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Casual Articles - Connecting With Your Clients
Private security work makes for a good, stable job with low overhead requirements. You can do this fresh out of high school, and many college students work their way through their higher education. But it's not for everyone.You should have some concept of or interest in law enforcement, some degree of a conservative personality, and not be so far gone that you're going to think wearing a security guard uniform makes you a super-hero. If you like to work night shift (or have to because of school) and like an active job where you're on your feet a lot, and especially if you have good people skills, you are cut out for security.The range of private security jobs cover a variety of tastes. Some of the most common posts:* Industrial security - the most common type. This can range from a night watchman posit
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what
Going through the exercise of setting goals may seem like a task or even at its worst dudgery. The problem in the past has been that most organizations set goals based on sales for each quarter of the year. This means goals are usually set for financial reasons and the goals are generally for one year at a time. The goals also tend to tied into budgets and quotas. But what happened to setting goals that incorporate the entire business and the direction it is taking?Goals need to thread through every fiber of the business. The starting point is to do a 26 point gap analysis of the organization. This means taking a look at every department and analyzing how they are conducting business, what processes are in place, and looking to the future at how that department would be perfectly run. Does this sound like a lot of w
KNOW YOUR CLIENTS
How can you sell to your clients -- much less help them -- if you don't know what their problems are? Marketing is all about SOLVING PROBLEMS -- whether your prospect wants to get a stain out of the rug or have 10,000 copies made by tomorrow or find a better way to manage paper. When you market your services, your job is not to "con" people into buying something they don't need. It is to show them how you can solve a problem for them. You're not selling a service -- you're selling a solution.
So how can you possibly know what your prospective customers need? The easiest way is to put yourself in their shoes. Since my specialization is Professional Organizing, I pretend that I am a disorganized client -- then ask myself why I would hire an organizer. Maybe it’s so I can create more free time to spend with friends and family. Or it might be because I need to reduce stress and feel better about yourself. Or I might just want to be more productive during the day. That answer tells me what I need to sell -- the solution to the problem.
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS IN TERMS OF BENEFITS -- NOT FEATURES
One of the biggest mistakes we make as business owners is to tell prospects all about the terrific features of the services we offer. I might tell a client, "I can help you set up a paper management system and clean out that closet and re-organize your daily schedule." So what? Clients don't care about any of that, because it seems vague and distant and not at all related to their situation. If you want to make an impact, tell your potential clients how their lives will improve by working with you. I’ll make a greater impression on my clients if I say, "Once we are finished organizing, you will get your daily chores done faster, have more time for yourself, and find yourself in a less-chaotic environment." Those are BENEFITS.
PAINT A PICTURE
I don't mean literally paint a picture -- but if you want to market yourself successfully, you need to bring out the artist inside. What's the best way to show clients how you can solve their problems? Paint a visual picture of what life will look like after you have helped them get organized. "Imagine what your home will look like once we have it organized -- a place for everything, the piles of clutter are gone, and you are able to relax and enjoy just being in your house." That's a lot more effective and convincing than, "I can help you get your house organized."
EMOTION SELLS
Think about the last time you made an important purchase -- what really made the final decision for you? Was it logic or emotion? If you said "logic," congratulations -- you are in the minority! Emotion governs most of our behaviors and decisions -- including our purchases. Fear, joy, a sense of excitement, worry -- this is why we buy what we buy.
You might think that using a client's emotions to create a sale is manipulative. But you aren't creating a false emotion -- you are simply bringing existing feelings to the surface and illustrating how you can either enhance or dissolve those emotions. Let's look at an example: you describe how much (in dollars or time or stress) that client’s current problem (a car that doesn’t run right or a slow computer or disorganization) are costing a potential client -- you have connected with that person's fear and stress. Then you describe how wonderful life will be once that problem is solved -- you've tapped into hope and joy. By moving your client from a negative to a positive, you have automatically attached value to your services.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what
Many companies reward their customers with a system for accumulating points with each purchase. These points are redeemable for free products or services in the future.Fly enough on the same airline and you get a free ticket. Stay enough nights with the same hotel and you can enjoy free weekends. Rent cars from the same company again and again and free upgrades will be yours. Buy coffee or ice cream nine times in a row and the tenth cup or cone will be free.This habit of gathering points is widespread and familiar, but customer experiences when redeeming these points are incredibly inconsistent. Some companies go out of their way to make you feel truly rewarded for the loyalty you have shown. Others treat you like a freeloader and dish out only the lowest level of service.This is a cultural (and busine
So how can you possibly know what your prospective customers need? The easiest way is to put yourself in their shoes. Since my specialization is Professional Organizing, I pretend that I am a disorganized client -- then ask myself why I would hire an organizer. Maybe it’s so I can create more free time to spend with friends and family. Or it might be because I need to reduce stress and feel better about yourself. Or I might just want to be more productive during the day. That answer tells me what I need to sell -- the solution to the problem.
