It's Cheaper to Keep Her - Low Cost Strategies to Retain Ideal Clients - Darnyelle A. Jervey

It's Cheaper to Keep Her - Low Cost Strategies to Retain Ideal Clients

It's one problem that everyone in business wants to be able to solve: how in the world do we build clients and customers for life without spending all we earn to keep them?

Perhaps you've never considered this insightful phrase relevant in business, but "it is cheaper to keep her." It's true; customer retention is still 4-5 times less expensive than securing a new client.

Okay, Darnyelle, that sounds good but how in the world do I do it? Well, first you must create a system. A Customer Relationship Management System that will allow you to keep in touch with all of your clients/customers even once they are done with your current program or after they purchased that stand alone product from your website.

By the way, yes I did say system. I told you, you need a system for EVERYTHING you do in your business - well, that is if you want to create wealth without creating a ton of more work.

I'm sure you've heard of TOMA - Top of Mind Awareness - if you haven't, take some notes. Without TOMA (which occurs when your clients remember that you exist and the purpose you serve in the marketplace), you will be constantly spinning your wheels in pursuit of your next set of clients. Now, as I have mentioned in the past, a good business person never stops marketing and ensures that they have establish a weekly marketing plan that accounts for 10-20 hours of their work week EVERY WEEK. Yes, I did say every week. If you don't learn how to stay in touch with your previous and current clients and customers in creative ways via your weekly marketing plan, you are leaving money on the table.

Most small business owners dread marketing because they ASSUME that it's going to cost all the money they have to grow their business. Well, that's not entirely true. Yes, marketing can cost money but there are several low cost solutions to creating TOMA which will allow you to build clients for life if you create a system that includes:

1. Sporadic phone calls - each week, when I am completing my weekly marketing plan, I make a list of 2-3 clients - current or previous that I can call just to see how they are doing. I do not call them to sell them a product; I call them to show that I care for them. Note: If you create a client database and keep a list of birthdays and anniversaries, you can use this as the schedule to determine when you call. I still do this frequently and sometimes I am the only birthday wish a client receives. Talk about TOMA!
2. Send a weekly e-zine - be sure that your e-zine is more about content that adds value and solves problems then pushing your latest and greatest product. Now, there is a balance to strike here because you also want to ensure that your clients know that you still can solve their problem with your products and services. It is not acceptable to send a monthly or quarterly e-zine, you must keep in touch with your clients on a weekly basis.
3. Handwritten notes or cards - on that weekly marketing plan, be sure to list who's going to get a handwritten note from you that week. First of all, email IS overrated and many of your clients and prospects' mailboxes are flooded with messages that do not add value, so it is quite possible that they will miss your high-value, high content e-zine. To combat this, send handwritten notes. Make your goal to send at least 5 each week (just one per day). Use those who've purchased from you in the past, previous clients and hot prospects in this list and be sure to write a handwritten note to them. Trust me; it will make a big difference. Note: Create your own note card with your company logo and keep them on hand so you can keep your branding clear and succinct.
4. Send all clients and customers a warm letter - this will let them know what you are up to and it can also serve as a way to get them to become brand ambassadors for you. When you remind them of what you do and who you work with (you can simply use the 30-second commercial formula I shared with you previously) and put it in writing, they can begin to refer people they know to you. These should go out every month if possible with a different theme or focus or minimally, every quarter. These should also go to family and friends. If they know exactly what you do, they'd refer people that are complaining of the problems you solve. You'd have more clients to add into your other systems and to serve with your Incredible Factor.
5. Offer free tele-classes or training that highlights your ability to solve the problems of your ideal clients. No matter what you do, there is something that you can share via a tele-class that will help your clients and prospects see you as the solution. You want to again, offer high-value, high content, but you also want to ensure that you have a full resource available (some sort of solution) from your catalog of products and services that will allow them to learn more or completely solve the problems they are currently experiencing.

In today's marketplace, you have to stand out if you want to be seen as the ONLY solution to the problems of your ideal client. If you want to stand out, you need a system that allows you to remain TOMA with a low cost to you. Try these tips; let me know how they work for you.

Want to reprint the article? Sure, just be sure to include the following:

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit

http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.

