Return to Archive
More Clients - the Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action Plan Marketing
and Robert MiddletonIn This Week's Issue: What do you need to do to get an interested
prospect take the next step towards exploring your services?
A Compelling Offer
To produce an exceptional marketing result, often it's a matter of
creating a compelling offer. You might have found the right
strategy to initially attract prospects, but if you don't make a
compelling offer at the right time, usually nothing happens.A good example was a participant at my recent workshop in San
Francisco. He provided financial consulting specifically for
parents to help them send their kids to college without going
broke.His message was good and his strategy for getting attention was
sound. But his results were not very encouraging.Talks he was doing for parent groups got a good reception. At
the end of the talk, he offered a free initial consultation. They
filled out an evaluation form at the end and put in their contact
information if they wanted a consultation. But he wasn't getting
enough takers.What I recommended was that he make a more compelling offer
for the consultation. When you are in front of a group of prospects
you don't make an offer in writing. Everyone is in "listening mode".
You want to make an offer verbally and get people to take action
then and there.The script is all-important. Here's what I suggested:
"Thank you so much for coming today. I trust you've gotten a
better idea of what it takes to send your kids to college without
going broke. Who here is now 100% confident that you can put
what you've learned today into action?"Not many should raise their hands. He's given an overview but not
a lot of hands-on techniques. They just know they need to do
something. So he continues."That's not unusual. It takes some serious planning to make it
work. So I'm offering a free "College Tuition Assessment" for the
first ten people tonight who would like to explore how they can
put these ideas into action." (Holds up assessment form.)"This is usually a $75 service. Please put up your hand if you'd
like one." (He'll likely get many hands.)"OK, great, at the end if you'd like an assessment, just come and
fill in this reservation form and we'll set up a time to get together.
Again, thanks very much for attending."Just by changing the ending script and by making a direct and
compelling offer for a free assessment, he'll get many, many
more people signing up to meet with him. When they do, he'll
outline his service in detail.I hope this example strikes a chord with you. Too often I see
people getting most of the way to "second base" (in my Marketing
Ball Model, where people are ready to explore working with you),
but they fail to make a compelling offer to actually get them on
the base (into a meeting).If you don't make a compelling offer, people usually opt for no
action at all. Isaac Newton's first law states that "An object at
rest tends to stay at rest." And the same goes with prospects!You have to apply a degree of forward motion to get the prospect
into action. A crystal-clear compelling offer and direct request is
often all it takes.More on "A Compelling Offer" in Marketing Flashes below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Compelling Offer for the InfoGuru Marketing Manual
One reason I think the InfoGuru Manual has been so popular is that
you get so much more than just a book or manual when you order
it. The manual has several powerful benefits and advantages as
well as many additional bonuses that make it a great deal.Thirteen reasons for owning the Infoguru Manual yourself are
outlined below. How many of them are important to you?- It was developed exclusively for Independent Professionals such
as consultants, coaches, trainers and other service professionals
who are great at what they do, but have a hard time consistently
attracting clients to their businesses.- The manual is based on a few powerful marketing principles that,
once you understand them, might seem obvious but are missed by
almost everyone (and implemented by even fewer).- The marketing principles contained in the manual will help you
increase interest in your services, build trust and credibility with
prospects, get prospects wanting to learn more about what you do,
and create a steady stream of word-of-mouth business.- It goes way beyond theory, vague generalizations or concepts, and
contains hundreds of hands-on marketing strategies and action plans
that are easy to implement, even if you have no marketing experience.- It includes foundational marketing information on things like creating
an attention-getting marketing message, and then goes into depth on
the most recent marketing techniques of web marketing and eZines.- You can read it like a book -- you can go through it slowly and
do the exercises like a home-study course -- or you can refer to it
whenever you have a question about marketing your business.- It comes with a boatload of extras, including audio files, articles,
and the InfoGuru Support Forum, where you can get any question
about marketing answered for free.- The Support Forum can be used to answer questions, provide
resources, and get "peer-review" of marketing materials, web sites,
proposals and sales letters, as well as explore the more complex
and confusing aspects of attracting clients to your business.- It will help remove the mystery and struggle about marketing
and selling that so many Independent Professionals experience,
and will help you realize that marketing can actually be fun.- It comes with my unconditional guarantee. Get it and try it. If you
don't think it's worth much more than what you paid, tell me and I'll
refund 100% of your purchase price.- Unlike most marketing information sold on the web, the manual is not
only available in digital form (.pdf file) for immediate download, but for
just a few dollars more you can get a printed manual as well.- The InfoGuru Marketing Manual was published in February of 2001,
and it's just as relevant today, because I add to it regularly with updates
of the manual that can be downloaded repeatedly at no additional cost.- If you are looking for one tool that will help you attract clients with
an approach and methodology that is highly effective but doesn't
compromise your integrity, you've found it!For complete details and to order online go to:
www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marketing Flashes on "A Compelling Offer"
* A compelling offer needs to be presented in the most favorable
context. It needs to be direct, simple, honest and perceived as
valuable. It should be something that is easy to take advantage of.* A compelling offer should provide value and a reason to act now.
By limiting how many people can respond or by having a deadline,
you create some urgency. You want people to feel they will be
missing out on something good if they don't take action.* A compelling offer requires good timing. And good timing takes
practice. Work on your scripting and practice it out loud and then
to a friend or coach before you "try it on the road."* A compelling offer isn't just giving something away. It needs to
require that the prospect make a commitment to do something.
This may be anything from giving you their business card to
setting up an appointment.* A compelling offer is something you can use for years to come
once you've perfected it. So take the time and effort to develop
compelling offers. Compelling offers can transform your business.Until next week, all the best,
Robert Middleton
ACTION PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More Clients~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
210 Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790© 2004 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You are free
to use material from the More Clients eZine in whole or in part,
as long as you include complete attribution, including live web
site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
The attribution should read:"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit
Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional
marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional
service businesses."* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