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS IN TERMS OF BENEFITS -- NOT FEATURES
One of the biggest mistakes we make as business owners is to tell prospects all about the terrific features of the services we offer. I might tell a client, "I can help you set up a paper management system and clean out that closet and re-organize your daily schedule." So what? Clients don't care about any of that, because it seems vague and distant and not at all related to their situation. If you want to make an impact, tell your potential clients how their lives will improve by working with you. I’ll make a greater impression on my clients if I say, "Once we are finished organizing, you will get your daily chores done faster, have more time for yourself, and find yourself in a less-chaotic environment." Those are BENEFITS.
PAINT A PICTURE
I don't mean literally paint a picture -- but if you want to market yourself successfully, you need to bring out the artist inside. What's the best way to show clients how you can solve their problems? Paint a visual picture of what life will look like after you have helped them get organized. "Imagine what your home will look like once we have it organized -- a place for everything, the piles of clutter are gone, and you are able to relax and enjoy just being in your house." That's a lot more effective and convincing than, "I can help you get your house organized."
EMOTION SELLS
Think about the last time you made an important purchase -- what really made the final decision for you? Was it logic or emotion? If you said "logic," congratulations -- you are in the minority! Emotion governs most of our behaviors and decisions -- including our purchases. Fear, joy, a sense of excitement, worry -- this is why we buy what we buy.
You might think that using a client's emotions to create a sale is manipulative. But you aren't creating a false emotion -- you are simply bringing existing feelings to the surface and illustrating how you can either enhance or dissolve those emotions. Let's look at an example: you describe how much (in dollars or time or stress) that client’s current problem (a car that doesn’t run right or a slow computer or disorganization) are costing a potential client -- you have connected with that person's fear and stress. Then you describe how wonderful life will be once that problem is solved -- you've tapped into hope and joy. By moving your client from a negative to a positive, you have automatically attached value to your services.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what
Do you know how people look at your organization?Let us take a quick brain-storm.Whenever we think of an organization, the image (believe it or not we read images and not words) that comes to our mind first, is rarely that of the dedicated band of selected people behind its success.Normally when you do not know about the organization you have nothing but a black or blank image about that. In other cases you can see some images related to that.In most of the cases these images not necessarily have any direct or even indirect relationship with that organization.Let’s consider an example:There in the next paragraph you are going to find a hyper linked company name (don’t click on the link unless you have finished reading the following paragraph). As soon as you read the name try to ca
PAINT A PICTURE
I don't mean literally paint a picture -- but if you want to market yourself successfully, you need to bring out the artist inside. What's the best way to show clients how you can solve their problems? Paint a visual picture of what life will look like after you have helped them get organized. "Imagine what your home will look like once we have it organized -- a place for everything, the piles of clutter are gone, and you are able to relax and enjoy just being in your house." That's a lot more effective and convincing than, "I can help you get your house organized."
EMOTION SELLS
Think about the last time you made an important purchase -- what really made the final decision for you? Was it logic or emotion? If you said "logic," congratulations -- you are in the minority! Emotion governs most of our behaviors and decisions -- including our purchases. Fear, joy, a sense of excitement, worry -- this is why we buy what we buy.
