The More Clients Blog

Two Huge Things

Here it is, the end of another year.

I hope you've had a good year, created new intentions and possibilities and gone past self-imposed limitations.

If you focused on those two areas, it's likely that you attracted more clients, made more money and had more fun in your business.

Last week I challenged you to look at the big things in marketing that mattered, instead of worrying about the little mistakes. But even more important are these two HUGE THINGS: Intentions and Limitations. Intentions first:

Creating Intentions

Imagine it's twenty or thirty years from now. You're retired and you're reviewing your accomplishments, the mark you've made on the word. Would you be fulfilled and satisfied or would you feel somewhat disappointed with yourself?

Perhaps this doesn't matter to you; I know it doesn't to many people. They are waiting for retirement and the opportunity to finally relax and take it easy. If so, all power to you.

But for me, that's like death. Once Duke Ellington was asked when he was gong to retire. His response was, "Retire to what?" Instead, he kept composing and performing music to the end of his life. Duke, and others like him are my inspiration.

Ellington was always thinking of the next composition. For me, it's the next project, the next product, the next program. That's where life is, where fulfillment resides.

How about you?

What do you intend to create this year? Forget about New Year's resolutions. A waste of time. Think one hundred times bigger: What oceans are you going to cross, what buildings will you erect, whose lives will you change?

This is what I intend for 2007:

1. Complete my book on marketing
2. Initiate Marketing Coaches Certification with 50 people
3. Re-edit/re-launch the InfoGuru Marketing Manual
4. Grow my e-list to 75,000

That should keep me busy! And the only thing that can get in the way is my limited thinking. Anything external is really not an issue. Which brings me to the second HUGE THING:

Going Past Self-Imposed Limitations

Sometime a few months ago I let go of a belief that I'd been holding onto for years: "Nobody else can do what I do as well as I can." I was literally addicted to that one. And if that was true, how could I ever certify anyone to lead my programs? I couldn't.

But without anything really changing except realizing that this belief was utter nonsense, I created my "Marketing Coaches Certification Program" in just a few weeks.

What beliefs are you addicted to that are holding you back from realizing your intentions? As long as you remain attached to them, they will shape your current reality as they always have.

Are they about how much money you can earn?

Are they about how successful you can be?

Are they about your capability as a marketer?

Are they about the difference you can ultimately make?

And what if those beliefs weren't really true at all? Take a few minutes to seriously question them:

Are they really true? What's the consequence of thinking them? What if you couldn't think them anymore? What would you do differently? How would your results change?

Kind of boggles the mind if you start to question these insidious self-imposed limited beliefs. But if you do, your intentions just may start to look and feel more real than ever.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: What will you make of next year? It will all hinge on the intentions that you create and your ability to question (and go beyond) your self-imposed limitations.

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What are your intentions for the year and what limitations are you going to transcend in order to realize them? I invite you to share them on the Blog at the comments link below.

P.S. Happy New Year! The next eZine you'll receive from me will be in 2007. Make the last week of the year count. Create those intentions and examine those limitations!

Forget the Little Mistakes

In the most recent issue of Sun Magazine (my favorite magazine - great writing, no ads) was an interview with Studs Terkel. Terkel has written several books that are essentially an oral history of the United states in the last half of the 20th century.

His famous book, "Working," chronicled the daily work lives of ordinary people. And his 1984 book, "The Good War," won the Pulitzer Prize. Terkel is an American icon who has put his heart and soul into his life's work.

And Studs Terkel also makes mistakes.

For me, the most refreshing part of the interview was him admitting the technical mistakes he's made in taping the interviews:

Sun: Have you ever lost an interview because of a technical problem?

Terkel: Sure. I'm known for my ineptitude. That's the irony of the whole thing; they call me the "master of the tape recorder," but I haven't the faintest idea of what I'm doing. I'm just learning the electric typewriter. And I don't know what a computer is. You've got neocons and neoliberals: I'm a neo-Neanderthal.

