The More Clients Blog

Overcoming Client Fears of Working with You

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

This past weekend I held the 3-day workshop/retreat for the Marketing Mastery Program with 19 very smart and fun InfoGurus. We explored every area of attracting clients you can possibly think of in great depth.

In one of the workshop sessions, we brainstormed a list of fears clients have about working with InfoGurus. It was quite eye-opening and I thought I'd share this list with you.

Some Fears of Working With InfoGurus (duplicating the colors from the flip chart)

I don't understand what you offer, what's in it for me, how it works, or the difference between a coach and a consultant.

You don't get me and it’s gonna cost me.

You're asking me to buy a service that's putting money in YOUR pocket and ends up losing money for ME. It'll cost me even more to get out of it.

You just don't get it! This is not my reality! I can't use what you’re offering!

Here comes some more Seagull Training: Trainers fly in, dump a lot of stuff, make a lot of noise and fly out …

You'll take a cookie-cutter approach to advising my child.

You're asking me to share my deepest, darkest business and financial secrets?!? With YOU?

You're just going to hand me off to your junior staff anyway.

I don’t really know what you do, but I do know this: You'll probably charge me a lot of money to tell me the obvious.

All you consultants are alike: over-promise and under-deliver. You'll fail to link this "training workshop" to my real business issues or needs.

You don't understand our organization, culture, language or business—and you won’t integrate your "stuff" into what we’re trying to do.

With training programs, there's no long-term benefit. Sure, you’ll give me a workshop, but it will be impossible to measure the results. No metrics!

Quite a list right? And I'm sure you could add many of your own.

The big question is how do you overcome fears and objections like this? If you don't, there's a good chance you'll never get the client. But if you do, you'll dramatically increase the chances of getting the client by resolving their fears.

So how do you do this?

Remember, marketing is communication. It's your job to not only communicate about your services and what your clients can expect from you, but how you address these thorny issues.

You don't want to sweep these under the rug, but confront them head-on. After all, most of your prospective clients won't even tell you this stuff face-to-face; most will look at your web site or other marketing materials (which never mention these fears) and simply not contact you.

You want to talk about these fears in your written marketing materials as well as during your selling conversations. One good place is in the "How We Work" section of your web site, or perhaps in the write-up about a particular service.

Here's an example of how you might address one of these issues:

"Many people consider training programs to be "Seagull Training" where trainers fly in, dump a lot of stuff, make a lot of noise and fly out! This is actually true for a lot of training. There's a certain amount of excitement during and after a program, but a week or a month later, very little substance remains.

"How our training programs differ is that we focus on transferring skills, not just stuffing participants with information. You can read to gain information but training needs to go beyond that.

"Our leadership skills training model is based on proven approaches and strategies successful leaders actually employ. This model is based on over 50 years of research on leadership effectiveness by the Rothman Institute of New York.

"In our programs, we take real-life situations where leadership is called for and through demonstrations, case studies and role playing, participants learn the 'Seven Leadership Competencies.'

"This skills-based training is then reinforced with a series of monthly teleclasses over a six-month period where these skills are practiced and honed until they become natural behaviors.

"As a result, our leadership skills training results in employees who not only know the concepts of leadership, but actually exhibit the traits of leaders. What this means for your company is better decision making, more cohesive teams, and ultimately better productivity and profitability for your company."

What you've done is taken a fear or objection and persuasively explained how this fear, although understandable, is something you have thought about and addressed comprehensively.

And you could do the same for any of the other fears listed above.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If you think or know your prospects have certain fears or objections about your services, don't avoid these issues, address them in detail, assuring them that you not only understand their concerns but that you have structured your services to resolve those concerns completely.

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What fear do you need to address in your written marketing materials? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog in the Comments section below:

Influence Through Value

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

OK, I want you to make a choice. Pick A or B:

A. Management consulting services designed to help your managers lead more effectively.

B: A Program called: "From Managers to Leaders." This program is designed to turn your managers into powerful leaders.

