The reading level for this article is All Levels
If you’re anything like me, you’re being bombarded with ezines and emails that continually try to sell you something. Sometimes a particular ezine even arrives on a daily basis, and truthfully, I sit there at my desk, wondering why I subscribe, so much so that I often unsubscribe just as fast as I sign up for them.Now, don’t get me wrong. I strongly believe in marketing and promoting what you’ve got (with consistency and conviction) because it’s the answer to someone’s problem, and if you’ve been given a talent and a gift for helping others, you OWE it to them to let them know you’re out there.But it’s HOW you promote that makes all the difference. I consider it a turn-off when I’m being sold to again and again, without getting much value otherwise. It just feels icky sometimes and, because I don’t have a lot of extra time in my day (who does?), I’d rather not get any additional stuff I can’t really use.
On the flip side, if I’m getting value and I find it helpful, then I’m OK with some promo here or there. Kinda like reading a magazine. If the articles are really good, then I don’t mind the ads (and often, the ads are something that I’m interested in.) But if there’s not much content or value, then I don’t want any of it, not the articles, and not the ads either.
I was on a group coaching call led by Thomas Leonard, founder of CoachU.com and Coachville.com a few years ago, and although I don’t remember the exact topic of the call, I remember one thing he said very distinctly:
To build a large network and attract lots of clients, you need to continually add value, just for the fun of it. However simple this statement (and the longer I’m in business, the more I realize that it’s the SIMPLE things that are the most powerful), it’s one that struck me like lightening and has stayed with me ever since.
Thomas was a MASTER of adding value. I remember him giving a LOT of information, so every time I got an email from him (an ezine or something else) I read it without fail, the WHOLE thing. And when he launched a product or service and promoted it, I read that too. That’s because he added value no matter what he did. He used to say, the more value you give, the more people want to "hang out" around you, the more they’ll follow your lead, the more they’ll recommend you.
His theory, as he stated once, was to offer lots of freebie stuff of value, just for the fun of it, to help others. This built him a HUGE network of people reading his ezines, going to his teleclasses, buying his products and reading his books, in just a short time—over 10,000 people at the time that he spoke about this. The theory he shared with us was this:
FREEbie, FREEbie, FREEbie, fee, FREEbie, FREEbie, FREEbie, fee.
Because he was providing such fantastic no-charge content and value, people were naturally attracted to him and referred lots of others to him. When he offered something for a fee, people jumped on it. Their perception was probably similar to mine: if his FREEbie stuff is that good, his FEE stuff must be GREAT! And it always was.
Many people over the years told me they’re attracted to working with me because of the value and content that I’ve offered, without charging for it:
- The 2-page checklist entitled "151 Ways to Attract All The Clients You Need,” which people receive when they subscribe to my ezine.
- The weekly Client Attraction ezine with high content/high value assignments to get people started on attracting all the clients they need to fill their practice (the one you’re reading now).
- The Client Attraction makeovers.
- The recordings of calls.
- The no-charge 60-minute teleclasses I lead entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need."
- The articles on the website to help you get more clients.
Not only do all these freebies create a BUZZ amongst people who need new clients (a buzz generates lots of referrals), but they also helped me establish credibility a long time ago, so by the time people want to work with me, they already know how much value I will add during our one-on-one work.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Start thinking of how you can add value, continually and in everything that you do, just for the fun of it. Based on the elements I use listed above, what can YOU start offering to your network, your clients, and at networking meetings? Make a list of them and then start doing them on a regular basis. Over a very short period of time, you’ll start getting a large following as well as clients and referrals, in a way you’ve never had before.
While you’re at it, make these a SYSTEM to include in your marketing plan, like I do. This way, you’ll always be doing what it takes to get clients. If you’re looking for the blueprint to marketing your business in a way that feels easy and authentic to you, then you’ll want to get yourself the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It includes everything you need to know to fill your practice quickly and close the sale consistently without ever feeling icky; no matter if you’re just starting out or have been in business for years. All the tools, scripts, templates and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com. (Why struggle when you can just attract clients easily?)
© 2007 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include: Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Expert, is founder of the Client Attraction System™, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, in record time&ldots;guaranteed. To receive your freebie audio CD by mail and sign up for her weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.
