Not getting the clients you want?

Here are three reasons why you may not be getting enough clients or you may not be getting the type of clients you want for your business…

1. You can’t decide where to begin.

Marketing can seem overwhelming. There are so many options to consider: online, offline, networking, blogging, email campaigns, web events, flyers, branding, web site… For most SME’s who don’t have a dedicated marketing function, time and money are scarce resources. The pressure to get it right and concern about how best to spend your time and money can lead to analysis paralysis, procrastination or just doing nothing.

2. You aren’t sure how to put the pieces together.

You know you need to make calls but do you finish your web site first? You know you need to raise awareness and attract new potential clients but would your time be better spent following up the people you met at the recent networking event? Just keeping track of it all can strain your brain, let alone remembering to write a blog or re-tweet the article you read last night.

3. You can’t stay motivated.

Even when you do know what to do, it’s all too easy to avoid sales and marketing. Most people run their own business because they are good at and enjoy what they do – but they may not be marketing experts. With the number books and courses available and the number of consultants and coaches who offer marketing solutions (yes I know I am in part describing myself!) you can be forgiven for thinking marketing must be complex, difficult, time-consuming or even some dark art. When you don’t see immediate results it’s easy to become disheartened and go back to waiting for the phone to ring and blame the economy or time of year etc. for not getting the business you need.

How to get more clients

The key to successful marketing is consistency. At its very simplest promoting your business is about telling people what you do – over and over again. Think about marketing as a process not an event, and build a plan that breaks this process down into a number of simple steps. Then of course you still have to put this plan into action, which means overcoming your limiting beliefs about marketing that create the fear and procrastination.

The GET CLIENTS NOW! programme is based on two main principles that help you overcome these issues. Firstly, it is based on a simple yet proven system and secondly it provides the support you need to help you put your plan into action.

GET CLIENTS NOW! programme components

As you work through the GET CLIENTS NOW! programme you will build a customised, 28-day plan specifically designed to market and promote your service-based business. It is based on the following six components:

Programme goals – set clear goals for what you want to achieve in the next 28 days, to direct your efforts and keep you on track.
Marketing cycle stage – focus on where in the marketing cycle you need to focus. Do you need more leads, or do you have enough leads but need to focus on following the up more effectively …
Marketing strategies – focus on two to four strategies that are proven to be the most effective in marketing for service-based businesses, e.g. direct contact and follow up or networking and referral building…
Success ingredients – work on the missing ingredients that you need to be successful in your marketing, e.g. web site, clear value proposition …
Daily actions – choose 10 actions that you will do daily or weekly over the next 28 days, e.g. send a tweet every day or call 3 new prospects every day….
Track progress & results – keeping track of how many of your daily actions you have completed can help build new habits for consistent marketing. Also it’s useful to check in with yourself and do a daily audit of your mindset and energy levels and how that may be affecting your marketing. Tracking progress at this level helps you see what activities are generating results and what are not so you can fine tune your future marketing activity.

Support to put your plan into action

It doesn’t matter how good your plan is if you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck or are procrastinating about putting it into action. We all need help, support and encouragement at these times and with GET CLIENTS NOW! you will work with an experienced business coach and mentor. You can do this one-to-one or as part of a like-minded group of small business people. This regular coaching support provides:

Accountability – In your coach you have someone other than yourself to be accountable to. Someone who will regularly ask how you are doing against your commitments and what next. Sometimes we need to be challenged and stretch our comfort zone to achieve our goals.
Perspective – It is human nature to see the situation from our own point of view, even if this is not always the whole picture, or entirely “accurate”. Working with a coach helps you uncover what you may be missing, or explore other ways to solve a problem and remind you or the successes you can’t see.
Overcoming blocks – we all get stuck and fall back on familiar patterns at times. Mostly this comes from unhelpful thoughts and learned behaviours. What needs to change for your marketing to be a success might be you. Your coach can help you discover what is standing in your way and what permission you need to give yourself to be successful in areas where you may have failed with your marketing in the past, e.g. I deserve to be successful; I can do the things I fear…