The More Clients Blog

Hidden Marketing Assets

As I'm leading the "Fast Track to More Clients Workshops" around the country (Just did Cincinnati and Detroit - New York is tomorrow), one issue that keeps coming up are hidden marketing assets most Independent Professionals do not take advantage of.

It's like raw gold ore in the ground you own but haven't yet mined. Nevertheless, it's there for the taking.

Even better, it's like bags of gold coins sitting in your basement collecting dust. But you don't even know they're there.

As a result, you're not putting these assets to work.

In your business, you may have many hidden assets like this where you don't realize their value, so they just sit there not giving you any marketing advantage.

Here are some assets that you may not be leveraging:

1. Your Business Relationships

Everyone has business relationships. But if you're not leveraging them, they aren't doing you much good.

Unleveraged Assets:

How many business associates and community members know you but don't understand what you do? These people already like and trust you. They would happily send more business your way if they knew exactly who you work with, what you do and the kind of results you produce.

Leveraged Assets:

Invite everyone you know to be on your newsletter or eZine list. They may not be potential clients, but over the years, the chances are excellent that they'll direct good leads your way once they're in the know about your services.

2. Testimonials and Case Studies

What about all the testimonials you've received and the case studies you've recorded about the work you've done for clients? Again, those are very powerful hidden assets that most don't leverage.

Unleveraged Assets:

Even if people know what you do, if you don't keep reminding them of the results you produce, they are unlikely to pass your name along.

Leveraged Assets:

When you get a testimonial, find a place to use it immediately. For instance, right after the Cincinnati workshop I got this email from Ray Perry of MarketBlazer:

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Workshop yesterday in Cincinnati. Fast Track to more Clients and 7 Simple Steps to attracting more Clients were very informative, thought provoking and concise.

"I found Marketing Ball to be an effective methodology for communicating the marketing process to clients and having an organized structure to deliver marketing. I could have spent all day on Marketing Ball.

"You also really hit a home run with Marketing Mindset. We all question our abilities and value to clients and are constantly creating delay tactics to slow us down. I felt as if I was at my therapist, yet having fun.

"Marketing Syntax and the Core Marketing Message, especially the Audio Logo were spot on for developing and communicating your marketing message.

"I could go on, but the bottom line is your course delivered the goods. Great value, very entertaining and well worth the time and money. I can’t imagine anyone has ever taken advantage of your money back guarantee."

Thanks Ray!

It was nice getting that email. But after I received it, I asked Ray if it was OK to share with my subscribers and post on my web site. That testimonial is now an asset that builds the credibility of my workshops, especially for someone who is considering attending, but on the fence. (P.S. Learn more about workshops here.)

What client testimonial or case study could you get out to those on your list? They're not doing you any good sitting somewhere in your email box.

Past eZine Articles

Have you written a number of articles for your business? Those who are writing regular eZines soon end up with a substantial body of written work.

Unleveraged Asset:

When I attended the System Internet Seminar last week, I attended a very good talk on "Article Marketing." It reminded me once again that I have a huge asset in all my past eZine articles that are just sitting somewhere on my computer hard drive.

Leveraged Asset:

I'm now going to take the time to create a system and get the support to get these 500 or so articles listed in various eZine directories. They will draw people to my web site and improve my search engine rankings.

Again, this is an asset I already have. It's like gold sitting under the stairs in my basement. I'm just not spending that gold. And if I die with all that gold unspent or uninvested, it's really a waste, isn't it?

What Are your Hidden Assets?

I hope this article provokes you to make an inventory of all the hidden assets in your business that could have a huge impact on your marketing.

As your business grows, your assets will probably grow at the same time (relationships, testimonials, information, skills, etc) but they won't do you a bit of good until you apply them.

I'll be writing more in-depth on this topic in next week's More Clients eZine.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: What hidden and under-leveraged assets do you have in your business? How can you tap into those assets so that they have an impact on your marketing? When will you create a plan to utilize some of those assets more productively? Why not start today?

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What marketing assets do you have in your business that you haven't yet leveraged? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

The Remote Control Effect

This past week I learned something about TV remote controls that really got me thinking.

My stepson is visiting us for a month and wanted more TV channels than basic cable, so we signed up for more channels.

Then, when watching TV together, I noticed that he was toggling back and forth between two channels with the remote.

"How did you do that?" I said. "I've had this TV and remote for seven years and I didn't know you could do that!"

