Know Your Market Before You Waste Time in Social Media

I recently met with a client that wanted me to teach her how to use facebook, twitter, linkedin and wordpress in two hours. I usually don't do house calls since I work with most of my clients over the phone and mainly in interactive coaching groups. With our laptops open on the kitchen table, I knew right away I had my work cut out for me with my client's daughter just feet away on the living room couch loudly playing on the playstation and her teenage son also home on holiday gabbing non stop on the phone.

My IT business owner husband who gives talks at the local Chamber of Commerce and professional groups usually on one social network platform per talk was amazed I took on the challenge of addressing multiple platforms in a two hour visit. "I know," I sighed. it was for a single mom who wanted to learn social media to get her business off the ground.

The biggest thing I discovered about my client's social media challenges was that her marketing message was all over the place. Before we delved into her LinkedIn and WordPress blog, we took some time talking about her ideal clients: What problems did they have and how she could solve them? Then we narrowed down the services she offered. "What?!" I hear you saying. "Won't that limit the her number of clients?" Actually the clearer she gets about the one type of client she serves and their biggest problem the easier she can market to that! I told her to jot down her ideal clients' demographics: age, sex, profession, how it felt to work with her ideal client. Who were her pay anything, do anything to get their problem fixed clients? Tell me their family dynamics and life story. The more you know this, the easier it is to market your products and services to the right people who will seek you out to work with you. Everyday you'll know what to say to these people because you've clearly defined your marketing message.

Delving deeper I soon learned she had not made article writing, social media status updates and blogging a part of her weekly business routine. The second stumbling block was my client didn't have a consistent marketing message with a strong service advantage. That echoes what I said earlier. She had trouble answering, "Why would your prospects do business with you instead of your competitors (who were currently getting much more business?" It didn't matter what social media she used if she didn't know what services. She needed an irresistible offer, a strong call to action or incentive to work with her. The alternative was to be like every other business professional in her industry and continue to chase after the dead end leads and prospects or "suspects" as David Sandler of the Sandler Sales Institute calls them. The good news is once she knew her target audience, she could start writing her social media comments, articles and blogs to that avatar or ideal client profile.

How do you pick your ideal client? Well in her case I asked my client to tell me what her big mission was. Why she got into her business in the first place. Was this a passion of hers? Who was it she helping? Her eyes lit up and she told me how she had struggled with the same problems her ideal clients faced during her divorce and she could identify with their struggle. "Good!" I told her. Update your website to include that story. It creates an instant bond.

Even though the two hours flew by and she had a hazy, overwhelmed look on her face as I ran to my next appointment, I have every confidence that once she takes time to focus on the needs and struggle of her idea clients she'll be able to overhear them in check out lines, business networking groups, online chats and forms, in google searches and much more and say, "Hi, I know exactly how to help you!"

HOMEWORK

Answer these questions:

Make a list of your best clients.

What are the common elements about them?

What is the biggest problem you help them solve?

Does your personal story match theirs before you discovered the service you now offer?

Maybe it should.:-)

In the spirit of giving...

grab your free downloadable

book template and writing/marketing check list.

I wish I had this before I started writing books and interviewing best selling authors.:-)

http://ping.fm/DumXe

-Ruth

Ruth Anne Wood works with best selling authors, Emmy award winning film makers and experts who help her create co-authored movies, books, plays, events using the passion and creativity of a group.

http://ping.fm/isysS

UNDERvaluing What You Offer? You May Be Losing Clients and Mo-ney

Years ago, there was a question in my intake packet for new clients titled, "What is holding you back or slowing your progress?" , as it related to attracting all the clients they needed and having a full practice. Having worked with hundreds and hundreds of clients over the years, I've seen it all. Other than "no knowledge of marketing," one thing seems to come up over and over again, and it happened again recently, with a brand new client.

The client answered this: "Sometimes, the 'Little Voice' inside me asks, 'Who needs my program anyway? This is basic information that I offer. People already know this stuff!'" This is so common, but in most every case, this is absolutely not accurate.