5 Ways to Show Your Ideal Clients Some LOVE - Darnyelle A. Jervey

Entrepreneurs are extremely creative people and they typically love what they do. They love solving problems for their clients and they love showcasing their gifts and talents for the benefit of others. When you love what you do, it's a natural inclination to want to share it with other people. As an entrepreneur, it must be your goal to show your clients and prospects some love by not trying to "sell" to them; instead, show the value that you add to their lives and businesses by solving their problems. A successful entrepreneur knows how to show the love and uses their marketing efforts to build clients for life. Here are five ways that you can use your marketing efforts to show your clients some love:

1. Handwritten Notes - sending a handwritten note to an ideal prospect, previous client, or even a current client is a great way to show them that you love the value they add to your work and you love solving their problems. It's the personal touch, the fact that you've taken time out of your schedule to write a note to them that gets your TOMA - top of mind awareness. It is recommended that you send 3 to 5 handwritten notes each day. Handwritten notes should take the place of emails if you want to focus on building clients for life. Try this: Instead of allowing the business cards that you gather at networking events to sit in your office untouched for weeks and weeks at a time, create a system to send handwritten notes to those you've met so they remember you within in 48 hours of the initial contact. Be sure to have your own stationary created, to extend your brand positioning.

2. Irresistible Free Offers - your clients will know you love them every time you introduce a new irresistible free offer (IFO) for them. An IFO can be a tele-class, a webinar, an audio download, special report or a video tip where you add value for free, just because you love what you do and the value you add to the marketplace. An IFO is like the "pink spoon" at Baskin Robbins for your business. They give your ideal prospects a taste of what you offer to solve their problems and create a love affair that leaves them wanting the full sized solution. Of course it may go without saying, but be sure that your IFO has a call to action so they know how to extend their love affair.

3. Schedule a Client Appreciation Day or Night - schedule an opportunity to thank your clients virtually or in person. You can hold office hours where they can call you for a free laser coaching/consultation session of 5 minutes or you can get them all together and allow them to network with other clients and prospects that you are currently working with/connected to. People love to build relationships and create new partnerships and networks. So by opening your database to your ideal clients and prospects, you can help them to begin to build their own and they will love you for that. Additionally, with technology, if you have an account with one of the live streaming video sites, you can schedule a live broadcast and welcome your clients and prospects into your virtual event and share the love with them. When hosting a live client appreciation event, be sure to engage an event management team to give your event those special touches that leave clients and prospects ready to take their love to the next level.

4. Share Success Stories - everyone wants to be celebrated and loved and when you share the results and highlights that your ideal clients have gained in working with you, they will get some love from your prospects and website visitors that may need a product or service that they (your success story) offers. Highlighting others on your website is a great way to show the love and grow your client base at the same time. Remember social proof is a must if you want people to buy from you and success stories are the best way to show social proof.

5. Client of the Month feature in your e-zine - featuring a client in your e-zine each month is a great way to show them you love them and also celebrate a non-competing client and the products and services that they offer. This is different from a success story; this is a business spotlight and/or product highlight that helps to extend the reach that your client of the month has within their own business. This isn't about you; but you will gain clients for life when you show the love by highlighting their business to your database.

Your assignment:

Determine which way you will show your clients some love this week. You may select more than one if you'd like.

Create your plan of how you will get this done. List out each step that is necessary to get the task done this week. Can someone else help you? Always consider delegation to be sure the task doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Be sure the task is completed by Friday so you can enjoy your weekend and get ready for next week's Incredible Factor Moment and Tip.

I love you!

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio download "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.

Speak Their Language - Darnyelle A. Jervey

In today’s marketplace, many entrepreneurs struggle with consistently attracting their ideal clients using marketing systems and strategies. It’s believed that this challenge stems from a lack of taking the time to get clear about who your products and services were created for. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs start a business out of lack or desperation instead of with a clear plan and strategy. When this happens, those entrepreneurs will consistently find themselves behind the 8-ball in their businesses because they do not have a calculated method of attracting clients and growing their business.