I like to think I'm not a complete idiot, but he pointed out that on the remote there was a little button for toggling. Then he also showed how I could program four of my favorite channels and just press the color buttons at the top of the remote to go to them instantly. (I always wondered what those colored buttons were!)

That's when I had my insight (also called a "blinding flash of the obvious.")

There are so many things that we think we know, but we really don't have a clue. And often these things are right under our noses and we miss them completely.

Web Sites Delusions

This past weekend I attended The System Internet Seminar in Chicago to catch up on what was happening in Internet Marketing and to see what I was missing (it was a lot)!

I learned some very advanced strategies, but in this eZine, I wanted to point to some very basic web site marketing ideas that you are very likely missing (just like the buttons on a remote).

Did you know...

• That a headline on a web page can make all the difference between someone reading it or not (let alone responding)? Most web pages have generic headlines like: Home Page, Our Services and About Us. About as exciting as boiled sausage. In fact, with headlines like this you could be selling anything - even sausage! How about a compelling benefit in the headline that makes you want to know more?

• That the copy on your web page is unreadable to about 95% of your visitors? That's right, they don't read ANYthing on your page. Why? Because you haven't formatted your page for readability. You need to capture the attention of your visitors visually before they'll even get into the message. Keys include short paragraphs, indentation, bullet points and the first sentence bolded in each paragraph.

• That most web pages don't tell the visitor to do anything? That is, they read your page (if they do happen to get through it) and at the bottom there is nothing. It just ends. No call-to-action. No link to go to another page. Nothing. So people scratch their heads, scroll up to the navigation bar and try to guess what to do next, feeling more frustrated by the second. Tell them where to go and they'll keep exploring your site.

• That a vast majority of web sites are so poorly designed that most people click off in about ten seconds without even reading anything on the site. The bad news is that the average business owner with a web site has little understanding of good or bad design, so they do nothing to improve it - usually for years. Find a real designer, not your nephew.

• That the actual value proposition or core marketing message on your web site is at best, boring, at worst, fiendishly obscure. That is, if a visitor gets past the poor design, generic headlines and bland text formatting, they still don't understand (or care)what you are offering (and what's in it for them).

Do I exaggerate?

I don't think so. When I ask people in talks or workshops if they are happy with the results of their web sites, I usually have less than 5% who say they are.

But like the remote control that sat under my nose, without me knowing how it really worked, your site sits up on the web, not producing any real (let alone substantial results) for years while you blissfully go about your business, convinced that web marketing doesn't really work for your kind of business.

But there is hope...

During the System Seminar, several people came up to me and told me how their businesses had completely transformed (increased sales, more referrals, doubling their businesses, etc.) once they understood the secrets of a great web site, and took a little time to make the required changes.

Those who put some serious time into their web marketing efforts were making hundreds of thousands, and often millions of dollars, on the web. And these were the ones who were the most excited about knowing even more.

Many of them had first started with my Web Site ToolKit (which made me feel very happy and proud)! More details on the ToolKit here.

* The More Clients Bottom Line: You need to be aware of the disconcerting fact that your web site is not doing the job it was meant to do. Hardly anyone is visiting, reading, or responding to your web site. It's a shame, as it's one of the most important marketing vehicles you'll ever have.

* Is your web site failing to get you new clients consistently? What actions will you take? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Passive or Proactive Marketing?

One way to think about your marketing is whether it's passive or proactive. That is, are you just sitting there, waiting for clients to come knocking on your door or are you getting out there and doing the knocking?

There are many marketing activities you can do; and you can either do them passively or proactively. Let me count the ways. 

Networking

Passively - Go to networking events. Hang around with those you already know and talk about non-business matters such as the results to American Idol. Complain how networking doesn't really work to generate new business.

Proactively - Go to networking events. Make it a game to meet at least five new people. Get to know about their businesses, engage in "Marketing Conversations" (see last week's eZine), and offer to send them some information about your business and follow-up.

Web Site

Passively - Put up a web site and make sure to never make any changes to it. Talk all about you and your services, but don't have any kind of offer or clear path to contact you. Complain that your web site doesn't bring you any new business.

Proactively - Put up a web site and keep updating it and tweaking it. Put the focus on what results your clients get, not what you do. Have something free to give away and sign-up people for your regular eZine. Let visitors know exactly how to work with you and offer an initial complimentary session or consultation.

Speaking

Passively - Get speaking engagements at local, professional groups and chambers of commerce. Don't do anything to help promote the event, just show up. Have a skimpy handout and a tepid presentation. At the end, hand out your cards, and ask people to call you if they need your services. Complain how ineffective speaking is as a marketing tool.

