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Browse published articles attributed to Fabienne Fredrickson, with full-archive search.
Your website is more than an electronic brochure with your compelling story and information about your products and services. If it’s well designed and set up, your website should be a client generating machine! Here are three simple strategies you can implement to help you generate a lot more clients easily.
For some people, facing the fear of rejection that is possible on the get-acquainted call can be daunting. You may be so focused on dreading the potential of rejection that conducting the call itself becomes difficult. I understand how this can happen and have a couple of suggestions to help you look at what’s happening in a new and more powerful way.
As a new coach, you might find yourself struggling with choosing your niche. From a marketing perspective, this is a very important step. But if you are just out of the gate, you may be feeling like you can help so many different kinds of people and are confused about which way to turn. I’m going to let you off the hook for a short time. I once heard Thomas Leonard, the founder of CoachU and Coachville say “Coach 100 clients and then you will find out what your niche is.” So for right now, you can decide NOT to pick a niche.
Sometimes business owners ask me what is the best incentive to get referrals from their clients. There are several ways you could incentivize your client base to encourage them to share referrals and find new clients. However, I’m not sure that is necessary. This is what I believe. I don’t think you actually need to give an incentive in order for happy clients to give you referrals. I believe that deep down in their hearts, they want to give you referrals. This is especially true if they’ve gotten good value from you and if they feel you’ve taken great care of them.
Whether we admit to it or not, we as humans love things like gossip, soap operas, eavesdropping, sharing secrets, peeping, and Entertainment Tonight (basically, everything on the E! cable network). And let’s not forget People Magazine—yes, I read it religiously every week. Why are we obsessed with this as a culture? It’s the human interest. It’s finding out about OTHER people’s lives, the intricacies, the quirky little details, the strange ways of being. Sometimes we’re looking to see how DIFFERENT others’ lives are. Perhaps we’re aspiring to be like them, or maybe we’re ridiculing them.
Most small busines owners start feeling stretched and get to the point where they can no longer do it all alone. You realize you need another pair of hands to complete everything that’s on your plate. So you decide to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) and think this is a way to help you get more done faster. You may not know right away what tasks your VA should handle, but you would love for this service to somehow pay for itself.
“Easily attract clients from speaking gigs with a proven formula and a step-by-step system that works.” If you have been out there giving presentations, then you want to know how to maximize the number of clients you can get from each free talk. This is how I did it for many years. 1. The set up Start your talk with your compelling story and introduce yourself. Then explain what you will be talking about so people have an idea of what to expect. This helps the attendees feel comfortable and at ease with what is coming up. 2. Collecting contact information from attendees
Using video is a very effective strategy to attract clients. Video gives prospects a sense of who you are and what it would be like to work with you. Some of my students tell me they feel more comfortable writing out a full script for their videos. Without a written script, many feel they fumble or forget important information. They want to use the script to be sure they cover all the points in order so what they say makes sense.
Have you ever given your all to something, experienced some delays, encountered disappointments, and then given up? What about when it comes to marketing your business? Do you sometimes get frustrated because the results you want aren’t coming to you as quickly as you’d like, despite the fact ...
If you’ve been in business for a while, you may have an assortment of clients and types of work that you do. You have identified the one particular area that you really want to concentrate on. How do you make this transition to focus on your niche? I recommend that you build up to it. The last thing you want to do is let go of all your current clients to start fresh and then have no money coming in. That creates the 3am sweats, right? When you are still in the business building phase what you want is more clients and more money.
Have you been thinking about raising your rates? That can be both exciting and nerve wracking for business owners. On one hand, you’ll produce more income from the same amount of work. On the other hand you may be conce ed by the risk of losing clients due to higher rates. While this may be true, there are best practices for handling a rate increase that, if done well, can get you new clients!
Let’s agree that there are different types of referrals from networking. The referrals that have a little business for us and those who have a LOT of business for us—also known as the Cash Cows. Client example: A real estate broker client of mine has redirected her entire networking efforts to rub elbows with those who have a LOT of business for her, rather than just a little business for her.
