by Kim Schott
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com
©
2008
If you are currently in a corporate job, you won't
know the first thing about starting and running a business. Therefore, you may
be initially pinched for both time and money. Yet, once you've defined your idea
and defined who your best and favorite client is, you need to do some Client Attraction
Marketing and sales. How to do this with limited time and money is the question
many people have all over the world. My advice is always the same - put yourself
in your ideal client's well-worn shoes and ask yourself these questions:
-
What is it that keeps them up at night worrying?
- What is the
biggest struggle they encounter on a daily basis?
- What is the
biggest improvement they could make in their lives, if they used your product
or service?
- What would they buy before and after your product
or service?
- Where do they shop? Where do they hang out?
-
What do they read?
- What would they pay anything and do anything
to solve or achieve?
Sometimes, my clients have a
difficult time getting answers to these questions. This is when I recommend asking
your ideal client directly. Make a list of the 5 clients you currently have that
you would like to attract in large numbers. These are your favorite clients, the
ones who got the best results from you and you LOVE working with. Contact them,
and let them know that you are working on new marketing material and need their
help (most will be honored that you asked them and will jump at this opportunity
to help you) and that you'd like to ask them a few questions over the phone. Tell
them it will take 30 minutes to 1 hour to answer the questions above, and then
setup a time to talk. Consider doing this over lunch so you can really spend some
time with them on this.
If you don't currently work with
your ideal client, then become a client detective. Find another adult that fits
your client profile, preferably someone connected to lots of others who have the
same need. Remember, birds of a feather flock together. Does your ideal client
live on the other side of the globe? If so, you don't need to jump on an airplane
to do your detective work. Just locate a Foreign National business association
in your area and attend one of their monthly meetings. Or, just write the president
of the association with your questions. You'll get the information you need on
how to approach this client, what their struggles are, and how to position yourself
in the future to attract that type of client effortlessly.
Skipping
this research is the biggest mistake new entrepreneurs make. They assume they
know their target market, and focus on building a product or service that they
"think" people will want. They write little slogans that their friends
love, but aren't worth a hill of beans when it comes to attracting clients consistently.
The marketing effort then becomes laborious and costly because you don't have
a clear message.
NBA
Benefit Provider - 1-800-flowers.com
NBA
Resource Article - 10 Tips
For Long Term Client Retention
NBA
Resource Article - The 10
Cornerstone Principles of Marketing
Reprint
of this article does not constitute an endorsement by the National Business Association;
the article is for informational purposes for our members and viewers of our Web
site.
