the comments section below.

$1,000 worth of marketing programs for $9 (!!??)

By checking out the Action Plan Marketing Club for one month, you only pay $9, and get almost $1,000 worth of marketing programs, expert interviews, coaching calls and other valuable marketing resources.

How can you afford NOT to check out the Marketing Club?

www.actionplan.com/actionplanclub.html

Do You Use This Seven-Step Process?

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Do you have a marketing plan?

I mean, do you have a real plan that gets you clients? And not just randomly, but consistently like clockwork. Do you know exactly what to do to bring in ideal clients who pay you well and are a delight to work with?

I'll bet you don't.

Most marketing for Independent Professionals consists of a random series of marketing activities with no particular aim, no sequence of well-thought-out steps and certainly no way to measure if the plan was successful or not.

If you were asked the purpose of your marketing plan, you'd say something like, "get exposure," or "get my name out there."

Sorry, that's not a plan but a hope.

A marketing plan is a step-by-step process designed to consistently and predictably attract clients. If a marketing plan is properly designed and executed it will produce the same results almost every time - more ideal clients.

But the truth is that it's rare for the average Independent Professional to design and implement a marketing plan consistently and successfully.

The reason I know this is that I've never heard an Independent Professional say the following: "How do I get clients? Easy! Every time I need new clients, I just use a special seven-step process. When I do, I gain as many clients as I need every time."

This is more often the answer: "Well, I do a little networking and send out a newsletter once in awhile, and if anyone asks I'll give a talk, and I've published a few articles. But most of my clients come from word-of-mouth."

Please tell me this doesn't sound familiar?

From what I can see, a successful marketing plan is so rare that, like the fabled unicorn, most contend that it doesn't really exist, but is the stuff of legends.

And when the very rare person talks about a marketing plan that recently worked to generate tens, if not hundreds of thousands in new business, we scoff in disbelief: "Must have either been luck or some kind of scam. No way that could work!"

Well, let me give you some caveats.

Most successful marketing plans are not simple. They are multi-step processes and each step in the process must be executed competently. And it takes persistence and skills that take a little time to learn and develop.

But let me tell you, it's a lot easier to learn than many other things. Try learning the piano, a foreign language or computer programming; now those are hard!

No, a marketing plan is challenging but quite doable.

And if you think about it, don't you think it's worth the effort to learn? I mean how would your life change if you could implement a plan in a few weeks or months that generated as much money as you made all last year?

It's not only possible, but something you can do.

Just as there are many songs, many languages, and many computer programs, there are many marketing plans. They can be customized to your needs and adapted to work to attract clients over and over again.

And by the way, I'm not talking about one of those "secret plans" that will make you super rich without lifting a finger. I hope you're not so naive.

What does every marketing plan include? Thought I'd never get around to it did you?

Here we go, in seven steps:

1. A target market. You need to know specifically whom you are offering your service to. You should be able to picture them as clearly as your own family.

2. A defined service. Not a vague service but preferably a service that will produce a consistent and desirable outcome for your clients. It helps if you're somewhat obsessed by this service!

3. A marketing message. This is what you say to your target market about your defined service to get them interested and wanting to know more. The message must be crystal-clear and promise a clear and valuable outcome.

4. Some marketing materials. Usually something written, these days primarily by email and web, can include audio or video. The purpose of these materials is to educate and persuade your prospects that it's worth exploring further.

5. An invitation to engage. Once you have the interest and attention of prospects, they need to be invited to talk to you under favorable conditions to explore how you could help them produce those outcomes.

6. A sales process. This is a conversation that takes place with qualified prospects who are ready to learn more and are open to explore working with you. Ultimately, the sale process converts prospects into paying clients.

7. Ability to deliver. Once you have new clients, you need to deliver the services as promised, meeting or exceeding their expectations, which then leads to word-of-mouth business.

That's it. That's the seven step process.

And you can adapt this to any professional service in the world and start attracting clients in droves. I've done it over and over for years (and have taught hundreds to do it as well).

You can't miss a step and each step must be executed competently. Again, each of the steps must be customized for your business. Yes, it usually takes a certain amount of trial and error to make your plan work consistently.

Are you disappointed? No magic secrets or silver bullets.

But I promise you, that's all there is. Sounds simple, right? But if you look closely at those seven steps, can you honestly say you can successfully do most of them, some of them, any of them?

Probably not, because you never learned.

Like music or a language or computer programming, you were never shown how to do all of these things. And you were certainly not taught this as a time-tested process, as a complete system.

And as a result, attracting clients consistently is still a mystery to you. The good news is that it doesn't have to be. This is something you can learn and it's easier than you think.

This page will tell you how to master this seven-step process:

www.actionplan.com/actionplanclub.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: You can struggle with marketing your business forever, or learn the seven-step process to attracting clients and start growing your business in ways you never imagined.

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What's your marketing plan? Please share on the More Clients Blog.