Steve Slaunwhite's Blog, page 6

Are you, ah, different?

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It was my wife’s birthday last week. A milestone. So I decided to order one of those wonderfully corny, slightly embarrassing lawn signs and have it secretly set up in the middle of the night.

But when I Googled “birthday lawn signs” for my area, I was stunned. There were dozens of companies that offered this service. (Clearly the lawn sign business is competitive!) But they all seemed alike.

All had pictures of lawn signs on their websites. All had midnight delivery service.

The “sameness” from one company to another made it difficult to choose. So I just randomly phoned a few and asked questions.

The guy at the second company I called said something that immediately sold me. He said, almost matter-of-factly, “We don’t just write your wife’s name on the sign with a marker, like most companies do. We use a professional calligrapher who hand paints it on artistically.”

Wow.

You can guess why that persuaded me! Which would I rather my wife see on the front lawn in the morning? Her name scribbled in magic marker? Or hand painted in professional calligraphy?

It was a no brainer.

But if I hadn’t called that company, I wouldn’t have known that. Because they did NOT have that information on their website!

Instead their website looked the same, and said basically the same things, as every other lawn sign company.

As a result, I suspect they are losing sales because it’s not blending in that gets you the business. It’s standing out.

And the best way to stand out is to take something that differentiates you – a feature, an advantage, even a quirky characteristic – and put it up front in your marketing. Make it jump off the screen or page.

Think about your own business for a moment.

Say you’re a copywriter and specialize in writing websites and newsletters for coaches. There are a lot of other copywriters who can say the same thing. What makes you so different?

It might be that you were once a professional coach yourself. Would your prospects see that as an advantage? Of course they would.

Say you’re a corporate trainer specializing in leadership. There are more leadership trainers around than there are coffee beans at Starbucks. How can you stand out? Well, perhaps you’re one of the few who specialize in working with executives who manage virtual teams spread out globally.

Say you’re a graphic designer. What could get you noticed in your local market? Perhaps you’re the designer who volunteers teaching and mentoring students throughout the town. Your website features pictures of you with students… whose parents may be local business owners.

Whatever it is that makes you different, emphasize it on your website and in your other marketing materials.

It doesn’t have to be a huge difference. Even a minor feature, characteristic or advantage you have that few of your competitors don’t have can be enough to make you stand out and get noticed.

And by the way, if you ever decide to put up a lawn sign for your wife’s birthday, make sure it doesn’t state her age for the whole neighborhood to see. Just some friendly advice!

Should you pigeonhole prospects?

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I got a lot of questions and comments regarding my Marketing Memo earlier this month – 3 Simple Ways to Stay In Touch.

People loved the ideas. But some of you asked whether or not you should stay in touch with EVERY prospect EXACTLY the same way. After all, aren’t some prospects more important than others and, therefore, worth some extra attention?

Absolutely.

In fact, it’s a good idea to categorize prospects based on:

a) How much real interest they’ve shown in your services, and

b) How much you would like to have them as a client.

And then plan, accordingly, how you’ll stay in touch with them.

My friend, Dave Paradi, shared how he does it in the comments section of my blog. In case you missed that, here – with some slight editing for length – is what he said:

I segment my prospects into three categories based how good a prospect they are and create regular follow-ups differently for each.

The largest group are those who subscribe to my e-newsletter, about 8,200. They just get my newsletter every two weeks. The newsletter is mostly valuable content with one or two ads for products or services. I hope that when they have a need for my services, they will think of me and make an inquiry.

The next group are all those who have expressed interest in keeping in touch or who have made an inquiry but are not really a hot prospect right now. There are about 600 people in this group between those I have in my CRM and my LinkedIn contacts. I send them a value packed e-mail every two to three months to update them on my latest ideas and upcoming opportunities to see me speak.

The smallest group are those who are past clients and active prospects, which is a subset of the previous group. Past clients can hire me again, and active prospects have a need and are looking at my services. These people get personal attention. I regularly call or e-mail them with a specific item of interest. They will also all be getting my new book in the mail to continue to spark interest in my services. There are less than 100 in this group.

By segmenting my prospects, I can focus my efforts on those who are most likely to result in business while still keeping the rest in the loop and reminded of the value I can provide.

His last sentence says it all. It’s about focusing your efforts on the best prospects, so they don’t slip through the cracks.

If you do that, you’ll make better use of your time and your stay in touch activities will get better results.

