| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
How Do You Know Your Clients Cant Pay More?
"My clients can't afford higher rates." When more than 330 business owners and self-employed professionals checked off reasons why their income was not going through the roof, this statement was chosen more often than any other. If you're tempted to agree that what clients can afford limits you, let me first ask: are you certain of that? You can't make a leap from what people say about this to whether or not they can find the money if sufficiently convinced that it's important. Years ago, someone starting up a new business called me for a consultation and told me he could pay no more than such and such. It turned out that the most convenient place for our meeting was his house, which I could not help noticing had the size and glitziness of a small mansion, with a market value of at least three-quarters of a million dollars. What he named as his paltry budget reflected what he felt advice on this matter was worth, not what he had to spend. By pointing out how much getting his business onto a sound footing was worth to him and how much in wasted expenditures I could save him, I'd have been able to reshape his thinking on what it was reasonable to spend. Another time a client launching a catchy new product wanted to know what kind of publicity services I could offer her for a couple of hundred dollars. I didn't hear from her again for quite a while, at which time she told me she'd hired a traditional PR firm, paying a retainer and fees of more than a thousand dollars a month. I'd gotten the impression that she didn't have that kind of money to invest, and I was very wrong. At the other end of the spectrum, more than once I've been startled to learn that a client who paid relatively high rates without complaint was having trouble scraping money together for rent. In truth, until you confidently raise your rates, it's impossible to know who will go along and who will not. This is particularly so when you do great work and educate clients on the value they receive. Remember too that when you raise your rates, you can lose some clients and still make higher profits overall from those you retain. In addition, you can earn more from each customer without raising your rates by selling them additional products and services. In this situation, they're paying you more but don't feel they are. Finally, if you're in one of those rare situations where clients truly don't have money, consider whether this is the audience you most enjoy serving or whether you think you're only worthy of working with them. In the former case, it's still often possible to find outside entities, such as corporate sponsors, to support your work. Sometimes what feels like an absolute limit to your earnings only means you have not yet enjoyed a freewheeling, creative brainstorming session! Marcia Yudkin is head mentor for MarketingforMore.com and the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books. As an author, marketing consultant and coach, she has spent 22 years successfully turning words into money. By going to http://www.marketingformore.com/survey.htm , you can read the full results of her survey and download a free report, "Charge More & Get It," that expands on four other common self-sabotaging beliefs about money.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy ? Cost effective personalised communication ? Ongoing 1 to 1 relationships ? Automated data capture and compliance ? Direct revenue and uplift opportunitiesBasic Rules for SMSIn addition to permission, there are five key elements that differentiate SMS marketing from traditional marketing. These are also the key success factors for its use. Developing A Focused Marketing Strategy You want all of your marketing messages to have a single focus, so they pull together instead of competing with each other. Great! So how do you come up with one?First, there are several things you need to know. Business Postcard Marketing: 35 Ways to Use It Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and marketing managers to attract new customers and increase sales from existing ones. Postcards are inexpensive to produce and mail. The Apprentice: 5 Lessons in Marketing Donald Trump's hit reality show, The Apprentice is a godsend for marketers around the world.Why?Because all of the tasks that the prospective apprentice's go through each week and each season involves some sort of marketing skills. Maslows Marketing Filter One of the basics of all marketing and advertising training is a teaching of "Maslow's needs pyramid". This pyramid shows the different motivators and needs in a person's life and how they are built one upon the other. Spike TV - Know Your Audience What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all have in common? They hold the fascination of every male on the planet - and they make frequent appearances on Spike TV. Spike TV, which totes itself as a network for men, is the perfect example of the power of knowing your audience and giving them what they want. The Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Ever Invented It was probably first discovered out there in the caves or wherever else the history of mankind begun. And yet this weapon has been used so sparingly over the centuries. Choosing Networking Functions Time is a concern for all of us. We only have so much of it to give to our work, and then some to our families, our churches and some to ourselves. Michael Jackson, Classic Marketing Blunders And Your Wallet! You couldn't help but be captivated by the unbelievably cute kid with the amazingly controlled falsetto voice and electric dance moves. He was only 10 years old, when he exploded onto the music scene, along with his brothers as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, but he had the stage presence of a twenty year veteran. The Truth About The Fallacy Of 7 Ted Nicholas is a marketer with a proven track record. He has started, operated and sold 21 profitable businesses, and is responsible for the direct or indirect publishing of hundreds of books and publications. How To Get Business With Your Business Card? So, you have a business card? And you have given it to a few of your friends as well? Great! But did you get those cards to give to your acquaintances or to get business? Are they getting business for you?? That is the key question.Most of us today have a business card, except those few who plans to survive the battle of brands without the most necessary armor. Tackle a Newsletter and Come Out On Top Unlike any other marketing vehicle, newsletters give you the opportunity to contact your audience and convey your expertise in a way that offers value and information. Newsletters provide a reason -- and a structure -- to maintain ongoing contact. CRM: Strategic Engine or Just Another Tool? CRM?strategic engine or just another technology tool? How would you answer this question about your company's CRM initiative? It depends on how honest you are in answering some other questions, including:Do your people have real decision-making power to provide great customer service?Do you have the right people with the right knowledge and skills?Are you including people across the board, not just in your customer service and call centers?The bottom line is that people skill sets need to be similar to the technology they are using -- information sharing needs to be fast, focused, integrated.Let's Start With the LeadersFor CRM to become the strategic engine, not just a tool that people opt to use when they choose, managers and leaders need to demonstrate the new vision through their day-to-day actions. The Real Marketing Genius I spend a lot of my time reading books and listening to tapes about business and marketing. I guess that's understandable. Mobile Marketing a New Age Strategy More and more companies seem to be looking for new and innovative ways to market their products. Overlooking most of the traditional marketing techniques, more companies are pioneering the relatively new mobile marketing campaign. SMS for the Estate Agent - Targeted Marketing Tool, or Legal Minefield? Imagine having at your disposal a means to immediately inform house buyers that you have just the property they are looking for. Potential buyers have given their details and their preferences - imagine that you can send them this information no matter where they are or what they are doing, they can read it at a time that's convenient and can act accordingly in their own time. Image is Key to Your Marketing Success In virtually any business first impressions are lasting impressions. Most people have heard this statement for years, and yet some people completely ignore the first impression they are conveying to potential customers or clients. Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts Are you struggling to find a new twist for old advertising or marketing campaigns? If you're a small business owner or a copywriter/coach/other creative professional, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Having to come up with new ideas for a long-term client (or even your own business) can be overwhelming. Wealth Knowledge & Power - Lost Secrets From Ancient Masters Behold! He with the light cometh!He shall light thy darkest night, illuminate thy muddled confusion, and he shall uncover all that hides from thou. He who holds the knowledge of the ancients comes quickly to you. Shopping Comes Back To The Community THE GREAT BRITISH TRADITION OF STREET MARKETS IS UPHELD AT STREETTRADERSUNITED.COMHammer Force Ltd, a Croydon-based online service provider offers people who enjoy an alternative to impersonal shopping malls a chance to access a site which lists more than 708 UK markets, arranged by region in an easy-to-use format.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |