| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Who is Your Perfect Client
When I started my coaching practice I believed that I could coach anyone. My marketing wasn't targeted. Taking a few clients that were "wrong" for me cured me of that. I began to define my "perfect client" and then started to notice flags that told me that someone didn't fit my definition. Have you ever had a premonition that someone wouldn't be a good client for you? Today the person I hired to paint my house dropped by to pick up his check. He asked me about a neighbor to whom he had given a quote. He said, "She seems like a nice lady but something is telling me she'll be a problem." He went on to say that she wanted a guarantee that the paint wouldn't peel. He said with all the plants around her house and her irrigation system he didn't feel comfortable doing that. Although he would like the work and was confident in his ability to do a great job for her, he decided to pass on the job. Bob has owned his own painting business for 25 years and really knows who his "perfect customer" is. He sees warning signs that tell him when the work will cost him more than he will make. Large businesses often take all customers as long as they believe they have the ability to pay. They don't use a screening method. I remember thinking while I was at AT&T that some customers were more of a headache than they were worth. One customer I remember started her weekend early on Friday afternoon and came back to her office after lunch inebriated. In that condition everything annoyed her so she would start calling us for immediate service on her equipment or adjustments on her bill. She knew all the numbers to call (including the president of the company!). If she didn't get attention she called the person's boss. She sounded pretty normal on the phone so she was taken very seriously. She consistently drained resources. Do you get an inkling that a prospective client will be a problem? What are the warning signs? I know for example that people who believe they know everything and never make a mistake are not good clients for me. I listen for that when I talk to potential clients. Also if someone comes to me for a marriage issue, I know that is not my area of expertise. I could coach the person but because I don't work in this area much it takes me longer to get up to speed on it. Better to refer that client to someone else and to find the lawyers and other professionals that I have a specific business development program for and experience in coaching. It is more profitable for me and more satisfying for my clients. One exercise I do with my clients is to ask them to rate their current clients as A, B, C and D clients. They come up with their own criteria for A (the dream client), B (the dream client in training) C (the average client) and D (the client from hell). The goal is to find a way to have only A and B clients in their practice. Can you see that getting rid of C and D clients would give you extra time to work with the clients you enjoy? By doing this you aren't wasting precious time trying to please someone who needs lots of special attention. Think too about the kind of referrals you will get from C and D clients. We attract people to us that are very much like us so C and D clients probably will refer C and D clients. If you want to have a thriving practice with clients you enjoy working with the first step is to get very clear about your "perfect client". What makes him/her perfect and then what tells you that the prospect sitting in front of you or the one on the phone is that perfect client? Take Action 1. Read Attracting Perfect Customers by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogneiz 2. What are your criteria for A, B, C and D clients? 3. Classify your current and past clients as A, B, C and D clients. What did you learn from the exercise? 4. Can you create a script with several questions for your staff to use so that you don't have to talk to any potential client that is clearly not an A or B client? Do you have a list of other attorneys, doctors, painters etc that they can refer the C and D clients to? About Alvah Parker Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker's Value Programİ enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps In business, having competitors goes with the territory. There's almost always someone selling the same product or service you are selling, or at least trying to solve the same customer problem you solve. Terrific Titles, Happenin Headlines You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." It may be a sales pitch, but in the world of advertising and promotion, it's right on the nose. How to Develop an Effective Company Profile -- and Why What is a company profile? A company profile is essentially a resume for your company that you use to establish your credibility with the market you serve. Your company profile helps potential customers to understand your business as well as to understand your company's approach, unique strengths, and relevant experience. How To Recognize Your Niche Marketing Agenda Starting a business, whether it's retail products or services, must establish their own "niche". It doesn't matter how great your products or services is, how great your sales letter is or your headlines, offers or what a great price you're offering. Marketing 101: The Power of Marketing When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a mediocre product and a healthy business? The difference is often marketing. Rules of Thumb for Marketing to Your Past Customers Keeping in touch can dramatically increase business, when done properly.It's a fact that your customers are your best leads. Massage Marketing Made Easy: A Simple Nine Step Marketing Plan for Therapists and Bodyworkers Marketing is actually very simple. It involves telling people what you do. Qualify Prospects Using Direct Mail Marketing When a prospect responds to your lead generation sales letter, how do you know if the prospect is a qualified lead or not? By qualifying them before they respond.At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition of a qualified lead is someone who meets four criteria:Authority: They have the authority to buy Readiness: They are ready to buy now Budget: They have the budget to buy Need: They need your product or serviceAnyone who meets some of these criteria but not all is simply a lead that needs to be cultivated. Market Yourself as the Expert As a small business how do you compete with the big guys and their big budget advertising campaign? The big guys don't read this magazine so we can share these low budget yet high-impact marketing secrets with you.Use these tips to market yourself as the expert in your field. Make More Money with Marketing Metrics Do you know how effective each of your individual marketing tactics is? Many small business owners market in a vacuum. They spend money on brochures, advertisements and web sites with no real way to tie specific results to specific endeavors. A Forgotten Marketing Tool - The Postcard The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many of our customers and/or students use them in their business. Mortgage Marketing - How to Find Your Niche Ann Landers, Dr. Phil and Roger Ebert take pleasure in being recognized as leading experts in their respective fields. So What Do You Do? Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at some point in the conversation, the prospect will ask you, "So what do you do?". In most cases, you will only have 60 seconds, to catch the interest of the prospect. Have You Captured Me Today? There are many Web sites I visit every day and will probably never return to again. It's not that I didn't like the site, or that I wasn't interested in the topic, services, or products offered. Winning At Business With Your Marketing Game Plan Stuart from Colorado had talked to a number of marketing firms and gotten estimates for designing and printing his marketing materials and building a web site for his business producing promotional cds. One firm quoted $100,000 to build his web site alone. Key Marketing Questions - Planning Your Marketing Campaign So you started a business. How's it going? Did you think about marketing when you began planning for your business? Marketing is how you get the word out about your business. Baby Boomers - Marketing to the Me Generation Unless you've been in a dimly lit cavern for the past several decades, you know that "Baby Boomers" is the collective name given to the 76 million people born in the United States between the end of World War II and 1964. Often described as the largest, most knowledgeable and most fiscally influential demographic group in American history, their motto could very well be: Where does a 750-pound gorilla sit? Anywhere it wants!Getting to Know ThemDubbed the "Me Generation" for their nonstop quest for self-gratification, many "Boomers" pride themselves on their counterculture values, for having led movements for social rights and environmental awareness. Market Planning -- Getting the Word Out "There are those who get things done and those who think about getting things done." --Col. Marketing with Special Reports. 5 Ways to Develop Content Your Prospects Cant Wait to Read So you've decided to start publishing an e-newsletter, or you'd like to develop a Special Report as an added-value for your customers, or maybe you've even decided to teach a teleclass or a seminar as a way to bring prospects into your business.So now you have to decide what you're going to write or speak about. What to be Successful? Marketing Makes the Difference When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a mediocre product and a healthy business? The difference is often marketing.
|
| Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating |
| © 2006 |