—-

I really appreciated Dave sharing his insights on my blog. So, even though he didn’t ask for it, let me give him a quick plug: Dave Paradi is one of the top trainers and authors on the topic of persuasive PowerPoint presentations. Check out his books and programs at: ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com. (Love that domain name!)

3 simple ways to stay in touch

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I thought about giving up a few times.

It was about seven years ago, and I had been following up with a particular prospect for more than a year. When we first chatted, he seemed to be interested in my services – yet, month after month, as I stayed in touch, I never got an opportunity to even quote on a project.

It was frustrating.

But I knew I was taking the right approach. I was building the relationship, and continually positioning myself with him as a skilled, knowledgeable, heck-of-a-nice-guy expert. I wasn’t getting any business from him… yet. But I was staying on his radar screen.

Well, you can guess what eventually happened. He did finally call me to discuss a project. And, today, he’s one of my best clients.

Sure glad I stayed in touch!

As you probably know, it makes a lot of sense to follow-up regularly with GOOD prospects. Even if they don’t have a need or desire to work with you today, they might some time in the future.

In fact, these types of prospects – the “Not today, maybe tomorrow” kind – are your best source of future business.

So how do you stay in touch? Here’s a three-part strategy that I’ve found can work very well.

1. Publish an e-newsletter.

There are more e-newsletters these days than snowflakes in Nunavut. Yet, this is still an excellent way to stay in touch with prospects. A regularly published e-zine keeps you in front of prospects and gives them a window into your expertise and personality.

John Jantsch is famous for saying that marketing is getting people to “know, like and trust you”. Few marketing tools do that better than an e-newsletter.

And you don’t need a humongous list of subscribers. One of my coaching clients has 76 people on her e-newsletter list – but the majority are solid prospects for her services.

2. Send occasional emails that focus on helping, not pitching.

Every once in a while send an email to your best prospects, sharing an article, idea, best practice or something else of value.

Here’s an example of an email that one of my clients, a executive career coach, uses:

Hi Jill,

Lately, a lot of my clients have been asking about how to improve their LinkedIn profile to generate more leads and opportunities.

One tip I share with them is to make sure the SKILLS area of the profile is filled out. Increasingly, executive recruiters are searching skills to find candidates.

By the way, if you have any questions about creating an effective LinkedIn profile, feel free to contact me anytime.

Dave.

Can you see how an occasional email like that would build your cachet with a prospect?

3. Watch out for relationship-building opportunities.

Did one of your prospects just get a promotion? Send her a congratulatory email or, better still, send her a card.

Did you just find out that one of your prospects will be attending an industry trade show? If you’re attending too, offer to buy her a coffee.

If you pay attention to what’s going on in your prospect’s world, you’ll find many opportunities to build the relationship.

So that’s a simple 3-part strategy for staying in touch with prospects. Publish an e-newsletter. Send occasional “helpful emails”. And watch for other relationship-building opportunities.

Try it. Let me know how it works for you!

Don’t let this happen. (You might lose the client.)

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I had a weird experience last week.

I needed a change of scenery, so I thought I’d grab a coffee and muffin at my local Starbucks and do some writing. As I placed my order, the guy behind the counter – as it turns out, the manager – noticed my computer bag.

“Going to do some work?” He asked inquisitively.

“Some,” I replied.

“You know, I should put some cubicles up for you guys and rent them out,” he said, laughing slightly.

There was something about the way he said “you guys” that struck me as a tad condescending. I wondered if he had an issue with people doing work at his cafe? Hmm.

Then, when he gave me my order, he grumbled, “Well, enjoy the free table and Wi-Fi.”

Whoa. I felt about as welcomed as a bedbug!

Now I can understand how he might have felt. He’s probably frustrated by people who buy a coffee and then sit around for hours tapping on their laptops. So he let that frustration show to the next laptop-toting customer who walked in.

Me.

Unfortunately, by doing that, he risked losing my business. It’s unlikely I’ll be visiting that particular Starbucks anytime soon. (Well, I might drop by when the Christmas Frappuccino’s come out.)

Now, before you judge that manager too harshly, think about your own dealings with prospects and clients.

If you’re a copywriter , have you ever been perturbed when a client asks for endless revisions and other changes?

If you’re a graphic designer , do you get irritated when a client requests numerous face-to-face meetings even for the simplest of projects?

If you’re a consultant , do you get your back up when prospects ask you for free advice – advice you’d normally charge for?

In those situations, it’s all too easy to let your annoyance slip into a phone conversation, email, or other interaction with a prospect or client.

