The Six-Step Process That Grows Your Business
1. Examine your clientele and define your ideal
client. Of all the customers you've served in the last
couple of years, who are the ones you most enjoyed
working with and found most profitable? Create a
profile of the client characteristics that, for you,
define heaven on earth. These characteristics might
include income, age, lifestyle, attitudes, motivation,
profession, geography, etc. Before going on to step 2,
make sure that you've crystallized a single type of
client. If you have more than one type, choose one to
start with and simply repeat this process later with
the other(s). 2. Research the demographics, interests and hangouts
of your ideal clients. Delve further into the lives,
minds and habits of your ideal clients by interviewing
those customers who best typify those you hope to
attract. Where do they go on vacation? What do they do
in their spare time? What do they read for work? How
involved are they with computers and the Internet?
What charities and causes do they support? How do they
decide who to do/not do business with? 3. Define and differentiate yourself in a way that
appeals to ideal clients. Use your research to create
an image and pitch for your business that ties into
the top concerns of the folks you want to attract.
Make certain that you have an answer for the question
"Why should I do business with you rather than your
competitors?" that will make that group nod
appreciatively and want to learn more. Incorporate
that image in your web site and all other marketing
materials. 4. Create a "bait piece" and offer it free where it's
likely to catch the attention of ideal clients. Write
an article, white paper, report, tip sheet or
practical tool that will be very tempting and
appealing to your ideal clients. (E.g., see how I
feature the report, "Charge More & Get It!" on this
site.) Then offer the bait piece through press
releases to the media, at your web site and through
lead-generating ads in publications read by your
target market. 5. Penetrate the organizations that your ideal clients
belong to. Whether that means business organizations,
charity groups, reading clubs or a fitness facility,
join those groups. Finagle a speaking engagement to
the group or volunteer for a committee post. Over
time, you become a trusted resource for influential
members of those groups if you are active, visible,
helpful and patient. Results from this step take time. 6. Publish articles that zero in on your ideal
clients' concerns. Identify common questions or
problems troubling your ideal clients and write
articles for publications reaching them. Do this at
least four or five times a year. Together with steps 4
and 5, this soon creates a modicum of fame for you in
the circles where you most want people to know you.
When new people you meet exclaim that they've heard so
much about you, the payoff you've been working toward
is gathering momentum and about to flood in. Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6
Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books. She runs
a private member site, MarketingforMore.com, which
supports business owners who are growing their
businesses. Learn how to avoid the most common pricing
mistakes in her free report, "Charge More & Get It,"
available from
http://www.marketingformore.com/survey.htm .
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