Who would you buy from? The person who says he has the experience and knowledge to help you, or the person who proves she has?
The world is awash with advertising. There's so much of it that we've become quite used to tuning it out. We switch channels on TV during the ads or we block banners on the web.
That means it's getting increasingly difficult to get through to potential clients.
The fact is, it's simply not enough to make idle boasts without backing up those claims with some kind of proof. Boasting without proof makes clients say "yeah, right" before moving on. That's the worst kind of response you can get.
On the other hand, if you can back up your claims with proof that you actually have the chops, then you can cut through the clutter.
I think there is a three-step process for doing that.
Decide what you are an expert at
It's probably not enough to say you are an expert at real estate or insurance or whatever else you do. Lots of people say that. Instead, think hard about what you do that sets you apart from others. If you are in real estate, it might simply be that you are expert at real estate in a particular neighborhood, or you understand the needs of seniors or first-time buyers. By carving out a smaller slice of the world, it's easier to become the number one expert in that niche.
Share your expertise
It's one thing to claim you are an expert at, for example, financial planning for boomers. It's another to prove you are. I think that one of the best ways of offering proof is to share your expertise with others. It puts that proof in black and white, right there on the page or on the screen. So get your knowledge down on paper. Don't worry if your articles aren't New York Times standard; just commit what you know to the page. Imagine you are talking with a client; simply write down what you would say. By creating a series of articles or reports or blog posts you are providing proof that you really are the expert you say you are.
Show what you have done for others
The final stage is to show that your expertise works in the real world. To do that, gather case studies or testimonials from happy clients and share them with the world on your website or in print. If you have clients who have done what you said (or used your services) and got a good result , you owe it to yourself and to others to share that.
This is the system I use myself. I decided that I am an expert in using newsletters to build real, long-term relationships with clients (rather than as just another keep-in-touch tool); I share my expertise in this newsletter and on my blog, in articles and videos; and I prove my success with testimonials and case studies on my website.
Now, I realize that all this takes a bit of work. But frankly, the days of money coming in the door automatically are over. It's those who make the effort who are surviving and thriving.
February 15, 2012
November 03, 2011
Ikea's Basement and Your Attitude of Service
Reading business books or getting a business education can seem a bit like browsing through the downstairs part of Ikea.
Your senses are overloaded by all that interesting stuff. So you end up filling your cart with rugs and glasses and can openers - when all you came in for was a Poang chair.
Big shock at the checkout.
In the same way, there are lots of ways to grow your business. But if you fill your cart with all the Twitters and referral strategies and online advertising programs on offer, you're likely to get confused, choke on the variety and end up doing nothing.
So that's why it's important to think about your 'Why'. If you didn't read my previous article - What is your 'why' - then go back now and do the exercise at the end. It's super-valuable (I got some great "whys" from some people who took the time to do their homework. These people felt newly energized and excited about their businesses.)
When you know your "why" - the reason you are in business in the first place - it's much easier to focus on what you need to do to grow your business. You don't end up with a cartful of junk.
Imagine, for example, that you are a real estate agent. After figuring out your "whys" you came to the conclusion that you believe that home ownership is one of the joys and rights of life today, and that it is your duty as a real estate agent to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy owning a home, without the stress that can accompany the purchase process.
In this example, the real estate agent has figured out that she is there to serve people (rather than serve herself). She then will work out ways in which she can serve. Which might be:
- Providing educational material on buying a home.
- Making sure that her focus is on the client relationship - removing the stress and uncertainties of the home purchase.
- Finding ways to open up home ownership to as many people as possible by working with financing experts and by finding ways to reach people who are renting a home but could benefit from owning a home.
So, to accomplish all that, she might:
- Fill her website with useful articles that educate her clients.
- Send out her newsletter on a regular basis. The newsletter would contain articles that educate her clients and assure them of her attention to their needs.
- Consider where the main "stress points" are for her clients in a real estate transaction and work out ways to minimize them, either by the retooling her work processes and/or by finding partners who can help. Then she would make sure she communicates all this to her clients - perhaps by providing a "stress-proof guarantee" that shows all the ways she will make her clients' lives easier.
- Finding financing experts and asking them to provide articles for her newsletter and website that educate clients about financing options.
- Using newsletters and social media to reach out to renters and other people who might benefit from owning a home.
You see how she has moved from a self-centered way of marketing herself to one that focuses on the needs of her clients?
And can you see how much more attractive she becomes to her clients now that she has positioned herself like this.
So here's an exercise for you: How can you better serve people to bring your "why" to life?
October 23, 2011
What is Your 'Why'?
Today I'm going to talk about something that will help you grow your business more quickly and - perhaps more importantly - make it easier for you to get up each morning and go to work.
I'd really like you to do the exercise at the bottom of this article - and put the results in your newsletter.
Here's the thing:
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
This isn't my idea. It belongs to Simon Sinek. You can see him talk about it in his presentation at a TED conference. I urge you to watch the video below (click on the image to go to Youtube to watch it).
Here's the thing.
Lots of people sell insurance.
Lots of people sell real estate.
Lots of people sell whatever it is you sell.
And...there are lots of people who need what you have to offer.
BUT...to stand out from the crowd and to become the go-to person in your town, you need to do more than match a commodity to people who are looking for a commodity.
As Sinek says: The goal is not to do business with people who need what you have - the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
That's because our brains are wired to respond to emotions, not logic.
Your passionate "whys" will slice straight through to the limbic brain, bypassing the rational mind.
And that's a good thing, because it destroys the competition.
So, you might have some logical ideas about why people should buy real estate, insurance or whatever from you.
But what their brains really respond to are the emotional "whys" behind what you do.
