Is your message getting through?

As a business owner or independent professional, getting the word out about your business is clearly a key activity. However, often times it seems that we are talking in a language that our prospects don’t seem to understand or even hear. We LOVE what we do and we can clearly see the benefit of the latest innovation that we have put in place - why doesn’t everyone else see that? Surely it’s as clear to them as it is to us? Well, actually, no it’s not.

Are you broadcasting on the right wavelength?

If you want to listen to an FM station you need an FM receiver right? OK, I know that’s changed a bit with the Internet but let’s stay with the metaphor for a minute! If your prospects have an FM receiver and you are broadcasting on Medium wave they will not hear you. Remember that people (including your prospects) are going through life thinking about their personal issues and challenges therefore their receiver is tuned to WIIFM - i.e. What’s In It for Me?

Here’s the deal - most broadcast messages are going out on WWD - What We Do. If you are talking/writing/producing a brochure/website solely concerned with what you do, you are relying on the prospect turning that message into something that makes sense to them personally. Chances are they won’t do that - chances are they have a receiver tuned to a different wavelength and therefore your message is simply noise.

Change your wavelength!

The passion that you have for your business has direct effect on your clients world - it makes their lives better. Think about that in specific terms and turn that into your message. In other words less about the services you offer (WWD) and more about what benefit that provides to your customer, what pain it takes away (WIIFM)

This is a mindset change - your BEST client will tell you why they work with you, what they love about you and what pain you take away/pleasure you provide for them specifically. It will work wonders for the attraction you will get from your prospects.

I used to work in a medium sized business and I was often asked this question - what is your USP - i.e. unique selling proposition?

I have always been uncertain about USPs generally. On one hand, if you have a product or service that is totally unique in the market place AND serves a need then I think I want to invest in your company! How much is really unique in terms of what you do?

However, on the other hand, we are all unique aren’t we? Although we may run businesses that do the same thing on the face of it, each company does things a little differently, as does each person.

So, what is it that you do differently that REALLY HELPS YOUR CLIENTS IN A UNIQUE WAY. If you answer this question with: “We believe in partnership/relationship/customer service” or a variation on that, guess what? Most everyone else says that too!

So what about what you do, do your clients LOVE about you? What do they tell other people when asked what’s great about you? I am willing to bet it’s something about your personality, your philosophy, your approach rather than a unique product.

What do you think? Somewhere in there is likely to be your passion and how you tap into something that is truly important to your clients. There is the heart of your marketing message.

Networking is almost certainly the #1, most used marketing tactic of small business. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that everyone who uses it is good at it. It has been known to leave many a small business person confused, frustrated, or wanting to avoid it altogether.

Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a brainstorming session on the topic of networking with several small business owners. The question came up, “Where is the best place to network?” If you’ve been trying to get your business out there, you’re no doubt aware that there are a tremendous amount of events going on any given week. There are Chamber coffees and after hours, referral networking groups, leads clubs, seminars, etc.

The question is how do you choose? How do you decide where is the best place to network when there are so many options available?

My answer to this is actually quite simple…

It comes down to your clarity and focus.

You see the problem is that a huge majority of small businesses never take the time to get focused and crystal clear on who they want to help, and what they want to help them get done.

When you’re clear and focused on a specific target, doesn’t it just make sense that you’ll better know where to find them?

Too many small businesses running around from networking event to networking event desparately trying to get themselves in front of a lot of people. That’s silly.

Focus on who you want to help and what you want to help them get done. Then go find those people and begin having that conversation with them. Will you find them at the Chamber of Commerce meetings? I don’t know… maybe or maybe not.

Hello and welcome to the Get More Clients Fast Path!

This blog is part of a joint effort between Jerry Smith of Accord Coaching and Kevin Dervin of KPD Marketing.

We started this small business marketing “blog” as a tool to help answer some of the common small business challenges and questions that so many folks have. We’ll share insights and resources that we’ve found useful in our own journey, as well as experience in working with small business owners.

You can be a better marketer! You can absolutely learn how to regularly and consistently attract all the clients you can handle. And, you can do it quickly without having to earn some kind of marketing degree. We want to prove it to you!

This blog space is a place where we’ll make regular entries and share aricles to help you with your own marketing challenges. And, you’ll be able to add your own comments to each posting. So we hope you’ll join us and feel free to participate actively!

If you’re really motivated to take your business to a new level, then join us on the Get More Clients Fast Path. Check out upcoming seminar dates we have scheduled and read all about our eight-week Get More Clients Fast Path program.

Stay tuned for more great information to help you get better results from your small business marketing.

All the Best!
Kevin Dervin & Jerry Smith