Get Clients, but how?

Photo credit wandering_angel This is a very good article taken from internet. It is addressed to service providers but it is very much relevant for translators-frelancers. "How to Really Get All The Clients You Want" by Travis Greenlee © 2005 http://tinyurl.com/4nuv5 As you are probably well aware, the service profession is evolving more rapidly than ever before. Competition, technology and consumerism are taking huge bites out of your business possibilities. You're working harder, feeling more stressed, and not yet seeing the results you want. The old answers to building and sustaining your business don't seem to be working any more. Whether you like it or not, it's time to take action and re-engineer your business - or risk your future. With this in mind, I'd like to share 5 proven strategies that will create irresistible demand for your services, guaranteed! 1. Understand that the primary objective of your business should be the MARKETING of your professional services, NOT the actual delivering of your services. Most service professionals have it backwards. You see, the challenge is that most of us have been taught that simply because we deliver excellent service and provide enormous value, clients will automatically knock our doors down. Well, I can tell you from personal experience, as well as with hundreds of my clients, it's simply not the truth. The key to building a long term, solid practice is the quality and consistency of your marketing much more than the actual delivery of your services. As Michael Gerber states in the e-myth revisited, working on your business much more than working in your business. 2. Become a "positioner" not a prospector. A positioner is someone who builds his/her reputation such that prospects come to them, they command respect. Positioners pick and choose clients, whereas prospectors hustle and struggle to get clients. Become a positioner and share your valuable knowledge, expertise, and education with prospects, as a result you will be viewed as the "go to" person. 3. Use an education-based marketing approach to attract new clients. This is the process used by industry leading service professionals to attract and enroll highly qualified prospects by giving them what they want, not by selling or promoting. Selling based marketing is out, it's old school. Think about it, the problem is that prospects go out of their way to avoid you, they even become defensive. How does that make you feel? The key is to look for opportunities to create and give your information away, which in turn will position you as the expert. As a result, you will create a powerful magnet to pull clients to you. 4. Design, create, sell and give away information products to generate leads. All highly successful service professionals are avid writers and producers of information products. The benefits of creating your own info products are many: beginning with creating passive revenue, allowing you to enjoy more time, freedom, and increased bandwidth to make a larger impact in the world. In terms of positioning, creating an info product will attract highly qualified prospects who view you as an expert in your field, and as a result, will pay top dollar to work with you. 5. Become a specialist, not a generalist. This is a big one. Highly successful service professionals are specialists at one thing. When people think of that one thing, the specialist comes to mind. Prospects who want that one thing will pay top dollar for coaching and advice, and are attracted like a magnet. I'm sure you've heard how vitally important it is to identify and define your target market. I can't overemphasize the importance of this. Without having a crystal clear idea of who you are, in terms of your strengths, gifts, talents, and experiences and who you will support based on your attributes, you are literally shooting yourself in the foot. If you haven't identified your target market and have made the commitment to becoming a specialist and expert in your field, it's absolutely essential that you do as quickly as possible. After all, you have a message to share and a profound impact to make in the lives of those you touch... Make the commitment today to take on these 5 strategies and incorporate them into your practice. If you do, your life and practice will never be the same. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Travis Greenlee is a business design and development coach who specializes in teaching coaches, consultants, professionals, and business owners to earn a more profitable living doing what they love. He is an expert in high-tech/hi-touch marketing systems and is internationally recognized for supporting solo-professionals in building full time practices in less than 180 days. Visit Travis here: http://tinyurl.com/4nuv5