Proactively - Get speaking engagements at organizations that have your targeted clients as members. Put in extra time helping to promote the event. Prepare the best presentation possible and have a professionally designed handout. At the end, ask who would like an article you've written and get the participants' cards. Offer a complimentary individual session and have them fill out a request form telling something about their business.

If you haven't gotten it yet, ANY marketing activity can be done either passively or proactively.

Passive marketing activities are what 90% of Independent professionals engage in. Those who make their marketing activities proactive generate more attention, interest and response in their services. They also get more clients.

Proactive marketing takes a different mindset than passive marketing.

Passive Marketing Mindsets

All business comes from word of mouth. 

Wait for prospects to ask you, don't ask them. 

Don't toot your own horn; it's rude and looks desperate. 

Look aloof, not excited or enthusiastic; that's not cool.

Proactive Mindsets

All business come from clear and benefit-oriented communication. 

When a prospect shows interest, find out more about their needs. 

Positive visibility is the key to getting known. 

Show your enthusiasm and excitement, it's contagious.

Where do mindsets come from?

Passive Mindsets come from a place of scarcity, inadequacy and fear. If you believe you will fail, be ridiculed or rejected, you'll avoid marketing at all costs or do it half-heartely. You'll find reasons why marketing doesn't work.

Proactive Mindsets come from a place of abundance, adequacy and fearlessness. If you believe you will succeed and generate new business, you'll keep finding new and creative ways to market yourself and attract more clients.

Passive or Proactive? It's your choice. But only one of them will give you the marketing results you really want.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Look at your current marketing activities and notice where you are being passive, holding back, being fearful. Is that working for you? If not, work on making just one of your marketing activities more proactive and notice the difference. You just might get hooked on proactivity.

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Is your marketing Passive or Proactive? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Mastering the "Marketing Conversation"

I think it's very useful to break down marketing into its component parts and then study the details and how-tos of each of these parts.

My "Marketing Ball Model" breaks the client-attracting process into the following four parts:

Part 1. Developing your marketing message, identity and materials that communicate the essence of your business.

Part 2. Engaging in marketing activities, from networking and speaking, to eZines and blogging (utilizing the messages and materials from Part 1).

Part 3. The Marketing Conversation, where you interact (usually verbally) with a prospect as a result of engaging in marketing activities.

Part 4. The Selling Conversation where you move on from the Marketing Conversation and explore the actual needs of a prospect, and then present your services.

Today, I want to focus on the Marketing Conversation.

The Marketing Conversation has four distinct steps. Most people have some practice with the first step (getting attention and interest), but usually fall down on the last three steps.

Marketing Conversations - The Four Steps

1. The Audio Logo. This is the initial interaction with a prospect where you get their attention and interest. This includes talking about who you serve (your target market), the problems and issues that challenge your clients, the solutions and outcomes you provide, and stories that illustrate all of the above.

2. Qualification. These are the back and forth questions and answers you and the prospect engage in to feel each other out for a possible match. It also includes sharing in more depth about how you work with clients and the results you produce. We'll go into this step in more detail below.

3. The Offer. Once you have the attention and interest of a prospect and you've qualified them, you need to have a call-to-action, or nothing will happen. The best way to do this is to offer more information related to your business (an article, for instance) and an offer to follow up (usually by phone and/or email). Again, more on this below.

4. The Follow-Up. After you've provided information, you need to follow-up and explore with the prospect if there is enough common ground to engage in the Selling Conversation. I discussed follow-up strategies in detail in recent eZines.

If you master the four steps of the Marketing Conversation, you will jump much faster from marketing activities to Selling Conversations, and ultimately to new closed business.

If you miss one or more steps in the Marketing Conversation, marketing will usually be a struggle. You'll talk about your business, even generate some interest, but you won't have a clear path from the initial connection to a Sales Conversation.

Step Two Secret

One of the biggest mistakes we make in the Qualification Step is talking all the time about what we do. The prospect asks a question and off we go, a mile a minute. Then at the end, you hand out your card, they walk away and you wonder. "Wha' happened?!"

Here's the secret. Simple, but not so obvious. When a prospect asks a question, answer briefly and then turn around and ask a question of them.

Prospect: What process do you use to increase retention?

You: We use various processes, with our main focus on hiring the right people to begin with. Can you tell me the biggest issue your company has with retention?

With several of those exchanges you are informing your prospect about your services (in bite-sized pieces), and you are learning more about their needs.