Pretty similar, right? They are both about turning managers into leaders. But doesn't B sound more valuable to you? So, all else being equal, you're going to be more interested in B than A.

This is the fourth and final in my series on Influence and in this issue I'm going to talk about the power of influencing by communicating value.

First, a review (from the past 3 More Clients):

1. Your ability to influence starts with your ability not to get triggered or upset when you are rejected.

2. It takes real intention to influence. You must be very clear about your desired outcomes and have a plan.

3. To influence you must be completely present with your prospects. It's a matter of being, not doing.

Number 4, value, is a powerful influencer. And value needs to be at the core of all your marketing communication. It's the last part of the "Influence Formula": Let go of the fear, focus your intention, be present with the prospect and talk value.

If you work at better communicating the value of your services you will attract more attention, get more meetings and sell more services. It's as simple as that.

Another way to talk about value is making sure you are communicating your "What's in it for me message?" at every single opportunity.

But how do I do that? Good question. Let me count the ways.

Your Audio Logo

Someone asks what you do and you tell them you work with a certain kind of client who has a particular kind of challenge. This sets up people for hearing the value you offer. And then when they ask more, tell them a story of a client you worked with. What was their challenge, what did you do for them and what result did you produce?

Stories with real, tangible results communicate more powerfully than anything else.

Home Page of Web Site

You have less than a second to attract attention on your web site. You do this with good, clean design and a powerful headline that communicates that value instantly. Your visitors can't think about what you mean. They need to get it in a nanosecond.

"How to Turn Underperforming Managers into Powerful Leaders"

There's real value in that. There's something in it for the reader. And there's more to learn (how to...) so they'll keep reading your copy. Seems simple, right? Well take a look at most professional service business web sites and you'll see pretty quickly that most headlines and home pages miss the value entirely. They are boring, confusing, and annoying!

I just looked one up:

"About ABC City Consulting Group" Followed by 5 paragraphs of tiny, unreadable gray type. You think they'd know better. They may be good consultants, but most will never know how good because they'll click off that page in an instant, never to return.

Information-Packed Articles

When you get the attention of a prospect, the first thing they want is more information. They want that value. They want to understand what you know, how you think and if you have something that could help them.

And an article, what I call a "10 Mistakes Article," is perfect for that. You simply identify ten (or 5 or 7, etc) mistakes your clients are making. Your article outlines those mistakes and gives focused solutions for each of them. Again, that's value. It's interesting and they will respond to it.

Talks and Presentations

What better way to deliver value galore? They not only get your message and receive some information, they get a real experience of you in action delivering that value.

Do these influence? You bet they do. And if the quality of the value you offer is high, those in the audience are going to want more. You have accomplished your goal of influence - to get a favorable response from qualified prospects interested in your services.

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More Clients Bottom Line: If the job of marketing is to influence, and the primary way you influence is by communicating value, then your marketing plan should be clear: Get to work at communicating loads of value in every way possible to your target market.

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What value are you going to communicate in your marketing? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.

Influence with the Four Connectors

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Are you ready to Influence?

You're at a networking meeting talking to someone about your business. They ask some questions, provide some ideas, insert some humor and tell a story. Before long you find yourself thinking, "Maybe this is someone who can help me in my business." And soon the conversation goes in the direction of finding out more about his business and how he can help you.

Then you talk to another person at the same event. As the conversation proceeds you find you're less and less interested in this person and what they have to say. They also ask questions, tell stories and use humor.

But what's different?

Why does the first person influence you and the second person do just the opposite? If you knew the answer to this question, you'd have powerful knowledge that would increase your ability to influence. That's what this article is about.

First, a review:

1. Your ability to influence starts with your ability not to get triggered or upset when you are rejected. 

2. Your ability to influence takes intention. You must be very clear about your desired outcomes and have a plan.

Only then can you really implement various influence strategies.

And the first influence strategy, the essence of influence, is your ability to make deep connections with those you are attempting to influence.

But this is not as easy as it sounds.

