As you consider which marketing strategies to pursue that fit your voice and your message, it’s important to remember that offline marketing is just as powerful as having a strong online presence.  In some cases it can even be more powerful.  One way to position yourself as the expert and attract your ideal clients is to host your own fr.ee event.  People are always looking for fr.ee resources, seminars and training opportunities.  Maybe they just want to learn a little more about a particular topic, or maybe it’s the way they entertain themselves.  Either way, fr.ee events can help fill your practice.

Think about fr.ee events kind of like your blog and ezine, you give out lots of fr.ee content to attract visitors and get them interested in your expertise. Then you give them an opportunity to learn more and get one-on-one support from you by means of your programs and services.   Fr.ee events are the same thing, but they just take a little more planning to be effective.

To create your own lead-generating event, follow these simple steps:

1. Find a location: Check with your local chamber of commerce, the library, your local SBDC office and other shared office or meeting spaces regarding availability and pricing.  Here in the Bay Area we have a company called Sandbox Suites that rents meeting space inexpensively.  You may also try Regus who has meeting space available worldwide.  Of course, the size of the space you reserve will dictate how many attendees you can host.
2. Set a date and start marketing:  You’ll want to give yourself at least six weeks to setup and market the event.  Distribute press releases to local media, secure radio interviews and maybe even do small direct mail campaign (Modern Postcard can help you with this).  This is in addition to your online marketing strategies.  I also suggest collecting a registration fee (you can refund the monies at the event) so that you have an accurate headcount and eliminate "tire kickers".  To do this, you can setup a simple online registration form at EventBrite. (You can certainly charge an inexpensive fee for your workshop too, perhaps $49 or $99, but for the purposes of our example we’ll focus on hosting a fr.ee event).
3. Plan your presentation:  Start off small, maybe a 90 minute talk with 30 minutes for questions.   Be sure to include exercises and some type of handout to encourage participation.  It’s best to teach in a step-by-step format that is easy to follow.  You want your audience to walk away with information they can implement that will make a difference in their life and their business. You can have documents printed at Mimeo or FedEx. Practice your presentation and be well prepared so that you create a positive learning experience for your audience!
4. Prepare a comfortable workspace:  Make sure you have everything you need so your audience can get the full benefit of your presentation including a microphone, projector if you’re doing a presentation, good air conditioning in the summer, or a good heater in the winter, etc. You’ll want to check all logistics and materials about 48 hours before the event.
5. Get some help:  You’ll want a door greeter to welcome guests and guide them to the registration table.  The registration table should be simple:  a form to fill out with their name, phone number, physical address and email address is fine.  You might want to also include a "how did you hear about this event?" question so you can track your marketing efforts.  You’ll also want to have name tags available to make networking a little easier. You should not be doing these tasks yourself – you should be fr.ee to roam the room and meet your guests.
6. Craft your offer: Your attendees will probably want to learn more from you than you’ll have time to present during your event. So make it easy for them to get access to your expertise! Create a special offer for your products and services that is only available on-site that day.  Ideally the offer should be a continuation of the topic you presented so that it’s an easy next step.  Be sure to offer a payment plan to make the offer affordable.  This is how your "FR*EE" event can become highly profitable for you!
7. Follow-up: You can call your attendees, send them an email or a personal card.  Regardless of how you decide to contact them, make sure it’s within 24-48 hours of your fr.ee seminar so they don’t have a chance to forget about you.  Then, put all attendees on a monthly follow up list so you can keep in touch.  That way when they need your services or know of someone who needs your services, you will be on top of their mind.

Hosting your own live workshop gives you a chance to connect with your prospects live and in person. It could take months of online marketing to develop a deep connection with them, but the same results could be had in one afternoon at a live event.  Thus, you create a win-win for you AND your audience.  They get access to your expert advice and solve pressing problems they face.  You create a new revenue stream and attract new clients and raving fans.  What could be better! 

Let me know how you plan to apply this smart, simple strategy to your own business by commenting here on the my blog!

Keeping in contact with your target audience is an essential piece of creating your marketing plan.  By knowing exactly what’s going on with your ideal clients and knowing what their challenges are, you can provide the solutions exactly when the need it.

Sometimes the solutions you provide are free – either in the form of answering a question in a social network or in a blog post or an article.  Not everything you do to serve your target audience should be a “paid” service.  Remember, your target audience needs to get to know you and sample your work.  They are more likely to move to a paid service or product when they’ve had a chance to build trust in you and to “try before they buy.”