Many believe that marketing is something you can do when you need to and that it can easily be done to produce results. Unfortunately, this is a big misconception in business. Marketing is essential; what I like to call oxygen for your business – without it your business will die because your ideal clients aren’t receiving information that suggests that you exist to solve their problem. To alleviate this challenge, I recommend that you create a detailed ideal client profile. In doing so, you will become crystal clear about whom you desire to work with and the problems they are experiencing. Your marketing materials will then speak to them in such a way that they will choose you as the solution to their problems. When you’ve taken the time to complete a client profile, you will find yourself ready to create compelling marketing materials that immediately speak the language that your ideal clients understand and take action as a result of.

Until you learn how to speak the language of your ideal clients, it will be like trying to call your scattered friends and family together for a meal using a dog whistle – they won’t hear you and as a result they won’t take action. But when you do learn to speak their language, the benefits to your business will include:

1. An influx of ideal clients who recognize the solution you offer to their problems. Remember, people purchase when the problem they have is causing pain and they want to alleviate the pain. They chose from people they know, like and trust who have proven to offer the exact solution they need. When your marketing materials clearly speak to your clients, you won’t have room enough to manage the requests they will submit for your services.

2. Referrals from your ideal clients who quickly become your unpaid sales force, sharing with everyone they know that you are exactly what is needed to solve a problem. When we have received great service, we can’t stop talking about it. If you are able to speak their language and successfully deliver exactly what they needed with results and benefits, your ideal clients will start telling everyone they know and they will all start seeking you out as the solution they also need to ease their pain.

3. Increased exposure, a sense of fulfillment and more income – okay this is really three benefits rolled into one. The key here is that when it’s clear that you are talking to a person who you can help, you get personal satisfaction. Your Incredible Factor is changing lives and solving problems, which leads to success stories that increase your exposure and more income. The value of the service you provide goes up with every ounce of clarity you represent in the marketplace.

So go ahead and speak up, they can’t hear you.

Want to reprint the article? Sure, just be sure to include the following:

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit

http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.

7 Quick Tips for Adding More Value to Your Products and Services--Darnyelle A. Jervey

In order to consistently attract ideal, paying clients, it must become your mission to ensure that everything you do and offer to your ideal clients exceeds their needs and expectations. Gone are the days when you can get away with an attempt to solve a problem, today you MUST be the clear solution and add enough value to stand out amongst your peers in the industry. Gone are the days when "just enough" will lead to an influx of ideal clients. In today's marketplace, you must go above and beyond if you want to keep a steady flow of ideal clients on your roster.

Exceptional customer service remains a top reason why people return to a previous supplier for a new repeat or additional service. Despite what economists tell you, people are still buying, but if you want to be the recipient of your ideal client's spending dollars, you must add value.

If you're not getting the response you want from your ideal clients it is because you've not fully expressed the value of your product or service in terms that makes them want to buy right now.

When the focus on your business practices include adding significant value to your ideal clients, you will increase your brand perception - that is, the way others see who you are and the value you add in the marketplace. As your brand perception increases, you are also earning brand equity, just like equity in your home, increases the value you represent in the marketplace, consistently over time.

When it comes to adding value, your goal must be to offer additional items or services that do not take additional time for you. It is very likely that right now, in your business inventory, you've got tons of products, services and value-add items that are just sitting there collecting dust. If you were to dust them off and prepare them to be used by new and existing clients, you'd find yourself a lot busier than you may be right now.

When we are looking for new money opportunities in our businesses, more often than not, the tools to get more are right in front of us. Because we are accustomed to looking at what we offer, we often miss the "value-adds" that we have had access to since the creation of our business.

This is why participating in masterminds or having a coach can be a valuable addition to your business plan. An outside person looking into your business will quickly identify the value adds that you already have that will cost you no additional time or effort to make available to your ideal clients.

So, how do you create more value and increase your brand equity, ensuring return clients and more referrals than you ever thought possible? Consider these quick tips:

After you create products and services for your clients, ask yourself these questions:

1. "How can I add value to this offering to ensure that my ideal clients will be satisfied, keep returning for more and share me with others they know who have the same problem they used to have?"

2. "What do I have sitting in my inventory that would further enhance the experience my clients get when they work with me?" Note: these items add value but do not increase your work output.

3. "How can I create value that will increase my Top of Mind Awareness amongst my clients?"

4. "What are five little things I can do now to add up to the unassailable difference that I offer to my current clients to get them to upgrade their level of service with me?"

5. "If I were my ideal client, would this add enough value for me to take advantage of the offer?"