That cracked me up.

When I think of all the technical mistakes I've made in my business, not to mention a zillion other small and not-so-small mistakes, it's nice to be reminded that you don't have to be perfect to be successful and to make a difference.

I've noticed that one of the biggest things stopping people from marketing themselves is obsessing about "doing it right." But I have the opposite advice: Do it wrong. Just try something and, like Studs Terkel, sooner or later you'll figure it out.

These imperfections or small mistakes will rarely sink a business. But getting so stuck in preparation that you never get started, kills businesses every single day.

A recent Time Magazine cover story asserted that we worry about the wrong things. For instance, only one or two people are killed in the US each year by sharks. But hundreds are killed by deer (when we hit them in our cars). But did you ever see a TV show about "Beware the Killer Deer?"

In my Fast Track to More Clients Program, I emphasize seven big things you need to focus on in order to market effectively. Miss doing these and you're in deep trouble. And miss them we do, because we're too focused on the sharks.

Do you fall into any of the following mistake traps:

1. Not Having the Right Marketing Mindset
In our marketing we worry about trivial things when we need to focus on the bigger picture. We need to develop a marketing mindset that is focused on making a difference instead of worrying about rejection.

Instead of complaining how we can't find time to market or how our services are hard to explain, we need to adopt the mindset of the master marketers.

Their mindset is: My services are valuable. I will do what it takes to get the attention and interest of my prospects until they see the value as well.

2. Not Making Marketing a Game
Whenever you play a game you make mistakes. That's just part of the game. You drop the ball. You miss the goal. It's not a big deal, you just keep playing the best you can.

The big mistake we make in marketing is either not playing the game at all or not realizing that there even is a game. I see a lot of Independent Professionals running around the field with no idea who has the ball or where the goal is.

You need to understand the rules of the game and then commit to playing it to win. It becomes a lot more fun when you do.

3. Not Speaking the Language of Marketing
The bottom line of marketing is communication. It's saying the right things at the right time to the right people. But obsessing about the perfect word is not very productive.

Like the game of marketing, many of us don't even realize that there's a language or syntax you need to employ to get attention and interest from prospects.

Talk about who you work with, the problems they have and the solutions you offer and the words will take care of themselves.

4. Not Having a Powerful Marketing Message
One thing that still amazes me is how people obsess about their marketing message or "Audio Logo" but never try it out on real, live prospects.

A marketing message only makes sense in the context of an interaction or written communication with a prospect. Did they show interest? Did they respond?

Try out your marketing message on 50 people and you'll know if your message is working or not. Then fine tune.

5. Not Using Persuasive "Marketing Currency"
If people obsess about marketing messages, they agonize over written marketing communications. Is that the perfect word? What if there's a typo? What if I say if wrong?

But what we miss is the big picture of marketing communications - getting something out on a regular basis to prospects on your list. That builds credibility through visibility, even if you make a typo here and there.

Just ask yourself: What information would help my prospects? And then make it a priority to get it to them.

6. Not Implementing Effective Marketing Tactics
There are probably hundreds of different marketing tactics you could use to market yourself. From networking to television ads. What's the perfect tactic for your business? How can you know?

Guess what? There is no perfect tactic. So don't get caught in paralysis by analysis. Pick a tactic that you would actually enjoy doing (see last week's More Clients) and jump in with both feet.

My favorite tactics involve very direct communication with my prospects. I get them interested; I offer something of value; I ask for a response; I follow up and ask for the business.

7. Not Following a Marketing Action Plan
Ever notice how the same ideas tend to recirculate in your brain over and over again? We don't take action because our plan never becomes real. Again, worried about making a mistake, we do nothing.

You don't figure out your whole plan and then write it down. In the process of writing it down, the plan becomes clearer and clearer. What's your goal, what are you going to do, when are you going to do it and what resources to you need? Then start.