You might think that using a client's emotions to create a sale is manipulative. But you aren't creating a false emotion -- you are simply bringing existing feelings to the surface and illustrating how you can either enhance or dissolve those emotions. Let's look at an example: you describe how much (in dollars or time or stress) that client’s current problem (a car that doesn’t run right or a slow computer or disorganization) are costing a potential client -- you have connected with that person's fear and stress. Then you describe how wonderful life will be once that problem is solved -- you've tapped into hope and joy. By moving your client from a negative to a positive, you have automatically attached value to your services.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what
The inability to pull the trigger on key marketing decisions is a curious problem. On one hand, a properly selected, well-conceived business to business marketing strategy is the key to a company's growth and expansion. For many companies that have been struggling, or are stalled, implementing a marketing solution that will generate leads and sales is Priority One. So, why is it that such a decision is often put off with some form of “we think we will wait?”Many business owners and execs have no sense of the tremendous liability of waiting to start a business to business marketing effort. By waiting, they're not confronting how the game is played. Business competition is like a race. When you're not moving forward, you're losing ground.Although clearly there can be a legitimate reason to delay a business-to-b
EMOTION SELLS
Think about the last time you made an important purchase -- what really made the final decision for you? Was it logic or emotion? If you said "logic," congratulations -- you are in the minority! Emotion governs most of our behaviors and decisions -- including our purchases. Fear, joy, a sense of excitement, worry -- this is why we buy what we buy.
You might think that using a client's emotions to create a sale is manipulative. But you aren't creating a false emotion -- you are simply bringing existing feelings to the surface and illustrating how you can either enhance or dissolve those emotions. Let's look at an example: you describe how much (in dollars or time or stress) that client’s current problem (a car that doesn’t run right or a slow computer or disorganization) are costing a potential client -- you have connected with that person's fear and stress. Then you describe how wonderful life will be once that problem is solved -- you've tapped into hope and joy. By moving your client from a negative to a positive, you have automatically attached value to your services.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what
My subordinates are very experienced and older than me. How do I control them? Ramesh asked me. He was just 26 and working in a managerial position in a multinational company.Ramesh's problem is not isolated. Many times, young managers feel unhappy and embarrassed by elder subordinates. This results in total dissatisfaction of the employee and also bad work atmosphere. But you can avoid this by following the five principles given below.1. Be soft but firm.Elders often get irritated by a harsh tone from a young manager. But you can be conveying the same feelings in a calm cool voice. This will not hurt him. For example for a late coming person, the question "why are you late today?" can be put in many ways some of which hurting and some very gentle but firm.2. Try to understand their problems.xample: you describe how much (in dollars or time or stress) that client’s current problem (a car that doesn’t run right or a slow computer or disorganization) are costing a potential client -- you have connected with that person's fear and stress. Then you describe how wonderful life will be once that problem is solved -- you've tapped into hope and joy. By moving your client from a negative to a positive, you have automatically attached value to your services.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
What's everyone's favorite word in the whole world? Our own names! Human beings love to focus on themselves -- it's a natural trait and nothing to be ashamed of. But, as a service provider, your goal is to learn to focus on your prospect's needs. Learn how to practice active listening -- listening in a way that lets your clients know you really "hear" them. Along the way, you should ask questions for clarification and occasionally rephrase what the client has said to make sure you've got it right -- "So what I hear you saying is that you are feeling really stressed because your computer always seems to conk out on you at a crucial moment." And whatever you do, hold off on offering advice until your client has poured it all out. The quickest way to kill a sale is to jump in too quickly with the answers when you haven't heard all of the problems yet.
SHARE "WAR STORIES"
Sometimes, the best way to connect with a potential client is to let the person know that you've seen it before. Share a story of another customer you worked with who suffered from similar concerns -- and how you helped that person to solve his or her problems. Your goal here is not to make yourself out to be the hero -- blowing your own horn too much will turn anyone off. You also want to be careful about trivializing your client's experience -- don't be glib ("Oh, that's no big deal -- I've taken care of that problem before!") or dismissive. What you want to do is reassure your prospects that they are NOT ALONE. That others have been in the same situation and triumphed. Show your client that it can be done.
MARKETING IS SELLING YOURSELF
In any service profession, you are selling more than your services -- you are selling yourself. You must convince the client that you are the proper person to help solve their concerns. That means being GENUINE -- not putting on a facade just to win the sale. Try too quickly to be a client's savior, and you will alienate a potential customer. You will earn your clients' trust quicker by showing your true self than by being a "salesman."
Selling yourself also involves building credibility -- by following through on your promises, being punctual, respectful, professional, and compassionate. Certainly, showing off your many glowing testimonials will impress your clients -- but actions always speak louder than words.
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