One key to positioning yourself as the expert in your field, is making sure you absolutely know what problems your target audience are facing and what solutions they’re looking for.  The ONLY way you can know that is to do your market research – consistently.

You’re not going to know everything you need to know by doing a yearly or bi-annual survey.  Really you should be researching what’s going on with your target market weekly, even daily, at the very least monthly.  Doing so will allow you to stay abreast of current trends, what’s new with key industry players and allow you to tailor your offerings just so to address current challenges and problems.

Now, in saying that, I know how challenging it can be to manage a market research campaign.  It could seem overwhelming  even just getting started.  But, the good news is, researching your market is much easier than you think.  And it can be actually (gasp!) FUN!

The key to doing your market research consistently is to follow a system.

Following a system allows you to methodically and easily implement a market research campaign, review the results and follow up with some kind of action such as blog posts, new programs, teleseminars, etc.   A lot of folks get “stuck” when it comes to creating that system though.  It’s almost like you need a system to create a system.

If you’ve ever felt like that, I’d love to help you get “un-stuck” in this area.

My colleague, Joshua Zerkel and I want to help you master the skill of creating systems.  Over the last few months, we’ve created systems in our businesses that have allowed us to improve our marketing activities tremendously, with LESS effort.  Learning how to create systems is a LIFELONG SKILL that you can apply to ANY part of your business.

So, join us on Wednesday, September 8th at 5 PM (PDT) for a FREE teleseminar to learn how to create simple systems for marketing your business.  You’ll walk away from that call knowing exactly what to do to create a system to implement your marketing research campaign – and all the other parts of your marketing plan, consistently.  Thus you’ll be well-equipped to attract more clients and create more revenue, because you’ll  know exactly what solutions to create that your ideal clients are looking for.

Don’t worry if you can’t join us live, we’ll be recording the call so you can review it when you have a chance.  But, you have to register for the call to receive the recording.

Register now!  http://smartsimplemarketing.com/market-your-business/

Oh, and by the way, this week we’ll be putting the finishing touches on our outline for the call.  If you have any specific questions about how to conduct your market research or creating systems in your business, please post your questions below.  We’ll try to answer as many questions as we can during the call and look forward to having you there!

Did you know there are pockets of money “hidden” in your business that you don’t even see? It’s true! For EVERY single client that I work with, the first thing I do is assess the opportunities in front of them (that they are too close to their business to see) and then create a “Money Map” to help them dig out the additional profits they’re looking for. You can do the same for your business…starting NOW! Listen to today’s episode as I share details on the importance of creating your own marketing plan, what benefits you can expect to enjoy in doing so and how to get started.

 

 SSMS Episode #9 – How to Find The Hidden Profits in Your Business [8:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (80)

Upselling is not a new concept.  It’s actually deeply rooted in "regular" sales techniques.  Think about how many upsell opportunities you encounter when purchasing virtually anything. 

For example:

• "What size fries would you like with your burger?"
• "How many ink cartridges would you like for your new printer?"
• "What type of car wash would you like with your oil change?"
• "What kind of dessert would you like from our wonderful dessert menu?"
• "You can get a discount if you get your auto and home policy with us; let’s run the numbers real quick."

You can see from this short set of examples how often the upsell strategy is used.  In these examples, I purposefully used an "assumptive close", which is an open ended question that can’t be answered with a yes or no.  While this is somewhat of an "advanced" selling technique, you can apply the same general lesson in your own business.

Once you have established a relationship with a new client, you know exactly what their challenges are and the solutions they need.  A great way to create more revenue is to upsell them to an offering that further supports them in solving their problem.  This can be in the form of one of your own products like an eBook or additional services, or, it can actually be an affiliate product that closely aligns with your business strategy.

Affiliate marketing is a common practice in the Internet Marketing world.  It’s simply a way for you to earn money (commission) from promoting another person’s product to your clients.  As long as the product fits your clients’ needs, then it can be a win-win-win situation.  Your client gets the additional help they need, you and your partner get more revenue. 

Another great benefit to affiliate or partner marketing is that you show your client that you are truly interested in helping them solve their problems.  While you may not be able to help them with everything they need, you are going out of your way to provide them with other solutions.  This saves them time from having to research other options and creates more trust in you as a problem solver.  You also automatically position yourself as an expert because you intuitively know what they need. 