Remember Goethe's famous couplet:
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Don't let yourself be stopped by worrying about little mistakes. They'll happen despite our best efforts. Put your focus on avoiding the big mistakes and your marketing effectiveness will expand dramatically.

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What's a dumb marketing mistake that you made and survived to market another day? Tell us on the Blog on the comments link below.

http://www.actionplan.blogs.com

P.S. Happy Holidays! You'll hear from me one more time this year, the day after Christmas.

The Most Important Marketing Principle

Several times people have asked me what the most important marketing principle was. What is the one thing you absolutely have to know in order to attract more clients?

Is it your marketing message or powerful marketing materials? Is it the ability to persuasively speak about your services? Perhaps it's a killer marketing tactic that I keep under wraps. Or is it more a matter of persistence and commitment?

Well, all of those are very important. But there is one marketing idea that is the most important of all.

It might be exemplified best in this story I heard years ago.

Two friends were talking about another friend who was a great fisherman. They related stories about how he always caught more fish than everyone else, yet he didn't really do anything different than other fishermen did.

He used a similar boat, the same fishing rods and lures. He fished in the same places and at the same times of day. So why in the heck did he always catch more fish? What was his secret?

Well, his secret was pretty simple: He loved fishing.

If you love what you do, you'll always be better at it. You'll find subtle ways to do things that others wouldn't even think of. You'll read more about it. You'll put your heart and soul into it.

So when it comes to marketing your services, I promise that you'll get better results if you love marketing yourself. But how do you do that? What if you don't like marketing at all?

Let me tell you another story.

I once worked with a writer who needed to market herself. But the first time we met, she told me she hated networking and wouldn't call people she didn't know.

So I asked her what she did love.

She told me that she loved her Siberian Husky, Mutombo. She was nuts about that dog and talked my ear off for about half an hour. Then she said, rather sheepishly, "I've been thinking of sending out mailings to prospects with pictures of Mutombo on them. What do you think?"

Well, on the surface, it didn't seem like a great idea. But what was clear was the love she had for that dog and the enthusiasm she had for the idea. So I said, "Why not?"

She worked with her husband, who was a photographer, to create a series of very innovative mailing pieces that featured Mutombo. She then tied the pictures into themes about corporate writing.

Yes, it sounds like a stretch, but the mailings were an amazing success. They were fun, attention-getting and different. People started calling her. And she generated some very big clients with this wacky idea of putting her dog on her mailings.

She was doing what she loved. She found a marketing approach that she could really get into. And it was a huge success.

So what do you love? What would you enjoy doing? What could you put your heart and soul into?

In my Fast Track Marketing Model, I point out that there are essentially three effective marketing tactics or vehicles for Independent Professionals: Networking, Publishing and Speaking. But there are infinite variations on these three. My client used a form of publishing through direct mail.

When I started my business, I started with networking. But my style is to be an initiator, not just a participant. So I started my own networking groups. I met a lot of people and I loved bringing people together. So this was very successful.

Only a month or two after buying my first Macintosh, I created a monthly newsletter. I also happened to love design and project-oriented things. So I had a lot of fun with this, and also had very good results. The newsletter also pulled people into the networking events.

Finally, at these events, I had the opportunity to make presentations and discovered that I loved to be in the front of a group. (I think I'm a frustrated stand-up comedian at heart.) It turned out that speaking was the most effective marketing tactic of all for me.

I was lucky. I found three areas of marketing that I loved. But the key was that I found my particular way of doing these marketing activities that fit with my style and personality. Over the years I've adapted these tactics to the online world through this eZine and introductory teleclasses.

And you can do this as well.

Don't worry about three tactics to start. Find one. And don't fall for some hyped-up marketing strategy that you read about on the Internet that promises to make you kazillions of dollars. Trust me. It won't. (Unless you love it.)

Find some aspect of networking, publishing or speaking that you can make your own, where you can express your authentic self, that you can have fun at, and you'll get better results than you could possibly imagine.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Work at finding marketing tactics and activities that you can really enjoy, something that you can put your whole self into. I promise you'll catch more fish.