And that can leave a really bad impression. You might even lose that prospect or client!

So how do you make sure that doesn’t happen? It’s very simple.

Have a clear policy.
Communicate it in a way that sounds fair and reasonable.

A few years ago I had a client who called me to his office for a meeting about a project we were working on. It was a one-hour drive. When I got there, all he wanted to discuss was a revision to a single paragraph of a brochure I wrote. One paragraph! Couldn’t we have discussed that over the phone?

I must have looked annoyed because he actually said, “Steve, you look annoyed.”

But it wasn’t his fault. I didn’t have a clear policy regarding client meetings during project work. And because I didn’t, an uncomfortable situation arose between myself and my client, just as it did between that Starbucks manager and me.

Now I do have a clear policy.

But even that is not enough. You have to be able to communicate that policy in the right way.

So when a client says, “Steve, can you drive to my office for a meeting?” I now respond with something like this: “You may have noticed in my quotation that I charge an extra fee to travel to meetings. However, I’m very good at meeting by phone, teleconference and web meeting. In fact, I subscribe to a great web meeting service we could use. Would that work for you?”

In your own business, take a look at client requests and other issues that continually irk you. Don’t risk that annoyance harming the client relationship. Instead, create a clear policy and communicate it well.

That Starbucks manager didn’t do that. And now I’m buying my lattes at Second Cup.

A new prospecting approach. (That works better.)

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When I started my business in the mid-1990s, I had no contacts. So, in an effort to promote my services to prospective clients, I made cold calls. Dozens of them. Probably hundreds of them!

It was a miserable, soul-sucking experience. But I did manage to make a few promising contacts and, a few weeks later, even land a new client.

What I didn’t realize back then, however, was that I was taking a completely wrong approach to prospecting. I was trying to “sell” myself and my services to prospects I would phone or meet at networking events – prospects who were, in most cases, complete strangers.

It was a sure-fire recipe for rejection and embarrassment. The fact that it worked every once in a while didn’t make me feel any better. I could have stood on a street corner with a “Copywriter for Hire” sign and got similar results! (I know. I tried it once!)

So if selling yourself is the wrong approach, what is the right approach?

The right approach is what I call the relationship-building approach.

If you simply drop the idea that you need to sell yourself, and instead focus on building relationships with prospects, three things will happen:

Prospecting will be much easier for you to do.
You’ll get much better results.
You’ll feel better doing it. (So you’ll probably do more of it.)

So I recommend that you adopt a brand new definition of prospecting. Here it is:

Prospecting is introducing yourself to people who are likely to be interested in your services. And then building those relationships, so when a prospect has a need, they’ll contact you.

Think about that definition for a moment.

No matter how you’re prospecting – making calls, sending emails, using LinkedIn, networking at events – if your focus is on making an introduction (not a sale), how much easier would you expect prospecting to be for you?

Probably a lot easier.

And if you’re focusing only on prospects who are likely to be interested in your services, what sort of response would you expect to get?

Probably a fairly positive response.

And if you do your best to build relationships with those prospects, so they come to know, like and trust you, how many more opportunities – in the form of leads, requests for quotes, and referrals – would you expect to get?

Probably a lot more!

So when prospecting, avoid putting yourself in the uncomfortable and undignified position of trying to sell yourself to a stranger. That just doesn’t work anymore.

Instead, focus on introducing yourself and building those relationships. What you want is a growing base of prospects who are getting to know, like, and trust you.

And the more of those you have, the more clients you’ll attract.

Don’t forget to ask, “What’s next?”

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See if this scenario sounds familiar to you…

You’ve completed an important project with a new client. He’s clearly happy with your work. You’re pretty sure he’s going to use your services again. In fact, you’re confident this happy camper is going to give you lots of repeat business for years to come.

Life is good!

Then a few months goes by. You don’t hear from him. You finally send an email to “check in” but don’t get a reply. Now you’re worried.

What the heck happened?

Well, there is a slight chance the client wasn’t as satisfied with your services as you thought he was. But, more likely, the reason the client didn’t call you again is because you gave him the silent treatment.

You finished the project. Then neglected to stay in touch.

Not a good thing.

A few years ago, for example, I hired a virtual assistant to edit an audio program I created. He did a great job. But once he sent me his invoice, I never heard from him again.

It’s not that I didn’t feel appreciated. But because he didn’t stay in touch, he eventually slipped off my radar screen. When I needed some more audio work done a few months later, his name just didn’t come to mind. I went with someone else.