Step Three Secret

Once you've qualified the prospect and they seem to be a good potential client, you need to find a comfortable transition that will lead to a Sales Conversation. Once a prospect is interested, they want one thing: more information. So offer it to them.

"I've written a White Paper on retention called, 'The Seven Biggest Mistakes Companies Make in Retaining their Best People.' I think you'll find it very interesting. Can I send you copy?"

The answer to such an offer is almost always "Yes." Remember, if you've interested them, they WILL want more information. This relevant information makes you stand out immediately as a valued professional. (Time to start working on that article!)

Then you reply, "Great, I'll send it to you by email. Then I'd love to get your reaction to it and find out a bit more about your business. When's the best time to reach you?"

End the conversation by agreeing on a time you'll make a follow-up call. This works a lot better than saying, "Okay, I'll send it to you and please give me a call if you have any questions." That's called "dropping the ball." It's YOUR job to follow-up!

If you work at mastering the Marketing Conversation, you'll go way beyond getting attention and interest; you'll end up with a lot more Selling Conversations and, ultimately, more clients.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: When it comes to Marketing Conversations, you can't "wing it." You need to "script it." Know which step you're on in the conversation and have answers, questions, and offers ready to insert into the conversation at the right moment. You'll be amazed at the results you get.

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Have you designed a Marketing Conversation that results in more appointments? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Unstuck = Unstoppable

In my recent Certification Workshop to train Action Plan Marketing Coaches we spent some time each day working on getting unstuck.

It must have worked. In the first week after the Workshop, the participants had enrolled a total of ten new clients (a record for the Certification Program).

I made a note to myself: "Keep using the Unstuck Process!"

The more I do this process, with my coaches and with other groups, I become convinced that getting unstuck is the secret marketing weapon that virtually nobody knows about or really understands.

What is being stuck anyway?

Being stuck is a bit like being asleep - in the condition of "stuckness" your options are very limited.

When we're stuck, we are being and acting in a constricted or limited way. These ways might include: Apathetic, Confused, Discouraged, Disorganized, Distracted, Frustrated, Hesitant, Impatient, Overwhelmed, Perfectionist, Self-Conscious, and Worried. (Any sound familiar?)

If you've experiencing any of those ways of being when you are trying to market your services, I promise you, you're stuck! And when you're being that way, the most observable thing is that you are avoiding marketing activities.

It's a powerful step to acknowledge that you are stuck:

"This is something I want to do or accomplish..." (put any marketing or business goal here) and, "what's preventing me from having that result is that I'm being discouraged, confused and worried." (Pick your particular own ways of being.)

Hardly anybody says that. We don't own our stuckness and observe the real cost of being stuck - not getting what we want, not experiencing fulfillment. Instead, we tend to make up excuses such as, "This is something I want to do but I don't have time." This only leads to more stuckness.

The second step is to realize that there is a clear alternative. If it were impossible to be that stuck/constricted way (no matter the circumstances), how would you prefer to be instead?

You could choose the polar opposites of being stuck. I call these expansive or unlimited ways of being such as: Enthusiastic, Clear, Encouraged, Organized, Attentive, Successful, Decisive, Patient, Centered, Excellent, Self-Confident and Peaceful.

If you're experiencing any of those ways of being when you are working on your marketing, you are engaged and creative, and making things happen. In this state of being, marketing is actually fun, even exhilarating.

Most of the time we don't see that we have a choice. When we are stuck, choice isn't even in the picture. You need to see the clear contrast of these two ways of being at the same time:

Stuck: Being constricted, limited, fearful, avoiding

"What this looks like is I'm avoiding the marketing, and feeling bad about it. I'm also feeling frustrated and making excuses about getting around to it."

or

Unstuck: Being expansive, unlimited, fearless, engaged

"What this might look like is that I see the opportunity to communicate about my business and I take the next step in my plan to offer speaking engagements to groups."

Now choose. Then act.

I invite you to attend one of our upcoming events to experience the Getting Unstuck Process for yourself (I can only convey this in a limited way in writing). Come with a goal, some specific result you want that you don't have now, and that you are stuck or struggling with or blaming someone (or yourself) for.

San Rafael details: www.actionplan.com/ftwkpintro.html

TeleClass details: www.actionplan.com/ftwkptc.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Working at getting unstuck is perhaps the most important work you can do. After all, when you are stuck, you are ineffective, not getting what you really want and not feeling great about it. On the other side of this you are unstoppable and having the time of your life.

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Share something you did in your marketing when you got unstuck. Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Open Sesame - The Follow-up Formula

Remember "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?"