6. "What would I want to make me open my wallet over and over again to purchase my products and services?"

Here are some of my favorite quick tips to add into your products and services to add more value, increase your ideal client count and grow your business:

1. Add a gift with purchase component to your service offerings. Think like a make-up counter, when your clients spend a certain amount, offer them something for free. The gift should be something you've already created: like a book, audio CD, DVD, etc. No additional time should go into supplying this item when a client makes a specific dollar amount purchase.

2. Offer a product sampling with a coupon should they decide to buy the full-sized offering. A great way to do this is by offering a sample session for 15 minutes - at the end of the sample session sell them on getting the full hour session.

3. Offer a "done for you template" as a bonus for your consulting services. There are many things that you do easily and effortlessly that others wish they could do. You've probably already created your template; offer it as a free bonus when they become a new private client.

4. Re-purpose some existing content in the form of a free report or audio download as a bonus when someone becomes a client. Everything you do should be recorded, which can easily be turned into a transcript, free report, article, etc. Because you've already done the work, it's easy for you to offer, but it will mean the world to your client.

5. Create a referral incentive program to let your ideal clients know that you are not only accepting new clients but if they refer you to a new client, they will earn a special incentive like more private access to you, an additional product or a significant discount on a future purchase.

6. For your top-tier clients, offer them a significant discount to attend a live event.

7. If you offer phone sessions with your clients, give them the recording for free - your clients will LOVE you if you do this as they will be able to listen back to the value you add and solutions you offer over and over again.

Final thought: It's important to ensure that every time you work with a client, they give you a testimonial based on the results you offered to improve or resolve their problem, which ultimately can be used to further add value to others. People love to know that other people with their problem found value working with you. Highlight those testimonials and success stories on your website, in your e-zine and wherever your ideal clients might see them.

Here's to adding more value!

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of IncredibleOneEnterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio CD "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.

5 Tips for Delivering What Your Ideal Clients Want

In today's marketplace, it is important to know that people purchase to solve problems that they have right now. Whether they buy a product or service is dependent upon whether or not the pain of the problem is so great that if they don't make a buying decision, the problem will linger and fester and get worse, causing significantly more damage. As a service based entrepreneur, it is imperative that you understand this. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs get an idea for a product or service, get excited and begin to produce it without ever ensuring that the people the product would be for actually need and want the product as a solution. If you are creating products based on what you THINK your ideal clients want because you'd want that, STOP immediately. It's not enough to have a great product or service idea; you must be sure that you are clear what your ideal clients want and then, and only then, should you offer solutions to the exact problems that they have and are ready to buy the solution to.

It is important to note that there are seven reasons why people buy YOUR product or service:

1. They are clear that your product or service will solve their problem.

2. They, after listening to you speak or meeting you in person, believe that they need to extend their experience with you to learn more and increase their success.

3. Your product or service will make them more money.

4. Your product or service will save them money.

5. Your product or service will save them time or effort.

6. Your product or service will increase their happiness or fulfillment.

7. They believe that they will actually be able to complete your product or service, thereby getting a sense of accomplishment.

If you want to make sure that you create products and services that will be purchased, instead of collecting dust in your office, consider these 5 quick tips:

Clarify your ideal clients for the product or service you would like to create - just because someone is in need of your product or service, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will buy it. You've got to be sure of what they want and need and make sure that they can afford to buy it right now. This is why you can't just pick a target market for your products and services. You must create a niche and an avatar for your one, ideal client type. Perhaps you are a professional organizer. You understand the importance of living and working in an organized space; however, some people in your very broad target market may not have a problem with the clutter. If you want to sell your product or service, you've got to clarify who would actually pay for it and focus on sharing the results and benefits they'd achieve if using your product or service. You must identify who they are, the issues they have and what they need most RIGHT NOW to resolve that issue. Lots of entrepreneurs are jaded enough to believe that "they can help everyone" or "their product is for everyone." This could not be farther from the truth and until you clarify the exact person that your product or service is for by understanding their pain points and demographics, your product or service will be sitting on a shelf.

Survey your ideal clients - Once you clarify who would want a product or service that you offer, the best way to know what they want so that you can deliver exactly what they want and need is to ask them what they need. Seems obvious, I'm sure, but you'd be surprised how often this step gets overlooked. Use a simple surveying tool or attend a networking event where your ideal clients hang out and ask them the questions that you need to be answered so that you can create the product or service of their dreams.

