How To Find The Perfect Client In 15 Minutes

By on April 16, 2013 in Marketing, Writing, Writing Exercise

Finding Your Perfect ClientYou know how you feel when you have just worked with the Perfect Client–a client who loves what you have to offer, the conversation comes naturally and you just click?

There is this synergistic flow between you, feeling more like a partnership than a business-client relationship. YES!

When that happens to me, I am energized and relaxed at the same time. Sort of like yoga, but without the mind/body awareness or having to work on my core.

Anyway, I just can’t wait to make that kind of connection again.

I want that affirmation that I have done something good with my business for another person…and that they will tell someone else.

“Where are those kind of clients and how do I find them?”

If that’s what you’re thinking, congratulations on being pro-active towards positioning yourself in front of your perfect client.

This begins one of those writertunities, a 15 minute writing exercise that will lead you directly to the person who makes you love what you do.
If it was as easy and instant as a couple of clicks in Google, you wouldn’t get the chance to set yourself apart from the masses. … let’s go!

Getting Started:

  1. Make a circle in the middle of the page.
  2. Draw seven lines from the circle until it looks like the sunshine you drew in kindergarten.
  3. Make a bubble at the end of each little line. It should look something like this:
    Writertunities MindMap 1

Right now you are probably in awe of my mad drawing skills or you are thinking this looks a lot like mind-mapping–either way you are right.

If you are going to stalk someone, you need a description.

In each of the outer bubbles, write a descriptive word about your perfect client. It’s like stalking, but safer and much more polite.

-Male or female?
-Age
-Address (or type of neighborhood)
-Occupation
-Marital Status
-Number of Children
-The last one could be ethnicity, hair color, weight; anything that defines them

Drill it down until your client introduces themselves:

To get better aquainted, draw lines coming out from each description and fill more bubbles that relate to your products or offerings:

-Hobbies
-Introvert or Extrovert?
-Religious Affiliation and Involvement
-Favorite Restaurants, Dive Bars
-Memberships, Meetings, Volunteer Activities
-Favorite Stores and Items Purchased

Once you’ve given it more thought and put some creativity into writing it up this profile, a name will come to you.

Write that name in the middle circle.

Are you feeling like this is a big waste of time and need to get back to your inbox, the stacks and piles on your desk or tweeting about your lunch?
Hang on, it will be worth it when that perfect client walks in your door and refers others just like them.

You’ve gotten this far, now it’s time to put it to use.
As a consumer, you know your favorite station is WII FM (“What’s In It For Me?”)

Your perfect client is no different.
As you really get inside this person’s mind, heart and culture, you will learn:

  1.  How they choose who they will follow or where they will go.
    -These are the businesses that you want engage in joint ventures to put you both in a stronger position.
  2. Why they make the buying decisions they make.
    - Fill that need using your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), value, features and benefits.
  3. What grabs their attention and what distracts them.
    -Appeal to their senses through design, convenience and efficiency.
  4. What keeps a product or service on their mind; enough to refer someone else.
    -Never compromise your integrity, always build trust and make them feel good.

Even if none of this resonates with you, this one is crucial:

Everyone is not your perfect client.

If you try to be everything to everybody, it garbles your message. And I don’t know of anyone who is attracted to adding more confusion to their lives.
If someone wants the lowest price possible, they would turn their back on a service provider who is going to take care of every detail and wrap it in a pretty bow. And if they expect high quality, super fast service is not going to draw them in.

Confidently stay true to your mission and standards so your perfect client will recognize you when they see or hear from you.

After all, you know all about them and can call them by name!

Comments { 0 }

Are These 3 Business Writing Myths Blocking Your Writertunities?

By on March 6, 2013 in Marketing, Myths, Writing

Are you making the most of the opportunities to reach out with writing–the Writertunities?@Anne Grant

It’s time to let go of some of the limitations that keep you from sharing your message effectively, so let’s bust up some myths!

Myth #1: “My product is more visual, practical, trendy or high tech.”

Coming from a background of portrait photography, I was taught that converting someone into a paying client involved showing lots of images. After all, this is a visual product–they needed to see the variety of styles that I could offer as their photographer.
But when I started listening to the stories that motivated them to call,  I learned what those portraits really meant to the families.

Whether your product is fences, photography or fish filters, you need to give people more reasons to buy into your culture than dimensions or diagrams.

Effective tools for creating desire and interest are case studies or blog entries of real-life situations on how your product made their life better, easier or more meaningful.

Wait…fish filters as a life-changing product?
Sure–if you see it through the eyes of a couple of empty nesters who have discovered the joys of water gardening.

  • Building their water garden gives them the exercise they need.
  • Landscape design opens their creative outlet.
  • The husband is an excellent cook, so “eating out” means sitting at a table beside their pond listening to the sounds of the waterfall while they watch the colors and fins of their healthy fish swirl and dance.

“As they chat long into the evening, they are reconnecting after years of carting children around to sports events and dance lessons.
Just before dusk, the underwater lighting comes on, illuminating the fish and plant life in the crystal clear water, enticing them to spend just a few more minutes relaxing and reminiscing.”

Now that’s buy-in. Who wouldn’t want that fish filter?

Myth #2: “Nobody reads all that stuff.”

When it comes to long copy vs. short copy, the details in a marketing piece may hold the puzzle piece that draws in that perfect customer.

The scanners won’t read it anyway, since their conclusions are based on quickly studying the main points. From there they decide to read more or just go on to something else.
But for those digging in for more decision-making details, you want to be sure it’s there when they are looking for it.

For this reason, a double readership path is essential to reaching both the scanners and the more analytical reader.
With a few simple formatting tools, you are covering both sides of the equation:

  • Use bold text to highlight key points.
  • Italics can be used for emphasis.
  • Bulleted lists display several concepts or phrases in an easy to read format.
  • ALL CAPS can be used to grab attention, but can be considered SHOUTING if overused.
  • Underlining should also be used with caution, especially online, since it suggests a link to another website or page.

Myth #3: “Sales copy is cheesy, annoying and will turn people away.”

Selling is not a bad word. We are a society of buyers, carefully considering what is worth the funds we have available.

To be most persuasive, speak to the needs and desires of the person you are trying to engage.

What is important to one person may mean nothing to the next person.
Once you understand and sincerely care about the interests, ambitions or concerns of that person you want to reach, you can be confident that they will lean into your message.

The mother of a 4 year old child will be very appreciative that your product, company or organization addresses methods on preparing their child for success in school.

A busy executive wants to hear that your temporary agency understands staffing needs and how to evaluate for proper placement.

When a couple is shopping for their first home or downsizing to their last home, they are hoping for someone to translate what they think they want into the best fit for their current and future situation.

Sales copy is the bridge between knowing what people want and helping them to get it.

Let go of the business writing myths–all of them–and let your Writertunities connect you with your audience.

Other myths are lurking out there…

Did your English teacher drill stiff grammar myths into your writing mindset?
Are you questioning the effectiveness of flashy infographics as opposed to a well-written, descriptive marketing piece?

Let me know in the comments about other writing myths you have crushed!

 

Comments { 0 }