Attract With Clarity - Connection and Specialism
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Do you waffle your way OUT of business?
* Do you drone on about how great you are and how great your services are?
* Do you concentrate so much on trying to get your message across that you don't
listen?
* Do you focus on you, you and you?
If you even think this might be you on occasion -– read on!
Your clients and your potential clients are bombarded with information.
Your clients and potential clients are surrounded by products, services,
knowledge and people all trying to persuade them to part with their time, money
and soul!
So how can you be different and what will enable you to get the business on
your clients' terms?
Well you can start by considering these 3 attraction factors.
Clarity, Connection and Specialism
Clarity
"...the most persuasive evidence of people's expertise is the clarity with
which they communicate" Harry Beckwith
When you are speaking with a client/prospect, be clear about what you are about.
Be clear about what differentiates you and be very clear about the results and
value you can deliver in terms and language that connects with them, in their
business in their situation.
* Speak in language that is jargon free, cliche free and is clear and to the
point.
* Speak in stories, pictures or metaphors as you describe successes you have had
which are relevant to the person you are talking to.
* Speak in linear terms as you describe a process you will carry out.
* Speak so that you clearly articulate the end goal and how it adds value to the
person you are speaking with.
* Speak in terms of the emotional needs that you can address.
* Speak in a way that connects with whom you are speaking.
In whatever manner or medium you communicate, be clear.
To do this effectively all the time, you need to be clear about your purpose,
message and outcome from the meeting/phone call/marketing collateral.
If you don't have clarity it's certain your prospects and clients won't.
Connection
Create a connection with your clients. If you woo them then ignore them, you may
have short term business but not a long term relationship. Simple things that
enable you to stay in touch are not expensive or time consuming but they are
effective and help your clients feel valued.
A short "how's it going" phone call
A quick "thought you may find this article interesting" email
An invitation, introduction or complementary gift goes a long way to keeping you
in touch with your clients, maintaining the relationships and if and when new
opportunities come up whom do you think they will most likely talk to?
Be there for your clients, prospective clients and network, when you don't have
anything to sell and when a buying need or readiness to act occurs, you will be
well placed to be in the right place at the right time with the right service -
more often than not.
Specialism
As more and more consultants enter the market the greater the competition gets.
For independent or small consultancies the ability to win great business
consistently, means getting known.
How do you get known? By being a specialist.
By being great at one or two things. By being THE consultancy that does X.
Specialism is the way forward. If you try and be all things to all people a
number of things happen
1. Prospects get confused about what you do
2. Prospects are not sure what you are REALLY good at
3. Prospects find it harder to choose you
4. Prospects have too many messages to cope with
5. You get less business
If you try and offer too many services or say you can do too many things, there
is a danger that you do nothing well and spread yourself and your resources
thinly, as you try to cope with every demand as you become desperate for
business. Desperation shows.
Whilst it may be hard to turn down business, especially as a fledgling
consultancy, it shows you know what you are about and your prospects will
recognise that. To complement your specialism consider collaborating with other
specialists that can support what you do or take business that you are not a
specialist in. Forming strategic alliances is a good way to manage this.
"Consultants must first recognize that they are selling a relationship rather
than competence and advice. You must win the person to win the business, and you
must keep winning the person to keep the business." Harry Beckwith
So focus on how you can win new relationships through clarity, connection and
specialism.
About the Author
Beverley Hamilton works with independent business consultants to help them
grow a profitable consultancy and still have time for their life. You can get my
Free Ecourse Discover the 5 Most Common Incorrect Assumptions Independent
Business Consultants Make and a complimentary subscription to Quickstart,
the newsletter specifically for consultants. Go to
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2007-04-05 20:00:38 in Personal Articles
