Silence. Jaws slowly creak open and begin to drop. You could hear a pin fall. The comeback I often get is, “52 or more times a year? Are you crazy?!?” No, I’m not crazy and I know it works because I do it. And if you know me, you know it’s all about creating SYSTEMS around this. Read on…
The reason people go into semi-shock is they begin to realize their cookie-cutter quarterly mailing isn’t cuttin’ it. It gets even worse when someone in the front row is super-proud of their monthly e-zine, thinking they’re doing “what it takes to get clients” and yet they’re wondering why the pipeline of prospects is not full enough, and their bank account leaves a little to be desired.
It’s because they’re not “touching” their prospects (and clients) enough. Here’s the deal: if prospects only hear from you at most 4 or 12 times per year, that means MONTHS go by before they think of you. The problem with that is, when they encounter a problem you might be able to solve, they won’t necessarily remember you because you’re not on their radar screen. You ALWAYS want to be on that radar screen, so when they need you, all they have to do is raise their hand.
Understanding you have to be on their radar screen, the question becomes WHAT to send. There are different options for this. You can send a weekly ezine with high-value, high content articles, you can send testimonials or case studies by snail mail, updates on your business, invitations. The key is to be in touch.
Some people even create a “brand” out of their stay-in-touch marketing vehicles. One of my former clients, a Mortgage Broker, came up with a cool campaign during our coaching. She got her hands on the list of Obscure Holidays (National Punctuation Day, National Poetry Day, National Wear Red Day For Women, etc.) and sends a postcard to her prospects, clients and joint venture partners each month (in addition to all the other ways she reaches her list). In each postcard mailing, she somehow finds a way to tie it in to the mortgage services she offers. It’s funny, irreverent, and gives her another excuse to be in TOUCH with her list on a very regular basis.
Here are some important points to keep in mind:
- Sometimes you want to be in touch to add high value and high content (this establishes credibility faster than anything else I know).
- Sometimes you want to be in touch to promote your products and services (this keeps you in business).
- Sometimes you want to be in touch to say “happy birthday” (this shows you care).
- And sometimes you want to be in touch to just say “hi” or “I was thinking of you when I read this, so I thought I’d send it over to you.” (This shows you think of them often.)
All these ways of TOUCHING your list build the “know, like, and trust factor” that is so crucial to turning a prospect into a paying client. That’s because people don’t buy from those they don’t know, they don’t buy from those they don’t like, and they CERTAINLY don’t buy from those they don’t trust.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Start thinking about ways to be on your clients’ and prospects’ radar screens over and over again, by bringing high value and high content, or just by touching base to say hi.
Create a system for everything. Example: One e-zine per week (like this one). One mailing per month (your Virtual Assistant can stuff the envelopes and take care of the printing and postage). A few personal notes, handwritten. A Hallmark e-card. Etc.
Not sure as to how to systematize all this and put your marketing on auto-pilot? I show you exactly how in the last chapter of the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It includes everything you need to know to fill your practice quickly and close the sale consistently; no matter how long you’ve been in business. All the tools are handed to you on a silver platter. Details at https://www.mcssl.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=51686&AdID=277692. (Why struggle when you can just attract clients easily?)
© 2007 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System™ and www.ClientAttraction.com, the proven step-by-step program to attract more clients, make more m’oney being self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all. To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.