This is actually a combination of skills. Let's call it "The Four Connectors."

1. Tune in to your prospect

2. Develop rapport with your prospect

3. Listen to your prospect

4. Make a contribution to your prospect

If you could do all four of those consistently, your ability to influence would increase dramatically. Let's look at all of them in more depth.

1. Tune In to Your Prospect

This starts by putting your undivided attention on the person you are speaking to. But notice how rare this is. People are distracted, with only a small percentage of their attention on the person they are talking with.

Before you even shake hands, you should think to yourself, "Focus on this person. Make them the most important person in the world for just now."

And when you do this, your powers of observation will magnify.

You'll notice their facial expression, tone of voice, their clothing, and how they carry themselves. You'll get a powerful sense of this person that is impossible to get when you are only half there.

Another way of saying this is: "Be Present."

People who are present are master influencers. Why? Because we love it when someone is being present with us. It makes us feel good about that person. It makes us feel special; it makes us like and trust them. And this can happen in just an instant.

2. Create Rapport with Your Prospect

Rapport follows naturally from presence. Rapport is defined as, "A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's ideas and communicate well."

Synonyms of rapport include: affinity, close relationship, understanding, mutual understanding, bond, empathy, sympathy, and accord.

And it's under the conditions of rapport that people can authentically influence each other. But rapport is not so much something you do; it's something you don't do. You don't try to impress or persuade. When you're present and in rapport you can just be yourself. No strategy required.

3. Listen to Your Prospect

What naturally flows from rapport is interest. And if there's anything to do in this whole process it's to "be interested" as opposed to "being interesting." And being interested means listening.

Again, this is something that few people really understand or practice well. Listening often means "waiting impatiently until you can say something." But listening is not so much a technique as a way of being.

Interested people listen. People who listen are interested.

What comes from this are natural, unforced conversations. It's inside these conversations that influence happens effortlessly. The aim is not to get someone to do something. That will come later, if appropriate. The aim is to make a real connection. And that leads to liking and trusting.

Here's the funny thing.

Most people are naturally good at this; we know how to do this. But what gets in the way are our expectations of what should happen when speaking with prospects. We try to get people interested and impress them in some way.

But that usually backfires. The presence, rapport and listening are forgotten and our agenda takes the front seat and starts driving the conversation. Instead of drawing towards you, they pull away from you.

So what's a poor InfoGuru to do?

4. Make a Contribution to Your Prospect

That is, add value, don't try to extract value. In the course of the conversation you've gotten into rapport and you're asking questions. You're listening and becoming friends. And that's when you'll find openings to add value.

Here's a conversation that demonstrates this. The conversation has drifted into talking about their business...

"What's changing in your business right now?"

"A lot of things are changing. Budgets are being cut and management is demanding more for less. It's pretty stressful."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot in business these days. What kind of things does your company offer to make things more effective and efficient, given the lack of time and resources?"

"Not a whole lot. They just expect us to work harder. It's frustrating, but what are you going to do?"

"Well, I have something that I think you'll like. It's an article I wrote recently. It's about increasing productivity without working harder."

"Sounds interesting. What's the main idea?"

"Well the key idea is that working harder doesn't mean you're working on the right things. And it gives some case studies of how to distinguish the right things from the time-wasters."

"Hmmm."

"Would you like a copy?"

Sure, that would be great!"

Now, through this non-manipulative process of being present, getting into rapport, listening, and adding value, you've taken a powerful first step that may ultimately lead to a profitable business relationship.

Does this really work? Well, today I agreed to move forward on a big business project with someone I've known for a few years. In all our conversations he's been present and listened with uncommon interest. My trust in him has grown and every conversation has added value.

Conversations you're having today can and do influence the clients you attract tomorrow.

More on Influence Strategies next week.

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More Clients Bottom Line: Influence isn't about manipulation, it's about creating mutually beneficial relationships. And relationships start slowly, one step at a time. But can you imagine the power of many relationships developed over time with people who like and trust you because you a) are present and listen to them and b) add real value at every opportunity?

