Knowing how to attract new clients have always been a mind-boggling problem for businesses, especially those new and small ones.
How many times have you been to a networking event and you hear the same old answer when asked “what do you do?” – “Oh, I’m just an IT consultant,” or “I’m a personal trainer,” blah blah blah, BORING!
By answering in this generic manner, the people whom you’re talking to will tune out eventually, because you’ve just sold yourself as a commodity and they’ve heard it all before. You have also just wasted an opportunity!
Now I’m not saying that there is a secret buy in line, but if you can’t clearly articulate what it is you do, with gusto, and stand out in less than 30 seconds; then it’s likely that the person you’re talking to will not remember, get in touch with or buy from you – let alone even give you a referral.
In the 10+ years I’ve spent in Digital Marketing Sales, I could no longer count how many how I’ve been asked as to how to attract new clients. My answer? Knowing how to attract new clients is as simple as knowing how to make your special someone fall in love with you over and over again.
IMPRESS, and do it fast. I’ve refined my ‘what I do’ speech into a succinct 30 second message – short enough to not bore my prospect clients but long enough to make a good first impression. It should include who you are, what you do to help them achieve their goals, and how you have already helped many others.
Here are three tips to help you develop your 30-second message so that you can make a killer first impression:
1. Remind yourself that you are NOT a commodity.
If you present yourself as a “consultant” or “personal trainer”, you instantly become a commodity. In other words, you’re placing yourself in competition with thousands of other relentless consultants, personal trainers, real Estate Agents etc.
If you can differentiate yourself from the next guy you’re going to find a whole new world of clients open up – clients who aren’t shopping on price, but for quality, enthusiasm and most importantly, results!
2. Find a way to connect with your prospect clients.
People love hearing things relevant to them and having a few familiar stories relating to their own business or industry is always a great way to build rapport into any conversation.
Try using lines such as “I’ve actually worked with a client/company in a similar situation to yours” or “I’m currently working on a project similar to your problem” – this will immediately peak their interest in you, build credibility and give you an opportunity to showcase what you do.
3. Share your success stories!
Support your message with the hard facts – your results. People love to hear a success story, and even better when it’s backed by numbers. Don’t just tell them “my awesome method or program will solve your problem,” because most people are very skeptical; and in reality, they don’t really care how you do what you do. Instead, give them a glimpse of your expertise and make them want for more!
Let’s say you’re a carpenter, they won’t hire you because of the kind of nails you will use to build, instead, they will hire you if you can provide to them a picture of what their future home would look like in a definite period of time, just like what you did with your previous clients! They will hire you because of your results, your success stories!
Just master these three tips and I’m sure you there wouldn’t be another one of those “business is slow” days! Good luck!
Credits: SeanWens.Com (Image 1) | Jen Roffe (Image 2) | Youth Voices Adobe (Image 3). All rights to the images above belong to their respectful owners.