Content is king. Content is everything. I want to drill into your consciousness today that you want to become the master of high content/high value. There are so many reasons to do high content/high value in not only your marketing, but also in your offerings. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of fluff out there. There are so many people who are marketing against you.
Today’s tip is about when you’ve reached a certain level in your business, and it seems like you’re doing everything yourself. You’re working with the clients. You’re doing the marketing. You’re buying the supplies. You’re changing the light bulbs. You’re sending out invoices and paying things, and really you’re just doing everything front of house and everything back of house.
There are many ways to set up your packages, but I recommend building levels that entice clients to go for the high end. This not only serves you, but it truly serves your clients as well. First of all, when clients stay with you for extended periods, they get that much more value, content and support to help them achieve their goals. Second, you can be there to support them as new situations crop up, which always do in business.
When you have a new product you are ready to launch, one of the fastest ways to get the word out about it is through affiliates. Affiliates are colleagues who you partner with to promote your product and then compensate in some way for their help. 1. What Size List Should You Seek
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”rn–Maya Angelou Referrals. Everyone wants ‘em, but few are willing to ask for them for fear of seeming pushy, desperate or sleazy. If you ask self-employed individuals how they would ideally like to build their businesses, they would tell you ‘by word of mouth.’ Why? Because… - It’s an ongoing, renewable process.rn- You don’t have to spend money on advertising.rn- Referrals most often end up being high quality clients.r
Getting clients online is becoming crucial for success as a small business owner - and it’s time to make sure your website is done right. To attract ideal high paying clients online, it’s important to remember that it’s all about pulling people in with compelling and engaging marketing, while giving them high-value and high-content information with a strong call to action for them to see “what’s next.”
In the beginning you may feel like “Only I can do it this way.” But, there’s a concept called the “Glass Ceiling” in business where you can’t go any higher because there’s only so much you can do yourself. The business gets so complex that you will actually need to simplify.
QUOTE: “Substantial value is created when the client achieves more than they expected. One of the best ways to ensure the client achieves more than they expect is to ask more of them than they expected you to.” – Thomas Leonard, founder of Coachville My translation: don’t be wimpy with your clients! One of the most interesting shifts I’ve seen in my Client Attraction coaching practice and Masterminds over the last 11 years is that clients are seeing infinitely better results than at the beginning, when I first started.
When you are starting a new business, the first couple of years involve a lot of hard work to attract clients. That’s no secret. But sometimes business owners come to me about how hard they are working and that nothing is happening yet.
Delivering teleclasses is a powerful way to get clients. Yet, many of my students tell me they aren’t sure what to include or the order that works best to deliver the information. I’m going to share my surefire structure for creating an amazing teleclass. It’s so easy you’ll have your first program together in no time. Or, this can be your opportunity to restructure your current content to make it work even harder for you so you get more clients.
Recently I shared three powerful ways to follow up. But sometimes the methods alone don’t help you get the job done. That’s when you have to ask yourself, “Do I have a system in place to follow up with hot prospects?” Without a system, it’s easy to let the follow up tasks fall between the cracks. Follow up can be time consuming, especially when there are several calls back and forth if you have trouble reaching a prospect. That’s not a good thing because a hot prospect can get cold while phone tag is in play.
As you work to grow your business, there are many options available to attract clients along the way. One thing that may tempt you is the idea of licensing your proprietary system and/or training coaches or trainers to teach it to others. This can be a lucrative revenue stream but first I recommend you follow these steps before moving into that arena.
If your practice is filling up and you are looking for ways to serve more people, consider developing a boot camp program. I did this several years ago when my practice was full, and I had a waiting list. There were also others who couldn’t afford to participate in my live programs. I wanted to come up with a way to build my business and serve more people that didn’t require a lot of my time.
When your service fees run in the thousands, one thing that can help your prospects say “yes” is to allow them to make payments. Sometimes business owners find this problematic. There can be confusion because when clients don’t meet deadlines or put off decisions, they feel they can’t collect the payment as originally agreed.