An example of this type of marketing upsell is an interior designer who offers her clients an eBook from a professional organizer on how to make a home office more efficient.  Or the designer could offer her client an introductory session with the organizer at a discounted rate.  (She would likely receive a commission on the sale and the organizer is introduced to a new client he/she might not have connected with).  While the interior designer has designed and decorated a beautiful office, the professional organizer can share tips and techniques on how to make that office function more efficiently.  With the knowledge from the eBook or the introductory session, the client can then use that information to transform their home office into a primo working environment.  While the interior designer may not be an "organization" expert, she can provide the resources for the client to do it themselves. 

The most important aspect of upsell marketing is that it is done with the utmost professionalism and respect.  If you choose to partner with an affiliate, make sure you take the time to get to know the provider and ensure they meet your professional standards.  Don’t endanger your relationship with your client by providing shoddy "referrals" to make a quick buck.  This will reflect poorly on you and ultimately impact your relationship with your client.  Which in the end means less revenue for you.

There are many different upsell strategies to use in your business.  Do you use any in your business right now?   Which is your favorite one?  If you don’t use an upsell strategy in your business now, what could you do?  Let me know how you can apply this smart, simple strategy to your own business today!

Have you set a goal for yourself and your business and find yourself struggling to make it happen? Are you wondering why having the business you desire seems just out of reach? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of solo service professionals feel this way. The good news is the answer is very simple. And it has nothing to do with the economy, how long you’ve been in business or what type of business you have. Listen in as I share the secret and how to overcome this common challenge.

 

 SSMS Episode #8 – The #1 Thing Holding You Back from BIG Profits in Your Business [6:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (86)

It’s hard to believe that more than half the year is over.  It seems like time moves faster than you can keep up with when you are a solopreneur.  There is so much to do and yet so little time. 

If you have felt "stuck" with where you’re at in your business, especially as it relates to accomplishing the goals you’ve set for yourself,  I want to assure you that it is possible to get "un-stuck", breakthrough the challenges you’re facing and get back in gear.

How?

First, stop being so hard on yourself.  Many times when I start working with a new client, I find that they’ve been spinning their wheels trying to move forward and are feeling very frustrated that they aren’t making progress.  It’s all too easy to put undue pressure on yourself and to feel buried under feelings of guilt.  All this is doing is draining your energy and distracting you from moving forward.

So, if you’ve been feeling this way…let it GO!  Stop being so hard on yourself! Getting distracted can happen to the best of us and if this has happened to you, it doesn’t mean you’re a "failure".  You can’t change the past, but you can most certainly take control of your future, starting today.  Forgive yourself, make the commitment to change and open your eyes to see all of the possibilities in front of you.

Second, take stock of your assets.  You likely have a lot of good things going for you in your business.  (You may have been too busy focusing on the "negative" things to see this.) So make a list of all the things that are going RIGHT.  Also, make a list of all the opportunities you have at your disposable.  The prospective clients that have expressed an interest in working with you.  The referral partners who would like to partner with you or send client leads your way.  The request you had to speak at an industry event or conference.  Also, I want you to start capturing all of your great ideas in one place so you can refer to them again and again.  Once you’ve organized your thoughts and opportunities you can start to see clearly what your next steps should be to take advantage of them and grow your business.

Next, set some achievable goals for yourself for the next 90 days.  This isn’t the time to focus on your long-term goals.  While I wholeheartedly agree that you should have a BIG vision for what your business can become and steadily work towards that, what you need to get back in gear right now is a few "small" victories.  So make a list of 5-7 things you’d like to accomplish that seem manageable, achievable and inspiring to you.  Then break this list down into actionable tasks and schedule these on your calendar so that you have dedicated blocks of time for working on your business.

Finally, I want you to reach out for support.  Just because you are a solopreneur, doesn’t mean you have to be "in the trenches" alone.  No one who is successful in business has become so on their own.  We all need a helping hand.  If you feel overwhelmed by all that you have to get done in a day, partner with a Virtual Assistant to whom you can delegate.  Consider working with a coach to keep yourself accountable and on track with your tasks.  If you really want to leap ahead and overhaul your business within the next six months, contact me about my VIP Coaching Program and enjoy the support of working one-on-one with me AND a group of likeminded entrepreneurs.

At certain times in my business I have faced feelings of being "stuck" and have had to work my way through the challenges I was facing.  By implementing the steps I just shared with you, I was able to breakthrough my difficulties, get re-aligned with my goals and start making progress.  If I could do it, so can you! 

I’d love to hear about how you’ve conquered your own challenges and how you can implement today’s strategies in your business. Comment below and let me know your thoughts!

