The Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action
Plan Marketing
and Robert Middleton
-
The Preparation Factor -
Want
to be an extraordinary marketer?
One of the most underrated things you can do is
prepare for it.
This
is the first of ten More Clients articles on the
"Ten Dumb Mistakes" we make in marketing our
services. I'll be exploring them all in more
depth in the coming weeks. If you don't stop making
them, your success is in jeopardy.
The
first mistake is "Being Unprepared."
Boring
topic, right? Yeah, yeah, we know -- be a
professional and do my homework and make my
marketing action plans, and everything will be
hunky dory.
Well,
duh, I know that! Got anything more
exciting?
I'm
sure you know all the rules. But do you live by
them most of the time? Probably not. We all know
why: it's inertia. You're very busy (in fact, often
overwhelmed), you have other priorities, and you're
smart enough to "wing it" most of the time. So
what's the big deal?
The
big deal is that lack of preparation has a huge
impact on your bottom line. It costs you every
single time you're not prepared. I'm willing to bet
you could double or even triple your income in the
next year if you made preparation a priority. It's
that important.
Let's
get specific.
You
already know that you need to talk about your
business in a certain way to get attention and
interest. (I call it the Audio Logo.) Someone
asks you what you do and the response to the words
you utter can be, "Hmmm, that's interesting, tell
me more," or that blank, eyes-glazed-over look,
depending on how well you prepared.
I've
met hundreds of people through networking and I'll
let you in on a dirty little secret. Most
business people are just not prepared with that
introduction. Not even close. It's pretty pathetic.
What they say has little impact; the conversation
tends to ramble aimlessly. Nothing stimulates
interest, let alone a response.
Look,
imagine you were cast as Hamlet.
You
were told to go home and memorize your lines
and do some preparation for your role. But it was
more important to go out with your friends for
dinner that night.
You
show up for the rehearsal the next day and when
they call on you, your lack of preparation is
obvious. They give you another day to prepare.
You memorize a few lines, but don't make a serious
effort to get into the part.
How
long will you have that role before they fire your
sorry a--?
Not
long.
But
why is it that you can run your own business and
profess to be an expert that can help your
clients, and you can't even get your lines right?
"No big deal," you think. You're your own boss
after all, and this stuff isn't that important, is
it?
The
truth is, the business world is equally
unforgiving. What happens is that prospective
clients fire you all the time - before you even get
a chance to work for them! You open your mouth, and
mumble words that have exactly zero persuasive
power and the prospect writes you off in a
nano-second.
When
you're prepared in your marketing, you know what to
say because you've practiced it. You get it so
down that you can say it with twenty seven subtle
variations to suit every single situation. And you
start to command attention and... respect.
When
you meet someone, you're no longer wondering if
you'll get their attention. You're wondering
how you'll fit in a new client. Because every
single time you open your mouth, people fall under
your spell.
Just
like a great (and very prepared)
Hamlet.
When
you give a presentation, do a proposal, or perform
a project, you'll always make a greater impact
when you're fully prepared. And like Hamlet, who
masters his lines and his character, your
performance is fresh and authentic every single
time.
So
yes, preparation is the key. And if you're not
doing it in your marketing, I'm sorry to say, but
you're presenting yourself as an amateur. And
prospects don't want to buy from amateurs.
*
The
More Clients Bottom Line:
Want
to seriously increase your income this year and
start growing your business with a whole lot less
struggle? Then prepare as if your livelihood
depended on it. And the truth is, it
does!
What
is lack of preparation costing you in your
business? Are you even aware of it? Please
share this with us on the More Clients Blog
at:
http://www.actionplan.blogs.com
*
Some
Marketing Preparation Tools
To
prepare successfully you need solid, proven
information. Just like Hamlet has a powerful
script, you need strategies and tactics that will
carry the day. You add the preparation and success
is inevitable.
Here's
the place to start:
1.
The InfoGuru Marketing Manual - $69/$99
A complete system for attracting clients.
http://www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html
2.
The Relationship Pipeline Audio Program -
$29
A blueprint for networking and building business
relationships.
http://www.actionplan.com/fillpipeline.html
3.
The Value Pricing Audio Program - $29
A system for charging what you're really
worth
http://www.actionplan.com/valuepricing
4.
The Action Plan ToolKit - $49
A complete goal setting, planning and
accountability system.
http://www.actionplan.com/aptk.html
5.
The Web Site ToolKit - $49
A tutorial on building a client-attracting web
site.
http://www.actionplan.com/wstk.html
Until
next week, all the best,
Robert
Middleton
ACTION
PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More
Clients
www.actionplan.com
210
Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790
Contact
by email
©
2006 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."
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