[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#565656″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_css_main_element=”margin-top: -60px;||margin-bottom: -40px;” global_module=”1010″][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” global_parent=”1010″ make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_margin=”0px||0px|0px” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” padding_top_1=”0px” padding_right_1=”0px” padding_bottom_1=”0px” padding_left_1=”0px” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” custom_padding=”0px||0px|0px” padding_right_2=”0px” padding_left_2=”0px” custom_css_main_2=”margin-left: -15px;”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” global_parent=”1010″ src=”https://johnpyron.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/JPLogo.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px” url=”test.johnpyron.com” /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code” global_parent=”1010″ custom_css_main_element=”font-size: 20px;”]<div class=”et_pb_fullwidth_menu et_pb_module et_pb_bg_layout_dark et_pb_text_align_center et_dropdown_animation_fade et_pb_fullwidth_menu_0″ style=”background-color: rgba(68,68,68,0); width:790px; margin-top: -12px; margin-bottom: -8px;”><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> <div class=”et_pb_row clearfix”><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> <nav class=”fullwidth-menu-nav”><ul id=”menu-footer-menu” class=”fullwidth-menu nav downwards”><li id=”menu-item-160″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-124 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-160″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/”>Home</a></li><li id=”menu-item-160″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-124 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-160″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/about/”>About John</a></li><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –><li id=”menu-item-159″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-126 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-159″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/book-appointment/”>Book Appointment</a></li><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –><li id=”menu-item-388″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-369 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-388″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/podcast/”>Podcast</a></li><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –><li id=”menu-item-158″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-128 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-158″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/blog/”>Blog</a></li><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –><li id=”menu-item-157″ class=”et_pb_menu_page_id-130 menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-157″><a href=”https://johnpyron.com/events/”>Events</a></li><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –></ul></nav><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> <div class=”et_mobile_nav_menu”><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> <a href=”#” class=”mobile_nav closed”><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> <span class=”mobile_menu_bar”></span><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> </a><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> </div><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> </div><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –> </div>[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” custom_css_main_element=”border-bottom: 1px #808080 solid;” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#1772af” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_post_title admin_label=”Post Title” title=”on” meta=”off” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”on” comments=”on” featured_image=”off” featured_placement=”below” parallax_effect=”off” parallax_method=”on” text_orientation=”center” text_color=”light” text_background=”off” text_bg_color=”#0c71c3″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” title_font_size=”30px” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
Note: If you missed Part 1 of this series, be sure to check it out first here.
Now that we have the description of our perfect client in place, we also know who to go to.
See, there are really two phases of marketing. The first phase is the guessing part. We guess at who we are targeting and how. But now, we have the “who” part down. What we need is the “how.” This is where your current wow clients come in again.
Step 6
The next step will be to contact each one of your current wow clients and conduct a survey. This doesn’t have to be a painfully long survey – we don’t want them to suddenly dislike working with you! Instead, send them a short and to-the-point email asking these questions:
- If you were in a situation to refer me to a friend or colleague, would you do so?
- If you answered yes to the above question, why? If you answered no, why not?
- What is the biggest challenge you are having right now in your business?
Oftentimes, if you do not hear back from these clients, you will need to do a followup call (no more than 5-10) minutes. Many business owners are busy and may not write back, but will give you the answers over the phone – or in person! Always followup on the people you want to do business with and get feedback from.
Now, the most important part of this process is for you to take notes on what their answers to number 2 and 3 are. These will be your keywords and actions phrases in all of your copywriting and marketing for the next several months.
Here’s an example response to the survey, with important keywords/phrases in bold:
I would definitely refer you to a friend or colleague, and I actually have! I love working with a no-BS coach who will tell me like it is and really push me into achieving greater and greater things in my business. You are usually able to pinpoint weaknesses that I cannot see as I am too close to my business, and give me immediately actionable advice on how to fix them. I love it!
The biggest challenge I am having right now, though, is attracting new customers. I have great current customers who always come back, but I am having trouble expanding into new target markets. I’m going to need to change something to do this, but I just don’t know what to do!
I recommend you do this exercise at least twice a year, as you and your ideal clients will change. Never rely on the same marketing tactics and language for so long, you become dated and irrelevant.
An amazing final touch to this process is to send the clients who responded a handwritten thank you card. Not an e-card or mass-marketed card, but a handwritten thank you. You may even want to include a $5-$10 gift card as well. After all, they’ve just helped your business in an immense way!
Step 7
Finally, now that we have all of these pieces of the puzzle, it’s time to put them all together. This is extremely important, and I want you to do a few things to be sure to dedicate the appropriate amount of time and energy to it:
- Time block AT LEAST 1 hour for yourself to do this exercise (preferably 2). Make sure it’s within the next week or two so all of the momentum you’ve built up on this doesn’t die out.
- Be in a place without any distractions – no family, employees, turn off your phone and ignore your computer. Take just a notepad/notebook and a pen.
Now, ask yourself, “what information can I share with my clients that they would appreciate receiving?” Don’t think about products, packages, pricing, or any of that just yet. Just brainstorm all of the information you can share with your clients that they would appreciate based on their current business challenges. You should be able to brainstorm at least 10 valuable pieces of information during this time, but the more the better!
Important note!! While you are doing this exercise, it is really tempting to get distracted and think of all of the products or ways you can sell this information before you’ve really completed the list. FIGHT THIS URGE! If you half-ass this list, you will half-ass the product creation, the marketing, and your results WILL suffer! At this point, just assume you’re going to give all of this information away for free and don’t put a single thought into how you are going to deliver it.
Step 8
Once you feel you have a complete list of information you can share with clients that they’d appreciate, you can begin brainstorming how to deliver it.
Here’s a hint: I have made more money on the things I have given away for free, than on anything I have ever sold.
Why? Because the work and investment required to sell a product/workshop/whatever will usually result in one sale per customer (maybe two if you have mastered the art of the upsell). But FREE content gets shared freely but many people, and if it’s truly valuable, those people become fans or followers of yours, and you have the opportunity to market many different products to them, often resulting in 4-5 sales per customer. It’s also a lot less work to market free stuff than it is to market items that require someone to break out their wallet.
Knowing this, your best bet would be to start with what you can offer for free. Here are a few of my favorite options:
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- Video. Gather up 10-15 of the most frequently asked questions you get in your business, and create a short (2-4 minute) video addressing each one. These can be put out on YouTube, Facebook, your website, and more as completely free and valuable content that your potential clients are happy to share.
<li>Worksheets. If you have a step-by-step process for solving some issue that your clients or customers often have, create a worksheet that they can download and use to solve their own problems. Make sure to brand it so they always know where it came from. Bonus: you can request their email address to download.
- PDF guides. Much like worksheets, use 10-15 page PDF guides to essentially duplicate yourself and explain a certain process you have that would help your ideal clients.
If you can create a batch of 10-15 free items, you will be in a perfect position to begin a strong sales funnel that will keep you up and running for months.
When you are ready to start thinking about products/programs you can sell, head over to my Perfect Sales Funnel blog post to craft the perfect sales system.
As always, if you’d like to ask questions, get feedback, or just discuss business with like-minded entrepreneurs, be sure to join us on Facebook.
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