Getting anything “good” in the mail these days is a challenge.  Your mailbox is probably filled with bills, direct mail pieces (i.e. junk mail) and things you’d really rather not look at.  Think about the last time you actually received a greeting card or personal handwritten note in the mail.  When was that?  …Perhaps a long time ago.

The truth is, the times you receive a handwritten personalized note are likely few and far between.  That’s why when someone does receive one, it stands out.   This leaves a great impression on the receiver of that personalized note.

Sending a handwritten note to a potential client after a meeting is a great marketing strategy to implement.  One, you have the chance to quickly thank your potential client for the meeting.  Two, it keeps you on top of their mind as they are “thinking” about working with you.  Three, it makes you stand out from the crowd.  If they are “shopping” for service providers, they will be more likely to choose you for your great service, because they are impressed by your gracious follow-up.

But sending a handwritten note doesn’t stop with new potential clients.  This practice should be carried out throughout the life of your relationship with your client.  This means thank you notes when the project is completed, a card acknowledging the anniversary of their business, congratulating them on a BIG win, etc.  It doesn’t take as long as you think!  Taking 5 minutes to write a note will help you to maintain a great relationship with your client, will go a long way towards creating a satisfied customer and will generate referrals.

And, who doesn’t love referrals?

Happy clients will tell their friends, family and anyone who will listen about the great service you provide and the WAY you served them.  The next time your client hears about someone in need of the type of services you provide, guess who they will recommend?  YOU!  Why? Because they had a great experience in working with you and you are on the top of their minds because you stay in touch with them.

The type of card you send should be a mixture of personal style and polished professionalism.  First of all, send the nicest card you can afford.  If you are going to have monogrammed or personalized note cards designed with your business logo, take the time to hire a graphic designer to create a stylish piece.  Be sure they are printed on good quality card stock.  (You don’t want someone who is paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for your services to feel like they got a “cheap” card from a discount store.) Depending on your profession, you will probably want to avoid using the cartoon and caricature type of cards.  These may not support your brand or your business and could detract from your professionalism.

I’m excited to see how this strategy works for you and would love to hear the feedback you get from clients.  Please share your success stories with me by posting a comment on the blog!

There is one simple technique that can help you convert website visitors to potential clients.  Having a website is more than just a “necessary” marketing piece.  It’s a critical step in helping potential clients find you, and qualifying that candidate before they even contact you.

Part of your website’s “job” is to speak to your ideal client.  You’ve heard me say over and over again that identifying your ideal client is a critical piece to your success as a solo service professional.  By narrowing your target audience down to ONE person, you have a much greater chance of success because everything you do will focus on their needs, their challenges and ultimately the solutions they are looking for.

That is, the solutions they need and YOU provide.

The best way for them to realize that you provide the EXACT solutions they want is to speak directly to them through your website.  How do you do this?

Simple!  You ask them questions. MORE

As a service provider, have you considered offering packaged services to your clients? Regardless of what kind of service you provide, what you’re really offering is a specific solution to a specific problem. That’s what your clients are looking for.  They aren’t really interested in how much you charge by the hour or the session.  It doesn’t serve them and actually it doesn’t serve you.

Your clients want to know EXACTLY what they’re getting when they hire you.  So make it easy for them.  Instead of offering a certain number of sessions or quoting your services by the hour, give them options for packaged solutions.  Clients can’t visualize what they are getting when you only charge them by the hour. So, if you say your rate is $50 an hour, they immediately question what exactly you’re going to do for $50 an hour and they start to worry that you will drag out the time to make more money.  It’s difficult for them to budget this way since they have no idea how long it will take to create the desired result.  In addition, they are less accountable because they haven’t really made a commitment to take full advantage of what you’re offering.  Plus offering your services by the session or by the hour makes it EXTREMELY difficult for you to plan your cash flow and to keep your clients engaged long enough to make a real difference in their business or their life. MORE

Everyone has a special quality that makes them unique. What makes you…YOU?

Being able to identify your unique selling proposition is critical to creating more revenue in your business. The more you can distinguish yourself from your colleagues and leverage your unique skills, the more your ideal clients will want to work with you and the higher fees you can command.

You can think of your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) as part of your “expertise” and what sets you apart from other people in your profession. By focusing on your special skills and qualities and setting yourself apart from your competition, your ideal clients will view you as the expert that you are and be more inclined to engage your services. Keep in mind, anyone seeking the support of a service professional ALWAYS wants to work with the best of the best. MORE