If you want to pull clients in with your marketing, first you’ll need to get their attention by providing real solutions. And, I mean not the fluff you see out there – but real solutions your clients can use and get results from.
When you are building your practice, sometimes you choose to work with a client for free for a number of reasons: - Gain experience with an ideal client,rn- Minimize risk of trying out a new program,rn- Build up your client testimonials,rn- Give back to the community by offering services to a select few who cannot afford you. While paying clients are of course more desirable, the freebies often provide their own advantages. There is nothing wrong with having a few practice clients who can help you attract paying clients, as long as you set clear boundaries.
When you are a coach, you want to see your clients succeed. Their success is your reason for sharing your knowledge, wisdom and support. However, I have seen people get very upset about whether or not their clients were getting good results. And to be honest, in the beginning I was like this too. “It’s important to remember that you should be responsible to your clients, but not for them.” Are you responsible for your clients’ success? It would be ideal if you could be responsible for your clients and even do some things for them. But, you can’t do that right?
Getting more traffic to your website is always on a business owner’s mind. Higher volume traffic helps with list building and improves your chances for finding new clients and filling your pipeline. But once you start to get a steady stream of visitors, what’s the best way to build your list?
Here’s what happens when you don’t keep track and take action: A few years ago I had a year of retooling and re-gearing. I knew that I was on the cusp of making it REALLY big in my business, but I knew something had to change or be tweaked in order for it to happen. I had a deep ‘knowing’ that my calling wasn’t about just helping people MARKET their small businesses, but also helping them get out of their own way, giving them permission to succeed, and then all the tools to do so.
Do you get referrals from people or services? I sure hope you do! Yet, you may find that your initial conversations with these referred prospects are taking too long. It can be a very time consuming process. That’s why it helps to set up a system and put everything into your marketing materials, making the conversation so much quicker. This is a list of what you need to shorten these calls: Written interview with yourself which includes answers to frequently asked questions and explains your packages and/or programs.r
Today’s tip is about the discipline to implement more in your business. I hear from a lot of entrepreneurs, and I have been hearing this for eleven years, “Fabienne, I know what to do. I’ve got a lot of ideas, but I just don’t seem to have the discipline to put them all in place. What do I do? How do you do it? How do these successful business owners do it?” And, my answer always is, “Think about the word ‘entrepreneur.’”
Here’s your weekly tip for client attraction, getting more clients, making more money, multiplying your business. Today it’s about how to scale your business. The way to make a lot more money in your business, more money than you’re making now, is to add more value to even more people’s lives and when you do that, you make more money. It’s very simple but it’s not always easy. It’s common sense – you make more money by working with more people and you do that by adding more value.
There was a time (many say it’s still going on now) that networking was about entering a large crowded room of people you didn’t know, all dressed in stuffy business attire and your goal was to walk away with as many cards as possible, exchanging them frantically and promising to “do lunch”. And then, you were supposed to follow up and make the sale.
When you find yourself putting off making your follow up calls, there is probably some type of fear at work. Maybe you fear being rejected, hearing the word “No” or feeling bad when someone doesn’t want to do your program. I understand why you could feel that way, but here’s what I want you to think about. I’ll make it really, really simple for you. First, there’s a reason that you are doing what you are doing for a living. What is that reason?
Accept change because if you want to get more clients and you want to make more money and you want to play a bigger game and you really want to leverage and multiply your business and breakthroughs, then that means something needs to change. But here’s what I’ve learned in my life so far is that we human beings are not wired for change. If you think about the body’s ability to keep the body temperature the same and the saline content in your blood the same and the water the same and if you think about your pH level, it’s always about balance. It’s always about keeping the status quo.
