By Mark Creedon
4 ways to get big results!
Want new Clients? How’s your communication?
Many of the small business owners I meet share a very similar frustration. They struggle to attract new clients into their business.
The struggle is real but so is the solution. In fact, the solution is far simpler than the struggle may make it appear.
The quickest and simplest way to create more opportunities, to find more clients and therefore more profit is to communicate more.
Your role as a business owner or professional is to effectively reach as many people as you possibly can through effective communication.
Getting your communication process right will help you to create a shortcut to next level success.
Let’s have a look at how that’s done. Jen Devore Richter put it really simply by saying that an effective business communicator needs only do the following four things:
- have something good to say.
- say it well.
- say it often.
- say it to the right people.
In our Business Accelerator Mastermind sessions, I’m always showing our clients that getting more clients is not about shouting your message to the masses but whispering the right message into the right ear.
Let’s have a look at each of those four essential points:
1. Have something good to say
When was the last time you critically examined your message? Do you know exactly the point you’re trying to make?
You need to know what problem or issue you solve for your clients. What is the solution or opportunity that you offer?
What is the inevitability of doing business with you and what is the transformation that your products or services will bring to your clients?
Most of the small business owners I first speak to about Mastermind are exhausted from chasing after new business one lead at a time. Word-of-mouth has usually got them to where they are, but it just won’t get them to the next level.
What they need is a scalable marketing solution. That solution is simply creating a communication strategy and it starts with having something good to say.
Take some time to refine the solution your product or service provides and then think about how you can package that solution as an unmissable opportunity.
2. Say it Well
Saying a message well doesn’t mean making it longer or louder.
In fact, saying a message well is actually about simplifying the message. If you want people to listen to you so they can understand the benefits of being your client then you have to make your message tight and bright.
Help your prospective clients to understand the journey they will go on by working with you. Have a look at what you’ve done for clients, the solutions you provided and document that proven process in a simple and easy to understand format.
For example, I have created our Mastermind Genius Model which shows the nine major accelerators that every business owner needs to work on in order to push themselves to the next level of success.
I have turned that nine-accelerator model into a sales tool, videos, and online quiz and marketing material all for the purpose of generating new business.
I know you have a value proposition but how do you turn it into something like a six-step process or nine accelerator activities?
Document your proven process into a step-by-step guide that shows your prospects exactly what your value proposition is and how they benefit from becoming clients of yours.
3. Say it Often
So, here’s the bad news, doing a post a week, running a webinar every six months or writing the occasional blog simply isn’t going to bring you new clients.
This was one of the hardest marketing lessons I had to learn for my own business.
If you want to build a sustainable successful business, you need to have a regular rhythm of communication.
I like to set up a daily weekly monthly and quarterly schedule which helps keep my activity tight and timely.
Remember just because you have an activity schedule doesn’t mean that all of the activity has to be performed by you. You can delegate or outsource this really simply but you have to put the work into creating the schedule first.
Otherwise, you’re simply delegating or outsourcing your current unsuccessful ad hoc marketing strategy.
I like to set time aside every day for social media post-engagement, comments, connecting with strategic partners and following up on leads.
On a weekly basis I like to shoot and send videos out to my email subscriber list and provide valuable engaging content.
Monthly I look for a speaking engagement or a pod cast session as well as hosting my own webinar.
Once a quarter I look to design and release a new lead magnet and make sure I am putting active participation into my referral marketing strategy.
A great first step for you would be to simply outline your daily weekly and monthly schedule for the rest of this year.
4. Say it to the right people
if you’ve got good content and you’re saying well and often but it isn’t getting results then you need to find a different audience.
Understanding who your ideal target audience is and mapping their hot buttons is an essential first step.
Ask yourself these six simple questions:
- What is their biggest frustration?
- What do they wish they could have which would take that frustration away?
- What are they most afraid of in the short to medium term future?
- What do they hope to achieve in that same timeframe?
- If they were looking for help, what would they Google?
- What keeps them awake at night?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then you’re going to find it hard to create a message aimed at the right audience because you don’t have a clear picture of who the audience is.
The great news is that if you already have clients it is simply a matter of conducting a six-question interview with five or six of your existing clients, ask them those six questions and use the answers to define your target audience.
Following these simple steps will improve your communication strategy to make sure that your message is reaching the right people at the right time and saying the right things.
Happy planning!
Mark Creedon
Mark Creedon is the founder of Business Accelerator mastermind by Metropole and business coach to some of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs – helping them build a true business, not a job.
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