With that in mind, here are my "whys" - the reasons why I make newsletters.
When you've read them, I want you to think about what your "whys" are - and them write them down and put them in your next newsletter.
By reading our materials and buying our products, I want the following to happen for my clients...
- I want to help my clients to become famous in their markets so that when people think of real estate, insurance or whatever it is they do, they think of my client.
- I want to help my clients build life-long, satisfying relationships with people who know them, like them and trust them.
- I want my clients to experience what it is like to have people coming to them for business, rather than them having to go out and hunt down business.
- I want my clients to get pleasure marketing their businesses by sharing their knowledge and experience with others.
- I want my clients to be secure, knowing that they have a list of people who will want to do business with them.
- I want my clients to love their work because they will be in a business with long-term, satisfying relationships.
These are the things I want for my clients.
This is why I do what I do.
Write them down. Send them to me, if you like.
And then put them in your next newsletter.
I promise you will feel better about what you do and your customers will love you for it.
September 20, 2011
Testimonials: A Way to Make Your Newsletter More Powerful
I was reminded yesterday of something you can put into your newsletter that will make it much more effective.
It's called Social Proof.
Here's the thing: people are much more likely to believe what other people say about you than anything you say about yourself.
That's obvious, really.
So that's why I encourage you to include testimonials from happy clients in your newsletter.
Of course, in order to include those testimonials, you need to collect them in the first place!
So if you don't have a bunch of testimonials, consider making it a priority to collect positive comments from your clients. For example, whenever someone says something nice, ask them if you can use their words as a testimonial, ideally with their full name. And think about ways you can create a system to collect testimonials from clients - perhaps by asking them to complete a survey about your service.
The best testimonials are in your clients' own words so that they sound natural. They also include concrete details of how your service has benefited them. The more real they are, the better.
When you've got some testimonials, edit your newsletter and put them in.
It's a very simple way to add social proof to your business.
(This should go without saying, but don't even think about making up testimonials!)
Picture by Hans van Rijnberk
August 31, 2011
4 Keys to Business Success after Labor Day
At time of year, many of us press the reset button.
Seems like New Year 's Day all over again, except with more school buses.
So I thought it would be a good time to look at some fundamentals - the four big things that make the difference between success and just grinding along.
As the economy in much of the world continues to struggle, these fundamentals are becoming increasingly important because getting the basics done right is more critical than ever.
These fundamentals are practiced by our most successful clients. Indeed, by the most successful business people anywhere.
1. Long-term perspective and relationships
The reason so many people fail to achieve their objectives is because they don't look far enough into the future.
Ever heard of the marshmallow test? It was successfully used by psychologists to predict how well a child will do in life.
A four-year-old child is given the option take one marshmallow now or to sit and wait for 20 minutes, after which they will get two marshmallows.
Some children wait patiently and are rewarded with a marshmallow feast. Others can't stand it and scarf down the single marshmallow right away.
Studies that followed the fortunes of these children found that those who had patience did much better as they progressed through childhood.
I've noticed that many business people are like the one-marshmallow child. They only do things that bring them immediate results.
The trouble with that, however, is that they are forfeiting much greater results in the future because they're not building a foundation that will generate long-term success.
My most successful clients have focused on building long-term relationships with clients. To do so, they've created a structure and strategy for their business that puts the emphasis on these relationships rather than the quick-hit sale.
Some of them have been sending out newsletters for years - many writing the content themselves before finding me. They continue to send out newsletters, month-in, month-out.
Others are just starting out, but are building a structure for their business that will create long-term relationships. They are collecting contact information. They are providing value. They are keeping in touch.
On the other hand, I see people who are looking for the next quick fix - the magic tool that will bring them a flood of business, with little effort on their part.
These people go from one magic trick to the next, never building a business with a strong foundation.
Long-term thinking beats short-term thinking every time.
2. Time working "on" your business
Of course, to be able to think long-term, you need to do the things that will generate long-term relationships.
The trouble is, many of those things don't bring immediate benefits - you don't see quick results.
So what happens instead is that people spend time working on the minutiae of daily business - servicing clients and fulfilling products. They're working "in" the businesses.
The most successful people I see are able to carve out some time to work "on" their businesses.
Maybe you can only find half a day per week, but it pays to spend that time doing things that set your business up for the long term. That might include activities that build long-term relationships with clients. Or you might think of systems that make your business run more smoothly.
It might also mean finding time to actually send out your newsletter.
3. Successful delegation
If you want to find time to work "on" your business, you might consider delegating some of the routine tasks to someone else.
Here's the thing: many of the routine tasks are "below your pay grade" - they can be done by someone for a lower fee than you would charge for what you do best.
So, every hour you spend on one of these tasks you are, in effect, losing money - because you are not earning as much as you could be earning.
The successful people I know have built themselves a team of people and vendors to whom they can outsource these routine tasks. It doesn't mean you have to go hire someone full-time - you just have to find the right people or the right organization for each job.
4. Regular communication
If you want to build relationships with clients over the long term, you need to communicate with them over the long term.
After all, any relationship without regular communication withers, none more so than a business relationship, with so many competitors tugging at your clients' purse strings.
The most successful businesses I know have developed a regular communications strategy for prospects as well as clients. As soon as a prospect comes into that business's orbit, they receive useful, relevant information on a regular basis.
These businesses use a variety of communication channels: email, print, social media...even personal phone calls, if the spending potential of the client is high enough.
When you are regularly in touch with your clients by providing useful information that makes their lives better, there's little reason for those clients to go anywhere else.
That's how a business stays in business for the long term.
Marshmallow picture by Gary Knight.
June 26, 2011
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- Ikea's Basement and Your Attitude of Service
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