“If you wish to be wealthy, then act to create real value.” — Ralph Marston An aspect of setting yourself apart from competitors is the value that you add to your services, without wanting anything in return. Competition within one’s industry can sometimes be fierce. Once you’ve determined what you offer that your competitors don’t, it’s time to start adding value to your clients and create a relationship they’ll be crazy not to continue (and tell others about). And this doesn’t have to drain your resources.
When talking about what they do for clients, most people end up talking about the PROCESS of what they do, not what they really DO for clients, both in speaking to them and in written communication to them, i.e. their marketing materials. There’s a huge distinction there, and that distinction is costing them (and perhaps even you) lots of potential new clients.
As your small business grows beyond the start up phase, you become very busy. You calendar is close to being full or is jammed. This may lead to thoughts like, “How long can I keep doing this?” You look into the future and realize you probably won’t be able to grow beyond the hours in a day, feeling stretched into the next three to five years. Yet, you still want to grow your business and work on client attraction. How do you make a shift in business growth like this?
Sometimes you have a rare opportunity to meet someone who is an opinion leader in your line of work. This person may be a high-profile leader in your industry who inspires you. When you meet at a big conference or other event, you want to stand out and be remembered. How can you make the most of your time together? Recently, I had this opportunity. At a big conference, I was able to meet face-to-face with someone I had followed for a while and admired greatly. Here’s how to network with opinion leaders and what I did to make the most of this situation.
I’ve discovered something really interesting in terms of human behavior over the last few years. I’m shocked to notice how often people stop themselves by using excuses for not doing something in their business, and in their lives. The thing is, they’re not even aware of it. Here’s what I mean… People SAY they want something very badly, that they want a change, and theoretically, that they’d do anything to get it.
People always ask me, “How do I get results from the things that I’m working on?” How are you able to produce so much? Do you know the number one how do you get results? By doing the work. You have a lot of access to knowledge, perhaps my knowledge, stuff you get on the internet, at the library, other people that you’re working with, and there’s a lot to get done if you want to grow your business.
There are so many differing opinions on how to set your pricing you could drive yourself crazy if you listened to everyone. But, I want to tell you how I did it so you can use this simple method to see how it will work for you. When I was first starting out, I didn’t know what to charge. I decided to look around and do a bit of research to see what other similar services were charging. After I collected enough information, I picked a price that was basically in the middle of all the fees I learned about. Really scientific right?
If you are familiar with my methods, then you know I always recommend networking groups, and BNI in particular. This powerful international group helped me learn how to network and fill my practice quickly by meeting lots of new people and gaining referrals.
To keep track of what days are meant for what in your calendar, you need to figure out how much business development time you’ll need, how many client days you’ll need and how many “off” days you’ll need, including vacation time. I recommend buying a laminated year-at-a-glance calendar and designating each day’s “purpose” with a colored sticker (mine are blue for client days, red for business development days and green for free-days, vacations and weekends) similar to the Excel spreadsheet I created for the “Be sure to take time off” section.
When you first start out in business, you may feel you don’t have all the answers. That’s more common than you can imagine. However, that is no reason not to start sharing what you know with clients and recognizing the unique angle you bring that no one else can. You are ahead of others.
Free programs, both teleclasses and live workshops, are one of the best ways I know to build your list, provide value and establish the Know, Like, and Trust Factor. Putting together the programs is relatively simple. Yet, there are two key factors to keep your eye on: 1. How much information should you share for free? 2. Are you attracting new people to achieve your list building goals?
As business owners working to get new clients, we've all heard it. You're in the closing part of the conversation and your client says those fateful words, "I can't afford it." For some owners, this is the worst case scenario because you feel stuck when your potential customer uses this reason not to work with you. There are many variations of this excuse which may include: - That's a lot of money - My sister needs my help - I have a mortgage to pay - My son needs new tires - Let me look over my finances, etc.
When it comes to list building, joint ventures can deliver the growth you are seeking. Students often ask me how to reach out to potential partners. A lot depends on who they are and the level of business success they have achieved. I recommend a different strategy for partners who are in a similar place as you versus partners who are more advanced. Joint Ventures with Similar Business Size.