In this story from "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights," Ali Baba discovers the secret words that give him entry to the cave of the Forty Thieves, where a vast treasure is hidden.

Simply by uttering the words, "Open Sesame," the door to the cave swings open and the treasure is his for the taking.

There's a modern equivalent to Open Sesame that opens the doors wide to new business. If you master this secret formula you will never want for clients and you will grow your business in ways you once thought were impossible.

I call it the "Follow-up Formula."

Introduced last week, hundreds of More Clients subscribers now have access to this Follow-up Formula in the form of my new Audio Program, "The Art and Science of Telephone Follow-up."

In today's eZine, we'll explore some of the ins and outs of this Follow-up Formula and the impact it can have on your business.

Four Applications of the Follow-up Formula

There are at least four marketing activities where you can apply the Follow-up Formula. (How many of them are you using?)

1. Follow-up after networking

2. Follow-up after receiving a lead

3. Follow-up after giving a presentation

4. Follow up after a mailing campaign

These activities are ways to turn business connections into qualified prospects. But if you don't follow-up, all your marketing efforts will be wasted. To get results with the Follow-up Formula you need to apply these rules:

Rules of the Follow-up Formula

1. Always follow-up sooner, rather than later. Don't wait a week or even a few days after making an initial connection. Do your best to follow-up in one or two days. For every day you wait, you lessen the impact of the follow-up call.

2. If you don't make the follow-up call, the chances the prospect will follow-up are extremely low. It's not that they are not interested in your services, they might be; it's simply that it's your job as the service provider to make the call. Don't think of it as an intrusion, but as an opportunity to connect.

3. Think of these calls as "introductory calls," not as "sales calls." The follow-up call is the bridge between marketing and selling. Its purpose is to determine if the opportunity to do business with a prospect exists in the first place.

4. Be prepared. Never "wing it." Use a script or outline to guide you through the call. This keeps you on track and focused on what you are saying instead of worrying about what the person you are calling is thinking. This is the key to effective calls.

5. Always end the call with an agreed-upon action. a) you won't call again as there is no interest in your proposition, b) you will call back at a later time to explore further, or c) you will set an appointment (in person or by phone) to explore working together.

The Numbers of the Follow-Up Formula

My experience is that, on average, with three to five follow-up calls, you can turn at least one into a client. Sometimes you will do better, sometimes you will do worse. (But if you don't call, the results will be a big fat zero!)

Think of your marketing activities over the past month. How many opportunities to follow-up have you taken full advantage of? How many times have you avoided making a follow-up call or done a poor job with the call?

By some some estimates, the average Independent Professional misses (or blows) six to ten follow-up calls per month. And that means two or more new clients you didn't gain that month.

If you put some basic marketing activities into place, you will generate qualified prospects. And then, if you do make those telephone follow-up calls, you will predictably turn a percentage of them into paying clients.

Isn't it time to master the Follow-up Formula?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: When you understand the Follow-up Formula and apply it to your business consistently, you will have the power of Ali Baba who uttered the words "Open Sesame" to receive untold riches. Yes, this formula is a little more complex; the good news is that you can learn it easily.

Learn about my new Audio Program: "The Art and Science of Telephone Follow-up" and master the Follow-up Formula.

or you may purchase directly from this link (it's $29).

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When did you make a follow-up call that turned into a client unexpectedly? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

The Art of Follow-up

You may have heard the assertion that people are more afraid of public speaking than death.

I don't yet have the statistics to back it up yet, but I think the fear of picking up the phone and calling someone you don't know, trumps both of these.

I've met many people who have little fear of public speaking, but I've seen several grown men and women quake with fear at the prospect of making follow-up calls. In fact, many long years ago, I was one of those people!

A follow-up call means calling someone by phone whom you've previously met and who might be a prospect for your services. It could also be a lead you've received from an associate or an attendee from a talk or presentation.

The follow-up call is the pivotal action between marketing and selling. Marketing warms up the selling process, but the follow-up call is the key action that furthers the business relationship and often secures the appointment.

To call or not to call, that is the question.

Not only do we not like making follow-up calls, we tend to do a bad job of them when we finally get around to it. It's not uncommon that we avoid them altogether, hoping that interested prospects will call us back instead.

However, when I meet the very rare person who is good at making follow-up calls, I know they won't have much trouble consistently attracting clients. They don't wait, they connect. They seize the opportunity, not wallow in the difficulty.

Let's do a reality check:

1. For the most part, prospects are not going to call you back, even if they are interested in your services. If you want to turn that prospect into a client you MUST make the follow-up call.