Use their words - when they take the time to tell you what they want, don't get cute; use their words to create the concepts and lessons and solutions in the products or service. If they say, "I want to learn how to organize my office in 1 hour because I don't have a lot of time and need to be more productive." Create a solution called "How to organize your office in one hour to increase your productivity." For those that said that's what they want, they will jump on it and purchase right away. They'll also be impressed because you listened and gave them what they want.

Complete a test market - After creating the product or service, test it out. You can complete a test market and share the product or service with a few of your ideal clients on a trial basis to make sure that it meets their needs and it's exactly what they want. A great way to do this with lots of people is by creating a free preview to the product or service. In doing a free preview call, you can share the key concepts, speak to the pain that it solves for your ideal clients and get immediate feedback from participants to ensure that it meets their needs and wants. Because you've assembled your ideal clients in one place, it is also a great place to position the product or service by making them an irresistible offer to participate in the full version for continued learning and results.

Create a consistent marketing plan - once the product has been created to your ideal clients specifications, create a plan to get it out there where your ideal clients will see it en masse. Consistency is key in your marketing efforts and you want to be sure to maximize all marketing streams to ensure that no matter where your ideal clients are, they are learning that you are the ONLY solution to their problem and your new product or service is not only what they need but what exactly they WANT.

How to Attract a Consistent Flow of Ideal, High Paying Clients - Darnyelle A. Jervey

One of the major challenges facing today's service-based entrepreneur is creating a steady stream of ideal clients. In a vast marketplace where there has the potential to be hundreds of thousands of people who do what you do, it can be hard to figure out how to stand out from the crowd just so that potential clients can see what you have to offer. In an effort to offer a few valuable tips to aid service based entrepreneurs in attracting more ideal clients, allow me to share the following:

Clarify Your Ideal Client. The universal law of business says, "find the group of people who have the exact problem that you solve who are ready right now to pay for a solution to that problem." To attract more ideal clients, you have to clarify exactly who you help. It's not enough to have a target market, you must also have a niche and within that niche get crystal clear about the exact type of person, yes, one type of person that you are the perfect solution to the problems that they have. Ask yourself: 1. Who are they? 2. What are their problems? 3. What do they need right now to solve those problems? And how do I offer that solution? Then, you must ensure that you are directing your marketing efforts to the exact person who will benefit from the solution that you provide. Interestingly, when you do this, you will find that there are many people in that same situation that are now attracted to you as the solution to their problem.

Focus on the problem you solve, not your credentials. Honestly, people really could care less what degrees you have unless they need a doctor or a lawyer. People are more concerned about the transformation you provide. When you create marketing materials that clearly highlight that transformation, they will know without a doubt if you provide the solution they are searching for. Don't make your materials about you, speak their language and make everything about your ideal client. After all, one radio station that everyone listens to is WIIFM- What's In It For Me.

Give your products and packages names that demonstrate the problem you solve. When building a new program or creating a new service option, don't try to be cute with your title, instead focus on the problem you solve and name it that. If your new program will show people how to quit smoking in 10 days or less, call your new program How to Quit Smoking in 10 Days or Less not You Can Quit Smoking. See the difference? The first title is exactly what your ideal clients can expect when they register for the program.

Have a defined call to action. Here's where many entrepreneurs miss the mark. They offer great content, they illustrate value but they don't tell ideal clients what to do next. As a result, the phone doesn't ring, no one visits your website, you stay in a famine mode in your business. You always want any interaction with your ideal clients to include the next step, which is known as the call to action. Having a strong one will send ideal clients right to your door via the vehicle of your choosing.

Give them a reason to take action immediately. In the movie the Godfather, one of my favorite movie lines ever exists and it pertains to this final tip: "make them an offer they can't refuse." When your call to action is clear and strong and you create a sense of urgency in your offer, clients will take action and sign up for your products and services.

When you make these five quick tips a part of your daily business practices, you will see your ideal clients coming to you with consistent flow. Happy client attracting!

©2011 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, The Incredible Factor Business Mentor and Coach, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for turning your passion into profit. For more information and a FREE audio download "How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients" visit http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com.