I have to admit, in the past, I too have taken for granted what I already know and teach everyday and started questioning my value in the marketplace. For example, when I was teaching holistic nutrition years ago, I sometimes wondered why people were paying me (or WOULD pay me) to teach them about whole foods versus processed foods. To me, it was a no-brainer that brown rice was more healthful than white. But to a person who grew up on Twinkies, it was crucial that I explain it to them in detail, and then the shortcuts to fitting in those brand new foods into their busy life.

I would also question the value of the cooking classes I gave once a month to 15 or 20 people crammed in my living room . As I was stirring carrots and onions on my Coleman grill in the middle of my tiny apartment, I couldn't help but think "Are these simple recipes REALLY of value to them?" (I'd been through serious Boot Camp at the French Culinary Institute, so this came naturally to me.) But they kept showing up, asking questions, and referring friends. Go figure!

Even in the early years of my business coaching practice, I sometimes wondered about my value . Clients asked me daily about the secrets of getting clients to call THEM and making a lot more mo-ney with smart marketing techniques and even smarter systems. For me, it was now ingrained and like second nature. I took for granted that I knew it, and because I'd been doing it for so long and knew that it worked, I thought everyone knew it too and that it was common sense.

On the contrary! What's common knowledge for us, is a secret to someone else. Because we "bathe" in our information all day long, and for years, we start taking for granted what we know. We forget what we know is actually a secret many others would do anything and everything to discover. It becomes the answer to their most pressing problem. It becomes the solution others have been praying for. And that's when they call us.

If you're in this situation, you are probably OVER-estimating what everybody else knows. The more common what you teach is to YOU and the longer you do what it is you do, the more you tend to undervalue what you know.

The irony here, as I've discovered, is that the more we teach things to our clients in SIMPLE terms, the happier they are , the more referrals we get and the more we make. It's not the convoluted teachings that people are looking for. It's the practical and simple solutions.

The real shame about the whole undervaluing what you know is that as a result, you may be undercharging for what you offer . This is actually one of the major reasons why most people don't have enough clients. Because they don't see value in what they offer, they don't charge enough, and there is therefore a low perception of value from the prospective client's point of view. They then go somewhere else for the same exact information. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Some entrepreneurs even go so far as discounting their services, or offering a sliding scale , because of their lack of confidence and low perception of value in what they offer. In my book, discounting is a BIG no-no. Again, it portrays a devalued product or service and it's NOT Client Attractive.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

* Notice that your clients came to YOU for the information you take for granted. Sometimes, they may even have known some of what you know, but didn't have the discipline, accountability, resources or structure to do it on their own. Many of my clients KNOW how to attract other clients, they're already somewhat successful, but they don't have the discipline or accountability to do it consistently on their own. So we do it together. This is actually my favorite type of scenario, because these clients are very driven and since we're not starting from scratch in the learning process, we move at warp speed.

* Be confident in what you offer. Read your testimonials over and over until your confidence comes back.

* See yourself as their problem solver. Charge accordingly and never discount your services. Ever.

If you're not sure how much to charge or how to position your value in the marketplace , then it's time to take action and invest in a step-by-step marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things . So, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com .

© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Line

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?


No problem! But here's what you MUST include:

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System TM , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com/849801/.

Discover the "sweet spot" of Client Attraction with the secret of Marketing & Mindset. New [video] from Fabienne Fredrickson
http://ping.fm/5mO1K

I'm participating in my first give away event
(besides the amazon book launch I'm doing for
Dr. Judith Orloff Ph.D. on March 2nd.

Unfortunately today is the last day for the EZ-IM Giveaway event and I wanted to make sure you had your chance to get your share of over 400 free gifts.

Go here now:

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If you have not already taken advantage of it, do it now. Don't hold it for another day as the doors are closing in only a few hours.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember that even if you do not have time to download all the gifts now, you must go and secure a spot so you can download the gifts at your convenience.

Even after the event has closed.

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Blessings,

Ruth

PS

Here's my product:

http://ping.fm/Nfm24

Let me know what you think by posting a comment.

