Get Clients Fast

When coaching my clients to grow their businesses, I am listening for where they are struggling and/or doing something the hard way. Asking a few simple questions can result in profit acceleration and time savings almost instantly. Today's post is to get you thinking and evaluating what you're doing, not doing or not yet thinking of doing. Once you've got clarity, you can create your plan.

Question 1: What is not working?

Are your marketing methods working as well as they used to? What worked three years ago or last year, may not be the right answer for you today. Your business has probably changed, as has the marketplace.

• List 3 things that are not working.
• List 3 things that are working.

Question 2: Where have 80% of your new and favorite clients come from in the last six months?

These are the clients you love to work with, who pay on time, who are excited to work with your firm, and who are glad to refer you to others they think you can serve.

• What did you do to get those clients?
• Why do you like them so much?
• Was it by referral (my favorite), direct mail, publicity, a presentation?
• List 3 things that are working you know you need to be doing more.

Whatever has worked well, do more of it!

Maybe you are executing what you believe will work, and yet you are finding that this proven strategy is not currently working for you. If you are not getting your expected results, evaluate every step in the process. Maybe you are not qualifying your prospects; maybe you need to evaluate what you are saying on the phone, and see how you can improve it. Maybe you are not being as consistent as you think in your actions, and some deliberate tracking of exactly how many contacts you are indeed making is necessary.

• What should be working, but is not, that needs to be redesigned?
• Evaluate why your efforts are not working, i.e., are you truly doing them consistently or did you half-heartedly attempt execution, then they didn't work fast enough, and so your energy and enthusiasm has waned? Then it might be time to execute consistently for a period of time (90-100+ days) to see if they truly works for you.
• List 3-5 things you would like to revisit, redesign and begin to execute immediately.
• Then, determine your next most-important action steps.

You now have clarity and know what to do next ... a plan is only as good as the person who is actually working it. So get to workin' it!

Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here. You can read all about her here.

Sample Sunday: Play2Pay Chapter 1

The following is an excerpt from Play2Pay: How to Market Your College Bound Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money, by Beth Walker, Founder of College Funding Coaching, and Honoree Corder, Personal Transformation Expert.

This guide is designed for families who want to send their student’s to college without going broke and view partial athletic scholarship money as part of their overall funding strategy.

You can order through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Chapter 1: The Playing Field

College today is expensive, expected, and misunderstood.  Other than that it’s the single biggest source of stress between parents and teenagers in most U.S. households today. 

Let us explain…

In terms of cost, nothing we pay for in terms of products or services has risen as sharply as the cost of college.  College costs have risen 539% over the last 20 years as compared to the 251% increase in medical care over the same time frame (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, NCPPE, US Census Bureau, Wall Street Journal).

And the rate of inflation related to the cost of college isn’t the only financial burden faced by families today – most families have not saved or planned for the expenses related to college and find themselves amassing debt in their efforts to finance post secondary education…

·    61.6% of undergraduate students borrowed money for funding their education in the form of student loans and their average cumulative debt amounted to $17,878; 13.5% of parents borrowed to fund their children’s education, amassing an average PLUS loan debt of $23,298. (Note: These figures were calculated using the data analysis system for the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics at the US Department of Education.)

Despite the costs, most kids today will tell you they plan to go to college.  Press them as to why and they’ll tell you they know they need to go to get a good job and that’s what their parents expect.

Beyond that, most students can’t tell you what or where they want to study … which leads us to yet another incredible statistic regarding college today – most kids are taking 6 years to get a four year degree.  

In fact, according to the most recent Dept. of Education report, about half of students who started college in 2003 had managed to graduate within six years.  Another 15% were still attending college and more than a third had dropped out.

But don’t despair…

As the parent of a student-athlete, you can be much more optimistic about your student’s prospect for going to college at a reduced price, finishing in a timely manner, and graduating with less debt. Find more information here: http://www.finaid.org/educators/20110505athleticscholarships.pdf.

But, you also have to be realistic about the role an athletic scholarship will play in your overall college funding strategy.

While it’s true there is a lot of money in college athletic scholarships – over $1.1 billion dollars worth – the percentage of high school athletes that actually supports is relatively small – 1.4%. Source: http://www.finaid.org/educators/20110505athleticscholarships.pdf.   

In fact, the typical N.C.A.A. athletic scholarship awarded, excluding football and men’s basketball, is only $ 8,707 (Source: Expectations Lost to Reality of Sports Scholarships, NY Times, by Bill Pennington (3/10/2008).  With the average public university costing $19,640 per year and private colleges requiring $40,493 per year (Source: College Board), an athletic scholarship that must be renewed each year is not insignificant but will not solve the funding challenge in and of itself.