So how do you prevent this scenario from happening to you?

It’s fairly easy. When you’re finished a project or program with a new client, simply ask, “What’s next?”, or some variation of that question.

Say, for example, you’re a copywriter and just finished writing some web copy for a new client. She’s delighted with the work. That’s the ideal moment to say something like, “What else do you have coming up over the next few months that I may be able to help you with?”

When you ask that, the client is likely to start thinking about other ways to use your services and expertise. Why wouldn’t they? They like your work.

During periods between projects, you can also:

Check in regularly with clients to ask “How’s business?”
Alert clients to any new services you offer.
Invite clients to sign up to your e-newsletter or blog alerts.
Share helpful articles related to your client’s business or career.
Do something special for clients once in a while. (I often send clients a Starbucks gift card with a note that reads, “Thanks for your business. Today’s coffee break is on me.”)

Staying in touch with clients not only keeps you on their radar screens, it also demonstrates that you’re interested in them and their businesses.

So the next time you finish a project or program with a client, don’t let yourself slip into the complacency of waiting for them to call you. Keep building that relationship. Stay in touch. Ask “What’s next?”

Satisfying clients will certainly get you more repeat business. But satisfying clients, and staying in touch with them, will get you a lot more.

How to write a better headline

As you’re probably aware, headlines are really, really important.

Using good headlines in your emails, web pages and other marketing materials can help boost your marketing results – while using poor headlines can have the opposite effect.

So how do you write a good headline? Well, there are lots of techniques. But the best technique also happens to be the simplest – and in this three-minute video, I’ll show you exactly how to do it.

How to raise your price (without losing clients)

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A coaching client recently asked me to help him increase his prices – ideally, without losing any of his current clients. During the past couple of weeks, I received about half a dozen requests from readers seeking similar advice. Obviously, this is a high-interest topic. Must be that time of year!

Raising your prices with prospective new clients is fairly easy. You just do it. In most cases, they won’t be aware that you used to charge less.

But increasing your prices with a current client is a bit more tricky. You want – and probably deserve – to earn more for your services. Yet, you don’t want the client to balk and start looking somewhere else.

So what’s the best way to go about it? Here are some ideas.

1. Don’t make a big deal out of it.

You don’t have to write a long email to clients explaining that you haven’t had a price increase in five years. (Poor you). You don’t have to justify it, apologize for it, or ask permission to do it.

Just let your clients know that your price will go up by x amount on such and such a date.

That’s it.

Your clients are used to occasional price increases by their suppliers and vendors. Chances are, they’re not going to be that surprised or perturbed by a reasonable bump in your rates – especially if you give them a few months notice.

And speaking of notice…

2. Give your clients lots of notice.

A price increase is easier to swallow if it’s a few months away. Besides, your clients may have integrated your fee into budgets that have already been approved. If you hit them with an increase tomorrow, that may cause problems for them.

So plan ahead.

I suggest you give clients at least three months notice.

In addition, consider giving some an extension. If you plan to raise your fee from $1,000 to $1,200 on September 1st, for example, tell your best clients that you’ll keep their rates as is until January 1st – just because they’re such a valued client.

You should treat your best clients like gold anyway. This is just another way to do that.

3. Add more value.

Take a close look at the service you provide. Are there some simple ways you can improve it, so that you’re delivering more value to clients? If so, then you’ll have few, if any, problems charging more.

Say, for example, you offer a case study development service. Case studies are typically formatted as a 700-1000 word feature article. But that’s not the only way companies use case studies. What if you also included with your “case study package” a one page summary for salespeople to use? Plus a press release version? Plus a transcript of the customer interview, with good testimonial material highlighted?

That would add up to a lot of extra value for the client. Yet, only a bit more work for you.

So those are just some ways to raise your price without losing clients. Let me know if they help.

Keep in mind, however, that whenever you raise your rates, there’s always a risk that some clients may no longer be able to afford you. But is that such a bad thing? Losing a client – even a low-paying one – may hurt in the short term. But it does leave room for you to find a better, higher-paying client to fill that space.

Writing an appointment-getting letter

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Chasing prospects – via cold calling, for example – is about as fun as scrubbing down a backyard deck with a toothbrush. That’s why I’m a big advocate of marketing that progressively builds relationships with prospects so they call you when they have a need.

But there are circumstances when you have no choice. You have to do some “chasing”.

