Marketing Made Easy For
Independent Service Professionals
Marketing can be easy.... and maybe even fun if you keep these things in mind.
If you ask most service professionals their most dreaded task, you'll probably hear marketing. Every consultant,
attorney, accountant or other service professional can attest that marketing ranks second only to public speaking as a dreaded activity.
First, let's engage in an attitude adjustment about marketing.
If you're like most, you began offering your services to others because you recognized a gift or talent that you possessed. If you have clients, then you have products or services that solve problems. Accountants and bookkeepers solve accounting problems while consultants and coaches solve a myriad of different problems. The key is, you're offering solutions to problems business people have. Ideally, these are problems that business people are willing to write checks in order to see resolution.
With this
perspective, you can see that marketing is merely
the act of getting the word out about the
solutions you offer. Suddenly, your direct mail
campaign will take on a different twist.
Instead of "selling" you're "solving".
Instead of pushing, you're offering solutions.
When you view your marketing as merely the act of getting the word out about the solutions you offer to everyday business problems, suddenly the world is your oyster. Those grains of sand irritating other business owners are you golden opportunity to shine. It's your opportunity to solve a problem, win a client and save the world all in a simple, elegant act of using your skills, talents and abilities.
Now, with your new rose colored marketing glasses, you can see the different avenues available to you to "get the word out". For some independent service professionals, just removing the stigma of "selling" from the equation is enough. For others, recognizing that what they're really doing is spreading the word about the solutions they offer is all it takes to open the floodgate of ideas.
One client is working on developing a television show for a local cable network with another service professional. When these two professionals realized how well their services "dovetailed", they approached a local television studio with an idea for a show. Because of their unique "offering solutions" mind set, the station jumped on the idea and their show is now ready to begin production.
Another client began offering teleseminars addressing the core problems being faced by clients on a daily basis. By offering these free teleseminars, she offers practical solutions callers can take and implement immediately. Instead of using these teleseminars
as "selling" vehicles, she uses them as "problem
solving" vehicles. It's worked like a charm.
Participants love her low key approach and her
client load is now so heavy, she's had to hire an
assistant 4 days a week just to handle the
workload.
Remember, marketing
is merely the act of spreading the word about the
solutions you offer to potential client problems.
Is your marketing (or lack thereof) hurting your
business?
To learn how easy marketing can be, pick up a copy of
Beyond the Niche: Essential
Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages
that Deliver Results.
Beyond the Niche, takes you step by
step through the sometimes confusing process
of choosing a target audience or "niche"
market and then developing and delivering your
tightly targeted marketing message. This book
will show you how to create marketing messages
that will break through the clutter and
CONNECT with your customers.
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