More Clients - the Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action Plan Marketing
and Robert MiddletonIn This Week's Issue: What do you say when someone asks you "THE Question"
THE Question
"What do you do?"
That's THE Question that can lead you to marketing success or marketing obscurity.
Answer that question the right way and you'll command attention and interest. Answer it the wrong way and you'll miss the opportunity to connect with a potential client.
This past week, two participants in my Marketing Action Groups shared their struggles and successes with how they went about answering this question. I thought you might find their stories useful.
From Irene Bojckuk - irene@netreach.net
I'm writing to share a wonderful win.
After listening to the audio files and writing out my Complete Marketing Message I tried it (using my Audio Logo) only on a few of my safest friends, with very little confidence, but I tried it nonetheless.
I managed to fit it into a conversation in a follow-up call, and since she didn't immediately hang up, I thought it went well. And by the end of the call she had turned from a skeptic into a client with an appointment! Pretty good.
Through your material I realized some of the things I was doing right and have highlighted them and given them more attention, and I can see that I am getting much better results with my follow-up calls than before.
But back to my win.
I went to a 50th birthday party last night. I knew it would be full of health conscious, spiritually oriented strangers (which is the basic profile for my ideal clients). I have always had a huge party anxiety and have mostly talked myself out of going to parties at the last minute, even those that seemed appealing, because I couldn't picture myself feeling comfortable or knowing what to do there or fitting in. I called it being Socially Retarded.
Well, last night went quite differently.
I knew my purpose and it didn't require me to fit in or feel comfortable. I went there to practice my Audio Logo and connect with as many strangers as possible and find out who they were. My goal was to make at least twenty connections.
This purpose eliminated my anxiety completely. I walked in feeling very powerful and at ease. There was no concern about how I looked or came across. I immediately extended my hand and said, "Hi, I'm Irene. How do you know Caroline?" (the birthday girl hostess who was the only person I knew there). I kept looking for ways to make a connection with a person by relating to something about them.
I even managed to practice my Audio Logo, still with the awkward delivery, sometimes even starting by saying that, "I'm practicing this so let me see if I can say it in a good way ... I work with people who's lives aren't moving forward because of internal obstacles that they don't know to shift. "
When asked more about what I did, I would respond with, "I help them get to the underlying cause, like finding the thread that will unravel the sweater... With the tools I use and my approach, people get fast results that shift other areas of their life as well. The changes are deep and lasting."
The response was really wonderful. People thought I was "wonderful, powerful, unique, etc." and I was just interviewing them, listening in a way that I could retain it, remembering their names, sharing myself in ways that related to their story.
I managed to make about a dozen connections. Now I have a number of new contacts and possible clients that I will follow up with and see where it goes.
From Burnes Hollyman - bhollyman@renaissanceperformance.com
I wanted to let you know how blown away I was by using the formula you taught me just 2 days ago...
I was on the plane to Minneapolis and I was seated next to a guy in First Class who asked me the NOW CLASSIC Robert Middleton question (ONE that I used to fumble with until I had a fix on where the person was coming from): "What do you do?" Fast ball right into the strike zone... watch it!
I answered casually, totally conversationally, almost bored with myself, totally non-sales-y, with a pause, "Well, I work with executives in large companies who have developed great programs and initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented."
I didn't say anything else but waited, as you taught me, to let the Mountain come to Mohammed. It was text-book perfect.
"Wow, that sounds like us all over!" he said.
"How do you mean? Tell me about it." I asked.
"Well, I am the senior vice president of sales in the fastest growth division of XYZ Corporation and my problem is that.." on and on he went. I just listened with the occasional question. I never told him anything else. After he stopped his initial overview, I said:
"There are some simple ways you can solve those problems and get results," I said.
"Really; how?" he asked.
"Well, there are some great and very simple ways to implement performance systems to get things done and when you do, our clients find it saves them millions of dollars, etc." I chatted for an hour with him, drawing pictures and diagrams based on his issues on a napkin. I never mentioned that I was a consultant or anything.
Then I casually said: "We have one client who..."blah,blah,blah and I told him the story of how we rocked their world, but in a low key kind of way.
He took out a piece of paper and was taking notes for the entire conversation. At the end, I casually told him: "I have a White Paper on all this I could send you if you want."
"Absolutely!" he said. He gave me his business card at that point although I hadn't asked and I casually pulled out mine and he studied it closely.
"Geez! Your company name-Renaissance-the re-birth of business results. I get it!" he said as he carefully read my card with logo. "That's amazing - 'business results' is what we have been talking about this whole time!"
When you grasp the power of the Audio Logo and learn to use it effectively in your marketing, you're going to see results like Irene and Burnes. And marketing just might become fun at last!
More on "THE Question" in Marketing Flashes below.
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Making the Shift from Ideas to Action
It's not an accident that my business is called Action Plan Marketing. It's all about helping Independent Professionals put their marketing ideas into action.
But if you don't have proven ideas and plans in the first place, all the action in the world isn't going to get you anywhere. So I distilled several years of hands-on experience in attracting clients and put it all into one comprehensive marketing manual.
If you want very detailed directions on how to develop an Audio Logo and hundreds of other marketing approaches specifically for small service business owners, I think you'll want to learn more about the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.
www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html- 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 will transform your marketing. These essential principles 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 over 11 hours of audio files with teleclasses and interviews on the finer points of marketing your services. These audio files alone are worth the price of the manual.
- I've included a boatload of extras, including 150 pages of articles, dozens of resources and, most importantly, the InfoGuru Support Forum, where you can get any question about marketing your services 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 available in both digital format (.pdf file) for immediate download, and 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 "THE Question"
Irene and Burnes practiced some very important principles in using their Audio Logo.
* Preparation - Both took the time to study the theory and practice of delivering a marketing message. They then worked on their own messages and practiced them until they felt more comfortable using them. They were prepared, not necessarily perfect.
* Purpose - They knew going in what they wanted to accomplish. The idea was to make a connection, not to bowl people over by their brilliance. By staying both focused and low-key, they connected easily.
* Patience - Realizing that it can take some time to make a connection and not expecting the words of the Audio Logo alone to communicate the value of your services. Both took some time to engage in a deeper conversation.
* Listening - They didn't spend most of the time talking and explaining what they did. Instead, they spent more time listening and tuning into the situation and needs of the people they met. They showed real interest.
* Follow-Up - Both realized that follow-up to an initial marketing conversation is key. Burnes offered a White Paper. Irene got cards and names so she could follow-up later on.
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."
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