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What's the most fun marketing activity that you do? Tell us your success story on the Blog by clicking the comments link below.

Getting to Yes - Part III

Last week I discussed the final steps of getting to "Third Base" in the selling process. Now I'll tell you what you need to do to get to Home Base. Pay close attention to this part, because I've had people use this material to make hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And in many ways, it's the simplest step of all.

You've won a new client and arrived at Home Base when all of these conditions have been met:

1. Your prospect says they want to work with you.
2. You have agreed to the conditions of the engagement.
3. They have given you your first payment.

If you don't get all three, you're in trouble. So let's look at them a little more closely.

At the end of the sales process you close (I covered this last week). If the prospect shows definite interest in moving forward, then you move to #2. But if they are not solidly committed to #1, the chances are that #2 and #3 won't happen.

So confirm your close: "Great, I look forward to working with you. Let's just review what we'll be doing. We'll be starting a coaching relationship that will last one year. Your main objective is to expand your business and increase your income by $100K, right?"

And if they agree, you're on track. But you may need to discuss in more detail what their actual objectives are as well as discuss the details of how the service will be performed. When you are in agreement, you can go to #2, (a written agreement, proposal or contract).

It's important that you don't prepare a proposal before you have agreed, in principle, to work together and have agreed on the objectives to be met. If you present a proposal before this point, the chances are that you'll lose the sale.

So don't get all excited after briefly talking to a prospect when they say, "Why don't you put a proposal together for me?" It's often a strategy to put you off. And it's a great time-waster.

As Alan Weiss says, "A proposal is a summation, not an exploration." But when the time comes for this summation, there are several options.

If you're selling an individual service such as coaching or developing a web site for a small business, you should have an agreement or proposal template that's pretty much the same for everyone.

This proposal outlines, first of all, the objectives you have agreed to as well as expected results. And then it gives an overview of your methodology and the structure of how you will work together. It will also include your pricing and any other important details (such as who is responsible for what).

Next, tell them what to do and what you will do.

"I'll send you my standard agreement by email. Please take a look at it, sign it and send a copy back to me. Then we can get started next week. Why don't we also set up a time for our first meeting?"

The agreement may be a formality, but it's necessary. It prevents misunderstandings and sets the foundation for a good working relationship. Make sure your agreement is in plain English and contains no legalese; it's not necessary.

If you are selling a big project to a larger company, the complexity increases. But the order of things is still the same. Close and get agreement that you'll be working together. Working out all the details may take longer and involve more people.

But don't submit a proposal until you are in agreement.

The proposal itself will need to be more customized, but you can still make it two or three pages and cover all you need. Here's a proven 9-point proposal format:

1. Start with: a) a situation summary, b) a list of agreed-upon objectives (what they said they wanted) and c) measures of success (how you'll both know if the objectives have been met). This may be the most important part of the proposal, and yet many don't even include it.

2. Continue with: d) your methodology (what you'll do and how you'll do it e) your responsibilities f) their responsibilities. This part often doesn't need to be as detailed as you think. Don't go into excruciating detail about your process. Just give them a good sense of what will happen.

3. Complete with: g) Choice of options (give them a basic, standard, and deluxe option). A choice of yeses makes it easier to decide. h) Compensation (how and when you'll get paid. - P.S. ask for more up front than you usually do) and i) Agreed to.. (where you'll both sign)

This simple proposal template, which I learned from Alan Weiss and have used myself, has helped me and others confirm very large deals with relatively little struggle and effort.

The last thing is to get your payment. Up front, of course. After all, you deserve it. Don't start any work until you've been paid.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Once you close and come to agreement about what you'll do, put it in writing as an agreement or proposal that summarizes what you've agreed to. Make it simple and always start with what they'll get, not what you'll do.

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Do you have any great stories about successful proposals? Tell them on the Blog. (Click on Comments below.)