How To Find More Clients and Make More Money

One of the most frequent questions that I receive from new business owners and direct sales consultants is, “how do I get clients”? While there are a variety of ways to go about it (cold calling, content marketing, direct mail, attending networking events, advertising…) I have found that one technique stands out above the rest.

Do you want to know what it is?

It’s really very simple…

It’s called Relationship Marketing and it’s where you focus on building and cultivating relationships. I know, you were hoping for some magic formula that would bring in tons of new clients and customers overnight, but the truth is, until you focus on the relationship and build up trust, you will struggle with finding and keeping clients.

Let me tell you a little story to illustrate my point.

Back in the fall of 2011 when I launched my eBook, I partnered with two different websites that each had a women centric focus. One had a large list consisting of 25,000 subscribers and the other a much smaller list consisting of just 2,000 subscribers. The same copy was was given to both sites and while I thought I would receive a ton of sales from the bigger list, only 2 sales were generated. However, the much smaller list rocked it, bringing in a ton of sales.

What was the difference between the the two lists?

You could argue that the smaller list had a more targeted audience, but as I follow both sites on social media, receive both of their newsletters, and frequent each of their sites, I can tell you that that main difference is how they interact with their audience. The smaller publisher is much more personal and interactive with her audience. And from these clearly visible interactions, the smaller publisher has built up a trust and a more intimate relationship with her audience, that the other has not achieved.

So how do you go about relationship marketing so that you can find more clients and make more money?

Here are some tips to get you started:

Get Personal:

This should be such an easy step to achieve, yet so many individuals struggle with this, from not knowing how to interact on social media to troubles finding their voice via their blog posts. The key is to be yourself and let your uniqueness shine through. You may not think that people want to hear about your kids or love of cooking, but letting them in on the little details allows for them to connect with you on a more personal level. Of course a big part of this is showing interest in what others are doing – so ask questions, get to know your audience and show that you care.

Be Helpful:

Being helpful doesn’t have to take a lot of time, it can be as simple as making a referral or virtual introduction, answering a question, showing appreciation, listening or offering a word of kindness. There are moments in each and every day that you can make a positive impact on someone’s life – take the time to nurture these moments, your kindness and generosity will be remembered and ultimately paid forward.

Give Great Customer Service:

Maybe it’s all of the years that I waited tables, but I love when I get great customer service, and when individuals go that extra mile, they have won me over as a loyal patron for life. Conversely, give me bad customer service and you’re in big trouble. Not only I will NOT shop with you again, but I will tell my friends and family about the awful experience that I had, and I may even take the time to write a negative review on Yelp. Need ideas on how to give good customer service? Here are 15 ways to rock your business with great customer service.

Add Value:

With your blogging, newsletters and social media interactions you need to be offering value to your audience. Not every update, post and mailing should be about your business and what you’re selling, it needs to be more about giving back, offering tips and helpful information. Once you have mastered the art of adding value to your community, others will recommend it because of what you have to offer. Need a formula for success? Try this recipe: 20% self promotion, 70% conversation and sharing of other’s content and 10% experimentation.

Maintain the Relationship:

Once you have laid the initial groundwork, you need to be consistent and continue to interact and cultivate relationships. If you followed all of the steps above, you should be good to go and on your way to more clients and referrals. Remember there is no magic pill for getting more clients and increasing sales – hard work, persistence and maintaining relationships will be the keys to your success.

What tips do you have for getting clients? Have you found that relationship marketing is your most fruitful way of bringing in new clients?

http://www.theworkathomewoman.com/find-more-clients-2/

5 Clever Ways Your Summer Activities Can Boost your Social Media Content

I’ll admit that I love when I read another blogger’s article and it inspires a new blog post idea for me. While I always want to give you fresh and unique ideas, sometimes these ideas get spurred by others. And today’s blog post is one that was driven by inspiration.

I recently read a blog post from my friend Dorien Morin-Van Dam about summer social media content ideas. To be fair, her post is awesome and you should totally go check it out. She even has a great infographic in the post with great tips. But it really got me thinking about summer content ideas – and how we often struggle to generate fresh new social media content because we’re so busy with other summer activities.

