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The “Red Velvet Rope Policy”
To begin the process of getting more clients, first weed out your current ones that are draining you. It’s scary to let go of clients when you need money, but having a red velvet rope policy like the bouncer at an exclusive club helps you focus on those who have potential for growth. When you hang out with great people and get rid of energy drains, the contagious sense of high energy will spill over into your work.
Create a velvet rope policy by identifying the ideal traits of your clients. Focus on quality and avoid taking on anyone who isn’t a good fit. Categorize your current clients into three groups: ideal, duds and everyone else. Review which clients you love working with and why. The clients in the ideal category will help you define your specific target market for attracting new business.
“Finding a Target Market”
It’s easier to market yourself when you’re working in a specialty because it narrows your focus. For example, an acupuncturist who focuses on infertility can target only those people looking for that service. This helps him build a client list more quickly than if he were trying to attract everyone suffering from pain. However, this strategy doesn’t work unless the person is passionate about his or her field of expertise; otherwise, boredom will set in and drain away energy needed for success. You should also figure out what excites you so that you can find something related to that subject area and turn it into a business opportunity. A great way to do this is by turning hobbies into professions—for example, someone who loves biking could create sites geared toward bike riders and professionals involved with biking (such as bike shops).
After determining the needs of your target market, you can develop a marketing plan that will show them how they will benefit from working with you. You need to focus on their personal and emotional needs in order to make these clients want to work with you. The more clearly defined your brand is, the easier it will be for people to identify what they’re getting out of working with you.
You, the Personal Brand
A personal brand is a combination of who you are, what you do and why you do it. Your personal brand is based on which problems you solve for whom, why people should come to you, and what results your solutions produce. In order to find out your personal brand, ask yourself questions such as: What makes me different or even eccentric? If I had to describe my personality traits and talents in one sentence, how would I do that? Then answer this question when someone asks “What do you do?” For example:
The target market is worried about __ (“the problem”). What I do to solve that problem is __. The result of my work is . The benefit of my work for the target market is
. To make the list shorter, you can say, “I know how many small business owners want more clients and hate marketing and selling.” What I do is teach people to love marketing and sales so that they get as many clients as they need.
Establishing Trust
To build credibility with a client, you need to have the right credentials and prove that your service is high quality. Clients will stay with you if they trust you, so make sure that your methods and tools are good enough for them. They’ll also expect you to be qualified in some way; doctors, lawyers and accountants must be certified. Other fields may require other credentials as well; IT professionals might get Microsoft certification or interior designers might get licenses. Demonstrate how much each client means to you by treating them like your only customer.