365 Day Money Game

I'm starting to realize how much fun the game of spending money is. It's day six of my year long prosperity game. Today was the first day I stopped thinking long and hard about what I should or shouldn't get. I was shooting from the hip and what I wanted just flowed naturally from my heart to my finger tips as I made a note of my expenses.

I was able to easily spend $2,400.00 on a my new energy efficient jacuzzi. It popped in my mind to tithe to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. I also spent $350.00 on an image consultant and she was worth every penny. My most exciting adventure that came from today's abundant resources was choosing to go scuba diving at our local YMCA and then I'll finish up my certification in Costa Rica. I even checked out possible Couch Surfing hosts and there's a lot of wonderful profiles of people who will love to host me. With the dollar weaker than the Euro right now I choose to invest in $600 in Euros.

If you haven't guessed it I'm playing a virtual game on my computer I learned about last week from Mark Victor Hansen which he learned about through his friends Jerry and Ester Hicks. The idea is to expand your spiritual consciousness around money and realize you can have what ever you want. You just have to know what it is and focus on it. Everyday you take a blank check from your old registry. The first day you write yourself a check for $1,000.00. everyday you give yourself an income raise of $1,000.00. Instead of writing a check to myself I'm keeping a spread sheet of my income and expenses.

My excel spread sheets everyday has these statements:
Today is day 9/28/2008. * It's day 5 of my abundant, prosperous life * and I just paid myself $5,000.00 Wahoo! * With that money I loved tithing $500.00 to Clinton Global Initive Project *
I saved $500.00 in my savings account * I earmarked $500.00 for taxes. * I invested $500.00 Dream Wall Fund for Dreamers * I spent $500.00 for fun Lion King Minskoff Theatre $284.95 10/4/2008 8:00 PM Row: J/ travel/ dinner/CS * For my business I invested $500.00 blogger, social net worker to build online subscribers * For living expenses I bought a cellercizer for $500.00 * and gifted $1,500.00 to Jason for Paul Stratton chiropractic treatments

And that's how I enjoyed the $5,000.00 I just paid myself!

Go ahead and try it for the next 365 days and notice what shows up in your life. If it's more easy to deal with larger sums of money and asking for what you specifically want than so be it!

The first time I had this much fun focusing on what I wanted in my finances I was reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I followed one of his exercises as I wrote "I intend to get $20,000 for my writing by March 24, 1997. As it turned out I did receive an unexpected check shortly after my 22 birthday for that exact amount in early April of that year. My life was never the same after that. Experiences like that lead me to realize the power of my emotionally focused writing and communication which became the focus and foundation of Scripting for Success TM.

Blessings,

Ruth

Ruth Anne Wood
"Get Your Dream out of the Drawer" Coach

Helping retired Baby Boomers transition into a life they love.
Doylestown, PA 18901
215-872-5035

Please Add to the "WALL OF DREAMS"

Peace * Health * Prosperity * Friendship * To travel to Wales, Ireland and England by my husband's 30th birthday * To finish "Five Rites" screen play * To be interviewed by Terri Gross on "Fresh Air" * To have a thriving coaching business online and via tele-class * To be recognized as an expert at helping passionate, positive people "Get your dreams out of the drawer" * To become a proficient hang glider * To travel the world couch surfing * To inspire groups around the country to "Get your dreams out of the drawer" * To speak to the same audiences as Marianne Williamson, Mark Victor Hansen, Deepack Chopras and receive top billing * To Have Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington star in "The Five Rites" * To create the largest online monument to our dreams for the world to share * To help Twilight Wish Foundation Write, Publish and Sell books by seniors * To co-create a mega successful Abundant Magical Lives book series * Partner with movers and shakers to make a difference on the planet * To help create a museum from the centrifuge at the AMAL in Johnsville PA * To be an Oprah Coach * To speak at Clinton Global Initiative * To have my brother write the score to "The Five Rites" screen play * To live a million more wishes and dreams that are for my highest good -Ruth Anne Wood * To help people notice their blind spot * To get a braille display by my birthday * To be the oldest ice skater to land the quad -Stash Serafin