2. You will survive if you make these calls. I haven't known of anyone who has died by making follow-up calls or has had the prospect send a hit man to take them out.

3. You can get very good at making follow-up calls. You can learn how to do this relatively easy. Like anything, it will take some time and practice, but it's not rocket science.

Introducing a New Audio Program

In the Audio Program I'm launching today, "The Art and Science of Telephone Follow-up" I interview Denise Clancey of Teledirect Partners on all the ins and outs of making successful follow-up calls. Let me share one of her main ideas.

The way to succeed with follow-up calls, is through scripting.

If you were playing in Hamlet, you'd have a script. If you didn't, can you imagine how you'd come across? You'd bomb! Well, isn't your business more important than a play?

With follow-up calls, you can't wing it; you need to know what to say, when to say it and how to say it. You need to write out your scripts and use them as guidelines as you make your calls. You never actually read your scripts, but use them as outlines to keep you on track.

Denise recommends four kinds of scripts:

1. The script for voice mail
2. The script when you reach a prospect
3. The script for dealing with gatekeepers
4. The general purpose information script

Armed with these four scripts, you finally have power when you make your calls. You will start to control the flow of the call instead of the call controlling you. (In the audio program, we go over these scripts in great detail and even role-play each one of them.)

Also, like being in Hamlet, you need to practice. Out loud. Use a mirror and a tape recorder for immediate feedback. Until you feel comfortable with your scripts, you will sound awkward and hesitant, missing that authentic connection with your prospects.

If and when you master the art of the follow-up call, you will see the following results: Fewer opportunities missed, more appointments with qualified prospects, and more business closed.

Follow-up calls need to be a central part of your marketing plan. No matter what marketing activities you do, follow-up calls need to be part of the equation. If you don't make them, you may be waiting a very long time for prospects to call you back. And that, my friend, can kill you!

For more information on this audio program, link here: "The Art and Science of Telephone Follow-up"

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Learning how to make more effective follow-up calls can give you more marketing leverage than almost any other marketing activity. Follow-up calls can dramatically increase the opportunities to present your services to potential clients. Avoid learning this skill and it will cost your business dearly.

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How have effective follow-up calls helped your business? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Antidote to Pushy Marketing

After last week's eZine on "Playing it Safe" I got this response that Ruby Curran posted on my blog:

"I am enthusiastic and passionate about my business, but I must admit, I do a good job of keeping it to myself - unless someone shows an interest during a conversation. Why?

"I'm concerned about turning people off. I'm often turned off when someone I meet goes on and on about something I'm really not interested in. It often seems like they're trying to push me into something. I don't want to do that to others, so I find it hard to promote myself.

"Does that make any sense? Anyone else know what I'm talking about? How can I be sure I'm being passionate without annoying other people? Ideas?"

Thanks! Ruby

Thanks for this question, Ruby. This really gets to the heart of what stops people from marketing successfully.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding about marketing that you are making. You think marketing is about you. You think marketing is boasting, a big ego trip and fundamentally self-centered. You think that marketing is "going on and on about something I'm not really interested in."

If you believe that, of course, you'll keep your business to yourself. You don't want to be seen as an obnoxious egomaniac.

But marketing is NOT about you. It's not even about your services. It's not about all the things you do and it certainly isn't about going on and on until people are turned off.

Marketing isn't about what YOU do, it's about what THEY get.

Just think, when someone asks you what you do, you tend to talk all about you and how your business works. It just pours out automatically. You can't seem to help yourself. But you realize that this is a turn-off, so you solve the problem by not talking about your business at all (unless someone shows interest).

Clearly, this approach doesn't work.

When someone asks me what I do, I NEVER talk about my business. I talk about the problems my prospects and clients are experiencing. And when I do that, most people do show interest.

I say, "I work with Independent Professionals who have a great service but who struggle with attracting clients." There's absolutely nothing about me in that message. And it interests people because it's about them.

When they ask me how I do this, I say, "I work with them so that marketing is easier for them and becomes less of a struggle, and so that they ultimately attract more clients."

Again, nothing about me, it's all about what they get. And that is interesting as well. It starts a lot of good conversations.

And if they want to know more about how it works, I tell them a story of a client I worked with and the results they got. Again, nothing about me. Stories are great because people can see that if you helped someone else, maybe you can help them as well.

And you know what? When you talk about your business like that, people become interested. They want to know more. Then you provide more information in the form of an article or details of your services on your web site. And, of course, you get their email and put them on your regular eZine list.