If you’re a graphic designer just starting a new business, for example, you can’t wait for relationships to gradually build until you’re finally getting some calls. That could take months. You need to set up meetings with new potential clients – right now!

How do you do that?

There are many ways. (None of which, thank goodness, involve cold calling.) But the one way that many business owners don’t consider is the old-fashioned appointment-getting letter.

Here’s how it works:

You mail a one-page letter, printed on your own letterhead, to a highly-targeted list of prospects. Then, four or five business days later, you make a follow-up phone call. (Or have someone do that for you.)

The tricky part is crafting the letter. It needs to persuade the prospect that you’re someone they should meet, or at least get to know better.

I did a video a few weeks back on a simple, step-by-step copywriting formula that will help. You can view it here.

In addition to that formula, here are some other tips for writing that letter:

Start by highlighting the prospect’s problem. If you’re a graphic designer, for example, you might begin with how difficult it is to find someone who understands industrial POP packaging design.
Position the meeting as an introduction, not a sales call. After all, that’s what it is.
Sell the benefits of the meeting. Answer the prospect’s question: “What’s in it for me if I meet with you?”
Consider asking for a phone meeting. You stand a much better chance of getting the prospect to agree to meet with you by phone than in person.
Include a client testimonial. I’ve found that adding a testimonial somewhere in the letter significantly increases response.
Make your letter “lumpy”. Put something interesting in the envelope that indicates there is, well, something interesting inside! This will get your letter opened. Yes, it’s a gimmick, but it works.

A few years ago, I interviewed a freelance copywriter who used letters to build her business. She targets the natural health industry. To make her letters “lumpy”, she would include a bag of green tea – which fit perfectly with the theme of her letters and the sensibilities of her market.

Besides getting the letter opened, a “lumpy” letter gives you the perfect ice breaker when you make the follow-up call. You can say something like, “I’m the one who sent you the letter with the bag of delicious green tea inside.” That’s definitely a conversation starter!

Let’s face it. Getting meetings – even phone meetings – with new prospects who have never heard of you before is tough, tough, tough. But a well-written letter sent before you call or email can dramatically improve your chances of success.

What’s your “likeability factor”?

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After college, I couldn’t find a “real” job. So I got a position in sales for a large temporary help firm.

After a few weeks of pounding the pavement, it didn’t take me long to discover the importance of being likeable. In fact, if a prospect I was meeting said something like, “We deal with John Smith at XYZ Firm and we really like that guy,” I knew I was doomed.

There was no chance I would land that account anytime soon.

My competitor had a huge, almost unassailable, advantage over me. The client liked him. It didn’t matter how much better my services were. The client liked the guy.

Being likeable has a lot more to do with how clients choose and stay with certain consultants, copywriters, designers and other service providers than we marketing folk care to admit to.

Think about it. There are basically three reasons why – in most cases – a prospect will choose to try your services.

1. They see you as an expert at what you do.

2. You provide a service that meets their needs.

3. They like you.

As professional service providers, we often focus on the first two and hope for the best when it comes to number three.

But how often have you dealt with someone because you know and like them, even though there were other, more qualified, professionals available on the market?

Probably many times.

So you cannot underestimate the importance of being likeable. Or, to put it another way: the importance of effectively communicating the reasons why clients enjoy working with you.

How do you do that?

One of the simplest ways is to put yourself in the shoes of your prospects and clients and take an honest look at how they experience you and your services.

When they visit your website, for example, what impression are they likely to form? When they read your home page and other pages, will they see you as a friendly, approachable professional who is an expert at what you do?

Or will they get a different impression?

Also think about how you deal with clients and prospects on the phone and in person. Is there anything about what you say and how you say it that might stop people from thinking, “I’d like to work with this person”?

Even your voice mail message can leave an impression you don’t want. A friend recently commented that my message makes me sound like an unapproachable prima donna. When I listened to it, I agreed. So I changed it.

If you’re feeling brave, another strategy is to ask your clients what they like – and don’t like – about working with you. Ask them to be brutally honest. Some will. And those that do will be doing you a big favor.

I recently went through this exercise myself. I discovered, to my surprise, that people appreciate how practical my advice tends to be. In fact, “practical” is the word I heard most often. Yet, that word appears only a couple of times on my website. (I’m definitely going to change that!)

Go through that exercise yourself.

Or at least take some time this week to review your website and sales conversations and look for ways to boost your “likeability factor”. The more you do, the more clients you’ll attract. And keep.