So I came up with my 5 best tips for how to take advantage of these summer distractions – I mean activities – and incorporate them into awesome social media content that your audience will love. And these aren’t just what types of things to post. These are ways to take your actual summer activities and translate them into social media content for your business.

Get Personal

Let’s face it, I talk about it, others talk about it, and you know it. The more you include personal details into your business content, the more your audience connects with you. They get to see your personality, your interests, and it builds a sense of trust and relationship between you and your audience.

So, open up and share what you’re up to! Share the occasional photo from your vacation, activities you’re doing with the kids, new places you’re trying out, or summer dishes that you get to enjoy. The visual content alone is powerful and connects with you audience. But telling the story behind what you’re doing or where you’re going or why you’re doing it will generate a better level of engagement and trust with your audience.

Ask For Advice

Are you travelling somewhere new? Or want to try new activities with the kids in your city? Or want to know the best place for entertainment on a rainy summer day? Or looking for the best summer recipes? Or the best places to escape kids? 😉

Ask your audience on social media!! People love to share advice and ideas. If you take the time to ask them and engage with them when they respond, not only will you have a slew of new ideas, but you’ll have a huge increase in your social media engagement! That’s a win-win!

Get Great New Stock Photos

You know you struggle to find good photos all year round. Whether for social media, blogging, marketing materials, or emails, we always need fresh (and royalty/copyright free) images. So why not take advantage of your summer activities to get some more photos for your needs?

At the beach? Take some photos of the water, the birds, the people, the umbrellas, the scenery. Take photos of your feet in the sand. Take photos of that delicious ice cream cone before you (or the kids) scarf it down. Driving down the highway, take a photo (or have your passenger take it!) of the road in front of you. Take photos of the flowers, parks, trees and other pretty things around you. At a busy museum or crowded venue? Take photos of the crowd or lines of people. Take photos of architecture, doors, windows, and other unique aspects.

Anything you’re doing could translate to a stock photo you can use down the road. Don’t overthink it but just take the photos. You can go through and edit or delete later. But if you’re traveling, you can’t get back there and grab that photo after your vacation is over. So take advantage of the opportunity you have to take endless photos this summer.

Write About Lessons Learned

Chances are you’re going to learn something this summer. Maybe a friend will introduce you to a new fitness trend. Or your kids will show you how to use the newest social media platform or tool. Or you’ll learn how to cope in a certain situation. Or you’ll talk to a business owner about their challenges or experiences. The opportunities to learn are endless!

You can take these lessons and easily create new blog posts or social media posts! Share what you learned, what value you garnered, and how you think this helps your audience. Or just plain make fun of yourself if that was the lesson 😉 Either way, you’re sharing knowledge and experiences with your audience that adds to both the human and professional aspect of your business.

Summer Survival Stories/Tips

Unless you’re really lucky, chances are you aren’t spending the whole summer traveling or on vacation. You still have to work too! So how do you navigate the summer months?

What tips and stories can you provide your customers that will benefit them? If you’re at home with kids, share your stories and tips for staying on track with work while entertaining your kids. If you live in a hot humid area, share ideas for beating the heat. If you’re a local business, share your favorite get-away spots when you need a break. Do a lot of your customers have young kids? Share tips on water safety or theme park safety.

These things don’t even have to be your own personal experiences. They could be articles you read that you related to. But if it resonated with you, chances are it’ll resonate with your audience too. And it’s ok to go “off-topic” with these types of things occasionally. Taking the time to share these lessons with your audience adds depth and relevance to your brand while providing fresh content ideas that just may boost your social media engagement.

So, now you’re all ready to dive head first into summer while still managing to keep your social media content fresh and engaging! I hope you have a great summer with lots of wonderful experiences.

And if you have any tips on the social media content you share during the summer, please chime in below!

http://www.jennstrends.com/5-clever-ways-your-summer-activities-can-boost-your-social-media-content/