| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Five Mistakes Absolutely Guaranteed to Drive Away Your Best Clients
We all work hard to attract even one paying client. In fact, we work hard to attract serious inquiries. Yet amazingly, many business owners seem determined to drive away business! Every example cited here is based on true, thoroughly documented experiences, with both newbie business owners and five-star marquee players. 1. Defensive plays. Client tries to order a product, only to be thoroughly buffaloed by a confusing form. Client writes a complaint, expressing frustration. The business owner writes back, "I have written five best-selling books on customer service, so I know what's reasonable. Nobody else has complained. And we can't do anything anyway." A twenty-five dollar CD isn't a big deal, right? But you probably make these offers to entice big-ticket clients. And if they're testing the waters, they want to see how you operate. Better: Skip excuses and accept responsibility, even if your client seems to be a complete techno-idiot. He's paying, right? "I am so sorry you were inconvenienced when you attempted to order from us. Thank you for making us aware of this problem. We will discuss the situation with our web designers in our next meeting. Meanwhile, please download a complimentary Special Report on a related topic." 2. Stealing home with disguised sales pitches. Clients sign up for a teleclass hyped as "Secrets of helping you make thousands of dollars with low effort. A content-rich teleclass that will change your life." After dialing to the other end of the planet, and maybe paying a fee, they hear an hour-long sales pitch for a book, coaching program or four-figure seminar. Better: Nothing wrong with a brief sales pitch. But if you're adding value during the class, you may not need one! Prospective clients listen to the way you answer questions. They want to see if you're really delivering creative solutions or serving up recycled content that's about as tempting than soggy fries reheated in a microwave. 3. Throwing a curve ball. You're supposed to throw curves to your opponents - not your teammates. And your clients ultimately join your team. So why would you toss a teammate a curveball? Throwing a curve ball means offering the client a service he had no reason to expect - and probably never wanted. Client wants a marketing plan - so you ask about negative thoughts, fears and self-defeating beliefs. Client wants a sales strategy - so you ask a lot of "what do you think" questions and talk about accountability. Clarify outcomes and deliverables the client can expect to obtain. Be especially clear on the difference between consulting, coaching, mentoring and spiritual guidance. Expecting one and getting another can feel like a ball's landed right between your eyes. 4. Holding out your foot to trip the runner. Ouch! You'd never do this, I hope! "I sent Coach Elrod a draft of my website copy to see if I was on the right track. He told me he would charge my credit card an extra $35 for editing. When I said no, he shrugged and said he'd keep the editing to himself. I never asked for editing! I just wanted a quick overview - I was still drafting copy. " Better: This one's a no-brainer! Ask what the client wants. Warn about charges ahead of time. . And once he blundered ahead, refusing to show the client the edited work suggests that he and the client are opponents, not teammates. This is a true story. Up to then, Elrod's client thought Elrod walked on water. Never mind who generated the misunderstanding. That thirty-five dollars cost Elrod the client's goodwill, future coaching calls and countless referrals. And let's hope Elrod didn't go ahead and put the charge through. We don't want to go there. 5. Getting the players mixed up. When clients pay for one-on-one consultation, they expect you to remember their names, their positions and their quirks. "X kept talking about building my confidence. Confidence isn't my problem. If I were any more confident, I'd be more arrogant than Don Rickles." "Y suggested I complete an assignment before our next meeting. When we got together, she'd forgotten the whole thing." "Z kept referring to 'your experience in advertising.' I never worked in advertising! That must have been another client!" Better: When you can't keep your clients straight, you need fewer clients or a better filing system. And just because most of your clients have confidence problems, this one doesn't mean this client does! Bottom line: We could come up with dozens of examples of client-killing errors. The bad news is that mistakes are inevitable, simply by the nature of service delivery. The good news is that correcting a mistake can create a new bond with your client, firmer and longer-lasting than the original. Example: When you miss the mark on a call, you can say: "Thanks for sharing your feelngs so honestly. I want to give you real value. We can schedule a make-up to focus on whatever you need." The make-up might be only half an hour, rather than the original full hour. The client may even say, "Don't bother - I expect an occasional mismatch." But you'll earn enormous goodwill for making the effort. Focus on recovery and you'll win loyalty every time. This article is based on "Delight your clients and keep more of their money" http://www.cathygoodwin.com/custsvc.html ************************************************************
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., wrote Making the Big Move (New
Harbinger 1999). She works with professionals who are tossing and turning over a career decision and need a coach to help them brainstorm a solution.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Five Joint Venture Marketing Skills A Small Business Owner Must Have Joint venture marketing is a lucrative way of leveraging the assets of two or more businesses. It is the fastest way for businesses to achieve certain business goals and benefit their clients at the same time. Why Your Business Need a Website Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your competitors, especially when you want to expand your current customer base. For exmaple, if Jane wants to find a real estate agent but she does not know who is the best in her area. 10 Awesome Ways To Attract More Orders 1. Create a free ebook directory on a specific topic at your web site. Making Networking Work Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Strategic Marketing and Tactical Marketing Know The Differences And Profit Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth.They fail to realize that the "Strategic" side of the coin - what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to - is almost always MORE important than the marketing medium of WHERE you say it. Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you've got to know how to keep your business alive during rough economic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship. Who are Those People Youre Selling To? If you're in the IT business, that's an important question.Most marketers are keen to profile their prospects. Whats Your Selling Sentence? What's your Selling Sentence? If you have a business, you need a selling sentence.Sometimes called the Defining Sentence or the Secondary Statement, the Selling Sentence is the group of words that clarify and refine the the nature of your business when seen or heard with the name or logo of your business. Top Four Marketing Secrets of Building a Professional Practice Building a coaching or consulting practice can be rewarding and lucrative. Sadly, many who get started on this path simply can't make it. Private Practice Marketing: 3 More Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started 1) Create systemsCreate systems for everything you do, especially those things you do on a regular basis.My members and mentees ask me all the time how do I manage to get so much done. Time for Marketers to Clean Up Their Act! Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company launched a product called Maestro that bundles community-building features like chat rooms, file sharing and instant messaging into one application. The company envisaged smaller Internet service providers (ISP's) as their main target market for the software. Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why What is a Joint Venture? A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time. Usually with a specific project or goal in mind. Increase New Customer Traffic to Your Business One person tells another, who tells another, who tells another and so on. You get the idea. Getting Personal - Innovative Marketing for Small Business Owners The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss Everyone loves a story. Even if you don't particularly like reading them chances are you love watching them, either on TV or at the movies. The Marketing Plan and the Four P's The Marketing Plan section of the business plan demonstrates how a company will penetrate the market with its products and services. The Marketing Plan should include "the four P's" - Product, Promotions, Price, and Place. Getting New Clients - When Only a Few is More Than Enough Many of the business owners I speak with are looking for a relatively small number of new clients. It isn't that they're not ambitious, it's just the size of their businesses doesn't warrant a larger objective. Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided to do some research to find out more about the spider.I came across a website that decided to create a marketing message that focused on fear based selling and over the top lies. How to Use Business Cards to Network and Market Your Business You've had one thousand of the finest, most eye-catching business cards printed. Now, what do you do with them?Networking with business cards is one of the most cost effective means of marketing your business--and yourself. Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is affordable. How Important is Your Marketing? Bob called last week from Phoenix, Arizona with some stunning news about his web site. He first contacted me in the fall of 2003.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