Most families wait too long to market their student-athletes, believing that getting in front of college coaches in the junior and senior year of high school will result in meaningful scholarship offers.  The fact is, 75% of college coaches are tracking athletes for recruiting purposes by their sophomore year. (Source: How To Market Your Student Athlete for Athletic Scholarships by Chuck Moore.)

To read the rest, order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Sample Sunday: Tall Order! Chapter 1

The following is an excerpt from Tall Order! Master Strategies to Organize Your Life and Double Your Success in half the time.

You can order it through CoachHonoree.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

MASTER STRATEGY #1: ENVISIONING YOUR VISION

At my daughter’s karate school, her instructor repeats over and over: “Focus on the target!” Whatever stage of business you find yourself in, if you haven’t defined a clear precise vision up to this point, now is the time to create one.

Vision is what you see in your mind’s eye, not something you see externally. Do you go on a trip without knowing your destination? Of course not. The first master strategy is creating your vision. Personally, this is my favorite strategy. You will find it to be a most exciting strategy and big fun to put together.

At first, the process and outcomes of visioning may seem vague and intangible. But the long-term benefits are beneficial, substantial, and the results can be simply amazing.

Visioning breaks you out of boundary thinking. As you open your mind and your mind’s eye to new possibilities, you will begin to shed previous limitations.

Visioning provides continuity and avoids the stutter effect of planning fits and starts. Having a defined, clear vision that is reviewed often – I recommend daily – will help you avoid “New Year’s Eve Syndrome” … where goals are set, then forgotten in about two weeks (until the next New Year)!

Your vision automatically identifies your future direction and purpose. It grabs hold of your interest, strengthens your commitment and promotes laser-like focus. When there is a clear picture in your mind of where you’re going, it is always there, accessible -- readily available to pull you in the right direction.

Visioning encourages openness to unique and creative solutions. As you hold your clearly defined vision, the ways to make that vision happen become clear. Your subconscious mind works on your behalf to spot potential opportunities, prospects, and possibilities you might otherwise have missed.

Visioning promotes and builds confidence. Have you ever noticed how a person who has a purpose and a vision carries themselves in a certain way? They are positive, upbeat, and yes, confident. Your confidence is magnetic, attracting to you your clearly defined vision.

So what. Now what?

There's always an opportunity to start over, begin again, make the change you want to make.

Sure, you may have procrastinated in the past, eaten too much and not exercised enough, failed to follow through, not finished that project ...

So what. Now what?

"Today is a new day and you get to decide what happens today and what happens next." ~Honoree Corder

You still have a mind, and the ability to choose your thoughts. You have the benefit of a truth that is: you are rewarded for hard, honest work. In just 21 days, you can have a new habit. You get to decide, so what are you ready to decide?

Maxwell Maltz, in Psychocybernetics, shared the philosophy of using your mind and habits to enable your automatic success mechanism. You can do that, starting today. The past is the past.

Begin again!

Now what?

Narrow the Gap Between Prospect and Paying Client

Having a ton of prospects is fantastic, but it doesn't pay the bills. Some relationships take years to mature, others just minutes. Wouldn't it be great to know how to move your prospects along the path to paying client faster? Well, here are some tips to get you started:

• Identify a list of prospects that you absolutely know you can help, and it would be a travesty if they didn't do business with you. You may have read about this here.
• Be committed to staying in the process until. Until one of four things happen: 1 ~ They hire you. 2 ~ They die. 3 ~ They go out of business. 4 ~ They send you a cease and desist letter.
• Develop a "touch funnel" to stay in touch with prospects. You'll need to decide: Who needs to hear from you, what they need to hear, and how often. Create a master list of contacts and for each contact, get intentional about your relationship. Decide if they need to hear from you monthly, quarterly or just once a year. Decide what you'll say, send or share ... an article, an invitation to an event or just a check-in/follow-up call. Touches build relationships. Too many touches can be overwhelming, but not enough touches can cause you to miss opportunity.

Take the above steps will ensure that you're at the right place, at the right time, in conversation with the right people. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, and by taking the right actions you'll definitely be increasing your chances of good luck happening.

Who is Your Ideal Prospect?

An ideal prospect for your products or services has multiple characteristics. Once you've identified a potential client that "checks all the boxes" you absolutely must get in relationship with them and stay committed to working with them until. (More on this in a future post.)

Here are the 8 boxes your ideal prospects must check:

1. You like them. If you don't like them, walk away. They won't help you do your best work. When you see them pop up on your caller ID, you won't be happy. It's not worth it, trust me on this.
2. They like you. If they don't like you, they will hammer you on your fees, not take your advice, and generally be more difficult to work with and there's no sense in that!
3. You absolutely know you can help them (get out of some pain they are in, or avoid future pain). You must be clear about what you offer and be clear that your sweet spot offerings are exactly what they need. 

Coach's Note: Make sure the first three are a go before you continue.