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Where do you want to influence? In other words, where do you need to build relationships? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.

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Influence and Intention

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Do you sometimes hear yourself saying this?

"Why does that other InfoGuru get so many appointments and get her prospects to pay her more? Why does she make more money and have a more successful business? Why does she have more energy and seem more fulfilled?"

But if you brush this off, as just luck, experience, timing or connections, etc, then you're not not looking deeply enough.

Last week I talked about the fact that you'll have little chance to influence if you get upset when you get rejected. If you can't get past that, you'll never influence.

The next lesson on influence is just as important:

To influence you must have intention. But few very people actually know what intention is. It's extraordinarily powerful and it's a tool you can learn, master, and apply to your whole career.

But first, you need to know what lack of intention looks like.

You're trying to make something happen. You're trying to influence someone or trying to accomplish something you haven't done before. You'd like to get a result.

You put some time in, some work, but the results just don't come. Ultimately you quit in frustration or you just let it go gradually with some excuse such as, "It wasn't the right time."

Bull Crap.

You didn't get results because you did not apply real intention to getting those results.

Big Intention = Impressive Results

Low Intention = Average Results

No intention = No Results

We all think we have intention. But we don't. We are unfocused, weak willed, unclear, and are willing to settle for reasons why we didn't get the results instead of getting the results.

This is called being reasonable. It's not very fulfilling.

Intention is completely unreasonable.

I sometimes have this conversation with clients who are struggling to get something done. They say they want to get a new client in a certain period of time. I ask them if they are willing to "bet their car" they'll get a new client.

It's hard for them to understand. Sure, they'll work hard and try the best they can, but, heck, how can you promise results? No, they will not bet their car.

Real intention is the willingness to bet your car because you absolutely know you can be counted on to produce a result, no matter what the conditions are.

Now I'm not talking about insanity here. "OK, I have the unreasonable intention to fly to the moon tomorrow." No, that's just nuts. And you know it. It's just a smokescreen.

Unreasonable intentions are not impossible. They are simply commitments made beyond our comfort zone. Instead, we keep setting reasonable goals within our comfort zone. Not a lot of intention needed there.

OK, so how do you create an intention?

1. Get crystal clear about something that you want in your business. Also know the reason why you want it. If it's to make a certain amount of money every month, you need to have a reason. No reason or desired reward, no intention.

2. Get very clear about the cost of not achieving that goal. Look the fear and the pain and the loss right in the face. If you don't get this goal, there are consequences. Know what they are.

3. Now imagine it actually happening. You can visualize it or write it down or do a mind map or talk to a friend about it. Or anything else that makes it real. If it's not absolutely real to you, if you can't see it happening, it's not a real intention.

4. Create a plan. This can start with a quick sketch or some ideas written down. Perhaps you need some help with this - some coaching or consulting. You need to come up with a real, doable plan here. No hoping. Intentions are real, not imaginary.

5. Commit. This is where you make your bet, take your risk. This is when you forsake any alternative to success. You are "all in" and ready to move. Your intention is like a white-hot laser beam and you are ready to do whatever it takes.

6. Take action - any action in your plan that's going in the direction you want to go. No excuses, no reasons, no hesitation. You are now riding on the extraordinary energy of intention. You are unstoppable.

Know why most intentions just end up as good ideas that didn't work out for you? You did a little bit of number 1 and tried a little bit of number 6. You got an idea, took some steps and then gave it up as a bad job. Too hard, too difficult, too time consuming.

A perfect formula for a mediocre life - and business.

On the other hand, is there something you really, really want? Then follow the above six steps and expect miracles.

Next week: Specific Influence Strategies.

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More Clients Bottom Line: Intention isn't about trying, or even about trying hard. It's a lot more: Clarity, focus, imagination, planning, commitment and action. If you can learn to channel all of these, you can accomplish things you couldn't have imagined were possible.

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What's your intention? What's an unreasonable goal you're going to go for? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.