Why do I have 50,000 people on my weekly eZine list? It's because that's how I've consistently communicated about my business over the years. It's all about communicating value, not going on and on about how great my business is.

But there's also another way to look at this.

I realize, that at any given time, I'm not going to communicate perfectly. I may say things that turn people off. I might send one too many emails and have someone unsubscribe. Once in awhile I might forget myself and go on and on.

But so what?

I do my very best to communicate with integrity. I know my weekly eZine provides value. I know that my products and services have made a huge difference to thousands of people.

But you can't please everyone all the time. In fact, if you're doing really well with your marketing, you're still only going to please (get positive response from) about 10% of your audience (at best).

For instance, I've been promoting my Fast Track to More Clients workshops since early March. In that time, about 2,000 people have visited the information page about the workshop. And about 200 people have signed up for the workshop. That's just 10%.

What am I going to do, weep and wail that 90% didn't sign up and then beat myself up because I might have turned them off?

Give me a break!

Look, if you communicate about your business with passion, if you stop playing it safe, inside your comfort zone, and instead, put your attention on the value you provide to your clients, your business will take off in ways that will amaze you.

So where do you start with this?

First, you need to understand some fundamental marketing principles. There are seven distinct principles you need to know if you're going to market yourself successfully:

1. The Game of Marketing
2. Your Marketing Mindset
3. The Language of Marketing
4. Your Marketing Message
5. Marketing Information
6. Marketing Strategies
7. Marketing Action Plans

In this eZine, I just touched on the Language of Marketing. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The more you understand how these principles work, the easier and more effective your marketing will be.

If you don't understand and apply these principles, you're going to struggle. You're going to play the game ineffectively, you're going to hold yourself back, afraid of turning people off. The chances of winning will be very slim indeed.

How long do you want to be a victim about your marketing, worrying you'll offend someone? This is a completely powerless way to live and to run your business.

Learn the principles and then get out and spread the word.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If you are worrying you'll offend people when you get enthusiastic about your business, you're just not marketing correctly. Your premise is at fault, not marketing. Master the principles and skills of marketing and you'll be free to be enthusiastic, while turning more people on than off.

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Do you have any examples that prove the premise of today's eZine? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Playing It Safe?

Note: today's eZine just may offend you. Please don't read if you don't like being challenged. You have been warned.

In the InfoGuru Marketing Manual, I discuss the most successful way to promote professional services. Understanding this approach can have a profound impact on how successful you are with your ability to consistently attract clients.

In the Manual I say:

"InfoGurus work at spreading the word about how to make things work better. They are committed to results, passionate about solutions, fanatical about what really works. And they spread their gospel far and wide using any and every marketing tool they can get their hands on. InfoGurus get business from all corners because so many people hear about them and their innovative problem-solving approaches."

If I lined up ten of your friends and associates, would they all report that you are passionate, even fanatical about the work you do and the difference you make?

My observation is quite the opposite.

Most business owners may love what they do, but more often than not, they come across as tepid, hesitant, and uncommitted. When they talk about their business they are about as inspiring as a wet sponge.

Look, I'm not out to insult you, but to challenge you.

If you are not passionate about what you do, excited by the difference you make, eager to share with others, inspired by your clients and moved by the abundance of opportunities and possibilities afforded by your business, you are missing the boat.

And what's perplexing to me is that this is the very last thing that business owners focus on.

Many people will do very little to nothing. Others will study everything they can about marketing. Still others will work hard to make external changes to their marketing. But very few will do the thing that makes the biggest difference of all:

Expressing Authentic Excitement About Their Business!

Excitement, enthusiasm and passion are contagious. Certainly more contagious than "knowing it all" or having a perfect marketing message or even a beautiful web site.

Those things (and many more) will emerge naturally out of your enthusiasm and passion. You don't do all of that stuff and hope that it adds up to excitement. You come from excitement and all your marketing will come together effortlessly.

But you say:

"But I can't act excited, Robert, if I don't feel excited! You might be enthusiastic and passionate about your business. That's great, but my business is not inherently exciting. And besides, that's not my style. When you talk about having marketing breakthroughs, I just can't relate."

I hear this kind of thing a lot. And it sounds very reasonable. In fact, most people would nod in agreement: "Yes, don't get too excited, you might be disappointed and you'll probably turn people off. Better to be low-key and play it safe."

Ah yes, the mantra of the mediocre: "Play it Safe."

What you may not realize is that playing it safe is killing your business, eliminating your future, suffocating your soul. Playing it safe has become more important than being fully alive.