1. They need what you have to offer.
2. They want what you have to offer. Need and want are two different things. If they don't "want" it (even if they need it), it's a dead deal.
3. They have pain (to avoid or get out of) or pleasure you can help them obtain. If you're in conversation with a prospect about your services, chances are you can assist them. As a coach, if someone is perfect with their time management, they have an abundance of positive cash flow, a team of amazing employees, no challenges and they're sleeping like a baby, I can't really help them, now can I? But I can help them achieve goals they want to achieve, and become better!
4. They have the authority to hire you. It's good to be talking to the person who either signs the check or has major influence over the person who does. Talking to someone who is too junior to have influence isn't your best plan.
5. They have the money to pay you. A potential client can literally check all of the above boxes, but if the check won't clear, then you're a charity not a business. Be sure you pre-qualify their financial abilities before you proceed.

Obviously, that's a pretty long list. It's important that you are clear your prospects check all of these boxes before you commit money, time, energy, effort and thought on getting them to yes. If they don't meet all of the criteria, at some point during the process, they will stall, avoid or commit and recant.

You simply don't have your resources to waste, do you? Take the time to ensure that where you're directing your efforts can pay off. You may only have ten amazing prospects, but ten that are qualified are fantastic!

Play2Pay: How to Market Your Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money

New guide for Student Athletes to help them find the right school, pay the right price, and let the student play instead of pay the full retail price for a college education.

The power team of Beth Walker, Founder of College Funding Coaches, and Honoree Corder, Personal Transformation Expert, have created a guide designed for families who want to send their students to college without going broke, Play2Pay: How to Market Your Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money.

"Parents who view partial athletic scholarship money as part of their overall funding strategy for their student athlete's education don't always know how to make that happen," said Beth Walker, "The athletes who most likely aren't going to get a full ride still have a lot of opportunities, but they have to market themselves strategically in order to get those dollars."

Play2Pay is a how-to guide for college-bound athletes who desire an education that is partially paid for by participating in athletics and that is, in fact, their Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, Gold Medal, Wimbledon, or World Cup. The real pay off being a fabulous education at a fraction of the price, with the bonus by-product being they get to participate in a sport they love at the collegiate level.

"Your son or daughter can play instead of pay for their college education, but the odds are this is one piece of the funding puzzle, not the entire solution for the challenges you face in paying for today’s increasingly expensive college education," says Beth, "and, this is a marketing challenge above all else."

The statistics are grim: 61.6% of undergraduate students borrowed money for funding their education in the form of student loans and their average cumulative debt amounted to $17,878; 13.5% of parents borrowed to fund their children’s education, amassing an average PLUS loan debt of $23,298. With a plan to get money up front, student athletes and their parents can borrow less money and therefore not have that debt (and the interest that goes with it) after college.

"Parents and their student-athletes must think strategically and act intentionally with regard to their college education," Honoree Corder shares, "If they don't, the cost may be devastating. A solid marketing plan dramatically increases the student-athlete's chances of securing available monies, and also provides skills they will need later in life to market their professional skills."

Play2Pay is a step-by-step guide that includes templates for marketing to coaches, including sample cover letters, a resume, email campaign, talking points and much more! It's available in multi-digital format through Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94454, and on your Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Play2Pay-Market-Student-Athlete-Sc ....

Legacy

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent."

Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” ~Fortune

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” ~Inc. Magazine

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent.

"Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” ~Fortune

"Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” ~Fortune

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” ~Unknown

RIP, Steve Jobs. You've contributed to the world in amazing ways, and inspired all of us to do more of the same.

3 Best Ways to Get New Clients

You have quite a few options when it comes to generating new business: cold-calling, lots of "general networking," and advertising in publications, just to name three. However, you have a finite amount of time, and it's best to use your time intentionally in every area of your business, including business generation.

Here are 3 of the best:

1. By referral from a current or past client: Who better to speak for your work than someone who's paid (or is still paying) for it? Do you have a system for asking for referrals from your clients?
2. By referral from a strategic partner: A credible fellow professional, who has your target market but is not in competition with you can provide ideal client referrals on a consistent basis. Do you have intentional strategic partner relationships with complimentary service providers who are face-to-face with your ideal clients daily?
3. By putting yourself in the path of new business: Where do your potential ideal clients go? Do they attend association meetings, serve on Board of Directors of non-profits, have Rotary memberships? Go only to the places where you ideal clients go. It will save you time, energy and money.

I see professionals attending every networking event, going to every opening, celebration, coffee, launch, and luncheon, only to have nothing to show for it ... because their potential ideal clients aren't there, too. Be sure that there's a high ROI on your marketing and networking activities by doing the above three actions consistently. You'll be delighted with your results!

Honorée has dedicated her life to being a positive force for good. She writes personal and professional growth books for professionals, and The Successful Single Mom book series. As an executive coach and corporate trainer, she turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here, and visit her website here.