When you are fully alive, you don't think about yourself much or how good you look. Instead, you think of those you can serve, those you can make a difference with, those whom you can contribute to. And what more natural outlet to do this than through your business?

Ask yourself, "What is the deadly cost of playing it safe?"

And then ask, "What's really the worst thing that could happen if I let myself get excited, enthusiastic and passionate about my business?"

Finally, ask, "What breakthroughs might happen in my business if I allowed myself to express this excitement, enthusiasm and passion?"

Are you ready for this kind of breakthrough?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Marketing breakthroughs come from expressing your natural excitement, enthusiasm, and passion about your business. They do not come from playing it safe. Honestly answer those questions above. They are the gateway for the breakthrough you are looking for.

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What business breakthroughs have you had when you stopped playing it safe? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Outside the Marketing Comfort Zone

Last week I stated that "there are no marketing breakthroughs inside the comfort zone."

When you are stuck in the marketing comfort zone, by definition, you will avoid doing *anything* that is uncomfortable. And so the *only* way to get outside of the comfort zone is by taking actions that make you uncomfortable.

I know that's bad news.

What you probably wanted to hear was that you could get outside the comfort zone by doing something that was different, but still comfortable. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

One of the dictionary definitions of discomfort is, "a state of mental unease; worry or embarrassment." Yes, that's pretty much how you'll feel when you step outside your comfort zone.

Mostly, the unease, worry or embarrassment is that you'll make a fool of yourself, get rejected or fail. And since nobody wants to feel that way, the best alternative is to simply avoid the discomfort at all costs.

Yet people do step outside of the comfort zone all the time. They take risks, do things that might not work, face rejection and embarrassment and somehow live to tell the tale.

How do they do that?

Very simple. They realize that the cost of staying comfortable, the cost of inaction is much, much higher than the cost of taking action and being momentarily uncomfortable.

Let me contrast a marketing activity to make my point.

Comfortable: Not making follow-up calls.

Uncomfortable: Making follow-up calls.

Cost of not making follow-up calls: Failure to make a business connection, failure to turn a prospect into a client, failure to grow your business, failure to make a difference.

Cost of making follow-up calls: Feel uncomfortable with the thought of possible rejection.

Doesn't that put things into better perspective?

Blinded by our momentary fear, we don't take action, despite the fact that the long-term consequences are astronomically higher than the short-term discomfort.

However, when you look at the real cost of action or inaction, things look very different. The price of inaction then seems extraordinarily high compared to the price of taking a risk.

And this is what creates breakthroughs, these shifts in perspective.

Here's a simple exercise that can literally create such a shift, resulting in a marketing breakthrough.

1. List all the marketing activities that you are now avoiding. The test is that just thinking about doing these things makes you feel uncomfortable, uneasy or worried.

2. Now create three columns, one titled "Imaginary Cost," the second titled, "Real Cost," the third titled "Potential Payoff." Do this exercise with just one marketing activity at a time such as giving a presentation, writing an eZine, or making follow-up calls.

3. In column one, "Imaginary Costs," you'd write all the things that might happen if you took a risk: "People might laugh at me, I wouldn't do a very good job, the response would be poor."

These are imaginary costs, as you really have no proof any of these would happen, you just fear that they might happen.

4. In column two, "Real Costs," you'd write all the things that will definitely happen if you don't take action: "People won't hear about my services, I won't make any impression, people won't be talking about my services, people won't have the chance to respond."

These are real costs, because it's easy to see that if you don't take some action, nothing will happen.

5. In column three, "Potential Payoff," you now write all the positive things that could possibly happen if you took action: "People might respond and make inquiries about my services, they might talk to others, they might set up appointments with me, they might even become clients."

It's easy to see that these potential payoffs are much more real than the imaginary costs.

If you do this exercise honestly, you'll have a shift in perspective; you'll start to see that avoidance is actually more uncomfortable and more costly in the long run than taking action.

And you'll see that the discomfort of taking action is so much safer, so much easier than the "comfort" of avoiding action.

And when that happens, I promise you'll start having marketing breakthroughs that were once impossible.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: The comfort zone is relative. When looked at though our fears and aversions, it seems crazy for us to take actions that would make us uncomfortable. But when we look at the real cost of inaction, we see that those consequences are infinitely more uncomfortable and costly. In that light, it will be relatively easy to take action on things you may have been avoiding for years.

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What's the real cost of avoiding uncomfortable marketing activities? Please share on the More Clients Blog.